The Dodgers and the new Dodger Dogs need some work

It was another bad week for the Dodgers. They were no hit by the Chicago Cubs. They were swept by those pesky San Diego Padres. Their new Dodger Dogs are as horrible as advertised. And after being away from Dodger Stadium for more than a year, fans need to learn how to sing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch all over again.

By the bottom of the seventh inning in the game against the Cubs on Thursday night, it was hard not to take “I don’t care if I never get back” to heart. 

The Dodgers dropped into a third-place tie with the Padres at one point, before bouncing back into a solid hold of second place, 3.5 games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants. 

The Dodgers lost four games in a row last week, three to the Padres and the opener to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night. 

Four Cubs pitchers combined for a no-hitter and won 4-0 in the Thursday night game. Zach Davies started the game for the Cubs, which pitched the first combined no hitter in team history.

But it wasn’t a dominating performance by the Cubs pitchers. The Dodgers drew eight walks in the game. Davies walked four batters in six innings. The Dodgers had their chances to score, but they couldn’t come up with a hit.

The Dodgers didn’t even come close. They didn’t even make any exciting outs. The most exciting play of the game was when the Dodgers hit into a double play in the eighth inning. 

It was the low point of the season for the Dodgers so far. It was also Walker Buehler’s first loss of the season. He entered that game with a 7-0 record, but the Dodgers did all they could to make sure he didn’t win his eighth game.

Dodger Stadium is sold out with fans again, but they all deserve refunds after having to watch the product the Dodgers put on the field Thursday night.

Maybe it will take time for the players to get used to having fans in the stands again. One thing is for certain, it’s going to take time for fans to learn how to act in the stands again.

For one, no one knows how to sing during the seventh-inning stretch anymore. No one was keeping pace with the tune to “Take Me Out To The Ball Game.” And while we’re at it, it might be a good time to revisit the Kiss Cam. There is still a pandemic going on. No one wants to see strangers kissing each other in a stadium filled with 50,000 people. It doesn’t matter if they have been married for 50 years or live in the same home, it is sending the wrong message. We need boundaries.

The new Dodgers Dogs need some work too. They are not only bad, but they might be the source of a new type of food poisoning. Next time, it’s probably safer to stick to nacho helmets and Shake Shack.

The Dodgers ended the week on a high note. Cody Bellinger hit a walk-off home run to win the game against the Cubs, 3-2, on Saturday night. Surprisingly, it was the first walk-off win for the Dodgers this season, another example of how bad things are going for the Dodgers.

Max Muncy and AJ Pollock sparked a late rally, hitting home runs in the eighth inning of a 6-2 win over the Cubs on Friday night.

The Dodgers won the series finale against the Cubs, 7-1, on Sunday night. Zach McKinstry hit a grand slam and Clayton Kershaw struck out 13 in eight innings. It wasn’t all gloom and doom for the Dodgers. It was mostly doom and gloom. 

The Dodgers starting pitchers power rankings:

1. Clayton Kershaw
2. Julio Urias
3. Trevor Bauer
4. Walker Buehler
5. Tony Gonsolin

The Dodgers (47-31) start a little two-game series with the Giants on Monday before heading out to Washington, D.C., for a four-game weekend series against the Nationals. 

Danger-prone Dodgers take advantage of disappointing Diamondbacks team

The Dodgers did a lot of things right last week. 

They won five of their six games, ending the week with a sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks. But the Dodgers completed the sweep by reminding their fans exactly who they are.

The Dodgers had a 9-1 lead against the Diamondbacks on Sunday, but gave up six runs in the eighth inning and the Diamondbacks cut the lead to one run. The Dodgers held on precariously to win 9-8.

The Dodgers bullpen continues to be the team’s Achilles heel.

Thank goodness the Dodgers starters are the team’s strength. 

Dodgers starter Walker Buehler took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Diamondbacks on Saturday and improved to 7-0.

