Kuzul

It’s been depressing, disheartening, and discomforting to watch the Los Angeles Dodgers (49-45), who have not won a game since the All-Star break (0-6).

Last night the Dodgers suffered a gut-wrenching loss to their rival San Francisco Giants when Andrew Torres hit a go-ahead, two-run double off the wall in the ninth inning off reliever George Sherill. 

Don Mattingly then replaced Sherrill with Travis Schlichting, who gave up an RBI single later in the inning to the Giants’ red-hot catcher Buster Posey. 

Then in the bottom of the ninth, after the Giants had taken a 7-5 lead, the Dodgers last chance at recovery—Andre Ethier—stepped up to the plate with a man on second. After hitting a two-run home run earlier in the game, and notorious for producing in clutch moments throughout the season, Ethier had momentum on his side.

But what began as a hopeful 2-0 count evaporated into a demoralizing strikeout for the All-Star outfielder, sealing the Dodgers’ sixth straight loss.

After manager Joe Torre was ejected earlier in the game, Don Mattingly took over, but made a potentially game-changing, managerial mistake in the top of the ninth. Mattingly approached closer Jonathan Broxton, who appeared just moments away from blowing his second save in three days, but then made the fatal error of stepping off the mound only to retreat a few steps back after hearing first basemen James Loney utter a question in the distance.

Rule 8.06(d) in the Major League Baseball rulebook states that only one visit can be made to the mound per inning by a manager or coach without removing the pitcher. Two visits to the same pitcher in the same inning means that pitcher automatically has to be taken out. The rule declares that “a manager or coach is considered to have concluded his visit when he leaves the 18-foot circle surrounding the pitcher’s rubber.”

Consequently, when Mattingly approached Jonathon Broxton on the mound two separate times, it forced the Dodgers’ intimidating and experienced closer to leave the game and be replaced by Sherill. 

The Dodgers handed the Giants a second victory in a row, but that was just the bitter topping on the cake for the slew of games the Dodgers have thrown away since returning from the All-Star break.

Being swept by the St. Louis Cardinals was a tough blow, but realistically they faced the stellar pitching of Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, which completely shut them down. 

But on the other hand, where was the Dodgers pitching? 

Well, it’s where it has been all season, mediocre and inconsistent.

While no team is flawless, the Los Angeles Dodgers most visible and detrimental issue has been their pitching staff. Other than Vicente Padilla, who has proven truly reliable on the mound, Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, and Hiroki Kuroda continue to struggle and remain in a desperate search of their rhythm.

Even Broxton, a two-time All-Star, continues to underperform. After the Cardinals took two games from the Dodgers last week, Broxton let the third slip away last Sunday in a grueling 5-4 loss.

Neither Dodger All-Star has shined since the break. Other than last night’s two-run home run, the powerful bat of Andre Ethier has been non-existent.

Aside from the burden of a capricious pitching staff, the Dodgers are without a leader. Ethier is too young, Loney too erratic, and Matt Kemp is too unpredictable. Though players like Rafael Furcal and Manny Ramirez have the experience, they have been plagued by injury.

In fact, in the midst of the Dodgers’ despair, Ramirez was just put on the disabled list with a strained calf.

Los Angeles is lagging behind a surprising San Diego Padres juggernaut, a resurgent Colorado Rockies team and the streaky San Francisco Giants.

The Dodgers’ bats need to be reawakened and rescue them from this bundle of losses.

A more consistent, dependable pitcher like Hong-Chih Kuo should replace the turbulent Broxton.

Finally, Joe Torre needs to come to the team’s aid and revive it from this losing streak.

There is still a lot of baseball to be played and with an upcoming schedule that looks to be in their favor, hopefully the Dodgers can take advantage and regain their confidence and control.

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On a day with some tremendous pitching performances, Clayton Kershaw stole the show by striking out 12 and walking none.  Ubaldo Jimenez appears to have righted the ship after a rough patch.  Carl Crawford showed why he is one of the elite outfielders in the game.  Let’s take a look at these stories and all the rest from yesterday’s games.

