Dodgers Acquire Octavio Dotel

The Dodgers made another trade today, acquiring pitcher Octavio Dotel from the Pittsburgh Pirates for pitcher James McDonald and outfield prospect James Lambo. Dotel,36, has a 4.28 ERA in 41 appearances with 21 saves for the Pirates this season.

From ESPNLA.com's Tony Jackson:

Dotel was in his first season with the Pirates after signing a one-year, $3.5 million free-agent deal last winter that pays him a base salary this season of $3.25 million and carries a $4.5 million club option for next season with a $250,000 buyout. The Pirates also sent the Dodgers $500,000 in cash to cover most of the remainder of Dotel's contract.

There was a clause in Dotel's deal that automatically converted the club option to a mutual option in the event of a trade, meaning Dotel could simply opt for free agency in the fall even if the Dodgers want to exercise the option.

McDonald, 25, had long been considered one of the Dodgers' top pitching prospects but hadn't been able to gain a foothold in the major leagues despite being on the postseason roster each of the past two years. He had made one start this season after being called up from Triple-A Albuquerque on July 19, giving up four runs in five innings that night in a loss to the San Francisco Giants. After that lone start, McDonald was moved to the bullpen, where he had a 10.11 ERA in three appearances.

Lambo, who will turn 22 next week, has long been considered one of the Dodgers' top outfield prospects. But he fell out of favor somewhat when he was suspended for 50 games earlier this season under baseball's Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program after testing positive for a drug of abuse, which multiple sources have identified as marijuana.

Lambo was hitting .271 with four homers and 25 RBIs in 47 games for Double-A Chattanooga.

I think the Dodgers gave up too much for a 36 year old reliever. Yes, JMac is having a bad year. Yes, Lambo was suspended earlier in the season for drug violation, but that was for marijuana. And yes, Dotel will help the ailing Dodger bullpen. But both McDoanld and Lambo have been considered top Dodger prospects over the last couple of years. I think Ned could have gotten much more for these two.

With all the young talent the Dodgers have traded away this week, they could have done a lot better than Podsednik, Lilly, Theriot and Dotel. As usual Ned overpayed for veteran players. The Dodger farm system has been depleted and it doesn't look like the team has gotten much better.

Dodgers Trade Blake DeWitt For Ted Lilly And Ryan Theriot

The Dodgers aquired pitcher Ted Lilly and infielder Ryan Theriot from the Cubs today. In return, the Dodgers sent 2B Blake DeWitt and minor league pitchers Brett Wallach and Kyle Smit to Chicago. The Cubs will pay $2.5 million towards the remaining $4.24 million left on Lilly's contract and $918K left on Theriot's contract.

Lilly is 3-8 this season with a 3.69 era. Theriot is batting.284, but with just a .320 on-base percentage and .327 slugging percentage. Ugh. DeWitt is hitting .270, with a .352 on-base percentage and .371 slugging percentage.


Chad at Memories of Kevin Malone has the details on the two minor leaguers, Wallach and Smit:

Wallach is not an elite prospect by any means, but he was still a relevant one. A projectable pitcher that was actually coming through on that promise of progress in A-ball, Wallach was starting to throw starter and showing improvement on breaking stuff.

Brett Wallach=3.72 ERA/1.37 WHIP/92 K/43 BB/84.2 IP

Smit has thrived upon being converted to relief in AA after struggling as a starter. As a hard thrower, his stuff was always better suited for the bullpen, so I suppose it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that he has had an effective year. Could easily become a viable bullpen arm, but never anything more than middle relief.

Kyle Smit=2.49 ERA/1.20 WHIP/46 K/10 BB/50.2 IP

So, did the Dodgers make a good trade? I don't think picking up Lilly was that bad, but the Dodgers real need is relief pitching. Sending DeWitt for Lilly and Theriot is questionable. DeWitt is making the minimum salary and would have been under team control through 2014. Theriot is under team control  until 2012.  DeWitt wasn't having a spectacular year, but he's still a better player than Theriot.

