Dodgers Return Home To Face Diamondbacks

by Eric Stephen on Aug 31, 2009 4:00 PM PDT in Dodgers Game Previews

Amid all the fires throughout Southern California, tonight's Dodger game will go on. Dodger Vice President of Communications Josh Rawitch had this to say:

Right now, we don’t foresee any issues with playing the game tonight as scheduled. We have been regularly monitoring the fire, wind, and smoke conditions and have been in touch with Major League Baseball for a contingency plan in the event things change but we do not foresee that happening at this time. We also have proper personnel on hand at the game in the event that any fans need assistance.

Rawitch also noted that the postponement of the game would be a decision by the league, with consultation from the players association and both teams.

Best wishes to everyone dealing with this state of emergency.

On the field, Randy Wolf faces Doug Davis. Wolf has won his last four starts, and he has pitched at least seven innings in each of his last five starts.

Per the Dodger game notes, Matt Kemp now has 10 extra-inning RBI this season, the most in baseball since Juan Gonzalez had 11 for the Rangers in 1991.

**********

Check out Xeifrank's simulation of today's game here.

Don't forget to RSVP for True Blue LA Day at Dodger Stadium, on the next-to-last day of the regular season, October 3 against the Rockies.

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

Game Time: 7:10pm

TV: Prime Ticket

Baseball Reference Preview

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First!

place feels pretty secure right now.
vr, Xei

by Xeifrank on Aug 31, 2009 4:17 PM PDT reply actions

Second games are the toughest to win. Shouldn't be a problem tonight

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

Lineup

Martin C
Ethier RF
Ramirez LF
Kemp CF
Blake 3B
Belliard 2B
Loretta 1B
Castro SS
Wolf LHP

Mota to DL to make room for Belliard?

by Brandon Lennox on Aug 31, 2009 4:31 PM PDT reply actions

wow, I am surprised with 6, 7, 8 (Belliard, Loretta and Castro). Martin at the top. Who moved Joe’s cheese?
vr Xei

by Xeifrank on Aug 31, 2009 4:35 PM PDT up reply actions

for realz?

by LA Taco on Aug 31, 2009 4:38 PM PDT up reply actions

Is this lineup real?

by Michael White on Aug 31, 2009 4:39 PM PDT up reply actions

Yes, lineup and Mota to DL is real.

by Eric Stephen on Aug 31, 2009 4:53 PM PDT up reply actions

wow talk about a phantom DL?

or did i miss something

William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.

by Ollie on Aug 31, 2009 4:54 PM PDT up reply actions

and its an ingrown toenail for Mota, per Dodger Thoughts.

by Eric Stephen on Aug 31, 2009 4:54 PM PDT up reply actions

lol..sounds serious

William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.

by Ollie on Aug 31, 2009 4:55 PM PDT up reply actions

does Joe know how to stagger days off?

I guess we’ve done well against Davis. Perhaps he thinks our #9 hitter is a viable masher

I'm nobody's fool, least of all yours

by BoulderDodger on Aug 31, 2009 5:10 PM PDT up reply actions

anyone else

hope the giants dont make the playoffs, too? i’d much rather play the rockies or braves or fishies than that damn giant starting rotation

by BleedBlue23 on Aug 31, 2009 4:37 PM PDT reply actions

I love to see the Giants lose

But I’d also love to beat them in the NLCS

by LA Taco on Aug 31, 2009 4:39 PM PDT up reply actions

Yeah, it would suck to have to face Lincecum and Cain. The way I figure it, though…

Dodgers hitting >>>> Giants hitting
Giants pitching >> Dodgers pitching

Therefore, the net advantage is: Dodgers >> Giants. :)

You wanna know how great baseball is? The greatest basketball player ever left his sport to play baseball.

by Jesse S. on Aug 31, 2009 4:40 PM PDT up reply actions

we have a better team ERA then the giants do

by matthewmafa on Aug 31, 2009 4:41 PM PDT up reply actions

I meant to put starting pitching, which the Giants have us beat in. Overall though, I agree that we’ve got better pitching (if that’s what you were implying with the ERA quip).

