Andre Ethier is the lone bright spot in the sputtering Dodgers offense. He's putting together a pretty damn good year, having hit his 26th & 27th homers last night in Denver, hitting .290 with 87 RBI. (Nice of Joe to finally decide to hit him in front of Manny) The rest of them, in spite of a rare Loney home run last night, just stink. That's right. Manny, who did a great piece of hitting Tuesday night in the 9th to tie the game, stinks. At least compared to Manny Ramirez, he stinks. The new Manny - the steroid-free Manny, can no longer hit the ball over the fence. Not even in Mile high air. On top of that, his bat seems slow as molasses. What does that tell you? Meanwhile, Furcal continues to swing like a rusty gate, the O Do's bat has parvo and Kemp has been missing. But the main reason is the team, in spite of their win last night against Josh Fogg, the worst pitcher who's ever lived, pushing their lead to 3 games over the Mountains seems to have redefined the word, "complacency." I'm beginning to understand what the fiery Jeff Kent was talking about last year when he yelled at the youngsters in the clubhouse. With the exception of Ethier and a few guys, they play like they just don't care and it's showing in the standings. I'm curious to see how newcomer ass, Vicente Padilla does in his Dodger debut today against hot Rockies' resurrected hurler Jorge De la Rosa. If they win today, the Dodgers can go into Cincy with some confidence and a 4 game lead and a good shot at holding on to the lead in the West. If they lose, the Rockies will be in first place in the West one week from today. Needless to say, today's game is important.
The fact still remains, the Phils and the Cards are not getting any worse. They're getting better. Yes, Raul Ibanez is slumping, but so what? They have Utley, a hot Rollins, Howard, Werth and Victorino. They have Lee, Happ, Hamels and Blanton. Good team. The Cards? Cy Young candidates Carpenter and Wainwright, along with Joel Piniero and a middle of the lineup like the '27 Yankees. The Dodgers have a talented, but shaky Kershaw and Billingsley, a dizzy, headachy Hiroki Kuroda and a new found ace in Randy Wolf, who, I can gurantee you, will lose that ace status against teams like Philly and St. Louis. August 31st is Monday. That's the waiver trade deadline. Nothing short of Roy Oswalt, Dan Haren or Zack Greinke can help us now. Oh, and by the way, we can use a first baseman who can hit. Wonder if David Ortiz still has his mitt? Maybe even Lance Berkman is available. Doubt it. Barring a miracle, and there have been a few in baseball, they have no chance whatsoever in the playoffs, IF they get that far. So why am I still even bothering to watch, you ask? Well, someone has to write this blog.
My dad is at Cedars Sinai Medical Center for his 27th consecutive day. He's hanging in there but it's been a rough road. I believe the Dodgers come and visit that hospital and support some of their facilities. Odd, disappointing and frustrating that the huge, well known LA hospital doesn't carry Prime Ticket - the Dodgers' main cable channel on which most of their games are aired. My dad would like to attach some of his hope to the Dodgers and he'd like to hear Vin Scully.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Hate to Say "I Told Ya So," but ... I Told Ya So.
The smoke and mirrors have run out. Like the strike-split season of 1981, the Dodgers won the 1st half. However, they're fairly miserable in the 2nd half, and unlike the 1981 season, they don't get an automatic post season bid by virtue of their 1st half performance. This mediocre team with weak starting pitching and an awful bullpen, whose star hitter is clearly not the same off the "meds," is playing the way they're built to play: Poorly. Kershaw has reverted to his youthful, unpolished self, Kuroda has a headache and they still don't have a number 1 starter. Along with Manny being Mario Mendoza, Furcal is doing nothing, Martin, in spite of his aberrational grand slam last night, is contributing little offensively and killing them behind the dish, and Loney has been awful. (One may argue Loney has 76 RBI, therefore, he's contributing, but see his totals since July 15th) In short, their offense is weak. As Kurt Streeter wrote in yesterday's Times, they simply can't touch teams' numbers 1 and 2 starters. The acquisition of Vicente Padilla will be of little or no help. He's simply not a difference maker, and on top of that, he's an asshole. Colletti's failure to land Halladay, Lee or Peavy speaks to the reality that McCourt will not pay what's necessary to build a winner as well as to Ned's own ineptitude. The truth is out: As far as the McCourts are concerned, the Manny signing was to generate Manny revenue. If they truly wanted to hoist a World Series trophy, he'd have added the pitching they so desperately needed. Again, fans, in the final analysis, the record from April to July means nada, zilch, the null set. Oh, sure, it's the reason the Dodgers are in first place and still hold the best overall record in the NL, but it's not a true measure of what kind of team they are. It pains me to say this, but taking all facets into consideration - starting pitching, bullpen, hitting, power, OBP, defense, the Dodgers are now the 7th or 8th best team in the NL and will likely miss the playoffs completely unless they can spur some kind of Renaissance. Here are my 2nd half rankings of the NL's top teams:
1) St. Louis - far and away, better than the Blue and my choice to go to the World Series. They've shown willingness to do what it takes to win evidenced by their acquisitions of Holliday, De Rosa, Lugo and now, Smoltz. They have Carpenter and Wainwright, along with Piniero and have an amazing middle of the order. Better managed than the Dodgers.
