Extra! Extra! (9.22)
Had the Dodgers ended up getting swept by the Pirates, this weekend's series against the D-Backs would become ridiculously important. Instead, winning the final game 5-2 makes the Arizona contests...well, ridiculously important. But at least the victory gave the Dodgers a current hold on the Wild Card (with San Diego refusing to make L.A.'s night truly cool).
The night got off to a quick bang — literally — with Olmedo Saenz's two-run smacker in the bottom of the first. The Tomato was filling in for Nomar Garciaparra, president of the Still-Tender Quadriceps Muscle Club. Starting next Tuesday, Nomar will hopefully impeach himself, come hell or high water.
Oddly enough, the next biggest offensive plays were the results of little to no bat motion whatsoever. In the meantime, Chad Billingsley made some progress towards regaining his pre-injury form, but the real pitching fireworks came in the form of — and this is not a typo — relief pitching. In particular, the often unsung Joe Beimel's two innings were key, having tossed an extra to make up for Billingsley exiting a frame earlier than hoped (which puts him in good company with his fellow starters). Followup work by Jonathon Broxton and Takashi Saito was stellar, creating a box score that left the fans thinking blue, not feeling it.
Folks is still talking about Monday's masterpiece.
For those of you latecomers to Dodger rooting, a man named Jim Tracy used to manage the Dodgers. Didn't leave the squad on the happiest of notes. And as luck may have it, he happens to coach these Pirates that put the Dodgers a little behind the eight-ball when it comes to playoff push progress. Does he get off knowing that? Not so much. Tracy would wanna win no matter who his squad was playing.
Tonight's game: A mucho grande series against the D-Backs (and Arizona starter Claudio Vargas) kicks off this evening. Derek Lowe, the Dodgers' most reliable starter, will try to set things into a positive motion. Lowe will likely be motivated to make up for one stinger of a recent loss. Vargas' most recent decision was a win, but came 17 days ago.
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There might be "Panic! At The Disco", but thre's no panic on Blue Notes.
Posted by: LoLo | September 22, 2006 at 09:50 AM
Just one question. Where was killer tomato this series? The man is only hitting around .500 against them and he plays the last game in the series. He should have played the whole thing and gave Nomar some much needed rest.
Posted by: Brian | September 22, 2006 at 10:03 AM
soo pissed my internet went out for the live blog last night. i was seriously scrambling to get it back up, i get all the bars showing on my wireless and my computer was still not working.
i guess it doesn't matter, dodgers won. and it looks like lugo might be sitting for a while, i don't see too many lefties coming up. maybe that means we'll see loney this series while nomar gets better. loney made a really good play on the beimel pickoff, quickly caught and put the tag on. nice to see the tomato bombing. hopefully lowe has a CG tonight, that would do wonders for the bullpen. if anybody on our staff is going to CG its lowe, contact pitcher that has a bit of stamina.
Posted by: bmurph | September 22, 2006 at 10:12 AM
Git'er done or go home. Bottom line.
We can do it!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Jim | September 22, 2006 at 10:40 AM
im sure you guys already saw this but its a cool piece by jerry crasnick at espn.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=crasnick_jerry&id=2598347&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab5pos1
Posted by: bmurph | September 22, 2006 at 10:45 AM
Makoto
I also don't see the team playing any better than .500 down the stretch. I hope I'm wrong.
The Padres have a winning record on the road this year (as do the Phillies, though a losing record at home)and have won 6 of their last 10. The Dodgers are 4 of their last 10 so we seem to be going the opposite direction.
The reason to sweep AZ is to win EVERY home game. I don't trust these guys on the road. We need to win NOW. Plus to get some kind of momentum.
Little continues to confound. Lugo is an "out machine". I guess they must be great buddies...
I would think Martinez is a better option, but he has played so sparingly that he's probably covered in rust by now.
I'm happy for Grady that his players really like him...
Posted by: Andy B | September 22, 2006 at 11:22 AM
Good article, bmurph.
Posted by: LoLo | September 22, 2006 at 11:24 AM
4 THINGS WE CAN ALL AGREE ON:
1. USC IS NO.1
2. BIG WIN LAST NIGHT.
3. NONE OF US REAL HAPPY WITH TEAM PLAY THE 3
WEEKS.
4. GLAD D-LO IS PITCHING TONITE.
5. WITH SAMMY AND BROX PITCHING LAST 2 DAYS-
WE PROBABLY WONT SEE THEM TONITE.
6. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY- JIM TRACEY IS A DEAD
RINGER FOR STEVE MCQUEEN.
Posted by: stargazin | September 22, 2006 at 12:20 PM
stargazin,
glad you said 4 things we can agree on because i don't agree with numbers 1 and 6.
Posted by: bmurph | September 22, 2006 at 12:34 PM
7. THE "LIVE BLOG" IS UNDA FEETED.
8. WE NEED ANOTHER BIG WIN TONITE.
Posted by: stargazin | September 22, 2006 at 12:35 PM
9. THAT STARGAZIN GUY IS A LIST MAKIN FOOL.
Posted by: stargazin | September 22, 2006 at 12:37 PM
AK/BK,
I feel like this has been brought up in passing, but how do you two feel, as reporters about this whole mark fainaru-wada/ lance williams thing? because it obviously strikes a chord within the journalist/reporter community.
i ask this, because i see a difference between the first amendment and the freedom of speech. maybe i don't know enough about this, but it doesn't seem like the government is saying they can't write this stuff anymore, they are just trying ot solve a court case and need additional information. and while i hate barry bonds, i feel like these things transcend him. i mean i understand that without this protection, people will be less likely to talk and go "All the President's Men," but it seems like as the law states right now, that it isn't contradictory to the 1st amendment. please enlighten me if i am wrong, because this has evolved into something which i do not comprehend (past the journalist/reporter bias).
Posted by: bmurph | September 22, 2006 at 01:06 PM
as a side note, i wasn't meaning to say that i agree with jailing them for more time than the steroid abusers, or distributors, but why the first amendment argument. i just feel like that argument doesn't hold a lot of water.
thats why i like the sheild law for journalists, as proposed by arlen specter. it gives LEGIT reason to protect reporters.
Posted by: bmurph | September 22, 2006 at 01:11 PM
Andy B.,
I'd like to think that the Dodgers would step up their game against division rivals in the heat of a pennant race (two, really), but I agree with you that another 9 games of .500 baseball is what we're probably going to get. As for Martinez, I can't speak for the past 8 weeks, but I think he's been given some time away from the team to tend to his wife and newborn. Stupid Izturis, why couldn't he time his wife's pregnancy for expanded roster time?
bmurph,
The whole issue with the "Game of Shadows" guys has nothing to do with and 1st amendment protection. You can say whatever you want about the motives behind the government, but the major issue with the story is the fact that someone illegally leaked Grand Jury testimony, which is protected from the public. The two journalists are refusing to reveal their source (the journalistically right thing to do), while the government is threatening them with jail time for obstruction of justice (legally the right thing to do).
Just like Woodward and Bernstein, Fainaru-Wada and Williams served the greater good by reporting the truth, but they did it illegally, so they need to pay the consequences. Very Greek tradegy-esque.
Posted by: Makoto Ueno | September 22, 2006 at 05:38 PM