LADodgerTalk.com – Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Vin Scully, Andre Ethier and the Dodgers

 This team is far from needing rebuilding, but any good team needs to ”retool” every year.  Last year, the Phillies won the World Series with Pat Burrell in LF.  They evidently decided  that he wasn’t the answer this year, so they signed a guy even older who ended up having his career year.   The Phillies may yet be [...]

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Some people have said that you have to get Carpenter early or you don’t get him.  Not true – for the past three years, the league is hitting .305 against Carpenter after 61 pitches. The Dodgers need to be patient… and then NAIL Carpenter.  POUND him!  HAMMER him!  SAW him off!  SCREW him!  If that doesn’t [...]

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If there was any doubt, it is painfully apparent that Chad Billingsly has deep-seated psychological problems.  Fear of success can be just as paralyzing as fear of failure. Many people fear success because it tests their limits and makes them vulnerable to new situations. Even worse, success can expose weaknesses and force people to deal with [...]

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“We know we are a good team.”- Andre Ethier “The one thing I found out about them, is every time they’ve been tested they’ve done all right.” – Joe Torre “We’re just going through a bad stretch right now.”  – Russell Martin “We’re all right.  We’ll come back tomorrow and have a better game.” – [...]

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Stirring the pot?  Me?  I resemble that statement!  However, this I believe: Manny Ramirez has become a liability – he’ll get better, but he’s still a liability; Russ Martin will regain his post-2009 form (maybe this month, maybe next year); I like Orlando Hudson, but he will probably be too expensive.  I think the Dodgers would [...]

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But, they might just help us win the World Series.  I love Juan Pierre, but would you rather have him or Jim Thome as DH in the World Series?  Well, we now have a choice.  Thome says that he is not physically able to play 1B (although I suspect we will see him there from [...]

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I was impressed by Vicente Padilla yesterday – he has a “live arm – ” that’s a given.   He has multiple pitches and excellent stuff, topping out at 96  MPH.  Listen-Up!  These guys don’t grow on trees, and he must have really ticked-off the Rangers.  He entered the season as the number 2 starter behind Kevin [...]

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I was surfing the net yesterday and I have to say that I was amazed by the people who were criticizing Russ Martin.  “Trade Him”  “Bench Him” and all the rest of the things that people  who have no clue write.  Here’s why I like this site:  say something stupid, we will call you out.  [...]

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In the ebb and flow of a baseball season, the Dodgers are certainly in the ebb, having lost 14 of our last 22 games.  These things happen and past performance is not indicative of future prospects.  I think this team is still poised to turn it around and win it all.  Even after ragging on Jon Broxton, I [...]

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It’s good that we have a nice lead, because we might stumble a little down the stretch, but did it ever occur to you, that with the extra days of rest in the playoffs,  this team is built for just such an occasion?  As it stands right now, Clayton Kershaw would probably start game #1 of [...]

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Randy Wolf pitched a masterful game and the Dodger bats came alive just in time to add some separation between the Dodgers and the Giants.  After last night’s loss, the Giants are now  7.5 games back with the Rockies 6.5 games back.  Neither team has the horses to catch us.  Our malaise is behind us [...]

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After last night’s debacle of the pen, the Yankees led by a walk off home run by A-Rod, claimed the best record in baseball from Joe Torre and the Dodgers.   That says it all. I felt early in the game that Billingsley was still favoring his hamstring and did not have his normal “follow-through” during [...]

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As usual, the Dodgers outhit their competition… AND LOST!  Earl Weaver called it the power of the 3-Run HR.  WE haven’t had many of those lately, but I think you will be seeing more this year and next as Ethier, Kemp and Loney mature.  I still see Loney as a 20 HR guy.  I am [...]

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After his last start I had relegated him to the scrap heap and if anyone says that they thought Jason Schmidt would pitch 6 innings of 1 hit baseball last night, they are either lying or delusional!  But, he did it  and I couldn’t be happier – maybe that’s a tear in my eye.  If [...]

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With the addition of Cliff Lee, the Phillies became the odds-on favorites to win the NL.  The Cardinals have improved their hitting with the additions of DeRosa and Holliday.  This simply means that there is one less buyer for Doc Halladay, now that the Phils have Cliff Lee.  “When you have a chance to win [...]

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The Dodgers had 11 hits but, 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position coupled with 4 twin-killings doomed the dodgers.  We hit, but not when we needed to.  Wasted opportunities was the games’ byline, and finally it was sad to see the wasted opportunity that was James McDonald.   After James McDonald was re-called from [...]

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It was another quality start for our new Ace, but he looked mortal at times in giving up 2 earned runs.  Still, he pitched good enough to win or at least kept us in the game.   The defense made some excellent plays and then also let him down.  This is a game we should have [...]

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OK, it’s two words, but as much as we would like to have Roy Halladay, we won’t sell the farm, won’t trade Kershaw, Bilingsley or Kemp, and we won’t make any dope-fiend moves.  Since June 16th, the best pitcher in all of baseball has been Clayton Kershaw with an 0.64 ERA.  Not Haren, not Linecum, [...]

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After James Loney doubles up Andre Ethier in the bottom of the 8thinning with the score tied 3-3, Matt Kemp patiently worked the count to 3-2 and waited for his pitch.  Patiently!  Easy…  Then BOOM!   HR by the Bison who is becoming an Animal.  The Bison scored all 4 Dodger runs to dis-mantle the Astros [...]

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With 88 games completed the Dodgers have 56 wins, which is the best in baseball.  The last Dodger team to do this well was the 1977 Dodgers who had 57 wins at the same juncture, and went on to win 98 games.  If  we just play .500 ball the rest of the way, we will [...]

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