Bottom falling out of Dodgers rotation
By TED SEVRANSKY
Pitching concerns for the Dodgers
The front end of the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation has been tremendous all year long, with Clayton Kershaw, Randy Wolf and Chad Billingsley throwing quality start after quality start. However, the rest of the pitching staff is a mess right now and a major concern for the biggest moneymaking team in baseball.
Hiroki Kuroda has seen his ERA rise steadily from 1.62 in early June to 4.73 six weeks later. Kuroda has only one quality start in his last seven trips to the hill. His strikeout pitch has disappeared, issuing only four strikeouts in his last four outings. In his most recent start, against the Astros last Sunday, Kuroda was in trouble in all five innings he pitched, allowing at least one runner in scoring position in every frame.
Jason Schmidt returned to the rotation on Monday against Cincinnati, making his first big league appearance in more than two years. The 36-year-old former All-Star went 1-4 with a 6.31 ERA in six starts in 2007 before going under the knife for shoulder surgery. Schmidt then suffered numerous setbacks on his way back to the big leagues, getting work done to repair a labrum tear, a frayed biceps tendon and clean up scarring in the bursa sac.
Schmidt’s command and velocity were both lacking in his return to the big leagues. Don’t be fooled by the fact that he earned the victory in that ballgame – he wasn’t the least bit sharp. Manager Joe Torre doesn’t sound particularly confident about Schmidt’s chances for success.
“Velocity-wise, we all know he’s not what he once was,” Torre told the media.
To make matters even worse for L.A., there are serious bullpen concerns right now. Dodgers relievers logged 302 innings during the first half, good for second-most in the NL. Closer Jonathan Broxton is still suffering from the effects of a lingering toe injury while key bullpen arms Ronald Belisario and Cory Wade are on the DL. Unless the Dodgers start getting a few more quality starts from the back end of their rotation, this bullpen is in danger of wearing down throughout the course of the second half of the season.
Fundamental concerns for the White Sox
On Monday, the Chicago White Sox activated outfielder Carlos Quentin after an extended stint on the disabled list with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Last year, Quentin was a legitimate MVP candidate with 36 dingers and 100 RBI’s. His numbers this year tailed off dramatically before his trip to the DL, hitting just .229 BA with eight homers and 20 RBI. In his first game back, Quentin went 1-4, hitting sixth in the order.
Home runs have not been a problem for Ozzie Guillen’s squad this year. Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko, Jim Thome, Alexei Ramirez and A.J. Pierzynski have all demonstrated a power stroke. Chicago ranks sixth in the majors in home runs and tenth in OPS. But even with the emergence of speedster Scott Podsednik as a solid leadoff hitter, this team doesn’t score many runs when they don’t hit the long ball. They rank 10th among the 14 AL teams in runs scored this year.
Ozzie Guillen’s squad is particularly inept at fundamental baseball – getting down bunts, taking walks, advancing runners, getting runners in from third base with less than two outs – the works. These offensive weaknesses were on full display on Monday night. The ChiSox blew multiple scoring chances, barely hanging on for the win against Tampa Bay. Chicago is just beginning a stretch of 18 consecutive games against opponents with winning records. Bad fundamental baseball has the potential to be a major problem for the White Sox and their supporters over the next few weeks.
Chemistry concerns for the Cubs
On the north side of Chicago, there are similar offensive concerns and as well as a serious issue developing with team chemistry.
The Chicago Cubs have defined mediocrity this year, sitting at three games over .500. That’s a far cry from their 58-41 pace at this time last year when they finished with 97 victories. They’ve put together a five-game winning streak only once all year, back in May, and they followed that up with a season-high eight-game skid. Last year, the Cubs sent eight players to the All-Star game. This year, their lone representative was Ted Lilly, who was lit up for nine runs at Philadelphia Monday night.
The Cubs lack of production has been their Achilles heel all year long. After finishing second in the majors with 855 runs scored last year, Lou Pinella’s squad is on pace to score 680 in 2009. Derrick Lee is the only player on the team with more than 40 RBI. The Cubs lack of patience and speed is particularly problematic, ranking near the bottom of the NL in walks, on-base percentage and stolen bases.
Despite a strong pitching staff that has produced a whopping 56 quality starts, this lineup continues to hold the team back. Third baseman Aramis Ramirez spent a good portion of the first half on the DL. His shoulder injury still isn’t fully healed, which is limiting his power. Last year’s NL Rookie of the Year, catcher Geovany Soto is languishing on the DL.
“If we don't hit any better than we have the first half, we're going nowhere…… I don't think the chemistry here is nearly as good as it was last year,” Pinella told reporters.
Chemistry problems tend to get worse when noted clubhouse malcontents are struggling. Outfielder Milton Bradley had defined the description of a clubhouse malcontent throughout the course of his checkered career. His .239 BA and limited playing time have left him angry, sullen and a real chemistry killer in the locker room. The three year, $30 million contract that he signed this past offseason makes him virtually untradeable, meaning that the Cubs brain trust will be dealing with Bradley’s outbursts long after this season is through.