SB Nation - Kevin Hart

Pirates Avoid 100-Loss Season with 3-1 Victory Over Reds

Charlie — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 01:48:48 -0000

2 months ago: Pittsburgh Pirates' Lastings Milledge reacts after hitting a solo home run off Cincinnati Reds' Justin Lehr in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Friday, Oct. 2, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

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And there was noooooooo doubt about it.

There were some negatives here, like the gargantuan upper-deck homer Daniel McCutchen gave up to Wladimir Balentien, the Pirates letting Justin Lehr strike them out six times, and Andy LaRoche's twice getting caught trying to stretch a single into a double. But overall this was a nice game--Lastings Milledge homered, Andy LaRoche plated two runs, and Andrew McCutchen doubled, walked and stole a base. And Dan McCutchen grabbed his first major league win, finishing his season on a high note by striking out five in six and a third, while only allowing a run on that homer by Balentien. The bullpen held up, too.

No Relation finishes his season with a perfectly palatable 4.21 ERA and three consecutive quality starts. Not bad for a rookie, although he continues to need to work on his home runs allowed. Six in about 36 innings, or about 30 over the course of a full season, is too many. He's earned a clean shot at a full-time rotation job next year, though, which means he might bump Kevin Hart to the bullpen if there aren't any trades and everyone stays healthy.

Jose Ascanio Has Labrum Surgery

Charlie — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:29:46 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y Huh - AP

5 months ago: Chicago Cubs pitcher Jose Ascanio touches the dirt on the mound during the ninth inning of an interleague baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, Saturday, June 27, 2009. The White Sox won 8-7. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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Dr. James Andrews performed labrum surgery on Jose Ascanio this morning, the Post-Gazette reports. Ascanio's injury was initially diagnosed as tendinitis and the Pirates had him throwing side sessions with the hope that he'd return in the last week of the season, but we should have known another shoe was going to drop when the Pirates moved him to the 60-day DL last week.

Torn labrums are awful injuries for pitchers, and while the prospects of pitchers who undergo labrum surgery have improved in the past five years or so, it's still a very difficult injury to come back from. All the best to Ascanio in his recovery.

The John Grabow / Tom Gorzelanny deal has gone south quickly. Kevin Hart has mostly pitched poorly, Ascanio is now out, and the third player acquired in the trade, minor league infielder Josh Harrison, posted a .650 OPS at Lynchburg after he arrived. Meanwhile, Grabow has been useful for the Cubs, and Gorzelanny has struck out a batter an inning for them. The Pirates essentially gave up on Gorzelanny in Spring Training this year, but the early indications are that doing so might have been premature.

Start The 2010 Countdown: Cubs Eliminated, But Dempster Shines In 6-0 Shutout Of Pirates

Al — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:30:14 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Oustanding, Ryan, just outstanding.

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It looked for "just a hot minute", as Jack Brickhouse might have said 40+ years ago, that the Cubs would stave off elimination for another day. Ex-Cub Jason Kendall hit a one-out, three-run, game-tying homer for the Brewers against the Rockies in the ninth inning. Two innings later, though, the Rockies' Chris Iannetta hit a homer of his own, a two-run walkoff, and the Cubs' elimination number was reduced to zero.

Thus we begin "wait till next year" once again.

Thankfully, there are still a few games of Cubs baseball to enjoy for the rest of 2009 -- because you know you'll miss it when it's away for the winter -- and a few things yet to play for.

One of those goals was set by Ryan Dempster. He wants to throw 200 innings for the second straight season, and went a long way toward that goal with a masterfully pitched five-hit, 6-0 shutout of the Pirates. Dempster reached 195 innings with one start to go (on Sunday), lowered his ERA to 3.51 -- within range of the 2.96 he had last year -- and threw his first CG shutout since he was a member of the Marlins on July 3, 2001. It was the Cubs' second shutout in four games, and the first thrown by a Cubs pitcher at Wrigley Field since Jason Marquis blanked, coincidentally, the Pirates on May 9, 2007. Odd notes from that game: only one Pirate who played that day remains on the club (Ryan Doumit), and Marquis' opponent that night was current Cub Tom Gorzelanny (John Grabow, who came over from Pittsburgh with Gorzelanny, also pitched in that game).

