It's time for Dodger Baseball! ('82-'94 Complete)--OOTP 17-23 Alt History - Page 3

PilotMan · 07-31-2017, 03:36 PM

1986 Playoff Preview

AL

Toronto Blue Jays v. California Angels

The Blue Jays are the heavies. They are making their 3^rd straight appearance in the ALCS having won it all in 1984. The Blue Jays won the East with a record of 98-64 and finished 8 games ahead of the Red Sox. They have the #2 offense in the AL and lead the league in HR's with 189 and were 2^nd in SB's with 178. They have speed and power. Their pitching isn't half bad either as they are 4^th in team ERA, with the top bullpen in the AL. They did allow a lot of HR's but their offense was better.

They had 3 guys with over 20 HR's. George Bell lead all with 33, then it's rookie 3B, Cory Snyder with 23 and last is Lloyd Moseby with 20. They had 4 guys with over 20 SB's. They are Ricky Henderson (54), Tony Fernandez (35), Lloyd Moseby (29) and Mich Webster (24). The team lost middle of the lineup hitter Jessie Barfield in April, then for the season in June. Barfield still hit 9 HR's in 32 games and he's getting closer to coming back. Word is that he could be back in a week or so, depending on how this series goes.

The Jays ace this year has been Jim Clancy. Clancy (18-12, 2.94) pitched a team high 263 innings with a team leading 1.11 WHIP. Number 2 in the rotation has been Danny Darwin (15-11, 4.53, 238). Tom Seaver, in an amazing rebound year where he won his 300^th career game, thew more innings (228.2) than he had since 1978. Seaver went 16-8 with a 4.05 ERA. In the bullpen it's been Dave Smith holding down the back end. The former Phillies closer was acquired during the Winter Meetings for 3 high level prospects and a player to be named later. This year he saved 35 out of 40 chances to lead the AL. He also had a 2.40 ERA, his career best since he was a rookie in 1980. Setting him up has been Tom Ubiera (4-5, 4 S, 3.53 ERA 51G) and Randy St Claire (9-7, 4S, 3.84 ERA, 64G).

The California Angels finished with the best record in all of baseball. Their record of 103-59 saw them as the only 100 game winners this season. They did it mostly with pitching, leading the AL in opponent average and hits allowed, while being 2^nd in team ERA. The bullpen is a weak spot though as they were the 10^th best in the AL. Defensively, the Angels were the best in the AL. On offense, the team was a pedestrian 9^th in team average, 11^th in hits, 2^nd in HR's and 7^th in runs scored. They're not built to dissimilar to the Dodgers.

This is only the 2^nd AL West crown for the Angels in the franchise history. They last made the playoffs in 1979 and last year finished 3^rd, albeit with 94 wins.

This year the team had 4 players with over 20 HR's. They are lead by Tim Wallach and his 30. Many said that when Wallach left the Expos last off season that he would miss the days with the juggernaut Expos, but he stood on his own this year with a .276/.327/.477 line, along with 92 RBI's. Along with him are Mike Young (24), Ken Phelps (23) and Dave Henderson (21). Young was another offseason signing from the Orioles. Phelps got hurt in mid August and is done for the year. He was only batting .195 before he got hurt. The absolute biggest weapon on the team has been totally unheralded Dick Schofield. The 23yr old shortstop is one of the best defensive short stops in the league, and before now his best years saw 13 HR's and .257 avg in '84. This year he has really come through. Batting .301 at the top of the order and stealing 28 bases to go with 15 HR's and 93 RBI's he is a real double threat and hard to pitch around. He might be one of the most underrated players in the game. There are a couple of ex Dodgers on this team too. Old guy Steve Garvey took over at first after Phelps was lost, but he's only hit .226 with 13 HR's. Tony Bernazard starts at 2^nd and hit 15 HR's and batted .267.

The Angels staff is deep, and was deeper. In fact, this team has been beset with a myriad of injuries, major injuries. Brett Saberhagen, an All Star, was lost for the year with a finger ligament injury. He had been 14-9 and won the ERA crown with a 2.35 ERA. He also lead the league in WHIP with a 1.00. Saberhagen isn't easily replaced. If that wasn't bad, they also lost long man, and spot starter Shane Rawley (3-0, 4.05) and former Orioles closer Tippy Martinez (0-0, 8.44 ERA). So who's left that they are still the best with those losses?

Well, Mike Witt put together a Cy Young type season and lead the league in wins with a 23-9 record. He was on pace to get close to 28 at one point. Witt posted a 2.82 ERA and struck out 211 in 261 IP. Behind Witt is veteran hurler Bert Blyleven. Blyleven (16-13, 3.99) had one of his worst season's of record. He lead the league by allowing 48 HR's, making Tanana look squared away. But he still can dominate a game. Behind him is journeyman Rich Dotson (15-12, 4.20) who still threw 222 innings. The bullpen has 2 guys who have been in charge there. One time closer Stu Cliburn is now the primary set up man, but before that, he had 31 saves (4 blown) in 60 games with a 3.13 ERA. The new closer is Dave Stewart. Stewart came back to SoCal last year in a trade with the Mets and played set up last year. Injuries forced him into a hybrid role where he closed during the year and made spot starts at the end of the season. His 7-4 record, and 18 saves aren't earth shattering, his 3.79 ERA isn't scaring anyone, but he is very reliable for the most part.

NL

Montreal Expos v. Los Angeles Dodgers

Stop me if you've heard this one before. You know these teams. This is the 6^th straight East title for the Expos with last season being the first title for the franchise. They aren't as much of a sure thing this season, but they did end up on top after that battle with the upstart Mets. The team was 2^nd or 3^rd in most offensive categories, but they were down in 8^th in HR's. The team was 2^nd in the NL in pitching with the bullpen in 6^th. In contrast, they were 1^st in the league in HR's allowed and walks.

The team is still an All Star fan fest. They will be without stalwart Andre Dawson (.295/.336/.523 and 25 HR's) for the entire NLCS. He's dealing with a shoulder injury suffered in late September and the team will be missing CF'er Robin Yount (.276/.343/.443 and 11 HR's) for at least the start of the series. Yount had a severe ankle sprain. Dawson was the only player with more than 20 HR's. The rest of the power in Montreal came from Gary Carter (17) and Andres Gallaraga (16). Tim Raines is probably the most dynamic weapon the team. He batted .342 and stole 72 bases to go with 93 RBI's. This team still features Lou Whitaker (.262/12/68) and Paul Molitor (.311/10/83) in the lineup. Mike Greenwell is filling in for Dawson in right.

The pitching staff was anchored by Rick Reuschel (18-8, 2.72), David Palmer (16-5, 2.51), Charlie Liebrandt (15-8, 3.02) and Bryn Smith (17-7, 3.21). There's no weak spot in that rotation. Each and every one of them can take over a game and they all had fantastic seasons. Probably the deepest rotation in the playoffs. Coming out of the bullpen is Dan Quisenberry (9-7, 3.11 and 28 saves), Jeff Reardon (3-11, 3.83, 10 S) and Larry Andersen (via trade with the Tigers, 3-6, 3.45 and 25 S). They also sport Nolan Ryan (13-9, 3.59) and John Candelaria (4-2, 5.34). The team is flush deep with talent.

Like I said, this team is stocked. You know it, we know it, they are a tough game every time.

LA finished the year 11^th in the NL in team avg, but 4^th in runs scored. They were 11^th in hits, and 2^nd in HR's. First in walks, and last in stolen bases. The team strategy there seems obvious. You've seen it in play all year long. LA also boasts the top pitching staff in the NL, and the top bullpen. They finished the year as the hottest team in baseball and spent the last few weeks just winning all over. It was quite a change from the earlier part of the season where we were nothing more than a .500 team.

Doug DeCinces was LA's top producer on offense and he is lost for the year. That should make a difference, but other players have been stepping up in his absence. Both Ray Knight and Pete Incaviglia have made a difference with their bats, with DeCinces being gone. The team will rely on slugger Franklin Stubbs to do some of the heavy lifting. Stubbs lead the team in homers with 33 and RBI's with 111. Aside from DeCinces, only Fred Lynn had 20 or more HR's. Part of that was due to the constant merry go round in the outfield. Steve Sax will be critical in the playoffs. His batting average over Sept/Oct was .385 and he lead the team in OBP for the season with a .353 OBP. He also provides the only speed on the bases. He had 43 steals this year. He has to get on in order for LA to score runs and keep innings going. If he doesn't, the next man up is Phillips and his .351 OPB. However, the #3 leader in avg was Mike Marshall and his .269. If he doesn't play, it's Sid Bream at .260. Those are not good numbers.

That means that the pitching staff will have all the pressure to keep the game close. The top pitcher this year has been Rick Rhoden (23-6, 2.49, 28/35 QS). His 4.71 RS/G was the best of his career. Behind him is El Toro, Fernando Valenzuela (17-10, 3.00, 25/36 QS) he got only 3.53 RS/G, the lowest since '82. If he get's Rhoden support that record is different. Behind Valenzuela is John Denny, the hottest pitcher on the team. Denny (17-8, 3.03, 24/34 QS and 3.97 RS/G), had both the worst month and best month for LA. They will hope the good Denny shows up. In the similar vein, Frank Tanana (14-7, 3.48, 17/30 QS and 3.87 RS/G) gave up 34 HR's and a bunch of first inning runs. He threw back to back 1 hitters and won NL Pitcher of the Month in May. It's a good rotation and a healthy rotation.

The bullpen is the best in the NL. John Franco (32S/6BS) held the back end down all year, but his 3.20 ERA wasn't tops on the team and his WHIP of 1.38 makes him vulnerable. Former closer Tom Niedenfeur only got 4 saves, but was a better pitcher than Franco. His WHIP was only 0.85. He did lose 9 games for us. The other heavily used back end pitcher was Ken Howell. Howell pitched in 54 games in his 2^nd full season and posted a 2.77 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Starter Kelly Downs (9-7, 3.28) will fill in the long relief role out of the pen.

This took entirely too long to write. I'm pretty sure that it's because I don't want to lose to the Expos and I'm feeling very pessimistic.

PilotMan · 07-31-2017, 06:00 PM

One more thing about the Blue Jays. In December of last year the Blue Jays acquired Steady Eddie Murray for 4 prospects, the best being catcher Mike Macfarlane. Remember?

Yeah, so Eddie played 72 games at first, hitting 14 HR's and batted .285 before he was knocked out by a severely broken ankle. That put an end to the season, but that wasn't all. On the last day of the season Murray had a press conference and announced that he was retiring due to complications from the injury. Murray finishes with a .298 career average, 1675 hits and 291 home runs.

At 30, Murray is done. Probably not going into the hall now.

The Blue Jays are now trying to "Win one for the gimper."

Oh yeah....

PilotMan · 07-31-2017, 08:37 PM

Game #1
Rick Rhoden v. David Palmer
5-3 W over the Expos
LA takes a 1 game lead on a 4 run 2^nd inning on a Mike Scioscia single and a Steve Sax triple. It would stay like that with Rhoden pitching his shutout into the 8^th inning. With 2 out Incaviglia committed an error that kept the inning going. From there Ken Howell gave up a single. He gave way to Niedenfeur, who gave up a hit, who gave way to Howe, who gave up a hit and suddenly it was 4-3. Pena came on and struck out Gary Carter to finally end it. In the 9^th, Quiz came on for the Expos. He walks Scioscia, who is moved over on a Smalley ground out. Steve Sax doubles him in to give us an insurance run. John Franco pitches a 1-2-3 9^th to give us homefield and a 1-0 lead. Ray Knight went 3-4 and Sax went 2-5 with 3 RBI's.

Game #2
John Denny v. Charlie Liebrandt
2-0 L to the Expos
Liebrandt pitched a perfect game through 5 and a no hitter through 6. LA could only manage 2 hits the entire game. John Denny walked 5, and pitched 5. His night was cut short by a high pitch count. Niedenfeur served up a HR to Gary Carter in the 8^th. Liebrandt would go the distance for the 2 hit shutout.

The Blue Jays took game 1 over the Angels 6-1.

The Angels took game 2 6-4, thanks to home runs by Garvey, Dave Henderson, Darryl Porter and Dick Schofield.

Game #3
Fernando Valenzuela v. Rick Reuschel
4-2 L to the Expos
And now we're in a hole. LA's bats went silent for another 6 innings. Montreal got started when Andres Galarraga hit a 2-run shot in the first inning to put the Expos up right away. Lou Whitaker would add another 2-run shot in the 3^rd to give them the winning margin. Valenzuela with both parts hot and cold, which is to say he was a hot mess. He pitched 6 and allowed 5 hits, 4 runs, 5 walks and 7 K's. He was all over. The bats didn't do anything until the 7^th when they got 2, but easily could have gotten more. Bream and Incaviglia would score on a pop fly by Lynn and a single by Stubbs. Bream and Ray Knight went 2-4. The Dodger bullpen pitched well, with Beattie going 2 scoreless and Niedenfeur 1 scoreless. The Expos lead 2-1.

Game #4
Frank Tanana v. Bryn Smith
6-3 W over the Expos
Frank Tanana did his thing today and by did his thing I mean he served up a HR in the first inning. Because today it was Galarraga, who went 4-4 and hit another HR. With the Expos up 2-0, they went up another in the 3^rd on another Galarraga hit. Down 3-0 and without a hit, things were feeling grim, when LA found some life and put a run on the board. They would get another in the 4^th on a Fred Lynn HR cutting the lead to 3-2. In the 5^th though, it looked like old school Dodgers. With 2 outs Inky singled, Lynn singled, Knight singled scoring 1. Tony Phillips opened the game up with a 2 run double.
Tanana ended up going 7 and striking out 8, while Franco got the final 6 outs for the save. The Series is tied 2-2.

Toronto goes up 2-1 on a 3-2 win at home.

Game #5
Rick Rhoden v. David Palmer
10-2 L to the Expos
So.....the good news? Stubbs went 3-4 and had 2 RBI's? Sax who went 3-4? That's about it. We scored 2 in the first after Sax bunted for a hit, stole 2^nd, stole 3^rd. Lynn walked and Stubbs singled home them both. That's the way it started, and it was good. The Expos got one back in the 3^rd, then in the 6^th it started to unravel. Tim Raines hit a 1-0 pitch to left field 348 feet, putting the Expos up by 1. It was still close until the 8^th. With Rhoden still in there, Pettis lead off with a single, and Raines hit an 0-1 pitch 382 ft into the Dodgers bullpen. After that it only went down hill. Let's just say that it ended with a Mike Greenwell grand slam in the 9^th. So the Expos scored 7 runs in the 8^th and 8^th innings. It really was only 3-2 until that. Raines and Greenwell combined to go 5-10 with 4 runs, 9 RBI's and 3 HR's. Damn.

The dark reality that we are going to fall short once again is setting in. The hottest team in baseball is going to fall to the biggest juggernaut dynasty in baseball. We will need to win 2 in a row on the road against the team with the best record in the NL. Good luck to us.

Toronto beats the Angels one more time, 6-3, to take a commanding 3-1 lead. Looking like another all Canada final right now.

And it is Toronto....a 3-0 win behind 6.1 scoreless, 2 hit innings, by Len Barker gives the Blue Jays the AL Pennant. This is the 3^rd straight World Series for the Blue Jays.

Game #6
John Denny v. Charlie Liebrandt
8-7 L to the Expos
That's it for this year. We had this in the bag and Lasorda left Denny in there far too long. LA was up 4-0 after 2. That should have been plenty. That should have given us the win. We gave back 2 in the 3^rd, but got them both back in the 6^th. Up 6-2 heading into the 6^th Denny was victimized by 2 Dodger errors and the Expos scored 4 times to tie it up. LA would go up in the 8^th with a run, and we were 6 out from the W and seeing game 7. Denny again, started the inning and after an out, a double and a walk, Franco came in. Vance Law reached on an error and the bases were loaded, only 1 out. Gorman Thomas walked to tie it up, then Gary Pettis flew out and scored Molitor to put the Expos up by 1. In the 9^th, Roy Smalley worked the count and fought to get a single. Sax came up and Quiz got him to ground out into a double play. The air was gone. Tony Phillips struck out to end it.

What a disgusting loss after all those wins at the end of the year.

The World Series will be the Blue Jays v. the Expos in the All-Canada Bowl.

PilotMan · 08-01-2017, 08:42 PM

1986 World Series

Canada will reign again, for the 3^rd straight year, no matter what.

Game 1...Toronto takes a lead on a 3-0 win. Danny Darwin allows 2 hits, strikes out 10.

Game 2...Expos tie it up on a 4-3 win. Galarraga ties the game in the 8^th, Expos win in the 9^th.

Game 3...Toronto wins 12-9 in a slugfest. It was 11-3 after 4, Montreal nearly came back.

Game 4...Toronto is on the precipice of victory. The game went to extras tied at 4. The Expos score 2 in the top of the 13^th to take the lead. Nolan Ryan was on and the Blue Jays scored 3 to walk off with the win. Toronto leads 3-1, heading to Montreal.

Game 5...Blue Jays blast Reuschel for 6 in the 2^nd inning and pull ahead with a 10-7 win over the Expos to win the World Series. This 4-1 win for the Blue Jays is similar to 1984, when they won 4-0 over the Dodgers.

Tony Fernandez was the MVP of the Series. In 5 games he batted a team leading .524, with a .583 OBP. He went 11-21 batting.

One last note for the Dodgers before the official end of the season. The team came to terms with Larry Parrish (.257/.321/.419, 3HR, 13 RBI) on a 2yr/1.58M contract extension that will keep him with the team through 1988. How will they use him? Will it be different than he was used, or barely used this year? Who knows. I'm shocked that he wanted to come back, in all honesty.

That's it for 1986. Another year of crushing disappointment in LA, and another title for Canada. Offeseason awards are next.

PilotMan · 08-04-2017, 01:06 AM

1986 Post Season and Awards

A few front office moves see the team trainer and pitching coach re-signed. Our pitching coach Jim Gulley is still not good, but our guys did well with him. Our bench coach Alex Whitehead is leaving the team in pursuit of a manager position. He's well regarded and should find good footing wherever he ends up.

In bigger news, team GM, Frank Santagelo has retired, leaving a gaping hole in the front office. Whoever they sign will have a critical impact on the future of the club.

Frank Tanana has executed his option year in his contract and will be back with the team.

Steve Howe didn't reach his vesting requirement of 20 games finished for this year, so he will be a free agent.

LA avoids arbitration with Kittle, Niedenfeur, Pena, Phillips, Sax and Stubbs. They all sign 1 yr deals to come back with the team. They all get nice pay raises.

AL Gold Glove Winners

P Scott Munninghof (1) – DET
C Ernie Whitt (1) – TOR
1B Don Mattingly (1) – NYY
2B Terry Pendleton (1) – KC
3B Steve Buechele (1) – CLE
SS Alan Trammell (3) – DET
LF Larry Herndon (1) – DET
CF Barry Bonds (1) – CWS
RF Mike Davis (2) – OAK

NL Gold Glove Winners

P Rick Reuschel (1) – MON
C Mike Scioscia (1) – LA
1B Tom O'Malley (1) – SF
2B Robby Thompson (1) – NYM
3B Doug DeCinces (1) – LA
SS Ozzie Smith (5) – STL
LF Franklin Stubbs (1) – LA
CF Lenny Dykstra (1) – NYM
RF Tony Gwynn (4) – SD

AL Rolaids Reliever of the Year
Dave Smith – TOR (7-5, 2.35, 35 S)

Ex Dodger Jerry Reuss (DET) finished 3^rd

NL Rolaids Reliever of the Year
Ken Dayley – SD (4-3, 1.94, 35S)

Tom Niedenfuer finished 3^rd in voting.

AL Silver Slugger Awards

C Lance Parrish (3) – KC
1B Tony Hrbek (2) – MIN
2B Randy Ready (1) – MIL
3B Jim Presley (1) – SEA
SS Alan Trammell (1) – DET
LF Phil Bradley (1) – SEA
CF Barry Bonds (2) – CHI
RF Dwight Evans (3) – SEA
DH George Brett (4) – KC

NL Silver Slugger Awards

P Greg Mathews (1) – SD
C Dave Valle (1) – CIN
1B Will Clark (1) – STL
2B Ryne Sandberg (2) – CHI
3B Doug DeCinces (2) – LA
SS Julio Franco (1) – PHI
LF Tim Raines (3) – MON
CF Eric Davis (1) – CIN
RF Daryl Strawberry (2) – NYM

AL Rookie of the Year
Rafael Palmerio (MIL) - (.280/24/125, 2.2 WAR)

NL Rookie of the Year
Gregg Jefferies (SF) - (.238/9/43, 52SB, 3.1 WAR)

AL Manager of the Year
Bobby Cox – TOR (2)

NL Manager of the Year
Tommy Lasorda – LA (3)

AL Cy Young Award
Mike Witt – CAL (1) (23-9, 2.82, 211 K's, 7 CG, 3 SHO)

NL Cy Young Award
Doc Gooden – NY (2) (19-10, 2.01, 265K's, 6 CG, 1 SHO)

Rick Rhoden finished 2^nd in voting.

AL MVP Award
Barry Bonds – CHI (1) (.270/34/105, 50 SB, 9.3 WAR)

NL MVP Award
Darryl Strawberry – NYM (1) (.331/50/135, 49SB, 10.1 WAR)

Gooden finished 3^rd, behind Eric Davis

Heading into the offseason the team is fairly well positioned. We have a decent sized budget to be able to go out and get some guys, we still have a deep squad and very little in the way of major free agents . We have a winning squad, just not a WINNING squad. It's frustrating that we can't find a way to bridge that gap. I wonder what is in store for our beloved boys in blue?

PilotMan · 08-05-2017, 10:25 PM

1986 Hot Stove Notes

LA has brought on Alex Barajas as the new bench coach. He's unlikely to really have an impact on the team except that he's a fiery personality on the bench and he's got a good reputation.

Thinking about Steve Howe and what his potential loss means to the team. He's 28 right now, and will be 29 when the '87 season starts. He has 110 career saves, against 7 blown saves, and a 2.14 career ERA. Four of the past 5 seasons he's posted a sub 2 ERA. He's a 3 time all star and 2 time reliever of the year. He's a big part of why this bullpen has lead or been close to the top of the league. If we don't bring him back it'll be a big loss.

In before the deadline, the team signs the only other player on the main roster looking to go free. Ray Knight signs a 2yr/528k contract to stay in LA. Knight batted .281, with 5 HR's in 135 at bats.

The team makes a bit of a surprise move in refusing arbitration to RF Mike Marshall. Marshall, 26, has 97 career HR's and a .269 average. His best season was '83, when he batted .310 with 25 HR's, but since then his productivity has fallen. Last year he finished with 18 HR's and 69 RBI's. He's now a free agent.

LA has a new General Manager. His name is Ramon Ramirez and he's been the GM for the Astros and Padres. So he's not new to the job. He's got an excellent reputation and he is fairly well rounded, with the exception of liking power hitters. He's known for not being especially frequent in trading, and not overly aggressive either. He is also known for having absolutely no loyalty to players, which is good and bad I suppose. Personally, I always have a soft spot, to it's probably for the best they get someone in there who is all business. He didn't make the playoffs in any of those years, but he has won 89 games 4 of the last 5 seasons.

LA locks up Niedenfuer for 3 years at 1.56M. As part of the contract he's been told that he's going to be the closer, which should be interesting, since Franco was the closer last year, and he's got plenty of years left.

1986 Draft
LA Dodgers Top Picks

P Butch Henry; First Round, Pick 30
C Bill Haselman; 2^nd, Pick 18
P Scott Scudder; 2^nd, Pick 28
3B Hensley Mulens, 3^rd, Pick 17
3B Matt Franco, 3^rd, Pick 27
C Matt Walbeck 4^th, Pick 24
OF Kevin Belcher 5^th, Pick 24

Henry is an intersting prospect. He just turned 18 and is a southpaw. Not a top shelf prospect, but he's got some ML potential. None of the rest of them look like big deals for us. We'll have to see though, but all these later picks, year after year, a keeping the best amateur talent out of LA.

Well, well, well, LA finally lands a game changing player, and they do it for more than a year. Our first catch of the offseason and the newest, highest paid player on the team. Our newest player is a 4-time Gold Glove winning Center Fielder. He's a 3-time All Star and a 2-time Silver Slugger winner. He is “The Man of Steal” Ricky Henderson. It's a 5yr/7.5M deal, with one humongous caveat, Henderson can opt out after the second season, or stick around for the remaining 3 years. He's a week shy of his 28^th birthday. He has a career slash line of .297/.403/.439 with 83 HR's and 479 career stolen bases.

Five of the first 7 picks have been signed. All except Haselman and Belcher.

Lou Brock is the only player inducted into the HOF for this year.

Haselman and Belcher don't sign with the team.

The Dodgers new GM is living up to his reputation. After Mike Marshall was shown the door with no arbitration offered, the team has now dealt last years team leader in HR's, Franklin Stubbs. Stubbs and his 101 HR's over his 4 year Dodgers career is now heading to the World Champion Blue Jays roster. The Jays send IF Tom Brookens to LA. Brookens has 2-series rings with Toronto and a Gold Glove at 3B. At 33, his best playing days might be behind him. He's a career .255/.301/.376 batter. LA trades power for fielding, and a wash in OBP. I don't really like it. LA is weak in the IF, but Brookens doesn't look to make that much better on the surface.

Mike Marshall signs with the Red Sox for 1yr/228k.

Steve Howe signs a 2yr deal with the Angels for 1.28M. Boooo.

Neither Matt Walbeck, Matt Franco, nor Hensley Meulens make the team and are released. That's quite a waste of some draft picks. Only Butch Henry and Scott Scudder remain from this years draft.

LA has added some RH depth to the bullpen by the name of Don Robinson. Robinson, 29, saved 23 games for the Braves last year and had a 3.92 ERA. In '84, he saved 34 for the Pirates, and before that he was a starter who won 15 games in '83, his only All Star season. His contract is 2yr/1.39M.

The first casualty from of spring training is Jim Beattie. He tore his labrum on his throwing shoulder and will miss the entire season. He was slated to be the long guy in the bullpen and spot starter. He is still under contract for 3 seasons after this year.

It was always going to be a longshot, but C/IF/OF Scotti Madison and OF Tony Brewer were both designated and placed on waivers. The team still had room on the 40-man, but both men were out of options.

That's it for the hot stove. Let 1987 begin.

PilotMan · 08-06-2017, 05:31 PM

1987 Opening Day Roster

Starting Rotation
Fernando Valenzuela (17-10, 3.00)
Rick Rhoden (23-6, 2.49)
Frank Tanana (14-7, 3.48)
Kelly Downs (9-7, 3.28)
John Denny (17-8, 3.03)

Same 5 guys for 1987, as we had for almost all of 1986. Every one of them had a good year last year, and it's setting up expectations for good years from all of them this year.

Bullpen
Ken Howell (4-5, 7S, 2.77)
Alejandro Pena (2-0, 1S, 3.06)
Brian Holton (4-3, 9S, 5.43 in AAA, Albuquerque)

Tom Niedenfuer (5-9, 4S, 2.45)
Don Robinson (6-8, 23S, 3.92 for Atlanta)

John Franco (5-7, 32S, 3.20)

The loss of Steve Howe to free agency caused a hole in the bullpen. Even though Howe was used sparingly last year, he was still very effective, and he was a lefty. The team has replaced him with Atlanta closer Don Robinson, who hasn't been nearly as effective over his career, and is a righty. Jim Beattie was lost for the season during spring training, and his roster spot was won by 27yr old rookie, Brian Holton. Holton has been bumping around the Dodgers system for 8 years. He started early on and then has moved to the pen. He was a Rule 5 pick by the Brewers once, but was returned to the team before the season started. Niedenfuer might have been promised a closer role to sign the extension he did, but he was promised that last year too. The team has 1 southpaw, Franco, that seems like a hole in the plan, at the moment.

Catcher
Mike Scioscia (.218/5/60)
BJ Surhoff (.246/0/7)

Scioscia still holds the position even though he had a bad year with the bat. He did win the Gold Glove, and his handling of the staff is great. Surhoff is still developing and will get some playing time, even though he wants his shot now. Scioscia still has 4 years left on his deal, so Surhoff will have to take it from him if he wants it.

First Base
Ray Knight (.281/5/25)
Larry Parrish (.257/3/13)

Sid Bream starts the year on the DL. He'll be out for a couple weeks longer, and in the meantime it'll be Knight that starts. Parrish is being handled so oddly. He's capable of so much more and yet he's relegated to this odd pinch hitter role. Why he signed a 2 year deal I'll never know.

Second Base
Steve Sax (.290/4/53)
Tom Brookens (.265/3/18)

Sax started a lot of games off right last year by getting on and using his speed to advance. His 43 steals lead the team, but he's not expected to lead this year. Defensively he could be better, but he's still average. Brookens will also back up at short and possibly third. He is very good defensively and a leader in the clubhouse. He won't win games with his bat, but he might with his glove.

Shortstop
Tony Phillips (.239/8/46)
Roy Smalley (.202/5/29)

Phillips won't hurt you in the field, but again, he's not an offensive weapon either. Clearly an area that the team could upgrade, but they are hindered by the awful contract that Roy Smalley has. He still has 2 years remaining on a 6 year deal where he is making as much as Fred Lynn. He's not anywhere near the production that he was back in the day and his contract has wasted a lot of money. At 34, he's not getting any younger either.

Left Field
Fred Lynn (.263/20/56)
Ron Kittle (.266/6/11)

Stubbs was traded and with the new face in center, Lynn slides to left to start now. He's 35, so this is a better move for him anyway. He was hurt too much last season and many of his HR's came with the bases empty. The team will be hoping he can bounce back to his '84-'85 form with the Royals. Kittle hangs on and remains a bench player. He's a big bat off the bench that can clear the bases with 1 swing, but he struggles with pitch recognition and strikes out a lot. He has 15 HR's in the last 3 years, when he had 14 with LA back in '83, the year he got here. Last year was the least playing time he's had. With the team only carrying 5 OF's right now, and Stubbs and Marshall gone, he should get more.

Center Field
Ricky Henderson (.299/15/62)
Dwayne Murphy (.243/6/23)

The former Oakland A's teammates are reunited in LA, but this time, not playing together. Henderson is fully locked into center. He might be the best leadoff hitter in baseball, and his speed and defense make him a challenger to the best player on the team. There is certainly a lot of excitement this year to see what he can do with this Dodger team that is packed with power, and who last season, really suffered from not having guys get on base enough. Henderson will do just that. Murphy is a capable backup for him, who will also back up right field too.

Right Field
Pete Incaviglia (.313/8/23)

Last years first round pick made his way to the majors and had a big impact on the club. So much so that they parted ways with 2 of the teams slugging outfielders. Inky moves to right, and while his range isn't great, his arm is outstanding. He's got big power and will be featured in the middle of the lineup. Only in his 2^nd season though, the questions will remain. If he gets hurt of fails to perform Murphy will take his place. It's a gamble for such a young player, but the team really liked what they saw.

The close but not quite brigade

RP Charlie Kerfeld (0-1, 2.84)

Called up last season he pitched sparingly. The team didn't feel confident enough with his stuff and signed Robinson. He was bypassed by Holton when Beattie went down. He starts the year in AAA and is probably the first call up for the pen if they need it.

OF Tom Beyers (.361/12/81 in AAA)
Beyers made the team for the first time last fall after a really good year in AAA. With Stubbs, Marshall and Brewer gone his prospects are good if something happens to anyone right now. He has to be the first choice guy to move up. He's nearly 29 though, and his might be the last chance he has to prove himself.

LHP Rich Rodas (1-2, 4.60 in AAA)
LHP Ricky Wright (0-3, 5.83 in AAA)
LHP Shayne Hammond (2-0, 2S, 2.61 in AAA)

These are the guys who might get called up if the team needs another lefty in the pen. None of them are high prospects. Hammond started last year in AA. Wright was last with the team in '84. Since then he hasn't been able to get it together enough to get called back. Things could get interesting if one of these guys needs to be depended on.

Down on the Farm

Overall, LA's farm system ranks 24^th out of 26 teams. That's awful. We have 1 prospect in the top 100. LA is the worst in the NL and only ahead of the Royals and Yankees. On the flip side the Braves have the #1, with 5 guys in the top 20. If you're curious those prospects are Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Allan Anderson, Tom Glavine and Ramon Martinez.

Here are the LA's top prospects.

#1 OF Paul Sorrento – Former first round pick in 1985 - Started last season in rookie ball and moved up to AA by the end of the season. Most of his time was in A ball where he batted .328/.440/.473 with 6 HR's and 28 RBI's. A bit of a free swinger, he has good power potential, but limited speed. Starts the year in AA.

#2 P Butch Henry – First round pick 1986 – Starts the year in rookie ball. Only 18, will take time to develop. High 80's fastball, with good movement. Throws 4 pitches, but the sinker is his best. Arm problems might be an issue.

#3 OF Doug Jennings – First round pick 1983 – Have gradually moved up from rookie ball to AAA. Spent last year in AA, where he had his best year so far. Was the All Star, Gold Glove (CF) and MVP of the Texas League. Batted .324/.423/.499 with 12 HR's and 78 RBI's. Also stole 24 bases. Free swinger, but also draws fair number of walks. Ok in the field and decent speed. Should develop more power.

#4 IF/OF Chuck Jackson – First round pick 1983 – Cracked the ML club late last year after playing AAA for the whole year. Batted .298/.390/.419 with 10 HR's and 63 RBI's. Also stole 38 bases. Was selected to the PCL All Star Game. A good fielder, can play multiple positions. Good eye, more gap power than fence power. Starts the year in AAA.

#5 P Scott Scudder - 2^nd round pick 1986 – 19 years old, starts the year in rookie ball. Low 90's fastball, coupled with a heavy sinker. Gets good movement on his pitches, but struggles with control. Big frame with good mechanics should be able to hold up to heavy use.

And with that we're done. Are you ready....for Dodgers baseball!?!?!

PilotMan · 08-08-2017, 07:28 PM

4/6 4-3 (11) L to the Astros
Road loss when Fred McGriff homered off of Rhoden in the 8^th. In the 11^th, Dale Murphy homered off of Don Robinson (0-1) to end it. Other than the homer, Rhoden pitched great. Franco threw 2 scoreless. Scioscia went 2-4 to lead the offense. Tom Candiotti threw 149 pitches for the Astros in his start.

4/7 3-2 L to the Astros
LA spotted the Astros 2 in the first on a Benito Santiago single that scored Pettis and Doran. Valenzuela (0-1) wouldn't allow any more and pitched into the 9^th. Ray Knight tied the game in the 7^th with a 2-run HR (1). Kirk McCaskill struck out 12. In the 9^th the Astros got a hit, then another with 1 out. With first open he walked Pettis to load them up then Don Robinson came in. He threw 1 pitch and Scioscia missed it and allowed Cecil Espy to score.

4/8 2-1 (10) L to the Astros
Oh man, not the way to start the year at all. A sweep by the Astros. Two extra inning games, and every one of them one run losses. That suuuuuucks. Greg Swindell and John Denny went toe to toe and left it in the hands of the bullpens. John Franco (0-1) gave up 3 hits and a sac fly in the 10^th to hand the win to the Astros.

4/9 7-5 L to the Giants
I don't think 0-4 is the way we wanted to start. DeCinces goes 2-3, both Sax and Henderson go 2-4 and that's about it. Downs started and struggled hard. He gave up 11 hits and 6 runs in 6 innings. It wasn't pretty. Giants rookie Stan Jefferson hit his first career HR. LA was down 7-2, and managed to put the tying run at the plate in the 9^th, but Plesac struck out Kittle to end it.

4/10 6-2 W over the Giants
YAY! We WIN 1 game!! WOOOWOOOWOOO! It kind of feels like that. Tanana (1-0) get the POG. He went the distance, stopped the streak, stuck out 6. He, of course, was helped by Pete Incaviglia, who had 1 hit coming into the game. Inky homered 2 times, both solo shots. Tony Phillips also went 2-3. Nice to finally get that first win out of the way.

4/11 11-1 W over the Giants
See?! This is more of what I had in mind for this season! Top of the order set the table, and Pete Incaviglia cleaned it up. Rick Rhoden (1-0) went the distance and struck out 6. LA did it all with Ray Knight (2-4, 3 RBI), Ricky Henderson (1-2, 2 BB, 3 runs, SB) and Pete Incaviglia (3-4, 2 HR, 7 RBI).
That gives Inky 4 HR's in the last 2 games.

4/12 4-1 W over the Giants
Incaviglia goes deep for the 3^rd straight game (5) along with Fred Lynn's first of the year. Valenzuela (1-1) allows a lead off homer to Gregg Jefferies, but only allows 2 hits the rest of the way, striking out 7. Franco comes on with 1 out in the 9^th and proceeds to load the bases before getting the final out and preserving the win.

4/13 2-1 W over the Astros
John Denny (1-0) needed his best stuff to take out the Astros and their rookie pitcher Greg Swindell. Swindell was a late season call up and one of the team's top prospects. He went the distance in the loss. Inky didn't homer, but he did get a sac fly in the first that put us up. Later it was a Tony Phillips double that scored Scioscia to give us the lead for good. Franco pitched the 9^th and gave up a leadoff single. Bob Horner then hit the ball to the wall in center before Henderson got to it. Then he finished off the Astros for his first save of the season.

It's a sad day in Boston when the Red Sox put Jim Rice on waivers and he was claimed by the Phillies. Nice way to end your 13 year , 310 HR, stay in a town.

4/14 3-1 W over the Astros
The Dodgers got 8 innings from Kelly Downs (1-1) who struck out 7. LA got 2 hits from Knight, Inky and Scioscia. Don Robinson struck out the side in the 9^th to get his first save of the season. This is a nice rebound from our shitty start. Being home rocks.

4/15 9-1 L to the Astros
Tanana (1-1) got pounded for 8 runs in the 2^nd inning. That's all that Dave Stewart (2-0) would need. He went the distance and wasn't threatened all game. Ray Knight and Fred Lynn had 2 hits each. Things got a little tense in the 7^th inning when Ken Howell hit Stewart, while we were down 8 runs. There was a lot of yelling from the benches, but Stewart wasn't hurt and stayed in to finish.

PilotMan · 08-11-2017, 09:02 AM

4/16 13-4 L to the Padres
ooof. The Padres plaster us for 4 HR's. Rhoden (1-1) came out in the 4^th, after allowing 8 runs. Padres first round pick, and center fielder, and Raiders running back, Bo Jackson, hit his first and second career HR's. He also walked twice and scored 4 times. LA got a couple hits from Sax, Henderson and Incaviglia. Bob Ojeda (1-2) pitched 9 and struck out 11.

4/17 9-1 W over the Padres
El Toro strikes out 7 in a complete game win to go to 2-1. LA got plenty of offense with Knight extending his hit streak to 14 games, going 3-5. Ricky went 3-4, and hit his first HR of the year. Tom Brookens went 3-5, and he and Fred Lynn went back to back in the 8^th inning. The first for Bookens and 2^nd for Lynn. Mike Scioscia went 3-5.

4/18 1-0 W over the Paders
Tony Phillips doubled in the 8^th and Dwayne Murphy singled him home for the only run of the game. John Denny (2-0) threw a complete game, 4-hitter, striking out 6. Rick Sutcliffe (0-2) also threw the complete game, but came out on the losing end.

4/19 6-2 W over the Padres
LA gets another deep pitching performance, this one from Kelly Downs (2-1), who goes 8. He did the heavy lifting too, as his 2-run single in the 6^th gave the Dodgers the lead for good. Ray Knight continues his hot streak going 3-5 and hitting his 2^nd HR of the year. His hitting streak goes to 16 and he's closing in on his hit total from last season. Doug DeCinces has been completely absent from the team, hit hist first dinger of the season.

4/20 1-0 W over the Giants
Frank Tanana (2-1) throws 8 shutout innings then gives way to John Franco for the 9^th. Franco gets his 2^nd save of the season. LA scored the only run in the 4^th when Sax scored on a Fred Lynn double. The Giants never really threatened. Sax went 2-4.

4/21 19-1 W over the Giants
Soooo. Wow. If this team can produce this kind of game, albeit against one of the worst pitching staffs in the NL, but this is something. Rhoden (2-1) recovered from his last start to throw the entire game and get the win. He got a little bit of support though. Where to begin? LA hit 4 HR's. Tony Phillips (1), Fred Lynn hit 2 (4) and Pete Incaviglia smoked a grand slam (6). Incaviglia got player of the game with a 2-3 game, 4 runs and 5 RBI's. Lynn also had 5 RBI's. Knight kept his hitting streak alive.

4/22 6-1 W over the Giants
El Toro (3-1) gets the player of the game with another complete game. The Giants only managed 3 hits, one a solo homer by Rob Deer (4). LA scored 3 to start the game as Sax and Knight singled and Inky hit #7, a 3-run shot. Tom Brookens added his 2^nd HR of the year in the 8^th to ice it. Ray Knight stayed hot going 3-4. Sid Bream was activated off the DL after the game and sent to AAA for rehab.

4/23 5-2 L to the Padres
A John Kruk HR in the first put 3 runs on the board and LA never caught back up. John Denny (2-1) had the worst start of his young season. He walked 5 in his 8 innings of work. By the 5^th LA had closed it to 3-2, but a Ted Simmons, pinch hit, 2-run single in the 8^th opened it up. Tony Phillips went 3-3 and hit his 2^nd HR of the year.

4/24 7-4 L to the Padres
LA shouldn't have let it get away, but in the meantime, they also loaded the bases in the 9^th, with 1 out and the heart of the order up and only got 1 run out of it. It looked like it was going to be a big rally, but Ken Daley had to go and crap all over it. Steve Sax went 3-4 and his 9^th SB. Downs (2-2) was ineffective. Don Robinson failed to impress yet again, with 1.1 innings worked 2 hits and 3 walks. He doesn't allow those 2 runs, it's much closer at the end. Knight saw his 20 game hit streak come to an end.

4/25 6-4 W over the Padres
At least we got 1 back. Pete Incaviglia fell a double shy of the cycle. He went 3-4, with 3 RBI's and his 8^th HR of the year. It's been quite an April for the young slugger. The Padres hung around all game, and even took the lead in the 5^th. LA was able to answer in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead for good. Ray Knight was back to his torrid ways, going 3-4, and hitting his 3^rd HR in the first inning. Rick Rhoden (3-1) pitched 8 and struck out 7.

Sid Bream has been called back from his rehab assignment. He went 3-15 with an RBI. To make room the Dodgers put Tom Brookens (.241/2/4) on waivers and designated him. I believe that Lasorda has plans to insert Bream right back at first base. Knight will get time at the corners providing rest, but he's currently 2^nd in the NL in average, and leading in hits. He's also 4^th in total bases. He had 38 hits all last year, he's got 31 right now. The idea of benching him right now is a hard one.

4/28 4-1 W over the Pirates
Valenzuela (4-1) pitched 8 solid innings, while striking out 8. He gave up a run early and Mike Scott took a no-hitter into the 5^th, before LA got the hit, a Scioscia 3-run HR (1) and the lead. Scott struck out 10 Dodgers, but LA played better. Franco pitched the 9^th for his 4^th save of the year.

4/29 6-2 L to the Pirates
A Brian Dayett 3-run HR (1) in the 5^th off of John Denny (2-2) put the Pirates up 4-2 and for good. Jose Guzman (3-1) stuck out 8 Dodgers in his 7 innings of work. An unremarkable game for the Dodgers. 7 of 9 batters got hits, but nobody got 2.

4/30 6-4 L to the Pirates
Tony Phillips homered (3) in the 5^th inning to cut the lead to 3-2 for the Pirates. LA struggled to put much together against Jose DeLeon (2-3) for most of the game. But in the 8^th Fred Lynn homered (5) to tie the game, and right after, Incaviglia homered (9) to put LA in front. Alejandro Pena (0-1) came on in the bottom of the inning and ended up with the bases loaded and 0 outs. The Pirates got a big single from PH Larry Rush that put the Pirates back on top. Disappointing loss.

PilotMan · 08-11-2017, 04:32 PM

April Recap

Not the start we had in mind, but not a bad one either. We finish April with a 13-10 record and a hold on 2^nd place in the West. That puts us 3.5 games behind the leading Houston Astros.

Where last year's team looked a little weak in the hitting department this year's team seems to be better equipped. The team is 5^th in the NL in average. That .257 is higher than anything we had last year. They are also 3^rd in slugging and 3^rd in OBP. Tied for 2^nd in HR's. So the hitting is looking good. Clearly with Henderson on the team, the stolen bases were going to come up some. We are no longer dead last in that department either, with 24 we are 7^th. I would expect that to go up a little bit too.

Pitching hasn't been as good through. Even thought the team is 2^nd in team ERA, the bullpen is 8^th. The starters have been going deep, but when the game gets turned over, it's not as much of a certainty as it's been. I'm not blaming Steve Howe for this...yet. While we are 4^th in runs allowed, we are 9^th in hits allowed. That's offset by being 1^st in bases on balls. If that were to drop I think you'd see more guys scoring. On defense, we are still good. Good enough for 3^rd in the NL.

So our start could have been better, but I think the team is actually better than our record indicates. I'm confident that as the season goes along we'll find out place.

Top pitcher of the month was Fernando. He powered through in April with a 4-1 record and an ERA of 1.48. His 0.77 WHIP was one of the best that we've ever had. For a while it looked like Denny (2-2, 225) or Rhoden (3-1, 2.87) might take that title too. Who didn't? Look no further than newcomer Don Robinson. He allowed batters to his .286 against him, but his 2.57 WHIP and 9.64 ERA made all that a lot worse. He was supposed to be a reliable arm. April was not his month. Nor was it Pena's month (7.71 ERA, .375 oavg), or Holton's either (4.70 ERA, .303 OAVG, 1.83 WHIP)

Batting wise however, we had the rookie, Incaviglia who tore it up with 9 HR's and 25 RBI's in April, but he wasn't the top hitter. At least not in my eyes. His OBP was a lowly .330, and he struck out 30 times in 85 at bats. However, he was selected as the Rookie of the Month and Batter of the Month in the NL. No, in my opinion, the best hitter was Tony Phillips. Yeah, Tony Phillips. His slash line was .343/.432/.571 and he still hit 3 HR's. In 1 month he's a quarter of the way to his hit total from all of last season. He did it all, just didn't quite have the power surge that Inky had.

We can be better and I'm sure May will see a better result.

Young Drachma · 08-12-2017, 03:38 PM

Go Jays!

PilotMan · 08-14-2017, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Young Drachma

Go Jays!

I'm glad someone is getting something good out of this Dynasty!

