A Trio Of Concerns

Recently, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti expressed interest in adding another reliever to the bullpen. “If we’re assuming that everybody’s healthy from here on out, I would say that our top priority would be a bullpen piece, especially somebody with veteran stature," Colletti stated during a recent interview with Seth Everett and Jim Duquette.

As good as the Dodger bullpen has performed thus far it's hard to believe that Colletti feels the need to further improve in that area.

However, in the past week the Dodgers have lost Ronald Belisario and Jonathan Broxton for the immediate future. Additionally, questions surrounding last year's stud, Hong-Chih Kuo, continue to loom further casting a shadow of uncertainty over the relief corps. They'll all be back, sure; however, like every stock broker will tell you, "past performance is not indicative of future results."

Colletti goes on to add, "The number of [starting pitching] names that have been tossed around out there that we’ve made contact with clubs that would definitively make our starting rotation better…it’s a very, very short list. It might be a longer list in the bullpen."

When healthy, you'd be hard pressed to find a better bullpen in all of baseball. But remember, they have to stay healthy. Given the uncertainty regarding several key members, acquiring a solid bullpen arm might not be the worst thing the Dodgers could do. After all, do you really want Guillermo Mota as your setup man in a high leverage situation come October?

Key Moment Review

Quite a game. One that had everything, including a tense bottom of the ninth situation. The score was tied at six, two outs, the winning run in Jason Kendal standing on second base, and Ramon Troncoso on the mound. With Ryan Braun (.321, 16 HR, 58 RBI) coming to bat Joe Torre had multiple options.

Option A- Let Troncoso pitch to Ryan Braun
Option B- Have Troncoso walk Ryan Braun, walk Prince Fielder, and roll the dice against Bill Hall
Option C- Bring in Jonathan Broxton to pitch to Ryan Braun
Option D- Have Troncoso walk Ryan Braun, and bring in Jonathan Broxton pitch to Prince Fielder

So which path to take? Let's examine closer. All stats for 2009 season unless otherwise noted.

Option A
Ryan Braun vs. Ramon Troncoso: 0-0 (career)
Ramon Troncoso vs. RHB: .248/.311/.294 average against
Ryan Braun vs. RHP: .294/.373/.502
Ryan Braun with RISP, 2 outs: .450/.500/.950

Option B
Bill Hall vs. Ramon Troncoso: 0-0 (career)
Ramon Troncoso vs. RHB: .248/.311/.294 average against
Bill Hall vs. RHP: .180/.259/.303
Bill Hall with RISP, 2 outs: .250/.250/.250

Option C
Ryan Braun vs. Jonathan Broxton: 1-2, 1 HR, 1 K (career)
Jonathan Broxton vs. RHB: .172/.264/.250 average against
Ryan Braun vs. RHP: .294/.373/.502
Ryan Braun with RISP, 2 outs: .450/.500/.950

Option D
Prince Fielder vs. Jonathan Broxton: 1-3, 1K (career)
Jonathan Broxton vs. LHB: .097/.195/.139 average against
Prince Fielder vs. RHP: .306/.444/.587
Prince Fielder with RISP, 2 outs: .375/.444/.813

Torre ended up picking Option A, and was rewarded by Troncoso who triumphed over an awful at bat by Ryan Braun to push the game into extras. There are things to be said for every option above, but I wasn't convinced any one option was correct (leaning toward Option B though) until running the numbers for Troncoso and Broxton over the past 7 appearances.

Ramon Troncoso- 9 IP, 1.11 WHIP, 0.00 ERA, .167/.286/.1.67 average against
Jonathan Broxton- 6.2 IP, 1.77 WHIP, 9.45 ERA, .240/.367/.400 average against

On any given day, if all my chips were in the middle, I'd want Jonathan Broxton dealing on the mound; however, based on the way Broxton has been pitching of recent (plus the 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K line in tonights game) it appears that Torre simply tabbed the hot hand. Understandable enough.
-----------------------------

Speaking of hot hands, what a catch by Matt Kemp to close out the game. WOW.

His bat (.480/.581/.600) in July es en fuego as well!

Photo Courtesy Morry Gash

Please Joe, I'm Begging You

UPDATE: Guess what just happened in today's (7/9) game? Kemp singles to LF and Wolf bunts him over. Sigh.

