Results tagged ‘ Jon Broxton ’
Broxton and Gagne: The Present and the Past
Isn’t it funny how much smaller Eric Gagne looks next to Jon Broxton? Gagne is not that small. He was 6’2″ and 195 pounds back in the day. Yet Broxton clocks in at about 6’4″ and about 290. Despite being a lot bigger than Gagne, Broxton still has big shoes to fill as a closer.
Every Dodgers closer since Gagne has faced the same thing though, hasn’t he? They just don’t really stack up to “Game Over” Gagne. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to argue in support of Broxton just because he’s not 100% perfect all the time. The truth is Broxton is one of the top closers in the game right now. I think it might be the myth of Gagne that Broxton just isn’t living up to sometimes and not really anything Broxton is doing wrong.
Jon Broxton is one of my two favorite players on the team right now along with Andre Ethier. I think it’s because Broxton is just a big old country boy like myself maybe. I saw him pitch in San Francisco in 2006 when he was still just a 7th or 8th inning guy and Saito was the closer. The way the Giants fans reacted to him was perfect. Here’s this big lumbering man some one in the crowd said was a big as a refrigerator. They weren’t laughing when Broxton brought the heat though and made the Giants at the plate look like fools.
Broxton is much more Jimmy Dean than Gagne’s Guns N’ Roses. He doesn’t electrify fans the way Gagne did but that’s a hard thing to top, isn’t it? Broxton brings something else though. It’s a big, quiet, growing confidence that sometimes explodes off the mound in emotion and a big fist pump but is restrained in the bad times and the learning experiences.
Broxton hardly speaks above a whisper mostly though so his only form of intimidation is with his pitch. He has a triple digits fast ball that can get even the most experienced veterans swinging and missing and a slider to add to the confusion.
I like Broxton a lot and I like the kind of game he plays. He’s been a solid closer for the Dodgers though he’s made some big mistakes in his early career. I hope this is the year that more and more fans start to look at Broxton as Broxton and not just a guy who’s not quite Gagne.
Dodgers Lose, Rockies Win. LA Resets Again For Tomorrow
It was a decent but shortened outing by Kershaw that was followed by strong bullpen work. The Dodgers struggled at the plate some more but they cashed in late game mistakes by the Pirates and took a 5-2 lead.
Up 3 runs, Broxton still got in a major pickle in the 9th. Two former Dodgers, Delwyn Young and Andy LaRoche, were right in the thick of that trouble. Big Jon hadn’t allowed an earned run to score in his last 20 innings but blew the save big time and the game went to the Pirates 6-5.
Despite the loss, Kershaw’s return to starting looks pretty good and I think he made his case for starting a home game in the NLDS.
The Rockies took care of the Cardinals in their game and they really needed that win in a big way. The Braves won their game and would have been just 1.5 games out of the Wildcard race had the Rockies fallen.
So like the other night with the Braves, the Dodgers reset against the Rockies and will try to clinch it with a win tomorrow afternoon.
The Rockies are off tomorrow. It’s good news for those Dodgers fans looking for a clinch to happen in San Diego. If the Dodgers can’t win then they’ll for sure not have clinched before they head back to California.
I won’t be rooting for the Dodgers to lose tomorrow because they still have the Cardinals and Phillies to contend with for home field advantage. That being said, I won’t feel too bad if the Dodgers lose because there are going to be a heck of a lot of Dodgers fans in town for that 2 game series in San Diego.
Dodgers Walk Their Way Into The Postseason
It looked like walks would doom the Dodgers in Game 2 against Pittsburgh as they gave up 3 runs after a bunch of walks in the 7th. Instead the Dodgers turned the tables on the Pirates in the 8th and drew a few walks of their own to tie the game and then go ahead. Jim Thome’s biggest hit as a Dodger game tonight as he drove in 2 more runs on a single. Belliard capped it off with a home run in the 9th.
Broxton held that 8-4 lead and the Dodgers won their 93rd game of the season. That means it’s official. The Dodgers are headed to the post season as at least the Wildcard. They are the 1st team in the NL to punch that ticket joining the Yankees who clinched a few days ago. The Dodgers didn’t celebrate much though. They prefer to hold on and celebrate when they clinch the division.
Randy Wolf had another good night going 6.1 innings and allowing just 2 runs. This was his 9th quality start in a row and he has a 2.12 ERA in that stretch. Wolf has one more start to go before the playoffs but I can’t think of any reason he should not be the Game 1 starter in the NLDS. His recent numbers are on par with any single starting pitcher in the playoff chase right now around the league.
The Cardinals clinched their division tonight after the Dodgers won making them the 3rd team in but the 1st to win their division. I hope St. Louis doesn’t drink too much tonight. They still need to beat the Rockies tomorrow.
