Showing posts with label Chris Hatcher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Hatcher. Show all posts
Thursday, May 28, 2015
A Confession
I have to admit it, when the Dodgers put reliever Chris Hatcher into a 1-1 game in the 8th inning last night, I turned the TV off. I am not one of these fair weather Dodger fans that only pull for the Dodgers when things are going good, I am with them through thick and thin. I wear all of my Dodger gear proudly. Chris Hatcher had a lot of help losing last night's game due to a bullpen breakdown, but I have lost confidence in Chris Hatcher. Two batters and zero outs last night. He almost resembles a batting practice pitcher out there. It might be time to send him down to Oklahoma City and work things out there unless he is out of options, then I believe I would take my chances on another team claiming him. Arms seem to be in short supply in the Major Leagues this season so there might be a trade possibility there if someone does claim Hatcher.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Another Walk Off Win
The Dodgers had another 6-5 walk off win against the Seattle Mariners last night. This time it was a broken bat single to Right Field off Seattle closer Fernando Rodney by Howie Kendrick. Alex Guerrero hit a pinch hit two-run homer in the 4th inning (his second) and Andre Ethier hit his first home run of the year. The top four spots in the Dodgers lineup all had two hits and the Dodgers had 12 for the game.
Dodgers starter David Huff just lasted four innings, gave up four runs, including two more Mariners home runs, but the Dodgers relief pitching followed with a solid five innings of relief only giving up one run, including 1 1/3 innings by Chris Hatcher. Yimi Garcia pitched the final inning to get his second win of the season.
Dodgers starter David Huff just lasted four innings, gave up four runs, including two more Mariners home runs, but the Dodgers relief pitching followed with a solid five innings of relief only giving up one run, including 1 1/3 innings by Chris Hatcher. Yimi Garcia pitched the final inning to get his second win of the season.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Defense And Relief Pitching
The two biggest upgrades the Dodgers made this offense was in their defense and in their relief pitching and both led to the demise of the Dodgers in their 7-3 loss to the San Diego Padres last night. The combination of Yasmani Grandal at Catcher, Jimmy Rollins at Shortstop, Howie Kendrick at Second Base, and Joc Pederson in Centerfield was supposed to shore up the Dodgers defense. It is only one game, it is the beginning of the season, and what took place last night is an aberration to what will happen the rest of the season.
Zach Greinke gave up 2 hits and 1 run in his six innings in his 2015 debut and then the relief pitching followed with an uninspired 3 innings of work allowing 6 runs, only 3 earned, and Chris Hatcher faced 4 batters in the ninth inning and did not record an out as the Padres put the game away.
Rollins made two errors in a game for the first time in almost five seasons and Grandal made the third Dodgers error of the night in the ninth inning that sealed the Dodgers fate.
The Dodgers also made several mental errors last night that cost them. Jimmy Rollins getting thrown out at third and Yasiel Puig not appearing to know how many outs their were on a one out fly ball that allowed Derek Norris to take Third Base. Like I said it is still early in the season and I believe those are what most coaches like to call "coachable" moments.
The Dodgers offense was Adrian Gonzalez. He had three of the Dodgers seven hits, drove in two of their three runs including his second homerun in as many games, and is off to a great start, the kind of start the Dodgers needed him to have. He can put the Dodgers on his back and carry them for a while until somebody else gets hot.
Zach Greinke gave up 2 hits and 1 run in his six innings in his 2015 debut and then the relief pitching followed with an uninspired 3 innings of work allowing 6 runs, only 3 earned, and Chris Hatcher faced 4 batters in the ninth inning and did not record an out as the Padres put the game away.
Rollins made two errors in a game for the first time in almost five seasons and Grandal made the third Dodgers error of the night in the ninth inning that sealed the Dodgers fate.
The Dodgers also made several mental errors last night that cost them. Jimmy Rollins getting thrown out at third and Yasiel Puig not appearing to know how many outs their were on a one out fly ball that allowed Derek Norris to take Third Base. Like I said it is still early in the season and I believe those are what most coaches like to call "coachable" moments.
The Dodgers offense was Adrian Gonzalez. He had three of the Dodgers seven hits, drove in two of their three runs including his second homerun in as many games, and is off to a great start, the kind of start the Dodgers needed him to have. He can put the Dodgers on his back and carry them for a while until somebody else gets hot.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
The Battle Of The Trades
The Dodgers won their home opener last night over the San Diego Padres 6-3 in what I would call the "Battle of the Trades." Matt Kemp won the first couple of rounds but Jimmy Rollins won the game with a big blast, a three-run homer, in the bottom of the eighth inning. Yasmani Grandal, Kemp's trade partner, never got in the game.
Reigning Cy Young And National League MVP Clayton Kershaw got the start for the Dodgers and he went 6 innings and gave all three San Diego runs, all driven in by ex-Dodger Matt Kemp. Kershaw struck out 9 but his big problem was location. When Kemp hit the two run double, Kershaw threw a fat pitch right down the middle. The inning would have been over except for the fact that Third Baseman Juan Uribe "lollygagged" his way to a ground ball and allowed Derek Norris to reach first base when it should have been the third out.
