Hope and fears look familiar in early going for Dodgers

First the required disclaimer: Eleven spring training games means zip.

Particularly for a veteran club, which -- surprise! -- the Dodgers actually are.

That doesn’t mean eyebrows won’t be raised, and concerns grow when things don’t start off swimmingly during the spring. And very early in, Dodgers fans at least have to fight the uncomfortable feeling that this team could be exactly what they were afraid it would be: great starting pitching, sketchy offense.

For all those positive types, the encouraging aspect to the early going is the starting pitching looks as impressive as the Dodgers are counting on it to be during the regular season. Through the first 11 games, their starters have compiled a 1.20 ERA (four earned runs in 30 innings).

That offense, however, is having some serious trouble getting untracked.

Monday’s little offensive outbreak was sparked by players -- Jerry Sands and Xavier Paul -- not expected to make the final 25-man roster. A look at how the projected starting lineup is doing in 11 little games is not so encouraging:

Player               Avg.    HRS    RBI
Rafael Furcal    .154      0      0
Casey Blake      .111      0      0
Andre Ethier     .125      0      0
Matt Kemp        .333      0      3
James Loney    .500      0      0
Juan Uribe       .100      0      0
Jay Gibbons      .111     0      0
M. Thames        .286     0      1
Rod Barajas      .308     1      1

Yep, that’s troubling in a it-would-be-nice-to-get-started kinda way. Overall, the Dodgers are batting .233 as a team, second lowest in the majors this spring only to the Pirates (.226).

Again, ultimately, it means nothing. A small sample size from an exhibition season. Which doesn’t mean the concern level doesn’t rise with each day the starters struggle to get untracked.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo: Jerry Sands. Credit: Harry How / Getty Images

Comments

[Native Angeleno]

Actually, hitting only above Pittsburgh---which means below KC---seems very accurate. It's not like Boston or NY are on the bottom, and Pitts and LA are on top. That would be more an indication the stats so far mean nothing.

I like the fact Kemp and Loney are trying and succeeding. Ethier will come around, and Barajas has shown he also really tries to do well in LA, including throwing out at least one speedy runner.

It's the widely acknowledged question marks, Gibbons, Uribe and Thames, who can't field, whose chickens are coming home to roost. So far, so mediocre, as predicted.

[derek]

Isn't that pretty much what we expected in the aggregate? Not everyone's numbers seem right, but batting .235 seems about low-average of what would be expected of this squad. Maybe getting to 260 if everything plays right.

[KoufaxFan]

We are well aware of what will be when these games start counting--look out fourth place!

[Joe the Plumber]

Actually, a .233 batting average is a superior performance for this team. The average weight for the active 20-man hitting squad is 212 as I figured from the official Dodger web site. So this elite squad is "hitting in excess of weight" instead of the expected performance of "hitting weight." A remarkable achievement and a reflection on the Hall-of-Fame leadership from our owners, managers, coaches, and player development staff. Kudos!

[McCourt blows]

This is a team that got shut out many times last season, why should it be different this year? Uribe?, Thames? Gibbons? I don't think so.

[OldBrooklyn Fan]

No surprise.

[Labeldude]

I wholly expect this team to rip up the Giants staff the first series for at least 2 runs, maybe 3.
.
Blake hitting second? C'mon. They'd do better with JoJo's inane, different line-ups everyday "strategy."
.
I don't think we should expect much when their best acquisition the entire offseason was a 60+ year old coach.

[Dodgerfan]

I've never said this before; I can hardly wait for November.

[Indian Dj In Los Angeles]

So Dilbeck, the same guy who claimed the Dodgers season was over a few seasons ago and then they went to the playoffs, is saying the Dodgers aren't htiting well, but then it doesnt mean anything becuase its spring training, but then its something to think about, but then how the Dodgers team batting average is second, to the Pirates then

[These Dodgers Suck!]

they will win just enough in the early going to keep the fan's butts in the seats.
and then they will lose enough in the second half to get everyone swearing that they wont ever get snookered by these bums again.

[Zen]

Steve,

Why not promote Jerry Sands, NOW?

I think an exciting rookie performance can revive some of the waning interest in the team.

[Steve Dilbeck]

Indian DJ: And the thing is, I still think I was right about that Dodgers team. As for this post, thanks for accidentally noticing I messed up and left out the second ``lowest'' average in the majors to the Pirates. Today, however, the boys looked all inspired. And not a word of thanks.

