It’s a function of my own personal memory bank, but the celebration outside the White House right now reminds me of the celebration when the U.S. hockey team beat the Soviets in 1980. I’m picturing Al Michaels announcing the news, and Jim McKay covering the reaction.
Discussion of the death of Osama Bin Laden is allowed here, within reasonable guidelines.
The first part of the headline is the most important: The Dodgers get Hong-Chih Kuo back after a minor-league rehab appearance Friday (his third) in which he allowed no runs or walks and struck out two. But the more curious aspect is the second part, in which the Dodgers optioned reliever Kenley Jansen to Triple-A rather than cut loose back-of-the-bullpen reliever Lance Cormier. (Update: The Dodgers later issued a correction saying that Jansen has gone down to Double-A Chattanooga.)
Jansen has had two certifiably terrible outings, one April 2, the other April 19. But in has past three games, covering 4 2/3 innings, Jansen has allowed no hits, walked two and struck out nine. That makes Jansen the Dodgers’ most effective reliever over the past week.
If this small sample size were all that Jansen had going for him, that’d be one thing, but the two bad outings in April are much more of an aberration in the Jansen oeuvre than what he’s done recently. Jansen’s career numbers remain strong: 2.90 ERA, 49 baserunners vs. 63 strikeouts in 40 1/3 innings.
Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes that the Dodgers want Jansen to develop a secondary pitch, and that the Dodgers value Cormier’s role as a mop-up man, which is as damned with faint praise as you get. So what this boils down to is the Dodgers breaking more eggs in their bullpen, in the hopes that they’ll bake a better cake in the long term. It’s not the end of the world, but Jansen will be missed.
As long as Cormier’s sticking around, can I suggest again that the Dodgers use the right-handed Cormier more against left-handed batters, a group he continues to have the most success against?
* * *
Here’s what I’d like to hear from Roger McDowell, beyond his apology: an explanation.
McDowell, the former Dodger, one-time “Seinfeld” second spitter and current Atlanta Braves pitching coach, has been suspended for two weeks by Major League Baseball for his inappropriate, offensive and threatening behavior before an April 23 game in San Francisco.
“I understand the decision made today by the commissioner,” McDowell said in a statement. “I am embarrassed by my actions and I plan to give a personal apology to Mr. Quinn and his family. I would also like to offer a public and heartfelt apology to the fans of San Francisco, to the Atlanta Braves organization, my family and to Major League Baseball.”
It’s great that McDowell won’t have to go to Rocket Scientist School to realize what he did was wrong. All things considered, considering the facts of the case don’t seem to be in dispute, it seems the punishment could have been much worse, but he’s going to sensitivity training, and maybe he’ll come out of this a better person.
But I’d still like to know what in the world could have made him act this way in the first place, because if nothing else, it sure might be instructive.
When Kobe Bryant got fined $100,000 after issuing a gay slur at a referee during an April 13 NBA game, he didn’t exactly fall down and beg weeping for forgiveness, but he did discuss his actions publicly. As many questions as his incident raised about Bryant’s character — and as difficult as his explanation might have been to accept — what McDowell did, in the calm of pregame batting practice and directly in front of fans and children, was dimensionally more unfathomable and disturbing.
Is it unreasonable for me to wonder what could possibly have been going on in McDowell’s head, to wonder where that anger and hostility came from, to wonder whether there might a benefit from the answer?
Casey Blake has officially shuffled to the disabled list, with the Dodgers calling up Russ Mitchell to take his spot on the active roster. On the relatively bright side, Juan Uribe and Marcus Thames are healthy enough to make their first starts in some time, while James Loney rests against Padres lefty Clayton Richard in favor of Jerry Sands at first base.
Not resting against the lefty is Andre Ethier, who will try to extend his hitting streak to 25 games. Ethier is 6 for 29 with one walk against lefties this season. Lefty batters hit .228 against Richard last season and are 7 for 24 (.291) this season.
Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com has a nice feature on Ethier’s march, while Keith Hawkins of ESPN Stats and Information shows that only once during the streak has there been suspense in the ninth inning. That was when Ethier doubled ahead of Matt Kemp’s walkoff homer to beat St. Louis.
* * *
Frank McCourt is doing another round of interviews today, this time in Los Angeles, so expect to see lots of coverage soon. In the meantime, I have to comment on this quote from nascent Dodger vice chairman Steve Soboroff in Bill Shaikin’s story in the Times earlier today.
“I guarantee you there is no owner or prospective owner in Los Angeles that has a better handle on the community than we do,” Soboroff told Shaikin.
Actually, I don’t have to comment. The words speak for themselves, don’t they?
* * *
For all the chaos surrounding the Dodgers, I’m going to argue that the Atlanta Braves have had a worse week — thanks to a couple of ex-Dodgers.
The Atlanta Braves placed pitching coach Roger McDowell on administrative leave Friday while they investigate allegations he made homophobic comments and crude gestures toward fans before a game in San Francisco last weekend.
The former major league reliever apologized in a statement, but the team barred him from the bench heading into a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
General manager Frank Wren said he hopes to have the investigation wrapped up by end of the weekend and added that any punishment would be coordinated with Major League Baseball.
The de facto suspension of McDowell came hours after the team announced it was looking into the arrest Thursday night of starting pitcher Derek Lowe on drunken-driving charges …
* * *
Fangraphs passes along a great Times photo from the Dodgers’ 1978 National League pennant celebration. Note, amid the jubilation, one fan trying to literally steal second, while another appears to fight with Bob Welch for the rosin bag.
The Dodgers are expected today to make official the callup of Russ Mitchell to take the place of Casey Blake, who is suffering from an infection in his elbow. The Dodgers could have gone another way by turning to a guy you probably first heard about in Spring Training – if you heard of him at all – Corey Smith. Here’s the why and why not:
Why:
Why not:
All that being said, I’d kind of like to see Smith get the shot – partly for sentimental reasons, partly because I wouldn’t mind seeing what appears to be a bigger offensive threat off the bench. Mitchell also has home run potential, having hit two in his September 2010 promotion last year (while going 6 for 42 overall). But on the theory that the Dodgers will probably continue to start Aaron Miles at third most of the time until Juan Uribe returns, I’m not too worried about Smith’s lack of play at the position this season.
An even more radical decision by the Dodgers would be to call up outfielder Trayvon Robinson, who has started nicely in Albuquerque this year except when you consider his strikeouts, and make Jerry Sands the emergency third baseman. But I’m sure you can see the pitfalls with that …
Anyway, this will probably all be moot by gametime, but I just thought I’d think out loud about Smith.
* * *
Three years ago, Andruw Jones disgusted Dodger fans with the quality of his play. That 2008 season, like this one, started on March 31. Through games of April 25, Jones had one home run, a .264 on-base percentage and a .273 slugging percentage.
To James Loney, those numbers are a sight for sore eyes.
Loney singled home a run in Monday’s game. That lifted his OBP on the season to .194 and his slugging to .213.
He is the worst-hitting regular in major-league baseball.
It’s a nightmare, with few saving graces other than the fact that Loney is younger than Jones, gets paid less and doesn’t smile uncomfortably to mask his pain.
The problem is not that Loney will hit this poorly forever – he won’t. The problem is that it seems less and less unlikely that, after three consecutive seasons of decline from 2008-10, he’ll take the step forward that the Dodgers have been counting on him to take.
If Loney can’t offer better than the league-average hitting that has defined his past three years – and now he has even further to go to reach that goal – there’s little chance the Dodgers can continue using him as their starting first baseman, whatever you think of him as a defensive player or RBI man. They will part ways with him after the season, if not sooner.
