Exposed!

Well, the Dodgers certainly are proving they can win without Manny, aren’t they? After all, in the 5 games they’ve played since Manny’s baseball jail time began, they’ve won one whole game. Is it Manny’s fault they lost the other 4 and that they’re very likely to lose number 5 tonight? Yes, partially. Without Manny in the middle of the lineup, pitchers feel free to challenge hitters. The specter of Manny coming up and destroying their ERAs isn’t there anymore. Let’s face it. Slumping Andre Ethier just isn’t the stud he was becoming without Manny to protect. In spite of Juan Pierre’s torrid hitting – ya gotta love that guy – he’s not the same type of player Manny is. He can change a game base by base as opposed to with one swing. Matt Kemp seems to be going for the all-time strikeout record. He’s on a roll. Loney and Martin are powerless and Casey Blake is not exactly Evan Longoria. Furcal is still slumping and Orlando Hudson gets the anointed the teams’ new best hitter. He’s even been occupying the 3 hole.

Don’t look now, but the Giants are creeping. They’re only 3 games back and the Dodgers’ record will continue to deteriorate. Remember what I said about their lack of pitching and how they’ll fare against better teams than the ones that play in the West or live permanently in the cellar of the East? The Phillies made them look like the Nats last night and that wasn’t their ace, Cole Hamels on the mound. It was our old friend, Chan Ho Park whom the Ddogers made look like Christy Mathewson after the 1st inning. And, it seems we’ve seen what we’re going to see from young Clayton Kershaw. He’s just still too green and though he has good stuff, you can almost always count on him to give you that one horrific inning where he can’t find the plate, throws over 30 pitches, walks guys, gives up runs and loses the game. And their bullpen is still a crap shoot before you get to the overused Jonathan Broxton. With the Giants’ pitching and the hot hitting of Pablo Sandoval, I expect them to catch the Dodgers before Manny returns, possibly as soon as this current road trip. Also, in spite of their current awfulness, don’t count out the DBacks just yet. I still think they have a good team and are just biding their time.

Nope. The Dodgers are not as good as their record, with or without Manny and that’s going to show in the coming days. Those of you who are encouraged by the recent strong outing by Eric Stults, and the possible resurgence of journeyman, Jeff Weaver, curb your enthusiasm, for these are not champion caliber arms. In short, this Dodgers team has been exposed in more ways than one. This Dodger team could be in trouble. Oh wait a minute. The great Jason Schmidt is almost ready to come back. The cavalry is coming.