Ankiel Bests Haeger In Battle of Feel-Good Stories
by Eric Stephen on Aug 17, 2009 10:13 PM PDT
in Dodgers Game Recaps
Email
PrintTonight was a night to celebrate the amazing Dodger debut of knuckleballer Charlie Haeger, but Rick Ankiel didn't get the memo, instead crushing a pitch almost into the parking lot turning a 2-1 Dodger lead into a 3-2 lead and eventual win for the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals seem to have the Dodgers number so far this season, winning four of five games, a troubling sign given that these two teams appear to be headed for an NLDS matchup.
Haeger and his fluttering knuckleball were magnificent, entering the seventh inning allowing just four hits and one run, a booming home run to El Hombre, Albert Pujols. After retiring Matt Holliday to begin the seventh, a knuckleball got away and hit Ryan Ludwick, just before Ankiel's bomb into the right field pavilion. Haeger otherwise had magnificent control tonight, walking nobody and throwing 61 of his 80 pitches for strikes.
Haeger qualified for a quality start, in that he allowed three or fewer earned runs (3) in six or more innings (7). This was just the third quality start thrown by a Dodger outside of the Big Four (Billingsley, Kershaw, Wolf, and Kuroda) this season, joining Eric Stults (shutout of the Giants) and Jason Schmidt (six scoreless innings in Atlanta).
The Dodgers threatened in the first inning off Chris Carpenter, loading the bases with one out. However, they were only able to score one run as Andre Ethier was thrown out at third base by a tremendous throw by Ludwick, ending the inning after Rafael Furcal scored. Carpenter was great, allowing just two runs in eight innings, while striking out eight. The Cardinal starting pitchers have owned the Dodgers in their five matchups this season:
| Date | Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | ERA | WHIP |
| July 27 | Carpenter | 7 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1.29 | 1.571 |
| July 28 | Wainwright | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0.00 | 1.125 |
| July 29 | Pineiro | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1.13 | 1.000 |
| July 30 | Lohse | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.50 | 1.000 |
| Tonight | Carpenter | 8 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 2.25 | 0.750 |
| Totals | 37 | 33 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 24 | 1.22 | 1.081 |
Look at the plus side: the Dodgers finally forced a Cardinal starter to have an ERA over 2.00!
Chad Billingsley returns to action tomorrow night, taking the mound for the first time in ten days, against Mitchell Boggs, rated the 14th-best prospect of the Cardinals in the 2009 Baseball America Prospect Handbook.
WP - Chris Carpenter (13-3): 8 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs, 1 intentional walk, 8 strikeouts
LP - Charlie Haeger (0-1): 7 innings, 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 strikeouts
Sv - Ryan Franklin (30): two batters, two flyouts
65 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Jon Hamm is a big Cardinals’ fan. Do I wait to watch last night’s Mad Men until this series is over?
The episode was good, but not ground breaking. Some funny stuff happens when Don & Sal take a business trip together, but overall the episode was slow…
2009-10 LA Kings Hockey: Where Smyt Happens!!
by DodgerBlueBalls on Aug 18, 2009 8:50 AM PDT up reply actions
I ended up watching it. Hopefully the Dodgers luck will change, starting tonight.
by Eric Stephen on Aug 18, 2009 8:57 AM PDT up reply actions
Charlie Haegar
do we have this guy for the next 6 years like any other prospect???
He only had 70 days of service time entering 2009, so the most he can have at the end of this year is 125 days. If we are so inclined, the Dodgers will have him through 2015, and he will almost certainly not qualify as a Super Two after 2011.
by Eric Stephen on Aug 17, 2009 10:28 PM PDT up reply actions
its my fault, I was there, at least i was early enough to get Phillipe's with my dad before hand, the night is not lost : )
William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.
Its all good. Any day with Philippe’s can’t be all bad. You saw a good game at least, even if it was a frustrating one.
by Eric Stephen on Aug 17, 2009 10:29 PM PDT up reply actions
Ya I really enjoyed watching Haeger pitch, I brought my glasses in preparation for the knuckle ball
he was very impressive and really deserved a win, oh well
William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.
