Back In It...

Been a couple of weeks since I've had a chance to post anything. Sorry for the long layoff.

Been a good couple of weeks for the Blue. They officially signed David Wells (and dumped Brett Tomko - since picked up by the Padres) who's had two effective starts so far (he is now serving his suspension he received while he was with San Diego and Eric Stults took his spot in the rotation last night). The team also picked up Esteban Loaiza off waivers from Oakland, and he had a very good start on Monday against the Cubs in his first start . Loaiza is signed through next season so this could be a bargain pick-up and he should ultimately help them next year, as well, provided he's healthy.

Minus two rough weekends (one in New York, and one in San Diego) where they lost two out of three, the Dodgers have been rolling and have picked up as much as 4.5 games in the standings in both the division and Wild Card races. They are currently three games back in the Wild Card, tied with Philly (great finish yesterday against Atlanta if you didn't see or hear about it), and four games back of Arizona in the division, three back of San Diego.

Grady still insists, even this time of year when every game is bigger than the one before with less than a month left, on giving certain guys days off and playing certain guys who really shouldn't be playing at all. Still not sure how Gonzo still finds his way into the lineup every other day. And I'm beyond disgusted with Juan Pierre's play in centerfield, even moreso because he doesn't even come close to making it up with his offense. The guy still hits far too many balls in the air. And the bone-headed base-running plays have got to stop. This team runs out of so many innings it's almost laughable. I don't mind the aggressiveness on the bases but I hate guys who don't make fundamental judgments. And because he's only 22 and hitting around .345 over the last few weeks hitting in the three-slot in the lineup, Matt Kemp gets a slight reprieve from all of this even though he's the one making more mistakes on the base paths than anyone else.

Anyway, enough ranting. The team has won 13 of its last 20 and the offense has found its groove again. The pitching has been even better, on most nights. That said, getaway day at the Friendly Confines today as the Dodgers look to take three of four in the series and five of seven overall against the Cubbies. Lineup is posted already on Inside the Dodgers. No Kent (day off) but Gonzo is in there as the clean-up hitter (why?) and Martin's back after a day-off last night and a precautionary MRI on his knee. Enjoy the game Game time is in 90 minutes on FSN Prime Ticket with Vin!

What A Difference...

A week makes. Still no winning streak of more than three games, but only two losses (one being the 14-inning affair last Saturday against the Rockies that saw them erase a 4-1 deficit in the 7th and 8th innings) since last Tuesday's bizarre ending. And despite the Dodgers insistence of still giving Gonzo regular playing time (more on this in a minute) despite his poor second half, and despite Kemp and Ethier's hot hitting of late, the offense has regained its groove. The pitching, minus Brett Tomko's start on Tuesday, has been brilliant in the last week. But could that have been his last start? He is scheduled to go Sunday, but that could change by tomorrow.

A follow-up to a Buster Olney of ESPN.com report I mentioned a week ago, according to the Newark Star-Ledger (via MLBTradeRumors.com and Rotoworld.com), David Wells might be close to signing with the Dodgers for the remainder of the season. If the deal gets done by tomorrow, he could start Sunday's game in NY at Shea against the Mets. At this point, I figure almost anyone might be a better option than Tomko.

Ok, back to Gonzo. For those who know me, I've been very skeptical of the Dodgers signings this past off-season since they happened, especially Gonzo's (mostly because they had already inked Juan Pierre to his ridiculous five-year deal). Now, I like the guy, and he's been a solid ballplayer for many years (and he showed some of this in the first half of the season, silencing me during that time), but there really is no excuse for him getting any regular playing time these days. Rotoworld had this to say abut Gonzo a couple hours ago, and I can't help but agree with it:

Gonzalez is batting just .224 with one homer in 107 at-bats since the All-Star break. He's even stopped walking, with just five base on balls in the second half after he had 41 in 293 at-bats before the break. Especially after factoring in defense, the Dodgers would seem to be quite a bit better off with both Ethier and Kemp playing regularly right now. Blame Grady Little for continuing to sign play Gonzalez, but also blame GM Ned Colletti, who gave the 39-year-old a $7.35 million contract when there was very little upside to the move. Plus, Colletti had to know Little would stick with him far too long if he wasn't any good.

I'll leave it at that for now.

