Yardbarker: Mark Loretta

Astros and Arbitration

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:18:37 -0500

Arbitration decisions are looming and the fate of the Astros offseason will likely be determined by the decisions made by the front office. I know each of us here has some thoughts on the matter, so here's a fanpost with my analysis (hopefully a little more in-depth than you get elsewhere)...disagree with me in the comments! Of the Astros free agents this offseason, only four of them really matter for arbitration purposes: Doug Brocail, LaTroy Hawkins, Miguel Tejad...

The good and the bad of Ryan Franklin

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:15:03 -0500

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP Mark Loretta? REALLY?!?!?!?!!!!! Browse more photos » This year Ryan Franklin was an enigma. Thanks to a nifty .269 BABIP (compared to a league average of .300) and an 85.7 strand rate (compared to a league average of 70%), his production was far better than you would expect based off of his peripheral statistics. His ERA was excellent at 1.92; however, his...

A Lesson from Loretta

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:00:00 -0500

And now a word from Mrs. Orel.... If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all. Hamlet Act V, Scene II What happened Thursday was not luck. Mark Loretta, 38, waited on the bench, prepared and hungry like a professional understudy. Called upon to pinch-hit and face a pitcher against whom he was 0-for-15 lifetime, Loretta had to have come to grips with the facts. At his age, retirement is around the corne...

Cardinals Get What They Deserve: MLB Division Series Day 3 Preview, Friday 10/9

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:00:41 -0500

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP Matt Kemp and Mark Loretta celebrate Loretta's game-winning single last night. Browse more photos » With no afternoon games today, I was going to wait and have today's Division Series preview post in the middle of the afternoon, a couple of hours before the Yankees and Twins take the field in New York at 5 pm CDT. But then I saw (thanks to Jessica for postin...

Mark Loretta - A career summed up in one at bat

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:52:48 -0500

Some don't like this part of baseball but it is one of my favorite parts. The guy on the end of the bench who can be a difference maker at any time in any game. In football the 40th man usually just sits, in basketball the 12th man rarely if ever can make an impact. But in baseball the bench can always play a role, and often does in every game. The guys on the bench range from the old veteran who used to start and no longer has the game, the veteran who never started but has kno...

Ancient Role Players, Epic Nutshot Will Dodgers to 2-0 Lead

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:04:24 -0500

Oh, Loretta! In my Dodgers playoff preview, I openly laughed at the prospect of Ronnie Belliard starting in the Dodgers infield. Furthermore, I questioned the ability of the aged likes of the L.A.’s collective infield ranks (including Mark Loretta) to persevere into the NLCS. But the two aforementioned players… and a sweet Matt Holliday nutshot now have L.A. out to a 2-0 series lead over St. Louis. Impressively, the Dodgers overcame the fearsome duo of Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright to claim victory in both Game 1 and Game 2. But the Thursday’s (Game 2) win wouldn’t have come without a James Loney fly ball misplayed by Matt Holliday to keep L.A. alive. Holliday’s error also came with another (possibly more harsh)...

A game you will never forget

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:29:37 -0500

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP Mark Loretta goes from Blogger punching bag to Dodger Hero and is now forever in the hearts of Dodger Fans (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Browse more photos » If you have watched the Dodgers for any period of time some memorable games are destined to remain locked into your brain forever, and tonights game will now join them. This game had everything: great young pitch...

Bill Plaschke: Dodgers wrestle with inability to clinch the West

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:49:56 -0500

Mark Loretta got down and dirty with the Padres, but it didn't help the Dodgers close a deal that is vital to their postseason chances. Mark Loretta got down and dirty with the Padres, but it didn't help the Dodgers close a deal that is vital to their postseason chances.

There Goes The Neighborhood Play… Again

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:00:07 -0500

At FIRST BASE no less. Mark Loretta can’t handle an errant throw on the backend of a 6-3 double play in last night’s Dodgers-Giants divisional battle. Loretta comes off the bag to recover the ball and then reaches back with his foot to tag the base. As you can clearly see in the photo, Loretta doesn’t get particularly close to the base with his foot. That doesn’t stop umpire Bill Hohn’s mustache from awarding the neighborhood play to the Dodgers. As if Rich Aurilia — one of the slowest non-catching position players in the game today — didn’t ground into enough legitimate double plays, he busts ass down the line, only to get hosed and credited with another GIDP. The blown call (Hohn’s second of...

Mark Loretta Makes It All Worth It

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:35:00 -0500

Today's contest might have been painful to watch from the sixth inning on, but the reward of seeing Mark Loretta throwing his 76-79 mph "sinkers" on the mound was worth every minute of my time."It's been eight years," he said. "I was well rested." I still think he's worthless to the current roster, but he seems like an awesome guy, sorta like Mark Sweeney last year.***************************************************************************************...

The Frozen Five

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0500

Matt Kemp and Mark Loretta exchange a post-game "frozen five" — abruptly stopping their hands before palm contact. Earlier post-game celebration techniques at SoSG: the finger tap the hip bump

Dodgers Sign Mark Loretta To A One-Year Deal

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:03:07 -0500

He's supposedly going to be coming to Los Angeles as a utilityman. "The Dodgers further solidified their infield depth Monday night by agreeing to terms with veteran utilityman Mark Loretta on a one-year contract, according to agent Bob Garber. Loretta must pass a physical exam for the deal to be ...

Rumor: Phillies Interested In Mark Loretta

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:44:02 -0500

Moving on from arbitration talk, the Phillies have been rumored to show interest in infielder Mark Loretta. (...)

Are the San Diego Padres Clueless?

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 01:24:11 -0500

Why would the Padres trade their Rookie of the Year candidate from last season? Because they're a franchise that still doesn't know what direction to go.