Kenley Jansen, Left To Die On Vine, Dies On Vine
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2011 8:45 PM PDT
in Dodgers Game Recaps
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PrintKenley Jansen allowed three two-out runs in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Astros a comeback 4-3 win over the Dodgers in the first game of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park. Jansen was wild -- walking one, hitting another, and running a three-ball count to four of his seven batters faced -- but manager Don Mattingly left him out on the mound to throw a Broxtonian 38 pitches in the first blown save of Jansen's career.
After Michael Bourn's two-run double tied the game, Jansen was at 33 pitches, but he was left in the game, even with Scott Elbert warming up. After Jansen hit Clint Barmes with an 0-2 pitch, Jansen was at 36 pitches, but he remained in the game. Two pitches later, Hunter Pence delivered the game winner, a single over Rafael Furcal at shortstop to drive home Bourn with the winning run. The slide by Bourn to score the winning run was really a fantastic effort. Dioner Navarro had the plate blocked but Bourn somehow reached back and snuck his hand in, from behind, to bring home the win for Houston.
Clayton Kershaw was pulled early for a pinch hitter for the second straight start -- remember Juan Castro in the fifth inning last Wednesday? -- and the Dodgers lost in the ninth inning again. However, this time the decision worked...at the time.
Mattingly faced a tough decision with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. The game was tied at 1-1 and his ace, Kershaw was due up with runners on at first and second base. Kershaw had thrown 84 pitches at this point in the game and had struck out the final two batters he faced in the previous inning. With the Dodgers' normal, feeble bench, there is a strong argument to be made to keep Kershaw in the game, even though scoring opportunities are so few and far between for this offense. Luckily, the Dodgers happened to have Andre Ethier at the ready, and Kershaw was pulled.
The right-handed Bud Norris, already at 112 pitches, was left in to face Ethier, rather than Sergio Escalona, Houston's lone left-handed reliever. Ethier, remember, is hitting .203/.230/.271 this year against southpaws and .243/.305/.362 in his career. Ethier delivered an 0-2 ground ball up the middle into center field, and Bourn let the ball roll under his glove, allowing Russ Mitchell to score all the way from first base in addition to Navarro from second base, giving the Dodgers a two-run advantage.
Mike MacDougal (in seven pitches) and Matt Guerrier each threw scoreless innings before Jansen started the ninth inning.
Kemp's Big Night
Matt Kemp had a night to remember as well. Not only did he steal his 13th base of the season, but he also clubbed his 100th career home run. It was the 13th career game for Kemp with a home run and a stolen base, tied with Raul Mondesi for third most by a Los Angeles Dodger. Both Davey Lopes and Willie Davis had 21 such games in their careers. Kemp's 100th home run came in the 2,673rd plate appearance of his career, putting him in the middle of the pack among the 16 LA Dodgers with 100 dingers.
| Fastest LA Dodgers To 100 Home Runs | ||
| Rank | Player | PA |
| 1 | Gary Sheffield | 1727 |
| 2 | Mike Piazza | 1735 |
| 3 | Shawn Green | 1781 |
| 4 | Frank Howard | 1833 |
| 5 | Mike Marshall | 2372 |
| 6 | Raul Mondesi | 2464 |
| 7 | Pedro Guerrero | 2517 |
| 8 | Eric Karros | 2561 |
| 9 | Matt Kemp | 2673 |
| 10 | Andre Ethier | 2893 |
| 11 | Ron Cey | 2982 |
| 12 | Dusty Baker | 3019 |
| 13 | Adrian Beltre | 3169 |
| 14 | Steve Garvey | 3552 |
| 15 | Steve Yeager | 3712 |
| 16 | Willie Davis | 5385 |
Notes
- Kemp is tied for third in the National League with 11 home runs and fifth in the league with 13 steals.
- Kemp also became the sixth Dodger to join the 100-100 club
- Jerry Sands walked three times tonight, and has reached base in nine of his last 10 plate appearances, pushing his on-base percentage on the season up to .346.