You wanna know how great baseball is? The greatest basketball player ever left his sport to play baseball.

by Jesse S. on Aug 31, 2009 4:46 PM PDT up reply actions

they have Lincecum and Cain

and a bunch of nobodys….

by matthewmafa on Aug 31, 2009 4:47 PM PDT up reply actions

zzzzzzzzzzzzito

has been good of late.
vr, Xei

by Xeifrank on Aug 31, 2009 4:48 PM PDT up reply actions

a lot of pitchers have hot streaks

he will cool off soon

by matthewmafa on Aug 31, 2009 4:51 PM PDT up reply actions

playoffs are coming soon too

by BleedBlue23 on Aug 31, 2009 4:52 PM PDT up reply actions

Hopefully Wolf doesn’t either.

You wanna know how great baseball is? The greatest basketball player ever left his sport to play baseball.

by Jesse S. on Aug 31, 2009 4:52 PM PDT up reply actions

+1

by Xeifrank on Aug 31, 2009 5:06 PM PDT up reply actions

I’d say Giants starting pitching >> Dodgers, but Dodgers pitching > Giants

by KellyStephen on Aug 31, 2009 4:41 PM PDT up reply actions

Yep, that’s what I meant to say. Should’ve made that clearer. I’m getting more and more convinced every day that we’ve got the best bullpen in the majors.

You wanna know how great baseball is? The greatest basketball player ever left his sport to play baseball.

by Jesse S. on Aug 31, 2009 4:44 PM PDT up reply actions

no doubt in my mind.

by BleedBlue23 on Aug 31, 2009 4:45 PM PDT up reply actions

Dodgers Starting pitching < Giants starting pitching

Dodgers relief pitching >> Giants relief pitching

by Tripon on Aug 31, 2009 4:54 PM PDT up reply actions

Dodgers pitching WAR 15.8
Giants pitching WAR 19.4

They are actually ahead of us in both starting and relief pitching WAR. We crush them in offense of course.
vr, Xei

by Xeifrank on Aug 31, 2009 5:10 PM PDT up reply actions

lincecum and cain

account for 3/5 of their war tho…

by matthewmafa on Aug 31, 2009 5:15 PM PDT up reply actions

Giants about to sign Brad Penny

Is that really an upgrade from whoever he replaces?

http://bases.nbcsports.com/2009/08/giants-look-to-bolster-rotation-with-penny.html.php

by MattBakerJr on Aug 31, 2009 5:17 PM PDT up reply actions

Like matthewmafa points out, the Dodgers relief core is better than the Giants relief core.

Dodgers relief pitching 4.4
Giants relief pitching: 3.4

The only thing that is skewing this is Jeff Weaver(0.4) and his splitting half of his innings starting and relieving, but the same can be said of McDonald who’s value this year comes from relieving.

by Tripon on Aug 31, 2009 5:21 PM PDT up reply actions

true

but we own the rockies this year and i’d really like to crush them out of the playoffs

by BleedBlue23 on Aug 31, 2009 4:41 PM PDT reply actions

assuming we win our NLDS series, and make the playoffs as matter of fact : )

William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.

by Ollie on Aug 31, 2009 4:44 PM PDT up reply actions

i know im counting chickens before they hatch, but after the way we bounced back from a rough stretch, i like our chances

by BleedBlue23 on Aug 31, 2009 4:46 PM PDT up reply actions

yas as do I, im just a little superstitious about that stuff lol

William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.

by Ollie on Aug 31, 2009 4:53 PM PDT up reply actions

lol i agree i shouldn’t have almost jinxed us, but i knocked on wood 7 times already so no harm

by BleedBlue23 on Aug 31, 2009 5:00 PM PDT up reply actions

D-Backs lineup

8/31 @ LAD – 1/Roberts/LF; 2/Ryal/2B; 3/Upton/RF; 4/Reynolds/3B; 5/Montero/C; 6/Young/CF; 7/Allen/1B; 8/Ojeda/SS; 9/Davis/LHP

by Eric Stephen on Aug 31, 2009 4:56 PM PDT reply actions

Small sample size alert…

After getting sent down to AAA, Chris Young was raking. In 13 games he hit .370/.460/.667 with 9 out of his 20 hits for XB.