STOP BATTING MATT KEMP EIGHTH! The following is just a single reason (there are many) why batting Kemp so low in the order is a mistake.

Matt Kemp has stolen 19 of 23 bases so far this season, good enough for an 82.6% stolen base success rate. You might be thinking to yourself "hey that's pretty good, I would kill to have a player with such assets on the base paths." And you'd be thinking right! Perhaps then you could talk some sense into Joe Torre regarding his lineup for us frustrated Dodger fans. Note the past two games against the New York Mets.

7/7/09 vs. NYM

Top 2nd
Matt Kemp- Single to 3B
Clayton Kershaw- Bunt Groundout (Kemp to 2B)

Top 5th
Matt Kemp- Single to LF
Clayton Kershaw- Bunt Groundout (Kemp to 2B)

7/8/09 vs. NYM

Top 2nd
Matt Kemp- Single to LF
Hiroki Kuroda- Bunt Groundout (Kemp to 2B)

Top 4th
Matt Kemp- Single to CF
Hiroki Kuroda- Bunt Groundout (Kemp to 2B)

Anyone else notice a pattern? What's the point of having a speedster on the bases if you're only going to sacrifice him over every time. Joe Torre is, in essence, neutralizing the stolen base weapon that is Matt Kemp. If you're going to do that, why not re-insert notorious speedster Casey Blake in the eighth spot like you did the first 30 or so games of the year. How did the team fare during that stretch? Oh yeah, 21-9. My bad.

Buster Olney Confuses Me

In a recent article on ESPN, Buster Olney lists who the "real" All-Stars should be. Hilarity ensues...

What follows is what my National League All-Star team would look like...A major standard applied here is that you've got to pick players based on performance in the first half of the 2009 season

Bench: Matt Kemp, Dodgers; Ryan Braun, Brewers; Russell Martin, Dodgers; Adam Dunn, Nationals; Joey Votto, Reds; Chipper Jones, Braves; Brandon Phillips, Reds; Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies

It's nice that he included Matt Kemp, but Russell Martin???? Strange pick for the stated criteria of "you've got to pick players based on performance in the first half of the 2009 season."

He then goes on to list the pitchers he'd select...

Tim Lincecum, Giants
Josh Johnson, Marlins
Francisco Rodriguez, Mets
Heath Bell, Padres
Ryan Franklin, Cardinals
Arthur Rhodes, Reds
Nick Masset, Reds
Randy Wolf, Dodgers

Ok, first off Randy Wolf isn't even the best pitcher on his own team!!! What really tickles me though is how he defends his pick of the Wolfman...

Wolf's dominance against lefties has been so extraordinary that I'd use him in a late-inning matchup: Lefties have a .111 batting average against with just two extra-base hits (one homer) in 81 at-bats.

You want someone you can use in a late-inning matchup? How about a guy that actually pitches in the late innings, a guy that sees Wolf's .111 batting average against lefties and thinks to himself, "that guy sucks", a guy who has only allowed ONE extra base hit himself in 72 at-bats. But damn, where are you going to find someone like that.

The Johns Do Not Like Manny Ramirez

First, a strike three call (on a 3-2 count with the bases loaded) courtesy of home plate umpire John Hershbeck...




Clearly outside, which let to Manny's protest and subsequent ejection from the game, which let to this rant from ESPN's John Kruk...

"The objection of Manny Ramirez, to me, makes absolutely no sense. Look, if the Los Angeles Dodgers are gonna win that division, and they're gonna go deep in the playoffs they need Manny Ramirez at his best. He had a chance to play ten games in the minor leagues instead he elected to just play five. He had to sit out Sunday's game against the San Diego Padres because he had a little bit of a leg issue. He needs to play more games. To get thrown out when he needs at bats, he needs to get his timing, and he needs to play the outfield to prove to Joe Torre that he's ready to play nine innings...and he gets thrown out in the fifth inning of the game against the New York Mets. It makes no sense. It just goes back to a lot of the stuff that happened in Boston last year. All he care about is himself, he doesn't care about the team, and whatever's best for Manny is best for Manny, and not what's best to help his team win."

