Dodgers Retrospective - Week 1

Well, one week in the books for the Dodgers and they are off to a 2-4 start, which is a bit unexpected. I mean, when you looked at the schedule and saw the Dodgers were starting the season against Pittsburgh and Florida, you thought that we'd at least finish this week 4-2, right? Sure you did. And no one blamed you for it.

But here we are, several bullpen implosions later, and the Dodgers finish a road trip that they could have hypothetically gone 5-1 on, with a record of 2-4.

Anyway, enough of what could have been. Let's look at what really was. Last season, on my weekly reviews, you might remember I had a "HOT" "COLD" and "ROOM TEMPERATURE" system. Well, I'm tired of that. I now introduce my new system: a Four Star rating! With real stars!

What's the difference? Now there's four tiers instead of three!

Does it change much? No!
Does it mean anything? No!
Am I having flashbacks of Jim Tracy interviews right now? Yes!

Enough of that, let's do this!



Hiroki Kuroda - Kuroda only had one start this week, but went 8.0 innings and surrendered only one unearned run while striking out seven.


Matt Kemp - Painful error in Sunday's game aside, Kemp went 9-28 this week, with three doubles and a (monster) homerun. A side note: maybe it's just me, but does it seem like Kemp is chasing more bad breaking balls this year? He was definitely showing improvement on that aspect of his game last season, but so far this week, he's taken some bad hacks at sliders he'll never get to. Chalk it up to Opening Week nerves?

Ronnie Belliard - Belliard made the most of his playing time this week, going 6-12. He went 3-5 on Thursday with a double, a triple, and a homerun, just missing out on the cycle. If he keeps this up, he might make a case for more playing time.



Charlie Haeger - Haeger went 6.0 solid innings in his start, striking out 12 ... 12 (!) Marlins. He did surrender a pretty ugly three run homerun to Jorge Cantú and allowed a fourth unearned run (see aforementioned painful Matt Kemp error) but I won't hold that against him. Six innings, three runs is almost exactly what you'd hope for from a 5th starter.


Chad Billingsley - Billingsley went 5.1 innings in his only start this week, and was solid. He only gave up one run while striking out seven. Still, he gave up five hits and four walks in just those 5.1 innings, and saw his pitch count over 100 by the 6th inning, and that my friends, is not pitching effectively.



Russ Ortiz - Ortiz had two good outings (three innings) to start the season before imploding on Friday. Ortiz came into the game in the 9th inning, with a 7-1 lead, gave up a single, retired one batter, and gave up two walks to load the bases, bringing Joe Torre out of the dugout to pull him.

Ramon Ortiz - The other half of the Ortiz power hour, Ramon had almost the opposite week of Russ. Ramon went two scoreless innings in his third outing on Saturday. This, unfortunately, was only after his first outing, when he allowed three inherited runners to score before giving up a run of his own, and his second outing, in which he allowed the Pirates to score the winning run in the 10th inning on Wednesday.


Clayton Kershaw - Kershaw struggled a lot in his first start. A LOT. He only made it 4.2 innings while giving up five hits and walking six. By the time Kershaw was pulled with two outs in the 5th inning, he had made 109 pitches and left with the bases loaded. Jeff Weaver came in and got out of the inning without any more damage. It was not a good start to the season for Kershaw. On the other hand, he still managed to only give up three runs, so I can't bump him down to 1 STAR.



Vicente Padilla - Padilla made two starts this week in which he only made it 4.1 innings into the game. In his first start, he was charged with seven runs (three given up by Ramon Ortiz). In his second start, he gave up four runs and left with two runners on in the 5th before Weaver came in to bail him out.


George Sherrill - Sherrill gave up two runs in 27.2 innings of work last year for us. In three games this year (two innings), Sherrill has given up five runs. On Monday, he gave up a big three run homerun that basically closed the door on any hope of a comeback in that game. On Saturday, he blew a save and gave the Marlins a win by surrendering two runs in the bottom of the 9th.


Ok, there you have it. The Stars and lesser Stars of the first week that was. 2-4. Sigh.

Ok, Fine...

I know I haven't been posting a lot, but it's all part of the plan. You see, this is how I've been going about this offseason:

Picture the offseason as a glass. Every meaningless signing adds a few drops to the glass. Eventually, the glass starts to get full and overflows. And then, as all the non-roster invitees are spilling on the counter, I finally decide to do something about it.

Why am I doing it like this? Laziness? Busyness? The inability to bring myself to dedicate an entire post to Justin Knoedler? Pick one.

Who???

Either way, consider this post emptying out the glass.

