Manny being Manny ... in a good way
I may have mentioned this a time or two on this blog before, but every night during road games, all the Dodgers relievers stay in the dugout through the top of the first inning, then walk out to the bullpen en masse between the top and bottom of the first. Tonight, as they were walking to the visiting pen out in left field here, ManRam was jogging from the third-base dugout to his position. He very playfully sneaked up on Cory Wade and Joe Beimel and bulled his way between them. ... Oh, and after that inning, he led off the top of the second with his third home run in a Dodgers uniform, a drive into the front row in right-center off Joel Pineiro.
not sure I have ever been comfortable with D. Lowe in a Dodger uniform. in the early years, besides all the the extra-marital and drinking stuff, he just looked plain ADD on the mound - like he couldn't stay focused or consistent.
I will admit he has gotten better, but has any 35 yr old "big game pitcher" seem to just lose it after a bad call (yes, he was pinched by the ump) like Lowe?. plus the way he spins off the mound after certain pitches (usually balls) drives me crazy.
yikes, I say he belongs with the Yankees in 09.
D. Lowe at Home: 2.72 ERA (12 starts)
D. Lowe on Road: 5.88 ERA (12 starts)
Maybe his $10 million, that will come off the books after this season, will go towards Manny's $25 million?
James McDonald got off to a good start tonight pitching against New Orleans. 6 innings, 2 hits, 1 R (earned), 2 BB, 10 SO. The run came in the first inning on a homerun. I don't know if it was by design, but the game was played in New Orleans, the eastern-most outpost of the PCL, and not a typical PCL launching pad.
THH,
You probably already know this, but it's not only Lowe coming off the books (hopefully). Kent and Nomar are about $9 million each, Esteban Loaiza = about $6.5 - $7 million, and Furcal = $13 - $15 million. Who knows, maybe Pierre will hold some attraction for another team with only 3 years left on his contract. Perhaps something could also be done with Jones, who will be in the final year of his contract. In addition, when considering multi-year contracts for any free agents, the Dodgers will know that 2009 is the final year of Schmidt's $15 million. Of course there will be some increases for the younger players, some of which may become arbitration eligible depending on whether or not they qualify as super 2's. And of course, maybe some of the younger players can be locked up in multi-year deals. All in all, it should be an interesting winter.