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.
Look, I don't mean to panic. We still have 37 wins, five more than any other team in the league.But the other teams are gaining on us. And our play is starting to slow down.Since the Angels series (May 22th-24th), we've only been playing slightly above .500 ball.We're 8-6 over that span, and the only reason we're over .500 is because we swept the lowly Rockies.Ultimately, there's some good and some bad.
The Bad: We can't win a series against the Angels and the Cubs, who've really been .500 teams the season. And this first game against the Phillies was unimpressive.
And this is mainly because the offense is prone to spans of not... doing... good.
We went 1-2, scoring only three runs in the first three games of the Cubs series.
We're 2-2 in our four games, with run totals of 2, 6, 1, 0. And that one run we scored in the 1-0 win against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday was kind of a gift run.The Good: (and the reason not to panic) We're 5-1 against NL West teams in the last couple weeks (the aforementioned Rockies sweep, and a series win against the Diamondbacks).And we still have an eight game lead on the second place Giants.
So, we're not playing great, but it's not the worst news in the world.But in case you're still not happy, just remember this. Manny is only about a month away from returning.
...and we're back. Took a week off there, but I'm back now and ready to jump into a good old recap.
To start, we swept the Mets in a three game series in Dodger Stadium, and followed that excellent series by losing two out of three to the Angels.
The Dodgers then went into Colorado and swept a three game set there before going into Chicago, where they split a four game weekend series.
The Dodgers went 10-4 over the two weeks.
And with that, let's do Round 7 of HOT, COLD, or ROOM TEMPERATURE:
COLD:
- Jeff Weaver - 0-0 (3 games, 2 starts), 6.23 ERA (6 earned runs in 8.2 innings) - How did Jeff Weaver respond to losing his spot in the rotation? Badly. 1.1 innings, 2 earned runs. 2.1 innings, 3 earned runs. The ERA is rising. Not good.
- Andre Ethier - .189 (7-37), 3 2Bs, 1 RBI, 4 BBs, 6 Ks - The slump continues. One RBI in two weeks isn't good. Here's the good news, Manny's suspension is almost half-way through.
ROOM TEMPERATURE:
- Russell Martin - .250 (12-48), 3 2Bs, 5 RBIs, 5 BBs, 7 Ks, 2 SBs - Martin was showing some signs of life for a little bit, but he's gone back average-ness. Oddly enough, he's still probably in the top 5 catchers in the National League.
- Rafael Furcal - .294 (10-34), 2 2Bs, 1 RBI, 3 runs, 5 BBs, 4 Ks - He's hitting a little better, but he's still hovering around .250 for the season. His OPS on the season is .613, not pretty.
HOT:
- Ronald Belisario - 0-0 (7 games), 1.04 ERA (1 earned run in 8.2 innings) - Belisario had a pretty good week, but what I like to do is give people credit when they've been consistently good all year. Belisario has been a workhorse in the pen, and a quality workhorse at that. Here's to hoping he keeps it up.
- James Loney - .333 (18-54), 4 2Bs, 11 RBIs, 7 runs, 2 SBs - Loney has really been knocking them in these last few weeks, without the use of the homerun. That means he's coming through a lot when given the opportunity. And that's good for us.
- Matt Kemp - .360 (18-50), 2 HRs, 5 RBIs, 8 runs, 4 SBs - Kemp flashed a little power this last series with the Cubs. He's definitely got the potential to hit a ton of homerun, but his patience needs a little work. His over-agression at the plate does cost him a little (10 Ks in 50 at-bats).
- Juan Pierre - .316 (18-57), 10 runs, 2 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 8 RBIs, 3-4 SBs - Pierre is not playing out of this world like he has been (He's 1 for his last 13) but he's still contributing with a nice mix of RBIs and runs scored.
- Casey Blake - .389 (14-36), 5 2Bs, 1 HR, 10 RBIs, 6 runs, 5 walks - Blake has had some hamstring issues the last week or so, so he has missed a few games, but in the time he has played, he's made an impact.
- Randy Wolf - 1-0 (3 starts), 3.00 ERA (7 earned runs in 21.0 innings), 13 Ks - Wolf hasn't had his best stretch these last couple weeks, but this "HOT" is awarded in part for his week, but more for the year. When we got Wolf, I was just expecting him to be a nice number four starter, but he's really turned into a solid number two guy behind Billingsley. His 3-1 record doesn't nearly reflect how good he's really been.
Alrighty then, Dodgers are back home for a 9 game homestand. First game is tonight against the D-Backs.
I'm feeling good about this.
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?
Just a quick post to say that I'm going to skip the week recap for this week. I'll recap for two weeks next week.
Today's my birthday, I've been running around all day and haven't really had time to plan it out.
So, I'll probably post some more articles this week, but again, no recap.
That is all.
P.S. How bout that beat down today, eh? Nice.
Just a quick post to ask: was it good for you?
A three game sweep of the Mets, following series wins against Florida and Philadelphia.
The Dodgers are 7-1 in their last eight games. The Giants lost today. We've extended our lead in the NL West to 8.5 games.
Oh, and we still have the best record in baseball, 29-13.
I mean, I was hoping we would just play .500 ball until Manny gets back, but this is ridiculous.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are coming into town for the weekend.
