Dodgers Retrospective - Week 10

So ... that was an odd week.

If I were to tell you at the beginning of the week that the Dodgers would go 3-3 in three games sets versus the Cardinals and Angels, would you guess a sweep of the Cardinals and then a sweep by the Angels? Would you?! I think not. The results this week were not necessarily odd, just unexpected.

No, no. The odd this week seemed to come more from off the field than on it.


Draft Dodgers (SEE WHAT I DID THERE?!)

The annual amateur draft was held this week, and the Dodgers made a couple picks that might be considered odd.

First, they drafted an 18 year old pitcher who almost everyone feels is "unsignable." You can read my thoughts here ... as if you didn't already.

But, here's just a couple other things I noticed.

Logan White seems to have something against the coaches at LSU because he's trying to steal all their players.

First he drafts Zach Lee in the 1st round, who has a strong commitment to LSU.

Later, in the sixth round, White drafted Kevin Gausman, another high schooler with who seems committed to LSU.

But White didn't stop there. Before he drafted Gausman, he drafted LSU's center fielder Leon Landry in the 3rd round, and after, in the 8th round, he drafted LSU's 1st baseman Blake Dean.

In an ideal world, the Dodgers would take both of LSU's top pitching recruits, their center fielder, and their first baseman.

Lucky for LSU, the Dodgers will probably sign neither Lee nor Gausman, so at least their rotation will be ok next year.

The second thing I noticed was the Dodgers drafted (and signed) someone who already has my support because of his facial hair.

"What?" you ask. I'll tell you.

In the 28th round, the Dodgers drafted Mike Drowne out of Sacred Heart University. Now, I like to look up a little bit of info on the players the Dodgers draft so I went to Sacred Heart U's website and navigated my way to the athletics page and then to Drowne's page, where I found this amazing profile pic.

They look like vertical parenthesis for his mouth!

Immediately, I was intrigued. I mean, it's fantastic! He looks like a villain from the 1800s. A train magnate who wants to demolish a small town to build his railroad empire ... and yes, he's wearing a tophat in this scenario.

However ... I was disappointed when I visited the website a few days later to see an article talking about Drowne being drafted. Accompanying said story was this picture of Drowne.

Suddenly, heart-breakingly mustache-less.

Admittedly, this soured me on Drowne just a bit.

I later realized, though, it does take a certain kind of bravado (or stupidity) to take a profile picture of yourself with a crazy set of fake facial hair and allow it to go up on a website that's going to be visited by a good amount of people.

So, Mike Drowne, if you are reading this, and I'm sure you are, I'm not mad at you for the fake facial hair, and I'm telling you this: if you grow back that facial hair and keep it through your trip in the minors, and you have my full support.


The McCourts Did Something Crazy, Though Really, Not Totally Surprising

Ok, seriously, at this point, is there anyone left in the McCourt camp?

I mean, is there any Dodger fan who's been following the events of the past year or so who still fully supports either of the McCourts as owner of this team?

If so, this one is for you...

The McCourts hired and paid a six figure salary to an old Russian to send positive vibes, or "V Energy" to the Dodgers.

This has already been sufficiently discussed/made fun of on various blogs (like MSTI, MoKM, and SoSG) so I'll just add one thing, the thing that makes me most sad about all this.

Yes, this whole thing is impossibly stupid/incredibly insane/a tremendous waste of money ... pick your choice.

The real sad thing about all this is this question: were you really shocked? To be honest, I wasn't.

Sure, I was surprised. It's hard to see something like this coming. But at this point, did anyone read this article and react with disbelief. "Noooo ... the McCourts couldn't have done something so irrational ... they wouldn't have paid all this money to some crazy Russian guy who knows nothing about baseball! Impossible!"

I think, at least for Dodgers fans, the McCourts have entered the Tyson Zone. For those who don't know, the Tyson Zone (described here) was created by Bill Simmons as a way to describe an athlete (or in this case, team owner) whose behavior is so odd that any story you ready about them, no matter how bizarre, is believable.

For example, if you were to read tomorrow that the McCourts spent a million dollars two seasons ago to uproot the grass in the outfield and replant it with special Australian fertilizer that would bring good fortunes to the team, would you blink an eye? Oh, and by the way, to pay off the dirt, parking is being raised to $25 a car.

Or, say you read tomorrow that the McCourts were fighting for custody of Reed Johnson. Would you faint from surprise?

It's really unfortunate that it has come to this. The Dodgers are one of the most historic franchises in baseball, and right now the McCourts are making them a laughing stock. I mean, how many pre-season predictions did you read this Spring Training that had the Dodgers not finishing in first in the NL West because of distractions with ownership?

Luckily, at least so far, the Dodgers have been able to avoid front office issues. I mean, hey, they were in first place at one point this week before finishing the week a game behind the Padres.

But that's not to say the Dodgers haven't been affected. Just this week, the Dodgers most likely forfeited a first round pick on a player that was always going to be too expensive to sign. And this comes after they forfeited two other early picks when they didn't offer arbitration to Randy Wolf and Orlando Hudson this offseason.

... What do you believe an owner's role should be with a team? I see it as this: First, the Owner should pony up the money. The Owner should never be afraid to put money into their team. If they don't want to spend, then they shouldn't be an Owner. Two, the Owner shouldn't embarrass the team. That doesn't mean they necessarily need to be the face of the team (see Arte Moreno), but if you aren't going to put on a good front, then just disappear into your Owner's box. Be a silent owner. Show up to hold up the Championship Trophy and then go away. The last thing you should be doing is filling newspaper headlines with your divorce hearings or doing things like hiring Rasputin for a six figure sum to send brain waves and advise you on team decisions.

Mike Drowne: this facial hair is also acceptable...

Look, McCourts, if you guys are fans of the game like you've always purported to be, then you should understand that you are making a mockery of one of the storied franchises.

If you were really fans of baseball, you'd sell the Dodgers or step down as owners.

Because at this point, you are not just embarrassing yourselves, you are embarrassing all of us.

Offseason Awards: Gold Glove

Ok, well, I was going to award the Gold Glove today. And I was going to award it to Matt Kemp for the second year in a row. I was going to do this because I felt he was good enough last year to be the team's Gold Glove and I think he's only improved since then.

