Thursday, April 23, 2009

Game 16 Thread: April 23 @ Astros, 5p

"Help us, Chad Billingsley, you're our only hope!"

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:

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Steve Sax said...

Don't leave us hanging, Chad!

Yep, we've used that 1000 times before. Or maybe that was just me.

Orel said...

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.

Steve Sax said...

Hey Orel, keeping with the Star Wars theme, would you call us a LOB-ot?

Dusto_Magnifico said...

Yeah, this Joe Torre guy reminds me a lot of Grady Little. I'm getting a little tired of him.

Fred's Brim said...

i'm gonna shave my head to break the losing streak!

Steve Sax said...

Fred, send us before and after pictures (with a newspaper in the shot, to confirm the date?).

Orel said...

Sax, I expect the Dodgers to leave IG-88 men on base tonight.

Fred's Brim said...

haha! i keep the 'do cut low anyway so it's not that huge an event, but i might take some pics anyway

Steve Sax said...

Orel: R2, Brutus.

Dusto_Magnifico said...

Also lead the league in GDP.

Natalie said...

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!

Dusto_Magnifico said...

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.

QuadSevens said...

To the Astros: (waves hand) You will lose this game.

Orel said...

Bravo, Natalie! Now if we could only get Joe Torre to read that to the team before the game.

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

shouldn't billingsley's head have been put on Obi-Wan's body, not Leia's?

Natalie said...

Maybe I should have left it in the comments of Andre's blog. Then, he could pass it along to his teammates. lol.

Steve Sax said...

Beautiful, Natalie

Orel said...

"shouldn't billingsley's head have been put on Obi-Wan's body, not Leia's?"

Thank you, Mr. Lucas.

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

@Orel - don't kill the messanger, especially with bad sarcasm.

Orel said...

"Vasgersian" like "excursion."

Orel said...

But bad sarcasm is all I know!

Dusto_Magnifico said...

Somewhere I heard that Casgersians name was pronounced "Vaginaman".

No offense... really...

I think its because he used to be with the Madres crew.

Orel said...

Furcal & Hudson doing their thing. First & second, no out.

Orel said...

Manny RBI single! 1-0 Dodgers!

Orel said...

Manny's shot was up the middle. He's totally unafraid to not pull the ball.

Orel said...

Vasgersian confusing Broxton for Billingsley. Caught the gaffe immediately, though.

Dusto_Magnifico said...

boo-yah... Manny getting hot!

Fred's Brim said...

how many games have Raffy and Orlando both gotten on in the first inning?

Orel said...

Martin K's.

Neeebs (The Original) said...

No game on Regular TV. Only MLB Network????????????????

Or am I missing something.

Orel said...

Good question, FB. Where's Alireza when you need him?

Orel said...

Neeebs: Because of the Lakers tonight, I think.

Unknown said...

Wandy has been tough this year. Nice to see the Dodgers get on him early. That curve is nasty.

Orel said...

Here we go again. Martin & Loney not getting it done.

Neeebs (The Original) said...

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?

Unknown said...

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?

Orel said...

Vergersian said Cecil Cooper was "skippering" the Astros. Sounds fishy.

Orel said...

Neeebs, what cable/satellite system are you on?

Orel said...

Nice pick by Kemp.

Orel said...

Tejada doubles. Manny played it well off the wall.

Unknown said...

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.

Unknown said...

Stupid Gameday. Bills doesn't throw a slider.

Unknown said...

Wow. Billingsley just made Berkman his biatch.

Orel said...

Good point, Alireza. It's just that Martin's swing kind of half-assed, as we see a lot on breaking pitches.

Unknown said...

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.

Unknown said...

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.

Unknown said...

That was a nice AB for Kemp, even if he didn't get a hit.

Dusto_Magnifico said...

LONEY BATTING 161 OVER HIS LAST 8 GAMES.

Unknown said...

Wow, Billingsley swung at the first pitch.

Neeebs (The Original) said...

Time Warner

Unknown said...

Anyone watching on Gameday knows that last curve was a strike.

koufax said...

good curveball tonight

Neeebs (The Original) said...

YOO HOO

Found it on ch 276

Be back sporadically

Unknown said...

Bills appears to have at least his B+, if not A stuff tonight. He is really snapping off his curve.

koufax said...

does jeff kent make that play?

Unknown said...

For the love of Pete, stop calling his cutter/two seamer a slider Gameday.

Unknown said...

Does Jeff Kent have an OPS of 1.062 at this point?

Orel said...

There's some D for you: nice 4-6-3 DP started by Hudson.

koufax said...

the only time jeff kent had an OPS that high was when he was wearing black and orange.

Orel said...

Wow, Furcal totally faked out by Wandy's breaking ball.

