With one out in the top of the fourth inning and a 6-3 Dodger lead over the Marlins, Dodger starter Chad Billingsley left the game with an undisclosed injury.
Billingsley, with a 1.30 ERA in six starts since coming off the disabled list, gave up a two-run home run in the first inning to Jose Reyes tonight and allowed seven baserunners among the 17 batters he faced, striking out one. (Update: Jamey Wright replaced Billingsley with a 2-0 count and walked the batter – that walk was also charged to Billingsley.)
Billingsley walked off the mound immediately after throwing a low-and-outside pitch to Gorkys Hernandez. Head trainer Sue Falsone visited with Billingsley and a contingent of Dodgers at the mound before escorting him to the clubhouse. Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt pointed to the elbow.
Anonymous
Wow, just when he seems to have turned things around. :(
KT
He over threw both of his previous pitchers before being taken out…elbow strain?
Anonymous
My call…. Bills is done for the year…. I hate to say it.
But, I love to prognosticate….. (even if even I don’t like what I’m saying)
KT
Come on Jamie
SteelMohawk
Wow. This can’t be good for the upcoming trade. I was really feeling good for Bills too, finally stringing a lot of games worth of awesome pitching together.
jasonu
Oh No!
Anonymous
Poor Bills. Hate to see that.
KT
Come on DP
Anonymous
The Baseball Gods giveth, and the Baseball Gods taketh away.
KT
Good pitch Jamie
Blue-eyed Gal
That really didn’t look good. Chad’s a taciturn bloke; I can’t imagine he cries in public that easily, and he was wiping his eyes over and over out there. Either he was in a lot of pain, or he knew whatever it was that just pinged is serious enough to knock him out for a while, or both.
Good luck, Chad. :(
Anonymous
Very well said… Blue-eyed Gal…
Sincerely,
A blue-eyed guy.
KT
Fantastic Pitch
veryolddodgerfan
if the dodgers take up every bit of those three boston contracts as presently being described that would have to be the worst financial blunder baseball trade in history.
Anonymous
VODF – That’s my acronym for your handle.. :-)
…
I read on foxsports that the BoSox are throwing in some cash…
veryolddodgerfan
thanks for the correction. i’ll reserve judgement until i hear the amount. didn’t see any of that in the initial story. it’s one thing not to care about money but potentially it’s doing the same thing as mccourt did but in the opposite way.
veryolddodgerfan
if i was bud selig i’d have to consider turning down the trade for the sake of the integrity of baseball.
Anonymous
Its all right for the Bosox to have those contracts and not us?
veryolddodgerfan
not the point i’m trying to make Bob. if a rich team is able to just walk in an spend an historic amount of money to buy up all a team’s bad contracts just to get a player well there’s something wrong with that. and it almost makes you wonder about the decision maker in that case. this is an investment banker with a new toy decision not a person running a baseball team business. should be some red flags.
Anonymous
i think one of the things we’re not looking at is Stan Kasten’s baseball track record, i’m VERY COMFORTABLE with what is going on with him overlooking the situation.
Anonymous
those caps are very convincing; I feel much better
btw It’s not that important to me to look up but I think Kasten was “overlooking the situation” when the Nationals signed Jayson Werth.
Frank Jones
‘
I think Kasten was “overlooking the situation” when the Nationals signed Jayson Werth.’
Nope. The Nats signed Werth two months after Kasten resigned.
Anonymous
Rich team overpay for players all the time. If your concern is for the financial aspects for the Dodgers you need to show your math.
veryolddodgerfan
sorry bob but i don’t remember seeing a team absorb 3 contracts with over what 200 million involved. one of the three won’t play for more than a year. one sucks. and one is good. hmmm. i don’t think this happens all the time.
Anonymous
In 2009 the Yanks signed A.J. Burnett for $82 million and Mark Teixeira for $180 million.
Anonymous
Obviously, the term “financial” has to be considered in a relative context here.
