Dodgers' Pitching Solid In Win Over Cubs
by Eric Stephen on Mar 22, 2011 8:50 PM PDT
in Dodgers Game Recaps
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The Dodgers picked up a win today against the Cubs with a walk-off single by catcher Orlando Mercado, but the news of the day came earlier in the contest. Chad Billingsley made his fifth start of the spring, and threw six shutout innings. He has used the spring to work on his changeup and curveball, but today Billingsley took a bit of a different approach, per Tony Jackson of ESPN LA:
"Today, I was approaching it as a [regular-season] game," Billingsley said. "I was mixing all my pitches, and I felt good out there. My curveball felt great. I used the changeup a lot and used it effectively. [Catcher] Rod [Barajas] called a great game, and we got on the same page pretty early. We knew what each other was thinking."
Billingsley threw 94 pitches in his start, and told the Associated Press: "And I still felt strong," he said. "I had good fastball command, and my changeup was really good. … I want to build off today and take it into the season." Jackson also noted that Billingsley, like Clayton Kershaw and Hiroki Kuroda, will throw an abbreviated game -- 60 pitches or so -- in their final spring start, as a final tuneup for the regular season.
Once Billingsley left the game, Lance Cormier started the seventh inning, but was pulled with two outs and runners on first and third. In came Scott Elbert, who struck out Tyler Colvin to end the threat. That was the only batter Elbert faced today, but it, combined with his last outing, have increased his standing in the race for a bullpen spot.
At the beginning of spring training, it appeared that Elbert and Ron Mahay were fighting for the situational left-hander role in the bullpen. But the non-roster invitee Mahay hasn't looked good at all, while Elbert started off with control problems, which has been the bane of his entire career. However, Elbert has the stuff to be more than a situational lefty, and his recent outings have increased his standing with the club. The key for Elbert has been simply slowing down and relaxing, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
"If you notice," said Elbert, "Rod takes a deep breath before he gives me the sign, and I take one and then it's, OK, let's get the sign. I'm starting to get it. When the count was 2-2, I stepped off to grab the rosin bag. Slowing down the game has been my problem my whole career."
Notes
- Hong-Chih Kuo pitched a scoreless eighth inning, striking out two
- Hector Gimenez played left field today, and actually threw out Colvin at the plate, but was also 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. As for why Gimenez hasn't been catching (he hasn't caught in a game since March 10), Ned Colletti told Jackson, "We signed him, really, for his offense. He is a pretty good hitter, but his defense is still a work in progress."
- Non-roster infielder/outfielder Eugenio Velez had two hits today, but injured his ankle in the seventh inning and was carted off the field. Velez suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain, per Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times, which usually means a partial muscle tear
- Hernandez wrote a feature on Tim Redding, who is battling for the fifth starter spot that may or may not be needed (depending on the health of Jon Garland) on April 12. We learn that Redding will make $750,000 if he makes the big league team, and that Redding does not have an out clause until June 15, which could affect the decision of whether or not to add him to the roster for a short-term need.
- Mike Petriello of Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness takes a look at left field and asks the question: "Is Jay Gibbons The Best Use of a Roster Spot?"
- Happy 43rd birthday, Ramon Martinez
- The Dodgers stay at home on Wednesday, but they will be the road team as they face the Chicago White Sox for the fourth and final time this spring. Ted Lilly will start for the Dodgers, and be opposed on the mound by John Danks.
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he still has an option left
right?
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 9:42 PM PDT up reply actions
I referenced
Ken Gurnick’s Mattingly quote (from a different article than the one Eric linked above) at the end of the last thread:
"We’re going to keep looking," said Mattingly. "We’ve got guys fighting for jobs, and they’re going to tell us. The decision is not made yet. I don’t know who the left fielder will be if there’s a right-hander pitching."Sounds pretty up in the air. (And if it is up in the air, the guy with the best chance to catch it is Tony Gwynn, Jr., amirite?)
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
I am trying to figure out if Mike’s point is that (a) Because Gibbons isn’t hitting, he would pass through waivers, so there’s no point to losing Paul on March 30th, or if it’s (b) Gibbons isn’t hitting, so let’s ride with the guys who are, send Gibbons down (especially since he’d probably pass through), and see where we are in a month.
