Dodgers Week 2 in Review: Carried By the Outfield
by Eric Stephen on Apr 18, 2010 9:50 PM PDT
in Dodgers Weekly Reviews
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The Dodgers this week looked an awful lot like the Dodgers last week. They scored a lot of runs, they gave up a lot of runs, but got a couple of breaks to finish this week 4-2 instead of 2-4 like last week. Through it all, it has evened out for the Dodgers, as they have given up the same number of runs as they have scored, and end the week with a .500 record.
Dodger Batters of the Week: This week is an homage to the 1981 World Series, as I'm splitting the award in three pieces, one for each starting outfielder. All three of Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp, and Andre Ethier played a huge role this week, and hit a combined .397/.467/.857 with 16 runs scored, nine home runs, and 23 runs batted in during the six-game homestand.
It's a tough week for the honorably mentioned James Loney, who hit .458, but was still a distant fourth on the club in OPS for the week.
Dodger Pitcher of the Week: Clayton Kershaw did his best on Sunday to try and claim this award with a strong seven innings, but this week's award has to go to closer Jonathan Broxton, who was untouchable this week. Broxton pitched in four games, faced 12 batters, and retired them all, including six via strikeout. He has a streak of 14 straight batters retired dating back to April 9.
Week 2 Record: 4-2
34 runs scored (5.67 per game)
37 runs allowed (6.17 per game)
.461 pythagorean winning percentage
Season Record: 6-6
70 runs scored (5.83 per game)
70 runs allowed (5.83 per game)
.500 pythagorean winning percentage (6-6)
Shades of Bobbleslam: Much like last July 22, Manny Ramirez was held out of Sunday's starting lineup with an injury, this time to his right calf. Again, he delivered with a dramatic pinch-hit home run, this time a two-run shot off a Sergio Romo slider, turning a 1-0 eighth inning deficit into a 2-1 Dodger win.
Extra Effort: In his fifth major league start at catcher, A.J. Ellis hit the first extra-base hit of his career on Saturday, a double off of Brandon Medders of the Giants. Ellis figures to get extended service time as Russell Martin's backup catcher, as Brad Ausmus had surgery this week to repair a herniated disc in his back and will miss at least a few months.
Checking Those Crawford Boxes: Matt Kemp hit a home run in each of the first four home games of the season, making him the first Los Angeles Dodger to accomplish that feat. Willie Crawford came close in 1972, hitting home runs in his first four games of the season, but that included sitting out the second home game of the year.
Mr. Walk-Off Strikes Again: Andre Ethier had six walk-off hits, including four home runs in 2009, and won the MLB Clutch Performer of the Year award for his efforts. On Thursday, the day he was presented with the award itself, Ethier notched his first walk-off tally of 2010 with a single to center field over a drawn-in Chris Young to break a 5-5 tie and give the Dodgers the win.
Starters With a Strong Finish: Through the first two games of this week, Dodger starting pitchers had gone as long as six innings only twice in eight games this season. However, Hiroki Kuroda, Vicente Padilla, and Clayton Kershaw each pitched seven innings in their start, helping to save the beleaguered bullpen.
Now Pinch Hitting, The Starter?: Dodger pinch hitters have come to the plate 18 times with runners on base so far this season, but only have three hits in those 18 at-bats. All three pinch hits have come by regular starters getting a day off, one each by Andre Ethier, Russell Martin, and Manny Ramirez. Two of the 18 pinch hit appearances have produced runs, including Manny's pinch-hit home run Sunday.
Table For Two, Please: James Loney had a streak of five straight games with at least two hits, collecting 12 hits over that span while hitting .480/.480/.560 during the streak. Loney added "only" one single on Saturday, stopping his multi-hit streak but extending his regular old hitting streak to six games.
Sixty Years of Greatness: Sunday marked the 60th anniversary of Vin Scully's first major league broadcast. He was in the booth with Red Barber and Connie Desmond on April 18, 1950, as the Dodgers played the Phillies to open the 1950 season.
Game Over: According to a report from TSN and Ruefrontenac.com, Eric Gagne has decided to retire from professional baseball. Gagne attempted a comeback this spring, signing a minor league deal with the Dodgers this offseason, but asked for and was granted his release on March 21 after giving up runs in all three spring outings.
Transactions:
- Sunday: Russ Ortiz was designated for assignment before Sunday's game, and Jon Link was recalled from Triple A Albuquerque to take his place.
