Broxton should have started the eighth inning, when the Dodgers trailed 4-5. A one run deficit is more worthy of special care than you think, especially with two innings left against a bullpen with Trevor Hoffman in it. Broxton was fresh; he was the best pitcher for the job at the moment. Saito could pitch the ninth.
Broxton could have entered the game with one out and runners at second and third in the seventh. This was the most important relief moment of the game. A strikeout was needed to keep the Dodgers close. ( Remember the previous advice about one run deficits? ) Broxton was the best man on the staff for getting a strikeout when you really need one.
Is there anyone close to Joe Torre who would give him similar advice? If there is, would Torre listen?
11 April 2008
10 April 2008
Don't Be a Jerk
Google has a corporate motto: don't be evil. They have followed it, mostly. And it has worked for them. People not only use Google, but they usually like Google. Google is so dominant now that people might not feel like they have a choice, but that's okay because most people don't want to use something else. The whole point of their "don't be evil" motto was to secure their long-term success, and they appear to have done that.
Frank McCourt should adopt a similar motto for the Dodger Organization: Don't be a jerk. True Blue Dodger fans may feel bound to the team, without any real choice to just stop being Dodger fans. Most of us aren't going to just stop following the Dodgers cold, or become Angel fans, no matter how bad ownership is. But we can be driven away from the team over time, bit by bit. Short term the Dodgers have been increasing attendance from year to year, and might draw close to 4 million fans this year, but if they keep treating fans poorly the trend could reverse itself, maybe years from now.
Don't be a jerk. Don't make regular fans who park in the outer ring be subject to the directions of an army of parking enforcers, while those who park in the inner ring get to park wherever they like without being directed by some martinet. Don't pretend nothing is wrong when your new parking system makes things worse early on. Don't talk about improving the fan experience while doing nothing about the hideously inefficient food service. Don't be so quick to fire employees! Don't interfere with Vinny's telecast by going on the air with him --- we want to watch the game and listen to Vinny call it, not listen to what you have to say. And ... don't prevent kids from getting autographs before the game because their parents can't afford the expensive seats. Frank, do you have any idea how big of a jerk this makes you look?
I first read about the *"water-graph" scandal on Dodger Thoughts. I agree with Jon about autographs. I don't really get the concept of them. But I don't have to sympathize with kids begging Nomar or whoever for his signature to understand where this new policy fits into the overall pattern of how Dodger management has been treating fans lately.
I think a sensible perspective to have is that "water-graph" will produce some cheap outrage, but in the end people really don't care much about it. No one is going to stop coming to Dodger games because of this policy, right? Yes ... but. There is a slow erosion of the Dodger brand going on. There are so many moments when management just doesn't seem to get it. Loyal fans who have been going to Dodger Stadium for years are assaulted by ever more ads, blaring music, parking restrictions, food lines, and worse yet, as the fan experience deteriorates the ticket prices only go up. Don't be a jerk! Treat the fans better.
I'm not going to as many games at Dodger Stadium this year as I did last year. There are many reasons for this that are hard to identify separately. But I think a part of it is how often management acts like a jerk toward fans. I don't feel wanted there. That makes it easier for me to shift some Dodger game out of the budget. And that's a shame. We love the Dodgers. We want to love going to Dodger Stadium so much that we say "screw the budget" and go there even more. Frank, you had us at "Dodgers baseball". There's just one thing you have to not do. Don't be a jerk.
* --- How come the "-gate" part of "Watergate" is the part that got handed down to every subsequent scandal? I think "water-" should be used as well, and so I'm using it.
Frank McCourt should adopt a similar motto for the Dodger Organization: Don't be a jerk. True Blue Dodger fans may feel bound to the team, without any real choice to just stop being Dodger fans. Most of us aren't going to just stop following the Dodgers cold, or become Angel fans, no matter how bad ownership is. But we can be driven away from the team over time, bit by bit. Short term the Dodgers have been increasing attendance from year to year, and might draw close to 4 million fans this year, but if they keep treating fans poorly the trend could reverse itself, maybe years from now.