Wow. Everyone's on the moral train. I'm pretty sure Manny cared about the terrible call which hurt HIS TEAM. As for going nine full innings, Torre frequently pulled Manny "pre-incident" in late innings for defensive replacements anyway. Plus, it's July dude. Get over it.

Who Are the Ad-Wizards Who Came Up With This One?

August 7th - AT&T Park - Jon Miller Bobblehead Night

To the Giants Promotions Dept: Seriously? This is the best idea your creative think tank can come up with to encourage fans to come to AT&T Park during the summer?

To Jon Miller: You never cease to amaze me with your inflated ego and your biased and unconditional love for the Giants, Barry Bonds, and Joe Morgan. Get a haircut, homer.

To Vin Scully: Thank you for not selling out and giving the Dodgers the green-light to promote yourself over the team.

*photo courtesy of sfgiants.com

Total Meltdown (Almost)

No kidding.

UPDATE: It happens to the best of them though; however, Broxton proves to be the only bullpen arm to falter as the Dodgers come away with the victory on James Loney's game winning home run in the top half of the 13th. Series victory in the books. On to the media circus that will be New York.

Reflecting

Sometimes in life things arise that aren't in the script you've written for yourself. But as we've all found out you're not always the one holding the pen. So whether it be missing 50 games, or missing one game you've waited 50 games for, well life goes on I guess.

Spending time with friends, unlike baseball, doesn't come around every day. As we've learned over the past fifty, no one man is greater than the game. And as I learned last night, no one game is greater than the men and women you call friends.

Be safe today, friends.

Filling The Void, Part 2

Continuing in my investigation of player performance during Manny's absence I could write an introduction paragraph about how great the Dodgers pitching has been, or I could steal a single sentence from MSTI that echoes my thoughts in far less words. Hmmm? Sorry Mike...

The pitching staff, so maligned in the offseason, is statistically the best in baseball, leading MLB in batting average against and ERA, largely on the strength of the most strikeouts of any staff in the game.

Yeah, they've been damn good alright. How good? To the numbers we go. Again, BOLD indicates team best over the past 50 games. Small sample size warnings noted.

Chad Billingsley (11 starts)
71.21 IP, 1.39 WHIP, 8.59 K's/9, 4.42 BB/9, 5 HR allowed, 3.64 ERA, .254/ .342 average against
The ace and workhorse has been stable, but not far and away the best pitcher over the past 50 games. Still, he's the guy you're going to turn to in any situation. The .342 OBP against is just about league average, but frustrating to see for a pitcher who is is above average himself. Nothing wrong with 8.59 strikeouts per nine though.

Randy Wolf (11 starts)
65.2 IP, 1.25 WHIP, 5.94 K/9, 2.62 BB/9, 12 HR allowed, 3.84 ERA, .257/ .312 average against
My goodness that's a lot of home runs (1.65 per 9/IP). Despite the high long ball count he's been reliable and quite a surprise over the course of the season. He's dropped off in strikeouts per nine, but is below his typical ratio of walks per nine innings.

Clayton Kershaw (10 starts)
54.2 IP, 1.32 WHIP, 8.97 K/9, 5.98 BB/9, 1 HR allowed, 2.63 ERA, .193/ .324 average against
Kershaw hasn't been able to extend himself deep into the games this season, but has been pitching very well as of late. 0, 2, 0, and 0 runs allowed in last four starts. The high pitch count (18.38 per inning) continues to plague him and a could be a reason for the almost 6 walks per game he's issuing. The high strikeout count, and a .193 AVG against, proves he's got the stuff, but right now he's his own enemy.

Hiroki Kuroda (6 starts)
37.1 IP, 1.02 WHIP, 8.01 K/9, 1.45 BB/9, 4 HR allowed, 4.10 ERA, .229/ .260 average against
Another pitcher in the 8 K/9 category! Not only that, but how about a 1.45 BB/9 ratio to boot. Huroda has been hit hard as of late (8,7,4,8 hits) in his last four appearances, but I think the jury is still out until more starts can be made. Let's check back in September.

Jonathan Broxton
23.2 IP, .99 WHIP, 14.35 K/9, 3.49 BB/9, 1 HR allowed, 3.04 ERA, .165/ .245 average against
As if anything I say in this space will do Broxton justice. Let's just be thankful we didn't seriously go after Trevor Hoffman and move on.

