As a Dodger fan, I knew this day was coming... it wasn't a matter of if, it was when and where. Most of us knew that when he pitched on October 13, 2008 against the eventual World Champion Philadelphia Philles that the guy known as "D-Lowe" had likely made his last pitch as a member of the Blue Crew. As happened so often in his career as a Dodger, Lowe left that game leading only to see the bullpen give it up. In this game (divisional playoff game 4) he left after five innings leading 3-2. The Dodgers would eventually lose that game 7-5.
In four years as a Dodger he was only 54-48 in the won-loss column. To look at his record alone would be very misleading. Twice in those four years, D-Lowe received the worst run support of any NL pitcher. With a better offense behind him, you're talking about a guy who would have won 16-20 games every year rather than only once. Over his four years as a Dodger he posted ERA's of 3.61, 3.63, 3.88 and 3.24. Yes, D-Lowe was a model of consistency - the one steady and reliable force the Dodgers had on their staff. Not as flashy as Chad Billingsley, not as hyped by the media as much as the perhaps more talented Brad Penny, D-Lowe just did his job. He took the mound every fifth day and gave the Dodgers a chance to win just about every time.
After his requisite thrashing at Busch Stadium on August 6th - he just never has pitched well there for some reason (fantasy leaguers take that as a note for the 2009 season), he was almost perfect... In his final 10 regular season starts as a Dodger, Lowe gave up EIGHT runs... yes, EIGHT earned runs allowed ih his final 64 regular season innings - a stellar 1.13 ERA to go with a 6-1 record over that time. The Manny may have gotten all of the credit for the Dodgers championship run last year, but reality is that Derek Lowe played a pretty big role himself.
Today, Derek Lowe signed with the Atlanta Braves - 4 years, $60 million dollars... Yes, that is a whole lot of cash and I must say it's well-deserved. Braves fans, you can rest assured you're getting a good one, ok almost a GREAT one if you want the truth... a money pitcher (he gave up all of two earned runs in each of his three playoff games this year). Our loss is your gain. Good luck, Derek... you'll be missed here, though rest assured, there will ALWAYS be a spot on my fantasy teams for you! Without you, I would have been a pretender and not a contender in a lot of leagues these past few years!
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Showing posts with label Dodgers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dodgers. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Dodgers Sweep Cubs!
In an improbable upset, the Los Angeles Dodgers finished up a 3-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs in the National League Divisional Series for their first post-season series win in 20 years. James Loney's two run double in the first inning off of Cubs starter Rich Harden was all of the offense the Dodgers would need as starter Hideki Kuroda shut the opponents down in his 6 1/3 innings of work. Cory Wade pitched a strong 1 1/3 innings, giving up a run. Jonathan Broxton came in to get the final four outs of the game, striking out three including Alfonso Soriano to end a 3-1 Dodger victory. The Dodgers now await the winner of the series between the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers to see who they will be playing for the National League pennant. GO DODGERS!
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Thursday, September 25, 2008
Dodgers Clinch NL West!
For the first time in four years, the Los Angeles Dodgers have won the National League West. St. Louis Cardinal reliver Chris Perez got Augie Ojeda to fly out to end a just completed 12-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Busch Stadium, mathmatically eliminating the D-Backs from playoff contention. Congratulations to the Dodgers on winning the division and keeping alive that "Freeway World Series" that I've always hoped would happen!
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Thursday, August 28, 2008
Guzman Puts Dodgers In Complete Slide Cycle
A week ago today, the Los Angeles Dodgers were tied with the Arizona Dimondbacks for first place in the National League's western division... The Dodgers headed to Philadelphia to start a 10 day road trip to hopefully take control of the division... such though has not been the case at all... Greg Maddux got pounded by the Phillies as did Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers losing the first two games by a combined 17-3 score. The Dodgers then wasted a great outing by Derek Lowe, blowing a 2-1 lead and eventually losing 5-2 in extra innings. In game four of the series, the Dodgers reached base a staggering 17 times (13 hits and four walks), and yet failed to plate a run in losing 5-0.
While being swept by the playoff contending Phillies on the road is hardly embarrassing, what happened to the Dodgers in the nation's capital the past three days was beyond bad... In game one of the series, another strong outing by D-Lowe was wasted as the Dodgers could only manage a single run off Collin Balester and four Washington Nationals relievers. A throwing error by Greg Maddux led to two unearned runs - the margin of defeat - as the Dodgers lost again to the Nats last night, 5-4.
Game three of the series was a complete rout almost from the outset. After Manny Ramirez gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead with a home run which also plated Andre Ethier in the first inning, the Nationals offense exploded. Clayton Kershaw gave up five runs in just 2 1/3 innings, including a solo home run Cristian Guzman and a three-run blast from the just returning Elijah Dukes. Dukes would homer again in the 7th inning... it was Guzman though who stole the show, singling in the second inning and then doubling in the 6th inning. In the 8th inning, Guzman drove a ball deep and over center fielder Matt Kemp's head for a triple to complete the rare cycle. In the four year history of the Nationals, Guzman's was only the second cycle, the first being by Brad Wilkerson on April 6, 2005. At the end of the night, the Nationals had an 11-2 win and an improbable three game sweep of the quickly fading Blue Crew.
Fortunately for the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks have been losing as well but their losing streak is only four games. With a day off today, the Dodgers loss increased the D-Backs lead to 3 1/2 games in the National League West. Tomorrow, the Dodgers start a crucial three game series in Arizona. Needless to say, something's got to give. Realistically, the Dodgers really need to take at least two of the three games to have a legitimate chance of making the playoffs. Of course, if the Dodgers lose two of three or (gasp!) extend their losing streak to ten games, it will look like my hopes of a "Freeway World Series" will be all but dashed once again.
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While being swept by the playoff contending Phillies on the road is hardly embarrassing, what happened to the Dodgers in the nation's capital the past three days was beyond bad... In game one of the series, another strong outing by D-Lowe was wasted as the Dodgers could only manage a single run off Collin Balester and four Washington Nationals relievers. A throwing error by Greg Maddux led to two unearned runs - the margin of defeat - as the Dodgers lost again to the Nats last night, 5-4.
Game three of the series was a complete rout almost from the outset. After Manny Ramirez gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead with a home run which also plated Andre Ethier in the first inning, the Nationals offense exploded. Clayton Kershaw gave up five runs in just 2 1/3 innings, including a solo home run Cristian Guzman and a three-run blast from the just returning Elijah Dukes. Dukes would homer again in the 7th inning... it was Guzman though who stole the show, singling in the second inning and then doubling in the 6th inning. In the 8th inning, Guzman drove a ball deep and over center fielder Matt Kemp's head for a triple to complete the rare cycle. In the four year history of the Nationals, Guzman's was only the second cycle, the first being by Brad Wilkerson on April 6, 2005. At the end of the night, the Nationals had an 11-2 win and an improbable three game sweep of the quickly fading Blue Crew.
Fortunately for the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks have been losing as well but their losing streak is only four games. With a day off today, the Dodgers loss increased the D-Backs lead to 3 1/2 games in the National League West. Tomorrow, the Dodgers start a crucial three game series in Arizona. Needless to say, something's got to give. Realistically, the Dodgers really need to take at least two of the three games to have a legitimate chance of making the playoffs. Of course, if the Dodgers lose two of three or (gasp!) extend their losing streak to ten games, it will look like my hopes of a "Freeway World Series" will be all but dashed once again.
