Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Game 51 Thread: May 27 @ Cubs, 4p

Hiroki Kuroda (2-3, 3.48) vs. Sean Gallagher (1-1, 5.68).

COMMENTS: Desperate times call for desperate measures. And going 4-for-45 with runners in scoring position definitely qualifies as desperate times. Don't let it be said that Dodger bloggers aren't doing their part to help the team! SoSG and Beantown West are holding a mini Dodger blogger night...at Wrigley Field. That's right, Erin from BW will be in attendance, as will our own Alex Cora. Wonder Twin powers activate...form of clutch hitting! Work your mojo, guys!

While we're all atwitter about our good luck charms, the press is hyping up the Kuroda vs. Fukudome matchup. Unfortunately, Fukudome seems to have the edge:

Japanese reporters agree that Fukudome has Kuroda's number. He hit .330 off the right-hander with four home runs in Japan.

But that won't matter if the Dodgers don't bring some offense...power, situational hitting, anything will do. Let's give Clayton Kershaw something to look forward to in New York besides his first visit to Shea, okay?

90 comments:

Alex Cora said...

Hey Erin: I will be about 6 rows up behind home plate on the first level - looks like almost where your seats were for the pirates Cubs game. Dress warm it is freezing out. Go Dodgers!

Eric Karros said...

If I remember correctly one twin transforms into animals and the other into water-based things. Hopefully clutch hitting falls is one of those.

Erin said...

AC, the ushers were crazy hardcore last night, so I'll do my best to come find you. My tickets are good tonight, but not quite as good as they have been, so it could be hard for me to get to your seats. I'll be in section 122, row 10, which means maybe about twenty rows almost directly behind home plate. And I'm already looking around for layers to wear to the game. Yesterday, I was toasting, and I have the sunburn to prove it, and today I'm desperate for long underwear. Weird.

Erin said...

Remember how I said it was cold last Sunday when I was here? I didn't know cold way back then. Tonight the wind is BRUTAL. I'm hoping for a ten- run first inning from the Dodgers so I won't feel so bad about leaving early
before my fingers fall off.

Steve Sax said...

EK, I'm right with you. Jayna may be able to turn into a large alien beast that hits home runs with ease; however, Zan will likely change into a set of ice-cold bats for the rest of the lineup to use.

Meanwhile, who on the Dodgers will play the role of Gleek in tonight's performance?

Steve Sax said...

Erin, can't you just bring along your trumpet and a blue vest and travel around the stands with the old-time band?

Eric Karros said...

Game not on WGN but on espn! Erin Andrews takes shot at Chris Berman when talking about Gallagher's weight loss. Nice.

Eric Karros said...

Gleek looks fast and probably has a real small strike zone. I'm thinking Pierre should watch his back.

Erin said...

This just in from Wrigley: Juan Pierre sucks. A little eight-year old girl in glasses next to me yelled, "I don't like you, Pierre!" I appreciate the simplicity of her heckle.

Steve Sax said...

Hey, at least we're making Gallagher throw a lot of pitches, even if we only have one hit to show for it.

DeWitt draws a nice walk on a long 8-pitch at bat.

Man on first, one out. here comes the dp...

Eric Karros said...

Hu DP.

Steve Sax said...

Erin, I have a confession: my daughter loves Juan Pierre. Granted, she is only three years old. But she loves the fact that his uniform is dirty all the time.

I am delicately trying to explain to her that...he sucks.

Oh, and there's no tooth fairy.

Steve Sax said...

Chin-Lung Hu is simply horrendous at the plate. I called that double play last inning.

Steve Sax said...

Hu is batting a Jones-like .183 now.

Steve Sax said...

Oh, I can feel the Kuroda-Fukudome suspense from here in Los Angeles...

Steve Sax said...

One pitch, one out. Fukudome flies to Pierre.

Steve Sax said...

Kuroda is out of the second with acount of 15 pitches for the game; Gallagher (sans hammer and watermelon) is at 37 through two frames.

0-0.

