Random stuff
Andruw Jones played 1B at Las Vegas last night. Not sure what that means, but I'm guessing it means he'll be an option to back up there if Joe wants to give James Loney a day off here or there and doesn't want to go back to that musical chairs thing he did last week with Martin at 3B and Blake at 1B. The 51s committed four errors last night, but none of them were by Andruw. That's a good sign. ... The Dodgers are still somewhat in contention in the N.L. West, but it's worth noting that they began the day tied with Houston for the eighth-best record in the bad National League, a loop that only has 16 teams. The Astros, by the way, were 14 games out in the Central. ... Greg Miller, once the Dodgers' top left-handed pitching prospect, might be getting close to the end of the line. There was a time earlier this season when he seemed to be coming out of his longstanding control problems, but he seems to have relapsed since his promotion to Las Vegas. He gave up four runs last night after walking three batters (and allowing NO hits) in one inning pitched at Colorado Springs. Since his promotion to Vegas, he has walked 46 batters in 28 2/3 innings, all while allowing just 19 hits. In his past three appearances, he has walked eight batters in 3 2/3 innings.
Did it ever occur to the Dodgers that Las Vegas is not the best place for Miller? A pitcher with control problems should not be subjected to the hitter happy PCL. The stat that jumps out at me is the only 19 hits in 28 2/3 innings. He's still a prospect worth holding onto in my mind. Control is something that often comes to pitcher all of sudden. Unfortunately, in Miller's case it will probably come after the Dodgers decide to give up on him.
I could be wrong about this, but I seem to remember that when the Dodgers acquired Tim Belcher in 1987 (as part of a deal that sent Rick Honeycutt to Oakland) he was having control problems in the minor leagues, and commented that he decided when he came to the Dodgers he determined that the only way he was going to stay was to throw strikes, and did.
Barring a Belcher type miracle, Miller is simply too good of a prospect to give up on as long as the Dodgers have room on the 40 man roster. He's still only 23. Koufax didn't begin to exhibit control until 1961, when he was 25.