Extra! Extra! (5.23)
For the first time in MLB history, two Korean pitchers started opposite each other, and early Monday night it looked as if Byung-Hyun Kim would get the better of Jae Seo, his former high school classmate and WBC teammate. But in a welcome change of pace the Dodgers, who have trolled near the bottom of baseball's defensive food chain all season, used some stellar glovework to rescue their starter. Twice the Dodgers gunned down Colorado runners at home, aided by two great blocks of the plate by Super-Rookie Russell Martin, and Rafael Furcal ended the third by snagging a ball destined for center and starting a double play. Plenty of help, sure, but only after Furcal's gem Seo got rolling. Over his last four innings, he allowed only one hit — an infield single that was erased by a DP — and cruised to his second victory of the year.
On the offensive end, the box score shows a true team effort. No player had more than one hit, and five players delivered RBIs.
With Scott Boras sitting a stone's throw away, Ned Colletti discussed the Luke Hochevar situation yesterday before the game. At this point, it's pretty clear that anyone who ran out after draft day to have their "HOCHEVAR" replica jersey stitched up on the Dodgers home whites is out of luck. Not surprisingly, with the Dodgers holding three of the first 31 picks in the upcoming draft, signability will be an issue. But it's pretty clear Colletti is more than willing to kiss the kid goodbye (and good riddance). Additionally, he certainly seemed to indicate that Odalis Perez won't be getting out of Dodger jail anytime soon, and that the club hasn't felt any negative impact from playing with a 24-man roster because of a 12th pitcher going essentially unused. To say that Perez isn't exactly a hot commodity on the trade market would be an understatement.
Hochevar isn't the only contract issue the Dodgers are dealing with right now. But while the business side is bumpy, the news continues to be encouraging with Eric Gagne. He'll throw today in a bullpen session before heading out to Vegas, where he'll pitch Friday and again on Sunday or Monday. It's possible he could rejoin the big club when the Dodgers return from their next road trip (that's June 1 for those of you who left your pocket schedule in your other pants), but the club won't push him.
The Dodgers look good, but will they, or any team for that matter, run away with the West?
TONIGHT'S GAME: The Dodgers will go for six in a row, sending Brad Penny (4-1, 2.53) to the mound against Jason Jennings (2-4, 4.94) in a rematch of last Wednesday's 3-2 Dodger win in Denver. Penny has been slightly better on the road than at Chavez Ravine, but overall has shown remarkable consistency in his splits. Jennings, in a testament to the power of the Coors Field humidor that keeps their baseballs from drying out, has been awful on the road and rock solid at home. Go figure.
(Photo: Luis Sinco / LAT)
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Good morning blue crew!! And what a wonderful morning it is. It seems that we are somewhat on a role with our “timely hits” and contributions from everyone becoming fairly routine. We keep playing like this and I might have to back off my statement that we might not win 90+ due to our slow start. We are giving teams a fundamentally sound butt-whooping in all aspects of the game. Just over the horizon comes the “show”. With Eric Gagne back and pitching successfully we will also have the glamour to go with our glory. Gotta love it!!
I can’t say enough about the hiring of Colletti as the turnaround point for our future. I didn’t know much about the man before he took over as GM, but from his initial news conference I could tell that the guy knew baseball. I was dumbfounded by the Baez acquisition, but the guy called that one right despite Baez’s struggles. The guys dishes it out more that he takes it (hello Jeff Weaver) and he flat out got it done in the limited offseason he had to work with. The importance of the Furcal signing, where he abruptly stole him from the Cubs and Braves, cannot be understated. It started the onslaught of free agent signings, all of them solid, and he did it without a cell phone, haha!! This guy has a plan and he is executing it beautifully. We are going to be good for many years to come. This quote on Hochevar (in today’s Times) should say it all:
"I want guys that want to play," Colletti said, speaking generally. "If it's all about the money before the game starts, it will always be about the money."
Anyone worried about our GM and where he is leading us to??
