Chad Billingsley (3-0, 2.84) vs. Wandy Rodriguez (1-1, 1.89).
COMMENTS:
- A note from SoSG Sax: The MLB Network is broadcasting today's game in their "Thursday Night Baseball" slot; Matt Vasgersian (of PlayStation's "MLB: The Show" series fame) is doing the call.
- Sure, the bullpen's questionable, but the Dodgers are also averaging more than six runs scored per game.
- And it might seem the Dodgers lead the NL in aggregate LOB, but that's not true. They're third in the NL with 123 LOB (behind the Nationals and Cardinals). So there.
301 comments:
1 – 200 of 301 Newer› Newest»Don't leave us hanging, Chad!
Yep, we've used that 1000 times before. Or maybe that was just me.
Furcal, SS
Hudson, 2B
Ramirez, LF
Ethier, RF
Martin, C
Loney, 1B
Kemp, CF
Blake, 3B
Billingsley, P
Martin & Loney flipped. Kemp in the seven-hole again.
Hey Orel, keeping with the Star Wars theme, would you call us a LOB-ot?
Yeah, this Joe Torre guy reminds me a lot of Grady Little. I'm getting a little tired of him.
i'm gonna shave my head to break the losing streak!
Fred, send us before and after pictures (with a newspaper in the shot, to confirm the date?).
Sax, I expect the Dodgers to leave IG-88 men on base tonight.
haha! i keep the 'do cut low anyway so it's not that huge an event, but i might take some pics anyway
Orel: R2, Brutus.
Also lead the league in GDP.
Okay, here's a little something I threw together to get us back in the win column:
So, the road trip is off to a bad start.
Remember that the Dodgers still have lots of heart.
Watching the bullpen has not been fun,
but even the best relief pitchers give up runs.
So what if we leave a lot of men on base.
At least, they're getting on in the first place.
Tonight, we've got Billingsley on the mound.
I'm certain he'll smash the Astros into the ground.
Now, let's hear it for The Boys in Blue!
Tonight, the losing streak ends at two!
Oh geeze, I read Green Eggs and Ham to my son almost every night before he goes to bed... maybe I'll mix it up a bit with some Dodger rhyming.
To the Astros: (waves hand) You will lose this game.
Bravo, Natalie! Now if we could only get Joe Torre to read that to the team before the game.
shouldn't billingsley's head have been put on Obi-Wan's body, not Leia's?
Maybe I should have left it in the comments of Andre's blog. Then, he could pass it along to his teammates. lol.
Beautiful, Natalie
"shouldn't billingsley's head have been put on Obi-Wan's body, not Leia's?"
Thank you, Mr. Lucas.
@Orel - don't kill the messanger, especially with bad sarcasm.
"Vasgersian" like "excursion."
But bad sarcasm is all I know!
Somewhere I heard that Casgersians name was pronounced "Vaginaman".
No offense... really...
I think its because he used to be with the Madres crew.
Furcal & Hudson doing their thing. First & second, no out.
Manny RBI single! 1-0 Dodgers!
Manny's shot was up the middle. He's totally unafraid to not pull the ball.
Vasgersian confusing Broxton for Billingsley. Caught the gaffe immediately, though.
boo-yah... Manny getting hot!
how many games have Raffy and Orlando both gotten on in the first inning?
Martin K's.
No game on Regular TV. Only MLB Network????????????????
Or am I missing something.
Good question, FB. Where's Alireza when you need him?
Neeebs: Because of the Lakers tonight, I think.
Wandy has been tough this year. Nice to see the Dodgers get on him early. That curve is nasty.
Here we go again. Martin & Loney not getting it done.
My Best Buy/Dodger calendar says it should be on KCal 9. Instead I'm watching the people's court.
And I left work early for this?
So, did they close the roof because of the wind in Houston or because they are worried Manny and Blake will knock more balls out of the park?
Vergersian said Cecil Cooper was "skippering" the Astros. Sounds fishy.
Neeebs, what cable/satellite system are you on?
Nice pick by Kemp.
Tejada doubles. Manny played it well off the wall.
Orel - I wouldn't blame Martin for that last one. Wandy made an insane pitch. Loney, on the other hand, needs to stop hitting the ball on the ground so often. If he would just stop pulling every pitch, he would hit .330.
Neebs - They moved the game to the MLB Network, which is ridiculous.
Stupid Gameday. Bills doesn't throw a slider.
Wow. Billingsley just made Berkman his biatch.
Good point, Alireza. It's just that Martin's swing kind of half-assed, as we see a lot on breaking pitches.
Orel - As patient as Martin is, his bat speed and style makes it hard to check a swing. I am thinking he was trying to hold up on that borderline strike curve and couldn't.
This week's sign that Chad Billingsley is one of the top 5 pitchers in baseball - He threw essentially the exact same curveball to get Berkman and Lee, just on opposite sides of the plate. The only reason Lee got any of his pitch is that it was just slightly more elevated, but still far enough from the middle of the plate to avoid solid contact.
That was a nice AB for Kemp, even if he didn't get a hit.
