Mattingly: “We are better than this”

A year ago, Dodger skipper Don Mattingly and his ball club were stumbling out of the gates at 13-19 and were in the midst of an eight-game losing streak.

In one of the great turnarounds in recent memory, the Dodgers rebounded from that awful start and won the division.

But this season Mattingly and the Dodgers face a tougher opponent – high expectations.

Ownership opened the checkbook and the Dodgers roster has everyone calling for the Dodgers to go deep in the playoffs.

But the reality has not matched those expectations.

The Dodgers are 18-15 after a 4-0 loss to Washington in a rain-delayed game yesterday and find themselves 3.5 games behind the red-hot Giants, who have won eight in row and 1.5 games behind the Rockies.

"We're in the pack. We're OK. We know we're better than this,” says Mattingly.

"I can't sit here and say it's totally disappointing but can't really sit here and say we're happy," Mattingly says of the team's performance. "In general, our defense has let us down more than anything. And inconsistent offense has led to a few more losses."

And then there is the bullpen.

The Dodgers pen has a middle-of-the-pack .374 ERA but has allowed 23 ninth-inning runs, seven more than any other pen in the National League.

The Dodgers need a lift from the return of Clayton Kershaw, who takes the bump against the Nationals today.