Feeling Dodger Blue: A Dodgers Blog

Matt Kemp is on the disabled list and will remain there until May 29th. The Dodgers are 1-2 without him and have 11 more games to go. The team is averaging two runs a game without him…coincidence? The starting pitching has been unbelievable and third best in the National League behind the Nationals and Phillies with a 2.92. They average 6.16 innings a game but have a weak bullpen ranking ninth in the NL behind it, having blown 5 saves. Unfortunately I can’t see the rotation continuing its gaudy numbers and at some point Capuano and Lilly will regress. The lineup has no power aside from Andre Ethier. He can easily be pitched around. I mean would you rather face Andre or Loney, Abreu, Ellises, Gordon and Uribe’s replacement…gee tough decision. Kemp’s absence leaves several problems that need to be solved.

For instance who is going to bat third to replace Kemp? Andre could but doesn’t solve any problem since he bats fourth. You need to keep him there. Mark Ellis is a viable candidate if he wasn’t already doing a fantastic job hitting second. Loney can’t even hit for average yet alone any power and we don’t need a weak ground ball to second with Ellis on 1st base forcing a double play. A.J. Ellis is already being put in the fifth spot, but while hitting eight he is the best hitter in the game right there, adding more to his plate by expecting him to drive in runs means he needs to be more aggressive at the plate throwing off his approach that is working great for him. Reality is we don’t have a great answer. Maybe, if we stick with Gordon (which is another post coming soon) at leadoff, we put Tony Gwynn Jr. in the two hole and put Mark Ellis in the three spot. That might be our only solution to the three hitter.

But we still have A.J. Ellis hitting out of his 8th spot. The true glaring deficiency for this offense is a lack of a power hitting guy to drive in runs in the fifth slot in the batting order. We have nobody like one of the best ever in Jeff Kent. That is the perfect model on which to base your fifth hitter. Jeff was patient not giving away at bats. If you chose to walk him fine. But he was also aggressive on pitches in the zone. Something A.J. Ellis isn’t. The plan the last five years was to wait for Loney to figure it out. There was so much promise from 2007-2009, where he hit for some power and we figured he would only get more with age…not true. The last two years he has been one of the most unproductive first baseman in the game. But back to the fifth spot in the order. Bobby Abreu has the patience required, but I question whether he has any pop left in that bat. A bases clearing double against the Rockies gave me hope, but I expected a little more thump from him by now. Only hope is that Scott Van Slyke or Jerry Sands can provide that power and bat needed. But this is Scott’s first cup of coffee and Jerry wasn’t tearing up the PCL in triple A.

The team needs to trade for a power bat. It has to be numeral uno on Ned Colletti’s list of ways to keep his job. They aren’t available in an abundant supply either. If a struggling team has one they are going to wait and hope that they can turn things around before they are dealt. Also the ones being mentioned might not be worth the price since they are pas their prime and haven’t been producing. Names such as the Greek god of walks, Kevin Youkalis, or disabled Justin Morneau. Adam Dunn could be available since the White Sox are in a pseudo rebuilding phase. Shane Victorino has been discussed in the media, but I hate the flying Hawaiian, and the corner infield spots are what we need. The wish is that David Wright would be available but I just don’t see that happening and the Mets are playing decent right now anyway. Carlos Lee on the Astros can be had, he is hitting for average but the pop isn’t there and he hits right handed in Houston…a hitter’s haven. Could Billy Butler be had from Kansas City? Would he fill Loney’s void seeing as they were at one point compared to each other?

Unless the corner infield spots, fifth spot in the batting order, and bench production get solved this just isn’t a recipe for October success. The trading deadline is still two months away and this team might not be in the running by then. We also don’t have the farm system prospects to trade for some of these pieces. And the bullpen will surely need help by then as well. Ned loves overpaying for those guys. All this will rest on Ned, and he wont have McCheap to blame for payroll constrictions. Cost should, would, will be no object to making the Dodgers a better team. But the answer needs to come during the season when you cant throw money at the problem. If Ned doesn’t figure it out someone else will have the luxury of spending Guggenheim money to make this team better. Good Luck.

