Dodgers order a 4 x 4, eat up Phillies

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Animal style, protein style, error style — any way you cook it, the Dodgers came in ‘n out of Philly with four consecutive victories, capped by today’s 8-3 munching.

That’s what a sweep is all about.

Today’s game picked up on this morning’s defensive theme early, with Alex Castellanos and Elian Herrera each making errors in a third inning that put the Dodgers behind the Phillies, 3-0.

Undaunted, the Phillies came back with four errors of their own, two of them on consecutive plays to start the sixth inning by Ty Wigginton, with the Dodgers then capitalizing off Phillies starter Cole Hamels to take 4-3 lead.

Los Angeles was set up to take its fourth consecutive one-run victory in Philadelphia when the Phillies made two more errors in the ninth inning, helping the Dodgers score four runs to all but put the game out of reach. Herrera, Juan Rivera, Jerry Hairston Jr., James Loney and Matt Treanor each reached base twice on the day.

Aaron Harang went the first six innings for the Dodgers and allowed eight hits and a walk on 92 pitches. With the front end of the Dodger bullpen resting after being used heavily in the series’ first three games, Los Angeles got a boost from two innings of shutout relief from Jamey Wright. Shawn Tolleson then made his major-league debut and walked the first two batters he faced, causing him to get yanked for Ronald Belisario. The prodigal Dodger got the final three outs on seven pitches, capped by a game-ending double play by Hunter Pence.

Belisario lowered his 2012 ERA to 1.17. He has allowed two runs and 16 baserunners in 15 1/3 innings with 11 strikeouts.

Update: A ninth-inning error was later changed to a double for Andre Ethier.

  • Anonymous

    It’s breakfast time here Jon, that picture is overwhelming :)

    • KT

      I think I’ll go get one…we now have an in-n-out .5 mile away…used to have to drive almost 10 miles

    • Dave Alden

      I recently tried Five Guys for the first time and found I greatly preferred their burger to In-n-Out.  Of course, the pricing also reflects that.  Anyone else find the same?

      • KT

        I like 5 guys also…I like their fries much better but not sure about the burger

      • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

         No, I’ve had both and I like In ‘N Out better. 

        • Anonymous

          Five Guys is faster, and to me indistinguishable in taste and quality from In n Out.  I feel like In n Out should be renamed In n wait n wait n wait n then Out.

          • http://twitter.com/whsieh Wayne Hsieh

            I live in NOVA now, and have ate both.  In-N-Out is better in my view, although I suppose I can see how the choice of toppings (including bacon) can sway one toward FIve Guys.  Also, I think Five Guys has expanded too much, so there’s more variation in quality.  But all-in-all, In-N-Out tastes to me like the better burger.

      • http://www.bakoindustries.com/ Grant Baker

        Five Guys is like the more expensive version of In-N-Out without any of the charm or nostalgia for me. They have no “uniqueness of place.” Sorry, I can’t even conceive of Five Guys and In-N-Out in the same league.

  • Anonymous

    I haven’t had lunch yet, and the photograph makes me think I’ll skip it.

  • Dave Alden

    That was an incredible series.  With the Dodgers banged up and scuffling, I was mostly hoping to avoid the embarassment of four losses, It would have been part of a long-term strategy to keep their heads above water until Kemp returns.  Then, in each of the four games, there was a point when I thought it likely that the boys in blue were finished.  And yet they won all four.  Remarkable.

  • http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/ Linkmeister

    If that’s an In-n-Out burger, somebody FedEx me one.

  • KT

    Padres coming back now 4-3

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bob-Bartholomew/1467188022 Bob Bartholomew

    Now I’m jonesin’ for a double-double! 

  • foul tip

    Old friend Juan Pierre had almost as bad a series as his Phillies.

    He went 1 for 13 over the last 3 games.  Needless to say, he didn’t draw a walk; on base just the once.

    Thanks for doing your part, old friend, not that you were ever much concern once you were a Dodger no longer.

    Except for still having to pay you.  Aaaaarrrggggghhhhh….

