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6-1 so far to start the season -- the best since 1981, when they won the World Series.
:yes
True, they beat the crappy Padres and Pirates.
True, they also always seem to beat the Pirates (11 straight season series went the Dodgers' way).
But still... 6-1 is awesome.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
Unfortunately it hurts a lot more when they plummet back to Earth.
Remember I told you I was the biggest Expos fan in the world so I obviously know what I'm talking about.
I am a big Kemp fan, and I am a little worried about what having him 3rd in this lineup is going to do to his RBI numbers. The 1 and 2 hitters just do not get on base enough. I think Kemp is going to lead the league in runs, bu I think he is going to have a big drop off in RBIs this year. However, I guess this is the best for the team, to have someone who gets on base so much and can steal batting 3rd so Ethier has someone to drive in.
I wish my boys off the 5 and 57 get their act together
Ervin Santana & Dan Haren are equaling to :doublefacepalm
One of the sabermetrics findings which has still barely been used today is ideal lineup optimization. Ideally, youre best 3 hitters should be in the #1,#2, and #4 slots (highest OBP guy at 1, best slugger at 4), then you're 4th and 5th best hitters split between the #3 and #5 spots in order (bigger power guy at 5). Then descending the rest of the way down. If you have a speedy guy, but he doesnt get on base enough, hit him 6th, or 9th if youre 7-8 hitters are really bad. The only team that seems to follow this is the Yankees (although the Rays and Diamondbacks use alot of creative lineups based on matchups).
The Dodgers have such holes as their 5-8th best hitters its hard to translate it over, except there is no way Ellis should be hitting 2nd. Gordon, Ethier, Rivera, Kemp, Loney might be ideal fro top 5. Or to go really ballsy, I bet a top 5 of Kemp, Ethier, Loney, Rivera, Uribe...with the pitcher hitting 8th and Gordon 9th would create more runs also than the current lineup
I agree that Mark Ellis is a poor choice to hit 2nd.Quote:
Originally Posted by gut
I don't agree with Kemp leading off, because he has too much power that would be wasted.
The pitcher hitting 8th is something I have mixed feelings about, but my inclination is still to be against it. I know that Tony LaRussa loved doing that.
I kind of wish the Dodgers had some tougher teams at the beginning so they don't get a false sense of security (and/or arrogance) going on because they're clobbering the Padres and Pirates.
I also never understood MLB's scheduling of playing the same team 2 out of 3 series, when there's 14 opponents to choose from (exclusing interleague opponents). Just makes it kinda boring to watch the Padres again when the Dodgers just played them last week.
I don't understand that either, especially being that MLB (despite being 162 games) is quite easy to schedule. Very few teams share their park with any other professional team (Oakland might be the only one?), thus MLB takes priority with their buildings. I can't imagine doing the schedule in the NBA or NHL, where clusterfucks like the staples center (Lakers, Clippers, and Kings) have to be a nightmare to plan.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan DruffI agree that Mark Ellis is a poor choice to hit 2nd.Quote:
Originally Posted by gut
I don't agree with Kemp leading off, because he has too much power that would be wasted.
The pitcher hitting 8th is something I have mixed feelings about, but my inclination is still to be against it. I know that Tony LaRussa loved doing that.
I kind of wish the Dodgers had some tougher teams at the beginning so they don't get a false sense of security (and/or arrogance) going on because they're clobbering the Padres and Pirates.
I also never understood MLB's scheduling of playing the same team 2 out of 3 series, when there's 14 opponents to choose from (exclusing interleague opponents). Just makes it kinda boring to watch the Padres again when the Dodgers just played them last week.
WOW!!!
Aaron Harang has struck out 9 STRAIGHT BATTERS, which has never happened in Dodger history. He gave up a leadoff single and then struck out the 9.
I have him on my fantasy team, too.
Of course, I have him benched.
:(
Never mind, maybe it's good I left him benched.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
Matt Kemp knocks it out of the park again... 3rd HR in his first 8 games -- and that's playing in the pitcher's parks of Dodger Stadium and Petco Park.
So far the dude doesn't look like he's slipping from last year.
Dodgers going to go to 7-1 for the year barring an epic meltdown of this 8-3 lead.
...right on queue for the Dodger bullpenQuote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
What a weird game.
9 straight strikeouts by Harang in innings 1-3.
He comes out in 4th and gives up 3 runs.
Dodgers take 8-3 lead.
Dodgers give up 3 runs.
Dodgers blow an 8-6 lead with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth.
Dodgers get 4 straight walks (including 4 straight balls to Ethier for the 4th walk) to win it 9-8 in the bottom of the 9th.
I wouldn't be surprised if there is a fair amount of SD bettors being completely wasted and getting kicked out of bars right now.
So glad they won today I accidentally put in a bet on bovada that was supposed to be a free mobile sports bet ticket of $10 but instead the bet was for $100 which is about all I got on there. Not sure wtf happened but it went from looking great in that game to a real sweat at the end.
Its surprising there's not more pitchers in baseball getting treated for anxiety issues. They already represent the largest portion of athletes who have publicly stated that they are. It's about the only position in all major team sports that relies completely on yourself to perform. Cashner on SD had 2 outs, noone on base, and Mark Ellis at the plate. Simply throwing an 80mph fastball right down the middle will get that third out at least 75% of the time. But he all of a sudden couldn't throw strikes to save his life.
I thought the same thing. Here is a Major League pitcher who can't throw a strike when that's literally the only option for him.Quote:
Originally Posted by gut
Put me on the mound -- a 40-year-old guy who hasn't played baseball in many years -- and I could probably throw a strike there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BeerAndPoker
Is that not the way of the sports betting world. You might as well have a deaf dumb and blind kid throw some bets up there. You're chances are every bit as good as
a major league manager
Another win with a walked in run against the Padres...Leading a charmed life our boys are...
But in reality this is a easy scheduled month for the Dodgers...I mean they're playing a bunch of nobodies unless you consider the Brewers tough without Fielder...
Expect them to be in 1st at the beginning of May...Then it gets serious...
Magic knows this and I fully expect him to break out the checkbook...
Hey what's the matter with Roy Oswalt?...Is he f*cked up still?...Or thinking about retirement?...
I mean even if he's f*cked up he's still got to be better than Lilly...
$40 million for Lilly...Colletti needs his waking papers also...
Oswalt is pulling the Roger Clemens plan now. The "I'm close to retirement and have saved a bunch of money, so i'll only sign with a contender thats close to my home", which for him , is Mississippi. Sucks for him because the closest teams, while most are contenders, have some of the most pitching depth in the majors. St Louis, Texas, Tampa, and Atlanta would need multiple injuries/epic fails to be interested. Houston is obv. just lulzQuote:
Originally Posted by son of lockman
The whole Oswalt thing is odd.Quote:
Originally Posted by gutOswalt is pulling the Roger Clemens plan now. The "I'm close to retirement and have saved a bunch of money, so i'll only sign with a contender thats close to my home", which for him , is Mississippi. Sucks for him because the closest teams, while most are contenders, have some of the most pitching depth in the majors. St Louis, Texas, Tampa, and Atlanta would need multiple injuries/epic fails to be interested. Houston is obv. just lulzQuote:
Originally Posted by son of lockman
At least Clemens was really old when he was pulling that crap.
Oswalt is only 34. Ever since the tornadoes in Mississippi last year, he pretty much has lost the heart for baseball.