Come on, wouldn’t it be cool if this were the Dodgers’ starting lineup in Game 1 of the World Series? You can imagine Bob Costas’ reaction …
Dee Gordon, SS
Mark Ellis, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Juan Uribe, 3B
Skip Schumaker, CF
Jerry Hairston Jr., LF
A.J. Ellis, C
Chili Buss, RF
Edinson Volquez, P
And for good measure, let’s just that Yasiel Puig is unavailable to pinch-hit. That’s right — there’s no way you’ll see him in the bottom of the ninth as the go-ahead run.
With Puig, Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier all nursing ailments, it’s starting to look like Matt Kemp is now the healthiest of the Dodgers’ four primary outfielders.
One other note: The only Dodger team ever to win three rounds of playoffs including the World Series, the 1981 squad, went 9-15 to finish the regular season. On this date in 1981, the Dodgers lost 8-2 to the worst team in the National League West, the San Diego Padres, behind Dave Goltz and in front of a crowd of 9,937.
btimmer
The Dodgers started three current managers (Baker, Roenicke, and Scioscia) and one former manager (Lopes) during that 1981 game against the Padres.
Bob_Hendley
Nice Kemp quip.
KT
Go BLUE!!!!
btimmer
The Padres Burch Smith had his interesting game broken up in the sixth on a Julio Teheran single. Francisco Liriano has an interesting game going on in Pittsburgh after six.
btimmer
Liriano is at 99 pitches through 6 innings.
btimmer
Nothing to see now in Pittsburgh. Move along.
Casey Barker
Chili Buss?
KT
Nick Chili Buss…played in ALB this year
TAFKA_Gagne55
I read the comment in more of a “there’s somebody whose real name is Chili Buss?” sort of way.
Casey Barker
I thought he had some connection to the great Chili Davis, who I remember best as a Twin. But he was a Giant first, then an Angel.
Linkmeister
According to the story Bob T linked to in yesterday’s comments, Buss’s dad was a big Chili Davis fan.
KT
played golf with him in a tournament and liked the name according to Vinny
foul tip
Yesterday the Dodgers, my baseball team, lost, 19-3.
And my slowly rebuilding favorite college football team lost, 59-14, its worst loss in 103 years–and gave up only 687 yards in so doing. It easily could have been worse.
…..After all, tomorrow (today) is another day, he said, channeling Scarlett O’Hara.
scooplew
And my alma mater, Cal, lost 52-34. (But the local high school football team won. LOL.)
btimmer
My high school football team forfeited last week because the coaching staff was suspended for “reasons involving the treatment of an injured player.”
berkowit28
The injured player is on their own team or an opponents’?
TAFKA_Gagne55
Let’s see how my schools did:
High school: Newbury Park lost 31-21 to Thousand Oaks
Undergraduate: Cal Poly SLO lost 34-17 to Colorado State
Grad school: Oregon State won 51-48 (OT) against Utah
btimmer
Jeremy Guthrie of the Royals pitched a 13-hit complete game today. He and the Royals lost 3-2 to Detroit.
KT
Good inning Eddie
btimmer
Today is already an improvement.
Casey Barker
Oh, that WAS the real lineup. Brings back memories of 2005.
KT
MEllis!!
Jeffrey Thomas III
Got back from an 8 day trip to Birmingham last night, turned on the TV and decided I should catch up on my sleep a bit early. Hopefully things are better today!
KT
Skippy!
scooplew
With this lineup, the Dodgers should have reduced ticket prices by 50 percent. If they can charge more for premium games, they should charge less for this one.
TAFKA_Gagne55
What do you expect? Kemp, Ethier, Puig, and Hanley are all injured. Gonzo, Uribear, and the Ellis bros. are playing. Not sure why Crawford is sitting out though.
KT
tight back
scooplew
I didn’t expect any of the injured to play. I am just commenting on the lineup we are putting on the field.
KT
Nice to K scutoro
RBI
Let’s go Dodgers, clap clap, clap clap clap!
scooplew
We’ve scored fewer than four runs in each of our last four games and in seven of our last nine.
KT
MEllis stroking the ball!
RBI
Rule one violations happening in my house…
Jack Dawkins
Children can do that to you.
foul tip
So can Dodger batters.
KT
Juanito!!
Jeffrey Thomas III
Would love for him to get the Gold Glove, though everybody is saying Arenado will get it.
