August 8th-Los Angeles
Dodger starter Ted Lilly struggled early but is 2-0 since coming over from the Cubs at the trading deadline.
Remember the film “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray about a man living the same day over and over? The Los Angeles Dodgers might have Washington Nationals starter Jason Marquis believing that was a true story as they scored four first inning runs and went on to defeat Marquis and the Nationals, 8-3, Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.
Marquis (0-4), in his first start back since being placed on the DL in April, surrendered two walks, two singles, and committed a throwing error in the bottom of the first inning and allowed the Dodgers to jump to a 4-0 lead. The last time Marquis faced the Dodgers as a member of the Colorado Rockies in 2009, he also surrendered four first inning runs in a loss.
Dodger starter Ted Lilly moved to 2-0 since coming over from the Cubs on July 31st by pitching six innings and allowing five hits and three runs. Four Dodger relievers combined to give up just one hit and one walk over the final three frames.
Fortunately, the Dodger pitching staff was able to “tame” Nationals first baseman Adam Dunn the last two games of this three game set. After starting off Friday night with two, three run home runs, Dunn went 0 for 9 with two walks.
The Dodgers begin a seven game East Coast swing beginning Tuesday in Philadelphia.
Another Déjà vu at the plate
Talk about repeating a history of signing one washed up player for another. The Dodgers released veteran outfielder Garrett Anderson Saturday and obtained one time power hitter Jay Gibbons to take his spot on the roster.
The left-handed hitting Anderson, 38, was signed during the offseason as sort of a replacement for outfielder Juan Pierre who was traded to the White Sox. Anderson never got it going hitting .181 with two home runs.
Gibbons, 34, who has not been in the majors since 2007, appeared to have a bright future when he came up with the Baltimore Orioles in 2001 as a first baseman/outfielder. He averaged more than 21 home runs a season between 2002 and 2005 but hit a total of just 19 home runs over the next two seasons. He was named in the infamous 2007 Mitchell Report as a player who used “performance enhancing” substances. The Orioles let him go when it was announced he would have to serve a 15 game suspension to begin the 2008 season. Gibbons has been struggling to latch on to a team ever since. He had an RBI single Sunday afternoon when he appeared as a pinch hitter for Lilly in the sixth inning.
We’re number 922!
The Dodgers have been criticized for using their first draft pick on still-unsigned pitcher Zach Lee who made it clear he was leaning more towards playing college football for LSU than baseball for any team. Of course, no one can ever criticize a team for how they use their 30th round pick, even if the guy decided to play badminton instead of baseball. Hopefully pitcher Shawn Tolleson won’t feel like putting on white shorts anytime soon.
Tolleson, the Dodgers 30th round selection out of Baylor and the 922nd player taken overall, is raising some eyebrows as a reliever for the Dodgers rookie-level team in Ogden, Utah. He is 1-0 with a 0.47 ERA and leads the Pioneer League with 13 saves. Tolleson is averaging two strikeouts per inning. “I was drafted in the 30th round but maybe I’m not a 30th rounder” he says.