Game Results:
- Tuesday: Dodgers 9, Diamondbacks 5
- Wednesday: Diamondbacks 9, Dodgers 7 (11)
- Thursday: Dodgers 6, Diamondbacks 5 (10)
- Friday: Dodgers 10, Giants 8
- Saturday: Giants 9, Dodgers 0
- Sunday: Dodgers 2, Giants 1
Upcoming Week: The Dodgers fly to Cincinnati Monday afternoon, and begin a nine-game road trip Tuesday against the Reds, followed by three in Washington DC.
Previous Weeks in Review: Week 1
Week 2 Stats
| Player | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SB/CS | BA/OBP/SLG | OPS |
| Manny | 18 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 0/0 | .462/.556/1.000 | 1.556 |
| Kemp | 29 | 24 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 1/2 | .333/.414/.875 | 1.289 |
| Ethier | 28 | 26 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 0/0 | .423/.464/.769 | 1.234 |
| Loney | 24 | 24 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1/0 | .458/.458/.542 | 1.000 |
| Blake | 24 | 21 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0/0 | .286/.375/.524 | .899 |
| Furcal | 27 | 23 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1/1 | .348/.423/.348 | .771 |
| Martin | 24 | 20 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0/0 | .250/.333/.300 | .633 |
| DeWitt | 18 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0/0 | .214/.389/.214 | .603 |
| Ellis | 5 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | .500/.600/.750 | 1.350 |
| Carroll | 13 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0/0 | .273/.385/.273 | .657 |
| Belliard | 9 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | .222/.222/.333 | .556 |
| Johnson | 9 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | .111/.111/.111 | .222 |
| Anderson | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | .000/.125/.000 | .125 |
| Pitchers | 13 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | .083/.154/.083 | .237 |
| Totals | 249 | 217 | 34 | 67 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 31 | 27 | 3/3 | .309/.383/.488 | .872 |
| Pitcher | G | W-L | Sv | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | ERA | WHIP | FIP* |
| Kershaw | 2 | 1-0 | -- | 12.1 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 2.19 | 1.297 | 4.09 |
| Kuroda | 1 | 0-0 | -- | 7.0 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2.57 | 1.429 | 1.20 |
| Padilla | 1 | 1-0 | -- | 7.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 3.86 | 0.857 | 4.34 |
| Billingsley | 1 | 0-0 | -- | 5.2 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 9.53 | 1.941 | 4.79 |
| Haeger | 1 | 0-1 | -- | 3.0 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 15.00 | 4.000 | 7.20 |
| Starters | 6 |
2-1 | -- | 35.0 | 36 | 22 | 19 | 19 | 38 | 4.89 | 1.571 | 3.94 |
| Broxton | 4 | 1-0 | 1 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.00 | 0.000 | 0.20 |
| Haeger | 1 | 0-0 | -- | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 2.000 | 4.20 |
| Sherrill | 4 | 0-0 | -- | 2.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3.38 | 1.875 | 3.95 |
| Troncoso | 4 | 1-0 | -- | 2.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.86 | 1.286 | 11.34 |
| Monasterios |
2 | 0-0 | -- | 2.1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3.86 | 2.571 | 11.34 |
| Weaver | 3 | 0-0 | -- | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.50 | 1.500 | 9.70 |
| Ra. Ortiz | 4 | 0-0 | -- | 4.0 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 11.25 | 1.500 | 5.95 |
| Ru. Ortiz | 3 | 0-1 | -- | 3.2 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 14.73 | 2.727 | 3.20 |
| Relievers | 6 |
2-1 | 1 | 22.0 | 22 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 6.14 | 1.591 | 5.61 |
| Totals | 6 |
4-2 | 1 | 57.0 | 58 | 37 | 34 | 32 | 54 | 5.37 | 1.579 | 4.59 |
*FIP is estimated
169 comments
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Comments
These are fun to read
when the team kicks ass. If Manny can play 120 games this outfield is going to rock this town like no outfield has ever rocked this town.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Don’t worry, I changed the font and formatting this week :)
by Eric Stephen on Apr 18, 2010 10:17 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
Need to capitalize on the upcoming schedule.
Reds, Nats, Mets, Pirates.
Yes, but in the Pirate-infested waters of Pittsburgh. :)
by Eric Stephen on Apr 18, 2010 10:00 PM PDT up reply actions
Dodgers went 2-4 in the first week, and 4-2 in the second week.
Only 4 of those games were blown outs by either team.
If all things broke right for the Dodgers, they could have been 10-2.
In a week in which we got the Stephen Drew Throw, I feel more comfortable accepting the 6-6 record.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 18, 2010 10:09 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
question
does anyone know what high school Yuniesky Betancourt went to?
