Dodgers beat the Cards again, but nothing has changed. The fundamental flaws remain... Dodgers 2 Cardinals 1 With injuries and defections the Cards pitching staff has one of the highest ERA's around, but that was enough to stop the Dodger "offense" for most of the game. Today it was Card pitcher Adam Wainwright who looked like Koufax, but he finally made a mistake in the 9th after shutting the Dodgers out for 8. Rather, I should say that it was Card's catcher Yadier Molina who made the mistake. He called for a fastball "down and in" against James Loney and I remember thinking that could be a mistake before he threw the ball. I had learned by age 15 NOT to throw the ball down and in to lefties, because they all beat yer brains out if you do. Even lefties who're bailing out can still pull that pitch for some reason. Think Kirk Gibson here. Sure enough, Loney bombed a 2-run HR when the "down and in" pitch turned into "belt high and in" and that was the difference in the game... Its still hard to get excited with zero offense. The kids are fading; the old guys are fading and pitching is scarce...
Dodgers go down the drain again for the same old reasons: Cardinals 6 Dodgers 1 As Yogi may have said, "It's deja vu all over again." In a move I don't understand, the Dodgers picked up catcher Chad Moeller from Cincinnati after the game and sent him to Las Vegas. Corey and I are very familiar with Moeller. He's from Upland 3 miles north of here and he played against both of us many times. He was a terror in high school and American Legion ball, but he was only batting .167 for the Reds. Just what we need...unless they've worked out a trade for backup catcher Mike Lieberthal...
Yes! In my disappointment at the direction of my Dodgers, I forgot to mention the baseball story of the day: Rick Ankiel hit two more home runs today! Its one of the greatest baseball stories of all-time. The precedence for what's happening in this situation is so far off the charts is difficult to fathom. Ankiel became the first guy to hit his first HR as a pitcher, then hit more as a position player since Clint Hartung in 1947. Before that, you have to go back to a guy named Ruth. Only two other players in the 60 years since then have made the transition from pitcher to position player on a regular basis: Bobby Darwin (now a Dodger scout) and Willie Smith. We're watching a rare athlete do something that most guys can't do...
Stick a fork in us: we're done. Cardinals 12 Dodgers 2 We have Roberto Hernandez. They have Roy Hobbs... The team has lost seven series in a row; 19 of the last 24 games; 5 for 80 with runners in scoring position... The beat goes on, but the melody has stopped. Is it football yet?
5.5 games out and back to back against MIL and CHC. If Larussa plays his CARDS the right way, they could win the division and find their way back to the series. Wouldn't that be something...
A couple of weeks ago I laughed at the possibility, but now it is a real live 3-way race. The Ankiel story, the Soriano and Ramirez injuries, The Brewers apparent implosion, all add up to an exciting final 2 months in the NL Central.
Sid, They're finding their stride finally. Look at what they accomplished last year. Worst record of any division champ, below average pitching, injuries, ....yada yada yada,.....however, and to the dismay of the Padres, Mets and Tigers, they played the best baseball....that's obviously what it takes during the playoffs. How many times in all of sports have we seen that scenario?
DDOG, What's really nice is that if the pitching really goes south, we can always give Ankiel another shot.... :roll:
Now we're being pounded by the Lastros. We've won two games this month; by scores of 2-1 and 1-0... Nomar got tossed out tonight for arguing a called strike. Hey! When do we Dodger fans get to be thrown out? We want to go home too... Nomar's replacement was Shea Hillenbrand who joined the train wreck yesterday. Why not? Let's get all the guys who were cut by everybody else and hand them a bat. They can't do any worse... Houston 4 Dodgers 1
That was past being a strike. As a matter of fact, they should use that clip in umpire school as to what a perfect strike looks like.
As of tonight, Dodgers are 5 for 91 with runners in scoring position since Aug 1st.... On the Lighter side, Cards have picked up 2 games on the Brewers.... :wink: :wink:
:shock: Dodgers win! Dodgers win! I'd better talk fast. You never know how long this will last: Dodgers 6 Strohs 3 Russell Martin wore his pantlegs down again and hit two HRs. They also threw some garlic under the bench before the game to break the spell... It was the worst start to August in Los Angeles Dodger history... Brad Penny became the first Dodger starter to win a game this month and Takashi got his 30th save...
Just two and a half weeks ago, the Dodgers were in first place, where they had been all season. This is the worst Dodger collapse I've ever seen. I thought they might fade, but I never thought they would just take the gas like this...
Dodgers win 3rd in-a-row. They are undefeated since they began throwing garlic under their bench before each game starts. Doh! Of course! Why didn't we think of that before? Garlic under the bench to ward off evil spirits works every time! Everybody knows that!...
:roll: Well, the Dodgers won their series with the Rockies, but there's no joy in Muddville. With 38 games to go, the Arizona Dbacks have all but wrapped up the West with a seven game lead. I have to give them credit; they earned it. I thought they would fade, but they're taking care of business in a way the Dodgers and Padres did not... The season-long problem with the Dodgers lineup is still there. Earlier in the week, they had Mark Sweeney batting 3rd, just like Babe Ruth or Willie Mays. Sweeney is a 38 year-old lefthanded pinch-hitter, who was obtained for a player-to-be-named-later... Today they had Shea Hillenbrand batting 4th, like Lou Gehrig or Mickey Mantle. Hillenbrand has been released by two other teams this year... Russell Martin has now stolen 20 bases breaking the all-time Dodger record for a catcher. The franchise began in 1890... Takashi Saito has 33 saves... Eric Stultz has won a position in the starting rotation... It looks like our only hope now is the Wild Card. Our road trip begins Tuesday in Philadelphia...
The Dodgers and Phillies are an even match. We have hitters they've never heard of and they have pitchers that we've never heard of. Tonight the hitters won: Dodgers 15 Phillies 3 Before this series the Dodgers were 6 for 100 with runners in scoring position. Their post-All-Star collapse has been a swan dive off the Empire State Building. I can't imagine them making the playoffs...