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Thursday, July 31, 2008
Dodgers Get Manny Ramirez!
In dire need of a power hitter, the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Andruw Jones in the off season. As we all know, that free agent signing has not at all worked out. Jones has all of TWO home runs and 13 RBI's to go along with an abysmal .167 batting average in 192 at bats this season. Where did the guy go who hit 118 home runs in the previous three years with the Braves? We're still wondering. Today, the Dodgers decided to acquire a disgruntled Manny Ramirez from the Boston Red Sox as part of a three team trade. With the move, it's expected that Jones' role on the bench will be firmly cemented.
In Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers get an aging superstar who still has some life in his bat. If Dodger fans were not familiar with the phrase "Manny being Manny" before, I expect over the next two months, they will become very familiar with it. Manny has battled some injuries the past two years, hurting his production somewhat. After only hitting 20 home runs last year in 483 at bats, Manny already has that number in 365 at bats this year to go with a .299 batting average. With 510 career home runs, the sure-bet future Hall of Famer is definitely a welcome addition to the Dodger line-up. I assume he will hit in the clean-up spot, taking the place of second basemen Jeff Kent.
With a 54-53 record, one game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the N.L. West, the Dodgers now become the favorite to win the division. With the Angels acquiring Mark Teixiera earlier this week, the local teams here in Los Angeles have certainly come out smelling like roses! It should be a fun next two and If we're lucky) three months here in L.A. Maybe that "Freeway World Series" that I've dreamed of since I was little isn't such a far-fetched notion anymore!
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In Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers get an aging superstar who still has some life in his bat. If Dodger fans were not familiar with the phrase "Manny being Manny" before, I expect over the next two months, they will become very familiar with it. Manny has battled some injuries the past two years, hurting his production somewhat. After only hitting 20 home runs last year in 483 at bats, Manny already has that number in 365 at bats this year to go with a .299 batting average. With 510 career home runs, the sure-bet future Hall of Famer is definitely a welcome addition to the Dodger line-up. I assume he will hit in the clean-up spot, taking the place of second basemen Jeff Kent.
With a 54-53 record, one game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the N.L. West, the Dodgers now become the favorite to win the division. With the Angels acquiring Mark Teixiera earlier this week, the local teams here in Los Angeles have certainly come out smelling like roses! It should be a fun next two and If we're lucky) three months here in L.A. Maybe that "Freeway World Series" that I've dreamed of since I was little isn't such a far-fetched notion anymore!
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Saturday, July 26, 2008
Nats hit new Lowe in L.A.
After splitting the final 128 games of the 2007 season, the Washington Nationals looked at 2008 with some hope and anticipation. A returning Nick Johnson, a promising young offense led by Ryan Zimmerman, comeback player of the year Dmitri Young and the slugging Wily Mo Pena and a promising young pitching staff led by Shawn Hill, Jason Bergmann and closer Chad Cordero looked to at least be a .500 team this year as they opened Nationals Park in our nation's capital.
Things started going wrong almost before they began though for this year's Nationals. Team mainstay John Patterson was released during spring training, and then the injuries began... every one of the above mentioned players has been hurt some point this year, and in the case of Johnson, Pena, Hill and Cordero, they are either done or looking to be done for the year. This week, the Nats traded arguably their best player this year, fill-in closer Jon Rauch to the Arizona Dimanondbacks... being an owner of Rauch in two of my five main fantasy leagues, this trade was especially disheartening.
Coming into tonight's matchup against the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine, it should come as no surprise that the Nats came in with the worst record in the majors at 38-65. Ex-Dodger Odalis Perez took on his old Dodger teammates... It was no contest from the start as Derek Lowe had his sinkerball working all night long, while Perez struggled from the get-go. Matt Kemp homered in the first inning with Juan Pierre aboard, and a scoring flyball by Nomar Garciaparra in the same frame gave the Dodgers an early 3-0 lead. Garciaparra hit a homer of his own in the fourth inning to key another three run inning for the Blue Crew. That was more than enough for "D-Lowe" as he completely stifled the Nats, allowing only a hit and a walk in hos eight innings of work. How bad was it for the Nats? Lowe had as many hits as the Nats did combined, going 2-for-3 on the night. Joe Beimel took over for Lowe in the 9th inning to preserve the 6-0 Dodger victory.
Being an owner of Lowe in four of my five most important fantasy leagues, this strong outing was very important personally, especially in one where aces Justin Duchscherer and Cole Hamels got torched to the tune of 12 earned runs and 20 batters allowed in just 9 2/3 innings of work between them. By the way, I am not winning any of those leagues at the moment... however, one is in second place and three others are within striking distance of the top. The league races are so tight at the moment that only eight points separate first to seventh in the one where I'm in 2nd place, 5 1/2 points out of the lead. In another where I trail the leader by only seven points, I'm actually in 6th place at the moment - FYI, this is the same league where I was down 33 points and mired in 9th place just 2 months ago. You can never give up in this game or ever rest on your laurels for that matter. Yes, it's a long season, a marathon if I must say!
With the win, the Dodgers keep pace, 1 1/2 games behind the Diamondbacks in the N.L. West, while the Nats move to 38-66, 18 games behind the New York Mets in the N.L. East and still possessing the worst record in baseball. For the Nats, 2008 is looking like it won't be ending soon enough... for the Dodgers though, there is a lot of hope, even with a 50-52 record thanks to their division being so weak.
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Things started going wrong almost before they began though for this year's Nationals. Team mainstay John Patterson was released during spring training, and then the injuries began... every one of the above mentioned players has been hurt some point this year, and in the case of Johnson, Pena, Hill and Cordero, they are either done or looking to be done for the year. This week, the Nats traded arguably their best player this year, fill-in closer Jon Rauch to the Arizona Dimanondbacks... being an owner of Rauch in two of my five main fantasy leagues, this trade was especially disheartening.
Coming into tonight's matchup against the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine, it should come as no surprise that the Nats came in with the worst record in the majors at 38-65. Ex-Dodger Odalis Perez took on his old Dodger teammates... It was no contest from the start as Derek Lowe had his sinkerball working all night long, while Perez struggled from the get-go. Matt Kemp homered in the first inning with Juan Pierre aboard, and a scoring flyball by Nomar Garciaparra in the same frame gave the Dodgers an early 3-0 lead. Garciaparra hit a homer of his own in the fourth inning to key another three run inning for the Blue Crew. That was more than enough for "D-Lowe" as he completely stifled the Nats, allowing only a hit and a walk in hos eight innings of work. How bad was it for the Nats? Lowe had as many hits as the Nats did combined, going 2-for-3 on the night. Joe Beimel took over for Lowe in the 9th inning to preserve the 6-0 Dodger victory.
Being an owner of Lowe in four of my five most important fantasy leagues, this strong outing was very important personally, especially in one where aces Justin Duchscherer and Cole Hamels got torched to the tune of 12 earned runs and 20 batters allowed in just 9 2/3 innings of work between them. By the way, I am not winning any of those leagues at the moment... however, one is in second place and three others are within striking distance of the top. The league races are so tight at the moment that only eight points separate first to seventh in the one where I'm in 2nd place, 5 1/2 points out of the lead. In another where I trail the leader by only seven points, I'm actually in 6th place at the moment - FYI, this is the same league where I was down 33 points and mired in 9th place just 2 months ago. You can never give up in this game or ever rest on your laurels for that matter. Yes, it's a long season, a marathon if I must say!
