Luis Cruz, hero

Posted on September 15, 2012 by Jon Weisman

Wrap your troubles in a two-run home run from Andre Ethier and a three-run home run from Luis Cruz, and dream your troubles away.

Clayton Kershaw’s troublesome right hip could sideline him from his scheduled Sunday start in favor of Stephen Fife or John Ely.
As expected, Don Mattingly will return to manage the Dodgers in 2013, Dodger general manager Ned Colletti confirmed. Presumably, Colletti felt comfortable doing so because he’ll be returning next year as well. (Update: More than presumably.)
Matt Kemp is 5 for 44 with two walks and a .375 OPS since hitting the wall in Colorado.

Cardinals at Dodgers, 6:10 p.m.
Mark Ellis, 2B
Shane Victorino, LF
Matt Kemp, CF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Andre Ethier, RF
Luis Cruz, 3B
A.J. Ellis, C
Joe Blanton, P

Anonymous

Giving credit where credit is due, I want to add words of praise for Elián Herrera (drawing a leadoff PH walk), Mattingly (for apparently calling a hit-and-run), and Victorino (for executing it perfectly and then scoring from first on AGon’s double).
Anonymous

Colletti should have gone into politics.

Anonymous

He’s from the right town

Anonymous

Wherever he’s from, he is a master at sucking up to those employing him or writing about him at any given time.

Anonymous

I like your post better without the last two words.

Anonymous

Me too.

Anonymous

Good to see the new owners aren’t knee-jerk reactionaries when it comes Management – nothing worse than teams firing Managers and GM’s every season their team (players) underperform.
Lasorda didn’t make the playoffs every year either.
Also, anyone who thought just because the Dodgers made some big moves with a month to go in the season that it would gaurantee them a trip to the playoffs (let alone a trip to the WS) just doesn’t know much about sports in general, and baseball in particular.

Anonymous

Amusing how extending Colletti is now a good move if Kasten and the new ownership are the ones who sign off on it.

Anonymous

It’s a terrible move, unless Kasten is the de facto GM and Colletti (while keeping the title) is just kept around because he knows where all the supplies are kept.

Anonymous

They are not giving him an extension to do nothing. Let’s just admit that this is yet another terrible move and brace ourselves for an ugly offseason.
Anonymous

He is good at giving ex Giant players a lot of money before they get out of baseball. Who knows, maybe he gets a cut?

Anonymous

While both the wall and the hamstring have clearly disrupted Kemp’s batting, I suggest the true culprit is that, for some reason, Matt visibly changed his batting stance during his fifty-game absence.

Since his promotion to the majors, Matt’s stance was square. He’d climb in, and then he’d move his right foot toward the plate twice. He was baseball’s best hitter last year and started this season on fire, but shortly before his hamstring injury, desperate pitchers started pounding him inside, with notable success.

Upon his return, having struggled most recently against inside pitches, he has closed his stance! He no longer moves his back foot forward after taking his stance, leaving him noticeably closed. The result has been, even before his run-in with Denver’s wall, a nearly complete lack of power. Good hitters get jammed, but Matt Kemp is jamming himself now. And, of course, by now it’s becoming mental.
Anonymous

The Pirates may have been inspired by their slumpmates the Dodgers. They lead 3-0 over the Cubs in the third.
foul tip

Baseball Renaissance man R.A. Dickey wins the Branch Rickey Award for yet more endeavors beyond the playing field.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/mets-pitcher-r-dickey-wins-185530682–mlb.html
Anonymous

Interesting game for Francisco Liriano in Minnesota through six innings for the White Sox.
Anonymous

Kreshaw’s hip still ailing, not good

Anonymous

Not worried about Kreshaw, but Kershaw is a different matter.

Anonymous

Me thinks Blanton would be the prototypical ‘Guy’. Even his name screams it.
Anonymous

The Pirates snapped their 7-game losing streak (I think it was that long) with a 7-6 win in Chicago. Joel Hanrahan struck out Dave Sappelt with the bases loaded to end the game.
Anonymous

After the way he’s hit the last few games, I was thinking Adrian Gonzalez was the one guy that didn’t need replacing.
Anonymous

Stephen Fife getting the call to start tomorrow according to JP Hoonstra of the Daily News. Kershaw off to see a hip specialist in New York.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

-Kemp injured early after getting off to an MVP start
-Lots of trades and turnover/pressure that along with Kemp and his flashy .375 OPS have recently crippled the offense
-injuries to our mid infield defense
-Lilly getting injured after a great start.
-Billingsley going down. The second time a real mental hurdle as he was dominating.
-Closers going down (first Javy then Jansen)
-Kershaw now battling injury

And we still have a chance at the post season……

Anonymous

God Bless America!

