Not The Same Dodgers- Part Two

December started easily enough. The Dodgers traded Starting pitcher Matt Magill to the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Chris Heisey. Magill had made a few spot starts for the Dodgers over the past couple of seasons but was never going to crack the Dodgers rotation. Chris Heisey just adds to the Dodgers glut in the outfield and I only see him as a spot starter and a bat off the bench if he even sticks with the team.

The Dodgers next traded Drew Butera to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the world famous Player To Be Named Later. Butera is a modern day Bob Uecker with a sub .200 Batting Average and a career back up. He did come up with a few big hits for the Dodgers last season but by the end of the year his average was in the .180's and he had 3 homeruns and 14 RBI's.

The Dodgers picked up catcher Rod Lavarnway off waivers from the Boston Red Sox shortly after this. Lavarnway was the Catcher the Dodgers really wanted when they acquired Tim Fedorowicz a few seasons ago in a trade with the Red Sox. The Dodgers subsequently lost Lavarnway to the Chicago Cubs about a week later who then turned around and lost him to the Baltimore Orioles a few days after that. Three teams in about a week and never even picked up a glove or a bat.

Not the Same Dodgers- Part One

The Dodgers went out meekly against the St. Louis Cardinals in October and that was hard for me to deal with. Clayton Kershaw added to his string of post season non-successes (failures is such a harsh word and I cannot use that when it comes to Kershaw) losing twice to the Cardinals after winning the CY Young and the Most Valuable Player Awards.

After two straight dismal post seasons and watching the San Francisco Giants win the World Series this past year, a Dodgers makeover was in order. Ned Colletti was out (it was about time) and a new President of Baseball Operations was named, Andrew Friedman. He had turned the Tampa Bay Rays franchise around and into an playoff contender despite always having one of the lowest payrolls in Major League Baseball. He wasted no time in remolding the Dodgers in the month of December.

Behind The Eight Ball

A player is most often remembered for how he performed in the postseason. In spite of all of Clayton Kershaw's regular season success, he will probably be remembered more for his failure to perform on the big stage. Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers blew a major opportunity to go up 1-0 on the St. Louis Cardinals, blowing a 6-2 and eventually losing 10-9. Manager Don Mattingly stayed with his starter too long and it cost the Dodgers. Kershaw may not get another opportunity to redeem himself in this series.

The Dodgers Vs. Cardinals Postseason History

The Los Angeles Dodgers have not fared well against the St. Louis Cardinals in the post season. Their history starts in the 1985 playoffs when the Dodgers lost the last two games on a Ozzie Smith walkoff in Game 5 and a Jack Clark three run bomb in the top of the 9th inning in Los Angeles in Game 6.

The Dodgers lost again to the Cardinals in 2004 before finally winning a series against the Cardinals in 2009.

The Dodgers lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in last years playoffs and Clayton Kershaw got blasted in Game 6 and the Cardinals took the series 4 games to 2.

Clayton Kershaw does not have a sparkling postseason resume. He has appeared in 9 games with 6 starts and a 1-3 record with an ERA of over 4. Sports reporter Skip Bayless referred to Kershaw as the "Peyton Manning of baseball" inferring that Kershaw was only great in the regular season. Kershaw needs to prove him wrong and he needs to take it to the Cardinals tomorrow night.

The MLB Postseason

The MLB Postseason got off to a roaring start a few days ago with the Kansas City Royals taking out the Oakland A's 9-8 in 12 innings. The National League playoffs started last night with the San Francisco Giants behind the pitching of Madison Bumgarner blasting the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-0. Bumgarner is to be feared in the playoffs but one pitcher cannot win a five or a seven game series.

It is great to see some of powerhouse teams of the 1970's and '80's back in the postseason. The Oakland A's, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Baltimore Orioles are all making appearances. The Kansas City Royals are making their first appearance in the playoffs since 1985. I read somewhere that is the longest streak of non-playoff seasons in the four major sports. I like to see the small market teams have some success.

I like the fact that the New York Yankees stayed home so I do not have to hear any more of the Derek Jeter love fest going on with the media (except Keith Olbermann). I also kind of like the fact that the Boston Red Sox are staying home this year. I was getting tired of them as well.

Once Upon A Time In The West

The Los Angeles Dodgers took the National League West title last night in convincing fashion. They beat the San Francisco Giants 9-1 behind 8 strong innings from Clayton Kershaw (21-3 and a 1.77 ERA) and Yasiel Puig hit his 16th homerun. Juan Uribe also drove in three runs. There is nothing more satisfying in the world to a Dodger fan than beating the San Francisco Giants to clinch the National League West and celebrating on the field while the Giants watched. Because of the playoff structure in baseball today, the Dodgers may end up seeing the San Francisco Giants again this season.

Yasiel Puig Versus Madison Bumgarner

The Yasiel Puig versus Madison Bumgarner feud started earlier this season. Puig homered off of Bumgarner, Puig did the bat flip and the slow trot around the bases, and Bumgarner had something to say as Puig neared home plate. Last night, the feud heated up a little bit as the Dodgers edged closer to the National league West title. Bumgarner gave up a leadoff homerun to Justin Turner and he hit Puig in the ankle with an inside slider. There is no doubt in my mind that Bumgarner wanted to throw inside on him but he did not want to look obvious about it. The umpires were aware of the tension and Bumgarner did not want to get tossed from the game in the first inning. Puig's reaction was typical Puig. Bumgarner once again had something to say. Bumgarner challenged Puig but Matt kemp showed more veteran leadership by getting in front of Puig and trying to diffuse the situation. Kemp homered a couple of batters later and the Dodgers were on their way to cutting their magic number to one with four games to play.

Justin Turner

Justin Turner may have been the most important off season acquisition by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014. He was signed just prior to the beginning of Spring Training and as injuries started picking off the Dodgers infielders one by one, his ability to play more than one position greatly enhanced his value. The fact that he is hitting is a definite bonus. He is hitting a career high .333 with 7 homeruns and 41 RBI's including 2 homeruns from the leadoff position against the San Francisco Giants last night. He has been primarily playing Third base but he still doesn't look quite right earing Ron Cey's #10 jersey (I still think Ron Cey should have his number retired by the Los Angeles Dodgers). When it comes time for the playoffs, he will be an important right-handed bat off the bench and a spot starter.