Dempster was outstanding. Though he gave up two doubles, both leading off innings, those runners were stranded and only one other Pirate (Brandon Moss, who walked and went to third on a Delwyn Young single in the second inning) made it past first base. Dempster threw 120 pitches (81 strikes), which wasn't even his highest total of the season (he threw 121 against the Brewers in a 12-6 loss on May 9) and had the Pirates under control all night.

Meanwhile, the Cubs were taking advantage of Kevin Hart's wildness -- something he exhibited even when he was throwing fairly well in his four Cub starts before the trade to Pittsburgh -- and some shoddy Pirates defense in putting six runs on the board off Hart in the first four innings. The Pirates made three errors, all of them on what appeared to be routine plays, helping the Cubs score two unearned runs out of the six. The Cubs drew seven walks in all, four by Ryan Theriot -- who was an excellent leadoff man last night, reaching base all five times he was at bat. (That's not an endorsement of Theriot for leadoff -- I still believe the job should go to Kosuke Fukudome -- just a note that he did a good job yesterday.)

The win clinched a winning season for the Cubs with their 82nd win. That's the first time the Cubs have had three consecutive winning seasons in 37 years, since 1970-71-72. And it's the first time they have done so in a manager's first three years in 74 years, since the 1933-34-35 Cubs had three straight winning years in Charlie Grimm's first three seasons as manager. There remain other personal goals besides Dempster's 200 innings; Carlos Zambrano goes today for win #10 to finish in double figures, and Sam Fuld still seeks his first major league RBI (only two players, both 100+ years ago, had more plate appearances in a season than Fuld has now -- 103 -- without an RBI). I'd like to see Tyler Colvin get some more playing time in the final six games, too.

Last night's announced crowd was 35,308. That brought the season paid attendance to 2,989,120, so today's first-game attendance will put them past the 3 million mark for the sixth straight year. Last night's opponent, the chilly weather, and postseason chances being basically over kept the in-house count to what appeared to be about 15,000. The bleachers were about half-full (maybe 2500) and the rest of the park about one-third occupied, many of whom left after the seventh-inning stretch. The Cubs will have to make definitive moves to improve the team, and in my opinion not raise ticket prices, to keep drawing in 2010 the way they have the last three seasons.

The first game of today's split doubleheader begins at 1:05 pm CDT -- the first time a game has started at that time at Wrigley Field that I can remember. The game preview thread will be up at 11:30 am CDT.

Heading Home: Cubs vs. Pirates Preview, Tuesday 9/29, 7:05 CT

Al — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:00:22 -0000

More photos » by George Nikitin - AP

Write your own caption.

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Ryan Dempster is a class act, as we all know -- but today, Gordon Wittenmyer tells us more about what Dempster had to go through after his daughter was born with a rare congenital disease, and notes that the toughest person on Ryan Dempster is... Ryan Dempster:

Dempster has a hard time accepting that he didn't pitch better when things were most upside-down.

"Sometimes just not knowing how to handle it all," he said. "Just life in general. I had a 3-year-old that's running around doing his thing and you're trying to give attention to him but at the same time, that's your daughter lying there with the tubes in and out of her and surgeries and all kinds of stuff.

"I wish I could have handled things a little bit better, especially when I came to the field, and tried to separate those two. At times it was a little bit tough."

As recently as a few starts ago, Dempster's most recent rough start coincided with another hospital procedure for Riley.

"He's human," pitching coach Larry Rothschild said. "And he handled it better than most people. But that doesn't mean it didn't have an effect. It did. Clearly."

