Week Recap: 08/03/09 - 08/09/09

Whew. That was not a good week. Let's take a look at it.

The Dodgers started the week splitting two with the Brewers, before losing the third game, and the series.

They came back to win the first game in the series against Atlanta, in walk-off fashion. Then, they proceeded to lose the next three, and the series.

The Dodgers went 2-5 on the week.

Wow, we're already to Round 15 of HOT, COLD, or ROOM TEMPERATURE. Time is just flying by.

COLD:

• Guillermo Mota - 0-1 (4 games), 9.00 ERA (4 ER in 4.0 IP), 5 H, 3 BBs, 3 Ks - Is this it?! Is this the meltdown?! I knew it was coming!!! Ok, I'll calm down. I'm not saying Mota is regressing. I'm just upset that I was finally starting to trust him, and now he's gone and abused my trust. Still, it was a bad week, and I'm willing to forgive. I just need an performace upgrade from Mota.

• Ramon Troncoso - 0-1 (4 games), 27.00 ERA (6 ER in 2.0 IP), 5 H, 1 BB, 1 K - Hey, guess who else had a bad week? Yeah, Troncoso got lit up this week. You have to wonder if this is a sign that possibly Troncoso has already been used too much this year.

• James Loney - .125 (3-24), 1 2B, 2 RBIs, 4 BBs, 7 Ks - Loney didn't hit this week. There you have it. Ok, let me rephrase. Loney hasn't hit since Wednesday. 0 for his last 13. 1 for his last 20. Those are just some ugly, ugly numbers.

• Jason Schmidt - 0-1 (1 start), Bad. - Schmidt is gone, almost as fast as he came. On the DL with bad.

ROOM TEMPERATURE:

• Andre Ethier - .241 (7-29), 2 2Bs, 1 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBIs, 5 BBs, 5 Ks - Ethier has certainly slowed down. That's not to say he's come to a halt. Despite the .241 batting average, he still had an OPS of .854. Plus, 6 RBIs on 7 hits? He's getting the hits when they count. That includes getting the big three run, game winning homerun in the first game against Atlanta, which eventually turned out the be the only way we avoided a four game sweep against Atlanta.

• Manny Ramírez - .320 (8-25), 3 2Bs, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 2 BBs, 7 Ks - Sure, .320 doesn't look to bad, but it's all in context. Manny had three good games this week, and three bad games. And in between it all, he managed to leave 14 runners on base during the week, so the 4 RBIs does seem kinda weak in comparison.

• Clayton Kershaw - 0-1 (2 starts), 2.45 ERA (3 ER in 11.0 IP), 7 BBs, 16 Ks - Again, all in context. Kershaw had a bad start this week, only going 4.0 IP, while giving up three runs on four hits and SIX walks. He did rebound, however, and go seven scoreless innings against Atlanta, walking one, and striking out 10. I've explained this before, but just to remind you: Good start + Bad start = Room Temperature week.

HOT:

• James McDonald - 0-0 (3 games), 0.00 ERA (6.1 IP), 4 Ks - A nice week for McDonald, which is good because he hasn't had a lot of those this year. Also nice: He hasn't surrendered a run in his last 9.1 IP.

• Casey Blake - .375 (9-24), 3 2Bs, 1 HR, 6 RBIs, 3 BBs, 1 SB, 1.054 OPS - The real reason Prince Fielder charged the Dodger clubhouse? Casey Blake slapped him across the face with a white glove and challenged him to a knife fight. Fielder would get a knife. Blake would use his hands. This all happened because Blake felt Fielder gave him a weird look after Blake drew a 6th inning walk, and that is something that you do not do. Casey Blake is... the most interesting 3rd Baseman in the World.

That's how bad a week it was, only two people in the HOT column. This week is a big one for us. Three games in San Francisco against the Giants, who now find themselves 5.5 games back in the division. A series win would be a nice showing. A sweep? That would be a Casey Blake white glove slap to the face.