Wins: 5                  Losses: 1

MVP: Andre Ethier

CY: Chris Capuano (3 weeks in a row)

Let me be clear about my choice for MVP, A.J. Ellis had the best OPS, average and on base percentage. But Andre is carrying this team while Matty is hurt. Andre can win the game with one swing of the bat. The hot hitting of A.J. allows for us to put teams away. The Dodger won the first series against the gnats at Dodger Stadium and then finished off the Rockies by sweeping them. The scary part of going 5-1 is that Kemp is obviously hurting big time and is going to wind up on the Disabled List. His presence in the lineup at hurt as he is, is still a presence that we will miss when he is on the DL. Teams can then pitch around Ethier and make Loney, Uribe and Gordon beat you with their bats…which is ain’t gonna happen at this point. The team must figure out the corner spots of the infield if they are going to have the impact lineup they need to compete. The starting rotation is stronger than the bullpen which I didn’t see happening. That is because of the strong start of Ted Lilly and the dominance of Chris Capuano. Here are some of my notes:

1. Mark Ellis is balling, he is covering for Dee Gordon at the top of the lineup picking up the back part of the order by cashing in big hits and getting on base for Andre to knock him in. And as always his glove is better than advertised. His range is great, his glove is as dependable as gravity and his throws are on the money….Ned gets full credit for this guy.

2. A.J. Ellis is an all-star. He is solid behind the plate, but is stronger with his arm throwing out over 40% of would be base stealer’s. His bat is more than asked for, we knew he could get on base, but is doing so almost 50% of the time. And his home runs have been big when they happen. He is third on the team in HR and RBIs.

3. Andre Ethier needs to be resigned to a long term deal. I was resigned to do so at the beginning of the season because of his injury history, but he has reminded me what a beautiful swing he has and how he can hit any pitcher in the game. We need him to protect Kemp in the lineup and he is solid in right field. Andre will need to continue his hot hitting to keep the Dodgers from sliding while Matty recovers.

4. Juan Uribe goes on the DL, great, he sucks dock, but he will return and we have no answer for him. James Loney is killing us! Yes his glove is amazing, but he isn’t saving more runs with his glove than he is costing us with his bat. My only hope is that the promotion of Scott Van Slyke can show he can hit at the big league level and show he is a viable replacement for Loney and has the flexibility to play the outfield spots as well. Van Slyke would also be cost effective and allow us to splurge on Cole Hamels and Josh Hamilton in the off-season.

5. Bobby Abreu has been a solid pick up so far. He is getting hosed by umpires at the plate. One of Abreu’s strong points is his patience at the plate. He has the best eye at the plate in the big leagues. His 9 strikeouts are more of a result of bad calls than is his inability to hit. He sees a ton of pitches and raises the opposing pitcher’s count. Most of his strikeouts are on full counts and should go to the walk column. Unfortunately Rivera got hurt and cant replace Loney.

6. Welcome to the big leagues young Van Slyke. Although it was a broken bat bloop single, it still is a hit on the stat sheet as well as an RBI. The two run double he would add two games later was also key in sealing the sweep on the Rockies. He would provide trade value or a Loney replacement if he can hit. But why is he not starting? Torre used to start the kids when they are called up and Mattingly seems to do the older approach in letting them get accustomed to things before throwing them out there…I prefer Torre’s way.

7. The lefties in the starting rotation are carrying the team. Lilly, Capuano and Clayton Kershaw are dealing but Aaron Harang and Chad Billingsly aren’t pulling their weight. Bills looks lost. He needs to stop crying like a baby when Mattingly removes him from the game. He isn’t going to win the damn thing on his own, and its his fault he is being removed not Donnie’s. The best off season option in Hamels would add another lefty. The team needs a righty to shut things down. Nate Eovaldi, Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webster will need time to develop. The top free agent right hander could be Zach Grienke whose emotional anxiety problems will not serve him well in LA, although the stadium would.

8. Ronaldo Belisario is doing enough and might become one of the saviors of the pen if he can be relied upon to pitch the eighth inning as the set-up man. He is throwing mid 90′s with his fastball and you can see the movement on the pitch. But his slider isn’t where it needs to be as well as his split-finger. He needs another pitch to put hitters away and get the big strikeout to return to the dominance he had in 2009, three seasons ago.

9. Shawn Tolleson has been called up to Triple A, Todd Coffey could be on his way out real soon. Or Javy Guerra could be sent down to right the ship. Tolleson has made minor leaguers look silly at every level and only looks to continue his dominance. Maybe he is the set-up man we are looking to bridge the game to Javy Guerra.