With the win, the Dodgers keep pace, 1 1/2 games behind the Diamondbacks in the N.L. West, while the Nats move to 38-66, 18 games behind the New York Mets in the N.L. East and still possessing the worst record in baseball. For the Nats, 2008 is looking like it won't be ending soon enough... for the Dodgers though, there is a lot of hope, even with a 50-52 record thanks to their division being so weak.
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Saturday, June 28, 2008
Dodgers get no-hit but WIN!
It was definitely one of the most bizarre major league baseball games I've ever witnessed. Game two of this weekend's three game interleague freeway series between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Los Angeles Dodgers took place at Chavez Ravine tonight. Not surprisingly, it was your classic pitcher's duel... what was surprising was the result of the game and how it all came about.
Jeff Weaver of the Angels was unhittable in his six innings of work, allowing only three walks to the Dodgers. However, Weaver made one crucial error, botching a little dribbler by the speedy Matt Kemp in the bottom of the fifth inning. Kemp attempted to steal second a couple of pitches later, and Angels catcher Jeff Mathis' attempt to catch him was way off, sailing into center field for another error to put Kemp on third. A fly ball to right field by Blake DeWitt was far enough to score Kemp and give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. Reliever Jose Arredondo pitched a perfect 7th and 8th inning to preserve Weaver's no-hitter. The Angels could do nothing though with the Dodgers pitching either. Chad Billingsley only allowed three hits and three walks while striking out seven in his seven innings of work.
Jonathan Broxton held the lead while giving up a harmless single in the eighth. Takeshi Saito got two quick outs before allowing a double to Howie Kendrick and a walk to Mike Napoli to make things interesting. Saito then closed the door, striking out pinch hitter Reggie Willits to end the game. The box score for the Dodgers: ONE RUN, NO HITS, TWO ERRORS... How bizarre! Not even legendary announcer Vin Scully could remember seeing such a feat. What a game!
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Jeff Weaver of the Angels was unhittable in his six innings of work, allowing only three walks to the Dodgers. However, Weaver made one crucial error, botching a little dribbler by the speedy Matt Kemp in the bottom of the fifth inning. Kemp attempted to steal second a couple of pitches later, and Angels catcher Jeff Mathis' attempt to catch him was way off, sailing into center field for another error to put Kemp on third. A fly ball to right field by Blake DeWitt was far enough to score Kemp and give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. Reliever Jose Arredondo pitched a perfect 7th and 8th inning to preserve Weaver's no-hitter. The Angels could do nothing though with the Dodgers pitching either. Chad Billingsley only allowed three hits and three walks while striking out seven in his seven innings of work.
Jonathan Broxton held the lead while giving up a harmless single in the eighth. Takeshi Saito got two quick outs before allowing a double to Howie Kendrick and a walk to Mike Napoli to make things interesting. Saito then closed the door, striking out pinch hitter Reggie Willits to end the game. The box score for the Dodgers: ONE RUN, NO HITS, TWO ERRORS... How bizarre! Not even legendary announcer Vin Scully could remember seeing such a feat. What a game!
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Thursday, December 6, 2007
Dodgers Sign Andruw Jones
After what can only be described as a horrible "contract year" season for the Atlanta Braves in 2007, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed outfielder Andruw Jones to a two year, $36.2 million contract last night. Jones hit 26 home runs with a league-low .222 batting average last year, while scoring only 83 runs. These were all career lows (in 1999 he also hit 26 home runs). Two years ago, Jones hit 51 home runs for the Braves. He followed that up with a 41 home run effort in 2006. Last year, I saw many Braves games on the Atlanta Superstation, and it appeared to me that he was pressing an awful lot, chasing balls that he normally wouldn't go after. Jones also battled a variety of nagging injuries last year.
In Andruw Jones, the Dodgers did also happen to get one of the league's best defensive outfielders. The weak-armed Juan Pierre will presumably move to left field. If Jones is fully healthy next year and he stays patient at the plate, expect Dodger fans to be very happy with this signing... he's a proven run producer and a great talent!
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In Andruw Jones, the Dodgers did also happen to get one of the league's best defensive outfielders. The weak-armed Juan Pierre will presumably move to left field. If Jones is fully healthy next year and he stays patient at the plate, expect Dodger fans to be very happy with this signing... he's a proven run producer and a great talent!
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Friday, November 2, 2007
Torre New Dodgers Manager!
Grady Little's resignation on Tuesday set the stage for what all of us here in the L.A. area knew was inevitable - the signing of former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre to manage the Dodgers. Torre was signed to a three year, $13 million contract on Thursday. It is expected that Don Mattingly will follow Torre from the Yankees and become the new Dodgers hitting coach.
Needless to say, Torre brings an incredible resume' with him to the Dodgers. His 2,067 victories are eighth on the all-time list, and he also led the Yankees to four championships. Hopefully, he can revitalize the Dodgers and continue his winning ways here! Is it 2008 yet???!!!
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Needless to say, Torre brings an incredible resume' with him to the Dodgers. His 2,067 victories are eighth on the all-time list, and he also led the Yankees to four championships. Hopefully, he can revitalize the Dodgers and continue his winning ways here! Is it 2008 yet???!!!
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Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Dodgers/Lakers Rumor Mill...
It's been a pretty wild couple of days here in the L.A. sports scene. The rumors that the Lakers may be trading Kobe Bryant away continue to persist. In the meantime, the Dodgers now are reportedly thisclose to signing former Yankee manager Joe Torre and firing Grady Little. With coach Don Mattingly not re-signing with the Yankees and with a son of his in the Dodgers farm system, it just adds some more fuel to the fire.
As I've said before here, trading away the NBA's best player really doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Then again, the Lakers really haven't done a lot of stuff that has made sense here the past few seasons. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has made promise after promise to Kobe to get some talent to help make them a better team, but he's failed to come through. Yes, they did make a sentimental re-signing in getting Derek Fisher from the Utah Jazz... D-Fish though isn't the kind of impact player that really is going to help the Lakers rise from a fringe playoff team to a team that can compete with the Spurs, Suns and other elite teams. If the Lakers trade away Kobe, don't look for them to even be close to the playoffs... and mark my words, there will be lots of empty seats at Staples Center this year if there is no Kobe.
As for the Dodgers, well hiring arguably baseball's best manager would seem to be a no-brainer move. Yes, Grady Little is a nice guy, but when you have the opportunity to sign the best there is, well you just have to do it! And with A-Rod opting out of his contract with the Yankees, is there a chance that he could end up here in L.A.??? Wouldn't that be something???
Needless to say, I'm very excited about the Dodgers prospects, and pretty scared about the prospect of a Kobe-less Laker team... more to come on both of these stories in the coming days.