The Road To 20 Wins

Clayton Kershaw was not as sharp against the Chicago Cubs yesterday when he got his 20th win as he has been in the last three months. The Dodgers staked him out to a quick 6-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Cubs cut that lead in half in the bottom of the first inning. Kershaw's control wasn't quite what it normally is and his pitch count was very high. He threw 100 + pitches in his 5 innings of work and had at least two Cubs on base in every inning. Kershaw's final stat line was 5 innings, 3 earned runs, 9 K's, and 3 BB's. In most any other game he has pitched, Kershaw probably would have left the game with at the very least, a no decision. The Dodgers hitters had his back in this game. Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig hit three run homers, Dee Gordon had two hits in his 7th straight game, and Catcher A.J. Ellis hit two homeruns after only hitting only one all season long. Kershaw improved his record to 20-3 with a 1.80 ERA and he is only the third Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher (Sandy Koufax and Claude Osteen are the others) to post more than one 20 win season. Kershaw's accomplishment was made more difficult this season by the fact that he missed five weeks at the beginning of the season.

Puig Versus kemp

Overshadowing the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies last night was a shouting match between Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig. Evidently Matt Kemp took offense to the fact that Yasiel Puig did not take third base on a single by Adrian Gonzalez when he had the opportunity. Matt Kemp flied out after Gonzalez's hit and it would have scored Puig had he been on third base. The Dodgers were in the middle of their 8 run 6th inning that put the game away. Matt Kemp had hit his 22nd homerun in the 1st inning and he thought Puig should have been more aggressive on the bases. Puig has all of the physical gifts to be a baseball superstar but he does not have a hign baseball IQ and his head is not always in the game. Kemp was using his veteran leadership on the Dodgers to impress upon Puig that this is when the games count and the Dodgers now have 4 game lead on the San Francisco Giants with 12 games to play. Something tells me this is not the first altercation that Puig has had with some of the Dodgers veterans this season.

Finishing With A Flourish

The Los Angeles Dodgers just finished taking two out of three from the second place San Francisco Giants and they took the last two with style. After getting blown out in the first game 9-0 after Hyun-Jin Ryu left in the first inning with shoulder stiffness, the Dodgers took the last two games, 17-0 and 4-2. The 17-0 victory featured the hitting and pitching of Zach Greinke who pitched 7 shutout innings and hit a two run homer. He improved his record to 15-8 with the win. The rubber game of the series featured the pitching of Clayton Kershaw (8 innings, 2 ER, 8 K's, 2 BB's, and a 19-3 record) and the hitting of Matt Kemp (his 20th HR and now 74 RBI's). The Dodgers left San Francisco with a three game lead with thirteen games to play and left with what they needed. They face the bottom feeding Colorado Rockies next and need to take at least two games in this series.

Haren Clutch Again

Dan Haren continued his hot pitching last night against the San Diego Padres in the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 win. He pitched 7 innings of shutout baseball, allowing just 4 hits, striking out 5 and walking 1. He improved his record to 13-10 with the win and dropped his ERA to 3.99. Haren was backed by the bat of Carl Crawford who went 4 for 4 with 3 doubles and 2 RBI's. The Dodgers have a road series with the San Francisco Giants coming up this weekend. The Dodgers send Hyun Jin Ryu to open the series against current Dodger nemesis Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner is having an outstanding season with 17 wins and a 3.02 ERA and has laways been tough on the Dodgers.

Larry, Curly, And Moe

When I was growing up I loved watching The Three Stooges. I remember in one short they did, it showed them playing football in typical Three Stooges style. Last night the Dodgers had a play in which three errors were committed on the same play, allowing two runs to score. It is a play The Three Stooges would have been proud of. It is also a play that almost took out Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers won 9-4 and Kershaw pitched 8 innings and only gave up 3 runs, only one earned. Ordinarily, the two unearned runs would have done Clayton Kershaw in as far as a win goes but behind Hanley Ramirez's 4 hits and 2 RBI's and 3 hits including a three run homer from Carl Crawford. the Dodgers coasted to another victory. Kershaw is now 18-3 with a 1.67 ERA. He probably has about 4 more starts left in the season to get to 20 wins.

Adrian Gonzalez Sweeps Up

The Dodgers got their badly needed sweep of the bottom feeding Arizona Diamondbacks yesterday with a 7-2 win. This victory was due in large part to the 2 homerun and 6 RBI's that Adrian Gonzalez had. That puts him up to 100 RBI's on the season and he leads the Dodgers in that offensive category by a long shot. Zach Greinke went 6 innings and gave up to runs to earn the victory his 14th. Matt Kemp hit his 19th homerun to account for the other run.

The September Call Ups

I look forward to September 1st every year. That is when Major League Baseball teams can expand their rosters to 40 players. The Dodgers called up seven players. With the Dodgers being in such a tight pennant race, ordinarily the pitchers would only get an inning at garbage time or the hitters would get a pinch hitting appearance just to get their feet wet. Because of injuries this year the Dodgers need these players to play a key role down the stretch to win the National League West. The Dodgers recalled Pitchers Yimi Garcia and Carlos Frias. Frias already has one start under his belt, pitching 6 scoreless innings against the Washington Nationals in a game the Dodgers lost in extra innings 8-5. He had an earlier call up when he got into 8 games, all in relief. The Dodgers recalled Infielders Erisbel Arruebarrena, Miguel Rojas, and Alex Guerrero. Infield depth has been a problem for most of the season and Miguel Rojas has gotten a lot of playing time this year. The Dodgers also recalled Catcher Tim Federowicz who made the team out of Spring Training but he wasn't hitting. He tore up the Pacific Coast League when he was sent down and Starter A.J. Ellis has been below the Mendoza Line all year long. Federowicz had the opportunity to stake his claim to the starting catching job and he may have one more chance. Ellis's big advantage is he is a great defensive catcher, calls a great game, and has the confidence of the entire Dodgers pitching staff. The most interesting call up was Prize Prospect, Outfielder Joc Pederson. Pederson was the first 30/30 player in the Pacific Coast League in 80 years and only the 4th one in the PCL's storied history. The Dodgers didn't waste any time putting him into the lineup as he has started several games since his call up.

Flash Comes Through

Dee Gordon came through in the clutch last night against the Arizona Diamondbacks, driving in pinch runner Roger Bernardina with the go ahead run in the bottom of the 8th inning in a 5-2 Dodgers victory. Gordon later scored, along with pinch hitter Jeff Turner, on Hanley Ramirez's Ground Rule Double to provide the final margin. The Dodgers got off to a quick start scoring the first two runs of the game on Adrian Gonzalez's Home Run (20th) and giving him 94 RBI's on the season. Dodgers starter Hyun Jin Ryu tired in the Top of the 7th inning with the Dodgers holding a 2-0 lead and allowed the Giants to tie it at 2. Brian Wilson was the beneficiary of the Dodgers three run outburst and got credit for the win (2-3). Kenley jansen came on and closed the door for his 41st Save. Gordon was the star of the game as he had 3 of the Dodgers 7 hits and scored 2 runs.

