Tomko?

Tony Jackson asks in his article today:

With the Dodgers holding on for dear life in their quest for a playoff berth, how much longer can they afford to keep running the unreliable Tomko to the mound every fifth day?

My answer: Any thought that he can be an effective 5 to 6 inning starter had been vacant from my mind months ago. He is just not getting it done. All I know is I never want to see that guy on the mound again this year.

Also, I have to wonder what Grady is thinking when he said,

"He has good stuff. Sometimes, it amazes me that he gets hit."

What was that again? You've got to be kidding me.

What amazes me is that he still wears Dodger Blue. Unfortunately, with the injuries to Kuo, Schmidt and Wolf we have no choice.

Is It Billingsley's Time Now?

The LA Times notes that Chad Billingsley has "not given up an earned run in his last six appearances spanning 9 2/3 innings" and may be headed out of the bullpen. He is a strong candidate for the next open starting pitching spot. With Tomko's horrible performance yesterday that day may come very soon.

Story Link: LA Times:

Tomko Bombs Again

In his 3rd straight appearance, converted started, Brett Tomko blows a Dodger lead.

On Saturday against the New York Mets he entered the game in the 6th inning with 2 men on and the Dodgers clinging onto a 1 run lead. David Wright slapped a single to centerfield and 2 runs scored. That was all Mets would need. The Dodgers lose 3 to 2.

On Tuesday against the lowly Cubs the Dodgers where perilously clinging onto a 7 to 5 lead. Tomko started the 7th inning and proceeded to load the bases. With one out he was replaced before he could do more damage, but the table was set. Two runs eventually score and the Cubs complete a 7 run comeback. The Dodgers where demoralized and lost the game in 11 innings, 9 to 8.

This afternoon in Wrigley the Dodgers uncharacteristically powered themselves to a 5 to 2 lead with a couple of homeruns by Marlon Anderson and JD Drew. Then, Brett Tomko enters the 7th inning and gives up 4 runs. The Cubs now lead 6 to 5 and proceeded to shut the Dodgers down.

I think this experiment has been a failure. Tomko as a reliever has not been any more successful than Brett Tomko as a starter.

Photo from Flickr: Malingering

An Ugly Start to the Second Half

Everything was looking bright. Penny was named the starting pitcher for the All Star game in Pittsburgh. Nomar had been elected by the fans as this years "Last Man" for the midseason classic. The Dodgers had won 5 of their last 7 games just prior to the 3 day break. We had much more to look forward to as the season headed towards the second half.

Then comes a steaming train we call the Cardinals. The big giant behemoths wearing bright red and sporting a billy club in one hand and a Budweiser in the other. They are one of the most intimidating teams in Baseball. Rolen, Edmonds and Pujols. Rolen and Edmonds are some of the best defensemen in their respective positions, and they can hit to boot. Pujols, well what can I say? "Pujols, Pujols, Pujols!" That guy can win games on his own. No, he does win games o his own. In our first game back, we lose a 14 inning killer on a homerun by Pujols. Then, Carpenter blanks us with a 2 hit complete game. Yesterday, Rolen knocks in the winning run in a 10 inning nailbiter. Lastly, we get knocked around for 15 hits and 11 runs- a laugher. My head hurts!?!

Getting swept during the first series of the second half does not give me much confidence. The only saving grace is knowing we got beat by a good, no great, team. But frankly, that doesn't provide much solace.

Now, I see the problems that lay before us. Our hitting is not our biggest problem. I think we will continue to hit pretty well the remainder of the season. Although, we may see a slight negative regression to a more reasonable mean, but I believe our group of experienced players will continue to shine. Our real deficiency lays with our arms. It's all about pitching, pitching, pitching.

To start with an extra starter would be nice. Penny and Lowe have solidified a starting core. Sele has been excellent and appears to have turned the corner. Unfortunately, our last 2 spots are more problematic. Tomko is ailing. Hendrickson may provide some good games, but his stuff is hardly earthshattering. Billingsley is young and still in a learning stage. Odalis is just terrible.

Our relief pitching has been as volatile as the stock market. One day it's up big, but the next day it takes a 100 point dump. This kind of movement keeps me on edge and reminds me of an old investment adage. "There are only two emotions on Wall Street: Fear and Greed." The constant bouncing ball nature of todays market fosters fear; therefore, threats of a oncoming Bear market loom. Fortunately, the Dodgers do not give me the type of fear I sense in todays stock market. Not yet, at least. Our relief corps have been up and down this year as Baez, Broxton, Carter, Osoria, Hamulack and Kuo can attest. Saito has been a godsend. Where can we find more like him? Carrara has been a great surprise so far. This is a man who has had a rollercoaster type of career in Baseball and has always been one of my favorite underdogs. Still, another solid verteran reliever could do wonders.

In this game there are no quick solutions. We have very little available in the minors to turn to. The pitchers available on the trading block are sparse; therefore, very expensive. Do you really want to trade a frontline prospect or two (like Loney, Guzman or Aybar) for a half season rental? Furthermore, what is the long term impact of a trade for a high priced (or overpriced) veteran?

At this point it looks like we will be eating Perez's contract. It will cost the team $10,000,000.00 in 2007 including a deferred signing bonus and a $1,500,000.00 buyout in 2008. This impacts the team significantly next year. Can we trade him in a budget saving move? Maybe the anticipated spot start spoken about in todays broadcast is a showcase outing for potential trade suitors. Afterall, I'm sure the Dodgers will be paying much of his salary, and there are plenty of teams out there who will risk another teams albatross in hopes of finding a diamond in the rough, i.e. Sele.

