LA's Beirne, Fri starter--info

[Terryray]

September 12, 2002


DODGER REPORT
Inexperienced Beirne Gets Big Assignment



By Mike DiGiovanna
SAN FRANCISCO -- In the thick of a heated wild-card race, when each game seems more important than the previous one, the Dodgers will turn to a right-hander who has made one major league start in his career--Kevin Beirne will pitch against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night.

Asked if he ever expected Beirne to start a game of such magnitude this late in the season, Manager Jim Tracy said, "No ... but it is what it is."

In other words, with Kazuhisa Ishii hospitalized because of a fractured skull and Andy Ashby's start pushed back to Sunday because of an infection on the middle finger of his pitching hand, Tracy didn't have much of a choice.

But that does not mean the Dodgers don't expect good things from Beirne. The 28-year-old is 1-0 with a 2.57 earned-run average in nine relief appearances after going 10-3 with a 4.15 ERA in 22 starts for triple-A Las Vegas, and Tracy believes Beirne, a former Texas A&M wide receiver, has the mental makeup to handle the assignment.

"I've liked the way he's carried himself from the first day he walked in here," Tracy said. "He's a competitive kid who has backed down from nothing. I have the utmost confidence in him."

Beirne's only other start was for the Chicago White Sox on Sept. 26, 2000, when he gave up three runs and three hits in five innings in a no-decision against the Boston Red Sox. He has never pitched in Coors Field, but he has pitched in Colorado Springs, "which is even higher in altitude," Beirne said.

"It's different, and you have to make adjustments, like you do in a lot of places," Beirne said. "I've got to keep the ball down, use both sides of the plate and change speeds. I just want to keep it close and give the team a chance to win."

A model wears clothes by British designer Jasper Conran during his show at London fashion Week September 12, 2002. Conran's womenswear is all about cut, impeccable quality and sassy style and the line includes soft tailoring, leather, knitwear and understated glamorous eveningwear. REUTERS/Stephen Hird

 

[Terryray]

By ROBERT KUWADA

The Orange County Register




Beirne GETS NOD

Kevin Beirne will start for the Dodgers on Friday at Colorado, replacing injured Kazuhisa Ishii.

It will be Beirne's first start in the major leagues since Sept. 26, 2000, when he was with the Chicago White Sox. Asked whether he ever would have imagined that Beirne would start a key September game for the Dodgers, Manager Jim Tracy didn't mince his words.

"No, no, no," he said. "But it is what it is, and he'll do the best job he's capable of for us. I have the utmost confidence in the world in that regard. He's done a very fine job in the time he's been here.

"He's taken the ball every time we've called his name, and when you get right down to it, he's done a very fine job each and every time he's had the ball handed to him.

"To be frank with you, I'm somewhat surprised that we still have the guy. I can't believe that pitching is that deep throughout the industry that every club in baseball can just pass on him, say that we're not interested."

from sportsnetwork preview:

....Jason Jennings will try to find some consistency when he takes the mound for the Rockies tonight. The young righthander has gone 1-2 in his last three starts following a 6-0 stretch. In his last three starts, he has been tagged for 14 runs over 16 2/3 innings. On Sunday, he allowed five runs on five hits through 5 1/3 frames in a 9-4 loss to San Diego.

Jennings is 2-1 with a 4.82 ERA in three starts against the Dodgers this season. He last faced LA on June 5 and yielded three runs on 10 hits over 6 2/3 innings in an 8-6 win.

Lifetime, Jennings is 3-1 with an ERA of 4.38 ERA against Los Angeles. In 15 starts at home this season, he is 9-3 with a 5.58 ERA.

Countering for the Dodgers is Kevin Beirne, who makes his first start of the season tonight. The righthander has made nine relief appearances this year, and has made only one start in his career. His longest outing of the season is a mere three innings.

Beirne last pitched on Sunday and gave up one run on three hits during 2 2/3 innings in a 6-2 loss to Houston. LA is 0-4 in his last four appearances.

He faces Colorado for the first time ever tonight. In two games on the road, he has gone 0-0 with an ERA of 4.50.

Los Angeles owns a 10-4 lead in the season series. The Dodgers have won four- of-seven in Colorado this season. The Rockies are 42-30 at home this season, while LA is 43-32 away from home.

 

[Terryray]

Beirne expected to help L.A.

By Kevin Modesti
Columnist


Their pitching has been so good for so long this baseball summer, their rotation so healthy and hardy in the rising heat of the pennant race, it's hard to believe the Dodgers have come to this.

Tonight, in mid-September, they hand the ball to somebody named Kevin Beirne and ask him to keep the playoff wild card from slipping away.

Kevin Beirne, who is one vowel, one consonant and 181 major-league victories away from being Kevin Brown. Kevin Beirne, who takes a 6.50 lifetime ERA up against the opponents' ace, against the world's hardest-hitting lineup, against the world's toughest pitching park. Kevin Beirne, who previews his first Dodgers start in the humble tones of a chimney sweep beginning a private tour of Buckingham Palace.

"It's an honor,' he kept saying Thursday before watching the Dodgers just get outplayed by the Colorado Rockies and lose 7-1 in the rain-delayed opener of a four-game series at Coors Field.

An honor to be a 28-year-old, on his third club after a trade and a release, carrying a Dodgers playoff bid on his right arm.

"I know how much tradition there is (in Los Angeles),' said Beirne, a native of Houston. "I know about Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax. I've been in Vero Beach and seen Kirk Gibson's picture on the wall. It kind of gives you chills to think you're pitching where those guys did.'

In a pennant race in September, when those guys did.

