Kuroda Looks To Rebound Against White Sox
by Eric Stephen on Jun 23, 2009 2:00 PM PDT
in Dodgers Game Previews
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PrintThe Dodgers haven't had a winning June since 2003, so a slight drop from their lofty perch was expected this month. The club has gone 11-7 so far in June, and have the same division lead (8½ games) now as when the month began. Still, it was a little weird that, entering Saturday's game in Anaheim, no Dodger starter outside of Chad Billingsley had a June win. Jeff Weaver joined the starter winner club by beating his younger brother Saturday, and Clayton Kershaw followed suit on Sunday, although he and John Lackey are not related.
Hiroki Kuroda will try to make it three starter wins in a row tonight, as the Dodgers begin a three-game set at U.S. Cellular Field tonight at 5pm. Kuroda has given up five runs in each of his last two starts, but tonight faces a White Sox offense that is 12th in a 14-team American League in runs scored per game.
The White Sox are similar to the Dodgers in a way, in that they each have received a stellar performance from a perennially light-hitting outfielder this season. Scott Podsednik, who joined the Sox in May, is hitting .319/.372/.412 with the Sox, after hitting .260/.326/.356 over the last five seasons. The Sox are so enamored with Podsednik that they are mulling over the possibility of signing him beyond this year.
Left-hander John Danks will start for the White Sox.
In injury news, Carlos Quentin is on the disabled list with plantar fasciitis, and will miss the series. Jermaine Dye, nursing a sore left calf, was limited to pinch-hitting duty during the last two games in Cincinnati over the weekend, but is expected to play in this series.
Three Dodgers have an OPS of .800 or higher in June: Andre Ethier (.300/.347/.600), Matt Kemp (.355/.406/.484), and Rafael Furcal (.262/.375/.426).
The Dodgers are tied with the Red Sox for the best record in baseball (25-16) since May 7, the first day of the Manny Ramirez suspension.
Per the Dodger game notes, today is the 26th anniversary of the first time "The Infield" of Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell, and Ron Cey all took the field together. They all started in the second game of a doubleheader against the Reds, and would go on to play a record 8½ years together.
Get your guesses in for "She Is Gone" here.
You can also watch or listen to the Manny game in Albuquerque, which begins at 6pm.
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Starting something new today
We’re running the “game preview” a few hours before the game, then roughly 15 minutes before the game the actual game thread will go live.
Pierre Ethier
Apparently there was a low-level minor leaguer in the 1950s by the name of “”http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=ethier001pie" >Pierre Ethier". He died in Arizona in 2005, nearly 75 years old. Andre Ethier was, as we all probably know, born and raised in Phoenix. I wonder if “Pete” Ethier was a relative?
Awesome find. Reminds me of the old Negro Leaguer from the 1940s, Ferguson Yeager. He had the right stuff. :)
by Eric Stephen on Jun 23, 2009 2:49 PM PDT up reply actions
Quiet 800 OPS for Furcal this month
is a good sign. Slowly building momentum for a stellar 2nd half ala 2006.
Ethier, Pierre comparison
Ethier:
.317 / .438 / .558 / .995 (before Manny’s suspension)
.171 / .253 / .224 / .477 (May 7 – May 31)
.300 / .347 / .600 / .947 (June 1 – yesterday)
.268 / .359 / .468 / .827 (overall)
Pierre:
.355 / .394 / .387 / .781 (BMS)
.380 / .451 / .530 / .981 (May 7 – May 31)
.273 / .309 / .325 / .633 (June 1 – yesterday)
.337 / .392 / .433 / .825 (overall)
(I wasn’t going to use June 1 as an arbitrary cutoff, but it does coincide with the start of a homestand.)
Essentially, for one three week period, Pierre was blazing hot while Ethier was stone cold, and Pierre’s hot steak is a larger percentage of his overall numbers since he played sporadically BMS.
Plantar Fasciitis
I don’t know how long Quentin has been out for, but this same ailment kept Chris Kaman out for 3/4 of the season. Though Chris Kaman is 7 feet tall, this ailment seems as though it can keep a player out much longer than originally scheduled.
Ya, considering what it is, it has to be more common in basketball—- with all the jumping on hardwood.
by Michael White on Jun 23, 2009 3:20 PM PDT up reply actions
Matt Kemp on BET
Via Sons of Steve Garvey. My work firewall makes the video unwatchable however, so I’ll have to reserve judgment until I get home. Could be good though.
Plus check out the nickname on Kemp’s blog:
Just to note
Mota has entered some bad situations. He’s currently 2nd on the team in Bequeathed runs prevented (from Baseball Prospectus, which measures expected runs based on the base/out situation when he comes in).
Dodgers Bequeathed Runs Prevented
Belisario 2.1
Mota 2.0
Leach 1.7
Schlichting 0.7
Weaver 0.7
Kuo 0.5
Wade 0.3
McDonald 0.3
Broxton 0.0
Troncoso -1.7
by Eric Stephen on Jun 23, 2009 3:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Oops
Mota is actually 1st, at 2.1 bequeathed runs prevented (25th best in MLB).
Belisario is 2nd at 2.0
by Eric Stephen on Jun 23, 2009 3:47 PM PDT up reply actions
Who's more valuable?
Player A: .400/.400/.500 (650 PA)
Player B: .000/1.000/.000 (650 PA)
Player B reached base only by HBP.
Don’t you always have to take the guy who never makes out?
by Eric Stephen on Jun 23, 2009 4:08 PM PDT up reply actions
But the only thing he does is reach first
by getting drilled. Even though player A has a lower OPS, he’s obviously more producting in terms of scoring.
Bat him leadoff then
Hard to argue with a leadoff man who never makes an out.
by Chad Moriyama on Jun 23, 2009 4:12 PM PDT up reply actions
Don’t forget, you would also likely get a number of opposing pitchers suspended :)
by Eric Stephen on Jun 23, 2009 5:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Looks like I won't get any quotes next Monday night in San Bernardino
From ESPN:
Ramirez was in the clubhouse before batting practice when a group of reporters approached his locker in the corner. He stepped past and said in Spanish to wait until July 3
Dodger lineup
Juan Pierre, LF
Rafael Furcal, SS
Orlando Hudson, 2B
Casey Blake, 3B
Andre Ethier, RF
Russell Martin, C
Matt Kemp, CF
James Loney, 1B
Mitch Jones, DH
White Sox - from yahoo!
S. Podsednik lf
A. Ramirez ss
J. Dye rf
J. Thome dh
P. Konerko 1b
A.J. Pierzynski c
B. Anderson cf
C. Getz 2b
G. Beckham 3b
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