If the Dodgers win and no one sees it, does that count as a victory? By George it does! The Dodgers are now 20-14 with a two game lead over the Padres and D-Backs, but they are doing it in an ugly fashion.
The stat that jumps out at me is before Wednesday’s game the Dodgers were 2 for 35 when the bases are loaded. Even worse is they are 0 for 19 when the bases are loaded with two outs. The only Dodgers that have made a hit in this situation are Olmedo Saenz(a double) and My Boyfriend (a walk off grand slam).
It’s nice the Dodgers have strong pitching, but every now and again opposing batters are going to torch the pitching. Take the April 30th game at home against the D-Backs. Randy Wolf gave up six earned runs in 5 2/3 innings pitched. The Dodgers had runners in scoring position throughout the game but left them stranded.
This season has been all about missed chances, and the Dodgers have been lucky so far. Eventually this is going to catch up with them, which is why I predicted they would fall to the bottom of the division by the middle of this month. Fortunately it hasn’t come to fruition, but the Dodgers need clutch hitting.
While I was writing my last post I discovered Grady Little was just as upset as I was about the futility of the lineup. He called up Andy LaRoche from the minors while placing Wilson Betemit on the bench*. LaRoche not only is hitting .375 while walking twice in a while but is also a bigger defensive presence on the field. So kudos to Grady!
Also in Wednesday's game Grady moved My Boyfriend to third in the lineup while giving Nomah the day off. My Boyfriend ended up going two for five and scoring twice. Unfortunately this looks like a one-time deal, but My Boyfriend will flourish in this spot just like Mike Piazza did when he was wearing Dodger Blue.
What Grady needs to do now is sit The Useless One down for a couple of games. He looks really tired right now, and defensively he looks like he prays each time a ball is hit to him. I don't care who Grady puts in there, but give Useless some time to rest.
As for me, well I finally managed to carve some time to sit here and put down what I'm thinking in a semi-coherent fashion. I promise to be more regular write more regularly starting next week once my move is completed.
One last thing. It's nice to see that My Boyfriend is getting some national recognition. It just makes him more endearing, don't you think? Also, why does Takashi Saito get so happy after he pitches a save? Just wondering.
Save Tammy Faye!
AP Photo of a jubilant Saito by Wilfredo Lee
* Once the decision was made to bring up LaRoche, Betemit lit up the Braves on Saturday and Sunday with pinch-hit homers. Evidently that was not enough to save his job.
