The Dodgers have placed Chad Billingsley on the disabled list, from which he is eligible to return Monday. Stephen Fife has been officially brought up from Albuquerque to make his major-league debut tonight against the Phillies and Roy Halladay.
Update: Here’s a link to Dodger pitching debuts since 1988.
Phillies at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Bobby Abreu, LF
Mark Ellis, 2B
Matt Kemp, CF
Andre Ethier, RF
Adam Kennedy, 3B
James Loney, 1B
Luis Cruz, SS
A.J. Ellis, C
Stephen Fife, P
KT
Here’s hoping for some luck and the win
underdog
Not the greatest matchup I’ve seen for the Dodgers, but who knows and why not. Fingers crossed that Fife plays the Phillies like a drum. I’m not super-hopeful, but you never know.
Anonymous
We have a winner!
SaMoDodger
Who will be first to use the following headline:Fife drummed out after xx innings. Edit
2 hours ago
Underdog: you may collect your Don Mattingly Bobblehead at the Sunset Gate. :-)
Anonymous
I think skipping a start will probably be good for Chad, so long as Ned ignores any temptation to acquire DFA’d ex-Gnat Jonathan Sanchez from the Royals.
Nick
This will get ugly tonight. The Dodgers seem to always get smoked when a pitcher is making his debut against them, but it’s been awhile since we’ve had some kid come up and take it to the opposition. Ramon Martinez comes to mind, but there have probably been a couple of others since then.
Anonymous
Since the Dodgers moved to L.A. in 1958, 39 pitchers have made their MLB debut against their Dodgers (starters only). The Dodgers are 21-18 in those games. The only pitcher who pitcher who was very good against the Dodgers was Wayne Simpson of the Reds, who shut them out in 1970.
Anonymous
anything can happen
Jon Weisman
Lineup posted above.
Jon Weisman
Here’s a link to Dodger starting pitcher debuts since 1988:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/play-index/share.cgi?id=SoBkn
Nick
Thanks, Jon- it was actually Edwin Jackson I was thinking of in that game against Randy Johnson and the D-Backs. Gagne and Astacio certainly did well too.
Anonymous
I was hoping for another decade into the past. There’s been only one truly legendary Dodger rookie season in my lifetime.
Anonymous
Smart move to DL Bills when he can come back as soon as Monday.
Jon Weisman
From the press notes:
Tonight, fans with the first 30,000 tickets will receive a voucher for a
Beach Chair presented by Farmer John. Distribution of the Beach Chair
will begin 60 minutes after the first pitch and will end 60 minutes
after the final out of Tuesday’s game in parking lots B, D, G, L, N and
P. Fans that leave the stadium gates to redeem their vouchers will not
be allowed re-entry into the stadium. The Dodgers encourage fans to plan
accordingly.
Anonymous
In other words, if the game is a bomb, you can leave after the third inning and still get your chair!
Anonymous
How did Jurjens end up with a 5+ ERA? I totally missed that story.
Anonymous
After the Dodgers beat him on April 23, his ERA was 9.37. And he got sent to the minors.
Anonymous
The ups and downs of starting pitchers are truly a thing of mystery and wonder.
Jon Weisman
Tonight,
the Dodgers will have new food offerings in the ballpark as four food
trucks will be parked on the reserve level. Tonight’s trucks are Lee’s
Philly Cheese (Lot N), Tornado Potato Truck (Lot N), Ludo Truck (Lot B)
and George’s Greek Truck (Lot B). The trucks will be open from 5:00 p.m.
until the end of the fifth inning.
Anonymous
Mmmm, roach coaches at Dodger Stadium. Why can’t they expand the food offerings on a permanent basis, with real kitchens that offer a modicum of sanitation and clean hands?
Anonymous
This is awesome. Because sometimes I don’t feel like eating garbage at the game. Although I can’t tell if they’ll be inside the gates or outside?
Anonymous
Do the same rules apply like with the beach chair? If you leave you are not allowed back in? Wouldn’t it have been smart to pick up your chair and grub in the same place?
Jon Weisman
Dylan Hernandez tweets that Chad is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Friday and start Monday. Dylan also says that Abreu received IV fluids today but is still expected to lead off.
Anonymous
Wow. The Angels brought the wood to Motown. 7 runs in the first four outs.
