Mets at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, SS
Elian Herrera, 3B
Juan Rivera, LF
James Loney, 1B
Scott Van Slyke, RF
Adam Kennedy, 2B
Matt Treanor, C
Tony Gwynn Jr., CF
Chris Capuano, P
The Dodgers have called up Scott Van Slyke to help fill the Andre Ethier injury gap and optioned Ivan De Jesus Jr., which means there will still be a roster spot available assuming Ethier is placed on the disabled list. The other possibility would be that the Ethier injury isn’t as serious as first reported, though I’d be surprised by that.
Beleaguered first baseman James Loney gets a shot at batting cleanup in the absence of Ethier and Matt Kemp. Bobby Abreu is on the bench.
According to the Dodger press notes, the franchise’s longest scoreless streak on offense is 41 innings, set from August 21-24, 1908. The current team is at 30.
* * *
Luis Cruz, John Ely, Tim Federowicz and Josh Wall were selected to represent Albuquerque at the Triple-A All-Star Game on July 11. From the press notes:
Federowicz was named the starting catcher of the PCL team after batting .284 with 20 doubles, a triple, seven homers, and 43 RBI this season. The backstop leads the PCL in games played by a catcher with 59. Ely is 8-5 with a 3.38 ERA and leads the league with 103 strikeouts. Cruz is hitting .320 with a whopping 30 doubles, putting him on track to break the Albuquerque record for doubles in a season (41). Wall has a league-high 17 saves in 34 games.
Casey Barker
Oops.
Anonymous
Why not?
Anonymous
You might want to check game time and opponent as listed…
Jon Weisman
It’s fixed.
Casey Barker
I was excited that the Dodgers had a chance to avoid the sweep.
veryolddodgerfan
everyone wants to be an editor
Anonymous
Must have some lawyer blood in me… When Gordon made that sliding catch of the pop foul down the third base side and then had it pop out of his glove, I wondered why the umpire didn’t call the batter out. I’ve seen umpires make similar rulings before, he actually had it in his glove for 2 or 3 seconds. Second quibble: When it popped out of his glove and the fan reached over the railing to catch it, why wasn’t the batter called out for fan interference? The ball was still within Dee’s reach… Batter had three lives… and still made out.
underdog
I could see the first happening (ump ruling it out after he held it long enough) but on the latter, I thought it popped out of his glove and into the stands–did a fan reach all the way over and take it from him? Recalled that it was just bad luck that went into stands after it left his glove.
Anonymous
I think the player has to take the ball out of the glove or be in the act of removing it in preparation of a throw. I would argue that he caught the ball and it came out when he was showing he caught it and that would be the same as a player transitioning from catching to throwing.
KT
It was during his “showing” of the ball that Dee lost his handle so I also thought the ump should have ruled an out
underdog
So I’m guessing Dodgers think Ethier won’t be out long. IF this is true, it’s a big relief. We can all be a tad skeptical of course– they have a history of rushing guys a little, or at least guys not being fully honest, but I’m real hopeful here. Since we thought at first he could be out a month!
Glad to SVS back at least. :)
Also, on twitter from Dylan Hernandez just now:
RT @dylanohernandez: Kasten said #Dodgers have $ to spend and are willing to take on salaries if it means they can give up lesser prospects.
Anonymous
>> RT @dylanohernandez: Kasten said #Dodgers have $ to spend and are willing to take on salaries if it means they can give up lesser prospects.
I like the fact that it says LESSER prospects. :)
veryolddodgerfan
I just read this level headed article pointed out to me regarding sabremetrics.
I want to say i’ve always been interested in statistics. i find them fascinating. and i have much admired the work of people like bill james because they’ve moved the world forward and created a field of study that’s evolving. this article shows me that at least some folks in that world understand that stats are just one part of the decision making process. the wise people are those that take into consideration all that’s mentioned in this article and more. was happy to read it. As you know i get worked up with people who don’t know the littlest bit about how the game is played making grand conjecture using just parts and pieces of statistics without really knowing how they are formed. i do find his grouping of sabre teams not up to the rest of his study. kind of silly.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/what-is-sabermetrics-and-which-teams-use-it/
Jason Ungar
“Statistics are used much like a drunk uses a lamp post: for support, not illumination.” -Vin Scully
veryolddodgerfan
you’re teasing me now. is that a real quote? if it is i might just stroke out with joy.
Jason Ungar
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/quotes/vin_scully_quotes.shtml
—
me and you are not as far apart as we think. I am very much in the middle. Like for example Maybe Loney hasn’t been playing not for just pure numbers but other reasons we have no idea about. Or maybe it is just pure numbers, I don’t know.
veryolddodgerfan
well i over state because i’m so offended by people being aggressively dumb as to leave out hundreds of factors yet regarding themselves as perfectly correct
veryolddodgerfan
you’d think i’d be over that now as old as i am. it’s sort of the american way.
