Tuesday, December 15, 2009

No Wolf, so who fills the rotation?

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.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Best news so far – Vin’s staying on!

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."

Friday, October 23, 2009

Baseball is not just a man’s game

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!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

The bullpen is mightier than the blogger!

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.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Here Comes Mr Swine Flu

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.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Big deal in the works for Dodgers?

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.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Dodgers waiting on Belisario update

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

Monday, July 6, 2009

All-Star voting sham

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?