Dodgers Open Interleague Play with Tigers
by Eric Stephen on May 21, 2010 3:48 PM PDT
in Dodgers Game Previews
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The Dodgers open interleague play this season by hosting the Tigers starting tonight at Dodger Stadium. Detroit has won 13 of their last 20 games to catch the Twins in the AL Central. The Dodgers are 58-45 in interleague play all-time at Dodger Stadium, including winning two of three against Detroit in 2005. The last time they played the Tigers was 2008 in Detroit, when the Tigers swept the post-Furcal-injury and pre-Manny Dodgers.
Chad Billingsley is 3-2 with a 2.64 ERA in his last five starts, with 12 walks and 25 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings, and is coming off his best start of the season, pitching 7 1/3 scoreless innings in San Diego on Sunday. Billingsley has the dual tasks tonight of facing a tougher offense than that of the Padres, and not taxing himself to the point that manager Joe Torre would consider pushing everyone back a day next week rather than utilize the off day Monday to skip the uninspiring fifth starter spot.
Since getting traded to the Tigers and subsequently signing a three-year, $29 million extension in December 2007, Dontrelle Willis has struggled mightily. In three seasons in Detroit, Willis has walked 85 batters in 90 1/3 innings. He spent parts of the last two seasons in the minors trying to regain his stellar form, and appeared to turn things around this season, even though his peripheral numbers aren't so good (22 walks and 26 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings). Of the 141 pitchers in major league baseball who have thrown at least 30 innings this season, none have thrown strikes less often than Willis.
Right-Handed Mashers
This matchup features two of the best right-handed hitters you will ever see, in Miguel Cabrera and Manny Ramirez. Cabrera is enjoying a fine season, hitting .340/.428/.603 with nine home runs and 38 runs batted in. His 175 OPS+ is reminiscent of Manny's 173 OPS+ in his age 27 season, in 1999. Both Cabrera (159, 151, 150, 142) and Ramirez (147, 146, 146, 142) had four seasons with a 140 OPS+ before their breakout age 27 season, and are quite similar:
| Great Right-Handed Bats Through Age 27 | |||||||||
| Player | Years | G | 2B | HR | Runs | RBI | BA/OBP/SLG | OPS | OPS+ |
| Ramirez | 1993-1999 | 849 | 203 | 198 | 573 | 682 | .307/.399/.576 | .975 | 147 |
| Cabrera | 2003-2010 | 1081 | 267 | 218 | 658 | 791 | .312/.385/.544 | .929 | 142 |
Since 1901, only 29 right-handed batters have had an adjusted OPS (OPS+) of 140 or higher through their age 27 season (minimum 2,000 plate appearances).
Outfield Success
Both teams have had very productive outfields so far this season:
| Outfield Production (with MLB Rank) | ||||
| Tigers | Category | Dodgers | ||
| 163 | 1st | Hits | 152 | 3rd |
| 81 | 4th | Runs | 88 | 1st |
| 65 | 13th | RBI | 90 | 1st |
| 54 | 7th | Walks | 53 | 8th |
| .325 | 1st | BA | .308 | 3rd |
| .393 | 1st | OBP | .373 | 3rd |
| .468 | 7th | SLG | .520 | 2nd |
| .861 | 3rd | OPS | .894 | 2nd |
| 125 | 3rd | sOPS+ | 132 | 2nd |
Rookies Austin Jackson and Brennan Boesch have combined with Johnny Damon and Magglio Ordonez to create quite a four-man combination in the outfield and designated hitter.
Lineups
Manny is back in the lineup tonight, and Russell Martin gets the night off after 21 straight starts at catcher. The Dodgers have nine right-handed batters in the lineup tonight for just the second time in the last decade. Since the beginning of 2000, the only other time the Dodgers featured a lineup with nine righties was August 8, 2008.
| Tigers | Dodgers | |||
| CF | Jackson |
SS |
Carroll | |
| SS | Santiago |
1B | Belliard | |
| RF | Ordoñez |
LF | Manny |
|
| 1B | Cabrera | CF | Kemp | |
| LF | Boesch | 3B | Blake | |
| 3B | Inge |
RF | Johnson |
|
| C |
Avila | 2B | Green | |
| 2B | Worth | C | Ellis | |
| P | Willis | P | Billingsley |
|
Game Time: 7:10pm
TV: KCAL
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Comments
D'oh
cut and paste error on my part…now fixed
by Eric Stephen on May 21, 2010 3:53 PM PDT up reply actions
this one?
http://theleftfieldpavilion.blogspot.com/2010/02/extra-shirts.html
Rudimentary creatures of flesh and blood, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding.
