The veteran right-hander signed a three-year $47 million contract before the 2007 season and, before the other night, had given the Dodgers just six starts in return. That comes to $7.8 million per start — a lot of Dodger Dogs. A 200-inning-a-year workhorse for his whole career before donning the blue, it has not been unfair to call Schmidt a bust — or, as T.J. Simers called Schmidt while writing just before he took the mound, “an all-time blunder.”

But, as I wrote in Spring Training when it looked like Schmidt might make the rotation to start the season in the five-hole, few pitchers are as tough as he is underneath the cap. The three-time All Star is a gamer — not the kind of guy who denies being handed the ball every fifth day because he feels a little sore.

Yet neither Schmidt nor the Dodgers expected his shoulder to be so damaged that he’d not pitch in a major league game between June 16, 2007 and July 20, 2009. And last night, Schmidt started earning that huge salary again, picking up just his second victory as a Dodger and his first since April 4, 2007. Though it sure looked at the start that this comeback story wouldn’t have a very happy ending against the Reds last night.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The first three batters Schmidt faced hammered long drives off the wall — including slap-hitting Reds leadoff man Willy Taveras who hit one off the top of the wall. It looked be a homer, but was ruled a triple upon replay. No matter, Jerry Hariston promptly doubled in score Taveras anyway. The Reds plated three in the first inning — and could have had more if not for Brandon Phillips failing to run out what he thought was a routine fly ball that Andre Ethier lost in the sun. Phillips was easily gunned out at second to end a rough 35-pitch first inning for Schmidt, whose fastball didn’t top 87 all night.

Happily for him, the Dodgers scored four runs of their own in the bottom of the first, and got two more in the bottom of the second on Manny Ramirez‘ two-run shot that pushed him past Mickey Mantle into 15th place on the all-time homer list. The Dodgers won 7-5, pushing their major-league-leading record to 59-34.

Final line for Schmidt: 5 IP, 5H, 3ER, 3BB, 2K on 91 pitches.

Not too shabby, but Schmidt will have to show a little more next time out. Though the Dodgers are 8 games clear of Colorado and 8.5 ahead of San Francisco in the NL West, the time in the season where Joe Torre can be patient with a struggling pitcher is long gone. If Schmidt does not improve — and that doesn’t just mean on his final line, but keep batters from smashing it all over the park — Torre will likely go right back to Jeff Weaver to take over the back of the rotation.

What Schmidt has going for him is that he’s always been a starter in his career, while Weaver has learned how to warm up and come out of the bullpen. It’s hard to see Schmidt working as a long reliever for this club. I’m guessing that if Schmidt does not start throwing better, it’ll probably be due to the fact that his arm is not yet back to strength, and the Dodgers would put him on the DL again rather than put him in the bullpen.

Michael Becker of the Riverside Press-Enterprise has an interesting take on Schmidt’s comeback. The template is Frank Tanana:

Many have tried, but few pitchers have reinvented themselves quite like former Angel Frank Tanana.

Faced with a labrum and shoulder injury six seasons into his major league career, Tanana went from having a 100 mph fastball to relying on finesse and a big, looping curveball – and still enjoyed a successful 21-year career in the big leagues.

If Jason Schmidt can stick with the Dodgers as their No. 5 starter, Tanana will be the prototype.

The days of Schmidt being one of the league’s premier power pitchers is over. But you can make a good living in this league — and help your team win — with guile, mental toughness and pinpoint location with a moving fastball that tops out in the upper 80s. Schmidt, who will be a free agent next year, has two months to prove he can do it.

Follow Jim Lakely, the Dodgers Examiner, on Twitter.

Related posts:

1. Dodgers Looking Great with 2/3 of the Season to Go
2. The Giants Road Struggles
3. Reflections on the Rockies Past, Present & Future

Image via Wikipedia

According to Chris at Dodgerfan.net, the Dodgers are the favorite in Las Vegas to win the World Series, with odds at Mandalay Bay at 7-2.

But now, with one-third of the season under the belt, it’s a good time to examine just where the Dodgers stand. As of the morning of June 5, LA leads the NL West by 8 games over the San Francisco Giants. Even though Manny Ramirez hasn’t stepped to the plate in weeks, the Dodgers still lead the NL in batting at .282. Juan Pierre has actually hit better (.367) than Manny (.348) since taking over left field. Orlando Hudson has arguably been the best free-agent signing of the year, sporting a sick .406 OBP and hitting .324. O-Dog is on pace to score 117 runs right now — and will have Manny back to knock him in starting in July. That would shatter his career high of 87 with the D-Backs in 2006. Scoring 120 runs is within reach, and if Hudson could do that, he’d be just the fourth Dodger to reach that milestone in the Los Angeles era, following Shawn Green (121 runs scored in 2001), Maury Wills (130 in 1962) and Tommy Davis (120 in 1962).

