Big Rod's homer puts Dodgers up for good

Padres     2 6 1
Dodgers 4  9 1
WP-Lilly-9-13
LP-Leblanc-2-4
SV-Guerra-13
HR-Big Rod-15



Several things to go over before the game.  first with last night's win the Dodgers are now break even at home 35-35.  the Dodgers have won 7 of their last 10 games. also the Dodgers have taken over sole possession of third place. they are 64-70.
today is august 31, and we expect several players to be called up tomorrow as rosters expand. we don't know who yet, so we will keep you informed.

Dee Gordon is due back for tomorrow's rain makeup game in Pittsburgh. it is expected that the Dodgers will move Sellers to second base.

the Dodgers having won the first two games of the series are looking to sweep San Diego. this is also the last throwback Uniform game of the season, as the Dodgers will be wearing their Brooklyn throwback Uniforms for the last time this year.
after the game the Dodgers will begin an 11 game 4 city road trip.

Big Rod hits his 15th home run of the season.

in the top of the first, Lilly allows a single to Guzman but thats it, he whiffs Forsythe and Blanks.

bottom 1st, Sellers leads off with a single to right off of Leblanc. Gwynn's base hit to right sends Sellers to third, and the Dodgers are in business. Bison's single into center scores Sellers, and its 1-0 Dodgers.
Rivera takes the wind out of the sails, by grounding into a double play, and Blake grounds out.

San Diego ties it in the top of the second. with 1 out, Gonzalez singles, and tries to leg it into a double. unfortunately for him, Matt Kemp makes a living gunning down runners, and throws him out at second. this play would prove important for the Dodgers.
Cunningham and Johnson walk, Leblanc singles in Cunningham, and Venable ends the inning.

the Dodgers retake the lead in the bottom of the second. Loney walks, and Big Rod hits a home run off the left field foul pole. 3-1 Dodgers! its Big Rod's 15th homer of the season.

Loney gives Big Rod a high five after his home run

good dodger defense bails Lilly out of a jam in the third. Forsythe grounds out to Sellers, on a great play by the young infielder. Guzman and Blanks walk. Guzman steals third, Hudson's grounder to Loney starts an inning ending double play. Loney steps on the bag for 1, and throws home for the second out. Guzman had been caught in a rundown, so the out is recorded on the baselines.

bottom of the 4th, the Dodgers pick up another run. Blaker doubles into the corner in left field, and Loney singles him home. 4-1 Dodgers!

top of the 6th, Lilly nearing 100 pitches, Guzman singles, Blake makes a great backhanded stab on Blank's sharp grounder, getting a force at second. Hudson whiffs, Blank steals second while Hudson whiffed. Hudson had forgotten what the count was confusing everyone.
Gonzalez doubles into the gap, Blanks scores, but Gwynn's throw back misses the cutoff man, as Gonzalez goes to third. Velez accidentally runs into the umpire trying to get to the ball. they give an error to poor Gwynn. 4-2 Dodgers. Donnie makes the right move by removing Lilly and bringing in Lindblom. good job Donnie. Lindblom whiffs Cunningham to end the inning.
Lilly made 105 pitches walking 4 through 5.2, so not a typical Lilly start. but he did not allow a home run for the first time in a long time.

top of the 7th, Johnson lines out to Bison,  Parrino walks, thats all for Lindblom, Elbert comes in and whiffs Venable. Mattingly makes a double switch, bringing in Oeltjen in right, and Dougie to pitch.
Dougie does his job by retiring Forsythe on a fly ball.

Leblanc comes out in the bottom of the 7th, Frieri gives up a pop fly double to Big Rod, Carroll tries to Bunt and pops out, Thatcher whiffs oeltjen, rookie Brach in his MLB debut walks Sellers. Gywnn softly lines out ending the inning. still 4-2 Dodgers.

Dougie somehow gets through the 8th, although it was a bit sketch. he allows a Guzman single, but thats it.

bottom of the 8th, Bison whiffs, Ethier off the bench singles off of Guzman's glove.  Loney singles Dre to second. Blake and Big Rod Whiff to end the frame.

Guerra comes in to finish the game. Cunningham flys out. Hundly flys out. parrino walks. Venable weakly grounds out to end the game.

the Dodgers now have a winning record at home, and have won 8 of their last 9 games.
the Dodgers will play a rainout makeup game tomorrow in Pittsburgh at 105PM. join us tomorrow for a special rainy day edition of DBF. we still don't know who will be pitching tomorrow, so well let you know tomorrow. the Dodgers now only need 16 wins to finish with a .500 record. they finish august with their first winning month of the season at 17-11.  enjoy the winning' Dodger fans! how Sweep it is! GO BLUE

Dodgers go for sweep, before longest road trip of the season

Dodgers Lineup
Sellers6
Gwynn7
Kemp8
Rivera9
Blake5
Loney3
Barajas2
Velez4
Lilly1


Matt Leblanc-2-3 vs. Ted Lilly-8-13



The Dodgers have been playing much better. they've won 7 of their last 10 games, and are now only 6 games under .500, with a chance to sweep the lowly Padres today, and have a 5-1 home stand.

however I was a bit disgusted when I saw the lineup today. just when I though Mattingly had figured out how to build a good lineup, he puts the above craptastic lineup out. with the 0 for 30 hitless wonder Velez playing second base again. seriously, why is that Bum still on the roster? and why the hell is he in the lineup?

Matt Leblanc will take the mound for San Diego, hell counter Lefty Ted Lilly.

Matt Guerrier has gone on Paternity leave. congratulations to Guerrier on his new child. Josh Lindblom replaces him on the roster.

the Dodgers after the game will fly to pittsburgh to plat a rainout makeup game, then play four in Washington, three in Atlanta, three in San Francisco, before coming back home for the last home stand of the year. the Dodgers will call up someone from the minors to pitch tomorrows game in Pittsburgh, and Nathan Eovaldi will be moved to the bullpen for the rest of the year. the Dodgers are worried about blowing out his arm, so they want to keep his innings down.

todays game will be the last throwback Uni game of the year. game time is 1210 on Prime Ticket. sorry this is short guys, but I gotta Jet. GO BLUE

Andre Ethier Slams it in Simers face, leading Dodgers to win

Padres    5 9 0
Dodgers 8 7 0
WP-Kuroda-11-14
LP-Stauffer-8-11
SV-Guerra-12
HR-Ethier-11(GS)
Blanks-7-Hudson-6

Andre Ethier watches his Grand Slam home run go out

Boy that Andre Ethier sure does suck doesn't he? Im being sarcastic of coarse. Andre Ethier continued to prove the haters wrong, leading the Dodgers to an 8-4 win tonight. since that stupid T.J. Simers article posted Ethier has 6 hits, including a grand slam home run hit tonight. he was three for 4, the second night in a row, he's had three hits, and has raised his average up to .294. I hope Simers and the rest of the hater were watching this game.

I thought tonight would be a low scoring affair, boy was I wrong! for Tim Stauffer and San Diego, they were there own worst enemy.
the Dodgers scored 8 runs in the bottom of the second, thanks to a huge walkapalooza by Stauffer. the Dodgers drew 6 walks off of Stauffer in the second, 7 walks in that inning, and 8 walks total in the first two innings. the Dodgers drew a mind boggling 12 walks. Kemp had 4 walks himself. Thanks San Diego! then Ethier hit the grand slam

Hiroki Kuroda's luck has finally turned. he has now received over 35 runs of support in his last five starts. if theres anyone who deserves it, its Kuroda.

Hiroki Kuroda wins his 11th

in that inning, Ethier started the scorage with a line drive hit to center, Miles walks, Ellis whiffs, Carroll walks, then Kuroda walks forcing in a run. Kuroda was actually trying to bunt when Stauffer walked him. Sellers sac fly scores Miles its 2-0 Dodgers. then Loney walks. Tim Stauffer-Walkaplooza 2011 tour. Kemp walks, forcing in a run, Rivera walks, forcing in yet another run. Stauffer just can't find the plate. its pathetic and highly amusing. finally the Padres take out Stauffer, and bring in Anthony Bass to try and restore some sense of sanity.
but Bass is no help, as etheir who started out the inning with a hit, slugs a grand slam home run into the right field bleachers. its 8-0 Dodgers! Ha! Eat your heart out Simers! Miles singles, Ellis walks, and Carroll's whiff finally ends the inning for the Padres. but this game is now out of reach now right? well........

