Elbert returns to DL

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Dodgers at Rockies, 12:10 p.m.
Mark Ellis, 2B
Shane Victorino, CF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Luis Cruz, 3B
Andre Ethier, RF
Juan Rivera, LF
A.J. Ellis, C
Joe Blanton, P

Scott Elbert is following Chad Billingsley back to the disabled list. Shawn Tolleson will rejoin the bullpen.

Matt Kemp is day to day but not expected to hit the DL.

  • Anonymous

    Cruz creeping up the lineup.  I expect to see him in the two-spot before season’s end.  His OBP is 30 points higher than Victorino’s.

    Verducci’s SI piece ranks Colletti as a winner in the trade summing up.  Maybe some other franchise will recognize his proven veteran leadership and take him off the Dodgers’ hands. 

    • Anonymous

      Perhaps Colletti could be booted upstairs somehow.

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jim-Hitchcock/1676059435 Jim Hitchcock

         The bodyguard for Jamie position is no longer available. Maybe he can replace Vladimir Shpunt, whose google listing reads:

        `Unemployed scientist and healer turned freelance healer. In the baseball world, I am what you call free agent’.

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

           What a country!

          • Anonymous

            Yeah, Rasputin didn’t have the benefit of placing something in the classified section.

      • Anonymous

        The concessions staff is desperately in need of a guy who can recognize better-than-average ROI on utility infielders. 

  • Anonymous

    When will our solid starting pitching return.  If it doesn’t come back soon, this will be a long September.

    • Anonymous

      Just an occasional 123 first inning would be nice

      • Anonymous

         Getting an early lead would be even better.

        • Anonymous

          Ta da!

  • Anonymous

    All of a sudden our back two in the rotation have morphed from Cap and Harang to Blanton and Beckett. It is what it is!

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

    I don’t believe in “must win” games per se, just yet, but this one kinda feels close to it. But hopefully I won’t then feel horribly depressed if they don’t “must-win” it.  The first two games of this series were depressing enough.

    Some better news though: Yasiel Puig will play in the AZ Fall League, it was just announced. Haven’t seen full list of players yet.

    • Anonymous

      If Puig continues his rapid progress, he will be on the Dodgers a year from now, maybe sooner.

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

        puig koolaid

        • Anonymous

          I like mine with a little bit of Havana Club (12 year).

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

            i don’t always drink Puig koolaid but when I do I like mine with a little bit of Havana Club (12 year)

        • Anonymous

          Is this to say it is wrong to pull for him, or that he is overpaid, or that you think he’ll never pan out?

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

            it’s to say people highly over value prospects. i hope he turns into a star. but it’s ill advised to talk about him like he’s automatically getting to the majors in a year.

          • Anonymous

            That completely makes sense to me.  The koolaid comment threw me.

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

            you’ll be surprised but I agree with you, shouldn’t count on him being in the majors next year, though a september call up would not surprise me. They didn’t pay him that kind of money to just sit in the minors for a few years, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have to earn a callup.  So far so good, but we’ll see how he does when in AA next year.  That said, I think it’s not unreasonable to think, given his talent, the scouting reports and how he’s done SO far, to expect him in the majors in 2014. 

    • Anonymous

      I agree on the importance of this game. Yeah for Puig :)

  • foul tip

    Apparently this game is mlb.tv’s freebie of the day.

  • Anonymous

    Ok, maybe not a “must win”, but please let’s not give up any early runs to fall behind, otherwise I will need to secure all the sharp objects in the house and batten down the furniture.

  • Anonymous

    From the previous topic:

    >> foul tip
    >> Verducci offers the almost-obligatory winners/losers take on the trade.  He thinks both teams won, at least for now, and looks at some individuals, too.
    >> http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/tom_verducci/08/27/dodgers-red-sox-trade-winners-losers/index.html

    He had a lot to say about someone named “Allen Watson”.  :)

    He also mentions Brad Ausmus as a candidate for BoSox cagemaster, I mean manager.

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

    bad toss by hanley

    • Anonymous

      Thank goodness for the backhand.  I was on the verge of missing Dee!

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

        i have to admit hanley isn’t as bad a defensive ss as i anticipated. not a marked dropoff at all from Cruz. but that doesn’t mean he should be playing SS. he makes errors like the one on the double play that don’t get called. and he doesn’t get to the balls up the middle. he defends in slow motion.

        • Anonymous

          At this point in time, he’s a better fielding shortstop than Dee Gordon.