How relevant is the term when finances have no ceiling?
veryolddodgerfan
finances always have a ceiling. if not now eventually. in one day the dodgers go way past the top spending teams in baseball. and all those teams are in cutting back mode not increasing. nobody really knows who owns the dodgers and how it’s been paid for. if you don’t think billion dollar companies can’t blow up in a matter of weeks you haven’t been paying attention to corporate america over the last decade or so. fiscal irresponsibility ALWAYS ends bad.
Anonymous
not true, vodf. At 33 Liberty in NYC there is no ceiling – they can create hundreds of billions with a keystroke!
And there is no limit as long as other currencies are managed with even greater recklessness.
Maybe the same is true for the ultimate source of the chicago geyser of cash bringing us Gonzo.
…and that’s my rule 5 for the weekend, already.
Anonymous
I read at a less sophisticated Dodger blog than this one that the Guggenheim peoples’ excrement consists of $100 bills
Anonymous
Except possibly for the sale of Babe Ruth by the Boston Red Sox for $100,000 to the NY Yankees
veryolddodgerfan
tink what would you put the vallue of that 100k today?
Anonymous
8 million bucks in gold, FWIW.
Anonymous
Wiki says it was for $125,000 and values it today at $1,450,000. That would make Tea for Two something like Tea for 23.
veryolddodgerfan
wow that was a robbery. thanks for the info
Anonymous
I should make it clear that the $100,000 figure came from baseball-reference.com, other sources say $125,000.
it’s quite difficult to make value comparisons over almost a century but I would feel safe that the answer to your question is less than 1/20 of the amount the Dodgers have taken on thereby making your original comment Ruthian in it’s hyperbole.
veryolddodgerfan
guess what tink we disagree. surprise!
Anonymous
I was surprised that you didn’t apologize to me after you read Bob’s comment.
Anonymous
I used an on-line calculator based on the BLS’s cost-of-living stats, and $100,000 in 1919 is worth $1,310,230 today.
KT
Come on Shane start it off your due
Anonymous
i just looked outside my window, put my fist up in the air & yelled out NOOOO!!
boo!
KT
Well since Billz leaves early no chance for his 7th win in a row
KT
Great Play Shane!!
Anonymous
Nice throw by Victorino, but who are we kidding that was to easy.
KT
Halfway through the 4th period
Bishop Amat Lancers 34 – Servite Friars 17
Anonymous
My concern right now….
…
The Dodgers keep making deals…… And, the Giants keep winning ballgames. :-/
KT
Nice Hit Dre!
KT
Amat blowing out servite 40-17
KT
It’s final 40-23 Amat knocks off the defending champs
Anonymous
6-4 Dodgers
T.M. Brown
Shawn Green has a Twitter account?
KT
yes
Anonymous
Donnie racks up another GIDP!
Anonymous
Gonzalez lead the AL in GIDP last season
Anonymous
True, but you something with AGon that you don’t get with, say, Rivera (who’s actually a decent contact hitter).
Anonymous
and only 75 xbh – what a bum
Anonymous
I didn’t say he was a bum. Pujois led the NL
Anonymous
IIRC AG was on pace for 230 hits at this point last year, then cooled off.
I only followed it because he came close to busting my season field-under-hits bet.
Anonymous
League makes me nervous against any part of the order.
veryolddodgerfan
say something nice about brandon WBB
Anonymous
He had a good inning, I’ll grant him that, but still lots of pitches and full counts.
veryolddodgerfan
you’re a hard man WBB
Anonymous
Only on players I think should be Gnats.
KT
Nice hit Mark
Come on Matty
KT
Nice hit Matty
Come on Dre
KT
Just as I thought elbow strain
Anonymous
hopefully not too serious
KT
especially since he’s been doing so well
Anonymous
Don’t tell me you want JonnyTAFKAJ to be wrong. “My call…. Bills is done for the year…. I hate to say it.”
KT
Nice Dre!!
Come on Hanley
veryolddodgerfan
The Dodgers are expected to pick up more than $260MM of the $271.5MM in combined salary that the Red Sox are sending to them, a source tells Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.
Anonymous
A drop in the bucket, then.
veryolddodgerfan
absurd
Anonymous
I agree. It is absurd . How did they figure how much Boston should contribute, I wonder?
