Lucky 13

The Dodgers won their franchise record 13th road game in a row last night with a 3-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Just when I was ready to write Dodgers starter Chris Capuano off, he comes up with his second great start in a row. He scattered 6 hits over 6 1/3 inning, struck out 5 and walked 1. He improved his record to 4-6. The Dodger offense was supplied by Carl Crawford's 3 hits and a 2 RBI single in the 6th inning and Yasiel Puig and Andre Ethier had 2 hits a piece. Puig left the game in the 8th inning after making another sliding catch and the Dodgers are calling it a left thumb "contusion." It is not known if he will miss any time. Brandon League, Ronald Belisario, and Paco Rodriguez got the game to closer Kenley Jansen who saved his 6th game in the 13 game winning streak and his 16th overall.

Yasiel Does It Again

Yasiel does have his redeeming qualities. Yesterday in the series finale against the Cincinnati Reds, Yasiel Puig struck out three times, was picked off of first base, and was caught stealing for the 5th time and walked once for good measure. In the bottom of the 11th inning, he launched a walk off home run, his 10th of the season, into the left field bleachers to give the Dodgers a 1-0 win and their 9th win in ten games since the All Star break. In his youthful exuberance from hitting the game winning home run, he slid into home plate to place an extra emphasis on the victory. In so doing, he broke the unwritten baseball code of showing up the other team. The Los Angeles Dodgers do play the Reds one more time in Cincinnati in early September and Yasiel had better be prepared to be ducking fastballs his first couple of at bats. The Dodgers got a great effort from starter Chris Capuano (6 2/3 innings, all three Reds hits) and and 4 Dodgers relievers combined to pitch 4 1/3 innings of hitless relief. Brandon League (6-3) pitched two scoreless innings to earn his third win in the last week and acquiring Carlos Marmol seems to have greatly improved League's pitching. The Cincinnati Teds had only had 3 hits in 11 innings and the Dodgers only had 5 so it is a good thing Puig hit that home run or they still might be playing.

Mounting A Comeback

The Dodgers trailed the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 after 6 innings last night but came roaring back to secure a 10-9 win in gaining their fifth victory in a row. Jerry Hairston, Jr., and Andre Ethier hit solo home runs for the Dodgers and Adrian Gonzalez hit a three-run homer in the 8th inning that gave the Dodgers the lead. Chris Capuano had another subpar start for the Dodgers (4 1/3, 5 runs), Carlos Marmol, pitching in his first game as a Dodger, came in and poured gasoline on the fire (1 2/3, 3 runs), but Brandon League (2/3, 0 runs) pitched long enough to get the win (4-3). Kenley Jansen came in to nail down his 12th save but made it interesting by giving up a run on 2 hits and a walk in the 9th. Mark Ellis, Ethier, and Gonzalez all drove in 3 for the Dodgers. By adding Carlos Marmol to the roster, the Dodgers added another reliever that is very shaky on his best day. The Dodgers are in a pennant race now and I hope they are not betting the race on the chance that Marmol and Brandon League can regain their form from a couple of years ago.

Capuano Catches The Fever

Chris Capuano came through with a great start last night (6 1/3 IP, 6 hits, 0 runs, and 8 K's) to keep the Dodgers hot streak alive and well. He improved his record to 3-6. Mark Ellis provided almost all of the offense for the Dodgers going 3 for 4 with 4 RBI's from the leadoff position. Its seems like a different player is coming through for the Dodgers every night. The Dodgers are 16-3 since June 22, the best record in the majors over that span, and are 46-45 on the season.

Gutting Out A Sweep

The Dodgers gutted out a tough 14 inning win over the Arizona Diamondbacks last night, 7-5. Hanley Ramirez and A.J. Ellis both hit homeruns in the top of the 14th after Adrian Gonzalez was singled in by A.J. Ellis in the top of the 9th to tie the game at 5. Hyun-Jin Ryu did not have his best outing of the year, giving up 5 runs in 5 innings, but the Dodgers bullpen really held down the fort. They only gave up 2 hits in 9 innings in relief. This was highlighted by the best outing of Chris Withrow's young career, going 3 innings, only giving up 1 hit while striking out 3 and walking 2. Kenley Jansen (3-3) went the last two innings for the win. Hanley Ramirez was the hitting star for the Dodgers going 3 for 6 with 3 RBI's. The win also allowed the Dodgers to pull even at .500 with a 45-45 record. Chris Capuano stays in the rotation with Stephen Fife going to the 15 day Disabled List and he opens against the Colorado Rockies tonight.

