Here are the last two Podcasts from TDB as we discuss the closet situation as well as the debut of teenager Bryce Harper in tonight's match up between the Dodgers and Nationals.
The pride of Las Vegas, Nevada will start his first MLB game in left field. In 2010 he was the recipient of the Golden Spikes award, which honors the best amateur baseball player. Let's see what kind of spikes he has when he shares an outfield with opposing players like Matt Kemp.
Cheers
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Hump Day at TDB
It looks as if my guest article about the Dodgers' everday depth on Mike Petriello's popular Dodger fan blog "Mike Sciosia's Tragic Illness" has spurred some quality debate on how the organization should go forward. Building around special pieces like Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw, is going to be paramount over the next calendar year (if new ownership looks to start making an immediate run at some titles).
Here's another TDB Podcast recapping last nights defeat and previewing the final game of the home series with Atlanta.
Cheers
Here's another TDB Podcast recapping last nights defeat and previewing the final game of the home series with Atlanta.
Cheers
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Chipper Beats Dodgers on 40th Birthday
As I tweeted in the waning moments of Tuesday night's one-run Dodger loss, Matt Kemp has been the difference maker on this team all season long, so it only seemed fitting that his first legitimate defensive flub of the young 2012 season would also be a difference maker. It was a fantastically competitive affair. Both teams had enormous and towering home runs pulled around foul poles by their respective old timers. Both teams manufactured runs. Both teams had fantastic plays on defense. And both teams erred (as far as I'm concerned if the ball hits Matt Kemp's glove and he's running upright... its an error).
The one black eye on "sleeved blanket night" was Javy Guerra's ill-timed fast ball in the zone to Prado that looked eerily similar to the pitch he threw in Milwaukee when he blew his first save. In fact they were hit to almost identical locations, only this time Matt Kemp had a chance at it. And just like that, the air was let out of the Dodger balloon. Andre Ethier's following appearance at the plate to lead off the bottom of the 9th was a perfect example, as he swung at anything he could see, spinning out of control like that whizzing, deflating balloon. After that, the tying run made it all the way to 2nd base before an ice cold Tony Gwynn Jr. was asked to come off the bench and be the hero with 2 outs. Against arguably the best closer in all of baseball no less.
Which brings us to the SILVER LINING... The Dodger's loss came on a night where every other NL West club lost a game as well. The Dodgers still have a 3.5 game lead over San Francisco as they turn to Ted Lilly for the series win.
Word on the street is that Ned Colletti was at tonight's heart break loss. Maybe Ned was paying attention when Don Mattingly needed a big pinch hit, and he was forced to rely on guys like Justin Sellers, Adam Kennedy or Tony Gwynn. It was reported that Colletti has confirmed he will be looking for a bat in the next few months. If tonight's loss was any indication of the Dodger's options, clearly Uribe's 4-hit night was an aberration and the Dodgers needs are a power hitting 3rd baseman and/or outfielder. I've heard whispers of a guy like David Wright and while that would be intriguing, the Dodgers would have to give up a major prospect like Zach Lee. A move that would be very Ned, and very unpopular with yours truly.
The rubber match is slated for 7:10PM. Unfortunately it sounds as if Juan Rivera might be heading to the disabled list. Only hours after he finally got of the his first homerun of the season. TDB's "Lilly Watch" will be in full effect tomorrow... Tweet me your predictions of home runs given up to fly ball outs ratio.
Good night.
The one black eye on "sleeved blanket night" was Javy Guerra's ill-timed fast ball in the zone to Prado that looked eerily similar to the pitch he threw in Milwaukee when he blew his first save. In fact they were hit to almost identical locations, only this time Matt Kemp had a chance at it. And just like that, the air was let out of the Dodger balloon. Andre Ethier's following appearance at the plate to lead off the bottom of the 9th was a perfect example, as he swung at anything he could see, spinning out of control like that whizzing, deflating balloon. After that, the tying run made it all the way to 2nd base before an ice cold Tony Gwynn Jr. was asked to come off the bench and be the hero with 2 outs. Against arguably the best closer in all of baseball no less.
Which brings us to the SILVER LINING... The Dodger's loss came on a night where every other NL West club lost a game as well. The Dodgers still have a 3.5 game lead over San Francisco as they turn to Ted Lilly for the series win.
Word on the street is that Ned Colletti was at tonight's heart break loss. Maybe Ned was paying attention when Don Mattingly needed a big pinch hit, and he was forced to rely on guys like Justin Sellers, Adam Kennedy or Tony Gwynn. It was reported that Colletti has confirmed he will be looking for a bat in the next few months. If tonight's loss was any indication of the Dodger's options, clearly Uribe's 4-hit night was an aberration and the Dodgers needs are a power hitting 3rd baseman and/or outfielder. I've heard whispers of a guy like David Wright and while that would be intriguing, the Dodgers would have to give up a major prospect like Zach Lee. A move that would be very Ned, and very unpopular with yours truly.
