I stated a couple of weeks ago that when the Dodgers are at home, I get the feeling they are going to win every time.
I have always had that feeling, since I was a kid, but I became more and more confident when Manny Ramirez showed up.
After a 7-3 win over San Diego on Sunday, the Dodgers have now set a club record with a 10-0 home start.
Since Ramirez became a Dodger, they have gone 27-8 at home, good for a .771 winning percentage and they are 58-33 at home dating back to the beginning of last season.
They might be playing just .500 baseball on the road, and that's fine. If they win 40-43 games on the road, to go with the 52 or more they'll win at home, they will win well over 90 games and will probably be hosting at least one playoff series.
In order to equal the Major League record for the best home start, which is 12-0 by the Detroit Tigers of 1911, they will need to get quality starts from unlikely sources.
The streak lies in the hands of two guys that we're not being counted on as a factor for the rotation just a month ago in Eric Stults and Jeff Weaver. Stults will pitch tomorrow night against Doug Davis and Weaver will pitch Tuesday against Max Scherzer.
The Diamondbacks are playing a little better, they've been pesky in the past and Scherzer has lights out stuff. The Dodgers home streak will be put to its biggest challenge over the next two days.
This is a perfect segue to talk about the pitching.
James McDonald is now in the bullpen, and Eric Stults is still in the rotation. Either way, the Dodgers were going to have a weak link. It's up to Stults and Weaver to tread water until Hiroki Kuroda comes back.
Cory Wade and Ramon Troncoso have stabilized the middle relief, but the bullpen is still a bit of an issue.
It also might be time to consider either Pedro Martinez or Mark Mulder for the rotation.
Sure, the Dodgers are 18-8 and complaining might seem ridiculous. But they haven't exactly played the toughest schedule, and it will get tougher. This club is legit, but to keep playing well and to make another serious post-season run, they're gonna need a little pitching help.
It appears that the Blue Jays might be for real, meaning trading for Roy Halladay might not be a possibility. Jake Peavy isn't getting traded in the division.
The Mariners are the team most likely to slide, which means Erik Bedard might be a good option, which is something I have been a supporter of.
I was thinking to myself, were are they going to get pitching help from? Assuming that the Blue jays stay in contention, and Peavy not being an option, who else might be out thier that the Dodgers could target via trade? what pitchers? what teams? I know the season just started and its to early to tell but all I hear is Peavy and Halladay, and I dont think they are realastic options.
MUD
I think you are right, Halladay and Peavy are not viable options. Bedard is being mentioned (on this blog at least) and I think he is more likely. It's probably going to end up being a guy like Millwood who's contract is expiring, or a castoff like Freddy Sanchez, or perhaps Pedro or Mulder. They really do need pitching though.
The Dodgers are on fire and need more pitching to keep them where they are (11 games over .500). I agree on Halladay and Peavy, but also dont think the Mariners are going to unload. The AL West is almost as bad as the NL west, and the Mariners have the talent and pitching to stay in the division the entire year...if thats the case scratch Bedard off the wish list. The Pedro window is closing fast in my opinion and I still would rather go with Weaver and Milton rather than Mulder...and thats bad!
Here are the possibilities that I could see are Harang, Arroyo, Oswalt, and Cliff Lee (but only if he struggles)