Who's ready for a knife fight?

Week Recap: 07/27/09 - 08/02/09

Hello again. It's Monday, time for a week recap, so let's do it.

The Dodgers started out the week in a weak fashion, losing their first three games in St. Louis, and losing three games and four games in a row for the first time this season. They did avoid a sweep though, by beating the Cardinals in the 4th game of the series. They have yet to be swept this season.

They followed up the St. Louis series by taking two games out of three in Atlanta to go 3-4 on the week.

And with that, let's do Round 14 of HOT, COLD, or ROOM TEMPERATURE:

COLD:

• Brent Leach - 0-0 (2 games), an ERA of infinity (4 ER), and a demotion - Nothing could go right for Leach this week. He made two appearances in the St. Louis series, both times failing to record an out, both times surrendering at least a run. And, to make matters worse for him, he was sent to AAA. He'd obviously been struggling (an ERA of 31.50 in his last 7 games, or 2.0 IP). Hopefully, he can straighten out whatever problems he's having down there.

• Manny Ramírez - .172 (5-29), 2 2Bs, 5 BBs, 9 Ks - It's been a pretty bad week for Manny. In fact, since the Manny-Slammy (or rather, the Cincinnati series in which he was struck in the hand), Manny has been hitting .162 (with a .495 OPS). It makes you wonder if that hand might be affecting him more than he's letting on.

ROOM TEMPERATURE:

• Chad Billingsley - 1-1 (2 starts), 5.06 ERA (6 ER in 10.2 IP), 7 BBs, 14 Ks - Another up and down week for Billingsley. His first start in St. Louis: 5.2 IP, 6 ER, though, in fairness, he was doing really well until the 6th. Things started looking up for Chad in his next start in Atlanta: 5.0 IP, 0 ER. That was until he had to leave early due to a cramp in his hamstring. It doesn't seem to be too bad, it just sucks for Chad, who was kinda on a roll in the Atlanta game.

HOT:

• Rafael Furcal - .333 (11-33), 1 2B, 4 RBIs, 2 BBs, 1 SB - Furcal had a nice week. I'm not sure he's ever going to fully turn it on this season and hit like he was at the beginning of 2008, but if he continues to have nice weeks like this, it'll definitely help.

• Jason Schmidt - 1-0 (1 start), 0.00 ERA (0 ER in 6.0 IP), 5 BBs, 3 Ks - What? What?! We got a productive start out of Jason Schmidt? WHAT??! Yeah. He probably surrendered too many walks, sure, but he shut down the Braves for six innings and gave his team the chance to win. That's really all that we can ask. But wow... a productive start... from Jason Schmidt?! Who'd have thunk it?

• Casey Blake - .440 (11-25), 2 2Bs, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 2 BBs, 4 runs - I'm glad Blake had a good week so I can bring back his most interesting facts. Casey Blake once traded his General Manager at the trade deadline... and got the other team to surrender $2 million in cash considerations. Casey Blake is... the most interesting 3rd baseman in the World.

• Andre Ethier - .300 (9-30), 2 2Bs, 2 HR, 5 RBIs, 5 BBs, 4 Ks, 1 SB - Another good week for Ethier. Still collecting hits, still driving in runs, and walking more than striking out. Nice.

• Clayton Kershaw - 0-0 (1 start), 0.00 ERA (0 ER in 8.0 IP), 7 Ks - Unfortunate for Kershaw that he didn't pick up the win in his start this week, because he totally deserved it. He shut down the Cardinals in the longest start of his career. July was a good month in general for Kershaw. He went 3-0 in six starts with a 0.71 ERA. He struck out 34 in 38.0 IP. Just three earned runs. In the entire month! Very nice work.

Speaking of Kershaw, he's goes tonight against the Brewers. After what was probably the toughest road trip for the Dodgers this season, they're home this week to take on the Brewers for three, and the Braves (again?) for four.

Then, on to San Francisco. But that's for another week recap. See you then.