And then I was going to talk about how Kemp's defense is underrated. And complain he doesn't get enough accolades for it. Yadda yadda...

Well, lookie here. I guess I don't need to do that.

Matt Kemp snagged the first Gold Glove of his career. Congratulations also to Orlando Hudson for getting his 4th Gold Glove.

So, my award was negated by the real one, but in any case, Matt Kemp is your "J's Dodger Blog 2009 Gold Glove" winner.

This Offense Is Tearing Me Apart!

In this instance, the Dodger offense is Lisa. And I'm the crazy foreign guy.

The Dodgers went down 4-3 today to the Arizona Diamondbacks. And while most of today's blame lays at the feet of Ramon Troncoso, the struggling Dodger offense can not go unnoticed.

Take a look at our results from the last month. At first glance, they look pretty average. In fact, since August 9th, we have gone 16-13. Talk about uninspired baseball.

So what? Yeah, we've been playing kind of lame, but we still went three games over .500 over that span. What's the big deal? The big deal is that we could have done so much more.

Here's the kicker. In the 29 games we've played the last month, Dodgers pitching has not surrendered more than four runs in any game during the nine regulation innings. Yes, there were two instances where the pitching gave up five runs, both coming in the 10th inning. Ok, fine. But let me repeat that first fact, because it bears repeating. No more than four runs a game. For an entire month.

Basically, the Dodgers, if they scored 5 or more runs in the first nine innings a game, could be guaranteed, with 100% accuracy, of winning said game. A guarantee. For an entire month.

I mean, look at it like this. Say, at the beginning of the season, I told you that for a whole month during the season, Dodger pitching would not give up more than four runs in a game. If you looked at our lineup, what would you expect our team would go over that span? 24-5? 25-4? Little better? Little worse? Something like that right? How could a lineup as stacked as ours, from 1-8, not manage to scrape together just five runs a game? Manny is good for one or two. Ethier? Kemp? Blake? They could add one. Maybe Furcal. Or Hudson. Even Loney and Martin. Someone could step up and contribute. Five runs is nothing.

And this is what is tearing me apart. We shouldn't be just 2.5 games in front of Colorado. We shouldn't be playing just above .500 baseball.

With the kind of pitching we're getting, and the kind of offense we're supposed to be getting, we should be destroying the league. Instead, the playoff race is getting uncomfortably close. Like, smelly guy on the bus sitting next to you close.

And the worst part about all this: what do you do about it? What do you say to these guys to make them start getting timely hits again? It's infuriating.

Here's the silver lining, I guess: we still have a 6.5 game lead on the Giants for the wild card.

I just hope we don't have to use it...

Week Recap: 08/31/09 - 09/06/09

Hey, remember last week when I said: "...we still need to beat up on the teams we should be beating up on, starting tonight against Arizona."

NO ONE IS LISTENING TO ME!!!

The Dodgers went 3-4 this week against the fourth and fifth place teams in our division. That's just ugly.

Let's just do Round 18 of COLD, HOT, or ROOM TEMPERATURE:

COLD:

• Russell Martin - .217 (5-23), 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BBs, 3 Ks - Interesting week for Martin, who found himself leading off at the beginning of it. He was quickly moved back into the bottom third of the lineup. Nothing seemed to matter. Another bad week in what is a pretty bad year.

• Orlando Hudson - .214 (3-14), 1 2B, 1 BB, 3 Ks - Hudson only made it into four games this week. Why? Ronnie Belliard started taking starts away from him. Maybe for good reason. Hudson is struggling at the plate, and if he doesn't start turning it around, he might find himself losing more starts.

• Matt Kemp - .160 (4-25), 2 HR, 3 RBIs, 1 BB, 4 Ks - Tough week for Kemp, who still came through with a couple homeruns, but not much else. Though not for lack of trying. Only four strikeouts in the week. He's just not hitting them where they ain't.

ROOM TEMPERATURE:

• Clayton Kershaw - 0-1 (1 start), 1.50 ERA (1 ER, 2 R, 6.0 IP) - Statistically, it was not a bad week for Kershaw. But, oh, what's this? "Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw will miss his next start after bruising his right shoulder when he ran into the outfield wall during batting practice." Now this is an important thing to note, and I can't stress this enough, especially for young pitchers: DO NOT RUN INTO WALLS! Again, I cannot stress this enough. You may think running into a wall might have some added benefit, or hey, maybe it even looks fun. I can assure you, it's not. So please, for the sake of the children, do not run into walls.

HOT:

• Ronnie Belliard - .304 (7-23), 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 1 BB, 6 Ks - Yeah, I could probably do with less strikeouts, but Belliard was actually one of the few guys in the lineup who was coming up with some big hits this week, including smacking a homerun in his very first at-bat in Dodger blue.

• Jonathan Broxton - 0-0, 3 SVs (4 games), 0.00 ERA (4 IP), 7 Ks - Good week for Broxton. He gave up just a few hits here and there, but mostly, he's been effective. Keeping the pitch count low, getting some strikeouts, and probably, most importantly, not walking anyone this week.

• Randy Wolf - 1-0 (2 starts), 2.77 ERA (4 ER in 13.0 IP), 12 Ks - Wolf continues to be one of the more solid, reliable starters in our rotation. Not much more to say about Wolf that hasn't already been said. Just, keep up the good work, I guess.

• Jon Garland - 1-0 (1 start), 2.57 ERA (2 ER in 7.0 IP), 6 Ks - A nice homecoming for the kid from Valencia. He started out kind of slow, but settled in and really delivered an excellent start. Plus, he made himself a strong contender for the number four spot in the playoffs.

Another series with Arizona? I'm so tired of them. Then this weekend, we'll take on San Francisco in a pretty big series. This would be a good time for our hitting to start kicking it into gear.

Alright, Let's Talk About This

So, I was at the game last night. What? Don't believe me? I'm not sure why you wouldn't. But that's ok. I have proof!

I got on television!


See me? No?


How about now? I'm the pixel blob on the right. The other two pixel blobs are my mom and grandpa. I think...

By the way, I know it's been said many times before, but Dodger Stadium is really one of the best baseball parks in the world.


Seriously.

But, I digress. While at the game, some interesting stuff went down. And we should talk about it...

Ronnie Belliard! Nice homerun!

Oh... and we traded for Jim Thome and Jon Garland. Ok, I guess if we have to talk about this, let's talk about it.

