Dodgers Pitching Thin Heading Into Finale At Coors
by Eric Stephen on Aug 21, 2011 10:34 AM PDT
in Dodgers Game Previews
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PrintThe Dodgers look to win a series at Coors Field on Sunday, but to do so will need a strong outing from Chad Billingsley. The bullpen has been taxed in the first two games in Colorado, specifically on Saturday when all seven relievers on the roster pitched in the 13-inning loss to the Rockies. Billingsley is needed to pitch deep into the game, but to do so he will need to overcome his struggles at Coors Field.
In his career, Billingsley has made seven appearances in Colorado, including six starts. He is 1-5 with a 7.88 ERA (28 runs in 32 innings), with 21 walks and 19 strikeouts. This season, Billingsley has lost both starts at Coors Field, losing on April 6 and June 10, allowing a total of 11 runs in 7 2/3 innings.
The Dodgers have used a reliever on three straight days three times this season:
| 2011 Dodgers Relief Pitchers On 3 Straight Days, By Pitches Thrown | ||||
| Reliever | Dates | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 |
| Mike MacDougal | May 23-25 | 7 | 10 | 18 |
| Javy Guerra | Jul 23-25 | 15 | 16 | 4 |
| Kenley Jansen | Jul 24-26 | 10 | 12 | 7 |
The Dodgers have had four different relievers pitch on each of the last two days:
- Scott Elbert threw 25 pitches after throwing 16 pitches Friday
- Matt Guerrier threw 23 pitches after throwing 16 pitches Friday
- Blake Hawksworth threw 13 pitches after throwing 12 pitches Friday
- Mike MacDougal threw 22 pitches after throwing four pitches Friday
Factor in Javy Guerra throwing 32 pitches on Saturday, and Hong-Chih Kuo pitching in parts of two innings and the Dodgers have the makings of a thin bullpen on Sunday. The one reliever I didn't mention was Josh Lindblom, and even he threw 25 pitches yesterday.
The bullpen is so thin that Hiroki Kuroda has volunteered to pitch in relief today, per Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times. And then this:
Mattingly said he told Loney he could pitch today if the #Dodgers run out of arms.
Kevin Millwood was released by Boston on August 6, and signed with the Rockies two days later. In two starts with Colorado he has allowed seven runs in 13 innings with two walks and nine strikeouts, which don't look too bad on the surface until you notice that Millwood has also allowed a whopping five home runs.
Could be a high scoring affair in the series finale.
Sunday Blues For Colorado
The Rockies have a bizarre streak going with 17 straight losses on Sunday:
| Rockies Sunday Struggles | |
| Date | Result |
| Apr 24 | Florida 6, Colorado 3 |
| May 1 | Pittsburgh 8, Colorado 4 |
| May 8 | San Francisco 3, Colorado 0 |
| May 15 | San Diego 8, Colorado 2 |
| May 22 | Milwaukee 3, Colorado 1 |
| May 29 | St. Louis 4, Colorado 3 |
| Jun 5 | San Francisco 2, Colorado 1 |
| Jun 12 | Dodgers 10, Colorado 8 |
| Jun 19 | Detroit 9, Colorado 1 |
| Jun 26 | Yankees 6, Colorado 4 |
| Jul 3 | Kansas City 16, Colorado 8 |
| Jul 10 | Washington 2, Colorado 0 |
| Jul 17 | Milwaukee 4, Colorado 3 |
| Jul 24 | Arizona 7, Colorado 0 |
| Jul 31 | San Diego 8, Colorado 3 |
| Aug 7 | Washington 3, Colorado 2 |
| Aug 14 | St. Louis 6, Colorado 2 |
The Rockies' last win on Sunday was a 9-5 win over the Cubs on April 17. Colorado is 2-17 on Sundays this season, and 57-51 on all other days.
