It's time for Dodger Baseball! ('82-'94 Complete)--OOTP 17-23 Alt History - Page 4

PilotMan · 05-22-2018, 09:40 PM

6/1 9-2 W over the Mets
Finally a win to break another losing streak. LA went up in the first when Rickey doubled home Von Hayes. The Mets in typical fashion against Tanana, a known giver upper of gopher balls, got one from Glenn Davis (3) to go back on top. It looked like it would be a long day for Tanana against the Mets but he came alive and so did the LA bats. LA tied it in the 3^rd on a Smith triple and erupted for 5 in the 5^th. Tanana (8-2) went the distance, but set another kind of record, as he tied the record with 5 strikeouts in 5 at bats. Surhoff left the game after he legged out a double. Some sort of leg injury.

The word came fast and hard from the team doctor on Surhoff. A torn meniscus, will require surgery. He's done. He might be back before the end of the year, but it's doubtful right now. The team put him on the 60 day DL. The team called up former Braves farmhand, Ronald King, who was claimed off of waivers in April. In 35 starts for Albuquerque, he's hitting .358/.490/.458 and stole 15 bases. He's been up 3 times with the Braves, but never had enough to stick. Scioscia will now be the full time guy.

6/3 8-1 W over the Reds
This starts the first of a very important series with the #3 team in the NL West. LA will need to get the upper hand here if they want to stay in contention in the division. Bryn Smith (7-4) allowed 4 hits and pitched into the 8^th. Pete O'Brien finally had a coming out party this year. He's been dead silent. Not today. Two HR's (6,7) 4-5 with the stick and 6 RBI's.

6/4 7-6 L to the Reds
Kelly Downs (6-3) served up 2 HR's to Nick Esasky (12,13), but struck out 7, walked 4, gave up 8 hits. Really, he was all over the place. It was a struggle. It's all too bad. LA went up 4-0 in the first after Winfield bashed his 8^th dinger of the season. Dwayne Murphy added his first of the season when he came on during a double switch.

Bad news for former Dodger ace, Rick Rhoden. Rhoden is still with the Yankees after the trade that brought Von Hayes to LA. Anyway, Rhoden sustained a torn flexor tendon and he's done for the year. He won't be back until mid season next year. He was 4-5 with a 4.15 ERA and 1.25 WHIP on the year. Rhoden just turned 35. The recovery from this injury isn't an easy one.

6/5 5-3 L to the Reds
Former Dodger Ted Power (2-4) allowed 4 hits, and went 7.1 to get the win. He would have hung in there longer, but had some discomfort and had to leave the game. Pete O'Brien went 2-3 and got 2 RBI's. Fernando (4-5) went 7.2, allowed 11 hits and struggled with control again. His high pitch count cost him. Big news though. Winfield got hurt going for a catch, and had to leave the game.

Winfield's injury looks to be fairly nominal. It's a finger sprain and he's expected to play through it. Good break for us.

6/6 6-1 L to the Astros
On the heels of the Reds series loss, we start our first series with the division leading Stros. Dennis Martinez (7-4) throws a complete game 6 hitter. He got help from Kirk Gibson, who lead off the game with a HR (5) and Barry Larkin (3) who homered in the 3^rd. Tanana (8-3) took the loss as his stuff just didn't do the trick today.

Jim Morrison was given his unconditional release today. Ending his 2^nd stint with the team. His 100 at bats are the lowest total for any team he's played for. He batted .210/2/10 during his 2 stints with the team.

6/7 4-3 W over the Astros
Despite Kirk Gibson leading off the game with another HR (6), LA flexed it's own muscles and got strong pitching from John Denny (3-2) to grab a win against the Astros. Dave Winfield went deep in 2 the 2^nd and 6^th (9,10) and hit his 300^th career round tripper. Huge day for him. Von Hayes also went deep (8). LA saw plenty of ex Dodgers today too. Former Dodger top prospect, Cecil Espy started in center, and he hit a HR (2), only the 3^rd of his career. Alejandro Pena struck out 4 in 2 innings of relief. John Franco got the final 6 outs for his 8^th save of the season.

6/8 3-0 L to the Astros
Tom Candiotti (2-1) had the knuckler under control today and LA couldn't find it anywere. Candiotti throws a 4 hit shutout, walking only 1, with 5 K's. Rickey goes 2-4 with a double and triple. Houston got a HR from Fred McGriff (14) and Bryn Smith loses another one (7-5).

6/9 6-1 W over the Astros
Splitting a 4 game series leave hope for the season. Another former Dodger took the mound today, and although it's been a while, he was here once. Dave Stewart (8-4) got the start, but LA kept chipping away. An O'Brien HR (8) in the 4^th put the Dodgers on top, and in the 6^th LA got 3 more thanks to a Von Hayes 2-run single. Ozzie went 3-5. Henderson stole his 39^th base in 60 games. Kelly Downs (7-3) had a great start and struck out 9.

6/10 5-2 L to the Padres
Mike Schmidt hit his 500^th career HR in a Dodgers jersey tonight. It came in the top of the 9^th with nobody on against Mark Williamson. Aside from that hit, LA could only manage 5 other hits, 3 of which, came from Winfield. Valenzuela (4-6) got the start, went 6, struck out 5, walked 4, allowed 2 HR's. Steve Sax just torched us today. 2-4 and a 2-run blast in the 2^nd inning (4). Bob Ojeda picked up the W (8-5). Garry Templeton, who had started the game at 2^nd, left with an injury.

6/11 6-2 L to the Padres
Tanana (8-4) got roughed up and looked like his old self today. Kevin McReynolds tagged him for his 9^th of the year in the 5^th and broke the game open. Bo Jackson added a double and triple. LA got a 2-3 day from Rickey Henderson and some good work out of the bullpen from Ken Howell and Jim Beattie. Otherwise, it was Gary Mathews (3-4) that stole the show.

Good news on Templeton as it's a mild hamstring strain and he won't be going on the DL.

6/12 6-3 L to the Padres
LA commits 4 errors, only manages 4 hits, but draws 7 walks. Can't find home plate. John Denny (3-3) was touched for 10 hits, and 6 runs and Tony Gwynn hit a 3-run HR (3) that gave the Padres the lead. Rickey stole his 41^st base of the year. The Dodgers are in danger of falling back to .500. This is the closest they've been in a long while.

6/14 2-1 L to the Braves
Brook Jacoby went 2-4, had both RBI's and his HR in the 4^th (9) was the first hit of the game for the Braves. Smith (7-6) takes the loss, but it was his best game in a while. Scioscia went 2-3 with an RBI. The only bright spot for the teams hitting.

LA has dropped 4 straight, and 8 of the last 10. The team now finds itself 9.5 games behind the Astros. The biggest gap of the year. The team is still holding down 2^nd place. The Mets are 7.5 up in the East, and the 2 horse race for the NLCS is underway and it's not even the All Star break yet. If LA was in the AL East, they'd be in first place by 4 games.

6/15 5-4 W over the Braves
LA homered 3 times, and the bullpen did a great job over the final 3 innings, only allowing 2 runners. A Von Hayes lead off homer (9) in the top of the 9^th off of Braves closer John Mitchell (0-4) put LA in front. LA also got homers from Schmidt (7) and Henderson (5). Kelly Downs started, and walked 6 in just over 5 innings. Inky went 3-4 in a start, giving Winfield a day off.

6/16 2-0 L to the Braves
The Braves are, right now, the closest to the Dodgers in terms of talent on the field. On paper, LA has them beat all over. The Braves are also 8 games below .500. LA may be regressing. Tanana (8-5) went the distance in this one, walked 1, struck out 3. Should have gotten the win. He also allowed a HR to the opposing pitcher, Steve Ontiveros (1-0). Now, Ontiveros, a relief pitcher turned starter this season, only had 3 career at bats, and went down on strikes every time. Against our gopher ball hero, he hit one 391ft into left field. His first actual, career hit. LA got a couple of 2 hit games from Scioscia and Caminiti, but 0 hits from the 3-4-5 spots.

LA claimed Mets infielder Curt Wilkerson off of waivers. Wilkerson had been starting, batting .249/.295/.305, with 0 HR's and 19 RBI's. He was assigned to Albuquerque.

6/17 8-3 L to the Padres
Valenzuela (4-7) didn't even allow a hit until the 5^th inning. But the 6^th was one of the worst innings of the year as the Padres put up 6, including 2 bases loaded walks. Frank DiPino did the same thing in the 7^th inning, walking the bases loaded 2 times. Eight walks in all by Dodger pitching. Winfield homered early to put LA on top (11), but nothing else good happened. Von Hayes left the game after getting hurt on a diving play in center.

Hayes is on the DL with a strained stomach muscle. The team called up prospect Doug Jennings. Jennings is hitting .375/5/30 so far in AAA. Both he and Dwayne Murphy are lefties, but it looks like Jennings might have the starting edge. At least at first. Lasorda could also move Hendeson back to center and let Inky start in left, but that might make too much sense.

4/18 4-3 W over the Padres
Mike Schmidt hit a 3-run HR (8) in the first inning as part of a 4 run first. The Padres chipped away at it, but 8 strong innings by John Denny (4-3) kept us in it. John Franco pitched the 9^th for his 10^th save. Ozzie Smith went 2-2, with2 walks, getting on base every time up.

4/19 3-1 W over the Padres
Bryn Smith (8-6) pitched like we hoped that we would all season long. Seven innings, 3 hits. Picked up by Franco, who went 2 for his 11^th save. The Dodgers smacked 12 hits and drew 5 walks. You'd think that they would be able to get more across than 3. Smith, Winfield, and youngsters Jennings and King all had 2 hits each. Henderson was caught stealing for the 4^th time this year.

4/20 7-2 W over the Braves
Dave Winfield gave us a 3-run HR (12), as part of a 6-run 5^th inning. Scioscia and Jennings both added 2 more hits. Kelly Downs (8-3) threw a complete game to get the win.

4/21 4-3 (11) W over the Braves
The bats might be starting to wake up. Pete O'Brien and Mike Schmidt, two guys who are really underperforming, both went 3-5. Schmidt delivered the game winning bases loaded single in the 11^th to send the team home. Tanana went 8 in his start, allowed a HR, of course, but struck out 7 too. Kent Tekulve, who threw 1 pitch in the 11^th got the win (3-0).

4/22 11-2 L to the Braves
My, oh my, oh my. This might be Valenzuela's worst start of his career. Two more, bases loaded walks, 8 hits, and 11 runs allowed in 5 innings. The loss moves him to 4-8. Something is very wrong with our beloved ace. I just don't know what it is. His game score today was 6. Rickey went 2-3 and hit a 2-run HR (6), and stole his 43^rd base this year. In even worse news, Mike Scioscia was hurt in a play at the plate, and Ken Howell had to leave the game with an undisclosed injury. Will Fernando come around?

The ballad of Jim Morrison continues. He waited 10 days to sign a minor league deal with the Indians. They've been using him as a DH. Today, he hit 2 HR's (3). That game alone exceeded his entire career with LA.

Scioscia's injury isn't serious. He'll be day to day with a tight back and some soreness. Ken Howell is a different story. He was sent to the DL with a muscle strain in his side. No timetable for his return. This is the second time he's been out this year. LA brought up the Albuquerque Dukes closer, Brian Holton to take his place. Holton has been in the Dodgers system since he was 19. He pitched in 14 games last year and posted a 6.95 ERA as a 27 yr old, and now at 28, putting up a 1.23 ERA in 21 games and 11 saves. His control is still an issue, but here's another chance for him to get it done.

6/24 11-1 L to the Reds
Outscored 22-3 in 2 games. Everything I said about hitting, forget it. Just let it go. It doesn't exist. Bryn Smith (8-7) had another good game going, but an awful 6^th sent him to the showers. Brian Holton came on with his chance and threw 48 pitches....in 1 inning. Allowing 5 more runs. Jack Morris (10-4) struck out 9 and threw 135 pitches.

6/25 6-2 L to the Reds
The Reds pitching staff, once again, held LA in check. Ten hits spread out, only 1 extra base hit. Ozzie Smith with 3 of them from the leadoff spot, but he didn't score once. Kelly Downs got the start, takes the loss, to drop to 8-4. Henderson stole base #44. Mike Scioscia, playing hurt, had to leave the game after a big hit. No update yet.

6/26 3-2 L to the Reds
We can't even win one from them. The Reds knock us off and we fall to 3^rd in the NL West. We needed a hero and the thought was that maybe it would be Tanana (8-6) after all, he's picked us up before. LA had gone down 2-1, but they had fought back to tie the game in the top of the 7^th. The leadoff hitter, Dave Valle, had been hitting the ball well all day long. He took the second pitch he saw and put it in the left field stands (9). That shot was all the Reds needed. The pen closed it out and despite 11 hits, and drawing 4 walks and another error, all LA could manage was 2 runs. I wonder, will the Dodgers sell in a month? Cause this season...it's over.

Mike Scioscia was sent to the DL. He's pulled a hamstring and will miss a month. That's 2 catchers that we are down. Ronald King is still on fire, and he's taking over the starting catcher job. Taking Scioscia's spot on the roster is Larry See. Quite the road he's had. Back in '82, when this whole thing started, See was traded from LA, along with IF Mark Bradley, to the Expos, for SP Ray Burris. He would win a World Series with the Expos in '85 and his last ML experience would be in '86. He's a .213 hitter in 47 at bats for his career. He was claimed off of waivers by LA in April and has a .250/.322/.332 line. He has some gap power, better than average speed, for a catcher, and a decent arm. At 28, it's got to be a dream come true.

6/27 4-3 (13) W over the Astros
We break the streak, cut the Astros lead by a game, but it really means nothing. Valenzuela started, and he was his old self again. He did work out of a big jam in the 7^th. It could have gone very differently. Houston did tie the game then, and that's what sent it to extras. In the 9^th and 10^th both teams got the bases loaded with 1 or less outs. Neither team scored. LA got an RBI single from Doug Jennings in the 12^th to go up, but Brian Holton (1-0) couldn't hold the lead and the Stros tied it up again. LA did it again in the 13^th though, this time on a Pete O'Brien single. Holton walked the leadoff hitter again, but was able to keep the Astros from scoring, sealing the win.

6/28 2-1 W over the Astros
Kirk McCaskill took a no-hitter into the 7^th and I really thought he might get it. Until Ken Caminiti blasted one over the right field fence (4). LA added another on a Schmidt single. Those were the only 2 hits of the game. HR and single. The Astros had 10. John Denny (5-3) went 8 and Franco locked down the 9^th for his 12^th save. We needed some kind of good luck.

Holton back to Albuquerque. Niedenfuer back up.

6/29 2-1 W over the Astros
A sweep of the best team in baseball? On the road? We'll take it either way. The teams traded runs in the first inning and then it was on the pitchers. Bryn Smith (9-7) and Tom Candiotti went head to head. Smith only allowed 3 runners. Top of the 9^th and Astros closer Scott Garrelts (and his league leading 24 saves)(1-4) came on. Rickey lead off with a deep HR (7) to left field that was the game winner. Franco closed out another for his 13^th save.

PilotMan · 05-30-2018, 04:43 PM

June Report

LA finished the month of June with a poor 12-14 record. Overall, the team sits in 2^nd place in the West, with a record of 41-37. The Dodgers are an awful 11 games behind the Astros. The light is dimming on the season as we close in on the All Star break. Could have been a lot worse too. LA won their final 3 games to get to that point.

The reason for this was the hitting. The team has been dropping and dropping at the plate. With a .255 avg, the Dodgers find themselves 9^th in the NL in batting and 7^th in OBP. 9^th in hits and 6^th in runs scored. Good enough for a solid above average record, but not title hopefuls. Even with Rickey, the team is 2^nd in the NL in stolen bases.

The pitching staff is as good as it's been lately. With a team 3.54 ERA they are 5^th in the NL. The bullpen is 3^rd in the NL with a 2.57 ERA, but Lasorda doesn't really like to use his bullpen. Opponents are hitting .245 and 5^th in runs allowed. They are getting a lot of help from the defense. With a .720 efficiency the team is 2^nd in the NL, and it's the best that this team has had in years.

Of the slew of bad hitting that we saw this month, who was the best? Winfield lead the team with 5 HR's. Not awesome. He was also one of the best hitters with a .263/.295/.434 slash line. That's awful. Ozzie was probably the most consistent. He hit .299/.393/.361 and stole 6 bases. Doug Jennings only played 9 games, but hit .300. He was probably the best. That's it. Nobody else was worth a shit. Who wasn't? How long can I go on? Rickey hit .219/.327/.375. O'Brien hit .242/.290/.364. Schmidt hit .202/.279/.340. Good grief. This is bad.

The top pitcher for June was Franco. After a rough start, the Dodgers closer pitched in 10 games, saved 6 and didn't allow a run in 13 innings of work while striking out 11. Actually, none of Tekulve, Franco, Robinson, nor Beattie allowed a run. That's a total of 30.2 innings of work with 0 runs allowed. Top starter was Bryn Smith and his 3-3, 2.83 ERA, 0.90 WHIP month. He only allowed 26 hits in 41 innings of work. Fernando was the worst. Might be the worst month of his career. He went 0-4 with a 7.03 ERA, 19 walks in 32 innings. We need old Fernando back. Tanana lived up to his gopher ball mantra, allowing 8 HR's in 40.2 innings.

It wasn't a good month. There are a few guys out with injury and the All Star break is coming. Will this team be selling come the end of July? Or maybe they'll be buying? We'll have to see.

PilotMan · 06-22-2018, 01:40 PM

Royals catcher Carlton Fisk hit his 300^th career HR. The 40yr old signed a 2 year deal after playing in Baltimore the last couple seasons. He's been coming off the bench this season.

7/1 5-4 W over the Cubs
LA scored in the first 3 innings, going up 4-0 with Kelly Downs on the mound. The Cubs fought back though, and in the 8^th off of Niedenfuer (1-0) they tied it up. In the bottom of the 8^th LA got the lead again on a sac fly from Ronald King that scored Schmidt. Speaking of Schmidt. He was good. He went 3-4 with an RBI and a run. Franco pitched the 9^th for this 14^th save. Winfield was ejected in the first after arguing a strikeout. He stormed back and bumped the ump, so we expect him to be out for a couple days at least.

Winfield will miss 2 games with a suspension.

7/2 9-4 W over the Cubs
Ken Caminiti crushed a 3-run HR (5) in the 2^nd inning to give LA a good lead. He would go on to hit 4-3 with 4 RBI's. Pete O'Brien went 3-5 with 2 more RBI's. Tanana (9-6) pitched well, as he allowed 9 hits over 7.1 innings. He was hurt by a couple errors, one of his own making. Dwayne Murphy started in center and left after making a diving catch.

The Chicago White Sox made one of the most controversial and possibly dumbest moves ever in recent history. The first place White Sox, with a record of 52-30 and a half game ahead of the Rangers in the AL West, designated Joe Carter for assignment and placed him on waivers. Carter, 28, is a 2-time All Star, and Silver Slugger winner last year. He hit 51 HR's and had 133 RBI's last season, while batting .310. Carter had signed a 6-yr extension to stay in Chicago and filled an outfield with young Barry Bonds and Harold Baines. Baines was lost for the year earlier, and Carter lead the team with 17 HR's. Carter was then picked up by the Yankees, who are in third in the NL East, 2.5 games behind the Blue Jays. The Yankees are 13^th in the AL in HR's and getting Carter for free, locked into a cheap 6 year contract, is a huge steal. IT's a big boner for the White Sox. No idea what they were thinking.

7/3 10-2 L to the Cubs
Hard to believe that this was 0-0 after 6. Valenzuela (4-9) takes the loss, but pitches better than most of his recent starts. Today it was the bullpen that just gave it all away. Tekulve gave up 2 HR's and he and Denny combined to allow 8. Larry See and Schmidt had 2 hits each. Schmidt homered in the 9^th (9).

Von Hayes was activated off the DL. Jennings was optioned back to the minors. Dwayne Murphy will be alright. He has a thumb bruise and won't go on the DL.

7/4 2-1 W over the Cardinals
LA hosted the Cardinals for Independence Day Fireworks, and found themselves in a pitchers dual between Bryn Smith and Oil Can Boyd. Both pitchers combined for 15 innings and 8 hits allowed. The Cards scored first on a Smith balk in the 5^th. LA tied it in the 8^th and in the 9^th, on the 4^th pitch from Jerry Don Gleaton (4-2), Pete O'Brien tagged one over the right field wall (10) to walk off with a win (and fireworks). Franco, pitched the 9^th and ran his record to 2-1.

7/5 7-1 W over the Cardinals
The wins are coming in bunches as LA is heating up for real. Mike Schmidt goes 3-4 and LA gets home runs from Von Hayes (10), Rickey (8), Winfield (13) and pinch hitting Inky (5). Getting the start for LA was Jim Beattie (1-0) who started his first game in over 2 years. He pitched 7.1 innings and struck out 5. He's taken John Denny's spot in the rotation.

Catcher Stan Holmes was claimed off of waivers from the Orioles. To make room, backup catcher Larry See (2-4 in 1 start) was designated and placed on waivers. I guess See should hope he gets picked up because the team doesn't look like they think he's got anything to give. Holmes is a 28 yr old player who also plays corner infield and all outfield positions. He was a minor league MVP and 2-time Gold Glover in '83 and '84. He has 112 career at bats, and a career .232/.265/.402 slash line. Mike Scioscia might be back the end of this month, and Surhoff is done until the very end of the year, if he's lucky. LA is the 4^th team to claim Holmes off of waivers in his career.

7/6 4-1 W over the Cardinals
Caminiti goes 3-3 and a big solo homer by O'Brien (11) in the 7^th put LA up for good in this one. Kelly Downs (9-4) pitched 7 and struck out 6 to get the win. Franco pitched the 8^th and 9^th for his 15^th save of the year. Mike Morgan (7-5) pitched well for the Cardinals.

Garry Templeton was designated and placed on waivers today. He batted .239/2/18 in limited time at second and short. Taking his place is Curtis Wilkerson, who was playing in Albuquerque. Wilkerson had been starting for the Mets, when LA picked him off the waiver wire. He's a solid middle infielder with good speed. He was also a starter for the Rangers for 3 years.

7/8 3-2 (12) L to the Pirates
LA took a lead into the 9^th but the Pirates got to Franco and tied it up. His 3^rd blown save of the season. Mike Scott and Frank Tanana both pitched great, but the Bucs pen did a better job. Rickey stole his 47^th base in 85 games. Mike Schmidt homered in the 5^th to give LA the lead. His 10^th on the season. Niedenfuer (1-1) only allowed 1 hit in 2 innings, but it was was Chili Davis's 16^th on the year that was the winning margin. The Pirates lost 3 players in the game to injury (Denny Gonzalez, Rafael Ramirez and Mike Henneman).

7/9 3-1 W over the Pirates
Juan Guzman pitched so well again for the Pirates. He went 7, striking out 7 and allowing 4 hits. Bryn Smith was almost as good, going 7 and striking out 7, but Guzman singled in the only run for the Pirates. In the 9^th , closer Tom Henke (5-3) came on to close it out. Nearly untouchable, Henke allowed a lead off single to Ronald King. Dwayne Murphy came on to pinch hit and beat out an infield single. Von Hayes came up next, with 0 outs, and smashed a forkball over the right field fence to give LA the win (11). Henderson stole #48. Kent Tekulve (4-0) pitched 2 scoreless for the win.

The All Star game rosters were announced today. Rickey Henderson will start in left. He's the only Dodger starter on the team. It's his 4^th All Star game apperance. LA only had 1 other player selected to the team this year and that was closer John Franco. Franco has 15 saves, and a 1.05 ERA in 43 innings. It's his 2^nd All Star game selection.

7/10 8-7 L to the Pirates
Fernando (4-10) was rolling along, had a 4-3 lead and for some reason, Lasorda, in his infinite wisdom decided to send him out for the 8^th inning. Things went south in a hurry and the bases were soon loaded. Valenzuela walked the tying run in and then followed that by serving up a grand slam to the not very dangerous Jim Lindeman (3). Lindeman is hitting .176 and that was his 3^rd career HR. Down 8-4 in the bottom half LA answered by putting 2 on and their own pinch hitter, Pete Incaviglia bashed the answer over the left field wall (6). LA down by 1 put a runner on third, but they couldn't get him home.

All Star Break

7/12 6-1 W for the AL
AL Catcher and 4-time All Star, Ernie Whitt was named the MVP for today's All Star Game. Whitt went 2-3 and clubbed a solo homer in the 4^th inning off of the Reds Jack Morris. Gary Carter homered for the NL, giving them their only run in the 3^rd inning. Of the Dodger players, only Ricky got in the game. He started in left and lead off, going 0-2 with 2 walks.

Bob Welch was just sent from the Royals to the Yankees for Otis Nixon and Ken Hill. Welch has a year and a half left on his contract.

The Royals keep making moves by getting OF Jessie Barfield from the Rangers for relivers Steve Farr and Rob Dibble. Barfield was in the first year of a 5 year deal after coming over from the Blue Jays in the offseason.

7/14 6-3 W over the Cubs
LA jumped out with 3 in the first, thanks to a 2-run HR from Dave Winfield (14). Schmidt went 3-4 with an RBI and Ozzie added another 2 hits. David Cone (7-7) had a rough outing for the Cubs. While Bryn Smith (10-7) struck out 7 in 6.2 innings. Franco went another 2 innings for his 16^th save. Franco dropped his ERA back below 1 (0.98).

7/15 9-3 W over the Cubs
LA scored 6 in the 7^th and broke the game open. It was a bases loaded double from Von Hayes that helped them along. Backup catcher, Stan Holmes added 3 RBI's. The Cubs had 13 hits to the Dodgers 10. Kelly Downs (10-4) allowed 9 of them over 6 innings. John Denny pitched 3 innings for his first save of the year.

Dave Stieb throws the first no-hitter of 1988. The Twins pitcher, and 3 time 20 game winner had 2 sub par seasons for the Twins, but this year he's 11-6, with a 2.46 ERA. The Baltimore Orioles couldn't do anything. Stieb walked 2, but only faced 28 batters. The last No-No was Doc Gooden in July of 1987.

7/16 4-2 (10) W over the Cubs
A Von Hayes solo home run in the 10^th (12) lifted the LA Dodgers to another win today. LA got 8 innings from Tanana who didn't figure in the decision. LA had lead for most of the game but a Glenn Wilson HR (7) in the 7^th tied it up. LA got 3 hits from Schmidt. Tekulve got the win (5-0) and Franco pitched the 10^th for his 17^th save.

The LA Dodgers are now 10 games above .500, but are still 8 games behind the Astros.

No rumors yet as we work our way to the trade deadline.

7/17 5-4 L to the Cubs
We still win the series. Four hitters get 2 hits each, but Valenzuela (4-11) allowed 10 hits and all 5 runs in 6 innings. He loses again, or the offense failed to pick him up again. The Cubs saw rookie Bobby Thigpen make his major league debut in the 9^th. He walked 1, but notched his first save of his career.

Garry Templeton was given his unconditional release from the team. He batted .239/.253/.347 and filled in at short for Smith when he was down. Ultimately, it was the rise of Ken Caminiti at second base that cost him his job.

7/19 DH Game 1 4-3 W over the Cardinals
Bryn Smith (11-7) goes 8 innings and could've finished the game, he was that on. LA got a go ahead run in the 6^th inning when Ozzie hit his 2^nd HR of the year against his former team. Franco got into some trouble in the 9^th after Mell Hall cracked a 2-run HR off of him to cut the lead to 1, but he got pinch hitter, Tom Pagnozzi, to ground into a double play with the tying run on third. Franco earns his 18^th save.

7/19 DH Game 2 3-2 (16) L to the Cardinals
Let's just call this Tom Pagnozzi's revenge. Game 2 of the doubleheader he homered (3) in the third to put the Cards up. He doubled 3 times, including with the bases loaded in the 16^th to send everyone home. He would finish the game 4-6, with 3 RBI's. In 16 innings LA only could get 8 hits (only 1 in the final 6 innings). Jim Beattie started, went 6. Pitched fine. Frank DiPino threw 4.2 scoreless innings in what had to be his longest outing of his career. It was Don Robinson (0-2) who couldn't lock it down in the 16^th and let the Cards have it. Dave Winfield had to leave after making a catch in the outfield.

Bert Blyleven, who is having a helluva comeback year after he signed a 1-year deal for a very economical 240k, picked up his 250^th career win.

7/20 3-1 W over the Cardinals
Von Hayes hit a 2-run HR in the first (13) to take the lead, and it took until the 8^th inning before anyone else other than Hayes or Smith got a hit. Ozzie went 3-4 and scored twice. Kelly Downs (11-4) allowed 3 hits over 8 and didn't allow a hit until the 5^th. John Franco pitched the 9^th for his 19^th save.

7/21 3-0 L to the Pirates
Despite getting 9 hits LA couldn't break through against rookie Melido Perez (4-3). Catcher Ronald King went 2-3 with 2 SB's and that was the top player for us. There was a big issue early on though, Frank Tanana left the game in the 2^nd inning with some sort of injury. There's no update on his condition. LA did bring the tying run to the plate in the 9^th with only 1 out, but couldn't get any in.

Ken Howell was activated from the DL and in a shocking move the team not only optioned Tom Niedenfuer back to Albuquerque, they put him on waivers and designated him. The team has room on the 40-man, they didn't need to do this. A 4-time All Star and Rolaids Reliver of the Year in 1984, we're not far removed from his glory days. He's only 28 with 2 years left on his contract.

7/22 4-3 L to the Pirates
We lose. In the 9^th. After being up thanks to a Mike Schmidt HR (11) in the 9^th off of Tom Henke. John Franco (2-2) couldn't lock it down as he blew his 4^th save of the year. The worst news of the day, as if that wasn't bad enough, was losing our heart, Fernando Valenzuela to some sort of injury in the 2^nd inning. Ken Howell pitched a great 4.1 in relief. We may need him in the rotation depending on how bad those injuries are. Ozzie Smith also left the game with an injury. Ugh. Not a good couple of days.

Ozzie Smith is on the 15 day DL with a groin strain. Curtis Wilkerson will take over at shortstop. Chuck Jackson is called up from AAA to fill the roster spot. Jackson is hitting .330 with 6 HR's and 32 RBI's.

Valenzuela has some shoulder inflammation and the team is concerned. He's going to be out a while. The team puts him on the 60 day DL meaning that at the earliest, it'll be late September before he might be back. Brian Holton is called up from AAA to take his place. Holton pitched in 2 games earlier this year. He has 16 saves for Albuquerque and a 0.93 ERA. Ken Howell is penciled in to replace him in the rotation.

7/23 6-3 (7) L to the Pirates
A rain shortened game that saw the Pirates down the beloved Dodgers. A top prospect, by the name of Jack McDowell (2-0) was getting his 2^nd career start today. LA jumped all over him with 3 in the first. The Pirates chipped away at Bryn Smith (11-8) getting 1 in the 4^th and 5^th and 3 in the 6^th. Pete O'Brien had 2 doubles and went 2-3. LA committed 3 errors to help the Pirates out.

And the news is in for Frank Tanana and it's bad. At 35, Tanana has a partially torn UCL in his elbow and that will require some surgery. He's gone to the 60 day and his return won't be until sometime next year, hopefully before the All Star Break. Tanana is in his 5^th season with LA and has racked up 63 wins pitching for us. He's been a gopher ball hound, but was in the middle of one of the best seasons in a while. LA has brought up Michael Cunningham from Albuquerque to take his place. No word if he'll go into the rotation or if it will be John Denny returning. Cunningham, 27, is a knuckleballer who made his ML debut last year. In 2 starts he is 0-1 with a 14.04 ERA. This year in Albuquerque he is 5-9 with a 5.54 ERA in 19 starts. He has a career record of 43-82 in AAA. Things are bleak.

7/24 2-1 L to the Pirates
This is 4 straight losses as the Pirates end our great month. Mike Scott (10-8) didn't allow a hit until the 6^th inning and despite going 7 strong, Jim Beattie (1-1) just didn't get the support he needed. Leon Durham homered in the first (7) with a runner on and that was all they needed. Old sidewinder Kent Tekulve left the game with an injury, and there's no word on the severity of it. Scott struck out 9.

Niedenfuer was returned to the roster and Holton was optioned back to AAA. Not sure what that was about.

7/25 4-2 W over the Giants
Just what we need! A series against the worst team in baseball. Despite Kelly Downs serving up a leadoff HR to Stan Jefferson (2), LA would come back to win it. Caminiti went 2-4 with a bases clearing double. Von Hayes hit his team leading 14^th HR in the 4^th and Downs improved to 12-4. Franco closed out the 9^th for his 20^th save.

News is back on Tekulve and it's as good as we could have hoped for. Just some minor back spasms and he won't need to go on the DL.

The White Sox have lost closer Dennis Eckersley for the year due to elbow surgery. He had 22 saves with a 1.72 ERA in his best season as a converted starter turned closer.

7/26 5-4 W over the Giants
Lasorda went with Cunningham for the start and even though he walked 4, he did leave the game in the 8^th with a 3-1 lead and a guy on. Pete O'Brien had given LA the lead with his 12^th HR of the season. A Caminiti error and a struggling John Franco (3-2) let the Giants tie the game up, blowing his 5^th save of the year. LA would not be denied and got 2 in the top off of Giants closer Dan Plesac. In the 9^th Franco's struggles continued and he allowed another hit, before tiring and giving way to Tekulve who was able to shut the door for his 2^nd save.

7/27 11-2 W over the Giants
The Giants are bad. I like seeing the team beat them over and over again. Today, the story was the start by Ken Howell (1-0) who went 7 in his first career start, allowed 3 hits, and struck out 7 and the other half of the story is Dodgers #4 catcher, Stan Holmes, claimed off of waivers from Baltimore, with a grand slam in the 4^th (2). It was his 5^th career dinger. Von Hayes homered in the 9^th (15) to keep leading the team.

Mike Scioscia was activated from the DL and is back. Ronald King was designated and placed on waivers. King was a waiver claim from the Braves in April. In 27 games, he batted .179/.309/.205 with 3 SB's. He did catch 57% of baserunners trying to steal. Otherwise, I doubt he'll be missed, let's hope he isn't needed again.

7/29 5-1 W over the Astros
The division leading Astros come to town and Bryn Smith shuts them down over 8 innings to get his 12^th win of the year. Rickey homered in the 6^th (9) off of starter Tom Candiotti (6-3), as part of a 4 run inning that saw 8 batters come to the plate. Scioscia had 2 hits in his first game back. Dave Winfield left the game after making a diving catch with back pain.

7/30 6-3 L to the Astros
Houston came storming back on us, with a lead off triple by former Dodger, Cecil Espy followed by a balk by Kelly Downs that put Houston up right off the bat. Downs (12-5) was victimized by errors and allowed 5 unearned runs. Downs struck out 6. Kirk McCaskill (7-8) pitched 7 for the win. The bad news on the day though, was Scioscia leaving the game with a back injury. Tough break.

Good news on Scioscia. Tests are negative and he is being treated for tightness. Not going to the DL. Bad news though on Winfield. He's heading to the DL with a herniated disc in his back. Inky will take his place in the lineup. In a surprising move the team has purchased the contract of top prospect OF Lee Stevens from AA San Antonio. Stevens is batting .340/.431/.580 with 20 HR's. Doug Jennings is out with an injury and the team just straight bypassed Tom Beyers, who once again, is having a good year in Albuquerque, but at 30 his time may have passed.

7/31 5-1 L to the Astros
Dale Murphy (17) and Jerry Willard (5) went back to back in the 2^nd inning off of our starter Jim Beattie (1-2) as part of a 3 run 2^nd inning. That gave the Astos all they would need as starter Greg Swindell (16-2) added another win to his season total. Inky and Scioscia had 2 hits a piece, and also accounted for LA's only run of the day.

The trade deadline passes with no major trades or moves by any team. There were some minor spot filling by the Mets, Yankees and Mariners, but no superstar found a new home. Kind of a surprise, and a little bit of a surprise that LA wasn't involved anywhere.

Ronald King was claimed by the Yankees.

PilotMan · 06-22-2018, 05:16 PM

July Recap

Well, the team found a groove and jumped out to a hot start for the month, but faltered at the end against the Pirates and Astros. Injuries started to pile up and the season is looking to be set with no NL West pennant coming to LA this year. The team had a good showing going 15-11, but only 4 games above .500 means they aren't keeping pace with the Astros. Right now our record stands at 56-48 and the team is on pace for 87 wins. That won't win anything this year. We're 1.5 games ahead of the Reds for 2^nd place, and 12 games behind the Astros.

The team this year is really showing a lack of punch at the plate. Despite being 6^th in runs scored, the team is 11^th in average, and 9^th in OBP. I think leading the league in steals is helping the run production as is being 6^th in HR's. The top producer in July was Von Hayes. Hayes batted .286 with 6 HR's and 15 RBI's in the month and leads the team with 15 HR's on the year, despite batting leadoff for most of it. His .560 SLG was also tops. Pete O'Brien also had a good month .296/.340/.490, but nothing that lit the world on fire. Too many guys are not pulling their weight and causing issues. Winfield is hurt now, but his month was bad. He batted .233 with a .315 SLG and 2 HR's. Rickey was even worse. He started so hot, and is not quite pedestrian. For July he batted only .192/.287/.283 with 10 stolen bases. Not enough frankly. Inky had half as many at bats and more production.

The pitching staff is still a bright spot, but with both Tanana and Valenzuela gone now will it continue? Tanana was the top pitcher in July. He only went 1-0, but his 1.52 ERA lead the team. Bryn Smith (3-1, 1.86) and Kelly Downs (4-1, 2.11) were right behind in what was a very strong month for pitchers. Fernando was the dead weight and it was showing in his games. For July he went 0-3, with a 6.14 ERA. His control was an issue, so now that he's out, maybe he can come back and be more of what he was before the injury.

Looking around the league, in the NL it's really a 2 horse race. The Astros will most likely play the Mets in the NLCS. They have the 2 best records in baseball. The Astros lead LA by 12 games. The Mets only lead the Pirates by 6. That has shrunk by 3 games since June. The Pirates are baseball's hottest team. They are on a 13 game winning streak.

Over in the AL. The East is a catfight between the O's, Blue Jays and Yankees. None of these teams has a winning record though. The Jays are a game below, the closest thing to a winning team. The West is a mess. Four teams are within 4 games. Right now the M's lead the way, and the Rangers and Angels are right behind, followed by the White Sox. The A's are in 5^th. If they were in the East, they'd be tied for first. So you'd have to think that whoever comes out of the West will make the Series.

August is here. Historically, this has been a make or break month. I think it's already broken. The Astros are a top notch team. I don't think LA can catch them at all. It's a done deal. Sit back, relax, and let's just see where we end up at. The season's been written already. Let's just see it out.

PilotMan · 07-15-2018, 10:07 PM

8/1 5-1 L to the Reds
The Reds jumped all over Ken Howell (1-1) in his 2^nd start. They had 4 after 2 and never looked back. LA left 9 runners on base and wasted an 8 hit, 4 walk night. John Denny and John Franco pitched 4 hitless innings, but it didn't matter in the end. Von Hayes and Pete O'Brien had 2 hit games each. The Reds started recently acquired prospect Andrew Robertson who started his first career game and threw 6 scoreless innings. Roy Smith pitched the final 3 for his first save on the year. Dodgers top prospect Lee Stevens made his major league debut pinch hitting and lined out to third. The Reds just jumped LA for 2^nd in the West.

8/2 4-3 L to the Reds
Rickey goes 3-4 and Inky goes deep (7), but a Kal Daniels HR (15) in the 3^rd off of Michael Cunningham put the Reds back up. LA tied the game in the 4^th and it stayed that way until Danny Tartabull, on for an injured Daniels knocked in the go ahead run. Niedenfuer (1-2) took the loss, but was hurt by an O'Brien error. Former Dodger Ted Power started and left early with an injury. Cunningham pitched 6, but walked 9 and allowed 3 hits. The Reds stranded 12 runners.

8/3 8-6 L (11) to the Reds
Another sweep loss to a quality team. The Reds pounded Bryn Smith early for 5 runs before LA even had a hit. Jose Canseco, who leads the NL in batting with a .371 average, went 4-6 and scored in the 11^th. The Reds took the lead in the 8^th, but LA tied it in the 9^th. Rickey had 3 hits and O'Brien went 2-3 with a bases loaded double. Tekulve (5-1) took his first loss of the year. Inky went 0-5 with 4 K's including in the bottom of the 11^th as the winning run, with 2 out and 2 on.

8/5 2-0 W over the Astros
Pitching saves the day. Greg Swindell and Kelly Downs (13-5) went head to head and neither budged. Both pitchers threw up zeroes for 16 innings worth of work while the offenses couldn't get anything across. In the 9^th, with Astros closer Garrelts (2-6) on, Ken Caminiti pinch hit for Wilkerson and drove a ball into the RF seats (6) to put LA up. Franco pitched the 9^th for his 21^st save even though Downs batted for himself in the 9^th. Downs could have closed it out.

Sid Fernandez (remember him?) former Dodgers top prospect, traded away for Willie Randolph, who went on to be a 2-time All Star and Cy Young winner, who has thrown 2 no hitters, made his return to baseball after being out for a year. Fernandez, went 7, walked 8, struck out 4 in his return as the M's won 12-1 over the A's. Welcome back Sid!

8/6 3-1 L to the Astros
Dale Murphy went deep (18) and former Dodger Dave Stewart (13-6) kept LA off the board until the 8^th inning. Mike Schmidt added a couple hits and Jim Beattie (1-3) took the loss, but pitched well, striking out 6. Garrelts finished for his 30^th save on the year.

8/7 4-1 W over the Astros
The 1-4 hitters in the Dodgers lineup went 9-17 in the game, with 2 walks and set the table for the entire team. The breakthrough came in the 6^th on slew of hits for the Dodgers. Caminiti lead the way going 3-5. Von Hayes added an insurance run with a solo homer in the 9^th (16). Ken Howell goes 6.1, has some control problems, but improves to 2-1. Franco gets his 22^nd save.

8/8 5-1 L to the Astros
LA splits the series with Houston with the loss today. Dale Murphy went deep for number 19. Tom Candiotti (8-3) only allowed 2 hits in 7.2 innings, but walked a season high 8. Bryn Smith (12-9) took the loss. Don Robinson left the game with some arm pain. Curtis Wilkerson went 2-2 with a double and triple. That alone was half our offense. LA is now 15 games behind Houston and 2 behind the Reds.

8/9 6-1 L to the Reds
Cunningham (0-1) got into trouble early on surrendering a homer to Canseco (20) in the first, then giving up 4 more in the 2^nd was it. Was out after the 4^th inning. The highlight was Denny allowing 1 hit over 3 innings. Von Hayes homered in the first (17). He still leads the team.

8/10 3-1 L to the Reds
Jack Morris (15-6) shut down the Dodgers. He nearly shut us out, but we got a run in the 9^th. Schmidt went 3-4 and knocked in the only run. Kelly Downs (13-6) took the loss, but pitched just fine. That's another loss for LA. September can't get here fast enough.

There's still no update on Don Robinson's injury. This can't be good news.

8/11 6-2 L to the Reds
LA took a 2 run lead early on and helped by an Inky HR (8) in the 3^rd. Jim Beattie (1-4) couldn't hold on to it though, as Canseco took him deep in the 5^th to put the Reds on top (21). Beattie ended up being on the hook for all 6 runs today and Dodger pitchers walked 9 in a very poor showing.

Don Robinson is heading to the 15 day DL with a sore shoulder. He's going to be out a few weeks at least. Brian Holton was recalled to take his spot in the bullpen.

8/12 1-0 W over the Giants
Von Hayes got 2 of LA's 3 hits, and Caminit scored the only run thanks to a Giants error. Ken Howell (3-1) pitched 7 scoreless and Franco pitched the 9^th for his 23^rd save. Rickey had to leave the game after making a diving catch. Von Hayes now has 17 HR's and 18 Sb's. He's closing in on a good 20/20 season.

Good news on Henderson. He's got a mild muscle strain and won't be going to the DL.

8/13 6-5 W over the Giants
LA put up 6 in the first 2 innings and spent the rest of the game hanging on. Pete O'Brien and Mike Schmidt hit 2-run HR's in the first (13 and 12 respectively). Bryn Smith (13-9) struggled through 6 and Franco pitched the 9^th for his 24th save.

8/14 6-5 L to the Giants
Lasorda paid the price for leaving Cunningham (0-2) in the game too long tonight. Karl Pagel smashed a 3-run PH HR in the 8^th (4) that put the Giants up for good. O'Brien went 3-5 and Schmidt and Scioscia both added 2 hits each. The team left 9 runners on base in this one. Tom Niedenfuer threw 5 pitches before needing to leave with some kind of injury.

Scans on Niedenfuer were negative. Just a few back spasms and he won't be heading to the disabled list. Ozzie Smith was activated off the DL. Curtis Wilkerson was placed on waivers and designated for assignment. Wilkerson batted .125 with 4 RBI's in 29 games.

8/15 5-3 W over the Giants
We take 3 out of 4 from the pathetic Giants. Ozzie returns from the DL and picks up a couple hits. O'Brien hit his 14^th HR of the year in the 4^th that tied the game back up. Otherwise it was a sloppy game, we committed 3 errors, and barely pulled off the win despite having 10 this and drawing a couple more walks. Eric King lost to drop to 3-10. Kelly Downs was the winner (14-6) and Franco pitched the 9^th for his 25^th save.

8/16 11-2 L to the Phillies
The Phillies suck and the Phillies owned us today. Former Dodger prospect, Kurt Stillwell, went deep off of us again (8) as part of a 3-5 day. Both Jim Beattie (1-5) and John Denny got smoked on the mound. LA got 2 hit games from Von Hayes, Mike Schmidt and Ken Caminiti. Stillwell has a higher slugging average than Pedro Guerrero does this season.

Andre Dawson got his 2000^th career hit today's game against the Padres. He also hit his 20^th HR of the year.

Michael Cunningham (0-2, 5.63) was optioned back to Albuquerque and starter Kirk Vucsko was promoted to take his place. This is the first time that Vucsko has been to the majors. He is in his 4^th year at AAA, and at age 27, hasn't exactly been dominating. This year he's 9-8, with a 4.38 ERA. He has major control issues with a 1.71 WHIP and 114 walks in 156 IP. Vucsko is a righty, with a mid 90's fastball, and that is his best pitch. He also throws a cutter, curve and change. For some reason, Denny is still in the bullpen, when I think he'd be well served to go back to the rotation. Lasorda is still the one in charge though.

8/17 5-3 L to the Phillies
Ken Howell (3-2) was completely ineffective early on as the Phillies got all 5 runs in the first couple innings. Lasorda left him in to figure things out and he did pull it together well enough to go 5.2 innings. LA tried to fight back. Scioscia smacked his first homer of the year as part of a 3-4 game. DiPino threw 3.1 scoreless in relief. Greg Maddux got the win to see his record improve to 5-15.

8/18 5- 2 W over the Phillies
Bryn Smith (14-9) pitched 8 innings for the win and Franco pitched the 9^th for his 26^th save. Chuck Jackson came into the game hitting 1-15 on the season. Today was his day. Batting 2^nd, Jackson went 3-4 and doubled in 2 runs. He also stole his first base of the year. Scioscia hurt his back on a play at the plate where he was called out, and had to leave the game. Lee Stevens got his first career start and had his first career hit as well.

Scioscia's MRI was negative and he's being treated for some soreness. He won't be going to the DL. Yay for us!

Winfield is on the verge of coming back. Inky hasn't exactly been abusing baseballs in his absence.

8/19 2-1 W over the Expos
Rookie prospect Lee Stevens came out of the dugout in the 8^th inning to pinch hit for Kelly Downs (15-6) with the game tied at 1. Charlie Hough (8-11) was still in the game for the Expos and Stevens saw the 2^nd pitch and put it in the right field seats for hit 2^nd career hit, and first career HR. That was the game winning run for LA. Franco pitched the 9^th for this 27^th save. Caminiti had homered in the 7^th (7) to tie the game for LA.

Wilkerson cleared waivers and was sent to Albuquerque.

8/20 6-3 W over the Expos
Kirk Vucsko made his Major League debut today and gave up a triple to the leadoff hitter, who scored. And in the 2^nd Robin Yount cracked a HR (11) off of him. Vucsko would pitch into the 6^th, throwing 84 pitches, but left with the game tied. In the 6^th, LA got a pinch hit, bases loaded double, that scored 3 from Larry Parrish that opened the game up for LA. Brian Holton (2-0) got the win, while Franco pitched the 9^th for another save, his 28^th. Vucsko did get a base hit in his first official at bat.

Dave Winfield was activated from the DL and Stevens was optioned back to AAA, for what appears to be, just a couple weeks, until the end of the month.

8/21 9-1 L to the Expos
The Candy Man was in vintage form today. He should have gotten the shut out, but LA got a mercy run in the 9^th. Jim Beattie (1-6) dropped another one. He walked 7, and allowed 6 hits ,while striking out 5 in 6 innings. John Denny served up back to back homers after he came on in relief. This one was a sorry reminder of the good ol Expo dominating days, where they owned us.

Former Dodger, Dwight Evans, got his 2000^th career hit today. Evans was batting 3^rd and DH'ing for the Blue Jays, where he's played the last couple years.

The Giants become the first baseball team eliminated from the playoffs. This is the 17^th time in a row that the Giants have missed the playoffs.

8/22 3-1 L to the Mets
Strawberry went deep two times (33,34) off of Ken Howell (3-3) and gave the Mets all the offense they'd need in this one. LA's offense was nowhere to be found for yet another game. Howell struck out 6 in 5 innings, but still walked 3 and allowed 6 hits. DiPino and Tekulve pitched great out of the bullpen. Mike LaCoss (7-11) went 8 and lowered his ERA to 4.73 since his trade to the Mets. LA's offense sucks.

8/23 5-4 L to the Mets
A back and forth endeavor today. Bud Black and Bryn Smith both started, but neither would figure in to the final. They left with the score tied at 1, late. LA picked up 3 in the 7^th, thanks to a 2-run single from Ozzie, who had 3 RBI's on the day, bringing him up to 20 on the year. And LA was up 4-1. Smith ran into trouble right away in the 8^th, walking the first 2 hitters, getting a K, then allowing a hit. Franco (3-3) was brought in and struggled to get out of the inning and before it was done the Mets had the lead again. He locked them down in the 8^th, but Randy Myers had already shut LA down to get his 27^th save on the year.

Ron Kittle hit 44 HR's in a Dodger uniform over parts of 5 seasons. He's been with Texas for parts of 2 and now has hit 50 in a Rangers uniform (he hit 33 in a White Sox uni in parts of 2). It feels like we could have used some of his power this year. Between Lynn last year, and the numbers that Kittle has put up, this LA team is really struggling to get the ball over the fence to drive in runs.

8/24 5-2 L to the Mets
Ron Darling (12-10) goes 8, allowing 4 hits to pick up the win. Rickey homered for the 10^th time this season as part of a 2-3 day. Lasorda made Inky play catcher today, and the results weren't great. He went 0-3 with a passed ball. Kelly Downs (15-7) took the loss.

Vucsko and Cunningham swap places on the roster with Vucsko heading back to Albuquerque.

8/26 7-5 W over the Phillies
Jim Beattie (2-6) pitched a great game, going 7 innings allowing only 4 hits. He got help with 11 hits from the offense. Von Hayes went 3-4 and Dave Winfield blasted his 15^th HR of the year. LA went into the 9^th with a 7-1 lead and John Denny on the mound. Denny was completely useless and served up 3 straight hits. With the tying run at the plate John Franco came on, but even he didn't keep it clean.Bases loaded with 2 outs and Guerrero up at the place and Franco got him to ground out to end it. For his 29^th save.

Expos slugger Andre Dawson hit homer #300 today off of Padres starter Greg Mathews. Dawson, 33, has spent his entire career in Montreal, all 13 seasons. He's got 3 more years left in his contract with the Expos.

8/27 6-3 W over the Phillies
LA picks up another one thanks, almost singlehandedly thanks to Ken Caminiti who went 3-5 with 3 doubles, one of which was with the bases loaded. Von Hayes also added 3 hits, but left the game with a knee injury on a close play at first. Ken Howell (4-3) went 5.1, struck out 6, walking 4 for the win. The bullpen kept the Phillies from coming back.

The Phillies are mathematically eliminated from the season with their loss today. This is the 7^th year since they last made it.

Good news on Hayes, tests were negative and he's not going to the DL. Just some knee soreness.

8/28 7-4 W over the Phillies
That's 3 in a row for us. Both teams combined for 30 base hits. The Phils went up 4-3 in the 3^rd helped along by old Pedro Guerrero going 3-5 with 2 RBI's. Bryn Smith (15-9) served up 11 hits, in 5 short innings while the bullpen threw 4 scoreless with Franco closing out the last 2 for his 30^th save on the year. LA's 4-5-6 hitters, Winfield, Caminti and O'Brien all had 3 hits each and totaled 5 RBI's.

8/29 7-0 L to the Expos
Again, a loss to the Expos. David Palmer (13-11) was simply sublime today. He went the distance throwing a 2-hit shutout. Kelly Downs (15-8) took the loss in one of his worst starts this year. Allowed 12 hits, over 5 innings, as the Expos hit everything. Denny was good for 3 out of the pen.

8/30 3-0 L to the Expos
The Candy Man strikes again. Candelaria (10-8) goes 7, and looks like old Candy tonight against LA. Ozzie and Caminiti each got 2 of LA's 7 hits, but that's all LA would do. Mark Cunningham (0-3) made 7 good innings tonight, but a Galarraga HR (29) in the 5^th but the Expos up. The Expos have 3 20 HR guys, and 1 nearly there and another nearly at 30. LA's leader has 17. We have a major power outage in LA. To add insult to injury, Rickey left the game with a leg injury.

Good news on Rickey, just a thigh bruise, and not DL. Thankfully.

8/31 6-2 W over the Expos
Jim Beattie (3-6) pitched a great game tonight. He kept the Expos hitless until the 7^th inning and went 8 before giving way. Winfield and Caminit both had 2 hit games, and Mike Schmidt, who has been completely inept with a bat lately, broke through with a 3-run HR (13) in the 4^th inning. Charlie Hough (8-12) got beat up, but the Expos bullpen shut the Dodgers down for the final 4 innings.

PilotMan · 07-16-2018, 10:07 AM

August Recap

August has been the make or break month for LA in the past, and this year, despite being behind, it was definitely a break month. LA went 12-17, it was the worst month of the year, 5 games below .500. That brings this years Dodgers to 68-65 on the year, 18 games behind the Astros and good for 3^rd place in the NL West.

It is not going to be a playoff year for LA. We're on the ropes, and the Astros are coming down the home stretch for the NL West pennant.

To that end, let's look at just how crappy things are going for this team. LA's offense is firmly 11^th in the NL in batting, and 11^th in runs scored. 9^th in OBP and 8^th in HR's. No matter how you cut it, those numbers aren't going to create a playoff winning team. LA does lead in stolen bases, mostly to Rickey and his 62 steals.

Just how bad was August offensively? The top hitter Caminiti (.290/.336/.421). That was the best, and those aren't season numbers, that is one month. Who lead the team in home runs? It was so bad that 5 guys tied for the lead. They only had 2 all month. So the HR leader on the team, for the month, hit 2 HR's the entire month. Caminiti, Hayes, Schmidt, O'Brien, and Inky. That sucks.

There's only 1 player who was the worst too. That was future Hall of Famer, Mike Schmidt. Schmidt's play has been so bad that there have been many calls for him to be benched. Although his 2 HR's tied him for the lead, his slash line was .173/.234/.255. His 10 RBI's were good enough for 3^rd on the team. Inky was also bad. He batted .184/.229/.289 when he had the chance to show everyone just what he could do to help.

Overall, Von Hayes is still the best hitter on the team.

The pitching staff is still pretty good. Overall they are 3^rd in ERA, with the bullpen slightly better (2^nd) than the rotation (4^th). On defense, the team has slipped to 3^rd in the NL, and that is a huge benefit to this particular team.

Even though the team is still pitching well, August was bad for the rotation. The top starter was Downs who went 3-3, with a 3.61 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP for the month. DiPino pitched great. He didn't allow a run in 15.2 innings, and Franco saved 10 games, with a 1.02 ERA in 14 games.

So the season is pretty much over, but that doesn't mean we can't look at what's going on in the rest of the league.

In the NL West, it's the Astros with an 11.5 game lead on the 2^nd place Reds. Their magic number is 19. The Astros hold the best record in baseball at 86-47 and boast, without question, the best pitching staff in the league.

In the NL East, it's the Mets who have been in front all year, and look good for their lead at 14 games over the Pirates. The Mets are the 2^nd best team in baseball with an 85-48 record. The Mets lead the NL in HR's thanks to their team of young sluggers and Doc Gooden.

In the AL West, it's been tight all year, and the M's continue to hold on to a 1 game lead over the Rangers, and a 3 game lead on the White Sox. The Anges have drifted to 5.5 back. The M's have been slumping as of late and are dealing with some newer injury issues. It's possible that they won't on, even with the top batting team in the AL.

