If everything goes as well for the Dodgers during the 2008 season as it did in their 5-0 Opening Day win over the Giants Monday afternoon at the Ravine, then strap in people, because you're in for a bang up year. (Not just because if you project today's result over a full season, the Dodgers would go 162-0 and outscore the opposition 810-0. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I'm pretty sure that would be a record.) Everything, from the pregame ceremonies featuring a host of Dodger legends from the days of yore- Don Newcombe, Sandy Koufax, Duke Snider, Carl Erskine, Ron Cey, Steve Garvey, Fernando, and Jerry Reuss among others- to the performance of Brad Penny (6.2, four hits, two walks, three strikeouts) went according to plan. Even parking was a breeze!*
Sure, there's less age on this season than a bottle of Mad Dog 20-20, but they've only been at it for a few hours, and the Dodgers are already in first place! That Joe Torre signing is already paying off.
As we wonder how cool it would be if Blake DeWitt managed to hit 1.000 his entire career (At 1-1, he's off to a good start. UPDATE:Forget it. He just flew out to right in the bottom of the fourth. The dream is over...) it's probably a good time to kick back and take in the smooth, melodic tones of Joe Torre. All the audio from his long pregame confab with the media is below.
Once the game starts, it becomes almost impossible to transcribe, but I can give you a rundown of topics discussed: Opening Day stuff- how weird it is starting here rather than New York, how comfortable he feels with the club after Spring Training, etc. The 3B situation, and opening the season with a very untested player at an important position. How ready he is for the season to start and for some of the Joe Torre related hoopla to die down. Nomar's injury, and if he'll require a rehab stint when the time comes (yes, he very likely will). And, of course, the OF situation with Pierre and Ethier (at the end of the second clip, into the third one).
Okay, maybe not. But it might be the only time he makes a headline on the site, so why not capitalize on an opportunity?
More to come (in this very post), including about a half hour of Joe-dio and a nice interview with Don Newcombe, but before the game starts, I wanted to get the lineups posted. The lineups say everyone's batting .000, but I'm an optimist, and prefer to think of all the guys as batting 1.000. That's just how I roll.
GIANTS:
Dave Roberts (LF) Rich Aurilia (1B) Randy Winn (RF) Bengie Molina (C) Ray Durham (2B) Aaron Rowand (CF) Jose Castillo (3B) Brian Bocock (SS, and one who was probably mocked a lot in grade school. You figure out why.) Barry Zito (P)
DODGERS: Perhaps you heard Andre Ethier won the left field gig? Well, he slides into the lineup behind leadoff man Rafael Furcal. Looking at it, I think the Blue will put out what is the second best lineup in the division, and assuming Ethier, James Loney, and Matt Kemp are "as advertised," and they get a .270 season from Andruw Jones (as opposed to .228 or whatever), they should be able to put up enough runs. Furcal (SS) Ethier (LF) Kemp (RF) Jeff Kent (2B) Andruw Jones (CF) Russell Martin (C) James Loney (1B) Blake DeWitt (3B) Brad Penny (P)
By the way, I hope you get a chance to watch some of the pregame activities, where they're bringing out different players, in uniform, from across the 50 year history of Dodgers baseball in Los Angeles. Very, very cool, and the players are all getting standing ovations from the crowd. Talking to Mr. Newcombe (he asked me to call him Don... but really, Don Newcombe has earned a Mr. Newcombe from an idiot like me) before the game, it was clear that being back in a Dodgers uniform, even if for a day, and for ceremonial purposes, was quite a treat.
Opening Day! Finally, a chance to start talking about games that matter instead of hoping to draw lessons from ones (or at least the final scores of ones) that don't. And ultimately, it all comes down to one big question: After a fairly productive offseason in which they added Hiroki Kuroda and Andruw Jones, made space for their young, talented players, and found some dude from New York to manage the team, will the Dodgers have enough to win the NL West?
I spent last week previewing the division, and I'll be honest, even after breaking down each team, I still don't feel like I have a good handle on where each team will finish, aside from the Giants in last. I gave Arizona 87 wins, San Diego 85, and the Rockies 89... and while I like the basic order, feel like I might have undershot each by a win or two. Such is life in a division with four good but flawed teams. When it's all said and done, I think the Blue have more than enough to compete for a division title.