- James Loney extended his hitting streak to nine games with a line drive in the box score, a 45-foot dribbler up the third base line that died in the grass for a single in the sixth inning.
- The outing tonight by Jansen snapped a string of 10 straight scoreless appearances by the 6-foot-5 right-hander.
- Casey Blake was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in his first rehab game with Triple A Albuqerque, but also "made three excellent plays in the field," per the Isotopes' team Twitter feed.
- Blake Hawksworth started and pitched one innning in Rancho Cucamonga tonight on a rehab assignment with the Class A Quakes. He allowed a walk, two stolen bases, and a sacrifice fly for a run, and also struck out a batter. Hawksworth is scheduled to pitch one more rehab game with the Quakes, on Wednesday in Lancaster, before possibly rejoining the Dodgers on Friday.
- Chad Billingsley and J.A. Happ face off in the second game of the series on Tuesday night.
WP - Jeff Fulchino (1-2): 1 2/3 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
LP - Kenley Jansen (1-1): 2/3 IP, 3 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 1 HBP, 2 strikeouts
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Outstanding picture caption.
Lest it gets buried, Sands had a great game. Like, really great. Hooray, Sands! I like that Kemp is homering a lot, and that Kershaw showed more command tonight than his last start. Hooray!
"The Dodgers are such a .500 team that if there was a way to split a three-game series, they'd find it." - Vin Scully
yeah
good for all of them
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 8:47 PM PDT up reply actions
pulls the time 3 times in his last game
walks 3 times today. The man can do it all!
You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.
Elbert looked great warming up
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on May 23, 2011 8:47 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Mavs
with the last shot.
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 8:48 PM PDT reply actions
OT
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 8:49 PM PDT up reply actions
That’s what they do. If they aren’t making their living at the FT line they shoot their way in and out of trouble.
by Michael White on May 23, 2011 8:55 PM PDT up reply actions
They have 2 scorers on the floor. they get doubled. They are incredible easy to defend without Harden or another shooter on the floor.
by UCLADodger32 on May 23, 2011 8:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Yet, here they are playing the Western finals. If only the Lakers were so pathetic.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Its a testament to how good Durant and Westbrook are. Brooks has been heavily criticized for the last few years, but KD and Russ have kept winning games.
by UCLADodger32 on May 23, 2011 9:02 PM PDT up reply actions
Part of me is kind of glad the Lakers faded in playoffs already
As painful as that was then, not sure my stress level could take watching them lose now, plus the Dodgers’ slide.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Lakers fans are spoiled
the past few years were every sports fans greatest wet dream.
Welcome to Thameswood / You'll be the first to go, unless you think
as a Laker fan
i really don’t get how some people are acting so childish that they didn’t win this year.
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 8:58 PM PDT up reply actions
I’m coming to loathe this term bandwagon. Teams playing well attract casual fans. If they didn’t no one would ever sell out. (Boston obviously breaks this rule)
by Josie Becker on May 23, 2011 9:01 PM PDT up reply actions
it carries unnecessary negative weight? If you can use it as an insult, it shouldn’t be the technical term to describe a casual fan or a young fan
by Josie Becker on May 23, 2011 9:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Eh, I don’t use the term in a negative way. It is more just the truth of the matter. Casual fans are there because the team is winning and don’t know the pains of what it is like to lose.
casual fans don’t call into radio shows though, they don’t write long curse filled rants on message boards. That’s all I’m getting at, Tommy said folk are acting childish, and I don’t think those are folk who had no rooting interest before the Gasol trade.
by Josie Becker on May 23, 2011 9:07 PM PDT up reply actions
i don't know if i'm addressing bandwagon fans
but those fans who are getting their unmentionables in a bunch because the Lakers got crushed are annoying to me.
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 9:09 PM PDT up reply actions
I want the Lakers to slay the NBA every season
but for other reasons. The Clippers turning into a good team is awesome.
