All-Time Greatest Defensive Plays

There's no better way to get back into the baseball season than by watching the Greats at their best.  Enjoy.

Oswalt in Dodger Blue?

It's still early in the season. We haven't hit the All-Star break yet. A lot can still happen. The trading deadline is nearly 2 months away. Let's hope the Dodgers take advantage of this and pick up a number 1 or even a number 2 starter. With as hot and cold as their pitching has been, they'll need a stable starter for their bullpen to last the season. The Dodgers realized this last season when there was talk about Roy Halliday going to LA, but they dragged their feet and he pitched against them in the NLCS. Now Roy Oswalt has made it clear he wants to leave Houston. Lets hope the Dodgers learn from their mistake and pick him up. Oswalt has a 2-6 record with a 2.66 ERA. Oswalt has never had a losing record till this season. Indeed he has two 20 win seasons, and five 15 or more win seasons. The only reason he's 2-6 now is a lack of run support from the Astros, where the where the top 5 batting averages range from .291 to .244. No wonder Oswalt wants to be traded to a winning team. He would be a perfect fit for the Dodgers, where the offense doesn't seem to have too much of a problem. Oswalt would add a lot more fuel to the bullpen to keep the fire going and could possibly reach or at least come close to 20 wins this season-something he can't do with the Astros.

In Memory of Jose Lima September 30, 2004-May 23, 2010

Jose Lima passed away yesterday morning after suffering a massive heart attack, but his legacy remains. I remember watching the playoff game between the Dodgers and Cardinals October 9, 2004. The Cardinals had already taken two games in the series. I watched with great anticipation and excitement as Jose tossed a 5 hit shutout. It was the Dodgers's first postseason win since the '88 World Series. Jose had a great personality and brought his passion and energy with him to the mound. He will be dearly missed by his fans.

Dodgers on Fire

On May 9, the Dodgers were 13-17 and in last place in the National League West. Today they won their 12th of 13 games, and are tied for first in their division. What started their hot streak you may ask. And the answer comes: their bullpen. Their lineup has produced runs throughout the season with Andre Ethier leading the way with a .392 batting average, 11 home runs and 38 RBIs. It was their pitching that caused the Dodgers to be ice-cold their first 30 games. But since May 9th, everything changed. Billingsley had a 7.07 ERA as of April 20th and had given up 20 hits in 14 innings. He currently is 5-2 with a 3.41 ERA and less than a hit an inning. Kershaw, who had a 5.79 ERA on April 7th now has a 3.23 ERA. Kuroda is 5-1 with a 2.87 ERA, Kuo has a .094 batting average against, and Jonathan Broxton has a save in each of his last 9 games and has lowered his ERA to a mere 1.45. But the biggest contribution of all was the addition of John Ely to their roster. Since his debut this season he is 3-1 with a 3.41 ERA and a 7 to 1 K to BB ratio. Ely also pitched 89 straight walkless at bats. The Dodger's turned red hot overnight and are showing no signs of cooling off. With Kuroda taking the mound tomorrow night in Dodger Stadium against the Tigers, you can only expect their streak will continue.

To my viewers

Welcome to Out of Left Field, my baseball commentary blog. This is my first experience using a blog, so any input and/or advice is welcome. I have followed baseball (perhaps more accurately, the Dodgers) religiously all my life. My brother and I grew up playing ball in the streets, occasionally breaking a window or two and then running for our lives. We watched every Dodgers game on TV, and when the sports announcers annoyed my parents, we muted the television and listened to Vin Scully, Rick Monday, and Ross Porter. I played Little League ball and some high school before a shoulder injury ended any future I had in baseball, yet my love and passion for the game remained. This blog is intended as an expression of that passion, as I share my feelings and thoughts about America's National Pastime.