Billingsley MRI results optimistic

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Phillies at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Jerry Hairston Jr., 3B
Mark Ellis, 2B
Matt Kemp, CF
Andre Ethier, RF
Juan Rivera, LF
James Loney, 1B
Luis Cruz, SS
A.J. Ellis, C
Nathan Eovaldi, P

Word spread among the Dodger beat writers that Chad Billingsley’s MRI went about as positively as it could have gone, to the point that he was still in the running this afternoon to make a start Tuesday. The alternative appears to be a callup for Stephen Fife, the righthander who came to the Dodgers as part of the Tim Federowicz deal.

Fife is already on the 40-man roster, which makes him easy pickins. The Dodgers could make room for John Ely, but if it’s only a short-term move, they might not want to bother.

* * *

Since the Dodgers swept the Phillies in Philadelphia, writes Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A., the Phillies are 11-20 and the Dodgers are 11-21.

  • foul tip

    Blue Jay fan catches foul ball between his legs–while not spilling concessions in both hands.

    You can’t make this stuff up.

    Dude has some serious reflexes and coordination in addition to ability to think fast–VERY fast.

    May have to watch video more than once since the actual catch (trap?) is not a close-up.

    http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/hands-full-concession-items-blue-jays-fan-creatively-114511796–mlb.html

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

    The results are optimistic or the readers of the results are optimistic? ;)

    Never mind. My inner pedant emerged. He’s waiting for biopsy results of his own.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/SYDWYEU5E2AHKGVMAZAHE2JDPY Yolanda

    What a novel idea,,,, using your best available player at each position….
    Way to go coach…. 
    I wonder how long this will last…

    • Anonymous

      That’s a good question.

    • Anonymous

      While your comment is quite funny, Abreu is a better LF’er than Rivera in both hitting and fielding.
      I think the line-up was arrived at the way Mattingly’s line-ups are always arrived at by the opposing pitcher’s splits and Dodger hitters history vs the opposing pitcher. In this case, Abreu BA 143, Rivera 417.

    • Anonymous

      While your comment is quite funny, Abreu is a better LF’er than Rivera in both hitting and fielding.I think the line-up was arrived at the way Mattingly’s line-ups are always arrived at by the opposing pitcher’s splits and Dodger hitters history vs the opposing pitcher. In this case, Abreu BA 143, Rivera 417.

  • Anonymous

    I worry that Hairston at third is a real defensive liability.

    http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=144&position=2B/OF#fieldingadvanced

    My ability to process defensive stats is very limited, but I’d guess that the fact that 3b is his only negative UZR/150 isn’t a good sign.  Nor is the fact that he’s spent maybe 10% of his career there.

  • foul tip

    CBS Sports says Dodgers interested in Jimmy Rollins, FWIW.

    Reality is the Dodgers have so many needs that the team is likely to be mentioned in, oh, 1500 or so trade possibilities.

    Line from story pretty well sums up the situation:

    “The Dodgers, who are short on prospects but long on both money and needs….,”

    Also notes Lopes is a big Rollins fan.

    http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/danny-knobler/19596632/dodgers-wide-search-for-help-could-include-jimmy-rollins

  • Adam Luther

    Wow just saw the replay for the call on the overthrow to A.J. Ellis – ump verbally “calls” out – shouldn’t that call have stood?

    • Anonymous

      Nope. Umpires can change their minds. Nothing prevents it.

      • Adam Luther

        yep you’re right and similar to the weird “foul”/ “fair” triple play earlier this season.

  • KT

    Good Play James

  • KT

    Come on DP

    • KT

      Yes…Nice turn Mark

  • Anonymous

    Cruz makes an ugly error, but then starts a nice DP (with great pivot by Mellis).

  • Anonymous

    Blanton looks to have absolutely nothing.

    • KT

      yea but he has 3 k’s in a row now

    • Anonymous

       Sadly, it takes less than nothing to strike out the heart of our still-cold team.

  • Anonymous

    Pierre is painful.

  • Anonymous

    My goodness.  Took a look at the lineup and found more excitement than I have in quite a while.  Somebody needs to go tell Blanton that we’ve got our good guys playing..

  • KT

    Nice catch by the fan

  • Anonymous

    Rollins…..nice, short, compact, efficient swing…..
    ….
    And, a very nice result for him.
     

  • KT

    Didn’t he run out of the baseline

    • Anonymous

      That’s what I though – for a second I thought Ellis just didn’t bother to make the throw to second because of that.

  • Anonymous

    Dodgers recently….. “Circus” ….
    …
    Way to handle the run-down fellas….
    We’ve only been doing it since 5th grade.  :-)  

  • Anonymous

    Very poorly played.

  • KT

    giving these extra outs is not good for EO’s pitch count

  • KT

    Good of Victorino to give us the out back

    • Anonymous

       How “neighborly” of him….

