SB Nation - Hee Seop Choi

BREAKING: Milton Bradley Reported Headed To Seattle For Carlos Silva

Al — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:08:48 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Sources confirm Milton Bradley headed to Mariners for Carlos Silva -- merry christmas #cubs fans

Well. Clearly, Carlos Silva has been one of the worst pitchers in baseball the last two years. This is not a deal you'd make in a vacuum, and unless Silva has a previously undisclosed injury or some sort of massive mechanical problem, the Cubs won't get any decent production out of him.

However, I ask you to remember what happened seven years ago, when Todd Hundley "had" to be traded under similar (though certainly not identical) circumstances, and Jim Hendry turned him into Eric Karros and Mark Grudzielanek.

Karros had just come off two really poor years and a lot of Cubs fans wondered, "What do we want with him? We have Hee Seop Choi ready to take over 1B." Grudzielanek was similarly awful in 2002, posting a Neifi-like .665 OPS.

Yet by the end of the 2003 season, both of these players had played significant roles in the NL Central championship season, and Karros is still remembered fondly by Cubs fans for the full-page ad he took out in the Tribune thanking all of us for his memorable season.

Let's wait and see. For me, I'm happy that Jim Hendry managed to fix his mistake from a year ago, albeit at a high (for now) dollar cost. Maybe Carlos Silva will reclaim what he had in Minnesota and be worth the contract.

Next stop: signing a CF.

Sooner Rather Than Later For The Dodgers

Eric Stephen — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:00:15 -0000

by David Dow - NBAE/Getty Images

Blake Griffin of the Clippers will throw out the ceremonial first pitch tonight at Dodger Stadium

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Blake Griffin of the Clippers will throw out a ceremonial first pitch tonight at Dodger Stadium, as he begins to build his Los Angeles legacy. The Clippers would be thrilled if he progressed as much as another former basketball player from Oklahoma, who now happens to roam centerfield for the Dodgers.

Matt Kemp is on a bit of a hot streak right now, as he has homered in five of the last six games, including four straight. The only Dodger ever to have a longer streak of games with a home run was Shawn Green, who turned the trick for five straight games in July 2001.

The last Dodger to homer in four straight games was Hee Seop Choi, who had a memorable seven home runs in an epic stretch in June 2005.

Born two days apart, Chad Billingsley (the younger one) will battle Max Scherzer in a battle of 25-year old pitchers who are struggling, at least on the surface. Scherzer in August went 2-2 in six starts with a 6.47 ERA, but his FIP was only 3.74, and he struck out 10.97 batters per nine innings. Billingsley's struggles are more injury related, but over his last 13 starts he is 3-5 with a 5.23 ERA and a 4.93 FIP. However, fighting leg injuries in August, Billingsley did put up a 3.21 ERA in five starts, with a 3.79 FIP, so he hasn't been that bad at all.

Jim Thome will be activated for tonight's game.

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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: 7:10pm

TV: Prime Ticket, ESPN

Baseball Reference Preview

Baseball Stadiums And You

Eric Stephen — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:06:54 -0000

Watching the Dodgers at another stadium is fun, especially when they win.

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Yesterday, Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts took his first trip to AT&T Park in San Francisco, and what followed from that in the comments was a nice discussion of various ballparks people have attended. It made me do some digging and reminiscing about the stadiums I have been to. What better way is there to spend the off day today than to look back at all the stadiums you have been to? Feel free to give us your ballpark memories in the comments.

Outside of Dodger Stadium, here is my list:

Angels Stadium

I have been here on numerous occasions, but the few that stick out for me are these:

July 18, 1991: This game was one of the reasons I almost never leave early. I was 15, attending the game with both of my older brothers, and thus not exactly in full control of the transportation opportunities. Once Albert Belle broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the ninth off Bryan Harvey, my brothers started to get up and leave. Stunned, and without a ride home if I stayed, I had to leave too. By the time we got to the car, it was 4-1 Indians, which had justified the decision by my brothers...until, that is, the Angels stormed back for four runs off four Indians pitchers (including former and future Old Friends Shawn Hillegas, Jesse Orosco, and Jeff Shaw) to win, 5-4.

August 8, 2000: Sitting one deck up behind home plate, I got to see the tremendous movement on the pitches from Pedro Martinez at his peak, which was a treat. The Angels somehow scratched together two runs to beat Pedro that night.