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Apr 18, 2010 10:11 PM PDT reply actions
First the pitchers are not confident enough
Now they are too confident???
by 68elcamino427 on Apr 18, 2010 11:26 PM PDT up reply actions
Troncoso's an interesting dude..
First, he was an older signee out of the DR. 19yrs old – maybe he was a player that claimed to be younger and aged…I’m not sure.
He pitched 3 seasons for the Dominican Dodgers before finally being given a chance to come to the States at age 22. They did put him on a fast track to the majors, even though he didnt have overpowering stuff.
His k rate isnt very good.
But he doesnt give up homers and his bb rate decent.
I’m not sure how long he’ll stick with such a low strike out rate (0 in 6.2 ip so far this year), but who knows.. He reminds me of Cory Wade and Wade had 1 terrific season before flaming out.
Getting 2 year deals on Kemp, Ethier and Broxton look like excellent foresight right now.
Loney may have screwed up by not accepting the extra year.
On the flip side, Martin is going to get at least 8 million next year.
Jesus Christ is this team going to cost McCourt a bunch of money in 2012.
That’s ok, I’m paying up at the turnstiles.
by 68elcamino427 on Apr 18, 2010 11:24 PM PDT up reply actions
I like the pushing of Saturday’s game to the back of your mind already ;)
by Eric Stephen on Apr 19, 2010 3:33 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I haven't read anything here about it, but
Russ Ortiz out Link in. No wait I did read it in the recap notes. Sorry. Let’s wi a few series thus week. Great job by the Dodgrts outfield. Shoot, I mean the team.
by Skunkburner on Apr 18, 2010 11:58 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
There was a whole post about it
by Eric Stephen on Apr 19, 2010 3:34 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
and about 100 comments
in other various threads
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Did you know?
I live in Israel, 10 hours ahead of PDT. LA home “day” games start at 11:10 PM for me, so I was fast asleep when Sunday’s game started. My dog woke me up at about 1:40 AM, and, since it was too hot to go back to sleep I logged in to MLB.TV….. just in time to caught Manny’s homerun.
I gave the pooch an extra doggie bone. :-)
Eric did you let out a huge
scream when you got to the car after holding it in for two hours?
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
No, but the hour and a half home was a much sweeter ride
by Eric Stephen on Apr 19, 2010 8:12 AM PDT up reply actions
hour and a half?
You live in the OC or has Frank McCourt’s solution to the parking mess completely melted down already?
by Seanny Rotten on Apr 19, 2010 4:41 PM PDT up reply actions
Go Dodgers!!
I didn’t hang out here this weekend. Had a lot to do. Still found time to watch parts of the games. I was depressed by the Saturday game but elated with yesterday’s win. I read the whole Giants fans vs. Dodgers fans rave and would like to offer my own G rated and classy TBLA take on my feelings on the Gnants.
Blue-Fan-I-Am
Yes I am
That Giants Fan.
That Giants Fan.
I do not like that Giants Fan!
Do you like
orange and black?
I do not like that, Dodgers Fan I Am.
I do not like
orange and black.
Would you like them
here or there?
I would not like them
here or there.
I would not like them anywhere.
I do not like
orange and black.
I do not like them, Blue-Fan-I-Am.
Would you like them in a house?
Would you like them with a mouse?
I do not like them
in a house.
I do not like them
with a mouse.
I do not like them
here or there.
I do not like them
anywhere.
I do not like
orange and black.
I do not like them,
Blue-Fan-I-am.
Would you stuff them
in a box?
Would you watch them
On Fox?
Not in a box.
Not watching on Fox.
Not in a house.
Not with a mouse.
I would not like them
here or there.
I would not watch them anywhere.
I do not like
orange and black.
I do not like them, Blue-Fan-I-Am.
Go Dodgers!! This should be a good road trip coming up. Hopefully the bullpen begins to rebuild, we work on our defense and SP goes for the W’s!
by RawhideBlue on Apr 19, 2010 8:42 AM PDT reply actions 3 recs
Beating the Giants and making them even crazier
is such a great way to cap it off. I don’t know how many times I have to tell my Giant fan friends not to celebrate too early and the heartbreak won’t hurt as bad. But as the bases were loaded in the top of the eighth, their bats were silenced and the Dodgers woke up with the Thunder…Thank you Manny!