In my opinion, (a) is absolutely right but (b) though only slightly different is not. (a) takes a realistic look at whether we can keep all of these guys in house for a month or so, which increases roster flexibility. (b) puts all of its emphasis over how Gibbons has hit in Arizona, and frankly, you can’t do that; if you thought that Gibbons was one of the four or five best outfielders on the Dodgers a month ago, you should still feel that way today.
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!
by Humma Kavula on Mar 22, 2011 9:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Where I disagree with MSTI is this idea:
Gibbons hasn’t done much to earn it
The whole article is written with an emphasis on ST stats, which I think are meaningless.
MSTI’s larger overall point — we don’t have to choose among these guys — we can keep them all and see how things shake out if the Dodgers send Gibbons down — is a good one.
But the idea that things would be different if Gibbons were knocking the cover off the ball implies that ST stats are meaningful. If you think that Xavier Paul deserves a shot in the organization, then you should support sending down Gibbons whether his OPS in ST is 100 or 1100.
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!
by Humma Kavula on Mar 22, 2011 9:58 PM PDT up reply actions
Gibbons sucks at defense
and has been out of the league for 3 years. Gimenez provides value as a a catcher that Gibbons doesn’t. XP can actually field. Gwynn can run really fucking fast, and field really really good. Gibbons can maybe kind of sort of hit, but we really don’t have anything more to base that off of then we do for Paul or Vector.
These hands will always be rough
All of that is an argument for not signing Gibbons in the first place. And you don’t have to convince me. I dislike Gibbons.
Where I disagree — the only place I disagree — is the idea that something has somehow changed in the last month or so. The implied idea that we should support Gibbons being on the roster if he were hitting this spring is where I part ways.
Gibbons shouldn’t be on the roster because he is bad, not because he has been bad this spring.
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!
by Humma Kavula on Mar 22, 2011 10:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Gibbons shouldn’t be on the roster because he is bad, not because he has been bad this spring.
Yep
by Eric Stephen on Mar 22, 2011 10:10 PM PDT up reply actions
all true
but, isn’t it also important, or more worrisome to Dodgers that Gibbons has been bad at least in part because he can’t see anything? I think they have been watching him to see how he, well, sees up there at the plate and in the field, and while he has said everything is much better with the new contacts etc, he still looks a little like Hans Moleman out there.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
While I don’t think Gibbons is any good by any means, we definitely have more evidence to say he will be a better hitter than Hector Gimenez.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 22, 2011 10:05 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
but Gibbons can't catch
I’m not really advocating for Gimenez to be the starting LF, I would rather see Paul or Gwynn do that, I do like the idea of having Gimenez around when Navarro fails. Then Gimenez can fail, and we can all go back to crying in our beers.
These hands will always be rough
Well, there are nine days to determine who will be playing where. The REAL Spring Training competition has started, and will end on the 31rst. I’ll wait…………that’s long enough.
Baseball is a game, and games are supposed to be fun.
is there
a set date for putting guys on waivers, or is it just when they decide the OOO guys aren’t making the team?
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 10:15 PM PDT up reply actions
isn't it obvious who plays?
Kyle Russell!!! :)
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 9:43 PM PDT up reply actions
I am pleased that Elbert is showing Catch-57 to be an evil lie conjured by a man who continually proves he knows nothing about anything and baseball least of all.
May he continue to make me eat crow. Nothing would please me more than to be regarded as an idiot while he helps the Dodgers win.
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!
We signed him, really, for his offense. He is a pretty good hitter, but his defense is still a work in progress.
That is crazy. Gimenez has exactly one year in his resume in which he hit: last year, at age 27, in AA. You can take that with a grain of salt the size of Gibraltar.
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!
Seriously.
It would be kind of like if some team had signed Corey Smith away from us and still had him in major league camp competing for a spot on the 25 man.
If Gimenez is a catcher, it could possibly make sense in a strange way. If he is there to be a hitter, it’s pretty inexplicable.
Gimenez IS a catcher
and honestly I don’t feel that solid about Navarro, so having a backup plan who can handle some LF and 1b in the meantime(where we aren’t exactly strong) makes some sense.
These hands will always be rough
When an official move (reassigned, released) is made.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
it will
probably happen as soon as tomorrow right?
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 9:59 PM PDT up reply actions
what's the likelihood
we one day see a Dodger rotation of Kershaw, Billz, Rubby, Zach Lee, and Withrow?