Chan Ho Park will start the year in AAA, but seems like a prime candidate for a promotion when the infield situation clears up and the Blue no longer need an extra glove.
As reported by Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Needless to say, it's a decision supported here at Blue Notes. Again, it's not that Pierre is terrible- he isn't. Just that Ethier is a better all-around option. And while Spring Training stats are generally meaningless, if you want to say they were in a competition for the job, Ethier certainly outplayed JP.
What happens from here, it's hard to predict. But in the short term at least, the Dodgers put on-field performance ahead of cost considerations, and it was the right decision.
The season starts tomorrow, and there are still a few issues for Joe Torre and Co. to work out (over the next few minutes before Opening Day rosters are set). The biggest is in the OF, where it's not a question of roster spots, but playing time, where the chances of Juan Pierre losing a lot of it are increasing, something he doesn't seem particularly happy about. Thus far, he's not really saying anything you wouldn't expect, but it'll be interesting to see how it plays out, and Pierre doesn't sound optimistic (though he's sort of an Eeyore on the best day). Third base seems settled, as Blake DeWitt will start tomorrow in place of the injured Nomandtony LaRociapreu (it gets harder to add a third player to that mix, I admit). Nothing like being the last man standing, but hey, guys will take a ticket to the bigs however they come.
Young lefty Clayton Kershaw been enjoying himself a prosperous spring training coming into this afternoon's final tuneup matinee against the Saux. Ten innings tossed. A scant three walks and an even scant-er one run surrendered. A baker's dozen's worth of K's. A certain curve ball that managed to blow the mind of one Vin Scully, a fella who's see his share of baseball. Kershaw's definitely got the stuff and potential, but whether's he's got a roster spot come 24 hours from now remains up in the air. I tend to err on the side of allowing him to get some more minor league seasoning unless absolutely necessary, at least to kick off the season. The success he's enjoyed thus far could easily reverse once hitters become more familiar with his stuff. Plus, there's always a danger involved with rushing prospects. But regardless of Joe Torre's impending decision, you'll be seeing plenty of him with the big club at a point looking more "sooner" than "later." Here's what he had to say.
Andrew Kamenetzky: Can you what this experience has been like for you, in terms of being up with the big club for all of spring training?
Clayton Kershaw: Yeah, you know. It's been awesome for me, just to be up here, be a part of all this. I'm gonna soak it in for as long they'll let me be up here. I'm having a great time. It's been fun.
For the record, the final score was 7-4 Red Sox, though I'm not entirely sure most of the 115,300 in the crowd could tell you that, and not just because a whole bunch of them were sauced. It was more a big baseball party, with people hanging out around the stadium and having a good time. There's no question being in a place with this many people to watch a game is an impressive sight. Some highlights:
Early in the game, when Dustin Pedroia was thrown out stealing, Russell Martin to Andrew Jones. That's 2-8 for those scoring at home. Most of the night the Blue had an OF playing short center, like a company softball game. That left the big ticket FA to cover second on steal attempts. That isn't a line that appears in a box very often.
The Dodgers doing the wave on the bench with everyone else in the crowd.
Being heckled with a "Hey, Moby!" while walking the concourses in search of food, then again on my way into the tunnel for postgame interviews.
The $5 bacon wrapped hot dog I managed to find. If you're gonna go dog, go dog wrapped in bacon.
After Blake DeWitt's homer in the ninth, the throng of fans hanging out beyond the right field fence apparently started fighting over the ball to the point that about twenty yellow jacked security folk had to storm in and break things up. It's like the Raiders were back!
Tommy at the postgame buffet. Not that I necessarily needed to find him, but I was dead on as to where to look if I did.
Interesting choice to play Sweet Caroline in the eighth. Nice gesture to the BoSox fans, but hey, people, this is LA!
I asked James Loney where his seventh inning solo shot over the screen in left would have landed on a regular field. "In the stands, exactly where it went," he said with a smile.
It was mentioned after the game that while tonight represented the biggest crowd in history to watch a baseball game (soon to be Guinness certified!), by definition, the Dodgers are basically guaranteed to set a record for biggest drop in game to game attendance, no matter how many people show up to the Ravine on Sunday. You win some, you lose some.
