No one realizes more than I do that this is a 162 game season.  I am not worried about our pitching – it will come around (do you really believe that Kuo and Belsiario will continue to have double-digit ERA’s?  Sherrill?  I worry about him, but he can’t be THAT bad, can he?).

Three for the Road?

I am worried that Joe Torre has lost this team. It’s not the result (the fact that the Dodgers lost), it the fashion in which they are losing – passionless, uncaring, disconnected, sloppy, selfish and flat.  These guys are going through the motions – they are not even trying.  Oh sure, you can point to this or that and say “yes they are trying” but it’s a malaise that is permeating the entire team.

You can’t fire the players, so the management has to be held accountable, and now I am including Ned Colletti into that equation.  Ned should not go to the air waves to single out Matt Kemp.  It’s one thing to say the team is playing without passion or dogging it.  It’s quite another to single out a single  player.  It might be true, but it was wrong.

Joe Torre is a Hall-of-Famer, buy he has lost this team.  Look at what a shambles the Rockies were in last year – then they fired Clint Hurdle, and Jim Tracy (Jim Freakin’ Tracy) re-energized the team BIG TIME!  Sometimes change for changes’ sake is just what is needed! It’s time for sweeping changes:  Torre, Mattingly, Bowa, Schaffer, Honeycutt are all responsible.

We have a solution “in-house” in Tim Wallach.  It’s time for change, just 22 games into the season.  In 2007, the Dodgers started 13-8 and failed to make the playoffs, proving it’s not how you start – it’s how you finish.  Let’s finish this thing.

I believe that Ned has assembled a team that can win, and if he also believes that, he has to fire Joe Torre and he has to do it soon!  Failure to act means that Ned must also believe this team can’t win… and if that’s the case, he should be fired!  This is a “bottom line business” .

RANTS & RAVES:

• Clayton Kershaw still throws too many pitches, but he is improving in several areas.  I think both Chad and Clayton would benefit with a new pitching coach.
• I hope Garrett Anderson is French, because he is Toast!
• Charlie Haeger is in danger of being DFA’s and I doubt he will get claimed.
• Ben Sheets of the $10 mil contract has a 1-2 record with a 5.00 ERA (27 IP, 36 H, 14 vBB, 14 K’s) – so far, that looks like a dope fiend move by Billy Beane.
• Theo Epstein doesn’t like like the same genius right about now.
• The Mets looked like a trainwreck before the season and now are in high cotton – Mike Pelfrey is 4-0 with a 0.69 ERA – The Mets had so many problems before the season and have overcame them all.  Kudos to Jerry Manual.
• Ex-Dodgers:  Edwin Jackson – 1-2 with a 6.67 ERA (28 IP/36 H)   Brad Penny – 3-0 with a 0.94 ERA; Dave Duncan has him throwing strikes (Carpenter, Wainright and Penny may be the best 1-2-3 starters in baseball); Derek Lowe has a 5.79 ERA; Randy Wolf – 2-1, 3.34 ERA
• The Rockies optioned Chris Ianetta back to AAA – WOW!
• Barry Zito is unconscious.  Can he keep it up?  If he does, the Giants top 3 is as good as the Cards.
• Carlos Monasterios gets the start on Saturday instead of Heager and Ely looks to get another start as well.

Dodger Chris had this to say Yesterday (I feel his pain too):

I cannot express how pissed off I am about the state of my Dodgers. Unfortunately due to the Mccourts divorce I am afraid this may continue for the next few years to come. Their inability to shore up the starting pitching in the offseason has proven to me that they have decided not to give this team a chance. Maybe Frank needs to devalue the team so he will only have to give half to his ex-wife at a much lower value. The fact that she needs 1 million a month makes me want to puke and shoot myself in the head at the same time!!!! These people are DISGUSTING!!!! I lost my job a year ago and the only thing that kept me together last year was watching my team compete. Well, Mccourts, here I am still out of a job struggling like everyone else in this world right now and you two have the gaul to not spend a dime on the team while spending millions on vacation homes and lawyers. The only thing we can do to force the Mccourts hand is to BOYCOTT ALL GAMES until they show us that they are willing to invest in this team as much as we all have everytime we go to a game! IF we can cut into attendance I believe this will send a clear message to the Mccourts that DODGER FANS will NOT stand for their BULLSHIT and continue to feed their wallets while they DO NOTHING to improve this team. I WILL NOT GO TO ANOTHER GAME until they do SOMETHING about our pitching!!! PLEASE join me Dodger fans…We have to send these people a message!!!!!!!