[Collie]

The pitching is much better going into the season this year no doubt. I'm glad we don't have the Ortiz boys and Haeger playing games with the rotation & bully. The O is dragging as we all thought they would. Mike Cameron is potentially out there from the Red Sox and could possibly help through a trade. I like Sands but feel he needs a little more time. X-Man is pretty much gone IMO. I also think having Blake hit #2 is a big mistake. I would have Kemp in the 2 spot with Dre #3. We don't have a ton of power so we will need to manufacture some runs and having Blake & Dre in front of Matty slows that part of the game down.

Having Matty in the 2 spot also set's him up to go 1st to 3rd with a hit to the right side easier than if Dre is on and Matt gets a hit. It also opens up the right side for Dre as they would be holding Matt on. If Dre hits one to the gap, Matt will score. If Dre is on 1st and Matt hit's one to the gap it would be questionable if Dre would score.

I would go
Raffy
Matt
Dre
Blake
Loney
Uribe
Gynn/Thames/Gibbons
Barajas

Also it gives the L/R mix most of the way throughout the lineup.

I think Don is making a mistake here.

[dgrfns]

Too early to tell anything. This article is a waste of time. Dodgers should have considerably more power this year and far better pitching. We won a lot of pennants by beating the opponent 2-1.

[Hollywood Dodger Mark]

They mean zip when you are playing .320 baseball. We will get off to a slow start and then reporters will say its early. And then we will hear about trades at the halfway mark and then the usual plenty of time jazz and then it will be we have not been mathematically eliminated and then the winter meetings.

[Hollywood Dodger Mark]

In essence, a failed batting coach got promoted to manager. And he has never managed before in his entire life. The press spins it as it doesn't matter. Ask the Oriole fans about the difference Buck Showalter made last year.

[Blue Sangre]

Loney, Kemp, and Broxton for Montero, Cano, and a pitching prospect. BRING ON SANDS!

[StanL]

Dgrfns,

In those 2-1 pennant years, I wonder who the Dodgers had for pitchers?
Oh, Koufax and Big D. They pitched at least 20-30 complete games a season unlike the six inning wonders of today who will be lucky to get two complete games. You must be talking about pitching in your mention of 2-1 games.
Comparing the present staff with Koufax, Drysdale, etc, staff is ridiculous.

[alanw19]

Respectfully, Blake's .250 ave behind Andre ain't gonna protect at all. Would be an even bigger mistake than Blake in the 2-hole. Loney's .288 and 90 RBI is a much better protector to Andre even if it is lefty-lefty.

If our manager isn't worried about lefty situationals coming out of his bullpen (and he said so), I am interested to see if he is worried about the other manager doing it - and thus, trying to find a RH between Andre and Loney.

As for Tuesday's game, what's up with Fielder again? First he wants in our clubhouse, now he's not even batting and comes charging across a spring training diamond. Geez.

[Striker]

Speaking of hopes and fears...This just in:

http://www.onionsportsnetwork.com/articles/mlb-quietly-euthanizes-120-unnecessary-players,19412/

Boycott.

[Chumpy Kemp]

So long as Matt "The Chump" Kemp is on the team, the team will be no good. That's because he carries the team on his back.

[16blows]

Gee... Sands homered - off an guy who hasn't even been in MLB since 2008 & even then his 8+ era got him sent back down...Jerry's obviously the 'new Klu'.

I think we should immediately make him the cleanup hitter & hand him LF - it doesn't matter hiccups any come what may because we're not going anywhere this season anyway, right?

That he hit only .270 last year - in AA - be of no concern. He can hit a home run (yeah; among others he has now hit '1' more home run this spring than a [drumroll] Juan Castro... Xavier Paul... Aaron Miles... Tony Gwynn ... )

On the other, we could see how he does vs Lincecum, Halladay, Lee & Jimenez et al before 'annointing' him as LF/HR 'savior'.

As he is 'new' & successful for the moment an understudy role, be much like the backup qb that fans clamor for. I suspect that he would/will soon enough (with exposure to MLB pitching) join the ranks boilerplate.

Over the years I've seen too many ballyhooed home run hitters the Brock's, Marshall's & Stubbs et al fail live up to the (unfair) over-hype/expectations. There's a reason JS has never played above AA ball yet as he approaches age 24; only Dodger late-bloomer hr hitter as it were I rued the departure of was (in hindsight) Frank Howard - exception, not rule.

