Random rantings and ravings about the Los Angeles Dodgers, written by a small consortium of rabid Dodger fans. With occasional comments on baseball, entertainment, pop culture, and life in general.
Looks like the Dodgers' long-term "crush the spirit of our fan base for a few years, then watch the chaos that unfolds when we start spending money like it's going out of style" strategy has finally started to pay dividends.
We have only to look across the table to our trade partner to see a cautionary tale of the happen when one opens one's wallet without regard for the consequences. I have concern for the immense amount of risk in play, but that statement can be applied to every day of my baseball fan life up until this one, as well.
As far as I'm concerned, every big name trade or free agent acquisition
has a mini-Dreifort inside of him, struggling to get out.
On the other hand (and hear me out, here), FUCK THAT. We could all be hit by a bus tomorrow. Probably not the SAME bus, because how crazy would that be? Different buses, but I digress. I confess that I haven't the faintest idea what is going on, but the today's roster is better than yesterday's. If it all goes straight to hell tomorrow or next Tuesday or three years from now, I'll have plenty of time to be pissed off THEN.
Twittersphere blowing up over dueling scratchngs of James Loney from tonight's Dodgers lineup, while Adrian Gonzalez is scratched from tonight's Red Sox lineup. Could it be? ESPN says so:
BOSTON -- The Dodgers and Red Sox are closing in on a deal that would send Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto to Los Angeles, though a few hurdles remain before it's official, multiple baseball sources said Friday.
Pitcher Rubby De La Rosa will be headed back to Boston as the centerpiece of the deal, sources say. De La Rosa made his first major league appearance of the season Wednesday, having had Tommy John surgery about 13 months ago. Also included are first baseman James Loney and prospects Ivan De Jesus (infielder) and Jerry Sands (outfielder), according to sources, plus another top prospect that is still unknown.
I think Juan Uribe would make an excellent prospect.
UPDATE 5.02p PT: they're saying the +1 is Allen Webster. So close.
I know Tony Gwynn Jr. wasn't exactly lighting it up from the plate of late, but designating him for assignment today, when we've got a useless tub of lard who has been eclipsed at his position still sitting on the bench, seems absurd. Alas, so it is:
LOS ANGELES -- Tony Gwynn was designated for assignment on Monday after the Dodgers recalled the hot-hitting Jerry Sands from Triple-A Albuquerque.
With the addition of Shane Victorino and the returns of a healthy Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, Gwynn's role had been diminished to that of a pinch-hitter in late-game situations, as he was no longer needed as a defensive replacement. Before being designated for assignment, Gwynn was in an 0-for-13 slump that dated back to July 23.
Gwynn has only started three games since the All-Star break, and he went 2-for-15 in those starts. He was a valuable replacement in center field while Kemp was on the disabled list, but overall, he was batting .232 in 103 games after cooling down offensively.
Sands makes his second appearance with the Dodgers this season after a recent stretch of lighting up Triple-A pitching. On July 29, he became just the fifth player in Pacific Coast League history to hit two grand slams in a game.
The 24-year-old outfielder is batting .476 with six homers and 21 RBIs since July 27. He hit .200 with two doubles and an RBI in eight games in May. In 69 Major League games, he has four homers and 27 RBIs, and a .248 average.
Sands, and Urine. Sounds to me like the Dodgers are about to get a case of the kidney stones.
Trade No. 2: Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels to Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Zach Lee, pitcher Chris Withrow and first baseman/outfielder Jerry Sands
As long as the Dodgers want to continue accumulating players who were good in 2007, why not actually add one who is good in 2012? With the exception of Felix Hernandez, whose availability may still be of the pie-in-the-sky variety, Hamels is the best pitcher available who's not getting scratched from starts to "recharge his batteries."
The Dodgers have the ability to extend Hamels long-term, should they choose, and the top of their rotation looks a lot scarier in October with the addition of Hamels, especially if Bud Selig doesn't make Chris Capuano take off his Cy Young Winner Halloween costume.
Lee is the likely prize for the Phillies, and if they aren't willing to wait for Withrow, you could easily substitute another next-tier prospect such as Garrett Gould. Sands doesn't have much prospect status left, but he can provide Philadelphia some 1B/OF depth as a useful throw-in.
