Martin Busts Out In Grand Style To Beat Cubs
by Eric Stephen on Aug 20, 2009 10:25 PM PDT
in Game Recaps
46 comments
Russell Martin provided the highlight of the night, launching a grand slam over the wall in left field to break a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning, powering the Dodgers to a 7-2 win over the Cubs in the first game of a four game series at Dodger Stadium.
Martin, entering the game hitting just .246/.295/.316 in August, hit a fastball from Angel Guzman out for the second grand slam of his career. The first one was a walk-off in extra innings against Shawn Chacon of the Pirates on April 21, 2007. Martin's slam came directly after Lou Piniella opted to intentionally walk James Loney with first base open to get to Martin, and to setup the possible double play.
Jeff Weaver started for the Dodgers, and lasted into the sixth inning, and his 5.1 innings represent his longest outing of the season. He allowed only two runs, but because he left in the middle of an inning with the score tied, he did not qualify for the win. That honor went to Ronald Belisario, who got two outs, starting the 3.2 scoreless innings of work by the bullpen tonight.
Manny Ramirez had three hits, including a double, and scored two runs for the Dodgers.
Kosuke Fukudome was the man for the Cubs, with three hits, including a home run, and a walk.
Tomorrow night's game will feature a battle of Randy Ws: Wolf versus Wells.
WP - Ronald Belisario (2-3): 0.2 IP, 1 walk
LP - Angel Guzman (2-3): 1 IP, 3 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
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LOL
The gnats claimed GARY SHEFFIELD off waivers LOL
by matthewmafa on Aug 20, 2009 10:32 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
That was last week, but the Mets pulled him back.
Of course, Sheff might be available soon anyway :)
by Eric Stephen on Aug 20, 2009 10:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
i knew he got claimed
but did you guys know it was the giants who claimed him??
by matthewmafa on Aug 20, 2009 10:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, Ed Price reported it earlier tonight.
by Eric Stephen on Aug 20, 2009 10:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
ya read that at mcovey lol
William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.
by Ollie on Aug 20, 2009 10:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Always nice to win over the Cubs
And even better when the Giants lose. But I guess the Giants aren’t the main concern right now.
Hans Gruber: I will count to three. There will not be a four.
by Mr. LA Sports Fan on Aug 20, 2009 10:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
The reason we won
We won because I went to do my Friday a.m. shopping (we’re on GMT +2). I left at the top of the sixth, and returned to find Russell Martin’s name and picture on MLB.com’s homepage.
by Connector on Aug 20, 2009 10:40 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
chicks dig the grand salami
William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.
by Ollie on Aug 20, 2009 10:46 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Looks like Lincecum in the background
by Eric Stephen on Aug 20, 2009 10:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Loney Bashing
I think something has to be said about all of the scorn that has been poured on Loney, and it was particularly of-putting tonight. It is no less irritating than all of the Broxton hate that has been coming from other quarters. No, Loney isn’t having a good season for a first baseman, and August has been a low point for the season (.237/.328/.288 for August before tonight’s game). But if his performance on the road for the season (.313/.383/.454) was even close to being matched by his home numbers, I would be delighted with that production from a player making half a million dollars. People are throwing around ideas about what prospects they would like to trade to make an upgrade at 1B. Don’t waste your time. Loney will be our first baseman next year, and that is a good thing. He is only 25 now, he is still cheap next year and his salary won’t even exceed the value of his production this year(measured by Fangraphs), as bad as this year has been. I think improvement is highly likely, and more importantly, the Dodgers like Loney and believe in him. Logan White has said he thinks Loney will hit 30 homers as a 27 year old. I don’t even believe that, but that tells you what the Dodgers are thinking.
by CanuckDodger on Aug 20, 2009 10:52 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Well said
Loney’s in a bad slump. Nothing new there, but to go from waiting-out-his-slump to who-can-we-trade-him-for is just too much. Take a return of his confidence and add it to his great swing and we’ll have ourselves a good hitter.
by Connector on Aug 20, 2009 11:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
i dont see how he has a great swing though
everyone talks about him having a great swing… i dont see it… Andre ethier has a great swing. When loney swings, i see juan pierre. he slaps at the ball.
by matthewmafa on Aug 20, 2009 11:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Loney's Swing...
has probably been adjusted by Mattingly. It doesn’t look as strong as it did before Mattingly got here. When you hear Mattingly talk about Loney as a hitter, it almost sounds like he WANTS Loney to be a guy who slaps the ball — slaps it to all fields, rather than ever trying to pull the ball.
by CanuckDodger on Aug 20, 2009 11:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
My uncle has been adamant about this, wanting Loney to go back to pulling inside pitches. I agree with him.
