HIROKIWATCH: NOW
Hiroki Kuroda (1-0, 1.59) vs. Billy Buckner (1-1, 7.16).
COMMENTS: Coming off a 5-2 roadtrip, the big news is the return of Kuroda, who won Opening Day and was slotted as our #1 pitcher before an oblique muscle strain sidelined him for the last two months. Kuroda's last start in A ball was not kind, but according to Josh Suchon, he was literally practicing pitches (i.e., only throwing a fastball for a full inning), so it probably isn't a good barometer of how he'll do today. Unless, of course, the gameplan is again to only throw the same pitch for a full inning. The Snakes might catch on by the fourth inning or so.
25-year old Buckner has only started two games this season, but he did face the Dodgers on April 11 in Arizona, where he was shelled for 5 ER, 2 BB, and 1 wild pitch over a short 0.2 IP. I'm expecting Buckner to be all over the place, in which case we won't expect to see the Hiro take a fall on this manic Monday.
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Wade can now get the elusive 4-K inning.
So it appears that I might be in LA for Sundays game... flying down from Alaska for the Dodgers... good times. I hope to be able to do something like this again come October!
Chuck Finley Mode?
NM.
too fast for the DP
Awesome, Dusto! Did you say you had been to Dodger Stadium before?
Damn, I wanted to see a 4-K inning.
Kuo's warming up?
What kind of pitch is Wade throwing for those WPs?
Kuo? he is still in glendale, not doing very well either. From what i've read.
They're just gonna get around Blackbuy to get to the pitcher's spot.
In Gameday, Wade looks all over the place.
Cory's getting a bit too nasty for his own good.
wow three wild pitches, Lame wade is back
3x WP
I was there when I was about 1 years old... So, its been a while. You can thank my dad for the transportation, he will be joining me with my son.
"Kuo? he is still in glendale, not doing very well either. From what i've read."
Just kidding, Vin said there was a loose ball on the field.
note to dusto, dont sit in the pavillion
Three generations! have a blast, Dusto!
Orel - The one he K'd Montero on was a Change. The third one was a very hard (for him, 77 MPH) curve. Russ has his hands full.
"I was there when I was about 1 years old... So, its been a while. You can thank my dad for the transportation, he will be joining me with my son."
Excellent. Have a blast!
Wow. Wade got totally robbed on the 4th pitch.
HAHAHA VIN, making fun of the nuggets
Nic - What did Vinny say?
orel, you are better at the quotes help me out.
Wade is really getting his movement back.
"Did you ever see as many tattooed people, outside of the circus, with that Denver basketball team? They musn't have a drop of in ink in Colorado. Wow." —Vin
Sorry Delino. I got the Jackee post.
It'll be awesome! My dad just told me about it today... it would be nice to meet up with anyone else who might be there?...
What is it with Vin and tattoos? He either loves 'em or hates 'em.
I'm still trying to pull some strings for a game against the M's.
alright im going to go drive around and see if the offense pick up in the car, if there is a rally then you can thank me later.
Cory seemed to have better velocity too
i'll thank you right now, Nic
Thank you
Would be nice to see 'dre work a walk and Kemp send one to the loge
keep taking pitches - make him throw strikes
Ali, is that the kind of faith you have on Ethier? that he can draw a walk?
'dre can't get a break. He hit that one hard.
"He looks like the kind of a guy who would foreclose your mortgage. I mean when you look at that Simon Legree moustache...." —Vin, on Clay Zavada
no luck for Dre. it's gonna turn soon for him, I can feel it
Karina - Have to start somewhere. Draw more walks, get better pitches, deposit more pitches over the short porch.
Nice pull by Kemp.
Yeah. Matt Kemp is good.
Wow, we're being contained all right. No runs through six.
You have a point there, Ali.
Sorry, but Juan Castro is not the guy I want up in this situation.
As opposed to what Joe Morgan thinks, Matt Kemp is getting better at hitting for average. I just hope the Friendly Confines were not the sole reason for the two pitches he deposited into the bleachers.
"It'll be awesome! My dad just told me about it today... it would be nice to meet up with anyone else who might be there?..."
