Visions Of Opening Day: Gibbons Has No Depth Perception, Dodgers Testing Theirs
by Eric Stephen on Mar 28, 2011 10:35 PM PDT
in Dodgers Game Recaps
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PrintThe Dodgers lost the opening game of the Freeway Series tonight, 5-4 to the Angels at Dodger Stadium, but the news today -- aside from the Chad Billingsley contract extension -- mostly revolved around the opening day roster. Well that, and a Jonathan Broxton blown save that likely will be cause for concern.
Broxton entered the game to start the ninth with a 4-3 lead and after getting Chris Pettit to fly out Broxton allowed a single to Mark Trumbo. Alexi Amarista followed with a potential game-ending double play ball right near the bag at second base, but Ivan DeJesus let the ball go through his legs. A single to the vacated hole at shortstop, a walk, and a sacrifice fly later, the Angels took the lead. Broxton's only swinging strike of the night was his final pitch to Brandon Wood. Per Gameday, Broxton threw 11 fastballs averaging 93.3 mph, with a high of 96 (once), and he hit 95 three times.
Ted Lilly had his final tuneup start of the spring tonight, but he was anything but sharp. He walked five Angels in his four innings of work, throwing 80 pitches. "I couldn't figure it out. I tried a couple different things mechanically, and just had a hard time getting the ball out of my hand and rotating the ball correctly," Lilly told KABC's Josh Suchon after his outing, "It was very frustrating." Lilly, who had the least amount of in-game work of the top four starters this spring, is slated to pitch Saturday against the Giants.
Can't See Gibbons On Opening Day Roster
Before the game, Jay Gibbons spoke with reporters about the vision problems he has battled this spring. "It’s been a battle, let’s put it that way. We ran out of time," Gibbons said. "The vision was great coming back, but no depth perception." Gibbons has another appointment on Tuesday with an eye doctor to get a new prescription, hoping to find the right combination of vision and depth perception that will allow him to hit.
Gibbons sounds more and more like somebody who is preparing to start the year on the disabled list, saying, "That’s the problem. Every contact takes a week to get adjusted to, so here we are again, setting it back." The once presumed left-handed half of the Dodgers left field platoon has just four singles in 38 at-bats this spring, with three walks, and is hitting .105/.167/.105. "These pitchers are pretty good. Once they figure out you can’t see any spin, they’re going to cut you up pretty quick," Gibbons said.
Manager Don Mattingly said before the game that it would be tough to count on Gibbons for opening day. Gibbons on the disabled list all but guarantees that Xavier Paul, who is out of options, will make the team, if Paul wasn't already penciled in on the opening 25-man roster already. Gibbons would make a fifth Dodger to open the season on the disabled list.
Opening Day Lineup Looks Set
Mattingly said before the game tonight that although rosters haven't been set, he will likely have Jamey Carroll at second base, batting eighth on opening day, with Gwynn in left field batting second. "Opening day for me is all this noise, and then after that it kind of drops down to a regular tone. I want to make sure the guys I have out there are ready for that," the manager said. That means that the lineup from tonight's game will likely be the opening day lineup as well:
| Opening Day Lineup | |
| SS | Furcal |
| LF | Gwynn |
| RF | Ethier |
| CF | Kemp |
| 1B | Loney |
| 3B | Uribe |
| C | Barajas |
| 2B | Carroll |
Notes
- Lance Cormier has made the Dodgers opening day bullpen, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, confirming a tweet this morning by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. "They called me this morning and told me that I had made the team," Cormier told Gurnick.
- It's nearly impossible to report with any accuracy while watching the game on television, but to my naked and untrained eye, Rafael Furcal appeared to be running very gingerly as he was rounding third base, scoring on a double by Andre Ethier. Furcal stayed in the game, playing six innings like most of the regulars, adding a single in his next at-bat, and there was no report of an injury, but with Furcal's injury history I tend to worry about such things.
- Kenley Jansen faced six batters in the sixth inning, but he allowed three walks and a hit. He threw 32 pitches in his 2/3 of an inning, including a 12-pitch battle with Howie Kendrick that ended in a run-scoring base on balls.
- David Cameron of FanGraphs thinks Billingsley left a lot of money on the table with his new contract.
- Only in a broadcast with Vin Scully would you get this in-game quote: "If you play with your cat, are you playing with your cat, or is your cat playing with you?"