Welcome to Thameswood / You'll be the first to go, unless you think
It will be when it happens
they ain’t there yet
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
You don’t think of the Dodgers as a home run hitting franchise but there are six home grown LA Dodgers who reached 100 faster then Matt Kemp
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
and check out how long it took Garvey, Yeager almost did it as fast. I ‘m stunned to see Yeagers name and not Fergy’s.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Ferguson didn’t play here enough. 91 HRs career as a Dodger. I knew Piazza and Howard were up there, but who knew that Mike Marshall was #3!
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Twas shocking
as was Karros beating Kemp to the magic mark, then again he is Mr Dodger Home Run Leader
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Ha Ha
she’d rather look down and see him:)
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
oh well if that’s all I gotta do…..hell yeah favorite childhood dodger! I didn’t realize Andre already had 100, and more plate appearances than Kemp.
by Josie Becker on May 23, 2011 8:58 PM PDT up reply actions
MIke is the most impressive since he did as rookie forward, while Sheff was already an established hitter when he did it.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Right
throw out Sheffield, Green and Baker and all the rest started their MLB career for LA.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Surprised Frank hit 100 before being dealt
We have not had many trades for established home run hitters or signed any to long term deals with just those three on the list. We had to trade two of them to get the other two Piazza for Sheff and Mondesi for Green.
Baker stands out
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
We traded for a few than didn’t pan out and/or stick around very long: Frank Robinson, Dick Allen, Darryl Strawberry.
Reggie Smith did hit 97 for us in 2055 PA. If he had been slightly healthier, he might have been #5 on that list.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Howard is the most impressive, doing his work in the 1960s (though 1962 was a crazy offensive year)
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2011 9:04 PM PDT up reply actions
with three full years in the cavernous DS. Home plate was five or ten feet further back from the walls back then.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
RE: Jansen
Excuse my rambling here, just trying to sound it all out here…
Jansen is, at the same time, (a) one of the best relievers the Dodgers have and (b) someone in need of refinement.
Just saying he needs to work on things doesn’t mean he sucks. There’s nothing the Dodgers can really do now, not without Padilla or Hawksworth here at least.
Even if you are willing to give up on this season, there is still an argument to be made for Jansen to go down — even if only for a brief period of time — to work on his secondary pitches. Getting Jansen the instruction now could help down the road, in future years, when Jansen begins the season as the closer.
If the Dodgers can work it out with Padilla and Hawksworth back, with Guerrier and (gasp) MacDougal here, then Jansen can even do that learning at the big league level, by pitching lower leverage innings, then that’s great too.
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2011 9:03 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
when he’s got his pitch, he’s fantastic, when he doesn’t have it, he doesn’t seem to have a plan B.
by Josie Becker on May 23, 2011 9:05 PM PDT up reply actions
My only “problem” with him staying in the major is that I don’t think Honeycutt is any good as a pitching coach.
I don’t think he should be sent down right now though. We don’t have better options and he’s been one of our better guys out of the pen (except for a few games). Tonight’s game he didn’t have it and a good manager and pitching coach should have realized this and removed him earlier.
Agreed on your second paragraph.
I am ambivalent on Honeycutt. I tend to think he’s done a pretty good job, but admittedly I am not qualified to judge his performance.
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2011 9:11 PM PDT up reply actions
Honeycutt
Not a good coach? OK, fine, but based on what? He likely doesn’t make the final decision on taking pitchers out of the game.
I don't think it's based on anything much, imho
And in Honeycutt’s tenure the Dodgers have generally ranked pretty high in both starting and relief pitching, so if that matters then if anything overall it could be argued that Honeycutt’s a good pitching coach. Maybe no Dave Duncan, but pretty successful.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
If he learned from failure, he really knows how to teach the guys how to hide the tack.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on May 23, 2011 10:03 PM PDT up reply actions
based on the only things we have to judge him on
he seems to have done a good job
You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.
lol
one more game to win
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 9:09 PM PDT up reply actions
per @therealmattkemp
To all my real Dodger fans stay positive and have faith!!! We gonna turn this thing around. We gotta lot of baseball left to play!!
Well.