  • foul tip

    Every mug shot I see of Harang, like the one now up on dodgers.com, makes him look like the type to spit tobacco juice in your shirt pocket….if you had one.

    If you didn’t…it could be far worse.

  • Anonymous

    Just so people don’t freak out when they see the headline, the Bob Welch of Fleetwood Mac, not the former Dodger, was found dead today as an apparent suicide.

    • Anonymous

      i thought this was a nice note from an undisclosed website – Wouldn’t say Bob was exactly an icon but he’s yet another small part of my youth gone. R.I.P.

      • Anonymous

        Yeah, mine too.  Very sad.

    • Anonymous

      Whoa, what???  That’s terribly sad.

    • Anonymous

      He was a member of the bogus Fleetwood Mac. The real Fleetwood Mac, with Peter Green, ceased to exist long before Welch (though Peter Green, somewhat remarkably, survives).

      • Anonymous

        Well, don’t forget there was an actual BOGUS Fleetwood Mac that, during Welch’s tenure, was sent on the road (as “The New Fleetwood Mac”) by their manager, who owned the name, after the real FM cancelled a tour following the revelation that the other guitarist was sleeping with Mick’s wife.  So I guess you’d call it the Bogus Bogus Fleetwood Mac.

  • foul tip

    Let’s see….  if the most rabid Dodger fan said April 1 that on June 7 this offensively-challenged team would maintain the best record in MLB and make history by sweeping a 4-game series at Philly (pretty much the class of the NL the last few years)…

    Winning one of the 4 despite giving up 3 HRs….

    And hitting no HRs themselves in any of the 4… 

    Among possible responses to this most rabid Dodger fan–  

    a) the team finally played to its potential

    b) it has to be the greatest smoke and mirror show since, oh, maybe Houdini

    c) every other team in baseball must be terrible if the Dodgers have best record

    d)  get back on your meds

    Truth be told:  we’d all choose D.

    But ain’t it great? Just enjoy it while it lasts.  Who knows how long that is?   Maybe into October..

  • Christopher Staaf

    Great. I moved to the East Coast from sunny SoCal, already complaining about the not so great Mexican cuisine here and I have to see a picture of In N Out as well. Thanks Jon!

    Great win today!

  • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

    From AP: “The Phils announced that retired catcher Mike Lieberthal will be added to the team’s Wall of Fame during ceremonies before the Aug. 10 game against St. Louis”

    • Anonymous

      Next the Dodgers will start a Wall of Fame and put Tom Haller on it. 

      • KT

        I liked Tommy

      • Anonymous

        I liked him when he was a Tacoma Giant, but not when he became a Gnat.

    • Anonymous

      Lieberthal played parts of 13 seasons for the Phillies. During which they never made the playoffs. He wasn’t bad, but I must be missing something about the relative level of adoration Phillies fans have for Lieberthal compared to players who were actually very good.

      • http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

        Like Bobby Abreu, for instance, for that matter

        • Anonymous

          If he keeps going like he has been going for us, you guys should organise a hollywood pavement star for him :)

  • Anonymous

    i’m a sucker for nice looking swings & for what ever reason Lieberthal had one of those swings that i gravitated too – swings that i like.

    Eric Davis – the coolest ballplayer my eyes have ever seen.

    Will Clark – what a pretty swing, effortless.

    Matt Kemp – likewise, effortless.

    Dale Muprhy – just liked his swing.

    Mike Davis – Houston Astros surca late 80′s, had an odd work out regiment to perfect his swing.

    Daryl Strawberry – powerfull swing.

    Jose Conseco – scary.

    Tito Landrum – sentimental favorite, thew a baseball to me & my buddy back in ’87.

    • Anonymous

      John Olerud had a swing Andre Ethier would kill for. 

    • Anonymous

      I’ll take Will Clark and add in my favorite Dodger swing….Kenny Landreaux. There was a lefty for the white sox back then. It wasn’t Ventura. I think he played 1B? What was his name…beautiful left handed swing.