In the AL East, the Yankees, who made the most moves at the trade deadline, are 3 games in front of the Brewers, and at 68-64, are the only team with a winning record. The Brewers have won 9 in a row, but the Yankees are nearly keeping pace. The pivotal move for the Yankees was the waiver claim and subsequent 6 year contract extension acquisition of Joe Carter from the White Sox.

The only ray of hope for LA right now, is that maybe being out of the top will net them a halfway decent draft pick for the future. The ownership isn't aggressive and so the results won't be either. The next offseason could be interesting though. Winfield is 100 plate appearances away from hitting his vesting for next year. He is projected to fall 1 PA shy. Schmidt has the same deal, but he's almost there. Not sure that's a good thing. Henderson has a player op out after this year, which you have to believe that he'll take. Ozzie will be gone unless they get an extension done, and Fernando might too. Things could look really, really different next year, and and just the expected losses between those guys, amount to almost 30% of the payroll. It's a big deal.

PilotMan · 07-16-2018, 10:33 AM

September Roster Expansion

Maybe it'll be interesting, maybe not. Here are the early September call ups for LA.

P Kirk Vucsko, 27 (9-10, 4.65, 1.70 WHIP, 166 IP in AAA, 0-0 3.38 in 1 GS for LA)
Vucsko got his first taste of big league ball this year after a long road through the Dodgers minor league system. His career totals are unimpressive. He throws a mid 90's fastball with good movement, and a cutter. His curve and change up need work.

P Sergio Del Rosario, 23 (3-1, 7S, 4.21 in AA; 7.04 ERA in 4 games in AAA)
Del Rosario gets his 2^nd call to the big leagues. Last year, he was ineffective in 5 games posting a 14.29 ERA. His talent has not translated to results as he's come up the system. He throws 3 good pitches, with good stuff. His fastball touches 100 MPH, but his control has dogged him somewhat.

C John Debus, 30 (.286/.335/.443, 5 HR/32 RBI in AAA)
Debus is also making his 2^nd return to LA. He is able to play the corners and outfield as well. He's a decent catcher, but possesses very little in the way off offense, outside of forcing opposing pitchers to work for the out. He's been in the LA farm system his whole career.

UTIL Ty Dabney, 26 (.318/.358/.484, 4HR/52RBI in AAA)
This is Dabney's 3^rd trip to LA. He played in 5 games in '86, and 7 last year. In total he is 4-14 batting. A lefty who can play a multitude of positions, he has shown to be very valuable off the bench and capable, at least in the minors, with the bat. He's a gap hitter, who doesn't really impress in any other way. He was a 5^th round pick in '84.

OF Tom Beyers, 30 (.333/.392/.485, 7HR/79RBI in AAA)
Having been bypassed by both Jennings and Stevens it's a little surprising to see Beyers get the call, but nice all the same. He has nearly 1400 minor league hits over 9 seasons in the LA system and bats over .300. He made the most of his call up last year, batting .375/.451/.552 in 23 games. I'm sure he expected to make it to the bigs before now, but it's nice to see him the same. This is his last option year.

OF Doug Jennings, 23 (.334/.468/.497, 7HR/45 RBI in AAA; .297/.395/.351 in 12 with LA)
Jennings was LA's first round pick in 1983. He's been up already this season, and put up respectable numbers) One of the team leaders in Albuquerque, Jennings can play all outfield positions and first. A spray hitter with a good eye, Jennings hopes to build on his chances.

OF Lee Stevens, 21 (.340/.431/.580, 20HR in AA; .326/.408/.535 in 11 games in AAA; and 2-7 in 6 games in LA)
The top prospect in the LA farm system, Stevens is the #74 prospect in baseball. A former first rounder of the Reds, he came to LA in the Tony Phillips deal in the offseason. He plays in center and at first, and is the most well rounded of the LA call ups. Good HR potential, and average range, make him the best in LA, but not really a top overall prospect across the league.

LA is already tight in the OF. How will calling up these 3 guys change that? Or will they even grab playing time? Will any of these guys really be able to contribute this season?

PilotMan · 07-22-2018, 07:09 AM

9/2 7-1 L to the Mets
Winfield went 2-3 and hit his 20^th double of the year. Bryn Smith (15-10) lost again. Smith made 3 mistakes. One to Glenn Davis in the 2^nd (9) and 2 to the Straw Man (36,37). The Mets rapped out 14 hits in all, and cruised to an easy win.

9/3 14-6 W over the Mets
The Mets started off with a 5 spot in the first and looked like a repeat of yesterday, but then LA came back. And did they ever. Today marks the highest run output from LA all year, and the first time since July 27^th that they've gotten at least 10. Ever starter except Von Hayes got into the hit parade today with Ozzie leading the way with 3. Schmidt went 2-4 with a bases clearing double. Of LA's 16 hits, 8 were for extra bases. Kelly Downs (16-8) gets the win in a bad outing. Rickey was forced to leave the game late after hurting his shoulder making a diving catch with the game decided. Ugh.

9/4 3-2 L to the Mets
LA wastes a really good performance from Ken Howell. Howell allowed 4 hits over 7.1 innings of shut out baseball and then gave way to John Franco. Franco got out of the 8^th inning just fine, but it was the 9^th where things fell apart. Franco, now 3-4 on the year, blows his 7^th save chance. They game went from 2-0 to 3-2 on a bases clearing, double by former Dodger killer(?) Luis Salazar (known from his Padres days). Gene Nelson (4-2) gets the win.

In other really great news, the LA Dodgers have lost Rickey Henderson for the rest of the year to a significant shoulder injury. He's gone to the 60 day DL. Henderson only batted .250 this year, with 10 HR's. He was a speed demon early on, but his getting on base dropped off and so did his production. At one point he was on pace for well over 100 steals, but ended the year early with 64. There's a very good chance this is the last we'll see of Rickey in LA. 1988 was Henderson's least productive year since his rookie season in '79.

9/5 13-3 L to the Braves
Ozzie Smith went 3-4 and Von Hayes hit his 18^th HR of the year. Jim Beattie (3-7) struggled through 5 innings and Sergio Del Rosario's first appearance this year went very poorly. He was responsible for 5 runs in an inning and two-thirds. The Braves Craig Biggio lead off with a homer (13) and they never looked back. Glavine (14-11) picked up the W.

9/6 8-2 W over the Braves
Mike Schmidt went deep in the 4^th (14) as part of a 7 run inning that put LA in front for good. Inky had a bases clearing triple in the same inning as things just didn't go right for Brian Fischer (3-10). LA's rookie Kirk Vucsko (1-0) got his first career win with a 6 inning outing, where we walked 5 and struck out 7. John Denny pitched the final 3 for his 2^nd save.

9/7 8-4 L to the Astros
Don't really expect to win any of these games. Winfield went 3-5 and Caminiti 2-4. The Astros went up 2-0 and it was close for most, then they added 4 more in the 7^th and chased Bryn Smith (15-11). LA put 4 up in the bottom off of Candiotti (12-4) and got it close again, but in the top of the 9^th the Astros got to Franco for 3 more to put it away. Lee Stevens was hurt in a collision at 2^nd and had to leave.

9/8 9-5 L to the Astros
Houston put up 2 early off of Kelly Downs (16-9), but LA got them back plus 1 by the bottom of the 2^nd, thanks to a Schmidt HR (15). Once again, things went ary in the 6^th and 7^th as Downs was chased and the bullpen did him no favors, leaving him on the hook for 7 runs as Barry Larkin cleared the bases with one of his 3 doubles in the game.

Don Robinson was activated off of the DL, recovered from his shoulder injury.

IF Curtis Wilkerson was promoted to the main roster. Wilkerson put up good numbers in AAA, but in 89 games in the majors he's hitting .214, with an OPS of .552. Yippee.

9/9 16-4 W over the Reds
Middle of the third, after 2 Reds HR's, one by Luis Alicea who lead off with one (10) and the other, a 2 run shot by Kal Daniels (16). Those were the only errors by Ken Howell (5-3) who struck out 8 in 6. cut the game in half when Winfield went deep (17) and again when Inky tied it in the 5^th (9) with a 482 ft blast. The wheels came off for the Reds in the 6^th though. LA sent something like 16 guys to the plate, scored 12 runs, and and saw Hayes hit number 19. Mike Scioscia left the game with an injury so we'll have to deal with that again. John Denny pitched the final 3 for save number 3. Only the 2^nd win in 13 tries against the Reds.

Lee Stevens is on the DL with a bone bruise on his arm.

9/10 7-6 (11) W over the Reds
Tie game until the 4^th when Winfield went opposite field (18) to tie it up. Jim Beattie got touched for 4 more in the 6^th and it looked like that would hold, but in the 9^th, Quiz could not get an out against LA. Batter after batter, and in the end it was an Ozzie Smith 2 run triple that tied the game up. The Reds got out of that jam, but they couldn't get out of the blown 9^th and ultimate loss in the 11^th. Curt Wilkerson provided the game winning hit. We denied Jack Morris's 20^th win of the year.

Both Greg Swindell (20-3) of Houston and Doc Gooden (20-6) of New York joined the 20 win club. This is Gooden's 3^rd 20 win season in 6 years.

Just back tightness for Scioscia, and no trip to the DL.

With that win for Swindell and the Astros, the Los Angeles Dodgers are eliminated from the playoffs this year. With a 16 game lead on the Reds, the magic number is down for 5 for the Astros. The Mets need 9. In the AL, the Yankees are 2.5 in front, with a number of 18. And the West, the Rangers have come out on top by 4 games, and they have a number of 17.

9/11 9-3 L to the Reds
The Reds got on the board first with another first inning HR. This one from SS Jeffery Wilson (15). LA would claw that one back in the 4^th then take the lead in the 5^th. Kirk Vucsko (1-1) pitched well and held the slim lead, but Lasorda, once again, sent him out one inning too late. Back to back home runs by rookie Orsino Hill (1, his first career) and Luis Alicea (11) surrendered the tight lead. Tom Niedenfuer blew the game open allowing 6 in an inning and a third. Kal Daniels walked 5 times for the Reds. LA squandered a 3-5 game from Wilkerson and a game where Scioscia reached base on all 4 plate appearnces.

9/12 3-2 L to the Braves
Bryn Smith took a 2 hit shutout into the 9^th inning. Then a single and a pinch hit HR by Craig Worthington (6) tied the game. Franco came on and served up single to Craig Biggio, who then stole 2^nd, and took 3^rd on a throwing error. Andres Thomas knocked him in, then Franco (3-5) got some outs. LA got 2 hit games from Scioscia, Smith, and Biggio. LA had the tying run on third, and Dwayne Murphy poked a little flare to left, but Dan Boever was able to make the catch to end the game.

The Padres Bob Ojeda joins the 20 win club.

LA has promoted OF Billie Merrifield. A former 4^th rounder, in 1982 of the Dodgers, he had previously played in 20 games, but never an at bat. He can play the corner infield positions as well as a couple in the outfield. He's spent most of '88 in AA San Antonio, where he batted .246/.284/.363.

There's just a little over 2 weeks of baseball left for this year. The Dodgers hopes are crushed and the DL is full. Of the guys on the DL, we may have seen the last of Rickey Henderson and Fernando Valenzuela in a Dodgers uniform. We also have no chance of see BJ Surhoff or Frank Tanana back in action this year.

9/13 5-4 L to the Braves
Kelly Downs didn't allow a hit until the 7^th inning but it still didn't earn the W. The Braves went up, and LA tied it in the 7^th, but Kent Tekulve (6-2) got hit by Craig Biggio's 14^th of the year, and that ended up being the winning margin. Once again LA got the tying run on 3^rd, but Jim Acker shut us down and he earned his 14^th save.

LA had dropped into a tie for 3^rd now with the Padres. The Braves lurk another game behind. 5^th place is a real possibility. Tom Lasorda's job is in real jeopardy right now. He is in the last year of his deal, and while he has had tremendous success, this year will be one to forget and it may do him in. The rumblings are beginning.

Mike Scioscia is back on the DL again with back tightness. He just can't seem to shake this injury. So LA's catching situation will be back to a plethora of minor leaguers to handle. C Larry See (.248/5/30 in AAA) was recalled to take his roster spot.

LA has signed journeyman reliever Don Aase (4-4, 5.85 40G with Boston) was signed to a minor league deal a week after being released by the Red Sox. Aase had turned 34 the day he was released, and has a 3.95 career ERA. LA is hist 8^th pro team in his career.

9/14 11-5 W over the Braves
Ken Howell (6-3) struck out 11 Braves in 7 innings. LA put up 4 in the 3^rd and 3 more in the 4^th against Zane Smith (10-10). Inky hit HR number 10 and Von Hayes became the first Dodger to hit 20 HR's on the year. In fact, Hayes is putting the touches on his best season ever, by joining the 20/20 club. Bad luck continued to hound the team. Dave Winfield left the game with a back injury, as did John Denny, who had come on in relief.

Things just go from bad to worse for LA. Dave Winfield needs 550 PA to get the vesting for his contract extension. He had been on pace to get it, but he had to go on the DL with a back strain and he is likely done for the year. He has 505 PA's. So he will be a free agent. No work on John Denny yet.

OF Mitch Webster was brought up to the Majors after spending the entire year in Albuquerque. Webster suffered through a multitude of injuries this season and still managed to hit .370/.427/.518 with 21 steals in 66 games. Webster last played for the Blue Jays and has a career .281 average.

Denny is now done too. With a non-throwing shoulder injury, he won't be back until the spring. Tough break for him. '89 will be his last on contract.

9/16 7-6 L to the Reds
Reds went up 6-0 on Jim Beattie (3-8) after 3 innings. Kal Daniels hit #18. LA kept fighting back though. Von Hayes homered in the 5^th (21), as part of a 3-4 day. Curtis Wilkerson also went 3-4, with 2 RBI's and 2 runs scored. Mike Schmidt came off the bench and homered in the 9^th to cut the lead to 7-6 before Quiz closed the door (35). LA's Sergio DelRosario who up to now, had possibly the worst career pitching stats ever, pitched 3.2 innings, no hits, 4 walks and 3 K's. His best career outing. It dropped his season ERA to 12.00.

The Astros are the first team to clinch a title, winning the West with their 97^th win of the season. The Mets are down to 2 for their magic number. In the AL, the Yankees are 3.5 in front and are still the only plus .500 team in the East. The West is still a mess. The Rangers had moved to the front, but the surging White Sox have caught them. The M's linger 2 back and the Angels only 4.5.

9/17 8-3 W over the Reds
LA scored 4 times in the first, which was enough to win the game outright. Curtis Wilkerson went 3-5 with a bases clearing double in the first. He ended with 4 RBI's. Von Hayes hit #22 in the 2^nd, a solo shot, and Caminiti added another in the 9^th, his 8^th of the season. Bryn Smith (16-11) pitched 8, throwing only 102 pitches to get the job done.

9/18 6-5 L to the Reds
A good game from Kelly Downs, and the bullpen kept him from getting his 17^th win. Carrying a 4-3 lead into the 8^th Niedenfeur served up a 2-run HR to Nick Esasky (23) that put the Reds up in front. LA sneaked a run in the 9^th to tie it up and Don Robinson (0-4) took the game to the 9^th. Nothing went right, 3 hits, a big throw at the plate to salvage the game, then back to back walks that let the winning run score. Ozzie Smith was injured in a collision at 2^nd base and was taken out.

Of course, the news is not good for the Wizard of Oz. He's torn some ligaments in his thumb and he is done for the year. LA only got 92 games from Ozzie this year. He did good, but it was costly. He may not be back next year.

The Mets are the Kings of the NL East. They will meet the Astros in the least surprising preseason pick ever.

9/19 5-4 W over the Astros
This may as well be our playoffs. We traded the lead 4 times with the Astros. Von Hayes was great, going 4-4 with his 23^rd HR. Pete O'Brien's 15^th in the 8^th put LA back on top for good. Franco pitched the last 2 innings for his 31^st save on the year.

9/20 8-3 L to the Astros
Barry Larkin went deep in the 2^nd and 4^th (13,14) off of Kirk Vucsko (1-2). LA's young starter allowed 10 runners, 6 of them walks, while also getting 6 K's in an all or nothing effort in under 5 innings. Even though it was still close, reliver DelRosario did him no favors as he allowed a single, then a grand slam to Dickie Thon (9). Caminit went 2-4 with a pair of doubles.

9/21 7-2 W over the Padres
The Padres scored first, with 2 in the first on a Gwynn 2-run shot. Jim Beattie (4-8) settled down from there and worked 7 strong. LA scored the next 7, with 5 in the first as they batted around. Mike Schmidt went 3-3 with his 17 HR and Pete O'Brien went 2-5 with his 16^th. LA got a lot of help from the others in the lineup. Mitch Webster, Curt Wilkerson and Larry See all had 2 hit games.

LA begins the final run of their games with all of the remaining games being against either the Padres or Giants. Right now we are in 3^rd, but only 2 game separate the Braves and Padres. If things go badly we could easily be surpassed, however, having the 106 loss Giants on the schedule may help that.

Don Aase has been promoted to the club for the final few series. LA is now the 8^th uniform that Aase will have worn in his 12 year career.

9/22 4-1 (10) W over the Padres
Bob Ojeda and Bryn Smith went head to head all game. After each team scored in the first it stayed zeroes until the 10^th. With Bob Stanley (5-6) on the mound, Schmidt walked, Wilkerson singled. After a pinch hitting Roy Smalley got out, Von Hayes stepped up and smashed a shot over the right field wall. It was Hayes' 24^th of the season and capped a 2-5 game. Tekulve (7-2) got the win.

Lee Stevens was activated off the DL, but doesn't figure to start with Hayes on fire in center and Pete O'Brien at first.

9/23 4-0 W over the Giants
Really, playing the Giants can make anyone look good. Kelly Downs (17-9) allowed 2 hits, and if not for a walk in the 9^th would have gotten to finish the game, but instead he had to settle for the W. Downs knocked in 2 of the 4 runs, with a bit 4^th inning double. It was his 4^th on the season. The real highlight was getting to see 30yr old C John Debus, get his first major league hit. He was overjoyed at the moment and the crowd appreciated it.

With just a few games remaining it looks like Schmidt might be done at third. While is production has been down most of the year it looks like he might just be too old to keep it up at the hot corner any longer. Wilkerson has slid over, while Chuck Jackson takes up the position at short.

9/24 3-1 L to the Giants
Lasorda is really shaking things up now. Don Robinson (0-5) got his first start of the season. I'll be honest, this really feels like we're scraping bottom now. He pitched ok, for just under 5 innings, and the bullpen was alright. Today, it was the offense that just couldn't get going off of Eric King (5-13). Of the Dodger starters, it was Curt Wilkerson (3-4) and Stan Holmes (2-4) that provided all the punch. A Mitch Webster single and RBI was the lone scoring play and nobody else even got a hit.

Rumor has it that Valenzuela may be available for one of the final 2 games of the year. Whether or not he gets to make a start is up to Tommy.

In the AL races, it's the Yankees with a tight 1 game lead on the Orioles. Both teams are at or above .500 now. In the West, the White Sox are a game in front of both the M's and Rangers, with the Angels 3 back, but the window is closing. The magic number for both teams is 8.

9/25 3-2 (12) W over the Giants
LA faced a pitcher in Tim Kammeyer who had walked 135 guys in 176 innings. The fact that LA rapped out 9 hits off of him in over 6 innings but didn't draw a walk until the 7^th has to say something. Kirk Vucsko had the best start of his career, pitching 7.2 and allowing only 3 hits, walking 3 with 4 K's. The Dodger bullpen did great, especially DiPino (3-4) who went 3 scoreless innings. LA outhit the Giants 14-4. In the 12^th Ty Dabney hit a double, and then scored on an Inky single. Chuck Jackson went 3-4. Giants rookie prospect Glenallen Hill hit the first homer of his career (1).

9/26 6-3 W over the Padres
The Padres opened up scoring in the first off of Jim Beattie (5-8), then again, Beattie settled down, good for his typical performance. Still LA couldn't do anything against Tandy Charley until the 7^th. In the 8^th Schmidt went deep for the 18^th time, and this one, a 3 run blast, put LA up for good. That capepd a 3-4 game for Schmidt and one of his best of recent times. The Padres loaded the bases with 1 out in the 9^th. Putting the tying run at the plate. John Franco was called on and got out allowing only 1 of them to score, before closing it out on a double play. His 32^nd save.

The second no-hitter of 1988 (Dave Stieb in July) was pitched by the most unlikely of pitchers. Cleveland Indians pitcher Mark Fellows, who at best, has been a really good minor league pitcher, no hit the Detroit Tigers tonight. He finished his 9 innings with the game tied at 0, as the Indians couldn't do anything against Teddy Higuera. In the bottom of the 9^th, tied, Fred Manrique lead off with a double. The Tigers brought in John Henry Johnson to pitch, and Kelly Gruber singled over the short stop. Manrique, running all the way scored from 2^nd to get Fellows the no hitter, who was mobbed in the dugout. This was Fellows first win of the year, in his 5^th start. He has 23 career starts over 3 seasons, starting 16 in '86. He's a 3 time minor league all star, and finished 2^nd in '87 for MVP and Pitcher of the Year in AAA. This year in AAA, he was 16-7, with a 2.89 ERA .His minor league success just has never showed up in the Majors. He's 30, and this has to be the high point of his career.

9/27 7-4 L to the Padres
Bryn Smith (16-12) allowed 3 2-run HR's in 5 short innings. That good hitting by the Padres, Matt Williams (25,26) and McGee (12), allowed them to go out and hide. LA chipped away getting 2 hit games from Caminiti, Inky, and Webster, but they just couldn't get close enough to really threaten the game. Bob Ojeda picks up his 22^nd win on a team with a losing record.

The O's who have been hard charging the Yankees are now having to do without the services of probably ROY Ken Griffey Jr. He's got an injury that would have him back in the middle of the ALCS if they make it that far. The team will now try and replace him with fellow rookie, Brian McRae.

9/28 2-0 L to the Padres
Great pitching dual between Kelly Downs (17-10) and Jimmy Key. Both men threw 8 inning shutouts with both teams only getting 5 hits in a clean game with no errors. Von Hayes opened the 9^th off with a great diving catch in right, but then had to leave the game with a bruise. He's probably not going to play any more this year, bu the injury isn't serious long term. Tom Beyers came in to play and Kevin McReynolds knocked a single into left. Downs faced Matt Williams next, who cleared the fence in right (27), over the watching eyes of Byers to end it.

Four games left for everyone else, 3 for LA. In the AL races things are crazy. The Yankees are 1 up on Baltimore, with 1 game to play between them before they both head elsewhere. The Yakees have an easier road, so the odds do favor them, slightly. In the West, it's now a 3 way tie for the lead, and legitimately anyone's to win. The Angels are only a half game back. The M's and Rangers finish with 4 against one another, while the White Sox go on the road to Kansas City, and the Angles finish with 3 on the road against the Twins. The Angels were supposed to win this division, but they are under 8% probability to take it. The winner of the M's/Rangers series has a 77% likelihood of winning the division. All 4 teams have 94 wins.

9/29
LA is off.
The Yankees win 7-3 and extend their lead in the East.
The White Sox fall to the Royals thanks to 2 Lance Parrish home runs (12).
The Rangers are shut out by Nolan Ryan and the M's (8K's), to take the lead.

Dave Winfield and Fernando Valenzuela were activated off the DL today.

9/30 7-2 W over the Giants
Pitching under the lights of LA, Dodger fans got to witness one final throw of the year, and possibly ever, for fan favorite and hometown hearo Fernando Valenzuela. In an emotional game, Fernando pitched more like his old self. Although he walked 5, and struck out 4, the Dodger icon, pitched into the 7^th inning and got the win to run his record to 5-11. LA hammered 6 extra base hits (of 10) including an 8^th inning blast by rookie Lee Stevens (2). Stevens finished the game 2-4. LA's also saw Winfield return and go 2-4, while Caminiti went 2-2, but walked 3 times. The fans gave Valenzuela a standing ovation as he left the field. He smiled and waived his cap in respect to the fans. No word yet on if the team is thinking of extending his contract. LA will finish with at least 81 wins this year.

The Yankees win and O's lose and that hands the title to the Yankees for this year.
The Angels stay close with a 5-2 win in Minnesota.
The White Sox lose again, this time in the bottom of the 9^th to the Royals.
In extra innings, the M's steal a game from the Rangers to drop the magic number to 2. Only the Angels now have any chance to take the division from the Mariners.

The Angels had the best team in the AL, but an August that saw them go 11-17 killed their strong run this year. They have the best pitching in the AL with 2 20game winners (Saberhagen, Storm Davis) and 1 19 game winner (Mike Witt).

Mike Scioscia was activated from the DL with his back issues.

PilotMan · 07-22-2018, 07:30 AM

September Recap

A 13-14 record for the month is nothing to be proud of at all. It's the 2^nd month in a row with a losing record, and overall, the team has been playing under .500 ball since the end of April. That's sad to think about. The injuries really started to pile up on the team and we felt it all month long. For the year, the team is still above 500, with an 81-79 record, and sitting in 3^rd in the NL West.

All around, the numbers went from bad to worse for LA. The team is 11^th in the NL in batting average, even though, they are 8^th in OBP, and 7^th in runs scored. The team is patient, being 3^rd in walks, and 8^th in HR's. A fair bit of speed has them 2^nd in steals. It's one of the worst hitting teams, if not the worst, since we started following along, back in '82.

There was 1 man, who lead the way on offense, and he has been the only really stable, reliable offensive threat all year long, and that is Von Hayes. In September, Hayes his .330/.429/.610 with 7 HR's. He made it to the 20/20 club and his defense in center is in the top of the NL. Caminiti also hit well in the month. Batting .330/.444/.454, he walked 20 times and stole 5 bases. Even Mike Schmidt seemed to find some energy hitting 5 homers, a monthly high for him this year. Lots of part time players saw substantial action in the month. Curt Wilkerson batted .338 in 19 games between filling in at 3^rd and SS. Stan Holmes hit .273 when Scioscia went down. We would have liked to have seen better output from both Inky (.245/.317/.394, 2 HR) and Pete O'Brien (.220/.306/.321, 2 HR) as they drug the team down.

It was the pitching that really slumped in September though. Having hung in there around 3^rd or 4^th all summer, the team ERA dropped to 5^th in the NL and 11^th in HR's allowed and 9^th in walks. Even though opposing hitters only batted .247 and the team defense was still 3^rd in the NL. Part of that drop was the starting pitching. Needing to rely on Jim Beattie (2-2, 6.37) and Kirk Vucsko (1-2, 4.13, 1.46 WHIP) wasn't strong. The most reliable starter through the month was Ken Howell (2-0, 3.71 and a 1.20 WHIP). Even Kirk Vucsko held his own, although 6 HR's allowed in 24 innings, 19 walks and 23 K's made his games interesting to watch. Kelly Downs (2-2, 4.14) perhaps pitched the best with is 1.19 WHIP, but the failure of Bryn Smith (1-3, 5.06), John Franco (0-2, 2 S, 5.56 ERA, 1.68 WHIP), Sergio DelRosario (0-0, 11.74, 2.09 WHIP) and Tom Niedenfuer (0-0, 12.15 ERA, 2.70 WHIP) made things harder for everyone. Rookie Michael Cunningham, who had started, came out of the bullpen to throw 8.1 innings with 0 runs allowed and only 2 hits, with his knuckleball.

There's not much else to say for September. LA was eliminated and we are only looking at what is to come with this team. Free agency could be busy.

PilotMan · 07-22-2018, 07:48 AM

10/1 7-2 W over the Giants
Don Robinson got another start, but never really got going. An arm injury in the 2^nd inning sent him to the lockers early. Kirk Vucsko (2-2) came on and threw 3 strong, walking 3 and striking out 5. LA did it all with 12 singles today. No extra base hits at all. Lee Stevens was the player of the game going 3-4 with an RBI in the leadoff spot, playing for Von Hayes. Inky, O'Brien, and Wilkerson all had 2 hit games as well.

The M's took another one from the Rangers and eliminated them from the playoffs. The Angels eeked out a 6-5 win in Minnesota to keep pace. It all comes down to the final day. The Angels will send Mike Witt to the mound in search of his 20^th against the Twins Frank Viola (12-11). The M's will send Mike Moore (14-8) against the Rangers Curt Young (6-7). Could we see another 1 game playoff like we saw last year?

10/2 7-5 L to the Giants
We don't end on a high note, getting knocked off by a team with 113 losses, at home. Bryn Smith (16-13) started and took the loss, but this one is really on Niedenfuer who let all of Smith's runners score, then allowed 3 more of his own in an inning of work. LA managed to snag a couple off of stud reliever Bryan Harvey (1.95 ERA) and homers by Lee Stevens (3) and Inky (11) are the last we'll see this year. O'Brien went 3-4, and Stevens, Winfield, and Inky all had 2 hit games today. It was simply another failure by the bullpen that let us down. Dan Plesac closed out for his 22^nd save of the season.

Mike Witt did get his 20^th win and the Angels won again, but they will go home this year, with no playoff. The Seattle Mariners, complete the 4 game sweep of the Rangers, at home, as Mike Moore picks up the win in a 5-1 victory.

Roger Clemens wins his 19^th on an Indians team that lost 95 games. He strikes out 13 in his final game and may me making a strong case for AL Cy Young.

Don Robinson blew his elbow out and the timing couldn't have been worse for him. At best he is out until the all star break and he is a free agent. So he's on his own for rehab until he's healthy again. I doubt we'll see him in an LA uniform anymore. As bad as '87 was, '88 was much better, even then, he went 0-11, with 13 saves and a 3.80 ERA for LA.

PilotMan · 07-22-2018, 12:39 PM

1988 Playoff Preview

NLCS

New York Mets (100-62) v. Houston Astros (105-57)

The Mets are hoping to repeat as World Series Champions, but in order to do so, they will need to knock off the best team in baseball. The Mets had a great year too though, and they are a great team in their own right. Hard to imagine them coming in as the underdog, but they may be.

The starting lineup is filled with 5 All Stars. The rotation has 2, and the 1 in the bullpen. The Mets have the top team in HR's and 3^rd overall in runs scored. They are 2^nd in the National League in pitching.

The Mets have a wealth of talent on this roster. Lead by OF Bobby Bonilla (.297/.364/.497, with 24 HR), OF Darryl Strawberry (.255/.341/.514 with 44 HR's and 23 SB's), 2B Robby Thompson (.289/.372/.442), 3B Kevin Mitchell (.296/.374/.496 and 18 HR's), OF Reuben Sierra (.307/.339/.527 and 27 HR's). Lenny Dykstra (.268/3/20 and 12 SB) backs them all up in the outfield. Make no mention of big, young, first baseman Glenn Davis (.288/13/54).

In the rotation, All-Star and 3-time Cy Young winner, Doc Gooden is in the mix for his 4^th again this year. Gooden was 22-8 with a 2.26 ERA and a league leading 0.95 WHIP and 206K's. The other All Star in the rotation is Edward Lindsey. Lindsey went 9-5, with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. The rest of the rotation fills out with Ron Darling (14-13, 3.88) and possibly Bud Black (4-3, 3.43). They have on of the best closers in baseball in Randy Myers, who had 36 saves with a 2.01 ERA and 103k's in 89.2 innings. Setup man Gene Nelson (6-3, 3.35) and Rick Aguileria (5-1, 2.93) are no slouches either.

This is a complete team that could be expected to win it all if they can get past the Astros.

We saw a lot of the Astros this year in LA. Even if LA had pretty good success against them. Houston is #2 on batting and #1 in pitching in the National League. Despite playing in the Astrodome, where homers go to die, the Astros were 4^th in the NL in HR's. While they don't have the number of All Stars the Mets do, they have plenty of weapons.

The Astros are lead by their lone All Star, short stop, Barry Larkin. Larkin (.335/.385/.480, with 29 steals and is possibly the best defensive short stop in the majors. Fred McGriff, 24, is the other part of the beast that is the Astros, played every game of the year. For some reason he was snubbed for the All Star game, but it doesn't matter now. He hit .302/.403/.526, with 35 HR's and 110 RBI's. Early in April the team shipped 2 prospects for the Blue Jays slamming RF'er George Bell. Bell didn't have the HR numbers with only 19 on the year, but he still hit .322/.353/.467. Bell knows a thing or 2 about titles, having won 2 with the Blue Jays. Catcher Benito Santiago (.314/.369/.493), 3B Carney Lansford (.277/.343/.336, with 24 steals ) round out the top players. Big names still linger in Dale Murphy, who only hit .224, but still had 25 HR's and Kirk Gibson who batted .237 with 7. Hard to sell either of guys short when push comes to shove.

The pitching staff is anchored by another youngster, 23yr old, Greg Swindell, lead the league in wins (22) and ERA (2.23). He expects to go head to head with Gooden. Dave Stewart, found himself last year, and kept right on rolling. Stewart went 20-9 with a 2.92 ERA. They also have Tom Candiotti (12-7, 3.16) and Dennis Martinez (14-12, 3.05). The team really shines in the bullpen though. Scott Garrelts closes, and lead the league with 38 saves. Set up men, Tim Burke (1.62) and Alejandro Pena (1.97) are hard to get past. Behind them are Terry Leach (2.97) and John Dopson (1.06)

In the regular season the Mets lead the matchup winning 9 out of 12 games. The Mets are the defending champs, but the Astros have the home field.

ALCS

New York Yankees (83-79) vs. Seattle Mariners (98-64)

The New York Yankees haven't made the playoffs since 1981, since then they've been stuck behind the Blue Jays. The Yankees would really like meet the Mets in a cross town rivalry series this fall. The Yankees are clearly the weakest team among the 4 in the playoffs. They are 8^th in the AL in runs scored and 6^th in the AL in runs allowed. They also have the advantage in the head to head with 7 wins in 12 games against the M's.

The Yankees are lead by DH Don Mattingly, who lead the team with 27 HR's, while batting .321/.357/.510. It's been no secret that the surge of the Yankees was helped by the strange waiver acquisition of Joe Carter. Carter hit 51 HR's last year, and signed a big contract, only to leave to the Yankees for free. It's one of the most head scratching moments this year. Carter hit .278/.322/.494 with 30 HR's and 98 RBI's between the 2 teams this year. OF Brett Butler (.291/.386/.380, with 23 SB), OF Dave Martinez (.286/.346/.387 with 30 SB) round out the impact players on offense.

The pitching staff lost expected contributers Joe Magrane, who won 19 last year, and Rick Rhoden, who won 17 and had to scramble for more help. The top of the rotation is lead by Bob Welch, who came over in a July deal with the Royals, for Otis Nixon and a top pitching prospect, Ken Hill. Welch (15-10, 3.74), a former Dodger pitcher, knows how to carry a team, was better for the Yankees than the Royals. Rick Sutcliffe (13-15, 3.12) is the #2, Shane Rawley (13-13, 3.85) and 43yr old Don Sutton (14-6, 2.85) round out the rotation. The bullpen features Dave Righetti, whose 1.51 ERA was one of the best all year. His set up men are 40yr old Bill Campbell (1.85) and 39yr old Doc Medich (3.68). The team also features 38yr old, Ron Guidry (10-5, 2.71) who can go either way to the pen or the rotation.

The Mariners are heavily favored in this series and are looking to get back to the World Series, where we could see a repeat of the '87 series, between the M's and Mets. This M's team was 4^th in the AL in scoring and 3^rd in pitching. Their numbers are better than they were last year. This team is better than they were last year.

The Mariners have the best hitting team in the AL, lead by the offseason trade acquisition of Andy Van Slyke. Van Slyke came to the M's for 2 top pitching prospects and 2 other minor leaguers. Van Slyke hit .270/.337/.457 with 20 HR's and 20 SB's. His defense alone in center saved 29 runs over the season. Second baseman Harold Reynolds, had 207 hits, batting .298 with 36 steals from the leadoff spot. Jim Presley (.301/17/56), Brian Downing (.255/18/68), Phil Bradley (.286/12/78) Dan Pasqua (.256/20/73) round out the offensive threat for the M's. Danger up and down, hard out all over.

The pitching staff is really rated as the advantage for Seattle. Mark Langston (16-13, 3.17) carried the team all year. He may not have been the top pitcher, but he didn't miss a start. He is underrated, and overshadowed here in Seattle. By whom? Nolan Ryan for starters. Ryan missed a few starts with bone spurs in his elbow, but he went 14-5, with a 2.34 ERA. He's only 3 away from number 300 and he's closing in on his 5000^th K. Who else? How about Sid Fernandez? The Cy Young winner missed the playoffs last year with an elbow injury, but he's back this year, and in 10 starts, he's 6-3 with a 2.34 ERA. That 1-2-3 is going to be hard to overcome for any team. Oh, I almost forgot. Mike Boddicker went 18-6, with a 3.55 ERA. So they are stacked. The bullpen has closer Jeff Robinson (35 saves, 3.87) Juan Nieves (2.79), Mike Moore (3.72) and Tim Belcher (2.54).

The road to the '88 Playoffs are set to begin!

PilotMan · 07-22-2018, 02:48 PM

1988 World Series

Seattle Mariners v. Houston Astros

Game 1
Nolan Ryan v. Tom Candiotti

Nolan Ryan was selected as the player of the game with his 7 innings, but the Astros took the series lead with a 4-3 win. The Astros overcame a sprained ankle by starter Candiotti and the bullpen threw 5.1 scoreless against the top hitting team in the AL. The M's built a 3-0 lead, but the Astros tied it up in the 5^th. Gary Pettis singled in Kirk Gibson in the 8^th to give the Astros the lead in game 1. Gary Pettis and Randy Ready both had 2 hits in the game.

Game 2
Sid Fernandez v. Greg Swindell

Greg Swindell went pitch for pitch with Sid Fernandez and Alejandro Pena pitched 3 scoreless to finish the M's off for his 2^nd save. The Astros take game 2, 5-2. Jim Presley homered for the M's and Fred McGriff homered for the Astros. Houston goes on the road with a 2-0 lead.

Game 3
Dave Stewart v. Mark Langston

The Astros pitchers are just getting the better of the M's hitters. Tonight it was Stewart going the distance for a 4-1 win over the Mariners, and give the Astros a 3-0 lead in the series. George Bell went 2-4 and homered . Jerry Willard also homered for the Astros.

Game 4
Dennis Martinez v. Mike Boddicker

Jim Presley homered for the 4^th time in the post-season and Harold Reynolds hit his first. The Mariners needed 10 to win at home, but they live to fight another day. It was close though. The Astros got 13 hits, 12 for the M's. Jeff Robinson, typically the M's closer, pitched the final 3 in a gutsy performance for the M's.

Game 5
Candiotti v. Ryan

Tom Candiotti left no doubt tonight. Complete game 1-hit masterpiece for the knuckleball pitcher to give the Astros the first World Series title for Houston! Nolan Ryan didn't bring it, and allowed homers to Randy Ready and Gary Pettis. Pettis hadn't homered since '87. Fred McGriff was selected Series MVP.

PilotMan · 07-22-2018, 05:47 PM

1988 Reflections on this Team

For years LA has been a top notch, title contender and we've not seen a title come here. This year, we lost a lot of power out the door, brought in some older, past their prime players, and took a step back in overall quality. The Farm system is dry and there is not much there to play with either. So how does the team with the #1 payroll and #1 budget do this poorly?

I'll tell you. Money wasted. Players wasted. Talent wasted.

Of the top 10 paid players on the team take a look at how that money was wasted:

#10 Larry Parrish – 34 games, 30 at bats. 161 at bats in 3 years. 0.2 WAR, 3 years
#9 Jim Beattie – LA signed him for a big deal 5 years ago, and we've got 1 year to go. 0.2 WAR 3 Yrs
#8 Mike Schimidt – His deal is vested for another year. 0.2 WAR
#7 John Denny – Got a 6 year deal, with 1 remaining. 15.8 WAR 5 years
#6 Fernando – At the end of a 6yr deal. This dropoff makes him resigning unlikely. 34.5 WAR 6 years
#5 Roy Smalley – At the end of a 6yr deal. Only 1 as starter. 7.3 WAR 6 yrs
#4 Dwayne Murphy – 1 yr remaining on a 6yr deal. Only 1 as starter. 10.2 WAR 5 yrs
#3 Von Hayes – 5 yrs remaining on a 6yr deal. Top player on team in '88. 6.7 WAR 1 yr
#2 Bryn Smith – 2yrs remaining on a 3 yr deal. #2 pitcher in '88. 3.4 WAR 1 yr
#1 Rickey – 3yrs remaining on a 5yr deal. Can opt out this year. 11.0 WAR 2 yrs

Some god awful waste there. I'm scared for how much more waste there will be going forward.

I wonder if next year will be this bad? I don't have high hopes, there's still a lot of waste, but having the deepest pockets in the league does allow us to just buy our way out. Let's just hope there isn't crazy waste again.

PilotMan · 08-03-2018, 08:38 AM

1988 Post Season and Awards

Big news in LA, big news for the entire team.

First and foremost. Tommy Lasorda has retired from baseball as a Dodger. This does save the team from some embarrassment. The team will be hiring a new manager to start the 1989 season.

Next, as expected Mike Schmidt made his contract vesting, and Dave Winfield failed to meet his. Winfield was 31 plate appearances shy. The injury at the end of the year did him in.

Last, Rickey Henderson has decided to stay in LA! It's a big deal. That means that he is committed to us for 3 years. This makes me happy for sure. Thank you Ricky!

Gold Glove Winners

AL
P Chris Bosio TEX (1)
C Mike Lavalliere MIL (1)
1B Wally Joyner TEX (1)
2B Jim Gantner CAL (1)
3B Terry Pendleton KC (2)
SS Alan Trammell DET (4)
LF Barry Bonds CHI (3)
CF Devon White CHI (1)
RF Dave Martinez NYY (1)

NL
P Mike LaCoss NYM (1)
C Dave Valle CIN (1)
1B Andres Gallaraga MON (2)
2B Robby Thompson NYM (2)
3B Brook Jacoby ATL (1)
SS Ozzie Guillen SD (1)
LF Joe Orsulak PIT (1)
CF Dave Henderson CIN (1)
RF Jose Canseco CIN (1)

LA resigns Frank DiPino, Kelly Downs, Mitch Webster, Curt Wilkerson, John Franco, Ken Howell, and BJ Surhoff to 1 yr extensions. Downs was the top pitcher, Franco was the closer, Howell was consistent, and BJ Surhoff was a starter before going down for the season with an injury.

Rolaids Reliever of the Year
AL
Dave Righetti NYY (5-6, 37/40 Saves, 1.51 ERA)

NL
Tom Henke PIT (11-5, 36/43 Saves, 1.50 ERA)

Silver Slugger Awards

AL
C Ernie Witt TOR .270/21/75 .804 OPS (2)
1B Mark McGwire CAL .302/52/151 1.022 OPS (2)
2B Paul Molitor CHI .319/11/85 .854 OPS (1)
3B Howard Johnson DET .269/42/104 .880 OPS (1)
SS Roberto Alomar CLE .337/15/65 .863 OPS (1)
LF Barry Bonds CHI .310/24/119 .920 OPS (4)
CF Kirby Puckett MIN .318/23/111 .862 OPS (1)
RF Dwight Evans TOR .283/12/73 .822 OPS (4)
DH Wade Boggs BOS .365/6/72 .959 OPS (1)

NL
P Dwight Gooden NYM .241/0/5 .578 OPS (1)
C Craig Biggio ATL .294/15/61 .811 OPS (2)
1B Will Clark STL .343/33/96 1.005 OPS (3)
2B Julio Franco PHI .320/4/65 .802 OPS (2)
3B Victor Madden CHI .286/31/87 .887 OPS (1)
SS Barry Larkin HOU .335/14/85 .865 OPS (2)
LF Reuben Sierra NYM .307/27/99 .866 OPS (1)
CF Robin Yount MON .359/14/90 .945 OPS (3)
RF Jose Canseco CIN .343/30/97 1.003 OPS (1)

AL Rookie of the Year
Ken Griffey Jr BAL .316/18/77 .886 OPS 5.9 WAR

NL Rookie of the Year
Henry Cotto CHI .267/9/36 .704 OPS 1.9 WAR

AL Manager of the Year
Mark Leggio SEA

NL Manager of the Year
Bill Virdon HOU

AL Cy Young Winner
Roger Clemens CLE 19-6 2.14 ERA (2)

NL Cy Young Winner
Doc Gooden NYM 22-8 2.26 ERA (4)

AL MVP
Mark McGwire CAL .302/52/131 (1)

NL MVP
Doc Gooden NYM (3)

8 of the 25 Dodgers on the recent roster have filed for free agency. They are:

P Don Robinson
P Kent Tekulve
P Fernando Valenzuela
P Don Aase
SS Ozzie Smith
1B Larry Parrish
OF Dave Winfield
SS Roy Smalley

The team has some money to fill those positions, but it's not like they can go crazy on the market.

The Champion Astros have aggressively added talent early on. A trade with the Yankees brings Joe Carter to town, and Reliever of the Year Tom Henke from the Pirates has come in on free agency. Reminds me of the old Expos free agency runs.

Well, the Dodgers have finalized a deal, the biggest of free agency so far, and I'm not sure it's good? It's a lot of money, and I'm leery of these deals. Anyway. 6 year deal for Twins southpaw Frank Viola. The deal is worth 10.8M/6yrs and Viola can opt out after 3 years. Viola won the Cy Young and MVP in 1984 for the Twins. He's a 2 time All Star with a career record of 105-77, with a 3.93 ERA. He'll be 29 at the start of next year. He was 12-12 with a 3.16 ERA for the Twins last year.

LA keeps it going, adding to the bullpen with the big 6'5” 225lb, true to life closer, Lee Smith. Smith is a 2-time All Star and he's been the Red Sox closer for the last 3 years. He gets a 3yr/800k deal. Very affordable for the team for what he brings. He has 209 career saves, with a 3.50 ERA in 475 games.

Don Robinson is heading to the Mets on a 1 yr deal.

Kent Tekulve is heading to the Tigers on a 1 yr deal.

Ozzie Smith signs a 4yr/2.1M contract to return to the St Louis Cardinals.

Dave Winfield stays in town, but moves down the freeway to the California Angels on a 2yr/1.76M deal.

LA signs OF Juan Samuel to a 3yr/2.1M deal. Samuel has been a 5 yr starter in Philadelphia. He is a good player, with power and speed, having reached 20/20 twice. On the verge of his 28^th birthday, Samuel is a career .272 hitter who averages about 17 HR's and 38 steals each year.

LA also signs Angels shortstop Dick Schofield to a 3yr/1.75M deal. Schofield won the Gold Glove in '87. He's an above average defender, but nothing special with the bat. He's got some speed averaging 27 steals each of the last 3 years. He's a career .247 hitter with 62 career HR's.

LA brings in Independent minor league star pitcher Chris Welsh. Welsh will be 34 when the new season fires up next year. He last time donned a major league uniform in 1982 for the Padres, where he had a 2.21 ERA in 41 games. He was sent to the minors and then released. Since then he's been pitching for overloaded independent minor league teams at the A level where one year he went 29-5 and threw 291 innings. Four years he has toiled, and now he's with LA on a minor league deal.

1988 Rookie Draft
First 5 Rounds

OF Bill Masse (1.38)
P Patt Rapp (2.16)
C Brian Johnson (3.18)
OF Michael House (3.23)
SS Mike Mordecai (4.16)
3B Jose Oliva (5.16)

The Dodgers have announced that they have hired Adam Abercrombie to be the new manager of the highest payroll team in baseball. This hiring was met with taunts and derision from pretty much everyone. Abercrombie was the manager for the Twins A-level Visalia Oaks baseball team. His career record is 481-597, and in 17 years, pretty much has no reputation to think of. His 1 yr deal will pay him 110k. It's less than half of what the team payed Lasorda. This is no bueno.

LA has selected IF/OF Armando Moreno from the Cardinals in the Rule 5 draft. Moreno, 24, is a 3-time minor league All Star, and was 3^rd in the '85 MVP race in AA.

LA brings an old face home. Great news! LA completes a trade with the Phillies to bring Pedro Guerrero back home again. LA sends the Phillies OF Mitch Webster and recently acquired minor league pitching prospect Rueben Monett. Guerrero, 32, may have seen his best days. He's missed a lot of the last 3 years with some serious injuries. Last year, he only managed 58 games. He still batted .298/.374/.476. Pedro can still play some left and first base, but he's not skilled by any means. He's a 5-time All Star, 2-time Silver Slugger and he's got 1 year left on his contract. Pedro is a career .308 hitter, with over 1100 hits, and 169 career HR's. Welcome home Pedro!

LA makes another swap for depth. This trade sends the Red Sox former 2^nd round pick and top prospect C Bill Haselman and minor league IF Jim Jones in exchange 30yr old 2B Marty Barrett. Barrett batted .320 last year for the Red Sox and sports a career .306 average in 6 years. Barrett has been with the Red Sox his entire career, and has over 1000 career hits in 887 career games. He's been the Red Sox starter at 2^nd for all 6 seasons.

LA signs southpaw reliever Joe Price, 32, who was 0-2, with a 5.14 ERA with the Twins, to a 1 year deal.

Sadness as Fernando heads to the White Sox on a 1 year deal.

The team signs all top 5 picks, with the exception of 3^rd rounder Brian Johnson.

Hall of Fame Voting is in!

Here is the Hall of Fame Class of 1989!

SP Gaylord Perry 96.5% in his first year
LF Pete Rose 94.4% in his first year
LF Carl Yastrzemski with a 93% in his first year.
C Johnny Bench 77% in his first year.

Tough class of guys right there. Jim Palmer, Jim Kaat were the next closest and Reggie Jackson was the closest not in his first season with 52.3%.

That's it for the offseason. (editors note: I expected expansion, as all my settings were automatic, but for some reason, no expansion, no realignment for '89, and that makes me a little sad).

PilotMan · 08-04-2018, 11:07 AM

1989 Opening Day Roster

Starting Rotation

Frank Viola (12-12, 3.16 with the Twins)
Bryn Smith (16-13, 3.67)
Ken Howell (6-3, 2.98)
Kelly Downs (17-10, 3.55)
Jim Beattie (5-8, 4.70)

We said goodbye to El Toro, and bring in Sweet Music, Frank Viola, the Twins ace starter. This is an upgrade on paper. Viola is a southpaw and standard 3 pitch starter with above average movement on his pitches. He throws everything for strikes. He's thrown over 200 innings each of his 7 pro seasons. Ken Howell gets promoted to the rotation, and we hope that Smith and Downs can keep throwing well. Jim Beattie holds down the 5 spot, but Frank Tanana is a week from heading back to the team where he should lock down one of those spots.

Bullpen

Joe Price (0-2, 5.14 with the Twins)
John Denny (5-3, 3S, 3.64)
Brian Holton (2-0, 7.71)

Frank DiPino (3-4, 2.56)
Lee Smith (6-7, 33S, 4.50 with the Red Sox)

John Franco (3-5, 32S, 2.06)

One of the more balanced bullpens in recent years. We boast 3 lefties, a long guy in Denny, who can also spot start. A lefty and righty set up guy, and a guy in Smith, who can lock games down, just like Franco. Will the new manager be able to utilize these guys the right way? I think that's a big question. Brian Holton, after a long time in the minors gets the call up. I really hope he's better than he's been.

Catcher
Mike Scioscia (.280/1/16)
BJ Surhoff (.240/0/10)

Injuries to both of these guys cost them last season. It would have been Surhoff's chance to start, but he's lost the regular job to Scioscia again. He does expect to get a couple starts in a week though, in a rotation to keep the frequently injured Scioscia on the field more.

First Base
Pedro Guerrero (.298/7/46 with the Phillies)
Pete O'Brien (.262/16/85)

Guerrero has had some severe injury problems the last few years, but when he's healthy he is one of the most dangerous hitters in the league. Coming up on 33, he isn't getting any younger, and he's a liability in field, but the team really needs his bat. O'Brien was ok, but less output than the team should expect for a first basemen. He's not happy about losing his starting role.

Second Base
Marty Barrett (.320/1/82 with the Red Sox)
Chuck Jackson (.224/0/5)

Barrett takes over for Caminiti at second base. He's pretty average in the field, but he is a career .300 hitter in 6 years starting for the Red Sox. He hasn't made an All Star game but he's bonafide. Jackson is the only backup. Jackson plays every base except first and catcher. Look for him to get plenty of playing time all over.

Third Base
Ken Caminiti (.294/8/50)
Mike Schmidt (.235/18/62)

The future Hall of Famer still feels like he can start, and even though he'd like to move to first, there isn't a home for him right now. Caminiti was a surprise last year and his fielding in a new position was solid. He could still move to 2^nd if he needed. Schmidt and his 512 career homers will have to be patient if he wants to play.

Shortstop
Dick Schofield (.268/9/63 with the Angels)
Jackson

Schofield is no defensive wizard like Ozzie, but he does have a gold glove, he's a lot younger, he hits better and he is just as fast. Jackson will back him up here. The team doesn't really have any options after that. Roy Smalley is gone, so someone from the outside or minors would have to come up.

Left Field
Rickey Henderson (.250/10/59)

One of the most electric and polarizing players in baseball. He shocked us when he exercised his option to stay for 3 more years. Half the clubhouse hates him. His numbers were good until he suffered a couple injuries. He needs to be the man in the outfield and the spark of this offense.

Center Field
Juan Samuel (.271/12/60 with the Phillies)
Doug Jennings (.263/0/6)

Von Hayes got hurt in spring training and is expected to miss up to the first 2 months of the season. As a result the team went out and added the Phillies speedy CF/2B. Samuel hasn't been as good as Hayes, but he's been a steady 3.8 WAR over the last 5 years. Jennings makes the team for the first time ever. He showed some progress in his development in the spring with a great eye, and good gap power. He backs up all the OF positions and can play at first.

Right Field
Pete Incaviglia (.253/11/49)
Dwayne Murphy (.167/1/5)

Inky gets his old job back with Winfied moving on. He had a pretty bad year last year, compared to his rookie campaign, so the hope is that he finds his old groove again. We need that power stroke in the lineup. There are not enough big bats in this lineup without him. Dwayne Murphy should have been cut. I think the only reason he is here, is because we have to pay him. He can still get the ball over the fence. He can also play all 3 outfield spots.

Injured Band Brigade

Von Hayes (.274/24/70)

Last years team MVP. Hayes went 20/20, and is always a hard out. Sadly, he's not the kind of player that can carry the team, but he is a good fielder. Look for him to get back close to the end of May.

Frank Tanana (9-6, 2.73)

It was a shock to lose him last year, and the staff really suffered. He had been the ace of the staff prior to tearing his UCL in his elbow. He is 13 wins away from his 200^th career win. He should kick Beattie out of the rotation when he comes back. Let's hope he can be effective again. He is due back within 10 days.

Armando Moreno (.132/1/9 with the Cardinals)

The Dodgers Rule 5 pick this year. Moreno is a utility player, who would need to stay on the roster all year or go back to the Cards. He broke his hand last year and needed surgery. He was once included in a trade that sent Nolan Ryan to the Expos. He'll be competing with Chuck Jackson for that roster spot.

Down on the Farm

OF Lee Stevens (#1, #34 MLB, 1^st Round, 17^th overall, '85)
The Dodgers top prospect came over last year in the Reds trade. Last year, he was voted the MVP for the AA league playing with San Antonio. He hit .340 with 20 HR's and 65 RBI's in 97 games. Stevens got his first ML experience last year, batting .355 with 3 HR's in 18 games for the Dodgers. He's very close to making the big league club.

OF Bill Masse (#2, #66 MLB, 1^st Round Supp, 38^th overall, '88)
LA's first round pick this year starts the year in Albuquerque playing LF for the Dukes. He's an average fielder with good range. He's fast on the bases. He has a good batting eye, but isn't known for his power or contact ability. Could be a good gap hitter, with occasional power and good average.

OF Michael House (#3, #153 MLB, 3^rd Round, 101^st overall, '88)
House starts the year off in AA San Antonio. His best position is first, but he's playing center for the Missions. He's got some pop, zero speed, and swings at everything. Doesn't really grade out to be much of anything, but he could add some power.

IF Dave Rohde (#4, #189 MLB, 4^th Round, 112^th overall, '85)
Rohde was signed by the club in the offseason. He was originally drafted by the Twins, but has subsequently played for 6 different clubs now. He has played sparingly over the years, with 23 game played between A and rookie ball. He's approaching his 25^th birthday, with not much to show. He'll start the year in AAA Albuquerque playing short. He has a good decent eye, is fast on the bases, but is a below average fielder and hitter.

Not Quite Ready for Prime Time

Stevens, Of Course

1B Darcy Walker
A 14^th round pick in '82, Walker has lived his whole career in the LA farm system. His last 2 have been in AAA, and last year was his best yet. He batted .316 with 11 HR and 83 RBI for the Dukes. LA is pretty fat at first so his chances are not looking good. He's 27 and his window of opportunity is fading.

OF Greg Clark
Clark should have changed his name to Walker, because he gets on base at mythical levels. His OBP in AAA, is over .400 and he has averaged over 125 walks per year in about 135 games. Below average in the field and swinging the bat, if he gets on he's a threat to steal, averaging about 38 for the last 3 years. He is nearly 30 though, has never broken into the majors and never been anywhere else but the Dodgers farm system.