Ronald Belisario
30.1 IP, 1.03 WHIP, 7.77 K/9, 3.29 BB/9, 0 HR allowed, 1.19 ERA, .185/ .267 average against, 1 possible DUI
Before the start of this season Belisario had never even pitched above AA. But that hasn't stopped him from being one of the bullpen standouts thus far. He hasn't sniffed an ERA below 3.00, well ever, but that hasn't stopped him from throwing up a 1.19 over the past fifty games. He owns the seventh/ eighth inning and has no doubt been valuable in helping the Dodgers amass a 17-8 record in 1 run games.

Guillermo Mota
24.1 IP, 1.04 WHIP, 5.97 K/9, 1.86 BB/9, 2 HR allowed, 1.96 ERA, .230/ .266 average against
You know things are going good when Guillermo Mota is posting numbers like those. One run since May 22 only helps the cause. High leverage situations or not he's been all business recently. Part of a manager's job is to place the player in a position to succeed, and it seems Torre has finally figured out the right time to call upon Mota.

Ramon Troncoso
32.2 IP, 1.52 WHIP, 6.14 K/9, 4.75 BB/9, 2 HR allowed, 2.48 ERA, .271/ .365 average against
Another gamer at Torre's disposal. He's mentally tough and doesn't often run into trouble. A valuable asset to the team.

Brent Leach
16.2 IP, .98 WHIP, 7.77 K/9, 3.88 BB/9, 1 HR allowed, 3.45 ERA, .164/ .270 average against
Surprise of the bullpen thus far? Possibly. After a tough second appearance on May 7th (2 earned runs in 0.0 innings) Leach has been almost un-hittable. Our resident lefty specialist rarely goes a full inning, but has been impressive each time out. Here is his game log in regards to hits since May 26th. 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0. A specialist indeed.

A quite impressive bunch. And that doesn't even factor in guys like Jeff Weaver, Eric Stults, Eric Milton, and Corey Wade who have been serviceable in certain spots. Despite scoring 3.57 runs per game in June, not to mention a lone run in yesterdays win, the Dodgers are able to remain competitive thanks in most part to their pitching, which figured to be a mess heading into the year. The return of Manny Ramirez should provide a boost to the offense, but let's not forget the real savior(s) of our season so far. Kudos to our starters, but a standing ovation to our bullpen.

And So It Begins

We've circled his return date on our Dodger calendars. We've watched the team maintain control of the NL West since his suspension. We've seen the circus following his rehab stint in the minors. Now, we wait one more day to see him in Dodger Blue down in San Diego on the eve of July 4th.

It would be hard to argue that even in his absence, he still commands attention. Not only the attention of Dodger fans, but of all fans of baseball. Like it or not. While the city of L.A. prepares to embrace his reinstatement, the rest of the country is ready to pounce on this man and tear apart any credibility or integrity he may still possess. I don't speak for everyone at ROB, but i know that i'm struggling with the thought of baseball purists calling this season a tainted one for the Dodgers. What did i do wrong to deserve having my team ridiculed and slammed for one player's mistake? I won't give excuses or try to reason as to why he violated the league's drug policy. I shouldn't have to. That's his problem. If he decides to remain silent on the subject, the figurative elephant in the room will need to find a bigger house to reside in. (Howard Cole of baseballsavvy.com currently has a great piece posted on this very topic.)

The next few weeks (hopefully not months) will be riddled with boos and creative signs seen in ballparks across the country that attempt to take away the success enjoyed by the Dodgers thus far this season. To these "fans" that take pleasure in this, go ahead, get it out of your system because we all know that if he were on your team that's what you would expect, right?

*-Original image courtesy of strumpette.com

I Am Such An Idiot

Thanks to fellow ROB'er Nat I was in attendance during Wednesday's 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies. The game was flying by, and then quite literally a foul ball off the bat of Casey Blake was flying in my direction. I leaned one seat (which was empty) to my left and held up my hand in anticipation. To say the ball hit me square in my palm is like saying Babe Ruth was a good baseball player. But then, in the cruelest of moments, the ball spun out of my hand and into that of the guy next to me.

Disbelieve and dejection soon followed. Why didn't I use two hands to catch a ball like my Dad taught me in Little League? I suck.

