ACME Dodgers Blog

Sad end for Anderson

2010-08-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

8-16-2010 @ 12:59 Andy Charles

Garret Anderson’s brief stay with the Los Angeles Dodgers came to an end last week when he was designated for assignment, a move that could bring an end to his meaningful major league career.

Although most of his time was spent across town with the Angels, 14 years in all, the 38-year-old Anderson is one of the most popular sportsmen in the Los Angeles area, and it was just a shame to see him shuffle to the plate this season and struggle so badly.

MLB betting pundits note how the veteran outfielder was hitting only .181 through 155 at-bats when the end came, with another veteran brought up from Albuquerque in the form of former Orioles slugger Jay Gibbons, who had been hitting well in Triple-A.

Should Anderson’s career be over, it will be one that many Angels fans will never forget, as he hit most of his 287 home runs and produced a big majority of his 1,365 RBI for them. Probably short of what is needed for a place in the Hall of Fame, but the Angels will undoubtedly celebrate him in some way.

Those placing the best baseball bets will recognize how he looked like a decent addition to the Dodgers roster this past off-season, but it just seemed that the bat-speed he was so renowned for with the Angels had gone and his timing was way off what it was in his prime.

Manager Joe Torre continued to try and get him into the line-up to break out of his funk, but nothing improved and he was eventually forced to make the move, something he told the Times was very hard to do.

“As tough as this was to do, for me because of how I respect this guy's career and respect him as a person, we just felt we wanted to try something different,” Torre said. “Garret said, 'Thanks for the opportunity,' and with that just slid away. I just wished him well.”

Anderson’s next move will come in the next 10 days, as the Dodgers have that time to find a trade partner for him, release him or, if he accepts the assignment, send him down to the minors. That would be a sad way for the three-time All-Star to go; maybe retirement would be the best option.

A Dodger comedy of errors

2010-07-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

The sometimes fierce rivalry with the San Francisco Giants ramped up to red-hot on Tuesday night when the Dodgers were beaten 7-5 at Chavez Ravine and saw three members of the staff suspended.

As well as manager Joe Torre and bench coach Bob Schaefer, both banned for one game, key starter Clayton Kershaw was handed down a five-game sanction for intentionally throwing at Aaron Rowand.

Kershaw’s seventh inning indiscretion was not particularly harsh and his reaction when asked after the game came with a grin that suggested it was nothing other than a typical baseball incident. He has appealed the ban so he can continue to pitch in the meantime.

But the incident costing Torre and Schaefer their places on the bench probably cost the Dodgers a win, with the bullpen blowing a 5-4 lead in the ninth for a sixth successive defeat for the team.

MLB betting pundits note that it sparked a catalogue of errors from the team and management, with hitting coach Don Mattingly making a rare blunder during a visit to the mound that forced Jonathan Broxton to leave the game.

Mattingly spoke with the inner sanctum on the mound, and went to leave, making a couple of steps back towards home plate before turning and telling James Loney where he wanted him to play at first base.

After an appeal from the Giants, the umpires determined that Mattingly's turning constituted a second visit to the mound, meaning Broxton had to come out of the game. He was replaced by George Sherrill, who was then not given the unlimited number of warm-up pitches he should have been allowed.

The lefty, looking rusty, proceeded to give up the game-winning double to Andres Torres as a game Kershaw and the Dodgers looked to be winning went to the Giants in the most confusing fashion I can remember.

Strange how these things always seem to happen when rivals are playing – you can bet if Kansas City had been playing Tampa Bay MLB betting predictions would have suggested that it would never have happened!

I’ll be back soon says Ely

2010-07-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

7-20-2010 @ 9:45 Andy Charles

Probably the story of the first half of the season for the Los Angeles Dodgers was the impact made by rookie starting pitcher John Ely, whose stay in the bigs came to an end at the All-Star break when he was sent down to Albuquerque.

The tall right-hander was not tipped by MLB betting experts to be a long-term prospect for the future, but three months in the major leagues may well have just changed that thought.

Ely was drafted back in 2007 by the Chicago White Sox in the third round and arrived in Los Angeles last December as part of the trade that sent Juan Pierre to the Windy City, but few expected him to progress as quickly as he did.

