Are these Dodgers up for the stretch run?

Going into tonight’s tilt against Texas, the Dodgers are one game out of first place, trying to catch Arizona and Colorado.

Los Angeles is trying to win its sixth straight NL West title, but the hill looks a little steep. Mid-season acquisitions Manny Machado and Brian Dozier have solidified the infield and the batting order and Justin Turner has his sweet stroke back after a wrist injury in spring training. Matt Kemp is having a renaissance season, Max Muncy has 30 dingers, Cody Bellinger has 20 homers and Yasiel Puig is maturing right before our eyes.

It is the Dodger pitching that raises questions. Staff ace Clayton Kershaw is 6-5 with a 2.39 ERA. His fastball, once regularly clocked in at 93-94 mph, now comes in at 91-92 mph. Kershaw is a competitor, but three years
of back problems have taken a toll. He goes to the slider now as his out pitch and though still capable of winning a game, he is also capable of giving up the long ball.

The rest of the rotation remains questionable. Rich Hill is 6-4 with a 3.50 ERA, Walker Buehler is 6-4 with a 2.96 ERA, Hyun-Jin Ryu is 4-1 with a 2.18 ERA and Alex Wood is 7-6 with a 3.60 ERA. A decent staff, but no
one is having a championship season.

It is the bullpen that has been the issue. Kenta Maeda has been shipped to the pen and Ross Stripling is headed to the pen as soon as he comes off the DL. Kenley Jansen, since having a heartbeat scare, has blown three save opportunities by giving up home runs and looked shaky again last night in an 8-4 L.A. win.

Maeda, Stripling and Jansen could be a lights-out 7-8-9 combination but it will depend on Jansen getting his mojo back.

Arizona and Colorado are hungry to depose the five-time NL West champs and the Dodgers will have to play inspired ball in September to keep the crown and make the playoffs.

The schedule may work in L.A.’s favor. After two games in Texas this week the Dodgers return to Chavez Ravine for a critical four-game set against the Diamondbacks. L.A. could regain first-place with a strong showing against Arizona.

The Dodgers then host the Mets for a three-game series before heading to Colorado for three against the Rockies. The seven games against the Diamondbacks and Rockies between Thursday and Sept. 9 will define the pennant race.

Later in the month, the Dodgers go to St. Louis for four games against the red-hot Redbirds before hosting the Rockies for three, San Diego for three and then a down-to-the-wire road trip against Arizona and San
Francisco to close out the season.

Buckle up, it is going to be a fun ride.

 

Will starters in the pen save the season?

When the Dodgers got Manny Machado and Brian Dozier in mid-season trades it was obvious that management was all in – a taste of last year’s World Series was not enough, the organization wants the whole enchilada.

Then Kenley Jansen started having heart issues and Dozier followed a couple of nights later with dizziness and unusual EKG readings.

The Dodgers lost three straight games in Colorado where the bullpen did not hold a lead then wasted a gem by Clayton Kershaw against the Giants to make it four in a row.

Now word comes that Skipper Dave Roberts is going to send Ross Stripling and Kenta Maeda down to the bullpen to shore things up. Let us hope they can settle things down.

Maeda proved he could pitch effectively out of the pen last season and hopefully Stripling will be able to make the adjustment. With Jansen out of action, the Dodgers are in dire need of some fire fighters in the pen.

Thankfully, Arizona has had its own problems and their lead in the NL West is only a game. The Rockies are even with the Dodgers in second place, which means the stretch run for the pennant will be highly competitive.

Last season, the Dodgers built an insurmountable lead in the standings and coasted to the finish. This year, if the Dodgers are fortunate enough to make the playoffs, it will require a battle against Arizona and Colorado.

Offensively, the Dodgers have the sticks. Justin Turner, Matt Kemp, Dozier, Yasiel Puig, Machado, Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson, Yasmani Grandal and Chris Taylor can all rake.

It is the pitching, especially in the pen, that has been spotty. If Stripling and Maeda can bolster the pen, L.A. has a chance to return to the promised land.

 

Dodgers slip into first place for first time in 2018

The Dodgers are in first place.

It may be by a razor-thin half game, but the fact remains, the Dodgers are in first place in the NL West.

