LADodgerTalk.com – Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Vin Scully, Andre Ethier and the Dodgers

I was going to do a post about how, no matter how microscopic his ERA, no matter how dominant he has been, no matter if he’s struck out everyone he’s faced, no matter what the stats say, that if you need that ONE BIG OUT, Jon Broxton won’t deliver.  I was going to write that [...]

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Several months ago, I was already sick of hearing how the Dodgers would not spend any money, the divorce was crippling the Dodgers, the Dodgers need a new owner and blah, blah, blah.  I was on-board with all their off-season moves – the non-tenders of Wolf and Hudson, the trade of Juan Pierre for Link [...]

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An Ace:  While no one on the Dodgers will say it publicly, Clayton Kershaw is morphing into that Ace the Dodger fans covet, probably sooner that most expected.  As Tony Jackson of ESPN/LosAngeles points out, he is 6-1 with a 1.83 ERA in his last 8 starts and is pitching much deeper into games.  He [...]

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It looked for a while that the Dodgers might have squandered a 3-0 lead through 4 innings in Cincinnati last night, so after a 2-1/2 hour rain delay, the Dodgers took batting practice and tacked on 9 more runs to spank the Reds 12-0.  That score in itself, doesn’t mean much.  What means the most [...]

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The Dodgers got out their brooms and proceeded to sweep the Cardinals, which is historic in the sense that this was something they had not done in LA since… Yes, 1988!   The last “Magical Year.”  Now the writers are staring to get on the Dodger Bandwagon… driven by Yours Truly.    Tony Jackson of [...]

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How sweet it is! It took the Dodgers exactly 59 games to take first place in what is, so far, the second toughest division in baseball. The National League West has 4 teams with 30 or more wins and better than a .500 records.  The teams of the NL West have more wins than any [...]

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Everyone seems to use the W.I.N. philosophy in business, in sales and motivation, but I don’t see that acronym much applied in sports. What’s Important Now is something the Dodgers need to focus on.  Their hitting (actually the lack thereof) is the direct result of ignoring the Don Mattingly Plan which is to work the count, [...]

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The Knucklehead:  Getting shot in the leg is enough to cause you to get branded as a knucklehead, but there’s a lot more to it than that.  Vicente Padilla arguably has some one thebest stuff you will ever see, but it’s his “knuckle-headedness”  which has kept him from achieving his potential.  Obviously, something happened in [...]

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Suddenly, the Dodgers starters look to be as good as any in baseball and Chad Billingsley is at the forefront. Without belaboring the point, he is simply evolving into a very, very solid pitcher. Tony Jackson of ESPN/Los Angeles has part of the reason why: The turning point was that well-chronicled meeting with manager Joe [...]

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“Walkoff” Ethier has a hurt pinkie that landed him on the DL. Manny Ramirez hurt his little toe last night and couldn’t start (hopefully no DL for Manny). Ramon Ortiz can’t pitch because he’s toast! Look, even Ray Charles can see that he can’t pitch.  He throws at least one pitch in the hitter’s “wheelhouse” [...]

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I used to call him “Mr. Softee” because he often got hits which padded his stats but didn’t mean much.  He’d hit a home run when the Dodgers were ahead by 5 runs or behind by 6, but he didn’t deliver in the clutch.  I sensed that he could do so much better, so I [...]

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On April 26, 2009 Clayton Kershaw was pounded by the Colorado Rockies.  He lasted 4.2 innings while giving up 9 earned runs, on 2 HR, and his ERA sat at 7.29 after that game.  I his next start he pitch 7 shutout innings against the Padres and won 1-0. When Clayton Kershaw gets beat, he [...]

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When asked that, I just “shrugged.”  If I have to explain that… well, I won’t! The real question is, “Who is Jon Link?” John Link was acquired in the Juan Pierre trade along with John Ely.  Both are RH pitchers with Ely being the ChiSox 12th best prospect (according to Baseball America) and Link being [...]

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I have a busy day today, but here are a few observations: That’s the Padilla the Dodgers need.  If he can pitch like that, they will be just fine. The Dodgers offense is among the most potent in baseball, with Ethier, Kemp, Loney and Martin coming into their own, Blake improving at 36, Manny being [...]

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REALITY CHECK Reality Baseball:  Blake DeWitt has won the second base job – Hands Down! Fantasy Baseball:  Are the Dodgers stupid enough to send him down to solve “roster issues?” Reality Baseball: Charlie Haeger is the best Option for the Fifth Starter and absolutely proved it yesterday. Fantasy Baseball:  Does anyone really believe that Russ [...]

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Today should go a long way in determining who will be the Fifth Starter for the Dodgers. Charlie Haeger starts the game against the Mariner,s and will allegedly be followed  by Russ Ortiz.  Dylan Hernandez of  The LA Times predicts that Ramon Ortiz will be the fifth starter, Tony Jackson of  ESPN/LosAngeles has anointed Russ Ortiz, [...]

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The Dodgers lost to the Kansas City Royals today 8-4.  I truly believe that many of the players are focused upon Opening Day and are just bored with what is going on.  The coaches are just going through the motions, the writers are just going through the motions, so why not the players as well?  [...]

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  Now that Ronnie Belliard has weighed in at 208 and is guaranteed a spot, the roster begins to take shape.  There are only a few spots left and it will be interesting who goes where. Here’s what I think the roster is shaping up as (it could change in the next 3 or 4 [...]

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The Los Angeles Dodgers have the lowest cumulative team ERA (3.54) of any of the current 30 MLB teams based upon their seasons from 1884 through 2009.  I am hopeful that Ned  will make the appropriate roster decisions next week and that the 2010 Dodger pitching staff will have an ERA under 4.00 for the [...]

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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 amazed at the facility. A LOT WHEN ON YESTERDAY – Charlie Haeger pitched 5 or 7 strong innings against [...]

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