Ok, let's take a look at what we've added since I last posted:

• Timo Perez - Outfielder. Hasn't been in the majors since 2007. Doesn't have much value. He's dead to me.

• John Koronka - Pitcher. 4 games since 2006. Never posted an ERA below 5.60. He's dead to me.

• Reed Johnson - He was signed to be out 4th outfielder. He's ok. His contract is cheap. There were probably better options, but I'm not going to go to war over a 4th outfielder.

• Justin Knoedler - Catcher. Hasn't played in the majors since 2006. I can't imagine using him at all in 2010 unless something horrible happens to the several catchers ahead of him in the depth chart. Dead to me.

• Alfredo Amezaga - Utility player. Much like Johnson, he's ok. Also, he's cheap. He can play a bunch of positions. He's coming off surgery so who knows how effective he'll be. Also, I don't know who's spot he's taking on the roster, so he might not even be relevant this year.

• Jeff Weaver - I actually like this signing! Wow! Weaver was effective as a swing man last year, he's coming back as a non-roster invitee. So, either Weaver will be good and find his way back to the roster, or he won't and will sit cheaply in AAA. Nice.

• Ramon Ortiz - Pitcher. 5 games for two teams in 2007. 5.45 combined ERA. Has had a below 4.00 ERA once in his career (2002). Here's a better question ... who has a better chance of being useful in 2010: Russ Ortiz or Ramon Ortiz? The answer? They're both dead to me.

Alright. That's it. The glass has been emptied and I feel better.

Look, if something meaningful happens, I'll post about it.

Otherwise, I'll be back in a week and a half to discuss the addition of another five players who are already dead to me.

Offseason Awards: Comeback Player of the Year

How about that? As I noted on my Twitter feed last night:

Who'd have thought the Yankees could win it all? All it took was team chemistry, a little bit of magic, and a half billion dollar payroll.

Anything is possible!!! Congratulations to the Yankees, but don't do it again. Seriously. I'll go right back to hating you. We just had a more common enemy this time in the Phillies.

Anyway. Enough with all that business. Let's get down to everybody's favorite part of the year: Award Season!

Today's award: The J's Dodger Blog Comeback Player of the Year!

And the nominees are:

Guillermo Mota
-Mota not only revived himself from his 2008 season, he revived his dying career mid-way through the 2009 season. Mota finished the year with a 3.44 ERA which seems a small miracle now. If you had told me on May 17th that Mota would not only finish the season with the team, but that he would do it with a sub-3.50 ERA, I'd have slapped you for outright lying to me. Of course, right about now you'd be getting a call from me, apologizing for the slapping, but with a careful reminder that at the time, you sounded crazy, and that really, you were lucky I didn't try burning you at the stake for your words.

Why would I go through all this trouble? Because on May 17th, Guillermo Mota, who hadn't pitched in a week coming off an outing where he surrendered three runs in 2.0 IP against the Giants, came in to a 10-0 game in Florida. Clayton Kershaw had put up a masterful seven innings before giving up a leadoff double in the 8th. Mota allowed that runner to score, and got out of the inning, which would have been forgivable enough had the Dodgers not scored two runs in the top of the 9th and given Mota a cushy 12-1 lead. Mota got two quick outs, then almost as quickly, he loaded the bases. He followed that up by throwing a fat pitch to Cody Ross, which he promptly deposited over the center field wall. Mota was pulled from the game so Will Ohman could come in and get one out on one pitch. And Mota left that game with a 9.00 ERA.

It really seemed like he was cooked. That 9.00 ERA was through 15 innings pitched, mind you. But then Brad Ausmus stepped up and saved his career, at least temporarily. Ausmus noted Mota was not hiding the ball as well as he used to, therefore making it oh, so easy for the Cody Ross'es of the world to feast on him. A couple tweaks later, and Mota surrenders just two runs from May 17th all the way until the end of July (35.1 innings pitched). His ERA, for a little while, was in the high 2.00's. God, I sure hope Mota bought Ausmus something nice for that one.


Vicente Padilla
-When it was made news in the Rangers clubhouse that Vicente Padilla was let go, reports say a small celebration took place. The clubhouse in Texas had turned on Padilla. He was a hot head who threw at opposing team's players too often and didn't have good enough stats to back him up (4.92 ERA in 18 starts).