----

5/1 11-5 L to the Cardinals
Hard to believe that late in the game LA lead this 4-2. Will Clark had homered in the 4^th to get the Cards on the board, then down by 2 in the 7^th Clark lauched his 2^nd HR, a 3-run shot (6,7). Andy Van Slyke (2) followed with his own to go back to back. In the 8^th, somehow with Rhoden (3-2) still pitching, he got into trouble again. Brian Holton came on and Clark tripled, then Van Slyke followed with his 2^nd HR of the game (3). Despite all that LA still scored 5 runs, on 8 hits. Scioscia went 3-4 with 2 RBI's. If the pitching would have been better we might have won.

Tom Brookens is heading to Pittsburgh as they win the waiver claim.

5/2 9-3 W over the Cardinals
LA got hit after hit and put all the runs on in the first 4 innings. Pete Vuckovich (0-3) served up 12 hits before he was yanked. Inky had the best game going 4-5 with 3 RBI's. He put the icing on the cake when he blasted his 10^th HR of the year in the 4^th. Henderson also cracked a HR (2) and he and Sax combined to go 6-9. Tony Phillips stayed hot going 3-5. Frank Tanana (3-1) pitched a complete game in a good start. He also hit a career milestone with his 2000'th career strikeout. He's 37^th in MLB history. He is looking to pass Catfish Hunter, Dazzy Vance and Bobo Newsome.

5/3 5-3 W over the Cardinals
Valenzuela goes 8 for his 5^th win of the year. LA scored 3 in the 5^th to break a 2-2 tie. All of LA's runs were unearned, as the Cardinals were victimized by Gold Glove second basemen Glenn Hubbard 2 times. Franco pitched the 9^th for his 5^th save of the year.

5/4 4-0 W over the Cubs
John Denny (3-2) threw a complete game shutout. He wasn't perfect through. He walked 4 and allowed 9 hits. He got some great defensive help with a couple double plays. Tony Phillips (4) and Doug DeCinces (2) both homered. DeCinces went 4-4 with 3 RBI's.

5/5 12-7 W over the Cubs
Hard to believe that LA blew a 5-0 lead. Kelly Downs (3-2) lucked into the win, even though he allowed 5 runs in 5 innings of work. We'll just leave the pitching with that. They weren't very good. Ray Knight though? Still smokin'. Even without a starting gig. He started at 3^rd tonight and went 4-4 with 2 walks, 3 runs and 3 RBI's, Fred Lynn went 3-6. Sax went 2-4 with 3 runs.

5/6 16-0 W over the Pirates
The best of both worlds. The winner was Rhoden (4-2) and his 2 hit, complete game, shutout. He walked 4 and struck out 7. However, his opposite, Bruce Ruffin, had the worst game score I've seen, a -2. In 3 2/3 innings of work, he allowed 8 hits, 10 runs, 5 walks, 0 K's and 2 HR's. He threw 92 pitches in less than 4 innings. It all started in the 3^rd when Ray Knight continued his hitting assault with a 2-run HR, his 4^th. He finished 4-6 with 3 RBI's. But he wasn't the best. Inky went 3-6, but he wasn't the best. Fred Lynn hit a grand slam in the 8 run 4^th, his 6^th, but he wasn't the best. Ricky walked 4 times in a 1-2 with 2 RBI game, nope, not the best. Tony Phillips walked 3 times and scored every time. Nope, not him either. Today, it was all Steve Sax. 4-6, 4 runs, and 4 RBI's. LA had 15 hits and walked 10 times as a team. We never did this last year. This is the kind of game that a fan can get excited about.

5/7 8-0 W over the Pirates
Frank Tanana (4-1) continued the assault on Pirate batters by completing the back to back shut out. He struck out 7 in a good showing. Steve Sax continued his hot streak going 3-5 and cracking a solo homer (1) in the 4^th. He has raised his average about 40 points in 2 games. Ray Knight raised his league leading average to .417, going 2-4. Inky also hit #11, as part of a 4 run 4^th inning.

5/8 4-1 L to the Cardinals
Fred Lynn knocked in Rickey in the first and it was downhill from there. Valenzuela (5-2) allowed 3 unearned runs from a Sax error. The Cards scored 3 in the 4^th and never looked back,. LA loses their win streak, and the Cards roll on theirs. We'll get another shot tomorrow.

5/9 9-6 L to the Cardinals
St Louis has a good team. They're like 2 players away from a playoff team. LA came up with 4 in the bottom of the 8^th and cut the lead to 1, but Don Robinson gave it all back in the 9^th. LA got 1 more in the bottom of the 9^th, and had they kept it close would have taken it to extras, but the bullpen hurt us again. Rough start for John Denny (3-3), allowed 6 of 6.2 innings.

5/10 6-0 W over the Cardinals
We salvage one against the Cards. Sid Bream and Mike Scioscia go 3-4 and Bream hits his first HR of the year. Kelly Downs goes the distance for the 3-hit shutout, striking out 6. Doug DeCinces hit his 3^rd of the year in the 5^th and put the final nail in the coffin for the Cards.

5/11 3-2 (10) W over the Cubs
Rick Schu homered in 2 in the first inning (3) off of Rhoden and Scott Bankhead (2-4) rolled on for 8.1 innings. In the 9^th Henderson grounded out, then Sax followed with a single. Fred Lynn then took a 1-1 pitch downtown, in a no doubt, game tying homer. His 7^th. In the 10^th, Doug DeCinces hit a massive, walk off HR to put the game away for LA.

Ray Knight and his incredible start has allowed him to wrest away the starting 3B job from Doug DeCinces. Wow. Both guys are playing well. It's a shame that we can't find a way to get them both on the field at the same time.

5/12 9-3 W over the Cubs
Frank Tanana (5-1) gets his 5^th win of the year and throws another complete game. He missed the shutout because of a Glenn Wilson (5) HR. LA scored 3 in the first off of rookie pitcher Tsuneto Fukuchi (0-2). They added 4 more in the 4^th on another Fred Lynn grand slam (8) and then Dwayne Murphy soloed for his first of the year in the 5^th. Lynn went 3-4. Frank Tanana even went 2-3, those were his first 2 hits of the year.

5/13 2-1 W over the Cubs
We drop the Cubs for their 10^th straight loss and our 4^th straight win. David Cone (4-2) put a great start in for the first 5.1 innings. He didn't allow a hit, but had major control issues. By the time he walked his 7^th batter, Inky came up and doubled deep to right-center to knock in a runner. Cone only allowed 2 hits as Bream was up next and got the 2^nd one and the 2^nd RBI. Valenzuela (6-2) pitched a great 8 innings, striking out 7. Franco pitched a perfect 9^th for his 6^th save.

5/15 11-4 L to the Expos
Oh fuck the Expos. They blister us for 15 hits and score in every inning until Ken Howell stops the bleeding in the 7^th. DeCinces hits his 5^th. Incaviglia hits his 12^th. Sax had 2 hits. Pretty much everyone on the Expos had a better day than that.

PilotMan · 08-23-2017, 05:50 PM

5/16 10-6 W over the Expos
The bats come alive as we even out the series. Rick Rhoden (5-2) served up 3 HR's, and probably stayed in the game way too long. Fred Lynn homered in the 4^th and 6^th innings, capping a 2-4 day with 4 RBI's. He's got 10 on the year now. Bream went 3-4 and Sax 2-6 with 3 RBI's. LA gave back 3 runs at the end and almost let the Expos back in it. Don Robinson got the final 2 outs, and lowered his ERA to 9.00.

5/17 9-5 W over the Expos
LA hammers 3 HR's to outslug the Expos for another night. Kelly Downs (5-2) got the win, but he was thankful for the support allowing 5 runs in 7 innings. LA scored first with 2 in the first, but they fell behind, to take the lead again in the 6^th. DeCinces hit #6, Lynn smacked his 11^th, and Larry Parrish hit his first, a pinch hit homer. Robinson lowered his ERA to 8.00.

5/18 9-8 W over the Phillies
Tough road trip against the top teams in the East. LA was up 5-0 then 7-2, and let the Phillies back in it. In the last 3 innings the teams combined for 10 runs. Even though Valenzuela (7-2) got the W, it was every man for himself. Both teams combined for 9 HR's. The ball was just flying out of Veterans Stadium. The Phillies Charles Hudson allowed 5 of them. Inky #13, Knight #5, Ricky #3, Phillips #5, Lynn #12. Ricky scored 3 times. LA added 2 insurance runs in the 9^th, and they needed both of them as Franco allowed 2, but held on for his 7^th save.

5/19 14-8 W over the Phillies
Yet again, LA proves that when the pitching staff lets down, the hitters are there to pick them up. That's 53 runs scored in the last 5 games. I'm not even sure the old Dodger teams of a few years ago ever put up those kinds of numbers. Frank Tanana gave up 2 HR's and 4 runs in the first inning and LA was down right away. Interesting fact of note, Greg Maddux started and his brother Mike relieved him in the 5^th. It didn't go well for either of them. Together, in 5 innings, they allowed 15 hits, 12 runs, and 2 HR's. Both HR's were hit by Inky, who finished the day 3-4 with 4 RBI's. He's got 15 on the year. Tony Phillips was the only starting 8 without a hit. LA had 25 baserunners today and left 8 on base.

5/20 12-5 W over the Phillies
Wow, 65 runs in 6 games. LA was ahead 12-1 and Denny pooped out when Larry Walker (8) and Balboni (15) went back to back. So he pitched well, improved to 4-4, and kep the pen in the pen for the most part. LA did almost all the damage in the 6^th inning. For the first time since I've been watching, LA went back-to-back-to-back. Yep, Ray Knight started with his 3 run shot (6), followed by Scioscia and his 2^nd, followed by Phillips and his 6^th. So it wasn't even the middle of the lineup, it was the 6-7-8. LA also hammered another 18 hits. It's been a wild run.

5/22 7-1 W over the Mets
Rhoden (6-2) goes the distance and would have had the shutout, but for one mistake pitch to Darryl. Fred Lynn got us on the board in the first with his first of 2 HR's on the day (13,14). Not to be outdone, Inky hit another one to keep his lead, and give him 16. Inky, Bream and Knight each had 3 more hits on the day. This team is just on fire right now. On fire.

5/23 7-4 L to the Mets
Doc Gooden (4-4) throws a complete game. Mets sluggers Kevin Mitchell (5), Alan Ashby (4) and Donnie Hill (3) hit off of Valenzuela (7-3), who took the loss. DeCinces homered for the 7^th time, in the 9^th in what was a consolation prize of a game that was already done. Tony Phillips reached base 3 times in 4 at bats.

5/24 4-2 L to the Mets
The Mets jumped out early and LA manufactured a couple of runs to tie it. Strawberry broke the tie in the 7^th with a sac fly that scored Marvell Wynne. Sax and Incaviglia had 4 of the team's 6 hits. In fact, hitters 1-4 went 6-16 hitting, while batters 5-9 went 0-17. That's why we lost again. Kelly Downs loses and drops to 5-3.

Former LA Dodger great, Ron Cey hit his 300^th HR today. Cey started the year with the Mariners, but was picked up off of waivers by the Pirates. Cey played for the Pirates back in '85 when he hit 31 HR's.

5/25 4-1 W over the Expos
Henderson and Sax again set the entire table for the offense. They combine to go 4-8, with 3 runs and 2 RBI's. Denny pitched 8 innings to go to 5-4. Steve Sax hit a rare HR in the 4^th (2) that tied the game, and Scioscia added another in the 8^th (3). Franco pitched another 9^th for his 8^th save.

5/26 3-2 L to the Expos
LA blew a 2-0 lead and Tanana pitched 5 innings of no hit ball. The Expos sneaked back into this game that culminated in a Hubie Brooks game tying 8^th inning HR. In the 9^th Tanana suffered a rare misplay by Rickey. That lead to a go ahead run for the Expos that handed them the game. LA got the winning run to the plate, but Quiz got Incaviglia out on strikes to end it.

LA went deep to the well for help in the bullpen. Brian Holton was optioned back to Albuquerque and the team signed 43yr old Tom Burgmeier. Burgmeier is in his 19^th season as a ML pitcher. He has pitched in 873 games, 3 were starts. Last season he pitched for the Padres and A's. In 35 games, he pitched 50 innings, with a 3.02 ERA. He was an all star in 1980.

5/27 8-5 W over the Expos
Mike Scioscia went 3-4, Tony Phillips went 2-3 at the bottom of the lineup. Fred Lynn cleaned up with a 3-run HR in the 7^th, his 15^th. Rick Rhoden's win moved his record to 7-2. Don Robinson allowed a HR to Carney Lansford (3) in the 9^th to raise his ERA to 7.36.

5/29 2-0 L to the Phillies
So we go from destroying the Phillies on the road to getting shut out at home. Charles Hudson did the heavy lifting (6-3), while Valenzuela (7-4) struck out 10 over 8. Bream was caught stealing twice in situations where a baserunner might have been nice. LA only managed 6 runners anyway, so he killed 1/3 of our baserunning ops.

5/30 10-5 W over the Phillies
Power won the day for LA. Every starter got a hit and we cracked 6 dingers. Tony Phillips got player of the game with 3-4, with 2 HR's and RBI's. He's got 8 on the year. Fred Lynn and Incaviglia went back to back in the 6^th with solo shots. That's 16 for Lynn and 17 for Inky. Ricky also got in the mix with a 2-4 game, 2 HR's and 3 RBI's. Henderson has 5 on the year. John Denny (6-4) got the win. The bullpen didn't fare well again. Niedenfeur gave up a HR in the 9^th.

5/31 11-5 L to the Phillies
Finish the month with the worst series of the month. Kelly Downs (5-4) got shelled over 7 innings, but it was the big 6 run 8^th that did most of the damage. Lynn, Inky, Knight and Phillips all had 2 hits on the day. Inky hit #18 and Henderson went deep again for #6. Former Dodgers, Kurt Stillwell and Pedro Guerrero did plenty of damage. Both went 2-5 with 2 RBI's and Guerrero homered (8).

PilotMan · 08-25-2017, 08:59 AM

May Recap

May was the best month in over a year as the team roared to a 19-9 record. The surprise being the offense which seemed to find it's groove in the month and put up numbers that the team hasn't seen in a few years. The result of the month saw LA move from 2^nd place to first and open up a 3 game lead on the Astros and 4 over the Padres.

The team is in the top half of every offensive category in the NL, with of all things, stolen bases being the worst. The team has never been fast, but with Henderson and Sax at the top of the order, they've moved from the cellar to #6. Where last year's team average was sub .250, this year so far, they are hitting .282, that is tops in the NL. Also #1 in OBP, runs, hits and HR's. They are #2 in SLG, OBS, and extra base hits. I don't know if anyone believes that they can keep this up. It seems like a lot of guys are playing far above their expected performance, and it is only the end of May. Come talk to me in August about it.

As for team pitching, where this has been a strong point for the team forever, this is the worst that we've seen in LA since we started here. Team ERA is still strong at #2, however, the bullpen is 10^th with a 4.52 ERA. Odds would suggest that it should drop just on regression to the mean, but it's not the type of performance that was planned. Losing Howe can't account for all of it. Neither can losing Beattie. The team is 7^th in hits allowed, and first in walks. Opponent average is .245, good for 4^th in the NL. The starters have kept all the numbers good. There have been many deep outings for them, and they are backed up by the #3 defense in the NL.

As for individual performances? Who didn't have a bad month? Not really anyone. You can make a case for Sid Bream whose slash was .288/.330/.394. He hit 1 HR and had 8 RBI's. He was the worst. As for the best? Well is it Sax (.360/.398/.464)? Or Rickey (.311/.438/.519 5HR, 11SB)? Or Phillips again (.300/.427/.544 5HR)? Or Knight (.392/.448/..570)? Or Inky (.291/.355/.618 9HR)? Honestly, it's probably none of those guys, although in past years, all of them could have won. This month, it's Fred Lynn (.315/.375/.676 11HR, 37 RBI) Lynn finally had a massive, break out month and knocked all those runners home. He has only broken the 30HR mark once in his career, and he is well on his way to #2.

Of our pitchers, we know that the bullpen is hurting. Of those guys, it's still Don Robinson who is getting the most playing time, and posting the worst lines. His ERA was lowered to 9.00 in a month where he pitched 8 times, and allowed 7 earned runs. As for the top starter, all the guys did alright, but Tanana with his 3.15 ERA and 3-1 record was the best. His WHIP was 0.97 and lead all starters for the month. These guys all benefited from the incredible outburst of hitting that we all hope carries over into June. Tanana also recorded his 2000 career strikeout in May. A great achievement for the 33yr old pitcher. He's 32 wins away from #200, which he could see in 1990 if he stays consistent.

PilotMan · 08-25-2017, 07:43 PM

6/1 9-5 W over the Mets
LA lived on the 2-run HR today. But I have to give some props to Sax, who twice doubled in Rickey from first in this one. Then there were the HR's. Inky in the 3^rd (19), Knight in the 6^th (7) and not to be outdone, Lynn in the 7^th (17). LA was up 9-2 at one point and Robinson was brought in for the 9^th. He allowed a HR to Strawberry (4), allowed 2 other hits, had a reached on error and even walked in a run. His ERA jumped to 9.24 and he couldn't finish the inning. It got to save standards and Franco came in and threw 4 pitches to Robby Thompson to end it. Rhoden got the win to go to 8-2.

The team got Frank Tanana to sign a 2-year extension for about half of what he's making right now. That seems like a bargain of a deal for a guy who has over 2000k's and is closing in on 200 wins. Even though he's inching up on his 34^th birthday he's been valuable to the team for the last 4 years. It takes away a potential need in free agency early.

6/2 5-2 L to the Mets
LA had bases loaded in the bottom of the 9^th with 0 outs and couldn't get any across. SAD! Tanana (5-3) rewarded LA with his new contract by walking 4, striking out 5, in 5 innings and serving up a gopher ball to Bobby Bonilla (8). New face, Tom Burgmeier pitched 3 scoreless in relief. Steve Sax left the game early after banging his knee sliding into 2^nd on a double (that scored Rickey again).

6/3 4-2 W over the Mets
Doc Gooden (5-5) struck out 12 and went the distance but ultimately gave up a game winning 2-run blast to Mike Scioscia (4) to let us walk off. That capped a 2-4 day for Scioscia. Pete Incaviglia hit his 20^th HR of the season earlier that put LA up. Only Jack Clark of the A's has more (21).

6/4 4-0 L to the Reds
Jack Morris (4-4) struck out 10 en route to a 5-hit shut over over LA today. John Denny (6-5) got no support as he offered up gopher balls to Canseco (18) and Esasky (10). Incaviglia and Scioscia got 4 of the team's 5 hits.

6/5 7-2 W over the Reds
Rick Rhoden (9-2) got his NL leading 9^th win today. He was cruising until a 2-run Nick Esasky homer (11) got the Reds on the board. LA scored first when Scioscia got Bream home in the 5^th, then a bases loaded double by Ray Knight opened it all up in the 6^th. In the 8^th Pete Incaviglia went yard again, his 21^st of the year. Ricky tacked one on in the 9^th.

6/6 6-5 W over the Reds
Fred Lynn got things started in the first when he popped a 2-run HR (18) off of John Stuper (4-4). Sid Bream followed with his own HR (2) and we had an early lead. Lynn left the game in the 4^th after hurting himself on a sliding catch and Kittle took over in left. Kittle hit a deep HR to left in his first at bat. His first of the year. A nearly 90 minute rain delay in the 6^th put the LA bullpen in play and the Reds worked their way back. Franco got the save, his 10^th, but it wasn't pretty.

Lynn has an ankle sprain and he's heading to the DL. One of the Dodgers top prospects, Doug Jennings was called up to take his place. Jennings is in his first season at Albuquerque after spending all of last season in AA San Antonio. The 40^th overall pick in 1983, he won the Texas League Gold Glove in Center and was the Texas League MVP, hitting .324, with 12 HR's and 78 RBI. He also had 24 SB. On the year so far, he's hitting .372/.455/.640 with 7 steals. He's still only 22. He figures to back up Henderson in center and Murphy in right. Incaviglia is sliding to left with Murphy taking over right field. Kittle is still out of sight.

6/8 3-1 W over the Braves
Rickey went 3-4 stole 3 bases, while Fernando (8-4) pitched 8 and struck out 8. LA stole 6 bases in total. LA scored twice in the first and never looked back. Franco pitched another 9^th for his 11 save.

6/9 5-1 L to the Braves
On a day when Terry Mulholland (1-1) got his second career hit, and first career RBI, you just knew it wasn't going to be an LA Dodger day. Frank Tanana (5-4) did his best Frank Tanana impression and gave up a scorching HR to Pete Stanicek. That was Stanicek's first career HR! In over 250 at bats, spanning parts of 3 seasons. So no, we weren't going to win. Rickey added a consolation HR in the 8^th, his 8^th, but there was nothing else to get excited about.

6/10 9-4 L to the Braves
Oh boy. So when Braves pitcher, John Mitchell hit his first career HR off of Tom Burgmeier in the 6^th, this one was over. Like, “oh yeah, we are doing nothing, might as well give up a dinger to a guy with almost 0 career hits.” LA committed 2 errors that lead to Denny allowing 5 unearned runs. Ray Knight homered in the 6^th (8) and Tony Phillips had a 2-4 day. Burgmeier allowed 2 HR's in his short inning of work. Steve Sax left the game on a collision at 2^nd while trying to turn 2.

Sax has a sprained knee and he's heading to the DL. IF/OF Ty Dabney got the call up to the team. You'll recall Dabney was the 157^th pick in 1984. Dabney is playing in AA San Antonio with a line that looks like .325/.365/.458. In his cup of coffee last season, he went 3-11 with a double and 2 RBI's.

6/11 4-1 L to the Astros
Houston has a very good team. They've beaten us up so far this season. Tonight, it was Doug DeCinces getting the now rare start, but hitting his 8^th HR of the year. This one a solo shot. Rhoden pitched a complete game but dropped his record to 9-3. Kirk McCaskill (8-4) struck out 8 Dodgers.

6/12 3-2 (11) L to the Astros
LA scored early on, with 2 in the 2^nd thanks to Roy Smalley. Ricky went 2-5. Kelly Downs went 8, but left with the game tied. Scioscia made 2 errors in the game. Don Robinson (0-2) lost it in the 11^th. Even with the loss he lowered his ERA to 9.22. Roy Smalley was taken out by a slide in the 11^th.

Smalley has a torn thumb ligament. He's heading to the DL to join Sax and Lynn. Ross Jones is getting called up for his 3^rd and final option year. He's his .111 in 18 at bats, and has played in 45 games for LA.

6/13 2-1 W over the Astros
Valenzuela (9-4) throws a complete game, striking out 11 Astros and defeating a very good Greg Swindell. Sid Bream hit his 3^rd home run in the 3^rd inning and we held on until Houston got on across in the 9^th. Doug DeCinces's pinch hit single scored Inky in the bottom of the 9^th to walk it off.

6/14 5-0 L to the Astros
Former Dodger, Dave Stewart (6-5) struck out 9 and walked 4 enroute to a 2 hit shut out. Frank Tanana (5-5) took another hard loss, but he just isn't able to stem the tide right now. Only Ray Knight and pinch hitting Doug DeCinces managed hits off of Stewart.

Former Dodger Franklin Stubbs had a big night in Baltimore. Stubbs lead his Blue Jay team to an 11-1 win and hit for the cycle along the way. So far on the year, Stubbs is batting .299 with 14 HR's and 50 RBI's.

PilotMan · 08-29-2017, 12:44 PM

6/16 7-2 W over the Padres
After being absent for most of June so far, the offense finally showed up tonight. Bream went 3-5 and hit his 4^th HR of the year, while Rickey scored 3 times and stole 3 bases. Ray Knight, whose average has fallen 30 points in 2 weeks, went 3-3 with 4 RBI's. Rhoden pitched 8 and moved his record to 10-3.

6/17 6-5 L to the Padres
Glenn Davis homered in the 3^rd to give the Padres a 3-1 lead. LA cut the lead in the 7^th, then in the 8^th Ricky and Scioscia each drove in runs to put LA up. John Denny (6-7) came out for the 8^th and got in trouble, it really hurt when Ted Simmons drilled a ball over the right field fence to put San Diego back in front. LA would put the tying run on third in the 9^th, but they wouldn't be able to get him home. Inky got hurt in the 4^th and left the game. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO word on the severity!

6/18 5-4 (15) L to the Astros
Houston proves to be the better team yet again. LA took a 4-1 lead into the 9^th and Valenzuela, even though he had 12 K's, ran dry. Franco came in and blew his first save of the year. Valenzuela even hit his first dinger of the year. Rickey hit number 9 and Ron Kittle hit number 2. Incaviglia didn't play. Niedenfeur took the loss (0-1).

George Hinshaw was claimed off waiver from the Paders. Hinshaw can play every position, but isn't any kind of offensive weapon. He's a career .220 hitter with a career WAR of 0.1. Ross Jones was optioned back to Albuquerque.

6/19 4-2 L to the Astros
Sid Bream lead off with HR (5) and we thought we'd get to Dave Stewart, but that wasn't the case. Stewart (7-5) allowed 4 more hits all game, 2 were extra bases. Ray Knight and Doug DeCinces were the only other guys with hits, they both got 2. Rookie prospect Doug Jennings got his first career hit, a double in the 5^th. Downs took the loss to drop to 6-5. He was hurt by 3 Dodger errors, that lead to 3 unearned runs. Houston has overtaken us for first.

Bad news is that Inky is still out and it's not looking good. The good news is that Lynn comes off the DL in 2 days.

6/20 10-2 W over the Astros
Frank Tanana (6-5) walked 6 and struck out 13, but the offense found footing tonight too. Bream, in the leadoff spot, went 3-4, with a walk and 4 RBI's. Dwayne Murphy, starting in right homered in the 2^nd inning (2) and added 2 more hits. Doug DeCinces has been starting at short and hit his 9^th homer in the 9^th. Tony Phillips added 3 more hits. It was 17 hits in all for the Dodgers. Our 3 game slide is halted.

Inky is down. He's got an elbow issue that is going to keep him out for a few weeks. He's been placed on the DL and Tom Beyers was called up to replace him. Beyers is hitting .330/.364/.522 with 5 HR's.

6/21 4-0 L to the Astros
That didn't last long. Kirk McCaskill (9-4) struck out 11 and came within 1 out of a 3 hit shut out. Rhoden (10-4) took the loss. DeCinces sucks at short. I know his bat is important, but his errors are really letting runs score that shouldn't be. Tough stretch right now.

6/22 1-0 L to the Braves
Zane Smith (6-7) once again takes us out. LA has scored 4 runs over 4 games now. And is on quite the streak. Ron Kittle and Mike Scioscia both had a couple hits, and LA left 9 guys on base and Doug DeCinces had 2 more errors at short. Atlanta's only run came on a Gerald Perry solo-homer (12) off of Valenzuela (9-5) in the second. Fernando struck out 8 in a good outing. Fred Lynn came off the DL before the game; Doug Jennings was sent back to AAA.

6/23 4-0 W over the Braves
John Denny (7-7) threw a complete game shut out get a W for LA. He did it with 122 pitches. Kittle went 2-4, with 2 solo HR's (3,4) and Rickey hit #10 in the 5^th to account for all 4 runs. DeCinces made another error at short.

6/24 8-3 L to the Braves
Kelly Downs (6-6) was ineffective serving up 10 hits, and 3 unearned runs. The error? DeCinces. He's killing us at short. Sax or Smalley need to get back ASAP. Rickey (11) and Lynn (19) added home runs late, but it wouldn't matter to the scoreline.

6/25 8-4 W over the Reds
LA put up 2 in the first and never fell behind. With an ok start by Rhoden (11-4) and a Fred Lynn HR (20) LA kept the lead and hit well. They knocked 10 hits, with Ricky, Lynn and Phillips all getting a pair. They also stole 4 bases. DeCinces committed another error at short.

Former 2^rd round and 72nd overall pick from '86, Scott Scudder, was released by the Dodgers. Scudder had pitched 1 game for the Great Falls Dodgers (rookie). He took the loss allowing 5 in 6 innings. That's a rough start to a career. No worries though. He isn't going far. The Angels signed him the same day and he's been promoted to “A” ball.

6/26 7-5 L to the Reds
Too much power for the Reds. Tanana (6-6) served up a grand slam to Danny Tartabull (13) in the first inning and in the 4^th, Jose Canseco would hit number 21. Seven RbI's between the 2 of them. Thre rest of the team only had 4 hits. LA had their own power shots, but never could recover after that grand slam. LA mounted a comeback late. In the 6^th Kittle (5) and DeCinces (10) went back to back and in the 7^th, it was Rickey who blasted his own (12). DeCinces did NOT commit an error today. Yay!

6/27 9-7 L to the Reds
This shit has to stop. Valenzuela only lasted 4 innings, and in those 4 innings he allowed 7 hits, 4 of which left the park. Yep, the Reds have some muscle. Esasky (19) and Kal Daniels (13) in the first. Canseco (22) in the 3^rd and Tom Foley (2) in the 4^th. And somehow, LA fought back and tied the game in the bottom of the 4^th. Helped by Lynn's 21^st HR, they charged back. Rickey broke the tie with a solo shot (13) in the 6^th and it was up to the LA pen. A 3-run 7^th off of Niedenfeur (0-2) thanks to another HR. This time by Tartabull (14) sealed the deal. Don Robinson did lower his ERA to 6.87. Five Dodger starters had 2 hits in this one.

Roy Smalley was activated off the DL. Ty Dabney was sent back along with Tom Beyers. Doug Jennings was recalled.

6/29 4-0 W over the Padres
We needed this win. This month hasn't gone well at all. John Denny (8-7) came throught with a 7 hit shutout. He was helped by a DeCinces solo HR (11) and Rickey and Scioscia both had 2 hits. This is Denny's 4^th shutout of the year, he is tied with McCaskill for the lead.

Steve Sax was activated off the DL and Tom Burgmeier was designated and placed on waivers. It's really nice to have Sax back, but perhaps not getting rid of the one guy who has been halfway decent in the bullpen and now only leaves you with 1 southpaw (Franco, the closer). No way he's going to Albuquerque, but it also could be a ploy to buy time. We've seen guys go to waivers before and come back.

6/30 8-5 (10) L to the Padres
Kevin McReynolds homered in the first, but LA answered with 3 in the bottom half. Downs was on the mound and he gave the lead back in the 4^th and gave it away in the 5^th. LA's bats seemed to find some spirit today with 2 hits from a returning Sax, Lynn and Bream. Another run for the Pads in the 7^th sent Downs out as LA answered to keep it a 1 run game into the 9^th. With Ken Daley on the mound LA sent Larry Parrish to the plate and he lead off with a game tying HR. Franco (2-2) stayed in for the 10^th and the Padres ended any hope of a home win steal.

PilotMan · 09-07-2017, 07:28 PM

June Recap

Ok, so this was a very bad month on the heels of a very good month. I think that the injuries and simply everyone running off the high of all the hitting they had been doing came down. The team record for the month was 11-16. That's the worst we've had in just about ever. For the season LA has fallen to 3^rd place, trailing the Reds by 2 games and the Astros by 3. Our record of 43-35 is good, but won't take us to the playoffs.

The team batting fell off a cliff. Where we were hitting .282 before June, we're only hitting .264 after. That's a team drop of 18 points in 30 days. That's a lot of guys sucking ass at the same time. Where the team was leading in most offensive categories, now we're down to 2^nd in batting, slugging, hits, 3^rd in HR's, OPS, runs, and 4^th in OBP and steals. Still pretty damn good, but another month as bad as June and we'll be mid table in everything.

Pitching is good too, we shouldn't lose hope. Team ERA is 3^rd in the NL, and the starters are #2, even the bullpen is up to #4 with a 3.77. We're 4^th in almost every other pitching category, so not the #1 or #2 that we have been, but not far off of the lead either. Still another bad month and we'll be mid table and chasing an 81-81 season.

On defense, we've fallen to 4^th. I blame the decision to put DeCinces at short. He's averaging nearly an error per game. With Sax back, that means that Phillips gets to go back where he belongs.

Our best hitter for the month was Rickey. He was one of the only guys who didn't fall off the planet this month. His slash line was .324/.439/.588, he hit 7 dingers and stole 16 bases. If anyone else would have backed him up we could have done something. Fred Lynn played half the month, but was still hot. His line was .383/.453/.809. He hit 5 HR's in 14 games, but all that only netted 14 RBI's (compared to 37 in May.) Dwayne Murphy should have stayed on the bench. His month was awful, like pitcher awful. He batted .087/.176/.152. He had 4 singles in 19 games. That's it. Good grief.

Our #1 pitcher was no surprise. It's been Rhoden for some time and he had another good month. He went 4-2 with a 2.66 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. He's having a really good year so far. Maybe not 1986 good, but pretty good. Frank Tanana was not his best. He went 1-4 with a 5.23 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. Last year he lead the NL with 34 gopher balls, and his 11 this year is putting him in the ballpark again. I fully expect him to be the pitcher of the month next month in typical Tanana fashion.

All our optimism is dead. We're not awful, but we totally blew May with an awful June. July brings the All Star game and the trade deadline where the team could make moves one way or the other. We need to get Inky back, but the best we can hope for is the end of July at best. Crap.

PilotMan · 09-16-2017, 05:06 PM

7/1 7-6 W over the Padres
Rick Rhoden hit a bases loaded double, scoring 3 in the bottom of the 5^th that gave LA the lead. They would add another in the 7^th then turn it over to Niedenfuer. Tom proceeded to blow his 2^nd save of the year, but allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk. LA would pick him up though as Ricky came through with a 2 out single to give us the win. Don Robinson lowered his ERA to 6.20.

Tony Phillips is heading to the DL with a stitches in his hand from a collision at 2^nd base. LA has brought up Charlie Kerfeld for his first action this year.

7/3 4-1 L to the Pirates
Mike Scott (9-6) strikes out 9, including Lynn 4 times (once with the bases loaded) and Kittle 3 times. Valenzuela loses to drop to 9-6. LA's only run came on a Sax single after a triple by Rickey. They only managed 1 other hit, the entire game.

Tom Burgmeier was reinstated after his failed trip to the waiver wire and Kerfeld was optioned back to Albuquerque without throwing a pitch.

7/4 5-1 W over the Pirates
Great game by Denny (9-7) who pitched 8 and allowed 4 hits and 1 unearned run. Ron Kittle hit number 7, giving him more than '86 or '85. He went 2-4 to lead the team.

Don Sutton won game #300 with a Yankees uniform on.

7/5 3-2 W over the Pirates
Kelly Downs (7-6) went 8, striking out 7, but it was his 8^th inning that almost cost the team. The Bucs put 2 runs up and took a 2-1 lead. Tom Henke (1-3) came on gave up a lead off double to Scioscia. Parrish moved him over to third. With 2 outs, George Hinshaw, who took over for an injured Sax, singled in 2 to give LA the lead again. That's Henke's 4^th BS of the year already. Don Robinson pitched a scoreless 9^th for his 2^nd save.

Sax is on the DL again, this time with a some knee tenderness. Chuck Jackson (.406/.472/.535 in AAA) is getting his second stint with the team. Last year he went 1-3 in 1 start. Jackson is the Dodgers #4 prospect.

7/6 7-4 L to the Cardinals
Rhoden (11-5) was roughed up for 3 in the first, thanks to the 20^th HR of the year for Will Clark. He gave up another gopher ball in the 2^nd to Matthew Tyner (7) and the Dodgers just couldn't catch up. Ron Kittle hit #8 in the 4^th and Sid Bream hit #6 in the 7^th inning. Kittle's 2-4 day lead the team.

7/7 6-3 W over the Cardinals
Ron Kittle (9) and Roy Smalley (1) each hit home runs in the 5^th to put LA on top, then Kittle would add his 2^nd (10) in the 6^th. He would finish 3-4, with 3 RBI's. Rickey went 2-4, scored 2 runs and stole his 40^th base of the season. He is having a very, very good year. Lost in all that was a complete game by who? Oh yeah, Frank Tanana (7-6). The master of inconsistency strikes again, just like I said he would. Striking out 6 in a good pitching performance. He still gave up a 9^th inning gopher ball to Tom Brunansky (16).

Kittle, in 35 games, is closing in on his high HR total while playing for LA. He hit 14 after the trade in '83, and he's got 10 this year. Don't call it a comeback though. He's been here for years.

7/8 6-4 (11) W over the Cardinals
Sid Bream hit a bases loaded single in the 11^th to score Scioscia and Hinshaw and put LA up. Niedenfeur got the last 3 outs for his first save, but he made it interesting. LA had the game in hand early on, building a 4-0 lead on Rickey and aggressive baserunning. Henderson went 4-6 and scored 2 more runs. He's on pace for over 150 runs scored this year. Valenzuela was cruising, when he let the Cards tie it in the 8^th on a Bill Schroeder HR (5). Franco pitched 2 scoreless to get the W (3-2).

Reigning 2-time Cy Young winner Doc Gooden pitched a no-hitter last night against the Braves. It's his first no-no. He struck out 9 and walked 1. It's the first NL no-hitter since Mike Scott against the Phillies back in '84 for the Mets, and the first in baseball since June 8^th of last year, when Sid Fernandez got his 2^nd with the M's.

7/9 7-4 W over the Cubs
This is it friends. There's nothing left to play for this year. Ricky Henderson left the game with some kind of injury after making a catch and throw. No idea yet on how serious. This is probably the biggest blow we've had this year, and that's saying a lot. The key to the game was a bases loaded triple by John Denny (10-7) in the 4^th . It was only his 3^rd hit all year long and he quadrupled his RBI total from 1 to 4. That put LA in front 4-3 and we'd add a 5^th on Ray Knight's 9^th in the 5^th. The Cubs would scratch back, the we'd add 2 more in the 8^th and Franco got the final 8 outs for his 12^th save.

7/10 6-1 L to the Cubs
Scott Bankhead (6-11) flashed some skills that made him, at one time, the #14 prospect in ML baseball. He came within 2 singles and a HR of no-hitting us. He only walked 1 and struck out 13 in the complete game. Only Fred Lynn, who hit number 22, and Chuck Jackson could manage hits. Downs took the loss to drop to 7-7.

7/11 5-3 W over the Cubs
Rhoden (12-5) got player of the game. He went 8 and struck out 8, allowing 7 hits and 2 walks along the way. He was helped along by 3 Dodger errors, including one of his own. Kittle homered in the 6^th (11) to tie the game at 2. LA would break out in the 8^th with 3 when Scioscia got a bases loaded single. Don Robinson pitched the 9^th for his 3^rd save. He lowered his ERA to 5.40.

7/12 9-7 W over the Cubs
LA nearly paid for 4 errors, but it was the completely inept Cubbie pitching that allowed LA to win this one. Both teams scored in each of the first 3 innings, and LA carried a 2 run lead forward. A Shane Mack HR tied it in the 6^th (7), but LA managed to open it back up for good in the 7^th. LA walked 10 times in the game and left 11 runners on base.

All-Star Break

No question, it's bad news for LA. Rickey is down until mid August with back pain. Not having him in the lineup is going to change everything. Dwayne Murphy has been getting the playing time in center in his absence, but Rickey Henderson he isn't. As he is sent to the DL, Tom Beyers (.338/.376/.520 5 HR, 42 RBI) is getting called up for his 2^nd stint with the team. He went 0-5 in 6 games last season and is still looking for his first career hit. Notably, he's older than Rickey is. So he's not the wave of the future.

LA has locked down #4 outfielder Ron Kittle to a 3yr/1.53M contract to stay with the team. Not sure what the justification is, other than he's fairly cheap. He hits the ball a freaking mile, when he hits it.

Know how else we were shafted? Both Rickey and Inky were left off the NL All Star team.

Here are the current and former Dodgers that make up this year's All Star team:

P - Bob Welch (KC) (4^th AS) – 9-6, 3.40, 4.1 WAR
SS – Mariano Duncan (CWS) (1) - .301/.362/.473 9HR, 34 SB
OF – Franklin Stubbs (TOR) (1) - .333/.380/.692 30HR 8 SB

P – Fernando Valenzuela (LA) (7) – 9-6, 2.77 ERA, 2.5 WAR
P – John Franco (LA)(1) – 3-2, 12 S, 1.57 ERA, 1.1 WAR
3B – Pedro Guerrero (PHI) (5) - .339/.397/.516, 16HR
OF – Fred Lynn (LA) (10) - .290/.353/.592 22HR

Rickey and Inky both should have been on this team. Both deserved it. If we go deep, Rickey has strong MVP stats, but he needs to get healthy. Inky has big ROY possibilities. Who the fuck would have ever believed that Stubbs would blow up like he has. He is a bonafide stud for Toronto.

The NL All Stars knocked off the AL 8-4.

Fred Lynn was 0-3, Valenzuela only managed 2/3 of an inning, allowing 3 hits and a walk with 2 runs. John Franco pitched a scoreless 9^th. Andy Van Slyke went 2-2 with smacked a HR in the 2^nd off of Roger Clemens to nab MVP honors.

PilotMan · 09-17-2017, 09:20 PM

Tony Phillips is activated from the DL and Tom Beyers is sent back to Albuquerque without getting into a game.

7/16 8-5 W over the Pirates
Ron Kittle put us on the board first with his 12^th of the year, and walked us off with a 3-run bomb (13) off of Tom Henke (1-4). LA had fallen behind heading into the 9^th, but Fred Lynn doubled in BJ Surhoff , who had lead off with a walk, and Kittle followed with the game ender. On the day Kittle was 3-5, with 4 RBI. LA committed 2 more errors that lead to 2 unearned runs. Franco got the win to go to 4-2.

7/17 7-4 W over the Pirates
Ray Knight homered in the first (10) to go up early, but an error in the 5^th lead to 3 unearned runs for the Bucs. Trailing 3-1, Dwayne Murphy went lefty v lefty and won, blasting a 3-run HR to right to put LA in front for good. We'd add 3 more in the 8^th on a Surhoff, bases clearing double to end all doubt. Don Robinson allowed 1 in the 9^th to raise his ERA to 5.33. Rhoden improved his record to 13-5.

Inky was activated from the DL and sent to Albuquerque for some rehab from his injury.

7/18 3-1 W over the Pirates
Frank Tanana (8-6) pitched 8 long innings, struck out 7 on his way to lowering his ERA below 4. Ray Knight homered in the 7^th (11) and Scioscia went 2-4 and Franco pitched the 9^th for his 13^th save of the year.

7/19 3-2 W over the Pirates
Fernando (10-6) gets player of the game honors pitching 8 innings, allowing 6 runners, striking out 6. Doug DeCinces goes 2-4, and Kittle hammered #14 opposite field off of Mike Scott (9-8). Scott has owned LA from time to time lately and we're happy to get the big game off of him. Franco struck out 2 and allowed 1 on a wild pitch to save his 14^th game of the year.

Steve Sax is back from the disabled list. Chuck Jackson was optioned back to Albuquerque after a respectable showing in his 7 game stint. Should see more of him come September. Inky is 3-7 in 2 starts in AAA, and he should be coming back in within a week.

7/20 8-4 L to the Cardinals
Ozzie Smith went 5-6, hit 2 RBI's and lead a 16 hit, 5 walk, and 1 reach on an error attack of the Dodgers. Ron Kittle hit his 15^th HR in the 3^rd, and Steve Sax tied the game at 3 with his 3^rd of the year in the 5^th. LA's bullpen let them down as John Franco was tagged for 4 runs on 3 hits. Don Robinson had to get the 3^rd out in the 9^th and lowered his ERA to 5.26. This snaps LA's 5 game run.

7/21 7-2 (11) L to the Cardinals
Rhoden took a no-hitter into the 7^th inning and got help in the bottom when Fred Lynn bopped his 23^rd HR of the year. Top of the 8^th though, Rhoden got into trouble and it was Cards prospect, Jay Bell, with his own HR (2) that tied it back up. Rhoden would go 9, but LA wouldn't threaten again, as the Mike Morgan threw 10 innings and got the W (9-9). Don Robinson (0-3) had pitched a clean 10^th, but gave it all away in the 11^th and left without getting an out. Tom Niedenfuer only fared marginally better and let in a bunch of runs. Robinson's ERA shoots back up over 6, to 6.07.

Inky is been recalled from Albuquerque and is ready for prime time again. We've missed his power, no question. IF George Hinshaw was put on waivers and designated for assignment. Looks like Inky is taking over in right, while Lynn goes back to left and Kittle, the hottest hitter in LA, goes to the bench. I wish Lasorda would wise up and move Lynn to center and get Dwayne Murphy back to the bench. He can't hold a candle to Kittle for production right now. Rickey is for sure not coming back until after the trade deadline.

A couple significant trades around the league. Such as....remember that time that the Yankees traded DH Keith Hernandez, minor league OF Eric Anthony and some cash to the division leading Blue Jays for 37yr old, back up catcher Rick Dempsey? Or the other one? Remember the time that the Twins sent OF Chili Davis to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for ancient reliver Gene Garber and the Pirates top prospect, P John Smoltz? Fun times people! Fun times!!

7/23 5-4 W over the Cardinals
Once again, the bullpen tried it's hardest to give this one away. If it wasn't for a late Lynn HR (24) the Cards would have tied it up. Steve Sax was brilliant again. He went 3-4 and knocked in 3 of the Dodger runs. Kelly Downs (8-7) got the win after 7 strong innings, and Ken Howell eventually got the last out for his 2^nd save of the year.

7/24 3-2 W over the Cubs
Valenzuela (11-6) had early control problems and loaded the bases in the first. The Cubs would push one across, but in the bottom half, Fred Lynn would put us on top with a 2-run homer to deep right field (25). He's closing in on 1000 career RBI's. Valenzuela settled down and that would be all he would allow over 8 innings. LA would scrap together another run in the 6^th. Only Sax and Lynn would get hits, with 2 each. Franco pitched the 9^th. He walked the leadoff hitter, allowed a triple to Pat Tabler. Then with the tying run on 3^rd, get the next 3 batters to preserve the victory for his 15^th save.

7/25 7-5 L to the Cubs
Both Frank Tanana's (8-7) took the mound today. The first one didn't allow a hit until the 4^th, and the second one, blew a 3 run lead and gave up a go ahead HR to Jody Davis in the 7^th. LA's bullpen, once again, failed in every sense of the word. Don Robinson pitched the 8^th, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks. His ERA ballooned to 6.83, putting us way behind. LA got 2 back in the 8^th, then managed to put the tying run in scoring position in the 9^th with Inky and Lynn due up. Ron Robinson struck them both out to end it. Scioscia left the game limping after running the bases. It doesn't look serious, he won't be available, but he's not going to the DL either.

7/26 3-2 W over the Cubs
John Denny improved to 11-7 with 8 innings of work. A 4^th inning 2-run HR by Rick Schu (10) put the Cubs in front. LA would tie it in the bottom half though, as Fred Lynn went opposite field with his own 2-run shot (26). Then Denny would do the rest. After Tony Phillips walked, then stole second, Denny, batting below .100, cracked a double to the gap in left that scored Phillips and put LA in front. Franco pitched the 9^th for his 16^th save.

