Dodgers Fall In Series Finale To Brewers
by Eric Stephen on Aug 5, 2009 10:07 PM PDT
in Game Recaps
41 comments
A night after scoring 17 runs off the Brewers in a game started by their ace Yovani Gallardo, the Dodgers were shut down by Braden Looper tonight, as the Brewers combined Looper's performance plus some early runs off Jason Schmidt to a 4-1 victory to close out the three-game series at Dodger Stadium. Looper, who had a 5.69 ERA during the last two months, pitched into the seventh inning, allowing only one run on four hits and two walks, picking up his 10th win of the season.
Jason Schmidt briefly looked like he would recapture the magic of last Friday, allowing just one run in the first three innings, but the fourth inning proved his undoing. After loading the bases with two outs, Schmidt hit Craig Counsell on his back foot with a curveball and his night was done, having given up nine baserunners in 3.2 innings. James McDonald relieved Schmidt, and was greeted rudely by a booming Ryan Braun double. That brought home two more runs to make the score 4-1, but Counsell was thrown out at the plate to end the inning (though replays showed he avoided the tag of Russell Martin).
McDonald went on to pitch two more scoreless innings, and lowered his ERA as a reliever this season to 2.08, in 26 innings.
As was the case two weeks ago tonight, left fielder Manny Ramirez didn't start, yet still captured the imagination of the crowd as he came in to pinch hit as the tying run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Ken Macha removed Looper, bringing in Todd Coffey to face Manny. However, this time the ball off Manny's bat didn't travel to Mannywood; it slowly bounced to second base and the threat was quelled.
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During the broadcast of the game, Vin Scully told a wonderful story that I had never heard before, and one that was kind of cool. Today is the 55th anniversary of Tommy Lasorda's major league debut. He came in from the bullpen at Ebbets Field that 1954 day with the Dodgers trailing the Cardinals 8-2. The first base umpire in Brooklyn for Lasorda's first game was Lon Warneke, who pitched for 15 seasons with the Cubs and Cardinals in the National League. On September 27, 1936, Warneke was pitching for the Cubs, facing the Cardinals, when a 24-year old first baseman named Walter Alston made his major league debut. Alston, as legend has it, hit a ball with home run distance that drifted just foul, but ended up striking out in what would be his only plate appearance in the show. Baseball sometimes has an amazing way to link things together, such as one man tied to 43 years worth of Dodger managers.
**********
Time to dust off those 3-day old scouting reports: the Braves come to town to start a four-game series starting tomorrow night. Randy Wolf faces Derek Lowe tomorrow, in a rematch of Saturday's 4-3 Atlanta win.
WP - Braden Looper (10-5): 6.2 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts
LP - Jason Schmidt (2-2): 3.2 IP, 5 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts
Sv - Trevor Hoffman (25): 1 IP, 1 hit, 2 strikeouts
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blehhh
too bad we cant transfer runs between games
17 tonight and 1 today
well looper was good
and this could be the end for schimdt
well good effort by him to pitch again
and wolf should hopefully get a win
the guy is better than his record…
by shaqfor3 on Aug 5, 2009 10:11 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
oh
and we better not use schimdt in SF
we need too be flawless there
cause them bastard giants r catching up in the standings
by shaqfor3 on Aug 5, 2009 10:15 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
luckily
september is filled with a huge load of games facing teams under .500
by shaqfor3 on Aug 5, 2009 10:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I AM NOT DOWN FOR THAT
We should be beating the crap out .500 and over teams!!!!
by PHAT JULIO on Aug 6, 2009 12:26 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Watching Schmidt tonight was painful, if you’re gonna throw 86 you better locate it and he didn’t. It’ll be interesting to see who starts that August 10th game against the Gnats, my money is on Elbert.
by Rolex l on Aug 5, 2009 10:35 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
ROLEX I SURE HOPE YOU'RE RIGHT
TORRE ISN’T GOING TO BUDGE THOUGH, UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I CANNOT SEE SCHMIDT START ANYMORE, I JUST CAN’T….
TORRE, IF YOU’RE READING THIS. BE EFFIN SMART. THE SERIES AGAINST “THE HATED ONES” IS GOING TO BE THE MOST CRUCIAL THUS FAR. BE EFFIN SMART!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by PHAT JULIO on Aug 6, 2009 12:27 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I hope you didn’t already place that bet on Elbert:
Torre said that Schmidt is still scheduled to start again for the Dodgers when the fifth spot in the rotation comes up again next Monday. “He’s scheduled for Monday and we’ll go from there,” Torre said. “Last time was good. This time wasn’t as good as last time.”
by Eric Stephen on Aug 6, 2009 8:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You let Schimdt happen!
DAMN YOU!
DAMMMMMMMMMMMMMN YOU!