This loss was a pretty big blow to the Rockies who fall 6 back in the NL West and let the Braves get to just 2.5 games back in the Wildcard after the Braves won their 5th straight. Dodgers magic number is just 2 to clinch the NL West. Because the Rockies lose the tie with the Dodgers over the season series then technically this magic number is just 1 but I don’t think the Dodgers will want to celebrate until they’ve won it outright.
San Francisco lost to the Cubs so they fall even further back in the wildcard, their hope fading fast. They have lost 7 of their last 10 games and have fallen almost off the radar next to a hot Braves team.
The Phillies lost their game so the Cardinals slid just ahead of them in the NL standings. This complicates the playoff picture a little and because of that who the Dodgers will play in the NLDS is anybodies guess at this point.
Dodgers: 3-4 finishing 96-66
- Cardinals: 7-0 (1.000) to reach 97 wins: +7
- Phillies: 8-0 (1.000) to reach 97 wins: +8
- Rockies: Elim (Need 10 wins with 7 left)
If the Dodgers win 3 of the last 7 then the Rockies will be toast. The Cardinals and Phillies could not lose a single game if they wanted home field advantage against the Dodgers.
Dodgers: 0-7 finishing 93-69
- Cardinals: 4-3 (.571) to reach 94 wins: +1
- Phillies: 5-3 (.625) to reach 94 wins: +2
- Rockies: 7-0 (1.000) to reach 94 wins: +7
The Rockies are in a pinch for sure now. They have to go 7-0 and the Dodgers 0-7 for the Rockies to win the division. They can’t win it by tying the Dodgers. It’s just a question now of when and where the Dodgers clinch the NL West for the 2nd year in a row. On second thought, the Cardinals can drink all they want.
Dodgers Take Rubber Game, Win A Close One
While the Giants were getting under way out West and the Padres were tying up the game against the Rockies, the Dodgers were busy trying to catch a break in a surprisingly close Game 3 against the Nationals.
Padilla had possibly his worst start as a Dodger but it wasn’t quite so bad and he left winning 6-4. That didn’t last long though as the Nationals plated 2 against Belisario in the 7th. The Dodgers finally got the lead back on a Furcal solo shot in the 8th and then Sherrill and Broxton gave the Nats the old one-two punch.
The Dodgers have now won the last 5 series, going 11-4 in that stretch. The loss tonight pushes the Nationals to the century mark. They have lost 100 games and won only 52. In the battle for 1st round draft pick, the Nationals are ahead of the Pirates by a nose.
The story of the series has to be Furcal who was absolutely feasting on Nationals pitching. Furcal in the 3 games went 10-14 with 5 runs scored, 5 runs driven in, and even 1 walk. Raffy has struggled for the most part this year but is heating up at just the right time.
The Dodgers had another night where they stranded a lot of men and failed to hit with RISP, but they still got the win and at this point that’s all that matters. They’ll pack up and head to Pittsburgh to finish off the season series with the Pirates before they fly to San Diego.
The win tonight twists the knife in Atlanta and San Francisco. The Dodgers would have to go 0-9 and the Giants and Braves 10-0 just to tie the Dodgers. The Braves are off tonight so they can’t be eliminated from competing with the Dodgers in the Wildcard, but that’s not the case for the Giants who now teeter on the edge of NL West elimination.
Dodgers Win Rockies Series, Extend Lead To 4 Again
It wasn’t absolutely necessary to win today but for the Dodgers they would have much rather extended their lead to 4 instead of dropping back to 2. They did just that, taking the series 2-1 and extending their Rockies season series record to 12-3.
Matt Kemp’s early 2 run shot and a tiny bit of clutch hitting in 6th was all the offense the Dodgers would muster but good pitching helped them hang on to a 3-2 lead and Padilla got his first win as a Dodger.
This important match up mirrored in a lot of ways the Dodgers meeting with the Giants earlier in August. They went to San Francisco ahead just 5.5 games over the Giants and Rockies who were tied for 2nd. They took 2 of 3 in that series as well and silenced many of the critics for a little while. Just two days ago with a loss to the Rockies the Dodgers seemed on the ropes. Now they head to Cincinnati feeling much more on track.
The Reds have won 4 in a row but the Dodgers swept them a few weeks back and look to build on their success against the Cubs and the Rockies. Colorado heads to San Francisco for another tough series against the Giants.
The Dodgers 6-4 record over the last 10 games now extends their 20 game record to 10-10 which as I’ve said about a thousand times now is exactly where the Dodgers need to be to put the most pressure on the Rockies and the Giants. The Dodgers pitching has carried them through that stretch and they average just about 2.3 runs allowed per game over the last 10.
Jon Broxton, who was a source of much blame over this tough stretch, has turned in 4 straight scoreless outings now and hasn’t allowed an earned run in 7 appearances. George Sherrill has also still not given up a run yet as a Dodger.
