OK, Queue the Music, Lights, Camera, Action...

Hanley Ramirez walks back to the dugout after striking out against Ian Kennedy (photo by Cnristian Petersen/Getty Images)

Please click on the you tube link below.  The music is appropriate for what I’m about to write and will serve as a backdrop as you read on.   It’ll put you in the right frame of mind.  After all, you can’t help but think of the hapless New York Knights from the fictional story, “The Natural” when thinking about the 2012 L.A. Dodgers.  OK, go ahead, I'll wait.

It's interesting to note that the composer of “I Love L.A.,” Randy Newman, also wrote the entire score to 1984 motion picture including this piece, “Losing Is a Disease.”

Ah, yes.  Losing.  It has become a common theme on these Dodger related blogs.  I think it's time for Mattingly to call in the shrink with the wire rimmed glasses to come speak to the ball club.  To get our boys out of this funk.  I can hear it now:

“Losing is a disease... as contagious as polio... as contagious as syphilis... as contagious as the bubonic plague... attacking one, but affecting all.”

AUDIO CLIP from "The Natural"

There's nothing else to do.  Sit back and laugh I guess because our $200 million dollar team can't hit.  There is no Roy Hobbs sitting on the bench to insert into the lineup to save us.  At least I don't think there is.

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Don’t look now but Philadelphia and Milwaukee are breathing down the Dodgers necks now.  Both clubs are three games behind Los Angeles.  At the rate things are going with St. Louis, Pittsburgh and L.A. losing like there’s no tomorrow, this race will be between the Brewers and Phillies when all is said and done for the final Wild Card spot.

The Dodger’s anemic offense is once again failing to score runs.  Now they have an 18 inning scoreless streak and enter into tomorrow’s action against arch nemesis Trevor Cahill, who has a history of owning the blue crew.

The Dodgers had their chances to score tonight, but Luis Cruz’s 5th inning fly ball to left was caught by Jason Kubel who reached over the fence to deny him a two run homer.  Two innings later Andre Ethier hit a foul ball that missed being a home run by a few feet.  Fortune wasn’t in the Dodgers favor tonight and an unearned run in the 7th cost them the game.  This team can't buy any luck.

Back at it tomorrow.  Yep, we're gluttons for punishment, aren't we?

Dodgers Press Release: Roster Moves

DODGERS REINSTATE DEE GORDON; RECALL STEPHEN FIFE AND ELIAN HERRERA

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today reinstated shortstop Dee Gordon from the 60-day disabled list and recalled right-handed pitcher Stephen Fife and infielder/outfielder Elian Herrera from Triple-A Albuquerque. To make room for Gordon on the 40-man roster, the club placed infielder Adam Kennedy on the 60-day disabled list with a strained right groin. 

Gordon tore the UCL in his right thumb sliding into third base on July 4 vs. Cincinnati and has missed the last 57 games. The 24-year-old speedster led the Major Leagues with 30 stolen bases at the time of his injury and on the season is hitting .229 with 36 runs scored in 78 games. In eight rehab games for Albuquerque, Gordon hit .267 (8-for-30) with a triple and two steals.

This will mark Herrera’s third stint with Los Angeles and the native of the Dominican Republic is hitting .244 with a homer and 16 RBI in 53 games. Herrera has made 41 starts at third base (14), second base (9), center field (9), left field (7) and right field (2).

Fife went 11-7 with a 4.66 ERA in 25 games (24 starts) for Triple-A Albuquerque. The 25-year-old has made three starts for the Dodgers this season, going 0-1 with a 2.16 ERA (4 ER/16.2 IP). The Idaho native also collected his first Major League hit on July 27 at San Francisco.

Kennedy hit .262 in 86 games for the Dodgers this season. The left-handed hitting veteran made 40 starts at third base (25) and second base (15) with the club going 24-16 in those contests.

The Dodgers now have 34 players on the active roster.

Scoreboard Watching Was Good to Us Today

Don’t look now, but just as we turned our backs on the baseball season for a day, every team that the Dodgers are battling for a playoff position lost in today’s action. Best yet, since the Dodgers were idle today, we didn't have to worry about them yielding any 1st inning runs.  In today's National League action:

The San Francisco Giants lost 6-5 in Colorado.  Once again they attempted a comeback, being down 6-2 in the 7th.  They fell just short.  The Giants are now 5 games ahead of the Dodgers at 79-62.

