Post-Game 84 Thread: Dodgers Still Undefeated in July!

Today's win against the Astros secured the series win, and keeps the Dodgers undefeated this month! The last time the Dodgers won three games in a row, not involving a hapless Cincinnati Reds team, it was two months ago (May 1-3, vs. FLA/COL).

This sudden outburst of runs has us almost giddy, or maybe it's the holiday giving us rare doses of sunshine. Might our bats finally be declaring their independence from the shackles of binary tyranny? Could we be on the verge of an NL West revolution? Will we launch our own fireworks over the Bay in San Francisco this weekend? (At least we get to see 3-12 Barry Zito on Saturday!)

And a quick shout-out of thanks to Karina, for filling in for us and posting a comment in today's Game Thread early on with the announced lineup for the game. SoSG is a bit short-staffed this holiday weekend, so we appreciate everyone pitching in. See y'all tomorrow afternoon!

Post-Game 80 Thread: No Hits? No Problem!

DODGERS 1, ANGELS 0

The Dodgers became the fifth team in modern major league history to win a game in which they didn't get a hit, defeating the Angels 1-0 on Saturday night.

The Angels' Jered Weaver pitched six hitless innings before he was lifted for a pinch-hitter, then Jose Arredondo pitched the next two innings.

Since the Dodgers didn't have to bat in the ninth, the game doesn't qualify as a no-hitter. It was only the fifth such game since 1900, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

AP Photo/Chris Carlson

We Love the Reds

Dodgers' 2008 record vs. the Reds: 7-1 (6 games over .500)
Dodgers' 2008 record vs. everyone else: 27-37 (10 games under .500)

Too bad we can't play the Reds any more this year! Thank you, Cincinnati!

Post-Game 71 Thread: Kent Gets Backhanded Compliments from MLB.com

Hilarious preview of today's game, compliments of mlb.com. Basically, the article sets Kent up like he's going to be commended, and then drops the hammer in a not-so-subtle way:

CINCINNATI -- Jeff Kent hasn't been kind to the Reds throughout his 17-season Major League career -- batting .308 against them lifetime -- and he hasn't been much nicer in this series.

The second baseman went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in a 3-1 win over Cincinnati on Tuesday night. He singled in the fourth and scored Los Angeles' first run of the game, singled in the sixth and doubled in the eighth to give the Dodgers an insurance run down the stretch.

Not so bad of a start, right? You're feeling good about Kent's performance, career and on Tuesday night. But wait:

That performance raised his batting average nine points, from .243 to .252.

.252, huh? You mean, right about Luis Maza's level? Or thirty points behind Slappy Pierre? Gee, that's great. And it continues:

He went 0-for-3 on Wednesday but reached base when he was hit by a pitch during the first inning.

Translation: "Though he didn't contribute another hit on Wednesday's game, dropping his average to .249, he did get on base after he was plunked by the erratic Bronson Arroyo. Thanks for playing, Jeff!"

Luckily for Brandon Harris (author of the article), Kent is well-known for being a likable personality around the clubhouse. Good luck getting that interview tomorrow, Brandon.

Dodgers' 3-1 Win Further Solidifies 16th Place in NL HR

I'll try to keep better running statistics on this, but after today's game (a 3-1 victory over hapless Cincinnati, ending a five-game losing streak), the Dodgers remain at 46 home runs, good enough for 16th and last place in the NL. They remain 3 HR behind Washington and 4 HR behind San Francisco, neither of which homered tonight (nor did the Dodgers).

To further put this in perspective, we have fewer than half as many home runs as the league-leading Marlins and Phillies (tied with 103).

On the other side of the table, our ERA ranks fourth in the NL (behind the Cubs, Braves, and Phillies) at 3.96; however we also lay claim to the 16th-most saves in the NL with 10 (counting tonight's save by Saito; we have one fewer save than the Braves).

