No Rest, No Problem For Dodger Relievers
by Eric Stephen on Oct 8, 2009 11:55 AM PDT
in Research
37 comments
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 |
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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
I don't know if Hudson is a big improvement over Belliard at this time.
Aces are for teams without the best bullpen in baseball.
by Sordid on Oct 8, 2009 12:19 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
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
Maybe tonight
But not this afternoon for the game
by delias man on Oct 8, 2009 12:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
work - about 5 minutes
san pedro about 145
by delias man on Oct 8, 2009 12:42 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
Rockies up 3 – 0 Yorvit goes yard
http://www.truebluela.com/2009/10/8/1076590/2009-baseball-playoffs-day-two
by meercatjohn on Oct 8, 2009 12:55 PM PDT 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 thought I knew a lot about Dodger Stadium
but I did not know that.
by LA Taco on Oct 8, 2009 2:33 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
Maybe they can set the blog spot in RF pavillion.
they had extra press section in reserve.
by Dodger Dude on Oct 8, 2009 3:02 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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