Flashforward. Padilla is picked up by the Dodgers. He had just gone 4-0 in 7 starts and had a 3.20 ERA during the regular season. But now, surprisingly, Padilla had made it onto the NLDS roster. Not as a long relief arm out of the pen, but as the Game 3 starter! Padilla goes seven shutout innings in St. Louis to clinch the series. Dodger fans are shocked. This has turned out surprisingly well. How does Padilla build on that? He pitches 7.1 innings of one run ball against Philadelphia in the NLCS, starting and keeping us in the only game we would win that series. Yes, the (seemingly inevitable) meltdown that took place in Game 6 really put a damper on the "Vicente Padilla: Playoffs MVP" parade that was building up, but nevertheless, you got to give it to a guy who was tossed out of Texas. He showed up in L.A. and played ball.


Jeff Weaver
-You want to talk about bad career prospects? At this time, last season, Weaver had just finished a stint with the Cleveland Indians' AAA team in Buffalo. He had a 6.07 ERA. This, mind you, came after spending the first half of the season with Milwaukee's AAA team in Nashville, where he posted a 6.22 ERA. Most people with numbers like that might have called it quits. Not Jeff Weaver. Nope, Weaver decided he'd still have a go at it and caught on with his former team the Dodgers.

Where he went on to post 3.65 ERA in 28 games (79 IP). Weaver was our long man out of the pen and an occasional spot starter this year, and he was fairly successful in both roles.

He even had some nice high points during the season. On June 20th, he started opposite his younger brother Jered in Anaheim and came out victorious.

And even though he only made on postseason appearance, he pitched a good 1.1 innings against the Cardinals and came away with a win for his efforts. Not bad.


...And the J's Dodger Blog Comeback Player of the Year is...

Jeff Weaver.

There's a lot to be said for Mota's and Padilla's comebacks ...and I said a lot of it. They were nice stories, but let's be honest, coming into this season, both pitchers probably felt pretty secure with the idea they would have a home on a major league team. (Plus, as far as this award goes, Padilla shot himself in the foot when he shot himself in the foot.)

Jeff Weaver didn't. How could he? How can you put up such God-awful numbers in AAA and expect to even be pitching in AAA the next season. Weaver was looking like a prime candidate for a quiet and early retirement.

But he proved all the doubters who still cared about his career wrong. He really did have a nice season. Can he repeat on his success? I don't know, but I do think he's done enough to earn himself a spot on next year's roster in the same role.

So, for reviving a career that flat-lined for an entire year in AAA, Jeff Weaver is the "J's Dodger Blog 2009 Comeback Player of the Year."

Week Recap: 06/29/09 - 07/05/09

Hey people, welcome back. Let's talk about the week.

Compared to last week, this one was a considerably better.

The Dodgers started the week by splitting the first two games against Colorado, before shutting them out in the third game to take the series.

They followed this with the return of the Dreadlocked one on Friday, a game in which they beat the Padres. The bullpen blew a lead Saturday to allow the Padres to even up the series. Sunday could have ended worse than Saturday, with the bullpen blowing an even bigger lead, but the Dodgers pulled it out in extra innings to secure the game and the series.

They went 4-2 on the week.

Ok, that's settled, let's get to the meat. Round 12 of HOT, COLD, or ROOM TEMPERATURE:

COLD:

• Orlando Hudson - .000 (0-16), 6 Ks - Now, admittedly, Hudson's had a pretty weak month as it is, but this week was of Russell Martin-esque proportions. Hudson isn't making solid contact, if he's even making contact at all. Interestingly enough, he was named to the All-Star team just in time for Joe Torre to bench him for several games. If I could offer some advice to Hudson, look for that silver lining.

ROOM TEMPERATURE:

• Russell Martin - .263 (5-19), 2 BBs, 2 RBIs, 5 Ks - Week 2 of the Martin Leg Lift Watch. He was actually benched earlier in the week, a la Hudson, in an attempt to, I don't know, wake his bat up? It almost worked. He went 4-8 in his first two games back, before going 0-6 in Sunday's game. Yew.

• Rafael Furcal - .364 (9-26), 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB, 4 R - How do I label a guy who batted .364 "ROOM TEMPERATURE"? Watch me. Well, honestly, I do this because Furcal has had two weeks in one. The first three games of the week? Furcal went 1-10. The last three games of the week Furcal hit .500 (8-16). Which Furcal will show up next week? Who the hell knows?

• Jonathan Broxton - 0-0, 2-3 save opportunities (4 games), 6.75 ERA (3 ER in 4.0 IP), 8 Ks - Guess who else had an up-and-down week? No, not Brad Ausmus. Broxton started the week going three scoreless innings, striking out seven out of nine batters, collecting two saves. Then Sunday? Broxton. What was that? One inning pitched, three walks, two hits, three earned runs, and one very blown save. It's weird, it's like he and Hudson both had negative reactions to being named to the All-Star team.