Frank, you have a problem that can only be cured by winning!

Saturday was a bad day to be a Dodger fan!

Here's What Happened Last Time I Saw Badger!

First the good news:

• Andrew Lambo went 2-5 with a triple and has raised his batting average to .306.
• Jerry Sands was 3-4 with 2 doubles and a triple and is hitting a lofty .421.
• I like the fact that Padilla hit Rowand after the Giants got close to our hitters.  I don’t like to see him hurt, but Padilla will not tolerate that crap!  Oh, and for the record, he says he didn’t hit him on purpose.  Oh, OK!  Wink!  Wink!
• Carlos Monasterios looked good in two innings of pitching.  His velocity was better – he topped out at 93 MPH on his fastball and while he didn’t strike out anyone, he didn’t walk anyone either.  His separation was excellent.  He gets to stay another  week (or two).
• AJ Ellis had 2 hits.  Very nice!

That’s it’s that’s all the good news.

Now, the bad news:

• All the Dodger teams got hammered!  0-5!  That’s as bad as it gets.
• The Dodger offense was horrid.  The Dodger Defense was horrid.  The Dodger pitching was horrid.  Other than that – the Dodgers played very well!
• 9-0 on 8 hits!  You should accidentally get a few runs on 8 hits.
• Do we have to watch Jamie Carroll play SS every two weeks?  Couldn’t we just have Chinese Bamboo Torture instead?
• After one start Charlie Haeger’s ERA was 4.50, but since he struck out 12, people were ga-ga.  Now, his ERA is 7.20 after his shelling yesteday and you know his leash is short because he’s a quote from Joe Torre:   “You don’t catch a knuckleball, you defend against it.” Charlie won’t get a lot of rope, because Joe knows that even though you strike out 12, you can easily allow 4-5 runs and beat up the catcher in the process.    I am not for or against Charlie (although I did believe that he could pitch 200 innings and give us a 4.00 ERA), but he has to get his act together.  His 7.20 ERA is what it is and while he’s struck out 16 in 10 innings, but has allowed 11 hits and 10 walks.  That’s acceptable, like NOWHERE!  People get excited and think he can pitch between starts out of the pen.  He can try that once he shows he can pitch every 5th day.  Until then, KEEP HIM OUT OF THE PEN, JOE!
• Horrible ERA’s: Haeger – 7.20, Ramon Ortiz – 7.71, Padilla – 8.04, Russ Ortiz – 10.29, George Sherrill 12.46.  Now, Sherrill and Padilla aren’t going ANYPLACE because they each make over $4 mil a year, but Haeger and the Ortiz’s are all in danger of being demoted.  We have Justin Miller, Hong-chih Kuo and Ronald Beliasrio at the ready.  I would guess that the Ortiz’s are toast and that Haeger will get another start – It had better be a good one or he’s on the train to AAA!
• When the Dodgers play this way, you can always rest assured that those purveyors of muck – TJ Slimers and Bill Plaschke will magically appear, like a sick Genie to Damn the Dodgers to Hell and Back!
• Let’s take two out of three from the Giants – Clayton is due for a good outing.

I’ve got something for you Badger, Scoop, Rory – whoever you are today….

Is He Who We Thought He Was?

Never mind that Vicente Padilla started on Opening Day.  That was just (you choose):  (a) a senior moment by Joe Torre; (b) a passive-aggressive shot by Torre to Dodger management that” if you don’t get me better pitchers, I’ll start a guy like this;” or (c) just a dumbass move.

Here’s the deal.  Vicente Padilla is who we thought he was! He is a guy who has 98 wins and 86 losses for his career with a 4.36 ERA.  He is who we thought he was. He is a guy who (in a good year) will win 14-15 games with a 3.50 to 4.50 ERA.   He is who we thought he was. In a bad year, he might go 9-12 or 6-10 with a 4.50 to 5.50 ERA.  He is who we thought he was. In other words, he’s a typical number 4 or number 5 starter.

Actually, I’d like to think of him as our number five starter, because I believe that if Joe Torre gives Charlie Haeger the ball every 5 days, he will win 13-15 games and pitch 200 innings with a sub 4.00 ERA.  That’s a number 4!