The Dodgers may not be done dealing, according to Ken Rosenthal the Dodgers are still in the mix for Toronto reliever Brandon League.

All-New Coke Value Pack Update

I have an update on the All New Coke Value Pack promotion the Dodgers are running. After posting this promtion on Sunday, I got a few emails asking which bobbleheads would be given away, and how it would work.

So I sent an email to the Dodgers ticket office asking if it was any of the bobbleheads that were given out this year. They responded,  no, but it will most-likely be Jonathan Broxton or Manny.

So if you missed out on Brox or Manny(not sure which Manny they are talking about), you may want to pick up this ticket pack.

Here's the promotion again:

On select Wednesday's, Thursday's and Sunday's in August, you can purchase a New Coke Value Pack, which includes 4 Tickets, 4 Dodger Dogs, 4 Cokes and 4 Bobbleheads. This deal starts August 4th, you'll receive a current Dodger Bobblehead with every ticket. Here are the dates:


August 4 vs the Padres

August 5 vs the Padres

August 8 vs the Nationals

August 18 vs the Rockies

August 19 vs the Rockies

August 22 vs the Reds

You can purchase the All-New Coke Value Pack here.

Bobblehead of the Day: Brad Penny

Tomorrow is the six year anniversary of the trade that brought Brad Penny to the Dodgers. On July 30, 2004, the Florida Marlins traded Penny along with Hee-Seop Choi and pitching prospect Bill Murphy to Los Angeles in exchange for Guillermo Mota, Juan Encarnación, and Paul Lo Duca.

With that in mind, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at Brad Penny's Dodger bobblehead. On Friday, July 25, 2008, the Dodgers gave away Brad Penny bobbleheads to the first 50,000 fans in attendance. Presented by Cacique, this bobblehead was made by P Squared Promos. This was the third of four bobbleheads given away that season. The other three were Joe torre(April 25), Takashi Saito(June 5) and Joe Beimel(August 12).

The Dodgers played the Washington Nationals that night and won 3-2. Chad Billingsley started for LA, John Lannan for DC. Bills went 7 2/3 innings and got his tenth win of the year. Jonathan Broxton got the save.

Let's take a look at Mr. Penny:

Ok, I know Brad Penny doesn't get a lot of love in LA. I'm one of those Dodger fans that can't stand the guy. But he was given a bobblehead, so it needed a post. This is actually a nice looking nodder. It looks like a skinny Brad Penny. Him leaning over is a nice pose too. There's one more bobblehead from 2008 that I need to post, that's Takashi Saito.

Dodger Blue Is Favored By Gang Members

From Sportsbybrooks.com:

There’s an interesting stealth sports merchandise trend going on here in Los
Angeles that, until now, has been under the radar for most folks outside of
SoCal.

For decades, Raiders gear has been the team of choice
in L.A. gang culture, but in the past 2-3 years, local sports team affiliation
has changed dramatically for those involved in that type of organized criminal
activity.

The Dodgers have now clearly gained most-favored status among
Los Angeles gang members.
The Dodgers were no.1 on list called “Rep Yo
Set: The 10 Most Gang-Affiliated Hats in Sports,”which is on
the website, Complex.com. Dodger lids are ranked #1, with the Raiders in
at #3.

The Dodgers are finally no.1 at something, it just shouldn't be this.

Dodger News And Notes: Mrs Podsednik, Matt Kemp Poster

How about that Dodger offense?  It's non-existent right now. Last night, the Dodgers were only able to come up with ONE run on FOUR hits. It's sad. The offense is averaging just 2.15 runs a game since the All-Star break, so the Dodger pitching needs to be damn near perfect in order to get a win. Kuroda wasn't bad last night, giving up 3 runs in six innings. He struck out five, while only giving up four hits and two walks. The bullpen had another bad night. Jeff Weaver, Travis Schlichting and Jack Taschner gave up three more runs, which pretty much sealed the victory for San Diego. George Sherrill, surprisingly, was able to get the two batters he faced out, lowering his ERA to 6.94.