He was originally called up at the end of April to bolster a beaten-up rotation and although his first start in New York against the Mets was nothing special the next six outings gave Dodgers fans a look at the talent that should be part of the ballclub for plenty of years to come.

The 24-year-old, who hails from Illinois, won three of those starts and was an unlucky loser in one of the others, had a 2.54 ERA by June 1 and although that has risen to 4.63 thanks to three poor outings, there is plenty to build on for the future.

"It's just part of the game. Sometimes you've got to cut your losses while you can. I'm not getting the job done," Ely said after his demotion. "We'll figure out what I need to do, wrestle it out. I'm as motivated as ever. I'll be back."

Ely has impressed everyone at Dodger Stadium and it is fairly clear that manager Joe Torre is a fan, although admitting that the time was right to send him down to Triple-A to get his confidence back and give Jon Link a chance to shine.

"We just decided that he needs to get back on track, and talking to John he certainly understood that," Torre said. "He's going down there with the attitude we need for him to have."

But Ely is confident that he will return to the rotation soon, and it would be no real surprise according to baseball betting tips to see him along with Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley fronting it for a few years if the Dodgers can keep all three of them around, especially with James McDonald not really doing much to earn a promotion.

Kuo gets Torre’s blessings

2010-06-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

6-29-2010 @ 3:15 Andy Charles

As voting for the All-Star Game reaches the frenzy point, it appears that Dodgers manager Joe Torre is hoping that reliever Hong-Chih Kuo gets a call to play in the match, being played just down the road in Anaheim.

MLB Tips experts have the left-hander down as one of the stories of the 2010 season at Dodger Stadium, making his comeback from a fourth operation on his elbow and performing to an extremely high level.

Kuo and Jonathan Broxton have been formindable in late innings work so far this season, although the Dodgers closer did finally blow up on Sunday night when the Yankees made a huge comeback to claim an extra innings victory.

Broxton has every chance of being voted in, but Kuo’s impressive numbers might mean that boss Joe Torre has to plead for his inclusion by speaking to Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel, who will pick the final players on the National League roster for the game July 13.

As it stands only one Dodger bat will be voted on to the team, outfielder Andre Ethier who has slowed a little since coming back from injury, but remains in the top three in the outfielder voting behind Ryan Braun and the injured Jason Heyward.

But Kuo’s season has to be one of the most spectacular in recent Dodgers memory with no MLB Predictions backing him things to turn out as they have. It would be a travesty if he were to miss out on playing in Anaheim, even if Cincinnati's Arthur Rhodes might have something to say about being the premier lefty reliever in the National League.

He has given up just nine hits all season, for an opponents’ batting average of .114, and become one of Torre’s most trusted troops as the battle continues to get somewhere near the Padres at the top of the Western Division.

"If I'm asked - I can't say I've never done it if I've felt somebody should get some consideration - I may make a call on his behalf," Torre said after the defeat by the Yankees on Sunday.

"I'm not sure if it might be frowned on because there's very little that's left up to the manager any more I have to keep reminding myself we have to make sure we stay the course with him. I pitched him in two innings on Saturday but we have not repeated him. What he's gone through with the surgeries, he's certainly a great soldier."

Dodgers look to add pitching

2010-06-01T12:17:00.000-07:00

6-1-2010 @ 2:15 Andy Charles

The nine-game win streak is more than a week past in history now, but even with a slightly more inconsistent run of form, the Dodgers enter the month of June fairly healthy and only a couple of games back of the NL West-leading Padres.

Although neither offense nor pitching has been consistent enough to put together a run better than nine games, and that’s not a bad run at all, it is good to look at the standings and MLB Tips to see that 16-5 (as of Tuesday) record against other teams on this side of the country.

Andre Ethier rejoined the lineup this week after his 15-day spell on the sidelines with a fractured little finger, taking some of the pressure off the rest of the bats in the order, which have been going from red-hot to ice-cold on back-to-back days over the last week or so.

When Ethier, who still leads the team in home runs and RBI despite his layoff, comes back in place of Garret Anderson, it is safe to assume that the team Joe Torre anticipated having will be in place for the first time since April.

Rafael Furcal boosted his confidence with three hits in Saturday’s game with Colorado, and although the Dodgers eventually went down 11-3, that was more about some less than pretty pitching from Hiroki Kuroda.

