A New Beginning for the Dodgers?
Are the Dodgers prepared to go to their graves with the failed experiments of Juan Pierre and Rafael Furcal atop the lineup? It sure seems that way. At the beginning of the season, there was a question about which man was the better leadoff hitter. After all, both players seemed to be the prototypical top-of-the-order guys: rabbits without a lot of pop who could steal bases and create runs.
There’s only one problem. These guys don’t get on base. Pierre’s refusal to take walks (he has all of 22 this season) is well-known around the league by now, so he hardly sees a strike. Furcal walks twice as often, but injuries have kept him from being a stolen base threat. Neither man is hitting, however. Furcal’s .284 average is right at his career mark, while Pierre’s .277 is significantly below his career mark of .300. The Dodgers’ offense depends on these guys getting on base, being moved over, and driven in by the bigger bats. The Dodgers have won 2 of their last 10 games; Pierre had two hits in each of those games, while Furcal had two hits in one game and a single and two walks (And scored three times) in the other.
But the plan doesn’t work when they go 0-for-8, like they did yesterday, or when they go 0-for-6 in Penny’s last loss, or when they go 1-for-7 in the losses to tthe Rockies or 0-for-8 in the July 25 loss to the Astros.
Those o-fers are taking away valuable at-bats from guys who ARE getting on base. Like Andre Ethier, who seems to get a hit, and often an extra base hit, whenever he’s in the lineup. Like Matt Kemp, who despite struggling of late still has a higher Batting average (.323) than Pierre’s on base percentage (a dismal .314). Even Brad Penny gets on base (.326) at a higher clip than Pierre. In fact, Pierre has the worst OBP of any Dodger starter. Furcal, at .348, leads only Pierre, Penny, and Nomar (.329).
If the Dodgers are to score runs, the guys who don’t get on need to bat lower in the lineup. Jeff Kent leads the team in OBP with .384, but he’s the team’s only legitimate power threat, so batting him leadoff seems a waste. Loney (.379) seems too slow for the role. That leaves Ethier and Kemp, who platoon but should be playing every day given their averages (.304 and .328, respectively) and their OBPs (.370 and .372). How about we try them in right and center and in the 1-2 hole? Could the results be any worse than the two shutouts over the weekend?
That would necessitate sitting Pierre and or Gonzalez much more often (Amazingly, Pierre leads the team in games played, despite his lack of production. Imagine if Ethier had another 100 at-bats this season; that could be 30 more hits!). But the Dodgers are at the point in the season where they have to admit they made a mistake in signing two old men with poor throwing arms to man left and center. The playoffs almost assuredly depend on it.
There’s only one problem. These guys don’t get on base. Pierre’s refusal to take walks (he has all of 22 this season) is well-known around the league by now, so he hardly sees a strike. Furcal walks twice as often, but injuries have kept him from being a stolen base threat. Neither man is hitting, however. Furcal’s .284 average is right at his career mark, while Pierre’s .277 is significantly below his career mark of .300. The Dodgers’ offense depends on these guys getting on base, being moved over, and driven in by the bigger bats. The Dodgers have won 2 of their last 10 games; Pierre had two hits in each of those games, while Furcal had two hits in one game and a single and two walks (And scored three times) in the other.
But the plan doesn’t work when they go 0-for-8, like they did yesterday, or when they go 0-for-6 in Penny’s last loss, or when they go 1-for-7 in the losses to tthe Rockies or 0-for-8 in the July 25 loss to the Astros.
Those o-fers are taking away valuable at-bats from guys who ARE getting on base. Like Andre Ethier, who seems to get a hit, and often an extra base hit, whenever he’s in the lineup. Like Matt Kemp, who despite struggling of late still has a higher Batting average (.323) than Pierre’s on base percentage (a dismal .314). Even Brad Penny gets on base (.326) at a higher clip than Pierre. In fact, Pierre has the worst OBP of any Dodger starter. Furcal, at .348, leads only Pierre, Penny, and Nomar (.329).
If the Dodgers are to score runs, the guys who don’t get on need to bat lower in the lineup. Jeff Kent leads the team in OBP with .384, but he’s the team’s only legitimate power threat, so batting him leadoff seems a waste. Loney (.379) seems too slow for the role. That leaves Ethier and Kemp, who platoon but should be playing every day given their averages (.304 and .328, respectively) and their OBPs (.370 and .372). How about we try them in right and center and in the 1-2 hole? Could the results be any worse than the two shutouts over the weekend?
That would necessitate sitting Pierre and or Gonzalez much more often (Amazingly, Pierre leads the team in games played, despite his lack of production. Imagine if Ethier had another 100 at-bats this season; that could be 30 more hits!). But the Dodgers are at the point in the season where they have to admit they made a mistake in signing two old men with poor throwing arms to man left and center. The playoffs almost assuredly depend on it.
posted by John Rosenthal @ 8:35 AM
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