Not your fault, Ollie
Rub some dirt on it. You’ll be OK, kid…
2009-10 LA Kings Hockey: Where Smyt Happens!!
by DodgerBlueBalls on Aug 18, 2009 8:51 AM PDT up reply actions
the homer to ankiel
the pitch haegar threw rotated too much.. is that the reason ankiel hit it out? haegar was worried about the runner at first stealing so he threw the pitch quickly and it rotated too much causing less break
yeah
the most impressive thing was 0 walks… i cant even remember a 3 ball count expect the one to pujols where he went 3-0 and came all the way back for a pujols groundout
by matthewmafa on Aug 17, 2009 10:55 PM PDT up reply actions
Please add links if you are going to quote something, and properly cite the source. Also, please don’t quote large sections or entire posts.
Thanks.
oh
i never knew there were rules.. my bad
by matthewmafa on Aug 17, 2009 11:36 PM PDT up reply actions
I unfortunately wasn’t able to follow the game all the way through (and was thoroughly disappointed when I saw the end result) so I didn’t get to read through everyone’s game chatter. All I have to ask is this:
Is Haegar getting another start? That was a beautiful game he pitched minus the mistake to Ankiel. You gotta love how he didn’t back down to Pujols even after going 3-0 on him.
And, Haegar ended the night at 80 pitches! That is very impressive against such a talented lineup as the Cardinals. He seemed confident with his knuckler.
With Kuroda getting some extra rest here to recover I sure hope management recognizes what a gem Haegar pitched tonight.
You wanna know how great baseball is? The greatest basketball player ever left his sport to play baseball.
Dodgers multimedia site
What happened to it? This had tons of useful audio clips:
multimedia.dodgers.com
Now I can’t access it.
I had trouble earlier. Not sure what the deal is.
by Eric Stephen on Aug 17, 2009 11:42 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
joe torre says charlie haegar earned another start
lets hope this isnt another scott elbert situation where one day hes starting next day he gets sent down which for Haegar would mean DFA
Kershaw vs Wainright on Wedsnesday
it seems like Clayton has been facing the opposing teams ace the last 8 times hes been out on the mound(Haren,josh Johnson,Gallardo) or if he isnt facing the opposing teams ace, the pitcher shuts us down (kawakami, parrra, pienero,Hammel)
hes had only one lousy pitcher have a bad outing against him which was mike hampton
Kershaw getting no run support plus facing opposing aces = 8-7 record even though it should be higher
No
2009-10 LA Kings Hockey: Where Smyt Happens!!
by DodgerBlueBalls on Aug 18, 2009 8:52 AM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, its less than lucky when Kershaw has a 2.76 ERA over his last 5 starts, yet the Dodgers have lost each game. The two that stand out are the games against St. Louis (8 scoreless, blown save) and Atlanta (7 scoreless, scoreless tie into extras).
And that followed a seven-start winning streak (for the team) in which Kershaw had a 0.63 ERA. Dodgers scored 5.6 runs per game in those starts, when they didn’t need to :) They have scored 3.0 runs/game in his last 5 starts.
Kershaw has had a weird year as far as matchups. Dodgers are 12-12 in his starts.
Wins against: Cain, Peavy, D.Cabrera, Koronka, U.Jimenez, Braden, Lackey, J.Vargas, Hammel, Pelfrey, Gallardo, Hampton
Losses against: Correia (twice!), R.Ortiz, Marquis, Park, Weaver, Hamels, J.Johnson, Pineiro, Parra, Kawakami, Haren
by Eric Stephen on Aug 18, 2009 9:17 AM PDT up reply actions
haeger deserves more starts...
he pitched excellent!
its a damn shame the ankiel home run had to spoil it
dodgers have provided lousy run support for starting pitching last couple of weeks
and with kuroda missing potentially 1-2 more starts haeger can see more opportunities
and he could also fill the role as the 5th starter…
Dodger offense
Dodger hitters seem to be pressing of late. They didn’t reach long pitch counts tonight as they used to do, (with great success, I might add). The 9th inning provides a good example: Ethier swung at the first pitch. Manny did, too, or, if not the first pitch then the second. Blake, proving my point, waited for a pitch to hit and drove it to just a few feet short of the fence.