Pitchers

• Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers (8.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 12 K, W): It was a spectacular performance, to say the least, especially considering the control problems he’s had in the past.  He currently has a 2.96 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, with both numbers being realistic as they are based off a .292 BABIP and 77.6 percent strand rate.  If he could ever get his control completely in order (4.0 BB/9), the numbers could be off the charts.  As it is, with 128 Ks in 112.1 innings, he’s entrenched himself as an elite fantasy option.

• Roy Oswalt, Houston Astros (9.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 8 K, W): Forget about the six wins, it’s only because he pitches for the Astros.  He is now sporting a 3.08 ERA and is one of the better pitchers in the league.  There will be rumors right up until the deadline of potential trades and if he goes to a contender, his value will only increase.

• Ubaldo Jiminez, Colorado Rockies (8.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 K, W): He needed this heading into the All-Star break.  He had struggled over his previous three starts, allowing 17 ER over 17.2 IP.  He finishes the first half with 15 wins and a 2.20 ERA.  Simply amazing, even with the short cold streak.  Obviously it’s impossible to expect him to replicate these types of numbers in the second half, but he certainly will remain one of the elite in the game.

• John Danks, Chicago White Sox (9.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 7 K, W): It was a brilliant performance, and he needed every bit of it to defeat Ervin Santana (8.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K).  Danks has allowed three earned runs or less in five of his last six starts and has been solid all year long with a 3.29 ERA and 1.13 WHIP.  He has had some luck (.265 BABIP), so there may be a small regression, but he’s proven over the past two and a half years to be a solid option.

• Brett Cecil, Toronto Blue Jays (7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 2 K, W): Just when you think that his value has completely diminished, he draws you back in.  He was awful in interleague play (0-3 allowing 15 ER over 15.2 IP), but now that he’s back pitching against AL opponents he has allowed two earned runs over 13 IP against the Yankees and Twins.  He’s certainly worth stashing for the second half.

• Scott Baker, Minnesota Twins (6.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 4 K): In his last seven starts, he’s allowed four earned runs or more five times.  What is going on?  Before you press the panic button, he entered the game with a BABIP of .338.  That’s really the only difference, as he’s still striking batters out and he’s still hardly walking anyone.  If there’s someone in your league that is fed up with him, I would certainly buy low for the second half (we’ll certainly be talking more about him in the coming days).

• Mat Latos, San Diego Padres (7.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 8 K, W): The real question is if he will face an innings limit or not.  With the Padres competing for the NL West title, there’s no chance of them completely shutting him down.  Could they give him an extra day off or not now and then?  Probably, but that’s about it.  Plus, there is recent for skepticism as he entered the day with a .243 BABIP and 80.8 percent strand rate.  I’ll have to spend much more detail over the All-Star break on what we can expect from him in the second half, but in all likelihood, there is a regression coming.

• Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds (7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K): He was solid for the fifth straight start, but the strikeouts continue to be a puzzling trend.  In his last 32.1 innings he’s allowed just three earned runs, but he’s struck out 14 batters.  That’s a terrible mark (3.9 K/9) and unless he can rediscover that, his luck will sooner or later run out.  Considering his trend of fading in the second half, there certainly is cause for concern.

• Andy Pettitte, New York Yankees (8.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 9 K, W): Pettitte closes the first half at 11-2 with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.  Tremendous numbers, but let’s keep in mind that he hasn’t had a sub-4.00 ERA since 2005.  When you dig deeper into his line, you see that he’s benefiting from a .265 BABIP and 80.6 percent strand rate.  I would say it’s likely he sees a regression in the second half, and possibly a major one.  Now may be the best time to sell high on him if there’s an interested owner.

Hitters

• Lance Berkman, Houston Astros (3-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R): Maybe the talk of is demise was a little premature, huh?  He’s now homered in four straight games, going 7-13 with five homers, eight RBI, and six runs.

