The Blue Genie Answers Questions About the Dodgers
Have you guys met my friend? No? Well somewhere in Southern California, I can’t tell you where, exists a legendary Blue Genie and he knows a lot about baseball, especially the Los Angles Dodgers. So I looked him up and asked him a few questions about the team and here are his answers.
Q. The Dodgers have won 5 straight games, should we get excited?
A. Conventional wisdom would say yes as the Dodgers have had winning streaks before but they were only three games and always consisted of offense and Matt Kemp carrying them. This time it’s been pitching (Kershaw has 2 of the 5 wins), and Kemp only broke out on the 15th but in the previous 4 games the rest of them team helped to carry the Dodgers to victory.
So I would say that yes, you can get a little excited. They’re only 9 games below .500 and 11.5 back of San Francisco so there’s a possibility with a strong 2nd half that they can compete for the playoffs. I feel that the Dodgers bullpen is finally starting to solidify itself after a hectic first half, the position players and the line up is finally starting to gel, Mattingly is coming into his own as a manager and the players are starting to understand how he is as a manger.
Q. How long will this Frank McCourt thing last?
A. That’s the scary part, no one really knows. It could end next week when the judge rules that Major League Baseball’s loan is better for the Dodgers financial future than the one Frank McCourt took out and baseball fully takes the Dodgers over because of Article VIII, Section 4(l) of the Major League Baseball Constitution
Sec. 4. Involuntary Termination. The rights, privileges and other property rights of a Major League Club hereunder and under any other Baseball-related agreement may be terminated (i) in the event of contraction, pursuant to Article
Section 2 (b) (1), or (ii) involuntarily, with the approval of three-fourths of all Major League Clubs, if the Club in question shall do or suffer any of the following:(l) Make an assignment for the benefit of its creditors or file a voluntary petition in bankruptcy, or if a receiver or trustee in bankruptcy is appointed for the properties and assets of the Club, or if reorganization proceedings in bankruptcy are instituted by or against the Club.
Or it could take longer if McCourt finds a way to just make things take longer. Either way Frank is done and hopefully either Mark Cuban or the group led by Hershiser and Garvey takes over.
Q. Where will Matt Kemp’s season rank among All Time Dodger players?
A. The season’s not over man! He could easily tank and only hit 30 home runs, doubtful as it may be, but if he continues on his current pace and gets .300, 40 HR’s, 110 RbI’s and 40 SB, I will have to come out and say that it was the best all around season by any Dodger ever and will definitely rank among the best seasons of any player.
Q. Will Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Clayton Kershaw still be Dodgers if somehow Frank McCourt keeps the team?
That’s a hard one and one I know a lot of fans are worried about, especially with the years that they are having or have had. Kemp and Kershaw could easily fetch $20 mil on the open market and Ethier $10+ and with McCourt already struggling to make payroll this year, if he somehow doesn’t get an infusion of cash from somewhere, how would he be able to afford these players? So I have to say there’s a good chance at least one or two of them wouldn’t still be Dodgers by 2013 either by trade or free agency.
Q. Last question, will the Dodgers be a contender anytime soon?
A. Definitely, heck I think they could be contenders this year! The season isn’t over yet, it’s only been 93 games and there are 69 left. The Dodgers have 42 wins and 51 losses, and they could turn it around and at least compete and get some momentum going into next year. They may not make the playoffs, especially since the San Francisco Giants are playing at the same pace last year when they won 92 and in order for the Dodgers to do that, they’d have to win as many games in 69 as they last in 93 (50) even though it’s possible, I don’t think it’s probable.
Now, 2012 is another story, depending on what Colletti does in the off-season, the Dodgers can definitely be players. I’m not sure what they’ll do with James Loney but since it seems that he’s found his pre-2010 bat, it might be hard to let him go. If the Dodgers could eat least find a LF and a 3B with power, leaving James Loney at 1B wouldn’t be that much of an issue, especially since he’s one of the better defensive 1B in the league. Sure he’s not spectacular and his sabermetrics at 1B aren’t great but how many times have you said “crap, Loney screwed up” over “great play Loney!” I rest my case.
If you or anyone else has any questions you’d like answered next week, e-mail me at DodgersCentral@live.com and you may just be featured in the next Blue Genie article!
Dodgers Have Busy Day
Matt Kemp walked, got a head and scored a run in 3 at-bats.
Clayton Kershaw pitched a scoreless 5th inning, striking out David Ortiz, getting Robinson Cano and Alex Avila (who?) to ground out to first.
and Andre Ethier pinch hitting for Carlos Beltran in the bottom of the 5th drove in Rickie Weeks with a single to right after Week stole second base off rookie Angle closer Jordan Walden.
With the way the Los Angeles Dodgers have played in the 1st half, they may not make the World Series but they sure helped to represent the National League well.
Then to cap it all off, the Dodgers pulled off a huge shocker and actually made a trade for someone with talent!
The Dodgers traded for Juan Rivera for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Juan Rivera is an ex Anaheim Angel (I refuse to call them the L, L, well you know what they call themselves) and someone who I always felt would be good for the Dodgers.