Lowlights:
I spoke briefly to Ned Colletti before the game about any pending roster moves, and not surprisingly, he wasn't giving anything away. But they have until Sunday at noon to figure it out. He was, however, willing to confirm that I would not be among the 25 who make the cut. I'm not gonna lie, it was a tough pill to swallow.
Okay, I'm not Ansel Adams, but the scene at the Coliseum is pretty cool (it's currently a little after 8:00 pm, and I thought I'd share a few pics from down on the field before the game. Incidentally, the play of the night? Dustin Pedroia caught stealing in the fourth... 2-8. Don't see that everyday. Andrew Jones slapped that tag down pretty quick!
UPDATE: Okay, I know the formatting is totally off, but I can't seem to fix it. You'll have to use your imaginations. The stuff is pretty self-explanatory.
BK
I start with something you don't see much at the Coliseum- blue. In fact, this guy is the bluest dude I've ever seen. Bluer than Rebecca Romijn in the X Men movies.
When the Diamondbacks won the NL West title last season, the surprise came not so much in the success- Arizona had assembled some of the best young talent in the league- but that it came so fast. A year or two before I expected it, for sure, and I know I'm not alone. This year, the challenge for Arizona will be to prove '07 wasn't a fluke. There are definitely reasons to be suspicious. Despite all their talent, Arizona had a negative run differential (-20, meaning they allowed 20 more runs than they scored), one of the reasons that- not that I can do the math- the eggheads translated their stats into an expected 79-83 record. Their offense was near the bottom of the National League in average, OBP, and runs scored, and the D-Backs benefited from being incredibly good, or incredibly lucky, or both, in one-run games, going 32-20.
So on one hand, there's all that stuff. On the other, the Diamondbacks improved this year by trading for Oakland's Dan Haren, and it's not unreasonable to think their young sticks will show some growth and produce more offense. So how does it all shake out? Click below to read more.
Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus took a look at the Blue earlier this week as part of his peek into lessons learned from ST, and had some interesting observations on how the Blue might dole out playing time between the vets and kids. Obviously things will play out over the course of the season, but at least according to Sheehan, early indications will be pleasing to many fans:
"The Dodgers might be all right. Without fanfare, without declarations, and with a minimum of drama, Joe Torre seems to be coming around to what outsiders have been saying all winter: Juan Pierre
is his fourth outfielder. As March has progressed, as the three players
make it very clear in which order they should receive playing time,
Torre has said as little as possible about the situation, but
increasingly doled out starts to Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp at Pierre’s expense.
The biggest fear in the Dodgers’ hiring of Torre is that the preference for experience he showed in the latter half of his Yankees
tenure would carry over, and lead him to play Pierre over better
players. It doesn’t appear that is going to happen, and while the
situation will have to be managed, better to manage a personnel
situation and play the right guys than solve the happiness issue by
making the baseball team worse.
The parallels between Juan Pierre and Luis Gonzalez are interesting.
Gonzalez had a longstanding reputation as one of the good guys in the
game, and I’ve no doubt that, outside of a baseball uniform, he earns
that. In Arizona in 2006 and in Los Angeles in 2007, however, Gonzalez
was a divisive presence the moment his playing time was reduced.
Pierre, also by acclamation one of the game’s better people, now finds
himself in the same spot, and by all accounts, is grousing a bit about
it.
To me, it goes to the whole notion of how players get labels, and how
worthless those labels are in practice. Regardless, Torre has to put
the best team on the field, and he appears prepared to do that. This
decision bodes well for a future one on Andy LaRoche, who is a much better player than the current version of Nomar Garciaparra, and should similarly get the playing time ahead of the veteran once his thumb heals."
On the field, there are still a few t's to cross and i's to dot, though some issues have been worked out. Esteban Loaiza won't have to worry about pitching around the Coliseum's goofy dimensions to preserve his fifth starter status- the job is his, Joe Torre announced Friday. Jeff Kent should be good to go, assuming nothing goofy happens in between today and Monday, after playing five innings and doubling in two ABs during L.A.'s 3-1 win over the Sox. Nomar Garciaparra, however, will start the season on the DL. No major shock there.
