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.

Post-Game 133 Chat: Orel Gets His Sweep (Dodgers 10, Nats 9 / 12)

DODGERS 10, NATIONALS 9 (12)

Well, Orel, you got your sweep. Happy now?

In a game that lasted over four hours on a scorching afternoon, the Dodgers earned a sweep using every trick they had up their sleeves. Overcoming a five-run deficit in the late innings. Jonathan Broxton pitching in a non-hold situation. Takashi Saito pitching in a non-save situation. Scott Proctor pitching not one, not two, but three innings of white-knuckle baseball, his stamina fading with every pitch. James Loney knocking in four runs. Shea Hillenbrand and Russell Martin each homering with one on. Pitcher Eric Stults asked to pinch hit (unsuccessfully, but for what it's worth, Stults fared no worse than Olmedo Saenz today).

And Jeff Kent, sliding into home on the sac fly, bones creaking with each step as he flopped face-first to get his left arm over the plate before the tag. Last night, Kent was "interviewed" on the post-game show by a FSN reporter who failed to bring up any Kent-specific points, despite the fact that Jeff had just surpassed Joe DiMaggio with his 362nd home run, or the fact that Kent was still suffering from the impacts of a vicious beaning Sunday night at the hands of the Mets' John Maine. What kind of post-game reporting is that? Makes me wish for Carolyn Hughes again (right, Derek?). I wasn't watching today's game on television (some of us have to work), but I'm hoping FSN actually asked Kent about his gritty performance today--which won the game for us in the 12th.

Phillies and Braves both won and the Padres/D'backs game is just underway. Thursday is a rest day before we open a three-game series at Petco Park.

UPDATE: Now that I've had the evening to think about the final play, can someone please explain to me why Austin Kearns was playing up in right field, with one out and the bases loaded? Is it to prevent the bloop single, rather than be well-positioned for a throw should a sac fly result? Vin made a big point about saying if Kearns had been playing the position normally, he wouldn't have had to step back and he could have made a more accurate/powerful throw, which would have probably nailed Kent. I don't understand why Kearns was playing in.

Post-Game 124 Thread: The Dodgers Win a Series! The Dodgers Win a Series!

Post-Game 119 Thread: 2007 Season in a Nutshell

For those of you lacking the fortitude to endure the latest Dodger loss, here's how their last out went:

7-4 Astros. Brad Lidge pitching. Mark Sweeney on first, Shea Hillenbrand on second. One out. Juan Pierre at bat. Matt Kemp (who homered earlier) on deck. Pierre fouls out to the catcher. No problem, Kemp up with a chance to tie, right? Not so fast! Sweeney, thinking the game is over, is caught loitering around second and gets thrown out at first. NOW the game is over.

To paraphrase Vin, now he's a real Dodger!

UPDATES:

Rob at 6-4-2 brings us a transcript of Vin calling the end of the game.

It seems like Dodger Blues was made for games like this.

Jon's take: "Forget it, Mark. It's Chinatown."

Diamond Leung gets in a zinger of his own.

From Tony Jackson:

Mark Sweeney never came out of the video room after the game, and who can really blame him?

Post-Game 115 Thread: James Loney Saves the Day

DODGERS 2, CARDINALS 1

AP photo/Tom Gannam

Post-Game 114 Thread: A Country Celebrates

DODGERS 5, REDS 4

Post-Game 113 Thread: Streaking Toward History! (Reds 1, Dodgers 0)

With the Reds' second consecutive shutout victory against the Dodgers tonight, the Dodgers are now riding a streak of 28 consecutive scoreless innings, dating back to Saturday's loss to the Diamondbacks. Three straight shutouts? Pshaw. Six-game losing streak? Who cares? A second-straight 1-0 defeat for Chad Billingsley? Whatever.