Post-Game 61 Thread: Kongrats Kuroda on Komplete Game w/11 K's

Kuroda (W, 3-5): 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 SO, 3.49 ERA

AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

Post-Game 54 Thread: Dodgers Win! Dodgers Win!

Post-Series Thoughts: Dodgers Swept At Wrigley

And now, some post-series thoughts from our friend Bit, from the classic movie Tron:

1000100011100010001
0101000100010010001
0010000100010010001
0010000100010010001
0010000011100001110

01110000010000100010010011111
10001000101000110010010000100
10000001000100101010000000100
10001001111100100110000000100
01110001000100100010000000100

1000100111110010001
1000100001000011001
1010100001000010101
1010100001000010011
0101000111110010001

10001000010000100010010001
11011000101000110010001010
10101001000100101010000100
10001001111100100110000100
10001001000100100010000100

011110000100001000100111110011111
100000001010001101100100000010000
101110010001001010100111000011111
100010011111001000100100000000001
011100010001001000100111110011111

10001001111100111110010001
10001000010000001000010001
10101000010000001000011111
10101000010000001000010001
01010001111100001000010001

0111000100010011111
1000100110010010000
1000100101010011100
1000100100110010000
0111000100010011111

1111000100010010001
1000100100010011001
1111000100010010101
1001000100010010011
1000100011100010001

P.S. In addition to the coded message that Bit provided above, he also wanted me to tell you that if we needed to depend on only one run of offense in each of our games this season, our record would be 1-51.

Post-Game 39 Thread: Namaste

You see the light in me,
I see the light in you.
We thank each other for class today,
Namaste.

Over the past weekend, I overheard my daughter singing this song which she learned in her yoga class. It's always an adventure trying to pick up words from a toddler, but after I stopped her and listened to the lyrics more carefully, I realized that maybe they had application for my life too.

She sings the words at the end of each yoga class. So maybe I could use this framework to reconsider my thoughts on Juan Pierre?

The prior night, watching the Dodgers get shelled by the Astros 7-1, Derek Lowe get creamed in another outing, and Juan Pierre struggle to another 0-fer evening, I got into a verbal sparring match with another fan over Pierre. Pierre had just made his second out of the evening and I uttered "come on, Slappy, you suck!" or something like that, at which point another fan said, "how many rings do you have?"

I was shocked. I mean, I like this guy (I see him all the time as we have season seats nearby). And I was shocked that any season ticket holder would come to the defense of Pierre. Juan-for-four Pierre? Slappy McPopup? Never mind that the fan's argument was ridiculous, a point eloquently made by firejoemorgan earlier this season after Bill Plaschke made the same insipid point:

[Pierre's] one of only three Dodgers with a World Series ring.

But the finger -- the finger is what will lead the Dodgers to victory. Well, it'll have about as much impact, anyway.

You know who else has a Florida Marlins 2003 World Series ring? Ugueth Urbina. The evidence is conclusive: World Series experience causes you to travel to Venezuela, pour gasoline on some men and commit attempted murder on them with a machete. Ugie Urbina: he's a winner™!

But this guy was a passionate Dodger fan, and I am a passionate Dodger fan, and after two innings of arguing over three rows of fans back and forth about the merits, and demerits, of Pierre (basically distilled down to "his speed makes things happen" versus "his bat makes outs and his arm allows other worse things to happen"), fellow Son Alex Cora looked at us and said, "You guys are on the same team! Come on, now!"

Point taken.

Sometimes, in the heat of analyzing and overanalyzing every game while following the Dodgers through a season, it's easy to get harsh on a player's ability, or lack thereof. Pierre has been one of those guys that I tried to like--despite the fact that a neighbor and fellow Cubs fan presciently told me (after we signed him), "You will try so hard to like him, and fail."--but the fact is I've seen so little from him that he'd become the focal point of my disappointment about the whole team. This year, I can direct disappointment at a cast of characters, including Andruw Jones and Mark Sweeney, for starters; but Pierre's dislike remains.