Stopped by the Ravine to get the early word on, well, anything that might be going on as we approach Opening Day, and did get a few nuggets of info from Joe Torre. Quotes/audio or something similar hopefully to follow, but in the meantime, here's what we know:
Esteban Loaiza is the fifth starter. No real shock there, but it's no longer an open question.
Chan Ho Park has a "very good chance" of making the team in the bullpen. Which I took to mean he'll be making the team in the bullpen. UPDATE: Perhaps I spoke too soon? Dylan Hernandez of the LAT reports that Park might be sent back to AAA to build up his arm strength, in case he's called upon to start with the big club, rather than start the year as a long reliever.
Torre said he didn't know yet how he's going to handle the OF situation, and hasn't come to any conclusions. He expects he'll make somebody upset, and is okay with that. To paraphrase, he'd rather have guys who are upset about not playing than dudes who take it well. But he wouldn't say if they're headed for a platoon situation, a rotation of three guys in two spots, or anything specific. I'm starting to believe, though, that they're leaning towards giving Ethier more PT. Just a hunch, based on nothing more than my gut.
Again, not a big shock, but Nomar Garciaparra will indeed start the season on the DL.
Nobody wears Maui Jim's like Joe Torre wears Maui Jim's.
I might be wrong, but I think Joe lost a little weight during Spring Training. And whatever he lost, Tommy gained.
Andy LaRoche was fielding ground balls... with his right hand in a splint, and keeping it a very healthy distance away from the ball.
There's more new paint in the expanded concourses (which look great, by the way) to give people a contact high. Any huffers among the season ticket pool are gonna be psyched.
In some ways, the Dodgers can say they made it to the postseason in '07. After all, while the homer Takashi Saito surrendered to Todd Helton to give the Rockies a 9-8 win over the Blue on September 18th effectively ended L.A.'s postseason hopes, it can be argued that the game helped propel the Rockies to their miracle run through September and October, where they won, if memory serves, a billion games in a row before being mowed down by the Red Sox. So a little piece of Blue went to the Series with them, right? Maybe not. Anyway, the 90 wins Colorado posted last season was easily a franchise best, and with basically the same team returning in '08 expectations are high... mile high you might say. (I apologize for that one.)
But while there's no question the Rockies would dust any team in the NL West in a game of Home Run Derby, or a Score Runs Derby, or simply the Have an Offense That Isn't Dicey In Some Way, Shape, or Form Derby, they're hardly runaway favorites to take the West this year, thanks to what is likely the shakiest pitching staff in the NL West. Not that it's a train wreck, but given the arm strength of the Dodgers, D-Backs, Padres, and even the G-Men, Colorado easily brings up the rear.
So how does it play out at Coors? Click below to find out.
A few issues today. First, if anyone was still clinging to hope that the preseason version of the Freeway Series matters in anything beyond a "How is my team playing?" kind of way, well, I'm sorry to disappoint. If the lack of buzz surrounding Thursday's ten inning, 2-2 tie in Anaheim is any indication, it's time to stick a fork into that aspect of the local rivalry. As for the onfield issues, in his final preseason tune up, Derek Lowe allowed three hits, including a two run jack to Vlad Guerrero in the first inning, and walked a batter over his three frames of work. He'll round out the spring with a 5.73 ERA. Hong-Chih Kuo pitched well, striking out three over two innings of work. Takashi Saito managed to escape the fourth without allowing a run, though he did give up a triple to Howie Kendrick, as he attempts to work through the injury issues that have plagued him this spring. Speaking of injuries:
Meanwhile, Jeff Kent is still a question mark to open the season in the lineup because of his strained right hammy- Chin-Lung Hu would likely fill in for him- but the influx of infield injuries (say that five times fast) means the Blue might have to carry an extra glove man... meaning no space for a guy like situational lefty Mike Myers, who was released on Thursday.
In other news, Andre Ethier continued to separate himself from Juan Pierre, at least as far as Spring Training performance goes, in the battle for left field. He had a hit in four at bats, but Ethier's D was the story as he made a leaping catch at the wall, and also threw out two runners. Pierre went 0-5, and is hitting .179 in the preseason. (Apparently, Tony Jackson at the Daily News has come around to our line of thinking...)