The only real disappointments offensively have been Rafael Furcal (.302 OBP, .239 BA) and Russell Martin (.263 BA). Furcal is bound to come around, and Martin’s low batting average is largely due to his painfully slow start (he hit just .205 in April). The durable catcher and team leader hit .330 in May. It’s a little troubling that Martin has yet to go deep this season. Martin has averaged 14 bombs a year, so he should start hitting for more power now that it seems he has his stroke and confidence back.

The Dodgers pitching staff, considered a big question mark entering the season, has been stellar. They are second in the NL with a 3.66 ERA behind great efforts from Chad Billingsley and Randy Wolf. Those guys have just been horses early on after the team took a big hit when Opening Day starter Hiroki Kuroda went down after just one trip to the mound. But Kuroda’s back now, and shows no signs that he’s lost his effectiveness due to injury. Frankly, it’s quite amazing that the starting rotation hasn’t simply fallen apart. Yet time and again, spot starters like Eric Stultz, Jeff Weaver and now Eric Milton have greatly exceeded expectations (the brief James McDonald experiment has been the exception). Clayton Kershaw looks to be getting a little bit exposed in his sophomore season with an ERA at 4.26. But the young lefty is still striking out a batter an inning. He’s just got to do a better job of making outs when players make contact and, most importantly, bring the walks down. You can’t give a free pass every other inning and succeed as a power pitcher at this level for very long. Crafty guys who allow a lot of baserunners tend to bear down when the going gets tough. Kershaw, eventually, should find that maturity

Great credit, of course, has to go to the Dodgers bullpen. Jonathan Broxton continues to exceed the lofty expectations put upon his broad and meaty shoulders entering the season. For a guy taking over full-time closing duties for the first time, and at the tender age of 25, Broxton has been lights out. With a microscopic .067 WHiP and a .188 OBP against, it’s no wonder Brox is 5-0 with 13 saves in 15 opportunities. In only one of his 24 appearances has he given up more than one hit, and he’s not allowed a baserunner in 13 of his trips to the mound. Broxton’s a lock for his first All-Star game. And, naturally, he’s doing it with pure power. His 4.10 BB/K ratio (42 Ks and just 10 BBs in 27 IP) would be a career high.

But Broxton hasn’t done it alone. The entire Dodgers bullpen was virtually untouchable the first few weeks of the season. Since then, mainstays Guillermo Mota, Will Ohman and Cory Wade have taken their lumps, but Ramon Troncoso (1.83 ERA) and surprise Opening Day invitee Ronald Belisario (2.18 ERA, 31 Ks in 33 IP) have been as good a pair of set-up men as any tandem in all of baseball.

It’s no wonder this team is the odds-on favorite in Vegas to win it all. Next month, they get Manny back. And, Manny being Manny, he’s more likely to stay aloof and let his bat do the talking — all the better to bring back the joys of Mannywood. He must know by now that with the black steroid cloud hanging above him, no other team will touch him. He’s a Dodger now, and a Dodger he will remain. Excepting Las Vegas, Los Angeles is America’s “Sin City.” And Los Angeles forgives the sins of its celebrities/sports stars quicker than any other city in America (see Bryant, Kobe).

For keeping this team focused, and winning, despite all the drama, Joe Torre has to be a leading candidate for Manager of the Year. At this same point last season, the Dodgers were 27-27 and in second place, 2.5 games behind the hated Diamondbacks. After beating the D-Backs again on June 3, notes Press-Enterprise Dodgers beat writer Michael Becker, it was the first time since the conclusion of the 1977 season that the Dodgers have been 10 games clear of their rivals (that was the end of the ‘77 season when they finished 10 games ahead in the NL West over the Cincinnati Reds).

Last year, the Dodgers needed the injection of Manny Ramirez in the line up to surge to a division crown. It’s not a stretch to say they could win it without him this year.

Related posts:

1. Schmidt’s long road back ends with victory, tentative hope for future
2. Manny Returns to the Dodger Lineup
3. 2009 Season Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers

The frustrating courtship between Manny Ramirez and the LA Dodgers is finally over. Manny’s a Dodger again, signing a contract on Wednesday. The slugger with Predator hair is expected to be in uniform and on the field by Friday (editor’s note: this was written on Thursday).

Frank McCourt flew back to LA from Arizona Tuesday night to hear from Manny’s own mouth if he can be a team player, in body and spirit, for the Dodgers. It’s an important question after four months of contentious negotiations between McCourt and Super Agent Scott Boras. Only after being convinced that Manny meant it when he said “Si,” did McCourt feel comfortable welcoming Manny back to the club.

