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Don't drink the Kol-Aid – See a Different Game
Categorized | Mark Timmons
About Mark Timmons
When you see the invisible, you can do the impossible!45 Responses to “So Far, Ned Has Got It Right (For Right Now)”
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Yeah, well we had better shut people out mover – we are currently 21st in hitting, 26th in runs scored and 26th in slg. %. Not exactly a championship hitting team now are we?
It it’s a maturation process, then, wait til next year!
But, we are also currently 2nd in the Major Leagues in pitching. Seems a waste to let that go.
We need a major bat and we need it last month.
Any time Jed.
Mark ,
LaRoche has not reported to Vegas yet? does that say something? I may be jumping the gun but is something in the works sending little Andy down the road? I hope it is something worth it. I want to compete this year. I don’t mind having to trade the younger guys to do it I just would like to know we aren’t sending the guys with potential away for rentals we have no chance at retaining.
I am glad Andre Ethier is getting props for that AB last night. All the young guys are working the count so well lately and buying into Torres hitting philosophy. But Ethier last night really played it perfectly battling back from 0-2 and going to the right side. Now this is something that doesn’t show up in the box score or help OPS (it is not a sacrifice) but it is smart baseball when you are in a scoreless game. That is what stat guys never see unless you actually watch the game.
OK, I’m done preaching. Heres to hoping we aren’t on the verge of trading for Mark Grudzeilanek for our big push to the finish.
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080729&content_id=3221382&vkey=news_la&fext=.jsp&c_id=la
hmmm, Don Mattingly!
I’ll bet LaRoche is pissed. He has a right to be. I hope he gets traded to a team that will allow him the time to develop. He should be a good one eventually.
Hu with 7 hits and 7 runs in his last two games.
Hummmmm, I wonder if Joe and Ned are getting Casey Blake in the back room, talking to him . . . and Tommy walks in, and they convience him to stay Dodger blue for the next 3 years or so. Get his name on pager —
—- and then go out and trade LaRoche so he can get on with his career. What is he now, 24, and gee, 25 in September. He should be well into his major league career, if he is going to have one.
Every time I hear trade I cringe, because other teams are going to try and rob us. You can see Kemp maturing with every at bat. The guy is going to be a monster. Loney? The same. Ethier won;t be a superstar, but he’ll be a solid player. Martin? Already a star. C-Bill? The same. Kershaw? Yes, Yes , Yes!
The Angels got Tex, but Kotchman wasn’t chopped liver. Tex had 20 HR to Casey’s 12, but the Angels will lose Tex next year and Kotchman’s best years are ahead of him. I tgink it was a “fear” move: afriad the Red Sox would get him. The Angels can’t sign all their Free Agents as it is. I think it was a stupid move!
I just don’t want to see us make that same move. Will we be better with Dunn instead of Ethier? I am not sure… Really, I’m not!
I am fine with this team the way it is. Add Maddux and waith for our rehabbing players. DO NOT LET NED PULL THE TRIGGER!
I am not positive LaRoche hasn’t reported, but he’s not on the roster and hasn’t played as yet! Just an observation…
If we can obtain Maddux, Why not put Kuroda in the bull pen? That would eliminate the need for a relief pitcher and save Kuroda’s arm. I say if the players continue to mature over the final 50 games and Raffy comes back who knows what might happen. The 1988 team didn’t look like a powerhouse either. I am hoping Ned doesn’t do anything foolish to match the Angels press and weaken our chances in the future. Johnson looked great last night.
I wouldn’t count on Johnson always pitching that way, but what if we went with a 6 man rotation to keep down the wear and tear on Kuroda and Kershaw.
How about:
1. C-Bill
2. Penny
3. Lowe
4. Kuroda
5. Maddux
6. Kershaw
Mark,
I like the idea of a six man rotation! Joe just would need to figure out to place the rotation so we dont go on any extended winless streak…
My thought would be
Cbill
Kershaw
Penny ( If Healthy)
Maddux
Lowe
Kuroda
JMO
I like that!
Might work. Hopefully 4 of the 6 could go 7 to save wear and tear on the pen.
Blake with 8 K’s and 1 BB. 14 official AB’s. That’s not so good is it? Not trying to blast the guy, just asking. 8/1 K’s/BB – ???
Did anyone mention that Hu has 7 hits and has scored 7 runs in the last two games? Oh, yeah, that was me.
Are we talking about the same Blake who is hitting .357 since joining the Dodgers? We could still have LaRoche at 3rd hitting .203. Or Is he only hitting .203 because he wasn’t given a chance?
I think it’s a shame that we can’t get behind Casey Blake. I still think it was a good move. If LaRoche goes down and gets his work in he will end up somewhere full time if not with the Dodgers next year.