      • Anonymous

        Kenny Landreaux played for the Dodgers 1981-1987.  Mike Squires, a lefty, played first base for the Sox 1979-1984.  Greg Walker, who batted left but threw right, played first base for the Sox 1983-1989.

        • Anonymous

          It was Greg Walker.  Thanks nsxtsay.  I remember Vinny talking about his swing on one of those Saturday games of the week.

    • Anonymous

      Given that we just swept them, I’ll toss in a Philly lefty: Von Hayes and that cool looking black bat he would use.

  • Anonymous

    >> two innings of shutout relief from Jaret Wright.
    .
    Wright’s first name is Jamey.

    • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

      Those guys are my new Ronnie/Rafael Belliard.

      • Anonymous

        Don’t forget Richie Weeks….but Richard may be his birthname.

        • Anonymous

          BR says his birth name was Rickie Darnell Weeks.

  • Anonymous

    Correct me if I’m wrong, but haven’t we swept series from the Nats, Cards, and Fills?  I think the team sees an opponent in red uniforms, and like a bull at a bullfight, …  :)

  • KT

    Well the Pods couldn’t cash in on many opportunities and lose to the Gnats 8-3

    • Anonymous

      Thus the Dodgers remain tied for the biggest divisional lead (4 games), sharing that distinction with Texas. 

      • http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

        And the Giants play Texas next. Go Rangers!

    • Anonymous

       As long as the Dodgers play well, it doesn’t matter what the Gnats do.

    • Anonymous

      Kind of weird that the Dodgers and ‘ants won by the same score today, and both won by the same score yesterday, too!

  • Anonymous

    facing Kevin Millwood tomorrow, last 2 starts with no decision, he’ll be hungry for a W.

    • Anonymous

      I watched part of the Mariners-Angels games the last couple nights, and the M’s looked better than their record – though part of that might have to do with a pretty shaky Anaheim bullpen. We will get to see Cory Seager’s older brother, who’s playing well, perhaps a glimpse of the future.

      • Anonymous

        We’ll get to face that shaky bullpen after the team returns from Seattle.

        • Anonymous

          Their lineup is impressive, but once the starters are gone, the Anaheimers look very beatable.

    • Anonymous

      No hungrier than Cliff Lee

  • Anonymous

    I know we have played in Seattle. But have we played in Safeco?

    • Anonymous

      I dunno, but we went to first year at Kingdome. What a good idea to blow that place up. They did have a good selection of micro brews and some real good pretzels.

      • Anonymous

        >> I dunno, but we went to first year at Kingdome.
        .
        By “we”, I assume you are referring to you and your companions personally, and not to the Dodgers.  The first year the Mariners played in the Kingdome was 1977, and of course interleague play started twenty years later.

        • Anonymous

          Yes, my companions, for interleague play.

    • Anonymous

      Yes, the Dodgers played at Safeco July 7-9, 2000.  (Safeco Field opened in 1999.) The Mariners played at DS in 1999, 2001, 2006, and 2009.

      • Anonymous

        Safeco Field opened in 1999!  My goodness how time flies.
        I believe the Mariners played in DS before 1999.  Because I got married in 1998 and I know I went to that game before I got married.  The team had A-Rod, Griffey, Buhner, etc.  Karros hit a HR to tie the game in the 8th or 9th.  But the Mariners eventually won.  Griffey turned to the fans in the LF pavillion and saluted us, probably tired of all the verbal abuse he was getting.  Ah memories.

        • Anonymous

          >> I believe the Mariners played in DS before 1999.
          .
          They did indeed.  They played two series of two games each in 1997, one series at the Kingdome and one at DS.  They also played a three-game series against the Dodgers at the Kingdome in 1998.
          .
          The game you mention was on August 31, 1997.  The box score is at http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN199708310.shtml

    • KT

      yes…I went to a game at safeco with a gnats fan (who I roomed with in the navy) who lives up in the area

      • Anonymous

        Out of respect, we should always capitalize “Gnats.”