LONEY BATTING 161 OVER HIS LAST 8 GAMES.
Wow, Billingsley swung at the first pitch.
Time Warner
Anyone watching on Gameday knows that last curve was a strike.
good curveball tonight
YOO HOO
Found it on ch 276
Be back sporadically
Bills appears to have at least his B+, if not A stuff tonight. He is really snapping off his curve.
does jeff kent make that play?
For the love of Pete, stop calling his cutter/two seamer a slider Gameday.
Does Jeff Kent have an OPS of 1.062 at this point?
There's some D for you: nice 4-6-3 DP started by Hudson.
the only time jeff kent had an OPS that high was when he was wearing black and orange.
Wow, Furcal totally faked out by Wandy's breaking ball.
This ump is using a different K zone for the 2 pitchers. I don't know if it is a righty/lefty thing, but he is favoring Wandy.
When is Raffy going to steal some bags?
Can someone score me the tell, please? I'm out of pocket.
Wow. The O-Dog should have killed that last one.
Sax - 1-0 on a 1st inning RBI single by Manny
Damn. Both these guys are going Bugs Bunny today.
these astros broadcasters are painful to listen to.
You know the MLB network?
I am so not anywhere near there right now.
Wow. Wandy is lucky that pitch came in low. You just don't throw an 85 MPH pitch to Manny.
You can't get the MLB Network here on Endor. Just this damn yub yub song, ad infinitum.
BTW. I watched the video of Manny's single. Is anyone else amazed at the fact that he knows he will swing the instant it leaves the pitcher's hand?
How many strikeouts and eWoks does Bills have so far?
2 Ks, 0 BB Sax. If you are posting here, how come you aren't looking at Gameday?
Michael Bourn is a vacuum cleaner.
wow! i thought that was long gone
Wow. That would have been out in just about any other park.
Seriously, Randazzo's K-zone is seriously f-ed up tonight.
It's more fun to read the crew's comments. And gameday has no color commentary.
Or Star Wars puns, for that matter.
come on russ
Martin frozen on a breaking ball. Another two LOB.
Wandy has saved his best stuff for Russ. Still, the ump is doing Martin no favors.
are we leading the league in stranded runners? it is incredible how many wasted opportunities we've had against these guys.
Chad. Don't let this chump work the pitch count. Just throw him an inside fastball and watch him wail at air.
Well Sax, that was Bills's first walk. He should be ashamed of himself for walking Bourn.
Chad's not a good nibbler.
Nice save by Martin.
Matt Kemp says, "Catch this, Michael Bourn!"
great scouting
steroid ball near second base
Nice diving catch by Kemp followed by a first-pitch pop-up by Tejada. Bills escapes the inning.
Still 1-0?
Bills at 40 pitches.
Orel - Chad just needs to let it fly and let his movement get the job done.
Still 1-0 Sax.
BTW, the Dodgers have already worked Wandy to the tune of 70 pitches. This makes me happy.
Loney does seem pull-happy.
Joe Torre needs to move Matt up behind Andre..
that was def a strike
Kemp works the walk. Patience is the sixth tool!
Now THAT was a good AB by Kemp.
100?
I think pretty much all Blake can do now is hit homers. He is becoming the new Dave Kingman.
these guys are playing like the Omega Moos!
Blake would have been safe had he slid into the bag, but instead he slid into Tejada for the out.
A week after Billingsly trumpeted the team for its run scoring potential, they quickly pinch him with 1 run of support.
Lets see Bills do the same thing as last time to Berkman.
Luckily its still early in the game
Not quite, but that was only 2 pitches.
Berkman gave it a ride and Kemp caught it in front of the warning track. Big place.
Chad got away with a mistake there. El Caballo looked at a straight heater down the middle.
How fast was the pitch Lee K'ed on? The MLB Network doesn't have/show a radar gun.
Houston isn't quite the launching pad most think. It is easy to hit balls out to left and down the RF line, but the gaps and dead center are massive.
Orel - It was 93 with a PFX of 13". Absolutely nasty pitch.
Bills is settling down. 46 pitches through four, Dodgers still lead 1-0.
Gameday says a release speed of 93 & a resulting speed of 84. so i dont know...
BTW, that breaking ball that Blum popped out on was even more nasty. 81 MPH with a BRK of 12" and a PFX of 11".
Booger - Release speed is the one you are looking for. BTW, that pitch was so high that it probably looked like about 100.
Hudson gunned down at third trying to stretch a double! Bourn is killing us.
Blech. 2 outs on 4 pitches. Not good when you have been taxing the pitcher so far. Hopefully Manny can put together a longer AB.
thanks for the infor Ali, how close was hudson to being safe?
Bourn can't hit, but his defense is spectacular, both fielding and arm.
that is a horrible call unbelievable
Now THAT was a nasty pitch.
Manny started toward first but didn't argue as the ump called strike three on him.
Dodgers making Rodriguez look Wandy-ful.
