Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness and True Blue LA have their takes on the roster move and Sherrill’s freefall this season, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sherrill head to the minors.  It’s my understanding that this possibility may have previously been discussed with the pitcher.  It could be that as his slump has continued, he’s come around to the fact that his “mechanical issues” would be best addressed away from Dodger Stadium.

As Ned Colletti has noted in the past, middle relief pitching can be extremely volitle, which makes things even more tricky as the trade deadline approaches.

UPDATE (July 19): Sherrill cleared waivers, which is no surprise.  I don’t think anyone thought another team would be willing to pick up that contract with Sherrill as out of whack mechanically as he is. So now the Dodgers have until July 31st to either send him to the minors, release him or just keep him on the active roster.  As a veteran with more than five years of experience, Sherrill would have to agree to go to Albuquerque, and that’s not expected to happen, no matter how much the Dodgers front office would like it to.  Plus, with the current state of the bullpen, a shaky George Sherrill is better than no George Sherrill.  My best guess is that Sherrill will ultimately be flat-out released once Ned can pull off a trade or two for some bullpen help (remember the trade deadline is Saturday, August 1st).  Again, just a guess.

Photo Credit: Jon SooHoo/2010 LA Dodgers

On December 23, 2009, Dodgers’ President Dennis Mannion said the following to the Times’ Bill Shaikin:

Ned has demonstrated a fantastic ability to read the talent market. We made back-to-back NLCS appearances for the first time in three decades as a result of Ned’s ability to make the right acquisitions at the right time. We want the same thing our fans want, a team that can compete for a world championship year in and year out, and we’ve been in that position for the last two seasons. We expect that to continue.

From the Dodgers’ official press release:

“Vicente did a tremendous job for us down the stretch and his continued success in the postseason proved that he can pitch when there’s a lot at stake,” said Colletti.

The 32-year-old Padilla has won 14 or more games in four of the last eight seasons, joining Andy Pettitte as the only two pitchers to accomplish that feat among a free-agent pitching market that has included John Lackey, Randy Wolf, Joel Pineiro, Brett Myers, Jason Marquis and Jon Garland, among others.

That’s an interesting statistic, but is losing Wolf and bringing pack Padilla to be the veteran presence among the Dodgers’ starting pitchers a step in the right direction for “a team that can compete for a world championship year in and year out?”  Call me skeptical.  Don’t get me wrong, I think that top to bottom, the Dodgers are in an excellent position to make another deep run in the 2010 post-season – no matter who the Dodgers plug in as the 5th starter.  But is this a team that has the starting pitching to truly and legitimately compete for a World Series by getting by a Phillies team that’s bolstered their starting rotation with the likes of Roy Halladay?  Time will tell, as we see Kershaw, Bills and Kuroda continue to develop into strong veteran starters.

The 32-year-old Padilla has won 14 or more games in four of the last eight seasons, joining Andy Pettitte as the only two pitchers to accomplish that feat among a free-agent pitching market that has included John Lackey, Randy Wolf, Joel Pineiro, Brett Myers, Jason Marquis and Jon Garland, among others.

Now I wasn’t expecting the Dodgers to really make a run at the guys looking for $8-$10 million per year, so the Padilla signing makes sense, especially after looking at the remaining starters on the market and the bargain price of $5 million that Ned was able to negotiate.  Plus he was clutch down the stretch.  I get it.  If he pitches like he did last year, Padilla would be a bargain for a solid #4 starter.

But from an emotional standpoint as a fan of this team, I’ve been hoping since October that the Dodgers would make an impact signing to put this club over the top for the coming year, rather than just filling the remaining holes with less commanding options.  In my opinion, that didn’t happen.  Call me frustrated, but that’s how I feel right now.  I’m sure I’ll come around once Spring Training arrives though!

Photo credit: AP Photo/Tom Gannam

Wow.  Was just watching tonight’s game when Vin Scully made the announcement: “The Dodgers have just announced that they have aquired Jim Thome for a player to be named later.  Big Jim with 23 home runs this year…wow, will he fit in.  Imagine the lineup with Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Jim Thome.  Whoa.”

This definitely was one move I  was not expecting the Dodgers to make.  I guess if you can’t get more starting pitching, the next best thing is add more power, right?  A free agent after this season, Thome must have waived his no trade clause.  Speaking of new Dodgers, Ronnie Belliard went deep in his first at bat as a Dodger (and fifth time this year!) while turning two double plays – very nice.

