It's Tough Keeping Up With the Joneses

The Dodgers played Wednesday night like they had stock in Turner Broadcasting, because they sure made the Braves look like a growth industry in dropping the third and final game of their Peach State jaunt 9-3.  Had he lasted longer, the six hits Brett Tomko (5-3) coughed up wouldn't have seemed so nasty.  You might have even described them as "scattered".  Unfortunately, they were accompanied by seven runs (five earned) and two walks crammed into only three innings. The third inning, two out, run scoring balk while facing the opposing pitcher didn't help, either.  Tomko's ugly line raised his ERA to a disturbingly Brett Tomko-like 4.38.    The problem, as it often is with Atlanta, was with those pesky Jones boys (no relation).  Chipper and Andrew were a combined 5-7.  That's pretty good.  Tack on six runs scored, five RBI and two homers and it gets really impressive.

Question of the Day

The signing of Roger Clemens by the Astros today got me thinking.  First, about how sick I was of the whole saga.* Second, this is almost like a magic fantasy deal for the Astros. Bring back a Hall of Famer, give up nothing (but money), plug him in and go. 

So with that in mind, here's today's question. The magic baseball genie is granting you one wish. You can bring back one Dodger. Any Dodger. And you don't need a prorated $22 million to do it. Head back to Brooklyn if you want, or take a guy who wore the Blue last season (considering the '05 results, that may not be such a good idea, but hey, it's your choice). Raise the dead, dip old timers in the Fountain of Youth, magically lift a player from another team's roster. You decide. Who will it be?

*The image of one history's greatest pitchers window shopping to try and win/carpetbag to another World Series was incredibly disheartening. While I think it was ridiculous it took this long for Clemens to figure out if he wanted to play, that he went back to Houston at least makes it tolerable. Had he gone to New York I'd have thrown up on my keyboard. The other issues — how much he's getting paid, how much the game has changed to allow a player no matter how great to essentially rent himself out for half a season, etc., are all points for a different debate).

Extra! Extra! (5.31)

While Ned Colletti's acquisition of guys like K.Lo, Nomar, and Furcal has obviously paid dividends, sometimes it seems like he could have just cherry-picked youngsters and "has beens" from A to AAA and come up big this season.

Take last night's 8-3 win over the Braves. You got "past his prime and twice released in 2005" Aaron Sele on the hill. Yeah, his 6 IP, 3 ER performance couldn't earn a decision, but if that's the worst he'll pitch this season (and thus far, it is), the Dodgers will take him over a "name" any day of the week.

And speaking of names, Andre Ethier's was less famous than Milton Bradley's when he came over from the A's in that trade. Unless you think Bradley's injured and sub-.250 status is more inspiring than it sounds, it's safe to speculate Ethier is a bigger part of baseball discussions at the moment. After following up his fourth inning two-run jack with the eighth inning go-ahead RBI, Ethier did his part to remain in the baseball community's collective consciousness. And if you look up and down the box score, names like Aybar, Kemp, Martin and Saito reiterate the notion that Yankee-style big-name collecting isn't the only way to skin a cat.

Think Blue With YouTube

I could spend all day on this site and still feel like I didn't waste enough time. Man, I wish I thought of it first. Anyhoo, some Dodger related material floating around YouTube.com...

• PTI debates Lasorda vs. Lewis
• Dodgers history as only Don Henley can make poignant
• The Dodgers playing in Taiwan (not to be confused with the Bad News Bears playing in Japan).

Extra! Extra! (5.30)

If a Dodger fan opened up a sports page and simply glanced at a box score, he'd naturally think that the 12-5 win over the Braves must have been all peaches and cream.

Well, not really. Sure, it was fun to see Ramon Martinez make the most out of a rare start. While the odds of him replacing Jeff Kent even after the incumbent returns to health are slim, going 3-4 with 5 RBI's certainly confirmed Grady Little's opinion that the guy can more than fill in when needed.

Speaking of filling in, recent AA call-up Matt Kemp fared a lot better yesterday than in his Sunday D.C. debut. First big league hit and stolen base, all in one shot. That'll come in handy when he's old and trying to recall his career highlights. Unfortunately, the seemingly easy win did come with some drama, courtesy of Brad Penny's exit stage left.

Spotted an 8-1 lead, Penny suddenly went from smoking to sputtering in the top of the fifth, giving up six straight hits and four runs. Grady Little decided he'd seen enough and pulled his hurler before he qualified for the win. Cue hissy fit. Time spent watching the game (and the win) didn't entire cool off the big righty, an issue Little and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said they'd address in-house. Hopefully, they can kill two birds with one stone and talk with Penny while he gets some treatment for his shoulder, which was killing him during the game (and likely the cause of his sudden collapse).