I recall Matt Kemp (a guy with at least four more tools than JS, according to pundits) hit 7 home runs in his first... what, it seemed like 7 at bats 'regular' season 2006; five years later this former 'phenom' is more known for lapses at bat, in the field & on the bases, his occasional home run (1 every 25+ ab's) more realistic aft 5 years of birthdays & experience. I dunno, maybe he lost some of his tools along the trail MLB way.

If McFrank had a dollar for every so-called 'phenom' who set spring Training on fire over the years (only to wilt like a 10¢ orchid come regular season) he would not need the Fox'$ help or anyone el$e'$.

Still, the fans would likely embrace Jerry Sands & all those other 'phenoms' of various talent levels/ages - those flavors of the moment, so perhaps that is the ticket($) for McFrank 2011.

HEY!

[Labeldude]

Blows - I believe people hail the Sands and Gordons et al as second comings because they've all seen the kind of crap Ned brings in.

[16blows]

Yes, Colletti has (some) dudger fans tilting at windmills...truth be, for all the talk of post-season placement, stellar drafting and shrewd trading, etc., Ned and the 'omnipotent' (some claim) assistant White have produced what true home grown 'phenoms'?

Billingsley? Kemp? Martin? Loney? Broxton? Nice complimentary players - no true stars - no (young) Manny Ramirez or Tom Seaver (the Dodger that got away) among them, for example.

Where's our latter day Koufax? Snider?

Valenzuela was 30 years ago & Piazza I do not even reference due to the (in hindsight) 'joke' MLB era that he played in.

More competition today than ever before for elite talent due to other sports (NFL, NBA, etc.) but hey, Albert Pujols came from somewhere and he wasn't drafted until the 13th round, Roy Oswalt came in round 23 (for comparison: CIN 1b Joey Votto - the NL MVP - was a 2nd round pick back in 2002... the same year the dudgers took James Loney in round 1.)

Kershaw is more so a 'phenom' as it were talent/age combo considered and of course he's going to be the next Koufax (I know this because I've read it right here on this blog & heard it elsewhere these last 3 years, so it must be true.)

My take? If he should ever ascend to the less-rarefied aire of Bill Singer-land production-wise, I'll consider imagining a higher pedestal. CK may be on the cusp of greatness - or may never get any closer than he is now.

As of now based on performance he needs to keep improving dramatically to even merit discussion the same breath true 'phenoms' like an Dean Chance, (Cy Young & 20 game winner at age 23 for the Angels), Gary Nolan (by age 19, a 14 game winner - more than Kershaw has ever won) & Don Gullett (age 20, a 16 game winner)... those are but a few examples.

I do agree that dudger fans are desperate... they should not however become deluded.

[N.P.Krohn]

The problem here is not that the old guys aren't hitting it's that so many of them are here, blocking the path for the kids. It is not delusional to get excited about any youth movement. It is April and it is baseball. Sands is exciting. I don't care about 2hrs, I like every at bat he has. He does a good job of going after hitter's pitches and laying off nasty stuff every time. He runs well, he looks good getting to the ball in the outfield. He looks like a very good ballplayer, not a messiah. I see him at best as a Karros type bat which for this club would be huge. We'll never know though because of all the old timers. Thames wasn't the signing that hurts the most it was Gibbons. Thames is only going to play v. LHP. Gibbons is going to play nearly every day and be mediocre at the plate while giving up bases in the outfield. As Dodger fans we know first hand the many ways youth can develop. It doesn't have to be ROY status. Knock 'em all you want, we don't play past Sept in 88 without Marshall and Stubbs. And for the record, barring injury Kershaw will be a top 3 vote getter for the CY this year.

[Dave]

Steve's got it about right. A .233 team batting average in March is no cause for concern. However a .223 average in MAY might tend to be a little dicey. Actually, the time to hit the ol'panic clicker could be later in JULY if the team's b.a. is hovering around that line "Mendoza" set back in the day. If it reaches THAT point, it might be time to grab the Excedrin. Or a maybe 12 pack. Or both.

Right now, as a 53 year lover of all things Dodgers (warts and all) the one thing I DON'T want to hear,at least in spring, is Willie Nelson singin' - "Turn out the liiights, the party's overrr. For now, the only tune rolling through my head is - "Where have you gone, Pete O'- Maaal-eee ..."

(with apologies to Paul Simon.)

PLAY BALL!!

- Dave