I stayed for the whole game, which was good, because it gave me a chance to call Juan Pierre's inane bunt in advance, followed by his caught stealing to end the game.

And the lame thing with Bills. So Torre's made his first set of mistakes. Bad game all around. But we'll live. Next.

I watched Juan Pierre all last year, and couldn't figure out why he was reputed to be such a good bunter. I thought maybe I was missing something; but for the life of me couldn't figure out what it was. Then I watched Juan practising his bunting during exhibition games this year, and convinced myself that I hadn't missed anything.

After watching again tonight, I'm certain that Juan Pierre, reputation or not, is simply not a good bunter. Pierre may work hard, but he's clearly not getting results. One would think that a player with his particular skill set would have spent countless hours mastering the art of bunting. But why would I expect that, given that he has still not learned to work counts and draw more walks (despite having good enough bat control to avoid strikeouts)? Add to that his penchant for hitting weak fly balls, and it's clear that Juan Pierre does not take advantage of the gifts he has.

Trading Pierre may be difficult, but I don't think it's impossible. Pierre is probably viewed as a useful player to some other teams. No team is likely going to be willing to pay Pierre $9 million for each of the next four years. But they might be willing to pay $5-6 million. As disagreeable as it would be for the Dodgers to be forced to eat some of Pierre's contract, it would still save them money if he was replaced with a cheaper player such as Repko. If such a move were to result in a few more victories at the end of the season, it could actually improve the bottom line if those extra victories are the difference between making the playoffs (and maybe advancing) or going home early.

They'd have to have eat more like 6 to 8 million per year, and then they'd have to find someone with an injury in center.

It's either that, or take on someone else's big contract.

Hu would've been a better choice to lay one done...of course, so would Brad Penny or Derek Lowe.

Torre will learn.

Savvy,

I believe the average major league salary is $3 million per year. As much as I don't like his play, Pierre probably qualifies as above average. If a team is only willing to take on Pierre if the Dodgers eat $6-8 million, that means the other team is only paying $1-3 million. Based on his years of service, Pierre would get more than that in arbitration. Also, keep in mind that the minimum major league salary is just under $400,000/yr.

Also, in this day and age, $5-6 million per year for a player with Pierre's experience and ability is not unheard of. A team in need of an outfielder in center or left might well be willing to pay Pierre $5-6 million per year, especially if he's offered for very little in return.
The Dodgers could also sweeten any deal by packaging another useful (but not vital) player (e.g., someone like Eric Stults). If they're really determined, something could probably be accomplished.

And if the Dodgers have to eat more than I suggest, so be it. We survived Darren Dreifort and Kevin Brown, and we're apparently surviving Jason Schmidt as well. In the long run, whatever makes the team better is best for the bottom line.

I didn't stay up for the whole game because it was really damn late for me here on the east coast. So can someone tell me how Loney didn't score from 2nd on DeWitt's double in the 7th? That seems quite odd to me and it proved to be the difference from what I can tell. Thanks.

Mike, Loney had to hold because Rowand got a glove on the DeWitt ball and wasn't sure if Rowand had caught it. The double was more about DeWitt's hustle than anything else.

Sweeney's strike out was bad, because Lincecum was very hittable at that point, but I can't put a finger on what is wrong with Russell Martin, he is looking awful at the plate and hasn't had a decent swing since the team left Florida.

Of course this game is all Pierre's fault. Unbelievable. The reason Loney didn't score on DeWitt's double is because Matt (can do no wrong) Kemp couldn't move Loney over with nobody out. If he can just hit the ball on the right side we score. How hard is that? For Kemp its thinking about it that is hard not actually doing it. Then Sweeney can't put the ball in play with one out (these two plays are all mental, because they both have the "skills" to perform). Pierre moving the runner over likely wouldn't have mattered because Furcal went down looking and then Martin was after him who already struck out 3 times last night (once looking with the bases loaded, another idiotic play, or lack thereof). So to bash on Pierre for an unperfect bunt where the pitcher made a good play to get a CLOSE play at second is so short sighted. One more point, Jones probably should've called off Ethier on the fly ball that was missed in the 5th, but either way, if Pierre would've been out there it likely would've been caught.

