Anyone else listen to the Jr. Dodgers broadcast during the game today? It made me jealous, but I was enjoying it.
In case you didn't, what happened was the Dodgers gave two young fans, who I believe joined some Dodger youth club or something, the chance to call a game from a press booth that would be streamed online on Dodgers.com.
I was listening and I was kinda into it. It was cool.
Well, check that. I was really into it, that is, until the 8th inning when Matt Kemp hit his second homerun and the call was something to the effect: "Deep to centerfield, Mama's calling for dinner, but this one is not coming home."
That was the most cringe-inducing thing I've ever heard watching a game. And I watch a team that has Charley Steiner, Rick Monday, and Steve Lyons employed as announcers.
I believe the Dodgers are going to be doing this every Sunday home game. If you check out Dodgers.com/jrdodgers, I think it'll be archived there soon.
Anyway, let's get to the week that was with the Dodgers.
Last time I recapped a week, the Dodgers were in the midst of a three game winning streak. They've since turned that streak into an eight game winning streak.They completed their sweep of the Giants with a comeback win on Wednesday, and a beat down on Thursday.
The Rockies came into town for the weekend series and following a second comeback win on Friday, the Dodgers flexed their offensive muscles on Saturday and Sunday, and swept the Rockies.
They went 6-0 on the homestand and now leave for a nine-game road trip, starting with a three game series in Houston on Tuesday.
And now, I present to you: Round 2 of HOT, COLD, or ROOM TEMPERATURE.COLD:- Hong-Chih Kuo - 0-0 (2 games), 54.00 ERA (2 earned runs in 0.1 innings), 2 hits, 2 walks, 1 hit batter - Kuo only made two appearances this week, but didn't fare well in either. He came in in the 8th inning of the April 15th San Francisco game (a 5-4 win) and hit a batter and gave up a single before being pulled. The two runners later scored. Then he came in in the 8th again, this time during the April 17th game against the Rockies (a 4-3 win). He gave up a double before recording a ground out, and then walked the next two batters before being pulled for Jonathan Broxton. If our bullpen is going to be a success this season, Kuo's got to be a big part of it. Appearances like those he had this week are no good.
- Cory Wade - N.A. - Cory Wade didn't actually appear in any games this week. He went on the DL instead. I don't suppose this is really an instance of "COLD," but I'm putting it here as basically a way of saying: "This is troublesome." This is the third time Wade's had shoulder issues in the last year. His shoulder flared up in Spring Training, but that was apparently settled in time for the season to begin. This week, however, he ended up back on the DL for shoulder bursitis, which isn't as horrifying as it sounds. Still, like Kuo, Wade's an important part of this bullpen. If both he and Kuo have easily hurt-able arms, and we can't pitch them that often, we are really going to have to start looking to other places for help.
ROOM TEMPERATURE: - Russell Martin - .333 (4-12), 1 2B, 5 walks - Martin has picked it up a little bit in this last week. No RBIs is kinda a bummer, but he's doing a better job of getting on base, so things are starting to look up for him. I would like to see a little more power, though.
- James Loney - .176 (3-17), 4 RBIs, 4 walks - After I dubbed James Loney to be "HOT" last week, he responded by going 3-17 in his next five games. I almost would have to bump him down to "COLD" if not for the fact that Loney found a way to get more RBIs this week than hits. This included drawing two bases-loaded walks, one coming at the end of the game to win it for the Dodgers (April 15th).
- Casey Blake - .363 (4-11), 1 HR, 3 RBIs - Blake has done a better job this week of getting some hits. He's still not lighting the world on fire, but he, like Martin, could be rounding a corner. Also, he, like Loney, is doing a good job of collecting RBIs for the amount of hits he is getting.
HOT: - Orlando Hudson - .474 (9-19), 5 walks, 5 runs, 3 RBIs - Hudson was hot last week, and he's staying hot. I'm really liking this late off-season pickup so far, even if he did cost us a #16 pick in the Draft this year.
- Manny Ramírez - .350 (7-20), 2 HRs, 3 RBIs, 3 walks - Manny continued getting on base like he did last week, but added some power. Two homeruns in Saturday's game (a 9-5 win over Colorado) were a much needed power boost.
- Andre Ethier - .368 (7-19), 2 HRs, 2 2Bs, 8 RBIs - Ethier has had an excellent week. Another two homerun game on Saturday (which he collected four RBIs in) and a three RBI game Sunday. In fact, Ethier has been so good, he's moved into a first place tie atop the entire league with 16 RBIs this season. And that would probably be good enough for the best week on the Dodgers if not for:
- Matt Kemp - .421 (8-19), 2 HRs, 1 3B, 3 2Bs, 3 walks, 3 SBs - What a great week for Matt Kemp. He's getting walks, he's stealing bases, he's collecting extra base hits, he's driving in runs. He's doing it all. And he's extended his hitting streak to 13 games. And his 14 RBIs have him tied for third in the entire league (though admittedly with a handful of people). In any case, Kemp is on fire, and that's a good sign for the Dodgers.
