DODGERS NOTEBOOK: TRACY: DEFENSE FIRST VS. BIG UNIT.Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer PHOENIX - Tempted as he might be, Dodgers manager Jim Tracy
A series finale is the very last installment of a television series, usually a sitcom or drama. and showdown with Arizona left-hander Randy Johnson
Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed "the Big Unit . Rather than tinker in an attempt to find offense and put players in potentially compromising defensive situations - i.e., play Brian Jordan ``(Brown) is the ace of my staff, and you surround the ace with defense, knowing that if he pitches pretty well then the other team's not going to score many runs, either,'' Tracy said. ``You have to surround your ace with defense when you're facing another premier guy.'' Left-handed batter Dave Roberts For other uses, see Dave Roberts (disambiguation). David Ray Roberts (born May 31, 1972 in Okinawa, Japan), is a Major League Baseball center fielder for the San Francisco Giants. doesn't start against lefties, and Tracy said he didn't want to put Jordan in center field because of health issues. Jordan's been bothered by a sore knee and strained oblique and hasn't played there all season. And while Tracy lauded Bocachica for the progress he's made in playing the outfield, he didn't think it was the right time to play Bocachica in center field just because one of his five career homers came against Johnson. ``Center field is a somewhat novel situation for (Bocachica), and I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. that's a very good area of the field to be out there and learning when you have the ace of your staff out there in Game 3 of a series Randy Johnson pitches against you,'' Tracy said. ``You don't have a lot of room for error in a matchup like that.'' Johnson is 4-2 with a 2.55 ERA in 10 games against the Dodgers. Brown is 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA in 12 games against Arizona. --R-E-S-P-E-C-T: While some Dodgers are wondering just how much respect the Arizona Diamondbacks This article is about the baseball team. For other uses, see Diamondback. The Arizona Diamondbacks (also referred to as the D-backs) are a Major League Baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They play in the West Division of the National League. and San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California that currently play in the National League West Division. New York Giants history Early days and the John McGraw era are giving them, Eric Karros isn't really sure what the big deal is. ``You earn people's respect and you earn teams' respect,'' the Dodgers first baseman said. ``The way you earn it is you go out and, whether it's on the field or with relationships or whatever, you earn it. You don't just ask for it and think you're going to get it.'' But have the Dodgers earned the respect of the Giants and Diamondbacks, who have combined to win the past three division titles? ``We've been looking up at them for the last three years,'' Karros said. ``Why should they be worried about us? Until we do something, that really shouldn't be a concern. I think we should be more concerned with what's going on What's Going On is a record by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released on May 21, 1971 (see 1971 in music), What's Going On reflected the beginning of a new trend in soul music. with our ballclub (instead) of how other clubs perceive us.'' --Mr. Perfect: Cesar Izturis, whom Tracy said will bat leadoff today, got Saturday off. Izturis, who was moved from the second spot to eighth in the batting order against right-handers, is batting .200 this month and in a 6-for-41 (.146) slump. Alex Cora started at shortstop, but Tracy said it was nothing Izturis did that caused him to sit a day. ``I want (Cora) to get some at-bats, that's all,'' Tracy said. ``Cesar's done nothing wrong. Cesar doesn't do anything wrong. He never will do anything wrong. Alex Cora has done a lot of things right.'' It was Cora's sixth start of the season, but he has performed well off the bench, batting .278 and leading the team with three triples. --Odds and ends: Left-hander Jesse Orosco threw 47 pitches in a bullpen session and should be activated Wednesday. ... Right-hander Dennis Springer, a knuckleball specialist, had his contact purchased from Triple-A Las Vegas and was available for Saturday's game. Left-hander Jeff Williams was optioned back to Las Vegas DODGERS vs. ARIZONA Time: 1:35 p.m., Bank One Ballpark. TV/Radio: Ch. 13; 1150-AM, 1330-AM (Spanish). Matchup: In potentially one of the better pitching matchups of the season, Dodgers RH Kevin Brown (2-3, 3.30 ERA) faces Arizona LH Randy Johnson (8-1, 2.07) in the series finale. Both were the marquee free-agent pitchers after the 1998 season. Since then, Brown is 43-22 with a 2.66 ERA. He's pitched 641 1/3 innings. Johnson is 65-23 with a 2.50 ERA and has thrown 844 innings. Brown is 1-0 with a 1.84 ERA on the road this season, and Johnson is 2-0 and has yet to allow an earned run at home. - Brian Dohn CAPTION(S): box Box: DODGERS vs. ARIZONA (see text) |
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