- These same two teams head to Anaheim tomorrow to conclude their two-game set, with Hiroki Kuroda facing Scott Kazmir.
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Padilla
When Padilla and Garland come back, who do they likely knock back off the roster? Redding and Cormier?
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Yeah, that sounds about riiiiiiiiiiii
Sorry, the KCAL weather forecast is on.
by silverwidow on Mar 28, 2011 10:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Broxton
Broxton seemed alright out there tonight. Although I was watching on MLB.TV and he was constantly in the 95-96mph range with his fastballs.
he was lower than that. Touched 96 once. Averaged 93 I think ES said.
0oo0oo0000oo0o00ooo0oo0o0ooo0o0o0. . .. . . . . .
by Ghost_of_K3vo on Mar 28, 2011 10:39 PM PDT up reply actions
Vin was calling off a different gun than the KCAL one.
And kept saying 96 when KCAL would say 94/95.
Checking gameday might be a good idea.
by Taylor Maricle on Mar 28, 2011 10:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Eric the gameday average was 93.3 for Jon Roy’s FB.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 28, 2011 11:36 PM PDT up reply actions
Gibbons / contacts
Takes me half an hour to get my contacts in. By the time they are both in, my eyes are all red and irritated from having stuck my finger in them 100 times. Just go with a great sense of smell.
If you’re going to play Tony Gwynn’s bat, dont you have to put him in CF to take advantage of his defensive skills?
That’s how it works, nobody wants to ruffle any feathers so moves like that never happen. Like the Torii Hunter controversy in Anaheim, A-rod having to play 3B, Ethier moving to LF or Crawford starting in LF just because he was a LF before even though the green monster makes it the easiest spot to play.
by DodgersKings323 on Mar 28, 2011 10:43 PM PDT up reply actions
I don’t understand your point. ARod did move to 3B, Hunter was moved to RF the day Anaheim decided to start Bourjos. Sometimes moves are made, sometimes they aren’t, and there are lots of motivations/reasons involved.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Mar 28, 2011 11:39 PM PDT up reply actions
I don’t think so. I don’t think the Dodgers want to move him in and out of CF. If they thought Gwynn would/could play 162 in CF then they would prob move Kemp. But the Dodgers know Gwynn sucks.
by Jason Ungar on Mar 29, 2011 12:04 AM PDT up reply actions
This
They would move Kemp if Gwynn was a longterm solution. They are not going to play Kemp in center on days that Thames starts and in left on days that Gwynn starts.
by Mel Gibson's Liver on Mar 29, 2011 7:24 AM PDT up reply actions
yes
don’t dick around with your everyday player – CF is different from LF, we’d all suffer if the everyday player moved around
Let the guy hitting four, come ready to play one position every day and not have to think about it
I hate this notion of moving baseball players around as if they are robots and not humans
by Hollywood Joe on Mar 29, 2011 8:25 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Mattingly in Spring said
Recall Mattingly saying in spring that Gynn would play left and Kemp wouldn’t move from CF.
by wineracquet on Mar 28, 2011 10:43 PM PDT up reply actions
Those are issues that really should be worked out before considering acquiring a guy like Tony Gwynn Jr.
If you dont play Gwynn Jr in CF…he’s beyond useless.
So why even get him if you wont play him where he best helps you?
Gwynn was signed to be a fourth outfielder
the hope was Thames and Gibbons would platoon out there and be replaced in the later innings. IF Gwynn was able to hit, he would play more. He was NOT signed to be a starter. He is one now because Gibbons is going through his troubles. Unless they decide to use Paul out there that is.
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Mar 28, 2011 10:51 PM PDT up reply actions
McDauggal (sp?) looked wicked! That’s why i never judge any player before the season, also i do think Gimenaz should get a shot even if it’s just a fluke. Guys who are expected to be good can fall off the table and nobodies can show up and do the job.
by DodgersKings323 on Mar 28, 2011 10:41 PM PDT reply actions
he’s not going to do a better job than Barajas
by Josie Becker on Mar 28, 2011 10:43 PM PDT up reply actions
And the Giants were never supposed to win the World Series.
by DodgersKings323 on Mar 28, 2011 10:44 PM PDT up reply actions
yeah they were, they had fantastic pitching
by Josie Becker on Mar 28, 2011 10:44 PM PDT up reply actions
They still weren
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
argh
They still weren’t picked to win the world series last year, and they weren’t favored in any series they were in in the playoffs (except maybe vs Rangers?). I think that is the point, their lineup looked like crap and no one took them seriously, and they got unexpected production (even when at times their pitching faltered).