Anonymous
>> Like for example Maybe Loney hasn’t been playing not for just pure numbers but other reasons we have no idea about. Or maybe it is just pure numbers, I don’t know.
There are stories all over the place about Mattingly benching Loney and Uribe from Tuesday’s starting lineup due to their poor numbers. Dilbeck wrote about it again yesterday, when Loney again did not get the start for the third consecutive game.
Jason Ungar
that dosen’t mean they are true. You know baseball talk. Bull Durham. Don’t say too much…But I tend to agree with you NSXtasy that is the reason.
Anonymous
>> that dosen’t mean they are true.
Mattingly is quoted in the media as follows, when he was asked about Uribe and Loney being benched: “I think we’re a little less defensively when we play this lineup, but right now we’re having trouble scoring runs and I’ve got to try to put the best offense out there,” Mattingly said. “Right now, I’ve got to try to find a way to score runs.”
Jason Ungar
I know the quotes!
Jason Ungar
645 ops vs 652 ops, so how much offense is he finding??
Anonymous
that’s definitley a real one, haven’t heard Vinnie say that one in a while, sharp mind by one Jason Ungar.
Jason Ungar
I gotta “like” this right? :)
Jason Ungar
lol look at that line up …277OBP at leadoff and a combined OPS in the 3/4/5 hole that is a little better than Kemp would provide himself! oh boy, good times.
Anonymous
Of all the Dodgers that stunk up the batters box on this last road trip, Loney seems to have been penalized the most. I like him hitting cleanup. He is the dean.
Anonymous
Paying $42 million for a 21 year old doesn’t say much for how Sands is being counted on.
Anonymous
I think Sands is no longer considered to be a future Dodger. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him traded. I’m sorry to say that, as I had hoped for more from him, and I’m not sure he has gotten as much playing time at the big-league level as he deserved.
Anonymous
>> Luis Cruz, John Ely, Tim Federowicz and Josh Wall were selected to represent Albuquerque at the Triple-A All-Star Game on July 11.
Very nice!
Cruz is a 28-year-old shortstop that nobody refers to as a prospect, due to his age. And of course he is blocked by Dee Gordon. If something (e.g. injury) happened to Gordon, he’d probably get a brief “cup of coffee” for a week or two, giving the Dodgers time to make some other kind of stopgap acquisition. Other than that, I think he’s merely roster fodder.
Ely is doing very well this year, but I think his shot at the Dodgers has come and gone. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get traded or sign with another team as a minor-league free agent. He still might become a major-league starter.
Fedex was going to be our catcher of the future because no one expected AJ to have an All-Star level year at the plate. LOL! Now I see him becoming the Dodgers’ “AJ of the future”, to be brought up in 2013 or 2014 as a backup, with the intention of making him the starting catcher at some point in the future when AJ slows down. But things can change between now and then – injuries, opportunities, other players like Griff Erickson, etc. Incidentally, with all the attention that AJ has been getting, Treanor has been quietly putting up some surprisingly decent numbers this year in his limited time as a backup. The Dodgers have an option on Treanor for 2013.
Josh Wall is, with Fedex, the other of the two in this group who are on the 40-man. He’s 25, a former starter who moved to the pen last year. His numbers aren’t all that impressive, but he’s there if and when the Dodgers need to call up an extra reliever. More likely he gets traded as one of our “lesser prospects”.
foul tip
Ely as trade fodder is a good possibility. Since NYY is now desperate, what do they have he’d bring?
Anonymous
Bauer not bad for a guy making his debut… Upton is heating up. SVS had better play like his dad or we are in trouble.
Anonymous
Fairly confident about Capuano getting us a W today. [secretly crosses fingers]
Anonymous
that sequence to the Mets first batter was masterfull. You have to think Capuano is pretty happy facing his old team and sporting those numbers…
Anonymous
it wasn’t a bad pitch to David Wright, it was a good pitch to a great hitter. 1-0 Mets.
bcmaiden
Why bunt to the 3rd baseman who is playing in for the bunt?
bcmaiden
Always cracks me up how players who strike out stare down the pitcher. What’s that all about?
veryolddodgerfan
I have a question. you know the disdain people have for saying stuff like gamer or knows how to pitch or gritty or whatever. obviously if something like that exists it can’t be measured.
but for those people who have played serious organized sports, or perhaps gambled against someone in a game of skill like pool or been in tough spots with others i believe they would all say that people react different in the different situations caused by different factors. how can people ignore that when evaluating athletes. as a CEO I can’t ignore those issues in people. in fact it may be the most important measure. why do people feel its bogus to use those kinds of descriptions when it comes to baseball.