As I've said before here, trading away the NBA's best player really doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Then again, the Lakers really haven't done a lot of stuff that has made sense here the past few seasons. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has made promise after promise to Kobe to get some talent to help make them a better team, but he's failed to come through. Yes, they did make a sentimental re-signing in getting Derek Fisher from the Utah Jazz... D-Fish though isn't the kind of impact player that really is going to help the Lakers rise from a fringe playoff team to a team that can compete with the Spurs, Suns and other elite teams. If the Lakers trade away Kobe, don't look for them to even be close to the playoffs... and mark my words, there will be lots of empty seats at Staples Center this year if there is no Kobe.
As for the Dodgers, well hiring arguably baseball's best manager would seem to be a no-brainer move. Yes, Grady Little is a nice guy, but when you have the opportunity to sign the best there is, well you just have to do it! And with A-Rod opting out of his contract with the Yankees, is there a chance that he could end up here in L.A.??? Wouldn't that be something???
Needless to say, I'm very excited about the Dodgers prospects, and pretty scared about the prospect of a Kobe-less Laker team... more to come on both of these stories in the coming days.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
No Hawpe To Dodgers' Step
While a few friends and I were out belatedly celebrating my good Dave Gomberg's birthday at BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, where we all stuffed ourselves with some great food and some of their world-famous chocolate chunk pizookie for dessert, the Los Angeles Dodgers once again were faced with a must win game against the Colorado Rockies. One of the great things about BJ's is that the restaurant is filled with video screens showing the various sporting events going on. I had a perfect view of last night's Dodgers game and things were looking pretty good. Despite two homers by Matt Holliday, the Dodgers held a 5-4 lead through six innings. Matt Loney continued his hot hitting for the Dodgers, driving in three runs with a pair of singles and a ground out. For the second night in a row, the Dodger bullpen was entrusted to protect a lead, and just like the previous night, Jonathan Broxton gave up a two-run homer in the 8th inning. The only differences being it was by Brad Hawpe and not Ryan Spilborghs and this one actually gave the Rockies a one run lead going into the ninth. Todd Helton had ended the previous game with a walk-off home run off of closer Takeshi Saito. Manny Corpas pitched a scoreless ninth for the Rockies to give them the improbable 6-5 win. For the Dodgers it was their fourth straight loss, and dropped them 5 1/2 games behind the San Diego Padres for the N.L. Wild Card spot. Just five days ago, the Dodgers were only 1 1/2 games out of the Wild Card slot. For all intents and purposes, you can just about stick a fork in the Dodgers' 2007 playoff hopes.
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Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Dodgers, Mets Attacked By Rockies, Nats!
This is the time of year where a game or two or a series or two can define a season. In the case of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets, the past several days might just be remembered historically for both teams as the time the 2007 season got away. It's kind of ironic both of these teams are faltering at this crucial stretch considering that the two teams were 2006 first round playoff opponents - the Mets winning their best of five series in three straight games.
The Dodgers came into yesterday's day-night doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies three games behind the San Diego Padres for the N.L. Wild Card spot. The Rockies hopes were even slimmer coming in to the series, starting the day five games back of the Padres. Given the history of Colorado's Coors Field, this figured to be a very high scoring series. Home plate umpire Tim Welke did his best to make sure that game one would not be your typical scoring fest at Coors, employing a very generous strike zone throughout. Starting pitchers Jeff Francis and Chad Billingsley were almost constantly in trouble, allowing baserunners in practically every inning. Thanks to some fortuitous double-play grounders and questionable third strike calls, only four runs would be scored in game one. Billingsley allowed only two runs in his 5 1/3 innings of work - Matt Holliday singled in Cory Sullivan in the fourth and Todd Helton scored Sullivan with a single of his own in the sixth. The Dodgers managed ten baserunners against Francis, but only scored once - a solo home run by Olmedo Saenz with two out in the seventh knocked Francis from the game. Francis was the big beneficiary of Welke's big strike zone, fanning a career high ten batters. Joe Koshansky quickly erased Saenz' run, scoring Brad Hawpe in the bottom of the seventh for a 3-1 Colorado lead. LaTroy Hawkins, Brian Fuentes and Manny Corpas kept the Dodgers in check the final 2 1/3 innings to seal the victory in game one.
The second game of the twinbill was much more typical of what we've become accustomed to over the years at Coors Field. Each team tallied three runs in the first inning. It was the beginning of what would be an epic see-saw battle. Matt Kemp plated Juan Pierre with a double in the third off of Rockie starter Mark Redman to give the Blue Crew a one run lead. Matt Holliday then slammed a one out two-run homer deep to left-center field off of David Wells in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Rockies their first lead at 5-4. The Dodgers would strike right back in the next inning. James Loney homered to deep right off of Rockie reliever Matt Herges to tie the game. Herges was pulled after giving up a single to Ramon Martinez and a Mike Lieberthal walk. Jeremy Affeldt quickly retired the first two batters her faced, but Tony Abreu then lashed a triple into the left field corner to make it a 7-5 Dodger lead. Russell Martin hit a solo off of Jorge Julio in the top of the eighth to increase the Dodger bulge to three. In most places a three run lead with Jonathan Broxton and Takeshi Saito is just about as sure a bet as you can have, but this is Coors Field we're talking about so as we have known for a very long time now, the normal rules don't apply. Addtionally, Broxton had been quite shaky coming into last night's outing, allowing five earned runs in his prior eight appearances coving 5 1/3 innings for an 8.44 ERA. Broxton's slump continued into last night as Ryan Spilborghs homered deep to center after a Garret Atkins single to trim the margin to one. Unlike Broxton, Saito had been nothing short of incredible for the Dodgers of late, allowing only TWO hits and not a single earned run in his previous 15 appearances covering 15 innings. With a 1.21 ERA, he was within an inning of eclipsing Eric Gagne's Dodger record 1.20 ERA set back in 2003. Saito quickly retired the first two Rockie batters before Holliday singled to right. That brought up the dangerous and very hungry Todd Helton to the plate. Helton only had one hit in his first eight at bats of the twinbill - an RBI single in game one. Saito quickly got two strikes on Helton, but then left a pitch out over the left inside part of the plate. And Helton didn't miss it, crushing the ball into the right-center field stands for a dramatic 9-8 Rockie victory. With a Padres win, the Dodgers and Rockies now both lie 4 1/2 games back of them for the N.L. Wild Card.
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Back in our nation's capital, the Washington Nationals are definitely trying to close old RFK Stadium out in style - and they are also doing their best to spoil the Mets title run. Just a week ago, the Mets held a seemingly commanding seven game lead over the Philadelphia Philles in the N.L. East race. A few days earlier, I had told a few people on Ron Shandler's BaseballHQ site that the Mets pitching beyond Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine was very tenuous at best and that I wouldn't be at all surprised if they lost several games off their lead down the stretch. Flash forward to a week later. The Phillies went into last night winners of five straight games, while the Mets had lost four in a row, including a humiliating 12-4 loss to the Nationals on Monday night. That big seven game lead now was only 2 1/2 games for the Mets.
