Hiroki Kuroda (7-9, 3.87) vs. Doug Davis (5-8, 4.63).
Friday, August 29, 2008
To quote Bob Hope....
Just wanted to remind you guys what you're fighting for.
We're only one sweep away from being a half game back!
P.S. - Tomorrow on SoSG, a boob-free Saturday.
A Look Back at Abes vs Babes
Remember Abes vs Babes? Likely not, I understand. So to recap, last year the Maxim Hot 100 so embarrassed the US Presidents, 18-5-2, that the mercy rule was triggered and the contest was called off this year.
Well, seeking distraction from the Dodgers' recent misfortunes, I decided to take a look at how the showdown would have been shaping up this year. And lo and behold, despite the addition of the mighty Evan Longoria to the Babes' roster, the Abes would be leading the Babes 5 categories to 4:
| The Abes | The Babes | |
| Avg | 0.263 | 0.249 |
| Runs | 434 | 413 |
| HRs | 64 | 90 |
| RBIs | 407 | 381 |
| SBs | 49 | 31 |
| ERA | 4.20 | 4.03 |
| Wins | 71 | 85 |
| Saves | 88 | 3 |
| Ks | 1013 | 1084 |
| Total | 5 | 4 |
Conor Jackson (12 HRs, 68 RBIs), Brian Wilson (36 saves), and Randy Johnson (10 Ws, 148 Ks) have been the big dogs for the Abes.
*statistics normalized by AB/IPs.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
James Loney Feels Our Pain
From Diamond:
Asked if he felt snakebitten by the Dodgers' recent woes. here's James Loney at his finest..."I've never been bit by a snake, but this might feel a little bit worse."
Post-Game 134 Thread: Nope Still Springs Eternal
Little did I know how much more relevant this two-month-old post would become:
When opportunity knocks, the Dodgers always seem to be out on the back porch frying burgers with the radio on too loud. Observe:
May 9-11: The then-MLB-best D-backs face the Cubs juggernaut and get swept out of the windy city for their first 3-game losing streak of the season. Finally the Dodgers will gain some ground, right? Nope. The Dodgers suffer their own sweep via the jugger-not Astros and actually lose ground after their subsequent loss to Milwaukee.
May 26-30: The mighty Diamondbacks get swept by the lowly Giants and lose the opener to the even-lowly-er Nationals to cap their first 5-game losing streak. At least now the Dodgers will pick up a few games here. Nope. Dodgers get swept by the Cubs after losing 2 of 3 to St Louis, then lose 3 of 4 to the Mets. Again they lose ground.
June 2-4: D-backs get swept by Milwaukee. While it may be too little too late, at least the Dodgers can make a move here, no? Nope. Dodgers match Arizona's 3-game losing streak at the hands of the Rockies and Cubs.
June 13-15: D-backs win the first game (barely) but still manage to lose the series to Kansas City of all teams. Surely the Dodg- Nope. Dodgers get swept by Detroit to cap a 5-game losing streak and lose ground.
Thus has been the Dodgers' 2008. After the D-backs' scorching 27-15 start, they proceeded to go 13-23. But over that same time, the Dodgers went 14-21, picking up a mere 1.5 games. Put another way: since May 22, the D-backs have lost 18 times on a day the Dodgers also played a game. In the Dodgers' corresponding 18 games, they've come away with 4 wins. If we'd just played 0.500 ball during those games, we'd be leading the division by a game. Now, I probably put less stock in the specific timing of wins and losses than anyone I know, but even I find this frustrating.
Well, I assume you know where this is going...
August 24-28: The D-backs lose the rubber game against Florida, then miraculously get swept by the then-48-82 Padres to go 0-4 over that period, just as we go up against the even-worse Nationals. NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! WE CAN'T EVEN STAY EVEN!!! After the Phillies finish their sweep of us, we conveniently remain in the bent-over position on the bus down to DC. 0-5, loss of a half game over that same span (and I'm not even counting the preceding two losses to Philly).
Neeebs And The Magic Glove
Argh! As of this writing, we are down 5-2 to the Nationals in the middle of the fourth inning, with (of course) Mark Sweeney striking out with two on to end the threat in the fourth. (Don't believe the Dodgers' propaganda over Mark Sweeney's supposed recent improvement--he is still batting .141.)
We need to break the curse! And our prize-winner neeebs just sent us this picture, having recently received the priceless Shawn Green Batting Glove Replica:
Looks like it's not quite one-size-fits-all (Yep, it's a child-size glove).
Breaketh ye, o' Dodgers curse of six straight defeats!
Game 134 Thread: August 28 @ Nationals, 4p
Clayton Kershaw (2-4, 4.11) vs. John Lannan (7-12, 3.95).
COMMENTS: Sometimes ya just gotta laugh. What, did we say that already? Well, you know who else is laughing? Diamondbacks fans. Sure, the Dodgers are in position to get swept by the league-worst Nationals, but the Diamondbacks just got swept by the third-worst Padres. Suckitude for all!