Week Recap: 07/16/09 - 07/26/09

Hey everybody. Welcome back. I've been on a little extended break, and I figured doing a week recap on just the four game series against the Astros might not be entirely worth it. So I'm back for a Week (and a half) Recap.

Let's do it.

The Dodgers split their first four games out of the All-Star break, losing the first two to the Astros before coming back to win the next two games. They followed that up by beating down the Cincinnati Reds in a three game series. Finally, they finished off the homestand on a particularly weak note, losing two out of three games to the Florida Marlins.

The Dodgers went 6-4 over that span.

And now, we shall take a look back at the people who made a difference this last week, be it good or bad. It's Round 13 of HOT, COLD, or ROOM TEMPERATURE:

COLD:

• Juan Pierre - .105 (2-19), 3 Ks, 1 GiDP, 0-1 SBs - I understand how it can be difficult to play periodically, coming off the bench to pinch hit or spot start. A lot of players have problems with that. But this is really bad. Not that it's surprising. Pierre has been fading for a little while now. He's got a .243 average in July.

• James McDonald - 0-1 (3 games), 10.12 ERA (3 ER in 2.2 IP), .333 BAA - Come on, James. It seems to me that the Dodgers are trying to showcase you, and you're responding by getting beaten up. How can we convince other teams that getting a package of you and Blake DeWitt is almost as good as anything they'll find on the market when neither of you are performing?

• Jason Schmidt - 1-1 (2 games), 7.88 ERA (7 ER in 8.0 IP), .323 BAA, 1.045 OPS against - I don't know if we were expecting anything more from Schmidt, but this is what we got. Maybe we should just be happy we got one semi-productive start from Schmidt and call it a career. My favorite stat from his two starts? Take it away Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports: "That’s two outings spent on the bat barrels for Schmidt, who in those starts has thrown 142 pitches and gotten exactly seven swings and misses." I'm not sure who that's more embarrassing for, Schmidt, or the unlucky few who missed a Schmidt pitch.

ROOM TEMPERATURE:

• Manny Ramírez - .250 (7-28), 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBIs, 8 Ks - Manny's not getting a lot of hits, but when he does, he's coming up big, with, of course, the highlight of all this being the Manny Slammy, or whatever the hell people are calling it. Still, the semi-slow start out of the All-Star break is a little disappointing.

• Chad Billingsley - 1-1 (2 starts), 9.39 ERA (8 ER in 7.2 IP), 7 Ks - You might question why I would not label a guy with an above 9.00 ERA as "COLD" but I do this because that ERA doesn't tell the whole story. His first start out of the All-Star break was horrific. 1.2 IP, 9 hits, 6 ER. His second start was worlds better. 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Ks. And that's how it happens. A "COLD" start and a "HOT" start equals a "ROOM TEMPERATURE" week.

HOT:

• Jonathan Broxton - 1-0, 3 SVs (5 games), 0.00 ERA (5 IP), 8 Ks - I just want to give Broxton some quick acknoledgment for bouncing back from his handful of awful outings. He hasn't been as dominant as he was earlier this year, but he has shut the door, and that's what counts.

• Clayton Kershaw - 1-0 (2 games), 1.38 ERA (2 ER in 13.0 IP), 11 Ks - Kershaw continues to make people who've suggested trading him look like idiots. He is putting it together in front of our eyes. If he figures out how to consistantly limit his walks so his pitch count stays down, he could become one of the best pitchers in the league, and soon.

• Orlando Hudson - .412 (14-34), 2 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 2 RBIs, 1.017 OPS - I like to see Hudson turning it around. He was slumping pretty bad going into the All-Star break, but in the second half so far, he's been back on his game.

• Claudio Vargas - 0-0 (5 games), 1.29 ERA (1 ER in 7.0 IP) - I got to give Vargas some credit. I didn't think much about this signing in the offseason. But he's appeared in seven games so far this season, and he's only given up one run. Whether or not he can keep this up is a different story, but for now, I'll enjoy the fact that he's contributing.