"The Dodgers are such a .500 team that if there was a way to split a three-game series, they'd find it." - Vin Scully
Has it ever been asked why he started a different account?
The other one is even confirmed. :o
by Chad Moriyama on May 23, 2011 9:14 PM PDT up reply actions
Haha
This one was confirmed by the Dodgers.
No idea why the old one went away
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2011 9:14 PM PDT up reply actions
Nobody taught him how to delete his other account. :o
by Chad Moriyama on May 23, 2011 9:25 PM PDT up reply actions
They should sent Kemp to see Chuck Crim. I hear he works wonders…
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2011 9:27 PM PDT up reply actions
i want to believe Matt
I do………..
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 9:20 PM PDT up reply actions
Me too, dammit!
Give us a sign that it’s turning around Matty!
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Stop the presses
Albert finally hit a home run
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
and then
just struck out
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 9:20 PM PDT up reply actions
I was away for the post mortem and perfectly fine with that. Time to move on.
Love! Sands showing EXTREME patience. Love! Aaron Miller’s stellar season debut. And Love! Kershaw continuing his excellent season.
what was Miller's
final line?
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 9:21 PM PDT up reply actions
that would be
awesoke,
but Miller’s line quailfies too
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 9:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Hey Phil, if you want something to counter the 7.5 games back number, there’s this:
The Giants haven’t won their division/league in back-to-back years since 1936-1937.
I’ve always been more worried about the Rockies:)
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
That one is easy
Number of Colorado division titles:
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2011 9:22 PM PDT up reply actions
Honestly this is just not a good team. So many things have to start going right:
1. Loney has to hit
2. Rafy has to stay healthy
3. Blake has to stay healthy
4. Kemp has to continue to be one of the 10 best players in the NL
5. Broxton or Padilla have to come back and give the bullpen something to work off of
It could all happen
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
I think the key besides health is Sands or Robinson pulling a miracle run out of their ass.
by Chad Moriyama on May 23, 2011 9:26 PM PDT up reply actions
I have zero expectations that Trayvon will give this team anything in 2011
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Same.
Though I put it in the same likelihood as Loney suddenly figuring it out.
by Chad Moriyama on May 23, 2011 9:28 PM PDT up reply actions
Give me an argument for Trayvon being better than Xavier Paul...
I want to say because Trayvon has shown better patience….but any other reasons?
XP really wasnt much of a difference maker.
He can play a legitimate CF, is much faster, has more power. Still may not be a regular, that K rate in AAA is scary to me for a guy with only 15 home run power.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
I haven’t heard anything from Watson, but do you think Robinson’s move to LF was more for current MLB need, or because Robinson can’t play CF going forward?
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2011 9:49 PM PDT up reply actions
Could be both?
I remember Chad saying that an average/below CF was about equal defensive value to above-average LF. So since we likely know what kind of fielder Robinson is, and we know what the Dodgers need…..
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on May 23, 2011 9:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Definitely could be both, sure. I just don’t know. I am genuinely curious.
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2011 9:52 PM PDT up reply actions
I have a old school thought process about how to build a lineup
I seriously want my C,SS,2B, and CF to be all premium defenders. If I got a a combined OPS of 650-700 outta that group and plus defense I would be stoked.
Gimme some mashers on the corners and lets hope they stay healthy
Welcome to Thameswood / You'll be the first to go, unless you think
Awful part is if you include CF in that we probly already have that, or near it anyway
Take out CF and then get 650-700 from all the other positions and i’m fine.
"If we hit that bull's eye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate"
Matt Kemp isn’t a good defender, but I wasn’t talking about the Dodgers. Just any team in general.
Welcome to Thameswood / You'll be the first to go, unless you think
by NotJoeTorre on May 24, 2011 12:01 AM PDT up reply actions
raffy needs to hit also...
His just staying healthy, but putting up a 270/310/330 doesnt really help much.
Hey we’re still 7.5 games back it’s not too late!
And hell that number was 7 games back in 2006.
