Lather, rinse, repeat
The "how" might be a little different (a blown save in the ninth from Takashi Saito, for example) but the "what" remained the same. A lack of offensive production again haunts the Blue. The Dodgers managed to scratch out seven hits (three from Russell Martin) and five walks against Chicago's Carlos Zambrano and a pair of relievers, but couldn't come up with a hit when it mattered, wasting another good pitching performance in a 2-1, 10 inning loss to the Cubs Wednesday night at Wrigley. The only run that crossed the plate for the visitors came via a bases loaded walk from Blake DeWitt in the fourth. Meanwhile, Derek Lowe has nothing to show for his seven innings of four hit, shutout ball.
The lack of production with men on base is becoming rather alarming. Yes, Zambrano is a Cy Young caliber pitcher, but the problem is that everyone the Dodgers see these days seems to morph into some hardware toting HOFer.
BK
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Time to face it: The Dodgers are not very good this year.
It pains me to say it, but after 52 games it's bleeping obvious. The ballclub has some great talent:
Loney: As sure a future star as there is
Kemp: Also a future star.... provided he can learn to handle the outside strike.
Martin: Already a star.
Billingsley: Solid starter, wonderful potential.
Now the bad stuff:
The Dodgers seem awfully fragile, don't they? I guess that happens when you count on the 40 year-old Kent and the injury-prone Garciaparra. Both men have a place in our hearts, but we really need to move beyond them. Blake DeWitt, this year's great surprise, should stay at third, and the Dodgers need a productive infielder. Sorry, but Hu isn't it.
Furcal will come back, Kershaw will amaze us, and Kemp-Loney-Martin will get in sync and blow away some opponents. But it won't be enough for the title because neither Brad Penny nor Derrick Lowe is a No 1 or 2 starter. The Dodger rotation has no ace. No Peavy, no Zambrano, etc. It's a rotation of four No 3 starters plus a rookie who may either be the next Sandy Koufax or totally forgotten in two years. If the Dodgers had a lineup with 4-5 home run hitters, not having an ace matters. But they don't, so it matters a big deal.
The big disappointment is Andruw Jones. He should be ashamed for being fat and out of shape after signing a $36 million deal. You'd think he would spend the winter doing something besides eating, especially since his average the last 1.5 years in Atlanta was around .225.
Ethier and Pierre.... two solid ballplayers. Much and justly maligned for his weak arm, Pierre is a better fit in left field. He'll also get the last laugh this year when the final stats show he is responsible for 2-3 times the run production that Jones will be. Pierre has more hits than anyone the last half-decade or so, and ditto with stolen bases. He's a formidable offensive force. Plus he's durable, something that's a little shocking on the Dodgers these days. Bench him for Andruw 'Whiffy" Jones? No way.
Alas, the mighty bullpen is not as mighty as it was. It does not have to be, of course, but being weak in offense and uncertain of lineup, any part of this club that degrades from excelleent to merely very good, really hurts. As we saw tonight.
Posted by: SARileyMan | May 28, 2008 at 10:16 PM
When contending teams have injuries they get major league replacements. The Dodgers get Mazza and Hu. Enuff said. Either Colletti is a front man for the McCourts or a real GM. If he is a real GM then he must be fired. If he is to be fired, the tradition is that GMs are fired during the season so you have a GM for the post season winter meetings. If he is not the GM and merely a PR guy who does not control the purse strings nor the roster, then we have much bigger problems, my friends. The LA Dodgers as they are now, cannot win against teams above .500. We can win against sub .500 teams. And we are ourselves, a .500 team. Do not believe the hype about injuries and the other stuff. Every homestand they will tell you Furcal is ready so you might buy tickets. All of us predicted a "phoney" injury to Jones to get him the hell out of the line-up and save face all around. These updates on Schmidt and Nomar are absurd. One cannot pitch and the other has lost his position to a rookie. I am glad we are getting so much media exposure this week. Sat is Fox Game of the Week and Sunday is ESPN. It may shame the McCourts into making some moves. As the ESPN announcers kept saying, "Who are these guys?"
Posted by: Hollywood Dodger Mark | May 28, 2008 at 10:40 PM
well said SA. pierre is underappreciated if not underrated on this team, especially without furcal. he's a pest on the bases, still covers more ground in outfiled that makes up for weak arm and plays hard, not to mention everyday. that should count for something even if too many dodger fans and readers of latimes blog can't see his ability for overrated and abstract statistics. when did baseball and baseball players become like fantasy football, valued for number and numbers first. i thought you played the game to win. JP plays to win every day.
