Dodger Thoughts

Jon Weisman's outlet for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball and life

The Dodgers-Brewers series: What they’ll say

Having grabbed some rays from baseball’s national spotlight thanks to their 9-1 start, the Dodgers can now expect the following treatment after what’s supposed to be their first test, a three-game series in Milwaukee beginning tonight:

Dodgers at Brewers, 5:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, SS
Mark Ellis, 2B
Matt Kemp, CF
Andre Ethier, RF
Juan Rivera, LF
James Loney, 1B
Juan Uribe, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Chad Billingsley, P

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118 Comments

  1. Pretty much nailed it, Jon. Was thinking along same lines. They can’t win, even if they do win. I guess best case scenario is winning 2 out of 3 then. ;)

  2. Anonymous

    “Just win, baby!”  —  A. Davis

  3. Anonymous

    What Al said … Though I think if he were saying anything right now it would be: Get me out of this box!!!!

  4. Anonymous

    How long before AJ Ellis starts hitting in front of Uribe?  Loney?

  5. To be fair…every year an unexpected team jumps out to a good start (I think last year Pittsburgh did this). Given that the Dodgers only won 82 games last year, and given that the Padres and Pirates are not expected to be good THIS year, it can’t be a surprise when observers hold judgement. So…with that… I agree with Jon’s graphic, with the caveat that it’s all meaningless anyway until 50 games are in the bank. The team is playing well, though…and this will be a good test against some very good pitching and a team that should hit better than they have. Spotlight on Chad Billingsley tonight…let’s see what you’ve got, son.

  6. I am looking forward to hearing what the national sports media has to say about what they think is wrong with Milwaukee.

  7. Anonymous

    I’m happy being the underdogs, and then defying all expectations in the end. Makes for a better story anyways

  8. Anonymous

    Not to mention the Braun versus Kemp blather.

  9. foul tip

    Can’t say si.com’s Verducci runs from controversy.  Quotes Conte a good bit here.

    http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/tom_verducci/04/17/closers/index.html?eref=sihp&sct=hp_t11_a0

  10. Dodger starting pitchers: 4-1
    Dodger relief pitchers: 5-0

  11. Anonymous

    Brilliant!
     

  12. Roadrunner starts it off with a single …

  13. Pickoff. Drat.

    • Anonymous

      Dee’s been so good so far I forgot how being aggressive on the base paths really stinks when you aren’t successful.

  14. Anonymous

    Another routine double for Matt, and it’s not against the Padres.

  15. Matt Kemp doubles in the first inning to raise his 2012 batting average to .500 (20 for 40).

  16. I’d walk Ethier if I were the Brewers. 

  17. Anonymous

    He won on a technicality, Lyons.

  18. Nice recovery from the leadoff double by Chad.

    He gets out of the inning on 11 pitches, nine for strikes. 

  19. Anonymous

    Nice inning by Bills after the leadoff double.

  20. Anonymous

    Oh dear–with DTV Extra Innings, it looks like I can only get aBrewers broadcast. So far, it hasn’t been bad, although all about the Brewers of course. When there is stress on either side will come the tell, and I can’t remember how these guys are. With Vin, even if I was for the opposition, I would have my ear glued because I would get great stories and details

  21. Anonymous

    And Gee—doesn’t Billz look good this year!!

  22. I came back from starting my laundry to see the Brewers were up 2-0 in the bottom of the first. I wasn’t sure how this was possible with Ryan Braun their number 3 hitter up with a man on base so I went to MLB.com to check the play-by-play to see that KCAL was just wrong. I was worried that Bills had somehow given up a lead-off two-run homer.

  23. Second time we’ve seen Kemp jump early for a fly ball this year. Shoulda had that one Matty.

    • Anonymous

      Really hard play to make, as was the other one, but a Gold Glover is supposed to make them.

    • KT

      The warning track at that part of the park is deeper/wider than any other ballpark in america according to the brewer announcers

  24. Anonymous

    I think we should be happy it was only a 2  run innings

    • KT

      I agree or if they didn’t pull in the infield so early in the game Izturis would never had gotten on and he wouldn’t have been a threat to score

  25. Anonymous

    Should’ve been 1; could’ve been 3.

  26. Anonymous

    Disaster avoided, but Bills needs some help with adjustments.

  27. Anonymous

    Gift.

  28. Anonymous

    I get to watch Matt bat with live look in (for a bit anyway)

    (but the innings was over too quick)

  29. Adam Luther

    Steiner on my ride home has referred a couple times to Miller Park as “being one of the darker (poorly lit) parks in baseball.”

    • Anonymous

      yup. I hate watching games there. it’s like spotty fluourescent lighting.

  30. Anonymous

    Wow. What do you guys think of that reaction by Braun? He has absolutely no angle on that pitch from LF to have an opinion if it was a strike or not. Sure looks like he was expecting retaliation.

  31. Anonymous

    While what I desire most is The Dodgers rebuilding and benefiting from their system, this could take a few years, and I delight in what buying one really good offensive player could do for this offense in the short run. What BA and others foresee is the Dodgers sytem producing 5-10 # 3 starters in the next few years, and possibly a few # 2’s. This is incredible if managed well.