And McCourt’s version of hardball with Boras (not a man used to losing negotiations) paid off:

Ramirez apparently is willing to accept the same deal the Dodgers offered last week — two years, $45 million ($25 million in 2009, $20 million in 2010), payment deferred over five years without interest, with an opt-out clause after one season.

Wow. Just a few days ago, this offer was called a joke by prominent Dodger watchers. McCourt was blowing it, acting like a silly child.

You can’t offer a player as good as Manny a contract with deferred payments and no interest! That absurdly unfair to Manny. Boras might have Manny sign with the Giants just to spite McCourt. And if the Dodgers don’t get serious, the scheming Yankees will finally do what they always do — swoop in and steal from Big Blue the best player on the market.

How’s that analysis looking now? I’ve said all along over at the LA Examiner, the Dodgers were playing this right. With no other serious bidders, the Dodgers had no reason to play Boras’ games and negotiate against themselves. The market value for Manny Ramirez was exactly what the Dodgers said it was, not what Boras wanted it to be.

Dodger fans might be quick to blame McCourt and the Dodgers if the happy-go-lucky Manny who brought energy and a winning attitude to Chavez Ravine turns into the surly Manny who got run out of Boston. That would be wrong.

In fact, the one-year-with-an-option-for-a-second deal is perfect. Manny’s got to behave if he wants to be paid well next year—or try to get a bigger contract next year. And if Manny decides to try his luck on the free-agent market, there will be no negotiating with the Dodgers to return. He either signs elsewhere, or simply returns to LA.

At any rate, we can finally stop talking about Manny’s contract status, and start talking about his production on the field. It’s about time.

FOLLOW JIM LAKELY ON TWITTER! And read his Dodgers coverage at LA Examiner.

Related posts:

1. Schmidt’s long road back ends with victory, tentative hope for future
2. Manny Returns to the Dodger Lineup
3. Trouble in Mannywood

In today’s matinee, the Red Sox will host the Rays at 96 year old Fenway Park in game 3 of their ALCS showdown. The series is tied at 1 game a piece going into these 3 games in Boston. The Rays need to win only 1 game in order to bring this series back to Tampa Bay and Tropicana Field!

This year’s beast of the east might just be seen in the likeness of Boston’s Jon Lester (sorry “Big Game“). Lester looks to be the equivalent of last year’s performance of Josh Beckett. He has not given up an earned run in this postseason so far and against the Rays this year, in 3 starts he pitched 20 innings allowing only 2 runs (0.90 ERA) on 18 hits, 6 walks while striking out the Rays 19 times (almost one batter per inning). Again, Lester has been a beast pitching at Fenway this year in his 17 starts. He posted an ERA of 2.49 in those 17 starts, including his no-hitter. Has he become Boston’s Ace with Beckett not pitching like his usual post-season self? You decide.

He will go against the Rays‘ Matt Garza who saw 2008 as his first full season of pitching in the big leagues. In his 4 games against Boston this year he threw in 22 innings allowing 14 runs (an ERA of 4.50), 3 were unearned, while walking 7 and striking out 10, but gave up 4 long balls. He is the Rays third best pitcher this year, hence this game 3 start. His acquisition in the off season via trade (along with SS Jason Bartlett) with the Twins helped to secure their rotation and seemed to be the missing link toward that goal. Without him, they might not have won 97 games nor win the AL East ahead of Boston. He probably even gets better next year, but that’s a discussion for after the playoffs!

Bottom line on this game, if Lester continues to pitch as he has in the playoffs and like he has this year against the Rays and in his starts at Fenway, Boston should win this game. For this reason, the Rays will need to make sure this series does NOT go to a 7th game because that only pits them against Lester once again in that game and on regular rest.

*a Hat Tip goes to The Joy of Sox: Where The Water Is Always Dirty for their unknown help in the pitching stats to this ALCS match up. Thanks!

NLCS

As this series moved to Los Angeles last night, so did the momentum, at least for a game. The Dodgers roared back from being down 2-0 and won game 3 by a score of 7-2 as the Philly bats went cold.

Tonight’s match up pits the Dodger’s game 1 starter Derek Lowe pitching on 3 days rest against the Phillies mid-season acquisition from the A’s, Joe Blanton. Normally, pitching on 3 days rest would be a disadvantage, but as the experts have said numerous times, a sinker ball pitcher like Lowe actually pitches better when a little tired as this keeps their ball down, inducing the typical ground ball outs that are key to a sinkerballer’s success.

With that being said, how this game plays out really relies upon certain key players breaking out of their playoff slumps or not. Those slumping players belong to the Phillies and are Utley, Howard and Rollins. If they break out, even the tired sinker ball of Lowe can not hold them back. In fact, not many pitchers or teams can survive the Phillies line up when those 3 are on fire at the same time. Otherwise, the Dodgers have the advantage in today’s game 4 with the switch in momentum taken back last night.