@andrewngrant
by regfairfield on May 23, 2011 9:23 PM PDT up reply actions
Aaron Miller with a great start to 2011
by Julio Nievas on May 23, 2011 9:22 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
Kyle Russel did not take kindly to Blake Smith taking the easy route in the Cal League to double digit home runs
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
heh
man, I would love for him to figure it out and become a productive ML player
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 9:25 PM PDT up reply actions
how old was he
when he made it up?
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 9:31 PM PDT up reply actions
different story
he made it quick at around 22 but was then hurt most of the next five years.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Ludwick ran out of options well before the team that developed him could use him.
@andrewngrant
by regfairfield on May 23, 2011 9:31 PM PDT up reply actions
Don’t believe that is true. He was traded by Texas to Cleveland and I don’t think he was out of options when it happened since he had only been up for one year.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/ludwiry01.shtml
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Should of been out after six years of service time which is probably why he got free agency in 2005, then again in 2006.
@andrewngrant
by regfairfield on May 23, 2011 9:36 PM PDT up reply actions
He used up options in 2002, 2003, and 2004.
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2011 9:36 PM PDT up reply actions
he was traded in 2003 so he did not use up his options from his original team which was the only point I was making.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Right, I wasn’t clear but that’s why I said developed and not drafted.
@andrewngrant
by regfairfield on May 23, 2011 10:47 PM PDT up reply actions
The SB Nation player pages have all the career transactions, which is a nice and quick resource.
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2011 9:37 PM PDT up reply actions
In the last thread, there was much discussion about who was and who was not giving up on the season. As the dude who gave up on the season before anyone else — and before it was remotely a good idea to give up on the season — I have something to say about this.
I think there’s a lot of great baseball to be played by the Dodgers in 2011. I think the team is hitting an extreme rough patch and will come out of it. I do not think they’ll play this poorly, or anywhere near this poorly, for the next four months. I think they will show flashes of brilliance that makes everybody remember why they fell in love with these players.
No, I do not think they will make the playoffs. But — and maybe this can only come from somebody who completely abandoned the idea of the playoffs in 2011 a long time ago — the playoffs are completely beside the point.
The Dodgers will make you enjoy baseball in 2011. I promise you that.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on May 23, 2011 9:29 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
They will also make you enjoy a trip to Dodger Stadium, on Memorial Day (new commercial)
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2011 9:31 PM PDT up reply actions
Clink!
Seems pretty fair and level headed to me. I honestly don’t see this as a legit playoff team even with everyone back and even when (I’m not saying when, I’m saying if) they start playing better and winning more. But I think you described well what I feel, which is there will be some more fun ahead. Nothing could be less fun than right now.
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 screwed that up
I meant, “I’m not saying if, I’m saying when.”
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
The Bullpen is the worst in the NL
Whether it is durability, inconsistency or inexperience the Bull Pen will render our enjoyment of the game to the 6 or 7 innings that a starter is still on the mound. There will be for this season a heart wrenching desperation felt by fans when the starter departs the game. The fans will cheer for the Starter when he is relieved then ask that starter to pray and hope along side us all that that night the Pen is mentally ready to pitch at the MLB level. Most often it is not. This Bull Pen leads the league in Earned Runs Allowed and blown saves. It has not improved as a unit this month. The offense is not going to improve much and what improvement there is will be predicated on Furcal remaining in the lineup. The offense at its zenith will not overcome this Bull Pen. I would by into what you are saying if I was to witness some improvement in the Bull Pen. Tangentially speaking I am shocked that the GM and the staff allowed such a sad Pen to be created.
I realize since the McCourt Debacle began that payroll and long term commitments would be affected, which rules out major acquisitions of rotation or bat. I didn’t count on the team playing above .500 this year and likely next season. So as you instructed I was watching this year as a fan willing to enjoy the successes as they came and not worry about the standings or playoffs. Good God the Pen alone has kept this team from being .500, where it should be. I cannot laugh it off seeing good and great starts gone to waste basically each night. Solid Bull Pen acquisitions are a function of the front office more than payroll limitations.