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

”Good morning. Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here
will join others from
around the world, and you will be launching the largest aerial
battle in the history of mankind.
Mankind, that word should have new meaning for all of us today. We
can’t be consumed by our petty differences any more. We will be united
in our common interest. Perhaps it’s fate that today is the 4th of
July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom. Not from
tyranny, oppression, or persecution, but from annihilation. We’re
fighting for our right to live, to exist and should we win the day, the
4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the
day when the world declared in one voice, ‘We will not go quietly into
the night! We will not vanish without a fight!
We’re going to live on, we’re going to survive.’ Today we celebrate
our independence day!”

President Thomas Whitmore

July 4th, 1996
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

^_^

http://www.facebook.com/roger.miller.9028 Roger Miller

Wow – the Colletti extension is just another non-inspired move by an ownership that has been bold (at least monetarily) but not very clever. Colletti flat-out is terrible at franchise development and building. The Dodgers’ farm system, a real jewel when Colletti came aboard six years ago, is now in the bottom 10 in MLB. A parade of mediocre (or worse) vets like Uribe, Rivera, etc. who come and go has been endless with virtually nothing to show for it. Due diligence on big dollar acquisitions has been questionable. For a GM who has basically run a “win-now” program the record has been thin aside these past three seasons. Meanwhile now useful major leaguers like James MacDonald, Edwin Jackson, and Cody Ross were discarded for nothing because they didn’t fit the brand-name vet profile.
It’s simply another blow to Dodger fans that despite the ability of new ownership to throw serious money at this franchise, it simply won’t be spent intelligently.

http://twitter.com/plaza234 plaza23

If the team doesnt win next year, a new guy will be brought in to blow it up. Surprised Mattingly survived though honestly.

Anonymous

I too am surprised that Donnie has survived. He makes changes for the sake of making changes. He wins last night and today he changes the lineup again. He is guiding this team by the seat of his pants.

Anonymous

You mean like moving the players who hit lefties well up to the top of the order and dropping the guy who doesn’t hit lefties well to the bottom?

Anonymous

Yea, like putting in Ellis for Ethier. He must be as smart as a bag of rocks. Get real.

Anonymous

And, don’t forget, compounding the gripes aobut making-changes-for-the-sake-of-making changes is his sudden stubborn refusal to even tweak the post-big-trade lineup for what, 2 weeks? During which said lineup couldn’t do anything right.
Anonymous

I am unsurprised and unenthusiastic. I will be intrigued to see, though, if he ever orders another hit-and-run.

Anonymous

There was no reason to wait for the next year. It’s not fair to judge some of his moves with the benefit of hindsight, but that doesn’t mean it’s not obvious that the Dodgers were better off going in a different direction. At this point, I am almost convinced that Kasten hates the Dodgers.

Anonymous

Cody Ross? You really think most teams in the Dodgers situation at that time would have kept a fifth outfielder with no options and released an outfielder like Kenny Lofton.

It was Cody Ross.

Most people did not even know he was on the team.

And it’s not like he became an instant success after he left.

Cody Ross?

Really?

Cody Ross?

http://twitter.com/plaza234 plaza23

Didnt they keep Repko instead of Ross? DFA’ing Werth wasnt exactly the smartest move either.

Anonymous

Werth was non-tendered.

For most of 2006, the Dodgers outfielders were Drew, Lofton, Ethier, Repko, and Jose Cruz, Jr. The Dodgers gave up on Cruz eventually and called up Kemp.
Anonymous

I liked Cody Ross back then. He had a two-homer game days before they released him to keep Jason “The Little Engine That Couldn’t” Repko.

Anonymous

Repko was a Dodgers first round draft pick, so he was always going to get priority.

Ross was actually traded to the Reds for a minor leaguer and not let go on waivers. And the Reds sold him to Florida after playing just one game for them. And not many people cared about Ross until the Giants picked up him because they realized that Jose Guillen, their first choice for the outfield, was horrible.
Anonymous

But Guillén was an outstanding source of PEDs.
Anonymous

If Kenny Lofton hadn’t gotten hurt in spring training, Ross would have been let go then and nobody would have ever cared.
Anonymous

It was a seven-RBI game if I recall correctly.

