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I'd just like to repeat that: Andre Ethier said Dan Haren was "afraid to pitch" for hitting him last night. What? Trying to cause trouble? Who, me? Well, it does certainly add an edge to tonight's game, that can't be denied. Though I think most neutral observers would probably reckon honor was satisfied and that the matter should be put behind them by both teams. Whether the Dodgers feel that way, however...
Davis has been excellent of late, with four straight quality starts and an ERA of 2.08 over this time - he's won three of the four games too, getting his W-L record out of the 'historically bad' area in which is was lurking. I am still worried by his recent walk-rate, of almost five per nine IP, which is not normally a recipe for success - his run is largely based on Davis having held opposing batters to a .189 average, which seems distinctly unsustainable - his season average is .254. He really needs to stop walking people before regression bites back with a vengeance.
Kuroda has been similarly reliable, also posting a run of four quality starts. However, he hasn't been handing out the free passes, with a K:BB ratio of 23:3 in those games. We did beat him back in Dodger Stadium on June 1, but it was a bit tense. Tony Peña stranding the tying run at third, in a 3-2 Diamondbacks win. Ojeda, Montero and Drew are all hitting .333 off Kuroda in small sample-sizes - Tracy's 3-for-7 is the best number. And in case you're wondering, Mandy owns Davis almost as much as he does Haren: 10-for-20, though the Dodgers roster as a whole is batting a disturbing .352 lifetime off him. Let's hope that's not the case tonight.
Line-up
- Stephen Drew SS
- Trent Oeltjen LF
- Gerardo Parra CF
- Mark Reynolds 3B
- Miguel Montero C
- Chad Tracy 1B
- Alex Romero RF
- Augie Ojeda 2B
- Doug Davis P
80's night at the ballpark tonight, so here are a few of my favorite flicks from that decade. Blade Runner, Videodromw, Cat People, The Thing, Evil Dead 2, Aliens, Die Hard, Fitzcarraldo, Castle in the Sky and The Fly. Any other suggestions?