  • http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

    My heart just exploded looking at that picture, Jon. Yikes! Also: Mmmm.

    Btw, no Dodger made this list, didn’t draft too many interesting names this year. Anyway, it’s a fun one:
    http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/eye-on-baseball/19292976/top-25-most-awesome-names-of-the-mlb-draft

    • Anonymous

       Goose Kallunki is in a class by himself.

  • Anonymous

    What worries me about Uribe’s return: while he’s been out, just about everybody in the lineup is seeing lots of pitches, even when they don’t draw walks, Herrera being the prime example. It’s been wearing down the opposing starters, but a guy who lunges at the first pitch almost every time up will be a negative presence on offense.

    • KT

      I agree…let’s get rid of him now ^_^

    • Anonymous

      I agree. Seems to me Herrera has played his way into an everyday starter at this point – the guy just continues to impress every day he’s out there. On the other hand, Castellanos needs more seasoning in the minors.

    • Anonymous

      That’s a great point.  The patience in the lineup has been refreshing to watch.  I’ve never enjoyed watching Uribe atbats as he swings so hard as to create his own butterfly effect.  Rumor has it one of his swings and misses eventually led to the capture of Bin Laden.  The air stream he generates really is that powerful. Try connecting those dots.

      • Anonymous

        “Rumor has it one of his swings and misses eventually led to the capture of Bin Laden.”

        In that case, keep him.

        • Anonymous

          Bin Laden, unfortunately, was not captured.

    • Anonymous

      Uribe’s never been a refined hitter, but it would surprise me if Uribe’s replacements are forcing other pitchers to throw more than 1 or 2 pitches per game.

  • Anonymous

    Former Dodger farmhand Joel Hanrahan, who just gave up a game-tying homer to Ryan Ludwick in the ninth, appears to auditioning to be adopted by the Amish.

    • Anonymous

      Thereby making him an actual farmhand.

  • KT

    Our old friend Russ just took one out in the bottom of the ninth…yanks now down 7-3

  • Anonymous

    The Dodgers eat a large 4 by 4 Philly Cheesesteak at the 30th St. Station, the first one since 5/26/46. 66 years since the last sweep in the city of brotherly love.

    • Anonymous

      It’s 66 years since the last four-game sweep.  I’m going to take a wild guess that the Dodgers have swept 2 or 3 game series in Philly at least a few times since 1946.

      • Anonymous

        I eyeballed 19 4-game series played by the Dodgers in Philadelphia since that last sweep, not counting the one just ended. The Dodgers hadn’t swept a 3-game series in Philadelphia since 1990.

        Prior to this one, the Dodgers last 4-game series in Philadelphia was in August of 2008 and they got swept. The only close one was the third one. The Dodgers led 2-1 in the 9th, but Broxton lost the lead on a 2-out single by Pedro Feliz. Feliz would hit a game-winning 3-run homer in the 11th off of journeyman Jason Johnson.

        The Dodgers had loaded the bases in the top of the 10th in that game, but Blake grounded into a DP and Martin flied out to end the rally.

        The Dodgers got shut out the next day to fall one game under .500. They then would 19 of their last 30 games to make the playoffs.

      • Anonymous

        Sorry about that I should’ve said a four game sweep. I didn’t realize that omission until I reread my comment today.

  • Anonymous

    Getting swept by the Brewers at LA in a 4 game series and then sweeping Phillie in a 4 game road series.  I’ve never been so delighted yet confused about a first place team.

  • Anonymous
    • Anonymous

      Love the Hairston quote : “I just hope he puts me back in the three-hole: I went 5-for-5 there.”

  • Anonymous

    Also a very cool write-up on A.J. and Cap by Crasnick :
    http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/8020289/dodgers-battery-mates-chris-capuano-aj-ellis-exceeding-expectations
    Apparently A.J.’s great-grandmother was late to catch the Ttitanic….

