Time to Panic? No. Time to Shuffle? Yes
What happens when a good team playing badly runs into a better team playing worse? In the case of the Dodgers and Marlins, the answer is the better team wins. Florida used good pitching and timely hitting to ease to a 6-2 victory at Dodger Stadium last night.
Despite going up against fifth starter Brian Moehler, Los Angeles was never in the game, falling behind 2-0 before they even came to the plate. When the team in blue did bat, they left eight runners on base, including four in scoring position with two outs.
It’s not as if the team isn’t hitting (except for Jeff Kent, who has had one hit in the past week). They pounded out 10 hits in last night’s game; five of the eight starters have averages over .300. But they’re not hitting when it counts.
The temptation to panic is strong, as the team slides from first to second to third place. But they’re only a game and a half out of first, with a whole lot of season left. San Diego has been reeling off victories like singles at a strip bar; they will cool down soon. Arizona has been taking advantage of the soft underbelly of their schedule, beating up on teams like San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and Colorado.
That said, the Dodgers will probably go out and hang an L on Dontrelle Willis tonight. That’s just how baseball is. Just when you think it can’t get any worse, you come out and beat a tough team and a winning streak is born.
NOTES
Three Dodgers are among the top 10 national leaguers in runs scored: Milton (Game Time) Bradley, with 29; Jeff (Dirk Diggler) Kent, with 28) and Little Cesar Izturis, with 26. All three are on pace to score 100 runs this year.
But the fact that Izturis, the guy you pay to get on, get over, and get in, hasn’t scored more often suggests a lack of production in the second and third spots in the order. Seoul Man Choi has 18 RBIs; Jesus Devotee Drew has 15, the same number as Izturis, and fewer than Bradley, Kent, and Jason Phillips.
It may be time to reshuffle the lineup a bit. I’d move Kent and his .390 OBP to the second spot and Milton Bradley to the third spot. Bradley is quickly becoming the heart of the team, coming up with the big hits in the big spots; third is where you want your best hitter. Choi (or Olmedo Saenz, against lefties) can hit fourth, followed by some combination of Drew, Phillips, Ricky Ledee (Jayson Werth against lefties), and whoever’s playing third.
Jim Tracy is not averse to juggling the lineup. Last year, Adrian Beltre started the season hitting seventh. When it became apparent that he was carrying the team, Tracy slowly moved him up in the order until he was hitting third or fourth pretty much every day.
Despite going up against fifth starter Brian Moehler, Los Angeles was never in the game, falling behind 2-0 before they even came to the plate. When the team in blue did bat, they left eight runners on base, including four in scoring position with two outs.
It’s not as if the team isn’t hitting (except for Jeff Kent, who has had one hit in the past week). They pounded out 10 hits in last night’s game; five of the eight starters have averages over .300. But they’re not hitting when it counts.
The temptation to panic is strong, as the team slides from first to second to third place. But they’re only a game and a half out of first, with a whole lot of season left. San Diego has been reeling off victories like singles at a strip bar; they will cool down soon. Arizona has been taking advantage of the soft underbelly of their schedule, beating up on teams like San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and Colorado.
That said, the Dodgers will probably go out and hang an L on Dontrelle Willis tonight. That’s just how baseball is. Just when you think it can’t get any worse, you come out and beat a tough team and a winning streak is born.
NOTES
Three Dodgers are among the top 10 national leaguers in runs scored: Milton (Game Time) Bradley, with 29; Jeff (Dirk Diggler) Kent, with 28) and Little Cesar Izturis, with 26. All three are on pace to score 100 runs this year.
But the fact that Izturis, the guy you pay to get on, get over, and get in, hasn’t scored more often suggests a lack of production in the second and third spots in the order. Seoul Man Choi has 18 RBIs; Jesus Devotee Drew has 15, the same number as Izturis, and fewer than Bradley, Kent, and Jason Phillips.
It may be time to reshuffle the lineup a bit. I’d move Kent and his .390 OBP to the second spot and Milton Bradley to the third spot. Bradley is quickly becoming the heart of the team, coming up with the big hits in the big spots; third is where you want your best hitter. Choi (or Olmedo Saenz, against lefties) can hit fourth, followed by some combination of Drew, Phillips, Ricky Ledee (Jayson Werth against lefties), and whoever’s playing third.
Jim Tracy is not averse to juggling the lineup. Last year, Adrian Beltre started the season hitting seventh. When it became apparent that he was carrying the team, Tracy slowly moved him up in the order until he was hitting third or fourth pretty much every day.
posted by John Rosenthal @ 8:39 AM
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