It pains me to say it because I’ve always liked Loney. As I said earlier this month, my theory is that the bid to coax more homeruns out of Loney has had the opposite effect, messing him up to the point where not only is he not hitting home runs, he’s not hitting doubles either. Loney, who had 41 doubles in 161 games last year, has just one in 24 games this year, to go with his sole home run three weeks ago.
Or maybe it’s just that pitchers have figured Loney out, and he is just at a loss to adjust.
Either way, Loney is a problem in search of a solution.
If they look behind Door No. 4, what options would they find?
Not too thrilling, is it? We’re at a point where a return of the merely adequate Loney would come as a great, if temporary, relief.
When Dioner Navarro went on the disabled list near the end of Spring Training, A.J. Ellis did all you expect A.J. Ellis to do: 19 plate appearances, four singles, four walks (.421 on-base percentage), no extra-base hits.
For that, the Dodgers put Ellis on the Wolverine up to Annandale today, while Navarro comes off the disabled list to start earning that million bucks. He’ll back up starting catcher Rod Barajas.
Meanwhile, Juan Uribe is still nursing his sore quad, and Casey Blake is getting a day off after playing seven days in a row (10 for 27, two homers, six walks, 10 runs), so today’s Dodger lineup features both Aaron Miles and Ivan De Jesus Jr.
As Steve Dilbeck of the Times notes, the Dodgers’ offensive resurgence of the past week coincided with facing, for the most part, less-than-elite pitchers. Florida poses a tougher challenge this week, although the Dodgers will miss Josh Johnson (1.06 ERA, 22 baserunners, 33 strikeouts in 34 innings).
Florida is one of only four teams in the National League that are more than a game over .500. The Dodgers are one of seven teams within a game of .500.
For your pregame enjoyment: Ernest Reyes of Blue Heaven passes along this look at Jackie Robinson’s 1938 Muir High School yearbook.
Hot starts from Dodger minor leaguers:
Trayvon Robinson, 23, OF, Albuquerque
63 plate appearances, .429 on-base percentage, .661 slugging percentage, four homers, six walks, 19 strikeouts
Jon Link, 27, RP, Albuquerque
12 1/3 innings, 16 baserunners, 10 strikeouts, 2.19 ERA
Bryan Cranston, 55, UT, Albuquerque
No stats, only video.
Corey Smith, 29, 3B, Chattanooga-Albuquerque
63 plate appearances, .397 on-base percentage, .483 slugging percentage, one homer, five walks, 10 strikeouts
Scott Van Slyke, 24, OF, Chattanooga
54 plate appearances, .463 on-base percentage, .830 slugging percentage, three homers, six walks, 10 strikeouts
Michael Antonini, 25, SP, Chattanooga
17 2/3 innings, 20 baserunners, 12 strikeouts, 1.53 ERA
Rubby De La Rosa, 22, SP, Chattanooga
15 1/3 innings, 20 baserunners, 19 strikeouts, 1.76 ERA
Nathan Eovaldi, 21, SP, Chattanooga
15 innings, 18 baserunners, 16 strikeouts, 1.20 ERA
Austin Gallagher, 22, 1B, Rancho Cucamonga
62 plate appearances, .468 on-base percentage, .632 slugging percentage, two homers, five walks, seven strikeouts
Gorman Erickson, 23, C, Rancho Cucamonga
49 plate appearances, .490 on-base percentage, .575 slugging percentage, no homers, nine walks, seven strikeouts
Steven Ames, 23, RP, Rancho Cucamonga
8 1/3 innings, seven baserunners, 15 strikeouts, 1.08 ERA
Jonathan Garcia, 19, OF, Great Lakes
65 plate appearances, .354 on-base percentage, .712 slugging percentage, six homers, five walks, 17 strikeouts
Garrett Gould, 19, SP, Great Lakes
17 innings, 14 baserunners, 12 strikeouts, 1.59 ERA
Zach Lee, 19, SP, Great Lakes
14 innings, 21 baserunners, 21 strikeouts, 1.29 ERA
Shawn Tolleson, 23, RP, Great Lakes
6 1/3 innings, seven baserunners, 16 strikeouts (out of 19 total outs), 0.00 ERA
Russell Martin has hit two home runs tonight and now has six in 16 games with the Yankees. In 97 games with the Dodgers last season, he hit five.
