August 12 game chat

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Jon Weisman

Dodgers at Marlins, 10:10 a.m.
Shane Victorino, LF
Mark Ellis, 2B
Matt Kemp, CF
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Andre Ethier, RF
Juan Rivera, 1B
Luis Cruz, 3B
Matt Treanor, C
Chris Capuano, P

Anonymous

Good morning everybody. Lets get the rubber game!
And thanks for the photo Jon
Anonymous

Mornin’ Artieboy.

Dodgers can’t lose a series to these Rocki…. uuuuuuh, Marlins, can they ??
Anonymous

These Fish unis are almost as ugly as the ones the Gnats wear on Fridays.

Meanwhile, Mellis should have had a double on that.

KT

while I agree he should have hustle to second base actually the inning should be over now

KT

That’s a nice break

Morning all
KT

Good hit and hustle Hanley
Anonymous

If Mellis had hustled out a double – why didn’t Lyons or Collins call him out for it? – that would have been a run.

KT

I wouldn’t know because I have Jeff Conine and somebody else talking to me

Anonymous

I can confirm that neither of them said a word about it even though Ellis could have jogged into second. Hanley, on the other hand, really hustled himself into a double.

Anonymous

Because Mellis is a gamer and he plays the game the right way. And he’s a hero because he faced death in the eye.

Please send more cliches to describe white infielders.

Anonymous

Fundamentally sound

Anonymous

Oh boy – here we go again.
Anonymous

Thoughtful of Ozzie to give Stanton – the scariest hitter on his roster – the day off.
KT

Come on Matty
KT

Chasing….Ugh
Anonymous

Why does Mattingly arrange the order so Kemp comes up with the bases loaded and he strikes out again?
KT

Make him throw strikes Hanley
KT

Should be standing on 1st…now come on
KT

Come on Dre
KT

bases loade no out and only 1 run scores…hope it doesn’t bite us
Anonymous

Man, Ethier has been terrible lately.
Anonymous

Maximum opportunity, minimum production.
http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/ Linkmeister

Dear me. Bases loaded, none out, one run. Futility, thy name is the Dodgers’ offense.

Did Kemp strike out on a slider low and away? Has he reverted to doing that again?

KT

yes but it might have been a change low and away

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

Whatever. I can tell the difference between fastball and curve, but anything else I don’t even try. Thanks.

http://veryolddodgerfan.blogspot.com/ veryolddodgerfan

is there anything easier in the world than snarking a baseball player. matt kemp is batting, i don’t know, 356? geez beat on every dodger if you feel a need to but i think you should at least give matt kemp a break.

Anonymous

Come on Matty. Maybe next time you’ll put the ball in play!
http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/ Linkmeister

I admire Kemp a lot, but if he’s started chasing those pitches again as he did earlier in his career, it can’t do anything but hurt him and the team. I’m sure he knows it.

http://veryolddodgerfan.blogspot.com/ veryolddodgerfan

darn it. Kemp just flied out. Has he reverted to doing that again. It could only hurt the team.

Anonymous

A lefty cannot throw him a slider low and away.

Anonymous

it was a change-up

Alex Chavez

we’re a Juan Pierre-ish offense. Singles, singles, singles, minimal damage.

Marlins yesterday, DBacks before that – doubles, doubles, runs!

Anonymous

Yeah, I don’t like the scipt the Dodgers seem to be working of a lot lately
Anonymous

Yep, and station-to-station, take no extra-bases, no hit-and-run, no run-and-hit offense as well.
Dodgers need to play more of the style Scioscia employs on the Angels – you know, the brand of baseball he learned coming up through the Dodgers organization – the “Dodgers way” as he has said.
When Aybar scored from second the other day on a SACRAFICE FLY, I thought to myself, “no way that ever happens on the Dodgers.” Sad, really.
Anonymous

But we have done better with the bases loaded today than we did yesterday. So are improving!!!

http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

Cappy hasn’t been perfect but he sure has been interesting so far.

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

He deserves about six more runs worth of support.

Anonymous

Kearns’s caught stealing is Donnie’s vision of a hit-and-run. Better to wait for the GIDP.

http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

Not sure what this means…?

Anonymous

In Donnieworld, nothing good can come of a hit and run. Waiting for the GIDP is his homage to Earl Weaver.

Anonymous

I think Mattingly has been worried about the Dodgers’ penchant for being caught stealing this year. They’ve been caught stealing 34 times, third most in the NL. They just have 77 steals. The DBacks are the worst, 65 steals and 40 times caught. The Pirates are 54 SB to 39 CS.

