Post-Game 151 Thread: Young McDonald Has an Arm, E-I-E-I-O My God We Hit Two Home Runs

DODGERS 6, PIRATES 1

James Loney: three-run home run in the first inning.

Juan Rivera: two-run homer in the third.

1: AP photo; 2: Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Game 151 Thread: Sept. 17 vs. Pirates, 7p

"Welcome to L.A., kid. But I wouldn't buy a house here just yet."

T-Lilz (9-14, 4.39) vs. J-Mac (9-8, 4.09).

Can this be? According to Baseball Reference, old friend James McDonald has never faced his former team. That changes tonight, when the Dodgers can hopefully stick around until the fifth frame. "McDonald has allowed more runs in the fifth than in any other inning this year," MLB.com tells us. Lock those Bucs down, T-Lilz!

photo by Jon SooHoo/Dodgers

Other "X-Macs" Of Note

Tonight, the Dodgers face James McDonald, the former Dodger who was discarded in order to capture a thoroughly blissful month of Octavio Dotel last year. What, you don't remember Dotel's Dodger career, that of a 1-1 record and a 3.38 ERA across 19 golden games, a year in which we failed to reach the playoffs? Neither do I. Meanwhile, McDonald is 9-8 this year with woeful Pittsburgh, a 26 year old with a 95 ERA+ this year and a career ERA+ of 100 on the nose. Yeah, that was a great Colletti move.

James McDonald may never turn out to be the guy that his early scout reads said he might be. But let's be fair: against his peer set of entities named "___-Mac", that outcome should probably be expected:

T-Mac: Tracy McGrady. McGrady was a seven-time NBA all-star and was named by USA Today to be the high school player of the year before being drafted by the Toronto Raptors in 1997. Despite leading all active players in postseason points per game (28.5 ppg), McGrady never led his team out of the first round of the playoffs. He's a Detroit Piston now. Good luck with that. Oh, and he apparently has a barbed wire arm tattoo.

OMAC: Observational Metahuman Activity Construct. Jack Kirby invented these characters for the DC universe, which can access archives on almost every metahuman on file, and can simulate the powers of a variety of superheroes and supervillains in order to target its opponent's weaknesses. Whoop de frickin' doo. Greg Rucka made a valiant attempt to re-invent these characters as part of "Infinite Crisis," but really no one cares--not even the DC Universe, which relegated an OMAC to the sorry Batman and the Outsiders team in 2008.

B-Mac: Scientific-Atlanta Multiplexed Analogue Components. B-MAC uses teletext-style non-return-to-zero (NRZ) signaling with a capacity of 1.625 Mbit/s; so, obviously, the video and audio/data signals are therefore combined at baseband. But who wouldn't combine at baseband, really? What the heck else would you do at baseband if not combine, right? Australia advanced past this standard back in 2004, packed up its vegemite sandwiches, and never looked back.

Fare the well, J-Mac (just not Saturday night). The bar is low. You can do it.

Hey Ned, I Hear Pat Burrell's Available

"You look at catchers, they're hard to find," says Ned Colletti. Which is why you probably shouldn't trade a future star catcher for a brittle third baseman. Colletti is on record as saying he regrets trading Carlos Santana for Casey Blake. So do we.

After saddling the Dodgers with Juan Uribe and Ted Lilly for the next three years, after starting a black hole in left field for much of this season, and after watching the Dodgers' milquetoast offense produce less heat than a can of Sterno, Colletti has traded Trayvon Robinson, one of his top offensive prospects — and a switch-hitting outfielder at that.

The return for Robinson? The next A.J. Ellis, a starter who can barely break 90 mph, and a middle reliever (who are pretty easy to find). After Colletti's impatience with the likes of Santana, Edwin Jackson and James McDonald, let's hope he isn't merely trying to undo the damage of falling over himself to acquire "experienced players" (i.e., old farts).