You are oh so right Hollywood Mark. This team is terrible against opposing teams with winning records and against better than average pitching. they have been for i don't know how many years now. sure they can beat the pirates, reds and rockies, good for them they haven't played the nats yet but can't beat the cubs, cardinals, dbacks, padres and angels. i agree with you 100% that the dodgers problems are bigger than andrew jones and ned colletti. they are first, second and third frank mc court. he never should have been allowed to buy the team in the first place, what no billionaires like eil broad native to la were interested when fox got out of the baseball business. they didn't even last ten years and i'm hoping the mc courts are back in boston by the end of the decade, the dodgers can rediscover their identity and fans outside of chavez ravine might actually know one or two of their players by name.
~cmh
Posted by: christopher marc | May 29, 2008 at 12:16 AM
This series against the Cubs absolutely crystallized the ineptitude of the Dodgers and their organization. It was made particularly more galling by the three game brilliance of the starters who rated an ERA of a mere 1.98 against the best hitting team in the NL. These are three games we do not get back and may be the single greatest waste of pitching I have seen in awhile.
Beyond that, the lack of fundamentals continues to destroy the team, along with the lack of a veteran presence anywhere on the field with the exception of 1 and 7. The introduction of Luis Maza into this equation has created a kind of breach in the eco-system. Confusion runs rampant, lies beget lies as the organization attempts to convince us that Fucal is a mere week or so away in order to sell tickets to hungry fans at Chavez Ravine. When McCourt opens his mouth it wreaks of untruth.
Ned Colletti, is he a real GM, or just a PR figurehead for Frank and Jamie? Could DePodesta have actually said "no" to the duo and been sent packing, as so many have as well. If he is not a real GM, as many surmise, then we have a terrifying scenario on our hands.
The "land grab" model of philanthropic hypocrisy from the McCourts is a sophistic FU to the fans and good people who spend good money to support the team. To field a Double AA team night after night during this illness crisis of players is an affront to each and every one of us who live and breathe Dodger air. There is simply nothing to suggest that the McCourts have any intention of correcting this model and providing LA with a real baseball team. The Dodger Way comes first, followed by the stadium, and then the concessions and merch. Winning is very far down the rabbit hole and is a messy proposition which requires legitimate tending and stewardship. I see none of this in action from these criminals from Southie.
Where is the hue and outcry of the LA press? Oh, wait a minute...there IS no LA Press, how silly of me, only a series of coordinated PR releases masquerading as newsworthy coverage and "hard hitting" miasma, with apologies to Dylan Hernandez, a good man no doubt.
Those who see through this ugliness, this top of the park ridicule of our raided city are infinitesimal and the Dodgers know this. U/North, the acrid company in "Michael Clayton", comes to mind. Nothing is so indelible as Kim Ng high fiving members of her crew after defeating Gagne in arbitration. THAT is the Dodgers, four million strong and growing everyday.
Posted by: Dodger Tony | May 29, 2008 at 12:20 AM
SARiley Man, the Dodgers are a good team this year. But they're not a great team, yet. The talent on this team is pretty obvious but the inexperience is a little harder to see, especially for true blue fans who are so eager to win. The young stars need to work on their approach at the plate with runners in scoring position. They don't seem very consistent in that position. I'd like to see a very clear focus on advancing runners from every batter, not just a few. If the youngsters really understood and committed themselves to the fact that its walks, sac flys, bunts and the like that get runners in, not always the big hit, then they wouldn't be so dependent on injury-prone veterans to avoid down periods.
Anyway, that's what I'd like to see. A change in approach. I'm sure that's what Torre and the coaches are working on. It's only May and the blue are holding their own in the West. I'm not saying that they are playoff caliber yet, but if they committ themselves to improving than no one can write this team off already.
Posted by: Kiel | May 29, 2008 at 03:36 AM
Can we end the Hue of a black cloud that hovers over Hu's at bats. He just looks lost. It's not even hu-merous. I'd call this experiment a hu-mungous failure.
It's a shame they brought up Tiffee so he can sit on the bench and smell Honeycutt's cologne.
Posted by: BenzoJones | May 29, 2008 at 06:14 AM
Three games three runs. We have four games with the Mets that means four runs!!!!!!!