2) Philadelphia - Close to St. Louis. A very well balanced club and with Cliff Lee and that offense, can win a short series and advance.
3) Colorado - More solid than most analysts give them credit for. Tracy has gotten everyone to contribute, in spite of some lowe BAs. Great starting pitching 1 -5, which no other NL team can boast. Clint Barmes has 20 HRs and Tulo is back to his 2007 form.
4) Atlanta - Solid starting pitching 1 -4, with a rapidly improving offense. May give the WC a serious run.
5) San Francisco - Cain & Lincecum, an improved offense and able to execute. Consistency from their big hitter anchors the rest of a fairly weak lineup.
6) Florida - Josh Johnson, along with Carpenter, Wainwright, Lincecum and Cain is a bonafide Cy Young candidate. They have a solid starter in Volstad and Nolasco is on the mend. They also have the 2nd best player in the NL in Hanley Ramirez and hitting and power throughout the lineup. They're hungrier than the Dodgers.
7) Chicago - I know, I know, the Cubs stink, they've lost 9 out of their last 13 and even we beat 'em last night. Okay. But on paper, the Cubbies should be the 2nd or 3rd best team in the league. They've endured countless injuries and their All Star pitching staff has underachieved. With Aramis Ramirez healthy and Zambrano coming off the DL, look for them to rebound. Don't let the records fool you. Top to bottom, with the exception of a bad bullpen, they're a better team than the Dodgers.
8) The Dodgers - When Randy Wolf is now your ace, you're in trouble. Billingsley looked okay his last start, but he's clearly not in the same league as the above mentioned hurlers. Without one, your post season chances are dim. Manny has obviously been weakened now that he's off the juice and too many guys no longer contribute offensively. Loney, who should've been dealt before the deadline, grounds into way too many DPs and Martin simply kills them with his defense. Jonathan Broxton looks like a deer in the headlights and could be and, should be, done as the closer, especially since the acquisition of George Sherrill. The team does not play baseball the way it's meant to be played. They cannot hit cutoff men, they cannot execute simple sac bunts and hit and runs and Joe Torre, in my opinion, has not done a good job. He over utilizes these strategies when the team clearly can't perform them and jostles the lineup way too much. The smoke and mirrors are over.
1) St. Louis - far and away, better than the Blue and my choice to go to the World Series. They've shown willingness to do what it takes to win evidenced by their acquisitions of Holliday, De Rosa, Lugo and now, Smoltz. They have Carpenter and Wainwright, along with Piniero and have an amazing middle of the order. Better managed than the Dodgers.
2) Philadelphia - Close to St. Louis. A very well balanced club and with Cliff Lee and that offense, can win a short series and advance.
3) Colorado - More solid than most analysts give them credit for. Tracy has gotten everyone to contribute, in spite of some lowe BAs. Great starting pitching 1 -5, which no other NL team can boast. Clint Barmes has 20 HRs and Tulo is back to his 2007 form.
4) Atlanta - Solid starting pitching 1 -4, with a rapidly improving offense. May give the WC a serious run.
5) San Francisco - Cain & Lincecum, an improved offense and able to execute. Consistency from their big hitter anchors the rest of a fairly weak lineup.
6) Florida - Josh Johnson, along with Carpenter, Wainwright, Lincecum and Cain is a bonafide Cy Young candidate. They have a solid starter in Volstad and Nolasco is on the mend. They also have the 2nd best player in the NL in Hanley Ramirez and hitting and power throughout the lineup. They're hungrier than the Dodgers.