Persistence is Omnipotent. You hear me Bills?
bah http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEwKCu0P89c&feature=related
Welcome to Thameswood / You'll be the first to go, unless you think
rating new managers on MLBN
didn’t even mention Donnie and the Dodgers.
No one fucking cares……
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 9:32 PM PDT reply actions
The only score that makes sense for D2X
is an I for Incomplete.
It is impossible to tell what kind of manager D2X is. He is hamstrung by injuries and a mediocre team. I’m not going to pin that on him.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on May 23, 2011 9:35 PM PDT up reply actions
they could have mentioned that at least
i don’t know why, but it really bothers me that this team is barely spoken of
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 9:36 PM PDT up reply actions
We are almost in last place? For the rest of the nation we are the West Coast Astro’s.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
never said
it was rational
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 9:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Absolutely
I made that point on DT last night. He’s made some questionable moves (like tonight’s 9th) but overall I think the circumstances are so horrible there’s no way to fairly judge him. And he could be mediocre but be winning if he just had a healthy, better team from start to now.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Asdrubel Cabrera
dude is a boss this year
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 9:34 PM PDT up reply actions
the guy they got from the #6 Org?
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
heh
they got him in one trade
and Choo in another from Seattle
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 9:41 PM PDT up reply actions
They got Cleveland’s DH platoon for Choo and Cabrera. Brilliant trade is likely an understatement.
Welcome to Thameswood / You'll be the first to go, unless you think
Core of the best record in baseball
built by trading
Blake
Ben Broussard
Eduardo Perez
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Both of those guys quickly faded from the MLB after
I assume that Bill Bavasi didn’t much care for prospects.
Welcome to Thameswood / You'll be the first to go, unless you think
There’s a new Buffalo Wild Wings in Brea, apparently the largest one, and it is (at least partially) owned by Tim Salmon and Jim Edmonds.
It would be amazing if he put up that line
I’d be so thrilled
"If we hit that bull's eye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate"
I would, too,
but in September, as he approached those numbers, I’d be looking with a magpie’s eye at 40 home runs and the 40-40 club, and if he didn’t make it, I have to admit, I’d be a little disappointed, with no good reason for disappointment.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on May 23, 2011 9:44 PM PDT up reply actions
its so sweet. like “omg get this outta my mouth sweet.”
Welcome to Thameswood / You'll be the first to go, unless you think
Good, just what America needs is more corn syrup.
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 a fan of really sweet drinks and that is sugar heaven, and I hate McDonalds for selling that nasty sweet tea for a dollar and selling a regular iced tea for 1.80 plus tax.
Welcome to Thameswood / You'll be the first to go, unless you think
I went for broke and had a strawberry slush at Sonic today. Man, that thing was sweet.
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2011 9:38 PM PDT up reply actions
You have to go with the slushes that have lime in them. They squeeze real limes in there, so that cuts the sweet with a nice tart.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on May 23, 2011 10:00 PM PDT up reply actions
Funny
I was just thinking that it is highly unlikely that McDonalds would want to pay me the amount money it would take to get me to go to the restaurant and order that. I mean, I want a house in Manhattan Beach, and if they bought me one, then, sure, I’d go purchase a Frozen Strawberry Lemonade from McDonalds.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on May 23, 2011 9:38 PM PDT up reply actions
You forget that I work in PR
Which means that, by definition, I am a whore.
If McDonalds buys me a million-dollar house, then there are very, very few personal rules I’d break in exchange.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on May 23, 2011 9:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Now that I think about it
I’m not sure it breaks my rule. If I wanted Frozen Strawberry Lemonade, I’d have to buy sugar, lemons, and strawberries. That would cost a lot — you can’t buy one drink’s worth of sugar — but if I made enough frozen strawberry lemonades, my per-drink cost would certainly be under one dollar.
It does not violate my rule.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on May 23, 2011 9:49 PM PDT up reply actions
man those bastards at activision have no souls
Welcome to Thameswood / You'll be the first to go, unless you think
Lohse / Westbrook
Is Duncan simply the best pitching coach in baseball?
