With all of the issues the Dodgers are facing off the field, it is hard to believe the Dodgers are playing .500 baseball. They are coming off a 3-3 road trip to Chicago and Florida, but they essentially gave two of those games away, one to Chicago when the relief pitching imploded and one to Florida when the defense booted the game. A 5-1 road trip really would have been sweet.
Jonathan Broxton has already lost his closers job twenty games into the season (which really came as no surprise) but a combination of Vicente Padilla and Hong-Chih Kuo as the closers? Padilla can't stay off the Disabled List, Kuo has about as brittle an arm as I have ever seen and I hope the Dodgers have a Plan C they can fall back on. Padilla did get his first save against the Marlins the other night and Kuo had a rocky rehab outing in Class A the other night that has most everyone questioning whether he is anywhere close to being ready to come back.
Casey Blake joined Rafael Furcal on the Disabled List (not really a surprise either) and it is believed that he will be out for probably about a month. The Dodgers called up Russ Mitchell to replace him on the roster with Aaron Miles probably getting the majority of the starts at Third Base.
My player Xavier Paul got claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates (I think they just wait around for the Dodgers to release players) and I hope he gets some playing time in the Pirates outfield. Paul's "replacement" Jerry Sands is off to a so-so start to his major league career but he has not provided the power so far that the Dodgers really need. I am hoping it will come later.
Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp are both rolling and it is good to see. Now if we can get a couple of more hitters to join them (James Loney please stand up- he has made it above the Mendoza line) maybe the Dodgers can have a kick-ass homestand.
Showing posts with label Jonathan Broxton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jonathan Broxton. Show all posts
Friday, April 29, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Taking It To The Giants
It was a great opening weekend for the 2011 Major League Baseball season. Homeruns were flying out of ballparks left and right (the Texas Rangers hit 11 homeruns in 3 games and the New York Yankees hit 9 in 3 games) and then there is the Los Angeles Dodgers. One Homerun by Matt Kemp in 4 games They are still 3-1 but I would like to see a few more longballs from them. How fast can Jerry Sands be called up?
The Dodgers won last nights game in large part to some "creative" outfield play by Aubrey Huff. His Giants teammates thought so much of his play, they fashioned a "chalk" outline of his prone body on the outfield grass in warmups before the game. This was based on his play from the night before when he actually managed to catch two balls hit to him. After last night's game, I bet the team will murder his glove and the police will find its lifeless, leather body in a dumpster near Chavez Ravine with the fingers cut out.
The Dodgers did come out of the series with the Giants at 3-1 (I'll take that any day) but they only scored 13 runs in those 4 games (7 of those last night). They had some timely hits in the 7th inning when they scored 4 runs. Matt Kemp is still swinging a hot bat and Rafael Furcal had a couple of more hits.
The relief pitching is turning into a bit of a sore spot. Kuo seems to be having a hard time finding the strike zone, Matt Guerrier didn't fare much better (2 BB in 2/3 of an inning and one of those walks was with the bases loaded) and evidently the Dodgers have to have at least a 2 run lead before they can bring Jonathan Broxton into the game although he did pick up his third save last night.
The Dodgers won last nights game in large part to some "creative" outfield play by Aubrey Huff. His Giants teammates thought so much of his play, they fashioned a "chalk" outline of his prone body on the outfield grass in warmups before the game. This was based on his play from the night before when he actually managed to catch two balls hit to him. After last night's game, I bet the team will murder his glove and the police will find its lifeless, leather body in a dumpster near Chavez Ravine with the fingers cut out.
The Dodgers did come out of the series with the Giants at 3-1 (I'll take that any day) but they only scored 13 runs in those 4 games (7 of those last night). They had some timely hits in the 7th inning when they scored 4 runs. Matt Kemp is still swinging a hot bat and Rafael Furcal had a couple of more hits.
The relief pitching is turning into a bit of a sore spot. Kuo seems to be having a hard time finding the strike zone, Matt Guerrier didn't fare much better (2 BB in 2/3 of an inning and one of those walks was with the bases loaded) and evidently the Dodgers have to have at least a 2 run lead before they can bring Jonathan Broxton into the game although he did pick up his third save last night.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Off To A Good Start
The Los Angeles Dodgers are off to a 2-0 start after a 4-3 win over the San Francisco Giants last night. The Dodgers capitalized on a couple of errors by the defending World Series Champions.
The offensive stars for the Dodgers were Rafael Furcal who went 2 for 4 with an RBI and Matt Kemp who was also 2 for 4 with an RBI on a ground-rule double in the third inning. Rookie Ivan DeJesus got the start at second base but he had a rough major league debut as he went 0 for 3 with 3 strikeouts and a walk. Also making their Dodger debuts were Aaron Miles (1-4 with a run scored) and Hector Gimenez got an appearance as a pinch-hitter. He grounded to Giants pitcher Sanchez who promptly booted the ball and allowed Aaron Miles to score. The Dodgers were 2-7 with RISP.