"We have to win eight. I'll be crushed if we don't win eight." CRN...Eat it BN, lol
by S Jay Bruin on Apr 19, 2010 10:48 AM PDT up reply actions
I like
seeing Boston and Lackey get hit hard.
by robotmadeofnails on Apr 19, 2010 9:03 AM PDT reply actions
’tis a good thing. Rays are playing well so far.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 19, 2010 9:13 AM PDT up reply actions
Lackey and Marquis
two of the bigger free agent pitchers out there this last off season that some Dodger fans I know wondered why the Dodgers didn’t cough up big money and it’s all McCourt’s fault and blah blah. Whatever the reason, I was very glad they stayed away
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
I don't know one person
on this blog who wished we had signed Marquis. Lackey is a different matter and getting creamed during a game that started before most Easterners even get to work is hardly indicative of what he’ll do over the length of the deal.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Apr 19, 2010 10:54 AM PDT up reply actions
Btw I didn't say people on TrueBlueLA
I was talking about Dodger fans I literally know in person ;-) And I told them they were wrong, were dorks, and should read this blog to get themselves edjumicated.
The problem I have with Lackey is more that length of the deal. I would have loved to have him this year. But not 5/$82.5
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
7 Innings
Dodgers were 30-7 (.811) last season when starters pitched 7+ IP
rest of MLB was 952-435 (.686).
Dodgers are 4-0 this season in such games
Now time for Honeycutt to STOP VISITING THE MOUND AT ALL!
maybe then our starters will go 7 or maybe not give up big hits.
by Seanny Rotten on Apr 19, 2010 11:32 AM PDT up reply actions
I'm still loving that ending from yesterday's game :)
Let’s hope the hot play continues against the Reds!
So about that Cliff Lee trade
He still hasn’t pitched this year, and the main guys Philly got in the deal (Aumont and Gillies) have SUCKED ASS.
Nice.
Man the Red Sox sure are digging themselves a nice little hole in the AL East. They are losing to the Rays again 8-0 today. Lackey got shelled. No tears shed.
vr, Xei
I’m sure you can pinpoint it better than I can (with things like research and stats), but Boston just looks flat this year. Their lineup—with a slumping Ortiz and Drew—isn’t even close to the Yankees. Pedroia is fun to watch though. That guy swings hard!
Youk also struggling
Cameron is not Bay
Ellsbury missed a week
Martinez not doing enough to make up the difference.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Apr 19, 2010 10:55 AM PDT up reply actions
Baserunning
Got this from Xeifrank’s favorite, Dave Cameron over on U.S.S.Mariner:
[Th]e Mariners are tied for second in bases taken, They have advanced an extra 20 bases on fly balls, wild pitches, passed balls, and the like, and have added an additional 11 stolen bases to that total. Only the Dodgers have gotten more extra bases by running aggressively this year.
by kinbote on Apr 19, 2010 10:18 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Orange (?) alert for Jason Bartlett
Needs the home run, will bat in the ninth.
The Ultimate Ned's Kind of Guy
Fielder's Choice
stand down, repeat, stand down
The Ultimate Ned's Kind of Guy
by Humma Kavula on Apr 19, 2010 10:47 AM PDT up reply actions
Some early season sss crazy pitching stats
ERA – FIP (from FanGraphs)
Negative number = lucky, Positive = unlucky
Luckiest pitcher based off of E-F so far with min 10 IP.
1. J.A. Happ (ERA=0.00, FIP=4.38, LOB%=94.1%), Happ was among the luckiest using this stat last year too.
Notable Dodgers
C.Kershaw (ERA=3.18, FIP=5.03) … Lucky
C.Haeger (ERA=7.20, FIP=4.43, BABIP=.450, LOB%=53.4%) … Unlucky
V.Padilla (ERA=8.04, FIP=6.15) … Unlucky and sucky
C.Billingsley (ERA=5,73, FIP=3.94, BABIP=.387) … Unlucky
Happ should buy lotto tickets. Holy crap a LOB% of 94.1?!?? AND have an ERA of 0 so far? Jesus…
by Julio Nievas on Apr 19, 2010 10:42 AM PDT up reply actions
"Hap"
Thomas Hardy wrote a famous poem about luck/chance called “Hap.” Here’s an excerpt (occuring after the speaker says he could handle bad things if they came through some divine reasoning):
“But not so. How arrives it joy lies slain,
And why unblooms the best hope ever sown?
Crass Casualty obstructs the sun and rain,
And dicing Time for gladness casts a moan. . . .”
At what point does it stop being luck?
Note: not being snarky, really asking. Right now there’s no reason to believe that Happ has some sort of special skill and it’s likely that as he throws more innings his luck numbers will approach the norm.
What if they don’t, though? How many lucky major league innings would you want to see from Happ before we start assuming that he has some sort of repeatable skill in leaving guys on base that no other pitcher has?