We were ranked anywhere from #12 to the back of the pack around #24 in the farm system rankings that go on in the off-season when there is nothing else to follow. The Dodgers’ system has its pro’s and con’s but needs a little love from the front office to keep it in the top ten and be able to contribute to the major league team. The good news is that Stan “the man” Kasten is a wizard at developing team’s farm systems. Look for the team to add some diversity by investing in talent from the international market, a place the previous owner Ebinezer Scrooged it. Also the team wont have to worry about cost/sign-ability issues during the amateur draft in 2012. Things are looking up and the pitching in Double and High A ball is what we are going to be building from. Here are some of the highlights to start the season.

Cream of the Crop: Top consensus prospect for LA is young Zach Lee (RHP) who started the season at High A Rancho Cucamonga. He has had his worst game of his career and one of his best games so far in six starts. Allen Webster (RHP) has had a poor start to the season in Double A Chattanooga where he is joined by five other starters capable of contributing to the big league club in the next couple of years. One of them being Nate Eovaldi (RHP), who is throwing just enough to remain sharp for the Dodgers when he is needed.

Ready to Contribute: Scott Van Slyke (1B/OF) showed last year what he is capable of and is doing just the same at Triple A Albuquerque. Nothing else to prove in the minors and should get the first crack at replacing James Loney. Eovaldi has already been called up once, next time should be for good. Tim Federowicz (C) can take over for Matt Treanor and maybe provide a better bat as the backup backstop. Josh Wall (RHP) is a reliever the team could take a look at until they feel that Shawn Tolleson (RHP) is ready.

Climbing the Ranks: After a couple of horrendous years from Ethan Martin (RHP) there are some positives there this year. Although he can also resemble Nuke LaLoosh walking the world and striking them out at the same time. Chris Reed (LHP) is looking good as part of the Fab Five in Rancho Cucamonga (Reed, Lee, Gould, Sanchez and Santiago). Who is Andres Santiago (RHP)? The guy with the best numbers amongst the starters in RC. Leon Landry (OF) and Austin Gallagher (1B) are providing offense for the best team in the system at High A. Jake Lemmerman (SS) is about the only thing worth watching on offense at Double A Chattanooga.

Stock is Dropping: Could be just a poor start to the season but Webster and Garrett Gould (RHP) are top 5 prospects that need to pitch better. James Baldwin (OF) the five tool project is hitting poorly at Low A Great Lakes which is no better than Jonathan Garcia (OF) or anybody else at Great Lakes.

We need to be able to hold onto the tight games. There are multiple issues going on here and there isn’t one simple move to make. Injuries have been an issue with Matt Guerrier going down and leaving the seventh inning a problem. Guerrier’s spot was replaced by Josh Lindblom who has been throwing more often then he should. MacDougal, Elbert and Wright have had their shaky moments and MacDougal was DFA’d and replaced by Ronaldo Belisario. Once labeled the future closer we need to see a return of his nasty mid 90′s sinker and a sharp slider to blow hitters away. Todd Coffey has also returned from the Disabled List. The team needs a dependable closer to blow teams away in the ninth, they need pitchers to get out of jams in the 6th and 7th inning, and they need a lefty to get lefties out.

1. Jansen becomes the closer. Lets put that high K/9 strikeout rate to the test.

2. Replace Jansen with a combo of Belisario and Guerra and see which one does the job the best.

3. Give Coffey a chance to get going and if not call up Eovaldi for good to help out in the bullpen. Remember how well Chad Billingsly did in that role?

4. Find a replacement for Elbert. Scotty I love you, but you need to get things going in AAA. Rice could get his Cinderella chance to show he can get the job done.

5. See if Josh Wall or even Shawn Tolleson want to get the job done in replace of Jamey Wright. Tolleson’s numbers are just ridiculous.

