A Good Night*
But as the asterisk would indicate, it didn't come without a qualifier. Yeah, the evening's vibe certainly consisted of factors one typically categorizes as "good." The Dodgers beat the D-Backs 6-4, sweeping the short series. Juan Pierre's double and triple, the latter of which knocked in Wlison Valdez for the go ahead run, perhaps signaled a player who's coming around with the stick. The combined bullpen efforts of Chad Billingsley, Jonathon Broxton and Takashi Saito sustaining said lead also smacks of "positive." Oh, and this winning box score belongs to a team that's crushing divisional opponents.
Of course, there is that dreaded aforementioned qualifier. The night also included news that Jason Schmidt will be spending some time on the D.L. Dude's got a case of the dreaded bursitis in the ol' shoulder. Schmidt's replacement on the roster? The suitcase carrying Chin-hui Tsao. Schmidt's replacement in the rotation? Lanky lefty Mark Hendrickson, who's been terrific throwing in middle relief.
Peter Gammons gives Russell Martin big props.
The Colorado Rockies await the Dodgers for games tonight and tomorrow. As far as the former contest goes, you'll be watching Derek Lowe tangle with Rodrigo Lopez. Ever since bricking the season opener, Lowe's been a house of fire on the mound. Lopez hasn't exactly been a slouch, either.
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I think we should give Ned Colletti some props. Yes, he does fill the spring training with the likes of Choo Freeman, Damian Jackson, Fernando Tatis and others, but in the process a Wilson Valdez is discovered.
Valdez has been an excellent backup and starter, as well as a sparkplug in the last 2 games against the giants. It is early in the season, but the wins count now, don't they? His presence makes Ramon Martinez or Matt Kemp's spots shaky. Even Brady Clark has contributed, certainly far more than Elmer Dessens (the other half of the trade) would have.
Posted by: Chunkdog32 | April 18, 2007 at 10:08 AM
Can't wait for the Dodgers to sweep the Rox! Go Blue!
BTW, AK/BK, you should find a way to feature the Dodgers Blog on the LaTimes.com homepage so it'll be easier to access. You guys are awesome, keep up the good work amigos!
Joe
Posted by: BerkeleyLaker | April 18, 2007 at 11:41 AM
I think it's time to start a "grass roots" campaign to get Martin elected to the All Star Game. He performs greatly in all aspects of the game. It was good to see him recognized on ESPN.
Posted by: KT USN | April 18, 2007 at 12:02 PM
Chunkdog,
Valdez was a top Dodger farmhand last season (in terms of performance if not necessarily potential), so I think his discovery this spring was inevitable, but I do agree with you that Colletti deserves some props for his fringe offseason moves. Valdez, Seanez, and Tsao have already made the team, and it's only a matter of time before guys like Freeman, Bigbie, Mays, and maybe even Stinnet make some kind of an impact on the major league roster. And yet the farm is still filled with top notch talent. And yes, player for player, Clark for Dessens was a steal.
As for his major moves, Gonzo and Pierre are still bad defensively, but at least Gonzalez played a passable LF at his old home. That tells me that he hasn't suffered a severe dropoff in physical skills, and that his defense will improve from atrocious to simply bad when he gets used to the grounds at Dodgers Stadium. As for Pierre, as frustrating as his 'Bad News Bears' antics are in CF, I believe that he's one of those rare players whose offensive abilities make up for his defensive shortcomings. His late inning triple made the headlines, but he showed his true value in the first inning, when he forced Owings to make 9 pickoff attempts and throw a fat offering to Kent on top of a 20+ pitch inning. Those throws to first count for some fatigue.
Posted by: Makoto Ueno | April 18, 2007 at 12:10 PM