Death Valley Days

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Since Monday (compressed for the sake of space):

Dodgers		000 200 000– 2 30 6
Opponents	544 373 400–30 60 0

The Dodgers are scoreless in 56 of their past 57 innings and haven’t led in their past 61. Opponents have an ERA of 0.32 in that period.

  • Anonymous

    Tomorrow is another day, and another month. I’m glad.

    • Michael Morris

       I think the first time I heard the term *June Swoon* was over a Dodger losing streak. Amen that June is over. Bring on July- a change is as good as a rest, that and having Matt and Andre back.

  • KT

    Thank goodness June schedule is over
     
    Here’s too July and a lot more runs and wins
     
    Have a good day all

    • Anonymous

      Later, KT….
       

  • KT

    I can’t believe there are trade rumors of Victorino maybe coming to the Dodgers

    • Anonymous

       Nooooo!!!!!!!

    • Anonymous

      I’d take Victorino or even Cody Ross over Rivera or Abreau. Who wouldn’t?

    • http://veryolddodgerfan.blogspot.com/ veryolddodgerfan

      agreed that’s brutal.

      • Blue-eyed Gal

        Or ironic, considering past spats.

  • Anonymous

    Death Valley this!

      2013:

    1. Bourjos CF

    2. Gordon SS

    3. Hamilton LF

    4. Kemp RF

    5. Ethier 1B

    6. Ellis C

    7. Ellis 2B

    8. Uribe 3B

    • Anonymous

       I’m guessing you’re CriagUSC….
      If not…you sure sound like him. 
      I like it.  Always fun.

      • Anonymous

        That’s me…I’m using my Twitter handle.

        • Anonymous

          So nice to see you …. Have a great night.

    • Anonymous

      Don’t know why you did a dream 3-7 only to follow with a nightmare 8.

      • Anonymous

        Uribe is due to make $8 million in 2013 so he’s not going anywhere. He does play a nice 3B so bat him 8th, pray he regains his stroke, and keep his locker full of Slim Fast.

        • KT

          Loney is not involved as per MLBTR

  • Anonymous

    Bye, all. Thanks, as always, for helping me deal psychologically with The Dodgers and baseball…

  • Anonymous

    Nice to see we are holding our own in the 8th and 9th innings! And our record for extra-innings and one run games remains steady as well…

    Am I allowed to say it is almost mesmerizing how inept the Dodgers are right now? It is somehow fascinating to see how run adverse they are.

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

      I feel the same way. 

      • Anonymous

        As my dad used to say to people who didn’t understand why we liked baseball so much, “It may be dull but it is never boring.”
        Or was it the other way around – I don’t recall now.

    • peter drysdale

       It’s hard to believe this is the same team that has had the best record in baseball most of the season. It’s totally bizarre that a team could suddenly be so bad after being so good.

    • Anonymous

      It really isn’t much of a tribute to Mattingly’s powers, in my opinion.

      But, then, he may be the only guy in the twentieth century to spend a dozen years sequentially on the yankees and not have a pennant to show for it.  That takes something exceptional.

      • Anonymous

        Mickey Hatcher waits in the wings :)

      • Anonymous

        So, the team slump is Mattingly’s fault and as partial evidence you tell us that as a player his team never won a pennant.

        • Anonymous

          Yes, the zombie-like glass-eyed thousand-mile stare seen on almost every player since the phils sweep is, to some degree, DM’s fault.  And, to be fair, the fact that he got all of those wins out of this crew in May is also to his credit.

          Is DM’s playing record relevant?  Almost certainly not, but if you can find another yankee that did a sequential 12 years with >400 PAs in each year and didn’t even get a pennant, I’d be curious.  In the internet age, that shouldn’t be hard.

          • Anonymous

            why should I waste my time searching for a possible irrelevant fact, I thought your original post was at best illogical, at worst would violate one of the rules here.
            We played fine after the Phillies for at least 9 games so you are completely wrong in your above  zombie reference post above. 

          • Anonymous

             I’ll take that as a “no, there isn’t another Yankee with that kind of record since Woodrow Wilson”.

            Incidentally, Ellis was fairly bad as a Rockie, but his first series there against KC exactly one year ago was one of the best series seen by an infielder in the post-roids era. Seems like yesterday.

          • Anonymous

            Al Kaline?

          • Anonymous

            Sure, as a Tiger.  They only have three pennants after ’45.

            Harmon Killibrew would qualify as a Twin except he won a pennant.

        • Anonymous

          Mattingly kept a bunch of older bench players happy, inserted a hot career minor leaguer into the lineup and then died with the long term prospects of doing so.  He did get wins in the bank but Pittsburgh has a way of doing that in April and May before fading into reality.

