Rant Rave Sunday

Good enough for a 1.8 War

I know he’s not the hitter he once was, but FAZ could do worse than sign Chase Headley to a Minor League Contract, now he is officially a Free Agent.

He’s owed $13m this season, but now we can get him for the league minimum.

He would be a good back up for the infield IMO.

Although he has been DFA’d for a reason, last year he hit

.273/.352/.406 for NY in 586 At Bats.

12 homers, 30 Doubles & a triple, and he has done well at Dodger Stadium.

I can remember worse pick ups, and I think he still has a bit of gas in the tank, as well as a bit of Veteran experience.

Bit of a no lose situation to me.

Ten game home stand coming up. Rockies, Padres and the Phillies. Must win 7 or 8 out of those ten games and get back in this thing. SP is going to be a significant challenge with CK, Hill, Ryu on the DL but it’s not time for Buehler, Stewart, Stripling to lay claim to the “future is now” and show they’ve got what it takes. Buehler and Striping have had some positive things happen….can Stewart do the same, how about Santana?

It’s time for the Dodgers to prove the “naysayers” wrong (me included) who wrote them off. Big home stand!!!

Great team win and team sweep! Looking ahead the Rockies have a losing record at home and have only Arrenado hitting, Blackmon is below .270, and Desmond and Cargo are killing them. DBags have lost 4 in a row and 9 of 10 and cling to a half game lead. Peralta is the only regular over .250!

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Brewers and Braves still lead their divisions, Phillies have the 1st WC by 1 game and the Cubs, Cards and Bucs are tied for the 2nd with the Mets a game back. This is going to be a wild race in all divisions but I would be surprised if a WC comes out of the west.

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In the AL the Yanks and Bosox are percentage points apart but up by 9 games (4.5 WC) and the Stros barely lead Seattle and the Halos. Cleve is atop their division at 22-22. This year there will be teams left out of the WC with better records than a division winner. But if you make the post season anything is possible.

Check out the box score today, alot of different guys with 1 hit, or a couple of walks. This is how we are going to do this, a team thing, not just one or two guys.

Great series win against a very decent team, and CK not far away from returning.

Things are looking up.

Great series!!! Hopefully pitching can hold up and hopefully Wood is not out? Was fields actually hitting 97 on the radar? I was watching on iPad and that was what it was showing.

What?? did we just manufacture a run there????

4 game sweep by the Reds, now about to sweep the Nationals

Why do they do this to us?

I they hold on, they are 5 back

Kike!!! I’m telling you put the guy in the lineup he would hit 20 homers. He can’t hit right handers don’t tell Strasburg. He just needs a fair shot to play.

I thought the team was back a couple of times already this season. Think I’ll just wait for more evidence. Good wins lately though. See if Woody responds today.

1) Muncy…1B

2) Cody…….CF

3) JT………….3B

4) Yas………..C

5) Kemp…..LF

6) Puig……..RF

7) Logan….2B

8) Kike…….SS

9) Wood….P

Muncy forcing his way into the lineup. Kike gives CT3 a blow and hits 8th. JT, Yas and Kemp have hit Strasberg in the past, Joc has struggled so he sits. Meanwhile Buchholtz called up from AAA to face Syndegaard for the Snakes and Ty Blach faces Tyler Anderson for the Rocks. This NL West race is tightening up in a hurry.

FAZ is not listening to me. They are bringing up Stewart to take Hills spot.

Well Maeda pitched very well, and so did Stripling, and I can see Wood doing the same today, and we need that today, after the bullpen game in that second game, yesterday.

And Wood is a fighter, so I think Wood will pitch another good game today, like our other starters have, lately.

Our next three series, besides the Rockie series, is a good time to make up some more games, because we will be playing the Padres and the Phillies, after this Colorado Series.

But our guys must try to just win one game at a time.

Non of the other teams in the Western division, has took charge in this division, so we are still in this, but like I already said, we must try to just win one game at a time, and make sure we win these next three series, but today’s focus, must be on winning this game today.

About Bellinger, he only had one strike out in that second game, and he took that fastball up the middle over the centerfield wall, so I think Bellinger is turning the corner, already.