6. Limit Lindblom to 2-3 innings a week and give him some chances in the eighth as well.

Wins: 2               Losses: 4

MVP: A.J. Ellis

Cy Young: Chris Capuano

I am going to repeat the week 4 awards for MVP and CY, both these guys are contributing on a team that lost steam this week. Both series were winnable, yet again showing that we aren’t getting blown out of any games. Some clutch at-bats that we aren’t getting from Loney and Uribe, and a terrible bullpen are costing this team wins. 5 losses by the bullpen and as many blown saves. The bullpen had some change, Coffey returned and threw alright and back from rehab from a substance that “only used once,” Ronaldo Belisario. Belisario if healthy and effective can go from goat to hero real quickly. Heck he could earn the closer spot at the rate Guerra is going. The bullpen cost us both series and Guerra needs be demoted to the seventh inning to regain some confidence. Here are a few of my notes:

1. This is what happens when Kemp slows down. He contributed a big bomb, but hit .222 for the road trip. Ethier also had a homerun but hit only slightly better than Kemp.

2. Dee Gordon had his best week of the season and Mark Ellis is such a pro at everything he does. The perfect two hole guy. Problem is that after these guys we don’t have squat. That is why we picked up a guy cut from a last place team. Welcome Bobby Abreu.

3. Loney hit .111 so I will reserve the three spot for my advocation of his dismissal and am willing to watch anybody else man the position. Vote for Van Slyke!!! The good news with Bobby Abreu is that he can play LF and Rivera can play 1B and Loney can go somewhere else and hit .200.

4. Hairston got hurt just as Uribe got hurt and could have replaced him long term. The curse of Beltre continues at 3B.

5. 4 straight quality starts for Capuano, Kershaw is money and Bills is adequate. Lilly is getting the job done as well. Harang is boring to watch and we don’t stand much of a chance if we aren’t playing the A squad. Eovaldi needs to pitch consistently and not be brought up for short stints. Replace Harang with him or use Eovaldi to shore up the bullpen with his strong arm.

6. Guerra is done, he cant get a 1-2-3 inning. He isn’t a sexy closer. No out pitch to put guys away. All things that Kenley Jansen can do. Jansen is taking his lumps and is learning from them, but if we want to strand a runner on third, second or even first Guerra is not our guy. Even Mattingly’s confidence is shaken. A healthy Coffey and return of Belisario can help. Belisario could be a solid set-up guy with a sinking fastball and slider, his arm is rested thats for sure.

7. First series with the giants this year, F.T.G. baby!!!!

Wins: 4                  Losses: 2

MVP: A.J. Ellis

Cy Young: Chris Capuano

Due to the birth of my son, and my father in-law watching old reruns of Gunsmoke and Mash on the living room TV I followed the Dodgers from a distance this week. Here are a couple of quick notes.

1. Capuano and Kershaw are pitching great, but Cap is doing his job and then some. After not throwing enough innings in his first two starts he has been doing a great job he has been a quality starts machine…I screwed up by not grabbing him in fantasy to replace a couple of my duds.

2.  I went with A.J. Ellis for my MVP because I am starting to expect quality at-bats and a solid On Base Percentage and preventing the pitcher from leading off so often I expect it and it comes true.

3. Uribe may have started to get things going only to get hurt…which may be a blessing in disguise and allow for us play Jerry Hairston Jr. more.

4. Loney is worthless, when do we start the countdown towards his dismissal. Pretty sure Andy Van Slyke’s boy can do better, and he has flexibility being able to play the outfield and not crash into walls as Loney did in his brief experiment.

5. Guerra is not cutting it…has no confidence, and even though he was a tough S.O.B. for wearing a seed at his grill, he would have been a bigger Bad Ass had he finished the game off for us…twice. Allow him to build confidence throwing in the eighth or ninth inning. Kenley can blow guys away and misses a lot of bats. He will have his ups and downs but realistically who is the long term solution at closer? Mattingly can show his confidence in Guerra but for how long? Three more blown saves and the call will become official.

6. MacDougal and Elbert are not cutting it either in the bullpen putting more strain and pressure on Jansen and Guerra. The injury for Guerrier is really taking its toll now. Lindblom is getting used quite frequently and is getting the job done. But Lindblom and Jansen are throwing more often then I’m comfortable with and could soon become overuse, then abuse. Wright isn’t picking up any slack. Bellisario could be ready soon and a decision will have to be made with Coffey ready from the DL as well.

After watching the interviews with the new management for the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine they posted an email address for fans to send in their thoughts on improving the fan experience. Fans can send in their thoughts to the following: fanbox@ladodgers.com

Here is my email response to them:

To the New Dodger Ownership,

First of all Thank You. I am 32 years old and was put in a Dodger
blanket the day I was born and been a loyal fan for the entire time.
Not a game goes by where I am not texting and commenting on the team
and its play with my close friends or really anybody that is willing
to listen to a fanatic.

