Results tagged ‘ Chad Billingsley ’
Another Day, Another Loss
The Dodgers better check the expiration date on that champagne and beer they bought to celebrate clinching the NL West. They’ll have to wait at least 1 more day before any celebration. At this rate it could be longer.
Once again Billingsley had a pretty good outing with walks haunting him a bit. Like clockwork the Dodgers offense took the night off with Chad on the mound. He goes 6 innings and gives up 2 runs on just 2 hits and a handful of walks and he earns the loss. What? Come on. Give the kid a break and score him some freaking runs.
I don’t know what was worse in the game: Seeing the Dodgers run out of the 1st on more base running mistakes or watching the last 5 Dodgers batters strike out trailing just 3-1. The failure of the Dodgers to play fundamental baseball is starting to become an embarrassment.
But let’s not forget the Dodgers are in the playoffs and the Dodgers have to go 0-4 and the Rockies 5-0 for the Dodgers not to clinch the division. It’s going to happen. Maybe tomorrow. Let’s hope they work through these kinks now before the NLDS gets here.
The Rockies won tonight and the Braves lost. That puts Colorado up by 3 in the Wildcard which is pretty comfortable now with just 5 games to go a piece.
The Phillies won their game and the Cardinals lost. This puts a little distance between them again but this race may come down to the last weekend.
San Francisco is winning their game so they won’t probably end up being fully eliminated from the Wildcard and the NL West tonight. The Marlins are toast now though. Another one bites the dust.
When In DC, Dodgers Do As Nationals Do
The Dodgers gave Billingsley an early lead and he had a pretty good outing, taking a no hitter into the 6th. A couple of walks and a bad pitch lead to a 3 run homer though to tie it up. Costly miscues by the Dodgers then let a rare earned run come across against George Sherriill in the 8th.
The Dodgers battled back in the 9th tying the game and keeping the bases loaded with nobody out. But then Ethier, Manny, and Kemp all three failed to score the tie breaker. In the bottom of the 9th James MacDonald was knocked around a bit and the Nationals slipped away with a walkoff run.
It’s pretty hard to score many runs when your 3,4,5 guys are a combined 0-12 on the night. The 0-12 guys were sandwiched between Furcal, Belliard and Loney who all 3 had 2 hits a piece. The Dodgers were 2-16 with RISP and left 10 men on base. It’s not hard to see how a couple of key hits by the 3,4,5 guys might have made this a completely different game.
Oh well, I guess. I had almost forgotten the Dodgers could lose a game. I know their streak was only 3 but they also had an off day so it’s been practically forever since the Dodgers lost a game until tonight.
Going back to Billingsley, is a shame that in each of his starts it seems like one or two major mistakes dooms the team. The Dodgers on their 3 game winning streak had outscored opponents 32-5. That is some impressive numbers. Billingsley couldn’t have started on a 14-2 night? He has to start on a night when the Dodgers look all too human behind the plate again? It’s just a shame really.
The Braves are winning tonight either way so clinching was already out of the question even with a win. The Dodgers will instead just go get some rest and try and come out tomorrow and pound the Nationals in the rubber game.
Hopefully the Giants will lose so the Dodgers will have an easier time clinching tomorrow. That game is just getting started though. The Padres are currently beating the Rockies 6-1 in the 5th.
Dodgers Drop Game 3 But Leave Town Ahead
Brad Penny pitched a good game and the struggling Giants offense took advantage of Chad Billingsley and a rusty Jeff Weaver to take away the Dodgers dreams of a sweep. I wanted to see the Dodgers sweep for sure but think of this as the Dodgers 2009 farewell present to the people of San Francisco. We know the Giants probably aren’t going to make the playoffs so here’s one last “BEAT LA” for you until next year.
Meanwhile the Padres were beating up the Rockies. Where have the Padres come from? All of the sudden they’ve won the last 6 series going 13-5 over that stretch. Too little too late, but still impressive. The Dodgers aren’t going to complain about it any since it let them gain ground yesterday on the Rockies and prevented them from losing ground in their loss today. The Padres play the Rockies 3 times and the Giants 3 times before it’s through so let’s hope their hot streak continues.
