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No Rest, No Problem For Dodger Relievers

Going to the bullpen is a welcome sight in Los Angeles.

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

Going to the bullpen is a welcome sight in Los Angeles.

Last night, the Dodgers were able to utilize their top four relievers to close out the game.  It wasn't the conventional way of course, as Randy Wolf was pulled in the fourth inning, but the Dodgers have to be happy any time they have a lead after five or six innings and can turn the game over to their bullpen.  The site of Ronald Belisario, Hong-Chih Kuo, George Sherrill, and Jonathan Broxton usually means curtains for the other team.

In a perfect world, the Dodgers will get to use those same relievers tonight, perhaps adding a pinch of Ramon Troncoso to the winning recipe.  Here's a look at how these relievers did with zero games rest on the season:

With 0 Days Rest With Rest
Pitcher G ERA BB/9 K/9 BA/OBP/SLG G ERA BB/9 K/9 BA/OBP/SLG
Broxton 26 1.71 2.73 11.96 .151/.216/.172 47 3.08 3.81 14.32 .172/.263/.264
Sherrill* 21 3.32 4.26 10.42 .200/.291/.286 51 1.08 2.70 7.02 .212/.277/.315
Kuo 3 7.71 11.42 15.43 .250/.455/.625 32 2.60 3.25 9.11 .194/.282/.276
Belisario   
19 0.96 3.86 6.75 .206/.316/.279 50 2.42 3.63 8.65 .199/.286/.288

*I used Sherrill's numbers for the entire season, including his time in Baltimore.

There's really not a huge difference either way for Broxton, Sherrill, and Belisario, who have been used on back-to-back days quite often this season.  The outlier is Kuo, who was only used three times in such situations all season, an understandable strategy given his injury history.  Kuo was ineffective in one of his three outings, giving up a couple runs to Atlanta, a game in which he allowed his only home run since returning from the disabled list in late July.  Aside from the small sample size, don't be alarmed by the high walk rate with no rest for Kuo; two of his three walks were intentionally issued to Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday to set up one of the most thrilling strikeouts of the season, the "I want Parkman" moment, if you will.

Since it's the playoffs, I would guess Kuo is available again today, if needed, although Ramon Troncoso might be added to the mix as well.  Then again, Clayton Kershaw could shorten the game all by himself.  But should the Dodgers need to go to the bullpen again today, fear not.

**********

Here are the lineups.  The only change for either team is Julio Lugo starting at 2B instead of Skip Schumaker.

Cardinals      Dodgers             
2B Lugo   
SS Furcal            
SS Ryan       CF Kemp
1B Pujols RF Ethier
LF Holliday LF Manny    
RF Ludwick       
1B Loney
C Molina
3B Blake
3B DeRosa    2B Belliard
CF Rasmus C Martin
P Wainwright    
P Kershaw

0 recs  |  Comment 37 comments |

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Dodgers being interviewed now

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?topic_id=7270758

Thome just finished, said you can’t miss good pitches to hit, and he did that last night.

by Eric Stephen on Oct 8, 2009 12:09 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Same lineup

Furcal SS
Kemp CF
Ethier RF
Ramirez LF
Loney 1B
Blake 3B
Belliard 2B
Martin C
Kershaw LHP

by Eric Stephen on Oct 8, 2009 12:12 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

am i wrong for missing Hudson?

by K3vo on Oct 8, 2009 12:16 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I’m fine with Belliard today.

by mwhite06 on Oct 8, 2009 12:21 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

still miss him, I dunno, he is just a likeable player i guess.

by K3vo on Oct 8, 2009 12:25 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

For this series

You need offense, for another series we might need O-Dog in the field….he would’ve made that play in the first inning last night.

by bearface on Oct 8, 2009 12:38 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

which, thankfully, didn’t come back to haunt us.

by MaxDSterling on Oct 8, 2009 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Cards lineup

Lugo 2B
Ryan SS
Pujols 1B
Holliday LF
Ludwick RF
Molina C
DeRosa 3B
Rasmus CF
Wainwright P

http://twitter.com/MatthewHLeach/statuses/4713852948

by Eric Stephen on Oct 8, 2009 12:14 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Torre just said Kuo was available tonight.

by Eric Stephen on Oct 8, 2009 12:19 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

meh, Kershaw is going 7 with 9Ks 2H 0ER and 3BB and Sherr-Brox closes it out.

by K3vo on Oct 8, 2009 12:22 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Joe Torre

O-Dog is “disappointed” but it hasn’t stopped him from being part of the team. He was the first one on the steps of the dugout when Kemp hit the HR

by Eric Stephen on Oct 8, 2009 12:27 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Torre also said Belliard gives us a better bat right now.

by Eric Stephen on Oct 8, 2009 12:27 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I am a little surprised

that he feels a left handed hitting Hudson can’t provide more bat then Belliard against Wainwright. He must really be down on Hudson. This can’t be helping Hudson’s free agent case when a waiver wire pickup is playing over him in the playoffs.

by meercatjohn on Oct 8, 2009 12:34 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I agree

Wainwright’s 2009 OPS Against RHB is .545 while it is .764 against LHB. I don’t think Torre has much confidence in Hudson.

by Sam PHL on Oct 8, 2009 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I'm thinking the staff knows

his wrist is hurt much more then they are letting the public know.

by meercatjohn on Oct 8, 2009 2:29 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Torre sort of addressed that in the press conference, saying Hudson still says he’s 100%, but then Torre kind of paused.

by Eric Stephen on Oct 8, 2009 2:30 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Kershaw strikes out more batters

So it actually makes more sense having Bellie in for Odog tonight rather than last night.

Definitely put ODog in if Garland makes an appearance :) and Wolf’s next start.

by Dodger Dude on Oct 8, 2009 12:58 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Tony La Russa

Lugo is starting because he’s been “good” and does some stuff.

by PHAT JULIO on Oct 8, 2009 12:32 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Yup,

little things, veteraniness, a throwback … uhm… what am I leaving out? Ah! Gritty!

by Seanny Rotten on Oct 8, 2009 1:23 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

you forgot “gamer”

by KellyStephen on Oct 8, 2009 1:25 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Notes on sellouts

Josh Suchon is talking on DodgerTalk right now, explaining that the Dodgers can only seat 56,000 maximum, due to an agreement with the city. The actual capacity is something close to 58,000, so for any given game they choose a section in which to not sell seats. Last night it happened to be the top rows of the RF pavilion.

I didn’t realize the capacity was so high.

by Eric Stephen on Oct 8, 2009 2:12 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

We had more visits on Tuesday/Wednesday

then the whole month of October and that was a playoff month.

by meercatjohn on Oct 8, 2009 2:26 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I'm calling BS Right There

The mayor was right in McParking’s box, if he wanted 58K, he could have gotten the city to agree to 58K. Just wanted the sellout.

by Dodger Dude on Oct 8, 2009 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Fire Issue

this has been the case forever, nothing knew.

by meercatjohn on Oct 8, 2009 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

In case Furcal gets any hotter, can’t exceed 56,000 or people will burn to death.

by K3vo on Oct 8, 2009 2:47 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

When did ESPN play by play get so subjective

and what’s up with the spanglish?

“A Bastardo relieved B Myers”

by Dodger Dude on Oct 8, 2009 2:39 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

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