Pierre sacrifices Furcal to second. Ethier doubles. Had Pierre got on base too then the double would have been a two run double, not a one-run double. Then Gonzo gets caught stealing to end an inning. In the next inning Martin Homers in the leadoff at bat a solo shot instead of a two-run homer.

Trying to manufacture a run costs the Dodgers 2 runs. The Dodgers lose the game by one run.

Makes you want to weep…

… two in a row. Getting there. Nice to see Kent back hitting doubles.

And I have to admit Pierre is getting hits. I wouldn’t play him more than the other outfielders,  but he is getting some hits.

You would think that with the team struggling offensively, you would give someone who is slugging .667 in August a spot at the top of the lineup and would start that person every game.

I am speaking of Andre Ethier of course.

For the love of Peter, what is going on?

Things are so bad it is time to have a laugh. I would assign positions randomly. Tomko would start the game, but not necessarily pitching – maybe second base. Maybe Matt Kemp would like to catch a game. Who knows? Avoid situations that could cause injury. Tomko would pitch at least from the second inning on. But maybe Martin would like to pitch a big-league inning.

The batting order would get pulled from a hat too.

I would play an inning where every batter is given the bunt sign.

I would play an inning where the batters have to swing for a home run on every single pitch, no matter where it is thrown.

Go out there and have a laugh. No somber conversations. No inspiring speeches. Go have a laugh. Be silly.

Then come back tomorrow and pretend August didn’t happen.

The two positions the Dodgers will need to fill soon are 3rd base and 2nd base. This is straightforward enough: we sign ARod and make Jeff Kent immortal.

Maybe this is harder than I thought. Dodger scouts have done marvelously with outfielders and James Loney (not to mention Martin). Know any college kids who play 3rd and hit like ARod?

Just asking?

I did scan using Gameday of the last 8 run-scoring innings of the Dodgers. Yes this goes back, like 6 games or something. Only twice did they get two runs an inning. One of those contained a walk and a triple, the other a hit and a home run. The other six innings were one-run innings. One was a solo shot (Furcal’s game winner). Four of the remaining five contained a double.

Only once in 8 innings did they get a run on singles and walks.

Simply put, it is time to forget singles. Sit out Pierre. Furcal, Martin, Ethier, Loney, Kemp to start off the order. Loney started strong and then tailed off sharply. He should be watched closely and coached to hit for power. Just making contact and winning with speed has to end. It must be replaced with hitting the ball hard. Hitting doubles should be a minimum requirement for batting.

Just a thought: the three best outfielders the Dodgers have are Gonzo, Ethier and Kemp. Why is Pierre playing often?

Seriously, why not bat Ethier number 2 every day? His slash stats are all much better than Pierre’s.

Watching the July 3rd game against the Braves in the Internet. In Sudbury it is bed time so I can only blog the first two innings.
Inning 1: Furcal singles and steals second. Man on second with no outs. Let’s look ahead: we have Pierre (276/309/326), Loney (393/443/696), Kent (264/350/446), and Kemp (397/432/559). What does Pierre do? Try to get on base so a double from that incredible lineup scores two runs? No, he wastes an out on a bunt. What a rediculous play.

Let me back up. Back in the day, I was an Expos fan – until they moved. I lived in LA at the time so I became a Dodgers fan and will remain one as long as they are the Los Angeles Dodgers (or the Anaheim Dodgers of Los Angeles). Back when Steve Rodgers pitched against Fernando Valenzuela, manufacturing a run made sense. Rogers against Velenzuela meant a pitchers duel. 1-0; 2-1; extra innings…

But not now. Now a close, tight low-scoring game is 4-3.

Inning 2: The new way: Kemp doubles. Betemit homers. They got a couple of guys on after that, but Wolf got out, then Pierre, then Loney struck out. At least he struck out swinging – like he wanted some runs.

BTW, don’t give up on Betemit yet. He can platoon with Nomar while he gets his mojo back.

Good night from northern Ontario. Hope they win.

Loney, Kemp and Martin. Also Ethier, Billingsley and Bettemit. What amazing scouting and player development. So when I read this from Ken Gurnick’s Dodger mailbag, I want to scream:
“LOS ANGELES — Ned Colletti said last week that the more he sees of the young Dodgers, the harder it is to consider trading them for a veteran slugger or pitcher.”

The idea that management ever considered trading one of the kids is proof that sometimes you win despite management, not because of it. There were years of effort put into raising a great crop of kids. We could have Martin, Kemp and Loney batting 3, 4 and 5 for a decade. That is a superstar lineup.

The kids get to learn watching Nomar, Kent and Gonzo.

Baseball Prospectus gave the Dodgers a tough time for relying too much on older veterans: Nomar and Juan Pierre in partcular. They could not understand why Kemp and Loney weren’t starting from day 1. They turned out to be right.

It is great to see Kemp and Loney playing lots. Four for 7 against division rivals will do. I am also thrilled that Billingsley had a great game.

Are they good enough to win the World Series? Yes. I think there is now enough spring in the bats to score the runs. the pitching is there. 3 good starters. Billingsley might grow into being a fourth. In the playoffs that is all you need.

One thing I would like to see. How are the Dodgers for scoring runs against the best teams? Sure they win against the OK to average teams. I was glad to see them beat up on the Mets.

Congrats to Martin.