HOT:

• Chad Billingsley - 0-1 (2 starts), 3.45 ERA (6 ER in 15.2 IP), 16 Ks / .333 (2-6), 1 2B, 1 HR - You know who didn't have a negative reaction to being named to the All-Star team? Stop guessing Brad Ausmus, he's not in this week's article. Billingsley had two nice, quality starts this week, but really became a victim of his circumstance. He went 7.2 innings against Colorado in his first start of the week, allowing only three runs over that span. Unfortunately for Chad, his counterpart Jason Marquis was dominating the Dodgers that game, and Chad ended up taking the loss. Then, in Billingsley's second start, he held the Padres to one run for eight innings, before allowing a homerun to start the 9th. He followed that up by allowing a double before getting pulled. Who was he pulled for? Ausmus? No. Broxton, who proceeded to allow not only Billingsley's runner to score, but three more runners after that, to effectively cancel out almost everything Billingsley did that game. Everything, that is, except for Billingsley's first career homerun, which gave the Dodgers an extra run that was, ultimately, pretty important.

• Brent Leach - 0-0 (5 games), 0.00 ERA (0 ER in 2.1 IP), 1 HLD, 1 K - Talk about being a workhorse. Oh, you weren't talking about being a workhorse? Well, start talking about it so I can interject with this point: Brent Leach appeared in five of the Dodgers' six games this week. And he did well. And he's been doing well. And I'd like to acknowledge that. After struggling when first being called up, Leach has settled into his role, and since the beginning of June, has posted a 1.80 ERA. He's the left handed reliever we were actually looking for.

• Jeff Weaver - 1-0 (2 games), 0.00 ERA (0 ER in 4.0 IP), 5 Ks - A nice week for Weaver. He had a Rocky inning against Colorado (see what I did there? Yeah, I'm ashamed of it, too) but battled out a jam by striking out the side. He then went three scoreless innings on Sunday to hold the Padres at bay while the Dodgers took a 13th inning lead. This was especially important, because it would have been a bad game to lose. It was the difference between winning or losing a series to the lowly Padres. The difference between finishing the week over .500, or just at .500. It was big, and Weaver came up big for us.

• James Loney - .304 (7-23), 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBIs, 3 BB, 1 SB - You know who else came up big for us Sunday? Aus... never mind. Loney did. A big 13th inning homerun to put the Dodgers up for good. Loney also collected a hit in every game this week, so there's also that.

• Randy Wolf - 0-0 (2 starts), 2.25 ERA (3 ER in 12.0 IP), 12 Ks - Wolf bounced back from an ugly week to put up two quality starts this week. Not much else to say other than good work.

• Juan Pierre - .381 (8-21), 1 BB, 1 RBI, 5-7 SBs - This is not just for Juan Pierre's week. It's for the last 50 games. Listen, Juan, I really appreciate you filling in admirably during the suspension. I'll ignore the fact that after your nice May, you batted .264 during June (.319 OBP). You were put in a bad position. This is the second year you thought you'd be a starter and the Dodgers have brought someone in to replace you. And for the most part, you've handled it in a classy way. Yeah, there was some trade demanding and a little complaining, but you never stopped showing up to play. And yes, your reward is a trip back to the bench with the occasional start. It's tough, I can imagine. So this is just to say: Thanks. Thanks for doing what you do. And who knows, maybe we'll find you a nice home somewhere else, where you can start and be free to run where you please. But for now, please quietly return to the bench and readjust to your role. I know you will, that's what you do.

Ok then folks. That's it. One last road trip this week before the All-Star break. Here's to finishing the first half strong.

Week Recap: 06/15/09 - 06/21/09

Ok folks, back for another week recap. Let's do it.

Dodgers started the week at home, taking on the A's for a three game series. They split the first two close games before taking the rubber match to take the series.

They then made the looooooong trek to Anaheim to take on the Angels. They again split the first two games, before coming back to take the third game in the series.

They went 4-2 on the week.

And now, we will take part in Round 10 of HOT, COLD, or ROOM TEMPERATURE:

COLD:

• Jonathan Broxton - 0-0, 1 save (3 games), 10.80 ERA (4 ER in 3.1 ip), 5 hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks - Now, let's be clear. I don't mean this to be an indictment of Broxton. I still like him, I still think he's good. This labeling of "COLD" is more like a worried "COLD." He had a good outing against Oakland, but then started having some toe issues. He couldn't pitch in a few games. Then, when he came back in these last two games against the Angels, he was surprisingly hit-able. He still got the job done, but the Angels were ripping a couple hits against him. So again, this "COLD" isn't so much to say Broxton is bad, but more to say I'm worried his toe might cause some problems for us in the near future. Here's to hoping it heals up.