I lean toward thinking that Boston letting Gonzalez go to the Dodgers with nothing in return was a good deal for both teams. With the other 3 players said to be coming here I’d say Boston should be paying at least 50% of the salaries with nothing in return; perhaps Loney, Sands, and De Jesus. Boston fan are euhoric with glee I have noticed and say, as I did, it would have been great just to get rid of their teams financial obligations.
Anonymous
readers of this blog were informed of this earlier
veryolddodgerfan
keep up the good work Tink. Hope your style works well for you in real life. I know I appreciate it.
Anonymous
You are projecting, and while I don’t appreciate it, I do ignore it, with this exception
Anonymous
$260 million is what the Yanks spent to acquire A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira in 2009.
Anonymous
one of my wishes growing up was for the Dodgers to see me throw a baseball & tell me, nice arm kid, want a contract? i know that dream will never happen, my current wish is for Billz not go under the knife.
is that doable? i hope.
KT
Nice Cruz rounds the bases ^_^
Anonymous
Que the circus music.
Anonymous
the giants need to stop winning already.
Anonymous
They will.
Anonymous
They are playing really well – should be a good finish.
Anonymous
14 hits tonight, 6 of their position players came into DS red hot and, therefore, still are.
Anonymous
The Dodgers have six more games against the ‘ants.
Alex Chavez
nsxtasy, thanks for providing the link to the NPUT at the bottom of the old thread.
KT
I like it also
Anonymous
No RBI for Cruz there?
Seems a little unfair – that was a hit in many cases.
veryolddodgerfan
tink could you explain it to isotope?
Anonymous
Rather, the lack of a hit scored – it always seems like a bit of a ripoff when a defender is forced to rush a play and an obvious error results, when it would have been a hit with less overreach on the part of the defender.
veryolddodgerfan
cruz got credit for an infield hit. he didn’t get an rbi because the runner was at second.
veryolddodgerfan
i forgot this “Cruz, career minor leaguer who most certainly will regress, got credit ….”
Anonymous
constantly baiting
KT
Does this trade mean you will change your handle or do you want him back? ^_^
Anonymous
Yeah, how about DfaUribeNow ?
KT
Yea I like that one ^_^
Anonymous
So do I.
Anonymous
Maybe it will be a nice reminder of the joys of June 2012.
Anonymous
i’m not trying to make a joke, this is serious. when a team signs a player, can they put en exercise clause on it or no?
Anonymous
i know actors do for sure.
Alex Chavez
NFL teams have weight-clauses in some contracts. Not sure if I’ve seen one in MLB. If there was one, it might have been the Mets with Mo Vaughn. Let me check.
Anonymous
If I recall correctly, Belliard had one with the Dodgers – more than 209 lbs would have invalidated his contract.
KT
you are right sir
Anonymous
Curt Schilling (sp?) had a variant on that in his last contract, though I think it has to be structured as a bonus.
Anonymous
Big Belly (aka 209) had a weight clause in his contract with the Dodgers.
KT
and you are right also
KT
Sure they have weight limit clauses
David Farinella
Can’t believe Ned couldn’t include Uribe in the package….
Anonymous
Uribe has zero value. He could include him in the trade for nothing at all back (and would have to pay all of his salary), or he could DFA/release him. It’s the same thing, either way.
Alex Chavez
Found this from back-in-the-day: “Carlos Lee’s contract with the Astros has a clause that needs to be enforced more often: a weight clause.”
Alex Chavez
Found that middle-reliever JC Romero had a Silver Slugger clause in his contract =)
As did former Dodger Ceasar Izturis. Schilling had a weight clause in his final Red Sox contract.
Linkmeister
Goodness, this game built itself out of control quickly. Last I looked it was 6-4.
KT
Nice play Hanley
KT
Good game by the Boys in Blue
Many big sticks
Dre with a 4-4 and a 3 run Hr
Hanley and Juan also with Jacks
Anonymous
Its kind of touching that Uribe comes out on the field for the celebration with his glove on.
KT
He was playing 3rd Bob
Anonymous
Boy I missed that! No one said anything.
KT
double switch top of the 8th
David Farinella
Well, okay, they CAN score runs…. Let’s hope the best for Billz.