Early on, it looked like the Mets would finally put an end to their losing skid as they pounded Nats starter Joel Hanrahan for four runs in the top of the first inning. Hanrahan continued to struggle and was pulled after only pitching three innings, giving up five runs on seven hits, while walking two. Mets starter John Maine continued his post-July struggles, giving up three runs to the Nats in his first four innings. The Mets tallied two more runs in the top of the fifth inning to give Maine a 7-3 lead. The gritty Nats finally got to Maine in a big way in the bottom of the fifth. After a Nook Logan single and a Felipe Lopez walk, Ryan Zimmerman was caught looking at a called third strike. Wily Mo Pena continued his heroics for the Nats, plating Logan with a single to center. Austin Kearns singled to right to score Lopez to cut the margin again to two. Ronnie Belliard then delivered the knock-out blow, slamming a three-run homer deep into the left field seats to give the Nats an 8-7 lead. Maine mercifully was pulled after that pitch. D'Ángelo Jiménez added an insurance run for the Nats in the bottom of the sixth to give them a 9-7 lead. Several times, I've commended Nats manager on the job he's done this year. Since their 9-25 start, the Nats had played very respectable .500 ball (58-58) going into last night's game. Acta may have done his best managing job of the season last night, employing NINE pitchers! Chad Cordero quickly recorded two outs in the ninth and then got into trouble as the Mets plated Shawn Green on a Jeff Conine single. "The Chief" ended the game in style for the Nats, striking out Ruben Gotay to end the game and sending the 19,966 in attendance home very happy. With a Phillies win, the Mets once gaudy seven game lead in the N.L. East race is now only 1 1/2 games.
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The Dodgers came into yesterday's day-night doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies three games behind the San Diego Padres for the N.L. Wild Card spot. The Rockies hopes were even slimmer coming in to the series, starting the day five games back of the Padres. Given the history of Colorado's Coors Field, this figured to be a very high scoring series. Home plate umpire Tim Welke did his best to make sure that game one would not be your typical scoring fest at Coors, employing a very generous strike zone throughout. Starting pitchers Jeff Francis and Chad Billingsley were almost constantly in trouble, allowing baserunners in practically every inning. Thanks to some fortuitous double-play grounders and questionable third strike calls, only four runs would be scored in game one. Billingsley allowed only two runs in his 5 1/3 innings of work - Matt Holliday singled in Cory Sullivan in the fourth and Todd Helton scored Sullivan with a single of his own in the sixth. The Dodgers managed ten baserunners against Francis, but only scored once - a solo home run by Olmedo Saenz with two out in the seventh knocked Francis from the game. Francis was the big beneficiary of Welke's big strike zone, fanning a career high ten batters. Joe Koshansky quickly erased Saenz' run, scoring Brad Hawpe in the bottom of the seventh for a 3-1 Colorado lead. LaTroy Hawkins, Brian Fuentes and Manny Corpas kept the Dodgers in check the final 2 1/3 innings to seal the victory in game one.
The second game of the twinbill was much more typical of what we've become accustomed to over the years at Coors Field. Each team tallied three runs in the first inning. It was the beginning of what would be an epic see-saw battle. Matt Kemp plated Juan Pierre with a double in the third off of Rockie starter Mark Redman to give the Blue Crew a one run lead. Matt Holliday then slammed a one out two-run homer deep to left-center field off of David Wells in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Rockies their first lead at 5-4. The Dodgers would strike right back in the next inning. James Loney homered to deep right off of Rockie reliever Matt Herges to tie the game. Herges was pulled after giving up a single to Ramon Martinez and a Mike Lieberthal walk. Jeremy Affeldt quickly retired the first two batters her faced, but Tony Abreu then lashed a triple into the left field corner to make it a 7-5 Dodger lead. Russell Martin hit a solo off of Jorge Julio in the top of the eighth to increase the Dodger bulge to three. In most places a three run lead with Jonathan Broxton and Takeshi Saito is just about as sure a bet as you can have, but this is Coors Field we're talking about so as we have known for a very long time now, the normal rules don't apply. Addtionally, Broxton had been quite shaky coming into last night's outing, allowing five earned runs in his prior eight appearances coving 5 1/3 innings for an 8.44 ERA. Broxton's slump continued into last night as Ryan Spilborghs homered deep to center after a Garret Atkins single to trim the margin to one. Unlike Broxton, Saito had been nothing short of incredible for the Dodgers of late, allowing only TWO hits and not a single earned run in his previous 15 appearances covering 15 innings. With a 1.21 ERA, he was within an inning of eclipsing Eric Gagne's Dodger record 1.20 ERA set back in 2003. Saito quickly retired the first two Rockie batters before Holliday singled to right. That brought up the dangerous and very hungry Todd Helton to the plate. Helton only had one hit in his first eight at bats of the twinbill - an RBI single in game one. Saito quickly got two strikes on Helton, but then left a pitch out over the left inside part of the plate. And Helton didn't miss it, crushing the ball into the right-center field stands for a dramatic 9-8 Rockie victory. With a Padres win, the Dodgers and Rockies now both lie 4 1/2 games back of them for the N.L. Wild Card.
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Back in our nation's capital, the Washington Nationals are definitely trying to close old RFK Stadium out in style - and they are also doing their best to spoil the Mets title run. Just a week ago, the Mets held a seemingly commanding seven game lead over the Philadelphia Philles in the N.L. East race. A few days earlier, I had told a few people on Ron Shandler's BaseballHQ site that the Mets pitching beyond Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine was very tenuous at best and that I wouldn't be at all surprised if they lost several games off their lead down the stretch. Flash forward to a week later. The Phillies went into last night winners of five straight games, while the Mets had lost four in a row, including a humiliating 12-4 loss to the Nationals on Monday night. That big seven game lead now was only 2 1/2 games for the Mets.
Early on, it looked like the Mets would finally put an end to their losing skid as they pounded Nats starter Joel Hanrahan for four runs in the top of the first inning. Hanrahan continued to struggle and was pulled after only pitching three innings, giving up five runs on seven hits, while walking two. Mets starter John Maine continued his post-July struggles, giving up three runs to the Nats in his first four innings. The Mets tallied two more runs in the top of the fifth inning to give Maine a 7-3 lead. The gritty Nats finally got to Maine in a big way in the bottom of the fifth. After a Nook Logan single and a Felipe Lopez walk, Ryan Zimmerman was caught looking at a called third strike. Wily Mo Pena continued his heroics for the Nats, plating Logan with a single to center. Austin Kearns singled to right to score Lopez to cut the margin again to two. Ronnie Belliard then delivered the knock-out blow, slamming a three-run homer deep into the left field seats to give the Nats an 8-7 lead. Maine mercifully was pulled after that pitch. D'Ángelo Jiménez added an insurance run for the Nats in the bottom of the sixth to give them a 9-7 lead. Several times, I've commended Nats manager on the job he's done this year. Since their 9-25 start, the Nats had played very respectable .500 ball (58-58) going into last night's game. Acta may have done his best managing job of the season last night, employing NINE pitchers! Chad Cordero quickly recorded two outs in the ninth and then got into trouble as the Mets plated Shawn Green on a Jeff Conine single. "The Chief" ended the game in style for the Nats, striking out Ruben Gotay to end the game and sending the 19,966 in attendance home very happy. With a Phillies win, the Mets once gaudy seven game lead in the N.L. East race is now only 1 1/2 games.
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Saturday, September 15, 2007
Nomah, "Kids" Bite D-Backs!
For the Dodgers' Nomar Garciaparra, 2007 has been a very trying season. After tying for the team lead in home runs with a year ago with 20 despite missing a quarter of the season, the former A.L. batting champion went into last night with only six longballs this year. Of late, "Nomah" has also lost playing time thanks to the continued hot bats of up and coming stars James Loney, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. Last night, "Nomah" and the young guns made sure that the Dodgers' post-season hopes remained alive against the Arizona Diamondbacks starter, Doug Davis.