Like Colletti said, Bellinger knows how to adjust better then any player he has seen, so don’t assume he hasn’t adjusted, because that could be a big mistake.

And Barnes had a couple hits to the right side, and a very gusty at bat in the top of the ninth, so I think he is turning the corner now too.

But it is hard to do, when a player isn’t getting consistent at bats, like Barnes isn’t, but I wouldn’t count him out, either.

DODGERS PLACE RICH HILL ON DISABLED LIST

RECALL PAT VENDITTE

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today placed left-handed starter Rich Hill on the 10-day disabled list with a blister on his left middle finger and recalled ambidextrous reliever Pat Venditte from Triple-A Oklahoma City. The Dodgers also optioned right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia to Triple-A Oklahoma City following last night’s game, after being added as the 26th man prior to game two of yesterday’s doubleheader.

Hill, who made his sixth start of the season in the night cap of yesterday’s doubleheader, left the game after throwing two pitches due to the blister. The veteran southpaw, who will be making his second stint on the disabled list this year, has gone 1-2 with a 6.20 ERA (17 ER/24.2 IP) and has struck out 25 batters in 24.2 innings.

Venditte, 32, returns to the big league club for his second stint after being optioned to Triple-A OKC prior to yesterday’s contests. The switch-handed pitcher has allowed two runs in 2.2 innings (6.75 ERA) and struck out two without issuing a walk in three relief appearances with Los Angeles.

Garcia, 27, threw in the second game of the doubleheader last night, allowing one run on one hit with one strikeout in 1.1 innings of relief. In five appearances with the Dodgers, he has gone 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA (4 ER/4.2 IP) and has struck out three against one walk.

I think Hill will go on the DL for quite some time. I hear that it is an ugly tear.

I have been saying for two years that Stewart is not a starter but could be a high leverage reliever. I stand by that. I thought Santana could go either way but he has really improved this year. I think he’s ready to be rushed.

Hill may have to go to the pen for the blister. If Kershaw comes back soon, I think the Starting staff is ok but they still need another bat. I have 2 ideas but don’t know how to fit them in under the Luxury Tax: Jose Abreu and Adrian Beltre.

Abreu would play 1B with Cody playing CF. Next to CT3, he’s the best CF on the team. Or…. J.T. goes to 1B and Adrian Beltre ends his career as a Dodger if he would concent to a trade!

Lets not forget that Turner did not start the second game and was not involved in the win. Like Vegas just said, the Dodgers have been a 25 man team for several years now and it works for them. But every team needs a glue guy or the straw that stirs the drink and Turner is again that guy.

Connor and Reks are playing really good ball at Tulsa.

Hill will go on the DL today and Stewart will be re-called. I think…

I wouldn’t count Santana out. He seems to rise to the occasion whether that is pitching in minor league playoffs or stepping up to triple a. He seems to want the challenge. He must have dominating stuff when he is at his best.

It’s necessary to be 9 deep in starters and while it is early to lose two (Hill and Ryu) and maybe three (Kershaw), I like a rotation of Buehler, Wood, Stripling, Maeda, and Stewart.

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I would leave Santana at AAA for two more starts before deciding to bring him up.

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Alexander looks like he has found his control and that combined with his stuff makes him a very capable set up guy.

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Bellinger hasn’t yet adjusted to the way pitchers are pitching to him which is more high fastballs. Its not that he can’t hit them and more that he is swinging at ones above the strike zone. He will fix that.

I’m on the train. I think the dodgers had hit rock bottom so the only way is up! Generally speaking no major league team is going to continue at a .400 win percentage for the year and certainly not the dodgers. Analyze it anyway you want but Turner is the glue. Taylor and Puig are starting to snap out of it, kemp loves la, bellinger heating up, strip just what we needed, bring Stewart or Santana up. Our bullpen did a fantastic job and will end up a strength I predict. A doubleheader sweep in Washington appeared almost impossible 3 days ago. We need to get to .500 quickly, get Kershaw back, and yeah the worm has turned.

Two very nice wins and a great game by Stripling, now if Wood can get his first win today that could be the start.

I’m driving this bandwagon – feel free to jump on when you want!

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Are Tommy and I the last True Believers?