• Aubrey Huff, San Francisco Giants (2-3, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R): He just keeps hitting and hitting and hitting.  He has his average at .298 with 17 HR and 54 RBI on the year.  He now has a seven-game hitting streak going 11-28 with five home runs, 12 RBI and eight runs.  You certainly want to ride him while he’s hot, and there certainly is the potential to continue driving in runs hitting in the middle of the lineup.

• Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays (2-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R): While he’s not a big-time power threat, he’s also more then just a source of speed for fantasy owners.  On the year he’s hitting .321 with 10 HR, 48 RBI, 66 R and 29 SB.  Simply amazing.  In July, he’s gone 15-27 with three homers, 10 RBI, nine runs and a stolen base.  That begs the question, where has the speed gone?  Then again, is anyone really worried with the production he’s provided?  He’s one of the few elite outfielders in the game today.

• Felix Pie, Baltimore Orioles (1-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R): Pie has a hit in all three games he’s played since coming off the DL, going 4-13 with one home run, three RBI, and a run scored.  We’ve all heard about his potential and it appears that he’s going to get the chance to play everyday in the second half.  That certainly should put him on the radar of those in five-outfielder formats, but given his history we need to give him more time to prove his value.

• Kelly Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks (4-5, 3 RBI, 2 R): After his amazing April he had faded significantly in May (3 HR, .245) and June (1 HR, .235).  In July, things are looking up significantly.  He’s now hitting .417 (10-24) with one home run, eight RBI, five runs scored and a stolen base for the month.  Keep in mind, in May he had seven RBI and 10 in June.  The fact is, he’s not as good as he was in April and he’s not as bad as he was in May and June.  I would expect him to be solid, though without the power he initially showed, the rest of the way.

• Rafael Furcal, Atlanta Braves (3-3, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB): He did a little bit of everything in this one, showing his full range of abilities.  He’s a must-use in all formats right now.

Who were the night’s big performers in your minds? Anyone else jump out at you? Any thoughts on the guys I mentioned here?

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Professional baseball has been around for roughly 150 years and the result has been memories and moments that will last forever, talent that shines above the rest, amazing revenue for the national government, and some crazy rules that just don’t make much sense.

Baseball is a game of tradition and honor (minus steroids). Therefore, it can take years to change even the smallest rules in Major League Baseball, and most rules are not important enough to change.

However, here are 10 of those rules that generate confusion and shrugged shoulders.

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It’s finally over for right handed knuckleballer Charlie Haeger. The Dodgers designated Haeger for assignment on Friday, effectively ending Haeger’s days as a Dodger.

The 26-year-old holds a 1-5 record as a Dodger while allowing 35 earned runs in just 30 innings pitched.

Haeger never really got on track in two abbreviated seasons for L.A., and spent several days on the DL in two separate stints with Planter Fasciitis in 2010. During both minor league rehabs, Haeger was impressive and earned a promotion back to the major league roster. 

However, following his second activation from the DL, Haeger was pulled one out away from qualifying for a win with a four run lead. The surprise move raised eyebrows and confused the knuckleballer. Less than 24 hours later, he was DFA’d.

The Dodgers now have ten days to trade Haeger, release him, or after clearing waivers, assign him to Triple-A Albuquerque. 

It is not likely Haeger will garner much attention on the trade market. However, he is young and has plenty of time to perfect the dancing pitch that is so rare in baseball. 

With Vicente Padilla resuming his spot in the rotation, and Chad Billingsley on the disabled list, the Dodgers have four set starters: Clayton Kershaw, Vicente Padilla, Hiroki Kuroda and John Ely. 

Expect relievers such as Jeff Weaver and Carlos Monasterios to make spot starts during Billingsley’s rehab. Once Billingsley returns, Ely will most likely continue filling the fifth starter position.

To fill the newly vacated roster spot, the Dodgers have called up reliever Jon Link, one of two pitchers (John Ely) acquired in the trade that sent Juan Pierre to the White Sox.

