Dodgers 6, Nationals 1
I'll save admitting I was wrong for sometime during the regular season. This is, after all, SPRING TRAINING. But yes, for now, Andre Ethier, having just gone 3 for 4 with an opposite-field HR and four RBI, is hitting .300 to Juan Pierre's .186 (he went 0 for 4, one ball hit out of the infield). Kemp is hitting .308 after going 1 for 5 as the DH in the People's Republic.
This is Bob Schaefer after the game on the fact the club now APPEARS to have three OFs competing for two spots:
``It's better than having two. It's a good problem to have. It's going to be tough to make out the lineup, and Joe realizes that. We have four solid outfielders. But Joe will work it out. We're always going to have a good guy on the bench, put it that way. You're better off with too many that not enough.''
Penny was spectacular over five shutout innings, allowing one hit and recording 10 groundball outs. Saito made his spring debut with a perfect inning, three straight ground balls, threw 10 pitches, six of them strikes, and later said he felt fine physically.
Tommy finally wins a game, and as he walked from the dugout into the clubhouse, he revived the old ``How sweet it is, the fruits of victory'' mantra from 1988. Despite playing two games on two different sides of the globe, the Dodgers got through an entire day without losing and are now 7-10-2 for the spring. As for the Nationals, they don't appear very good at all. But then, I predicted they would lose 110 games last year, and they didn't come close to that, going 73-89 (can you say moral victory?). And again, this is SPRING TRAINING. Home against the Marlins tomorrow, the Dodgers penultimate game at Vero Beach.
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
Just to reiterate, I don't need you to admit anything- now or in October. I would just like you to press Torre on Ethier's worthiness of the starting LF job. That is all.
Posted by: bigcpa | March 15, 2008 1:43 PM
I agree, spring training doesn't really matter. What matters is that Andre Ethier has vastly outperformed Juan Pierre over the past two years and the Dodgers are the laughingstock of the NL for even considering playing Juan Pierre over Andre Ethier or Matt Kemp.
Posted by: curgle | March 15, 2008 2:35 PM
And along those lines, this was just put up today on RotoWorld.com:
>>Andre Ethier went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and four RBI in the Dodgers' 6-1 victory over the Nationals on Saturday.
Ethier is hitting .300/.429/.600 in 40 at-bats, while Juan Pierre is at .186/.271/.209. Ethier has, of course, posted better on-base percentages and slugging percentages than Pierre in both of his years in the league, and while he might not have quite as much range as Pierre in left field, he is an above average defender. It's a good thing for Pierre that the Dodgers care more about fame and salary than performance when it comes to handing out playing time. Mar. 15 - 4:37 pm et<<
On a diff. subject, great to see Saito back out there, and looking so sharp. Hope he stays healthy.
Posted by: Craig Phillips
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March 15, 2008 2:59 PM
It's not a "good problem to have". It's not a problem at all, whether Ethier should play or Pierre. The problem is management's refusal either to understand or to acknowledge (I'm not sure which one, but it's probably the latter) that Ethier is a better player and that there is no magical synergy created by Pierre's presence in the lineup.
I am very tired of hearing about the Dodgers' "nice problem".
Posted by: gpellamjr
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March 15, 2008 3:01 PM
That's funny. I remember you, Tony, talking up Pierre's one good -- and I use that word very loosely -- game this "SPRING TRAINING." There's only one reason why Pierre should start over Ethier: money. And maybe that's the same reason why you keep defending Slappy.
Posted by: GMac In The 909 | March 15, 2008 3:24 PM
You guys just aren't smart enough to understand how much JP "brings to the lineup" with his baserunning on the rare occasion he finds himself standing on first. LOL
Posted by: that and a B.A. gets you a job beat writing | March 15, 2008 3:45 PM
So, now it's just spring training. If Andre can't win anybody over in SPRING TRAINING, when can he?
Keep up the buffoonery.
Posted by: Juan Pierre's flying helmet | March 15, 2008 3:53 PM
I'm a firm believer that you can't judge from ST alone; it's a short run and all sorts of freaky things happen. Scott Erickson for instance having a lights-out spring, making the team as the 5th starter then stinking it up hugely in the real games. So let's judge Messrs. Pierre and Ethier by their regular seasons, shall we?
2005 - 2007 Juan Pierre:
2197 PA, .287, .329, .365, .694 OPS, 179/52 SB/CS 77.5%
2006 - 2007 Andre Ethier:
946 PA, .295, .357, .464, .821 OPS, 24 HR
Posted by: El Lay Dave
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March 15, 2008 8:12 PM
El Lay,
You're absolutely correct about ST stats. Add to Erickson names like Larry Bigbie and Wilson Valdez. And some people are even getting excited about George Lombard (see my post in the previous thread, where I placed a link to his career stats).
In addition to mentioning Lombard in my previous post, I also wrote the following concerning Ethier:
I agree that Ethier should be the starting leftfielder, but not because of his superior ST stats compared to Pierre. I believe that his stronger arm, higher OBP, and superior power should make him the choice to start.
If Ethier is the superior player, then I believe that he will win the job in the long run. Will he be in the lineup on opening day? Maybe, maybe not. But in the long run, if Torre comes to the conclusion that Ethier is his best choice in leftfield, then that's who will play. With the Yankees last year, Torre did not hesitate to bench the higher paid Johnny Damon in favor of Melky Cabrera.
What I hope not to see is a Kemp/Ethier platoon in rightfield. Last year Gonzo took playing time away from both Ethier and Kemp. I believe that given a chance to play everyday, we might see a breakout year from Kemp. I believe the same could occur for Ethier if he also plays everyday.
Your comments concerning the regular season stats of Pierre and Ethier are exactly what I was getting at when I cited Ethier's stronger arm, higher OBP, and superior power.
Posted by: Brooklyn Dodger | March 15, 2008 9:17 PM
Kemp with a 2-run single.
Too bad he doesn't have a consecutive games streak.
Posted by: Scanman33 | March 15, 2008 10:50 PM
If Pierre takes at bats away from Eithier or Kemp that's just wrong. The Dodgers owe it to their fans to put the best players on the field, and that would be Kemp, Eithier and Jones in the outfield.
Posted by: Dodger Dawg | March 16, 2008 8:32 AM