....And The Rest Of The Starting Pitchers

Manager Don Mattingly and the Los Angeles Dodgers have had to cobble together the back end of the starting rotation made up of rookies, cast offs, and veterans acquired by trade after Hyun Jin-Ryu and Brandon McCarthy went down early in the season. The Dodgers ran the gamut of pitchers from veteran arms, young arms, and rebuilt arms from the scrap heap to the independent leagues and all walks of the professional baseball community. It seems like everyone had the opportunity to nail down those last two starting spots from Scott Baker and Brandon Beachy to Ian Thomas and Zach Lee.

After Greinke and Kershaw, the oft-injured Brett Anderson has managed to stay healthy and productive this season and hold down the third spot in the rotation. The Dodgers eventually settled on Mat Latos and Alex Wood for their final two starters. Mat Latos gets another opportunity in the rotation, facing the Chicago Cubs tonight and this might be his last opportunity as the Dodgers head into the stretch with a 2 1/2 game lead over the San Francisco Giants in the National League West.

The Dodgers can expand their roster to 40 players on September 1 and if Latos has another bad outing, I look for the Dodgers to insert Mike Bolsinger back into the rotation. He was by far the most successful of the Dodgers open pitching tryouts throughout the balance of the season.

A Pair Of Aces

Usually every team has an ace on their pitching staff, even the worst of teams. Steve Carlton of the Philadelphia Phillies won 27 of his team's 59 wins in 1972, an astonishing 45.8 percent of his teams wins. The Los Angeles Dodgers have a pair of aces on their staff in Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw. The right-left combination are a combined 25-9 this season with an ERA around two, only accounting for about 35 percent of their team's wins. With a stronger bullpen, the win total would probably be much higher than that.

Kershaw shut down the powerful young bats of the Chicago Cubs, striking out 14 and only allowing three hits in eight innings. Greinke and Kershaw should both be in the running for the National League Cy Young Award but they will probably cancel each other out.

Sweeping The Reds

The Dodgers did what the Dodgers need to do. They scored enough runs (13 in three games), the starters got them into the sixth and seventh innings, the bullpen didn't implode, and the defense played solid, fundamental baseball. All of that adds up to a sweep. It was the Cincinnati Reds and they have already mailed the season in and seeing who can compete for a job next season. Sometimes those are the hardest teams to beat. I do not think the Reds started a pitcher that had more than about 15 or 20 starts in the majors. These are the types of teams the Dodgers should sweep. Those are the types of teams they have to sweep.

How The West Was Won (or Lost)

All roads to the World Series go through your bullpen. The Dodgers bullpen is struggling right now. Instead of trading for bullpen help or reaching into the minors for some fresh arms, the Dodgers trade for second baseman Chase Utley to take the place of injured Howie Kendrick. Utley was batting around .220 at the time of the trade and is winding his career down. The rest of baseball has figured out that your team will only go as far as your bullpen takes you. That is why the Kansas City Royals almost won the World Series last year. Why can't the Dodgers brass figure it out?

The Pitchers

The Dodgers made a big splash at the trade deadline and acquired four pitchers that are currently on the active roster. They are relievers Jim Johnson and Luis Avilan, and starters Mat Latos and Alex Wood. Since the trade, the quartet has combined to pitch in 17 games, totaling 42 1/3 innings, 37 earned runs, a 1-5 record and a 7.87 ERA.

It appears that the new acquisitions are getting adjusted to their new surroundings as Jim Johnson has had two scoreless outings in a row after giving up eight runs in 2/3 of an inning in a loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly said, "Jim's had two outings in a row" that has restored his confidence in his relief pitchers.

Mat Latos had a solid first start for the Dodgers only giving up one run in six innings but has gotten shelled in his last two starts. Alex Wood has been the most productive of the new acquisitions going 1-1 with a 5.09 ERA and winning his last start against the Cincinnati Reds. Wood said "It gives me some confidence to get my first win under my belt."