The wild card here on the Dodgers lies with Lowe. He has proven to be a big game pitcher who just came up against a better pitcher in game 1. In this game, Lowe holds that honor. To make my previous point, all you have to do is see how Lowe performed back in 2004 with the Red Sox after being taken out of the post season rotation due to a less than typical Derek Lowe season. In the 2004 playoffs, while pitching out of the bullpen, Lowe came in to win the deciding games in the Divisional Series against the Angels (game 3), game 7 of the League Championship Series against the Yankees (where the Sox came back to win after being down 3-0) and also pitched game 4 against the Cardinals.

Bottom line is that I see the Dodgers evening this series at 2 game a piece after tonight. Do you agree? Why or why not?!

Related posts:

1. 2009 League Championship Series Predictions
2. Rays and Phillies Move Closer Together
3. Moving Onto The League Championship Series

Let me start off by saying that according to the numbers, this should be an exciting series and a sweep would be extremely disappointing. I expect this to go 6 or 7 games!

I think that the top 6 hitters in each line up are just about equal with each other except for the Phillies reliance on the long ball.

I’d give the Dodgers bench the advantage with Nomar (it’s easier to spell) and Kent over Dobbs and anyone else on the Phillies bench.

I like the Dodgers rotation better than the Phillies if LA goes with the veteran Greg Maddux over the young lefty Clayton Kershaw. Adding Kershaw to the bullpen ala Boston’s rookie starter Justin Masterson, would bolster an already good Dodger bullpen, which I also award the edge to the Dodgers because of their low ERA. The highest ERA (outside of Kershaw or Maddux) of anyone in their bullpen is Chan Ho Park at 3.40

The closer position is a clear advantage for the Phillies with NL comeback player of the year Brad Lidge over either Broxton or Saito (if healthy).

The keys to this series are how well the Phillies middle of the order of Utley, Howard and Burrell hits and if Manny Ramirez can keep up his dominance in the playoffs. On the mound, the Phillies need Brett Myers to pitch like he’s been pitching and not like the way he was when he got sent down to the minors. Likewise, both Moyer and Maddux (if he starts) need to NOT act their age in order for their team to win games three and four respectively.

I’ll have to go with the firepower of the Phillies overpowering the Dodgers and advancing to the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

Related posts:

1. My 2009 World Series Prediction
2. 2008 World Series Preview
3. Pete’s Preview and Prediction of the ALCS

The Angels are upset right now, but they should be upset with themselves. They were the favorites going into this series, but history has a way of repeating itself and it did just that in the ALDS between them & Boston. Their game plan is to throw teams off with their base stealing ability and their aggressive base running, but they just did not optimize these traits during this series much. The few times that they did, it came back to bite them. See Guerrero’s base running blunder in game 2 and the botched squeeze play last night. On top of that, I think they got a big ego from reaching 100 wins. They are not your typical 100 win team. Not when you play so many games against AL West opponents as they do. Now, that’s not their fault, but somebody has to tell them that they are just not THAT good. I would think that a team from the AL or NL East that won 100 games would be a MUCH better team with the increased competition in those divisions.

I will comment later this week about the match ups for both the ALCS and the NLCS, but for now, I have this one question. Do you think the fans down in Philly are asking to borrow Celtics fans “Beat LA” shirts, signs and banners?

This foursome is a no loose situation for the MLB. No matter who plays in the World Series out of these four teams, it ought to be exciting!

Related posts:

1. 2009 League Championship Series Predictions
2. A Great Awakening
3. League Championship Series Update

Meanwhile, it looks as if overworking CC Sabathia finally caught up to the Brewers this weekend as he didn’t even last 4 complete innings this weekend. I wonder how former Brewer’s manager Ned Yost is feeling today? After non being in the playoffs since 1982, the team formerly owned by Commissioner Bud Selig have been eliminated in the first round by the Phillies. Will Robin Yount be their manager in 2009? To hear the outcry from Milwaukee, please check out Brewers Bar who have an easy going approach to the end of their team’s playoff push as written HERE and Brew Crew Ball was pretty laid back, too; check it out HERE .

Both NL Central teams are out if it early!

Both the White Sox and the Angels have stayed alive for one more game as both teams won their game 3’s against the Rays and the Red Sox. I still think that the ALCS will be an AL East rematch for the pennant between the Red Sox and the Rays. It should be a great series. The Sox should win tonight with Lester going against Lackey, but the Rays might have to go to 5 with Sonnanstine going against Floyd this afternoon. We’ll just have to wait and see…

Related posts:

1. AL and NL Divisional Series Predictions
2. League Championship Series Update
3. Moving Onto The League Championship Series