Posted by: LoLo | May 23, 2006 at 09:33 AM
I know that it's early but R-Mart is showing us that he has all the tools to call a great game from behind the plate, give us one disciplined at-bat after another, play some gutsy defense and generally play hard night after night (after night after night... does this guy need rest?). Either R-Mart is a raw talent who was more or less overlooked in the past or the idea of putting some personable veterans on the team like Alomar and Garciaparra is having a noticeably positive effect on the rookies. What was that thing that DePodesta didn't believe in? Oh yeah, chemistry!
Posted by: Mike | May 23, 2006 at 10:07 AM
Grady Little keeps saying "things are only going to get better when we get our injured veterans back" but I disagree. Teams win with a mixture of youth and veterans. We have all the veterans we need, and Aybar, Ethier and Martin are providing the right mix from the youth side of the equation. These guys need to be kept in the line-up!
Posted by: Laker Seth | May 23, 2006 at 10:52 AM
Martin is the starting catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and you can say that for the next 15 years, PERIOD. When a player shows the skills and intangibles that he has shown it is not a fluke. Navarro will also be a good catcher, but a Martin he will never be. Unfortunately Navarro is the odd man out and most likely will be traded for whatever we will need down the line. We can always sign a veteran backup and also have Repko as the emergency catcher.
On the Odalis front, I like the fact that we don’t need him right now so we aren’t forced into a short-ended trade because we are playing “a man short”. If we were hurting somewhere it would force Ned to dump Odalis for garbage. This way someone will panic sooner-or-later and give us a little more for Odalis than they would have at this point in the season. If anything, he servers as insurance in case Seo or Sele tank.
Today's stupid stat: Anyone else notice that our starters have a low amount of combined letters in their last name (if there is such a stat)? All five of them have 5 letters or less:
Penny (5)
Tomko (5)
Sele (4)
Lowe (4)
Seo (3)
Even “Perez” is only 4 letters! Weird!
I hope that results in a low ERA!
Posted by: LoLo | May 23, 2006 at 10:54 AM
Laker Seth,
Martin isn’t going anywhere, and I am willing to bet that Ethier isn’t either (notice the clever twist of the I and the E, haha). Cruz can spot any of the outfielders and will be especially needed to provide Lofton’s aging body some time off. But the starting outfield will probably remain (from L to R) Ethier, Lofton, Drew. Repko will remain as the 5th outfielder and I have no idea what we will do with Ledee, if he ever gets healthy.
As far as Aybar is concerned, he most likely will not be starting when Mueller gets back but we now have the luxury of not rushing Mueller back. When Mueller does come back I think it Robles will be the odd man out and get sent down, leaving Aybar as a pinch hitter (which plays to his strength since he is a poor fielder and a great hitter).
In other words, I don’t think you should be too concerned with us losing our veteran/rookie mixture. Besides, it’s nice to have veterans around when the playoffs come around (that’s right, I said it: THE PLAYOFFS, BABY).
Posted by: LoLo | May 23, 2006 at 11:03 AM
Lolo,
I guess your stupid stat didn't apply when Brown was starting. haha.
Seriously, though. Martin has been a really great asset so far. Those plays at the plate were terrific. Absolutely textbook. He could make things very difficult for Navarro once the guy's wrist heals up. There's been no need whatsoever to take him out of the lineup.
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | May 23, 2006 at 11:05 AM
AK,
Since we both love Scioscia and the way he played, you know you had a big grin on your face when you saw Martin block the plate like the old dog used to, TWICE! I know I sure had one.
As far as my stupid stat, I’m just trying to follow your example (Sandy’s sweat sock, haha!!).
Posted by: LoLo | May 23, 2006 at 11:10 AM
Lolo,
Wait until I use all my journalistic savvy to break the story of Werth's faux Hawk wide open. You ain't seen nothing yet. Look over your shoulders, Woodward and Bernstein! haha
AK
Posted by: Andrew Kamenetzky | May 23, 2006 at 11:13 AM
AK,
FYI, the “Brown” ritations had more letters. Take for example:
Brown (5)
Ishii (5)
Perez (5)
Daal (4)
Nomo (4)
That 23 compared to 21 from our current rotation. Count them!! As Stone Cold Steve Austin would say, “What? What?”