Posted by: espie | May 29, 2008 at 06:40 AM
It's awfully hard to be optimistic after 20 years, but the Dodgers' starting pitching in the Cubs series was terrific. Otherwise, sadly, it's the same old story: injuries and no hitting. I can't deny that it's been hard to be a Dodger fan for a looooooong time.
Posted by: New Mexico Todd | May 29, 2008 at 06:40 AM
Following up on what Hollywood Mark wrote about contending teams and their replacements.....look at who the Cubs trotted off of their bench in the series. Theriot, Cedeno, Fontenot, Johnson--hardly huge names, but very productive players--all hitting .260 or better.
The Dodgers have guys who are hitting below the Mendoza line, or even the Sweeney line. The recent hitting strongly resembles the trip that included Atlanta. The Dodgers will break out of this for a time, then, likely, frustratingly revert.
Maybe it is a function of a young team, although other teams seem to avoid this. And, without any power (Furcal STILL leads the team in home runs, with 5!), it is hard to quickly turn a game around or make a comeback (what is that?).
Posted by: Chunkdog | May 29, 2008 at 06:46 AM
I remember such a short time ago, our starting pitching was horrible, and if not for our strong bullpen holding us up, we'd have been playing even worse. Now, as of late, our starting pitching has pulled it together, putting together some good games, and our bullpen has crapped the bed. When can we as a TEAM come together and play together as a TEAM?? Starting pitching, bullpen, hitting, fielding...
Posted by: Brian | May 29, 2008 at 07:46 AM
Man this up and down losing/winning in streaks is starting to take its toll on the team and the fans. Some weeks the dodgers are scoring runs like mad, other weeks they look like they are overwhelmed by big league pitching. I can't tell which way the team will eventually swing to, but my hunch is that we are going to stay around 500 ball this year. We have too many injuries and too many people playing below their potential. I am not giving up on the kids or the team, but i honestly don't feel like this team is going to "turn on" with a flick of a switch and make it into October. At this point, i hope Ned doesn't do anything drastic to the lineup and Torre actually plays the same lineup 2-3 days in a row. We don't need another salty veteran to get the kids to play better, nor do we need a trade to change the mentality of the team. This team needs consistency, and leadership from within not another roster change or player. Is Martin the clubhouse leader these days? Can we try to get Mattingly back to be the hitting coach? That one session with AJ got 3 hits including 1 HR, maybe he can get the kids to hit. Not to discredit out hitting coach, but Mattingly was a stud with the bat and sounds like a good coach.
I would love to see this team fielded for a week and see how we do:
1B loney
2B Laroche
SS Fucal
3B Dewitt
C Martin
LF Pierre
CF Kemp
RF Ethier
If they call up Laroche you guys think he is better suited for 3B or 2B? I think Dewitt could switch over to 2B and we can see how Laroche plays.
A hat tip to Lowe for his performance last night, sad we lost the game, but it looks like he is getting back to his game.
Posted by: poppinfresh | May 29, 2008 at 07:50 AM
I shut the game off with two on for the Cubs in the 10th. I couldn't stand to watch the Dodgers blow it three days in a row.
Broxton, the closer of the future, struck out the side in the 8th - Why not let him pitch the 9th? Saito now has 3 blown saves. I am starting to worry about him.
How about the ESPN anouncers saying that Kent isn't worthy of the HOF!!
Posted by: Jack | May 29, 2008 at 07:57 AM
There are some great and thoughtful comments here today.
This team's hitting is an embrassment and a travesty. I'm really at a loss to say much more. My anger at last night's pathetic loss is very high, but I agree that we are in for more of the same. Giving up on them at this point is going to make a long summer, but I'm really not sure we have a choice. This is not a very good baseball team. Period. They have shown moments of brilliance, but not any kind of consistency and certainly, no character or heart. When was that last playoff win again?
Posted by: DCdodger | May 29, 2008 at 08:05 AM
Christopher Marc:
You forget that the Dodgers swept the first-place Florida Marlins. Now you can say they're not a great team, but nobody else is sweeping them. And the Rockies were a playoff team last year. So they beat some good teams.
As for Juan Pierre, the ground he covers does not make up for his poor arm, because runners go firstt to third onhim all the time. Andyou unfairly impugn Ethier and Kemp by saying that only Pierre plays hard. Did you see Kemp hustle out that infield hit when Ramirez double-clutched? He plays to win too; he just doesn't have as much experience. But he's got way more skills than Pierre. So does Ethier. However, with Fatass out of the lineup, the outfield debate is fairly moot.
