Weaver, Dodgers Open Series With Cubs

by Eric Stephen on Aug 20, 2009 4:00 PM PDT in Game Previews Comment 41 comments

The Dodgers start a four-game series tonight against the Cubs at Dodger Stadium, with perpetual spot starter Jeff Weaver on the mound.

Coming into this season, I didn't expect anything out of Weaver at all, other than a poor performance. I mean:

He didn't pitch in the majors in 2008, but in the minors he put up a 6.17 ERA in 84.2 innings
In 2007, he was somehow given 27 starts despite a 6.20 ERA (but "only" a 5.11 FIP) in Seattle
In 2006, he did win the final game of the World Series for the Cardinals, but he was terrible during the season, split with the Angels and St. Louis. He put up a 5.76 ERA and a 5.75 FIP
Over the last two seasons, Weaver was 15-27

I enjoyed Weaver's first stint as a Dodger. He wasn't great, but he was a quality start waiting to happen, a very reliable pitcher. Even after his signing this offseason, I expected his last positive contribution to the Dodgers to be Bryan Morris (and Preston Mattingly), who was part of the Manny Ramirez trade.

However, Weaver has been, dare I say it, an unsung hero this season. He has been the long man in the bullpen all year, and has also spot started on occasion. Weaver has been effective in both roles:

Role	W-L	IP	ERA	FIP	WHIP	BB/9	K/9	HR/9
Starter	2-1	26.1	3.08	4.19	1.443	4.10	6.49	0.68
Reliever	3-3	36.2	4.17	4.03	1.445	3.68	6.87	0.98
Totals	5-4	63.0	3.71	4.10	1.444	3.86	6.71	0.86

You will have a hard time finding anyone on this Dodger team that has exceeded expectations more than Jeff Weaver. Tonight will be his seventh start. It appears Weaver is expected to pitch at least five innings tonight, as potential backup relievers James McDonald (2.1 innings against the Cardinals) and Scott Elbert (2 innings with Albuquerque) each pitched last night.

**********

The Cubs are just 7-10 in August, but a trio of regulars are leading the offense this month:

Player	BA/OBP/SLG	OPS
Derrek Lee	.333/.440/.683	1.123
Jeff Baker	.425/.465/.650	1.115
Kosuke Fukudome	.275/.422/.549	.971

The Cubs, who demoted Kevin Gregg from the closer role earlier this week, have officially named Carlos Marmol and his 8.3 walks per nine innings as the new closer. Here's hoping he doesn't get a save opportunity until next week.

**********

The clubs split a four-game series earlier this season at Wrigley Field:

May 28: Dodgers 2, Cubs 1

May 29: Cubs 2, Dodgers 1

May 30: Cubs 7, Dodgers 0

May 31: Dodgers 8, Cubs 2

**********

Get your guesses in for "Just A Bit Outside" here.

Game Time: 7:10pm

TV: Prime Ticket

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RT @DodgertownUSA: #Dodgers lineup: Furcal SS Kemp CF Ethier RF Ramirez LF Blake 3B Hudson 2B Loney 1B Martin C Weaver P

by Eric Stephen on Aug 20, 2009 4:16 PM PDT via mobile reply actions

Loney 7th, Martin 8th. Hmmmm.

by David Young on Aug 20, 2009 4:25 PM PDT up reply actions

tonight was a great night to give tony abreu the start

he CRUSHES left handers and loney sucks at home and move blake to first

by matthewmafa on Aug 20, 2009 4:27 PM PDT up reply actions

Loney kinda sucks period

by oshea2002 on Aug 20, 2009 4:39 PM PDT up reply actions

You will have a hard time finding anyone on this Dodger team that has exceeded expectations more than Jeff Weaver.

Ronald Belisario?

by David Young on Aug 20, 2009 4:25 PM PDT reply actions

Mota.

by Tripon on Aug 20, 2009 4:26 PM PDT up reply actions

Mota is terrible

by silverwidow on Aug 20, 2009 4:29 PM PDT up reply actions

I expected him to crash and burn, and for about 2 months he was a decent pitcher.

by Tripon on Aug 20, 2009 4:30 PM PDT up reply actions

Yes, but have you found him? :)

by Eric Stephen on Aug 20, 2009 4:29 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

He's pitching two innings behind Weaver tonight. Book it.