Ok, there's Week 2 in a nutshell. I'm heading off to Vegas for the week, so probably no updates, though I will be back for Week 3 in a nutshell. I think I've also decided to do recaps on Monday for the previous week. Again, still figuring this out. Bear with me.
Anyway, see you all then.
Remember coming into this season how everyone was praising the Dodger's offense, but had questions about our pitching?
Turns out, our pitching has been even better than out offense so far.
Not to say the offense has been bad. In fact, coming into today, the Dodgers are among the top 10 teams in the whole league in runs scored (9th), hits (7th), RBIs (7th), batting average (7th), on-base percentage (4th), and OPS (10th). Those are some pretty good stats.
But I started to wonder.
Where does our pitching stand in the league? Especially after these last four games. Following the well-pitched performances of Eric Stults and Randy Wolf, and Chad Billingsley's excellent performance on Monday, Clayton Kershaw added his own dominating 13 strikeout, one run, 7.0 inning performance last night. That brought our team ERA down to 3.23.
That's right, our team ERA is 3.23, good for 4th in the league. The 28 earned runs we've given up ranks us 5th in the league. We're tied for 4th in the league in strikeouts (72) and tied for 5th in the league in walks allowed (28).
Here's the best part. Our team batting average against is .186. .186! That puts us first in the league... by far. Seattle is 2nd with a .212 BAA.
So I guess here's what I'm saying: I'm excited!
Our hitting is hot. Our pitching is hot. We're hot. 4 game winning streak. 1st place in the West.
That ain't bad...
I was debating when to start recaps, either after the end of the Diamondbacks series or the odd off-day today (or the normal off-day on Monday's). I'm thinking of doing it on Sunday's, after the weekend series ends (only issue would be four game series that go into Monday, but I guess I can work around that?). I don't know, I'll work it out.In any case, let's recap the week that was with the Dodgers.
The week started out pretty good, with the Dodgers beating Jake Peavy and the Padres, but turned sour after they lost two of the next three to split the four game set.
The Dodgers then traveled to Arizona, where they lost their first game on Friday, before coming back to take the next two to win the series. And especially of note is the odd four-out play that occurred in Sunday's 3-1 win.
Finally, the Dodgers really put on a show for their Home Opener, beating down the Giants 11-1 to win their third straight.
The Dodgers went 5-3 for the week.
And now I present the first ever:
HOT, COLD, or ROOM TEMPERATURE.
COLD:- Russell Martin - (For the week:) .207 (6-29), 5 RBIs, 9 Ks - Russell's been struggling, despite going 2-5 with two RBIs in Monday's game. That's not to say there isn't some improvement on the horizon. It's been a bad week, but he is riding a four-game hitting streak. That streak, admittedly, has gone like this: 1-5, 1-4, 1-4, 2-5 (Monday), but a streak's a streak.
- Rafael Furcal - .226 (7-31), 6 runs, 4 Ks - For a guy who started last season by tearing up the league in April, Furcal's start to 2009 has been a bit weak. He has scored six runs, which is his job, but that comes after he's only reached base 10 times this week. But, man, if he kicks it into gear, our offense will be even scarier.
- James McDonald - 0-1, 19.29 ERA (5 earned runs in 2.1 innings), 3 walks - A pretty bad first start for McDonald, and the biggest shame is that he was dealing through two innings on his April 10th start in Arizona (a 9-4 loss). But he all fell apart in the 3rd: A homerun, two walks, a hit batter, another walk, and another hit, and McDonald's first start that began so nicely (retiring six in a row) ended so poorly.
ROOM TEMPERATURE:
- Manny Ramírez - .304 (7-23), 4 RBIs, 11 walks - Question: When do you rate a guy who's batting .304 as average? Answer: When he's Manny Ramírez. Now, a .304 average is nothing to look down upon, but when you are paying a guy $25 million, you'd at least expect a homerun or two, or at least more than four RBIs. Still, Manny can't be faulted too much. It's obvious through this first week of the season that a lot of teams have decided they aren't going to let Manny beat them, so he's been getting more than a few unintentional-intentional walks. Manny did win a game for us already (a 5-2 win, April 8th in San Diego), so that's pretty good, but it's starting to look like we aren't going to be able to lean our offense on Manny much anymore. And he's going to have to make more out of the opportunities he does have to swing the bat.
- Randy Wolf - 1-1 (2 starts), 3.65 ERA (5 earned runs in 12.1 innings), 8 Ks - After a weak start in San Diego (4 earned runs in 5.1 innings during a 4-2 loss, April 7th), Randy more than redeemed himself on Saturday's start in Arizona (a 3-1 win, April 12th). At one point, Randy retired 16 batters in a row on his way to a 7.0 innings, one run performance. Which Randy will come out for the next start is yet to be seen, but I liked what I was seeing on Sunday.