The Dodgers are 58.3% of the way toward equalling the record 48-game scoreless inning streak set by the Chicago Cubs in 1968 (thanks, Bob Timmerman of Dodger Thoughts). According to Bob,

The Cubs had their 48-inning scoreless streak in 1968. They didn't in the last 8 innings of a game in Atlanta which they lost 3-2 in 10. Then they were shut out 1-0 by the Braves in 11. Then they were shut out three straight by the Cardinals in St. Louis. Then they finally got a run in the third at Cincinnati on a sac fly from Billy Williams.

With Juan Pierre in the lineup every day (especialy batting leadoff today, as he went 0-for-4), things look promising for the Dodgers to equal this storied record. The kids aren't hitting. The veterans aren't hitting. All of them are swinging early in the count.

Yeah, sure, we're getting men on base occasionally, and even runners in scoring position every once in a while. But when we can turn leadoff doubles (James Loney, eighth inning today) into double plays (doubled off second from the next batter, Matt Kemp) in the blink of an eye, there's no stopping us.

Layer on top of that Grady Little's inflexibility toward making any reasonably logical lineup adjustments, and you've got yourself a recipe for futility. Twenty more innings to go before history is made. Way to go, Dodgers--aim low.

Post-Game 111 Thread: Got That Out of Your System?

DIAMONDBACKS 3, DODGERS 0

Tony Jackson is waving the white flag. Jon Weisman remains more sanguine. My stance is—brace yourselves—somewhere in the middle.

First, Tony's side. Yes, this team sucks right now. The rotation is in tatters; we're lucky Penny and Lowe are healthy enough to start. Billingsley seems determined to apply Bret Saberhagen's even-odd approach to individual starts. Unfortunately, help is not on the way: Schmidt is toast, Wolf might be toast. And while Hendrickson and Tomko kept their pride intact by holding Bonds homerless, they're simply unreliable.

It gets worse: The Dodgers' biggest weakness has been their bats. Going 1-for-25 with RISP has been as much demoralizing as ineffective. Both the kids and veterans can share the blame on this one, but there is a tiny glimmer of hope as Tony reports that Kent should return for the Cincinnati series starting Tuesday.

Now, Jon's side. Don't forget the NL West has a tradition of mediocrity. Injuries have also hampered the Diamondbacks, Padres and Rockies. While the Padres seem to be recovering from their own slump, the Diamondbacks are playing out of their minds—about 10 games luckier than their Pythagorean record would suggest.

And while anecdotal evidence suggests that Dodger fans want to keep the kids, doing so may mean sacrificing 2007. The Betemit trade was frustrating—couldn't Ned have gotten at least a back-end starter in return?—but the foundation for future success is still intact.

So stick your head in the oven or bake a victory cake. It doesn't matter, because no NL West team is going to the World Series anytime soon.

Post-Game 107 Thread: Media Circus and Sold-Out Crowd Get the HR They Were Waiting For (Dodgers 6, Giants 4)

DODGERS 6, GIANTS 4; BARRY 0 HR, NOMAR 1 HR

I wasn't at the game last night. And after hearing Vinny tell us in the eighth inning, with the Dodgers down 4-2, that the Dodgers 3-through-6 hitters were 1-for-23 in the series, I wasn't very hopeful. Russell Martin leading off the inning with a weak comebacker seemed to augur another loss to the Giants at the Stadium.

Then Furcal gets his bunt single. Then Pierre gets a bunt single, advancing Furcal to third on a Omar Vizquel throwing error, and shortly thereafter steals second. Two RISP for Luis Gonzalez, who then comes through with a clutch double down the left field line to score both and tie the game.

And then, swinging early in the count as usual, Nomar knocks one over the left field fence to put us up 6-4. Mayhem ensues in my household, as I watch the whole thing in HD goodness (thanks, KCAL9). Cheers erupt. Women swoon. Men weep.

Even long after he was traded, the ghost of Armando Benitez (who was traded for Randy Messenger, who gave up both the tying and go-ahead hits) helps the Dodgers yet again.