There have only been two times in my life where I have questioned my
support and loyalty of the Dodgers. The first was when I was in 1998
when my favorite player, Mike Piazza was traded to the Florida
Marlins. Although it didn’t last long I was shaken by this trade. The
Dodgers are a proud team that has supported it’s home grown players
and the way the trade happened was a shock. Not only did I lose my
favorite player and one of our only stars, we replaced him with a
malcontent Gary Sheffield. Although his numbers were legit, he did not
embody a player that I would root and support through thick or thin.
Never did I feel he appreciated the name on the front of his jersey.
Surely if the team needed to trade a star to make the Dodgers a better
team in the long run I could deal with that, but they weren’t better.

The second time I questioned my support was with Frank McCourt. This
is the first time in years I have actually written and called him by
his real name instead of any other insulting rendition of
Mcsomethingmeanandderogitory. I can do so having trust that my team is
in good hands with your group. I forced myself in my last two years of
living in Southern California to not go to a game, buy any
memorabilia, or even write on a blog that I work on in my spare time.
My son was born on April 30th, 2012. Although the deal didn’t
officially go through that day, I feel that there was a reason my son
waited for Frank to be gone to come into the world. I wouldn’t have
wanted him to watch his first game under his watch. Yesterday was a
proud moment for me to watch a Dodger game with my son on my chest and
see Dee Gordon hit his first homerun and have Andre follow up with a
three run blast.

I am glad to be able to have my son carry on the Dodger tradition in
my family and be able to wear the Blue with pride. We already have
tickets to his first Dodger game when you guys come up to my new home
in Seattle, Wa to play the Mariners. Even though the team will be on
the road they will have a cheering section ready and waiting for them
when they arrive. I will be one proud papa to be wearing blue with my
son and watching my beloved team. I am already so excited to be able
to be next to the bullpen and show him off in his Dodger Outfit. Being
able to be near the players and not have to have the elite front row
season tickets is part of the experience. I remember being able to get
autographs from Karros and Piazza when I was a teenager and it was a
great feeling to be so close to the ones I watch on tv and follow in
the newspapers.

The team is owned by you guys now, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a
big part of others’ lives. The first time I began to question McCourt,
who had a knack for saying the right things, was when he began
boasting about the payroll. He kept saying that the team had a 120
million dollar payroll, but when you researched contracts from all the
information out there, simple math would tell you that the team on the
field was far less than what he claimed to be paying. Paying a player
who no longer plays for the team should not be considered “team
payroll.” Frank was using a smoke screen which could be interpreted
that he felt fans were stupid and uneducated to do simple math. Also
paying Peter to rob Paul wasn’t a sustainable business model I learned
in college. I am not asking that you be transparent, but we need to be
able to trust that what you are telling us is accurate and reliable.
Don’t tell us we are going to redo Dodger Stadium by a certain date,
only to make more seats available to sell and increase profits, not
increase fan experience.

The way to increase my fan experience is with the quality of players
on the field. This doesn’t mean we have to spend like the Yankees, but
for years I have written off my team being able to go after the top
talent. I love some of the new additions and being able to spend
wisely and not overspend is part of the game. Mark Ellis was a great
addition, and although I questioned Capuano’s addition he has been fun
to watch. Which proves that fan’s really aren’t experts. But just
feeling like we have a chance at the elite players will help since
that has been absent in recent years. Overall I just want to win,
getting close isn’t close enough for me. I was alive for 1981 albeit
two years old, but my memories of 1988 are ones that I cherish. I want
to feel that again and know that my son will feel it too.

Thank You for your time and willingness for us to write down and
present our thoughts. Good luck and lets kick some ass!

Sincerely,
Gareth Perry

On April 29th, 2012 at 4:31pm I took it upon myself to help solve the Dodgers revolving third base problem. Since Juan Uribe isn’t going to take a pitch out of the strike zone any time soon and Jerry Harriston Jr. might be going to the disabled list, I thought there would be a better long term solution. I am proud to say that my wife and I are the proud parents of Andrew Jadek Perry, the future at third base. There are early indications that he may be a lefty, so he could also turn out to be a power hitting right fielder with a gun that Raul Modesi would be proud to watch. Jadek was born shortly after the Dodgers completed the sweep of the Nationals…a great day considering that is was also the last day under McCourt’s watch.