          While no one will agree with me and I choke a little in saying this, but Mattingly should not have messed with Loney and just let him play through his struggles like is usually done with a veteran.  Moving down in the lineup, taking him out of the lineup, pinch hitting for him with the bases loaded with DeJesus of all people, and apparently telling him to hit every ball up the middle until his slump is over and maybe even telling him or at least letting him crowd the plate was not what the better more successful long term managers have done.

          Batting Kennedy fifth, Hariston 3rd and 4th, and letting all the many bench type players to continue to get ab bats while not respecting one of the core younger players, meaning Loney, even though they were just as pathetic as Loney, doesn’t do anything in the long term for the Dodgers.

          The young core of the dodgers for now is:

          Kemp
          Ethier
          Loney
          Gordon
          Ellis, AJ
          Sands

          The players that can spot the starters are:
          Uribe
          Abreu
          Rivera
          Gwynn

          A business has to know what its core is and nourish it.  Mattingly is not doing that.  

          • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

            He is nourishing Gordon, that’s for sure. As for Loney, ya you are right, no one will agree with you anymore.

  • Anonymous

    The Dodgers are due.

    Aren’t they?

    • Anonymous

      Didn’t you mean that the Dodgers are dew?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

    As negative as I usually am, I am pretty positive. Lost 7 straight. 5 shut outs. Banged up team and were 1 game out heading into July. The dodgers are committed to getting better in the short term and long term. Will they is the question but going thru this stretch now may toughen them up later.

    • Anonymous

      That’s the spirit.

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

         They say Monday! Let’s hope! I hope we can stop the bleeding tomorrow heading into that series.

  • Anonymous

    Little league teams laugh at the dodgers attempts to hit the ball and score these mysterious “runs”.

  • Anonymous

    Did the losing start when Mattingly stopped having them bunt?

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

      If my math is right:

      24-13 with Mark Ellis
      19-23 without Mark Ellis

      • Anonymous

        do you think missing mark ellis has been the dodgers’ problem?

        • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

           I think it has been, yes. Obviously missing Kemp is way more important but Ellis is almost like a coach out there from what I understand. He is one of those guys that helps everyone. He solidified our defense out there. A leader in the clubhouse…But I was more just kidding around in response to the bunting post.

          • Anonymous

            He had an 82 ops+ while playing for Colo. last season. Defence is not the main problem we need runs.

          • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

            what he did for Colo last year is irrelevant, right? But yes, we need runs, absolutely.

        • Anonymous

           Mark Ellis’ pinky is the only reason the A’s didn’t go all the way seven years ago.

          Speaking of which, Deangelo Jimenez would be an upgrade over Loney and Uribe.

  • Anonymous

    Hoping to wake up tomorrow Carlos Lee-free.  And hoping Ned will wake up tomorrow with the realization that he doesn’t need to make any panicky moves.

    • Anonymous

      Fully agree.  Loney is a young player that has more value to the Dodgers than what is filling the holes in left and 3rd.  Fix 3rd and left before fixing 1st.

  • Anonymous

    The various team and other sites connected with mlb.com (dodgers.com is one) have a place to click on STATS. The leads to a place where some statistics for the last 30 days is always available. Since those statistics have been updated for last night’s game they are, thus, statistics for the month of June which hath 30 days. 
    The Dodgers have 2 players with BA over 230. Billingsley who was 3 for 6 and Rivera at 278. Gwynn is next at 229. Kennedy is 6th among the position players at 219, Ethier and Herrera follow close behind. In OBP, it’s Billingsley, AJ, Rivera, then Kennedy is 4th at 316. In SLG it’s Billingsley, Rivera, Ethier, Abreu, then Gwynn is 5th at 313. Rivera leads the position players in OPS at 672 with Uribe last at 330  

    • Anonymous

      Clearly Billingsley needs to play more. We could try him out at first?

      • Anonymous

         IIRC, Harang (career 48/518) was the only baserunner a few nights ago.

    • http://veryolddodgerfan.blogspot.com/ veryolddodgerfan

      so what’s your point Tink. The dodgers aren’t very good right now? beat dead horses much.

  • Anonymous

    I have been through this.  I saw the 1966 W.S. on my TV screen and believe me the 1966 W.S. was worse.  I think the question for the 2012 Dodgers has to be first base, and that neither James Loney nor Carlos Lee is the answer.  If I am Mattingly I’d put Abreu and Rivera there and tell Ned to get me a leftfielder who can hit.  Even if Kemp and Ethier return, an Achilles heel is an Achilles heel. The Dodgers will not win unless they get either a leftfielder or first baseman who can hit.)  