A couple of observations about last night's game which I attended.
For some reason, Jones never moved in on the fly ball that Eithier eventually dropped.That ball was hit to straightaway center. Apparently Jones didn't see it.
JP has always been a lousy bunter. He constantly bunts the ball hard either directly to the pitcher or drops it a few feet in front of the plate in is thrown out by catcher. I can't remember the last time I saw him beat out a bunt.
Eithier is pressing too hard trying to establish any place for himself in the starting lineup.

Tyler,

I can't speak for anyone else, but my earlier post concerning Pierre's bunting was meant only to emphasize that Pierre simply does not get the most out of the skills he has. A player like Pierre (lots of speed, no power, and good bat control) needs to concentrate on fundamentals like bunting, keeping the ball out of the air, swinging only at strikes, etc. He's been around a long time, and has a reputation for being a hard worker, yet he has fallen short in the development of the "small ball" skills that he has in abundance. Forget last nights game, anyone can lay down a bad bunt. However, in Pierre's case it simply happens too often.

You're absolutely right about Kemp. It's clear to me that he's swinging too hard, and trying to do too much. But Kemp is young, and although he's shown a lot of progress, he is going to regress periodically. That's simply the nature of the maturation process. If it continues for any length of time, then it's something that will have to be addressed by the coaching staff.

As for Ethier and Jones, you're probably right that Jones should have called Ethier off. But based on the way Ethier was racing over to get the ball, he probably called for it, and Jones likely deferred to him. Whatever, the case, they've been playing together only a short while, and probably have to develop better communication. That's likely to come over time. Would Pierre have caught the ball? Maybe, maybe not.

As for Sweeney not being able to put the ball in play, give me a break. The guy has consistently produced, and anyone can miss a pitch. Did you see the kind of stuff that Lincecum had?

With respect to Russell Martin, any criticism of him is simply ridiculous. Even the best players go into slumps. If this was July, and Martin was hitting .300 and then suddenly went into a slump that brought his average down to .285, there would probably be little mention of it, except that he's in a slump. The fact that he's doing it at the beginning of the season and has an average of .000, makes it seem worse than it is. I'm old enough to remember the 1962 season, when Frank Robinson hit .342, 39 HR, 136 RBI. If my memory serves me correct, Robinson was hitting about .180 at the beginning of May that year. Early season stats are simply too small of a sample size to have any real meaning.

Martin is fine. It's three games. Means absolutely nothing.

And that ball Ethier dropped was not hit to straght away center. It was left center. Simple miscommunication between guys playing next to each other for the first time. Plus the rain. Again, meaningless. Jones made two really nice plays in center.

These are non-issues.

With regard to Martin's slump that I referred to in my previous post, does anyone remember Loney's slump last year? At one point during the season (I believe through the end of July) Loney was hitting at or around .400. He then went into a slump in August, and his average came down to about .300. He picked it up again in September, and ended up hitting .331.

What's my point? Simply, that hitters need to be judged over the long haul, not by brief, aberrant periods. In other words (and this applies to more than baseball), no one is as good as they seem when they are at their best, nor as bad as they seem when they are at their worst.

BD,

Pierre really isn't worth 3 mil a year right now, but you might be right. Someone might take him.

I don't agree with your arbitration point though. It's apples and oranges.

Arbitration, while not always, is generally for players not yet eligible for free agency.

Besides, the man has a long-term contract. He'll never see arbitration again.

Brooklyn Dodger, I actually agree with most of what you said. I was just trying to make sure that everyone didn't get into the blame game throwing everything on Pierre because there were plenty of players that contributed to the loss last night. My critical words of Martin aren't saying for him to be benched or anything, and in fact you helped my point in that he is in a slump, and he would've got up he probably wouldn't have done anything (maybe that's stretching it, I know, but there's nothing saying otherwise). I know we are going to have some learning curve experiences, but how hard is it to tell Kemp 'hit the ball to the right side, advance Loney'? Its so simple, but oh well, he'll probably go yard next time and I'll be singing his praises, lol, kids. The Sweeney thing, just kinda a culmination of everything, he usually comes through, and he just couldn't put the ball in play on the same night everyone couldn't seem to come through. Agree, that the outfield will work out the kinks with more time together. If this team eliminates stupid plays they have the talent to go a long ways.

Savvy,

Your points about arbitration and the long term contract are well taken. I'm probably sleep deprived, since I stay up late here on east coast to watch the Dodgers.

Martin is not in a slump. It's April 3!!!

Sweeney's fine too. Great, in fact. He'll "come through" more often and with as much in the clutch department as any pinch hitter on the planet. Easy does it.