April 29, 2006
Doug Padilla: Shields ready for some football
There is no denying that Angels reliever Scot Shields is a hardcore NFL fan. Shields, a native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was watching Saturday's NFL draft in the Angels clubhouse while wearing a Miami Dolphins jersey. The jersey was so new it was a relpica of the one new quarterback Daunte Culpepper will be wearing next season, his first with the Dolphins. Culpepper also is a Florida native. Shields also was wearing a Detroit Lions cap. What's that connection? Shields now makes his home in the Detroit area where his wife is from.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 10:56 PM | Comments (682)
April 27, 2006
Doug Padilla: Angels fans part of equation
The White Sox are coming to town and their players seem convinced Angels fans will be a factor this weekend. There is plenty on the line after the White Sox beat the Angels in last season's ALCS, but some interesting subplots exist. There is the player everybody loves to hate, A.J. Pierzynski, and the controversial Strike 3 last season that saw the catcher reach first base. And there is the Paul Konerko factor, as the White Sox first baseman could have signed with the Angels but took less money to return to Chicago.
“It’s still so early in the season, but that won’t stop us from going out there and giving it everything we have, just like they will," White Sox reliever Bobby Jenks said. "It will be an interesting series, especially if they do hold any type of grudges, you know with A.J. We’ll have to see when we get there.’’
Konerko figures the White Sox to get a hated reception, but not as bad as Doug Eddings would get. Eddings was the umpire in Game 2 of the ALCS when Pierzynski reached first base after it was ruled his third strike was in the dirt. The reception for Konerko is also expected to be unkind, but it could be worse.
"Put it this way, it probably won’t be half as bad as the reception I would get if I was coming back to U.S. Cellular Field and playing with the Angels," Konerko said this week.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 10:18 PM | Comments (0)
April 26, 2006
houston, we have a problem
The Dodgers are playing tonight like a team that can't wait to get out of Houston, and who can really blame them?
They played 14 innings last night, going 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position before losing 4-3, and Grady consequently went with a scaled-back lineup today that included no Rafael Furcal, no Kenny Lofton and no Jeff Kent. The resulting skeleton crew appears to be little match for the always dominating Wandy Rodriguez.
Funny how you get jaded when you're around this game every day. I was enjoying lunch today at Ninfa's, one of my favorite Mexican diners in the food court of Houston's famed Galleria mall, when Jeff Kent and his four children walked past on their way to the adjacent ice rink for some skating. The three guys at the table next to me, all 20-something white-collar types obviously on their lunch breaks from work, recognized him immediately and were all a-twitter. One of them grabbed a cell phone, walked out to the ice rink and stood about 10 feet away from Kent, who was signing in with the attendant, and began covertly snapping photos of him with his camera phone. Fortunately, Kent never noticed. Would have been interesting to see what would have happened if he had, though.
Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:13 PM | Comments (0)
April 25, 2006
Tony Jackson: offensive struggles
Despite last night's ninth-inning heroics against Brad Lidge, I can't get away from the idea this just isn't a good offensive club right now, and maybe not ever.
Tonight, they're struggling against some rookie named Fernando Nieve. A big problem is at the top, where after going 0 for 2 in the first three innings tonight, Rafael Furcal is now hitless in his past 11 at-bats and hasn't drawn a walk since the final game of the Cubs series last Wednesday night. This club was supposed to be solid at 1 and 2 with Furcal and Lofton. But the two have reached base back-to-back only THREE TIMES since Lofton came off the disabled list on April 14, a span of 10 games plus the first three innings tonight.
Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:45 PM | Comments (1)
April 22, 2006
Doug Padilla: Erstad eyes better vision
Darin Erstad has been straight out of a horror flick in the last two outdoor day games he has played. Erstad has taken to wearing tinted contact lenses that are designed for athletes to promote better vision in the daytime. The lenses, which put a demonic red ring around Erstad's pupils, have only helped him to one hit in nine at-bats. He went 1-for-5 with a double last weekend at Baltimore and 0-for-4 on Saturday at Oakland. They haven't been all bad, though. Erstad made a spectacular leaping catch near the wall to rob Milton Bradley of a base hit Saturday.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 07:23 PM | Comments (1)
April 17, 2006
Doug Padilla: Orioles' Stooge-like play
There was no escaping the Baltimore Orioles' blunder from Sunday as multiple sports shows replayed it over and over again on a television in the Angels' clubhouse Monday. Javy Lopez hit a home run over the outstretched arm of the Angels' Darin Erstad but then passed Miguel Tejada on the basepaths and was only awarded a single. Erstad said he was fine after the play, although he could have sustained multiple injuries from crashing into the wall and nearly turning his left ankle when he fell on the warning track. Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo said both Lopez and Tejada were to blame for being careless. Angels manager Mike Scioscia refrained from finding fault. "That was just a victim of circumstances like the (Three) Stooges would say," Scioscia said. "I didn't see what transpired." All he had to do was look at a television.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 07:55 PM | Comments (0)
April 16, 2006
Doug Padilla: Lackey's tall order
John Lackey found himself in the No. 3 spot of the Angels lineup late in Sunday's game against the Baltimore Orioles because of some defensive maneuvers. Juan Rivera originally entered Sunday's game as the designated hitter in place of an injured Tim Salmon. Rivera was then asked to play right field for Vladimir Guerrero in the eighth inning. Since the DH was removed, the pitcher had to take a spot in the order and Lackey inherited Guerrero's slot. Lackey never had to hit, though, and was ultimately replaced on the mound by Francisco Rodriguez in the ninth inning.
"It's been since JuCo that I hit third," Lackey said with a laugh, recalling his days at Grayson County College in Denison, Texas in 1999. That team won the Junior College World Series.
Lackey certainly was a legitimate No. 3 hitter. He batted .428 that year with 15 home runs and 81 RBI. He even had eight hits in the World Series with two home runs and seven RBI.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 03:46 PM | Comments (0)
April 14, 2006
Tony Jackson: Rain, rain go away
It's 8:22, the tarp is still on and, frankly, I see no way that this game will be played. But the Dodgers apparently are going to die trying. I have been up since 3:15 a.m. Eastern time, which means I'm fast closing in on 24 hours. But I must admit, there are worse ways to make a living. Besides, my colleague Vinny Bonsignore is covering the game tonight. I'm just here doing Sunday National League notes, which are done and filed, so I could leave if I really wanted to.
So ...
The news that Yhency Brazoban will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery is no surprise, considering he clearly wasn't pitching the way he had in the past. But even though Brazoban going on the DL opens a spot for keeping Cody Ross, I'm not sure how long the Dodgers can afford to go with six OFs at the expense of another infielder. Grady has almost no flexibility with substituting on the infield, and I wonder if they might bring up Oscar Robles at some point. Ramon Martinez can play all four positions, but he's still only one guy. Saenz can't play anywhere but third and first.
Right now, though, there isn't a logical choice for odd man out in the outfield. Ricky Ledee is off to a horrible start, but he's a veteran making $1.5 million this year and a GREAT presence in the clubhouse. It'll be interesting to see what happens.
Posted by Tony Jackson at 08:22 PM | Comments (0)
April 13, 2006
Tony Jackson: Bullpen woes
Bottom 1, Wednesday afternoon game, gorgeous sunny day in what is easily one of the game's most beautiful settings. Some in my ilk like to complain about the press box being too high (it's at the back of the upper deck), but I find it kind of a novel way to watch a game that you don't really get anywhere else, and it offers a great view of the Steel City skyline.
Anyway, about this bullpen ...
I asked Grady this morning how certain he is that the six relievers (other than Baez) are the best the organization has to offer. Another reporter then get more specific, asking if Aaron Sele and D.J. Houlton are bullpen options even though they're starting at Las Vegas. Grady basically said that they were. While it's true Sele has never been a reliever, I think either one of those guys could give the Dodgers at least what they're getting from this bunch. Kuo had the great, two-inning outing in Philly the other night, but has been otherwise inconsistent. Everybody else has been more or less awful.
But the key is that the starters have to go longer into games, something that might take pressure off the middle relievers and allow themselves to get comfortable. The Dodgers have just two games this season in which the starter has pitched into the seventh inning, with Lowe and Penny doing it once each in Sunday's doubleheader.
Stay tuned.
