James McDonald throws tonight, but before we get into that, consider a few things:
- The Dodgers lead the NL in ERA at 2.91
- The Dodgers lead the NL in lowest BA against their pitchers – .181.
- The Dodgers are 9th in BA
- The Dodgers are 10th in Runs Scored
- The Dodgers lead the NL in Bullpen ERA at 2.25
- The Dodgers are 3rd in Starting Pitchers ERA at 3.27
Could it be that last night the bullpen’s ERA which was 0.00 just had the law of averages catch up with them? Did anyone expect that the bullpen would never give up a run all year? The fact of the matter is that YES MARTIN SUCKS right now, but so does practically every other hitter on our team. Our pitching has been excellent! ‘Nuff said!
Oh, I almost forgot. Someone said that Kemp was “soft” in the clutch and I posted some stats that showed he and Ethier were close to the same now. I forgot this: Last postseason: Ethier .188/ Kemp .250. OK, I’ll stop!
TONIGHT’S LINEUP:
- Furcal SS
- Hudson 2B
- Manny LF
- Ethier RF
- Loney 1B
- Kemp CF
- Blake 3B
- Ausmus C
- McDonald P
According to Josh Rawitch, James McDonald will join some select company in Dodger history tonight when he makes his first Major League start in Arizona while beginning the season in the Los Angeles rotation. The last two Dodger pitchers coming off a full season in the Los Angeles minor leagues to make such a leap are Fernando Valenzuela (1981) and Don Sutton (1966).
Kuroda shut down
Stults to pitch tommorrow
Who will be the long reliever behind him?
Tonight’s order stinks (Just getting ready for the guest blogger)
Torre finally got one thing right. Catcher in the 8th hole.
“Over and under” on innings for McDonald – I say 4
We have played four games and we are getting league stats? Those numbers will all change tonight.
I have always said that a guy should get at least 50 at bats, 100 preferably, before we say “he sucks”. Every hitter that ever put on a pair of cleats, including every player currently in the HOF, has had slumps. Martin has 16 at bats. If he goes 4 for 4 he is hitting .300 and in one day he has gone from outhouse to the penthouse.
I can’t believe I even have to say these things. The Dodgers leading the league or being last in the league in anything after 4 days is meaningless.
I have committed to local concert toniight but will be taping the game. I look forward to the entire first month of the season and will be enjoying watching the young Dodgers on Sunday in person in Phoenix. We will know a lot more after our first homestand. Until then, relax. We are not that bad and we are not that good. Neither is anyone else after 4 games.
Kuroda’s out? Time to bring up Elbert. He actually has better stuff than McDonald.
By the end of May I predict Belistaro will be our closer, Broxton and Elbert the set up man. Wade, Troncosco and Mota can pitch middle relief. That new guy, the specialist lefty, and either McDonald or Schmidt will do long relief with the other the 5th starter. Our pen is going to be good this year after all. The only area that scares me is the starting pitching. We’ve got a bunch of guys who have to step up if we’re to contend. They have the stuff. They are good enough. But they are young and just might regress–God forbid!
Wade had nothing yesterday. Normally his fastball is only around 90 mph anyway, but has great sink, late movement. He normally has a real good change to go with it and over the winter developed a 12-6 curve. He has the stuff to pile up ground ball outs from right or left handers. Yesterday he couldn’t get a T-ball player out.
it not meaning less ..at the end of the season when you lose by one or two…these game count
Ken, I’ll take that over under. Prediction: McDonald goes 6 strong, at least.
After all I drafted him in fantasy before I was apparent he was the 5th starter. I committed so I will follow through, until he gets removed from the rotation. I believe that McDonald will stick around but I do feel that Schmidt will at some point challenge for that spot and that Torre will give him an opportunity to take it away.\
And long relievers? We’re jam packed with them, at AAAA that is. Not worried about that.
Lawdog, please don’t execute Broxton…. yet anyways. Despite my thoughts on him he actually looked good thus far. He does need to master the split/change if he wants to have a long carreer as a closer. He will not get away throwing straight heat in the bigs for too long. Its early in the season but after a month or two hitters will be able to time that 99mph fastball up in the zone!
I can’t help but share in the same excitement with Belisario. Man that kid looks great out there! In control, not flustered, and fierce. But do we stretch him out for long relief/spot starts or keep him as a setup man/potential closer?
And Wade was obviously tired. With a very limited spring Torre had NO BUSINESS running him out there consecutive days the first week!!! We have plenty of others in the pen that could have stepped up. But Torre is so damn stuck in his ways on the guys he likes. That’s usually a good thing but does put a damper on any kind of creativity. Can I hear a pitcher in the 8 spot and Hudson in the 9 spot?
First in pitching, last in offense. Sounds like nearly every Dodger team that I can remember and that is going back to the early 60s. The first week of the season and already out of it, man I hate it when that happens. Piece, haha just kidding. Peace.
Man, I go out to dinner and come back and the team is falling apart. Evidently, Hiroki’s Kiroki fell off. Drat the luck!
Mark, that’s it! You’re not going anywhere!
OK, do its not too serious and had it been August/September he’d be starting.
Conte termed the strain “mild,” and said Kuroda could start throwing again in four to five days if the tightness disappears.
“It isn’t pain, it’s tightness in a very specific area where we worry about for pitchers, on the opposite side,” Conte said. “The key is we think it’s mild, but it can be serious and take six to eight weeks. We think we caught this early.”
I really like Stults, since his game against the Mets in the playoffs. I fell very confident that he can pitch well in the bigs.
Lindblom…
Lindblom….
Lindblom…..
Man, I just went to World Crossing and all I can say is “Wow!”