Kuroda has been something of a disappointment despite his 5-3 record, and he has been the main beneficiary of the good days the offense has had, unlike John Ely, who continues to cement his role in the rotation and was one of the hardest luck losers of the season in his last start, the 1-0 loss to the Cubs last week when he gave up only four hits but got nothing in the way of offensive help.

Ely, Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw have been excellent over the last month, as has Kuroda at times, but that fifth starter role is still the biggest worry on the team. That might be where the club has to make a trade, unless Carlos Monasterios proves he can go deeper than five innings sooner rather than later.

It is that worry that has had the blogosphere, along with the traditional media, talking about the likes of Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee coming to Los Angeles, pitchers that could well turn this team into serious title contenders.

Nothing seems set to happen soon, but by the time the trade deadline comes later in the season, MLB Betting experts expect some movement to have happened, with the only movement needed something to strengthen. No point now playing for next season because this is definitely a Dodgers team that can contend for something special.

Let’s just forget April shall we?

2010-05-05T11:55:00.000-07:00

5-5-2010 @ 1:50 Andy Charles

We’ve reached the end of the first full month of the baseball season and sadly the NL West standings and MLB Betting sites do not look particularly pleasant for the Dodgers, who only find themselves in a tie for last place thanks to the recent series win over Pittsburgh.

At least the last three days, with three victories, have given the Dodger faithful something to cheer, and something to look forward to, but you do have to temper thoughts that a three-game winning streak looks great by looking at the opponent.

The Pirates managed only eight runs in the four-game series, two of those in a shutout win last Thursday, and until this series playing against the Dodgers had been a good way to turn a poor early season around.

Thankfully the pitching was much improved against Pittsburgh, with Chad Billingsley and Hiroki Kuroda impressive and Carlos Monasterio doing well on his debut as a starter despite coming out after only four innings because of a sensible pitch count.

The main problem for the Dodgers so far this season has to be the pitching, but apart from Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Rafael Furcal, the bats have been too quiet (ignoring Manny here while he is on the disabled list).

Eight home runs (count ‘em eight) have come from the other members of the regular Dodgers line-up and the bench in 25 games – it’s just not good enough and explains a few of those 1-0, 2-0 and 2-1 reverse so far.

Situational hitting has been awful but being in a position when the whole of the infield (catcher included) has hit only six home runs in those 25 matches is one that cannot go on for too much longer without something being done about it.

Ethier and Kemp cannot be relied upon forever, along with Manny when he comes back. Those in the background at Chavez Ravine may soon be having to look for a trade partner to pick up a bat for there are none on the way through the farm system – at least none ready for now, and that’s what we all care about.

But something has to be done, and fast, or Baseball betting experts will have this done as a very frustrating season and a complete waste of time.

Dodgers ready for action

2010-04-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

4-7-2010 @ 1:45 Andy Charles

By the time you read this, the start of the MLB season will most likely have been and gone and the Dodgers will be underway with a series against the Central Division’s most likely whipping boys, the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It has been an off-season of little change at Chavez Ravine, with only one position player named in the likely starting line-up not there at the end of 2009, and Blake DeWitt is hardly a player Dodgers fans are not accustomed to already.

Russell Martin may well have missed Opening Day too, but Brad Ausmus has an MLB resume as long as your arm and a knack for calling a great game, which no doubt first-up starter Vicente Padilla would have appreciated.

The only real surprise as far as MLB Tips are concerned comes at the back end of the rotation where the battle to win the No 5 starter role went to knuckleballer Charlie Haeger, who beat out the likes of Eric Stults, Russ Ortiz and Ramon Ortiz to take the ball every five days when necessary.

James McDonald went into Spring Training as the likely favourite to win the role, but he had an awful spring, and it becoming more and more obvious that he is likely to end up a situational reliever – he appears to wilt too much under pressure to become a top-line starter although I could be erring on the side of caution.

MLB Predictions suggest that The Dodgers should be a realistic contender in the NL West, but then again all five teams are mostly saying the same, with only the Padres looking like possible strugglers given their lack of pitching depth.

