Originally Posted by SoHi 23
Giants win
Originally Posted by Bigmike23
Originally Posted by SoHi 23
Giants win
go in the giants thread and talk about the offseason no one wants your fraud $#@ in this thread BUM
Kuo could put arm to test vs. Giants
Los Angeles (83-77) at San Francisco (71-89), Sat., 6:05 PT
SAN FRANCISCO -- Greg Maddux, whose postseason role has yet to be determined, will start for the Dodgers on Saturday night, and Chad Billingsley is also scheduled to pitch a couple of innings before his Game 2 start in the playoffs Thursday.
But the appearance that could have the biggest bearing on the postseason might come from Hong-Chih Kuo.
The reliever with the golden, but brittle, left arm was able to play catch without discomfort Friday and manager Joe Torre said he was hopeful he could use Kuo for an inning Saturday in what would be a critical opportunity to judge whether he's healthy enough to be on the postseason roster.
Kuo has pitched only once in the last three weeks because of stiffness in the triceps area above the elbow that has undergone four operations, two of them Tommy John ligament reconstructions.
Kuo's absence again was noticeable Friday night, when the Dodgers let a ninth-inning lead get away. It was the third blown save for Jonathan Broxton since he took over as closer when Takashi Saito was injured in mid-July. The Dodgers bullpen allowed all six runs in 6 2/3 innings of relief.
Torre said that because of Kuo's status, and with Saito still not at 100 percent after missing two months with a torn elbow ligament, he's decided to take an 11-man pitching staff into the postseason.
For that reason, and assuming he keeps Jeff Kent as a pinch-hitter, he expects to take a look at Pablo Ozuna in the outfield Saturday. Ozuna could sneak onto the club if he shows the versatility to play both the infield and outfield. He's already been tested at second base.
Pitching matchup
LAD: RHP Greg Maddux (7-13, 4.31 ERA)
Maddux got pushed around by the Giants, a team he had beaten 30 times in his career, in his last start. The line was ugly -- five innings, seven runs, nine hits. In truth, he wasn't that much different than his previous start, a masterpiece for seven scoreless innings, allowing only two hits at Coors Field. A few grounders squirted through and Manny Ramirez misplayed a fly ball into a four-run inning.
SF: RHP Matt Cain (8-13, 3.80 ERA)
Cain did all he could to get his first career victory over the Dodgers in his most recent outing last Sunday. He worked six scoreless innings, allowing five hits while walking four. But it also marked the eighth time this year that the Giants couldn't score for him. Cain has pitched slightly better at home (5-6, 3.73 ERA) than on the road (3-7, 3.8, although he yielded nine runs in 13 innings over two starts against the Dodgers at AT&T Park.
Tidbits
Danny Ardoin went 2-for-3 Friday night, his first multi-hit game since May 10, 2006. ... Kent has hit safely in all three games since returning from knee surgery. ... Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Oct. 4, the first of two possible games at Dodger Stadium, is a sellout. There are limited seats available for Game 4 on Oct. 5. ... Of 10 general managers in Dodgers history, Ned Colletti is the first to reach the postseason in two of his first three seasons. ... Disabled Dodgers Andruw Jones, Brad Penny and Jason Schmidt did not participate in Thursday night's clinching celebration, but disabled catcher Gary Bennett did. Bennett is healing after shock-wave therapy for plantar fasciitis.