Brad Penny started the game for the Dodgers and was pretty shaky throughout, walking in a run after giving up two hits and hitting a batter in the first. The Dodgers came right back in the bottom of the inning as Rafael Furcal would single and later score on a Loney double.
Both pitchers would cruise through the next two innings, but would run into trouble in the following two. The D-Backs would manufacture a run in the fourth as Chris Young singled, stole second, advanced to third on a Russell Martin throwing error and then scored on a Stephen Drew sacrifice fly. Martin would atone for his error in the bottom of the inning as he would drive in Jeff Kent with a run-scoring single.
In the fifth, the D-Backs would strike again, as Mark Reynolds would hammer a ball deep into the left field seats to score Conor Jackson. For the third straight time though, Davis gave it all back and then some thanks to some shoddy defense as Pierre would walk and move to third after another Loney single. Kent grounded into a double play to score Pierre to make it a 4-3 lead for the D-Backs. "Nomah" then drove a ball deep to center field for his seventh homer of the year to tie the game. Davis should have escaped without further damage, but a crucial error on a Martin grounder by Drew extended the inning... Kemp would make him pay, lining a triple deep to right to score Martin. Ethier then drove Kemp in with a single to right and Davis was through for the night. As it turned out, so was Penny's night but that turned out to be just fine for the Blue Crew.
With that the game was pretty much decided as both bullpens pitched very well; the only score coming on an Ethier single which plated Nomah in the bottom of the seventh inning. Mark Hendrickson, Rudy Seanez, Joe Biemal and Takeshi Saito would combine to pitch four scoreless innings and give Penny his 16th win of the year. Saito lowered his ERA to 1.21 in picking up his 39th save. With another scoreless inning, he could actually best the 1.20 ERA put up by Eric Gagne during his magical 2003 season. With the win, the Dodgers pulled within 4 1/2 games of the Diamondbacks for the N.L. West division lead and remained 1 1/2 games behind the victorious San Diego Padres in the N.L. Wild Card race. This afternoon, Derek Lowe takes on Livan Hernandez in game two of this crucial series.
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Brad Penny started the game for the Dodgers and was pretty shaky throughout, walking in a run after giving up two hits and hitting a batter in the first. The Dodgers came right back in the bottom of the inning as Rafael Furcal would single and later score on a Loney double.
Both pitchers would cruise through the next two innings, but would run into trouble in the following two. The D-Backs would manufacture a run in the fourth as Chris Young singled, stole second, advanced to third on a Russell Martin throwing error and then scored on a Stephen Drew sacrifice fly. Martin would atone for his error in the bottom of the inning as he would drive in Jeff Kent with a run-scoring single.
In the fifth, the D-Backs would strike again, as Mark Reynolds would hammer a ball deep into the left field seats to score Conor Jackson. For the third straight time though, Davis gave it all back and then some thanks to some shoddy defense as Pierre would walk and move to third after another Loney single. Kent grounded into a double play to score Pierre to make it a 4-3 lead for the D-Backs. "Nomah" then drove a ball deep to center field for his seventh homer of the year to tie the game. Davis should have escaped without further damage, but a crucial error on a Martin grounder by Drew extended the inning... Kemp would make him pay, lining a triple deep to right to score Martin. Ethier then drove Kemp in with a single to right and Davis was through for the night. As it turned out, so was Penny's night but that turned out to be just fine for the Blue Crew.
With that the game was pretty much decided as both bullpens pitched very well; the only score coming on an Ethier single which plated Nomah in the bottom of the seventh inning. Mark Hendrickson, Rudy Seanez, Joe Biemal and Takeshi Saito would combine to pitch four scoreless innings and give Penny his 16th win of the year. Saito lowered his ERA to 1.21 in picking up his 39th save. With another scoreless inning, he could actually best the 1.20 ERA put up by Eric Gagne during his magical 2003 season. With the win, the Dodgers pulled within 4 1/2 games of the Diamondbacks for the N.L. West division lead and remained 1 1/2 games behind the victorious San Diego Padres in the N.L. Wild Card race. This afternoon, Derek Lowe takes on Livan Hernandez in game two of this crucial series.
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Saturday, September 8, 2007
Dodgers Give One Away...
A strange thing happened to me last night while flipping back and forth between the Dodgers/Giants and Angels/Indians games last night on my local stations: I fell asleep!!! I guess the day had me tired or something, but it was only around 9 pm PT when I conked out. Now maybe it was because I felt pretty secure with the 3-1 lead that Chad Billingsley was holding after he retired the Giants in order in the bottom of the sixth inning or that I felt secure in how Jon Lackey was mowing down the Indians while the Halos held a 2-1 lead. Or maybe it was some combination of both.
Regardless, when I woke up (still asleep on the couch) three hours and fifteen minutes later with the games being long over, I soon discovered that neither Billingsley or Lackey had been credited with a win. Closer inspection showed that the Dodgers SS Rafael Furcal had made a critical throwing error on a ground ball in the bottom of the 7th inning after a Barry Bonds single had ended Billingsley's night. The Furcal error ended up giving the Giants four outs in that inning and they took full advantage, putting up three runs! James Loney managed to tie the game at 4 in the top of the 9th for the Dodgers with his second home run of the game, but Jonathan Broxton would give up a walk-off homer to the unheralded Dan Ortmeier to give the Giants an improbable 5-4 win. The loss was a crucial one for the Dodgers as a win would have moved them within 1 1/2 games of the San Diego Padres for the NL Wild Card.
As for the Angels, well better news to report there. Francisco Rodriguez came in to close out things in the ninth and gave up a solo home run to Ryan Garko to tie the game at 2. For K-Rod it was his sixth blown save of the year. The game went extra innings. Scot Shields actually relieved K-Rod with two out in the ninth and pitched a scoreless 10th as well. Chone Figgins, in his first start since he was injured two weeks ago, led off a double to right (his 3rd hit of the game). Orlando Cabrera flew out and then the red-hot Garret Anderson was intentionally walked. G.A. had singled in Figgins in the first inning to extend his consecutive games string of driving in at least one run to 12. The RBI gave him 22 of them over that time. Kendry Morales was then called on to deliver a game winning hit. After an 0-for-4 night in which he had grounded into a double play and left five men on base, Kendry was feeling pretty down on himself... He got redemption though as he lined a single to right to plate Figgins and give the Angels a dramatic 3-2 win! With the victory, the Angels now own a nine game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the AL West and have a magic number of only 14 to clinch the title.
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Regardless, when I woke up (still asleep on the couch) three hours and fifteen minutes later with the games being long over, I soon discovered that neither Billingsley or Lackey had been credited with a win. Closer inspection showed that the Dodgers SS Rafael Furcal had made a critical throwing error on a ground ball in the bottom of the 7th inning after a Barry Bonds single had ended Billingsley's night. The Furcal error ended up giving the Giants four outs in that inning and they took full advantage, putting up three runs! James Loney managed to tie the game at 4 in the top of the 9th for the Dodgers with his second home run of the game, but Jonathan Broxton would give up a walk-off homer to the unheralded Dan Ortmeier to give the Giants an improbable 5-4 win. The loss was a crucial one for the Dodgers as a win would have moved them within 1 1/2 games of the San Diego Padres for the NL Wild Card.