The one thing the Dodgers do have that others lack is a strong bench which could well come in really handy late in the season. Last year things were getting pretty tight by the end of the campaign and having old heads like Garret Anderson, Ronnie Belliard, Ausmus and company ready to come in when necessary is going to be vital for coach Joe Torre’s planning.

It is hard to predict just how much better both the Rockies and Giants will be with an extra year’s experience on fairly young shoulders, while the Diamondbacks will hope to have Brandon Webb around for much longer in 2010. It’s going to be an interesting year, that’s for sure.

Manny’s being Manny…again

2010-03-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

3-13-2010 @ 12:45 Andy Charles

Nothing changes in the wild and crazy world of Manny Ramirez after he started spring training in the headlines for the wrong reasons again late last month.

Ramirez sparked plenty of speculation about his future when he said that 2010 would be his final season with the Dodgers, only to take his comments back the day after and joke that he might play for three more seasons and then make the move to Japan to end his career.

The laugh-a-minute outfielder is coming into his 17^th season in the major leagues and will hope that 2010 is much better than a 2009 that started with a 50-game suspension for doping and ended with just 19 home runs and 63 RBI.

Baseball Betting experts suggest that Ramirez will be the primary left-fielder at Dodger Stadium as the club looks to match last season’s NL West title performance and perhaps do a little better in the playoffs after a disappointing 4-1 defeat by the Phillies in the pennant round.

The 37-year-old is going to be a vital cog in the lineup which should again be a good source of runs with Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and James Loney looking for repeats of 2009 and Russell Martin looking to bounce back to his numbers from the previous year.

Let us just hope what Martin told USA Today of Ramirez is true: "You never really know when he says something publicly if that's what he really means or if you should believe it. It's not that he says things for no reason. He usually has a reason. He's smart. But he also likes to play around like he isn't smart, but he really is."

Manager Joe Torre also admitted that he will be doing his best to keep some of his veteran bats – Ramirez and Casey Blake in particular – fresh for the end of the season by giving them a few more days off.

That is going to make the batting depth all the more important, with Reed Johnson expected to provide numbers off the bench in the outfield and Jamey Carroll and Blake DeWitt required to do the same for the infielders unless Carroll wins the second base job ahead of Ronnie Belliard, who still has to prove to MLB Betting pundits that he has some his weight issues under control.

Four down, one still to go

2010-02-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

2-9-2010 @ 12:45 Andy Charles

Just a month from now Spring Training will be in full swing and the Dodgers will be getting ready for the first game of the regular season, which comes on April 5 in Pittsburgh. But there is still no update on the problematic fifth starter role.

There is little doubt, as far as MLB Predictions are concerned, that Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda and Vicente Padilla will take the ball in the first four games, in some order, but there is no chance of the Dodgers competing with San Francisco and Arizona unless they can find a fifth starter, and soon.

At the moment it appears as if there will be a March free-for-all for that all important spot, although it is possible a couple of candidates will start the season with the big club with one acting in long relief, a role James McDonald excelled in last season.

Of the internal candidates McDonald would appear to be favorite, according to the MLB odds, to take over from Randy Wolf in the rotation, although his performances after taking the spot early in 2009 were not exactly encouraging.

The difference in his demeanour from the bullpen led many to suggest that would be his ideal role going forward, but McDonald says that he grew up while pitching in the Dominican Republic even if his numbers were not brilliant apart from the strikeouts.

"It was a great learning process," he said in an interview with MLB.com. "You're facing a lot of older Latin guys down there and they know how to hit so you have to learn how to pitch. I came out of it a way better pitcher."

And the Dodgers had better hope he has a good spring, because the other candidates for the position in the rotation really do not set the heart racing unless Scott Elbert is finally ready to take it to the next level – he certainly seems better suited to a bullpen role as well.

Jason Schmidt may well be on his final go with the Dodgers, and retirement may not be too far on the horizon, while we have probably seen enough of Shawn Estes, Eric Stults, Eric Milton and Charlie Haeger already to realise that they just do not have the talent to make it in a major league rotation.

After that it is Rule 5 pick Carlos Monasterios, who has yet to show anything outside of High-A, and a pair of Ortiz’s, Russ and Ramon, who have already had more than enough chances.

