Don Mattingly was suspended for two games and fined by Major League Baseball for “excessive arguing” during Thursday’s game at Pittsburgh.
No discipline has been announced for Matt Kemp, and apparently will get none. There had been speculation that MLB was holding off punishing Kemp until after this weekend’s Civil Rights Game festivities (see photos), at which Kemp was presenting Don Newcombe with an award. But it appears that the fact that Kemp was ejected while cheering for Andre Ethier has been considered a mitigating circumstance.
Dodgers at Braves, 4:10 p.m.
Shane Victorino, LF
Mark Ellis, 2B
Matt Kemp, CF
Andre Ethier, RF
Hanley Ramirez, SS
James Loney, 1B
Luis Cruz, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Aaron Harang, P
Shane Victorino, LF
Mark Ellis, 2B
Matt Kemp, CF
Andre Ethier, RF
Hanley Ramirez, SS
James Loney, 1B
Luis Cruz, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Aaron Harang, P
Anonymous
LAT’d :
The AL’s frontrunner for the Cy – Jered Weaver – sure took a hit last night – 9 earned in 3 innings of “work” – jumped his ERA from 2.22 up to 2.74 – ouch.
Anonymous
Well, 2 games for Donnie Baseball is a heck of a lot better than even one game for Kemp.
Anonymous
My thoughts, exactly.
Anonymous
Yup. And maybe Hillman won’t be afraid to use Jansen in a non-save situation. Your time to shine, Trey!
Anonymous
I’ll be shocked if Kemp gets nothing after bumping an umpire, despite any mitigating circumstances.
Anonymous
It might be that his ejection for 8/9ths of a game was considered close enough to the usual suspension for 1 game that it wasn’t felt that that had to be doubled by suspending him another game.
Anonymous
I’m not shocked. He basically got “time served”.
Michael Green
I may be wrong–I often am!–but I have a hunch about this one. Let’s presume the Dodgers are telling the truth about exactly what happened and as we know, when it comes to ejections, that isn’t always the case. Angel Campos, the umpire who ejected Kemp, blew it and both his crew and MLB–and maybe Campos himself–know it. So, Kemp gets off (maybe a fine) because for him to lose his temper for getting thrown out for not saying something to the umpire. D. Baseball gets two days because he stayed out there so long, yelled so long, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he said a few things that umpires really don’t like to hear. Cursing is one thing, but questioning competence and maybe even integrity are another, and as mad as he was, I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened.
Jon Weisman
That’s not a renegade theory – that’s basically the prevailing assumption now of what happened. The only thing that’s quizzical is that we can all see the contact Kemp made with umpires, which is not justified no matter how righteous the cause.
Anonymous
When an umpire gives a direct warning to a player like not one more word or you are out of here and a player immediately says another word loudly, the player is less encouraging a fellow player and more challenging an umpire. In that case, if Kemp can’t wait 30 seconds, the umpire has to do what he threatened to do. There can’t be any of this “wait until your Dad gets home” stuff.
There is never an excuse to get so mad that you charge out onto the field is such a rage that others have to pull away. Mattingly has to set an example if he wants his players to keep cool. Fans seem to like arguments when watching a game in person but it can be done with more respect and more self control.
Kemp and Mattingly both said “hey everybody look at me act like a 3 year old”.
Anonymous
A little off topic, but I think Melkygate offers an ideal opportunity for ending the preposterous policy of granting “home field advantage” to the league that wins a meaningless exhibition.
Anonymous
Howzat? Did Cabera play a pivotal role in the NL winning the ASG this year? I haven’t watched an ASG since interleague play started.
The absurdity of the HFA rule needs no further illumination. It’s just patently stupid.
(1) Exhibitions should NOT matter. This is in part a corrective to the advent and expansion of interleague play. The interleague aspect of the ASG WAS the spectacle of the exhibition – to see how each league’s players could do against the other. Because it happens all the time now, the ASG became uninteresting even as spectacle, so “now it matters” is the response. Stooopid.