But Ethier and Manny actually have the power to do some damage. Blake might have worked the count, but who cares when it’s warning track power. Ethier, Manny and Kemp always have a green light as far as I’m concerned because if they get their pitch, the can actually put it in the pavillion. Martin, Loney, Hudson, Furcal should be taking pitches.
by Michael White on Aug 18, 2009 7:27 AM PDT up reply actions
Top-notch pitchers do have a way of doing this to teams
Over that last six days, in five games, the Dodgers have seen three excellent starters who were on their games, Lincecum (Wednesday), Haren (Friday), Carpenter (last night), and, at least this season, have another one coming on Wednesday in Wainwright, which will make four in seven games. That’s a tough row to hoe.
I had already mentally blocked out Wainwright. For some reason I thought Pineiro was pitching. Oh well. Will be a nice matchup with Kershaw.
by Eric Stephen on Aug 18, 2009 9:01 AM PDT up reply actions
good point
…which brings up a question: What will become of the Dodgers offense when they meet great pitching in the playoffs?
The team is what it is
assuming they make the playoffs, they will either get hot or they won’t. The Dodgers of 2009 are certainly a better hitting team than 2008. The playoffs are a crap shoot.
by Michael White on Aug 18, 2009 9:16 AM PDT up reply actions
Braves won’t make the playoffs. D-Backs won’t make the playoffs. Th Cardinals will, and that’s a potential problem. But here are the number of great pitchers the Dodgers might face in he playoffs:
Carpenter
Wainwright
Lee
That’s it. (I’m counting the Rockies as making the playoffs, and while their starters are very good, they are not on this level. And I’m not counting Pineiro)
by Eric Stephen on Aug 18, 2009 9:20 AM PDT up reply actions
Counting on the 2009 Hamel not becoming as good as the 2008 Hamel, eh?
2009-10 LA Kings Hockey: Where Smyt Happens!!
by DodgerBlueBalls on Aug 18, 2009 9:42 AM PDT up reply actions
He hasn’t been very good this year, so yes.
by Eric Stephen on Aug 18, 2009 9:46 AM PDT up reply actions
and I’m going to go out on a limb and say even if/when Hamels does improve, he probably won’t win 5 games in the postseason.
by Eric Stephen on Aug 18, 2009 9:51 AM PDT up reply actions
I'm not ready to say that Cain and Lincecum wont be there either
William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.
Randy Wolf has a higher VORP then Johan Santana
If we use VORP as the indicator:
Wainwright
Carpenter
Josh Johnson ( I like their chances as much as the Rockies)
JA Happ – unnoticed but he’s been the best of the Phillies
Jiminez, Ubaldo – just as good as Clayton
Lee
While they can expect to face:
Kershaw, Wolf, Billingsley
Much like the Phillies need Hamels to return to form, so do the Dodgers. These are the playoffs and elite pitchers should be matching up against elite pitchers for at least the first two games of the series.
by meercatjohn on Aug 18, 2009 10:02 AM PDT up reply actions
Yep
NL Ranks in sOPS+:
Infield: 94 (10th in NL)
Outfield: 126 (1st in NL)
by Eric Stephen on Aug 18, 2009 9:01 AM PDT up reply actions
Options
Does a draftee signed to a ML deal immediately use up an option if they’re assigned somewhere? That’s my assumption. Can anyone clarify?
Yes, the immediately use an option this season.
However, they can easily qualify for the elusive 4th option year if they have less than 5 years of pro experience (as was the case with Greg Miller).
by Eric Stephen on Aug 18, 2009 10:59 AM PDT up reply actions
Missed the game
Why only 80 pitches for Haegar? He’s a knuckleballer too. From what it looks like he made one bad pitch all game (who cares about a knuckleballer nailing someone… I’ll count that as a walk). I mean if Broxton’s dealing with that nagging toe injury, and Kuo’s left arm can turn purple at a moment’s notice, why not let the kid go the distance?