The rubber match is slated for 7:10PM. Unfortunately it sounds as if Juan Rivera might be heading to the disabled list. Only hours after he finally got of the his first homerun of the season. TDB's "Lilly Watch" will be in full effect tomorrow... Tweet me your predictions of home runs given up to fly ball outs ratio.
Good night.
Dodgers and Braves - April 24th
Another pre-game podcast from TDB. The Dodgers are starting to feel much more balanced throughout their lineup this season as James Loney and Juan Uribe seem to be finding their stride. And yes... I pronounced Matt Kemp's .460 batting average as "four point six zero" in the podcast. Please forgive me.
ALSO--> Keep an eye out for my guest article on well known Dodger Blogger Mike Petriello's "Mike Sciosias Tragic Illness" tomorrow.
Have a great Tuesday!
ALSO--> Keep an eye out for my guest article on well known Dodger Blogger Mike Petriello's "Mike Sciosias Tragic Illness" tomorrow.
Have a great Tuesday!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Pre-Game Pod Casts...
While we might have benefited from waiting until the batting lineup for today's game with the Astros had been posted before recording TDB's first-ever podcast, the thoughts on the Dodgers are hopefully relevant nonetheless. Have a great start to your weekend. Think Blue.
Today's starting lineup:
Today's starting lineup:
Gordon SS
Kennedy 2B
Kemp CF
Ethier RF
Rivera LF
Loney 1B
Sellers 3B
AJ Ellis C
Kershaw P
Friday, April 20, 2012
The "Matt and Andre Show" Continues...
Another day, another Dodgers win over a less than stellar opponent. But the reality of an 11-3 start is that you still have to play those 14 games regardless of the opponent, and see where the ball falls. With the exception of back to back nights where the "play-at-the-plate" odds fell in the Milwaukee Brewer's favor, the Dodgers clawed back with a gritty low scoring win going away. The salvage game of the series wouldn't have been possible if not for the continually ridiculous offensive contribution from the 1-2 punch of Kemp and Ethier. Less than 30 hours after Javy Guerra's MLB leading 6th save in the upper midwest, Don Mattingly's Dodgers were calling upon Guerra once again to close the door. Only this time, the task took place "deep in the heart of Texas".
The Dodgers began the first half of their 6-game road trip in Houston Texas, calling upon veteran starter Ted Lilly for a quality outing. Lilly delivered and the rest of the pieces fell into the same places they have been lately. Matt Kemp put the Dodgers in front early with an opposite field 2-run home run to right field, while his bash-brother, Andre Ethier, extended the lead to 3-0 with an RBI single in the top of the 3rd inning. Jerry Hairston Jr. played stellar defense to keep the opponent at bay. Kenley Jansen threw a few good ol' country fastballs. And finally, Guerra came into close the door for another early season Dodgers win. It's a pretty iron clad game plan the Dodgers have used to get off to the most wins in the MLB, but the reality is that no team can maintain this sort of torrid pace on the backs of only two players.
Matt Kemp's production will likely have to slow down at some point and the same can be said for Andre Ethier. With Andre being in the best health we've seen in years, and Matt being, well... Matt, it's not exactly clear when this eventual break in the offensive madness might take place. But when the numbers cool down, it will take a slightly more balanced offense from the rest of the Los Angeles Dodgers to sustain success through the bulk of the season. As the dog-days of summer set in, its going to take a few more working parts for the "blue crew" to make it out the other side and into October. Some well timed base hits from AJ Ellis and a little more patience at the plate from Dee Gordon and/or James Loney should be a step in the proper direction. But while Ethier and Kemp continue their historic start, those other minor deficiencies will continue to be a footnote in this better-tan-expected April.
If you had told me this past off-season that the Dodgers would be the 2nd Major League team to 11 wins and all that would take place before reigning Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw had gotten his first win of the season, I'd say you're crazy. But this is where we are. The Dodgers are still hot into late April, while Kershaw somehow still winless through 3 starts despite a respectable 2.35 ERA. Hopefully four times a charm, when the Dodgers look to win their 2nd road series of this young season. Tomorrow's first pitch is scheduled for 4:05 PT. There's no reason to believe that Kemp and/or Ethier wont continue their amazing offense, but if for some reason they don't, Kershaw will definitely need a less likely hero to join the RBI party and continue the Dodgers' winning ways.