The Ultimate Ned's Kind of Guy
by Humma Kavula on Apr 19, 2010 10:47 AM PDT up reply actions
Anything’s possible I guess. But with FIP (as opposed to x-FIP) I would be hard pressed to believe that walking batters and giving up home runs paired with an inability to dominate by way of strike out (at least not being able to strike someone out enough to offset the walks and homeruns) won’t eventually even out. That would be like saying that Happ just does whatever he wants until runners get into scoring position, then he busts out his real pitches.
If he had a repeatable skill, why wait until runners are on base?
by Michael White on Apr 19, 2010 10:50 AM PDT up reply actions
Well I agree -- and that's not really my question
I don’t actually think that Happ has a repeatable skill.
It’s the line “Happ was among the luckiest using this stat last year too” that has me thinking and questioning.
How many years of this would we have to see before we actually changed our minds and started thinking, y’know, he might have a repeatable skill?
For example, HBP is not included in OBP because it’s generally not considered a repeatable skill. But I look at Craig Biggio’s career and…….
The Ultimate Ned's Kind of Guy
by Humma Kavula on Apr 19, 2010 10:54 AM PDT up reply actions
It is? Wow, you learn something new every day.
The Ultimate Ned's Kind of Guy
by Humma Kavula on Apr 19, 2010 11:00 AM PDT up reply actions
OBP = (H + BB+ HBP) / (AB + BB + HBP + SF)
by Eric Stephen on Apr 19, 2010 11:01 AM PDT up reply actions
Sac flies only?
They don’t include sac bunts in the denominator, but they do include sac flies?
And how about reach on error? If HBP is a repeatable skill, surely ROE is also repeatable for some of the game’s faster players.
The Ultimate Ned's Kind of Guy
by Humma Kavula on Apr 19, 2010 11:05 AM PDT up reply actions
I have always thought of the logic behind not including ROE as this: if the play was deemed such that the batter should get credit for reaching base safely, it would have been counted as a hit.
The logic, at least to me, behind including SF in the denominator and not SH is that a sacrifice bunt is an intentional “sacrifice” attempt, not to be counted against the batter, but a sacrifice fly is most often a convenient benefit of hitting a fly ball, and not as “true” a sacrifice as laying down a bunt (i.e. you can try to hit a fly ball, but it’s easier said than done, and falls under the guise of normal batting). It is a bit of a logic stretch, but I can buy it.
by Eric Stephen on Apr 19, 2010 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions
Bloomberg Sports has one of the greatest t-shirts ever:
by Eric Stephen on Apr 19, 2010 11:07 AM PDT up reply actions
There should be “=LIFE” somewhere on that shirt.
by silverwidow on Apr 19, 2010 11:23 AM PDT up reply actions
Or at least an “OBP=” to make the caption true – the shirt has a formula, but not an “equation”.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
The caption still fails
T-shirts with OBP equation on the back.
emphasis mine.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
That's clear and fair enough.
You really mean it? Obviously, what I’m proposing is unlikely to happen, but that’s my point. If a guy can be the luckiest pitcher in the majors last year, and this year, and next year, and the year after — and Happ has a long way to go before that happens, I know, just go with me for a second — then does it stop being luck?
The Ultimate Ned's Kind of Guy
by Humma Kavula on Apr 19, 2010 11:10 AM PDT up reply actions
My analogy would be
If you flip a coin and heads keeps coming up time after time. At what point would you stop calling it luck that heads keeps coming up? Assuming a fair coin. I’d be more likely to attribute some of it to team defense than I would to a skill from Happ. Hope that makes sense. :)
That's a good analogy
Thanks, that’s helpful.
The Ultimate Ned's Kind of Guy
by Humma Kavula on Apr 19, 2010 11:15 AM PDT up reply actions
The best I could come up with, is that Happ is actually a better pitcher out of the stretch. Therefore he walks more and gives up more homeruns in the meaningless settings (nobody on base) and pitches better with runners on (hence the strand rate) because he is actually a better pitcher out of the stretch.
I would never come to that conclusion simply from looking at the delta from ERA to FIP. You’d need a scout to provide that narrative.
by Michael White on Apr 19, 2010 11:26 AM PDT up reply actions
hmm,
gotta be a trick coin. Happ uses trick balls.
by Seanny Rotten on Apr 19, 2010 11:36 AM PDT up reply actions
The key will be the starters getting into the 7th inning or more
By year’s end, the NL West will have 5 of the 10 top starting pitchers in the NL with Jimenez, Lincecum, Cain, Haren and Kershaw. So, to me, with Brox looking unbeatable again, the key for the Dodgers will be to get Bills, Kuroda and Padilla to get into the 7th at least. If that happens, Kuo and Belisario can take their time, and the fifth starter can be Enrico Pallazzo.