Turns out that Beli was on those nose candy - at least once - and was caught, which kept him from entering the US last season. Thank god for small miracles. Here's hoping he gets back on the snow and stays far away from our bullpen. Although we could perhaps use him on the SoSG softball team, where drug testing and moral determinations of recreational substance use are not in place.
Mike MacDougal had a bullpen session pushed back on Thursday after feeling stiffness in his back. That's meh.
Clayton Kershaw had a bullpen session pushed back on Wednesday after feeling stiffness in his back. That's HOLY SHIT THAT BETTER NOT BE THE START OF SOMETHING.
Jerry Sands went from substitute 1B/outfielder last season to substitute teacher this offseason, teaching English and math to middle and high schoolers. Thanks for contributing to the enlightenment of our youth, Jerry.
Dodger coaching is putting out the word that they expect more from Billingsley this season. Don't we all. Not that we can complain that much. It was a little surprising to note that "He's...one (and the youngest) of only three pitchers in the league to notch double-digit wins in each of the last five seasons."But clearly we're all yearning for a little more from him. Apparently there have been some mechanics issues identified that he will be addressing as we round into training camp.
Interesting piece on how Stan Conte assesses the potential health and success of prospective signees. I found this part humorous:
Since he knows it's coming, he brings up Jason Schmidt before he's asked about him. It's a wound Conte wears on his home screen. Every time he fires up the Internet on his laptop, it loads the career statistics of Schmidt, the $47 million pitcher he signed off on five years ago whose previously injured right shoulder lasted a total of 43 innings for Los Angeles.
What is wrong with this sentence?: "Hawksworth was a mostly effective middle reliever for the Dodgers last season, going 2-5 with a 4.15 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in a career-high 49 games."
Oh, and a very happy birthday to Dodgers organist Nancy Bea Hefley today!
Some crazy stuff out there, folks. Let's try to have a good weekend. 40 days, 978 hours, 58,718 minutes until opening pitch.
Dana Eveland got his third win tonight, and Jerry Sands extended his hitting streak to 14 games. And you know what? The Dodgers, at 81-78, are guaranteed to finish above .500 this season. That in itself is a (tiny) victory.
115 pitches, 7 1/3 innings, 6 strikeouts. It was another Kershaw vs. Lincecum matchup, and the result was typical: Kershaw wins (the fifth time he's beat the Giants this season) and Lincecum loses (the fourth time he's lost to Kershaw this season). James Loney had an RBI single in the first inning, and Jerry Sands opened the second with a solo home run. Cy Young voters, Mr. Kershaw rests his case.
Eugenio Velez went 0-for-1 and is now 0-for-33 on the season. Meanwhile, James Loney went 5-for-6 with 3 RBI, and Dee Gordon went 3-for-4 with 3 runs scored. But Velez didn't get a hit. Oh, and Juan Rivera went 3-for-4 with 4 RBI, and Matt Kemp went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI. But Velez got nothing. And Jerry Sands went 4-for-6 with 4 RBI, including a HR (Kemp homered too). But no hit for Velez.
Did I mention the Pirates used eight pitchers? And still Velez couldn't get his first hit of the year? Pathetic.
It was a matter of time before Dana Eveland's impressive late-season callup run was going to come to an end. But it was a bit of a starry-eyed surprise to have the end come at the hands of Pirates starting pitcher Paul Oakenfold Ross Ohlendorf, who had not had a HR in his five-year MLB career (3.5 years of which were in the NL). But Ohlendorf's three-run shot in the second inning capped a shaky nine-batter inning for Eveland, who ended up lasting only five innings and seeing his ERA balloon to (a still respectable) 2.25.
Russ Mitchell had a solo HR in the fifth. Matt Kemp went 0-for-3 but reached on a HBP (he was CS). Dee Gordon went 2-for-4 and scored a run off a Justin Sellers double in the first. But other than that, the bats were deathly quiet; Gordon was the only Dodger with multiple hits, and the 4-5-6 Minor Misdemeanor Offenders' Row of Juan Rivera, James Loney, and Jerry Sands went a combined 1-for-12 (a meaningless ninth-inning two-out single for Sands). (And no, I didn't fall for the whole tying-run-at-the-plate thing, when the hail mary needed was an Aaron Miles GS to tie.)