Argh, can’t believe I’m talking in these terms about the Gnats this early in the morning.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
It’s OK. Just take a deep breath and relax. That was last year. It’s over now. This is 2011. New year, new results.
Baseball is a game, and games are supposed to be fun.
{Sniff}
You’re right… {hikes up pants} By gum!
I do believe that bad karma will be biting them in the butt this year. Hope we see it in the first series.
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 didn’t pick up anything with Furcal, but more importantly Gary didn’t and he notices things like that. Like how Jansen has terrible form and junk.
Yeah, could have just been a quick camera cut or something. Hard to tell on TV.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 28, 2011 10:45 PM PDT up reply actions
They are still doing the “don’t stop believin” i have to go break something now
by DodgersKings323 on Mar 28, 2011 10:47 PM PDT reply actions
Re: Billingsley
Doesn’t the contract extension mean that Dave Stewart will not be directing all his clients away from Los Angeles? (We’ll see about Kemp.)
but
it was never based on anything since he had no clients who could test that theory. Since it now appears that Bills is going sign an extension even before he could test free agency, any of those thoughts were certainly premature.
by bhsportsguy on Mar 28, 2011 11:12 PM PDT up reply actions
and
Billingsley is saying he wants to stay in LA
And
Billingsley does get guaranteed money
And
If he stays healty and does great, then he can still test the waters
Heck, just ten million would work for me, but then my family is easy to take care of.
by 68elcamino427 on Mar 28, 2011 11:17 PM PDT up reply actions
sure it was
but so is Battlefield: LA
that ain’t real either
by Hollywood Joe on Mar 29, 2011 8:51 AM PDT up reply actions
David Cameron of FanGraphs thinks Billingsley left a lot of money on the table with his new contract.
So if that is true, isn’t that a helluva GM move by Colletti? Which means Ned doesn’t suck as much as DC might think?
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Ned baffles me. At times he does really stupid moves and at others does the right thing and even surprises. I am happy and sad with our GM
pretty
much par with almost every executive in almost every business
the surprising thing is how much money is guaranteed in future years
by bhsportsguy on Mar 29, 2011 12:15 AM PDT up reply actions
par with almost every executive in almost every business
I shudder to think what the record of my business decisions held in the light of the media would look like
I have had more bad signings of expensive talent then I can remember….
by Hollywood Joe on Mar 29, 2011 7:54 AM PDT up reply actions
Which means Ned doesn’t suck as much as DC might think?
Unpossible
Dell, Forbort, Frattin, Genoway, Gregoire, Kristo, Malone, Nelson, Trupp. Go Fighting Sioux.
"A wedding is a funeral where you smell your own flowers" -Eddie Cantor
by angelofdeath on Mar 29, 2011 12:11 AM PDT up reply actions
Don’t all of these type of contracts leave money on the table, otherwise what would be the point from the team standpoint? The team saves some future money, the players gets paid now, and has the security to know that no matter what happens he’s set financially for life.
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
the team doesn’t necessarily have to save money as long as they in return get something of value in the way of roster certainty. Kind of why Juan Uribe got 21/3. The deal isn’t good for the team financially, but it’ll help when creating the next two rosters.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
Kim Ng works for the LAD through the end of this month
It was a little odd to see her at the Dodgers’ AZ office while we were there.
Wonder if she was part of the Dodger side of the negotiation of Billingsley’s contract or not? Her final gift to LA?
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
The answers to what?
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
The
Last 2 Dodger draft picks to be signed post their first 6 full seasons.
by bhsportsguy on Mar 29, 2011 6:33 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
isn't Thames a Lincecum masher?
why wouldn’t he start over Gwynn?
TJ “Simmers” wrote the lineup card, maybe?
The reason I cannot be nice to people is because I am an asshole
by Humma Kavula on Mar 29, 2011 6:27 AM PDT up reply actions
It’s pronounced Simers/Simmers
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
by G.Scott on Mar 29, 2011 7:30 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
“TJ” of course stands for “That Jerk.” I always use his full name.
