I disappear for a few days and suddenly the Dodgers become the most powerful offensive team since I traded for Albert Pujols and David Ortiz in my MLB 06: The Show?? After beating the D-Backs (or “Goo Backs" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uORAyORWRAA as I prefer to call ‘em) in the opening game, which was as exciting as Andruw Jones is fat and useless, 8-7, the Dodgers came back to stink up the joint down 3-0 in the 9th of game two. The proceeded to score 2 runs and NEARLY tie it in the 9th. For once you can’t blame Andruw, as he managed to walk, no matter how hard it is on his knees to carry that keg of a body. Moral victory for the Blue I would say!
Takashi Saito
22 July 2008
Posted by S.V. Narine | No comments yet
16 July 2008
I watched the All Star game last night. 15 innings. It was at times boring, at times exciting, and for the most part, it reminded me of the Dodgers. With the exception of great defense and you know, having more than one “honorary” all-star on the team. Pitching, at least on the National League side of things, hasn’t been at a premium the last few years at the game, but this year, the NL pitched like a group of Saitos, Broxtons, and Wades. Runners remained stranded, even though the NL was in constant trouble in the late innings. Both teams hit like the Dodgers, constantly getting on base with nobody out, and then being left exactly where they were. The biggest threat being if an opposing batter ever tried to, I don’t know, not swing at every pitch (where was this Aaron Cook in the world series last year?) thrown in their direction. Dan Uggla (whose name sounds like the reaction you have when you step in something of solid and liquid form) struck out 3 times in 4 at-bats and was the Matt Kemp/Andruw Jones of the game. Russel Martin played the Russell Martin roll, coincidentally, but seemed to play it as if he was amped up on something, with the defensive abilities of a superman out there. It was so noticeable that Tim McCarver and Joe Buck spent a good 20 min “Alyssa Milano-ing” him (verbally of course). The prowess of Russell Martin on his knees was extolled by them for all to hear. I also worry that he was pumped to actually play with good players, and this gave him a taste of what it is like to play with players who are actually quite awesome. Unfortunately, there was nobody old or crotchety, enough to play the Jeff Kent roll, but you take comparisons where you can get them.
Posted by S.V. Narine | No comments yet
7 July 2008
t free agent in franchise history, Andruw Jones (on a side note, I will not give him credit for the Takashi Saito signing because that is entirely to the credit of the overseas scouting staff). The biggest reason that he signed Andruw has more to do with Ned wanting someone the Dodgers who swings and misses more than he does, and who can be viewed as a bigger joke at his position than Colletti can.
Posted by S.V. Narine | 1 comment
2 July 2008
Park got out of a jam in the ninth and pitched a solid tenth for the win. Takashi Saito looked good in the bottom of the 11th, retiring the side in order for his 13th save.
The Dodger kids looked good early on, staking Clayton Kershaw to a 6-1 through the top of the sixth. Russell Martin had hits in his first three at-bats, collecting his team-leading ninth homer and three RBIs, and Kent, James Loney and Matt Kemp each added RBI hits.
Posted by Yoni Bain | No comments yet
29 June 2008
ntastic innings to even his record at 7-7. Jonathan Broxton followed with a quick eighth, and Takashi Saito, despite running into a spot of trouble, nailed the game down for his 12th save.
Posted by Yoni Bain | No comments yet
22 June 2008
The stability of Takashi Saito, Jonathan Broxton, Joe Beimel, Hong-Chih Kuo and others at the back end of the bullpen has helped compensate for the craziness that has been the starting rotation.
Continue reading "Fantastic Four Help Dodgers Avert Cleveland Sweep"
Posted by Yoni Bain | No comments yet
19 June 2008
ortunately for the Dodgers, the trio didn’t disappoint, with Joe Beimel, Jonathan Broxton and Takashi Saito snuffing out the last Cincinnati rally.
The seventh-inning meltdown helped overshadow a strong performance by the Dodger offense. Every starter recorded a hit as the Dodger offense totaled 14 on the day. Up and down the lineups there were contributors, starting with Jeff Kent and Russell Martin knocking back-to-back two-out doubles for the first of six runs of Aaron Harang (3-10). Matt Kemp showed more of his immense talent and tantalizing promise with a homer, double and three RBIs, and James Loney went 3-for-4 to raise his average to .307, one point higher than Russell Martin’s. Andre Ethier showed resilience, Blake DeWitt added grit, and Juan Pierre and Angel Berroa managed not to get in the way. And Mark Sweeney struck out as a pinch hitter, so I guess there was some bad, though not unexpected, news.
Continue reading "Dodgers Survive Seventh-Inning Stench, ..."
Posted by Yoni Bain | No comments yet
6 June 2008
Last night it was the ace of the bullpen, closer Takashi Saito, who negated the good vibe the Dodgers had earned after erasing an early 4-0 deficit.
Saito is pitching infrequently these days because the Dodger offense hasn’t been handing him many leads, but in a tie game in the ninth inning with no chance for a save Joe Torre thought it wise to at least give Saito some work. Saito worked plenty, laboring through his one inning of work to throw 29 pitches. He opened the frame by surrendering a leadoff double to Ryan Theriot, and two batters later Kosuke Fukudome, who opened the scoring with a second-inning homer, ended the scoring with an RBI single to right field. Saito was tagged with his second loss on a night the Dodgers gave away bobbleheads in Saito's likeness.
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