Dodger Thoughts

Friday, September 13, 2002

 
After Hideo Nomo threw 132 pitches in the Dodgers' victory over San Francisco on Wednesday, players, coaches and reporters raved at his toughness. In response to the concept that throwing more than 120 pitches in a game has increasingly been proven to have a potentially harmful effect, these people all cited the fact that Nomo had exceeded the mark in Japan often, including a 191-pitch, 16-walk complete game. What they don't seem to remember is that Nomo's arm then went dead in the late-1990s, causing him to be released by the Dodgers and later by the Cubs.

I can't be the judge of whether this one-time pushing of Nomo will have a harmful effect, but I would feel better if the people closer to him were at least cognizant of the risk. The harm won't come in the game he throws the 132 pitches - it would come after.
Jon Weisman (link)

Tuesday, September 10, 2002

 
So, are the Dodgers going to be the kind of team that can withstand two head injuries, one of them major, and make the playoffs after seeing a 4 1/2-game lead in the wild card eliminated in about a week? Can they make the playoffs when forced to use injured millionaires, long relievers and/or minor-league pitchers in the starting rotation?

I have to say, I'm curious to find out. It's very interesting to me.

It has to be said that the hitting has been very shaky. Paul Lo Duca is not getting on base much at all, and his value on offense has dropped to an Eric Karros level, which isn't good. In Lo Duca's defense (literally and figuratively), he plays a much more important defensive position than Karros does. So it was tough to take last night when the Dodgers managed to score five runs, only to have the usually reliable pitching give up six. I cried out in frustration when Lo Duca's bid for a ninth-inning, game-tying single barely found the glove of Jeff Kent.

But I'm not depressed, yet...
Jon Weisman (link)