Consistently Inconsistent

Dan Haren has had an inconsistent season but over his last 4 or 5 starts, he has started putting it together like he did at the beginning of the season. He beat the Arizona Diamondbacks last night 2-1 as he pitched 6 innings of one run baseball and the Dodgers got an RBI from Hanley Ramirez and Matt Kemp hit his 18th homerun to give Haren all the runs he would need for his 12th victory. Kenley Jansen had a shut down 9th inning for his 40th Save. This is a series that the Dodgers really need to sweep. The Dodgers are trying to fight thru a slew of injuries and I have always said that Manager Don Mattingly seems to be at his best when he is mixing and matching the lineups to give the Dodgers what they need. These injuries have especially affected the pitching staff. Starters Ryu and Greinke have both missed starts and they just announced that Josh Beckett would more than likely miss the rest of the regular season. They are having to get major innings out of several rookies and castoffs to fill out their pitching staff and help maintain a very slim lead over the San Francisco Giants.

Clayton Kershaw Versus Greg Maddux

One of the great things about baseball is it's history. You can compare players from the past and the present until the end of time and probably never come up with a definitive answer. Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, Pete Rose and Ty Cobb, Bob Feller and Nolan Ryan, and the list goes on and on.

You most often hear Clayton Kershaw compared to Sandy Koufax in Dodger history. What I would like to do is compare the season Greg Maddux of the Atlanta Braves had in 1995 (a 19-2 record with a 1.63 ERA). Kershaw is currently at 17-3 with a 1.70 ERA after getting the win last night with 8 innings of one run baseball versus the Washington Nationals. Maddux was a control pitcher and Kershaw is a power pitcher, notching his 200th strikeout last night, his 5th straight season of 200 strikeouts.

The thing I remember the most about Maddux's season was how generous the umpires were when it came to Maddux's strike zone. He could have thrown the ball into the third base dugout and the umpire would have called it a strike. The umpires generosity eventually led to a more stringent strike zone a couple of seasons later. Kershaw has just been dominant. He gave up his first homerun to a left handed batter last night when Bryce Harper of the Nationals hit a solo homerun. To this point I believe that Kershaw's season has been more dominant than Maddux's 1995 season. I can only imagine the season that Kershaw would be having with a Maddux style strike zone.

Update: Kershaw finished the season with a 21-3 record and a 1.77 ERA. He also won the National League's Cy Young Award as well as the Most Valuable Player Award. Maddux won the Cy Young Award in 1995 but finished in 3rd place in the MVP race in 1995.

Pedro Baez

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a good track record of being able to convert position players into pitchers in their minor league system. They had great success with current closer Kenly Jansen a former minor league catcher and their current project is converted minor league third baseman Pedro Baez. The Dodgers recognized the fact that these two players had live arms but their hitting was not coming around enough to get them to the major league level. Pedro Baex made Baseball America's Top Thirty prospect list for the Dodgers a couple of years ago but was mired in the low minors until he was converted. After only 88 games as a minor league pitcher, he has been brought up to help in the Dodgers bullpen. He has pitched in 11 games at the major league level and logged 14 2/3 innings with a 1.88 ERA. Not bad for a player that couldn't hit his weight.

The Stats Say It All

Clayton Kershaw's stats speak volumes about the season he has had and an argument could easily be made that he should already be a twenty game winner in spite of missing five weeks of the season. He has only had one bad start this season and he got a little bit of redemption against the Arizona Diamondbacks last night giving up only one unearned run in eight innings pitched while striking out ten. Kershaw leads the majors in wins with 16, has a 1.73 ERA, and an out of this world WHIP for a starting pitcher of 0.84. The Diamondbacks also loaded the bases on Kershaw last night and that was the first time all season long that had happened to him. Of course, the Diamondbacks did not score a run against him. Scott Van Slyke also has an amazing record against Diamondbacks starter Wade Miley. Van Slyke has 8 hits against Miley this year with 5 homeruns including one last night. Van Slyke owns (I always think of the movie Slap Shot "Owwnnnss, Owwnnnss" when I think of that sports phrase) Miley. ott

The Dodger Record Books

Los Angeles Dodgers records are hard to break. Clayton Kershaw ran his scoreless innings streak to 36 with 8 more shutout innings in the Dodgers 9-0 win over the Colrado Rockies last night. The 36 inning scoreless streak is only the third longest in Dodger history behind Orel Hershiser's 59 and Don Drysdale's 58. Kershaw improved his record to 10-2 and his ERA to 1.85. He even went 2 for 4 at the plate and drove in his first run on the season. He was leaving nothing to chance. Yasiel Puig hit his 12th homerun and Scott Van Slyke hit his 8th in support of Kershaw. Dee Gordon, Andre Ethier, and A.J. Ellis all had 3 hits among the Dodgers 19 hits and Gordon stole his 41st base. The win gave the Dodgers a 1 1/2 game lead on the San Francisco Giants with the All-Star break getting close.

Kershaw

That is all my headline needs to say. Clayton Kershaw ran his scoreless string to 28 innings by shutting out the St. Louis Cardinals last night for 7 innings, striking out 13, and walking 2. He improved his record to 9-2. The Dodgers scored 6 runs in support of Kershaw this time around, the big blow being a two out, three-run homer by Andre Ethier (his 4th) off Shelby Miller in the 5th inning. More important than Kershaw's dominance, is the fact that the victory allowed the Dodgers to catch the San Francisco Giants for the lead in the National League West. The Dodgers have made up 9 1/2 games in three weeks and this was about the time the Dodgers started their incredible run last year.

They Win And They Lose

Even when the Dodgers win they, somehow manage to lose. The Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals last night 9-1 and during the course of their 6 run second inning, they lost utility man Jeff Turner to a hamstring injury and Hanley Ramirez to a calf injury although on which leg seems to be up for debate. Jeff Turner raised his average to .302 with 21 RBI's playing a variety of positions and has been invaluable since coming to the Dodgers late in Spring Training this year. He is likely headed for the Disabled List and Carlos Triunfel is on his way back to Los Angeles on the Albuquerque shuttle. I think Hanley Ramirez gets hurt stepping onto the field. I wonder if he gets hurt cashing his check? Dee Gordon continued his recent hot streak with 3 more hits raising his average to .297. Juan Uribe drove in a pair and six different Dodgers had RBI's after only scoring 2 runs in the previous two games against the Cardinals, one of those games was a 1-0 victory for the Dodgers. Zach Greinke went 7 innings, giving up 4 hits and one run, and he struck out 10 to improve his record to 10-4 on the season.

