Dodgers at mid-season: strength on the mound is key

Ninety-seven games into a 162-game season, the Los Angeles Dodgers hold a precarious one-game lead in the National League West at the All-Star break.

Starting pitching has carried the Dodgers in the first half with Clayton Kershaw (11-2), Zack Greinke (11-5) and Hyun-Jin Ryu (10-5) all on track to finish in 20-win territory. Dan Haren (8-6) and Josh Beckett (6-5) have held their own.

The Dodgers’ bullpen has not been as impressive as the starting staff. Closer Kenley Jansen has a 3.49 ERA with 27 of 30 saves but has appeared shaky at times. Setup man Brian Wilson has a 5.64 ERA and has given up 34 hits in 30.1 innings. J.P. Howell has a 1.32 ERA in 34 innings of work and Brandon League has a 2.09 ERA in 43 innings of work.

Too many games have been lost in the late innings when the bullpen faltered.

Here’s a position-by-position breakdown on the 2014 Dodgers:

Catcher: A.J. Ellis has been injured and appeared in 40 of the 97 games. He handles the job behind the plate but is hitting a paltry .214 with only seven RBI.  Drew Butera is the backup but is hitting .207 only 11 RBI. 

First base: Perennial All-Star Adrian Gonzalez is hitting only .250 but has driven in 60 runs and socked 14 homers. Scott Van Slyke fills in here as well as the outfield and has been a contributor, hitting .266 with eight dingers and 16 RBI.

Second base: A position that was up for grabs in the spring is now Dee Gordon territory. Gordon has come into his own this year, hitting .292 and stealing a league-leading 43 bases. His defense has been stellar as well, earning him a slot in the All-Star game. Gordon played in 91 of 97 games.

Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez is hitting .275 with 11 homers and 48 RBI. He has missed some games with injuries but always wields a dangerous bat. His range at short is limited but expect a big second half since he can become a free agent next year.  Rookies Erisbel Arruebarrena and Miguel Rojas have flashed the glove in backup roles but do not have Ramirez’ bat.

Third base: Juan Uribe, limited to 57 games due to injuries, is hitting a hot .297 with five homers and 26 RBI. Justin Turner has played well when given the opportunity, hitting .302 with three homers and 21 RBI in 59 games.

Outfield: What was supposed to be a crowded outfield has not been so much. Carl Crawford played in only 47 games due to injury.  Yasiel Puig made the All-Star team with a .309 average, 12 homers and 52 RBI and has secured the right field spot in the lineup. Andre Ethier moved to center field and Matt Kemp is now the left fielder. Ethier is hitting .253 with four homers and 34 RBI and Kemp is hitting .269 with eight homers and 35 RBI. Van Slyke gives Mattingly another right-handed bat against lefties and can fill in at each of the outfield positions.

On the aggregate, the Dodgers are the seventh best hitting team in the majors with a .258 batting average but are 22^nd in power with only 76 round-trippers.

The Dodger pitchers have posted a team .329 ERA, fifth-best in the majors behind Washington, Oakland, Seattle and San Diego.

The Dodgers (54-43) have the third-best record in the majors after Oakland (59-36) and the LA Angels (57-37).  They have the best record in the National League.