KTE The $#)(#)*(%#$) Dodgers

[stevejrogers]

Playing at a 23-22 clip, in third, 5 games in back of the Giants, the Dodgers head to Citi Field on a 2 game losing streak, and a 4-6 record in their last 10 games.

Your Dodger starters are (along with BA, OBP and SLG
1B 23 L/L Adrian Gonzalez .275 .353 .515 10 HR 30 RBI
2B 9 L/R Dee Gordon .304 .344 .404 25 SB
3B 5 R/R Juan Uribe .299 .329 .449
SS 13 R/R Hanley Ramirez .251 .333 .450 6 HR 21 RBI
LF 3 L/L Carl Crawford .273 .294 .405
CF 27 R/R Matt Kemp .267 .336 .459
RF 66 R/R Yasiel Puig .322 .411 .586 9 HR 35 RBI
C 17 R/R A.J. Ellis .176 .317 .206

Off the bench
INF 10 R/R, former Met Justin Turner .230 .280 .284
3B 18 B/R Chone Figgins .211 .423 .263
OF 16 L/L Andre Ethier .267 .331 .367
OF 33 R/R Scott Van Slyke .283 .387 .642
C 31 R/R Drew Butera .218 .297 .364


The starting rotation for the series looks like this:
61 R/R Josh Beckett 1-1 with a 2.38 ERA
Who will pitch Tuesday night against Rafael Montero
99 R/L Hyun-Jin Ryu 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA
Who, after a few weeks on the DL with shoulder blade inflammation, is scheduled to return on Wednesday facing Jacob deGrom
21 R/R Zack Greinke 7-1 with a 2.03 ERA
Who will be going up against Jonathon Niese in the Thursday afternoon finale of the series.

The Mets will miss out on facing
22 L/L Clayton Kershaw 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA
14 R/R Dan Haren 5-2 with a 3.18 ERA

And in the bullpen
Closer 74 B/R Kenley Jansen 12 saves with a 4.34 ERA
54 R/R Chris Perez 5.09 ERA
44 R/R Chris Withrow 3.05 ERA
00 R/R Brian Wilson 9.45 ERA
43 R/R Brandon League 1.40 ERA
56 L/L J.P. Howell 2.40 ERA
28 L/L Jamey Wright 3.28 ERA
47 L/L Paul Maholm 5.40 ERA

Also a couple of ex-Met notes;

First, on the coaching staff is John Valentin, as the assistant hitting coach. Or maybe its the assistant to the hitting coach!

Second is Mike Baxter getting into 4 games this year, while no longer on the 40 man roster, he was outrighted to Albuquerque back on April 9th.

[MFS62]

Good job.
I would have used a stronger adjective in the thread title.

Later

[Edgy MD]

Working the booth on Dodgercasts for Sportsnet LA is the inimitable and impossibly named Orel Hershiser, workhorse for the Mets on the butt end of his outstanding pitching career.

Special advisor to GM Ned Coletti is Gerry Hunsicker, who held multiple titles for the Mets from 1988-1992, including director of minor league operations and assistant general manager.

Among the Dodger employees holding the title of "Special Assistant, Player Personnel" are Aaron Sele, who went wire to wire for the 2007 Mets while remaining completely invisible, and Jos� Vizcaino, who Metted from 1994-1996 before getting dealt off in the Carlos Baerga deal, and then everywhere that Jeff Kent went, Jeff Kent went, Jeff Kent went, Jos� was sure to go.

Managing the AA Chatanooga Lookouts is coach Razor Shines, who coached first for the Mets in 2009 and third for them in 2010. Definitely one of Jerry's men.

Coaching the hitters for Razor is Shawn Wooten, who labored for the Mets as a Binghamton Met and a New Orleans Zephyr in 2007 and 2008.

Coaching the pitchers for the Gulf Coast Dodgers is Alejandro Pe�a, who pitched no less than nobly for the Mets bullpen in 1990 and 1991, and whose porn name is Alejandro Pe�is.

Lastly and least relevantly, the team's VP of player personnel is Vance Lovelace, who was the pitcher for Hillsborough High the Mets didn't get when they grabbed Dwight Gooden and Floyd Youmans.

[Frayed Knot]

Random thoughts on a team I haven't seen a minute of yet this year:

Drew Butera is a one-time NYM farmhand who was dealt away to Minnesota to bring Luis Castillo over here. Butera's actually done the bulk of the catching lately as no one in that position is hitting for the trolley Dodgers (or for us for that matter).

Justin Turner, after starting at 2nd on Opening Day, has been seeing some time at 3nd, in for Uribe, now that Dee Gordon has pretty much got the 2B job full time and the league lead in steals (25 of 28).

I had to check whether Chone Figgins was still under that FA he signed w/Seattle - he's not, that ran out last season. I don't get 'em all right but I knew that deal was a turkey (for the club) the second it was signed.

Scott Van Slyke is funny in that he's a complete opposite of the player his father was: right-handed, large, power, no speed and no glove. But seems to be contributing while getting some meaningful ABs for the first time in his career. Probably never be a full-timer, but 10 of his 15 hits are for XBs so he's got some kind of role.

Since Josh Beckett was part of that big trade w/Boston back in August 2012, he has all of 3 wins with LA in 22 starts. His win a week ago against Miami was his first since his final game of 2012.
Been kind of unlucky this season whereas he was pretty much injured and/or sucking last year.

Closer Kensley Janssen's numbers look pretty ugly (4.34; 1.61 WHiP) while the guy he took that job from last season, Brandon League, is pitching much better (1.40; 1.07). Not that that's prompted a switch or anything as Janssen is still closing because, well because he's the closer.

[Edgy MD]

Yazzy Puig: co-National League Player of the Week.

This is pretty much when the the Fire Mattingly bandwagon got heated up last year.

[Frayed Knot]

I should admit here that I expected something of a sophomore slump/pitcher adjustment out of Puig this season.
Not happening so far.