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 10:06 PM PDT reply actions
when
we win 3 world series in 5 years.
by Dodgerblue8188 on Mar 22, 2011 10:07 PM PDT up reply actions
it is my opinion that we should
I have been a big Billz fan, and did not give up on him during his struggles. Not saying anyone here did, but I really think he is a great pitcher and will continue to be one.
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 10:09 PM PDT up reply actions
of course we should
its a different matter of whether we will or not. Our best chance was probably this offseason.
These hands will always be rough
i know
i just can’t really say if they will or not, but I think they should
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 10:12 PM PDT up reply actions
It takes two to tango
Billingsley also has to want to stay.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 22, 2011 10:30 PM PDT up reply actions
yes
want to stay at the price Colletti is willing to offer.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 22, 2011 10:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Eating it should be avoided.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 22, 2011 10:36 PM PDT up reply actions
Irrespective of that
odds are huge that at least one of those three prospects don’t pan out.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 22, 2011 10:12 PM PDT up reply actions
my guess is Withrow
but then you just plug in Ethan Martin :)
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 10:13 PM PDT up reply actions
Withrow
becoming a power reliever :)
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 10:13 PM PDT up reply actions
I think that’s about right. Maybe even high. It requires all three of Rubby, Lee, and Withrow not to flame out, and it probably also requires them to be called up to the majors at interspersed intervals, and it probably also requires Billingsley to be signed to an extension, all of which points to 2014 as the first year that such a rotation is possible.
And that is not even taking into account what pitchers might be available via free agency that Colletti likes.
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!
by Humma Kavula on Mar 22, 2011 10:12 PM PDT up reply actions
I have my doubts
That Rubby busts, Lee and Withrow are another story, though.
by Taylor Maricle on Mar 22, 2011 10:16 PM PDT up reply actions
Rubby is closest
Lee has yet to really pitch, and Withrow has struggled. I can see why you feel that way.
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 10:17 PM PDT up reply actions
I really like them all though.
I don’t know why, I’ve never been excited by Ethan Martin for some reason. Always seemed unremarkable.
by Taylor Maricle on Mar 22, 2011 10:25 PM PDT up reply actions
that is cool
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 10:15 PM PDT up reply actions
Damn
For most of overtime, I apparently wasn’t live on the Lakers’ game. I found out Channing Frye hit all three free throws to tie it up on Twitter before my TV! :)
double OT
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 10:20 PM PDT up reply actions
Lamar.... {{facepalm}}
Such a great game and then he goes and does that…
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
triple OT
oy vey, Come On Lakers!! Roll Call!!!
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 10:36 PM PDT reply actions
pleasepleaseplease
DEFEND AGAINST THE THREE POINT SHOT!!!!!
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 10:46 PM PDT up reply actions
BUT DON’T FOUL THE THREE-POINT SHOOTER!
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 22, 2011 10:47 PM PDT up reply actions
THAT TOO!!!!
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 10:47 PM PDT up reply actions
I’d also suggest not fouling while the Suns are in the act of shooting (though in fairness to Odom, he tried to foul Frye before the second foul attempt but it wasn’t called)
by Eric Stephen on Mar 22, 2011 10:48 PM PDT up reply actions
+1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 10:49 PM PDT up reply actions
worked in game 7 last year :)
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 10:49 PM PDT up reply actions
Yahoo headline
Yanks may bat Jeter and Gardner leadoff (AP)
I knew those fuckers were cheaters.
by Nolij on Mar 22, 2011 10:50 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I have
returned to LA. Thanks to some bad play, the Laker game kept me company for the last 3 hours or so.
lol
pulled out a W though, man…..too close…..Thank God Bynum is back next game
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 10:55 PM PDT up reply actions
Welcome back. It was good to spend some time with you out there.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 22, 2011 10:56 PM PDT up reply actions
Same here
It was nice seeing you and Eric, meeting Ghost and Eric’s family.
Went 2-1 in games, saw some minor leaguers, and only drove a little less than 1100 miles.
by bhsportsguy on Mar 22, 2011 11:16 PM PDT up reply actions
I turn on the TV expecting a final score and postgame.
