Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
The Dodgers lost 4 out of their first 5 games after the suspension of Manny Ramirez. The team looked lost, and it looked as if the Mannyless Dodger's were going to go in the tank. Thanks in part to Joe Torre, and the resurgent Juan Pierre, this young Dodgers team was able to quickly turn things around and maintain the best record in the Major Leagues. Since that original 5 game stretch, the Los Angeles Dodgers are 12-4 giving them a 13-8 overall record without Manny Ramirez.
You might think a 13-8 record is not great, but that 12-4 stretch is. How have they been doing it without Manny? Well, offense for one. They've outscored their opponents 90-62, and have averaged 5.6 runs per game. That is fantastic for a team that's been offensively challenged for a few years prior to the Manny trade. Most experts, and baseball fans in general, expected the Dodgers to struggle scoring runs during Manny's absence. That has not happened so far, but they are scoring those runs much differently. Instead of Manny's home runs, the rest of the team is chipping in. They're running more and putting pressure on the opposing teams' defense.
Juan Pierre is hitting .397 with a .463 OPB on the season, and has been a revelation at bat and on the base paths. He already has 10 stolen bases and 25 runs scored in only 121 at bats. Orlando Hudson, now entrenched in the 3rd spot in the lineup, has been tremendous all year hitting .333 and is 3rd on the team with 30 RBI. With the exception of Pierre, Casey Blake has taken advantage the most of Manny's 50 game suspension. He's 2nd on the team with 33 RBI. He's had 18 RBI in the 18 games without Manny Ramirez. Not bad huh? You want a young player who's stepped up? Let's talk about James Loney. He leads the team with 36 RBI, 15 of them since Manny's 50 game departure. He's now batting .298 which is 20 points higher since Manny's last game. All this and Matt Kemp has been struggling of late, and Russ Martin has struggled all year. Watch out if they get hot!
Enough offense, let's talk pitching. They still have depth problems in the starting rotation, but Chad Billingsley has taken the role of staff ace to heart. Bills was the tough luck loser today, and is now 6-3 with a 2.80 ERA and 76 strike outs in 74 innings pitched. Randy Wolf has been far better than most thought as well. He is only 3-1, with 7 no decisions, but has a 2.84 ERA. Clayton Kershaw has been somewhat inconsistent, but always shows flashes of brilliance. He is the staff ace of the future. He's only 3-3, but has won 3 of his last 4. They've had good contributions from Jeff Weaver, 2-1 3.63, Eric Stults, 4-1 4.29, and even Eric Milton "pitched" in with a great start last time out allowing only 1 run in 5 innings. What's helped the most is the dominant bullpen. Jonathon Broxton has been fantastic converting 11 of 13 save chances so far. He has a 1.50 ERA and 37 strike outs in only 24 innings. Ramon Troncoso and Ronald Bellesario have been great as the main set up men this year. Troncoso even has 3 saves. Personally, I think the Dodgers need to make a move for a better lefty specialist than Will Ohman and add another quality starting pitcher at the deadline, but have a pretty good staff for the National League.
To be a legitimate contender you need a combination of good pitching, good defense and timely hitting. That is what the Dodgers have been doing without Manny. They are solid defensively up the middle with Martin, Furcal Hudson and Kemp. They've had pitchers performing above and beyond and they've had timely hitting from Hudson, Pierre, Blake and Loney. They haven't hit a ton of home runs, but you don't need power to win in the National League. Now the playoffs and The World Series are another matter. I never said they don't need Manny to win it all!
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