The Pittsburgh Pirates who started the day at 72-67, a full game behind the Dodgers in the standings and tied in the loss column, lost in a hard fought 14 inning game to Cincinnati.  They now are 1 1/2 games behind Los Angeles.

Logan Forsythe of the Padres triples in first inning action against St. Louis.  The Padres won 11-3. (photo by Dennis Poroy/Getty Images)

The St. Louis Cardinals were blown out at San Diego tonight 11-3.  The Cardinals now are just one game ahead of the Dodgers.  They took a couple of hits to their roster today as well.  Lance Berkman went under the knife with season ending knee surgery and starter Jake Westbrook has a dreaded oblique injury that will force him out of the Dodger series.  Westbrook has been awful lately, so maybe the Dodgers didn’t catch such a break with him being out.  Berkman, on the other hand, has always been tough on the L.A. club. St. Louis still has a lineup to be respected, but the losses of Berkman and Furcal definitely hurt them.

The Cards are playing just as awful as the Dodgers, 4-6 in their last ten games and getting beaten up by such teams as the Padres, Brewers, Mets, and Nationals.  They have another two on this west coast swing with the red hot Padres.  If the Dodgers can hang with the D-Backs for two games, they should be in good shape returning home for four with St. Louis.

The Dodgers will have their hands full in Arizona facing the always tough Ian Kennedy on Tuesday and Trevor Cahill, a guy they have never faired well against, on Wednesday.

One last interesting thing to note is that the Phillies and Brewers have crept back into the wild card race.  They are 5 games back of St. Louis for the 2nd Wild Card spot, (4 games behind the Dodgers).  Imagine that.  Both teams were sellers and unloaded key pieces of their roster and they still are in contention.  Both are long shots, but they aren’t out of it yet.

Just when we were thinking this season was over, it isn't...go figure.  

Day Off Tidbits and a "MUST READ" link

Linked below is the most compelling argument I've read that supports batting A.J. Ellis second in the lineup.   Once again is was written by Mike Petriello at Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness.

MSTI article LINKED HERE

 There is no other logical spot in the batting order for the Dodger catcher, (well perhaps leadoff, but that's another story altogether).   His .388 on base percentage and uncanny ability to work deep counts are being wasted in the 8th spot and have been all season long.  Those that argue he'll have a decreased OBP due to the times he is intentionally walked in front of the pitcher in the 8th spot don't have a leg to stand on.  Even if you decrease his on base percentage by 20 points, he is by far the best on the team (besides Kemp) at reaching base.

(photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

As the season slowly dissolves before out eyes it is easy to look back and see so many things that could have been done differently to save this team.  This is one of the areas that could have made a big difference.  Mattingly following baseball traditionalist philosophies has been the undoing of this ball club on so many occasions.  I love the fact the our manager is a players guy and he communicates so well with his men, but that only takes things so far.  It takes you to a .510 winning percentage.

There are those that scream about the injuries and certainly they have played a role, but with this group of players, this team should have been better.  Plate approaches by some of the superstars have been lacking.  Fundamental mental errors have happened and not been corrected.  Deplorable hitting results with men in scoring position has killed this club.

Hanley Ramirez

(photo by Tony Medina/Getty Images)

We all know that Hanley has professed his happiness with being a Dodger and that is great.  In the month and a half that he has been with the club, I have seen a few disturbing trends with him that will not sit well if they continue.  I can see why he had issues with the Marlins.  He was the superstar on the organization and if someone stood up to his shenanigans, he didn't like that.  From what I have seen so far as a Dodger, he has hustled for the most part and that has not been an issue, but if some of these trends continue into next season, there may be troubles ahead.  They include:

1) Running through base coach stop signs.  It has happened more than once and he wasn't thrown out, but he made Wallach look bad and that may not sit well in the future.  When he runs through a stop sign and gets thrown out, there may be some fireworks that result.

2) Taking called third strikes against very hittable pitchers (e.g. Barry Zito last night).  Hanley's hitting approach was horrible against a poor pitcher whose fastball was sitting in the 83 MPH range.  I think we can understand taking a called third strike on a slow hook from Zito, but that fastball is a BP meatball waiting to be pounded.