DAMN YOU YOU DAMN DIRTY APES.
by Tripon on Aug 5, 2009 10:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Upcoming series...
Big four game series against the Braves starting tomorrow. The Dodgers miss rookie sensation Tommy Hanson. The early win probability that I have for each of the upcoming games vs the Braves is…
G1: D.Lowe vs R.Wolf (Dodgers 54.92%, O/U 8.95)
G2: J.Jurrjens vs C.Billingsley (Dodgers 56.98%, O/U 8.63)
G3: K.Kawakami vs C.Kershaw (Dodgers 61.53%, O/U 9.08)
G4: J.Vazquez vs H.Kuroda (Dodgers 50.42%, O/U 8.15)
vr, Xei
by Xeifrank on Aug 5, 2009 10:53 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
the last time hiroki kuroda faced the braves
he was 6 outs away from a perfect game. The perfect game was broken up by mark texiera double leading off the 8th inning. So he just setting for a CG 1 hit Shutout.
by matthewmafa on Aug 5, 2009 10:58 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I REALLY hated this loss...
I’m sorry Jason, BUT YOU REALLY STANK TONIGHT.
DFA! DFA! DFA!
ughhhhhhhhhh, 2 more months…just 2 more months….
by PHAT JULIO on Aug 6, 2009 12:25 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
TERRIBLE LOSS........
ITS 12:31 A.M. AND I CAN’T SLEEP.
THANKS SCHMIDT, YOU’RE REALLY GOING TO MAKE MY DAY
by PHAT JULIO on Aug 6, 2009 12:30 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
It looks like maybe you need one or two rules here
Eric/Phil – maybe some sort of ratio of upper case to lower case characters would be a good start. It will be hard to keep coming back if a majority of posts are like, well…
by berkowit28 on Aug 6, 2009 12:50 AM PDT reply actions 2 recs
word.
2009-10 LA Kings Hockey: Where Smyt Happens!!
by DodgerBlueBalls on Aug 6, 2009 9:09 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
15 million reasons why...
I got over the top…
by PHAT JULIO on Aug 6, 2009 9:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
So far we have had no need for rules
we can simply warn the user of any conduct we don’t like and then take further steps if needed. I’m not a big fan of rules but that is Eric’s call. This is not Dodger Thoughts and as much as I enjoy Dodger Thoughts I don’t see the need to turn this into Dodger Thoughts with a series of constricting rules. We have guidelines and I’m fine with those.
Seems simple enough to me to simply gloss over a comment you don’t like. There is no blog rule saying that everyone needs to refute or respond to a comment they find irritating. In fact if no one responds the comment just gets buried and no attention is brought to it.
I’m a little disappointed this turned green.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Aug 6, 2009 9:43 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Since Twitter is currently down, will the world come to an end?
by Eric Stephen on Aug 6, 2009 7:48 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Quite the opposite.
The heavens will open and beautiful angels will come down singing their sweet, glorious songs of eternal praise.
by Dr. Geek on Aug 6, 2009 8:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Can we start a petition
to send to Torre/Colletti?
The Start Elbert or Stults on Monday Petition?
Don’t have to DFA Schmidt necessarily yet, especially if they start Elbert. But enough is enough. The thought of him doing what he did yesterday against his former team the Giants makes me queasy.
Glad I’ll be away camping for that one!
by underdog on Aug 6, 2009 8:46 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
He has no value in the bullpen
so if you are starting somebody else in his place you should DFA him. Better to call up somebody who can help the team with that 25 (and 40 man) roster spots. Starting Stults seems to make the most sense. He’s already on the 40 man and it wouldn’t cause Torre to lose a bullpen arm in Elbert. Starting Elbert (with a Schmidt DFA) would require the Dodgers to call up somebody; and since Elbert is young and will possibly need as much bullpen support behind him, the obvious choices would be Wade, Leach or Schlicting.
Maybe if you don’t want to hurt his feelings, tell him that he’s injured again (wink, wink) and he will be shutdown for the remainder of the year. But Schmidt clearly doesn’t have the stuff to be passable in the major leagues.
by mwhite06 on Aug 6, 2009 9:01 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yah I agree
I was trying to give the Dodgers a way to find more time without actually starting but they might as well rip that bandaid right off, and move on.
by underdog on Aug 6, 2009 9:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Just got a Garrett Gould update
anyone interested?
by PHAT JULIO on Aug 6, 2009 8:47 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Make a FanPost if it is interesting
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Aug 6, 2009 9:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Kensai's prediction
is coming true, that one good start from Schmidt would bulletproof him for more starts and the damage would be greater then the gain from that one good start. I don’t think he has a long leash and the Giant came could very will be the end of the leash but you can’t just pull the guy from the rotation one start after a good start. If this was Stults getting pulled after a bad start following a good start we’d be upset. Let it play out, we don’t need to be so quick with our decisions. Maybe Joe and Honeycut simply have no faith that Elbert/McDonald/Stults/Haeger could do any better.
