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Jarrod Washburn to Dodgers? But for Who?

June 27, 2009 By

Jarrod Washburn

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:

The Dodgers are interested in the Seattle Mariners starter, a durable left-hander who could bolster an injury-plagued rotation. Washburn has pitched at least six innings in 12 of his 14 starts this season. He also likes Dodger Stadium.
 
“It’s a great park and there’s always a big crowd and the team’s winning, so that would be good,” Washburn said Friday before the Mariners played the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
 
Interestingly, according to the Bleacher Report, Washburn has the second lowest run support out of all AL pitchers in his tenure with the Mariners.  In addition, left-handers are hitting .147 against him and he’s one of the hardest pitchers in the majors to steal against.
I’m definitely of the opinion that the Mariners need a quality arm to make their way through the post-season.  First, they need an innings eater.  The bullpen has been fantastic this year, but Torre can’t continue to go to them in the middle of games.  Let’s ride the confidence of these young guys, but not wear them out. 
Teams that have the most success in the post-season often have two #1 quality starters.  While the Dodgers have a great young pitching staff, they need another veteran arm that’s used to pitching under pressure and can go deep into games.  Is a nearly 35 year-old Washburn the answer?  He’s not the sexy choice, but the price may be right (rumor has it that the cost would be Juan Pierre).  I love having Juan as the speedy fourth outfielder, especially while Furcal’s base running slump continues (just four stolen bases this year to go along with a .238 AVG), but I’m fine moving him if it helps us win the ultimate prize.  There’s something to be said for moving guys with impossible contracts when their value is at an all-time high.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
Filed Under: 2009 Season, Dodger Trade Rumors, dodgers pitching, Juan Pierre

Colletti Speaks Out on Possible Peavy Move

May 21, 2009 By

Was listening to Dan Patrick this morning on the way to the office and was fortunate enough to catch part of his interview with Ned Colletti.  Dan launched into questions regarding the possible Peavy move to Chicago, and Ned was his usual laid-back self when responding.  A couple of interesting tidbits did come up, including:

- 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.

Filed Under: 2009 Season, dodgers pitching

SWEEP! Dodgers Over “The Mess”

May 20, 2009 By

Sweep!
Sweep!

Ahhh…how sweet a sweep is!  So many great memories from tonight’s game, including a strong starting performance from Weaver after having been bounced like a pinball between starting and the bullpen, Ethier’s walk and subsequent move to third on J. Martin’s clutch hit allowing him to score, O-Dog’s 11-game hitting streak, Leach’s clutch pitching performance, earning him his first career victory.  Good times, good times.

So as usual tonight, I was listening to the game on my way home from working out and I SWEAR I hear Vin Scully in the second inning say, “Four hits, one run for the Dodgers. One hit, no runs for the Mess.”  How appropriate, right?  Just looks at these stats from the Mets:
- Six errors in the first two games (none tonight)
- 3 for 27 with runners in scoring position (.111 AVG)
- 20 men left on base
And the crazy thing is, they had a legitimate shot to win at least two of these games!  As the saying goes, I’d rather be lucky than good, but this series the Dodgers seemed to have a little bit of both working for them.  Great job Dodgers, and enjoy your day off!
Filed Under: Dodger Hitting, dodgers pitching

Gotta Love a Comeback

May 16, 2009 By

Eric Milton takes the mound today for the Blue for the first time since 2007.  The 33 year-old pitcher underwent elbow ligament replacement surgery following a 6-6 season with the Reds where he posted a 5.17 ERA.  Milton’s been burning up AAA so far this season with seven starts, going 3-2 with a 2.83 ERA.  Milton is probably best known for his no-no for the Twins against the Angels (where he threw down 13 Ks with just two walks against a roster filled with more no-names than I can recall ever seeing on a major-league line-up).  Here’s a link to the box score from that game (courtesy of Baseball Almanac).

“It was a miracle. I had the opportunity and I was going to give it everything I had.” – Eric Milton

Interestingly, Milton almost had a second no-hitter in 2007 when he was pitching for the Phillies and playing the Cubs.  According to reports of the game, Phillies center-fielder botched a short fly-ball in the top of the 9th, leading to a double.

Now I’m certainly not saying that Milton is ready to throw another no-hitter for the Dodgers, but I love that Ned and Joe are bringing him in for this particular game.  The Marlins are clearly in a major slump after their much-ballyhooed 11-1 start, going 14-12 since then, including losing their last five straight.  No pressure for Milton and tons to be gained for both the man and the team.  You gotta love a comeback (especially in Hollywood), and it would certainly be great for the Dodgers starting rotation to have Milton deliver some quality starts with Weaver in the bullpen and Kuroda still making his way back from the DL.

Filed Under: dodgers pitching Tagged With:

2009 Bobbleheads: Manny, Blake and…Beimel?

March 11, 2009 By

Loyal Dodgerfan Readers – Sorry for the delay in posts…a new job for Chris and family obligations from Alex have kept us away, but we’re back, baby and we’re thrilled to have Manny with us.  The Dodgerfan guys are heading to Spring Training in two weeks, and look forward to sharing our perspective on “The Ranch.”

In the meantime, the Dpdgers have announced that Manny and Casey Blake will be the first two bobbleheads of the season.  According to the official press release, “a third bobblehead will depict a player to be named later.”  Joe Beimel anyone?  Yeah, he’s not on the team right now, but the way the Dodgers’ situational lefties are pitching, Ned may have to bite the bulletand go get Joe.  The guy was money for the Blue last year, with a 5-1 record, a 2.02 ERA, 32 Ks and 21 walks over 49 innings.  You can afford Beimel, Ned.  Plus you KNOW the fans would rejoice with voting Joe back in as the fan-favorite for the third bobblehead.

Let’s join Joe’s #1 fan, Troy from West Virginia in saying BRING BACK BEIMEL!

Filed Under: dodgers pitching, Dodgers Spring Training, Joe Beimel, Manny Ramirez
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