Said Eric Neel on the majestic home run that no one came to see and few expected:

Such talk let me imagine what it might be like after Bonds breaks the record, as games and at-bats run on past 756. The tendency now, in the anxious days of waiting, is to think everything is epic. Hank Aaron's number looms larger than ever. Bonds' claim upon the record seems as if it will be forever fraught with fans' resentment and ambivalence. We think, following this thing day by day, that it's a big deal set in stone, and that we will always carry it with us.

But I don't think it will work that way. I think it will recede into the distance over time. It will be replaced by guys like Garciaparra hitting home runs. Wins and losses, for the Giants, the Dodgers, for whomever you root for, will push it off the stage. "We're all out here trying to win ballgames," Garciaparra said with a shrug. "If [Bonds] hits a home run and you're still standing here talking to us because we won, that's fine with us."

Garciaparra's home run last night, fifth on the year and 216th in his career (now placing him solely in 241st place on the all-time HR list), was indeed the epic shot of last night. And it may not have been what all the press or fans came to see at Dodger Stadium. But it sure stole the spotlight away from that other guy.

By the way, we haven't heard much from Delino, the Son who has been at both Dodgers-Giants games this series. Hope he hasn't been blinded by flashbulbs such that he's wandering around the parking lot like Oedipus.

AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian

Post-Game 100 Thread: Scoreboard Watching--So We Ain't The Only Team with Bullpen Issues

In Monday's late game, following Chad Billingsley's masterful performance today, the Rockies put up an five-run eighth inning to ruin Greg Maddux's bid for his eighth win and kibosh the Padres, 7-5. Scott Linebrink picked up the blown save and the loss on 4 ER in 0.2 IP, including a three-run HR to Matt Holliday. Cla Meredith, still in search of that last consonant for his first name, gave up another ER on a two-run HR by Brad Hawpe.

With the Padres' loss, the Dodgers move two games up in the NL West with a scant 62 games to play.

But hey, enough about the flailing Friars. Let's talk Dodger baseball. Tonight's 10-2 win was incredibly impressive and a nice shot in the arm for:

• Chad Billingsley, who pitched his first career complete game and almost got his first career shutout, if not for a ninth-inning two-out ball that took a zippy bounce past James Loney for a single (it wasn't ruled an error). The next batter hit a home run to break the shutout, but Billingsley settled to finish the game after that. Billingsley's pitch count was microscopically low through at least six innings (then I went out to my car, so I missed an inning there) and he ended up with 109 pitches, or four less than he made in five innings vs. the Phillies in his last start. Wow. That is exactly what a tired bullpen needed. Billingsley's complete game was the fourth by the Dodgers this year; Derek Lowe has all of the other three but all of those resulted in losses.
• Nomar Garciaparra, who saw his batting average get a shot in the arm, after he went 3-for-5 with singles in the fourth, seventh, and ninth innings. He had one RBI by singling home Luis Gonzalez from second (not an easy task), and was at the plate when a wild pitch scored Jeff Kent from third. Kent, btw, went 4-for-4 with two doubles; not a bad day either.
• James Loney, whose shot in the arm came literally, as he was plunked by a pitch early in the game and did not score that inning. Loney came up in the ninth and crushed a ball to right for a three-run HR, so I guess he's okay.

In other news, at one point in the radio broadcast, there was about five seconds of dead air that lasted between pitches. Rick Monday mentioned the 1-2 count, then all one heard was the crowd, then one heard the pitch pop in the catcher's glove and he mentioned the new count. What kind of broadcasting is this? Aren't there two guys (Rick and Jerry Reuss) in the booth? What are they doing, playing chess during the game? In a game like this after a deflating series loss to the Mets, there was plenty of positive stuff about which to talk. Yet our guys spent the airtime meditating.

Tell me why I don't like Mondays, indeed.

Post-Game 93 Thread: +13! (Dodgers 10, Phillies 3)

DODGERS 10, PHILLIES 3

Congrats to the boys in blue for hitting 13 games over .500 for the first time this year. The Dodgers have the best record in the NL and have scored an astounding 41 runs in the last five games, extending right before the All-Star break. Their five-game winning streak is also their longest of the year. The Dodgers remain one game ahead of the Padres.