Don't be a jerk. Don't make regular fans who park in the outer ring be subject to the directions of an army of parking enforcers, while those who park in the inner ring get to park wherever they like without being directed by some martinet. Don't pretend nothing is wrong when your new parking system makes things worse early on. Don't talk about improving the fan experience while doing nothing about the hideously inefficient food service. Don't be so quick to fire employees! Don't interfere with Vinny's telecast by going on the air with him --- we want to watch the game and listen to Vinny call it, not listen to what you have to say. And ... don't prevent kids from getting autographs before the game because their parents can't afford the expensive seats. Frank, do you have any idea how big of a jerk this makes you look?
I first read about the *"water-graph" scandal on Dodger Thoughts. I agree with Jon about autographs. I don't really get the concept of them. But I don't have to sympathize with kids begging Nomar or whoever for his signature to understand where this new policy fits into the overall pattern of how Dodger management has been treating fans lately.
I think a sensible perspective to have is that "water-graph" will produce some cheap outrage, but in the end people really don't care much about it. No one is going to stop coming to Dodger games because of this policy, right? Yes ... but. There is a slow erosion of the Dodger brand going on. There are so many moments when management just doesn't seem to get it. Loyal fans who have been going to Dodger Stadium for years are assaulted by ever more ads, blaring music, parking restrictions, food lines, and worse yet, as the fan experience deteriorates the ticket prices only go up. Don't be a jerk! Treat the fans better.
I'm not going to as many games at Dodger Stadium this year as I did last year. There are many reasons for this that are hard to identify separately. But I think a part of it is how often management acts like a jerk toward fans. I don't feel wanted there. That makes it easier for me to shift some Dodger game out of the budget. And that's a shame. We love the Dodgers. We want to love going to Dodger Stadium so much that we say "screw the budget" and go there even more. Frank, you had us at "Dodgers baseball". There's just one thing you have to not do. Don't be a jerk.
* --- How come the "-gate" part of "Watergate" is the part that got handed down to every subsequent scandal? I think "water-" should be used as well, and so I'm using it.
NL West Contender Blender: Series Three
The Snakes won the Very Early Season NL West Final Four by convincingly sweeping the Dodgers in the finals matchup. The Snakes have now swept the Rockies and Dodgers, and are the early season favorites to win the NL West.
Snakes --- 7-2
Peavys --- 5-5
Rockies --- 4-5
Dodgers --- 4-5
Giants --- 3-6
The Rockies have reaffirmed their contender status by taking the first three in their four game set with the Braves. The previously shaky starting pitching lead the way. Cook and Jiminez had excellent outings in Coors, and even Redman pitched passably yesterday. Holliday hit a late clutch home run to win the first game for the Rockies, and has two RBIs in each game of the series so far. Helton has been on base 8 times in the series. Among the big four only Brad Hawpe has yet to get things going. It's just a matter of time. The Rockies offense is going to be fine, and their pitching is starting to look good too after a bad first week. Francis will try to turn his early season around in his start this afternoon.
The Padres did not have Peavy starting in their series against the lowly Giants, and it showed: they lost the series. And yet it may not have mattered who the starters were. Maddux, Wolf, and Germano were all excellent against the inept Giants hitters. It was the Padres own slightly less inept lineup and leaky bullpen that let them down in the final two games. It's 2007 all over again for the Padres, when they piled up 25 bullpen losses ( about league average ) in spite of having by far the best bullpen ERA in the NL. I think it's not so much that the 'pen just gags in clutch situations ( though there is some of that, and I'm looking right at you, Trevor Hoffman ) as much as the inept late inning offense of the Padres so consistently leaves the 'pen out on a limb with no room for error. Whatever the cause, the Padres 'pen has all 5 team losses so far this year: 2 by Hoffman, and one each by Bell, Thatcher, and Meredith. With Peavy and Young starting the first two this weekend at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers better be prepared to score late.