We got Thome for virtually nothing. An older low-A prospect who wasn't hitting too well, which is great.

And Thome certainly fills a void for us. He'll provide an excellent pinch hitting option off the bench, and looking into the all-to-distant future, a DH in an American League ballpark.

My only gripe with the Thome trade (and it is very minor) is just a question of how much we can actually use him. Thome himself told Ned Colletti that he can't really play first base anymore (though during the phone call he personally placed to Colletti, he did say that he was perfectly happy riding the bench and pinch hitting which, to me, shows good character from a guy I already liked). So, Thome will primarily be used as a pinch hitter. Maybe he'll get a start once or twice (if there are no lefties in the lineup to hit it at him) but ultimately, we're kinda just looking at something like 30-40 at-bats for Thome, and the possibility that somewhere down the line we use him at DH anywhere from 2-4 games. It's not too much. That's the danger with acquiring anyone this late in the year.

However, (and remember, I warned you this was just a small gripe) when looking at what we gave up for him, if Thome can affect a game or two with even just a couple of those at-bats, then he's given us value.

And now, we turn to the Jon Garland trade. At first, admittedly, a bit of a head-scratcher. Geez... I don't like that term at all. Conundrum is too extreme though. I'll have to work on this.

But, again, I digress.

Garland was acquired for a PTBNL. Now, before we discuss Garland's value, the PTBNL needs to be addressed.

So far, the only name being branded about is Tony Abreu, which would be unfortunate. Yes, Tony Abreu is probably too much for Garland, though there are certainly enough options for the positions that Abreu plays (third and shortstop are shored up for the next several years, and resigning Orlando Hudson, Ivan DeJesus Jr., and Blake DeWitt are all options at 2nd next year, not to mention Chin-lung Hu, who has recently had a resurgence in AAA). But. But... Tony Abreu's name is only being brought up in the most flimsy of manners. The D-backs beat writer said on his Twitter account that Dodger players were saying that Abreu was the PTBNL. Now, obviously, I don't know anything about a professional clubhouse, but I was under the assumption that the players weren't making the trades.

In any case, we'll see. Again, Abreu for Garland is probably too much, but even if it is Abreu, I'm not going to be too broken up over it.

Now, for Garland's worth. Like Thome, Garland probably won't be able to contribute too much this season. He'll most likely make 5-6 starts, though some of his value might come if his arrival makes Joe Torre comfortable enough to go with a six-man rotation. If Garland's arrival allows Clayton Kershaw or Chad Billingsley (or both) to skip a start or two while still providing quality pitching in their place, he'll have provided value.

The next question comes if (when?) we make the playoffs. Garland might or might not be the 4th starter. He'll probably battle it out with Kuroda for that spot, though I wouldn't mind giving it to Garland, given his prior playoff and World Series experience (2 excellent starts: 9 IP, 2 ER and 7 IP, 2 ER). Not to say Kuroda's two starts last year weren't quality, they just weren't as good. Either way, I'd be comfortable with both pitchers on the mound.

Looking at the big picture, I'm happy with both trades. Yes, the PTBNL in the Garland trade might dampen my happiness a bit, but I think I'll still take it.

Overall, pretty good, and kind of exciting to have so much happen on one night...

I mean, Ronnie Belliard hit a homerun in his first at-bat with the Dodgers.


How cool is that?

Week Recap: 07/16/09 - 07/26/09

Hey everybody. Welcome back. I've been on a little extended break, and I figured doing a week recap on just the four game series against the Astros might not be entirely worth it. So I'm back for a Week (and a half) Recap.

Let's do it.

The Dodgers split their first four games out of the All-Star break, losing the first two to the Astros before coming back to win the next two games. They followed that up by beating down the Cincinnati Reds in a three game series. Finally, they finished off the homestand on a particularly weak note, losing two out of three games to the Florida Marlins.

The Dodgers went 6-4 over that span.

And now, we shall take a look back at the people who made a difference this last week, be it good or bad. It's Round 13 of HOT, COLD, or ROOM TEMPERATURE:

COLD:

• Juan Pierre - .105 (2-19), 3 Ks, 1 GiDP, 0-1 SBs - I understand how it can be difficult to play periodically, coming off the bench to pinch hit or spot start. A lot of players have problems with that. But this is really bad. Not that it's surprising. Pierre has been fading for a little while now. He's got a .243 average in July.

• James McDonald - 0-1 (3 games), 10.12 ERA (3 ER in 2.2 IP), .333 BAA - Come on, James. It seems to me that the Dodgers are trying to showcase you, and you're responding by getting beaten up. How can we convince other teams that getting a package of you and Blake DeWitt is almost as good as anything they'll find on the market when neither of you are performing?

• Jason Schmidt - 1-1 (2 games), 7.88 ERA (7 ER in 8.0 IP), .323 BAA, 1.045 OPS against - I don't know if we were expecting anything more from Schmidt, but this is what we got. Maybe we should just be happy we got one semi-productive start from Schmidt and call it a career. My favorite stat from his two starts? Take it away Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports: "That’s two outings spent on the bat barrels for Schmidt, who in those starts has thrown 142 pitches and gotten exactly seven swings and misses." I'm not sure who that's more embarrassing for, Schmidt, or the unlucky few who missed a Schmidt pitch.

ROOM TEMPERATURE:

• Manny Ramírez - .250 (7-28), 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBIs, 8 Ks - Manny's not getting a lot of hits, but when he does, he's coming up big, with, of course, the highlight of all this being the Manny Slammy, or whatever the hell people are calling it. Still, the semi-slow start out of the All-Star break is a little disappointing.

• Chad Billingsley - 1-1 (2 starts), 9.39 ERA (8 ER in 7.2 IP), 7 Ks - You might question why I would not label a guy with an above 9.00 ERA as "COLD" but I do this because that ERA doesn't tell the whole story. His first start out of the All-Star break was horrific. 1.2 IP, 9 hits, 6 ER. His second start was worlds better. 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Ks. And that's how it happens. A "COLD" start and a "HOT" start equals a "ROOM TEMPERATURE" week.

HOT:

• Jonathan Broxton - 1-0, 3 SVs (5 games), 0.00 ERA (5 IP), 8 Ks - I just want to give Broxton some quick acknoledgment for bouncing back from his handful of awful outings. He hasn't been as dominant as he was earlier this year, but he has shut the door, and that's what counts.