ROOM TEMPERATURE:

• Andre Ethier - .250 (6-24), 1 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBIs, 2 BBs, 4 Ks - Ethier has cooled down a little bit, but I like that the few hits he's getting are clutch hits. He's had some good ones with runners in scoring position, hence the 5 RBIs on just 6 hits this week. I'm really interested to see how Ethier will react to Manny's return in the coming weeks.

• Russell Martin - .294 (5-17), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 6 BBs, 4 runs - Well, at least Martin is keeping it interesting. After starting the week 0-7, then 2-12, he capped off the week going 3-5 with 3 BBs. He also notched his first homerun of the year. He chalked that up to picking up Doug Mientkiewicz's leg kick. Ok. If it works. It's also possible he just nailed a fat fastball for that homerun. Either way. Like I said, this is interesting. We definitely have to see where this goes.

HOT:

• Jeff Weaver - 1-0 (1 start), 3.60 ERA (2 ER in 5.0 IP), 4 Ks - Ok, so Weaver didn't have the best start ever, but he beat his brother. His younger brother. And as an older brother myself, I'm glad Weaver represented. Sometimes, you just gotta show your little brother who's still got the seniority in the family. The only disappointing thing was this wasn't a National League game. I would have loved to see the two Weavers trying to strike each other out. Too bad.

• Casey Blake - .308 (8-26), 1 2B, 5 RBIs, 3 BBs, 5 runs - He led the 1985 Hiroshima Toyo Carp team to a League Title, at the age of 12, because he didn't want a summer job. Casey Blake is... the most interesting third baseman in the world.

• Matt Kemp - .429 (9-21), 1 2B, 2 RBIs, 3 runs, 4-5 SBs - Not much else to say. Kemp's been hitting the ball. Been stealing some bases. Been scoring some runs. Been good.

• Clayton Kershaw - 1-0 (2 starts), 0.00 ERA (0 ER in 12.2 IP), 13 Ks - Remember Kershaw's worst start of the year (2.2 IP, 3 ER, 81 pitches against San Diego)? He responded this week with two excellent starts. He gave up no runs over 5.2 IP against Oakland and struck out eight. Then he followed that up by going 7.0 scoreless innings striking out five against the Angels. The interesting thing is that Kershaw gave up 8 hits and 7 walks over the two starts. That's right, he allowed 15 runners on in 12.2 innings. And he didn't let one score. I think that really speaks to some maturity. He got in trouble, but he didn't lose control of the game. He stayed focused and got out of jams. A great example was in the 5th inning of yesterday's day against the Angels. Kershaw loaded the bases with nobody out. He then settled down, and induced a double play and a pop out to get out of the inning harmlessly. That's a lot of control for a 21 year old.

Alright, that's it for this week.

Hey! We're actually doing well in Interleague Play. The only series we've lost is against the Angels last month, so with the revenge we extracted this weekend, we've brought our Interleague record to 7-5. Not great, but not bad.

Just six more Interleague games. Three in Chicago during the week, then we come home for three against Seattle. I think we can definitely finish this year well over .500 in Interleague play. That'd be pretty good.

Week Recap: 05/18/09 - 05/31/09

...and we're back. Took a week off there, but I'm back now and ready to jump into a good old recap.

To start, we swept the Mets in a three game series in Dodger Stadium, and followed that excellent series by losing two out of three to the Angels.

The Dodgers then went into Colorado and swept a three game set there before going into Chicago, where they split a four game weekend series.

The Dodgers went 10-4 over the two weeks.

And with that, let's do Round 7 of HOT, COLD, or ROOM TEMPERATURE:

COLD:

• Jeff Weaver - 0-0 (3 games, 2 starts), 6.23 ERA (6 earned runs in 8.2 innings) - How did Jeff Weaver respond to losing his spot in the rotation? Badly. 1.1 innings, 2 earned runs. 2.1 innings, 3 earned runs. The ERA is rising. Not good.

• Andre Ethier - .189 (7-37), 3 2Bs, 1 RBI, 4 BBs, 6 Ks - The slump continues. One RBI in two weeks isn't good. Here's the good news, Manny's suspension is almost half-way through.

ROOM TEMPERATURE:

• Russell Martin - .250 (12-48), 3 2Bs, 5 RBIs, 5 BBs, 7 Ks, 2 SBs - Martin was showing some signs of life for a little bit, but he's gone back average-ness. Oddly enough, he's still probably in the top 5 catchers in the National League.

• Rafael Furcal - .294 (10-34), 2 2Bs, 1 RBI, 3 runs, 5 BBs, 4 Ks - He's hitting a little better, but he's still hovering around .250 for the season. His OPS on the season is .613, not pretty.

