Dodgers Look to Even Road Record in Chicago Finale
by Eric Stephen on May 27, 2010 8:41 AM PDT
in Dodgers Game Previews
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PrintThe Dodgers and Cubs won't have to worry about the lights going out in today's series finale, as they play a more traditional day game, featuring a hometown boy pitching against a man facing the team that drafted him. The Dodgers have had six "rubber games" this season, a third game of a series tied at one win apiece. They have won all three such home games, and lost all three on the road. A win today would even the Dodgers road record at 12-12.
Harvey, Illinois native John Ely continues his rookie run for the Dodgers, coming into the game having thrown six innings in all five major league starts, with a streak of four straight quality starts, and a 28-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Scores of family and friends will be in the stands to watch their native son, who was drafted by the crosstown White Sox in 2007. Ely grew up about 30 minutes from Wrigley Field, and his mother will be wired for sound today for the Dodgers Media Network.
Ted Lilly was drafted by the Dodgers way back in 1996, but was traded to the Expos at the 1998 trading deadline in the famous Hiram Bocachica trade, also featuring throw-ins Carlos Perez and Mark Grudzielanek. Lilly is 2-1 with a 3.16 ERA in five starts against his original organization, including giving up just three runs in 13 innings over two starts last season.
Last night, Jonathan Broxton got the final five outs of the game in notching his 11th save of the season. Since becoming the full-time closer in July 2008, Broxton has been asked to get a save of more than one inning 13 times, and has converted 12 of those opportunities:
| Jonathan Broxton Multi-Inning Saves | ||||||||
| Sv/Opp | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | ERA | WHIP |
| 12/13 | 18.2 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 28 | 1.93 | 0.964 |
Lineups
| Dodgers | Cubs | |||
| C | Martin | 2B | Theriot |
|
| RF | Paul |
SS | Castro | |
| CF | Kemp | 1B | Lee | |
| 3B | Blake | CF | Byrd | |
| 1B | Loney | RF | Fukudome |
|
| LF | Johnson | LF | Nady | |
| 2B | DeWitt | 3B | Baker | |
| SS | Carroll |
C | Soto | |
| P | Ely | P | Lilly | |
Notes
- The Dodgers are 6-7 in day games this season, or perhaps 7-7 depending on how you would classify last Saturday's 4pm start against Detroit.
- The Dodgers have given up 21 unearned runs on the road this season, compared to four at home
- Jonathan Broxton has yet to allow a run on the road this season, in 8 2/3 innings
- Casey Blake was hitting .233/.323/.397 before the start of the last homestand, but thanks to four home runs in his last eight games he is now hitting .273/.353/.493.
- Derrek Lee of the Cubs has six hits in eight at-bats in this series, with a double, a home run, and a walk.
- Mark Townsend of Bugs & Cranks is having a tournament of sorts to decide the best ballpark food. There are numerous battles in the Sweet 16; here is hot dogs vs. brats.
UPDATE: Per Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times, reliever Justin Miller's contract was purchased from Triple A, and Ramon Ortiz was designated for assignment. This still leaves the Dodgers with 11 pitchers, and I wonder if a 12th pitcher will still be added before tomorrow night's "bullpen game" in Colorado, as Joe Torre has said in the past few days.
Xeifrank's simulation of today's game is here.
Game Time: 11:20am
TV: Prime Ticket, MLB Network
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You know you're gonna be first in line for that movie!
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Really pleased to see Broxton get 5 outs yesterday on so few pitches
by robotmadeofnails on May 27, 2010 8:50 AM PDT reply actions
I am excited that this game is on MLB Network this morning
My first chance to see the Dodgers in HD on my new TV, Don’t blow it Ely!
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
One of Woody's finest moments!
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
12 out of 13 1+ inning saves
is awesome. I wonder how that compares to the league’s other elite closers.
Only 3 relievers with more
> 1-inning saves than Broxton since 2008 (and keep in mid he wasn’t closer until mid-July):
Papelbon 17/17
Rivera 16/18
Wilson 15/17
Broxton 12/13
Soria 11/14
Franklin 11/16
Bailey 9/13 (since 2009)
Ziegler 7/8 (2008-2009)
I included Bailey and Ziegler because they combined for Oakland’s closing duties since beginning of 2008.
I didn’t look at all the individual games for other pitchers, but for Broxton he also has two other “blown saves” of over one inning, but those weren’t really closing opportunities (he entered games with the lead in the seventh, as the setup man twice in 2008)
by Eric Stephen on May 27, 2010 9:31 AM PDT up reply actions
Aramis Ramirez has swelling near his right thumb. Not sure whether or not he’s available to PH or not.
