Post-Game 158 Thread: Magic Number Is...

DODGERS 12, PADRES 4

CARDINALS 4, DIAMONDBACKS 2

D'oh! Doamondbacks Get No Respect from ESPN

Or is ESPN pronouncing Arizona DOA?

Diamondbacks Heating Up

DIAMONDBACKS 4, CARDINALS 2

Thought the Dodgers had it all wrapped up? Not so fast—the Diamondbacks have won seven of their last eight, while the Dodgers just dropped two of three to the Giants.

The Dodgers' magic number remains at 5.

Their lead over the Diamondbacks is 2.0 games.

Each team has six games remaining.

Enjoy your week, people!

Post-Game 151 Thread: Magic Number Is...

DODGERS 6, PIRATES 2

DIAMONDBACKS 2, GIANTS 0

The Circle Is Now Complete

From MLB.com's wrap-up of tonight's Reds-Diamondbacks game:

Pitcher Micah Owings doubled home Chris Dickerson in the 10th inning, coming back to punish his old team. Owings, announced Friday as the last player to go to the Reds in the Adam Dunn deal, was making his first appearance in a Reds uniform.

photo by Matt York/AP

Dodgers Beat Diamondbacks Again

Fire Up, Afternoon Surfers

D'backs @ Giants, 12.45p

Giants look for the sweep: Brad Hennessey vs. Dan Haren. A sweep would be nice.

Neeebs' Magic Gloves Get Violent

The continuing tale of neeebs and the magic gloves continues.

This time, neeebs is firing up for this weekend's series against the Diamondbacks by having the gloves throttle a snake:

I hope Dan Haren doesn't constrict our offense tonight, but we will see. 38 total hits in the last series was pretty impressive for the Dodgers over a three-game span, on the road no less; but we'll need a series sweep in order to be in first place by the end of the weekend.

Pitching Matchups for This Weekend

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 7:05 p.m. (ESPN)
Derek Lowe (11-11, 3.69) vs. Dan Haren (14-7, 3.24)

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 12:55 p.m. (Fox)
Chad Billingsley (13-10, 3.13) vs. Brandon Webb (19-6, 3.19)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1:10 p.m. (Prime)
Greg Maddux (7-11, 4.18) Clayton Kershaw (3-5, 4.50) vs. Randy Johnson (10-9, 4.21) Max Scherzer (0-2, 2.65)

In Case You're Sitting Around At Lunch Today...

In Arizona: The Cardinals' Kyle Lohse (13-6, 3.89) vs. the Snakes' Doug Davis (6-8, 4.59), 12.40p.

St. Louis, 5.5 games back of Milwaukee for the NL Wild Card, looks to take the rubber match against the Snakes, who are 1.5 games ahead of the Dodgers in the NL West race. Comment away!

D'backs Eck-block Halos

D-backs acquire David Eckstein from Blue Jays (MLB.com)

A Look at Remaining Strength of Schedule

From "How schedules will impact playoff contenders" by Dayn Perry at FOXSports.com:

Baseball's stretch drive is upon us, and when you've got so many hotly fought races going on, strength of schedule takes on an acute importance.

In MLB, you don't see as much variance among the schedules as you do in the NFL, but there's still enough to make a difference -- sometimes a pennant-deciding difference. So to get an idea of which teams have the easier or harder road going forward, let's have a look at each contender's remaining schedule. [...]

Diamondbacks

Remaining Opponents' Avg. Win%: 0.472
Home Games Left/Road Games Left: 20/16
Biggest Series: 9/5-9/7 @Dodgers

The Snakes will play the Dodgers six more times this season, with the final three-game set going down in L.A. Overall, give 'Zona the edge in schedule. The Dodgers play inferior opponents, but the home-road splits favor Arizona by a mile.

Dodgers

Remaining Opponents' Avg. Win%: 0.444
Home Games Left/Road Games Left: 12/23
Biggest Series: 9/5-9/7 Diamondbacks

As you can see, the Dodgers play almost two-thirds of their remaining games on the road, and this season they're just 26-32 away from Chavez Ravine. The mitigating factor, however, is that the rest of the way no contender plays an easier slate of teams than the Dodgers do. In rough terms, it's like playing the Reds every day from this point forward. Still, that's a lot of road games ...

(Hat tip: Rob at 6-4-2.)

Diamondbacks Pick Up Adam Dunn for Stretch Run

Just reported on ESPN.com:

The Arizona Diamondbacks added a big bat Monday in their attempt to hold off the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West race.