  • Onlyatriple

    Off baseball, but I have a couple of 14 hour flights coming up in a few weeks.  Suggestions for books for my Ipad, suitable for passing the time?  I have really enjoyed books recommended in the past by  DT readers, so I thought I see what you all suggest.  Thanks in advance

    • http://profile.yahoo.com/M43RQUOKRIFBFM3DK5T2TERQ6U Old Bear

      I have eclectic
      reading tastes, and if I were on the verge of a pair of long flights, here are
      books that I have read and that would have enjoyably passed the time for me.  I have found them entertaining and/or
      informative and/or stunning and/or enlightening.

         ”The
      Day After Tomorrow” (1995) by Allen Folsom.  It’s a rollicking yarn
      that kept me up late at night, and it begins at an outdoor Paris cafe when an
      American recognizes the man who murdered his father three decades earlier.  The pursuit begins.

         
      “The Killer Angels” (1974) by Michael Shaara, a very fine and realistic
      novel on the Battle of Gettysburg that is true to history.  It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

         
       ”American Pastoral” (1998) by Philip Roth, a remarkable novel, which
      that I think is Roth’s best, that looks back at the tumult of the 1960s and its
      consequences for the lives of one family. 
      It also won the Pulitzer Prize.

         
       ”The Echoing Green” (2008), Wall Street Journal reporter Joshua
      Prager’s meticulously researched account of how the Giants cheated the Dodgers
      out of the 1951 pennant.  The full
      title of the book is “The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson,
      Ralph Branca and the Shot Heard Round the World.”  When he autographed it for me, Branca wrote:  “The most memorable moment in the
      history of Major League Baseball, Oct. 3, 1951.”

         
       ”Israel Is Real: An Obsessive Quest to Understand the Jewish Nation
      and Its History ” (2009) by Rich Cohen, This is a great one-volume,
      well-researched and opinionated history of Judaism dating back to the
      destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D. by the Romans.

       
         Happy reading and safe flying.

      • Anonymous

        “Killer Angels” is an exciting read.

        • Tycho

          As a kid (6th grade) I didn’t know this was historical fiction.  I sill have my copy, great read. 

      • Anonymous

        I too loved “Killer Angels”. If you enjoy reading about the Civil War era, Howard Bahr is another excellent fiction writter on the subject and his three books, ‘The Judas Field”, The Black Flower”, and “The Year of Jubilo” were all good reads. “Blood Meridian – Or the Evening Redness in the West” by Cormac McCarthy is another of my favorites. If Wellington’s Redcoats are of any interest to you, Bernard Cornwell’s ‘Sharpe novels’, starting with Sharpe’s Tiger” (The siege of Seringapatam, 1799) and ending with “Sharpe’s Waterloo” (June 1815) are all excellent historical fiction novels following Wellington’s military exploits.

    • Anonymous

      Top pick – Any of the adult fiction books by Carl Hiaasen.  His books are thrilling and funny at the same time.  If you haven’t read him yet, you’re in for a treat.
      .
      I also enjoy mystery/detective thrillers.  I’ve read all the ones by John Sandford, Michael Connelly, and Lee Child.  They’re “page turners”, with one plot development quickly proceeding after another.
      .
      Another option is the political/terrorism thrillers by Vince Flynn.  I’d suggest starting with his second one, Transfer of Power, about a terrorism plot involving the White House.

      • Anonymous

        Hiaasen definitely makes the list. Quote from a Hiaasen interview (http://www.carlhiaasen.com/faq/faq-otherBooks.shtml) : “Not many writers can get away with feeding a blue-haired old retiree to a crocodile, and expect you to root for the crocodile.” I always tell Floridians that he taught me everything I know about Florida.

        In terms of dialogue, Robert Crais is LA’s counterpart to Hiaasen although, unlike Hiaasen, he writes in the first person and his books are part of a series (though Hiaasen has some recurring characters).