Ethier gets high fives all around

no lead is really safe in these days of Bumpen meltdowns. Kuroda pitched well, but wasn't overpowering and started to tire out by the 6th inning.

he does get through the third with a 123 inning.

Top of the fourth, Kuroda allows a walk to Guzman, Blanks flys out, O-dawg singles to right sending Guzman to third, Hundleys fly ball probably should have scored Guzman, but it was hit to Matt Kemp, and  Im sorry San Diego but you just don't run on Matt Kemp. he throws a Bullet to Ellis, as Guzman is gunned down at the plate for the third out!

Kemp and Ethier both single in the bottom of the 4th, but Miles double play stops any chances of scorin'

Kuroda pitches a 123 inning in the top of the 5th. and Luke Greggerson does the same to the Dodgers in the bottom half.

top of the 6th is where Kuroda runs out of gas. up near 100 pitches, Venable pops out, Bartlett singles, and Guzman doubles him to third, big righty Kyle Blanks hits a home run deep into the left field bleachers, and its 8-3 Dodgers. o-dawg homers right after Blanks, and now its 8-4. Kuroda does get through the inning without allowing anything more, but his night is done, and he comes out ahead 8-4.

Blanks Home Run gets San Diego on the board.

Hudson crosses the plate after hitting a home run

                                         
Josh Spence pitches a scoreless 6th inning.

Guerrier relieves Kuroda in the top of the 7th. he had some trouble, but does get through it, but gives up a run. with two outs, Bartlett walks, and Guzman doubles him home. now its 8-5. now I'm starting to worry a bit. an 8 run lead down to three runs. this Guzman is pretty good, Im hoping the Dodgers are more careful with him from now on. Guerrier strikes out Blanks to end things in the 7th.

in the bottom of the 7th, off of Spence, Miles walks, but is thrown out trying to steal, on what looked like a busted hit and run play. Ellis singles, but Carroll grounds out.

Jansen has little trouble with San Diego in the top of the 8th. he whiffs O-dawg, walks Hundley, whiffs Forsythe, and retires Gonzalez on a fly ball.


I missed most of the beginning of the game dude to school, so her with me here.

the Dodgers threaten in the 8th, but don't score. Chad Qualls allows a walk to sellers, and Kemp. theres a wild pitch in the inning, but Rivera's ground out ends it.

ok so move to the top of the 9th. Javy Guerra, the Ice Man, comes in to close it. remember its not an 8-run lead now, but a three run lead. Guerra starts out sketchy, Parrino doubles into the gap. Venable's grounder moves him over to third. Bartlett chops out to Miles. Guerra then whiffs Guzman to finish it. Dodgers win!

a little too close for comfort tonight but well take the win. Kuroda wins his 11th game of the year, and the Offense really led the way tonight, led by Ethier.

the Dodgers now improve to 64-70, and take over sole possession of third place with Colorado's loss to Arizona tonight. the Dodgers magic number for a non-losing season is now down to 17.
Arizona won again tonight, they've won 8 in a row now and have a comfortable 6 game lead over the Giants.

on a side note, my mother was at the game tonight with her Boyfriend Roger. she was sitting right behind home plate and waived to me through most of the game. she was sitting right next to George Lopez, and Larry King. my Mom bleeds Blue too! interesting times at the ravine.

I'm really impressed with the Dodgers improved play. there really firing on all cylinders now. this is the closest we've been to .500 since the beginning of the season. lets keep it going!

tomorrow is the last throwback Uni game of the year. a 1210PM start time. Ted Lilly will counter Matt Leblanc, as the Dodgers look to sweep in the last game of the home stand. join us tomorrow Dodger fans!
great night! GO BLUE

Dodgers-Padres Game two

Dodgers Lineup
Sellers6
Loney3
Kemp8
Rivera7
Ethier9
Miles5
Ellis2
Carroll4
Kuroda1


Tim Stauffer-8-10 vs. Hiroki Kuroda-10-14



one night after seeing Clayton Kershaw entrench himself into the NL Cy Young race, we'll see another strong pitching matchup tonight during game two of this three game series.

its no secret the Dodgers improved play of late has coincided with most of the dead weight being finally removed from the roster. Ill give credit to Mattingly , he's finally putting together good lineups.
with Uribe on the DL and likely to miss the rest of the season, and useless vets like Thames, Navarro, Gibbons, not on the roster anymore, the Dodgers are starting to score more runs and win more games.

is it possible the Dodgers could finish the year with a respectable record? its possible, but in order to finish with a non-losing record, the Dodgers need to win 18 more games. well be keeping track of this throughout the last month of the season.

Tim Stauffer will take the mound looking to halt San Diego's skid. Staufffer might be taking pitching lessons from Ted Lilly, because he's been serving up a lot of home runs lately. he has given up ten over his last four starts. he is 8-10 against the league, and 4-3 against the Dodgers. the Dodgers have had problems with him though, his ERA vs the Dodgers is 2.83. lets keep an eye on WIll Venable though. he is the only guy in the Padres lineup who has had any success at all against Kuroda. he's hitting .438 with 1 home run in 16 AB. so well need to watch him carefully.

the Dodgers will counter with Hiroki Kuroda.  It seems like Kuroda's luck has finally turned around, he's won four of his last five decisions, and has gotten a total of 28 runs of support during that time. Kuroda is 10-14 against the league and is having one of his finest seasons. his ERA is 2.92, and he is 7-4 against San Diego.

I was at the Tony Gwynn signing today out in Glendale. Tony was very nice and signed for everyone who was there at the Staples store. Ill post up pics later.

game time tonight is 710 on KCAL. tis might be a low scoring affair tonight. lets get Hiroki some runs boys shall we? GO BLUE

Kershaw the Padre Pummeler wins his 17th

Padres    1 6 0

Dodgers 4 6 1

WP-Kershaw-17-5

LP-Latos-6-13

HR-Loney-9

Clayton Kershaw wins his 17th

Clayton Kershaw continued his assault towards the National League Cy Young award. right now its hard to argue that theres anyone better in the Majors. Kershaw and the Dodgers beat San Diego 4-1. Kershaw pitched his 5th complete game of the season, making 118 pitches, allowing only 1 run on 6 hits, walking two, and whiffing 5. Kershaw leads the league with 212 strikeouts.

but thats what made tonight even more impressive. Kershaw didn't have his overpowering stuff, but still for the most part easily beat a pathetically punchless San Diego lineup.

Kershaw had some help though, the Dodger defense turned three double plays behind him, and Loney and Ethier led the way on offense. Loney, armed with his new power swing, went 2 for 4 hitting another home run, and ethier went 3 for 4 tonight shaking off the haters.

Kershaw begins the game by setting down the Padres in order. whiffing Guzman to end the inning.

bottom of the first sees lagos run into trouble, as the Dodgers plate a run to go up 1-0.

Sellers and Loney ground out, Kemp reaches on a walk. while Rivera is at bat Kemp steals his 35th base of the season. Rivera ends up walking as well, and with runners at first and second, Andre Ethier steps up and does what Andre Ethier does, get hits. his base knock into center field scores Bison, but it looks like Ethier is caught in a rundown between first and second, but no one was covering first base for San Diego. somehow Rivera is caught between third and home and is tagged out, but the Dodgers score one as Dre shakes off the haters. go Dre! keep on hitting'

Kershaw has a bit of trouble in the second inning but gets through it with flying colors. the San Diego hitters are like annoying little gnats that Kershaw shoes away. 

big Right hander Kyle Blanks fouls off pitch after pitch before grounding one to third, Miles throw is low, and Blanks reaches on the error. 