Jeff Kent Determined To Prove TJ Simers Wrong
Okay Orel, I'll see your laudatory post on youngster Matt Kemp, and raise you one critical post on veteran Jeff Kent....
August 17: TJ Simers gets into it with ornery veteran Jeff Kent about how Kent's batting average had skyrocketed since he started batting third ahead of Manny Ramirez:
"See my answer to the first question," said Kent, and sometimes you wonder if he sleeps with his bed against a wall forcing him to always wake up on the wrong side. "Listen, I'm so tired of talking about this stuff. It diminishes my whole career and all the hard work. I take it as an insult.
"I'm 40. You don't get better when you are 40.""[Vin] Scully is making the same point everyone else is making," I said. "He says the stats indicate you are having success hitting behind Ramirez -- tell me that isn't the case."
Discounting the remainder of the series in batter-friendly Colorado, Jeff Kent's lines since then:
Aug 22 @PHI, 0-for-4
Aug 23 @PHI, 0-for-4, 2K
Aug 24 @PHI, 3-for-5, but 1 GIDP
Aug 25 @PHI, 1-for-5, 2K
Aug 26 @WAS, 1-for-4
Aug 27 @WAS, 0-for-5, K
6-game total: 5-for-27, .185 BA, 5Ks, 1 GIDP
You show him, Jeffy! Don't concede that point to Simers, and continue to phone it in from the three-hole!
Own a Piece of SH--
Fill in the blank as you see fit. With the Mets currently in the throes of their newest late-season collapse (maybe), the team's finding ways to pay off the hefty salary of Hometown Buffet starter Mo Vaughn. Now loyal fans (and Yankee haters) can own a piece of history. All you have to do is click HERE... and plop down $869. Ironically, it's even more if you live in New York.
So this all got me thinking - if/when Dodger Stadium goes off to that scrapheap in the sky, what piece would you like to own? I'm torn between Gordon Biersch...
and HER:
Finally a Dodger Player Takes Responsibility
...and it's Matt Kemp! From "Dodgers can't find a way to win against Nationals" by Bill Shaikin at the LA Times:
Matt Kemp pointed the finger -- at himself. The Dodgers can't drive in a runner from second base to save their season, and yet Kemp had his own take on his team's offensive disaster."I blame it on myself," he said. "The damn leadoff hitter needs to step up and do something." [...]
"My job is to get on base," he said. "I feel like I'm one of the main reasons our offense isn't going."
How's this for a character arc? At the start of the season, Kemp was being labeled on national television as callow and immature. Now, at season's end, we have certain veterans claiming "I'm not a wizard" in response to their defensive inadequacies, while certain youngsters are accepting responsibility and protecting their teammates from further criticism. I love it.
Penny Turning Up in 2009?
Hey, man. In reviewing 12 players with option clauses at season's end, Jon Heyman of SI.com thinks Brad Penny will be a Dodger next year:
Brad Penny, Dodgers pitcher ($9.25 million option, $2-million buyout): That $9.25-million figure isn't sky-high, but Penny's shoulder's been hurting most of this year, making it an extremely tough call. The call: The Dodgers deliberate but wind up picking it up, as veteran pitchers are hard to find.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Post-Game 133 Thread: Sometimes Ya Just Gotta Laugh
...and this is one of those times. Again.
(Contains NSFW language.)
Blake's Back
Not Casey, but DeWitt. From Diamond:
Dodgers recall DeWittThe Dodgers recalled infielder Blake DeWitt and designated infielder Pablo Ozuna for assignment. DeWitt was hitting well at Class AAA Las Vegas and learning to play second base, and he takes over for Ozuna as Jeff Kent's backup.
Game 133 Thread: August 27 @ Nationals, 4p
Greg Maddux (6-10, 4.25) vs. Tim Redding (8-8, 4.54).
COMMENTS: Is there even a point in discussing these pitchers? Just yesterday we were talking about sweeping the Nationals. Today we're wondering if the Dodgers will be the ones getting swept. By the worst team in the Majors. Yesterday's game seemed so snake-bitten it made you wonder if things can possibly get any worse for the Dodgers. Can they? Check back this evening.
"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
Inside Juan Pierre's Locker
Okay, Juan, we get the point. Matt Kemp has 0-fered in three of his last five games. He hasn't scored a run in the last five games. His 0-for-5 performance last night included swinging at the first pitch twice, grounding into a double play once, and a strikeout.
But come on, your voodoo doll is now affecting everyone else. Andre Ethier had an 0-for-5 day in the two slot. Jeff Kent, Russell Martin, and James Loney could all muster only one hit each.
And this is against the Nationals, for pete's sake.
Unstick your pins and stop drinking the Haterade, Juan.
UPDATE 8/27 3p: Well, at least Kemp's day wasn't as bad as A-Rod's. Even Tiger Woods couldn't stick around to watch...
Don't Look Now But...
...over the past month Mark Sweeney is batting 0.417 with a 0.588 on-base %. There go his chances of making history
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Dodger Offense Weak as Kittens
first five games of current road trip (four games @ PHI, one game @ WSH)
men left on base: 47
runs scored: 6
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