P Bob Patterson
A lefty with good control. He could make the jump to fill in if one of the current lefties goes south. A former Padre, Patterson spent all of last year in AAA where he had a 2.95 ERA in 58 innings of work.

Preseason Outlook

The rags have us picked to finish 2^nd in the NL West, a distant 20 games behind the Astros. That doesn't bode well for post season hopes. The defending champs are loaded and should be looking to repeat. Their pitching is top shelf and their hitting isn't bad either. In the AL look for both the Mariners and Angels again to be grinding away at the top. The AL West is much stronger, with the Yankees looking like the top team over in the East. The Mets are the best in the NL East this preseason, however they may have dropped some as injuries have really taken their toll on that team.

IT'S TIME FOR DODGER BASEBALL!

CraigSca · 08-04-2018, 12:05 PM

So, I just went through the first page to see if I could find the information (if it's posted elsewhere, whoops), but how exactly are you playing this? I realize you are just watching the Dodgers vicariously with no input on your end.

However, what are the settings of the replay? Are you doing it where the player's career will follow the real one with re-calculation each year, or are you generating the player when he joins the league and then having the algorithms generate a "semi" random career?

Having you report this has me want to try something like this, too. Just wondering what parameters you set up.

Keep up the good work!

PilotMan · 08-05-2018, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraigSca

So, I just went through the first page to see if I could find the information (if it's posted elsewhere, whoops), but how exactly are you playing this? I realize you are just watching the Dodgers vicariously with no input on your end.

However, what are the settings of the replay? Are you doing it where the player's career will follow the real one with re-calculation each year, or are you generating the player when he joins the league and then having the algorithms generate a "semi" random career?

Having you report this has me want to try something like this, too. Just wondering what parameters you set up.

Keep up the good work!

For the most part it's pretty stock. Guys have their ratings readjusted based on their real life stats every year, and those ratings are based on a 3 year statistical window of real life stats. However, there is still an element of randomness as well, because player development is still turned on. So you can have guys, whose ratings are good, maybe never hit the level they hit in real life, or you have other guys, who never made it, turn it into something.

So there's still an element of surprise, along with the element of expectation.

Take the Cubs 3B Victor Madden. In real life, he never got higher than A ball in '84. However, in this world, in '89, he is a breakout player, who won the Silver Slugger last year, cracked 31 HR's and already has 5 in '89.

Or take a guy like Doc Medich, who was out of baseball after the '82 year, but here, is still going at 40 years old.

Or Kirk Gibson or Dave Winfield who will never (at least looking at it right now) live up to their real life career numbers.

Yet, Barry Bonds is just destroying his real life numbers right now. Will he be able to stay healthy enough to come close to his final numbers though?

It feels like a familiar enough world, with enough differences that it's all it's own. Thanks for reading. I'm glad that you're enjoying it. It's relaxing for me to do, I just worry that as I'm hitting my 250th typed page now, that it's getting a little boring and repetitive.

PilotMan · 08-05-2018, 11:42 AM

4/3 5-4 L to the Reds
What started good, ended poorly. LA had 3-0 lead in the 6^th, but couldn't hold on. Frank Viola pitched well early on, but got tagged in the 7^th. He first major league at bat, he drew a bases loaded walk. Dick Schofield hit the first homer of the year for the Dodgers (1). Esasky (1) for the Reds. The Reds rallied in the 7^th for 3 runs to take the lead. LA tied it in the 8^th. Lee Smith loaded the bases in the 9^th, then struck out Dave Henderson, but a line drive that was caught by Samuel was able to get Mike Stanley home for the Opening Day win for the Reds.

4/5 2-1 W over the Reds
Bryn Smith (1-0) pitched 6.1 and struck out 7. Rickey hit his first homer of the year in the first to give LA all the offense we'd need. DiPino and Franco finished it off in fine form for the first win of the year for LA.

4/6 5-1 L to the Reds
Dave Henderson went 3-4 with a HR (1) and Gary Redus doubled in 2. Rickey went 2-3 and stole a base in the loss. Ken Howell (0-1) took the loss. Wes Gardner the win (1-0).

4/7 3-2 (16) L to the Braves
Brad Komminsk singled in the winning run off of Brian Holton (0-1) in the 16^th to win it for the Braves. That capped a 3-7 game for him. Rickey went 2-5 with 2 walks for LA. Mark Leiter (1-0) got the win. Guerrero hit HR number 1 on the year.

Doug Jennings and Chuck Jackson were optioned to Albuquerque. To fill those roster spots, IF/OF Armando Moreno was activated from the DL, and the team picked up 28 yo, Bruce Fields off of waivers from the Astros. Fields has been a minor league journeyman and still has no career plate appearances. His last ML game was in '86 for the Tigers. He's a spray hitter, with some good speed. Like Moreno he can play a bunch of positions.

4/8 10-6 L to the Braves
The Braves put up 8 on the 4^th off of Viola (0-1). It was a really bad outing for him, 11 hits, 9 runs, 2 HR's allowed. Randy Johnson got the win (1-0). Rickey went 3-4, with 3 RBI's, including his 2^nd HR of the year. Scioscia also went deep for #1 and his 50^th career dinger.
Fields was optioned and Jennings was recalled back to LA.

4/9 4-0 L to the Braves
Oh boy. Gonna be a long year. LA drops another one. Allan Anderson (1-1) ended up 2 outs shy of the shutout. LA could only manage 4 singles in the game. The Braves rookie Mo Vaughn hit HR number 2 of the year, then left the game with an injury Jim Beattie (0-1) took the loss after 7 innings of work.

Frank Tanana was activated from the DL, and in a shocking move, LA designated Kelly Downs and placed him on waivers. Downs was LA's best pitcher last season and was expected to hold down a spot on the rotation all year. This one is causing all kinds of consternation among the fans. That means that both John Denny and Jim Beattie keep their roster spots with his return. Wow.

4/10 3-1 L to the Giants
Ugh. The worst team in the league has some young talent now, but they still suck. Bryn Smith (1-1) had a lead and a 3 hit shutout until the 8^th. A bad pitch to Gregg Jefferies was all the Giants needed. That was the first HR of the year for Jefferies. Joe Slusarski started for the Giants, but Bryan Harvey (1-0) got the win. LA put the tying run in scoring position, but Pleasac kept anyone from scoring for his 2^nd save.

For some reason the Dodgers front office has gone off the rails. Chuck Jackson was recalled from Albuquerque, and to make room for him, Ken Caminiti was designated and placed on waivers. Caminiti started the year hitting (.171/.161/.171) in 7 games. He was a huge bright spot for the team last year, and was part of the young talent on the team. There is no way he is going to survive this. LA claimed OF Eddie Vargas from the Reds and placed him on the roster. He's a career .192 hitter in 4 years with the Pirates and Padres. He hasn't been in the majors since '85.

4/11 4-2 L to the Giants
LA drops another one. Frank Tanana (0-1) made his return to the rotation tonight, but in the 5^th he had to leave with another injury. How does that decision to dump Downs look now? The Giants Jose Nunez (1-0) pitched 5.2 with 6 k's. Pedro had a couple hits, and Chuck Jackson, now starting at third, hit his first career HR, a solo shot (1). LA has dropped 6 straight.

Fields was returned to the team and Jackson was optioned back to AAA. Also, long time Dodger reliever and former closer and '84 Reliever of the Year, Tom Neidenfuer was released by the team. His career ERA is 2.73 after 8 years with the Dodgers. Another of the old guard gone.

4/12 5-2 L to the Giants
Oh no. We are swept by what was the worst team in baseball. LA drops to 1-8 on the year. John Habyan (1-1) pitched 8 innings and Harvey got his 3^rd save. Juan Samuel lead off the game with a home run (1) but LA could only get 3 more hits. He had 2 of the teams 4 hits. Ken Howell (0-2) served up 10 hits in 5.2 innings.

Kelly Downs was claimed off of waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers had their best season last year since '83. I am shocked too. Caminiti skated through waivers without a claim and he was optioned to Albuquerque.

Mike Huff of the Texas Rangers made his ML debut, and what a debut it was. The Rule 5 pick from the Brewers went 5-5 and ended a homer shy of the cycle.

4/13 6-1 W over the Astros
Frank Viola (1-1) got his first win in a Dodgers uniform with an 8 inning, 4 hit show. LA needed the stopper to do his stopper job. His only mistake was a bad pitch to George Bell who put one in the left field bleachers (3). LA, behind, was saved today by Pedro Guerrero's 2-run HR (2) in the 6^th off of Dennis Martinez (1-1). Guerrero went 3-4 with 4 RBI's.

4/14 4-1 L to the Astros
Tom Candiotti (2-0) came within an out of the complete game tonight. If not for allowing the tying run to come to the plate he would have been good. LA's only runs came on an inning where the Astros made 2 errors. Fred McGriff (3) and Joe Carter (4) went back to back off of Jim Beattie (0-2) in the third. Scioscia had a 2 hit day for LA.

4/15 9-2 L to the Astros
Fred McGriff and Joe Carter both went 3-5, with McGriff hitting his 4^th HR of the season. Nolan Ryan (1-1) struck out 8 in a short 5 innings of work, while Bryn Smith (1-2) took the loss for LA. Pedro had 2 hits for LA.

PilotMan · 08-11-2018, 06:44 PM

4/16 4-3 W over the Astros
A 2-run double by Marty Barrett in the 6^th put LA up in for good tonight. Mike Scioscia batted cleanup and went 2-4 with the other 2 RBI's. Tanana (1-1) went 6.2, gave up his standard home run. Franco closed it out for his 2^nd save. LA is now 3-10 to start the year. This is the worst start I've seen them have.

To say that the team is in transition is a mild understatement. Mike Schmidt was placed on waivers and designated for assignment today. Chuck Jackson was recalled from AAA to take his roster spot. Schmidt hasn't appeared in a game yet this year.

4/17 3-2 L to the Reds
A pair of 7^th inning home runs for the Reds gave them the winning margin tonight. First it was the first career homer for Mickey Morandini (1). A supplemental first rounder, Morandini's pinch hit homer broke the tie, then former Dodger Tom Broookens smacked another (1). Both home runs came off of Brian Holton (0-2). Jeff Stember (2-1) got the W. Dwayne Murphy came off the bench to go 2-2 and hit a solo homer (1). That ties his total for all of last year.

4/18 7-3 L to the Reds
LA wasted 13 hits and left 11 runners on base. CF Eddie Vargas went 3-5 and Pedro knocked his 3^rd HR of the season. Frank Viola (1-2) had a challenging outing tonight while Frank DiPino didn't help him out of the pen. UF Armando Moreno was hurt sliding into 3^rd and left the game.

Schmidt cleared waivers with no claims. It's yet to be seen whether he will rejoin the team or be let go. I don't see him taking a spot in Albuquerque.

Moreno only has a mild ab strain. No DL trip for him.

4/19 7-1 L to the Reds
Nick Esasky's 2-run HR in the 4^th (3) off of Jim Beattie (0-3) gave the Reds all the offense they'd need tonight. A great night of pitching from Tom Browning (2-1) who gave up his hit in the 4^th when Guerrero went deep (4). He came an out from a complete game, but only threw 104 pitches. LA had 3 errors in the loss.

4/21 3-1 W over the Giants
No hits until the bottom of the 4^th for either team until Mike Scioscia broke it open with HR #2 on the year. The Giants tied the game back up and Bryn Smith lost a great start. Dick Schofield hit a 2-run single to put LA on top. DiPino gets the win (1-0) and and Franco gets his 3^rd save.

4/22 6-0 W over the Giants
Holy Shit! LA wins 2 in a row! Frank Tanana (2-1) throws 7.1 shutout innings and the Dodgers get homers from Chuck Jackson (2) and Ricky (3) as LA puts up 6 runs on 8 hits. Barrett goes 3-4. John Habyan (2-2) takes the loss.

4/23 6-2 W over the Giants
That's 3! We're taking the baseball world by storm! Rickey went 3-3, scored 3 times and crushed a 2-run homer (4) in the first to give LA a 2-1 lead. Juan Samuel added another (2) in his 2-5 game. Guerrero doubled in 2 more. Viola (2-2) pitched into the 8^th and allowed 1 earned run, walking none and striking out 6. Greg Hibbard (1-3) took the loss.

4/25 4-0 L to the Cubs
David Cone (2-1) pitched 8 scoreless to win player of the game tonight. Cubs slugging third basemen Victor Madden hit his 7^th HR of the year. LA got 3 hits from Guerrero and Ken Howell (0-3) fought through 7 tough innings. Dodger reliver Brian Holton walked 4 including a run, in his single inning.

4/26 10-6 (13) L to the Cubs
Phil Plantier hit a grand slam (2) in the 13^th off of Joe Price (0-1) to crush the hopes of the Dodger faithful tonight. LA was behind all game and came back twice to extend the game. BJ Surhoff went 4-6, Jackson added 3 more of his own. LA had 4 extra base hits and left 10 runners on base.

Mike Schmidt was released from the Dodgers. He did not play in a game this year. Even though he probably could have gotten some playing time, he is a liability in the field and his hitting last year was below par. He did hit his 500^th career HR in an Dodgers uniform though.

4/27 2-1 L to the Cubs
Glenn Wilson doubled in a run, and scored the winning run in the 7^th inning for the Cubs. Kevin Brown (1-2) only missed on a 5^th inning pitch to Dick Schofield (2) and that was all LA would get. Frank Tanana (2-2) pitched brilliantly going the distance, but he didn't get the support. Sixto DeLaCruz pitched the 9^th for his 3^rd save.

4/28 7-1 W over the Cardinals
Viola (3-2) got the complete game tonight, allowing 5 hits and an unearned run. LA got on the board in the first and a 3 run shot in the 2^nd inning by Juan Samuel (3) opened the game up. Scioscia added his 3^rd in the 5^th as part of a 2-5, 3 RBI day. Jaime Navarro (1-2) took the loss.

4/29 5-4 W over the Cardinals
Pete O'Brian doubled in the winning run in the 7^th inning, pinch hitting for Samuel. Earlier, Samuel had doubled with the bases loaded knocking in 3. Jim Beattie (1-3) pitched 6 innings to get his first win of the year. Franco closed the game out for his 4^th save.

4/30 3-2 (11) L to the Cardinals
LA wasted a good pitching performance from Ken Howell. Howell pitched 7 and got 2 hits from Jennings, Guerrero, and Scioscia. LA was helpless against the Cardinals bullpen today. Mike Morgan left early and the Cards threw 7 straight scoreless. John Franco served up a hit to Ozzie Smith, back with the Cards this year, that scored Mel Hall to send the faithful home. Larry McWilliams won (3-0).

PilotMan · 08-12-2018, 09:45 AM

April Recap

This was a bad, bad month and the worst start for LA. LA finished the month with a record of 8-17 and the 3^rd worst record in baseball. Incredibly, the A's and Brewers were worst. LA though, was the worst in the NL. At this point, the Dodgers are in 5^th in the NL West, and 10 games behind the Astros who are off to an 18-7 start to the year. It's bad. So bad.

It looks like a bad start to a long season. I had a much more optimistic view of the season a month ago. Now? I shutter at the thought of what it could be, so let's cover this quickly.

LA is 12^th in the NL in runs scored, 10^th in average and 11^th in OBP. Team OBP is below .300, and even despite all that the team is 4^th in HR's. Starters are 6^th in ERA and the bullpen is 8^th. The team is 2^nd in the NL in defense.

Top players for the month were Rickey (.312/.396/.473, 7SB, 4 HR (tied for team lead)), and Pedro (.322/.359/.506, 4 HR). Who didn't help with the bat? Inky (.154/.258/.154) and Caminiti (.172/.161/.172) are both back in the minors. Schofield and his .173/.287/.267 is in danger of losing his job and even career +.300 hitter Marty Barrett only hit .215/.270/.258. You really can go down the line. I won't pick on some of the other utility players, but there's a lot to hate right now.

The pitching staff wasn't quite so bad, but...Frank DiPino pitched in a team high 10 games, and had a 7.47 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. Jim Beattie started 4 games, went 1-3 and had a 4.97 ERA. Franco pitched the best posting a 0.79 ERA in 9 games, with 4 saves and Lee Smith a 0.82 ERA in 8 games. Frank Tanana was the top starter, going 2-2 with a 2.42 ERA.

In the NL East it's the Expos back on top by 3 over the Pirates with a 17-7 record. The Mets are off to a horrid start going 10-13 and are 6.5 back. In the AL East, the Yankees are in 3^rd, 2.5 behind the Indians and Orioles, who are tied at the top. And over in the West, or the 'good' AL division, the Royals are in front by a half over the White Sox.

On to May and I hope a plan for our favored team.

PilotMan · 08-13-2018, 11:42 PM

5/1 8-1 L to the Pirates
Pirates third basemen Eddie Williams goes 3-4, and catcher Brian Harper goes deep for #5. Melido Perez goes 7 innings, walked 4 allowed 3 hits for the win (2-1). Dodgers Bryn Smith (1-3) takes the loss.

5/2 2-1 L to the Pirates
Chili Davis went deep for the 8^th time this year and Frank Tanana (2-3) took the loss despite pitching 8 strong innings. The Pirates had 2 pitchers leave the game with injuries, yet the bullpen was still able to shut LA down. Jeff Dryden (2-0) got the win despite only throwing 3 pitches.

Doug Jennings was optioned back to AAA and Lee Stevens was recalled back to the team.

5/3 3-0 W over the Cardinals
Maybe Viola will be a stopper? Tonight, he was nearly perfect. Throwing a complete game, 2-hit shut out, with 7 K's to imrove to 4-2 on the year. Dick Schofield was 3-3 and hit his 3^rd HR of the year, and Rickey was 2-4 and hit his 5^th. Other than those guys, LA managed 2 hits. His game tied Candiotti for top pitching performance on the year.

5/4 11-2 W over the Cardinals
This one belonged to the unsung players tonight. Bruce Fields hit his first career HR (1) and went 3-4 with 4 RBI's and 3 runs scored in his best game ever. Fields started in right and did not disappoint. Chuck Jackson who has been starting at 3^rd, went 3-3 with a triple and a HR (3), 3 RBI's and 2 runs scored. Jim Beattie (2-3) pitched 6 and Joe Price got the 3 inning save (1). Pete Harnish (1-3) took the loss.

5/5 4-3 W over the Cubs
The Cubs scored first, but Samuel tied it with a 2 run homer in the 3^rd (4). LA would get one in the 6^th to take the lead thanks to Guerrero. Franco (1-1) came on in the 8^th, and let the Cubs tie it up. His first BS of the year. The 9^th saw a leadoff single by Fields, followed by a single by Chuck Jackson. Pete O'Brien then singled in the winning run. Bobby Thigpen (0-2) took the loss.

Nolan Ryan went 9 and struck out 7 Mets on a night he'll never forget as he picked up his 300^th career win. The 42 year old shows no signs of slowing down.

5/6 2-1 (11) W over the Cubs
John Smiley and Bryn Smith went head to head with zeros all night long. It wasn't until the 10^th inning, with Smiley, still in and batting for himself, singled in the catcher and former Dodger Ronald King. With Thigpen on the mound again, LA worked a walk to lead off and eventually got the bases loaded. O'Brien, pinch hitting, drew another walk to tie it. In the 11^th, Lee Stevens, getting his first start of the year, singled in Chuck Jackson to walk us off. Frank DiPino (2-0) gets the win, while Sixto DeLaCruz took the loss (0-2).

5/7 2-0 W over the Cubs
Frank Tanana (3-3) pitched 8 innings of shut out baseball and John Franco pitched the 9^th for his 5^th save of the season. Dodger 2^nd basement, Bruce Fields, doubled in the first run in the 6^th, and LA added another in the 8^th on a Chuck Jackson double. LA is no longer the worst in the NL.

Lee Stevens was sent back to Albuquerque as Von Hayes was activated from the DL. Hayes is expected to start in RF.

5/9 4-1 L to the Pirates
Jack McDowell (4-2) pitches into the 8^th and strikes out 6 in the win. Johnny Ray went 3-4 and Eddie Williams hit a bases clearing double with them loaded. Viola (4-3) took the loss, while Von Hayes went 2-4 in his first game back with the teams only RBI.

5/10 5-4 L to the Pirates
Ken Howell (0-4) served up 13 hits in 6 innings and LA was lucky that the scoreline wasn't higher. LA fought back in the 9^th and scored 3 to get it close. The tying run made it to 2^nd base before Henneman and the Pirates shut it down. Henneman got his 9^th save. Chuck Jackson went 2-4 with 2 doubles. Jose DeLeon gets the win (3-3).

5/12 8-2 L to the Phillies
Dave Magadan went 2-4 with 2 RBI's and Darren Daulton smashed his first HR of the year as the Phillies cruise to a win. Tanana (3-4) got roughed up all night and couldn't make it out of the 6^th. The Phils piled on the LA bullpen with John Denny allowing 3 in the 8^th. Surhoff went 2-4 in the start. Andy Hawkins (1-0) got the win.

Lee Stevens broke his hand in a game in AAA and he's may be able to return for roster expansion, but otherwise his year is functionally over.

5/13 8-4 L to the Phillies
OK. This is pretty amazing. Truly. Bryn Smith (1-4) started for LA, but his bat was the story. Smith hit a grand slam (1) in the 2^nd inning to put all 4 runs in for LA and a lead. This is no lie. In the bottom of the 2^nd, Phillies pitcher, Ed Wojna hit a 3-run HR off of Smith to bring it back. I've never seen 2 HR's and 7 RBI's from the starting pitchers before. The Phillies kept scoring though, and Mark Grace hit one in the 6^th (5) to keep the run parade rolling.

5/14 7-4 L to the Phillies
Here we go again with losing. Phils first basemen Mark Grace went 2-3 and tripled in 2, to put the game out of reach for LA. The Phillies jumped all over Viola (4-4) to the tune of 7 runs and 9 hits. Mike Scioscia went 2-3 with 2 walks and a solo homer (4). Greg Maddux (5-2) gets the win.

5/15 11-4 W over the Mets
Pedro Guerrero doubled and went deep twice (5,6). Juan Samuel went 2-5, with 4 RBI's and he went deep (5) for his 100^th career dinger. Scioscia, Barrett and Jackson all added 2 hits. Ken Howell (1-4) really struggled, but his 8 k's in 5.2 innings were solid. The Mets Robby Thompson homered twice (3,4) and Pete Smith (1-4) took the loss.

PilotMan · 08-14-2018, 01:02 PM

Just wanted to emphasize this crazy game.

5/13 8-4 L to the Phillies
OK. This is pretty amazing. Truly. Bryn Smith (1-4) started for LA, but his bat was the story. Smith hit a grand slam (1) in the 2^nd inning to put all 4 runs in for LA and a lead. This is no lie. In the bottom of the 2^nd, Phillies pitcher, Ed Wojna hit a 3-run HR off of Smith to bring it back. I've never seen 2 HR's and 7 RBI's from the starting pitchers before. The Phillies kept scoring though, and Mark Grace hit one in the 6^th (5) to keep the run parade rolling.

PilotMan · 08-20-2018, 07:12 PM

5/16 5-4 (13) L to the Mets
Oh boy. LA has some issues in the bullpen. Chuck Jackson is starting to play like a major leaguer. LA scored first with 3 in the 4^th thanks to something like 6 straight singles. The Mets got it all back in the 4^th. Helped by a Strawberry home run (7) off of starter Jim Beattie who pitched 5 innings. The it was silent until the 13^th. Jackson hit his 4^th HR of the year and topped off a 3-6 game, with 2 RBI's. It looked like LA was going to pull this one out. Brian Holton (0-3) came in to pitch and 2 pitches in Bobby Bonilla hit a solo homer (7) to tie it again. Then 6 pitches after that, Kevin Mitchell sent them home with his 3^rd. Tough, tough ending. Holton should probably be shown the door. Storm Davis gets the win (2-2).

5/18 8-4 L to the Mets
Up until the 6^th it was all pitching. Tanana (3-5) and Liebrandt (3-1) kept the game quiet. LA got to him in the 6^th with 2 on a Hayes double. But everytime LA scored, the Mets did too. The Mets answered with 1 in the bottom. Then LA scored in the 7^th, but the Mets scored 4 and got Tanana out. LA came back with another in the 8^th, but the Mets got 3 more. A truly losing endeavor. Mitchell and Bonilla both went 3-5. Mitchell had 3 RBI's.

LA's short rise up the division is now over as we fall back to 5^th.
5/19 2-1 L to the Expos
LA making average pitchers look good again. Today it was John Wetteland (4-2). Wetteland allowed 2 hits over 6 innings. Viola (4-5) got the start for LA today, threw a complete game, got his first career double and lost. LA had the tying run in scoring position when Guerrero hit a drive to the right field corner. Dawson was able to run it down and save the game for the Expos.

Former Dodger slugger, Fred Lynn, hit career home run number 300 tonight. Lynn's blast came as part of a 4-run, 6^th inning against the Brewers. Coincidentally, the pitcher on the mound was another former Dodger, Kelly Downs. Downs is 0-4 on the year with a 4.83 ERA for the Brew Crew.

5/20 7-1 L to the Expos
The Expos score in each of the first 5 innings, capped by a 3-4 game by Al Newman and a 2-3, 3 RBI game by Galarraga who hit his 6^th HR of the year. Bryn Smith drops to 1-5 with another poor game, and Ed Whitson (5-1) throws a complete game and was never in any real trouble. Henderson and Jackson had 2 hit games.

5/21 5-4 W over the Expos
LA fought back from down 3-0 and Ken Howell (2-4) helped his own cause today. Rickey went 4-5, but it was Howell, who went 2-4 with 3 RBI's, including the go ahead RBI in the 7^th. Franco came on in the 8^th when Howell got in trouble, and closed out the game for his 6^th save. Nice to get a win for a change.

LA makes a few changes to the roster. Brian Holton was optioned back to Albuquerque and the team promotes Scott Baker. Baker is a 26yr old righty who is making his MLB debut. He was originally a 35^th round pick (920^th overall) by the Expos back in '82. Since then he's been all over. He was signed by LA at the end of last season as a free agent. Prior to last season the highest he's played was rookie ball. With Albuquerque this year he's 0-1, with 7 saves and a 1.59 ERA in 10 games. He's been a prime closer everywhere and in 100 minor league games has a career 1.55 ERA with 56 career saves. He throws a fastball and slider and can reach the upper 90's. Who knows if he'll be worth anything, but he's a good story at least.

The other change was the team putting 2^nd baseman Marty Barrett (.204/0/10, with a .275 OBP) on waivers and designating him for assignment. A bit of a surprise for the team, who signed him to a 2 year deal and had high expectations for him. It is also a sign that the team is willing to recognize that things are not going well. The team recalled Ken Caminiti (.328/1/16 in Albuquerque) to take his place. Not sure if he or Jackson will play 2^nd/3^rd.

5/23 9-8 W over the Phillies
Hard to finger this one. LA blew a 7-1 lead, and needed 2 in the 9^th to win it. Frank Tanana left the game in the first with a hand injury. Tough to say how bad right now. Caminiti got us going right with a 3-5 day and 3 doubles. He was responsible for the tying run in the 9^th. LA bashed out 14 hits, 3 from Henderson and 3 from Guerrero. Guerrero also blasted a solo shot in the 4^th (7). Lee Smith, normally rock solid, walked 4 batters in just under 2 innings, and walked 2 in. Of his 40 pitches, 16 were for strikes. In the 9^th, with 2 out, Bruce Fields grounded out to the closer Mike Schooler, but Schooler threw it away and allowed Henderson to score the winning run.

Tanana's injury is minor and that's good news. He shouldn't miss a start and isn't going to the DL.

5/24 5-1 L to the Phillies
Greg Maddux (7-2) is having the best year of his career. He leads the NL in wins with 7 and today shut us down over 8 innings. Viola (4-6) pitched 7 good, but not good enough. Juan Samuel got 2 hits today, and Armando Moreno left the game with an abdominal strain.

5/25 3-0 L to the Phillies
Mark Grace went 3-4 and former Dodgers Kurt Stillwell and Floyd Bannister (5-4) put the hurt on. Bannister pitched 7 scoreless against LA, while Stillwell knocked in 2. Bryn Smith (1-6) took another tough loss, but pitched into the 8^th. He has a 3.68 ERA to go with his stellar record.

5/26 6-5 W over the Mets
LA struck first with a couple in the first inning, but by the 4^th the Mets had tied the game. Neither Bud Black nor Ken Howell figured into the final, although both pitched 7. In the 8^th Rickey lead off with his 6^th HR of the year, against Roger McDowell (4-3) and Mike Scioscia added his 5^th a 2-run homer, later on. The Mets made Franco look bad today with 2 off of him in the 9^th and the tying run on first, before Franco locked it down for his 7^th save. Lee Smith got the win (1-1).

5/27 4-3 W over the Mets
The Mets get 2 cheap runs early in the game off of Jim Beattie (3-3), but he settled down and pitched well enough. LA tied that game on a Schofield HR (4) off of Mets starter Brian Holman (0-1), in his first career start. Scioscia went 3-4 and Pete O'Brien and Rickey added 2 more. We got to see the debut of Scott Baker, who got 4 outs, 2 K's on 11 pitches. Franco closed the 9^th for his 8^th save.

Armando Moreno was placed on the 15 day DL, and taking his place on the roster was Marty Barrett, who was reinstated after clearing waivers.

5/28 5-1 L to the Mets
Strawberry hammered a ball in the first inning off of “Gopher Ball” Tanana (3-6) and the Mets went up for good. Liebrandt (4-1) owned LA today, except for Juan Samuel who went 2-4 with a solo homer (6) . Robby Thompson homered in the 8^th (6) off of Lee Smith to pour on the misery.

5/29 2-1 W over the Expos
Frank Viola (5-6) looked like the real deal tonight. He simply owned the Expos, allowing 1 hit through 7 innings, before he allowed a run off a couple walks. Von Hayes hit his first HR of the year, which is way longer than he should have. Franco pitched another 9^th for his 9^th save this year.

5/30 9-4 L to the Expos
Von Hayes saw his batting average bump by about 70 points today as he put together a 5-5 showing, including 2 RBI's. Both Caminiti and and Schofield added 2 hit games, but it didn't really matter. An error by Schofield in the first, lead to a 5 unearned run outburst, that put the Expos up for good. Bryn Smith loses again, dropping to 1-7, while Ed Whitson won again (6-2).

5/31 4-3 (10) L to the Expos
Former Dodger, Willie Randolph put it to us going 3-5 today, and knocking in 2 runs. Raines came around to score in the 10^th on a Yount flyball to center. LA had 6 hits, 4 from Guerrero and Rickey. Ken Howell took a no hitter into the 6^th before the Expos pitcher Rodney Imes got his first career hit, and that opened the door to a 2-run inning. John Franco (2-2) took the loss in the 10^th.

PilotMan · 08-20-2018, 09:43 PM

May Recap

Gonna make this one short and sweet and move on to other things. LA went 11-16 in May, and while that's a step up it's good enough for 5^th place in the West and a mere 19.5 games behind the Astros.

The team can't hit. They are 11^th in average (.238) and OPB (.299) and 12^th in slugging (.344). Somehow, they are 6^th in HR's. The pitching staff is 7^th in the NL, with the bullpen ranking 10^th. Defensively, the team is 3^rd in the NL. So the mantra is, they suck.

The best hitter was Chuck Jackson. Yep, his .313/.410/.507 slash line lead the team and Ricky was right behind with a .305/.407/.400 line. Like April power was in short supply. For the entire month, Pedro and Samuel and their 3 dingers lead the team. Samuel hit .170. Pedro a measly .250. Who else sucked? Marty Barrett (.171/.256/.186). Maybe they should have released him.

The top pitcher was probably Frankie V. Viola went 2-4 with a 2.98 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. Tanana wasn't awful either (1-4, 3.41, 1.05). Who wasn't? John Denny (0-0, 7.30, 2.11) and Ken Howell (2-1, 4.50, 1.50) was the worst of the starters.

What about the rest of the league?

The Astros are winning. With a 39-14 record they lead all of the NL, and are 11 games in front of the Braves. In the East, the Expos (.596) are a half in front of the Pirates (.588) and 1.5 in front of the Phillies (.566). The top team in the AL are the Orioles, who have gone from laughing stock to 34-18 leaders. They have the worst pitching staff, but they are powered by the Jr's. Cal Ripken and Ken Griffey. Add Ellis Burks in there too and they can hit. And in the West, it's between the Royals (.615) who lead, followed by the White Sox (.604) who are a half back. The Royals are lead by former Dodger, Orel Hersheiser, who is 9-1, with a 2.38 ERA. The White Sox and El Toro are getting along just fine. Valenzuela is 6-4, with a 3.07 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP for the White Sox. The White Sox currently have 7 pitchers on the DL.

I'm almost afraid of what June has to bring.

PilotMan · 08-23-2018, 10:32 PM

6/1 3-2 W over the Astros
LA scrapped a win against the best team in baseball tonight. Beattie gave the team a chance with 5.1 innings and 4 k's, but the offense couldn't get it going against former Dodger Dave Stewart. Stewart lowered his ERA to 2.12, but a Dodger run in the 8^th tied it up, then a double by Pete O'Brien in the 9^th against Tom Henke (0-5). McGriff homered for the 11^th time this year.

6/2 11-7 W over the Astros
And LA takes down the champs again! Quite the offensive battle today. Pitching didn't matter much today. LA was lucky to knock Dennis Martinez around (5-3). He came into the game with a sub 2 ERA. Tanana (4-6) still gave up 2 homers, but was picked up with a Hayes HR (2) and Scioscia HR (6). Tanana even did his own damage. Coming into the game on an 0-25 streak, Tanana went a blistering 2-4 with 2 RBI's. Barrett and Scioscia added 3 hit games each.

6/3 4-2 L to the Astros
I guess we couldn't sweep or anything. Frankly we were lucky to get 2 runs off of Candiotti, who is having a stellar season (8-3, 1.15 ERA). LA had 0 extra base hits, and wasted a good effort by Viola (5-7). The game was tied heading to the bottom of the 6^th, when McGriff got his first career hit off of Frankie, a deep drive into the right field seats (13). Tom Henke closed for his 20^th save.

6/4 4-3 L to the Astros
Another game lost from the jaws of victory. Despite allowing 13 baserunners in 7 innings, Bryn Smith managed to keep the Astros from crossing home plate. Well...mostly. Every time LA would score the Astros would answer. Down 2-1, in the 8^th, BJ Surhoff lauched a 2-run blast (1) off of former Dodger Alejandro Pena. It was the first run Pena has allowed in 17 innings worked this year. LA couldn't hold the lead. Two runners lead off the bottom half of the inning and the manager went to Franco, and he couldn't keep those 2 from scoring. LA threatened in the 9^th, but Barrett lined into a DP to end it.

6/5 3-1 L to the Braves
Just when things were turning, we're back to another losing streak. The offense didn't show up again today, as the Braves Ramon Martinez struck out 8 and upped his record to 4-3. His only mistake was a 4^th inning HR by Ken Caminiti (1). Ken Howell (2-5) took the loss for LA. Jim Acker got his 12^th save for Atlanta.

Blue Jays first baseman Jack Clark mashed his 300^th career HR last night. The Blue Jays crushed the Brewers 13-1.

6/6 5-1 L to the Braves
Another failure of the bats tonight. The Braves fearsome lineup with names like, Kelly, Browne, Thomas and Winningham, beat up on Jim Beattie (3-4) scoring in 4 of the first 5 innings. Mark Leiter, making his 2^nd career start, (2-0) shut down LA over 7 scoreless. LA only scored in the 9^th, when it was already over.

6/7 2-1 L to the Braves
Another sweep of LA for the Braves. Randy Johnson, despite a 72 minute rain delay in the 4^th inning, took a no hitter into the 8^th inning, before Caminiti broke it up with a double to left. He would score for LA's only run. The Dodgers, Frank Tanana (4-7), also pitched well. The first 2 batters he faced after the delay singled and homered (Komminsk (8)), and really, that was all the Braves needed. In the 7^th, Tanana was forced out of the game with back soreness. No word yet on his condition.

Ugh, this team is tough to watch. They have scored 8 runs in the last 5 games. Before that they put up 11 in one against Houston. The players are complaining about a lack of team leadership as well as selfish players in the clubhouse (hmmmmm, sounds like Henderson). Manager Adam Abercrombie can't like his chances of staying with this 1 year deal right now, and even the GM should be concerned. Shockingly, LA is 3^rd in team payroll, and attendance has dropped by over 10,000 per game compared to last season. It's gonna be a long, hot summer of losing.

Good news at least with Tanana, he's been diagnosed with spasms and will not be going to the DL, for now anyway.

6/9 3-1 L to the Reds
This is 6 straight losses for the Dodgers now. Ron Darling went 8 and improved his record to 2-8, while Viola pitched into the 8^th and lost to go to 5-8. Henderson went 2-4 and was the only bright spot. LA put runners on 2^nd and 3^rd with no outs against Eck and couldn't get even one run across. John Franco was removed from the game with back tightness, but it was only precautionary. He should be fine. This was Darling's first game with the Reds after a trade from the Padres yesterday. The Padres got Gary Redus and a minor leaguer.

6/10 5-1 L to the Reds
Now 7 in a row. Bryn Smith loses again and runs his record to 1-9 on the year. His 3.63 ERA belies that record. Today, he was victimized by a Schofield error, then the Reds pitcher, Roy Smith, hit a 2-run triple. Later it was Hendu who crushed an opposite field HR (11) to close it and chase Smith in the 6^th. LA got 2 hit games from Samuel, O'Brien and Surhoff, but left 8 runners on base.

6/11 6-1 L to the Reds
Good god. This is 8 now. LA could only muster 4 hits today. One of them was a leadoff HR by Samuel in the first (7). It was all downhill from there. Ken Howell (2-6) struck out 8 in 5 innings, but also allowed 6 hits, 3 walks and another HR by Hendu (12). Jeff Stember (6-4) is the winner.

Former Dodger, Fred Lynn got his 2000^th career hit last night for the Angels. Lynn went 2-4 as part of the Angels 6-4 win over the Royals. Lynn also hit HR number 303 in the game.

LA now has the worst record in the NL. I hate to say that I saw this coming, but I really did. I mean, the preseason pick saw us in 2^nd place, and I really didn't think we'd fall this far, this fast, but damn. With no farm system, and poor finances, this team was destined to struggle. Only 3 teams in baseball are worse. The Brewers and the A's.

Armando Moreno was activated from the DL, and once again, Marty Barrett was designated and placed on waivers.

6/12 4-3 (11) L to the Reds
OMG! We're up to 9 straight losses now. Von Hayes, Mike Scioscia, and Juan Samuel all had 2 hit games, and Frank Tanana left the game with a 3-1 lead, but Frank DiPino couldn't keep the Reds from scoring and sending it to extras. Lee Smith (2-2) took the loss. Juan Samuel left the game with an abdominal injury. They're already saying that he should be fine, and not planning to send him to the DL (not that it would matter at this point).

Marty Barrett was pulled off of waivers and Caminiti (.210/1/6) was sent back to Albuquerque.

6/13 8-0 W over the Astros
Well, we needed that, and for some reason, are really beating the best team in the league regularly. Jim Beattie (4-4) started and spread out 8 hits over 6 innings, while the rest of the team spread another 3 hits. The 'Stros out hit LA 11 to 9. Rickey cleared the bases with a double that broke the game open in the 7^th. Juan Samuel, already banged up, had to leave the game after legging out a double in the 6^th. Tom Candiotti, (8-4) who came into the game with a sub 1.30 ERA left with a 1.75 ERA after giving up all 8 runs in 6 innings. I should also say, that LA didn't get it's first hit until the 5^th. So how about that?!

Samuel has some hamstring tightness, but isn't going to the DL just yet.

6/14 14-4 L to the Astros
Houston put up 4 off of Frank Viola (5-9) in the first and never looked back. LA had actually cut the lead to 5-4 heading into the top of the 8^th before Houston blew it out. LA lost Eddie Vargas (.318/0/0) and Joe Price (0-1, 1S, 2.79) to injuries. Ricky homered in the first (7). Marty Barrett had his best game of the year going 3-4 with 2 RBI's.

Both Vargas and Price came back with minor injuries and neither will need to head to the DL. Good news for Price. He's been one of the best pitchers on the team.

6/15 11-6 L to the Astros
Another smackdown for the Champs against crappy LA pitching. Bryn Smith got lit up for 7 runs in 5 innings, while watching his record drop to 1-10. Ouch. Nolan Ryan (7-4) strikes out 7. Marty Barrett continued his hot streak going 3-3 and Jackson and Ricky added 2 hits each.

San Diego Padres pitcher, and former Dodger, Rick Reuchel, at age 40, with over 200 wins, and 2000 strikeouts, with 2 World Series rings and a Gold Glove, can now add no-hitter to his long list of career accomplishments. Tonight, Reuchel no hit the Cincinnati Reds 3-0, walking 2 and striking out 6.

The Dodgers ship pitching prospect Don Pall, 27, (0-1, 8.38 in AAA) to the Tigers for 22 y/o Jorge Brito. Brito was a 7^th round pick in '87, and was batting .074 in AAA prior to the trade. LA has sent him to low A Vero Beach. Pall was a former 4^th round pick of the Dodgers in '84. He was 24-26, with 10 career saves and a 3.98 ERA in his minor league career.

PilotMan · 08-28-2018, 02:23 PM

6/16 3-1 W over the Braves
Ken Howell (3-6) served up a HR to Craig Worthington (10) in the first and kept them off the board the rest of the way. He finished the game with 7 K's in his 8 innings. Craig Jackson went 2-4 and an RBI tonight. John Franco pitched the 9^th for his 10^th save.

6/17 6-3 W over the Braves
Hey! We're playing like a baseball team! LA left 11 guys on base tonight, and could have blown this one open. Tanana (5-7) didn't have his good stuff. He gave up 10 hits in just over 6 innings, but kept it close enough for the offense. LA benefited from 3 unearned runs and Lee Smith pitched the final 2 innings for the first save of his season. This game also saw the Major League debut of Braves pitcher Tommy Greene. He worked 2 scoreless and struck out his first batter.

6/18 6-2 W over the Braves
Von Hayes goes 3-4 (where has he been?) and Scioscia goes 2-3 with 3 RBI's as LA leaves 10 guys on base. So between Randy Johnson and Jim Beattie, who had more K's? Beattie 7 to 1. Who had more walks? Johnson 8 to 5 (wow that was awful to watch). Beattie becomes the first Dodger pitcher to have a winning record on the year (5-4) while Johnson drops to 4-7. Marty Barrett hurt his elbow in a collision at 2^nd while turning a DP. He left the game.

Barrett is put on the DL with an elbow bruise. Caminiti is recalled from AAA.

6/19 6-2 L to the Padres
Before the game I found out that Viola only trails Bryn Smith in leading the league in losses. On top of that, he is also 5^th in FIP, and 4^th in WAR. That's awful. Tonight, he pitched a perfect 3 innings, and LA scored early to put him up. In the 4^th a Kruk single was followed by a Bo Jackson HR (15) to put SD on top. It got way out of hand when unheralded 2^nd baseman Ron Coomer, hit a bases clearing double to open it up. Viola loses again (5-10).

6/20 4-1 L to the Padres
SD lead off the scoring in the 4^th when old Dodger, Franklin Stubbs singled in one. Rick Reuchel had to leave the game with an injury, and LA tied it up on a bases loaded walk. But LA would only get 1 and the Padres would score again on a Bo Jackson solo homer (16) off of Joe Price. The Padres got 2 more in the 8^th, again off of Price, thanks to Matt Williams (19). Juan Samuel had to leave the game early after he pulled up lame, running out a double. How bad is it, that the Padres suck as bad as they do, yet they have 2 guys with over 15 homers and out leader's are tied with 7? It's bad.

LA puts Juan Samuel on the 15 day with a quad strain. Inky was recalled from Albuquerque. So far on the year, he's hitting .333 with 4 HR's and 17 RBI's.

6/21 5-3 W over the Padres
Welcome back Inky. He helped out starter Ken Howell (4-6) with a 2-4 game, and 2 doubles. Dwayne Murphy, Eddie Vargas and Schofield all had 2 hits as the team got 12 all together. The game was tied 3-3, but LA took the lead in the 7^th when Scioscia homered for the 8^th time to take over the team lead. Franco pitched the last 2 for his 11^th save.

Scott Baker (0-0, 6.97) was optioned back to Albuquerque and southpaw Bob Patterson (6-3, 4.39) was promoted to the club. Patterson last pitched in the majors for the Padres in '87, where he was 2-0, with a 3.66 ERA out of the bullpen. He's been starting this year in AAA. Patterson was part of the deal that sent Steve Sax to the Padres for Ken Caminiti.

6/22 6-3 W over the Reds
Jim Beattie served up 3 to the Reds in the first thanks to a Jeffrey Wilson HR (8), and LA fought back with 1 in the 4^th, 5^th and 6^th to tie it. Dick Schofield tied the game in the 6^th with his 5^th dinger, as part of a 4-5 day that included a double. LA got 16 hits, and put up 3 in the 7^th to take the lead. Von Hayes added 3 hits and Frank DiPino pitched the final 3 for his 1^st save of the year. Only 32 pitches for him, in his best outing this year.

6/23 4-2 W over the Reds
Two in a row against the Reds? Nice! Von Hayes started the scoring with a 2-run HR in the 3^rd (3). Viola (6-10) served one up to Dave Valle (7) in the 4^th to tie the score. Then Inky broke the tie with a big opposite field drive for his first. LA scored in insurance run in the 8^th and Franco picked up his 12^th save. Scioscia went 3-4 batting cleanup. LA is 18 games below .500.

6/24 7-2 L to the Reds
The Reds jumped all over Bryn Smith (1-11) in the first as his bad season continues. It was a Jeffrey Wilson 3-run bomb (9) that opened things up. Meanwhile Ron Darling (4-9) seems to have found his stride as he struck out 8 in 7 and a third. LA manager Abercrombie has moved Tanana to the bullpen and he saw his first action. He and John Denny closed the game out with 3 scoreless innings.

6/25 4-3 L to the Reds
Tough loss today. Micky Morandini went 3-4 and Dave Henderson hit a 2-run double in the 7^th off of Frank DiPino that put the Reds up. Earlier, Inky hit the longest HR of the year, a 458ft blast into the 2^nd deck in left (2). He was 2-2 with 2 RBI's on the day. Ken Howell (4-7) pitched well, but ultimately took the loss after getting into trouble and not being able to hold on. LA got the tying run on, but Eck shut them down with K's to end it.

I guess Inky's show wasn't good enough as he was optioned back to AAA and Doug Jennings was recalled. Inky had been playing center, and he might have been able to get Hendu's big blast if he was a better fielder. Jennings is.

6/27 3-0 W over the Padres
Bob Patterson (1-0) got his first ML start today and pitched 6 scoreless innings allowing only 2 hits. The game was knotted at 0 when Patterson came out. Pedro stepped in to pinch hit and drove it into the left field seats to give LA the lead (8). Dwayne Murphy would pinch hit later and would hit another shot for LA to give some insurance (2). Franco closed out the 9^th for his 13^th save.

6/28 6-4 L to the Padres
Ozzie Guillen went 4-5 and scored 3 times leading off. Franklin Stubbs batted 2^nd and went 2-3 with 4 RBI's including going back to back with HR's with Bo Jackson in the 4^th (2, Stubbs and 18 for Jackson). Guerrero got LA on the board in the 4^th with his 9^th HR. Jim Beattie (5-5) went 6, but couldn't keep up with the gem from Ojeda (5-8). LA came back a little with 2 in the 8^th and another in the 9^th with an Armando Moreno solo homer (1).

6/29 5-4 W over the Padres
Viola (7-10) fell behind early on another Bo Jackson homer (19). The Padres extended the lead with 3 more in the 4^th thanks to a McLendon HR (10) and it looked like another loss for Frankie. He still had great stuff and struck out 10 Padres over 7 innings, and LA rallied with 2 in the 6^th and another 2 in the 7^th . Pedro had a 3-4 day with 2 RBI's. Franco pitched the final 6 outs for his 14^th save.

6/30 4-1 W over the Pirates
Bryn Smith (2-11) goes the distance and only threw 84 pitches. His only mistake was a juicy ball to third basemen Eddie Williams who put it beyond left for the HR (5). Down by 1 all game long, LA put a few hits together in the bottom of the 8^th. The previous inning Von Hayes had gunned someone out at the plate, followed by a diving catch along the line. In his next at bat he doubled in a run to tie it up. Pedro would pinch hit his own 2-run double and put LA up for good. Rick Honeycutt (2-3) took the loss (2-3).

PilotMan · 08-28-2018, 03:25 PM

June Recap

The best month yet! Yet, that's not saying anything good about this year. LA finished the month of June with a 12-16 record, and now stand at 31-49 on the year, in last place in the West, and 27.5 games behind the Astros. Heading into July the only question should be, who is going to be traded? It's got to be Guerrero. I mean, really. He's got 1 year left, and has value. Tanana perhaps? Maybe Price, DiPino? Maybe they even move Rickey? He could bring something. He has a couple years left, but he's a clubhouse cancer and it's killing the team. Plus he's one of the highest paid guys on the team.

We still suck at hitting. LA is 12^th in runs scored, and 10^th in average (.239) and OPB (.304). The team leader in HR's is Guerrero with 9. He also leads the team in average with a .269. There were no offensive weapons in June. The top hitter all around was, Mike Scioscia. Scioscia had a .287/.341/.438 slash line and he lead the team in HR's with 3. Inky played in 5 games and fell 1 shy of tying him. So bad. Who was bad? Everyone else. Rickey hit .188/.310/.250. Pedro hit .235/.303/.370. The guys who had been the best, are suddenly not producing.

Pitching wise, the team is 7^th in the league in ERA. The starters were 9^th and the bullpen 7^th. Opponent average was 5^th. If there was any offense at all, we might be close a .500 team. At Chavez Ravine, LA is 21-19, while the road is hard and they're only 10-30. Lefties are harder on the team (5-16) than righties are (26-33). Defensively, LA has dropped to 5^th in the NL. This is the lowest that we've been all year long. The top pitcher for June was DiPino, who pitched in a club high 11 games. Throwing 15 innings with a 1.20 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. Franco was also good with 5 saves and 11.2 innings of scoreless baseball in just over 11 innings. The top starter Frank Tanana (again, remind me how wound up in the bullpen) who was 2-1 with a 3.30 ERA in 30 innings. Tanana had a 1.30 WHIP. Who wasn't? Not Joe Price, who was 1-1 with a 6.30 ERA and a 2.10 WHIP and not Bryn Smith 1-4, 5.70 and a 1.54. Viola pitched 41 innings and allowed only 34 hits and 11 walks, but still had a 4.97 ERA and a .214 OAVG. Some bad luck? Bad something.

Is it next year yet?

The Astros are crushing the souls of the West. With a 59-22 record they are 18 games in front of the Reds, who are only 9.5 in front of LA. That's a big gap. In the East, the Pirates and Expos are at the top, followed by the Mets and Phillies only 1.5 behind. It's a very tight race. In the AL, the Orioles have lost the wonderkid, Griffey Jr for the rest of the year, but they still find themselves in front in the East, with a 3.5 game lead on the Red Sox and Yankees. In the West, it's the White Sox out front by 1.5 over the Mariners.

Just how dominating are the Astros? They are 2^nd in the NL in all offensive categories, and first in steals. Their pitching staff is first in every category and they are #1 in defense. It's pretty sick. They should roll to their 2nd straight title.

For LA, the year is over. We're not completely out, but it's not far off. I wonder if there will be any good sales this year?

PilotMan · 09-01-2018, 10:43 AM

You need to check out this post from the Undynasties about the most incredible half inning of baseball ever.

Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - Glimpses & Moments from "Undynasties"

CraigSca · 09-03-2018, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PilotMan

You need to check out this post from the Undynasties about the most incredible half inning of baseball ever.

Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - Glimpses & Moments from "Undynasties"

Wow. How did you catch that - do you check the scores each day?

PilotMan · 09-04-2018, 07:30 AM

7/1 4-2 W over the Pirates
LA scored 3 in the first inning a single and RBI by Guerrero and a 2-run shot by Von Hayes (4). Ken Howell picked up the W to move to 5-7 in his 8 innings of work. John Franco pitched a scoreless 9^th for his 15^th save.

The Houston Astros have lost Barry Larkin for a few weeks due to an ankle sprain. Larkin was hitting .318 with 4 HR's and 28 RBI's. He was also leading the NL in votes at short stop for the All Star game.

So then the Astros decided that they needed more help. Being stupidly deep, they traded away former closer, Scott Garrelts, who found himself behind Henke, Burke and Pena in the bullpen. He also started 5 games this year, and has a 4-0 record, with a save and a 1.32 ERA. The former All Star, lead the NL in saves last year. He'll be going to the Padres (along with pitching prospect, Dave Burba) now with the Astros getting John Kruk in exchange. Kruk plays first and the corner outfield spots. He's hitting .286, with a .394 OBP, 5 HR's and 23 RBI's. Kruk is a 2 time All Star. This is the third time Garrelts has been dealt. He's previously been involved in deals for John Lowenstein and Claudell Washington. The Astros continue to be aggressive at making the team better.

7/2 5-4 (10) W over the Pirates
John Franco (3-2) blew a save chance in the 9^th on an error by SS Armando Moreno. Moreno made up for it in the 10^th when he singled in Caminiti to win the game. That capped a 3-4 game by him. Scioscia went 3-5.

7/3 3-2 (12) L to the Pirates
So close to the win here today. Should have had it. Joe Price (1-3) gave up an RBI single to Pirates catcher Falcone, a guy hitting .173 on the year. LA got on the board with a Guerrero homer in the 4^th (10) and Jim Beattie carried a no-hitter into the 6^th inning with 2 out. From there, the Pirates put a rally together to get on the board, then tied it in the 7^th. Pirates starter McDowell had only allowed 1 hit all day (the homer) when he hit an RBI double and then was hurt sliding into 2^nd. He had to leave the game. Credit the Pirates pen for keeping LA quiet the rest of the game.

Inky is back with the club and they have optioned Eddie Vargas (.245/0/2) back to Albuquerque.

7/4 4-2 L to the Cardinals
Frank Viola and Mike Morgan matched zeros until the bottom of the 7^th, when the Cardinals put a run across. In the top of the 8^th LA took the lead 2-1 on a Ken Caminiti 2 run HR (2). Franco came on to close it out, but he was touched for 4 hits and 3 runs in 2/3ds of an inning. Franco takes the loss (3-3). LA lost Von Hayes who was hurt making a diving catch.

7/5 5-4 W over the Cardinals
Bryn Smith was roughed up early for 3 in the first 2 innings, and only lasted 5 innings today. LA only got offense from 3 guys today. Inky had a great day as he went 4-5, and knocked in 2. Doug Jennings had a big one, as his, go ahead, 2-run HR (1), wasn't only his first career knock in 205 at bats, it gave LA the lead they needed to win. Frank Tanana got the win (6-7), and Lee Smith pitched the final 2 innings for his 2^nd save.

7/6 7-6 L to the Cardinals
A good back and forth game tonight. LA scored first with Guerrero homering in the first (11) as part of a 3-4 day, but the Cards tied it in the 2^nd, then took the lead in the 4^th. LA got the lead back in the 6^th on a Von Hayes 3-run HR (5), but LA gave it right back in the bottom of the inning. LA then took the lead again, plating 2 in the 8^th and had the lead. Franco (3-4) came on in the 8^th but a Surhoff error lead to a tying run. In the 9^th the Cards got back to back hits, with none out. An intentional walk to Calderon saw Franco get Herr on strikes. Ozzie Smith, with the infield in, blasted a shot right at Schofield, but he bobbled the hard hit ball and couldn't get the runner at hom.

7/7 11-6 W over the Cubs
The Dodgers committed 5 errors and smacked enough hits to see this one through. Rickey went 3-4 with 2 walks and 4 RBI's. Dick Schofield hit a bases clearing double in the 8^th that gave LA the lead, and LA piled on another 3 in the 9^th. John Denny got the win (and also blew the lead, 1-0) and the Cubs closer Sixto DeLaCruz dropped to 0-7.

7/8 3-2 W over the Cubs
Jim Beattie got the start and Tom Brunansky put the Cubs on the board in the first with a 2 run HR (3). LA answered with one in the 2^nd, but that's how it stayed for a while. In the 7^th with 2 out, Doug Jennings pinch hit for Dick Schofield with the bases loaded and smacked a hit over 2^nd that scored the 2 LA needed to take the lead. The bullpen did the rest as Franco pitched much better today getting his 16^th save. Joe Price picked up the win (2-3).