George Hinshaw was claimed off of waivers by the Pirates.

The Yankees, who are falling further behind the Blue Jays as we head to the deadline made, what looks to be a desperate move to get more pitching. They've sent fan favorite CF Brett Butler to the Padres for SP Rick Sutcliffe and a minor leaguer. Sutcliffe is an inning eater and was an All-Star this season. He has a career record of 86-101, with a 4.05 ERA. Butler has been in pinstripes for 5 seasons, is a career .286 hitter, 2 time All-Star (84, 86) and Silver Slugger winner (84).

The Dodgers have also made their first big trade in at least 3 seasons. We are saying goodbye to hit and miss outfielder Ron Kittle, who was the hottest hitter on the team in July, cranking out 10 HR's and a .314/.385/.771 slash line this month. He's been a big trade card for the team, as he just can't get steady playing time at all. He's a career .250 hitter with 76 career HR's. We also sent minor league SS, Kent Anderson. Anderson is a former 8^th round pick of the White Sox, back in '83. LA was his 4^th team and had been playing at AA San Antonio. So......LA has decided that the Sid Bream experiment, at least for now, is done. Bream isn't delivering this year at first base, so he's heading to the bench. Taking is place, is Texas Rangers first basement, Pete O'Brien. O'Brien is was a Gold Glover in '85 and a top prospect. At 29, he's the same age as Kittle, and has played in 160 games each of the last 3 seasons. This year he is .294/.363/.469 with 17 HR's and 56 RBI's. He's a career .273 hitter with 106 HR's.

From the outside looking in, this looks like an upgrade in the lineup in exchange for depth of position. There's still more depth in this team they can move if they feel like a good deal can be made. I'm happy with this one. Kittle never seemed to get his chance after that first trade that brought him here.

7/27 4-2 L to the Giants
Rhoden (13-6) threw another complete game, striking out 8 along the way. LA however, did next to nothing until Tony Phillips hit a 2-run HR in the bottom of the 9^th. LA would put the tying run on base, with 0 outs, and Dan Plesac would pitch his way out of it. Ending it with a pickoff of BJ Surhoff on first base. How sad. Bream went 0-3. Inky hasn't been good at all since he came back. In 5 games, he has 0 extra base hits and is 3-17 with 10 strikeouts. Ugh.

7/28 2-0 L to the Giants
Kelly Downs (8-8). Poor Kelly Downs. He made 2 bad pitches all game. His no hitter was broken up in the 5^th by a Gregg Jefferies double to left. The very next batter, Terry Kennedy cleared the fence with HR #11 and that was it. Those were the only hits for SF the entire game. Downs walked 1, and struck out 11 in a nearly commanding performance. LA got 4 singles and 5 walks and couldn't get anyone home.

Dave Winfield got his #2000^th hit as member of the Kansas City Royals.

7/29 9-1 W over the Giants
Pete O'Brien didn't take long to make his mark on the team. In his 2^nd game, he hit HR #18 and went 3-3 with 2 doubles. Valenzuela (12-6) got the win, in a complete game performance. He allowed 5 hits, and struck out 5, lowering his ERA to 2.52 and showing his All Star mettle yet again.

The Dodgers have made another move, and I have really mixed emotions about it. LA gets younger, moves a bat and brings in some pitching help. Doug DeCinces is heading out the door. He's really had his moments with the team the last couple of years, even if his numbers are way off this year. At 36 he's not getting any younger, and Lasorda's penchant to put him at short is hurting us. He's batting .255, with 11 HR's and 34 RBI's. Anyway, he's not heading far, down to San Diego to see the Padres, along with some cash. In return, LA gets southpaw Dave Dravecky. Dravecky, 31, has spent his entire career in San Diego. He has a 54-61 record and a career 3.63 ERA. This year isn't on that level. He's started 6 and come out of the pen 9 times. He's 1-5, with a save and a 6.70 ERA, but like I said, that's not been typical for him. His career highlight was a no-hitter back in '83 against the Cardinals. His contract is up after this year. LA also gets minor leaguer Kevin Koslofski, an OF, and former 6^th round pick of the White Sox. He's never played above rookie ball.

7/31 15-4 L to the Braves
All you can do is laugh. We got killed today. John Denny (11-8) took the loss, and the bullpen allowed 7 more. Tom Burgmeier, who had been pretty effective, joined the rest of the bunch today, allowing 7 hits, and 5 runs, in 1/3 of an inning. Enough of that. Bright spots? Ray Knight and Steve Sax each had 2 hits. Tony Phillips hit HR #10 and Sid Bream came off the bench to his HR #7. Alejandro Pena threw 2 scoreless innings. Braves rookie shortstop, Andres Thomas, hit his first career HR in the game.

No other last minute deals. Tom Burgmeier was designated again and placed on waivers. Chuck Jackson was called back from AAA to take his roster spot and presumably to give us the infield depth that DeCinces gave us. Dravecky was added to the bullpen and LA is running with 11 pitchers now.

PilotMan · 09-18-2017, 06:51 PM

July Recap

July was a good month. After the disaster that was June, the team held steady and stayed close in the title hunt. The team's record was 16-9, bringing the overall record to 59-44. That has us in 2^nd place in the West right now, 2 games behind the Reds. Yeah. The Reds. The Astros sit another 1.5 behind us, and after a rough month.

LA has a good team. When I'm looking down the team rankings, LA is pretty much 3^rd on offense, in just about every category, and 7^th in steals. In pitching, we still have the #1 rotation, but the bullpen is the worst I've seen, mired down in 9^th place. The rest of our rankings keep us right about #4, a little better here, a little worse there. Team defense has dropped, all the way to the average ranking of #6. You can thank Doug DeCinces and his short stop skills for that.

Fernando Valenzuela was the top pitcher for July. His record of 3-1 could have been better, but his ERA of 2.02 and WHIP of 1.15 was his best since April. Just going to throw the entire bullpen under the bus this month. Don Robinson is an easy target, but even John Franco posted a +5 ERA.

Ron Kittle, was the best hitter. He bashed the ball, as I mentioned before he was traded. After him, the best hitter was Tony Phillips and he only played half the month and his .269/.345/.423 slash line isn't really impressing anyone. Ray Knight has come crashing down from his hot start. His line in July was .169/.258/.312. No good and this guy isn't competing for playing time anymore with DeCinces out the door.

We need Rickey back, and Rickey should be coming back sooner, rather than later, but I really don't want to jinx it. We also need Inky to find that swing that he had earlier. He's been lost since he came back.

Here's a look at the rest of the league:

Starting in the West, the Reds had a helluva month and hold a 2 game lead. They have 5 guys in the starting lineup with over 20 HR's. LA resides in 2^nd, with the Astros 3.5 back and hanging in there are the Padres at 7 games back. The Giants are the worst team in the NL and are 24 games back with a .359 winning percentage.

Over in the East, it's no long all about the Expos. The Expos have fallen back to Earth and are no mortal. They are in 5^th place, 12 games below .500 and 15 games back. They're not done, but it's not looking good. In the East right now, it's the Mets in control. They are a tight 2.5 games ahead of the surprising Phillies. Both teams are good, and either of them could be tough to face.

In the AL East, the Blue Jays are still dominant. With a .657 winning percentage they are the best team in baseball and they have hit more homers than any other team in baseball. Every batter in their starting lineup, save Ryne Sandberg (go figure) has over 10 HR's. They are healthy and the bullpen is strong enough to carry a so-so pitching staff. The East also has the worst team in baseball since the '62 Mets. The '87 Brewers are historically bad. With a 29-73 record, they're actually on pace to go 46-116. The Mets record is safe...for now, but keep an eye on it.

The AL West is similar to last season, where 3 teams are posting over .600 winning percentages. The M's are out front right now, but only 1.5 in front of the White Sox, and 3.5 in front of the Angels. The Twins have just been decimated. The team was once young, and talented, is now just young. Their 34-70 record is good for 2^nd worst in baseball. That's completely unexpected for a team that boasts, Hrbek, Puckett, Dave Parker, Viola, Blyleven, Stieb, Show, and Lea. Every single starter has an ERA between 5 and 10.50. Yeah. 10.50 for Charlie Lea.

August is our make or break month. Once again, we are in it, but gonna have to pull off some magic to get to the playoffs again.

PilotMan · 09-24-2017, 05:05 PM

8/1 9-3 L to the Braves
Rhoden (13-7) was pitching alright until a rain delay. The Braves had his number after that and the game evaporated with the Brook Jacoby 3-run HR (17) in the 7^th. Jeff Pico (1-5) got his first win of the year, and his 2^nd career win. Sax, Surhoff and O'Brien, the 1-3 hitters, combined to go 7-13. Yet barely any production from anyone else.

8/2 8-4 W over the Braves
The Braves still knocked 12 hits off of LA pitching, which is still not up to standard. Down 3-1, LA took the lead with a 3 run 5^th. Tony Phillips hit #11 in the 2^nd, and Fred Lynn hit #27^th in the 8^th. Sax, Knight and Lynn batted 1-3 and they combined to go 8-12, with 6 RBI's and 5 runs. The rest of the team combined for 4 hits. Kelly Downs (9-8) got the win, but not because he had a good game. Don Robinson lowered his ERA to 6.59.

8/3 6-2 L to the Reds
Important game, and Valenzuela (12-7) can't handle the power of the Reds. LA got 10 hits, but struck out 10 times against Browning (12-7). Pete O'Brien homered (19) in the 6^th that tied the game, but the Reds got a 3-run shot from Eric Davis in the bottom of the inning. That was that. Scioscia, O'Brien, and Knight all had 2 hits.

Mike Schmidt got his 2000^th hit as a member of the Yankees.

8/4 6-4 W over the Reds
We get one back. Tanana (9-7) true to form served up another gopher ball, but pitched well enough to go 8 innings and leave with the win. We faced off against former Dodger, Ted Power (9-8) Phillips homered (12) in the 2^nd to give us a 3-2 lead, and after the Reds tied it in the 3^rd, Pete O'Brien homered again (20) to put LA up for good. Franco pitched the 9^th for his 17^th save. Ron Kittle has 5 HR's in 7 games and 27 at bats for the Rangers. He's got 20 in 168 at bats on the year.

Rickey was activated from the DL. To make room, Chuck Jackson was optioned back to Albuquerque. LA has seriously struggled without him.

8/5 8-5 L to the Reds
Are the Reds our new nemesis? Are they the best in the West now? Maybe so. Denny (11-9) was touched for 5 in the first, and even Reds starter Jack Morris (1) homered off of him in the 4^th for his first career HR. LA slowly dug out of the hole. Dravecky made his LA debut with 2 scoreless innings. LA cut the lead to 6-3 in a Sax triple in the 6^th, then 6-4 in the 7^th. Fucking Eric Davis homered in the 3^rd game in a row (29) to keep that lead open. Incaviglia finally got his first HR since his DL return (22), but it was too little, too late. The big news should have been Rickey's leadoff double in the first and his 3-4 game, but it was overshadowed by everything else.

LA has dropped down to 3^rd now. Three games behind the Reds.

8/7 5-1 W over the Braves
Rhoden (14-7) goes 3-4 with the bat, and goes the distance never giving the Braves a chance. Pete O'Brien also added a 3-4 game with a 2 RBI triple. He's batting .432 with 3 HR's in 9 games with LA. An offensive punch that the team is grateful to get from first base.

8/8 9-4 W over the Braves
LA has found the swing the last 2 night, blasting out 29 hits. Even Valenzuela helped out with his 2^nd HR of the year in the 2^nd inning. Valenzuela (13-7) allowed only 3 hits and struck out 8. Except they were all HR's and that totaled all 4 runs for the Braves. That lead to an early shower for Fernando, but the team picked him up. Inky went 3-5. Lynn, Phillips, Scioscia and Sax all had 2 hits each. Don Robinson lowered his ERA to 6.37.

8/9 6-2 W over the Braves
The hit machine quieted down some, but 7 and 8 hitters, Scioscia and Phillips went 3-6 with 4 RBI's. For the third game in a row the pitching came through. Downs (10-8) went the distance for the W.

8/10 7-3 W over the Reds
Fred Lynn goes 3-4 with 2 HR's (28,29) and 5 RBI's single handedly takes out the Reds. Rickey lead off the game with his `4^th HR to give us the lead. John Denny (12-9) became the third Dodger pitcher in a row to throw a complete game. This sudden pitching effort is really paying off in the win column. The West is a mess. The Astros are 9-1 in their last 10 and have matched our 4 game streak to claim the lead, with both the Reds and Dodgers .5 game back.

8/11 7-3 W over the Reds
LA scored 2 in the 4^th and 3 more in the 5^th when Lynn hit HR #30. Mike Scioscia went 3-3 and scored twice. He's been solid lately and his average is creeping closer to .300. LA has 5 starters with batting averages over .295. Tanana (10-7) pitched alright, but got tagged by both Tartabull (24) and Daniels (23). Typical Tanana. Don Robinson pitched a good 9^th to lower his ERA to 6.16.

Tom Burgmeier has been released, throwing 14 innings in 10 games, with a 5.79 ERA.

8/12 3-2 (11) L to the Reds
Mike Scioscia went 2-3 and hit his 5^th HR in the 7^th inning to give Rick Rhoden a lead. Rhoden went 8 and struck out 9 in a game he should have won. John Franco gave up a leadoff triple to Eric Davis and Davis scored on a Tartabull sac fly to blow it for the 2^nd time this year. Don Robinson (0-4) replaced him and he did great in the 10^th, but in the 11^th Ex Dodger Dusty Baker, who had subbed into right, smacked a single that scored Donnell Nixon. Gossage shut the Dodgers down for his 23^rd save. Robinson lowered his ERA to 6.06.

8/13 3-2 (10) W over the Reds
Valenzuela got the start and had major control problems. In 7 innings of work, he only allowed 3 hits, but walked 6 and struck out 10 along with a wild pitch. The upside was the batters didn't know where the ball was going either. Rickey went 2-3, stole a base, and knocked in the game tying RBI in the 5^th. Niendenfuer pitched 2 innings of relief and struck out 6 in a row. Franco pitched most of the 10^th, but left the game early, hurt. Dravecky (2-5) threw 1 pitch. In the bottom of the 10^th, Roy Smalley came off the bench and put the ball in the left field seats to walk off with a win (2).

It's bad for Franco. The word comes back almost immediately and the team announces the next day that Franco has a torn labrum in his shoulder. He's done for the year. Lasorda plans to use Robinson in closer duty. He's 3 of 3 on the year. The team promoted 7-year Dodger farmhand, Rafael Montalvo to the roster. Montalvo played his first year at AA this year, his highest level in his career. For San Antonio, he pitched 37 games, went 4-2, with 13 saves and a 1.85 ERA.

The team also parted ways with last year's first round pick, and top prospect Butch Henry. Henry went 2-6 with a 4.00 ERA in low rookie ball.

8/14 12-2 W over the Giants
Rickey started it all off with a lead off homer (15). He would finish 3-3 with 3 walks, 4 runs, and added another solo homer in the 9^th (16). Sax went 3-6 with his own 3-run HR (4) and Lynn homered too (31) in the first. LA walked 10 times against 6 strikeouts. Kelly Downs (11-8) pitched a complete game for the win. Rickey now has the highest HR total of any season for his career. He's also on pace to score 117 runs in 130 games if he stays healthy the rest of the way.

8/15 8-1 W over the Giants
The streaking Dodgers win again. Backed by a complete game victory for John Denny (13-9) the offense rolled up 13 hits. Sax lead off the game with a big triple, and Henderson knocked him in. Inky finally got a HR (23) and he went 3-4 with 3 RBI's in the game. Pete O'Brien also went 2-4 with his 21^st HR in the 3^rd inning and 3 RBI's.

PilotMan · 09-24-2017, 05:07 PM

Is anyone following along anymore? I'm up to 170 written pages now. My typing skills are strong.

JonInMiddleGA · 09-24-2017, 11:32 PM

Quote:

The team also parted ways with last year's first round pick, and top prospect Butch Henry. Henry went 2-6 with a 4.00 ERA in low rookie ball.

A question, on how this works in the game (hey, I read about once every 7-10 days, so I might as well toss this in here):

So they released a player -- which is something I don't see that often in sports games unless they're wanting the roster spot for someone else.

Is that the case here, that he was cut loose in order to use the spot for a player that either fills a need or simply has more potential?

Or ... something else? (yeah, I don't know what else either tbh)

PilotMan · 09-25-2017, 07:20 AM

OOTP has always gotten a bit of a knock for the way it has handled it's minor league transactions. It's vastly improved from years past where it would cut a guy, then resign him days later, and that would repeat itself off and on throughout.

In this case, without knowing the true mechanics of why, I mean, generally, a first round pick would get much more time to develop, especially for an 18-year old kid pitcher, it's really tough to say.

They didn't need a spot either. So in this case, the simple solution is that he just wasn't viewed as being good enough, or worthwhile enough, even though there are plenty of guys they do sign who, quite literally, have no future at all.

I chalk it up to a bit of randomness and shortsightedness of the front office. Or you can game it a bit and just figure he pissed a whole lot of people off with his charming personality. It does help tell a story for a player later on, if he does work his way up the ladder, of the teams that gave up on him and how he kept working hard and ate his vitamins, to get to the top.

Warhammer · 09-25-2017, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Is anyone following along anymore? I'm up to 170 written pages now. My typing skills are strong.

I am, but I follow dynasties once a week or once every other week. I normally don't comment though.

PilotMan · 09-25-2017, 07:42 PM

Thanks for reading for those of you who stop in. I find that this medium helps immerse me in the world, and really brings back the old school, Strat days, without all that hard work of bookkeeping and random generation. I haven't been this deep into an OOTP dynasty in years and years. As a kid of the 80's it's like a walk down memory lane, and there's enough historical variation that it feels new every season.

PilotMan · 09-27-2017, 10:29 PM

8/16 7-6 L to the Giants
LA lost and Tanana (10-8) allowed 3 more dingers. The most important was a go ahead, 2-run homer by Tony Perez. Perez, at the ripe age of 45, hit his 400^th HR. The Giants are his 6^th team in 6 years, and it was his first of the year, and only his 2^nd since '83. Perez was signed in May, and his slash line this year is .231/.250/.308. He is the oldest active player in baseball. Sax went 2-4, and Tony Phillips hit his 13^th HR of the year. Down by 2, LA got a run and Lynn hit the final ball to the fence, but came up just short of tying it.

8/18 9-4 L to the Expos
Valenzuela (13-8) served up 4 HR's to the Expos in the first 5 innings. Three of them went to Andres Galarraga (28,29,30). Gary Carter (15) and Mike Greenwell (2) also homered for the Expos. Inky was the high spot going 2-4. The Expos are nearly out of the playoff race. This just shows they can still get one over on us.

8/19 8-6 W over the Expos
Andre Dawson smashed 2 HR's (21,22) and sent Kelly Downs to an early shower. The Expos took a 5-3 lead into the 9^th with Quiz (1-6) on the mound. Tony Phillips lead off with a walk, and BJ Surhoff pinch hit for pitcher. Surhoff smashed a 2-run HR for his first career homer and tied it up. LA wasn't done though. Henderson singled, Bream doubled him in next. LA would add another to make it 8-5. New closer, Don Robinson came on and Hubie Brooks homered, then Robinson settled down and finished it off for his 4^th save.

Rick Rhoden has been put on the DL with an illness. Michael Cunningham was promoted from Albuquerque to take his place. Cunningham, 26, has been pitching in Albuquerque off and on for 6 years and this is his first promotion to the Majors. This season he was 11-9, with a 5.11 ERA, in 176 innings of work. He's a hard worker, with a curve, change and knuckleball. He gets lots of movement, it's just that we don't really know where it's going. The team could have gone with Dravecky in the rotation, but that would have left them without any lefties in the bullpen.

8/20 7-6 W over the Expos
I cannot say enough good things about Rickey and what he means to this team right now. He and Sax lead off the day with back to back doubles and LA batted around and put up 3, leaving the bases loaded. John Denny did not have a good day, and despite getting 5 runs of support, a Gary Carter 2-run homer (16) in the bottom of the 7^th tied the game and he left with the result out of his hands. Niedenfeur (2-2) pitched the 8^th and his first batter, pinch hitter, Don Baylor, homered to left (2) to put Montreal on top. Joe Hesketh (2-1), who is not the closer, came on for the 9^th and it was Rickey, once again, who lead off with a big HR down the line (17) to tie it back up. That also happened to be Rickey's 100^th career round tripper. Two batters later, Inky hammered another ball to left-center (24) to give LA the lead. Don Robinson pitched a 1-2-3 9^th for his 5^th save, lowering his ERA to 5.97. Steve Sax went 4-5.

8/21 9-1 W over the Phillies
The Phils sent former Dodger Milt Wilcox (5-6) to the mound and it didn't end well for him. LA scored in each of the first 4 innings to send him to the shower with 7 runs on the board. LA didn't need much, but from there, but it got a complete game from Frank Tanana (11-8) who still had to be himself and serve up a gopher ball to another former Dodger, Pedro Guerrero (24) and who still has a 21 game hitting streak, thanks to that hit. The Phillies only got 4 hits off Tanana. Meanwhile, Fred Lynn hit #32, and Ray Knight went 4-5 with 3 runs, 3 RBI's and his 12^th HR of the season. Sax stole base number 31 and Henderson stole 3 to give him 50 on the year.

The Cardinals Andy Van Slyke hit for the cycle against the Reds. Not only that, but he tied the NL record for RBI's in a game with 8. His HR was a grand slam.

8/22 15-9 W over the Phillies
Rookie Michael Cunningham gets his first ML start today and opened it up by striking out 2^nd basemen, Juan Samuel and LF Pedro Guerrero in a 1-2-3 first inning. Then came the 2^nd where rookie of the year candidate, Larry Walker hit the ball 420 ft (32), he walked Balboni and the other ROY candidate, catcher Bob Melvin homered again (14) to put the Phillies on top. LA gave him 6 runs of support, but Samuel would get revenge on his 3^rd look with a 3-run HR (18) to ultimately ruin the journeyman's debut. Cunningham had wild pitch and 2 hit batters too. Dave Magadan had to leave after getting hit. LA wasn't done though. Dravecky (3-5) pitched 2 and struck out 5 and LA scored 2 in the 6^th to tie the game, helped by Phillips 14^th HR. Larry Parrish hit a pinch hit 2-run HR in the 7^th (3) to put LA on top for good. LA totaled 4 in the 7^th and another 3 in the 8^th as the Phillies had to empty the bullpen. LA bashed 18 hits with Sax and O'Brien getting 3 each. Even Bream got a 2-run pinch hit single. This game also saw the first career homerun for another Phillie rookie, Mark Grace. LA also cooled Guerrero's 22 game hitting streak.

8/23 4-3 W over the Phillies
LA was stymied by young Phillies starter Greg Maddux (13-10) for most of the game. Valenzuela (14-8) matched him inning for innings, but the Phillies build up a 3-1 lead heading into the 8^th inning. Two rare outfield errors in the same inning, one by Dave Clark and one by Larry Walker opened the door for LA to put 3 across and take a 4-3 lead. Valenzuela went 2-3 in the game and scored twice. Don Robinson loaded the bases in the 9^th and it looked like it was going to be bad, but he figured it out and finished the game without allowing the tying run. His 6^th save of the year, and lowering his ERA to 5.80.

8/24 4-3 (11) L to the Mets
Both teams come into the game in first place. Both teams have identical records. The series is split between them. It's about as even as it gets. Kelly Downs ended up walking 5 and striking out 7 and he had a 3-1 lead going into the 8^th, but he couldn't get out of it, and by the time he left it was tied up. The Mets have an incredible bullpen and LA tried to match it, but couldn't. Dave Dravecky (3-6) gave up a hit, and walked the bases loaded in the 11^th. Then strike out 2 before he would walk in the winning run for the Mets. Frustrating.

8/25 2-1 W over the Mets
John Denny (14-9) and Ron Darling (7-12) had a great pitchers dual totday. LA didn't get a hit until the 5^th inning. LA struck first on the back of a Incaviglia 2-run HR to left (25). The Mets clawed one back, but LA held on. Don Robinson pitched a scoreless 9^th for his 7^th save. His ERA is down to 5.65.

8/26 8-7 L to the Mets
A see saw affair, that saw LA fall behind 6-4, then with 3 solo home runs in the 6^th inning by Lynn (33), Knight (13) and Phillips (15) the Dodgers took the lead. Inky had homered in the 4^th (26), but Tanana was on the mound today and he gave up 3 of his own and only lasted 3 innings. Dravecky (3-7) pitched 3 good innings in relief, but it was the 4^th inning that hurt. Carmelo Martinez pinch hit for the pitcher and homered to give the Mets the lead and ultimately the win.

8/28 7-3 L to the Expos
Bryn Smith (16-10) gets his league leading 16^th win, but he has himself to thank for it. A career .118 hitter, Smith homered in the 2^nd inning for his first career homer. He would add a single and another RBI later on. Valenzuela (14-9) was not his best today. He allowed 10 hits in 5 innings of work. Fred Lynn homered in the 9^th (34) as a consolation. Rafael Montalvo made his ML debut, retiring the Expos in order.

Scioscia sprained his ankle sliding into 2^nd base and he's heading to the DL. LA promoted C/IF John Debus to back up Surhoff. Debus is regarded as a good defensive catcher, who started most of the year in AAA Albuquerque. His slash line was .284/.355/.443 with 7 HR's and 32 RBI's. He's been in the Dodgers farm system for 7 years, and this, at 28 years old, is his first call to the Majors.

8/29 6-1 W over the Expos
Downs (12-8) pitched 8 and struck out 5 to get the Dodgers the win today. LA didn't have any extra base hits, but relied on 2 hit games from Sax and Knight. The Candy Man, once a feared opponent, got a rare start for the Expos. His stuff isn't the same now. He walked 5 in 4 innings and was touched for 4 unearned runs (2 earned). Don Robinson pitched another scoreless 9^th to lower his ERA to 5.50.

8/30 7-5 (11) L to the Expos
Denny had a rough first inning thanks to Gary Carter and his 3-run HR (18). LA would fall behind 5-0 before they would start the comeback. It started in the 6^th when Surhoff his #2 to put LA on the board. Inky added another 2-run shot (27) that brought us to 5-3. Quiz (2-7) took the mound in the 9^th and after allowing the first 2 on, got Ray Knight to ground into a DP. One on, 2 out, 2-2 pitch to Tony Phillips and he hit it out (16) to tie it up. Don Robinson (0-5) pitched the 11^th and loaded them up before Molitor hit a 2-run single. LA went down meekly in the bottom half to end it. Robinson's ERA ballooned up to 5.82 with the loss. C John Debus made his ML debut and went 0-2 from the 7^th inning on.

8/31 8-2 W over the Phillies
Big day for LA as they pound Milt Wilcox (5-8). Tony Phillips went 3-3, Sax 3-5, and Surhoff 2-4 and who also hit his 3^rd HR of the season. LA put up a 6 in the 2^nd and that pretty much took care of that. Tanana (12-8) managed to pitch 7 innings without allowing a single HR. Not so much for Niedenfeur who served up a gohper ball to Bob Melvin (16) in the 9^th.

PilotMan · 10-31-2017, 09:45 PM

August Recap

LA goes 18-10 and stays in the mix as the season winds down. Our record is 77-54, 22 games above .500, and in a tie with the Astros for first in the West. LA is getting good offensive production, as the team is 2,3, or 4 in pretty much every offensive category. The pitching staff is good too, just about 4^th all around in every pitching category. The starters are #2 in ERA, but the bullpen is 7^th in the NL.

Getting Rickey back in the lineup has been critical to LA getting it's offense back in order. He's crucial in the lead off spot. He hit 4 HR's and hit over .300 in August. He also added 12 steals to get to 52 on the year. He only needs 3 more to have his highest number in 4 years.

Would you believe that Kelly Downs was the best pitcher for August? Well he was, with a 4-0 record and his 3.15 ERA. Fernando was awful with a 6+ ERA for the month. We need him to get it back together.

It's also September call up time. Here are the guys that are getting the call up to the Show:

C Jack Fimple (.211/2/28 in AAA) – Primarily a catcher, also plays 2b and 3b. Has 1 option year left. At 28, he's not getting any younger. He had 1 at bat last year.

3B Billie Merrifield (.246/6/30 in AAA) - Plays the corners and can also play some outfield. Has 2 option years left. He the #15 prospect in the organization, but he's also 25. He's gonna have to make some gains soon.

IF/OF Ty Dabney (.311/2/26 in AAA) – Dabney is a typical utility player who came up for a cup of coffee earlier this year. He's got 1 more option year left. He's the #16 prospect in the organization.

IF Ross Jones (.290/2/25 in AAA) Played 5 games earlier in the year with a .188 avg. This is his last option year, and at 27, he's too old to be a prospect.

OF Tom Byers (.348/13/71 in AAA) Byers is still in search of his first career hit at the age of 29, but he's been the best player in AAA for a couple years. He looks like a 4A player, who could be dangerous in the right situation. He still has 1 option year left.

IF/OF Chuck Jackson (.298/10/63 38SB in AAA) Jackson is back up with the team after filling in while Sax was out hurt. He hit .286/.360/.333 with the team in 7 starts. He is the #3 prospect and #133 in all of baseball. Still has 2 option years left.

RP Sergio DelRosario (2-1, 6 S 5.04 ERA in AAA) At 22, he's a young power pitcher who can hit 100 MPH. Started last year in A ball and moved up fast. He's the #10 prospect in the organization. This is his first call to the majors.

RP Brian Holton (0-2, 1S 8.27 ERA in AAA, 1-0 6.46 ERA 15.1 IP with LA) Minor league journeyman who finally got the call this year. Hasn't had good stuff this year and his 28^th birthday is coming quickly.

RP Charlie Kerfeld (3-2, 13S, 2.70 ERA in AAA) This is his second call, and his first this year. Had some control problems, but put his best season together this year. Has 1 more option year remaining.

The NL West is a 3 horse race, with the Reds sitting just 3.5 behind the leaders. The Padres have fallen back, but are still only 8 out. The loss of Franco really hurts a struggling bullpen. Rhoden is expected to miss one more start before he's back with the team and they hope that Scioscia won't be too far behind.

LA has been good in past September's and they'll need to be spot on once again this year, because Houston is good.

PilotMan · 11-06-2017, 08:26 AM

9/1 15-1 L to the Phillies
Rookie Michael Cunningham (0-1) was shelled and still lowered his ERA to 14.63. Sergio DelRosario made his ML debut and failed to record an out, allowing 2 hits and 2 walks. He was followed by Rafael Montalvo who got 2 outs, but allowed 2 hits and walked 5 in a 9 run 5^th inning. To make matters worse Rickey left the game in the first on a diving attempt in center. It's not looking good, but we'll have to wait and see. To his credit, Dwayne Murphy went 3-3 replacing him.

9/2 6-4 L to the Phillies
Ron Gant hit his first of the year to break a 3-3 tie and put the Phillies up 6-3 off of Valenzuela. It was one of 3 that Valenzuela gave up. He had 7 K's in 7 innings, but takes the loss to drop to 14-10. Inky went 2-4 batting. Dwayne Murphy left the game after leading off. It looked like he might have pulled something. Prospect Doug Jennings took over and scored 2 runs.

Major bad news for the Dodgers today. Rickey is heading to the DL again for recurring back spasms. That's not good for a guy who just signed a big contract. That's going to be it for his regular season. He might be back for the playoffs.

The other blow is to Murphy. He's also on the DL, and he's going to miss the rest of the year too with a foot injury. In 2 days, our offense and our depth has been neutered. Rick Rhoden was activated off the DL.

Fred Lynn, who started in CF last year, looks to take that spot back again, and Tom Beyers is going to get the initial shot in LF. Jennings will be the 4^th OF.

9/4 10-6 L to the Mets
The losing streak hits 3. Rhoden (14-8) makes his return and it's not good. He serves up 13 hits and couldn't get out of the 7^th innning. He was on the hook for all 10 runs, but only 6 were earned. Sax and Lynn each had 3 hits and Inky hammered 2 HR's (28, 29). Even Rhoden went 2-3 and got a go ahead RBI early in the game. The Mets Edward Lindsey got his 13^th win on the year.

Young Brewers utility guy, Dale Sveum hit for the cycle in a 14-9 W over the Twins. He's been getting a lot of time at first for the Brewers.

9/5 4-2 W over the Mets
LA gets 8 strong innings from Downs (13-8) as he allows 6 hits and 2 runs, while striking out 6. LA went down 2-0, but BJ Surhoff hit a 2 run homer as part of a 3 run 5^th inning to put LA on top for the game. Sax went 2-5 and Pete O'Brien walked 3 times and scored 2 runs. Robinson pitched the 9^th for his 8^th save and lowered his ERA to 5.53.

9/6 8-2 W over the Mets
LA put up 4 in the first, and 3 in the second, helped along by 2, 2-HR by Fred Lynn (35,36). Knight also homered in the first (14). The Dodgers got another strong start, this one from John Denny (15-9), who went 8, allowing only 1 run. Pena finished the 9^th. Tom Byers finally got his first career hit, as the 29 yr old went 2-4. O'Brien and Surhoff also added 2 hits.

9/7 11-4 L to the Reds
The new Big Red Machine rolled over us today. Just after LA tied it up in the top of the 7^th, the Reds exploded all over Brian Holton (1-1) and Ken Howell for 6 runs in the bottom half. Valenzuela started, and went 6, although he did allow 4 across. The Reds had 13 hits, 11 of which went for extra bases. Yeah. Read that again. Glenn Hubbard, a July trade pickup, has been hitting .130 for the Reds. He went 3-5 with 3 doubles. We're sliding backward early here.

9/8 12-9 L to the Reds
Rough. There were 6 lead changes and 7 HR's hit in the game. LA struck first, but between Tanana, 6 runs allowed, 2 gopher balls, Pena (2-2) and his 4 unearned runs, with 1 gopher, and Dravecky (another gopher) LA could not stay in it. The Dodgers committed 3 errors, and got homers from Lynn (37), Inky (30) and Knight (15). They brought the tying run to the plate in the 9^th and forced the Reds to bring in Goose, who promptly struck out Phillips to end the game. LA has slipped to 2 games back and are only a half ahead of the Reds.

9/9 14-6 L to the Reds
Good god. 37 runs allowed in 3 games. LA wasted another 2-HR day by Lynn (38,39) and Inky's 31^st and they went back to back in the 3^rd to go up 4-0. Rhoden (14-9) walked 6 in 3.2 innings of work. LA pitchers walked the Reds 11 times, and Reds pitchers allowed 9 walks. That's 20 combined walks. LA also wasted a 7-14 batting day by the 3-4-5 guys in the lineup and a 3-3 day by Phillips. LA drops to 3^rd in the West.

9/10 2-0 W over the Braves
One day. When you need a hero. One will arrive. The hero today? None other than Kelly Downs (14-8) who has been hot lately. Downs pitched 6.2 innings of no hit ball before ex Dodger, Candy Maldonado broke it up with a single. Downs had faced the minimum up to that point. The Braves started Zane Smith (11-16), who has been hard on LA over the years, and both men went zeros over 9 innings of work. Smith had scattered 8 hits, Downs 2. Both pitched the 10^th and LA finally broke through on a Sax 2-run single. Downs allowed a lead off double in the 10^th, but the Braves could muster no more.

Twins outfielder, Dave “The Cobra” Parker got his 2000^th career hit.

Mike Scioscia was activated from the DL. Surhoff played alright for a backup, but not good enough to supplant the ingrained Scioscia.

9/12 5-2 L to the Braves
LA struck first when Scioscia got his an RBI in his first game back, but the Braves just chugged along, helped by a 2-run HR by the Candy Man (24), the didn't surrender it. Lynn had a couple hits. Denny (15-10) went 5, in an unimpressive start.

9/13 10-5 W over the Braves
LA got 4 runs in the first, then gradually gave it back. Valenzuela (15-10) got the win, but managed to allow 5 in 7 innings. It was worse for Braves starter Mulholland (7-8). For some reason he pitched 8 innings, walked 7 and struck out none. He also allowed 9 hits and 7 runs. Going into the 8^th, LA had relinquished the lead thanks to a Craig Biggio HR (8). LA grabbed it back with 2, and piled on in the 9^th on the Braves pen. Don Robinson lowered his ERA to 5.40.
So I keep reporting Robinson's ERA just because he is sucking so badly and because we lost Howe. So how is Howe doing? Well, he didn't go far. He's the closer for the Angels over in Anehiem. He is 7-6, with 22 saves and a career high, 6.18 ERA. His WHIP is an astronomical 1.84 and he's blown 10 saves. Sooooo, we're not missing much this year. I blame his decision to leave the Dodgers for this.

9/14 2-1 W over the Astros
Nothing like a comeback. We get the Astros at home, only a game behind, take game 1 to tie things up in the West. The Dodgers took the lead when Lynn hit #40 in the 2^nd inning. Rhoden (15-9) got the start and pitched well. The only run being a Barry Larkin run off of a Bill Madlock double. A pinch hit single by Bream in the 7^th put LA back in front when Jennings scored. Don Robinson pitched the 9^th for his 9^th save in 9 tries. He lowered his ERA to 5.27.

9/15 9-8 (11) L to the Astros
LA fought back the entire game. Tanana pitched poorly, and struggled to 102 pitches in 4 innings of work. He make career sub .200 hittter, and career .278 SLG, Mike Brumley look amazing. Brumley hit his 3^rd career HR and had 2 other hits off of Tanana. LA got a run in the 8^th to cut the lead to 2 heading into the 9^th. With Astros closer, Garrelts on the mound, LA got the bases loaded with no outs and the middle of the order up. They'd tie it up and put the winning run on third (1 out), then fail to bring him in. Rookie reliever DelRosario, who is really sucking bad on the mound (allowed 2 more in 2 innings, still lowered his ERA, but struck out 4) did better in the box. In his first career at bat, knocked a single to right. Pena and Niedenfuer didn't allow a runner in 4 innings, but it was Ken Howell (0-1) in the 11^th that let Houston take the lead. Reardon closed it out for his 16^th save.

PilotMan · 11-06-2017, 08:40 AM

The races are winding down. Here's where we stand right now:

In the West, the Astros are 1 game ahead of LA, 1.5 ahead of the Reds. The Padres have been surging and now find themselves back in, but running out of time. They lie 5 games back. The magic number to clinch is 18.

In the East, the Mets are running away. The Expos have been officially eliminated and for the first time in 5 years, they aren't winning the East. The Mets are 11.5 games in front of the Phillies and are head and shoulders the best team in the NL. Their magic number is 8.

Over in the AL West, the West is still up for grabs. At the moment, it's the Angels and Mariners in a dogfight. California is up by a half game. Then lying 2.5 back are the White Sox, who have just crumbled, losing 6 in a row. The magic number is 18.

In the AL East, the Blue Jays have the best record in baseball. Only the Yankees haven't been eliminated and they are 12 games back. Virtually no chance. The magic number for the Blue Jays is 7.

PilotMan · 11-06-2017, 08:48 AM

The Blue Jays have lost OF George Bell for the rest of the regular season. He could be back, depending on how deep their playoff run goes, but for now, his 41 HR's and .343 avg are out of the lineup. Don't feel too bad though. Look at this:

Bell (.343/.394/.614, 41 HR's) on DL
Barfield (.272/.339/.518, 27 HR's) on DL (back in a week)
Stubbs (.325/.377/.638, 38 HR's) where was this guy in LA????
Snyder (.308/.354/.562, 37 HR's)
Evans (.279/.399/.471, 17 HR's) another former Dodger

I don't even know how they've all gotten playing time. If only they had some kind of pitching staff. Their starters are 9^th in the AL in ERA. WOW.

PilotMan · 11-08-2017, 12:26 PM

9/17 6-4 W over the Reds
This is a rain out, make up game from earlier in the season. Tonight, they got good pitching from Downs (15-8) who despite allowing 4 runs, struck out 8 without a walk. Also, 2 of those runs were unearned. It was the 8^th inning HR by Canseco (35) that tied it up. LA got all it's offense tonight from 2 people. Pete O'Brien and Fred Lynn. O'Brien started off with a solo shot in the first (22). Lynn followed with one in the 4^th (41) that put LA up 2-0. The Reds tied it in the 6^th, but in the bottom half, O'Brien came through again (23) to give us a 2-run lead. After the Canseco HR tied it again, Lynn hit his 2^nd HR (42) that was the difference in the game. Robinson closed the 9^th for his 10^th save, lowering his ERA to 5.15. That's the lowest his ERA has been all year long.

Blue Jays first basemen Keith Hernandez got his 2000^th career hit against his former club that traded him, the New York Yankees. The Blue Jays magic number is down to 3.

The Mets number is down to 6, and LA and Houston are tied in the West.

9/18 7-3 W over the Braves
Valenzuela (16-10) finally throws a good game. He goes the distance, and gives the bullpen a little break. Along the way he struck out 11 and had the shutout until the 8^th. LA got another 3-run HR from Pete O'Brien (24) and every single starter got a hit except Phillips, but he walked twice. O'Brien's 4 RBI's lead the team. Houston also won.

9/19 14-4 W over the Braves
It's not that Rhoden (16-9) was great, but he did go 8, and 3 of his 4 runs allowed were in the 8^th. Every Braves starter had a hit, save the pitcher. But it was the LA offense, that didn't seem to miss. Tom Byers, who has been getting the starts in left with Henderson out, had the best game of his career, going 3-4, with 2 doubles and 3 RBI's. Phillips AND Knight also went 3-4, and Knight scored 4 times. Add a pinch hit 3-run HR for Roy Smalley (3) as the cherry to this big blowout sundae. On a side note, the Braves top prospect, and the #4 prospect in the majors, Randy Johnson got into the game. Johnson spent most of the year in AA. He threw 31 pitches, allowed 3 hits, a walk, a wild pitch and a balk and was responsible for 5 earned runs. He just turned 24. This appearance ballooned his career ERA to 7.88 in 8 games played.

9/20 7-2 W over the Braves
Frank Tanana (13-8) goes the distance (bout damn time) to complete the sweep of the Braves. Tanana allowed 6 hits, 4 of them to former Dodger, Candy Maldonado. The Dodgers got 1 big swing from Ray Knight (16) when he hit a deep drive to left center, for a grand slam that put LA up for 6-0. Pete O'Brien and Tom Beyers both went 3-4. This is the Byers that we saw in Albuquerque. He also stole his first career base, and he isn't fast. The Padres shut out the Astros, while the Dodgers extend the win streak to 5. LA opens a 2 game lead. The magic number falls to 12.

9/21 7-2 W over the Giants
Six in a row. LA started off the first with a 3-run blast from Inky (32) and that would have been all we needed. Instead they smacked 13 hits and got another HR from O'Brien (25) in the 3^rd. O'Brien went 3-5, while Sax, Lynn, Inky and Doug Jennings all added 2 hits each. Denny (17-10) got the win, pitching 8 and Robinson finished it off. Lowering his ERA to 5.04.

Blue Jays pitcher Allen Ripley won his 20^th game of the year. You might remember that he was signed by LA last year, and missed the entire year, never suiting up for us. Even though his ERA is 4.66, he would get my vote for comeback player of the year.

9/22 9-3 W over the Giants
Seven in a row. The run continues. Rob Deer homered (25) off of Downs (16-8) in the first to take a 2-0 lead. LA trailed 2-1 until Ray Knight hit a 2-run HR (17) in the 6^th to put LA back on top. LA would add a solo homer from Scioscia (6) in the 7^th and in the 9^th Roy Smalley electrified the stadium with a pinch hit, inside the park HR (4) off of rookie Bryan Harvey. Robinson lowered his ERA to 4.93. His first time below 5 all year long. Houston lost again. LA now has a 3.5 game lead on the West. The Reds are 4.5 back and the Padres 7.5.

9/23 5-3 W over the Giants
Eight in a row. Another sweep. LA got 4 runs in the 7^th inning to come back from a 2-1 deficit. Fred Lynn hit a 3-run HR (44) to cap a 2-5 game. Inky struck out 4 times. Valenzuela (17-10) pitched 8, while Alejandro Pena pitched the 9^th for his first save of the year, giving up a gopher ball and striking out the side. LA left 10 on base. Houston won, Cincy lost. Magic number is at 8.

The Blue Jays are the first team to clinch as they own the AL East. In other news, the surging Dodgers have take advantage of the slumping Mets and are now tied for the best record in the NL. There are 4 teams in the AL with better records than the Mets and Dodgers. Three of them are in a fight in the AL West.

9/25 3-1 L to the Padres
It had to end somewhere. Just didn't figure it would be at home. Rhoden (16-10) got in trouble early on. He had control issues and that lead to the Padres building a small lead. Credit Padres starter Greg Mathews (15-9) who allowed 3 hits over 8 innings, while striking out 6. LA loaded the bases in the bottom of the 7^th and nobody out, but could only push 1 run across. The Reds beat up on the Astros and the magic number drops to 7.

The Mets have won the NL East. They have a 2 game lead on LA for home field. LA has an 86.9% probability to hang on and win the NL West. The AL West is nuts. The M's are currently in front (93-60), and a half game back are both the Angels and White Sox (93-61) . With the magic number being 9.
Even though the M's are in front the Angels are at 38.9%, followed by the White Sox (33.8) and then the M's (27.4) to win the division. I'm guessing because the White Sox and Angels still have to play one another. The Brewers, at one point, were closing in on the ML loss record, but they've done alright, only now did they drop their 100^th game of the year. Still the worst in the Majors, but a .351% is better than the sub .250% they had.

I didn't even notice this, but back in August, Gary Templeton signed a minor league contract with the team. He's been starting in Albuquerque. He was last with LA in '84 and released (after signing a 3 year deal) because he's a pain in the ass. He's played for the Yankees, Tigers, Braves, Indians and Giants since then. The 2-time All Star is still a good fielder and he has speed. He's pretty far down the depth chart in LA though.

9/26 4-1 W over the Padres
Pete O'Brien opened the scoring up with his 26^th HR in the 4^th inning. Phillips added a 2 run single to put LA up 3-0. O'Brien and Byers had a couple hits. Denny (18-10) was in charge, allowing only 3 hits in 8 innings of work. He left only having thrown 89 pitches. Robinson came in and closed out the 9^th for his 11^th save of the year. He lowered his ERA to 4.82. The magic number is down to 6.

