Next Year is This Year
Dodger fans, welcome to Milwaukee. With the loss of Eric Gagne for the season (And the first half of next year), it would seem as if the Dodgers’ playoff hopes have been vaporized.
Yes, Yhency Brazoban can step into the closer’s shoes, but who can fill the role Brazoban was expected to perform, that of eighth-inning setup guy? The auditions so far have been unimpressive.
The Dodger’s formula for success was based on giving the opposition seven innings to score against Los Angeles’ eight or nine. (Though recently, it has seemed like the team wouldn’t score no matter how many times they batted.) The Dodgers aren’t equipped to win games in which they have to outslug the opposition.
But giving up on this year would be a mistake. For starters, the team is in a crappy division. The Padres are hardly invincible (As the split of the past four games demonstrates). All it would take is one hot streak to win the NL West.
After that, however, L.A. is not going anywhere. Their pitching isn’t good enough to win a short series, and the offense can’t make up for that fact.
What the Dodgers can do, though, is start building for 2006. If this team is going to win a championship, there are a lot of holes that need filling. Waiting for the off-season might be too late. If an ace pitcher becomes available in July, why not snap him up now?
They may not win it all this year, but for the Dodgers, next year has already started.
Yes, Yhency Brazoban can step into the closer’s shoes, but who can fill the role Brazoban was expected to perform, that of eighth-inning setup guy? The auditions so far have been unimpressive.
The Dodger’s formula for success was based on giving the opposition seven innings to score against Los Angeles’ eight or nine. (Though recently, it has seemed like the team wouldn’t score no matter how many times they batted.) The Dodgers aren’t equipped to win games in which they have to outslug the opposition.
But giving up on this year would be a mistake. For starters, the team is in a crappy division. The Padres are hardly invincible (As the split of the past four games demonstrates). All it would take is one hot streak to win the NL West.
After that, however, L.A. is not going anywhere. Their pitching isn’t good enough to win a short series, and the offense can’t make up for that fact.
What the Dodgers can do, though, is start building for 2006. If this team is going to win a championship, there are a lot of holes that need filling. Waiting for the off-season might be too late. If an ace pitcher becomes available in July, why not snap him up now?
They may not win it all this year, but for the Dodgers, next year has already started.
posted by John Rosenthal @ 4:58 PM
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