I'm glad the Cubs signed Dempster to a four-year deal. He's exactly the kind of guy you need in your clubhouse -- and I'm sure that now that his family situation has stabilized, he'll be back stronger than ever in 2010.

Bruce Miles writes today about Jake Fox and what he's going to do this offseason to help himself improve. And Bruce notes that Jake (given name "Jacob") shares a name with a Hall of Famer:

Fox shares the same first and last name of White Sox Hall of Famer Jacob "Nellie" Fox. A native of Indianapolis, the Cubs' Fox says it's a coincidence, but one he enjoys.

"I knew that," he said of his name. "My grandparents went to Cooperstown when I was real young, and (the Hall of Fame) sells those little cards in the gift shop.

"They brought me one back of Jacob Nelson Fox. Jacob Nelson 'Nellie' Fox. So I always knew there was a Jacob Fox in the Hall of Fame. I thought that was really cool. I still actually have a card at home, but I always thought that was really cool."

It's a good story, but Jake Fox couldn't have been "real young" when that happened. Jacob Nelson "Nellie" Fox was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997 -- when the Cubs' Jake Fox was 15.

Today's Starting Pitchers


Ryan Dempster Cubs	vs.	Kevin Hart Pirates

10-8	W-L	4-8
3.68	ERA	5.38
156	SO	47
62	BB	40
21	HR	11
vs. Hou	--	vs. Cubs

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Ryan Dempster	10-8	29	29	0	0	0	0	186.0	185	89	76	21	62	156	3.68	1.33

NOTE: Kevin Hart's stats below are with the Pirates only. See the pitcher box above for his full-season stats.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Kevin Hart	1-7	9	9	0	0	0	0	49.1	68	41	38	8	22	34	6.93	1.82

After pitching fairly well in four starts for the Cubs (with a large number of walks), Kevin Hart has thrown... really badly in nine starts for the Pirates, going 1-7 with a bad ERA (6.93) and worse WHIP (1.82). This includes this game vs. the Cubs on September 9 in Pittsburgh, his only career appearance against his former team, in which he walked six in five innings and allowed four earned runs and a homer to Micah Hoffpauir.

The September 8 start in Pittsburgh was Ryan Dempster's only really "bad" start of the month; he allowed four runs in 6.1 innings, but got the win anyway. Since that start he has been lights-out in three starts, throwing 23 innings with a 1.17 ERA and only three walks and 16 K's. For those three starts he has a win and a pair of no-decisions. Since August 1, Dempster is 5-3, 2.75 in 11 starts, similar to his production of last year. He needs 14 innings to reach the 200-inning mark for the second year in a row, and he'll get tonight and Sunday to try to reach that milestone.

Today's game is on WGN and FSN Pittsburgh. For other games today see the MLB.com Mediacenter.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

SB Nation game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Pirates site Bucs Dugout. They seem a little lonely over there.

Overflow comment threads will post today at 8:15 and 9:15 pm CDT.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Ten Lessons Jim Hendry Needs To Learn From The 2009 Season

Al — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:00:14 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

Example of a player Jim Hendry should not sign to an overpriced, multiyear contract.

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I suppose this post could have waited till next week, but once again we are faced with more than 48 hours between games -- for the last time in 2009 -- and so I thought I'd start some discussion this morning with these things that I think were done poorly by Cubs GM Jim Hendry since the end of the 2008 season.

Hendry got a three-year contract extension (through the 2012 season) after last year's successful regular season, with the hope that 2009 would be even better. It didn't work out that way; Hendry had about as bad an offseason last year as any GM in recent memory, but with new ownership poised to take over, it isn't the right time to blow everything up and start over. Hendry will be given at least one more year to get things back on the track we thought the Cubs were on during their two-year run as NL Central champions in 2007 and 2008.