First Base Coach and former Dodger great Dave Lopes has tried to instill some aggressiveness in the Dodgers on the basepaths working with the team daily during Spring Training. It was a point of emphasis and Matt Kemp became his special project. It seems to be paying off so far. Matt Kemp went from first to third last night on a groundout to third basemen Pablo Sandoval and has shown much better awareness in the first two games. Rafael Furcal had a little rougher day on the bases as he was picked off first and was caught stealing.
The Dodgers' pitching was solid if not spectacular. Chad Billingsley only made one bad pitch but it resulted in the first major league homerun by rookie First baseman Brandon Belt and drove in three. Billingsley left the game behind 3-1 but he eventually did get credit for his first win of the season. Blake Hawksworth vame in and quickly loaded the bases on 2 hits and a walk but struck out Buster Posey to put them away. Matt Guerrier also got in his first appearance as a Dodger giving up one hit in his inning of work. Jonathan Broxton came in to shut the Giants down and get his second save in as many games. This is a vast improvement for Broxton over last year. In appearances covering 2 2/3 innings against the Giants last year, Broxton gave up 6 runs, had an 0-3 record with 2 blown saves. He made last nights appearance with the Giants short and sweet, only needing 9 pitches to finish them off.
The offensive stars for the Dodgers were Rafael Furcal who went 2 for 4 with an RBI and Matt Kemp who was also 2 for 4 with an RBI on a ground-rule double in the third inning. Rookie Ivan DeJesus got the start at second base but he had a rough major league debut as he went 0 for 3 with 3 strikeouts and a walk. Also making their Dodger debuts were Aaron Miles (1-4 with a run scored) and Hector Gimenez got an appearance as a pinch-hitter. He grounded to Giants pitcher Sanchez who promptly booted the ball and allowed Aaron Miles to score. The Dodgers were 2-7 with RISP.
First Base Coach and former Dodger great Dave Lopes has tried to instill some aggressiveness in the Dodgers on the basepaths working with the team daily during Spring Training. It was a point of emphasis and Matt Kemp became his special project. It seems to be paying off so far. Matt Kemp went from first to third last night on a groundout to third basemen Pablo Sandoval and has shown much better awareness in the first two games. Rafael Furcal had a little rougher day on the bases as he was picked off first and was caught stealing.
The Dodgers' pitching was solid if not spectacular. Chad Billingsley only made one bad pitch but it resulted in the first major league homerun by rookie First baseman Brandon Belt and drove in three. Billingsley left the game behind 3-1 but he eventually did get credit for his first win of the season. Blake Hawksworth vame in and quickly loaded the bases on 2 hits and a walk but struck out Buster Posey to put them away. Matt Guerrier also got in his first appearance as a Dodger giving up one hit in his inning of work. Jonathan Broxton came in to shut the Giants down and get his second save in as many games. This is a vast improvement for Broxton over last year. In appearances covering 2 2/3 innings against the Giants last year, Broxton gave up 6 runs, had an 0-3 record with 2 blown saves. He made last nights appearance with the Giants short and sweet, only needing 9 pitches to finish them off.
Friday, April 1, 2011
The Home Opener
The home opener for the Dodgers went about like I expected it to. Great pitching from Clayton Kershaw, not much offense from the Dodger bats despite putting several men on base (1 for 11 with Runners In Scoring Position), and a shaky 9th inning from closer Jonathan Broxton but he still got the save. All of this added up to a win over the devending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants so I shouldn't complain.
Clayton Kershaw pitched an outstanding game. 7 Innings pitched, 4 weak hits allowed, 9 strikeouts, 1 base on balls, and 0 runs. He left with a 1-0 lead. He had a serious slider working, his fastball hit 95 mph on ESPN's radar gun, and he almost didn't need his change or his curve but they were effective as well.
Hong-Chih Kuo came on to pitch the eighth inning and he had some control issues when he first came into the game but came out of it unscathed. Broxton came in to close it out and he really looked shaky. He hit 97 mph on the radar gun but after he gave up the line drive homer to Pat Burrell with one out, it appeared like he lost confidence in his fastball. He threw slider and after slider to rookie Brandon Belt before he finally got him on a weak lineout to end the game.
Matt Kemp impressed me in this game. He singled, drew three walks, exhibited great patience in the process, stole a base, and scored both Dodger runs. Buster Posey of the Giants thought he could catch Matt Kemp napping on third base and tried picking him off and promptly threw the ball down the left field line, allowing him to score the first run. Maybe he has turned the corner, amped up his awareness, and has his head in the game to match his raw skills.
Clayton Kershaw pitched an outstanding game. 7 Innings pitched, 4 weak hits allowed, 9 strikeouts, 1 base on balls, and 0 runs. He left with a 1-0 lead. He had a serious slider working, his fastball hit 95 mph on ESPN's radar gun, and he almost didn't need his change or his curve but they were effective as well.
Hong-Chih Kuo came on to pitch the eighth inning and he had some control issues when he first came into the game but came out of it unscathed. Broxton came in to close it out and he really looked shaky. He hit 97 mph on the radar gun but after he gave up the line drive homer to Pat Burrell with one out, it appeared like he lost confidence in his fastball. He threw slider and after slider to rookie Brandon Belt before he finally got him on a weak lineout to end the game.