Unknown said...

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.

Unknown said...

When is Raffy going to steal some bags?

Steve Sax said...

Can someone score me the tell, please? I'm out of pocket.

Unknown said...

Wow. The O-Dog should have killed that last one.

Unknown said...

Sax - 1-0 on a 1st inning RBI single by Manny

Unknown said...

Damn. Both these guys are going Bugs Bunny today.

koufax said...

these astros broadcasters are painful to listen to.

Steve Sax said...

You know the MLB network?

I am so not anywhere near there right now.

Unknown said...

Wow. Wandy is lucky that pitch came in low. You just don't throw an 85 MPH pitch to Manny.

Steve Sax said...

You can't get the MLB Network here on Endor. Just this damn yub yub song, ad infinitum.

Unknown said...

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?

Steve Sax said...

How many strikeouts and eWoks does Bills have so far?

Unknown said...

2 Ks, 0 BB Sax. If you are posting here, how come you aren't looking at Gameday?

Orel said...

Michael Bourn is a vacuum cleaner.

koufax said...

wow! i thought that was long gone

Unknown said...

Wow. That would have been out in just about any other park.

Unknown said...

Seriously, Randazzo's K-zone is seriously f-ed up tonight.

Steve Sax said...

It's more fun to read the crew's comments. And gameday has no color commentary.

Or Star Wars puns, for that matter.

koufax said...

come on russ

Orel said...

Martin frozen on a breaking ball. Another two LOB.

Unknown said...

Wandy has saved his best stuff for Russ. Still, the ump is doing Martin no favors.

koufax said...

are we leading the league in stranded runners? it is incredible how many wasted opportunities we've had against these guys.

Unknown said...

Chad. Don't let this chump work the pitch count. Just throw him an inside fastball and watch him wail at air.

Unknown said...

Well Sax, that was Bills's first walk. He should be ashamed of himself for walking Bourn.

Orel said...

Chad's not a good nibbler.

Orel said...

Nice save by Martin.

Orel said...

Matt Kemp says, "Catch this, Michael Bourn!"

koufax said...

great scouting

koufax said...

steroid ball near second base

Orel said...

Nice diving catch by Kemp followed by a first-pitch pop-up by Tejada. Bills escapes the inning.

Steve Sax said...

Still 1-0?

Orel said...

Bills at 40 pitches.

Unknown said...

Orel - Chad just needs to let it fly and let his movement get the job done.

Unknown said...

Still 1-0 Sax.

Unknown said...

BTW, the Dodgers have already worked Wandy to the tune of 70 pitches. This makes me happy.

Orel said...

Loney does seem pull-happy.

Booger said...

Joe Torre needs to move Matt up behind Andre..

koufax said...

that was def a strike

Orel said...

Kemp works the walk. Patience is the sixth tool!

Unknown said...

Now THAT was a good AB by Kemp.

Steve Sax said...

100?

Unknown said...

I think pretty much all Blake can do now is hit homers. He is becoming the new Dave Kingman.

Booger said...

these guys are playing like the Omega Moos!

Orel said...

Blake would have been safe had he slid into the bag, but instead he slid into Tejada for the out.

Booger said...

A week after Billingsly trumpeted the team for its run scoring potential, they quickly pinch him with 1 run of support.

Unknown said...

Lets see Bills do the same thing as last time to Berkman.

Booger said...

Luckily its still early in the game

Unknown said...

Not quite, but that was only 2 pitches.

Orel said...

Berkman gave it a ride and Kemp caught it in front of the warning track. Big place.

Unknown said...

Chad got away with a mistake there. El Caballo looked at a straight heater down the middle.

Orel said...

How fast was the pitch Lee K'ed on? The MLB Network doesn't have/show a radar gun.

Unknown said...

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.

Unknown said...

Orel - It was 93 with a PFX of 13". Absolutely nasty pitch.

Orel said...

Bills is settling down. 46 pitches through four, Dodgers still lead 1-0.

Booger said...

Gameday says a release speed of 93 & a resulting speed of 84. so i dont know...

Unknown said...

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".

Unknown said...

Booger - Release speed is the one you are looking for. BTW, that pitch was so high that it probably looked like about 100.

Orel said...

Hudson gunned down at third trying to stretch a double! Bourn is killing us.

Unknown said...

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.

Booger said...

thanks for the infor Ali, how close was hudson to being safe?

Unknown said...

Bourn can't hit, but his defense is spectacular, both fielding and arm.

koufax said...

that is a horrible call unbelievable

Unknown said...

Now THAT was a nasty pitch.

Orel said...

Manny started toward first but didn't argue as the ump called strike three on him.

Dodgers making Rodriguez look Wandy-ful.

Unknown said...