3) Double clutching and delaying throws to first base after fielding ground balls.  At first I  thought this was a hitch in his fielding mechanics, but I don't think so anymore.  Ramirez knows he has a good arm and he knows just how much time he has to gun out a runner.  It almost burned him in yesterday's action.  These playful instincts that I believe area intended to showboat have no place with this team right now, especially the way they have been playing of late.

I must admit though, aside from these few anomalies, the addition of Ramirez has been a fine acquisition.  I just hope that some of these issues don't blow up and cause Ramirez to sulk.  He has been known to have a deteriorating performance when that happens.  Keeping Ramirez performing at a top level and happy may be the biggest juggling act that Mattingly will have to do as a manager.

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I find it hard to believe, but as bad as these guys have been playing they can still make post season play IF they go on a good run.  I doubt they have it in them, but the season is still not over.  With a 2-game sweep in AZ and a good weekend against the Cardinals, they'll be  knee deep in play off contention.

The Decision to Hold Back Kershaw...Demoralizing

How many of you woke up this morning feeling fairly good about the Dodgers chances?  Here they were, series tied 1-1 and with their ace about to face an unimpressive foe in Barry Zito.  It seemed too good to be true.  The lead would be reduced to 3 1/2 games by days end and the Giants would be heading to Colorado, where they always have a tough time with the Rockies.

Joe Blanton, after giving up a two-run double to former teammate Hunter Pence int he first inning.

I was feeling pretty good about things until about 3:00 pm this afternoon when I spotted tweets that notified the world of Kershaw’s hip flexor injury.  Things went downhill from there.  It almost seems that the Dodger lineup gave up too.

Barry Zito is beatable.  His fastball sits at 83 MPH and sometimes lower.  His breaking stuff isn’t quite as effective as it used to be and there isn’’t a discernable difference between his fastball and his breaking stuff when it comes to velocity.  Yet, the Dodgers couldn’t hit this guy.  Hanley Ramirez inexplicably watched called third strikes cross the plate on his fastballs that were completely hittable. 

It was a pathetic offensive performance.  It is what we have seen now for a couple of weeks since trades turned the Dodger lineup inside out.  It is embarrassing.  It has been discussed on Dodger blogs ad nauseum.  This Dodger team can’t hit.  This Dodger team leaves runners in scoring position like no other team.

The season has 21 games left.  the Dodgers are six back in the loss column to San Francisco.  They are a game and a half behind St. Louis for the wild card spot.  Everyone seemed to understand the urgency of winning tonight’s game except the Dodgers.

Worst of all.  Clayton Kershaw wanted to go.  He said he was well enough to pitch.  He tested his hip before the game, running in the outfield and pitching from the mound.  He pronounced himself fine and ready.  It was Dodger management that decided to hold him back.  I’m not sure how Kershaw would have helped the offense, but we know that he would have thrown up a bunch of goose eggs on the score board.  The man has an 0.66 ERA at AT&T Park for heaven’s sake.  For all intents and purposes, when Frisco put up 2 runs in the first inning, we all knew deep in the back of our minds that we were in deep trouble.

The Dodgers medical staff and management claim that they know what’s best for their ace.  But OUCH!  This was the most important game of the year.  I’m sure it was an agonizing decision.  Let’s hope that it was a wise move.  At the moment, it doesn’t look good.

A stat to ponder:  In this three game set over the weekend, the Dodgers were 1 for 22 with men in scoring position and they left 27 runners on base.  That is about as bad as you can get.

Giants Catch A Break, Kershaw Scratched Due to Hip Injury

Clayton Kershaw will not take the mound today at AT&T Park where he has an overall record of 5-2, 0.66 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 54 innings pitched.  The Giants just breathed a sigh of relief.  It is reported that Kershaw received a cortisone injection on Saturday and it is hopeful that he'll make the start on Tuesday in Arizona.  In what is without a doubt the most important game of the season so far, the Dodgers send Joe Blanton to the hill.

Dodgers Unable to Run Themselves Out of Win in San Francisco

This was the type of game that you usually lose.  The way things have been going lately, I was certain that the Dodgers would find a way to let this one slip away.  It was as if they weren’t trying to.  