• Clayton Kershaw - 1-0 (2 games), 1.38 ERA (2 ER in 13.0 IP), 11 Ks - Kershaw continues to make people who've suggested trading him look like idiots. He is putting it together in front of our eyes. If he figures out how to consistantly limit his walks so his pitch count stays down, he could become one of the best pitchers in the league, and soon.

• Orlando Hudson - .412 (14-34), 2 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 2 RBIs, 1.017 OPS - I like to see Hudson turning it around. He was slumping pretty bad going into the All-Star break, but in the second half so far, he's been back on his game.

• Claudio Vargas - 0-0 (5 games), 1.29 ERA (1 ER in 7.0 IP) - I got to give Vargas some credit. I didn't think much about this signing in the offseason. But he's appeared in seven games so far this season, and he's only given up one run. Whether or not he can keep this up is a different story, but for now, I'll enjoy the fact that he's contributing.

• Guillermo Mota - 0-0 (4 games), 0.00 ERA (7.0 IP) - Another good week for Mota. Do I trust him yet? No. I don't think I will until the season is over. But giving up just one earned run since May 22nd is definitely a good start.

• Andre Ethier - .485 (16-33), 5 2Bs, 2 HRs, 6 RBIs, 5 BBs, 1.371 OPS - It's good to see Ethier start hitting well again. Ethier really appears to be a streaky hitter. When he's down, he's really down. But when he turns it on, he's scary. And for his excellent hitting, he was awarded the National League Player-of-the-Week award for the second time this year.

Interesting week coming up. The trade deadline is coming up Friday. Meanwhile, the Dodgers take on the Cardinals in St. Louis for a four game set. The on to Atlanta for three games. That's a tough road trip. It would be a nice message to send to the rest of the league if we went over .500 this week.

First Half Recap - Hitters

Ok, let's do the hitters now.

And again, we'll use the good old system of COLD, HOT, or ROOM TEMPERATURE:

COLD:

• Rafael Furcal - .256, 4 HR, 21 RBIs, 36 BBs, 49 Ks, 5-9 SBs, .682 OPS - What happened to the guy who came out of the gates last year as a potential MVP candidate? He just hasn't been there this year. At least, on the bright side, he's been better since Manny's return. Take a look at our offense now, and imagine adding a Furcal in full swing. It could be scary.

• Russell Martin - .258, 2 HR, 27 RBIs, 48 BBs, 54 Ks, 8-12 SBs, .688 OPS - The really sad thing is that you look at our struggling lead-off hitter's numbers and realize they're almost the same numbers as another guy who most people thought would be a strong part of our offense this season. Neither one is really hitting. Both have more strikeouts than walks. Neither are stealing bases at a high enough percentage. Very few homeruns and RBIs, bad averages and OPS. These are ugly numbers.

ROOM TEMPERATURE:

• Manny Ramírez - .355, 9 HR, 29 RBIs, 31 BBs, 21 Ks, 1.156 OPS - This is a weird one. Yes, Manny was gone for 50 games. And yes, it probably hurt us. But for God's sake, he's out-hitting Martin! I can't label him "COLD." He was gone, sure, but whenever he is here, he's still an amazing hitter.

• Orlando Hudson - .283, 7 HR, 48 RBIs, 38 BBs, 64 Ks, 6 SBs, .779 OPS - Hudson's had two seasons. There was All-Star Hudson, who in April and May hit .332, had a .877 OPS, and hit for the cycle. Then there's flailing Hudson, who after the beginning of June has hit .205, with a .618 OPS. On the bright side, he has hit more homeruns in the second part, so... that's something.

• Andre Ethier - .250, 18 HR, 56 RBIs, 39 BBs, 69 Ks, .813 OPS - It's so weird how I love some parts of Either's stats, and hate other parts. I love the 18 HRs and 56 RBIs. I hate the .250 average, and the 69 strikeouts. Ethier isn't looking like Andre Ethier, so much as he's looking like Adam Dunn. And it's a little odd.

HOT:

• Juan Pierre - .328, 19 BBs, 19 Ks, 23-31 SBs, .804 OPS - Pierre's two seasons have been well documented. I won't rehash them. The point remains, Pierre took over well during Manny's absence. And look at the OPS. It's not great compared to other people, but it's 83 points higher than his career average, so... that's something.

• Casey Blake - .285, 12 HRs, 55 RBIs, 36 BBs, 62 Ks, .850 OPS - Blake even added two stolen bases this first half, in one game! Which reminds me... He could steal 100 bases in a season, but chooses not to, because he doesn't like to dirty his beard. Casey Blake is... the Most Interesting 3rd Baseman in the World.

• James Loney - .281, 7 HRs, 54 RBIs, 37 BBs, 36 Ks, 6-7 SBs, .752 OPS - The OPS is ugly, but I like the RBI numbers and I like the BB to K ratio. I even like the stolen bases. Not bad. And call it a hunch, but I'm feeling a good second half coming for Loney.

• Matt Kemp - .320, 11 HR, 50 RBIs, 34 BBs, 78 Ks, 19-23 SBs, .879 OPS - I don't care that you didn't get named to the team, you're my All-Star, Kemp. Those are some excellent numbers. The one black mark being the 78 strikeouts. However, he makes up for it in my book with another nice stat: 10 outfield assists so far this season. Nice. Kemp is slowly blossoming into the guy we all thought he could be. A true 5-tool player.

Okey dokey folks. There's your first half. Now, to enjoy the All-Star game.

By the way, in case you haven't noticed it yet, I've started a Twitter account. I'm going to try and live-blog during Dodger games and other baseball events. If you have a Twitter account, follow me. Please. Don't make me beg.

Week Recap: 06/29/09 - 07/05/09

Hey people, welcome back. Let's talk about the week.

Compared to last week, this one was a considerably better.

The Dodgers started the week by splitting the first two games against Colorado, before shutting them out in the third game to take the series.

They followed this with the return of the Dreadlocked one on Friday, a game in which they beat the Padres. The bullpen blew a lead Saturday to allow the Padres to even up the series. Sunday could have ended worse than Saturday, with the bullpen blowing an even bigger lead, but the Dodgers pulled it out in extra innings to secure the game and the series.