• Guillermo Mota - 0-0 (4 games), 0.00 ERA (7.0 IP) - Another good week for Mota. Do I trust him yet? No. I don't think I will until the season is over. But giving up just one earned run since May 22nd is definitely a good start.

• Andre Ethier - .485 (16-33), 5 2Bs, 2 HRs, 6 RBIs, 5 BBs, 1.371 OPS - It's good to see Ethier start hitting well again. Ethier really appears to be a streaky hitter. When he's down, he's really down. But when he turns it on, he's scary. And for his excellent hitting, he was awarded the National League Player-of-the-Week award for the second time this year.

Interesting week coming up. The trade deadline is coming up Friday. Meanwhile, the Dodgers take on the Cardinals in St. Louis for a four game set. The on to Atlanta for three games. That's a tough road trip. It would be a nice message to send to the rest of the league if we went over .500 this week.

Have We Found A Winner?

This race for the 5th starter is slowly starting to come to an end.

After already eliminating Jason Schmidt and Jeff Weaver as possible 5th starters earlier this Spring Training, Shawn Estes was eliminated early this week.

The big four contenders left were: Eric Stults, Claudio Vargas, Eric Milton, and James McDonald.

Stults (12.96 ERA in 8.1 innings) and Vargas (8.22 ERA in 15.1 innings) have had awful Springs so far. Stults has apparently had some bad personal issues off the field, but unfortunately, the fact remains, he's been really bad.

So it's really come down to Milton and McDonald. Well, both pitchers pitched today. Let's see how they did:

James McDonald - 3.0 innings, no runs, three strikeouts, lowered his ERA to 4.70. Not bad.

Ok, how 'bout Milton?

Eric Milton - 2.2 innings, six earned runs, raised his ERA to 7.27.

Wow Milton, you trying to catch Vargas there? This comes after Milton gave up eight runs (one earned) in his last appearance.

So were does that leave us?

Well, Pedro still hasn't signed anywhere. But other than that, it's starting to look more and more like we ought to turn it over to McDonald.

He's young, he's got some good stuff, and most importantly, he's our best option.

And I'm pretty comfortable with that.

Picture Day!

I was going to do a post today about Yhency Brazoban getting released, which in a way, negates my last post. I suggested that those players were good at one point, a year or two ago, so they could be helpful now. I guess the same could be said for Brazoban. Although his good year was 2004.

I was also going to talk about Josh Lindblom being promoted less than a year after being picked in the draft. I would've talked about his exciting potential and when he could possibly help out the club (probably not til 2010).

Anyway, I would have talked about these things had the Dodgers not taken new pictures for the 2009 season. Now, instead, I will make fun of the pictures. (P.S. MLB.com actually refers to these files as "mugshots," that seems about accurate.)

Let's start with the person who's probably taken the least amount of professional pictures, Clayton Kershaw:

"I'm just happy to be here."

Wow. If someone told him to take a picture so that he would look like a goofy, fresh faced, 21-year-old kid just breaking into the majors he couldn't have taken a better picture.

Now, I'd like to present the Mr. Personality Award to:

Jason Schmidt. Yay.

Someone told Rafael Furcal a dirty joke.

Is it weird that Guillermo Mota kinda frightens me with this picture? Is he snarling?

Danny Ardoin has a dirty little secret (He's hiding a body in the trunk of his car).

This is the look of a man who can't find a team that will take his contract and allow him to start. This is the look of a man who's on the fast track to being a 4th outfielder. This is the look of a man who didn't think he'd be taking this picture. It is the look of defeat.

Brian Mazone, a.k.a. the Lizard Man. I can't figure out where Brian Mazone's neck ends and Brian Mazone begins.

Edgar Martinez looks like he's about to pop.

"No, I'm not a coach! I'm going to be 35 in May! I can still pitch! I swear, I'm not 55! Why does everyone keep asking me that?" -Stephen Randolph

And... hold on a second... oh... my... God. Seriously?

