History Favors the Dodgers

by Jesse S. on Sep 8, 2009 10:11 PM PDT

September 8, 2009

Today's win against the Dbacks was a huge win. With two outs in the top of the 8th, the Dodgers had six straight at-bats that resulted in 5 singles and 1 walk, and the top half of the inning ended with the Dodgers ahead 5-4. This was one of the better come-from-behind-wins on the season, in my opinion.

Add to the exciting manner in which we won the fact that we maintained our 3.5-game lead on the charging Rockies.

via d.yimg.com

Pretty great night for the Dodgers.

And while it's always bad news to hear about players going down with injuries, such as Tim Lincecum, it may just work out that the Dodgers will be able to skip facing him when we play them this weekend.

With only 22 games remaining on the Dodgers' schedule and a 3.5-game division lead (and 6.5-game playoff-spot lead), things are looking great right now.

Since the 1998 season, 10 out of the 11 teams that were sitting atop the NL West on September 8 of that year have gone on to end the season as the division leader. The only team that didn't end as the division leader, which just happened to be the 2006 Dodgers, tied for the division lead and was awarded the Wild Card spot due to getting owned by the Padres in head-to-head that season.

NL West Division leader on September 8:

1998: Padres ==> Division leader @ end of the season.
1999: Dbacks ==> Division leader @ end of the season.
2000: Giants ==> Division leader @ end of the season.
2001: Dbacks ==> Division leader @ end of the season.
2002: Dbacks ==> Division leader @ end of the season.
2003: Giants ==> Division leader @ end of the season.
2004: Dodgers ==> Division leader @ end of the season.
2005: Padres ==> Division leader @ end of the season.
2006: Dodgers ==> Tie for Division lead with Padres, awarded Wild Card.
2007: Dbacks ==> Division leader @ end of the season.
2008: Dodgers ==> Division leader @ end of the season.

While the overall history of baseball and the NL West would not rule out a total collapse even this late in the season (see the 2007 & 2008 New York Mets), the recent odds are in our favor.

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Comments

6.5 now :D

And it’s a very good possibility we might see Lincecum :(

by PHAT JULIO on Sep 8, 2009 10:39 PM PDT reply actions

Corrected, thanks for the mention.

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

by Jesse S. on Sep 8, 2009 10:52 PM PDT up reply actions

I don't think so

The Giants are more likely to go all out against Colorado then the Dodgers so they’ll probably go with Cain, Sanchez, Penny against the Dodgers so that can set them up with Lincecum, Zito, Cain for the Colorado series they have right after they face the Dodgers this weekend. Unless they pitch Cain or Lincecum on short rest so they can have them for both the Dodgers and Rockies series I don’t think Lincecum pitches against the Dodgers.

by KSeal on Sep 9, 2009 2:03 AM PDT up reply actions

as long as this doesn't happen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_New_York_Mets_season#Game_log

we’re fine

by stillnotah8er on Sep 9, 2009 11:47 AM PDT reply actions

were not the mets or cubs

we will be fine… ;)

by shaqfor3 on Sep 9, 2009 5:16 PM PDT up reply actions

However, we are the Dodgers

THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! ;)

by David Young on Sep 9, 2009 6:35 PM PDT up 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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