Dodgers get Haegerbombed

The good news: Charlie Haeger accomplished something that hasn't been done in 22 seasons.

The bad news: That accomplishment was getting yanked without recording a single out.

Haeger had another chance to prove he belonged in the starting rotation, and was just awful. A single, three walks, a three-run triple, and Joe Torre pulled him in the first inning down 4-0. The Rockies cruised to an easy win, 8-0.

With only three established starters in the rotation (two of whom are coming off terrible starts in Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley), the final two slots are basically band-aids. Sometimes it works, like John Ely's sharp performance last Thursday. Sometimes, the blood comes soaking through anyway, like Saturday night.

The game opened with a single by Seth Smith. Dexter Fowler then walked. Todd Helton then walked to load the bases. Not to be outdone, Troy Tulowitzki drew another walk to force in a run. By the time Haeger finally threw a strike, it was as he watched Carlos Gonzalez's three-run triple down the right field line.

The masterful Ramon Ortiz came in next (yes, sarcasm... like I really needed to clarify that). His first batter was Ian Stewart, and Stewart hit a two-run shot to make it 6-0. Matt Kemp had an error to put another runner on, but three groundouts mercifully ended the inning.

While the score was 6-0, the Dodgers still had nine innings against an unproven pitcher and the return to Manny Ramirez to chip away. Well, that didn't happen at all. The game was over in the first inning.

The Dodgers managed a measly six hits against Jhoulys Chacin, as he mowed through them over 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball. Who knows, he may end up being a good pitcher down the line. But he had a 4.91 ERA in nine appearances last year, so it's not like he tore the league up. It was a pretty sad effort from the offense.

There were a few innings where the Dodgers put a couple men on, but came up empty. Manny lined out to right to end the third. Blake DeWitt's flyout to center ended the sixth. In the eighth, Kemp and Manny singled, but James Loney grounded into a double play to squash that threat.

Not only did the Dodgers suffer another lopsided loss, but now Tuesday's start is up in the air. Torre originally pointed out Carlos Monasterios and Ortiz as potential starters, but they both appeared in this game. Ortiz pitched five innings and Monasterios two. Maybe Monasterios can give a few innings by resting a couple days, but that's just a guess.

Much like the beginning of this homestand, the Dodgers would get a couple of good wins, then get crushed. It's a pretty bad trend. Even if the pitching is horrible, the bats have got to do better than roll over and play dead like in this game. Andre Ethier showed up, going 3-for-3, but that's it. Maybe they need Rafael Furcal back more than we thought.

With all of that said, the Dodgers can still claim this series with a win today. It'll be very tough, though, as Clayton Kershaw goes against Ubaldo Jimenez. Jimenez has six starts, six wins, and a 0.87 ERA. In my mind, that's pretty good.