The Rockies went from winning 8 in a row to losing 2 in a row. Even given that long winning streak in the last 20 they are just 12-8. Impressive in general but not when you compare that to the Dodgers 11-9 record. They needed 8 wins in a row just to climb 1 game in the last 20. Interestingly enough the Padres have a better record over the last 20 games than even the Rockies going 13-7. The Rockies are playing good either way but an 8 game winning streak would be more impressive had it not been sandwiched between a 5 game losing streak just a few games before and then a 2 game losing streak presently.
So, anyway. The Dodgers head home from another successful road trip to meet the Pirates in LA. The Dodgers are 8–4 in their last 4 road series and they have won all 4. It’s a shame to be going home when they’re having good luck on the road but at least it’s the Pirates they’ll meet. The Bucs are 4-16 over the last 20 going 2-8 over each 10 game stretch. Ouch. On second thought maybe the Dodgers couldn’t check their luggage at SFO fast enough.
The question is once again about Chad Billingsley. He’s lost 4 of his last 5 starts and he got a no-decision in that 5th one. He hasn’t been terrible in any game but you can clearly see that when he gets the team off on the wrong foot letting the other side score early then it’s hard for the Dodgers to bounce back. Let’s hope the crew gets this thing figured out soon. We’ve seen him pitch well this year and he’s not completely ineffective now. He just needs to get back to the way things were somehow earlier this year.
To conclude, here is the usual split prediction now with just 18 games to go for the Dodgers:
Dodgers: 9-9 finishing 94-68
- Rockies: 13-5 (.722) to reach 95 wins: +8
- Giants: 18-1 (.947) to reach 95 wins: +17
- Marlins: 19-0 (000) to reach 95 wins: +19
- Braves: Elim (Need 20 wins with 19 left)
- Cubs: Elim (Need 22 wins with 21 left)
Dodgers Rally To Win Frustrating Game
It looked like the Dodgers were headed to another frustrating loss tonight but after hitting into a franchise record 5 double plays the Dodgers burned the D-backs bullpen for 4 runs in the 8th and held on to win it.
Billingsley didn’t have his best stuff yet again but the Dodgers took him off the hook and won the series early. What on Earth is wrong with him? Hopefully he figures that out before October.
The Dodgers bullpen has really been keeping the team in games lately and tonight was no different. After Billingsley left McDonald and Kuo kept the D-backs in check and Jon Broxton got the save. The bullpen rarely allows runs lately and when they do it’s even more rare that those runs cost the Dodgers the game. The Dodgers are just getting pretty much the most solid output by their relievers that any team could hope for. They have a 1.44 ERA over the last 20 games, to put it in perspective.
The Rockies won so the Dodgers kept pace just 3.5 games in 1st still. If the Dodgers win tomorrow they will eliminate the D-backs from the NL West race. A Dodgers win tomorrow coupled with a Padres loss and they’ll be eliminated as well. Yes, folks. It’s that time of year. October is just around the corner.
I established my argument the other day that the Giants are the only threat left to the Dodgers playoff hopes. The Dodgers victory tonight coupled with the Giants loss put the Giants in an even tighter spot. The Marlins, Braves, and Cubs all won but their victories were dampened by the Dodgers win.
The Dodgers, who are 12-8 over the last 20 games, look to easily be able to split their remaining 22 games 11-11 finishing 94-68. Throwing the Rockies in just for good measure, this is how split would look after tonight’s action:
- Rockies: 16-7 (.695) to reach 95 wins: +9
- Giants: 19-4 (.826) to reach 95 wins: +15
- Marlins: 22-2 (.916) to reach 95 wins: +20
- Braves: 24-0 (1.000) to reach 95 wins: +24
- Cubs: 25-0 (1.000) to reach 95 wins: +25
You can see the Giants are down to just 4 losses left before they end up needing to win all their remaining games to beat a .500 playing Dodgers team. The Marlins have 2 wins while the Braces and Cubs are out of losses.
But remember this whole calculation is based on the premise that the Dodgers will win at least 11 of the next 22 games, and even .500 split. An extended losing streak by the Dodgers would essentially erode the Dodgers estimated final win count and give these teams some available losses again.
That being said, the Dodgers haven’t lost 2 games in a row in about 2 weeks while they have won 2 in a row three different times over that same time span. Playoff hopes for the Giants, Marlins, Braves and Cubs slip further out of reach every day it seems.
