Billingsley, Dodgers Seek to Ease Bullpen Burden
by Eric Stephen on Apr 14, 2010 3:41 PM PDT
in Dodgers Game Previews
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One of the themes of the young Dodger season so far has been the struggling bullpen. The relief corps is near the bottom of the National League in ERA (5.96, 13th), FIP (4.58, 11th), and x-FIP (5.00, 15th). However, there are reasons not to panic, at least not yet. One is that we are just seven games into the season. Two more reasons are the eagerly anticipated returns of Hong-Chih Kuo and Ronald Belisario, both key cogs in last year's dominant bullpen.
Hong-Chih Kuo is still in bullpen session mode, and the Dodgers are looking at a return at the end of April, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. For Belisario, his decision date is April 25, the date by which the Dodgers have to either activate him from the restricted list or designate him for assignment. The latter choice seems unlikely, but then again, it also seemed unlikely that Belisario would show up 35 days late to camp. Either way, the point is that the Dodger bullpen is what it is for the next two weeks or so.
One way to ease the bullpen pain is to have Jonathan Broxton pitch in higher leverage situations. Baseball-Reference.com calculates Average Leverage Index, with 1.0 being average, below 1.0 being low pressure situations, and above 1.0 being high pressure situations. Here is the Average Leverage Index for the Dodger bullpen this season:
| Reliever | aLI |
| George Sherrill | 1.980 |
| Jeff Weaver | 1.875 |
| Ramon Ortiz | 1.266 |
| Ramon Troncoso | 1.101 |
| Russ Ortiz | 0.729 |
| Jonathan Broxton | 0.309 |
| Carlos Monasterios | 0.119 |
Another way to ease the burden on the bullpen is for the starters to pitch deeper into the game. In seven games, only Hiroki Kuroda and Charlie Haeger have completed six innings, something Dodger starters did 92 times last season.
Tonight's starter is Chad Billingsley, who was effective in his last outing, striking out seven while allowing just one run, but lasted only 5 1/3 due to wildness, issuing four walks while throwing 107 pitches. A 34-pitch, two-walk fourth inning had its highs and lows, as Billingsley loaded the bases but also struck out the side, including the final two batters looking. As the pressure mounted, Billingsley rose to the occasion in Pittsburgh: of the six Pirates he faced with runners in scoring position, Billingsley struck out four, walked one, and induced a double play.
Rodrigo Lopez get the start for the Diamondbacks, fresh off allowing one run in six innings against the Pirates. My Spanish might be a little rusty, but I believe "Lopez" is Spanish for "Ortiz."
| MLB Pitchers 2005-2010 | ||
| Pitcher | ERA | MLB Rank* |
| Rodrigo |
5.20 | 218th |
| Ramon Ortiz | 5.50 | 232th |
| Russ Ortiz | 6.55 | 240th |
| *out of 240; minimum 300 IP | ||
Other Notes
- Brad Ausmus got some bad news on his 41st birthday today, as it was decided he will undergo surgery tomorrow to repair a herniated disc in his back. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Robert Watkins, and will likely sideline Ausmus until late summer.
- At 3 hours, 42 minutes, yesterday's game was the longest home opener in Los Angeles Dodger history
- With 31 walks in their first seven games, the Dodgers are on pace for a whopping 717 walks this season. The Dodgers have eclipsed the 700-walk mark just once in their 126-year history, with the 1947 team amassing 732 bases on balls. That season was one of only three seasons the Dodgers have had two players with 100 or more walks:
| 1945 | Eddie Stanky (148), Augie Galan (114) |
| 1947 | Pee Wee Reese (104), Eddie Stanky (103) |
| 1952 | Gil Hodges (107), Jackie Robinson (106) |
- Mike Petriello of Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness has added an Ortiz DFA-o-Meter on the top right side of his website.
- To relive the home opener in pictures, Sons of Steve Garvey has some wonderful compilations here and here.
- Joel McHale, star of two of the funniest shows on television ("Community" and "The Soup") will throw out tonight's ceremonial first pitch
Here are the lineups, second verse the same as the first:
| Diamondbacks | Dodgers | |||
| LF | Jackson | SS | Furcal | |
| SS | Drew | CF | Kemp | |
| RF | Upton | RF | Ethier | |
| 1B | LaRoche | LF | Manny | |
| 3B | Reynolds | 1B | Loney | |
| CF | Young | 3B | Blake | |
| 2B | Johnson | 2B | DeWitt | |
| C | Snyder | C | Martin | |
| P | Lopez | P | Billingsley |
|
Game Time: 7:10pm
TV: Prime Ticket
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Tenth
Strikeout for Bills will come in the 6th :)
by Julio Nievas on Apr 14, 2010 4:04 PM PDT up reply actions
12th
hit for ‘The Thing formerly known as Bison’
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
I guess hit 4-hit performance the other night was his ticket
As it dramatically raised his average to .400+
by Julio Nievas on Apr 14, 2010 4:13 PM PDT up reply actions
14th
run scored will be Belliard in the 8th
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
16th
base touched for belliard will be the run Phil notes above.
by Michael White on Apr 14, 2010 4:12 PM PDT up reply actions
Maybe Brad Ausmus can stick around to spot a flaw and fix his delivery, like he did with Mota last year :)
by Eric Stephen on Apr 14, 2010 4:15 PM PDT up reply actions
Sign him up now!