The Dodgers didn’t make many bad moves last week. They have won 10 of their past 12 games and put some distance between them and the San Diego Padres in the National League West standings. 

However, despite the recent streak of good games, the Dodgers are still in second place, 1.5 games behind the surprising San Francisco Giants, who have won eight of their past 11 games.

The Dodgers starters continue to keep them in contention. There is no doubt that Buehler, Trevor Bauer, Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urias are carrying the team. It’s hard to pick an ace in this group.

Buehler definitely outshined them all last week with his start against the Diamondbacks on Saturday night. He struck out 11, walked two, and didn’t give up his first hit of the game until the eighth inning.

He ended up surrendering two earned runs and has a 2.38 ERA.

Bauer was equally impressive on Friday night against the Diamondbacks, pitching seven shutout innings, striking out eight and giving up only three hits. He improved his record to 7-5 and lowered his ERA to 2.45.

Kershaw struck out nine in six innings, but lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-0, on Wednesday night. It was the only blemish on an otherwise prosperous week.

Buehler is having a breakout season. He is in the early conversation for the Cy Young Award. After the first 65 games of the season, New York Mets starter Jacob DeGrom is the favorite for Cy Young. It’s hard to argue against his 0.54 ERA and 0.51 WHIP. It’s also hard to explain how he lost two games this season. He is 6-2 with 111 strikeouts and only eight walks.

Buehler’s numbers are almost as good. He has a 0.90 WHIP and 88 strikeouts in 90⅔ innings. He has only given up 19 walks.

As good as the Dodgers starters have been, Steven Souza found a way to steal the spotlight. He had the feel-good story of the season, hitting the go-ahead home run for the Dodgers in the 3-0 win over the Diamondbacks on Friday night. Souza, while playing for the Diamondbacks, missed the entire 2019 season after tearing his ACL slipping on home plate in an exhibition game on March 25, 2019, against the Chicago White Sox. The Dodgers gave Souza another chance in the bigs, and he delivered in a big way against his old team.

The Dodgers starting pitching power rankings are the tightest they’ve been all season.

1. Walker Buehler
2. Trevor Bauer
3. Clayton Kershaw
4. Juilo Urias
5. Tony Gonsolin

The Dodgers take a three-game winning streak to San Diego to start a three-game series against the Padres on Monday. The Dodgers (44-27) end the week with a four-game series at home against the Chicago Cubs. 

Dodgers fatten up on bad Pirates, Rangers teams

There’s nothing like a couple of series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Texas Rangers to put a team back on the right course.

Or in the case of the Dodgers, to put a team on a path to the playoffs.

The wayward Dodgers swept the lowly Pirates to start the week. It was a good omen for the Dodgers when, in the opening game on Tuesday, Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a home run for the Pirates, but missed stepping on first base and was called out instead. The Dodgers went on to win the game, 5-3, and Walker Buehler improved to 5-0. It started a four-game winning streak and moved the Dodgers into second place in the National League West standings.

Buehler capped the week by improving to 6-0 with a 5-3 Dodgers win over the Rangers on Sunday. He pitched six shutout innings and lowered his ERA to 2.38.

It didn’t hurt that the San Diego Padres went into a bit of a funk either. They are 2-6 in their last eight games and snapped a four-game losing streak on Sunday by beating the New York Mets, 7-3.

The Dodgers are feasting on bad teams. They scored 13 runs in three games against the Pirates. The Dodgers nearly matched that offensive output in the first game against the Rangers, a 12-1 win on Friday night.

But it wasn’t all good news for the Dodgers last week. Max Muncy was put on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain. He leads the Dodgers with 14 home runs and has 33 RBIs in 60 games. He joins Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, Dustin May, AJ Pollock, Gavin Lux and Zach McKinstry who have spent time on the injured list.

Ouch!

Perhaps the more disturbing development of the past week is Trevor Bauer’s on-going battle with the MLB Commissioner’s office.

