Here Comes The Long Haul
by Eric Stephen on Apr 21, 2009 6:00 AM PDT
in News
Email
Print
via www.brucesilvermanconsulting.com
Twenty games in twenty days. Per Article V, Section C(10) of the MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement:
No Club shall be scheduled, or rescheduled if practicable, to play more than 20 consecutive dates without an open day, or 21 consecutive dates if necessary to accommodate the Hall of Fame Game. A rained-out game may be rescheduled to an open date in the same series, or to an open date at the end of the same series, if (a) the open date is a road off-day for the visiting Club, and (b) the rescheduling does not result in the home team playing more than 24 consecutive dates without an open day, or 25 consecutive dates if necessary to accommodate the Hall of Fame Game.
The Dodgers are about to play the maximum allowable consecutive days, starting today in Houston, without an off day until May 11. It's not exactly working long hours in the coal mines, especially since the final 11 games are at home, where the Dodgers have played sublimely well thus far. But this will be as grueling a test as the baseball schedule provides. The schedule until the next off day is as follows:
| Tue-Thu | @ Houston |
| Fri-Sun | @ Colorado |
| April 27-29 | @ San Francisco |
| Apr 30-May 3 | vs. San Diego |
| May 4-5 | vs. Arizona |
| May 6-7 | vs. Washington |
| May 8-10 | vs. Giants |
The biggest effect the next 20 days will have on the Dodgers -- besides a pair of the always weird two game series -- is the inability to skip or push back starts by James McDonald and/or Eric Stults. Hiroki Kuroda is scheduled to throw off a mound soon, perhaps as soon as today. The sooner he can return from the disabled list, the better.
You can bet Manny Ramirez will see his first day off sometime in the next three weeks, and we'll see how serious Joe Torre is about resting Rafael Furcal once a week.
The Dodgers have started out the season on fire, going 10-3 all against the NL West. By the time they hit their next off day, 28 of their 33 games will have been against their own division, so there's an excellent chance to create some distance between them and their competition.
The road trip opening three-game series in Houston will mark the debut of television play-by-play announcer Eric Collins, who work with Steve Lyons in all games east of Colorado this season. Newly inducted National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Famer Vin Scully will rejoin the team Friday at Coors Field.
15 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
20 games in 20 days
aside from the pace of play, that’s not much of a test given the quality (or lack of) from their opponents.
who makes up these asinine schedules away?
NL West
That’s why the schedule looks so easy.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 21, 2009 7:38 AM PDT up reply actions
Things are going great now
Savor the moment – things can change quickly – anything can happen – that’s why they play the games.
20 games in a row might put some stress on the pitching staff?
by 68elcamino427 on Apr 21, 2009 7:42 AM PDT up reply actions
By the time this part of schedule is over
Dodgers – 33 games (17 H/16 A; 28 NLW; 3 NLC; 2 NLE)
Padres – 32 games (14 H/18 A; 20 NLW; 6 NLC; 6 NLE)
D-Backs – 32 games (21 H/12 A; 19 NLW; 10NLC; 3 NLE)
Giants – 30 games (14 H/16 A; 25 NLW; 5 NLC)
Rockies – 30 games (14 H/16 A; 22 NLW; 2 NLC; 6 NLE)
Gonna have to tape this one, gotta watch my Nucks go for the sweep!
by Linix129 on Apr 21, 2009 8:43 AM PDT reply actions
Pitching matchups
Can anyone figure out who is scheduled to pitch, or most likely to pitch, for the Dodgers next Monday in SF? I ask ‘cause I’ll be there. I’m not sure who is pitching Sunday in Colorado after Stults and McDonald, but my guess is Wolf or Kershaw and the other one goes Monday, does that sound right? Boy I’d sure love to see Clayton go in person. Can someone place a call to Joe Torre? Thanks.
It's gotta be Wolf or Kuroda Monday
Kershaw will most likely go Sunday, a day after either McDonald or Kuroda pitches. I’d say you have a 90% chance of seeing Wolf and a 10% chance of Kuroda, if they want to wait to bring him back until they leave Colorado.
Just go Tuesday instead and see Chad pitch! :)
by Eric Stephen on Apr 21, 2009 9:13 AM PDT up reply actions
What a bummer
Having the Dodgers come to town and find out you will be seeing Randy Wolf pitch.
by Michael White on Apr 21, 2009 9:14 AM PDT up reply actions
Sigh
Maybe I will go back on Tuesday, too. I was just thinking they wouldn’t pitch 3 young guys in a row in Colorado, but maybe now that Kershaw has been so electric they have more faith in him and don’t care. C’mon Joe, save the Minotaur for SF!
It’s the problem with getting tix well in advance…
Good Times For Southern California Style Baseball
UC Irvine is ranked No. 1 in the nation by Baseball America this week for the first time in school history. Congratulations to former USC baseball coach Mike Gillespie. Also, the Trojans are putting together a quite promising season with the goal to finish 2nd in the PAC-10 and then moving on towards the College World Series along with UCI. Baseball is looking good in Southern CA. Keep it up Anteaters, Trojans & Dodgers!
Dont forget about the WCC
San Diego is ranked 24 in the country while LMU is currently in 1st place in the WCC.
Other competitive Southern Cal teams: CS Fullerton (10 in BA poll), Cal Poly (14) and San Digo St. (19)
by Michael White on Apr 21, 2009 9:19 AM PDT up reply actions
Big West
is doing well in general. UCSB is unranked now but they were in top 25 not too long ago and not too far away. 5 teams from BW could be in post-season.
"5 teams from BW could be in post-season."
Possible (and preferable) but unlikely. The NCAA has been reluctant to load the field with teams from the West (Pac 10, Big West and WCC in particular) because they would rather have geographic diversity—- nevermind that the best collegiate baseball is certainly played out west. It was only last year that Oregon State (considered a bubble team) was left out of the pool in favor of a team east of the Rockies—- that was after Oregon State had just won 2 national titles in a row.
by Michael White on Apr 21, 2009 9:29 AM PDT up reply actions
True about anti-West Coast bias
but I was thinking because the Pac-10 is down a lot this year, I mean the BW is clearly superior in baseball right now, that its loss should be the BW’s gain. But, yeah, who knows how clued in the selection committee will be.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on True Blue LA
Related FanShots on True Blue LA
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