HOT:

• Ronald Belisario - 0-0 (7 games), 1.04 ERA (1 earned run in 8.2 innings) - Belisario had a pretty good week, but what I like to do is give people credit when they've been consistently good all year. Belisario has been a workhorse in the pen, and a quality workhorse at that. Here's to hoping he keeps it up.

• James Loney - .333 (18-54), 4 2Bs, 11 RBIs, 7 runs, 2 SBs - Loney has really been knocking them in these last few weeks, without the use of the homerun. That means he's coming through a lot when given the opportunity. And that's good for us.

• Matt Kemp - .360 (18-50), 2 HRs, 5 RBIs, 8 runs, 4 SBs - Kemp flashed a little power this last series with the Cubs. He's definitely got the potential to hit a ton of homerun, but his patience needs a little work. His over-agression at the plate does cost him a little (10 Ks in 50 at-bats).

• Juan Pierre - .316 (18-57), 10 runs, 2 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 8 RBIs, 3-4 SBs - Pierre is not playing out of this world like he has been (He's 1 for his last 13) but he's still contributing with a nice mix of RBIs and runs scored.

• Casey Blake - .389 (14-36), 5 2Bs, 1 HR, 10 RBIs, 6 runs, 5 walks - Blake has had some hamstring issues the last week or so, so he has missed a few games, but in the time he has played, he's made an impact.

• Randy Wolf - 1-0 (3 starts), 3.00 ERA (7 earned runs in 21.0 innings), 13 Ks - Wolf hasn't had his best stretch these last couple weeks, but this "HOT" is awarded in part for his week, but more for the year. When we got Wolf, I was just expecting him to be a nice number four starter, but he's really turned into a solid number two guy behind Billingsley. His 3-1 record doesn't nearly reflect how good he's really been.

Alrighty then, Dodgers are back home for a 9 game homestand. First game is tonight against the D-Backs.

I'm feeling good about this.

12-0

Just a quick post to say: Nice, eh? 12-0 at home. Ties a major league record.

But you know what my favorite thing about this is?

We've swept every single team in the NL West en route to the 12-0 record. We're 19-6 against teams in the division this year.

That's a quick route to the playoffs...

Ok, now we've got Washington for two games. They are 7-17.

Can we do 14-0? I think so.

Then the Giants for three. Can we do 17-0? Sure! Why not?

When Jeff Weaver is pitching lights out, we are truly living in a world where anything is possible.

Week Recap: 04/27/09 - 05/03/09

So, I had an illusion snapped yesterday. I mentioned on this blog a couple weeks ago how I had enjoyed the Jr. Dodgers broadcast.

It seemed like such a cool idea, let two kids into a press box and allow them to call a Dodger game to be broadcast on the internet.

I thought the idea was so cool, in fact, that I was even looking forward to listening to it a little bit during Sunday's game.

So I tuned in, and to my surprise, the same kid who was calling play-by-play two weeks ago was doing it again. Interesting, I thought, why does he get to do this twice? So I did some digging and found a Dodger press release about the program:

"The play-by-play duties will be split amongst regulars Nick Berman and Jake Reiner, while the analyst position for the two-person team will feature a rotation of Jr. Dodgers Kids Club members."

Really? How do I become a "regular"? How did these two become "regulars"? It continues:

"Berman is a senior at Harvard-Westlake High School...

Reiner is currently a senior at Los Angeles' Wildwood High school."

And this is where my illusion was shattered. For those of you that don't know, Harvard-Westlake High School is an incredibly hoity-toity school. I mean really hoity-toity. One of the top hoity-toity schools in the state. Top 3 in hoity, at least top 5 in toity. The hoitiest of the toitiest. You get the point? Berman's family has got to have money.

Well, what about Reiner? Does that name sound familiar? Like Rob Reiner? You know, incredibly rich director and Dodger season ticket holder Rob Reiner? Yeah, that's his son.

So... how in the world did these two end up as regulars?

And they get to call all Sunday Dodger home games this year? Totally unfair. I'm going to start a protest.

My only other route into this is color commentator and the color commentator is always a kid from the Dodgers Jr. club, a club open only to kids 14 and under.

I'm furious with envy. I need to follow up on one of my two plans: get rich, or find a convincing way to make myself seem 14. Both seem easily doable.

Anyway, enough with my complaining, let's get to recapping.

The Dodgers started the week by losing a three game series in San Francisco to go 4-5 on their road trip.

They followed that up by coming home and sweeping the Padres in a four game series at home.