7/9 6-5 W over the Cubs
Nice little sweep of the Cubbies here. It almost got away from them tonight too. Viola (8-10) goes 7, and strikes out 6. He's over 100 on the year now. LA scored first, in the first. Guerrero's solo homer off of Kevin Brown (12) put us up. We'd add another and another in the 2^nd, but in the 3^rd the Cubs came back. Kevin Brown helped his own cause with his 2^nd career hit. This one a triple that scored 1. Caminiti and Guerrero had 2 hit games. LA went up 6-3 late, but the Cubs fought back against Lee Smith and had the winning run on 2^nd before David Justice lightly grounded out to first to end it. Smith picked up his 3^rd save. Kevin Brown left the game with a shoulder injury.

All Star Break

LA has 2 players who were selected to the All Star game this year. None were voted in, both were selected by the manager to go. First is closer John Franco (3-4, 16S, 1.81 ERA). It's his 3^rd straight All Star game selection. The other player is Frank Tanana (6-7, 3.09). This is Tanana's 4^th career All Star appearance and his first in 11 years. Lee Smith was probably robbed. His numbers are good too (2-2, 3S, 1.51), but I'm happy it was Tanana, even though Abercrombie sent him to the pen.

All Star Game
7/11 3-2 AL over NL

California Angles outfielder Eric Davis won the MVP for tonight's game. Davis went 3-3 and hit the games only HR. A solo shot off of Expos strarter Ed Whitson, who took the loss. Randy Myers was the only pitcher to strike out all 3 batters he faced. Franco didn't pitch, but Tanana threw 21 pitches, gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning of work.

LA activated 2B Marty Barrett (.229/0/18) and optioned OF Bruce Fields (.246/1/6) to Albuquerque to make room on the roster.

7/13 8-5 W over the Cardinals
Bryn Smith took the mound tonight, but he wasn't good enough to get the win. Guerrero hammered a shot in the first to put LA up 2-0 to start. Halfway through the game the Cardinals had taken the lead 5-3. In the 7^th, LA's Inky hammered another HR (3), a 3-run shot that gave LA the lead again. Von Hayes also got his 6^th to give LA the lead for good. Joe Price (3-3) gets the win, while Franco gets his 17^th save.

7/14 6-2 L to the Cardinals
Will Clark went 4-4 with 3 RBI's and a solo homer off of Frank Viola (8-11) to give the Cards the win today. Mike Heath went 3-4 and Ozzie 2-4 as the Cards got Viola for 9 hits and 5 runs. Guerrero has found his stroke again as he went 4-4 with a double and a triple. Schofield went 2-3 with an RBI. The loss breaks LA's 4 game win streak that has seen the Dodgers climb over the Padres for 4^th in the West.

7/15 10-0 L to the Cardinals
Will Clark (20), Mell Hall (10) and Mike Pagliarulo (1) all took turns going deep tonight and all off of Ken Howell (5-8) who was tagged for 9 earned runs in 5 innings of work. LA loaded the bases in the 9^th and Caminiti had a 2 hit day. Frank Tanana worked 4 innings of relief to give the bullpen a break on a bad day.

PilotMan · 09-04-2018, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CraigSca

Wow. How did you catch that - do you check the scores each day?

Yep, I am always looking for milestones, great performances and general oddities. That particular inning really stood out.

PilotMan · 09-06-2018, 09:22 PM

7/16 1-0 L to the Cardinals
Von Hayes went 2-4 and upped his hitting streak to 14 games and his average to .273. LA wasted a great start from Jim Beattie, who pitched 7 innings and allowed 1 hit and struck out 3. The Cards got a great start too. Jaime Navarro, walked 5 and allowed 2 hits through 7 and neither pitcher allowed a run. Lee Smith (2-3) had a rough inning. An error by Barrett, then back to back walks. A single from Jay Bell knocked in the games only run.

7/17 9-4 W over the Cubs
A few tough games against the Cards and a good game to get back on track again. Slugger Victor Madden homered (23) in the first to put Chicago up first, but LA answered with 5 before the first out was even recorded by rookie Kevin Brown. Guerrero homered (14) and tripled enroute to a 3-4 with 3 RBI's. Inky scored 3 times and Von Hayes hit for the 15^th straight game with a 2-run HR (7). Marty Barrett also homered for the first time this year. It's been over a year since he'd homered. Frank Tanana (7-7) got the win in relief as Patterson didn't get his 5 innings.

The White Sox have lost top player Barry Bonds, for possibly the entire season, with a back injury. The Sox are a game and a half up on Mariners and Bonds leads the team in HR (23), RBI's (69) and is 2^nd in AVG (.307). Daryl Boston takes his place in the lineup.

Rob Deer had the highlight of his career end. A 22 game hitting streak. If you remember anything about Rob Deer's career, it's that a 22 game hitting streak might be the most unlikely thing he would ever do.

7/18 3-0 W over the Cubs
The Cubs extend their losing streak to 9 games as Bryn Smith (3-11) goes the distance for the shut out. His first on the year, and his best game too. Hayes saw his hitting streak come to an end, while Inky added 2 hits, and Caminiti went 3-4 with 2 RBI's on a single through the drawn in infield. David Cone (6-8) took the loss.

7/19 3-1 L to the Cubs
The Cubbies grab the win from Viola tonight (8-12) Former Dodger catcher Ronald King blasted a go ahead triple that scored Ramirez in the 6^th. Inky homered in the 7^th (4) to LA hope. LA got the tying run on with 0 outs in the 9^th but couldn't get them in. John Smiley moves to 6-7 with the win.

Juan Samuel was activated from the DL and Inky was optioned to open the roster spot. LA has signed 37 year old Buddy Bell to a minor league deal. Bell is a 4-time All Star and 6 time Gold Glove winner. He was released by the Rangers in April and hasn't played this year. In 18 seasons he has 2563 hits and a .277 average, with 207 career home runs. Last season, with the Rangers, he batted .268 with 14 HR's and 69 RBI's, while committing 16 errors at third in 156 games started. Bell lost his job when the Rangers signed Gary Gaetti to a 4 year deal in the offseason.

7/21 3-0 L to the Pirates
Brian Harper, the best catcher in baseball, went 3-4 including his 14^th of the year to put the Pirates on the board. Dave Hengel added insurance for Pittsburgh in the 7^th with a solo shot (2). Ken Howell (5-9) pitched alright beside those. The real problem was Doug Drabek (3-5) who only allowed 2 hits in 7 innings. Paul Assenmacher, pitched 2 hitless for his 2^nd save of the season.

7/22 2-0 L to the Pirates
Oof. Another shutout. We've now scored 1 run in 27 innings. Caminiti goes 2-3 and Beattie pitches into the 6^th, but takes the loss (5-6). LA never really threatened. Jack McDowell (8-5) struck out 8 in 7.1 innings of work and Henneman got his 21^st save. We could really use some power in this lineup.

7/23 3-0 L to the Pirates
Holy cow. Another shut out loss. That 27 scoreless for LA and 1 run in the last 36 innings. Today it was Jose DeLeon (10-6) shutting down the Dodgers. Bryn Smith (3-12) loses again as LA only manages 4 hits. Henneman gets his 22^nd save. Steve Balboni got a triple. Really, the game was over at that point. There was no other way.

7/24 2-0 W over the Pirates
A win is a win, but 2 runs isn't sending fireworks into the sky. Viola (9-12) pitched great, with 8 shutout innings. Top 6 with the score tied at 0, and runners on first and second, Schofield knocked a single to put LA on the board. LA would add another in the 9^th and Franco pitched a quick 9^th for his 18^th save of the year.

Expos outfielder, Hubie Brooks hit for the cycle last night against the Phillies. It was his 7^th HR of the year.

Former Dodger starter Kelly Downs is having a rough season in Milwaukee. Last night, he won his 2^nd game of the year, to run his record to 2-13. His ERA with the Brewers is 5.73 and the worst season he has put up since his early days in LA.

7/25 3-0 L to the Astros
Greg Swindell (12-1) threw a 3 hit shutout today against LA. Fred McGriff knocked in 2 as Bob Patterson took his first loss as a Dodger (1-1). LA's best performance belongs to Frank Tanana in relief. Tanana pitched 3.2 innings allowing 1 hit and striking 3.

7/26 8-2 L to the Astros
Not a big surprise, that Candiotti (12-6) shuts us down again. Caminiti and Scioscia belted 5 of the LA's 7 hits. Ken Howell (5-10) started, but didn't last 5 innings. I wonder when we can get Tanana back into the rotation? I wonder when Inky will be back? We can't hit at all. The depth of the Astros is almost comical.

7/27 5-1 W over the Astros
Who thought that Jim Beattie (6-6) would win a dual with Nolan Ryan (11-6)? Not me, that's for sure. LA got a pinch hit HR from Pete O'Brien (1) as padding, but otherwise Beattie pitched a brilliant game today. Ricky went 3-5 and Schofield went 2-3. Even Surhoff added 2. Juan Samuel left the game with a foot injury.

7/28 8-6 L to the Padres
Bryn Smith (3-13) got lit up early and often in this one. We were down 8-0 after the 3^rd and the game was basically over. LA chipped away and Samuel smashed #8 of the season. Tanana threw another 4 shutout innings of relief and lowered his ERA to 2.85. The Padres are pulling away from us for 5^th in the West. Paul Kilgus got the win (7-9).

Do you think LA will trade anyone before the deadline? We have some talent we could part with.

The Padres say goodbye to Kilgus after he beats us. He goes to the Orioles in the heat of the AL East race. He actually improves their rotation somehow. The Padres get Aaron Cain, a 10 year utility player, with 171 career hits. He hadn't taken an at bat for the O's this season. So basically free.

7/29 3-2 W over the Padres
Frank Viola and Mark Gardiner both pitched well early on, but the Padres broke through first. Matt Williams homered deep to left (26) to score 2 and put the Padres up in the 6^th. LA got back to it in the 7^th when Doug Jennings lead off with a single and later scored with Henderson on a Hayes single that tied it up. LA got the go ahead run in the 9^th once again, thanks to Jennings who singled Surhoff who had walked. Price gets the win to go to 4-3, while Franco pitched the 9^th for his 19^th save.

7/30 5-3 W over the Padres
LA scored 2 in the first, and seemed to have Ojeda's number all game (7-11). The Padres got back into it with 2 in the 5^th to tie the game back up. Patterson (2-1) got some support from the team as they got a string of hits and doubles in the 6^th to plate 3 and take the lead again. The Padres tried to come back, but the bullpen kept it to 1 run. Franco got his 20^th save of the year.

What the fuck...

So LA makes a trade. Let's start with what we did get. Coming to LA from the Chicago White Sox is OF Darryl Boston. Boston, 26, will be arbitration eligible in the offseason and is in his last option year. Boston has 7 years of experience in the majors. He is a career .247 hitter, with a 34 HR's and 551 games played over that time. He is a pretty good fielder and can play all 3 outfield positions. He's fast, with 104 career steals and a high of 31 in '86. He was a 3 year starter for the Sox, but lost his job and has ridden the bench for the last 3. In return, LA ships RP Lee Smith. Yep. Lee fucking Smith. A guy under contract for next to nothing for 3 years. On the year, Smith is 2-3, with 3 saves and a career low 1.83 ERA in just under 40 innings of work. LA also sent minor league shortstop Patrick Abbatiello, the former #5 prospect in the Dodgers farm system, who was hitting .207/.247/.315 for AA San Antonio. He's got speed, and a good eye. Plays a couple positions. This doesn't feel like a very fair deal for us, nor does it feel like a trade that needed to be made, or gained us anything at all.

Boston gets a spot on the roster and Doug Jennings was optioned back to Albuquerque. Really can't say whether or not this is an upgrade. Both guys are lefties. To fill the spot in the bullpen, the team has recalled Scott Baker, who had just come off the DL. LA now has 4 lefties in the bullpen. In fact, all the major bullpen slots are occupied by lefties. Only Baker and Denny are right handed relievers.

PilotMan · 09-06-2018, 09:54 PM

July Recap

Another month of this long season is behind us and LA finishes with a 13-13 record, or the best record in any month all year long. As of right now, LA is dead last, in 6^th place with a 44-62 record, 32.5 games behind the Astros for first in the West. We are very close to the official end of the season. Once that happens these games will float right by. In fact, that Astros magic number is 34, and we're 32.5 back. It's that close.

The Dodgers are the worst team in the NL in runs scored. But, they've improved to 9^th in AVG (.242), 10^th in OBP (.308) and 9^th in HR (68). The team didn't have anyone who was good in July. Guerrero was probably the best. He lead the team with a whopping 5 HR's in the month. His slash line was .258/.320/.483. Von Hayes was next with 4 HR's and a team leading 14 RBI's, with a line of .245/.291/.392. God Awful. Henderson's OBP of .371 lead the team, but his .223 AVG was horrid. Barrett hit .176 and Scioscia hit .225.

The pitching was the only reason we won 13 games. LA is 8^th in the NL in ERA, and the bullpen is all the way up to 4^th. Defensively, the team has dropped down to 6^th in the NL. Who would have thought that Jim Beattie would be the best pitcher of the month? Beattie was 1-1 with a 1.71 ERA in 5 starts and 31 innings. Even his WHIP was an impressive 1.01. Tanana was next. In his 8 games he pitched over 20 innings, with an ERA of 1.77. Viola had a 2-2 record, even though his ERA was 2.53 and his WHIP 1.10. Too many guys sucked though too. Bryn Smith was 1-2 with a 4.70 ERA and Ken Howell was 1-3 with a crazy 7.50 ERA.

The team sucks. They are really bad on the road (.321), against lefties (.286) and in extra innings (.222) Let's see just how bad, and if who we might end up drafting as a result.

PilotMan · 09-09-2018, 03:51 PM

8/1 4-3 W over the Giants
LA scored first with a HR from a Henderson solo shot in the first (8), but the Giants took advantage of a rough start from Ken Howell (6-10). A 2-run HR from Gregg Jefferies in the 3^rd (6) as part of a 3 run inning. Giants pitcher Kip Gross (3-7) got his first career hit, an RBI double as part of the scoring. Howell himself answered with his first career HR in the bottom half (1). A 400+ft blast to left. LA took the lead in the 5^th and held on. Franco got the last 5 outs for save 21.

8/2 2-0 W over the Giants
Even though LA got 10 hits in the game, the offense could only get 2 across. Henderson knocked in Samuel in the first, and Darryl Boston his a pinch hit HR in the 7^th (4). His first as a Dodger. Samuel went 3-4, and Henderson another 2. Bryn Smith (4-13) pitched a very good game, allowing only 2 hits in his 7 innings. DiPino pitched the final 2 innings with Franco unavailable and notched his 2^nd save of the year.

8/3 8-2 L to the Giants
LA can't keep the streak alive and the Giants avoid the sweep. It started good, with a 2 out walk by Henderson and a 2-run HR from Guerrero (15) in the first off of Greg Hibbard (10-12). Frank Viola (9-13) gave 1 up in the 2^nd, but kept the lead into the 6^th. With 8 K's it wasn't quite good enough as the Giants took the lead. Tanana came on and had his first bad outing, walking 2 and giving up 3 hits. The biggest to rookie Bob Hamelin, who with the bases loaded, and being a .169 hitter, smashed a pinch hit HR into the seats (4). It was over at that point.

8/4 4-2 W over the Padres
LA scored 3 early off of Bob Ojeda (7-12) and Jim Beattie threw 8 innings and allowed 5 hits and 2 runs. Schofield left the game with back soreness after a collision at 2^nd and Armando Moreno came on. His HR (2) in the 8^th gave LA some insurance. Franco pitched the 9^th for his 22^nd save. Marty Barrett had his 2^nd 3 hit game in row.

Schofield (.229/5/31) is heading to the DL with a herniated disc. IF/OF Bruce Fields (.246/1/6) was recalled to take his place. Chuck Jackson (.298/4/25) looks to be getting the playing time at short with him out.

8/5 5-2 L to the Padres
Bo Jackson got the better of the Dodgers today going 3-4 and slamming a 2-run HR off of Frank DiPino. Chuck Jackson got a pair of hits for LA and Henderson drove in the games only runs. Bob Patterson took the loss to fall to 2-2. Shane Rawley got the win (3-6). Juan Samuel who had been dealing with a nagging injury was hurt while running the bases and his status is unclear.

The Astros have dropped 7 straight now. They are still 11.5 games better than the next best team in all of baseball, and 21.5 in front of the 2^nd place Giants. LA has trimmed the gap to 29.5 games.

Juan Samuel (.215/8/26) has a strained abdominal muscle and he is heading to the DL. Doug Jennings (.259/1/8) was recalled to fill the roster spot. Darryl Boston will be taking Samuel's place in the lineup.

8/6 4-0 W over the Padres
Ken Howell (7-10) pitched his balls off tonight taking a no-hitter into the 7^th inning and leaving with only 1 hit allowed. LA got another multi hit game from Barrett (who has raised his average to a blistering .239) and Von Hayes homered in the 7^th (8) for extra insurance. Tanana pitched the final 2 to preserve the win.

8/7 2-0 W over the Braves
The pitching staff comes through, yet again, to save the team. Tonight, it was Bryn Smith (5-13) pitching a gem over 8 against the Braves Randy Johnson. The Braves brought in Jose Alvarez, and LA got a pinch hit double from Boston and an RBI single from Henderson to get on the board. Mike Scioscia went 4-4 against the tough lefty. Franco got another save, for his 23^rd of the year.

8/8 11-2 L to the Braves
A complete ass whipping by the Braves today. Home runs from Mo Vaughan (9) and Roberto Kelly (6), and a total of 13 hits, and 10 runs all off of Viola (9-14) who was touched in one of his worst games this year. LA got a 3 hit game from Guerrero and Jackson hit a 2-run double. Denny came on in relief and pitched the final 4.2 innings, lasting longer than Viola.

8/9 4-3 (13) W over the Braves
The Braves put up 3 quick on Beattie in the first, and it looked like it would be a long day for him, but he settled down and stepped up his game. He put zeros on the board for the next 4.1 innings, before turning the game over to the bullpen and they did not disappoint. Price, Franco, DiPino and Tanana (8-7) all kept it scoreless the rest of the way. LA quietly came back. Boston homered again (5), we lost Jackson to a collision at 2^nd. The 13^th started with a leadoff triple by Fields, a walk to Murphy, and a single by Von Hayes to take home the win.

Jackson is down for a while after he suffered a concussion in the accident. Tough break. I'm worried. He's been a lone bright spot for this team. His .297/.369/.463 slash line might be the best on the team. The team has called up IF Dave Rhode from Albuquerque to take his place. Rhode is one of the better prospects in the LA farm system. He was signed last offseason, and spent the year in AAA so far. Where he's batted .279/.357/.347 with 1 HR and 35 RBI's. He's a light hitting infielder with with plenty of speed a better than average eye. This is his first trip to the majors.

8/11 4-1 W over the Giants
Pitching wins again. Tonight it was Ken Howell (8-10) who pitched another great game. He had 7 k's pitching into the 8^th inning. Dave Rhode got the start and got his first career hit in his first at bat. Later Gurerrero would pinch hit for him and drive in 2 with a double. Franco pitched another 4 out save for LA (24). He's on a streak of 17 scoreless now.

8/12 3-2 W over the Giants
LA took a 2-0 lead early on behind a Marty Barrett solo homer (2) and Dave Rhode got his first RBI on a sac fly. Bryn Smith (6-13) won yet again, with his 8 inning, 6 hit performance. The Giants Dave Telgheder (11-12) matched him all the way, as the Giants tied it in the 7^th behind a Frank Thomas solo homer (12). It was a Scioscia single that scored Daryl Boston that put LA in front and Franco once again, locked down the 9^th for his 25^th save.

So LA isn't playing half bad right now. It's weird.

8/13 5-3 L to the Giants
Viola strikes out 7, but his horrible month continues, and he drops to 9-15. Surhoff tied the game in the 5^th with a 2-run HR (2), and LA wasted a 3 hit game from Barrett. The Giants Frank Thomas and Bryan Snyder carried the team. LA loaded the bases in the 9^th, but Brian Harvey got Guerrero looking to end it.

8/14 5-4 L to the Phillies
Jim Beattie got the start and had a bad 2^nd inning that saw multiple extra base hits and 3 runs for the Phils. LA worked their way back though and a 2 hit/2 RBI game from Caminiti and another 2 hit game from Boston saw LA tie everything at 4 in the 6^th. Rickey left the game after a diving catch, and Doug Jennings came in. He had a 2-hit game too, but it was the 8^th and DiPino (2-1) that cost LA. DiPino ended up walking 3 men, striking out 2, and then gave up a bases loaded single to Larry Walker to give the Phils the win.

Henderson is day to day with a strained rib muscle and isn't going on the DL.

The Mariners and former Dodger top prospect, Sid Fernandez (8-11, 3.75) is done for the season with elbow inflammation. Fernandez suffered a torn flexor in his elbow back in '87 that cost him half of the '88 season. He should be back for the start of the next year.

8/15 19-2 L to the Phillies
The biggest beatdown of the year. The Phillies scored in every single inning. Ken Howell (8-11) started, and takes the loss, but the bullpen of Denny and Baker allowed 13 runs in 4 innings. Larry Walker, hitting leadoff, went 2-3 with 3 walks, 4 runs, 5 RBI's, 2 HR's (17,18) and a stolen base (23). The Dodgers Surhoff hit HR #3 in the 2^nd to give LA a 2-1 lead. Bad game.

PilotMan · 09-13-2018, 07:39 AM

8/16 15-1 W over the Phillies
One blowout deserves another. LA put 9 up in the first couple innings to open up a clear lead. Bryn Smith only allowed 1 hit through 4, then hit a double with a big lead and went into 2^nd base odd, getting hurt in the process. He had to leave, which is just about the worst way to go. Pedro had a huge game, going 5-5, with 3 runs, 4 RBI's and his 19^th HR of the year. Mike Scioscia hit a grand slam (9) and had 6 RBI's . Von Hayes added another (9) with a 2 hit game. Where has this team been all year?

Bryn Smith has a back strain, but should avoid the DL. He may or may not miss a start.

8/17 3-1 L to the Phillies
Bud Black (9-4) surrendered 4 hits and Randy Myers got his 17^th save of the year. Frank Viola (9-16) threw 7, but the offense didn't help him out any. Guerrero got a couple hits and a walk. LA brought the tying run up in the 9^th, but couldn't threaten. Darryl Boston was hurt making a catch against the wall.

Lee Stevens was activated from the DL and Doug Jennings was once again, optioned back to Albuquerque.

8/19 1-0 (13) L to the Mets
It doesn't get any more sad than this. The Mets had 2 hits in this game and only 1 through the 12^th inning. From Patterson, to DiPino to Franco to Tanana, the Dodger pitchers kept the Mets quiet. A leadoff double by Charlie Hayes off of Joe Price (5-4) in the 13^th, followed by a flyout and tag, then an intentional walk to Omar Visquel to bring up Kevin Mitchell and hope for the double play. Instead he hits one to the wall and Hayes tags up and walks in. The Dodgers got 5 hits, 2 from Von Hayes.

Boston has a sore elbow but won't need to go on the DL.

The word coming out in the news is that this Dodger team is a train wreck. There are so many pissed off players that they are going to have a hard time signing any of their free agents. Honestly, I can't see how anyone is going to want to stay with this team after this season. I think we're going to see a lot of roster turnover this year.

8/20 10-3 L to the Mets
Beattie (7-7) v. Gooden (12-7) in this one. Beattie took the loss, and to add insult to literal injury, he did it after throwing only 7 pitches, allowing 2 hits, and not recording an out, then left with an arm problem. Beattie missed all of '87 with a shoulder injury. The game was close until late, and that's hard to do with Gooden on the mound. Scott Baker had an awful day though. In his 2 innings, out of 48 pitches, only 14 found the strike zone. He walked 7 batters. In 2 innings. It wasn't any better for Denny or Tanana either. Interesting stat of the day. Kevin Mitchell has 10 career hits against Tanana, 7 are home runs. Wow. Boston and Barrett had 2 hit days.

MRI was negative for Beattie and the diagnosis was good. He won't need to go on the DL.

8/21 11-3 L to the Expos
Ken Howell (8-12) goes 2-2 with an RBI, but he gave up 2 dingers and 5 runs. Tanana gave up 6 unearened runs thanks to a Caminiti error that let an inning continue. The Expos got HR's from Brooks (9) and Gallarraga (23), a 4 hit game from Raines and a great start from Mark Knudson (8-6). LA's offense is just unable.

LA added another old third basemen to play in the minors. Joining Buddy Bell and Ray Knight will be Keith Moreland. Moreland was last seen hittin .190 in 13 games for the Reds this season. Lee Stevens (.231/0/1) and Dave Rhode (.100/0/1) were optioned back to AAA. Schofield was activated from the DL and Jennings was recalled.

8/22 5-3 L to the Expos
And a month that started good, is dropping quickly. Another time LA fails to score more than 3. Bryn Smith (6-14) rides to another loss, and LA wasted a 3 hit show by Hayes. Guerrero gave LA the lead 2-0 in the first with a massive HR (17) and it was all downhill. They wouldn't score again until Scioscia had a pinch hit double in the 9^th. LA got the go ahead run on, with Guerrero up, but he struck out to end it.

8/23 5-3 W over the Expos
Nice to get one anyway. John Wettland struck out 8 Dodgers in 7.1 innings and looked good for the win. In the 9^th, with Jeff Russell (2-5) on to close and down 2-0 and an out, with a runner on, saw Caminiti drive the ball into the seats for only the 3^rd time this year. His HR tied the game, and started, what would be, a 5 run 9^th inning for the Dodgers, and for once, not wasting a good start by Viola (10-16). Franco allowed a HR to rookie, Jeff Conine (3) in the 9^th, but got the next 3 outs to preserve the save (26).

8/25 8-0 L to the Phillies
Greg Maddux, after a 19 loss season last year, picks up win number 18, going the distance and pitching a 3-hit shutout. No walks, striking out 8. Jim Beattie (7-8) took the loss, but left with some back problem. Guerrero had 2 of the LA's hits and Doug Jennings the other. The Phillies just beat up Dodger pitching. Scott Baker pitched the final 3 innings, but the Phils teed off on him. Beattie shouldn't miss much, all the tests were negative, and the issue is just a tight back.

The Astros have cut their magic number down to 9. The next closest team to clinching are the Phillies who are 6 up on the Mets and have a magic number of 29.

8/26 1-0 (10) W over the Phillies
Pitching was the game today! Starters Kevin Appier and Ken Howell dueled then turned it over to the bullpens. LA's Price and Franco (4-4) did better than Rob Murphy, Mike Schooler, and Lance McCullers (4-4). Bottom of the 10^th it was Pete O'Brien who took the 6^th pitch from McCullers and hit it in the seats (3) to give LA the walk off win.

8/27 1-0 W over the Phillies
Many, the offense isn't helping anyone here. 2 runs in 3 games, and somehow 2 wins? Bryn Smith (7-14) allowed 2 hits over 8 innings, and Franco pitched the 9^th for his 27^th save. The Phillies sent rookie Dave Miller (1-1) to the mound and he pitched good too. LA scored in the first after Von Hayes lead off with a walk, Schofield singled, and Boston singled Hayes in. That was it.

The Dodgers have climbed up to #21 in the baseball power rankings. This is the highest we've been in a while. Only the Padres and Cubs are lower in the NL.

Darryl Boston and Rickey Henderson are both carrying nagging injuries that may be impacting their performance on the field. Henderson especially has been far below his historical performance.

8/28 2-1 W over the Mets
Good thing the pitching is good right now. LA scored 2 in the bottom of the 8^th off of a tiring Bud Black (9-5). Scioscia capped off a 2 hit performance and singled in the game winning RBI as Viola pitched 8 innings and improved his record to 11-16. DiPino pitched the 9^th for his 3^rd save of the year.

And on August 29^th, 1989, the Dodgers were officially eliminated from the post season. There's always the next decade or so!

8/29 7-1 L to the Mets
NY singled handedly ruined Patterson's (2-3) season ERA in this game. Pushing it above 4 for the first time all year. Tanana came on in relief and threw over 4 innings, but LA could never get enough O going to contend. Brian Holman (3-2) threw a complete game for the Mets.

Stevens and Jennings swap places on the roster yet again.

8/30 3-1 L to the Mets
Jim Beattie falls to 7-9, but he lasted longer than Gooden. Doc left the game after the first, and there was no word on the severity of the injury. Beattie pitched pretty good, allowing 2 runs over 7 innings. Meanwhile, LA got a 2 hit game from Dick Schofield for their offense. Strawberry went deep (24) and the Mets had no issues.

The Mets dodge a bullet as the NL Pitcher of the Month for August is only out with some forearm stiffness and that's it. For August, Gooden went 4-0 with a 0.70 ERA and a .164 average against.

PilotMan · 09-13-2018, 08:23 AM

Augutst Recap

What started as a great month with an 8-3 record, ended typically with an end of month record of 13-14. That's only a game below .500 in the last 2 months, but 57-76 for the year. LA currently resides in 5^th in the West, 34 games behind the Astros. As bad as that record is, we are 35-30 at home. That means that all the failure is on the road. Only 7 games separate the Dodgers from the 2^nd place Braves.

We've seen it all month. The hitting was awful. Only Pedro provided any punch at all. His slash line was .326/.358/.483 and his 3 HR's lead the team for the month. Here's the rundown of just how bad starters did in August. Hayes (.260, 2HR's, 6 SB), Rickey (.157, 1 HR, 4 SB), Caminiti (.175), Boston (.195), Surhoff (.163), Rohde (.100), Schofield (.147), O'Brien (.185). How can this team win any games at all? The team average is .236, and worst in the NL. Also last? SLG, runs, hits, extra base hits.

The pitching was much better. We saw it over and over. Bryn Smith was the best of the best. He went 4-1, with a 1.29 ERA in 6 starts. Even Ken Howell went 3-2 with a 3.52. Viola had a rough month going 2-4 with a 5.13, as he was rocked a couple times. Franco lead the team in games with 11 games, 7 saves, and 0.70 ERA. The bad month belonged to Denny and Baker in the bullpen, both of whom, posted over 10.00 ERA's. Denny was touched for 13 runs in 9 innings and Baker had a 2.56 WHIP. The team is 6^th in ERA in the NL, the starters were 8^th and the bullpen was 5^th. That's not as good as previous years, but the only thing keeping us competitive. As a team, the Dodgers are 4^th in the NL in defense.

How does LA compare to the rest of the league? Well, there are 5 teams with worse records: Padres, Cubs, A's, Tigers, and Brewers.

The Astros are down to a magic number of 3. They are 91-42 this year to lead all teams. In the East, the Phillies are out front and 5.5 up on the Mets, who are really working to keep it close. It will be one of those 2 barring some kind of amazing comeback.

In the AL, the East is faring a lot better this year than last year. The Orioles are 2 games in front of the Indians, and the Yankees who were up early, but now find themselves 5 games out. The O's are doing this without Griffey, who is out until next year. In the West, the Angels are the leaders, per norm, it's tight. The M's are 2 games back, and the White Sox are 4 back.

PilotMan · 09-13-2018, 09:32 AM

September Roster Expansion

A look at who's coming up:

C/1B John Debus (.302/1/10 in AAA)
Debus is 31. He is far removed from a young prospect, and this is his 3^rd shot with the Dodgers. He has 3 ML hits in 14 at bats in his previous stints. He doesn't really bring much in the way of anything to the team, other than an ability to play a few positions. He's slow, a below average hitter, but he's got a decent eye.

1B Darcy Walker (.308/8/43 in AAA)
Walker is 27, and was a 14^th round pick in '82, it's taken him until now to get his first shot at the majors. He's nothing but a first baseman, but doesn't have much in the way of range. As a hitter, he has sub par power for someone you'd find at first. He's got decent eye, and makes solid contact.

2B/SS Dave Rohde (.279/1/37 at AAA)
Rohde is 25, and is up for the 2^nd time this year. He was unimpressive in his debut batting .100 in 10 games. Originally a pick of the Twins, he's been with 5 other teams, and is considered the Dodgers #4 prospect. He's a pretty good defender, with good speed, but a light bat. He is a hard out.

1B/OF Eddie Vargas (.320/5/23 at AAA)
Vargas is 30, and played 24 games with LA earlier this year. He was a .245 hitter, with 5 doubles in his 12 hits. He's been a AAAA player for a while now, with previous stints with the Pirates. Vargas is an aggressive hitter with a little bit of power.

OF Pete Incaviglia (.336/17/55 in AAA)
Inky, 25, would still be a top prospect if he hadn't already hit 59 career HR's. As weak as our offense has been why he's been in AAA is beyond me. It's not like he's hurting us. He's a free swinger, with tremendous power and minimal defense.

OF Doug Jennings (.298/4/34 in AAA)
Jennings, 24, was a first round pick for LA back in '83. He's played in 54 games for the Dodgers this year, and frequently traded places with Inky. With the Dodgers, he's batted .272/.348/.392 with 1 HR and 9 RBI's. He can also play first, has good speed, and defense, and is a tough out in the box.

P Kirk Vucsko (4-4, 5.00 ERA, 63IP in AAA, 4-10, 4.96 ERA, 131 IP in AA)
Vucsko, 28, started 5 games for LA last year, but hasn't come back this year. He throws a mid-90's fastball, but the problem is he throws it all over, everywhere. He struck out 229 in the minors, but walked 99. He's got 4 pitches he can throw, but still needs work.

P Michael Cunningham (6-15, 6.48, 165 IP in AAA)
Cunningham is 28, and he's been around the block a couple times now. This is his 3^rd look with the club now, and his track record isn't great with a 5.80 ERA in 15 games, 7 of which are starts. Not really sure why he's here, except that he's a righty. He primarily throws a curve and knuckleball, and rarely hits the strike zone. He walked 111 in AAA, to 102 K's.

P Brian Holton (4-3, 13S, 3.66, 39.1 IP in AAA)
Holton, 29, had made the team out of spring training, but was sent down and never came back. In 14 games for LA, he posted a 5.79 ERA, an 0-3 record and gave up 5 HR's in 18 innings. He's got a lot of pitches he can throw, has good movement and control, but just can't seem to reach the next level.

PilotMan · 10-02-2018, 12:23 PM

9/1 11-5 W over the Expos
Inky returns! He homers in the 6^th (5) and goes 3-5 with 3 RBI's. Along with Gurrero (3-4) and Barrett (2-5, 3 RBI's). Even Bryn Smith himself went 1-3 and scored twice. Smith (8-14) needed the help today as he gave up 10 hits and 4 runs in 7 innings. Normally, this would have been a loss.

9/2 9-5 L to the Expos
The Expos got 3 hit games from Yount and Raines and LA got one from Barrett. LA went down 5-2 but scored late in the 8^th to tie it heading into the 9^th. Franco (4-5) got in trouble early but nearly got out of it. Until that is, Conine hit a 3-run HR (4) off the bench to break it open. LA got a HR from O'Brien (4).

9/3 3-2 W over the Expos
Mark Knudson and Ken Howell both pitched good in this dual, but it was Howell who left after 7 behind. Expos reliver Joe Hesketh had control problems and walked 2 in the 8^th before Daryl Boston pulled one down the line. Boston was thrown out at third, but both runners scored to give LA the lead. DiPino (3-1) gets the win, and Franco the save (28).

9/4 2-0 L to the Astros
Greg Swindell (17-2) owns LA. He's 3-0 on the year with an ERA around 1. Jim Beattie pitched good for the Dodgers (7-10) going 6 and allowing only the 2 runs in. Swindell got out of a bases loaded jam with 1 out to keep LA down. LA threatened in the 9^th against Henke, but he got out of the jam.

Expos OF Robin Yount picked up his 2500^th career hit last night as part of a 3-5 game where he homered. Yount (.302/10/67) is in his 16^th season in the Majors and has only played with the Brewers and Expos. He's in the last year of a 6yr/9.0M contract and will be 34 by season's end. He's just the kind of player the Dodgers like to bring in. Guys who might be good, but most certainly not as good as they used to be. And old. They like old guys.

The Dodgers are 21^st in the latest league power poll. Yep, there are 6 teams that are worse. The Cubbies are at the bottom with a 41-96 record.

And the Astros are down to the magic number of 1, at home, against LA. No other team has a magic number of less than 20 at this point.

9/5 7-3 L to the Astros
It looked like LA had something going early against Houston and John Dopson (1-2) as the scored 2 in the first. LA send Kirk Vucsko (0-1) to the mound and he rolled along for 2, but before getting into big trouble in the 3^rd. Houston put 4 up as McGriff hit number 29. Larkin would add another 2 run shot in the 4^th (6) and that was that. Houston rookie Scott Sorce got his first big league HR off of Bob Patterson in the 8^th (1). It was only his 10^th big leage at bat and 3^rd hit. LA's Schofield homered (6) in the 7^th for LA.

We've had our 2^nd no-hitter of the year! Pittsburgh Pirates starter Rodney Rogers (1-2) threw 116 pitches against the Phillies last night. He walked 2 and struck out 8 in his 12-0 win. Rogers had his mid 90s fastball going, along with a drooping forkball. Rogers has spend most of the year in AAA Buffalo where he was 10-8 with a 3.67 ERA in 26 starts. A former 26^th round pick by the Reds, he was released and picked up by Pittsburgh. He made 3 starts last year for the Pirates going 2-0 with a 3.54 ERA, but his stuff had never approached no-hitter quality. What a memory for the 24yr old! Rogers start is the best pitched game of the year.

Coincidentally on the very same day, Matt Williams of the Padres had the 2^nd best hitting performance of the year (the Padres Bo Jackson is #1) by hitting 3 HR's in a 4-4 game.

9/6 4-1 L to the Reds
Reds rookie Doug Simons got his first career start and win (1-0) going 6 and striking out 5. Bryn Smith (8-15) allowed 10 hits over his 6 innings. It was a Carmelo Martinez 3-run HR in the 4^th (11) that opened the game up for the Reds. LA didn't score until the 9^th when Von Hayes singled in Dick Schofield.

9/7 PPD

LA activated Juan Samuel and minor leaguer Sergio DelRosario from the DL. Samuel (.215/8/26) and Rosario (1-1, 3S, 1.80 ERA in AA). DelRosario was up last year for 5 games where he walked 9 and had a 10.80 ERA.

9/8 2-0 L to the Padres
Poor Viola (11-17) allows 3 hits in a complete game, but 2 of them are HR's. One to Dan Gladden (2) and one to Gary Redus (5). The only other guy to get a hit was Ron Coomer. LA left 9 guys on base including a bases loaded opportunity.

9/9 5-4 (11) W over the Padres
LA had to dig deep here to avoid falling into the cellar of the West. Even though we went up 2-0 early, Bo Jackson tied the game with #32 and the Padres took the lead in the 5^th and looked good to go. LA got 2 lead off singles in the 9^th and with good baserunning and hitting tied it up. It was Mark Williamson's 10^th blown save this year. LA got good bullpen pitching with Franco (5-5) getting the win and DiPino the save (4). Caminit went 3-5 and the team had 14 hits.

OF Jose Gonzalez was called up from Albuquerque. Gonzalez originally came up in the Dodgers system and was sent to Houston in a deal with Ramon Martinez and Cecil Espy for Larry Parrish. Gonzalez won a title with Houston last year, but was claimed off of waivers by the Dodgers in April. This season in Albuquerque he batted .287/.325/.433 with 11 HR's and 24 stolen bases. He is a career .203 hitter in 55 games and a -0.3 WAR over 3 seasons.

LA still only has 1 player with more than 10 home runs. Just 1. Guerrero and his 17. That's it. Von Hayes and Mike Scioscia are tied for 2^nd with 9. You wonder why this team sucks? That's a big part of it. Rickey's batting average for his career is near .300. His average this season is .238. It's crazy. The Padres have 2 guys over 30 in Jackson and Matt Williams. They are #1 and #3 in the NL in HR's.

9/10 1-0 L to the Padres
Big pitchers dual between Scott Garrelts and Jim Beattie. Both guys pitched well, but this one came down to the bullpens. This one came down to a sac fly with one out and the bases loaded by Jim Vatcher against Frank DiPino (3-2). LA could only muster 2 hits in this one, walking 5 times and reaching on 1 error.

There are 20 games left in the year. The Phillies are 6 in front of the Mets for the other NL spot. In the AL, the O's are clinging to a 1 game lead over the Indians and 2.5 over the Yankees. While the Angels are 4 in front of the Mariners. The Dodgers are 36.5 games behind the Astros, 11 behind the 2^nd place Reds and .5 in front of the last place Padres.

9/11 Game 1 11-4 L to the Reds
A rain makeup for earlier this year and boy was it ugly. At one point LA had the tying run on 3^rd with Henderson coming up only to have him ground out to end the threat. He has been awful this year, but he hit a solo homer (9) after the game was out of hand. Reds rookie Nelson Lirano just destroyed us today. He had 8 total bases as he tripled in the 3^rd and hit his first career HR (1) in the 7^th off of Tanana in relief. This was a bad game for him too. He struggled through 2 innings allowing 6 runs and 2 dingers. Bryn Smith takes the loss (8-16).

9/11 Game 2 9-1 W over the Reds
Turnabout is fair play I suppose. LA pounded out 15 hits tonight. The last time they saw Reds rookie pitcher Doug Simons (1-1) he threw 6 scoreless. Tonight, 11 hits and 5 runs. It was a great start from Kirk Vuckso (1-1) he allowed 3 hits, and 1 run with 8 K's in 6.1 innings. In fact, LA pitchers allowed only 4 hits, but 3 of them were to Danny Tartabull. Vucsko helped his own cause too, going 2-3 with his first 2 career RBI's. Samuel and Hayes had 3 hit games.

9/12 5-4 W over the Reds
LA puts together another 10 hit night and finally gives Viola (12-17) some runs and helps him from closing in on that 20 loss season. Viola allowed 2 over 6, but patience was the key. LA drew 3 bases loaded walks off of Reds pitcher Davis Nied. Liriano continued his abuse of Dodger pitching going 3-3, while LA got 3 hits from Scioscia. Browning started and took the loss (6-15).

Really bad news for Royals starter Jack Morris. Morris signed a 2-year deal with the Royals in the offseaon and pitched 8 games going 4-2 before a major shoulder injury derailed his season in May. Well, bad news on his rehab, and he now needs a new surgery and will miss even more time. In fact, he may not be back until the end of 1990. So the Royals contract is now up to 526k per start. Ouch.

9/13 3-0 L to the Astros
Houston wins game number 99. Dave Stewart (18-5) once again, dominated LA, and Fred McGriff went 4-4 with a pair of RBI's to put him over 100 on the year. LA didn't get a hit until the 5^th and Henke had no problem picking up his 39^th save.

9/14 5-1 L to the Astros
Ho Hum, another loss to the future champs. Swindell (19-2) inched closer to his 20^th win with 7 strong. Jim Beattie (7-11) took the loss and left the game in the 4^th with some shoulder soreness. He might miss one start. LA got a great outing from John Denny out of the pen as he pitched 4.2 innings of scoreless baseball. LA was inching back into it, when Frank DiPino came on and ended that threat. The Astros lost Tom Henke to a sprained ankle and it looks like he might be done for the year. They will miss him, but their bullpen is insanely deep. Houston picks up win number 100.

9/15 3-0 W over the Braves
Bryn Smith (9-16) was on form today. Atlanta was no hit until the 7^th when 19-yr old Juan Gonzales smacked a single to break it up. Von Hayes became the 2^nd Dodger to break into double digits in home runs. That is SO BAD! Hayes has #10! Ugh. John Franco pitched the final 2 innings for his 30^th save of the year. We don't deserve him.

PilotMan · 10-09-2018, 09:42 PM

9/16 4-3 L to the Braves
Juan Samuel left with a hand injury and Daryl Boston came on and only went 4-4 and lead a come back that nearly got LA all the way back. LA had the bases loaded in the 9^th, but Dave Rhode struck out on a 3-2 pitch to end it. Vucsko (1-2) pitched 5, and took the loss. He wasn't good today. LA had 12 hits, all singles.

The Angels are the first team to crack a magic number of 10. They hold a 5.5 game lead over the M's as they stretch the lead in the AL West. They are 9-1 in the last 10 games.

9/17 3-1 W over the Braves
Frank Viola (13-17) came out on top tonight in the battle with the Braves Randy Johnson (13-12). Viola pitched into the 7^th, allowing 4 hits and striking out 6. LA scored in the first, but the Braves tied it up in the 4^th. LA would get the go ahead in the 5^th and insurance in the 6^th. Joe Price and John Franco (31^st save) finished the game off.

The Phillies are the next team to find their magic number under the number 10. The Phillies have a 5 game lead on the Mets in the NL East.

9/18 7-3 L to the Giants
Gregg Jefferies hit a 3-run HR (9) after the LA manager walked Jody Reed to get to him. LA got a late Von Hayes HR (11) but it wasn't worth anything. Ken Howell (8-14) takes the loss, while Kip Gross (6-10) gets the W.

9/19 8-0 W over the Giants
Bryn Smith (10-16) goes the distance for the shutout and becomes the 2^nd Dodger pitcher of 1989 to get his 10^th win. Smith threw 119 pitches, and got 5 K's and was never in trouble. The offense was there too . Von Hayes cracked his 12^th in the 2^nd to start the scoring, then found himself walked twice. No worries though, because Scioscia picked him up both times. Scioscia had 4 RBI's while Hayes went 2-2, with 3 runs and 3 walks.

Houston's Greg Swindell (20-2) and Philadelphia's Greg Maddux (20-7) both become the season's first 20 game winners. In other statistical news. In the NL, Phillies third baseman, Dave Magadan (.342) leads the NL in hitting. Houston's McGriff and the Padres Matt Williams are tied for the HR lead with 35. While McGriff and the Cardinals Will Clark are tied for the lead in total bases (337). In the AL, Red Sox third baseman, Wade Boggs (.357) leads in average, while Mark McGwire of the Angels leads in home runs with 37. Cal Ripken Jr's 309 leads the AL in total bases.

9/20 7-0 W over the Giants
The most unlikely pairing of pitchers combined to throw one of the best games of the year for the Dodgers. Jim Beattie (8-11) got the start and even though he would walk 6 guys, he didn't allow a hit until the 4^th inning. That was to Giants catcher Scott Kimball. That was it. The only hit the Giants would get. Beattie came out in the 7^th with 0 outs, and John Denny took over and thew 3 hitless innings for his first save of the year. Von Hayes went 2-4 with 4 RBI's and another HR (13). LA drew 8 walks on Giants pitching. Marty Barrett left the game with an elbow injury.
/
Barrett was placed on the 15-day DL, which will take care of most of the rest of his season. 3B/LF Dave Hansen was called up from San Antonio to take his place. Hansen was originally a 3^rd round pick by the Brewers. LA is his 3^rd team. He batted .309/8/67 with AA San Antonio this year. He is more of a contact hitter, with some reasonable discipline. He is the Dodgers #8 prospect in the organization.

9/22 4-0 W over the Padres
Wow. So LA has now held opponents scoreless for 27 straight innings. Where was this all season? Today it was Viola allowing 3 hits in 8 innings and running his record to 14-17 and a little bit safer from a 20 loss season. Viola might have gotten the shutout, but Abercrombie elected to go to Franco in the 9^th.

And now the Indians become the last team to get their magic number below 10. The Indians are holding down the East from the O's by a game and 2 over the Yankees. The Angels magic number is 3, and the Phillies number is 4.

9/23 9-3 W over the Padres
Von Hayes is hot, wow is he hot right now. Today was 3-5, with a double and 3 RBI's. Kirk Vucsko (2-2) started and got the win, and he helped himself with a big 2-run single that gave LA the lead. Lee Stevens hit a pinch hit double then came up lame on getting to 2^nd base, which is bad news as he's been hurt off and on all year long.

9/24 5-3 L to the Padres
LA fell behind early on as the Pads struck 4 times in the first 3 innings. LA clawed back thanks to a 2 hit game from Caminiti and a 3 hit game from Surhoff. Even Ken Howell (8-15) who took the loss came through with a 2-run double down the line. A Padres top prospect, Derek Lee, made his major league debut, and despite an early error in center, he homered for his first career hit and HR. Franco picked up save #32.

Astros pitcher Dave Stewart became the next 20 game winner in the NL, running his record to 20-5. Not sure if he'll contend for the Cy Young or not. There are a lot of good arguments out there.

I said Von Hayes was hot. He just won player of the week in the NL. It's the first win for a Dodger in a few years. He batted .538, with 3 HR's and 9 RBI's.

As I said before, the NL Cy Young race is absurd this year.

Greg Swindell, Houston (21-2, 2.09 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 5.8 WAR, 181 ERA+) Leader in wins, 2^nd in ERA, 3^rd in WHIP, 6^th in WAR, 6^th in K's per 9, 4^th in FIP
Greg Maddux, Philadelphia (20-8, 2.31 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 7.9 WAR, 168 ERA+) 2^nd in wins, 4^th in ERA, 6^th in WHIP, 2^nd in WAR, 3^rd in FIP
Dave Stewart, Houston (20-5, 2.70 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 4.6 WAR, 141 ERA+) 2^nd in wins, 7^th in ERA
Tom Candiotti, Houston (16-10, 2.21 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 6.7 WAR, 172 ERA +) 6^th in wins, 3^rd in ERA, 2^nd in WHIP, 5^th in WAR, 4^th in K's
Doc Gooden, New York (13-7, 1.50 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 9.8 WAR, 250 ERA+) 1^st in ERA, 1^st in WHIP, 1^st in WAR, 1^st in K's

Gooden looks to be on his way to his 5^th straight Cy Young, and possibly his 4^th MVP, but how bad is that 3.11 runs of support per game hurting him?

9/25 14-13 (15) W over the Giants
Wow. Talk about a game with everything! Terrible pitching? Check! Terrible fielding? Check! Drama? Check! Injuries? Check! A 6-hour game? Check! Yep, 6 hours. Jim Beattie started, but after walking 6 guys before the end of the 3^rd and allowing 7 runs he had to go. Check these scores. After 1, LA 2-1, Giants tie in the top of the 2^nd, LA pulls ahead 3-2 after 2. Giants score 6 in the third to go up 8-3, LA scores 4 to make it 8-7. Giants add another in the 5^th, then 4 in the 6^th to make it 12-7. LA gets 4 in the bottom of the 6^th, and another in the 7^th to tie it. Then nothing. No scoring for 7 innings. LA used 9 pitchers, both teams combined for 23 walks and 18 K's. Rickey walked 4 times. LA didn't steal a base and was caught 4 times, the Giants stole 6 and were caught once. Giants rookie Webster Garrision got his first career hit and stolen base. The Giants got a run in the top of the 15^th to go ahead, but LA opened with 2 singles, a pop out, a walk and another pop out, before Guerrero singled in the winning run. Frank Tanana (9-7) who won't be back inched closer to career win #200. Von Hayes was hurt in a crash at 2^nd and left the game. Sergio DelRosario threw 6 pitches before he left and it just goes on and on. Inky homered in the 6^th (6) and Scofield too (7). We keep the winning streak alive!

Tom Candiotti threw another shutout to keep his name in the Cy Young hat.

Lee Stevens has a strained back and won't go on the DL. Von Hayes has an oblique strain and will. That will end his season. Inky probably takes his spot in right.

The Phillies have clinched the East! Floyd Bannister (another former Dodger) picked up win #19 as the Phillies win game number 100 and lock out the Mets.

9/27 6-1 L to the Giants
Viola (14-18) falls in his last start of the year. What started out great, with no hits thru 3, and piling up the K's, ended in the 7^th with a couple singles, a wild pitch and 2 walked in runs. Bob Patterson came on and didn't help, with another wild pitch, and allowed hits that cleared the bases. All in all Viola was on the hook for all 6 runs, 6 walks and 7 K's in 6.1 innings. Dodgers prospect Dave Hansen got his first career ML appearance, taking a walk when he came on to play third in a double switch.

The Astros are now 31 games in front of the 2^nd place Reds in the West, and the last place Padres are 47 game back. What's worse? All all the last place teams in all of Major League baseball, the Padres are the best (.407). The Cubs are the worst (.302) and are 52 games behind the Phillies, who would be 11 behind the Astros.

9/29 1-0 L to the Braves
Gerald Perry hit a triple and scored on a Juan Gonzalez sac fly for all the scoring in the game. Tom Glavine (3-6) threw 7 scoreless. Ken Howell (8-16) pitched a complete game 2 hitter (both by Perry), walking 4 and striking out 6. LA had 6 hits and 3 extra base but couldn't get any of them home.

9/30 7-2 L to the Braves
Game 161 goes like the rest of the year. Schofield went 3-3, and Guerrero added another 2 hits, but it never matriculated into anything. Bryn Smith (11-17) gets beat up with the Braves young sluggers of Mo Vaughan and Juan Gonzalez going deep (12 and 5). Zane Smith (10-10) pitches an out away from a complete game and was in charge the whole way. One game of this miserable season to go.

Astros outfielder Dale Murphy has reached the #300 HR mark with a big shot in the first inning (8) off of Bruce Ruffin. Murphy's blast powered the 9-3 win of the Astros to their 112^th win of the season. Murphy, a 4-time All Star and 2-time Silver Slugger, found himself in a rotation role this year, getting 265 at bats, in 118 games. His output has fallen off, with a slash line of .238/.310/..358.

It'll be the California Angels against the Cleveland Indians in the ALCS this year. Both teams clinched their divisions today.

10/1 8-1 W over the Braves
A big W to close out the year. Jim Beattie (9-11) throws a great 7 innings of shut out baseball. He put the cap on a solid season. Not sure if his option will be picked up, but if it's not this is a good end to his time here. Dick Schofield, light hitting short stop turned murderer today. He homered in the first (8) AND slammed another home in the 9^th (9) to cap a 3-4 game with 4 RBI's. Every field player had at least 1 hit except Beattie.

PilotMan · 10-10-2018, 04:38 PM

Jim Rice, who started the year with 1997 career hits, found his last hit, a pinch hit, on the last day of the year to finally get to the magical 2000 number.

Journeyman pitcher, and former Dodger, Floyd Bannister got his first 20 win season with the Phillies. Good return on a 1 year deal.

End of Season Recap

What a long year. This team sucks and worse, they don't suck as bad as they could. I've looked at a couple reasons why, but it's clear that a number of guys, had monumentally bad years, as in had the worst years of their careers, or at the very least the worst in recent memories.

LA was the worst in the majors in cost per win, runs scored and WAR. Here's how our top players showed up this year:

Guerrero – After 5 years in Philly, Pete comes home and puts up a .283/17/72, 1.2 WAR season. He lead the team in HR's and RBI's and stayed healthy enough to play 146 games. Yet he only scored 53 runs. That was the lowest WAR in any season where he played more than 100 games.

Viola – 14-18, 3.77, 5.6 WAR, 101 ERA+. Viola was actually one of the better players on the team. He was saddled with a career low 2.78 Runs of support per game, yet still had a .667% for quality starts. His numbers were pretty much in line with his career numbers and why they brought him in.

Rickey – Played in a 156 games, scored 75 runs, stole only 31 bases. His slash line of .232/.343/.314. His was of 1.7 His numbers were his very worst since his rookie year in '79. It was the first time since '81 that he didn't hit double digits in HR's. Even worse, his defense dropped off from his career averages.

Bryn – 11-17, 3.45, 3.7 WAR, 110 ERA+. Smith, like Viola, put up numbers pretty much on par with his career numbers. He was only supported with 2.57 Runs per game, and had a .571% of quality starts.

Hayes – Lost about 40 games due to injury this year, which has been an issue for him throughout his career. He was 2^nd on the team in HR's with 13, but that was nearly half of what he had last year. Where he had a 6.9 WAR last year, this year it was 2.9, with a slash line of .267/.348/.396. His OPS+ is right in line with his career numbers though. He's should never be the front line of the offense.

Murphy – In 6 years with LA, he hasn't been a starter for the last 5. Painful contract. This year he got into 38 games, and started 7. His .231 average with 2 HR's and 5 RBI's was good for just about nothing.

Denny – A mil a year is a lot for an aging, mop up reliever. He might have been just as good as some of our starters though. He worked 57 innings in 36 games, some good, some horribly bad. His WAR of -0.0 was his worst since his first year with LA back in '84. Don't hope to see him back.

Beattie – In his 4^th year with the Dodgers of a 5 year deal, Beattie pitched like the 5^th starter he is. His 0.5 WAR, and 99 ERA+ are below his career average, however, his numbers were better than pretty much any other year in LA. His 3.83 ERA was good, his .379% quality start not so good. Even worse, his 2.07 runs of support per game were the worst of any Dodger starter. I really hope that LA doesn't pick up his option.

Scioscia – The career Dodger put together a solid, if unspectacular year. Sharing time at catcher with Surhoff, Scioscia started 106 games, batted .264, tied for 3^rd in team HR with 9, and had a 2.1 WAR. Most of his WAR was defense. His catcher ERA was 3.53, and he caught 33% of stolen base attempts. His OPS was about 50 points below his career average. He has another year left in his contract, but it's a player option, and right now, he's pissed. It will be hard to see him go.

Samuel – In the first year of his 3 year deal, he never realized the level of his earlier years. He lost almost half the year to injury, batted .213, hit 8 HR's, stole only 12 bases. His 0.7 WAR was the worst in any year, since he broke in with the Phillies in '82 and played 21 games. There's not a lot of good here. It was an awful year.

So those are the guys who cost the most, some better than others.

