On the plus side, Andruw Jones got an RBI
I realize this shouldn't amount to thunderous news, but considering it's only his second since the All-Star break (and fifth in all of July), the event does boast at least a minor ability to stop the presses. Unfortunately, the Haley's Comet-like rarity of said achievement won't convince the league offices to count that ribbie as three's worth, meaning the Dodgers still came up on the short end of a 5-3 result against the Rockies. Hiroki Kuroda eventually found his groove, his final trio of innings consisting of four strikeouts and just one hit. Unfortunately, the opening trio were anything but smooth, with eight hits converging to equal five runs and a deficit the Blue found too high for scaling. James Loney's history of batting well in Colorado, his three hits helping swole the Dodger total to eleven. Unfortunately, the knocks didn't translate often enough into runs, creating a box score that allowed Team Hurdle to take the series.
More to come later,
AK
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If Jones continues to flounder (and no, 1 RBI in a game is not enough) Torre is going to have to bench him when Pierre comes back, PERIOD. Somewhat concerned that our starting pitching has also "floundered" at the start of all their games after the All Star game. What gives? just rusty?
Posted by: steve02001 | July 23, 2008 at 04:54 PM
AS for AJ. Its just the law of averages. Once every 15 or 16 swings he manges to get a good enough piece of the ball to get a hit.
David
Posted by: DavidS | July 23, 2008 at 05:04 PM
What's everybody complaining about? The Dodgers are a below .500 team that just split a 6-game road trip. That looks like .500 to me. You gotta crawl before you can walk. Just don't try to run. You might injure yourself.
What I don't get is why this team can't hit home runs in Coors Field. Every AA player with an inability to hit the curve seems quite able to jack one over the fences, so why can't the Dodgers, Matt Kemp notwithstanding?
Too bad the Dodgers didn't offer Andruw Jones a contract that paid him $1 million for every RBI he drove in in 2008. They'd only be on the hook for $11 million so far, much less than the $18 million he's hiding in his uniform.
He's getting $9 million per HR, but only $3 million per double. Sheesh.
Posted by: SaMo | July 23, 2008 at 05:53 PM
The Dodgers seem like DR. Jekyll & mr. Hyde. It really is a struggle for this team to win 3 in a row. And just like SaMo said...why can't this team hit homeruns in coors? I think the lack of power is too much for this team to overcome.
Posted by: dcerros | July 23, 2008 at 06:29 PM
Heavy criticism from this writer directed at Torre,
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8370412/ It's-been-a-turn-for-the-worse-in-Torre's-first-year
In Torre's defense Furcal went on the DL early in the season, he had to deal with first an ineffective and then an injured Brad Penny, the inexperience of some of the young talent that the Dodgers have, the on-going return of bad-arm Schmidt, the weak hitting top of the line-up Pierre (who really should be batting at least .300), the catastrophe that is Andrew Jones, and the Dodgers worst enemy Ned Colleti. Having said all of this Torre better not get too comfortable in his position.
I already know this, but It still hurts when I read the Dodgers have only won ONE playoff game in 20 years. One playoff WIN. That's unbearable, and the frustration is up to it's limit specially when I see the Angels with an ex-Dodgers coaching staff have the success that they are having.
Posted by: dcerros | July 23, 2008 at 07:05 PM
Re: Coors Field--
You'd be surprised after game 1 of this series, but HR output at Coors in the Humidor era is actually only slightly above league average. While the air is 10% thinner, it has: a) larger dimensions that most parks; and b) significant prevailing winds that blow in from the outfield. Even in the pre-humidor-era, there were never quite as many HRs hit as people might have thought due to those winds (i.e., less than 10% more, due to 10% thinner air).
That being said, Coors is still a slug fest due to the fact that all pitches have 10% less movement than they would at sea-level (props to whomever pointed this out in regards to Kerhsaw's curve). It's just that the balls just don't travel quite as far now that they use that humidor for all baseballs.
Finally, I'd like to point out the the winds had a HUGE effect today. Ethier, Kent, and Nomar all had warning-track flies that I believe would have gone out had their not been massive winds blowing in. If you were watching the game, you probably noted that Vinny kept mentioning these big-time winds.