Lineups
| Dodgers | Rockies | |||
| 3B |
Miles |
CF |
Fowler | |
| SS |
Sellers |
2B |
Ellis |
|
| RF |
Ethier |
RF |
Gonzalez |
|
| CF |
Kemp |
SS |
Tulowitzki |
|
| LF |
Rivera | 1B |
Giambi |
|
| 1B |
Loney |
LF |
Smith |
|
| C |
Navarro | C |
Alfonzo |
|
| 2B |
Carroll | 3B |
Nelson |
|
| P |
Billingsley |
P |
Millwood |
|
Game Time: 12:10 p.m.
TV: Prime Ticket
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Comments
I guess you aren't kidding. Is this a joke?
dylanohernandez Dylan Hernandez
Eugenio Velez is also under consideration for emergency pitching duty. #Dodgers
Jeezus, call someone up already, DL Lilly if you have to or replace Velez with a pitcher. Sheesh.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
what ever happened to Broxton? Is he still alive?
by Josie Becker on Aug 21, 2011 10:52 AM PDT up reply actions
Not having Velez on team = win?
Having a real pitcher available in case they go into extras again?
But I like the idea of Loney pitching, make him useful for once. ;-)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Dodgers
James Loney is running out to the bullpen to get some work in for his role as the #Dodgers emergency pitcher today
Me too. Wasn’t he drafted as a pitcher?
by dodgers4life on Aug 21, 2011 10:53 AM PDT up reply actions
No. He was a two way player in High School, but drafted as a 1st baseman.
by silverwidow on Aug 21, 2011 10:54 AM PDT up reply actions
I will have to record this game even tho I wasn’t planning to.
by silverwidow on Aug 21, 2011 10:54 AM PDT up reply actions
This really has the potential to be the weirdest game of the year.
magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri.
quis enim, consortes mei, non fateatur
by Humma Kavula on Aug 21, 2011 10:55 AM PDT up reply actions
It did say emergency, but we don’t know how many pitchers are available today
by Josie Becker on Aug 21, 2011 10:56 AM PDT up reply actions
I’d say the fact that Loney is warming up puts it way past emergency status and into “it might actually happen” status
by Eric Stephen on Aug 21, 2011 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions
Still long odds, but that crucial first step has been taken
by Eric Stephen on Aug 21, 2011 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions
and the pitcher the Rockies got for him Drew Pomeranz just had an emergency appendectomy and his done for the year.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Aug 21, 2011 11:10 AM PDT up reply actions
and Alex White is starting Tuesday for them.
by Eric Stephen on Aug 21, 2011 11:12 AM PDT up reply actions
Seriously
And also, this just cracked me up.
@OldHossRadbourn
Cheer up, Cleveland: any time you can trade half your farm system in order to guarantee a second-place finish, you have to do it.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
At least this was not a rental and hopefully he’ll get back on the beam next year. I’d still bet on Ubaldo winning more games with the Indians then White and Pomeranz ever win for the Rockies.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Aug 21, 2011 11:28 AM PDT up reply actions
Prospects are always in doubt until they prove themselves so that could be true
but Ubaldo hasn’t really been consistently good for quite awhile so i’m not sure I’d bet on him being good for them in the future. Maybe it’ll end up a wash 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.
How do you define quite a while? Put it in Billingsley terms.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Aug 21, 2011 11:49 AM PDT up reply actions
Billingsley terms: He has no heart and can't pitch with a lead? ;-)
No but seriously, I think I goofed in remembering more of a Jekyll and Hyde season last year than he had. It was really only this year that he’s been off. Weird. Looking at his game logs from 2010 he had about 6 or so bad starts, a few genuinely terrible ones, but was otherwise pretty good. Still, something has just seemed off about him this year. Maybe he’ll be back to good again next year.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Tell me why the team can’t release Velez and pick up a pitcher for today?
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
I was going to say because of the thin bench, but Velez doesn’t help much there either except in the ambulatory sense.
by Eric Stephen on Aug 21, 2011 11:12 AM PDT up reply actions
as in his limbs are still fresh in case of need for emergency transplant?
by Josie Becker on Aug 21, 2011 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions
Indeed
I have to think Velez is only here for organ harvesting
by Eric Stephen on Aug 21, 2011 11:14 AM PDT up reply actions
Chad: “My elbow is sore, I think I need Tommy…”
Mattingly: “Someone get Eugenio under the knife”
by Josie Becker on Aug 21, 2011 11:16 AM PDT up reply actions
It would be crazy if Loney gets like 5 Ks in two innings and other teams want to sign him as a reliever.
it’s also be crazy if a bull walked down my street with a chicken stuck up its ass
by Josie Becker on Aug 21, 2011 11:14 AM PDT up reply actions
Isn't that kind of normal for your street?
by Greg Stephen on Aug 21, 2011 11:16 AM PDT up reply actions
farmer Jim and his crazy breeding experiments
by Josie Becker on Aug 21, 2011 11:17 AM PDT up reply actions
Farmer John only uses 100% pure beef, and the finest remaindered raccoons
by Josie Becker on Aug 21, 2011 11:20 AM PDT up reply actions
“OK coach, but I don’t know if I can get my head stuck in that fence.”
by Eric Stephen on Aug 21, 2011 11:17 AM PDT up reply actions
Halladay was losing 2-0 to the Nats
and Chien Ming Wang until local favorite Carlos Ruiz hit a two run bomb to tie things up.
Anyone notice the .473 OBP for AJ Ellis?
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Why do they reset stats when switching leagues? I could understand it pre-interleague but now it lacks sense.
I don’t like it either, but they still have separate leagues and at most a team will play 1/9th of its schedule against the other league.
by Eric Stephen on Aug 21, 2011 11:26 AM PDT up reply actions
Last night
I watched Downton Abbey on PBS as the station just started airing it again. Not being able to resist, I watched the remaining episodes on Netflix after.
I liked the pilot, and was told by Jace Lacob that it turns up around 3-4
by Josie Becker on Aug 21, 2011 11:34 AM PDT up reply actions
Heck of a game going on in Cleveland. Ubaldo gave up 7 in the 3rd, the Guitar starts the comeback with a solo shot, and now the Indians have put four on the board with two outs. Hits by guys no one hear has ever heard of. Donald, Hanrahan, Brantley and so forth.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Now five runs, they have knocked out Porcello
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Aug 21, 2011 11:36 AM PDT up reply actions
Hafner makes the 1st and 3rd out of the inning.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Aug 21, 2011 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions
Chad Billingsley is my favorite pitcher
but on the other hand….I want to see Loney pitch.
So….maybe bullpen explosion?
by Taylor Maricle on Aug 21, 2011 11:36 AM PDT reply actions
Billingsley has a very mild groin strain on the first pitch, has to come out.
@andrewngrant
by regfairfield on Aug 21, 2011 12:49 PM PDT up reply actions
Loney....
Since he’s in the starting lineup, if he does pitch, someone else will need to play first base while he pitches. Possibly a weird triple-switch: Loney to pitcher, Rivera to 1B, and pitcher to left field? I’m assuming there won’t be anyone left on the bench if he has to come in to pitch.
The last thing I want to see is a full time player pitch who has not pitched since high school unless we are losing by eight runs and I don’t want to watch a game that we end up eight runs down that Billlingsley started. You guys are having crazy thoughts.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Just because a player plays nearly every day doesn’t mean he’s really a full-time player :)
by Eric Stephen on Aug 21, 2011 11:44 AM PDT up reply actions
We're all at the point where something like this would be comical
And we all need a laugh, otherwise we might all cry, lol.
"If we hit that bull's eye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate"
Not very interested in watching the Dodgers become comic relief
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Aug 21, 2011 11:50 AM PDT up reply actions
The Indians don’t seem very interested in beating the Tigers, they have left Ubaldo in even after he gave up 7 runs in the 3rd innings. Now being punished again in the 5th after his team scored five to get back in the game. Are they unaware they need to win this game?
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Heck I missed an inning, it was only bottom of the 4th. They finally pull him and the first batter he replacement faces hits into an inning ending double play . 8 – 5 after four.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
by Phil Gurnee on Aug 21, 2011 11:53 AM PDT up reply actions
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