Today game starts at 3:35 PM PT, Vicente Padilla  (4-3, 3.41) vs Mat Latos(11-4, 2.48)

The Dodgers trade for Scott Podsednik, which means they also get his wife, Lisa Dergan. Check out her website here.

Remember those pictures of Matt Kemp in a red Michael Jackson jacket? They were for a poster being given away on August 6 at Dodger Stadium.

From @DodgertownUSA:

Pods To L.A. For Pimentel And May

Ned Colletti made a move today, acquiring outfielder Scott Podsednik from the Kansas City Royals for catching prospect Lucas May and low Class A pitcher Elisaul Pimentel. The Dodgers will pay the estimated $650,000 left in Podsednik's salary for the year. There is a club option next year at $2 million, with a $100,000 buyout.

Pods was batting .310 with five homeruns and 44 RBI for Kansas City. He also had 30 steals in 42 attempts for KC this year. He can play all three outfield positions.

Lucas May was hitting .296 with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs at AAA Albuquerque. He will be assigned to Triple-A Omaha.

The 22-year-old Pimentel was 9-3 with a 3.49 ERA in 16 starts for the Class A Great Lakes Loons. He will report to Class A Burlington.

What do I think of this trade? Eh. The Dodgers did need a bat off the bench, so it's not that bad. I am concerned about the Dodgers depth at catcher. With May gone, the Dodgers don't have any top catching prospects in the high minors besides AJ Ellis. There had been some Russell Martin trade rumors swirling around, but they never really had legs. Obviously, the Dodgers are in no position to move Martin now. That Casey Blake for Carlos Santana trade looks even worse now.

Ned will concentrate on pitching until the trade deadline. From DodgertownUSA:

Bobblehead of the Day: Ron Cey

Click here to purchase

Ron Cey, the 1981 co-World Series MVP, was selected as the first bobblehead giveaway in 2006. Cey, whose nickname was "the Penguin," played third base in what may be the greatest group of infielders ever. Cey, along with Steve Garvey at first base, Davey Lopes at second, and Bill Russell at shortstop spent more than 8 1/2 seasons together.

On June 2, 2006, the Dodgers gave away Ron Cey bobbleheads to the first 50,000 fans in attendance. Presented by Las Palmas, this bobblehead was made by P Squared Promos.  This was the first of three bobbleheads given away in 2006, the other two were Fernando Valenzuela(June 23) and Steve Garvey(July 28).

The Dodgers played the Philadelphia Phillies that night and lost 8-6. Jae Weong Seo was the Dodgers starter, Ryan Madson started for Philly. Geoff Geary was the winning pitcher. Danny Baez blew the save and took the loss for the Dodgers.

Lets take a look at the Penguin:

Once again, we have the very bland ballplayer leaning on a bat at home plate. It's very boring. The thing I do like is that this looks like Ron Cey. They got all of his features down, including the mustache. I wonder why they didn't give away Lopes or Russell, I would love to have bobbleheads of all four infielders. Next year is the 30th anniversary of the Dodger's 1981 World Series Championship, maybe they'll give them then.

Bobblehead News

Miss out on one of the three Dodgers bobblehead nights? On select Wednesday's, Thursday's and Sunday's in August, you can purchase a New Coke Value Pack, which includes 4 Tickets, 4 Dodger Dogs, 4 Cokes and 4 Bobbleheads. This deal starts August 4th, you'll receive a current Dodger Bobblehead with every ticket. Here are the dates:

August 4 vs the Padres
August 5 vs the Padres
August 8 vs the Nationals
August 18 vs the Rockies
August 19 vs the Rockies
August 22 vs the Reds

You can purchase the All-New Coke Value Pack here.

The Albuquerque Isotopes, AAA affiliate of the Dodgers, are giving away another bobblehead. Today the 'Topes are giving away bobbleheads of their mascot, Orbit, to the first 3,000 fans in attendance. I may have an opportunity to get one of these. Just last week I received my Tommy Lasorda Dukes bobblehead.

The Iowa Cubs gave away Casey Blake bobbleheads last week. I've got a bid on eBay for one. Hopefully I win.