The Dodgers began the first half of their 6-game road trip in Houston Texas, calling upon veteran starter Ted Lilly for a quality outing. Lilly delivered and the rest of the pieces fell into the same places they have been lately. Matt Kemp put the Dodgers in front early with an opposite field 2-run home run to right field, while his bash-brother, Andre Ethier, extended the lead to 3-0 with an RBI single in the top of the 3rd inning. Jerry Hairston Jr. played stellar defense to keep the opponent at bay. Kenley Jansen threw a few good ol' country fastballs. And finally, Guerra came into close the door for another early season Dodgers win. It's a pretty iron clad game plan the Dodgers have used to get off to the most wins in the MLB, but the reality is that no team can maintain this sort of torrid pace on the backs of only two players.
Matt Kemp's production will likely have to slow down at some point and the same can be said for Andre Ethier. With Andre being in the best health we've seen in years, and Matt being, well... Matt, it's not exactly clear when this eventual break in the offensive madness might take place. But when the numbers cool down, it will take a slightly more balanced offense from the rest of the Los Angeles Dodgers to sustain success through the bulk of the season. As the dog-days of summer set in, its going to take a few more working parts for the "blue crew" to make it out the other side and into October. Some well timed base hits from AJ Ellis and a little more patience at the plate from Dee Gordon and/or James Loney should be a step in the proper direction. But while Ethier and Kemp continue their historic start, those other minor deficiencies will continue to be a footnote in this better-tan-expected April.
If you had told me this past off-season that the Dodgers would be the 2nd Major League team to 11 wins and all that would take place before reigning Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw had gotten his first win of the season, I'd say you're crazy. But this is where we are. The Dodgers are still hot into late April, while Kershaw somehow still winless through 3 starts despite a respectable 2.35 ERA. Hopefully four times a charm, when the Dodgers look to win their 2nd road series of this young season. Tomorrow's first pitch is scheduled for 4:05 PT. There's no reason to believe that Kemp and/or Ethier wont continue their amazing offense, but if for some reason they don't, Kershaw will definitely need a less likely hero to join the RBI party and continue the Dodgers' winning ways.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Dodgers Tickets, Now at Costco
In anticipation of a spike in demand for tickets to Doders games due to the teams change of ownership, tickets are now available in Costco-size bulk. The country's largest membership based warehouse club chain is known for focusing on low prices and high volume. Seems like a perfect marriage seeing as lowering ticket prices and increasing attendance numbers were atop the team's to-do list this past off season (and probably even more so under the new regime).
My question is, will the top deck seats now be called Kirkland brand seats?
My question is, will the top deck seats now be called Kirkland brand seats?
Monday, April 16, 2012
TDB's Odds and Ends
The Los Angeles Dodgers have MLB's best record after the first 10 games of the season,. The team's 9-1 record has the Dodgers off to their best start since their World Title season of 1981. The team has benefited from the piping hot start of Matt Kemp, who recently received his 2nd straight (3rd straight if you count last season's final week)"player of the week" award. Kemp is off to a MLB best .487 batting average (among players with at least 30 at-bats), and leads all of baseball in HR's (6), RBI's (16) and runs (13). Looks as if Kemp is doing his best to remind everyone that he certainly is the player who deserved last season's MVP and has the ability to remain in that form, year in and year out. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise for ALL Dodgers, fans and teammates alike, that Matt didn't win the award last season. Because it certainly seems as if Matt is determined to prove all those Braun voters wrong. Here are a few other thoughts I have after seeing the Dodgers' first home stand:
- I think that Andre Ethier has gotten back that spark he once had (especially at home), and I think part of that comes from that fact that Kemp is doing what he has. Professional athletes are extremely competitive beings, and just being around the MVP-type caliber of Matt Kemp's play (both being beside him in the outfield and near him in the lineup, Ethier is going to feel compelled to at least TRY and best Kemp's contribution. Lest we forget, it IS a contract year. And if Ethier can put together a healthy season with numbers that rival that of Kemp's, then he can sit down with the GM and say "you gave this guy 180 mill, and we're neck and neck in stats, lets talk big money".
- If any team was due for the fortunes in close games to fall in their favor this year, it had to be the Dodgers. But their early season success isn't simply the law of averages finally giving the Dodgers a few W's. The proof is in the pudding. The Dodgers proved last season that you can have the best position player and pitcher in baseball, and still find ways to lose close games. And it came from the rest of the lineup being extremely underwhelming. While Ned Colletti put together another one of his annual bargain bin free agency shopping sprees. This years crop of yawn-inducing 1 and 2-year contracts actually seem to be providing a little bit of balance. I hate giving Colletti ANY kind of credit but this roster feels stronger than last years.