Last night's loss was just baseball. Sometimes your closer blows a game, and you lose 2-1 instead of winning 1-0. Derek Lowe deserved better after outpitching Carlos Zambrano.
If there's a silver lining to be found, it's that the pitchers gave up all of 8 runs in the sweep by the Cubs. That doesn't ease the pain of three runs in three losses, but it does show that when the hitting comes around, there should be good pitching again to carry it.
Saito is proving human after all, and the Dodgers should probably start looking at options for their 2009 closer. They don't want to get caught one year too late. You needn't look any farther than San Diego to see what happens when your once-dominant closer becomes eminently hittable.
That said, I'm not sure Brox is the answer. The guy has lights-out stuff, but he doesn't have a closer's mentality. The two times he's stepped into the closer role, he's been lousy. He benefits from having a guy behind him to finish the job. And he can't come into the game in the middle of an inning, as we saw Tuesday. then again, who are the great closers available.
But it's still May, and the Dodgers are still in second place, ahead of three other completely awful teams, two of which played in a playoff game last season to go to the NLDS. Best of all,it looks like the D-backs are coming back to earth. It should be a long fun, interesting summer. Certainly more interesting than the presidential race, which will drag on past the end of the season, past the playoffs, and past the World Series.
Posted by: SaMo | May 29, 2008 at 08:28 AM
Higgins,
You're absolutely correct regarding the five rookies of the year in the early to mid-90's (although Nomo was hardly a player from the Dodger farm system). I should not have made reference to "20 years". So you're right, I was incorrect (with respect to the timeline).
However, I stand by the basic premise of my remarks. By the late 90's and early 2000's the Dodger farm system had fallen into disrepair. It was Logan White who systematically rebuilt the system beginning in 2002, largely with young high school prospects.
I don't think you would have any argument with the success of Billingsley and Broxton, both graduates of the Logan White regime. I realize that young players present a risk, but not any more so than veteran players past their prime. My basic contention is that the Dodgers need to make a commitment to these young players and stick to it. I like the talent I see (I never liked Billy Ashley), and think it needs time to grow. I am also not a big fan of one dimensional players like Ryan Howard. Defense is important, especially if you're trying to develop a young pitching staff. I also don't like all or nothing players (probably also why I didn't like Ashley). And I'm hard pressed to want to part with Loney, who is not only a strong defensive player, but also one with a considerable offensive upside. I'm willing to have the Dodgers take the risk that that upside will be fulfulled, rather than bring in a player like Howard, who, in my opinion, brings risks of his own (weight, etc.).
And you're also correct that they "loaded the team with players who were former all-stars or has-beens (Tim Wallach, Delino DeShields, Todd Zeile, Brett Butler, Tom Candiotti, etc.)." One of those players, Delino DeShields, was brougt in via a trade that cost us a bright young pitcher named Pedro Martinez. I didn't like that deal when it happened, and as it turns out, I was correct.
I also believe that the current movement to youth has been stalled by the addition of players of like Gonzo, and the extensions of both Nomar and Kent, all who can be categorized as "has-beens". Youth movements don't always work, but building via trades and free agency isn't foolproof either. I have no problem with using trades and free agency to fill-in voids, as long as they make sense. I don't think Loney for Howard makes sense, but you do. In that we will just have to agree to disagree, which is really the one of the main attractions of this blog, other than the wit of the K-Bros. (sorry for the shameless suck-up :) ).
Posted by: Brooklyn Dodger | May 29, 2008 at 08:33 AM
What I don't understand about the Dodger organization is how season after season they pursue players who have already peaked and are on their way down. Some people thought the problem was G-Little and now this season we have Joe Torre. So now we have a legitimate skipper which makes me happy just like it makes everyone happy. Problem solved, right? Yeah right! The addition of Joe Torre only exposes the fact that the Dodgers have not found the right mix of players who can score, field the ball and hit at crucial times throughout the game. It was painful to watch them squander many opportunities to score. What was demoralizing is watching D-Lowe cringle as his 1-0 possible victory was erased with Saito giving up a lead-off walk that eventually came around to score. So is that blown save #4??? I agree with SA that there are very few highlights on the current roster and something needs to get done to jump start this team.
Posted by: SFDodgerGirl | May 29, 2008 at 08:45 AM
Maybe I should give my dog my dodger rally monkey and let her chew on it so the Dodgersd can start playing some real ball!!!!