Some of the problems with the 2009 Cubs were not Hendry's fault and many of them were beyond his control. It's not Hendry's fault that Aramis Ramirez dislocated his shoulder four weeks into the season and missed a total of 75 games (through yesterday). A-Ram produced above his usual level (.906 OPS, compared to his career level of .847) and I think we all agree that the Cubs missed his production in the two months he was out from mid-May to mid-July, not to mention that he wasn't at full strength on his return. To have produced the way he did after the All-Star break -- without complaining -- is a credit to Ramirez's work ethic and ability. It's not Hendry's fault that Alfonso Soriano played most of the year injured, though he perhaps could have insisted harder that Soriano have arthroscopic surgery in June, and maybe he'd have been ready in September. It's not Hendry's fault that all the Opening Day rotation starters spent time on the disabled list, forcing the Cubs to have 21 starts made by guys (Sean Marshall, Kevin Hart, Tom Gorzelanny and Jeff Samardzija) whose performance can best be called "uneven". (The Cubs were 9-12 in those 21 games.)

Credit where credit is due: give Jim credit for recognizing that Randy Wells could help the team as a starter, though I don't think anyone could have guessed he'd be as good as he has been. Credit for giving Koyie Hill the backup catcher job; he's been very good in that role. And credit for getting John Grabow and Gorzelanny for, essentially, nothing; Grabow will likely be retained as a key part of the 2010 bullpen and Gorzelanny, though his performance has been up and down, does have talent and will be in the mix for the 2010 rotation.

With that in mind, below the fold you'll find ten ideas Hendry must internalize and go by as he builds a roster for 2010. (Not necessarily in priority order.)

1. Stop fixing "problems" that do not exist. I think this is one we can all agree on; the troubles with the 2009 Cubs began with the decision made at the organizational meetings last fall that "we're not lefthanded enough", a mantra particularly of Lou Piniella's, due to the Dodgers' RHP-centric pitching staff in the 2008 NLDS. The Cubs didn't lose that series because of a lack of LH batters, but since Lou (and the rest of the staff) thought that was the reason, they went out of their way to identify a "lefthanded, middle-of-the-order bat" that they could insert behind Derrek Lee and ahead of Ramirez. We are all familiar with the expensive disaster that produced so I won't rehash it here. I caution Hendry about this because they are about to do the same thing -- fix a nonexistent problem. "We need a speedy leadoff man", goes the managerial mantra. Well, no, Lou, you don't. A leadoff man's primary job is to get on base. You already have someone who can lead off and do that -- Kosuke Fukudome, who ranks 8th in the NL in walks, despite having almost 100 fewer plate appearances than the leader (Albert Pujols). The Cubs are 22-13 with Fukudome leading off this year (that's a 101-win pace for a full season). The last time Hendry went after this type of player, he traded three useful minor leaguers for Juan Pierre. Jim -- do not get sucked into this trap again.

2. Stop bidding against yourself for players. The first argument against this, you might think, is "Jason Marquis", but Marquis did what he was asked to do -- if the Cubs had kept him this year and he had produced the way he did in Colorado, the Cubs would have gotten fine 4th or 5th starter value for the $7 million a year average per year over the life of Marquis' contract. True, Hendry could have likely had Marquis for less, since no one else had expressed interest at the time. And you can't make the argument "Alfonso Soriano" about this, either, because Soriano had been offered six-plus years by the Phillies and seven by the Angels; the Cubs were determined at the time to make a statement in the free agent market. Soriano was the top free agent after 2006, and yes, the Cubs overpaid to get him. He may still be healthy and productive enough to be worth the deal, at least for the next 2-3 years. (Heaven help the Cubs in years 7 and 8, though.) No, what I'm talking about is paying $30 million for three years' worth of the iffy Milton Bradley when absolutely no other team was even after Bradley, much less offering three years. Or giving a two-year contract to Aaron Miles for any amount of money, when we now know there was at least one option (Andres Blanco) right in the Cubs' own farm system who could have done a better job for the league minimum. Advice to Jim: when you're thinking about doing this, don't. Just don't.

