07 April 2009

Game 2 Unfair Loss Shares

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to start the fourth starter is game 2. Not that the order of rotation matters much, but it meant Wolf was up against Chris Young, who can still bring it when healthy. Wolf couldn't keep up.

Wolf actually exceeded my expectations early on. He never seemed sharp to me, and when Kouzmanoff came up with the bases loaded in the third and a chance for redemption I thought he'd get it. Even when the count went to 1-2 I didn't think Wolf had what it took to overpower him. Maybe hit a corner and get a called strike, I thought. But he blew him away. Wolf just didn't have enough of those canine moments in him, and it all came apart in the sixth. There but for the grace of Kemp and moxie of Wade would have gone Kuroda in the previous game's sixth inning as well. Wolf wasn't saved by his teammates, and so gets the unfair loss share, and I don't think it's unfair at all. He earned it.

It would have helped Wolf if Ethier could have caught Kouzmanoff's triple in the second ( I think he should have ) and if the offense had produced more for him. Ethier was also in the middle of the offensive drought, going 0-4. He gets the second unfair loss share.

The last good chance the Dodgers had at the game came when Manny came up with two on and two outs in the seventh. He popped up. The second to last chance the Dodgers had came a batter earlier, when Orlando Hudson struck out. In a way Manny's is the greater failure, because his came last, when there were no more outs to burn, and he is the star, the uber-batter, the one who is the one, the Manny being Manny, the blue heartbeat of the new Dodgers, so we also expect more of him. But Manny also doubled earlier in the game and scored a run, while Hudson had nary a hit ( just a walk in the fifth ). So Hudson --- wait a minute --- what about that walk? He did steal second after that, so he put himself into the same position that Manny was in after his double. Is it Hudson's fault that the hitters after him ( including Manny ) couldn't drive him in? But does that matter? Aren't unfair loss shares about not being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or something? Luck is a factor in this!

Maybe the last one belongs to neither Manny nor Hudson. There is someone else who made four outs ( three on strikeouts ) including a strikeout to end the game when a homerun ( unlikely to be sure in Petco ) would have tied it. Your lone walk can't save you, Furcal. You get the last unfair loss share.

Headley drove in two, Kouzmanoff scored two, and Young only allowed two, so they get the unfair win shares for the formerly hapless and suddenly hap-full Padres. Happy bastards, all three of them.

Dodgers unfair loss shares:

Ethier -- 1
Hudson -- 1
Wolf -- 1

Padres unfair win shares:

Young -- 1
Kouz -- 1
Headley -- 1

Kouzmanoff is still down 1-2 in his unfair share win-loss record. Maybe by the end of the series he can be down 1-5 or so. I think he has some more bases loaded outs in him.

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