Darryl's Dugout View

This Blog is moving and so is Nomar!

2007-06-26T11:40:03Z

Look for me over at the Sporting News and Fantsay Baseball Mafia.com - http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/dhhouston and http://www.fantasybaseballmafia.com/

At last Grady Little has taken the former two-time american league batting champ up on his offer to move over to third if it would help the team. Nomar made this offer back in the spring. Well better late than never. Unable to swing a trade for a big name hitter so far the team has been forced to turn to youth, namely last year's minor league batting champ James Loney.

"We're trying to get ourselves in a position where we can be the best we can be, and that option right now is there for us," manager Grady Little said Monday. "Nomar's 100 percent on board. He's been over there before. It's not a strange place for him." Nomar played first base Monday at Arizona and he went 0-for-5.
Loney has been on fire since being recalled from the minor leagues a couple of weeks ago. "This has a lot to do with the way James Loney is swinging the bat and the way he's playing, too," Little said. "The primary factor is to try to help us win games. And we feel like this is a move we want to give a shot at right now."

Grab Loney in all leagues he is not a power hitter but should hit for a high average the rest of the way.

Dodgers play it safe in 2007 Draft

2007-06-07T18:07:45Z

Here's BA's pre-draft scouting report on Withrow:

Chris Withrow, rhp
School: Midland (Texas) Christian HS. Class: Sr.
B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 195. Birthdate: 4/1/89.
Scouting Report: Withrow first boosted his stock last summer at the Texas Scout Association showcase, and he has continued to rise up draft boards this spring. He has a projectable 6-foot-3, 195-pound body and plenty of present velocity. He was reaching 93-94 mph as the draft approached and consistently pitching at 88-92 mph. He has a clean delivery, no surprise for someone whose father Mike pitched at Texas and reached Double-A in the White Sox system. Mike is also his pitching coach at Midland Christian High. Withrow doesn't always finish his curveball, but it's a promising pitch with bite and has improved this spring. He should get drafted high enough to pass up the opportunity to attend Baylor, but if he does go to college he'll be a two-way player. He has some hitting ability and the athleticism to play an outfield corner.

W L ERA G SV IP H BB SO
8 1 1.32 13 3 58 40 8 90

Inside: Chris is a big strong all-around athlete, who will just get bigger and stronger by the time he reaches Los Angeles (likely 2011). The best things about him are his very clean and repeatable mechanics (this type of pitcher tends to stay healthy) and three pitches (fastball, curve and change) that have a chance to be above-average. This type of player is a nice safe pick.

Unfortunatley, he is not Rick Porcello. For the third year in a row for the Tigers Christmas came early. Detroit as always is willing to over pay for young talented hard-throwing pitcher. With the 27th pick they dared what the Dodgers would not and selected the best high school pitcher in the game Rick Porcello (think a Josh Beckett-type talent). The problem with 6'5 195lb, Porcello is not his 96 mph heater or his other three above average pitches, its his SIGNABILITY! This guy is going to be very expensive to sign. Oh well that's Baseball in 2007 if your willing to over-pay you can do well no matter where you select in the draft.

Dodger Update

2007-06-01T11:43:27Z

June 1st and the Dodgers are nine comes over .500 and in a three way tie for first place with San Diego and Arizona. With 109 games to go the Dodgers are still a long way from finish line. As Pete Rose says the baseball season doesn’t really start until the kids are out of school! We’ll folks it seems now is the time to get down to the business of a full blown pennant race.

As always taking 2 out of 3 from the Nationals is a good way to start a 10 games road swing. The remaining games of the trip are as follows:

At Pittsburgh (4 games) – Inside stuff: The Pirates have only won 1 season series at home this year. Duke vs. Wolf; Snell vs. Kuo; Gozelanny vs. Penny and Maholm vs. Lowe.

At San Diego (3 games) – Inside Stuff: The Padres are red hot having gone 18-9 in May.
C. Young vs. Hendrickson; Maddux vs. Wolf and Peavy vs. Kuo.