3. Stop giving out contracts that are longer than they need to be. Related to the last point, there was no need to give Marquis a three-year deal; two plus a mutual option would have likely done it, and then if the Cubs really did want to deal him last year, they could have arranged for the other team to pick up the option (if that team wanted him badly enough) or simply decline the option and let him go to free agency. This is particularly true in the case of Marquis; the return for him (Luis Vizcaino) was worthless, because the Cubs wound up dumping him and eating the contract. The same thing applies to the Miles and Bradley deals.

4. Stop trading for guys you think are good because you liked them five years ago, or are fond of their college coach. You don't have to guess who I'm talking about here; his name is Aaron Heilman. (And several years ago, his name was Michael Barrett.) It's great for a GM to be loyal to his players, and Hendry is someone a lot of MLB players want to play for, for this very reason. But any Mets fan could have told Hendry that Heilman had lost whatever command he had last year -- you should have heard the booing for Heilman when he came in at Citi Field, louder than I think I've ever heard for any returning former player -- and though Heilman has been better the last six weeks, he still was not worth losing Felix Pie (Pie, though he went to Baltimore, essentially was part of this deal because Garrett Olson, who was acquired for Pie, was part of the deal to the Mariners for Heilman). And really, Jim, isn't it time to stop the Notre Dame-Wrigley Express? As far as I can tell, there are four active major leaguers who went to ND: Heilman, Samardzija, Craig Counsell and Brad Lidge. All of those guys have issues. Enough already.

5. Stop handing out one-year renewal deals to players like candy. Chad Gaudin didn't throw very well and had a noted off-field incident in 2008. He didn't figure to play a major role in the 2009 rotation or bullpen, yet the Cubs signed him to a $2 million deal in December to avoid arbitration. Then he stunk it up in spring training, forcing the Cubs to simply release him and eat the contract; the Padres and Yankees later got replacement-level production for the league minimum. The Cubs could have gotten this sort of production out of Justin Berg or Esmailin Caridad, as it turned out. Gaudin should have been non-tendered in December.

6. Don't waste half a year's roster spot on a Rule 5 pick that your manager isn't going to use. Maybe David Patton would have pitched better if Lou Piniella had actually used him more than once every five games. We'll never know, obviously, but Lou essentially wasted a roster spot by relegating Patton to pitching in blowouts or in long extra-inning games. The Cubs could have used an extra bench player -- since Aaron Miles was useless -- because Lou was working with what was for all practical purposes an 11-man pitching staff. Lou and Jim deserve equal blame for this one -- and I hate to say it, but BCB poster BLou was right about this one. At this point, maybe it's best for the Cubs to stay out of the Rule 5 draft for a while.

7. Do more careful evaluations of your prospects and young players to maximize their value, whether it be in the major league lineup or in trades. It's clear now that the entire organization was split on Felix Pie's progress. Two years ago, his trade value would have been a lot higher than "Garrett Olson", and of course, now it's probably far higher than that again. Hendry sold on Pie at the lowest possible point, and he and Lou together dragged down a former top prospect's trade value (they did the same with Rich Hill, who could have been dealt after the 2007 season for a pretty good return, although few would have suggested it after Hill put together such a good season). This is another reason why it's silly to have played Bobby Scales in left field for even one game. Scales is a great story and maybe he's a 25th guy on someone's roster next year -- but his trade value is close to zero. Jake Fox, on the other hand, might either be a useful spare part for the 2010 Cubs or might have some trade value, but scouts aren't going to see it if he sits on the bench, Lou. This is where a GM has to have some input with his manager, not simply let the manager dictate the roster. In general, GM's shouldn't be making out lineups -- but Hendry, in this case, could have let Lou know that Fox should have been playing (and Fox should have also been playing 3B from the day after A-Ram went down, too).

