Game Preview: Battle of the Lefties

The Dodgers failed to capitalize on the struggles of Carlos Zambrano Saturday. They need to take advantage of another struggling Cub's starter, Rich Hill today to guarantee they at least stay tied for first in the NL west. Glad we're playing the Cubs instead of the Brewers like the Padres are doing. Should be interesting.

Russell Martin is hitting 3'rd this afternoon and as you can see by the splits he has been there before. This makes me happy. I hope Martin can make this spot his, regularly, instead of just waiting for Nomar to get a rest day. We'll see. A fan can dream, can't he?

Andy LaRoche and Brady Clark get starts today at 3B and RF respectively. We'll see how that goes. Both have done well in somewhat limited playing time this season. Not quite sure what to make of the combination of LaRoche, Betemit, and Abreu still unless the Dodgers are instituting a trial by fire to showcase their 3b talent for both themselves and potential trading partners. I'm partial to LaRoche even though he isn't hitting for power. Thank goodness such important decisions aren't left to me.

Enjoy the game!

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Bad Ohman!

Frustrating loss, though the Blue made a game of it. They didn't have the fight that they did last night. Carlos Zambrano's slider had the break one usually sees only in video games. Looks like the real Carlos Zambrano stood up and took the mound for the first time this season. Martin looked completely over-matched, but did manage a walk. Chad Billingsley pitching well in relief combined with another so-so Hendrickson performance has me thinking Chad may have won a rotation spot. Betemit hit a bomb that served as a whimper of protest and at least prevents the indignity of a shutout. They built up a little momentum which was killed with Kent's strikeout to Ohman. You can certainly question Little's move by pinch-hitting Kent for a guy that has a 4-6 record against the cubs' reliever. I did. But Kent is, as Vin would say, 'the butter and egg man'. He is the "clutch" guy, if you believe in that kind of stuff. Also, 6 at-bats is a small sample size, even for pitcher vs. hitter scenarios. So I'm not going to bemoan Little rolling the dice with taking a shot with the biggest gun in his holster, because that's what Kent was sitting on the bench at that particular time. It was entertaining to see Andy LaRoche log his first big league inning in left field. I imagined him pleading to himself for no balls to be hit his way. Better luck next time, Dodgers.

According to the Press Enterprise, Wilson Valdez cleared waivers and was sent outright to Vegas.

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Cubs Bullpen Bails Dodgers Out

What a game! Frustrating yet entertaining. The Blue Crew did have that 3 game losing streak, but besides that bad stretch they somehow seem to pull runs out of thin air to get the job done. Was entertaining to see Tony Abreu get his first big league hit. He had one great play with the off-balance barehanded pickup, but he balanced it out with a throwing error on a low bouncing throw to Nomar to extend the cubs big inning.
The bullpen got really rocked tonight. Glad to see the offense picking them up though. This team's emotional mojo reminds me of how I felt watching the 1988 season. You just kind of knew somehow the Dodgers would win. Great to see Little encourage Broxton and get him to crack a smile as he was giving him the hook. Hopefully the relievers put this bad night out of their heads and move along.
You'd think the cubs would have a heck of a lot better record considering the offense they've put together. With Lee, Soriano, and A-Ram, they've got a lot of power and with Mark DeRosa they've got a guy that seems to be playing over his head, but somehow it's not translating into a lot of wins. Baseball's like the Forrest Gump box of chocolates...never know what you're gonna get.
Still nothing on the fate of Wilson Valdez. I wants to know, my preciooousss! Perhaps it will be announced tomorrow afternoon. That's it for tonight. I'm out. Be sure to revel in the crazy win by the Blue and the beginning of a new weekend.

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