Who's going Sunday? Unfortunately, not me.
Sax - The Dodgers have actually out-pitched the Snakes. The situational hitting has been terrible and Kuroda got pretty unlucky.
250.
Gutierrez in to pitch with one out and Kemp on first.
Ali, here's a stat that might change your mind: Castro is batting .455 with runners on base.
Ali, you're right, thanks for the update. Having missed innings 2-6 I'm just realizing Kuroda pitched a good game, as did Buckner...
...unfortunately we still don't have any runs on the board
I think Furcal needs a bigger bat!
MLSF - 1) Kemp has the power to hit bombs anywhere. Remember that shot into the Loge?
2) Morgan is even stupider than most thought if he ever doubted Kemp's ability to hit for AVG. Kemp is an excellent contact guy and has the wheels and LD rate to drive a huge BA. The concern is actually whether Kemp can draw enough walks to have a useful OBP, which he has shown he is more than capable of.
Dusto, you're going Sunday vs. the Phils? What's the occasion for your trip?
I like this move by Joe. Furcal has been taking more of his older style cuts of late.
raffy raffy raffy
A.J. Hinch looks like he's 14. Must be hard for him to command respect.
Alright, Raffy comes through!
WHACK. Furky Mode.
Beard Mode is in.
beard mode
think with your dipstick, casey
And now. The Beard you have all been waiting for.
Let me get this straight? I pick up the game about the 6th and it seems that Milton pinch hit for Kuroda in the 5th? WTF? Is Milty that good of hitter?
Torre was saving the bench for this moment.
That was a nasty pitch.
no joy in mudville. two away.
Come on, Beast Mode
Time for Beast Mode to step up.
Dusto - Milton is actually not a bad hitter. Not Stults, but not terrible.
Juan Gutierrez fears The Beast.
PB. RISP's for Beast Mode.
Crap.
Miguel falls asleep.
Slap Mode scores 2.
Son of a...!
Come on slaps! First pitch wild, take the second pitch dammit!
Wow Juan. Really? Did you, the least powerful hitter this side of Rafael Belliard, actually pull that outside pitch?
That was classic Slappy right there, swinging at the second pitch of the AB.
I think I just threw up a little.
Leach Mode.
Who is surprised? When we need Pierre the most, he isn't there for us!
"Who is surprised? When we need Pierre the most, he isn't there for us!"
I feel the need to defend Beast Mode's honor. Pierre's been there plenty for us.
Come on Brent, don't let them suck you dry
throw strikes Brent
Orel is buying into Beast Mode.
What else would he do with his t-shirt?
Pulls the string. Nice.
Dodgers throwing more wild pitches than a drunk screenwriter.
what the hell is with these WPs?
Russ really is having a time back there tonight.
Can you really call a high 70s pitch with a 10" vertical break a slider?
i bet Ausmus is glad he isnt out there chasing balls to the backstop. his old legs couldnt take it
and nice one, Orel
Orel: king of the simile.
Why Mota?
Wow Joe. Are you really throwing in the towel down just 2 at home to a team with a crap 'pen?
Orel, my admiration.
ok G-Mo, keep your pitches down
Karina - Because of all the great things Joe Torre is, a field manager is not one of them.
Where the hell is Troncoso in this spot?
"Can you really call a high 70s pitch with a 10" vertical break a slider?"
What would it be?
Orel - Curve
Vin says Phils beat the Padres.
And Mota immediately comes out and hangs a slider. Lucky Reynolds missed it.
Tron threw an inning yesterday.
"Orel - Curve"
What kind of pitches is Martin having trouble catching tonight?
OK karina, can we root against Parra now that he's scored a run?
I officialy give up on this game.
G. Mota, M. Reynolds, in play (runs)
Hate him as i hated Jones and Sweeney last year.
Three runs in two innings? It's doable!
Orel - It isn't so much trouble, they are just planting the things even Russ can't block them.
that's OK G-Mo - you got the ground ball you wanted, it was just hit in a less-than-perfect place
Of course, you can! i'm torn...