Steve Sax said...

Here comes the Pierre home run...

Steve Sax said...

...nope, my mistake! Pierre grounds to second on the second pitch, ending the top of the third inning.

0-0.

Steve Sax said...

Wow, Jim Edmonds' average is actually worse than Chin-Lung Hu! Amazing.

Orel said...

Andruw Jones : Dodgers :: Jim Edmonds : Padres

Orel said...

Steiner & Lyons interviewing Russell in the dugout.

Orel said...

Kuroda escapes the 1st & 2nd jam!

Steve Sax said...

Nice move to give the free pass to Soriano, getting the final out from Fontenot.

Fonte? NOT!

Eric Karros said...

Nice analogy Orel

Erin said...

Definitely keep me posted on pitch count, please, Sax. I can't find it shown anywhere here at the stadium.

Orel said...

Lee robs Maza!

Eric Karros said...

Maza robbed, Ethier singles.

Eric Karros said...

Ethier nailed. Loney singles.

Eric Karros said...

Efficiency of words. Should be 1-0 Dodgers, 1st and 3rd no outs.

Orel said...

Fukudome limits Ethier's double to a single; Ethier gets CS; Loney singles. Many wasted opportunities.

Erin said...

Everyone in this inning has hit the ball hard. Kinda makes you wonder why they would send Ethier there.

karina said...

We have complained a lot, but in ESPN say the Dodgers have 6 players under 25 years old who have started in 20 or more game. Highest in the MLB

Orel said...

Kemp walks. At least they're working Gallagher deep.

Orel said...

DeWitt with the hit! Bowa actually sends Loney! 1-0 Dodgers!

karina said...

DeWitt RBI!

i guess he's making the case as Rookie of the Year against Soto.

Steve Sax said...

whoo hoo, we scored!

Orel said...

True Karina, but only because all the old guys are on the DL!

Eric Karros said...

According to Chris Berman: Hu is the only player in MLB history with a 2-letter last name.

In related news, ABC is showing two episodes of 'According to Jim' back-to-back.

karina said...

Right, Orel but no one can deny DeWitt has proven he's ready for the big leagues.

karina said...

I love the ESPN 2 announcers for South America. One of them is a Dodgers fan.

Orel said...

Ardoin throws out Lee by a mile!

karina said...

That was a sweeeeeeet DP! Ardoin showing some arm

Thanks to God, Fukudome hit.

Erin said...

I don't know how it looked in replay, but from here it sure looked like Lee avoided the tag at second there. But it was close.

What's the pitch count for Kuroda?

Orel said...

Can't argue with you there, Karina. The real test for DeWitt will be when pitchers adjust to him. How will he respond?

karina said...

52 pitches for Kuroda.

karina said...

You win, Orel!

Erin said...

All right, I need to save my battery, so I won't be checking in again until it's all over. Go Dodgers!

Orel said...

Lee's spikes caught in the dirt about a foot away from the bag, allowing him to be tagged out.

Kuroda: 52 pitches
Gallagher 72+ pitches

Orel said...

Bye Erin! Go Blue!

Orel said...

Maza can't make the basket catch this time!

Steve Sax said...

Pierre grounds to the pitcher after working a 0-2 count back to 3-2. Gallagher has 87 pitches through his four frames.

Orel said...

Loney's been practicing his throws to second. Hu almost turns two.

karina said...

If they weren't playing in Chicago, Maza would have caught that ball, it was similar to the ones he did yesterday.

Update: Maza is playing beautiful defense.

Trivia: Maza and Cedeno are teammates in Venezuela.

Orel said...

Ethier gets Fukudome-d!

karina said...

Fukudome robbed Ethier!

Dodgers said...

Hey guys. I just wanted to pop in and let you all know that I love your blog!

I'm pleased to see that the Dodgers have shut-out the Cubs, 1-0, thus far. Kuroda has been dominating on the mound and should pick up the win tonight. But, it's still a close game.

