Friday, April 18, 2008

This Team Is Psycho

...and not in a Steve Lyons kind of way.

16 games in: a different lineup almost every game. Score 11 runs one day, none the next. No more than two consecutive wins. Hitters either red hot or ice cold. A shocking blown save by Takashi Saito. I know Joe Torre's still learning his players but some consistency would be nice.

Tomorrow's scheduled starter for the Braves, Tom Glavine, has gone on the disabled list for the first time in his career. Could this be a break for the Dodgers? Only if they stop their habit of turning relatively untested pitchers into Cy Youngs (exhibit A: Bennett, Jeff. 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER tonight).

UPDATE:

Thanks to research maestro Bob Timmermann for providing the numbers at Dodger Thoughts:

26. Bob Timmermann
[...] since 2000, the Dodgers have faced a pitcher making his major league debut, and also starting the game, eight times.

The opponents are 6-2 in those games.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/shareit/hUF2

27. Bob Timmermann
Excuse me, it's happened 6 times and the opponents are 4-2.

28. Bob Timmermann
If you expand the list to a pitcher facing the Dodgers in one of his first three career appearances in the majors during the same time period, there are 20 games and the Dodgers are 8-12.

30. Bob Timmermann
Overall in the majors in the 2000s, teams starting a rookie in his first game have won the game 134 times and lost 155.

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