Anonymous
ha! Ken had a link to a blog that talked about this topic a few days (maybe weeks back).
foul tip
I don’t know that intangibles are scorned. It’s when someone seems to prefer them to things that are measurable–or even totally discounts things that can be measured in favor of ones that can’t–that the disdain arises.
What you describe is also seen in the scouts v.stats argument. I believe the best approach is a combination of the two.
I believe intangibles can propel certain players to greatness ahead of others comparably or more talented. Was there ever a better mental game than that of Greg Maddux? He had to have the required talent, and he certainly did. But he didn’t have near the physical gifts some pitchers did.
Yet he’s going to the HOF. Most of the more gifted ones are not.
Anonymous
thinking it threw a little more that blog post leaned more on the interviewing process in sports…
bcmaiden
Giants already scored 2 in the 1st. They are tough to beat at home.
KT
Great play by Matty & James
bcmaiden
Nice play from Treanor & Loney. Rivera doesn’t make that play.
bcmaiden
Vin keeping count of the Dodger scoreless inning record. Record is 35 current streak at 33. WGT
Christopher Staaf
It’s like the anti-Hershiser streak.
bcmaiden
Hate to say it…but 2 runs is a tall order.
Jeffrey Thomas III
That David Wright is pretty good. Can we have him? Please?
bcmaiden
He’s our contemporary Kryptonite for sure. Maybe we should just give him the Barry Bonds treatment.
KT
Nice Dee…Now take 3rd
Christopher Staaf
All right! Now please score!!
KT
there you go Chris
KT
YES!!!!!
KT
The 1st inning he was playing shallow and took away a line drive single so this time he burned him…got to love it
bcmaiden
This! Go away Adam.
Christopher Staaf
Yes, yes yes! Now do it again to make sure it’s not a fluke!
veryolddodgerfan
Elian ambushed the pitcher. he thought elian would be taking cause he ususally does.
bcmaiden
RUNS BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KT
Time to tie this one
peter drysdale
Good hit! Finally a run!
KT
Nice Juan!!
Tie game
KT
Come on BGJ…move him around
Christopher Staaf
He’s digging himself further and further into Donnie’s doghouse with that popup.
Jason Ungar
‘In a year of the improbable, the impossible has happened..the dodgers scored a run”
KT
make that two now
Christopher Staaf
Wow, it really is contagious, isn’t it???
KT
oh yes….let the fever spread
Anonymous
i’m just glad we’re not going to break a record we want NO PART OF!
KT
Me too ^_^
Anonymous
“Ring the bells, alert the orchestra, the Dodgers have scored on a triple by Tejada.”
Aw Vin, that was so good until you said the wrong Dominican infielder’s name!
KT
Age does that to a person…I have trouble with my own kids names so I still think Vin does so well
Jeffrey Thomas III
I was so overcome with emotion that I didn’t hear him say Tejada. I did think the first part was quite beautiful though.
KT
He actually said it twice
Anonymous
I thought he said “que the orchestra”. Still it was a great line.
KT
good inning…Hold them Chris
bcmaiden
Happiness is fleeting. Many bad words spilling from my brain.
Anonymous
Treanor still with the BAD HABIT of not putting his throwing arm behind his back, he got hurt the other day because of it.
bcmaiden
The Giants continue to wreak havoc on us.
Old Bear
Not only did we score (even though the tie was short-lived), but Herrera snapped an 0-for-19 streak. Loney, however, is now 0-for-20. Still, he is nowhere close to being Velezian.
bcmaiden
Dee, you are swinging at balls head high. Come on.
bcmaiden
Yes, Cappy got Wright.
KT
Good inning Chris
bcmaiden
No hitter off the table in SF. Sorry Bumgarner.
Old Bear
James Worthy need not worry about having his nickname shared.
Anonymous
The Dodgers got two runs. Im going to go meditate on this for a while. I don’t know what it means and it’s a bit uncomfortable!
Christopher Staaf
How does Van Slyke hit the outside pitch? It looks like he stands so far off the plate.
veryolddodgerfan
how does he not catch up with an 84 mph dare i say fast ball? slow bat.
bcmaiden
That despicable McCourt let the farm rot. We are devoid of position players in the minors.
Christopher Staaf
Dunno if I can put that on McCourt. It was Ned who thought it was a good idea to trade Carlos Santana and we haven’t drafted many good position players in the last few years.
bcmaiden
He cut off funding and scouting in the international market, thus making the club a non-factor in that market. The Dodgers were once the most active in the international market. I agree that Ned and Logan have contributed as well.
bcmaiden
Noticed that during his 1st call up. Would make more sense if some pro pointed that out to him and made him adjust.
bcmaiden
Knuckleballer tomorrow, we have to win this game.
