Swept Away
No, not the Madonna flick, but equally nauseating.
I consider myself a reasonably optimistic, glass is half full kind of guy, but I have to be honest. Knowing Francisco Liriano and Johan Santana would start games two and three of the trifecta in Minnesota when the Dodgers lost game one with Carlos Silva on the hill for the Twins, a certain word popped into my head when considering L.A.'s chances the rest of the way. I cannot type that word on this website. Then Derek Lowe got shelled last night. That meant only Odalis Perez could save the Blue from the Broom. I woke up this morning a first-ballot inductee of the Pessimists Hall of Fame (though I still didn't feel good about my chances of getting in, hahahahaha). But there was still a tiny part of me that still believed. Maybe...a heroic performance from O.P...just maybe...
...maybe not. Any lingering optimism I had lasted 2/3 of an inning before Odalis hung it over the heart of the plate for Torii Hunter to tattoo and send over the left field "wall" at the Metrodome for a first-inning grand slam. In the end, it was all Minnesota would need in their 6-3 win Wednesday afternoon.
Joe Mauer once again used the Dodgers as his personal AL MVP resume builder. He followed up a 4-5, 5 RBI show Monday with a 5-5 performance last night. In the end, that made his 2-3, two runs scored and a walk on Wednesday seem pretty weak by comparison. Think Mauer liked Dodger pitching? In three games, he raised his average from .368 to .392. In late June. That's ridiculous. Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau also chipped in with big games for the Twinkies. As for the Dodgers, only Olmedo Saenz managed to do some damage, generating two of the five L.A. hits and all three of their RBIs with a double in the eighth off Juan Rincon.
Hey, at least the 'pen kept the game close. 3.2 scoreless from Broxton, Baez and Saito. That's pretty good.
Fortunately for the Dodgers, who haven't exactly weathered this interleague road thing all that well (0-6 this month against Oakland and now Minnesota), the team they'll see next — the Angels — are quickly becoming a 25-man slump breaker. If ever there were a time to head down to the Big A and feast on the home team, this could be it. After a day off Thursday, we'll find out.
—BK
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Don't you just love it when you turn the game on 5 minutes late and you are already down 4-0? And the opposing team bats in the BOTTOM of the inning? I live for that sh*t. This is LA baseball. HAHA!!
Posted by: LoLo | June 28, 2006 at 02:45 PM
It does make you appreciate the value of being punctual.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | June 28, 2006 at 02:47 PM
Think the Pirates might be hoodwinked into putting a package together to exchange struggling O. Perezes? :)
Posted by: Robert Daeley | June 28, 2006 at 02:54 PM
BK,
You can’t be a HOF of the pessimistic club unless you get through the President, Mr. Grady Little. Talk about throwing up the white flag; never mind trying to actually salvage a game, let’s bench Martin, Nomar, and Drew, then throw our most inconsistent pitcher out there (actually, Perez is very consistent; consistently bad). Oh, and to add more of a challenge let’s make his battery-mate a guy who has proven to not mesh well with Perez. And to REALLY shoot ourselves in the foot let’s start Jose Cruz Jr. I’m surprised he didn’t ask Ledee to hobble over and play RF, bad hammy and all. Talk about putting your best effort forward to win a game!
Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that he threw Baez in there to really sure up relief effort. “Man, this Broxton kid has thrown 1.2 innings of shutout baseball. I better put a stop to this nonsense.” Here’s betting that Baez get an earful for throwing a monkey wrench in Little’s plans by not allowing a run and “forcing” Little to send Saito in to attempt to salvage a game he didn’t want to win in the first place. Our pitching staff is SO BAD that they can’t even get losing right!