I guess it makes my case for not allowing religion and politics on a Dodger Board, because one of the best Dodger Boards of all time is now religion and politics – very little Dodgers. Just a reminder to keep it that way here while I am gone.
Guest Blogger,
Use the “delete” button if you need to.
At least our Catcher can drive in a run!
Sign Pedro..put McDonald back in the bullpen, we need him there anyway….
Gee, tonight I am host our monthlyi group, call “Real to Reel” — which is reading a book and then watching the movie — then talking about both. Tonight was: Eight Men Out.
During the film, I went into my study, the Dodgers were leading 1 to 0. Then about 30 minutes later, when we were done with the film and discussion — I turned on the TV — Dodgers are loosing, big time.
So much for McDonald. When do we stat hitting?
Oh, we had 20 folks here for the film above.
On the Dodgers, we feel like we have a better team in many respects, maturing, getting more experience, etc. Maybe still one or two or even three serious starters short.
But so do many of the other clubs feel they are better.
Okay, Furcal a double, Hudson moves him to 3rd . . . Manny, up the middle . . . now if the kids can hit . . .
Ouch…J Mac..ouch babe!
I still have faith in the kid. Give him a couple more cracks at it. He’ll be ok.
As for Kuroda. Damn guys that is not good. I know Stultz will be decent as a fill in and you guys are bringing up names like Elbert & Lindblom but that is a lot of inexperience in our rotation. I have to say if this is a lingering injury for Kuroda we MUST sign Pedro. Mario you are right my man! I think we could still use McD as a 5th starter. But Pedro would provide a veteran presence (which we need) and a better alternative if a guy like Wolf goes down. Dare I say the next option is Jeff Weaver !?!?!
SIGN PEDRO!!!
The problem with world crossing is that we have a duck over there with a loud mouth and two right wings. That and nobody left who wants to discuss baseball. Oh well, you want to hear some stupid stuff, come on over and listen to a duck quack.
And there you have your 5th starter folks. We had 4 pitchers whose combined ERA was 37.87. That included McDonald’s 19.something. Nice.
Yeah, hitting. That’s what our problem is. We don’t score in double digits often enough.
Maybe Troy from West Virginia will be the blogger.
I don’t like cannibals (those that need to know, know what I am saying. RIP WC)
Gee, if the Dodgers would have done some kind of a deal with Pedro several weeks ago — it would have been one price or contract.
Now, that the Dodgers are in (possible) real trouble in number and quality of starters — the price just went up.
Starters:
Billingsley — hope he can find himself and now lead the staff.
Kershaw — had a pretty good first outing. He should pitch some really great games this year.
Wolf — think we will see some great starts, and some where he has problems.
McDonald — he is a starter because no one else steppppped up and took the job. He might have some nice starts, but is probably in over his head after a team sees him once.
Kuroda — presently he is not even on the 25 man roster. He is now, not day to day, but list to list.
Bottom line for starters, we are in trouble.
Pedro or someone else is really needed.
Smoke and mirrors will not last a season.
And — and the guys have not started to hit yet.
You heard about the big oil spill off the coast here?
Well they’ve hired the Dodgers to help clean it up. Yeah, they just go out there and throw in the towel.
A man walks into a bar with a dog. The bartender says, “You can’t bring that dog in here.”
“You don’t understand,” says the man. “This is no regular dog, he can talk.”
“Listen, pal,” says the bartender. “If that dog can talk, I’ll give you a hundred bucks.”
The man puts the dog on a stool, and asks him, “What’s on top of a house?”
“Roof!”
“Right. And what’s on the outside of a tree?”
“Bark!”
“And who’s the greatest baseball player of all time?”
“Ruth!”
“I guess you’ve heard enough,” says the man. “I’ll take the hundred in twenties.”
The bartender is furious. “Listen, pal,” he says, “get out of here before I belt you.”
As soon as they’re on the street, the dog turns to the man and says, “Do you think I should have said ‘DiMaggio’?”
I know its still early in the season but man that was pathetic last night. I fought myself to keep watching, until Mota’s meltdown happened that is. I mean the season is a marathon, not a sprint. But when you look at it from the point of view that every game counts and it could come down to one game, then that is what gets you upset about games like this and the one day before yesterday.
I was so wrong about McDonald yestrerday. He looked great, no hitter going and then just totally unraveled and lost all control. It was just nerves and pressure I think. I mean he couldn’t even get a fastball over the plate! But I had never seen the kid let the pressure get to him. I think that the pressure of earning and wanting to keep the 5th spot and knowing that the bullpen had been worked hard and that they needed him to pitch deep got to him.
He has fantastic stuff and still didn’t look like he let it get to him too much after last night. Those are good signs, just have to get the head straight now.
Did you see McDonald’s father sitting behind home plate staring the poor kid down after each pitch? Man, if I was McDonald I’d have unraveled too. His dad should have watched from the clubhouse monitor.
Have we signed Pedro yet?
We’re not going to do much with a tam that can’t score more than 4 runs and two #5 starters. In fact, the only starters we have at the moment I feel confident with are Bills and Kurveshaw.
Don’t give up on WC. Baseball stuff still gets posted there. It’s just like here, after a while it’s all been said. It all gets saikd a little quicker over there, that’s all. We post political/religious stuff there like jokes are posted here. There isn’t any more animosity between posters over there than there is here. I justed posted a zinger than most should find funny which shows the fundamentalist Duck the problems with taking violent verse from any Holy Book literally. It will be interesting to see how he responds because needing to interprete scripture can’t be shut down by quoting scripture which itself needs interpretation–but he’ll find a way. He always does. It’s actually kind of fun if nobody’s life is riding on the outcome.