How stupid is it to start your Number 5 starter on Opening Day?  That’s a rhetorical Question…

I was watching the MLB Network and when asked if the Dodgers should have traded for an ace, Tom Verducci said they already have one on the roster (meaning Kershaw).   While that is probably true, the bigger question is whether it will happen this year.  With a couple of new pitches and more maturity, it could happen as soon as TODAY.  Clayton’s start against the Pirates will give us a preview of whether he might be ready to take the next step.  Whether he pitches a No-Hitter or gets shelled today will not give us the entire answer, but it will give us an idea is Clayton Kershaw is ready to be our ACE! I think he is who we though he was!

I noticed Billingsley’s mechanics were much smoother at Spring Training, but Verducci broke them down even more and you can see that last year he was flying open and falling towards 1B, as much as 3 feet.  This year he is much smoother and actually ending up about 3-4 feet from where he was last year.  Mechanically he looks very sound, and if you look back on Billingsley, he has had one bad half of a season in 3 and a half seasons!  Yet, everyone only seems to remember his struggles last year.  Three seasons of excellent work and one bad half season…  and all we remember is that bad half season?  How stupid is that?

Chad is 47-30 in his career with a career 3.55 ERA.   Chris Carpenter has a career 3.87 ERA.  Adam Wainwright (who is 3 years older) has a 3.17 ERA.  Cole Hamels who has about the same major league tenure as C-Bill has a career 3.67 ERA.  The great Roy Halladay (9 years older) has a career 3.42 ERA.  Listen up:  When a discussion of great pitchers is raised, Chad Billingsley is in that discussion!  Chad Billingsley will be back with a vengeance.  The best of C-Bill is yet to come.  He is who we thought he was!

For as much as he has been injured, Hiroki Kuroda has been consistent with his ERA in that his first year and second year were nearly identical.  His MLB career ERA is 3.74 as he has battled injuries.  If healthy, he can be very, very good.  Let’s hope that he is who we thought he was.

My parting shot is that the Dodgers’ much maligned rotation might just end up being their strength.  Time will tell if they are who we thought they were!

Rants & Raves:

• Tony Jackson of ESPN/LosAngeles writes about Clayton Kershaw’s evolution into an Ace.
• Carlos Monasterios was a bright spot Monday – I think he might fill a nice role for us.
• Ronald Belisario will be back by April 20th – Guaranteed!

Today is an off day, but if everything goes right, I will have photos and the inside story of the Camelback Ranch Minor League Complex.  It should be pretty cool and I think you will be

According to Tommy, the Only Angels are in Heaven and They are all Ex-Dodgers

amazed at the facility.

A LOT WHEN ON YESTERDAY – Charlie Haeger pitched 5 or 7 strong innings against minor league competition (they were all over-matched) and Carlos Monasterios got mixed reviews (although his stuff was pretty good).  Jason Repko didn’t do Carlos any favors by dropping what would have been a Sportscenter Top Catch (there’s a reason why he’s a career minor leaguer).  Clayton Kershaw looked good in 5 strong innings (79 pitches after 27 pitches in the first inning), and so did Russ Ortiz (arrrrggggggahhhhh!)

There are a few things to settle, not the least of which is the starting 2B job.   It appear to be Blake DeWitt’s job to lose.  While not as accomplished as Jamey Carroll on defense, his LH bats fits well in the Dodgers lineup.  I would expect that Blake will win the job even though Carroll is hitting a cool .400.

Who will the subs be?  Here’s what I see

1. Carroll – 2B, SS, 3B, LF, CF, RF
2. Belliard – 3B, 2B, 1B
3. Anderson – LF, RF
4. Johnson – LF, CF, RF
5. Ausmus – C
   

   Charlie Throwing His Dancer

6. Mientkiewicz - 1B (maybe 3B, LF & RF – depending upon his shoulder)

Mientkiewicz could be the odd man out if the Dodgers want to keep Hu as a true backup SS, or Belliard could be the odd man out (doubtful) if his belly doesn’t get smaller (he’s not at 209, but no one knows how close he is).   I think Carroll will a real key component for us this year.  He can backup Raffy for a game or two at a time, so I see Hu going to AAA again along with Xavier Paul.  Garrett Anderson looks strong, smooth and healthy.

The biggest questions surround the #5 starter.  It’s any body’s guess.  Here are that stats (which is not how the decision will be made).  You have to factor in minor league games, stats and options.  If I had to guess, right now I’d say that Charlie Haeger will be the #5.  That’s my opinion.  What’s yours?

