Starting Lineup:

1. Furcal, SS
2. Martin, C
3. Loney, 1B
4. Kent, 2B
5. Ethier, RF
6. Jones, CF
7. Pierre, LF
8. DeWitt, 3B
9. Penny, P

I don’t know - it seems dangerous to me that Joe is trying to mollify Kemp and Pierre.  I’d just sit Pierre and Play Kemp.  One player with a bad attitude is better than two…

Or, maybe it will just play out…

It would scare the daylights out of me to hit offf a guy who throws with his eyes WIDE  SHUT!  Some teams might like to have a guy like that as their #1.  He showed great “presence” on the mound as he allowed 3 hits in 7 innings with 0 walks and 4 strikeouts.  We are fortunate to have him as our #4 (maybe even our #3 with C-Bill pitching his second game out of the pen).  I had predicted that if Schmidt and Kershaw came back C-Bill could go to the pen (and was castigated by some readers), but Schmidt and Kershaw aren’t here and C-Bill has pitched out of the pen twice.  There is a faction within the organization that believes C-Bill might be better suited for the pen.  I know there are special circumstances involved in these two bullpen appearances for Billingsley, but stay tuned.  You heard it here first!

4-04-08 BOXSCORE

Russ Martin and Andre Ethier each drove in two runs (Martin with his first hit, a crisp opposite-field single).  Martin was also robbed of another hit by a dazzling play by Khalil Green.  I like the lineup right now with Loney at #3 and Ethier at #5  and DeWitt at #8 - Excellent L - R balance!  Juan Pierre, we hardly knew ya’.  The Cubs could use a leadoff hitter…

Dylan Hernandez of the LA TIMES reported this:

Torre admitted that four games into the season, he’s still learning his personnel. But, he added, “With this group, I don’t think I’m ever going to necessarily have a set lineup. I don’t think that’s a negative. We have a lot of people who can do some things. I think you may use matchups to make up your mind.”

Actually, Kuroda only threw 77 pitches, so he could have probably finished the game. He had great movement, good control and has a nasty splitter that just dives down in the zone.   Diamond Leung quoted Russ Martin as saying “The umpire (Tim Tschida) was like, ‘Man, he hasn’t really missed a spot all game.”  I believe that Kuroda is going to help us immensely.  He IS truly a “warrior!” 

C-Bill will pitch again as a starter Tuesday.

DODGER NEWS:

• Dylan Hernandez reports Dodgers management is encouraged enough by the play of DeWitt and the progress of the injured third base threesome that they again rebuffed Philadelphia when they were approached about a trade involving Wes Helms this week, according to baseball sources.
• The coaching boxes will be widened at Dodger Stadium this week to 20 feet.  If they had been that wide last week, Bowa would not have been out of the coaching box…  or maybe he would have been.  Is it possible that Larry Bowa can’t color within the lines?

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT:

 LAS VEGAS lost 12-5.

Lowlights:

• John Lindsey was 4-5
• Terry Tiffee was 3-5Falkenborg gave up 4 runs in 1/3 of an inning
• A quartet of 51’s pitchers were pounded for 12 runs
• Move along, there’s nothing to see here folks.
• BOXSCORE

The Jacksonville Suns lost 5-1. 

Lowlights:

• Kershaw pitched 3 innings with 2 hits, 2 runs and 4 K’s to go with 2 walks
• The Suns only had 3 hits - DeJesus had one (a double)
• Zach Hammes pitched 3 impressive shoutout innings.
• BOXSCORE

The Inland Empire 66′ers lost 6-2.  

Lowlights:

• Ryan Rogowski was 2-3
• Nothing else worth talking about
• BOXSCORE

The Great Lakes Loons won 5-4

Highlights:

• Andrew Lambo and Brian Matthews were both 2-4
• Avery Morris pitches 5-2/3 innings of 1 run/0 BB/6 K baseball
• Jansen hit his first HR
• Ramirez got his 2nd save
• BOXSCORE