Pray that McDonald really has grown up or there could be trouble ahead when a fifth starter is required…unless of course Chien-Ming Wang turns up and becomes the pitcher Joe Torre looked after with the Yankees before his shoulder started playing up.

Repko back but big names are missing

2010-01-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

1-12-2010 @ 14:15 Andy Charles

The signings are beginning to filter through for the Dodgers at last, although none of the names setting themselves up for a trip to Spring Training in March is exactly going to excite anyone quite yet.

So far the Dodgers have not been in particularly deep on any of the big-name free agents, although rumours did float about Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman being an interest until Cincinnati upped the stakes and splashed out $30M-plus on the 100mph flamethrower, who could easily be a hit or a bust.

As things stand, a couple of months before the pre-season games start and MLB odds start to be released, it’s one player avoiding arbitration and three players given a chance to shine – nothing exciting but at least it shows that the club’s front office isn’t completely asleep.

Last year’s player returning for another crack at making the major league roster is outfielder Jason Repko, who managed only five at-bats with the Dodgers in 2009 but did hit 16 home runs and steal 24 bases for Albuquerque.

He avoided arbitration by signing a $500,000 one-year deal with $125,000 extra in performance bonuses, but his only real chance of breaking camp with the team, as far as MLB Predictions are concerned, is as a fourth outfielder behind Matt Kemp, Manny Ramirez and Andre Ethier.

Eight Dodgers are due for arbitration hearings later in the month, with a number of them likely to get a handy raise on last season’s salary, especially Kemp, Ethier and current closer Jonathan Broxton.

The free agents unlikely to make back page headlines are pitcher Scott Dohmann and middle infielders Argenis Reyes and Nick Green.

Green probably has the most to gain in camp as he could be quite a handy bat off the bench for the Dodgers after some excellent backup seasons for Boston. With a good Spring Training run, returning from back surgery, he could win a spot ahead of Chin Lung-Hu as the main backup to Rafael Furcal.

Reyes appeared in a few games for the Mets last season, while Dohmann spent 2009 in Japan with the Hiroshima Carp before being released. He also pitched with Triple-A Reno, in Arizona’s farm, last year but put up a 6.14 ERA and was not offered a deal.

No Wolf, so who fills the rotation?

2009-12-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

12-15-2009 @ 01:40 Andy Charles

The Dodgers have a fairly sizeable hole to fill in their rotation for 2010 after the decision of free-agent lefty Randy Wolf to sign for the Milwaukee Brewers on a deal believed to be worth nearly $30m over three years.

While Baseball betting suggests the price Milwaukee paid for Wolf seems a little on the steep side, it is hard to argue with the role he played for the Dodgers in the second half of last season, winning six of his last seven starts on the way to the playoffs.

Although he only ended up with an 11-7 record, Wolf’s 3.23 ERA and .227 batting average allowed were among the National League leaders and his 24 quality starts tied with Cliff Lee for the MLB lead – a big saving on the bullpen at least one day out of five.

Sadly for the Dodgers, Wolf being a Type A free agent means they will get nothing in return so will have to find a replacement for his place in the rotation either from within or via free agency, something they have yet to seriously dabble in this postseason.

At the moment, unless James McDonald finally begins to bloom as a starter, there are only three sure things in the rotation in Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda and Clayton Kershaw.

But there are still names out there that would make sense for a low rotation position, most likely one of Joe Torre’s former Yankees workhorses in Chien-Ming Wang, who is coming back from shoulder surgery.

Wang, a renowned ground-ball pitcher, may not be the ideal fit for Dodger Stadium in terms of makeup, but they do have a record for rehabbing starters to success – he should be 100% fit for starting action by May.

Other, fairly uninspiring, candidates would include Tim Redding and Josh Towers, who was signed to a minor league deal last week by the club, but MLB Predictions suggests that Towers seems more likely to fill a long relief role or, as in 2009 with the Yankees, become Triple-A fodder.

Best news so far – Vin’s staying on!

2009-11-20T08:40:00.000-08:00

11-20-2009 @ 08:40 Andy Charles

The dulcet tones of Vin Scully will be around for at least another year after the veteran play-by-play announcer confirmed that he would be staying in the broadcast booth through the end of the MLB 2010 season.