What is Tanyon Sturtze still doing here? He's not retired? What the hell?!?

The Band Might Not Be Reuniting

To update from my last post, Duaner Sanchez signed a minor league deal with the Padres, so that's that.

Joe Beimel has received some offers and he's going to decide soon where to head. I'd like it to be us, but if not, there are some other options, so that's that.

And Pedro Martinez wants a real money contract. Somewhere in the millions. This one is a little tougher.

Normally, I'd say forget it, but the more I look at the situation regarding our 5th starter, the more I start to get worried.

Here's the list of our possible 5th starters and their Spring Training's so far:

1. Eric Milton - 5.40 ERA in 11.2 innings
2. Jason Schmidt - 6.75 ERA in 4.0 innings (though Torre has said he won't start the year in the rotation)
3. Claudio Vargas - 7.15 ERA in 11.1 innings
4. Shawn Estes - 9.00 ERA in 8.0 innings

That's not pretty. Scratch that, that's ugly. Very ugly. It's Esteban Loaiza ugly (I'm talking stats, not the man himself, he's actually quite attractive).Maybe not.

Anyway, point is, Martinez might actually be our best solution right now.

As it is, it's looking like we'd have to depend on a Milton or Vargas for the 5th starter spot. Ok, fine, I'd be willing to accept they'd only be pitching once, maybe twice a week. How much damage can they do? It's an unpleasant thought (kinda defeatist), but that'd be the facts. Fine, maybe we can get by like that.

However, should someone go down due to injury (which is likely over a long season), I definitely don't want to have to depend on more than one of the above candidates. Can you imagine Vargas and Milton starting three or four games a week? (How about Estes? I shivered as I typed that.)

So really, maybe we should just give Pedro some money. Sure, we don't know if he can stay effective or even healthy for that matter...

But do you really want to live in a world where Shawn Estes starts 20 games for us?

EDIT: Beimel is going to the Nationals. 1 year, $2 million.

I'm In A Glass Case Of Emotions!

I don't know how I should feel about yesterday's Spring Training game (Dodgers beat the Rangers 13-7), featuring Jason Schmidt.

Is it good news that Schmidt made it through two innings without his shoulder falling off?

Or is it bad news that he gave up three runs in those two innings, including serving up a homerun?

Or is it even worse news for Claudio Vargas, who gave up four earned runs in his 2.1 innings of work. This included giving up three homeruns, one of which came to... ANDRUW JONES!

Eric Milton, however, went three scoreless innings in relief, lowering his Spring ERA to 3.12.

And Jeff Weaver has been pretty good this spring.

Things are heating up. This is just like watching a four-horse horse race for the 5th starter position.

Except all the horses are old and gimpy.

Jason Who???

This is kinda weird. Supposedly, according to Dodgers.com, the scheduled starting pitcher for Monday's Spring Training game is some guy named... Jason Schmidt (sp?).

Who is this guy? He's not a Dodger minor leaguer. He didn't come up through our system.

Ok, I checked his stats. It says he pitched six games for us in 2007... what???

Does anyone remember that?

Seriously: Andruw Jones, Esteban Loaiza, Mark Sweeney, Shea Hillenbrand (amongst others). These are all guys who started their Dodger careers after Jason Schmidt's last start with us and finished them before his next one. Randy Wolf has had two go-arounds with the Dodgers in between Schmidt's starts. Hell, Andy LaRoche (*tear* still miss you, buddy.) had his first major league at-bat, was sent down, called up, hit his first major league homerun, then was horribly injured, called up and sent down several times more, hit some more homeruns, and was shipped off to Pittsburgh in between Schmidt's starts.

Really, is anyone in waiting on pins and needles to see Jason Schmidt return? Is anyone expecting a major league, regular season start for the Dodgers from Jason Schmidt?

That's not to say I wouldn't gladly welcome a healthy Jason Schmidt as our 5th starter.

I'm just not holding my breath.