(2) I don’t believe that players care about league pride unless it benefits them directly because it’s their own team that benefits.
(3) I can’t believe the HFA rule makes players play harder or managers manage differently.
Jon Weisman
Cabrera was the All-Star Game MVP.
I agree with WBB on this.
Anonymous
If I am a pitcher I want to see and show what I can do against a murderers row of hitters and if I am a hitter, I want to see if I can hit the other league’s aces. I don’t want to intentionally walk a hitter if that is the best strategy for winning and I don’t want to sacrifice myself to move a runner along in an all star game. All star games should be played to compete first and second to win.
Anonymous
Yup.
Anonymous
Except for the part where Verlander lost it much more than Melky won it.
It gives a meaningless exhibition some meaning, which I don’t mind at all.
A little salsa on an otherwise overcooked, bland burrito.
Ever since the interleague era, final win #s aren’t totally meaningful in any case, especially in a case where a 92 win team gets home vs a 91 win team, when almost all of those wins came against different (and possibly much worse or better) teams.
Anonymous
Home field advantage should go to the team with the lower player payroll :)
Adam Luther
I like the old-school fire that Mattingly has brought to this ball club.
Anonymous
Rule No. 7?
Adam Luther
??
Anonymous
My favourite lineup (players and order)
KT
I could switch out the # 9 spot but yea everything else is good
underdog
I admit it’s silly but I find myself rooting against the Isotopes this month so they miss the PCL playoffs and have more players available to help the Dodgers try to make the NL playoffs. Obviously Dodgers could still pluck a player or two that they really need/want right on 9/1 even if Isotopes are in playoffs. But seems like they will be conscious of the PCL playoffs and try to leave that roster intact. Dodgers won’t have room for many players when rosters expand anyway, and some of the additions will be “old friends” like Gwynn(?) and pitchers like Rubby and Guerrier more than any core Albuquerque player.
but will be nice to add Tim Fed, for example, for additional catching flexibility.
Anyway, be curious to see what happens in September.
Anonymous
I was watching Prime 9 – best switch hitters. Dusty Baker said the best player he ever saw was the guy in the photo (Henry Aaron), the second best player he ever saw was Reggie Smith :)
Anonymous
Aaron was not a switch hitter
Anonymous
Sorry I didn’t mean to imply Aaron was a switch hitter. Reggie Smith made the prime 9 list of best switch hitters of all time. Dusty Baker added to the honor by saying Reggie was the second best hitter he ever saw, behind Aaron.
KT
Come Aaron throw the DP ball
Anonymous
He got the D part, but not the P part.
KT
That ball was way off the intended site
Anonymous
A first inning IBB?
Jeffrey Thomas III
Harang we go again…
KT
Aaron is really struggling…Hopefully he gets Ross
KT
Got Lucky there
KT
Come on Dre…start it off
KT
Han-Ram!!!!
Jeffrey Thomas III
He knew he got that one.
Anonymous
That was the Dodgers first home run this season that tied the score.
Jon Weisman
How is that possible?
Anonymous
he means a HR that exactly tied the game so if the Dodgers were losing by 1 a HR with a man on wouldn’t count as tying.
Anonymous
Hanley warming up, getting a little lift.
KT
BGJ!!!!
Jeffrey Thomas III
BGJ with another!
Jeffrey Thomas III
Oh my, three in a row! Collins about had a heart attack.
KT
LUIS!!!!
Anonymous
WOW!
Anonymous
Uhhh… Woah.
KT
Come on AJ
peter drysdale
That was just crazy.
Anonymous
That was pretty cool. Really.
Anonymous
AJ let us down.
underdog
Holy sheets! That was incredible. Can the game end right now, after that high? ;)
Baseball is a crazy game. Now Harang needs to not look the way he looked in the 1st, or Sheets looked in 2nd.
