Thursday, June 28, 2007

Game 79 Thread: June 28 @ Diamondbacks, 3.40p

Dodgers start Randy Wolf, LHP (8-6, 4.32) vs. Randy Johnson, LHP (4-2, 3.52).

Dodgers: 44-34 (3rd place NL West, 0.5 GB, L1)
Diamondbacks: 45-34 (T-1st place NL West, 0.5 GA, W1)

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

Dodgers: Other than home runs in the first and seventh innings by Akinori Iwamura and Dioner Navarro, Wolf had a solid outing on Friday against the Rays. His strikeouts were back up to five and walks down to two. But the home runs were crushing as well as out of character, as he'd allowed only two in his previous nine starts. In Wolf's only start against the D-backs this year, he allowed six runs in 5 2/3 innings and was the loser.

Diamondbacks: Randy Johnson will make his return from a herniated disc in his back in the series finale against the Dodgers. The big lefty will pitch with pain, but it's uncertain if it will affect him like it did last year when he recorded 5.01 ERA, the worst of his 20-year career. Johnson had been pitching his best ball of the season before his stint on the disabled list. He outdueled Boston?s Daisuke Matsuzaka June 10, allowing one run on four hits in six innings while striking out nine to move past Roger Clemens for second on the all-time strikeout list for the second time this season. He's 4-0 with a 1.52 ERA in his last five starts, twice giving up one hit in six shutout innings.

COMMENTS:

I posted this Game Thread (TM) early not only to prepare for the early start time, but also to deliver the news that Nomar is indeed sitting out today's game. He needs a rest, as we posted yesterday. Get some sleep, Nomar, you'll be back soon.

Meanwhile, Kemp gets the start ahead of Ethier, and Freed James Loney is batting a cool .500 for the year. The lineup (2.41p), acc to Inside the Dodgers (MLB):
Furcal, SS
Pierre, CF
Last Day To Voix Pour Le Russell, C
Kent, 2B
Gonzalez, LF
Kemp, RF
Loney, 1B (batting .500 on the year - 19-for-38)
Abreu, 3B
Wolf, P

121 comments:

Damon said...

Furcal gets a hit. After Pierre K Martin takes the big unit deep

Orel said...

SWEET! And you beat GameCast to the punch.

Orel said...

I hope Martin didn't strut around the bases, or he might get a ball in his ear next AB.

Orel said...

Kemp vs. Unit...the matchup we've all been waiting for.

Orel said...

Single! Loney vs. Unit...the matchup we've all been waiting for.

Steve Sax said...

Gonzalez could actually score from third on a single...here's hoping Loney strokes one

Steve Sax said...

Any of you who saw Gonzalez get thrown out at second yesterday by Eric Byrnes knows that Gonzo ain't his spry self.

Steve Sax said...

Kemp steals second, love it! COme on Loney....

Steve Sax said...

Crap. Well 2-0 ain't bad, and we worked the pitch count up on Johnson

Orel said...

Was Loney's ball hard-hit?

Steve Sax said...

MLB Gameday seems to indicate it was a line drive to a deep second baseman

Steve Sax said...

I've got men on first and second with one out, on MLB Gamecast, but the pitch-by-pitch has not caught up. Damon, can you clue a brother in?

Steve Sax said...

Crap, Wolf is up to his first-inning troubles again. Martin compounds it with a throwing error and we have men at second and third with two out and Reynolds up.

Orel said...

Not going to be a pitching duel.

Damon said...

Men on 2nd and 3rd i think wolf walked both of them. I wasn't around but there was a throwing error. Mark Reynolds called 3rd strike

Steve Sax said...

Yeah, called strike three! He really had Reynolds wrapped up on that pitch.

Dodgers 2-0 after one.

Orel said...

Wolf backward-K's Reynolds to get out of the inning. 2-0 Dodgers.

Orel said...

That was bad.

Damon said...

Randy Wolf infield single over units head

Damon said...

It looks like Furcal was trying to go deep in that swing

Steve Sax said...

Dammit, hasn't Mueller told Randy Wolf not to swing at the first pitch...oh wait, he singles. Good job, Randy.

Steve Sax said...

Furcal walks, Wolf to second. Here comes Slappy!

I say, send Wolf on a hit and run.

Damon said...