* AJ Ellis gets on base, Dioner Navarro/Rod Barajas never did.
* Mark Ellis = Jamey Carroll with stronger bat/glove
* Adam Kennedy and Jerry Hairston platooning = Less Uribe.
* Capuano and Harang > Kuroda and a vacant 5th slot
* Keeping Juan Rivera around works with protection Kemp and/or Ethier
- Dee Gordon will continue to give us the maddening ups and downs that are guaranteed when you have a rookie starter in his first full season. Take yesterday for example: letting a fairly easy ball get right by him costing Kershaw a chance at the win. But that play was preceded by a fantastic over the shoulder catch, and followed by a heroic 2-strike walk-off single through the left side of the infield. Patience is a virtue when it comes to following the paths of rookies with electric talent like Dee's. They tend to handle the extremely hard plays with ease, and botch the easy ones. But the end result to these growing pains could be something beautiful.
- It's GREAT to have Vin Scully back in the booth at Dodger Stadium after getting over a serious cold that kept him bed ridden for a number of days. Dodger Stadium celebrated their 50th anniversary on opening day and there was a glaring absence. The man who has been the voice of the Dodgers for every one of those 50 seasons (and then some) fortunately returned in time to help Major League baseball celebrate Jackie Robinson Day. His first hand accounts of Jackie breaking the color barrier and forever changing history, could never be replaced. For a moment there, we all got a glimpse of what life is going to be like when Vin is no longer the voice of the Dodgers. Odds are the organization will find a suitable talent to fill the booth when Vin has decided to call it a career. But you can't ever replace a legend, and those few games reminded us how lucky we all are to have the standard in hall of fame broadcasting.
Cheers.
- I think that Andre Ethier has gotten back that spark he once had (especially at home), and I think part of that comes from that fact that Kemp is doing what he has. Professional athletes are extremely competitive beings, and just being around the MVP-type caliber of Matt Kemp's play (both being beside him in the outfield and near him in the lineup, Ethier is going to feel compelled to at least TRY and best Kemp's contribution. Lest we forget, it IS a contract year. And if Ethier can put together a healthy season with numbers that rival that of Kemp's, then he can sit down with the GM and say "you gave this guy 180 mill, and we're neck and neck in stats, lets talk big money".
- If any team was due for the fortunes in close games to fall in their favor this year, it had to be the Dodgers. But their early season success isn't simply the law of averages finally giving the Dodgers a few W's. The proof is in the pudding. The Dodgers proved last season that you can have the best position player and pitcher in baseball, and still find ways to lose close games. And it came from the rest of the lineup being extremely underwhelming. While Ned Colletti put together another one of his annual bargain bin free agency shopping sprees. This years crop of yawn-inducing 1 and 2-year contracts actually seem to be providing a little bit of balance. I hate giving Colletti ANY kind of credit but this roster feels stronger than last years.
* AJ Ellis gets on base, Dioner Navarro/Rod Barajas never did.
* Mark Ellis = Jamey Carroll with stronger bat/glove
* Adam Kennedy and Jerry Hairston platooning = Less Uribe.
* Capuano and Harang > Kuroda and a vacant 5th slot
* Keeping Juan Rivera around works with protection Kemp and/or Ethier
- Dee Gordon will continue to give us the maddening ups and downs that are guaranteed when you have a rookie starter in his first full season. Take yesterday for example: letting a fairly easy ball get right by him costing Kershaw a chance at the win. But that play was preceded by a fantastic over the shoulder catch, and followed by a heroic 2-strike walk-off single through the left side of the infield. Patience is a virtue when it comes to following the paths of rookies with electric talent like Dee's. They tend to handle the extremely hard plays with ease, and botch the easy ones. But the end result to these growing pains could be something beautiful.
- It's GREAT to have Vin Scully back in the booth at Dodger Stadium after getting over a serious cold that kept him bed ridden for a number of days. Dodger Stadium celebrated their 50th anniversary on opening day and there was a glaring absence. The man who has been the voice of the Dodgers for every one of those 50 seasons (and then some) fortunately returned in time to help Major League baseball celebrate Jackie Robinson Day. His first hand accounts of Jackie breaking the color barrier and forever changing history, could never be replaced. For a moment there, we all got a glimpse of what life is going to be like when Vin is no longer the voice of the Dodgers. Odds are the organization will find a suitable talent to fill the booth when Vin has decided to call it a career. But you can't ever replace a legend, and those few games reminded us how lucky we all are to have the standard in hall of fame broadcasting.
Cheers.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Will Ethier Contract Year Make Lasting Impact?