October 16, 2005: The White Sox won the pennant by taking Game 5 of the ALCS, as Jose Contreras pitched the fourth straight complete game of the series for Chicago. The final out of the series was an unassisted groundout to Old Friend Paul Konerko. The highlight of the game for me was seeing a family friend -- a huge Notre Dame fan -- at the stadium and showing him my USC shirt one day after the Leinart Sneak / Bush Push game.

Petco Park & Qualcomm Stadium

I lived in San Diego for the better part of 14 years, and saw numerous games here. The Dodgers never seem to do well with me in attendance in San Diego, as they are 7-19 lifetime (they did win on July 3 this year though, so I'm on a hot streak). Two games that stood out:

June 11, 1993: The very first game I went to in San Diego. Kevin Gross pitched eight scoreless innings, but the Dodgers -- including rookie Pedro Martinez -- blew a 4-0 lead in the ninth, and the Padres won 5-4.

September 30, 1995: This was the first time I saw the Dodgers clinch anything, as they won 7-2 behind Hideo Nomo to clinch the NL West over the Rockies (who would win the Wild Card). There were quite a few Dodger fans at the park that night.

Coors Field

July 27, 2000: I have only been to one game in Denver, and it was during a family reunion in Colorado. My cousins and I got picked up at the airport and went straight to the stadium. This game was nearly four hours long, yet only nine innings. The Dodgers won 16-11, behind the greatest game of Alex Cora's life. Cora had two home runs, and a double that hit high off the wall.

Chase Field (Bank One Ballpark)

I have been to three games here, only one of which was against the Dodgers.

July 24, 1999: I made the unwise decision to drive to Phoenix from San Diego and back in one day, and was rewarded with Brian Anderson outdueling Darren Dreifort. The D-Backs rode home runs by Steve Finley and Bernard Gilkey to a 3-0 win.

August 22, 2003: The only no-hitter I ever saw, only it wasn't a no-hitter. Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs allowed no hits into the eighth inning, then with two outs future Old Friend Shea Hillenbrand was awarded an infield single even though it was painfully clear from my nosebleed seats that he was out at first base. Zambrano got the next three batters out, so he has a no-hitter in my mind.

AT&T Park

September 30, 2006: I took a detour on my way home from a business conference to see my first two games in San Francisco. The first game was the next-to-last day of the season, and Greg Maddux beat the Giants to clinch a playoff spot for the Dodgers (they would end up as the Wild Card, although at this point that was undetermined). Thanks to Stub Hub, I was sitting in the same row as many of the Dodger family section, including Mia Hamm, Russell Martin's dad, and Carolyn Hughes (who is stunning in person, by the way).

Oriole Park at Camden Yards

August 23, 1996: I have been to a total of four games at Camden Yards, and truthfully none of them really stand out as memorable games, but the park is awesome. This game was a 2-0 Angel win, behind home runs from Chili Davis and Jim Edmonds, but I mostly picked this game because I forgot David Wells was once an Oriole.

Network Associates Coliseum

May 12, 2000: This is a late-inning Matt Stairs home run of which I actually have fond memories, and the only reason was that there are few things better than calling the guy who has a closer who just blew a save in your fantasy league -- in this case Kaz Sasaki of the Mariners -- and letting the crowd noise do the talking.

Safeco Field

October 1, 2004: This game was memorable because Ichiro Suzuki broke the single-season record for hits in a season with his 258th hit, in the first inning. Ichiro, who broke George Sisler's xx-year old record, added two more hits in this Friday night game, and went on to collect two more over the season's final weekend to settle the record at 262 hits.

Wrigley Field

June 4, 2003: My only trip to Wrigley was for a night game, but it was still a great experience. There are really only a few lights there, so it has a surreal effect of having the stands dark and basically only the field lit up. Its almost like watching an outdoor play. This game was the day after Sammy Sosa got ejected for having a corked bat, and the Cubs' faithful, including Jesse Jackson, gave Sosa a rousing ovation before his first at-bat. Five future Old Friends started this game: Julio Lugo, Marlon Anderson, and Toby Hall for Tampa Bay; Hee Seop Choi and Paul Bako for Chicago.

That's my list. A total of 10 stadiums (including Dodger Stadium, and counting both San Diego parks as one). What's yours?

Dodgers Week 12 In Review: The Calm Before The Storm

Eric Stephen — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:09:50 -0000

More photos » by Hector Mata - AP

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Previous Weekly Recaps: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

The Dodgers lost two series in a row for the first time all year, and as a result had their first losing week of the year. Even though they are scuffling a bit -- they are 14-13 in their last 27 games -- they will get a big boost this week with the return of Manny Ramirez.