Anonymous
i hope we can squeeze another run from this Dodger lineup!
KT
me too
Christopher Staaf
Two runs, please.
Anonymous
prove us wrong Kennedy, prove us wrong!
KT
Nice start Adam
Come on Matty
bcmaiden
The dreaded bunt call from Donnie and Treanor looked like he never bunted in his life.
KT
And he’s done so well in the past
Anonymous
we’ll take that passed ball thank you very much., Kennedy goes to 2nd.
KT
way to move to second Adam
Come on Dee make him pitch to you…Please
KT
too close to take Dee…Come on
keith c
Wow, guess the ump’s going with the “chin to shin” little league strike zone enforcement…
bcmaiden
It’s very hard to watch growing pains.
bcmaiden
Elian at SS for the 1st time. This should be interesting.
bcmaiden
Please Josh. Torres on base is not good.
Anonymous
i like what Jon & Underdog said on the Cuban signing, if we’re really honest with ourselves the best we can do is give an educated guess, i’ll trust our scouts that it was a good signing. . .
KT
YES good throw Matty!!!
bcmaiden
Great throw Matt.
Christopher Staaf
Oh Loney Loney Loney…
I guess you can expect him to be benched for the duration of this series.
Anonymous
Hopefully the season
bcmaiden
Giants winning easily shutting out the reds 4-0 and counting.
Anonymous
So it wasn’t us! Or just us.
KT
Why can’t Dee do that? Someone needs to spend at least an hour a day working with him
Christopher Staaf
Because Dee thinks he’s a power hitter…at least it seems that way by the way he swings and strikes out.
Anonymous
that’s just great pressence (sp) of mind by Herrera man. awesome!
Anonymous
Rivera and Loney, GIDP machines, smfh.
Jason Ungar
Mets have the worst bullpen in baseball.
bcmaiden
vs Dodgers it doesn’t matter
Old Bear
You could have fooled me.
bcmaiden
Rivera is the one who should be bunting. Sick of all the league leading GIDP.
Old Bear
The Dodgers, like the sun, are beginning to set in the West.
Anonymous
Vin mentions that Wright always shows up against the Dodgers. He may wish that we had a 3rd baseman! ( we really haven’t since —
Christopher Staaf
Adrian Beltre?
Anonymous
You’d be surprised to know just how good Casey Blake was for us, more so during the life of the extension he signed than after the trade. He had +9.2 WAR for us from 2009-2011, which makes him the 12th best 3B during that time period. David Wright, to put things into context, had +9.5 WAR during those 3 seasons. Blake was slightly more valuable than Chase Headley, despite playing almost a 100 fewer games.
For all his production, Blake was paid only $17 mil. Since the market prices a win at around $5 mil., that means Blake was a tremendous bargain at less than $2 mil. per +WAR.
bcmaiden
Elbert = WAL who has trouble vs RH
Anonymous
Van Slyke, kennedy and treanor in the bottom of the 9th….LOL
Anonymous
that was priceless! did you guys see that? when Van Slyke hit the foul ball. the fan…
bcmaiden
Adam could have walked twice in that horrid AB.
bcmaiden
Bad team.
Anonymous
Worse than bad, 1-9 with half of them shutouts.
Old Bear
Wow. How sad. This is a remarkable streak of gross inefficiency. Quite frankly, it’s hard to accept.
Anonymous
as Vinnie said the other day, it’s a long season. What fun would it be with out theatrics!
Old Bear
Vinnie has been through the best and the worst of the Dodger clubs for more than six decades. His perspective is to be appreciated and admired.
Anonymous
this is a perfecption thing old bear (based on life experiences) my perception of life & sports is different then yours, i can appreciate yours but i don’t have to agree with it. Again (for me) this wouldn’t be fun if there wasn’t theatrics involved. By the way, always enjoy your post goinng back to the DT days.
Old Bear
What is my perception, pray tell? I didn’t post on Toaster. Perhaps another Old Bear?
Anonymous
Blue, me thinks that was Go Bears.
Rob Carnachan
Another boring Dodger game. No hitting = no fun.
Anonymous
Actually the Dodgers out-hit the Mets in this one.
Jason Ungar
well at least we get to face a pitcher who is 11-1 with a 2.31 era and .96 whip tommorrow night. That should get the offense going. rule 7 violation!
Anonymous
We’re going on another streak, gotta beat that 33 inning scoreless one we lost tonight.
Anonymous
Then its Santana with his ERA+ of 131 and 2 SHO already in the bag!