No special thread needed perhaps
Today’s Dodger Minor League Games (all times PDT)
Albuquerque host Omaha – Scott Elbert, 11:05 a.m.
Great Lakes visiting West Michigan – Brett Wallach – 3:35 p.m.
Chattanooga host Montgomery – Chris Withrow – 4:15 p.m
Inland Empire visits Stockton – Aaron Miller – 7:05 p.m
Nice list of names. It’s early, but I’m thinking our system is on a clear uptick, largely thanks to the bevy of arms we throw out there on a daily basis.
What the hey
I made it a fan post. Don’t have time to add the audio links.
http://www.truebluela.com/2010/4/19/1430848/monday-minor-league-game-thread
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Apr 19, 2010 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions
Elbert after 2.5
Down 3-1, 4 hits (1 HR), 3 walks, 2 strikeouts, 61 pitches.
Lucas May’s first hit in AAA was a solo home run that momentarily tied the score.
by bhsportsguy on Apr 19, 2010 11:53 AM PDT up reply actions
Elbert is not long for this game
4+ innings, 8 hits, 6 runs, 3 walks, 2 strikeouts.
I wonder if PCL is a good place for pitching prospects?
by bhsportsguy on Apr 19, 2010 12:21 PM PDT up reply actions
Add one more hit
Elbert gave up 5 straight hits and did not record an out in the 5th inning before being taken out.
by bhsportsguy on Apr 19, 2010 12:23 PM PDT up reply actions
He did okay last year
so I don’t like that excuse.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Apr 19, 2010 12:31 PM PDT up reply actions
His 2009 numbers in PCL
2-1 record, 3.74 ERA, 8 games; 7 starts; 1 CG; 1 shutout, 33.2 IP; 34 hits; 16/14 R/ER; 2 HR; 14 BB; 38 K; .262 BAA
by bhsportsguy on Apr 19, 2010 12:39 PM PDT up reply actions
Fun with early season stats
Here are the strikeout rates for the Dodger starting pitchers:
Haeger 15.0 K/9
Kershaw 10.6
Billingsley 9.8
Padilla 8.6
Kuroda 8.4
Oh man ...
what a lineup! Now they could go 7IP with any regularity we’d set the league on fire.
by Seanny Rotten on Apr 19, 2010 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions
It’s because he only went 3.1 the other day. A strict K/9 doesn’t punish the fact that he faced approximately 500 batters in going only 3 innings.
If you “struck out the side” but in between getting the first batter out and the last you give up 15 home runs, your K/9 would still be 27.
by Michael White on Apr 19, 2010 11:55 AM PDT up reply actions
What pitcher needs to have a big season most for the Dodgers to be successful in 2010
Billingsley or Kershaw?
The obvious answer is both, but do we need to young stud ace-in-the-making in Kershaw to dominate, or do we need Billingsley to regain his 2008-mid 2009 form more? That might be a dumb question, but I was thinking about it and I think we need Billingsley to be that top guy more than we need Kershaw to right now, if not just to save Billingsley’s career from him being taken down by the pressure of the LA media, who hates him for whatever reason.
I agree
you need someone in their mid 20’s to do better than someone in their early 20’s. The older pitcher is fast approaching maturity. The younger has plenty of time before any sort of final judgement is made on him.
by Seanny Rotten on Apr 19, 2010 12:39 PM PDT up reply actions
interesting article from LA times
they suggested trading loney to some team for 2 decent prospects and then adding 1-2 of our own decent prospects and trading the whole lot for adrian gonzalez. would this be a good trade if it involved martin/lindblom/miller? i think maybe.
See ...
the Padres would demand way more than that though. And San Diego’s fans would never forgive them for trading the local boy to the hated Dodgers.
by Seanny Rotten on Apr 19, 2010 12:40 PM PDT up reply actions
I’m not sure that the Padres would go for this, because I’m not sure that Loney can yield the type of prospects that would interest San Diego.
Maybe I’m overvaluing Gonzalez, but I would think that they would want three or four guys, all legit prospects, headed by an A-minus/B-plus guy. Do the Dodgers have that kind of guy they can include in a trade for Gonzalez? If not, Loney would have to bring him in.
Can Loney bring him in? Either Loney’s value will rise, in which case we want to keep Loney, or Loney’s value will fall, and he won’t bring the prospect return the Dodgers need to land Gonzalez.
