I really should have known. I mean, I did know, which is why even as I was ranting and cutting loose with my frustration last night I added the caveat that Joe Torre should be fired only if both Broxton and Sherrill were healthy. It turns out Sherrill had a problem with his side, or something. Of course then Torre should have used Broxton ( in fact should have used him in the ninth instead of Troncoso ) but that is a battle that has long been lost. Torre will hold back his closer in road extra inning games every time. This is known and it will not change. Best to just accept it as part of the package.
The truth is I like Joe Torre. I think he's been a pretty good manager. He seems to get the team to play well more often than not. I'd rather have him than Tracy, that's for sure. So, Joe, I take it back. I don't want you fired. I offer my apologies, and promise to drink a cup of Bigelow Green Tea tonight.*
This series is about extremes. The wins leave me high and giddy and the losses leave me low and angry. You can see it from my entries. How high do I feel right now? High as an Ethier home run, I think. Either one will do. The Dodgers made sure this time and just hit the balls out of the park instead of taking the chance the Rockies would catch them again. Ethier, Ethier, Loney. Wolf was a bum at the plate but a hero everywhere else. Is he the new Dodger ace?
I think tomorrow's game favors the Rockies, slightly. It's a big game, with the Dodger lead swinging to either 2 or 4 depending upon the result. Though, honestly, I'm not sure it's that big of a game. I think in the end both of these teams are going to make the playoffs. But it sure feels like a big game.
Game 127 Unfair Win Shares ( Dodgers )
Wolf -- 1
Ethier -- 1
Loney -- 1
Game 127 Unfair Loss Shares ( Rockies )
Fogg -- 3
*--promise will not be honored
26 August 2009
Still Two Left
Remember that 14 inning win the Rockies had over the Giants on Monday? The most amazing thing about that game to me is that the Rockies went five innings without scoring a run when a single run would have won the game. Bottom of the ninth through bottom of the thirteenth --- nothing. All that pressure on the Giants for five straight innings and they never caved. Shoot, you almost have to make an effort NOT to score in Coors field. You can score runs just tripping over yourself there. The Dodgers really needed to score three runs in the top of the ninth, or at least follow up with a run in the tenth. I applaud the two they scored, I really do, but without a follow-up it was just delaying the inevitable. They had to take the lead back quickly but never did.
Game 126 Unfair Loss Shares ( Dodgers )
Loney -- 2
McDonald -- 1
Until Manny had his clutch single to tie the game I had Ethier as the big villain. Really! Ethier was 3-4 with a walk but his one out almost cost the Dodgers a shot at a 4-4 tie, when he struck out with a runner on third and one out in the ninth inning. But after Manny's clutch hit Ethier was let off the blame, and it's just as well, because it would have been really strange to give a guy on base four times an unfair loss share. Instead my wrath descends upon Loney, who might even deserve three unfair loss shares. Instead he gets two, one for his sloppy throw and one for his terrible hitting.
Game 126 Unfair Win Shares ( Rockies )
Herges -- 1
Tulowitzki -- 1
Hawpe -- 1
Tonight's game is Wolf v. Fogg. If the Dodgers win, the headline will be "Dodgers Wolf Down Rockies". If the Rockies win, the headline will be "Dodgers Lost in a Fogg". Though there is a good chance neither starting pitcher will have much to do with the game in the end. Kershaw outpitched Hammel last night but it didn't do the Dodgers any good. Coors Field is like that.
Game 126 Unfair Loss Shares ( Dodgers )
Loney -- 2
McDonald -- 1
Until Manny had his clutch single to tie the game I had Ethier as the big villain. Really! Ethier was 3-4 with a walk but his one out almost cost the Dodgers a shot at a 4-4 tie, when he struck out with a runner on third and one out in the ninth inning. But after Manny's clutch hit Ethier was let off the blame, and it's just as well, because it would have been really strange to give a guy on base four times an unfair loss share. Instead my wrath descends upon Loney, who might even deserve three unfair loss shares. Instead he gets two, one for his sloppy throw and one for his terrible hitting.