Managing Better With Less

I have been calling for Don Mattingly's job now for about a year and I feel I have had justifiable reasons. A bigger payroll than Wal-Mart, a ton of talent, and the best starting pitching in baseball are just a few of the reasons the Dodgers should be running away with the National League West. If I have noticed one thing about Don Mattingly's managerial style over the past couple of years it is that he seems to manage better when he has less talent on the field. When Mattingly has to make the pieces fit and somehow work, it brings out the best and more creative manager in him. The left side of the infield over the course of the past three weeks has been a combination of Jeff Turner, Miguel Rojas, Jamie Romak, and Carlos Triunfel with an occasional guest appearance thrown in by Hanley Ramirez and the Dodgers are 13-6. Outside of Hanley Ramirez,three rookies (I am not sure about Triunfel) and Mets castoff Turner, none of them a household name. Scott Van Slyke and Drew Butera have played key roles off the bench. Mattingly seems to have a better feel as to when to use the lesser players as starters and off the bench rather than roll the superstars out there and watch them play.

A Hit (By Pitch) And A Win

Los Angeles Dodgers Catcher A.J. Ellis took a Wade Davis cutter off the arm with the bases loaded to drive in the winning run in last nights 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals. That is what Bob Uecker used to refer to as "taking one for the team." Whatever works. The offensive stars for the Dodgers were Second Baseman Dee Gordon, 4 for 5 with his MLB leading 9th triple, 2 runs scored, and his 40th stolen base, Yasiel Puig, 2 for 5 those being a triple and an RBI double, and Matt Kemp hit his 8th homerun. Dodgers starter Dan Haren did not make it long enough to pick up the win as he went 4 1/3, giving up all 4 KC runs, including 2 homeruns. Jamey Wright came in in relief and pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings to get the win (3-2) and Brian Wilson pitched a scoreless 9th inning to get his first save in more than two years. Kenley jansen had pitched in 4 out of the last 5 games so he was unavailable. Scott Van Slyke, playing First base, snared a Lorenzo Cain line drive with one out and the tying run on second and doubled the runner off to end the game.

The Whiff And Poof Express

I borrowed the title for this blog from an old BC comic strip. The manager of their baseball team was asked to describe his lineup a la the "Murderer's Row" lineup of the 1927 New York Yankees. The manager referred to his lineup as the "Whiff And Poof Express" because of their hitting futility. I realize that the Dodgers are missing some key parts to their lineup but they only had 6 hits in last nights 2-0 win over the Kansas City Royals. Jeff Turner led off the game with a triple (he's batting leadoff?) and was eventually driven in by Adrian Gonzalez. The Dodgers scored their only other run in the top of the Ninth inning when pinch hitter Andre Ethier drove in Adrian Gonzalez with a single for the final margin of 2-0. Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw was not at his most dominant but he did stretch his scoreless streak to 21 innings by pitching 8 innings last night, striking out 8, walking 1, and giving up 6 hits. He improved his record to 8-2 and lowered his ERA to 2.24. Kenley Jansen pitched the Ninth inning for his 23rd Save.

Not A Happy Homecoming

Zach Greinke returned to his old stomping grounds in Kansas City last night and it did not go so well for Greinke and the Dodgers. Greinke was the losing pitcher in the 5-3 Royals win and he did not have one of his better efforts. He gave up all five Kansas City runs in 5 1/3 innings on 11 hits. He fell to 9-4 on the season. Hanley Ramirez drove in two runs from the Designated Hitter position and Adrian Gonzalez hit a solo homerun, his 13th, in the 9th inning and that was the Dodgers offense. The Dodgers played the game with a patchwork left side of the infield with a combination of Rookie Miguel Rojas and Jeff Turner at Third Base and Carlos Triunfel and Miguel Rojas at Shortstop. Triunfel played parts of 2012 and 2013 with the Seattle Mariners before being picked up by the Dodgers off waivers earlier this season for organizational depth. Triunfel is now Major League depth. He did hit his first career homerun last week.

Give Me Some Excitement

I would like for this years Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team to give me some excitement and I am not talking about the kind the bullpen gives when they come in in the 8th and 9th inning and blow a two or three run lead. Yesterday's 2-1 win against the San Diego Padres was just another ho hum performance. The Dodgers scored single runs in the first and second innings and then have to hold on for dear life against former Dodger Eric Stults who is the pitching equivalent of Bob Uecker. Stults came into the game with a record of 2-9 on the season with an ERA of around 6. The Dodgers managed to turn it into a pitching duel between Stults and Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu and luckily for the Dodgers, Ryu was up to the challenge as he only gave up one run in six innings, allowing only 4 hits. He improved to 9-3 on the season and dropped his ERA to 3.06. It was a typical Ryu performance. He gets the Dodgers to the 6th or 7th inning, has a high pitch count, and then has to turn the game over to the bullpen. This season turning it over to the bullpen has been like turning the ball over to the batting practice pitcher. Kenley Jansen did turn in his most dominate inning of the season, striking out the side in the 9th inning on 13 pitches for his 22nd Save. Yasiel Puig does provide some excitement but here lately it has been the various ways in which he can pull something, bruise something, or strain something and have to be removed from the game. I am issuing a call to Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Hanley Ramirez, and Adrian Gonzalez or anybody else with a bat in their hand.... Do something useful with it other than knock the dirt off your cleats!

Kershaw Dominates

You cannot get much more dominating than Clayton Kershaw was in the no-hitter he pitched against the Colorado Rockies last night. The only blemish was a throwing error by Shortstop Hanley Ramirez. Kershaw struck out 15, only threw 107 pitches of which 79 were strikes. That is the second Dodgers no-hitter of the season. Rookie Miguel Rojas carried the big bat with a bases loaded double that drove in three and recent call up Carlos Triunfel hit his first homerun of the season. Kershaw improved his record to 7-2 and his ERA to 2.52. If he had any kind of run support at all Kershaw would probably be about 10 or 11 and 1 at this point and on his way to his third Cy Young. Lost in the shuffle of the no-hitter is the fact that the Dodgers swept Rockies and moved to within 5 1/2 games of the San Francisco Giants.