Manny Getting Tuned Up

What’s your take on the 25 man roster?

"$25,000 for Jamie Hoffman? I'll Take Him!"

DODGER UPDATES:

The View From The Coaches Tower of the Minor League Games

• Jamie Hoffman was returned to the Dodgers by the Yanks who took him in Rule 5 (as I suspected).  This is the second time the Dodgers almost lost him.  Is he back for good?    The Dodgers should be much better at AAA.
• Some Dodger Brass feel that Charlie Haeger cannot pitch in Arizona or Colorado because of the “air” (their explanation of why he isn’t having a good spring).  If that is true, how can he play for a team in the NL West?  If that is true, why is Haeger still on the team?  On one hand, Torre praises him, but on the other hand he won’t pitch him in Colorado or outside in Arizona.  Go figure.
• Russ Martin was hit on the arm or wrist by a pitch today and is sore, but allegedly OK.
• Some Angel fans was heckling Tommy and in Classic Tommieese, he said ” The only Angels are in Heaven and they are all Ex-Dodgers.  The __________________ Angels are in Anaheim, how can they be called the Los Angeles Angels?”
• SHOCK – Angel Berroa released!  What took them so long?
• Joe Torre says he will name the Opening Day Stater on Thursday … and LAdodgerTalk.com will be there.
• Through the grapevine, I have gathered that the Dodgers are really pissed at Belisario and will “punish” him by keeping him in Arizona for a few weeks followed by a few week at AAA.  We’ll see if they do that or need him sooner….

Morning Minor League Game:

• Lucas May hit an opposite field blast off of Alberto Bastardo that got out in a hurry…
• Charlie Haeger pitched 5 or 6 innings (maybe more – I left early) and dominated A and AA players.  It’s hard to tell how good he was because of the competition he faced.

Today’s Game at Camelback Ranch:

1. DeWitt 2B
2. Blake 3B
3. Ethier  RF
4. Ramirez  LF
5. Loney  1B
6. Anderson  DH
7. Hu  SS
8. Repko  CF
9. Monasterios  P

• According to Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times, Hiroki Kuroda has had difficulty adjusting to pitching every five days (instead of six in Japan) and had essentially abondoned his forkball (which was his best pitch) because the American Baseballs were “slicker.”  He received some sage advice from Hideo Nomo about both and may be back on track.  Am I the only one who thinks Kuroda could win 15-17 games with a mid-3.00 ERA?
• The Giants returned former Dodger farmhand Steve Johnson to the Orioles under Rule 5.  Johnson was acquired in the George Sherrill for Josh Bell Deal.  Guess he wasn’t “all that.”
• Ken Gurnick reports that Cory Wade has experienced pain in his shoulder for two years and the doctors suspect it may be the AC joint, which would not be from overuse, but rather from some sort of trauma. If it’s the AC joint, you can’t blame it on Torre…
• I think Charlie Haeger will make an excellent swingman/longman in the pen as he can pitch multiple days in a row.  If he makes the team, look for him to log over 110 innings.
• Hong-Chih Kuo is allegedly pain free at this moment (it’s moment-to-moment with him).  Let’s hope that he stays that way all season.
• If Garret Anderson, Doug Mientkiewicz, Jeff Weaver and Ramon Ortiz make the team, the Dodgers will have to drop at least two more players from the 40-man roster.  It is currently 39 and if Wade goes on the 60-Day DL, it would be 38, leaving 2 more spots to be chopped.  Hummmm… who would that be?  Repko and who else?
• My guess is that Russ Ortiz will sink to his natural level below sea-level, and Ramon will continue to elevate his game.  Ramon could be a nice find.  I doubt that both Ramon Ortiz and Jeff Weaver make the squad however.
• Though I despise it, I read it and yesterday’s was RIGHT ON:  DODGER DIVORCE – Jamie is such and idiot!  I think everyone is starting to realize that.
• Steve Dilbeck of The LA Times gets in a slam (tongue-in-cheek) on McJamie.
• Tony Jackson of ESPN/LA has an excellent article on Jaime Jarrin.  Really good!
  

At the age of 24 J.A. Happ of the Phillies was in AAA where he complied a 4-6 record with a 5.02 ERA.  At the age of 25, also in AAA, he improved to 8-7 with a 3.60 ERA, and also had a “cup of coffee” with the Phillies where he went 1-0 with a 3.69 ERA in 31 innings.   However at age 26, he had his “breakout year” and went 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA while pitching more innings that he ever had (166).  

