Hmmm...

Well, I gotta tell ya, this Dodger team is a puzzle to me. As is the case with most championship caliber clubs, it always seems like one or two guys get hot when everyone else is pretty cold and they carry the team on their backs for awhile. Last couple of weeks, those guys were Juan Pierre, Casey Blake and the O Dog. Now, it's Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp. Ethier is on a home run tear, having had 2 multi homer games inside a week (what if he keeps this up when Manny comes back? Look out!) and Matt Kemp has been getting some clutch hits along with a clutch dong last night against the lowly San Diego Dads. (Boy do they stink. 10 game winning streak a while back or not, they have NO offense save the great Adrian Gonzalez. I'm betting Tony Gwynn Jr is going to turn out to be pretty good, also) Billingsley did not look sharp at all, but they won a Chad start, which is a must for a team that can boast only one truly solid starter. Even Russell Martin had a couple of hits, but let's face it, he and Rafael Furcal are killing us. (If you can call being 20 games over .500 in June and having the best record in baseball and an 8 1/2 game lead over your nearest division rival, dying) What happened to Martin's power? It's freakin' gone. I mean, he doesn't even have warning track power anymore. And why does Raffy stink so much this year? Is his back still bugging him? His swing from both sides of the plate looks terrible. And, in spite of Loney's nice RBI total, his 2 HRs thus far are less than impressive for a first baseman. Where has his power gone? Juan has come back to earth, which was expected and the O Dog has been slumping in spite of his yak last night and Casey Blake, still solid, has been battling hamstring troubles and hasn't homered in quite some time. So, with only a couple two or three guys hitting well at a time, and with medicore to poor starting pitching, how is this team doing it???? Is it just knowing Manny's coming back inside of a month that's somehow fueling them? Is it Torre's brilliance? Am I missing something? I mean, let's face it, this is a team that appears to simply know how to win. I must admit the man I once called Ramon Troncos-oh no! has been getting the job done in the set up role and Ronald Belisario has been fairly impressive. Broxton is formidable, not necessarily lights out, but nearly so. Brent Leach and Mota have stunk and Corey Wade seems to be starting to get it together, so their bullpen has been tough.

Still, they were only able to split with the Phils, of course losing to Cole Hamels whom they probably will never find a way to beat and then losing to some bastard named Bastardo. They tend to feed off team's numbers 3-5 starters and they have a lot of wins against the Dads and the Snakes, 2 teams that suck. Tonight, they should beat the San Diego team again, but Kershaw is on the mound and you never know with him, as he continues to fight that one bad inning where he throws 50 pitches and walks the world. Now that Milton is on the shelf with back spasms, and we've established the not-so-goodness of Eric Stults, what are the Blue's plans as far as acquiring that much needed starter who will take them to the next level. (Jake Peavy, Jake Peavy, Jake Peavy, Jake Peavy or Jake Peavy) Who will the Dads insist on getting in return? I still say, offer 'em Xavier Paul, James McDonald, maybe even their recent 1st round (comp round) pick, Aaron Miller. If the Dads insist on Kemp, do we give them Kemo for Peavy? Only if you're assured of signing Peavy to a long term deal. They can stick Juan Pierre in center and not lose much at all, except maybe a few home runs and a lot of K's. Whatever you do, just don't give them Paul AND Kemp. This weekend's interleague matchup in Texas will be another acid test for the Dodgers, especially their pitching staff. The Rangers have an awesome lineup and they actually have pretty decent pitching. An oddity for a Rangers team. In the meantime, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying this. It's June 10th and the Dodgers have the best record in baseball by a fairly large margin and the new Roid King returns in 19 games.

Speaking of the draft, congratulations to young Tyler Skaggs, whom the Angels draftes in the compensation round (right at the end of the 1st round) 40th overall. I coached Tyler at Santa Monica Hugh School in his sophomore year and he's a great kid. 40th pick in the nation. Gotta be a lucrative deal. He had signed a letter of intent to play at perennial baseball power, Cal State Fullerton, but I guess the Titans will have to do without him. Wonder how he feels today.