Is that pop, click and a rev sound I hear in the near distance the Grudmobile starting up again? Where is GotnoSkills when our 37 year old missing link is about to return??
Rumor I heard on Fish Hack Central’s MLB rumor mill: A deal is already in place to send off Kemp, Ethier, Loney, Kershaw, Broxton and Bills for Grudze-lame-duck and a half dozen luke warm lattes from Starbucks.
We’re also in hot pursuit of the right s to Hollins-I’m-Hurt to fill the vacancy in the outfield left when we traded both Ethier and Kemp. Holins-I’m-Hurt was quoted as saying he can’t wait to “get back to LA and play with Grud once again”. He also said it “was an honor to be roaming the outfield with a true hall of famer like Punchless Judy Jones”.
More on the website: http://www.fishhackcentral.com/crapola/blogs/torretales/Dodger/insanity/ retardedGM/stolenchildrenscandy
Jim Rome is reportedly going to discuss the trades on today’s Rome’s Burning and hail Ned as LA’s saviour–pulling a lousy team out of the crapper once again with a trade which is pure genius!
I’m sure I can get behind Blake. Only problem is, by the time I will be really sure as to exactly what he can do and how he’ll fit in with this team he’ll e winding down his stay and be packing for his return to the Indians where his 35 year old butt says it wants to retire.
No offense intended. Blake is “slightly better than average” as a hitter in MLB, but slightly below average for a major league third baseman where you traditionally have a power hitter with a .280+ average. He also is alleged to have below average defensive skills and certainly limited range as he approaches geezerhood.
Trading for him would be like trading for Wilson. Do we need a band aid with real limitations when it’s going to cost us a b luje chip prospect like Santana. The Cleveland newspapers were all over this deal slobbering over the acquisition of not only Santana but a prospect ready to join the club next year as a set up man in the pen. But irt was Santana that had the Cleveland sportswriters drooling–and prompted descriptions of the deal as a no-brainer and an opportunity that couldn’t be missed or a deal that couldn’t be refused or turned down.
The coaching staff of the Indians talked to their papers about Santana like he was the best catching prospect in the game and in their next breath said Casey would be returning to the team when his contract was up and he was a free agent. They were talking to the press about once in a lifetime opportunity to improve the club dramatically at virtually no cost.
They’re laughing at us.
Casey Blake has done everything right so far, and if he continues to hit…
and helps us get into the playoffs, the trade will have been worth it.
Santana is a good prospect, but he’s so far down the chain, who knows what you’ll get?
The Indians needed it because they’re unsure of Victor Martinez for the future. However, if he comes back healthy, good luck getting PT Santana. Not gonna happen, as VMar is LEGIT.
The trade was fine, Blake is already helping with his bat (which we need MUCH more than a prospect at a position where we have the best player in the GAME). I don’t like the whining about prospects when they are truly unseasoned and haven’t played in the bigs.
This isn’t LaRoche… it’s a guy much further down the line. Get over it.
Let Casey help us this year… and it’ll be worth it if we can win a playoff game.
We need bats NOW, not prospects later… who won’t even friggin’ play.
The Rays laughed when we send Joel Guzman there, but last I checked he was hitting below his weight at AAA. If Logan White signed off on trading Santana, I think he was very overrated.
I can get behind Blake. I heard that he was below average defensively, but I have been impressed with his defense in every game he’s played for us, especially last night! Angel Berroa was a poor defender before he came here, but I haven’t seen anything but good out of him either. I don’t think we can do much better at SS without hurting the team.
While it is true that Blake has generally been in the middle as a hitter, he is actually behind only A-Rod, Chipper Jones, Glaus and Longoria in “Win Shares” this year! Can he keep it up? That’s the question…
I’m been to Cleveland and they have nothing to laugh about. Santana is a very good Single A prospect that was blocked by May and Martin with no certain lock on being a major league star. Blake fits in good even if it’s just this year. From what I’ve seen he’s not as bad as what all you guys are saying on defense. If being one game out means throwing in the cards and letting LaRoche and DeWitt get their practice at the major league level then we just don’t care to win.
I remember 1988 when the Dodgers didn’t have a powerhouse team going into the playoffs. You never know what can happen in a short series. If Raffy makes it back (big ?) you never know. I’m just confused by why someone is calling for Dunn and then bags on Blake for striking out.
Sorry guys, but I don’t necessarily look at the last 7 days stats when I evaluate a player. The first thing I do is go check their 3 year splits. Any of you guys do that yet? If you had, you would see that Blake is a .263 hitter with a .781 OPS. He has averaged 20 home runs and 70 RBI’s. I submit to you, without hesitation and with complete confidence, that LaRoche could have done that if allowed opportunity. You want to trade away one of the top catching prospects and one of our few successful AAA pitchers, I would hope you could find a better band-aid than that.