Then there are the Snakes, who just slithered right up to the Dodgers and ate them whole. That Reynolds sure can hit, can't he? Last season was supposed to be a fluke, dammit. He was supposed to strike out a lot, and generally look like Andruw Jones has so far. Hell, if he keeps getting dogmeat pitches over the heart of the plate he may well break Barry's single season 73. Before the season I thought there was a possiblity the Dodgers might have a better offense than the Snakes. It sure doesn't seem much like a possibilty now. The Dodgers scratched a bit against Haren, Davis and Owings, but could knock none of them out, whereas the Snakes managed to knocked out all three of the Dodger pitchers. Maybe Kuroda was a TKO.
Most starters will only be making their third starts this weekend. Vague impressions of the NL West are forming, but it's still way too early for conclusions. Right now the Snakes rule over all with an iron rattle, but it may not last. Last year the Dodgers looked like a team of greatness in April. Three years ago they started 14-2. Maybe this year they can turn a leaden start into gold, after going the other way too often in the past.
Snakes --- 7-2
Peavys --- 5-5
Rockies --- 4-5
Dodgers --- 4-5
Giants --- 3-6
The Rockies have reaffirmed their contender status by taking the first three in their four game set with the Braves. The previously shaky starting pitching lead the way. Cook and Jiminez had excellent outings in Coors, and even Redman pitched passably yesterday. Holliday hit a late clutch home run to win the first game for the Rockies, and has two RBIs in each game of the series so far. Helton has been on base 8 times in the series. Among the big four only Brad Hawpe has yet to get things going. It's just a matter of time. The Rockies offense is going to be fine, and their pitching is starting to look good too after a bad first week. Francis will try to turn his early season around in his start this afternoon.
The Padres did not have Peavy starting in their series against the lowly Giants, and it showed: they lost the series. And yet it may not have mattered who the starters were. Maddux, Wolf, and Germano were all excellent against the inept Giants hitters. It was the Padres own slightly less inept lineup and leaky bullpen that let them down in the final two games. It's 2007 all over again for the Padres, when they piled up 25 bullpen losses ( about league average ) in spite of having by far the best bullpen ERA in the NL. I think it's not so much that the 'pen just gags in clutch situations ( though there is some of that, and I'm looking right at you, Trevor Hoffman ) as much as the inept late inning offense of the Padres so consistently leaves the 'pen out on a limb with no room for error. Whatever the cause, the Padres 'pen has all 5 team losses so far this year: 2 by Hoffman, and one each by Bell, Thatcher, and Meredith. With Peavy and Young starting the first two this weekend at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers better be prepared to score late.
Then there are the Snakes, who just slithered right up to the Dodgers and ate them whole. That Reynolds sure can hit, can't he? Last season was supposed to be a fluke, dammit. He was supposed to strike out a lot, and generally look like Andruw Jones has so far. Hell, if he keeps getting dogmeat pitches over the heart of the plate he may well break Barry's single season 73. Before the season I thought there was a possiblity the Dodgers might have a better offense than the Snakes. It sure doesn't seem much like a possibilty now. The Dodgers scratched a bit against Haren, Davis and Owings, but could knock none of them out, whereas the Snakes managed to knocked out all three of the Dodger pitchers. Maybe Kuroda was a TKO.
Most starters will only be making their third starts this weekend. Vague impressions of the NL West are forming, but it's still way too early for conclusions. Right now the Snakes rule over all with an iron rattle, but it may not last. Last year the Dodgers looked like a team of greatness in April. Three years ago they started 14-2. Maybe this year they can turn a leaden start into gold, after going the other way too often in the past.
08 April 2008
The Ace Excuse
The Dodgers have fared very poorly against the opponents' starting pitching so far this season. It's a worrying trend, but two important things to note: it's very early, and a lot of the starters they've faced have been really tough.
Starter --- 2007 ERA+ --- runs scored
Zito ----------- 98 --- 4
Cain ---------- 122 --- 0
Lincecum ------ 111 --- 1
Germano ------- 91 --- 1
Peavy -------- 159 --- 1
Young -------- 129 --- 2
Haren --------- 137 --- 3
I've listed Lincecum as a starter even though he ended up going 4 innings in the middle of that rain game. His ERA+ from last year probably understates how good he'll be this year. I'd say of the 7 starters the Dodgers have faced so far, only Zito and Germano haven't been elite starters.