The Ultimate Ned's Kind of Guy
by Humma Kavula on Apr 19, 2010 12:41 PM PDT up reply actions
Right
Loney wouldn’t bring in much of a haul as far as prospects are concerned. If we really want AG that bad, I’d recommend just waiting until he was a free agent. I’m not advocating this though.
vr, Xei
Shaikin does not believe
The Dodgers would want to pay the going rate for him thus he thinks a trade would be more in order for a short term deal.
by bhsportsguy on Apr 19, 2010 12:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Actually, if look at the salaries
Gonzalez is signed to such a ridiculous contract – $4.75M this year (5th), $5.5M (6th) club option, no buy out; Loney does not save them that much money, if any. So then the question is how many prospects would you need. But i would think overall, they would rather take more prospects and move Blanks to 1B.
A reasonable deal (in what I think will get it done, not by value) is
Trayvon Robinson, Ethan Martin, Ivan, DeJesus, Aaron Millier, and one of Dee Gordon, or Chris Withrow.
Dodgers always overpay in deals involving prospects with the exception of the Manny trade, and even then LaRoche and Bryan Morris had more trade value than currently.
When you trade away guys like Santana and Bell for Casey Blake and George Sherrill, and it is an in division trade, the Dodgers will have to pay for it.
Thats great, I will have this sick thought of our entire farm system playing in San Diego. the countdown til July 31 begins..
I would personally die a little if this happens.
They may overpay in giving an extra quality prospect, but you won’t see them giving away FIVE TOP PROSPECTS.
as oshea said
you gotta give up something to get something…
and agon is one of the best players in baseball and trading away 2 A+ bal pitchers and 2 top prospects and a center fielder who had a breakout season 4 years outta HS in the cal league might be a good deal
If that's your issue
Then say the trade is contingent upon Gonzalez signing a long-term extension with the Dodgers. No extension, no trade.
The Ultimate Ned's Kind of Guy
by Humma Kavula on Apr 19, 2010 1:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Kinda.
Giving someone 140 million and giving up Withrow/Gordon, E. Martin, Robinson, Miller, and Dejesus will never sound like a good idea to me.
While i agree that’s what the Padres would be asking, it’s not what would realistically go for him. For some reason I don’t see Miller getting traded, and Gordon and Withrow seem to be very off-limits.
I would love Gonzo as a Dodger, but I fear the price of doing so. Then again, that might be the difference between another NLCS knockout by the Phillies and playing in the WS.
Furcal
Kemp
Gonzalez
Ethier
Manny
Blake
Dewitt
Martin
Pitcher
Wow, I couldn’t even decide how to do the 3-5 in the lineup. I think this is the best possible lineup with these players, and it would have Manny hitting 5th! This lineup makes me forget about pretty much all the Dodgers prospects….oh damn.
that is one hell of a lineup. I dunno if I am a fan of mortgaging the club’s future to get it though.
I suppose it depends on what you think of those prospects. Do any of them have the ceiling/certainty of, say, Kershaw? If so, one must protect them and value them highly.
On the other hand, even though they represent the best of the Dodger system… if the system is weak at the moment, is it reasonable to think about such a massive deal? Certainly our resident prospect hounds would say no….
The Ultimate Ned's Kind of Guy
by Humma Kavula on Apr 19, 2010 1:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Where is the article exactly on the LA Times website?
by Eric Stephen on Apr 19, 2010 12:47 PM PDT up reply actions
Its Shaikin's Sunday baseball column
He talks about how the Padres won’t give any player 25% of their budget.
by bhsportsguy on Apr 19, 2010 12:50 PM PDT up reply actions
Never mind
I found it…Shaikin wrote it
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/17/sports/la-sp-shaikin-20100418/2
by Eric Stephen on Apr 19, 2010 12:50 PM PDT up reply actions
The Twins can generate much more media revenue, Moorad said, and they play in a much larger market. (San Diego is the fourth-smallest market in the majors, according to Nielsen Media Research, ahead of Kansas City, Cincinnati and Milwaukee.)
Kansas City has twice the payroll San Diego has, and constantly tries to bring in veteran free agents. Cincinnati spent over 30 million guaranteed to Chapman, with the potential being as high as 50 million if he hits all of his incentives, and Milwakuee just gave Randy Wolf 3 years/30 million, signed Gallardo to a long term contract, signed Bruan to a long term contract, and is trying to sign Fielder who is seeking in excess of $20 million a year.
Its true that San Diego is a smaller market than most franchises, still, its located in one of the richer parts of America, and when the 3 teams below are acting like major markets and constantly spending money, it makes the Padres look like Skinflints, not people who are in poverty.
I'm so sick of SD's bitching.