Those of you showing up to Dodger Stadium tonight will be greeted with new, wider concourses and food offerings. Tommy likes it, but he's biased. Let us know what you think.
A friend of mine sent me these, from the Interweb. They're part of a series of baseball instructional video spoofs/promos for Easton called "Hardball Made Easy", featuring Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. Both very funny, especially the Kemp Klip. Fun twist, too- I used to play ball with the guy who plays the "coach" in the sketches.
The anticipation is building for Saturday's Coliseum game, but don't forget, the Blue still have a couple games to play in between, starting with tonight in Anaheim. Derek Lowe will get his final tune up before next week's real games begin.
I think we're all excited about the Coliseum game, at least from the perspective of witnessing a unique game brimming with nostalgic appeal. One thing I think we're all not particularly excited about? Trying to fight 115,000 people for parking down there. With that in mind, the Dodgers released some helpful info on that front- click below for the release. BK
Great piece from Eric Neel of ESPN.com on Joe Torre that gives you an idea of the presence the guy has, and how it can affect any space he occupies. Putting him in the dugout hardly guarantees a title, and no doubt once the season starts fans will learn to find fault with him as they would any manager, but the fact remains, Joe Torre simply isn't just any manager.
Given how their season ended in '07, with Trevor Hoffman blowing two save chances, either of which would have landed the Padres in the playoffs, you'll forgive them for coming into this season with a chip on their collective shoulders. Sure, San Diego has won 87 or more games in three out of the last four seasons, and have two division titles as well. They've had some success, but the most important memories in sports are often the most recent. Still, they face an uphill battle to reclaim the NL West title despite a fundamentally sound, pitching rich team. The days of 82 win seasons cutting the mustard are long over, and in one man's humble opinion, San Diego lacks the sticks to once again reach the mountaintop, or reach the 89 win mark they hit last season.
There's no question that the NL West is shaping up to be the best, or at least the most competitive, division in baseball. Four teams each with a realistic shot at taking the division. But the more astute among you will note that there is indeed a fifth team in the mix, one less likely to win the division than AK is to find himself on People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive list. That would be the San Francisco Giants. But that doesn't mean they're not worthy of a season preview. After all, is there anything a Dodgers fan loves more- aside from a World Series title- than drinking in the misery of a wretched Giants team like a frat guy at a weekend kegger?
So sayeth the Dodger faithful of young Chad Billingsley, the Dodger's best starter down the 2007 stretch with the big expectations coming into 2008. Thus far, however, the returns have been more along the lines of yesterday's 8-2 loss against the Rockies. Billz spent four innings on the mound and got tagged for eight hits and three walks, bad goings that combined to create five earned runs for the hard tosser. Joe Torre felt his starter was lacking in the ways of command-heavy pitches, and probably uttered descriptions along those lines about the relief work of Esteban Loaiza (3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER). Both will eventually grace another box score, so for time being, there's the drawing board and some markers. Get cracking, fellas.
Hopefully, Chan Ho Park's chances of making the team weren't predicated on a scoreless spring (really, that's an unfair standard), because though he made a good run at it, for the first time in the preseason, Park's ERA rose above 0.00. The Diamondbacks touched him for three runs in four innings in their 8-7 win over the Blue Friday afternoon. It was, generally speaking, a bad day for Dodgers pitching. Hong-Chi Kuo allowed two runs in a 1.2 innings, Mike Koplove allowed a homer in only a third of an inning of work, and Rudy Seanez allowed a dinger of his own, contributing to two runs in a single inning on the hill. Better news from the sticks: Andrew Jones had a good day, including his third ST homer (overall, he was 3-4, and a triple short of the cycle), two more hits for Rafael Furcal, two for Matt Kemp, with a pair driven in.
On the other end of things, there is perhaps some frustration on the part of Juan Pierre over what very well might be diminished PT this season. Worth a read, but I'd avoid overreaction. Does he want to start? Of course. Every player does, and I'd be more worried if he didn't. But judging by the linked article, he smartly avoids the subject as much as possible. I'd have to hear him myself before I judged.