Next year is the final guaranteed year in Colletti's contract, and the Dodgers' ownership turmoil places his future beyond 2012 in further doubt. Colletti's done well to flip Rafael Furcal for a Cardinals prospect, and locking up Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier is an obvious short-term goal (if not currently a pipe dream).

Barring a miracle or five, the 2012 Dodgers won't be much better than this year's team. If Colletti's wheeling and dealing simply prevents next year's team from being much worse, the new ownership would be justified in replacing him. The Dodgers are the Titanic, and these B-level prospects are deck chairs. How much longer can Dodger fans tread water?

Pirates Covet Xavier Paul's Package, Pick Him Up Off Waivers

The Dodgers had placed fifth outfielder Xavier Paul on waivers, and Pittsburgh, drooling over Paul's "overall package," claimed him on Tuesday:

The Pirates have made their second waiver claim in a week, taking outfielder Xavier Paul from the Dodgers on Tuesday. The Pirates added Paul to the 40-man roster by moving Scott Olsen from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list. Olsen has been in extended spring training trying to build up arm strength. [...]

"We like the overall package and that package is what has allowed him to have success at the Minor League level," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. "Our challenge is to help him get over that next big hurdle. A lack of consistent playing time is a challenge for nearly any young player, and 160 Major League plate appearances is a small sample size. We have some thoughts as to how we can help Xavier, but we want to allow him to settle into his new environment and gain a comfort level before we begin to look to make adjustments."

It's a sentimental bummer to be losing XP, whose speed I liked (as well as the fact that his initials brought back memories of time spent on myriad RPGs); but in three years with the Dodgers, and a sad .233 batting average and a 67 OPS+, there didn't appear to be a lot of future upside here--especially not with Tony Gwynn Jr. and Marcus Thames and maybe Jerry Sands and perhaps Jay Gibbons all clogging up that position as well. Not sure how Paul will do as a Buc, but I assume he'll light us up for three HR and seven RBI over May 8-10.

And while we're at it, what of that other Dodger refugee turned Pirate James McDonald (who was traded along with Andrew Lambo for the thoroughly unmemorable rental of Octavio Dotel last year)? McDonald went 4-5 in 11 starts with a 116 ERA+ last year: promising. But this year, McDonald is off to an 0-2 start in 4 appearances and a 10.13 ERA, calibrating to a 40 ERA+. Small sample size? Maybe.

But I recall watching a couple of McDonald's starts at the Stadium during his Dodger career, and always seeing him look a little lost out there when things started going astray. Is this apparent psychological weakness addressable with experience? Maybe (see: Chad Billingsley (I hope)). Maybe not (see: Jonathan Broxton (I fear)).

McDonald's In Pittsburgh: They're Lovin' It

Nice to see JMac go out there and nail his debut performance for the Pirates, pitching six innings of shutout ball against the Rockies and amassing 8 Ks in earning his fist victory of the year.

Before the game, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was excited, and JMac was pumped:

James McDonald will make his first start for the Pirates today, five days removed from being acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Octavio Dotel trade.

He will do so with a three-pitch repertoire -- fastball up to 95 mph, curveball and changeup -- plus a slider in progress. He also will do so with a 6-foot-5, 195-pound frame that is lankier than that of most starters. Neither of those fits the prototype, but ...

"We like James' three-pitch mix with a chance to develop his slider," general manager Neal Huntington said. "His fastball has average to above-average velocity with downhill plane. His curveball has shown sharpness to the break. He has shown feel for his changeup with solid deception. He has shown the ability to throw all three pitches for strikes. The slider has flashed quality at times and, at other times, has been more of a slurve."

As for the frame ...

"There is no single body type for starting pitchers. We like James' athleticism, his height, how his arm works and his pitch repertoire to give him a chance to become a major league starting pitcher."

McDonald, a 25-year-old right-hander, has gone 26-23 with a 3.40 in 93 minor league appearances, including 79 starts. In 53 appearances with the Dodgers, only five of them starts, he went 5-6 with a 4.11 ERA, with a good strikeout rate of 63 in 76 2/3 innings, but an unsightly 40 walks and .262 opponents' batting average.