Here is the 2007 ERA+ of the remaining two starters in the Arizona series:
Davis ----- 111
Owings --- 109
Grunt. They're not as bad as I had hoped, or thought. It's really hard to know what to expect from Davis, given that this is his last start before cancer surgery. I'm sure the home crowd will be very supportive, and may lift his performance. I don't know. And Owings is a pretty good young pitcher. But still. These guys aren't aces. They aren't even deuces. It's time for the Dodger offense to break out against the starter. They really haven't since Opening Day.
The three runs against Haren last night were encouraging, to be sure, even though only one of them was earned. The Dodgers are going to have to start scoring off of the good pitchers. They're going to face a lot of them this year! Every division rival save the Rockies ( maybe ) has at least two elite pitchers on staff. Most of the division staffs are at least average through the fourth starter. Five elite pitchers in seven days is a lot, but the Dodgers are going to face really tough pitchers in almost half of their division games this year. Time to start making a habit of scoring off of them. It may be Davis and Owings today and tomorrow, but this weekend the Dodgers get Peavy and Young again. Be patient; be disciplined; be aggressive when the pitch is there --- and leave Pierre on the bench.
Starter --- 2007 ERA+ --- runs scored
Zito ----------- 98 --- 4
Cain ---------- 122 --- 0
Lincecum ------ 111 --- 1
Germano ------- 91 --- 1
Peavy -------- 159 --- 1
Young -------- 129 --- 2
Haren --------- 137 --- 3
I've listed Lincecum as a starter even though he ended up going 4 innings in the middle of that rain game. His ERA+ from last year probably understates how good he'll be this year. I'd say of the 7 starters the Dodgers have faced so far, only Zito and Germano haven't been elite starters.
Here is the 2007 ERA+ of the remaining two starters in the Arizona series:
Davis ----- 111
Owings --- 109
Grunt. They're not as bad as I had hoped, or thought. It's really hard to know what to expect from Davis, given that this is his last start before cancer surgery. I'm sure the home crowd will be very supportive, and may lift his performance. I don't know. And Owings is a pretty good young pitcher. But still. These guys aren't aces. They aren't even deuces. It's time for the Dodger offense to break out against the starter. They really haven't since Opening Day.
The three runs against Haren last night were encouraging, to be sure, even though only one of them was earned. The Dodgers are going to have to start scoring off of the good pitchers. They're going to face a lot of them this year! Every division rival save the Rockies ( maybe ) has at least two elite pitchers on staff. Most of the division staffs are at least average through the fourth starter. Five elite pitchers in seven days is a lot, but the Dodgers are going to face really tough pitchers in almost half of their division games this year. Time to start making a habit of scoring off of them. It may be Davis and Owings today and tomorrow, but this weekend the Dodgers get Peavy and Young again. Be patient; be disciplined; be aggressive when the pitch is there --- and leave Pierre on the bench.
07 April 2008
NL West Contender Blender: Series Two
The NL West is having its own version of the Final Four this week. The Snakes thumped the Rockies in one semi-final matchup, and the Dodgers edged the Padres in the other semifinal tilt. Now starting today the Snakes and Dodgers play in the finals, with the winner of the series being awarded the title of Very Early ( and not very meaningful ) NL West Favorite.
Given that the Rockies and Snakes came from the back of the pack in the NL West last year to make the playoffs, winning a series early in April maybe isn't that big of a deal. And yet every game does count the same, and there won't be comeback teams every year. As the cliche goes, you don't win the division in April, but you could lose it. The rule of April is don't get buried.
Dodgers --- 4-2
Snakes --- 4-2
Peavys --- 4-3
Rockies --- 1-5
Giants --- 1-5
If this was football the Rockies would already be buried. But it's baseball, and the dirt is only around the Rockies' ankles right now, but still, if they don't start moving at some point they could find themselves in real trouble. The Rockies have looked awful so far. They've been outscored 32 to 10 in their six games. Joe Torre thinks the Dodgers have offensive woes to start the season, and yet they have twice the runs the Rockies do! But the Rockies figure to turn around the offense sooner or later. The real worry for them has to be the starting staff. Francis had his second straight bad start, though technically the first didn't count since it was rained out. Redman was predictably awful. Only Morales turned in a good start in the Snakes series, which is the one good sign the Rockies have had so far this year.
