May 7th Dodger Update

Hello, faithful Dodger fans!  It has been awhile since I’ve been able to post anything due to some minor health issues, but I wanted to bring everyone up to date on the Dodger season so far.  Today finds the Dodgers are a top the NL West table with a respectable 18-13 record. 

The stating lineup for the next few weeks will be some combination of:

Furcal, SS

Pierre, CF

Garciaparra, 1B

Kent

, 2B

Gonzalez, LF

Martin C

Ethier, RF

LaRoche, 3B

This is by far the Dodgers strongest offensive lineup and it is nice to finally see Grady Little begin to use it.  Defensively there are a few short comings but hopefully the Dodgers should be able to score enough runs to offset this fact on most days.

The key to this season remains the pitching.  Here is a quick run down of the staff:

Brad Penny is seeking to become the first Dodger starting pitcher to begin the season 4-0 since Kazuhisa Ishii went 6-0 in 2002. Penny’s 1.64 ERA is second best in the National League.

Jason Schmidt remains on the disabled list.  He claims that his shoulder is feeling fine but don’t you believe it just yet.  He has battled diminished velocity all year so until he can prove that his fastball can at least return to the high-80’s consistently I would advise caution.  Stash him on your DL until further notice.

Mark Hendrickson has been a pleasant surprise so far filling in for Schmidt.  Henrickson sports a 24/5 K/BB ratio and is 2-0 with a stingy 1.30 ERA.  He is not this good folks but feel free to use him as a spot starter if the matchup is right.

Derek Lowe and Randy Wolf have both been unlucky and each has pitched better than their 6-6 combined record indicates.  Brett Tomko at 0-3 remains a poor choice as a starter on any day.

Takashi Saito and Jonathan Broxton remain one of the best 1-2 punches in the NL and are a big reason why the Dodgers are in first. 

Putting Chad Billingsley in the bullpen has not been a great success. Despite a 2-0 record, he has an ERA of 5.06 in ten appearances (he has also been terrible at Dodger Stadium as his 9.82 ERA clearly indicates).  Even more worrisome is that Lefthanders are currently hitting a robust .353 against Billingsley.    Right now he’d be better off starting at Triple-A and should not be anywhere near your fantasy roster.

Speaking of relief it’s off to

Montreal

for me and the wife for a mid-week mini-holiday until then GO DODGERS!

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