Of the other starters, Caminiti and Schofield were both offensive pariahs. Neither put together much of anything. Caminiti had a 0.9 WAR and Schofield a 2.9. Schofield was one of the best at SS once again. His 10.4 zone rating and 13 errors contributed strongly to that 2.9.

A couple of good stories did come out of this year. Chuck Jackson made it to the majors and had he started, could have been one of the best season's of any Dodger. He batted .297/.369/.463, with a 2.4 WAR and 136 OPS+.

John Franco was the best. Simply the best on the team. His 32 saves, 1.58 ERA, and 0.99 WHIP meant he was one of the best in the league closing a game out. His 5 years as LA's back end pitcher has moved him to #2 in career saves for the franchise. He will be arbitration eligible in the offseason so the team will get at least 1 more year, unless they trade him for some peanuts. Don't hold your breath.

PilotMan · 10-10-2018, 07:18 PM

1989 Playoff Preview

NL
Phillies v. Astros

The defending champ, Houston Astros, are primed for another title. They were 3^rd in the NL in runs and average, and 2^nd in HR's. To go with that killer offense, the team lead the NL in pitching.

The Astros boast a lineup where 7 of the 8 players have been All Stars at one point in their careers. Many multiple times. The only reason, it's not all 8, is because of an injury to Barry Larkin that took him out for the rest of the year. Otherwise, everyone. Lead by Fred McGriff (.318/39/131), Joe Carter (.282/35/114), Carney Lansford (.318/4/55), Benito Santiago (.264/14/68) and George Bell (.318/15/74) this team is just loaded top to bottom. Dickie Thon replaces Barry Larkin in the playoffs and at second, Randy Ready has replaced Steve Buechele who was brought over in a trade mid season.

The pitching staff is even better. It's so good that they traded Dennis Martinez mid season for Buechele, and Martinez went on to pitch even better for the White Sox finishing with a 15-6, and 2.20 ERA. But he's not here and they really don't need him. Scary. So scary, that they have 3 guys with Cy Young aspirations. There are 2, 20 game winners in Swindell (22-2, 2.04, 0.97 WHIP), and Dave Stewart (21-5, 2.69, 1.14). Then there's knuckleballer, Tom Candiotti (17-10, 2.13, 0.98) and then old fireballer, Nolan Ryan (16-8, 2.76, 1.11). They have more than enough firepower to dominate any team. The team lost closer Tom Henke (39 saves, 3.32 ERA) for the season, but Tim Burke (10-3, 6 S, 1.86) has stepped in just fine. They also have Alejandro Pena (2.25) who can take them home. No wonder they are the best in the majors.

The Phillies are the #1 hitting team in the NL. The team is lead by NL batting champion Dave Magadan (.344), and an entire starting lineup who is under 30. This team is young, and good. Julio Franco went out for the season with an injury, otherwise he would break that up, and they will miss his .320 batting average and his team leading 4.6 WAR. They also have Larry Walker (.288/28/104, 33 SB), Mark Grace (.332/19/88), Ron Gant (.287/17/54), and Kevin McReynolds (.300/13/91). The aren't quite as scary as Houston, but they can get it done.

The pitching staff isn't as fearsome, and the bullpen is the weak spot of the team. The rotation has Greg Maddux in a breakthrough year (21-8, 2.25, 1.04 WHIP), 21yr old Kevin Appier (14-9, 3.38, 1.34) and Floyd Bannister (19-9, 4.18, 1.34). The 4^th slot will be unable to keep up with Houston. In the bullpen there's Mike Schooler and his 37 saves, 1.72 ERA, in 74 games.

Advantage Astros.

AL

Indians v. Angels

The Angels get home field by a couple of games. They have the best pitching staff in the AL, but their offense is not. Ranked 9^th in runs, and 11^th in average, they can be shut down. They were 2^nd in HR's though and for good reason.

Mark McGwire is the power behind the team. He put up mammoth numbers again this year, with 38 HR's and 107 RBI's. His 6.9 WAR lead the team and he played in all 162 games for the Angels. He is paired with Eric Davis (.260/29/104, 20 SB). The team is without All Star SS Alan Trammel who is recovering from a broken rib. Former Dodger, Fred Lynn pasted another 27 HR's this year, but with a .218 average and .661 OPS, how worthwhile he is, is really up for discussion. His WAR was a -0.5.

The strength of this team is on the mound. Bret Saberhagen (18-8, 8.6 WAR, 2.53 ERA, 0.94 WHIP) is the ace. Behind him are Mike Witt (17-11, 3.48, 1.21, 5.3), and Jim Deshaies (16-14, 3.64, 1.29, 3.5). In the bullpen is the best closer in baseball, Larry Andersen. Andersen was signed just before spring training to a 1 year deal for next to nothing. At 36, he's only notched 39 saves and posted a 0.66 ERA, a 0.90 WHIP and a .190 OAVG. They also have one of the best set up men in baseball in Gene Nelson (3-3, 2.26).

The Indians are, no question, the worst team of the teams in the playoffs. They didn't come on to pass the Yankees and Orioles until late in the year, but they did win. They were 6^th in the AL in runs scored and 4^th in AVG, 5^th in HR's. Their pitching staff is the weakness. The team is 9^th in the AL in runs against, starters were 8^th and the bullpen was 14^th, dead last. Fielding was nearly as bad in 13^th.

The offense is lead by Kelly Gruber and his team leading 23 HR's and 4.6 WAR. Roberto Alomar (.329/7/75, 34 SB), Glenn Braggs (.293/17/105), Jerome Walton (.304/2/37) round out the lineup. There's a few guys who can hit, but nobody really strikes fear in opponents.

The pitching staff ace is 2-time, Cy Young winner Roger Clemens. Clemens is in line for a possible 3^rd straight award, with an 18-7 record, 2.33 ERA, 233 K's and 1.05 WHIP. Eric Hanson (16-10, 3.69, 190 K's, 1.19) isn't quite on his level, but is still strong. The bullpen is awful. Closer Jeff Parrett (36 S, 4.01) pitched in 75 games, and he's the top dog. Tim Crews (3.88) and Mark Fellows (6.52) keep him company out there.

I just don't see how the Indians will get hits off the best staff in the AL, and I don't see how, unless Clemens pitches every game, that the Indians can keep the Angel bats quiet.

PilotMan · 10-10-2018, 11:32 PM

ALCS Game 1
Angels 3-2 Indians
1-0 Angels

ALCS Game 2
Indians 7-3 Angels
1-1

Eric Davis (CAL) is done for the year with a concussion, running into the wall making a catch.

NLCS Game 1
Phillies 8-4 Astros
1-0 Phillies

NLCS Game 2
Phillies 3-2 Astros
2-0 Phillies

ALCS Game 3
Indians 4-3 Angels
2-1 Indians

ALCS Game 4
Angels 7-4 Indians
2-2

NLCS Game 3
Astros 6-1 Phillies
2-1 Phillies

ALCS Game 5
Angels 2-1 Indians
3-2 Angels

NLCS Game 4
Phillies 4-2 Astros
3-1 Phillies

NLCS Game 5
Phillies 6-2 Astros
Phillies win 4-1

ALCS Game 6
Indians 5-3 Angels
3-3

ALCS Game 7
Angels 6-1 Indians
4-3 Angels win

California Angels v. Philadelphia Phillies
1989 World Series

PilotMan · 10-11-2018, 06:13 PM

World Series
Game 1 in Philadelphia

Saberhagen v. Maddux

The Phillies score 3 times in the 2^nd, another in the 3^rd, and get a Ron Gant HR (2) in the 5^th to power out to a 6-0 lead. Maddux pitched 6 innings and the Phillies bullpen did the rest. Saberhagen had been tough in the ALCS, but gave up 8 hits in 5 innings and let the Phillies jump out to a 1-0 lead with a 7-2 victory.

Game 2 in Philadelphia
Phillies lead 1-0

Gregory v. Bannister

The Phillies took the lead again with a Ron Gant lead off HR (3) to start the game. The Angels tied it up in the 3^rd, only to see the Phils put 2 on the board in the bottom. The Angels answered, the the Phillies answered, then the Angles answered again and tied it in the top of the 5^th at 4 all. The Angels had closer Jeff Montgomery on the field in the bottom of the 9^th when Ron Gant took one to right center field 401 feet away (4) and sent the Phillies home winners once again. Gant went 3-5, hit 2 HR's, stole 2 bases, and scored 4 times. I can hear the MVP chants starting already.

Game 3 in Anaheim
Phillies lead 2-0

Appier v. Deshaies

The Phillies take the lead again. This time in the 2^nd, but the Angels had more in return this time, putting up 3 in the bottom and taking the lead for the first time in this series thanks to a Bill Doran 2-run HR (1). In the 5^th the Ron Gant's would respond as Gant slammed his 5^th post season HR, and 4^th of the World Series, but it was only a solo homer, and the Angels would again, answer with 3 in the bottom half. Jim Deshaies pitched 7 strong innings and the Angels would go home 8-2 winners.

Game 4 in Anaheim
Phillies lead 2-1

Miller v. Witt

The Phillies took a lead right off the bat in the first inning again. They've lead in every game so far. Then went up 3-0 in the 3^rd. Mike Witt got shelled, getting knocked out in the 5^th, and Willie Whitehurst didn't help him out. In the 6-run Philly 5^th, Magadan hit a solo-homer (1) and with the bases loaded.....yeah, it was Ron Gant yet again. Grand fucking Slam and his 6^th of the post season. Magadan went 3-5 with 3 extra base hits, and the Phillies just blew the Angels out 13-4. Philly is on the brink

Game 5 in Anaheim
Phillies lead 3-1

Maddux v. Saberhagen

I guess the Angels weren't going out like that. The home crowd was in it to win it, and boy did they get it. Four hits for Doran, 3 for McGwire, 2 for Lynn, who hit his 3^rd HR of the post season. Maddux was gone after 5 and Saberhagen pitched 1 out from a complete game. The Phillies lost Larry Walker to a strained oblique and the Angels crushed to the tune of 14-1.

Game 6 in Philadelphia
Phillies lead 3-2

Gregory v. Bannister

The Angels finally took the lead in a game with 3 in the first on a McGwire HR (2) off of Bannister, but the Phillies came right back with 2. The pitching took over from there and it stayed quiet as the Phills trailed. In the bottom of the 7^th the crowd came alive as Chris Hoiles and Kevin McReynolds each knocked in runs and the Phillies took the lead, with 6 outs to go. Mike Schooler would put them down 1-2-3 in the 8^th, and the Phillies were quiet in the 8^th. The top of the 9^th started with Brady Anderson leading off with a single. Tim Teufel flew out to right-center for 1. Bill Doran hit a 2-1 pitch over the short stop. Anderson didnt' stop and ended up on 3^rd. Sam Horn came on to pinch hit and after a swing and miss hit a ball out to short right field. Anderson was tagging all the way and just beat the throw to tie the game up. McGwire would go down to a ground out and send it to extras. On to the 11^th and Dave Staton hit a double down the left field line, and Doran followed that up with a single that scored Staton. Eric Show came on to face the Phillies and struck out all 3 to preserve the win and send this to a game 7.

Game 7 in Philadelphia
Series tied 3-3

Deshaies v. Appier

Both pitchers were on point in this one, and for once this series, the Angels vaunted staff pitched a good one. Deshaies and Appier both went 7 innings, and the only mistake either pitcher made was in the 4^th. After a Doran double, and Anderson ground out, Mark McGwire pulled a sharp line drive just over the fence in left to put the Angels up 2-0. Behind, in the 7^th, the Phillies lead off with singles. First and second with no outs, Keith Lockhart grounded into a double play and Chris Hoiles struck out to strand one at third. In the Phillies 8^th, McReynolds lead off with a single and Stillwell walked. Gene Nelson came on to face Mark Grace. He lines out to right, but McReynolds tags. First and third. Ron Gant steps in and on a 3-2 count, Nelson gets him looking. 2 outs. NL Batting champ Magadan comes up and after falling behind 0-2, Nelson gets him to ground out weakly to third to preserve the lead. In the 9^th, still 2-0, and Nelson still on the mound. Daulton leads off with a single. Keith Hughes grounds out to first, with Daulton takes 2^nd. Keith Lockhart flies out to left. Down to the last out, rookie Jeff Bagwell is called on to make it happen. Nelson gets ahead of the youngster 1-2 and induces a popout to 2^nd base. The Angels have done the impossible, coming back from a 3-1 deficit and the power of Ron Gant, they are the 1989 World Series Champions.

PilotMan · 10-12-2018, 07:53 AM

Offseason Notes and Awards

What a horrible start.

Buddy Bell, Ray Knight, and Keith Moreland all bid farewell to their baseball careers from the Dodgers minor league system. That's not the bad news though. The team has decided to extend the contracts of the GM, Ramon Ramirez, Manager Adam Abercrombie, Pitching Coach Luis Vasquez, and hitting coach Omar Bernal. Most, of not all of the managers and coaches in the Dodgers system are bottom of the barrel guys. The owner, hates to spend money and looks to cut corners where he can. In fact, the team actually lost over 4 million dollars last year, as attendance dropped to just a hair over 2 million after breaking 3 million just 2 years ago. The team has lowered ticket prices for the next year.

Hometown boy Mike Scioscia decides home is where the heart is and exercises his option to stay in town for one more season.

The team executes the buyout on Jim Beattie, who will not be back.

1989 Gold Glove Awards

AL

P Mario Soto – OAK – (1)
C Ron Hassey – TEX – (1)
1B Kevin Seitzer – BOS – (2)
2B Billy Ripken – DET – (1)
3B Terry Pendleton – KC – (3)
SS Tony Fernandez – TOR – (1)
LF Stan Javier – MIN – (1)
CF Albert Belle – TEX – (1)
RF Ruben Amaro – BAL (1)

NL

P David Cone – CHI – (1)
C Dave Valle – CIN – (2)
1B Rick Schu – CHI – (1)
2B Willie Randolph – MON – (1)
3B Carney Lansford – HOU – (1)
SS Dick Schofield – LA – (2)
LF Dave Justice – CHI – (1)
CF Dave Henderson – CIN – (2)
RF Paul O'Neil – CHI – (1)

Rolaids Reliever of the Year

AL
Larry Andersen - CAL – (5-4, 39/40S, 0.66, 59 GF)

Interestingly, the Royals rookie Mark Gardner came in 2^nd. Gardner started the year in the rotation, and ended it as the closer. His QS % was .667 over 12 starts, and he finished 41 games and 30/34 save chances.

NL
Mike Schooler – PHI – (3-4, 37/41S, 1.72, 60 GF)

John Franco of our LA Dodgers came in 2^nd in voting.

Silver Slugger Awards

AL

C Mickey Tettleton OAK (1) - .228/.355/.419 18 HR
1B Mark McGwire CAL (3) - .284/.417/.517 38 HR
2B Ryne Sandberg TOR (3) - .292/.351/.479 26 HR
3B Wade Boggs BOS (2) - .355/.441/.475 4 HR
SS Cal Ripken Jr BAL (4) - .278/.322/.496 35 HR
LF Barry Bonds CHI (5) - .307/.401/.570 23 HR
CF Kirby Puckett MIN (2) - .353/.406/.541 17 HR
RF Tony Gwynn SEA (2) - .333/.371/.436 7 HR
DH Wally Joyner TEX (2) - .311/.368/.437 13 HR

NL

P John Smiley CHI (1) - .268/.268/.339
C Brian Harper PIT (1) - .317/.339/.469 17 HR
1B Fred McGriff HOU (1) - .318/.404/.573 39 HR
2B Julio Franco PHI (3) - .320/.387/.430 7 HR
3B Kevin Mitchell NY (3) - .294/.362/.526 32 HR
SS Bip Roberts PIT (1) - .314/.374/.448 9 HR
LF Bobby Bonilla NY (1) - .297/.362/.496 29 HR
CF Joe Carter HOU (2) - .282/.309/.500 35 HR
RF Larry Walker PHI (1) - .288/.353/.485 28 HR

AL Rookie of the Year

2B Jeff King BOS .272/22/104

NL Rookie of the Year

1B Frank Thomas SF .309/16/78

Manager of the Year

AL
Bernd van den Heuvel CAL (1)

First year managing in the majors after coming up from the minors and he wins it all.

NL
Bill Virdon HOU (4)

Virdon has been in Houston for 14 years and wins this for the second time in a row. Has to be frustrated they lost to the Phillies in a very winnable series.

Cy Young Award

AL
Roger Clemens CLE (3) 18-7 2.33 233 K's 1.05 WHIP
3^rd straight win for Clemens who exercised is option to become a free agent this year. Bret Saberhagen was 2^nd and former Dodger Orel Hersheiser was 3^rd.

NL
Dwight Gooden NY (5) 13-7 1.46 221 K's 0.94 WHIP
Aside from the record, this was Gooden's best year of his career. He's won 5 straight Cy Young Awards and he's only 24. Greg Maddux was 2^nd and Greg Swindell was 3^rd.

Most Valuable Player

AL
Mark McGwire CAL (2)
McGwire wins the MVP for the 2^nd year in a row. Even though his year wasn't as good as '88, it was still the big man the team needed to win the Series. He is on pace to break the 200 HR mark next year. Clemens was 2^nd and Saberhagen was 3^rd.

NL
Fred McGriff HOU (1)
Another big year for the Crime Dog. He played in every game this year, in fact, he hasn't missed a game since '87. Hard to believe he was traded by the Yankees along with Jim Corsi and Mike Taylor for Brian Downing where he only played for 1 season. McGriff is locked up in Houston for another 6 years, with 2 chances for him to get out of his deal.

PilotMan · 10-12-2018, 05:22 PM

More Offseason Notes

LA avoids arbitration and signs the following players to 1 year contract extensions.

Eddie Vargas, Darryl Boston, John Franco, Ken Howell, Ken Caminiti, BJ Surhoff

The Expos bid farewell to franchise face Gary Carter after 15 years with the club. He is traded to the M's along with top Expos pitching prospect Juan Guzman for outfielder Mike Greenwell. Greenwell had come up in the Expos organization and was traded away in '88. Arguably, they paid more to get him this time than they got for him in the first trade.

Dodger Free Agents

At 31, after 10 years in the Dodgers minor league system, a career .311 average with over 1500 career minor league hits, Tom Beyers has opted to move on from the team. Beyers hit .346 in 32 games in the majors, but only played 3 games the last 2 years.

P Joe Price
P Frank Tanana
1B Pedro Guerrero
OF Dwayne Murphy
P Frank DiPino
P Jim Beattie
P John Denny

That's 7 roster spots on the 25 man roster that will be filled by new players for the 1990 season.

One of the top free agents are off the board. Minnesota Twins outfielder Kirby Puckett has signed a 5yr/13.2M contract to play the outfield for the Montreal Expos. Long time Expos outfielder Tim Raines is a free agent and they are not going to bring him back now.

Nolan Ryan returns home to California to play for the World Champion Angels for 1yr/1.6M.

Roger Clemens has left the Indians and will head west to Seattle. The Mariners have shelled out a 7yr/18.2M contract in the richest contract in baseball history. Clemens now heads up a staff that was #2 in ERA among starters in the AL last year. Clemens, Mark Langston, Mike Scott, Mike Moore, and Sid Fernandez.

LA has made it's first free agent signing of the offseason by signing 3B/OF Matthew Tyner to a 1yr/200k contract. The Dodgers are Tyner's 5^th team, and 3^rd in 3 years. Tyner hit 29 HR's in '85, but since has lost playing time. He played 70 games for the Royals last year and batted .180 with 4 HR's. Not much of a player in the field, the team must hope he can rekindle some old skills.

The Astros fill the void left by Nolan Ryan with Red Sox ace Bruce Hurst. Hurst has signed 6yr/14.9M contract 2^nd in value only to the Clemens deal.

On the same day the Expos lose first baseman Andres Gallaraga to the White Sox 6yr/6.1M the Expos sign first baseman Glenn Davis to a 3yr/2.6M deal.

1989 Rookie Draft

Dodgers first 5 rounds

OF Carl Everett (1^st, 7^th Overall)
1B Mike Busch (2^nd, 47^th Overall)
1B Jamie Ogden (3^rd, 75^th Overall)
IF Brad Tyler (3^rd, 87^th Overall)
OF Steve Gibralter (4^th, 105^th Overall)
IF Denny Hocking (5^th, 131^st Overall)

No real comments. We'll see. Not many big names considering how high up the draft list we were.

Former Dodger Steve Sax signed a 3yr/3.3M contract to play for the Cincinnati Reds.

LA dips into the Rule 5 draft again this year and pulls out 26 year old, Curtis Zucco, from the Royals. Zucco has been all over the minor leagues, and was once a Top Pitcher and MVP winner. Last year he made 2 appearances at AAA, other wise the rest of his career has been AA and below. If the team thinks that this guy can stay on the roster all year, then the plans for this team are in big trouble.

Frank Tanana, 36, signs a 1 year deal with the Angels for 1.1M to stay in SoCal.

Robin Yount joins Tim Raines in joining the Rangers.

LA and the Texas Rangers have made a trade. Leaving LA will be 25yr old C BJ Surhoff (.287/3/22) and pitching prospect Jose Cleto (3-0, 12S 1.22 ERA in Low A). In return, the Rangers are sending 27 yr old 1B Wally Joyner to the Dodgers. Joyner is in the last year of a contract, and could be a free agent after the season. He's a Gold Glove, All Star, and 2 time Silver Slugger. Last year he his .311/13/85, but it was his worst year in his last 4.

LA signs P Steve Bedrosian to a 1yr/160k deal. Bedrock pitched in 24 games for the Reds (33 in AAA) last season and posted a 5-2 record, 6 saves, and a 2.63 ERA. He could be a set up guy, but is more of a middle reliever. He's better than some of the guys on the roster right now, so it should be an ok signing.

1989 Hall Of Fame

This year 3 guys were selected to the Hall of Fame. They are:

In his first year of eligibility, with 94.4% of the votes, with 289 career wins, a 3.42 ERA, and over 4500 innings pitched, from the Chicago Cubs, he is Fergie Jenkins!

Also in his first year of eligibility, with 84.7% of the votes, he posted a career ERA of 2.74 in over 16 years of baseball and notched up 327 saves. From the Oakland Athletics, he is the man with the handlbar mustache, Rollie Fingers!

And, in his 2^nd year of eligibility, with 79.4% of the votes. This man spent over 17 years with the same team. He won 254 games in his career and threw over 3700 innings, and struck out over 2100 batters. From the Baltimore Orioles, Jim Palmer!

Joe Price signed a 1 year deal to play for the Expos.

Pedro Guerrero signed a 1yr/460k deal to play for the Blue Jays for the next year.

Frank DiPino signed a 1yr/160k deal to play for the Cardinals.

Fernando Valenzuela gets a 1yr/180k contract to play for the Reds. We'll see him more often this year.

Jim Beattie signs a 1yr/190k contract to play for the Phillies.

Dave Stewart is the last of the big names to get a contract. Stewart gets 2yrs/3.8M from the White Sox. Nowhere near where this back to back 20 game winner felt like he should be.

Joe Price is cut by the Expos, but picked up by the Mets for 170k.

John Denny joins the Mets for 1yr/190k.

Looks like poor Jim Beattie will miss another season of baseball. Beattie suffered a knee injury in a spring training game may be back by August if he heals well. Beattie missed all of the '87 season with an arm injury.

Opening Day is just around the corner!

PilotMan · 04-11-2019, 06:21 PM

Well, I couldn't bring myself to continue to post regular updates, and I really wanted to keep playing so I did. This is going to continue to be a little look inside as we struggle through some seriously mid-table Dodger teams. In the meantime here are some of the more interesting things that have happened in 1990 so far.

Currently it's mid July, and the Dodgers are slumping. They were strong contenders, as in 2nd place, even though they cannot compete with the Astros. The team is in 4th place, 4 games below .500. They've lost Wally Joyner for almost 3 months, and Lee Stevens simply cannot match his production in his place.

Bryn Smith (12-6, 2.28) is having a career year. Frank Viola (12-5, 2.99) gives the team a potent 1-2. Then things fall off. The bullpen is a mess. Even though John Franco is 15-15 in saves with a 2.81 ERA. The team is still throwing Steve Bedrosian out there even with his 1-4 record and 9.37 ERA.

The team is getting a look at 20yr old, #2 pitching prospect (#25 Franchise) Arthur Rhodes (0-2, 5.79) in the rotation out of necessity.

In other recent ML news -

Former Dodger Sid Fernandez tossed his 3rd career no-hitter.

Other No-No's from 1990 -
John Smoltz (MIN) against CAL PERFECT GAME

Roger Clements (SEA) against OAK 2nd career
Randy Johnson (ATL) against PIT
-Johnson also had a 17k, 1-hitter against the Padres

During the All Star game, Mark McGwire went deep in the 4th off of Randy Johnson to give the AL the lead. Johnson then hit Mickey Tettleton of the Yankees, who was up next, and Tettleton charged the mound. Both men were ejected in the ALL STAR GAME!

The Braves made quite possibly the worst trade ever. They sent closer Jim Acker (123 S for the Braves over 6 seasons) , 24yr old prospect Al Leiter (who they had gotten from the Phillies for Herm Winningham), and the #30 prospect in MLB and former #6 overall pick, Juan Gonzalez (.237 with 20 HR's for ATL before his 21st birthday). And who did the Braves get in this blockbuster deal? The Royals utility infielder, 25 yr old, former Cubs 3rd rounder, who signed a minor league deal with the Royals 2 years ago, none other than, Craig Grebeck. I don't know where to go with that. It's insane.

One pretty good blockbuster saw the Mets Darryl Strawberry, 5-time All Star, 2-time Silver Slugger, former WS MVP, who had been struggling and be dealt to the Indians for journeyman 1B, Randy Milligan and top pitching prospect Pedro Astacio. The trade paved the way for Reuben Sierra to take over full time starting duties along with Dykstra and Bonilla.

Former Dodger Pedro Guerrero (.297/9/47), who had signed for the Blue Jays in the offseason was shipped to the Pirates for Torey Luvullo (.185/1/5) straight up. Oof. We'd have taken him.

The White Sox are the best team this year. They are 65-27. The Mets are next at 61-32. Then the Phillies 57-36, Astros (57-38), Angels (57-38), Mariners (56-39) and finally the Yankees (53-38, who lead the AL East.)

PilotMan · 05-22-2019, 09:20 PM

Here's the story of one of oddest stat lines ever:

From my ongoing slow play alternate history universe:

August 25, 1990. Dodgers prospect and rookie Arthur Rhodes, pressed into ML service due to injuries, takes his 0-5 record into the game. Rhodes throws 8 no hit innings, and comes out for the 9th already having thrown over 130 pitches. Even with a 4-0 lead he proceeds to walk the bases loaded and has to be pulled for the closer John Franco never having allowed a hit. But you see, he threw 152 pitches, and only 73 were for strikes. You see Rhodes walked a MLB record 14 batters over 8 innings. Franco gave up 2 hits and the Mets scored 4 times to tie it up. LA would go on to win the game in the 15th. Rhodes is still winless for his career, despite the near no-no.

8IP, 0H, 2R, 2ER, 14 BB, 4 K 152P 73K

So close to infamy.

PilotMan · 08-03-2019, 02:57 PM

The 1991 Dodgers are, OMG, the worst of these Dodgers teams yet.

Dead last in the West and only a better record than the Expos. They've nearly been no-hit twice, and poor Arthur Rhodes is averaging 0.88 of run support per game in 10 starts. It's a travesty for LA fans everywhere.

tucking fypo · 08-03-2019, 05:44 PM

Good to see this dynasty is still alive.

PilotMan · 08-03-2019, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tucking fypo

Good to see this dynasty is still alive.

It heartens me to know that someone else is finding enjoyment from it! Thank you!

This goes for anyone. I know that my updates are pretty dead as I wander through, but what should I report, or what would people like to see updated?

Anything in particular?

05-22-2018, 09:40 PM	#151
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	6/1 9-2 W over the Mets Finally a win to break another losing streak. LA went up in the first when Rickey doubled home Von Hayes. The Mets in typical fashion against Tanana, a known giver upper of gopher balls, got one from Glenn Davis (3) to go back on top. It looked like it would be a long day for Tanana against the Mets but he came alive and so did the LA bats. LA tied it in the 3^rd on a Smith triple and erupted for 5 in the 5^th. Tanana (8-2) went the distance, but set another kind of record, as he tied the record with 5 strikeouts in 5 at bats. Surhoff left the game after he legged out a double. Some sort of leg injury. The word came fast and hard from the team doctor on Surhoff. A torn meniscus, will require surgery. He's done. He might be back before the end of the year, but it's doubtful right now. The team put him on the 60 day DL. The team called up former Braves farmhand, Ronald King, who was claimed off of waivers in April. In 35 starts for Albuquerque, he's hitting .358/.490/.458 and stole 15 bases. He's been up 3 times with the Braves, but never had enough to stick. Scioscia will now be the full time guy. 6/3 8-1 W over the Reds This starts the first of a very important series with the #3 team in the NL West. LA will need to get the upper hand here if they want to stay in contention in the division. Bryn Smith (7-4) allowed 4 hits and pitched into the 8^th. Pete O'Brien finally had a coming out party this year. He's been dead silent. Not today. Two HR's (6,7) 4-5 with the stick and 6 RBI's. 6/4 7-6 L to the Reds Kelly Downs (6-3) served up 2 HR's to Nick Esasky (12,13), but struck out 7, walked 4, gave up 8 hits. Really, he was all over the place. It was a struggle. It's all too bad. LA went up 4-0 in the first after Winfield bashed his 8^th dinger of the season. Dwayne Murphy added his first of the season when he came on during a double switch. Bad news for former Dodger ace, Rick Rhoden. Rhoden is still with the Yankees after the trade that brought Von Hayes to LA. Anyway, Rhoden sustained a torn flexor tendon and he's done for the year. He won't be back until mid season next year. He was 4-5 with a 4.15 ERA and 1.25 WHIP on the year. Rhoden just turned 35. The recovery from this injury isn't an easy one. 6/5 5-3 L to the Reds Former Dodger Ted Power (2-4) allowed 4 hits, and went 7.1 to get the win. He would have hung in there longer, but had some discomfort and had to leave the game. Pete O'Brien went 2-3 and got 2 RBI's. Fernando (4-5) went 7.2, allowed 11 hits and struggled with control again. His high pitch count cost him. Big news though. Winfield got hurt going for a catch, and had to leave the game. Winfield's injury looks to be fairly nominal. It's a finger sprain and he's expected to play through it. Good break for us. 6/6 6-1 L to the Astros On the heels of the Reds series loss, we start our first series with the division leading Stros. Dennis Martinez (7-4) throws a complete game 6 hitter. He got help from Kirk Gibson, who lead off the game with a HR (5) and Barry Larkin (3) who homered in the 3^rd. Tanana (8-3) took the loss as his stuff just didn't do the trick today. Jim Morrison was given his unconditional release today. Ending his 2^nd stint with the team. His 100 at bats are the lowest total for any team he's played for. He batted .210/2/10 during his 2 stints with the team. 6/7 4-3 W over the Astros Despite Kirk Gibson leading off the game with another HR (6), LA flexed it's own muscles and got strong pitching from John Denny (3-2) to grab a win against the Astros. Dave Winfield went deep in 2 the 2^nd and 6^th (9,10) and hit his 300^th career round tripper. Huge day for him. Von Hayes also went deep (8). LA saw plenty of ex Dodgers today too. Former Dodger top prospect, Cecil Espy started in center, and he hit a HR (2), only the 3^rd of his career. Alejandro Pena struck out 4 in 2 innings of relief. John Franco got the final 6 outs for his 8^th save of the season. 6/8 3-0 L to the Astros Tom Candiotti (2-1) had the knuckler under control today and LA couldn't find it anywere. Candiotti throws a 4 hit shutout, walking only 1, with 5 K's. Rickey goes 2-4 with a double and triple. Houston got a HR from Fred McGriff (14) and Bryn Smith loses another one (7-5). 6/9 6-1 W over the Astros Splitting a 4 game series leave hope for the season. Another former Dodger took the mound today, and although it's been a while, he was here once. Dave Stewart (8-4) got the start, but LA kept chipping away. An O'Brien HR (8) in the 4^th put the Dodgers on top, and in the 6^th LA got 3 more thanks to a Von Hayes 2-run single. Ozzie went 3-5. Henderson stole his 39^th base in 60 games. Kelly Downs (7-3) had a great start and struck out 9. 6/10 5-2 L to the Padres Mike Schmidt hit his 500^th career HR in a Dodgers jersey tonight. It came in the top of the 9^th with nobody on against Mark Williamson. Aside from that hit, LA could only manage 5 other hits, 3 of which, came from Winfield. Valenzuela (4-6) got the start, went 6, struck out 5, walked 4, allowed 2 HR's. Steve Sax just torched us today. 2-4 and a 2-run blast in the 2^nd inning (4). Bob Ojeda picked up the W (8-5). Garry Templeton, who had started the game at 2^nd, left with an injury. 6/11 6-2 L to the Padres Tanana (8-4) got roughed up and looked like his old self today. Kevin McReynolds tagged him for his 9^th of the year in the 5^th and broke the game open. Bo Jackson added a double and triple. LA got a 2-3 day from Rickey Henderson and some good work out of the bullpen from Ken Howell and Jim Beattie. Otherwise, it was Gary Mathews (3-4) that stole the show. Good news on Templeton as it's a mild hamstring strain and he won't be going on the DL. 6/12 6-3 L to the Padres LA commits 4 errors, only manages 4 hits, but draws 7 walks. Can't find home plate. John Denny (3-3) was touched for 10 hits, and 6 runs and Tony Gwynn hit a 3-run HR (3) that gave the Padres the lead. Rickey stole his 41^st base of the year. The Dodgers are in danger of falling back to .500. This is the closest they've been in a long while. 6/14 2-1 L to the Braves Brook Jacoby went 2-4, had both RBI's and his HR in the 4^th (9) was the first hit of the game for the Braves. Smith (7-6) takes the loss, but it was his best game in a while. Scioscia went 2-3 with an RBI. The only bright spot for the teams hitting. LA has dropped 4 straight, and 8 of the last 10. The team now finds itself 9.5 games behind the Astros. The biggest gap of the year. The team is still holding down 2^nd place. The Mets are 7.5 up in the East, and the 2 horse race for the NLCS is underway and it's not even the All Star break yet. If LA was in the AL East, they'd be in first place by 4 games. 6/15 5-4 W over the Braves LA homered 3 times, and the bullpen did a great job over the final 3 innings, only allowing 2 runners. A Von Hayes lead off homer (9) in the top of the 9^th off of Braves closer John Mitchell (0-4) put LA in front. LA also got homers from Schmidt (7) and Henderson (5). Kelly Downs started, and walked 6 in just over 5 innings. Inky went 3-4 in a start, giving Winfield a day off. 6/16 2-0 L to the Braves The Braves are, right now, the closest to the Dodgers in terms of talent on the field. On paper, LA has them beat all over. The Braves are also 8 games below .500. LA may be regressing. Tanana (8-5) went the distance in this one, walked 1, struck out 3. Should have gotten the win. He also allowed a HR to the opposing pitcher, Steve Ontiveros (1-0). Now, Ontiveros, a relief pitcher turned starter this season, only had 3 career at bats, and went down on strikes every time. Against our gopher ball hero, he hit one 391ft into left field. His first actual, career hit. LA got a couple of 2 hit games from Scioscia and Caminiti, but 0 hits from the 3-4-5 spots. LA claimed Mets infielder Curt Wilkerson off of waivers. Wilkerson had been starting, batting .249/.295/.305, with 0 HR's and 19 RBI's. He was assigned to Albuquerque. 6/17 8-3 L to the Padres Valenzuela (4-7) didn't even allow a hit until the 5^th inning. But the 6^th was one of the worst innings of the year as the Padres put up 6, including 2 bases loaded walks. Frank DiPino did the same thing in the 7^th inning, walking the bases loaded 2 times. Eight walks in all by Dodger pitching. Winfield homered early to put LA on top (11), but nothing else good happened. Von Hayes left the game after getting hurt on a diving play in center. Hayes is on the DL with a strained stomach muscle. The team called up prospect Doug Jennings. Jennings is hitting .375/5/30 so far in AAA. Both he and Dwayne Murphy are lefties, but it looks like Jennings might have the starting edge. At least at first. Lasorda could also move Hendeson back to center and let Inky start in left, but that might make too much sense. 4/18 4-3 W over the Padres Mike Schmidt hit a 3-run HR (8) in the first inning as part of a 4 run first. The Padres chipped away at it, but 8 strong innings by John Denny (4-3) kept us in it. John Franco pitched the 9^th for his 10^th save. Ozzie Smith went 2-2, with2 walks, getting on base every time up. 4/19 3-1 W over the Padres Bryn Smith (8-6) pitched like we hoped that we would all season long. Seven innings, 3 hits. Picked up by Franco, who went 2 for his 11^th save. The Dodgers smacked 12 hits and drew 5 walks. You'd think that they would be able to get more across than 3. Smith, Winfield, and youngsters Jennings and King all had 2 hits each. Henderson was caught stealing for the 4^th time this year. 4/20 7-2 W over the Braves Dave Winfield gave us a 3-run HR (12), as part of a 6-run 5^th inning. Scioscia and Jennings both added 2 more hits. Kelly Downs (8-3) threw a complete game to get the win. 4/21 4-3 (11) W over the Braves The bats might be starting to wake up. Pete O'Brien and Mike Schmidt, two guys who are really underperforming, both went 3-5. Schmidt delivered the game winning bases loaded single in the 11^th to send the team home. Tanana went 8 in his start, allowed a HR, of course, but struck out 7 too. Kent Tekulve, who threw 1 pitch in the 11^th got the win (3-0). 4/22 11-2 L to the Braves My, oh my, oh my. This might be Valenzuela's worst start of his career. Two more, bases loaded walks, 8 hits, and 11 runs allowed in 5 innings. The loss moves him to 4-8. Something is very wrong with our beloved ace. I just don't know what it is. His game score today was 6. Rickey went 2-3 and hit a 2-run HR (6), and stole his 43^rd base this year. In even worse news, Mike Scioscia was hurt in a play at the plate, and Ken Howell had to leave the game with an undisclosed injury. Will Fernando come around? The ballad of Jim Morrison continues. He waited 10 days to sign a minor league deal with the Indians. They've been using him as a DH. Today, he hit 2 HR's (3). That game alone exceeded his entire career with LA. Scioscia's injury isn't serious. He'll be day to day with a tight back and some soreness. Ken Howell is a different story. He was sent to the DL with a muscle strain in his side. No timetable for his return. This is the second time he's been out this year. LA brought up the Albuquerque Dukes closer, Brian Holton to take his place. Holton has been in the Dodgers system since he was 19. He pitched in 14 games last year and posted a 6.95 ERA as a 27 yr old, and now at 28, putting up a 1.23 ERA in 21 games and 11 saves. His control is still an issue, but here's another chance for him to get it done. 6/24 11-1 L to the Reds Outscored 22-3 in 2 games. Everything I said about hitting, forget it. Just let it go. It doesn't exist. Bryn Smith (8-7) had another good game going, but an awful 6^th sent him to the showers. Brian Holton came on with his chance and threw 48 pitches....in 1 inning. Allowing 5 more runs. Jack Morris (10-4) struck out 9 and threw 135 pitches. 6/25 6-2 L to the Reds The Reds pitching staff, once again, held LA in check. Ten hits spread out, only 1 extra base hit. Ozzie Smith with 3 of them from the leadoff spot, but he didn't score once. Kelly Downs got the start, takes the loss, to drop to 8-4. Henderson stole base #44. Mike Scioscia, playing hurt, had to leave the game after a big hit. No update yet. 6/26 3-2 L to the Reds We can't even win one from them. The Reds knock us off and we fall to 3^rd in the NL West. We needed a hero and the thought was that maybe it would be Tanana (8-6) after all, he's picked us up before. LA had gone down 2-1, but they had fought back to tie the game in the top of the 7^th. The leadoff hitter, Dave Valle, had been hitting the ball well all day long. He took the second pitch he saw and put it in the left field stands (9). That shot was all the Reds needed. The pen closed it out and despite 11 hits, and drawing 4 walks and another error, all LA could manage was 2 runs. I wonder, will the Dodgers sell in a month? Cause this season...it's over. Mike Scioscia was sent to the DL. He's pulled a hamstring and will miss a month. That's 2 catchers that we are down. Ronald King is still on fire, and he's taking over the starting catcher job. Taking Scioscia's spot on the roster is Larry See. Quite the road he's had. Back in '82, when this whole thing started, See was traded from LA, along with IF Mark Bradley, to the Expos, for SP Ray Burris. He would win a World Series with the Expos in '85 and his last ML experience would be in '86. He's a .213 hitter in 47 at bats for his career. He was claimed off of waivers by LA in April and has a .250/.322/.332 line. He has some gap power, better than average speed, for a catcher, and a decent arm. At 28, it's got to be a dream come true. 6/27 4-3 (13) W over the Astros We break the streak, cut the Astros lead by a game, but it really means nothing. Valenzuela started, and he was his old self again. He did work out of a big jam in the 7^th. It could have gone very differently. Houston did tie the game then, and that's what sent it to extras. In the 9^th and 10^th both teams got the bases loaded with 1 or less outs. Neither team scored. LA got an RBI single from Doug Jennings in the 12^th to go up, but Brian Holton (1-0) couldn't hold the lead and the Stros tied it up again. LA did it again in the 13^th though, this time on a Pete O'Brien single. Holton walked the leadoff hitter again, but was able to keep the Astros from scoring, sealing the win. 6/28 2-1 W over the Astros Kirk McCaskill took a no-hitter into the 7^th and I really thought he might get it. Until Ken Caminiti blasted one over the right field fence (4). LA added another on a Schmidt single. Those were the only 2 hits of the game. HR and single. The Astros had 10. John Denny (5-3) went 8 and Franco locked down the 9^th for his 12^th save. We needed some kind of good luck. Holton back to Albuquerque. Niedenfuer back up. 6/29 2-1 W over the Astros A sweep of the best team in baseball? On the road? We'll take it either way. The teams traded runs in the first inning and then it was on the pitchers. Bryn Smith (9-7) and Tom Candiotti went head to head. Smith only allowed 3 runners. Top of the 9^th and Astros closer Scott Garrelts (and his league leading 24 saves)(1-4) came on. Rickey lead off with a deep HR (7) to left field that was the game winner. Franco closed out another for his 13^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

05-30-2018, 04:43 PM	#152
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	June Report LA finished the month of June with a poor 12-14 record. Overall, the team sits in 2^nd place in the West, with a record of 41-37. The Dodgers are an awful 11 games behind the Astros. The light is dimming on the season as we close in on the All Star break. Could have been a lot worse too. LA won their final 3 games to get to that point. The reason for this was the hitting. The team has been dropping and dropping at the plate. With a .255 avg, the Dodgers find themselves 9^th in the NL in batting and 7^th in OBP. 9^th in hits and 6^th in runs scored. Good enough for a solid above average record, but not title hopefuls. Even with Rickey, the team is 2^nd in the NL in stolen bases. The pitching staff is as good as it's been lately. With a team 3.54 ERA they are 5^th in the NL. The bullpen is 3^rd in the NL with a 2.57 ERA, but Lasorda doesn't really like to use his bullpen. Opponents are hitting .245 and 5^th in runs allowed. They are getting a lot of help from the defense. With a .720 efficiency the team is 2^nd in the NL, and it's the best that this team has had in years. Of the slew of bad hitting that we saw this month, who was the best? Winfield lead the team with 5 HR's. Not awesome. He was also one of the best hitters with a .263/.295/.434 slash line. That's awful. Ozzie was probably the most consistent. He hit .299/.393/.361 and stole 6 bases. Doug Jennings only played 9 games, but hit .300. He was probably the best. That's it. Nobody else was worth a shit. Who wasn't? How long can I go on? Rickey hit .219/.327/.375. O'Brien hit .242/.290/.364. Schmidt hit .202/.279/.340. Good grief. This is bad. The top pitcher for June was Franco. After a rough start, the Dodgers closer pitched in 10 games, saved 6 and didn't allow a run in 13 innings of work while striking out 11. Actually, none of Tekulve, Franco, Robinson, nor Beattie allowed a run. That's a total of 30.2 innings of work with 0 runs allowed. Top starter was Bryn Smith and his 3-3, 2.83 ERA, 0.90 WHIP month. He only allowed 26 hits in 41 innings of work. Fernando was the worst. Might be the worst month of his career. He went 0-4 with a 7.03 ERA, 19 walks in 32 innings. We need old Fernando back. Tanana lived up to his gopher ball mantra, allowing 8 HR's in 40.2 innings. It wasn't a good month. There are a few guys out with injury and the All Star break is coming. Will this team be selling come the end of July? Or maybe they'll be buying? We'll have to see. __________________ 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

06-22-2018, 01:40 PM	#153
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	Royals catcher Carlton Fisk hit his 300^th career HR. The 40yr old signed a 2 year deal after playing in Baltimore the last couple seasons. He's been coming off the bench this season. 7/1 5-4 W over the Cubs LA scored in the first 3 innings, going up 4-0 with Kelly Downs on the mound. The Cubs fought back though, and in the 8^th off of Niedenfuer (1-0) they tied it up. In the bottom of the 8^th LA got the lead again on a sac fly from Ronald King that scored Schmidt. Speaking of Schmidt. He was good. He went 3-4 with an RBI and a run. Franco pitched the 9^th for this 14^th save. Winfield was ejected in the first after arguing a strikeout. He stormed back and bumped the ump, so we expect him to be out for a couple days at least. Winfield will miss 2 games with a suspension. 7/2 9-4 W over the Cubs Ken Caminiti crushed a 3-run HR (5) in the 2^nd inning to give LA a good lead. He would go on to hit 4-3 with 4 RBI's. Pete O'Brien went 3-5 with 2 more RBI's. Tanana (9-6) pitched well, as he allowed 9 hits over 7.1 innings. He was hurt by a couple errors, one of his own making. Dwayne Murphy started in center and left after making a diving catch. The Chicago White Sox made one of the most controversial and possibly dumbest moves ever in recent history. The first place White Sox, with a record of 52-30 and a half game ahead of the Rangers in the AL West, designated Joe Carter for assignment and placed him on waivers. Carter, 28, is a 2-time All Star, and Silver Slugger winner last year. He hit 51 HR's and had 133 RBI's last season, while batting .310. Carter had signed a 6-yr extension to stay in Chicago and filled an outfield with young Barry Bonds and Harold Baines. Baines was lost for the year earlier, and Carter lead the team with 17 HR's. Carter was then picked up by the Yankees, who are in third in the NL East, 2.5 games behind the Blue Jays. The Yankees are 13^th in the AL in HR's and getting Carter for free, locked into a cheap 6 year contract, is a huge steal. IT's a big boner for the White Sox. No idea what they were thinking. 7/3 10-2 L to the Cubs Hard to believe that this was 0-0 after 6. Valenzuela (4-9) takes the loss, but pitches better than most of his recent starts. Today it was the bullpen that just gave it all away. Tekulve gave up 2 HR's and he and Denny combined to allow 8. Larry See and Schmidt had 2 hits each. Schmidt homered in the 9^th (9). Von Hayes was activated off the DL. Jennings was optioned back to the minors. Dwayne Murphy will be alright. He has a thumb bruise and won't go on the DL. 7/4 2-1 W over the Cardinals LA hosted the Cardinals for Independence Day Fireworks, and found themselves in a pitchers dual between Bryn Smith and Oil Can Boyd. Both pitchers combined for 15 innings and 8 hits allowed. The Cards scored first on a Smith balk in the 5^th. LA tied it in the 8^th and in the 9^th, on the 4^th pitch from Jerry Don Gleaton (4-2), Pete O'Brien tagged one over the right field wall (10) to walk off with a win (and fireworks). Franco, pitched the 9^th and ran his record to 2-1. 7/5 7-1 W over the Cardinals The wins are coming in bunches as LA is heating up for real. Mike Schmidt goes 3-4 and LA gets home runs from Von Hayes (10), Rickey (8), Winfield (13) and pinch hitting Inky (5). Getting the start for LA was Jim Beattie (1-0) who started his first game in over 2 years. He pitched 7.1 innings and struck out 5. He's taken John Denny's spot in the rotation. Catcher Stan Holmes was claimed off of waivers from the Orioles. To make room, backup catcher Larry See (2-4 in 1 start) was designated and placed on waivers. I guess See should hope he gets picked up because the team doesn't look like they think he's got anything to give. Holmes is a 28 yr old player who also plays corner infield and all outfield positions. He was a minor league MVP and 2-time Gold Glover in '83 and '84. He has 112 career at bats, and a career .232/.265/.402 slash line. Mike Scioscia might be back the end of this month, and Surhoff is done until the very end of the year, if he's lucky. LA is the 4^th team to claim Holmes off of waivers in his career. 7/6 4-1 W over the Cardinals Caminiti goes 3-3 and a big solo homer by O'Brien (11) in the 7^th put LA up for good in this one. Kelly Downs (9-4) pitched 7 and struck out 6 to get the win. Franco pitched the 8^th and 9^th for his 15^th save of the year. Mike Morgan (7-5) pitched well for the Cardinals. Garry Templeton was designated and placed on waivers today. He batted .239/2/18 in limited time at second and short. Taking his place is Curtis Wilkerson, who was playing in Albuquerque. Wilkerson had been starting for the Mets, when LA picked him off the waiver wire. He's a solid middle infielder with good speed. He was also a starter for the Rangers for 3 years. 7/8 3-2 (12) L to the Pirates LA took a lead into the 9^th but the Pirates got to Franco and tied it up. His 3^rd blown save of the season. Mike Scott and Frank Tanana both pitched great, but the Bucs pen did a better job. Rickey stole his 47^th base in 85 games. Mike Schmidt homered in the 5^th to give LA the lead. His 10^th on the season. Niedenfuer (1-1) only allowed 1 hit in 2 innings, but it was was Chili Davis's 16^th on the year that was the winning margin. The Pirates lost 3 players in the game to injury (Denny Gonzalez, Rafael Ramirez and Mike Henneman). 7/9 3-1 W over the Pirates Juan Guzman pitched so well again for the Pirates. He went 7, striking out 7 and allowing 4 hits. Bryn Smith was almost as good, going 7 and striking out 7, but Guzman singled in the only run for the Pirates. In the 9^th , closer Tom Henke (5-3) came on to close it out. Nearly untouchable, Henke allowed a lead off single to Ronald King. Dwayne Murphy came on to pinch hit and beat out an infield single. Von Hayes came up next, with 0 outs, and smashed a forkball over the right field fence to give LA the win (11). Henderson stole #48. Kent Tekulve (4-0) pitched 2 scoreless for the win. The All Star game rosters were announced today. Rickey Henderson will start in left. He's the only Dodger starter on the team. It's his 4^th All Star game apperance. LA only had 1 other player selected to the team this year and that was closer John Franco. Franco has 15 saves, and a 1.05 ERA in 43 innings. It's his 2^nd All Star game selection. 7/10 8-7 L to the Pirates Fernando (4-10) was rolling along, had a 4-3 lead and for some reason, Lasorda, in his infinite wisdom decided to send him out for the 8^th inning. Things went south in a hurry and the bases were soon loaded. Valenzuela walked the tying run in and then followed that by serving up a grand slam to the not very dangerous Jim Lindeman (3). Lindeman is hitting .176 and that was his 3^rd career HR. Down 8-4 in the bottom half LA answered by putting 2 on and their own pinch hitter, Pete Incaviglia bashed the answer over the left field wall (6). LA down by 1 put a runner on third, but they couldn't get him home. All Star Break 7/12 6-1 W for the AL AL Catcher and 4-time All Star, Ernie Whitt was named the MVP for today's All Star Game. Whitt went 2-3 and clubbed a solo homer in the 4^th inning off of the Reds Jack Morris. Gary Carter homered for the NL, giving them their only run in the 3^rd inning. Of the Dodger players, only Ricky got in the game. He started in left and lead off, going 0-2 with 2 walks. Bob Welch was just sent from the Royals to the Yankees for Otis Nixon and Ken Hill. Welch has a year and a half left on his contract. The Royals keep making moves by getting OF Jessie Barfield from the Rangers for relivers Steve Farr and Rob Dibble. Barfield was in the first year of a 5 year deal after coming over from the Blue Jays in the offseason. 7/14 6-3 W over the Cubs LA jumped out with 3 in the first, thanks to a 2-run HR from Dave Winfield (14). Schmidt went 3-4 with an RBI and Ozzie added another 2 hits. David Cone (7-7) had a rough outing for the Cubs. While Bryn Smith (10-7) struck out 7 in 6.2 innings. Franco went another 2 innings for his 16^th save. Franco dropped his ERA back below 1 (0.98). 7/15 9-3 W over the Cubs LA scored 6 in the 7^th and broke the game open. It was a bases loaded double from Von Hayes that helped them along. Backup catcher, Stan Holmes added 3 RBI's. The Cubs had 13 hits to the Dodgers 10. Kelly Downs (10-4) allowed 9 of them over 6 innings. John Denny pitched 3 innings for his first save of the year. Dave Stieb throws the first no-hitter of 1988. The Twins pitcher, and 3 time 20 game winner had 2 sub par seasons for the Twins, but this year he's 11-6, with a 2.46 ERA. The Baltimore Orioles couldn't do anything. Stieb walked 2, but only faced 28 batters. The last No-No was Doc Gooden in July of 1987. 7/16 4-2 (10) W over the Cubs A Von Hayes solo home run in the 10^th (12) lifted the LA Dodgers to another win today. LA got 8 innings from Tanana who didn't figure in the decision. LA had lead for most of the game but a Glenn Wilson HR (7) in the 7^th tied it up. LA got 3 hits from Schmidt. Tekulve got the win (5-0) and Franco pitched the 10^th for his 17^th save. The LA Dodgers are now 10 games above .500, but are still 8 games behind the Astros. No rumors yet as we work our way to the trade deadline. 7/17 5-4 L to the Cubs We still win the series. Four hitters get 2 hits each, but Valenzuela (4-11) allowed 10 hits and all 5 runs in 6 innings. He loses again, or the offense failed to pick him up again. The Cubs saw rookie Bobby Thigpen make his major league debut in the 9^th. He walked 1, but notched his first save of his career. Garry Templeton was given his unconditional release from the team. He batted .239/.253/.347 and filled in at short for Smith when he was down. Ultimately, it was the rise of Ken Caminiti at second base that cost him his job. 7/19 DH Game 1 4-3 W over the Cardinals Bryn Smith (11-7) goes 8 innings and could've finished the game, he was that on. LA got a go ahead run in the 6^th inning when Ozzie hit his 2^nd HR of the year against his former team. Franco got into some trouble in the 9^th after Mell Hall cracked a 2-run HR off of him to cut the lead to 1, but he got pinch hitter, Tom Pagnozzi, to ground into a double play with the tying run on third. Franco earns his 18^th save. 7/19 DH Game 2 3-2 (16) L to the Cardinals Let's just call this Tom Pagnozzi's revenge. Game 2 of the doubleheader he homered (3) in the third to put the Cards up. He doubled 3 times, including with the bases loaded in the 16^th to send everyone home. He would finish the game 4-6, with 3 RBI's. In 16 innings LA only could get 8 hits (only 1 in the final 6 innings). Jim Beattie started, went 6. Pitched fine. Frank DiPino threw 4.2 scoreless innings in what had to be his longest outing of his career. It was Don Robinson (0-2) who couldn't lock it down in the 16^th and let the Cards have it. Dave Winfield had to leave after making a catch in the outfield. Bert Blyleven, who is having a helluva comeback year after he signed a 1-year deal for a very economical 240k, picked up his 250^th career win. 7/20 3-1 W over the Cardinals Von Hayes hit a 2-run HR in the first (13) to take the lead, and it took until the 8^th inning before anyone else other than Hayes or Smith got a hit. Ozzie went 3-4 and scored twice. Kelly Downs (11-4) allowed 3 hits over 8 and didn't allow a hit until the 5^th. John Franco pitched the 9^th for his 19^th save. 7/21 3-0 L to the Pirates Despite getting 9 hits LA couldn't break through against rookie Melido Perez (4-3). Catcher Ronald King went 2-3 with 2 SB's and that was the top player for us. There was a big issue early on though, Frank Tanana left the game in the 2^nd inning with some sort of injury. There's no update on his condition. LA did bring the tying run to the plate in the 9^th with only 1 out, but couldn't get any in. Ken Howell was activated from the DL and in a shocking move the team not only optioned Tom Niedenfuer back to Albuquerque, they put him on waivers and designated him. The team has room on the 40-man, they didn't need to do this. A 4-time All Star and Rolaids Reliver of the Year in 1984, we're not far removed from his glory days. He's only 28 with 2 years left on his contract. 7/22 4-3 L to the Pirates We lose. In the 9^th. After being up thanks to a Mike Schmidt HR (11) in the 9^th off of Tom Henke. John Franco (2-2) couldn't lock it down as he blew his 4^th save of the year. The worst news of the day, as if that wasn't bad enough, was losing our heart, Fernando Valenzuela to some sort of injury in the 2^nd inning. Ken Howell pitched a great 4.1 in relief. We may need him in the rotation depending on how bad those injuries are. Ozzie Smith also left the game with an injury. Ugh. Not a good couple of days. Ozzie Smith is on the 15 day DL with a groin strain. Curtis Wilkerson will take over at shortstop. Chuck Jackson is called up from AAA to fill the roster spot. Jackson is hitting .330 with 6 HR's and 32 RBI's. Valenzuela has some shoulder inflammation and the team is concerned. He's going to be out a while. The team puts him on the 60 day DL meaning that at the earliest, it'll be late September before he might be back. Brian Holton is called up from AAA to take his place. Holton pitched in 2 games earlier this year. He has 16 saves for Albuquerque and a 0.93 ERA. Ken Howell is penciled in to replace him in the rotation. 7/23 6-3 (7) L to the Pirates A rain shortened game that saw the Pirates down the beloved Dodgers. A top prospect, by the name of Jack McDowell (2-0) was getting his 2^nd career start today. LA jumped all over him with 3 in the first. The Pirates chipped away at Bryn Smith (11-8) getting 1 in the 4^th and 5^th and 3 in the 6^th. Pete O'Brien had 2 doubles and went 2-3. LA committed 3 errors to help the Pirates out. And the news is in for Frank Tanana and it's bad. At 35, Tanana has a partially torn UCL in his elbow and that will require some surgery. He's gone to the 60 day and his return won't be until sometime next year, hopefully before the All Star Break. Tanana is in his 5^th season with LA and has racked up 63 wins pitching for us. He's been a gopher ball hound, but was in the middle of one of the best seasons in a while. LA has brought up Michael Cunningham from Albuquerque to take his place. No word if he'll go into the rotation or if it will be John Denny returning. Cunningham, 27, is a knuckleballer who made his ML debut last year. In 2 starts he is 0-1 with a 14.04 ERA. This year in Albuquerque he is 5-9 with a 5.54 ERA in 19 starts. He has a career record of 43-82 in AAA. Things are bleak. 7/24 2-1 L to the Pirates This is 4 straight losses as the Pirates end our great month. Mike Scott (10-8) didn't allow a hit until the 6^th inning and despite going 7 strong, Jim Beattie (1-1) just didn't get the support he needed. Leon Durham homered in the first (7) with a runner on and that was all they needed. Old sidewinder Kent Tekulve left the game with an injury, and there's no word on the severity of it. Scott struck out 9. Niedenfuer was returned to the roster and Holton was optioned back to AAA. Not sure what that was about. 7/25 4-2 W over the Giants Just what we need! A series against the worst team in baseball. Despite Kelly Downs serving up a leadoff HR to Stan Jefferson (2), LA would come back to win it. Caminiti went 2-4 with a bases clearing double. Von Hayes hit his team leading 14^th HR in the 4^th and Downs improved to 12-4. Franco closed out the 9^th for his 20^th save. News is back on Tekulve and it's as good as we could have hoped for. Just some minor back spasms and he won't need to go on the DL. The White Sox have lost closer Dennis Eckersley for the year due to elbow surgery. He had 22 saves with a 1.72 ERA in his best season as a converted starter turned closer. 7/26 5-4 W over the Giants Lasorda went with Cunningham for the start and even though he walked 4, he did leave the game in the 8^th with a 3-1 lead and a guy on. Pete O'Brien had given LA the lead with his 12^th HR of the season. A Caminiti error and a struggling John Franco (3-2) let the Giants tie the game up, blowing his 5^th save of the year. LA would not be denied and got 2 in the top off of Giants closer Dan Plesac. In the 9^th Franco's struggles continued and he allowed another hit, before tiring and giving way to Tekulve who was able to shut the door for his 2^nd save. 7/27 11-2 W over the Giants The Giants are bad. I like seeing the team beat them over and over again. Today, the story was the start by Ken Howell (1-0) who went 7 in his first career start, allowed 3 hits, and struck out 7 and the other half of the story is Dodgers #4 catcher, Stan Holmes, claimed off of waivers from Baltimore, with a grand slam in the 4^th (2). It was his 5^th career dinger. Von Hayes homered in the 9^th (15) to keep leading the team. Mike Scioscia was activated from the DL and is back. Ronald King was designated and placed on waivers. King was a waiver claim from the Braves in April. In 27 games, he batted .179/.309/.205 with 3 SB's. He did catch 57% of baserunners trying to steal. Otherwise, I doubt he'll be missed, let's hope he isn't needed again. 7/29 5-1 W over the Astros The division leading Astros come to town and Bryn Smith shuts them down over 8 innings to get his 12^th win of the year. Rickey homered in the 6^th (9) off of starter Tom Candiotti (6-3), as part of a 4 run inning that saw 8 batters come to the plate. Scioscia had 2 hits in his first game back. Dave Winfield left the game after making a diving catch with back pain. 7/30 6-3 L to the Astros Houston came storming back on us, with a lead off triple by former Dodger, Cecil Espy followed by a balk by Kelly Downs that put Houston up right off the bat. Downs (12-5) was victimized by errors and allowed 5 unearned runs. Downs struck out 6. Kirk McCaskill (7-8) pitched 7 for the win. The bad news on the day though, was Scioscia leaving the game with a back injury. Tough break. Good news on Scioscia. Tests are negative and he is being treated for tightness. Not going to the DL. Bad news though on Winfield. He's heading to the DL with a herniated disc in his back. Inky will take his place in the lineup. In a surprising move the team has purchased the contract of top prospect OF Lee Stevens from AA San Antonio. Stevens is batting .340/.431/.580 with 20 HR's. Doug Jennings is out with an injury and the team just straight bypassed Tom Beyers, who once again, is having a good year in Albuquerque, but at 30 his time may have passed. 7/31 5-1 L to the Astros Dale Murphy (17) and Jerry Willard (5) went back to back in the 2^nd inning off of our starter Jim Beattie (1-2) as part of a 3 run 2^nd inning. That gave the Astos all they would need as starter Greg Swindell (16-2) added another win to his season total. Inky and Scioscia had 2 hits a piece, and also accounted for LA's only run of the day. The trade deadline passes with no major trades or moves by any team. There were some minor spot filling by the Mets, Yankees and Mariners, but no superstar found a new home. Kind of a surprise, and a little bit of a surprise that LA wasn't involved anywhere. Ronald King was claimed by the Yankees. __________________ 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