Terry Pruett
Mike Trout just went opposite field 430 feet in Detroit. It looked like a Matt Kemp RC shot: effortless. I’ll be a Dodger fan until the day I die…and I’ll never be an Angel fan…but it will sure be a pleasure watching Trout play here locally for awhile. He’s the best rookie I’ve ever seen…and I’m really close to thinking he’s the best player in baseball.
Anonymous
“Hey, I thought I was the best rookie ever!”
Sincerely,
Gregg Jeffries :-)
…..
Just messin’ with ya!… I’m “all in” on Trout as well…. extremely impressive skill set and hustle….
Love that guy.
Terry Pruett
The only thingTrout and Jeffries have in common is that they both play baseball. And Trout plays a game that Jeffries would be completely unfamiliar with. :)
Anonymous
Great call…..
I’m glad I said Gregg Jeffries and not Todd Van Poppel…. :-)
Anonymous
Waiting to see Trouts final #s and see how they compare to the 93 class of Piazza and Timmy Salmon. But what a rookie this kid Trout!
Anonymous
Bills to the DL? – Kevin Kennedy totally called that on Sunday….
….
Dave, his partner on the post game was saying that Bills was sounding really positive about the fact that it was just a little soreness and he should be able to pitch right away.
…..
The Skipper voiced his doubts quickly, respectfully, and correctly…
He said that it has the sound of a trip to the DL, if you asked him….
I like that. (….not the Bills to the DL part, though)
Anonymous
Maybe Bills’ troubles have not been a lack of clutchiness but rather a case of hurtness
Anonymous
Or perhaps a lack of truthiness.
Jon Weisman
WBB made a TV reference – though I’m not sure if he’s aware.
Anonymous
Did I?
Jon Weisman
http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/06words.htm
Anonymous
I must have seen it on C-SPAN.
David Farinella
That made me laugh.
Anonymous
“Fee Fife Fo Fum!”…………………..
….
Go Get ‘Em Stephen!
Anonymous
too soon?
Anonymous
I’ll file it under “Haegermeister”
Anonymous
Giants winning 5-0 early in Atlanta.
Anonymous
Pretty definitive proof that Jair Jurrjens is through.
Anonymous
Zito personally busted it open with a huge one-out RBI. Ouch.
Anonymous
Has it come to this: Adam Kennedy is the Dodgers’ least worst option at 3B? Frankly, I’d rather have Hairston in there, even against the righthander. His numbers against RHP are still better than Kennedy’s.
Anonymous
I appreciate the fact that AK makes me feel like I look relatively young.
Aside from that…
Anonymous
Hell, I’d rather have Uribe in there.
Anonymous
I think we’re all fed up with Kenneduribe.
Anonymous
I still can’t figure out why they sent Herrera down. How was that the best option?
Anonymous
Herrera’s downside was better than Kenneduribe’s upside.
Anonymous
I prefer Urinedy to Kenneduribe. The latter sounds like a bucolic village in Maine, while the former should be a brand name for the troughs in the men’s rooms at Dodger Stadium. Not coincidentally, that’s where I usually head (pun intended) when either of these two infielders comes to the plate.
Anonymous
You just said it. He had options. Colletti will never choose a guy with options over a guy with no options. Colletti is all about stockpiling bodies — keeping his options open, as it were, and not cutting bait on anyone if there’s any way he can avoid it. That’s wise GMing if the guy without options is any good.
Anonymous
If he is any GOOD!
Anonymous
Memo to timmer and underdog: my daughter tells me she used to read Encyclopedia Brown stories, but I still don’t recall ever having seen them around the house.
Anonymous
In DC, Jordany Valdespin has hit a pinch HR to give the Mets a 3-2 lead in the ninth. He is 3-for-20 pinch-hitting, with all three hits HRs.
Anonymous
Interesting positioning of Ellis there.
KT
Ball 4 ump…even the phillie announcers said so
Anonymous
I love watching pitchers’ ERAs in their first few games.
Anonymous
Looking at our starting lineup tonight, I am reminded of Capt. Renault’s comment to Rick Blaine at the end of Casablanca: “Round up the usual suspects.”
KT
Come on DP
Jon Weisman
Did the Phillies really bunt after a leadoff double against a triple-A pitcher?
KT
The answer is yes
Anonymous
Got the run home!