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Who are we kidding? The boring pick going into the season — that the NL representative in the World Series was gonna be the Phillies — looks pretty good right now.
All the usual caveats apply. Long season, NLDS is a short series, blah blah blah. Just saying life is good if you’re a Phillie.
Except you, Ruiz. Fuck you.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on May 23, 2011 9:56 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
wow
this game was the first win when trailing by 2 runs in the ninth for the Astros since 8/2/08. 178 games.
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 9:39 PM PDT reply actions
Everything, everything, everything is going wrong for the Dodgers right now.
Emphasis on the right now. There’s nothing left to go wrong. The starting pitching (tonight excepted) has been shaky. The offense has been atrocious and the bullpen abysmal. So right now, the Dodgers are the cure for what ails bad teams.
It’ll get better.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on May 23, 2011 9:42 PM PDT up reply actions
sucks to go through
but i agree
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on May 23, 2011 9:42 PM PDT up reply actions
Is that still true? I admit that I’ve only been half-paying attention, but my impression is that there have been several shaky starts in the past week or so.
My impression could be wrong, and if it is, I’ll stand corrected.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on May 23, 2011 9:53 PM PDT up reply actions
Well he said in general.
And for most of the season so far, the starting pitching has been good. There have been a few shaky starts lately though. But again, the offense is not built to support a less than great start from pitching or any bullpen implosion.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Fair enough. I guess I was talking about this most recent shit-stretch, but I don’t want to belabor the point.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on May 23, 2011 10:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Well
There’s nothing left to go wrong.
You haven’t foreseen the Great Leprosy Plague of July 2011. Won’t be a pretty sight.
But MLB will officially own team by then so they will do what they can to fix 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.
well, that's something
the Dodgers have managed to distract us from the fact that it’s almost June
"The Dodgers are such a .500 team that if there was a way to split a three-game series, they'd find it." - Vin Scully
MLBTV doing a live look in on the Angels just in time for Tori to put them in front
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
what is the chivas brotherhood? and why does it invade my browser
Welcome to Thameswood / You'll be the first to go, unless you think
It is a company willing to pay money to SB Nation writers, so I’m OK with them :)
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2011 9:58 PM PDT up reply actions
hehe
I was just making sure I wasn’t compromised.
Welcome to Thameswood / You'll be the first to go, unless you think
by NotJoeTorre on May 23, 2011 10:00 PM PDT up reply actions
and with that.. how many times do you need me to click that bitch?
Welcome to Thameswood / You'll be the first to go, unless you think
by NotJoeTorre on May 23, 2011 10:01 PM PDT up reply actions
I got it covered
Welcome to Thameswood / You'll be the first to go, unless you think
by NotJoeTorre on May 23, 2011 10:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Since people want to stay positive, after this series we finish our two insane almost back to back 20 games in 20 days stretches (although we did have that rainout) plus all the injuries. We’re going to be getting a day off every week almost after we get out of Houston for awhile. So with a more favorable schedule at least in terms of days off and what not that could help us out. Can’t blame the team if they are drained after this pretty insane stretch we’ve had.
They have this crazy run of a bunch of Thursdays off in the next few months.
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2011 9:59 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah I’ve noticed we basically have a day off every week for about the next 3 months or so. Maybe that will help us out. I’ve never seen a team go through two 20 game stretches that early in the season like that. It was a brutal stretch and hopefully getting over it will help the team.
by Mike Dennis on May 23, 2011 10:09 PM PDT up reply actions
Alexi Ogando is as big a story this year as CJ Wilson was last year
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Rick Honeycutt
needs to learn how to turn our bullpen fodder into above average starting pitching. :)
One of the big reasons I don't have a lot of confidence
this offense will turn it around… Is that Raffy is not the Raffy of old and doesn’t seem like he will return to it. For some significant stretches, he used to carry this team.
Dude played seven games before he broke his thumb. I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt.
Look at me, being all optimistic and shit!