I am bit leery of these matchups. It’s always tough for a first place club to go into someone else’s park and face their best pitchers. Despite that I think the Dodgers can take at least four out of the seven games. The key will be Kuo despite a so so season in Las Vegas he may get the ball twice this week. I would much rather have Grady Little give the ball to Chad Billingsley instead of trusting Kuo. Or at worst give youngster DJ Houlton a try he at least has been effective (his susceptibility to the long ball might not hurt him so much in Pittsburgh and San Diego).

The next big thing, Milwaukee blue-chip prospect Yovani Gallardo pitches tonight for Nashville against the 51s. You can listen to the game for free at the Las Vegas 51s website. Gallardo is likely to be called up to the big soon so do your self a favour and listen in. This guy could really help out your fantasy team in the second half push.

Jason Schmidt continues to rehab and looked great against some Single-A competition going 6 scoreless innings, giving up just 2 hits with a 7/1 K/BB ratio. 51 of his 71 pitches were strikes. Even better no pain the next day! So it would appear that he will be back soon.

UPDATE: Joe Beimel will take to the mound tomorrow against Pittsburgh instead of Kuo!

May 7th Dodger Update

2007-05-07T11:16:13Z

Hello, faithful Dodger fans! It has been awhile since I’ve been able to post anything due to some minor health issues, but I wanted to bring everyone up to date on the Dodger season so far. Today finds the Dodgers are a top the NL West table with a respectable 18-13 record.

The stating lineup for the next few weeks will be some combination of:

Furcal, SS

Pierre, CF

Garciaparra, 1B

Kent

, 2B

Gonzalez, LF

Martin C

Ethier, RF

LaRoche, 3B

This is by far the Dodgers strongest offensive lineup and it is nice to finally see Grady Little begin to use it. Defensively there are a few short comings but hopefully the Dodgers should be able to score enough runs to offset this fact on most days.

The key to this season remains the pitching. Here is a quick run down of the staff:

Brad Penny is seeking to become the first Dodger starting pitcher to begin the season 4-0 since Kazuhisa Ishii went 6-0 in 2002. Penny’s 1.64 ERA is second best in the National League.

Jason Schmidt remains on the disabled list. He claims that his shoulder is feeling fine but don’t you believe it just yet. He has battled diminished velocity all year so until he can prove that his fastball can at least return to the high-80’s consistently I would advise caution. Stash him on your DL until further notice.

Mark Hendrickson has been a pleasant surprise so far filling in for Schmidt. Henrickson sports a 24/5 K/BB ratio and is 2-0 with a stingy 1.30 ERA. He is not this good folks but feel free to use him as a spot starter if the matchup is right.

Derek Lowe and Randy Wolf have both been unlucky and each has pitched better than their 6-6 combined record indicates. Brett Tomko at 0-3 remains a poor choice as a starter on any day.

Takashi Saito and Jonathan Broxton remain one of the best 1-2 punches in the NL and are a big reason why the Dodgers are in first.

Putting Chad Billingsley in the bullpen has not been a great success. Despite a 2-0 record, he has an ERA of 5.06 in ten appearances (he has also been terrible at Dodger Stadium as his 9.82 ERA clearly indicates). Even more worrisome is that Lefthanders are currently hitting a robust .353 against Billingsley. Right now he'd be better off starting at Triple-A and should not be anywhere near your fantasy roster.

Speaking of relief it’s off to

Montreal

for me and the wife for a mid-week mini-holiday until then GO DODGERS!

Rafael Furcal on Rehab Trip to Cucamonga

2007-04-10T14:38:40Z

Next Stop Cucamonga: Injured shortstop Rafael Furcal (ankle) will begin a two-game rehab assignment at Single-A Inland Empire on Tuesday and rejoin the Dodgers on Friday.