Martin has a .400 on-base percentage and .722 slugging percentage in 2011. There was always the chance he would bounce back, but this is ridiculous.
Here’s how some other recent ex-Dodgers are doing this season (stats through Friday).
OPS (Plate appearances)
1.000 (17) Reed Johnson, Cubs
.983 (56) Russell Martin, Yankees
.980 (58) Wilson Betemit, Royals
.810 (59) J.D. Drew, Red Sox
.750 (16) Andruw Jones, Yankees
.736 (91) Ryan Theriot, Cardinals
.700 (33) Andy LaRoche, A’s
.658 (54) Jim Thome, Twins
.646 (82) Orlando Hudson, Padres
.646 (16) Blake DeWitt, Cubs
.637 (59) Wilson Valdez, Phillies
.628 (94) Juan Pierre, White Sox
.343 (15) Jason Repko, Twins
.182 (12) Chin-Lung Hu, Mets
.118 (17) Manny Ramirez, Rays
.000 (7) Cody Ross, Giants
ERA (Innings)
2.16 (8 1/3) Danys Baez, Phillies
3.18 (22 2/3) Randy Wolf, Brewers
3.21 (14) Guillermo Mota, Giants
3.25 (27 2/3) Derek Lowe, Braves
3.51 (25 2/3) Edwin Jackson, White Sox
3.86 (4 2/3) George Sherrill, Braves
5.40 (5) Octavio Dotel, Blue Jays
6.00 (3) Joe Beimel, Rockies
8.44 (21 1/3) Brad Penny, Tigers
8.59 (7 1/3) Will Ohman, White Sox
9.00 (2) Takashi Saito, Braves
10.13 (18 2/3) James McDonald, Pirates
McDonald has allowed 16 earned runs in his past eight innings. Penny threw seven innings of one-hit, shutout ball today to lower his ERA to 6.35 and beat Jackson, who allowed seven runs.
Since Wednesday’s big news, there’s a guy I’ve been wanting to extend an online handshake to. Rob McMillin and I communicated extensively during the run-up to the McCourt purchase of the Dodgers in late 2003-early 2004 – the saga was a big reason why he founded 6-4-2, one of Southern California’s earliest baseball blogs. At the time, I think we felt like proverbial voices in the wilderness in our suspicion of the worthiness of McCourt.
So much has happened since then, but I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed our back-and-forth and the friendship that came from it.
Juan Uribe went 3 for 4 with four RBI; Matt Kemp struck out three times and was caught stealing. Yes, 2011 Dodger history is being rewritten as we speak.
A 6-1 Dodger victory, also powered by Andre Ethier’s single, double and home run and Jon Garland’s 108-pitch complete game, makes for a nice bookmark.
Marking an extraordinary and unprecedented moment in the history of the Dodgers, the office of Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has announced he will appoint a representative to take over day-to-day operations of the franchise. Frank McCourt seemingly has had the keys to the kingdom taken away, with Dodger employees answering to a representative of the commissioner to be named soon.
I’ll have a longer reaction to this tonight on Dodger Thoughts, but here’s my initial thought: I remember when President Nixon had to announce his resignation, and on a personal level, this feels no less momentous.
Full story here. Updates to come on ESPNLA.com.
Well, here it is.
I suppose it isn’t my place to be the official historian of how and when the criticisms of Jonathan Broxton began, but I feel I’m on safe ground saying that they were born in anger over his failure to close some high-profile games, most notably in the 2008 National League Championship Series and then again in 2009.