He was the Dodgers' Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2007 and '08, and he pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings in the National League Championship series in the latter year after a September recall. He opened 2009 in the major-league rotation but an 8.78 ERA through four starts landed him in the bullpen.

"My confidence was down at the beginning of last year, but I came back and did really well," McDonald said. "Confidence is the one thing nobody can take from you."

And check out what the paper had to say afterward:

It was difficult to discern what was most impressive about James McDonald's debut.

Eight strikeouts in six sizzling, scoreless innings?

Four strikeouts to open the game?

Six strikeouts of the first seven batters?

No, try this instead: McDonald's performance was so captivating that the crowd of 17,131 at the Pirates' 5-1 clobbering of the Colorado Rockies Thursday night at PNC Park was doing, in unison, the two-strike clap in unified anticipation of the third strike.

It is heard all across Major League Baseball, but not for a starter on Pittsburgh soil since ... what, Oliver Perez's early days?

I don't know if I've heard this two-strike clap at Dodger Stadium. I'll have to listen more carefully once Garret Anderson comes to the plate again.

Congratulations, JMac!

photo: John Heller / Post-Gazette

Wednotesday

@MEavesFSWest shares this picture of Maury Wills and Jackie Robinson.

• Remember Will Ohman? He's the Orioles' new closer. Will Ohman Takes a Turn as Baltimore Orioles Closer (Bloomberg Sports)
• Remember when the Dodgers scored 4 ER in 5.1 innings off Dontrelle Willis? There'll be more where that came from. D'Backs Acquire Dontrelle Willis For Billy Buckner (MLBTR)
• Your chance to remember Jose Lima. Dodgers to honor Lima on Sunday (Dodgers.com)
• Josh Rawitch with a very, very cool story about Kirk Gibson and a scout named Mel Didier. It's the impossible dream revisited... (Inside the Dodgers)
• One step forward for Vicente Padilla and George Sherrill, but two steps back for James McDonald. Net gain: 1/4 step. Padilla to begin rehab Thursday (Tony Jackson, ESPNLosAngeles.com)

Jill & Jim & J-Mart & J-Mac

I hope they continue these updates during the season. Jill Arrington talking about the Dodgers never gets old.

Breaking News from Gary Miller

Quick news from SoSG Alex Cora, who just was talking with Gary Miller of the Dodgers Live pre-game show on Channel 9:

• James McDonald has been called back up, based on a great run in his latest AAA stint;
• Shawn Estes retired today.

More to come shortly!

Dodgers Call Up Another Starter

This time it's Eric Milton. From an AP story at the Daily News blog:

Eric Milton is heading back to the big leagues after a nearly two-year absence.

The Dodgers purchased the contract of the veteran left-hander from Triple-A Albuquerque after their 5-3, 10-inning win over the Phillies on Thursday.

Milton will start Saturday against the Florida Marlins in place of Jeff Weaver. The Dodgers optioned right-hander James McDonald (1-1, 6.75 ERA) to their Pacific Coast League club [Albuquerque].

The 33-year-old Milton hasn't pitched in the majors since elbow ligament replacement surgery in 2007. The former All-Star is 3-2 with a 2.83 ERA in seven minor league starts.

Does Weaver (last start: 5.0 IP, 3H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K's) hate starting that much or is there something physically wrong with him?

Stults Earns His Keep

A pitching update from Tony Jackson:

Eric Stults is going to stay in the rotation and will pitch again on Thursday against the Giants. James McDonald is going back to the bullpen, although Torre was adamant that this wasn't a reflection of the fact he didn't pitch well on Friday night. It was more about the team's needs, and the team needs another reliever. McDonald has a better track record, admittedly in a small sample size, coming out of the pen than Stults does, and Stults has a better track record starting than McDonald (admittedly a VERY small sample size where McDonald is concerned). What this does for now is leave the Dodgers with a four-man rotation, which will be sufficient to get them through this week.