I point this out because 2009 was Happ’s 6th season in the Phillie system.   2010 will be Scott Elbert’s 7th season,  Eric Stults’ 9th, James McDonald’s 6th (as a pitcher), Charlie Haeger’s 9th professional season, and Carlos Monasterios’ 5th pro season.  It’s not foolish or wishful thinking to believe that one, maybe two of these guys could step up and fill a rotation spot.  I’m sure that the Dodgers would rather not COUNT on this, but the fact of the matter is that one of those pitchers could easily step up and make it happen. 

I would guess that Charlie Haeger would be the top candidate for the 5th spot, but who can deny James McDonald’s outstanding stuff?  It could be his time to” go J.A. Happ!”  This is what makes baseball so much fun – just when you think you have it figured out, YOU DON’T!  These kids just have a way of stepping up when you least expect it.

I am going to go one step further and say that I still believe there could be a three or four-way trade involving Russ Martin, Jon Broxton, George Sherrill and prospects, which would net us a Top Starter.  If his market stays suppressed, the Dodgers could then sign Molina to a two-year deal.

Around the League:

• The Giants got the LH power bat they were seeking by signing Aubrey Huff (be still my heart).  He is capable of having a very good year now and again, but he’s a journeyman…
• The Reds allegedly have signed Aroldis Chapman.  Hummmmm…

The Top 10 - In No Particular Order

I have no clue where this “Debacle in the Ravine will take us, but I’d say Jamie does not have the upper hand.   No, I’m not going to speculate on who we will sign and who we won’t or who we should trade.  Today, I just want to do some “farming.”  Let’s take a look at the Dodgers top prospects. Read the full story

Joe Torre doesn’t have it “in” for Charlie Haeger and said Haeger will continue to be in the mix of the rotation as the team moves toward the

Look at the Grip!

 postseason.  Here’s what Joe said (Steve Gartner of mlb.com)

“He’s a hot hand.  He’s pitched well two times in a row now. I trust him at this point.It’s going to be [a matter of] whether the knuckleball is working or isn’t working. I think we’ll know that early.”

The fact of the matter is that Charlie currently has a huge advantage over team who have not seen him and his “Dog and Pony Show.”  Joe is wise to pitch him as much as possible and ride him until the wheels fall off!  He goes today against the hot Cincinnati Reds.  I should be in Cincinnati right about now, but my son had football practice last night and has a football game today.  Maybe we’ll go catch the finale Sunday.   By the way, Cincinnati won’t accept the Dodgers request to allow “stinking bloggers” in the press-box.  It seems that their press policy is as sad as their team!   Mediocrity permeates that once proud organization.   It is amazing the degree of ineptitude in business and baseball is no different. 

Rants & Raves

• There’s nothing wrong with Billingsley… that is, nothing wrong below the neck!  He has an ERA of nearly 6.00 in the pst 2 months.  This is a strange year for some young “rising-star type” pitchers.  Look at Hamels and Kazmir as well.  Billingsley is an Ace compared to them.   Hopefully Chad can get it together by the end Read the full story

• 5th in the NL in innings pitched with 162 (only 10 behind the leader)
• 18th in strikeouts in the NL with 123
• ERA – 3.43
• WHIP – 1.14

Sounds like a pretty good pitcher and actually he has been our most consistent pitcher since the start of the season.  Solid, not spectacular and a pretty good hitter too.  Too bad he could have gotten that triple so he would have hit for the cycle.  Props to Joe Torre for batting Kemp at leadoff and Andre 3rd.  Props to Andre for some very timely hitting.  Props to Matt and O-Dog for igniting the team.  Memo to Joe: Leave the lineup the way it is and bat the SS 8th!

The Knuckleballer

Today, knuckleballer Charlie Haeger starts against the Cards.  Fast forward to August 24, 2009.  Here’s the headline on that date: 

Charlie Haeger beats Orel Hershiser’s record of scoreless by pitching his 7th consecutive shutout and now owns the scoreless inning record which now stands at 63. 

Charlie stated, “I have to thank Joe Torre for starting me seven consecutive games.”  Joe responded “Tomorrow we will demote all the pitching staff and call up only position players.  Charlie has it covered the rest of the season.”

I hope he wins today or Lawdog may do himself harm… Read the full story