by Eric Stephen on Aug 20, 2009 11:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Man, you gotta lot of opinionated uncles!
by KellyStephen on Aug 21, 2009 1:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
loney should stop getting coached by mattingly
it obviosuly isnt working and the staff should see this and let loney go back to his regular style.
also loney does some stupid toe tap that only someone as strong as albert pujols shoould do.
loney should do the leg kick and get some more power into his swing
by matthewmafa on Aug 20, 2009 11:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Loney has one of the worst approaches on the team
He swings with the authority of Pierre. He looks to slap the ball to the opposite field up 2-0 in the count.
by oshea2002 on Aug 21, 2009 10:29 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I agree with you that Loney will be at 1B next year, and I do find much of the criticism over the top, but I usually just dismiss most of it as in-game venting. I don’t think its out of line to suggest ways to improve at 1B, since it is a position easier to find an upgrade than, say, catcher or shortstop.
But if his performance on the road for the season (.313/.383/.454) was even close to being matched by his home numbers, I would be delighted with that production from a player making half a million dollars.
The problem is though that Loney hasn’t produced at home, neither this year nor his career. And the Dodgers are always going to play half their games at home, so that needs to be rectified. Loney’s career splits:
Home: .268/.332/.380 (.295 BABIP)
Away: .323/.373/.523 (.337 BABIP)
I mean, that’s just a huge difference. It is partially explained by luck, namely that his road numbers probably aren’t that good, but still very good nonetheless.
I’m interested in knowing if there is something specific about Dodger Stadium — the lighting, the air quality, the batter’s eye, who knows? — that is affecting Loney’s play at home. I like Loney a lot, and am rooting for him to improve, and if there were some relatively easy to fix solution at home, that would be great.
by Eric Stephen on Aug 20, 2009 11:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Really good sutff, CD
I agree and I am tired of all the Loney bashing. If he’s not getting it done with his bat at home this season, he makes up for it with his plus defense at first base.
Leave Loney alone!!!
2009-10 LA Kings Hockey: Where Smyt Happens!!
by DodgerBlueBalls on Aug 21, 2009 8:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Exactly, Eric....
Dodger Stadium is like kryptonite to Loney, and I am not only interested in getting to the bottom of why that is, I am mystified that outside of myself nobody until you has even been interested in the mystery, though I have raised it several times at Dodger Thoughts, only to find that nobody there has been been interested in the subject. The more important question is, what are the Dodgers doing to investigate this? They should be questioning Loney. Asking him about how comfortable he is with the batter’s eye at DS, etc. Though I suppose there is the possibility that Loney wouldn’t be honest in answering the questions, not if he suspects that certain answers could write his ticket out of Los Angeles.
by CanuckDodger on Aug 20, 2009 11:15 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
i think its the dimensions of dodger stadium
even if loney hits the ball as hard as he can, it barely would get out of DS.
by matthewmafa on Aug 20, 2009 11:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
But It Isn't Just Power...
Hitting period is a problem for Loney at DS. Scouts used to talk about Loney becoming a .320 hitter in the majors. He has — on the road.
by CanuckDodger on Aug 20, 2009 11:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’ll try to do some digging on Sunday.
I would like to see some hit charts too at home. Ethier Loney is hitting balls that would fall in (or go out) at other parks, or (I think more likely) he is having trouble picking up the ball out of the batter’s eye.
by Eric Stephen on Aug 20, 2009 11:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think he’s got a girlfriend at home that keeps him busy, if you know what i mean. To quote your favorite movie series, “Women weaken legs!”
by KellyStephen on Aug 21, 2009 1:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
i smell a Sherlock Holmes novel
if anyone found out the reason behind it and fixed it I wonder how many more Wins we’ll have in the future
I'm nobody's fool, least of all yours
by BoulderDodger on Aug 20, 2009 11:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Try this site
MLB.com has a spray chart in their stats.
Looks like teams are trying to keep the ball away to Loney, he’s not pulled too many deep balls to RF. And this is a similar pattern on the road.
by bhsportsguy on Aug 20, 2009 11:37 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
wow hes only had 6 Doubbles to his pull side in dodger stadium
5 doubles down the left field line and 2 triples… which were obviously mis played balls
by matthewmafa on Aug 20, 2009 11:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
No they were not misplayed
I saw them, they happen because he hit down the LF line, it rolls into the corner and the LFer is far away.
by bhsportsguy on Aug 20, 2009 11:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
left fielders should play loney down the left field line
like they play pierre…
by matthewmafa on Aug 20, 2009 11:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
like when they dive and it gets past them
thats how loney got 2 triples.. the guy dove and it got past them which is misplayed
by matthewmafa on Aug 20, 2009 11:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
and only 2 warning track fly outs!!!!!