Dodgers were trailing 3-2 in the 7th inning and needed to pinch hit for him. If the Dodgers were up by 2 or more runs maybe he bats for himself, but not trailing by one in the 7th.
vr, Xei
the dodgers used their pinch hitter in the bottom of the 8th inning
we pinch him for the pitchers spot in the bottom of the 8th ining with russell martin when he did the bunt…..!!!
joe torre did not let haegar pitch the 8th. he took him out and replaced him with kuo for some reason. he could have left him in for one more inning and then pinch hit for him but he didnt.
by matthewmafa on Aug 18, 2009 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions
I think the home run to Ankiel had more to do with taking Haeger out than anything else. Torre was probably thinking, Haeger gave us a good start, let’s get him out before it can get any worse.
by Eric Stephen on Aug 18, 2009 11:18 AM PDT up reply actions
Originally I thought the same thing. Why pinch hit if all you are going to do is bunt. But they had taken Ausmus out of the game already, when Pierre pinch hit for him in the previous at bat, so they needed to bring Martin into the game anyways. Haeger had tried to bunt in an earlier at bat and looked pretty awful at it. I don’t think Torre had much confidence in Haeger getting the bunt down. It was going to be the 8th inning and is Haeger really any better than Guo/Sherril/Broxton or whoever was going to pitch those last two innings? I don’t think so. And with Martin bunting, Torre has the option of a sac bunt, hit and run or taking the bunt play off. With Haeger it’s pretty much a straight sac bunt with the corner infielders creeping way in. I think Torre did the right thing.
vr, Xei
nooooo
martin Pinch Hit for KUO last night…..
at that point Haegar was Out of the game already…..
martin bunting hapened in the bottom of the 8th! Haegar didnt pitch the top of the 8th. Kuo did
by matthewmafa on Aug 18, 2009 11:36 AM PDT up reply actions
To the bunting issue, it looked to me like Martin was bunting on his own, for a hit.
by Eric Stephen on Aug 18, 2009 11:41 AM PDT up reply actions
well he should have waited to pierre to steal second then bunt
but hwtaeverrr its over
by matthewmafa on Aug 18, 2009 11:43 AM PDT up reply actions
running on Yadier
is pretty damn risky. especially since Carpenter had been putting the ball exactly where he wanted all night
by bucknellbruin on Aug 18, 2009 1:09 PM PDT up reply actions
yes running on molina is risky but
up until that point what had martin done in bunting situations recently? I would have given Russ a couple of take signs and had Pierre running if he felt he could get a good jump, if not, then that at bat, in a pure baseball sense, called out for some thing that the Dodgers have been worse at lately than bunting, the hit and run
by MammothDodger on Aug 18, 2009 2:28 PM PDT up reply actions
or how about letting martin hit
does anyone know that…..
if martin gets a hit.. pierre might go to 3rd or even if he goes to 2nd, it would be 1st and second with nobody out then furcal can bunt which is what he is only good at. Then we got Hudson and Ethier to not only drive in the tying run but the WINNING run also.
teams like the dodgers who arent really clutch need 3 outs in an inning to score and bunting only lets them have 2
If Martin bunted on his own (which it looked like he did as it seemed he was bunting for a hit), there is no point to be made to “let Martin hit.”
by Eric Stephen on Aug 18, 2009 3:16 PM PDT up reply actions
that is why i think have him take
at least one pitch, or better one strike, and see if Pierre can get the jump and steal 2nd. or if not then with a pitcher with carp’s control execute a hit and run.
by MammothDodger on Aug 18, 2009 3:24 PM PDT up reply actions
This I agree with. The most frustrating thing to me with all the bunting isn’t just giving up the outs but that it seems we bunt fast people over an inordinate amount of time. They should just let Kemp and/or Pierre steal first, then bunt if they are so inclined.
by Eric Stephen on Aug 18, 2009 3:27 PM PDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- Five tips for Showtime’s second season of ‘The Franchise’
- The 10 best things about being a Detroit Tigers fan
- Surprise! A’s finally end the Yoenis Cespedes derby with $36 million deal for Cuban star
- The time Whitney Houston sang to Jim Bowden
- Pitchers and catchers! Mariners get early start in Arizona
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
