Things We Learned from Today's Game (8/7/11)

Overview:  Ransom costs Dodgers/Kershaw win.  Diamondbacks 4 Dodgers 3

Pros:  Clayton Kershaw's overall numbers might not look all that great, pitching 6 and 1/3 innings and surrendering four runs while walking three.  This only tells half the story though.  Kershaw struggled out of the gate, walking Ryan Roberts on four pitches then giving up a two run blast to Kelly Johnson on a 3-2 pitch.  Kershaw would go on to walk another in the first, throwing 31 pitches in the inning.  After that, though, he cruised for the next five innings, allowing only two hits.  He looked virtually unbeatable until the seventh when he gave up another two run homer to Cody Ransom, of all people.  Those four runs he gave up were insurmountable for the Dodgers, but Kershaw, for the most part, pitched much better than his line suggests.  He did strike out 7, raising his season total to 184 in 167 and 2/3 innings, and continues to lead the league in that category. 
Other positives that came from today was James Loney homering in the fifth (fun note: I was complaining during his at-bat that he never turned on balls anymore and always seems to pop the ball up to the left side, then immediately after he drove the ball over the right field fence).
Lindblom also looked good, pitching a scoreless inning and 2/3 to finish the game and lower his season ERA to 1.80.
Finally, Aaron Miles scoring from first on a double by Ethier was one of the funniest images I've seen in a long time.  He is a small, hobbit-like man.  

Cons:  As mentioned earlier, Kershaw gave up a homerun to Cody Ransom.  And it was no cheap shot either.  It was gone the second it touched his bat.  Ransom hadn't hit a homerun all year, and in parts of 9seasons in the majors, he has hit a total of 9.  So, of course he hit a homerun against the Dodgers best pitcher.  Why wouldn't he?
Meanwhile, Navarro went hitless, dropping his season average back below .200, while Eugenio Velez, who is not very good, continues to look for his first hit of the season.   Look, I know Gordon is hurting, Furcal's been traded and their aren't a lot of great middle infield options for the Dodgers right now, but can't Ivan DeJesus Jr or Justin Sellers at least get a look?  At least there's some upside in those two.  Eugenio Velez, who is not very good, has zero upside and contributes nothing to this team  now, or the future.  Did I mention he's not very good?  I do hear he's fast, but I have trouble verifying that because I've never seen him on the basepaths before. 
It's not often that we mention negatives about Matt Kemp (much less about Kershaw and Kemp) but I'm not sure what he could've been thinking trying to bunt for a hit.  A guy having an MVP caliber season like he is should pretty much under no circumstances be laying down a bunt.  Even if he had beat it out, it would've been a bad idea.  The Dodgers need his power more than his ability to show off his awesome bunting ability.  By the way, that was sarcasm, because it was a horrible bunt.  We love you, Matt.  We just disagree with this particular decision of yours.  (We don't want to anger him too much, because we'd really like him to sign with the Dodgers long term).

What we learned:  That trotting out an infield of Aaron Miles, Jamey Carroll (nothing against him, he's been very good for this team for two years now, but he still should be a utility player on a better team), Eugenio Velez and James Loney (yes, I remember he homered today, but remember it's just  his fifth of the season), with Dioner Navarro catching, is not going to win many games.  I know some of us were getting excited about the Dodgers playing well of late, but a team that trots those guys out on a regular basis is not a playoff team.  We here at Proven Veteran Leaders don't want to be complete downers, we're just frightened of Ned Colletti getting excited about the "playoff hunt" and trading prospects not on the 40 man roster for, well, Proven Veteran Leaders.  

Things we learned from tonight's game (8/6/11)

I love that Steve Lyons continues to ask him questions.  Hard hitting  coverage from Psycho, here.

Overview:  Captain EO gains a nickname and fans seven in his MLB debut, but Dee Gordon leaves with a shoulder injury.  Dodgers win, 5-3.