Elsewhere: Three Cheers For Eric Stults (MSTI)

photo by Jon SooHoo/Dodgers

Name Change

So this season, Russell Martin changed his name on his jersey to include a "J" to honor his mother. We at SOSG think that this is a great idea and that other players should adopt similar practices. In particular, we think that James McDonald should add a "NO" inbetween the first and last name. As in "Not Owned" by McDonald's, as Chipotle® is longer associated with McDonald's. Sure, Chipotle® became a subsidary of McDonald's in 1999, but since then McDonald's has sold its entire stake in Chipotle®, with complete divestment in 2006. So go ahead and savor those wonderful burritos without the guilt of thinking you are giving your money to a fast food corporation like McDonald's. Chipotle® serves honest, wholesome and nutritious food that started as a little store in Denver, Colorado. Chipotle® may be growing fast, but they are still retain those mom and pop store values that helped launch a burrito revolution across the nation. Go Burrito Blue!

The Future Is Now

James McDonald and Clayton Kershaw at spring training camp.

photo by Jon SooHoo/Dodgers

Bills and Who and Pray for What?

Should James McDonald start?

With the departures of Derek Lowe and Brad Penny, the retirement of Greg Maddux, and the uselessness of Jason Schmidt, the Dodgers' starting rotation has more holes in it than the plot of a Jerry Bruckheimer movie about a golf course made of Swiss cheese.

Among the returning starters, staff ace Chad Billingsley is recovering from a broken leg, sophomore Clayton Kershaw is facing sky-high expectations, and enigma Hiroki Kuroda is presumably searching for a middle ground between triumph and disaster.

Beyond that, nothing is set. Ned Colletti is reportedly in contact with Kris Benson, Jon Garland, Braden Looper and Randy Wolf. None of these pitchers is, say, CC Sabathia, yet it's a seller's market—meaning these middle-of-the-order starters will be commanding what previously were ace-level salaries.

Which brings us to James McDonald. McDonald, 24, joined the Dodgers last September and pitched 6.0 scoreless regular-season innings and 5.1 scoreless post-season innings. Speculation immediately started about his role on the 2009 club. Relieving was an obvious possibility, but McDonald was a starter in the minors.

After the Dodgers failed to sign a top-flight starter this off-season, McDonald's move into the starting rotation seemed like a lock. Yet Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt is now saying McDonald will start the season in the bullpen, à la Billingsley in 2007.

Which makes sense. There's little to be gained by rushing the kid, and easing him in via the bullpen will be gentler on him both physically and mentally. Why start piling on the high-stress innings at the beginning of the season?

Except...there's still that small detail about the starting rotation. With or without Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers can afford to sign at least one free-agent starter. The question is: Can they afford to sign a second? And if so—given the multi-year deals required to lock up these pitchers—would they even want to?

(1) Billingsley, (2) Overpaid Free-Agent Pitcher, (3) Kuroda, (4) Kershaw, (5) then what? Ramon Troncoso? Scott Elbert? A four-man rotation? There are no obvious answers for that fifth starter spot, and that's before accounting for the inevitable injuries that test the depth of a team's starting pitching.

Long-term patience has paid off for the Dodgers' current crop of youngsters, and the team's decision to conserve McDonald's arm is difficult to argue against even in the winnable NL West. But patience has a price, and this year the price is pitching depth.

In a division that still features Brandon Webb, Jake Peavy and Tim Lincecum, Dodger pitchers won't be setting any records in 2009. And when McDonald finally does crack the rotation, let's hope the team doesn't overwork him. If McDonald stays healthy and effective, the triumvirate of Billingsley, Kershaw and McDonald could indeed be formidable. And that's worth waiting for.

photo: Getty Images

James McDonald's Dodger Debut

On an otherwise bleak day for the Dodgers with the loss and the injury to Nomar, did anyone catch James McDonald's Dodger debut? This converted outfielder came in and struck out 2 of 3 batters with a fastball about 90 mph and a wicked breaking ball down in the 70 mph range. Nice job rook. Welcome to the majors.