Reminder, the Dodgers have one more bobblehead night this season. The final bobble will be Matt Kemp on August 17. Presented by San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino, the Kemp bobblehead will be given to the first 50,000 fans in attendance.

Dodgers News And Notes

Carlos Monasterios will start once again. Monk is replacing James McDonald, who replaced John Ely who replaced Charlie Haeger. He's 3-2 with a 3.60 ERA.

Could we see Kenley Jansen today?  Tony Jackson at ESPNLosAngeles.com shows us how far Jansen's come in his journey to the majors.

Brad Ausmus to start today's game. Some milestones for the Dodger's backup catcher. Today he will surpass Al Lopez for seventh-place all-time on the games caught list in Major League history (1919). Today's game also is Ausmus' 1952nd of his career, and he will pass Shawn Green for the all-time Jewish record for games played.

Jamey Carroll says he can pitch, if needed. The versatile utility man  has  played 12 games at second base, seven at third, 33 at shortstop and three in left field. He's willing to take the mound for the Dodgers if it'll help.


 Carroll joked:

"I'm all for saving the bullpen. I'd throw fastballs, right down the middle because at that point in time, it wouldn't matter."

He's probably a better choice than some of the current relievers.

Winning Streak Ends At Two

Vicente Padilla pitched another great game. He went 7 innings tonight, giving up two runs(one earned). He struck out 6 Mets and walked none. He was removed in the seventh inning for a pinch hitter. That's six games in a row now that Padilla has gone at least six innings and given up 2 runs or less. His ERA is 1.56 in that span. Padilla was the loser in tonight's game, with the Mets winning 6-1.

Johan Santana was his usual self, going seven innings,  allowing one run and five hits, while striking out four and walking one.

Once again, the Dodger bullpen was bad. It was announced earlier that Jonathan Broxton went home with stomach ailment and Hong-Chih Kuo would be unavailable out of the bullpen from pitching Tuesday and Thursday night. So it was up to the rest of the bullpen to keep the Dodgers in the game. That didn't happen. Jeff Weaver walked two and James McDonald allowed a sacrifice fly and an intentional walk. Jack Taschner, who was just called up, walked one. With the bases loaded, Joe Torre brought in Travis Schlichting who gave up a bases clearing double.

The Dodgers released Justin Miller today and recalled  Kenley Jansen from AA Chattanooga. Also, Ned Colletti says the Dodgers are serious buyers with the trade deadline nearing. He has a few pitchers on his radar, including Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, Dan Haren, Ted Lilly, Paul Maholm, and Roy Oswalt. I have no faith in Ned, but if a move is made, I'm sure he'll  get taken to the cleaners by the other team.

He's Bad!

 @DodgertownUSA tweets:

Trading Bobbleheads: Kemp For Lasorda

I recently made a bobblehead trade with Ryan over at The Great Orioles Autograph Project, sending him an Angels Vladimir Guerrero for a Cal Ripken. Today I completed another trade.

This past Saturday, the Albuquerque Isotopes, AAA affiliate of the Dodgers, gave away Tommy Lasorda bobbleheads to the first 3,000 fans in attendance. The bobblehead depicts Tommy in his 1972 Albuquerque Dukes manager's uniform. I've wanted this bobble since the Isotopes announced they were giving it away.

It's a good thing I know a huge Isotopes fan. Evan, from New Mexico Fan, offered to trade one of his Tommy bobbleheads to me. How could I say no? Of course, I had to give up something of value. After listing some of my extra bobbleheads, Evan chose the 2009 Matt Kemp Dodger Stadium giveaway. Kemp is my favorite player, so it was tough to give up, but I know I had to in order to get Tommy.

It's a very nice bobblehead. Let's take a look:

                                                       What I sent Evan:

I want to thank Evan for making the trade. You can check out Evan's blog, New Mexico Fan here. If anyone is interested in making a trade, you can contact me at dodgerbobble@yahoo.com.