Danny Ardoin has been that great in today's game (0-2). Regardless, I did a background check on him to see what he's all about: http://dodgers.tumblr.com/post/36264829/ardoin-behind-the-backstop

In the middle of the next inning, the fat lady sings...er, it's actually Tommy Lasorda leading the crowd in the classic baseball tune, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game!"

Keep up the great work,
http://dodgers.tumblr.com/

Dodgers said...

Orel Hershiser - Just because you're one of the greatest pitchers known to mankind doesn't give you the right to turn Fukudome into a verb.

Orel said...

Did I just get dodgersblogged?

Eric Karros said...

nice one Orel -

Orel said...

Pierre with the nice running catch!

Orel said...

Pierre with another fine catch!

Eric Karros said...

Damn I thought Soto's fly ball was headed out of the stadium.

karina said...

and ESPN is broadcasting 3 Dodgers game this week, what's up with the world these days?

karina said...

If you buy online The Baseball Project, Volume One: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails, you can get a song about a Dodgers fan shooting a Giants fan.

They also have a song about Sandy Koufax:

"Long Before My Time" marks the amazing career of Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax, who quit at his peak in 1966. Wynn says, "He had such an incredible five year run and then he just walked away. He was in the Hall of Fame at an age where most players are renegotiating their contract."

It's an album by four musicians, most notably Scott McCaughey and Peter Buck (huge R.E.M fan)

not for the shooting song, though.

karina said...

I meant, i'm so buying this record, not for the shooting song...

Orel said...

Sing Tommy sing!

Orel said...

Nice catch, Karina. Do you have a link?

karina said...

http://tinyurl.com/3gbqhf

Orel said...

Thanks!

karina said...

They also made songs about Jackie Robinson and Fernando!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Considering the quality of the musicians involved, this record is a MUST.

Orel said...

Broxton makes a rare 7th-inning appearance.

karina said...

and someone was taken to that legendary game when the Roseboro-Marichal fight and wrote a song about that...

It's a classic, i'm buying two: one of the copies will be folded on a plastic bag, untouched....

karina said...

and Joe Torre won't give Martin a full night of rest. We need his bat.

Orel said...

Oh man, DeWitt just botched the 2nd out. I wonder if we'll get that on "Sounds of the Game."

karina said...

Broxton made 8 pitches to Ramirez.

Erin said...

Nice of Broxton to come in and ruin everything, huh? I think I'll be leaving this one very soon. It's no longer worth the cold.

Steve Sax said...

DAMMIT! 2-1 Cubs.

With our pathetic offense, I feel like we are being bled to death with toothpick pokes.

Steve Sax said...

Another Broxton meltdown, right before our eyes.

karina said...

It's awful how they have wasted two quality starts in a row.

2 innings to go, though

karina said...

On ESPN they have a promo for tomorrow's game, saying the Dodgers star player is Juan Pierre.

You can tell that to your daughter, Steve.

karina said...

It smells like a swept, because they'll face Big Z (and his) bat tomorrow, gosh, he could only clean-up with the Dodgers.

Steve Sax said...

I am so mad at the Dodgers, it hurts.

Steve Sax said...

Look who's up, .100 average Mark Sweeney!

Steve Sax said...

And, Mark Sweeney strikes out. Brilliant.

GET RID OF SWEENEY DAMMIT

Eric Karros said...

I can't believe Sweeney didn't get the clutch hit

Steve Sax said...

Oh, and sweeney struck out on three pitches

karina said...

good night...

Steve Sax said...

And it's all over. I'm going home to stick forks in my eyes.

Dodgers said...

What a game. The Dodgers were winning for most of it until Kuroda gave up that ER and then Broxton widened the gap for the Cubs.

This is the same case as last night. The lack of run production equals a loss... This is Dodgers Baseball.

Also, dodgersblogged is not a verb. You better watch yourself. Shakespeare will come to get you if you keep up butchering the English language! Eric Karros, I'm still angered at you for that play you botched up in 2001. Don't get me started...

http://dodgers.tumblr.com