In fact, I couldn't recall a game this season in which Pierre batted leadoff, and we won. Until last night, that is, when Pierre knocked in the go-ahead runs in Milwaukee in the ninth, then stole a base and scored, to put the Dodgers up 6-4 and win the game. Slappy. The hero, with a double no less. Wow. Nice job.

Okay, Juan, you've earned a free pass for a couple of games. You have been hiting well of late (.293) and went 3-for-5 last night filling in for the injured Rafael Furcal in the leadoff slot. I suppose, as long as you keep hitting game-winning RBI doubles, that I can bite my tongue when runners take three bases on a single when balls are hit to left field, or when you pop up to the second baseman with two RISP, or when you stand on first base and won't steal second. I'll stop the Pierre hating for now. We are all on the same team, we're Dodger fans.

Namaste.

Now where the hell is Andruw Jones?

Post-Game 28 Thread: SoSG Guest Writer Bill Plaschke

We've been really busy over here at the SoSG offices, what with May Day rallies, Cinco de Mayo preparation, and early morning baseball like we had today (Dodgers beat the Marlins 5-3, extending their winning streak to six) which has us passed out by noon and hung over by 3 pm. Luckily for us, we asked Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke to write a guest column encapsulating our euphoria over the Dodgers, now the hottest team in baseball, and their latest victory.

And so, without further ado, Bill Plaschke, SoSG Guest Writer.

Out on the field, the youngsters were filled with nervous energy, like seven-year-olds before the curtain rises on their school play.

Over in the corner of the dugout, the grizzled veteran manager cracked a slight wry smile.

Out on the field, Matt Kemp singled in the go-ahead run with two on in the ninth inning.

Over in the corner of the dugout, the veteran manager knew more positive things were still on the way.

Out on the field, Russell Martin outlasted a rundown just long enough to allow Kemp to score and the Dodgers to take a two-run lead.

Over in the corner of the dugout, the veteran manager muttered under his breath like Farmer Hoggett in "Babe."

"That'll do."

"That'll do."

"That'll."

"Do."

Midway through April, only two short weeks ago, many had the Dodgers left for dead. Four times in five games, the offense had rolled over to score a single anemic run, each time resulting in a loss.

The offense was weak. The veterans were injured. The fans were booing. The sentence structure was repetitive. The coach was powerless.

I liked him.

I thought Torre would make the perfect subject for a self-reflecting, "I"-filled column, rife with random metaphors, abundant blank spaces achieving expansive column inches. And sentence fragments. Of course.

And I knew Joe Torre would turn the ship around.

Turn.

The ship.

Around.

When people mocked Juan Pierre, his hollow offensive statistics and noodle throwing arm, I defended him.

And so did Torre, who batted him second in the lineup on Thursday.

And look who went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI?

When people shuddered at the girth of Andruw Jones, his sub-Mendoza batting average and single home run, I defended him.

And so did Torre, who has played him in all 28 games this year.

And look who didn't make a defensive error in centerfield Thursday, as a ninth-inning defensive replacement (without a plate appearance)?

When people questioned the longevity of Nomar Garciaparra, his brittle bones and tired muscles on the verge of a breakdown, I defended him.

And so did Torre, until Nomar succumbed to the DL late last week.

And look who cheered on replacement Blake DeWitt at third base, back from his armchair at home in Los Angeles?

Torre has known all along that the Dodgers were going to be just fine. That they were going to break open a streak that would take them back over .500. That the boo birds would have to become ostriches and stick their heads in the sand.

Sure enough, the Dodgers are up to a six-game win streak and are the hottest team in baseball. The runs are flowing, numbering 11 and sometimes 13 in a game. The hits are coming easy, and opponents' pitchers are getting chased back to Colorado and mauled in Miami. Late-inning heroics, once anathema to the team, are nowde rigueur.