He is all but daring the commissioner to suspend him for putting foreign substances on the ball. He is one of many pitchers in MLB who is suspected of doctoring baseballs to increase spin rate.

The batting averages in baseball are at record lows. The number of no-hitters are approaching record highs. It is embarrassingly apparent that pitchers have a significant advantage over hitters this season, have had the upper hand for a few seasons now, and no one wants to reveal the reasons why that might be happening. 

Here's a hint: The pitchers are cheating.

But how does the commissioner punish all the pitchers who are suspected of cheating? It’s not like every pitching staff can have three or four pitchers sitting out games because they are suspended for cheating.

No, the commissioner will probably have to make examples out of some pitchers. Most likely middle of the rotation guys, not All Stars or former Cy Young Award winners, except for Bauer.

He might be the one star who feels the wrath of the commissioner and will have to sit out some games for threatening the integrity of the game, or some other such nonsense.

The real question is: Will he miss enough games to cost the Dodgers a playoff spot?

Dodger fans don’t want to see that. More importantly, the commissioner’s office doesn’t want to see that.

But at some point, pitchers are going to face the consequences for cheating in one way or another. It’s a matter of when and for how long.

Dodgers starting pitchers power rankings:

1. Walker Buehler
2. Julio Urias
3. Clayton Kershaw
4. Tony Gonsolin
5. Trevor Bauer

The competition gets a little tougher for the Dodgers (39-26) next week. They start a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodgers Stadium on Monday and hit the road for a weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.

It’s almost time for the Dodgers to press the panic button

It’s times like this, when watching the Dodgers struggle, to be reminded of the immortal words of author Douglas Adams: Don’t panic.

That was the title of his “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” a gentle reminder that all the problems in the universe are pretty much controlled by outside influences. Panicking doesn’t do much to solve the problems. But it doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

Instead of panicking, learn to enjoy all the joys the universe has to offer.

Unfortunately, the Dodgers universe has seen its share of disappointment in 2021.

There are plenty of problems facing the Dodgers. Injuries and bad luck are two of them.

But when is the right time to start panicking?

Is it after losing two of three games, including a 4-2 loss on Sunday, on the road to the Atlanta Braves?

Probably not.

Is it after going 3-3 against the St. Louis Cardinals and the Braves?

No, still not panic-worthy.

Is it after being mired in third place in the National League West standings in the first week of June?

The standings don’t really start becoming a factor until after the All Star break.

Is it seeing Clayton Kershaw pitch more like a No. 3 starter than a three-time Cy Young Award winner?

Maybe that’s a sign the Dodgers pitching staff might not be as deep and strong as advertised.

One thing is for certain: The Dodgers need to play better than .500 baseball to win the NL West. They probably need to play better than that to even make the playoffs.

It’s not like the Dodgers are destined to struggle. Reinforcements arrived in Cody Bellinger, AJ Pollock and Zack McKinstry coming off the injured list. Adding their bats to the lineup will help, but that support can’t come soon enough.

The Dodgers have struggled offensively at times. Recent injuries to Max Muncy and Austin Barnes don't help. Combine that with Mookie Betts continuing his hitting funk and it makes for a destructive mixture for the Dodgers offense.

There have been signs of life in recent games though. The Dodgers scored eight runs in the fifth inning against the Braves on Friday. They put up an 11-spot in the first inning against the Cardinals on Wednesday. The Dodgers have the ability to put up ridiculous offensive numbers and put some of those thoughts of panic to rest.

But the longer the Dodgers stay in third place, the higher the panic level rises. 

With every passing week, it is harder not to panic.

The Dodgers starting pitching power rankings:

1. Walker Buehler
2. Trevor Bauer
3. Julio Urias
4. Clayton Kershaw
5. David Price

The Dodgers are 34-25 and continue their road trip in Pittsburgh to start a three-game series against the lowly Pirates on Tuesday. Then the Dodgers return home to start a weekend series against the equally underachieving Texas Rangers on Friday.