Anyway... nice effort the last two games in Philly. D-Lowe and Billingsley finally each found the win column again, but it was more than just run support. They both pitched solid games last night and today, respectively. They both looked like they finally found their groove again. D-Lowe had been struggling since his hip injury a month ago, and while Billingsley had been pitching solidly even before today, it was good to seem him finally get some run support for a win. The Dodgers touched the dish 20 times (15 last night) in these two games, and hopefully they can carry this combo of timely hitting and solid, effective, consistent pitching into this weekend's showdown at Shea as they continue their push back into a playoff spot.

Still no home runs for Bonds. Still stuck on 754. Hendrickson did a great job last night keep him off balance, and keeping the game close. After losing the first game, Dodgers finally became the first home team to win a game between the two teams this year. Thanks to Furcal and Pierre for the win. They both had clutch bunt hits that made it all the way to Omar Vizquel at shortstop, and Omar's throw to get Pierre was late and got away from Aurilia at first, allowing Furcal to get to third. Pierre then stole second, and after Martin popped out, Gonzo sliced a hit inside third that scored both Furcal and Pierre to tie the game. Then Nomar put it away with his 5th home run of the year. Saito got the side out in order and the Dodgers walked away with a win. Proctor came in and made his Dodger debut (he never played for them before he was traded four years ago to the Yanks in the Robin Ventura deal). He made one pitch and Martin threw out a runner trying to steal second to end the seventh. A slow paced game that turned into a fun game to watch.

Meanwhile, great game in San Diego, too. Chris Young stole a grand slam away from the Padres with a web gem in the middle of the game. Then, up 5-1 in the bottom of the ninth with Jose Valverde on the hill, the Padres rallied for four runs capped off by a Milton Bradley home run. Game went to extras and Arizona scored four in the 11th capped off by a Chad Tracy three-run pinch-hit home run. Arizona won to remain one game up on the Dodgers in the NL West, but the Dodger remain even in the loss column.

Finale tonight between Dodgers and Giants. Zito vs. Tomko. Could be a slugfest with those two going. No official word on whether Bonds is playing or not, but Giants manager Bochy suggested last night if Bonds is feeling good, he'll be in there. We shall see. ESPN is picking up the game again, but hopefully I'll be lucky enough to be able to catch Vin Scully on FSN Prime tonight. (I was lucky enough to get stuck with Chris Berman and Joe Morgan, or Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow on the Giants broadcast on Extra Innings since the game was carried by KCAL in L.A.)

Weekly Recap

Well, I was going to wait until I had my photos uploaded from my digital camera from my trip to Houston before I posted here again, but I got lazy, and lots has happened since Sunday.

Trip to Houston was fun. Saw two of the three games: the 10-2 Dodger win on Monday, and the 2-1 loss on Wednesday. Billingsley pitched a hell of a game on Monday, coming one out shy of a complete game shut-out, instead settling on just the complete game. Kent had a great game at the plate, going 4-for-4. He finished the three games going 7-for-11. Not too shabby. He hit a monstrous home run in Wednesday's game about 415-feet off the window panels in left field just to the left of the Citgo sign in Minute Maid Park. But Carlos Lee topped it with a shot just as big (it was the game winner) off the window panels on the other side of the Citgo sign in left-center field.

Should also add that Minute Maid Park, despite its laughable name, is really one of the nicer ballparks I've been to. It's clean, the food is good, the people are nice, and the atmosphere is great. It's easy to get into and out of, at least the parking lot we parked in. The park is situated in Downtown Houston near the convention center and Toyota Center (where the Rockets play). Very accessible from anywhere in the city. Anyway, nice venue.

I've never really been much of a fan of the DH-rule, but it got me thinking a little this week because of the two scares the Dodgers got this week from D-Lowe and Penny. Can't blame Grady for using Lowe in last Sunday's game for inning since he was schedule to throw that day anyway between starts. The pen had seriously needed a break at that point, and Lowe was willing to help the team for an inning. But apparently, Lowe tweaked something in his hip area, and aggravated it on a laughable play in Houston on Wednesday night. He was already hurting a little every time he planted his foot in his follow-through after each pitch. But I could really see the expression in his face after he got a hit to right field in the sixth inning Wednesday and was promptly thrown out by the right-fielder before he reached base. He seemed to really over-exert himself trying to avoid the embarrassment by trying to leg out the hit. Instead, he made one pitch to start the bottom of the sixth and couldn't go any further. His MRI on Thursday showed some irritation in his hip, so he might miss only one start, if any at all.