With that said, I am rooting for him to keep up his current .357 pace.
P.S the comparison of Blake to Dunn is so far off base it doesn’t really deserve comment.
Alright, I’ll concede that Casey at the Bat has done all we could hae hoped for so far. That “so far” is a big qualification, however. If he keeps hitting the way he’s been hitting, he might be all we need if Nomah really does come back in two weeks and Berroa suddenly starts hitting like it was 2005 again in the meantime.
But I hate to hear people talk about him as if we’d pay him mega bucks to sign a long term deal. Haven’t we learned anything about sign ing guys having career years, (or career months), who by next season will be genuine 24 karat geezers?
The guy is 35 years old.
Yikes!
Do we want to give a guy with a .265 lifetime batting average and a rep for being sub par defensively a 3 year 40 million dollar deal because he’s been playing way over his head the last few days?
Remember, you can never be too thin or too rich and there is only so much money McCourt is going to throw down the toilet. Steinbrenner he ain’t!
I say we enjoy the ride as long as Casey keeps playing decently at defense and hitting the ball at a .400 clip. But just like the Casey of old yore, sometimes he’s going to strike out. And cheer the freaken’ band aid if he gets us to the playoffs. ‘Cause that’s all he is. A band aid who will turn into a geezer next season.
NO MORE GEEZERS! Trade prospects for Bay!
Which prospects do you think would get us Jason Bay?
Here’s The deadline deal(s) of all deals:
DFA Ned Colletti and Andruw Jones.
Trade Juan Pierre and Ramon Troncoso to Cincy for Adam Dunn (this one is for Badger);
Trade Andre Ethier, James McDonald and Ivan DeJesus, Jr. to Pittsburgh for Jason Bay and Jack Wilson (for Lawdodg); and
Trade Justin Orenduff or Mario Alvarez to SD for Greg Maddux;
Lineup:
1. Martin C
2. Kemp CF
3. Loney 1B
4. Bay RF
5. Dunn LF
6. Kent 2B
7. Blake 3B
8. Wilson SS
Are you happy now?
I’m definitely not saying that we should sign Blake to a long-term deal.. I just think crying about a single A prospect is pointless.
He was never going to play for us anyway.
Blake will be fine and it doesn’t appear to me that his defense is “sub-par.”
I’m sick of all this defense talk. Who cares? The only team that loses games on errors is the Florida Marlins. We don’t.
We lose because we can’t score friggin’ runs!
Nice.
Troncoso and Pierre won’t get it Dunn. But I like the way you think. I got a feeling they are going to want Hutoo.
That is a lineup that lacks only one thing – team speed. But I would take it in a heartbeat.
That would be a lot of activity, but it almost sounds do-able.
Team speed could be an issue but Wilson could leadoff and /or Kemp and we know Kemp can run I think Wilson has decent speed.
The more I think about it Eckstein could be had for cheaper at shortstop, and we don’t have to keep him at the end of the year. We could go that route and still look like we have a shot at the West.
http://blogs.trb.com/sports/baseball/blog/2008/07/the_mets_are_everywhere.html
The Dodgers are looking at Paul Byrd? This is either a power play to get the Padres to lower the asking price for Maddux or Joe Torre telling Ned that at this stage in Maddux’s career he is as good as Byrd. The numbers are similar and I bet the price would be low.
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=111838
http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=118120
One thing to think of is: This late into the season NL teams have seen Maddux a few times and have an idea of whats coming. Byrd would be new and have an advantage the first time around.
Just a thought guys!
jeff kent has hit the ball hard almost all yr long..just hits it to someone.. maybe if they start to fall it could take us over the top..he make contact most of the time..if could stop pulling the ball that would change..
My money is on Maddux. We intend to do this with pitching, I think that has become obvious. Maddux is a known quantity.
My concern is putting our hopes on the shoulders who just won his first game since May. Maybe I am exagerrating but the guy is average at this stage in his career. Paul Byrd won last post season,Maddux hasnt pitched well since last decade in the post season. Why not talk Jose Rijo out of retirement?
I would have hoped we had interest in Washburn or someone who is doing well this year.
Good point about Byrd and Maddux, DRomo. (But damn, I love having Maddux on the bench serving as an additional pitching coach to the others).
Nice to see our new 3Bman making an immediate impact.
Damn it, Nomar down again! That guy should be allowed to take steroids, the MLB is depriving him the right to make a living of his choice.