There's no question Pierre won't be happy if he loses the gig in left. But there's a difference between answering a question about it and becoming a bad guy in the clubhouse and a problem. That could happen, but don't assume that he's already turned into one.
On the field, the Dodgers kicked off their new Cactus League life with an 8-2 win over the White Sox. Penny threw six innings and allowed only one run- unearned- to lower his spring ERA to 0.56. That's pretty good! With the sticks, Rafael Furcal's strong preseason continued, with a 4-5 day that included a double and a homer. Matt Kemp went deep as well.
If so, it could at least temporarily solve some of the PT controversy, since there's a growing possibility that Nomar Garciaparra could miss opening day when an MRI on Wednesday revealed a microfracture in his hand. Even if Nomar isn't ready to start the season, he probably won't be out too long, meaning the Blue could still look to fill the hole from within. Tony Abreu, Blake DeWitt, and AK are all viable candidates, in my mind.
There aren't a lot of question marks as the Dodgers pack up for Arizona. We're all interested in left field, there's still a little intrigue around the fifth starter job, and maybe a surprise or two at the end of the bullpen or bench... but more or less we know what the team is going to look like. Which leaves us to discuss things like this- According to the following link, the over/under for Dodgers wins in Vegas is 87.5.
And that, of course, leads to today's Question of the Day:
You've got your last $100 bucks. Ignoring that you really shouldn't be gambling with your last c-note, and if you do, it should be on something where the payoff comes quicker than a 162 game baseball season, would you put it on the over or the under, knowing what you know right now?
The door may still be open for the Dodgers to have to return to Vero in '09, but assuming all goes to plan, Monday was the last day fans of the Blue will see the sign at left on their way to a Dodgers' Spring Training game.
I support the move, but understand the nostalgia. A bittersweet day for many, I'm sure.
One big issue for the Blue this spring has been the play of Tony Abreu. More specifically, the lack of playing by Tony Abreu. Sunday in Vero, Abreu took steps towards alleviating that problem, and restoring some flexibility to the Dodgers' roster. In LA's 7-6 loss to the Marlins, he had a hit and a run scored in two at bats, and some time in the field. He's not 100%, but getting out on the field is the first step towards getting there. While that was a positive, Derek Lowe's continuing struggles are becoming a little worrisome. Six hits, including two homers, and four earned over five innings left his spring ERA at 8.31. Yes, the operative word there is "spring," but even when it doesn't count, good numbers are better than bad.
It seems like they just got there- and they kinda did- but the Blue are already heading out of China. They capped off the landmark exhibition with a 6-3 loss to the Padres, and will now head to Arizona to join the rest of the squad. Big scare in that game, as Matt Kemp collided with Kevin Howard- yes, that Kevin Howard- chasing an Adrian Gonzalez flare... but both were okay. And I don't blame you for worrying more about Kemp than Howard. It doesn't make you a bad person. Deep down, I'm sure Joe Torre and Ned Colletti were, too. All in all, it seems like the trip was a success, and the Dodgers feel reasonably confident that it was worth the disruption in their preseason schedule. Bud Selig, looking rather pasty, believes it was, and that baseball has a big future in China.
As is the case in Spring Training, the final score of Saturday's tussle in Viera against Washington (a 6-1 win, if you're interested) is secondary to the performances delivered in said tussle. And for the Blue, the results were outstanding all around. First, Takashi Saito made his preseason debut with a pain free, three up, three down sixth inning. No problems at all with the calf strain he'd been dealing with. I don't think it's necessary for me to explain how important a healthy Saito is to the Dodgers' pen, so it's good to see him on the mound and effective. More good news: Brad Penny was more or less untouchable over five innings, giving up one hit and walking two while shutting out the Nats, and Rudy Seanez, who has struggled with injury thus far, tossed a scoreless ninth. To top things off, how about a three hit, four RBI afternoon for Andre Ethier, that included his fourth homer of ST? All in all, it's a solid day on the diamond.