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.

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

this ump is killing me

Orel said...

Pretty close call at third, but Hudson looked out.

koufax said...

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...

koufax said...

agreed orel

Unknown said...

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.

Orel said...

It isn't given a lot of press, but teams probably scout umps too.

Unknown said...

If one looks at the Gameday, it is pretty obvious the ump is favoring Wandy.

Booger said...

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...

Orel said...

Wow, first Bills uncorks one near Pudge's head then he falls off the mound on ball two.

Orel said...

Okay Bills, get all that awkwardness out in one AB.

Unknown said...

Booger - Bourn's hold rate last year wasn't particularly good. The word hasn't gotten out about his arm.

Unknown said...

Yuck. That walk to Pudge was totally unnecessary.

Orel said...

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.' "

Orel said...

Nice block in the dirt by Martin.

Unknown said...

Or as translated into English - Break measures vertical movement while PitchFX measures horizontal movement.

Unknown said...

Wow. This ump really sucks.

koufax said...

nice just caught the astros gm picking his nose and a strike em out throw em out

NicJ said...

out by a mile

Orel said...

Out by a mile! Strike-em-out-throw-em-out DP!

Unknown said...

See Chad. That is what I meant by throwing Bourn inside heat.

NicJ said...

hi everybody, btw

Unknown said...

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.

Unknown said...

If Wandy every figures out a third pitch, he will be insane.

NicJ said...

well, runners steal off pitchers, not catchers for the most part. Unless Juan Pierre gets moved to catcher.

Orel said...

Wandy's off-speed stuff has them frozen: Andre just stared at that fastball for strike three.

NicJ said...

this ump sucks.

Unknown said...

Orel - That fastball also moved 14". You can't deny the guy's stuff.

Dusto_Magnifico said...

lONEY TO BOUNCE TO SHORT.

NicJ said...

way to keep wandy in the game.

koufax said...

james loney is 3-3, unfortunately that is three week grounders to the right side, not hits.

Orel said...

"If Wandy every figures out a third pitch, he will be insane."

Same with Kershaw.

Orel said...

Hey Nic. Did you coach today?

Unknown said...

Nic - I think Wandy is gone now. He is due to lead off.

Dusto_Magnifico said...

ok it was to first.... again... dude needs to get some lift on his ball or go back to pitching.

Unknown said...

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.

Unknown said...

BTW, if Wandy threw that pitch, it would have been a strike.

NicJ said...

nah practice, had to get ready for the big inter-league game on sat. the two best teams red sox vs. red sox.

Orel said...

Significantly harder? Kershaw hits 94, and isn't Wandy at 92-93?

koufax said...

hope that doesnt come back to haunt us

Unknown said...

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.

NicJ said...

we could use loney in the pen right about now. everytime he goes on the radio he says he cant still hit mid-nineties.

Orel said...

I don't say this often, but: Go Red Sox!

NicJ said...

lasorda always had the best out of the dugout celebratory skip. its like he is floating

Unknown said...

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.

koufax said...

whats chads pitch count?

Unknown said...

80

Unknown said...

Damn it Chad. Snap off a curve in the dirt and Tejada is done.

NicJ said...

what the hell is going on here.

koufax said...

raffy has had some boner plays this series

koufax said...

whew!

Dusto_Magnifico said...

Furcal blows it...

never mind.

double play!!!

Unknown said...

And the O-Dog saves Raffy's bacon.

Unknown said...

BTW, for those wondering, Bills has owned Berkman leading up to this game.

.167 .286 .333 .619

And that doesn't include today.

koufax said...

alright boys lets take advantage of their depleted pen

NicJ said...

get the rally caps on!

Unknown said...

The power of SPEED.

koufax said...

ya baby

NicJ said...

look at that bison

Unknown said...

BOOM BOOM!!

Dusto_Magnifico said...

atta Blake!

Unknown said...

So, the whole world sees the bunt coming now.

Unknown said...

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.

Dusto_Magnifico said...

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.

Unknown said...

Chad needs to go back to the Slappy's Bunting Academy, presented by Juan Pierre.

Dusto_Magnifico said...

gotta be kidding me.

fundamentals!!!

NicJ said...

i think its time for a day off raffy

Unknown said...

BTW, Blake has 12 hits this year, 7 for extra bases (4 HR, 3 2B)

Booger said...

it does seem like Blake is Feast or Famine.

koufax said...

raffy is just not 100%, in the field or at the plate, i dont care what he says

NicJ said...

furcal has been popping it up alot this year

Unknown said...

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.

koufax said...

alireza, especially with a runner on second and no chance for a dp

NicJ said...

what a rally.

NicJ said...

batting tips from reynolds, quick set the dvr!!

Unknown said...

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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