Yes it was Koufax, though the Ump was probably distracted by all the movement. Still, Randazzo needs a call up from the umpiring office after this game.
this ump is killing me
Pretty close call at third, but Hudson looked out.
well i guess wandy rodriguez gets the benefit of the doubt vs. manny ramirez, you know all those cy youngs and all-star games he has...
agreed orel
Hate to admit it, but the Ump was right on on the call at 3B. Bourn played the carom perfectly and Matsui's throw looked like it came out of a bazooka.
It isn't given a lot of press, but teams probably scout umps too.
If one looks at the Gameday, it is pretty obvious the ump is favoring Wandy.
yeah, i just saw the replay on the hudson play, it was the right call.
nice hustle, but he shouldve stayed at second; or run faster...
Wow, first Bills uncorks one near Pudge's head then he falls off the mound on ball two.
Okay Bills, get all that awkwardness out in one AB.
Booger - Bourn's hold rate last year wasn't particularly good. The word hasn't gotten out about his arm.
Yuck. That walk to Pudge was totally unnecessary.
For those wondering:
"The 'Pitch-f/x' value is the measurement of the distance between the location of the actual pitch thrown over the plate, and the calculated location of a ball thrown by the pitcher in the same way, with no spin; this is the value MLB.com provided in Enhanced Gameday last season as 'Break.' "
Nice block in the dirt by Martin.
Or as translated into English - Break measures vertical movement while PitchFX measures horizontal movement.
Wow. This ump really sucks.
nice just caught the astros gm picking his nose and a strike em out throw em out
out by a mile
Out by a mile! Strike-em-out-throw-em-out DP!
See Chad. That is what I meant by throwing Bourn inside heat.
hi everybody, btw
BTW, anyone who doubts Russell's ability to throw needs to look at that one again. He is a product of his staff, not the other way around.
If Wandy every figures out a third pitch, he will be insane.
well, runners steal off pitchers, not catchers for the most part. Unless Juan Pierre gets moved to catcher.
Wandy's off-speed stuff has them frozen: Andre just stared at that fastball for strike three.
this ump sucks.
Orel - That fastball also moved 14". You can't deny the guy's stuff.
lONEY TO BOUNCE TO SHORT.
way to keep wandy in the game.
james loney is 3-3, unfortunately that is three week grounders to the right side, not hits.
"If Wandy every figures out a third pitch, he will be insane."
Same with Kershaw.
Hey Nic. Did you coach today?
Nic - I think Wandy is gone now. He is due to lead off.
ok it was to first.... again... dude needs to get some lift on his ball or go back to pitching.
Orel - Similar, though Kershaw's change has improved to the point that it is an average pitch. Also, Clayton throws significantly harder, which means that the Curve acts both as a breaking pitch and an off-speed.
BTW, if Wandy threw that pitch, it would have been a strike.
nah practice, had to get ready for the big inter-league game on sat. the two best teams red sox vs. red sox.
Significantly harder? Kershaw hits 94, and isn't Wandy at 92-93?
hope that doesnt come back to haunt us
Dusto - I think Loney is hitting too linearly down to the ball. If he could get some more rotation on the swing, his problems would be solved.
we could use loney in the pen right about now. everytime he goes on the radio he says he cant still hit mid-nineties.
I don't say this often, but: Go Red Sox!
lasorda always had the best out of the dugout celebratory skip. its like he is floating
Orel - Kershaw's average fastball sits around 95, with the floor being about 93 and the top being 97-98. Wandy's fastball sits right around 90.
whats chads pitch count?
80
Damn it Chad. Snap off a curve in the dirt and Tejada is done.
what the hell is going on here.
raffy has had some boner plays this series
whew!
Furcal blows it...
never mind.
double play!!!
And the O-Dog saves Raffy's bacon.
BTW, for those wondering, Bills has owned Berkman leading up to this game.
.167 .286 .333 .619
And that doesn't include today.
alright boys lets take advantage of their depleted pen
get the rally caps on!
The power of SPEED.
ya baby
look at that bison
BOOM BOOM!!
atta Blake!
So, the whole world sees the bunt coming now.
I am beginning to think Blake has a new strategy in the 8 hole. He has just decided to swing from his heals and either crush the ball or make an out because of the pitcher up next. Not such a bad plan.
Bills to sacrifice... My dad used to always say, "If you can't get a bunt down, you should be fined a weeks pay"! and Bills missed it.
Chad needs to go back to the Slappy's Bunting Academy, presented by Juan Pierre.
gotta be kidding me.
fundamentals!!!
i think its time for a day off raffy
BTW, Blake has 12 hits this year, 7 for extra bases (4 HR, 3 2B)
it does seem like Blake is Feast or Famine.
raffy is just not 100%, in the field or at the plate, i dont care what he says
furcal has been popping it up alot this year
One thing in Chad's defense. It bugs the hell out of me when managers, and this doesn't just apply to Torre, leave the bunt sign on with 2 strikes.
alireza, especially with a runner on second and no chance for a dp
what a rally.
batting tips from reynolds, quick set the dvr!!
Koufax - His fielding issues are not related to the injury. He is doing what he always does. He makes boneheaded errors on easy plays and makes just about every hard play he is faced with. His hitting might be related, because he definitely isn't taking as vicious a cut as he used to.
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