Posted by: LoLo | May 23, 2006 at 11:25 AM
And apparently I have lost the ability to count to five since I incorrectly stated in my first “stupid stat” post that “Perez” was 4 letters. I’ll write the word “cinco” 10,000 times on the whiteboard in my office as punishment.
Posted by: LoLo | May 23, 2006 at 11:28 AM
“Wow. They don't call them "stupid stats" for nothing, huh? Haha”
AK, don’t knock “da skillz”. Hate da game, not da playa!! Besides, you know you get paid by the post. Haha!!
Posted by: LoLo | May 23, 2006 at 11:35 AM
AK,
On a serious note: Has anyone mentioned what they are going to do with Ledee when he comes back? He might make it back before Repko, but I am assuming they will keep Ethier as a starter and will elect not to go with 6 outfielders with Repko back. I know they want to go back to 11 pitchers, but even then more than one person from the outfield/infield will have to go, especially when Navarro and Mueller come back. Robles, I would think, is a given to get sent back down. But who’s next, in your opinion? Aybar?
Posted by: LoLo | May 23, 2006 at 11:42 AM
It's wonderful to wake up to a 5 game winning streak. I am so happy to see that the new kids on the team have made a serious impact. I seriously hope that Grady Little does not allow Navarro back in the line-up with Martin doing extremely well. I'm also glad to see that Kent and Furcal are somewhat getting it done. Boy is J.D. Drew and Garciaparra kicking some serious butt. WAY TO GO DODGERS!!!!
Posted by: sfdodgergirl | May 23, 2006 at 12:01 PM
I won’t even go into where to put Izzy when he comes back, although I will assume he will eat up a spot on the 25-man roster. This is what I see as the roster and the dilemma:
11 pitchers:
Penny
Lowe
Seo
Tomko
Sele
Gagne
Baez
Perez
Saito
Broxton
Beimel
8 starters:
Martin
GarciaParra
Kent
Furcal
Mueller
Ethier
Lofton
Drew
6 Backups:
Alomar
Saenz
Martinez
Cruz
Repko
Aybar?/Izzy?
That leaves Ledee, Navarro, and either Aybar or Izzy hanging in the wind (although I think they would send Aybar down before losing Izzy).
I doubt they will have Navarro/Martin as the catcher tandem since that puts Alomar out of the equation. It seems that Navarro would get sent down.
As I said, I think they will send Aybar down, clearing room for Izzy.
Hamulack and Carter will get sent down to reduce the pitching staff to 11 and make room for Gagne.
That leaves Ledee flopping in the wind. Would they send Repko back down and lose speed?
Posted by: LoLo | May 23, 2006 at 12:09 PM
I was skeptical about the Big Blue getting rid of Jeff Weaver, but after the freeway series and other games I've watched, I stand really, really corrected.
Also, with Martin blocking the plate like the proverbial brick wall, we have a great season in the making!
Posted by: Mitleid | May 23, 2006 at 12:22 PM
It's nice to see that management makes baseball decisions based on well baseball! DePodesta's fruity use of #s & computer programs really bothered me. To have Colleti say that about the game being about money for some players & him not buying into it is awesome. It's a great balance of things when rookies (smaller salary) are playing just as good as the veterans (getting top $$).
I've said it once, I'll say it again....The Izzy situation makes me nervous.
Thank you for the "stupid stats" they are entertaining me while I work.
Oh & the sweaty sock thing is the inside stuff you definitely can't get anywhere else...THAT'S why I read this blog!
Posted by: MrsThinkBlue | May 23, 2006 at 12:45 PM
I have to admit, I hope they don't have to trade Izturis. He is amazing to watch. But how to you keep him on the bench? Will Furcal go to the outfield?
What do you think AK/BK?
Broxton is channeling Elvis with that sneer and those sideburns. Thank ya, thank ya vary much...