Tired Of Home Cookin’, The Dodgers Dine Out In San Francisco Instead
Coming off their first losing home stand of the year, the Dodgers packed up last night and headed North for a little change of venue. The home cookin’ just wasn’t doing it for the Dodgers. I always loved the food while I was living in San Francisco anyway.
It’s been 30 games since the Dodgers played an NL West team and almost 70 games since they faced the Giants. The Giants are actually the one team that has given the Dodgers resistance inside the division so far this year. The Dodgers are 25-8 combined against the Padres, Rockies and D-backs but just 5-4 against the Giants. The Dodgers swept the Giants first time through this year and then the Giants took 2 of 3 from the next 2 series.
The Giants are just 5.5 games back and I’m not sure how that makes me feel. I’m torn really. I can’t decide if I want the Dodgers to run away with the division so they clearly have a playoff spot or if I want a close race so the games stay interesting but with a chance that the Dodgers could collapse and miss the playoffs. Either way I guess I just want the Dodgers to start chaining together some wins and see where they go from there.
Luckily the Dodgers won’t likely run into a complete buzzsaw upon entering San Francisco. They face the Giants 4 and 5 spot pitchers before they face Lincecum in the 3rd game. It’s still unclear whether Billingsley will be able to pitch in that 3rd game but it probably won’t matter either way. The Dodgers have the ability to win any game of course but given the season Lincecum is having I wouldn’t place too much money on the Dodgers.
The Dodgers have won 9 of the last 20 games and the Giants have won 11. Neither team is super hot right now. The Dodgers just got crushed in a 4 game series in LA with Atlanta and the Reds took 2 of 3 from the Giants in San Francisco. The Dodgers still have better hitting than the Giants while the Giants have better pitching. It should be an interesting matchup.
Are The Dodgers Doomed In October Without An Ace?
With Cliff Lee going to the Phillies the Dodgers look to be losing out on getting an impact starter to add to the rotation and seem to be focusing on adding arms for the bullpen instead.
Lately several journalists have been saying the Dodgers are basically built to win the division but can’t win in the playoffs without an ace. Sure, the Dodgers lack an ace that goes deep in every game and dominates the other side but do they still have starters that will get the job done in the playoffs?
I wanted to know what the average innings pitched for the starter in a playoff game is when their team wins the game. The pitcher doesn’t have to get the win but their team has to win the game they started. You might be surprised to know what I found out.
In 125 playoff games since 2005 the starting pitcher for the winning team went an average of 6.0 innings per start. In 59 Division Series games since 2005 the average was just 5.6. In the 47 League Championship games it was 6.1. The World Series average after 19 games is 6.3 innings per start.
So what is the average innings per start of the Dodgers 4 main starters this season?
- Billingsley: 6.2 innings AVG, 3.96 ERA after 21 starts
- Wolf: 6.1 innings AVG, 3.43 ERA after 22 starts
- Kuroda: 5.7 innings AVG, 4.57 ERA after 11 starts
- Kershaw: 5.6 innings AVG, 2.96 ERA after 20 starts
The Dodgers may not have that starter that is going to go deep in every game and dominate the opposition like other teams but they do have one of the strongest bullpens in baseball backing up starters that can reach that average 6 inning mark most of the time.
So why all the fuss? Your guess is as good as mine. If the Dodgers can get fresh arms for the bullpen or a solid 5th starter then good for them. If not then don’t think for one moment that this team is guaranteed to crap out in the playoffs without a trade. They have the potential to make the playoffs and go deeper than last year and possibly win it all. It’s just a matter of going out there and getting the job done but don’t let folks tell you they can’t based on what they have right now.
Dodgers Sweep The Reds On Manny’s Grand Slam
Reds 2 – Dodgers 6 | Box Score | MLB | LA Times | ESPN
Manny was out of the lineup on his bobble head night. Disappointing? Yes, but at least he wasn’t still suspended. None of that mattered in the end though. With the bases loaded Manny hammered the first pitch of his pinch hit at bat straight into Mannywood to make it 6-2. The sellout crowd could not believe it and Manny was forced to do two different curtain calls because of all the excitement.