      • KT

        wonder if they will show the highlights for Link

    • Anonymous

       How come he wasn’t cryin’ about the call?

  • Anonymous

    Starting with the 9th inning Saturday night and continuing through the first inning tonight, the Dodgers made seven errors in 11 innings.

    • Adam Luther

      Yikes-need to shore up the D.

  • Anonymous

    Way to pull the bat back on a “perfect strike” Nate…. 

  • Anonymous

    No….. I am not going to just give line after line of negative commentary tonight to detract from your DT experience….  :-)

  • Anonymous

    Uribe should be a short.  Despite the fact that it made 6 errors, Donnie had the right defensive lineup yesterday.  I say keep trotting him out there while Gordon’s out and hope his bat wakes up.

  • Anonymous

    Wow—-EO– is already a pretty proffesional pitcher!  He prefers to make an out at bat to any other sacrifice or other artifice.

  • Anonymous

     I try to look at it this way–if you’re gonna have a meltdown, better to go through it now than in September.

    • Anonymous

      Is this a meltdown or a truer indication than early this season of what kind of team the Dodgers are?

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=550218622 Christopher Jones

        The latter.

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

           Yah I picked .500  in my preseason prediction. Were no better than the last two seasons. 162 game seasons show you who you are.

    • Anonymous

      I just try to keep in mind that 85 wins could be enough to win the west.  The G’s still aren’t that far from setting themselves up for a long cold streak themselves.

      • Anonymous

        The Gnats will be lucky to win 85, and to beat out the Snakes for the second wild card.

        • Anonymous

           I think both cards are going to come out of the east in the NL (assuming that’s possible with the new rules).

  • Anonymous

    Wow, that ball was clubbed!! Way Out!!

  • Anonymous

    Ok…. Just havin’ some fun here with this one….
    …
    Perhaps Nate Eovaldi should  have pitched to Kemp in the Home Run Derby…
    It might have helped Matty’s HR totals for the competition…. :-)

  • Anonymous

    Donnie really should just let Eovaldi swing away if he’s really this useless in bunt attempts.  He only had one successful sac bunt in almost 30 PAs last year.

  • KT

    Come on DP

  • KT

    Nice catch Dre

    • KT

      Yes there it is again..nice turn Luis

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

    Man, Pierre really ripped that ball. 

    • KT

      yea he did…thought it was going to score a couple of runs

    • Anonymous

       Notwithstanding what you’ve just described, looking at those words together reminds me of the expression “cognitive dissonance”

  • http://www.twitter.com/ElJefedor Jeffrey Thomas III

    At least they’ve gotten a couple of nice DP’s tonight. Last night they were throwing those all over the park.

  • Anonymous

    Gotta hand it to ‘Dre…
    That ball was stung by Pierre…
    Andre:  Nice jump, nice route, nice play…. on a tough ball.
     

    • Anonymous

       PS – If Pierre had sacrificed, no DP.

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

    Matt Kemp hit that ball just as hard in the fourth inning as Juan Pierre did.  All that working out has paid off!

    • Anonymous

      Even watching Juan for 3 yrs. with the Dodgers…
      I don’t think I’ve ever seen him  hit a ball that hard….
      Perhaps it’s just me….but, he really seemed to “lay into it”

  • Anonymous

    I really wish I could have heard what the blue was saying to Loney at home plate there…
    Seems like I could read a few “expletives” from his mouth (and rightly so….) as he pointed down at James’ bat….
    …
    James… have a seat. 

  • KT

    Hairston catches that ball he’s out

  • Anonymous

    Ok… On Shane’s ball to LF….
    ….
    Little to no range when you have Rivera out there…. (T-Gwynn gets it with ease)
    Followed by Hairston waiting for the ‘long hop’ on the play at 3B… (needed to shuffle his feet out in front of the bag to get the lower part of that hop and then apply the tag in a ‘sweep’)
    ….
    Summary:  A player in LF, who is best suited  to be an AL designated hitter can’t run down a ball which would have been caught by most other LF’s….throws the ball in to a ‘journeyman utility player’ playing 3B who can’t make the ‘fine’ dig of a refined, everyday 3B….
    ….
    Now, let’s get back to this one….

    • Anonymous

       I love the Dodgers….
      And, the players who wear our beloved Dodger Blue constitute the “Who”….
      We like them…
      We root for them…
      They’re … well, Dodgers!
      …
      But, objectively….there’s also a “what” component as well….
      And, that’s what I described in my statement above…
      …
      When this club can get the “who” to resemble a better “what” … we’ll be rollin’ …. :-)

      • Anonymous

         There’s really no mystery to it at all…
        …
        Just our hearts trying to ‘over-rule’ our common sense (brains) as we watch this club play to level of it’s talent…. (well, maybe a bit below… but, the Yanks…they’re not)
        …
        Why do we let  this happen?
        1.  We  love our Dodgers and always want them to win.
        2.  This team got off to such a good start, it just doesn’t seem right to see then collapse…
        3.  Crazier things have happened in this crazy game of baseball
        …
        So, hang in there.