The Los Angeles Dodgers 2014 Draft Picks

The Major League Baseball Draft may be the hardest of all of the professional sports to predict when it comes to predicting who is going to make it to "The Show". Most baseball draft picks that are taken from high school, toil in the minor leagues for 4 or 5 years before they even get a September call up. College players, because of their age, have a much shorter window than that. College players after 4 or 5 years transition from being "prospects" to "suspects." Only 3 of the Dodgers #1 Draft picks in the past ten years have made it to the professional level. 2006 pick Clayton Kershaw, 2007 pick Chris Withrow, and 2008 pick Ethan Martin albeit with the Philadelphia Phillies have spent time at the major league level. The Dodgers drafted high school right-handed pitcher Grant Holmes from Conway, SC in the First Round of this years draft at #22. The Dodgers drafted 20 pitchers and 20 position players. 32 high school players and 8 college players. Several players selected will probably change positions before their career is over. Aaron Miller, drafted as a Pitcher, is now a DH/Outfielder with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, the high Class A team of the Dodgers. He made it as high as AA Chattanooga before arm problems necessitated the switch. It will be 2018 or 2019 before we know the true value of this draft.

Kershaw Gets A Gift

The Baseball Gods giveth and the Baseball Gods taketh away. Over the past couple of seasons, the Baseball Gods (and the lack of any Dodgers offense behind him) have taken enough from Clayton Kershaw and last night they finally gave something back. The Dodgers scored 5 unearned runs against the Chicago White Sox last night thanks to two errors and a couple of timely hits and Kershaw's record to 4-2. It is about time.

Dee Gordon States His Case

Dee Gordon is having an inpressive season thus far for the Dodgers and is making a case for his inclusion on the National League All-Star team. He is third on the team in batting average with .286 (after being well over .300 for the majority of the season) and is leading the Major Leagues in Stolen Bases with 34 and has only been caught 3 times. He also leads the team with 4 triples. I looked for the Dodgers to try to trade Dee Gordon during Spring Training because he had gone from "prospect" status to the age of "suspect" and after the Dodgers signed their Cuban connection of Erisbel Arruebarrena at Shortstop and Alex Guerrero at Second, the Dodgers wouldn't have room for him or he would be relegated to another season in Albuquerque. He has been one of the pleasant surprises on the Dodgers this season and in Major League Baseball.

Jamie Romak Gets The Call

Jamie Romak was recalled by the Los Angeles Dodgers the other day after being on a minor league oddysey that lasted 12 seasons with 5 different organizations. Romak was originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 4th Round of the 2003 draft. He has played in over 1000 minor league games and has 4300 at bats, with over 150 homeruns. He has 13 homeruns with Albuquerque this season and has shown some pop in his bat throughout his minor league career. I believed that the Dodgers would call up Outfielder Joc Pederson but Romak offered more versatility being able to play the oufield and the infield corner positions. Romak got his first career at bat against the Cincinnati Reds and has played in three games so far with 2 at bats and no hits. You have to pull for a player that has put in that kind of time in the minors and finally gets the call.

The Bats Wake Up

The Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates last night 12-2 as Hanley Ramirez hit two homeruns and drove in five and a trio of players- Matt Kemp, Jeff Turner, and Drew Butera- drive in two runs a piece. Hyun Jin-Ryu improved his record to 6-2 as he scattered ten hits (can you really scatter ten hits?) and gave up both Pittsburgh runs. Jamey Wright pitched three scoreless innings to earn his first save of the year. The Dodgers are still hovering around the .500 mark and Hanley Ramirez carried the team when they got hot last year and I am hoping a five RBI night will jump start him to another hot streak. Matt Kemp needs to get off the schneid as well or he might be playing himself right out of Los Angeles.

Matt Kemp Out Of LA?

Matt Kemp has been benched for the past several games by Manager Don Mattingly and it looks like Matt Kemp might be the odd man out in the Dodgers crowded Outfield, especially with Joc Pederson tearing up the Pacific Coast League. Manager Don Mattingly was quoted as saying that Matt kemp appeared to be a little bit slower this season compared to what he had been a couple of seasons ago. His production is way down, Andre Ethier has been hot as of late (although his power numbers are way down), and Kemp might be trade material. His is still relatively young but his trade value has been hurt by his past injury problems and I believe the most the Dodgers can hope for is a mid-level prospect for a team willing to take on Kemp's salary. The Dodgers would probably have to pick up a large portion of that.

* Right after writing this blog it was reported that Carl Crawford had badly sprained his ankle and would be headed to the Disabled List. Is now the time to bring up Joc Pederson?

How To Celebrate

The Dodgers had to put Catcher A.J. Ellis back on the 15-Day Disabled List when he sprained his ankle during the celebration following Josh Beckett's no-hitter. It was a game Ellis did not even play in. They had to bring Tim Federowicz (5 hits in 46 at bats before he was sent down) back up from Albuquerque and Drew Butera becomes the starter by default. Butera is leading the Dodgers Catchers with a .222 average and 2 Homeruns. Ellis was only batting .170 with 1 homerun and 12 RBI's at the time of his injury but his defense and his ability to call a game are indispensable. Celebrations over great games, great finishes, and championships are a part of baseball tradition and history but you shouldn't get hurt when you didn't even play in the game. Call it bad luck or a bad choice but this is A.J. Ellis's second stint on the DL this season.

A Hard Act To Follow

Hyun Jin-Ryu tried his best to follow Josh Beckett's no-hitter the day before but ran out of gas in the 8th inning of the Dodgers 4-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds last night. He retired the first 21 Reds to come to the plate before Todd Frazier doubled in the top of the 8th inning to break up the perfect game. That was also about the time the wheels fell off. The Reds sent 9 men to the plate in the 8th inning, scored 3 runs off of Ryu and Brian Wilson and Kenley Jansen came on to get the first four out save of his career, his 15th on the season. Jansen cannot seem to come in and just shut the door, he has to make it exciting. He escaped a two on, two out jam in the top of the ninth before retiring the final batter on a fly ball to Center. Carl Crawford carried the big bat by driving in two runs and Ryu helped his own cause by driving in a run but only because the Reds could not turn a double play. With only 5 hits in the game, the Dodgers will take runs any way they can get them.

Back Up Catchers And No Hitters

I wonder how many back up catchers have caught no-hitters in Major League Baseball history. Back up Drew Butera caught his second no-hitter when he caugh Josh Beckett's no-hitter yesterday. I know Jeff Torborg specialized in catching no-hitters as did Jason Varitek. Torborg caught three no-hitters in his career. They were pitched by Hall Of Famers Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan and Bill Singer. Torborg pretty much spent his career as a backup and never had more than 255 at bats in a season, ironically his last season with the California Angels in 1973. He also had a career high 56 hits and 18 RBI's that season. He caught his last no-hitter pitched by Nolan Ryan on May 15th of that season. Varitek has caught a record four no-hitters, all from pitchers that are more than likely not going to end up in the Hall Of Fame. Hideo Nomo (2001), Derek Lowe (2002), Clay Buchholz (2007), and Jon Lester (2008). Varitek spent the majority of his career as a starter.

