Post-Game 160 Thread: Boobies and Ice Cream

DODGERS 11, ROCKIES ZIP

We were way overdue to administer an ass-whuppin, and boy did we administer one. Boobies and ice cream, indeed, thanks to the offense and pitching.

Clayton Kershaw was on from the first pitch. He struck out eight and walked none. It was one of those outings where he seemed to be able to get a batter out at will, as if he were playing a video game and had the strike-this-mofo-out cheat code. Kid K moves to 16-9 with a - are you sitting down - 1.83 ERA on the season. He is the first Dodger to do so since the revered Sandy Koufax in 1966. And he became the first pitcher to lead the majors in ERA in three consecutive seasons since Greg Maddux did so from '93-'95. That's some good company, Clay.

On the offensive side, well, there was a notable lack of noffense. The bats came alive from the first inning, when the Dodgers put up four on Colorado rookie Collin McHugh thanks to a two-run double by Uribe and RBI singles by both Ellis boys. Crawford got off the home run schneid with a three-run homer in the fourth. A-Gone notably got his 100th RBI of the season with a solo shot to his favorite spot past the right field foul pole. AJEllis also got in on the red hot HR action with a two-run homer in the fifth. Honestly the Dodgers could have added several more runs, but were classy enough not to run up the score in several situations where they could have easily crossed the plate.

The only negative to the night was that Puig fouled a ball off what appeared to be his calf and had to leave the game. Subsequent x-rays were negative, thankfully, but he is likely very sore. Mattingly later noted that Puig would be day to day. But, aren't we all, Vinny?

DeWitt: We'll Miss You Most of All...

Thankfully, my high school buddy also named DeWitt is coming to California soon. Or else I'd have nobody to call Joyce.

Vaya Con Dios, DeWitt! Good luck in Chicago. (Where apparently, Greg Maddux is your biggest fan.)

A Brief Digression into Pitching Mechanics

As a baseball fan with no playing experience — the only thing I have pitched is a fit — I feel a bit unqualified to delve into the issue of pitching mechanics. So please indulge me while I play Sunday-evening pitcher.

Many pictures of Hiroki Kuroda reveal that he often closes his eyes during his delivery:

Furthermore, Kuroda finishes his delivery with his glove hand behind him, leaving his face unprotected:

Kuroda's "temporary blindness" combined with his front-side exposure after his ball release makes him especially vulnerable to getting hit by a batted ball.

The gold (-glove*) standard for pitching follow-throughs is Greg Maddux:

As Brandon Penas of Endurance Rehabilitation puts it:

Follow Through - the pitcher should finish on the balls of his feet with his throwing arm hanging over his opposite thigh and glove ready to field his position.

And according to pitching analyst Chris O'Leary:

This means that Greg Maddux's glove is next to his face and his sternum, a pitcher's two most vulnerable areas. This protects him in the case of a come-backer and also allows Greg Maddux to field ground balls or bunts to either side of him.

Not to suggest Kuroda should change anything; it's just an interesting comparison.

*18 Gold Gloves' worth

Kuroda 1: Jon SooHoo/Dodgers; Kuroda 2: Jae C. Hong/AP; Maddux/Dodgers: Francis Specker/AP; Maddux/Padres: David Zalubowski/AP

Maddux Picks Up Record 18th Gold Glove

That's something like, one for each of his fingers! Wow.

In what likely amounts as a parting gift, Maddux won the award Wednesday for the 18th time in the past 19 years, the unprecedented streak somehow interrupted in 2003 by Mike Hampton. The award is voted by managers and coaches in each league.

The 42-year-old Maddux, said by agent Scott Boras to be retiring after his 23rd Major League season, has two more career Gold Glove awards than the next closest players, Jim Kaat and Brooks Robinson. The next closest pitcher is Bob Gibson with nine.

Maddux made one error in 17 chances with the Dodgers after being acquired in an Aug. 19 trade from San Diego for a pair of Minor League pitchers. He also committed two errors while with San Diego.

Three errors all year long? Shee-oot, Raffy had as many in one NLCS game!

In all seriousness, congratulations, Professor.

Why Stop At Two Saves for Maddux

Steve Gilbert from mlb.com is using some really curious math in his article, "Maddux earns a double save for LA," specifically utilizing an interesting perspective on Greg Maddux's ninth-inning relief performance last night:

CHICAGO -- Greg Maddux picked up a save on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.

Not the kind of save that's reflected in the box score, but one that is registered with his teammates and manager.

Maddux tossed a scoreless ninth in the Dodgers' 7-2 win over the Cubs, and in the process, he saved Los Angeles manager Joe Torre from having to go to closer Takashi Saito, who was on the disabled list from July 18 to Sept. 13 with a partially torn ligament in his elbow.

"It was huge," Torre said of Maddux's outing, "because we only used Saito once back-to-back since we brought him off the DL, so it just gave us an opportunity to save him."

So let me get this straight. Maddux didn't get credit for a statistical save, having entered the ninth with a 7-2 lead. But he did "save" the Dodgers' use of Takashi Saito. Okay, so count that as "save" #1, dubious as this may be.

Where the hell is this save #2 that you mention in the article's headline?

And since we're at it, why stop at two saves (even if you only mention one)? How about the fact that Maddux "saved" the Dodgers from using Joe Beimel, James McDonald, and Chan Ho Park last night (three more "saves" right there!)? Or the fact that he "saved" us from having the Cubs tie the score, which may have prevented Juan Pierre from getting a late-game at bat (one more "save"!)? Or how about Maddux's relief appearance being so unusual that it probably gave the tbs broadcasting team something else to talk about in the final frame (two "saves" there; one each for Dick Stockton and Tony Gwynn)?

Save me. Please.

"The ninth inning was the smile on the Mona Lisa."