Chad Billingsley kept the Dodgers in the game through 6 despite giving up the tie runner on a wild pitch in the end before Manny’s big at bat. He finally got to the 10 win mark after reaching 9 pretty quickly and then stalling out over the last handful of starts.
Andre Ethier tied his season high in homers with his 20th shot tonight in the 1st inning. Ethier has plenty of time left to add to a new personal best.
The Dodgers have now won 12 straight in LA against the Reds and extended their current winning streak to 5 games in a row. They are 27 games above .500 with their majors leading 61-34 record. They have swept 7 series now so far this year and this wrapped up their 19th series victory of the season.
Colorado won today but San Francisco lost again. That keeps the 2nd place Rockies at 9 games back while the Giants fell back to 10.5 games. The Dodgers get tomorrow off while the Giants finish up the ATL series. The Rockies are off too before they play the Giants starting on Friday.
Dodgers Blast Reds, Set Table For A Possible Sweep
Reds 3 – Dodgers 12 | Box Score | MLB | LA Times | ESPN
It looked like it was going to be one of those nights early on. Furcal and Hudson got on base leading off in the 1st and a rare Manny Ramirez triple scored them both with nobody out. The Dodgers next 3 batters failed to pick Manny up though. The Reds cut the early lead in half the next inning but the Dodgers quickly made up for not scoring Manny from 3rd.
The Dodgers made it 9-1 by the 4th inning. By the end of the 5th it was 12-1. Furcal had a big night with a home run and 4 RBI going 3 for 5. Hudson was back and had 1 hit and a run scored. The Dodgers have now outscored the Reds in the series 19-8 with 1 more game to go.
Randy Wolf pitched 7.1 innings allowing just 4 hits and 2 runs and gave the bullpen a little rest as they used Claudio Vargas the rest of the way. The Dodgers have now won 11 in a row against the Reds at Dodger Stadium and they extend their overall winning streak to 4 in a row. Randy Wolf finally won another game decision but it only took 12 runs to secure it.
For the first time since the Dodgers beat the Angels in Game 2 weeks ago the Dodgers won Game 2 of another series, this time setting the table for a possible sweep. The Dodgers once lead the majors in series sweeps but it’s been 15 series since the last sweep so they’ve fallen behind some of the other teams lately.
The Dodgers will have to get past the Reds ace though to get the sweep so they’ll send their own ace, Billingsley, to counter. It will be Manny Ramirez bobble head night but Manny may not play. He left tonight’s game early after being hit by a pitch and is listed day-to-day with no major damage done.
Tonight was the Dodgers 60th win of the season and their 60-34 record puts them 26 games above .500. The Rockies and Giants both lost so the Dodgers gained a game on each and now lead by 9 and 9.5 games. The Giants are now 1 game under .500 on the month and the Rockies are just 3 over compared to the Dodgers who are 6 games over in July and starting to increase their lead for the first time in a long time.
Reds @Dodgers – Advantage Dodgers
The Reds haven’t won a game at Dodger Stadium since July 28, 2005. The Dodgers have swept the Reds 3 straight times since then and also swept the Reds at home last year to take the season series 6-0. LA has to feel good about their chances this time around as well despite question marks surrounding the Dodgers offensive production and the first start by pitcher Jason Schmidt in several years.
Lately the Dodgers lead the Reds in almost every measure I use on the series breakdown. The Dodgers are scoring more and allowing fewer over the last 25 games. The Reds have lost 6 of the last 10 and the Dodgers have won 6 of 10. The Reds are 3 games below .500 and the Dodgers are 24 above.
Dodgers And Reds By The Numbers – Last 25 Days
AVG Runs Scored: 4.63 Dodgers, 3.60 Reds
AVG Runs Allowed: 3.84 Dodgers, 5.35 Reds
Starters ERA: 4.14 Dodgers, 5.56 Reds
Bullpen ERA: 2.53 Dodgers, 4.03 Reds
Team ERA: 3.41 Dodgers, 4.88 Reds
Game 1 – Micah Owings, RHP (6-9, 4.94) vs. Jason Schmidt, RHP (0-0, -.–)
Schmidt hasn’t started in the Majors since June 16, 2007. I hope he does well not just for the Dodgers but for himself. A player doesn’t try to get injured so fans shouldn’t dish out the venom just because a player can’t stay healthy. It’s hard to watch the Dodgers waste money but I hope that fans keep an open mind about Schmidt. Let’s all just hope for the best and hope that if nothing else the Dodgers either give him good early run support of Schmidt keeps the Dodgers in the game either way.