Dodgers Guarantee At Least A Series Split Against Cubs
It was all Randy Wolf tonight for the Dodgers. He allowed only 1 hit, 2 walks, and 1 run to score in 7 innings and the Dodgers bullpen finished it up. Wolf also drove in the Dodgers only 2 runs of the night. He picked up his 3rd win in 3 starts and he’s averaging about 1.6 runs scored per outing over that short stretch. Now if only Billingsley or Kershaw could chain together some wins like that.
Meanwhile on the bullpen front Broxton recorded his 27th save of the year, trying to stay on track. It seems like maybe his bad stretch was just a bad stretch and not signs of an injury or something worse.
I don’t want to jinx it but Dodgers fans may not have noticed exactly how good George Sherrill has been for LA. He’s now been in 10 games for the Dodgers going 10.2 innings without allowing an earned run. He hasn’t been perfect and he’s allowed a few inherited base runners to score but in general you have to love what he’s doing for the Dodgers.
So for the first time since beating the Giants on August 11 the Dodgers actually gained ground in the standings. The Giants knocked off the Rockies to start their 4 game series and hopefully they can keep on track and slow down Colorado a lot before the Dodgers head to Denver for a series of their own. The Dodgers edged up to 9-11 on the month trying to balance the books with just 9 more games left in August. The Rockies are an impressive 12-7 and the Giants are 11-8.
The Dodgers have a good chance of actually winning this 4 game series after taking the first 2. Either way they have at least a split now and that’s pretty good given their recent struggles. They’ll try to make it 3 in a row for the first time since they won 5 in a row back on July 22.
Dodgers Tie It Up, But Then Throw It Away In 9th
The Dodgers managed to tie the game finally against good Cardinals pitching only to throw it away in the 9th when a lead off walk turned into a stolen base which turned into an error that eventually lead to a run on a sac fly. Sad really, but it figures. It sucks to see the Dodgers let one slip away but they should just be glad to get the 1 win in the series considering how the Cardinals have dominated them this year. Broxton, who looked better in the 2 games since his last blown save, gave up the lead run again tonight and doesn’t seem to be over his struggles just yet.
The Cardinals and the Dodgers could very well meet in the playoffs, if the Dodgers make the playoffs that is. The lead is just 3.5 games now after tonight’s loss and the Dodgers aren’t looking great lately. Still, it’s the whole season that matters and the pressure is still on the Rockies and the Giants. After all the Dodgers are 9-11 in the last 20 games. That’s hardly a sign of a late season meltdown, right?
So the Dodgers have left the Giants and Rockies in a spot where they still have to win every series from here on out to pass up the Dodgers. Every series loss will force them to sweep a series down the road and that’s still a lot of pressure. The Giants and Rockies play each other 10 more times and that could throw a wrench in things for one team or the other.
With the Cardinals leaving town and the Cubs not exactly playing great ball lately, this game may have been the last against the Dodgers toughest non-division opponents for the rest of the regular season. They will just have to make sure they continue controlling their own destiny while they’re playing the Rockies or the Giants but otherwise try to get fat again on teams like the Pirates, Reds, and the Nationals. Taking at least 2 out of 4 in this Cubs series will get them off on the right foot for sure.
Dodgers Chip Away Astros Lead, Split The Series
Astros 3 – Dodgers 4 | Box Score | MLB | LA Times | ESPN
The Astros lead 3-0 after the top of the 3rd but the Dodgers chipped away slowly a run at a time in the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 8th innings to top the Astros 4-3. The final blow was a solo home run by Matt Kemp, his 12th of the year. Kemp had a great day going 3 for 3 with a walk, an RBI, and 4 runs scored.
Kuroda had a decent outing but the Astros were able to score 3 in the 3rd and Kuroda left after 5 innings losing 2-3. Strong outings by the bullpen and Broxton’s 22nd save helped LA split the 4 game set and finish up the Astros series 3-4 and even their NL Central record at 7-7. The Dodgers have not lost a 4 game series all season having swept 1 series and split 4 more.
Both San Francisco and Colorado won though so the Dodgers kept pace with their victory and stayed 7.5 and 8 games ahead. The Dodgers are 9-5 on the month and today’s victory gave them their 19th 1-run win of the season.
Kershaw Wins 3rd Straight, Halts Astros
Astros 2 – Dodgers 5 | Box Score | MLB | LA Times | ESPN
Clayton Kershaw won his 3rd straight outing with a strong 7 shutout innings. He has been handed 5 wins and 1 no-decision in his last 6 starts allowing just 3 runs in that stretch. That is exactly what the Dodgers needed and they halted another 2 game slide to prevent a 3 game losing streak.
Broxton had another shaky outing but still recorded his 21st save without giving up a run. He’ll be dealing with his toe injury for the rest of the season maybe but hopefully he’ll still get the job done.
The Giants and Rockies both lost so the Dodgers gained back a game on both teams. The Dodgers are 7.5 and 8.0 games ahead. The Dodgers will try and split the series against Houston in an afternoon game before the struggling Cinci Reds come to town.
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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