Trend Info
1. Chad Moriyama ChadMoriyama
I would be happy, but now it’s Justin Miller. RT @dylanohernandez: Justin Miller called up from triple-A Albuquerque; Ramon Ortiz DFA’d
Somebody called this yesterday
Saying Miller should be the one called up
by Michael White on May 27, 2010 10:02 AM PDT up reply actions
Yeah he's actually been pitching really well in Albq
That may not mean much, but reports back on him were positive. It actually makes sense. I thought maybe they’d want a lefty though, so thought maybe Leach or Elbert instead.
Anyway, so long, Second Ortiz.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Well done OB12
I am wondering why they don’t just swap Ortiz for Jusin Miller. He has that same veteran quality but is actually pitching well and then make Monk the mop-up guy with McDonald in the rotation.
by OB12 on May 26, 2010 10:20 AM PDT up reply actions
by Michael White on May 27, 2010 10:06 AM PDT up reply actions
Would’ve thought they would bring up a lefty
by Julio Nievas on May 27, 2010 10:06 AM PDT up reply actions
I am kinda expecting Elbert to be called tomorrow to backup Monk and then take a start next time around.
Elbert has been a disaster
He looks clean on the road, but he does have 15 walks in 15 innings. You don’t even want to know his home stats
by Julio Nievas on May 27, 2010 10:14 AM PDT up reply actions
You doubt me? I called the Miller for Ortiz swap yesterday :)
In all seriousness though, I know Elbert has been bad this season, but I think they want another lefty on the staff. I guess I could see Leach getting the call or possibly Haeger being activated to move back into the rotation.
If they want a LOOGY type Leach would make some sense
but who knows at this point…
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Leach has been hardly a LOOGY for ABQ so far...
He’s getting hit by lefties more than righties.
by Julio Nievas on May 27, 2010 10:26 AM PDT up reply actions
If you look at average
but his splits show a far better ERA vs lefties than righties (3.60 vs 6.11, and his faced more righties). Also 8 Ks in 10 ip and his GO vs AO is better as a lefty too. But either way you slice it, it may be that the numbers show that… he’s not really that great vs either side. ;-)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Has there been any indication of when that will be?
I hope the injury to J-Mac wasn’t serious, he was turning it around the last two starts. His fastball looked good, so did his off-speed stuff.
by Julio Nievas on May 27, 2010 10:10 AM PDT up reply actions
Running to second on a force play… He’s getting checked to say, he said the injury didn’t feel very bad…
by Julio Nievas on May 27, 2010 10:27 AM PDT up reply actions
Woo-hoo!!!
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 27, 2010 10:07 AM PDT up reply actions
But less spare parts.
This probably means that Monk will be used more regularly than he has been for the past couple of weeks. Both Ortiz, and Monk were basically kept in reserve in fear for a 5th srarter, or long reliever.
With the DFA of Ortiz, and calling up Miller for middle relief does mean more arms for most nights.
OT
Kendrick Perkins technical rescinded. He will play tomorrow in Game 6.
They would have DFA Green already if they wanted to.
That shoe might never drop due to the phantom DL the Dodgers are so good at.
Scratch that again
Friday and Saturday, will rest on Sunday (per DT)
by Julio Nievas on May 27, 2010 10:17 AM PDT up reply actions
Hehehehe
you think the pitchers are going to be scared of him?
They say to never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious.
Justin Miller
I think it would be funny if they accidentally called up the 22-year old with the 1.48 ERA in Great Lakes.
How many tattoos does that one have though?
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Not nearly enough.
Now I really want a tattoo. :(
They say to never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious.
I think the best development of this callup is we get to hear Vin rhapsodize about all the dude’s tattoos.
by hee came hee seop'd he choi'd on May 27, 2010 10:38 AM PDT up reply actions
FACT.
I’ve actually seen some spreads about Miller’s tattoos. Let me see if I can find it…
They say to never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious.
Couldn't find the one I was looking at when he got invited to ST
but here’s something: http://tinyurl.com/yecmqot
They say to never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious.
doesnt he wear long sleeves when he pitches too? seems kinda weird.
‘let me just cover these up when I go to work’
by hee came hee seop'd he choi'd on May 27, 2010 10:44 AM PDT up reply actions
They made a rule about it. For him. Supposedly.
Because his tattoos were “distracting” to batters.
They say to never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious.
Man, this whole time I thought we were talking about the younger kid that everyone loved, and I was thinking “what happened to this guy now that everyone thinks he is washed up”
by robotmadeofnails on May 27, 2010 10:33 AM PDT up reply actions
Because he has a small history of success in the relief role, can be thrown near everyday, and even Torre can’t ruin his arm.
Dodgers don’t need somebody (at least somebody like Haeger) to throw everyday. I’m not suggesting that the good times of Dodgers starters going deep into ballgames will continue all season, but if the Dodgers need Haeger going on back to back days, that means the team is going to lose anyway.
by Michael White on May 27, 2010 10:44 AM PDT up reply actions
Dodgers won’t need it, but Torre will still do it. The team didn’t need to throw Troncoso for the majority of games, but they still did it. In some sense, Torre trusts Heager more than other pitchers and that’s a big part of why he keeps getting chances.