It was the first ever four game sweep of the Padres in Dodger Stadium, and with those four wins, the Dodgers have started the season 10-0 at home. Nice.

The Dodgers went 5-2 for the week.

Round 4 of HOT, COLD, or ROOM TEMPERATURE? Yes, please.

COLD:

• James McDonald - 0-0 (1 game), 16.19 ERA (3 earned runs in 1.2 innings), 2 hits, 4 walks - A pretty bad start (an 8-5 win, April 30th against San Diego) and now a demotion to the bullpen, McDonald's had a bad week. Jeff Weaver, who relieved him in that game is going to take his next start against Arizona on Tuesday. Let's hope a trip to the pen will do McDonald some good.

• Matt Kemp - .190 (4-21), 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 walks, 2 RBIs, 9 Ks, 1 Caught Stealing - The grace period for Kemp is gone. Sorry. I allowed last week's poor performance to go because of the residual heat coming of the week prior to that. But the second bad week in a row for Kemp gets him a bump down to "COLD". That, and more strikeouts in less at-bats. Yeesh.

• Russell Martin - .182 (4-22), 2 walks, 1 RBI, 4 Ks, 1 SB - Martin has really been slow out of the gates. He showed some signs of life a couple weeks ago, but he's since faded. The weird thing about this week? Three of those four hits this week came in one game (the 2-1 win, May 2nd against San Diego). Otherwise, Martin didn't collect a hit in four straight games (an 0-14 stretch). Double yeesh.

ROOM TEMPERATURE:

• Rafael Furcal - .240 (6-25), 1 2B, 1 RBI, 4 Walks, 4 Runs, 7 Ks - Furcal has been consistently "ROOM TEMPERATURE" all year. I felt, though, like this week has been a good microcosm of his season. He's scoring runs, but he's been hovering in the mid-.200s all season. He has more strikeouts than walks, and very few extra base hits. Luckily, Orlando Hudson has been picking up the slack (more on that later).

• Casey Blake - .208 (5-24), 1 HR, 3 RBIs, 1 Walk, 7 Ks - Speaking of "ROOM TEMPERATURE" all year and microcosms... Blake's been in the low .200s all season. He's had a bunch more strikeouts than walks this season. He has been driving in runs, however, with the occasional homerun now and then. Seriously, though, .222? Blake's never been a high-average guy, but this is ridiculous. You know who's been out hitting Blake the last couple weeks? Andy LaRoche (.321, 7 2Bs, 10 RBIs since April 16th). No I still haven't forgotten and no I won't let it go!

HOT:

• Orlando Hudson - .300 (9-30), 3 Runs, 3 2Bs, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 1 Walk - I have to reiterate what a pleasant surprise Hudson has been this year. I thought he'd be good, but he's been one of the best hitters, consistently, on the team this year. He's scoring runs, he's driving in runs, and he's still playing solid defense. Gotta like that...

• Chad Billingsley - 1-0 (2 games), 2.51 ERA (4 earned runs in 14.1 innings), 7 Walks, 16 Ks - And now for the most consistently good pitcher on our team. Billingsley has really stepped into the role of Ace for our staff. He has been excellent. Six quality starts in six appearances. He's keeping his walks down, and he's striking out a ton of guys (42 Ks in 40.2 innings). His five wins are first in the National League, and tied for a first in all of Major League Baseball. Gotta like that...

Alright, four weeks in... a whole bunch to go. I think I'm settling into this, getting into a groove. It's good. We're good.

Dodgers have another seven games at home now, where they are "HOT". Let's see how long this streak can go.

The Calm Before The Storm

Man it's been a quiet week. Yeah, Ohman was signed, and we're slowly narrowing down who's going to make the roster, but otherwise, the Dodgers haven't been up to much this week.

And I'm excited. I'm starting to get the feeling that we might see some stuff go down soon.

Well, for one, we are obviously gonna get some cuts. Who's going to make it into the back of the bullpen? Weaver? Troncoso? Sturtze? NO! And, who'll be our utility guy? It's kinda cool. Those cuts should be coming in any day now.

Secondly, I'm getting the feeling a trade is going to go down. Call it a hunch, but I think someone is going to go. We've got an abundance of outfielders, and I'm thinking Jason Repko could be on the move, which is too bad cause I like the guy, but the outfield is full. Unless of course someone else goes. Pierre? PIERRE? Who knows? Exciting.

Third: the season! It's coming! The season is almost here! Monday! MONDAY!!! The season! Am I clear? (The season.)

Look, I know this article was basically me frantically babbling on about nothing, but there's not much to talk about.

At least not yet.

WHAT?!?

