James Loney shows the value of consistency, as Dodgers ride Matt Kemp slam to 7-6 win

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James Loney, Mr. Consistency.

For some, his great strength. For others, his great failing.

The divergence of opinion largely hinges because of the position he plays. First base is traditionally a source of power.

Power that Loney hinted at his rookie season, when he hit 15 home runs and drove in 67 runs in just 344 at-bats.

Since then, however, his power numbers have been modest. And now that he’s 26, there is no reason to believe they’re suddenly going to make some great leap.

Still, he does drive in runs and added two more Wednesday afternoon in Denver, the Dodgers riding a Matt Kemp grand slam to a 7-6 victory and series sweep over the Rockies.

The two runs batted in leave Loney with a team-high 87 RBIs, with three games left. The past two seasons, he had exactly 90 RBIs.

That is consistency.

However, he has hit only 10 home runs -- down from the 13 he hit in each of the past two seasons. That’s a low number for a first baseman, and thus his detractors.

But in addition to leading the team in RBIs, he also leads in doubles. He has 41 doubles, to second-place Andre Ethier’s 33. Loney had 25 doubles last season. That’s a nice jump.

Loney had cooled offensively in September, collecting only two RBIs in its first 21 games. In its last six, however, he’s added six RBIs.

In addition, he has been remarkably reliable on the field. He made a pair of nice plays Wednesday and his season fielding percentage is an impressive, career-high .997.

There is a place for such consistency on a team. And during a disappointing season, the Dodgers have to value something they can rely on.

-- Steve Dilbeck