8. Don't automatically think that you have to sign expensive free agents to get better. Last offseason, rather than sign Milton Bradley, the Cubs could have approached the White Sox for Jermaine Dye. Dye could have been available by trade; at the time it appeared the White Sox were trying to dump contracts. In fact, I wrote about this possibility last November. Dye didn't have a great year, but he was at least as good as Bradley without the baggage, and with Dye having a $12 million mutual option that will almost certainly be declined by the White Sox, he might be available for not too much money and years (see points 2 and 3). There may be other players available like this -- and, in fact, Hendry almost has to use this route to be able to move Bradley's contract. Magglio Ordonez is almost certain to be on the block, and though he had a terrible season, it's possible he could rebound and he's a lifetime .308/.389/.513 hitter in Wrigley Field (relatively small sample size of 90 PA). NOTE! Do not assume that because I mentioned Ordonez, he is the ONLY player I'd go after for such a deal. He's only one example. Another such player is Luke Scott, who would have looked pretty good in a Cubs uniform in 2009, and who is likely headed for a hefty raise in arbitration. Maybe the Cubs can do that if they can trade Bradley elsewhere. The point of all this to Jim Hendry is: get creative, the way you did when you pulled off the Nomar Garciaparra deal in 2004.

9. Get "good clubhouse guys". I mean, this should be a no-brainer. Any Cubs fan who's been around even for ten years knows that the 2003 Cubs, managed by a player's manager, Dusty Baker, succeeded in part because they had strong clubhouse leaders, Eric Karros and Damian Miller. Miller and Karros were sent packing before 2004, and the 2004 Cubs, despite having more talent and ability than the 2003 version, collapsed in the final week. The acrimony there was visible in public, with players calling the press box to bitch, along with some high-profile public trouble between the team and its broadcasters. I'm not saying those were the only reasons for the success or failure of those two teams, but they clearly did have some impact, particularly with a players' manager like Baker who pretty much lets the clubhouse run itself. If there are no strong player-leaders, such a clubhouse is an "inmates running the asylum" situation and the results are predictable. Similarly, the Cubs lost strong player-leaders Mark DeRosa and Kerry Wood after 2008 and added one player who reportedly was not a good clubhouse presence. NOTE! I am NOT saying that the Cubs must go out and reacquire DeRosa and Wood. However, I am saying that I believe all successful teams have players like this in their clubhouse. Hendry needs to identify some such players who can both do this and be productive in the lineup, and acquire a couple of them. Without trying to ignite the stats debate again, I believe having guys like this does matter. (Of course, they should also be good players -- that goes without saying.)

10. Think outside the box. Jim Hendry did this when he managed to dump an unproductive Todd Hundley on the Dodgers and get back two useful players in Mark Grudzielanek and Karros, without whom the Cubs might not have won the division in 2003. He did it again in 2004 when he engineered the four-team trade that got Nomar to the North Side. He needs to be creative in his thinking again this year. Don't fall prey to the "this is what's wrong with us and we are going to go fix that no matter what it costs" thinking that helped ruin the 2009 Cubs. Be ahead of the curve; that's what helped the Cardinals do so well this year. Also, this could apply to the idea that Hendry might be able to find solutions just by looking in his own system for next year (say, Andres Blanco, Justin Berg, Esmailin Caridad) rather than scouring the waiver wire for someone else's discards (as he did this year with the Aaron's).

There may be more lessons than just these ten, but going by these simple precepts might help Jim Hendry build a 2010 Cubs team that will once again be the favorite to win the NL Central -- and this time, actually do it.

Reds win 12-2, have scored 30 runs in their last three games. Totally sustainable for the rest of this season and all of next, says I.

jch24 — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:28:12 -0000

More photos » by Darren Hauck - AP

"This is how many bases I get every time I come up these days."

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Another quickie recap:

Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Joey Votto went 4-5 with two doubles, two singles, three runs scored and an RBI. In the last two nights, dude is 7-9 with 5 doubles, two RBI and six runs scored. Oh and he hit a two run HR the game before. I think it's safe to say he's back.