Hundley flies out to ethier, and forsythe grounds into a 6-4-3 inning ending double play :)

Latos retires the dodgers in order in the bottom of the second, and San Diego trys to start a singlepalooza off Kershaw and fail. Cunningham starts with a dinky bloop single to center, Venable grounds into a double play started by Sellers. Matt Latos singles off of Kershaw's leg. but Kersh gets Bartlett to softly line out to Miles.

in the bottom of the third inning, with 1 out, Sellers walks, and Loney hits yet another home run! a drive deep to center right field. thats his 9th of the year. Loney has an 8-game hitting streak. he's hitting .515 with 4 home runs during that stretch. his swing looks totally different, it seems Loney has found his power stroke? the Loney homer puts the Dodgers up 3-0.

Loney fist bumps Sellers after hitting another home run

Kershaw's scoreless streak comes to an end in the fourth. he entered the inning with a 17.1 inning scoreless streak. 

Hudson begins the inning by doubling off the wall in center, he almost hit it out. Guzman's groundout moves O-dawg over to third. Big Boy Kyle Blanks pops out, but Nick Hundley doubles down the line scoring Hudson and its 3-1 Dodgers. Kersh didn't have his best stuff, but good pitchers like Kersh can still win without having their dominating stuff. he walks Forsythe, but retires Cunningham to end it in the fourth

the Dodgers score another run in the fourth. Ethier's slicing double into right field eludes Cunningham despite an all out diving effort. Miles grounder moves Ethier to third, Big Rod hits a shallow fly to left, that Blanks has to dive to make the catch, which allows Ethier to score and its 4-1 Dodgers. 

All-star right fielder Andre Ethier collects three hits tonight

top of the 5th, Kershaw not working with his best stuff battles his way through the inning. Venable bunts for a hit, Latos bunts into a double play, as Kershaw turns it 1-4-3. Bartlett walks, but O-dawg grounds out.

bottom of the 5th, still 4-1 Dodgers, with two outs, Loney almost hits another home run, he just got under it and its a double off the wall. Kemp is intentionally walked, and Rivera is retired to end the threat.

Kershaw pitches a 123 top of the 6th, Ethier shakes off the haters again by singling. credit O-dawg with a great diving try as the ball bounced off his glove. thats Ethier's third hit of the day. but Miles, Big Rod and Carroll all make out. 

Kershaw has another easy inning in the top of the 7th. Josh Spence relievs Latos in the 7th, he allows a single to Kersh, gets sellers on  groundout, whiff Loney. Frieri comes in to pitch to Kemp, and Kemp lines one to third, but Forsythe makes a spectacular diving catch, to rob Bison. geez.

this sums up San Diego's season. O-dawg is quite embarrassed after being unable to make a play

still 4-1 Dodgers, top of the 8th, kershaw strikes out parino, and gets Hudson and Bartlett to ground out.

Frieri retires the Dodgers in order in the bottom of the 8th.

Kershaw goes back out to finish the game in the 9th. Guzman flys out, Blanks whiffs, Hundley singles off of Miles, theres a wild pitch, but Kershaw raps it up by whiffing Forsythe. 

wow. Kershaw is amazing. he improves his record to 17-5, lowers his ERA to 2.45, and is now in the top three in just about every pitching category. he's tied for first in wins, (with Ian Kennedy) second in ERA, first in strikeouts, and first in BAA. he's the first Dodger pitcher to win 17 games since Chan Ho Park in 2000. 

the Dodgers improve to 63-70, and need just 18 more wins to reach a non-losing season. LOL only 18 right? I know but it is possible.

join us tomorrow as Hiroki Kuroda takes the mound in game two at 710 on KCAL. Kershaw is one hell of a pitcher isn't he? GO BLUE

Kershaw goes for 17th win, as Ethier returns to lineup for Dodgers

Dodgers Lineup
Sellers6
Loney3
Kemp8
Rivera7
Ethier9
Miles5
Barajas2
Carroll4
Kershaw1


Matt Latos-6-12 vs. Clayton Kershaw-16-5



Andre Ethier returns to the Dodgers starting lineup, and Clayton Kershaw goes for his 17th win tonight, as the Dodgers face off against San Diego in the first game of a three game series.

the Ethier story has died down a bit, apparently Ethier had met with Mattingly and Colletti to discuss whats going on and his injuries. from reading reports his knee is pretty messed up and causing some issues with his Swing mechanics, however I guess its not bad enough where he needs to be Disabled. besides everyone knows what a competitor Ethier is. he wants to be playing, and he's still has had a solid year compared to the average player, but of coarse for Ethier standards he's having a poor year. normally Ethier hits 20-25 home runs, with 100 RBI,  with a .300 avg, and a solid OBP. I think we should give Ethier the benefit of the doubt. Im sure he was misquoted or misrepresented in the story. I think its really lame how all the fans, and bloggers who were praising him just a year or two ago, when he was cranking out the walk-offs, oh and just because someone makes a couple of comments out of frustration, doesn't automatically mean they want to go play in Boston. oh and BTW if your wondering, the Red Sox already have a bunch of all-star outfielders. they already have Carl Crawford, and Jacoby Ellsbury, plus a very talented 24 year old right fielder named Josh Reddick. Their outfield is crowded. so lets stop the Ethier bashing shall we? I'm sure all those Ethier bashers will be singing his praise once he starts hitting again, and he will hit. I mean come on he's Andre Ethier!

the pitching match ups has Right hander Matt Latos on the mound for San Diego. Latos is kind o f like the Kuroda of the Padres. Latos continues to pitch very well, but the Padres just don't score him any runs. Latos has pitched five consecutive quality starts, and only allowed two earned runs in his last start and got a no-decision because San Diego couldn't score any runs for him. he's pitched well against the Dodgers with a 2.45 ERA, but the hard luck lagos still has nothing to show for it with a 1-5 record. only one Dodger has consistently hit him well. who is this Dodger? you guessed it......Loney. James is hitting .364 in 11 at bats with a home run off of Latos. Latos is 6-12 against the league with a 3.74 ERA

the Dodgers will counter with Ace lefty Clayton Kershaw. Kersh continues his Cy Young type Season. Kershaw is 16-5 with a 2.51 ERA. ranking second in wins, and third in ERA. he also leads the league in strikeouts with 207. if he wins his 17th tonight, he will tie Ian Kennedy for the league lead in wins. Kershaw has always killed San Diego. last time out he shut them out. he is 5-3 lifetime against the Padres, with a 2.48 ERA and 56 strikeouts. this should be a fun night!

lets put this Ethier story behind us and enjoy the game. If Kershaw can win his 17th, hell be closer to that 20 win mark, and a Cy Young award. Can kersh win 20? will Kemp get to 40/40? can the Dodgers win 18 more games to finish the season with a non-losing record? which rookies will the Dodgers look at in september? these are the questions that will be answered next month, as we approach the end of the 2011 season. so stick with us Dodger fans! well get all those questions answered. its going to be a wild ride!

game time tonight is at 710 on Prime Ticket. Go Kersh and Dre! and GO BLUE!

Cargo's diving catch plays big, ruining Dodgers sweep

Rockies 7 10 0
Dodgers 6 8 0
WP-Chacin-11-10
LP-Eovaldi-1-2
SV-Betancourt-4


I had noticed that the Dodger lineup never was released online today, so I knew it would be a strange afternoon. the big news today was a big article that was posted last night by T.J. Simers of the LA Times. the article was about Andre Ethier and the Dodgers. I didn't read it until right before the game, but he talks about how the Dodgers maybe activley trying to hurt Andre. he uses quotes supposedly from Ethier saying the Dodgers told him to play while injured. he goes on to not only bad mouth Ethier but also bad mouth the Dodgers.
how stupid is this? remember back in June we had posted about another dumbass LA Times article on Ethier from Steve Dilbeck. but at least that article had at least a tiny bit of merit too it. this article from Simers is really lame. first of all even I wouldn't openly accuse Don Mattingly of intentionally trying to hurt Andre Ethier. I don't like his in game moves, but he would never do anything like that. Mattinlgy had said that he was blindsided by the article or something like that. whenever I read articles from T.J. Simers or Steve Dilbeck, there articles about the Dodgers are normally really negative. I always get the impression from their pieces that they just don't like the Dodgers, and don't like writing about them. I just don't understand that, but if Simers wind Dilbeck hate their jobs so much then maybe they should just quit, and stop trying to stir the pot by releasing these kinds of articles.