Who knows what's going to happen? I'm inclined to see nothing happen at all- besides throwing Perez to the curb. Furthermore, free agency next Winter could be interesting as we will have alot of cap room to work with. On the other hand, I do know who I would like to see wearing Blue this year. I like Maddux in Blue. Zito would fit in very nicely. Can you imagine Kerry Wood in our rotation, or even in the bullpen? I just don't know if I like the idea of trading our minor league gems. Nevertheless, we might be a trade or two short of being a "real" World Series contender this year.

Are things starting to come together?

Well, it appears that the season is not all lost. We are in the midst of a 4 game winning streak after a succession of ugly losses. The team seems more confident out there as they start to get some consistent hitting throughout the lineup. Russell Martin is proving why he will be the catcher of the future. Nomar is playing well beyond his expectations. Was he a steal or what? Starting pitching has been surprisingly sharp from the top 3 starters- Penny, Lowe and Tomko. Relief needs some help that, I think, only experience can provide. Broxton, Hamulak, Osoria will be better as they get more opportunities to pitch. Saito is proving to be a reliever we can trust. Baez has turned out to be a fortuitous pick-up.

Seo has been OK, but needs some help. Duaner Sanchez, the top flight reliever we traded for Seo, has been lights out for the Mets. Perez is more inconsistent than ever. Will Sele take over his starting position? Really? I read that Billingsly is expected to grace Dodger Stadium mid-year. So maybe there is something else going on. Trade Perez now for some prospects or experienced relievers (or Sele) with the expectation that Billingsly will have a chance to take a job away from Seo or the other starting pitcher (Sele or Perez). I look forward to seeing this battle.

The rookies are coming to town. Russell Martin will be our future catcher. Broxton and Osoria will solidify our bullpen. Kuo is not far behind as he gains confidence in Las Vegas. Billingsley will come in to show us what a future #1 pitcher looks like. Aybar will arrive and prove he belongs. Repko is already proving he belongs in the lineup. Can Ethier be far behind? How about Guzman or Young? The future is exciting and the present show us the way.

The Efficient Tomko

Brett Tomko is proving to be a very wise signing. Who knew he would easily replace Mr Grumpy on the mound. So far, he has outpitched Jeff Weaver, having gone 3-1, with a 4.20 ERA. Weaver is 1-3 with a horrible 7.48 ERA. Tomko has been sharp and reliable. Weaver has been wild and terrible. Tomko went seven innings yesterday while giving up 2 runs, on 5 hits and no walks. One run was as a result of a freak play- a bloop single between short and left field. It should have been caught.

Overall, Tomko, a highly respected artist (Really! This guy shows his paintings in galleries), seems to have founds his grove this season. He has gone at least 6 innings his past 3 games, and has a walk to strike out ratio of 6-16. I think we have a solid middle of the rotation starter. He makes $3.6 million this year, and is starting to look like a bargain.

Jeff Weaver at $8.5 million is looking like a major bust. He has been utterly terrible. In has last game, against Chicago, he got ripped for 8 runs in 2.1 innings. He has given up at least 4 runs in each of his past 5 starts. The league is batting .316 against him.

What strikes me as even more remarkable, though, is that throughout their careers, Tomko has been better than Jeff Weaver- if not just as good. Look at the stats.

Tomko came into the league with the Cincinnati Reds in 1997 as a starter. He has gone 84-74 with a overall ERA of 4.51. His WHIP average is 1.36, and he strikes out 2 batters for every walk he gives up. Additionally, he has given his team nearly 200 innings a season the past 4 years.

Weaver joined the Tigers in 1999 and has gone 79-90 in that time. Sure Detroit was pretty bad then, but he has no excuses for his bad play in New York. As we all know he was booed out of there louder than Barry Bonds at Dodger Stadium. His lifetime ERA is 4.49, with a WHIP average of 1.32. He does get more strike outs as he gets 2.5 strike outs for every walk. Additionally, he has given up less walks in his career, only 388 to Tomko's 470, despite having pitched almost the same amount of innings.

Incredibly, though, Tomko appears like the better pitcher. Albeit, slightly better. Heck, they are almost identical. They seem to be the exact same pitcher. And for $4.9 million less, Tomko appears to be a diamond in the rough. Coletti is starting to look like a genius.

Dodgers Win!!

Dodgers hold on for the win. 6-4. Tomko had a shaky start, but ended up righting the ship in time to preserve the win. I can't say enough about JD Drew. He's having a great year so far. His swing and timing are perfectly in tune. We are on that march up the mountain.

On to other good news. I opened my mail today and found some eBay goodies. Mostly some of those autographed baseball cards, but there was one gem. Hidden within two pieces of stiff cardboard was a 6x9 inch large postcard of Gil Hodges Lanes in Brooklyn, New York. A luxurious palace with 48 Brunswick Gold Crown Lanes. On the back it's called the "Night Club of Bowling Alleys."

Wow! That reminds of my childhood. Hanging out with Pops at the weekly bowling tournament. I'd gleefully watch as middle aged men, many with tires around their bellies larger than today's Hummers, would gracefully float that round rock down the lanes. In all that ugliness there was plenty of beauty. Its funny when you think about it.

It also reminds me of that fateful night on Ocober 16, 1985. I was with my dad at a bowling alley watching the game as my Dad rolled his frames. It was one of my saddest Dodger moments. Tom Niedenfuer against Jack Clark at Dodger Stadium. Two on- 2nd and 3rd. Dodgers up by one over the Cards. 5-4. Its the top of he ninth and a Dodger win would even the NLCS to three games a piece. As fate would have it, the man, I would continue to hate even as he became batting coach for the Dodgers later on in his career, hit a impactful 3-run homer. And you know what made it worse? Jack Clark hit the first pitch into the stands. Like he knew it was coming. My heart sank and the Dodgers ride was over. Cardinal win the series four game to two. I still tear up when I think about it.