Matt Kemp impressed me in this game. He singled, drew three walks, exhibited great patience in the process, stole a base, and scored both Dodger runs. Buster Posey of the Giants thought he could catch Matt Kemp napping on third base and tried picking him off and promptly threw the ball down the left field line, allowing him to score the first run. Maybe he has turned the corner, amped up his awareness, and has his head in the game to match his raw skills.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Pitching Staff
As Spring Training nears its end and the Los Angeles Dodgers prepare to begin the season there are a few questions that remain as far as the pitching staff goes. There are 10 pitchers that are a lock to make the staff.
Starters:
Chad Billingsley
Clayton Kershaw*
Hiroki Kuroda
Ted Lilly*
Jon Garland
Relievers:
Jonathan Broxton
Matt Guerrier
Blake Hawksworth
Hong Chih-Kuo*
Vicente Padilla
Jon Garland and Vicente Padilla are probably going to start the season on the Disabled List and if that is the case that means 2 to 4 pitchers a from the current group they have in camp will make the team. The Dodgers most likely will not need a fifth starter until April 12th so they will all be used in a relief role until then.
On the Bubble:
Scott Elbert*
John Ely
Kenley Jansen
Ramon Troncoso
Mike MacDougal
Ron Mahay*
Tim Redding
Scott Elbert and Ron Mahay- Since Kuo is the only left-handed lock on the team, all Elbert had to do was show that he could get the ball over the plate. At the beginning of the camp, he couldn't do that. His first couple of outings, I don't know if he got anybody out while issuing free pass after free pass. He has put in the extra work every day and his last several outings have been fairly impressive while not walking anyone. Ron Mahay has the Major League experience (500+ games) over Elbert but he has been inconsistent and has been hit pretty hard this spring (3 HR's allowed in 7+ innings). I would give the edge to Elbert.
John Ely and Tim Redding- The only two pitchers penciled in as starters in this group have both had pretty good camps. Ely has 0 BB's in 15 innings and Tim Redding has 144 big league starts under his belt and is a former 10 game winner with Houston and Washington. I would give the nod to Ely.
Mike MacDougal, Kenley Jansen, and Ramon Troncoso- MacDougal has the experience over the other two with three 20+ save seasons in the majors and has had a good camp, Jansen has shown some serious promise but he is still learning the art of pitching (not even 100 innings in the minors or majors), and Troncoso is very inconsistent. I would give the edge to MacDougal in this group with Jansen a close second.
I look for the Dodgers to break camp with 11 pitchers and for Garland and Padilla to start the season on the Disabled List. Ely and Redding will start the season in AAA until one of them is recalled on April 12th. I look for the three that start the season with the Dodgers will be Scott Elbert, Mike MacDougal, and Kenley Jansen.
*denotes left-handed
Starters:
Chad Billingsley
Clayton Kershaw*
Hiroki Kuroda
Ted Lilly*
Jon Garland
Relievers:
Jonathan Broxton
Matt Guerrier
Blake Hawksworth
Hong Chih-Kuo*
Vicente Padilla
Jon Garland and Vicente Padilla are probably going to start the season on the Disabled List and if that is the case that means 2 to 4 pitchers a from the current group they have in camp will make the team. The Dodgers most likely will not need a fifth starter until April 12th so they will all be used in a relief role until then.
On the Bubble:
Scott Elbert*
John Ely
Kenley Jansen
Ramon Troncoso
Mike MacDougal
Ron Mahay*
Tim Redding
Scott Elbert and Ron Mahay- Since Kuo is the only left-handed lock on the team, all Elbert had to do was show that he could get the ball over the plate. At the beginning of the camp, he couldn't do that. His first couple of outings, I don't know if he got anybody out while issuing free pass after free pass. He has put in the extra work every day and his last several outings have been fairly impressive while not walking anyone. Ron Mahay has the Major League experience (500+ games) over Elbert but he has been inconsistent and has been hit pretty hard this spring (3 HR's allowed in 7+ innings). I would give the edge to Elbert.
John Ely and Tim Redding- The only two pitchers penciled in as starters in this group have both had pretty good camps. Ely has 0 BB's in 15 innings and Tim Redding has 144 big league starts under his belt and is a former 10 game winner with Houston and Washington. I would give the nod to Ely.
Mike MacDougal, Kenley Jansen, and Ramon Troncoso- MacDougal has the experience over the other two with three 20+ save seasons in the majors and has had a good camp, Jansen has shown some serious promise but he is still learning the art of pitching (not even 100 innings in the minors or majors), and Troncoso is very inconsistent. I would give the edge to MacDougal in this group with Jansen a close second.
I look for the Dodgers to break camp with 11 pitchers and for Garland and Padilla to start the season on the Disabled List. Ely and Redding will start the season in AAA until one of them is recalled on April 12th. I look for the three that start the season with the Dodgers will be Scott Elbert, Mike MacDougal, and Kenley Jansen.
*denotes left-handed
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