You can't always get what you want

Not surprisingly, DodgerThoughts beat me to the punch (the man has kids and a real job that demands an even earlier rise than I get) on some of the logic problems that come with insisting the Dodgers are better off with Pierre up top than Kemp, so I won't reproduce them all here.  But a fundamental problem is this:

Although Matt Kemp, who has batted first most often in Pierre's absence, has a .393 on-base percentage and a .532 slugging percentage in the leadoff spot -- both far superior to Pierre's .327 and .318 figures -- he has also struck out nearly a third of the time, and only six of his 22 stolen bases have come when he was batting leadoff.
 
Pierre, meanwhile, is the toughest outfielder in the majors to the strike out, and his 35 steals still rank second in the league despite the fact he has missed a month.

DT points out that, well, Kemp has only hit leadoff for 19 games, so the six SBs in comparison to Pierre is to be expected (and is actually a pretty good number).  To his other point, somehow, Kemp striking out more but being superior in virtually every other way matters more than the fact that Pierre generates more outs and less offense but makes more consistent contact, because, in large part, pitchers have absolutely no fear of letting him hit the ball, knowing as long as they don't walk him, the numbers are overwhelmingly in their favor.  Again, if the goal was to move Kemp's ability to drive the ball into the heart of the order- and that might play into it, I'll find out tonight- I'd feel a better.  Otherwise, though, it's another example of one of baseball's sacred cows taking priority over actual production and logic. 

Can't say I like that.  Thus endeth the rant. 

In other news, Matt Kemp seems to be ramping up his learning curve.  Nomar, knock on wood, is not only playing well at short, but managing to stay on the field.   Don Mattingly is settling in as hitting coach, and the Dodgers hope he can make an impact.   

John Heyman of SI.com writes that front office issues are making it hard for the Dodgers to make deals.

The ten game homestand LA kicks off tonight is a prime opportunity to make some noise in the NL West, starting tonight with the first of three against Washington.   Chad Billingsley vs. John Lannan.

The Dodgers and the city are providing/reviving shuttle service from Union Station to Dodger Stadium for every home game remaining on the schedule, starting 90 minutes before the first pitch, and ending 60 minutes after the last.  If anyone takes advantage, please drop us a review of the experience. Hopefully it helps with game time traffic.

BK