Game 126 Unfair Win Shares ( Rockies )
Herges -- 1
Tulowitzki -- 1
Hawpe -- 1
Tonight's game is Wolf v. Fogg. If the Dodgers win, the headline will be "Dodgers Wolf Down Rockies". If the Rockies win, the headline will be "Dodgers Lost in a Fogg". Though there is a good chance neither starting pitcher will have much to do with the game in the end. Kershaw outpitched Hammel last night but it didn't do the Dodgers any good. Coors Field is like that.
25 August 2009
Fire Joe Torre
I take it back if it turns out both Broxton and Sherrill were hurt in the 'pen. I like McDonald as a pitcher, sure, but you don't go to him in the tenth inning of a tie game at Coors when you have those other options. I guess Torre was saving Broxton and Sherrill for a tag-team save if the Dodgers ever got a lead.
The Dodgers have collapsed. There is no getting around it. They have collapsed from a 0.670 team to a 0.500 team. They play like a team hoping to get the breaks they need to win the game. Anyone who watched that game can make excuses for the Dodgers. Good excuses, sensible, level-headed points. Screw that. I want no part of that. Make your own damn breaks, Dodgers. Hit home runs. Strike out hitters. Don't wait for the bloops to fall in, or lament the hard hit fliners that the Rockies catch. The Dodgers got lucky in the ninth with Pierre's single, and they got clutch when Manny drove in the tying run, but they didn't do enough before and after.
Fire Joe Torre. Fire him. Right now. It's easy to say because it won't happen. It's like cursing at the empty sky. It doesn't mean anything. Fire Joe Torre. It's just release of frustration. You know how Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts says his blog is his outlet for dealing psychologically with the Dodgers? Well saying "Fire Joe Torre" is my outlet for dealing psychotically with the Dodgers. FireJoeTorre Fire Joe Torre FIRE JOE TORRE!!! I'm going to be like Jack Nicholson in the Shining, typing it over and over.
Who would they hire? I favor Bob Dylan. Seriously. Why not? His decisions as manager would make just as much sense as Torre's do. He would be a natural at protesting games. He could ramble in the dugout and crack guys up but since no one could understand what he was saying the bench coach would be the de facto manager. Who is that, Mattingly? Man, I don't know. Bob Shaefer. I had to look it up. Sheesh.
Fire Joe Torre, hire Bob Dylan. He could wear his real last name on the uniform. Zimmerman. That would be cool. I'm all for it. I'm going to start an internet petition, just as soon as Juan Pierre hits his next home run.
The Dodgers have collapsed. There is no getting around it. They have collapsed from a 0.670 team to a 0.500 team. They play like a team hoping to get the breaks they need to win the game. Anyone who watched that game can make excuses for the Dodgers. Good excuses, sensible, level-headed points. Screw that. I want no part of that. Make your own damn breaks, Dodgers. Hit home runs. Strike out hitters. Don't wait for the bloops to fall in, or lament the hard hit fliners that the Rockies catch. The Dodgers got lucky in the ninth with Pierre's single, and they got clutch when Manny drove in the tying run, but they didn't do enough before and after.
Fire Joe Torre. Fire him. Right now. It's easy to say because it won't happen. It's like cursing at the empty sky. It doesn't mean anything. Fire Joe Torre. It's just release of frustration. You know how Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts says his blog is his outlet for dealing psychologically with the Dodgers? Well saying "Fire Joe Torre" is my outlet for dealing psychotically with the Dodgers. FireJoeTorre Fire Joe Torre FIRE JOE TORRE!!! I'm going to be like Jack Nicholson in the Shining, typing it over and over.
Who would they hire? I favor Bob Dylan. Seriously. Why not? His decisions as manager would make just as much sense as Torre's do. He would be a natural at protesting games. He could ramble in the dugout and crack guys up but since no one could understand what he was saying the bench coach would be the de facto manager. Who is that, Mattingly? Man, I don't know. Bob Shaefer. I had to look it up. Sheesh.
Fire Joe Torre, hire Bob Dylan. He could wear his real last name on the uniform. Zimmerman. That would be cool. I'm all for it. I'm going to start an internet petition, just as soon as Juan Pierre hits his next home run.
The Revenge of Hideo
Can you imagine how much Giants fans must have wanted that game last night? Can you feel how much that loss must have hurt? That game was a Schadenfreude Symphony. That game Monday was a near must-win for the Giants. I'm sure it felt that way for most of their fans. The Giants entered the final game of the series three games back, after their excruciating come-from-ahead Lincecum-wasting loss on Sunday. If the Giants had won last night they would be two back, lose and they would be four back. That's such a huge difference. Two games back and you're still right there in it. Four games back, and ... and what?