9/27 7-4 L to the Padres
Downs (16-9) did not bring his A game for the first time in a long while. Even though he struck out 8 Padres, he allowed 11 hits over 6.1 innings. The Padres scored 2 in the first, but LA answered when Inky drove one into the left field pavillion (33). That tied it at 2, but the Padres would add 2 more unearned runs in the 4^th and another pair in the 5^th. LA couldn't answer those and missed some opportunities to tie it up. After the Inky HR, Bob Ojeda hit Fred Lynn, words were exchanged and Lynn charged the mound. Both players were ejected.

Lloyd Moseby hit for the cycle in an 11-0 thrashing of the Indians. Moseby is in the first year of his 5 year deal with the Angels. He has answered a lot of questions about whether or not he'd be able to keep his performances up. This is Moseby's best year since '83 and his 50 SB's are a career high.

The league has come down on Lynn and suspended him for 4 games for his role in the brawl with Ojeda.

9/28 4-3 (10) L to the Astros
Blew it. Just blew it. LA had a 3-1 lead after the 7^th. Houston just kept chipping away with a run in the 8^th, and in the 9^th off of Don Robinson, they tied it up. That was Robinson's first blown save of the year. LA didn't get a hit after the 6^th inning. Credit to the Astros bullpen. Robinson allowed 4 hits and 3 walks in less than 2 innings and his ERA ballooned to 5.06. He immediately got in trouble in the 10^th and when he left for Pena it was too late. A deep flyout to right, ended it. Our lead is down to 1.

9/29 6-2 W over the Astros
This was huge. It got that game back and shortened the season in our favor. LA hammered out 14 hits, and despite falling behind put up 5 in the 5^th to take the lead for good. Two of those were from Inky, who blasted a HR (34). Only Knight, Scioscia and Doug Jennings went hitless and every other starter had 2 hits or more. Even Tanana went 2-3 with an RBI and a run. Tanana (14-8) also bailed the starters out and went the distance to get the big win. Houston's Greg Swindell (15-7) struck out 8 in 5.2, but allowed 12 hits and 6 runs. This win, boosted the lead back to 2 games, dropped the magic number to 4 and completely eliminated both the Padres and the Reds. It's a 2 horse race now.

The Mets are up 3 for homefield with 4 games to play. The Dodgers are 84.9% to win the West. In the AL, the Angels a game in front of the M's, and are 83.4% to win the division.

9/30 4-3 W over the Giants
Rhoden went 8 (17-10) but surrendered a 2-run HR to Rob Deer (27) that put the Giants in front 3-1 in the 8^th inning. It had been a big dual between Rhoden and Hammaker (11-18) all night long. LA wouldn't go down though, and Larry Parrish, who had pinch hit and stayed in the game at first, for Byers hit his own 2-run HR (4) to put LA up for good. Pena pitched the 9^th for his 2^nd save. The Astros scored 3 in the bottom of the 9^th to steal a win from the Braves. The magic number to clinch the West is 3.

PilotMan · 11-09-2017, 09:31 AM

September Recap

Hey, here we are again. The end of September, in the thick of the playoff race and on the verge of another NL West title. I really didn't think we'd be here and when Rickey went down the hopes pretty much left the building. However, LA put up a record 16-11 record in the month and this is the 3^rd straight month with a winning record, and 5 games above .500. The record on the year is 94-65.

The offense kept it's run going. LA is the best hitting team in the NL, and 2^nd or 3^rd in every other category. Tom Byers. Yep, Tom Byers might be the reason. The old, rookie came up from AAA and got his first career hit and then some. He batted .393/.471/.590 in 19 starts in September. He worked 9 walks and only struck out 3 times. Being a hard out carried this team, when Rickey went down with back problems. It was a great surprise. LA got more good stuff out of more than just Byers though. Fred Lynn was an animal, hitting .325/.429/.723 with 10 HR's for the month. Inky hit 7 and won NL rookie of the month for the second month in a row. The only person who really didn't hit in September was Scioscia. Coming off the injury, he hit .222/.269/.302 and couldn't seem to get anyone out behind the plate. Even Surhoff hit .340. It was a great hitting month.

LA's pitching was up and down. Kelly Downs continued his ascension in the rotation, going 4-1 with a 2.52 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. John Denny also went 4-1, posted a 2.19 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. The bullpen finally got good work from Don Robinson (4S, 1.93 ERA), Pena (2S, 0.75 ERA) did most of the heavy lifting, throwing over 21 innings between them. There were some bad performances too. Tanana, despite going 2-0 had a 5.14 ERA, and the 3 rookies DelRosario (14.29), Cunningham (12.46) and Montalvo (54.00) did not make anyone think fondly on the future.

There are 5 games left. Houston is hanging on, but even if we win, LA will have the worst record of any of the division winners. There are 3 teams in the AL West that will finish with better records then the Dodgers. The Mets have (almost completely) locked up homefield in the NL. We finish with a game against the Giants and then 3 against the Padres. The Astros have 1 against the Braves, then they go home to finish against the Reds. I like our chances. We really need the Reds to take at least 1 from Houston and then we need to grab at least 1 or 2 of our next 4 and we'll do it.

The team is keeping a close eye on Rickey. He's starting some light training and he's eligible to come off the DL. The team isn't saying much, but he might be available for the NLCS, or he might not. It's about 50/50.

PilotMan · 11-09-2017, 10:11 AM

10/1 5-2 W over the Giants
One game closer! BJ Surhoff got the start and lead the team, going 4-4 at the plate with 2 RBI's. Knight added 3 hits and Sax 2 more. Sax stole his 42^nd base of the year. John Denny won his 19^th game of the year, even though it wasn't easy. He walked 5 and threw 143 pitches. Brian Holton was given the reigns for the 9^th. He allowed a hit and walked a batter, but got out of the inning with his first career save. Houston kept pace with a 9-1 win over the Braves.

The AL West is knotted up. There's now a 3 way tie between the Angels, White Sox, and Mariners. There are 3 games to play. The Mariners are on the road against the Rangers. The White Sox are on the road aginst the A's, and the Angels are on the road against the Indians. The Indians are 69-90, the A's are 78-81, and the Rangers are 90-69. Advantage California.

What a weird year. The AL West has 4 teams with over 90 wins. The AL East has 4 teams with 90 or more losses and 2 with over 100. Will the Blue Jays really be as good as they look playing in that weaker division?

10/2 2-1 L to the Padres
Kelly Downs pitched well (16-10) and clung to a 1-0 lead in the 8^th inning. He struck out Tony Gwynn 3 times, that is unheard of. However, a 2-out single by former Dodger Bob Brenly tied the game, and then a pinch hit double down the line by Ron Hassey put the Padres up. If not for a cannon throw by Inky in right, the lead could have blown up. In the 9^th, Lynn lead off with a double, but was stranded on 3^rd, when Phillips popped out to left center to end it. Houston, behind another former Dodger, Dave Stewart (19-10) shut out the Reds to cut the lead to 1. The magic number is still 2.

Seattle beat the Rangers, and both California and Chicago lost. The Mariners number is down to 2. The Dodgers loss clinches homefield for the Mets in the NLCS.

10/3 4-2 W over the Padres
When you need someone to step up. Someone who is a leader. Someone who has been there. You turn to Fernando Valenzuela. The Dodger ace dominated for 8 innings of work and came within 2 out of the complete game, shutout. He pushes his record to 18-10 on the year, but more that that. Fernando did it with the bat. A good hitter, he started the scoring with an RBI single in the 3^rd. He followed that up with a bases loaded, 2 run single in the 6^th. He went 2-4, with 3 RBI's. His best game with the bat, even if you take away his 2 homers this year. LA had to face the Padres ace Jimmy Key (16-15). So not only did Fernando do it with the bat, it was a lefty on lefty match up too. No extra base hits for LA.

The Astros won again, behind Greg Swindell and 4 HR's, 2 by Benito Santiago (17). In the AL, the Mariners did their part with a 2-1 win, but the Angels and White Sox both won too.

So it's all down to the last game of the year. LA is up by 1, and has clinched a tie. Same with the Mariners. All they have to do is win and they are in. While the neither the Astros, White Sox, nor the Angels can lose.

PilotMan · 11-09-2017, 07:36 PM

10/4 4-1 W over the Padres
We started late on the west coast, already knowing that the Astros had won again. LA had to win this in order to lock up the West. Frank Tanana (15-8) got the start, and he's been really, really inconsistent. He has come through for us though when we needed and today, he came through. LA jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 2^nd, helped along by an Inky solo homer (35). The Padres answered with 1 in the bottom half of the inning. Tanana was on form pitching well. Nobody else scored until the top of the 8^th when Inky, who already had a couple hits in the game, homered again (36) to put the nail in the Padres, and Astros season. Don Robinson struck out 2 in the 9^th to get his 13^th save and he lowered his ERA to a season ending 4.89. The Astros won their final 5 games, and went 8-2 in the final 10, and LA still won.

THE DODGERS HAVE WON THE WEST AGAIN!!!!!

Over in the AL West, the Mariners needed to win to lock it up, but the Rangers kept it from happening, winning 4-3. Both the White Sox and Angels needed a win to stay in it. The White Sox, who feature 4 guys with over 30 HR's, could not get it done and fell to the A's 4-2. That made it up to the Angels to win in order to push it to a playoff game. And they came through with flying colors. Backed by 4 HR's, 2 belonging to Dave Henderson (25), they made Neal Heaton a 19 game loser, with an 18-hit, 17 runs, 17-5 crushing of the Indians.

The M's will face the Angels in a 1 game playoff to see who will face the Blue Jays in the ALCS. The Mariners are sending Nolan Ryan (18-9, 4.75) to the hill to face Mike Witt (18-11, 4.07) in Cali.

The game featured 4 lead changes, a 6-6 tie after the 2^nd inning, Mark McGwire hitting his 53^rd HR of the year, Nolan Ryan walking 8 M's, and Mike Witt getting a game score of 0. He pitched 2.2 innings, allowed 9 hits and 9 runs. In the end, it was the Mariners that pulled off the 12-9 win over the Angels, knocking off the favored Angels.

This is the end of the regular season.

PilotMan · 11-10-2017, 11:03 AM

1987 Playoff Preview

NLCS

Los Angeles Dodgers (96-66) v. New York Mets (99-63)

This is a great series on paper. Both teams are the best in the NL after the All Star break and the series was split between them at 6-6. Since you should be familiar with the Dodgers roster and line up the most important thing to know is that Ricky is almost healthy. He wasn't given a clean bill of health for the series, but he's close. Second, Tom Byers was left off the playoff roster as he didn't qualify, in favor of Doug Jennings. Jennings hit .263/.358/.351 in 41 games and 57 at bats.

Lasorda also announced his starters for the series and John Denny was left out in favor of Tanana. He could change his mind, but Denny was much more consistent over the season, but maybe the lefty was needed against the Mets lineup.

So the Mets had 4 guys with over 30 HR's this year. They were Strawberry (36), Mitchell (37), Bonilla (33) and Rueben Sierra (34). Sierra is out dealing with a wrist injury and looks like he might miss the entire series. The Mets have replaced him with Carmelo Martinez. Sierra, he is not. In fact, the Mets are a near mirror image of the Dodgers. They have great hitting in the outfield, good fielding in the infield Donnie Hill and Gerald Young manning 2^nd and short respectively.

Where they differ though is that their pitching is better than their hitting. Lead by 2 (soon to be 3) time Cy Young winner Dwight Gooden (won another pitching triple crown this year) (23-7, 2.22, 269K) and quite simply the best bullpen in baseball. Their other starters aren't as good as what we have in LA, (Darling 11-14, 4.17; Terrell 14-13, 4.72l Wegman 12-7, 4.02), but the bullpen more than makes up for it. They have Roger McDowell closing (31S, 3.14) and Orosco (4-4, 2.98) and Myers (5-2, 2.11) setting the table. It gets deeper. Gene Nelson (5-2, 3.74) and Rick Aguilera (1-1, 4.63).

The Mets have homefield. There's very little to separate us. Ricky will be back soon. Maybe he'll be able to make the difference. If not him, it's going to be very, very close. Nice not to see the Expos for once.

ALCS

Seattle Mariners (99-64) v. Toronto Blue Jays (104-58)

The Mariners had to win a playoff game against the Angels to get here. They come into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. They got here with some good hitting, speed, average pitching and average fielding. They can't match the Blue Jays in power, but they do have some.

Top hitter, first basemen, Alvin Davis (.290/34/128), followed by new signing this year, LF Brian Downing (.283/37/116), DH Phil Bradley (.321/29/111) and Dan Pasqua (.281/30/90). Pasqua, interestingly enough came over to the Mariners, along with RF Vince Coleman (81 SB) as part of a 5 player acquisition when the Mariners traded now Dodger, Jim Beattie, to the Yankees, back in '83. Also interesting, is that all 5 players the M's got in that trade, had ML playing time with the M's this year.

I don't think that anyone expected the M's to get here after they lost ace, Sid Fernandez (16-9, 4.67) to an elbow injury in late August. The rest of the rotation does feature some workhorses though. Mike Boddicker (17-13, 4.04), Mark Langston (16-8, 4.68), Mike Moore (13-10, 4.59) and Nolan Ryan (19-9, 4.89, 208K). The M's closer is Jeff Robinson (3-4, 32 S, 4.40).

The Blue Jays are an offensive juggernaut.

Every member of the starting lineup had at least double digits in HR's, except Mich Webster, who is playing for George Bell, who is still out. Bell only had 41 dingers, batted .343 and had 142 RBI's. The Blue Jays may not even miss him.

Corey Snyder lead the team with 44 HR's. Franklin Stubbs was second with 41. Slick fielding shortstop Tony Fernandez hit 14, which was more than 2-time Silver Slugger, Ryne Sandberg had (13). I could go on and on about them. They are heavy favorites to repeat as Champions. Even former Dodger RF'er Dwight Evans is getting time at DH (19 HR's). Evans, coincidentally, played for the Mariners last year.

If this team has a weakness it's on the mound. Top starter Jim Clancy (18-13, 4.62), isn't really a top starter. Danny Darwin won 20 games, and Allen Ripley won 21, but both had high ERA's (4.92, and 4.40) Dave Smith closes games on the back end and finished with 36 saves and a 3.13 ERA. Jim Gott (4-2, 2.24) and Larry Andersen (5-0, 2.06) hold down a strong bullpen. The Blue Jays have 0 lefties on their roster. That will play to the M's advantage as both Davis and Pasqua are lefties.

The Blue Jays went 8-4 against the M's this year. This is a battle between the #1 and #2 in runs scored in the AL, and #5 and #6 in pitching. The Jays have to be favored with homefield, but it might be closer than we think.

PilotMan · 11-10-2017, 02:12 PM

ALCS Game 1

The Mariners broke a 5-5 tie with 3 in the 8^th and 2 in the 9^th to run away with game 1, 9-5. Dan Pasqua hit 2 HR's.

NLCS Game 1
10/9
Rhoden v. Gooden
2-1 NY over LA

You asked for a pitchers dual and you got one. Rhoden outpitched Gooden, fair and square. NY got on the board first with a Mitchell HR in the 2^nd and after that all Rhoden would allow was another Mitchell single. He didn't allow another hit. LA managed to tie the game in the 5^th on a Doug Jennings triple that scored Knight from first. LA stranded 10 guys on base and Gooden struck out 9. Both starters were out in the 9^th inning and LA almost came though against McDowell, but not quite. Robinson came for LA and Ashby lead off with a single. Strawberry struck out. Mitchell doubled and Ashby held at third. They intentionally walked Bonilla to face Martinez, and Robinson walked him on 4 pitches to end the game. Ugh.

ALCS Game 2

Toronto jumped out to a 6-0 lead, but the M's got 5 back in the 7^th, but not the 6^th. Dwight Evans homered, and Toronto won 6-5 to tie it 1-1.

NLCS Game 2
10/10
Downs v. Darling
4-0 LA over NY

If you need something done, do it yourself. The quiet emergence of Kelly Downs this season has been an unexpected joy to behold. Tonight, he threw a 3-hit shutout, on the road, and silenced the rowdy NY crowd. LA scored first on an Inky HR in the 5^th, and drew 2 bases loaded walks for more. Darling didn't pitch bad, and one of those 3 hits was his, but he couldn't match the game that Downs brought to the mound today. BJ Surhoff tripled in the 9^th inning then had to leave the game due to an injury. Surhoff had recently taken over the starting job at catcher, and Scioscia is a strong catcher in his own right. We shouldn't miss a beat. Series it tied at 1 heading to LA.

ALCS Game 3

We knew pitching would be troublesome in this round, and it's the case again. Tied 7-7 heading into the 9^th and the Blue Jays already with 3 HR's in the game, get a 4^th from Jesse Barfield, a 3 run shot, and his 2^nd of the game. This leads to a 5 run 9^th to go up 12-7. The Mariners answer with 1, but it's not nearly enough. Mark Langston and the Mariners bullpen were really taken to town in this one. The Blue Jays regain homefield and take a 2-1 lead.

NLCS Game 3
10/12
Gooden v. Valenzuela
2-0 Mets over Dodgers

Yeah, you read that right. The Mets sent out Doc Gooden on 2 days rest to pitch game 3. Also, Ricky was activated on the off day and he's in the lineup tonight! This might very well have gone down as one of the best pitching performances in postseason history. Gooden took a no-hitter, on 2 days rest into the 9^th inning. He gave up a lead off double to Phillips, who made a horrible baserunning error and got thrown out at third. Just awful, especially when the next batter up, a pinch hitting Roy Smalley got a single. Gooden then walked Rickey and was pulled. He allowed 2 hits, and struck out 5. LA then loaded the bases on McDowell with Lynn at the plate. We needed a single to keep it going, but Lynn popped out to center and that was it. Tough way to lose. Valenzuela pitched 8.1 innings, walked 5 and struck out 8. All the Mets runs were on a pair of Strawberry solo homers. Otherwise, it was even up. The Mets get homefield back and take a 2-1 lead.

ALCS Game 4

Holy no pitching again Batman!! Toronto blew up and took a 9-1 lead on Nolan Ryan. Corey Snyder and Stubbs each homered. That wasn't the end though. The M's comeback started with 5 in the 7^th , they'd get another in the 8^th and the bullpen kept it close. Dave Smith came out to close it down in the 9^th. With 2 on, facing Dan Pasqua, the M's completed the comeback and walked off when Pasqua put the ball into the left field power alley, 379 feet later. The series is tied at 2.

PilotMan · 11-12-2017, 07:41 AM

NLCS Game 4
10/13
Terrell v. Tanana
4-3 Dodgers over the Mets

Kevin Mitchell starts the game with 8 career hits off of Tanana, 7 of them are home runs. Tanana hoped to build off his last regular season start and once again, he came through with flying colors. He is the wily vet that we needed to tame the Mets. He allowed 2 hits heading into the 9^th where Martinez lead off with a single and Strawberry homered to deep right to cut the lead 4-2 and that was all for Tanana. Robinson came in and gave up a HR to Mitchell right off the bat and suddenly there was need for worry. Robinson did manage to pull it together to strike out Donnie Hill and Wally Backman to end the game. Rickey went 3-5, with a 2 run single. Lynn went 3-4 with an RBI and Scioscia went 2-4 and knocked in the run that put LA in front in the 5^th. The Mets committed 4 errors in the game. The series is tied at 2.

ALCS Game 5

Seattle took a 2-0 lead in the 2^nd inning, but a 3-run Stubbs HR (4) opened up a 6 run 6^th inning. The Blue Jays added another pair in the 7^th and would go on to win 8-3. Jim Clancy went the distance for the win. The Blue Jays take a 3-2 lead and head back to Toronto where they only need 1 to head to the World Series.

NLCS Game 5
10/14
Wegman v. Rhoden
4-2 Mets over Dodgers

Crap. Another key game lost. It really looked like on paper, that LA could get one against Wegman starting, but he was totally in control today. He struck out 7, allowing only 3 hits all game. Rhoden had some control issues and he ended up walking 5. The teams traded runs in the first, but the Mets came right back with 2 in the 2^nd. Dykstra homered in the 7^th to really put the nail in. LA never got anything going after that. Against McDowell in the 9^th Inky crushed a solo homer to cut the lead, but nothing else came of it. He'd finish 3-4, the team had 4 hits. Not going to win like that. The Mets head back to NY needed to win 1.

BJ Surhoff tore his calf and he's done for the year.

ALCS Game 6

Ryne Sandberg went 4-5 and Corey Snyder homered and the Blue Jays opened up a 6-2 lead after 4 and never looked back. They went on to win 8-6. The Mariners threatened in the 9^th when Jose Lind and Vince Coleman lead off with singles. Phil Bradley then lined into a double play, but the M's weren't done. Alvin Davis doubled, Coleman took third. Pasqua then singled in both men. Dave Smith came on to close it out for the Blue Jays and he was able to get Jim Presley looking to end it. The Blue Jays are the AL Champs and look take the title back to Toronto for the 3^rd time in 4 years.

NLCS Game 6
10/16
Downs v. Gooden

The Mets are going for it. Doc Gooden went on 2 days rest, and now he's going on 3 days rest to end it. LA needs to solve this riddle. Downs has been LA's top pitcher lately, coming off of his own 3 hit shutout of the Mets.

3-2 (11) Dodgers over the Mets

Gooden was Good-en, but not quite Good-enough. Fred Lynn singled in Sax in the first and then Downs doubled in Ray Knight in the 2^nd and LA jumped out to a 2-0 lead on the Mets. It looked like LA might chase Gooden early, but after that, he was back to his completely dominant self. Downs kept pace, and got out of trouble when we walked the bases loaded in the 3^rd. In the 4^th the Mets finally got through when Carmelo Martinez singled in Mitchell and Bonilla. Both starters would go 9, with Gooden closing out his game by striking out the side in the 9^th and Downs with 2 of his own in the bottom half. It was tit for tat like that all game long. The Mets went with McDowell and the Dodgers put Robinson on the mound. The nerve wracking 10^th came and went and in the 11^th LA started off when Kevin Mitchell, now playing short, mishandled a ball hit by Jack Fimple, who had taken over for Sax at 2^nd base, allowing Fimple to reach. Pete O'Brien doubled off the wall in center, but Fimple, who isn't speedy was stuck at 3^rd with 1 out. Fred Lynn would do the deed with another deep flyout to center that allowed Fimple to score easily. Inky then flied out, but that was all LA would need. Robinson shut the Mets down in the bottom half to lock down the win, and send the series to a 7^th and deciding game.

PilotMan · 11-12-2017, 08:35 AM

NLCS Game 7
10/17
Valenzuela v. Darling

Neither starter won their previous outing, but both pitched well. LA has to feel good with the ace back on the mound for game 7, fully rested and ready to go. Same could be said for Darling, who hasn't pitched since game 2. Reuben Sierra was activated off the DL and is starting in LF for the Mets.

5-4 Mets over Dodgers

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

What a game, what a series. There were 4 lead changes in this 7^th game of the NLCS, and in the end, the Mets were the ones in front when it ended. The Dodgers, who hadn't had much power in this series found 3 HR's tonight. Scioscia got LA on the board in the 3^rd with a solo shot. The Mets took advantage of 3 unearned runs in the 4^th to go up 3-1. Two errors, both by SS Tony Phillips helped the Mets. LA came right back in the 5^th to shut the fans up. Ray Knight lead off with a solo homer, Scioscia singled, then Phillips made amends with a 2-run homer to put LA in front 4-3. Valenzuela pitched the entire game and threw 144 pitches, walked 3 and struck out 5. In the 6^th the Mets broke through and tied it up after Gerald Young singled and stole 2^nd. Dykstra singled him in. It all came to a head in the 7^th though. Strawberry walked to lead off, Mitchell grounded out, moving the runner over. Bonilla was intentionally walked, then Valenzuela got Ashby to strike out swinging. Carmelo Martinez, who had been pretty much useless to the Mets all series came off the bench, while Lasorda didn't play the match up and left Fernando in there. The count ran to 3-0, and with the green light, Martinez singled over the shortstop. Strawberry hustled around the corner and scored the go ahead run. LA started off the 8^th with a Lynn single, but Inky was doubled up. That would be the last runner LA would have. Randy Myers came on in the 9^th to close out the game, and the series for the Mets. Kevin Mitchell, not Dwight Gooden was selected as the series MVP.

PilotMan · 11-12-2017, 08:53 AM

1987 World Series

New York Mets v. Toronto Blue Jays

Here's all you need to know, that hasn't been said about this series. The Blue Jays outscored the Mets, 992-832 in the regular season, but their pitching staff allowed 786-652. That's still a net advantage to the Blue Jays, who also have home field. The Jays also have their piching staff much more aligned than the Mets, but how many games will the Mets send Gooden out to pitch this time? Maybe, all of them?

Game 1
Gooden v. Clancy

9-3 Mets over Blue Jays

Gooden couldn't keep his run of dominance going, but the offense picked him up. The Blue Jays were ahead 3-1, but the Mets scored in the 6^th, then tied it in the 7^th. In the 8^th, against Larry Andersen, the Mets got a bases loaded double from Donnie Hill, that lead to a 6 run 8^th inning to give game 1 to the Mets.

Game 2
Terrell v. Darwin

4-3 Mets over Blue Jays

Shock of all shocks as the Mets go up 2-0 on the road, and now head home. Tonight, down 1-0 in the 4^th, Carmelo Martinez came up with 2 outs and the bases loaded. An error on Sandberg allowed the inning to continue after a double play. A passed ball by Ernie Whitt brought 1 in, then Martinez took a 1-2 pitch down the line in left and into the seats. The Blue Jays got 2 back, but Terrell was tough. McDowell closed out the 9^th for the save.

Game 3
Ripley v. Darling

8-6 Blue Jays over Mets

Toronto gets one back slamming 4 HR's, from Barfield, Sandberg, Whitt, and Stubbs. All of that came off of Darling, who allowed 12 hits, and 8 runs, in 3.1 innings. The Blue Jays lost George Bell on a collision while running the bases. He's done for the rest of the series. We know that will hurt, but we know that the Jays are deep.

Game 4
Clancy v. Gooden

2-0 Mets over Blue Jays

Doc Gooden, soon to be 3-time, 22 year old, Cy Young winner, struck out 10 in 7.1 innings and the Mets got the rest from McDowell. The Jays could only muster 2 hits all game. Strawberry homered, his 5^th of the post-season, and that was all the Mets would need. New York is on the cusp of a World Championship.

Game 5
Martinez v. Wegmen

4-3 (10) Mets over Blue Jays

The Blue Jays were up 3-0 heading to the middle of the 4^th and El Presidente was in command on the mound. Dykstra got one back in the 4^th and Mitchell got another back in the 5^th. Dykstra scored again in the 6^th to tie it up and that's how it stayed through 9. The Blue Jays elected to keep Martinez in for the 10^th as his pitch count was still low. Donnie Hill, a man with 14 career HR's in his short 6 year career, who hit 6 this year, will be the name on the lips of Mets fans for the rest of his life. He is the man who single handedly brought the title home to NY. Hill missed the first pitch, then popped up the second pitch into foul territory by first, but Dwight Evans misplayed the ball and it dropped for an error. Evans played 62 games at first and committed 5 errors in the regular season. The next pitch Hill drove down the line in left and it just cleared the wall to end the game. Strawberry was named as the World Series MVP.

That's it for 1987.

PilotMan · 11-12-2017, 09:23 PM

1987 Post Season and Awards

The Expos have fired long time manager Jim Fanning. The 2-time Manager of the Year was let go after missing the playoffs for the first time in 6 years. A run that brought 1 Championship home to Montreal. The Expos also fired GM Jimmy Miller. The Expos finished 5^th place with a record of 76-86.

LA made a couple of coaching adjustments. They resigned hitting coach Omar Bernal to a cheap 2 year extension. Bernal is a very good coach. The team also let go of pitching coach Jim Gulley, who had been with the team for 2 years.

LA avoids arbitration with Pete O'Brien, Tony Phillips, Steve Sax, John Franco, and Ken Howell, by signing them all to 1 year deals.

AL Gold Glove Winners

P Sid Fernandez SEA (1)
C Tony Pena NYY (2)
1B Kevin Seitzer BOS (1)
2B Jeff Blauser BAL (1)
3B Tim Wallach CAL (2)
SS Dick Schofield CAL (1)
LF Barry Bonds CHI (2)
CF Joe Carter CHI (1)
RF Jesse Barfield TOR (2)

NL Gold Glove Winners

P Greg Maddux PHI (1)
C Bob Melvin PHI (1)
1B Andres Gallaraga MON (1)
2B Johnny Ray PIT (2)
3B Mike Pagliarulo CHI (1)
SS Ozzie Smith STL (6)
LF Willie McGee STL (1)
CF Gary Pettis HOU (1)
RF Glenn Wilson CHI (1)

AL Rolaids Reliever of the Year
Dave Smith TOR (3-3, 3.13, 36/39 S, 10.1 K/9)
Smith wins his 2^nd award in a row.

NL Rolaids Reliever of the Year
Lance McCullers PHI (4-5, 1.74, 37/42 S, 8.6 K/9)

AL Silver Slugger Awards

C Ernie Whitt TOR (1)
1B Mark McGwire CAL (1)
2B Lou Whitaker KC (2)
3B Corey Snyder TOR (1)
SS Tony Fernandez TOR (1)
LF Barry Bonds CHI (3)
CF Joe Carter CHI (1)
RF Lloyd Moseby CAL (1)
DH Wally Joyner TEX (1)

NL Silver Slugger Awards

P Jaime Moyer PIT (1)
C Craig Biggio ATL (1)
1B Will Clark STL (2)
2B Juan Samuel PHI (1)
3B Kevin Mitchell NYM (2)
SS Barry Larkin HOU (1)
LF Fred Lynn LAD (1)
CF Eric Davis CIN (2)
RF Kal Daniels CIN (1)

AL Rookie of the Year
Joe Magrane NYY (19-14, 4.05, 264.1 IP 1.31 WHIP, 167 K's)

NL Rookie of the Year
Greg Swindell HOU (16-7, 2.82, 233 IP, 1.03 WHIP, 203 K's)

Pete Incaviglia finished 3^rd in voting. Larry Walker who hit 38 HR's and had 120 RBI's was 2^nd.

AL Manager of the Year
Gene Mauch CAL (2)

NL Manager of the Year
Miguel Hernandez NYM (1)

AL Cy Young Award
Roger Clemens CLE (1) (19-10, 2.66, 284.1 IP, 1.10 WHIP, 285 K's)

NL Cy Young Award
Doc Gooden NYM (3) (23-7, 2.22, 288 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 269 K's)

ROY Greg Swindell finished 2^nd.

AL MVP Award
Barry Bonds CHI (2) (.324/.457/.652, 45/127, 50 SB)

At 23, Bonds has won ROY, and 2 MVP's. He's a 2-time All Star, with 2 Gold Gloves and 3 Silver Sluggers. He is building an impressive resume early in his career. The White Sox signed him to a 7 year deal after the season.

NL MVP Award
Doc Gooden NYM (2) (23-7, 2.22, 288 IP, 1.01 WHIP, 269 K's)

Gooden has his 2^nd MVP to go with 3 Cy Young Awards, 3 All Star appearances and now he's got his first world title. He is the best player in the NL and he's only 22.

The Dodgers have signed relative unknown Luis Vasquez as the new pitching coach for the team. Can't get very excited about that move at all. They really needed a bigger name, but it does leave more money for players.

The Dodgers did not offer arbitration to Alejandro Pena and failed to get him signed to an extension. In a horrible front office move he is allowed to walk for free from the team. Pena won the NL MVP in 1984, and is a 2-time All Star. He was also the most effective pitcher in the bullpen this year. Even though he only threw 36 innings, his 2.21 ERA was the best on the team. For his career, Pena is 34-17, 7 S and a career ERA of 2.22. Terrible move.

It's gonna be an interesting free agency period for LA. They only lost 2 starters from the roster, one of them being Dave Dravecky, who was acquired from the Padres in the DeCinces trade. He finished the year 3-7, with a 5.23 ERA in 63.2 innings. The other loss is Fred Lynn. Lynn was allowed to walk after they couldn't or wouldn't commit to a long term deal for a 35 yr old outfielder. Last year, Lynn hit 44 HR's, good enough to lead the NL. It was his best season since 1979 and the highest HR total of his career. It leaves a huge production hole in the offense, and one that the team can afford to fill. The question is will they? And if they do, who will it be?

In addition to Lynn, here are some of the bigger free agents available this offseason:

OF Claudell Washington
P John Tudor
C Ernie Whitt
C Carlton Fisk
OF Chet Lemon
OF Kirk Gibson
OF Jesse Barfield
3B Mike Schmidt
OF Eric Davis

LA made their first trade of the off season. Leaving LA is third basemen Ray Knight (.284/17/80) coming off of his best season since 1982, along with some cash for 28 yr old OF Mitch Webster. Webster came up with the Blue Jays, and started 120 games in 1986. He's fallen far off the depth chart with their outfield now. Last year he batted .275/.328/.383 in 73 games, the best season of his career. He can play all 3 outfield positions and is reliable with the bat, and speedy on the bases.

The Houston Astros who came so close to win the West are all aggressive this off season. They've signed Kirk Gibson and Randy Ready to big contracts and just added ex-Dodger reliever Alejandro Pena to the staff. Pena signs a 2 year deal worth 624k.

LA finally gets a good signing in the offseason. While I was pulling for Eric Davis to show up in Dodger Blue, instead of going younger, LA has gone older, and cheaper. No, Fred Lynn isn't back....yet, this guy is older. Last year Dave Winfield played in Kansas City on a one year deal, batting .299/.354/.543. He's 36, a 7-time All Star, 2 time Gold Glove and 2 time Silver Slugger. He plays on the corners, and will keep Rickey in CF in all likelihood.

The Dodgers make, what could be, the biggest deal in the Winter Meetings of this year. LA packages their #1 prospect, Paul Sorrento (.292/.411/.435 10 HR in AA) along with RP Rafael Montalvo (4-2, 13 S, 1.85 ERA in AA) and C Gil Reyes (.273/.357/.409 in AA), SS Juan Bautista (.196/.274/.304 in AA) and SS Seiji Tomashino (.249/.324/.332 in A) to the St Louis Cardinals in exchange for 2-time All Star, and 7-time Gold Glove SS Ozzie Smith (.255/.313/.325, 47 SB). Smith only has 1 year remaining on his contract so hopefully the team will look to lock him up for that. The Dodgers farm system is pretty much empty at this point.

Dodgers Draft Picks, first 5 rounds

P Jerry Spradlin (1.21)
C Bill Hasselman (2.10)
P Arthur Rhodes (2.25)
OF Trey McCoy (3.21)
P Jeff Mutis (4.21)
SS Jose Oliva (5.21)

A pretty weak draft class overall. The Brewers drafted Jim Edmonds as the 1.1 pick. Kenny Lofton went to the Orioles with 1.2 and the Twins added Jose Offerman with the 1.3 pick.

Veteran infielder Jim Morrison was last in LA in 1986. He was placed on waivers, picked up by the Padres and went on to hit 31 HR's between the Padres and Mariners the last 2 seasons. Morrison, 35, is coming back to LA on a 1 year deal worth 400k. He wants a chance to start at third and with Knight gone, it looks like he'll be going against Tony Phillips for that job. Phillips lost his job when Ozzie Smith was signed.

World Series hero Donnie Hill is gone. The Mets took advantage of his value and added catching prospect Eddie Taubensee to a trade with the Padres for first basement Glenn Davis. Davis is in his prime and hit 36 HR's last year. Bonilla is already holding down first for the world champion Mets, where will they put Davis?

LA brings a starter into the fold. Longtime Expos starter, Bryn Smith, who has won 57 games in the last 3 years in Montreal is coming to sunny LA. Smith was an All Star starter in in '85, and started his career in the bullpen. He's 32 and in his prime right now, LA has to hope that he can keep his winning ways that he had in Montreal. His contract is a 3yr/4.32M with an expectation that he gets to start here. Who will be on the outs? LA didn't lose any starters in free agency.

Another old bat comes to SoCal. This time it's the big, bad bat of Mike Schmidt. Schmidt started 82 games last year for the Yankees. He missed lots of time due to multiple injuries. His slash line was .268/.354/.490. He hit 17 HR's and had 55 RBI's. It was his lowest HR total since '72, when he was 22. He's 38 now, and 6 HR's shy of #500. Schmidt has to be a HOF shoe in. He's a 2-time MVP, 6-time Gold Glove, 9-time All Star, and 3-time Silver Slugger. He is certain to take over at third and will be an upgrade from Ray Knight, even if he is 3 years older. His contract is a 2yr/1.9M deal, but his 2^nd year requires that he have at least 550 PA in order to be good. Otherwise, he'll be a free agent. That's a good deal for LA on paper.

Fred Lynn is gone, but he's not gone far. Returning back to SoCal, Lynn will be wearing an Angels uniform again and looking to start in left, along side Eric Davis and Lloyd Moseby. That gives the Angels 3 guys who had over 40 HR's in 1987, and 6 guys who had over 100 RBI's.

LA isn't done wheeling and dealing and we have an idea of who is on the outs in the rotation. The Dodgers made another trade, this time sending longtime starter, who has only pitched for LA and Pittsburgh, Rick Rhoden (17-10, 3.28), going to the New York Yankees. In exchange, the Dodgers have a new center fielder. Von Hayes, 29, had just finished the first year of a 6 year deal with the Yankees after starting off in Cleveland. Last year, Hayes batted .235/.330/.423, he hit 28 HR's and had 83 RBI's. He's stolen 20 or more bases 5 times. Hayes can play all outfield positions as well as first. He has 5 years left in what was a 6yr/8.26M contract, so he's not cheap. Rhoden has 170 career wins and a career ERA of 3.31. He's pitched 200 or more innings for 6 years in a row. The Dodgers also got throw in minor league shortstop Larry Blackwell. Blackwell, 23, has bounced between Rookie and A ball in his 4 years playing pro ball. At best, he's a quick utility player.

One day later, LA makes another move, and it's clear that the Dodgers are making some major, wholesale changes. LA is bidding farewell to another long time Dodger. This time it's second basemen, Steve Sax. Sax, 27, batted .308 last year, had 43 steals and 73 RBI's. He also committed only 13 errors in 133 games. Sax is a career .294 hitter and could be a free agent after this season. In return, the Dodgers are getting southpaw reliever Bob Patterson (2-0, 3.66) and former Padres first round pick and former #20 MLB prospect thirdbasemen, Ken Caminiti. Caminiti, 24, is the real prize here. He's only hitting .241 in 129 games over his short 2 year career. He appears to be falling way short of the expectation that was heaped on him after a draft pick that high. He's a good defender, with a decent bat, but nothing more at this point. Patterson ran out of options and looked like he would have a hard time making the roster. In parts of 3 seasons, he's 4-0, with a 4.62 ERA in 39 games pitched.

The Hall of Fame Class of 1987 is in!

Steve Carlton (97.8) was inducted in his first season of eligibiliy and goes in as a Philly. Carlton finished with 280 career wins and 3387 career K's.

Brooks Robinson (77.2) was inducted in his 6^th season and he goes in as an Oriole. Robinson played his entire career with the O's, batted .267, had 2848 hits, and 268 HR's.

Dick Allen (75.7) was inducted in his 6^th season and he goes in as a Philly. Allen batted .292 in his career, hit 351 HR's and had 1848 hits.

Willie McCovey (70.6, 3^rd), Reggie Jackson (61.8, 1^st) Tony Oliva (46.3, 6^th) were the next 3 that didn't make it.

LA makes another trade, in what has been the most active offseason for moves in recent memory. The Dodgers have shipped IF Tony Phillips to the Cincinnati Reds. This means that LA has gotten rid of 3 of their 4 infield starters from last season and brought in 2 of 3 new outfielders. That's turnover. LA gets in return, southpaw reliever Frank DiPino (3-2, 3 S, 5.02 ERA). DiPino has 41 career saves, and saved a career high of 22 in '84 for the Astros. His career ERA is 3.38. He's a solid player, but he's no monster. The Dodgers also get OF prospect Lee Stevens. Stevens, 20, was the Reds first pick in 1985, the 17^th overall. He's been stuck in rookie ball and played in A ball last year, where he batted .354. He was the #95 prospect in MLB last year and he can play first and center.

LA has signed all top 5 picks with the exception of Trey McCoy and Jose Oliva. This is much better than past seasons. Now will they be cut after spring training?

LA signs starter Richard Dotson (14-12, 4.13) to a 1 year deal. Dotson's best year was in '85 with the Angels when he went 16-7. Right now he will get a chance to come out of the pen. It just looks like there are too many arms in the rotation for him to have a chance. He's got an average fastball and curveball. He also throws a slider and changeup, but both can be hit and miss. He's 87-80 with a 4.00 ERA for his career.

Dave Dravecky signed a 1 year deal with the Detroit Tigers worth 110k.

The last old guy that the Dodgers add to the roster is 41 yr old, Kent Tekulve. The submariner has pitched the last 4 years with the Yankees. He has a career ERA of 2.93 in 767 games. It's a 1 year deal worth 366k.

PilotMan · 11-12-2017, 09:25 PM

And with that I need a break. I'm almost up to 200 pages typed and the activity is down pretty far, and it's not even baseball season anymore. Let me know if there's something you want information on and maybe I'll pick this up by spring.

CraigSca · 11-18-2017, 09:08 PM

Great read.

I admit I didn't look at the first post as I was reading the wrap-ups. I then read the first post and realized you are WATCHING each game and letting the CPU make all decisions. I admire your discipline as I think that would be maddening. However, I totally understand your wanting to "re-live" a slightly altered version of the 80s. Great baseball, great players, and a trip down a slightly different memory lane

Looking forward to your restart in the spring.

PilotMan · 05-10-2018, 07:20 AM

1988 Opening Day Roster

Starting Rotation

Bryn Smith (19-12, 4.23 for Montreal)
Kelly Downs (16-10, 3.59)
Frank Tanana (15-8, 4.17)
Richard Dotson (14-12, 4.13 with California)
Fernando Valenzuela (18-10, 3.38)

A couple new faces via free agency come over. The rotation looks strong on paper. Only Tanana didn't get to 200 innings last year (198.1) and all posted good records, with decent numbers. Smith has 57 wins in 3 seasons. Dotson has 45 over the same period, although his other stats aren't up to the same. There are some concerns with Fernando as he had control issues in spring training walking 13 in 19 innings. He always ends up being the stopper in LA. This year will be no different.

Bullpen

John Denny (19-10, 3.14)
Jim Beattie (Injured)
Don Robinson (0-6, 13S, 4.89)

Frank DiPino (3-2, 3S, 5.02 with Cincinnati)
Kent Tekulve (1-2, 5S, 3.20 with New York Yankees)

John Franco (4-3, 17S, 2.60)

We start off with a little more flexibility than we had last season. DiPino adds a lefty to go with Franco, and the submariner, Tekulve, who is 41, never looks to be slowing down. John Denny is a bit of a surprise given that he was a top starter last season. You have to think he'll be ready if called upon. Jim Beattie is another surprise, he hasn't pitched since he blew his shoulder out in 1986. Don Robinson isn't loved after last season's struggles, but he is in the last year of his contract. Franco is entrenched as the closer.

Catcher
BJ Surhoff (.281/5/25)
Mike Scioscia (.286/6/39)

Both are lefties and it looks like it'll be a rotation to start. Surhoff adds a little more with the bat, while Scioscia adds more defensively. Surhoff, in only his 3^rd year, keeps taking playing time and he can also play third base.

First Base
Pete O'Brien (.302/26/100 TEX/LA)
Larry Parrish (.281/4/8)

O'Brien was worth the move to upgrade first base, even though Kittle hit 23 HR's in 62 games for the Rangers, after the trade. He was a liability in the field. Parrish is still here for some reason. The team never uses him the way they should and he's not happy about it. He still brings power off the bench, and that always helps.

Second Base
Jim Morrison (.264/14/64 with Seattle)

With Sax gone to the Padres, the team turned to a former cast off. Morrision is 35 now. His last couple of seasons were fair enough, but he's not lighting the world on fire. He's a dependable defender, doesn't break the bank, and has a little pop in the bat.

Third Base
Mike Schmidt (.268/17/55)
Ken Caminiti (.167/0/7 with San Diego)

While this looks great on paper, Schmidt, at 38, is far removed from his best days of baseball. He's got 494 career dingers so he could pop #500 in April, which is very cool. He has lost range on defense, but can also move over to first to play. He lost half of last year to a knee injury. Caminiti is the former #20 top prospect in baseball, but he got less game time last season, than the year before. He was the big get in the Sax trade.

Shortstop
Ozzie Smith (.255/0/28 with St. Louis)
Garry Templeton (.239/2/28 with CLE/SF)

An aging “Wizard of Oz” brings his flair to LA this year. The legendary short stop was traded for a handful of prospects. The most notable being former first rounder, Paul Sorrento. Smith is in the final year of his contract and has ++ speed and defense. Gary Templeton, who is in his second go around with the team will back him up, however, I expect that Roy Smalley will regain the backup role when he returns from the DL.

Left Field
Rickey Henderson (.310/17/59)
Pete Incaviglia (.265/36/101)

And here is a major issue with the team this year. The outfield is once again a crowded mess. Henderson, who had been in center, moves to left, and he can opt out of his contract after this year. Inky was a good power hitter in the middle of the lineup last year, and now will fight for playing time. He finished 3^rd in the Rookie of the Year voting last season.

Center Field
Von Hayes (.235/28/83 with the New York Yankees)
Dwayne Murphy (.228/4/12)

Hayes signed a big 6 year deal prior to last season and then was off loaded for Rick Rhoden. He's an average fielder, but has never been a standout player, (but he was 20/20 last year). He's got some speed, but his 28 HR outburst last year was an abberation. He needs to produce for this team. Murphy, who is still under his big 6 year deal will be the backup again. LA surely regrets that decision. He's had 39 HR's in the last 4 seasons, which is still less than the 41 he hit in Milwaukee, in '83 prior to coming here.

Right Field

Dave Winfield (.299/23/77)
Inky

I cannot deny that Winfield brings a certain amount of excitement and interest. Even though he's 36 now, he is still very popular. Last season was the first time that he's cleared 20 HR's in the previous 5 years. He's only here on a 2 year deal, so at least the bank isn't mortgaged. He's a decent fielder with a cannon for an arm. Inky will obviously be behind him, if his old knees give out.

The Close but Not Close Enough Brigade

SP Ken Howell (0-1, 2S, 3.28)

Howell has gone back to the minors and is has been working on his stamina all off season. The team wants to see him as a starter, so he'll start there. Have to think that he'll be the number 1 option, if the team needs help early. He only has 3 pitches, and I'm not sure that will be enough.

RP Tom Niendenfuer (2-2, 1S, 4.88)

The man who signed a big deal and was promised the closer role isn't even on the major league roster. Last season was the first rough season for him after 4 All-Star appearances. Have to think that he'd be on the trading block if the offer was right.