KT
Good inning Aaron
KT
Come on Shane
KT
Nice Play Mark!!
underdog
The Harangatan is no longer flinging poop (sorry for the Primate humor), after that horribly wobbly first inning. Getting some support can’t hurt either.
More runs please. Doesn’t have to be 3 taters in a row!
Anonymous
The last few innings are important. It is good to stop the opposition from scoring!!
However if the Dodgers had scored a few runs–it would have been decisive!
The last few innings are not decisive.
Anonymous
Houston took a brief lead over the Snakes, but quickly reverted to being the Astros.
KT
HAN-RAM!!!!
Jeffrey Thomas III
Han-Ram likes Ben Sheets.
Anonymous
I SEE YOU HANLEY!
Anonymous
Ramirez!!!
Andrew Shimmin
No quality start for Sheets.
Jeffrey Thomas III
It should also be noted that Hanley has reserved his hand signals for the dugout. We see you Hanley.
Anonymous
I was listening on radio, and was wondering if he showboated like he did in Pittsburgh. So I take it he kept his head down and ran around the bases like a professional baseball player this time?
Jeffrey Thomas III
Both times in fact.
Anonymous
Did you see Hayward last night when his single tied the game in the 8th? What did you think of that?
Jeffrey Thomas III
I know what I thought… but that hit alone made me quite angry.
Anonymous
Me thinks he likes LA..
Linkmeister
He likes Atlanta, anyway.
KT
Come on Luis start it off
peter drysdale
I’m liking the Dodger offense here in August. Nice to score a decent number of runs.
KT
Good Job Aaron…way to settle down and pitch a good game
Anonymous
Very good game Aaron.
Anonymous
Nice recovery from his 15+ ball 1st.
Anonymous
Zito surrenders a three-run dinger to Headcheese, and old friend Stults (on base at the time) leads the Gnats 4-1.
Jeffrey Thomas III
5-4 Gnats…
KT
Wow that last one looked like a strike
KT
Come on DP
Anonymous
Collins says Guerra’s showing Chipper respect with a leadoff walk with a five-run lead. I thought it was lack of control.
Anonymous
More runs than hits?!? This must be how Yankee fans feel all the time. I kind of like it.
peter drysdale
This is ridiculous. Let’s finish this game off
KT
Come on Kenley
Anonymous
Most of our bullpen has been imploding lately.
Anonymous
The Dodgers have scored 6 runs on fewer than 6 hits six times this year.
The Yankees have not had a game this season where they have done that.
Anonymous
Sure, though they do have a massive lead in team .slg this year.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/team/_/stat/batting/sort/slugAvg/order/true
KT
Way to Go Kenley!!
Anonymous
I am late to the party today, so perhaps this has been addressed. Is there a MLB record for the most hits in a game without a single? The eight hits today by the two teams are all for extra bases.
Anonymous
A question. I’m presuming that Billingsley is already back at the hotel, to ensure he gets a good night’s rest before tomorrow’s start, but does anybody know whether or not that’s the practice?
Anonymous
i think it’s left up to the pitcher, it’s definitely an option though.
peter drysdale
Kenley can pitch in non save situations?Who’da thunk it
Jeffrey Thomas III
Actually it is a save situation.
KT
it is a save situation since the tying run was on deck in the 8th
peter drysdale
So true, forgot about that
Anonymous
Really liking Trey’s managing style.
KT
^_^
peter drysdale
That’s why the closer doesn’t pitch in non save situations;-)
Anonymous
That was a save, which points out how ridiculous the save statistic is.
KT
Yes
Good game…wierd box score for us
peter drysdale
Glad to see they didn’t blow this one. Harder to do with a five run lead tho
Anonymous
nice to see the Dodgers hitters flex there muscles for a change.
Jeffrey Thomas III
Let’s make it a 7-3 road trip and come home to host the Gnats.
Anonymous
To sweep the Gnats.
Jon Weisman
NPUT