Will Leitch was kind enough to invite me as a guest on his Sports on Earth podcast, which just hit the Internetwaves today. It’s almost all about the Dodgers, with a little entertainment chat slipped in at the end. Enjoy …
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KT
I feel the same way about our cousins the Angels
KT
And we are underway…Come on Carl
Anonymous
Stupid wall.
Anonymous
Always assume the opposite of what Steiner says.
KT
Charlie called that a foot short…Upton was barely on the warning track 3-5 feet from the wall
KT
Nice play Nicky!!
KT
26 pitches in the 1st two less than Clayton on Tuesday…Here comes another gem
Anonymous
Paul Goldschmidt has 2 HRs and 4 RBI in his first two ABs in Miami tonight.
Anonymous
He is having a whale of a season
KT
Good hit AJ!!
Anonymous
and yet there was no excitement whatsoever in Steiner’s voice on that double.
KT
He only gets excited for long outs
KT
Come on SVS
KT
hit but no rbi for Luis!
KT
well at least we got the run…Come on RYU
Anonymous
We’ll take it, Dee!
KT
^_^
KT
Come on DP
Anonymous
Just started listening. Why so many Ryu balls?
KT
looks rusty
Anonymous
Never mind : )
KT
need to have a shorter inning next time or he won’t be long for this one…currently at 42 pitches
KT
Shredder again with the base knock!
Anonymous
ruh roh…
KT
This ump has a low zone
KT
Come on Ryu let’s get BJ
Anonymous
Mark Ellis played 3 innings for AA tonight, 1 AB; 4 plays in the field. I don’t know if the plan was for him to play only 3 but that would be the most hopeful explanation.
KT
the field was reported wet and sloppy
Anonymous
thanks
KT
Nice base running AJ
KT
Nice RYU!!!
KT
Carl!!
KT
way to get those 2 runs back…Now hold them Ryu
Anonymous
Good start
KT
Let’s turn 2 Ryu
KT
Scott (andy) Van slyke then Matty with back to back great catches
Anonymous
scotty!
KT
SVS!!!!
KT
Fed!
Anonymous
Coming soon, a real adventure that is …..our bullpen!
KT
Double play ball here Paco
Linkmeister
Oh wonderful.
Anonymous
jeez i just tuned in, and for this?
KT
only down by two…we were down before we can get them back
Anonymous
I like your optimism KT :)
Anonymous
You know me, love to whine. The outfielders have got to be feeling a bit let down after their stellar defense earlier.
KT
yea defense let them down that inning
KT
Shoe Charlie not Punto
KT
Charlie it bounced off the warning track
Anonymous
One more out to keep it close
Anonymous
Well, about that stellar outfield defense..
KT
either lost it in the lights or badly misplayed
Anonymous
Bull pen shenanigans again. I’m telling you, ever since Lyons went on and on about how good it was, they’ve been completely unreliable. How do we lift that curse?
Anonymous
Fire Lyons? He also said Jupton’s homers never drove in anybody but himself.
KT
SVS!!!!
Anonymous
I hope this 2 HR effort is not in vain
KT
3 in the top of 9 with a pinch hitter and the top of the order…can it be done?
Anonymous
Better defense and we’d be rosy tonight.
KT
Alright Shoe!
KT
Come on Dre
KT
night all
Anonymous
Farewell
Anonymous
This was a tough one.
Anonymous
Blantonmania continues in Anaheim. Against Chicago so far, 3 IP, 6 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 5 K. Just throw it up there Joe and hope somebody catches it.
Or play the White Sox who have a lot of guys who miss.
Anonymous
He may not be so lucky in the 4th, 1st and 3rd, no one out
Anonymous
Caution, don’t hit 2 R in a game or you will be benched for such offensive output (Eithier back in RF)
KT
Today’s lineup:
Crawford LF
Kemp CF
Gonzalez 1B
Ethier RF
Schumaker 2B
Federowicz C
Punto 3B
Gordon SS
Capuano P
KT
Great Catch Matty!!!!
Stole a home run from Heyward
KT
Class reaction to Kemp’s catch by Heyward
KT
Good inning by Cappy
KT
Nice hit Fed
KT
Nice turn at second by Shoe
KT
SKIPPY!!!!
KT
Good inning Cappy
Anonymous
Capuano is pitching really well. Glad to see it!
KT
I was just about to type he’s pitched another good inning…He’s only at 66 pitches
Anonymous
Their pitcher’s not too shabby either.
Anonymous
The problem is our hitters can make EVERY pitcher look like an All Star.
Linkmeister
Gameday: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_05_18_lanmlb_atlmlb_1&mode=gameday
Free audio if you’re in a blackout zone like me, free MLB.TV game otherwise.
KT
Cappy at 73 through 6…good outing so far
Anonymous
Capuano rules!
KT
only 85 pitches so far
Anonymous
How about a couple more runs now, boys?
KT
maybe next inning
KT
Standing O Cappy!!!
Anonymous
Get the K or double play!
KT
Hey Bob
Linkmeister
Well, shucks.
KT
such a waste of a good game by cappy
Anonymous
So sick of this.
Anonymous
I’m feeling for Cappy.