Lit Up Again

I had to borrow this title from the rock group Buckcherry but in Coors Field, we are talking about a completely different kind of lit up. Chris Capuano got lit up for the second start in a row (4 1/3 IP, 5 runs), Brandon League came in and poured gasoline on the fire (1/3 IP, 2 runs) and the Dodgers never really in the game after holding a 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning. The Dodgers wasted a 4 hit, 2 RBI night by Adrian Gonzalez and 2 RBI by Matt Kemp. It is about time to call it quits on the Brandon League experiment. He lost his closers job about three weeks ago, His ERA has ballooned to 6.37 after yesterdays outing and it will be interesting to see what happens since the Dodgers claimed Carlos Marmol off of waivers from the Chicago Cubs. Marmol has always been an enigma as he has had great stuff, he just has had a hard time harnessing it. Maybe the Dodgers should have traded League for Marmol.

Road Woes

Any type of road woes in any sports is cured by winning. In spite of the Dodgers two game road winning streak, the Dodgers are tied for the second worst road record in baseball at 13-22. The Miami Marlins are the only team with a worse record at 11-27. The Dodgers got strong pitching from starters Zach Greinke yesterday and Chris Capuano today and some timely hitting in the 4-2 and 3-1 wins. The offense is still not there. Mark McGwire is the hitting coach and I was always curious about that choice. It has always been referred to as "the science of hitting" and a hitting coach has to have the ability to dissect a hitters swing and figure out what he can do to make the hitter comfortable and improve his swing. The principles might be the same but it is different for every player. Thinking and hitting do not go hand in hand. The Dodgers have been slumping across the board for just about the entire season with the exception of Yasiel Puig and I guess he has not been with the Dodgers long enough for the coaching to take his swing down yet.

Mattingly's Return To The Bronx

Don Mattingly returned to the Bronx for a short two games series with the New York Yankees and earned a split. The Dodgers won the second game 6-0 behind the combined 3 hit pitching of starter Chris Capuano (6 IP, 3 hits), Chris Withrow (a perfect two innings), and ex-closer Brandon League got in some work, pitching a shutout in the ninth. Rookie Outfielder Yasiel Puig continues to produce no matter where he bats in the lineup. He batted second in Game #2 last night and went 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored and a solo homerun, his 5th. His average is still an unworldly .474 and he continues to light up the stats sheets. He also got hit by another pitch so major league pitchers are trying to back him off the plate.

Two Wins In A Row Is A Winning Streak

The Los Angeles Dodgers won their second game in a row last night over the Miami Marlins 5-3. Chris Capuano went 6 1/3 innings and only gave up one run, striking out 7 and walking 1, for his first victory on the season (1-2). Scott Van Slyke, just recently called up from AAA Albuquerque and getting a spot start at First Base for Adrian Gonzalez, wielded the big bat for the Dodgers with 2 hits including his first home run of the year and 2 RBI's and Dee Gordon stole his 4th base on the season. About half of the Dodgers regulars got the day off to recharge their batteries. Scott Van Slyke was tearing up the Pacific Coast League to the tune of a .397 Batting Average, 9 Homeruns and 30 RBI's, when he was recalled. The Dodgers need some type of offensive infusion and maybe he will be the one to provide it. His bat and Dee Gordon's speed.

The Dodgers Off Season

The Dodgers big splash this off season was the signing of two starting pitchers. Zack Greinke, the prize of the free agent pitching class and $147 million in salary, and Hyun-Jin Ryu, a left-handed starting pitcher from South Korea and a $61 million investment. They also signed infielder Skip Schumaker away from the St. Louis Cardinals. He is a left-handed bat and will compete for playing time at Second Base with incumbent Mark Ellis. The Dodgers off season was prefaced during 2012 by several big trades that set the team up for this year. Outfielder and reclamation project Carl Crawford never stepped onto the field last year for the Dodgers, Hanley Ramirez will be moved back to his natural position of Shortstop, Adrian Gonzalez will look to regain his power stroke after only hitting 3 Homeruns after his trade to the Dodgers, and right-handed starting pitcher Josh Beckett who had a 2-3 record with a sub-3.00 Era after the trade. The Dodgers have 8 starting pitchers on their roster right now and if Chad Billingsley and his elbow are healthy, it looks like Chris Capuano, Aaron Harang, and oft-injured Ted Lilly are the odd men out and depending on what happens over the course of Spring Training, might be traded before the beginning of the season. Shane Victorino and left-handed reliever Randy Choate were the big free agent losses for the Dodgers but they were quickly replaced. Victorino did not relish the thought of being a part-time player and if Scott Elbert cannot make it back from his second elbow surgery of the off season, Choate may be a bigger loss than the fans might think.