06-22-2018, 05:16 PM	#154
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	July Recap Well, the team found a groove and jumped out to a hot start for the month, but faltered at the end against the Pirates and Astros. Injuries started to pile up and the season is looking to be set with no NL West pennant coming to LA this year. The team had a good showing going 15-11, but only 4 games above .500 means they aren't keeping pace with the Astros. Right now our record stands at 56-48 and the team is on pace for 87 wins. That won't win anything this year. We're 1.5 games ahead of the Reds for 2^nd place, and 12 games behind the Astros. The team this year is really showing a lack of punch at the plate. Despite being 6^th in runs scored, the team is 11^th in average, and 9^th in OBP. I think leading the league in steals is helping the run production as is being 6^th in HR's. The top producer in July was Von Hayes. Hayes batted .286 with 6 HR's and 15 RBI's in the month and leads the team with 15 HR's on the year, despite batting leadoff for most of it. His .560 SLG was also tops. Pete O'Brien also had a good month .296/.340/.490, but nothing that lit the world on fire. Too many guys are not pulling their weight and causing issues. Winfield is hurt now, but his month was bad. He batted .233 with a .315 SLG and 2 HR's. Rickey was even worse. He started so hot, and is not quite pedestrian. For July he batted only .192/.287/.283 with 10 stolen bases. Not enough frankly. Inky had half as many at bats and more production. The pitching staff is still a bright spot, but with both Tanana and Valenzuela gone now will it continue? Tanana was the top pitcher in July. He only went 1-0, but his 1.52 ERA lead the team. Bryn Smith (3-1, 1.86) and Kelly Downs (4-1, 2.11) were right behind in what was a very strong month for pitchers. Fernando was the dead weight and it was showing in his games. For July he went 0-3, with a 6.14 ERA. His control was an issue, so now that he's out, maybe he can come back and be more of what he was before the injury. Looking around the league, in the NL it's really a 2 horse race. The Astros will most likely play the Mets in the NLCS. They have the 2 best records in baseball. The Astros lead LA by 12 games. The Mets only lead the Pirates by 6. That has shrunk by 3 games since June. The Pirates are baseball's hottest team. They are on a 13 game winning streak. Over in the AL. The East is a catfight between the O's, Blue Jays and Yankees. None of these teams has a winning record though. The Jays are a game below, the closest thing to a winning team. The West is a mess. Four teams are within 4 games. Right now the M's lead the way, and the Rangers and Angels are right behind, followed by the White Sox. The A's are in 5^th. If they were in the East, they'd be tied for first. So you'd have to think that whoever comes out of the West will make the Series. August is here. Historically, this has been a make or break month. I think it's already broken. The Astros are a top notch team. I don't think LA can catch them at all. It's a done deal. Sit back, relax, and let's just see where we end up at. The season's been written already. Let's just see it out. __________________ 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

07-15-2018, 10:07 PM	#155
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	8/1 5-1 L to the Reds The Reds jumped all over Ken Howell (1-1) in his 2^nd start. They had 4 after 2 and never looked back. LA left 9 runners on base and wasted an 8 hit, 4 walk night. John Denny and John Franco pitched 4 hitless innings, but it didn't matter in the end. Von Hayes and Pete O'Brien had 2 hit games each. The Reds started recently acquired prospect Andrew Robertson who started his first career game and threw 6 scoreless innings. Roy Smith pitched the final 3 for his first save on the year. Dodgers top prospect Lee Stevens made his major league debut pinch hitting and lined out to third. The Reds just jumped LA for 2^nd in the West. 8/2 4-3 L to the Reds Rickey goes 3-4 and Inky goes deep (7), but a Kal Daniels HR (15) in the 3^rd off of Michael Cunningham put the Reds back up. LA tied the game in the 4^th and it stayed that way until Danny Tartabull, on for an injured Daniels knocked in the go ahead run. Niedenfuer (1-2) took the loss, but was hurt by an O'Brien error. Former Dodger Ted Power started and left early with an injury. Cunningham pitched 6, but walked 9 and allowed 3 hits. The Reds stranded 12 runners. 8/3 8-6 L (11) to the Reds Another sweep loss to a quality team. The Reds pounded Bryn Smith early for 5 runs before LA even had a hit. Jose Canseco, who leads the NL in batting with a .371 average, went 4-6 and scored in the 11^th. The Reds took the lead in the 8^th, but LA tied it in the 9^th. Rickey had 3 hits and O'Brien went 2-3 with a bases loaded double. Tekulve (5-1) took his first loss of the year. Inky went 0-5 with 4 K's including in the bottom of the 11^th as the winning run, with 2 out and 2 on. 8/5 2-0 W over the Astros Pitching saves the day. Greg Swindell and Kelly Downs (13-5) went head to head and neither budged. Both pitchers threw up zeroes for 16 innings worth of work while the offenses couldn't get anything across. In the 9^th, with Astros closer Garrelts (2-6) on, Ken Caminiti pinch hit for Wilkerson and drove a ball into the RF seats (6) to put LA up. Franco pitched the 9^th for his 21^st save even though Downs batted for himself in the 9^th. Downs could have closed it out. Sid Fernandez (remember him?) former Dodgers top prospect, traded away for Willie Randolph, who went on to be a 2-time All Star and Cy Young winner, who has thrown 2 no hitters, made his return to baseball after being out for a year. Fernandez, went 7, walked 8, struck out 4 in his return as the M's won 12-1 over the A's. Welcome back Sid! 8/6 3-1 L to the Astros Dale Murphy went deep (18) and former Dodger Dave Stewart (13-6) kept LA off the board until the 8^th inning. Mike Schmidt added a couple hits and Jim Beattie (1-3) took the loss, but pitched well, striking out 6. Garrelts finished for his 30^th save on the year. 8/7 4-1 W over the Astros The 1-4 hitters in the Dodgers lineup went 9-17 in the game, with 2 walks and set the table for the entire team. The breakthrough came in the 6^th on slew of hits for the Dodgers. Caminiti lead the way going 3-5. Von Hayes added an insurance run with a solo homer in the 9^th (16). Ken Howell goes 6.1, has some control problems, but improves to 2-1. Franco gets his 22^nd save. 8/8 5-1 L to the Astros LA splits the series with Houston with the loss today. Dale Murphy went deep for number 19. Tom Candiotti (8-3) only allowed 2 hits in 7.2 innings, but walked a season high 8. Bryn Smith (12-9) took the loss. Don Robinson left the game with some arm pain. Curtis Wilkerson went 2-2 with a double and triple. That alone was half our offense. LA is now 15 games behind Houston and 2 behind the Reds. 8/9 6-1 L to the Reds Cunningham (0-1) got into trouble early on surrendering a homer to Canseco (20) in the first, then giving up 4 more in the 2^nd was it. Was out after the 4^th inning. The highlight was Denny allowing 1 hit over 3 innings. Von Hayes homered in the first (17). He still leads the team. 8/10 3-1 L to the Reds Jack Morris (15-6) shut down the Dodgers. He nearly shut us out, but we got a run in the 9^th. Schmidt went 3-4 and knocked in the only run. Kelly Downs (13-6) took the loss, but pitched just fine. That's another loss for LA. September can't get here fast enough. There's still no update on Don Robinson's injury. This can't be good news. 8/11 6-2 L to the Reds LA took a 2 run lead early on and helped by an Inky HR (8) in the 3^rd. Jim Beattie (1-4) couldn't hold on to it though, as Canseco took him deep in the 5^th to put the Reds on top (21). Beattie ended up being on the hook for all 6 runs today and Dodger pitchers walked 9 in a very poor showing. Don Robinson is heading to the 15 day DL with a sore shoulder. He's going to be out a few weeks at least. Brian Holton was recalled to take his spot in the bullpen. 8/12 1-0 W over the Giants Von Hayes got 2 of LA's 3 hits, and Caminit scored the only run thanks to a Giants error. Ken Howell (3-1) pitched 7 scoreless and Franco pitched the 9^th for his 23^rd save. Rickey had to leave the game after making a diving catch. Von Hayes now has 17 HR's and 18 Sb's. He's closing in on a good 20/20 season. Good news on Henderson. He's got a mild muscle strain and won't be going to the DL. 8/13 6-5 W over the Giants LA put up 6 in the first 2 innings and spent the rest of the game hanging on. Pete O'Brien and Mike Schmidt hit 2-run HR's in the first (13 and 12 respectively). Bryn Smith (13-9) struggled through 6 and Franco pitched the 9^th for his 24th save. 8/14 6-5 L to the Giants Lasorda paid the price for leaving Cunningham (0-2) in the game too long tonight. Karl Pagel smashed a 3-run PH HR in the 8^th (4) that put the Giants up for good. O'Brien went 3-5 and Schmidt and Scioscia both added 2 hits each. The team left 9 runners on base in this one. Tom Niedenfuer threw 5 pitches before needing to leave with some kind of injury. Scans on Niedenfuer were negative. Just a few back spasms and he won't be heading to the disabled list. Ozzie Smith was activated off the DL. Curtis Wilkerson was placed on waivers and designated for assignment. Wilkerson batted .125 with 4 RBI's in 29 games. 8/15 5-3 W over the Giants We take 3 out of 4 from the pathetic Giants. Ozzie returns from the DL and picks up a couple hits. O'Brien hit his 14^th HR of the year in the 4^th that tied the game back up. Otherwise it was a sloppy game, we committed 3 errors, and barely pulled off the win despite having 10 this and drawing a couple more walks. Eric King lost to drop to 3-10. Kelly Downs was the winner (14-6) and Franco pitched the 9^th for his 25^th save. 8/16 11-2 L to the Phillies The Phillies suck and the Phillies owned us today. Former Dodger prospect, Kurt Stillwell, went deep off of us again (8) as part of a 3-5 day. Both Jim Beattie (1-5) and John Denny got smoked on the mound. LA got 2 hit games from Von Hayes, Mike Schmidt and Ken Caminiti. Stillwell has a higher slugging average than Pedro Guerrero does this season. Andre Dawson got his 2000^th career hit today's game against the Padres. He also hit his 20^th HR of the year. Michael Cunningham (0-2, 5.63) was optioned back to Albuquerque and starter Kirk Vucsko was promoted to take his place. This is the first time that Vucsko has been to the majors. He is in his 4^th year at AAA, and at age 27, hasn't exactly been dominating. This year he's 9-8, with a 4.38 ERA. He has major control issues with a 1.71 WHIP and 114 walks in 156 IP. Vucsko is a righty, with a mid 90's fastball, and that is his best pitch. He also throws a cutter, curve and change. For some reason, Denny is still in the bullpen, when I think he'd be well served to go back to the rotation. Lasorda is still the one in charge though. 8/17 5-3 L to the Phillies Ken Howell (3-2) was completely ineffective early on as the Phillies got all 5 runs in the first couple innings. Lasorda left him in to figure things out and he did pull it together well enough to go 5.2 innings. LA tried to fight back. Scioscia smacked his first homer of the year as part of a 3-4 game. DiPino threw 3.1 scoreless in relief. Greg Maddux got the win to see his record improve to 5-15. 8/18 5- 2 W over the Phillies Bryn Smith (14-9) pitched 8 innings for the win and Franco pitched the 9^th for his 26^th save. Chuck Jackson came into the game hitting 1-15 on the season. Today was his day. Batting 2^nd, Jackson went 3-4 and doubled in 2 runs. He also stole his first base of the year. Scioscia hurt his back on a play at the plate where he was called out, and had to leave the game. Lee Stevens got his first career start and had his first career hit as well. Scioscia's MRI was negative and he's being treated for some soreness. He won't be going to the DL. Yay for us! Winfield is on the verge of coming back. Inky hasn't exactly been abusing baseballs in his absence. 8/19 2-1 W over the Expos Rookie prospect Lee Stevens came out of the dugout in the 8^th inning to pinch hit for Kelly Downs (15-6) with the game tied at 1. Charlie Hough (8-11) was still in the game for the Expos and Stevens saw the 2^nd pitch and put it in the right field seats for hit 2^nd career hit, and first career HR. That was the game winning run for LA. Franco pitched the 9^th for this 27^th save. Caminiti had homered in the 7^th (7) to tie the game for LA. Wilkerson cleared waivers and was sent to Albuquerque. 8/20 6-3 W over the Expos Kirk Vucsko made his Major League debut today and gave up a triple to the leadoff hitter, who scored. And in the 2^nd Robin Yount cracked a HR (11) off of him. Vucsko would pitch into the 6^th, throwing 84 pitches, but left with the game tied. In the 6^th, LA got a pinch hit, bases loaded double, that scored 3 from Larry Parrish that opened the game up for LA. Brian Holton (2-0) got the win, while Franco pitched the 9^th for another save, his 28^th. Vucsko did get a base hit in his first official at bat. Dave Winfield was activated from the DL and Stevens was optioned back to AAA, for what appears to be, just a couple weeks, until the end of the month. 8/21 9-1 L to the Expos The Candy Man was in vintage form today. He should have gotten the shut out, but LA got a mercy run in the 9^th. Jim Beattie (1-6) dropped another one. He walked 7, and allowed 6 hits ,while striking out 5 in 6 innings. John Denny served up back to back homers after he came on in relief. This one was a sorry reminder of the good ol Expo dominating days, where they owned us. Former Dodger, Dwight Evans, got his 2000^th career hit today. Evans was batting 3^rd and DH'ing for the Blue Jays, where he's played the last couple years. The Giants become the first baseball team eliminated from the playoffs. This is the 17^th time in a row that the Giants have missed the playoffs. 8/22 3-1 L to the Mets Strawberry went deep two times (33,34) off of Ken Howell (3-3) and gave the Mets all the offense they'd need in this one. LA's offense was nowhere to be found for yet another game. Howell struck out 6 in 5 innings, but still walked 3 and allowed 6 hits. DiPino and Tekulve pitched great out of the bullpen. Mike LaCoss (7-11) went 8 and lowered his ERA to 4.73 since his trade to the Mets. LA's offense sucks. 8/23 5-4 L to the Mets A back and forth endeavor today. Bud Black and Bryn Smith both started, but neither would figure in to the final. They left with the score tied at 1, late. LA picked up 3 in the 7^th, thanks to a 2-run single from Ozzie, who had 3 RBI's on the day, bringing him up to 20 on the year. And LA was up 4-1. Smith ran into trouble right away in the 8^th, walking the first 2 hitters, getting a K, then allowing a hit. Franco (3-3) was brought in and struggled to get out of the inning and before it was done the Mets had the lead again. He locked them down in the 8^th, but Randy Myers had already shut LA down to get his 27^th save on the year. Ron Kittle hit 44 HR's in a Dodger uniform over parts of 5 seasons. He's been with Texas for parts of 2 and now has hit 50 in a Rangers uniform (he hit 33 in a White Sox uni in parts of 2). It feels like we could have used some of his power this year. Between Lynn last year, and the numbers that Kittle has put up, this LA team is really struggling to get the ball over the fence to drive in runs. 8/24 5-2 L to the Mets Ron Darling (12-10) goes 8, allowing 4 hits to pick up the win. Rickey homered for the 10^th time this season as part of a 2-3 day. Lasorda made Inky play catcher today, and the results weren't great. He went 0-3 with a passed ball. Kelly Downs (15-7) took the loss. Vucsko and Cunningham swap places on the roster with Vucsko heading back to Albuquerque. 8/26 7-5 W over the Phillies Jim Beattie (2-6) pitched a great game, going 7 innings allowing only 4 hits. He got help with 11 hits from the offense. Von Hayes went 3-4 and Dave Winfield blasted his 15^th HR of the year. LA went into the 9^th with a 7-1 lead and John Denny on the mound. Denny was completely useless and served up 3 straight hits. With the tying run at the plate John Franco came on, but even he didn't keep it clean.Bases loaded with 2 outs and Guerrero up at the place and Franco got him to ground out to end it. For his 29^th save. Expos slugger Andre Dawson hit homer #300 today off of Padres starter Greg Mathews. Dawson, 33, has spent his entire career in Montreal, all 13 seasons. He's got 3 more years left in his contract with the Expos. 8/27 6-3 W over the Phillies LA picks up another one thanks, almost singlehandedly thanks to Ken Caminiti who went 3-5 with 3 doubles, one of which was with the bases loaded. Von Hayes also added 3 hits, but left the game with a knee injury on a close play at first. Ken Howell (4-3) went 5.1, struck out 6, walking 4 for the win. The bullpen kept the Phillies from coming back. The Phillies are mathematically eliminated from the season with their loss today. This is the 7^th year since they last made it. Good news on Hayes, tests were negative and he's not going to the DL. Just some knee soreness. 8/28 7-4 W over the Phillies That's 3 in a row for us. Both teams combined for 30 base hits. The Phils went up 4-3 in the 3^rd helped along by old Pedro Guerrero going 3-5 with 2 RBI's. Bryn Smith (15-9) served up 11 hits, in 5 short innings while the bullpen threw 4 scoreless with Franco closing out the last 2 for his 30^th save on the year. LA's 4-5-6 hitters, Winfield, Caminti and O'Brien all had 3 hits each and totaled 5 RBI's. 8/29 7-0 L to the Expos Again, a loss to the Expos. David Palmer (13-11) was simply sublime today. He went the distance throwing a 2-hit shutout. Kelly Downs (15-8) took the loss in one of his worst starts this year. Allowed 12 hits, over 5 innings, as the Expos hit everything. Denny was good for 3 out of the pen. 8/30 3-0 L to the Expos The Candy Man strikes again. Candelaria (10-8) goes 7, and looks like old Candy tonight against LA. Ozzie and Caminiti each got 2 of LA's 7 hits, but that's all LA would do. Mark Cunningham (0-3) made 7 good innings tonight, but a Galarraga HR (29) in the 5^th but the Expos up. The Expos have 3 20 HR guys, and 1 nearly there and another nearly at 30. LA's leader has 17. We have a major power outage in LA. To add insult to injury, Rickey left the game with a leg injury. Good news on Rickey, just a thigh bruise, and not DL. Thankfully. 8/31 6-2 W over the Expos Jim Beattie (3-6) pitched a great game tonight. He kept the Expos hitless until the 7^th inning and went 8 before giving way. Winfield and Caminit both had 2 hit games, and Mike Schmidt, who has been completely inept with a bat lately, broke through with a 3-run HR (13) in the 4^th inning. Charlie Hough (8-12) got beat up, but the Expos bullpen shut the Dodgers down for the final 4 innings. __________________ 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

07-16-2018, 10:07 AM	#156
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	August Recap August has been the make or break month for LA in the past, and this year, despite being behind, it was definitely a break month. LA went 12-17, it was the worst month of the year, 5 games below .500. That brings this years Dodgers to 68-65 on the year, 18 games behind the Astros and good for 3^rd place in the NL West. It is not going to be a playoff year for LA. We're on the ropes, and the Astros are coming down the home stretch for the NL West pennant. To that end, let's look at just how crappy things are going for this team. LA's offense is firmly 11^th in the NL in batting, and 11^th in runs scored. 9^th in OBP and 8^th in HR's. No matter how you cut it, those numbers aren't going to create a playoff winning team. LA does lead in stolen bases, mostly to Rickey and his 62 steals. Just how bad was August offensively? The top hitter Caminiti (.290/.336/.421). That was the best, and those aren't season numbers, that is one month. Who lead the team in home runs? It was so bad that 5 guys tied for the lead. They only had 2 all month. So the HR leader on the team, for the month, hit 2 HR's the entire month. Caminiti, Hayes, Schmidt, O'Brien, and Inky. That sucks. There's only 1 player who was the worst too. That was future Hall of Famer, Mike Schmidt. Schmidt's play has been so bad that there have been many calls for him to be benched. Although his 2 HR's tied him for the lead, his slash line was .173/.234/.255. His 10 RBI's were good enough for 3^rd on the team. Inky was also bad. He batted .184/.229/.289 when he had the chance to show everyone just what he could do to help. Overall, Von Hayes is still the best hitter on the team. The pitching staff is still pretty good. Overall they are 3^rd in ERA, with the bullpen slightly better (2^nd) than the rotation (4^th). On defense, the team has slipped to 3^rd in the NL, and that is a huge benefit to this particular team. Even though the team is still pitching well, August was bad for the rotation. The top starter was Downs who went 3-3, with a 3.61 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP for the month. DiPino pitched great. He didn't allow a run in 15.2 innings, and Franco saved 10 games, with a 1.02 ERA in 14 games. So the season is pretty much over, but that doesn't mean we can't look at what's going on in the rest of the league. In the NL West, it's the Astros with an 11.5 game lead on the 2^nd place Reds. Their magic number is 19. The Astros hold the best record in baseball at 86-47 and boast, without question, the best pitching staff in the league. In the NL East, it's the Mets who have been in front all year, and look good for their lead at 14 games over the Pirates. The Mets are the 2^nd best team in baseball with an 85-48 record. The Mets lead the NL in HR's thanks to their team of young sluggers and Doc Gooden. In the AL West, it's been tight all year, and the M's continue to hold on to a 1 game lead over the Rangers, and a 3 game lead on the White Sox. The Anges have drifted to 5.5 back. The M's have been slumping as of late and are dealing with some newer injury issues. It's possible that they won't on, even with the top batting team in the AL. In the AL East, the Yankees, who made the most moves at the trade deadline, are 3 games in front of the Brewers, and at 68-64, are the only team with a winning record. The Brewers have won 9 in a row, but the Yankees are nearly keeping pace. The pivotal move for the Yankees was the waiver claim and subsequent 6 year contract extension acquisition of Joe Carter from the White Sox. The only ray of hope for LA right now, is that maybe being out of the top will net them a halfway decent draft pick for the future. The ownership isn't aggressive and so the results won't be either. The next offseason could be interesting though. Winfield is 100 plate appearances away from hitting his vesting for next year. He is projected to fall 1 PA shy. Schmidt has the same deal, but he's almost there. Not sure that's a good thing. Henderson has a player op out after this year, which you have to believe that he'll take. Ozzie will be gone unless they get an extension done, and Fernando might too. Things could look really, really different next year, and and just the expected losses between those guys, amount to almost 30% of the payroll. It's a big deal. __________________ 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

07-16-2018, 10:33 AM	#157
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	September Roster Expansion Maybe it'll be interesting, maybe not. Here are the early September call ups for LA. P Kirk Vucsko, 27 (9-10, 4.65, 1.70 WHIP, 166 IP in AAA, 0-0 3.38 in 1 GS for LA) Vucsko got his first taste of big league ball this year after a long road through the Dodgers minor league system. His career totals are unimpressive. He throws a mid 90's fastball with good movement, and a cutter. His curve and change up need work. P Sergio Del Rosario, 23 (3-1, 7S, 4.21 in AA; 7.04 ERA in 4 games in AAA) Del Rosario gets his 2^nd call to the big leagues. Last year, he was ineffective in 5 games posting a 14.29 ERA. His talent has not translated to results as he's come up the system. He throws 3 good pitches, with good stuff. His fastball touches 100 MPH, but his control has dogged him somewhat. C John Debus, 30 (.286/.335/.443, 5 HR/32 RBI in AAA) Debus is also making his 2^nd return to LA. He is able to play the corners and outfield as well. He's a decent catcher, but possesses very little in the way off offense, outside of forcing opposing pitchers to work for the out. He's been in the LA farm system his whole career. UTIL Ty Dabney, 26 (.318/.358/.484, 4HR/52RBI in AAA) This is Dabney's 3^rd trip to LA. He played in 5 games in '86, and 7 last year. In total he is 4-14 batting. A lefty who can play a multitude of positions, he has shown to be very valuable off the bench and capable, at least in the minors, with the bat. He's a gap hitter, who doesn't really impress in any other way. He was a 5^th round pick in '84. OF Tom Beyers, 30 (.333/.392/.485, 7HR/79RBI in AAA) Having been bypassed by both Jennings and Stevens it's a little surprising to see Beyers get the call, but nice all the same. He has nearly 1400 minor league hits over 9 seasons in the LA system and bats over .300. He made the most of his call up last year, batting .375/.451/.552 in 23 games. I'm sure he expected to make it to the bigs before now, but it's nice to see him the same. This is his last option year. OF Doug Jennings, 23 (.334/.468/.497, 7HR/45 RBI in AAA; .297/.395/.351 in 12 with LA) Jennings was LA's first round pick in 1983. He's been up already this season, and put up respectable numbers) One of the team leaders in Albuquerque, Jennings can play all outfield positions and first. A spray hitter with a good eye, Jennings hopes to build on his chances. OF Lee Stevens, 21 (.340/.431/.580, 20HR in AA; .326/.408/.535 in 11 games in AAA; and 2-7 in 6 games in LA) The top prospect in the LA farm system, Stevens is the #74 prospect in baseball. A former first rounder of the Reds, he came to LA in the Tony Phillips deal in the offseason. He plays in center and at first, and is the most well rounded of the LA call ups. Good HR potential, and average range, make him the best in LA, but not really a top overall prospect across the league. LA is already tight in the OF. How will calling up these 3 guys change that? Or will they even grab playing time? Will any of these guys really be able to contribute this 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

07-22-2018, 07:30 AM	#159
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	September Recap A 13-14 record for the month is nothing to be proud of at all. It's the 2^nd month in a row with a losing record, and overall, the team has been playing under .500 ball since the end of April. That's sad to think about. The injuries really started to pile up on the team and we felt it all month long. For the year, the team is still above 500, with an 81-79 record, and sitting in 3^rd in the NL West. All around, the numbers went from bad to worse for LA. The team is 11^th in the NL in batting average, even though, they are 8^th in OBP, and 7^th in runs scored. The team is patient, being 3^rd in walks, and 8^th in HR's. A fair bit of speed has them 2^nd in steals. It's one of the worst hitting teams, if not the worst, since we started following along, back in '82. There was 1 man, who lead the way on offense, and he has been the only really stable, reliable offensive threat all year long, and that is Von Hayes. In September, Hayes his .330/.429/.610 with 7 HR's. He made it to the 20/20 club and his defense in center is in the top of the NL. Caminiti also hit well in the month. Batting .330/.444/.454, he walked 20 times and stole 5 bases. Even Mike Schmidt seemed to find some energy hitting 5 homers, a monthly high for him this year. Lots of part time players saw substantial action in the month. Curt Wilkerson batted .338 in 19 games between filling in at 3^rd and SS. Stan Holmes hit .273 when Scioscia went down. We would have liked to have seen better output from both Inky (.245/.317/.394, 2 HR) and Pete O'Brien (.220/.306/.321, 2 HR) as they drug the team down. It was the pitching that really slumped in September though. Having hung in there around 3^rd or 4^th all summer, the team ERA dropped to 5^th in the NL and 11^th in HR's allowed and 9^th in walks. Even though opposing hitters only batted .247 and the team defense was still 3^rd in the NL. Part of that drop was the starting pitching. Needing to rely on Jim Beattie (2-2, 6.37) and Kirk Vucsko (1-2, 4.13, 1.46 WHIP) wasn't strong. The most reliable starter through the month was Ken Howell (2-0, 3.71 and a 1.20 WHIP). Even Kirk Vucsko held his own, although 6 HR's allowed in 24 innings, 19 walks and 23 K's made his games interesting to watch. Kelly Downs (2-2, 4.14) perhaps pitched the best with is 1.19 WHIP, but the failure of Bryn Smith (1-3, 5.06), John Franco (0-2, 2 S, 5.56 ERA, 1.68 WHIP), Sergio DelRosario (0-0, 11.74, 2.09 WHIP) and Tom Niedenfuer (0-0, 12.15 ERA, 2.70 WHIP) made things harder for everyone. Rookie Michael Cunningham, who had started, came out of the bullpen to throw 8.1 innings with 0 runs allowed and only 2 hits, with his knuckleball. There's not much else to say for September. LA was eliminated and we are only looking at what is to come with this team. Free agency could be busy. __________________ 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

07-22-2018, 07:48 AM	#160
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	10/1 7-2 W over the Giants Don Robinson got another start, but never really got going. An arm injury in the 2^nd inning sent him to the lockers early. Kirk Vucsko (2-2) came on and threw 3 strong, walking 3 and striking out 5. LA did it all with 12 singles today. No extra base hits at all. Lee Stevens was the player of the game going 3-4 with an RBI in the leadoff spot, playing for Von Hayes. Inky, O'Brien, and Wilkerson all had 2 hit games as well. The M's took another one from the Rangers and eliminated them from the playoffs. The Angels eeked out a 6-5 win in Minnesota to keep pace. It all comes down to the final day. The Angels will send Mike Witt to the mound in search of his 20^th against the Twins Frank Viola (12-11). The M's will send Mike Moore (14-8) against the Rangers Curt Young (6-7). Could we see another 1 game playoff like we saw last year? 10/2 7-5 L to the Giants We don't end on a high note, getting knocked off by a team with 113 losses, at home. Bryn Smith (16-13) started and took the loss, but this one is really on Niedenfuer who let all of Smith's runners score, then allowed 3 more of his own in an inning of work. LA managed to snag a couple off of stud reliever Bryan Harvey (1.95 ERA) and homers by Lee Stevens (3) and Inky (11) are the last we'll see this year. O'Brien went 3-4, and Stevens, Winfield, and Inky all had 2 hit games today. It was simply another failure by the bullpen that let us down. Dan Plesac closed out for his 22^nd save of the season. Mike Witt did get his 20^th win and the Angels won again, but they will go home this year, with no playoff. The Seattle Mariners, complete the 4 game sweep of the Rangers, at home, as Mike Moore picks up the win in a 5-1 victory. Roger Clemens wins his 19^th on an Indians team that lost 95 games. He strikes out 13 in his final game and may me making a strong case for AL Cy Young. Don Robinson blew his elbow out and the timing couldn't have been worse for him. At best he is out until the all star break and he is a free agent. So he's on his own for rehab until he's healthy again. I doubt we'll see him in an LA uniform anymore. As bad as '87 was, '88 was much better, even then, he went 0-11, with 13 saves and a 3.80 ERA for LA. __________________ 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 : 07-22-2018 at 07:53 AM.

07-22-2018, 12:39 PM	#161
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	1988 Playoff Preview NLCS New York Mets (100-62) v. Houston Astros (105-57) The Mets are hoping to repeat as World Series Champions, but in order to do so, they will need to knock off the best team in baseball. The Mets had a great year too though, and they are a great team in their own right. Hard to imagine them coming in as the underdog, but they may be. The starting lineup is filled with 5 All Stars. The rotation has 2, and the 1 in the bullpen. The Mets have the top team in HR's and 3^rd overall in runs scored. They are 2^nd in the National League in pitching. The Mets have a wealth of talent on this roster. Lead by OF Bobby Bonilla (.297/.364/.497, with 24 HR), OF Darryl Strawberry (.255/.341/.514 with 44 HR's and 23 SB's), 2B Robby Thompson (.289/.372/.442), 3B Kevin Mitchell (.296/.374/.496 and 18 HR's), OF Reuben Sierra (.307/.339/.527 and 27 HR's). Lenny Dykstra (.268/3/20 and 12 SB) backs them all up in the outfield. Make no mention of big, young, first baseman Glenn Davis (.288/13/54). In the rotation, All-Star and 3-time Cy Young winner, Doc Gooden is in the mix for his 4^th again this year. Gooden was 22-8 with a 2.26 ERA and a league leading 0.95 WHIP and 206K's. The other All Star in the rotation is Edward Lindsey. Lindsey went 9-5, with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. The rest of the rotation fills out with Ron Darling (14-13, 3.88) and possibly Bud Black (4-3, 3.43). They have on of the best closers in baseball in Randy Myers, who had 36 saves with a 2.01 ERA and 103k's in 89.2 innings. Setup man Gene Nelson (6-3, 3.35) and Rick Aguileria (5-1, 2.93) are no slouches either. This is a complete team that could be expected to win it all if they can get past the Astros. We saw a lot of the Astros this year in LA. Even if LA had pretty good success against them. Houston is #2 on batting and #1 in pitching in the National League. Despite playing in the Astrodome, where homers go to die, the Astros were 4^th in the NL in HR's. While they don't have the number of All Stars the Mets do, they have plenty of weapons. The Astros are lead by their lone All Star, short stop, Barry Larkin. Larkin (.335/.385/.480, with 29 steals and is possibly the best defensive short stop in the majors. Fred McGriff, 24, is the other part of the beast that is the Astros, played every game of the year. For some reason he was snubbed for the All Star game, but it doesn't matter now. He hit .302/.403/.526, with 35 HR's and 110 RBI's. Early in April the team shipped 2 prospects for the Blue Jays slamming RF'er George Bell. Bell didn't have the HR numbers with only 19 on the year, but he still hit .322/.353/.467. Bell knows a thing or 2 about titles, having won 2 with the Blue Jays. Catcher Benito Santiago (.314/.369/.493), 3B Carney Lansford (.277/.343/.336, with 24 steals ) round out the top players. Big names still linger in Dale Murphy, who only hit .224, but still had 25 HR's and Kirk Gibson who batted .237 with 7. Hard to sell either of guys short when push comes to shove. The pitching staff is anchored by another youngster, 23yr old, Greg Swindell, lead the league in wins (22) and ERA (2.23). He expects to go head to head with Gooden. Dave Stewart, found himself last year, and kept right on rolling. Stewart went 20-9 with a 2.92 ERA. They also have Tom Candiotti (12-7, 3.16) and Dennis Martinez (14-12, 3.05). The team really shines in the bullpen though. Scott Garrelts closes, and lead the league with 38 saves. Set up men, Tim Burke (1.62) and Alejandro Pena (1.97) are hard to get past. Behind them are Terry Leach (2.97) and John Dopson (1.06) In the regular season the Mets lead the matchup winning 9 out of 12 games. The Mets are the defending champs, but the Astros have the home field. ALCS New York Yankees (83-79) vs. Seattle Mariners (98-64) The New York Yankees haven't made the playoffs since 1981, since then they've been stuck behind the Blue Jays. The Yankees would really like meet the Mets in a cross town rivalry series this fall. The Yankees are clearly the weakest team among the 4 in the playoffs. They are 8^th in the AL in runs scored and 6^th in the AL in runs allowed. They also have the advantage in the head to head with 7 wins in 12 games against the M's. The Yankees are lead by DH Don Mattingly, who lead the team with 27 HR's, while batting .321/.357/.510. It's been no secret that the surge of the Yankees was helped by the strange waiver acquisition of Joe Carter. Carter hit 51 HR's last year, and signed a big contract, only to leave to the Yankees for free. It's one of the most head scratching moments this year. Carter hit .278/.322/.494 with 30 HR's and 98 RBI's between the 2 teams this year. OF Brett Butler (.291/.386/.380, with 23 SB), OF Dave Martinez (.286/.346/.387 with 30 SB) round out the impact players on offense. The pitching staff lost expected contributers Joe Magrane, who won 19 last year, and Rick Rhoden, who won 17 and had to scramble for more help. The top of the rotation is lead by Bob Welch, who came over in a July deal with the Royals, for Otis Nixon and a top pitching prospect, Ken Hill. Welch (15-10, 3.74), a former Dodger pitcher, knows how to carry a team, was better for the Yankees than the Royals. Rick Sutcliffe (13-15, 3.12) is the #2, Shane Rawley (13-13, 3.85) and 43yr old Don Sutton (14-6, 2.85) round out the rotation. The bullpen features Dave Righetti, whose 1.51 ERA was one of the best all year. His set up men are 40yr old Bill Campbell (1.85) and 39yr old Doc Medich (3.68). The team also features 38yr old, Ron Guidry (10-5, 2.71) who can go either way to the pen or the rotation. The Mariners are heavily favored in this series and are looking to get back to the World Series, where we could see a repeat of the '87 series, between the M's and Mets. This M's team was 4^th in the AL in scoring and 3^rd in pitching. Their numbers are better than they were last year. This team is better than they were last year. The Mariners have the best hitting team in the AL, lead by the offseason trade acquisition of Andy Van Slyke. Van Slyke came to the M's for 2 top pitching prospects and 2 other minor leaguers. Van Slyke hit .270/.337/.457 with 20 HR's and 20 SB's. His defense alone in center saved 29 runs over the season. Second baseman Harold Reynolds, had 207 hits, batting .298 with 36 steals from the leadoff spot. Jim Presley (.301/17/56), Brian Downing (.255/18/68), Phil Bradley (.286/12/78) Dan Pasqua (.256/20/73) round out the offensive threat for the M's. Danger up and down, hard out all over. The pitching staff is really rated as the advantage for Seattle. Mark Langston (16-13, 3.17) carried the team all year. He may not have been the top pitcher, but he didn't miss a start. He is underrated, and overshadowed here in Seattle. By whom? Nolan Ryan for starters. Ryan missed a few starts with bone spurs in his elbow, but he went 14-5, with a 2.34 ERA. He's only 3 away from number 300 and he's closing in on his 5000^th K. Who else? How about Sid Fernandez? The Cy Young winner missed the playoffs last year with an elbow injury, but he's back this year, and in 10 starts, he's 6-3 with a 2.34 ERA. That 1-2-3 is going to be hard to overcome for any team. Oh, I almost forgot. Mike Boddicker went 18-6, with a 3.55 ERA. So they are stacked. The bullpen has closer Jeff Robinson (35 saves, 3.87) Juan Nieves (2.79), Mike Moore (3.72) and Tim Belcher (2.54). The road to the '88 Playoffs are set to begin! __________________ He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. 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07-22-2018, 02:48 PM	#162
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	1988 World Series Seattle Mariners v. Houston Astros Game 1 Nolan Ryan v. Tom Candiotti Nolan Ryan was selected as the player of the game with his 7 innings, but the Astros took the series lead with a 4-3 win. The Astros overcame a sprained ankle by starter Candiotti and the bullpen threw 5.1 scoreless against the top hitting team in the AL. The M's built a 3-0 lead, but the Astros tied it up in the 5^th. Gary Pettis singled in Kirk Gibson in the 8^th to give the Astros the lead in game 1. Gary Pettis and Randy Ready both had 2 hits in the game. Game 2 Sid Fernandez v. Greg Swindell Greg Swindell went pitch for pitch with Sid Fernandez and Alejandro Pena pitched 3 scoreless to finish the M's off for his 2^nd save. The Astros take game 2, 5-2. Jim Presley homered for the M's and Fred McGriff homered for the Astros. Houston goes on the road with a 2-0 lead. Game 3 Dave Stewart v. Mark Langston The Astros pitchers are just getting the better of the M's hitters. Tonight it was Stewart going the distance for a 4-1 win over the Mariners, and give the Astros a 3-0 lead in the series. George Bell went 2-4 and homered . Jerry Willard also homered for the Astros. Game 4 Dennis Martinez v. Mike Boddicker Jim Presley homered for the 4^th time in the post-season and Harold Reynolds hit his first. The Mariners needed 10 to win at home, but they live to fight another day. It was close though. The Astros got 13 hits, 12 for the M's. Jeff Robinson, typically the M's closer, pitched the final 3 in a gutsy performance for the M's. Game 5 Candiotti v. Ryan Tom Candiotti left no doubt tonight. Complete game 1-hit masterpiece for the knuckleball pitcher to give the Astros the first World Series title for Houston! Nolan Ryan didn't bring it, and allowed homers to Randy Ready and Gary Pettis. Pettis hadn't homered since '87. Fred McGriff was selected Series MVP. __________________ 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

07-22-2018, 05:47 PM	#163
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	1988 Reflections on this Team For years LA has been a top notch, title contender and we've not seen a title come here. This year, we lost a lot of power out the door, brought in some older, past their prime players, and took a step back in overall quality. The Farm system is dry and there is not much there to play with either. So how does the team with the #1 payroll and #1 budget do this poorly? I'll tell you. Money wasted. Players wasted. Talent wasted. Of the top 10 paid players on the team take a look at how that money was wasted: #10 Larry Parrish – 34 games, 30 at bats. 161 at bats in 3 years. 0.2 WAR, 3 years #9 Jim Beattie – LA signed him for a big deal 5 years ago, and we've got 1 year to go. 0.2 WAR 3 Yrs #8 Mike Schimidt – His deal is vested for another year. 0.2 WAR #7 John Denny – Got a 6 year deal, with 1 remaining. 15.8 WAR 5 years #6 Fernando – At the end of a 6yr deal. This dropoff makes him resigning unlikely. 34.5 WAR 6 years #5 Roy Smalley – At the end of a 6yr deal. Only 1 as starter. 7.3 WAR 6 yrs #4 Dwayne Murphy – 1 yr remaining on a 6yr deal. Only 1 as starter. 10.2 WAR 5 yrs #3 Von Hayes – 5 yrs remaining on a 6yr deal. Top player on team in '88. 6.7 WAR 1 yr #2 Bryn Smith – 2yrs remaining on a 3 yr deal. #2 pitcher in '88. 3.4 WAR 1 yr #1 Rickey – 3yrs remaining on a 5yr deal. Can opt out this year. 11.0 WAR 2 yrs Some god awful waste there. I'm scared for how much more waste there will be going forward. I wonder if next year will be this bad? I don't have high hopes, there's still a lot of waste, but having the deepest pockets in the league does allow us to just buy our way out. Let's just hope there isn't crazy waste 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

08-03-2018, 08:38 AM	#164
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	1988 Post Season and Awards Big news in LA, big news for the entire team. First and foremost. Tommy Lasorda has retired from baseball as a Dodger. This does save the team from some embarrassment. The team will be hiring a new manager to start the 1989 season. Next, as expected Mike Schmidt made his contract vesting, and Dave Winfield failed to meet his. Winfield was 31 plate appearances shy. The injury at the end of the year did him in. Last, Rickey Henderson has decided to stay in LA! It's a big deal. That means that he is committed to us for 3 years. This makes me happy for sure. Thank you Ricky! Gold Glove Winners AL P Chris Bosio TEX (1) C Mike Lavalliere MIL (1) 1B Wally Joyner TEX (1) 2B Jim Gantner CAL (1) 3B Terry Pendleton KC (2) SS Alan Trammell DET (4) LF Barry Bonds CHI (3) CF Devon White CHI (1) RF Dave Martinez NYY (1) NL P Mike LaCoss NYM (1) C Dave Valle CIN (1) 1B Andres Gallaraga MON (2) 2B Robby Thompson NYM (2) 3B Brook Jacoby ATL (1) SS Ozzie Guillen SD (1) LF Joe Orsulak PIT (1) CF Dave Henderson CIN (1) RF Jose Canseco CIN (1) LA resigns Frank DiPino, Kelly Downs, Mitch Webster, Curt Wilkerson, John Franco, Ken Howell, and BJ Surhoff to 1 yr extensions. Downs was the top pitcher, Franco was the closer, Howell was consistent, and BJ Surhoff was a starter before going down for the season with an injury. Rolaids Reliever of the Year AL Dave Righetti NYY (5-6, 37/40 Saves, 1.51 ERA) NL Tom Henke PIT (11-5, 36/43 Saves, 1.50 ERA) Silver Slugger Awards AL C Ernie Witt TOR .270/21/75 .804 OPS (2) 1B Mark McGwire CAL .302/52/151 1.022 OPS (2) 2B Paul Molitor CHI .319/11/85 .854 OPS (1) 3B Howard Johnson DET .269/42/104 .880 OPS (1) SS Roberto Alomar CLE .337/15/65 .863 OPS (1) LF Barry Bonds CHI .310/24/119 .920 OPS (4) CF Kirby Puckett MIN .318/23/111 .862 OPS (1) RF Dwight Evans TOR .283/12/73 .822 OPS (4) DH Wade Boggs BOS .365/6/72 .959 OPS (1) NL P Dwight Gooden NYM .241/0/5 .578 OPS (1) C Craig Biggio ATL .294/15/61 .811 OPS (2) 1B Will Clark STL .343/33/96 1.005 OPS (3) 2B Julio Franco PHI .320/4/65 .802 OPS (2) 3B Victor Madden CHI .286/31/87 .887 OPS (1) SS Barry Larkin HOU .335/14/85 .865 OPS (2) LF Reuben Sierra NYM .307/27/99 .866 OPS (1) CF Robin Yount MON .359/14/90 .945 OPS (3) RF Jose Canseco CIN .343/30/97 1.003 OPS (1) AL Rookie of the Year Ken Griffey Jr BAL .316/18/77 .886 OPS 5.9 WAR NL Rookie of the Year Henry Cotto CHI .267/9/36 .704 OPS 1.9 WAR AL Manager of the Year Mark Leggio SEA NL Manager of the Year Bill Virdon HOU AL Cy Young Winner Roger Clemens CLE 19-6 2.14 ERA (2) NL Cy Young Winner Doc Gooden NYM 22-8 2.26 ERA (4) AL MVP Mark McGwire CAL .302/52/131 (1) NL MVP Doc Gooden NYM (3) 8 of the 25 Dodgers on the recent roster have filed for free agency. They are: P Don Robinson P Kent Tekulve P Fernando Valenzuela P Don Aase SS Ozzie Smith 1B Larry Parrish OF Dave Winfield SS Roy Smalley The team has some money to fill those positions, but it's not like they can go crazy on the market. The Champion Astros have aggressively added talent early on. A trade with the Yankees brings Joe Carter to town, and Reliever of the Year Tom Henke from the Pirates has come in on free agency. Reminds me of the old Expos free agency runs. Well, the Dodgers have finalized a deal, the biggest of free agency so far, and I'm not sure it's good? It's a lot of money, and I'm leery of these deals. Anyway. 6 year deal for Twins southpaw Frank Viola. The deal is worth 10.8M/6yrs and Viola can opt out after 3 years. Viola won the Cy Young and MVP in 1984 for the Twins. He's a 2 time All Star with a career record of 105-77, with a 3.93 ERA. He'll be 29 at the start of next year. He was 12-12 with a 3.16 ERA for the Twins last year. LA keeps it going, adding to the bullpen with the big 6'5” 225lb, true to life closer, Lee Smith. Smith is a 2-time All Star and he's been the Red Sox closer for the last 3 years. He gets a 3yr/800k deal. Very affordable for the team for what he brings. He has 209 career saves, with a 3.50 ERA in 475 games. Don Robinson is heading to the Mets on a 1 yr deal. Kent Tekulve is heading to the Tigers on a 1 yr deal. Ozzie Smith signs a 4yr/2.1M contract to return to the St Louis Cardinals. Dave Winfield stays in town, but moves down the freeway to the California Angels on a 2yr/1.76M deal. LA signs OF Juan Samuel to a 3yr/2.1M deal. Samuel has been a 5 yr starter in Philadelphia. He is a good player, with power and speed, having reached 20/20 twice. On the verge of his 28^th birthday, Samuel is a career .272 hitter who averages about 17 HR's and 38 steals each year. LA also signs Angels shortstop Dick Schofield to a 3yr/1.75M deal. Schofield won the Gold Glove in '87. He's an above average defender, but nothing special with the bat. He's got some speed averaging 27 steals each of the last 3 years. He's a career .247 hitter with 62 career HR's. LA brings in Independent minor league star pitcher Chris Welsh. Welsh will be 34 when the new season fires up next year. He last time donned a major league uniform in 1982 for the Padres, where he had a 2.21 ERA in 41 games. He was sent to the minors and then released. Since then he's been pitching for overloaded independent minor league teams at the A level where one year he went 29-5 and threw 291 innings. Four years he has toiled, and now he's with LA on a minor league deal. 1988 Rookie Draft First 5 Rounds OF Bill Masse (1.38) P Patt Rapp (2.16) C Brian Johnson (3.18) OF Michael House (3.23) SS Mike Mordecai (4.16) 3B Jose Oliva (5.16) The Dodgers have announced that they have hired Adam Abercrombie to be the new manager of the highest payroll team in baseball. This hiring was met with taunts and derision from pretty much everyone. Abercrombie was the manager for the Twins A-level Visalia Oaks baseball team. His career record is 481-597, and in 17 years, pretty much has no reputation to think of. His 1 yr deal will pay him 110k. It's less than half of what the team payed Lasorda. This is no bueno. LA has selected IF/OF Armando Moreno from the Cardinals in the Rule 5 draft. Moreno, 24, is a 3-time minor league All Star, and was 3^rd in the '85 MVP race in AA. LA brings an old face home. Great news! LA completes a trade with the Phillies to bring Pedro Guerrero back home again. LA sends the Phillies OF Mitch Webster and recently acquired minor league pitching prospect Rueben Monett. Guerrero, 32, may have seen his best days. He's missed a lot of the last 3 years with some serious injuries. Last year, he only managed 58 games. He still batted .298/.374/.476. Pedro can still play some left and first base, but he's not skilled by any means. He's a 5-time All Star, 2-time Silver Slugger and he's got 1 year left on his contract. Pedro is a career .308 hitter, with over 1100 hits, and 169 career HR's. Welcome home Pedro! LA makes another swap for depth. This trade sends the Red Sox former 2^nd round pick and top prospect C Bill Haselman and minor league IF Jim Jones in exchange 30yr old 2B Marty Barrett. Barrett batted .320 last year for the Red Sox and sports a career .306 average in 6 years. Barrett has been with the Red Sox his entire career, and has over 1000 career hits in 887 career games. He's been the Red Sox starter at 2^nd for all 6 seasons. LA signs southpaw reliever Joe Price, 32, who was 0-2, with a 5.14 ERA with the Twins, to a 1 year deal. Sadness as Fernando heads to the White Sox on a 1 year deal. The team signs all top 5 picks, with the exception of 3^rd rounder Brian Johnson. Hall of Fame Voting is in! Here is the Hall of Fame Class of 1989! SP Gaylord Perry 96.5% in his first year LF Pete Rose 94.4% in his first year LF Carl Yastrzemski with a 93% in his first year. C Johnny Bench 77% in his first year. Tough class of guys right there. Jim Palmer, Jim Kaat were the next closest and Reggie Jackson was the closest not in his first season with 52.3%. That's it for the offseason. (editors note: I expected expansion, as all my settings were automatic, but for some reason, no expansion, no realignment for '89, and that makes me a little sad). __________________ 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

08-04-2018, 11:07 AM	#165
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	1989 Opening Day Roster Starting Rotation Frank Viola (12-12, 3.16 with the Twins) Bryn Smith (16-13, 3.67) Ken Howell (6-3, 2.98) Kelly Downs (17-10, 3.55) Jim Beattie (5-8, 4.70) We said goodbye to El Toro, and bring in Sweet Music, Frank Viola, the Twins ace starter. This is an upgrade on paper. Viola is a southpaw and standard 3 pitch starter with above average movement on his pitches. He throws everything for strikes. He's thrown over 200 innings each of his 7 pro seasons. Ken Howell gets promoted to the rotation, and we hope that Smith and Downs can keep throwing well. Jim Beattie holds down the 5 spot, but Frank Tanana is a week from heading back to the team where he should lock down one of those spots. Bullpen Joe Price (0-2, 5.14 with the Twins) John Denny (5-3, 3S, 3.64) Brian Holton (2-0, 7.71) Frank DiPino (3-4, 2.56) Lee Smith (6-7, 33S, 4.50 with the Red Sox) John Franco (3-5, 32S, 2.06) One of the more balanced bullpens in recent years. We boast 3 lefties, a long guy in Denny, who can also spot start. A lefty and righty set up guy, and a guy in Smith, who can lock games down, just like Franco. Will the new manager be able to utilize these guys the right way? I think that's a big question. Brian Holton, after a long time in the minors gets the call up. I really hope he's better than he's been. Catcher Mike Scioscia (.280/1/16) BJ Surhoff (.240/0/10) Injuries to both of these guys cost them last season. It would have been Surhoff's chance to start, but he's lost the regular job to Scioscia again. He does expect to get a couple starts in a week though, in a rotation to keep the frequently injured Scioscia on the field more. First Base Pedro Guerrero (.298/7/46 with the Phillies) Pete O'Brien (.262/16/85) Guerrero has had some severe injury problems the last few years, but when he's healthy he is one of the most dangerous hitters in the league. Coming up on 33, he isn't getting any younger, and he's a liability in field, but the team really needs his bat. O'Brien was ok, but less output than the team should expect for a first basemen. He's not happy about losing his starting role. Second Base Marty Barrett (.320/1/82 with the Red Sox) Chuck Jackson (.224/0/5) Barrett takes over for Caminiti at second base. He's pretty average in the field, but he is a career .300 hitter in 6 years starting for the Red Sox. He hasn't made an All Star game but he's bonafide. Jackson is the only backup. Jackson plays every base except first and catcher. Look for him to get plenty of playing time all over. Third Base Ken Caminiti (.294/8/50) Mike Schmidt (.235/18/62) The future Hall of Famer still feels like he can start, and even though he'd like to move to first, there isn't a home for him right now. Caminiti was a surprise last year and his fielding in a new position was solid. He could still move to 2^nd if he needed. Schmidt and his 512 career homers will have to be patient if he wants to play. Shortstop Dick Schofield (.268/9/63 with the Angels) Jackson Schofield is no defensive wizard like Ozzie, but he does have a gold glove, he's a lot younger, he hits better and he is just as fast. Jackson will back him up here. The team doesn't really have any options after that. Roy Smalley is gone, so someone from the outside or minors would have to come up. Left Field Rickey Henderson (.250/10/59) One of the most electric and polarizing players in baseball. He shocked us when he exercised his option to stay for 3 more years. Half the clubhouse hates him. His numbers were good until he suffered a couple injuries. He needs to be the man in the outfield and the spark of this offense. Center Field Juan Samuel (.271/12/60 with the Phillies) Doug Jennings (.263/0/6) Von Hayes got hurt in spring training and is expected to miss up to the first 2 months of the season. As a result the team went out and added the Phillies speedy CF/2B. Samuel hasn't been as good as Hayes, but he's been a steady 3.8 WAR over the last 5 years. Jennings makes the team for the first time ever. He showed some progress in his development in the spring with a great eye, and good gap power. He backs up all the OF positions and can play at first. Right Field Pete Incaviglia (.253/11/49) Dwayne Murphy (.167/1/5) Inky gets his old job back with Winfied moving on. He had a pretty bad year last year, compared to his rookie campaign, so the hope is that he finds his old groove again. We need that power stroke in the lineup. There are not enough big bats in this lineup without him. Dwayne Murphy should have been cut. I think the only reason he is here, is because we have to pay him. He can still get the ball over the fence. He can also play all 3 outfield spots. Injured Band Brigade Von Hayes (.274/24/70) Last years team MVP. Hayes went 20/20, and is always a hard out. Sadly, he's not the kind of player that can carry the team, but he is a good fielder. Look for him to get back close to the end of May. Frank Tanana (9-6, 2.73) It was a shock to lose him last year, and the staff really suffered. He had been the ace of the staff prior to tearing his UCL in his elbow. He is 13 wins away from his 200^th career win. He should kick Beattie out of the rotation when he comes back. Let's hope he can be effective again. He is due back within 10 days. Armando Moreno (.132/1/9 with the Cardinals) The Dodgers Rule 5 pick this year. Moreno is a utility player, who would need to stay on the roster all year or go back to the Cards. He broke his hand last year and needed surgery. He was once included in a trade that sent Nolan Ryan to the Expos. He'll be competing with Chuck Jackson for that roster spot. Down on the Farm OF Lee Stevens (#1, #34 MLB, 1^st Round, 17^th overall, '85) The Dodgers top prospect came over last year in the Reds trade. Last year, he was voted the MVP for the AA league playing with San Antonio. He hit .340 with 20 HR's and 65 RBI's in 97 games. Stevens got his first ML experience last year, batting .355 with 3 HR's in 18 games for the Dodgers. He's very close to making the big league club. OF Bill Masse (#2, #66 MLB, 1^st Round Supp, 38^th overall, '88) LA's first round pick this year starts the year in Albuquerque playing LF for the Dukes. He's an average fielder with good range. He's fast on the bases. He has a good batting eye, but isn't known for his power or contact ability. Could be a good gap hitter, with occasional power and good average. OF Michael House (#3, #153 MLB, 3^rd Round, 101^st overall, '88) House starts the year off in AA San Antonio. His best position is first, but he's playing center for the Missions. He's got some pop, zero speed, and swings at everything. Doesn't really grade out to be much of anything, but he could add some power. IF Dave Rohde (#4, #189 MLB, 4^th Round, 112^th overall, '85) Rohde was signed by the club in the offseason. He was originally drafted by the Twins, but has subsequently played for 6 different clubs now. He has played sparingly over the years, with 23 game played between A and rookie ball. He's approaching his 25^th birthday, with not much to show. He'll start the year in AAA Albuquerque playing short. He has a good decent eye, is fast on the bases, but is a below average fielder and hitter. Not Quite Ready for Prime Time Stevens, Of Course 1B Darcy Walker A 14^th round pick in '82, Walker has lived his whole career in the LA farm system. His last 2 have been in AAA, and last year was his best yet. He batted .316 with 11 HR and 83 RBI for the Dukes. LA is pretty fat at first so his chances are not looking good. He's 27 and his window of opportunity is fading. OF Greg Clark Clark should have changed his name to Walker, because he gets on base at mythical levels. His OBP in AAA, is over .400 and he has averaged over 125 walks per year in about 135 games. Below average in the field and swinging the bat, if he gets on he's a threat to steal, averaging about 38 for the last 3 years. He is nearly 30 though, has never broken into the majors and never been anywhere else but the Dodgers farm system. P Bob Patterson A lefty with good control. He could make the jump to fill in if one of the current lefties goes south. A former Padre, Patterson spent all of last year in AAA where he had a 2.95 ERA in 58 innings of work. Preseason Outlook The rags have us picked to finish 2^nd in the NL West, a distant 20 games behind the Astros. That doesn't bode well for post season hopes. The defending champs are loaded and should be looking to repeat. Their pitching is top shelf and their hitting isn't bad either. In the AL look for both the Mariners and Angels again to be grinding away at the top. The AL West is much stronger, with the Yankees looking like the top team over in the East. The Mets are the best in the NL East this preseason, however they may have dropped some as injuries have really taken their toll on that team. IT'S TIME FOR DODGER 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

08-04-2018, 12:05 PM	#166
CraigSca Pro Starter Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Not Delaware - hurray!	So, I just went through the first page to see if I could find the information (if it's posted elsewhere, whoops), but how exactly are you playing this? I realize you are just watching the Dodgers vicariously with no input on your end. However, what are the settings of the replay? Are you doing it where the player's career will follow the real one with re-calculation each year, or are you generating the player when he joins the league and then having the algorithms generate a "semi" random career? Having you report this has me want to try something like this, too. Just wondering what parameters you set up. Keep up the good work! __________________ She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! She loves you, yeah! how do you know? how do you know?