They went 4-2 on the week.

Ok, that's settled, let's get to the meat. Round 12 of HOT, COLD, or ROOM TEMPERATURE:

COLD:

• Orlando Hudson - .000 (0-16), 6 Ks - Now, admittedly, Hudson's had a pretty weak month as it is, but this week was of Russell Martin-esque proportions. Hudson isn't making solid contact, if he's even making contact at all. Interestingly enough, he was named to the All-Star team just in time for Joe Torre to bench him for several games. If I could offer some advice to Hudson, look for that silver lining.

ROOM TEMPERATURE:

• Russell Martin - .263 (5-19), 2 BBs, 2 RBIs, 5 Ks - Week 2 of the Martin Leg Lift Watch. He was actually benched earlier in the week, a la Hudson, in an attempt to, I don't know, wake his bat up? It almost worked. He went 4-8 in his first two games back, before going 0-6 in Sunday's game. Yew.

• Rafael Furcal - .364 (9-26), 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB, 4 R - How do I label a guy who batted .364 "ROOM TEMPERATURE"? Watch me. Well, honestly, I do this because Furcal has had two weeks in one. The first three games of the week? Furcal went 1-10. The last three games of the week Furcal hit .500 (8-16). Which Furcal will show up next week? Who the hell knows?

• Jonathan Broxton - 0-0, 2-3 save opportunities (4 games), 6.75 ERA (3 ER in 4.0 IP), 8 Ks - Guess who else had an up-and-down week? No, not Brad Ausmus. Broxton started the week going three scoreless innings, striking out seven out of nine batters, collecting two saves. Then Sunday? Broxton. What was that? One inning pitched, three walks, two hits, three earned runs, and one very blown save. It's weird, it's like he and Hudson both had negative reactions to being named to the All-Star team.

HOT:

• Chad Billingsley - 0-1 (2 starts), 3.45 ERA (6 ER in 15.2 IP), 16 Ks / .333 (2-6), 1 2B, 1 HR - You know who didn't have a negative reaction to being named to the All-Star team? Stop guessing Brad Ausmus, he's not in this week's article. Billingsley had two nice, quality starts this week, but really became a victim of his circumstance. He went 7.2 innings against Colorado in his first start of the week, allowing only three runs over that span. Unfortunately for Chad, his counterpart Jason Marquis was dominating the Dodgers that game, and Chad ended up taking the loss. Then, in Billingsley's second start, he held the Padres to one run for eight innings, before allowing a homerun to start the 9th. He followed that up by allowing a double before getting pulled. Who was he pulled for? Ausmus? No. Broxton, who proceeded to allow not only Billingsley's runner to score, but three more runners after that, to effectively cancel out almost everything Billingsley did that game. Everything, that is, except for Billingsley's first career homerun, which gave the Dodgers an extra run that was, ultimately, pretty important.

• Brent Leach - 0-0 (5 games), 0.00 ERA (0 ER in 2.1 IP), 1 HLD, 1 K - Talk about being a workhorse. Oh, you weren't talking about being a workhorse? Well, start talking about it so I can interject with this point: Brent Leach appeared in five of the Dodgers' six games this week. And he did well. And he's been doing well. And I'd like to acknowledge that. After struggling when first being called up, Leach has settled into his role, and since the beginning of June, has posted a 1.80 ERA. He's the left handed reliever we were actually looking for.

• Jeff Weaver - 1-0 (2 games), 0.00 ERA (0 ER in 4.0 IP), 5 Ks - A nice week for Weaver. He had a Rocky inning against Colorado (see what I did there? Yeah, I'm ashamed of it, too) but battled out a jam by striking out the side. He then went three scoreless innings on Sunday to hold the Padres at bay while the Dodgers took a 13th inning lead. This was especially important, because it would have been a bad game to lose. It was the difference between winning or losing a series to the lowly Padres. The difference between finishing the week over .500, or just at .500. It was big, and Weaver came up big for us.

• James Loney - .304 (7-23), 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBIs, 3 BB, 1 SB - You know who else came up big for us Sunday? Aus... never mind. Loney did. A big 13th inning homerun to put the Dodgers up for good. Loney also collected a hit in every game this week, so there's also that.

• Randy Wolf - 0-0 (2 starts), 2.25 ERA (3 ER in 12.0 IP), 12 Ks - Wolf bounced back from an ugly week to put up two quality starts this week. Not much else to say other than good work.

• Juan Pierre - .381 (8-21), 1 BB, 1 RBI, 5-7 SBs - This is not just for Juan Pierre's week. It's for the last 50 games. Listen, Juan, I really appreciate you filling in admirably during the suspension. I'll ignore the fact that after your nice May, you batted .264 during June (.319 OBP). You were put in a bad position. This is the second year you thought you'd be a starter and the Dodgers have brought someone in to replace you. And for the most part, you've handled it in a classy way. Yeah, there was some trade demanding and a little complaining, but you never stopped showing up to play. And yes, your reward is a trip back to the bench with the occasional start. It's tough, I can imagine. So this is just to say: Thanks. Thanks for doing what you do. And who knows, maybe we'll find you a nice home somewhere else, where you can start and be free to run where you please. But for now, please quietly return to the bench and readjust to your role. I know you will, that's what you do.

Ok then folks. That's it. One last road trip this week before the All-Star break. Here's to finishing the first half strong.

Week Recap: 06/01/09 - 06/07/09

Woo... busy day, sorry for the late post. Let's do this:

Dodgers started the week losing the first game to Arizona before coming back to take the next two and the series.

They followed that up by splitting a four game set against Philadelphia.

They went 4-3 on the week.

And now, I'm going to hit you with Round 8 of HOT, COLD, or ROOM TEMPERATURE. Get ready:

COLD:

• Orlando Hudson - .143 (3-21), 1 2B, 2 RBIs, 1 run, 3 BBs, 3 Ks - Oh, Orlando, what has happened to you? You haven't really stood out much in the last couple weeks, but you've still been solid this whole year, and then... this week? Come on, Hudson. 3 for 21? Sheesh...

• Russell Martin - .056 (1-18), 1 BB, 6 Ks, 1 GIDP - A bad start to the month of June for Martin, who was "HOT" just a couple weeks ago. Last week, he cooled down to "ROOM TEMPERATURE." Now, just plain "COLD." One hit this week. One.