The record for GIDPs in a season was set last year by the Cardinals. They turned out OK.

Anonymous

With a guy like Loney, who makes good contact, it makes sense to try to open up a hole. Otherwise, it’s a made to order DP.
Anonymous

Only four position players for the Dodgers don’t have a GIDP: Victorino, Sellers, Sands, and Castellanos. Gordon hit into five of them.
Anonymous

Loney doesn’t make good contact, he just doesn’t strike out often which is what, I’m thinking, you meant.

Anonymous

most of the Dodgers are slow

Anonymous

According to Gameday’s pitch Fx, Kemp struck out on a 4-seam fast ball the first team and on a changeup the 2nd time.
Alex Chavez

at least there’s hope that ownership will bring some bats in this off-season instead of the re-treads surrounding our home-grown talent.

http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

They definitely will, though not like there’s a ton of obvious help in FA this next off-season. But I expect them to sign a big bat for 1st, 3rd or LF, at least one of those. Plus they will have HanRam back, which is nice.

And then only one more year after that for Puig, perhaps.

Anonymous

Youkilis may be available.

http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

I am feeling both nervous and excited now – though obviously wish Dodgers had a couple more runs so I could focus on enjoying Capuano more.

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

LeBlanc hasn’t exactly been bad, wriggling off several hooks himself. Remember that in Koufax’s perfect game the opposing pitcher threw a one-hitter himself.

http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

He’s been very good indeed. Dodgers haven’t taken advantage when they had opps, too.
Anonymous

Hello?

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

You can’t fool me. You’re not the same Bob Hendley.

Anonymous

Heck, of course not. But would you be the same if you threw the best game of your life and the guy pitching against you threw a perfecto?
http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/ Linkmeister

As Holmes said, “A touch, Watson! A distinct touch!”

Anonymous

Collins and Lyons ignore Rule No. 9.

KT

Nice hit Luis
http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

Just because a player has gotten better over time swinging at some down and away pitches does not mean that he will never make the mistake again. It’s baseball, not free-throw shooting.

Anonymous

Even Calvin Murphy missed the occasional free throw.
Anonymous

I could also mean reverting back to a bad habit. Hopefully this isn’t the case.

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

Rule 9 doesn’t apply to broadcasters.

http://profile.yahoo.com/MW2R2Q72LP22HKPEXB2ZZPHSZM dud dew

Rule 9: an extraordinary bit of narcissistic mopery….

Anonymous

I may have been a bit spoiled by the way the Dodgers started the season, but it just seems like they go long stretches without any hope of scoring runs lately.
Anonymous

Is giving the # of outs remaining a rule 9 violation?

Anonymous

No longer necessary
Anonymous

The question is moot.
http://www.twitter.com/ElJefedor Jeffrey Thomas III

Rule 9 no longer applies

KT

At least it was clean

Anonymous

And a guy on my fantasy team!

http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

Poop. Now I can go back to worrying about just winning the game.

Anonymous

In other words preserving the shut out.

Anonymous

What a fantastic performance by Capuano!!!!!

KT

It’s not over yet
http://veryolddodgerfan.blogspot.com/ veryolddodgerfan

in some other dodger chatrooms the “fans” are probably saying stuff like he still sucks, he’ll regress to the frickin mean, oh now people we’ll say he’s good when he really sucks, and other trash rather than he’s pitched a great game.

KT

Guillen just signed an autograph during the middle of the game…you don’t see that often

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

From watching The Franchise it seems Ozzie interacts with the crowd during games quite a bit.

KT

Good Hustle Mark
Alex Chavez

looking at list of possible free agents, names that stood out were Adam LaRoche, Stephen Drew, Mark Reynolds, Mike Napoli, Grady Sizemore, BJ Upton, and Nick Swisher.

Anonymous

LaRoche, Napoli and perhaps Upton are worth consideration.

Alex Chavez

Reynolds and Sizemore would be buy-low candidates that would still outproduce what we have right now.

I would be giddy to get Stephen Drew at SS for his age-27 through 30s years.

Anonymous

I’m not convinced of that. I like(d) Drew’s talent, but doubt he’ll ever a top-line player now after such a crippling injury.

Anonymous

No love for Josh Hamilton?

Alex Chavez

I figure Hamilton, Cano, and Granderson don’t sniff FA.

Anonymous

Napoli can play First.

KT

Nick hit Matty!

Come on Hanley
KT

Clint Barmes .216 GS put Pirates up on SD
KT

Good Hit Hanley!!