Anonymous

And Edwin Jackson didn’t become a good player until he exhausted all of his arb. years as a 4.0 ERA guy. Colletti made enough bad moves that it doesn’t make sense to fabricate new ones.

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

USC 7-0

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

sure wish the UCLA game was on also…they looked great last week

Anonymous

The Pac-12 Network is only available in the Maritime Provinces of Canada and Aruba.

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

It’s strange that I pull for UCLA basketball since dad took me too all the wooden championship games and I pull for both SC and UCLA football except for when they play head to head then I pull for SC except when I was young I couldn’t decide who I wanted to win
Anonymous

Ooh, I happen to be in the Maritime Province of New Brunswick! But there are way better things to be doing here than watching PAc 12 football.

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

Blasphemy ^_^

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

And just like that the game is tied 7-7

Anonymous

A seven-run inning?

Anonymous

Kershaw scratching makes it sound like he could be done for the year. If that’s the case, I can’t see the Dodgers having any chance at all.

Anonymous

He could have the same kind of labrum problem as Hairston. If he goes down, the Dodgers will piece together a 4-man rotation of Beckett, Capuano, Harang, and Blanton.

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

Oh, THAT instills lots of confidence in me.

Anonymous

I would also add that the Dodgers have a better than 50/50 chance of winning tonight, which would put them in a tie for a playoff spot. So who knows.

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

I think he’s looking toward making it through the playoffs with a questionable rotation

http://twitter.com/FredosDog Fredo’s Dog

Oh man, this is going to make things tough. I still think we can pull it out, but what is the math on us winning the division by 5-plus games and the Giants finishing behind Arizona? Here’s hoping a lot of guys “revert to form.”
http://twitter.com/FredosDog Fredo’s Dog

I hope that injury wasn’t the result of a mechanical failure. Kershaw can be one of the greats.
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

4th and 19 and the Sc makes it…now 1st and goal
http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/ Linkmeister

This may be same old news about Kershaw: http://tinyurl.com/8fw5fkq

“Kershaw would not speak with the media. The club withheld comment about
chances for labral surgery — which is arthroscopic but not minor,
requiring a rehab of three to five months — until Tuesday’s second
opinion.

But Mattingly said he’s prepared to finish the season without the reigning National League Cy Young winner.”
Anonymous

Is it possible that, with his plantar fasciitis, Kershaw altered his running style in some way that has over-stressed his hip?

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

maybe his pitching style…landing point and different torque to the hips…it’s all possible

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

14-7 USC…after a penalty of 12 man (they missed the facemask call also)
Anonymous

The ‘Stros have built a 4-0 lead over the Fillies in the fifth.

http://twitter.com/FredosDog Fredo’s Dog

Well that’s something to hang our hats on. Keep the faith!

foul tip

Can someone tell me what the fielding play or maybe odd DP involving Beckett was the other night?

Saw a comment about his running, or trying to, but dunno….

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

Ball was hit hard to Upton who threw him out from middle RF

Anonymous

Hit to Beltran*

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

you’re right

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

Ball was hit hard to Upton who threw him out from middle RF
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

1st and goal on the 2 for Stanford and USC holds them because of a missed field goal
http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/ Linkmeister

And once again behind in the first inning. This is almost unbelievable.
Anonymous

Now, it would’ve been a great play if he’d gotten him, but that Holliday grounder past Cruz looked prettttty fieldable to me. Cruz didn’t even budge.
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

way to get on Shane
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

Way to get into scoring position Shane

Come on Gonzo bring him home
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

There you go Gonzo!!
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

Come on Hanley
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

YES…Nice hit Hanley

Come on Dre
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

Come on Wild Pitch

Anonymous

I agree — but tough when your rally depends on that!

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

no I’ll take an advantage available…the guy had thrown 9 WP’s

Anonymous

Vin always mentions wild pitches, but he should also mention the catcher’s passed balls.

Anonymous

Molina has 4

Anonymous

I didn’t expect Yadier to have many, but the PB scores the run as certainly as the WP does, so it should be mentioned.

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

Just a single buddy
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

After trading interceptions (4) USC 14 Stanford 7 at the half
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

Come on Mark get on
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

MARK!!!!
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

And just like that we are tied

Come on Shane
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

let’s get ahead shane…a walk will do
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

There you go…take second

Come on Matty
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

way to go Shane

Drive him in Matty
Anonymous

think Molina had him there

Anonymous

As close as it gets, but nobody argued.