(for the record, I noted a similar fly for Hawpe)
(also for the record, another heartbreaker of a game. We had so many chances to score!)
Posted by: VA Blueblood | July 23, 2008 at 08:25 PM
They say that the LA Angels are made to win the Regular Season but LACK the hitting for the post season... I however wish that could be said for the Dodgers.
DCerros,
The fact that the Dodgers only won 1 game in the playoffs in the last 20 years doesn't bother me as much as the fact that the Dodgers are not making it to the post season.... The fact that they only won one game is due LARGELY to the fact they haveN'T MADE THE POST SEASON too often in the past 20 years. I say get to the Post Season and wins will take care of itself. Any team that gets HOT in Oct. that's playing in the playoffs has a chance to win it ALL!
Get to the Post Season on a regular basis (Atlanta Braves of the 90's) and there is bound to be some good things to follow.
Posted by: Rob | July 23, 2008 at 09:20 PM
dodger mgt is gutless...........ought to be fairly obvious to all that new "asst." hitting coach pentland is nothing more than an old-fashioned "scapegoat".......someone easily expendable at end of yr, who the gutless mgt team can "blame" for fatso jones shortcomings, as the gutless mgt have assigned fatso directly to pentland, whose sole responsibility it now is to somehow work a miracle and restore fatso to all-star status........pentland will be fired at season's end, in just about 2 more mos., and heat will be off colletti and torre, as well as torre's golden-haired boy mattingly
p.s. now that mattingly has re-joined team in midstream, lowe is certainly gonna be traded SOON as dodgers have to free-up uniform #23 for mattingly
Posted by: DrTrade | July 23, 2008 at 09:34 PM
Jones has become the measuring stick for how bad a pitcher is doing. If you can't get AJ out, you are REALLY bad...
We all know Torre should play Pierre over AJ but that doesn't mean he will. Hope springs eternal for past glories based on past performances. Torre will not stop hoping AJ will turn it around even thought he won't this season.
I think unless Jones does something drastically different (and he shows absolutely no desire for that) we can look forward to another full season of the same failure next year as well. You think you're frustrated now...
And the Dodger offense. Until they figure out how to move a runner except by only a hit, this team is going nowhere.
Posted by: Andy B | July 23, 2008 at 11:30 PM
DrTrade -
I don't think you can use "Gutless" and "Jones" in the same paragraph. It's grammatically improper.
Posted by: benzojones | July 24, 2008 at 06:24 AM
I just want them to win............but under 500 is not good enough to win the division.
Posted by: espie | July 24, 2008 at 06:50 AM
How good has CC Sabathia been since coming over to the NL? WOW! In times like these, no quality starts since the break, you can't help but wonder what might have been. Anyway, 3-3 road trip. Not bad, but could have been better (or far worse). Bring on the Nationals...GEAUX BLUE!
Posted by: gus2327 | July 24, 2008 at 07:16 AM
Thats it its time for some 'old world' medicine for this team. We need a HR dance like the old rain dances, we need a shaman to ward off evil spirits of the disabled list. I'm going to make a voodoo doll of AJ and see if i can get him to start hitting. Anybody know if miracle max from the princess bride is available?
Posted by: poppinfresh | July 24, 2008 at 08:18 AM
Miracle max is a yankees fan....
Posted by: benzojones | July 24, 2008 at 09:22 AM
true, i wonder if he gets any MLT's in yankee stadium...
Posted by: poppinfresh | July 24, 2008 at 10:23 AM
Stop me if you've heard this one..."On the Plus Side" and "Andruw Jones" in the same sentence...haha. Sorry. Carry on.
Posted by: gus2327 | July 24, 2008 at 11:29 AM
A. Jones has no clue as to what he is doing out there. It is so disappointing to see a Vet. look like an AL pitcher coming to the NL and batting for the 1st time.
If he keeps this up for the next 2 weeks, they should cut the dead weight or bench him.
Has to be one of the worst all time free agent signings. At least the other busts were legit. injuries vs. lost it all and can't play anymore.
Posted by: AW | July 24, 2008 at 05:09 PM