Now go enjoy the BBQ

It's way easier to enjoy a T-bone knowing that your Blue did some damage on the Braves. Some 12-5 damage, to be exact. After throwing some meat on the grill and cracking open a cold one, it would be appropriate to crank up a little Ramones on the stereo in honor of the afternoon's hero, Ramon Martinez. Sure, he's technically "the Ramon" and there's no "e" at the end. But after putting up five ribbies by himself, he created enough noise and presence to equal that of Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy (or Marky, depending on your preference in loud drummers). All that was missing was the long hair and leather jacket (both of which would have been horribly uncomfortable in Atlanta's May heat). Actually, Brad Penny might argue that his presence on the mound was also missing, since he was none too thrilled upon being removed after 4.1 innings (and keeping with the punk theme, his spirited dugout tantrum would have made Sid Vicious proud). Penny's probably cooled down by now, especially after the win. But if he happens to show up at your shindig, I wouldn't mention the outing if he's holding a shish kebab skewer. Those babies could do some damage if stabbed in your eye.

More to come later.

—AK

Extra! Extra! (5.29)

It's only fitting that we pay tribute to our fallen soldiers today, because Sunday in Washington, the boys from L.A. got killed in battle. In falling 10-4 to the Nationals, the Dodgers lost their first series in what feels like about 30 years (though it's only been since May 4).

Grady Little was pretty blunt about the fact that Jae Seo's start put the team behind the eight-ball pretty early. Unless you consider a six-run deficit after three innings no biggie, it's hard to accuse the skip of throwing his man under the bus. Given that Seo's been all over the place lately, Sunday's collapse was enough to threaten his spot in the rotation (with fellow doghouse member Odalis Perez the likeliest candidate to take his spot). And as anybody who's been within earshot of O-Dog will tell you, he'd take that pen parole in a heartbeat.

The Dodgers did their best to escape the hole Seo dug them, rallying for three runs in the sixth and presenting a bases loaded situation in a one-run eighth inning (Russell Martin unfortunately answered the call with a ground out). As one would imagine, not the prettiest of box scores.

Capital Punishment

It was bound to happen. The Dodgers finally lost a series, dropping the final game of a three-game set in Washington 10-4 Sunday afternoon. Like Friday, the pitching was the problem, as Dodgers starter Jae Seo (2-3) pitched like a man desperately wanting a shower, giving up six runs on seven hits and three walks in only 2 2/3 innings. No cheapies, either. The Nats beat the hell out of him. And it was one of Washington's rookies, Ryan Zimmerman, who dealt the big blow — a three-run shot in the third that put the Dodgers in a 4-0 hole. It would get worse for L.A., who were down 8-0 before an Olmedo Saenz monster three-run blast put them on the board. Down 9-4 in the eighth, L.A. tried to make some noise, but Marlon Byrd made a great diving catch on a Russell Martin liner to save at least two runs and end the inning. That, as they say, was that.

The pen wasn't exactly groovy either. Odalis Perez gave up four hits and two walks in only 2 1/3 innings (though in fairness, it is hard to pitch when covered in rust). Tim Hamulack and Jonathan Broxton were also touched up for runs. But of more concern is the lineup. Jeff Kent missed the game with his bad left wrist, and J.D. Drew was also held out with a bum shoulder. Kenny Lofton needed a break to rest his hammies — though he did enter the game in the eighth. That meant the major league debut of Matt Kemp, who had been knocking the cover off the ball at AA Jacksonville. Kemp struck out three times before finally breaking through with a single, but displayed an impressive arm in center.

More on the game to come.

—BK

Extra! Extra! 5.28

You like small ball? Great pitching? Pickoffs? Timely bunting? If so, Saturday's 3-1 Dodger win over the Nationals at RFK was for you. Derek Lowe (3-3) was virtually untouchable for his first six innings (and barely touchable in his seventh), but Washington starter Shawn Hill was just as good. In the seventh, the game was all tied up at one. Fortunately for the Blue, in the eighth, Nats reliever Mike Stanton was in and Washington would soon be out. Rafael Furcal, who had three more hits to raise his average to .266, led off with a single. Kenny Lofton followed with a perfectly placed bunt that put runners on first and second, chased Stanton, and left Gary Majewski to face Nomar, who brought Furcal home with what seems like his seven billionth clutch hit of the year. Not that he wants the attention. It was enough to make a winner of Lowe, despite the typically skimpy run support...and good luck charm Russell Martin, who was back in the lineup after a day off. Other features of the box score? How about two scoreless innings from Danys Baez and Takashi Saito?

Pick Your Streak

With this afternoon's 3-1 win over the Nationals, the Dodgers kept Friday's loss from turning into a two-game streak. At the same time, they now have one game to build on. The last time the team went streaking (as in winning games, not running around indecently), they managed to go a lucky seven before finally bowing out. Think this is the start of another rally? How many games' worth? Or do you picture a letdown coming again tomorrow (Nomar Garciaparra's mind is on an upcoming Memorial Day BBQ, the Kent injury leaves more than himself hurting, etc.) and perhaps even on Monday in Atlanta, but they'll get it going for four games' worth before finally tripping up with an "L"? What see you in the future?

When will the next streak start and how many games will it last? If you need a copy of the schedule to help out your soothsaying, look no further than here.

My prediction? A win tomorrow. Followed by a loss for game one in Atlanta. The Dodgers then proceed to win the last two in Atlanta, followed by the first two at home against Philly. Four game win streak. Not too shabby indeed.

—AK