Padres 4, Dodgers 1
The boys went hitless in seven ABs with RISP, including 0 for 1 with a man on third and less than two outs. Randy Wolf, facing the Dodgers for the first time since they didn't re-sign him last winter, stuffed them on a run and four hits over seven dominating innings. Andy LaRoche hit his second major-league homer to account for that lone run. It was a first-pitch shot to straightaway left, caroming off a railing on the left side of the second deck and falling into the deck below. Dodgers fall to 31-34 and stay 3 1/2 behind the Snakes. ... Young players, particularly those with the ability to hit for power, have a tendency to swing for the fences at times, usually to their detriment. Along those lines, I ran across this doozy of a stat after Matt Kemp struck out three times tonight, the second time in three games he has done that. Kemp's past two HRs came on June 2 against Colorado's Jorge De La Rosa and Saturday against the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano. Immediately after the first one, Kemp went 1 for 15 with an infield single and six strikeouts. Immediately after the second one, he is 1 for 13 with an infield single and six strikeouts and counting.
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About Inside the Dodgers
Tony Jackson has covered the Dodgers for
the Daily News since 2004 and has covered Major League Baseball on a
regular basis since 1995. He previously covered the Colorado Rockies
and Cincinnati Reds. He is a native of Springdale, Ark., and a graduate
of the University of Arkansas.
When are you going to start placing some blame on the veterans Tony? Pierre is hitting .254/.309/.283 in the leadoff spot, and Kent is hitting .245/.283/.410 this year. Isn't it time you hold our lead-off and clean-up hitters accountable?
I guess it isn't worth mentioning that Kent is 4-for-20 since his last HR? Or that Andruw Jones went 0-for-12 since his last HR, and 9-for-62 before that?
Look, we get it, you and everyone else in the press corps hate the young players, but as the poster above noted, when will you start blaming the guys who are actually responsible (ahem, VETERANS, and Joe Torre's nonsensical lineup choices) for the Dodgers' lack of offense?
Way to cherry-pick your stats Tony. And after his first HR this season Kemp went 5-14 (.353) with a triple and 2 Ks; after his second, 7-14 (.500) with a double, 5 RBIs, 1 K; after his third, 3-15 (.200), 3 Ks. (You have the other two.)
Conclusions: batting is hard, anything can happen in short stretches.
Meanwhile 2008 Dodgers with RISP:
Kemp - a young player: .303 .392 .455, 80 PA, 32 RBI
Kent - a proven veteran leader: .231 .311 .338, 74 PA, 21 RBI
Juan Pierre - a proven veteran leader - since Furcal went down: .261 .317 .291, 146 PA, 17 R
Jeff Kent since Furcal DLed: .206 .236 .363, 106 PA, 11 RBI.
Way to step up veterans.
PAINFUL game to watch.
The Dodgers offense made Randy Wolf look like Nolan Ryan. It's definitely becoming a VERY painful season to watch, and with the Furcal news I'm beginning to seriously doubt that they can compete for the NL west this year. Another year of disappointment. Thanks, Ned.
Tony, I just noticed your comment in last night's lineup topic. (I understand the context in which you wrote it - but it seems like it is still addressed to all of us.):
"You're expending WAY too much emotional energy into this team. They have broken your heart for 20 years. Is there really any reason to think they aren't going to do it again. Only way to avoid it is to not put your heart out there."
Tony, we are fans. The emotional detachment is all well and good (and appropriate) for the journalist, but if we as fans aren't putting at least some of our heart out there, what are we? There is no rational reason for me to invest any energy into following the team and rooting for the laundry on the field, so it has to be emotional, doesn't it? Plus, isn't that what the baseball business is built on? Those TV contracts, ticket and merchandise sales, etc., don't happen without emotional fan attachment.
That said, the way for the Dodgers for capitalize on that is to put a product on the field that consists of a core of young players we can emotionally invest in for years, whether they are named Martin, Loney, Kemp, Ethier, LaRoche, DeWitt, Billingsley and Kershaw, or Garvey, Lopes, Russell, Cey, Yeager, Ferguson, and later Valenzuela and Hershiser. Then add the right veterans to balance it out: Jimmy Wynn (not Andruw Jones), Reggie Smith (not Juan Pierre), Dusty Baker (not Luis Gonzalez), Andy Messersmith (not Brett Tomko), Burt Hooton (not Esteban Loaiza), Jerry Reuss (not Mark Hendrickson), ...... everyone gets the picture. Oh, and better to let them go one year too early (Garvey, et al.) or on time (Wynn), than one year too late (Kent maybe, Nomar).
Dave, that comment was in response to a guy saying Furcal was causing him stress and anxiety. Nothing wrong with being a fan. Fans are what make this game what it is. But stress and anxiety? This is supposed to be fun. There are plenty of things in life that are supposed to cause stress and anxiety -- your job, worrying about your kids, the economy, and of course, the latest news on Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. But Rafael Furcal? No. That isn't supposed to cause stress, unless you're Joe Torre or Ned Colletti.
If only Juan Pierre could also drive himself in rather than leaving that up to the 'ethier's' on the Dodgers.
Oh, the humanity...