Once Relaxed, Now Sleepy and Crabby

So who do I blame for the overlong battle? Well, the Dodger pitchers bear a large brunt of my fury (Odalis Perez aside, who pitched a very crisp one and a third). And in particular, Derek Lowe. I watched the guy throw 102 pitches. I also watched him throw only 4.2 innings. I didn't speak directly to pitching coach Rick Honeycutt, but I'll go out on a limb and say that's not the ratio he's seeking from his righty. The outing began pretty ominously, with Lowe's opening quartet of batters turning into four runs (capped by a Ray Durham home run). From there, a lot of laboring without much luck.

If you're looking for someone to call out Lowe, look no further than the man himself, who can't quite put his finger on recent inconsistencies. "Four runs before you get an out. I think clearly, there's something going on." Possible explanations bandied about included mechanics and over-analyzing every pitch. One theory that wasn't being considered, however, was the presence of catcher Toby Hall (making his Dodger Stadium debut as a starter). The two talked shop with Honeycutt before the game and were on the same page. Besides, as Lowe put it, "he's not throwing pitches."

(Speaking of Hall, for a guy who went 3-5 with 3 RBI's, he looked about as sunny as me. Reason? While happy to contribute, he's not happy with his situation as a backup. Hall was quite matter of fact in stating his dissatisfaction — I would absolutely describe his vibe as professional — but he made his opinions perfectly clear. The situation is "obviously not what I planned on being traded to," admitted Hall. "It's not good." While being in a race is a perk, Hall would have been preferred being traded somewhere where he's an everyday player who's part of the bigger picture. "I don't have, obviously, a future here in L.A., so maybe something will be done. But until then, I've got to help this team as much as I can." Before anyone reads into things, Hall harbors no animosity towards Russell Martin and understands the front office's position on the rook. "This kid's the real deal. He's a legit big league catcher right now. The future is his, here. As much as I can help while I'm here, it's exciting to do that with someone that has that potential.")

But let me tell you, it ain't just folks on the Dodger payroll feeling my cranky anger. If I owned a Felipe Alou poster, it would totally be off my wall right now. Six pitchers, Felipe? Six? With a lead throughout the entire game? Way to turn the afternoon into Chinese water torture. I'm not even talking about the theoretical validity of each change.

Obviously, the Giants won, so fine. Everything was technically justifiable. But dude, c'mon! Steve Kline and his filthy cap coming in to throw to J.D. Drew and J.D. Drew only? Killing me, bro! Killing me! Obviously, you're not the first manager to play chess and I understood the logic, yada yada. But didn't you take even one gander at your watch during the game? We were already well into Sunday evening. Sacrifice a little baseball strategy and move this puppy along! Seriously. Again, you won the game. Hats off to you. Please, for the love of all that is holy, don't ever do that again.

I will end my rant on a positive note. Head Athletic Trainer Stan Johnston reported that Eric Gagne underwent successful disc surgery today. The recovery timetable for such procedures usually takes about six months and they're hoping to have Gagne ready by spring training. The injury actually goes back to spring training three years ago and is something sensitive enough to be triggered by a sneeze. Johnston talked with Gagne this afternoon, who was awake, walking in small does and watching the game. Apparently, the reliever even called Saenz's homer. I just hope he wasn't standing for the game's duration. That would have been a good way to blow out another disc.

More on the game later...

—AK