"Hopefully, I go out there and get ahead and use our great defense, and either (catcher Chad) Kreuter or (Paul) Lo Duca calls a great game,' said Beirne, whose name is pronounced burn , trying to turn down the temperature. "You can't expect to throw a no-hitter.'

It's his second major-league start.

In September 2000, when he was a Chicago White Sox rookie, he was given the modest assignment of facing Pedro Martinez with the Boston Red Sox in the wild-card race. He is proud to say he pitched well. Five innings, two hits, three runs. Pedro, of course, pitched better.

"(Tonight) is the same kind of deal,' Beirne said of getting thrown into the fire.

Only tonight, pitching well enough to lose won't do Beirne or the Dodgers any good, not when the playoffs hang on every result with 16 left on the schedule.

Beirne needs to be this pennant race's unlikely Dodgers hero, this year's Dick Nen, R.J. Reynolds, Jack Fimple or Chad Fonville.

You can always sound baseball-savvy when somebody asks whether the local team can go places if you answer, "We'll see if the pitching holds up.'

For five months, it appeared the Dodgers' might.

They were making it through the season using only six starters, adding Omar Daal to the rotation after Brown went down with injuries. The staff ERA was lower than anybody's in the National League's except Atlanta's. The pitchers were carrying the lineup of Shawn Green and the seven dwarfs.

Then, cracks appeared, figuratively and literally. Andy Ashby developed an infection in a finger and hasn't appeared since Sept. 4. Kazuhisa Ishii got conked on the head by a line drive and won't appear again this season. Odalis Perez struggled and Daal lost his second start in a row Wednesday. Brown tries to pitch himself into postseason form. The consistent brilliance of Hideo Nomo won't be enough.

Beirne replaces Ishii.

It's so last year , when injuries forced the Dodgers to use a dozen starting pitchers, among them Jeff Williams, Dennis Springer and Terry Mulholland.

It's so this April , when there were question marks up and down the Dodgers' rotation, from post-surgery Brown and Ashby to the young Perez to the erratic Ishii.

"The (starters') names I write down and erase, and write down and erase, they look as good to me as the guys we're competing against,' manager Jim Tracy said confidently Wednesday.

Tonight, Tracy writes down Kevin Beirne, who's 1-0 in nine relief appearances for the Dodgers after going 10-3 for Class-AAA Las Vegas, whom his old Chicago general manager Dan Evans sent him after spring training with an emergency like this in mind. It won't be easy for Tracy to grip a pen with his fingers crossed. Colorado starts 16-7 Jason Jennings.

Beirne, 6-foot-4, with a rugged red beard beneath friendly features, was a Texas A&M wide receiver. Beirne's father, Jim, caught passes for the Houston Oilers and San Diego Chargers. Kevin was recruited by an Aggies offensive coordinator named Bob Toledo.

Beirne switched from the outfield to pitching in part because a pitcher's schedule melded better with his football. He said he didn't begin to learn to pitch until he was 21 and in pro ball. And he's still catching playing catch-up.

Ask the Dodgers' pitching coach about Beirne and the first thing Jim Colborn said is that he's "a guy that's never gotten much of a chance in the big leagues.'

He's about to get it.

The faltering Dodgers need him to make the most of it.

 

[Terryray]

another from LA Daily News

another from LA Daily News

Beirne put in tough spot

By Brian Dohn, Staff Writer


SAN FRANCISCO -- With every game being one that possibly could turn a season sour or sweet, the Dodgers are turning to a 28-year-old with a 6.50 lifetime ERA to make a spot start Friday in a pitcher's worst place.

After two days of contemplating and meeting, the Dodgers announced right-hander Kevin Beirne as the starter for the second game of the four-game series against Colorado at Coors Field.

When spring training began in mid-February, the Dodgers envisioned Kevin Brown, Hideo Nomo, Kazuhisa Ishii, Andy Ashby, Omar Daal, Odalis Perez or even Darren Dreifort as potential starters during the playoff drive.

Could even ever-optimistic manager Jim Tracy imagined Beirne, signed to a minor-league contract in December, would be in this position?

"No. No. No. But it is what it is," Tracy said. "He'll do the best job he's capable of doing for us."

Actually, the Dodgers had little from which to choose. Giovanni Carrara wasn't an option because he hasn't thrown many innings, left-handers Victor Alvarez and Lindsay Gulin (not even with the club) aren't ready to pitch in a pennant race and Robert Ellis allowed five runs in four innings in his only Coors Field outing. Beirne -- who has made one career start -- has pitched two scoreless innings in his Coors Field career.

"It is a lot to ask (of Beirne), but I think he's a guy that will handle it," Tracy said. "Other guys" numbers are not overwhelming enough to convince me there's another direction to go in."

Beirne, who played college football at Texas A&M, is 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA in nine relief appearances for the Dodgers. His only start came Sept. 26, 2000, when he allowed three earned runs in five innings while pitching for the Chicago White Sox against Boston. He made five appearances and had a 12.86 ERA for Toronto last season.

"It's exciting, especially with all the great arms we have, to have an opportunity to start for one of the three best pitching staffs in baseball," said Beirne, who was 10-3 with a 4.15 ERA in 22 start for Triple-A Las Vegas.



from mlb.com:


Beirne, making his first start of the season, is looking for his second win of the season. The righty has only surrendered four runs in nine games this season.

Actor Nicholas King Nolte is pictured in this booking photo released by the California Highway Patrol September 12, 2002. Nolte was arrested Sept. 11 on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs after a CHP officer observed Nolte swerving across a Malibu highway. (California Highway Patrol via Reuters)