Follow-Up

It's been about a week since my last post and a LOT has transpired during that time. I haven't had much time in the last week to sit down and blog, and at the moment, I don't have the time to go in depth with my thoughts on the whole Grady Little and Joe Torre situations. I promise, though, when I have a few extra minutes, perhaps this weekend when hopefully we'll know more, I'll comment a little more on Grady's decision to leave, and his likely replacement, Torre. In the meantime, for all the best, most accurate and latest updates, be sure to check out some of the Dodger blogs, including Inside the Dodgers, the L.A. Times and the Daily News (links in column to the left), as well as the Rotoworld player news module below them!

A Month Later...

Well it's been a month since I've had a chance to post anything, and we all know what's happened since. Dodgers got swept in Colorado, part of what has started an incredible run by the Rockies that has seen them win 21 of their last 22 games going back to Sunday before they swept the Dodgers, and earn themselves a berth in the World Series. And I must add, it has been a lot of fun watching the Rockies.

Back to the Dodgers. They went on an ugly tailspin that saw them finish 8 games out of first place and in 4th place overall in the standings. They barely finished better than .500 (the NL West is the only division in the Wild Card era to have four teams finish with better than .500 records). So now we move on to 2008...

Several players have already been cut loose: Shea Hillenbrand, Roberto Hernandez and Olmedo Saenz. Manager Grady Little will return as the manager next year despite the fact Joe Torre is suddenly available. Luis Gonzalez, Randy Wolf and Mike Lieberthal are unofficially a free agents (the filing period begins after the World Series). Gonzo is all but gone, and Lieberthal will probably return for another year as Russell Martin's primary back-up, but still no word on what they might do with Wolf. Jeff Kent's contract has become guaranteed for 2008 based on him reaching 550 plate appearances this year. But there is growing speculation in light of the clubhouse turmoil and differences between the veteran players and younger players towards the end of the season that Kent may not come back for another year.

The Dodgers have a lot of questions as they head into the off-season. Who's going to be the everyday third baseman next season? Will they pursue Alex Rodriguez should he opt of his contract with the Yankees? (Personally, I say, if he does, break the bank on him if you must!) Can Kent co-exist with Matt Kemp and James Loney should he elect to to return for his final year? Will they trade some of the young players for an established big bat in the middle of the lineup, say, of the Miguel Cabrera variety? Will Jason Schmidt be healthy enough to contribute every 5th game? Who will fill the 4th and 5th spots in the rotation? Will they move Juan Pierre to left field so they can pursue one of the better offensive and defensive free agent center-fielders on the this year's free agent market, i.e., Andruw Jones or Torii Hunter?

As the off-season kicks into high gear after the World Series, we should start to see some of these questions answered. Stay tuned after the World Series for more frequent updates and comments.

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.

It's Been Awhile...

I've been busy the last two weeks studying for my insurance license here in the state of Texas, so my apologies for not having posted anything in 12 days. I'm going to try to keep this as short as possible for the time being, as well, for that reason.

I have been keeping up with what has happened to the team and I must say it doesn't surprise me in the least bit. Some of the holes and flaws in the lineup were obvious to me in Spring Training, and they were able to play through them and get away with them for three or four months. But it was only a matter of time before it finally all caught up to them.

The team has plummeted from a first place tie to fourth place, 6.5 games out, in a matter of less than three weeks. The offense is in shambles. Andre Ethier is the only guy hitting when it matters most. Matt Kemp went on a little lull at the end of July and hasn't been in the lineup much, since Grady pulled him. I'm still baffled by Grady's use of Gonzo over him, especially hitting him in the clean-up spot when Kent gets a day off. Gonzo's had just three extra base hits in almost six weeks. The team is in a 3-for-72 slide (or something to that affect) with RISP. The lineup looks a lit better now than it did say, a month ago. Pierre has been dropped to seventh. Martin bumped up to second, Loney to third. But still, no one is hitting when it matters most.

Was listening to Kevin Kennedy and Rob Dibble on XM the past two days, and I've never heard Kevin as defiant and animated as he was in tearing the team to shreds for what has happened over the last few weeks. There were several points he made. First, he questioned some of Colletti's off-season moves as they have now come back to haunt the team. He also ripped Pierre to shreds for the kind of at-bats he's had all year: swinging at first pitches constantly, hitting the ball in the air too much, not hitting the ball on the ground enough, not bunting when he should, defensive lapses in the field. He criticized Grady for not playing Kemp enough, even after he had his little slump again. Instead of giving him a day off to clear his mind, Kemp's been sitting much of the three weeks. He chastised Grady for throwing Hendrickson back into the rotation, and continuing to use Tomko, when he should have gone to Colletti and suggested bringing up Hull, Stults or Houlton and giving them a shot. Today he made a point of saying they weren't out of it yet, but it's too late in the season to think about making up one game a week in the standings. They need to make up half the deficit NOW. They all need to stop trying to do it all themselves individually, and just PLAY!

They didn't get off to a great start on the home stand last night. They need these next three games against Houston before the Rockies come to town Friday night for the weekend.

I'm sure everyone is fully aware by now of the recent acquisitions since the non-waiver trade deadline passed. Since then, the Dodgers traded for pinch-hitting specialist Mark Sweeney from the rival Giants (first trade between the two teams since 1985, and it certainly helped that Colletti was the Giants' GM's right-hand man before coming to L.A., and the fact the Giants are buried in last place in the NL West), signed Shea Hillenbrand to a minor league deal and assigned him to Vegas, and acquired catcher Chad Moeller from Cincinnati and assigned him, too, to Vegas.