Kansas City Star sports columnist and ridiculously good writer Joe Posnanski has been picked up by SI.com. He likes Greg Maddux. Find out why:

The Master. July 2, 1997 by Joe Posnanski at SI.com

Sign A Maddux, Save A Kershaw?

Rob Neyer over at espn.com thinks that the Dodgers' signing of Greg Maddux isn't just Ned Colletti reaching back into his bag of tricks to pull out the same slight-of-hand routine he did back in 2006. No, Neyer posits that this deal may have been designed just to keep the pressure off phenom Clayton Kershaw (insider only; no link):

[T]he Dodgers already have the best pitching/defense in the National League; their 3.64 ERA is tops, and that includes Brad Penny's 6.05 mark in 94 innings. You can't really blame the Dodgers for not trusting Chan Ho Park, but in five starts he does have a 2.16 ERA with a fantastic K/W ratio.

And two, what happens if the Dodgers beat out the Diamondbacks? By most reasonable definitions, Maddux is now the Dodgers' fifth-best starting pitcher. Would management bump him from the rotation in October, in favor of 20-year-old Clayton Kershaw? Probably not, and that might actually be a stroke of genius. Before this year, Kershaw had never thrown more than 122 innings in one season. Right now, he's at 134 and counting. Figure seven more starts and he's up to 170-175 innings, which is about the most you'd want to see him throwing this year.

Maybe I'm giving Ned Colletti too much credit, but I wonder if the possible acquisition of Maddux isn't designed, at least in part, to save Kershaw's arm.

Yeah, Neyer probably is giving Colletti too much credit. After all, we're still givng away one and possibly two players (as of this post, it still wasn't determined who they are, and we can only hope that Andruw Jones is one of them). And the idea that Colletti and McCourt would willingly spend $2M on the chance that we should have to protect a young arm goes against the Dodgers' track records of fiscal parsimony as well as overusing youth (particularly when veterans are not available--see: Jason Schmidt). No, we signed Maddux because Brad Penny is injured, and McCourt finally figured out that playoff tickets = increased attendance revenues.

Let's just pray that we didn't give any gems away to get him.

Welcome Back, Greg Maddux

Pitcher Greg Maddux to rejoin Dodgers (LA Times)

Dodgers, Unlikely To Land Professor, Shift Trade Focus to Gilligan, Maryann

Buster Olney blogged this morning that the Dodgers are unlikely to get Greg Maddux through a trade (which may not be such a bad thing):

The conversations between the Dodgers and Padres about future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux have hit a roadblock, and it's unclear whether the two sides will continue talks on Thursday. The Dodgers have mild interest in Maddux, who essentially has boxed in San Diego with his insistence that he can be dealt only to a West Coast team; the rival Dodgers are the only team on the coast with a need for a starter. The two sides are far apart in agreeing on what compensation is appropriate for the pitcher.

If Maddux is not dealt before the deadline, the Dodgers could try to place a waiver claim on the pitcher in August, and once again, the Padres would be left with little leverage.

Olney correctly points out that we have ALL the leverage here and can just wait this out. Maddux doesn't want to stay in San Diego, and as Orel and Karina and others have pointed out on this blog, would be a good fit as a Dodger starter as well as mentor to Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, and any other player that wants to listen and learn.

I have a feeling Maddux ends up coming back here, but hopefully we get him for nothing.

UPDATE 11:50a: Five minutes ago, Jayson Stark reiterated that no deal for Maddux will be made:

Maybe Greg Maddux isn't going to wind up back with the Dodgers after all. The Dodgers and Padres have always been uncomfortable making deals with each other. And with 90 minutes left until the deadline, they've been unable to reach agreement on a trade that would send Maddux back to L.A., the only team he has told the Padres to which he would approve a deal.

One source familiar with the two clubs' discussions say the $3.3 million remaining on Maddux's salary this year is not a major issue. But the Dodgers have been unwilling to make anything beyond a modest offer as they're aware they're the only taker.

Maddux Back with Padres

Sources: Maddux agrees to terms of one-year deal with Pads (ESPN.com)

Padres Treating Pitching Staff Like Fine Wine?

From SI.com's "Truth & Rumors" column:

The Padres have made a more attractive offer for Randy Johnson than the Diamondbacks, but the Yankees will trade Johnson only if they consider it a good baseball move.
-- Newark Star-Ledger

Are the Padres trying to out-age the Giants in adding the 43-year-old Johnson to a pitching staff that already features Greg Maddux, who'll turn 41 in April? It'll be interesting to see if Johnson will waive his no-trade clause for anyone except the Diamondbacks.

April 2007 Can't Come Soon Enough

I just put up the Dodgers 2006-2007 Team Calendar on my wall. December 2006 has a special Cy Young Award tribute to Eric Gagne and Greg Maddux, both of whom are playing for new teams next year.

January and February 2007 are combined on one page, which has a nice big photo of JD Drew--former Dodger JD Drew.

March 2007 has a photo of Brad Penny, reportedly on the trading block.

Will I have to wait until April 2007 (Jeff Kent) for the calendar to have relevance? Stay tuned (and hope there's no truck-washing incidents this winter).

Colletti Bats 3-for-11 (.273)

Jon Heyman from SI.com ranks the winter's best baseball deals, and of the top 11 deals listed, Ned Colletti has three of them:

#1 Randy Wolf, one year, $8M;

#3 Nomar Garciaparra, two years, $18.5M;

#10 Jason Schmidt, three years, $47M.

Not bad, although it may be a law of numbers deal given how busy Colletti was this off-season. (The Padres' signing of Greg Maddux (two years, $16M) was the only other NL West team represented on the list). And, to be fair, the Juan Pierre deal (five years, $44M) was not mentioned. But hey, at least it's not Gil Meche (five years, $55M).