Now let's be clear, even now when the Giants are seven games back of the Dodgers, and reeling, I don't count them out to rally and reel in the Dodgers. But let's be serious. The Giants' target right now isn't the Dodgers, it's the wild card spot, and that's held by the Rockies who are four games ahead. And even four games is a huge deficit with about six weeks of season left. You can overcome that kind of deficit but it's not easy, especially since realistically the Rockies are the better team. The three games the Giants have with the Rockies this weekend could help, but the Giants pretty much need to sweep at this point.
So four games back is a disaster, and the Giants were so close to avoiding that disaster. Even one run in the top of the fourteenth should have been enough, right, after the teams had combined for two runs through 13 innings? Instead the Giants scored three. They were going to win. The only problem? Someone switched Coors Field back on at the start of the fourteenth. The same run-scoring craziness that the Giants took advantage of in the top of the inning was also available for the Rockies in the bottom of the inning. How else can a bases loaded walk of terrible pitcher Adam Eaton be explained?
But for me it was payback. Sweet revenge, after all these years. I remember a game very similar that happened back in 1995. I remember watching highlights of that game with a Giants fan, neither of us knowing how the game had turned out. It was Hideo Nomo's first start ever in the major leagues. It was a big deal. But Hideo only went five innings, and the game went on far longer than that. No one could score through fourteen. But in the top of the fifteenth, the Dodgers scored three. A three run lead after a long scoring drought! Victory was certain. Sound familiar? I was sure that the Dodgers had won as they showed the highlights of those three runs scoring. I celebrated, not realizing the the highlight wasn't over. It wasn't over. I watched in mute horror as the highlights showed the Giants score four in the bottom of the fifteenth inning to win. Oh, the agony.
And now, finally, that loss is avenged. The revenge of Hideo Nomo, because I always think of that horrible 1995 loss as the Hideo Nomo game. It would have been better if the Dodgers had inflicted this parallel loss on the Giants, but I'll take it this way too. A game like this is more about the agony of losing than the thrill of winning.
Now let's be clear, even now when the Giants are seven games back of the Dodgers, and reeling, I don't count them out to rally and reel in the Dodgers. But let's be serious. The Giants' target right now isn't the Dodgers, it's the wild card spot, and that's held by the Rockies who are four games ahead. And even four games is a huge deficit with about six weeks of season left. You can overcome that kind of deficit but it's not easy, especially since realistically the Rockies are the better team. The three games the Giants have with the Rockies this weekend could help, but the Giants pretty much need to sweep at this point.
So four games back is a disaster, and the Giants were so close to avoiding that disaster. Even one run in the top of the fourteenth should have been enough, right, after the teams had combined for two runs through 13 innings? Instead the Giants scored three. They were going to win. The only problem? Someone switched Coors Field back on at the start of the fourteenth. The same run-scoring craziness that the Giants took advantage of in the top of the inning was also available for the Rockies in the bottom of the inning. How else can a bases loaded walk of terrible pitcher Adam Eaton be explained?
But for me it was payback. Sweet revenge, after all these years. I remember a game very similar that happened back in 1995. I remember watching highlights of that game with a Giants fan, neither of us knowing how the game had turned out. It was Hideo Nomo's first start ever in the major leagues. It was a big deal. But Hideo only went five innings, and the game went on far longer than that. No one could score through fourteen. But in the top of the fifteenth, the Dodgers scored three. A three run lead after a long scoring drought! Victory was certain. Sound familiar? I was sure that the Dodgers had won as they showed the highlights of those three runs scoring. I celebrated, not realizing the the highlight wasn't over. It wasn't over. I watched in mute horror as the highlights showed the Giants score four in the bottom of the fifteenth inning to win. Oh, the agony.
And now, finally, that loss is avenged. The revenge of Hideo Nomo, because I always think of that horrible 1995 loss as the Hideo Nomo game. It would have been better if the Dodgers had inflicted this parallel loss on the Giants, but I'll take it this way too. A game like this is more about the agony of losing than the thrill of winning.