Posted by: LoLo | June 28, 2006 at 03:06 PM
It totally sucks that we sit here and discuss all the bullcrap that surrounds our Dodgers and yet, we have our gurus (Colletti & Little) still experimenting at this point of this season. This whole twins series was a fricken joke, there was never a game in where there was a chance to pull a win and yet in the rubber game all we get its another bomb experiment by Little that certainly provides results, it EXPLODES!!!!!!! I keep hearing Collettis comments about pitching being a HIGH PRIORITY and yet we get nothing, not sure how our ex-NBA pitcher will turn out though, but it certainly doesn't look good. I hope hendrickson uses some of his basketball skills to DUNK Mr. Loser Perez in the nearest trash bin at Angel Stadium this weekend. Ok, maybe that's too rough, but its getting to that point.......
Posted by: JC Blue | June 28, 2006 at 03:30 PM
Folks is ANGRY today.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | June 28, 2006 at 04:07 PM
Odoltis Perez never met a jelly donut or mirror he din't like...problem with hi is talking then doing has never been his strong suit.
It's a shame he looked so good but is simply another "...the wonderful me..." modern day roster filler that truly belongs in the landfill not on the ball-field...
and oh, yeah, tell OD it's OK to actually get iin shape for the season every now and then...ship him to KC for a peanut vendor, at least that guy will throw stikes with something on them.
Posted by: grumpy3b | June 28, 2006 at 04:39 PM
No one likes to see the Dodgers lose three straight, but I am in favor of the way Little is resting his veterans. This was a day game after a night game, it was played on the hideous fake turf in Minnesota and both Nomar and Martin were due to take a break. The fact that Perez started was simply due to the fact that Hendrickson wasn't able to join the team fast enough. We've likely seen the last of Perez in a starting role for quite some time, perhaps forever in Dodger blue. I like Brian's thinking about the Dodgers getting well in Anaheim this weekend. It seems like the Angels have kicked the Dodgers around repeatedly in Anaheim over the past few years. It is time to stop that trend.
Posted by: Tim H | June 28, 2006 at 04:40 PM
Can you blame people for being angry? We just got the snot beat out of us like we were the Pirates. This series was an absolute embarrassment. We did NOTHING right. Errors, no offense, shotty pitching, and worse yet: NO SIGN OF LIFE OR EMOTION.
We got pimp-slapped like Ike beat Tina. At least Tina fought back. The Twins just told us “I Bobby, you Whitney”. Straight up Rick James’ five fingers talking to Charlie Murphy’s face…SLAP!! Shogun of Harlem putting Leroy Green’s in the water yelling “WHO IS THE MASTA!!”
Posted by: LoLo | June 28, 2006 at 04:44 PM
Q: How do you hide something from Odalis Perez?
A: Establish a strike zone around it... he'll never find it.
Posted by: Stinger | June 28, 2006 at 05:02 PM
Lets face it folks, any aspirations of the Dodgers going to the post season... STRIKE THREE!
It ain't gonna happen.
We just saw what happens when the blue crew has to play a good team.
Kemp has not only come back to earth, he's crash landed. But no one really expected him to continue the way he started. The kid will do fine ultimately.
I'd feel a lot better if the Twins win the world series this year...
Posted by: Andy B | June 28, 2006 at 08:04 PM
I wasn't angry, just resigned after the Twins drubbed us. Until I just read Perez's comments in which he admits he could have exerted himself on the ground ball that loaded the bases and set the stage for the first-inning grand slam and that he's not "blaming" Kent for being out of position on the play but that Kent could have been closer to the action and saved his bacon for him. Now I'm furious. There's not a GM idiot enough to touch that turd. Cut him NOW!!!!!
Posted by: wmm | June 28, 2006 at 08:31 PM
Are you saying Odalis shifted the blame? How odd...
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | June 29, 2006 at 07:19 AM
I'm not glad we lost by any means...but the Twins pitching was flat out AMAZING. When they've got three guys that pitch the way they did, it's no wonder they swept us. So yes it sucks to get swept, and yes I'd rather see our team win, but don't get your panties in a bunch and start yelling at Little and Colleti. We just swept the Pirates (a team we should beat) and then got swept by the Twins (a team we probably should be getting swept by.)