When PacBell park was mostly privately financed, the Padres had their fat hands out for a fat helping of government money to build them a stadium. All the Padres’ brass could do was bitch about how SD couldn’t compete w/ San Francisco’s market, etc, etc. How about some ingenuity? What was wrong with the Murph!?
by Seanny Rotten on Apr 19, 2010 1:04 PM PDT up reply actions
Would that just be on their website?
The only way to trade for Gonzo is to trade Loney to a separate team. What team would want a guy like Loney, though. Teams that might make sense are the:
Braves
Rays
Orioles
Blue Jays
Possibly Cubs
White Sox
Astros
The Rays, Blue Jays, Cubs, Astros and White Sox all have better offensive 1B right now, but I believe all of them will be free agents after 2010 (I know Berkman has an option though), and I’m not sure if any of them will remain with their current teams. The Orioles are a young team and don’t have a long term 1B option, and the Braves have Troy Glaus who’s really stunk it up, so they might be looking around (and they traded for Kotchman before, who is essentially Loney from the American League).
I don’t see much hope there for a trade, but if it would be anyone I think it would be the Braves. If we could get two pretty good prospects in there, shipping them off plus a couple of our top 10 prospects plus a couple low prospects could indeed get Gonzo into a Dodger uni. The problem is that so much has to go right with that that it will not happen, most likely.
One thing that has to happen before we can take on any salary, IMO, is a Sherrill trade (which if he gets back to form could be a very nice chip in a similar situation by trading him to another team then those players go to the Padres). Trading Loney plus Sherrill already relieves 7+ million, which would make McCourt sleep a lot easier than just 3.5 million or so.
1st baseman free agent in 2011
Garrett Atkins (31) – $8.5MM club option with a $500K buyout
Lance Berkman (35) – $15MM club option with a $2MM buyout
Wilson Betemit (29)
Hank Blalock (30)
Russell Branyan (35) – $5MM mutual option
Jorge Cantu (29)
Frank Catalanotto (37)
Adam Dunn (31)
Troy Glaus (34)
Wes Helms (35)
Eric Hinske (33)
Aubrey Huff (34)
Mike Jacobs (30)
Nick Johnson (32) – $5.5MM mutual option with a $250K buyout
Paul Konerko (35)
Adam LaRoche (31)
Derrek Lee (35)
Doug Mientkiewicz (37)
Kevin Millar (39)
Lyle Overbay (34)
Carlos Pena (33)
Albert Pujols (31) – $16MM club option with a $5MM buyout
Fernando Tatis (36)
Chad Tracy (31)
Ty Wigginton (33)
Je t'aime Louise Bourgoin... I Love you Louise Bourgoin... <3
Listening to KNBR today online – hilarious. Damon Bruce is melting down about Romo, and the Giants not retaliating for the Padilla beaning (his main gripe is Padilla not calling to apologize later that night, like Cain did last year for Wright).
KNBR The Homer Leader
is the best reason for getting satellite radio for me in the Bay Area. Now I don’t have to hear their b.s. whinning all day everyday (although it is fun sometimes).
"We have to win eight. I'll be crushed if we don't win eight." CRN...Eat it BN, lol
Proposal Trade: Loney, Guerra and Hu for Ike Davis??
Je t'aime Louise Bourgoin... I Love you Louise Bourgoin... <3
You mean Mets’ starting 1B Ike Davis (starting tonight)? Not likely
by Eric Stephen on Apr 19, 2010 1:35 PM PDT up reply actions
a) the Mets wouldn’t trade him
b) the Dodgers don’t value Davis higher than they value Loney
by Eric Stephen on Apr 19, 2010 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions
NPUT
http://www.truebluela.com/2010/4/19/1430465/cincinnati-reds-preview-a-team-in
James Loney is not being traded. AGon is not coming to LA.
Proposal Trade: Loney, Elbert, Mac Donald and Paul for Dunn??
Je t'aime Louise Bourgoin... I Love you Louise Bourgoin... <3
Is this a joke?
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Lol
Ok so I would trade only Loney, and J-Mac for Dunn?? It seems better…
Je t'aime Louise Bourgoin... I Love you Louise Bourgoin... <3
I would say no to that deal, because Mcdonald still has some value. Just off the top of my head I would say something like Loney and Pedro Baez or Loney and Javy Guerra for Dunn. That’s just spitballing by me though.
Loney and a B prospect
I’m ok… with that…
I think Dunn is cheaper than Berkman, Gonzo, Cantu, LaRoche, Konerko, Lee, Pena and Pujols??
Je t'aime Louise Bourgoin... I Love you Louise Bourgoin... <3
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