Pierre swung at a bad pitch and pops up

Steve Sax said...

Wow, Pierre had middle-of-the-outfield power on that pop fly out.

STOP THE FLY BALLS SLAPPY!

Steve Sax said...

Martin pops out about as feebly as Pierre did. Dodgers gone in the second.

Damon said...

The best thing to do is watch on mlb.tv then turn on Vinny with mlb audio

Damon said...

Does anyone know why when an outfielder catches a ball he always throws it to another outfielder now matter where he is?

Damon said...

This just in kobayashi will be at Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest this year

Steve Sax said...

Juan Pierre throws it to another outfielder after he catches it because he can't reach the infield on his own. He thinks of it as a relay.

Did you see the out at third last night, Pierre to Furcal to Nomar? Furcal ran halfway out into the field to take Pierre's relay and gunned it.

Steve Sax said...

Way to work the count Kent!

Damon said...

Kent battling but will popup

Orel said...

We should have another poll about how to describe Pierre. Noodle-armed? Penguin-armed?

Damon said...

Unit trying to throw a spitball gets ball 4 called on him

Orel said...

Says Kent: In your face, Damon!

Damon said...

I guess he's allowed to reach base once a game

Damon said...

Kemp with a basehit rbi

Damon said...

Young with a 2base error

Steve Sax said...

Gameday is calling the ninth pitch to Kent an "automatic ball". What the hell is that?

Damon said...

Big JLo with a rbi basehit

Steve Sax said...

They also have the pitch positioned somewhere near Kent's noggin. What happened, anyone?

Damon said...

Sax he licked his fingers so the ump called it a ball

Steve Sax said...

damon, please describe the two-base error as well!

Steve Sax said...

that is HILARIOUS on the spitter. Randy's gotta be going nuts.

That, and the consecutive RBI from Kemp and Loney...

Steve Sax said...

Wolf called out on strikes, stranding Loney at first. 4-0, Dodgers, going to bottom 3.

Randy Johnson's at 69 pitches after three frames. Wolf has 28 coming into the third. Love it.

Damon said...

Johnson already out of the game. This doesn't look good for the dbacks tomorrow

Damon said...

Wolf in a jam with 2 on and no outs

Steve Sax said...

Snakes fly to SF tomorrow, so I suppose the early bullpen action only helps the Giants. Johnson's replacement on the other hand just doubled, and now we have two glowing orbs on base with none out. Come on, Wolf!

Damon said...

Hudson GIDP

Steve Sax said...

Double play! Love it!

Steve Sax said...

Through three innings,
Dodgers 4
D'backs 0
SoSG Comments 50
commenting on a game in (quasi-)realtime: priceless

Alex Cora said...

Yo Peeps! Wolf is getting out of a lot of jams. These kids can hit!

Alex Cora said...

Oden goes first, Durant second, Horford 3rd.

Damon said...

Oh shit is this Rick Monday??

Damon said...

Martin with a double that one almost went out

Alex Cora said...

Martin smoked that ball, almost out of there.

Steve Sax said...

If Martin doubled that deep, why couldn't speedy Pierre score from first?

Men at second and third, one out.

Damon said...

WOW KENT GOT A HIT 2 rbi single cause Russ is fast

Alex Cora said...

Nice hustle by martin to score on that hit by kent

Damon said...

Pierre must of thought it was gone it was a rocket

Damon said...

I think i might listen to the spanish feed instead of Rick Monday

Steve Sax said...

Kent is making damon eat some crow...

Steve Sax said...

...I like to think of it as damon keeping the pressure on Kent. Good job, damon.

Steve Sax said...

Isn't Rick Monday alraedy doing the Spanish feed? That ain't English.

Steve Sax said...

Two old men on first and second. Kemp and/or Loney better rock the ball if we want to have either score.

Damon said...

Kemp with a groundball to 3rd they get the guy at 2nd out but Kemp is too quick to get out at first

Steve Sax said...

Kemp FCs, sending Kent to third and getting Gonzo picked at second. Two outs and here comes .500 Loney...

Damon said...

Loney deep fly to center

Steve Sax said...

Damn, Loney flies out to deep center.

Hey, the Martin HR is up on mlb.com as an in-game highlight if you're interested. He took that ball OUT!

6-0 Dodgers, to the bottom of the fourth.

Steve Sax said...