Would please someone bomb Gutierrez?
that's not a strike, blue
hmmm, maybe i didnt drive far enough.
Joe's gotta go with all real players in the lineup tomorrow, unless Casey's really hurt
I will be relieved to see Qualls.
im beginning to miss Mr. Ramirez more and more.
cmon G-Mo, keep us close
Ojeda, MSB 2.0
I always fear Augie Ojeda.
quite the capper to an embarrassing evening. and kemps first error
Error on Kemp? He must have run over the official scorer's dog.
that wasnt an error
Wow. That was the Bison's first E of the year.
I hope Kemp pulls an Orlando Cabrera and disputes the error.
Double, and on the missed catch error Ojeda went to third.
im hoping they review that, it wasnt an error.
wow, loney almost got his face taken off
Mota gets out of the jam.
This is where home-run power helps. One swing of the bat can change the game.
I remember when the Ramones were considered non-mainstream.
Pena has been tough this year.
Anyway, we have the right combo coming up. Martin to get on. Ethier to, hopefully, take a walk or get a hit and Kemp to deposit one.
Russ is up swinging. I actually like this.
thanks for nothing martin.
The Dodgers look like a team in desperate need of a day off.
Nic - That AB was actually a good sign. Pena got Russ with a nasty pitch that would have been a strike anyway. Martin needs to be more aggressive with pitches in the zone.
i forgot how much i dislike the snakes
dan haren tomorrow, garland weds, doesnt get any easier from here.
Ethier singles! At the very least, something to build on.
yeah, that helps us alot right now.
Two shutouts in the span of 3 days? Could it be?
Solid knock Andre.
We could use more optimism, gentlemen.
Nic - Haren is great, but are you really worried about Jon Garland?
come on kemp
well, i wasnt worried about buckner.
All I ask for is the tying run to come to the plate.
Pena has laser sight command tonight.
Nic - Buckner was absolutely nasty, especially with ROB.
Matt Kemp is doing a Barry Bonds impersonation.
"We could use more optimism, gentlemen."
Hear hear!
its easy to say that in hindsight.
I got my wish!
Lopez with an error. Two on for Furcal.
Errors for everybody!
Now here is a question. Does Furky have the bat speed to deal with Pena?
But wait. . .
2 on, one out; breakthrough time!
Maybe he can work a walk.
How many WPs does Vinny say Pena has?
Raffy is 1-for-2 against Pena this season.
Ball two!
I don't know but we have to have faith this game will be turned around.
C'mon Forcal.
"How many WPs does Vinny say Pena has?"
Didn't catch it.
you think Bob Melvin is laughing right now?
Wasn't Carlos Pena the chubby backup C for the dodgers back in '97?
Tony Pena thinks he is Jonathan Broxton.
Forkal
Apodacca, Forkal, Troncaso.
"you think Bob Melvin is laughing right now?"
He's at the bar with Clint Hurdle.
This game may rest on Jamie Hoffmann.
Furcal swings at ball four!
Big Hoff on deck.
Apodaca?
I bet Furcal was out of his boots on that swing.
Full-count RBI single! No shutout!
Raffy with a base-hit! Ethier scores! Two on for the Hoffinator!
that quite a bit of pressure to put on the kid.
Orel - That last pitch was very close.
FURKY MODE
Just a short list of the great names of the last week.
"I bet Furcal was out of his boots on that swing."
Actually a pretty smooth opposite-field swing.
Never been so glad to be so wrong.
Nice at bat Forkal!
Still one out, faith increasing by the seconds
Hoffmann's got some pop in him.
haha hoffmann's intro music is rebel yell?
Hoffmann swinging at the first pitch.
Nothing but SPEED at 1st, 2nd and home.
Hoffy in a quick hole.
Going for the walk-off,
Don't hassle the Hoff-mann.
he's not swinging for a base hit.
Hoffmann is fast? He's a big guy.
Orel - As he should. That slider was over the heart.
Damn. Gave it a ride.
damn crowd, made it seem like it was going out.
Just realized I'm still in DVR mode.
haha, poor JP he seems to always be in this situation.
Walk-off Beast Mode???
400
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