RP Brian Holton (1-1, 1S, 6.95)

Holton had a terrible year last year, bouncing between AAA and the majors. He's 28, and his time is either now, or up. He worked extensively in spring training, but the results were the same.

RP Bob Patterson (2-0, 3.66 with San Diego)

The extra who came over in the Sax/Caminiti deal. Patterson is a southpaw who played well last season. He's also probably the best lefty option in Albuquerque.

OF Doug Jennings (.263/0/2)

Jennings was one of the teams best prospects and he did add some extra help when he got the call last year. He plays all 3 OF positions and first base too. The problem is the team already has a deep outfield and players who fill the other positions. Look for him to have another breakout year in AAA and get the call if injuries to old guys mount.

OF Tom Beyers (.375/0/8)

Beyers is in the same boat as Jennings, except he has even less time. He's 29, played very well in his 23 games last year and is now in his last option year. He's a career .326 hitter in AAA. He plays the corner outfield positions and first base. Not a great fielder, he's likely a trade option if the team needs to fill gaps other places.

Down on the Farm

Overall, the Dodgers are still 24^th out of 26 teams. Last year's top prospect, Paul Sorrento, is gone, but LA traded for a Reds top prospect and that essentially evened the system out. Last year's draft wasn't good enough and the team is very weak in it's development. The top system is still in Atlanta where their top 5 prospects are all higher than the Dodgers top, but a long way. Randy Johnson is 4^th, Ramon Martinez is 12, Tom Glavine is 16, Tommy Greene is 19 and Juan Gonzalez is 51^st.

Here are the top guys in LA:

#1 OF Lee Stevens – A first round pick in 1985, by the Reds, Stevens will start the year in AA San Antonio, having played A ball all of last year. Acquired along with Frank DiPino in the trade that sent Tony Phillips away. He is the #74 prospect in the majors. He has a good eye and a high contact rate, along with gap power. He's a big guy, but only 20, so maybe his power has yet to develop.

#2 SS Chuck Jackson – A former supplemental first round pick in '83. Jackson is the #133 prospect in baseball. He's come up for a cup of coffee each of the last 2 years, playing 16 games last year. His total dominance of AAA hasn't translated over yet. The only positions he can't play are catcher and first base making him quite valuable. Above average defender with plus speed, he lost out when Ozzie Smith came over.

#3 C Bill Haselman – A guy the Dodgers liked so well, that they drafted him twice. His holdout resulted in a selection a whopping 7 slots higher, going in the 2^nd round last year. He's a big guy who may not be set at Catcher, could move to the out field. An average defender, he doesn't stand out in any area. Starts the season in rookie ball.

#4 P Arthur Rhodes – Another 2^nd round pick from last season. Rhodes has a high 80's, low 90's fastball , but also throws an assortment of other pitches that make him likely to run as a starter. He's young, only 18, so he'll need time to develop. Scouts like his stuff, but he stays high in the zone making hitters able to drive the ball on him.

#5 IF Tommy Hinzo – A former 4^th round pick of the Seattle Mariners, he was signed by LA in '86 as a free agent. Hinzo played in 158 games between A and AA last season, getting 666 at bats. He stole 61 bases in 106 attempts and had 181 base hits. Shows good range with ++ speed. Will start the year in A ball.

#6 OF Kevin Koslofski – Normall, I wouldn't do a number 6, but my god, this shows the lack of any quality in this system. Koslofski came over in the deal with the Padres that sent DeCinces away in exchange for the renting of Dave Dravecky. He somehow got a part of that deal, even though the Padres were his 9^th team between '83 and '87. He'd been released by 8 other teams, so it's not like the Dodgers never had a shot at him. He only elevated to A ball last year, where he hit .262 with 15 stolen bases. He'll start in A ball this year.

That's it for the tour around the team for 1988.

IT'S TIME FOR DODGERS BASEBALL!!!!

PilotMan · 05-13-2018, 07:20 PM

4/4 3-2 W over the Giants
Rickey goes 4-5, steals 3 bases, and delivers the walk off, bases loaded single, in the bottom of the 9^th to get the first W of the year for LA. Henderson and Ozzie combined for 7 of the 10 LA hits, while Smith delivered the first RBI of the year for the team. Bryn Smith went 7 strong, but Franco (1-0) got the win with a scoreless 9^th.

4/5 4-0 W over the Giants
The Giants are not a high powered team. LA took advantage of 3 errors to score 3 unearned runs in this one. Pete O'Brien and Mike Schmidt added 2 hits each and Downs (1-0) went 7 while striking out 8. Tekulve pitched the final 2 innings to preserve the shutout.

The team makes a tremendous, controversial move by claiming Astros OF Todd Benzinger off of waivers. Benzinger hit .310 with 16 HR's and 82 RBI's last year. He was even Rookie of the Month for August. To put him on the roster, the team options Pete Inkaviglia, our own, slugging rookie. Does Inky deserve this demotion in favor of Benzinger though?

4/7 5-0 W over the Braves
Tanana (1-0) allowed 5 hits over 8 innings and LA got it's first homer of the season, from Von Hayes (1). LA cracked 11 hits, with Winfield getting 3 of them. Only O'Brien and Tanana failed to get a hit in this one. LA is off to a good start. Every game counts.

Former Dodger starting first basemen, Sid Bream, was claimed by the Royals when LA put him on waivers.

4/8 9-4 W over the Braves
Make it 4 to start the year. Richard Dotson (1-0) went 7, allowing 2 runs, but the bigger news was the major league debut of Tom Glavine for the Braves. Glavine had a very rough outing. In his 6 innings of work, he allowed 10 hits, 3 HR's and 7 runs altogether. The Dodgers offense was powered by Ozzie, who went 4-5 and hit his first HR (1) in over a year and a half. Rickey also homered (1) along with Mike Schmidt's first.

4/9 7-6 L to the Braves
Well there goes the streak. The teams combined for 34 hits in a still brisk 3 hour and 4 minute game. LA had jumped out to a 5-0 lead after 3, but Bryn Smith couldn't hold it. Rickey and Scioscia both had 3 hits each. Dave Winfield homered for the first time this year (1). LA had the tying run at third with 2 out. Ozzie walked and was picked off of first base to end the game with Larry Parrish at the plate. Frank DiPino (0-1) took the loss and the Braves Randy Johnson got his first career win (1-0).

4/10 2-1 W over the Braves
Kelly Downs (2-0) stuck out 11 in 8, and allowed his first run of the season. Down 1-0 in the 9^th, Surhoff lead off with an infield single, then took second on a bad throw. Rickey then knocked a base hit up the middle and Surhoff came around to score. Henderson took second on the fielders choice. Von Hayes would knock Henderson in to take the lead. Franco pitched the 9^th for his first save of the year. Zane Smith threw 8 shut out innings for the Braves.

LA commits to Pete O'Brien as he signs a very affordable 2-yr/1.1M extension. It's a 120k raise from his current salary.

4/12 10-1 W over the Padres
Frank Tanana (2-0) only needed 84 pitches to decimate the Padres, who are the first good team that we've played this season. Tanana went the distance, but raised his ERA to 0.53. LA put the game away in the 3^rd inning when they loaded the bases and Mike Schmidt cleared them for his 2^nd of the year. Only Ricky failed to get a hit. The controversy continues and Inky, who had just been called up, pinch hit in the 9^th and promptly reminded everyone just who he is when he hit it out of the park (1) to add insult to injury for the Padres.

Roy Smalley was activated from the DL. To make room for him, Jim Morrison was placed on waivers and designated, in what has to be a giant kick in the pants as it's the 2^nd time it's happened to him by LA. The team also recalled Inky and placed Benzinger on waivers and designated him. He's already been claimed.

4/13 4-1 L to the Padres
Dotson (1-1) pitched well enough today and went the distance, but we ran into a buzz saw in Jimmy Key (1-1) who allowed 3 hits all day, while striking out 9. Winfield had 2 of them, which is hard to win when nobody else gets on.

4/14 5-2 W over the Padres
Bryn Smith (1-0) pitched strong, while the Dodgers cranked out 10 hits. Dave Winfield hit #2 to put LA up. LA committed 3 errors, which is the worst fielding performance on the season. Franco pitched the last 2 innings to get his 2^nd save of the year.

Todd Benzinger heads to Baltimore after the Orioles claim him off of waivers.

4/15 5-0 L to the Braves
Zane Smith (1-1) has had a long history of casual dominance of the Dodgers. Today, he was to exceptionally dominant today. He went 7, and allowed only 3 hits. Not a single Dodger got to 2^nd base the entire game. Kelly Downs (2-1) pitched a really good game, but he made a bad throw on a ball in the 7^th and that opened the door for all 5 runs the Braves scored.

4/16 4-1 L to the Braves
Back to back losses for the first time this season. LA wasted 10 hits and just couldn't get runs across. Fernando had major control issues walking 7 in 5.2 innings. Winfield, Schmidt and Templeton all had a pair of hits. Winfield the only extra base hit of the day.

4/17 7-3 W over the Braves
Frank Tanana (3-0) pushes himself and this team through another game. Tanana struck out 7 in 7.1 innings. Garry Templeton knocked in 3. Pete O'Brien, Winfield and Hayes all had a couple of hits each. The big question is what happens to Ozzie Smith who was injured on the last play of the game.

4/18 7-3 L to the Padres
Jimmy Key (2-1) silences Dodger bats in a complete game win. Richard Dotson (1-2) takes the loss after giving up a bases loaded double to Matt Williams in the 6^th. LA scored it's first run after relief pitcher, John Denny doubled and then scored on a Surhoff sac fly. LA failed to capitalize on 3 Padre errors.

4/19 12-1 W over the Padres
It would be easy to look at all the hitting and overlook the start by Bryn Smith (2-0) but we shouldn't. He went the distance and struck out 8 along the way. Great job. Now, the hitting. Stunningly BJ Surhoff went 0-6. HA! So yeah, Winfield went 4-4, scored 4 runs. Pete O'Brien hit his first and Von Hayes hit #2. LA torched poor Paul Kilgus (0-3) and his manager just left him out there. Kilgus served up 12 hits, 5 walks and 10 runs in 3.2 innings. He threw 104 pitches. Good god.

Ozzie Smith was diagnosed with Shoulder Tendinitis. That will keep him on the sidelines until the end of May it looks like. In response, the team reinstated Jim Morrison. He will play 2B and Garry Templeton will move over and cover shortstop.

4/20 13-3 L to the Padres
Turn about is fair play I suppose. The Padres scored 4 in the 6^th and 6 in the 7^th to rout LA. Neither Downs (2-2) nor Denny in relief were effective today. The lone highlight was Surhoff going 3-4 and scoring 2 of our runs. The game, embarrassingly enough, ended on a strikeout/throwout double play.

4/21 6-1 W over the Padres
Fernando does it again. Valenzuela (1-0) pitches 8 strong and looks like his old self today, striking out 6, walking 2. Franco pitched a scoreless 9^th. LA had 0 extra base hits, but both Henderson and Hayes went 2-4 in the game.

4/22 7-1 W over the Giants
Tanana (4-0) keeps on rolling throwing 99 pitches, allowing 4 hits, striking out 6, while cruising to a win over the hapless Giants. Von Hayes lead off the game with his 3^rd homer and Jim Morrison hit his first in the 4^th. LA got 2 hits each from Rickey, Winfield, and O'Brien. We were helped by 4 Giant errors.

4/23 5-2 L to the Giants
Richard Dotson (1-3) was recently demoted to the 5 slot and serves up 3 in the first. LA can't come back. Rob Deer crushes 2 HR's (4,5). Inky goes 3-4 in the loss. Frank DiPino with another shaky showing in relief.

4/24 15-2 W over the Giants
Things got weird in this one. As in, the game was over at 6-2 in the 9^th, then LA decided to put up 9 more. That included Inky (2) and Smalley (1) going deep, back to back. BJ Surhoff stole 2^nd and 3^rd, while up by 12 runs. Kent Tekulve scored a run after he reached on an error. Pete O'Brien went 5-5. Winfield had 4, and LA still left the bases loaded in the 9^th and left 10 guys on for the game. Bryn Smith (3-0) got the W.

4/26 5-3 W over the Cubs
Kelly Downs ( 3-2) fell behind 2-0 in the first and LA scrapped to keep up. Downs and Cone combined to go 3-5 in the batters box. Winfield homered for the 4^th time, a solo shot. LA got a go ahead RBI on a Pete O'Brien single in the 7^th. Morrison and Scioscia both added 2 hits, and Franco pitched the 8^th and 9^th for his 3^rd save of the year. Ricky has 15 steals in 20 games.

4/27 6-5 (13) W over the Cubs
Frank DiPino, who had come on in the 13^th, hit a bases loaded double with 2 outs to sent the teams home for the night. For DiPino, it was only his 2^nd career hit and the first RBI of his career. Schmidt homered in the 2^nd. That gives him 3 on the year and 497 for his career. Rickey, Hayes, and Schmidt all had 3 hits. Tanana, went 8 in the start, but gave up 3 in the first on Paul O'Neil's 3^rd of the season.

4/28 5-1 W over the Cubs
Fernando strikes out 7, in 7.2 innings and nails down his 2^nd win of the year (2-0). LA fell behind early, but a 3 run 5^th, lead by a 2-run shot by Pete O'Brien (2) and a solo shot from Garry Templeton (1) put LA up for good. Franco pitched the last 4 outs to secure his 4^th save.

4/29 3-0 L to the Cardinals
Mike Morgan (2-2) dominates LA. Morgan is one of the lowest winning percentages among active players, but tonight he was on fire. Bryn Smith lowers his ERA to 2.89, but his record drops to 3-1. Schmidt and Morrison both had a couple hits.

Richard Dotson was designated and placed on waivers. John Denny was promoted to the rotation and Ken Howell was brought up from Albuquerque to take his place. Denny is scheduled to make the next start. Dotson is 1-3 with a 5.88 ERA.

4/30 5-2 L to the Cardinals
John Denny (0-1) gets the start, gave up 5 runs in 6.2 innings. There was nothing but 0's on the board until the 6^th when Mell Hall opened the game up (5) with a 2-run shot. Brunansky smacked his 3^rd right after as they went back to back. Schmidt went 3-4 and scored twice. Ken Howell got his first ML work of the year and Jim Beattie threw 2 scoreless.

PilotMan · 05-13-2018, 07:34 PM

April Recap

The Dodgers shot out of the gate with a much better than expected record of 15-9. The bad thing, is that it puts them 4 full games behind the Astros, who have a ridiculous team this year. For LA it's been the solid combination of pitching and hitting that has been the good start to the year.

For now, they sit 3^rd in the NL in runs scored, AVG, 2^nd in OBP, T-6 in HR's and first in SB's. The pitching staff is pretty much the 4^th best in the NL. Both among starters and relievers. The team is 2^nd in the NL in defense. Those are solid stats and rankings all the way around.

Ozzie Smith is the team's only long term injury right now, and most of the original roster is still playing.

Dave Winfield is the stalwart of the offense, hitting .371 with a team high 4 HR's and 15 RBI's. Frank Tanana has put the best pitching numbers up, with a 4-0 record and 1.74 ERA.

Conversely, Jim Morrison's .174 avg is holding the team back. That's probably why Ken Caminiti has been getting playing time at second base.

The Astros are the best team in baseball with an 18-4 record for the month. They just traded away a couple of prospects to the Blue Jays (who also happen to be in first place) for George Bell. Former Dodger Alejenadro Pena is in the bullpen for them.

The worst team? Not hard. That's the Giants. With a record of 5-19, they are 14 games behind the Astros. They are so bad that the set up man, Brian Harvey, is tied for the team lead in wins (2). Jody Reed leads the team in average, hitting .286.

Ron Kittle is annihilating American League pitching. He leads the AL with 8 HR's and is batting .345. Somehow, the Twins Kirby Puckett, has more total bases than Kittle. The Mets Kevin Mitchell leads the NL with 9 round trippers.

On to May!

PilotMan · 05-19-2018, 09:27 AM

5/1 7-5 L to the Cardinals
LA went down 4-0 and fought back to tie the game at 5 in the bottom of the 7^th. Dave Winfield went 2-3 with 3 RBI's and hit his 5^th HR of the season. Kelly Downs pitched another subpar game and the team had to rely on the bullpen to keep it close. That ended when the Cards catcher, Terry Kennedy, hit a 2-run homer off of Frank DiPino (1-3) in the 8^th to go up for good. It was Kennedy's 100^th career jack.

5/2 4-3 L to the Pirates
The losing streak continues. The Dodgers clung to a 3-1 lead behind Frank Tanana scattering 11 hits in 8 innings and took the lead into the 9^th. It was Pirate first basemen Larry Rush, hitting a 2-run HR, his 4^th of his career, that put the Pirates up. It's the first blown save for Franco (1-1) this season. Pete O'Brien hit #3 in the 6^th and went 2-3 with all 3 RBI's. LA slides to 5 games behind the Astros.

5/3 6-4 L to the Pirates
Dave Winfield got LA on the board in the first with a monster 3-run homer (6). With that Valenzuela (2-1) looked like he was going to play the stopper role for us again. That is until the 7^th, when bad, went worse and 5 runs later the lead was gone and so was Valenzuela. Inky lead off the 8^th with a pinch hit, solo-homer (3), but the offense couldn't find the rest. Jose Guzman (2-2) got the win.

Rumors are that Rickey Henderson is calling out people in the locker room. That he might have a specific beef with Jim Morrison.

5/4 3-2 W over the Pirates
Finally, a win. Bryn Smith (4-1) scattered 10 hits over 8 innings, and got out of a bases loaded, 1 out jam in the 8^th to break the Dodgers out of their losing streak. Winfield stayed hot going 2-3 and Ken Caminiti went 2-4 from the #2 slot. Caminiti has been getting more playing time at 2^nd lately. He's not a natural there, but Lasorda must feel like he's the better option over Morrison right now. Franco pitched the 9^th for his 5^th save.

5/6 8-1 W over the Cardinals
Very good hitting today, and a good start from Kelly Downs (4-2) pave the way for the LA victory. Winfield went 3-5 with 2 RBI's and Garry Templeton had a big day with the bat going 2-5, with 2 doubles and 2 RBI's. Ken Howell got the 3 inning save (1) to close it out. This is the first win against the Cardinals for LA this season.

5/7 3-0 W over the Cardinals
Frank Tanana (5-0) is lighting it up early this year. Undefeated and lowering his ERA to 1.56. Lasorda wouldn't let him get the complete game after 2 runners got on in the 9^th, but Franco was able to finish it for his 6^th save. The game was tied at 0 going into the 9^th. LA got 3 walks, then a bases loaded walk, a hit batsmen, and a wild pitch to score all 3. Rickey has 22 steals in 30 games now.

5/8 7-0 W over the Cardinals
With 15 hits, the Dodgers finally got the offense going. Helped along by a great pitching show from Fernando, who moves his record to 3-1. Valenzuela pitched a 5 hit shutout, striking out 6. The top of the order had all the production, with Hayes going deep in the 4^th (4), Surhoff going 3-5 and Henderson going 4-5. Every batter in the lineup got a base hit. It's Valenzuela's first shutout since '85.

5/9 4-2 W over the Cubs
Bryn Smith (5-1) goes 8, striking out 8 and Franco shuts the door in the 9^th for his 7^th save. LA scored first on a Templeton HR (2) in the 3^rd inning, then added 3 more in the 5^th. Templeton, Winfield and Caminiti all had 2 hits in this one.

The trade that brought Caminiti to LA for Sax is looking a little better these day. His offense is making up for his defense at the moment, even though he's a natural third basemen, he's just not going to get the time at third as long as Schmidt is healthy.

5/10 6-3 W over the Cubs
John Denny (1-1) worked 5.2 innings and was pulled after 111 pitches despite only allowing 1 run. LA stormed out to a 2-0 lead in the first on another Winfield 2-run HR (7). Rickey added a solo shot in the 6^th (2) and Larry Parrish had a pinch hit 2-run shot in the 7^th (1) to open the game up for LA. Ken Howell looked like he was on his way to another 3 inning save, when he had to leave due to a hand injury. The streaking Dodgers are on a roll.

Richard Dotson was given his unconditional release. His stat line was 1-3, 5.88 ERA, 26IP, 12K's.

5/11 5-2 W over the Pirates
The Dodgers continue to be road warriors. Ricky goes 2-2, with 3 RBI's and now has 24 steals in 34 games. He's almost halfway to his total from last season. Kelly Downs (5-2) pitches a complete game as he allowed 2 runs on 5 hits.

5/12 5-1 W over the Pirates
Frank Tanana runs his record to 6-0 and lowers his ERA to 1.51 on the season. He allows 3 hits, in 8 innings of work. He is carrying this team right now. It's the best he's pitched in a long time. LA took the lead in the 4^th inning when Mike Schmidt hit HR #498, his 4^th of the year. Schmidt isn't the fearsome hitter he used to be, but he can still crack the ball a long way. Pete O'Brien went 3-3 and added his own HR (4) in the 8^th inning.LA's 8 straight wins are the best in the Majors.

5/13 5-0 L to the Phillies
Valenzuela (3-2) had a really rough first inning, giving up 4, and the team really couldn't recover. He hung around until the 6^th inning and struck out 7. LA could only manage 4 hits in the game.

Ken Howell was placed on the DL. He injured his hand a few days ago, and thought he could play through it, but it appears that it's more serious. Tom Niedenfuer (1-0, 2.70 in Albuquerque) was recalled to take his place on the roster.

5/14 4-1 L to the Phillies
The Phillies came out and jumped all over Bryn Smith (5-2) in the first inning. Before an out was even recorded Larry Walker had homered (2) and the Phills had all 4 of their runs in. Smith sort of cruised after that, but LA couldn't do anything against the craft Don Carmen (3-2). LA had 3 hits, and only scored because of a wild pitch.

5/15 5-0 W over the Phillies
John Denny (2-1) didn't get the chance to finish the game, but he was in form tonight. The Phillies only managed 3 hits off of him, and Franco finished the game. Rickey and Schmidt both had 3 hits, and Henderson stole 3 bases bringing him up to 28, in 38 games. Pete O'Brien cleared the bases in the 6^th (5) and Von Hayes did the same in the 7^th (5).

Greg Luzinski finally tagged HR #300. When 1983 finished The Bull had 296. He rode the bench for the Yankees and finally got that magical HR with the Royals.

5/17 7-3 L to the Expos
LA scored first and had the the ever hot Tanana (6-1) on the mound, but his stuff wasn't unhittable today. Von Hayes tried to help him out with his 6^th HR of the year, but it was an Andre Dawson grand slam (4) that undid the Dodgers today. Don Robinson came on to pitch the 9^th, but had to leave after 3 pitches with some kind of injury. Tough to say right now how bad it might be.

5/18 3-2 (12) L to the Expos
LA was down to the last strike in the bottom of the 9^th when Larry Parrish knocked in the tying run off the bench. Not sure if you remember, 1988 was the year that MLB decided that the balk was going to get called a lot more. Frank DiPino (1-4) ended up balking in the winning run in the 12^th. LA got out of a couple bases loaded innings, but it still wasn't enough. Charlie Hough walked 8 Dodgers, Pete O'Brien had 3 hits, Niedenfeur pitched for the first time this year, and Downs had a good start. Probably should have done better with this one.

5/19 4-1 L to the Expos
After a nice run, LA drops 3 straight to our old foe, the Expos. Not even former Expos starter Bryn Smith (5-3) could get the W for us today. A Gallaraga (11) 2-run HR gave the Expos all the offense they needed. LA smacked out 10 hits, but left 10 on base, which was 6 more then Montreal. Don Robinson came on and pitched through some shoulder discomfort. He threw 2 scoreless innings.

5/20 14-4 L to the Mets
The Mets just pounded LA into submission. Valenzuela (3-3) got the start and Kevin Mitchell homered early (11) to go up. Rickey answered with a lead off shot to tie it back up, but that was the last good news. The Mets would go deep 5 times in all. Another from Mitchell (12), Robby Thompson (5), Strawberry (13) and Bobby Bonilla (6). LA would get the first HR of the year from Caminiti (1). I guess no one got hurt. So there's that. Well, not exactly. Bud Black was an out away from a 3 inning save and had to leave because he got hurt. No LA injuries.

5/21 4-3 (11) W over the Mets
The Mets lead 2-0 for most of the game, but Inky came off the bench, with 2 on, and ended all that. He crushed the ball and put it into the left field seats (4). Franco came on for the 9^th, but blew his second save of the year, thanks to some careless pitching. Bottom of the 11^th saw Rickey smoke one over the left field wall for a walk off win for us (4).

5/22 11-2 W over the Mets
We get a little respect back from that white washing we took in game 1. Tanana (7-1) allowed 1 hit through 4, got into a little trouble, but still pitched into the 8^th. Rickey went 2-4, scored 3 times, and added 3 RBI's. Winfield, went 3-4 with 4 RBI's, and Ken Caminiti went 2-4, with 2 runs. A good game for the boys.

5/24 9-7 W over the Phillies
LA ends the Phillies 6 game win streak. Ken Caminiti is starting to look like a real ball player. He's gotten much more comfortable playing 2^nd and with the bat. He went 3-5, with 2 HR's (2,3) and had 6 RBI's. There were 7 lead changes and not a lot of pitching. Bryn Smith (6-3) started, but only went 5 hard innings. Franco came on in the 8^th, but really struggled again and it was Tekulve who had to finish it off for his 1^st save of the year.

5/25 11-6 W over the Phillies
You'd never know that Kelly Downs (6-2) pitched into the 9^th inning in this one. He was shelled in the first, allowed 3 HR's by the third, then didn't allow another hit until the 9^th. Thankfully for him, his teammates picked him up. LA bashed out 15 hits, with Downs himself getting 2 doubles. Caminiti and Templeton both went 2-5 with 3 RBI's to lead LA. Jim Beattie finished the game in unspectacular. Rumor is he left the game after the last out and went straight to the trainers office.

5/26 4-2 W over the Phillies
Valenzuela (4-3) went the distance, struck out 8, and the Dodgers were able to best a 9 strikeout performance from Greg Maddux (2-5). Surhoff and O'Brien both went 2-4, while O'Brien added a couple of RBI's. The Phillies have a lot of talent, and one of the oldest benches I've ever seen. Having lost Pedro Guerrero in spring training, the Phillies have Jim Sundberg (37), Cliff Johnson (40), Don Baylor (38), Ken Griffey Sr (38) and Jim Rice (35). This team could have been something about 8 years ago.

Jim Beattie has some tenderness in his forearm and will miss a few days, but isn't on the DL yet.

Ozzie Smith was activated from the DL while Jim Morrison was designated and placed on waivers again. Templeton did very well playing in Smith's absence. While he is only batting .234 with a .250 OBP, his defense was fantastic. Templeton only has committed 2 errors in 33 starts at shortstop, which amounts to about 10 errors over the season. The lowest that Gold Glover Smith has is 14 in a season. Templeton also lost his starting job at 2B. The emergence of Caminiti offensively and defensively has locked him in as the starter.

5/27 3-2 L to the Expos
Tanana (7-2) went the distance, thew only 83 pitches, 61 for strikes, generally was in command all day, and lost. Why? Gopher ball problems. Today it was a 2-run shot from Robin Yount (7) that did him in. Tanana even got an RBI double today, which is amazing when you know that his career average is .099. Rickey stole his 35^th base in his 48^th game. The Expos Joe Hesketh stuck out 4 of the 5 guys he faced for his 7^th save.

5/28 3-2 L to the Expos
At one time, John Candelaria (3-3) was the single most feared pitcher in baseball. His recent move to the bullpen in the last couple years dried that up, but he looked in old form today. John Denny (2-2) pitched well. The game was tied until the 7^th when Hubie Brooks broke it with a left field dinger (9). Rickey did not steal a base despite going 2-4. LA is still winless aginst the Expos this season.

Ken Howell has returned from the DL. Niedenfuer was optioned back to Albuquerque.

5/29 9-2 L to the Expos
That makes 6 in a row lost to the Expos and destroys any momentum we had after the Phillies sweep. Mike Schmidt went 3-4 with his 5^th HR and that was it. The Expos went deep twice in the first off of Bryn Smith (6-4) who was shelled by his former team for the second time this season. Gary Carter went deep twice (9,10) and Brooks hit a grand slam (10). It was pretty much done at that point.

5/30 4-2 (15) L to the Mets
Ugh. That's all I can say here. Lots to talk about. Kelly Downs and Ron Darling both went 8, allowed 1 each and left with the game tied at 1. It goes to extras, where Von Hayes is eventually ejected because he was arguing a strike call. At this point though, LA was out of bench players so Bryn Smith came in to play center. LA managed to grab a run in the top of the 15^th to take the lead. Kent Tekulve had pitched 4 scoreless, but Lasoda elected to sent him out again. The leadoff hitter got on, then Don Robinson (0-1) came in. The Mets tied it up, then Bobby Bonilla ended it with a powerful drive that left the yard (9).

5/31 5-0 L to the Mets
Edward Lindsey (6-2) combined with Aguilera and Gullickson to throw a 1 hit shut out. Only Winfield could manage a hit off of any Mets pitcher. Only 29 batters came to the plate for LA. Valenzuela (4-4) gave up 5, walked 5 and stuck out 4. His control issues are alive and well. Rickey stole his 37^th base.

PilotMan · 05-20-2018, 07:55 AM

May Recap

The team posted a 14-14 record for the month, a sudden drop from the white hot start they had in April. A large part of the dropoff was the change in offense. The team had been one of the best in this category, but now the team is 9^th in average, and 6^th in OBP. The team is still 4^th in runs scored and 5^th in HR's. As for pitching, the team is 4^th in ERA and oppAVG. The pitching staff has been greatly helped by the team's defense. The team is tops in the NL.

At the moment, the team is in 2^nd place in the West. With a 29-23 record, and a big, 6 games behind the Astros. Losing 5 in a row at the end of the month hurt what could have been a successful month.

The top hitters for the month were, no surprise, Rickey Henderson (.295/.387/.448 19SB) and Dave Winfield (.282/.359/.417). But you can see, if this is the best, it's not really that great. Von Hayes hit 4 HR's in the month to lead the way. That's downright awful. Mike Schmidt has practically disappeared from any sort of production. Schmidt's line was (.174/.209/.239) with 2 HR's and 9 RBI's. Kelly Down's offensive output was nearly as much. Pretty much the whole team needs to get it's act together.

On the pitching side, both John Denny (1.88 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 2-1) and Frank Tanana (2.35, 1.09 WHIP, 3-2) were right no point. Kent Tekulve and Ken Howell were excellent in the bullpen. Bryn Smith (5.58, 1.26, 3-3) and Fernando Valenzuela (5.62, 1.46, 2-4) were not. Jim Beattie was a disaster coming out of the pen (8.31, 1.96, .361 OPPAVG).

The team has good pitching. I think a couple of roster moves might be to their benefit, and Lasorda not relying so damn heavy on his starters would be an improvement. He loves to leave his guys in long, and his choices out of the pen can be head scratching at times. Still, the quality is there.

Looking at the broader league. The Mets are the best team in baseball. Posting a 35-15 record, they are only a game better than the Astros. Both teams are expected to continue to dominate throughout the rest of the season. Injuries might make an impact, but both teams are loaded with quality. The AL East is lead by the Blue Jays, who with a record of 26-25, are a the only team with a winning record in the East. The AL West has a 3 way tie, between the Rangers, Mariners, and White Sox. Consequently, every team in the West has a winning record. There is, among all others, one god awful, team in baseball. That team is the San Francisco Giants.

The Giants are a sad sack. With a record of 10-42, which equates to a win percentage of .192. The Giants are currently on pace, to be the worst team in baseball history. Long time team ace, Atlee Hammaker is 0-7 with a 5.08 ERA. Cleanup hitter, Rob Deer has 11 HR's and 30 RBI's. The bullpen features a young David Wells and Brian Harvey, with Dan Plesac closing games. It doesn't sound bad, but then it is. Among field players, Rob Deer is rated as 15^th best at his position, of RF. That is the highest. First base and third are 26^th, with Marvin Ward (.227/6/18) and Chris Brown (.243/2/11) respectively. Second basemen Mike Sharperson is 25^th (.223/0/1) and Catcher Phil Ouellette is 24^th (.234/2/7). It's almost like an entire team of replacement players.

Blame has to fall on 3^rd year GM Joe Christopher and the notoriously stingy, yet micro managing owner, Justin Culbert. The Giants are 21^st in team budget and payroll, yet no more money is available for free agents or extensions. On the brighter side, there is some talent in the minors. 19Y/O Bernie Williams probably shouldn't be starting in CF, but he is. He is the #4 prospect in baseball. Behind him is #19 SS Reggie Sanders, and #32 OF Steve Finley. Will they be up before the end of the year?

Young Drachma · 05-20-2018, 09:29 AM

I like this idea of just watching it play out as a fan, I have to admit while I do a lot of watching, I've never considered doing it at such a slow pace and being a fan watching and maddened by whatever decisions the AI makes. Good stuff.

PilotMan · 05-20-2018, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Young Drachma

I like this idea of just watching it play out as a fan, I have to admit while I do a lot of watching, I've never considered doing it at such a slow pace and being a fan watching and maddened by whatever decisions the AI makes. Good stuff.

Thanks, the inspiration for it was how could I get into a league like I had back in my early SOM days and this was what I came up with. Back then I had to somewhat randomly move players between teams to create the idea of free agency. This type of play is really the best of all worlds. Deep immersion into the day to day and complete hands off moves my all teams with no favoritism. It's a type of replay, sans my own personal bias.

07-31-2017, 03:36 PM	#101
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	1986 Playoff Preview AL Toronto Blue Jays v. California Angels The Blue Jays are the heavies. They are making their 3^rd straight appearance in the ALCS having won it all in 1984. The Blue Jays won the East with a record of 98-64 and finished 8 games ahead of the Red Sox. They have the #2 offense in the AL and lead the league in HR's with 189 and were 2^nd in SB's with 178. They have speed and power. Their pitching isn't half bad either as they are 4^th in team ERA, with the top bullpen in the AL. They did allow a lot of HR's but their offense was better. They had 3 guys with over 20 HR's. George Bell lead all with 33, then it's rookie 3B, Cory Snyder with 23 and last is Lloyd Moseby with 20. They had 4 guys with over 20 SB's. They are Ricky Henderson (54), Tony Fernandez (35), Lloyd Moseby (29) and Mich Webster (24). The team lost middle of the lineup hitter Jessie Barfield in April, then for the season in June. Barfield still hit 9 HR's in 32 games and he's getting closer to coming back. Word is that he could be back in a week or so, depending on how this series goes. The Jays ace this year has been Jim Clancy. Clancy (18-12, 2.94) pitched a team high 263 innings with a team leading 1.11 WHIP. Number 2 in the rotation has been Danny Darwin (15-11, 4.53, 238). Tom Seaver, in an amazing rebound year where he won his 300^th career game, thew more innings (228.2) than he had since 1978. Seaver went 16-8 with a 4.05 ERA. In the bullpen it's been Dave Smith holding down the back end. The former Phillies closer was acquired during the Winter Meetings for 3 high level prospects and a player to be named later. This year he saved 35 out of 40 chances to lead the AL. He also had a 2.40 ERA, his career best since he was a rookie in 1980. Setting him up has been Tom Ubiera (4-5, 4 S, 3.53 ERA 51G) and Randy St Claire (9-7, 4S, 3.84 ERA, 64G). The California Angels finished with the best record in all of baseball. Their record of 103-59 saw them as the only 100 game winners this season. They did it mostly with pitching, leading the AL in opponent average and hits allowed, while being 2^nd in team ERA. The bullpen is a weak spot though as they were the 10^th best in the AL. Defensively, the Angels were the best in the AL. On offense, the team was a pedestrian 9^th in team average, 11^th in hits, 2^nd in HR's and 7^th in runs scored. They're not built to dissimilar to the Dodgers. This is only the 2^nd AL West crown for the Angels in the franchise history. They last made the playoffs in 1979 and last year finished 3^rd, albeit with 94 wins. This year the team had 4 players with over 20 HR's. They are lead by Tim Wallach and his 30. Many said that when Wallach left the Expos last off season that he would miss the days with the juggernaut Expos, but he stood on his own this year with a .276/.327/.477 line, along with 92 RBI's. Along with him are Mike Young (24), Ken Phelps (23) and Dave Henderson (21). Young was another offseason signing from the Orioles. Phelps got hurt in mid August and is done for the year. He was only batting .195 before he got hurt. The absolute biggest weapon on the team has been totally unheralded Dick Schofield. The 23yr old shortstop is one of the best defensive short stops in the league, and before now his best years saw 13 HR's and .257 avg in '84. This year he has really come through. Batting .301 at the top of the order and stealing 28 bases to go with 15 HR's and 93 RBI's he is a real double threat and hard to pitch around. He might be one of the most underrated players in the game. There are a couple of ex Dodgers on this team too. Old guy Steve Garvey took over at first after Phelps was lost, but he's only hit .226 with 13 HR's. Tony Bernazard starts at 2^nd and hit 15 HR's and batted .267. The Angels staff is deep, and was deeper. In fact, this team has been beset with a myriad of injuries, major injuries. Brett Saberhagen, an All Star, was lost for the year with a finger ligament injury. He had been 14-9 and won the ERA crown with a 2.35 ERA. He also lead the league in WHIP with a 1.00. Saberhagen isn't easily replaced. If that wasn't bad, they also lost long man, and spot starter Shane Rawley (3-0, 4.05) and former Orioles closer Tippy Martinez (0-0, 8.44 ERA). So who's left that they are still the best with those losses? Well, Mike Witt put together a Cy Young type season and lead the league in wins with a 23-9 record. He was on pace to get close to 28 at one point. Witt posted a 2.82 ERA and struck out 211 in 261 IP. Behind Witt is veteran hurler Bert Blyleven. Blyleven (16-13, 3.99) had one of his worst season's of record. He lead the league by allowing 48 HR's, making Tanana look squared away. But he still can dominate a game. Behind him is journeyman Rich Dotson (15-12, 4.20) who still threw 222 innings. The bullpen has 2 guys who have been in charge there. One time closer Stu Cliburn is now the primary set up man, but before that, he had 31 saves (4 blown) in 60 games with a 3.13 ERA. The new closer is Dave Stewart. Stewart came back to SoCal last year in a trade with the Mets and played set up last year. Injuries forced him into a hybrid role where he closed during the year and made spot starts at the end of the season. His 7-4 record, and 18 saves aren't earth shattering, his 3.79 ERA isn't scaring anyone, but he is very reliable for the most part. NL Montreal Expos v. Los Angeles Dodgers Stop me if you've heard this one before. You know these teams. This is the 6^th straight East title for the Expos with last season being the first title for the franchise. They aren't as much of a sure thing this season, but they did end up on top after that battle with the upstart Mets. The team was 2^nd or 3^rd in most offensive categories, but they were down in 8^th in HR's. The team was 2^nd in the NL in pitching with the bullpen in 6^th. In contrast, they were 1^st in the league in HR's allowed and walks. The team is still an All Star fan fest. They will be without stalwart Andre Dawson (.295/.336/.523 and 25 HR's) for the entire NLCS. He's dealing with a shoulder injury suffered in late September and the team will be missing CF'er Robin Yount (.276/.343/.443 and 11 HR's) for at least the start of the series. Yount had a severe ankle sprain. Dawson was the only player with more than 20 HR's. The rest of the power in Montreal came from Gary Carter (17) and Andres Gallaraga (16). Tim Raines is probably the most dynamic weapon the team. He batted .342 and stole 72 bases to go with 93 RBI's. This team still features Lou Whitaker (.262/12/68) and Paul Molitor (.311/10/83) in the lineup. Mike Greenwell is filling in for Dawson in right. The pitching staff was anchored by Rick Reuschel (18-8, 2.72), David Palmer (16-5, 2.51), Charlie Liebrandt (15-8, 3.02) and Bryn Smith (17-7, 3.21). There's no weak spot in that rotation. Each and every one of them can take over a game and they all had fantastic seasons. Probably the deepest rotation in the playoffs. Coming out of the bullpen is Dan Quisenberry (9-7, 3.11 and 28 saves), Jeff Reardon (3-11, 3.83, 10 S) and Larry Andersen (via trade with the Tigers, 3-6, 3.45 and 25 S). They also sport Nolan Ryan (13-9, 3.59) and John Candelaria (4-2, 5.34). The team is flush deep with talent. Like I said, this team is stocked. You know it, we know it, they are a tough game every time. LA finished the year 11^th in the NL in team avg, but 4^th in runs scored. They were 11^th in hits, and 2^nd in HR's. First in walks, and last in stolen bases. The team strategy there seems obvious. You've seen it in play all year long. LA also boasts the top pitching staff in the NL, and the top bullpen. They finished the year as the hottest team in baseball and spent the last few weeks just winning all over. It was quite a change from the earlier part of the season where we were nothing more than a .500 team. Doug DeCinces was LA's top producer on offense and he is lost for the year. That should make a difference, but other players have been stepping up in his absence. Both Ray Knight and Pete Incaviglia have made a difference with their bats, with DeCinces being gone. The team will rely on slugger Franklin Stubbs to do some of the heavy lifting. Stubbs lead the team in homers with 33 and RBI's with 111. Aside from DeCinces, only Fred Lynn had 20 or more HR's. Part of that was due to the constant merry go round in the outfield. Steve Sax will be critical in the playoffs. His batting average over Sept/Oct was .385 and he lead the team in OBP for the season with a .353 OBP. He also provides the only speed on the bases. He had 43 steals this year. He has to get on in order for LA to score runs and keep innings going. If he doesn't, the next man up is Phillips and his .351 OPB. However, the #3 leader in avg was Mike Marshall and his .269. If he doesn't play, it's Sid Bream at .260. Those are not good numbers. That means that the pitching staff will have all the pressure to keep the game close. The top pitcher this year has been Rick Rhoden (23-6, 2.49, 28/35 QS). His 4.71 RS/G was the best of his career. Behind him is El Toro, Fernando Valenzuela (17-10, 3.00, 25/36 QS) he got only 3.53 RS/G, the lowest since '82. If he get's Rhoden support that record is different. Behind Valenzuela is John Denny, the hottest pitcher on the team. Denny (17-8, 3.03, 24/34 QS and 3.97 RS/G), had both the worst month and best month for LA. They will hope the good Denny shows up. In the similar vein, Frank Tanana (14-7, 3.48, 17/30 QS and 3.87 RS/G) gave up 34 HR's and a bunch of first inning runs. He threw back to back 1 hitters and won NL Pitcher of the Month in May. It's a good rotation and a healthy rotation. The bullpen is the best in the NL. John Franco (32S/6BS) held the back end down all year, but his 3.20 ERA wasn't tops on the team and his WHIP of 1.38 makes him vulnerable. Former closer Tom Niedenfeur only got 4 saves, but was a better pitcher than Franco. His WHIP was only 0.85. He did lose 9 games for us. The other heavily used back end pitcher was Ken Howell. Howell pitched in 54 games in his 2^nd full season and posted a 2.77 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Starter Kelly Downs (9-7, 3.28) will fill in the long relief role out of the pen. This took entirely too long to write. I'm pretty sure that it's because I don't want to lose to the Expos and I'm feeling very pessimistic. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

07-31-2017, 06:00 PM	#102
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	One more thing about the Blue Jays. In December of last year the Blue Jays acquired Steady Eddie Murray for 4 prospects, the best being catcher Mike Macfarlane. Remember? Yeah, so Eddie played 72 games at first, hitting 14 HR's and batted .285 before he was knocked out by a severely broken ankle. That put an end to the season, but that wasn't all. On the last day of the season Murray had a press conference and announced that he was retiring due to complications from the injury. Murray finishes with a .298 career average, 1675 hits and 291 home runs. At 30, Murray is done. Probably not going into the hall now. The Blue Jays are now trying to "Win one for the gimper." Oh yeah.... __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam Last edited by PilotMan : 07-31-2017 at 06:03 PM.