Other Notes

Homer Bailey is now 4-1 with a sparkling 2.00 ERA over his last seven starts, lowering his season ERA by 1.8 runs in the process. He is what we thought he was! Or at least a lot closer to what we thought he could be.
Brandon Phillips had two more RBI, tying his career high with 94 on the year. He also got plunked by Virgil Vasquez in the 9th and had to leave the game. My sources say he'll play through the pain in an attempt to reach 100 RBI.
Drew Stubbs stole second and third base in the third inning, rattling Kevin Hart and starting a three run inning that might have been more had BP not have gotten greedy.
Dusty Baker replaced Jared Burton in the eighth inning up seven runs and no one on base. But he invented the high five, so it's cool.
Abraham Philip Miller had two RBI and is now hitting within 80 points of his weight. Hernadez who?
The Reds are 21-10 when Scott Rolen starts at 3B. It's his team!
The Reds still haven't gotten that damning 82nd loss, fighting to stave off their ninth straight losing season like their lives depend on it.
John Wall will either win the Heisman or average less than 10 ppg. There is no in between.

via www.fangraphs.com

Dodgers Sweep Away All Worries, Pirates

Eric Stephen — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:02:38 -0000

More photos » by Danny Moloshok - AP

Only players who homered today are allowed to hug.

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Six solid innings by Hiroki Kuroda were enough on this day of rest for many Dodger regulars, as the Dodgers swept away the Pirates, 3-1 on Manny Ramirez Bobblehead Day II at Dodger Stadium.

After Kuroda pitched his six innings, allowing just one run while striking out seven, Matt Kemp turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 Dodger lead with a two-run home run off Kevin Hart in the bottom of the sixth.

The five Dodger reserves who started today had five hits in 15 at-bats, with two walks. The one who did the most damage was Ronnie Belliard, who had a home run, a double, a single, and a walk. Belliard's eighth inning bomb gave the Dodgers an insurance run in the eighth inning.

The terrific trio of Hong-Chih Kuo, George Sherrill, and Jonathan Broxton (I really need to come up with a better nickname) did what they do: shut down the opposition. Nine Pirates came to the plate, and nine batters were retired, four by strikeout.

The Dodgers as a team had 11 strikeouts and no walks today, tying the season high for team strikeouts without walking a batter. The other two games that happened were the home opener, and August 16. Kuroda himself has not walked a batter in his last 16 innings.

Tomorrow is a rare home off day for the Dodgers. The Giants come to town this weekend for a three-game set. Vicente Padilla will face Jonathan Sanchez Friday night.

The Rockies and Giants finish their series tonight at 7:05pm. You can follow on Gameday here. The Cardinals lost to Florida today, so the Dodgers now have a three-game lead for the best record in the National League, over both the Cardinals and Phillies. The Phillies host the Nationals at 4:05pm.

Magic Numbers
To win NL West: 10
To clinch a playoff spot: 9

WP - Hiroki Kuroda (7-6): 6 IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 7 strikeouts

LP -Kevin Hart (4-7): 6 IP, 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts

Sv - Jonathan Broxton (35): 1 IP, 1 strikeout

Box Score

Dodgers Go For Sweep The Morning After

Eric Stephen — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:25:19 -0000

More photos » by Jae C. Hong - AP

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"Never leave a fleece blanket game night in September. Just saying."

-BHSportsGuy

Much like the 4+1 game, fleece blanket night meant a very happy ending for fans at Dodger Stadium last night, as Andre Ethier provided his walk-off magic yet again. And much like that September 18, 2006 game, the Dodgers' next game was against the Pirates.

Jim Peltz of the Los Angeles Times noted that Ethier's 21 home runs at home are "the most in a season by a left-handed hitter in the stadium's 47-year history." Ethier's is also the 47th season in Dodger history with 30 home runs, and the first since Adrian Beltre hit 48 in 2004.

Today's game is the finale of a series, an early 12:10pm start. Casey Blake, Russell Martin, and Rafael Furcal are expected to rest today. Might this bring the 2009 debut of Chin-Lung Hu?

