Lineup--Martin at 3B

What does Andy LaRoche need to do to stay in the lineup? Seriously. Is whatever Danny Ardoin brings to the table that much more important than LaRoche's bat? Or Andruw Jones' bat for that matter?

I certainly would like to see LaRoche in the lineup. But this is a matter of who you prefer in the lineup, Martin or LaRoche. Ardoin is not replacing LaRoche, he's giving Martin a day off from catching.

Dude, YOU are unreal. It's about what Russell Martin brings to the table. This is how Torre gives him a day off without taking his bat out of the lineup. And he is as good defensively there as either DeWitt or LaRoche -- not that either one of them is bad.

I think Martin needs more days off period considering how poor he's been defensively this year.

I agree that Martin needs to be in the lineup, but the reality is that he's a catcher, and catchers need days off.

I'm still not convinced that playing out of position is really that much of a break, especially when there's some unfamiliarity with the position.

That said, I REALLY hope this works out, and playing 3rd as "rest" helps him in the 2nd half. But he slowed down in the 2nd half last year, and he's actually playing MORE this season.

I just really thinks he needs full days off, whether he thinks he needs it or not. Martin needs to be the face of the franchise for the next decade, not 3 years and done when his knees deteriorate from catching 155 games a year.

Tony is laughable in calling someone "unreal". This is the same guy who tried to spin this, "Three seasons into his still-budding career..." in speaking of Matt Kemp. Yeah Tony, Matt Kemp has had 2 full seasons in the majors in addition to this one.

Martin needs to sit more often than he has, period. We watched Jim Tracy give Loduca "days off" in left field and at 1st base, then promptly turn into Gary Bennett in the last 2 months of the season. If catchers playing 150+ games a year was such a great idea, why isn't it more prevalent in baseball?

You can't take anything Tony says seriously. He has to be a Colletti/management/veteran puppet in order to keep his "access" and sound knowledgeable. Because access is what's most important in today's day and age of "journalism".

Yep, the Dodgers really miss having a "true leadoff hitter".

Ever get the idea that most baseball axioms are pure bull? Of course, if they come out of the mouth of "true baseball guys" and journalist hacks, they must be true, eh?

Let's see how the young players get blamed for this one, while Torre's use of Falkenborg and the decision to rush Jones's rehab get ignored.

Ha. If they're gonna give Martin a day off, then give him a day off.

If Martin is that important (and I agree that he is), have him catch. It's pretty clear Park had issues working with Ardoin, and it's not as though Ardoin's bat (or Martin's, for that matter) was of any use last night.

And it is absolutely unreal that it doesn't appear that any of you on the Dodger beat have questioned Torre's nonsensical lineups and bullpen use.