7) Chicago - I know, I know, the Cubs stink, they've lost 9 out of their last 13 and even we beat 'em last night. Okay. But on paper, the Cubbies should be the 2nd or 3rd best team in the league. They've endured countless injuries and their All Star pitching staff has underachieved. With Aramis Ramirez healthy and Zambrano coming off the DL, look for them to rebound. Don't let the records fool you. Top to bottom, with the exception of a bad bullpen, they're a better team than the Dodgers.
8) The Dodgers - When Randy Wolf is now your ace, you're in trouble. Billingsley looked okay his last start, but he's clearly not in the same league as the above mentioned hurlers. Without one, your post season chances are dim. Manny has obviously been weakened now that he's off the juice and too many guys no longer contribute offensively. Loney, who should've been dealt before the deadline, grounds into way too many DPs and Martin simply kills them with his defense. Jonathan Broxton looks like a deer in the headlights and could be and, should be, done as the closer, especially since the acquisition of George Sherrill. The team does not play baseball the way it's meant to be played. They cannot hit cutoff men, they cannot execute simple sac bunts and hit and runs and Joe Torre, in my opinion, has not done a good job. He over utilizes these strategies when the team clearly can't perform them and jostles the lineup way too much. The smoke and mirrors are over.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Prognosis Negative - For the Dodgers, Anyway
Sorry for the huge gap in postings, readers, but my dad has recently taken ill. He's feeling a little better now, but still in the hospital, having been diagnosed with a bad form of lymphoma. It's treatable, but he's 82 in September and, up until a few weeks ago, he was sailing and playing golf. My dad is a strong man and I'm praying and hoping he can beat this and hang around for a lot more years. This man went to every single one of my ball games from little league through UCLA and, having never really played much himself, he still taught me how to swing a bat. I spent countless hours in the garage with him as he tied his trout flies or buit his model airplanes, listening to Vin Scully, even though baseball was never his first love. But he knew I loved it and he loved me. Dad, I love you.
As Curb Your Enthusiasm is about to finally begin a new season in which the cast of Seinfeld is reuinited, I'm reminded of a flim Jerry and George went to see called "Prognosis Negative" as I watch the Dodgers spring leaks and slowly begin to fold their tent. So much for the best record in baseball, at least for today, but the surprise - and it shouldn't have been - is that it's the Yankees and not the Red Sox who have earned that distinction. It's the first time in months the Blue haven't held down that honor and I think, before long, they'll fall even further down the ladder. With a slumping Manny - he's killing us - and weak starting pitching, they're actually a fairly mediocre team. Ethier's having a fine season and so is Kemp (that is, if you're into getting all your RBIs in one game and not hitting a lot of homers, but BECAUSE THE MCCOURTS AND NED COLLETTI FAILED TO MAKE THE DEAL FOR THE STARTING PITCHER THEY NEEDED, this team, in my opinion, and as I stated in my last blog, has no chance of advancing very far in the playoffs and it's no longer even a certainty that they can make it to the post season. With Billingsley now suffering from a hammy pull and the recently resurgent Kuroda experiencing soreness, Randy Wolf chugging along as the medicore left hander he is and still no 5th starter - it appears Jason Schmidt's career could be over -that leaves them with only young Kershaw, who went back to his old, youthful, wild form his last start. Add that to the fact that, in spite of a 17 run outburst the other night, and Ethier's 9th inning heroics Thursday, they can't drive in runs. With Manny striking out a lot, it's become a real deal breaker for the middle of their lineup. On top of that, Torre continues to kill potential rallies with his affinity for the sacrifce bunt, which is often executed poorly - see Russell Martin - and James Loney just stinks. He's in a fog out there, both offensively and defensively. What is wrong with him? He should be in the prime of his young career. He has no more power and only sporadic focus. Jonathan Broxton, meanwhile, is now piling up blown saves - last night was his 4th - and Troncoso has looked awful for nearly a month. And I never realized Orlando Hudson didn't know how to tun the bases. He's killing us on the paths. They also could use a new catcher. I would start giving brad Ausmus the majority of the playing time. Though "J Martin" is beginning to hit by using the whole field, his defense has become so atrocious, he's become more of a liability than an asset. Their weaknesses are growing and are being exploited by hungrier, and frankly, better teams. The Dodgers are in big, big trouble.