Josh Beckett Joins An Exclusive Club

Josh Beckett threw the first Dodgers no-hitter in 18 years yesterday afternoon against the Philadelphia Phillies. Hideo Nomo was the last Dodger to throw one in 1996 against the Colorado Rockies. It was also the first no-hitter in the Majors this year. Beckett threw 128 pitches, struck out 6 and walked 3. 128 pitches is a high pitch count but if I was Manager Don Mattingly I wouldn't have taken him out, either. Beckett had a chance to make history and he struck out Chase Utley to finish it off. Beckett improved to 3-1 on the season and improved his ERA to 2.43. The Dodgers were led on offense by Adrian Gonzalez who went 3-4 with 2 RBI's, Juan Uribe's replacement at 3rd Base, Jeff Turner went 2-4 and hit his 2nd Homerun, and recent call up, Shortstop Erisbel Arruebarrena went 2-4 with an RBI. Yasiel Puig continued his recent tear with 2 hits and he raised his batting average to .349. The Dodgers took 2 out of 3 from the Phillies, shutting them out twice in the process.

Josh Beckett was probably the least likely of the Dodgers starters to throw a no-hitter, his first, as he is 34 years old and is not the fireballer he was when he won the World Series MVP with the Florida Marlins in 2005. He also underwent a procedure last year to fix a nerve problem in his arm that shut him down for the majority of the 2013 season. No-hitters often involve good pitching, great defense, and a whole lot of luck. Beckett didn't even need the great defense or the luck.

The Les Sweetland Line

Hitters have the "Mendoza Line", the term used to indicate when a player is near or below a .200 batting average, named after light-hitting shortstop Mario Mendoza (a career .215 hitter). Mendoza claims that the term was coined by Seattle Mariners teammates Bruce Bochte and Tom Paciorek during the 1979 season when Mendoza's batting average was hovering near the .200 mark all season long (he finished at .198). The term was later picked up on by Hall Of Famer George Brett and then ESPN anchor Chris Berman and it became part of baseball history.

I propose that pitchers should have their own version of the Mendoza Line that revolves around their Earned Run Average. I did a little bit of research and thanks to baseballreference.com, I found that pitcher Les Sweetland, that pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1927-1930 and the Chicago Cubs in 1931, had a career ERA of 6.10 to go along with a career record of 33-58. I don't know if the "Sweetland Line" will catch on in baseball terminology but the Dodgers have a few members of their bullpen that are over the "Sweetland Line."

Kershaw Come Back Strong

Clayton Kershaw came back from possibly the worst outing of his career with a strong effort against the Philadelphia Phillies in the Dodgers 2-0 win last night. He went 6 innings, gave up two hits, struck out 9 and walked 2. All of this was sandwiched around a 45 minute rain delay in the top of the 4th inning. It is unusual for a starter to go back out after that long of a rain delay but Kershaw was up to the challenge. Reliever Brandon League came in for the bottom of the 7th inning and promptle loaded the bases with no one out on a hit, an error, and a walk. Reliever J.P. Howell came in and got a line out on a sliding catch by Carl Crawford, a force out at home on a grounder to Third Basemen Chone Figgins, and a flyout. They should create a special stat when a relief pitcher comes in and gets out of a jam like that. Kenley Jansen came in to get his 14th save in the 9th inning. The DSodgers were led on offense by Yasiel Puig's 3 hits and an RBI, Dee Gordon's 3 stolen bases, and Carl Crawford hit his 4th homerun of the year in the 2nd inning.

Stealing The Show

The Dodgers may have lost to the New York Mets 5-3 last night and Zach Greinke's streak of 21 straight games of allowing 2 runs or less was broken, Yasiel Puig stole the show with the catch of the year in Rightfield last night. Even the New York Mets fans showed their appreciation for the catch. One reporter made the comment that hopefully we could enjoy Yasiel Puig the baseball player in that moment rather than all of the controversy that constantly swirls around him. I am hoping the talent portion of Puigs resume will end up taking over the controversial part.

Chris Withrow Optioned Out

Chris Withrow was optioned down to AAA Albuquerque to make room for Hyun-Jin Ryu, who came off the Disabled List. Paul Maholm was sent to the bullpen to take Withrow's place. Withrow pitched in 20 games, 21 1/3 innings, and gave up 7 earned runs for a 2.95 ERA. He had one bad outing within the past week in which he gave up 5 runs but I believe the biggest reasons that he was sent down was the fact that he had options left and to work on his control. He issued 18 walks in those 21 1/3 innings. He was one of the least deserving of some of the other relievers of being optioned out but it was about the only move the Dodgers could make. Plus the Dodgers needed another lefty besides J.P. Howell in the bullpen.

Making The Hits Count

The Dodgers only had 4 hits against the New York Mets in their 4-3 win win last night but three of them were solo homeruns- Gonzalez (12), Puig (10), and Hanley Ramirez (7)- and Ramirez drove in the Dodgers other run. Hyun-Jin Ryu came off the Disabled List and pitched 6 innings, giving up 2 runs, striki9ng out 9 and only walking 1. He improved to 4-2 on the season and his return couldn't have come at a better time. The Dodgers held on for the victory in spite of Kenley Jansen giving up a 9th inning run but he did earn his 13th save. Brandon League and Brian Wilson pitched scoreless innings a piece and Brian Wilson may be getting back into the pitching groove he had at the end of last year when he helped propel the Dodgers into the playoffs. League lowered his ERA to 1.35.

New York, New York

To paraphrase Frank Sinatra, the Dodgers have been spreading something but it hasn't been the news. Last night the Dodgers held on to beat the New York Mets 9-4 as they built up a big lead (6-1), almost lost it (6-4), and then finished it off with a three run ninth inning (9-4). They didn't give their bullpen a chance to lose the game. Josh Beckett got the win (2-1) in spite of giving up two homeruns in the bottom of the sixth inning. He pitched 5 innings and gave up 4 earned runs and handed it off to the bullpen. Howell, Withrow, Wilson, and Jansen combined to pitch four innings of scoreless baseball. The Dodgers offense came through in the clutch as they had 15 hits and eight different Dodgers drove in runs. Adrian Gonzalez had three hits including his 11th homerun and drove in two. That puts the Dodgers at 24-22 on the season and luckily no one is running away with the National League West right now. They are 4 games behind the San Francisco Giants and are in third place.