This team, which many wrote off earlier this season (I was one of them), has stormed back into contention and they have done it with baling wire and duct tape due to a long list of injuries, call ups from Oklahoma City and the unlikeliest of heroes.

Last night, Ross Stripling tossed six innings of shutout ball to notch his record at 8-2 with a stingy 2.03 ERA. Dave Roberts named him to the NL All-Star team as a replacement and the funny thing is, he earned it.

With Clayton Kershaw spending most of the season on the DL, Stripling, who started the season in the bullpen, has emerged as the staff ace. The Dodgers now have a pitching rotation of Stripling, Kershaw, Kenta Maeda, Walker Buehler and Rich Hill.

And then there’s the offense.

Matt Kemp apparently made a deal with the Devil because he came to L.A. as a washed-up veteran obtained to clear cap space and earned a starting spot in the All-Star game. Then there’s Max Muncy. After two lackluster seasons in Oakland, he is now the Munsternator, swatting 21 home runs going into the weekend series against the Angels.

Other players have stepped up at times. Cody Bellinger is having a little bit of a sophomore slump but is still productive; Kike Hernandez is raking; Chris Taylor has moments; Yasmani Grandal can be dangerous; and Justin Turner is trying to get healthy.

Yasiel Puig tweaked his oblique so Andrew Toles showed up from Oklahoma City and promptly stroked a few hits. These are not the juggernaut Dodgers of 2017. This is not the team that coasted into the World Series with domination.

But they are in first place.

Dodgers draw even with Arizona

On an off-day, preparing for a Freeway Series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (formerly the California Angels and still suffering an identity crisis), the Dodgers moved into a first-place tie with Arizona last night when the Diamondbacks fell to San Diego.

It has been a roller coaster ride for the Dodgers, who came out of the gates like the Three Stooges, stumbling through April like a drunken sailor.

Arizona took advantage, rushing out to a sizeable lead in the standings.

But around mid-May the Dodgers woke up. Their resurgence was led by some unlikely heroes. Matt Kemp was supposed to be washed up, but he showed up from Atlanta slimmed down and hungry, earning a starting spot in the All-Star game with a .318 batting average, 20 dingers and 55 RBI. At this pace, Kemp will hit 40 home runs and drive in more than 100 RBI.

Then there's the curious case of Max Muncy. After two forgettable seasons in Oakland, the A's released the chubby infielder. The Dodgers signed him as a free agent in April 2017 and invited him to spring training this year.

The 27-year old from Midland, Texas found something during his sojourn to Los Angeles. Muncy has crashed the party in Dodger town. He is hitting .280 with 20 home runs and 38 RBI and can play first or second base. Muncy has gone yard 11 times in the last 30 games and is hitting .329 over that period.

The Dodgers lead the NL in home runs and over the last 30 games Muncy, Joc Pederson (9), Cody Bellinger (8), Kike Hernandez (8), Kemp (6) and Justin Turner (4) have provided the juice.

Pitchingwise, over that same period, Alex Wood (4-1) and relievers Daniel Hudson (0.68 ERA) and Kenley Jansen (1.32 ERA) have been the stalwarts.

This week, the Dodgers swept a three-game set against Pittsburgh and outscored the Bucs 31-8 with six home runs in one game and four in another. 

And then there's the promising status of Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw went six innings against the Pirates on Tuesday for his longest outing of the season. Kershaw gave up two runs on four hits and struck out two. Not a commanding performance, but a strong sign he is on the mend.

Dodgers having summer breakout

Kike Hernandez and Chris Taylor went yard and Dodgers’ right-hander Kenta Maeda posted nine strike outs last night in a 2-1 win over the Cubs at Chavez Ravine, pulling Los Angeles to within 1.5 games of first place Arizona.

The Dodgers are having a breakout month of June, posting a 16-5 record with five games left to play in the month.

Matt Kemp, headed for the All-Star game, and the likes of Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson, Hernandez, Taylor, Max Muncy and Yasiel Puig have heated up in June, leading the Dodgers to the most home runs in the National League. And then there’s Justin Turner, who missed 40 games with a wrist injury. He’s back and starting to find his stroke.