Ethier is a very good platter, he always has been. yes his second half has been very disappointing, but he's been hurt. he's Banged up. he has a bad knee and a bad toe. if Ethier's healthy he's gonna hit. if we have to sit Ethier the last couple of weeks of the season to get him healthy, then thats fine. theres no reason risking Ethier's health for a lost season.
the Dodgers have always checked with Ethier to make sure he is ok to play and Ethier has told the Dodgers  he's been ok enough to play. I'm not sure if I believe that they just told Ethier to "grin and Bear it" although that is what is quoted from Dre in Simer's piece.
Ethier isn't a superstar but he is a very good player. he deserves a decent contract extension. not Matt Kemp kind of money, but a decent extension is deserved. I think Ethier's comments were probably taken out of context. the media has been known to do that. as you know we here at DBF are Andre Ethier lovers.  he's one of the core group of players that we believe should be Dodgers forever.
let meexplain, I know this may be hard for people who didn't grow up within the Dodger culture their entire lives. to understand. we believe that Dodger tradition has been slowly slipping away from us over the last few years, what with all the ownership crap that has gone on. these core group of players has been the heart and soul of the Dodgers and responsible for their back to back NLCS appearances, and two division titles. the core group has been Kershaw, Kemp, Ethier, Billingsley, Kuroda, Russell Martin, Furcal, and yes even Loney. even Broxton was once included in this group, before his arm was blown into decline.

by holding onto these core group of players we believe will keep our Dodger tradition intact. I know these guys can't play with the Dodgers forever, but when I say forever I really mean many many many years.
over the last few years we've lost a couple of guys along the way, and its sad. we've lost Russell Martin, and Hit Machine left this year. we hope that we can hold onto Dodger tradition as long as possible.
Simers doesn't represent the opinion of the Dodgers or their fans. I advise Simers to quit hits job if he doesn't like the Dodgers. theres plenty of jobs available for a low rent hack journalist wannabe.

anyways onto the game today. it wasn't a good day today. the Dodgers lost to Colorado falling just short 7-6. their 5 game winning streak snapped. there were three main contributing things that helped lead to the Dodgers loss today. they are as follows......

1. a diving catch by Cargo preventing runs from scoring.

2. Nathan Eovaldi having his first port start of the season.

3. Don Mattingly allowing the worst player in baseball the 0 for 28 Eugenio Velez to pinch hit with the bases loaded and no body out.

heres how the Dodgers had their sweep spoiled during an intense Los Angeles heatwave.

Eovaldi has a bad day at the ravine

top of the first, Fowler walks, herrera fouls off hundreds of pitches before whiffing. Cargo whiffs as well, and Fowler steals second base.  then the flood gates opened. Mullet singles to left, Gwynn dives for the ball but can't come up with it and drops it. Smith singles sending Mullet to second. Wigginton walks, Kouzmanoff's fly ball to right is completly butchered by oeltjen. he was way over shifted and dives but the ball bounces off his glove for a double, allowing Mullet, Smith and Wigginton to score. Alfonso singles and another run scores. the inning ends when the pitcher Chacin lines out to Loney. when the dust clears 5 runs have scored off 4 hits. 5-0 Colorado. very depressing

Kouzmanoff drove in four of the Rockies 7 runs today

in the bottom of the second, Gwynn triples into the right field corner and Sellers singles him home cutting the lead to 5-1.

bottom of the third, Sellers doubles, after Bison whiffs, Loney doubles him home and its 5-2. good job Loney!

move to the bottom of the 4th, where the Dodgers scoring rally is halted by a diving catch by Cargo.
Oeltjen whiffs, Carroll (the singles machine) singes, Eovaldi whiffs, Gwynn singles Carroll to third. Sellers then hits a slicing fly ball down the right field line. it looks like it will drop in for a hit and maybe more. it would have scored maybe two runs, but Cargo makes a full extension diving catch robbing the Dodgers of scorage. damm that bastard.

Screw you Cargo!!!!

in the top of the 5th, Blake Crapsworth (credit stac for that one) comes in to put gasoline on the fire.
Eovaldi only goes 4 innings making 89 pitches.
normally reliable this year, Hawk gives up two runs. Cargo doubles, he whiffs Mullet, then Smith doubles home Cargo. 6-2 Colorado.Wigginton flys out, but then Kouzmanoff doubles, the third double in the inning. dammmit now its 7-2.

move to the bottom of the 6th, where we see Chacin tiring. Big Rod, Oeltjen, and Carroll all walk to load the bases, with nobody out. JimTracy makes a pitching change brining in Matt Reynolds.
to the shock of everyone with half a brain, Don Mattingly allows the worst player in Baseball, the 0 for 28 hitless wonder Eugenio Velez to pinch hit for Hawksworth. if theres no greater proof of Don Mattinlgy's inability to manage baseball games this proves it. why with Rivera and Blake riding the pine, would you have Velez hit in this situation. why? because he's a switch hitter? he's 0 for 28! just stupid.

I said to stac theres no way Mattingly would be that stupid, right??! nope I guess I was wrong. Velez hits into a force out, allowing Big Rod to score, its 7-3. Gywnn drives in Oeltjen with a sac fly and its 7-4. but we could have gotten more, but we have Don Mattingly as manager, what more can I say here?
Belisle relieves Reynolds and whiff sellers to end it in the 6th.

Kuo pitches a scoreless 7th inning, getting a nice double play to erase a walk he had given up.

Lindstrom relieves belisle in the bottom of the 7th, and the Dodgers get a little closer. Bison walks, and steals second for his 34th steal of the year as he continues his assault towards 40/40. after Loney pops out, Miles doubles into the right field corner, the ball nearly clearing that low wall, bison scores, its 7-5.
Big Rod flies out, but Oeltjen singles in Miles, its 7-6. will we see another Colorado meltdown? not today, it wasn't to be. Carrolls ground ball is converted to an out and the rally ends.

Dougie relieves Kuo and pitches a scoreless 8th inning.

Brothers pitches a 123 bottom of the 8th inning, and Jansen pitches the 9th without issues.

Betancourt closes up in the 9th, getting Kemp to pop out, Loney to whiff, and Miles to fly out, while Ethier was on deck ending the game. the Dodgers split the season series with Colorado, as we say goodbye t Cargo, Mullet, Helton. I am glad to see those bastards go.

apparently ethier was evaluated before the game, but we didn't hear any other news regarding his injured Knee or toe. if theres any new that breaks we will keep you informed.
the Dodgers fall to 62-70, and I think if they don't finish with a respectable record, we might see Mattingly and alot of other guys get pink slips in the offseason.

join us tomorrow as Clayton Kershaw will go for his 17th win of the season against San Diego, so that should be fun. game time is 710PM. keep hydrated Dodger fans. GO BLUE

Sweep those Bastards!

Dodgers Lineup
*Ethier is out of the lineup having his knee examined. T.J. simmers wrote a very controversial article on Ethier. well give you our opinion during the post game show. Oeltjen will start in right field.
Gwynn7
Sellers6
Kemp8
Loney3
Miles5
Barajas2
Oeltjen9
Carroll4
Eovaldi1


Joulysh Chacin-10-10 vs. Nathan Eovaldi-1-1



The Dodgers enter today with a tie for the season high win streak at 5. The Dodgers will go for the sweep of colorado today. with a win the Dodgers take the season series, as this will be the last game against Colorado this season.

ill be honest here, I absolutely hate Colorado, they are a pathetic exude for a a Baseball organization, and I would like for them to lose every single game they play :)

with that being said, whenever the Dodgers beat them always makes me very happy.
so lets get this done today, shall we boys?

the pitching match ups today has Jhoulys Chacin on the mound for Colorado. Chacin has pitched well this year, going 10-10 with a 3.49 ERA. part of the reason for his success this year, has been the fact that he is a ground ball pitcher. he ranks 7th in the league with a ground ball to fly ball ratio of 2.09. Chacin has always given the Dodgers fits. he's 5-4 lifetime against the Dodgers with a minuscule 1.98 ERA.