While the Dodgers' season still has 97% it's games left to play (yes I did the math), we have already begun to draw some pretty obvious conclusions. This team, for all of the new ownership's future presence is worth is pretty much the same team as last year. You can assume all you want about that this year having a fresh breath of air that might breed success and positivity. For that I will not disagree but unfortunately this still looks to be the team with a Cy Young pitcher and marginal run support. The MVP- type talents of Matt Kemp are now truly realized and the potential of Dee Gordon's raw athleticism at the leadoff/SS role is infinite. My biggest question coming into 2012 was which Andre Ethier would we come to expect and would he figure to be a key part of the franchise going forward?
Was the Andre Ethier who ran a hitting streak to 30 games at the beginning of last season only dissapear into the dog days of summer with nagging injuries the guy we were to expect to roaming around RF in Chavez Ravine? Or would we ever again see the guy who came to be known as Mr. Clutch, while littering the 08-09 seasons with countless game winning hits and walk-off home runs? The recent signings of both Prince Fielder with the Detroit Lions and Albert Pujols with the Angels had to resonate with Ethier as he was preparing to come into spring camp. The market value for a left handed power hitter was set pretty high with those contracts and all the while he was watching his outfield mate, Matt Kemp, sign the largest contract in franchise history. With plenty of prime years remaining Ethier had to see all this offseason activity and be thinking the proverbial "What about me?".
As the questions surrounding his health were cleared up this spring, it seemed as if Andre was in perfect position to get himself back to the peak form that Dodger fans enjoyed in years past. He also seemed primed to put himself back in the spotlight for one last major contract. After 5 games Ethier's numbers are huge, and Kemp is telling the media he'd prefer that Ethier get a contract extension sooner than later. My intuition is that Ethier continues on his torrid pace with the bat throughout the first half of the season, the new ownership will make their first order of business giving him a large contract somewhere in the rance of 6 years and 120 million. That would lock him up through the rest of his prime and have his contract expire the same year as Matt Kemp's. If this franchise plans on turning a new leaf and making big free agent splashes in the next few years, the big money free agents are going to want to see some sort of foundation built. Pujols signed with the Angels because he was the "next piece" on already well constructed team, and same with Fielder to the tigers.
My speculation is that baseball is starting to go the way of the NBA, where big name free agents want to be the "right fit" on a team that is ready to compete for a world title. We all watched Jason Werth take the biggest money possible with the Washington Nationals and I'm not sure we'll ever hear from him again. Don't get me wrong, there's NOTHING wrong with making that kind of money, but guys like Ethier (and the type of free agents Dodger fans hope LA will start to go after) hit the age of 30 and start to think about their legacy. He's off to a hot start, and for all we know that might that be all it is, "a good first 5 games." Or we could see Matt Kemp getting his biggest MVP competition from within his own clubhouse. If it's anything closer to the latter, look for Ethier to give his agent permission to talk Kemp-like numbers with the new head honchos. Maybe then big name free agents might start throwing the Dodgers on their wishlist because they feel something special might be brewing.
Was the Andre Ethier who ran a hitting streak to 30 games at the beginning of last season only dissapear into the dog days of summer with nagging injuries the guy we were to expect to roaming around RF in Chavez Ravine? Or would we ever again see the guy who came to be known as Mr. Clutch, while littering the 08-09 seasons with countless game winning hits and walk-off home runs? The recent signings of both Prince Fielder with the Detroit Lions and Albert Pujols with the Angels had to resonate with Ethier as he was preparing to come into spring camp. The market value for a left handed power hitter was set pretty high with those contracts and all the while he was watching his outfield mate, Matt Kemp, sign the largest contract in franchise history. With plenty of prime years remaining Ethier had to see all this offseason activity and be thinking the proverbial "What about me?".
As the questions surrounding his health were cleared up this spring, it seemed as if Andre was in perfect position to get himself back to the peak form that Dodger fans enjoyed in years past. He also seemed primed to put himself back in the spotlight for one last major contract. After 5 games Ethier's numbers are huge, and Kemp is telling the media he'd prefer that Ethier get a contract extension sooner than later. My intuition is that Ethier continues on his torrid pace with the bat throughout the first half of the season, the new ownership will make their first order of business giving him a large contract somewhere in the rance of 6 years and 120 million. That would lock him up through the rest of his prime and have his contract expire the same year as Matt Kemp's. If this franchise plans on turning a new leaf and making big free agent splashes in the next few years, the big money free agents are going to want to see some sort of foundation built. Pujols signed with the Angels because he was the "next piece" on already well constructed team, and same with Fielder to the tigers.