Greinke Can Hit

Zack Greinke pitched and hit the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Greinke pitched seven innings and only gave up one run and hit what proved to be the game winning homerun in the bottom of the fifth inning, his second homerun of the season. It is probably premature to start campaigning for Greinke for the Cy Young Award but I would have to believe that Greinke and Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants are the front runners. Bumgarner leads in wins 14 to 13 but Grienke has the ERA at 1.58. It may come down to who wins the National League West.

Trading Puig

There has been a lot of chatter on the internet and on sports TV about whether the Dodgers should trade Yasiel Puig or not. First of all, Yasiel Puig is an amazing talent. The potential he has is off the charts. He can hit for power, he has speed, and his arm in right field may be unparalleled in baseball today. Unfortunately, baseball history is littered with players that never realized their potential.

He is one of the most analyzed players in the baseball, known almost as much for his dugout antics as well as his play on the field. Puig's is seen on Sportscenter making throws to nail a base runner trying to take the extra base and sulking in the dugout because he struck out a few innings later. One of Manager Don Mattingly's biggest jobs the past three seasons has been trying to keep Puig motivated to play at a high level every night and to keep his head in the game. It seems like Mattingly benches Puig for about a game a week to try to get his attention.

Puig was injured and missed over a month early this season and he has had a hard time getting his offensive game back on track. He is only batting .243 but his power has showed signs of coming around as of late, hitting his ninth homerun of the season against the Washington Nationals. His powerful right arm has been on display the past couple of weeks, throwing a runner out at second base from the right centerfield warning track and throwing a Pittsburgh Pirates runner out at second on a force play.

I don't know if the Dodgers had any serious inquiries about Puig before the trade deadline July 31st and the Dodgers announced the other day that they will not trade him this season. You hate to trade a talent like Puig has but at some point and time, his antics and attitude have got to be a detriment in the clubhouse.

200 K's And Going Strong

Clayton Kershaw struck out his 200th batter of the season against the Washington Nationals in the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-0 win. Kershaw struck out eight and only allowed three hits in eight innings. It was his sixth straight season of 200 strikeouts and he joined Hall of Famers Sandy Koufax and Tom Seaver as the only pitchers in major league history to accomplish this feat. That is quite a list to join. When you think of all of the flame throwers in baseball history from Walter Johnson thru Nolan Ryan and Pedro Martinez, they never made it six straight seasons of striking out 200. Kershaw improved his record to 10-6.

Greinke To The Rescue

Zack Greinke came to the rescue of the Los Angeles Dodgers again as he pitched six shutout innings against the Washington Nationals to lead them to a 5-0 win. He wasn't sharp early on which led to a high pitch count (109) and led to his removal from the game after six innings. The Dodgers bullpen finished it off with three scoreless innings. Greinke improved his record to 12-2 and lowered his league leading ERA to 1.66.

Yasiel Puig was the offensive star, driving in all five of the Dodgers runs with his ninth homerun and a bases loaded triple. He broke a 1-14 slump in the process.

Greinke At The Bat

Zack Greinke had his worst start of the season against the Philadelphia Phillies giving up six runs in six innings, five of those runs in the first inning. The Dodgers mounted a quick comeback fueled by Zack Greinke's bat. He was three for three with three runs scored and he hit his first homerun of the season. The homerun was launched into the left centerfield seats and Greinke even has the bat flip down pat. He knew the ball was gone as soon as he hit it. The Dodgers couldn't afford to take Greinke out of the game no matter how many runs he gave up because of his hitting. The Dodgers went on to win 10-8 and take two out of three from the red hot Phillies.

From Worst To First?

The Los Angeles Dodgers ran into the Philadelphia Phillies at the worst possible time. The Phillies were 13-3 after the All Star break, the best record in baseball since that point. Even after that hot stretch, the Phillies still have the worst record in baseball. I don't think a team has ever gone from worst at the All Star break to first in the division in the same season but they have still been playing impressive baseball.

