Mid-season report: Dodgers

[sweaver]

The Dodgers are 45-37, in second place behind the Giants but just ahead of the Diamondbacks. The offense has been sputtering, Fred McGriff made his first-ever trip to the DL. He just came back, but Brian Jordan replaced him on the list. Kevin Brown, exceptional this year, has been breaking down lately as well. Injuries may derail this team before anything else does. They are reportedly searching for another bat.

The offense this year has started, and often ended, with Paul LoDuca. Jordan was near an 800 OPS before doing down.
Shawn Green has been terrible, with an OPS barely over 700. McGriff is slightly better. Adrian Beltre, Dave Roberts, Cesar Izturis, and Alex Cora are all around a 600 OPS, heavy outmaking territory. Jolbert Cabrera and Mike Kinkade have been getting more and more playing time off the bench, because they have been effective and others have not.

The infield defense, aside from Izturis, has been poor. Cabrera has been an improvement over Cora at 2B on offense and defense. Kinkade has been shaky in LF, but considering how poorly Daryle Ward has hit, he is a necessary choice. The defense is definitely not making up for the offense.

Pitching has to float this team, and it is, with a 2.88 ERA. Brown, Hideo Nomo, and Kaz Ishii have been great, Odalis Perez inconsistent, Darren Dreifort not bad before going down. Paul Shuey, Paul Quantrill, Guillermo Mota, and Eric Gagne have been lights-out in the bullpen. Tom Martin gets the lefties out. If it was not for this pitching, the Dodgers would be dead.

If Shawn Green and one or two other hitters can get going, the Dodgers might revive. Of more concern is that it won't happen, and the unsupported pitching will falter.

[pathogan]

...Shawn, as obvious as it seems, without Shawn Green{is he hurt with one of those nagging injuries that never quite heal?} and Jordan hitting,they are in trouble...

[huskerdru]

With a team OBP of .305, I'd venture to say that the Dodgers need a tablesetter AND a power bat. Unless Green does, indeed, have some kind of nagging injury, I fully expect him to have a monster second half. This team has the fewest HR in the majors...now, I know they play in Chavez Ravine, but they have fewer even than the Tigers and Devil Rays!! They also have the fewest BB in the majors (once again just behind my beloved Kitties). Unless they go get two more pieces (a top-of-the-order on-base guy and a big bat), stick a fork in this puppy, cuz they're done.

BTW, I think Odalis has been even a bit better than and more consistent than a prima facie glance would reveal. Two games have really skewed his ERA (at Coors and home against the ChiSox - 9 and 6 ER, respectively). Other than those two starts, he's gone 6+ innings every time out. Without those starts his ERA is around 3.5. Plus, he has a very nice K/BB ratio of right about 3. While he's allowed a few too many gopherballs (14), 6 were in those two bad starts. Now, if he can just keep on the umpires' good side...