My speculation is that baseball is starting to go the way of the NBA, where big name free agents want to be the "right fit" on a team that is ready to compete for a world title. We all watched Jason Werth take the biggest money possible with the Washington Nationals and I'm not sure we'll ever hear from him again. Don't get me wrong, there's NOTHING wrong with making that kind of money, but guys like Ethier (and the type of free agents Dodger fans hope LA will start to go after) hit the age of 30 and start to think about their legacy. He's off to a hot start, and for all we know that might that be all it is, "a good first 5 games." Or we could see Matt Kemp getting his biggest MVP competition from within his own clubhouse. If it's anything closer to the latter, look for Ethier to give his agent permission to talk Kemp-like numbers with the new head honchos. Maybe then big name free agents might start throwing the Dodgers on their wishlist because they feel something special might be brewing.
Friday, April 13, 2012
The "Walk" Off, What a Difference a Year Makes
The game was likely to be delayed, and then the rain stayed away. Once this one got underway it was about as odd a game you could ask for. In front of a weather induced "McCourt era" crowd, the Dodgers went up 4-0 and then 8-3. The newly acquired Aaron Harang and his 13 strikeouts were in line for a his first win as a Dodger, but then Kenley Jansen blew the bullpen's first save of the season, with a 2-1 meat ball to Chase Headley. Just like that Aaron Harang's career high strike outs and franchise record 9-straight K's was all for not. With the game becoming so back and forth, you could have assumed that the Dodgers would answer right back in the bottom of the 9th. What you wouldn't assume, was how the boys in blue would do so.
San Diego's fireballer Cashner came in and mixed a triple digit fast ball with a marginal curve ball to get within one out of giving his offense another chance to complete the comeback win. But instead the Dodger's used a pair of all-stars outfielders and a pair of right-side infielders to string 4 straight walks together for the win. When mark Ellis induced a walk that brought newly awarded Silver Slugger Matt Kemp to homeplate, you though that Matt might return the favor with a 2-run game ending homerun. But when Matt drew another walk, the game was in the hands of a guy who thought he would have the night off. James Loney came up to the plate and followed the trend of waiting out Cashner's unoriginal mix of pitches.
The famous Scully quote "aaand look who's coming to the plate" quickly came to my head at the same time True Blue LA's Eric Stephen was quoting the same thing on my twitter feed. The Dodgers home opener hero was stepping to the plate, and the Padres called for a lefty. Instead of giving Ethier a challenge, 4 straight fastballs out of the zone led to the 4th straight walk of the inning and the Dodgers "walked" off for a MLB best 7-1 record.
There seems to be something in the water cooler this season. These Dodgers have gotten off to a trend of winning close games and coming through in the clutch. Last year carried with it a depressingly jaded ho-hum feeling that matched the franchise's current state of ownership affairs. WELL!!! Its a new year, a newly reloaded roster of role players, and Mattingly has his team off to a surprising start. While the first 8 games have been against two teams that aren't predicted to make much noise this season, something is just different. Last season got to a point where you just kept thinking that the close ones would go the Dodgers' way, and it never did. Its starting to look like the things might be coming back around to bring balance to the universe. Yes, yes... It is a little early to call it a charmed season but Kemp and Ethier's turns at the plate definitely seem more timely this year.
San Diego's fireballer Cashner came in and mixed a triple digit fast ball with a marginal curve ball to get within one out of giving his offense another chance to complete the comeback win. But instead the Dodger's used a pair of all-stars outfielders and a pair of right-side infielders to string 4 straight walks together for the win. When mark Ellis induced a walk that brought newly awarded Silver Slugger Matt Kemp to homeplate, you though that Matt might return the favor with a 2-run game ending homerun. But when Matt drew another walk, the game was in the hands of a guy who thought he would have the night off. James Loney came up to the plate and followed the trend of waiting out Cashner's unoriginal mix of pitches.
The famous Scully quote "aaand look who's coming to the plate" quickly came to my head at the same time True Blue LA's Eric Stephen was quoting the same thing on my twitter feed. The Dodgers home opener hero was stepping to the plate, and the Padres called for a lefty. Instead of giving Ethier a challenge, 4 straight fastballs out of the zone led to the 4th straight walk of the inning and the Dodgers "walked" off for a MLB best 7-1 record.