Anonymous
Oops! The other day I posted that I’d rather see Van Slyke strike out every at bat than continue watching Loney in his futility. One game cured me of that… Van Slyke will never be a major league hitter. He is going to remind a lot of people of Prince Fielder, but not when he’s in the batters’ box… He is obviously a boy who enjoys brats and beer more than wind sprints or shagging fly balls. no crime in that, a lot of us fall into that category. I think Sands is the more polished of the two players and and has a better shot at a pro career. But not holding my breath on that…. Also starting to think the Puig signing was a panic purchase. Too many other organizations graded him a lot lower. and when was the last time a player left money on the table? This mythical club that offered more money than the Dodgers sounds like it could be a figment of the PR Dept whitewashing a questionable deal. Time will tell…
Anonymous
I was hoping Sands would get the call up.
underdog
Sands has been really disappointing but seems to have been doing a bit better in Albq as of late. I think Dodgers want him to keep working on his stuff. It’s too early to declare SVS as any one thing for sure, I think he can be a useful major league bench guy at least but it is possible Dodgers still regard Sands higher than SVS and that’s why they don’t care if the latter sits here or there while they want Sands to still hit every day.
Anonymous
Yeah, think your right, U-Dawgy. If there is a keeper I think it’s Sands with the OPS .727 he put up last year in 227 PA (including .908 in 83 PA he put up when he was recalled late in the season).
Anonymous
Maybe Boras is his agent.
Anonymous
Still have a nice lead over Kirk Gibson’s club. I kinda think we can hold ’em off till Colletti’s blockbuster deal that’s surely coming in July.
Anonymous
Dodger president:
“As candid as I can be, we’re the Dodgers. We’re supposed to be big. We intend to be big. So will we look at big things? You bet. That’s as straight as I can be,” Kasten said. “We are The Dodgers. That’s all caps, alright? You should write that. All caps. We are ‘THE DODGERS’ all caps. And we should act that way.”
Anonymous
In a DiMaggio tone (hitting in 72 out of 73 games) we have now failed to score in 38 out of 39 innings. I think that’s the number :(
underdog
Yesterday two runs… tomorrow the world! Or at least maybe 3 or 4. Maybe even a win! We can do it!
underdog
Btw, it’s just Buster Olney but he makes sense when he talks about the idea of Daniel Murphy as a fit for LA. This is via MLBTR (I don’t have ESPN Insider):
The Mets and Dodgers could help each other with a trade of Daniel Murphy for a reliever, speculates ESPN’s Buster Olney. While the Mets need bullpen help, the Dodgers would use Murphy at third base, which the Mets feel is his best position (and where he’s blocked by David Wright in New York). The two sides came close to a trade involving Murphy last December.
Terry Pruett
This is the kind of deal that makes sense for us. Everyone focuses on trading prospects…but our prospects are not highly valued. Our young bullpen arms are our most tradeable commodity. I would trade Lindblom for Murphy yesterday.
Anonymous
I hear Uribe would make a great fielding relief pitcher. It would be like playing with a extra infielder.
Anonymous
Definitely a sensible idea. Murphy hits well enough for 3B and his defense at 3B rated well. He’s got a platoon split but not so much that he’s useless against LHP.
Christopher Jones
Daniel Murphy? Little power. No speed. Career OBP of .338. Not exactly an impact player. I would much rather we sit tight until we can acquire players that will actually make us legitimate contenders.
Anonymous
I think you have to measure the incremental improvement over what we have and the fact that we can probably get away with dealing where we have a surplus. Seems that he might be able to fit into several different slots as well (plays LF and 1st as well, as 2nd and 3rd). Think of it this way, he would probably replace Kennedy on the roster.
Terry Pruett
And exactly when will that be?
Christopher Jones
I’m thinking 2 to 3-year plan here. It’s been 24 years. I can wait some more. I’d rather do that than get some marginally (possibly) better players that I am not the least bit excited about. Now, if we’re talking about Murphy taking Kennedy’s slot, and he comes cheap, I’m all for it. But Dan Murphy as a potential starter feels to me pretty much like the majority of the marginal guys we are already trotting out there.
I’m not saying tinkering is a bad thing, I just want (so badly) for us to get significantly better… and I’d rather wait than turn C+’s into B-‘s.
veryolddodgerfan
Daniel Murphy!. Whoa everybody come back from the ledge. He makes the average hitter named chase headley look like Babe Ruth. Calm down people. people gettin tense, people gettin mean.
Anonymous
Just picking the best corner infielders in the Northwest Rookie League out of a hat would be an improvement over Uribe and Loney.