Yes, it's a relief the Giants were able to lose to lowly Zinzinnati with Lincecum on the mound last night, and they maintain a 6 1/2 game lead over both the Giants and the Rockies, but they open up a crucial 3 games series in San Fran on Monday and I don't like their chances. I know I've been negative as hell about this team all season, but I still see very little substance beyond the smoke and mirrors. They needed Roy Halladay. They needed Cliff Lee. They needed Jake Peavy. They needed Jarrod Washburn. Instead, they got no one. Just what kind of message does that send to the fans? It was clearly about salary for McCourt. Otherwise, one would think he would've come through and given up something to get the player or players he needed to win. I really don't like the McCourts. I think they're just not very sincere about winning it all in Los Angeles. Sorry, Dodger fans, for my negative outlook, but read the numbers for the past 2 months and weep. They need Manny to regain his form, they need Loney to wake up, they need to play Ausmus more, they need more of a commitment from owenership and they need an ace. The latter two being the hardest to come by.
As Curb Your Enthusiasm is about to finally begin a new season in which the cast of Seinfeld is reuinited, I'm reminded of a flim Jerry and George went to see called "Prognosis Negative" as I watch the Dodgers spring leaks and slowly begin to fold their tent. So much for the best record in baseball, at least for today, but the surprise - and it shouldn't have been - is that it's the Yankees and not the Red Sox who have earned that distinction. It's the first time in months the Blue haven't held down that honor and I think, before long, they'll fall even further down the ladder. With a slumping Manny - he's killing us - and weak starting pitching, they're actually a fairly mediocre team. Ethier's having a fine season and so is Kemp (that is, if you're into getting all your RBIs in one game and not hitting a lot of homers, but BECAUSE THE MCCOURTS AND NED COLLETTI FAILED TO MAKE THE DEAL FOR THE STARTING PITCHER THEY NEEDED, this team, in my opinion, and as I stated in my last blog, has no chance of advancing very far in the playoffs and it's no longer even a certainty that they can make it to the post season. With Billingsley now suffering from a hammy pull and the recently resurgent Kuroda experiencing soreness, Randy Wolf chugging along as the medicore left hander he is and still no 5th starter - it appears Jason Schmidt's career could be over -that leaves them with only young Kershaw, who went back to his old, youthful, wild form his last start. Add that to the fact that, in spite of a 17 run outburst the other night, and Ethier's 9th inning heroics Thursday, they can't drive in runs. With Manny striking out a lot, it's become a real deal breaker for the middle of their lineup. On top of that, Torre continues to kill potential rallies with his affinity for the sacrifce bunt, which is often executed poorly - see Russell Martin - and James Loney just stinks. He's in a fog out there, both offensively and defensively. What is wrong with him? He should be in the prime of his young career. He has no more power and only sporadic focus. Jonathan Broxton, meanwhile, is now piling up blown saves - last night was his 4th - and Troncoso has looked awful for nearly a month. And I never realized Orlando Hudson didn't know how to tun the bases. He's killing us on the paths. They also could use a new catcher. I would start giving brad Ausmus the majority of the playing time. Though "J Martin" is beginning to hit by using the whole field, his defense has become so atrocious, he's become more of a liability than an asset. Their weaknesses are growing and are being exploited by hungrier, and frankly, better teams. The Dodgers are in big, big trouble.
Yes, it's a relief the Giants were able to lose to lowly Zinzinnati with Lincecum on the mound last night, and they maintain a 6 1/2 game lead over both the Giants and the Rockies, but they open up a crucial 3 games series in San Fran on Monday and I don't like their chances. I know I've been negative as hell about this team all season, but I still see very little substance beyond the smoke and mirrors. They needed Roy Halladay. They needed Cliff Lee. They needed Jake Peavy. They needed Jarrod Washburn. Instead, they got no one. Just what kind of message does that send to the fans? It was clearly about salary for McCourt. Otherwise, one would think he would've come through and given up something to get the player or players he needed to win. I really don't like the McCourts. I think they're just not very sincere about winning it all in Los Angeles. Sorry, Dodger fans, for my negative outlook, but read the numbers for the past 2 months and weep. They need Manny to regain his form, they need Loney to wake up, they need to play Ausmus more, they need more of a commitment from owenership and they need an ace. The latter two being the hardest to come by.
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