But they say it always comes down to pitching – and that’s where Los Angeles is starting to restock the shelves. After having the entire rotation on the DL, Clayton Kershaw, Maeda and Rich Hill have returned to the mound and the once generous LA bullpen has jelled, giving the Dodgers a formidable roster.

With Walker Buehler and Hyun Jin-Ryu still on the DL, the Dodgers are not yet back to full strength. Manager Dave Roberts has options. Ross Stripling (6-2, 1.99 ERA) is having his best season and Alex Wood and rookie Caleb Ferguson have had decent outings as of late.

Roberts could go into the second half with a rotation of Kershaw, Stripling, Maeda, Hill and Wood with Buehler, Ryu and Ferguson getting spot starts. Before getting a rib injury, Buehler was looking like the real deal. If the rookie comes back healthy he may force Wood or Hill out of the rotation.

It’s the bullpen that has made the most dramatic turnaround. Edward Paredes, Erik Goeddel, Josh Fields, Scott Alexander, Daniel Hudson, Tony Cingrani and Yimi Garcia are getting most of the work to get to closer Kenley Jansen.

During the sizzling month of June, the LA pen has been stellar in shutting down opposing offenses. The Dodgers have 14 pitchers, including starters, with ERAs under 4.0.

Dodgers continue pursuit of Arizona

Matt Kemp and Kiki Hernandez hit homers and Alex Wood turned in a solid mound performance last night as the Dodgers posted a 3-1 win over the Giants for their fifth straight win and 21st out of the last 27 games to pull within 1.5 games of first-place Arizona, 5-1 losers to New York.

Wood went 5.2 innings, allowing four hits, for his second win of the season. Yimi Garcia, Scott Alexander, Josh Fields and Kenley Jansen finished the final 3.1 innings without surrendering a hit as the once generous bullpen has become downright stingy.

Kemp continued his all-star season with his 12th homer, raising his batting average to .340. Kemp is currently the third top vote-getter for the NL all-star outfield and deserves a starting slot.

Hernandez, who owns San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner, launched a two-run jack in the fifth inning for the winning margin. Hernandez has faced the Giants' ace 34 times and has hit for a .455 average with four dingers and five doubles.

The Dodgers lead the National League with 90 home runs. Five American League teams (Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, Angels and Astros) have hit more.

The Dodgers are now 11-2 in June and hope to sweep the Giants this afternoon. L.A sends rookie Caleb Ferguson to the mound today against San Francisco's Chris Stratton as the Dodgers try to complete a sweep of the three-game set.

Dodgers tip-toe past Texas

Well, apparently you can mess with Texas.

Kike Hernandez showed off some nifty footwork to score on a play at the plate last night as the Dodgers outlasted Texas, 3-2, in extra innings to keep Los Angeles on a roll.

With the two-game sweep of the Rangers, the Dodgers improved to 9-2 in June and 19-6 in their last 25 games to pull within two games of first-place Arizona in the NL West.

The Dodgers welcomed Kenta Maeda back into the rotation after a hip injury and he turned in a solid five-inning performance before turning it over to the bullpen. Los Angeles relievers pitched six innings of shutout ball, surrendering only three hits, to shut down the Rangers.

Justin Turner, still nursing a sore wrist, opened the scoring with a dinger to left in the first and the Dodgers added a single run in the second on an error by Adrian Beltre.

The Dodgers won the game in the bottom of the 11^th inning when Hernandez drew a walk, alertly moved to second on a fly out to left field by Cody Bellinger and to third when Logan Forsythe drew a walk, loading the bases with one out.

The winning run scored when Austin Barnes grounded back to Texas pitcher Matt Bush, who threw errantly to catcher Carlos Perez. Perez had to leave the plate to take Bush’s throw and his tag on Hernandez missed when the Dodgers’ runner danced around the glove.

Perez was behind the plate because starting catcher Robinson Chirinos was tossed out of the game after a third inning collision with Matt Kemp at the plate. Kemp barreled over Chirinos and was called out. After a shoving match ensued, both players were ejected.

Next up for the Dodgers is a three-game set with the Giants at Chavez Ravine starting Friday night before heading to the Windy City for a three-game set with the Cubs.