There was some cause for rubberneckin' in the bottom of the fifth inning, however, when the car wreck known as Eugenio Velez PH for Eveland...and struck out on four pitches, bringing his resume to 0-for-32 on the year (and according to Josh S., 0-for-41 going back to last year; Velez hasn't had a hit since May 18, 2010).
.500, we hardly knew ye. Two days after the good vibes of SoSG Fest 2011 helped get the Dodgers back to mediocre, the Dodgers have started another descent, dropping our second straight game with tonight's loss to Arizona. Oh sure, this helps the Snakes maintain their lead over the Giants (who also won tonight).
But Ted Lilly and Matt Guerrier's shellacking in the sixth inning (giving up five runs between them), plus two more runs scored off of Mike MacDougal in the eighth, doomed the Dodgers. Matt Kemp got his 33rd HR of the year in the first inning, and Jerry Sands added an RBI single in the seventh, but that was it for the Blue.
Couple of articles from the LA Times, which when juxtaposed spell a different look for the Dodgers at first, possibly soon. First, James Loney, the current inhabitant at first base. Steady and unfazed, but also lacking in power and slumping for the second time this season, Loney knows his days may be numbered:
James Loney saw what happened to Russell Martin last winter.
Martin was in line for a raise, but his production was declining. The Dodgers let go of the two-time All-Star catcher, who went on to sign with the New York Yankees.
Loney could be subjected to a similar fate at the end of the season. Because he is eligible for salary arbitration, he is expected to receive a significant raise from his 2011 salary of $4.875 million if the Dodgers tender him a contract.
"They have a decision to make, and I want it easy on them to bring me back," Loney said. "But I have to play well; I have to play up to my talent level."
First, he has to play, period.
Loney was out of the lineup for the Dodgers' game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Wednesday night, as Manager Don Mattingly opted to start Juan Rivera at first base and bat him fifth.
With Loney batting a career-low .251 with a modest 34 runs batted in, Mattingly said he had to turn to someone else to adequately protect cleanup hitter Matt Kemp.
Mattingly said he plans to play Rivera in most games, either at first base or in left field. On days such as Wednesday, when Mattingly wanted to start defensive wizard Tony Gwynn Jr. in left field because of the number of right-handed hitters in the Padres' lineup, Loney will sit.
Loney said he understands.
"I think whoever's playing well is going to play," he said. "That's how it should be."
Loney had a particularly rough July, batting .176 and driving in five runs.
But the affable and quirky first baseman has maintained his sense of humor.
"Matt Kemp's been taking a lot of my RBIs," he said. "You can put 'LOL' behind that."
Down at triple-A, guess who’s suddenly playing a lot of first base?
Hoped for wunderkind Jerry Sands.
Sands is the one prodigy the Dodgers are hoping can provide future power. He is their reigning Minor League Player of the Year. He is the star they need to rise.
They also need to figure out what’s his best position, or maybe where their biggest need is.
If the Dodgers determine it simply doesn’t make financial sense to tender Loney this offseason, that leaves them without a regular first baseman. Certainly, without a long-term one. They might think about bringing Juan Rivera back as a stop-gap, but it would have to be at a substantial cut from the $5.25 million he’s earning this season.
Sands’ normal position is outfield. He has mostly played right field for the Albuquerque Isotopes, but lately spent more time at first.
Even with Isotope outfielder Trayvon Robinson traded Sunday, Sands has started the last three games at first. He’s started at first 27 times this season to 44 in the outfield, but he’s trending more toward first base.
This doesn’t mean the Dodgers have decided Loney is definitely out and Sands is being groomed as his replacement. It does mean the Dodgers are at least wisely giving themselves options.
Sands rising, Loney fading? This may be the only race left for the Dodgers this 2011 season.
DENVER -- General manager Ned Colletti, whose Dodgers started play Friday night tied for last in the National League West, said his club has shown signs of contending this season, but that isn't enough.
"You can always say 'if this, if that,' but 'if' is the most overused word in the English language when something doesn't go your way," said Colletti.
Actually, things haven't gone our way all season long, and I am pretty sure the most overused word on this blog is either an epithet or "(cries)". It sure as hell ain't "rancho ardiendo", not this year.
"I believe we're on the verge of doing good things, but we've still got to do them."
Hmm. What would Yoda say?
In a wide-ranging overview of the first 64 games, Colletti praised Matt Kemp for taking his game to another level "across the board," but implied that the club needs more players to join him if it wants to compete.