by David Young on Aug 20, 2009 4:31 PM PDT up reply actions

… and perhaps Blake, Pierre and Ausmus on the offensive side.
vr, Xei

by Xeifrank on Aug 20, 2009 4:29 PM PDT up reply actions

Pierre is a good call. I’m beginning to think that not being an everyday player helps JP at the plate.

by David Young on Aug 20, 2009 4:32 PM PDT up reply actions

Withrow isn't pitching today, btw

by silverwidow on Aug 20, 2009 4:29 PM PDT reply actions

I do not expect Wolf to return next year

Of course, I’d like him to come back, but teams with bigger pockets will get him.

by silverwidow on Aug 20, 2009 4:31 PM PDT reply actions

Offer him arbitration, and see if he accepts. If not, just pocket the draft pick

by Tripon on Aug 20, 2009 4:33 PM PDT up reply actions

there shouldn't really be teams with bigger pockets than us

by oshea2002 on Aug 20, 2009 4:38 PM PDT up reply actions

But there are.

The Cubs, White Sox, Mets, Angels, Yankees, Red Sox, and the Mariners all have larger payrolls than the Dodgers.

The Dodgers are a lot closer to the Giants they they are to the Cubs in terms of payroll.

by Tripon on Aug 20, 2009 4:43 PM PDT up reply actions

Except Fox still owns the broadcast rights revenue for the Dodgers, not McCourt

This hurts the Dodgers when compared to the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Cubs, perhaps the White Sox.

by David Young on Aug 20, 2009 4:43 PM PDT up reply actions

One of the odder things for me is when Fox didn't try to push the Dodgers nationally when they owned the Dodgers.

Like Turner did with the Braves.

by Tripon on Aug 20, 2009 4:48 PM PDT up reply actions

They

were inept in every way, why should that surprise you.

by meercatjohn on Aug 20, 2009 4:49 PM PDT up reply actions

I was surprised too

I thought they should have broadcasted the Dodgers on FX.

Though Turner bailed on this, and the games are now on a different station.

by Michael White on Aug 20, 2009 4:52 PM PDT up reply actions

Turner only bailed when they sold the team though.

by Tripon on Aug 20, 2009 4:54 PM PDT up reply actions

Wolf’s a hometown guy. I really doubt you would see him sign anywhere outside of SoCal.

2009-10 LA Kings Hockey: Where Smyt Happens!!

by DodgerBlueBalls on Aug 20, 2009 4:49 PM PDT up reply actions

At this point in his career

he will sign anywhere that they offer a great contract. Even Philly

by meercatjohn on Aug 20, 2009 4:51 PM PDT up reply actions

COL vs WAS

First 13 batters of the game have made outs.
vr, Xei

by Xeifrank on Aug 20, 2009 4:33 PM PDT reply actions

15

Somehow, I don’t see Garrett Mock Draft being part of a double-perfect game.
vr, Xei

by Xeifrank on Aug 20, 2009 4:35 PM PDT up reply actions

Number one pick

wasn’t he?

by meercatjohn on Aug 20, 2009 4:40 PM PDT up reply actions

18

Jason Hammel has thrown 24 pitches in three innings of work.
vr, Xei

by Xeifrank on Aug 20, 2009 4:42 PM PDT up reply actions

Streak ends at 19.
vr, Xei

by Xeifrank on Aug 20, 2009 4:45 PM PDT up reply actions

Good Surprise players in order

Wolf – biggest impact
Kershaw – 2nd biggest impactj, never thought he’d be this good this soon
Kemp – thought it would take another year before he got to this level and his play in CF has just been fun
Andre – felt he’d fall back not continue to step it up
Belisario – wow
Weaver
Mota – gave us two months I didn’t expect
Castro/Ausmus – hard to argue with the production we have gotten out of them off the bench considering I expected nothing

Blake, Hudson, Troncoso, Billingsley, Broxton, Manny, McDonald have been about what I expected.

Downers
Loney – if you aren’t going to hit homers at least hit .315 with some double power
Martin – defense and offense have been big letdowns
Kuroda – injuries but I expected him to be a horse for us this year

by meercatjohn on Aug 20, 2009 4:40 PM PDT reply actions

Kershaw – 2nd biggest impactj, never thought he’d be this good this soon
Kemp – thought it would take another year before he got to this level and his play in CF has just been fun

I called breakouts for these two. But, to be fair, I said Kemp would hit 30/30…and that’s not happening on the HR part, most likely.

by silverwidow on Aug 20, 2009 4:46 PM PDT reply actions

You were

Kershaw’s biggest booster, you should take a bow.