Raising Arizona

I had to take the title of this blog from the movie of the same name but it was the best I could do. The Dodgers improved to 8-1 on the season against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 7-0 win last night and are a perfect 4-0 against them at Chase Field AKA "the old swimmin' hole". Zach Greinke continued his Cy Young type of start to the season by pitching 8 scoreless innings against the Diamondbacks, striking out 6, and giving up only 5 singles. Greinke improved to 7-1 on the season and lowered his ERA to 2.03. Last year's Silver Slugger also had two hits and doubled in a run. Maybe the Kansas City Royals should have let him hit when he pitched there? Greinke has also only allowed 2 or fewer runs in 21 straight starts, the longest such streak since at least 1914 for all you stat geeks (such as myself) out there. Yasiel Puig extended his hitting streak to a career best 15 games with 3 hits including his 8th homerun. Scott Van Slyke continued to use Diamondbacks starter Wade Miley as his personal batting practice pitcher by hitting his 4th homerun (3 against Miley) and he is 6 for 9 against him on the season, and all 6 hits are for extra bases.

Taking One For The Team

All teams get the occasional beat down and last night the Dodgers were no exception in a 13-3 loss to the Marlins. Bob Uecker referred to in his book The Catcher In The Wry as "taking one for the team" and last night Paul Maholm did just that. He was left in longer than he should have to try to preserve a beat up bullpen. Maholm went 3 2/3 innings and gave up 10 runs but only 5 were earned. Chris Perez and Brian Wilson came in and poured some gasoline on the fire (Perez 1/3 of an inning 2 earned runs and Wilson 1 ininning and 1 earned run although Wilson did lower his ERA to 10.22). Drew Butera added to his impressive backup credentials by pitching a scoreless 9th inning and even struck out a batter. The only offensive highlight of the night for the Dodgers was that Yasiel Puig extended his hitting streak to 14 games and knocked in his team leading 31st run.

Drew Butera

Who would have thought that Drew Butera would have emerged from the scrap heap of backup Catchers in Spring Training to hold down the fort until A.J. Ellis came back from the Disabled List? Tim Federowicz struggled at the plate and Drew Butera stepped up with Miguel Olivo as his backup. Butera has already tied his season homerun high with 2 including an extra inning game winner a couple of weeks ago and it looks like he has won the backup job for the rest of the season. Several Catchers in major league history have made nice careers out of being backup catchers with the most famous of those being Bob Uecker.

Beckett's First Win

Josh Beckett got his first win of the season last night (1-1) over one of his old teams the Miami Marlins 7-1. He went 6 1/3 innings, giving up one unearned run, struck out 6 and walked 3. He dropped his overall ERA to 2.38. The Dodgers broke the game open with 5 runs in the bottom of the 6th. Hanley Ramirez started the scoring with a two-run double, Yasiel Puig had two hits and an RBI and improved his average to .326, and Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford also had two hits a piece. Manager Don Mattingly noted Puig's sudden consistency at the plate by saying in a postgame interview "he's growing up before our very eyes." Puig has a career high 13 game hitting streak and leads the team with 30 RBI's. His mother even threw out the first pitch last night on "Yasiel Puig bobblehead night."

Who Needs The Bullpen?

After losing two in a row to the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-0 to Lefty Cliff Lee, and 3-2 when the bullpen lost it in extra innings, the Los Angeles Dodgers sent Zach Greinke to the mound to try to get back on track. Greinke pitched 7 innings and gave up 2 earned runs, struck out 11, and was pulled in the top of the eighth inning after giving up a leadoff homerun to Jayson Nix. J.P. Howell pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Kenley Jansen finished it off for his 8th save on the season. The Dodgers had 5 players with 2 hits a piece, led by Yasiel Puig who tripled and had 2 RBI's. Hanley Ramirez (his 3rd homerun in the bottom of the eighth inning), Matt Kemp, Scott Van Slyke, and Drew Butera also had two hits. Clayton Kershaw is getting close to returning with a planned minor league rehab start on Friday night and there have been no reported problems in any of his bullpen sessions.

The Cuban Connection

There was a very enlightening article on Yahoo.com yesterday that somehow made the connection between Cuban defectors wanting to play baseball in the United States and "human trafficking." The article mentioned Major League Baseball as basically being active participants in the human trafficking. What is going on with Cuban baseball players now reminds me of what went on with Russian hockey players 15 or 20 years ago. Russian hockey players and Cuban baseball players are those countries natural resources and there is a lot of money involved. The Cuban underworld wants their piece of the Major League Baseball pie and shaking down the players and their families is the easiest way to make this happen. Getting Cuban baseball players to the United States is a risky business and sometimes involves a very circuitous route. The Los Angeles Dodgers have three Cuban baseball players on their roster- Yasiel Puig, Erisbel Arruebarrena, and Alex Guerrero- and have historically been at the forefront of going to every corner of the globe to find baseball talent. The threats made against Yasiel Puig and other Cuban Major League Baseball players are not to be taken lightly and MLB needs to address this situation as soon as possible. Baseball is an International game and along with that label, comes everyone with their hand out wanting to be bribed, paid off, and compensated. Teams have to bid on the "rights" to negotiate with Japanese players. That seems to be a more legal and accepted form of human trafficking.

Puig On The Diamond

Yasiel Puig seems to overshadow anything any other Los Angeles Dodgers' player does on or off the field. Yasiel Puig's three run homer against the Arizona Diamondbacks today overshadowed what was probably the best pitching performance in Josh Beckett's one plus years as a Dodger (5 innings, 0 runs, 7 strikeouts). The three run homer was the big blow in the Dodgers 4-1 series clinching win over the Diamondbacks. Puig also threw out Diamondback Miguel Montero at second base. The Dodgers scored all four of their runs in the bottom of the sixth inning as Carl Crawford's triple drove in Dee Gordon with the first run and Adrian Gonzalez was intentionally walked to get to Puig and he made them pay for that decision. Based on Puig's propensity for strikeouts, if I was Kirk Gibson, I probably would have made the same decision. Gonzalez has been swinging a hot bat as of late. Jamey Wright (1-0) pitched the sixth inning, giving up Arizona's lone run, to get the win and Kenley Jansen finished it off to get his 7th save. That puts the Dodgers at 12-7 on the season, one game ahead of the San Francisco Giants in the National League West.

