Blake Dewitt

Before Wednesday’s game the Dodgers sent rookie pitcher Clayton Kershaw to Triple-A Las Vegas to make room for Hiroki Kuroda, who was coming off the disabled list. While Kershaw has been inconsistent throughout his first major-league stint, Kuroda has been even more so in his first season in the America. Kuroda has had brilliant games, such as his start in May against the Astros, and some horrific outings, such as his last start before the injury, when he gave up six runs in less than three innings in San Diego.

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The mishaps of the Dodgers’ much-maligned offense have been chronicled in many a-place, including this site. Despite a pitching staff that is reliable at worst and brilliant at best, the Dodger bats frequently cost the team victories in all ways imaginable: not drawing walks, hitting into double plays, failing to produce a big inning, not hitting for power, and failing to come up with enough hits. Earlier this year they scored exactly one run in five of six games, and throughout the year they have been at the bottom of the pack in nearly every offensive category. Derek Lowe probably has it worst, as he has made a living of surrendering one run in seven innings and still getting saddled with the loss; in the last year and a half I think he has lost 240 games by scores of 1-0 or 2-1.

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The difference between attending the Dodgers game against the Cubs yesterday and against the Rockies on Wednesday was just about the difference of night and day. The difference was literal, as the finale against Colorado was a getaway game at noon, and the opener with Chicago started just after seven. But there were other differences, too. The Dodgers showed the resolve to recovering from an early deficit, and received solid relief pitching after a mediocre start by Chad Billingsley. They got run production from the bottom of the lineup, two meaningful homeruns from Jeff Kent, and a relatively raucous crowd urging them on after a slow start.  Yet for all the differences there was one haunting constant, the agony of defeat the Dodgers have come to know in the past two weeks, this time a crushing 5-4 defeat.

Continue reading "Saito Bobbles Ninth as Cubs Edge Dodgers"

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Sending Blake Dewitt down was an unfortunate numbers game for the Dodgers this week.  Relying on Nomar Garciaparra to be your everyday 3rd baseman is a potential death sentence.

Not that anyone is dusting off the bugle for the boys in blue at this point, but last year's Gold Glove catcher, Russell Martin, just ditched the tools of ignorance in favor of an infielder's glove (I'm doubting that whoever's mitt he did trot out to 3rd was one he'd ever tried on before which has to be comforting seeing as how he's not played that position in 5 years).  Add to that Andruw Jones' unique ability to leave a game with a calf injury suffered by his own batted ball and it makes for one of those nights where you wish it was raining and none of this had ever happened.

Continue reading "Just when you thought it was bad"