That's French for "necessary according to etiquette, protocol or fashion." I know French.

And so does Torre.

Torre must know French, because he can deal with the flaky croissant-like space cadets in the dugout, the puffed-up souffle-like chests of arrogant veterans, the short workdays and frequent days off in the schedule.

So there is Torre, cool and collected, with an all-knowing smile like he knew a return to winning baseball was always in the cards for this Dodger team.

Now, more than ever, Torre seems positively sagacious.

Now, more than ever, Torre and his air of calm seems appropriate.

Now, more than ever, Torre's penchant for new lineups every day seems reasonable.

It makes sense.

This guy can coach. He can make the Dodgers a winner. Heck, he can even make Joe Beimel a game winner after throwing only one pitch, as he did Thursday.

Did you ever really believe that the San Francisco Giants and their $126 million relief pitcher would stay ahead of us in the standings?

Did you ever really think that the Colorado Rockies would be able to bottle last September's magic and unleash the genie again this year?

Did you ever really imagine the San Diego Padres would be able to squeeze one more effective year out of Trevor Hoffman, after seeing multiple cracks in the armor last year?

I didn't. I never doubted.

And now, the Diamondbacks hear the Dodgers' footsteps, with a pace whose cadence accelerates each day.

Here come the Dodgers. Here comes Torre.

Better get ready, Arizona.

Thanks for the contribution, Bill! Come back any time!

Editor's note: This column was in fact not written by Bill Plaschke. But it could have been. It could. Have. Been.

Post-Game 26 Thread: Knowing When To Celebrate

I suppose this was on the AP wire but I'll pick up the feed from the Deseret Morning News, which I was reading to get my fill of LDS church news. Having "watched" the game on gameday until the seventh, and then stuck listening to Rick Monday and Jerry Reuss on radio for the remainder of the game, I didn't see the Marlins' catcher prematurely celebrating:

MIAMI — When Florida Marlins catcher Mike Rabelo spiked the ball to punctuate an inning-ending play in the eighth inning, the Los Angeles Dodgers took note.

"Excitement from a kid, and he'll probably learn from it," Los Angeles second baseman Jeff Kent said.

An inning later, it was the Dodgers doing the celebrating. Kent's two-out single broke a ninth-inning tie, and the Dodgers won their fourth game in a row Tuesday night, 7-6.

Andre Ethier walked with one out against Kevin Gregg (3-1), took second on a groundout and scored easily on Kent's single. The Dodgers won even though Derek Lowe was unable to protect a 6-1 lead, and with the score 6-all, twice failed to convert scoring chances.

Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla made a strong relay on a double by Mark Sweeney to throw out Blake DeWitt trying to score from first with two out in the eighth. Rabelo held onto the throw despite taking a tumble in a collision with Sweeney, then rose and slammed the ball to the grass as he headed for the dugout.

Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez said Rabelo's show of emotion was excessive.

"That's not the way we want to be portrayed as an organization," Gonzalez said. "I spoke to him afterward, and he'll be fine."

It probably wasn't that big of a deal, but it was funny to see that Jeff Kent commented about it. During his ninth-inning at bat in which he hit the go-ahead run in with a double, the sparse crowds at Dolphin Stadium allowed a clearly audible heckler to scream "Why don't you retire?" to Kent in the batter's box. Rick Monday even called this out on the radio broadcast, after Kent was standing on second base and the Dodgers were up by a run. Funny stuff.

Also, nice to see Saito with a 1-2-3 inning, including two Ks. I hope that he's getting back in the swing of things with his old form, but I've got to hand it to the relief corps of the Dodgers, including Joe Beimel, Jonathan Broxton, and Scott Proctor as well as the unlikely Chan Ho Park--these guys have kept us in the games late, which has led to our four-game win streak. Keep up the great work!

Post-Game 20 Thread: Fire the Gnome

REDS 8, DODGERS 1

Somebody's not pulling their weight, and it's pretty obvious who it is.