Yeah, that didn’t happen. Goodness Lakers. Odom played over 55 minutes tonight. Gasol 52.
at least
they don’t play until Friday
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 22, 2011 10:59 PM PDT up reply actions
What would you do with the roster?
Lineup:
SS- Furcal
RF – Ethier
CF- Kemp
1b- Thames
LF – Sands
3b- Uribe
2b- Carroll
C – Barajas
Bench- (Loney, DeJesus, Navarro, Gwynn, Paul, Miles)
Starters:
Kershaw
Billingsley
Lilly
Kuroda
Rubby
Relievers:
Jansen
Kuo
Broxton
Guerrier
Hawksworth
Elbert
Um in what alternate reality is Loney benched and Thames at 1b? Unless this is against LHP? Is that what this is?
This is Joey Joe’s alternate reality. I’ll choose not to venture into it.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 22, 2011 11:08 PM PDT up reply actions
Thames career vs RHP: (not good)
.236/.296/.480
But last year…he hit
.268/.347/549 vs righties…
I’d like see Thames have 500 ABs at 1st base.
Or play him till he dies out there.
This part is not an alternate reality
But last year…he hit
.268/.347/549 vs righties…
… in a whopping 95 PA! Talk about your small sample sizes.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 22, 2011 11:51 PM PDT up reply actions
But we have plenty of sample size to indicate James Loney sucks.
I tend to go with the unknown than the suck.
Thames career vs RHP: (not good)
.236/.296/.480
That’s 1113 PA, pretty decent sample size.
Loney career vs.RHP (1789 PA):
.297 / .357 / .456
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 23, 2011 10:28 AM PDT up reply actions
I’m pretty bullish on Sands and Rubby too, but this is pretty ridiculous. They are not ready. Loney is not as good as we would like, but he is better than Thames at 1B. If, for some reason, the Dodgers would consider Rubby as #5, they would certainly need to carry an extra reliever, as he would not be throwing deep into games. I think I’m just going to reject this as cute, rather than desirable in any meaningful way.
I think if you gave Thames the same amount of ABs as Loney…he’d produce more.
He doesnt have as extreme of platoon split as you might think.
The question is how many ABs he can give you…but my attitude is to play him till he dies, and then plug Sands in at 1b and hopefully by that time there’ll be a suitable LF around.
?
Where’s the beard?
4+1=awesome
by grizzlyadams on Mar 22, 2011 11:24 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
"Clayton's Maturity Level Continues to Rise"
He’s been smart, funny and full of promise from the very start, a teenager babied in his baseball development who is now 23, recently married and about to become a full-fledged star.
He’s a Dodger, and the Dodgers don’t have many stars. Clayton Kershaw, though, is the brightest of them all.
He is what he is
It is better if you just roll with it unless you are just so big (Phil Jackson and Kobe) that you don’t have to.
by bhsportsguy on Mar 23, 2011 12:03 AM PDT up reply actions
The comment at 10:04 is woefully ignorant.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 23, 2011 12:03 AM PDT up reply actions
That is actually an LAT blog software problem. If you click on “Add / View comments” the paragraphing becomes clear. Not that you should really bother with the comments on a Simers column.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 23, 2011 12:10 AM PDT up reply actions
You
know if the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a recent expansion team (and only 12 teams have joined since then), David and I are a lot younger than we thought we were.
by bhsportsguy on Mar 23, 2011 12:16 AM PDT up reply actions
I don’t get it, he this Strasberg’s situation is a good thing?
by Josie Becker on Mar 23, 2011 12:13 AM PDT up reply actions
When you have 6 hours
and you don’t have the talkative David Young or Eric Stephen in your car, you end up listening to the radio. Fortunately I have XM so I did get to hear the Laker game for the second half of my drive. The first half, I was switching stations and I was listening to Kevin Kennedy on MLB Radio.
He and his partner (not his usual, XM is switching teams around during March while some are doing previews around the camps) were talking about the Giants and their roster issue. Mainly its Rowand, Ishikawa and Schierholtz battling for two spots. Henry Schulman from SF Chronicle was on and he said he sees no way Belt makes the Opening Day roster because Sabean wants him to play everyday in AAA. Right now, Schierholtz is pretty much a lock, so its between Ishikawa and Rowand. Also Tejada has not looked good this Spring.
(there's a new post above this one, which Mark Grace will be excited about)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
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