Pros:  Nathan Eovaldi starts his major league career off in pretty good fashion, going five innings with seven strikeouts.  He also went one for two at the plate, hitting a single and later scoring a run to help his own cause.  Captain EO (hat tip to twitter's own Chad Moriyama and Robert Huitron for that gem) threw 77 pitches and still looked fresh, but was pulled for a pinch hitter in the top of the sixth.  Andre Ethier got his average back over .300 with a two hit game, and he, Rivera, Miles and Barajas (3 for 4?!?) chipped in RBIs.  On the pitching side, Blake Hawksworth threw two perfect innings and Scott Elbert danced around some shaky defense in the ninth to record his second save of the season.

Cons: DEE GORDON GOT HURT.  Thankfully, it doesn't sound like it's a serious injury, as Gordon wasn't wearing a sling and was back in the dugout laughing with the team after a few innings.  But the Dodgers need to see Gordon play every day for the rest of the season, and a lingering shoulder injury would be disastrous for long term planning's sake.  If Ned doesn't trust Gordon by the end of the season, there's a high chance he could do something stupid (Tejada and O. Cab are free agents) or really stupid (Jimmy Rollins for six years and 100 million?) in the offseason.  Also, Matt Guerrier continues to not be very good- starting to get a little more concerned about that three year deal.  

What we learned:  That Nathan Eovaldi will be the starting pitcher five days from now, and five days after that.  It's one start, so Eovaldi mania should be tempered, but it was certainly an encouraging start.  We're looking forward to seeing more.  A quick word of caution to him, though- don't expect five runs of support every time, Nate.

Does the Nate Eovaldi era start tomorrow?

Peek-a-boo, bitches.

Tonight, the Dodgers open a three game series in Arizona, wrapping up a quick six-game road trip before preparing to take on the Phillies at home starting Monday.  Chad Billingsley is on the mound tonight opposite Josh Collmenter, and Sunday Clayton Kershaw (swoon) takes on Ian Kennedy.  But as of right now, the Dodgers site currently shows this as the matchup for Saturday:

TBA, huh?  Heard his curve is filthy.

What does this mean?  Well, the Dodgers.com writers seem to think that it means we're calling up Nate Eovaldi tonight.  So does Anthony Jackson, who originally tweeted about this on August 2nd.  Mike Petriello of Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness went so far as to put up a great piece looking at Eovaldi in-depth.  As he shows, Eovaldi wasn't highly regarded prior to this season- he profiled as a middle reliever and didn't crack the Dodgers' top 20 preseason prospects, which is probably why Ned hasn't traded him yet.  This season, however, Eovaldi has put together a great year in AA, and now looks to be a legit mid-rotation candidate on a big league squad.  

Is it a bad idea to call him up now?  Possibly.  While his season in AA has been very good, he doesn't exactly have a proven track record in the minors, and he's still only 21 years old.  Rushing him onto the big league roster before he's ready could set his development back significantly (see: Jackson, Edwin), and if we're just looking to fill a few starts, Dana Eveland and John Ely are both fully capable of giving us replacement player level starts through the end of the year.

Honestly, though, we're excited for the chance of an Eovaldi call-up.  If it turns out things do go horribly awry, we can still plug holes with that Elyveland two headed monster, and there's little doubt Eovaldi has more upside than either of those two.  And to be harshly blunt, we didn't expect anything from Nate Eovaldi.  He was an 11th round draft pick that cost a 250,000 signing bonus to get.  Nothing to sneeze at, to be sure, but he also isn't one of the highly protected big money draft picks we have still getting comfortable in the minors.  This isn't like rushing Zach Lee to LA.  If he succeeds, it's a bonus.  

Plus, we might as well find out what we have right now- his success or failure will affect how the Dodgers proceed in free agency this offseason.  A few average to above-average starts from him down the stretch may save us from the one year, 8 million dollar Justin Duscherer contract you know Ned has tucked away in his top drawer.

What we learned from Tuesday's game (8/2/11)

Kuroda in 1914, the last time the Dodgers provided him with any run support.

Overview: Hiroki Kuroda learns what it takes to get a win.  Kemp does more great stuff.  Dodgers win, 1-0.