08-05-2018, 11:42 AM	#168
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	4/3 5-4 L to the Reds What started good, ended poorly. LA had 3-0 lead in the 6^th, but couldn't hold on. Frank Viola pitched well early on, but got tagged in the 7^th. He first major league at bat, he drew a bases loaded walk. Dick Schofield hit the first homer of the year for the Dodgers (1). Esasky (1) for the Reds. The Reds rallied in the 7^th for 3 runs to take the lead. LA tied it in the 8^th. Lee Smith loaded the bases in the 9^th, then struck out Dave Henderson, but a line drive that was caught by Samuel was able to get Mike Stanley home for the Opening Day win for the Reds. 4/5 2-1 W over the Reds Bryn Smith (1-0) pitched 6.1 and struck out 7. Rickey hit his first homer of the year in the first to give LA all the offense we'd need. DiPino and Franco finished it off in fine form for the first win of the year for LA. 4/6 5-1 L to the Reds Dave Henderson went 3-4 with a HR (1) and Gary Redus doubled in 2. Rickey went 2-3 and stole a base in the loss. Ken Howell (0-1) took the loss. Wes Gardner the win (1-0). 4/7 3-2 (16) L to the Braves Brad Komminsk singled in the winning run off of Brian Holton (0-1) in the 16^th to win it for the Braves. That capped a 3-7 game for him. Rickey went 2-5 with 2 walks for LA. Mark Leiter (1-0) got the win. Guerrero hit HR number 1 on the year. Doug Jennings and Chuck Jackson were optioned to Albuquerque. To fill those roster spots, IF/OF Armando Moreno was activated from the DL, and the team picked up 28 yo, Bruce Fields off of waivers from the Astros. Fields has been a minor league journeyman and still has no career plate appearances. His last ML game was in '86 for the Tigers. He's a spray hitter, with some good speed. Like Moreno he can play a bunch of positions. 4/8 10-6 L to the Braves The Braves put up 8 on the 4^th off of Viola (0-1). It was a really bad outing for him, 11 hits, 9 runs, 2 HR's allowed. Randy Johnson got the win (1-0). Rickey went 3-4, with 3 RBI's, including his 2^nd HR of the year. Scioscia also went deep for #1 and his 50^th career dinger. Fields was optioned and Jennings was recalled back to LA. 4/9 4-0 L to the Braves Oh boy. Gonna be a long year. LA drops another one. Allan Anderson (1-1) ended up 2 outs shy of the shutout. LA could only manage 4 singles in the game. The Braves rookie Mo Vaughn hit HR number 2 of the year, then left the game with an injury Jim Beattie (0-1) took the loss after 7 innings of work. Frank Tanana was activated from the DL, and in a shocking move, LA designated Kelly Downs and placed him on waivers. Downs was LA's best pitcher last season and was expected to hold down a spot on the rotation all year. This one is causing all kinds of consternation among the fans. That means that both John Denny and Jim Beattie keep their roster spots with his return. Wow. 4/10 3-1 L to the Giants Ugh. The worst team in the league has some young talent now, but they still suck. Bryn Smith (1-1) had a lead and a 3 hit shutout until the 8^th. A bad pitch to Gregg Jefferies was all the Giants needed. That was the first HR of the year for Jefferies. Joe Slusarski started for the Giants, but Bryan Harvey (1-0) got the win. LA put the tying run in scoring position, but Pleasac kept anyone from scoring for his 2^nd save. For some reason the Dodgers front office has gone off the rails. Chuck Jackson was recalled from Albuquerque, and to make room for him, Ken Caminiti was designated and placed on waivers. Caminiti started the year hitting (.171/.161/.171) in 7 games. He was a huge bright spot for the team last year, and was part of the young talent on the team. There is no way he is going to survive this. LA claimed OF Eddie Vargas from the Reds and placed him on the roster. He's a career .192 hitter in 4 years with the Pirates and Padres. He hasn't been in the majors since '85. 4/11 4-2 L to the Giants LA drops another one. Frank Tanana (0-1) made his return to the rotation tonight, but in the 5^th he had to leave with another injury. How does that decision to dump Downs look now? The Giants Jose Nunez (1-0) pitched 5.2 with 6 k's. Pedro had a couple hits, and Chuck Jackson, now starting at third, hit his first career HR, a solo shot (1). LA has dropped 6 straight. Fields was returned to the team and Jackson was optioned back to AAA. Also, long time Dodger reliever and former closer and '84 Reliever of the Year, Tom Neidenfuer was released by the team. His career ERA is 2.73 after 8 years with the Dodgers. Another of the old guard gone. 4/12 5-2 L to the Giants Oh no. We are swept by what was the worst team in baseball. LA drops to 1-8 on the year. John Habyan (1-1) pitched 8 innings and Harvey got his 3^rd save. Juan Samuel lead off the game with a home run (1) but LA could only get 3 more hits. He had 2 of the teams 4 hits. Ken Howell (0-2) served up 10 hits in 5.2 innings. Kelly Downs was claimed off of waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers had their best season last year since '83. I am shocked too. Caminiti skated through waivers without a claim and he was optioned to Albuquerque. Mike Huff of the Texas Rangers made his ML debut, and what a debut it was. The Rule 5 pick from the Brewers went 5-5 and ended a homer shy of the cycle. 4/13 6-1 W over the Astros Frank Viola (1-1) got his first win in a Dodgers uniform with an 8 inning, 4 hit show. LA needed the stopper to do his stopper job. His only mistake was a bad pitch to George Bell who put one in the left field bleachers (3). LA, behind, was saved today by Pedro Guerrero's 2-run HR (2) in the 6^th off of Dennis Martinez (1-1). Guerrero went 3-4 with 4 RBI's. 4/14 4-1 L to the Astros Tom Candiotti (2-0) came within an out of the complete game tonight. If not for allowing the tying run to come to the plate he would have been good. LA's only runs came on an inning where the Astros made 2 errors. Fred McGriff (3) and Joe Carter (4) went back to back off of Jim Beattie (0-2) in the third. Scioscia had a 2 hit day for LA. 4/15 9-2 L to the Astros Fred McGriff and Joe Carter both went 3-5, with McGriff hitting his 4^th HR of the season. Nolan Ryan (1-1) struck out 8 in a short 5 innings of work, while Bryn Smith (1-2) took the loss for LA. Pedro had 2 hits for LA. __________________ 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

08-11-2018, 06:44 PM	#169
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	4/16 4-3 W over the Astros A 2-run double by Marty Barrett in the 6^th put LA up in for good tonight. Mike Scioscia batted cleanup and went 2-4 with the other 2 RBI's. Tanana (1-1) went 6.2, gave up his standard home run. Franco closed it out for his 2^nd save. LA is now 3-10 to start the year. This is the worst start I've seen them have. To say that the team is in transition is a mild understatement. Mike Schmidt was placed on waivers and designated for assignment today. Chuck Jackson was recalled from AAA to take his roster spot. Schmidt hasn't appeared in a game yet this year. 4/17 3-2 L to the Reds A pair of 7^th inning home runs for the Reds gave them the winning margin tonight. First it was the first career homer for Mickey Morandini (1). A supplemental first rounder, Morandini's pinch hit homer broke the tie, then former Dodger Tom Broookens smacked another (1). Both home runs came off of Brian Holton (0-2). Jeff Stember (2-1) got the W. Dwayne Murphy came off the bench to go 2-2 and hit a solo homer (1). That ties his total for all of last year. 4/18 7-3 L to the Reds LA wasted 13 hits and left 11 runners on base. CF Eddie Vargas went 3-5 and Pedro knocked his 3^rd HR of the season. Frank Viola (1-2) had a challenging outing tonight while Frank DiPino didn't help him out of the pen. UF Armando Moreno was hurt sliding into 3^rd and left the game. Schmidt cleared waivers with no claims. It's yet to be seen whether he will rejoin the team or be let go. I don't see him taking a spot in Albuquerque. Moreno only has a mild ab strain. No DL trip for him. 4/19 7-1 L to the Reds Nick Esasky's 2-run HR in the 4^th (3) off of Jim Beattie (0-3) gave the Reds all the offense they'd need tonight. A great night of pitching from Tom Browning (2-1) who gave up his hit in the 4^th when Guerrero went deep (4). He came an out from a complete game, but only threw 104 pitches. LA had 3 errors in the loss. 4/21 3-1 W over the Giants No hits until the bottom of the 4^th for either team until Mike Scioscia broke it open with HR #2 on the year. The Giants tied the game back up and Bryn Smith lost a great start. Dick Schofield hit a 2-run single to put LA on top. DiPino gets the win (1-0) and and Franco gets his 3^rd save. 4/22 6-0 W over the Giants Holy Shit! LA wins 2 in a row! Frank Tanana (2-1) throws 7.1 shutout innings and the Dodgers get homers from Chuck Jackson (2) and Ricky (3) as LA puts up 6 runs on 8 hits. Barrett goes 3-4. John Habyan (2-2) takes the loss. 4/23 6-2 W over the Giants That's 3! We're taking the baseball world by storm! Rickey went 3-3, scored 3 times and crushed a 2-run homer (4) in the first to give LA a 2-1 lead. Juan Samuel added another (2) in his 2-5 game. Guerrero doubled in 2 more. Viola (2-2) pitched into the 8^th and allowed 1 earned run, walking none and striking out 6. Greg Hibbard (1-3) took the loss. 4/25 4-0 L to the Cubs David Cone (2-1) pitched 8 scoreless to win player of the game tonight. Cubs slugging third basemen Victor Madden hit his 7^th HR of the year. LA got 3 hits from Guerrero and Ken Howell (0-3) fought through 7 tough innings. Dodger reliver Brian Holton walked 4 including a run, in his single inning. 4/26 10-6 (13) L to the Cubs Phil Plantier hit a grand slam (2) in the 13^th off of Joe Price (0-1) to crush the hopes of the Dodger faithful tonight. LA was behind all game and came back twice to extend the game. BJ Surhoff went 4-6, Jackson added 3 more of his own. LA had 4 extra base hits and left 10 runners on base. Mike Schmidt was released from the Dodgers. He did not play in a game this year. Even though he probably could have gotten some playing time, he is a liability in the field and his hitting last year was below par. He did hit his 500^th career HR in an Dodgers uniform though. 4/27 2-1 L to the Cubs Glenn Wilson doubled in a run, and scored the winning run in the 7^th inning for the Cubs. Kevin Brown (1-2) only missed on a 5^th inning pitch to Dick Schofield (2) and that was all LA would get. Frank Tanana (2-2) pitched brilliantly going the distance, but he didn't get the support. Sixto DeLaCruz pitched the 9^th for his 3^rd save. 4/28 7-1 W over the Cardinals Viola (3-2) got the complete game tonight, allowing 5 hits and an unearned run. LA got on the board in the first and a 3 run shot in the 2^nd inning by Juan Samuel (3) opened the game up. Scioscia added his 3^rd in the 5^th as part of a 2-5, 3 RBI day. Jaime Navarro (1-2) took the loss. 4/29 5-4 W over the Cardinals Pete O'Brian doubled in the winning run in the 7^th inning, pinch hitting for Samuel. Earlier, Samuel had doubled with the bases loaded knocking in 3. Jim Beattie (1-3) pitched 6 innings to get his first win of the year. Franco closed the game out for his 4^th save. 4/30 3-2 (11) L to the Cardinals LA wasted a good pitching performance from Ken Howell. Howell pitched 7 and got 2 hits from Jennings, Guerrero, and Scioscia. LA was helpless against the Cardinals bullpen today. Mike Morgan left early and the Cards threw 7 straight scoreless. John Franco served up a hit to Ozzie Smith, back with the Cards this year, that scored Mel Hall to send the faithful home. Larry McWilliams won (3-0). __________________ 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

08-12-2018, 09:45 AM	#170
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	April Recap This was a bad, bad month and the worst start for LA. LA finished the month with a record of 8-17 and the 3^rd worst record in baseball. Incredibly, the A's and Brewers were worst. LA though, was the worst in the NL. At this point, the Dodgers are in 5^th in the NL West, and 10 games behind the Astros who are off to an 18-7 start to the year. It's bad. So bad. It looks like a bad start to a long season. I had a much more optimistic view of the season a month ago. Now? I shutter at the thought of what it could be, so let's cover this quickly. LA is 12^th in the NL in runs scored, 10^th in average and 11^th in OBP. Team OBP is below .300, and even despite all that the team is 4^th in HR's. Starters are 6^th in ERA and the bullpen is 8^th. The team is 2^nd in the NL in defense. Top players for the month were Rickey (.312/.396/.473, 7SB, 4 HR (tied for team lead)), and Pedro (.322/.359/.506, 4 HR). Who didn't help with the bat? Inky (.154/.258/.154) and Caminiti (.172/.161/.172) are both back in the minors. Schofield and his .173/.287/.267 is in danger of losing his job and even career +.300 hitter Marty Barrett only hit .215/.270/.258. You really can go down the line. I won't pick on some of the other utility players, but there's a lot to hate right now. The pitching staff wasn't quite so bad, but...Frank DiPino pitched in a team high 10 games, and had a 7.47 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. Jim Beattie started 4 games, went 1-3 and had a 4.97 ERA. Franco pitched the best posting a 0.79 ERA in 9 games, with 4 saves and Lee Smith a 0.82 ERA in 8 games. Frank Tanana was the top starter, going 2-2 with a 2.42 ERA. In the NL East it's the Expos back on top by 3 over the Pirates with a 17-7 record. The Mets are off to a horrid start going 10-13 and are 6.5 back. In the AL East, the Yankees are in 3^rd, 2.5 behind the Indians and Orioles, who are tied at the top. And over in the West, or the 'good' AL division, the Royals are in front by a half over the White Sox. On to May and I hope a plan for our favored team. __________________ 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

08-13-2018, 11:42 PM	#171
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	5/1 8-1 L to the Pirates Pirates third basemen Eddie Williams goes 3-4, and catcher Brian Harper goes deep for #5. Melido Perez goes 7 innings, walked 4 allowed 3 hits for the win (2-1). Dodgers Bryn Smith (1-3) takes the loss. 5/2 2-1 L to the Pirates Chili Davis went deep for the 8^th time this year and Frank Tanana (2-3) took the loss despite pitching 8 strong innings. The Pirates had 2 pitchers leave the game with injuries, yet the bullpen was still able to shut LA down. Jeff Dryden (2-0) got the win despite only throwing 3 pitches. Doug Jennings was optioned back to AAA and Lee Stevens was recalled back to the team. 5/3 3-0 W over the Cardinals Maybe Viola will be a stopper? Tonight, he was nearly perfect. Throwing a complete game, 2-hit shut out, with 7 K's to imrove to 4-2 on the year. Dick Schofield was 3-3 and hit his 3^rd HR of the year, and Rickey was 2-4 and hit his 5^th. Other than those guys, LA managed 2 hits. His game tied Candiotti for top pitching performance on the year. 5/4 11-2 W over the Cardinals This one belonged to the unsung players tonight. Bruce Fields hit his first career HR (1) and went 3-4 with 4 RBI's and 3 runs scored in his best game ever. Fields started in right and did not disappoint. Chuck Jackson who has been starting at 3^rd, went 3-3 with a triple and a HR (3), 3 RBI's and 2 runs scored. Jim Beattie (2-3) pitched 6 and Joe Price got the 3 inning save (1). Pete Harnish (1-3) took the loss. 5/5 4-3 W over the Cubs The Cubs scored first, but Samuel tied it with a 2 run homer in the 3^rd (4). LA would get one in the 6^th to take the lead thanks to Guerrero. Franco (1-1) came on in the 8^th, and let the Cubs tie it up. His first BS of the year. The 9^th saw a leadoff single by Fields, followed by a single by Chuck Jackson. Pete O'Brien then singled in the winning run. Bobby Thigpen (0-2) took the loss. Nolan Ryan went 9 and struck out 7 Mets on a night he'll never forget as he picked up his 300^th career win. The 42 year old shows no signs of slowing down. 5/6 2-1 (11) W over the Cubs John Smiley and Bryn Smith went head to head with zeros all night long. It wasn't until the 10^th inning, with Smiley, still in and batting for himself, singled in the catcher and former Dodger Ronald King. With Thigpen on the mound again, LA worked a walk to lead off and eventually got the bases loaded. O'Brien, pinch hitting, drew another walk to tie it. In the 11^th, Lee Stevens, getting his first start of the year, singled in Chuck Jackson to walk us off. Frank DiPino (2-0) gets the win, while Sixto DeLaCruz took the loss (0-2). 5/7 2-0 W over the Cubs Frank Tanana (3-3) pitched 8 innings of shut out baseball and John Franco pitched the 9^th for his 5^th save of the season. Dodger 2^nd basement, Bruce Fields, doubled in the first run in the 6^th, and LA added another in the 8^th on a Chuck Jackson double. LA is no longer the worst in the NL. Lee Stevens was sent back to Albuquerque as Von Hayes was activated from the DL. Hayes is expected to start in RF. 5/9 4-1 L to the Pirates Jack McDowell (4-2) pitches into the 8^th and strikes out 6 in the win. Johnny Ray went 3-4 and Eddie Williams hit a bases clearing double with them loaded. Viola (4-3) took the loss, while Von Hayes went 2-4 in his first game back with the teams only RBI. 5/10 5-4 L to the Pirates Ken Howell (0-4) served up 13 hits in 6 innings and LA was lucky that the scoreline wasn't higher. LA fought back in the 9^th and scored 3 to get it close. The tying run made it to 2^nd base before Henneman and the Pirates shut it down. Henneman got his 9^th save. Chuck Jackson went 2-4 with 2 doubles. Jose DeLeon gets the win (3-3). 5/12 8-2 L to the Phillies Dave Magadan went 2-4 with 2 RBI's and Darren Daulton smashed his first HR of the year as the Phillies cruise to a win. Tanana (3-4) got roughed up all night and couldn't make it out of the 6^th. The Phils piled on the LA bullpen with John Denny allowing 3 in the 8^th. Surhoff went 2-4 in the start. Andy Hawkins (1-0) got the win. Lee Stevens broke his hand in a game in AAA and he's may be able to return for roster expansion, but otherwise his year is functionally over. 5/13 8-4 L to the Phillies OK. This is pretty amazing. Truly. Bryn Smith (1-4) started for LA, but his bat was the story. Smith hit a grand slam (1) in the 2^nd inning to put all 4 runs in for LA and a lead. This is no lie. In the bottom of the 2^nd, Phillies pitcher, Ed Wojna hit a 3-run HR off of Smith to bring it back. I've never seen 2 HR's and 7 RBI's from the starting pitchers before. The Phillies kept scoring though, and Mark Grace hit one in the 6^th (5) to keep the run parade rolling. 5/14 7-4 L to the Phillies Here we go again with losing. Phils first basemen Mark Grace went 2-3 and tripled in 2, to put the game out of reach for LA. The Phillies jumped all over Viola (4-4) to the tune of 7 runs and 9 hits. Mike Scioscia went 2-3 with 2 walks and a solo homer (4). Greg Maddux (5-2) gets the win. 5/15 11-4 W over the Mets Pedro Guerrero doubled and went deep twice (5,6). Juan Samuel went 2-5, with 4 RBI's and he went deep (5) for his 100^th career dinger. Scioscia, Barrett and Jackson all added 2 hits. Ken Howell (1-4) really struggled, but his 8 k's in 5.2 innings were solid. The Mets Robby Thompson homered twice (3,4) and Pete Smith (1-4) took the 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

08-14-2018, 01:02 PM	#172
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	Just wanted to emphasize this crazy game. 5/13 8-4 L to the Phillies OK. This is pretty amazing. Truly. Bryn Smith (1-4) started for LA, but his bat was the story. Smith hit a grand slam (1) in the 2^nd inning to put all 4 runs in for LA and a lead. This is no lie. In the bottom of the 2^nd, Phillies pitcher, Ed Wojna hit a 3-run HR off of Smith to bring it back. I've never seen 2 HR's and 7 RBI's from the starting pitchers before. The Phillies kept scoring though, and Mark Grace hit one in the 6^th (5) to keep the run parade rolling. __________________ 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

08-20-2018, 07:12 PM	#173
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	5/16 5-4 (13) L to the Mets Oh boy. LA has some issues in the bullpen. Chuck Jackson is starting to play like a major leaguer. LA scored first with 3 in the 4^th thanks to something like 6 straight singles. The Mets got it all back in the 4^th. Helped by a Strawberry home run (7) off of starter Jim Beattie who pitched 5 innings. The it was silent until the 13^th. Jackson hit his 4^th HR of the year and topped off a 3-6 game, with 2 RBI's. It looked like LA was going to pull this one out. Brian Holton (0-3) came in to pitch and 2 pitches in Bobby Bonilla hit a solo homer (7) to tie it again. Then 6 pitches after that, Kevin Mitchell sent them home with his 3^rd. Tough, tough ending. Holton should probably be shown the door. Storm Davis gets the win (2-2). 5/18 8-4 L to the Mets Up until the 6^th it was all pitching. Tanana (3-5) and Liebrandt (3-1) kept the game quiet. LA got to him in the 6^th with 2 on a Hayes double. But everytime LA scored, the Mets did too. The Mets answered with 1 in the bottom. Then LA scored in the 7^th, but the Mets scored 4 and got Tanana out. LA came back with another in the 8^th, but the Mets got 3 more. A truly losing endeavor. Mitchell and Bonilla both went 3-5. Mitchell had 3 RBI's. LA's short rise up the division is now over as we fall back to 5^th. 5/19 2-1 L to the Expos LA making average pitchers look good again. Today it was John Wetteland (4-2). Wetteland allowed 2 hits over 6 innings. Viola (4-5) got the start for LA today, threw a complete game, got his first career double and lost. LA had the tying run in scoring position when Guerrero hit a drive to the right field corner. Dawson was able to run it down and save the game for the Expos. Former Dodger slugger, Fred Lynn, hit career home run number 300 tonight. Lynn's blast came as part of a 4-run, 6^th inning against the Brewers. Coincidentally, the pitcher on the mound was another former Dodger, Kelly Downs. Downs is 0-4 on the year with a 4.83 ERA for the Brew Crew. 5/20 7-1 L to the Expos The Expos score in each of the first 5 innings, capped by a 3-4 game by Al Newman and a 2-3, 3 RBI game by Galarraga who hit his 6^th HR of the year. Bryn Smith drops to 1-5 with another poor game, and Ed Whitson (5-1) throws a complete game and was never in any real trouble. Henderson and Jackson had 2 hit games. 5/21 5-4 W over the Expos LA fought back from down 3-0 and Ken Howell (2-4) helped his own cause today. Rickey went 4-5, but it was Howell, who went 2-4 with 3 RBI's, including the go ahead RBI in the 7^th. Franco came on in the 8^th when Howell got in trouble, and closed out the game for his 6^th save. Nice to get a win for a change. LA makes a few changes to the roster. Brian Holton was optioned back to Albuquerque and the team promotes Scott Baker. Baker is a 26yr old righty who is making his MLB debut. He was originally a 35^th round pick (920^th overall) by the Expos back in '82. Since then he's been all over. He was signed by LA at the end of last season as a free agent. Prior to last season the highest he's played was rookie ball. With Albuquerque this year he's 0-1, with 7 saves and a 1.59 ERA in 10 games. He's been a prime closer everywhere and in 100 minor league games has a career 1.55 ERA with 56 career saves. He throws a fastball and slider and can reach the upper 90's. Who knows if he'll be worth anything, but he's a good story at least. The other change was the team putting 2^nd baseman Marty Barrett (.204/0/10, with a .275 OBP) on waivers and designating him for assignment. A bit of a surprise for the team, who signed him to a 2 year deal and had high expectations for him. It is also a sign that the team is willing to recognize that things are not going well. The team recalled Ken Caminiti (.328/1/16 in Albuquerque) to take his place. Not sure if he or Jackson will play 2^nd/3^rd. 5/23 9-8 W over the Phillies Hard to finger this one. LA blew a 7-1 lead, and needed 2 in the 9^th to win it. Frank Tanana left the game in the first with a hand injury. Tough to say how bad right now. Caminiti got us going right with a 3-5 day and 3 doubles. He was responsible for the tying run in the 9^th. LA bashed out 14 hits, 3 from Henderson and 3 from Guerrero. Guerrero also blasted a solo shot in the 4^th (7). Lee Smith, normally rock solid, walked 4 batters in just under 2 innings, and walked 2 in. Of his 40 pitches, 16 were for strikes. In the 9^th, with 2 out, Bruce Fields grounded out to the closer Mike Schooler, but Schooler threw it away and allowed Henderson to score the winning run. Tanana's injury is minor and that's good news. He shouldn't miss a start and isn't going to the DL. 5/24 5-1 L to the Phillies Greg Maddux (7-2) is having the best year of his career. He leads the NL in wins with 7 and today shut us down over 8 innings. Viola (4-6) pitched 7 good, but not good enough. Juan Samuel got 2 hits today, and Armando Moreno left the game with an abdominal strain. 5/25 3-0 L to the Phillies Mark Grace went 3-4 and former Dodgers Kurt Stillwell and Floyd Bannister (5-4) put the hurt on. Bannister pitched 7 scoreless against LA, while Stillwell knocked in 2. Bryn Smith (1-6) took another tough loss, but pitched into the 8^th. He has a 3.68 ERA to go with his stellar record. 5/26 6-5 W over the Mets LA struck first with a couple in the first inning, but by the 4^th the Mets had tied the game. Neither Bud Black nor Ken Howell figured into the final, although both pitched 7. In the 8^th Rickey lead off with his 6^th HR of the year, against Roger McDowell (4-3) and Mike Scioscia added his 5^th a 2-run homer, later on. The Mets made Franco look bad today with 2 off of him in the 9^th and the tying run on first, before Franco locked it down for his 7^th save. Lee Smith got the win (1-1). 5/27 4-3 W over the Mets The Mets get 2 cheap runs early in the game off of Jim Beattie (3-3), but he settled down and pitched well enough. LA tied that game on a Schofield HR (4) off of Mets starter Brian Holman (0-1), in his first career start. Scioscia went 3-4 and Pete O'Brien and Rickey added 2 more. We got to see the debut of Scott Baker, who got 4 outs, 2 K's on 11 pitches. Franco closed the 9^th for his 8^th save. Armando Moreno was placed on the 15 day DL, and taking his place on the roster was Marty Barrett, who was reinstated after clearing waivers. 5/28 5-1 L to the Mets Strawberry hammered a ball in the first inning off of “Gopher Ball” Tanana (3-6) and the Mets went up for good. Liebrandt (4-1) owned LA today, except for Juan Samuel who went 2-4 with a solo homer (6) . Robby Thompson homered in the 8^th (6) off of Lee Smith to pour on the misery. 5/29 2-1 W over the Expos Frank Viola (5-6) looked like the real deal tonight. He simply owned the Expos, allowing 1 hit through 7 innings, before he allowed a run off a couple walks. Von Hayes hit his first HR of the year, which is way longer than he should have. Franco pitched another 9^th for his 9^th save this year. 5/30 9-4 L to the Expos Von Hayes saw his batting average bump by about 70 points today as he put together a 5-5 showing, including 2 RBI's. Both Caminiti and and Schofield added 2 hit games, but it didn't really matter. An error by Schofield in the first, lead to a 5 unearned run outburst, that put the Expos up for good. Bryn Smith loses again, dropping to 1-7, while Ed Whitson won again (6-2). 5/31 4-3 (10) L to the Expos Former Dodger, Willie Randolph put it to us going 3-5 today, and knocking in 2 runs. Raines came around to score in the 10^th on a Yount flyball to center. LA had 6 hits, 4 from Guerrero and Rickey. Ken Howell took a no hitter into the 6^th before the Expos pitcher Rodney Imes got his first career hit, and that opened the door to a 2-run inning. John Franco (2-2) took the loss in the 10^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

08-20-2018, 09:43 PM	#174
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	May Recap Gonna make this one short and sweet and move on to other things. LA went 11-16 in May, and while that's a step up it's good enough for 5^th place in the West and a mere 19.5 games behind the Astros. The team can't hit. They are 11^th in average (.238) and OPB (.299) and 12^th in slugging (.344). Somehow, they are 6^th in HR's. The pitching staff is 7^th in the NL, with the bullpen ranking 10^th. Defensively, the team is 3^rd in the NL. So the mantra is, they suck. The best hitter was Chuck Jackson. Yep, his .313/.410/.507 slash line lead the team and Ricky was right behind with a .305/.407/.400 line. Like April power was in short supply. For the entire month, Pedro and Samuel and their 3 dingers lead the team. Samuel hit .170. Pedro a measly .250. Who else sucked? Marty Barrett (.171/.256/.186). Maybe they should have released him. The top pitcher was probably Frankie V. Viola went 2-4 with a 2.98 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. Tanana wasn't awful either (1-4, 3.41, 1.05). Who wasn't? John Denny (0-0, 7.30, 2.11) and Ken Howell (2-1, 4.50, 1.50) was the worst of the starters. What about the rest of the league? The Astros are winning. With a 39-14 record they lead all of the NL, and are 11 games in front of the Braves. In the East, the Expos (.596) are a half in front of the Pirates (.588) and 1.5 in front of the Phillies (.566). The top team in the AL are the Orioles, who have gone from laughing stock to 34-18 leaders. They have the worst pitching staff, but they are powered by the Jr's. Cal Ripken and Ken Griffey. Add Ellis Burks in there too and they can hit. And in the West, it's between the Royals (.615) who lead, followed by the White Sox (.604) who are a half back. The Royals are lead by former Dodger, Orel Hersheiser, who is 9-1, with a 2.38 ERA. The White Sox and El Toro are getting along just fine. Valenzuela is 6-4, with a 3.07 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP for the White Sox. The White Sox currently have 7 pitchers on the DL. I'm almost afraid of what June has to bring. __________________ 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

08-23-2018, 10:32 PM	#175
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	6/1 3-2 W over the Astros LA scrapped a win against the best team in baseball tonight. Beattie gave the team a chance with 5.1 innings and 4 k's, but the offense couldn't get it going against former Dodger Dave Stewart. Stewart lowered his ERA to 2.12, but a Dodger run in the 8^th tied it up, then a double by Pete O'Brien in the 9^th against Tom Henke (0-5). McGriff homered for the 11^th time this year. 6/2 11-7 W over the Astros And LA takes down the champs again! Quite the offensive battle today. Pitching didn't matter much today. LA was lucky to knock Dennis Martinez around (5-3). He came into the game with a sub 2 ERA. Tanana (4-6) still gave up 2 homers, but was picked up with a Hayes HR (2) and Scioscia HR (6). Tanana even did his own damage. Coming into the game on an 0-25 streak, Tanana went a blistering 2-4 with 2 RBI's. Barrett and Scioscia added 3 hit games each. 6/3 4-2 L to the Astros I guess we couldn't sweep or anything. Frankly we were lucky to get 2 runs off of Candiotti, who is having a stellar season (8-3, 1.15 ERA). LA had 0 extra base hits, and wasted a good effort by Viola (5-7). The game was tied heading to the bottom of the 6^th, when McGriff got his first career hit off of Frankie, a deep drive into the right field seats (13). Tom Henke closed for his 20^th save. 6/4 4-3 L to the Astros Another game lost from the jaws of victory. Despite allowing 13 baserunners in 7 innings, Bryn Smith managed to keep the Astros from crossing home plate. Well...mostly. Every time LA would score the Astros would answer. Down 2-1, in the 8^th, BJ Surhoff lauched a 2-run blast (1) off of former Dodger Alejandro Pena. It was the first run Pena has allowed in 17 innings worked this year. LA couldn't hold the lead. Two runners lead off the bottom half of the inning and the manager went to Franco, and he couldn't keep those 2 from scoring. LA threatened in the 9^th, but Barrett lined into a DP to end it. 6/5 3-1 L to the Braves Just when things were turning, we're back to another losing streak. The offense didn't show up again today, as the Braves Ramon Martinez struck out 8 and upped his record to 4-3. His only mistake was a 4^th inning HR by Ken Caminiti (1). Ken Howell (2-5) took the loss for LA. Jim Acker got his 12^th save for Atlanta. Blue Jays first baseman Jack Clark mashed his 300^th career HR last night. The Blue Jays crushed the Brewers 13-1. 6/6 5-1 L to the Braves Another failure of the bats tonight. The Braves fearsome lineup with names like, Kelly, Browne, Thomas and Winningham, beat up on Jim Beattie (3-4) scoring in 4 of the first 5 innings. Mark Leiter, making his 2^nd career start, (2-0) shut down LA over 7 scoreless. LA only scored in the 9^th, when it was already over. 6/7 2-1 L to the Braves Another sweep of LA for the Braves. Randy Johnson, despite a 72 minute rain delay in the 4^th inning, took a no hitter into the 8^th inning, before Caminiti broke it up with a double to left. He would score for LA's only run. The Dodgers, Frank Tanana (4-7), also pitched well. The first 2 batters he faced after the delay singled and homered (Komminsk (8)), and really, that was all the Braves needed. In the 7^th, Tanana was forced out of the game with back soreness. No word yet on his condition. Ugh, this team is tough to watch. They have scored 8 runs in the last 5 games. Before that they put up 11 in one against Houston. The players are complaining about a lack of team leadership as well as selfish players in the clubhouse (hmmmmm, sounds like Henderson). Manager Adam Abercrombie can't like his chances of staying with this 1 year deal right now, and even the GM should be concerned. Shockingly, LA is 3^rd in team payroll, and attendance has dropped by over 10,000 per game compared to last season. It's gonna be a long, hot summer of losing. Good news at least with Tanana, he's been diagnosed with spasms and will not be going to the DL, for now anyway. 6/9 3-1 L to the Reds This is 6 straight losses for the Dodgers now. Ron Darling went 8 and improved his record to 2-8, while Viola pitched into the 8^th and lost to go to 5-8. Henderson went 2-4 and was the only bright spot. LA put runners on 2^nd and 3^rd with no outs against Eck and couldn't get even one run across. John Franco was removed from the game with back tightness, but it was only precautionary. He should be fine. This was Darling's first game with the Reds after a trade from the Padres yesterday. The Padres got Gary Redus and a minor leaguer. 6/10 5-1 L to the Reds Now 7 in a row. Bryn Smith loses again and runs his record to 1-9 on the year. His 3.63 ERA belies that record. Today, he was victimized by a Schofield error, then the Reds pitcher, Roy Smith, hit a 2-run triple. Later it was Hendu who crushed an opposite field HR (11) to close it and chase Smith in the 6^th. LA got 2 hit games from Samuel, O'Brien and Surhoff, but left 8 runners on base. 6/11 6-1 L to the Reds Good god. This is 8 now. LA could only muster 4 hits today. One of them was a leadoff HR by Samuel in the first (7). It was all downhill from there. Ken Howell (2-6) struck out 8 in 5 innings, but also allowed 6 hits, 3 walks and another HR by Hendu (12). Jeff Stember (6-4) is the winner. Former Dodger, Fred Lynn got his 2000^th career hit last night for the Angels. Lynn went 2-4 as part of the Angels 6-4 win over the Royals. Lynn also hit HR number 303 in the game. LA now has the worst record in the NL. I hate to say that I saw this coming, but I really did. I mean, the preseason pick saw us in 2^nd place, and I really didn't think we'd fall this far, this fast, but damn. With no farm system, and poor finances, this team was destined to struggle. Only 3 teams in baseball are worse. The Brewers and the A's. Armando Moreno was activated from the DL, and once again, Marty Barrett was designated and placed on waivers. 6/12 4-3 (11) L to the Reds OMG! We're up to 9 straight losses now. Von Hayes, Mike Scioscia, and Juan Samuel all had 2 hit games, and Frank Tanana left the game with a 3-1 lead, but Frank DiPino couldn't keep the Reds from scoring and sending it to extras. Lee Smith (2-2) took the loss. Juan Samuel left the game with an abdominal injury. They're already saying that he should be fine, and not planning to send him to the DL (not that it would matter at this point). Marty Barrett was pulled off of waivers and Caminiti (.210/1/6) was sent back to Albuquerque. 6/13 8-0 W over the Astros Well, we needed that, and for some reason, are really beating the best team in the league regularly. Jim Beattie (4-4) started and spread out 8 hits over 6 innings, while the rest of the team spread another 3 hits. The 'Stros out hit LA 11 to 9. Rickey cleared the bases with a double that broke the game open in the 7^th. Juan Samuel, already banged up, had to leave the game after legging out a double in the 6^th. Tom Candiotti, (8-4) who came into the game with a sub 1.30 ERA left with a 1.75 ERA after giving up all 8 runs in 6 innings. I should also say, that LA didn't get it's first hit until the 5^th. So how about that?! Samuel has some hamstring tightness, but isn't going to the DL just yet. 6/14 14-4 L to the Astros Houston put up 4 off of Frank Viola (5-9) in the first and never looked back. LA had actually cut the lead to 5-4 heading into the top of the 8^th before Houston blew it out. LA lost Eddie Vargas (.318/0/0) and Joe Price (0-1, 1S, 2.79) to injuries. Ricky homered in the first (7). Marty Barrett had his best game of the year going 3-4 with 2 RBI's. Both Vargas and Price came back with minor injuries and neither will need to head to the DL. Good news for Price. He's been one of the best pitchers on the team. 6/15 11-6 L to the Astros Another smackdown for the Champs against crappy LA pitching. Bryn Smith got lit up for 7 runs in 5 innings, while watching his record drop to 1-10. Ouch. Nolan Ryan (7-4) strikes out 7. Marty Barrett continued his hot streak going 3-3 and Jackson and Ricky added 2 hits each. San Diego Padres pitcher, and former Dodger, Rick Reuchel, at age 40, with over 200 wins, and 2000 strikeouts, with 2 World Series rings and a Gold Glove, can now add no-hitter to his long list of career accomplishments. Tonight, Reuchel no hit the Cincinnati Reds 3-0, walking 2 and striking out 6. The Dodgers ship pitching prospect Don Pall, 27, (0-1, 8.38 in AAA) to the Tigers for 22 y/o Jorge Brito. Brito was a 7^th round pick in '87, and was batting .074 in AAA prior to the trade. LA has sent him to low A Vero Beach. Pall was a former 4^th round pick of the Dodgers in '84. He was 24-26, with 10 career saves and a 3.98 ERA in his minor league career. __________________ 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

08-28-2018, 02:23 PM	#176
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	6/16 3-1 W over the Braves Ken Howell (3-6) served up a HR to Craig Worthington (10) in the first and kept them off the board the rest of the way. He finished the game with 7 K's in his 8 innings. Craig Jackson went 2-4 and an RBI tonight. John Franco pitched the 9^th for his 10^th save. 6/17 6-3 W over the Braves Hey! We're playing like a baseball team! LA left 11 guys on base tonight, and could have blown this one open. Tanana (5-7) didn't have his good stuff. He gave up 10 hits in just over 6 innings, but kept it close enough for the offense. LA benefited from 3 unearned runs and Lee Smith pitched the final 2 innings for the first save of his season. This game also saw the Major League debut of Braves pitcher Tommy Greene. He worked 2 scoreless and struck out his first batter. 6/18 6-2 W over the Braves Von Hayes goes 3-4 (where has he been?) and Scioscia goes 2-3 with 3 RBI's as LA leaves 10 guys on base. So between Randy Johnson and Jim Beattie, who had more K's? Beattie 7 to 1. Who had more walks? Johnson 8 to 5 (wow that was awful to watch). Beattie becomes the first Dodger pitcher to have a winning record on the year (5-4) while Johnson drops to 4-7. Marty Barrett hurt his elbow in a collision at 2^nd while turning a DP. He left the game. Barrett is put on the DL with an elbow bruise. Caminiti is recalled from AAA. 6/19 6-2 L to the Padres Before the game I found out that Viola only trails Bryn Smith in leading the league in losses. On top of that, he is also 5^th in FIP, and 4^th in WAR. That's awful. Tonight, he pitched a perfect 3 innings, and LA scored early to put him up. In the 4^th a Kruk single was followed by a Bo Jackson HR (15) to put SD on top. It got way out of hand when unheralded 2^nd baseman Ron Coomer, hit a bases clearing double to open it up. Viola loses again (5-10). 6/20 4-1 L to the Padres SD lead off the scoring in the 4^th when old Dodger, Franklin Stubbs singled in one. Rick Reuchel had to leave the game with an injury, and LA tied it up on a bases loaded walk. But LA would only get 1 and the Padres would score again on a Bo Jackson solo homer (16) off of Joe Price. The Padres got 2 more in the 8^th, again off of Price, thanks to Matt Williams (19). Juan Samuel had to leave the game early after he pulled up lame, running out a double. How bad is it, that the Padres suck as bad as they do, yet they have 2 guys with over 15 homers and out leader's are tied with 7? It's bad. LA puts Juan Samuel on the 15 day with a quad strain. Inky was recalled from Albuquerque. So far on the year, he's hitting .333 with 4 HR's and 17 RBI's. 6/21 5-3 W over the Padres Welcome back Inky. He helped out starter Ken Howell (4-6) with a 2-4 game, and 2 doubles. Dwayne Murphy, Eddie Vargas and Schofield all had 2 hits as the team got 12 all together. The game was tied 3-3, but LA took the lead in the 7^th when Scioscia homered for the 8^th time to take over the team lead. Franco pitched the last 2 for his 11^th save. Scott Baker (0-0, 6.97) was optioned back to Albuquerque and southpaw Bob Patterson (6-3, 4.39) was promoted to the club. Patterson last pitched in the majors for the Padres in '87, where he was 2-0, with a 3.66 ERA out of the bullpen. He's been starting this year in AAA. Patterson was part of the deal that sent Steve Sax to the Padres for Ken Caminiti. 6/22 6-3 W over the Reds Jim Beattie served up 3 to the Reds in the first thanks to a Jeffrey Wilson HR (8), and LA fought back with 1 in the 4^th, 5^th and 6^th to tie it. Dick Schofield tied the game in the 6^th with his 5^th dinger, as part of a 4-5 day that included a double. LA got 16 hits, and put up 3 in the 7^th to take the lead. Von Hayes added 3 hits and Frank DiPino pitched the final 3 for his 1^st save of the year. Only 32 pitches for him, in his best outing this year. 6/23 4-2 W over the Reds Two in a row against the Reds? Nice! Von Hayes started the scoring with a 2-run HR in the 3^rd (3). Viola (6-10) served one up to Dave Valle (7) in the 4^th to tie the score. Then Inky broke the tie with a big opposite field drive for his first. LA scored in insurance run in the 8^th and Franco picked up his 12^th save. Scioscia went 3-4 batting cleanup. LA is 18 games below .500. 6/24 7-2 L to the Reds The Reds jumped all over Bryn Smith (1-11) in the first as his bad season continues. It was a Jeffrey Wilson 3-run bomb (9) that opened things up. Meanwhile Ron Darling (4-9) seems to have found his stride as he struck out 8 in 7 and a third. LA manager Abercrombie has moved Tanana to the bullpen and he saw his first action. He and John Denny closed the game out with 3 scoreless innings. 6/25 4-3 L to the Reds Tough loss today. Micky Morandini went 3-4 and Dave Henderson hit a 2-run double in the 7^th off of Frank DiPino that put the Reds up. Earlier, Inky hit the longest HR of the year, a 458ft blast into the 2^nd deck in left (2). He was 2-2 with 2 RBI's on the day. Ken Howell (4-7) pitched well, but ultimately took the loss after getting into trouble and not being able to hold on. LA got the tying run on, but Eck shut them down with K's to end it. I guess Inky's show wasn't good enough as he was optioned back to AAA and Doug Jennings was recalled. Inky had been playing center, and he might have been able to get Hendu's big blast if he was a better fielder. Jennings is. 6/27 3-0 W over the Padres Bob Patterson (1-0) got his first ML start today and pitched 6 scoreless innings allowing only 2 hits. The game was knotted at 0 when Patterson came out. Pedro stepped in to pinch hit and drove it into the left field seats to give LA the lead (8). Dwayne Murphy would pinch hit later and would hit another shot for LA to give some insurance (2). Franco closed out the 9^th for his 13^th save. 6/28 6-4 L to the Padres Ozzie Guillen went 4-5 and scored 3 times leading off. Franklin Stubbs batted 2^nd and went 2-3 with 4 RBI's including going back to back with HR's with Bo Jackson in the 4^th (2, Stubbs and 18 for Jackson). Guerrero got LA on the board in the 4^th with his 9^th HR. Jim Beattie (5-5) went 6, but couldn't keep up with the gem from Ojeda (5-8). LA came back a little with 2 in the 8^th and another in the 9^th with an Armando Moreno solo homer (1). 6/29 5-4 W over the Padres Viola (7-10) fell behind early on another Bo Jackson homer (19). The Padres extended the lead with 3 more in the 4^th thanks to a McLendon HR (10) and it looked like another loss for Frankie. He still had great stuff and struck out 10 Padres over 7 innings, and LA rallied with 2 in the 6^th and another 2 in the 7^th . Pedro had a 3-4 day with 2 RBI's. Franco pitched the final 6 outs for his 14^th save. 6/30 4-1 W over the Pirates Bryn Smith (2-11) goes the distance and only threw 84 pitches. His only mistake was a juicy ball to third basemen Eddie Williams who put it beyond left for the HR (5). Down by 1 all game long, LA put a few hits together in the bottom of the 8^th. The previous inning Von Hayes had gunned someone out at the plate, followed by a diving catch along the line. In his next at bat he doubled in a run to tie it up. Pedro would pinch hit his own 2-run double and put LA up for good. Rick Honeycutt (2-3) took the loss (2-3). __________________ 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

08-28-2018, 03:25 PM	#177
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	June Recap The best month yet! Yet, that's not saying anything good about this year. LA finished the month of June with a 12-16 record, and now stand at 31-49 on the year, in last place in the West, and 27.5 games behind the Astros. Heading into July the only question should be, who is going to be traded? It's got to be Guerrero. I mean, really. He's got 1 year left, and has value. Tanana perhaps? Maybe Price, DiPino? Maybe they even move Rickey? He could bring something. He has a couple years left, but he's a clubhouse cancer and it's killing the team. Plus he's one of the highest paid guys on the team. We still suck at hitting. LA is 12^th in runs scored, and 10^th in average (.239) and OPB (.304). The team leader in HR's is Guerrero with 9. He also leads the team in average with a .269. There were no offensive weapons in June. The top hitter all around was, Mike Scioscia. Scioscia had a .287/.341/.438 slash line and he lead the team in HR's with 3. Inky played in 5 games and fell 1 shy of tying him. So bad. Who was bad? Everyone else. Rickey hit .188/.310/.250. Pedro hit .235/.303/.370. The guys who had been the best, are suddenly not producing. Pitching wise, the team is 7^th in the league in ERA. The starters were 9^th and the bullpen 7^th. Opponent average was 5^th. If there was any offense at all, we might be close a .500 team. At Chavez Ravine, LA is 21-19, while the road is hard and they're only 10-30. Lefties are harder on the team (5-16) than righties are (26-33). Defensively, LA has dropped to 5^th in the NL. This is the lowest that we've been all year long. The top pitcher for June was DiPino, who pitched in a club high 11 games. Throwing 15 innings with a 1.20 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. Franco was also good with 5 saves and 11.2 innings of scoreless baseball in just over 11 innings. The top starter Frank Tanana (again, remind me how wound up in the bullpen) who was 2-1 with a 3.30 ERA in 30 innings. Tanana had a 1.30 WHIP. Who wasn't? Not Joe Price, who was 1-1 with a 6.30 ERA and a 2.10 WHIP and not Bryn Smith 1-4, 5.70 and a 1.54. Viola pitched 41 innings and allowed only 34 hits and 11 walks, but still had a 4.97 ERA and a .214 OAVG. Some bad luck? Bad something. Is it next year yet? The Astros are crushing the souls of the West. With a 59-22 record they are 18 games in front of the Reds, who are only 9.5 in front of LA. That's a big gap. In the East, the Pirates and Expos are at the top, followed by the Mets and Phillies only 1.5 behind. It's a very tight race. In the AL, the Orioles have lost the wonderkid, Griffey Jr for the rest of the year, but they still find themselves in front in the East, with a 3.5 game lead on the Red Sox and Yankees. In the West, it's the White Sox out front by 1.5 over the Mariners. Just how dominating are the Astros? They are 2^nd in the NL in all offensive categories, and first in steals. Their pitching staff is first in every category and they are #1 in defense. It's pretty sick. They should roll to their 2nd straight title. For LA, the year is over. We're not completely out, but it's not far off. I wonder if there will be any good sales this year? __________________ 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

09-01-2018, 10:43 AM	#178
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	You need to check out this post from the Undynasties about the most incredible half inning of baseball ever. Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - Glimpses & Moments from "Undynasties" __________________ 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

