DODGERS NOTEBOOK: SO, WHO'LL BAIL OUT THE BULLPEN?Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer The Dodgers bullpen is holding together but barely. If not for the versatile Matt Herges Matthew Tyler Herges (born April 1, 1970, in Champaign, Illinois) is a Major League Baseball pitcher. He is an alumnus of Illinois State University. Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1992, Herges would make his Major League Baseball debut with and closer Jeff Shaw
It's already not good because of the poor performances of Gregg Olson
Fetters fet·ter n. 1. A chain or shackle for the ankles or feet. 2. Something that serves to restrict; a restraint. tr.v. fet·tered, fet·ter·ing, fet·ters 1. To put fetters on; shackle. wasn't available for Wednesday's game against Arizona, the second time in four days he was unavailable because of the muscle pain in the left side of his neck. ``We've got to quiet it down,'' Tracy said. ``We'll wait and see and check where we're at Friday.'' Fetters first felt it while trying to sleep after pitching 1 2/3 innings Saturday at Anaheim. He was unable to pitch Sunday. Fetters felt better after Monday's off day; Tracy wanted to use him in a non-pressure situation Tuesday so he could gauge how the neck responded. Fetters pitched a scoreless inning but experienced stiffness and rested Wednesday. ``It's day to day right now because we have to get it quieted down,'' Tracy said. ``As far as his stuff, (Tuesday) was a situation where he hadn't pitched for a few days and I just wanted to see how he was going to be. His stuff, oh my goodness, has been very good the last three times out.'' It's changed the complexion of the bullpen. An ineffective Orosco, who's allowed six of eight inherited runners In baseball statistics, inherited runners, or inherited baserunners, are the runners on base when a relief pitcher enters the game. Since a previous pitcher has allowed these runners to reach base (or was simply pitching when the runners reached base, such as in the case of a to score, has a 3.37 ERA but hasn't developed into the situational lefty the Dodgers need. Opponents are batting .409 against him, lefties are batting .375. With the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning of a 3-3 game Wednesday, Tracy elected to have the right-handed Herges face left-handers Steve Finley Steven Allen Finley (born March 12 1965, in Union City, Tennessee) is a Major League Baseball center fielder who bats and throws left-handed. He currently is a free agent, and has been working out on a regular basis since his release, hopeful a call will come from a team looking and Erubiel Durazo Erubiel Durazo Cárdenas (born January 23, 1974 in Hermosillo, Sonora) is a Mexican baseball player. Durazo played for the Arizona Diamondbacks (1999-2002) and the Oakland Athletics (2003-2005). Durazo enjoyed his best season in 2004 when he hit . . And with Olson ineffective and allowing more runs than innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is in the game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. lately - he has a 7.88 ERA - Giovanni Carrara warmed up for a possible tenth inning. --Paying Park: Chan Ho Park might be the most sought after free-agent pitcher on the market this winter, and he's heading toward a big payday. Park is 8-4 with a 2.80 ERA and has pitched at least seven innings in 12 of his 16 starts, including six in a row. He also has 11 consecutive quality starts (three earned runs or less in six or more innings) and has held together a Dodgers rotation beset with injuries. The Dodgers elected not to pursue a multiyear deal with Park, who turns 28 next Saturday, during the offseason, and it could hurt them. Not only could Park be heading for a $100 million contract, several baseball officials said they expect Park's agent, Scott Boras, to use some of the same clauses in Park's deal that are in Alex Rodriguez's contract. Among the features in Rodriguez's contract with the Texas Rangers is the ability to opt out of the contract after a certain number of years, and an escalator clause A stipulation contained in a union contract stating that wages will be raised or lowered, based upon an external standard such as the cost of living index. A term, ordinarily in a contract or lease, that provides for an increase in the money to be paid under certain conditions. to ensure Rodriguez remains among the top paid players in the game. --Odds and ends: Shortstop Alex Cora has a season-high six-game hitting streak. He's batting .375 (9 for 24) during the streak and has lifted his average to .236. ...The Dodgers have homered in a season-high nine straight games. ...Catcher Chad Kreuter has reached base via a hit or walk in 15 straight games. He's walked 17 times in the streak and has a .561 on-base percentage. DODGERS vs. SAN DIEGO Time: 7:10 p.m., at Dodger Stadium. TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net 2; 1150-AM, 1330-AM (Spanish). Matchup: The Dodgers start a stretch of 17 games in 17 days by sending RH Terry Adams (2-2, 5.12 ERA) to the mound to begin a three-game series against the Padres. Adams has yet to record a decision in three starts and has a 5.17 ERA in that span. He allowed five runs on six hits in five innings against the Angels in his last start. The slumping Padres, the only team in the NL West under .500, start RH Woody Williams (5-6, 4.67). He's 0-3 with a 5.67 ERA in June and has allowed 18 homers, tied for second-most in the league. Saturday - Dodgers RH Luke Prokopec (6-3, 4.35) vs. Padres RH Brian Lawrence (0-0, 5.40); Sunday - Dodgers RH Darren Dreifort (4-6, 4.95) vs. Padres RH Adam Eaton (7-3, 4.61). - Brian Dohn CAPTION(S): box Box: DODGERS vs. SAN DIEGO (see text) |
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