Owings, Gonzales, and Webb each gave the Snakes a great start in Coors field. If either of Owings or Gonzales turns into a solid, slightly above-average pitcher this year the Snakes will be really tough to beat. Owings is probably already a good bet to do so, as he had an ERA+ of 109 last year. For some reason I think of him as a bad pitcher when he really probably isn't. I wonder why? Oh, now I remember. It's because I hate the Snakes --- their uniforms, their hideous stadium, their way too long team name that I usually refuse to use, their old uniforms, their swimming pool, their former managers, the names they taken for their hideous stadium, their career home run leader, and finally that stupid path to the mound at their hideous stadium. I can't believe I picked them to finish in first place.
The Dodgers seem to have the slight edge in the upcoming series with the hated Snakes. The Snakes have a clear advantage in game one, when Haren meets Hendrickson-lite, er, I mean Loaiza. The Dodgers have an almost as clear advantage in game two, when Billingsley faces Davis. And then in the likely rubber match Kuroda faces Owings, a game in which the Dodgers probably don't have as much of an advantage as I think. The series will be in Phoenix, but I still think the Dodgers will edge out the Snakes to win this very early NL West Final Four.
The Rockies are home playing the Braves, while the Padres get the Giants. The Padres also get Cain and Lincecum, while not having either Young or Peavy starting in the series. Do the Giants have a chance of pulling off the series win? With their inept lineup, probably not.
Given that the Rockies and Snakes came from the back of the pack in the NL West last year to make the playoffs, winning a series early in April maybe isn't that big of a deal. And yet every game does count the same, and there won't be comeback teams every year. As the cliche goes, you don't win the division in April, but you could lose it. The rule of April is don't get buried.
Dodgers --- 4-2
Snakes --- 4-2
Peavys --- 4-3
Rockies --- 1-5
Giants --- 1-5
If this was football the Rockies would already be buried. But it's baseball, and the dirt is only around the Rockies' ankles right now, but still, if they don't start moving at some point they could find themselves in real trouble. The Rockies have looked awful so far. They've been outscored 32 to 10 in their six games. Joe Torre thinks the Dodgers have offensive woes to start the season, and yet they have twice the runs the Rockies do! But the Rockies figure to turn around the offense sooner or later. The real worry for them has to be the starting staff. Francis had his second straight bad start, though technically the first didn't count since it was rained out. Redman was predictably awful. Only Morales turned in a good start in the Snakes series, which is the one good sign the Rockies have had so far this year.
Owings, Gonzales, and Webb each gave the Snakes a great start in Coors field. If either of Owings or Gonzales turns into a solid, slightly above-average pitcher this year the Snakes will be really tough to beat. Owings is probably already a good bet to do so, as he had an ERA+ of 109 last year. For some reason I think of him as a bad pitcher when he really probably isn't. I wonder why? Oh, now I remember. It's because I hate the Snakes --- their uniforms, their hideous stadium, their way too long team name that I usually refuse to use, their old uniforms, their swimming pool, their former managers, the names they taken for their hideous stadium, their career home run leader, and finally that stupid path to the mound at their hideous stadium. I can't believe I picked them to finish in first place.
The Dodgers seem to have the slight edge in the upcoming series with the hated Snakes. The Snakes have a clear advantage in game one, when Haren meets Hendrickson-lite, er, I mean Loaiza. The Dodgers have an almost as clear advantage in game two, when Billingsley faces Davis. And then in the likely rubber match Kuroda faces Owings, a game in which the Dodgers probably don't have as much of an advantage as I think. The series will be in Phoenix, but I still think the Dodgers will edge out the Snakes to win this very early NL West Final Four.
The Rockies are home playing the Braves, while the Padres get the Giants. The Padres also get Cain and Lincecum, while not having either Young or Peavy starting in the series. Do the Giants have a chance of pulling off the series win? With their inept lineup, probably not.
