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

The Dodgers have improved over 2008.   They won more games, but they still couldn’t get past the Phillies, and the Phillies will still be good next year.  I suspect that Raul Ibanez had his career year and will slip back to reality next year and the Phillies will have some holes to fill, just like [...]

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        I have no clue where this “Debacle in the Ravine will take us, but I’d say Jamie does not have the upper hand.   No, I’m not going to speculate on who we will sign and who we won’t or who we should trade.  Today, I just want to do some “farming.”  [...]

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 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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Look, several (many) players let us down, but that’s the nature of playoff baseball.  Look at A-Rod, and how he failed his first few years in the playoffs.  Players handle the situation differently.  Some step up (Loney, Martin) and others struggle (Kemp, Ethier), while some vets disapear (Blake, Furcal), which is very, very disappointing.  Casey [...]

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09/02/09 – LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers’ minor league report is a weekly window into the Dodgers’ minor league system, with updated standings, league leaders, team and individual player stats, and the latest team and player news.  Player bios can be found in the Player Development section of the Dodgers’ Guide (Pages 411-478). Triple-A Albuquerque [...]

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It’s tempting to only write about Chad Billingsley’s meltdown in the 5th inning, but really, what lost the game for us was again a lack of hitting.   Andre Ethier had 3 hits and the rest of the team didn’t show up.  We do have a new LH pinch hitter: Doug Mientkiewicz.  With Jim Thome on [...]

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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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LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers’ minor league report is a weekly window into the Dodgers’ minor league system, with updated standings, league leaders, team and individual player stats, and the latest team and player news.  Player bios can be found in the Player Development section of the Dodgers’ Guide (Pages 411-478). by Jon Chapper, Dodger [...]

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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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Los Angeles Dodgers Announce July Winners of Dodger Pride Awards by Jon Chapper (LA Dodgers Media Relations Dept)   LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced the July winners of the Dodger Pride Awards.  The Dodger Pride Awards were created in 2008 by General Manager Ned Colletti, and are given on a monthly [...]

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Dear Joe, First of all, I respect your record and the air of professionalism you bring to the Dodgers.  I know we have the best record in baseball and the players like you.  I just have a laundry list of things I want you to consider: Don’t bring Mota in with runners on base.  He’ll [...]

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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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We didn’t get Cliff Lee or Roy Halladay, or for that matter Jared Washborn, but we did get George Sherrill.  Big deal you say?   I am going to suggest that it is bigger than the Phils getting Cliff Lee – here’s why:  The Phillies are heavily left-handed and another solid lefthander on our pen, who can [...]

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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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Bill Shaiken of The LA Times makes a compelling argument for the Dodgers to trade Russell Martin, Lindblom and Gordon (among others) for Roy Halladay.  Russell may want to return to his roots.  it’s worth considering.  I do know that the Dodgers have had scouts at Halliday’s last two games.  This is not going away [...]

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