Sunday, April 08, 2007

Game 6 Thread: April 8 @ Giants, 1.05p

Dodgers start Randy Wolf (0-1, 6.00 ERA) vs. Barry Zito (0-1, 3.60 ERA).

Dodgers: 3-2 (3rd place NL West, 0.5 GB, W3)
Giants: 1-4 (Last place NL West, 2.5 GB, L2)

From dodgers.com, the scouting report on the starters:

Dodgers: In his Dodgers debut against Milwaukee on Tuesday night, Wolf kept his club close but was beaten by the long ball. He struck out five and walked only one without making a ton of pitches. He's 4-3 against the Giants lifetime, but 0-2 at AT&T Park.

Giants: Zito hopes for a better second outing against the Dodgers after a shaky start against San Diego in the opener. Zito threw five innings, allowing three runs (two earned) and four hits in a 7-0 loss to the Padres. Zito is 1-0 against the Dodgers with a 3.00 ERA in two career starts.

COMMENTS

  • Okay, let's not get too excited about the Dodgers' three-game winning streak here. Going into Saturday's game, the Dodgers offense was batting .197 and had the lowest OBP, slugging average, and (by definition) OPS in the NL. A four-run outburst against the Giants' #5 starter and loser of 12 straight is nothing to write home about. The Dodgers will need to average more than their current three runs per game, and much of that rides on leadoff hitter Juan Pierre, whose 1-for-5 performance yesterday gives him a .143 BA.
  • After all, now the Dodgers face the Giants' $126M man, Barry Zito, whose first-outing loss wasn't really all that awful (four hits and two ER over five). Zito is hungry and was quoted saying, "I've just got to be a little more aggressive on first-pitch strikes" (he missed the strike zone on the first pitch to nine of the 21 batters he faced in his first game). We've gotta knock Zito out early, but if he gets those first-pitch strikes Sunday, the impatient-swinging Dodgers still might have a chance to do just that.
  • Oh yeah, there's some guy on the Giants who is 20 home runs away from some historic record or something, but I couldn't find any detailed coverage on this.

UPDATE

The lineup, via Inside the Dodgers:

Pierre, CF
Martin, C
Garciaparra, 1B
Kent, 2B
Gonzalez, LF
Kemp, RF
Valdez, SS
Martinez, 3B
Wolf, P

15 comments:

Steve Sax said...

Gonzo gives us the lead with a HOME RUN!!! Unbelievable!

Steve Sax said...

Wolf had a rocky first but has appeared to settle down after that...

Steve Sax said...

Gift triple or not, Valdez is really bringing luck to the Dodgers! 5-1 lead in the 6th.

Orel said...

I'm fixing my toilet and watching the game. It's the new American pastime.

Orel said...

Luis Gonzalez picking it up. Perhaps we were hasty in our criticism?

Orel said...

Picking it up at the plate, that is. Hopefully not too much in the field.

Orel said...

Juan Pierre's signature quickness!

Steve Sax said...

Zito is booed as he leaves two men on with no out in the top of the seventh. Booed! Is that any way for the hometown crowd to treat a $126M man?

Steve Sax said...

Hey Orel, I was beginning to think your consecutive-games streak (as per the FSN Prime commercial) was in jeopardy...

Steve Sax said...

Double steal with a 6-1 lead! Some might call that salting the wound...

I for one am fine with it...in this situation.

Orel said...

"Brad Hennessey and the Tumor That Returned." Wasn't that a Harry Potter book?

Orel said...

Okay, Gonzo. You might be right.

Steve Sax said...

Consider Gonzo officially non-slumping! HR!

Orel said...

Bills rusty.

Damon said...

more like brox1k