Two Out Of Three From The Fish

Chris Capuano and Hanley Ramirez ensured that the Dodgers would take the series from the Miami Marlins by leading the way in the 5-0 win. Capuano took a no-hitter into the 7th inning (2 hits in 8 innings) and Hanley Ramirez drove in 3 giving him 5 RBI's in the two victories in the series. The Dodgers needed to get off to a good start on the road trip. It will be interesting to see what kind of roster moves the Dodgers make when they can expand the rosters on September 1st. The Dodgers need catching help. AJ Ellis is banged up, backup Matt Treanor's Batting Average is well below the Mendoza Line, and it might be time to give Tim Fedorowicz some playing time outside of the token at bats he got in a late season call up last year. Dee Gordon should be coming off the Disabled List soon and be added to the mix.

Juan Uribe

As soon as I want to dump Juan Uribe, he comes thru with a homerun and has 4 RBI's. Maybe its time to dump James Loney. Chris Capuano (10-5) had a so-so performance but got the win. The Dodgers bullpen can't seem to stand it if they don't make it exciting but Kenley Jansen got his 18th save after putting two on in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Ryan Dempster talks have kind of cooled but now the Dodgers seem interested in Cubs right-hander Matt Garza. The principals have probably not changed much, if at all, for the Dodgers but Matt Garza is younger than Kempster and may come with a higher asking price. With Billingsley and Lilly set to come off the Disabled List, possibly as soon as Monday, this could get interesting. Billingsley just can't seem to put it together and may end up as the long man out of the bullpen if he is with the Dodgers at all.

The All-Star Break

The Dodgers staggered into the All-Star break like Otis Campbell staggers into the Mayberry Jail on a Saturday night. I had to throw in a Andy Griffith Show reference. RIP Andy Griffith, a fellow Tarheel thru and thru. The surprising thing is that they are still in first place in the National League West with a 47-40 record, a 1/2 game over the rival San Francisco Giants. There have been a lot of positives in the first half of the season. Matt Kemp's great start, Chris Capuano's 9-4 record, contributions from a bunch of call ups from the minors and a ragtag bench, AJ Ellis emerging as an everyday catcher, and Kenley Jansen emerging as the closer out of the bullpen. The negatives can pretty much be summed up with one word. Injuries. Then there were more injuries. Then I think a player may have got hurt. There are a lot of things to look forward to in the second half. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier's return, Clayton Kershaw getting on a roll like he did last year, and Nathan Eovaldi getting some run support.

Los Angeles Dodgers Free Agent Acqusitions- Pitching

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed two bargain basement starting pitchers, Right Hander Aaron Harang and Lefty Chris Capuano, for the 2012 season to round out their starting rotation.

Righty Aaron Harang is 34 years old and a veteran of ten seasons. He is also a two time 16-game winner with the Cincinnati Reds and went 14-7 last season with National League West rivals San Diego Padres. He has a career 95-94 record with a 1.347 WHIP. The Dodgers need him to pitch 200+ innings and he has only done that three times in his ten seasons. The Dodgers have young, unproven arms in the minors that could pick up the innings if Harang falters or gets injured but a veteran arm would be real nice down the stretch.

Chris Capuano is a veteran lefty who missed all of the 2008 and 2009 seasons because of arm problems and that is why I am not completely sold on this signing. He is a former 18-game winner with the Milwaukee Brewers with a 1.355 WHIP and he has a career record of 57-64. Once again, they need him to pitch 200+ innings and he has only done that twice in his career. This does give the Dodgers three Lefties in their starting rotation but they don't have many left-handed pitchers in their minor league system.

It would be sweet if the Dodgers could get 20-25 wins out of Harang and Capuano but my prediction is 17 wins. To start the season the Dodgers will at least have an all veteran rotation and it will be interesting to see how far that will take them.

Baseball's Winter Meetings

Its the off season and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are still kicking the Los Angeles Dodgers asses. The Angels have created a tidal wave at the Winter Meetings whereas the Dodgers have dropped a pebble in Old Man Kelsey's Pond (an Andy Griffith Show reference).

The Angels snuck in the back door and signed future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols. The Dodgers signed utility man Adam Kennedy. The Angels signed left handed pitcher C.J. Wilson, the premier left handed starting pitcher in this years free agent crop. The Dodgers signed left hander Chris Capuano, who missed 2 1/2 years with arm trouble not too long ago, and right hander Aaron Harang to round out the starting rotation. My prediction is both will be on the Disabled List by June.

The Dodgers did make news on the trade front. They traded left hander Dana Eveland, who at least has major league experience, to the Baltimore Orioles for two minor leaguers who will probably never make it to the majors. They should have made Frank McCourt auction off Ned Colletti as part of the Dodgers bankruptcy proceedings before he left town.