Can’t be worse than Ramon.
lol 13 k's . . . i cant wait to see this
by SeanMillerSavior on Apr 14, 2010 4:11 PM PDT up reply actions
I have two ways to win this prediction. Bills does have 7 strikeouts on the season so far, you know :)
by Eric Stephen on Apr 14, 2010 4:11 PM PDT up reply actions
O i see lol
Ill be ecstatic if Bills is pitching into the 7th with a lead of course
by SeanMillerSavior on Apr 14, 2010 4:13 PM PDT up reply actions
If he's pitching in the 7th
we will have a lead
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
we better
especially against rodirgo lopaz
brett Wallach
impressive start… who knew he was this good…
4 innings 5 hits 1 run 0 ER 2 walks and 5 Ks.. so far…
BABIP is catching up to him after the 5 inning 8 K 0 hit performance
who knew he was this good…
Logan White :)
by Eric Stephen on Apr 14, 2010 4:18 PM PDT up reply actions
It Should Be Noted...
…that Wallach is going against the same team Great Lakes destroyed in the first three games of the season, South Bend. Since Lansing beat GL in the NEXT three games, that should tell us something about the level of competition Wallach is facing for the second time in a row.
by CanuckDodger on Apr 14, 2010 4:30 PM PDT up reply actions
There is something incredibly comforting about a terrible team based in South Bend.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 14, 2010 4:31 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
dodgers AA team facing andrew cashner
the man who struck out 9 of the first 10 batters he faced this season…
after striking out 6 per 9 last year in the same level
Strikes out on what the announcer calls "Terrible location"
by Julio Nievas on Apr 14, 2010 4:25 PM PDT up reply actions
Woops
I meant to say Dee should’ve walked because the pitch was way off the strike zone.
by Julio Nievas on Apr 14, 2010 4:28 PM PDT up reply actions
We do have a minor league K thread
http://www.truebluela.com/2010/4/14/1422801/k-thread
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
That’s where the Dodger game talk will go :)
by Eric Stephen on Apr 14, 2010 4:34 PM PDT up reply actions
Leverage index table
That is one sorry looking leverage index distribution table for our bullpen. Hopefully, it quickly turns around as we play more games.
vr, Xei
It sure is
As I said at at the start of the year I have no confidence that Torre will use Monk so why is he taking up a roster spot?
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Tonight's lineup
has been used twice so far (in this order):
Game 2 in Pit: 3 runs
Game 7 vs AZ: 9 runs
That’s what I was thinking…or 15 (keeping with the pattern) :)
by Eric Stephen on Apr 14, 2010 4:39 PM PDT up reply actions
Just started
1st inning, 1 out, runner on 3rd thanks to an error throw by May
by Julio Nievas on Apr 14, 2010 4:43 PM PDT up reply actions
Withrow Falling Apart
Withrow walks two to load the bases.One out.
Lambo does not support Withrow
Bases loaded, one out
Liner to left, Lambo dropped the ball, then when trying to make the force play at third base, he makes a bad throw that rolls into the dugout.
1 run is earned.
2-0
1 run earned since the error is covered up by the two walks. Any runs after now will be unearned, Gordon just made a nice play to save two runs and throw out the runner at first.
Did you see this?
http://www.truebluela.com/2010/4/14/1422801/k-thread
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
What does showcased mean?
In terms of trade value, its arguable,he would have better value if he played in the Cal League since he would probably hit better there. The Southern League move was for his development purposes.
If he gets dealt, it is not going to be due to him playing in AA right now.
I’m gonna have to disagree with BH here. If a guy whose loaded with tools can hit advanced pitching, his trade value will skyrocket
But he only has so much value
I mean Adam Jones was a top prospect and he had to be with others in the Bedard deal By himself, he is not going to bring back Carl Crawford.