Filling The Void

The other day while looking back on some old posts at this site, a few sentences surrounding the suspension of Manny Ramirez stood out...

The bottom line is Manny f 'ed this one up pretty bad, and it's up to the team to pick him up. Might an unsung hero fill the void? Only time will tell.

With Ramirez set to return to action soon, what has time told us? Who, if anyone, filled the void over the past fifty games? Stats below over past 48 games. Bold numbers indicate team leader.

Russell Martin
.250/.384/.303/.686, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 26 K's, 30 BB
A quick glance at OBP makes it appear Martin is holding his own during Manny's suspension period. However, when you see that his SLG is lower than his OBP (only player on the team to do so) it brings to light just how much Martin is struggling with actually HITTING the ball.

James Loney
.278/.328/.412/.740, 5 HR, 29 RBI, 27 K's, 15 BB
"Big Game James" seemingly earned that reputation on a handful of games over the course of his career, not games played this season. Loney hasn't played to his ceiling at any point in the season, though perhaps we've come to expect greater things from a player with such a moniker. This season marks the third straight year where James has posted declining numbers in OBP, SLG, and OPS.

Orlando Hudson
.269/.327/.363/.690, 2 HR, 24 RBI, 42 K's, 18 BB
Through 50 games this season, Hudson was posting an all star line of .349/.421/.921. Sadly he's fallen back to earth as of late with just a .269 OBP and .583 OPS. Still, he's played better than what I believe people had in mind at the seasons onset. What has been lacking with his bat as of late has more than been forgotten about thanks to his fine defense all season long. The Dodgers pitchers might want to chip in and get him something nice at years end.

Rafael Furcal
.225/.299/.319/.618, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 28 K's, 17 BB
The biggest disappointment thus far in 2009. Nagging injuries? Mental pressure? Not much else to say here, lets move on.

Casey Blake
.327/.379/.543/.922, 6 HR, 33 RBI, 30 K's, 15 BB
Here's what I said back in December regarding the signing of Casey Blake...

"While he may not put up great numbers he provides a veteran presence and brings a professional attitude to the game. I think this is a great deal for the Dodgers."

The veteran presence and professional attitude are still there, but hot damn, Blake is putting up good numbers too. While no one saw it coming Casey is having a career year (at age 35 no less) and is on pace to tally career highs in most offensive categories. Sure his team leading 33 RBI's during Manny's absence aren't any kind of reflection of a hitter's true worth, but Blake's .922 OPS over the past fifty games carries noticable weight. Especially when he usually resides in the .700's. His work with the leather has been superb as well.

Juan Pierre
.325/.390/.422/.813, 0 HR, 21 RBI, 17 K's, 16 BB
A torrid start has been replaced with the Juan Pierre of recent years, but lets not discredit Pierre's accomplishments during the past fifty games. His OPS of .813 ranks him 3rd on the team, behind only Casey Blake and Matt Kemp. Factor in the 20 stolen bases and Juan has been pleasant surprise during his time roaming left field.

Matt Kemp
.328/.380/.481/.861, 7 HR, 24 RBI, 42 K's, 16 BB
Kemp has been stable, never too high, never too low during the past fifty games. Yeah he still strikes out a lot, but he's also hitting the ball all over the field. Take away Andre Ethier's three home run game and Kemp would be leading the team in home runs during the duration we are measuring. And oh boy, the defense. A gold glove just might be in his future, and I'm talking about this year.

Andre Ethier
.229/ .302/.453/.755, 9 HR, 25 RBI, 40 K's, 16 BB
A hideous start (.133/ 2.29/.167 ) during the first fifteen games of Ramirez's departure have left Andre still trying to catch up to pre-Manny suspension levels. He's done much better since the initial out of the gate stumble (.282/.344/.609) and has been making the ball the cry (1.337 OPS) over the last handful of games.

With the exception of above average, but not superstar, play by Blake and Kemp, you'll notice most players staying in check with their career norms. No single player has claimed outright dominance on the team, but with the lineup listed above perhaps no one had too. Sure there have been bright spots, and tough times have been no stranger, yet in the end it's been 9 guys banding together and putting forth a team effort. An effort that has been an outright joy to watch.

