Cole Hamels (0-0, -.--) vs. Clayton Kershaw (0-0, -.--).
Hey, they reset pitching stats after each round. Who knew? Anyhoo, it's time to put aside Dodger Divorce Thoughts and refocus on the here and now: 21-year-old Kershaw, who in two years has gone from callow rookie fireballer to grizzled (see above) NLCS Game 1 starter. Kershaw's left-handedness will come in handy against Subway pitchman Ryan Howard, although it won't necessarily give him the edge against Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez.
And if Kershaw needs a hand, we can expect to see Chad Billingsley out of the bullpen — a move he took graciously. "We're here to win games. We're not here for individual achievements," he said, and it makes you root for him that much more. (Additional roster updates: Hiroki Kuroda and Scott Elbert in, Jon Garland and NLDS Game 1 bullpen hero Jeff Weaver out.)
As for the Dodger hitters, they're big boys now. Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp are the boppers; Manny Ramirez is now a complementary piece, not the centerpiece. Rafael Furcal, Casey Blake and James Loney are the glue. Remember, this is the same lineup that outscored the Cardinals 13-6 in the three-game NLDS.
Hamels went 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA against the Dodgers in last year's NLCS, but don't expect those numbers again this year. Why? Call it the Brett Tomko Effect. (Plus, Hamels is a new daddy and therefore sleep-deprived. If he's not? Deadbeat dad.) Tell you what, Mr. Hamels: Prove us right and we'll rename this principle Cole's Law. Get it? HA HA HA
Kershaw 1: AP photo; Kershaw 2: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images; Kemp: Mark J. Terrill/AP
659 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 601 – 659 of 659"just imagine this game if we had any pitching at all tonight."
So damned true...
***sigh***
We still get 'last licks' though...bring the Lidge on...
Matt has to break out of his slump.
paul...Matt needs a wee nip'o the nectar...)
that cures EVERYTHING...
go to hell
whats the chance of Ibanez dropping an easy fly ball tonight?
not you SFDF, i meant shane victorino
here comes another homerun.
FB...I SO knew you didn't mean me...just like there is crying...there are no thin skins...in baseball)
..."is NO crying"...
i dont get it, we pitched inside but we are still losing.
Can we take back what is ours??
Do, or do not, there is no try.
im so mad right now i feel like throwing snowballs at santa.
I gotta bad feeling about this.
Mr. C@8:58...too deep for me...I'm 'in me cups'...
Lidge on lidge's comeback. Barf.
"Let's go Matty...Let's GO"...
it starts...
HOOPLA!...
Can they play the albert puljos game winning HR off lidge on dodgervision?
Lidge is a domer?! No wonder he pisses me off!
"Casey, You can do eet"...
Someone kick the snot nose punk kid Philly fan in the front row
lidge is a party
philly pen already warming, now thats faith.
Damnit CASEY!!!
It's okay. James will come up big.
well, thats game.
"Serenity NOW"...(gnashes teeth)...
shit hitting from blake. he just looked bad up there
lidge has not blown a few innings in a row. that dont make him mariano
Still alive. Don't stop believing!
the game that wouldn't end
i have that mans plaque
belliard's due
Damnit.
14 hits and we lose.
wack
I hate to say this, but Vicente, we're gonna need a good one out of you tomorrow
I am P.O.ed...
To paraphrase Craig Ferguson:
"What did you learn on the LADs tonight Dfans?"...
Weighed in the balance and found wanting.
I am going to be physically ill. And right now is not the time to get Ill
Mr. C...that was so...Knightly...
Knavish?...
@sfdf
Can't take credit. Thank some 2500 year-old Jewish guy with an really vivid imagination.
I thought it was appropriately apocalyptic.
Wow, thar was depressing--but we canbeat this team. Don't get down, Dodger fans; we can win this.
Mr. C...You don't say?...)
Who is 'down?'...I certainly am not!...
Remember...21 years ago?..."We Got This'...
@sfdf
Actually, yes. I'm liquored up enough recall stuff I forgot years ago, but not so much that I forget to be pissed off.
Actually, I'll be rarin' to go tomorrow, but I'm nursing the bruised pride.
you're a good person Mr.C...I will have to deal with gnatters (giants fans) that have only three joys in life...Mays...B*nds...and...LA losing...
'Night everyone...it sucked to lose...but...it was fun to be here again...
Wow this place feels like a cold fall night where only the dead leaves pass by.
We win tomorrow and things get much brighter.
@paul,
Yeah, I think I just saw ichabod fucking crane.
Let's keep all the abject failure confined to this game.
On the bright side, I just read we locked up Nancy Bea for three more years.
well, at least in this loss the things that beat us were anomalies (sherrill, Clay pulling a Billingsley)
Also, we got a lot of hits and 6 runs usually wins us a game. Now i must search around for a new avatar.
@nic j
I'm saving rational perspective for tomorrow.
Right now, I'm soaking up the horror of the pickett's charge of the basepaths I saw today.
Many went out, few came home.
GDMFSOBGTUP
Haven't seen him. There's nobody here but us 16 time world heavyweight champions.
WOOOOOOOO
Hh,
As long as you're at it, do you know Shane Victorino?
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