MLB '09

[Kevy Baby]

Seriously?!?

How the fvck do you lose 11-1

To the effin PIRATES!!!

[Motorboat Cruiser]

With each passing day, I'm becoming less convinced that we are going to clinch the division, let alone win the first round of playoffs. The team is in meltdown mode and we can't drive in a run to save our lives. Manny, Ethier and Kemp aren't hitting, the bullpen isn't getting it done, and we have Blake and Belliard benched with injuries. They better figure this out quickly or we'll get swept in the first round.

[Gemini Cricket]

Yankees Shmankees

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Motorboat Cruiser

With each passing day, I'm becoming less convinced that we are going to clinch the division, let alone win the first round of playoffs. The team is in meltdown mode and we can't drive in a run to save our lives. Manny, Ethier and Kemp aren't hitting, the bullpen isn't getting it done, and we have Blake and Belliard benched with injuries. They better figure this out quickly or we'll get swept in the first round.

I disagree (well, the clinching the division part is obviously easy to disagree with).

The offense got wobbly for a bit. That happens. I disagree that the bullpen isn't "getting it done". They weren't given the opportunity down the stretch. With the woeful offense (which I do believe will make a comeback in the playoffs), they weren't exactly given many leads to work with. They blew a couple, sure, but even when a team is doing well that's going to happen once in a while, it just stands out when things are otherwise going bad. I think all that happened that last week+ was a lack of focus due to being a lock for the division (yes, even as poorly as they were doing, a magic # of 1 with that many games left is a lock).

Meanwhile, though the common wisdom is that starting pitching is the biggest ? for the Dodgers going into October, I think their starting rotation is stronger than it's been all season, and one of the strongest in the post season. Team ERA over the last month...3.08, 2nd best in the NL and more than 30 points lower than their league-leading season average. 2.57 in the last 4 games of the season. They don't have any real flash in their starters in the way of Cy Young candidates, but Wolf is a horse, Kershaw can be unhittable, and they've got two winners in the late-season pickups.

As long as Mattingly can remind them how to hit the ball where the defense isn't, I see good things.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Yeah, I was pretty frustrated when I posted that, perhaps not thinking so clearly. It was a hell of a stressful week.

I do think their starting pitchers can pull it off, although I would feel better with Kuroda there. Billingsley is the biggest "if" and I'm not yet convinced that he is back to form. But the bullpen is indeed strong.

Hitting-wise, I think we will be okay, although it would of course be very nice if Manny would turn it up a few notches. It will be interesting to see how much playing time Pierre gets in the postseason.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I think Pierre's playing time hinges more on Ethier and/or Kemp's performance than Manny's. If those two are on their game then I think Joe will feel confident enough to use Pierre as a spark. But if Ethier and Kemp aren't producing, then even if Manny also gets off to a slow start it'll be a better bet to hope Manny's experience will kick in and carry them through it than pull him out leaving it up to Ethier and Kemp to figure it out without as much postseason experience.

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by Motorboat Cruiser

...although it would of course be very nice if Manny would turn it up a few notches.

Steve Harvey of the LA Times has a lesser opinion of Manny in today's paper.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Errr, try again Harvey. "For the year he's had a meager 63 rbi and 19 homers." Hey Steve, he missed 1/3 of the season. That's a 90/30 pace if it were a full season.

And 1 example of a bad defensive play? Wow, damning.

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

Errr, try again Harvey. "For the year he's had a meager 63 rbi and 19 homers." Hey Steve, he missed 1/3 of the season. That's a 90/30 pace if it were a full season.

Why did he miss so many games again? I can't seem to remember.

Okay, that was a cheap shot, I admit it. I have read that he hasn't been even close to the same since he came back, though.

[Ghoulish Delight]

As of Sept. 30th, since his suspension Manny had a .395 on base percentage and a .508 slugging percentage. 13 homers (which is a 28-homer season pace). I think his RBI total's low, but then the rest of the Dodgers weren't doing such a great job of getting on base in front of him.

Not mythic #'s, but "bad" only in relation to mythic #'s.