06 April 2008
Journey to Petco
Petco Park feels more like a part of its city than either Dodger Stadium and AT&T field, the only other two major league ballparks I've been to. The tall downtown buildings behind the outfield wall feel so close, as if they're leaning in to watch the game. There's a lot of work being done in this area of San Diego --- we counted three cranes beyond the outfield walls!
The drawback of this location is that getting away from Petco after the game by car is almost impossible. Dodger Stadium may have a bad reputation but Petco is far worse, since to get to a major freeway you have to wade through the relatively narrow gridlocked downtown streets. It appears that Petco gives fans some good public transportation options, at least, but that was no help to us.
I have no doubt now that the overwhelming favorite player of most Padres fans is Jake Peavy. He received by a wide margin the loudest cheers upon introduction of the starting lineup. The crowd was on its feet cheering for a strikeout with two strikes in the first inning. The biggest roar of all occured when Peavy came out to start the ninth inning. It reminded me, a little bit, of being at the Lima playoff game. The situations were so different, and the ability of the pitchers so different, but the excitement and anticipation of the fans was the same.
Peavy was great early, and good until the end, but he wasn't overpowering until the end. The Dodgers hit the ball hard and reached three-ball counts with some regularity later in the game, but nothing ever came together for them. The hard hit balls were swallowed by the defense; the three ball counts were usually overcome by Peavy.
Penny was awful early. After his initial strikeout everything in the first inning was hit hard, all the way to the final hard fly-out by Peavy at which the crowd roared as if it might be a home run. After that inning Penny was better, but never really good, and yet the Padres couldn't score any more off of him. I came away from the game being very impressed by Peavy and not very impressed by the Padres offense, which feasted off Penny when he was terrible and then let him off the hook when he was merely average.
I had fun at the Saturday game, even though it seemed hopeless after just one inning. There were reasons to cheer a few times in the game, and for a moment the ninth inning seemed to have promise before the devil popped up and Martin snuffed the chance with a grounder double play. There were a lot of Dodger fans in attendance, and we even had a "Let's go Dodgers" chant going briefly after Loney doubled. Peavy looked shaky at that moment, but it was a mirage. Peavy is the real deal, and the Dodger fans who voted that Penny is a better pitcher than Peavy in one of those silly cell phone polls in today's game telecast are fooling themselves.
After this weekend I have to say the Padres look very much like a one man team. Young is good, but remains a question mark due to his road work, injury history, and high pitch counts. The rest of the starting pitchers are okay but may not be good enough to carry the at-best average offense. The bullpen looks awful early, and though they will improve you have to wonder if Hoffman might not be done as an elite reliever. Was any Dodger fan all that worried when he came in today in a tie game? I was, truly honestly, expecting the Dodgers to score off of him. And the outfield defense of the Padres is terrible. I was appalled ( and delighted ) when neither of the center or left fielders could cut off the ball that went for Furcal's triple. Loney's double could have been caught too by a better center fielder ( say, Mike Cameron ). So yeah, the Padres don't look all that impressive to me. Except when Peavy starts. Then they're a freaking juggernaut.
The drawback of this location is that getting away from Petco after the game by car is almost impossible. Dodger Stadium may have a bad reputation but Petco is far worse, since to get to a major freeway you have to wade through the relatively narrow gridlocked downtown streets. It appears that Petco gives fans some good public transportation options, at least, but that was no help to us.
I have no doubt now that the overwhelming favorite player of most Padres fans is Jake Peavy. He received by a wide margin the loudest cheers upon introduction of the starting lineup. The crowd was on its feet cheering for a strikeout with two strikes in the first inning. The biggest roar of all occured when Peavy came out to start the ninth inning. It reminded me, a little bit, of being at the Lima playoff game. The situations were so different, and the ability of the pitchers so different, but the excitement and anticipation of the fans was the same.
Peavy was great early, and good until the end, but he wasn't overpowering until the end. The Dodgers hit the ball hard and reached three-ball counts with some regularity later in the game, but nothing ever came together for them. The hard hit balls were swallowed by the defense; the three ball counts were usually overcome by Peavy.