Let's keep this up, eh?
EDIT: And by the way, congratulations to Brent Leach for picking up the win today, the first one of his major league career.
Yeah, I didn't post for a week. Doesn't mean I wasn't paying attention.
Been updating my computer, working to get all my programs back and running, yadda yadda, so I didn't have time for posts.
But I'm here now, so let's do this.
This week, the Dodgers started and completed a 6 game East Coast road trip. And did pretty damn well.
They started out slow, losing the first game in Philadelphia to Chan Ho Park, of all people. They came back, however, to win the next two. They then went to Florida, where they split the first two games, but followed that up by winning the rubber game to take that series as well.
The Dodgers went 4-2 on the road trip. Oh, and by the way, they have the best record in baseball.
Round 6 of HOT, COLD, or ROOM TEMPERATURE? Already. Wow, time is flying by. Ok, here we go.
COLD:
- Rafael Furcal - .167 (4-24), 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 Runs, 2 Ks, 1 CS - As bad as Furcal has been this year, he's really hit a low this week. He's striking out, he's not drawing walks, and he got caught stealing. What happened to the Furcal of last year? He's got to turn it on at some point.
- Guillermo Mota - 21.60 ERA (4 ER in 1.2 innings, 1 game) - It seems like I'm picking on Mota. I mean, after all, he only had one bad outing this week (the 12-5 win at Florida, May 17th). But honestly, folks, this was just another bad outing in a series of bad outings. I mean, for God's sake. It's 12-1, 9th inning. All you have to do is get out of the inning so we can all go home. You get two outs. Alright, good start. 10 minutes later, you've somehow loaded the bases, given up a Grand Slam, and forced the manager to pull you. How can you mess up an inning so damn badly? Why is he still on this team?!
ROOM TEMPERATURE:
- Eric Milton - 4.50 ERA (2 ER in 4.0 innings), 2 hits, 4 walks, 3 Ks - So, Eric Milton made his first start in the majors since 2007, and how'd he do? Meh. He wasn't terrible, but he was by no stretch of the imagination, good. He was making way too many pitches, and for the kind of stuff he has, he was giving up way too many walks. He made 84 pitches (only 43 strikes) and was pulled before the 5th. But hey, at least he didn't give up a Grand Slam or something like that.
- Andre Ethier - .200 (4-20), 1 2B, 2 walks, 2 RBIs, 5 Ks, 1 SB - Ethier continues his luke-warmness. I feel like he's the Champ Kind to Manny's Ron Burgundy: "I need you. I'm a mess without you. I miss you so damn much. I miss being with you, I miss being near you. I miss your laugh. I miss your scent; I miss your musk. When this all gets sorted out, I think you and me should get an apartment together." Ok, maybe it's not that bad. But Ethier has been hurting, and whether that's Manny related or not, I'd like it to stop. You hear me, Ethier? Stop it.
HOT:
- Russell Martin - .333 (6-18), 1 2B, 1 RBI, 3 runs, 5 walks, 2 SBs - Nice Martin, a 2nd week of "HOT" in a row. All I can say is, keep it up. Oh, and maybe, let's notch a homerun or two.
- James Loney - .308 (8-26), 2 HRs, 6 RBIs, 1 walk, 4 runs - Well, it took long enough for Loney to get out of the homerless category. And once he did, he came back for more. Sure, they were both in Philly, but I won't hold that against him. A homer is a homer.
- Casey Blake - .368 (7-19), 2 2Bs, 2 HRs, 5 RBIs, 1 walk, 6 Ks - That's actually quite a few strike outs for just 19 at-bats, but still, extra base hits and RBIs are good stuff.
- Mark Loretta - .500 (4-8), 1 2B, 4 RBIs, 2 walks - I just wanted to give Mark Loretta some credit for what he's been doing this year. He's been a solid pinch hitter and spot start all year, and this week was really a good microcosm of that. I can't remember a year when we've had a bench of this quality, and he's a big part of that.
- Clayton Kershaw - 1-1 (2 games), 3.75 ERA (5 ER in 12.0 innings), 14 Ks, 8 walks - Yes, those stats look pretty pedestrian, but if you've watched Kershaw, you know he has pitched better than his stats indicate. He was pretty hitable in Philly (a 5-3 loss, May 12th), but was almost the opposite of that in Florida (a 12-5 win, May 17th). 7.0 innings of no-hit ball only to finally give up a hit in the 8th, collecting nine strikeouts along the way. He's been up and down this year, but this was definitely an up.
- Juan Pierre - .407 (11-27), 4 2Bs, 1 3B, 5 RBIs, 2 walks, 4-5 SBs, 7 runs - Juan Pierre is a man on fire! I mean, he's playing like a man who's trying to prove he can still be a starter somewhere and that when a certain outfielder returns in early July, another team should take a flier on him. Yeah, a little long winded, and kinda a cheap shot, but what are you gonna do? Pierre's been go, and I like it. So good, in fact, he's started a grassroots movement. Yep, Juan Pierre is in BeastMode, and that's a good thing for us.
Ok, hopefully I'll get in some more posts this week than last week. We'll see.
3 game series against the Mets in L.A. starts later today. See you then.
