5:10 pm
Game 1
 |
| The Dodgers are 103-121 in Interleague Play |
After another frustrating loss last night, the Dodgers are now mired in fourth place barely ahead of San Diego. Times like these I almost miss the days of mediocrity when they were at .500. So after the horrible homestand, the Dodgers got on a plane late last night to start a road trip which includes three games at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago and three games in Houston.
I've never been a fan of Interleague play. Maybe I'm old skool, but I like the separateness of the leagues. I like when the two leagues didn't meet during the regular season except for the All-Star game and then ultimately the World Series. The main difference between leagues of course is the use of the designated hitter. In the American League, the pitcher does not bat, but instead a designated hitter bats in his place. Since we are playing in an American League Stadium, American League rules apply so the Dodgers will have to use a DH. I don't really like the DH either. I feel like all the players, including the pitcher, should go up to bat. So with the DH, the American League usually scores more runs than the National League. The Dodgers usually don't fare well in Interleague play.
Ted Lilly (3-4, 4.83) will go up against Phillip Humber (3-3, 3.18) in his first Interleague game. Last season when Lilly was a Cub, he had a no-hitter going against the cross-town rival White Sox, and our old friend Juan Pierre broke it up in the 9th inning with a pinch-hit single. Lilly is 6-2 with a 5.16 ERA vs. the White Sox in 11 career starts. The White Sox have won 9 of 12 games played against the Dodgers, and the Dodgers have only mustered one victory in U.S. Cellular Field.
In pre-game ceremonies Jon Garland and Juan Uribe will be honored for their role in the White Sox's 2005 World Championship. Garland played eight years in the south side of Chicago and had a 92-81 record with the White Sox.
Lineup:
Gwynn 8
Carroll 6
Ethier 9
Kemp DH
Uribe 4
Loney 3
Navarro 2
Gibbons 7
Mitchell 5
Lilly 1
The lineup looks a little different today since the DH will be used for the first time this season. Gwynn is starting in left field and batting lead off. Kemp will be the designated hitter. Gibbons will be playing in left field. Russ Mitchell will be playing third, and Navarro annoyingly gets a start behind the plate. Big Rod has been due for his weekly homer, so this is disappointing. Looks like we will not be graced with Aaron Miles' presence for the second day in a row. I think he is sore, which obviously is apparent in his fielding of late.
Remember, the White Sox have Ogre (Adam Dunn) as their DH so we will be on the look out for him. They also have the pesky Juan Pierre, who is their leadoff guy now so Lilly will have to watch for him running. With Navarro behind the plate, there's almost a guaranteed flurry of stolen bases to be witnessed.
2day is gonna be my first time ever being DH in a big league game. Seriously let's get some wins!!!
Looks like Matt Kemp has a new Twitter account, and he wants some wins just as bad as us fans!
Go Blue:)
No comments:
Post a Comment