      • Anonymous

        Have to agree.  Anything by Vince Flynn and/or Brad Thor.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Terry-Pruett/1707390003 Terry Pruett

      I’m a non-fiction reader with a bent toward history. In the biography category, the best 1-volume of Lincoln is the one by David Herbert Donald. Excellent and vivid. I would also recommend Robert Caro’s Years of Lyndon Johnson series, particularly Means of Ascent and Master of the Senate…just outstanding. Non-biographical: The Great Bridge, by David McCullough, which tells the amazing story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, and The Powers That Be, by the late David Halberstam, which is a fascinating overview of the development of mass media in America…just packed with pocket profiles of folks like William Paley, Phil and Katherine Graham, Otis and Dorothy Chandler, Edward R. Murrow, and many others, all woven into a seamless narrative by a master journalist. Enjoy… 

      • http://profile.yahoo.com/M43RQUOKRIFBFM3DK5T2TERQ6U Old Bear

        That’s a great selection of non-fiction works.   After his work on Robert Moses, Caro has devoted his life to writing about LBJ.   Halberstam’s tragic death in a traffic accident a few years ago robbed us of a vital talent far too soon.

        • http://www.facebook.com/people/Terry-Pruett/1707390003 Terry Pruett

          Halberstam’s final work, The Coldest Winter, about the Korean War was one of his very best. Just stunning.

      • Anonymous

        Last night just finished Caro’s new fourth volume The Passage of Power.  It covers 1958-64 with a different perspective than a pure Kennedy aura. There’s some sections to speed read, but it’s equal to volumes 2 and 3.  I suggest adding it to this list.

        • http://www.facebook.com/people/Terry-Pruett/1707390003 Terry Pruett

          I’m reading it now…I really like it, particularly the sections dealing with the 1960 nomination and taking command after the assasination (to me, the heart of the book).

    • Anonymous

      Ooops meant to reply to you but replied to Old Bear instead by accident – also recommend “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel as well – it is currently being made into a movie, which is amazing to me because after reading it I thought there was no way it could be done – or at least done well to fully represent the book.

    • Anonymous

      I’ve read this sentence from “Blood Meridian” many times and it still makes me smile :
      “A legion of horribles, hundreds in number, half naked or clad in costumes attic or biblical or wardrobed out of a fevered dream with the skins of animals and silk finery and pieces of uniform still tracked with the blood of prior owners, coats of slain dragoons, frogged and braided cavalry jackets, one in a stovepipe hat and one with an umbrella and one in white stockings and a bloodstained weddingveil and some in headgear of cranefeathers or rawhide helmets that bore the horns of bull or buffalo and one in a pigeontailed coat worn backwards and otherwise naked and one in the armor of a spanish conquistador, the breastplate and pauldrons deeply dented with old blows of mace or saber done in another country by men whose very bones were dust and many with their braids spliced up with the hair of other beasts until they trailed upon the ground and their horses’ ears and tails worked with bits of brightly colored cloth and one whose horse’s whole head was painted crimson red and all the horsemen’s faces gaudy and grotesque with daubings like a company of mounted clowns, death hilarious, all howling in a barbarous tongue and riding down upon them like a horde from a hell more horrible yet than the brimstone land of Christian reckoning, screeching and yammering and clothed in smoke like those vaporous beings in regions beyond right knowing where the eye wanders and the lip jerks and drools.
      Oh my god, said the sergeant.”
      Talk about disregard for the use of a ‘period’….

      • Anonymous

        In a different context, consider this: ” “If what is at stake is an understanding of geographical and historical variations in the sexual division of productive and reproductive labor, of contemporary local and regional variations in female wage labor and women’s work outside the formal economy, of on_the_ground variations in the everyday content of women’s lives, inside and outside of their families, then it must be recognized that, at some nontrivial level, none of the corporal practices associated with these variations can be severed from spatially and temporally specific linguistic practices, from language that not only enable the conveyance of instructions, commands, role depictions and operating rules, but that also regulate and control, that normalize and spell out the limits of the permissible through the conveyance of disapproval, ridicule and reproach.”