KT
tough choice but it will probably goes to Arenado because of his physique. He looks smoother
KT
JUANITO!!! only a triple
TAFKA_Gagne55
Shouldn’t it be three exclamation points for a triple?
KT
it is three
TAFKA_Gagne55
I count four
KT
refresh
RBI
It’s a triple…
RBI
Lame. (Sorry for the negativity, KT…)
Linkmeister
Can’t get a guy home from third with no one out? What is wrong with these guys? April-June Disease?
KT
Eddie gets on…now let’s move him around Dee
KT
Dee!
KT
Bases loaded for Gonzo
ASW1
C’mon Gonzo !!!
KT
Gonzo!!
Jeffrey Thomas III
Oops I put too many exclamation points :)
KT
3 rbi’s one for each…that works also
Jeffrey Thomas III
Adrian!!!
ASW1
YES!
KT
http://i.imgur.com/cR7EUVz.gif
TAFKA_Gagne55
Is Gonzo making a rule 1 violation there?
KT
I don’t know I can’t read lips that well
KT
Well doesn’t your avatar do the same
TAFKA_Gagne55
Huh? My picture is from a Doctor Who cosplay. I’m just holding a sonic screwdriver.
KT
sorry looks like the middle finger
RBI
Yes! How do I love thee, Adrian? Let me count the ways.
KT
1-2-3 rbi’s
Linkmeister
Nooooooo!
Jeffrey Thomas III
Yeesh, Pence is having some series.
RBI
Man, Pence has a hot bat right now.
scooplew
In this series, he is 9-for-17 with 5 HRs and 12 RBIs.
KT
Just turned around because my son was taking a long time in the kitchen
http://imgur.com/ZtftqzO
I’m wondering how he got up there…no drawers are open
Jeffrey Thomas III
The answer is your kid is spiderman.
KT
must be…I guess he used the knobs on the drawers
John_from_Aus
Good that he wasn’t weilding those steak knives :)
KT
More important things in the cupboard…cookies
Linkmeister
Heh. But at least he had his drawers on!
KT
Yea usually he’s free styling
Linkmeister
Well, we wound up tied after that, which was the optimal result post-Pence. I guess we should be thankful.
scooplew
My thoughts as well.
Sandy K
Can’t believe that Honeycutt didn’t tell Volquez to walk Pence. The guy is way too hot, Volquez throws gopher balls, and there was a base open. Who would you rather pitch to–Pence or Sandoval?
scooplew
Question: If Kemp is activated for the post-season, and we suffer no other debilitating injuries, is Hairston’s roster spot in doubt? I know he provides versatility in the field, but, Including today, he is hitting .170 since the All-Star break. He batted .188 in July, .195 in August, and is currently hitting .143 in September.
KT
I vote against him making the post-season roster
btimmer
Barring an injury, I don’t see Mattingly wanting to leave Hairston off the roster. The experience card would trump performance.
scooplew
I think that it would be a close call. Another factor is whether you reward someone who has been there day-in and day-out. However, Hairston has not done much at the plate for a while. Van Slyke provides more pop off the bench. I look forward to the decisions being made. Regardless of the outcome of today’s Dodgers-Giants game, if Arizona maintains its lead over Colorado, we would need to win two of four against the D’Backs to clinch the West.
scooplew
Dee needs to get on, steal second, take third on a bad throw and score on an out.
Linkmeister
Items 2 and 3 are dependent on other people’s errors, though. We can rely on 4. ;)
KT
Come on MEllis drive him home
KT
WP him home
Bob_in_Vegas
That’s this offense’s secret weapon . . . perhaps only one, outside of AGon.
John_from_Aus
Just logged in, when I saw the lineup at the top of the post, I thought you were kidding
Linkmeister
Rats. If Juan knew he wasn’t gonna score on that earlier triple, I bet he’d have saved it to use it just then.
RBI
And that is why we should have walked Pence earlier. Bochy out-managing DM with that decision.
Jeffrey Thomas III
Well he has a pretty big advantage in head size.
Linkmeister
Bah.
KT
that ball was outside
RBI
Very.
scooplew
I fear that Rodriguez is wearing down.
Sandy K
Am I wrong, or does Vin seem impatient–or, perhaps, a stronger word might be better–with the lack of offensive effectiveness? He just signed off the bottom of the 8th by noting that the Dodgers “rolled over.” How many times has he pointed out the Dodgers’ BA with RISP as .107 in the series? Maybe he doesn’t like the reversion to May baseball in September.