Wolf just grabbed his third K of the game. one out in the fourth.

Steve Sax said...

Quentin, a .212 hitter, gets an RBI with a sac fly. 6-1 AZ with two out and a man on first.

Steve Sax said...

Wolf's wheels are coming off here...men on first and second. Come on Wolf, you've gotta last longer...

Damon said...

Wolf in trouble again

Steve Sax said...

6-1 Dodgers through four.

Steve Sax said...

Wolf is 2-for-3 tonight from the plate!

Damon said...

Furcal should stop trying to swing for the fences

Steve Sax said...

dammit furcal! maybe you need a rest too

Steve Sax said...

Wolf Ks Byrnes for his 4th K of the day

Steve Sax said...

Wolf has an easy fifth. 6-1 LA.

Damon said...

Martin with another hit and now is batting .301 and a triple away from the cycle

Damon said...

Kent with 2 hits tonight hopefully this game will get him going

Damon said...

dbacks pitcher with an error now Kemp is up with the bases Juiced

Steve Sax said...

Who are these Dodgers? Three men on base with no out? Oh wait, that means we won't score anyone...

Kemp at the plate.

Steve Sax said...

Slaten is wild, Kemp swung on a bad pitch #1. 1-1 count.

Steve Sax said...

Kemp, all of those were in the dirt!

Damon said...

Martin scores on a passed ball

Damon said...

That was an unintentional intentional walk

Damon said...

If Abreu wants to stay up he needs to get some more hits

Damon said...

I was going to exercise this afternoon but it's raining

Damon said...

Nice play by abreu

Damon said...

Kent with a high chopper throwing error by reynolds and pierre scores

Orel said...

Are the Diamondbacks just having a bad day or is their inexperience (i.e., not enough veterans) biting them in the ass?

Orel said...

Bases loaded for Arizona. Here comes Tomko to save the day.

Steve Sax said...

Tomko comes in and promptly gives up a two-run-scoring single to Byrnes on the second pitch. Nice.

9-3 LA, none out in the seventh, two on for the snakes.

damon, it's raining in Portland?

Damon said...

Im not sure i live about 200 miles south in Corvallis

Damon said...

I can't watch tomko pitch

Damon said...

Tomko didn't pitch all to bad Wolf shouldn't have walked all of those guys

Steve Sax said...

Tomko escapes the seventh with no further damage, 9-3 Dodgers going to the eighth.

Betemit now in at third. Yikes.

Steve Sax said...

Loney is 1-for-4 today dropping him to .476 BA. Awful.

Steve Sax said...

And THIS is the 100th comment.

Steve Sax said...

Injury delay? Who is hurt?

Steve Sax said...

Wow Micah Owings is pitching? Didn't he just start on Tuesday?

Damon said...

abreu hit a ball off of owings hand

Steve Sax said...

Wow. Owings scorning. Kinda sounds like fiberglass insulation.

Steve Sax said...

Betemit almost got all of that one...deeeeeep fly ball. It's still an out, though, and he is still batting a cool .195.

Steve Sax said...

Tomko's got a K! Snyder will feel awful, even for a .222 batter.

Steve Sax said...

Furcal gets a leadoff single and advances to second on an error.

Orel said...

Sax, I hope you're getting paid for product placement.

Steve Sax said...

Yeah, but it's nothing compared to the money we make on this blog, Orel.

Damon said...

Get us a groundball Tomko

Orel said...

What are you going to do with your share? I think I'm going to buy Hawaii.

Steve Sax said...

Tomko on the ropes. 9-5 LA.

Steve Sax said...

Save situation appears from the smoke of a rout, thanks to Brett's suckiness.

Orel said...

How long will Grady continue to play Tomko Roulette?

Damon said...

ugg we have to pitch saito

Steve Sax said...

Saito enters with men on first and second.

Steve Sax said...

Saito foils Reynolds.

Steve Sax said...

Saito needs one more out from Young, with the tying run on deck. Got it!

Steve Sax said...

A big series win vs AZ saves the road trip. Dodgers back in first!

Steve Sax said...

Rick Monday on the post game show is talking in circles. "They've gotta feel good about themselves...but they can't spend too much time feeling good with the Padres in town."

Tell us how to feel, Rick!

Steve Sax said...

Good night, everybody!

Orel said...

Nice!