"Baseball is the heart of America, I would never do anything to besmirch our National Pastime."
by Little Blue Bicycle on Mar 29, 2011 7:48 AM PDT up reply actions
My guess is this
They want better defense behind Kershaw, who gets either strikeouts or flyball outs. The Thames stats vs Lincecum – they are surely aware of them, maybe felt small sample size vs good defense? I don’t know… But I would expect Thames will get 2 or 3 starts in that Giants series.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
You don’t base decisions on three plate appearances.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 29, 2011 8:17 AM PDT up reply actions
we would tar and feather anyone who did
by Hollywood Joe on Mar 29, 2011 8:19 AM PDT up reply actions
I did not know this
The NBA changesd their tie-breaker rules a few years ago so for home court advantage, the first tie-breaker is Division champion. The second is head to head.
by bhsportsguy on Mar 29, 2011 6:36 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
Latos to the DL
Knew he was gonna wear out with those IP numbers last year.
But ESPN predicts the Padres finish ahead of the Dodgers, so surely that won't affect them.
:-/
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 think I'm caught up
HJ: use the thumb on the exact opposite spot on the ball of the middle finger. You should be able to push down on the top seam with your middle finger snd pull up on the bottom seam with your thumb.
Ned Colletti is good enough to put together competitive baseball teams and hope for the best (which is all anyone does) and still has enough things on his record that he’s going to get complained about.
Fuck Mark Trumbo. Fuck him in the heart. To quote Josie, “He just looks like ‘that guy’”.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
HJ: use the thumb on the exact opposite spot on the ball of the middle finger. You should be able to push down on the top seam with your middle finger snd pull up on the bottom seam with your thumb.
Thanks and I agree. The only way I know how to get it to spin 12 – 6 is to drive my middle finger down and my thumb up (almost like fonzie!)
Why I asked – no less than the great Sandy Koufax, when on stage last year with Torre at the Nokia, talked to Kid K and the audience about the curve ball. Sandy said something to the effect of not using the thumb on his curveball – that you wanted no part of the thumb, the thumb being counter productive… (help me out BH or Eric if you remember the details better).
It was like hearing Copernicus, that’s how mind blowing I found the great Sandy Koufax, master of the curve ball, turning over everything I knew about the pitch….
The one thing I did notice was the size of that man’s hands – they swallowed Kershaws hands, they made Kid K look like he had a 3rd graders hands. The only thing I come up with is that those hands have so much finger surface contact that his hands wrap literally around the ball that he doesnt need what us mortals need in terms of the thumb, all that middle finger friction is enough to send the ball tumbling
Still I am perplexed, even with the reasoning, so when I remember I ask every pitcher I know about it, curious to hear how they throw it, no one yet throws it like Sandy
by Hollywood Joe on Mar 29, 2011 8:07 AM PDT up reply actions
you have to have your thumb SOMEWHERE on the ball, otherwise it’d fall out when you took your hand out of your glove. He may release his thumb and drive down with his index and middle fingers, but whether he likes it or not, Sandy Koufax used his thumb on his curveball.
No Rafael Furcals were hurt in the making of this video.
I assume he uses the oppositional position of the thumb to combat gravity
He was talking about it at the moment of imparting rotation and how the thumb worked against rotation instead of assisting rotation
like I said, it was hearing heresy, anyone else I would have charged the stage with pitchforks and torches
by Hollywood Joe on Mar 29, 2011 9:01 AM PDT up reply actions
that was not Broxtons fault last night.
There were 2 double play balls, that went through. The first one was booted by DeJesus, and the second was the huge gap left by Dee Gordon, as he went to cover 2nd on the stolen base attempt. I personally, thought Broxton looked pretty good.
He has looked better
It was really frustrating ,though, driving to work and seeing one of those electronic billboards with a giant Angels logo with a headline “Broxton Blows Save.” IDJ (or Kemp for that matter) was really more to blame.
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."
Old Friend Alert
Pittsburgh’s James McDonald might miss the start of the season with a left side injury.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11088/1135401-63.stm
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Broxton was Flat
He didn’t miss any bats. He surely wasn’t at all overpowering and didn’t fool anyone. He either needs to throw more changups and breaking balls or throw 100 mph every pitch.
I disagree..
He was nailing the lower outside of the zone with the fastball, and the slider looked like it had good movement too. none of the balls hit off of him, were hit hard, except for the one that Conger hit, on the sacrifice.