I’d think we could get Bay for Young, LaRoche or DeWitt–pick ‘em, Hu, McDonald, Jason Johnson, Stults, Kuo and a player to be named later off an A list. We’d probably have to take Wilson as well. But the Pirates want to reload and they know Bay is in his prime and will need big bucks soon (two years). Wilson is also in his prime and having a career year. It’s going to take them more than two more years to rebuild so I think they’ll look for quantity as well as quality. If they can get 5 or 6 B+ to A guys for Bay and Wilson instead of 2 A+ guys for just Bay, I think they’d be interested.
Yeah right! Just Hu do I think I’m kidden’? Most likely they’d hold out for Kemp. And if Ned trades him for anybody short of an Arod type (which we have no chance of getting) I’ll stop watching baseball this year.
Would I trade Kemp straight up for Bay? I would have done so in a heartbeat a month ago. Now, I don’t think so. Kemp is starting to come into his own and I think we’ve stepped in some Willie Mays type shit here.
Looks liks Manny is going to Florida!
Manny to Florida?? I hadn’t heard that. I would have bet he would stay in Boston because they know they need him.
Guzman to the Rays huh. Along with Sergio Pedroza. And what did we get in return? At least Guzman and Pedroza still have a chance to salvage their careers and help the Rays. The dust we got back for them has long since been spread in the wind.
Any time Jed.
Lineup:
1. Kemp RF
2. Blake 3B
3. Martin C
4. Kent 2B
5. Loney 1B
6. Jones CF
7. Ethier LF
8. Berroa SS
9. Billingsley RHP
Can someone tell me how many different lineups Torre has fielded this year?
279
Line-up looks strange to me. I wonder when the last time Blake hit second, if ever. I would have had Andre batting second[ forget the lefty/lefty bull; it's not like Sanchez will likely be tossing a complete game ]. Like Joe said though, when I get my team I can make my decisions.
From Gurnick:
Torre also shed some light on why the Dodgers in recent years have not been serious players in blockbuster trades that would require them to deal away their best young players in return for a veteran, as the Angels did Tuesday in acquiring Mark Teixeira.
“When you have young players, even if with the player you can get, you may not want to give up a young player who isn’t as good as he’s going to be,” said Torre. “Those are the ground rules. Matt Kemp is good now and in a couple years he’ll be special. Kemp may be better than the guy you’re going to get, and that guy probably is making a ton of money. That’s just good business sense there.”
IF we were as close to winning a championship as are the Angels, maybe we would be players in the blockbuster sweepstakes. Where we are, we have to accept the fact that we need to keep what we have to have a chance in the future.
My lineup using the same players:
Martin
Ethier
Kemp
Loney
Blake
Kent
Jones
Berroa
Bills
As sure as the Sun rising tommorow, Jeff Kent will be in the 4 hole as long as he is a Dodger.. In fact, if they ever decide that he has wore out his welcome, all they need to do is tell him he isn’t batting clean-up and he’ll take his ball and go home. P.S. Aside from a couple of plays in that blowout that I’ve already forgot whom it was against, I think he has exceeded my expectations.
Great end to that game! CGSO baby!
Just a little note that I feel like sharing: Any time a new player gets added to one of my favorite teams via trade or free agent signing, I like to welcome them to the team. Usually it doesn’t take long, and once I feel they deserve it.. I’ll yell out loud, “Welcome to the team!”
Well, I did that for Casey Blake tonight after his second hit.
The really sad thing? I haven’t done it for Andruw yet. I’ve never gone this long.
I agree Travis, I did the same thing with Blake tonight. And he made all the plays at 3rd even the hard hit shot. I like Badgers lineup. I think Kemp should hit 3rd and Martin 2nd when Pierre plays. I can’t figure out why Torre hits Kemp 2nd. I hope we get something good tomorrow.
OUT
Yep! Makes perfect sense to me. Ya just gotta bat Punchless Judy Jones ahead of a worthless hitter like Ethier. I mean, it just makes no sense to bat a crumb-bum hitter ahead of a budding star, so Jonesy and his super bat have to hit ahead of a clod like Andre, right?
I mean it’s just common sense. Good thing we have such an astute, intelligent skipper running the show. Most managers would bat Jonesy 8th or maybe even 9th (ask Tony LaRusso)–but they all have shat for brains!
If Torre hadn’t decided to manage the Dodgers he could have had his pick of any job involving rocket science, astrophysics or quantum mechanics. He’s just that dern smart!!!
Let’s hear a good old bronx cheer for the creative thinking that went into the preparation of tonight’s lineup!
Right now I actually think batting him 1st or 2nd in the lineup is making a better hitter out of Kemp-although he’ll ultimately bat 3rd or 4th when he’s completely dialed in.
He’s learning to take pitches out of the zone and fight off good pitches until he gets that one that’s grooved right where he wants it. Then he whacks it!
you nailed it Lawdog!