09-04-2018, 07:30 AM	#180
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	7/1 4-2 W over the Pirates LA scored 3 in the first inning a single and RBI by Guerrero and a 2-run shot by Von Hayes (4). Ken Howell picked up the W to move to 5-7 in his 8 innings of work. John Franco pitched a scoreless 9^th for his 15^th save. The Houston Astros have lost Barry Larkin for a few weeks due to an ankle sprain. Larkin was hitting .318 with 4 HR's and 28 RBI's. He was also leading the NL in votes at short stop for the All Star game. So then the Astros decided that they needed more help. Being stupidly deep, they traded away former closer, Scott Garrelts, who found himself behind Henke, Burke and Pena in the bullpen. He also started 5 games this year, and has a 4-0 record, with a save and a 1.32 ERA. The former All Star, lead the NL in saves last year. He'll be going to the Padres (along with pitching prospect, Dave Burba) now with the Astros getting John Kruk in exchange. Kruk plays first and the corner outfield spots. He's hitting .286, with a .394 OBP, 5 HR's and 23 RBI's. Kruk is a 2 time All Star. This is the third time Garrelts has been dealt. He's previously been involved in deals for John Lowenstein and Claudell Washington. The Astros continue to be aggressive at making the team better. 7/2 5-4 (10) W over the Pirates John Franco (3-2) blew a save chance in the 9^th on an error by SS Armando Moreno. Moreno made up for it in the 10^th when he singled in Caminiti to win the game. That capped a 3-4 game by him. Scioscia went 3-5. 7/3 3-2 (12) L to the Pirates So close to the win here today. Should have had it. Joe Price (1-3) gave up an RBI single to Pirates catcher Falcone, a guy hitting .173 on the year. LA got on the board with a Guerrero homer in the 4^th (10) and Jim Beattie carried a no-hitter into the 6^th inning with 2 out. From there, the Pirates put a rally together to get on the board, then tied it in the 7^th. Pirates starter McDowell had only allowed 1 hit all day (the homer) when he hit an RBI double and then was hurt sliding into 2^nd. He had to leave the game. Credit the Pirates pen for keeping LA quiet the rest of the game. Inky is back with the club and they have optioned Eddie Vargas (.245/0/2) back to Albuquerque. 7/4 4-2 L to the Cardinals Frank Viola and Mike Morgan matched zeros until the bottom of the 7^th, when the Cardinals put a run across. In the top of the 8^th LA took the lead 2-1 on a Ken Caminiti 2 run HR (2). Franco came on to close it out, but he was touched for 4 hits and 3 runs in 2/3ds of an inning. Franco takes the loss (3-3). LA lost Von Hayes who was hurt making a diving catch. 7/5 5-4 W over the Cardinals Bryn Smith was roughed up early for 3 in the first 2 innings, and only lasted 5 innings today. LA only got offense from 3 guys today. Inky had a great day as he went 4-5, and knocked in 2. Doug Jennings had a big one, as his, go ahead, 2-run HR (1), wasn't only his first career knock in 205 at bats, it gave LA the lead they needed to win. Frank Tanana got the win (6-7), and Lee Smith pitched the final 2 innings for his 2^nd save. 7/6 7-6 L to the Cardinals A good back and forth game tonight. LA scored first with Guerrero homering in the first (11) as part of a 3-4 day, but the Cards tied it in the 2^nd, then took the lead in the 4^th. LA got the lead back in the 6^th on a Von Hayes 3-run HR (5), but LA gave it right back in the bottom of the inning. LA then took the lead again, plating 2 in the 8^th and had the lead. Franco (3-4) came on in the 8^th but a Surhoff error lead to a tying run. In the 9^th the Cards got back to back hits, with none out. An intentional walk to Calderon saw Franco get Herr on strikes. Ozzie Smith, with the infield in, blasted a shot right at Schofield, but he bobbled the hard hit ball and couldn't get the runner at hom. 7/7 11-6 W over the Cubs The Dodgers committed 5 errors and smacked enough hits to see this one through. Rickey went 3-4 with 2 walks and 4 RBI's. Dick Schofield hit a bases clearing double in the 8^th that gave LA the lead, and LA piled on another 3 in the 9^th. John Denny got the win (and also blew the lead, 1-0) and the Cubs closer Sixto DeLaCruz dropped to 0-7. 7/8 3-2 W over the Cubs Jim Beattie got the start and Tom Brunansky put the Cubs on the board in the first with a 2 run HR (3). LA answered with one in the 2^nd, but that's how it stayed for a while. In the 7^th with 2 out, Doug Jennings pinch hit for Dick Schofield with the bases loaded and smacked a hit over 2^nd that scored the 2 LA needed to take the lead. The bullpen did the rest as Franco pitched much better today getting his 16^th save. Joe Price picked up the win (2-3). 7/9 6-5 W over the Cubs Nice little sweep of the Cubbies here. It almost got away from them tonight too. Viola (8-10) goes 7, and strikes out 6. He's over 100 on the year now. LA scored first, in the first. Guerrero's solo homer off of Kevin Brown (12) put us up. We'd add another and another in the 2^nd, but in the 3^rd the Cubs came back. Kevin Brown helped his own cause with his 2^nd career hit. This one a triple that scored 1. Caminiti and Guerrero had 2 hit games. LA went up 6-3 late, but the Cubs fought back against Lee Smith and had the winning run on 2^nd before David Justice lightly grounded out to first to end it. Smith picked up his 3^rd save. Kevin Brown left the game with a shoulder injury. All Star Break LA has 2 players who were selected to the All Star game this year. None were voted in, both were selected by the manager to go. First is closer John Franco (3-4, 16S, 1.81 ERA). It's his 3^rd straight All Star game selection. The other player is Frank Tanana (6-7, 3.09). This is Tanana's 4^th career All Star appearance and his first in 11 years. Lee Smith was probably robbed. His numbers are good too (2-2, 3S, 1.51), but I'm happy it was Tanana, even though Abercrombie sent him to the pen. All Star Game 7/11 3-2 AL over NL California Angles outfielder Eric Davis won the MVP for tonight's game. Davis went 3-3 and hit the games only HR. A solo shot off of Expos strarter Ed Whitson, who took the loss. Randy Myers was the only pitcher to strike out all 3 batters he faced. Franco didn't pitch, but Tanana threw 21 pitches, gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning of work. LA activated 2B Marty Barrett (.229/0/18) and optioned OF Bruce Fields (.246/1/6) to Albuquerque to make room on the roster. 7/13 8-5 W over the Cardinals Bryn Smith took the mound tonight, but he wasn't good enough to get the win. Guerrero hammered a shot in the first to put LA up 2-0 to start. Halfway through the game the Cardinals had taken the lead 5-3. In the 7^th, LA's Inky hammered another HR (3), a 3-run shot that gave LA the lead again. Von Hayes also got his 6^th to give LA the lead for good. Joe Price (3-3) gets the win, while Franco gets his 17^th save. 7/14 6-2 L to the Cardinals Will Clark went 4-4 with 3 RBI's and a solo homer off of Frank Viola (8-11) to give the Cards the win today. Mike Heath went 3-4 and Ozzie 2-4 as the Cards got Viola for 9 hits and 5 runs. Guerrero has found his stroke again as he went 4-4 with a double and a triple. Schofield went 2-3 with an RBI. The loss breaks LA's 4 game win streak that has seen the Dodgers climb over the Padres for 4^th in the West. 7/15 10-0 L to the Cardinals Will Clark (20), Mell Hall (10) and Mike Pagliarulo (1) all took turns going deep tonight and all off of Ken Howell (5-8) who was tagged for 9 earned runs in 5 innings of work. LA loaded the bases in the 9^th and Caminiti had a 2 hit day. Frank Tanana worked 4 innings of relief to give the bullpen a break on a bad day. __________________ 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

09-06-2018, 09:22 PM	#182
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	7/16 1-0 L to the Cardinals Von Hayes went 2-4 and upped his hitting streak to 14 games and his average to .273. LA wasted a great start from Jim Beattie, who pitched 7 innings and allowed 1 hit and struck out 3. The Cards got a great start too. Jaime Navarro, walked 5 and allowed 2 hits through 7 and neither pitcher allowed a run. Lee Smith (2-3) had a rough inning. An error by Barrett, then back to back walks. A single from Jay Bell knocked in the games only run. 7/17 9-4 W over the Cubs A few tough games against the Cards and a good game to get back on track again. Slugger Victor Madden homered (23) in the first to put Chicago up first, but LA answered with 5 before the first out was even recorded by rookie Kevin Brown. Guerrero homered (14) and tripled enroute to a 3-4 with 3 RBI's. Inky scored 3 times and Von Hayes hit for the 15^th straight game with a 2-run HR (7). Marty Barrett also homered for the first time this year. It's been over a year since he'd homered. Frank Tanana (7-7) got the win in relief as Patterson didn't get his 5 innings. The White Sox have lost top player Barry Bonds, for possibly the entire season, with a back injury. The Sox are a game and a half up on Mariners and Bonds leads the team in HR (23), RBI's (69) and is 2^nd in AVG (.307). Daryl Boston takes his place in the lineup. Rob Deer had the highlight of his career end. A 22 game hitting streak. If you remember anything about Rob Deer's career, it's that a 22 game hitting streak might be the most unlikely thing he would ever do. 7/18 3-0 W over the Cubs The Cubs extend their losing streak to 9 games as Bryn Smith (3-11) goes the distance for the shut out. His first on the year, and his best game too. Hayes saw his hitting streak come to an end, while Inky added 2 hits, and Caminiti went 3-4 with 2 RBI's on a single through the drawn in infield. David Cone (6-8) took the loss. 7/19 3-1 L to the Cubs The Cubbies grab the win from Viola tonight (8-12) Former Dodger catcher Ronald King blasted a go ahead triple that scored Ramirez in the 6^th. Inky homered in the 7^th (4) to LA hope. LA got the tying run on with 0 outs in the 9^th but couldn't get them in. John Smiley moves to 6-7 with the win. Juan Samuel was activated from the DL and Inky was optioned to open the roster spot. LA has signed 37 year old Buddy Bell to a minor league deal. Bell is a 4-time All Star and 6 time Gold Glove winner. He was released by the Rangers in April and hasn't played this year. In 18 seasons he has 2563 hits and a .277 average, with 207 career home runs. Last season, with the Rangers, he batted .268 with 14 HR's and 69 RBI's, while committing 16 errors at third in 156 games started. Bell lost his job when the Rangers signed Gary Gaetti to a 4 year deal in the offseason. 7/21 3-0 L to the Pirates Brian Harper, the best catcher in baseball, went 3-4 including his 14^th of the year to put the Pirates on the board. Dave Hengel added insurance for Pittsburgh in the 7^th with a solo shot (2). Ken Howell (5-9) pitched alright beside those. The real problem was Doug Drabek (3-5) who only allowed 2 hits in 7 innings. Paul Assenmacher, pitched 2 hitless for his 2^nd save of the season. 7/22 2-0 L to the Pirates Oof. Another shutout. We've now scored 1 run in 27 innings. Caminiti goes 2-3 and Beattie pitches into the 6^th, but takes the loss (5-6). LA never really threatened. Jack McDowell (8-5) struck out 8 in 7.1 innings of work and Henneman got his 21^st save. We could really use some power in this lineup. 7/23 3-0 L to the Pirates Holy cow. Another shut out loss. That 27 scoreless for LA and 1 run in the last 36 innings. Today it was Jose DeLeon (10-6) shutting down the Dodgers. Bryn Smith (3-12) loses again as LA only manages 4 hits. Henneman gets his 22^nd save. Steve Balboni got a triple. Really, the game was over at that point. There was no other way. 7/24 2-0 W over the Pirates A win is a win, but 2 runs isn't sending fireworks into the sky. Viola (9-12) pitched great, with 8 shutout innings. Top 6 with the score tied at 0, and runners on first and second, Schofield knocked a single to put LA on the board. LA would add another in the 9^th and Franco pitched a quick 9^th for his 18^th save of the year. Expos outfielder, Hubie Brooks hit for the cycle last night against the Phillies. It was his 7^th HR of the year. Former Dodger starter Kelly Downs is having a rough season in Milwaukee. Last night, he won his 2^nd game of the year, to run his record to 2-13. His ERA with the Brewers is 5.73 and the worst season he has put up since his early days in LA. 7/25 3-0 L to the Astros Greg Swindell (12-1) threw a 3 hit shutout today against LA. Fred McGriff knocked in 2 as Bob Patterson took his first loss as a Dodger (1-1). LA's best performance belongs to Frank Tanana in relief. Tanana pitched 3.2 innings allowing 1 hit and striking 3. 7/26 8-2 L to the Astros Not a big surprise, that Candiotti (12-6) shuts us down again. Caminiti and Scioscia belted 5 of the LA's 7 hits. Ken Howell (5-10) started, but didn't last 5 innings. I wonder when we can get Tanana back into the rotation? I wonder when Inky will be back? We can't hit at all. The depth of the Astros is almost comical. 7/27 5-1 W over the Astros Who thought that Jim Beattie (6-6) would win a dual with Nolan Ryan (11-6)? Not me, that's for sure. LA got a pinch hit HR from Pete O'Brien (1) as padding, but otherwise Beattie pitched a brilliant game today. Ricky went 3-5 and Schofield went 2-3. Even Surhoff added 2. Juan Samuel left the game with a foot injury. 7/28 8-6 L to the Padres Bryn Smith (3-13) got lit up early and often in this one. We were down 8-0 after the 3^rd and the game was basically over. LA chipped away and Samuel smashed #8 of the season. Tanana threw another 4 shutout innings of relief and lowered his ERA to 2.85. The Padres are pulling away from us for 5^th in the West. Paul Kilgus got the win (7-9). Do you think LA will trade anyone before the deadline? We have some talent we could part with. The Padres say goodbye to Kilgus after he beats us. He goes to the Orioles in the heat of the AL East race. He actually improves their rotation somehow. The Padres get Aaron Cain, a 10 year utility player, with 171 career hits. He hadn't taken an at bat for the O's this season. So basically free. 7/29 3-2 W over the Padres Frank Viola and Mark Gardiner both pitched well early on, but the Padres broke through first. Matt Williams homered deep to left (26) to score 2 and put the Padres up in the 6^th. LA got back to it in the 7^th when Doug Jennings lead off with a single and later scored with Henderson on a Hayes single that tied it up. LA got the go ahead run in the 9^th once again, thanks to Jennings who singled Surhoff who had walked. Price gets the win to go to 4-3, while Franco pitched the 9^th for his 19^th save. 7/30 5-3 W over the Padres LA scored 2 in the first, and seemed to have Ojeda's number all game (7-11). The Padres got back into it with 2 in the 5^th to tie the game back up. Patterson (2-1) got some support from the team as they got a string of hits and doubles in the 6^th to plate 3 and take the lead again. The Padres tried to come back, but the bullpen kept it to 1 run. Franco got his 20^th save of the year. What the fuck... So LA makes a trade. Let's start with what we did get. Coming to LA from the Chicago White Sox is OF Darryl Boston. Boston, 26, will be arbitration eligible in the offseason and is in his last option year. Boston has 7 years of experience in the majors. He is a career .247 hitter, with a 34 HR's and 551 games played over that time. He is a pretty good fielder and can play all 3 outfield positions. He's fast, with 104 career steals and a high of 31 in '86. He was a 3 year starter for the Sox, but lost his job and has ridden the bench for the last 3. In return, LA ships RP Lee Smith. Yep. Lee fucking Smith. A guy under contract for next to nothing for 3 years. On the year, Smith is 2-3, with 3 saves and a career low 1.83 ERA in just under 40 innings of work. LA also sent minor league shortstop Patrick Abbatiello, the former #5 prospect in the Dodgers farm system, who was hitting .207/.247/.315 for AA San Antonio. He's got speed, and a good eye. Plays a couple positions. This doesn't feel like a very fair deal for us, nor does it feel like a trade that needed to be made, or gained us anything at all. Boston gets a spot on the roster and Doug Jennings was optioned back to Albuquerque. Really can't say whether or not this is an upgrade. Both guys are lefties. To fill the spot in the bullpen, the team has recalled Scott Baker, who had just come off the DL. LA now has 4 lefties in the bullpen. In fact, all the major bullpen slots are occupied by lefties. Only Baker and Denny are right handed relievers. __________________ 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

09-06-2018, 09:54 PM	#183
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	July Recap Another month of this long season is behind us and LA finishes with a 13-13 record, or the best record in any month all year long. As of right now, LA is dead last, in 6^th place with a 44-62 record, 32.5 games behind the Astros for first in the West. We are very close to the official end of the season. Once that happens these games will float right by. In fact, that Astros magic number is 34, and we're 32.5 back. It's that close. The Dodgers are the worst team in the NL in runs scored. But, they've improved to 9^th in AVG (.242), 10^th in OBP (.308) and 9^th in HR (68). The team didn't have anyone who was good in July. Guerrero was probably the best. He lead the team with a whopping 5 HR's in the month. His slash line was .258/.320/.483. Von Hayes was next with 4 HR's and a team leading 14 RBI's, with a line of .245/.291/.392. God Awful. Henderson's OBP of .371 lead the team, but his .223 AVG was horrid. Barrett hit .176 and Scioscia hit .225. The pitching was the only reason we won 13 games. LA is 8^th in the NL in ERA, and the bullpen is all the way up to 4^th. Defensively, the team has dropped down to 6^th in the NL. Who would have thought that Jim Beattie would be the best pitcher of the month? Beattie was 1-1 with a 1.71 ERA in 5 starts and 31 innings. Even his WHIP was an impressive 1.01. Tanana was next. In his 8 games he pitched over 20 innings, with an ERA of 1.77. Viola had a 2-2 record, even though his ERA was 2.53 and his WHIP 1.10. Too many guys sucked though too. Bryn Smith was 1-2 with a 4.70 ERA and Ken Howell was 1-3 with a crazy 7.50 ERA. The team sucks. They are really bad on the road (.321), against lefties (.286) and in extra innings (.222) Let's see just how bad, and if who we might end up drafting as a 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

09-09-2018, 03:51 PM	#184
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	8/1 4-3 W over the Giants LA scored first with a HR from a Henderson solo shot in the first (8), but the Giants took advantage of a rough start from Ken Howell (6-10). A 2-run HR from Gregg Jefferies in the 3^rd (6) as part of a 3 run inning. Giants pitcher Kip Gross (3-7) got his first career hit, an RBI double as part of the scoring. Howell himself answered with his first career HR in the bottom half (1). A 400+ft blast to left. LA took the lead in the 5^th and held on. Franco got the last 5 outs for save 21. 8/2 2-0 W over the Giants Even though LA got 10 hits in the game, the offense could only get 2 across. Henderson knocked in Samuel in the first, and Darryl Boston his a pinch hit HR in the 7^th (4). His first as a Dodger. Samuel went 3-4, and Henderson another 2. Bryn Smith (4-13) pitched a very good game, allowing only 2 hits in his 7 innings. DiPino pitched the final 2 innings with Franco unavailable and notched his 2^nd save of the year. 8/3 8-2 L to the Giants LA can't keep the streak alive and the Giants avoid the sweep. It started good, with a 2 out walk by Henderson and a 2-run HR from Guerrero (15) in the first off of Greg Hibbard (10-12). Frank Viola (9-13) gave 1 up in the 2^nd, but kept the lead into the 6^th. With 8 K's it wasn't quite good enough as the Giants took the lead. Tanana came on and had his first bad outing, walking 2 and giving up 3 hits. The biggest to rookie Bob Hamelin, who with the bases loaded, and being a .169 hitter, smashed a pinch hit HR into the seats (4). It was over at that point. 8/4 4-2 W over the Padres LA scored 3 early off of Bob Ojeda (7-12) and Jim Beattie threw 8 innings and allowed 5 hits and 2 runs. Schofield left the game with back soreness after a collision at 2^nd and Armando Moreno came on. His HR (2) in the 8^th gave LA some insurance. Franco pitched the 9^th for his 22^nd save. Marty Barrett had his 2^nd 3 hit game in row. Schofield (.229/5/31) is heading to the DL with a herniated disc. IF/OF Bruce Fields (.246/1/6) was recalled to take his place. Chuck Jackson (.298/4/25) looks to be getting the playing time at short with him out. 8/5 5-2 L to the Padres Bo Jackson got the better of the Dodgers today going 3-4 and slamming a 2-run HR off of Frank DiPino. Chuck Jackson got a pair of hits for LA and Henderson drove in the games only runs. Bob Patterson took the loss to fall to 2-2. Shane Rawley got the win (3-6). Juan Samuel who had been dealing with a nagging injury was hurt while running the bases and his status is unclear. The Astros have dropped 7 straight now. They are still 11.5 games better than the next best team in all of baseball, and 21.5 in front of the 2^nd place Giants. LA has trimmed the gap to 29.5 games. Juan Samuel (.215/8/26) has a strained abdominal muscle and he is heading to the DL. Doug Jennings (.259/1/8) was recalled to fill the roster spot. Darryl Boston will be taking Samuel's place in the lineup. 8/6 4-0 W over the Padres Ken Howell (7-10) pitched his balls off tonight taking a no-hitter into the 7^th inning and leaving with only 1 hit allowed. LA got another multi hit game from Barrett (who has raised his average to a blistering .239) and Von Hayes homered in the 7^th (8) for extra insurance. Tanana pitched the final 2 to preserve the win. 8/7 2-0 W over the Braves The pitching staff comes through, yet again, to save the team. Tonight, it was Bryn Smith (5-13) pitching a gem over 8 against the Braves Randy Johnson. The Braves brought in Jose Alvarez, and LA got a pinch hit double from Boston and an RBI single from Henderson to get on the board. Mike Scioscia went 4-4 against the tough lefty. Franco got another save, for his 23^rd of the year. 8/8 11-2 L to the Braves A complete ass whipping by the Braves today. Home runs from Mo Vaughan (9) and Roberto Kelly (6), and a total of 13 hits, and 10 runs all off of Viola (9-14) who was touched in one of his worst games this year. LA got a 3 hit game from Guerrero and Jackson hit a 2-run double. Denny came on in relief and pitched the final 4.2 innings, lasting longer than Viola. 8/9 4-3 (13) W over the Braves The Braves put up 3 quick on Beattie in the first, and it looked like it would be a long day for him, but he settled down and stepped up his game. He put zeros on the board for the next 4.1 innings, before turning the game over to the bullpen and they did not disappoint. Price, Franco, DiPino and Tanana (8-7) all kept it scoreless the rest of the way. LA quietly came back. Boston homered again (5), we lost Jackson to a collision at 2^nd. The 13^th started with a leadoff triple by Fields, a walk to Murphy, and a single by Von Hayes to take home the win. Jackson is down for a while after he suffered a concussion in the accident. Tough break. I'm worried. He's been a lone bright spot for this team. His .297/.369/.463 slash line might be the best on the team. The team has called up IF Dave Rhode from Albuquerque to take his place. Rhode is one of the better prospects in the LA farm system. He was signed last offseason, and spent the year in AAA so far. Where he's batted .279/.357/.347 with 1 HR and 35 RBI's. He's a light hitting infielder with with plenty of speed a better than average eye. This is his first trip to the majors. 8/11 4-1 W over the Giants Pitching wins again. Tonight it was Ken Howell (8-10) who pitched another great game. He had 7 k's pitching into the 8^th inning. Dave Rhode got the start and got his first career hit in his first at bat. Later Gurerrero would pinch hit for him and drive in 2 with a double. Franco pitched another 4 out save for LA (24). He's on a streak of 17 scoreless now. 8/12 3-2 W over the Giants LA took a 2-0 lead early on behind a Marty Barrett solo homer (2) and Dave Rhode got his first RBI on a sac fly. Bryn Smith (6-13) won yet again, with his 8 inning, 6 hit performance. The Giants Dave Telgheder (11-12) matched him all the way, as the Giants tied it in the 7^th behind a Frank Thomas solo homer (12). It was a Scioscia single that scored Daryl Boston that put LA in front and Franco once again, locked down the 9^th for his 25^th save. So LA isn't playing half bad right now. It's weird. 8/13 5-3 L to the Giants Viola strikes out 7, but his horrible month continues, and he drops to 9-15. Surhoff tied the game in the 5^th with a 2-run HR (2), and LA wasted a 3 hit game from Barrett. The Giants Frank Thomas and Bryan Snyder carried the team. LA loaded the bases in the 9^th, but Brian Harvey got Guerrero looking to end it. 8/14 5-4 L to the Phillies Jim Beattie got the start and had a bad 2^nd inning that saw multiple extra base hits and 3 runs for the Phils. LA worked their way back though and a 2 hit/2 RBI game from Caminiti and another 2 hit game from Boston saw LA tie everything at 4 in the 6^th. Rickey left the game after a diving catch, and Doug Jennings came in. He had a 2-hit game too, but it was the 8^th and DiPino (2-1) that cost LA. DiPino ended up walking 3 men, striking out 2, and then gave up a bases loaded single to Larry Walker to give the Phils the win. Henderson is day to day with a strained rib muscle and isn't going on the DL. The Mariners and former Dodger top prospect, Sid Fernandez (8-11, 3.75) is done for the season with elbow inflammation. Fernandez suffered a torn flexor in his elbow back in '87 that cost him half of the '88 season. He should be back for the start of the next year. 8/15 19-2 L to the Phillies The biggest beatdown of the year. The Phillies scored in every single inning. Ken Howell (8-11) started, and takes the loss, but the bullpen of Denny and Baker allowed 13 runs in 4 innings. Larry Walker, hitting leadoff, went 2-3 with 3 walks, 4 runs, 5 RBI's, 2 HR's (17,18) and a stolen base (23). The Dodgers Surhoff hit HR #3 in the 2^nd to give LA a 2-1 lead. Bad 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

09-13-2018, 07:39 AM	#185
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	8/16 15-1 W over the Phillies One blowout deserves another. LA put 9 up in the first couple innings to open up a clear lead. Bryn Smith only allowed 1 hit through 4, then hit a double with a big lead and went into 2^nd base odd, getting hurt in the process. He had to leave, which is just about the worst way to go. Pedro had a huge game, going 5-5, with 3 runs, 4 RBI's and his 19^th HR of the year. Mike Scioscia hit a grand slam (9) and had 6 RBI's . Von Hayes added another (9) with a 2 hit game. Where has this team been all year? Bryn Smith has a back strain, but should avoid the DL. He may or may not miss a start. 8/17 3-1 L to the Phillies Bud Black (9-4) surrendered 4 hits and Randy Myers got his 17^th save of the year. Frank Viola (9-16) threw 7, but the offense didn't help him out any. Guerrero got a couple hits and a walk. LA brought the tying run up in the 9^th, but couldn't threaten. Darryl Boston was hurt making a catch against the wall. Lee Stevens was activated from the DL and Doug Jennings was once again, optioned back to Albuquerque. 8/19 1-0 (13) L to the Mets It doesn't get any more sad than this. The Mets had 2 hits in this game and only 1 through the 12^th inning. From Patterson, to DiPino to Franco to Tanana, the Dodger pitchers kept the Mets quiet. A leadoff double by Charlie Hayes off of Joe Price (5-4) in the 13^th, followed by a flyout and tag, then an intentional walk to Omar Visquel to bring up Kevin Mitchell and hope for the double play. Instead he hits one to the wall and Hayes tags up and walks in. The Dodgers got 5 hits, 2 from Von Hayes. Boston has a sore elbow but won't need to go on the DL. The word coming out in the news is that this Dodger team is a train wreck. There are so many pissed off players that they are going to have a hard time signing any of their free agents. Honestly, I can't see how anyone is going to want to stay with this team after this season. I think we're going to see a lot of roster turnover this year. 8/20 10-3 L to the Mets Beattie (7-7) v. Gooden (12-7) in this one. Beattie took the loss, and to add insult to literal injury, he did it after throwing only 7 pitches, allowing 2 hits, and not recording an out, then left with an arm problem. Beattie missed all of '87 with a shoulder injury. The game was close until late, and that's hard to do with Gooden on the mound. Scott Baker had an awful day though. In his 2 innings, out of 48 pitches, only 14 found the strike zone. He walked 7 batters. In 2 innings. It wasn't any better for Denny or Tanana either. Interesting stat of the day. Kevin Mitchell has 10 career hits against Tanana, 7 are home runs. Wow. Boston and Barrett had 2 hit days. MRI was negative for Beattie and the diagnosis was good. He won't need to go on the DL. 8/21 11-3 L to the Expos Ken Howell (8-12) goes 2-2 with an RBI, but he gave up 2 dingers and 5 runs. Tanana gave up 6 unearened runs thanks to a Caminiti error that let an inning continue. The Expos got HR's from Brooks (9) and Gallarraga (23), a 4 hit game from Raines and a great start from Mark Knudson (8-6). LA's offense is just unable. LA added another old third basemen to play in the minors. Joining Buddy Bell and Ray Knight will be Keith Moreland. Moreland was last seen hittin .190 in 13 games for the Reds this season. Lee Stevens (.231/0/1) and Dave Rhode (.100/0/1) were optioned back to AAA. Schofield was activated from the DL and Jennings was recalled. 8/22 5-3 L to the Expos And a month that started good, is dropping quickly. Another time LA fails to score more than 3. Bryn Smith (6-14) rides to another loss, and LA wasted a 3 hit show by Hayes. Guerrero gave LA the lead 2-0 in the first with a massive HR (17) and it was all downhill. They wouldn't score again until Scioscia had a pinch hit double in the 9^th. LA got the go ahead run on, with Guerrero up, but he struck out to end it. 8/23 5-3 W over the Expos Nice to get one anyway. John Wettland struck out 8 Dodgers in 7.1 innings and looked good for the win. In the 9^th, with Jeff Russell (2-5) on to close and down 2-0 and an out, with a runner on, saw Caminiti drive the ball into the seats for only the 3^rd time this year. His HR tied the game, and started, what would be, a 5 run 9^th inning for the Dodgers, and for once, not wasting a good start by Viola (10-16). Franco allowed a HR to rookie, Jeff Conine (3) in the 9^th, but got the next 3 outs to preserve the save (26). 8/25 8-0 L to the Phillies Greg Maddux, after a 19 loss season last year, picks up win number 18, going the distance and pitching a 3-hit shutout. No walks, striking out 8. Jim Beattie (7-8) took the loss, but left with some back problem. Guerrero had 2 of the LA's hits and Doug Jennings the other. The Phillies just beat up Dodger pitching. Scott Baker pitched the final 3 innings, but the Phils teed off on him. Beattie shouldn't miss much, all the tests were negative, and the issue is just a tight back. The Astros have cut their magic number down to 9. The next closest team to clinching are the Phillies who are 6 up on the Mets and have a magic number of 29. 8/26 1-0 (10) W over the Phillies Pitching was the game today! Starters Kevin Appier and Ken Howell dueled then turned it over to the bullpens. LA's Price and Franco (4-4) did better than Rob Murphy, Mike Schooler, and Lance McCullers (4-4). Bottom of the 10^th it was Pete O'Brien who took the 6^th pitch from McCullers and hit it in the seats (3) to give LA the walk off win. 8/27 1-0 W over the Phillies Many, the offense isn't helping anyone here. 2 runs in 3 games, and somehow 2 wins? Bryn Smith (7-14) allowed 2 hits over 8 innings, and Franco pitched the 9^th for his 27^th save. The Phillies sent rookie Dave Miller (1-1) to the mound and he pitched good too. LA scored in the first after Von Hayes lead off with a walk, Schofield singled, and Boston singled Hayes in. That was it. The Dodgers have climbed up to #21 in the baseball power rankings. This is the highest we've been in a while. Only the Padres and Cubs are lower in the NL. Darryl Boston and Rickey Henderson are both carrying nagging injuries that may be impacting their performance on the field. Henderson especially has been far below his historical performance. 8/28 2-1 W over the Mets Good thing the pitching is good right now. LA scored 2 in the bottom of the 8^th off of a tiring Bud Black (9-5). Scioscia capped off a 2 hit performance and singled in the game winning RBI as Viola pitched 8 innings and improved his record to 11-16. DiPino pitched the 9^th for his 3^rd save of the year. And on August 29^th, 1989, the Dodgers were officially eliminated from the post season. There's always the next decade or so! 8/29 7-1 L to the Mets NY singled handedly ruined Patterson's (2-3) season ERA in this game. Pushing it above 4 for the first time all year. Tanana came on in relief and threw over 4 innings, but LA could never get enough O going to contend. Brian Holman (3-2) threw a complete game for the Mets. Stevens and Jennings swap places on the roster yet again. 8/30 3-1 L to the Mets Jim Beattie falls to 7-9, but he lasted longer than Gooden. Doc left the game after the first, and there was no word on the severity of the injury. Beattie pitched pretty good, allowing 2 runs over 7 innings. Meanwhile, LA got a 2 hit game from Dick Schofield for their offense. Strawberry went deep (24) and the Mets had no issues. The Mets dodge a bullet as the NL Pitcher of the Month for August is only out with some forearm stiffness and that's it. For August, Gooden went 4-0 with a 0.70 ERA and a .164 average against. __________________ 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

09-13-2018, 08:23 AM	#186
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	Augutst Recap What started as a great month with an 8-3 record, ended typically with an end of month record of 13-14. That's only a game below .500 in the last 2 months, but 57-76 for the year. LA currently resides in 5^th in the West, 34 games behind the Astros. As bad as that record is, we are 35-30 at home. That means that all the failure is on the road. Only 7 games separate the Dodgers from the 2^nd place Braves. We've seen it all month. The hitting was awful. Only Pedro provided any punch at all. His slash line was .326/.358/.483 and his 3 HR's lead the team for the month. Here's the rundown of just how bad starters did in August. Hayes (.260, 2HR's, 6 SB), Rickey (.157, 1 HR, 4 SB), Caminiti (.175), Boston (.195), Surhoff (.163), Rohde (.100), Schofield (.147), O'Brien (.185). How can this team win any games at all? The team average is .236, and worst in the NL. Also last? SLG, runs, hits, extra base hits. The pitching was much better. We saw it over and over. Bryn Smith was the best of the best. He went 4-1, with a 1.29 ERA in 6 starts. Even Ken Howell went 3-2 with a 3.52. Viola had a rough month going 2-4 with a 5.13, as he was rocked a couple times. Franco lead the team in games with 11 games, 7 saves, and 0.70 ERA. The bad month belonged to Denny and Baker in the bullpen, both of whom, posted over 10.00 ERA's. Denny was touched for 13 runs in 9 innings and Baker had a 2.56 WHIP. The team is 6^th in ERA in the NL, the starters were 8^th and the bullpen was 5^th. That's not as good as previous years, but the only thing keeping us competitive. As a team, the Dodgers are 4^th in the NL in defense. How does LA compare to the rest of the league? Well, there are 5 teams with worse records: Padres, Cubs, A's, Tigers, and Brewers. The Astros are down to a magic number of 3. They are 91-42 this year to lead all teams. In the East, the Phillies are out front and 5.5 up on the Mets, who are really working to keep it close. It will be one of those 2 barring some kind of amazing comeback. In the AL, the East is faring a lot better this year than last year. The Orioles are 2 games in front of the Indians, and the Yankees who were up early, but now find themselves 5 games out. The O's are doing this without Griffey, who is out until next year. In the West, the Angels are the leaders, per norm, it's tight. The M's are 2 games back, and the White Sox are 4 back. __________________ 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

09-13-2018, 09:32 AM	#187
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	September Roster Expansion A look at who's coming up: C/1B John Debus (.302/1/10 in AAA) Debus is 31. He is far removed from a young prospect, and this is his 3^rd shot with the Dodgers. He has 3 ML hits in 14 at bats in his previous stints. He doesn't really bring much in the way of anything to the team, other than an ability to play a few positions. He's slow, a below average hitter, but he's got a decent eye. 1B Darcy Walker (.308/8/43 in AAA) Walker is 27, and was a 14^th round pick in '82, it's taken him until now to get his first shot at the majors. He's nothing but a first baseman, but doesn't have much in the way of range. As a hitter, he has sub par power for someone you'd find at first. He's got decent eye, and makes solid contact. 2B/SS Dave Rohde (.279/1/37 at AAA) Rohde is 25, and is up for the 2^nd time this year. He was unimpressive in his debut batting .100 in 10 games. Originally a pick of the Twins, he's been with 5 other teams, and is considered the Dodgers #4 prospect. He's a pretty good defender, with good speed, but a light bat. He is a hard out. 1B/OF Eddie Vargas (.320/5/23 at AAA) Vargas is 30, and played 24 games with LA earlier this year. He was a .245 hitter, with 5 doubles in his 12 hits. He's been a AAAA player for a while now, with previous stints with the Pirates. Vargas is an aggressive hitter with a little bit of power. OF Pete Incaviglia (.336/17/55 in AAA) Inky, 25, would still be a top prospect if he hadn't already hit 59 career HR's. As weak as our offense has been why he's been in AAA is beyond me. It's not like he's hurting us. He's a free swinger, with tremendous power and minimal defense. OF Doug Jennings (.298/4/34 in AAA) Jennings, 24, was a first round pick for LA back in '83. He's played in 54 games for the Dodgers this year, and frequently traded places with Inky. With the Dodgers, he's batted .272/.348/.392 with 1 HR and 9 RBI's. He can also play first, has good speed, and defense, and is a tough out in the box. P Kirk Vucsko (4-4, 5.00 ERA, 63IP in AAA, 4-10, 4.96 ERA, 131 IP in AA) Vucsko, 28, started 5 games for LA last year, but hasn't come back this year. He throws a mid-90's fastball, but the problem is he throws it all over, everywhere. He struck out 229 in the minors, but walked 99. He's got 4 pitches he can throw, but still needs work. P Michael Cunningham (6-15, 6.48, 165 IP in AAA) Cunningham is 28, and he's been around the block a couple times now. This is his 3^rd look with the club now, and his track record isn't great with a 5.80 ERA in 15 games, 7 of which are starts. Not really sure why he's here, except that he's a righty. He primarily throws a curve and knuckleball, and rarely hits the strike zone. He walked 111 in AAA, to 102 K's. P Brian Holton (4-3, 13S, 3.66, 39.1 IP in AAA) Holton, 29, had made the team out of spring training, but was sent down and never came back. In 14 games for LA, he posted a 5.79 ERA, an 0-3 record and gave up 5 HR's in 18 innings. He's got a lot of pitches he can throw, has good movement and control, but just can't seem to reach the next level. __________________ 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

10-02-2018, 12:23 PM	#188
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	9/1 11-5 W over the Expos Inky returns! He homers in the 6^th (5) and goes 3-5 with 3 RBI's. Along with Gurrero (3-4) and Barrett (2-5, 3 RBI's). Even Bryn Smith himself went 1-3 and scored twice. Smith (8-14) needed the help today as he gave up 10 hits and 4 runs in 7 innings. Normally, this would have been a loss. 9/2 9-5 L to the Expos The Expos got 3 hit games from Yount and Raines and LA got one from Barrett. LA went down 5-2 but scored late in the 8^th to tie it heading into the 9^th. Franco (4-5) got in trouble early but nearly got out of it. Until that is, Conine hit a 3-run HR (4) off the bench to break it open. LA got a HR from O'Brien (4). 9/3 3-2 W over the Expos Mark Knudson and Ken Howell both pitched good in this dual, but it was Howell who left after 7 behind. Expos reliver Joe Hesketh had control problems and walked 2 in the 8^th before Daryl Boston pulled one down the line. Boston was thrown out at third, but both runners scored to give LA the lead. DiPino (3-1) gets the win, and Franco the save (28). 9/4 2-0 L to the Astros Greg Swindell (17-2) owns LA. He's 3-0 on the year with an ERA around 1. Jim Beattie pitched good for the Dodgers (7-10) going 6 and allowing only the 2 runs in. Swindell got out of a bases loaded jam with 1 out to keep LA down. LA threatened in the 9^th against Henke, but he got out of the jam. Expos OF Robin Yount picked up his 2500^th career hit last night as part of a 3-5 game where he homered. Yount (.302/10/67) is in his 16^th season in the Majors and has only played with the Brewers and Expos. He's in the last year of a 6yr/9.0M contract and will be 34 by season's end. He's just the kind of player the Dodgers like to bring in. Guys who might be good, but most certainly not as good as they used to be. And old. They like old guys. The Dodgers are 21^st in the latest league power poll. Yep, there are 6 teams that are worse. The Cubbies are at the bottom with a 41-96 record. And the Astros are down to the magic number of 1, at home, against LA. No other team has a magic number of less than 20 at this point. 9/5 7-3 L to the Astros It looked like LA had something going early against Houston and John Dopson (1-2) as the scored 2 in the first. LA send Kirk Vucsko (0-1) to the mound and he rolled along for 2, but before getting into big trouble in the 3^rd. Houston put 4 up as McGriff hit number 29. Larkin would add another 2 run shot in the 4^th (6) and that was that. Houston rookie Scott Sorce got his first big league HR off of Bob Patterson in the 8^th (1). It was only his 10^th big leage at bat and 3^rd hit. LA's Schofield homered (6) in the 7^th for LA. We've had our 2^nd no-hitter of the year! Pittsburgh Pirates starter Rodney Rogers (1-2) threw 116 pitches against the Phillies last night. He walked 2 and struck out 8 in his 12-0 win. Rogers had his mid 90s fastball going, along with a drooping forkball. Rogers has spend most of the year in AAA Buffalo where he was 10-8 with a 3.67 ERA in 26 starts. A former 26^th round pick by the Reds, he was released and picked up by Pittsburgh. He made 3 starts last year for the Pirates going 2-0 with a 3.54 ERA, but his stuff had never approached no-hitter quality. What a memory for the 24yr old! Rogers start is the best pitched game of the year. Coincidentally on the very same day, Matt Williams of the Padres had the 2^nd best hitting performance of the year (the Padres Bo Jackson is #1) by hitting 3 HR's in a 4-4 game. 9/6 4-1 L to the Reds Reds rookie Doug Simons got his first career start and win (1-0) going 6 and striking out 5. Bryn Smith (8-15) allowed 10 hits over his 6 innings. It was a Carmelo Martinez 3-run HR in the 4^th (11) that opened the game up for the Reds. LA didn't score until the 9^th when Von Hayes singled in Dick Schofield. 9/7 PPD LA activated Juan Samuel and minor leaguer Sergio DelRosario from the DL. Samuel (.215/8/26) and Rosario (1-1, 3S, 1.80 ERA in AA). DelRosario was up last year for 5 games where he walked 9 and had a 10.80 ERA. 9/8 2-0 L to the Padres Poor Viola (11-17) allows 3 hits in a complete game, but 2 of them are HR's. One to Dan Gladden (2) and one to Gary Redus (5). The only other guy to get a hit was Ron Coomer. LA left 9 guys on base including a bases loaded opportunity. 9/9 5-4 (11) W over the Padres LA had to dig deep here to avoid falling into the cellar of the West. Even though we went up 2-0 early, Bo Jackson tied the game with #32 and the Padres took the lead in the 5^th and looked good to go. LA got 2 lead off singles in the 9^th and with good baserunning and hitting tied it up. It was Mark Williamson's 10^th blown save this year. LA got good bullpen pitching with Franco (5-5) getting the win and DiPino the save (4). Caminit went 3-5 and the team had 14 hits. OF Jose Gonzalez was called up from Albuquerque. Gonzalez originally came up in the Dodgers system and was sent to Houston in a deal with Ramon Martinez and Cecil Espy for Larry Parrish. Gonzalez won a title with Houston last year, but was claimed off of waivers by the Dodgers in April. This season in Albuquerque he batted .287/.325/.433 with 11 HR's and 24 stolen bases. He is a career .203 hitter in 55 games and a -0.3 WAR over 3 seasons. LA still only has 1 player with more than 10 home runs. Just 1. Guerrero and his 17. That's it. Von Hayes and Mike Scioscia are tied for 2^nd with 9. You wonder why this team sucks? That's a big part of it. Rickey's batting average for his career is near .300. His average this season is .238. It's crazy. The Padres have 2 guys over 30 in Jackson and Matt Williams. They are #1 and #3 in the NL in HR's. 9/10 1-0 L to the Padres Big pitchers dual between Scott Garrelts and Jim Beattie. Both guys pitched well, but this one came down to the bullpens. This one came down to a sac fly with one out and the bases loaded by Jim Vatcher against Frank DiPino (3-2). LA could only muster 2 hits in this one, walking 5 times and reaching on 1 error. There are 20 games left in the year. The Phillies are 6 in front of the Mets for the other NL spot. In the AL, the O's are clinging to a 1 game lead over the Indians and 2.5 over the Yankees. While the Angels are 4 in front of the Mariners. The Dodgers are 36.5 games behind the Astros, 11 behind the 2^nd place Reds and .5 in front of the last place Padres. 9/11 Game 1 11-4 L to the Reds A rain makeup for earlier this year and boy was it ugly. At one point LA had the tying run on 3^rd with Henderson coming up only to have him ground out to end the threat. He has been awful this year, but he hit a solo homer (9) after the game was out of hand. Reds rookie Nelson Lirano just destroyed us today. He had 8 total bases as he tripled in the 3^rd and hit his first career HR (1) in the 7^th off of Tanana in relief. This was a bad game for him too. He struggled through 2 innings allowing 6 runs and 2 dingers. Bryn Smith takes the loss (8-16). 9/11 Game 2 9-1 W over the Reds Turnabout is fair play I suppose. LA pounded out 15 hits tonight. The last time they saw Reds rookie pitcher Doug Simons (1-1) he threw 6 scoreless. Tonight, 11 hits and 5 runs. It was a great start from Kirk Vuckso (1-1) he allowed 3 hits, and 1 run with 8 K's in 6.1 innings. In fact, LA pitchers allowed only 4 hits, but 3 of them were to Danny Tartabull. Vucsko helped his own cause too, going 2-3 with his first 2 career RBI's. Samuel and Hayes had 3 hit games. 9/12 5-4 W over the Reds LA puts together another 10 hit night and finally gives Viola (12-17) some runs and helps him from closing in on that 20 loss season. Viola allowed 2 over 6, but patience was the key. LA drew 3 bases loaded walks off of Reds pitcher Davis Nied. Liriano continued his abuse of Dodger pitching going 3-3, while LA got 3 hits from Scioscia. Browning started and took the loss (6-15). Really bad news for Royals starter Jack Morris. Morris signed a 2-year deal with the Royals in the offseaon and pitched 8 games going 4-2 before a major shoulder injury derailed his season in May. Well, bad news on his rehab, and he now needs a new surgery and will miss even more time. In fact, he may not be back until the end of 1990. So the Royals contract is now up to 526k per start. Ouch. 9/13 3-0 L to the Astros Houston wins game number 99. Dave Stewart (18-5) once again, dominated LA, and Fred McGriff went 4-4 with a pair of RBI's to put him over 100 on the year. LA didn't get a hit until the 5^th and Henke had no problem picking up his 39^th save. 9/14 5-1 L to the Astros Ho Hum, another loss to the future champs. Swindell (19-2) inched closer to his 20^th win with 7 strong. Jim Beattie (7-11) took the loss and left the game in the 4^th with some shoulder soreness. He might miss one start. LA got a great outing from John Denny out of the pen as he pitched 4.2 innings of scoreless baseball. LA was inching back into it, when Frank DiPino came on and ended that threat. The Astros lost Tom Henke to a sprained ankle and it looks like he might be done for the year. They will miss him, but their bullpen is insanely deep. Houston picks up win number 100. 9/15 3-0 W over the Braves Bryn Smith (9-16) was on form today. Atlanta was no hit until the 7^th when 19-yr old Juan Gonzales smacked a single to break it up. Von Hayes became the 2^nd Dodger to break into double digits in home runs. That is SO BAD! Hayes has #10! Ugh. John Franco pitched the final 2 innings for his 30^th save of the year. We don't deserve him. __________________ 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

10-09-2018, 09:42 PM	#189
PilotMan Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seven miles up	9/16 4-3 L to the Braves Juan Samuel left with a hand injury and Daryl Boston came on and only went 4-4 and lead a come back that nearly got LA all the way back. LA had the bases loaded in the 9^th, but Dave Rhode struck out on a 3-2 pitch to end it. Vucsko (1-2) pitched 5, and took the loss. He wasn't good today. LA had 12 hits, all singles. The Angels are the first team to crack a magic number of 10. They hold a 5.5 game lead over the M's as they stretch the lead in the AL West. They are 9-1 in the last 10 games. 9/17 3-1 W over the Braves Frank Viola (13-17) came out on top tonight in the battle with the Braves Randy Johnson (13-12). Viola pitched into the 7^th, allowing 4 hits and striking out 6. LA scored in the first, but the Braves tied it up in the 4^th. LA would get the go ahead in the 5^th and insurance in the 6^th. Joe Price and John Franco (31^st save) finished the game off. The Phillies are the next team to find their magic number under the number 10. The Phillies have a 5 game lead on the Mets in the NL East. 9/18 7-3 L to the Giants Gregg Jefferies hit a 3-run HR (9) after the LA manager walked Jody Reed to get to him. LA got a late Von Hayes HR (11) but it wasn't worth anything. Ken Howell (8-14) takes the loss, while Kip Gross (6-10) gets the W. 9/19 8-0 W over the Giants Bryn Smith (10-16) goes the distance for the shutout and becomes the 2^nd Dodger pitcher of 1989 to get his 10^th win. Smith threw 119 pitches, and got 5 K's and was never in trouble. The offense was there too . Von Hayes cracked his 12^th in the 2^nd to start the scoring, then found himself walked twice. No worries though, because Scioscia picked him up both times. Scioscia had 4 RBI's while Hayes went 2-2, with 3 runs and 3 walks. Houston's Greg Swindell (20-2) and Philadelphia's Greg Maddux (20-7) both become the season's first 20 game winners. In other statistical news. In the NL, Phillies third baseman, Dave Magadan (.342) leads the NL in hitting. Houston's McGriff and the Padres Matt Williams are tied for the HR lead with 35. While McGriff and the Cardinals Will Clark are tied for the lead in total bases (337). In the AL, Red Sox third baseman, Wade Boggs (.357) leads in average, while Mark McGwire of the Angels leads in home runs with 37. Cal Ripken Jr's 309 leads the AL in total bases. 9/20 7-0 W over the Giants The most unlikely pairing of pitchers combined to throw one of the best games of the year for the Dodgers. Jim Beattie (8-11) got the start and even though he would walk 6 guys, he didn't allow a hit until the 4^th inning. That was to Giants catcher Scott Kimball. That was it. The only hit the Giants would get. Beattie came out in the 7^th with 0 outs, and John Denny took over and thew 3 hitless innings for his first save of the year. Von Hayes went 2-4 with 4 RBI's and another HR (13). LA drew 8 walks on Giants pitching. Marty Barrett left the game with an elbow injury. / Barrett was placed on the 15-day DL, which will take care of most of the rest of his season. 3B/LF Dave Hansen was called up from San Antonio to take his place. Hansen was originally a 3^rd round pick by the Brewers. LA is his 3^rd team. He batted .309/8/67 with AA San Antonio this year. He is more of a contact hitter, with some reasonable discipline. He is the Dodgers #8 prospect in the organization. 9/22 4-0 W over the Padres Wow. So LA has now held opponents scoreless for 27 straight innings. Where was this all season? Today it was Viola allowing 3 hits in 8 innings and running his record to 14-17 and a little bit safer from a 20 loss season. Viola might have gotten the shutout, but Abercrombie elected to go to Franco in the 9^th. And now the Indians become the last team to get their magic number below 10. The Indians are holding down the East from the O's by a game and 2 over the Yankees. The Angels magic number is 3, and the Phillies number is 4. 9/23 9-3 W over the Padres Von Hayes is hot, wow is he hot right now. Today was 3-5, with a double and 3 RBI's. Kirk Vucsko (2-2) started and got the win, and he helped himself with a big 2-run single that gave LA the lead. Lee Stevens hit a pinch hit double then came up lame on getting to 2^nd base, which is bad news as he's been hurt off and on all year long. 9/24 5-3 L to the Padres LA fell behind early on as the Pads struck 4 times in the first 3 innings. LA clawed back thanks to a 2 hit game from Caminiti and a 3 hit game from Surhoff. Even Ken Howell (8-15) who took the loss came through with a 2-run double down the line. A Padres top prospect, Derek Lee, made his major league debut, and despite an early error in center, he homered for his first career hit and HR. Franco picked up save #32. Astros pitcher Dave Stewart became the next 20 game winner in the NL, running his record to 20-5. Not sure if he'll contend for the Cy Young or not. There are a lot of good arguments out there. I said Von Hayes was hot. He just won player of the week in the NL. It's the first win for a Dodger in a few years. He batted .538, with 3 HR's and 9 RBI's. As I said before, the NL Cy Young race is absurd this year. Greg Swindell, Houston (21-2, 2.09 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 5.8 WAR, 181 ERA+) Leader in wins, 2^nd in ERA, 3^rd in WHIP, 6^th in WAR, 6^th in K's per 9, 4^th in FIP Greg Maddux, Philadelphia (20-8, 2.31 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 7.9 WAR, 168 ERA+) 2^nd in wins, 4^th in ERA, 6^th in WHIP, 2^nd in WAR, 3^rd in FIP Dave Stewart, Houston (20-5, 2.70 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 4.6 WAR, 141 ERA+) 2^nd in wins, 7^th in ERA Tom Candiotti, Houston (16-10, 2.21 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 6.7 WAR, 172 ERA +) 6^th in wins, 3^rd in ERA, 2^nd in WHIP, 5^th in WAR, 4^th in K's Doc Gooden, New York (13-7, 1.50 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 9.8 WAR, 250 ERA+) 1^st in ERA, 1^st in WHIP, 1^st in WAR, 1^st in K's Gooden looks to be on his way to his 5^th straight Cy Young, and possibly his 4^th MVP, but how bad is that 3.11 runs of support per game hurting him? 9/25 14-13 (15) W over the Giants Wow. Talk about a game with everything! Terrible pitching? Check! Terrible fielding? Check! Drama? Check! Injuries? Check! A 6-hour game? Check! Yep, 6 hours. Jim Beattie started, but after walking 6 guys before the end of the 3^rd and allowing 7 runs he had to go. Check these scores. After 1, LA 2-1, Giants tie in the top of the 2^nd, LA pulls ahead 3-2 after 2. Giants score 6 in the third to go up 8-3, LA scores 4 to make it 8-7. Giants add another in the 5^th, then 4 in the 6^th to make it 12-7. LA gets 4 in the bottom of the 6^th, and another in the 7^th to tie it. Then nothing. No scoring for 7 innings. LA used 9 pitchers, both teams combined for 23 walks and 18 K's. Rickey walked 4 times. LA didn't steal a base and was caught 4 times, the Giants stole 6 and were caught once. Giants rookie Webster Garrision got his first career hit and stolen base. The Giants got a run in the top of the 15^th to go ahead, but LA opened with 2 singles, a pop out, a walk and another pop out, before Guerrero singled in the winning run. Frank Tanana (9-7) who won't be back inched closer to career win #200. Von Hayes was hurt in a crash at 2^nd and left the game. Sergio DelRosario threw 6 pitches before he left and it just goes on and on. Inky homered in the 6^th (6) and Scofield too (7). We keep the winning streak alive! Tom Candiotti threw another shutout to keep his name in the Cy Young hat. Lee Stevens has a strained back and won't go on the DL. Von Hayes has an oblique strain and will. That will end his season. Inky probably takes his spot in right. The Phillies have clinched the East! Floyd Bannister (another former Dodger) picked up win #19 as the Phillies win game number 100 and lock out the Mets. 9/27 6-1 L to the Giants Viola (14-18) falls in his last start of the year. What started out great, with no hits thru 3, and piling up the K's, ended in the 7^th with a couple singles, a wild pitch and 2 walked in runs. Bob Patterson came on and didn't help, with another wild pitch, and allowed hits that cleared the bases. All in all Viola was on the hook for all 6 runs, 6 walks and 7 K's in 6.1 innings. Dodgers prospect Dave Hansen got his first career ML appearance, taking a walk when he came on to play third in a double switch. The Astros are now 31 games in front of the 2^nd place Reds in the West, and the last place Padres are 47 game back. What's worse? All all the last place teams in all of Major League baseball, the Padres are the best (.407). The Cubs are the worst (.302) and are 52 games behind the Phillies, who would be 11 behind the Astros. 9/29 1-0 L to the Braves Gerald Perry hit a triple and scored on a Juan Gonzalez sac fly for all the scoring in the game. Tom Glavine (3-6) threw 7 scoreless. Ken Howell (8-16) pitched a complete game 2 hitter (both by Perry), walking 4 and striking out 6. LA had 6 hits and 3 extra base but couldn't get any of them home. 9/30 7-2 L to the Braves Game 161 goes like the rest of the year. Schofield went 3-3, and Guerrero added another 2 hits, but it never matriculated into anything. Bryn Smith (11-17) gets beat up with the Braves young sluggers of Mo Vaughan and Juan Gonzalez going deep (12 and 5). Zane Smith (10-10) pitches an out away from a complete game and was in charge the whole way. One game of this miserable season to go. Astros outfielder Dale Murphy has reached the #300 HR mark with a big shot in the first inning (8) off of Bruce Ruffin. Murphy's blast powered the 9-3 win of the Astros to their 112^th win of the season. Murphy, a 4-time All Star and 2-time Silver Slugger, found himself in a rotation role this year, getting 265 at bats, in 118 games. His output has fallen off, with a slash line of .238/.310/..358. It'll be the California Angels against the Cleveland Indians in the ALCS this year. Both teams clinched their divisions today. 10/1 8-1 W over the Braves A big W to close out the year. Jim Beattie (9-11) throws a great 7 innings of shut out baseball. He put the cap on a solid season. Not sure if his option will be picked up, but if it's not this is a good end to his time here. Dick Schofield, light hitting short stop turned murderer today. He homered in the first (8) AND slammed another home in the 9^th (9) to cap a 3-4 game with 4 RBI's. Every field player had at least 1 hit except Beattie. __________________ 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