Examining How Aggressively The Dodgers Need To Address Shortcomings
The Los Angeles Dodgers started the 2015 season winning 22 of their first 32 games.
In the 58 games since, including Sunday’s first half-capping comeback win over Milwaukee, they are 29-29. The offense particularly, but also the starting rotation and bullpen have all in one form or another been sources of concern.
Certainly the Dodgers haven’t looked like one of the National League’s best teams for a while. In a stronger division, this would all be generating serious heebie jeebies, but fortunately for the Dodgers they don’t play in one of those.
They reside in the National League West, sporting only one other team over .500. San Diego, Colorado, and Arizona are anywhere from mediocre to bad, and for all the hand-wringing about how the Dodgers can’t beat the San Francisco Giants, it’s worth noting that the Giants don’t seem to regularly beat teams that aren’t the Dodgers.
San Francisco has its own problems.
All of this explains why, despite obvious vulnerabilities, the Dodgers remain a near lock for October baseball.
As long as they have their lead, Don Mattingly won’t be consumed with aesthetics. “I want to stay where we’re at, and win the games we have to win,” he said Sunday.
“I know where we’re at in the race, and plan on staying there, and playing the kind of baseball we’ve had to play to stay there.” Go in hot or in through the back door, he says. Just go, because the path doesn’t much matter.
“Obviously you’re there to win it and you’re going to have to get hot, but how you get in has zero to do with it other than you’ve gotten yourself in,” Mattingly says.
“The last couple of years we’ve put ourselves in good position, and have been able to set up our pitching. (Two years ago) we get through the first round and didn’t get through the second. Last year, we don’t get through the first. Doesn’t mean you still don’t want to be that. I’d still rather go in, win the division, be able to set up your pitching, all that kind of stuff. But none of it’s a guarantee. So the number one thing is to qualify.”
CONTINUE READING: Wondering How Aggressive The Dodgers Need To Be
It has been interesting so far. Good and interesting perspective, Brian. Hope you and Andrew are doing well.
Taking the long term approach does not seem to be what the teams making it to the WS do. They go out every day to win every day. The Dodger woes are in every aspect of their game with the exception of the defense which performs every game for the most part. The Dodger offence is mediocre at best and at times very bad. The pitching is not what you see on paper. Kershaw can’t keep the ball down which is why his era is twice what it was. Greinke is stuck with a team that can’t score runs when he is on the mound. The bullpen will give a brilliant preformance then suck for two games. They have NO lead off hitter, well the have Rollins but this is the Rollins of today not yesteryear. Puig has lost something, I do not know if he is bored, hurt or he really is not that talented. Pederson is GREAT, the first Dodger rookie to start an All-Star game, but allot is put on him. Turner turned out to be the best signing the new management has done. They suck at singing pitchers and from what it looks like are more then willing to let Greinke walk away. It should be noted the catching is very good. Now we come to management and coaches. I am NOT a Mattingly fan, I think he is over his head and why has the hitting coach and pitching coach still there? As I have watched Mattingly I believe he cost the team 7 to 10 games a year. He is like Lasorda without the huge ego. He does not seem to have other then so so support of the team. One paper this team should be 1 or 2 in all of baseball. They will probably win the division as that is there only avenue into the Play-Offs, but as the Giants have there number they could loose it all in the last week of the season. IF they make it to the Play-Offs they will no doubt be bounced in the first round and proabaly badly at that. This team does not act like a team that KNOWS it can and WILL win every game when it takes the field. Of course this is baseball and no one wins every game but championship teams do not look at games as ‘musts’ wins, every game is a must win to them.
This team isn’t going to let Greinke walk away. The Kershaw-Greinke combo at the top of the rotation is what gives this club an identity. Given that there isn’t a legitimate third starter on this roster (let alone a legitimate #2 to replace him next season), I can’t imagine them letting him get away. He’s had tremendous success here, and doesn’t seem like the type of guy that is going to uproot and go pitch in Boston on a whim.
With the idiot Ruben Amaro still in Philadelphia, you can probably rule out Cole Hamels, because he’s going to insist on Seager in return, and they wouldn’t trade him for anyone. Cincinnati might be more realistic in their requests for Cueto, who is a free agent anyway, but I’m guessing LA is going to end up with another rotation-filler type for this year and hope for the best.
Well, new genius team in the FO, isn’t proving itself to be as they hoped. Part of picking pitchers, is like buying a good car. You need to pick a name that performs and lasts, not just performs for a while and breaks down.