The Dodgers will counter with Rookie Nathan Eovaldi. the Rookie has pitched very well for the Dodegrs going 1-1 with an ERA of 2.05. he never faced Colorado, but he may be nearing his innings limit. mattingly has said hell put him in the bullpen soon, to keep the innings off his arm, so this may be his last start.

ok so the game time is at 110PM televised on Prime Ticket. lets beat these bastards! SWEEP! SWEEP! SWEEP!!!!! GO BLUE

Loney's tying homer, and Kemp's walk off blast lead Dodgers to win

Rockies  6 13 2
Dodgers 7 13 1
WP-Macdougal-1-1
LP-Hammel-7-13
HR-Mullet-27-28-Loney-8-Kemp-31

Todays game was crazy. I don't think any game recap I do could really do it justice. the Dodgers at one time were down 4-0 rallied back to take a 5-4 lead. coughed up the lead on a mullet line drive homer, then Loney tied it with a homer in the 9th, and Matt Kemp, MR. MVP hit his third walk off home run of the season, and his fourth walk off hit of the season. the Dodgers won 7-6. also big ups to the Dodger bullpen, despite Mullet's homer, they pitched 4+ scoreless innings in relief.

Im glad I don't have to talk about Mattingly's failed do nothing and bunt strategies, and Chad Billinglsey with a shaky but gutsy performance pitching 6 innings and making 123 pitches during a 100 degree day in Los Angeles. the Dodgers have now won 5 in a row!

Bills made 123 pitches today

Bills begins the game by allowing a leadoff hit to Fowler. Mark Ellis grounds into a double play and there's two outs. but that bastard Cargo drops a bunt down for a hit, and then Bills walks Mullet. once again which Bills will we see here? the good bills for now. he gets Helton on a fly ball to Ethier, and we move into the bottom of the first scoreless.

the crappy Bills emerges to start the second. Smith singles, and Kouzmanoff doubles as the ball bounces off the first base bag, going by the diving Loney. so second and third and no one out. then we see the good Bills emerge. he whiffs Iannetta, Millwood grounds one to first, and Loney throws home to nail Seth Smith at the plate. Smith was running on contact and slides into A.J. Ellis' tag. runners at first and third with two outs now, and Bills gets Folwer to ground out into a force. Miles underhand feeds to Carroll coming across the bag for the third out.

the crappy Bills resurfaces in the top of the third. Colorado scores three runs to take an early lead.
Mark Ellis leads off with a shallow fly to left, but Rivera is too dam slow, he dives and trys to backhand it but the ball bounces off his glove, and its a double for Ellis. Cargo singles in Ellis its 1-0 Colorado. then Mullet hits a hanging Bills cut fastball halfway up the left field bleachers and its 3-0. Bills does retire the next three hitters in order, but the damage is done.

 bottom of the third, Don Mattingly's failed strategy directly results in the Dodgers not scoring.
Carroll singles, and Bills shows bunt but kept pulling the bat back. I just dont understand Mattingly's thinking. he constantly bunts when he shouldn't be, then the one time comes up when your supposed to bunt with your pitcher up and he has him swing away? I don't get Don Mattinlgy. so Bills pops one up to Ellis, but he loses it in the sun and drops it, but still gets Carroll on a force out on the plate. then with Bills now at first, Miles trys to bunt for some unknown reason, he misses and Bills is easily picked off first base.
Don Mattingly-GENIOUS

you know I hate to pick on Mattingly but his under-managing style only makes things worse. Im not blaming this on Mattingly, I mean Bills sucked today, but Mattingly just sits there and does nothing, hey Donnie how about having someone warming up before the inning starts? Bills had only made like 80 pitches by the 4th inning, well in the 4th, Iannetta is called on strikes, but on the pitcher Millwood's grounder, Carroll's errant throw pulls Loney off the bag. of coarse. Fowler flies out, Mark Ellis singles Millwood to second. Cargo's sinlge scores Millwood, and its 4-0. however Bills whiffs Mullet to end the inning.

the Dodgers have a chance to get back in the game in the bottom half of the 4th. the end result was an epic failure. Miles pop fly is dropped by Mark Ellis, and Loney draws a walk. but Bison flys out, and Rivera hits into a double play. still 4-0 bastards.

Bills is allowed to stay out for the top of the 5th, and he barly gets through the inning. he gets the first two outs, but Kouzmanoff bangs a hit off the wall in left, but Rivera throws him out trying to extend it to a double, with Miles applying the tag. Bills makes 108 pitches through 5, and still losing 4-0.

in the bottom of the 5th, the Dodgers get a double from Blake but thats it. for the second time in as many weeks the Dodgers are being shut out by the corpse of Kevin Millwood.

move to the top of the 6th, where Chad Billingsley was still out there. Iannetta flys out, but the pitcher Millwood walks. Bills has now made over 110 pitches. Kuo was warming up but Donnie was trying to push his luck again. Fowler a pop fly hit to center, but Kemp fires into second base to get a force out on Millwood. theres a wild pitch that sends Fowler to second, but Ellis whiffs on a called third strike. Bills makes 123 pitches through 6 innings, still trailing 4-0. is Mattingly trying to kill Bills?

the Dodgers only chance coming into the 6th inning was to try and tire out Millwood and get into the Colorado Bumpen, and with a couple of timely hits, some lousy Colorado defense and a little luck, and thats exactly what happens, as the Dodgers score five runs. heres how it happened.....

the inning starts off very quietly with Oeltjen hitting for Bills popping out to Millwood. Miles a bloop single,  Loney singles miles to third. Jim Tracy makes a pitching change and brings in Matt Belisle. Bison hits a chopper to third, and Kouzmanoff's throw is too high and bounces off the glove of catcher Iannetta and Miles is safe at the plate. Rivera singles into right field, scoring Loney, as Kemp belly flops into third. he would have been out, but Kouzmanoff drops the ball, and allows Rivera to go to second. Ethier is intentionally walked. Casey Blake, who apparently still has some Baseball left in his rusty old bones, hits a double into the gap, kemp and rivera score, but Ethier is thrown out at the plate as he ran through another stop sing I think. however its a tie game baby! 4-4. A.J. Ellis is hit by a pitch, Carroll singles into right scoring Blaker, the Dodgers come from behind to take the lead 5-4! Rex Brothers is brought in and strikes out oeltjen ending the inning. its another good ol' fashion Colorado meltdown!

but the Dodgers would give it right back in the top of the 7th. with Kuo on the mound stupid cargo bunts for a hit again. Mullet hits a Kuo meatball just over the low wall in left field near the foul pole for a line drive home run, its his second of the game. Kuo gets pissed and strikes out Helton and Smith, before Guerrier is brought in to retire Kouzmanoff on a pop out.

Colorado has many bastards here are two of them

now with the momentum gone, we know its pretty much over unless Bison homers. Brothers is left in to start the 7th, he retires Miles and Loney, then is taken out. Tracy brings in Huston Street to pitch to Kemp. Street normally the closer was just activated off the DL. Bison singles into center. Rivera pops out to end the inning.

Guerrier gets through the 8th without allowing anything, and Street is left in to begin the 9th.

bottom of the 8th. Ethier leads off with a single. then with Blake at bat, Don Mattingly deploys more of his do-nothing-and-bunt strategy. Blake was 2 for 3 in the game, and Mattingly just gives away an out. Blake moves Ethier over, and Big Rod pinch hits for Ellis. Donnie is playing for the home run. Big Rod draws a walk. Mattinlgy tries to go for the home run again. yeah how often has that worked?
Carroll flies out, and Gwynn is called to pinch hit for Guerrier. Tracy goes to the pen and brings in Betancourt. I think Sellers would have been a better option to pinch hit here, but hey what do I know right? Gwynn fouls out, and Mattingly ruins another scoring rally with his bunting.