Posted by: Andy B | May 23, 2006 at 01:22 PM
Andy B (and others)-
You're right, the Dodgers have some serious (and relatively luxurious) roster decisions to make soon. Regarding Furcal and Izturis, I think there's no question that Izzy is a better SS, but I don't know if you can just move the guy to the OF at the end of June. That's not really fair, unless Furcal is on board. Even then, it's not easy to learn to play the OF at the major league level.
I have a feeling that assuming nobody gets hurt between now and late June when Izturis' rehab assigment is over, they'll figure out a way to squeeze Izzy around the diamond. A day here at SS, maybe relief for Kent at 2B, days in the OF, days at 3B. My understanding is they'll start him at short in his rehab, but it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him start moving around a lot in his last 10-15 games in Vegas. Having two all star caliber SS's on the roster is a good problem to have. In the long run, one of them will probably be moved, and both have value.
Ledee is an interesting one, too. If there's a roster squeeze when he comes back w/ Repko, etc., it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him get released. He was a backup OF anyway, and given a choice between Repko and Ledee, I'd keep Repko. The problem is it leaves them short a LH bat off the bench... although with Izzy coming back, they get another switch hitter.
Plus they have to figure out what to do with the catching situation (I think Navarro will be sent down- they can't keep three catchers on the roster right now, you don't want either Martin or Navarro sitting, and how can you possibly justify sending Martin out the way he's been playing?
Then there's Aybar and Mueller. Willy has hit the ball very well throughout his short MLB career. I think they may keep him around, and send out Robles again.
Eventually, they're going to have to figure out what to do with Odalis. When all these guys come back, you can't keep a guy on the roster who isn't going to play. Either he has to pitch, or they need to make a move. Trading him is easier said than done, but something will have to happen.
Honestly, this requires spread sheets and flow charts if you're gonna keep solid track. The good news is that it's very clear at this point that the Dodgers have depth. It's always better to have too many players than too few.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | May 23, 2006 at 02:48 PM
Does anyone know where I can apply for a job? I'll do anything. I'm very hungry and can't afford food.
I have excellent computer skills, can do regression equations and other quantitative methods, and am good at photography. I can send sample pictures I took of Hee Sop Choi and Dioner Navarro, although I hope you are not offended by nudity. Please don't ask if you can contact my former employer because my answer is no!
References:
Hee Sop Choi
1224 Minor League Dr.
Boston, MA 02987
Dioner Navarro
8734 Disabled List Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 87654
MrsThinkBlue,
I don’t like you calling my methods “fruity”. You are not very nice!
Paul
Posted by: Paul DePodesta | May 23, 2006 at 03:03 PM
BK,
I agree with all of your opinions on the roster moves except for one thing where you came up short a roster spot (as you said, you need spread sheets and flow charts to keep track of this stuff):
Even if they go to 11 pitchers (which includes Odalis), cut Ledee, and send down Navarro and Robles, they still do not have a roster spot for Aybar when Izzy and Mueller come back (remember that they still have Martinez).
I’m assuming you agree with me that they keep Ethier on the roster as one of the 5 outfielders (probably as the starting LF).
LoLo
Posted by: LoLo | May 23, 2006 at 03:11 PM
Yeah, in that scenario, Aybar would have to go down. The timing of all this could be interesting. Repko is a "wild card" since it's hard to predict how fast ankle injuries will heal, and Repko's game is built on speed.
So you're right, Aybar's days could be numbered. Let's hope Izzy learns to play 7 positions in Vero and Vegas.
Obviously, if Ethier hits a major slump or something (not a wild notion for a rookie without much AAA experience), things could change. I just think Aybar can flat out rake, so it'd be nice if they could figure out a way to get him on the field.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | May 23, 2006 at 04:01 PM
This kid Martin seems to be the real deal. I hope the current Management does not follow it's predecessors by disposing it's talented catchers.
Time will tell...
For the old schoolers, Dodger great Bill Russell can be found @ Legendary Damons Steak House in Glendale Ca. He seems to have a part ownership. He is real down to earth guy to talk to.
Have a Mai Tai & talk Blue.
Posted by: dj dash one | May 23, 2006 at 07:49 PM