Dodger Batter of the Week: Even though he was hitless in 15 at-bats otherwise (with four walks and a sacrifice fly), Andre Ethier and his three home runs easily win the award this week. Ethier became just the 17th Dodger to hit three homers in a game, and the first since Hee Seop Choi in 2005.

Dodger Pitcher of the Week: As much as I want to give this award to Jonathan Broxton (not really) for striking out 100% of the batters he faced, I will give this award to Clayton Kershaw, who turned in his third straight good start on Friday against the Mariners. Hiroki Kuroda was close, with his brilliant effort in Chicago, but he loses some credit for his relaitvely poor outing Sunday, even though he managed to pitch into the seventh inning.

Week 12 Record: 2-4
28 runs scored (4.67 per game)
29 runs allowed (4.83 per game)
.482 pythagorean winning percentage

Overall Seasonal Record: 48-28 (.632)
376 runs scored (4.95 per game)
292 runs allowed (3.84 per game)
.624 pythagorean winning percentage

Manny Suspension Countdown: 47 games down, 3 games to go; 5 days until Friday at Petco Park.

Transactions: On Saturday, Cory Wade was optioned to AAA Albuquerque to make room for Eric Milton, who was activated from the disabled list.

Upcoming Week: The Dodgers end their homestand with three games against Colorado, then after an off day Thursday travel to San Diego as the Manny Ramirez Era begins anew. Also this week, Claudio Vargas's 30-day rehab assignment ends on Wednesday, so he will likely be activated.

Week 12 Stats

Player	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	BA/OBP/SLG	OPS
Ethier	18	3	3	0	0	3	7	4	.167/.333/.667	1.000
Kemp	25	4	6	0	1	2	4	1	.240/.269/.560	.829
Loney	19	4	5	1	0	1	2	2	.263/.333/.474	.807
Blake	23	4	5	1	0	1	4	3	.217/.308/.391	.699
Martin	21	2	5	1	0	0	0	3	.238/.385/.286	.670
Pierre	24	2	5	1	0	0	0	1	.208/.321/.250	.571
Hudson	26	2	6	1	0	0	4	1	.231/.250/.269	.519
Furcal	20	2	4	1	0	0	0	1	.200/.238/.250	.488
Loretta	9	2	4	2	0	0	3	1	.444/.500/.667	1.167
Jones	8	1	3	1	0	0	0	0	.375/.444/.500	.944
Castro	6	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	.333/.333/.333	.667
Ausmus	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000/.000/.000	.000
Ellis	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000/.000/.000	.000
Pitchers	4	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	.250/.250/.250	.500
Totals	211	28	49	9	1	7	25	17	.232/.308/.384	.692

Pitcher	G	W-L	Sv	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
Kershaw	1	1-0	--	6.0	5	2	2	1	8	3.00	1.000
Kuroda	2	1-1	--	15.0	12	6	6	0	14	3.60	0.800
Milton	1	0-1	--	5.0	7	4	4	0	7	7.20	1.400
Billingsley	1	0-0	--	6.0	4	5	5	4	3	7.50	1.333
Wolf	1	0-1	--	3.1	7	5	5	2	1	13.50	2.700
Troncoso	2	0-0	--	4.0	1	0	0	2	2	0.00	0.750
Mota	3	0-0	--	4.0	1	0	0	1	4	0.00	0.500
Belisario	3	0-0	--	2.2	2	0	0	0	2	0.00	0.750
Broxton	1	0-0	1	0.1	0	0	0	0	1	0.00	0.000
McDonald	1	0-0	--	4.2	5	1	1	1	4	1.93	1.286
Weaver	1	0-1	--	2.2	5	1	1	1	2	3.38	2.250
Leach	3	0-0	--	2.0	1	1	1	2	0	4.50	1.500
Wade	1	0-0	--	1.0	4	4	4	0	1	36.00	4.000
Totals	6	2-4	1	56.2	54	29	29	14	49	4.61	1.200

Andre Ethier To The Third Power

Eric Stephen — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 05:22:54 -0000

More photos » by Hector Mata - AP

5 months ago: Los Angeles Dodgers' Andre Ethier (16) is greeted by Russell Martin after he hit a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners in Los Angeles on Friday, June 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Hector Mata)

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There were many heroes tonight, including Clayton Kershaw with his third straight strong start, and Casey Blake with his homer and near-homer off the top of the wall. However, the star of the Dodgers' 8-2 win over the Mariners was Andre Ethier, who slammed three home runs and drove in six.