Pros: Fun fact- five of Hiroki Kuroda's seven wins have come via shutout.  Look, I think we were all a little disappointed when Kuroda invoked his no trade clause prior to the trade deadline, especially when it came out that the horrifying deadline trade of Trayvon Robinson (he's wearing a Tacoma Rainiers jersey in that link, which I guess means that whole thing wasn't a nightmare I had while laid up with a strained ligament and hopped up on my mother-in-law's arthritis meds) was kind of his fault.  But it's hard to be angry with him when he's pitching shutouts.  Matt Kemp shockingly provided the only offense for the Dodgers by knocking in Dee Gordon in the fourth inning.  Javy Guerra nailed down his ninth save- and yes, saves are overrated, and yes, Javy Guerra is probably not a great choice to be our closer long term, but dammit, he's a rookie who's been a bright spot this season, and I'm happy for his success.

Cons:  Outside of Gordon (2 for 4! get ready for your Profile in Courage, Dee!) and Kemp, no Dodger reached base more than once.  Also, they didn't work a single walk.  Mat Latos is a solid pitcher, but damn.  That's kind of embarrassing.  Good thing our new hitting coach has fixed everything.

What we learned:  Same story, different day.  If teams ever learn how to pitch around Matt Kemp, the Dodgers are screwed.  One interesting thing to note- Andre Ethier sat, with Rivera getting the start in RF.  Mattingly said he was frustrated after a tough game Monday and needed a breather.  But it certainly sounds like the frustration runs a little deeper than that- Roberto Baly of Vin Scully is My Homeboy had some first hand contact with just how frustrated Ethier is/was.  Sounds like those of us hoping to lock up Ethier long term might be out of luck...

Things we learned from last night's game (8/1)

 Overview: Kershaw goes distance, Dodgers actually score runs.  Dodgers 6 Padres 2

 Pros:  Clayton Kershaw. Probably nothing more needs to be said than just his name anymore, but I'm going to try anyway.  Kershaw pitched another complete game, striking out 4 (a low number for him), walking 2 and surrendering 6 hits.  What does that mean?  This was Kershaw on an off-day, without his best stuff.  Then there's this quote from Kershaw after the game when somebody mentioned he was pitching to contact.  "I hate the term pitch to contact," he said. "I'm not trying to let them hit it."  I seriously love this guy.  Instead of spouting off some useless cliche that we hear all the time like "I just have to grind it out" or some shit like that, he gives a real answer.  I've always hated the term pitch to contact too, Clayton.  The win gives him 13 on the season.  Not that the wins stat mean anything for a pitcher, but I have to admit I'm rooting pretty damn hard for him to reach 20.  If for nothing else, it's something to cheer for this season.  Can you imagine if Kershaw manages to win 20 games and Kemp manages to lead the league in RBI's this season?  Again, those stats are useless in trying to evaluate a player because they're so team dependent, but I think in this case it speaks to just how good these guys are that they can put up these numbers on a team so bad.
Speaking of Kemp, he went 2 for 4 with a double, a triple, an RBI and 2 runs scored.  He also probably would've stolen third if Rod Barajas hadn't selfishly singled him home.
Finally, Carroll went 2 for 3 with a walk, a run scored, and 2 stolen bases.  I mention this mostly because I started him in my fantasy line up and now look like a genius.

Cons:  The biggest con from yesterday is not from the game itself, but the news that Rubby De La Rosa is hurt and might require Tommy John Surgery.  Richard covered that news in an earlier post.  Check it out here.
Other than that, I don't really have anything negative to say about last night.  It was a good win all around.  Even James Loney, who went 0 for 3, proved once and for all that he's a "run producer" with a sacrifice fly.

What we learned:  How fragile young pitching can be.  We wish De La Rosa the best in his recovery, and pray to any God that will listen that Kershaw doesn't go down with some kind of arm injury.  Because that just might kill us.  Literally.

You thought things were going to get better?

Ow.  Ow.  Ow.