Richard Justice
on MLB Network says the Dodgers make the most sense for Oswalt.
In the question of Oswalt or Ely
You pick Oswalt 11 times out of 10. I think it SHOULD come down to Oswalt or Padilla, but at 5 mill they will pick Padilla over Ely.
How can he be bumped if he's pitching in Houston?
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Or one of the current starters would be in the trade
Probably Ely, if any of them. Though I wouldn’t be stunned to see Bills go.
That’s assuming Ely doesn’t turn back into a pumpkin (or isn’t sent to Houston) and the rotation stays healthy.
Ned likes depth. Oswalt controls where he goes. It’s a matter of money and that’s going to be the biggest hurdle.
Ely genetically engineered pumpkins and invented Halloween.
by RawhideBlue on May 21, 2010 5:28 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Richard Justice
With a name like that, he should be working somewhere out in The Valley with Brock Landers and Chest Rockwell…
and on the 93rd postseason of the National Hockey League, the Slovakian-hockeygod Zeus commanded from high atop Mount Figueroa..."RELEASE THE MEAT TRAIN!" And it was good.
by DodgerBlueBalls on May 21, 2010 4:29 PM PDT up reply actions
RICHARD JUSTICE IS A MORON
Please don’t listen to anything he says.
Rudimentary creatures of flesh and blood, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding.
To elucidate
http://www.battleredblog.com/2010/5/18/1478114/so-you-hate-you-some-justice
Rudimentary creatures of flesh and blood, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding.
Didn't he make
frequent “appearances” at Fire Joe Morgan?
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
hah I don't know
I just know he is in no way a good journalist. He spends half his time daydreaming about VY and Dallas, all of which is great till you remember he writes for a Houston newspaper, and the other half flip flopping on his opinions.
Rudimentary creatures of flesh and blood, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding.
Agreed
As much as I would love to have Oswalt, there is too much guaranteed money left on his deal for McCourt to pull that trigger.
by Eric Stephen on May 21, 2010 4:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Payroll this season: $96m
Payroll next season: ~$92m w/o LF and w/o SP (Manny & Kuroda; although it includes Sherrill)
I am doubtful.
by Eric Stephen on May 21, 2010 4:10 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, I understand the skepticism.
Non-tender Sherrill and replace Kuroda with Oswalt. It could happen but I’m with you in the I’ll believe it when I see it category.
I just see a path to where it could happen.
Exactly...
Houston covers enough money to where Oswalt’s salary would be similar to what they’d expect to have to pay Kuroda. In that case, I can see a deal being feasible.
My twitter = @neufaustcan
I’m going to have to write a post on this for tomorrow morning.
It would have to be a creative deal, that’s for sure. I’m in Phil’s camp in what I’m willing to trade, I just don’t think it will happen.
by Eric Stephen on May 21, 2010 4:20 PM PDT up reply actions
If Kuroda and Padilla arent resigned
and Sherrill is DFAed, do you think there is a real possibility of it?
We’ve got somewhere around 4-10 million dollars getting freed up next year. If the payroll doesn’t change, nope.
by regfairfield on May 21, 2010 6:38 PM PDT up reply actions
Thanks, I figured I’d join the cool kids.
by regfairfield on May 21, 2010 6:46 PM PDT up reply actions
The salary lost from Kuroda and Padilla will cover Oswalt's salary
And with the guys we’ve got in the minors pitching wise, at least one of Elbert or Mcdonald HAVE to be able to step up and be at least the 5th starter, or else they should either be on another team or in the bullpen.
I’ll take having a shaky 5th spot and a very very good 1-3.
You are not accounting for other salaries rising
Ethier, Kemp, Loney, Martin, Billingsley, Broxton….
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
I guess i'm not thinking 'realistically'
It really fucking pisses me off that this team can’t afford to trade for someone like Oswalt because the Payroll might reach 110 million…fuck.
Yes other player’s salaries will rise, but I still think it’s completely doable.
See above, or the payroll worksheet
as it stands now, we are at $96 million this season.
We are at an estimated $92 million next season, and that’s without a LF or Kuroda’s SP spot, but with Sherrill.
by Eric Stephen on May 21, 2010 6:47 PM PDT up reply actions
So with Oswalt added (which is 16 million?), that would go to 108 million, but no starting LF. Would it be worth it to have Oswalt in the rotation but Xavier Paul in LF? It’s very hard to say right now.
Not likely
He is an upgrade over Kuroda, and he seems to have bounced back from the downward trend his career was taking the past 2-3 years, but Paul is a nice backup, not a starter, and definitely not a starting LF.
