Blake DeWitt recalled from ABQ, Loney sits tonight
I got this one right, because I said it would be DeWitt or Xavier Paul, but I also got this one wrong, because I said my money was on Paul. Guess the front office ultimately decided they wanted the guy with the experience and the ability to play three infield spots more than they wanted a guy batting .571 at ABQ whose outfield defense has always been suspect. ... Not sure I understand why James Loney isn't playing tonight. He is batting .556 lifetime (5 for 9) with HR and seven RBI against Jorge De La Rosa. Loretta is hitting .667 off him, but that's only 2 for 3. This will be Loney's first game out of the starting lineup this season.
SS Furcal
2B Hudson
LF Ramirez
CF Kemp
RF Ethier
C Martin
1B Loretta
3B Blake
LH Wolf
I don't understand why Loney is on the bench either. He's been really hot lately, and seems to have a good eye at the plate.
A young kid who took a 3-2 pitch in the 9th inning to win the game with a walk HAS to be on point.
Quoting Tony's original post:
"Not sure I understand why James Loney isn't playing tonight."
How are the writers notified of the starting lineup?
For years, I have been laboring under the now-apparent misconception that the manager announces the lineup in a pregame meeting with the press corps. But your above statement suggests otherwise.
Also, will you get a chance before the game starts to ask Torre why Loney is sitting tonight?
Thanks.
Harpo, we get it in various ways depending on the day, but we almost always have it before meeting with Torre. The PR staff emails it out, but if the clubhouse opens before the email goes out, I usually just copy it down off the lineup card posted in the clubhouse. I'm sitting out Torre's thing today, but Jill is down there, so I will ask her about Loney when she returns.
How's Mientkiewicz doing? I feel for him, I just had rotator cuff surgery, hope his is a minor injury...
It may well be that Paul's defense is "suspect", but what an arm. Both powerful and accurate. However, I'm not surprised it was DeWitt, as I noted in an earlier post. Pierre is the fourth outfielder, and the Dodgers clearly were in need of another infielder, given that Mkz can play both first and third (with some corner outfield experience, and maybe some at 2B). Although they probably wanted DeWitt to get more playing time in ABQ, I suspect that they will find him sufficient at bats filling-in around the infield. If that turns out not to be the case, there is nothing stopping them from calling up Paul later on. Who knows, maybe somewhere down the line they will manage to get a deal done for Pierre, at which point Paul could get the call.