Hanley Ramirez following his 9th inning RBI double (photo capture/Fox Sports)

After 18 innings of frustrating baseball in which the core of the Dodger lineup was unable to get any key hits with runners in scoring position, Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez chalked up a back to back triple and double in the 9th inning of a 2-2 game today.  What resulted was a 3-2 Dodger lead and then a comedy of Dodger errors on the base paths.

As the next hitter, Andre Ethier, took ball four, Ramirez inexplicably attempted to steal third base with none out.  He was out from here to...well, from here to San Francisco. A pitch or two later Ethier was thrown out as he attempted to steal second on what was most likely a missed hit and run sign by Luis Cruz.  Instead of men on first and second with none out, the Dodgers had no one on base and two outs.  If there was a rule that allowed them to take a run of the scoreboard that inning, I’m quite sure the Dodgers would have done so.

Luis Cruz fails to catch 1st inning line drive that results in the first run of the game.  (photo capture/Fox Sports)

So the blue crew entered the bottom of the ninth with a trim one run lead and out trotted Brandon League for the second night in a row, but this time to close it out.  League was lights out the night before and it appeared that he’d breeze through this outing as he retired the first two hitters with some nasty sinkers resulting in ground outs.  But easy is not a word in the Dodgers vocabulary these days and an overmatched Trevor Blanco managed to get a 2-strike fastball up in the zone.  He lifted a fly ball that carried to the left field warning track. Dodger rookie Alex Castellanos battled the sun and the San Francisco elements and dropped the ball just as he collided with the wall.

When the dust had settled, Blanco was at second base, Castellanos was nursing a sore shoulder and Dodger fans were bracing themselves for another heartbreaking loss as the comeback Giants appeared on the verge of doing what they have done so well lately, scoring runs while runners are in scoring position.

Bruce Bochy called on Hector Sanchez to pinch hit and he promptly blistered a scorching line drive down third base way.  Earlier in the game on two occasions, Luis Cruz had failed to come up with line drives hit in his vicinity, the first resulting in a 1st inning run by the Giants.  This one he caught though.  At least I’m pretty sure he caught it, because I was peeking through the hand that was covering my face as I couldn’t bare to watch another heart breaker.

The Dodgers won.  They’re 4 1/2 out in the west and have Clayton Kershaw going against Barry Zito tomorrow evening on national television.  The stars are aligned in their favor, or at least the pitching matchup is.  A win tomorrow keeps their narrow chances at coming back and winning the NL West alive.

A.J. Ellis covers third base and is about to apply the tag on Trevor Blanco in the 5th.  An amazing heads up play by the Dodger catcher, the end result of a 5-3-2 double play. (photo capture/Fox Sports)

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Matt Kemp Status

An MRI on Matt Kemp’s shoulder showed no major damage.  Just inflammation and a frayed labrum.  A “frayed labrum” doesn’t sound too good to me but the Dodger medical staff is reporting that they hope he can return to action by Tuesday’s game in Arizona.  So maybe he’ll be fine.

Kemp is a gutty player and he’ll play until they tie him down and force him to sit.  It looks like he admitted that he wasn’t quite right.  You got to love his competitiveness and grit, but he’s got to be honest with the club and sit if he can’t get things done.  Hopefully resting a few days and healing will result in another offensive run in which Kemp is able to carry this team one more time.

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Speaking Wild Card

Atlanta is playing very well of late.  Today’s win gives them a better record than the Giants at 80-60 as they are in the driver’s seat for the first wild card spot though I’m sure the Braves haven’t given up hope on battling Washington for the NL East title, (they are behind the Nats by 6 1/2 games).

So what it comes down to is the second wild card spot.  Entering today’s action the Cardinals were 1 1/2 games ahead of both the Dodgers and Pirates.

Pittsburgh lost again to the hapless Cubs as Jeff Samardzija pitched a complete game, beating them 4-3 at PNC Park.  The Pirates have fallen a full game behind the Dodgers, though they are even in the loss column.

The St. Louis Cardinals lost at home to the Brewers again 6-3, and are 1/2 game ahead of the Dodgers.  The Cards are struggling and if the Dodgers are able to mount a respectable winning streak over the next three road games, they should be in good shape as they return home for four face to face matches with St. Louis.