And excellent baserunning by Matty jumping over the SS
Anonymous

What’s with their organist playing bad background melodrama music?
Ha! Manram!
KT

Dre!!

Hanley running through the stop sign…pisses Eli off

Hanley wasn’t even looking at Wallach

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

Pisses who off?

KT

Tim “Eli” Wallach

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

I see, didn’t know that was a nickname of his.

Anonymous

Offense! I am so happy for Capuano.
Anonymous

This is comforting.
http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

Rule 9 is the least mysterious of the site rules. It’s exactly what it says it is. People always have questions about it, and I’ve never once given an answer that wasn’t clear from the rule itself.

Alex Chavez

It’s the Hee Sop Choi of rules.
Anonymous

Black letter law?

KT

Luis!!!
Anonymous

Collins and Lyons are spouting some of the worst drivel I’ve ever heard from them, and that’s saying a lot.

http://veryolddodgerfan.blogspot.com/ veryolddodgerfan

i think you’re just going to have to turn the volume off or have a surprising growth spurt of duck feathers

Anonymous

Finally, a breakthrough inning. I thought that donnie would pinch-hit Loney for Rivera against the righty.

http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

I thought he would too, but otherwise can’t complain. Thank God, I was starting to sweat this 1-0 thing. But HanRam, Ethier and Cruz came through.

Anonymous

KT: I liked your “Eli” designation for our third-base coach. Clever.

KT

That was his actual nickname during playing days

Anonymous

I did not know that. Loved Eli Wallach in “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.” One of my favorite films. He is a wonderful actor.

KT

Love that film and all those other spagetti westerns he teamed up with Clint

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

Thank you, MLB Video for capturing Kemp’s hop over the shortstop. Funny funny stuff. I’ll bet that shows up on SportsCenter or BB Tonight.

KT

yea it wasn’t a hurdle so I thought they were going to hold him at third

Alex Chavez

I think you send him because that’s obstruction on the SS, so you get home one way or another if you send him.

KT

even if the SS makes a play at the ball way before the runner is there?

Anonymous

A fielder who isn’t making a play can’t get in the way of a runner even if he had tried to make one before. But it’s better to not wait for obstruction to be called because then you make it so the umpires have to figure it out.
KT

Thanks BT thought it was a judgement call

Anonymous

What a wonderful dream! Taking a page from Jon’s earlier post, I just wanted to “Skip” to the end of the game, so I took a quick nap . . . and now pleasantly surprised to see the 4-spot!

It seems rare that Matt, Hanley, and Andre have hit in the same game, much less the same inning!

Hopefully that inning is a preview of coming attractions . . . and not just another tease!
http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

Hat tip to Cappy, he pitched a whale of a game. One more inning to go but he was outstanding. Thankful for the insurance, too. If they win this and win the series, that really erases the sour taste left by yesterday. Winning these tough road series this week will be huge, if they can stay within 1-2 games of SF in that period I’ll feel pretty good…

Anonymous

The Gnats have to play the Nats three or four times at The Phone Booth To Be Named Later this week. The Nats are my rational favorite (obviously not my sentimental favorite) to advance to the Series this year.

http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

Yeah, that should be a great series. Nats have great pitching and Giants have trouble scoring at home. Would love to see Rox sneak away with a win vs Zito today and up the pressure on Gnats vs Nats.

Anonymous

I think Zito is due for a bad start today. He’s been pitching better than he should lately.

Anonymous

He’s way overdue for a true stinker.

Anonymous

Dodger RBI leaders since the All-Star game (including today) — Kemp 18, Ramirez 18, Cruz 15.

http://veryolddodgerfan.blogspot.com/ veryolddodgerfan

but scoolew you know RBIs mean absolutely nothing

Anonymous

Just tell Hack Wilson that. LOL.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7VN5CNNJSLBZQXS3NX7DTIUTA4 jasonu

Gordon has 17rbi in 301ab this season but I am sure that’s just a product of where they hit in the order ..since All Star Cruz has 87ab I believe. I thought that Gordon was gonna get a chance as soon as he is healthy but then I thinkwhy is Hanley at SS then? It seems so Donnie can mix and match at 3b as if he really isn’t counting on Dee for this season.

KT

Come on Matty
Anonymous

Sorry, but I’m greedy and want to see even more out of the middle of the order.