          Cruz, maybe not, but I think I like Cruz-HR at third-short rather than short-third.

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

            you are delusional. however i say that in a nice way.

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

            to clarify. if dee wasn’t hitting he’d be on my bench too but to say he’s a worse fielding shortstop is not accurate except by error count which doesn’t tell the entire story.

  • Anonymous

    Blanton lucky that one went through.

  • Anonymous

    Very nice backhand pick by Hanley.

  • Anonymous

    That was a better first inning than the last two nights.

    • Anonymous

       Understatement in action.

  • Anonymous

    Incredibly ugly swing from Ethier.

  • Anonymous

    Collins praises Victorino for making a routine play look routine.

  • foul tip

     MLB TV freebie game of the day, I said….Right.   Maybe if I could find my almost never used stupid password.

    And if MLB ever sends the replacement PW promised.  Grrrrrrrrrr……….

    • https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

      Hang in there FT

  • Anonymous

    AJ BABIPs – about time one of these fell in for the Dodgers.

  • Anonymous

    That was overdue.

  • Anonymous

    great situational hitting…  wish the rest of the D’s had mellis’ basic baseball iq

    • Anonymous

       It’s about time the Dodgers had a little luck.

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

      you mean a  groundball to first base that was kicked or rivera wouldn’t have scored

      • Anonymous

         yes, i mean a reasonably slow grounder to the right side with inspired baserunning to make it a hit

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

          i thought for sure it was the 1b man kicking the ball 30 feet that was key. situational hitting would have been hitting a medium deep fly ball to score the run.

          • Anonymous

            Compared to the line drives to infield gloves, bunts into GIDPs, and popups we’ve had this year with RISP, that piece of hitting was pure Ted Williams.

  • Anonymous

    I’ll take a run any way we can get it, even if it’s “gifted” by the opposing team.

    • Anonymous

      Or two.

      • Anonymous

        Or six.

        Obviously something is wrong with Gameday today.

  • Anonymous

    Yesssss a lead with 2 on and no outs…. time to pile on… hopefully!

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

    We’re having one of those innings that the Rockies have been enjoying this week! Feels good to be on the other side.

  • Anonymous

    Thank you Agon!

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

    And it gets better! HanRam!

  • Anonymous

    Now this is more like it!

  • Anonymous

    Maybe we get a Bison bounce, like the giants got a Melky bounce.

    • Anonymous

       I hope and expect the Gnats will sign Pagan to Melky’s contract.

  • Anonymous

    OK Blanton, show us what a bunch of whiny jerks we are.

    • Anonymous

       So far, so good.

  • Anonymous

    just saw the HR, boy that was flat, I loved Pomeranz’s reaction afterwards!

  • Anonymous

    Finally doing what you’re supposed to against the Rox. 

  • Anonymous

    I know Tommy John surgery is a big deal, but with Crawford coming back next year and over 20 million for each of our outfielders for 5 years, where does that leave Puig?

    • Anonymous

      Still at least 2 years away.

      • Anonymous

         Probably.

      • Anonymous

        That seems pessimistic.

        Is international ball like he played for Fidel really that many rungs underneath MLB?

        OPS 1.185 with 2/3 of those at AA really isn’t all that shabby of a start.

        • Anonymous

          They can put together a pretty good team for international play with usually a couple of guys who seem to be about mlb ready.  I saw Chapman in the last WC and he certainly showed the raw talent, for example.  But but not sure how high one can rate their domestic league, where Puig would have received the bulk of his experience. (I haven’t seen any games at that level).  But, he seems to be taking like a fish to water in the hitter friendly AA league where he is performing now.

        • Anonymous

          Right now he’s with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, which is the Hi-A level.  He’s not yet at AA (Chattanooga Lookouts, pitcher-friendly league) or AAA (Albuquerque Isotopes, hitter-friendly league). Obviously any advancement will depend on how well he does at each level.

          • Anonymous

            Sorry, I make that mistake all the time.

            RC is a one-hour drive, while chattanooga is a 30-hour one…  easy to forget it exists

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

     If Puig can start, Puig will start.  Do not worry. These are problems we want to have.

    • Anonymous

       Ah, but in the land of pure fantasy, would he replace Andre vs a lefty playoff starter 5 weeks from now?

      • Anonymous

         That’s pessimism.

        • Anonymous

          It’s extremely unlikely that he would replace anyone.  On the off chance they bring him up for a look during roster expansion, I would only expect to see him in the late innings of blowouts.