John_from_Aus
Buss, Punto and then Dee due up at the bottom of the 9th, it doesn’t fill me with confidence
John_from_Aus
strap yourselves in, here we go
KT
Buss!
TAFKA_Gagne55
Somebody needs to drive that Buss home! (I’ve been waiting all day for the chance to use that line)
KT
good one
Sandy K
Yes! Now sacrifice.
KT
don’t give up the out
btimmer
Giving up an out for Dee Gordon to drive in a run seems counterintuitive.
Sandy K
Punto gets down the bunto. Now I want Puig!!!
KT
Dee!
scooplew
Buss was 21 for 23 in stolen base attempts at Albuquerque this year.
Sandy K
It’s time for Dodger baseball!!
TAFKA_Gagne55
Kind of disappointed that Buss got bunted over only to not score from second on a hit.
KT
hit too hard to pence who has a good arm
Sandy K
With Gordon on 2d, it’s an even better time for Dodger baseball.
TAFKA_Gagne55
Pop-ups and strikeouts with runners on third an less than two outs?
scooplew
Seemed to be a lot of the story.
Sandy K
OK. I care what happens, but whatever happens, I want Puig!!
KT
Be selective Yasiel
Jeffrey Thomas III
That’s a bummer. Oh well go take two in Phoenix and end this magic number business.
scooplew
Another lost weekend. 0-3 in back-to-back weekends.
Sandy K
Sorry to see them lose, but, at least, they went down with their best at the plate at the end.
scooplew
Probables in Arizona:
M–Ryu-Cahill
Tue–Greinke-Corbin
W–Kershaw-McCarthy
Th–Nolasco-TBA
John_from_Aus
we should get at least 2 with that pitching lineup (and Kershaw is due for a gem)
Linkmeister
The Dodgers need the equivalent of another All-Star break to get their players healthy.
btimmer
The Dodgers other problem now is that they have dropped into the #3 slot. They are one game behind the NL Central leaders. The Cardinals are going to Colorado for four games and then go to Milwaukee for three this week. The Pirates host San Diego for four and then the Reds for three.
Linkmeister
Somebody pointed out in Tony Jackson’s blog’s comments that there are three days off between the end of the regular season and the beginning of the playoffs. Leaving guys out of the lineup for injuries is one thing, leaving them out to rest them seems a little unnecessary. None of the Dodgers regulars are even in their mid-30s, are they?
Spence
Mark Ellis is 36. Juan Uribe is 34. Michael Young is 36.
Spence
I think its very important for the Dodgers to get HFA because of the way Don Mattingly uses Kenley Jansen. If its a road game, he never uses him unless he has ran out of relievers or if its a save situation.
RBI
Like our Aussie John, this period of play is not filling me with confidence.
John_from_Aus
I would have almost and I mean almost prefer the 19-3 or the bottom of the 9th being over on 3 pitches rather than them teasing us like that :)
John_from_Aus
If, (and if) we are in a slump, I would rather it now than in October
John_from_Aus
When we clinch, I think everyone will relax a bit and play better baseball, no matter what lineup we have on the field
RBI
For sure, I will be more relaxed! I still feel scarred by the first half.
John_from_Aus
Old memories flooding back
Bob_in_Vegas
Exactly! We know they had the historical 2nd half, but this last week-10 days is reminiscent of the hysterical 1st half. . . . They are capable of both.
John_from_Aus
I’d take historical over hysterical any day!
RBI
The Braves aren’t exactly tearing things up, either. Lost two out of three to the Padres.
DS1981
Speaking of that 88 team, i think that team winning it all was a blessing and a curse for the dodgers. As a singular moment it was pretty incredible. Costas wasn’t far off when he said it was one of the least talented teams to win the world series (or something to that effect). I remember thinking that since moving to LA the dodgers had trully been a charmed franchise especially compared to the Giants who at that time were yet to win a single world series since moving to SF. I mean if the dodgers were able to win even with THAT lineup.
However here’s where the curse part comes in. Until recently every owner of this franchise has been trying to recreate that 88 team. Instead of looking at that team as what it was, which was the case of lightning striking, they’ve looked at that team as some kind of model. I remember Peter O’malley constantly referring to that team in his later years whenever somebody would question him about not spending money in free agency. Dan Evans under fox also referred to that team. Mccourt obviously just a few years ago during spring training basically was saying the same. That team have become a great excuse for not spending any money on the team. So if nothing else i applaud this new ownership just for breaking that vicious cycle.
Jon Weisman
NPUT