KT
Yes…maybe another missed start and another 6-0 run
Anonymous
Sure, off of (recently) Dodger pitchers.
Greekgeek
Loosey-goosey outfield is nice to see. (What the heck was that?)
Nice W, and hang in there Chad.
Anonymous
When a player gets injured, a familiar scenario seems to be day-to-day followed by unlikely to go on the DL followed by placed on the DL. I hope that scenario can be avoided for Billingsley, but elbow strain can mean anything.
KT
Done deal with Boston…waiting on MLB approval
Anonymous
yeah, honestly, this is just weird…
Alex Chavez
my 2013 Dodgers lineup:
ss Stephen Drew
of Ethier / Shane (righty/lefty pitcher split)
cf Kemp
1b Gonzales
3b Hanley
of Crawford
c AJ Ellis
2b L. Cruz
Anonymous
Don’t forget Puig!
Anonymous
little Dee will be hungry for a spot next spring.
Anonymous
money is no problem I realize, but what will you do with Mark Ellis making $5.25 million with a $1 million buy out for 2014. Lot of money to sit on the bench, not much value to trade because he will make so much
Anonymous
There’s no way in the world that we will be re-signing Victorino. And with three shortstops (HR, Gordon, Cruz), there’s no way in the world that we would sign Drew.
underdog
Fingers crossed on Billingsley. Hoping it’s at worst elbow inflammation of the type that DL’d him earlier this season but nothing worse than that… Gulp… That would mar what should otherwise have been an exciting day, capped with win. Full of runs, even!
Be nice if the Braves got over their jet lag and actually won a game this weekend, too. But Dodgers need to take care of their own business at this point.
I am sad to lose Rubby and Webster, got pretty attached to the former. Seems like they may need Beckett now. I was pretty excited about the future for Rubby and Webby but now I just have to wish them the best, but not the very best. ;)
Anonymous
nice write up UD, i always say i’m going to keep my eye on players the Dodgers ship out but i never fallow thru, i’m definitely going to keep my eye on Ruby De La Rosa, he’s just to exciting not to. A new era for Dodger baseball is here & i get to see it all unfold!
KT
carl crawford has approved the trade to #dodgers. new details in story on http://CBSsports.com as per Jon Heyman
Linkmeister
This is an interesting couple of sentences from that story: “In Loney, the Red Sox get a guy to play first base while they look for a
better guy. The key here is, in dealing Gonzalez, they have money to
reboot and go with another plan at first base … and at several other
positions on the diamond.
“Of the players coming back to Boston, only Webster is touted with a high ceiling.”
So Scott Miller, the author of the column, knows nothing about Rubby.
Alex Chavez
being in Boston, Ruby will get covered on ESPN non-stop if he develops well.
Anonymous
I guess Magic wasn’t kidding when he said he wanted the Dodgers to be just like the Yankees. I’m glad McCourt is gone, but I can’t say I like the new ownership. The current Dodger version of Moneyball seems to me eerily similar to the early Fox years.
Anonymous
That’s sort of how I feel, but not exactly. And I think Stan Kasten is the difference. I think he’ll make better baseball decisions than Fox ever did.
My Yankees aversion is just that it makes following the team so much less interesting. Sure, you still get to draft, and you still might develop a great player along the way. But if you have enough money to take on $260 million in contracts mid-season, when you only really want one, may 1.5 of the players you’re buying, then why invest? And why should fans be interested in drafts or farmhands or worried about injuries or budget machinations when ownership can buy its way out of any hole?
Obviously, money doesn’t guarantee smarts or good luck. You can spend the most and still not win. But it does allow a team to make expensive mistakes without much consequence. To me, that’s just not interesting. I enjoy debating the tradeoffs between cheap prospects and expensive veterans, about whether to go for it this year or keep the powder dry and play for the future. If the answer always is go for it now and next year, we’ll spend more and go for it again, then we’re really just rooting for good luck. As Bill Simmons says about Yankee fans, it’s like rooting for the house in blackjack.
I hated McCourt because he was phony and probably corrupt. Not because he couldn’t afford to outbid the Yankees or Red Sox or even Phillies or Angels.
