Arizona Diamondbacks -143 to extend LA Dodgers misery
Game Time: 08/30/2008 08:10 PM -
By: Bread | sbrforum.com
The arrival of Manny Ramirez in Los Angeles has not translated into success in the standings for the Dodgers. Back the Arizona Diamondbacks at home on Saturday.
The Los Angeles Dodgers (65-70) are finally giving me something to smile about. Watching them on this current eight game slide is a thing of beauty for me. Knowing that the NL West is slowly slipping away, and that this is causing that team an ounce of grief, makes me happy.
The Dodgers absolutely killed me earlier this year. I could not peg them as a winner or a loser. I was baffled. I would wake up in cold sweats thinking that Joe Torre was coming after me. Everyone has one of those enigmatic wagering teams sometimes. This was that team for me this year.
So I have left them alone since then…until today. I feel the time is right to end my streak. It’s time to exorcise some City of Angels demons. The Arizona Diamondbacks (69-65) are making their move, and should add to the Dodger’s misery for tonight’s 8:10 meeting. You can find Arizona at most books for -145.
Right-hander Dan Haren (14-6 3.10 ERA) takes the mound for the hometown D-Backs. Having won six of his last eight outings, he will be going up against a team that has lost 14 of their last 17 road games. Just a month and a half ago, Haren beat the Dodgers here, giving up no runs and striking out seven in seven innings pitched. Of course that was before the Manny trade, but we’ll get to him later.
The NL West is not a pretty sight. It is still possible that a team with a losing record could take this division. Winning the NL West is like passing summer school. Congratulations, I guess? But even when you’re looking through the $1 bin at Kmart, you’re bound to find something of slight value.
That value would be the Diamondbacks. They possess a lineup that lacks any real superstars. Power hitters Adam Dunn (34 HR) and Mark Reynolds (25 HR) provide the bulk of the muscle. The rest of the hitters could be best described as unknowns: Chris Young, Stephen Drew, Conor Jackson, Chris Snyder and Chad Tracy. They are Arizona’s best kept secret behind John McCain’s midday nappy times. They don’t have to light up the scoreboard though. They have to do just enough to give their pitchers a chance to win.
Behind Brandon Webb, Haren is about as good a number two pitcher as it gets. He is tied for second most strikeouts in the NL with 171. The man he is tied with, will be on the mound for L.A. tonight, righty Chad Billingsley (12-10 3.10 ERA).
Billingsley just happened to be on the losing end of that last meeting with Haren, giving up three runs in five plus innings. Since then, the Dodgers went out and got themselves the superstar that Arizona lacks…the incomparable Manny Ramirez.
You can find Manny’s name sprinkled around many lists of top offensive stats, for both all-time players as well as active only. Manny is a nutball, but he brings a heavy bat with him wherever he goes. The Dodgers needed some offense in a bad way, and they can’t be upset with the results they achieved in that respect. Since joining them in a July 31st trade, Ramirez is hitting .400 with 7 hr and 23 rbi. He has been unstoppable at the plate.
What the Dodgers could not foresee is that this would not translate to on-field success. They are 11-16 since Man-Ram’s acquisition, culminating in their current eight-game losing streak. The low point was getting swept by the laughable Washington Nationals, who have the league’s worst record. I don’t fully understand it, but I am enjoying it whole-heartedly.
It is nothing personal against the Dodgers. It’s just like if your girlfriend leaves you, and you bump into her and she has gained 40 pounds and ended up marrying your trash collector. Not that I’m bitter or anything.
Game Time: 08/30/2008 08:10 PM -
By: Bread | sbrforum.com
The arrival of Manny Ramirez in Los Angeles has not translated into success in the standings for the Dodgers. Back the Arizona Diamondbacks at home on Saturday.
The Los Angeles Dodgers (65-70) are finally giving me something to smile about. Watching them on this current eight game slide is a thing of beauty for me. Knowing that the NL West is slowly slipping away, and that this is causing that team an ounce of grief, makes me happy.
The Dodgers absolutely killed me earlier this year. I could not peg them as a winner or a loser. I was baffled. I would wake up in cold sweats thinking that Joe Torre was coming after me. Everyone has one of those enigmatic wagering teams sometimes. This was that team for me this year.
So I have left them alone since then…until today. I feel the time is right to end my streak. It’s time to exorcise some City of Angels demons. The Arizona Diamondbacks (69-65) are making their move, and should add to the Dodger’s misery for tonight’s 8:10 meeting. You can find Arizona at most books for -145.
Right-hander Dan Haren (14-6 3.10 ERA) takes the mound for the hometown D-Backs. Having won six of his last eight outings, he will be going up against a team that has lost 14 of their last 17 road games. Just a month and a half ago, Haren beat the Dodgers here, giving up no runs and striking out seven in seven innings pitched. Of course that was before the Manny trade, but we’ll get to him later.
The NL West is not a pretty sight. It is still possible that a team with a losing record could take this division. Winning the NL West is like passing summer school. Congratulations, I guess? But even when you’re looking through the $1 bin at Kmart, you’re bound to find something of slight value.
That value would be the Diamondbacks. They possess a lineup that lacks any real superstars. Power hitters Adam Dunn (34 HR) and Mark Reynolds (25 HR) provide the bulk of the muscle. The rest of the hitters could be best described as unknowns: Chris Young, Stephen Drew, Conor Jackson, Chris Snyder and Chad Tracy. They are Arizona’s best kept secret behind John McCain’s midday nappy times. They don’t have to light up the scoreboard though. They have to do just enough to give their pitchers a chance to win.
Behind Brandon Webb, Haren is about as good a number two pitcher as it gets. He is tied for second most strikeouts in the NL with 171. The man he is tied with, will be on the mound for L.A. tonight, righty Chad Billingsley (12-10 3.10 ERA).
Billingsley just happened to be on the losing end of that last meeting with Haren, giving up three runs in five plus innings. Since then, the Dodgers went out and got themselves the superstar that Arizona lacks…the incomparable Manny Ramirez.
You can find Manny’s name sprinkled around many lists of top offensive stats, for both all-time players as well as active only. Manny is a nutball, but he brings a heavy bat with him wherever he goes. The Dodgers needed some offense in a bad way, and they can’t be upset with the results they achieved in that respect. Since joining them in a July 31st trade, Ramirez is hitting .400 with 7 hr and 23 rbi. He has been unstoppable at the plate.
What the Dodgers could not foresee is that this would not translate to on-field success. They are 11-16 since Man-Ram’s acquisition, culminating in their current eight-game losing streak. The low point was getting swept by the laughable Washington Nationals, who have the league’s worst record. I don’t fully understand it, but I am enjoying it whole-heartedly.
It is nothing personal against the Dodgers. It’s just like if your girlfriend leaves you, and you bump into her and she has gained 40 pounds and ended up marrying your trash collector. Not that I’m bitter or anything.