• Randy Wolf - 0-1 (2 starts), 8.03 ERA (11 ER in 12.1 innings), 3 BBs, 5 Ks, 3 HRs - Talk about cooling down. Wolf was "HOT" last week? What happened? He had his two worst starts of the season this week. He's been hitable this week, 15 hits in 12.1 innings.

ROOM TEMPERATURE:

• Matt Kemp - .292 (7-24), 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 7 Ks, 1 SB, 1 GIDP - Just one "ROOM TEMPERATURE" guy this week: Kemp. He had a hitting streak snapped this week and struck out almost as many times as he got on base. Still gotta give him some credit though for the .292. 'Tis ok.

HOT:

• Hiroki Kuroda - 0-1 (2 starts), 1.64 ERA (2 ER in 11.0 innings), 11 Ks, 6 BBs - Not a bad return for Kuroda, even with the loss. He hasn't thrown too many innings in either of his starts (5.0 and 6.0) because of early high pitch counts. The three walks per start didn't help. I'll chalk that up to rustiness coming back from injury, and so long as he's keeping that ERA low, I'll be happy.

• Guillermo Mota - 0-0 (4 games), 0.00 ERA (0 ER in 5.1 innings), 3 Ks - I don't want to take too much credit for this, but Guillermo Mota hasn't given up a run since I labeled him "COLD" three weeks ago (a week after called him "replaceable.") I'm going to go ahead and say that lit a fire under him. So, now the question becomes: What to do with him? I mean, I feel like we all know he has more than a couple bad outings left in that arm of his, and they are bound to show up sooner or later. But how do you get rid of a man who's pitched 9.1 scoreless innings in his last 8 games? I just hope when the inevitable melt-down occurs, it's not in a big game. Who knows, though? Maybe he's turned the corner... (Nah...)

• Jonathan Broxton - 1-0 (4 games), 2 saves, 0.00 ERA (0 ER in 4.0 innings), 1 hit, 8 Ks - Broxton just continues to be lights out. 8 of the 12 outs he got this week we're by strikeout. And guess how many of those were swinging? ...All 8. Broxton has nasty stuff, and he's figured out how to locate it. Hitters are in trouble.

• Andre Ethier - .370 (10-27), 3 2Bs, 3 HRs, 5 RBIs, 5 runs - How do you not label a man "HOT" who won two games in a row with walk-off hits? It's no secret to anyone that Ethier has struggled in the last month or so. But here's to hoping this week was a sign of good things to come. Ethier was significantly involved in three of the Dodgers' four wins this week. He's got some power going, he's hitting for high average, he's scoring runs. He was just doing things right this week. Please keep it up. Please.

Alright. Weird week coming up. Just five games? I'm going to need to find my sports fix elsewhere I guess.

Maybe in the loving arms of a basketball team heading for a championship? Sounds pretty good.

How Come The Only Team We Can't Sweep Is The Team I Want To Sweep The Most?

With the win today, the Dodgers completed a second sweep in their last three series. Of course, the non-sweep was actually a series loss against the Angels. But let's not discuss that.

Let's discuss what is really going on with the Dodgers.

The offense.

For an offense that was already considered good, they've outdone themselves these last few games.

Run outputs of 16, 7, and 8? I know they were playing in Coors Field, but this is ridiculous.

Just some quick numbers for this series:

Juan Pierre: .500 (8-16)
Orlando Hudson: .416 (5-12)
Casey Blake: .333 (4-12)
Matt Kemp: .385 (5-13)
James Loney: .429 (6-14)

and...

Juan Castro?: .462 (6-13)

I mean, come on. This isn't just ridiculous. This is redonkulous.

How come we couldn't do this against the Angels?

Week Recap: 05/04/09 - 05/10/09

So, a pretty uneventful week, huh?

Let's just jump into it.

The week started out pretty good. A two game sweep of the Diamondbacks, and a win in the first game of a two game series against Washington. With those three wins, the Dodgers went 13-0 in their first 13 home games to set a new Major League record.

Then Manny Ramírez got suspended for 50 games.

Then, maybe coincidentally (but not really), the Dodgers lost three of their next four games.

They went 4-3 during the week.

Ok, then, Round 5 of HOT, COLD, or ROOM TEMPERATURE coming up!

COLD:

• Manny Ramirez - Only three hits this week? Wow. I'm going to suggest Manny take the next 46 games off, and then come back refreshed and ready to hit. But seriously folks, I think we've discussed Manny enough this week.

• Cory Wade - 0-1 (3 games), 2 blown saves, 12.00 ERA (4 earned runs in 3 innings) - Wade has been one of the two major problems in the bullpen this week. His two blown saves this week bring him up to three in just nine appearances this season. He hasn't been nearly as effective this year as he was last year. So, what do you do with him? He's still young, and maybe he's just going through a slump. I say let him try to pitch out of it, but maybe don't use him in high pressure situations for a little. At least until he proves he's got his stuff together.

• Guillermo Mota - 0-1 (4 games), 8.44 ERA (5 earned runs in 5.1 innings) - ...and here's the other major problem this week. Mota has walked the tightrope in almost every appearance he's made this season. In 14 appearances, he's only had three 1-2-3 innings, and none of them have been in any sort of pressure situation. He capped this week off by giving up the lead in extra innings during the May 10th game (a 7-5 loss against San Francisco), twice! Simply put, Mota has not been good, and frankly, I'm not sure why he's even on the team. There has GOT to be someone better. I mean, he's a right handed short reliever for God's sake. If that isn't a replaceable spot on a major league team, then I don't know what is.

ROOM TEMPERATURE:

• James Loney - .172 (5-29), 3 runs, 4 RBIs - I wasn't sure what to do with Loney this week. He does this to me a lot. He stops hitting, yet, in some weird way, he manages to knock in and score runs with his limited chances. Eh? What are you gonna do?

• Andre Ethier - .207 (6-29), 1 HR, 3 RBIs, 5 walks, 4 runs - Ethier started the week out pretty strong but faded in the last couple games. He's currently riding an 0-10 streak, though he does have a walk in his last 11 plate appearances, so I'll give him that.

HOT:

• Orlando Hudson - .308 (8-26), 4 2Bs, 7 walks, 5 runs, 4 RBIs - Have I mentioned how pleased I've been with the Hudson pickup? He just continues to perform.