Anonymous
Never heard of the guy. Undrafted, in 2009 made top 10 in CWS system (always the worst in the league) beating out Ely, then something happened in 2010 that just killed his career. Now he’s back in A ball beating up on 20 year olds as a 25 year old minor league vet. I say call him up so he gets some money to fix his teeth but don’t expect much from him.
Anonymous
In any case, bad as Juan’s .256 obp (and talent for doing things like bunting into double plays) is, we need help at 1b more. I’m no Jamesian scholar, but last in the league at position for OPS, wOBA AND wRC+ really isn’t great. It sure as hell isn’t the 1b for a two billion dollar club.
Anonymous
Loney has to be replaced, that’s undeniable, but what can we afford in the short-term and the longterm? We have ~$110 mil. committed next year and holes at LF, 1st, and 1 bench OF and 1 bench IF. We have two more holes if you consider Dee and Uribe not worthy of starting roles. Maybe Castellanos and Sands can be our backup IF and OF, but even then we’d still need 4 starters and have maybe $50 mil. for them in 2013, and less in 2014 and beyond when Kershaw will be making $25-30 mil. per year. We may be a $2 bil. club, but money is going to be in short supply unless all three of Rubby, Eovaldi, and Reed can pitch in the majors in 2014.
Anonymous
You obviously know far more about the money picture than myself. I’m just another frustrated knucklehead fan. I do think Dee and Eo have some long-term value, for what little it is worth. I just don’t see why we haven’t dug deeper into the system for help on the corners. We’re really, really desperate, and it isn’t like we’re dismantling a stellar defense – it didn’t cost us any runs, but Loney’s drop last night was kind of a last straw for me personally.
Anonymous
Loney looks completely disinterested. He’s not taking the recent spate of benchings very well.
Jon Weisman
I’m pretty sure Loney could hit well in Class A.
Anonymous
Maybe if the pitchers were fellow motorists.
Anonymous
I think Loney stands way too close to the plate, I don’t think Mattingly has managed Loney well in light of limited options for playing Loney, I think Loney is struggling mentally, I think as much as I will miss Loney that Loney needs a new team, I think Loney is salvageable unless there is more to what caused his accident.
Anonymous
Why skip over Josh Fields at ABQ?
Anonymous
If he has a pulse, I’ll take him at either corner.
Terry Pruett
I reading the comments about a rumored Murphy trade…or a rumored Headley trade for that matter. I am amused by the comments critical of those players. Some points:
1. Both Murphy and especially Headley are upgrades…they make the Dodgers a better team.
2. Exactly what superstars do you think are going to fall out of the trees in exchange for our meager trade bait?…Headley and Murphy represent the level of player we are likely to be able to get in exchange for hard throwing middle relievers or marginal minor league prospects.
3. For someone like Encarnacion of Toronto or Carlos Quentin or Josh Willingham…in other words, a true IMPACT bat, we would have to be willing to trade someone like Eovaldi PLUS a Zach Lee, plus maybe more. I’d be open to discussing it…but many on this blog would be opposed, because we all tend to overrate our own young players and prospects.
If you want to make the team better right now, those are the moves you can make. Period. End of story. Paul Konerko isn’t dropping out of the sky. Neither is Jose Bautista, Robbie Cano, Babe Ruth, or Lou Gehrig.
So…if you want to replace Juan Uribe, James Loney, Juan Rivera, or some or all of them, the Murphys and Headleys of the world are likely what is available…and they ARE upgrades.
veryolddodgerfan
I understand your sentiments completely. but you need to put headley in your unrealistic pile. and if you want to trade lindblom for murphy i guess that’s fine. but i don’t see the upgrade in murphy over the collection of things the dodgers already have. i definitely wouldn’t do it. i’d look for something else. the problem is nobody likes everybody and you have to do something.
and you have to overpay whatever you do. for example i would dfa uribe and kennedy immediately. i would trade for josh willingham. i would play a plattoon of hairston/elian at third, i would plattoon willingham/loney at first. i would play aCastle in left against lefthanders/willingham right handers.. i would spot Abreu in against specific right handers. I would play hairston/de jesus at second. waiting for ellis. assuming it’s true eithier is dtd. waiting for Kemp. obviously elian/gwynn in the shortening interim. i would send van slyke down as fast as humanly possible.if something else happened i’d have to reassess.
Terry Pruett
Some thoughts:
1. If you have Willingham and want to play him at 1st you wouldn’t platoon him with Loney. There’d be no reason for Loney to ever play.
2. I think Abreu should be in the lineup every single day he’s up to it.
3, Why would you platoon Willingham with a guy just up from Triple A in LF?
veryolddodgerfan
basically willingham is playing everyday either at first or left.
