Sunday, August 02, 2009

Post-Game 105 Thread: Put Me In, Coach

DODGERS 9, BRAVES 1

A very telling moment in tonight's game, as caught by ESPN's cameras: Chad Billingsley was magnificent through five, allowing two hits and no runs over 83 pitches. With the pitcher's spot due to lead off the sixth inning, Billingsley, who had grabbed a bat and helmet, was shown trying to convince Joe Torre and the coaching staff to let him bat. But Torre wasn't having any of it, instead choosing to have Jason Schmidt pinch-hit (to preserve his bench with a four-run lead).

The sixth inning has been a bugaboo for Billingsley, and you love to see him rarin' to go out and conquer it. But with him possibly hyperextending his left leg on a follow-though Billingsley experiencing a right-hamstring cramp in the fifth inning, Torre decided not to take any risks. And of course Schmidt singled and eventually scored, making Torre look like a gee-nee-uss.

Bat of the game goes to Matt Kemp (3-for-5, five RBIs), who popped a Earl Weaver-approved three-run homer in the fifth (the Dodgers' second three-run home run of the series!). Question mark of the game goes to Manny Ramirez (1-for-4, two runs, one nice defensive play), who, as Joe Morgan surmised, may still be feeling the effects of being hit on the hand by Homer Bailey.

Tonight's win salvages the road trip at 3-4. Not bad, given that the Dodgers dropped three straight to the Cardinals to start it off.

UPDATE: Billingsley exits with right hamstring cramp (Dodgers.com)

34 comments:

Kyle Baker said...

I'm ready to play! Look at me! I can be CF.

Orel said...

Very nice.

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

I can't wait for tomorrow's game. I get to see Kershaw pitch, my seats are so close to the bullpen that I can see the color of the sprinkles on Broxton's donuts, and I get to be one of the first people in LA to see George Sherrill up close.

Kyle Baker said...

About to buy my ticket for tomorrow night. Han soloing it.

I'm guessing Manny won't play since he usually rests Sundays, but didn't today. Hopefully Beard is ok.

Hmmmmm...where to sit?

Orel said...

Courtside!

Kyle Baker said...

Or, "McCourtside"

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

Except there's not Jack to shout at the refs.

Kyle Baker said...

Oh, I'll shout at the umps alright. I just won't have a fifth of JD and a couple of hookers in a limo on the way over.

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

The question is: Will your seats be good enough that the umps can here every expletive you use to describe them?

Kyle Baker said...

Naw, I've been sitting in pretty bourgeois seats lately. I'd rather hang out with the real peeps tomorrow night.

Love the Broxton/donuts/sprinkles comment, BTW.

Orel said...

@DB "I just won't have a fifth of JD and a couple of hookers in a limo on the way over."

I think the Dodgers sell a package for that.

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

The Steve Garvey package!

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

Ugh, that was bad.

Kyle Baker said...

That package comes without any condoms, right?

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

This blog isn't called the Sons of Steve Garvey for nothing.

Wait, actually they are.

Kyle Baker said...

"This blog isn't called the Sons of Steve Garvey for nothing."

Heh. My long lost brothas!!

Kyle Baker said...

The other question is: Will I continue to harangue Joe Morgan's call of the game despite the fact that he's not actually calling the game?

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

I think Steve Phillips was the dumber of the two today. I didn't hear it myself, but according to DodgerTalk, when the Dodgers had the bases loaded in the eighth, Phillips kept talking about how a base hit would put the Dodgers in striking distance.

Kyle Baker said...

And Phillips had the quote that I mocked earlier:

"Thinking back to those strikes against Chipper Jones..How many of them were out of the zone?"

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

That's understandable since they were swinging strikes. But I think they both are morons, and I just flat-out hate Miller.

Orel said...

If we started an ESPN Hate Thread, we just might get more hits than our Game Threads get.

Kyle Baker said...

Maybe I misinterpreted what he meant. I thought he had been referring back to a previous at bat. My bad if that's not what he was meaning.

Kyle Baker said...

Soooo...then start an ESPN Gringo Thread. ;-)

I just sent some rude tweets and emails to ESPN MLB for its last 15 minutes of that broadcast. The fact that they didn't call the game and instead went on a "We're the Guardians of the game's integrity" soapbox.

And no it won't make a difference but I feel better.

Not as good as I'd feel with an anti-ESPN broadcast team thread. A permanent one.

Orel said...

DB, you might need a whole site for that.

Kyle Baker said...

True, Orel, true.

Should I quit my job?

Orel said...

Why not? It worked for us.

Kyle Baker said...

I kinda need it to support the beer flow, the game tickets, and the time spent on snarky blog posts.

Orel said...

Fine, be a snob.

Kyle Baker said...

Heh - didn't I just say I was sitting with the proletariat tomorrow night?

Steve Sax said...

@MR LA SF: Yes, I heard Steve Phillips' comment "...would put the Dodgers within striking distance". I had to check the score myself to make sure we were up 4-0 and not down 4-0.

We were up 4-0.

Steve Phillips is an idiot.

Orel said...

My bad, DB. You are a man of the people.

Unknown said...

Judging by the screen cap of Billingsley, I am going to go out on a limb and say that it is NOT a cramp of the hamstring...I have seen torn ACLs that looked better than his knee giving out last night, and you could tell it hurt by the way he was pitching after.

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

Joe Morgan may be a moron, but he made a good point when Bills was sitting on the bench. Usually if the injury is bad, like a torn ACL, a player would just remain in the clubhouse. Bills on the bench was a good sign.

Eric Stephen said...

I'll be honest, I was scared shitless last night when ESPN kept showing the replay of Billingsley's delivery. Watching his left knee was too painful, and it almost became Theismann-esque (albeit without the break).