Let’s give the Padres some plaudits for working over the Pirates’ pitchers this weekend.
KT

Good series win…now to go into Pittsburgh and do the same

Anonymous

3 out of 4 from the Bucs would be fantastic. It would let us all consider the possibility that the Dodgers have “turned the corner”. I kept wanting to think the Dodgers had “turned the corner” – after those past few sweeps – only to find that there is another corner up ahead.

Anonymous

Some of those corners have actually been walls.

Alex Chavez

Dan Haren has a $15 million club option this off-season. Might be available, only 32 years old.

Anonymous

he will be a free agent it seems
Anonymous

Haren’s been inconsistent this year, at least on the face of it.

Anonymous

Haren has had recurring back problems all year, which has been the root problem.

Anonymous

Any Baseball America subscribers who can give more details than this short piece:
The Dodgers’ defending National League Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw was named best NL pitcher in Baseball America’s “Tools Issue” survey of managers and front-office officials.Teammate Matt Kemp ranked third for best hitter and power hitter and second as the most exciting player. Dee Gordon was voted the second-fastest baserunner. James Loney was the third-best defensive first baseman and Chris Capuano had the second-best pickoff move.On the Minor League level, Tim Federowicz was named best defensive catcher in the Pacific Coast League; Garrett Gould had the best breaking pitch in the California League; C.J. Retherford was the best defensive third baseman in the California League; James Baldwin was named fastest baserunner in the Midwest League; and Albuquerque’s Lorenzo Bundy was the best managing prospect in the Pacific Coast League.

Anonymous

They’re saying CC has a better pickoff move than Kershaw? Really?
Anonymous

Who’s faster than Gordon?

Anonymous

That’s what I was thinking WB.
Anonymous

According to BA, Trout is.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/majors/best-tools/2012/2613859.html

Anonymous

I knew Trout was quick, but I didn’t that quick. Is this based on clocking the two of them, or is it just anecdotal?

Anonymous

With Alex White having used almost half of Tracy’s pitch quota in gifting three runs to the Gnats in the first, it’s up to Zito to get the Dodgers back in a tie for the lead.
Anonymous

I see Zach Lee got his first win for Chattanooga yesterday. Not a great performance, but an okay one, and good enough for the W.

Anybody know why Yasiel Puig didn’t play yesterday? The Arizona Dodgers play under the lights tonight, with the game starting at 7 pm in whatever time zone Arizona is in today.

Anonymous

Arizona is in the Mountain Time Zone. But they do not utilize Daylight Saving Time. So basically, in the summer time they are the same as California, Nevada, Oregon, etc..; But in the winter they are the same as Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, etc..

Anonymous

I knew that.

Anonymous

Zito is starting to give it back, and quickly.

Anonymous

That’s the free game on MLB.TV today.

Anonymous

Not in the East Bay, it isn’t, because the money-hungry Gnats black out everything they can.

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

Including Hawai’i. But the Dodgers game a few weeks back on ESPN also was blacked out for me. The teams and MLB are getting more aggressive/greedy, or that was an aberration. I hope the latter.

Anonymous

Castellanos just went yard for the ‘topes. Which is one base more than his triple last night. Last night he had ONLY two hits while teammates Sands, SVS, and Herrera all had three, including taters for Sands and SVS.
Anonymous

Zito has let the Rox tie it up, on a sac fly by pitcher Alex White, who it appears will be allowed to pitch the four despite 66 pitches through three.
Anonymous

Zito and gas-can reliever Kontos give away the lead to the Rox, including a go-ahead single by the Rox own gas-can Carlos Torres (who, unfortunately, will apparently pitch the bottom of the sixth).
Anonymous

it’s nice that Hanley Ramirez is “singling his way into our hearts” but that’s not the “roll” the Dodgers want him to play, they need him to hit for more power man!

Anonymous

If he can keep getting two or three hits per game, the power will come.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7VN5CNNJSLBZQXS3NX7DTIUTA4 jasonu

I think also he is avg’ing more than a rbi per game.

Anonymous

This thought applies equally to Kemp and Ethier, not to mention our first baseman, whoever he is…
Anonymous

Singling his way into our hearts hasn’t worked for Loney, well, not for all of us.

Anonymous

Shoot – the pesky gnats just won again, coming back from 2 down on a Hunter Pence 3-run homer in the bottom of their 5-run eighth.
Anonymous

Pence with a big 3-run bomb in the 8th for the Gnats to win it.
Anonymous

All we can do is just keep winning and the standings will take care of themselves because surely the Gnats will lose more games than us
Anonymous

One game back is fine by me – the halos lost again to the last place Mariners today to fall 8 back of the Rangers – and a game and a half back of the 2nd-place Athletics.
Anonymous

So the Pirates for 4 huh?