So where exactly is Thome (normally a DH) going to play?  It definitely sounds like more moves are coming…is Thome really a fourth or fifth outfielder?  A left hander off the bench?  Maybe.  Can  he play first base?  I doubt it…he hasn’t played in the field for nearly two full years.

UPDATE: Just learned that Jon Garland has also been traded to the Dodgers for a player to be named later.  Garland is 8-11 this year with a 4.29 ERA, but he is traditionally known as an “innings eater”, a guy who has won his last two starts and I believe is someone the Dodgers were considering making a run at before last season.  Interesting to note that Garland and Thome were teammates on the White Sox a few seasons ago.  Even more interesting to note that Garland was supposed to start against the Dodgers on Thursday, and now could start the same night against his old team that same night.

Ned Colletti on “Dodgers Live” after tonight’s game:

“Jim Thome is a great hitter, a home run hittter.  Is he in the twilight of his career?  No question…he’ll tell you the same thing.  He’s also a great leader and we felt that we needed as much leadership as you can have, especially late in the season.  He (Thome) called me about 8:30 tonight and said, ‘Look I wanted to call you.  I know you guys have interest and I want you to know that me playing first base is probably not going to be an option, but I’ll come off the bench and I’ll do everything I can to help this team win.’  I says, if you’re in, we’re in.  He says, ‘I’m all in.’  And I says, lets go do it.”

Well, say what you will about Ned, but he’s certainly going for it.  Frankly, he had to as the team in it’s composition yesterday was simply not good enough to advance far in the playoffs.  These moves were needed.  The Dodgers have only three pinch hit home runs all year, and craved power from the reserves.  Thome and Belliard are huge upgrades and veteran leadership.  Plus, what a DH the Dodgers have in Thome if they go to the World Series.

So what do you think?  Good moves for the post season or not the right moves?  Let’s hear your thoughts!

Haeger was around during Spring Training and went to AAA Albuquerque where he quickly amassed a record of 11-6 in 22 starts with a 3.55 ERA with 3.61 BB/9 and 6.41 K/9 in 144.2 innings. That got the Dodgers interest piqued but Haeger’s history left a lot of people cautious.

Haeger was drafted in the 2001 amateur draft and struggled in the Rookie league and even left baseball altogether to take his chances as a professional golfer.

Fast forward to 2004- Charlie returns as a knuckeballer and started to show some promise but remained in the minors with admirable stats but a few control problems.

Today, Haeger mixed his low-speed fastball with a knuckeball that continuously hung over the plate (err…after about 4 innings). Eric Karros was commenting how impressed he was with Haeger’s consistency midway through the game during the FOX Sports telecast. Take a look at some of the film from the game…he’s definitely shaky at the beginning but you can see the knuckleball confusing the Cubs. Then, about the 4th inning or so, the ball just starts consistently hanging and dropping- leaving several Cubs hitters totally bewildered.

With his win today (his first with the Dodgers), Haeger looks like a nice addition to the starting rotation with a 1.93 ERA (albeit with only 14 innings pitched). If he can keep his control, the Dodgers may have found their answer to their injury problems.

“Anytime that I can consistently throw strikes with it, I’m going to keep throwing it,” Haeger said. “I’m going to live and die by the knuckleball; that’s what I do.”

Certainly the lack of offense as of late is a concern – after all, the Dodgers have been inconsistent at the plate as of yet. However, the team can get hits when it needs them (remember Ethier’s recent heroics) – they just seem to need them more often.

Which brings us to the pitching woes – highlighted primarily by the starting roster and the high usage of the closers. Chad Billingsley’s nagging injury has caused the Dodgers to lean on their three remaining major-league starters while also calling up minor leaguer Eric Stults (who has had flashes of brilliance but is by no means rock-solid reliable). Kershaw has been doing his part to get as manny innings in the books as possible but opposing teams are getting their offense to work early and often in many cases.

Even Torre is concerned and recognizes the impact that pulling his starters in the first several innings is having on his relievers. “There is no question you’re pushing the envelope (on the bullpen) when you have to go get your starter in the fifth inning or before,” Torre said. “Because it’s really stretching the rubber band.”

Mota and Troncoso have appeared quite fallable as of late, and give up a combined 5 runs on Sunday in the top of the 9th. It’s no wonder that Joe Torre called an all-team meeting following the game on Sunday night to try and right the ship.

All of this has the trade rumors flying right now. John Smoltz and Vincente Padilla are the two most likely candidates – both have been designated for assignment by their respective teams and Smoltz is likely a “person of interest” for Joe Torre given his veteran status and Torre’s challenges with unproven minor league pitchers as of late. Assuming Stults were to stay up for Billingsley and cover any unforseen injuries to the starters between now and September, Torre would likely want someone who was tested and proven for the fifth starting spot.