My hope is that the new ownership justifies the current rather obscene spending spree as a short-term corrective to a truly horrendous roster and a stopgap to keep the team competitive while we wait for the long-term resurrection of the player development program. But if that’s the message, then they have to fire Ned Colletti, who is more responsible than anyone for the hole-riddled team that broke camp in April.
Believe it or not, I will actually welcome the first time the new ownership does something to save on salary or eschews an expensive free agent on the grounds that he would be a financially imprudent signing long-term.
Terry Pruett
That’s exactly why they are spending: to build a bridge to the future. The farm system, other than Puig (who they signed) and Joc Pederson is utterly devoid of star quality every day talent. The payroll still isn’t out of line, given the potential revenue of this franchise and the new media rights deal. I submit that this IS a prudent financial move. I mean, what’s the alternative? “Batting third and playing third base, Adam Kennedy”?
Terry Pruett
I like the trade, I have decided. Yes, I hate to lose Rubby De La Rosa (although I’m sure he’ll be under a severe innings limitation at least next year). I’m not thrilled with losing Webster, though guys like Webster are like NYC cabs: they come along every 15 minutes. Sands, Loney, DeJesus…thanks for everything, and I hope you enjoy failing in New England as much as you did failing here.
As for the contracts…look, because of the thin free agent market the next two years, it was likely that the Dodgers were either going to A) Come up empty, or B) Grossly overpay anyway. With no minor league bats within two years of the majors, the only route to improvement is via trades, and you have to give something to get something. The only things the Dodgers had to deal were a couple of young arms and the ability to absorb over-valued contracts.
So, Beckett isn’t what he was, but their obligation to him is done after 2014. Not disastrous.All he has to do is be better than what has been here. Seems a low bar. Crawford is not out for a calendar year. He is not a pitcher. He has a chance to be in the opening day lineup, or to play by May. He is only 2 years removed from a fine career in Tampa, and he’s still in the middle of his prime. Gonzales is Gonzales…plug him in and he will produce.
Finally, I do not get hung up on bad contracts for individual players. It is the payroll in its entirety that matters. The Dodgers payroll has been artificially low for some time, and even with these contracts it will STILL be within reason. Remember, there are likely to be productive players on the roster with undervalue contracts (AJ, Kershaw, Zach Lee, Luis Cruz, Dee Gordon {if he ever learns how to hit}). So, I guess I’m saying that folks are overreacting a bit. This is now a better team, a more interesting team, a more talented team. But I guess some would rather live in some dream world where Jerry Sands is a star…
Eric Enders
I agree with everything in your comment except the two potshots at Sands. He’s no star, but I think he’s a passable hitter. I won’t cry over losing him, but at the very least he would have easily out-hit Loney if he’d been given Loney’s playing time.
Anonymous
I’m a big fan of Jerry Sands, and agree that he never really got enough playing time to show what he can do. I think he can be a good player in the bigs, maybe even an All-Star. However, I also (a) realize that with this trade, he would have been blocked from a starting role on the Dodgers for years, and (b) his so-so stints in the show make for rather low trade value. I wish him lots of success with the BoSox, except when they’re playing the Dodgers.
Eric Enders
I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen more people standing on a major league mound than I did during Billingsley’s exit tonight. That’s ten, count ’em, ten: Billingsley, AJ Ellis, the four infielders, Mattingly, Honeycutt, Falsone, and the home plate ump. All of them actually standing inside the dirt circle. It was like a variation on the old phone booth/Volkswagen trick.
KT
^_^
Anonymous
The Dodgers will get a lot of the money back, if not all, from these new players by making them a more attractive team in TV contract negations this fall.
Anonymous
It will also attract other players to the Dodgers in the future
Anonymous
Puigwatch: Yasiel Puig sat for his second consecutive game…
Anonymous
This is the biggest trade since… since… …?
Anonymous
…Roberto Alomar for Fred McGriff?
…Joe Morgan for Lee May?
…Tris Speaker for Sam Jones?
…the 17-player trade between the Yanks and O’s in 1954?