In a stretch that extended into June 2010, the flames were lit every time Broxton disappointed in what was labeled a “high-profile” game, though there were games just as prominent in which Broxton breezed, as well an overwhelming record of success in other games. From 2006 through the first half of 2010, Broxton had nearly 12 strikeouts per nine innings, more strikeouts than baseunners allowed. He blew people away, time and again, in critically important moments.
I really think it’s important to be clear about this. For the longest time, the concern that Broxton’s detractors had was not that he couldn’t get anyone out, but just that he wouldn’t get the job done in October. The explanation offered the most was that he didn’t have the backbone, guts or other relevant body part to succeed under pressure.
I never bought into that argument, because I saw Broxton succeed too many times under pressure – including in the playoffs – to see a pattern, and that given another opportunity, there were more reasons to believe he would succeed than there were that he’d fail. Many more reasons. Baseball history is filled with onetime October failures who found redemption.
Would you have abandoned Mariano Rivera after Game 7 in 2001? Would you have abandoned Dennis Eckersley after Game 1 in 1988? Would you have stood by him just because he had a tough-looking mustache?
The stats did tell the story. Broxton dominated. He wasn’t perfect. He was merely superb.
The problems of Jonathan Broxton today are different problems entirely.
Broxton is having trouble getting people out, period. He has retired the side in order once in eight outings. He has allowed 13 base runners in 7 1/3 innings while striking out five. He’s being touched not just in save situations but in non-save situations. He’s allowing runs not in playoff games in October, but mid-week games in April.
It’s a continuation of the way he has pitched since late-June, after the 48-pitch nightmare against the Yankees at the end of a week of heavy use, when his touch abandoned him.
The anti-Broxton corps is feeling validated, on the theory, I guess, that the confidence problems they perceived early on have spread to his entire game. (There’s also a theory that Broxton’s repertoire was so simplistic that it was inevitable he’d be solved by opposing batters, though this seems to ignore that Rivera has essentially been throwing the same single pitch for about a decade and a half.)
I won’t be so arrogant that I’ll insist they’re wrong, but I will offer what I still believe to be a more logical explanation: relief pitchers, like NFL running backs, have inherently short shelf lives – I’ve been providing analysis of this for nearly the entire life of Dodger Thoughts – and Broxton is looking more like someone who is simply having the arc of a reliever. It’s the job.
I’m still not even convinced this is the end for Broxton as a topflight reliever – it’s still April. Are we giving up on Kenley Jansen, who has had an even worse month?
But perhaps it Broxton’s time. That being said, whether he’s the closer or a middle reliever isn’t relevant. If you don’t believe the guy can get three outs with a four-run lead, you’re basically saying you don’t believe in him, period.
There is one thing I will insist on, however. For nearly five seasons – an eternity for most relievers, longer than, for example, the elite tenures of Eric Gagne or Takashi Saito as Dodgers – Jonathan Broxton was a great, great relief pitcher. The NLCS losses were crushing – indeed, for many they were poisonous – but he’s hardly the first great hurler who has pitches he’d like to get back. He has truly been one of the best relief pitchers in Los Angeles Dodger history, whether his best days are over or not.
Sixteen Dodger games into the torrid start that made him an early season Most Valuable Player candidate in 2010, Andre Ethier had a .377 batting average, .441 on-base percentage and .679 slugging percentage.
This season, after 16 Dodger games, Matt Kemp has a .474 batting average, .545 on-base percentage and .719 slugging percentage.
Kemp has reached base at least three times in half of his 16 games. He could go hitless in his next 53 at-bats and still be ahead of his 2010 batting average.
“They pitched to the one guy who could beat them,” said Vin Scully of the Cardinals in the bottom of the ninth, “and he does.”
What happens when three old friends in crisis fall into an unexpected love triangle? In The Catch, Maya, Henry and Daniel embark upon an emotional journey that forces them to confront unresolved pain, present-day traumas and powerful desires, leading them to question the very meaning of love and fulfillment. The Catch tells a tale of ordinary people seeking the extraordinary – or, if that’s asking too much, some damn peace of mind.
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