I guess playing the Reds, Nationals, and Mets was not the recipe for success the Dodgers thought it would be.
The Mets completed a three-game sweep of the Dodgers today by winning 7-3. With the loss, the Dodgers completed their nine-game trip with a pathetic 2-7 record. They now stand at 8-13, dead last in the NL West.
Make no mistake about it, the Dodgers are a bad team right now.
After losing Tuesday's doubleheader by a combined score of 14-5, you would think the Dodgers would try to scratch and claw their way to a victory today. Instead, they fell behind 4-0 after two innings, and once again looked completely lost.
With a tired starting staff and bullpen (except for Jonathan Broxton, who never gets to pitch because the rest of the team can't get the damn ball to him), John Ely was called upon to make his first start in the bigs. Along with Jon Link, Ely was part of the Juan Pierre trade this past offseason.
In the second, David Wright doubled to lead off and Ike Davis singled for two on. A fielder's choice grounder by Jeff Francoeur made it 1-0. Rod Barajas was then beaned, and John Maine sacrificed both runners into scoring position.
With two down, Ely needed a big out, but didn't get one. Instead, Angel Pagan hit a two-run triple, and Alex Cora an RBI double to make it 4-0.
The Dodgers got one back in the third, though it was by luck. Jamey Carroll hit an infield single to start, and two outs later found himself on third. An error by Jose Reyes off the bat of Matt Kemp allowed Carroll to score, and it was 4-1.
Francoeur's RBI double in the bottom of the third got that run right back. About the only sign of life from the Dodgers came from Russell Martin in the fifth, who hit leadoff today and uncorked a two-run homer, putting the score at 5-3.
That's as close as it would get on this day, as Ronald Belisario couldn't hold the score as is in the seventh. RBIs from Jason Bay and Davis put the game away at 7-3. Francisco Rodriguez gave up a couple of hits in the ninth, but struck out the side to end the game.
I'm glad the Dodgers don't return to the East Coast until mid-June, because they don't look like they have much of a clue right now. They've lost two of three in Pittsburgh, Florida, Cincinnati, and Washington, and lost all three in New York. That's good for a 4-11 road record. And that's just horrible.
Their offense has tanked, and the pitching and defense have been lousy all year. The GM is ripping the team, and the manager preaches patience. It doesn't matter who you want to blame, the bottom line is that the Dodgers have no identity right now, and are in desperate need of someone to step up and lead the way.
I also don't find this much of a coincidence that they're 1-5 since Manny Ramirez went on the DL. Manny's presence in the lineup has obviously had a trickle-down effect, and suddenly the team that had the top offense looks pretty ordinary. True, Manny has nothing to do with the pitching, but the team as a whole doesn't look the same.
All the Dodgers can do now is go home and put together one win at a time. Yes, it's a tired sports cliche, but in this case it works because the Dodgers aren't favored against anybody at this point. They've got the Pirates at home for four, the same team that beat them two of three to start the season.
Clayton Kershaw gets the ball tomorrow, and that's a good thing. He still throws way too many pitches, but has lowered his ERA by over a run in his last two starts.
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