wowww!!! with obviously no home runs at dodger stadium
by matthewmafa on Aug 20, 2009 11:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
i just checked out some videos of loney last year hitting home runs
and he had a leg kick before his swing
this year he has this ridiculous toe tap that just takes away all his power. it looks like hes swinging the bat with his arms
by matthewmafa on Aug 20, 2009 11:38 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Last [Tuesday] night
Maybe a swifter CF might have flagged them – they would have been fine plays – but make no doubt about it, Martin’s double and Ethier’s triple were smoked. Particularly Martin’s – off the bat, I did not think it was going to carry as far as it did, but it ended up with a trajectory like a well-struck two-iron, a 390-foot line drive. Add to that Martin’s smashed double, a hot grounder between Greene and the line, and I’m feeling a little optimistic that Russell can get hot, even as the season wears on.
by El Lay Dave on Aug 19, 2009 4:00 PM PDT reply reply actions actions 0 recs
I’m feeling a little more optimistic after tonight!
by David Young on Aug 21, 2009 12:29 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Back in the day when Loney was a prospect I wasn’t impressed but then he proved me wrong with his excellent debut season. However since that debut season he has gone back to being the player I expected in the first place. As Andrew always said the idea isn’t to build a good cheap team but to build the best team. Yes, Loney’s production compared to his cost is okay, but is it okay for a team who expects to compete for a world championship? Maybe for this year when we still have the last of a peak Manny but in the future we will need a 1st baseman who hits like a first baseman. If Loney is the man, then great, but he only has one more year to show us he’s that man before his cost does outweigh his contributions.
In the meantime when we build our team this winter I wouldn’t mind a little insurance at 1st base in case he never does figure out Dodger Stadium. And if some team would rather take a chance on him because of cost and we can acquire a first baseman like Cecil Fielder, I’d explore that option. This team is too good to hope Loney meets expectations, his position is vital to a teams offense.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Aug 21, 2009 7:01 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
You Are At Least...
…willing to give Loney another year so we are not on different pages. After that, yes, the cost may outweigh the production.
About Andrew’s statement about building the best team not the cheapest one: that assumes a world in which money is no object. In Frank McCourt’s world, money very much is an object. I have said elsewhere: No Loney, no Manny. Obviously it is not just Loney alone. The other cheap youngsters are part of the equation too. But it is simply a fact that Manny is only affordable on McCourts budget because of savings that are being made elsewhere on the field, like first base — a traditionally costly position to fill because power is expensive.
by CanuckDodger on Aug 21, 2009 7:27 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
i don't think our team should be based around savings
i think we have the resources to get/sign top players, based our attendance/revenue figures and our status as a big market team.
that’s my beef with mccourt, i guess.
by whorge on Aug 21, 2009 7:55 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
As has been pointed out many
times, Frank is not working from the same revenue stream as the big boys until the Fox TV contract is up.
I actually agree with what Canuck says, I’m not that interested in building the best team that money can buy, but when we don’t spend with the big boys our value players need to produce and so far Loney has not done that. I hope he does, I really like Loney on this team, I want him to succeed, I want him to prove all the naysayers wrong. His problem is his age and experience because he was brought up so soon. Now we have to decide maybe to early if his production is worth his cost.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Aug 21, 2009 8:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
when is the Fox TV contract up?
and where do you see TV rights going in the future that will allow us to operate more like a big market team..when you say that we will have said revenue once the Fox contract is up, do you mean our next TV contract should allow us to generate more income via advertising?
William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.
by Ollie on Aug 21, 2009 1:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Ideally
McCourt would want to follow the model created by the Yankees and Mets, whereby he creates his own television network and recognizes all the revenue that goes along with it. This would allow for Dodgers game to be broadcast in Japan and Taiwan (assuming there is a market for it there) and he can define what his local market is in the U.S. Expect McCourt to claim all of LA, Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Kern, Riverside, San Bernadino and San Louis Obispo counties as his own (for broadcasting purposes.) Also, expect the Dodgers to include Las Vegas as their “home” market.—- The Yankees are particularly like this. Yankees games are broadcast from Pennsylvania to Massachusates to Vermont.
If played correctly, the broadcasting rights would be a huge windfall for McCourt, just as the YES network was for the Yankees.
by Michael White on Aug 21, 2009 1:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I like the sound of all of that
when’s the Fox contract over then?
William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.
by Ollie on Aug 21, 2009 1:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
A laptop is a dangerous place from which to rule the world...
Regarding the Loney comments above, that if all of us were really that good at analyzing hitters we’d be batting coaches somewhere. :)
I, for one, know for a fact (!) that if my son only listened to me he’d be hitting about .460 in high school right now, but the clown is 16 and already knows everything!
by KellyStephen on Aug 21, 2009 1:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
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