The call-up is Link’s fourth already this season, but he has a combined 4.1 innings pitched in four games. 

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are slowly rising to the top of the National League West, but one glaring issue still remains: There are four established pitchers in their five-man starting rotation.

The Tigers designated Dontrelle Willis for assignment on Saturday following a rough start for the pitcher in 2010. Willis never really lived up to the expectations put forth by the Tigers when signing him to a 3-year, $29 million contract.

However, the southpaw is a former 22 game winner and World Series Champion while with the Florida Marlins.

There are several other reasons why Dontrelle Willis would make a good fit in Los Angeles. As I mentioned in an earlier article, the Dodgers really need another lefty in their rotation. Clayton Kershaw remains the ace of the staff, and the lone lefty in a quartet that is missing a drummer.

Willis is only owed $12 million for this season, the final year of his contract. That is roughly half the cost of alternatives such as Roy Oswalt, who comes with a price tag in the neighborhood of $25 million.

It is no secret at this point; pitchers that switch leagues tend to have immediate success, and with Willis being in the final year of his contract, the Dodgers could use his services for the remainder of the season before a decision becomes necessary.

Exhibit A: Halladay comes over from the American League, departing the Toronto Blue Jays and joining the Philadelphia Phillies. The result: A perfect game.

Cliff Lee came over to the Phillies in 2009 from the Cleveland Indians, and became a vital piece of their playoff run.

For the Dodgers, Vicente Padilla came across the line from the Texas Rangers, and soon anchored and stabilized the rotation.

Certainly there are cons alongside all of the obvious pros. The hefty contract remainder makes Willis a gamble, especially since he hasn’t shown any signs of improvement this season. However, the idea the Dodgers could have five established starters with the return of a healthy Padilla makes it tempting to speculate.

Not to sell John Ely short, the rookie is having an impressive year, but Major League Baseball is a business. The youngster has plenty of time to develop and make his run to become an ace. However, the trend in baseball has a theme: “Win now, worry about tomorrow later.”

There are eight days remaining before the Tigers will have to make a decision, and fans can expect a melee to ensue this weekend if nothing materializes in the next few days.

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Just under 50 games in to the 2010 season, the first word of potential trade brewings has surfaced for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

According to the Dodgers’ website, the team has inquired about pitchers Roy Oswalt of the Houston Astros and Cliff Lee of the Seattle Mariners. Although both teams responded with a “No, for now” it doesn’t necessarily mean the door can’t be opened later.

But which pitcher would make a better fit in Tinsel Town? Perhaps the pitcher with the ability to eat up innings or simply keep the Dodgers in the game long enough for the offense to solidify a victory. If not that, at the very least keep hitters from sending the ball to left field.

On the slides to follow will be a break down of Roy Oswalt’s attributes and Cliff Lee’s skills, respectively. Along with statistics will be an inside look at each player, and how they might fare in Los Angeles.

Begin Slideshow

On Sunday May 16, one run was all the Dodgers needed in the final match of a three-game series to complete a sweep of the first place San Diego Padres.

The win was their seventh in a row.

Entering the series, the Padres found themselves returning home fresh-off their second sweep of the Giants this year.  After a successful road trip, they were looking to find similar results against the Dodgers in San Diego.

However, the Dodgers had other things in mind after also sweeping their last opponents—the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

In their first match up of the season, the visiting Dodgers gave the Padres a taste of their own style of play with some timely hitting and solid pitching.

The Dodgers pitching—which has been a weakness all season long—outperformed the Padres pitching staff, which still leads the National League in ERA with 2.69 after Sunday’s game.

Padres hitters were limited to one hit with runners in scoring position, going a combined 1-for-12 in the series. 

Los Angeles hitters took care of business when it mattered, batting a total 7-for-19 (.368) with runners in scoring position (RISP) in the series.

GAME 1—Dodgers 4, Padres 3

Dodgers RISP: 3-10 (.300), Padres RISP: 1-5 (.200)

Another solid pitching performance was turned in by San Diego starter Jon Garland 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 KOs.  But it was a seventh inning two-run home run from Matt Kemp which gave the Dodgers the lead for good. 

