The Dodgers improved to 9-1 tonight with a win over the Padres and did so in impressive fashion. With the score tied 4-4, the Dodgers turned a triple play in the top of the ninth – their first since 1998. Dee Gordon later scored the game winning run with a single to left to give Los Angeles the 5-4 victory. It's hard to imagine a better outcome for the Dodgers on a day dedicated to the legacy of Jackie Robinson. A look at links from around baseball tonight..
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter) talked to Angels outfielder Torii Hunter about how long he wants to play and in the back of his mind, the outfielder wonders if he might have a chance to play with his son, Torii Jr. The 36-year-old's son is a high school senior and considering a handful of Division-I baseball programs. Hunter is in the final season of a five-year, $90MM contract with the Angels.
- Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow tries to make sure the team has a scout at every game involving players who might be taken with the first overall pick, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. The GM doesn't expect the club to decide who they're going to take until close to the Draft as there is no clear cut No. 1 choice.
- As the draft draws closer, industry speculation is that the Royals are targeting LSU pitcher Kevin Gausman with the fifth-overall pick, writes Keith Law of ESPN.com. Law assumes that he would be Kansas City's pick if Byron Buxton, Mark Appel, Kyle Zimmer, and Mike Zunino are the first four off of the board.
“Dee Gordon later gave the scored the game winning run…”
Jackie deserves so much better Zach.
So did Gordon score the run or did he have the hit that scored it? It’s not really clear
That wasn’t a triple play. It was a foul ball that umpire called dead, freezing the runners and then rolled fair.
lol the padres announcers even said it was the right call…but from fast motion during the game it looked fair…he never called the ball dead…he put his hands in the air then pointed fair…it was just heads up play by AJ Ellis! most teams wouldnt of even tried!!
It was the right call IF he didn’t throw his arms in the air. BUT, he did, actually twice. And why was that a heads up play? He picked up the ball because he heard the umpire call it fair and had his back to him so he didn’t see the arms up. Sounds like he was just playing his position.
Exactly, Ellis caught the Padres napping. The ball is in play unless the umpire says otherwise. The baserunners should have known that the bunt play was on but they stood out there picking their teeth. You can bet that a lot of discussion in the Padres’ clubhouse after the game will be about that issue. An example of very intelligent baseball from Ellis. Really opened my eyes to the quality of his play.
It was a case of a totally blown call by officials. Rules state that once ump raises arms, the play is dead.
Watch the video again and watch the base runners. They do start to run UNTIL they see the ump wave his arms in the air which has always meant FOUL/DEAD ball. It is only after that happens that they retreat like you are taught to ever since Little League. It is not intelligent baseball by Ellis because he basically just ignored the ump and played it out anyways. It is only once Ellis has the ball in his hand that the ump signals fair. Even if the right call was fair ball, how can you justify an ump CHANGING his mind? What if umps called ball four so the baserunners started trotting to the next base only to have the ump signal strikeout once they are halfway there so they all get thrown out? It doesn’t really matter what the call should have, because everyone on the field EXCEPT Ellis stopped playing after the original call of dead ball. That is why Padre fans are outraged and I believe rightfully so regardless of what the right call should have been.
The runners should have been on second and third.
So they are supposed to leg out EVERY foul ball just in case the ump decides he wants to call fair instead? I agree it was a fair ball, BUT the ump called foul. Websoulsurfer is right. Play is dead once the ball is signaled foul. I don’t understand what your argument is BlueSkyLA. In an earlier game, there were runners on first and second and a ball was hit to right field, Denorfia (I think) dove and it was ruled a hit because he trapped it instead of caught it. How would the Dodgers have felt if it was suddenly ruled an out once he threw it into second and first to “catch the runners napping” since they should have “been on first and second”. It was ruled an out, right?
Yes, the runners should have legged it out. This is the big leagues, and the bunt play was on. That’s the play the baserunners should be watching, not the ump. The baserunners should have been on their way the moment the bat hit the ball and not stopped. It wasn’t like the ball rolled into the dugout. It was right in front of the catcher, who had yet to field it.