Anonymous
Arizona, on the other hand, able to hold onto their 1-0 lead to win…
Linkmeister
I had high hopes for this season, but they’re fading rapidly.
Anonymous
Me, too. Not feelin’ it much anymore.
Anonymous
Feeling LOTS . . . none of it good.
Anonymous
Easier to watch these when Vin’s talking.
Anonymous
He;s worth MUCH more than a spoonful of sugar . . . and following the ’13 Dodgers is MUCH worse than any medicine I’ve had to take.
Anonymous
So with a 2 run lead on Friday, Mattingly’s pulls one of our best pitchers and a pitcher who has hit in the 5th inning, but on Saturday leaves in a weak hitting pitcher who can get tired to hit after 7 in Inge when we have only a 1 run lead. It’s not surprising that neither of these moves have worked out because they are both the opposite of what logic would dictate. I hate to say it, but the calls to get rid of Mattingly’s might be right. The players may not be producing, but the decisions all week (why did Kershaw make 132 pitches?) have been really bad–which can be forgiven (see Tommy Lasorda) if the manager can spur in his team to get their best performances out of them. And that just clearly is not happening.
Anonymous
I haven’t heard many of the games this week, but with every facet of their game: “hitting, defense, starting pitching, and bullpen — failing at one point or another, it’s got to be difficult to make any plans . . . they just find different ways/players to lose each game.
Anonymous
the fact that this completely wrong post from leekfink has received one approval astounds me.
taking Ryu out and leaving Capuano in were both good decisions; just for starters Ryu had thrown 100 pitches while Capuano had thrown 85 pitches at the times leekfink mentions. It was to get away from posts this dumb that I found DT some years ago. leekfink has posted both interesting and intelligent comments in the past, I hope he will again in the future.
Anonymous
You could argue that Ryu was cooked after 100 pitches, but really that is not an excessive pitch count. Another inning to get to 120 pitches is more like the limit. The pitch count also gets balanced against the situation–it was the 6th inning, which means you’re not going to League, Jansen, Rodriguez, or Bellisario, but instead Guerrier. Ryu at 100 pitches is a better pitcher than Guerrier (or really anyone but Jansen now and what we hope League is going to return to).
The problem with Capuano was not the pitching alternatives, but the offense. After 7 innings, we had a 1-0 lead. Do you really expect Capuano to shut out the Beaves? No. This is not Kershaw here, 1 run is to be expected. So you try to get some insurance across. Get a pinch hitter (Ellis and Uribe are sitting on the bench with an OBP over .400, and we’re carrying 3 catchers specifically for pinch hitting duty) and then rely on the three best hitters on the team to push another run across. Instead, Mattingly’s gives up the out by letting Capuano hit. And it turns out that he was not prepared to let Capuano go, because he pulled him two hitters into the next inning. A one out single is the second-most benign thing a pitcher can do–he didn’t walk anyone, he didn’t let the lead-off hitter aboard, he didn’t allow an extra base but, he didn’t allow a long fly ball the Matt Kemp has to save from going out. If you know you are going to pull him unless he’s perfect, then you have to hit for him and try to get some runs.
Anonymous
Ryu was clearly tired.
The players in the bull-pen need work. Guerrier at 0 pitches is better than a tired Ryu after 100 pitches after not throwing strikes all game which is why he had 100 pitches. Guerrier was fine btw, Paco was the problem.
Capuano was throwing well all game; Mattingly didn’t give him 2 hitters he gave him until the Braves got a baserunner which I’m confident he told Capuano before he let him hit.
I don’t agree with your post just above; I think both of Mattingly’s decisions were reasonable- but at least your new post was a normal baseball conversation not like your original post
Anonymous
Well, I think my original post was fine, even if you disagree with it. It certainly is well within the bounds of the guidelines. Although I referenced the ultimately bad results (two losses), I tried to argue from the vantage point of odds at the time, and I would say that the odds on Guerrier were not good, while Paco were, even if the results were opposite.
It does not make sense to use the bullpen because they “need work.” With Capuano and Magill set to pitch on Saturday and Sunday, you figure the pen is going to get plenty of work. (One of the few justifications I could imagine for letting Kershaw throw 132 pitches on Tuesday is to give the bullpen some rest.)
But by far the biggest problem is the Capuano decision. It’s not about his pitching, it’s his hitting. Leaving a guy in until he gives up a baserunner is a horrible decision in that situation. It’s always somewhat questionable, because it means you’re asking the bullpen to get out of a jam, but when it happens right after the pitcher hits, it’s just bad. You’re suggesting that Mattingly would have pulled Capuano had he let the lead off man aboard (I think you’re right, he would have), but then you would have had the pitcher hit, gotten no outs from him in the bottom of the inning, and made the pen get out of a jam. That’s simply undefendable.
Anonymous
Two hits. Two.
Anonymous
just not good enough
Anonymous
Good teams find ways to win . . . bad teams find ways to lose.
Soo much potential, rarely all clicking at the same time.
:(
Anonymous
Well, so what now? Any ideas?
Linkmeister
Take a mulligan. ;)
Anonymous
pop the cork, and pour your first glass of wine….
….
might I suggest a red …. a red blend. :-)
Jon Weisman
NPUT