You know what I am getting tired of hearing?
Vin Scully saying "And the Dodgers strand a pair."
This team is leaving runners on all over the
place and that is one of the problems that this team is having while playing
under .500 since the All-Star Break.
Hitting with runners in scoring position is
something that needs to be remedied, but there is no quick fix for it. It's
either going to happen or it's not. The only thing in Joe Torre's power is how
he assembles his lineup, which is one of the things I think needs to be done to
fix the Dodgers.
How can that be done, you ask?
Bat Matt Kemp higher...
Okay, the novelty of having a guy batting
.310 with nearly 20 homers and 80 RBI batting in the seven or eight hole is
wearing off. He is a legit threat and he needs to bat higher. He needs to hit
no lower than fifth, perhaps sixth if Casey Blake is actually going through a
stretch where he can put the bat on the ball.
Don't ever let Russ hit higher than seventh...ever
again
Russell Martin needs to be relegated to the
bottom third of the lineup for the rest of eternity, or in baseball language
until he pulls his head out. Torre keeps moving him around, but it's pointless.
Just bat him seventh or eighth and take any production you get as a bonus.
Fix the pitching, somehow...
The starting pitching is in bad shape. Jeff
Weaver is making starts, Chad Billingsley is not 100 percent, Hiroki Kuroda is
lucky to be alive and Clayton Kershaw is just too inexperienced to be counted
on. Randy Wolf is the most reliable pitcher on the staff right now. So how do
you fix this? You do whatever it takes. Sign John Smoltz, sign Vicente Padilla,
callup guys like Charlie Haeger and just shake stuff up.
Get James Loney in the weight room...
I'm not asking the guy to hit 25 bombs, but more than seven would be nice. Is asking for him to hit one at home this season to much to ask?
Shake up the bullpen...
If Jonathan Broxton is going to continue to
be bad, let George Sherrill get a couple of save opportunities. If Guillermo
Mota and Ramon Troncoso are going to continue to be horrible, don't let them
pitch unless it's a blowout. Go Manny Acta style and send people down and call
people up if the guys currently in the pen can't get the job done.
Get Manny going...
This I don't really have a suggestion for. Torre has tried what he
can. He's batted him third, batted him fourth and given him days off. He just
can't seem to find it. He looks lost at the plate. He's always behind in the
count, he's over-swinging and certainly not coming up with big hits or runs
driven in. This is something that has to fix itself for the Dodgers to be
repaired as a whole.
Sign players to extensions...
This probably won't help, but who knows? Maybe it is a mental
boost for some guys who get extensions, or a promising sign to their teammates.
I think negotiating an extension with Orlando Hudson is mandatory, and doing so
soon would be a nice gesture. I also think locking up Andre Ethier, Chad
Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp and James Loney would be savvy baseball
moves. I doubt they can all get done, but I think approaching them and perhaps
getting a few extensions signed would be a good move for this team right now.
Tell Rafael Furcal he's not Babe Ruth...
Somebody's gotta let Raffy know that he's a leadoff hitter and not
the frickin' Sultan of Swat. He is always swinging too hard. Right now he's not
getting on base and setting the table. He is a sparkplug for this team when he
starts rallies with singles and doubles. He needs to cut down that home run
swing.
Bat Matt Kemp higher -no argument here at all from me, I personally think Kemp should hit second and put Odawg in the eight spot, we still have a legit hitter in the 8th hole.
Don't ever let Russ hit higher than seventh...ever again -Where else should a guy hitting .260 with 3hr and 40rbi...scratch that 34Rbis hit???? Not anywhere near the top!!!!!
Pitching -ol Ned fucked this one up pretty good, didnt address the problem in the offseason, didnt address the problem in spring training, didnt address the problem during the trading deadline...How is a teams starting pitching supposed to hold up when we havent had a fifth starter for several years (unless you count Bomko, Hendrickson, Schmidt and every other tool we have thrown out there). Now Kuroda takes a shot to the dome and we only have 3 starters now!!!! WTF NED?
Get James Loney in the weight room...Not going to happen! trade him in the offseason for a legit starter with some minor leaguers and pickup a free agent 1B to replace his low production, he isnt getting RBIs anymore so the argument about his worth is over, he is good w/ the glove and but his hitting isnt near the top half of 1B in the major leagues.
Shake up the bullpen... I disagree with replacing Broxton, we need him to win in the playoffs, when he is on he is the best in the game, he is hitting a rough patch but if the hitting gets going then the confidence is up and the bullpen will be fine. THE BULLPEN IS OVERWORKED DUE TO THE STARTING PITCHING! STOP GETTING MORE BULLPEN GUYS AND BURNING THEM OUT!!!! Sherrill cant keep this up at the rate he is pitching.
Get Manny going - this is the problem when you dont have a spring training, and your out for fifty games...your getting paid, now hit the damn ball! This is the main problem...when manny hits we win .
Sign players to extentions...I love Odawg and what he has done, just like I loved Nomar and what he did in his first year, but what is with the kids in the farm if we are not going to play them or trade them? I am for locking up Bills, Andre, Broxton...we dont need to sign Kershaw till the end of next year if he reproduces.
Tell Rafael Furcal he's not Babe Ruth... dont need to elaborate on this one.
The answer to your poll is both Starting Pitching and Clutch Hitting...a world series team needs both
I think what Matt was getting at with Broxton is that maybe Torre should throw an occasional save opp Sherrill's way. Just to give Broxton a day to get right or maybe a quick wake up call. I think we roll with Johnny Cakes, but at least it's an idea and the Dodgers need to try something.
Starting pitching is a huge problem. Something has to be done. Mainly, it's been coming down to getting hits with runners on and we know Manny hasn't been coming through.
Good assessment of the lineup from you guys.
i dont know if there is any fixing this team... i think the writing is on the wall...