Posts Tagged ‘Rafael Furcal’

Dodgers need more offensive star power Posted by AJ Jackson in Front Page News, Los Angeles Dodgers, The Bullpen July 6th, 2008

The Dodgers season thus far has been a train wreck offensively. Sometimes the boys in blue can turns lemons into lemonade like they did the other day beating the Angels without getting a hit.Most of the time however, the Dodgers offense hangs their pitchers out to dry with little to no run support. Needless to say, the team has not lived up to its potential at the plate. Half way through the season the Dodgers are within striking distance of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West. The Dodgers have as good a chance as anybody of winning the division. Injuries are one reason the Dodgers offense has stalled. Ever since Rafael Furcal first felt a twinge in his gimpy back. Furcal recently underwent back surgery and will be out for the next 8 weeks if not for the rest of the season. As if that weren’t bad enough, Juan Pierre is out with a knee injury. Meaning the Dodgers have lost their top two lead off hitters. It is time for Joe Torre to get outside of the box with his line up. Torre could go with either Matt Kemp or Russell Martin as the table setter for his Dodger line up. Currently he has been going with Kemp who has performed decently. Read more

Kemp wins NL Player of Week Posted by AJ Jackson in Los Angeles Dodgers May 7th, 2008

Matt Kemp was named National League player of the week for the week ending May 4^th. Kemp went off last week with 11 hits, 11 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Kemp is also riding an eleven game hitting streak, bringing his batting average up to .330. Kemp has been playing primarily in right or center field. Joe Torre has been moving the big right handed hitter up and down the line-up and Kemp has responded with 24 RBIs on the season.

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Dodgers get lucky number 13 Posted by AJ Jackson in Los Angeles Dodgers April 30th, 2008

13 wins feel good. There is hope for the season.

Jeff Kent came through for the Dodgers, on Tuesday. He helped the team to its fourth straight win, putting them at .500 for the first time in quite some time. The future Hall of Famer drove in Andre Ethier in the ninth to give the Dodgers the lead sending the team to a 13-13 record.

Things have really started to come together for the Dodgers as the young players have really started to step it up over the modest winning streak. Andre Ethier scored three runs in the Dodgers’ most recent victory. What has been most impressive is that the Dodgers have been piling on runs.

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Ned Needs Navigation Posted by AJ Jackson in Los Angeles Dodgers April 19th, 2008

With the seventh highest payroll in professional baseball, the Dodgers have not been afraid to spend money in an attempt to bring another championship to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, increased spending has not led to championships.

The New York Yankees, New York Mets, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels of Disneyland, and the Los Angeles Dodgers have the seven highest payrolls in MLB for 2008.

Owner Frank McCourt has entrusted Ned Colletti to put the best team on the field that money can buy. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, Colletti has made more than a few poor decisions in his time as GM. In 2005, the Dodgers replaced Paul DePodesta with Colletti. At the time, Ned was working as an assistant GM with the Giants.

During his tenure as Dodgers GM, Colletti has made some fairly questionable decisions. This is most easily seen by examining the highest paid players on the Dodgers roster. Read more

Young Stars Carry Chubby Outfielder Posted by AJ Jackson in Los Angeles Dodgers April 10th, 2008

Los Angeles is a city of stars. Only in a city like LA is it possible for a guy like me to buy a decent Dodgers ticket and end up sitting two rows behind Hayden Panettiere.

Apparently she is a baseball fan. I’ve even sat a few rows in front of Danny Glover in the past. Once I ran into Al Pacino at the Target down the street from my house, and few driving experiences were as bad as being stuck in traffic while Mariah Carey received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In short, LA is a town that loves its star power. To satisfy a clientele that includes Beverly Hills elite as well as the young and sexy, Ned Colletti has amassed some serious young star power in his time as GM. With the team at 4 – 4 in the second week of the season, there is every reason to think that the organization is on an upward trajectory. Some highlights of the Dodgers young stars include. Read more