Maybe he should start reading this blog; seemingly just realizing that he is part of a right field platoon. Andre Ethier had this to say, "They have never said one word to me," said Ethier. "But you have competition on every team. I guess the writing is on the wall for me, at least. If I want this spot, I have to not only earn it, but keep it." If I want this spot, I have to not only earn it, but keep it." - No Duh!?

Matt Kemp (Ethier's platoon mate) is going to miss the next 15 days with a bruised shoulder.

Jason Schmidt appears to be fine so leave him in your lineups for his next start on Sunday against the Padres.

The week that was April 2

2007-04-09T15:21:08Z

The Dodgers opened their 50th season in Los Angeles on the road, losing 2 out of 3 games to the Milwaukee Brewers before sweeping the San Francisco Giants in a terrific 3 game set. The Dodgers have now won four in a row. The Dish: Miller Park in Milwaukee remains a very difficult place to play day games. The sunlight there plays havoc with outfielders due to the excessive use of glass panels and reflective metal support beams in the stadium’s infrastructure. The Brewers grounds crew has been known to maintain a slippery outfield grass as well. This is not why the Dodgers lost 2 out of 3; it was the lack of runs. In any event the Dodger outfield is not going to any gold gloves in 2007 and remains highly suspect. Moving on to San Francisco the Dodgers continued their mastery of the hated Giants. The Dodgers have now won 8 in a row and 10 of the last 12 games played at AT&T Park. Brad Penny had a nice start despite giving up 10 hits and lasted into the 8th for his first victory of the season. His should remains an ongoing concern but he appears to be healthy at this point. Wilson Betemit has so far been an early season bust. The dawn of the Andy LaRoche era is fast approaching. In Las Vegas this week James Loney clubbed a first-pitch 440 foot homer run on opening day against Salt Lake City. Loney was very unhappy losing out of the last roster spot but he will need to force his way back to LA with his bat and glove not his mouth. In Jacksonville, Jonathan Meloan pitched two perfect innings, striking out five of the six batters he faced, Friday for AA Jacksonville. Look for Meloan to get promoted soon to AAA.

Notes from Vero Beach Part III

2007-03-27T16:10:32Z

Dodger trainer Stan Conte said Monday that the injury to Hong-Chih Kuo, must fully heal before Kuo can begin to throw again. "This is not a long-lasting or career-threatening injury," Conte said. "It just takes time to heal." He will be out 4-6 weeks. I guess Stan Conte (ex-Giants trainer) must be wondering out loud at this point about all of these injuries. The Dish - When he came over the Dodgers switched their daily physical training routines. The Dodgers now complete their "indirectly" related baseball training before they proceed to their directly baseball related training. Conte is considered one of the game's best so don't be overly alarmed, it’s just a run of bad luck it will even itself out (hopefully), in San Francisco his methods, eventually led to a sizable decrease in the over-all DL time some pretty elderly Giants teams.

The Dish - Chad Billingsley will take the 5th spot in the rotation from Brett Tomko, once and for all by midseason. He has been put in the role of long relief in order to allow him and Dodger pitching coach, Rick Honeycutt enough time to work on his expected command issues and develop his sub-par straight changeup against major league hitters, once he gets that sorted - lookout! He is a classic power pitcher and with a fastball, curve and slider that are already at major league level. If you have the space, keep him as a reserve until he gets that call. By all means if you’re in a keeper hang onto him he is going to be very valuable. Look for about 10-12 wins as his upside for 2007.

James Loney and Andy LaRoche are both headed to Las Vegas. They will continue to see time in the outfield since both are blocked at the major league level.

Larry Bigbie continues to make case for himself as 5^th outfielder as does slugger Matt Kemp. Kemp has much more upside but needs to play everyday look for Bigbie to make the 25 man roster.

Brady Clark

2007-03-26T19:47:21Z

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced today that they have acquired right-handed hitting outfielder Brady Clark and cash considerations from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for right-handed pitcher Elmer Dessens, according to Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti.

"Brady is a very versatile outfielder who will add depth to our club," said Colletti. "He's shown that he can hit and that he can play all three outfield positions well. His character and work ethic will only add to the positive atmosphere in the clubhouse."