Whatever the reason if Schmidt does not improve I don’t think he will get the number of starts that Kensai thinks he will. Not unless the Giants and Rockies stop winning are we have a bigger room for error.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Aug 6, 2009 9:53 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I just hate the idea
of him getting pasted by the Giants on Monday.
But at least I’ll be away camping and will miss it! ;-)
by underdog on Aug 6, 2009 9:59 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The story of the month is the fact the Rockies and Giants are not going away.
The Rockies beating up on the Phillies was awesome. I couldn’t help but find myself rooting for them. I’m really hoping the wild card comes from the West for two reasons.
1. I’m tired of everyone making fun of the Western Division
2. The Wild Card has to play the best team. Since they Wild Card cannot play a team in the same division wouldn’t the Wild Card team then play the next best team? Phillies
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Aug 6, 2009 9:53 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I’m tired of everyone making fun of the Western Division
I am too. It just seems lazy. Yes, the NL West was the worst division in baseball last year, but the year before that 4 teams were in contention for the playoffs right until the end, the wild card came from the west, and an NL West team made the World Series. I honestly think most of the pundits who quickly throw that out there don’t give it any serious thought. It’s like in the NFL where the NFC is considered inferior, or NCAA football where the Pac-10 is a poor conference. These things will happen one year, and they won’t even notice when its no longer true….
by mwhite06 on Aug 6, 2009 9:59 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
But... but...
Steve Phillips says that the Phillies are still the best team in the NL, and the east is the best! Steve Phillips can’t be wrong!
Except about scores.
by underdog on Aug 6, 2009 10:00 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Petition: Dodgers 5th Starter
Yes, I am a dork. With free time on my hands this morning. This won’t do anything except make some of us feel better, but what the heck:
by underdog on Aug 6, 2009 9:55 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
From Hollywood Joe over at DT
I think this is a case of insider versus outsider perspective
From a fans POV starting Schmidt is a bad idea, common sense and his numbers both show that he has looked bad even when he has had good results. The Bill Simmons VP of Common Sense role would definetly not be starting JS
Insider perspective might be different, they might see progress that we miss, they might be holding out for something we don’t believe in, they might want to respect the effort he has put in and give him every chance to work it out
My common sense says JS shouldn’t start, but I can tell you I am not always right and I am not any more confident in any of the names Jon laid out for us. I don’t buy into any of them being significantly less risky than JS right now.
Remember the Simmons story was all about how outraged he was that the Texans drafted Mario Williams over both Reggie Bush and Vince Young….I would have never advocated that move, but history has proven the Texans correct and just about every pundit and fan wrong.
Question the move in giving him one more start, I know I am. But temper your righteous indignation with a bit of humility, because you just don’t know what you don’t know
Posted by: Hollywood Joe | August 06, 2009 at 10:25 AM
Other then the Texas analogy I like the post. We could also find many instances where management was wrong even with the inside information but I do like the fact he points out we don’t know what they know. For whatever reason Dodger management is committed to Schmidt for at least one more start. Jon Weisman pointed out the possible candidates for the job Elbert/McDonald/Stults but in my mind Charlie Haegar is at the top of the list because of his ability to eat innings even if he is not on the 40 man roster. With Elbert and McDonald being in the bullpen this past month I don’t see how they can be moved into the rotation. And we all keep forgetting about Weaver.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Aug 6, 2009 11:41 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, but what are they seeing?
Its a guy throwing 85 MPH meatballs.
At this point, I rather the Dodgers trade for Swindle, and have him pitch 52 MPH curveballs for the comedic value.
by Tripon on Aug 6, 2009 11:48 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
thats a good point, we do often overlook the there are people paid to make these decisions
and they are more informed than we are. I still signed the petition though : )
also Re: Weaver, i thought he only wanted spot starts in case of emergency, hasnt the story been all year that hes more comfortable out of the bullpen
William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.
by Ollie on Aug 6, 2009 11:49 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
actually, for some reason my vote wont register online, safari keeps telling me the signing is still in process..
Sorry Under, my vote may not be official, but if everyones gathering to dump tea in the LA river to show our displeasure, let me know, i’m in..
William Doolittle at your service, a.k.a. will do.
by Ollie on Aug 6, 2009 11:58 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Jason Schmidt...UGH...
6 flyball outs, 3 at or close fo the warning track. 3 ground ball outs.
Unacceptable
by PHAT JULIO on Aug 6, 2009 12:21 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
85 mph pitches not located in the strike zone.
Unacceptable
by PHAT JULIO on Aug 6, 2009 12:26 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
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