He’s not the greatest of talents but he’s solid. He hits for good power, especially against lefties. Is a decent fielder (way better than Thames) and can play first, left-field, right-field and even a little center if needed.
This was a great traded for the Dodgers and fills a need and a hole in the line up. While he’s only hit .212 vs right handers this year and .312 vs left, he can still play in there if Tony Gwynn Jr stops channeling his father.
All in all, it was finally a day that we as Dodger fans can feel good about our team.
Dodgers Win 5-2 and the Ox Shuts ‘em Down!
Lots of great things to take from this game, but here are a few things I just wanted to point out.
- Andre Ethier‘s hit streak is extended to 28 games.
Everyone’s calling it “half way to 56″ I think that’s just undue pressure on Ethier, although he can definitely handle it. I just want to call it what it is, a great dang distraction in the midst of the turmoil surrounding Bud Selig and Frank McCourt.
- Juan Uribe continues his hot hitting.
He may be hitting .247 but since Major League Baseball announced that they’d be putting someone in charge of the day to day operations of the Dodgers, he’s been hitting .379 with 3 HR’s with 12 RBI’s in 9 games helping to carry this team along with Andre Ethier. It seems the off-season investment was more than just taking him away from the Giants, he’s been huge.
- Bullpen threw 19 pitches in 2 innings.
First Vicente Padilla came in, threw 11 pitches and 10 for strikes without giving up a hit then Jonathan Broxton of all people came in, threw 8 pitches 7 for strikes and struck out one.
Now, this isn’t that big of a deal for Padilla, he’s always worked quick and thrown strikes but for the Ox Broxton that’s huge.
So, how significant is this? In his last five games he’s thrown, 20, 27, 19, 28 and 25 pitches and has either given up a hit or a walk in each of those, which has been one of his biggest issues. The last game he came in and didn’t give up either a hit or walk he threw 9 pitches and this was way back on April 1st versus the San Francisco Giants.
Broxton is at his best when he throws less than 20 pitches. Last season before he threw 48 pitches against the Yankees, he only threw 20 or more pitches in an outing 7 times and 10 times after that game, and this year he’s already done that 5 times.
So hopefully this is the beginning of a turn around for Broxton because I’d love to see him succeed, when he’s on, he’s one of the best in the league.
Will Manny’s Return Make a Difference?
[picappgallerysingle id="4750697"]Manny Ramirez has spent a good chunk of this season on the DL with a variety of leg injuries (or “injuries” if that’s what you believe). He’s been sidelined for several weeks with what’s being terms as a strained calf muscle that seemingly won’t heal. He had an MRI, or might have had an MRI in an open machine as he’s a little claustrophobic, so I mean- who really knows. I guess Boston had a legit beef about this guy huh Ned? The Fact remains, the Los Angeles Dodgers are 7 games out of first place, and a real tough series coming up against the surging Phillies. Will a healthy Manny propel this team?
I actually do believe a healthy Manny could really jumpstart this offense. No matter what anyone says, the guy can still hit. He might be a huge headache, and his outfield play is always comical, but his bat in the lineup will automatically make the Dodgers offense better. However, I don’t know if your gonna see this guy healthy this year, and since the Dodgers won’t trade him- you have to play him and hope for the best.
If the Dodgers could consistently get people on base in front of the big boys, (Manny, Ethier, Kemp) that’s going to allow these guys to drive them in. Manny is an RBI machine. He’s always been one. If you could somehow motivate this guy to play- he could definitely carry the offense for 2 weeks, and hopefully cut into the lead by September 1st. I’m still believing that it would be best to try and trade some of the teams assets- but since I’m not in charge- all I can do is state my case, and see if the Dodgers start playing some good baseball.
Ted Lilly Makes His Debut: A Must Win Game
[picappgallerysingle id="9443667"]It’s hard to put a “must win” in front of a game in early August. Unfortunately, this is as big as it gets. You’re playing the division leader, and after losing game 1 at home- you HAVE to come back in game 2 and get it done. Another loss is another missed opportunity from getting back into it. Ted Lilly makes his Los Angeles Dodgers debut tonight and hopefully he’ll continue to pitch at a high level. After coming over from the Chicago Cubs, Lilly is going to be counted on to be that grizzly veteran and help right the sinking ship. That’s a lot to ask of anyone, but luckily Lilly has the heart of a lion and can go out and get it done.
The offense is going to need to pick it up. They’re not scoring enough runs to do any damage and the rotation isn’t going to go out and shut everyone down. Andre Ethier returns tonight after his wife gave birth, and Manny might not be far behind if he’s not traded. Rafael Furcal has been a blessing this season and has played like he’s 5 years younger. It’s nice to see him healthy. Outside of that, the offense has been kind of blah. Russell Martin needs to start hitting. Matt Kemp needs to continue to hit. James Loney needs to find more gaps and do more damange with runners on base, but most importantly? This team needs to get back to playing mistake free baseball. Too many mental errors are leading to runs given up, and preventing runs from scoring. The fundamentals are key, and if you fail to execute against a fundamental team like the Padres- things aren’t going to go well.
So here’s to Lilly’s debut- hopefully it’s a good one.