Just to be contrary
the Astro’s don’t have money problems they have prospect problems so wouldn’t it behoove them to pay all of Oswalts salary for a few extra bonafide prospects?
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
I was thinking that, but I was wondering what it would take to get two years of Oswalt + eating the salary and any answer I could come up with sounded painful. Gordon, Withrow and other maybe?
by regfairfield on May 21, 2010 4:09 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm probably on an Island but I'd trade
Gordon, Ely, Lindblom, Elbert, Lambo, Lucas May, and Xavier Paul for two years of Oswalt with the Astro’s eating the salary. Don’t really have a precedent do we for what it would take with a salary that huge? Most teams who dump salary do so because they need to save money. The Astros simply need to rebuild.
That could give them their future SS, a back of the rotation guy, two bullpen guys, a back up catcher, and a back up outfielder.
Gordon and Ely would be the centerpiece with the rest simply filling in the roster holes they have. What the hell throw in DeWitt.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Sounds good to me, but I’m not sure if I do that if I’m the Astros. Gordon’s the only one with massive upside and he’s nowhere near a sure thing. I’m not a huge fan of getting a bunch of young guys who can mostly be replaced with guys on one year contracts. Then again, the Astros do just need a farm system in general so…why not?
by regfairfield on May 21, 2010 4:27 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm 100% for this deal
I dont see Elbert with a real future in LA, so he may as well go somewhere else and get a shot (though he fucked up his chances at the MLB early on this season). Though I’d actually like to replace Lambo with Van Slyke or Robinson if they would do it.
like Carlos Santana
too soon?
Has there ever been a player better than Detlef Schrempf?
by bucknellbruin on May 21, 2010 4:09 PM PDT up reply actions
unless houston pays most of his contract
OLDIES RULE FOREVER
by Angels suck Dodgers Rule on May 21, 2010 6:57 PM PDT up reply actions
I find it fascinating that the best comp for Carlos Santana
is Victor Martinez and that is the guy who he is basically replacing. Just don’t find many switch hitting, power and patient catchers. They are both probably below average defensively though Santana could surprise. He’s got a gun for an arm.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
close…people just don’t know about him…but I love me some Shin-Soo Choo in Fantasy Baseball
by robotmadeofnails on May 21, 2010 4:38 PM PDT up reply actions
I thought he was traded for the most underrated player in baseball:)
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Article from 2006 had this tidbit
And current right fielder Casey Blake is versatile as well, which is why the Indians will move him to first base on days Choo starts. Catcher Victor Martinez will continue to get the starts at first against left-handed pitching.
by robotmadeofnails on May 21, 2010 4:48 PM PDT up reply actions
OT
How is popcorn so hard to pop?!
They say to never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious.
I tried 2:30
Fail.
They say to never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious.
I like the set the microwave to 10 minutes, wait for the kernal popping to slow down and pull it out method.
by regfairfield on May 21, 2010 4:52 PM PDT up reply actions
do you melt butter or margarine in the little tray?
by StolenMonkey86 on May 21, 2010 4:59 PM PDT up reply actions
When the air poppers first came out
they were cool to watch but I never much cared for product. Reminded me of the first healthy cookies, good for you but they sucked all the saliva out of your mouth.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Sounds to me like you need to talk to The King of Pop!
and on the 93rd postseason of the National Hockey League, the Slovakian-hockeygod Zeus commanded from high atop Mount Figueroa..."RELEASE THE MEAT TRAIN!" And it was good.
by DodgerBlueBalls on May 21, 2010 4:56 PM PDT up reply actions
How hilariously apropos.
I’m intrigued by his jacket, however.
They say to never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious.
Back when Michael Jackson was still awesome
Of course, I was like five at the time, so what did I know?
We use the best of both worlds
we loved our kettle popper but also the quick microwave so we tried that product that pops the corn in your microwave. Works great, in two minutes you have tasty fresh popcorn without all the stuff the packaged microwave products use. Tablespoon of oil, popcorn, two minutes, good stuff, very little cleanup.
We stumbled upon it in WalMart and said what the hell. We use it just about every night while watching Jon Stewart.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Someday I'm going to buy one of those old - fashioned oil poppers
the big ones on a cart.
Now I feel like going to a movie.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
So it wouldn't bother this guy
by StolenMonkey86 on May 21, 2010 5:15 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
But
The Marlins wouldn’t have signed GA.
by StolenMonkey86 on May 21, 2010 5:27 PM PDT up reply actions
If you trade for Oswalt, and let Kuroda leave, we're still in the same spot for next year.