KT
yes it did
KT
Good hits by Dre and Adam
Anonymous
I can’t believe what I just saw.
KT
Good hit James!!
KT
Yes Luis!!
Jon Weisman
Nathan Eovaldi probably can’t believe what he’s seeing from the Dodger offense.
Jon Weisman
Fife is gonna single in this run, and the commenter from this morning will go, “See?”
Anonymous
Zito’s AB tonight already made that point for me. ;)
BTW, due to the play immediately before that AB, Sanchez is out for a while and Buster is probably back behind the plate for the rest of this road trip.
Anonymous
Until, of course, he injures himself again.
Anonymous
If anything, he’s seemed gunshy in terms of collision behind the plate this year.
Pretty sure Bochy doesn’t want him there.
Anonymous
He’s fragile, physically and mentally.
Anonymous
Horrible baserunning by Cruz.
Anonymous
How long do you need to be up in the bigs for the MLBPA benis to kick in, again?
Anonymous
Huh?
Anonymous
I think I found out the answer, which I’d been too lazy to ever find out.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120702&content_id=34332748&vkey=pr_la&c_id=la
There’s various urban myths about how long you need to play to “be a big leaguer”, but it makes sense that it happens the moment your contract is bought.
KT
good inning…could have been better but I’ll take it
David Farinella
Is this thing on?
Anonymous
I missed part of it, but so far Fife appears to have been pretty good.
David Farinella
I was about to type the same thing, but then I remember thinking the same thing about EO. Would be great to see him keep it going, tho.
Anonymous
That looked more like the real Kenneduribe.
Anonymous
I can’t blame the D’s too much when Doc is throwing wicked inside stuff like that. The Ethier SO pitch was really evil.
David Farinella
That was a great play by Howard. And while I’m not completely sold on Loney, he’s been robbed a handful of times lately. Let’s hope those balls start getting some eyes.
Anonymous
Too bad Mattingly won’t let him play often enough for that to happen, and will instead continue to publicly poo-poo him, thereby leaving Loney mired in self-doubt and ensuring a repeat of last year’s monster second half won’t happen.
Jason Ungar
yep it’s all Mattingly’s fault that Loney is one of the worst hitting 1b in baseball 5 years running Donnie may have failed him now, but I can’t blame the guy for trying other options He knows what he gets in Loney, and that isn’t much. Save for a couple of half seasons.
Anonymous
Hmmm. In 2012:
Loney: .247/.308/.335
Rivera: .257/.295/.346
I’ll take the sizable defensive difference. Since Loney has a higher ceiling, I’d rather get him going than platoon a couple guys there and get neither of em going.
David Farinella
Nice pitch there by Fife to get the strikeout.
KT
Bending but not breaking
veryolddodgerfan
KT not anywhere near civilization tonight. can you tell me what fife is throwing?
KT
after 5: 74pitches 45 strikes, 3 hits, 2 BB, 1 K and now just got an e-1 on halladay
veryolddodgerfan
thanks
KT
E-1…almost Fife
Anonymous
And he almost had the best average on the team…
Anonymous
Seems to be a pretty good strike-thrower.
KT
YES!!!!
Anonymous
At this point, Charlie really is to managers what Uribe is to 3bs.
Anonymous
I hope that Fife is good for one more inning. Either Lindblom or Elbert in the 7th scares me.
Anonymous
My fears were not realized.
KT
Adam gave that one a ride…almost
Anonymous
That would have been the perfect time for Uribe, to get Charley to change to a righthander and then hit for him.
veryolddodgerfan
KT what speed is fife throwing? you should be able to read the seams on that 85 incher you have. but i just need to mph range.
KT
As I said before in 1 at bat the range was 78-90
veryolddodgerfan
sorry missed it. thanks.
underdog
My hats off to Stephen Fife. Whatever happens in this game, in last two innings, he did his job and then some. It always helps a bit when a team doesn’t know anything about a guy and has little time to prepare for him, but still, take nothing away from him, he pitched well. Outdueled Roy Halladay!
Now my kingdom (such as it is) for an insurance run or two.
Anonymous
Absolutely!
Applause for Fife. It’s too bad his battery mate wasn’t Jack Fimple.
Fife to Fimple…Simple!
Sorry about that
KT
Good inning by Josh
KT
Good hit AJ
Jon Weisman
NPUT