Anyone here imagine, after Dodgers swept the Bucs in their Home-opener series this year, that we’d be 2.5 games back of those same Bucs in the wild-card standings at the end of play Aug 12th?

Naw, didn’t think so.

Anonymous

The Pirates have been good, but the Padres made their ‘pen work a lot of innings the last few days.

I honestly don’t care about the “wild card.” This is not horse racing. It should be first place or no place.

Anonymous

Last year, the wild card ended in 1st place.

Anonymous

With an asterisk.

Anonymous

? asterisk for what ?

Anonymous

I have discovered that the Netherlands is still a good place to go if you are in the windmill tilting business.

Not many left in Andalucia anymore.

KT

Along with the bull billboards they are few and far between

http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

Two intriguing Yasiel Puig-related tweets just now (I’d been wondering since he was not in the AZ Dodgers lineup yesterday):

The first tweet is from a minor league person (can’t tell if player or scout):
SL ‏@sp11ke #Dodgers Yasiel Puig is in the stands here at Rancho Cucamonga. I guess his 1.500 OPS in 9 AZL games was enough.

Jon Heyman ‏@JonHeymanCBS: Scout says little-seen cuban OF yasiel puig, who signed for $42M w/#dodgers, is a “huge talent”

Anonymous

RC would be a jump of two levels for him (RC is Hi-A, Great Lakes is Lo-A). So if that’s where he’s headed after 9 games, that would certainly be the fast track.

http://underdog.typepad.com/ underdog

Yah, it is, though maybe not a huge surprise given the investment in him and where they see his talent. Curious, too–the Midwest League is considered more of a pitcher’s league and the Cal League more of a hitter’s league so it’s more favorable for him in that sense, even if it is another level higher. Anyway, guess we’ll know more officially tomorrow.
Anonymous

3 levels counting Ogden
Puig not in AZL Dodger line-up tonight. don’t forget he might be hurt or need a rest. He was taken out early in some lopsided games for example

Anonymous

Even His Barriness needed to play over 100 before hitting the show.

Price had to throw 144 innings.

Wonder what the fastest of the fast tracks is for Yasiel? This time next year?

Anonymous

Not a good outing for Chris Reed today. He’s getting stretched out, this time to 4 IP, but he allowed 6 H 2 BB 4 ER.

I previously mentioned that Castellanos went yard. He ended up 3 for 5, a triple short of the cycle. And Jer-ry hit his 23rd tater.
Anonymous

Incidentally, old friend Trayvon Robinson (“We hardly knew ya”) was called up to the Mariners a couple of weeks ago after a so-so season in the PCL (.740 OPS).
Anonymous

So, the Bucs series has an added element of relevance. We’re coming into it 2.5 back of them. If we win the first 3, our destiny will theoretically be in our own hands, regardless of the Gs, in terms of a playoff spot.

For whatever reason, BP likes the cards much more than the bucs for the postseason, despite them also being 2.5 back.

Anonymous

‘been there, done that’ I guess

Anonymous

Yeah, no kidding. The Bucs have been horrible since Barry left. The idea of them and the Nats both in the playoffs would have blown minds just 18 months ago.

Anonymous

Yep – the Bucs :
Andrew McCutchen leads MLB with a .363 BA – named NL’s Player of the Month in June (.370 w/ 26 RBI) and again in July (.446 w/ 15 RBI). The first Pirate to be named twice in the same season since Bobby Bonilla in 1988. He has 23 HR, 78 Runs, 69 RBI’s and 14 SB’s for the season.
Anonymous

More Bucs :
Neil Walker – 65 RBI ranks 2nd among MLB second-basemen.
Rookie Starling Marte – 4 HR and 10 RBI since being called up 2 weeks ago.
Burnett leads the rotation with a 3.32 and a 14-4 record – scheduled to pitch Thursday’s game.
Old friend James McDonald from Long Beach (10-5) started strong but hasn’t won since July 18, allowing 20 earned runs in 21 1/3 innings over his last 4 starts.
Anonymous

And don’t be down late to the Pirates – Hanrahan leads the league in saves with 33.
When the Pirates lead after 7 innings, their record is 54-1.

Anonymous

Thanks for all information on the Pirates. Should be a good series.

Anonymous

BUT – before the Bucs dropped 11 runs on the hapless Friars today, they were just 4-6 in thier last 10 games – so, the Dodgers could be catching them at a ripe time.
http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

NPUT

Dodger Thoughts

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

August 12 game chat