If he's being showcased it would have to be
for a major talent. Someone like Placido Polanco.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Brad Ausmus
Current all-time leaders in games caught:
1) Pudge II 2294
2) Pudge I 2226
3) Boone 2225
4) Carter 2056
5) Peña 1950
6) Sundberg 1927
7t) Ausmus 1918
7t) Lopez 1918
9) Santiago 1917
10) Kendall 1916
Through today’s games
Looks like Kendall
will leave him in the dust. Kendall even had four hits today.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
More Ausmus
Chris Volk of Dodgerfan.net is in the blogspot in the press box tonight. He got a relatively specific time table:
Ausmus has herniated disc in back; requires surgery. Needs three months to “be competitive” again (per Stan Conte).
Kuo road trip
From Jon Weisman:
Kuo to start tomorrow in San Bernadino – 20-pitch rehab assignment.
Sadly, tomorrow is the one night this week I have plans. Otherwise, I would be there.
Kuo and Ethan Martin! Nice trip for him.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 14, 2010 5:08 PM PDT up reply actions
Does anyone have a stats site
that they know of where you can check the stats inning by inning for pitchers over a single season or their career?
One of the greatest sites on Earth
Baseball-Reference.com
Here is Billingsley’s splits page
by Eric Stephen on Apr 14, 2010 5:09 PM PDT up reply actions
Showing someone Baseball - Reference
should come with a warning label. Some people never work a productive hour again.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Oh good, I was afraid BR wouldn't have it
I’ll definitely have to check. I need to prove to a Yankee fan that Javy Vazquez does, in fact, not suck, lol.
Billy Beane sure whiffed on Nelson Cruz
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
but not every team traded Cruz and Justin Lehr for the almighty Keith Ginter.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 14, 2010 5:25 PM PDT up reply actions
???
any team in the mlb could have had him for NOTHING…
forgot about the DFA / outright in aught eight…nevermind
by Eric Stephen on Apr 14, 2010 5:31 PM PDT up reply actions
Andruw Jones
with another home run in his first start against a RHP. Also playing RF.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
I'm probably the only Dodger fan in existence
who still likes Andruw Jones.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
If Jorge Cantu drives in a run
tonight he’ll tie the major league record for starting a season. He can thank our pitching staff since we accounted for three of those games.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
How many times you cover the over in the 2nd inning:)
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
That would be
a stat worth knowing. I can’t remember hitting one in the last couple of years before the 3rd.
How many times can you give up 6 runs in the first 1.2 innings
And have nothing to do with the game after a few batters in the bottom of the second.
Now I need Washington
to win…..this is the tricky part. +201 with Kyle Kendrick starting was too much opportunity to pass up. Even with Stammen going for the Nats. Need to get really fortunate here.
2 in a row
Solid action from the Nats pen. Sure the 7 they allowed will be all the Phillies score…. :)
Beast Mode
hitting a robust .156 so far this year. Leading hitter in the CHW lineup tonight. Andy “man I fuckin sucked with LA” Jones. Now hitting .294 on the young season.
Searching for other baseball news and found this on mlb.com front page
J. Martin leading in OBP and I know Kuroda has only 1 game so far but at least we’’ve got a little something going on…
Just got home
Prime Ticket is showing the replay of yesterday’s game, and Ethier just hit his 3-run HR.
During the AB, Scully mentioned that when Ethier hit his HR off Cole Hamels in NLCS Game 5, it was something he hadn’t done all year, hit an XBH against a LHP on the road.
Glad Vin is still reading :)
I watched the game
when I got home last night. I DVR’d the telecast on MLB Network. It is awesome when the few times a year I get to see us play and even better when Vin is on the telecast. My dad was like, the guy has been calling Dodger games my whole life! He is f’n great. :)
A high five exchanged
Perhaps he snagged one of those complimentary copies of the MSP Annual in Arizona. :) Ethier’s profile mentioned that too.
Does anyone know who would be scheduled to pitch next Saturday for the Dodgers. I am thinking about going to the game in Washington and would love to see Bills or Kershaw. Also since both Saturday and Sunday are day games do you think that some of the regulars will still play on Saturday and then day off on Sunday?
Most likely Kershaw
Tonight – Bills
Thu – Kuroda
Fri – Padilla
Sat – Haeger
Sun – Kershaw
Mon – off
Tues – Bills
Wed – Kuroda
Thu – Padilla
Fri – Haeger*
Sat – Kershaw
Although they could pitch CK on 4 days rest Friday, pushing Haeger back a day.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 14, 2010 6:17 PM PDT up reply actions
Bills will pitch on Sunday, Kershaw could pitch either Friday or Saturday
I think you could see a mix of players on both days. Haegar will pitch the game Kershaw doesn’t pitch.
You guys like
Target Field? Pretty cool stuff at the park. Gate “34”; Smokies Grill; Huge Gold Glove in Right.
It looks pretty nice.
I hate the straight over the plate camera view though.
Yes
I really like baseball fields with the city in the background
by Julio Nievas on Apr 14, 2010 6:30 PM PDT up reply actions
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