Dodgers 2, Marlins 1
Mark Sweeney hit a two-run HR off Burke Badenhop in the seventh inning, erasing a 1-0 deficit that had existed since the first. Hiroki Kuroda had easily his best outing of the spring, going five strong innings and allowing only that first-inning run, three hits and no walks. He then went to the bullpen and threw 23 more pitches just to get to his allotted 85. Takashi Saito followed with a perfect sixth inning and now hasn't allowed a batter to reach base or a ball to be hit out of the infield in either of his two appearances. Clayton Kershaw pitched the final three, allowing two hits. He was called for a balk, but the first-base umpire making the call was Angel Hernandez, so take that for what it's worth. Honeycutt said he has been working with Kershaw on holding down other teams' running games, which appears right now to be the closest thing he has to a flaw. He'll stay with the team through Arizona and California before returning to Double-A Jacksonville, which means Honeycutt and Torre have to get him enough innings to get him properly stretched out for the start of the minor-league season. ... This one was over in two hours, 12 minutes, which would normally be a good thing because it was getaway day. But half the club stayed back in Vero to work out, then left on a bus at 2 p.m. for the West Palm Beach airport, where the whole team was to meet up for its charter to PHX. The game ended so quickly that the guys who played are going to have to wait at the airport for the guys who didn't. ... Dodgers finish Grapefruit League play 8-13-2, Tommy goes 2-6. No game tomorrow, ``home'' against the White Sox on Thursday at Phoenix Municipal Stadium -- or Phoenix Muni, as the cool Cactus League veterans like to call it.
Tony Jackson has covered the Dodgers for the Daily News since 2004 and has covered Major League Baseball on a regular basis since 1995. He previously covered the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds. He is a native of Springdale, Ark., and a graduate of the University of Arkansas.
Comments
Tony buddy, you forgot to mention the play where I ran into left field in front of Pierre to turn a hit into a double play. Tsk tsk.
Posted by: Andre Ethier | March 18, 2008 1:11 PM
Pierre....Ethier..... meh!
They're both garbage.
Ethier's a 4th outfielder at best. But even that's unlikely. Like Loney, Ethier lacks the power potential and plate discipline of a Choi.
And yes, I stand by my statement that the Ethier for Bradley/APerez trade ranks up there with the PMartinez/DeShields deal as one of the worst in Dodger history.
You don't trade CF'ers who OPS 800+. You just don't do it. And you especially dont throw in an OPS machine like Antonio Perez. Negative 5 stars on that deal.
Posted by: joeyp of dodgerthoughts | March 18, 2008 1:12 PM
Yeah Milton Bradley would have won us at least a couple World Series' by now with his picture-perfect health and great clubhouse presence.
Antonio Perez an OPS-machine. Classic stuff there joey. Seems like some team would have given him more than a minor league deal. Must be 30 dumb GMs out there.
Choi? Classic. Shall we also talk about how Jason Grabowski didn't get a fair shake?
Posted by: Dave | March 18, 2008 1:31 PM
No mention of the sngle most important thing going on this spring. The battle for LF. Or is it RF, Tony?
Posted by: Juan Pierre's flying helmet | March 18, 2008 1:42 PM
Dave | March 18, 2008 1:31 PM, please don't feed the troll. Thank you.
Posted by: El Lay Dave
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March 18, 2008 2:17 PM
My comment from the previous entry:
Ethier, playing Juan Pierre's old position of CF today while JP continues to learn left, cuts in front of a camped-out Pierre to field a fly ball and gun down a runner trying to tag from second to third. In a movie, this would be called foreshadowing, I think.
Later Ethier walks, so he's aboard when Sweeney swats a homer for the only Dodger runs in a 2-1 win. If Andre's competition is JP, is the fact that he reached on a walk irony?
Posted by: El Lay Dave
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March 18, 2008 2:19 PM
It's well known that joeyp is a Dodger hater. We're still happy to have him though. joeyp will always have a home at DodgerThoughts.
Posted by: El Lay Dave | March 18, 2008 3:50 PM
This JP/Ethier debate is a joke. Who is the better offensive a player? Who is the better defensive player? Would the Dodgers trade for JP if he was available to sit Kemp/Ethier?
Ethier is not an unproven commodity. He batted over 400 after the All-Star break and was still benched and when he did play he batted eighth. There were games when Little started Almedo Saenz and batted him third with Andre batting -- yes eighth.
The simple fact is the dodger management, including apparently Joe Torre, does not know how to manage young talent. Torre said everyone had to earn their job, but he started Jp everyday and alternated Kemp and Eithier. Look how they handled Loney last year. They sent Loney to Vegas and started Garciaparra at first and kept him batting third despite his lack of production for more than three quarters of a season.
There are good reasons why knowledgeable dodger baseball fans are frustrated over this ridiculous debate. They should keep Repko, trade JP and Young and get what they can and pay what they must on his ill-advised long-term contract.
Posted by: Jim | March 18, 2008 4:00 PM
See the little key next to my handle? That's the indicator that I have a typekey account and I posted while logged in. Anything else is a fabrication.
Posted by: El Lay Dave
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March 18, 2008 4:07 PM
Most of us know joeyp's anti-Dodger background and his inability to comprehend statistics. That's why he's generally ignored.
Posted by: toycannon | March 18, 2008 5:05 PM
Thanks on Joeyp. I consider myself warned.
Posted by: Dave | March 18, 2008 5:12 PM
Sorry about the troll using my name. Thanks for the heads up El Lay Dave about typekey. I forgot I even had an account.
Posted by: ToyCannon | March 18, 2008 8:03 PM
Ethier's trade value will never be higher so strike now while the iron is hot Ned, before he turns back into a pumpkin in April.
This guy is not a starter for the Dodgers and never will be.
Posted by: Mikey | March 18, 2008 9:23 PM
Mikey,
Are you another troll?
Posted by: Brooklyn Dodger | March 18, 2008 9:55 PM
No, he's the resident Juan Pierre supporter. It's pretty hard to distinguish a Pierre supporter from a troll, so don't fret.
SPEED BLINDS!
Posted by: Juan Pierre's flying helmet | March 19, 2008 1:34 PM
Mikey just read on the LA Dodgers MLB message board
that Ethier has receieved his walking papers.
Good thing seeing as how he can't hit his way out of a wet paper sack once the bullets start flying for real regular season.
Pierre's .301 + Jones and Kemp has a nice 'ring' to it, as in World Series.
Posted by: Mikey | March 19, 2008 2:18 PM
Flying Helmet,
Thanks. As long as I've been posting on this blog you would think I knew. Juan's speed must have blinded me.
Just another name to place on my list of persons to ignore.
Posted by: Brooklyn Dodger | March 19, 2008 5:03 PM