There seems to be something in the water cooler this season. These Dodgers have gotten off to a trend of winning close games and coming through in the clutch. Last year carried with it a depressingly jaded ho-hum feeling that matched the franchise's current state of ownership affairs. WELL!!! Its a new year, a newly reloaded roster of role players, and Mattingly has his team off to a surprising start. While the first 8 games have been against two teams that aren't predicted to make much noise this season, something is just different. Last season got to a point where you just kept thinking that the close ones would go the Dodgers' way, and it never did. Its starting to look like the things might be coming back around to bring balance to the universe. Yes, yes... It is a little early to call it a charmed season but Kemp and Ethier's turns at the plate definitely seem more timely this year.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Matt, Andre, and those other guys
The San Diego Padres' let Matt Latos get away during the past off-season, effectively leaving the Padres with out a true "ace" on their staff. But after three straight losses to begin the season, the Padres' #4 starter, Clayton Richard, gave the home crowd at Petco Park about as good of an effort they will get this season. The left-hander continued his success against the Dodgers, bringing his career record to 5-1. The Dodgers had not started a season 4-0 since the World Championship season of 1981, and with the Dodgers batting lineup only producing 4 hits, that streak will continue for at least another year.
The one bright spot on the day that ended the eternal quest for 162? The Dodgers bash brothers continued their torrid pace to begin the year. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier closed out the uneventful final game with a 2-run HR each. That makes 3 doubles, a triple, 3 home-runs and 16 RBI's between the two of them in the 4-game series. It seems Matt has shaken off the spring training rust that led to the slightly alarming strikeout rate. And it also seems as if Ethier is back to the successful early season form of 2011 (prior to the infamous pinky injury).
With the two outfielders getting off to such a positive start during the first three games of this young season, I was surprised this morning to see the batting order. Mattingly decided to wedge Juan Rivera between the two power hitters. Whether it was an attempt to stretch the lineup, have a little more balance of power in the middle, or simply have a right-hander batting cleanup on the lefty starter, it confused me that he would mess with a good thing. When you have a true 3 hitter like Kemp, and a true 4 like Ethier, their bats tend to protect each other like Manny used to do for both them a few years back. I don't care which handed pitcher is on the mound, Ethier already had a home-run off of a lefty in the pitcher friendly Petco and Juan Rivera certainly isn't Manny. I also felt it was a little early in the season to start giving Mark Ellis the courtesy "day off" when his bat was getting off to a decent start and Sellers had come into the season barely making the roster. Those moves among others seemed a little conservative on a weekend where the Dodgers could have thoroughly stepped on the Padres' throat.
With all that being said, Dodgers fans will take 3 out of 4 everyday of the week and twice on Sundays (better yet, make that on Easter Sundays). The 2012 season has gotten off to a positive start and it looks as if Kershaw's health has fortunately improved. The sellout opening day crowd will get to revere their Cy Young hero as originally planned. Between the new owner Magic Johnson and Clayton Kershaw, I'm not sure who gets the bigger standing ovation on Tuesday night. Either one is a beautiful choice, I say they ride in on a chariot pulled by Lasorda in a golf cart. Then they can hold hands like those two kids in that Hunger Games movie my girlfriend made me watch. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your Easter weekend.
As Vin would say, "Goodnight everybody."
The one bright spot on the day that ended the eternal quest for 162? The Dodgers bash brothers continued their torrid pace to begin the year. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier closed out the uneventful final game with a 2-run HR each. That makes 3 doubles, a triple, 3 home-runs and 16 RBI's between the two of them in the 4-game series. It seems Matt has shaken off the spring training rust that led to the slightly alarming strikeout rate. And it also seems as if Ethier is back to the successful early season form of 2011 (prior to the infamous pinky injury).
With the two outfielders getting off to such a positive start during the first three games of this young season, I was surprised this morning to see the batting order. Mattingly decided to wedge Juan Rivera between the two power hitters. Whether it was an attempt to stretch the lineup, have a little more balance of power in the middle, or simply have a right-hander batting cleanup on the lefty starter, it confused me that he would mess with a good thing. When you have a true 3 hitter like Kemp, and a true 4 like Ethier, their bats tend to protect each other like Manny used to do for both them a few years back. I don't care which handed pitcher is on the mound, Ethier already had a home-run off of a lefty in the pitcher friendly Petco and Juan Rivera certainly isn't Manny. I also felt it was a little early in the season to start giving Mark Ellis the courtesy "day off" when his bat was getting off to a decent start and Sellers had come into the season barely making the roster. Those moves among others seemed a little conservative on a weekend where the Dodgers could have thoroughly stepped on the Padres' throat.
With all that being said, Dodgers fans will take 3 out of 4 everyday of the week and twice on Sundays (better yet, make that on Easter Sundays). The 2012 season has gotten off to a positive start and it looks as if Kershaw's health has fortunately improved. The sellout opening day crowd will get to revere their Cy Young hero as originally planned. Between the new owner Magic Johnson and Clayton Kershaw, I'm not sure who gets the bigger standing ovation on Tuesday night. Either one is a beautiful choice, I say they ride in on a chariot pulled by Lasorda in a golf cart. Then they can hold hands like those two kids in that Hunger Games movie my girlfriend made me watch. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your Easter weekend.
