Dodgers 5, Mets 1
Billingsley pitched a gem, this time not running into any trouble in the fifth or any other innings. He was lifted after issuing a leadoff walk to Luis Castillo in the seventh, but Beimel, Broxton and Saito combined to retire the next nine Mets batters in order to close out the Dodgers' 11th win in their past 14 games, giving them an 18-14 record for the season, and they actually gained another game on the Snakes. The Dodgers are now just three back in the NL West. ... Oh, and did I mention that, um, well, uhhhh, you know ... JUAN PIERRE IS HITTING .324 WITH A .400 ON-BASE PERCENTAGE. ... And, ummmmmm, ya know, uhhhh, you might have noticed that, ummmmmm ... HE HAS STARTED THE PAST FIVE GAMES IN A ROW, AND IS 10 FOR 19 WITH SEVEN RUNS AND THREE RBI IN THOSE GAMES. ... but far be it from me to say I told you so. ... Hasta manana.
Juan Pierre: 0 HRs, .780 OPS
Andre Ethier: 3 HRs, .853 OPS
It's pretty obvious who's been more productive.
Marcel, you need to add in Andruw's stats to check productivity. Why can't we put Jones on the DL and send him to Vegas for a rehab? Right now, it's a shame to keep Ethier off the field.
And is Torre really serious about Nomar having 3B "as soon as he's ready"? It sure seems like DeWitt has earned the job at this point!!!
But, IMO Torre is a vast improvement over Grady, and I think when push comes to shove DeWitt will have to play himself out of a starting position.
I'm also not ready to push Ned out the door. If Andruw returns to form and Schmidt is able to come back, we'll be the best team in the NL, and Torre will find a way to utilize Pierre's strengths without exposing his weak arm!
Tony,
Any truth to the rumor the Dodgers plan to rename the Right Field Pavilion "The ANDRUW JONES All-You-Can-Eat Pavilion"? I've also heard the Dodgers are flying in Kobayashi to take on Jones in a Dodger Dog eating contest in Right Field before the Dodgers take on the Angels. Torii Hunter was asked to judge the competition but he declined due to his having "too much self-respect." ;)
Team, GREAT post. It is rare that one of you makes me laugh out loud, but that one did.
Chad did look really good last night. Hopefully he just builds on that start.
one thing that could've helped Pierre get hot...he's always hit really well at coors. Is that when he started hitting or was it before the dodgers played colorado?
Any new news on how healthy LaRoche is?
Let's ride the winning wave as long as it lasts.