24 August 2009
Farewell to the Cubs
Dodgers-Rockies in Coors is going to be very different than Dodgers-Cubs in Chavez Ravine was. This should be obvious, right? It's going to be a very different kind of baseball. The pitchers won't be in control anymore. A two run lead won't be safe for all eternity anymore. And I think that clutch hitting won't be as important anymore. If the Dodgers can put men on base I think they'll come around one way or another in Coors more often than not. So going in I feel that this series is pretty even.
Game 124 Unfair Win Shares ( Dodgers )
Haeger -- 2
Blake -- 1
Both Blake and Kemp hit home runs on Saturday, but Kemp also lost a double in the sun, so Blake gets the nod. This was the game where Broxton pitched the eighth and Sherrill pitched the ninth. Three things about that. First, Broxton looked better than Sherrill in that game. Second, Torre should do this more often when the eighth inning looks like the more dangerous inning. Third, I don't think it truly matters what order they go in, since they're both good pitchers.
I haven't said anything about Haeger. What can I say? Only that if Padilla ever gets a start instead of Haeger I will be very upset.
Game 124 Unfair Loss Shares ( Cubs )
Bradley -- 1
Fukudome -- 1
Theriot -- 1
There were three major reasons I thought the Cubs would not be very good this year. Bradley, Fukudome, and Soriano. I thought Bradley would be injured a lot and the other two just not very good. Soriano of course has been terrible. Fukudome and Bradley have done okay. But not on Saturday. They went 0-8 with 5 strikeouts. And Theriot grounded out to end the game with the tying run on first base, so he gets the last unfair loss share.
Game 125 Unfair Win Shares ( Cubs )
Dempster -- 2
Fox -- 1
Game 125 Unfair Loss Shares ( Dodgers )
Billingsley -- 1
Hudson -- 1
Manny -- 1
Before the game, Dempster vs. Billingsley seemed like an even match. But what if you had known beforehand that both pitchers would do well through five, and that the game would turn on who mastered the sixth inning? When the matchup is looked at that way, it becomes a lot clearer that Dempster is the favorite, given Billingsley's recent struggles in the sixth inning and later. And so it turned out. Billingsley faltered in the sixth, and though he had a decent game, it wasn't what the Dodgers needed from him Sunday.
Hudson pinch-ground into a double play in the eighth inning and Manny was just putrid all game. Lately there has been too much of Manny being fanny.
Game 124 Unfair Win Shares ( Dodgers )
Haeger -- 2
Blake -- 1
Both Blake and Kemp hit home runs on Saturday, but Kemp also lost a double in the sun, so Blake gets the nod. This was the game where Broxton pitched the eighth and Sherrill pitched the ninth. Three things about that. First, Broxton looked better than Sherrill in that game. Second, Torre should do this more often when the eighth inning looks like the more dangerous inning. Third, I don't think it truly matters what order they go in, since they're both good pitchers.
I haven't said anything about Haeger. What can I say? Only that if Padilla ever gets a start instead of Haeger I will be very upset.
Game 124 Unfair Loss Shares ( Cubs )
Bradley -- 1
Fukudome -- 1
Theriot -- 1
There were three major reasons I thought the Cubs would not be very good this year. Bradley, Fukudome, and Soriano. I thought Bradley would be injured a lot and the other two just not very good. Soriano of course has been terrible. Fukudome and Bradley have done okay. But not on Saturday. They went 0-8 with 5 strikeouts. And Theriot grounded out to end the game with the tying run on first base, so he gets the last unfair loss share.
Game 125 Unfair Win Shares ( Cubs )
Dempster -- 2
Fox -- 1
Game 125 Unfair Loss Shares ( Dodgers )
Billingsley -- 1
Hudson -- 1
Manny -- 1
Before the game, Dempster vs. Billingsley seemed like an even match. But what if you had known beforehand that both pitchers would do well through five, and that the game would turn on who mastered the sixth inning? When the matchup is looked at that way, it becomes a lot clearer that Dempster is the favorite, given Billingsley's recent struggles in the sixth inning and later. And so it turned out. Billingsley faltered in the sixth, and though he had a decent game, it wasn't what the Dodgers needed from him Sunday.
Hudson pinch-ground into a double play in the eighth inning and Manny was just putrid all game. Lately there has been too much of Manny being fanny.