Penny was awful early. After his initial strikeout everything in the first inning was hit hard, all the way to the final hard fly-out by Peavy at which the crowd roared as if it might be a home run. After that inning Penny was better, but never really good, and yet the Padres couldn't score any more off of him. I came away from the game being very impressed by Peavy and not very impressed by the Padres offense, which feasted off Penny when he was terrible and then let him off the hook when he was merely average.
I had fun at the Saturday game, even though it seemed hopeless after just one inning. There were reasons to cheer a few times in the game, and for a moment the ninth inning seemed to have promise before the devil popped up and Martin snuffed the chance with a grounder double play. There were a lot of Dodger fans in attendance, and we even had a "Let's go Dodgers" chant going briefly after Loney doubled. Peavy looked shaky at that moment, but it was a mirage. Peavy is the real deal, and the Dodger fans who voted that Penny is a better pitcher than Peavy in one of those silly cell phone polls in today's game telecast are fooling themselves.
After this weekend I have to say the Padres look very much like a one man team. Young is good, but remains a question mark due to his road work, injury history, and high pitch counts. The rest of the starting pitchers are okay but may not be good enough to carry the at-best average offense. The bullpen looks awful early, and though they will improve you have to wonder if Hoffman might not be done as an elite reliever. Was any Dodger fan all that worried when he came in today in a tie game? I was, truly honestly, expecting the Dodgers to score off of him. And the outfield defense of the Padres is terrible. I was appalled ( and delighted ) when neither of the center or left fielders could cut off the ball that went for Furcal's triple. Loney's double could have been caught too by a better center fielder ( say, Mike Cameron ). So yeah, the Padres don't look all that impressive to me. Except when Peavy starts. Then they're a freaking juggernaut.
04 April 2008
My Knee Jerk Is Wrong
My knee has turned against Russell Martin. He comes up with the bases loaded, a golden opportunity for the golden boy of the Dodger organization, but my knee barks, "double play". That jerk, my knee. It's betraying the rest of me that believes Martin can get a hit, his first of the season. "Double Play!" There's only one out, and it would end the inning. He's done it before --- grounder, flip, throw --- more times than any of us would like. "Admit it," barks my knee. I'm openly talking about a possible double play now, as I watch the game with my wife. My knee jerk has taken over. The little hammer of pessimism has struck. "DOUBLE PLAY!"
I can feel it. The Dodgers are entering one of those stretches. The kind that consumed the team whole at the beginning of last August, when their toothless offense gummed them to death. They let Germano off the hook, with his readable changeup, his minor league fastball. I think dark thoughts for the plate umpire and his unfriendly calls, and other dark thoughts for the hugeness of Petco, but mostly I just lament the Dodgers inability to get the clutch hit. "Timely hitting!" a cliche of a baseball analyst yammers on TV. Defense and pitching and clutch hitting. But above all things, clutch hitting. I don't care if it doesn't really exist, in any measurable sense. The Dodgers still need it. Even just one. One clutch hit. With the bases loaded. By the golden catcher. Please? "Double Play!" my knee barks grimly.
It was the seventh inning, in a 1-1 tie, and relief pitcher Thatcher was on the ropes, jabbed and harried by his own wildness, bases loaded on walks, one to the pitcher even, but he still had the magic sidearm pitch, the pitch that would come in low and seduce the batter into hitting a lovely little two-hopper to the shortstop, easy flip to second and throw to first, a double play. Kemp already did the ground ball thing. And beat the throw, but no matter. The umpires are against us today. Fate is against us. The Dodgers are so patient, a mirror of their manager, or at least the idea of their manager that I have in my mind. Torre, the wise master, patient and zen-like, a Phil Jackson for baseball. Later in the game Torre's players will induce a 200th pitch from the Padre pitchers. "What sound does a two-hundreth pitch make in a cavernous ballpark?" goes the little known baseball zen koan. But now, in the moment of the game, when it will all be decided, patience is not enough. There are no clutch walks. Well, there could be. Martin is up, he's patient, he could walk and bring in a run, in theory. Yeah, the pitcher IS wild. But more likely he would watch strike three go by, the way he's already done at least once before this season. He has to hit the ball. But he doesn't have a hit yet in the season, not one. It seems too much to think he could get his first one here, to break open the game and give Kuroda the lead, a real lead. I want to see it so bad.
