Dodgers pitcher Jason Schmidt is well behind other pitchers and has been told to stop throwing the ball, according to the Los Angeles Times. Schmidt pitched in six games last season going 1-4 with a 6.31 ERA in his first year with the Dodgers. His fastball, which used to be known for getting in the mid nineties, was barely making 87. The Dodgers planned on having him in the rotation but do have others to fill the spot if he cannot pitch. However, Esteban Loaiza is probably not the pitcher you want rounding out your rotation. Not only that, but Hiroki Kuroda is very unproven and might struggling playing in that division. Clayton Kershaw is not ready to pitch in the MLB yet and Derek Lowe is past his prime, so the Dodgers really are not in good shape this season. Yes their hitting numbers should be one of the best in the league, but if they cannot pitch, they will not win, even with Joe Torre. There are still several pitchers available to bring in, and they could extend contracts to Kyle Lohse, David Wells, or trade for Joe Blanton, which they have discussed. I think the Dodgers have the chance to be very good, but they need better pitching if they want to compete with the Diamondbacks or Padres.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Schmidt Hurting Dodgers
Dodgers pitcher Jason Schmidt is well behind other pitchers and has been told to stop throwing the ball, according to the Los Angeles Times. Schmidt pitched in six games last season going 1-4 with a 6.31 ERA in his first year with the Dodgers. His fastball, which used to be known for getting in the mid nineties, was barely making 87. The Dodgers planned on having him in the rotation but do have others to fill the spot if he cannot pitch. However, Esteban Loaiza is probably not the pitcher you want rounding out your rotation. Not only that, but Hiroki Kuroda is very unproven and might struggling playing in that division. Clayton Kershaw is not ready to pitch in the MLB yet and Derek Lowe is past his prime, so the Dodgers really are not in good shape this season. Yes their hitting numbers should be one of the best in the league, but if they cannot pitch, they will not win, even with Joe Torre. There are still several pitchers available to bring in, and they could extend contracts to Kyle Lohse, David Wells, or trade for Joe Blanton, which they have discussed. I think the Dodgers have the chance to be very good, but they need better pitching if they want to compete with the Diamondbacks or Padres.
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6 comments:
>>> Yes their hitting numbers should be one of the best in the league.
Dodgers were 10th in the NL in runs last year so this is a bit optimistic.
Jason Schmidt was penciled in as their 5th starter and anything they get out of him is just a "bonus."
Lowe is not really old and is very consistent.
Penny is solid
Billingsley is ready to breakout!
Kuroda should be amongst the better number four starters in the NL.
Not many teams have a better front four than the Dodgers.
You really do not need a 5th starter that much early in the season, and Kuo, McDonald, Meloan, etc. could all fill the 5th slot. If Kershaw or Schmidt are not ready by July and pitching is an issue than they can address it then.
Heh I'm happy the Giants wore his arm out before he went to the Dodgers. Serves him right going to the Dodgers
The Dodgers have the worst rotation in the division and will be lucky to finish ahead of the Giants.
Seriously, the worst rotation in the division?
Unbeknownst to most baseball fans, Dodger Stadium has actually played as a slight hitters park the last few years. Compare to Petco, which is an extreme pitcher's park. Once you adjust for that, the Padres aren't all that great. They have a great 1-2 punch and after that they're basically slinging crap. Check it out, Maddux was below league average last year. So was Wolf (while pitching for LA). Young has never pitched more than 180 innings in a season, so that detracts from him. Who else do they have - Mark Prior? Yeah, he's probably good for about 30 innings.
The Dodgers have the best rotation in the league, not just the division. They will win the West, the NL and lose to whoever takes out the Red Sox in the AL.
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