Brady Clark will be the fourth outfielder, the fact that he is right-handed was very important, since Jason Repko is facing season ending surgery. This trade will allow the Dodgers to keep young Matt Kemp (who also hits from the right side) and James Loney playing everyday in Las Vegas until they are need back in LA.

Look at the Brady Clark deal as nothing more than a quick fix. Clark remains a weak-hitting journeyman player at this point in his career. He will help the Dodgers more than he will your fantasy team. He should be avoided at draft time.

Another Dodger injury!

2007-03-23T02:50:32Z

Hong-Chih Kuo is scheduled for an MRI. His left shoulder is pretty sore. He claims that his twice repaired elbow is fine; however since he has pitched rather poorly of late this latest set back is not encouraging news.

Dodgers' Furcal injures left ankle

2007-03-22T17:08:48Z

X-rays on Rafael Furcal's ankle were negative. Jason "Hard Luck Life" Repko is back on crutches and will be having an MRI on his left hamstring. Pretty scary scene.

"I was relieved with the results. I had a similar injury in 2002 with the Braves in spring training," Furcal said. "I may be out four or five days. I could play if it's 80 percent. You don't always play at 100 percent -- sometimes you play hurt."

Andy LaRoche and Wilson Betemit

2007-03-21T23:14:25Z

Andy LaRoche is the best power hitting prospect the Dodgers have had since Paul Konerko. He has good hands, a decent arm but no range or speed. Still, he can flat out hit and has bucket loads of confidence and swagger. He entered the spring in a battle for third but, unfortunately, has done nothing to advance his case to start over Betemit, at this time.

That said, at some point in late 2007 or 2008 he will become the Dodger de facto third baseman. He's that good and his talent (25-30 Home Run Power) will win out in the end. Another good thing is that his shoulder appears to be healed (he had surgery at the end of last season). Look for him to open the season in Las Vegas.

For now, Wilson Betemit has the inside track on the position. Betemit, however, is far better suited for part-time utility work and his hold on the job is not iron clad. It's very possible that Nomar will eventually see enough time over at third to qualify in most leagues since Grady Little will be trying to get first baseman James Loney's potent bat into the line-up as often as possible.

Don't draft Betemit as anything more than a role player, since there are better third base options out there, but do add LaRoche, if you are in a keeper league. He is going to be a good one

Brad Penny

2007-03-21T23:12:10Z

Brad Penny was scratched from his scheduled start against the Mets tonight because of right shoulder stiffness. An MRI reportedly showed no new structural damage. "I just don't want to go into the season not feeling 100 percent," said Penny. "If this was the regular season, I wouldn't miss it. It's just a little stiff and I don't want it to progress and get any worse and affect the next start." Penny has two starts remaining this spring and will be closely watched.

R.I.P. Bowie Kuhn (1926-2007)

2007-03-16T17:28:54Z

Former MLB Commissioner, Bowie Kuhn passed away. Kuhn was a true giant of the game. No one, with the possible exception of Marvin Miller, has had a greater impact on the business of baseball in the past 40 years. As many of you will remember, Kuhn was commissioner from 1969-84, fifteen years of tremendous labor strife including the infamous Messersmith and McNally saga that led to the demise of Baseball’s draconian reserve clause and ushered in the era of free agency and record television revenue. Let us also not forget that he was also the man behind the designated hitter “experiment” that many of us (yours truly included) feel has cheapened the statistics of the grand old game.

Kuhn was also the target of much deserved criticisms for his perceived racial insensitivity. He missed Hank Aaron’s 715th home run, wanted to house the plaques of Negro leaguers in a separate wing of the Hall of Fame, personally added Carl Yastrzemski to the 1983 All Stars even though he had refused to give the same honor to Willie Stargell a year earlier, and described Jim Bouton's now classic Ball Four as "detrimental to baseball" and demanded it’s recall. Bouton’s book detailed, among other things, the widespread use of recreational drugs in baseball, a point made all the more apparent and poignant after the sensational Pittsburgh drug trials of 1985 which saw the suspensions of eleven ballplayers and tarnished the reputations of many more.