The Hall Of Famer, one of the first announcers I ever heard after getting interested in baseball, is just about unique when it comes to his knowledge of the game, and although sometimes he sounds like he is doing his best to send you to sleep, he remains a legend in my eyes.

Amazingly Scully turns 82 on the 29th of this month (an early many happy returns from me!) and his 59 years (wow) with the Dodgers is a record among current sports broadcasters working with the same team.

Back in the summer Vin started to worry fans when he said beyond doubt that he would retire at the end of 2010, but he has now gone back on that and says it will only be when both he and his wife of 36 years Sandy decide the time is right that he will put his microphone down and finally retire.

Sadly for the Dodgers, MLB Predictions suggest that there is no chance of finding anyone to fill his boots in the future – it’s just not possible given the quicker, snappier way that many commentaries are done nowadays – so it’s best to savour every commentary Vin makes next season just in case it is his last.

Last season was a good one for a long way at Dodger Stadium, although there were times when Vin had to dig deep into his soul to stick to baseball (as always) and not start getting rapt in some of the soap opera-style episodes to put a darker shade on 2009.

But thankfully for all fans, come Spring Training it will be Vin Scully describing everything you would expect him to as he closes on 60 years telling us all about the Dodgers.

As he told the Associated Press recently: "I'm trying to figure out if I can walk away. I'm the horse pulling the wagon with a lot of people on the wagon, so I'm really not sure. God willing, I'll do next year and then we'll just have to wait and see.

"When the team takes the field and the crowd roars, it still triggers something in me. Forget about where they are in the standings, I think that's the secret. You just do the game and enjoy it."

Baseball is not just a man’s game

2009-10-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

10-23-2009 @ 07:15 Andy Charles

While the rest of Dodger Nation worries about [next season after losing to] the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Championship Series, executive Kim Ng could be about to break new ground in professional baseball.

Ng was interviewed over the weekend by the San Diego Padres about their vacant general manager’s position, left open after Kevin Towers was fired by the Dodgers’ divisional rivals earlier this month.

Under Towers, the Padres stumbled to a second successive poor season finishing 75-87 and some 20 games back of the league leading Dodgers, but baseball betting still had his firing down as something of a surprise after 14 seasons with the club.

But Ng’s interview for the vacancy did not really come as a shock as she has built an impressive CV within the game, working in the front office at both the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox before venturing to Chavez Ravine, where she rose to the role of vice-president.

Ironically, if Ng gets the job at Petco Park, she would be in charge of a staff which also includes former Dodgers GM Paul de Podesta, once her boss.

But no one is blaming Ng for trying to improve herself, since she appears to be road-blocked by Ned Colletti, [who has just received a long-term contract extension] in Los Angeles.

Colletti seems to polarise opinion both in Los Angeles and in baseball circles thanks to his combination in the past of giving out huge contracts like sweets (Jason Schmidt? Andruw Jones?) and then making some of the most sensible deals in recent Dodger history such as adding apparently washed up Casey Blake and turning George Sherrill back into one of the best setup men in the NL.

So, looking at MLB Predictions, what could the Dodgers do to keep her with the franchise? Promise Ng the GM job once Colletti leaves (if he does)? Hope that she fails to get the Padres job?

Neither [are] ideal situations for the team or for Ng, but whatever happens to her job application there is no doubt that this lady is going to make a fine General Manager for some team some day soon, and I for one wish her all the best!

The bullpen is mightier than the blogger!

2009-09-24T15:15:00.000-07:00

09-24-2009 @ 17:15 Andy Charles

Earlier this season, I tried to predict the future and admitted to some worries about the depth of the Dodgers bullpen, but it’s time for a slice of humble pie as the regular season comes to an end.

As I write this blog, the Dodgers have a magic number of five to secure their place as NL West champions, and could just about afford to lose every other game this season and still sneak in as a wildcard.

But many of those recent wins have come courtesy of, and thanks to, an amazing bullpen which leads the ERA standings in the whole of baseball by nearly half-a-run (and the lead is over rivals San Francisco just to make it that little bit more important).

I did say back in the middle of the summer that new blood was probably needed to make things better at the back-end of the ‘pen, and that came in the form of George Sherrill, who had been doing well this season in his role as closer for the Orioles.

