Bullpen blues continue in LA

Going into the 2014 season, expectations for the Dodgers were sky high.

The Guggenheim Partners had spent an ungodly amount on players, Matt Kemp was due back from injuries and Los Angeles had a starting rotation that included Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu.

Rookie sensation Yasiel Puig was entering his second season and Don Mattingly had a surplus of quality outfielders. Second base was a question mark and the Dodgers had stocked the bullpen with former closers Brandon League, Chris Perez and Brian Wilson to supplement Kenley Jansen.

Now the reality:

·         Kemp is healthy, but hitting at the Mendoza line at .200.

·         Adrian Gonzalez is hitting .297 and leads the team with 20 RBI. The first sacker is steady as rock.

·         Dee Gordon is hitting a team-high .347 with 12 stolen bases. He has emerged as an offensive weapon because of his speed.

·         Juan Uribe is hitting .333 with four dingers and 10 RBI. He is aging well.

·         Scott Van Slyke is making a crowded outfield more crowded with a .286 average and two HRs. He is forcing Mattingly to use him.

·         Hanley Ramirez is hitting a luke warm .267 with three dingers.

·         Andre Ethier is fading with a paltry .194 average. He is suffering most from the platoon system.

·         The bullpen has suffered eight of the 11 losses, including six extra inning defeats in April. 

Last night the Dodger relievers allowed three runs in the top of the 11th, so Adrian Gonzalez's two-run shot in the bottom of the inning (his seventh) still wasn't enough to keep the Dodgers from falling out of first place with a 5-4 loss. They are 3-5 on the home stand and 1-5 in extra innings games.

Jamey Wright took the loss last night and J.P. Howell was charged with two add-on runs that proved decisive as manager Don Mattingly stayed away from well used Kenley Jansen and out-of-sync Brian Wilson.

"It hasn't been the best home stand," said Gonzalez. "But it's still April, we've got a winning record and we're right there."

Despite all of that, the good news was Josh Beckett. He's still winless since 2012, but he allowed only four hits in eight innings and struck out six without a walk. In his last three starts, he has 17 strikeouts in 18 innings and his season ERA is 2.45 coming off serious surgery to remove a rib for thoracic outlet syndrome.