Couple of roster moves and notes... Nomar has been put on the 15-day DL with a strained left calf. Eric Hull has been recalled to take Nomar's spot on the roster. Hillendbrand, who was brought up yesterday when they sent Delwyn Young back down, will start in Nomar's place tonight. Schmidt was moved from the 15-day to the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man roster for Hillendbrand. Speculation, as well, that LaRoche will be called back up on Friday, and rumors persist the Dodgers are showing interest in White Sox pitcher Jose Contreras. Contreras was told he was starting Friday, and then depending how he does, could end up in the pen thereafter. Contreras has told the Sox that he wants to be traded if he isn't going to be a starter there next season. Stay tuned. Contreras could be traded before the end of the month as he has cleared waivers.

Betemit Traded to Yanks

UPDATE (6:51 pm CDT): Now official. Winner here? Pick 'em. Dodgers needed to upgrade their pitching somehow and hopefully this will persuade Grady to stop using Roberto Hernandez, or use him less. Proctor's had a decent season (2-5, ERA around 3.80, ERA+ at 113) and it should only improve slightly in the N.L. Proctor should help the Dodgers at least for 2007. He's arbitration eligible for the first time after this season, so barring any health concerns due to work overload, he should be a nice addition for the long haul. Betemit was being seldomly used, and the Dodgers are obviously looking to Andy LaRoche to eventually take over at third for Nomar.

The talks between the Dodgers and A's for Joe Blanton broke down at some point last night but were rekindled this afternoon prior to the deadline. The Dodgers apparently made an offer of LaRoche, minor league shortstop Hu, and Jon Meloan for Blanton, but Oakland GM Billy Beane apparently felt Meloan wasn't close enough to Major League ready, or he felt he wasn't getting enough for Blanton. Or there just simply wasn't enough time to try to mix and match and get the right players for Oakland.

Personally I would have loved to had seen the Dodgers make a statement that they were serious about improving the rotation and serious about winning not only this year, but for years to come, as Blanton is in the same boat as Proctor contract-wise, but they apparently figured it was either Garland, Blanton or nothing. I just hope Penny and D-Lowe are healthy enough to continue their solid seasons without further aggravating their injuries, because after Billingsley, the rotation is very beatable. Who knows when Wolf will be back, too.

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ESPNEWS is reporting the rumored deal to send Wilson Betemit to the Yankees for Scott Proctor has been agreed to in principle. More to come...

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!

Massacre at the Ravine

Well, that was quick. Five-game winning streak? Down the tubes. And talk about an ass-beating of all sorts, Mark Hendrickson was just dreadful last night, and the offense was even worse. The pitching staff gave up an L.A. Dodger-record 26 hits in last night's embarassment. How bad was it? Here's Rotoworld's take on it:

"Just as disgusting as the Dodgers' pitching performance in the 15-3 loss was the fact that they couldn't do anything at all against (J.D.) Durbin, who entered with a 13.50 ERA and nine walks in 10 innings this season. The Dodgers never even tried waiting him out and got exactly what they deserved. The "Real Deal" ended up collecting half as many hits (three) at the plate as he allowed on the mound (six)."

Meanwhile, Grady Little was at it again. While Russell Martin got a well-deserved day off before today's game, Grady continues to insert Nomar ahead of Matt Kemp in the line-up. While I like Nomar as a person, he's just not the same hitter he once was, and he's more likely to do more damage to the offense hitting 5th or 6th than he would hitting 7th.

On the bright side, the Padres lost to "El Duque" and the Mets 7-0, so the Dodgers retain first place in the West by one game. Milwaukee beat Arizona meaning the Brewers and Dodgers both have 53 wins, tied for most in the N.L., but the Brewers have one fewer loss, therefore have the best winning pct.

For You Dodger Fans Tired of Colletti

Originally posted on my MySpace blog, May 23, 2007:

This was posted this morning on ESPN.com's Rob Neyer's blog...

Entering last night's game against Milwaukee, Dodgers third basemen had combined to bat .188 with one home run, which helps explain why they've called up rookie Tony Abreu.

When asked specifically about Abreu, Dodgers manager Grady Little explained the motive for the move:

"To get another hot hitter in the lineup. We're looking for somebody who's going to get hot. He's earned the right to get an opportunity right now.

"The kid brings life, he brings energy, he brings productivity."

Well, at least we can quantify one of those things. Abreu certainly has been productive this spring. In spring training, he batted .340 with three homers in 23 games. Abreu opened the season with Las Vegas, and he's batted .347 with two homers in 39 games. That's impressive. But it's only a couple of months. And Abreu, though his youth and his performance make him a legitimate prospect, wasn't all that good last year in Double-A.

Meanwhile, rookie Andy LaRoche entered this season as the Dodgers' No. 1 prospect. Promoted from Triple-A Las Vegas earlier this month, he's batting just .241 with no homers. But, on the other hand, he's walked 13 times in 11 games, and scored eight runs. Granted, LaRoche has sometimes batted No. 8 in the lineup, and No. 8 hitters get a walks "bonus" because the pitcher is often due up next. But as Jon Weisman notes, it's not all about lineup position. LaRoche's walks are "something legitimate to tout."

The Dodgers don't seem all that impressed, though; Abreu started at third base last night. He and LaRoche both bat right-handed, so there's not a platoon there. And now it seems likely that neither will play often enough to get into a groove, which seems all the worse when you consider that both are just beginning to establish themselves as major leaguers.

The Dodgers do have a big lineup problem. They've got three everyday players -- Andre Ethier, Nomar Garciaparra and Juan Pierre -- who are not hitting, and it's certainly possible that they'll continue not hitting. I just don't know how replacing a Grade A prospect (LaRoche) with a Grade B prospect (Abreu) is going to solve that problem.