Starter By Committee

The Los Angeles Dodgers returned to their "starter by committee" approach again against the Arizona Diamindbacks as Carlos Frias pitched the first four innings giving up only one run and then he turned it over to the bullpen and multiple relievers pitched the final five innings and did not give up a run. Chase Utley and Corey Seager homered in the 4-1 win and the Dodgers reduced their magic number to five with the win. Utley's homerun lead off the game and that was the first lead off homerun of his long career. Seager hit a breaking ball just inside the right field foul pole for his third of the season.

The Dodgers Need Starting Pitching

I hate to admit this but the Dodgers need to be active for starting pitchers at the trade deadline. In order to get that starting pitching, they are going to have to give up prospects. I have never liked the idea of "renting" a pitcher for three months and giving up prospects in return. Most of the time, a team like the Dodgers ends up overpaying for a pitcher that may not win a game just on the chance that he may put them over the top and bring them a World Series title.

After Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, and Brett Anderson, the Dodgers have cobbled together a starting staff that probably would not strike fear into the lineup of a bad college team. Fourth Starter Carlos Frias ended up on the Disabled List and he is inconsistent on his best day. Fifth Starter Mike Bolsinger is good for four or five innings and then he turns it over to the overused middle relievers and setup men.

The pitchers most mentioned as possibilities to join the Dodgers are Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies and Johnny Cueto of the Cincinnati Reds. Cole Hamels is 5-7 with a 3.91 ERA on what is possibly the worst team in baseball. He is signed through 2018 with a team option for 2019 at almost $23 million. Cueto is in the last year of his contract that only pays him a little over $7 million this season. Who would be the better bargain? Cueto is younger but would probably cost the Dodgers more in prospects while Hamels has been more durable and is under contract for longer.

And The Starting Pitcher Is....

Reliever Yimi Garcia got the surprise start against the Philadelphia Phillies but he was a starter in name only. It was more like a glorified relief appearance as he only went two innings giving up two runs. Eric Surkamp was next on the list as the fifth spot in the rotation has turned into starter by committee and he fared even worse than Garcia. Surkamp made it 3 1/3 innings giving up four runs. Reliever J. P. Howell got the most production out of his one out by getting credit for the win.

I look for the Dodgers to trade for another starter at the trade deadline. If they want to make a serious run at the World Series, they do not have a choice. Bolsinger and Frias have held down the fort but neither much can make it much past the fifth inning and the Dodgers bullpen is logging a lot of innings. The Dodgers are going to have to part with some prospects but who are they willing to give up? I would rather give up young bats than young arms.

A Coin Flip

The Dodgers have one of the worst teams in baseball in the Philadelphia Phillies coming to Los Angeles tonight and the Dodgers have still not named a starting pitcher. Carlos Frias was placed on the Disabled List because of stiffness in his lower back and the Dodgers replaced him on the active roster with left handed reliever Daniel Coulombe.

The two names being bounced around to start tonight are minor leaguer Eric Surkamp who was acquired from the Chicago White Sox in a minor league trade for Outfielder Blake Smith earlier in the season. He was 3-0 with a 2.81 ERA for the AAA Charlotte Knights before his trade and he is 4-2 with a 4.50 ERA for AAA Oklahoma City after the trade. He was scratched from his start Sunday in preparation for his call up on Monday. Surkamp was a sixth round draft choice of the San Francisco Giants out of North Carolina State in 2008. Surkamp does have major league experience appearing in 42 games with 7 starts for the San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox. He has a career record of 4-3 with a 6.20 ERA.

Former Dodger Eric Stults is also on the radar to start tonight. He was 1-5 with a 5.85 ERA for the Atlanta Braves in eight starts earlier this season. Stults was drafted by the Dodgers in 2002 and spent parts of four seasons, 2006-2009, with the Dodgers. He has a career record of 36-48 in 135 games with 112 starts. The problem with Stults is that if he does not stick with the team he would have to clear waivers again.

Neither pitcher exactly strikes fear in the hearts of any bats, not even the Philadelphia Phillies. The Dodgers cannot seem to keep a starter on the mound if his name is not Kershaw, Greinke, or Anderson.

Kendrick Saves The Day

Howie Kendrick drove in all three runs, a solo homerun in the sixth inning and a two run single in the seventh, in the Dodgers 3-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Overall, it was another lackluster offensive performance by the Dodgers. The Dodgers only had seven hits last night but drew five walks.

The Dodgers wasted another great pitching performance by Carlos Frias who went 6 2/3 innings and only gave up the one run. Adam Liberatore pitched 1/3 of an inning (at least he struck the batter out- that looks much better in the box score than o foul out to the catcher) to get the victory. Kenley Jansen has almost pitched perfect relief this year- eight games, eight innings, one hit, no runs, 14 strikeouts, and no walks. He sealed Liberatore's win with a perfect ninth.

One Good Inning

Michael Wacha is the latest St. Louis Cardinals pitching wunderkind. He came into last night's game against the Dodgers with a 7-0 record and for the first five innings, he owned the Dodgers. He carried a no hitter into the sixth inning and the Dodgers possessed a 42 inning road scoreless streak. Wacha lost his no hitter and a precarious 1-0 lead as the Dodgers scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning, the last three coming on Yasmani Grandal's two out, three run homerun. The Dodgers only managed three hits off of Wacha but three walks and timely hitting lead them to the victory.

When I saw the pitching matchup of Wacha versus Carlos Frias, I did not like the Dodgers chances. Frias settled down after a shaky first inning when he gave up an unearned run and pitched seven solid innings, getting his fourth win. The Dodgers really needed him to produce and he pitched deep into the game, saving a few bullpen arms in the process.

The Elusive Fifth Starter

The Dodgers have been wanting one of their pitchers to step up and grab the fifth starters slot since the season began. Four pitchers have all had their chances- Scott Baker, Mike Bolsinger, David Huff, and Joe Wieland. Carlos Frias can be added to that mix but he slid into Brandon McCarthy's fourth slot when he went down.

Scott Baker is the only one that has more than one start (2). None of the four have a win (Carlos Frias is 2-0 taking McCarthy's spot)and none of them have made it past the sixth inning. Mike Bolsinger is the only one that had a good start (5 2/3, 1 ER). When McCarthy comes back, Frias will occupy that fifth starter's position. After yesterday's win over Milwaukee, Manager Don Mattingly said Frias would continue to get the ball. The Dodgers need somebody to nail it down until they start getting some arms back.

Pederson Mmmbopps The Dodgers To A Win

Rookie Centerfielder Joc Pederson hit a second inning Grand Slam, his 5th homerun on the season, after being greeted with the walkup music "Mmmbop" by Hanson. A couple of the Dodger veterans hijacked Pederson's typical hip hop walkup music before his at bat. They should substitute teen bop hits of the '90's more often. Jeff Turner hit his second homerun on the season and Pitcher Carlos Frias pitched 5 1/3 innings of scoreless baseball to improve his way to 2-0 on the season.

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.