Andre Ethier To The Third Power
by Eric Stephen on Jun 26, 2009 10:22 PM PDT
in Dodgers Game Recaps
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PrintThere were many heroes tonight, including Clayton Kershaw with his third straight strong start, and Casey Blake with his homer and near-homer off the top of the wall. However, the star of the Dodgers' 8-2 win over the Mariners was Andre Ethier, who slammed three home runs and drove in six.
Ethier is the 10th LA Dodger to hit at least three homers in a game (it happened seven more times when the club was in Brooklyn), and the first since Hee Seop Choi in 2005. Ethier has hit 13 of his team-leading 14 home runs at Dodger Stadium this season, and his five multi-HR games is tied with Albert Pujols for the MLB lead.
Matt Kemp added three hits of his own, including a daring triple in the fifth inning. Clayton Kershaw followed with a single, for the first RBI of his MLB career.
Kershaw was very good on the mound as well, pitching six strong innings, allowing two Jose Lopez RBI singles while striking out eight. He walked only one batter.
What will happen with the outfield rotation once Manny comes back? According to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times, Kemp and Ethier will remain as starters:
Torre said that Juan Pierre, who has filled in admirably in Ramirez's absence, would play a day or two a week in center field upon Ramirez's return July 3 from a 50-game drug suspension.
Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier will alternate as the right fielder on the days Pierre starts, giving the other player the day off.
Eric Milton, who will be activated from the disabled list tomorrow, gets the start against Felix Hernandez of the Mariners.
WP - Clayton Kershaw (5-5): 6 IP, 5 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
LP - Jason Vargas (3-3): 4.2 IP, 9 hits, 5 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
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hopefully he can work on whatever issues are stopping him from being the succesful reliever he’s been for the last two years
Sadly, no
I am preoccupied all 4 days…tonight through Tuesday. I could have gone Tuesday, but the game is at 11am so its out :(
by Eric Stephen on Jun 27, 2009 8:45 AM PDT up reply actions
RE: JP
This would be terrible news if the Dodgers weren’t essentially guaranteed to win the division. JP should never hit against lefties, so that means occasionally Kemp will play over Either against righties. That also makes no sense. Defensively, playing JP in center instead of Kemp on day s when Kemp and JP are playing also makes no sense.
With 83 games remaining after Manny gets back, that means JP over Ethier or Kemp in approximately 20 games. Assuming half of those are replacing Kemp against RHP and he other half are replacing Ethier against either RHP or LHP, that should result in apx. a loss of 9 runs (almost 1 game). That, fortunately, shouldn’t matter. It is a bad move, but it shouldn’t really hurt us. Torre’s BP use is likely to cost us more games than that over the rest of the season.
If the OF is Manny/Kemp/Pierre on some days, since Pierre can’t play RF, is there much difference between:
LF Manny
CF Pierre
RF Kemp
and
LF Pierre
CF Kemp
RF Manny
?
I would imagine there is some difference, but “makes no sense” seems a little strong. Manny hasn’t played RF since 2002.
by Eric Stephen on Jun 27, 2009 9:37 AM PDT up reply actions
Yup
That is right. I put blinders on and only considered Kemp/JP. Putting JP in center is probably no different or even better, if, that is, you insist on playing him as a starter.
Kershaw's arm
at this rate, Kershaw is going to accumulate well over 200 innings (with high pitch counts) and is gonna be a starter in the post season. Look what happened to Mark Fidrych when he threw 250 innings at age 21. Not to mention what eventually happened to Koufax. I think Torre ought to be even more careful with CK than he has so far. I don’t know what that translates to….who picks up the load? there are a bunch of fragile pitchers on the staff.
Kershaw is on pace for 181 innings in the regular season. If we go deep into the playoffs, the total will be pretty much right at 200.
by Eric Stephen on Jun 27, 2009 9:51 AM PDT up reply actions
Might matter, might not
Tom Tango did an excellent review of “inning left in a pitcher’s arm” a couple years ago. His general findings were that things like PAP and the “Verducii Effect” were largely unprovable. There are a small number of anecdotal references (Firdrych and Wood, among them) that seem to urge caution. But all of the “research” that concludes you need to limit pitching is just that – small sample size and heavily anecdotal.
I am not saying it is not a concern, I am just saying that I don’t think there is any good evidence that it is. And so, without good evidence to the contrary, I would not get too worried only based on innings and pitch counts.
I agree with this
to me, it seems clubs would do well to simply try and avoid high-stress innings, rather than strictly focus on a specific pitch count or number of innings.
It seems, according to the postgame comments on Prime Ticket, Kershaw was done last night after 96 pitches through 6 innings, regardless of whether he batted or not that inning. That’s fine, but I don’t think it would have done much harm either to let Kershaw start the 7th, then pull him at the first sign of trouble.
by Eric Stephen on Jun 27, 2009 9:59 AM PDT up reply actions
look at tonight's opponent Felix Hernandez
Felix threw 190+ innings as a 20, 21, and 22 year old, and he’s doing just fine – has never been injured. I think people take pitch count and inning counts too seriously. Sure, injuries can happen. But having a young guy throw a lot of innings isn’t the death wish a lot of people make it out to be
by bucknellbruin on Jun 27, 2009 9:58 AM PDT up reply actions
Just caught up on all the comments.
Last night was the first time I have ever sat in the RF pavilion (this was work function for my wife). Good choice, eh?
I have been in attendance for Ethier’s last five HRs, the two dingers of Chris Young and last night. I didn’t catch the measurement of his first last night, but Andre’s last two were 433 and 417 feet, IIRC. None of the five were cheap.
I am surprised that no one wrote the first words (not first noises) out of my mouth after he planted the third one deep in the Mariner’s bullpen, “Andre THREEthier!”
This was the third uniform I’ve seen Josh Wilson in this year at DS (SS for AZ, SS for SD, PH last night). That guy is really bouncing around.
by David Young on Jun 27, 2009 11:19 AM PDT up reply actions
I am really hoping he pitches for the Mariners. That has to be some sort of record, a position player pitching for three different teams in a career, let alone a season.
by Eric Stephen on Jun 27, 2009 11:33 AM PDT up reply actions
And, yes, I’m too lazy to look that up.
by Eric Stephen on Jun 27, 2009 11:34 AM PDT up reply actions
Andre was a grand slam shy of the home run cycle
and those were all bombs. Whoever he shacks up with at home should be paid for by company expense to accompany him on the road.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Andre was a homerun from hitting four homeruns!
I think the DP Andre hit into in his 2nd at bat came with the bases loaded.
Wow, so he had the opportunity. Amazing night
Even funnier was that he did it on the night someone suggested he should be benched for Pierre. Quite a rebuttal. No comments were necessary.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Jun 27, 2009 12:49 PM PDT up reply actions
There was only one on
He nearly had a hit on that one too. Sharply hit and took a pretty decent play by the SS to backhand it.
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