Grady does it again

Here is the Dodgers’ top hitter against lefthanders:
AVG OBP SLG OPS
James Loney .382 .435 .509 .945


Here are the Dodgers’ three worst hitters against lefties:

AVG OBP SLG OPS
Luis González .299 .365 .448 .813
Juan Pierre .261 .299 .290 .589
Ramón Martínez .227 .294 .273 .567

So who’s playing today against a ROOKIE lefthander? All three of these punch and Judy hitters! Gonzalez, with an .813 OPS, has the highest power rating among them.

And who’s NOT playing so these guys can practice not sucking against lefties? Loney, who is the team’s BEST hitter against lefties, with a .382 average. Also Ethier, who hits .325 against southpaws. It’s quibbling to argue with Gonzalez, who hits .299 against lefties. But Pierre and Martinez are head scratchers. Derek Lowe has a better average against lefties than either of these guys.

It seems as if Grady sat down with the lineup and thought to himself “how can I get my two worst hitters into the lineup tonight? I know, I’ll rest my best hitter and the guy who hits lefties really well. That should produce the kind of offensive explosion we had last night.