As for the Angels, well better news to report there. Francisco Rodriguez came in to close out things in the ninth and gave up a solo home run to Ryan Garko to tie the game at 2. For K-Rod it was his sixth blown save of the year. The game went extra innings. Scot Shields actually relieved K-Rod with two out in the ninth and pitched a scoreless 10th as well. Chone Figgins, in his first start since he was injured two weeks ago, led off a double to right (his 3rd hit of the game). Orlando Cabrera flew out and then the red-hot Garret Anderson was intentionally walked. G.A. had singled in Figgins in the first inning to extend his consecutive games string of driving in at least one run to 12. The RBI gave him 22 of them over that time. Kendry Morales was then called on to deliver a game winning hit. After an 0-for-4 night in which he had grounded into a double play and left five men on base, Kendry was feeling pretty down on himself... He got redemption though as he lined a single to right to plate Figgins and give the Angels a dramatic 3-2 win! With the victory, the Angels now own a nine game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the AL West and have a magic number of only 14 to clinch the title.
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Thursday, September 6, 2007
Dodgers Dump Dempster!
For nearly five innings today, the Los Angeles Dodgers looked like a team that was suffering from a hangover after their 8-2 drubbing at the hands of the Chicago Cubs yesterday. Fortunately for the Dodgers, they brought their young future stars James Loney, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier along with them... Alfonso Soriano homered in the first inning off of Dodger starter Derek Lowe and Jason Marquis retired the first 14 Dodger batters as the Cubs clung to a 1-0 lead.
Loney broke up the perfect game, no-hitter and shutout with one swing of the bat as he clubbed a Marquis fastball deep to right to tie the game. Loney would strike again in the 7th inning, driving in Russell Martin with a double deep to right center.
The Cubs chased Lowe in the bottom of the inning after he gave up a single to Mike Fontenot and a walks Cliff Floyd. Jonathan Broxton was then summoned to relieve Lowe and threw Soriano four straight balls out of the strike zone. With Soriano though, you know that he has a propensity to swing at balls out of the zone... sure enough ball four turned into a 3-run homer as Soriano took a ball which was a good 3-4 inches below his knees and lofted it into the left field stands. Broxton, Lowe and the rest of the Dodgers were in shock (as was announcer Vin Scully).
The Dodgers though would regroup. The red-hot Kemp powered a ball deep to center in the top of the eighth inning for his 10th homer of the year to make it a one run game. Ryan Dempster was then summoned to close out the game for the Cubs in the 9th. With 25 saves in 27 chances, it appeared the lead was safe. Right away though, it was clear that Dempster didn't have his best stuff. Martin and Loney led off the inning with singles. Then Dodger manager Grady Little made a great move, pinch hitting Andre Ethier to hit for Andy LaRoche. In three previous career at bats against Dempster, Ethier had two hits... Sure enough Ethier took a pitch and lofted it the other way, the ball carried and then cleared the left-center field wall to give the Dodgers a 6-4 lead.
The raucous crowd was suddenly silent and then they turned their pent up silence into boos directed at Dempster as he gave up singles Mike Sweeney and Juan Pierre sandwiched around a Rafael Furcal fielder's choice. Mike Wuertz relieved Dempster and promptly uncorked a wild pitch to score Furcal and give the Dodgers a 3-run lead. Kemp would strike out to end the inning... With that the wind was taken out of the Cubbies as Takeshi Saito retired them in order in the bottom of the 9th for his 37th save in 40 tries. With the win, the Dodgers pulled within 2 1/2 games of the San Diego Padres for the NL Wild Card spot.
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Loney broke up the perfect game, no-hitter and shutout with one swing of the bat as he clubbed a Marquis fastball deep to right to tie the game. Loney would strike again in the 7th inning, driving in Russell Martin with a double deep to right center.
The Cubs chased Lowe in the bottom of the inning after he gave up a single to Mike Fontenot and a walks Cliff Floyd. Jonathan Broxton was then summoned to relieve Lowe and threw Soriano four straight balls out of the strike zone. With Soriano though, you know that he has a propensity to swing at balls out of the zone... sure enough ball four turned into a 3-run homer as Soriano took a ball which was a good 3-4 inches below his knees and lofted it into the left field stands. Broxton, Lowe and the rest of the Dodgers were in shock (as was announcer Vin Scully).
The Dodgers though would regroup. The red-hot Kemp powered a ball deep to center in the top of the eighth inning for his 10th homer of the year to make it a one run game. Ryan Dempster was then summoned to close out the game for the Cubs in the 9th. With 25 saves in 27 chances, it appeared the lead was safe. Right away though, it was clear that Dempster didn't have his best stuff. Martin and Loney led off the inning with singles. Then Dodger manager Grady Little made a great move, pinch hitting Andre Ethier to hit for Andy LaRoche. In three previous career at bats against Dempster, Ethier had two hits... Sure enough Ethier took a pitch and lofted it the other way, the ball carried and then cleared the left-center field wall to give the Dodgers a 6-4 lead.
The raucous crowd was suddenly silent and then they turned their pent up silence into boos directed at Dempster as he gave up singles Mike Sweeney and Juan Pierre sandwiched around a Rafael Furcal fielder's choice. Mike Wuertz relieved Dempster and promptly uncorked a wild pitch to score Furcal and give the Dodgers a 3-run lead. Kemp would strike out to end the inning... With that the wind was taken out of the Cubbies as Takeshi Saito retired them in order in the bottom of the 9th for his 37th save in 40 tries. With the win, the Dodgers pulled within 2 1/2 games of the San Diego Padres for the NL Wild Card spot.
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Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Garret Anderson EN FUEGO!
Another day, another Garret Anderson home run, another Los Angeles/Anaheim Angels win! It's beginning to sound like a broken record, but this is good news if you happen to be an Angels fan or where fortunate enough to grab "G.A." in your fantasy league when he first started getting hot. With a 4-3 win last night, the Angels have now won seven of their past nine games and opened up a 7 1/2 game lead in the American League West race. Over that nine game stretch, G.A.'s been nothing short of amazing - 6 home runs, 17 RBI's, 10 runs scored, and even a stolen base to go along with a .438 batting average!!! If you go back to cover his past 14 games, he has 8 home runs and 27 RBI's!!! Actually, G.A.'s been an absolute RBI machine for about the past month and a half - in his 45 games beginning July 19th, he has hit .293 with 11 home runs and 52 RBI's to go along with 27 runs scored. For those of you other numbers fiends out there, that's a 187 RBI pace!!! - Incredibly, that RBI pace is still short of the 191 that Hack Wilson put up in 1930 in only 154 games! Just shows you how truly great that 1930 season of Wilson's was.
