Mike Scioscia’s tragic illness

From the L.A. Times: 

Top pitching prospect Clayton Kershaw will be recalled from double-A Jacksonville to start against the Colorado Rockies tonight and Manager Joe Torre said he expects the 20-year-old left-hander to remain in the majors for the rest of the season.

Hopefully he gets the same run support as Eric Stults got in last night’s game, although I’m still not too thrilled that they’ve called him back up to pitch at Coors Field.  Either way, should be a fun one.  Speaking of last night’s game, wasn’t that quite the classic Coors Field showdown?  In case you didn’t watch, the Dodgers busted out with 8 in the first inning (after opening up against the Rockies in the first inning with 10 a couple of months ago, remember), and had a lead that was as big as 11-0 at one point.  Unfortunately, while the offense was clicking, no one could shut the Rockies down and the final score was 16-10.  Great to get the win, but the sweetness of it decreased as the game progressed, especially with the arms in the bullpen we had to burn through.

The second half has seemed to be a reverse: the offense has been gradually coming together while the pitching has been far from impressive.

In other stories in Dodgerland, some news on the LaRoche front, who went 1-3, 2 BB, 1 R, with 1 RBI, last night:

Torre said Andy LaRoche could start at third base for the entire series in Colorado, an indication that the Dodgers might be showcasing him for a potential trade. Though Torre said General Manager Ned Colletti had “irons in the fire,” he claimed that he had to put LaRoche in the lineup out of fairness to the 24-year-old. “We’ve asked him to play off the bench, which is hard for a young player,” Torre said. . .

Joe, it’s July 22nd.  Andy was called up on June 10th.  It took you a little over a month to figure this out?

Ever notice how long it takes for management to realize something that everybody knows already?  I’ve always wondered how it applies to their real life.

“Ali, did you know that they ended prohibition?!”

“We defeated the Nazi’s!”

“The earth is round!”

“WHAT?!  You mean that really isn’t Ned’s hair?!”

In all seriousness, despite the fact that it’s nice to see Andy getting some starts this series, I’ll have to agree with the theory put out by the real Vin: this does seem like a showcase.  Let’s hope not…

- Vin