Arizona acquired Cincinnati Reds outfielder Adam Dunn, who is tied for the major league lead with 32 home runs, for three prospects.

The trade was first reported by KTAR Radio in Phoenix.

In exchange for Dunn, Cincinnati will receive minor league pitcher Dallas Buck and two other players to be named later. [...]

Dunn is tied with the Phillies' Ryan Howard for the NL lead with his 32 homers. The White Sox's Carlos Quentin also has 32 home runs.

"I see your big bat, and call."

D'backs Make a Haren-tee

D-Backs, Haren agree to two more years (MLB.com)

I'll See Your Blake And Raise You One Teixeira

The Diamondbacks are apparently close to a deal to acquire Mark Teixeira from the Braves, according to the Yahoo Sports blog, Big League Stew:

While everyone is going agog over the Manny trade speculation that will most likely ultimately go nowhere, the wheeling and dealing for a much more attainable difference maker in Mark Teixeira is flying under the radar.

That could change quickly, though, because a front office source from another team interested in Teixeira just told Yahoo! Sports' Steve Henson that negotiations between the Diamondbacks and Braves were "pretty far along." The Braves are said to be asking for a prospect and either Conor Jackson or Chad Tracy in return.

Teixeira will be a free agent at the end of the season and a trade would mark the second time in as many years that the slugger was swapped at the trading deadline. The Braves gave up Jarrod Saltalamacchia and four minor leaguers to pry Tex from the Rangers last season.

If it goes through, it'd be a good trade for the D'backs, whose middling offense could use Texeira's power down the stretch while trying to fend off the Dodgers. Meanwhile, Tracy is scheduled to make $4.5 million next year in the last year of his deal while Jackson will be arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason.

Only one prospect? Surely the Braves can get more for Teixeira than a half-season rental plus one prospect. But to have a 20-HR hitter on the squad--wow (Arizona already has one in Mark Reynolds (21); Matt Kemp leads the Dodgers with 12).

The Diamondbacks Just Got Better

From MLBTR:

Jon Rauch Traded To Diamondbacks

According to Baseball Digest Daily, the Diamondbacks acquired reliever Jon Rauch from the Nationals for second baseman Emilio Bonifacio.

Bonifacio was ranked sixth among D'Backs prospects heading into the season. He's hitting .302/.348/.387 in Triple A currently. He's incredibly fast and plays above-average defense.

The D'Backs get a fine late-inning reliever in Rauch; I thought Jim Bowden would ask for more. Rauch is signed cheaply through 2010 and has been an above average reliever for several years now.

Padres Help the Diamondbacks. Thanks, Guys

Clark waives trade bonus in return to Arizona (ESPN.com)

Do the Dodgers Want the Eldorado or the Steak Knives?

"Put that coffee down!! Coffee's for closers only."

—Glengarry Glen Ross

Coffee's not for the Dodgers right now. The Dodgers aren't closers—not in a Takashi Saito sort of way, but in a killer instinct sort of way. The Diamondbacks are trying to hand the Dodgers first place on a silver platter, but the Dodgers are having none of it. "First place? Oh, no we couldn't possibly."

Although winning when your rivals are losing may have as little correlation as maintaining a winning streak, the Dodgers inability to close the sale—6-for-51 with runners in scoring position in their past six games—has basically cost them first place. The Diamondbacks have lost six of their past eight (including Brandon Webb's second consecutive loss), Eric Byrnes is on the disabled list...and still the Dodgers are 3.5 games back. It's enough to make a Dodgers fan steal the Glengarry leads.

It gets worse. Rafael Furcal may not be ready for the next homestand (kudos to Ken Gurnick for this lede: "It's understandable why Rafael Furcal would blow out his back. He was carrying the team"). No Dodger starting pitcher has a winning record. Clayton Kershaw can't pitch every game. As we enter Act II of the 2008 season, let's hope the Dodgers can get their act together. Otherwise, it's curtains.

UPDATE:

Does Phil Jackson read SoSG? Probably not, but we have the same thing on our minds. From Bill Plaschke:

For the younger Lakers, indeed, it's all about closing, finishing, finding the energy and intensity to drive that last championship stake.

That was the theme Thursday, where, in a building full of bandwagon-jumping celebrities such as Cameron Diaz and Sean "Diddy" Combs, no star was bigger than one who wasn't there.

His name is Alec Baldwin, and his intimidating role as a star salesman in the movie "Glengarry Glen Ross" was featured as one of Phil Jackson's pep talks.