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

Let’s go hanley drive him in
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

good play by freese saves a run
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

trojans block a field goal to deny Stanford again
http://farinella.com/ David Farinella

Hey, KT, should I start posting play by play for the Notre Dame game? J/K

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

sure…I can’t follow all the games…would love it…used to root for ND when I went to Catholic school

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

Trojans drop a 4 & 2 pass in the endzone…score still 14-7
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

Come on Dre start it off..Let scratch again
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

Way to get on Joe

Come on Mark
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

go to RF matty
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=713935344 Jason Ungar

It hurts to watch Kemp swing.
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

tied in stanford
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

Come on DP
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

Got the K now for the DP
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

tough call at 1st…could have been the DP I was looking for
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

stanford goes ahead 21-14
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

Time to stick to 1 team to root for…Go Dodgers
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

Come on Jamie let’s set down

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

good job

Time to get that one back

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

Come on Gonzo get on
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

there was my DP an inning late
http://farinella.com/ David Farinella

ND kicks a field goal to go up 17-3.
http://farinella.com/ David Farinella

This game feels like it’s taking forever. Is that true?
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

Come on Luis
http://farinella.com/ David Farinella

Wow, Stanford.
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

#23 Stanford beats #2 USC
Anonymous

So much for USC’s national title hopes.

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

They haven’t looked like a national title team in the last 3 games

http://farinella.com/ David Farinella

ND kicks another field goal. Up 20-3 with 3 minutes and change left.

How far does SC fall? Down to 9?

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

at least they looked terrible the last couple of games even though they scored big last game they made a lot of mistakes and those mistakes hurt thm today

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

My Mother-in-law is getting anxious to watch tv and she doesn’t want to watch in my room where the only other receiver is that gets the Arabic channels (I’m going to have to change that and get a receiver in the entertainment room)

So off to my room to watch the rest of the game but I don’t want to get under the theater seating to get my charger so no more chatting for me tonight…I’ll be here in spirit…

Night all
Anonymous

That play was a microcosm of the Matt Kemp in CF experience.
http://farinella.com/ David Farinella

Dee was out.
http://farinella.com/ David Farinella

Give that man a key to the city!
http://farinella.com/ David Farinella

Too bad KT’s not here!

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

watched the game just couldn’t chat…well could have but didn’t feel like crawling on the floor to get my charger…my back is killing me today

http://farinella.com/ David Farinella

Just when I think I’m out…………….. they pull me back in.
Anonymous

K.T. phone home! We won!
Anonymous

I’m freakin out.
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

What a come from behind win!!!!!

Dre, Dee, CRUZZZZ, Hererra and Juan!!!!!

BEAUTIFULLLL!!!!!

Anonymous

So glad you returned. Watching on my phone in NYC. Almost fell outta bed when I refreshed and saw the score.

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

This team will drive you nuts…Love it

Anonymous

1. How much more exciting does Dee Gordon make the game? It’s dramatic.

2. God, I love Luis Cruz’s swing.

3. The Dodgers are gonna have a hard choice to make next spring.

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

I like when we have to make choices rather than having no choice and being stuck with something that’s not the best

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

I was watching upstairs so my mother-in-law could watch her Arabic channels…

Just took a while for my computer to boot back up
Anonymous

What a fitting title. Mine as well leave it up till next game.

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

^_^

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

Cruz is this years MVP
http://www.twitter.com/ElJefedor Jeffrey Thomas III

Luis Cruz: Real hero, real human being.
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

Night all

now tomorrow we need to take sole posession of the last wild card spot
http://www.dodgerthoughts.com/ Jon Weisman

Can someone tell me why Rivera hit for Ellis?

Anonymous

Better fastball hitter than A.J.? Dunno, but Donnie’s hunch paid off this time.
foul tip

At dodgers.com Don says he thought AJ might be tired. He liked chances of Rivera v. Motte as Juan hits the FB well, and Motte is a one-plane pitcher. (One-plane, not one pitch.)

Brought to you by the managerial all’s well that ends well school of taking a shot..but then that’s what managers do every day. Sometimes you get the bear. Sometimes the bear gets you.

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120915&content_id=38495168&vkey=news_la&c_id=la
https://www.facebook.com/kmt59 KT

does anyone really care now that the results are in ^_^

Anonymous

WOW!

Dodger Thoughts

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

Luis Cruz, hero