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on May 23, 2011 10:04 PM PDT up reply actions
If we had one more hitter capable of putting up a OPS of .850, I think the team could seriously contend
Blake, Dre, Kemp, someone doesn’t suck
That would be nice
Welcome to Thameswood / You'll be the first to go, unless you think
by NotJoeTorre on May 23, 2011 10:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Blake has never had an .850 season
There have been 8 .850 or better Dodger season in the last five years (‘06-’10) w/ 400 PA minimum:
Ethier 3 times
Kent twice
Manny
Nomar
JD Drew
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on May 23, 2011 10:10 PM PDT up reply actions
Thats a fucked up list.
Welcome to Thameswood / You'll be the first to go, unless you think
by NotJoeTorre on May 23, 2011 10:12 PM PDT up reply actions
Dodger Stadium suppresses offense, so they say.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on May 23, 2011 10:14 PM PDT up reply actions
yeah
Most all of those players were very frustrating at one time or another.
Kent – yuck
Drew- double yuck
If there’s such a thing as an empty .850, seems they had it.
Kent, Drew and Nomar all did it in 2006. There’s a reason that team won 88 games and got the wild card despite having 60 starts from a combination of Sele, Tomko, Hendrickson, Seo, and OPerez.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on May 23, 2011 10:20 PM PDT up reply actions
Drew on-based .393 and slugged .498.
Kent on-based .385 and .375 and slugged .477 and .500. And played second fucking base. Poorly. But still. (Kent also had a .889 OPS in 2005, before Dave’s window.)
It is a difficult thing about the free agency period — you are stuck with players on your team who you can’t root for. I didn’t root for Kent. But he was a great player for the Dodgers until the last year.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on May 23, 2011 10:21 PM PDT up reply actions
Drew owned.
Kent really owned.
Not their fault they were surrounded by bad players in 2005.
@andrewngrant
by regfairfield on May 23, 2011 11:17 PM PDT up reply actions
Manny met one of the minimums?
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on May 23, 2011 10:12 PM PDT up reply actions
Even missing 50 games, he got 431 PA in 2009.
@davidyoungtbla - The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on May 23, 2011 10:13 PM PDT up reply actions
Also wondered about Kemp in '09
And, of course, he misses, the list, just an OPS of .842…..
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on May 23, 2011 10:15 PM PDT up reply actions
Hey one good trade we made
getting Ethier for Milton Bradley. Very unusually good move for recent Dodger management..
can’t even go into rebuild mode – raffy has 10/5 rights, loney and broxton’s values are in the shitter. this season is why chivas was invented.
Amy Poehler
Can curse like a sailor and I did see a extended cut if the Parks and Rec season finale. The one thing annoying about any panel discussion are the insipid questions from the moderator and this one was no different. But overall a fun evening at the Television Academy.
She was just ad-libbing in Deuce Bigalow
Welcome to Thameswood / You'll be the first to go, unless you think
by NotJoeTorre on May 23, 2011 10:14 PM PDT up reply actions
Poehler is awesome. One of the things I need to do next time I’m in LA with time (i.e. Dodgers schedule allows) is go to a show at UCB.
Who was the moderator?
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2011 10:15 PM PDT up reply actions
probably some stiff from ew or some crap pop culture blog or something
by Josie Becker on May 24, 2011 12:09 AM PDT up reply actions
This weekend's match-ups vs. FLA
FRI: Jon Garland vs. Javier Vazquez
SAT: Hiroki Kuroda vs. Jay Buente (?)
SUN: Clayton Kershaw vs. Ricky Nolasco
Of course. One of, like, two Sundays that I DON’T have tickets, and it’s fucking Kershaw vs. Nolasco. Only thing worse woulda been if it was Johnson.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on May 23, 2011 10:26 PM PDT up reply actions
Ah, I see he’s on the DL.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on May 23, 2011 10:26 PM PDT up reply actions
Buente, 27, made MLB start #1 on Sunday, allowing 4 runs in 3 innings.
I’m guessing he gives up 2 runs in 6 IP
by Eric Stephen on May 23, 2011 10:27 PM PDT up reply actions
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