07-31-2017, 08:37 PM	#103
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	Game #1 Rick Rhoden v. David Palmer 5-3 W over the Expos LA takes a 1 game lead on a 4 run 2^nd inning on a Mike Scioscia single and a Steve Sax triple. It would stay like that with Rhoden pitching his shutout into the 8^th inning. With 2 out Incaviglia committed an error that kept the inning going. From there Ken Howell gave up a single. He gave way to Niedenfeur, who gave up a hit, who gave way to Howe, who gave up a hit and suddenly it was 4-3. Pena came on and struck out Gary Carter to finally end it. In the 9^th, Quiz came on for the Expos. He walks Scioscia, who is moved over on a Smalley ground out. Steve Sax doubles him in to give us an insurance run. John Franco pitches a 1-2-3 9^th to give us homefield and a 1-0 lead. Ray Knight went 3-4 and Sax went 2-5 with 3 RBI's. Game #2 John Denny v. Charlie Liebrandt 2-0 L to the Expos Liebrandt pitched a perfect game through 5 and a no hitter through 6. LA could only manage 2 hits the entire game. John Denny walked 5, and pitched 5. His night was cut short by a high pitch count. Niedenfeur served up a HR to Gary Carter in the 8^th. Liebrandt would go the distance for the 2 hit shutout. The Blue Jays took game 1 over the Angels 6-1. The Angels took game 2 6-4, thanks to home runs by Garvey, Dave Henderson, Darryl Porter and Dick Schofield. Game #3 Fernando Valenzuela v. Rick Reuschel 4-2 L to the Expos And now we're in a hole. LA's bats went silent for another 6 innings. Montreal got started when Andres Galarraga hit a 2-run shot in the first inning to put the Expos up right away. Lou Whitaker would add another 2-run shot in the 3^rd to give them the winning margin. Valenzuela with both parts hot and cold, which is to say he was a hot mess. He pitched 6 and allowed 5 hits, 4 runs, 5 walks and 7 K's. He was all over. The bats didn't do anything until the 7^th when they got 2, but easily could have gotten more. Bream and Incaviglia would score on a pop fly by Lynn and a single by Stubbs. Bream and Ray Knight went 2-4. The Dodger bullpen pitched well, with Beattie going 2 scoreless and Niedenfeur 1 scoreless. The Expos lead 2-1. Game #4 Frank Tanana v. Bryn Smith 6-3 W over the Expos Frank Tanana did his thing today and by did his thing I mean he served up a HR in the first inning. Because today it was Galarraga, who went 4-4 and hit another HR. With the Expos up 2-0, they went up another in the 3^rd on another Galarraga hit. Down 3-0 and without a hit, things were feeling grim, when LA found some life and put a run on the board. They would get another in the 4^th on a Fred Lynn HR cutting the lead to 3-2. In the 5^th though, it looked like old school Dodgers. With 2 outs Inky singled, Lynn singled, Knight singled scoring 1. Tony Phillips opened the game up with a 2 run double. Tanana ended up going 7 and striking out 8, while Franco got the final 6 outs for the save. The Series is tied 2-2. Toronto goes up 2-1 on a 3-2 win at home. Game #5 Rick Rhoden v. David Palmer 10-2 L to the Expos So.....the good news? Stubbs went 3-4 and had 2 RBI's? Sax who went 3-4? That's about it. We scored 2 in the first after Sax bunted for a hit, stole 2^nd, stole 3^rd. Lynn walked and Stubbs singled home them both. That's the way it started, and it was good. The Expos got one back in the 3^rd, then in the 6^th it started to unravel. Tim Raines hit a 1-0 pitch to left field 348 feet, putting the Expos up by 1. It was still close until the 8^th. With Rhoden still in there, Pettis lead off with a single, and Raines hit an 0-1 pitch 382 ft into the Dodgers bullpen. After that it only went down hill. Let's just say that it ended with a Mike Greenwell grand slam in the 9^th. So the Expos scored 7 runs in the 8^th and 8^th innings. It really was only 3-2 until that. Raines and Greenwell combined to go 5-10 with 4 runs, 9 RBI's and 3 HR's. Damn. The dark reality that we are going to fall short once again is setting in. The hottest team in baseball is going to fall to the biggest juggernaut dynasty in baseball. We will need to win 2 in a row on the road against the team with the best record in the NL. Good luck to us. Toronto beats the Angels one more time, 6-3, to take a commanding 3-1 lead. Looking like another all Canada final right now. And it is Toronto....a 3-0 win behind 6.1 scoreless, 2 hit innings, by Len Barker gives the Blue Jays the AL Pennant. This is the 3^rd straight World Series for the Blue Jays. Game #6 John Denny v. Charlie Liebrandt 8-7 L to the Expos That's it for this year. We had this in the bag and Lasorda left Denny in there far too long. LA was up 4-0 after 2. That should have been plenty. That should have given us the win. We gave back 2 in the 3^rd, but got them both back in the 6^th. Up 6-2 heading into the 6^th Denny was victimized by 2 Dodger errors and the Expos scored 4 times to tie it up. LA would go up in the 8^th with a run, and we were 6 out from the W and seeing game 7. Denny again, started the inning and after an out, a double and a walk, Franco came in. Vance Law reached on an error and the bases were loaded, only 1 out. Gorman Thomas walked to tie it up, then Gary Pettis flew out and scored Molitor to put the Expos up by 1. In the 9^th, Roy Smalley worked the count and fought to get a single. Sax came up and Quiz got him to ground out into a double play. The air was gone. Tony Phillips struck out to end it. What a disgusting loss after all those wins at the end of the year. The World Series will be the Blue Jays v. the Expos in the All-Canada Bowl. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

08-01-2017, 08:42 PM	#104
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	1986 World Series Canada will reign again, for the 3^rd straight year, no matter what. Game 1...Toronto takes a lead on a 3-0 win. Danny Darwin allows 2 hits, strikes out 10. Game 2...Expos tie it up on a 4-3 win. Galarraga ties the game in the 8^th, Expos win in the 9^th. Game 3...Toronto wins 12-9 in a slugfest. It was 11-3 after 4, Montreal nearly came back. Game 4...Toronto is on the precipice of victory. The game went to extras tied at 4. The Expos score 2 in the top of the 13^th to take the lead. Nolan Ryan was on and the Blue Jays scored 3 to walk off with the win. Toronto leads 3-1, heading to Montreal. Game 5...Blue Jays blast Reuschel for 6 in the 2^nd inning and pull ahead with a 10-7 win over the Expos to win the World Series. This 4-1 win for the Blue Jays is similar to 1984, when they won 4-0 over the Dodgers. Tony Fernandez was the MVP of the Series. In 5 games he batted a team leading .524, with a .583 OBP. He went 11-21 batting. One last note for the Dodgers before the official end of the season. The team came to terms with Larry Parrish (.257/.321/.419, 3HR, 13 RBI) on a 2yr/1.58M contract extension that will keep him with the team through 1988. How will they use him? Will it be different than he was used, or barely used this year? Who knows. I'm shocked that he wanted to come back, in all honesty. That's it for 1986. Another year of crushing disappointment in LA, and another title for Canada. Offeseason awards are next. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

08-04-2017, 01:06 AM	#105
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	1986 Post Season and Awards A few front office moves see the team trainer and pitching coach re-signed. Our pitching coach Jim Gulley is still not good, but our guys did well with him. Our bench coach Alex Whitehead is leaving the team in pursuit of a manager position. He's well regarded and should find good footing wherever he ends up. In bigger news, team GM, Frank Santagelo has retired, leaving a gaping hole in the front office. Whoever they sign will have a critical impact on the future of the club. Frank Tanana has executed his option year in his contract and will be back with the team. Steve Howe didn't reach his vesting requirement of 20 games finished for this year, so he will be a free agent. LA avoids arbitration with Kittle, Niedenfeur, Pena, Phillips, Sax and Stubbs. They all sign 1 yr deals to come back with the team. They all get nice pay raises. AL Gold Glove Winners P Scott Munninghof (1) – DET C Ernie Whitt (1) – TOR 1B Don Mattingly (1) – NYY 2B Terry Pendleton (1) – KC 3B Steve Buechele (1) – CLE SS Alan Trammell (3) – DET LF Larry Herndon (1) – DET CF Barry Bonds (1) – CWS RF Mike Davis (2) – OAK NL Gold Glove Winners P Rick Reuschel (1) – MON C Mike Scioscia (1) – LA 1B Tom O'Malley (1) – SF 2B Robby Thompson (1) – NYM 3B Doug DeCinces (1) – LA SS Ozzie Smith (5) – STL LF Franklin Stubbs (1) – LA CF Lenny Dykstra (1) – NYM RF Tony Gwynn (4) – SD AL Rolaids Reliever of the Year Dave Smith – TOR (7-5, 2.35, 35 S) Ex Dodger Jerry Reuss (DET) finished 3^rd NL Rolaids Reliever of the Year Ken Dayley – SD (4-3, 1.94, 35S) Tom Niedenfuer finished 3^rd in voting. AL Silver Slugger Awards C Lance Parrish (3) – KC 1B Tony Hrbek (2) – MIN 2B Randy Ready (1) – MIL 3B Jim Presley (1) – SEA SS Alan Trammell (1) – DET LF Phil Bradley (1) – SEA CF Barry Bonds (2) – CHI RF Dwight Evans (3) – SEA DH George Brett (4) – KC NL Silver Slugger Awards P Greg Mathews (1) – SD C Dave Valle (1) – CIN 1B Will Clark (1) – STL 2B Ryne Sandberg (2) – CHI 3B Doug DeCinces (2) – LA SS Julio Franco (1) – PHI LF Tim Raines (3) – MON CF Eric Davis (1) – CIN RF Daryl Strawberry (2) – NYM AL Rookie of the Year Rafael Palmerio (MIL) - (.280/24/125, 2.2 WAR) NL Rookie of the Year Gregg Jefferies (SF) - (.238/9/43, 52SB, 3.1 WAR) AL Manager of the Year Bobby Cox – TOR (2) NL Manager of the Year Tommy Lasorda – LA (3) AL Cy Young Award Mike Witt – CAL (1) (23-9, 2.82, 211 K's, 7 CG, 3 SHO) NL Cy Young Award Doc Gooden – NY (2) (19-10, 2.01, 265K's, 6 CG, 1 SHO) Rick Rhoden finished 2^nd in voting. AL MVP Award Barry Bonds – CHI (1) (.270/34/105, 50 SB, 9.3 WAR) NL MVP Award Darryl Strawberry – NYM (1) (.331/50/135, 49SB, 10.1 WAR) Gooden finished 3^rd, behind Eric Davis Heading into the offseason the team is fairly well positioned. We have a decent sized budget to be able to go out and get some guys, we still have a deep squad and very little in the way of major free agents . We have a winning squad, just not a WINNING squad. It's frustrating that we can't find a way to bridge that gap. I wonder what is in store for our beloved boys in blue? __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

08-05-2017, 10:25 PM	#106
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	1986 Hot Stove Notes LA has brought on Alex Barajas as the new bench coach. He's unlikely to really have an impact on the team except that he's a fiery personality on the bench and he's got a good reputation. Thinking about Steve Howe and what his potential loss means to the team. He's 28 right now, and will be 29 when the '87 season starts. He has 110 career saves, against 7 blown saves, and a 2.14 career ERA. Four of the past 5 seasons he's posted a sub 2 ERA. He's a 3 time all star and 2 time reliever of the year. He's a big part of why this bullpen has lead or been close to the top of the league. If we don't bring him back it'll be a big loss. In before the deadline, the team signs the only other player on the main roster looking to go free. Ray Knight signs a 2yr/528k contract to stay in LA. Knight batted .281, with 5 HR's in 135 at bats. The team makes a bit of a surprise move in refusing arbitration to RF Mike Marshall. Marshall, 26, has 97 career HR's and a .269 average. His best season was '83, when he batted .310 with 25 HR's, but since then his productivity has fallen. Last year he finished with 18 HR's and 69 RBI's. He's now a free agent. LA has a new General Manager. His name is Ramon Ramirez and he's been the GM for the Astros and Padres. So he's not new to the job. He's got an excellent reputation and he is fairly well rounded, with the exception of liking power hitters. He's known for not being especially frequent in trading, and not overly aggressive either. He is also known for having absolutely no loyalty to players, which is good and bad I suppose. Personally, I always have a soft spot, to it's probably for the best they get someone in there who is all business. He didn't make the playoffs in any of those years, but he has won 89 games 4 of the last 5 seasons. LA locks up Niedenfuer for 3 years at 1.56M. As part of the contract he's been told that he's going to be the closer, which should be interesting, since Franco was the closer last year, and he's got plenty of years left. 1986 Draft LA Dodgers Top Picks P Butch Henry; First Round, Pick 30 C Bill Haselman; 2^nd, Pick 18 P Scott Scudder; 2^nd, Pick 28 3B Hensley Mulens, 3^rd, Pick 17 3B Matt Franco, 3^rd, Pick 27 C Matt Walbeck 4^th, Pick 24 OF Kevin Belcher 5^th, Pick 24 Henry is an intersting prospect. He just turned 18 and is a southpaw. Not a top shelf prospect, but he's got some ML potential. None of the rest of them look like big deals for us. We'll have to see though, but all these later picks, year after year, a keeping the best amateur talent out of LA. Well, well, well, LA finally lands a game changing player, and they do it for more than a year. Our first catch of the offseason and the newest, highest paid player on the team. Our newest player is a 4-time Gold Glove winning Center Fielder. He's a 3-time All Star and a 2-time Silver Slugger winner. He is “The Man of Steal” Ricky Henderson. It's a 5yr/7.5M deal, with one humongous caveat, Henderson can opt out after the second season, or stick around for the remaining 3 years. He's a week shy of his 28^th birthday. He has a career slash line of .297/.403/.439 with 83 HR's and 479 career stolen bases. Five of the first 7 picks have been signed. All except Haselman and Belcher. Lou Brock is the only player inducted into the HOF for this year. Haselman and Belcher don't sign with the team. The Dodgers new GM is living up to his reputation. After Mike Marshall was shown the door with no arbitration offered, the team has now dealt last years team leader in HR's, Franklin Stubbs. Stubbs and his 101 HR's over his 4 year Dodgers career is now heading to the World Champion Blue Jays roster. The Jays send IF Tom Brookens to LA. Brookens has 2-series rings with Toronto and a Gold Glove at 3B. At 33, his best playing days might be behind him. He's a career .255/.301/.376 batter. LA trades power for fielding, and a wash in OBP. I don't really like it. LA is weak in the IF, but Brookens doesn't look to make that much better on the surface. Mike Marshall signs with the Red Sox for 1yr/228k. Steve Howe signs a 2yr deal with the Angels for 1.28M. Boooo. Neither Matt Walbeck, Matt Franco, nor Hensley Meulens make the team and are released. That's quite a waste of some draft picks. Only Butch Henry and Scott Scudder remain from this years draft. LA has added some RH depth to the bullpen by the name of Don Robinson. Robinson, 29, saved 23 games for the Braves last year and had a 3.92 ERA. In '84, he saved 34 for the Pirates, and before that he was a starter who won 15 games in '83, his only All Star season. His contract is 2yr/1.39M. The first casualty from of spring training is Jim Beattie. He tore his labrum on his throwing shoulder and will miss the entire season. He was slated to be the long guy in the bullpen and spot starter. He is still under contract for 3 seasons after this year. It was always going to be a longshot, but C/IF/OF Scotti Madison and OF Tony Brewer were both designated and placed on waivers. The team still had room on the 40-man, but both men were out of options. That's it for the hot stove. Let 1987 begin. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

08-06-2017, 05:31 PM	#107
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	1987 Opening Day Roster Starting Rotation Fernando Valenzuela (17-10, 3.00) Rick Rhoden (23-6, 2.49) Frank Tanana (14-7, 3.48) Kelly Downs (9-7, 3.28) John Denny (17-8, 3.03) Same 5 guys for 1987, as we had for almost all of 1986. Every one of them had a good year last year, and it's setting up expectations for good years from all of them this year. Bullpen Ken Howell (4-5, 7S, 2.77) Alejandro Pena (2-0, 1S, 3.06) Brian Holton (4-3, 9S, 5.43 in AAA, Albuquerque) Tom Niedenfuer (5-9, 4S, 2.45) Don Robinson (6-8, 23S, 3.92 for Atlanta) John Franco (5-7, 32S, 3.20) The loss of Steve Howe to free agency caused a hole in the bullpen. Even though Howe was used sparingly last year, he was still very effective, and he was a lefty. The team has replaced him with Atlanta closer Don Robinson, who hasn't been nearly as effective over his career, and is a righty. Jim Beattie was lost for the season during spring training, and his roster spot was won by 27yr old rookie, Brian Holton. Holton has been bumping around the Dodgers system for 8 years. He started early on and then has moved to the pen. He was a Rule 5 pick by the Brewers once, but was returned to the team before the season started. Niedenfuer might have been promised a closer role to sign the extension he did, but he was promised that last year too. The team has 1 southpaw, Franco, that seems like a hole in the plan, at the moment. Catcher Mike Scioscia (.218/5/60) BJ Surhoff (.246/0/7) Scioscia still holds the position even though he had a bad year with the bat. He did win the Gold Glove, and his handling of the staff is great. Surhoff is still developing and will get some playing time, even though he wants his shot now. Scioscia still has 4 years left on his deal, so Surhoff will have to take it from him if he wants it. First Base Ray Knight (.281/5/25) Larry Parrish (.257/3/13) Sid Bream starts the year on the DL. He'll be out for a couple weeks longer, and in the meantime it'll be Knight that starts. Parrish is being handled so oddly. He's capable of so much more and yet he's relegated to this odd pinch hitter role. Why he signed a 2 year deal I'll never know. Second Base Steve Sax (.290/4/53) Tom Brookens (.265/3/18) Sax started a lot of games off right last year by getting on and using his speed to advance. His 43 steals lead the team, but he's not expected to lead this year. Defensively he could be better, but he's still average. Brookens will also back up at short and possibly third. He is very good defensively and a leader in the clubhouse. He won't win games with his bat, but he might with his glove. Shortstop Tony Phillips (.239/8/46) Roy Smalley (.202/5/29) Phillips won't hurt you in the field, but again, he's not an offensive weapon either. Clearly an area that the team could upgrade, but they are hindered by the awful contract that Roy Smalley has. He still has 2 years remaining on a 6 year deal where he is making as much as Fred Lynn. He's not anywhere near the production that he was back in the day and his contract has wasted a lot of money. At 34, he's not getting any younger either. Left Field Fred Lynn (.263/20/56) Ron Kittle (.266/6/11) Stubbs was traded and with the new face in center, Lynn slides to left to start now. He's 35, so this is a better move for him anyway. He was hurt too much last season and many of his HR's came with the bases empty. The team will be hoping he can bounce back to his '84-'85 form with the Royals. Kittle hangs on and remains a bench player. He's a big bat off the bench that can clear the bases with 1 swing, but he struggles with pitch recognition and strikes out a lot. He has 15 HR's in the last 3 years, when he had 14 with LA back in '83, the year he got here. Last year was the least playing time he's had. With the team only carrying 5 OF's right now, and Stubbs and Marshall gone, he should get more. Center Field Ricky Henderson (.299/15/62) Dwayne Murphy (.243/6/23) The former Oakland A's teammates are reunited in LA, but this time, not playing together. Henderson is fully locked into center. He might be the best leadoff hitter in baseball, and his speed and defense make him a challenger to the best player on the team. There is certainly a lot of excitement this year to see what he can do with this Dodger team that is packed with power, and who last season, really suffered from not having guys get on base enough. Henderson will do just that. Murphy is a capable backup for him, who will also back up right field too. Right Field Pete Incaviglia (.313/8/23) Last years first round pick made his way to the majors and had a big impact on the club. So much so that they parted ways with 2 of the teams slugging outfielders. Inky moves to right, and while his range isn't great, his arm is outstanding. He's got big power and will be featured in the middle of the lineup. Only in his 2^nd season though, the questions will remain. If he gets hurt of fails to perform Murphy will take his place. It's a gamble for such a young player, but the team really liked what they saw. The close but not quite brigade RP Charlie Kerfeld (0-1, 2.84) Called up last season he pitched sparingly. The team didn't feel confident enough with his stuff and signed Robinson. He was bypassed by Holton when Beattie went down. He starts the year in AAA and is probably the first call up for the pen if they need it. OF Tom Beyers (.361/12/81 in AAA) Beyers made the team for the first time last fall after a really good year in AAA. With Stubbs, Marshall and Brewer gone his prospects are good if something happens to anyone right now. He has to be the first choice guy to move up. He's nearly 29 though, and his might be the last chance he has to prove himself. LHP Rich Rodas (1-2, 4.60 in AAA) LHP Ricky Wright (0-3, 5.83 in AAA) LHP Shayne Hammond (2-0, 2S, 2.61 in AAA) These are the guys who might get called up if the team needs another lefty in the pen. None of them are high prospects. Hammond started last year in AA. Wright was last with the team in '84. Since then he hasn't been able to get it together enough to get called back. Things could get interesting if one of these guys needs to be depended on. Down on the Farm Overall, LA's farm system ranks 24^th out of 26 teams. That's awful. We have 1 prospect in the top 100. LA is the worst in the NL and only ahead of the Royals and Yankees. On the flip side the Braves have the #1, with 5 guys in the top 20. If you're curious those prospects are Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Allan Anderson, Tom Glavine and Ramon Martinez. Here are the LA's top prospects. #1 OF Paul Sorrento – Former first round pick in 1985 - Started last season in rookie ball and moved up to AA by the end of the season. Most of his time was in A ball where he batted .328/.440/.473 with 6 HR's and 28 RBI's. A bit of a free swinger, he has good power potential, but limited speed. Starts the year in AA. #2 P Butch Henry – First round pick 1986 – Starts the year in rookie ball. Only 18, will take time to develop. High 80's fastball, with good movement. Throws 4 pitches, but the sinker is his best. Arm problems might be an issue. #3 OF Doug Jennings – First round pick 1983 – Have gradually moved up from rookie ball to AAA. Spent last year in AA, where he had his best year so far. Was the All Star, Gold Glove (CF) and MVP of the Texas League. Batted .324/.423/.499 with 12 HR's and 78 RBI's. Also stole 24 bases. Free swinger, but also draws fair number of walks. Ok in the field and decent speed. Should develop more power. #4 IF/OF Chuck Jackson – First round pick 1983 – Cracked the ML club late last year after playing AAA for the whole year. Batted .298/.390/.419 with 10 HR's and 63 RBI's. Also stole 38 bases. Was selected to the PCL All Star Game. A good fielder, can play multiple positions. Good eye, more gap power than fence power. Starts the year in AAA. #5 P Scott Scudder - 2^nd round pick 1986 – 19 years old, starts the year in rookie ball. Low 90's fastball, coupled with a heavy sinker. Gets good movement on his pitches, but struggles with control. Big frame with good mechanics should be able to hold up to heavy use. And with that we're done. Are you ready....for Dodgers baseball!?!?! __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

08-08-2017, 07:28 PM	#108
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	4/6 4-3 (11) L to the Astros Road loss when Fred McGriff homered off of Rhoden in the 8^th. In the 11^th, Dale Murphy homered off of Don Robinson (0-1) to end it. Other than the homer, Rhoden pitched great. Franco threw 2 scoreless. Scioscia went 2-4 to lead the offense. Tom Candiotti threw 149 pitches for the Astros in his start. 4/7 3-2 L to the Astros LA spotted the Astros 2 in the first on a Benito Santiago single that scored Pettis and Doran. Valenzuela (0-1) wouldn't allow any more and pitched into the 9^th. Ray Knight tied the game in the 7^th with a 2-run HR (1). Kirk McCaskill struck out 12. In the 9^th the Astros got a hit, then another with 1 out. With first open he walked Pettis to load them up then Don Robinson came in. He threw 1 pitch and Scioscia missed it and allowed Cecil Espy to score. 4/8 2-1 (10) L to the Astros Oh man, not the way to start the year at all. A sweep by the Astros. Two extra inning games, and every one of them one run losses. That suuuuuucks. Greg Swindell and John Denny went toe to toe and left it in the hands of the bullpens. John Franco (0-1) gave up 3 hits and a sac fly in the 10^th to hand the win to the Astros. 4/9 7-5 L to the Giants I don't think 0-4 is the way we wanted to start. DeCinces goes 2-3, both Sax and Henderson go 2-4 and that's about it. Downs started and struggled hard. He gave up 11 hits and 6 runs in 6 innings. It wasn't pretty. Giants rookie Stan Jefferson hit his first career HR. LA was down 7-2, and managed to put the tying run at the plate in the 9^th, but Plesac struck out Kittle to end it. 4/10 6-2 W over the Giants YAY! We WIN 1 game!! WOOOWOOOWOOO! It kind of feels like that. Tanana (1-0) get the POG. He went the distance, stopped the streak, stuck out 6. He, of course, was helped by Pete Incaviglia, who had 1 hit coming into the game. Inky homered 2 times, both solo shots. Tony Phillips also went 2-3. Nice to finally get that first win out of the way. 4/11 11-1 W over the Giants See?! This is more of what I had in mind for this season! Top of the order set the table, and Pete Incaviglia cleaned it up. Rick Rhoden (1-0) went the distance and struck out 6. LA did it all with Ray Knight (2-4, 3 RBI), Ricky Henderson (1-2, 2 BB, 3 runs, SB) and Pete Incaviglia (3-4, 2 HR, 7 RBI). That gives Inky 4 HR's in the last 2 games. 4/12 4-1 W over the Giants Incaviglia goes deep for the 3^rd straight game (5) along with Fred Lynn's first of the year. Valenzuela (1-1) allows a lead off homer to Gregg Jefferies, but only allows 2 hits the rest of the way, striking out 7. Franco comes on with 1 out in the 9^th and proceeds to load the bases before getting the final out and preserving the win. 4/13 2-1 W over the Astros John Denny (1-0) needed his best stuff to take out the Astros and their rookie pitcher Greg Swindell. Swindell was a late season call up and one of the team's top prospects. He went the distance in the loss. Inky didn't homer, but he did get a sac fly in the first that put us up. Later it was a Tony Phillips double that scored Scioscia to give us the lead for good. Franco pitched the 9^th and gave up a leadoff single. Bob Horner then hit the ball to the wall in center before Henderson got to it. Then he finished off the Astros for his first save of the season. It's a sad day in Boston when the Red Sox put Jim Rice on waivers and he was claimed by the Phillies. Nice way to end your 13 year , 310 HR, stay in a town. 4/14 3-1 W over the Astros The Dodgers got 8 innings from Kelly Downs (1-1) who struck out 7. LA got 2 hits from Knight, Inky and Scioscia. Don Robinson struck out the side in the 9^th to get his first save of the season. This is a nice rebound from our shitty start. Being home rocks. 4/15 9-1 L to the Astros Tanana (1-1) got pounded for 8 runs in the 2^nd inning. That's all that Dave Stewart (2-0) would need. He went the distance and wasn't threatened all game. Ray Knight and Fred Lynn had 2 hits each. Things got a little tense in the 7^th inning when Ken Howell hit Stewart, while we were down 8 runs. There was a lot of yelling from the benches, but Stewart wasn't hurt and stayed in to finish. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

08-11-2017, 09:02 AM	#109
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	4/16 13-4 L to the Padres ooof. The Padres plaster us for 4 HR's. Rhoden (1-1) came out in the 4^th, after allowing 8 runs. Padres first round pick, and center fielder, and Raiders running back, Bo Jackson, hit his first and second career HR's. He also walked twice and scored 4 times. LA got a couple hits from Sax, Henderson and Incaviglia. Bob Ojeda (1-2) pitched 9 and struck out 11. 4/17 9-1 W over the Padres El Toro strikes out 7 in a complete game win to go to 2-1. LA got plenty of offense with Knight extending his hit streak to 14 games, going 3-5. Ricky went 3-4, and hit his first HR of the year. Tom Brookens went 3-5, and he and Fred Lynn went back to back in the 8^th inning. The first for Bookens and 2^nd for Lynn. Mike Scioscia went 3-5. 4/18 1-0 W over the Paders Tony Phillips doubled in the 8^th and Dwayne Murphy singled him home for the only run of the game. John Denny (2-0) threw a complete game, 4-hitter, striking out 6. Rick Sutcliffe (0-2) also threw the complete game, but came out on the losing end. 4/19 6-2 W over the Padres LA gets another deep pitching performance, this one from Kelly Downs (2-1), who goes 8. He did the heavy lifting too, as his 2-run single in the 6^th gave the Dodgers the lead for good. Ray Knight continues his hot streak going 3-5 and hitting his 2^nd HR of the year. His hitting streak goes to 16 and he's closing in on his hit total from last season. Doug DeCinces has been completely absent from the team, hit hist first dinger of the season. 4/20 1-0 W over the Giants Frank Tanana (2-1) throws 8 shutout innings then gives way to John Franco for the 9^th. Franco gets his 2^nd save of the season. LA scored the only run in the 4^th when Sax scored on a Fred Lynn double. The Giants never really threatened. Sax went 2-4. 4/21 19-1 W over the Giants Soooo. Wow. If this team can produce this kind of game, albeit against one of the worst pitching staffs in the NL, but this is something. Rhoden (2-1) recovered from his last start to throw the entire game and get the win. He got a little bit of support though. Where to begin? LA hit 4 HR's. Tony Phillips (1), Fred Lynn hit 2 (4) and Pete Incaviglia smoked a grand slam (6). Incaviglia got player of the game with a 2-3 game, 4 runs and 5 RBI's. Lynn also had 5 RBI's. Knight kept his hitting streak alive. 4/22 6-1 W over the Giants El Toro (3-1) gets the player of the game with another complete game. The Giants only managed 3 hits, one a solo homer by Rob Deer (4). LA scored 3 to start the game as Sax and Knight singled and Inky hit #7, a 3-run shot. Tom Brookens added his 2^nd HR of the year in the 8^th to ice it. Ray Knight stayed hot going 3-4. Sid Bream was activated off the DL after the game and sent to AAA for rehab. 4/23 5-2 L to the Padres A John Kruk HR in the first put 3 runs on the board and LA never caught back up. John Denny (2-1) had the worst start of his young season. He walked 5 in his 8 innings of work. By the 5^th LA had closed it to 3-2, but a Ted Simmons, pinch hit, 2-run single in the 8^th opened it up. Tony Phillips went 3-3 and hit his 2^nd HR of the year. 4/24 7-4 L to the Padres LA shouldn't have let it get away, but in the meantime, they also loaded the bases in the 9^th, with 1 out and the heart of the order up and only got 1 run out of it. It looked like it was going to be a big rally, but Ken Daley had to go and crap all over it. Steve Sax went 3-4 and his 9^th SB. Downs (2-2) was ineffective. Don Robinson failed to impress yet again, with 1.1 innings worked 2 hits and 3 walks. He doesn't allow those 2 runs, it's much closer at the end. Knight saw his 20 game hit streak come to an end. 4/25 6-4 W over the Padres At least we got 1 back. Pete Incaviglia fell a double shy of the cycle. He went 3-4, with 3 RBI's and his 8^th HR of the year. It's been quite an April for the young slugger. The Padres hung around all game, and even took the lead in the 5^th. LA was able to answer in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead for good. Ray Knight was back to his torrid ways, going 3-4, and hitting his 3^rd HR in the first inning. Rick Rhoden (3-1) pitched 8 and struck out 7. Sid Bream has been called back from his rehab assignment. He went 3-15 with an RBI. To make room the Dodgers put Tom Brookens (.241/2/4) on waivers and designated him. I believe that Lasorda has plans to insert Bream right back at first base. Knight will get time at the corners providing rest, but he's currently 2^nd in the NL in average, and leading in hits. He's also 4^th in total bases. He had 38 hits all last year, he's got 31 right now. The idea of benching him right now is a hard one. 4/28 4-1 W over the Pirates Valenzuela (4-1) pitched 8 solid innings, while striking out 8. He gave up a run early and Mike Scott took a no-hitter into the 5^th, before LA got the hit, a Scioscia 3-run HR (1) and the lead. Scott struck out 10 Dodgers, but LA played better. Franco pitched the 9^th for his 4^th save of the year. 4/29 6-2 L to the Pirates A Brian Dayett 3-run HR (1) in the 5^th off of John Denny (2-2) put the Pirates up 4-2 and for good. Jose Guzman (3-1) stuck out 8 Dodgers in his 7 innings of work. An unremarkable game for the Dodgers. 7 of 9 batters got hits, but nobody got 2. 4/30 6-4 L to the Pirates Tony Phillips homered (3) in the 5^th inning to cut the lead to 3-2 for the Pirates. LA struggled to put much together against Jose DeLeon (2-3) for most of the game. But in the 8^th Fred Lynn homered (5) to tie the game, and right after, Incaviglia homered (9) to put LA in front. Alejandro Pena (0-1) came on in the bottom of the inning and ended up with the bases loaded and 0 outs. The Pirates got a big single from PH Larry Rush that put the Pirates back on top. Disappointing loss. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

08-11-2017, 04:32 PM	#110
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	April Recap Not the start we had in mind, but not a bad one either. We finish April with a 13-10 record and a hold on 2^nd place in the West. That puts us 3.5 games behind the leading Houston Astros. Where last year's team looked a little weak in the hitting department this year's team seems to be better equipped. The team is 5^th in the NL in average. That .257 is higher than anything we had last year. They are also 3^rd in slugging and 3^rd in OBP. Tied for 2^nd in HR's. So the hitting is looking good. Clearly with Henderson on the team, the stolen bases were going to come up some. We are no longer dead last in that department either, with 24 we are 7^th. I would expect that to go up a little bit too. Pitching hasn't been as good through. Even thought the team is 2^nd in team ERA, the bullpen is 8^th. The starters have been going deep, but when the game gets turned over, it's not as much of a certainty as it's been. I'm not blaming Steve Howe for this...yet. While we are 4^th in runs allowed, we are 9^th in hits allowed. That's offset by being 1^st in bases on balls. If that were to drop I think you'd see more guys scoring. On defense, we are still good. Good enough for 3^rd in the NL. So our start could have been better, but I think the team is actually better than our record indicates. I'm confident that as the season goes along we'll find out place. Top pitcher of the month was Fernando. He powered through in April with a 4-1 record and an ERA of 1.48. His 0.77 WHIP was one of the best that we've ever had. For a while it looked like Denny (2-2, 225) or Rhoden (3-1, 2.87) might take that title too. Who didn't? Look no further than newcomer Don Robinson. He allowed batters to his .286 against him, but his 2.57 WHIP and 9.64 ERA made all that a lot worse. He was supposed to be a reliable arm. April was not his month. Nor was it Pena's month (7.71 ERA, .375 oavg), or Holton's either (4.70 ERA, .303 OAVG, 1.83 WHIP) Batting wise however, we had the rookie, Incaviglia who tore it up with 9 HR's and 25 RBI's in April, but he wasn't the top hitter. At least not in my eyes. His OBP was a lowly .330, and he struck out 30 times in 85 at bats. However, he was selected as the Rookie of the Month and Batter of the Month in the NL. No, in my opinion, the best hitter was Tony Phillips. Yeah, Tony Phillips. His slash line was .343/.432/.571 and he still hit 3 HR's. In 1 month he's a quarter of the way to his hit total from all of last season. He did it all, just didn't quite have the power surge that Inky had. We can be better and I'm sure May will see a better result. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

08-12-2017, 03:38 PM	#111
Young Drachma Dark Cloud Join Date: Apr 2001	Go Jays! __________________ Current dynasty: OOTP25 Blitz: RTS meets Moneyball

08-23-2017, 05:50 PM	#113
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	5/16 10-6 W over the Expos The bats come alive as we even out the series. Rick Rhoden (5-2) served up 3 HR's, and probably stayed in the game way too long. Fred Lynn homered in the 4^th and 6^th innings, capping a 2-4 day with 4 RBI's. He's got 10 on the year now. Bream went 3-4 and Sax 2-6 with 3 RBI's. LA gave back 3 runs at the end and almost let the Expos back in it. Don Robinson got the final 2 outs, and lowered his ERA to 9.00. 5/17 9-5 W over the Expos LA hammers 3 HR's to outslug the Expos for another night. Kelly Downs (5-2) got the win, but he was thankful for the support allowing 5 runs in 7 innings. LA scored first with 2 in the first, but they fell behind, to take the lead again in the 6^th. DeCinces hit #6, Lynn smacked his 11^th, and Larry Parrish hit his first, a pinch hit homer. Robinson lowered his ERA to 8.00. 5/18 9-8 W over the Phillies Tough road trip against the top teams in the East. LA was up 5-0 then 7-2, and let the Phillies back in it. In the last 3 innings the teams combined for 10 runs. Even though Valenzuela (7-2) got the W, it was every man for himself. Both teams combined for 9 HR's. The ball was just flying out of Veterans Stadium. The Phillies Charles Hudson allowed 5 of them. Inky #13, Knight #5, Ricky #3, Phillips #5, Lynn #12. Ricky scored 3 times. LA added 2 insurance runs in the 9^th, and they needed both of them as Franco allowed 2, but held on for his 7^th save. 5/19 14-8 W over the Phillies Yet again, LA proves that when the pitching staff lets down, the hitters are there to pick them up. That's 53 runs scored in the last 5 games. I'm not even sure the old Dodger teams of a few years ago ever put up those kinds of numbers. Frank Tanana gave up 2 HR's and 4 runs in the first inning and LA was down right away. Interesting fact of note, Greg Maddux started and his brother Mike relieved him in the 5^th. It didn't go well for either of them. Together, in 5 innings, they allowed 15 hits, 12 runs, and 2 HR's. Both HR's were hit by Inky, who finished the day 3-4 with 4 RBI's. He's got 15 on the year. Tony Phillips was the only starting 8 without a hit. LA had 25 baserunners today and left 8 on base. 5/20 12-5 W over the Phillies Wow, 65 runs in 6 games. LA was ahead 12-1 and Denny pooped out when Larry Walker (8) and Balboni (15) went back to back. So he pitched well, improved to 4-4, and kep the pen in the pen for the most part. LA did almost all the damage in the 6^th inning. For the first time since I've been watching, LA went back-to-back-to-back. Yep, Ray Knight started with his 3 run shot (6), followed by Scioscia and his 2^nd, followed by Phillips and his 6^th. So it wasn't even the middle of the lineup, it was the 6-7-8. LA also hammered another 18 hits. It's been a wild run. 5/22 7-1 W over the Mets Rhoden (6-2) goes the distance and would have had the shutout, but for one mistake pitch to Darryl. Fred Lynn got us on the board in the first with his first of 2 HR's on the day (13,14). Not to be outdone, Inky hit another one to keep his lead, and give him 16. Inky, Bream and Knight each had 3 more hits on the day. This team is just on fire right now. On fire. 5/23 7-4 L to the Mets Doc Gooden (4-4) throws a complete game. Mets sluggers Kevin Mitchell (5), Alan Ashby (4) and Donnie Hill (3) hit off of Valenzuela (7-3), who took the loss. DeCinces homered for the 7^th time, in the 9^th in what was a consolation prize of a game that was already done. Tony Phillips reached base 3 times in 4 at bats. 5/24 4-2 L to the Mets The Mets jumped out early and LA manufactured a couple of runs to tie it. Strawberry broke the tie in the 7^th with a sac fly that scored Marvell Wynne. Sax and Incaviglia had 4 of the team's 6 hits. In fact, hitters 1-4 went 6-16 hitting, while batters 5-9 went 0-17. That's why we lost again. Kelly Downs loses and drops to 5-3. Former LA Dodger great, Ron Cey hit his 300^th HR today. Cey started the year with the Mariners, but was picked up off of waivers by the Pirates. Cey played for the Pirates back in '85 when he hit 31 HR's. 5/25 4-1 W over the Expos Henderson and Sax again set the entire table for the offense. They combine to go 4-8, with 3 runs and 2 RBI's. Denny pitched 8 innings to go to 5-4. Steve Sax hit a rare HR in the 4^th (2) that tied the game, and Scioscia added another in the 8^th (3). Franco pitched another 9^th for his 8^th save. 5/26 3-2 L to the Expos LA blew a 2-0 lead and Tanana pitched 5 innings of no hit ball. The Expos sneaked back into this game that culminated in a Hubie Brooks game tying 8^th inning HR. In the 9^th Tanana suffered a rare misplay by Rickey. That lead to a go ahead run for the Expos that handed them the game. LA got the winning run to the plate, but Quiz got Incaviglia out on strikes to end it. LA went deep to the well for help in the bullpen. Brian Holton was optioned back to Albuquerque and the team signed 43yr old Tom Burgmeier. Burgmeier is in his 19^th season as a ML pitcher. He has pitched in 873 games, 3 were starts. Last season he pitched for the Padres and A's. In 35 games, he pitched 50 innings, with a 3.02 ERA. He was an all star in 1980. 5/27 8-5 W over the Expos Mike Scioscia went 3-4, Tony Phillips went 2-3 at the bottom of the lineup. Fred Lynn cleaned up with a 3-run HR in the 7^th, his 15^th. Rick Rhoden's win moved his record to 7-2. Don Robinson allowed a HR to Carney Lansford (3) in the 9^th to raise his ERA to 7.36. 5/29 2-0 L to the Phillies So we go from destroying the Phillies on the road to getting shut out at home. Charles Hudson did the heavy lifting (6-3), while Valenzuela (7-4) struck out 10 over 8. Bream was caught stealing twice in situations where a baserunner might have been nice. LA only managed 6 runners anyway, so he killed 1/3 of our baserunning ops. 5/30 10-5 W over the Phillies Power won the day for LA. Every starter got a hit and we cracked 6 dingers. Tony Phillips got player of the game with 3-4, with 2 HR's and RBI's. He's got 8 on the year. Fred Lynn and Incaviglia went back to back in the 6^th with solo shots. That's 16 for Lynn and 17 for Inky. Ricky also got in the mix with a 2-4 game, 2 HR's and 3 RBI's. Henderson has 5 on the year. John Denny (6-4) got the win. The bullpen didn't fare well again. Niedenfeur gave up a HR in the 9^th. 5/31 11-5 L to the Phillies Finish the month with the worst series of the month. Kelly Downs (5-4) got shelled over 7 innings, but it was the big 6 run 8^th that did most of the damage. Lynn, Inky, Knight and Phillips all had 2 hits on the day. Inky hit #18 and Henderson went deep again for #6. Former Dodgers, Kurt Stillwell and Pedro Guerrero did plenty of damage. Both went 2-5 with 2 RBI's and Guerrero homered (8). __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

08-25-2017, 08:59 AM	#114
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	May Recap May was the best month in over a year as the team roared to a 19-9 record. The surprise being the offense which seemed to find it's groove in the month and put up numbers that the team hasn't seen in a few years. The result of the month saw LA move from 2^nd place to first and open up a 3 game lead on the Astros and 4 over the Padres. The team is in the top half of every offensive category in the NL, with of all things, stolen bases being the worst. The team has never been fast, but with Henderson and Sax at the top of the order, they've moved from the cellar to #6. Where last year's team average was sub .250, this year so far, they are hitting .282, that is tops in the NL. Also #1 in OBP, runs, hits and HR's. They are #2 in SLG, OBS, and extra base hits. I don't know if anyone believes that they can keep this up. It seems like a lot of guys are playing far above their expected performance, and it is only the end of May. Come talk to me in August about it. As for team pitching, where this has been a strong point for the team forever, this is the worst that we've seen in LA since we started here. Team ERA is still strong at #2, however, the bullpen is 10^th with a 4.52 ERA. Odds would suggest that it should drop just on regression to the mean, but it's not the type of performance that was planned. Losing Howe can't account for all of it. Neither can losing Beattie. The team is 7^th in hits allowed, and first in walks. Opponent average is .245, good for 4^th in the NL. The starters have kept all the numbers good. There have been many deep outings for them, and they are backed up by the #3 defense in the NL. As for individual performances? Who didn't have a bad month? Not really anyone. You can make a case for Sid Bream whose slash was .288/.330/.394. He hit 1 HR and had 8 RBI's. He was the worst. As for the best? Well is it Sax (.360/.398/.464)? Or Rickey (.311/.438/.519 5HR, 11SB)? Or Phillips again (.300/.427/.544 5HR)? Or Knight (.392/.448/..570)? Or Inky (.291/.355/.618 9HR)? Honestly, it's probably none of those guys, although in past years, all of them could have won. This month, it's Fred Lynn (.315/.375/.676 11HR, 37 RBI) Lynn finally had a massive, break out month and knocked all those runners home. He has only broken the 30HR mark once in his career, and he is well on his way to #2. Of our pitchers, we know that the bullpen is hurting. Of those guys, it's still Don Robinson who is getting the most playing time, and posting the worst lines. His ERA was lowered to 9.00 in a month where he pitched 8 times, and allowed 7 earned runs. As for the top starter, all the guys did alright, but Tanana with his 3.15 ERA and 3-1 record was the best. His WHIP was 0.97 and lead all starters for the month. These guys all benefited from the incredible outburst of hitting that we all hope carries over into June. Tanana also recorded his 2000 career strikeout in May. A great achievement for the 33yr old pitcher. He's 32 wins away from #200, which he could see in 1990 if he stays consistent. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

08-25-2017, 07:43 PM	#115
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	6/1 9-5 W over the Mets LA lived on the 2-run HR today. But I have to give some props to Sax, who twice doubled in Rickey from first in this one. Then there were the HR's. Inky in the 3^rd (19), Knight in the 6^th (7) and not to be outdone, Lynn in the 7^th (17). LA was up 9-2 at one point and Robinson was brought in for the 9^th. He allowed a HR to Strawberry (4), allowed 2 other hits, had a reached on error and even walked in a run. His ERA jumped to 9.24 and he couldn't finish the inning. It got to save standards and Franco came in and threw 4 pitches to Robby Thompson to end it. Rhoden got the win to go to 8-2. The team got Frank Tanana to sign a 2-year extension for about half of what he's making right now. That seems like a bargain of a deal for a guy who has over 2000k's and is closing in on 200 wins. Even though he's inching up on his 34^th birthday he's been valuable to the team for the last 4 years. It takes away a potential need in free agency early. 6/2 5-2 L to the Mets LA had bases loaded in the bottom of the 9^th with 0 outs and couldn't get any across. SAD! Tanana (5-3) rewarded LA with his new contract by walking 4, striking out 5, in 5 innings and serving up a gopher ball to Bobby Bonilla (8). New face, Tom Burgmeier pitched 3 scoreless in relief. Steve Sax left the game early after banging his knee sliding into 2^nd on a double (that scored Rickey again). 6/3 4-2 W over the Mets Doc Gooden (5-5) struck out 12 and went the distance but ultimately gave up a game winning 2-run blast to Mike Scioscia (4) to let us walk off. That capped a 2-4 day for Scioscia. Pete Incaviglia hit his 20^th HR of the season earlier that put LA up. Only Jack Clark of the A's has more (21). 6/4 4-0 L to the Reds Jack Morris (4-4) struck out 10 en route to a 5-hit shut over over LA today. John Denny (6-5) got no support as he offered up gopher balls to Canseco (18) and Esasky (10). Incaviglia and Scioscia got 4 of the team's 5 hits. 6/5 7-2 W over the Reds Rick Rhoden (9-2) got his NL leading 9^th win today. He was cruising until a 2-run Nick Esasky homer (11) got the Reds on the board. LA scored first when Scioscia got Bream home in the 5^th, then a bases loaded double by Ray Knight opened it all up in the 6^th. In the 8^th Pete Incaviglia went yard again, his 21^st of the year. Ricky tacked one on in the 9^th. 6/6 6-5 W over the Reds Fred Lynn got things started in the first when he popped a 2-run HR (18) off of John Stuper (4-4). Sid Bream followed with his own HR (2) and we had an early lead. Lynn left the game in the 4^th after hurting himself on a sliding catch and Kittle took over in left. Kittle hit a deep HR to left in his first at bat. His first of the year. A nearly 90 minute rain delay in the 6^th put the LA bullpen in play and the Reds worked their way back. Franco got the save, his 10^th, but it wasn't pretty. Lynn has an ankle sprain and he's heading to the DL. One of the Dodgers top prospects, Doug Jennings was called up to take his place. Jennings is in his first season at Albuquerque after spending all of last season in AA San Antonio. The 40^th overall pick in 1983, he won the Texas League Gold Glove in Center and was the Texas League MVP, hitting .324, with 12 HR's and 78 RBI. He also had 24 SB. On the year so far, he's hitting .372/.455/.640 with 7 steals. He's still only 22. He figures to back up Henderson in center and Murphy in right. Incaviglia is sliding to left with Murphy taking over right field. Kittle is still out of sight. 6/8 3-1 W over the Braves Rickey went 3-4 stole 3 bases, while Fernando (8-4) pitched 8 and struck out 8. LA stole 6 bases in total. LA scored twice in the first and never looked back. Franco pitched another 9^th for his 11 save. 6/9 5-1 L to the Braves On a day when Terry Mulholland (1-1) got his second career hit, and first career RBI, you just knew it wasn't going to be an LA Dodger day. Frank Tanana (5-4) did his best Frank Tanana impression and gave up a scorching HR to Pete Stanicek. That was Stanicek's first career HR! In over 250 at bats, spanning parts of 3 seasons. So no, we weren't going to win. Rickey added a consolation HR in the 8^th, his 8^th, but there was nothing else to get excited about. 6/10 9-4 L to the Braves Oh boy. So when Braves pitcher, John Mitchell hit his first career HR off of Tom Burgmeier in the 6^th, this one was over. Like, “oh yeah, we are doing nothing, might as well give up a dinger to a guy with almost 0 career hits.” LA committed 2 errors that lead to Denny allowing 5 unearned runs. Ray Knight homered in the 6^th (8) and Tony Phillips had a 2-4 day. Burgmeier allowed 2 HR's in his short inning of work. Steve Sax left the game on a collision at 2^nd while trying to turn 2. Sax has a sprained knee and he's heading to the DL. IF/OF Ty Dabney got the call up to the team. You'll recall Dabney was the 157^th pick in 1984. Dabney is playing in AA San Antonio with a line that looks like .325/.365/.458. In his cup of coffee last season, he went 3-11 with a double and 2 RBI's. 6/11 4-1 L to the Astros Houston has a very good team. They've beaten us up so far this season. Tonight, it was Doug DeCinces getting the now rare start, but hitting his 8^th HR of the year. This one a solo shot. Rhoden pitched a complete game but dropped his record to 9-3. Kirk McCaskill (8-4) struck out 8 Dodgers. 6/12 3-2 (11) L to the Astros LA scored early on, with 2 in the 2^nd thanks to Roy Smalley. Ricky went 2-5. Kelly Downs went 8, but left with the game tied. Scioscia made 2 errors in the game. Don Robinson (0-2) lost it in the 11^th. Even with the loss he lowered his ERA to 9.22. Roy Smalley was taken out by a slide in the 11^th. Smalley has a torn thumb ligament. He's heading to the DL to join Sax and Lynn. Ross Jones is getting called up for his 3^rd and final option year. He's his .111 in 18 at bats, and has played in 45 games for LA. 6/13 2-1 W over the Astros Valenzuela (9-4) throws a complete game, striking out 11 Astros and defeating a very good Greg Swindell. Sid Bream hit his 3^rd home run in the 3^rd inning and we held on until Houston got on across in the 9^th. Doug DeCinces's pinch hit single scored Inky in the bottom of the 9^th to walk it off. 6/14 5-0 L to the Astros Former Dodger, Dave Stewart (6-5) struck out 9 and walked 4 enroute to a 2 hit shut out. Frank Tanana (5-5) took another hard loss, but he just isn't able to stem the tide right now. Only Ray Knight and pinch hitting Doug DeCinces managed hits off of Stewart. Former Dodger Franklin Stubbs had a big night in Baltimore. Stubbs lead his Blue Jay team to an 11-1 win and hit for the cycle along the way. So far on the year, Stubbs is batting .299 with 14 HR's and 50 RBI's. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam Last edited by PilotMan : 08-25-2017 at 08:02 PM.

