Rock bottomer
A couple days back, Grady Little said his Dodgers had hit "rock bottom." Apparently not. Wednesday night, the Blue dropped a 1-0 heartbreaker to the Reds, the third straight game in which they've been shut out, and the fourth time in their last five. The numbers get worse. L.A. has lost six in a row, 15 of 19, are one for their last 43 with runners in scoring position, and, in the number that matters most, have dropped five games behind Arizona in the NL West. At this point, pitchers around the league must be begging to be traded to whatever team plays the Dodgers next. Wednesday, the beneficiary of L.A.'s ineptitude was Aaron Harang, who shut them down with four hits over eight innings. The box score says Chad Billingsley, with six hits and four walks over five IP was a little shakier, but he gave up only one run. Might as well have been a million, given how things have gone. The Blue had only four hits, and their best chance at scoring was erased when Matt Kemp lined into a double play in the eighth, erasing a leadoff double from James Loney. Outside of that, good Cincinnati defense killed any other Blue opportunities.
As you noticed, the swap of Juan Pierre for Rafael Furcal at the top of the order didn't get runs on the board, nor did holding Luis Gonzalez out of the lineup. The news doesn't get a lot better when talking about Derek Lowe's injured hip, which continues to bug the righty. Lowe is still scheduled to pitch on Saturday, but hearing Grady Little use words like "he's as healthy as he's going to be" doesn't exactly inspire optimism. But nothing really matters more than the search for "one big hit," a quest currently taking on a serious white whale feel.
Got questions for Ned Colletti? Well, you should have asked them yesterday when he sat down for a web chat.
TODAY'S GAME- The Blue will look to salvage the series this afternoon, with Brett Tomko facing Phil Dumatrait for Cincinnati.
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Oh my gosh...the dodgers finally scored a run
Posted by: K T USN | August 09, 2007 at 10:04 AM
bases loaded no outs...1 run only...pathetic
Posted by: K T USN | August 09, 2007 at 10:05 AM
Tomko already in trouble....long fly out to center and both runners advance...pierre's noodle arm strikes again
Posted by: K T USN | August 09, 2007 at 10:10 AM
2 runs!!! Both scored via sacrifice flies. Beggars can't be choosers.
Posted by: Chunkdog32 | August 09, 2007 at 10:13 AM
at least they are crossing the plate today and not just to head back to the dugout
Posted by: K T USN | August 09, 2007 at 10:21 AM
missed opportunities will due us in...mark my words
Posted by: K T USN | August 09, 2007 at 10:23 AM
Bombko strikes again
Posted by: K T USN | August 09, 2007 at 10:29 AM
Tomko - what is it about this guy? Have you guys watched his mannerisms whenever he makes a mistake?? The guy laughs! He doesn't seem to take his job seriously. He did it again this morning when he screwed up a bunt... he laughed! Does he know he's so bad and so laughing is the only medicine to ease the pain?
Not cool!
Posted by: DodgerGal | August 09, 2007 at 11:36 AM
and that missed bunt is costing us now
Posted by: K T USN | August 09, 2007 at 12:08 PM
Pinch hitting in the eighth, Matt Kemp swings at the first pitch he sees from a new reliever, grounds to second, then doesn't run out the ball. Not his best AB of the season, I'd say.
BK
Posted by: Brian Kamenetzky | August 09, 2007 at 12:16 PM
I saw the same thing and wondered...is he so good now he doesn't have to run out ground balls?
Posted by: K T USN | August 09, 2007 at 12:29 PM
Way to go Raffy...maybe we'll take this one yet
Posted by: K T USN | August 09, 2007 at 01:03 PM
About time...maybe this will start a winning streak and get us back into the fight ...the power of positive thinking...Right!!!
Posted by: K T USN | August 09, 2007 at 01:15 PM
DodgerGal,
If Tomko has taken to laughing at his mistakes recently, then I would consider that a great improvement in his attitude.
Last year and earlier this season, you could literally see gears falling out of Tomko's head whenever he made the slightest error in a game. Whether it was a blown call by the plate umpire, a defensive miscue, or just a bad pitch on his part, his entire gameplan seemed to fall apart. Even worse, he made no effort to hide his frustration, and he broadcast to the entire world that the pitcher's mound was the last place he wanted to be. Not a very good situation for a guy who isn't a very effective pitcher to begin with.
I'm not saying that I like it when players don't take their mistakes seriously, but if Tomko's attitude is indicative of him loosening up a little bit, I'll take that over the alternative.
Posted by: Makoto Ueno | August 09, 2007 at 01:40 PM
BK & KT,
CAREFUL NOW!! Watch what you say about Matt Kemp in here! Aryan might see this and go postal on the blue notes blog!
http://www.bobfm969.com/upload/claven.jpg
Posted by: DodgerBlueBalls | August 09, 2007 at 01:43 PM
DBB,
LOL
Posted by: K T USN | August 09, 2007 at 09:54 PM