In the aftermath of the debacle that was last night’s Dodger game, one piece of news seemed to not get the coverage it deserved: Joe Torre said that he would make his decision within the next month or so on whether or not he would return as manager in 2011.
The timing was a bit of a surprise, as Torre had previously said that he would wait until the end of the season to make this decision. Why the change of heart? It’s not like there is a pressing need to make the decision in the middle if the season. Well, if I were Joe, I’m sure I’d be frustrated by the McCourt’s lack of willingness to loosen the purse strings and bring in top-tier starter and some veteran relievers that can help this club. And coming over from the Yankees, he’s got to be a little bit spoiled by the resources he had available to him in New York. The guy wants to win, and knows this team is built to win now. It’s pretty clear that Torre only trusts a few arms in his bullpen, and he’s going to ride those guys into the ground if they don’t get some more help.
And, for the record, I generally really like the moves Ned Colletti has been able to pull off at the trading deadline over the past few years. Outside of Manny Ramirez, none have been blockbusters, but he’s been able to consistently help the club without adding a lot to the payroll. Colletti and Kim Ng are a crafty team, and I’m confident they will bring in some solid, unspectacular pitchers to help this team between now and the playoffs.
I’m not saying Torre’s announcement should be interpreted as an ultimatum to the Dodgers front office (or the players for that matter), but it shouldn’t be completely ignored. Think of it as a warning shot across the bow of the good ship Dodgers.
Post-Game Comments from Torre, Martin, Broxton, Kuroda (June 8)
Joe Torre:
On the game as a whole:
“It was a classic. That’s post-season baseball right there. Great pitching on both sides. Carpenter did an amazing job at getting out of jams. They made plays. Kuroda, that’s as good as you want to see him right there. It was a great game. If they had beaten us, I’d still have to say it was a great game, just the way things played out.”
On Kuroda:
“It looks like he was very aggressive. It looked like he was pretty much doing what he wanted to. It looked like the ball was really alive, movement wise, and he was locating it. I think that he had as good of command as he’s had since early in the season.”
On Ethier:
“It is just a matter of timing for me. You saw him hit that ball the other way with two strikes from the left-hander, you know he is back and comfortable.”
On Manny:
“It looked like he tried to pull. He was hitting the ball on the ground. Stayed inside the ball that last time and hit the ball hard to right field.”
Hiroki Kuroda (through his interpreter):
On his pitching overall:
“Most of my key pitches were moving. The sinker, slider and also splitter…were all good today.”
On facing Chris Carpenter:
“Before the game I didn’t really have the time to think about the other pitcher. I just was worried about how I was going to pitch today and how to get outs on other hitters.”
Russell Martin:
On Kuroda:
“His command was great today. Good velocity on his fastball and good movement on it too. His two-seamer was working well for him. He really had all his pitches tonight: his two-seamer, his slider working well, his splitty as well and also using his cutter.
From the first inning, he was throwing 95 and getting that good sink. Just with that pitch alone, he can get away with just having that pitch. Today’s the day where he had everything. So you know when you have all those weapons that you can use, that there’s a lot of different things you can use to get the hitters off balance.
On hearing that the surgery for the little girl who fractured her skull during batting practice on Monday was going to be ok:
“Earlier today, I heard the news, and definitely felt a bit better. It definitely was on my mind yesterday, the whole day, and it was good to hear the good news.”
On playing 0-0 games:
“It means that you’re doing things well, playing good defense and pitching well. The hitting part, you’ve got an ace on the other side. You get a win against him, you’re happy, no matter how you get it.”
On Chris Carpenter:
“He had his good stuff today. Good curveball, command. Not really leaving anything over the middle of the plate. Every time you’re up there, it’s a battle against him.”
On Manny’s big hit:
“I don’t know how he hit that ball – it seems like he got jammed a little bit. That’s a good sign when he’s able to stay inside the ball like that and drive it the other way. That’s when he’s at his best, so it’s good to see that.”
On Broxton’s 11 pitch battle with Pujols:
“When you get in those situations, the great hitters just get even better. And you could tell right there, he was fighting off some really good pitches. Good thing we had one of the best closers in the game out there. That’s what Pujols does, he’ll just wear you out until you make a mistake and then capitalize on that, but fortunately Broxton just came through, kept making good pitches.”
Jonathan Broxton:
On the ninth inning:
“The heart of the order coming up. I just had to go out there and make pitches…I did.”
On his battle with Pujols:
“I was just out there trying to go pitch for pitch…trying to see what he’s doing with the ball. He kept fouling off some good pitches. I finally just had to bury one.”
“It felt like it was a long time. I had to keep going with good pitches and good location. I couldn’t make a mistake.”
Photo Credit: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2010