• Russell Martin - .500 (9-18), 1 2B, 2 RBIs, 8 walks, 5 runs - Boy, wouldn't it be great if Martin started hitting? His bat has been slow all year, but this week, he's been excellent. Hitting, getting on base, scoring runs. That's the All-Star Martin we all know and love.

• Casey Blake - .391 (9-23), 2 2Bs, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBIs, 4 walks, 8 runs - This week is really an odd week for players labeled "HOT". Other than Hudson, the four other players that I've dubbed "HOT" this week have been strangers to said category. This includes Casey Blake, who I called out last week as being perpetually "ROOM TEMPERATURE". Well, he responded this week. Now we have to see if he can keep it up.

• Juan Pierre - .474 (9-19), 3 2Bs, 4 RBIs, 2 walks, 4 runs, 2 SBs - Pierre has really stepped up in the absence of Manny. Yes, he's still done a few infuriating things this week (he was caught stealing twice this week) and he killed a few rallies, but I have to give credit where credit is due. He's been good this week.

• Eric Stults - 2-0 (2 games), 1.23 ERA (2 earned runs in 14.1 innings), 9 Ks, 1 complete game shutout - Who would've thought the Ace of the pitching staff this week would be Eric Stults? He had a good enough start to get him a win during our 13-0 home streak at the beginning of the week (a 7-2 win, May 4th against Arizona). Then an excellent start to halt a two game skid near the end of the week (an 8-0 win, May 9th against San Francisco). Good job Stults, keep it up and you might finally stay in the majors for a full season.

Alright folks, off-day today. Big East Coast road trip coming up Tuesday. Our bullpen really needs to come around, they've cost us two games this week. Other than that, the hitting hasn't suffered too badly without Manny.

Just in case though, 4 games down, 46 to go...

Week Recap: 04/27/09 - 05/03/09

So, I had an illusion snapped yesterday. I mentioned on this blog a couple weeks ago how I had enjoyed the Jr. Dodgers broadcast.

It seemed like such a cool idea, let two kids into a press box and allow them to call a Dodger game to be broadcast on the internet.

I thought the idea was so cool, in fact, that I was even looking forward to listening to it a little bit during Sunday's game.

So I tuned in, and to my surprise, the same kid who was calling play-by-play two weeks ago was doing it again. Interesting, I thought, why does he get to do this twice? So I did some digging and found a Dodger press release about the program:

"The play-by-play duties will be split amongst regulars Nick Berman and Jake Reiner, while the analyst position for the two-person team will feature a rotation of Jr. Dodgers Kids Club members."

Really? How do I become a "regular"? How did these two become "regulars"? It continues:

"Berman is a senior at Harvard-Westlake High School...

Reiner is currently a senior at Los Angeles' Wildwood High school."

And this is where my illusion was shattered. For those of you that don't know, Harvard-Westlake High School is an incredibly hoity-toity school. I mean really hoity-toity. One of the top hoity-toity schools in the state. Top 3 in hoity, at least top 5 in toity. The hoitiest of the toitiest. You get the point? Berman's family has got to have money.

Well, what about Reiner? Does that name sound familiar? Like Rob Reiner? You know, incredibly rich director and Dodger season ticket holder Rob Reiner? Yeah, that's his son.

So... how in the world did these two end up as regulars?

And they get to call all Sunday Dodger home games this year? Totally unfair. I'm going to start a protest.

My only other route into this is color commentator and the color commentator is always a kid from the Dodgers Jr. club, a club open only to kids 14 and under.

I'm furious with envy. I need to follow up on one of my two plans: get rich, or find a convincing way to make myself seem 14. Both seem easily doable.

Anyway, enough with my complaining, let's get to recapping.

The Dodgers started the week by losing a three game series in San Francisco to go 4-5 on their road trip.

They followed that up by coming home and sweeping the Padres in a four game series at home.

It was the first ever four game sweep of the Padres in Dodger Stadium, and with those four wins, the Dodgers have started the season 10-0 at home. Nice.

The Dodgers went 5-2 for the week.

Round 4 of HOT, COLD, or ROOM TEMPERATURE? Yes, please.

COLD:

• James McDonald - 0-0 (1 game), 16.19 ERA (3 earned runs in 1.2 innings), 2 hits, 4 walks - A pretty bad start (an 8-5 win, April 30th against San Diego) and now a demotion to the bullpen, McDonald's had a bad week. Jeff Weaver, who relieved him in that game is going to take his next start against Arizona on Tuesday. Let's hope a trip to the pen will do McDonald some good.

• Matt Kemp - .190 (4-21), 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 walks, 2 RBIs, 9 Ks, 1 Caught Stealing - The grace period for Kemp is gone. Sorry. I allowed last week's poor performance to go because of the residual heat coming of the week prior to that. But the second bad week in a row for Kemp gets him a bump down to "COLD". That, and more strikeouts in less at-bats. Yeesh.

• Russell Martin - .182 (4-22), 2 walks, 1 RBI, 4 Ks, 1 SB - Martin has really been slow out of the gates. He showed some signs of life a couple weeks ago, but he's since faded. The weird thing about this week? Three of those four hits this week came in one game (the 2-1 win, May 2nd against San Diego). Otherwise, Martin didn't collect a hit in four straight games (an 0-14 stretch). Double yeesh.

ROOM TEMPERATURE:

• Rafael Furcal - .240 (6-25), 1 2B, 1 RBI, 4 Walks, 4 Runs, 7 Ks - Furcal has been consistently "ROOM TEMPERATURE" all year. I felt, though, like this week has been a good microcosm of his season. He's scoring runs, but he's been hovering in the mid-.200s all season. He has more strikeouts than walks, and very few extra base hits. Luckily, Orlando Hudson has been picking up the slack (more on that later).

• Casey Blake - .208 (5-24), 1 HR, 3 RBIs, 1 Walk, 7 Ks - Speaking of "ROOM TEMPERATURE" all year and microcosms... Blake's been in the low .200s all season. He's had a bunch more strikeouts than walks this season. He has been driving in runs, however, with the occasional homerun now and then. Seriously, though, .222? Blake's never been a high-average guy, but this is ridiculous. You know who's been out hitting Blake the last couple weeks? Andy LaRoche (.321, 7 2Bs, 10 RBIs since April 16th). No I still haven't forgotten and no I won't let it go!