Earlier: Touch the Gnome!

Post-Game 19 Thread: Dodgers Exorcise Belisle

DODGERS 9, REDS 3

The Great American Ball Park is bringing back memories. A day after old friend Eric Gagne suffered his third blown save of the season against the Reds, erstwhile Dodger starter Chan Ho Park pitched three innings of relief, allowed two home runs...and got the save in Cincinnati. Having entered the game with a eight-run lead. (Meanwhile, former Dodger goat Lurch won his fourth game of the season for the Marlins. Brad Penny, after today's win, leads the Dodger staff with three. Hmmm.)

But the story of the day was the Dodger offense, suddenly alive again after collapsing like an accordion at a clown convention in Atlanta, thanks to what our Steve Sax calls "the tonic of the NL Central." The Dodgers have outscored the Pirates and Reds 32-12 over four games, today teeing off against Cincinnati's green starter Matt Belisle for 12 hits and 7 runs in four innings en route to a 9-3 victory.

Nomar Garciaparra justified Joe Torre batting him third in the order, hitting his first home run and batting in three, and the other bats are heating up: Russell Martin went 3-for-3, Andre Ethier 3-for-4, Matt Kemp 2-for-5. In fact, the only player still under the Mendoza line is Andruw Jones (.159), who went 0-for-4. Will Torre dare start a heretofore unthinkable outfield of Ethier, Juan Pierre and Kemp? Tune in tomorrow—same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!

A win tomorrow (with Hong-Chih Kuo starting and Esteban Loaiza in the wings) would give the Dodgers much-needed momentum heading into a five-game homestand against division opponents: two games against the Diamondbacks (6 games ahead of the Dodgers in the standings) and three against the Rockies (5 games ahead). So help that old lady across the street and use that turn signal, because this team needs all the good karma it can get.

Post-Game 2 Thread: "Pee-Wee Is Bigger Than a Giant"

Furcal triumphant.

Matt Kemp hugs walk-off winner Delwyn Young.

Frank McCourt congratulates Young.

Opening Day Win!

Post-Game 160 Thread: Brought to You by Berlitz

DODGERS 8, GIANTS 3

Okay, on the post-game show, Adrian Garcia is interviewing Wilson Valdez: asking him a question in Spanish, interpreting his own question for the viewer, then listening to Valdez' response in Spanish, and then interpreting Valdez' response for the viewer. Garcia is not really a great post-game interviewer in English alone, let alone two languages. What's more, Valdez is giving full 500-word essay answers, perhaps taking full advantage of the rare interview opportunity.

My head hurts. Is this dual-language thing really necessary? Is Berlitz the new sponsor of the Dodgers? Will they be interviewing Chin-Lung Hu and/or Takashi Saito tomorrow?

I'm going to bed. At least I can rest knowing that the Dodgers cannot end 2007 with a losing season. And, nice game, James Loney (HR #15).

Post-Game 157 Thread: Why Roberto Hernandez Is Like Ice In A Urinal (Col 9, LA 7)

ROCKIES 9, DODGERS 7

Roberto Hernandez is a nice human interest story. He's old, he's supposed to be a nice guy, he was a big-time closer about 74 years ago for Cleveland, and he recently made his 1000th appearance in a game, which (at this stage) puts him up in the all-time top 10 for pitchers.

But the Dodgers should not have a team of human interest stories. They should have a team of players. And Roberto Hernandez is not that.

Roberto Hernandez is more like ice in the urinal. When you first see it, it's interesting at which to look and possibly kind of neat. But once it's put into practical use, it melts pretty quickly and quietly and scatters piss all over the floor. And when you're done pissing all over it, there's nothing left to look at, as everything has been flushed down the drain.