          • Anonymous

             Doubt it’s gonna happen.

  • Anonymous

    Back to wasting opportunities.

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

      you’re a hard man to please

      • Anonymous

        Kemp, Gonzalez and AJ (and Ethier vs. righties) will be on base a lot, so there will plenty of opportunities to waste, which is a good thing.

      • Anonymous

         I want to see a sustained offense.

        • Anonymous

          I don’t care about sustained offense.  I want to see WINS!!!

        • Anonymous

          Happy?

          • Anonymous

            YES!

  • Anonymous

    Mauer has cleared waivers, but I don’t know whether Treanor has.

    • Anonymous

       I remember how outrageous his contract seemed not so long ago – not so nutty in the climate of the past few weeks here in Guggenheimia.

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

    Absolutely have to tip your hat to Blanton. None of us expected this in Coors, but the team sure did, desperately, need it.  If he can get through the 7th that saves the pen more wear and tear, too. 

    • Anonymous

      Careful U-Dawg.  You speakth perhaps much too soonth. (OK, now well done Blanton!)

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

        I did worry for about 20 seconds but then stopped worrying. Now I’m *really* not worried. ;)

        • Anonymous

          I am pretty relaxed myself now, but WBB may still be on the edge of his seat waiting for some more sustained offense.

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

    AJ!!!!!!! That was good to see.  

  • Anonymous

    Rocks still getting bloops, but no bombs.

  • T.M. Brown

    I missed that Ellis GS so rewound and noticed that the dugout didn’t seem too, um, excited? I got the feeling that AJ might just be a very serious and ungregarious guy but that’s a major “hey what do I know?” sort of comment. 

    • Anonymous

      Ha!  You need to see the show he has with Kershaw (I don’t have the link).

    • Anonymous

       They’re as frustrated as we are that the offense hasn’t been more spread out game-to-game over the past week.

  • Anonymous

    Tolleson got squeezed, but also threw BP.

  • Anonymous

    Blanton the stopper!
    Good thing Dodgers built that huge lead – Tolleson making sure Mattingly won’t use him in any high leverage situations any time soon.

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

    You have got to be kidding me.

  • Anonymous

    This is getting scary

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

    Come on bull pen! You were spotted a 9 run lead, shut it down.

  • Anonymous

    Blanton saved the pen, but the pen can’t seem to save itself.

  • Anonymous

    This could turn into a huge nightmare of a game.

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

    Bring in Jensen, now!

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

    This is embarrassing. Please stop the bleeding.

  • Anonymous

    Well, with a 10-1 lead going into the bottom of the 8th, never thought I would type this, but – it sure would be nice to get a few insurance runs here.

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

     Maybe they should get Kershaw ready.(kidding)

  • Anonymous

    Forget it Jake, it’s Mile High Town.

  • Anonymous

    Losing this game is not an option.

  • Anonymous

    Thank goodness for AJ’s blast

  • Anonymous

    um excuse me… did I miss something?  Where did our lead go and where the heck is Jansen??

    • Anonymous

      I also wondered about KJ.  Could have been he just threw too many pitches yesterday.

      • Anonymous

         Oh ok.  I thought he hadn’t pitched prior to yesterday in a while, but I admit I didn’t follow the end of the game yesterday due to complete frustration….

  • Anonymous

    Not as satisfying as it should have been, but I’ll take it.

  • Anonymous

    Beli got burned on the K, but it all worked out for the best.

  • Anonymous

    I’ve had a bit of low blood pressure lately, so this may have been good for me.

  • Anonymous

    I’m glad I wasn’t watching this game.  I was looking in only once in a while.  One minute I saw it was 6-1, then I heard Gameday rolling video which means the game was over, and my jaw dropped when I saw the final score.

  • Anonymous

    Hawk harrelson was right about that ump lol

  • Anonymous

    Happy about the win, but unhappy about giving up 8 runs to the Rockies AAA team ….

  • Anonymous

    42 hits and 26 runs for the Rocks in the 3-game series.

  • Anonymous

    Who was more responsible for the 8th inning theatrics Blanton or Tolleson?

    • Anonymous

      Tolleson.

  • Anonymous

    For all the talk about how the Rockies have the Dodgers number this season, the Dodgers are 7-8 against them, with three games to go at DS.

  • Anonymous

    A win is a win is a win

    • Anonymous

      Absolutely! Now time to watch the scoreboard.