Ethier is the 10th LA Dodger to hit at least three homers in a game (it happened seven more times when the club was in Brooklyn), and the first since Hee Seop Choi in 2005. Ethier has hit 13 of his team-leading 14 home runs at Dodger Stadium this season, and his five multi-HR games is tied with Albert Pujols for the MLB lead.

Matt Kemp added three hits of his own, including a daring triple in the fifth inning. Clayton Kershaw followed with a single, for the first RBI of his MLB career.

Kershaw was very good on the mound as well, pitching six strong innings, allowing two Jose Lopez RBI singles while striking out eight. He walked only one batter.

What will happen with the outfield rotation once Manny comes back? According to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times, Kemp and Ethier will remain as starters:

Torre said that Juan Pierre, who has filled in admirably in Ramirez's absence, would play a day or two a week in center field upon Ramirez's return July 3 from a 50-game drug suspension.

Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier will alternate as the right fielder on the days Pierre starts, giving the other player the day off.

Eric Milton, who will be activated from the disabled list tomorrow, gets the start against Felix Hernandez of the Mariners.

WP - Clayton Kershaw (5-5): 6 IP, 5 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts

LP - Jason Vargas (3-3): 4.2 IP, 9 hits, 5 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

Box Score

A Few Words On Cub Trades

Al — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:32:17 -0000

In the midst of the seemingly hourly updates on a possible Jake Peavy trade (they're getting almost as tiresome as the discussion last year of the deal for Brian Roberts that never happened), I thought it would be useful to post a list of some of Jim Hendry's best deals since he became general manager in July 2002:

December 4, 2002: sent Todd Hundley and Chad Hermansen to the Dodgers for Mark Grudzielanek and Eric Karros
July 23, 2003: sent Jose Hernandez, Bobby Hill and Matt Bruback to the Pirates for Kenny Lofton and Aramis Ramirez
November 25, 2003: sent Hee Seop Choi and Mike Nannini to the Marlins for Derrek Lee
July 8, 2008: sent Eric Patterson, Sean Gallagher, Matt Murton and Josh Donaldson to the A's for Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin

Now, answer this question honestly: how many of those deals did we hear a single peep about before they happened?

The correct answer is "None", because they all seemingly happened out of nowhere, unexpected either for the player acquired (did anyone really think D-Lee was coming here? He was rumored to be headed to the Orioles, among others), or for the idea that they'd happen at all (how many of us thought Todd Hundley's deal was dumpable?). My point is this: it seems the more we hear about a potential Cub trade, the less likely it is to happen. And I suspect that's what is going on with the Peavy rumors: all smoke, no fire. Peavy will either become a Brave, or go to some other team that hasn't even meen mentioned, but not become a Cub. I believe Jim Hendry is working hard on potential deals, but this isn't one of them. (Granted, that a couple of the deals mentioned above were salary dumps, but Hendry still had to become aware of them and offer the right players, otherwise they might have gone elsewhere.)

Just before the Hendry era, remember the Fred McGriff deal? That one dragged out for three weeks before McGriff decided -- magnanimous soul that he was -- to drag himself away from his family in Tampa to help the Cubs' push to the NL Central title in 2001, which ultimately failed. McGriff's numbers were decent in Chicago, but his attitude sucked. Fortunately, the Cubs gave up very little for him (infielder Jason Smith, who has played for five teams since leaving the Cubs and has a .221 lifetime BA to show for it).

So be a little patient, at least. The open free agent season doesn't start till Friday. I have faith in Jim Hendry -- who has made many excellent moves in the last two years -- to put the right pieces on the field for 2009.

A couple of things that flew under the radar yesterday:

Geovany Soto says Henry Blanco will be back:
Soto said he talked to Blanco recently and expects the free agent backup to return to the Cubs, who declined their $3 million option on him in hopes of re-signing him for less. "He wants 100 percent to come back and doesn't want to go nowhere [else]," Soto said.
Guess who's interested in Bob Howry? The Giants, who have made a cottage industry out of signing the oldest players they can possibly find. The only criticism Brian Sabean probably has about Howry is that, at 35, he's not old enough for the geriatric Giants.