Jackson showed the team the video in which Baldwin's character waves around two brass balls before challenging other salesman to close the deal.

"The money's out there, you pick it up, it's yours," shouted Baldwin in the movie. "You don't, I got no sympathy for you!"

He continued, "You want to go out and close...close, it's yours! If not, you'll be shining my shoes."

[...]

"Yeah," said Bryant of the Baldwin video. "We got the message."

Diamondbacks Depressingly Competent

From "D'backs weave a Webb" by Jon Heyman at SI.com:

Thank goodness for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who continually restore faith in the belief that yes, indeed, there is a ballclub out there doing just about everything right.

The D'backs are back now talking to Brandon Webb -- Mr. Perfect himself -- about a multiyear deal, and don't be surprised if a spanking new contract for Webb is closely followed by one for Dan Haren, their co-ace.

Arizona is about the only team without a bad contract on the roster, though Eric Byrnes at $10 million a season is close to full value. The D'backs' $66 million payroll ranks 23rd, between the Orioles and Twins, yet they've already established themselves as the favorites in the National League this year. (No surprise here; they were the D. Scoop pick in the NL.)

[...]

Under the stewardship of general manager Josh Byrnes, who previously worked in Boston, Colorado and Cleveland (coincidentally or not, his resume represents the final four finishers last year), the D'backs have hardly made a misstep. They have drafted and developed more good players than anyone over the past several years, some going back to when Mike Rizzo was making their picks as scouting director. Their excellent system allowed them to surrender six honest-to-goodness prospects in the Haren deal without suffering pain.

The rotation, as good as any of the big-market powers, also boasts two-way star Micah Owings (perhaps even a better hitter than pitcher), the aging Cooperstown-bound Randy Johnson, Doug Davis (who was recently declared cancer-free following thyroid surgery) and young hotshot Max Scherzer, a 96-mph-throwing rookie who could become the closer if the need arises.

With baseball's best balanced lineup filled with young stars, the 23-12 Diamondbacks are also long on youth and energy. As Webb understands, this team is anything but a mirage.

And some Dodgers notes from Heyman:

• Rafael Furcal's having a monster year in his walk year, but with highly-touted shortstop Chin-lung Hu almost ready to go, some competing execs are speculating that the Dodgers will let Furcal walk. Furcal will certainly want a raise from the $13 million he makes now.

• I hope Vin Scully didn't mean it when he suggested he might retire after this season while on a recent trip to New York to celebrate his time at WFUV-FM, the Fordham University radio station that's also produced a lot of excellent announcers like Michael Kay, Mike Breen and Bob Papa, fine sportswriters such as Jack Curry of the New York Times and the even more famous Alan Alda, Charles Osgood and Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo). Even now, at age 80 and in his 59th season with the Dodgers, no other baseball announcer is in Scully's league.

Diamondbacks Threatening Ned Colletti's Job Security?

The recent firing of Reds GM Wayne Krivsky after only two years on the job is a fresh reminder of the volatility in baseball front offices, especially those of teams with a "win-now" mandate. SoSG has already examined the payroll disparity in the NL West, specifically, that between the Dodgers and everyone else. Now the Arizona Diamondbacks—with the division's lowest payroll and baseball's best record (18-7) and largest run differential (148-93)—are part of the reason why some baseball writers are questioning the job security of Dodgers GM Ned Colletti. The latest writer to wonder out loud is SI.com's Jon Heyman. From "Will any GM join Krivsky on unemployment line?":

Ned Colletti, Dodgers. This baseball lifer waited a long time to get his dream job, and it was a hire applauded in many circles. [Giants GM Brian] Sabean's right-hand man during the Giants' heyday also previously worked as a PR man and sportswriter (not a bad Dodger formula, as Fred Claire, another ex-writer, did a decent job as L.A.'s GM).

Colletti's first year, 2006, brought some wise deadline deals, including one for Greg Maddux that helped pushed L.A. into the playoffs. But the Dodgers have done a lot of disappointing lately, perhaps partly because of a lack of clubhouse cohesiveness. A few notable free-agent missteps haven't helped, though, especially the signings of Juan Pierre and ex-Giant Jason Schmidt, whose arm has bothered him practically since hitting L.A.

Meanwhile, Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes just signed an eight-year contract extension through 2015. Colletti, whose contract ends in 2009, currently has the public support of Frank McCourt, but it will be interesting to see how much of an effect the media has on McCourt's support if the Dodgers produce another season without a trip to the playoffs.