Ramon Ortiz, 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 KOs, with his first start of the season became the eighth different starter for the Dodgers, threw 86 pitches.

Five Dodgers pitchers came out of the bullpen to back up Ortiz, and pitched five shutout innings.

GAME 2—Dodgers 4, Padres 1

Dodgers RISP: 3-7 (.429), Padres RISP: 0-5 (.000)

Clayton Kershaw (3-2) pitched seven strong innings, allowing just one run while striking out seven.  Ramon Troncoso and Jonathan Broxton pitched flawless eighth and ninth innings, respectively. 

James Loney, batting cleanup, hit his fourth homer of the season, a solo shot in the second inning.  Jamey Carroll and Russell Martin drove in two more runs in the fifth inning, and Garrett Anderson, playing for the injured Andre Either, had an RBI triple in the sixth inning.

The Padres sole run came in when Scott Hairston scored on a Chase Headley ground-out via fielder’s choice.

GAME 3—Dodgers 1, Padres 0

Dodgers RISP: 1-2 (.500), Padres RISP: 0-2 (.000)

Chad Billingsley (4-2) 7.1 IP, 4 H, 6 KOs along with Hong-Chih Kuo 0.2 IP, 0 H and closer Jonathan Broxton 1.0, 0 H—who picked up three saves over the weekend—combined for a shutout. 

Padres rookie starter Wade LeBlanc (2-1) 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 KOs only allowed two hits.  He was pitching no-hit ball until Russell Martin hit a line-dive RBI that zipped right by his head.

The timely hit from the leadoff-man in the sixth inning drove in Jamey Carrol from second base to score the only run of the game.

NOTES

Despite suffering three consecutive losses and being swept for the first time this season, the weekend series left the Padres with one consolation—the match up drew near sell-out crowds at Petco Park in San Diego.

An estimated 126,819 people were in attendance over the three games.

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Andre Ethier suffered an injury on Saturday, breaking a bone in his right pinky finger. Such is the consequence of taking extra batting practice.

Currently the Dodgers are on a six game winning streak, scoring four runs in the first game of Andre’s absence. Last year Manny Ramirez, the slugger who’s image is now tainted was unable to provide his services while serving a fifty game suspension. It was with contributions from the likes of Juan Pierre, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp that kept the team afloat during a time that many hailed as the teams time to collapse.

So far this year Los Angeles’ future is up in the air. It would be a great step if the team can continue to produce like it has the last fifteen games without the triple-crown leader.

For two consecutive years the Dodgers have made NLCS appearances, sweeping the competition in each Division Series. This is not easy to accomplish if you play with the odds of the media. The good thing for Los Angeles is that the team is continuing to mature and develop.

A team of stars to be, led by the likes of Joe Torre are being bread for one thing, winning. They are unsatisfied with something to prove and this just may be the time to prove it. Championship quality teams know how to win when a man goes down and that is what the Dodgers must do.

A portion of the team needs to continue to produce like it has, but there are key players that must amplify their game that takes teams to the next level.

Begin Slideshow

As of this writing, the Los Angeles Dodgers are in last place in the National League West, with an 11-16 record. The Milwaukee Brewers have scored 11 runs on them the past two nights.

Most Dodger fans did not expect this, with the team coming off two straight NLCS appearances with a good core of young players.

However, when the season started, I was afraid that this swooning futility might happen, sorry to say.

Here, in my humble opinion, is why the Dodgers are where they are at this point:

Injuries

Manny Ramirez and Jeff Weaver are currently on rehab assignments in the minors, they are scheduled to rejoin the team this weekend.

Shortstop Rafael Furcal is on the disable list with a bad hamstring, and opening day starter Vicente Padilla is out with an arm injury for roughly two months.

Particularly with Ramirez and Furcal, those are key players that the Dodgers have been missing.

