Ever say never? Never again, ever

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Never let anyone tell you that Scott Van Slyke and Elian Herrera can’t homer in the same game.

Never let anyone tell you that Nathan Eovaldi can’t leave a six-inning start with a lead.

Never let anyone – particularly Jerry Hairston Jr. – tell you Jerry Hairston Jr. can’t be comfortable at third base.

And never let anyone tell you the Giants are a lock with a 5-1 seventh-inning lead over the Nationals and Matt Cain pitching.

The Dodgers have won four of five games since their seven-game losing streak ended, thanks to scoring four of five runs tonight against Arizona. They lead San Francisco by 1 1/2 games in the National League West and the Diamondbacks by seven.

Never-to-play-again Mark Ellis doubled, singled and walked, while Luis Cruz singled twice, providing the offensive support alongside the Penn-and-Teller home-run hitters, Van Slyke and Herrera. Each pitching for the third night in a row, Ronald Belisario and Kenley Jansen closed it out again.

  • KT

    3 game win streakKershaw on the mound tomorrow…looking good

    • Anonymous

      lets hope that Kershaw pitches so well and we hit and get a big lead, so we can rest Beli and Kenley (So lets say 5-0, Kershaw complete game, 95 pitches)

  • Anonymous

    4 and 1 in July!  Just like April.  It feels like an April game, except for Kemp and Ethier missing.  Everyone’s contributing their little grain of salt.

    • KT

      ^_^

      • Anonymous

        when those 2 come back look out NL!

  • Anonymous

    Do Beli and Kenley have a competition going, who can throw the least amount of pitches while striking out the side?

    • KT

      sure seems like it

    • Anonymous

      Scotty was actually the more efficient tonight with only 10 pitches in his inning of work.  Been a real nice boost to the pen recently

      • Anonymous

        All our pitchers have actually been pretty impressive lately. It was great for Eovaldi to get his first win too

        • KT

          I agree on all accounts…U-less over the hump now

  • KT

    Looking at the standings again on ESPN and they have the Gnats with a better chance of making the playoff than us 54.3 to 50.7
     
    Even Pittsburgh with .001 percentage point higher having a 17.9 higher chance…ridiculous

  • Anonymous

    Steve Nash, anybody?

    • Anonymous

      MUCH easier shots for Kobe and everyone else. Now I trade Bynum for Howard if he would sign an extension.

      • KT

        I could go either way (with or without) Andrew…I actually think he will improve more

        • Anonymous

          His brain I worry about. He is better all around than Howard now. Needs to grow up. Wish he could play 1 training camp with Magic.

          • KT

            I really think Steve will help him out

          • Anonymous

            IMHO…
            ..
            Howard for 1 yr. + $ left  if  he leaves > Bynum long term.
            …
            I’d trade for Howard and even take on a bad deal or two from the Magic….I’m not concerned with a commitment.
            ..
            WIth his back surgery…. maybe a 1 year deal is perfect.  If he doesn’t respond the way he / the organization would like, then you’d be happy to not have committed to him long term… Let him “play for the deal” …

  • KT

    After being swept by Washington, the Gnats head to Pittsburgh who just swept a 4 game series (of course it’s was against the Astros) and are leading the NL central…Here’s to another sweep…Go Bucs 
     

    • peter drysdale

       I’m not a Pirates fan, but if anyone deserves a good season, it’s them. First time 10 games over .500 in 20 years. That’s crazy. Hope they can sweep the Gnats too.

      • Anonymous

        Doing it with our man James and a bunch of older reject SPs, a lights out pen and McCutchen, with help from a couple of above average hitters.

      • Anonymous

         Pirates fans deserve hope.

    • Anonymous

       The Gnats are finding their level.

  • Anonymous

    According to MLBTR, the Mets are interested in acquiring J. Broxton from the Royals.

  • Anonymous

    i was going to type that our bullpen has been dominating but in actuality, it feels like our entire pitching staff has been lights out man…

  • Anonymous

    Anyone know the real story with the Ds and Youkalis? Youk is awake, alive and enthusiastic again!
    He would have looked great at 3B or 1B. Did the Ds have no interest or were they interested and just couldn’t match up with the Red Sox?
     

    • Anonymous

      It was reported that the Dodgers were interested.

      • Anonymous

        I was driving that bus, but to no avail. Sox gave up a bag of chips for him.