As Vin would say, "Goodnight everybody."
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
2012: The Dawn of a New Era
The last time we spoke, The Dodger Blog was an official outlet and yours truly was a credentialed member of the media. Unfortunately, Portland's 750 The Game is no longer a member of the Dodger's Radio Network. What does that mean for Portland? Well, It's residents no longer get the honor of listening to the legendary voice of the incomparable Vin Scully. What does that mean for you? The Dodger Blog forges on into the independent world of sports blogging. While I will no longer be credentialed on a daily basis to cover every single home game, I have spoken with representatives in the Dodgers PR department and they have graciously extended me the opportunity to cover some games throughout the summer. So regardless of URL I call home, The Dodger Blog intends to continue bringing you insightful content through out the 2012 season.
My final article with the now-defunct 750 AM Dodger Blog, was a piece regarding Clayton Kershaw's Cy Young award. A year that saw a roller coaster of emotions for Dodger Nation, culminated on a beautiful, and well deserved note. Kershaw bested nearly every ace he faced throughout his ridiculous (or we can call it "filthy" if you prefer) 2011 campaign. He held the league's pitching triple crown and as icing on the blue cake, he thoroughly dominated his biggest rival in 2-time Cy Young Winner Tim Lincecum. The Dodgers come into 2012 with the now grizzled veteran manager Don Mattingly. I'm only sort of kidding on the veteran part... While he may only have one season on his resume, that lone season saw about as much adversity as most managers see in their entire career.
Matt Kemp also had the kind of season that resulted in what most baseball folks consider an MVP-snub. Regardless of whether he had the hardware to match, Matt had an equally impressive season as Kershaw, and the two thoroughly cemented their places as the corner stones this Dodgers franchise will build around for the next decade. And with those "new guys" owning the Dodgers, expect the building process to make big splashy waves throughout major league for years to come. You thought I wasn't gonna go there did you?! Not a chance, I had to say something. Don't worry, there have been enough "ding dong the witch is dead" articles during the past week. The occupy movement now moves to Dodger stadium now that Frank McCourt just rejoined the 1%. When LA's legendary athlete/businessman Magic Johnson, takes his place in the owner's seats on opening day, you can be sure of two things: 1) A thunderous and roaring applause that will mark the start of something special, and 2) the owner's seats, like the rest of the seats in Dodger Stadium, won't be empty like they were all of last year. The stadium will be at max capacity, might stay that way for a at least a week.
The ticket prices are lower than they've been in a number of years, the season has the most scheduled promotions in the history of the franchise, and the fans are ready to give someone else their 5 dollars for a Dodger Dog.
Welcome back to the Dodger Blog. Even Magic likes it....
My final article with the now-defunct 750 AM Dodger Blog, was a piece regarding Clayton Kershaw's Cy Young award. A year that saw a roller coaster of emotions for Dodger Nation, culminated on a beautiful, and well deserved note. Kershaw bested nearly every ace he faced throughout his ridiculous (or we can call it "filthy" if you prefer) 2011 campaign. He held the league's pitching triple crown and as icing on the blue cake, he thoroughly dominated his biggest rival in 2-time Cy Young Winner Tim Lincecum. The Dodgers come into 2012 with the now grizzled veteran manager Don Mattingly. I'm only sort of kidding on the veteran part... While he may only have one season on his resume, that lone season saw about as much adversity as most managers see in their entire career.
Matt Kemp also had the kind of season that resulted in what most baseball folks consider an MVP-snub. Regardless of whether he had the hardware to match, Matt had an equally impressive season as Kershaw, and the two thoroughly cemented their places as the corner stones this Dodgers franchise will build around for the next decade. And with those "new guys" owning the Dodgers, expect the building process to make big splashy waves throughout major league for years to come. You thought I wasn't gonna go there did you?! Not a chance, I had to say something. Don't worry, there have been enough "ding dong the witch is dead" articles during the past week. The occupy movement now moves to Dodger stadium now that Frank McCourt just rejoined the 1%. When LA's legendary athlete/businessman Magic Johnson, takes his place in the owner's seats on opening day, you can be sure of two things: 1) A thunderous and roaring applause that will mark the start of something special, and 2) the owner's seats, like the rest of the seats in Dodger Stadium, won't be empty like they were all of last year. The stadium will be at max capacity, might stay that way for a at least a week.
The ticket prices are lower than they've been in a number of years, the season has the most scheduled promotions in the history of the franchise, and the fans are ready to give someone else their 5 dollars for a Dodger Dog.
Welcome back to the Dodger Blog. Even Magic likes it....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)