But the lefty’s return to the West Coast has improved his form even more, with a miniscule 0.40 ERA in 24 appearances for the Dodgers so far and opposing batters hitting only .188 against him.

That means he has given up one run (just one) in 22 1/3 innings and he has been just about unhittable in his outings other than that one blown save at the end of last month, providing a perfect bridge to a now fully healthy Jon Broxton.

James McDonald has also been an excellent add to the pen since starting to bring down his walk rate, with just one bad outing in San Diego, but that was all forgotten about in a superb three-inning outing last week against the Pirates, a game the Dodgers went on to win in 13 innings.

But not all is quite so bright, as Chad Billingsley’s struggles continued when he returned to the bullpen in a defeat by the Giants, and it is beginning to look doubtful if he will even be fit enough mentally to pitch in the post-season, let alone be able to fulfil a vital starting role.

With Clayton Kershaw due back from his injury this week, in the pen at first, baseball betting suggests that Randy Wolf will be on the mound when the Dodgers (let’s make an assumption now) open their playoff run later this month, and the chances of Vicente Padilla being in the rotation have improved…just like his health and general performances.

Here Comes Mr Swine Flu

2009-08-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

08-26-2009 @ 15:05 Andy Charles

As the Dodgers season continues to decline, the latest hope for some pitching solidity is a guy who was suffering the dreaded Swine Flu only a couple of weeks ago.

Vicente Padilla is expected to make his major league debut with the club on Thursday night against Colorado, and the way things have been going in recent weeks, their best hope might be that he infects a couple of the opposition players with some kind of virus!

With both clubs off on Monday, Dodgers boss Joe Torre had plenty of time to worry about an alarming decline in performance levels, which has seen the Rockies close a once-impressive gap down to just 3 games with nearly 40 still to play in a packed end to the regular season.

Injuries to Jason Schmidt (predictable) and Hiroki Kuroda (unlucky) have left the rotation looking so thin that it is the Swine Flu Kid and knuckleballer Charlie Haeger who may have to be relied upon for some major innings.

Haeger has impressed in a couple of outings so far, but as with pitchers of his ilk, consistency is not a byword – expect some horror shows to come but hope that the overall results are positive.

As for Padilla, he has never been anything but a streak pitcher – when he’s good, baseball betting confirms, that he’s very good, but when he’s bad, you might as well have me out there on the mound (and that is something you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy, or the Giants!

Although he was fine in five innings for Triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday, the 31-year-old, who was released by Texas after an apparent bust-up, has a career ERA of 4.36 and barely strikes out one batter every couple of innings.

While it is tough to start criticizing players before they even turn up with the big club, it seems strange that Padilla will be taking the mound just a few days after St Louis debuted John Smoltz, just the sort of pitcher that management should have been looking at to turn things around and to give the club a play-off contender’s look.

It really is a shame management didn’t make him an offer, instead going for the cheaper and, sadly, nastier option.

Big deal in the works for Dodgers?

2009-07-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

07-27-2009 @ 14:02 Andy Charles

Strange timing, it would seem, but trade talks surrounding Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley appear to be growing pace with deals with both the Blue Jays and Indians being mooted in recent days.

Billingsley has been in such poor form up until his most recent start that his trade value would seem to be at its lowest all season. The win over Cincinnati on Wednesday was the first time the right-hander had given up three or less runs in a start since his first start of June.

His previous outing against Houston was also one of the worst of his career, giving up nine hits and six earned runs in under two innings with not a single strikeout, but we are still talking about a pitcher with 10 wins before the end of July, so it can’t be all bad!

But is he now the starter the Dodgers will dangle in trade talks rather than Clayton Kershaw, whose numbers are heading in the right direction?

Since last week, Billingsley has come up in reports linking the Dodgers with two bona fide veteran aces in Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee.

Most baseball bets have Halladay down as the more sensible option, as another right-hander with incredible stuff and a penchant for big-game victories. There are few starters out there I’d prefer to have pitching Game One of the World Series (and probably Game Five as well).

Because of the difference in age, there is a chance the Dodgers could even get an extra bullpen arm in this sort of deal – perhaps Jason Frasor or Jeremy Accardo, who would provide the depth missing in recent weeks where the reliance has been on Ramon Troncoso and the sometimes-ailing Jonathan Broxton.