It was a tough call, but it happens. Officiating is part of baseball. Always has been, and always will be. Sometimes calls go your way, sometimes they go the other way. The wide awake team minimizes the effect by not taking anything for granted. You can argue with me all you want, but you can sure that Bud Black is having that conversation with his players, not the one about how the ump was wrong.
I don’t remember the Dodgers legging out every foul ball in the game AFTER the umpire signaled foul. I’m not saying Black dwelled on the wrong call in his clubhouse conversation. Of course not. They moved on. I understand that. The team must move on despite the unfortunate situation. I just disagree that it was a case of baserunners being at fault. They did what you are taught to, obey the base coaches who are taking their cues from the umpire’s call. It was the umpire’s fault clear and simple. It is NOT his fault that they lost the game. He certainly hurt their chances but its the Padres fault alone that they lost the game in the bottom of the 9th. My only point is that the runners did nothing wrong and the umpire should not have changed his call (even if it was to the correct one). It should have stood as a foul ball call since the original call affected the play on the field (similar to a line drive being ruled as trapped as opposed to caught for an out). How is this difficult to understand? I would be arguing this on your behalf if the situation was reversed.
I think I see the problem here. You think I am arguing in someone’s behalf. I’m not. I am simply explaining how officiating in baseball works. The umpires may not always be right, but they are always the umpires. The team the plays with this understanding will be more successful on the field than the one that complains about unfairness.
Again I’m not arguing that the Padres should sit around and complain about unfairness. Obviously they didn’t as they beat the Rockies handily yesterday. I am simply arguing that the runners were not at fault because the umpire made a signal that has always meant stop. He didn’t mean to and shouldn’t have but he did. All I am really trying to say is that it was an unfortunate break against San Diego. But baseball is like that sometimes. It sucks, but its a long season. Hopefully it evens out.
Fair enough, but I still think this is a baseball fundamentals issue. I also get annoyed by the constant harping on officiating. If some “fans” had their way, live umpiring would be replaced by video replays. Next we could go with virtual robot players and the game would be perfected.
Actually the fact that the Dodgers aren’t 10-0 is the surprising thing. Their schedule will get tougher and they’ll probably come back to Earth.
Great negative spin there. You could find yourself some work as a political advisor.
No probably about it. Dodgers wont win 90 games. Wont make playoffs. Of course Padres wont win 70 games.
So you’re saying the Dodgers WON’T win 90% of their games this year?
I’ll also say that Pujols won’t finish the season with zero HRs.
Tori Hunter has changed his mind about playing/retiring it seems like a dozen times.. Sometimes it is when his contract ends, sometimes it is longer, sometimes it’s retiring as an Angel, sometimes it’s not..
Peter, Paul and Mary had the perfect song for many of the questions asked to Hunter, as none of the answers can be taken seriously.. The title of that song?
“The answer is blowing in the wind”
Hunter said once a few years ago he may retire after this contract. Recently it’s that he’d like to stay with the Angels after the contract expired, but understands that they may not want/need him back. He’s definitely not pulling a Brett Favre at all.
And let’s give credit where it’s due – It’s a Bob Dylan song that Peter Paul and Mary covered….
Too much puff the magic dragon can obscure the memory
” And let’s give credit where it’s due – It’s a Bob Dylan song that Peter Paul and Mary covered….”
Ahh yes.. It was a simple matter of preference for the version there.. Many of Dilan’s early works were not big smash hits like P,P &M’s.
BTW: Nice one on the post below.. Way back there was much talk about the true meaning of the song.. I think the poster here implied what the song was truly about..
The old John Wayne movie “green berets” had a perfect Puff the Magic Dragon in it if anyone recalls.. That C-130 Gunship…
So Torii wants to keep playing while Torii Jr. goes through college and minor league ball? Yikes, that’s going to be at least 5 years. Somehow that doesn’t seem very likely.
Yeah, that’s just what I was thinking. Even if we assume TH Sr. will somehow have Griffey Sr.-type durability and play into his early 40s (which is pretty darned optimistic, but let’s play along), do scouts really like TH Jr. enough to project him making the majors before Sr. is retired?
It’d be nice for them and all, but that’s two longshots that would both have to work out. Yeah, it worked out for the Griffeys, but what are the odds of that happening again?