Wins: 3   Losses: 3

MVP: Kemp

Cy: Kershaw

Holes began to be exposed. We lost two of three to a playoff team and
then took two of three from the worst team in baseball last year. The
team was in a position to sweep the Brewers but lost the first two
games of the series in the final inning in walk offs. There are two
glaring deficiencies with this team. First we don’t have the bullpen
to hold one inning leads aside from Kenley Jansen and Javy Guerra. And
even then there are some questions with those two. The other is on
offense, where besides Kemp and Ethier we have very little
contributing to the offense. If Rivera, Loney and Uribe are going to
act as complimentary pieces we are screwed. Two of those three must be
able to deliver in clutch situations or they are needed to put games
out of reach for teams like the Brewers to come back. I don’t have any
faith that Uribe or Loney will be those guys…ever. Rivera could
still be useful but needs to get a little pop in his bat. Here are
some more of my notes

1. Dear Giant fans, yes we are well aware that Matt Kemp is not going
to continue hitting like he has. But he is the best offensive player
in the NL and maybe even baseball. Quit crying because it is clear the
only reason your doing so is because your offense sucks worse and
doesn’t even have a Kemp OR Ethier to rely on…Sucks to be you

2. Can someone else on this offense help the big two out? Great Loney
hit his first homerun, only the second one on the team by someone
other than Kemp or Ethier, yet is was still a solo one. Somebody else
has to get these RBI’s at some point.

3. Jerry Hairston is not that bad. He is not great, but I’d rather see
him in the lineup rather than Uribe and I think even Mattingly agrees
with me. Jerry is a more athletic and versatile player than Jamey
Carroll.

4. Dee Gordon is lucky that Hairston underperformed so badly at short
in spring that the team kept Sellers on the team. If Hairston did well
we would be considering him at short rather than Dee. I don’t have a
problem making mistakes on tough to get to balls, but not catching a
throw in the air??? Gordon is on pace for a ridiculous amount of
errors that will start costing this team games. Yet alone leading the
team in striking out on balls in the dirt. He is still young but needs
to step his game up if this team is going to have a chance.

5. Ever watch the movie Hook? Remember the fat kid that looks at Robin
Williams and goes “There you are Peter!” Remarking that he sees the
real Peter Pan inside Peter Banning. Well that is what I was saying
when watching Chad Billingsly pitch on Sunday. “There you are Chad!”
Only in Hook that was a good thing. The real Chad Billingsly might
have shown up yesterday. He couldn’t throw strikes to Wandy Rodriguez
who was not even going to swing at the pitch regardless of strike or
ball.

6. The rotation did pretty good this week, Cap, Harang and Lilly did
what they needed to do to win ball games and keep the team in it. But
now we are relying on those three to win the Braves series at home,
and the Braves are hot right now.

7. Watching Guerra come in for a save is scary. He gives up big hits
and makes things too interesting, too close for comfort. Gagne was
“Game Over” and Guerra is “Anything But.” When Broxton and Saito were
on I felt pretty secure and even Jeff Shaw before them…but Guerra is
“Anything But.” Wont be too long before we are wanting more from
Guerra to be the Guy in LA.

8. We got rid of Todd Coffey with an injury, can somebody Nancy
Kerrigan Mike MacDougal? Made Kershaw’s outing interesting in mop up
duty. This bullpen is supposed to be a strength but is acting like a
weakness….Anybody check out Tolleson’s line in Chatanooga lately?

Wins: 6         Losses: 0

MVP: Matt Kemp

CY: Javy Guerra

Matt Kemp is a god, unbelievable, powerful and able to destroy the mighty San Diego Padres single handedly. Without him we wouldn’t have been able to sweep the Friars, which is weird to think about a team that sits 9-1 with it’s best record since the 1981 Dodgers. The team swept the Pirates as well to start the week, using Bills and Kershaw to start the series then finished off the Padres at home with Capuano, Harang, Lilly and Kershaw. Lilly made his debut on Saturday and had the best starting performance of the week going seven strong innings without giving up an earned run. But there is just a weird sense that this team isn’t very good and this hot play will almost be like a weird dream two months from now. There are holes in this team that a good team will exploit. Good news is that we won’t be playing many of those teams in April, bad news is at some point we will. Here are some of my notes:

1. Matt Kemp is off to a hot start hitting all of his home runs against the Padres, all to opposite field. He might have had one or two more if he wasn’t hitting at PETCO. There are still some question marks about getting to ball in the gap in center field. He also will not hit .500 for the entire season and at some point teams will just start pitching around Kemp and make another Dodger hitter make them pay.