    • Anonymous

      Adding another stop gap player at the end of his career is not an answer, it is a band aid.  The team has enough band aids already.  Don’t look now but Abreu is hitting for the Dodgers now like he as hitting for the Angels when they released him.  The Angels put Trumbo in left and the Dodgers should put Sands in left and leave him there.  Rivera is a streaky hitter and will soon stop hitting.

      Hopefully, getting off to a hot start will not fool the Dodgers into trading for old vets.  Lets build a team whose core can win year after year.

      • Anonymous

        I’m with ya, Bum.

      • Anonymous

        Sands is struggling right now in AAA. It won’t do the Dodgers or Sands any good to have him flail against MLB pitching 4 times a day. At any rate it is doubtful Sands is part of this team’s future. Sands struggles to make contact and doesn’t have good enough power or walk skills to make up for his .250 BA. Being young matters only when you are good against other players who are young but struggles against MLB vets.

  • Louis Rasky

    Stan,

    Since you remember 66 and worse 67-how about we get either Al Ferrara back or Len Gabrelson. Believe 12 and 16 HR’s respectively, both played outfield and 1b. Ferrara also pinch hit…….In the real world I would almost like the Dodgers especially right now through the deadline is to play Van Slyke. Giants have stuck with Breat Pill and he seems to  be growing out of his early struggles. Think Van Slyke is actually better, but just needs more AB’s.

    • Anonymous

      Ferrara also played the piano, made an appearance at Carnegie Hall in his pre-baseball days.

      • Anonymous

        In 1967 he put up an OPS+ of 140 with those 16 dingers.  Nothing to sniff at.  The “Bull” also attended the same Brooklyn HS as Sandy.

        • Anonymous

          And according to that Wikipedia entry, played sandlot baseball with Joe Torre and Joe Pepitone in Brooklyn. Boy, was he connected…

    • Anonymous

      Dingers were tough to get back then.

    • Anonymous

      I think you mean Brandon Belt, and not Brett Pill. Pill was DFA’d. Belt has taken over first base fulltime with Huff on the DL.

      • Anonymous

        You are incorrect. Pill was optioned to AAA on June 9th and is on the SF 40-man roster.

    • Anonymous

      I don’t think Belt and SVS are comparable players. Belt is a highly regarded prospect who moved from A+ ball to AAA in just one year as a 22 yr old and destroyed AAA as a 23 year old before going on to MLB and holding his own (109 OPS+). You can wait on guys like SVS and Dee forever, but experience can only do so much where physical talents are lacking.

  • Anonymous

    As an east coast Dodger fan since 1965, I am making my first trip to Dodger Stadium. I am leaving Boston tonight and have tickets for Monday and Tuesday nights. I seemed to have picked a real bad time to see the Dodgers in LA for the first time. It looks like the seats are pretty good – 1FD and 40 ABL (row 4). Hopefully at least Ethier will be back for Monday.

    • Anonymous

      Maybe this is just what we need to shake things up.  I am an Eastcoaster as well and won’t be able to se my boys in blue until they visit DC in September.

      • Anonymous

        I have tickets for a game in CO in August.  Enjoying the beautiful New Hampshire and dealing with the humidity and mosquitoes.

    • Anonymous

      What does ABL stand for?

      • KT

        it’s down the 3rd base line in the prime ticket area…ABL section is cloer to the plate and the BBL is accessed from the next aisle..They are both in the same section but since there are only 4 seats divided then 4 more seats you have to access from different aisles

  • Anonymous

    I sure hope Lee turns down the trade. Surely they can do better than that… I guess this is another “Manny” deal, Houston is paying all of his salary.

    • Anonymous

      Lee said he’s in Sunday’s lineup against the Cubs.

  • http://veryolddodgerfan.blogspot.com/ veryolddodgerfan

    I really like how many Very Old Dodger Fans there are on this site. Keep up the good work Men.

    • http://veryolddodgerfan.blogspot.com/ veryolddodgerfan

      there should be a day where you can only post if you’re over 55. Great idea VODF. thanks.

      • Anonymous

        There are some of us here who may have actually driven a twenty-mule team borax wagon!

        • http://veryolddodgerfan.blogspot.com/ veryolddodgerfan

          yeah i saw you when you drove those mules past my shack. i’ve been meaning to complain about the mule turds. but my telegraph couldn’t get a signal.

          • Anonymous

            Sorry, was that your lawn, Mister?

  • Anonymous

    Kershaw today and maybe no Votto in the upcoming series.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yop62wQH498

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

    NPUT