Why Grady continues to trot Hernandez out there is beyond me. In doing so, he turns the Dodgers from a class act to a circus act. Stop the madness, Grady. If we want to watch old people, we'll flip on the TV Land reruns of the Golden Girls.

But let's do a recap of the key plays of tonight's game, shall we?

• Grady pulls Penny after five innings with a 5-4 lead. Lurch comes in and promptly gives up a two-run home run in the sixth, puting the Rockies up 6-5. In fact, when Hendrickson's first pitch was stroked to right for a single, the TV caught Dodger pitching coach Rick Honeycutt on the phone to the bullpen, while Grady stoically sat beside him. Impact to the Dodgers: -2 runs.
• Grady makes the call for Roberto Hernandez to pitch the ninth, and Hernandez gives up two more runs to turn a one-run deficit into a three-run deficit. Oh yeah, had we pitched a scoreless ninth, we would have tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Alas. Impact to the Dodgers: -2 runs.
• On the positive side, Chin-Lung Hu knocks a two-run home run. James Loney has a three-run home run to take an ephemeral lead. Delwyn Young smacks the crap out of the ball in the ninth for a solo home run. Impact to the Dodgers: +6 runs. Enough to even compensate for Grady's ineptitude, shockingly.

If I was an LA Times reporter, I might also point out that Jeff Kent was nailed by a country mile on an Andre Ethier sacrifice fly this evening, and not only was there no collision at the plate, but what little impact there was between Kent and Yorvit Torrealba (likely) caused Kent to leave the game early. But hey, the Dodgers are one happy cohesive clubhouse, right? No need to point that out!

With tonight's win, the Rockies stay in the Wild Card hunt. With tonight's loss, the Dodgers' sixth loss in their last seven games, their Wild Card hopes offically move to "E" as in "Eliminated."

And while we're talking about letters, someone should remind the Dodgers that "spoiler" is spelled with a "r" at the end, not a "d".

Post-Game 151 Thread: Hello, 2008!

ROCKIES 9, DODGERS 8

Post-Game 143 Thread: That Was a Crushing Defeat.

Post-Game 140 Thread: My Dinger With Andre (Dodgers 7, Cubs 4)

DODGERS 7, CUBS 4

Wow. With the Dodgers reeling from Alfonso Soriano's second home run of the game in the bottom of the seventh (this one a three-run shot, to go with his solo home run to lead off the game for the second time this series), the Dodgers (down 4-2) refused to roll over and play dead. Matt Kemp came out in the top of the eighth to hit a two-out solo home run to bring us within one run.

And then, in the top of the ninth, Russell Martin leads off with a single. And James Loney follows with another single, his third hit of the game (Loney went 3-for-4 with a double and a solo HR, totaling 2 RBI). And then, pinch-hitter Andre Ethier--who should have been playing LF in the first place, Luis Gonzalez' 0-for-4 day notwithstanding--knocks a three-run jack to give the Dodgers a 6-4 lead. Rafael Furcal comes around to score later that inning on a wild pitch, and Takashi Saito economically preserves the Dodgers' three-run lead on a scant 10 pitches. DODGERS WIN.

By taking three of four from the Cubs, the Dodgers move into sole possession of second place in the Wild Card hunt, 2.5 games behind Wild Card-leading San Diego. The Dodgers are 3.5 games behind Arizona for the NL West crown. And, more importantly, this series win has allowed us to make up ground and go into our weekend series in San Francisco with some real excitement and momentum.

We face Jonathan Sanchez, Barry Zito, and Matt Cain this weekend--three Giants pitchers with ballyhooed "stuff" but losing records all. We counter with Chad Billingsley (10-4) on Friday and Brad Penny (15-4) on Sunday, bookending a large book ("War and Peace," if you will) in David Wells (6-8) on Saturday. Padres play three with the Rockies; Snakes host the Cardinals--so we are the only team playing an opponent not in Wild Card or divisional contention. A series victory in San Francisco, carrying the vibe from Chicago, would be clutch.