AGRI Biz

Whenever the topic of the playoffs comes up in baseball circles, the first thing fans address is the pitching matchups. Therefore, it's only fitting that I start this set of matchup posts with the pitching staffs of each team.On the Dodgers front, the starting rotation has been much maligned, and the bullpen has been called into question for most of the year by national media and local media alike. All ...

Like everybody else, I am extremely excited that the Dodgers are returning to the postseason. However, there are still decisions to be made between now and the first game, mainly setting the playoff roster. I obviously don't have any control over the matter, but what I can do is give my two cents on the topic.Starting LineupC-Russell Martin1B-James Loney2B-Orlando Hudson3B-Casey BlakeSS-Rafael FurcalLF-Manny RamirezCF-Matt KempRF-Andre EthierThe eight players listed ...

MVPNick Akins|OF|21120 AB/.333 AVG/.397 OBP/.658 SLG/1.055 OPS/22 XBH/7 HR/11 BB/30 KAkins held the best OPS out of all the regulars on the squad by a large margin. He also led the team in AVG, OBP, SLG, HR, XBH, and RBI. An easy choice for MVP.While that's all and good, his potential as a prospect is less rosy. The AZL line looks highly impressive, but Akins hit a ...

Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness: Mike took on the same Paul Oberjuerge piece that I did...True Blue L.A...and so did Eric Stephen.Los Angeles Times: T.J. Simers writes that the Dodgers have a dynamic duo in Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp. You know they must be good if they motivated Simers to write a positive article. In fact, that might be the most convincing piece of evidence to date.Baseball Prospectus: ...

My concern has little to do with this team's recent performance, and more to do with this team's health entering the postseason. Hiroki Kuroda originally was scheduled to pitch Saturday, but a stiff neck has led to his being scratched from his last start of the season."Probably from turning my head around so often the last time I pitched," Kuroda said, jokingly referring to his start in Pittsburgh on Sunday when ...

Harry Doyle: That's all we got, one goddamn hit?Assistant: You can't say goddamn on the air.Harry Doyle: Don't worry, nobody is listening anyway. Nothing I said yesterday changes after today, but this was one of the worst games i've seen the Dodgers have in a long time.It's not the fact that the lineup can't hit that bothers me, I'm used to that, but the constant errors in the field is getting ...

With the Los Angeles Times reporting that the Dodgers are in contract extension talks with Ned Colletti, now is as good a time as any to briefly address the elephant in the room before returning to your regularly scheduled playoff talk.As Dodgers General Manager, there's no doubting that Colletti has made his share of terrible moves. However, in a general sense, it's hard to argue that the Dodgers haven't been ...

Paul Oberjuerge seems to think so. Wait! Bone-headed plays, mental lapses, poor decisions?That reminds me of Matt Kemp! Really? "Budding superstar", "elite center fielder", and "most valuable Dodger" are the phrases that remind me of Matt Kemp. Matt Kemp gets lots of love, of late, for his raw talent. Well and good.But imagine how good this guy would be if he werenÆt an utter dolt. I actually can't imagine, so care to ...

Just curious, but for all the fans out there who want to "ride the hot hand," would you be in favor of yanking Kershaw from the postseason rotation if he gets shelled today? After all, if he gets hit hard, he might be rusty due to the time he missed. Can't have that in the playoffs, right? As for me, I think you all know how I ...

Credits on the wonderful picture go to commenter Juice. :oDespite clinching a berth in the playoffs, there was no celebration from the Dodgers today. I'm sure they are waiting until the division race is settled, rightly so, and that magic number is down to two after Colorado faltered in St. Louis. To be honest though, I'm sort of sad that they might be clinching the division on the road. ...