  32. Anonymous

    Why?!

  33. Anonymous

    Wow–Some Padre guy is so hopeless that the Dodgers get a run. Loney responds in kind. 
    Could Uribs be more hopeless?

  34. KT

    well that’s twice we ran us out of a run

  35. Andrew Shimmin

    James Loney is slow.

  36. KT

    I think it was a missed sign by someone and I would probably point my finger at James on this one

  37. KT

    That was a much smoother inning by Billz

  38. KT

    Let’s get some runs guys

  39. KT

    Mark how could you let that one go by

  40. Anonymous

    These B’s announcers are not too bad–too be fair– but it sure would be good for them to get a thumping.

  41. KT

    Way to go James

  42. Anonymous

    If Loney hadn’t struck out in his first at bat, he’d have a good chance of running for the cycle.

  43. KT

    Come on Chad

    Sooo long Chad…At least you can maybe still win

  44. Anonymous

    Wow—too bad Loney had to bat in front of Uribe!

  45. Anonymous

    Oh No!–please not Matt Guerierre

  46. KT

    Strike 2 was low and outside

  47. Anonymous

    Going on the record now as not necessarily agreeing with that move. Bills cruising. Not a helpless hitter. Kennedy now 1 for 10.

  48. Anonymous

    I don’t think Gamel is “filling in” for Price at first. To paraphrase, Prince is not walking through that door.

  49. Chad can throw more pitches than 85 can’t he??

  50. KT

    Come on DP

  51. Andrew Shimmin

     Matt Kemp is good at baseball.

  52. KT

    Nice Matty but you should have caught Izteris’s

  53. KT

    Way to get on Mark

  54. Anonymous

    That guy told the whole ballpark that he was going to squeeze…..
    Nobody in the Dodger dugout, behind the plate, etc. … made any kind of adjustment….
    The ball hit the bat and traveled 6 feet….. Brewers took the lead…
    And, the Dodgers had absolutely no answer for it…
    Poorly handled.  IMHO. 

  55. KT

    DRE!!!!!

  56. Anonymous

    Dre!!!

  57. Andre!  

    That ball did not look like a homer to me off the bat. But yay!

    • KT

      I didn’t think so either but the CF’er just keep traveling towards the wall

    • Anonymous

      I was thinking the same thing.  But in Monday-esque style it kept carrying and carrying :)

  58. Anonymous

    Way to go Andre!

  59. Anonymous

    Was Honeycutt yelling something out at K-Rod and pounding his chest after that HR?  Mattingly tugged on his jacket as if to say “knock it off.”  Not used to seeing that.

  60. KT

    Is Kenley in?

  61. Anonymous

    3 pitch strikeout, great way to start Kenley

  62. KT

    weak MVP chant going on

  63. KT

    1 more Kenley

  64. KT

    good inning…Let’s get some insurance

  65. Anonymous

    You gotta know when to hold ’em. And Kenley does.

  66. Anonymous

    Come on Uribe!!!

    Oh well so much for that.

  67. That was a beautiful pitch for called strike 3 on A.J.

  68. Anonymous

    Rats

  69. KT

    need a K here

  70. This is certainly a tense moment. 

  71. KT

    force is on…Come on DP

  72. Anonymous

    Great stop by Dee on the wild pickoff attempt

  73. Time for the Dodgers to put in their triple-play defense. 

  74. Big K after being down 2-0. 

  75. KT

    Now time for the DP

  76. Anonymous

    Big K!!!!!

  77. I applaud Ron Roenicke for going for it here and hitting for Izturis, even though he has no SS for extra innings.

    • KT

      Ron played pony colt baseball right up the street at our local little league in West Covina

    • KT

      and it paid off

  78. Anonymous

    Ugh

  79. Anonymous

    Bleah!

  80. Anonymous

    Dang.

  81. Anonymous

    Tough loss.  But a great game.

    • Anonymous

      You win some, you lose some. Tomorrow is another day

  82. bad pitch… Javy been lucky last few times he keeps it up hes gonna lose that spot real quick

    • Anonymous

      Sure, but this is a guy who after six games had a 0.667 WHIP and an 0.00 ERA.

  83. KT

    now I know how the padre fans felt after our come from behinds

  84. Anonymous

    Bummer of a final score, but… Great ball game.  :-)
     

  85. Must say that after seeing Guerra flirt with disaster a few times, I think he’d be better as the set-up man for Jansen. Even though Jansen blew a save last week I think that was because he was gassed (his top FB was 91).

  86. Anonymous

    That hurts..

  87. Anonymous

    I’ll take partial blame here as I left my couch to go to a friends house.  Up to that moment I had either watched or attended every game and we were 9-1.  My bad.

  88. I understand Mattingly pulling Billingsley for a pinch hitter with runners in scoring position, but Chad seemed to be in the zone. Guerrier gave up a run, and maybe if Chad got through the 7th it would have been a different ending. But, like I mentioned, I completely understand for the sake of scoring more runs.

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