Grady holds a meeting; Hendrickson back to bullpen
Grady had a closed-door meeting with the club before batting practice today, the primary topic of which was that each player needed to do his job individually and that no player needed to try to carry the team on his shoulders. Or something like that. He also said the floor wasn't open for questions or comments. It was just Grady saying what he had to say, and that was it. Sounds like it might have been fairly intense, but that's just me speculating. ... Hendrickson is going back to the pen. Grady wouldn't say who is taking his spot, except that the person isn't presently on the active roster. That probably means Eric Stults, because Houlton won't have been down 10 days by then, so he can't come back to the majors unless someone goes on the DL. Here's the lineup:
SS Furcal
C Martin
1B Loney
2B Kent
LF Gonzo
3B Nomar
CF Pierre
RF Ethier
RH Billingsley
By the way, Billingsley is the first pitcher since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles to lose consecutive 1-0 games.
Tony Jackson is in his fourth season covering the Dodgers for the 
Comments
Ethier back at the 8th spot :(
Posted by: The_Great_Arcade_Fire | August 13, 2007 6:44 PM
I think it might be McDonald. He dominated in his last start at Jax (with Colletti in attendance).
Posted by: Marcel | August 13, 2007 6:49 PM
By the way, Hillenbrand was removed from the Vegas roster for some reason and is not playing tonight. I wonder if that means anything.
Posted by: Marcel | August 13, 2007 7:03 PM
Sure, Hillenbrand was traded for Oswalt and Lance Berkman. All our prayers are answered! Oh, and the Stros took Juan Pierre's contract off the Dodgers hands, no questions asked.
Posted by: BaseballSavvy.com
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August 13, 2007 7:16 PM
Shea Hillenbrand just showed up in the Dodger dugout. No explanation why.
Posted by: Andrea | August 13, 2007 8:03 PM
Hillenbrand has been called-up. Young sent down. I don't get it.
Posted by: Marcel | August 13, 2007 8:04 PM
Shea apparently can keep his stroke while sitting on the bench. Maybe Young cannot. Either way we need to send someone else down to get another pitcher up here. Maybe this signals that the big tomato is on his way out of town after tonight.
Posted by: Seastheday | August 13, 2007 8:12 PM
Oh, Hillenbrand will be just great for this clubhouse that just might be a little tense right now.
How long before he and Grady are at fisticuffs?
This is a terrible move. They needed to keep trying Delwyn Young while he might be hot. The guy they need to keep was Betemit! He could fill in for Kent and Nomar once a week each, instead of inflicting Ramon Martinez's impotent bat upon the lineup.
Posted by: El Lay Dave | August 13, 2007 8:34 PM
When we need a 12th pitcher for Friday, the only logical guy to go is Olmedo. Unless we stick with 11 pitchers (unlikely) and get rid of Hernandez.
Posted by: Marcel | August 13, 2007 8:51 PM
Tony - please ask Nomar about Hillenbrand, they were teammates in Boston, remember?
Marcel, they'll DFA Hillenbrand for pitching after he picks a fight with Jeff Kent and writes "This is a sinking ship" on a locker room whiteboard.
Posted by: El Lay Dave | August 13, 2007 8:57 PM
It is NOT going to be McDonald. I can promise you that. It's almost certain to be Stults or Houlton, and it can't be Houlton unless another pitcher goes on the DL because he won't have been down there 10 days yet.
Posted by: tony jackson | August 13, 2007 9:45 PM
Well, it's unfortunate if McDonald is not an option. He's having a fantastic year and it's not like he's too young, either.
But if the Dodgers want to be risk averse and stick with mediocre options (Stults, Houlton, etc), fine.
Posted by: Marcel | August 13, 2007 10:06 PM
I suspect McDonald won't be up until rosters expand in 2.5 weeks. Unless something changes dramatically, the Dodgers could be out of the race by then, and he should get starts. Also, by that time Lowe could be on the shelf.
Hillenbrand was probably brought up now to provide a veteran presence on the bench in the event the Dodgers reach the playoffs. Delwyn should be back in September.
As for Meloan, I'm guessing September.
Posted by: Brooklyn Dodger | August 13, 2007 10:44 PM