Whilst reading the articles on Dodgers.com, something struck me as rather odd, and perhaps disturbing.

You see, the Dodgers are looking at possibly carrying up to five non-roster players on the Opening Day 25-man.

That's good, I do like the occasional reclamation project. Five might be too many, but still, I can live with it.

Let's take a look at who's in the running: Doug Mientkiewicz and Juan Castro. Ok... I'd rather keep Delwyn Young around, but Mientkiewicz and Castro are having good Springs, they are pretty good defensively, and they are versatile. I can live with these two on the roster.

Who else do we have?

Either Erick Threets or Brian Mazone will probably make the roster as the second left handed reliever. I did read another story that Will Ohman was working out for the Dodgers, and I'd like to go with him, but if we don't sign him, Mazone has had an excellent Spring and Threets is young and has some good stuff. I'd be ok with either as the lefty outta da pen.

Oh, here's a name: Jeff Weaver. He's not had a great Spring, a 7.00 ERA in eight appearances over 9.0 innings. Ummm... maybe not a great choice to make it off the non-roster invitee list. Especially because there's a couple of guys who've had better Springs as reliever, but hey, maybe Torre wants to go with a proven (kinda) name like Weaver over a Nick DeBarr (5.06 ERA in eight games, 5.1 innings), Jesus Castillo (3.86 ERA in four games, 4.2 innings), or Charlie Haeger (2.08 ERA in four games, 4.1 innings). Fine. I guess we can go with Weaver as the long relief/12th guy out of the bullpen kinda role. Why not? How much damage can he do?

Alright, that's four. Who's the fifth guy...

What? WHAT?

"The way manager Joe Torre is talking... Tanyon Sturtze... [is] alive in competition for [a job] as Spring Training winds down."

WHAT?!?

No!

"Oh hai dere! I'm just here to ruin your 25-man roster."

NO!!!

No Tanyon Sturtze! This was the guy last year, that when Designated for Assignment, opted instead to linger around with the club than pitch in the minors or look for another job.

He was the pitching coach last year in the final game of the season, which I thought meant he had practically retired.

Sturtze has a 5.14 ERA in nine games (7.0 innings) this Spring, which admittedly sounds not bad (though not really good for that matter, either). He's been better than Jeff Weaver, but still not better than any of the three names I previously mentioned (DeBarr, Castillo, Haeger).

Hell, if we're going down this road, I'd rather give Ramon Troncoso the job. He's got near similar numbers, but I think he's still got something left in the tank. He's got a 5.19 ERA in eight games (8.2 innings) this Spring.

But if we're going with Sturtze, here's the thing you don't get from Sturtze in his ERA, he's given up two walks and 11 HITS in his 7.0 innings of work. He's only given up four earned runs, but SIX runs overall. Sturtze's 5.14 ERA is much better than his performance indicates.

So why in the world is Sturtze getting possible consideration for a spot on the 25-man roster and in the bullpen?

This is the thing about Joe Torre that absolutely kills me. He plays favorites to no end. The article inadvertently (maybe not?) admits it.

"Three of them -- Weaver, Sturtze and Mientkiewicz -- played for Torre with the Yankees."

It's this crazy inclination on going with the veteran who doesn't have a lot left in the tank over a kid who shows promise. And while this is great for guys like Mientkiewicz, Weaver, and (*shiver*) Sturtze, guys like Delwyn Young and Charlie Haeger are screwed out of jobs, their only crime being that they aren't old enough to have played under Torre before.

And sometimes that just makes you stop and say: "What?!?"

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.

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.

Offseason 2008: Dodgers Add Two More Pitchers

The Dodgers continued their trend of bringing back local boys who once pitched for the Dodgers by signing Jeff Weaver to a minor league deal.

Weaver made 34 starts for the Dodgers in both 2004 and 2005 and went 27-24 over that span and posting ERAs of 4.01 and 4.22 respectively.

Since then, however, not so good. He's only posted a sub-6.00 ERA once since then (15 games in 2006 with St. Louis).

Here's the worst part. He didn't even pitch in the majors in 2008. Not a good sign. What's worse? In nine games for Milwaukee's AAA team, he posted a 6.22 ERA. He was released by Milwaukee and ended up on Cleveland's AAA team. He posted a 6.07 ERA in 13 games there.

When you are getting lit up in AAA, your future in the majors doesn't look good.

So... uh... welcome back Jeff!(?)

EDIT: The Dodgers also signed Eric Milton to a minor league deal. Milton also didn't pitch in the majors in 2008, partly because he was recovering from Tommy John surgery and partly because he's not good. In any case, he's cheap enough, might as well give it a shot.