The Dodgers have managed to split the first two games with them. Newly acquired Alex Wood pitched well in his first start with the Dodgers before losing it in the seventh inning and getting a loss in the first game of the series. Brett Anderson pitched well in the second game, going six solid innings and giving up one run, and he was backed by a three run Yasiel Puig homerun in the first inning. Closer Kenly Jansen came in and struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth inning on 13 pitches to get his 20th save in 21 chances. That is the Jansen I am used to seeing.

The Trade That Wasn't

Sometimes in baseball the best trades are the one's you don't make. It was a widely belief by many baseball people, me included, that the Dodgers would trade outfielder Andre Ethier this past off season. The Dodgers Outfield was crowded and Ethier was seen as the odd man out. He had only hit four homeruns in 2014, the lowest total of his career, and his trade value was virtually gone. Spring Training came and went and Ethier was still a Dodger. His role was seen as a spot starter, he can play all three outfield positions, and a left handed bat off of the bench. The phrase "until he is traded" was often added to that assessment of his role with the Dodgers.

As the season progressed, injuries started taking it's toll on the Dodger outfield. Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford, and Scott Van Slyke have all missed major chunks of the season due to injury. Ethier's role with the team became much more valuable, he assumed a more regular place in the Dodgers outfield, and it all culminated with the two homerun game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including the walk off game winner in the bottom of the tenth inning.

Ethier has hit 12 homeruns already this season, tripling last season's total, and is batting a solid .280. The Dodgers would not be in first place in the National League West without him. He is signed through 2017 and there is no telling what will happen this next off season but Ethier has brought his trade value up.

An Angelic Sweep

This is something that I do not get to blog about often and that is a seep of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim or whatever they are calling themselves these days. Mat Latos pitched well in his Dodgers debut only giving up one run in six innings and he left with a 2-1 lead.

Newly acquired relief pitcher Jim Johnson immediately fit right in to the Dodgers bullpen and gave up the tying run in the top of the eighth inning. Andre Ethier hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the eight inning to give the Dodgers the lead back only to have J.P. Howell and Pedro Baez allow the Angels to tie it again in the top of the ninth inning at three. Andre Ethier provided the extra innings heroics that we have not seen from him in quite a while, hitting a two run blast into the Angels bullpen over the right field wall to win it 5-3, giving the Dodgers the walkoff win and a sweep of the Angels.

Kershaw Versus Trout

Head-to-head matchups within the team framework of the game is one of the things I love about baseball. When Clayton Kershaw faced Mike Trout, it was the first time reigning MVP's had faced off against each other in the regular season. Carl Hubbell of the New York Giants faced Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees in the 1937 World Series.

Kershaw caught Trout looking on a beautiful curveball in the first at bat that really buckled Trout's knees, Trout grounded into a force out in his second at bat, and Trout timed a curveball pretty well in his third at bat but Yasiel Puig made a diving catch on the third at bat. Three up and three down.

Kershaw said of Trout after the game, "He's a great hitter, probably the best hitter in the game. I was just trying to get him out." Trout responded by saying, "I felt like I was seeing him pretty good. He was throwing all his pitches- cutting, sinking, sliding, curving, the whole bit."

Howie Kendrick played with Trout for the past four seasons with the Angels and he got to watch the battle from his position at second base. Kendrick admires the way Trout plays the game and said "Doesn't get any better than this, does it?"

This round went to Kershaw. Last season Trout went two for three with an opposite field double against Kershaw so in his career, Trout is two for six. I look forward to this matchup for many years to come.

Kershaw Is King

Clayton Kershaw added eight more scoreless innings to extend his scoreless innings streak to 37 in a Dodgers victory over the Angels. Kershaw was not as dominate as he has been in his past three or four games, only striking out seven, but he only gave up two hits against a powerful Angels lineup.

The Dodgers were also facing former Dodger Andrew Heaney who had a record of 5-0 coming into the game with an ERA well under 2.00. Heaney was a Dodger for about two hours before he was traded to the Angels in the Howie Kendrick deal. I hate for the Dodgers to give up a young arm like Heaney's but it was a deal that solidified the Dodgers infield, making them the best defensive team in the National League.