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The Changeup
by Robert Timm
05.09.08
Timm's Two Cents
Let's take a peek at the weekend series with Houston (18-17), who have just won five of their last six games. The offense has been led by Lance Berkman (.368 / 11 / 33), Carlos Lee (.282 / 7 / 22), and the resurrected Miguel Tejada (.336 / 5 / 25). Over their last ten games, the Astros pitching staff has posted an ERA of 3.56 and they have struck out 44 batters over 48 innings. Fortunately, the Dodgers will not be facing their ace, Roy Oswalt. Houston's fielding percentage of .990 is good enough to tie them with San Diego and Colorado for best in the NL. Overall, this is a solid ballclub that is playing well as they head into Chavez Ravine.
The Astros have been winning games lately partly because they've been aggressive and liberal on the basepaths, and manager Cecil Cooper plans to continue that approach during the upcoming road trip. He doesn't count on the longball as much as he does when the team is playing at home, where fly balls sometimes turn into 316-foot home runs, affectionately known as "Minute Maid Park specials." (MLB.com)
Friday: (Moehler, 0-0, 7.04) vs (Lowe, 2-2, 3.66), 7:40 p.m.
Saturday: (Sampson, 1-3, 7.96) vs (Billingsley, 2-4, 4.54), 7:10 p.m.
Sunday: (Chacon, 0-0, 3.60) vs (Kuroda, 1-2, 3.95), 1:10 p.m.
Prediction: The Dodgers take two of three.
05.08.08
Timm's Two Cents
It makes no difference in the scheme of things if you lose a game 3-2 or 12-1. And if there's a team that can, essentially, afford to take such a beating it would be the Dodgers. Thankfully, all five teams in the NL West lost as well on Wednesday. It's only one stinkin' game and one that won't likely derail them from their recent hot streak as Houston comes into town. No matter how you slice it, taking two of three from the Mets is quite acceptable. But if there is anything to worry about from Wednesday's debacle, it would be Brad Penny. In his last two starts, Penny's ERA has jumped from 2.89 to 4.79. He's gone a shade more than nine innings and given up 13 earned runs. Ouch. And don't look now, but Scott Proctor is looking awfully shaky this season. On May 1, Proctor's ERA reached it's lowest point of the season at 4.91. Proctor has now watched his ERA travel up to 5.94 after Wednesday's outing. And with Esteban Loaiza headed to the disabled list, one wonders if Clayton Kershaw is about to receive his first cup of joe this weekend.
Things That Are Dead
Confidence in Brad Penny as staff ace.
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05.07.08
Timm's Two Cents
Hong-Chih Kuo was simply awesome Tuesday night. Coming out of the bullpen, Kuo struck out eight Mets in 3.2 innings. He did not surrender a hit, and walked only one, lowering his ERA to 2.59. But before you begin clamoring for Kuo to take Loaiza's spot in the rotation, take a look at his splits. As a starter, Kuo has an ERA of 5.06 while as a reliever (entering Wednesday) his ERA was only 0.90. Similarly, batters hit Kuo to a .268 clip when he's starting and only .216 when he enters from the bullpen. Kuo's stuff is solid. But the numbers don't lie: he's more effective when coming out of the 'pen (just ask the Mets). Joe Torre needs to see what a weapon he has out there - and leave him alone.
The Wire
- Diamond Leung (Press-Enterprise) checks in with injury reports on Furcal, Abreu, Schmidt and Scott Elbert. Furcal's stiff back looks to be minor, though he could sit out Wednesday and take advantage of Thursday's off day to get some serious rest. The news on Schmidt, Abreu, and Elbert is less than positive.
- Get drunk on Tommy! Yup. If you haven't seen it yet, Tommy Lasorda is now branding his own wine. You can check it out here.
05.06.08
Timm's Two Cents
Have you noticed? Matt Kemp, the reigning NL Player of the Week, has been much more selective at the plate lately. He's not swinging at those high inside hard-ones like he was the first couple of weeks of the season and, more importantly, he's been going to right field more often - as evidenced by Monday's home run and single. Thankfully, Torre has begun to stabilize the lineup a bit and Kemp seems to be settling in nicely in the No. 3 slot. Now might be the time to make an All-Star push for Matt Kemp. Cast your vote here.
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Things That Are Dead
The Dodgers losing streak.
Little Known Fact
Only 6,673 fans attended the final game at Ebbetts Field in 1957.
05.04.08
The Rumor Mill
Ken Rosenthal checks in with this video report. Ken suggests that the Dodgers could be interested in Orlando Hudson in the off-season if the D'Backs fail to re-sign him. But the big news is that Rosenthal thinks the Dodgers are getting ready to promote Clayton Kershaw to the big club. His status would be as both a starter and reliever - starting two games, then spending two weeks in the bullpen - in order to limit his innings to 150 IP this season. Esteban Loaiza would be Kershaw's mirror throughout the stint. My thoughts are that Jason Schmidt could probably benefit from splitting this role with Kershaw once he's healthy, making Loaiza expendable.
05.03.08
Timm's Two Cents
Joe Torre deserves a ton of credit for how he is handling his four outfielders. Sure, many of us would chose to do things differently, and Andruw Jones has been in a horrible slump to start the season. But there's no arguing with how Kemp, Either, and Pierre have all contributed this year. Instead of bitterness and loathing, there's a genuine desire to compete and play by all three of them. No one can fault Pierre for being unhappy with his new role - but so far he has not been a distraction. And when he's in the lineup, he's been staying within himself: in his last 11 starts he has 15 hits, stolen 7 bases and scored 6 runs - not to mention he's hitting .417 versus left-handers this year. Throw in Ethier's .305 / 2 / 14 and Kemp's .316 / 2 / 21 and it's a pretty agreeable situation, all things considered. Shuffling the lineup around and knowing when to sit or start each of these guys can't be easy, but Joe Torre is getting the absolute best out of his three rotating outfielders. Now, if Andruw would just wake up...
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05.02.08
The Wire
- It seems as though Juan Pierre wants what many of us want. "What can I do? Try to play hard and it's just one of those things I've got to deal with until something works itself out," Pierre said, an apparent reference to a trade that would resolve the outfield jam. (dodgers.com)
- Emil J. "Buzzie" Bavasi, the forceful general manager who shepherded the Dodgers through their World Series-studded transition from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, has died. (LA Times) If you don't know who Buzzie was, it's time understand who he was in Dodgers history.