Thursday, May 13, 2010

Ely Officially in Rotation

It was a foregone conclusion after Tuesday's terrific start, but Joe Torre announced that rookie John Ely will remain in the Dodgers' starting rotation, at least for the immediate future:

"He's one of our starters right now," Torre said after Ely pitched six-plus innings. "[Vicente] Padilla is more than a month away. I don't see where he's [Ely] in any danger." [...]

"His command has been terrific," said Torre. "He makes it look -- I don't want to say easy -- but simple. And that's the thing that's been escaping our club -- getting deep into the game. He's got us to the seventh inning each time."

Since our youngsters aren't all that young anymore, it's refreshing to see a true rookie seize a chance and knock down the door, so to speak. It also helps that Ely is somewhat more of a finesse pitcher, complementing the power-pitching styles of Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley. And it's nice to know that, 34 games into the season, this Dodgers team is starting to feel like the team we should have started the season with.

photo by Gary A. Vasquez/US Presswire

32 comments:

Josh S. said...

Woo! I know it's waaayyyy too early to put all of our faith in the guy, but I enjoy watching him pitch.

Josh S. said...

Listening to Padres/Giants.

Padres have too many Hairstons.

Fred's Brim said...

Zach Greinke pitched a mediocre game by Greinke standards (or what we would consider a decent Chad Billingsley outing) and fittingly got his first win today

Paul said...

Ely has great control and doesn't nibble around the plate.

Reminds me of my high school cafeteria days.

Paul said...

I wonder if Broxton will have more wins than Greinke at the end of the season.

Betsy said...

This post left me feeling fuzzy and warm :D

NicJ said...

When is the padres pitching going to return to normal?

I hope it's this weekend.

Josh S. said...

Yeah, Latos is kinda scary.

Kyle Baker said...

Zach Greinke has a tiny head.

Kyle Baker said...

Back from one of top 3 most horrible meetings I've ever been in. This post was a welcome relief. So is this Dos Equis.

Josh S. said...

Latos CGSO.

Josh S. said...

Dodgers have changed Bleacher Beach.

It's now $30, down from $45, BUT...the food is no longer all-inclusive. Instead, you get $20 in "BeachBucks" to use toward food and drinks.

This seems chintzy to me.

Kyle Baker said...

OfficiaELY in rotation?

Kyle Baker said...

This is really sad...I instinctively browsed over here to engage in some pre-game banter, as my internal coupla-hours-before-first-pitch clock went off.

Alas, no game. Just the rest of an afternoon and Mr. C's puzzle. And this other Dos Equis I just opened.

Small Sample Size said...

@DB. I was riding home last night and the Cardinal game was finishing up. They concluded their scoreboard show and were moving to regularly scheduled programming. Before they left, they played a song called "Lord I was born a Cardinal Fan". I about shit my pants. I can't get away from them. When will it end?

Small Sample Size said...

got any matches???

Kyle Baker said...

Yeah, I got a match: my ass and Holliday's face.

Steve Sax said...

Good for Ely, well-deserved!

Nostradamus said...

I'm proud of the guy, he's got guts, and lord knows that's what this team needs. I'm glad he's got something to show for his efforts.

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

Am I the only one hoping Boston wins just to get rid of LeBron and jump-start his free agency?

Nostradamus said...

@MLASF

No, you're not, but I also pulling for Boston since I don't relish the prospect of playing 4 games at the Q.

Don't know if Boston can handle Orlando, though.

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

Not a big fan of playing in the Gahden, but if we have home court it will be much more tolerable.

MR.F said...

Burn the house down?

Rancho Ardiendo!

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

LeBron James, welcome to the New York Knicks.

Unknown said...

Andre Ethier is now featured on MLB's front page with his own article about how awesome a hitter he is. They still seem to have a weird obsession with calling him "Andre the Giant", though

NicJ said...

See you in LA Lebron, in three years maybe.

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

Nats crushing Rockies, but it's a delay.

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

I don't see how they can continue the COL/WAS game. Too much rain. It'll probably be called.

MR.F said...

A few big series against SF and I'd happily call him "Andre the Giant Killer"

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

And it's called. Washington 14, Colorado 6.

Nostradamus said...

@MR.F

"giant killer" is a totally acceptable option.

karina said...

I'm very pleased of this roster decision.

This is one of the reasons of why yesterday was perfect.