With a short rotation, and signing guys like Padilla and Ortiz to fill up remaining spots.
You mean Elbert, McDonald, or Lindblom won't be ready
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
If we don't trade them
to get Oswalt in the first place. :)
They say to never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious.
You don’t trade for Oswalt and let Kuroda leave, we have an even shorter rotation.
by Eric Stephen on May 21, 2010 5:46 PM PDT up reply actions
But it still gives us Oswalt added this year and a better shot at the World Series
and besides, Oswalt>Kuroda so the top 3 will be fucking stacked.
So I'm watching the Angels/Cards game
and I don’t know who to root for. One one hand, it’s the Angels. On the other, rooting for the Cardinals means I have to play nice with an ex boyfriend because that’s his team. Maybe I’ll just yell “GO DODGERS” every time something happens.
They say to never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious.
Being an ex means never having to root for his team
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
AMG
BRAD PENNY!!!
They say to never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious.
LOOK AT THOSE SOCKS.
Those socks are glorious.
They say to never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious.
that was kind of boss
he grabbed it with his bare hand. i
They say to never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious.
And there's the answer
You simply have to root against fingers-through-hair boy.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
I think that you have to do what you can to win this year. So trade those prospects for Oswalt and then hopefully the ownership details will get worked out before the free agency begins and who know what happens then. Maybe we are able to afford Oswalt and Kuroda.
There’s a good chance the ownership details won’t be worked out before the 2011-2012 offseason, let alone this next one.
by Eric Stephen on May 21, 2010 5:21 PM PDT up reply actions
OT
Has anyone watched “The Wire”? I am most of the way through season 2 and I think that it is probably the best HBO series.
My gf and I just started Season 4. Netflix is awesome. Probably my favorite show ever. It’s just amazing.
by UCLADodger32 on May 21, 2010 6:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Old friend Andy LaRoche
is hitting leadoff tonight for the Pirates:
“The last time I hit leadoff was in high school," LaRoche said. "I was about 16 years old."
Furcal likely back Tuesday
(but could be Sunday), per Tony Jackson:
Furcal had hoped to skip a minor-league rehabilitation assignment, but Torre and trainer Stan Conte felt he needed at least one game to test his strained left hamstring under competitive conditions. So the parties reached a compromise: Furcal will play a game at extended spring training in Glendale, Ariz., on Saturday.
I wonder why that’s considered a compromise. Why do you think Furcal would prefer extended SP to a minor league game, No fans, no fuss? It’s surely less competitive, not that Furcal would care, so maybe management sees that as a compromise. I just wonder why Furcal would.
The compromise is
that Furcal wanted simply to be activated without a trip to AZ or a minor league park. The Dodgers probably wanted him to play a real game in the Cal League. Compromise: a pseudo-game in AZ.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
I’m watching a blind date unfold right in front if my eyes at a restaurant. So much disappointment on her face
by delias man on May 21, 2010 6:01 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
I have a list of markets that will get tomorrow's Dodger FOX game:
It isn’t many…
Reno, Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Tucson, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Toledo
Most of the country gets Mets/Yankees. Some gets Cubs/Rangers and the New England area + PA get Red Sox/Phillies.
Felipe Lopez follows with a “HR” off the top of the wall in RF
by Eric Stephen on May 21, 2010 6:22 PM PDT up reply actions
Replays showed it clearly went over the wall.
by Eric Stephen on May 21, 2010 6:23 PM PDT up reply actions
Wow indeed.
Last time a pitcher hit a grand slam?
That was 2008
Jason Marquis also took Jon Niese deep in 2008
by Eric Stephen on May 21, 2010 6:26 PM PDT up reply actions
Chris Carpenter hit a grand slam off Kip Wells last October 1
by Eric Stephen on May 21, 2010 6:25 PM PDT up reply actions
I predict violence later in this game
Penny already hit Kendry Morales in the butt, now homered, and then Lopez did a Sosa hop on the wall scraper.
Someone is getting drilled this weekend by an Angel pitcher.
by Eric Stephen on May 21, 2010 6:24 PM PDT up reply actions
because his spot is due up 3rd this inning
by Eric Stephen on May 21, 2010 6:28 PM PDT up reply actions
For some reason
Both these pitchers getting raked pleases me.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Does seem odd
He hit the slam in the bottom of the 3rd and didn’t start the 4th.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Tom Timmermann reports
Brad Penny took the mound for the start of the fourth and then came out of the game. No word yet on how he got hurt.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
If I had Jamie McCourt's photographer
I’d end up looking like Andre Ethier.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
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