2012 just got a lot scarier.  Rubby De La Rosa, one of the most exciting (read: only) pleasant surprises of the year, has a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow and is done for the season, if not longer.  If he does have to undergo Tommy John surgery, which is expected at this point, we won't see him back in the rotation until September of next year at the earliest, but it's more likely 2013 would be the target at this point.  There's a small chance that he won't have to undergo the procedure, but we don't recommend holding your breath.  John Ely has been called up to take his place for the foreseeable future while a course of action is determined.

This is a huge blow, on a lot of different levels.  Rubby was outperforming pretty much everyone's expectations of him this season-  he was averaging a strikeout per inning in the majors, and opponents were hitting just .244 against him.  Sure, his control wasn't perfect, but for a 23 year old that throws 100mph, you can't expect pinpoint control.  Of course, those shiny 100mph fastballs have their price, and it looks like the bill just came due.

What does this all mean?  Well, if Tommy John surgery is necessary, the team's rotation- one of the only areas where it seemed fairly well-off going into next year- becomes a big question mark.  Assuming he's gone, next year's rotation now reads as Kershaw/Billingsley/Lilly/Ely/?. It certainly helps the odds of Hiroki Kuroda returning to the team, if he decides to stay in the US.  And with a strong spring training, you could easily see the team rolling the dice on Zach Lee or Nate Eovaldi sneaking on in place of Ely.  With all the holes in the lineup next year, and all the uncertainty with the team's payroll and financial obligations (not to mention the weak FA pitching market), crossing our fingers for the next batch of prospects to mature may be the best bet we have to replace RDLR's quality innings next season.

That said, with a healthy RDLR back and ready to go, 2013's rotation is STACKED.  Kershaw/Bills/RDLR/Z. Lee/Lilly is pretty filthy, and hopefully by that point one of our other pitchers will have developed enough to push Lilly out entirely.  Proven Veteran Leaders- always looking on the bright side of things.

Angry like the Wolff

Whoa.  When did John McCain and Ernest Borgnine find the time to clone this guy?

Just a quick update this morning: lost in the shuffle that was yesterday's disastrous trade deadline, Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports that Oakland Athletics owner Lew Wolff publicly called for Frank McCourt to sell the team, making him the first MLB owner to make an on-the-record statement regarding the Dodgers' ownership woes.  

And the impetus behind finally making a public statement?  Not the $35,000,000 reportedly spent on the divorce.  Not the fact that the team filed for bankruptcy.  Not the dozens, if not hundreds, of personal mud-slinging attacks between McCourts in public, bringing transgression after transgression against themselves and the Dodgers to light.  Wolff finally went public because McCourt dared to question Bud Selig's salary as MLB commissioner.

"For anyone to seek to diminish Bud's accomplishments in order to rationalize their own actions is, in my opinion, ludicrous and hugely disingenuous," Wolff is quoted in the article as saying.  

You know what?  We'll take it.  As ridiculous as it is that this is what finally pushed the owners to publicly speak out, the fact of the matter is that this is a pretty big deal.  The owners are, to put it mildly, notoriously tight lipped, and while off the record comments and 'anonymous' interviews with GMs and owners that are critical of  McCourt have surfaced in the last few months, that fact that one went public shows just how fed up they all must be.  That it was Wolff, who makes his home here in Los Angeles and has been brought up several times in the past as a potential Dodgers owner if/when McCourt is ousted, just makes it better.   

We've stayed away from most of the divorce coverage here because 1) we are woefully ill-equipped to understand most of the hundreds of pages of court documents filed back and forth (we're not very bright here) and 2) we're doing our best to remain positive in our coverage of the team.  But having another owner unload on McCourt is too juicy to pass up.  The best quote from Wolff is towards the end of the article: "I can't think of one owner that is not supportive of the actions taken by MLB," Wolff said.  You'd think that if that weren't true, other franchise owners would have released a statement in support of McCourt by now- that is a clear line in the sand drawn by Wolff that no one will back McCourt in his showdown.  


So far, there hasn't been a peep from any other franchise.