22 August 2009
Wolf Flow
When Randy Wolf came up with two runners on and two outs in the second inning, I was very confident that he could drive in a run. And then I thought --- this is stupid, just because he had a great offensive game last time out doesn't mean he's going to --- At that point the thought stopped and the cheering started, because Randy hit a double off the first pitch he saw to drive in two runs.
The Dodgers are still leaving runners in scoring position, squandering chances. Only Wolf was able to deliver the big hit. But they won, so it's easier to take, and easier to look at rationally and say that it's just part of baseball.
Wolf was the undoubted pitching star of the game. Broxton was also terrific, throwing mostly unhittable strikes. It was a great rebound game for him. Sherrill was not so great. He got the job done, but I'm not sure I would say Sherrill pitched better than Broxton did last Wednesday when Broxton got the loss. Broxton walked Pujols to lead off his inning Wednesday, while Sherrill walked Soriano to lead off his inning. There's no comparison. There is simply no excuse to walk Soriano --- not only is he a much worse hitter than Pujols, but he's faster. Sherrill worked out of it with what turned out to be three fairly easy outs, but not before making a wild pitch and making a ton of pitches and generally looking like he might cough up the lead at any point.
Game 123 Unfair Win Shares ( Dodgers )
Wolf -- 3
Broxton almost did enough to get one, but Wolf drove in two runs and delivered seven innings with just one hit allowed. Wolf earned the clean sweep, I think.
Game 123 Unfair Loss Shares ( Cubs )
Ramirez -- 2
Bradley -- 1
Aramis Ramirez gets one for his costly error in the second inning and one for his 0-3 performance with two strikeouts at the plate. Bradley was 0-4.
The Dodgers are still leaving runners in scoring position, squandering chances. Only Wolf was able to deliver the big hit. But they won, so it's easier to take, and easier to look at rationally and say that it's just part of baseball.
Wolf was the undoubted pitching star of the game. Broxton was also terrific, throwing mostly unhittable strikes. It was a great rebound game for him. Sherrill was not so great. He got the job done, but I'm not sure I would say Sherrill pitched better than Broxton did last Wednesday when Broxton got the loss. Broxton walked Pujols to lead off his inning Wednesday, while Sherrill walked Soriano to lead off his inning. There's no comparison. There is simply no excuse to walk Soriano --- not only is he a much worse hitter than Pujols, but he's faster. Sherrill worked out of it with what turned out to be three fairly easy outs, but not before making a wild pitch and making a ton of pitches and generally looking like he might cough up the lead at any point.
Game 123 Unfair Win Shares ( Dodgers )
Wolf -- 3
Broxton almost did enough to get one, but Wolf drove in two runs and delivered seven innings with just one hit allowed. Wolf earned the clean sweep, I think.
Game 123 Unfair Loss Shares ( Cubs )
Ramirez -- 2
Bradley -- 1
Aramis Ramirez gets one for his costly error in the second inning and one for his 0-3 performance with two strikeouts at the plate. Bradley was 0-4.
21 August 2009
August is the Goofiest Month
August Team Stats of NL West Contenders
Team | OBP | SLG | runs | wins
SFG | 0.333 | 0.420 | 75 | 10
Opp | 0.277 | 0.334 | 64 | 8
Dif | +0.056 | +0.086 | +11 | +2
COL | 0.345 | 0.487 | 103 | 12
Opp | 0.336 | 0.424 | 72 | 6
Dif | +0.009 | +0.063 | +31 | +6
LAD | 0.340 | 0.419 | 94 | 8
Opp | 0.304 | 0.355 | 71 | 11
Dif | +0.036 | +0.068 | +23 | -3
Team | OBP | SLG | runs | wins
SFG | 0.333 | 0.420 | 75 | 10
Opp | 0.277 | 0.334 | 64 | 8
Dif | +0.056 | +0.086 | +11 | +2
COL | 0.345 | 0.487 | 103 | 12
Opp | 0.336 | 0.424 | 72 | 6
Dif | +0.009 | +0.063 | +31 | +6
LAD | 0.340 | 0.419 | 94 | 8
Opp | 0.304 | 0.355 | 71 | 11
Dif | +0.036 | +0.068 | +23 | -3
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)