Dodger News And Notes

The Dodgers pulled off a nice victory last night. This last week has been stressful for Dodger fans, but the boys in blue finally got their first win in the second half of the season. I slept much better last night than I did the night before.

Let's see what's going on with the Dodgers.

Casey Blake Bobblehead Giveaway. Dodger third baseman Casey Blake is getting another bobblehead.  It's not from the Dodgers, but the Iowa Cubs, AAA affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The first 1,500 fans at tonight's Iowa Cubs game will receive a free bobblehead of Iowa-native and Indianola High School alum Casey Blake. I posted pictures of this bobblehead earlier this year.

Joe Torre is uncertain of his future in Los Angeles. I hope he doesn't come back to LA next year. He can go to Chicago for all I care.

Dodgers call up a reliever, option a catcher. The Dodger have called up Jack Taschner from Triple-A Albuquerque.  To make room for him on the roster, they've optioned back-up catcher AJ Ellis to AAA. They may also call up Jay Gibbons, who is currently batting .327 with 17 homeruns and 70 RBI down in Albuquerque.

Dodgers Media Network honored with two Silver Telly Awards. The Dodgers Media Network was recently recognized with two Silver Telly Awards,the highest honor at the 31st Annual Telly Awards. The Dodgers' entries were among nearly 11,000 entries from all 50 states and numerous countries with less than 10 percent of entries taking highest honors, the Silver Telly. The Dodgers Media Network took Silver in the Online Video Sports category for "Inside Dodgertown: Randy Wolf Philly Cheese Steak" feature and in the Entertainment category for the "Dodgers Blue Carpet: 'The Office' Set Tour" feature.

The Losing Streak Finally Ends

Finally, a win. It's been eight days since the All-Star Game was played, and the Dodgers finally get a second-half victory, beating the Giants 2-0. One night after playing in one of the worst games all year, the Dodgers turn around and play one of their best games of the year.

Tonight's starter, Chad Billingsley pitched his first complete game of the season, giving up only five hits. He threw 125 pitches, striking out three Giants while only walking two. An impressive outing for Bills at a time when the bullpen really needs some rest.

Casey Blake drove in both Dodger runs, homering  in the second inning and knocking in a huge insurance run in the eighth.

We found out today that manager Joe Torre, bench coach Bob Schaefer and Clayton Kershaw will be suspended for their actions in yesterday's game. Joe Torre served his suspension tonight, so Don Mattingly served as acting manager one night after his debacle at the pitchers mound.

It was a very frustrating time for Dodger fans this last week. Now that they have this victory under their belts, I'm hoping the Dodgers will get back to their winning ways.

Blowing It On Bobblehead Night

What a game. The offense came to life against Tim Lincecum. Andre Ethier hit a big first inning homerun. Clayton Kershaw pitched well and left tonight's game with a  5-4 lead. But in the end, the bullpen blew that lead. Broxton's got some issues that need to be worked out. Watching him pitch is maddening. What can be said about George Sherrill? I can't see how the Dodgers can continue to hang on to him. He's lost it.

On his bobblehead night, James Loney went 0 for 3 with a walk. He also helped Jonathan Broxton exit the game early. After making one trip to the mound to talk to Brox, fill-in manager Don Mattingly was called back to the mound by Loney, and that was considered to be a second trip. By rule, a manager can only make one trip to the mound to talk to the pitcher. A second trip means the pitcher must leave the game. And that was when Mattingly brought in Sherrill. I knew what was coming at that point. Sherrill gave up the lead and the Giants won 7-5.

The Dodgers have lost six games in a row  and are now 6 games behind the first place Padres. Oh yeah, and Manny's been placed on the disabled list AGAIN! Things are pretty bad in Dodgertown right now.

Another bobblehead was given away tonight. James Loney's bobblehead was the third of four bobbleheads this year. Presented by Carls Jr, this bobble was made by P Squared Promos and given to the first 50,000 fans in attendance.

Cases of bobbleheads

All gone

I went to the game with my son Kevin tonight. It was our first trip to the Ravine together this year. We had a great time. It would have been better with a Dodger win.