The Dodgers relievers- Yimi Garcia, Joel Peralta, and Chris Hatcher- pitched three innings of one hit baseball after Kershaw left the game. Peralta got the win and Chris Hatcher got the save after hitting the first batter he faced. Hatcher did not have a good Spring but it looks like he is going to get the opportunity to close until Kenley Jansen comes off the Disabled List.
Reigning Cy Young And National League MVP Clayton Kershaw got the start for the Dodgers and he went 6 innings and gave all three San Diego runs, all driven in by ex-Dodger Matt Kemp. Kershaw struck out 9 but his big problem was location. When Kemp hit the two run double, Kershaw threw a fat pitch right down the middle. The inning would have been over except for the fact that Third Baseman Juan Uribe "lollygagged" his way to a ground ball and allowed Derek Norris to reach first base when it should have been the third out.
The Dodgers relievers- Yimi Garcia, Joel Peralta, and Chris Hatcher- pitched three innings of one hit baseball after Kershaw left the game. Peralta got the win and Chris Hatcher got the save after hitting the first batter he faced. Hatcher did not have a good Spring but it looks like he is going to get the opportunity to close until Kenley Jansen comes off the Disabled List.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
These Are Not The Same Dodgers- Part II
The Los Angeles Dodgers really got it cranked up at Baseball's Winter Meetings. After a day of denying that Dee Gordon was even being shopped, the Dodgers traded him, Miguel Rojas, and Dan Haren to the Miami Marlins for their #1 overall prospect Andrew Heaney, reliever Chris Hatcher, Enrique Hernandez, and catching prospect Austin Barnes.
I really do not like this trade for several reasons. The Dodgers gave up an All-Star in Gordon who lead the National League in Triples and Stolen Bases and who is arguably the fastest player in Major League Baseball and a veteran starter in Dan Haren for four unproven players.
Heaney did not stick around long enough to even get a Dodgers jersey as he was traded to the (whatever their name is this week) Angels for Second Baseman Howie Kendrick and I am still not liking the overall balance of this trade. Rojas and Hernandez was a wash as both have about the same amount of major league time in and are both middle infielders, Hatcher 30 years old middle reliever who has pitched in parts of four seasons with the Marlins, appearing in 81 total games, and Barnes who only has 62 at bats at the AA level.
The long rumored Matt Kemp trade finally happened as he was traded to National League West rival San Diego Padres along with Catcher Tim Fedorowicz for Catcher Yasmani Grandal, and pitching prospects Joe Wieland and Zach Eflin. I was not a big fan of this trade either. True the Dodgers had a glut of outfielders and Kemp was the logical choice to be traded (it should have been Ethier but he now has next to no trade value) but he was one of the hottest bats in the National League in the second half of last season. Grandal has always been a prospect since he first signed a contract with the Cincinnati Reds but he only has what amounts to a full seasons of experience under his belt.
Once again, Eflin did not stick around long enough to get a jersey as he, along with Dodgers pitching prospect Tom Windle, was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for longtime Phillies Shortstop Jimmy Rollins. This is the only trade that made sense unless Eflin or Windle turn into twenty game winners.
The Dodgers also signed Free Agent Right handed starter Brandon McCarthy to slide into Haren's spot in the rotation. This is, without a doubt, the most active the Dodgers have been in the off season in years, if not ever.
I really do not like this trade for several reasons. The Dodgers gave up an All-Star in Gordon who lead the National League in Triples and Stolen Bases and who is arguably the fastest player in Major League Baseball and a veteran starter in Dan Haren for four unproven players.
Heaney did not stick around long enough to even get a Dodgers jersey as he was traded to the (whatever their name is this week) Angels for Second Baseman Howie Kendrick and I am still not liking the overall balance of this trade. Rojas and Hernandez was a wash as both have about the same amount of major league time in and are both middle infielders, Hatcher 30 years old middle reliever who has pitched in parts of four seasons with the Marlins, appearing in 81 total games, and Barnes who only has 62 at bats at the AA level.
The long rumored Matt Kemp trade finally happened as he was traded to National League West rival San Diego Padres along with Catcher Tim Fedorowicz for Catcher Yasmani Grandal, and pitching prospects Joe Wieland and Zach Eflin. I was not a big fan of this trade either. True the Dodgers had a glut of outfielders and Kemp was the logical choice to be traded (it should have been Ethier but he now has next to no trade value) but he was one of the hottest bats in the National League in the second half of last season. Grandal has always been a prospect since he first signed a contract with the Cincinnati Reds but he only has what amounts to a full seasons of experience under his belt.
Once again, Eflin did not stick around long enough to get a jersey as he, along with Dodgers pitching prospect Tom Windle, was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for longtime Phillies Shortstop Jimmy Rollins. This is the only trade that made sense unless Eflin or Windle turn into twenty game winners.
The Dodgers also signed Free Agent Right handed starter Brandon McCarthy to slide into Haren's spot in the rotation. This is, without a doubt, the most active the Dodgers have been in the off season in years, if not ever.
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