I'm one of those people that don't BOO at Dodger Stadium. I was at all three games of the Pirates series, and I hung my head in shame when all the idiots started booing Jim Tracy when he came on the field. Our pitching has issues right now, our rookies are still rookies, and we still have some big injuries. None of those are key parts of a championship team. Am I giving up hope on the Dodgers? No way...we're not the Royals.
New series this weekend, let's kick some Angel butt!
Posted by: Nathan | June 29, 2006 at 09:49 AM
Nathan,
Booing is a person’s prerogative. Just because you don’t boo it doesn’t make you a better person, just like it doesn’t make someone an “idiot” for booing. Just like it’s your prerogative to remain calm about getting you rear-end handed to you, it’s other people’s prerogative to assess blame if they feel it is warranted. We all have the right to do either; one choice doesn’t make someone better than everyone else who choose to do the opposite, and it certainly doesn’t make someone an idiot. So if you want to hang your head in shame then do it on your own time and have the decency to allow people to boo or vent without calling them idiots or mentioning that their panties are in a bunch.
Posted by: LoLo | June 29, 2006 at 11:33 AM
LOL, BK. Because Odalis shifting anything would be ... like work.
I also have to ditto Nathan's comment on the Twins pitching. Man, that was something. Like the Dodgers of yore. Where did we go wrong with ours?
Posted by: wmm | June 29, 2006 at 11:46 AM
I totally have to disagree LoLo. There might be a rare ocassion where booing is called for, but MOST fans at Dodger stadium boo anyone and everyone that USED to be a Dodger. Some people boo first pitch balls! Why does Jim Tracy deserve to be booed? I can think of a lot of reasons why he shouldn't be booed, and yes, I do think being sportsmanlike is more honorable than booing and yelling like an IDIOT at someone just because you've had your two beers. I saw some fool in the bleachers yelling and screaming at Jason Bay in left at the top of his lungs. Jason Bay?? What rivalry do we have with Jason Bay?
I'm sorry you took my comments so literally LoLo. Believe it or not, I've actually booed before. GASP! My exaggeration obviously wasn't noticed. If you think people that boo Shawn Green are just as "good" as people that don't, then that is definitly YOUR perogative.
And why are you lecturing me to begin with? I never said anyone had to have the same perspective as me?
Posted by: Nathan | June 29, 2006 at 06:58 PM
Anyone who goes to the stadium is a paying customer. Anyone who is willing to pay for overpriced tickets, overpriced beer, overpriced hot dogs, and an overpriced parking spot has the right to boo. Anyone who sits their rear end on their couch and watches the game has a right to boo. Just because I don’t agree that someone deserves to get booed doesn’t mean they are idiots for doing so. And I am certainly not going to jump on my high horse to say something ridiculous like “I hung my head in shame”.
We’re talking about booing here, not acting like a drunken idiot. I don’t condone intoxicated obnoxious behavior or foul language directed at a player. I don’t know what that guy said to Bay, but if someone wants to boo him or tell him that he stinks to get his attention off the game then so be it. It’s called home field advantage. After all, the guy is our opponent. Now if the guy was talking about his mom or personally attacking him, then I certainly don’t condone those actions. But the fact is that most fans who boo don’t act like idiots. What you are doing is stereotyping fans that boo.
Do I think Jim Tracy was a good manager? Conceivably. Do I hate the fact that he is wearing a Pirates uniform? Possibly. Do I root against anyone not wearing a Dodger uniform? Strenuously. Do I think Tracy deserves to get booed if the people feel like booing him? Absolutely. After all, “We didn't fail, we just didn't succeed as much as we'd have liked” under HIS watch.
I’m not lecturing you. I simply didn’t appreciate your comments and am letting you know about it. If you’d like you can ignore them, just like you can ignore all those “idiots” at the stadium.
Posted by: LoLo | June 30, 2006 at 04:14 AM
I can't belive I missed this one:
"Hoodwinked"
HAHAHAHA!! Good word, Robert!!
Posted by: LoLo | June 30, 2006 at 04:15 AM