I don't know if Torre trusts Haeger at this point as much as you think
He got chances, but he also got yanked. They think some of his problems this year were attributable to a mechanical flaw (and not the phantom heel injury) and thus deserves another shot. But I think he’ll be on a very short leash actually.
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 dont get how ‘mechanics’ are an issue. Look at the dudes delivery.. if theres something called ‘minimal effort delivery’ hes got it..
by hee came hee seop'd he choi'd on May 27, 2010 10:59 AM PDT up reply actions
Just saying what they were saying. Maybe it looks effortless to us
but there’s still mechanics and maybe more importantly in his case timing involved in throwing the knuckler (and his other pitches). Or maybe their advice just consisted of “Throw better!” ;-)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Ely's dad refuses to go to Wrigley to watch his son pitch
I would maybe understand it if it was solely because of the wheelchair thing, but to not go mainly because you are a diehard Sox fan just seems idiotic to me. It’s your freaking son pitching in his hometown in a major league baseball game.
http://tinyurl.com/33qm8bf
omglolwtf
Thats just crazy
by hee came hee seop'd he choi'd on May 27, 2010 10:38 AM PDT up reply actions
Not just that, but wouldn’t a die-hard hater of the Cubs want to see his son beat them? Afraid he might lose to them? That gives the wrong message. Dumkopf – he’s just so used to refusing to acknowledge the Cubs by not going to their historic ballpark, that seems to matter more than seeing them beat by his son.
But, actually, folks, it’s probably the wheelchair thing. I have a friend who’s a diehard Dodgers fan, but never goers to Dodger Stadium because it’s not good for whellchair acces (or maybe would require paying for a top-price seat). Instead, he goes every year to see them play the Padres in San Diego, where they treat him very well.
my only theory that makes ANY sense
is that he will be there, and just doesn’t want to make his kid nervous.
That is the only remotely plausible explanation, beyond Ely the senior being completely insane.
I don't mean to say that we're all hippies and we love one another and whatnot
but it’s possible that his dad might just be that big of an old-school dick. Which is a shame.
They say to never hit a man with a closed fist. But it is, on occasion, hilarious.
Ya, it wouldnt be a big deal if that was the main reason given. But, with the status of his son being the starting pitcher, i’m sure that he would be taken care of at the ballpark. It just seems like an incredibly silly decision to make.
by UCLADodger32 on May 27, 2010 10:49 AM PDT up reply actions
Agreed
What we know:
1) Your son is an MLB pitcher
2) He is making one appearance within an hour of your house this season
3) You are in a wheelchair
Any reason for not attending the game other than “having a wheelchair makes travel extremely difficult” is weak IMO.
by Eric Stephen on May 27, 2010 10:51 AM PDT up reply actions
I think there are a lot of Sox fans who
refuse to go Wrigley on matters of principal. This is taking it to extremes…
I see plenty of wheelchair seats / slots at DS in various sections
Some are pretty close to the people walking on the concourses though. Using the elevators at DS can be tedious and time-consuming – just ask Tony Jackson – but is possible. Due to my wife’s knee, we always the ground-level entrance on the LF end of the field level, then use the escalators to get as high as Club as needed, and an elevator to get to Reserved. I’m sure there must be elevators as an alternative to the escalators.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on May 27, 2010 12:03 PM PDT up reply actions
based on the few comments from South Side Sox about Ely so far
it seems like they’re more angry at Phil Rogers than Kenny Williams. Perhaps they think of him as an antagonist, much the way we often think of Plashke. (Their anger at Juan Pierre is separate from the trade itself.) If Ely has a very good outing today, I think that’ll start to change. If not, we can probably expect more sarcasm than ever directed in Phil’s direction.
the local Chicago reporter
who said trading Ely was a mistake.
by sarcastro9 on May 27, 2010 10:46 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Best part
But it would be a shame for the White Sox to lose Ely without ever seeing if he could make the success he’s had in high school, at Ohio University and then in the minor leagues translate to the big leagues. He’s a very good pitcher, but lacks the high-profile tools that would make him a top prospect.
How do you undo a block quote?
Ted Lilly was drafted by the Dodgers way back in 1996, but was traded to the Expos at the 1998 trading deadline in the famous Hiram Bocachica trade, also featuring throw-ins Carlos Perez and Mark Grudzielanek.
I had forgotten the exact details. In the where-are-they-now file, Peter Bergeron was also involved. (I want this part un-block quoted.)
Move the tags around
Or delete the tags and start over.
The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on May 27, 2010 12:05 PM PDT up reply actions
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