Anonymous
Thanks, nsxtasy, for noting the big trade between the Yankees and the Orioles in 1954. For those unfamiliar with the particulars, here they are:
November 17, 1954: Traded by the New York Yankees were Gus Triandos, Harry Byrd, Jim McDonald, Willy Miranda, Hal Smith and Gene Woodling and players to be named later to the Baltimore Orioles for Billy Hunter, Don Larsen and Bob Turley and players to be named later. The Yankees sent Bill Miller (December 1, 1954), Kal Segrist (December 1, 1954), Don Leppert (December 1, 1954) and Ted Del Guercio (minors) (December 1, 1954) to the Orioles to complete the trade. The Orioles sent Mike Blyzka (December 1, 1954), Darrell Johnson (December 1, 1954), Jim Fridley (December 1, 1954) and Dick Kryhoski (December 1, 1954) to the Yankees to complete the trade.
Anonymous
Trades between the Dodgers and Red Sox through time (note that the Dodgers were not always called the Dodgers; other names included Robins and Bridegrooms.
July 31, 2011: As part of a 3-team trade: The Los Angeles Dodgers sent Trayvon Robinson to the Seattle Mariners. The Boston Red Sox sent Juan Rodriguez (minors), Tim Federowicz and Stephen Fife to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Boston Red Sox sent Chih-Hsien Chiang (minors) to the Seattle Mariners. The Seattle Mariners sent Josh Fields(minors) and Erik Bedard to the Boston Red Sox.
July 31, 2008: As part of a 3-team trade: The Los Angeles Dodgers sent Bryan Morris (minors) and Andy LaRocheto the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Boston Red Sox sent Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Boston Red Soxsent Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pittsburgh Pirates sent Jason Bay to the Boston Red Sox.
April 8, 2008: The Boston Red Sox traded Christian Lara (minors) and cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Eric Hull.
July 31, 2004: The Los Angeles Dodgers traded Dave Roberts to the Boston Red Sox for Henri Stanley (minors).
August 21, 1987: The Boston Red Sox traded Glenn Hoffman to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a player to be named later. The Los Angeles Dodgers sent Billy Bartels (minors) (December 8, 1987) to the Boston Red Sox to complete the trade.
May 6, 1960: The Boston Red Sox traded Nelson Chittum to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Rip Repulski.
September 10, 1950: The Boston Red Sox purchased Harry Taylor from the Brooklyn Dodgers.
December 10, 1941: The Boston Red Sox purchased Mace Brown from the Brooklyn Dodgers.
August 2, 1940: The Brooklyn Dodgers purchased Wes Flowers from the Boston Red Sox.
February 12, 1940: The Brooklyn Dodgers purchased Joe Vosmik from the Boston Red Sox for $25,000.
December 26, 1939: The Brooklyn Dodgers purchased Boze Berger from the Boston Red Sox.
July 18, 1939: The Brooklyn Dodgers traded a player to be named later and $35000 and 3 players to the Boston Red Sox for Pee Wee Reese. The Brooklyn Dodgers sent Red Evans (September 1, 1939) to the Boston Red Sox to complete the trade.
August 12, 1938: The Boston Red Sox traded Lee Rogers to the Brooklyn Dodgers for Johnnie Chambers.
November, 1923: The Brooklyn Robins purchased Johnny Mitchell from the Boston Red Sox.
March, 1920: The Brooklyn Robins purchased Bill Lamar from the Boston Red Sox.
foul tip
“Rip Repulski.” Not a bad baseball name at all. ;-])
Anonymous
That Reese guy turned out to be pretty good.
foul tip
Had one LATd a thread or two back, so throwing in a revised version with my $.02, which may be worth less.
After being out of town and off the Net all day yesterday, then coming back to find and digest all this leads me to two things:
1) The Los Angeles Guggenheimers will not be a boring team to follow, even if things won’t happen at late-summer 2012 pace often.
2) If someone from Chicago connected in any way with the word “Guggenheim” says anything that can be translated anywhere near “money is no object,” I will believe it until and unless proven otherwise.
Jon Weisman
NPUT
Anonymous
http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/2012/08/25/the-morning-after/