Elbert pitches a scoreless top of the 9th, and we move to the bottom of the 9th.

well in the bottom of the 9th, it looks like were screwed. betancourt is still pitching and after Miles pops out, we know that if Kemp doesn't homer then were done. however it isn't Kemp who homers, but guess who?.......you guessed it...LONEY Mr. Loney drives another homer deep into the right field bleachers and into the Los Angeles sun! should we start calling the Dodgers the Cardiac kids? tie game baby!

what has gotten into Loney?!

so we go to extra innings for the second time this week. Javy Guerra comes in from the Pen and blows some smoke down Colorado's throat! Guerra whiffs Giambi and Iannetta we move to the bottom of the 10th.

Colorado had depleted their bullpen and were desperate so they bring in starting pitcher Jason Hammel. we beat him last week in Colorado. 1 out Blake walks, Big Rod singles, Carroll flys out, Sellers pinch hits for Guerra and walks to load the bases, but Miles whiffs to send it to the 11th.

Dougie pitches a 123 inning in the top of the 11th, to my surprise and happiness.

bottom of the 11th, with Hammel still pitching. I knew it was only a matter of time before we got to him. First Loney flys out to right, then our MVP Matt Kemp slams one into the right field bleachers, for his 31st Homer of the year, and his 100th RBI of the season! DODGERS WIN BABY!

MVP

ok as much as Ive scrutinized Don Mattingly this season, I will say this for him, he runs a good clubhouse. he's got the guys playing very well. back to back come from behind wins? this reminds me a little of the 2004 division winning Dodgers that had 8 consecutive come from behind wins during one stretch.

well it will be tough for the Dodgers to get the sweep tomorrow as Joulysh Chacin will pitch for Colorado and he's always been tough on the Dodgers. the Dodgers will counter with Rookie Nathan Eovaldi in another afternoon game. Colorado meltdowns are so enjoyable! stay cool Dodger fans! GO BLUE

Dodgers go for fifth straight win

Dodgers Lineup
Miles4
Loney3
Kemp8
Rivera7
Ethier9
Blake5
Ellis2
Carroll4
Billingsley1


Kevin Millwood-1-1 vs. Chad Billinglsey-10-10


so what could top last night's game? I'm not sure but another win today would sure help right?
last night we saw Vinny announce his return for next year, Kemp break the 30/30 club, and the Dodgers come from behind rally, that put them ahead for good.

of coarse I was in the bathroom during Vin's announcement, but I saw the announcement later. apparently vin was eating a cookie that a fan mails him every year to try and entice him to stay another year. Vin did it in classic Vin style. full of class, and dignity. he didn't want to draw attention to himself, or draw attention away from the game. Vinny's voice is a gift. every game we get to hear his voice is a gift from the baseball heavens. we love you Vin, thank you for being with us.

the game was actually delayed by ten minutes due to the entire umpire crew being stuck in traffic on the pasadena freeway. I guess there was an accident or something. welcome to LA umps.

yesterday I had said that Mondesi was the only Dodger to reach the 30/30 club, and that he did it in 1997. this is half true, because he also reached the feat again in 1999.

today;s pitching matchup is another rematch from last week. Kevin Millwood will take the mound for Colorado as they will try to regroup. Millwood is 1-1 this far with Colorado. he was just added a few weeks ago, and has already provided the Rockies with some much needed innings. walking only three batters in 20 innings of work. he beat the Dodgers last time. lets not let that happen again.

the Dodgers will counter with Chad Billingsley. were never sure which Bills we will get from start to start. will it be good Bills, or bad Bills? inconsistency has marked Bills up and down year. h epitched well last week against Colorado, but still took the loss thanks to two long balls. Bills is 10-10 against the league with a 4.07 ERA.

todays game is at 110PM nationally televised on FOX. that is unless they decide to drop the game at last minute like last time. they better not! lets hope this streak continues! lets make it five in a row! GO BLUE

Kemp makes history as Dodgers rally for late win-Vinny returns for 2012

Rockies 1 5 0
Dodgers 6 9 1
WP-Lilly-8-13
LP-Rogers-6-3
HR-Cargo-24-Loney-7-Kemp-30

I love this Bison

Tonight was a great night for Dodger Baseball. during a lost season tonight, was a night we have sorley missed all season. after 6.2 innings of frustrating Dodger baseball, the Dodgers finally broke through by scoring 6 runs in a fatal inning for Colorado. Loney homered, Matt Kemp hit his 30th home run, and more importantly, perhaps more important than anything that happened during the game, Dodgers Legend Vin Scully announced his return for next year.

both teams entered tonight on hot streaks. the Dodgers had won three in a row, and Colorado had won 8 of their last 11.

Lilly pitches well tonight, I'm guessing the acupuncture worked

Rookie Esmil Rogers has a meltdown in the 7th

I just don't get Ted Lilly, he just can't get through a game without allowing at least one home run. one minute he looks great and the next he's getting taken deep, like a triple A pitcher getting lit up like a christmas tree.
Lilly starts the game by whiffing Young and Fowler, he was effectively mixing pitches, and dropping in a nasty looking curveball. but he hangs a classic signature Lilly meatball to Cargo, and he hit it halfway up the right field bleachers. I mean I couldn't even see where that ball landed.
next batter Lilly whiffs Mullet. so the first inning Lilly strikes out the side, but gives up another homer. its 1-0 Colorado.

Cargo is quite annoying isn't he?

Bottom first, Sellers whiffs, Loney (who's been red hot of late) hits a grounder towards the hole at first, it would have gone through but Helton makes a diving stop, but throws behind Rogers, and Loney is safe. its ruled a hit. Bison singles to left, sending Loney to second. but Rivera hits into a double play, and around the horn double play, which ends the frame.

top of the second, Lilly retires the side, with Miles making a nice diving stop on a grounder to retire Alfonzo. the score remains 1-0 Colorado.

Big Rod whiffs to end the second inning. as Esmil Rogers makes quick work of the Dodgers.

top of the third, Mark Ellis leads off with a single off of Lilly. Rogers Sacrifices Ellis to second. Young hits a little roller towards the mound, Lilly fields and throws to first, but Young is running inside the baseline, and the throw hits him in the back. Young is ruled out for running inside the baseline, and Ellis is sent back to second base, so instead of being up 2-0, Colorado has a runner at second and two outs. Fowler flys out to end the inning.

in the bottom of the third, Carroll leads off with a single over Mark Ellis' head. Lilly can't get the bunt down and pops out to Rogers. Seller's line drive is speared by Kevin Kouzmanoff (we haven't seen Kouzmanoff since his days with San Diego) he gets up and gets Carroll at second, but Sellers beats the throw at first. Loney works the count to 3-2 before grounding out to Helton. so the Dodgers come up empty again in the third, we've been here before haven't we Dodger fans?

Mullet Man's 1 out double in the fourth puts Lilly in hot water. however he gets out of it. Helton's fly ball to Kemp, and Alfonzo's pop up gets the Dodgers out of it.

the Dodgers threaten in the bottom of the fourth, but come up empty as usual. with two outs, Ethier finally gets a hit reaching on a bloop single to center. Miles double down the third base line, sends Ethier to third.  they should have sent him. the .238 hitting Big Rod pops out and thats that in the fourth.

Lilly pitches a 123 inning in the top of the 5th. and the Dodgers go down in order in the bottom of the 5th.

after the 5th inning, before the start of the 6th, Vin Scully announced he was returning for another season to bless us with his wonderfulness. he was eating a cookie while it was announced. of coarse I was in the bathroom when he announced it. I can't even express in words how happy I am to hear this. this game tonight is meaningless compared to the knowledge of knowing that Vinny will be with us for another year. every game we hear his voice is a gift, he is our guide throughout the season. Vin deserves a post of his own. Exuse me Vin deserves a hall of fame dedicated and named just for him. we love you Vin, thank you for always being there for us.

move to the bottom of the 7th, this is where the wheels fall off for Colorado. The Dodgers score 6 runs off two walks, two balks, four hits, two home runs, and two pitching changes. here is how it happened.