  • KT

    Connie Mack

    • Anonymous

      …would be reminded of his late 1930s teams by these guys tonight?

  • Anonymous

    Too bad we don’t use golf scoring, we’d be the best team in the league, hands down.

  • Anonymous

    If Uribe must make an appearance, that was probably the least worst option.

    • Anonymous

      I keep muttering under my breath “law of numbers, law of averages…” every time that guy comes up.  Nothin doin.

      • Anonymous

         You’d think so, wouldn’t you? But you know better.

        • Anonymous

          I feel like Charlie Brown goin to kick the football.  Donnie B has to be somewhere close, ya?

  • KT

    good conference…got the call right

  • Anonymous

    A sensible consultation by Bell, for which he deserves credit. Howard never had control of the ball.

  • KT

    Come on Matty

  • Anonymous

    Nice…”blues” … 

  • Anonymous

    Once again, getting minimal results out of maximal opportunity.

  • Anonymous

    A break, and we let em off the hook.
    -Dennis Green

    • Anonymous

      “They are who we THOUGHT they were….”
      …
      I like it. Ki.

      • Anonymous

        I’ve accepted this is indeed who they are.  Maybe we can sneak a top 10 pick out this season, that would be a nice consolation prize.

  • Anonymous

    I wonder how long Dodger management will wait before attempting to remedy the situations at first and third and in left field.  I hope at least one of those situations is revolved before we are a half-dozen games out of first place.   But I realize that there may not be any easy or satisfactory fixes.

  • Anonymous

    The decision to let Blanton bat was shockingly bad, and yet another example of the rapid decline of Charlie’s mental powers.  I really hope they don’t let this guy legally drive anymore.  

  • Anonymous

    Elbert works out of it nicely.

  • Anonymous

    “Dual – Screens” goin’ full force right now as I lean up to type this….
    …
    Screen #1 -  Dodgers trying to make a come-back.
    Screen #2 -  Baby monitor… My daughter totally “fighting it” as she tries to fall asleep…
    Ever see that black and white footage of Elvis dancing? …  (only this sure ain’t Elvis) …
    Cute, though… :-)

  • Anonymous

    AJ has fanned 14 times in his last 35 ABs.  That’s 40 percent.   I wonder if he’s wearing down.

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

       wearing down and the book on him is much bigger now. I also think when no one is hitting everyone tries to do to much.

  • Anonymous

    Pence appears to have been taking pointers from Uribe.

  • Anonymous

    Funny thing this game … Especially when you look at the whole 162-game body…..
    …
    The highs, the lows, the mundane, the strange, the surprising, the funny, the sad, the miraculous….
    …
    Same team…same fan…But, such different sentiments at different times of the season…
    Gotta love it.
    …
    PS – I think this posting was a “haiku” … Ha. 

  • Anonymous

    Using Kennedy as a pinch-hitter with the game on the line epitomizes where things are with this club now.  The result was utterly predictable.

    • Anonymous

      A 1-6 pitcher with no business anywhere above AA and zero RBIs from the previous 30 or so batters might have had a little more to do with it than old man Adam. 

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

        Yeah, to be fair, Kennedy’s actually be fairly decent lately. Still should be a desperation pinch hitter only but that’s about where they were at that point.  He’s been contributing more than Uribe at least. Blame can be spread around but as has often been the case in this horrible past month, pitching all told is not the culprit as much as generally futile hitting.  Hoping that with Kemp and Ethier starting to get back in the swing of things it’ll pick up but this has certainly been a frustrating run.

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

    Kennedy just missed getting all of that and flying out to the outfield. 

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

    I’m assuming Colletti knows that if the Dodgers miss the playoffs he’ll be losing his job. Probably does.  

    The good news is, at least in some eyes, that’s a win-win scenario for fans!

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

       promise? :)

    • Anonymous

      Most realistic and probably best outcome for the future of the franchise. Keep the young pieces in the farm (we only have a few quality ones anyways), admit this year is a rebuild and spend big in FA and make a run in 2013.

      • Anonymous

         ”admit this year is a rebuild”…

        We’re only 2 out with almost 80 to play.  Once Kemp and Dre get back in the groove, we can easily take the lead back.

        I’m hoping for a playoff spot, even if hoping for Donnie B to get his very first pennant is a bit over-the-top.

      • Anonymous

         This is not a rebuild year. This is a year to win the division and then see what happens.

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

           plus rebuild how?

          • Anonymous

            It’s not necessarily ”rebuild” as much as I don’t want to see another Dotel incident. Our chances of getting an impact bat or star pitcher at the deadline are slim, in free agency they are much, much better.

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

             I agree.

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

    NPUT