Kuroda had pitched such a good debut up to that point, when the game was on Martin's bat. But even in the middle of Kuroda's run of excellence and efficiency my dark pessimistic side couldn't resist a little dig at him. After he got the first eight Padres out I said to my wife, "I can't tell you how many times I've seen a pitcher get the first eight batters and then allow the opposing pitcher to be his first baserunner." Once the count got to 1-2 I reversed myself and confidently said it wouldn't happen this time. Too little, too late. Germano got his little fly ball hit, and thereafter I thought I knew how things would turn out. My knee was twitchy, ready for mischief and dark thoughts. That jerk.
When Martin hit the ball, I thought the second baseman would get it. Just like his previous well-ripped ball that Greene caught. I was SO sure the second baseman would get it that I initially thought it had gone off his glove and then into the outfield. But it was just a base hit. A clean, beautiful base hit. Two runs, not two outs. My knee jerk went quiet. It won't always be double plays and line-outs. The Dodgers are full of talented players. The hits will come, the wins will come, more often than the losses. I hope my knee remembers that.
I can feel it. The Dodgers are entering one of those stretches. The kind that consumed the team whole at the beginning of last August, when their toothless offense gummed them to death. They let Germano off the hook, with his readable changeup, his minor league fastball. I think dark thoughts for the plate umpire and his unfriendly calls, and other dark thoughts for the hugeness of Petco, but mostly I just lament the Dodgers inability to get the clutch hit. "Timely hitting!" a cliche of a baseball analyst yammers on TV. Defense and pitching and clutch hitting. But above all things, clutch hitting. I don't care if it doesn't really exist, in any measurable sense. The Dodgers still need it. Even just one. One clutch hit. With the bases loaded. By the golden catcher. Please? "Double Play!" my knee barks grimly.
It was the seventh inning, in a 1-1 tie, and relief pitcher Thatcher was on the ropes, jabbed and harried by his own wildness, bases loaded on walks, one to the pitcher even, but he still had the magic sidearm pitch, the pitch that would come in low and seduce the batter into hitting a lovely little two-hopper to the shortstop, easy flip to second and throw to first, a double play. Kemp already did the ground ball thing. And beat the throw, but no matter. The umpires are against us today. Fate is against us. The Dodgers are so patient, a mirror of their manager, or at least the idea of their manager that I have in my mind. Torre, the wise master, patient and zen-like, a Phil Jackson for baseball. Later in the game Torre's players will induce a 200th pitch from the Padre pitchers. "What sound does a two-hundreth pitch make in a cavernous ballpark?" goes the little known baseball zen koan. But now, in the moment of the game, when it will all be decided, patience is not enough. There are no clutch walks. Well, there could be. Martin is up, he's patient, he could walk and bring in a run, in theory. Yeah, the pitcher IS wild. But more likely he would watch strike three go by, the way he's already done at least once before this season. He has to hit the ball. But he doesn't have a hit yet in the season, not one. It seems too much to think he could get his first one here, to break open the game and give Kuroda the lead, a real lead. I want to see it so bad.
Kuroda had pitched such a good debut up to that point, when the game was on Martin's bat. But even in the middle of Kuroda's run of excellence and efficiency my dark pessimistic side couldn't resist a little dig at him. After he got the first eight Padres out I said to my wife, "I can't tell you how many times I've seen a pitcher get the first eight batters and then allow the opposing pitcher to be his first baserunner." Once the count got to 1-2 I reversed myself and confidently said it wouldn't happen this time. Too little, too late. Germano got his little fly ball hit, and thereafter I thought I knew how things would turn out. My knee was twitchy, ready for mischief and dark thoughts. That jerk.
When Martin hit the ball, I thought the second baseman would get it. Just like his previous well-ripped ball that Greene caught. I was SO sure the second baseman would get it that I initially thought it had gone off his glove and then into the outfield. But it was just a base hit. A clean, beautiful base hit. Two runs, not two outs. My knee jerk went quiet. It won't always be double plays and line-outs. The Dodgers are full of talented players. The hits will come, the wins will come, more often than the losses. I hope my knee remembers that.
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