I recently made arrangements to see my first live game of the 2010 season: Dodgers vs. Giants, the first time the teams will meet in '010. Since I'm neither hip enough to be on Twitter nor savvy enough to own a smartphone, I won't be sending out real time updates from the stadium. Instead, I'll just sit back, relax, take in the sights/sounds/smells, and try to catch a Manny Ramirez foul ball.
Before I go to a game, I like to build up as much background information as I can. That way I'll have all the trends, slumps, streaks, and storylines at my fingertips so I don't have to devote valuable energy to thinking while I'm at the ballpark - I feel like I'm not truly comfortable unless I'm multitasking, but trying to do too many things at once (watch the game, eat a hot dog, AND rack my brain to try and remember Edgar Renteria's batting average) can get a little hectic. So here's a rundown.
Who's Hot:
- The Dodgers' outfield: Now that Ethier's back from a minor ankle injury, the Dodgers outfield is hitting .369 with 5 HR and 24 RBI over a combined 21 games. All three have OPS's over 1.000. And with Friday's game the first of a three game series against the hated rival Giants, AND taking place after an off-day, you can bet that all three will be in the lineup.
- The Giants' infield: Of the four guys around the horn, first baseman Aubrey Huff is the only one with an average below .340. If you count catcher Bengie Molina, they look even better: Molina's been hitting the ball at a .455 clip over the first < 2 weeks. They're kind of a motley crew of veterans, but if they continue hitting, they're a fine group - just don't plan on building a franchise around them.
Who's Not:
- Either starting pitcher. Vicente Padilla shocked the world when he was named the Dodgers' Opening Day starter, and shocked far fewer citizens when he faltered in his first two starts. Not that Padilla is a bad starter - it's just that he's not the guy who's ever really projected the "number 1 starter" mentality (if that even exists). But it's becoming clear that the numbers placed on starting pitchers in the rotation (barring your clear "No. 1's" such as Lincecum, Greinke, Halladay, Sabathia, etc.) matter less than who ends up pitching the most effective innings.
Todd Wellemeyer had exactly one decent full season as a starter, and it came during a period (2008 with the Cardinals) when maverick manager Tony LaRussa had the maverick idea to play fast and loose with the pitchers on his staff. Veteran late reliever Braden Looper hadn't started a game in his MLB career until 2007 under LaRussa. Ditto Adam Wainwright - just replace "veteran" with "young and promising." At the same time, the Cardinals' closer - Ryan Franklin - was just recently converted from a starter in 2006 (by Philadelphia and Cincinnati combined).
My point is, it's not out of the question to suggest that Wellemeyer's out of his element starting games. Don't get me wrong, he's a fine fifth starter when your top four are Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Barry Zito, and Jonathan Sanchez. But Giants fans shouldn't have a high degree of optimism when he pitches.
Rest assured I'll let everyone know what happens during the game... not in real-time, but not necessarily in fake-time either.
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