Dodgers’ Web musings: Thoughts now turn to next season and the need for a major bat

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Things are so bad for the Dodgers these days -- hey, I’m not even talking divorce court -- they’re almost as far out of the wild-card race (eight games) as the division lead (nine).

They are down and not getting up. Further evidence for the bleeding-blue faithful is offered by SI.com’s Tom Verducci, who wrote that since the formation of the eight-team playoff format, only one of baseball’s 112 teams made the postseason after starting Sept. 1 more than 3½ games out (the ’07 Rockies were five back).

Which immediately turns the mind to … next season.

And a pair of Dodgers beat writers already agree the main focus will be acquiring a major bat for the middle of the lineup. You know, like Manny Ramirez used to be.

-- ESPN/LA.com’s Tony Jackson thinks if they could figure out the middle problem now, they might even still have a shot at a miracle comeback.

-- Dodgers.com’ Ken Gurnick writes there is no one in the farm system the Dodgers can turn to for a middle-order bat, and history shows the more they spend on a free agent, the greater their failure.

Also on the Web:

-- The Boston Globes’ Nick Cafardo previews Manny’s latest return to Fenway on Friday by talking to Dodgers’ third base coach Larry Bowa, who among other things, said Manny went to manager Joe Torre in Colorado and said he didn’t think he could play its big outfield.

-- Foxsportswest.com’s Steve Lyons, also the Dodgers’ TV color commentator, has written the Dodgers off this season in a piece about Manny, saying he wasn’t worth the money but he’d do it all over again.

-- ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick is not convinced Don Mattingly is a lock to succeed Torre, and said Tim Wallach continues to garner fans managing in triple-A Albuquerque.

-- TrueBlueLA.com’s Eric Stephen gives a long look at James Loney and where the Dodgers should go from here with the first baseman.

-- Foxsports.com’s Jon Paul Morosi said the Arizona Diamondbacks not only want to interview Logan White for their general manager’s job, but his fellow Dodgers assistant general manager De Jon Watson.

-- Steve Dilbeck