With Jeff Kent banging three-run homers, and Matt Kemp showing an utterly effortless home run swing of his own, and Brad Penny in lockdown mode with 8 Ks over seven strong innings, and James Loney playing incredible defense at first base, it is a joy to watch this team perform.

DO NOT TRADE LONEY OR KEMP, NED!!!

Post-Game 92 Thread: July 15 @ Giants

DODGERS 5, GIANTS 3

From "Bonds hitless in series as Dodgers sweep Giants" (AP/ESPN.com):

Barry Bonds flipped a laundry cart to the ground and stalked away.

Calling himself an "embarrassment" and mired in one of the worst slumps of his career, it was his hardest hit of the day.

Bonds had a second straight 0-for-5 performance to extend his hitless stretch to a season-worst 20 at-bats, and his San Francisco Giants lost their 11th in a row at home to the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-3 on Sunday.

"It's an embarrassment for me to be wearing this [expletive deleted] uniform 'cause of the way I'm playing. There, that's it. Now go away," Bonds said at his locker.

Then he overturned the cart as he walked through the clubhouse, a rare public display of emotion with his chase of Hank Aaron's home run record at a standstill. He's been at 751 homers and four from tying the Hammer since July 3.

Post-Game 87 Thread: Dodgers Announce New "Game Over" Campaign (Marlins 6, Dodgers 5 (10))

Despite the success of and fan appreciation for Dodger closer Takashi Saito (who blew the save in last night's game), there is a new Brett Tomko "Game Over" campaign being heralded by the Dodgers, following last night's meltdown in extras.

The Dodgers now have lost the game in 15 of the last 19 games in which Brett Tomko has appeared, including four games when Tomko himself took the loss. Tomko, 1-7 on the year, has not had a win since his only win, May 9 in Florida. His ERA has ballooned to 6.18, closing in on his season high of 6.28 back in May, which would be his worst season ever by far. It is "Game Over" indeed when Tomko takes the mound.

I know Grady doesn't have a lot of pitching options, but bringing in Tomko yesterday was tantamount to having all of the infield drop their gloves and lube up their hands with Astroglide. Instead, it was Dodger starter Chad Billingsley who took the lube as he was denied the opportunity for a win, and then the rest of the team (and Dodger fans) when Tomko stepped on the field. Little has said to the press that Tomko is not mentally in a good state right now. I don't think he's getting back to good anytime soon, at this pace. Give him a two-week rest, Grady, and put him in on mop-up time only for now.

Dodgers drop to +9 over .500 and miss yet another chance to slide into first place. [Insert second lube joke here.]

Apologies to Eric Gagne for keeping his mug in the background of the photo. Honestly, my photoshop skills suck, and I'm lazy.

Post-Game 84 Thread: Dodgers Finally Hit +12 (Dodgers 7, Braves 6)

DODGERS 7, BRAVES 6

With last night's win over the Braves, the Dodgers achieved 12 games over .500 for the first time this season, after five prior times in which they had reached +11 games. The Dodgers overcame a shaky start by Randy Wolf, but D.J. Houlton locked it down for three scoreless innings (welcome back, DJ!) and Matt Kemp continued his torrid hitting ways.

And Wilson Betemit, who had a rare start last night, showed some serious sock with a home run and four RBI. Congrats, Wilson! On the post-game show, Grady Little mentioned that he gets more inquiries over Wilson Betemit above any other Dodger (even Mark Hendrickson). He is definitely undervalued now, that's for sure.

Coupled with the Padres' loss in San Diego to the Marlins, the Dodgers move into a tie for first place. Let's try and stay there for longer than a day this time, okay Blue?