Owings didn’t have good stuff last out in his 4.1 innings and 7 runs allowed. Hopefully the Dodgers can strike early so Schmidt will have some breathing room. Owings has a 5.40 ERA away from home this year.
Game 2 – Homer Bailey, RHP (1-1, 6.43) vs. Randy Wolf, LHP (4-4, 3.51)
If the Dodgers make it out of Game 1 with a win then they may have a good chance at a series sweep. Recent history is against them though since they haven’t won the 2nd game of a series in the last 7 played. For what it’s worth Wolf has 4 quality starts in a row behind him and a 1-1 record in those 4 games to show for it. Wolf is 8-2 lifetime against the Reds.
Bailey hasn’t dominated much so far this season and his last outing was a trainwreck 7 runs allowed in 5.1 innings. The Dodgers may have a good chance of breaking out of their Game 2 funk if Baily repeats his last performance. Bailey is prone to walking a bunch of batters, the kind of small ball the Dodgers love to play around with.
Game 3 – Bronson Arroyo, RHP (10-8, 5.07) vs.Chad Billingsley, RHP (9-5, 3.76)
All eyes may be on Schmidt in Game 1 but Game 3 may prove to be the best matchup between these two team’s aces. If this is a rubber match then it will be even more interesting.
Billinglsey is still looking for his elusive 10th win. He’s coming off a couple of poor starts so he’ll be looking to get his groove back.
Arroyo is coming off back to back dominating performances and will look to continue that streak. The problem with Arroyo is that left handed hitters are batting .305 and while he has won 10 he’s also lost 8 and his ERA is 5.07. This guy isn’t unstopable so the Dodgers have a pretty good chance to win.
Prediction
How Schmidt performs will set the tone for the series. If the Dodgers win Game 1 then expect them to be able to win at least 1 of the next 2 games and take the series 2 of 3. They have a recent history of dominating the Reds in Los Angeles and they are hitting and pitching better this year. If things go bad in Game 1 then momentum may belong to the Reds who aren’t a bad team overall this year. I’m going to predict Schmidt does well and goes at least 5 innings and the Dodgers go on to sweep the series.
Dodgers All-star Snub?
I’ve seen several bloggers writing with a feeling of disappointment about the All-star balloting. No Dodgers player made the starting roster of the All-star team but Orlando Hudson, Jon Broxton, and Chad Billingsley made the reserves. Matt Kemp has a chance to squeak in like Nomar did a couple of seasons ago on the last vote.
One argument seems to be that the Dodgers are the best team in baseball so how can they not have starters on the All-star team? My stance is that while I think many of the Dodgers players deserved to make the team and start, the reality is that no single Dodgers player except maybe Juan Pierre has really put in an All-star caliber first half. That’s the truth.
Had Manny not gotten himself into trouble he would have almost surely started the All-star game because he’s that kind of player. Otherwise this Dodgers team doesn’t have an Albert Pujols type impact player that carries them. From one game to the next you won’t know who’s going to get that big hit or make that great play to save a run because so many on the team are capable of it.
Ethier is who you want to see up in clutch extra inning situations. You want James Loney at the plate with lots of men on base. You can count on Casey Blake to give you that surprise 3 run home run. You look to Orlando Hudson for a fantastic defensive gem to save a run. You look to Pierre to make life miserable on the base paths for the pitcher. You look for Belisario, Troncoso and Broxton to protect a small lead. The list just goes on and on.
What you don’t look for so far this year is for that one player to get up in that one special spot and to win the game for the Dodgers. You look for every player, even the pitchers, to have the ability to make great plays, drive in runs, and to stifle the opposition.
This Dodgers team is the best in baseball, not because it’s full of All-star caliber players, but because even when individuals are failing there are other pieces clicking into place to help get the job done. So for fans feeling snubbed let’s just feel good that there are Dodgers in there at all and that Joe Torre will be a bench coach for the NL. The three players that did make it are all three outstanding Dodgers that will represent the team well.
If all else fails maybe Joe Torre will be managing the NL All-star team this time next year. We can dream, right?
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