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After a very difficult stretch where they lost 11 of 12 games, the Los Angeles Dodgers have suddenly seen their fortunes change. Brad Penny bobbed and weaved through seven innings at Wrigley Field in Chicago, allowing only one earned run despite giving up seven hits and three walks. Penny was clearly not at his best as he only struck out two batters, but he made good pitches when it counted, inducing the Cubs to ground into three double plays. Matt Kemp continued his hot hitting, going 4-for-5 to raise his batting average to .344. Jonathan Broxton and Takeshi Saito contined to pitch masterfully in the closing innings, each pitching a scoreless frame to secure Penny's 16th win on the year. Broxton now has a 2.13 ERA on the year, while Saito's ERA is a microscopic 1.31. Saito has a reasonable chance of breaking Eric Gagne's Dodger record ERA for a closer of 1.20 which was set in 2003. With their 13th win in their past 19 games, the Dodgers are now within just three games of the Arizona Dimaondbacks and San Diego Padres for the National League West division lead and Wild Card spot. The Dodgers looked hopelessly out of things just three weeks ago... Now, they look like they just might indeed be the playoff team we saw during the early part of the season.
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Meanwhile, back on the other coast, the Washington Nationals continue to demonstrate the resilency which has marked their first season under manager, Manny Acta. After a horrific second half of August, which saw them lose 12 of 15 games, including the final seven, the Nats came into yesterday's game against the Florida Marlins in the midst of a three game winning streak. Shawn Hill pitched an effective 6 1/3 innings for the Nats, allowing three runs and eleven hits, walking none and striking out six. Unfortunately for Hill, he left the game without a chance to win as Dontrelle Willis kept the Nats in check for seven innings, only allowing single runs in the first and third innings. Willis got into trouble in the bottom of the seventh as with one out, Nook Logan doubled and Felipe Lopez singled. Lee Gardner was then summoned from the Marlins pen and promptly got Ryan Zimmerman to hit a line drive right at the second baseman Alfredo Amezega, who doubled Lopez off of first...
Chris Schroeder pitched a scoreless ninth for the Nats, and the Marlins would then bring on their closer Kevin Gregg. Gregg has been a pleasant surprise for the Marlins this year, closing 28 games in 30 opportunities. Given his 93% success rate, the Nats chances at winning seemed slim at best. Gregg immediately got into trouble though as he walked leadoff man Dmitri Young. Ryan Langerhans (yes, he cleared waivers) then pinch ran for Da' Meathook... After an Austin Kearns strikeout, Wily Mo Pena singled to put Nats at first and third. Ronnie Belliard then fouled out weakly to first, and that set the stage for Jesus Flores. Earlier in the game, Flores dropped not one, but two foul pop-ups. While they didn't have any impact in the game, they did force a few extra pitches to be thrown. Flores then lined a ball deep to left field chasing home both Langerhans and the slow footed Pena to give the Nats an improbable come-from-behind 4-3 win!
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In other sports news, Phil Mickelson announced he will not play in this week's FedEx Cup event - Tiger Woods and Ernie Els had missed prior events. Perhaps tour commissioner Tim Finchem needs to listen to the tour's players a little more - it's a huge revenue and ratings loss when one of the big names isn't there. Maybe next year he will cut back on the pro-am tournaments that are part of the series and also spread out the tournaments so that the players can have a little more time with their families as their children begin the school year.
At the U.S. Open tennis championships in New York, there will be no "battle of the sisters" as Serena Williams was ousted by #1 seed Justin Henin by a 7-6, 6-1 score... #3 seed Jelena Jankovic takes on the 12th seeded Venus tonight, the winner will get to take on Henin... On the men's side, #2 Rafael Nadal was upset by #15 seed David Ferrer in four sets by a 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-2 score. Tonight, the much awaited feature match pits #1 seed Roger Federer against #5 Andy Roddick. We all hope A-Rod can win, but he's been unable to do much against Tiger's buddy Federer the past several years...
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After a very difficult stretch where they lost 11 of 12 games, the Los Angeles Dodgers have suddenly seen their fortunes change. Brad Penny bobbed and weaved through seven innings at Wrigley Field in Chicago, allowing only one earned run despite giving up seven hits and three walks. Penny was clearly not at his best as he only struck out two batters, but he made good pitches when it counted, inducing the Cubs to ground into three double plays. Matt Kemp continued his hot hitting, going 4-for-5 to raise his batting average to .344. Jonathan Broxton and Takeshi Saito contined to pitch masterfully in the closing innings, each pitching a scoreless frame to secure Penny's 16th win on the year. Broxton now has a 2.13 ERA on the year, while Saito's ERA is a microscopic 1.31. Saito has a reasonable chance of breaking Eric Gagne's Dodger record ERA for a closer of 1.20 which was set in 2003. With their 13th win in their past 19 games, the Dodgers are now within just three games of the Arizona Dimaondbacks and San Diego Padres for the National League West division lead and Wild Card spot. The Dodgers looked hopelessly out of things just three weeks ago... Now, they look like they just might indeed be the playoff team we saw during the early part of the season.
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Meanwhile, back on the other coast, the Washington Nationals continue to demonstrate the resilency which has marked their first season under manager, Manny Acta. After a horrific second half of August, which saw them lose 12 of 15 games, including the final seven, the Nats came into yesterday's game against the Florida Marlins in the midst of a three game winning streak. Shawn Hill pitched an effective 6 1/3 innings for the Nats, allowing three runs and eleven hits, walking none and striking out six. Unfortunately for Hill, he left the game without a chance to win as Dontrelle Willis kept the Nats in check for seven innings, only allowing single runs in the first and third innings. Willis got into trouble in the bottom of the seventh as with one out, Nook Logan doubled and Felipe Lopez singled. Lee Gardner was then summoned from the Marlins pen and promptly got Ryan Zimmerman to hit a line drive right at the second baseman Alfredo Amezega, who doubled Lopez off of first...
Chris Schroeder pitched a scoreless ninth for the Nats, and the Marlins would then bring on their closer Kevin Gregg. Gregg has been a pleasant surprise for the Marlins this year, closing 28 games in 30 opportunities. Given his 93% success rate, the Nats chances at winning seemed slim at best. Gregg immediately got into trouble though as he walked leadoff man Dmitri Young. Ryan Langerhans (yes, he cleared waivers) then pinch ran for Da' Meathook... After an Austin Kearns strikeout, Wily Mo Pena singled to put Nats at first and third. Ronnie Belliard then fouled out weakly to first, and that set the stage for Jesus Flores. Earlier in the game, Flores dropped not one, but two foul pop-ups. While they didn't have any impact in the game, they did force a few extra pitches to be thrown. Flores then lined a ball deep to left field chasing home both Langerhans and the slow footed Pena to give the Nats an improbable come-from-behind 4-3 win!
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In other sports news, Phil Mickelson announced he will not play in this week's FedEx Cup event - Tiger Woods and Ernie Els had missed prior events. Perhaps tour commissioner Tim Finchem needs to listen to the tour's players a little more - it's a huge revenue and ratings loss when one of the big names isn't there. Maybe next year he will cut back on the pro-am tournaments that are part of the series and also spread out the tournaments so that the players can have a little more time with their families as their children begin the school year.
At the U.S. Open tennis championships in New York, there will be no "battle of the sisters" as Serena Williams was ousted by #1 seed Justin Henin by a 7-6, 6-1 score... #3 seed Jelena Jankovic takes on the 12th seeded Venus tonight, the winner will get to take on Henin... On the men's side, #2 Rafael Nadal was upset by #15 seed David Ferrer in four sets by a 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-2 score. Tonight, the much awaited feature match pits #1 seed Roger Federer against #5 Andy Roddick. We all hope A-Rod can win, but he's been unable to do much against Tiger's buddy Federer the past several years...
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