by meercatjohn on Aug 20, 2009 4:50 PM PDT up reply actions

Brewers actually found a trade partner and moved Bill Hall. Not surprisingly they had to eat a great deal of the contract, but they may have saved themselves $1.3M or so. The player they got is a 25-yr old RHP in A-ball, no great shakes I assume.

by David Young on Aug 20, 2009 4:47 PM PDT reply actions

Wildly exceeded my expectations

With a 6 IP, 0 run, win – Jason Schmidt, of whom I expected zilch.

by David Young on Aug 20, 2009 4:48 PM PDT reply actions

One game

does not count, they just couldn’t slow down their bat speed enough to compensate for the little league stuff.

by meercatjohn on Aug 20, 2009 4:50 PM PDT up reply actions

I think Ieft off a ;)

by David Young on Aug 20, 2009 4:54 PM PDT up reply actions

Broxton and McDonald both unavailable tonight, per Molly Knight, via Jon Weisman (follow the trail!).

by Eric Stephen on Aug 20, 2009 5:58 PM PDT reply actions

Cubs lineup

per Vincent Bonsignore of the Press-Enterprise:

Theriot SS
Bradley RF
Lee 1B
Ramirez 3B
Fukudome CF
Soriano LF
Baker 2B
Hill C
Gorzelanny P

by Eric Stephen on Aug 20, 2009 6:00 PM PDT reply actions

Indra Petersons did the weather this morning on KABC 7

I’m taking that as a good luck omen.

by David Young on Aug 20, 2009 6:37 PM PDT reply actions

Does Esmailin Caridad (es-MEH-lean cahr-EE-dahd) sound more like the name of a baseball player or the name of someone whose picture we might post for luck?

by David Young on Aug 20, 2009 6:45 PM PDT reply actions

I didn't know...

Marian Hossa pitched for the Dodgers too : )

I'm getting hard on myself, sitting in my easy chair.

by stynyr on Aug 21, 2009 8:00 AM PDT reply actions

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	W	L	PCT	GB	STRK
San Diego Gaslamp Ball	60	42	.588	0	Lost 2
San Francisco McCovey Chronicles	60	45	.571	1.5	Won 2
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(updated 7.31.2010 at 9:51 PM PDT)

2010 Dodger Payroll

Pos	No	Player	2010 Salary
C	55	Martin	$5,050,000
1B	7	Loney	$3,100,000
2B		Theriot	$909,290
3B	23	Blake	$6,000,000
SS	15	Furcal	$8,500,000
LF	21	Podsednik	$640,710
CF	27	Kemp	$4,000,000
RF	16	Ethier	$6,000,000

SS/2B/3B	14	Carroll	$1,350,000
2B/3B/1B	3	Belliard	$825,000
OF	30	Paul	$264,481
PH/OF	9	Anderson	$550,000
C	12	Ausmus	$850,000

SP	22	Kershaw	$440,000
SP	18	Kuroda	$14,100,000
SP	58	Billingsley	$3,850,000
SP	44	Padilla	$4,025,000
SP		Lilly	$1,696,721

CL	51	Broxton	$4,000,000
LHP	56	Kuo	$950,000
RHP		Dotel	$636,612
RHP	36	Weaver	$800,000
RHP	74	Jansen	$159,563
RHP	37	Monasterios	$460,000
LHP	52	Sherrill	$4,500,000

DL	5	Johnson	$800,000
DL	99	Manny	$7,267,760
RL	54	Belisario	$173,566

		Pierre	$4,000,000
		Andruw	$3,600,000
		Schmidt	$2,000,000
		Wolf	$2,000,000
		Hudson	$1,440,000
		Nomar	$1,250,000
		Ra.Ortiz	$349,727
AAA	45	Miller	$292,623
		DeWitt	$264,372
AAA	17	Ellis	$222,951
AAA	38	Troncoso	$204,590
		Ohman	$200,000
AAA	49	Haeger	$195,393
AAA	47	Wade	$194,514
AAA	48	Ely	$161,749
		Repko	$122,951
	21	Green	$96,175
AAA	59	Schlichting	$87,431
		Ru.Ortiz	$63,934
AAA	50	Link	$48,087
DFA	35	Taschner	$39,344
		Zerpa	$35,000
		McDonald	$28,771
AAA	60	Hu	$13,148
AAA	57	Elbert	$6,557
AAA		Hoffmann	($25,000)
		Stults	($400,000)

Totals			$98,391,060

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