"I want to see us play better," Colletti said. "We easily could have been 5-1 coming out of Cincinnati and Philadelphia and we had a four-run lead twice last night but couldn't hold it. We were close, but you have to win those games. Close gives you hope, which is not bad to have, but it doesn't win you a game."
If you're keeping score at home: CLOSE --> HOPE; HOPE <> WIN
Colletti also elaborated on manager Don Mattingly's comments about the Thursday demotion of Jerry Sands and the promotion of Trent Oeltjen. Like Mattingly, Colletti felt Sands wasn't making the proper adjustments at the plate and needed to regroup in a less stressful setting. Among the reasons Oeltjen was promoted is the fact that he has a June 15 out in his contract and Colletti didn't want to lose his plus defense, so essentially he was kept over Jay Gibbons.
Colletti said Gibbons accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Albuquerque. Juan Castro is considering the same.
He said the adjustments Sands needs to make in his swing are "a small fix. He doesn't need a makeover, but he needs to do it and make it part of what he does."
As opposed to Sands doing it but not making it part of what he does. That would suck.
Meanwhile, in other papers, Dylan Hernandez says that Colletti is not sure how to assess this team, even though we're over a third of the way through the season and we're fading out of contention before the all-star break. Come on, Ned. Even you've gotta be able to interpret this train wreck of a season.
DENVER -- The Los Angeles Dodgers optioned promising but struggling rookie Jerry Sands back to Triple-A Albuquerque before Thursday night's game with the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
Sands, arguably the organization's top position prospect before he was called up for the first time on April 18, is hitting just .200, albeit with 10 doubles and two home runs.
To fill Sands' roster spot, the Dodgers purchased the contract of journeyman outfielder Trent Oeltjen from Albuquerque, where he was hitting .339 with eight homers, 34 RBI and a .429 on-base percentage.
"We just want Jerry to go down and have a chance to kind of put it all back together," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "It's not that it has really been bad. He just didn't have the success you would like, and this is a chance to get away from it and kind of evaluate it a little better once it's not that in your face all the time. And, it will give him a chance to play every day.
"I think [general manager] Ned [Colletti] was concerned all along that he wasn't having the success we wanted," Mattingly said. "He didn't want him to get beat up."
Luckily, yesterday's demotion saved Sands from having to watch yesterday's circus implosion. Talk about getting beat up.
Jon Garland got demolished in the fourth inning today, allowing six earned runs and burying the Dodgers' hope for a second straight victory over the White Sox. Jerry Sands did pop his first home run, but that was about the only bright spot for the Dodgers.
What. Is. The. Point? Why even go through all the motions to have one's hopes lofted when Jerry Sands doubles in Rod Barajas, notching the Dodgers' first run of the game in the ninth inning (only one Dodger, Russ Mitchell, had reached third base all game--and that was in the fifth inning)?
And then seeing Bruce Bochy call for Brian Wilson, a precarious disaster of a closer (and believe me, we know that type well)? Just to watch Jay Gibbons, who can't even see the ball, get walked by Wilson on five pitches? And then watch James Loney, pinch hitting for Ramon Troncoso, also get walked on five pitches to load 'em up?
So up comes* Jamey Carroll, one of the three Dodgers hitting north of .300, with two out and rancho ardiendo? But of course, it's a tease. Carroll's bloop to right field didn't drop. And the Dodgers didn't win. In fact, we gave a Giants pitcher his first win of the year. And we drop to five below .500, wrapping up a solid 2-5 homestand.
At least, I suppose, this loss goes down easier than last night's game-tying rally in the eighth (only to lose it right after that in the ninth).
But SoSG is here to give you upside, in the form of other teases that aren't late night talk show hosts wearing kilts. Enjoy, readers!
(*) Yes, I'm changing tenses all over the place. I'm pissed off. And, I'm pissing off. And I am to be pissed off.
3/27 vs. AZ (W, 6-4): AC
4/11 vs. TEX (W, 8-7): Sax
5/11 vs. SF (L, 3-9): Sax
5/25 vs. COL (W, 5-3): Sax
6/11 @ PIT (W, 8-6): Sax
6/15 vs. TB (W, 4-3): Nomo
7/4 vs. SD (W, 3-0): Orel, Sax