HOT:

• Orlando Hudson - .300 (9-30), 3 Runs, 3 2Bs, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 1 Walk - I have to reiterate what a pleasant surprise Hudson has been this year. I thought he'd be good, but he's been one of the best hitters, consistently, on the team this year. He's scoring runs, he's driving in runs, and he's still playing solid defense. Gotta like that...

• Chad Billingsley - 1-0 (2 games), 2.51 ERA (4 earned runs in 14.1 innings), 7 Walks, 16 Ks - And now for the most consistently good pitcher on our team. Billingsley has really stepped into the role of Ace for our staff. He has been excellent. Six quality starts in six appearances. He's keeping his walks down, and he's striking out a ton of guys (42 Ks in 40.2 innings). His five wins are first in the National League, and tied for a first in all of Major League Baseball. Gotta like that...

Alright, four weeks in... a whole bunch to go. I think I'm settling into this, getting into a groove. It's good. We're good.

Dodgers have another seven games at home now, where they are "HOT". Let's see how long this streak can go.

Week Recap: 04/20/09 - 04/26/09

Hey everybody. I'm back from Vegas and turns out, nothing great happened while I was gone, which is really kinda odd. I had a pretty good streak going last year where every time I left the city, something good happened for the Dodgers. This time... eh...

Anyway, let's take a look at the week.

It started pretty badly. The pitching fell apart and the Astros took the first two games of the series, handing the Dodgers their first series loss of the year.

The Dodgers came back, however, and won the next three games. That winning streak was snapped on Sunday, though, when the Rockies were mean to Dodger pitching, and beat us to avoid their 2nd sweep in just over a week.

The Dodgers went 3-3 on the road trip for the week.

And with that, let's do Round 3 of HOT, COLD, or ROOM TEMPERATURE.

COLD:

• Hong-Chih Kuo - 1-0 (1 game), 1 blown save, 18.00 ERA (2 earned runs in 1.0 innings) - What is going on with Kuo? Or with Torre's usage of him for that matter? Kuo made one appearance this week, which is weird because there was more than a few occasions where he could have been used. And what did Kuo do in his one appearance? He gave up a two-run game tying homerun to Clint Barmes. And then he hit a batter. Uh-oh.

• Clayton Kershaw - 0-2 (2 games), 15.00 ERA (15 earned runs in 9.0 innings), 6 walks, 7 Ks, 3 homeruns, .432 Batting Average Against - Oh Clayton, what's happened to you? After the best performance of your young career, you follow it up with your worst performance. And then you follow that performance, with an even worse performance (though admittedly, three runs were allowed once he was out of the game in the 10-4 loss to Colorado, April 26th). His ERA jumped from 1.50 to 7.29 this week. Plain and simple: he got lit up. I mean, I know it's a lot of pressure to put on a 21-year old in his first full season in the majors, but we need him this year. He's our number three starter. No more of these kinds of starts, please.

ROOM TEMPERATURE:

• Matt Kemp - .182 (4-22), 1 3B, 3 walks, 1 SB, 7 Ks - I was debating with myself whether or not to drop Kemp to "COLD" or not. It's been a pretty bad week for Kemp following a pretty great week. I'll say he's "ROOM TEMPERATURE" just due to the residual heat from last week. His hitting streak got to 14 games this week before being snapped, and then he fell into an almost immediate slump, highlighted with an 0-5 night with three Ks and seven runners left-on-base (a 6-5 win, April 24th in Colorado). Kemp cooled off quick, so maybe there's hope he'll heat up quick as well? Who knows...

• Orlando Hudson - .280 (7-25), 2 2Bs, 4 walks, 2 Ks - Hudson, like Kemp, has cooled down. Now, mind you, .280 ain't bad. It ain't great, but it ain't bad. It's "ROOM TEMPERATURE." Ahhhh, see what I did there? Anyway, point is, Hudson's not raking like he was last week.

HOT:

• James Loney - .375 (9-24), 5 2Bs, 4 walks, 5 RBIs - The resurrection of James Loney! Ok, too dramatic, but Loney's had a nice week. Still waiting on a homerun, a little power would be nice, but if he can keep driving in the runs, I can live with a little lack of power.

• Manny Ramírez - .333 (7-21), 2 HRs, 6 RBIs, 7 Ks - Even with his nasty 0-5 day with 3 Ks (a 6-5 win, April 25th in Colorado), Manny's continued to hit and drive in runs this week, even though he is striking out at a high rate.

• Ramon Troncoso - 0-0, 1 save (2 games), 0.00 ERA (0 runs in 5.2 innings), .052 BAA - What? Troncoso? Yeah Troncoso! Ramon Troncoso has been on this week. Not just on, he's been clutch. He came in in the bottom of the 6th inning in the April 21st game (an 8-5 loss in Houston) with the bases loaded and one out. Not only did he get out of that inning unscathed, he pitched another clean inning in relief. And how did he follow up that performance? He went 4.0 scoreless innings in relief in the 6-5 win on April 25th in Colorado. That's right, he had a one run margin to protect in Coors Field for almost half a game and he dominated the Rockies. He's been a real nice surprise out of the bullpen so far this year.

• Chad Billingsley - 1-0, 0.00 ERA (0 runs in 7.1 innings), 5 Ks - Yeah, Billingsley only had one start this week, but boy was it a good one. He put an end to the two-game losing streak we were on by completely stopping the Astros offense, who had given us trouble the previous two games. And by doing that, he picked up the win and brought his record to 4-0 (a tie for the major league high).

• Jonathan Broxton - 0-0, 2 saves (2 games), 0.00 ERA (2.2 innings), 4 Ks - Ok, so Broxton hasn't had the most amazing week ever. He's been good, but I have to acknowledge how great he's been this year. 1-0, 6-6 in save opportunities, 0.96 ERA, 15 Ks in 9.1 innings. On top of that all, he's picked up a couple of 1.0+ inning saves. He's been very good this year, even better than expected.

Alrighty then. That's actually a lot of "HOT" players for a team that went .500 during the week. Let's hope for a few more wins out of those "HOT" players this week.

I like doing this on Monday, I think I'll stick with it.

Let's see if I make it for next week.