The Los Angeles Intensive Care Units

Yowzer...one month in, and whatever the stakes and predictions were for the Dodgers this season, the results are below...and getting worse. 

The Dodge began the season with and overabundance of starters, and refused to commit to the 5.  The season started with this group:
Kershaw
Ryu
Beckett
Greinke
Billingsley

Ted Lilly, who shouldn't be on the team, was eventually forced down to Albuquerque.  This left two other starters...Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano.  What happened, and what did Ned do to adjust?

1. Harang was sent to Colorado for catcher Ramon Hernandez.  Oh good, we now employ a catcher who has 1 hit in 18 at bats.  The Rockies end up trading Harang to Seattle.  How's he doing?  Currently 1-3 with an 8.68 ERA.  A push if there ever was one.

2.  Billingsley thought he was healthy.  He was not.  By the 2nd start we found that arm to need the ol TJ surgery.  That opens up a spot for minor leaguer (who was called up last year) Stephen Fife.  Fife has pitched 1 game (literally called up the night before) and couldn't even go 5 innings.  Naturally, Fife is now injured as well.

3. Capuano was sent by Mattingly to the bullpen.  Cap didn't like this.  He didn't look good out of the bullpen, and thanks to injuries in the rotation, was made a starter again.  Didn't look too good, either.  Naturally, he is now injured.


4. Greinke was injured in a brawl by a filthy San Diego Padre...who wisely avoided playing in LA the following week.  Out through May at least.  I guess that means Ted Lilly. 

5. Lilly has 2 starts, currently 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA.  Not horrible enough to be sent down but guess who else is injured.  Ted just got a cortisone shot in a rib.

This leaves the Dodgers with 4 healthy starters in the rotation.  Two are good (Billingsley and Ryu).  One is average to bad (Beckett).  One is a minor leaguer who looked all right in his one start (Matt Magill).  That's it.  That's your starting group.  And as much as I'd want to normally cut and adjust the pitching, there aren't enough bodies to do so.  The rest in Albuquerque aren't worth the call. 

In terms of bats, thank goodness Hanley has returned.  He did so hitting a home run Vin labeled "Sky High."  This solves some of the problems.  Luis Cruz, the man who was to be the 3rd baseman this year based on his excellent 2012 campaign, is batting a scant .088.  Bye.

Donny Yankees continues to keep Skip Schumaker around.  He's in the infield, outfield, and pitching.  In sum, it's a .128 average that isn't helping at all except pitching the 9th of a blowout loss because Donny, using his Torre method, has used everyone in the bullpen.  Bye.

Hernandez...mentioned him above, but it's worth saying again.  I'd like to be a back-up catcher who can just watch called strike 3's sail by me.  I can turn and yell at no one in particular and wander back to the dugout.  Bye.

Hitting coach Mark McSteroid hasn't exactly been a good luck charm.  Guys like Ethier and Kemp used to be great hitters.  Now, the team has to count on Gonzalez and Crawford to be the sole providers of runs, as the Dodgers have one of the highest left on base totals in the National League.  How does someone like Matt Kemp become a guy who's "pressing" in at-bats?  I really hope Mark isn't changing what wasn't broken.  Though I suppose if you get a shot in the rump each morning, no matter your swing, it will be a home run.  Right, Bud?

Albuquerque has two guys worth bringing up: catcher Tim Ferdowicz who's batting an insane .514 with 4 home runs.  Sounds good.  A back-up outfielder, Matt Angle, is currently .312...also worth a go.  But whether either guy gets called up, the question remains: why is the front office so passive?  Why do they react instead of act? 


Knowing them, I'm sure Magic, Peter and the gang want to open up the checkbook and get someone else...but if you're truly going to solve the shitstains from McCourt, scouting and talent evaluation has to be improved.  If you don't have any rising stars in the minors worth using, what good is it to sit in your own shit?  A change like that can't occur overnight, but you'd be hard pressed to find it happening 1 month into the season.