A Baseball

In the spirit of Easter, I am going to tell the story of the best Easter gift I ever received at least on the worldly level anyway. I always had the traditional Easter growing up in the mountains of Western North Carolina. We always got new "Sunday" clothes, we always went to church, and we always got an Easter basket filled with chocolate, and after church we did the traditional Easter Egg hunt. One year as I got a little bit older, I guess I was about 13 or 14, that stuff had all fallen by the wayside years earlier (with the exception of the chocolate- I still fought for the chocolate) but I got up one morning and there was a baseball laying on the table at my dinner place. A single, perfectly white, perfectly stitched, Major League approved baseball. I don't care if the Easter Bunny himself laid it, it was the best Easter present ever. I had a neighborhood game going on by that afternoon. I also made sure I batted leadoff that afternoon and that I was the one the christen it with a bunt single down the third base line. Hey, I wasn't about to take any chances.

A Clueless Fan With A Laptop And A Blog

It seems like everytime I write or make any disparaging comments about Andre Ethier, he does something that makes me look like another clueless fan with a laptop and a blog, which I might be because no one reads this anyway. I try to be relevant and keep it interesting because I am a true blue Los Angeles Dodgers fan. Anyway, back to Ethier. The Dodgers Dan Haren gave up five runs last night (only two earned) and the Dodgers found themselves down 4-0. Andre Ethier's three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning got the Dodgers going in an 8-6 win. Matt Kemp and Adrian Gonzalez had 2 hits and 2 RBI's and Dee Gordon's 2 hits raised his batting average to .375. Dan Haren went 7 1/3 innings, improved his record to 3-0, his ERA is at 2.16 and he is kicking his old team, Arizona's, ass. He has proven to be an important free agent pick up thus far. Since my blog has such a positive effect on Ethier maybe I should talk about how Brian Wilson (ERA of 10.13) carrying that goofy beard around is hurting his pitching arm. Hey, I am as superstitious as the next baseball person.

Andre Ethier's Time Has Come

I think it is time that the Los Angeles Dodgers start exploring trade opportunities for outfielder Andre Ethier. He is off to another slow start and his future replacement, Joc Pederson, has been tearing it up at AAA Albuquerque (well over a .400 batting average with 5 homerun's in only 55 at bats but also 14 strikeouts) but the Dodgers had better get something for Ethier while they can. Pederson is only 21 years old but he almost made the team out of Spring Training and is closer to being ready than not. The Dodgers could use some more prospects at Catcher and a few more in the infield as well. Ethier was only a AA player when they traded for him and the Dodgers could platoon Scott Van Slyke and Joc Pederson until Pederson is ready to take over full time. Payroll doesn't seem to be a concern for the Dodgers for a change and the Dodgers may be in the market for a Closer if the bullpen keeps blowing leads.

An Anemic Offense And A Shaky Bullpen

After scoring 22 runs in a weekend sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks last weekend, I don't think the Dodgers have scored more than 2 or 3 runs in any game since. The bullpen has not held up well, either. Set up man Brian Wilson sports an ERA of 9 and in spite of Kenley Jansen 5 saves (2 blown saves already), he has an ERA of 5. Middle relievers Chris Perez (although he absorbed the loss last night) and Chris Withrow and lefty specialtist J.P. Howell have been the most consistent of the relievers. The Dodgers wasted a solid performance by starter Zach Greinke last night (6 innings, 1 run) and the starters can't hold out forever. The Dodgers offense can't seem to get their big guns untracked- Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier both hitting under .200- and they are being led by Juan Uribe and Dee Gordon, both hitting over .350. The run producers are just not coming up with the clutch hits.

Let's Have Fun At The Old Swimming Hole

I think too much has been made of the Dodgers celebration at Arizona when they clinched the National League West last year. The Dodgers had their first series at Arizona this year and that is all you heard from the media and from the Diamondbacks' players was about the Dodgers celebration. I have great respect for Diamondbacks Manager Kirk Gibson and he has a special place in Dodgers history for he competitive nature and his desire to win. That might be why I enjoy watching the Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks more than I do the San Francisco Giants now. The Dodgers pulled off a three game sweeep of the Diamondbacks last weekend 6-0, 8-6, and 8-5 due in large part to the bat of Adrian Gonzalez and Matt Kemp even had a two homer game thrown in. Infielder Dee Gordon also had 4 steals in one of the games. I never saw any history on that but I would have to believe the Dodgers have not had anyone do that since Dave Lopes in the 1970's.

Trading Places

I think all the Dodgers do any more is trade one starter for another on the Disabled List. Matt Kemp comes off the DL and A.J. Ellis goes on; Clayton Kershaw goes on and Josh Beckett comes off. It is not a good pattern to have and the trades are pretty unfair. I don't even think Ned Colletti would make most of these deals. Well, with the exception of A.J. Ellis for Matt Kemp. I think anyone would make that deal. The Dodgers are off to a 6-3 start but the big bats, with the exception of Matt Kemp's two homers the other night, have not really come alive yet. Dee Gordon is off to the best start of his short but uninspired career and even hit a homerun last night. The Dodgers middle relief has been lights out while their closers have been lit up but I can't complain too much with a 6-3 record. I am just glad baseball is back.

The Disabled List Piles Up

The Disabled List is already adding victims before the season "officially" starts. Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw are the biggest names on the list as Kershaw's name was just added yesterday. He should be eligible to come off the Disabled List on April 7th but no one in the Dodgers front office knows exactly when he will be ready to pitch again. Kemp and Kershaw represent almost $50 million in Dodgers on the Disabled List. Add Chad Billingsley and Josh Beckett and you have more in payroll on the Disabled List than some teams payroll for their entire roster. This is not exactly the start I envisioned for the Dodgers this year.

Play Ball!

It has been over five months since my last blog about the Los Angeles Dodgers and losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in the playoffs last year left a bad taste in my mouth. I never felt the Dodgers were at full strength last year with all of the injuries that piled up and Don Mattingly did an amazing job with a bunch of rookies, has beens, and never were's. I was calling for his job after they fell about 10 games under .500 around the middle part of the season, but he proved me wrong and made all of the right moves to get them the National league West crown and into the playoffs. Some managers can do more with less talent than other managers and that may be Don Mattingly's strength. The Dodgers didn't make too big of a splash in the off season with Dan Haren probably being the biggest acquisition. They added second baseman Justin Turner, a former utility man with the New York Mets, late in Spring Training to get some time at second base until either Erisbel Arruebarrena or Alex Guerrero is ready to go. The Dodgers are picked to finish forst in the National League West but I believe injuries will once again be the key. Getting a healthy Matt Kemp back will do wonders for the offense and keeping Hanley Ramirez on the filed will be key as well.