Dodgers get what they deserve with Charlie Haeger on the mound again in 8-0 loss (updated)

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Can we now please end this ridiculous Charlie Haeger experiment?

That was utterly embarrassing. Problem was, the Dodgers deserved it. Deserved every single ball, walk and hit Haeger gave up in his cameo performance.

They sent John Ely back to minors and kept Haeger because Haeger is out of options and were worried he would be claimed?

Right now his mother wouldn’t claim him. And if another team did claim him, so what? It isn’t like the Dodgers would be losing some hot prospect.

Haeger is now 0-4 with an 8.49 ERA on the young season. There’s a certain consistency there.

This is Haeger’s third team at age 26. For his career, he’s 2-7 with a 6.25 ERA. There’s a certain consistency there, too.

He faced five batters Saturday and gave up a single, three consecutive walks and a triple. He left without recording a single out. That’s the first time that’s happened to a Dodger starter in almost 22 years.

After Ramon Ortiz, that other invaluable hurler they’re so afraid of losing, followed and immediately gave up a two-run homer, the Dodgers were down 6-0 before half the crowd had given Frank McCourt their $15 for parking.

The Dodgers were on their way to an 8-0 loss to the Rockies. So much for that excitement over the return of Manny Ramirez.

You can rightly blame the pitching depth’s dire straits -- and the team’s unwillingness in the offseason to acquire a front-line starter -- for Haeger being in this situation to begin with.

But it’s not like Saturday’s outcome was a shock, just the swiftness of it. Joe Torre elected to put Haeger back in the rotation. His options are admittedly bleak, but any are better than Haeger.

Carlos Monasterios remains a serious gamble, but I’ll take that over rolling Haeger out there again. Monasterios is the tentative starter for Tuesday.

Won’t you come home, John Ely, won’t you come home?
The Dodgers need to designate Haeger for assignment, call Ely back and start him Tuesday. There’s an off-day on Thursday, so they can skip Haeger’s next turn and then decide if they want to go with Monasterios or figure out another option.

The problem is, once a pitcher is sent down to the minors, he can’t be recalled for 10 days. Unless another pitcher is placed on the disabled list. After the game, Torre was talking about how Haeger didn’t seem right and implied something might be physically wrong. Umm.

There are a lot of unknowns involved with Ely and Monasterios, and that could go very bad, but right now that beats a known quality like Haeger. That’s already gone bad.

--Steve Dilbeck