Posted by: espie | May 29, 2008 at 08:54 AM
Act like this is shocking?????? You knew you were in for another season for more of the same when they didnt try to get a big bat or two in the off season. Jones was a nice addition if you put him in the lineup with another bat or two. He is just not committed to anything but a paycheck. I have given up my tickets this year after too many years that I have been watching this teams offense fizzle and half hearted efforts to fix it year after year. F Hu, F you Dodgers. With the people you somehow continue to draw we deserve better.
You haven't a clue how to manage the free agent market since it began. You sign idiots like Stanhouse and Goltz and contine the fiasco with Steroided bum Kevin Brown, who had a few good years when not perpetually injured.
You give away 55 million to Driefort, 40 million to Carlos Perez and 30 more million for a piece of waste dump Jason Schitt. I would rather drive 2 hours to Anaheim Stadium where the fans are better and the commitment to winning is better. Signing Vlade....Where were you Dodgers. Their whole coaching staff are ex Dodgers that are scorned. The Dodgers have been adding marquee players after their prime trying to resurect careers since Juan Marichal became a Dodger..YUCK.
Where was A-Rod this winter, where was Piggy Cabrera, proven young hitters? Andruw Jones for 36 million, give me a break. They couldn't even get Tori Hunter to make his meeting with the Dodgers before he jumped at the much better LA option.As much as I have lived the Dodgers and been going to 20 games plus a year for 35 years, you make me sick. I can't wait for my focus group today to lambaste the crap out of your franchise and the direction it is headed and where it's been.
My father worked on Dodger Stadium and I have found memories of metting Casey Stengel there, shaking hands with Roy Campanella, Koufax and the pleasure of sitting by Anne Meyers and Don Drysdale in the 80's. Going to the games with my grandfather as a kid held a special meaning. Today, you are a sad story. I will NEVER pay $60 for a field seat again plus $15.00 to park. Since they changed the seating on the field level and changed the angles of the seats, you can't see a friggen thing. The fans are about as knowledgable about baseball there as a Raider fan. They disgust me. The front office disgusts me and most of all, Friggen Mccourts disgust me. See you at 3:30 today guys for the focus group and my last visit of the year to my beloved Dodger Stadium!
Posted by: fudd | May 29, 2008 at 11:40 AM
you are so right fudd. my love affair with the dodgers came to an end with the trade heard round baseball by fox in 98 (and the dodgers still haven't recovered from giving away piazza) but then came back in early 2000s with gagne, beltre, green and company. that team wasn't complete for sure but had potential. then mc court and ms office boy decided ops and two year contracts were more important than chemistry, culture and continuity. the dodgers have been mediocre at best since he took the helm at dodger stadium. why four million plus continue to overpay for his lousy product when the angels are a much better team at a much better value is beyond me but we can take comfort in the fact that at least one team will be in the playoffs (again) this year and given how the red sox, yankees, tigers, indians and mariners are all disappointments so far the angels have as good a shot as any to go to the series and represent. they remind me in so many ways of the dodgers i grew up with; fun, play hard, play to win, play nine innings, ton of pitching, speed and defense and a family friendly crowd. that's a lot more than the mccourt dodgers can say for dodger stadium which caters to a lower class, rougher crowd of people that are not at heart dodger fans or baseball fans but raider fans. you want to see the best of la, go to staples center. you want to see good baseball, go to arte's world.
~cmh
Posted by: christopher marc | May 30, 2008 at 03:21 AM
Christopher marc you are right, going to a dodgers game now requires kevlar. I remember the great giants / dodgers rivalry in the 80's and 90's and i would see games in LA and SF and nobody got hurt, maybe a beer dumped or two but it was still a game. Now people are getting shot in the parking lot, maybe the Mccourts need to make a dodgers line of home defense gear like pepper spray and dodger bullet proof vests. It totally reminds me of the raider nation swapping black for blue.
Posted by: poppinfresh | May 30, 2008 at 08:00 AM
when are we going to ship c. hu down to las vegas?? he obviously cannot handle mlb pitching this year. b. penny has a higher avg. than this guy. his glove may be an asset but how many times has he killed an inning or a rally by grounding out or meekly popping up? i would rather give maza the time at ss until furky gets back. whenever i see that hu is coming up to bat, i know that the inning is over. bring up laroche and slot him at ss and see how he does. or put in d. young at short. we need offense and hu is definitely not helping. its like batting two pitchers. send him down torre!
Posted by: el jeffe | June 03, 2008 at 08:39 PM