As for Penny, his scare on Thursday in Colorado was a simple abdominal cramp. He suffered the injury legging out an infield hit in the sixth inning of that game. He is not expected to miss his next start. But, am I the only noticing a trend here? Fortunately, for the Dodgers, these injuries don't appear to be serious, but they can't really afford any more injuries to their starters, especially during their at-bats when they're reaching the late innings and pitching solid games. Wolf is still not ready to return, and Schmidt is done for the season. You can bet, and hope, that Colletti is looking to bolster the rotation a little bit because this team can not afford to go forward with Hendrickson and Tomko in the rotation.

Speaking of bolstering the rotation, trade deadline is Tuesday at 1pm PDT. As of right now, it would appear the Dodgers are still in the mix for Octavio Dotel from Kansas City. Speculation is they are still dangling James Loney for Mark Teixeira from Texas (Why? I don't know), but they are considered to be a long-shot wild card for him anyway. They have not been tied to any of possible starting pitchers who are rumored to be available, but if Jon Garland, Aaron Harang or Bronson Arroyo are available, they should be talking to the White Sox or Cincinnati. Other pitchers who could be options are Shawn Chacon, Jose Contreras, Kyle Lohse or Kevin Millwood (but he has a huge contract still).

Several trades have already gone down since yesterday: Kenny Lofton was traded from Texas to Cleveland (his third stint there in his career) for a minor league catcher; Tadahito Iguchi was traded from the White Sox to Philadelphia for a minor league pitcher; Padres picked up Scott Hairston from Arizona for a minor league pitcher; Tampa Bay and Milwaukee swapped Seth McClung and Grant Balfour; and Cincinnati has reportedly picked up Jorge Cantu from Tampa Bay for two players.

Last night's game was obviously rained out, and will be made up sometime in September when the Dodgers are back in Denver. Last night's scheduled starters were set to go tonight, but Colorado bumped Josh Fogg, so Jeff Francis will opposed Tomko. No Gonzo tonight, so both Kemp and Ethier are starting. Tonight's line-up has not been posted anywhere yet. More storms forecasted for the Denver area so hopefully they can get the game in without any interruptions. Enjoy the game... game time is 5:05 PT!

Last Night... and Today

I don't think I can be anymore clear about this when I say I'm still irritated by last night's game. Brett Tomko did a wonderful job of keeping the Mets at bay through six innings, giving the Dodgers a chance to win the game. Joe Beimel did his job in the 7th inning. Then 40-something year old Roberto Hernandez, who had been ineffective in the majors for who-knows-how-long that no one wanted him anymore except for Ned Colletti and the Dodgers, came in and all hell broke loose. I'm really beginning to think the Dodgers are doing whatever they can to lose games rather than win them. Last night was a perfect example. There is no excuse for Hernandez to not only be on ANY major league roster, but to even be EMPLOYED by one. I'm still sick to my stomach over this...

Anyway, today's game is on FOX, and while it will be shown in most of the country, I won't be able to watch it here in Dallas (we've been blessed with the White Sox/Red Sox match-up). Today's line-up has been posted on Inside the Dodgers and it's good to not see Nomar in the line-up for a change. While he managed to hit his third home run last night, something is beyond wrong with him these days. He just isn't the same hitter he once was. Saw a stat last night while watching the game on Extra Innings (we had the Mets feed last night) that just blew my mind: Nomar's OPS this year is 200 points BELOW his career average. Just sad.

Couple of non-Dodger items, sort of, I wanted to mention. Caught part of the White Sox/Red Sox game last night. J.D. Drew hit what appeared to be a 3-run home run in the first inning over the Green Monster at Fenway off White Sox pitcher Jose Contreras. The ball appeared to just barely clear the wall and ricochet back onto the field. The third base umpire, Tim McClelland, one of the best in the game, ruled the ball in play. Manny Ramirez, the runner at first base, circled the bases thinking it was a home run, but was tagged out at home plate for the last out, thus ending the inning. After a dispute and an argument from Red Sox manager Terry Francona, the umpires convened, and the play stood as it was called. Francona then began to argue again and was tossed from the game. Replays clearly showed it was a home run. The Red Sox and Drew got hosed on the play, but they ended up winning anyway.

Finally, want a good laugh? This story out of Florida regarding Marlins pitcher Scott Olsen is one for the ages. Enjoy!