2. Andre Ethier is a very good hitter when he is healthy. He tends to have a hot spring and usually starts the season on fire as he is now. He has a beautiful left handed swing that works well against the fastball and curve. May be the pessimist in me, but he usually gets hurt in May or June and I want to see him play 130 games this year to commit five years and 65 million for…could be more is he is healthy and plays to his capabilities. Any way if it weren’t for Sir Andre there would be no reason to pitch to Kemp at all. Andre not only has a great swing but he is Captain Clutch in situations where he is hitting for the game.

3. The Ellis Boys are solid pieces to add to a team and lineup. Mark is “The Professional” with the glove and bat making his ABs count and not scared to sacrifice himself for the better of the team. He makes every play on defense and turns a beautiful double play ball. A.J. is a candidate for the “Eighth Spot,” winner of the best 8th hitter in a lineup, previous winner has been Carlos Ruiz. If A.J. is up with two outs he is one of the toughest hitters in the game. He is great and getting to the pitcher forcing the opposing team to start with Gordon the next inning instead of leading of with the pitcher.

4. Dee Gordon has two game winning RBI’s to start the season with his walk off hit in the ninth inning on Sunday. But he is hitting .200 and is striking out a ton against terrible pitchers. He is facing much better from the Brewers with Gallardo, Greinke and Wolf. He is a force on the basepaths swiping a perfect 4/4 this past week. He already has three errors in the field in the first ten games making you cringe at how many he could tally in one year. And ten strikeouts in ten games is a lot for someone who cant hit the ball out of a little league park

5. Juan Uribe hit the weakest and non important .389 ever for a weak. He didn’t score once and managed to knock in one run from seven hits. He also continues to prove that it is impossible for him to take a walk. So on a great week for Uribe he is still useless. James Loney got an RBI with his first hit of the season, I think they kept the ball. First base is the obvious place to seek immediate improvement in the offense. My ideal first baseman hits fifth, K’s 100 times a year but doesn’t swing at crap out of the zone, just swings hard. Thus able to deliver a game winning blow once in a while to help support the team. Again even when he is hitting great Loney doesn’t deliver a winning blow, just merely becomes a hard out. Right now he does neither.

6. Clayton Kershaw has been sick, going through arm fatigue and is defending his Cy Young award at 24 years old. That’s a lot of pressure and considering he is the only sure thing in our pitching staff he is working too hard to prove it. He pitched great against the Pirates and will look more consistently like that once he settles down and relaxes. Chad Billingsly went six strong innings against the Pirates being taken out of the game for a pinch hitting situation that was Mattingly’s call. To be clear he was counting on James Loney breaking the game open, something he is never to be counted on. Bills wasn’t throwing as well as he did against the Padres but he still is our best starter thus far. Bills throwing like the potential ace that he was is something that I hadn’t counted on and still am waiting to see if its so. But IF Keshaw/Bills becomes the 1-2 punch we once thought it was it will make the loss of Cain to the gigantic contract easier to move on from.

7. That was easily the lamest 13 strikeout performance I have ever seen. Aaron Harang was blowing people away with his 89-91 mph fastball that had some tail to it. He K’d nine straight hitters then gives up a bomb. At least Brett Tomko threw hard but for some reason these two guys remind me of each other. Chris Capuano needs to be able to pitch at least six innings a start to be effective, something he has failed to do in two starts this year. These two guys are being counted on to beat the Brewers and need to come up with a win along with Bills to take the series.

8. Javy Guerra has done everything that has been asked of him getting a win and three saves in four innings pitched. Kenley Jansen has been dominant but allowed 2 huge homeruns against weak hitters. He should right the ship pretty soon here but is showing that Guerra is the much safer bet to close out games at the present point in time. Matt Guerrier has continued to be perfect and more reflective of what we expected to see but didn’t last year. Todd Coffey was horrible but landed on the DL so we won’t have to see him for a couple of weeks.