We’ll keep an eye on things but expect Smoltz to be in the mix for the Dodgers…

Schmidt gave up five hits and three runs, (all earned). He walked three and struck out two, and managed to hit a batter in 91 pitches, 56 of which were strikes.

Overall, Schmidt did OK for someone who hasn’t played in the majors since June 2007. He certainly exuded some measure of control tonight (the hit batter notwidthstanding) and didn’t seem rattled – I think he is ready for prime time but the next several outings will tell the tale.

More importantly, did Schmidt make enough of an impression that the Dodgers will refrain from trading to get more seasoned pitching talent to get them through the second half of the season?

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Sorry for posting this the day after the fact…it was a long night that finished the right way – with a Dodger victory!

Thanks to a guy named “Doc” at work, I was able to watch Monday night’s game from a great position – loge level, first base side, row A…fantastic seats in foul ball territory (one landed one aisle over and about 5-6 more were in our “area”)…of course, the only souvenirs I walked away with were a soda cup and a white Dodger soft serve helmet…

The game got off to a great start as Randy Wolf pitched 3 perfect innings before giving up a hit to leadoff the 4th inning…even though Wolf gave up a 2-run homer in the top of the 5th, he made up for it with a 2-run single in the bottom of the 5th!

The bullpen went to work in the 7th inning when Ronald Belisario came in and struck out the first two batters he faced…it was great to see the Rockies a bit off balance – seeing Randy Wolf and his high 60′s curveball for six innings and then facing Belisario and his mid-90′s heat in the seventh…

It was then Ramon Troncoso’s turn in the 8th, pitching a scoreless frame and then handing the ball to Jonathan Broxton who was throwing even more heat (high 90′s with a couple of pitches reaching triple digits on the Dodger Stadium radar gun)…

The only inning where we got into trouble was the 10th when Jeff Weaver gave up hits to the first two batters he faced, but proceeded to strikeout the side to get out of the jam…the fans were going crazy!!!

Brent Leach, Guillermo Mota and James McDonald each pitched a perfect inning to setup the heroics in the bottom of the 13th…

Casey Blake led off with a single to right field that Brad Hawpe trapped on a diving attempt…Andre Ethier, the Dodger’s leading “walk off man” with three game winners this season, stepped to the plate…

Strike one called…everyone in the stadium disagreed with the call…

Ball one…low and away…

Strike two called…another questionable call from the fans’ perspective, but we all have a worse view compared to the home plate umpire…

Pitch #4 was fouled away…

It was at this point that my friend put on his jacket and called it the “rally jacket”…I told him he should have put it on in the 9th inning so we could have gone home earlier…

The 5th pitch was a thing of beauty – for Dodger fans…Ethier ripped a line drive to right field that I thought was going to hit the wall…so did Brad Hawpe as he stopped and prepared to play the rebound off the wall…

…except the rebound never came…

The ball barely cleared the wall in right field…HOME RUN!

The crowd was going crazy…the Dodger bench emptied onto the field, awaiting Ethier at home plate…the helmet was off…the grin was ear-to-ear…he was pointing to someone at home plate…the final leap to touch the plate was complete…the dogpile began…what a game, what a game…

While Ethier stole the headlines in the paper this morning, the true heroes of this game were the guys coming out of the bullpen…in fact, the entire pitching staff…

17 strikeouts were recorded in the 13-inning game…the bullpen did not allow a run in the final 7 innings…the ONLY hits the Rockies got came off Jeff Weaver in the 10th…we brought the heat and the Rockies could do nothing with it…I love it!

Jarrod Washburn

So the hot trade rumor right now involving the Dodgers involves Mariners starter Jarrod Washburn, according to the Los Angeles Times’ Ben Bloch:

- Colletti had been keeping tabs on the situation and last spoke to Padres GM Kevin Towers about a month ago

- Towers was going to make the Dodgers pay a lot more than other clubs given the proximity, rivalry, etc. (no shocker there)

- The asking price from the Dodgers included THREE players on their current roster, plus one top prospect

Whatever, Towers!  Ned was clearly right to say no to that deal, as I’m sure the three players on their current roster would include at least a couple everyday starters that, if traded, would have created a small mutiny among the Dodger faithful.  No need sacrificing the future for another starter today.  If anything, I’m way more concerned about the bullpen these days than I am the starting rotation.  Oh, Ned answered a bunch of Manny questions as well, but nothing earth-shattering was reported here, other than he was just as dissapointed in Manny as everyone else is.