Ethier and Miles both lead off with walks. Big Rod trys to bunt, but can't get it down, the count falls to 0-2 and I fear for the worst. but Big Rod inside outs a pitch into left field for a hit, which moves everybody up 90 feet loading the bases.
Carroll's fly ball to center is way too shallow, and Ethier is thrown out at the plate on a one-hop strike from Dexter Fowler. Ethier tried to slide around the tag but was easily out.  then Tony Gwynn who is batting for Lilly is intentionally walked. the bases are still loaded and Colorado is gonna take there chances with Justin Sellers.

now theres two outs, and Im pissed. I mean the Dodgers had the bases loaded with none out, and still couldn't score. just as Im about to start cursing at my television screen, Aaron Miles would pull a rabbit out of his hat at third base.

DBF FLASHBACK-

Dodger balk off win from last year

Remember this game? this was last year's balk off win, on a bluff by Casey blake who was at third base.

well Aaron Miles bluffs towards the plate, in the very same fashion that Blake did last year. Esmil Roger's who is very wet behind the ears, gets spooked and makes an obvious balk. miles scores the tying run!

Colorado manager Jim Tracy argues with the Ump, but is later ejected 

with Sellers still at the plate, he delivers with a clutch base hit to right. Big Rod, and Gwynn score, and the Dodgers take the lead 3-1!!!
theres another balk that sends Sellers to second. Jim tracy comes out to argue and is thrown out of the game. exuse me if I don't cry a river argentina.
Matt Reynolds is brought in to relieve Rogers, who completely melted down. things would only get worse for Colorado. Loney who has been on another planet lately, bombs one into the left field bleachers for a two run home run. its 5-1 Dodgers! and what in the world has gotten into James Loney!?
then history was made at Dodger stadium Matt Kemp hits his 30th home run of the season, a homer over the center field wall. Kemp becomes just the second Dodger to join the 30/30 club. thats 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases. the only other Dodger to accomplish this feat was Mondesi, who did it back in 1997.
Exuse me while I kiss the sky!

Kemp gives Mattingly a high five after hitting his 30th homer

with the Dodgers up 6-1 Jansen pitches a scoreless 8th inning. Lilly goes 7 allowing only 1 run-on three hits, walking 1 and striking out 5. He comes out in line for the win. with our frustrations finally over, we move to the top of the 9th, with the Dodgers still up 6-1,  they bring in Elbert to finish the game.
Cargo grounds out, but Mullet and Helton both single. but Alfonzo pops out, and Kouzmanoff whiffs to end the game, and the Dodgers have won 4 in a row!

Thank God Vin is coming back next year

a terrific night for the Dodgers. could it get any better than tonight? I was on my feet screaming for joy, then was nearly moved to tears by Vinny's announcement. all I can say right now is.............................................................LETS GO BLUE!!!!!!!

Dodgers return home for weekend set

Dodgers Lineup
Sellers6
Loney3
Kemp8
Rivera7
Ethier9
Miles5
Barajas2
Carroll4
Lilly1


Esmil Rogers-6-2 vs. Ted Lilly-7-13



the Dodgers finally return home tonight, after there 10 game beer trip saw them go 5-5. there riding high after a shocking three game sweep of the Cardinals.

tonight is the first game of a three game set with Colorado, and a six game home stand which sees the Dodgers playing three with the Rockies, and Three with San Diego before going back out on the road.

the Dodgers have made a personnel move, they have activated Pitcher Kenley Jansen from the 15 day DL, and optioned pitcher Josh Lindblom back to Double AA Chatanooga. however rosters expand in a week, and I'm sure well see Lindblom back again soon. Jansen is returning from an Irregular heartbeat, that caused him to be put on blood thinners that required him to be out of action because of safety precautions.

tonight will be a rematch between rookie Esmil Rogers, and lefty veteran Ted Lilly.

last time we saw Rogers in coors field, he allowed four earned runs on 12 hits, and was not involved in the decision. Rogers is 6-2 against the league, but has a really high ERA of 6.00 the Dodgers haven't seen much of him though.

the Dodgers will counter with Lefty Ted Lilly. in his last start in Colorado, Lilly didn't make it out of the 5th inning. he had to be removed because of a stiff neck. however at his wife's request, he received Acupuncture treatment. and apparently it worked. Lilly claims his neck feels much better because of the treatment, although he admitted he didn't really understand the science of it. all I care about though is that Lilly is able to pitch tonight, and pitch effectively. Lilly is 7-13 this season, and has been pitching better before the neck setback. Lilly is 7-2 lifetime against Colorado.

the lineup looks similar to the other night. Loney is red hot, so I guess we have to ride his hot streak as he bats second. Ethier is still in the 5th spot, but he's struggling. Ide like to see Ethier moved back to the third spot, but until he starts hitting again I can understand the choice. however I still think that Ethier is a natural third hitter, and we know he doesn't stay in slumps very long. he will start hitting again.


ok so tonight's game is on at 710PM on Prime Ticket. Colorado is going to try another late season run again, but the Dodgers will try an be that Elephant in the room. Colorado is 9 games back of Arizona, while the Dodgers are 11 games back. this will be the last series of the year against Colorado, so this will be the last time we will have to deal with the likes of Cargo, Mullet man, and Helton.
lets keep the momentum going! GO BLUE!

Kuroda gets plenty of runs as Dodgers sweep Cardinals

Dodgers 9 13 0
Cardnals 4 11 2
WP-Kuroda-10-14
LP-Garcia-10-7
HR-Ellis-1-Rivera-3
Laird-1


Has Hiroki Kuroda's Luck finally turned? the japanese righty has been getting a ton of runs support of late, 21 runs over his last five starts, in comparison the Dodgers only had scored 20 runs for him all year up until recently. tonight they would give him more run support, as Kuroda and the Dodgers beat the Cardinals 9-4 in the sweltering midwest heat, sweeping the three game series. the Cardinals have just quietly faded away in the NL central race, and looked flat and listless throughout the series

See what happens when you score Hiroki some runs? we get a win!

the Dodger bats came alive again, scoring 9 runs hitting two home runs, one from A.J. Ellis (his first major league home run), and one from Rivera.

scoreless game in the bottom of the second, when the Redbirds score first. Holliday singles, and takes second on a wild pitch. Berkman's groundout advances Holliday to third, and he would score on a Skip Schumaker single. 1-0 Cardinals.

then in the top of the third, the Dodgers put together a flurry of hits, as Garcia has a real live meltdown as the redbird fans boos rain down upon the field of Busch stadium.

Sellers and Gwynn lead off with walks. theres a wild pitch that moves the runners over to second and third. interesting that Kuroda and Garcia both lead the league in wild pitches. Matt Kemp's base hit to center scores both Sellers and Gwynn giving the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. this also gives Kemp 97 RBI on the season.
Rivera doubles home Kemp, 3-0 Dodgers. Blake singles through the middle, scoring Rivera 4-0 Dodgers.
Blake takes second on a bad throw from Jon Jay. Loney's long double to right easily scores Blake, 5-0 Dodgers. Carroll singles Loney to third, then Loney scores on an RBI single by A.J. Ellis. 6-0 Dodgers.
Kuroda sacrifices, Sellers and Gwynn both ground out to end the inning. wow the Dodgers score 6 runs off 6 hits. my jaw almost hit the floor.

Jamie Garcia has a meltdown in the 3rd inning.

Kuroda strikes out Jay in the bottom of the third, Hit Machine singles, and Kuroda gets Pujols to ground into a force.

Garcia would eventually settle down. Kemp, rivera, and Blake all ground out in the 4th inning.

bottom of the 4th, Holliday fouls out to Loney. Berkman and Schumaker both single, but Laird grounds into an inning ending double play. a grounder back to the box, that Kuroda spears and starts a 1-4-3 double play.

great moment in the top of the 5th, A.J. Ellis just called up, yep the same guy we've been talking about, cranks a solo home run to deep left field, well into the seats. this gives the Dodgers a 7-1 lead. this is Ellis's first career major league home run, and should cement Ellis as the starting catcher. hey anyone miss Dioner Navarro? I didn't think so.