08-29-2017, 12:44 PM	#116
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	6/16 7-2 W over the Padres After being absent for most of June so far, the offense finally showed up tonight. Bream went 3-5 and hit his 4^th HR of the year, while Rickey scored 3 times and stole 3 bases. Ray Knight, whose average has fallen 30 points in 2 weeks, went 3-3 with 4 RBI's. Rhoden pitched 8 and moved his record to 10-3. 6/17 6-5 L to the Padres Glenn Davis homered in the 3^rd to give the Padres a 3-1 lead. LA cut the lead in the 7^th, then in the 8^th Ricky and Scioscia each drove in runs to put LA up. John Denny (6-7) came out for the 8^th and got in trouble, it really hurt when Ted Simmons drilled a ball over the right field fence to put San Diego back in front. LA would put the tying run on third in the 9^th, but they wouldn't be able to get him home. Inky got hurt in the 4^th and left the game. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO word on the severity! 6/18 5-4 (15) L to the Astros Houston proves to be the better team yet again. LA took a 4-1 lead into the 9^th and Valenzuela, even though he had 12 K's, ran dry. Franco came in and blew his first save of the year. Valenzuela even hit his first dinger of the year. Rickey hit number 9 and Ron Kittle hit number 2. Incaviglia didn't play. Niedenfeur took the loss (0-1). George Hinshaw was claimed off waiver from the Paders. Hinshaw can play every position, but isn't any kind of offensive weapon. He's a career .220 hitter with a career WAR of 0.1. Ross Jones was optioned back to Albuquerque. 6/19 4-2 L to the Astros Sid Bream lead off with HR (5) and we thought we'd get to Dave Stewart, but that wasn't the case. Stewart (7-5) allowed 4 more hits all game, 2 were extra bases. Ray Knight and Doug DeCinces were the only other guys with hits, they both got 2. Rookie prospect Doug Jennings got his first career hit, a double in the 5^th. Downs took the loss to drop to 6-5. He was hurt by 3 Dodger errors, that lead to 3 unearned runs. Houston has overtaken us for first. Bad news is that Inky is still out and it's not looking good. The good news is that Lynn comes off the DL in 2 days. 6/20 10-2 W over the Astros Frank Tanana (6-5) walked 6 and struck out 13, but the offense found footing tonight too. Bream, in the leadoff spot, went 3-4, with a walk and 4 RBI's. Dwayne Murphy, starting in right homered in the 2^nd inning (2) and added 2 more hits. Doug DeCinces has been starting at short and hit his 9^th homer in the 9^th. Tony Phillips added 3 more hits. It was 17 hits in all for the Dodgers. Our 3 game slide is halted. Inky is down. He's got an elbow issue that is going to keep him out for a few weeks. He's been placed on the DL and Tom Beyers was called up to replace him. Beyers is hitting .330/.364/.522 with 5 HR's. 6/21 4-0 L to the Astros That didn't last long. Kirk McCaskill (9-4) struck out 11 and came within 1 out of a 3 hit shut out. Rhoden (10-4) took the loss. DeCinces sucks at short. I know his bat is important, but his errors are really letting runs score that shouldn't be. Tough stretch right now. 6/22 1-0 L to the Braves Zane Smith (6-7) once again takes us out. LA has scored 4 runs over 4 games now. And is on quite the streak. Ron Kittle and Mike Scioscia both had a couple hits, and LA left 9 guys on base and Doug DeCinces had 2 more errors at short. Atlanta's only run came on a Gerald Perry solo-homer (12) off of Valenzuela (9-5) in the second. Fernando struck out 8 in a good outing. Fred Lynn came off the DL before the game; Doug Jennings was sent back to AAA. 6/23 4-0 W over the Braves John Denny (7-7) threw a complete game shut out get a W for LA. He did it with 122 pitches. Kittle went 2-4, with 2 solo HR's (3,4) and Rickey hit #10 in the 5^th to account for all 4 runs. DeCinces made another error at short. 6/24 8-3 L to the Braves Kelly Downs (6-6) was ineffective serving up 10 hits, and 3 unearned runs. The error? DeCinces. He's killing us at short. Sax or Smalley need to get back ASAP. Rickey (11) and Lynn (19) added home runs late, but it wouldn't matter to the scoreline. 6/25 8-4 W over the Reds LA put up 2 in the first and never fell behind. With an ok start by Rhoden (11-4) and a Fred Lynn HR (20) LA kept the lead and hit well. They knocked 10 hits, with Ricky, Lynn and Phillips all getting a pair. They also stole 4 bases. DeCinces committed another error at short. Former 2^rd round and 72nd overall pick from '86, Scott Scudder, was released by the Dodgers. Scudder had pitched 1 game for the Great Falls Dodgers (rookie). He took the loss allowing 5 in 6 innings. That's a rough start to a career. No worries though. He isn't going far. The Angels signed him the same day and he's been promoted to “A” ball. 6/26 7-5 L to the Reds Too much power for the Reds. Tanana (6-6) served up a grand slam to Danny Tartabull (13) in the first inning and in the 4^th, Jose Canseco would hit number 21. Seven RbI's between the 2 of them. Thre rest of the team only had 4 hits. LA had their own power shots, but never could recover after that grand slam. LA mounted a comeback late. In the 6^th Kittle (5) and DeCinces (10) went back to back and in the 7^th, it was Rickey who blasted his own (12). DeCinces did NOT commit an error today. Yay! 6/27 9-7 L to the Reds This shit has to stop. Valenzuela only lasted 4 innings, and in those 4 innings he allowed 7 hits, 4 of which left the park. Yep, the Reds have some muscle. Esasky (19) and Kal Daniels (13) in the first. Canseco (22) in the 3^rd and Tom Foley (2) in the 4^th. And somehow, LA fought back and tied the game in the bottom of the 4^th. Helped by Lynn's 21^st HR, they charged back. Rickey broke the tie with a solo shot (13) in the 6^th and it was up to the LA pen. A 3-run 7^th off of Niedenfeur (0-2) thanks to another HR. This time by Tartabull (14) sealed the deal. Don Robinson did lower his ERA to 6.87. Five Dodger starters had 2 hits in this one. Roy Smalley was activated off the DL. Ty Dabney was sent back along with Tom Beyers. Doug Jennings was recalled. 6/29 4-0 W over the Padres We needed this win. This month hasn't gone well at all. John Denny (8-7) came throught with a 7 hit shutout. He was helped by a DeCinces solo HR (11) and Rickey and Scioscia both had 2 hits. This is Denny's 4^th shutout of the year, he is tied with McCaskill for the lead. Steve Sax was activated off the DL and Tom Burgmeier was designated and placed on waivers. It's really nice to have Sax back, but perhaps not getting rid of the one guy who has been halfway decent in the bullpen and now only leaves you with 1 southpaw (Franco, the closer). No way he's going to Albuquerque, but it also could be a ploy to buy time. We've seen guys go to waivers before and come back. 6/30 8-5 (10) L to the Padres Kevin McReynolds homered in the first, but LA answered with 3 in the bottom half. Downs was on the mound and he gave the lead back in the 4^th and gave it away in the 5^th. LA's bats seemed to find some spirit today with 2 hits from a returning Sax, Lynn and Bream. Another run for the Pads in the 7^th sent Downs out as LA answered to keep it a 1 run game into the 9^th. With Ken Daley on the mound LA sent Larry Parrish to the plate and he lead off with a game tying HR. Franco (2-2) stayed in for the 10^th and the Padres ended any hope of a home win steal. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

09-07-2017, 07:28 PM	#117
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	June Recap Ok, so this was a very bad month on the heels of a very good month. I think that the injuries and simply everyone running off the high of all the hitting they had been doing came down. The team record for the month was 11-16. That's the worst we've had in just about ever. For the season LA has fallen to 3^rd place, trailing the Reds by 2 games and the Astros by 3. Our record of 43-35 is good, but won't take us to the playoffs. The team batting fell off a cliff. Where we were hitting .282 before June, we're only hitting .264 after. That's a team drop of 18 points in 30 days. That's a lot of guys sucking ass at the same time. Where the team was leading in most offensive categories, now we're down to 2^nd in batting, slugging, hits, 3^rd in HR's, OPS, runs, and 4^th in OBP and steals. Still pretty damn good, but another month as bad as June and we'll be mid table in everything. Pitching is good too, we shouldn't lose hope. Team ERA is 3^rd in the NL, and the starters are #2, even the bullpen is up to #4 with a 3.77. We're 4^th in almost every other pitching category, so not the #1 or #2 that we have been, but not far off of the lead either. Still another bad month and we'll be mid table and chasing an 81-81 season. On defense, we've fallen to 4^th. I blame the decision to put DeCinces at short. He's averaging nearly an error per game. With Sax back, that means that Phillips gets to go back where he belongs. Our best hitter for the month was Rickey. He was one of the only guys who didn't fall off the planet this month. His slash line was .324/.439/.588, he hit 7 dingers and stole 16 bases. If anyone else would have backed him up we could have done something. Fred Lynn played half the month, but was still hot. His line was .383/.453/.809. He hit 5 HR's in 14 games, but all that only netted 14 RBI's (compared to 37 in May.) Dwayne Murphy should have stayed on the bench. His month was awful, like pitcher awful. He batted .087/.176/.152. He had 4 singles in 19 games. That's it. Good grief. Our #1 pitcher was no surprise. It's been Rhoden for some time and he had another good month. He went 4-2 with a 2.66 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. He's having a really good year so far. Maybe not 1986 good, but pretty good. Frank Tanana was not his best. He went 1-4 with a 5.23 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. Last year he lead the NL with 34 gopher balls, and his 11 this year is putting him in the ballpark again. I fully expect him to be the pitcher of the month next month in typical Tanana fashion. All our optimism is dead. We're not awful, but we totally blew May with an awful June. July brings the All Star game and the trade deadline where the team could make moves one way or the other. We need to get Inky back, but the best we can hope for is the end of July at best. Crap. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

09-16-2017, 05:06 PM	#118
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	7/1 7-6 W over the Padres Rick Rhoden hit a bases loaded double, scoring 3 in the bottom of the 5^th that gave LA the lead. They would add another in the 7^th then turn it over to Niedenfuer. Tom proceeded to blow his 2^nd save of the year, but allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk. LA would pick him up though as Ricky came through with a 2 out single to give us the win. Don Robinson lowered his ERA to 6.20. Tony Phillips is heading to the DL with a stitches in his hand from a collision at 2^nd base. LA has brought up Charlie Kerfeld for his first action this year. 7/3 4-1 L to the Pirates Mike Scott (9-6) strikes out 9, including Lynn 4 times (once with the bases loaded) and Kittle 3 times. Valenzuela loses to drop to 9-6. LA's only run came on a Sax single after a triple by Rickey. They only managed 1 other hit, the entire game. Tom Burgmeier was reinstated after his failed trip to the waiver wire and Kerfeld was optioned back to Albuquerque without throwing a pitch. 7/4 5-1 W over the Pirates Great game by Denny (9-7) who pitched 8 and allowed 4 hits and 1 unearned run. Ron Kittle hit number 7, giving him more than '86 or '85. He went 2-4 to lead the team. Don Sutton won game #300 with a Yankees uniform on. 7/5 3-2 W over the Pirates Kelly Downs (7-6) went 8, striking out 7, but it was his 8^th inning that almost cost the team. The Bucs put 2 runs up and took a 2-1 lead. Tom Henke (1-3) came on gave up a lead off double to Scioscia. Parrish moved him over to third. With 2 outs, George Hinshaw, who took over for an injured Sax, singled in 2 to give LA the lead again. That's Henke's 4^th BS of the year already. Don Robinson pitched a scoreless 9^th for his 2^nd save. Sax is on the DL again, this time with a some knee tenderness. Chuck Jackson (.406/.472/.535 in AAA) is getting his second stint with the team. Last year he went 1-3 in 1 start. Jackson is the Dodgers #4 prospect. 7/6 7-4 L to the Cardinals Rhoden (11-5) was roughed up for 3 in the first, thanks to the 20^th HR of the year for Will Clark. He gave up another gopher ball in the 2^nd to Matthew Tyner (7) and the Dodgers just couldn't catch up. Ron Kittle hit #8 in the 4^th and Sid Bream hit #6 in the 7^th inning. Kittle's 2-4 day lead the team. 7/7 6-3 W over the Cardinals Ron Kittle (9) and Roy Smalley (1) each hit home runs in the 5^th to put LA on top, then Kittle would add his 2^nd (10) in the 6^th. He would finish 3-4, with 3 RBI's. Rickey went 2-4, scored 2 runs and stole his 40^th base of the season. He is having a very, very good year. Lost in all that was a complete game by who? Oh yeah, Frank Tanana (7-6). The master of inconsistency strikes again, just like I said he would. Striking out 6 in a good pitching performance. He still gave up a 9^th inning gopher ball to Tom Brunansky (16). Kittle, in 35 games, is closing in on his high HR total while playing for LA. He hit 14 after the trade in '83, and he's got 10 this year. Don't call it a comeback though. He's been here for years. 7/8 6-4 (11) W over the Cardinals Sid Bream hit a bases loaded single in the 11^th to score Scioscia and Hinshaw and put LA up. Niedenfeur got the last 3 outs for his first save, but he made it interesting. LA had the game in hand early on, building a 4-0 lead on Rickey and aggressive baserunning. Henderson went 4-6 and scored 2 more runs. He's on pace for over 150 runs scored this year. Valenzuela was cruising, when he let the Cards tie it in the 8^th on a Bill Schroeder HR (5). Franco pitched 2 scoreless to get the W (3-2). Reigning 2-time Cy Young winner Doc Gooden pitched a no-hitter last night against the Braves. It's his first no-no. He struck out 9 and walked 1. It's the first NL no-hitter since Mike Scott against the Phillies back in '84 for the Mets, and the first in baseball since June 8^th of last year, when Sid Fernandez got his 2^nd with the M's. 7/9 7-4 W over the Cubs This is it friends. There's nothing left to play for this year. Ricky Henderson left the game with some kind of injury after making a catch and throw. No idea yet on how serious. This is probably the biggest blow we've had this year, and that's saying a lot. The key to the game was a bases loaded triple by John Denny (10-7) in the 4^th . It was only his 3^rd hit all year long and he quadrupled his RBI total from 1 to 4. That put LA in front 4-3 and we'd add a 5^th on Ray Knight's 9^th in the 5^th. The Cubs would scratch back, the we'd add 2 more in the 8^th and Franco got the final 8 outs for his 12^th save. 7/10 6-1 L to the Cubs Scott Bankhead (6-11) flashed some skills that made him, at one time, the #14 prospect in ML baseball. He came within 2 singles and a HR of no-hitting us. He only walked 1 and struck out 13 in the complete game. Only Fred Lynn, who hit number 22, and Chuck Jackson could manage hits. Downs took the loss to drop to 7-7. 7/11 5-3 W over the Cubs Rhoden (12-5) got player of the game. He went 8 and struck out 8, allowing 7 hits and 2 walks along the way. He was helped along by 3 Dodger errors, including one of his own. Kittle homered in the 6^th (11) to tie the game at 2. LA would break out in the 8^th with 3 when Scioscia got a bases loaded single. Don Robinson pitched the 9^th for his 3^rd save. He lowered his ERA to 5.40. 7/12 9-7 W over the Cubs LA nearly paid for 4 errors, but it was the completely inept Cubbie pitching that allowed LA to win this one. Both teams scored in each of the first 3 innings, and LA carried a 2 run lead forward. A Shane Mack HR tied it in the 6^th (7), but LA managed to open it back up for good in the 7^th. LA walked 10 times in the game and left 11 runners on base. All-Star Break No question, it's bad news for LA. Rickey is down until mid August with back pain. Not having him in the lineup is going to change everything. Dwayne Murphy has been getting the playing time in center in his absence, but Rickey Henderson he isn't. As he is sent to the DL, Tom Beyers (.338/.376/.520 5 HR, 42 RBI) is getting called up for his 2^nd stint with the team. He went 0-5 in 6 games last season and is still looking for his first career hit. Notably, he's older than Rickey is. So he's not the wave of the future. LA has locked down #4 outfielder Ron Kittle to a 3yr/1.53M contract to stay with the team. Not sure what the justification is, other than he's fairly cheap. He hits the ball a freaking mile, when he hits it. Know how else we were shafted? Both Rickey and Inky were left off the NL All Star team. Here are the current and former Dodgers that make up this year's All Star team: P - Bob Welch (KC) (4^th AS) – 9-6, 3.40, 4.1 WAR SS – Mariano Duncan (CWS) (1) - .301/.362/.473 9HR, 34 SB OF – Franklin Stubbs (TOR) (1) - .333/.380/.692 30HR 8 SB P – Fernando Valenzuela (LA) (7) – 9-6, 2.77 ERA, 2.5 WAR P – John Franco (LA)(1) – 3-2, 12 S, 1.57 ERA, 1.1 WAR 3B – Pedro Guerrero (PHI) (5) - .339/.397/.516, 16HR OF – Fred Lynn (LA) (10) - .290/.353/.592 22HR Rickey and Inky both should have been on this team. Both deserved it. If we go deep, Rickey has strong MVP stats, but he needs to get healthy. Inky has big ROY possibilities. Who the fuck would have ever believed that Stubbs would blow up like he has. He is a bonafide stud for Toronto. The NL All Stars knocked off the AL 8-4. Fred Lynn was 0-3, Valenzuela only managed 2/3 of an inning, allowing 3 hits and a walk with 2 runs. John Franco pitched a scoreless 9^th. Andy Van Slyke went 2-2 with smacked a HR in the 2^nd off of Roger Clemens to nab MVP honors. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

09-17-2017, 09:20 PM	#119
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	Tony Phillips is activated from the DL and Tom Beyers is sent back to Albuquerque without getting into a game. 7/16 8-5 W over the Pirates Ron Kittle put us on the board first with his 12^th of the year, and walked us off with a 3-run bomb (13) off of Tom Henke (1-4). LA had fallen behind heading into the 9^th, but Fred Lynn doubled in BJ Surhoff , who had lead off with a walk, and Kittle followed with the game ender. On the day Kittle was 3-5, with 4 RBI. LA committed 2 more errors that lead to 2 unearned runs. Franco got the win to go to 4-2. 7/17 7-4 W over the Pirates Ray Knight homered in the first (10) to go up early, but an error in the 5^th lead to 3 unearned runs for the Bucs. Trailing 3-1, Dwayne Murphy went lefty v lefty and won, blasting a 3-run HR to right to put LA in front for good. We'd add 3 more in the 8^th on a Surhoff, bases clearing double to end all doubt. Don Robinson allowed 1 in the 9^th to raise his ERA to 5.33. Rhoden improved his record to 13-5. Inky was activated from the DL and sent to Albuquerque for some rehab from his injury. 7/18 3-1 W over the Pirates Frank Tanana (8-6) pitched 8 long innings, struck out 7 on his way to lowering his ERA below 4. Ray Knight homered in the 7^th (11) and Scioscia went 2-4 and Franco pitched the 9^th for his 13^th save of the year. 7/19 3-2 W over the Pirates Fernando (10-6) gets player of the game honors pitching 8 innings, allowing 6 runners, striking out 6. Doug DeCinces goes 2-4, and Kittle hammered #14 opposite field off of Mike Scott (9-8). Scott has owned LA from time to time lately and we're happy to get the big game off of him. Franco struck out 2 and allowed 1 on a wild pitch to save his 14^th game of the year. Steve Sax is back from the disabled list. Chuck Jackson was optioned back to Albuquerque after a respectable showing in his 7 game stint. Should see more of him come September. Inky is 3-7 in 2 starts in AAA, and he should be coming back in within a week. 7/20 8-4 L to the Cardinals Ozzie Smith went 5-6, hit 2 RBI's and lead a 16 hit, 5 walk, and 1 reach on an error attack of the Dodgers. Ron Kittle hit his 15^th HR in the 3^rd, and Steve Sax tied the game at 3 with his 3^rd of the year in the 5^th. LA's bullpen let them down as John Franco was tagged for 4 runs on 3 hits. Don Robinson had to get the 3^rd out in the 9^th and lowered his ERA to 5.26. This snaps LA's 5 game run. 7/21 7-2 (11) L to the Cardinals Rhoden took a no-hitter into the 7^th inning and got help in the bottom when Fred Lynn bopped his 23^rd HR of the year. Top of the 8^th though, Rhoden got into trouble and it was Cards prospect, Jay Bell, with his own HR (2) that tied it back up. Rhoden would go 9, but LA wouldn't threaten again, as the Mike Morgan threw 10 innings and got the W (9-9). Don Robinson (0-3) had pitched a clean 10^th, but gave it all away in the 11^th and left without getting an out. Tom Niedenfuer only fared marginally better and let in a bunch of runs. Robinson's ERA shoots back up over 6, to 6.07. Inky is been recalled from Albuquerque and is ready for prime time again. We've missed his power, no question. IF George Hinshaw was put on waivers and designated for assignment. Looks like Inky is taking over in right, while Lynn goes back to left and Kittle, the hottest hitter in LA, goes to the bench. I wish Lasorda would wise up and move Lynn to center and get Dwayne Murphy back to the bench. He can't hold a candle to Kittle for production right now. Rickey is for sure not coming back until after the trade deadline. A couple significant trades around the league. Such as....remember that time that the Yankees traded DH Keith Hernandez, minor league OF Eric Anthony and some cash to the division leading Blue Jays for 37yr old, back up catcher Rick Dempsey? Or the other one? Remember the time that the Twins sent OF Chili Davis to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for ancient reliver Gene Garber and the Pirates top prospect, P John Smoltz? Fun times people! Fun times!! 7/23 5-4 W over the Cardinals Once again, the bullpen tried it's hardest to give this one away. If it wasn't for a late Lynn HR (24) the Cards would have tied it up. Steve Sax was brilliant again. He went 3-4 and knocked in 3 of the Dodger runs. Kelly Downs (8-7) got the win after 7 strong innings, and Ken Howell eventually got the last out for his 2^nd save of the year. 7/24 3-2 W over the Cubs Valenzuela (11-6) had early control problems and loaded the bases in the first. The Cubs would push one across, but in the bottom half, Fred Lynn would put us on top with a 2-run homer to deep right field (25). He's closing in on 1000 career RBI's. Valenzuela settled down and that would be all he would allow over 8 innings. LA would scrap together another run in the 6^th. Only Sax and Lynn would get hits, with 2 each. Franco pitched the 9^th. He walked the leadoff hitter, allowed a triple to Pat Tabler. Then with the tying run on 3^rd, get the next 3 batters to preserve the victory for his 15^th save. 7/25 7-5 L to the Cubs Both Frank Tanana's (8-7) took the mound today. The first one didn't allow a hit until the 4^th, and the second one, blew a 3 run lead and gave up a go ahead HR to Jody Davis in the 7^th. LA's bullpen, once again, failed in every sense of the word. Don Robinson pitched the 8^th, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks. His ERA ballooned to 6.83, putting us way behind. LA got 2 back in the 8^th, then managed to put the tying run in scoring position in the 9^th with Inky and Lynn due up. Ron Robinson struck them both out to end it. Scioscia left the game limping after running the bases. It doesn't look serious, he won't be available, but he's not going to the DL either. 7/26 3-2 W over the Cubs John Denny improved to 11-7 with 8 innings of work. A 4^th inning 2-run HR by Rick Schu (10) put the Cubs in front. LA would tie it in the bottom half though, as Fred Lynn went opposite field with his own 2-run shot (26). Then Denny would do the rest. After Tony Phillips walked, then stole second, Denny, batting below .100, cracked a double to the gap in left that scored Phillips and put LA in front. Franco pitched the 9^th for his 16^th save. George Hinshaw was claimed off of waivers by the Pirates. The Yankees, who are falling further behind the Blue Jays as we head to the deadline made, what looks to be a desperate move to get more pitching. They've sent fan favorite CF Brett Butler to the Padres for SP Rick Sutcliffe and a minor leaguer. Sutcliffe is an inning eater and was an All-Star this season. He has a career record of 86-101, with a 4.05 ERA. Butler has been in pinstripes for 5 seasons, is a career .286 hitter, 2 time All-Star (84, 86) and Silver Slugger winner (84). The Dodgers have also made their first big trade in at least 3 seasons. We are saying goodbye to hit and miss outfielder Ron Kittle, who was the hottest hitter on the team in July, cranking out 10 HR's and a .314/.385/.771 slash line this month. He's been a big trade card for the team, as he just can't get steady playing time at all. He's a career .250 hitter with 76 career HR's. We also sent minor league SS, Kent Anderson. Anderson is a former 8^th round pick of the White Sox, back in '83. LA was his 4^th team and had been playing at AA San Antonio. So......LA has decided that the Sid Bream experiment, at least for now, is done. Bream isn't delivering this year at first base, so he's heading to the bench. Taking is place, is Texas Rangers first basement, Pete O'Brien. O'Brien is was a Gold Glover in '85 and a top prospect. At 29, he's the same age as Kittle, and has played in 160 games each of the last 3 seasons. This year he is .294/.363/.469 with 17 HR's and 56 RBI's. He's a career .273 hitter with 106 HR's. From the outside looking in, this looks like an upgrade in the lineup in exchange for depth of position. There's still more depth in this team they can move if they feel like a good deal can be made. I'm happy with this one. Kittle never seemed to get his chance after that first trade that brought him here. 7/27 4-2 L to the Giants Rhoden (13-6) threw another complete game, striking out 8 along the way. LA however, did next to nothing until Tony Phillips hit a 2-run HR in the bottom of the 9^th. LA would put the tying run on base, with 0 outs, and Dan Plesac would pitch his way out of it. Ending it with a pickoff of BJ Surhoff on first base. How sad. Bream went 0-3. Inky hasn't been good at all since he came back. In 5 games, he has 0 extra base hits and is 3-17 with 10 strikeouts. Ugh. 7/28 2-0 L to the Giants Kelly Downs (8-8). Poor Kelly Downs. He made 2 bad pitches all game. His no hitter was broken up in the 5^th by a Gregg Jefferies double to left. The very next batter, Terry Kennedy cleared the fence with HR #11 and that was it. Those were the only hits for SF the entire game. Downs walked 1, and struck out 11 in a nearly commanding performance. LA got 4 singles and 5 walks and couldn't get anyone home. Dave Winfield got his #2000^th hit as member of the Kansas City Royals. 7/29 9-1 W over the Giants Pete O'Brien didn't take long to make his mark on the team. In his 2^nd game, he hit HR #18 and went 3-3 with 2 doubles. Valenzuela (12-6) got the win, in a complete game performance. He allowed 5 hits, and struck out 5, lowering his ERA to 2.52 and showing his All Star mettle yet again. The Dodgers have made another move, and I have really mixed emotions about it. LA gets younger, moves a bat and brings in some pitching help. Doug DeCinces is heading out the door. He's really had his moments with the team the last couple of years, even if his numbers are way off this year. At 36 he's not getting any younger, and Lasorda's penchant to put him at short is hurting us. He's batting .255, with 11 HR's and 34 RBI's. Anyway, he's not heading far, down to San Diego to see the Padres, along with some cash. In return, LA gets southpaw Dave Dravecky. Dravecky, 31, has spent his entire career in San Diego. He has a 54-61 record and a career 3.63 ERA. This year isn't on that level. He's started 6 and come out of the pen 9 times. He's 1-5, with a save and a 6.70 ERA, but like I said, that's not been typical for him. His career highlight was a no-hitter back in '83 against the Cardinals. His contract is up after this year. LA also gets minor leaguer Kevin Koslofski, an OF, and former 6^th round pick of the White Sox. He's never played above rookie ball. 7/31 15-4 L to the Braves All you can do is laugh. We got killed today. John Denny (11-8) took the loss, and the bullpen allowed 7 more. Tom Burgmeier, who had been pretty effective, joined the rest of the bunch today, allowing 7 hits, and 5 runs, in 1/3 of an inning. Enough of that. Bright spots? Ray Knight and Steve Sax each had 2 hits. Tony Phillips hit HR #10 and Sid Bream came off the bench to his HR #7. Alejandro Pena threw 2 scoreless innings. Braves rookie shortstop, Andres Thomas, hit his first career HR in the game. No other last minute deals. Tom Burgmeier was designated again and placed on waivers. Chuck Jackson was called back from AAA to take his roster spot and presumably to give us the infield depth that DeCinces gave us. Dravecky was added to the bullpen and LA is running with 11 pitchers now. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

09-18-2017, 06:51 PM	#120
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	July Recap July was a good month. After the disaster that was June, the team held steady and stayed close in the title hunt. The team's record was 16-9, bringing the overall record to 59-44. That has us in 2^nd place in the West right now, 2 games behind the Reds. Yeah. The Reds. The Astros sit another 1.5 behind us, and after a rough month. LA has a good team. When I'm looking down the team rankings, LA is pretty much 3^rd on offense, in just about every category, and 7^th in steals. In pitching, we still have the #1 rotation, but the bullpen is the worst I've seen, mired down in 9^th place. The rest of our rankings keep us right about #4, a little better here, a little worse there. Team defense has dropped, all the way to the average ranking of #6. You can thank Doug DeCinces and his short stop skills for that. Fernando Valenzuela was the top pitcher for July. His record of 3-1 could have been better, but his ERA of 2.02 and WHIP of 1.15 was his best since April. Just going to throw the entire bullpen under the bus this month. Don Robinson is an easy target, but even John Franco posted a +5 ERA. Ron Kittle, was the best hitter. He bashed the ball, as I mentioned before he was traded. After him, the best hitter was Tony Phillips and he only played half the month and his .269/.345/.423 slash line isn't really impressing anyone. Ray Knight has come crashing down from his hot start. His line in July was .169/.258/.312. No good and this guy isn't competing for playing time anymore with DeCinces out the door. We need Rickey back, and Rickey should be coming back sooner, rather than later, but I really don't want to jinx it. We also need Inky to find that swing that he had earlier. He's been lost since he came back. Here's a look at the rest of the league: Starting in the West, the Reds had a helluva month and hold a 2 game lead. They have 5 guys in the starting lineup with over 20 HR's. LA resides in 2^nd, with the Astros 3.5 back and hanging in there are the Padres at 7 games back. The Giants are the worst team in the NL and are 24 games back with a .359 winning percentage. Over in the East, it's no long all about the Expos. The Expos have fallen back to Earth and are no mortal. They are in 5^th place, 12 games below .500 and 15 games back. They're not done, but it's not looking good. In the East right now, it's the Mets in control. They are a tight 2.5 games ahead of the surprising Phillies. Both teams are good, and either of them could be tough to face. In the AL East, the Blue Jays are still dominant. With a .657 winning percentage they are the best team in baseball and they have hit more homers than any other team in baseball. Every batter in their starting lineup, save Ryne Sandberg (go figure) has over 10 HR's. They are healthy and the bullpen is strong enough to carry a so-so pitching staff. The East also has the worst team in baseball since the '62 Mets. The '87 Brewers are historically bad. With a 29-73 record, they're actually on pace to go 46-116. The Mets record is safe...for now, but keep an eye on it. The AL West is similar to last season, where 3 teams are posting over .600 winning percentages. The M's are out front right now, but only 1.5 in front of the White Sox, and 3.5 in front of the Angels. The Twins have just been decimated. The team was once young, and talented, is now just young. Their 34-70 record is good for 2^nd worst in baseball. That's completely unexpected for a team that boasts, Hrbek, Puckett, Dave Parker, Viola, Blyleven, Stieb, Show, and Lea. Every single starter has an ERA between 5 and 10.50. Yeah. 10.50 for Charlie Lea. August is our make or break month. Once again, we are in it, but gonna have to pull off some magic to get to the playoffs again. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

09-24-2017, 05:05 PM	#121
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	8/1 9-3 L to the Braves Rhoden (13-7) was pitching alright until a rain delay. The Braves had his number after that and the game evaporated with the Brook Jacoby 3-run HR (17) in the 7^th. Jeff Pico (1-5) got his first win of the year, and his 2^nd career win. Sax, Surhoff and O'Brien, the 1-3 hitters, combined to go 7-13. Yet barely any production from anyone else. 8/2 8-4 W over the Braves The Braves still knocked 12 hits off of LA pitching, which is still not up to standard. Down 3-1, LA took the lead with a 3 run 5^th. Tony Phillips hit #11 in the 2^nd, and Fred Lynn hit #27^th in the 8^th. Sax, Knight and Lynn batted 1-3 and they combined to go 8-12, with 6 RBI's and 5 runs. The rest of the team combined for 4 hits. Kelly Downs (9-8) got the win, but not because he had a good game. Don Robinson lowered his ERA to 6.59. 8/3 6-2 L to the Reds Important game, and Valenzuela (12-7) can't handle the power of the Reds. LA got 10 hits, but struck out 10 times against Browning (12-7). Pete O'Brien homered (19) in the 6^th that tied the game, but the Reds got a 3-run shot from Eric Davis in the bottom of the inning. That was that. Scioscia, O'Brien, and Knight all had 2 hits. Mike Schmidt got his 2000^th hit as a member of the Yankees. 8/4 6-4 W over the Reds We get one back. Tanana (9-7) true to form served up another gopher ball, but pitched well enough to go 8 innings and leave with the win. We faced off against former Dodger, Ted Power (9-8) Phillips homered (12) in the 2^nd to give us a 3-2 lead, and after the Reds tied it in the 3^rd, Pete O'Brien homered again (20) to put LA up for good. Franco pitched the 9^th for his 17^th save. Ron Kittle has 5 HR's in 7 games and 27 at bats for the Rangers. He's got 20 in 168 at bats on the year. Rickey was activated from the DL. To make room, Chuck Jackson was optioned back to Albuquerque. LA has seriously struggled without him. 8/5 8-5 L to the Reds Are the Reds our new nemesis? Are they the best in the West now? Maybe so. Denny (11-9) was touched for 5 in the first, and even Reds starter Jack Morris (1) homered off of him in the 4^th for his first career HR. LA slowly dug out of the hole. Dravecky made his LA debut with 2 scoreless innings. LA cut the lead to 6-3 in a Sax triple in the 6^th, then 6-4 in the 7^th. Fucking Eric Davis homered in the 3^rd game in a row (29) to keep that lead open. Incaviglia finally got his first HR since his DL return (22), but it was too little, too late. The big news should have been Rickey's leadoff double in the first and his 3-4 game, but it was overshadowed by everything else. LA has dropped down to 3^rd now. Three games behind the Reds. 8/7 5-1 W over the Braves Rhoden (14-7) goes 3-4 with the bat, and goes the distance never giving the Braves a chance. Pete O'Brien also added a 3-4 game with a 2 RBI triple. He's batting .432 with 3 HR's in 9 games with LA. An offensive punch that the team is grateful to get from first base. 8/8 9-4 W over the Braves LA has found the swing the last 2 night, blasting out 29 hits. Even Valenzuela helped out with his 2^nd HR of the year in the 2^nd inning. Valenzuela (13-7) allowed only 3 hits and struck out 8. Except they were all HR's and that totaled all 4 runs for the Braves. That lead to an early shower for Fernando, but the team picked him up. Inky went 3-5. Lynn, Phillips, Scioscia and Sax all had 2 hits each. Don Robinson lowered his ERA to 6.37. 8/9 6-2 W over the Braves The hit machine quieted down some, but 7 and 8 hitters, Scioscia and Phillips went 3-6 with 4 RBI's. For the third game in a row the pitching came through. Downs (10-8) went the distance for the W. 8/10 7-3 W over the Reds Fred Lynn goes 3-4 with 2 HR's (28,29) and 5 RBI's single handedly takes out the Reds. Rickey lead off the game with his `4^th HR to give us the lead. John Denny (12-9) became the third Dodger pitcher in a row to throw a complete game. This sudden pitching effort is really paying off in the win column. The West is a mess. The Astros are 9-1 in their last 10 and have matched our 4 game streak to claim the lead, with both the Reds and Dodgers .5 game back. 8/11 7-3 W over the Reds LA scored 2 in the 4^th and 3 more in the 5^th when Lynn hit HR #30. Mike Scioscia went 3-3 and scored twice. He's been solid lately and his average is creeping closer to .300. LA has 5 starters with batting averages over .295. Tanana (10-7) pitched alright, but got tagged by both Tartabull (24) and Daniels (23). Typical Tanana. Don Robinson pitched a good 9^th to lower his ERA to 6.16. Tom Burgmeier has been released, throwing 14 innings in 10 games, with a 5.79 ERA. 8/12 3-2 (11) L to the Reds Mike Scioscia went 2-3 and hit his 5^th HR in the 7^th inning to give Rick Rhoden a lead. Rhoden went 8 and struck out 9 in a game he should have won. John Franco gave up a leadoff triple to Eric Davis and Davis scored on a Tartabull sac fly to blow it for the 2^nd time this year. Don Robinson (0-4) replaced him and he did great in the 10^th, but in the 11^th Ex Dodger Dusty Baker, who had subbed into right, smacked a single that scored Donnell Nixon. Gossage shut the Dodgers down for his 23^rd save. Robinson lowered his ERA to 6.06. 8/13 3-2 (10) W over the Reds Valenzuela got the start and had major control problems. In 7 innings of work, he only allowed 3 hits, but walked 6 and struck out 10 along with a wild pitch. The upside was the batters didn't know where the ball was going either. Rickey went 2-3, stole a base, and knocked in the game tying RBI in the 5^th. Niendenfuer pitched 2 innings of relief and struck out 6 in a row. Franco pitched most of the 10^th, but left the game early, hurt. Dravecky (2-5) threw 1 pitch. In the bottom of the 10^th, Roy Smalley came off the bench and put the ball in the left field seats to walk off with a win (2). It's bad for Franco. The word comes back almost immediately and the team announces the next day that Franco has a torn labrum in his shoulder. He's done for the year. Lasorda plans to use Robinson in closer duty. He's 3 of 3 on the year. The team promoted 7-year Dodger farmhand, Rafael Montalvo to the roster. Montalvo played his first year at AA this year, his highest level in his career. For San Antonio, he pitched 37 games, went 4-2, with 13 saves and a 1.85 ERA. The team also parted ways with last year's first round pick, and top prospect Butch Henry. Henry went 2-6 with a 4.00 ERA in low rookie ball. 8/14 12-2 W over the Giants Rickey started it all off with a lead off homer (15). He would finish 3-3 with 3 walks, 4 runs, and added another solo homer in the 9^th (16). Sax went 3-6 with his own 3-run HR (4) and Lynn homered too (31) in the first. LA walked 10 times against 6 strikeouts. Kelly Downs (11-8) pitched a complete game for the win. Rickey now has the highest HR total of any season for his career. He's also on pace to score 117 runs in 130 games if he stays healthy the rest of the way. 8/15 8-1 W over the Giants The streaking Dodgers win again. Backed by a complete game victory for John Denny (13-9) the offense rolled up 13 hits. Sax lead off the game with a big triple, and Henderson knocked him in. Inky finally got a HR (23) and he went 3-4 with 3 RBI's in the game. Pete O'Brien also went 2-4 with his 21^st HR in the 3^rd inning and 3 RBI's. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

09-24-2017, 05:07 PM	#122
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	Is anyone following along anymore? I'm up to 170 written pages now. My typing skills are strong. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

09-25-2017, 07:20 AM	#124
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	OOTP has always gotten a bit of a knock for the way it has handled it's minor league transactions. It's vastly improved from years past where it would cut a guy, then resign him days later, and that would repeat itself off and on throughout. In this case, without knowing the true mechanics of why, I mean, generally, a first round pick would get much more time to develop, especially for an 18-year old kid pitcher, it's really tough to say. They didn't need a spot either. So in this case, the simple solution is that he just wasn't viewed as being good enough, or worthwhile enough, even though there are plenty of guys they do sign who, quite literally, have no future at all. I chalk it up to a bit of randomness and shortsightedness of the front office. Or you can game it a bit and just figure he pissed a whole lot of people off with his charming personality. It does help tell a story for a player later on, if he does work his way up the ladder, of the teams that gave up on him and how he kept working hard and ate his vitamins, to get to the top. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

09-25-2017, 07:42 PM	#126
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	Thanks for reading for those of you who stop in. I find that this medium helps immerse me in the world, and really brings back the old school, Strat days, without all that hard work of bookkeeping and random generation. I haven't been this deep into an OOTP dynasty in years and years. As a kid of the 80's it's like a walk down memory lane, and there's enough historical variation that it feels new every season. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