Anonymous
Abreu’s June isn’t any better than Loney’s.
Anonymous
Just teensy weensy ones. Would love to hear the chatter here if Dodgers had traded for Murphy last winter. Last week in June to hit his first 2 HR. People would be pining for Loney and Uribe.
Terry Pruett
Headley, in particular, would be a HUGE upgrade over Uribe.
Anonymous
and yet his current OPS is higher than anyone in the line up from yesterday. People, we are hitting rock bottom.
Anonymous
Yes, we are indeed hitting rock bottom – describing trades for league-average players like Murphy, Headley, and Willingham as “HUGE upgrades”. Maybe they are, and if so, that’s the problem in a nutshell. But I would hope that instead of these, there will be some above-average players available at the deadline. If we’re going to give up the farm, it ought to be for really good players, not for average ones.
Anonymous
Nor clear to me that Murphy is necessarily an average player. He has managed two seasons of around OPS+ 128, and another two of about 95. In any event. if its for Josh, its not giving away something that we shouldn’t be able to replace. To me, small price for saying adios to Kennedy.
Anonymous
We can say adios to Kennedy without paying any price at all, other than the remaining bucks on his contract. I think the only reason this hasn’t already happened is because of injuries to other infielders.
And Murphy is currently OPSing .687, with a career mark of .763. ’nuff said.
Anonymous
On a more positive note – why no AJ Ellis tonight? And is Uribe going to be not starting in the next week?
Jon Weisman
Who says Ellis isn’t playing tonight?
Anonymous
Sorry, being an idiot and confusing the top of the article with tonight’s lineup.
I assume he is, then. I hope so.
Anonymous
1. Identify the best two available position players at the trading deadline
2. Get them
3. Make the playoffs
veryolddodgerfan
The Edwin Encanacion idea is getting a little more interesting. he’s putting up the best numbers of his career. his trade value will never get higher. a perfect situation for robbing the dodgers. if i’m toronto i would have to seriously look at what the dodgers would gtive up in their current state.
Terry Pruett
He’d be my first choice…but Toronto is within shouting distance of the 2nd Wild Card.
Anonymous
I think VODF is right to question the timing. Encarnacion is hitting far above his career numbers. He’s also hitting like Barry Bonds at home while posting much more modest numbers away. If we traded for him now, we would be buying extremely high on a guy whose hitting abilities are probably somewhere between Loney and Ethier. Plus he’s a butcher at 3rd according to the UZR and in limited times has been worse at 1st than he is at 3rd.
Terry Pruett
In my opinion, there’s very little we have to trade that we’d regret losing for a player who, even if he regresses to his normal levels, would constitute a significant upgrade over what we have at 3rd, 1st, or left. Encarnacion is the kind of player that will be available, folks. You can find fault with all of these types of players. Either you make the leap and go for them to try to make the team better, or you resolve yourself to standing pat. The latter course means that Matt Kemp will have to carry the club almost singlehandedly for the rest of the year.
Anonymous
Well my thoughts on this are based on the assumption that this season is lost. We might not win a game until Kemp comes back.
Terry Pruett
Naw…we’ll run into a win sooner or later, even if it’s by accident :)
Anonymous
I am certainly not optimistic either, but a little over .500 ball would put us pretty close to 90 wins at this point.
veryolddodgerfan
ok Terry for Edwin i want:
eovaldi, your closer, dee, lee and two other top 20 pitchers
Terry Pruett
I sincerely doubt they would ask for that much. Actually, remembering some other recent deadline trades, I think it would be realistic that they would ask for Eovaldi and maybe a Gould or a Webster.
Terry Pruett
Also…”between Loney and Ethier” is a pretty big damn gap…
Terry Pruett
Also…exactly what do the Dodgers have in their system, or the major league club, where, if we trade them, it’s “robbery”?
veryolddodgerfan
i could find some.
Anonymous
I still would check on Morales. Angels have him under control for 1 more year, but he is going to get a decent raise and they don’t really need him. Especially if they re-sign Hunter. Just getting back into game shape.
Anonymous
I’d approve that.
Anonymous
Saying I don’t like Ned is an understatement, but I’ll help him anyway…. Uribe for Hanley Ramirez; plus their choice of any one else in the organization, majors or minors, with the exception of Kemp, Ethier, Kershaw, KJ and and one or two other pitchers we would want to keep. They save money, we lose Uribe. Solves our shortstop problem and helps the bats. Gordon can go to AAA and learn his job, help us later or be traded away. Never happen but I’d like it.
Terry Pruett
They’re not trading Hanley Ramirez. And certainly not for Uribe and 1 player of their choosing. Not happening.