Kuroda pitches another scoreless frame in the bottom of the 5th, while in the top of the 6th, McClellan comes in to relieve Garcia.

with 2 outs in the top of the 6th, Kemp singles, and Rivera hits one out, his third home run with the Dodgers. its 9-1 Dodgers! Rivera has been outstanding since coming to the Dodgers.

bottom of the 6th, Kuroda whiffs Pujols looking like a red statue. Holliday flies out, Berkman grounds out, and its another easy inning for Kuroda.

lefty Aurthur Rhodes pitches a 123 top of the 7th inning.  in the bottom of the 7th a tired Hiroki allows a single to schumaker, and a home run to Laird, its 9-3 Dodgers. however Kuroda gets through the 7th without allowing anymore scorage.

Boggs pitches a scoreless top of the 8th, allowing a single to Gwynn but thats it.

Dougie relieves Kuroda for the bottom of the 8th, he gets Hit Machine to ground out, Pujols whiffs, Holliday a leg single. Berkman's grounder ends the frame.

move to the top of the 9th, we all laugh as former Dodger better known as the worst relief pitcher in baseball Octavio Bumtel comes in for relief for the Cardinals. of coarse we begin to have flash backs of Bumtel's three wild pitch, three walk one inning performance last year.

Bumtel whiffs Rivera, gets Blake to fly out, and Loney doubles for his third hit of the game. Loney is really on fire lately. he's raised his average above .270 now. Carroll strikes out looking to end the top of the 9th with the Dodgers still leading 9-3.

bottom of the 9th now, Matt Guerrier on the mound, Schumaker singles, Laird grounds into a force out. Descalso whiffs on a called third strike. of coarse Guerrier has to give up a run before the game ends. Allen Craig's double bounces over the wall, scoring Schumaker, 9-4. Jon Jay flies out to end the game, and the Dodgers have their first sweep in St.Louis since august of 1993.

the Dodgers win 9-4 and Kuroda picks up his 10th win. the Dodgers complete their 10 game beer trip going 5-5.

the Dodgers return home to open a 6 game home stand with Colorado and San Diego. they'll play Colorado this weekend, in the final meeting of the year between the Dodgers and Colorado, so well have to deal with Cargo, Mullet, and Helton one last time.

great series! tomorrow is an off day, and well return on friday night as Ted Lilly will take the mound for the Dodgers. a sweep always makes me feel better! have a great day Dodger fans! GO BLUE

Dodgers go for sweep at the Busch

Dodgers Lineup
Sellers6
Gwynn7
Kemp8
Rivera9
Blake5
Loney3
Carroll4
Ellis2
Kuroda1


Hiroki Kuroda-9-14 vs. Jamie Garcia-10-6


the Dodgers look for a three game sweep today in the final game of this 10 game road beer trip. its been quite a while since we've seen the Dodgers sweep at Busch, and were still giddy from last night's 13-2 drubbing.

Mattingly shakes up the lineup again, loading the lineup with righties against the lefty Garcia.
A.J. Ellis will get his first start behind the plate. Casey Blake starts in place of Miles at third, Rivera switches over to right field, with Tony Gwynn playing in left.

the Dodgers will give the ball to Hiroki Kuroda. Kuroda has been great over his last four or five starts. he's won three of his last four decisions actually, and has even been getting run support of late. a big change for the normally unlucky right hander.
Hiroki is 9-14 with a 2.88 ERA. he's pitched well against the Redbirds. 0-2 but with an ERA of 3.00. the only cardinal to have any past success off of Kuroda is Moth man Holliday. he's hit .400 in 20 AB with a home run. of coarse Hiroki can sometimes have issues pitching in warm weather situations so well have to keep an eye on his pitch count.

the Cardinals will counter with Lefty Jamie Garcia. he is 10-6 this year with a 3.45 ERA. he is 2-0 against the Dodgers, with a 3.86 ERA.

todays game is on at 1110AM on Prime Ticket. so grab your coffee Dodger fans, its Morning baseball!
GO BLUE

So Long Pudjito

ahhhh Pudjito parting is such sweet sorrow. the time has finally come, the first of many pink slips to come no doubt. the Dodgers finally rid themselves of Dioner Navarro, deciding to designate him for assignment, and call up A.J. Ellis.
this move was long overdue. Navarro A.K.A. "fatty" A.K.A. "Pudjito" has been nothing short of horrendous this year with the Dodgers. Navarro the source of heavy ridicule from Los Angeles and all over the internet and blog communities, was originally signed by the yankees. he was a top round draft pick back in the day, and considered promising at one time. the Dodgers originally signed him in 2005, and he played parts of two seasons wearing blue from 2005-2006. he hit .273 and .280 respectively, and was decent. he was traded to Tampa Bay once Russell Martin was called up. Navarro was terrible with Tampa Bay, only having one good season (all-star in 2008). after hitting .194 and .218 over the last two seasons with Tampa Bay, he was so bad he was left off the playoff roster last year, and decided to pout and leave the team instead of staying with his teammates during their playoff series.

the Dodgers desperate for catching signed him for a 1 yr 1 million dollar deal. we all knew this would not work out, and it hasn't. Navarro has been predictably terrible all year long. Navarro has hit a horrible .193/.276/.324 line with 5 home runs and 17 RBI. defensively he has been even worse. his errant throws into centerfield becoming an almost daily occurrence.

however the Dodgers timing has many bloggers confused. why now? after reading several reports online, and quotes from Manager Don Mattingly, apparently Navarro was having "philosophical differences" which was a contributing factor in his departure. when this story broke, it of coarse unleashed hundreds of hilarious jokes across the twitter feed.

it wasn't just Navarro's complete uselessness at the plate, or his throws that sailed into center field, like he was trying to play catch with kemp, but his pitch selections were bizarre and at times maddening.

according to reports read online, he was not calling the right pitches. perhaps this is what Mattingly meant by the philosophical differences? we just can't have this kind of failure, especially with such an important position as catcher. even more especially with a lot of young pitchers on the mound still learning how to pitch. this is why Russell Martin was so valuable, he knew all our pitchers and how to catch and call a game. we've been questioning Navarro's pitch calling all season.

while Navarro has split time all  year with Big Rod, because of Injury we've seen far more of Navarro then we've ever wanted to see. more jokes have been perpetuated because of his uncanny ability to always be up in the 9th inning in a 1 run or tie game with runners in scoring position. (in case your wondering Navarro was 1 for 11 in pinch hitting situations)

we here at DBF have been long concerned with the Dodgers lack of catching depth, and skill, as has most of the fan base and blog community. this long nightmare begun last year surrounding the circumstances of Russell Martin's bizarre injury that led to his non-tendering last winter.
this lack of catching depth for the dodgers is sad and disconcerting considering the Dodgers have always had great catchers over the years. Roy Campanella, John Rosbero, Steve Yeager, Mike Scioscia, Mike Piazza, Paul Loduca, and Russell Matin, names a long list of great Dodger catchers.
while I like Big Rod, I just don't see him returning after this year. he is a free agent, and we also know that Big Rod really really badly sucks. he's a .235 career hitter with a career .285 OBP. he's an awful defensive catcher, and throws runners out at a pathetic 20% clip. his only redeeming quality is his home runs.

in Navarro's place the Dodgers are getting a 30 year old career minor leaguer, but A. J. Ellis brings hope. he may be a Crash Davis, but he brings the Dodgers a much needed skill. the skill of getting on base.
last year in 108 at bats, he hit .278 with a .363 OBP. this year he's had only 45 AB with the Dodgers, but at Albuquerque he's getting on base at a very impressive rate. for his career he has a .406 OBP, while this season he's getting on base at a .467 clip, most likely due to his walk to strikeouts line of 50 walks, and only 23 strikeouts. his average is .304.

who cares about the timing of this move? all that I care about is that Navarro is finally gone. the Dodgers should call up Fedex in september and take a look at him for next year. we've learned that even an injured declining Russell Martin is better than a Big Rod and Fatty platoon.
I'm fine with ellis and fedex catching next year, especially since the free agent market is slim pickens.

look for more pink slips as the season concludes, but this is a good move. the Dodgers are looking to the future, and so are we.