7:10pm
Game 1
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| Casey Blake Returns After Missing 27 Games |
After a momentary breather and day off yesterday, the Dodgers look to regroup after a disappointing roadtrip. They open the home series with three games vs. Florida and then three games with the Rockies to wrap up messy May and begin June. The Dodgers hope to get some wins, because after this homestand they will take to the road for an incredibly difficult stretch of games where they'll play in Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Colorado. Right now they are 7 games under .500 and 6 games back of SF in the standings.
Jon Garland (1-4, 4.75) will get the start for the Dodgers after a disastrous start against the White Sox, his former team. He complained of both a blister and not being on the same page with the catcher Big Rod. We'll see which catcher starts today since Big Rod has been sitting and Navarro has been playing in his place. Either way, sorry Jon, but you will get a crappy catcher nonetheless. Gar is trying for his second win of the season, and has been mediocre since his return from the DL earlier this year. He has played well against the Marlins with a 5-1 record, and 2.36 ERA in 8 starts in his career. On April 25th, at Sun Life Stadium, Garland allowed only 2 runs in 7 innings against the Marlins in a no-decision. The Marlins won 2 of the 3 games when the Dodgers visited them in April in Florida. Javier Vazquez (3-4, 6.41) will go to the mound for the fish. The Marlins are just coming off of a series sweep vs. the Giants and have won 5 of their last 6 games.
With over 50 games now in the book for 2011, we can see how the frustrating injuries have plagued this team tremendously. Casey Blake should be returning today after suffering an elbow infection that sidelined him for some time. Even if Casey doesn't start everyday, he can bolster this weak bench. Andre Ethier better be back in the lineup after resting for what seems like weeks.
In breaking news this afternoon it has been reported that Dodgers executives have said that James Loney is a non-tender candidate at the conclusion of the season. Most likely we still will have him with the team the remainder of the season, and unless he starts putting up some miracle comeback numbers, his time in Los Angeles are winding down. You know, this is a bit sad since at one time I did like Loney. I remember watching the young core of Dodgers just coming up and starting out a few seasons ago. But the Kemp, Ethier, Loney, Martin, Billingsley, Kershaw, and Broxton story is unfolding as they progress in their careers, and we are losing some along the way. We already lost Russell Martin during the offseason. Broxton looks to be toasted as a dominant relief pitcher. James Loney just never panned out as the first baseman we needed. C'est la vie. It's time to move on and let someone else take over at first.
In other MLB news, most of you have heard about Buster Posey's collision with Scott Cousins in the 12th inning in a game vs. Florida. He broke his ankle, and will be out for the remainder of the season. We never like to see any player injured, and this collision was pretty tough to watch. The debate about whether the catcher should be more protected has ensued. What do you think? Should there be more rules put into place to protect the catcher when he's blocking home plate? Tell us in the comments. Here's the video of the collision *graphic footage warning*
Cousins Collides with Posey
Lineup:
Furcal 6
Blake 5
Ethier 9
Kemp 8
Gibbons 7
Loney 3
Barajas 2
Carroll 4
Garland 1
The Dodgers have optioned Russ Mitchell back down to AAA to make room for Casey Blake. Blake will bat second tonight followed by Ethier who thankfully is not sitting again. Big Rod also returns from haitus. Unfortunately instead of Sands, Gibbons will be in left field. Can't have a lineup totally void of blackholes now can we?
Welcome back, Blaker! Go Blue:)
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