Anonymous
Uribe and Babe Ruth may do it
Jason Ungar
So, Sutton was suspended because he wanted to wear a suit in the booth and they want him to wear a polo shirt with a D-backs logo. I have heard it all now!
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/diamondbacks-not-love-daron-sutton-suit-suspend-announcer-232040047–mlb.html
Terry Pruett
Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.
veryolddodgerfan
i think he should be suspended for being the worst homer play by play guy that I can remember hearing.
Anonymous
Sounds like you haven’t heard Ken Harrelson!
veryolddodgerfan
i certainly have. bad yes. if i had to choose i would listen to the hawk. not that i would like it. Hee Gone. yuck.
Anonymous
I wonder when was the last time Vinny did a game without a tie and jacket?
Anonymous
I’m going to go with “The Roosevelt Administration”.
He used to do the Reagan-style make-it-up-from-the-ticker at one point, if I recall.
Anonymous
In his last start, the Yanks were able to put up 5 runs on Dickey. Before that game Dickey had gone 44 2/3 innings without giving up an earned run. Can the Dodgers score a run off him? Will they get a hit?
Anonymous
I hope I’m wrong, but my guess is Dickey goes 8 innings, possibly all 9, giving up 3 or 4 hits and a run at the most.
Jon Weisman
On the bright side, you didn’t say “Dickey goes all 12 innings.”
Anonymous
Expecting some free baseball tonight Jon? Well here’s hoping the Boys can put some hits together and score some runs tonight. However it goes, hope you enjoy a good night at the Ravine.
Gobias Bluth
Is there anyone here that can answer a question about the premiere episode of The Newsroom for me?
After I read Jon’s post, I reluctantly agreed to watch the show with my wife and came away pleasantly surprised. One thing has been bothering me though and I would like to ask anyone that watched about one particular element that I can’t wrap my head around.
veryolddodgerfan
having been in that biz in my youth i found it terribly out of whack with reality. and while i like the creator he went 3x on his usual style and i found it a little hard to take.
veryolddodgerfan
having said that it was better than i imagined. my wife made me watch it. and i could sit through the whole thing. usually i can’t make it through attempts to do newspapers and tv news drama because well because it aint real.
Jon Weisman
You can ask me if you like.
veryolddodgerfan
sorry i shouldn’t have interceded. i think he was asking you.
Gobias Bluth
No, no. Thanks for responding. Just got a little busy and had to leave for a while.
veryolddodgerfan
i’ll leave that to Jon. what did you like best about the show?
Gobias Bluth
Actually it was Jeff Daniels. I kind of ran the gamut of emotions with him when I didn’t expect to like the character at all. He has his flaws for sure but I really liked his candidness. Misguided and forced at times but nobody’s perfect.
Gobias Bluth
Ok thanks. This maybe an earful but here goes.
At the end of the episode Sam Waterston’s character tells McAvoy that after he heard what he said at the University, he decided right then and there that he wanted real news back. So he began to orchestrate the whole series of events that played out culminating with McAvoy and his ex-girlfriend and her staff working for him. Essentially…
This is where confusion set in for me.
At the beginning of the episode before McAvoy lashes out at the University and he’s “daydreaming” looking into the crowd and sees his ex, we are lead to believe that he is daydreaming and that she is not really there holding up signs. But at the end of the episode as the elevator doors are closing with McAvoy inside, we find out that she was indeed real and that she really was holding up those signs in the crowd.
So my question is this: How could Sam Waterston’s character have orchestrated the whole thing AFTER he heard what McAvoy said at the University when his ex was already in the crowd and holding up signs before and during McAvoy’s diatribe?
I hope all that makes sense. If anyone can enlighten me, I’d be most appreciative.
Jon Weisman
The answer might be that after Sam heard about the rant, he got in touch with Emily Mortimer, and it was just a useful coincidence that she had already been at the university herself.
Anonymous
Any starting lineups yet?
Anonymous
Gordon SS, Herrera 3B, Hairston Jr. 2B, Abreu LF, AJ Ellis C, Loney 1B, Van Slyke RF, Gwynn CF, Harang P per the Dodgers Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/dodgers
Anonymous
Vegas is being charitable to the D’s with a -135 for Dickey…
That being said, nice to see Uribe sitting. Possibly one corner down, one to go.
Anonymous
Why did the Dodgers need to put Puig on the 40-man right away? (They moved Sellers to the 60-day DL to make the space.)
veryolddodgerfan
major league contract
Anonymous
Does this mean we get to see him soon? Not even a few weeks in AAA?
Jon Weisman
No, it doesn’t mean that.
veryolddodgerfan
it means maybe possibly there’s a 25 percent chance you might see him sometime.
Jon Weisman
NPUT