        Historian Patricia Limerick analyzes the previous sentence, which came from the then chair of the Geography department at Berkeley (where I got my PhD without, fortunately, ever having to take a class from the guy: “In this example, 124 words, along with many ideas, find themselves crammed into one sentence. In their company, one starts to get panicky. “Throw open the windows; bring in the oxygen tanks!” one wants to shout. “These words and ideas are nearly suffocated. Get them air!” And yet the condition of this desperately packed and crowded sentence is a perfectly familiar one to readers of academic writing, readers who have simply learned to suppress the panic.

      • Anonymous

        Loved Blood Meridian.

    • Tycho

      I have two nonfiction books, one for you if you have kids and the other about LA.

      1. For you and the kids: How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog by Chad Orzel. Read the review from Geek Dad/Wired - http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2012/05/relativity-dog/

      2. Excellent social/cultural history: The Los Angeles Plaza: Sacred and Contested Space by William David Estrada.  Note: Get ahead of everyone as the next logical development for Los Angeles is in and around Union Station, aka the next South Park.

      3. Bonus one for you:  Lifted by Evan Ratliff.  This is a Kindle Single, a long form nonfiction article.  I kept laughing thinking to myself can this possibly be true, and it is.  Mileage may vary.  http://www.amazon.com/Lifted-Kindle-Single-ebook/dp/B004K1F9KG/ref=zg_bs_2486013011_89

    • Casey Barker

       State of Fear and Next are the last two books I read on flights. 

  • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

    “Former Isotope Eugenio Velez made Albuquerque pay with a towering three-run homer to left field to put Memphis (22-38) ahead 4-2.”
    http://www.examiner.com/article/isotopes-implode-against-lowly-redbirds

    • Terry Austin

      I interviewed Velez a couple of weeks ago for a piece in a regional Hispanic magazine. Incredibly nice guy. Was very open to talking about “the streak.”

  • foul tip

    Old friend Jay Gibbons–or was he more just a brief acquaintance?–has been called up to the Nashville Sounds.  He’s hitting .118 in seven games.

    The dream dies hard, I guess.  Maybe he’ll make it back.

    http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120608/SPORTS04/306080061/New-Sounds-could-hit?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Sports

    [When I post a link I always try to check it. This one works, but anyone clicking may get a greeting from Gannett about a limited number of free articles, etc. All Gannett papers now require a paid subscription of some sort in order to access online content. Like many other papers, they gave content away for a long time. Be interesting to see how this goes. ]

  • foul tip

    To no one’s great surprise, this says Manny likely is near the end of the line.  Among performance and other issues, he’s having problems with….wait for it…..a hamstring.

    “He told the San Francisco Chronicle in mid-May that he would be ready to play with the A’s and said, ‘God didn’t bring me to Oakland to fail.’”

    “Ramirez didn’t mention if God had any particular plans for his time in Sacramento.”
    http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/ann_killion/06/08/manny/index.html#ixzz1xEDAIyZO

  • http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/ Linkmeister

    If you’ve seen the TV movie “Gettysburg” Shaara’s book will be remarkably familiar, even to the dialogue. Both are excellent.

    If you don’t mind your seatmates looking at you with alarm, take along almost any of Sir Terry Pratchett’s “Discworld” books; the wit and satire is knife-sharp.

  • Anonymous

    Who goes down when Uribe comes back?  Costallenos is presumably still needed in the outfield and Herrera is doing a great job and I think Mattingly loves having him to throw out there in different positions.  Dejesus I guess, right?  Unless they DFA Kennedy, which might be the best idea, but will not happen anytime soon.

  • Anonymous

    DFAing Kennedy is the best idea yeah – but sending Castallenos down would be the next in line – he’s looked overwhelmed so far.

    • Anonymous

      I agree.  To DFA Kennedy is what we seem to want, but it doesn’t appear likely.  I’m not sure I see Castellanos as being as over matched as some, but he would appear to be the choice.  Herrera has shown the ability to be a serviceable outfielder in addition to his bat.

      • Anonymous

        Yep – with Ethier, Gwynn Jr, Rivera, Abreu, Rivera, and Herrera the outfield has plenty of options right now – Castellanos appears to be the odd man out – I have nothing against him and am rooting for him, but to me he seems the least “major-league” ready.