  • https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

    Glad I could FFWD through the bottom of the 8th otherwise my blood pressure would have been through the roof
     
    Good crazy win…we definitely needed it now here’s to the Astros taking one from the Gnats
     
    Didn’t get to watch the game live even though I was home…I had to finishleaning the house for my wife and in-laws coming into SD from Morocco. They will arrive in about an hour.
     
    Can’t wait to see my wife and son, they have been gone since 6/11

    Off to the airport…take care all

  • Anonymous
    • Anonymous

      That’s sad.  I’m hoping for the best long term for KJ.

  • Anonymous

    Troubling news on Jansen.

  • Anonymous

    And SF is up 1- 0 already.

    • Anonymous

      Make it 4-0 now :(

      • Anonymous

        Oh,dear.    and I was amazed by the “Allen Watson” story too. I don’t know what to feel or say as we go through these emotional streaks. Just a handfull of years ago I would have made emotional and stupid comments as we lost two games to Colorado at a time when we had improved personel and needed to win. I just hope we settle in to a bit of consistancy and with this maybe even win the West.

      • Anonymous

        4-3 is closer

  • Anonymous

    I still think we can outlast the G’s in the postseason, but I’m starting to give up on winning the west.  Their schedule is just too easy, Bochy has too much experience winning the division with mediocre talent, and our new billionaire boys’ club is gelling too slowly.

    • Anonymous

      Fighting with Bucs and Cards for 2nd WC is not going to be much easier

    • Anonymous

      They’re still the Gnats.

    • Anonymous

      Bochy had to use all his managerial skills to get the Padres to win the 2005 NL West with an 82-80 record. Or just have a team that wasn’t quite as bad as the other four teams that year.

  • Anonymous

    Wow.  We had two reliable members of the bullpen before today, and now we’re down to one.  It’s going to be tough watching the late innings from here on out.

    • Anonymous

      Yeah, I agree; right now I don’t have a lot of confidence in Wall, Wright, Tolleson, League, or Choate.

      I assume that Guerra comes back if Jansen goes to the DL.  And Guerrier might be ready by this weekend, when rosters expand.

      Beyond that, there’s not much left worth bringing up.  Maybe Fife?  I assume Rubby’s off limits.

      • Anonymous

        Department of Dirty Tricks: Bring up Rubby and wear him out down the stretch, thus making Boston gunshy about naming him the PTBNL.  Substitute Jon Ely for him in a plan brown bag after the season ends.  Bring Rubby back in 2013 after suitable interval.

  • Anonymous

    Less rough tonight.

  • Jason Allen

    I’m hoping that the ‘pen is just getting their bad outings out of their system now before crunch time begins. I’m not panicking…yet.

  • Anonymous

    Bullpen question: if Guerrier is activated in September is he eligible for the post season?

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

       Anyone in the organization now can make their way onto the postseason roster. It’s very easy to put an injured player on the roster and then replace him with someone else from the organization.

      • Anonymous

        I’m still in the stone age. I still have September 1st as the deadline.

        • Anonymous

          That is correct except when a replacement is needed for someone going on the DL.

  • Jibin Park

    Looks like Brandon League is the closer (at least for today).

    • Anonymous

      Hopefully, no “closer” is needed. I’d rather see the return of Guerra than any appearance whatsoever from League.

  • Anonymous

    The lack of a closer could be a blessing.  It will give Mattingly the freedom he enjoyed last year to use his bullpen as the situation dictates, rather than according to some one-size fits-all theory.  Mixing and matching is what allowed Bochy to bring in the lefty Lopez to stifle Ethier in the ninth innings of the last three games v. the Giants.  The Dodgers don’t have anybody as good as that, but Choate has been rather devastating on lefties.  Saving him for the ninth, along with Guerra or Belisario as the situation dictates might be a good thing. 

    Still, I’d rather have Jansen in that arsenal.

    • Anonymous

      I understand what you are saying, but do you think Bochy would have gone to Lopez in those situations if Brian Wilson was on the hill?

      • Anonymous

         TMAEITW, who was never that great, may never be on the hill again.

      • Anonymous

        That’s my point.  Not having a “Closer” gave him the freedom to bring in the pitcher most likely to succeed in each situation.  

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

    NPUT

  • Anonymous

    I just noticed from reading MSTI that Game 162, Wednesday 10/3 is a 4:15 pm start at Dodger Stadium against the Giants.

    The winner of that game will be whichever team gets hits by the most pitches. Because nobody will be able to see anything.