09-27-2017, 10:29 PM	#127
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	8/16 7-6 L to the Giants LA lost and Tanana (10-8) allowed 3 more dingers. The most important was a go ahead, 2-run homer by Tony Perez. Perez, at the ripe age of 45, hit his 400^th HR. The Giants are his 6^th team in 6 years, and it was his first of the year, and only his 2^nd since '83. Perez was signed in May, and his slash line this year is .231/.250/.308. He is the oldest active player in baseball. Sax went 2-4, and Tony Phillips hit his 13^th HR of the year. Down by 2, LA got a run and Lynn hit the final ball to the fence, but came up just short of tying it. 8/18 9-4 L to the Expos Valenzuela (13-8) served up 4 HR's to the Expos in the first 5 innings. Three of them went to Andres Galarraga (28,29,30). Gary Carter (15) and Mike Greenwell (2) also homered for the Expos. Inky was the high spot going 2-4. The Expos are nearly out of the playoff race. This just shows they can still get one over on us. 8/19 8-6 W over the Expos Andre Dawson smashed 2 HR's (21,22) and sent Kelly Downs to an early shower. The Expos took a 5-3 lead into the 9^th with Quiz (1-6) on the mound. Tony Phillips lead off with a walk, and BJ Surhoff pinch hit for pitcher. Surhoff smashed a 2-run HR for his first career homer and tied it up. LA wasn't done though. Henderson singled, Bream doubled him in next. LA would add another to make it 8-5. New closer, Don Robinson came on and Hubie Brooks homered, then Robinson settled down and finished it off for his 4^th save. Rick Rhoden has been put on the DL with an illness. Michael Cunningham was promoted from Albuquerque to take his place. Cunningham, 26, has been pitching in Albuquerque off and on for 6 years and this is his first promotion to the Majors. This season he was 11-9, with a 5.11 ERA, in 176 innings of work. He's a hard worker, with a curve, change and knuckleball. He gets lots of movement, it's just that we don't really know where it's going. The team could have gone with Dravecky in the rotation, but that would have left them without any lefties in the bullpen. 8/20 7-6 W over the Expos I cannot say enough good things about Rickey and what he means to this team right now. He and Sax lead off the day with back to back doubles and LA batted around and put up 3, leaving the bases loaded. John Denny did not have a good day, and despite getting 5 runs of support, a Gary Carter 2-run homer (16) in the bottom of the 7^th tied the game and he left with the result out of his hands. Niedenfeur (2-2) pitched the 8^th and his first batter, pinch hitter, Don Baylor, homered to left (2) to put Montreal on top. Joe Hesketh (2-1), who is not the closer, came on for the 9^th and it was Rickey, once again, who lead off with a big HR down the line (17) to tie it back up. That also happened to be Rickey's 100^th career round tripper. Two batters later, Inky hammered another ball to left-center (24) to give LA the lead. Don Robinson pitched a 1-2-3 9^th for his 5^th save, lowering his ERA to 5.97. Steve Sax went 4-5. 8/21 9-1 W over the Phillies The Phils sent former Dodger Milt Wilcox (5-6) to the mound and it didn't end well for him. LA scored in each of the first 4 innings to send him to the shower with 7 runs on the board. LA didn't need much, but from there, but it got a complete game from Frank Tanana (11-8) who still had to be himself and serve up a gopher ball to another former Dodger, Pedro Guerrero (24) and who still has a 21 game hitting streak, thanks to that hit. The Phillies only got 4 hits off Tanana. Meanwhile, Fred Lynn hit #32, and Ray Knight went 4-5 with 3 runs, 3 RBI's and his 12^th HR of the season. Sax stole base number 31 and Henderson stole 3 to give him 50 on the year. The Cardinals Andy Van Slyke hit for the cycle against the Reds. Not only that, but he tied the NL record for RBI's in a game with 8. His HR was a grand slam. 8/22 15-9 W over the Phillies Rookie Michael Cunningham gets his first ML start today and opened it up by striking out 2^nd basemen, Juan Samuel and LF Pedro Guerrero in a 1-2-3 first inning. Then came the 2^nd where rookie of the year candidate, Larry Walker hit the ball 420 ft (32), he walked Balboni and the other ROY candidate, catcher Bob Melvin homered again (14) to put the Phillies on top. LA gave him 6 runs of support, but Samuel would get revenge on his 3^rd look with a 3-run HR (18) to ultimately ruin the journeyman's debut. Cunningham had wild pitch and 2 hit batters too. Dave Magadan had to leave after getting hit. LA wasn't done though. Dravecky (3-5) pitched 2 and struck out 5 and LA scored 2 in the 6^th to tie the game, helped by Phillips 14^th HR. Larry Parrish hit a pinch hit 2-run HR in the 7^th (3) to put LA on top for good. LA totaled 4 in the 7^th and another 3 in the 8^th as the Phillies had to empty the bullpen. LA bashed 18 hits with Sax and O'Brien getting 3 each. Even Bream got a 2-run pinch hit single. This game also saw the first career homerun for another Phillie rookie, Mark Grace. LA also cooled Guerrero's 22 game hitting streak. 8/23 4-3 W over the Phillies LA was stymied by young Phillies starter Greg Maddux (13-10) for most of the game. Valenzuela (14-8) matched him inning for innings, but the Phillies build up a 3-1 lead heading into the 8^th inning. Two rare outfield errors in the same inning, one by Dave Clark and one by Larry Walker opened the door for LA to put 3 across and take a 4-3 lead. Valenzuela went 2-3 in the game and scored twice. Don Robinson loaded the bases in the 9^th and it looked like it was going to be bad, but he figured it out and finished the game without allowing the tying run. His 6^th save of the year, and lowering his ERA to 5.80. 8/24 4-3 (11) L to the Mets Both teams come into the game in first place. Both teams have identical records. The series is split between them. It's about as even as it gets. Kelly Downs ended up walking 5 and striking out 7 and he had a 3-1 lead going into the 8^th, but he couldn't get out of it, and by the time he left it was tied up. The Mets have an incredible bullpen and LA tried to match it, but couldn't. Dave Dravecky (3-6) gave up a hit, and walked the bases loaded in the 11^th. Then strike out 2 before he would walk in the winning run for the Mets. Frustrating. 8/25 2-1 W over the Mets John Denny (14-9) and Ron Darling (7-12) had a great pitchers dual totday. LA didn't get a hit until the 5^th inning. LA struck first on the back of a Incaviglia 2-run HR to left (25). The Mets clawed one back, but LA held on. Don Robinson pitched a scoreless 9^th for his 7^th save. His ERA is down to 5.65. 8/26 8-7 L to the Mets A see saw affair, that saw LA fall behind 6-4, then with 3 solo home runs in the 6^th inning by Lynn (33), Knight (13) and Phillips (15) the Dodgers took the lead. Inky had homered in the 4^th (26), but Tanana was on the mound today and he gave up 3 of his own and only lasted 3 innings. Dravecky (3-7) pitched 3 good innings in relief, but it was the 4^th inning that hurt. Carmelo Martinez pinch hit for the pitcher and homered to give the Mets the lead and ultimately the win. 8/28 7-3 L to the Expos Bryn Smith (16-10) gets his league leading 16^th win, but he has himself to thank for it. A career .118 hitter, Smith homered in the 2^nd inning for his first career homer. He would add a single and another RBI later on. Valenzuela (14-9) was not his best today. He allowed 10 hits in 5 innings of work. Fred Lynn homered in the 9^th (34) as a consolation. Rafael Montalvo made his ML debut, retiring the Expos in order. Scioscia sprained his ankle sliding into 2^nd base and he's heading to the DL. LA promoted C/IF John Debus to back up Surhoff. Debus is regarded as a good defensive catcher, who started most of the year in AAA Albuquerque. His slash line was .284/.355/.443 with 7 HR's and 32 RBI's. He's been in the Dodgers farm system for 7 years, and this, at 28 years old, is his first call to the Majors. 8/29 6-1 W over the Expos Downs (12-8) pitched 8 and struck out 5 to get the Dodgers the win today. LA didn't have any extra base hits, but relied on 2 hit games from Sax and Knight. The Candy Man, once a feared opponent, got a rare start for the Expos. His stuff isn't the same now. He walked 5 in 4 innings and was touched for 4 unearned runs (2 earned). Don Robinson pitched another scoreless 9^th to lower his ERA to 5.50. 8/30 7-5 (11) L to the Expos Denny had a rough first inning thanks to Gary Carter and his 3-run HR (18). LA would fall behind 5-0 before they would start the comeback. It started in the 6^th when Surhoff his #2 to put LA on the board. Inky added another 2-run shot (27) that brought us to 5-3. Quiz (2-7) took the mound in the 9^th and after allowing the first 2 on, got Ray Knight to ground into a DP. One on, 2 out, 2-2 pitch to Tony Phillips and he hit it out (16) to tie it up. Don Robinson (0-5) pitched the 11^th and loaded them up before Molitor hit a 2-run single. LA went down meekly in the bottom half to end it. Robinson's ERA ballooned up to 5.82 with the loss. C John Debus made his ML debut and went 0-2 from the 7^th inning on. 8/31 8-2 W over the Phillies Big day for LA as they pound Milt Wilcox (5-8). Tony Phillips went 3-3, Sax 3-5, and Surhoff 2-4 and who also hit his 3^rd HR of the season. LA put up a 6 in the 2^nd and that pretty much took care of that. Tanana (12-8) managed to pitch 7 innings without allowing a single HR. Not so much for Niedenfeur who served up a gohper ball to Bob Melvin (16) in the 9^th. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

10-31-2017, 09:45 PM	#128
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	August Recap LA goes 18-10 and stays in the mix as the season winds down. Our record is 77-54, 22 games above .500, and in a tie with the Astros for first in the West. LA is getting good offensive production, as the team is 2,3, or 4 in pretty much every offensive category. The pitching staff is good too, just about 4^th all around in every pitching category. The starters are #2 in ERA, but the bullpen is 7^th in the NL. Getting Rickey back in the lineup has been critical to LA getting it's offense back in order. He's crucial in the lead off spot. He hit 4 HR's and hit over .300 in August. He also added 12 steals to get to 52 on the year. He only needs 3 more to have his highest number in 4 years. Would you believe that Kelly Downs was the best pitcher for August? Well he was, with a 4-0 record and his 3.15 ERA. Fernando was awful with a 6+ ERA for the month. We need him to get it back together. It's also September call up time. Here are the guys that are getting the call up to the Show: C Jack Fimple (.211/2/28 in AAA) – Primarily a catcher, also plays 2b and 3b. Has 1 option year left. At 28, he's not getting any younger. He had 1 at bat last year. 3B Billie Merrifield (.246/6/30 in AAA) - Plays the corners and can also play some outfield. Has 2 option years left. He the #15 prospect in the organization, but he's also 25. He's gonna have to make some gains soon. IF/OF Ty Dabney (.311/2/26 in AAA) – Dabney is a typical utility player who came up for a cup of coffee earlier this year. He's got 1 more option year left. He's the #16 prospect in the organization. IF Ross Jones (.290/2/25 in AAA) Played 5 games earlier in the year with a .188 avg. This is his last option year, and at 27, he's too old to be a prospect. OF Tom Byers (.348/13/71 in AAA) Byers is still in search of his first career hit at the age of 29, but he's been the best player in AAA for a couple years. He looks like a 4A player, who could be dangerous in the right situation. He still has 1 option year left. IF/OF Chuck Jackson (.298/10/63 38SB in AAA) Jackson is back up with the team after filling in while Sax was out hurt. He hit .286/.360/.333 with the team in 7 starts. He is the #3 prospect and #133 in all of baseball. Still has 2 option years left. RP Sergio DelRosario (2-1, 6 S 5.04 ERA in AAA) At 22, he's a young power pitcher who can hit 100 MPH. Started last year in A ball and moved up fast. He's the #10 prospect in the organization. This is his first call to the majors. RP Brian Holton (0-2, 1S 8.27 ERA in AAA, 1-0 6.46 ERA 15.1 IP with LA) Minor league journeyman who finally got the call this year. Hasn't had good stuff this year and his 28^th birthday is coming quickly. RP Charlie Kerfeld (3-2, 13S, 2.70 ERA in AAA) This is his second call, and his first this year. Had some control problems, but put his best season together this year. Has 1 more option year remaining. The NL West is a 3 horse race, with the Reds sitting just 3.5 behind the leaders. The Padres have fallen back, but are still only 8 out. The loss of Franco really hurts a struggling bullpen. Rhoden is expected to miss one more start before he's back with the team and they hope that Scioscia won't be too far behind. LA has been good in past September's and they'll need to be spot on once again this year, because Houston is good. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

11-06-2017, 08:26 AM	#129
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	9/1 15-1 L to the Phillies Rookie Michael Cunningham (0-1) was shelled and still lowered his ERA to 14.63. Sergio DelRosario made his ML debut and failed to record an out, allowing 2 hits and 2 walks. He was followed by Rafael Montalvo who got 2 outs, but allowed 2 hits and walked 5 in a 9 run 5^th inning. To make matters worse Rickey left the game in the first on a diving attempt in center. It's not looking good, but we'll have to wait and see. To his credit, Dwayne Murphy went 3-3 replacing him. 9/2 6-4 L to the Phillies Ron Gant hit his first of the year to break a 3-3 tie and put the Phillies up 6-3 off of Valenzuela. It was one of 3 that Valenzuela gave up. He had 7 K's in 7 innings, but takes the loss to drop to 14-10. Inky went 2-4 batting. Dwayne Murphy left the game after leading off. It looked like he might have pulled something. Prospect Doug Jennings took over and scored 2 runs. Major bad news for the Dodgers today. Rickey is heading to the DL again for recurring back spasms. That's not good for a guy who just signed a big contract. That's going to be it for his regular season. He might be back for the playoffs. The other blow is to Murphy. He's also on the DL, and he's going to miss the rest of the year too with a foot injury. In 2 days, our offense and our depth has been neutered. Rick Rhoden was activated off the DL. Fred Lynn, who started in CF last year, looks to take that spot back again, and Tom Beyers is going to get the initial shot in LF. Jennings will be the 4^th OF. 9/4 10-6 L to the Mets The losing streak hits 3. Rhoden (14-8) makes his return and it's not good. He serves up 13 hits and couldn't get out of the 7^th innning. He was on the hook for all 10 runs, but only 6 were earned. Sax and Lynn each had 3 hits and Inky hammered 2 HR's (28, 29). Even Rhoden went 2-3 and got a go ahead RBI early in the game. The Mets Edward Lindsey got his 13^th win on the year. Young Brewers utility guy, Dale Sveum hit for the cycle in a 14-9 W over the Twins. He's been getting a lot of time at first for the Brewers. 9/5 4-2 W over the Mets LA gets 8 strong innings from Downs (13-8) as he allows 6 hits and 2 runs, while striking out 6. LA went down 2-0, but BJ Surhoff hit a 2 run homer as part of a 3 run 5^th inning to put LA on top for the game. Sax went 2-5 and Pete O'Brien walked 3 times and scored 2 runs. Robinson pitched the 9^th for his 8^th save and lowered his ERA to 5.53. 9/6 8-2 W over the Mets LA put up 4 in the first, and 3 in the second, helped along by 2, 2-HR by Fred Lynn (35,36). Knight also homered in the first (14). The Dodgers got another strong start, this one from John Denny (15-9), who went 8, allowing only 1 run. Pena finished the 9^th. Tom Byers finally got his first career hit, as the 29 yr old went 2-4. O'Brien and Surhoff also added 2 hits. 9/7 11-4 L to the Reds The new Big Red Machine rolled over us today. Just after LA tied it up in the top of the 7^th, the Reds exploded all over Brian Holton (1-1) and Ken Howell for 6 runs in the bottom half. Valenzuela started, and went 6, although he did allow 4 across. The Reds had 13 hits, 11 of which went for extra bases. Yeah. Read that again. Glenn Hubbard, a July trade pickup, has been hitting .130 for the Reds. He went 3-5 with 3 doubles. We're sliding backward early here. 9/8 12-9 L to the Reds Rough. There were 6 lead changes and 7 HR's hit in the game. LA struck first, but between Tanana, 6 runs allowed, 2 gopher balls, Pena (2-2) and his 4 unearned runs, with 1 gopher, and Dravecky (another gopher) LA could not stay in it. The Dodgers committed 3 errors, and got homers from Lynn (37), Inky (30) and Knight (15). They brought the tying run to the plate in the 9^th and forced the Reds to bring in Goose, who promptly struck out Phillips to end the game. LA has slipped to 2 games back and are only a half ahead of the Reds. 9/9 14-6 L to the Reds Good god. 37 runs allowed in 3 games. LA wasted another 2-HR day by Lynn (38,39) and Inky's 31^st and they went back to back in the 3^rd to go up 4-0. Rhoden (14-9) walked 6 in 3.2 innings of work. LA pitchers walked the Reds 11 times, and Reds pitchers allowed 9 walks. That's 20 combined walks. LA also wasted a 7-14 batting day by the 3-4-5 guys in the lineup and a 3-3 day by Phillips. LA drops to 3^rd in the West. 9/10 2-0 W over the Braves One day. When you need a hero. One will arrive. The hero today? None other than Kelly Downs (14-8) who has been hot lately. Downs pitched 6.2 innings of no hit ball before ex Dodger, Candy Maldonado broke it up with a single. Downs had faced the minimum up to that point. The Braves started Zane Smith (11-16), who has been hard on LA over the years, and both men went zeros over 9 innings of work. Smith had scattered 8 hits, Downs 2. Both pitched the 10^th and LA finally broke through on a Sax 2-run single. Downs allowed a lead off double in the 10^th, but the Braves could muster no more. Twins outfielder, Dave “The Cobra” Parker got his 2000^th career hit. Mike Scioscia was activated from the DL. Surhoff played alright for a backup, but not good enough to supplant the ingrained Scioscia. 9/12 5-2 L to the Braves LA struck first when Scioscia got his an RBI in his first game back, but the Braves just chugged along, helped by a 2-run HR by the Candy Man (24), the didn't surrender it. Lynn had a couple hits. Denny (15-10) went 5, in an unimpressive start. 9/13 10-5 W over the Braves LA got 4 runs in the first, then gradually gave it back. Valenzuela (15-10) got the win, but managed to allow 5 in 7 innings. It was worse for Braves starter Mulholland (7-8). For some reason he pitched 8 innings, walked 7 and struck out none. He also allowed 9 hits and 7 runs. Going into the 8^th, LA had relinquished the lead thanks to a Craig Biggio HR (8). LA grabbed it back with 2, and piled on in the 9^th on the Braves pen. Don Robinson lowered his ERA to 5.40. So I keep reporting Robinson's ERA just because he is sucking so badly and because we lost Howe. So how is Howe doing? Well, he didn't go far. He's the closer for the Angels over in Anehiem. He is 7-6, with 22 saves and a career high, 6.18 ERA. His WHIP is an astronomical 1.84 and he's blown 10 saves. Sooooo, we're not missing much this year. I blame his decision to leave the Dodgers for this. 9/14 2-1 W over the Astros Nothing like a comeback. We get the Astros at home, only a game behind, take game 1 to tie things up in the West. The Dodgers took the lead when Lynn hit #40 in the 2^nd inning. Rhoden (15-9) got the start and pitched well. The only run being a Barry Larkin run off of a Bill Madlock double. A pinch hit single by Bream in the 7^th put LA back in front when Jennings scored. Don Robinson pitched the 9^th for his 9^th save in 9 tries. He lowered his ERA to 5.27. 9/15 9-8 (11) L to the Astros LA fought back the entire game. Tanana pitched poorly, and struggled to 102 pitches in 4 innings of work. He make career sub .200 hittter, and career .278 SLG, Mike Brumley look amazing. Brumley hit his 3^rd career HR and had 2 other hits off of Tanana. LA got a run in the 8^th to cut the lead to 2 heading into the 9^th. With Astros closer, Garrelts on the mound, LA got the bases loaded with no outs and the middle of the order up. They'd tie it up and put the winning run on third (1 out), then fail to bring him in. Rookie reliever DelRosario, who is really sucking bad on the mound (allowed 2 more in 2 innings, still lowered his ERA, but struck out 4) did better in the box. In his first career at bat, knocked a single to right. Pena and Niedenfuer didn't allow a runner in 4 innings, but it was Ken Howell (0-1) in the 11^th that let Houston take the lead. Reardon closed it out for his 16^th save. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam Last edited by PilotMan : 11-06-2017 at 08:29 AM.

11-06-2017, 08:40 AM	#130
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	The races are winding down. Here's where we stand right now: In the West, the Astros are 1 game ahead of LA, 1.5 ahead of the Reds. The Padres have been surging and now find themselves back in, but running out of time. They lie 5 games back. The magic number to clinch is 18. In the East, the Mets are running away. The Expos have been officially eliminated and for the first time in 5 years, they aren't winning the East. The Mets are 11.5 games in front of the Phillies and are head and shoulders the best team in the NL. Their magic number is 8. Over in the AL West, the West is still up for grabs. At the moment, it's the Angels and Mariners in a dogfight. California is up by a half game. Then lying 2.5 back are the White Sox, who have just crumbled, losing 6 in a row. The magic number is 18. In the AL East, the Blue Jays have the best record in baseball. Only the Yankees haven't been eliminated and they are 12 games back. Virtually no chance. The magic number for the Blue Jays is 7. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

11-06-2017, 08:48 AM	#131
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	The Blue Jays have lost OF George Bell for the rest of the regular season. He could be back, depending on how deep their playoff run goes, but for now, his 41 HR's and .343 avg are out of the lineup. Don't feel too bad though. Look at this: Bell (.343/.394/.614, 41 HR's) on DL Barfield (.272/.339/.518, 27 HR's) on DL (back in a week) Stubbs (.325/.377/.638, 38 HR's) where was this guy in LA???? Snyder (.308/.354/.562, 37 HR's) Evans (.279/.399/.471, 17 HR's) another former Dodger I don't even know how they've all gotten playing time. If only they had some kind of pitching staff. Their starters are 9^th in the AL in ERA. WOW. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

11-08-2017, 12:26 PM	#132
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	9/17 6-4 W over the Reds This is a rain out, make up game from earlier in the season. Tonight, they got good pitching from Downs (15-8) who despite allowing 4 runs, struck out 8 without a walk. Also, 2 of those runs were unearned. It was the 8^th inning HR by Canseco (35) that tied it up. LA got all it's offense tonight from 2 people. Pete O'Brien and Fred Lynn. O'Brien started off with a solo shot in the first (22). Lynn followed with one in the 4^th (41) that put LA up 2-0. The Reds tied it in the 6^th, but in the bottom half, O'Brien came through again (23) to give us a 2-run lead. After the Canseco HR tied it again, Lynn hit his 2^nd HR (42) that was the difference in the game. Robinson closed the 9^th for his 10^th save, lowering his ERA to 5.15. That's the lowest his ERA has been all year long. Blue Jays first basemen Keith Hernandez got his 2000^th career hit against his former club that traded him, the New York Yankees. The Blue Jays magic number is down to 3. The Mets number is down to 6, and LA and Houston are tied in the West. 9/18 7-3 W over the Braves Valenzuela (16-10) finally throws a good game. He goes the distance, and gives the bullpen a little break. Along the way he struck out 11 and had the shutout until the 8^th. LA got another 3-run HR from Pete O'Brien (24) and every single starter got a hit except Phillips, but he walked twice. O'Brien's 4 RBI's lead the team. Houston also won. 9/19 14-4 W over the Braves It's not that Rhoden (16-9) was great, but he did go 8, and 3 of his 4 runs allowed were in the 8^th. Every Braves starter had a hit, save the pitcher. But it was the LA offense, that didn't seem to miss. Tom Byers, who has been getting the starts in left with Henderson out, had the best game of his career, going 3-4, with 2 doubles and 3 RBI's. Phillips AND Knight also went 3-4, and Knight scored 4 times. Add a pinch hit 3-run HR for Roy Smalley (3) as the cherry to this big blowout sundae. On a side note, the Braves top prospect, and the #4 prospect in the majors, Randy Johnson got into the game. Johnson spent most of the year in AA. He threw 31 pitches, allowed 3 hits, a walk, a wild pitch and a balk and was responsible for 5 earned runs. He just turned 24. This appearance ballooned his career ERA to 7.88 in 8 games played. 9/20 7-2 W over the Braves Frank Tanana (13-8) goes the distance (bout damn time) to complete the sweep of the Braves. Tanana allowed 6 hits, 4 of them to former Dodger, Candy Maldonado. The Dodgers got 1 big swing from Ray Knight (16) when he hit a deep drive to left center, for a grand slam that put LA up for 6-0. Pete O'Brien and Tom Beyers both went 3-4. This is the Byers that we saw in Albuquerque. He also stole his first career base, and he isn't fast. The Padres shut out the Astros, while the Dodgers extend the win streak to 5. LA opens a 2 game lead. The magic number falls to 12. 9/21 7-2 W over the Giants Six in a row. LA started off the first with a 3-run blast from Inky (32) and that would have been all we needed. Instead they smacked 13 hits and got another HR from O'Brien (25) in the 3^rd. O'Brien went 3-5, while Sax, Lynn, Inky and Doug Jennings all added 2 hits each. Denny (17-10) got the win, pitching 8 and Robinson finished it off. Lowering his ERA to 5.04. Blue Jays pitcher Allen Ripley won his 20^th game of the year. You might remember that he was signed by LA last year, and missed the entire year, never suiting up for us. Even though his ERA is 4.66, he would get my vote for comeback player of the year. 9/22 9-3 W over the Giants Seven in a row. The run continues. Rob Deer homered (25) off of Downs (16-8) in the first to take a 2-0 lead. LA trailed 2-1 until Ray Knight hit a 2-run HR (17) in the 6^th to put LA back on top. LA would add a solo homer from Scioscia (6) in the 7^th and in the 9^th Roy Smalley electrified the stadium with a pinch hit, inside the park HR (4) off of rookie Bryan Harvey. Robinson lowered his ERA to 4.93. His first time below 5 all year long. Houston lost again. LA now has a 3.5 game lead on the West. The Reds are 4.5 back and the Padres 7.5. 9/23 5-3 W over the Giants Eight in a row. Another sweep. LA got 4 runs in the 7^th inning to come back from a 2-1 deficit. Fred Lynn hit a 3-run HR (44) to cap a 2-5 game. Inky struck out 4 times. Valenzuela (17-10) pitched 8, while Alejandro Pena pitched the 9^th for his first save of the year, giving up a gopher ball and striking out the side. LA left 10 on base. Houston won, Cincy lost. Magic number is at 8. The Blue Jays are the first team to clinch as they own the AL East. In other news, the surging Dodgers have take advantage of the slumping Mets and are now tied for the best record in the NL. There are 4 teams in the AL with better records than the Mets and Dodgers. Three of them are in a fight in the AL West. 9/25 3-1 L to the Padres It had to end somewhere. Just didn't figure it would be at home. Rhoden (16-10) got in trouble early on. He had control issues and that lead to the Padres building a small lead. Credit Padres starter Greg Mathews (15-9) who allowed 3 hits over 8 innings, while striking out 6. LA loaded the bases in the bottom of the 7^th and nobody out, but could only push 1 run across. The Reds beat up on the Astros and the magic number drops to 7. The Mets have won the NL East. They have a 2 game lead on LA for home field. LA has an 86.9% probability to hang on and win the NL West. The AL West is nuts. The M's are currently in front (93-60), and a half game back are both the Angels and White Sox (93-61) . With the magic number being 9. Even though the M's are in front the Angels are at 38.9%, followed by the White Sox (33.8) and then the M's (27.4) to win the division. I'm guessing because the White Sox and Angels still have to play one another. The Brewers, at one point, were closing in on the ML loss record, but they've done alright, only now did they drop their 100^th game of the year. Still the worst in the Majors, but a .351% is better than the sub .250% they had. I didn't even notice this, but back in August, Gary Templeton signed a minor league contract with the team. He's been starting in Albuquerque. He was last with LA in '84 and released (after signing a 3 year deal) because he's a pain in the ass. He's played for the Yankees, Tigers, Braves, Indians and Giants since then. The 2-time All Star is still a good fielder and he has speed. He's pretty far down the depth chart in LA though. 9/26 4-1 W over the Padres Pete O'Brien opened the scoring up with his 26^th HR in the 4^th inning. Phillips added a 2 run single to put LA up 3-0. O'Brien and Byers had a couple hits. Denny (18-10) was in charge, allowing only 3 hits in 8 innings of work. He left only having thrown 89 pitches. Robinson came in and closed out the 9^th for his 11^th save of the year. He lowered his ERA to 4.82. The magic number is down to 6. 9/27 7-4 L to the Padres Downs (16-9) did not bring his A game for the first time in a long while. Even though he struck out 8 Padres, he allowed 11 hits over 6.1 innings. The Padres scored 2 in the first, but LA answered when Inky drove one into the left field pavillion (33). That tied it at 2, but the Padres would add 2 more unearned runs in the 4^th and another pair in the 5^th. LA couldn't answer those and missed some opportunities to tie it up. After the Inky HR, Bob Ojeda hit Fred Lynn, words were exchanged and Lynn charged the mound. Both players were ejected. Lloyd Moseby hit for the cycle in an 11-0 thrashing of the Indians. Moseby is in the first year of his 5 year deal with the Angels. He has answered a lot of questions about whether or not he'd be able to keep his performances up. This is Moseby's best year since '83 and his 50 SB's are a career high. The league has come down on Lynn and suspended him for 4 games for his role in the brawl with Ojeda. 9/28 4-3 (10) L to the Astros Blew it. Just blew it. LA had a 3-1 lead after the 7^th. Houston just kept chipping away with a run in the 8^th, and in the 9^th off of Don Robinson, they tied it up. That was Robinson's first blown save of the year. LA didn't get a hit after the 6^th inning. Credit to the Astros bullpen. Robinson allowed 4 hits and 3 walks in less than 2 innings and his ERA ballooned to 5.06. He immediately got in trouble in the 10^th and when he left for Pena it was too late. A deep flyout to right, ended it. Our lead is down to 1. 9/29 6-2 W over the Astros This was huge. It got that game back and shortened the season in our favor. LA hammered out 14 hits, and despite falling behind put up 5 in the 5^th to take the lead for good. Two of those were from Inky, who blasted a HR (34). Only Knight, Scioscia and Doug Jennings went hitless and every other starter had 2 hits or more. Even Tanana went 2-3 with an RBI and a run. Tanana (14-8) also bailed the starters out and went the distance to get the big win. Houston's Greg Swindell (15-7) struck out 8 in 5.2, but allowed 12 hits and 6 runs. This win, boosted the lead back to 2 games, dropped the magic number to 4 and completely eliminated both the Padres and the Reds. It's a 2 horse race now. The Mets are up 3 for homefield with 4 games to play. The Dodgers are 84.9% to win the West. In the AL, the Angels a game in front of the M's, and are 83.4% to win the division. 9/30 4-3 W over the Giants Rhoden went 8 (17-10) but surrendered a 2-run HR to Rob Deer (27) that put the Giants in front 3-1 in the 8^th inning. It had been a big dual between Rhoden and Hammaker (11-18) all night long. LA wouldn't go down though, and Larry Parrish, who had pinch hit and stayed in the game at first, for Byers hit his own 2-run HR (4) to put LA up for good. Pena pitched the 9^th for his 2^nd save. The Astros scored 3 in the bottom of the 9^th to steal a win from the Braves. The magic number to clinch the West is 3. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

11-09-2017, 09:31 AM	#133
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	September Recap Hey, here we are again. The end of September, in the thick of the playoff race and on the verge of another NL West title. I really didn't think we'd be here and when Rickey went down the hopes pretty much left the building. However, LA put up a record 16-11 record in the month and this is the 3^rd straight month with a winning record, and 5 games above .500. The record on the year is 94-65. The offense kept it's run going. LA is the best hitting team in the NL, and 2^nd or 3^rd in every other category. Tom Byers. Yep, Tom Byers might be the reason. The old, rookie came up from AAA and got his first career hit and then some. He batted .393/.471/.590 in 19 starts in September. He worked 9 walks and only struck out 3 times. Being a hard out carried this team, when Rickey went down with back problems. It was a great surprise. LA got more good stuff out of more than just Byers though. Fred Lynn was an animal, hitting .325/.429/.723 with 10 HR's for the month. Inky hit 7 and won NL rookie of the month for the second month in a row. The only person who really didn't hit in September was Scioscia. Coming off the injury, he hit .222/.269/.302 and couldn't seem to get anyone out behind the plate. Even Surhoff hit .340. It was a great hitting month. LA's pitching was up and down. Kelly Downs continued his ascension in the rotation, going 4-1 with a 2.52 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. John Denny also went 4-1, posted a 2.19 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. The bullpen finally got good work from Don Robinson (4S, 1.93 ERA), Pena (2S, 0.75 ERA) did most of the heavy lifting, throwing over 21 innings between them. There were some bad performances too. Tanana, despite going 2-0 had a 5.14 ERA, and the 3 rookies DelRosario (14.29), Cunningham (12.46) and Montalvo (54.00) did not make anyone think fondly on the future. There are 5 games left. Houston is hanging on, but even if we win, LA will have the worst record of any of the division winners. There are 3 teams in the AL West that will finish with better records then the Dodgers. The Mets have (almost completely) locked up homefield in the NL. We finish with a game against the Giants and then 3 against the Padres. The Astros have 1 against the Braves, then they go home to finish against the Reds. I like our chances. We really need the Reds to take at least 1 from Houston and then we need to grab at least 1 or 2 of our next 4 and we'll do it. The team is keeping a close eye on Rickey. He's starting some light training and he's eligible to come off the DL. The team isn't saying much, but he might be available for the NLCS, or he might not. It's about 50/50. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

11-09-2017, 10:11 AM	#134
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	10/1 5-2 W over the Giants One game closer! BJ Surhoff got the start and lead the team, going 4-4 at the plate with 2 RBI's. Knight added 3 hits and Sax 2 more. Sax stole his 42^nd base of the year. John Denny won his 19^th game of the year, even though it wasn't easy. He walked 5 and threw 143 pitches. Brian Holton was given the reigns for the 9^th. He allowed a hit and walked a batter, but got out of the inning with his first career save. Houston kept pace with a 9-1 win over the Braves. The AL West is knotted up. There's now a 3 way tie between the Angels, White Sox, and Mariners. There are 3 games to play. The Mariners are on the road against the Rangers. The White Sox are on the road aginst the A's, and the Angels are on the road against the Indians. The Indians are 69-90, the A's are 78-81, and the Rangers are 90-69. Advantage California. What a weird year. The AL West has 4 teams with over 90 wins. The AL East has 4 teams with 90 or more losses and 2 with over 100. Will the Blue Jays really be as good as they look playing in that weaker division? 10/2 2-1 L to the Padres Kelly Downs pitched well (16-10) and clung to a 1-0 lead in the 8^th inning. He struck out Tony Gwynn 3 times, that is unheard of. However, a 2-out single by former Dodger Bob Brenly tied the game, and then a pinch hit double down the line by Ron Hassey put the Padres up. If not for a cannon throw by Inky in right, the lead could have blown up. In the 9^th, Lynn lead off with a double, but was stranded on 3^rd, when Phillips popped out to left center to end it. Houston, behind another former Dodger, Dave Stewart (19-10) shut out the Reds to cut the lead to 1. The magic number is still 2. Seattle beat the Rangers, and both California and Chicago lost. The Mariners number is down to 2. The Dodgers loss clinches homefield for the Mets in the NLCS. 10/3 4-2 W over the Padres When you need someone to step up. Someone who is a leader. Someone who has been there. You turn to Fernando Valenzuela. The Dodger ace dominated for 8 innings of work and came within 2 out of the complete game, shutout. He pushes his record to 18-10 on the year, but more that that. Fernando did it with the bat. A good hitter, he started the scoring with an RBI single in the 3^rd. He followed that up with a bases loaded, 2 run single in the 6^th. He went 2-4, with 3 RBI's. His best game with the bat, even if you take away his 2 homers this year. LA had to face the Padres ace Jimmy Key (16-15). So not only did Fernando do it with the bat, it was a lefty on lefty match up too. No extra base hits for LA. The Astros won again, behind Greg Swindell and 4 HR's, 2 by Benito Santiago (17). In the AL, the Mariners did their part with a 2-1 win, but the Angels and White Sox both won too. So it's all down to the last game of the year. LA is up by 1, and has clinched a tie. Same with the Mariners. All they have to do is win and they are in. While the neither the Astros, White Sox, nor the Angels can lose. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

11-09-2017, 07:36 PM	#135
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	10/4 4-1 W over the Padres We started late on the west coast, already knowing that the Astros had won again. LA had to win this in order to lock up the West. Frank Tanana (15-8) got the start, and he's been really, really inconsistent. He has come through for us though when we needed and today, he came through. LA jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 2^nd, helped along by an Inky solo homer (35). The Padres answered with 1 in the bottom half of the inning. Tanana was on form pitching well. Nobody else scored until the top of the 8^th when Inky, who already had a couple hits in the game, homered again (36) to put the nail in the Padres, and Astros season. Don Robinson struck out 2 in the 9^th to get his 13^th save and he lowered his ERA to a season ending 4.89. The Astros won their final 5 games, and went 8-2 in the final 10, and LA still won. THE DODGERS HAVE WON THE WEST AGAIN!!!!! Over in the AL West, the Mariners needed to win to lock it up, but the Rangers kept it from happening, winning 4-3. Both the White Sox and Angels needed a win to stay in it. The White Sox, who feature 4 guys with over 30 HR's, could not get it done and fell to the A's 4-2. That made it up to the Angels to win in order to push it to a playoff game. And they came through with flying colors. Backed by 4 HR's, 2 belonging to Dave Henderson (25), they made Neal Heaton a 19 game loser, with an 18-hit, 17 runs, 17-5 crushing of the Indians. The M's will face the Angels in a 1 game playoff to see who will face the Blue Jays in the ALCS. The Mariners are sending Nolan Ryan (18-9, 4.75) to the hill to face Mike Witt (18-11, 4.07) in Cali. The game featured 4 lead changes, a 6-6 tie after the 2^nd inning, Mark McGwire hitting his 53^rd HR of the year, Nolan Ryan walking 8 M's, and Mike Witt getting a game score of 0. He pitched 2.2 innings, allowed 9 hits and 9 runs. In the end, it was the Mariners that pulled off the 12-9 win over the Angels, knocking off the favored Angels. This is the end of the regular season. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

11-10-2017, 11:03 AM	#136
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	1987 Playoff Preview NLCS Los Angeles Dodgers (96-66) v. New York Mets (99-63) This is a great series on paper. Both teams are the best in the NL after the All Star break and the series was split between them at 6-6. Since you should be familiar with the Dodgers roster and line up the most important thing to know is that Ricky is almost healthy. He wasn't given a clean bill of health for the series, but he's close. Second, Tom Byers was left off the playoff roster as he didn't qualify, in favor of Doug Jennings. Jennings hit .263/.358/.351 in 41 games and 57 at bats. Lasorda also announced his starters for the series and John Denny was left out in favor of Tanana. He could change his mind, but Denny was much more consistent over the season, but maybe the lefty was needed against the Mets lineup. So the Mets had 4 guys with over 30 HR's this year. They were Strawberry (36), Mitchell (37), Bonilla (33) and Rueben Sierra (34). Sierra is out dealing with a wrist injury and looks like he might miss the entire series. The Mets have replaced him with Carmelo Martinez. Sierra, he is not. In fact, the Mets are a near mirror image of the Dodgers. They have great hitting in the outfield, good fielding in the infield Donnie Hill and Gerald Young manning 2^nd and short respectively. Where they differ though is that their pitching is better than their hitting. Lead by 2 (soon to be 3) time Cy Young winner Dwight Gooden (won another pitching triple crown this year) (23-7, 2.22, 269K) and quite simply the best bullpen in baseball. Their other starters aren't as good as what we have in LA, (Darling 11-14, 4.17; Terrell 14-13, 4.72l Wegman 12-7, 4.02), but the bullpen more than makes up for it. They have Roger McDowell closing (31S, 3.14) and Orosco (4-4, 2.98) and Myers (5-2, 2.11) setting the table. It gets deeper. Gene Nelson (5-2, 3.74) and Rick Aguilera (1-1, 4.63). The Mets have homefield. There's very little to separate us. Ricky will be back soon. Maybe he'll be able to make the difference. If not him, it's going to be very, very close. Nice not to see the Expos for once. ALCS Seattle Mariners (99-64) v. Toronto Blue Jays (104-58) The Mariners had to win a playoff game against the Angels to get here. They come into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. They got here with some good hitting, speed, average pitching and average fielding. They can't match the Blue Jays in power, but they do have some. Top hitter, first basemen, Alvin Davis (.290/34/128), followed by new signing this year, LF Brian Downing (.283/37/116), DH Phil Bradley (.321/29/111) and Dan Pasqua (.281/30/90). Pasqua, interestingly enough came over to the Mariners, along with RF Vince Coleman (81 SB) as part of a 5 player acquisition when the Mariners traded now Dodger, Jim Beattie, to the Yankees, back in '83. Also interesting, is that all 5 players the M's got in that trade, had ML playing time with the M's this year. I don't think that anyone expected the M's to get here after they lost ace, Sid Fernandez (16-9, 4.67) to an elbow injury in late August. The rest of the rotation does feature some workhorses though. Mike Boddicker (17-13, 4.04), Mark Langston (16-8, 4.68), Mike Moore (13-10, 4.59) and Nolan Ryan (19-9, 4.89, 208K). The M's closer is Jeff Robinson (3-4, 32 S, 4.40). The Blue Jays are an offensive juggernaut. Every member of the starting lineup had at least double digits in HR's, except Mich Webster, who is playing for George Bell, who is still out. Bell only had 41 dingers, batted .343 and had 142 RBI's. The Blue Jays may not even miss him. Corey Snyder lead the team with 44 HR's. Franklin Stubbs was second with 41. Slick fielding shortstop Tony Fernandez hit 14, which was more than 2-time Silver Slugger, Ryne Sandberg had (13). I could go on and on about them. They are heavy favorites to repeat as Champions. Even former Dodger RF'er Dwight Evans is getting time at DH (19 HR's). Evans, coincidentally, played for the Mariners last year. If this team has a weakness it's on the mound. Top starter Jim Clancy (18-13, 4.62), isn't really a top starter. Danny Darwin won 20 games, and Allen Ripley won 21, but both had high ERA's (4.92, and 4.40) Dave Smith closes games on the back end and finished with 36 saves and a 3.13 ERA. Jim Gott (4-2, 2.24) and Larry Andersen (5-0, 2.06) hold down a strong bullpen. The Blue Jays have 0 lefties on their roster. That will play to the M's advantage as both Davis and Pasqua are lefties. The Blue Jays went 8-4 against the M's this year. This is a battle between the #1 and #2 in runs scored in the AL, and #5 and #6 in pitching. The Jays have to be favored with homefield, but it might be closer than we think. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

11-10-2017, 02:12 PM	#137
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	ALCS Game 1 The Mariners broke a 5-5 tie with 3 in the 8^th and 2 in the 9^th to run away with game 1, 9-5. Dan Pasqua hit 2 HR's. NLCS Game 1 10/9 Rhoden v. Gooden 2-1 NY over LA You asked for a pitchers dual and you got one. Rhoden outpitched Gooden, fair and square. NY got on the board first with a Mitchell HR in the 2^nd and after that all Rhoden would allow was another Mitchell single. He didn't allow another hit. LA managed to tie the game in the 5^th on a Doug Jennings triple that scored Knight from first. LA stranded 10 guys on base and Gooden struck out 9. Both starters were out in the 9^th inning and LA almost came though against McDowell, but not quite. Robinson came for LA and Ashby lead off with a single. Strawberry struck out. Mitchell doubled and Ashby held at third. They intentionally walked Bonilla to face Martinez, and Robinson walked him on 4 pitches to end the game. Ugh. ALCS Game 2 Toronto jumped out to a 6-0 lead, but the M's got 5 back in the 7^th, but not the 6^th. Dwight Evans homered, and Toronto won 6-5 to tie it 1-1. NLCS Game 2 10/10 Downs v. Darling 4-0 LA over NY If you need something done, do it yourself. The quiet emergence of Kelly Downs this season has been an unexpected joy to behold. Tonight, he threw a 3-hit shutout, on the road, and silenced the rowdy NY crowd. LA scored first on an Inky HR in the 5^th, and drew 2 bases loaded walks for more. Darling didn't pitch bad, and one of those 3 hits was his, but he couldn't match the game that Downs brought to the mound today. BJ Surhoff tripled in the 9^th inning then had to leave the game due to an injury. Surhoff had recently taken over the starting job at catcher, and Scioscia is a strong catcher in his own right. We shouldn't miss a beat. Series it tied at 1 heading to LA. ALCS Game 3 We knew pitching would be troublesome in this round, and it's the case again. Tied 7-7 heading into the 9^th and the Blue Jays already with 3 HR's in the game, get a 4^th from Jesse Barfield, a 3 run shot, and his 2^nd of the game. This leads to a 5 run 9^th to go up 12-7. The Mariners answer with 1, but it's not nearly enough. Mark Langston and the Mariners bullpen were really taken to town in this one. The Blue Jays regain homefield and take a 2-1 lead. NLCS Game 3 10/12 Gooden v. Valenzuela 2-0 Mets over Dodgers Yeah, you read that right. The Mets sent out Doc Gooden on 2 days rest to pitch game 3. Also, Ricky was activated on the off day and he's in the lineup tonight! This might very well have gone down as one of the best pitching performances in postseason history. Gooden took a no-hitter, on 2 days rest into the 9^th inning. He gave up a lead off double to Phillips, who made a horrible baserunning error and got thrown out at third. Just awful, especially when the next batter up, a pinch hitting Roy Smalley got a single. Gooden then walked Rickey and was pulled. He allowed 2 hits, and struck out 5. LA then loaded the bases on McDowell with Lynn at the plate. We needed a single to keep it going, but Lynn popped out to center and that was it. Tough way to lose. Valenzuela pitched 8.1 innings, walked 5 and struck out 8. All the Mets runs were on a pair of Strawberry solo homers. Otherwise, it was even up. The Mets get homefield back and take a 2-1 lead. ALCS Game 4 Holy no pitching again Batman!! Toronto blew up and took a 9-1 lead on Nolan Ryan. Corey Snyder and Stubbs each homered. That wasn't the end though. The M's comeback started with 5 in the 7^th , they'd get another in the 8^th and the bullpen kept it close. Dave Smith came out to close it down in the 9^th. With 2 on, facing Dan Pasqua, the M's completed the comeback and walked off when Pasqua put the ball into the left field power alley, 379 feet later. The series is tied at 2. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam

11-12-2017, 07:41 AM	#138
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	NLCS Game 4 10/13 Terrell v. Tanana 4-3 Dodgers over the Mets Kevin Mitchell starts the game with 8 career hits off of Tanana, 7 of them are home runs. Tanana hoped to build off his last regular season start and once again, he came through with flying colors. He is the wily vet that we needed to tame the Mets. He allowed 2 hits heading into the 9^th where Martinez lead off with a single and Strawberry homered to deep right to cut the lead 4-2 and that was all for Tanana. Robinson came in and gave up a HR to Mitchell right off the bat and suddenly there was need for worry. Robinson did manage to pull it together to strike out Donnie Hill and Wally Backman to end the game. Rickey went 3-5, with a 2 run single. Lynn went 3-4 with an RBI and Scioscia went 2-4 and knocked in the run that put LA in front in the 5^th. The Mets committed 4 errors in the game. The series is tied at 2. ALCS Game 5 Seattle took a 2-0 lead in the 2^nd inning, but a 3-run Stubbs HR (4) opened up a 6 run 6^th inning. The Blue Jays added another pair in the 7^th and would go on to win 8-3. Jim Clancy went the distance for the win. The Blue Jays take a 3-2 lead and head back to Toronto where they only need 1 to head to the World Series. NLCS Game 5 10/14 Wegman v. Rhoden 4-2 Mets over Dodgers Crap. Another key game lost. It really looked like on paper, that LA could get one against Wegman starting, but he was totally in control today. He struck out 7, allowing only 3 hits all game. Rhoden had some control issues and he ended up walking 5. The teams traded runs in the first, but the Mets came right back with 2 in the 2^nd. Dykstra homered in the 7^th to really put the nail in. LA never got anything going after that. Against McDowell in the 9^th Inky crushed a solo homer to cut the lead, but nothing else came of it. He'd finish 3-4, the team had 4 hits. Not going to win like that. The Mets head back to NY needed to win 1. BJ Surhoff tore his calf and he's done for the year. ALCS Game 6 Ryne Sandberg went 4-5 and Corey Snyder homered and the Blue Jays opened up a 6-2 lead after 4 and never looked back. They went on to win 8-6. The Mariners threatened in the 9^th when Jose Lind and Vince Coleman lead off with singles. Phil Bradley then lined into a double play, but the M's weren't done. Alvin Davis doubled, Coleman took third. Pasqua then singled in both men. Dave Smith came on to close it out for the Blue Jays and he was able to get Jim Presley looking to end it. The Blue Jays are the AL Champs and look take the title back to Toronto for the 3^rd time in 4 years. NLCS Game 6 10/16 Downs v. Gooden The Mets are going for it. Doc Gooden went on 2 days rest, and now he's going on 3 days rest to end it. LA needs to solve this riddle. Downs has been LA's top pitcher lately, coming off of his own 3 hit shutout of the Mets. 3-2 (11) Dodgers over the Mets Gooden was Good-en, but not quite Good-enough. Fred Lynn singled in Sax in the first and then Downs doubled in Ray Knight in the 2^nd and LA jumped out to a 2-0 lead on the Mets. It looked like LA might chase Gooden early, but after that, he was back to his completely dominant self. Downs kept pace, and got out of trouble when we walked the bases loaded in the 3^rd. In the 4^th the Mets finally got through when Carmelo Martinez singled in Mitchell and Bonilla. Both starters would go 9, with Gooden closing out his game by striking out the side in the 9^th and Downs with 2 of his own in the bottom half. It was tit for tat like that all game long. The Mets went with McDowell and the Dodgers put Robinson on the mound. The nerve wracking 10^th came and went and in the 11^th LA started off when Kevin Mitchell, now playing short, mishandled a ball hit by Jack Fimple, who had taken over for Sax at 2^nd base, allowing Fimple to reach. Pete O'Brien doubled off the wall in center, but Fimple, who isn't speedy was stuck at 3^rd with 1 out. Fred Lynn would do the deed with another deep flyout to center that allowed Fimple to score easily. Inky then flied out, but that was all LA would need. Robinson shut the Mets down in the bottom half to lock down the win, and send the series to a 7^th and deciding game. __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam