Kuroda's Last Climb of the Dodger Stadium Mound?
by David Young on Sep 22, 2011 5:21 PM PDT
in Dodgers Game Previews
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PrintHiroki Kuroda takes the hill at Dodger Stadium tonight for what may be his last home start in a Los Angeles uniform. Manager Don Mattingly praised the Japanese right-hander for his "quiet leadership and work ethic". In four seasons in major league baseball, Kuroda has posted these numbers: 3.49 ERA, 112 ERA+, 3.55 FIP, 3.63 xFIP, 1.195 WHIP, in 686 innings over 113 appearances, all but one starts. Opposing batters triple-slash line: .250 / .296 / .379 / .675.
Other than missing about ten starts in 2009, Kuroda's tenure with Dodgers has probably worked at as well or better than the front office hoped when they first signed him to a three-year, $35.3 million contract.
Tommy Lasorda will be an honorary coach, in uniform, in the dugout tonight. He claimed that he would actually manager the game tonight. No truth to the rumor that he plans on letting Kuroda throw 130 pitches and have Javy Guerra go for a 2 1/3 inning save.
Notes
- Mattingly plans on sticking with his rotation for the rest of the season. He also praised his young bullpen before the game, saying Guerra and Kenley Jansen had been "tremendous" and that Scott Elbert was "getting over the hump with his confidence."
- Especially for Phil: The Dodgers manager was also in favor of a change to the September roster rules, begin in favor of a more limited expansion, perhaps to 30 players maximum. He cited a game against Pittsburgh a couple years ago, where the Dodgers were in the playoff race, but that they "couldn't prepare for seventeen pitchers" on the Pirates roster.
- Matt Kemp is currently in the NL top three in home runs, batting average, RBIs and steals. If he finishes the season in the top three in all four categories, he would join the following players as the only others to do so: Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, George Sisler, Chuck Klein, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. Nice company.
- In The Thick Of It: Kuroda has set career highs in both wins AND losses this year, and has had only two no-decisions.
- When asked if "Manny had anything left in the tank", Mattingly cracked, "Manny Mota?"
Lineups
| Giants | Dodgers | |||
| CF | Christian | SS | Gordon | |
| 2B | Keppinger | RF | Sands |
|
| RF | Beltran | CF | Kemp | |
| 3B | Sandoval | LF | Rivera |
|
| 1B | Huff |
3B | Miles | |
| LF | Belt | 1B | Loney |
|
| SS | Crawford | C | Barajas | |
| C | Stewart | 2B | Carroll | |
| P | Bumgarner | P | Kuroda | |
Game Time: 7:10 p.m.
TV: Prime Ticket
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Comments
I hope it isn't his last game for the Dodgers in LA, but if it is...
hope Kuroda goes out in style. Help finish the Giants off, be a Hiro!
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
copy and paste error. Had to rush downstairs to collect the gems of wisdom from Donnie Two Time and Tommy Lasagna.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
I always have that song ‘my sharona’ in my head whenever Hiroki is pitching.
Manny has morhped into Minnie
I get that too sometimes. Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm MY KURODA!
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
The words of the permalink on the last article
are “Dodger lose Matt Kemp”. Eric FAIL.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Some clarification on the Leo Nuñez issue
since the Marlins placed him on the restricted list today:
Two people familiar with the immigration status of Florida Marlins closer Leo Nunez say the pitcher has been playing under an assumed name, and the issue has prompted him to return to his native Dominican Republic.
One of the people said Nunez’s real name is Juan Carlos Oviedo and he’s 29, a year older than listed in the Marlins’ media guide.
No I did not. Probably kept hidden from the press jackals for good reason.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
do the Dodgers do mixed media for these things, or are all the print guys over to the right, waiting for their turn?
by Josie Becker on Sep 22, 2011 6:02 PM PDT up reply actions
The print media was hanging around, mostly in the dugout, waiting their turn.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Usually everyone is clumped in together, but the TV dolts will get their quick clips then get out of everyone’s way.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 22, 2011 6:04 PM PDT up reply actions
Tommy’s wrangler, after we finished with Mattingly, told us Tommy would be in the dugout after he was done with the visual media; he started with them while we were still talking to the real manager.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
I hate how the KABC guy is in close enough to give Tommy a kiss. Give em some room, he’s old : )
by Josie Becker on Sep 22, 2011 6:07 PM PDT up reply actions
Your not real Dodger press
until you’ve worn some Tommy spittle. I got my baptism today.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Sep 22, 2011 6:10 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Not a bad first start.
He’s at 84 pitches; might see him go one more, but I’m not sure when his last start was.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 22, 2011 6:00 PM PDT up reply actions
YES!!
Chad Moriyama saw the kind of tweets Kemp and Guerra were getting so he tweeted this, and Guerra just retweeted it:
Hey @JavyGuerra54 I just climbed Mount Everest and planted a “Javy Guerra Is Awesome” flag at the top, can I get a RT?!
This was Chad's attempt at Kemp
Hey @TheRealMattKemp I just gave birth to a baby boy and named him Matt Kemp because you’re awesome and he’s awesome, can I get a RT?!
by Eric Stephen on Sep 22, 2011 6:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Eric, did you get a press crendential at Dodger Stadium yet
for the days they make the Cy Young and MVP announcements?
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Nope
They are during the week, so I’m out.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 22, 2011 6:07 PM PDT up reply actions
this guy. Put him on the masthead already : p
by Josie Becker on Sep 22, 2011 6:08 PM PDT up reply actions
Doesn’t Brandon live and work like in Pasadena? Can’t he drag his butt down here?
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
It will probably be easy to do, but not till the week before or so
by Eric Stephen on Sep 22, 2011 6:08 PM PDT up reply actions
BTW, I did get to speak briefly to Josh Rawitch
while waiting for Lasorda. I thanked him for everything he’s done for us and wished him well, telling him I was pretty sure I could speak for all of TBLA.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
by David Young on Sep 22, 2011 6:08 PM PDT reply actions 3 recs
Joining the D-Backs once the regular season ends. Same position essentially, with a “senior” in the front of the title.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 22, 2011 6:12 PM PDT up reply actions
Enchiladas and (crispy) tacos. Also fried chicken. I passed on the tacos.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
and it is tasty. I took two thighs, because, as the Rose Byrne discussion revealed, I’m a thigh man.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
So are Red Sox and their fans complaining en masse about the Yankees resting a lot of starters in their TB series?
I’m guessing yes, not that I care that much myself.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
(Though I do know about the unwritten rule that for games with playoff implications you play your best team, etc)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Coming bowling? You and Mrs. AJ can meet up – (very) roughly halfway (by time) between you!
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
hahah
i come down for the weekends, but nto sure what the story for friday night is. i would like to but its a bit far from culver city and i will have already drive 2 hours in rush hour :[
Time it so you are in Tarzana at 8 P.M. Get one of our South Bay folks, like GScott, to give Mrs AJ a ride up. Go home together – it’ll be like an old-timey group date.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
We won’t even make her take the pictures.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
does that apply to playoff bound teams
or just bad teams playing playoff teams?
Watch me all in flames, on a butterfly I ride
a chance to eliminate their hated rivals?
you think they’d pass up a chance like that?
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Sep 22, 2011 6:26 PM PDT up reply actions
see you rest your players a bit
then get them back into the groove by pounding the sox to dirt!
Watch me all in flames, on a butterfly I ride
That's what I'm expecting them to do. Couple that with Martin's comments
and I guess I wouldn’t blame Sox fans for being a little annoyed though… it’s still pretty amusing to me.
My dad the Yankee fan though says he would like to see the Red Sox in, he roots against them yet has a soft spot for them as team he’s known the 2nd most since childhood.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Little League team from Oceanview
taking infield right now.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
they are wearing white pants, yellow-gold tops with green sleeves, so it looks like the Oakland A’s mini-mes are in town.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Some of them are as big as Justin Sellers though, so it’s not so absurd.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Haha, I read this as Charlie Sheen at first
by Eric Stephen on Sep 22, 2011 6:26 PM PDT up reply actions
One is getting waaay more tail than the other. Or I’ve really misjudged Charley Steiner’s animal magnetism.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
I assume he must be hung like the proverbial horse.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
OH man
Blue Jays almost went up 4-3 bottom 8.
Scott Downs gave up a long fly out to the wall in LF, caught by Vernon Wells with his ass against the wall. Downs reaction on the mound when the ball was hit was one of great despair.
Still tied 3-3…to the 9th!
I saw Blue Jays, Scott Downs, Vernon Wells, and was confused for a minute.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Man, I know the Rox have been missing a couple of their best hitters off and on but talk about a team
doing a big nose dive in the 2nd half of the season.
Today they’re losing to Houston.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Last night as Vin was giving some division scores, he said, “the Rockies have just stopped playing.”
by Eric Stephen on Sep 22, 2011 6:37 PM PDT up reply actions
O’Dowd said Tracy is coming back for 2012, but with no contract extension (it’s Tracy’s final year under contract).
But of course that could easily change this winter.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 22, 2011 6:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Tulo is tired of trying to figure out how to be like Cesar Izturis.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
I missed it about 50% as much.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
solid
not elite
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Sep 22, 2011 6:43 PM PDT up reply actions
I like that it works as a “average” reference and as a “half-wit” joke.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
average is a callback, but half-wit is an affectionate dig.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
I wonder what their record is before and after trading Ubaldo.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
51-56 w/Ubaldo
19-29 w/o before tonight
by Eric Stephen on Sep 22, 2011 6:42 PM PDT up reply actions
no idea of the breakdown, just posting the numbers.
by Eric Stephen on Sep 22, 2011 6:44 PM PDT up reply actions
roughly a .400 team since the trade. Ooof.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Wow, I missed that. Sounds a little harsh from Vin but hard to disagree with.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
kinda like a
“welp, what can you say?”
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Sep 22, 2011 6:43 PM PDT up reply actions
please dont give up a hr to jose bautista
please dont give up a hr to jose bautista
please dont give up a hr to jose bautista
please dont give up a hr to jose bautista
Watch me all in flames, on a butterfly I ride
base hit
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Sep 22, 2011 6:50 PM PDT up reply actions
walked Lind
winning run on second
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Sep 22, 2011 6:53 PM PDT up reply actions
winning run on third
two outs
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Sep 22, 2011 6:58 PM PDT up reply actions
Johnson flys out
extras
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Sep 22, 2011 7:00 PM PDT up reply actions
The soft-serve tonight is vanilla and strawberry
I swirled it.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
I haven't really had any trouble not cheering in the press box
But it will difficult not to applaud Kuroda when he shakes hands with Barajas at the end of the game.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
silly Dave
your fingers will be busy writing the recap
by Josie Becker on Sep 22, 2011 6:52 PM PDT up reply actions
I may have mastered both one-hand clapping and one-hand typing.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
so
what’s the sound?
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Sep 22, 2011 6:55 PM PDT up reply actions
Everybody look what’s goin’ down.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
There are two costumed creatures on the field
One is a tiger, Tony perhaps. The other is the LA County Fair mascot (a pig?).
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
why does LA have it’s county fair so late? Competition with Disneyland?
by Josie Becker on Sep 22, 2011 6:54 PM PDT up reply actions
I dunno. I’ve always wanted to go to the State fair. I wish we were like Texas and South Carolina, where there’s a football game at their State Fair.
by Josie Becker on Sep 22, 2011 6:59 PM PDT up reply actions
true story, I have never traveled north of the 10, gotten out of the car while still in LA city limits, and walked around
by Josie Becker on Sep 22, 2011 6:56 PM PDT up reply actions
wait God Damn it, DS and Hollywood are north of the 10. As is the Rose Bowl. I need another freeway to not cross. North of the 210?
by Josie Becker on Sep 22, 2011 7:04 PM PDT up reply actions
LMU’s west of the 405, as is Venice Beach
by Josie Becker on Sep 22, 2011 7:08 PM PDT up reply actions
Special Edition?
snob :)
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Sep 22, 2011 7:04 PM PDT up reply actions
hey you know all those scenes that were crap?
the whole movie was crap, Lou.
Yeah, well, stick em on a DVD and we’ll call it Special Edition.
Not even Blu-Ray, Lou?
by Josie Becker on Sep 22, 2011 7:05 PM PDT up reply actions
I hear this
as a conversation between Chief Wiggum and his Sergeant Lou
"Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die."
by Tommy Blackjack on Sep 22, 2011 7:07 PM PDT up reply actions
All my life. But Pomona has always been really, really far away.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Sweet Lou Johnson honored
It is his birthday today.
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
Game Thread Is Up
http://www.truebluela.com/2011/9/22/2443485/dodgers-giants-game-xviii-chat
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- The commenter formerly known as El Lay Dave.
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