Brox is what he is: a good relief pitcher. And most relief pitchers, even the good ones, have swings in their effectiveness. I don’t think he’s the elite guy he was for awhile there, but he’s better than a lot of other guys.
I know personally, my closer expectations got unfairly raised during the Gagne years, but I still remember the Shaw years. And our perspective can be narrowed since we’re mainly following only the Dodgers closely. Many other teams’ fans get the same sense of doubt and ‘lack of trust’ when their close comes in. Ask a Phillies fan how they feel when Lidge comes in.
by Tim Crews' Dastardly Mustache on Mar 29, 2011 9:06 AM PDT up reply actions
Ted Lilly is in the decline phase of his career, his role on this team is objectively more important than Broxton’s, and he just completed an objectively lousy Spring Training. If Broxton’s unearned run in March is worthy of this much scrutiny (and really, it isn’t), the emergency broadcast system should be issuing Lilly alerts.
Maybe he is..
But I’ve heard that its harder for the finesse guys, to get their bearings in AZ. I dont know how true that is.. but it seems to make sense. The Dude just barely turned 35, and he isnt a power pitcher. I’m not ready to chalk up spring stats, as a decline by Ted. Even if he declines a little, I think he can adjust. If we were having this conversation in 2 more years, fine.. I think both Broxton and Lilly are going to be fine. 95 or 96 for Brox, in a spring training game, sounds ok to me.
Things I'm wondering about
a) Who is the other player removed from the 40-man, besides John Lindsey, when Miles and Cormier are added to the team
b) Who makes the team with Jay Gibbons on the DL?
c) If someone like Kapler or another NRI makes the team in Gibbons’ place, who will be the other player removed from the 40-man?
Gibbons last played March 25
So the earliest date he could come off the DL is April 10.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 29, 2011 8:40 AM PDT up reply actions
Wouldn't these be the position players?
1) Barajas
2) Loney
3) DeJesus
4) Furcal
5) Uribe
6) Gwynn
7) Kemp
8) Ethier
9) Thames
10) Paul
11) Miles
12) Carroll
13) Gimenez
Pitchers
1) Kershaw
2) Billz
3) Lilly
4) Kuroda
5) Redding
6) Brox
7) Kuo
8) Jansen
9) Guerrier
10) Hawk
11) Cormier
12) MacDougal or Elbert
I don’t think there is any MacDougal or Elbert, it is MacDougal.
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
Redding isn’t making the opening day roster
by Eric Stephen on Mar 29, 2011 9:06 AM PDT up reply actions
b)
I’d rate the probability as
1) Elbert
2) Castro
3) Kapler
4) Oeltjen
5) Ellis
I’d like to see a pitcher, Elbert, or Ellis. I’d like Ellis because it would free up Gimenez to be available for PH duty vs holding him as the only backup C.
if Gimenez defense is that bad?
Does anyone know if this is true or not? I hear it a bunch but never sure why
by Hollywood Joe on Mar 29, 2011 8:48 AM PDT up reply actions
based simply on Ned’s comment “we got Gimenez for his bat”
while ignoring every scouting report since he hit professional baseball that said if he got to the major leagues it would be because of his defense.
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
thank you – makes total sense to me now
by Hollywood Joe on Mar 29, 2011 8:58 AM PDT up reply actions
a. Luis Vasquez, Jamie Hoffman, Russell Mitchell
b. Ellis
c. no need
Whenever fortune smiles on you, someone else got the frown
I think I’m going to make a post out of this.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 29, 2011 8:41 AM PDT up reply actions
Ned is on KABC 790
Anyone listening?
by silverwidow on Mar 29, 2011 8:45 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
Visions of Johanna
Ain’t it just like the night…
Love the Billz extension. Adore it.
Please keep Gimenez as part time 1b/LF and 3rd catcher with Ellis. For the bat alone.
June sounds right for Sands.
I love Kemp but God! From a distance it seems like the arrogant “‘I don’t care what the fans think” Stewart e-mail of last year Kemp. I am the centerfielder type…That’s where I play. A slugging, speedy CF will make huge $ in FA and he knows it. He should move to RF when Gwynn Jr is in. And he’s still chasing the down and away junk pitches!
Welcome back to Dodger fun with Vinny in the house. Keep up the great work TBLA.
I tried long and hard to work that into the title, but couldn’t make it work.
by Eric Stephen on Mar 29, 2011 9:39 AM PDT up reply actions
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