Tomorrow we'll turn to the great equalizer, starting pitching.

Bravo Sir

Let's acknowledge a Hall of Fame performance when we see one, regardless of that person's jersey.

CG, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks. 86 pitches. Dominance.

Nobodys Gonna Slow Us Down

Going into Monday night's game the Dodgers had lost 4 of their last 5. The Rockies had won 20 of their last 23. The Giants were making waves, if ever so small, up north. The Red Sox were only 2 games back of the Dodgers for the best record in all of baseball. Momentum was not on the Dodgers side. That was going into the game...

Andre Ethier and the Los Angeles Dodgers are making a habit of fantastic finishes. Ethier's two-run homer in the 13th gave the Dodgers a 4-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night in the opener of a suddenly significant series between NL West teams.

"I can't believe we did it again," said Ethier, who hit three home runs last Friday against Seattle. "I'm just enjoying it and having fun."

Lost in all the Andre Ethier walk-off commotion was the stellar team effort of the bullpen. All seven relief pitchers made an appearance, and not one run was allowed over the course of the final seven frames. That, in my opinion, is the reason the Dodgers came away with the W.

A series shifting momentum swing? Let's hope it continues through the next few games. Come Friday we will have all the momentum we need.

Photo courtesy of AP/Mark Avery

Bottom 13th Thoughts

It's currently 2-2 heading into the bottom of the 13th. Whatever happens in this one both bullpens should be commended on keeping their respective teams in the game. The Rockies relievers are currently 5 innings strong without allowing a run. Not to be outdone, our boys are 7 innings deep without a tally against.

James McDonald better plan on going awhile if needed. He's the only relief pitcher the Dodgers have left. Sure glad we have 3 catchers though!

UPDATE: Who needs 3 catchers when you got Andre Ethier! All is forgiven Andre.

Andre Ethier Is A Liar

What happened to his earlier "no fan photos" stance? Thanks to Vin Scully is My Homeboy for the picture.

Diamond Notes spoke with Ethier before tonight's game at AT&T Park, and the right fielder said he decided during the middle of last season that he would no longer take photos with fans.

The reason? Ethier fears such photos could be used against him, especially on the Internet. Ethier said he didn't think he was being paranoid. He wants to be cautious in the new information age.

"It's all the blog things," he said. "The Dirty (of Matt Leinart fame). The sports ones. You could be at dinner having a beer, and it could be, 'He was drinking at 2 in the morning.'

"We're not in the business like actors that our face sells. It's our performance. It's your hot bat and your hot arm that keeps you on a team. I don't want my face out there."

Of course he suddenly lets his guard down when taking this picture. More home runs and all is forgiven, Andre!

Keep Looking

A lot has been made of the Dodgers desire for an additional starter come trading deadline. However, is that pitcher coming from within, instead via trade? From Jim Peltz...

If pitcher Jason Schmidt continues to show he can make 100 pitches in an outing as part of his rehabilitation from shoulder surgery, the Dodgers will "look at some point, at maybe in the not-too-distant future, that he'll be pitching here" with the big league team.

I hope, and I believe, Colletti and Co. are not naive enough to think Jason Schmidt could be that guy. After all, his track record...not so good.

I Love The Dodgers Too My Friend

This is what it's all about...

The tears rolled down his face and in a choked-up voice he said aloud, "Sometimes I just wondered what I was doing rooting for a team 3,000 miles away, but this made it worth it."

Andy Richter on Manny Ramirez

During my personal favorite "In the Year 3000" bit on the Tonight Show, Andy Richter passed along this gem...

"Manny Ramirez returns to baseball after his suspension for using female fertility drugs and becomes the first player in history to hit for the menstrual cycle."

Zing.

Trifecta

The Dodgers avoided their first consecutive three game losing streak last night, riding Andre Ethier's three home runs to victory over the Seattle Marines, 8-2.

No third loss. Three home runs. And for the numerical tres releated perfecta... how about three catchers?

Perhaps another move is coming very soon, or heck I don't know, but the Dodgers activated Eric Milton, and optioned relief pitcher Cory Wade to Albuquerque instead of 3rd string catcher AJ Ellis. Wade is indeed struggling; however, it's not like AJ Ellis will be playing much in the coming games.