Fair to say that this site has not exactly championed the work of Esteban Loaiza as a Dodger, and that we are less than optimistic that he's going to be a stalwart for the Blue out of the fifth starter slot (assuming he gets it). But it's looking more and more like Loaiza will get a chance to prove Blue Notes wrong, as his candidacy was bolstered by a one run, five inning outing in LA's 6-4 loss to the Cardinals in Vero. A first inning Rick Ankiel homer was one of only three hits Loaiza surrendered. He walked one, and struck out three. Sure, later in the game Yhency Brazoban would continue his 2008 Spring From Hell, and sure, the Blue would eventually lose, but overall, another good outing from Loaiza is certainly encouraging.
The guy who is supposed to have the job, Jason Schmidt, is going to crank up the rehab on his shoulder, even if it means throwing in some pain. Speaking of rehab, Andy LaRoche is nearing the start of his, and Tony Abreu (not rehabbing, but not well, either) will play on Saturday. Encouraging signs both.
The Dodgers third base situation was clarified to some extent with the unfortunate injury to Andy LaRoche, but in other ways, it's become a lot more complicated (as Kevin Baxter of the LAT explained on Wednesday's Purple, Gold and Blue show- click the widget on the side of the page to listen, or go to www.nowlive.com). Tony Abreu is still unable to play, and left Vero for Philly to have his abdominal injury, perhaps leftover from his sports hernia surgery in the offseason, examined. Nomar Garciaparra will start the season as the everyday third baseman, but with Abreu shelved, who will back up the position is still a foggy proposition. Maybe Chin-Lung Hu? Ramon Martinez? Someone outside the organization? It likely won't be Blake DeWitt, who has been invited to hang in Major League camp but is still destined for the minors.
How this will play out remains to be seen. Baxter mentioned names like Morgan Ensberg, Brandon Inge, Wes Helms, and Joe Crede as possibilities, but all have flaws related to contracts, performance, or both. Stay tuned.
With Jason Schmidt on the shelf for the time being (and his effectiveness not guaranteed once removed from it), the Dodgers are staring at set of options to man the fifth spot in the rotation with all the appeal of an After M.A.S.H. marathon. Esteban Loaiza. Chan Ho Park. Jason Johnson. (Okay, Clayton Kershaw is an intriguing option, but I still think the Blue would be wise to resist.) Hong-Chi Kuo could be a good choice, if he can stay healthy enough to take the gig. Currently, he seems more likely to land in the pen. Still, I spent most of the spring thinking that while it certainly would benefit the Dodgers to have a better arm available, since we're talking about fifth starter, is it really that big a deal?
Seriously, if you take a look around baseball, there are some awful guys in line to be fifth starters. You can make an argument that the Cardinals currently sport four of them in spots 2-5. Will we go collectively gaga over Lenny DiNardo in Oakland?Garrett Olson in Baltimore? And it's not just the good teams that are thin. Philly's depth chart currently shows JD Durbin at the five, maybe Adam Eaton, and while Ian Kennedy/Joba Chamberlain are huge talents in New York, the Yankees currently have Mike Mussina slotted ahead of them, and he's a huge question mark at this point.
So that made me feel a little better... until I looked at the NL West again. In a division where any of four teams can realistically say they've got a shot to win, the margin could come down to three or four games that the back of the rotation make winnable for the Dodgers. With that in mind, I took a look at where the Dodgers stack up:
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Join us at 11 for Purple, Gold, and Blue. Our
guests will be Matt Moore of Hardwood Paroxysm, who organized
yesterday's nationwide "Kobe Bryant Blog Day," and Kevin Baxter,
baseball writer for the LAT. Click the show widget on the side of the
page to tune in.
The Dodgers saw a lot of things go wrong down the stretch in '07; A pitching staff that faltered, a clubhouse that wasn't as clubby as it could have been, bats that became allergic to ball. But there was one issue that weighed on the Blue all season long- Rafael Furcal's bum ankle, injured in a Spring Training collision with Jason Repko. It limited Furcal's entire game, offensively and defensively, and as it suffered so did the dynamic that helped make the '06 squad among the more effective run producing teams in the league. This year, though, Furcal had a great winter ball season, and now looks good in Florida, evidenced by his three hit, two run, two RBI performance in Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the Marlins in Vero. There's no question that a healthy Furcal makes a huge difference in the Dodger lineup.