It is safe to say that these injuries have hurt L.A. badly, if not outright decimated them. Unlike Juan Pierre last year, outfielder Reed Johnson and infielder Jamey Carroll haven’t stepped up in Manny’s and Rafael’s absence; they went 0-for-8 last night in the Dodgers’ 11-3 loss to the Brewers.

Pitching 

In my view, this is the biggest reason why Los Angeles has only won 11 out of their first 27 games.

The starting pitching was a concern for me going into 2010. I felt that Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw had to step up big time, and have dominating seasons in order for the Dodgers to win their third straight division title.

Even though Billingsley has been pretty good of late, he gave up four runs in the first inning last night; he and Kershaw have not pitched as well as expected.

Kershaw gave up seven runs in two innings in his last start, and he continues to throw too many pitches and walk too many batters.

As for the bullpen, except for Jonathan Broxton, who has been lights out, it has flat-out sucked.

Charlie Brown would fit right in with L.A’s middle relievers and their ineptness, and may be the best one if he was a Dodger.

Guys like Ronald Bellasario, Ramon Troncoso, and especially George Sherill have thrown gasoline on the fires whenever they’ve taken the mound. It has gotten to the point where high school players could probably hit off them, their pitching has stunk so bad. 

If the Dodgers are going to climb out of the cellar and be the contending club that they are more than capable of being, the pitching absolutely must perform better.

Otherwise it could be a long, frustrating year in Chavez Ravine.

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Some unfamiliar faces have been spotted around the Los Angeles Dodgers dugout lately, but suddenly the number in the “W” column is going up. Meanwhile, the pitching has stepped it up with the return of some familiar faces and the infusion of some new ones.

Pop Quiz: Who has the lowest ERA on the Dodgers’ roster? If you said Carlos Monasterios, you’d be wrong. It’s actually Jonathan Broxton. In nine games or 8.2 innings, Broxton has allowed just four hits and no runs while striking out 14 and walking only one. Tough to compete with that, but Monasterios isn’t far off. In his 14.2 innings, Monasterios is sporting a 1.84 ERA and has filled in marvelously for injured Dodger veterans.

Monasterios was brilliant in his first major league start, going four innings while only allowing one run. Manager Joe Torre pulled him after 79 pitches, leaving many to wonder why he didn’t stretch him out over the fifth inning, which would have qualified him for the win. However, Monasterios isn’t the only young Dodger getting valuable regular season experience. 

Pitcher Charlie Haeger, catcher A.J. Ellis and utility outfielder Xavier Paul all have bolstered their major league resumes this season, as injuries continue to nag the defending National League West Champions. Haeger has had a “rough go” of it so far this season, but he has filled in as an innings eater, sometimes pitching on just three days rest, in a time when the Dodgers have really needed him. Ellis has become the catcher for Haeger, and has given Russell Martin a much needed break as Martin’s groin continues to heal. Paul is seeing significant innings, even batting leadoff in front of Russell Martin while Rafael Furcal is still out with hamstring issues. Thus far, Paul is struggling at the plate, batting just .200 (3-for-15) but providing versatility and range in the outfield.

Although the Dodger rookies and prospects can’t all be Jason Haywards, their roles are all vital in the season swing for a team looking to rebound once their veterans come back from the disabled list. The role of unsung hero is one that is rarely relished in the public eye. So give them a hand, they are the reason we are still within range of the division lead.

Hiroki Kuroda and Clayton Kershaw need to remain consistent, as it is apparent they will need to carry the load for a rotation lacking depth, and thus far it appears the rest of the pitching staff is following the lead. Dodgers pitching has allowed just five runs in the last three games. Granted, it was against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but hey, it’s a two game win streak and the Dodgers have looked dominant after losing two of three to the sea burglars in Pittsburgh.

With the recent performance of the Dodgers’ pitching staff and a return to consistency with the offense, the Dodgers look to be on the up-and-up. One thing is for sure, the trend is uplifting for L.A. fans: The team ERA is dropping, and the run production is rising. Good things to come…

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