  • http://twitter.com/snakealicious75 Snake Smith

    Does Hairston dislike playing 3rd?  Is it Donnie that doen’t want him there?  I feel like I missed something there – he looked good last night.  I didn’t know that utility infielders sometimes didn’t play certain infield positions.  Leave him there!  He’s solid, maybe not as good as Youk, but he’s ALREADY ON THE ROSTER!  Amazing what a couple wins will do to the psyche of the fanbase and probably the team.  Go Dodgers!

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

      yeah the Dodger comp for the trade that was made was Ely/Sellers. so that was doable if they really wanted youk. there was a lot not to like though looking at it through objective eyes. hindsight. plus all the hate from internet for trading for washed up veterans. and then the Kasten philosophy.

      • Anonymous

        what is your source? I believe permission of the commissioner is needed to trade a player on the DL. I think I am missing a failed attempt at humor

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

    Ok I’m willing to Paypal $10 to the person who researches how many trades have been done between the dodgers and another nl west team.

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

      with any special reference to the padres is $5 more. yeah i’m a lazy beg spender. need to hire a researcher.

    • Anonymous

      This website will do it for you for free:
      http://www.baseball-reference.com/friv/trade-partners.cgi?franch_ID_1=CHC&franch_ID_2=SDP   Save the $10, help someone who needs help. 

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

        you miss the point. i’m lazy.

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

        i forgot thanks.

  • Anonymous

    MLBTR throws in the name Russell Branyan. If he can be had super cheap, I say go for it. If a better deal comes along better, we can still do it.

  • foul tip

    Yesterday I linked to a story listing Dodger trade prospects.  Gist was that 1B was biggest issue, which I found debatable.  Whatever, I pointed out a part that said Ned was behind Loney beyond all reason.

    While I added that Ned hasn’t exactly had a free hand and up until now has operated under budget constraints, I also said that might have been good (given Ned’s checkered history).

    But, in fairness, I should have thought to mention that the Dodgers were seriously in on Prince until the end.  How much Ned had to do with that we don’t know–we’d hope a good bit–but he and the team deserve credit for trying.

    That they went after him counters any claim Ned is/was committed to Loney beyond all reason.
    Going after Lee is more evidence.  Loney is far from out of the woods.

    • Anonymous

      I think he can drive his Austin-Martin out of the woods

      • foul tip

         Or into them, as the case might be…      ;-])

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

    August 19, 2008: The San Diego Padres traded Greg Maddux to the Los Angeles Dodgers for players to be named later. The Los Angeles Dodgers sent Eduardo Perez (minors) (September 30, 2008) and Michael Watt (minors) (September 30, 2008) to the San Diego Padres to complete the trade.July 23, 1998: The San Diego Padres traded Widd Workman (minors) to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Jim Bruske.April 17, 1969: The San Diego Padres traded Al McBean to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Tommy Dean and Leon Everitt.

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

      damn Widd Workman. nice handle.

      • Anonymous

        After the 1969 trade, Walter O’Malley told the front office not to trade with the Padres, run then by his former GM Buzzie Bavasi, because he didn’t want the Padres to be viewed as a vassal of the Dodgers.

        The 1998 trade of Jim Bruske to the Padres came about because Bruske mouthed off to then GM Tommy Lasorda in the clubhouse about being on a bad team. So Lasorda shipped him off to San Diego as “punishment.” Bruske would soon end up on the Yankees, which led to Bruske collecting two World Series bonus checks (although relatively small ones) in 1998.

        The Dodgers have only made, I believe three trades with the SF Giants. Nate Oliver for Ron Hunt in the late 1960s. Then in the mid 1980s, the Dodgers got Alex Trevino for Candy Maldonado. And, finally, there was a deal where the Dodgers received Mark Sweeney for Travis Denker.

        Depending upon the alignment, the Dodgers have made more trades with former NL West mates, Atlanta, Houston, and Cincinnati. The Dodgers have also made more deals with Arizona and Colorado.

        It’s the instate teams that seem hesitant to trade with each other. The Dodgers don’t trade with the Angels very often either.

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

          good stuff timmer

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

    NPUT

  • Anonymous

    Judging from the last few Giants to join the Dodgers via free agency–Eugenio Velez, Juan Uribe, Jason Schmidt–I’d say the Dodgers should NEVER EVER trade with their neighbors to the north.  Any player the Giants no longer want is not anybody the Dodgers should be interested in.  

  • Anonymous

    SF was nice enough to take Darryl Strawberry off our hands :)