- Andre Ethier - .250 (7-28), 2 homeruns, 8 RBIs, 7 walks - After going through the first seven games batting .208 with only one extra base hit (and getting demoted from the clean-up spot to the 6th spot), Ethier really came back with a strong performance on Monday. His game high four RBIs brought his total to eight for the week, and his two homeruns were well-hit. It's good to see some signs of life coming from Ethier after a pretty comatose start to the week.
HOT:
- Matt Kemp - .357 (10-28), 1 homerun, 5 RBIs - The only Dodger to collect a hit in every game this season, Kemp's come out of the gates strong. Again, admittedly, he's had a few 1-4's during the streak, but again, a streak's a streak. Add to that a couple of really nice defensive plays, and a monster homerun off Jake Peavy, and Kemp's had a pretty good week.
- Orlando Hudson - .333 (11-33), 2 homeruns, 5 RBIs, 7 runs, 3 stolen bases, 1.086 OPS - How do you make a good impression on the fans of your new team? Well, not only do you tie for the most hits on the team during the week, you complete the first cycle in almost 40 years by a Dodger, as well as being the first Dodger to hit for a cycle in Dodger Stadium history. At the HOME OPENER. Against THE GIANTS. Nice way to introduce yourself to the home crowd, Orlando.
- James Loney - .355 (11-31), 5 RBIs, 1 K - Not only did Loney tie Hudson for most hits during the week, he did it without striking out. One strikeout, Monday, 3rd inning. That's putting the bat to the ball. And he's not doing it against nobodies. The Dodgers have faced more than a couple quality pitchers this week (including Former Cy Young winner Jake Peavy, eh? Eh???) and Loney's done well against them. He's currently riding a four game hitting streak.
- Chad Billingsley - 2-0 (2 starts), 2.08 ERA (3 earned runs in 13.0 innings) 15 Ks - Billingsley showed this week he's ready to take on the season as a top of the rotation starter. While his start in San Diego was pretty strong (6.0 innings, 2 earned runs in a 5-2 win on April 8th), his start on Monday was downright impressive. He went 7.0 strong innings, giving up just one earned run while striking out 11. That includes striking out five Giants in a row at one point.
So there you have it. The first ever J's Dodger Blog Week Recap (Weekap? I don't like it). I'm thinking the next one will be coming after Sunday's game versus Colorado, but don't hold me to it.
I don't know what I'm doing...
Some very tragic news today coming from the Angels camp.
Nick Adenhart, 22, was killed in a car crash with two other people earlier this morning.
It's truly sad news whenever someone dies, but it's especially sad when it's a young person, full of potential, just hitting the prime of his life passes away.
It's shocking, and it's an important reminder.
I don't mean this as a way to get up on my soapbox, but there's something important to be learned from Nick Adenhart's tragic story.
You have to enjoy your life. Yes, it's incredibly sad that Nick was killed, but at least he was living his dream. He was in the majors. He'd made several starts in the majors. He even had a win.
Not that it's any less tragic. Adenhart still had a lot more wins left in his career, but I guess my point is:
Life is short. Life is random. It can be taken away from you so quickly. You NEED to be enjoying it. You NEED to be using it to your full potential.
Make the best out of every day.
Just look to Nick Adenhart for an example.
My thoughts go out to all those killed in the accident, and all those affected, including their families, friends, and fans.
So, remember everything good I talked about in yesterday's game?
That didn't happen in today's game (well, most of it didn't).
Our hitting wasn't really there. Other than a 4th inning, two run scoring rally, there wasn't much else to speak of, offense wise.
And the starting pitching wasn't really there. Randy Wolf gave up four earned runs in 5.1 innings.
On the bright side, the bullpen continued a second day of excellence. Ronald Belisario and Will Ohman had a scoreless inning each. Guillermo Mota allowed an inherited runner to score but didn't allow much further damage.
Overall, it was a really... meh... game. A loss. A lame loss.
A "We're two games into the season and the offense was asleep today" kinda game.
It's a marathon, not a sprint, right guys?
Two down, 160 to go. A 1-1 record.
We're off to a flying start...
That was pretty nice.
The Dodgers won their season opener yesterday beating the Padres 4-1 and showed a little bit of everything that should make us good this year.
James Loney went 3-4 with a couple RBIs, Matt Kemp smashed a solo homerun in 7th, and Hiroki Kuroda held the Padres to one run for 5.2 innings.
Pretty nice.
Add to that Rafael Furcal and Andre Ethier collecting two hits a piece, and the Dodger bullpen going 3.1 scoreless innings in relief.
Even better.
So, overall, not a bad start to the season.
Oh yeah, did I mention we beat Jake Peavy?
That does make it that much sweeter.
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.