  • Anonymous

    Looked overmatched in the ab I saw yesterday.

  • Onlyatriple

    Thank you all for book suggestions, some I’ve enjoyed in the past, many are brand new and am looking forward to them…

    • Anonymous

       Not that you need anymore suggestions, but a couple of nonfiction books by Candice Millard are excellent:   “The River of Doubt:  Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey”  and “Destiny of a Republic: a tale of madness, medicine and the murder of a president”     I like reading both fiction and nonfiction and these books exemplify the saying that “truth is stranger than fiction” .

  • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

    Tonight’s lineup:
    Gordon 6
    Herrera 5
    Ethier 9
    Rivera DH
    Abreu 7
    Hairston 4
    Loney 3
    Ellis 2
    Gwynn 8

    Eovaldi 1

    • Anonymous

      Would be nice to see Kemp 8 in there, but I actually like tonight’s lineup.

    • Anonymous

      At last, the DH allows the Dodgers to field the correct Kemp/Uribe/Ellis-free lineup.

  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous

    Interesting that Rivera is the DH and and Abreu plays LF.

    • Anonymous

       Abreu isn’t exactly graceful out there, but he is significantly faster than Rivera.

      • Anonymous

        you have commented positively on Abreu’s running speed before; I do not see what you see. He looks slow and overweight or slow from being overweight. I just think he is a better fielder than Rivera although Rivera is more likely to take the risk of an injury to get an out.

  • Anonymous

    DH rules: You can start with it but abandon it as the game progresses. Can you start without it then implement it during the game?

    • Anonymous

      I don’t believe so, but my understanding is that it doesn’t necessarily have to be for the pitcher. Could the Dodgers play Uribe at third without having to watch him attempt to hit?

      • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

        You can only DH for the pitcher in the major leagues. 

    • Anonymous

      You can replace your DH with another hitter, but if the DH has to take a fielding position, then you lose it and the pitcher must bat.

  • Anonymous

    Kuroda vs. Santana right now on MLB Network – Kuroda looked good in the 1st with a 1-2-3 inning.
    Santana still with a no-hitter :)

  • http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

    NPUT

  • Anonymous

         To All,
         A few days ago, while discussing Billingsley and such, I tried to make my point using personal matters as my reference. Several of you were kind enough to express your wishes that I felt this was necessary.
         My dad is doing well- he’s a tough old farmer and I have no doubt he’ll be stronger as he recovers. I thank you for your thoughts. Unfortunately the news on my neighbor is not anywhere near as good.
         There was some confusion, so let me clear it up- my neighbor Dan is dying. He is married to a wonderful woman, and they have four of the most beautiful children one could ever wish for- a nine year old daughter and six year old triplets. Dan is in his mid 30s and until 2 years ago, seemingly as fit as a person could be. He found a knot on his left thigh- didn’t hurt, not huge, just a knot. Went to the doctor and discovered it was cancerous. The cancer has since spread despite all efforts.
         My wife called me today, choked with tears- hospice is in, Dan is screaming in agony, and a rush was on to get morphine to him. His wife is shooing everyone out of the house- the end is imminent. Over recent weeks, the treatments and drugs had left him almost unable to lift his chin off his chest- he didn’t have the strength left. I helped him up the stairs last week because he was so loaded with painkillers that he couldn’t speak. Because of his deteriorated condition, he needed 24/7 attention which his wife has been providing and she refuses help. She will not risk being away for a minute in case it’s the last minute.
         For any of you who are of such a mind, your prayers for Dan would be well-directed. Dan is a fine man, (I refuse to use past tense and probably will not be able to for a long, long time) as good as they come. Sue is an incredible wife, and Maddie, Avery, Sadie and Quinn are the most wonderful kids a parent could have.
         Dan deserves better than this. Sue and kids deserve better than this. This just is not fair. This sucks.
      

    • Anonymous

      well said