Notes from Vero Beach Part II

2007-03-16T20:27:19Z

Today in front of a big crowd at Dodgertown, Hong-Chiu Kuo was matched against Japanese sensation Daisuke Matsuzaka. Unfortunately, Kuo did very little to advance his chances of winning the hotly contested 5th and final spot in the Dodger rotation.

In an unusual move Hong-Chiu Kuo chose to pitch “out of the stretch” for the whole of the rain-shorted game against a much depleted Boston line-up (no Manny or Ortiz). For someone poised to become either the 5th starter of Los Angeles or the ace of Las Vegas, it was a curious decision – and one that he will rue for the rest of this season. Not only was he tagged for three home runs, but during one terrible at bat against Matsuzaka, he still managed to walk him despite an 0-2 advantage! And this with Dice-K under strict managerial orders not to swing at anything. (Mike Hampton seriously injured himself during batting practice a week ago so Terry Francona was taking no chances.) How do you say very ugly in Taiwanese? It’s likely Kuo just booked his passage to Las Vegas with today’s performance.

Earlier this week, Grady Little raised a few eyebrows by deciding to send Chad Billingsley to the pen. Clearly, he feels that Billingsley is just not ready for the rotation yet. Long relief duty should allow him to work on his command and poise without the added pressure of starting.

It would appear that veteran Brett Tomko has once again shown enough in spring training to warrant becoming the 5th starter. Let’s hope that ‘Mr. March” has better luck sustaining his early success in 2007 then he has had in the past two seasons. Still too early to tell but the race for the 5th Dodger starter is fast coming to an unpleasant conclusion. If you are looking to round out your fantasy rotations I would look elsewhere.

Notes from Vero Beach Part I

2007-03-13T14:44:13Z

Hong-Chih Kuo tested positive for a banned stimulant prior to the Asian Games last December (which was later won by his Taiwan team). By the way, Kuo was held out of the final game due to a sore arm not because of the failed test. Kuo said that he did not take performance enhancers and blamed the failed test on a Chinese ginseng based cold medication. MLB will not be taking any action against Kuo. This took place during International match play over which they have no jurisdiction. They ruled the same as they did for the Freddy Garcia case last year which was for a very different “herbal” medication.

Two Dodger youngsters are spending time in the outfield this spring in hopes of making the big club by adding to their versatility. Third basemen Andy LaRoche and First baseman James Loney have been working out in left and right field, respectively. Since both are blocked by veterans, manager Grady Little is all for this type of unselfish enthusiasm. He also insists on sound fundamental play. Despite everyone’s best intentions, both players look pretty uncomfortable defensively and with the recent injury (quadriceps strain) to fourth outfielder Jason Repko, it underscores the need for more outfield depth.

And it’s not just the youngsters, either. Nomar Garciaparra has said that he would be willing to play third for the team, if needed. Good news for the thinly-manned infield. Rafael Furcal and Marlon Anderson should both be playing by end of the week.

One of the more interesting positional battles is for the last starting spot. Brett Tomko, Hong-Chih Kuo, Chin-Hui Tsao, Chad Billingsley and Mark Hendrickson -- all of whom have shown the ability to be productive starters in the past -- are all having good springs. However, I think Tomko will be headed to the bullpen where he is better suited and Tsao will likely be sent to Las Vegas (AAA). With depth like this perhaps a deal for a corner outfielder might be in the works.

2007 may be the final season for former NL MVP (and likely future Hall of Famer) Jeff Kent. The five time all-star is the only second baseman to have 100 or more RBIs in six consecutive seasons (1997-2002). The great Rogers Hornsby only had five 100+ RBI seasons in his entire career! That’s how good Jeff Kent was at his best. "Last year I talked about it a lot. This year I won't," Kent said. "Maybe that's the telltale sign that it (my last season) might be this year."