Hiroki Kuroda takes the mound for the Dodgers, fresh off his great start Friday in San Francisco. His eight-inning performance yielded a game score of 73, which was Kuroda's second best of the season, just behind his masterful performance against the White Sox on June 23.

Since joining the Pirates at the trade deadline, Kevin Hart is 1-5 with a 6.46 ERA in seven starts, and opposing batters are hitting .329/399/.559 against him.

The last time the Dodgers swept the Pirates was June 23-25, 2006 at Dodger Stadium.

**********

Check out Xeifrank's simulation of today's game here.

Don't forget to RSVP for True Blue LA Day at Dodger Stadium, on the next-to-last day of the regular season, October 3 against the Rockies.

Get your guesses in for our today's "One, Two, Three Strikes, You're Out," here.

Game Time: 12:10pm

TV: Prime Ticket

Baseball Reference Preview

"Endre" Ethier Does It Again

Eric Stephen — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:44:48 -0000

More photos » by Jae C. Hong - AP

Andre Ethier is making this a common occurence

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Its not fair to expect magical things from Andre Ethier every time he bats in the late innings, but he just keeps delivering! Ethier ended tonight's game by depositing a Phil Dumatrait fastball over the wall in right field, turning a 4-3, 13th inning deficit into a thrilling, 5-4 Dodger victory.

Ethier also came up big in the ninth inning, doubling with one out with the Dodgers down 3-2. A Matt Kemp single tied the game and sent it into extra innings. But the story was his sixth walk-off hit of the season, and fourth walk-off home run. The Dodgers as a team have 12 walk-off wins this season.

Ethier's home run was his 30th of the season, and his ninth inning double was his 40th of the season. He is just the fourth Dodger in history to have 40 doubles and 30 home runs in the same season:

Player	Year	2B	HR
Babe Herman	1930	48	35
Raul Mondesi	1997	42	30
Eric Karros	1999	40	34
Andre Ethier	2009	40	30

Lost in the Andre Ethier show were these subplots of tonight's game:

Randy Wolf came back from a hyper-extended left elbow to pitch seven strong innings, allowing just three runs, gladly picking up his 15th no-decision, tied for the MLB lead
Zach Duke was even better for the Pirates, allowing two runs and four hits over 7.1 innings while striking out seven
Ramon Troncoso and George Sherrill combined for a perfect eighth inning, and were followed by another perfect inning from Jonathan Broxton, who struck out the side
James McDonald pitched three scoreless innings, his longest relief outing of the season. McDonald has a 2.40 ERA as a reliever with 42 strikeouts in 45 innings.

The players get right back at it tomorrow for an early 12:10pm start. Hiroki Kuroda will face Kevin Hart, on Manny Ramirez bobblehead day part deux. Joe Torre said in the pregame show that Russell Martin, Casey Blake, and Rafael Furcal were all likely to rest Wednesday.

Oh yeah, the Rockies lost to the Giants again, pushing the Dodgers' division lead back to five games over Colorado.

Magic Numbers
To win NL West: 11
To clinch a playoff spot: 10

WP - Ronald Belisario (4-3): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 unearned run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

LP - Phil Dumatrait (0-1): 1 batter, 1 home run

Box Score

Pirates Lose to Cubs, May Never Win a Game Again

Charlie — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:57:48 -0000

by Gene J. Puskar - AP

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Kevin Hart struggled with his control in an 8-5 loss to the Cubs today that dropped the Pirates to 54-84. Six weeks or so ago I dismissed the idea that the Pirates might lose 100 games, but now it's looking increasingly possible. The Bucs would have to win nine of their remaining 24 games to avoid it. Luckily, four of those remaining games are against the Padres, and six are against the Reds. If there's any other silver lining here, it's that the Pirates aren't getting blown out; they rarely have a game where they don't either score a reasonable number or allow a reasonable number. They could be winning. But they aren't.

Cubs vs Pirates boxscore