However it seems talks with Indians are more serious, with lefty Lee and perhaps Victor Martinez coming to California in exchange for Billingsley and James Loney (plus prospects).

There were reports the pitcher going to Cleveland would be Kershaw, but would that really make sense? Lee and Kershaw would be ideal together probably split up by Hiroki Kuroda, although with Randy Wolf in the rotation as well, is three lefties one too many?

And isn’t Kershaw worth a lot more than Lee now after giving up only five earned runs in eight starts? Would seem a strange time to be trading him for a soon to be 31-year-old?

Baseball betting suggests that things are heating up in trade central anyway, so maybe we’ll all find out soon.

Dodgers waiting on Belisario update

2009-07-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

07-06-2009 @ 20:27 Andy Charles

The Los Angeles Dodgers have their fingers crossed that they will not lose another important piece of their bullpen after Ronald Belisario was arrested on Saturday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Belisario was released later in the day and returned to Chavez Ravine the afternoon after pitching a scoreless inning against Seattle - at the moment he has not been told whether he will face sanctions, either by the authorities or the Dodgers themselves.

The setback is the latest in a long line of troubles to hit the team's pen, already without Hong-Chih Kuo and Will Ohman, and lacking also the strong arm of Cory Wade, who was sent down to Triple-A last week to sort out his own issues.

Belisario and Ramon Troncoso have proved to be a strong bridge between the starting staff and ace closer Jonathan Broxton so far this season, but manager Joe Torre has admitted to being worried about the amount of times he has been forced to use his top line relievers.

The Venezuelan import has probably been the biggest surprise of the Dodgers' season so far, with his ERA of 2.01 leading the team as we come towards the All-Star Break. And giving up only 33 hits in his 44 2/3 innings has proven him as a fine addition to the squad after failing to make it with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

A fair baseball bet suggests that losing him now would be a huge hole to fill, and not one the Dodgers could probably manage without a trade of some kind.

Of the pitchers ready to step in, only Wade and Jason Vargas would be bullpen types, and Vargas is far more suited to long relief and garbage time - he may not even offer as much as youngsters James McDonald and Travis Schlichting.

So, Dodger fans, pray that Belisario is innocent or at least doesn't face too heavy sanctions, or all the good work the team has done so far this season could start coming apart at the seams.

By Andy Morris – Baseball betting analyst

All-Star voting sham

2009-07-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

07-06-2009 @ 20:25 Andy Charles

You can’t keep Manny Ramirez out of the press even when he is right in the middle of his 50-game suspension for the use of a performance-enhancing drug.

The last week, while the Dodgers have continued on their torrid pace at the top of the National League West, fans have been going gaga over Manny’s place in the leading four vote-getters among NL outfielders in the All-Star Game voting.

Not only would it be a shame to see Manny at the All-Star Game, it would take the gloss of some amazing NL performances this season – some of them from his own Dodger team-mates in Orlando Hudson, Chad Billingsley and Jonathan Broxton.

While fans have the right to cast their vote as they see fit, maybe this would be the perfect time for MLB to put a rule in place that would disallow any player currently suspended from playing in a game that is meant to be a showcase for everything that is good in baseball!

Why should Manny, on the shelf since May 7, be rewarded for his performances so far this season, when no one really knows if those home runs and RBIs were actually earned, rather than bought.

Sure, he was brilliant over the first five weeks of the season, but at the moment he is suspended for conduct in detriment of the sport – not injured. It’s hard to say what his numbers would be now if he had not been found out, but right now baseball betting suggests there is no way he deserves to be an All-Star ahead of Raul Ibanez or any of the three guys currently at the top of the ballot – Alfonso Soriano, Ryan Braun and Carlos Beltran.

But then again, the ballot is nothing more than a sham anyway, or you can place a baseball bet you’d never be in a position where Milwaukee shortstop J.J. Hardy was about to take the All-Star start over Hanley Ramirez unless Brewers fans spent more time on their PCs than any other team. Brewers position players currently rank No 1 or 2 in all ballots including the struggling Hardy and light-hitting Jason Kendall.

Give the public a vote and they will make a mess of it – now where have we heard that before?