Posted by Tony Jackson at 09:47 AM | Comments (0)
April 11, 2006
Tony Jackson
Hi all. Sorry it has taken me so long to get this thing started, but I'm not terribly computer literate, and I actually had to wait for someone to fax me the instructions. Anyway, the Dodgers have a 5-3 lead over the hapless Buccos here in the top of the fourth at PNC Park, and as I watch Jason Repko poke another single through the right side and then steal second base easily on the velocity-challenged Ryan Doumit, I am struck by just how far Repko has come as a player in the past 12 months. We tend to criticize teams for rushing players, especially in the year when they are being rushed. But the Dodgers clearly are reaping the benefits now of having been essentially forced to rush Repko last year, when he was in the majors for all but about 10 days and hit .221.
This year, the Dodgers have a polished major-league player. Not a finished product, by any means, but a guy who has learned to handle his role and who might be playing himself into a bigger one. Kenny Lofton is due off the disabled list on Friday, at which point he will supplant Repko in center field. But Repko will still see considerable time there, because Grady Little is going to be cautious with the aging Lofton. Don't be surprised if Repko also sees a lot of time in left on days when Lofton plays center. Jose Cruz Jr., who was 7 for 13 in the Atlanta series, is 2 for 19 since and was scratched from the lineup tonight with a cold.
Cruz has never been a favorite of this regime. Ned Colletti hadn't even been hired when Cruz signed the one-year, $3.21 million deal that had been largely negotiated by Paul DePodesta before he was fired and finalized by Kim Ng afterward. The next couple of weeks should be very interesting.
I'll try to post every couple of days. Again, sorry for the delay.
Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:04 PM | Comments (13)
Doug Padilla: Angels e-mail address
Talk about the ultimate in being a fan. It has come to our attention the website www.MyMLB.com has launched a new service that allows users to get an e-mail address showing off their favorite team. Thus the e-mail address of YourName@losangeles-angels.net can be yours for the low, low price of free. Other pay options are available. The service operates much like Hotmail but the user's home page is filled with news from his or her favorite team. Every major-league team is available. Not only can comments be posted here but I can now be reached at either Doug.Padilla@sgvn.com or at DougPadilla@losangeles-angels.net. Look forward to hearing from you.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 08:03 AM | Comments (16)
April 10, 2006
Doug Padilla: The error of their ways
The Angels seem content to let time tell the final story when it comes to their fielding woes. The defense entered Monday with nine errors in their first six games, a total of 1.5 per game. They averaged one error every two games last season when they led the AL in fielding. Nobody has been immune either as six different players have made errors.
Said manager Mike Scioscia: "All parts of your game, you're trying to get your feet on the ground and trying to get in a rhythm. I think on the defensive side we're going to play good baseball. Right now we've struggled a little bit in some areas. You can see the double plays, we needed turned we turned, the plays we needs to make we made at the times we needed them and had some terrific plays mixed in."
Posted by Doug Padilla at 08:37 PM | Comments (16)
April 07, 2006
Doug Padilla: Go fish on Salmon inquiry
While reporters often speculate, manager Mike Scioscia usually doesn't play along. Before Friday's game aginst the Yankees, Scioscia was asked if Juan Rivera might be playing in center field Saturday. It was a logical assumption because the right-handed hitting Rivera would spell the left-handed hitting Darin Erstad with the lefty Randy Johnson on the mound for the Yankees. That would give Tim Salmon a chance to make his first start at home as the designated hitter. Or maybe Rivera will replace Garret Anderson in left. Anderson is batting just .167 (3-for-18) against Johnson, while Erstad is hitting .250 (5-for-20) against the big lefty. Or maybe Salmon waits until Sunday since he is batting just .176 (9-for-51) against Johnson.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 08:31 PM | Comments (5)
April 04, 2006
Doug Padilla: Lackey plays it cool
One member of the Angels was not going to let John Lackey get away with being nonchalant about his new $17.01 million contract. When Lackey told reporters it was "nice" that the Angels were showing their confidence in the right-hander, Chone Figgins happened by the interview session. "Nice?" Figgins remarked, shaking his head as he walked away. Figgins wasn't alone in thinking that over $5 million per season was a little more than nice. Lackey could only laugh at the realization of his understatement. Figgins' three-year deal, signed during the offseason, was worth $10.5 million.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 11:12 AM | Comments (1)