Monday, June 04, 2007

Game 57 Thread: June 4 @ Pirates, 4.05p

Dodgers start Derek Lowe, RHP (5-5, 3.32) vs. Paul Maholm, LHP (2-7, 5.35).

Dodgers: 33-23 (T-1st place NL West (with AZ and SD), W1)
Pirates: 24-32 (T-3rd place NL Central, 7.5 GB, L1)

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

Dodgers: With a little more run support, Lowe would be right there with Brad Penny for the team victory lead. He shut down the Nationals over seven innings in his most recent start, which gave him eight quality starts out of 12. The Dodgers have scored seven runs in his five losses and he's allowed only six runs in his five wins.

Pirates: Maholm lasted more than seven innings for the second straight outing and kept the Pirates in the game in his last start Wednesday against the Padres. He was effective because he threw strikes early in the count to put the hitters in a hole and keep his pitch count low.

COMMENTS:

Jim Tracy clearly has it in for the Dodgers, scheduling a night game in Pittsburgh before the Dodgers have to fly to San Diego for tomorrow's inter-divisional matchup. Meanwhile, the Padres and Diamondbacks, who share the NL West lead with the Dodgers, get the day off (and the Giants, who play vs. Philly today, are almost done with their morning game as we write this). Hopefully last night's come-from-behind victory doesn't leave lasting negative impacts from Takashi Saito's hamstring injury, and the Dodgers can walk out of the Steel City this evening with a series win, nor further injuries, and a maybe even a case of Yuengling beer for the flight home (only a half-a-beer per Dodger allowed; let's stay safe).

UPDATE 2.24p:

The lineup, from ITD (MLB) (who by the way has a long post asking people to stop being negative about the Dodgers--okay, well how about you go (a) buy a power bat; (b) fix the still-flawed parking system; (c) make concessions easier and quicker to purchase, if not less expensive; (d) FREE JAMES LONEY; and (e) play a little bit more Nancy Bea, and maybe we'll be less negative. Oh wait, too late.)
Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Nomar, 1B
Kent, 2B
Martin, C
Ethier, RF
Abreu, 3B
Clark, LF (.714 average in his career off Maholm)
Lowe

Abreu gets a start, hitting right above Clark. Gonzo gets a rest.

23 comments:

Pedro Guerrero said...

Steve -
"Jim Tracy clearly has it in for the Dodgers, scheduling a night game in Pittsburgh before the Dodgers have to fly to San Diego for tomorrow's inter-divisional matchup. Meanwhile, the Padres and Diamondbacks, who share the NL West lead with the Dodgers, get the day off." You are starting to sound like Chipper Jones. This is baseball, they should be able to handle it, including the yuengling.

Steve Sax said...

Pedro: Tony Jackson thinks the scheduling is lame, too.

As for the yuengling, I'm just trying to be sensitive to the Josh Hancock situation.

As for Chipper: unlike Jones, I'm not on the DL. Nor am I named "Larry."

Anonymous said...

Yuengling, mmm... that's a tasty beverage.

Steve Sax said...

Kent gets a RBI! And better yet, we required 21 pitches in the first inning. Nice.

1-0 Dodgers, on to bottom 1.

Steve Sax said...

Ww haven't gotten any hits since the first inning "eruption" stringing an infield single with a Kent double. In the bottom of the first, it's still 1-0 LA.

Steve Sax said...

1-0 LA through four full frames.

Steve Sax said...

I'm not saying anything about Lowe's performance. Into the bottom of the 5, still 1-0 Dodgers.

Anonymous said...

Nice throws by Tony Abreu. One high, one low.

Orel said...

Wow, I will also not say anything about Lowe's performance.

Anonymous said...

Charlie Steiner just jinxed Lowe!

Steve Sax said...

Tony Abreu had two throwing errors in the fifth inning, giving him four on the year. Yikes.

Meanwhile the Dodgers score one in the sixth due to some keystone kops play by the Pirates. Pirates go down 1-2-3 in the sixth, so it's on to the seventh with LA up 2-0.

Lowe has an economical 66 pitches through six. And I'm not saying anything else about his performance tonight.

Steve Sax said...

anon, if that's true, Steiner needs to be castrated

Steve Sax said...

Well, no no-hitter but at least we got out of the 7th still in the lead, 5-3. On to the eighth, where Garciaparra has wasted no time making the first out.

Orel said...

VOIX POUR LE RUSSELL!

Eric Karros said...

Just tuned into Gamecast, next play Russell homers. I'm gonna go voix pour le him again right now.

Steve Sax said...

Sharpless is Less sharp against Voix Le Pour Russell.

But Lowe gives it right back in the bottom of the eighth. McSlicey to relieve Lowe.

Steve Sax said...

To the ninth, 6-4 Blue.

Damon said...

Home in time for the last inning

Steve Sax said...

Oh, Crap.

Broxton is a mess already, one out and a runner on second, 6-5 Dodgers. YIKES!

Steve Sax said...

Can anyone watching the game tell me why Ball 1 to Nady was an IBB, and then we decided to pitch to him? Full count to Nady right now.

Steve Sax said...

...and we frickin' walked Nady. Would have liked to have had that IBB back...

Steve Sax said...

Well you cannot get much closer than that. Tying run 90 feet away, winning run at first, and Broxton gets Jack Wilson to bite on the first pitch for the final out.

9.34P in Pittsburgh, boys! Get on back here to the West Coast safely!

Good night, everybody!

Orel said...

phewwwww