However, in his two games back from the minors is 0 for 8, 2K, 1 BB, 1 HBP. It seems like there’s a mental hurdle he’s having trouble getting over in the majors.

You wanna know how great baseball is? The greatest basketball player ever left his sport to play baseball.

by Jesse S. on Aug 31, 2009 5:04 PM PDT up reply actions

paul konerko is on the trading block!

according the MLBTR…

also jim thome jermaine dye are too…

by matthewmafa on Aug 31, 2009 5:02 PM PDT reply actions

Nothing like waiting until the last minute!

by Eric Stephen on Aug 31, 2009 5:27 PM PDT up reply actions

That's what she said?

by Tripon on Aug 31, 2009 5:28 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

would be interesting to see Paul back in Dodger Blue

William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.

by Ollie on Aug 31, 2009 5:31 PM PDT up reply actions

as a coach?

by KellyStephen on Aug 31, 2009 5:42 PM PDT up reply actions

Andy PETTITE

He has a PERFECT GAME Through 6 innings vs the Baltimore Orioles….

Andy Pettie?!?

by matthewmafa on Aug 31, 2009 5:35 PM PDT reply actions

Anyone notice just how crappy Evan Longoria has been since his hot start? They finally dropped him in the order yesterday to the six spot, and today he was back in the five hole. Best offensive 3rd baseman this year, shockingly to me, it is Mike Young. Casey Blake holding steady at number 11.
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/statistics/sortable/index.php?cid=466460

by meercatjohn on Aug 31, 2009 6:06 PM PDT reply actions

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Pos	No	Player	2012 Salary
C	17	Ellis	$490,000
1B	7	Loney	$6,375,000
2B	14	Ellis	$2,500,000
3B	5	Uribe	$8,000,000
SS	9	Gordon	$485,000
LF	23	Abreu	$401,311
CF	27	Kemp	$10,000,000
RF	16	Ethier	$10,950,000

OF	10	Gwynn	$850,000
IF	12	Sellers	$481,000
OF/1B	33	Van Slyke	$388,197
2B/3B	3	Kennedy	$800,000
C	18	Treanor	$850,000

SP	22	Kershaw	$6,000,000
SP	58	Billingsley	$9,000,000
SP	29	Lilly	$12,000,000
SP	44	Harang	$3,000,000
SP	35	Capuano	$3,000,000

CL	74	Jansen	$491,000
RHP	52	Lindblom	$483,000
RHP	51	Belisario	$414,426
RHP	54	Guerra	$488,000
RHP	28	Wright	$900,000
LHP	57	Elbert	$488,500
RHP	60	Coffey	$1,000,000

DL	55	Guerrier	$4,750,000
DL	6	Hairston	$2,250,000
DL	21	Rivera	$4,000,000
60DL	36	Hawksworth	$495,000
60DL	41	De La Rosa	$485,000

AAA	13	DeJesus	$86,648
AA	50	Eovaldi	$7,885
AAA	56	Antonini	$7,869

		Manny	$8,087,432	deferred
		Andruw	$3,375,000	deferred
		Pierre	$3,050,000	deferred
		Furcal	$3,000,000	deferred
		Kuroda	$2,000,000	deferred
		Garland	$1,500,000	option buyout
		Blake	$1,250,000	option buyout
DFA	66	MacDougal	$650,000

Totals			$114,830,268
For more detailed information, click here.
Current 40-man roster count: 42 (incl. De La Rosa & Hawksworth)

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Dodgers Return Home To Face Diamondbacks

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