Post-Game 79 Thread: Johnson Yanked Early (Dodgers 9, Snakes 5)

DODGERS 9, DIAMONDBACKS 5

The Dodgers got to Randy Johnson early and often Thursday evening in Arizona, starting with a two-run Russell Martin HR in the first and ending with two more runs in the third frame. Johnson exited before the bottom of the third having given up 6 H, 3 ER, and 69 pitches. Not a nice welcome back from his herniated disk-catalyzed respite.

Martin and Jeff Kent had two RBI each and Freed James Loney and Tony Abreu had one RBI each. Every starter except Luis Gonzalez got a hit, including Randy Wolf who went 2-for-4 from the plate and also pitched six innings of three-run ball (two runs of which were charged to Wolf but stimulated by Brett Tomko, who then calmed down to get out of the sixth inning).

Nomar Garciaparra took the day off. Wilson Betemit was a late-game substitute and came very close to hitting one out in deep center--still, he is batting sub-.200 on the year.

Takashi Saito came in for the save when Tomko was on fumes in the ninth. He now has 42 strikeouts and 3 walks on the year, for an impressive 14:1 ratio. That is crazy talk. Saito got the last two outs to preserve the victory.

The 3-1 series win over the Snakes gave the Dodgers a 6-4 roadtrip. Now they face the Padres, Braves, and Marlins at home in a 10-day, 10-game homestand. No rest for the weary! Especially with a first-place showdown on the line against the friars...

UPDATE 6/29 9.28a: I want to shout out to True Blue LA for a hilarious line about the game that I wish I had read beforehand:

I may be having a bad day. But at least my team isn't starting Augie Ojeda at short. Brings back memories of Augie Doggie from the Hanna-Barbera cartoons!

Post-Game 78 Thread: Following Nomar's Lead, Dodgers Go From First to Third

This has not been a good series for Nomar Garciaparra. Anyone who has watched him struggle can see, he's not in form. But the stats don't lie, either.

• On Monday's blowout 8-1 win, Nomar batted third in the order and went 0-for-5. Team LOB: 4.
• On Tuesday's narrow 6-5 victory, Nomar moved to third base, batted sixth in the order, and still went 0-for-5. Team LOB: 10. Dodgers retake first place in the NL West.
• Tonight, losing 2-0 against a quality pitcher, Nomar again started at third, batted seventh in the order, and went 0-for-4. Team LOB: 13. Dodgers fall from first place to third place in the blink of an eye.

There's not many other places we can hide Nomar in the lineup. And I don't recall this strategy, of sending a slumping veteran hero down into the abyss of the bottom of the lineup, of having any healing or restorative powers (I may be wrong, but in the case of Sammy Sosa and the Cubs, it led to Dusty's dismissal and Sammy's smashed boombox). It's time to give Nomar a rest and let him recharge his batteries.

Now, Nomar's aggregate 0-for-14 is not only to blame for tonight's loss and two nights of untimely hitting. Rafael Furcal has gone 2-for-15 in the series, with one run and 9 LOB. Juan Pierre is a modestly better 2-for-14 in the series and has scored one run with 5 LOB. But Nomar looks uncommonly awful up there at the plate, swinging at bad pitches and hesitating at the good ones, and it seems logical to give him a rest before this slump gets into his head any further. Furcal and Pierre could also use a rest, but the latter has a consecutive-games-played streak that probably weighs against logic, at least in Grady's head.

But leaving all these men on base is worrisome, as the Dodgers seem to amass double-digit team LOB numbers relatively frequently (AZ has had 5, 8, and 8 LOB in the three games). This speaks to not only the poor quality of the individual batters, but also the aggregate makeup of the lineup. Grady needs to shake up this lineup further, since the hitting we do have (we've outhit the Snakes all three games) does not seem to be timely, or, in tonight's case, run-producing. And this has to stop.

But let's give Nomar a break. His performance last year as a Dodger, and his overall grit and class as a player and human, merit giving him a couple days' rest. And having newborn twins at home can't help any.

A win tomorrow against Johnson would be key. First pitch at 3.40p, so let's get out of work early and catch the game at a bar.