Boring Dodgers lose again

That trade for Octavio Dotel is working out great, eh?

Dotel was absolutely pathetic in the 10th inning, as he somehow managed to walk three and uncork three wild pitches. The Rockies scored a run, and you knew the Dodgers wouldn't, as the Rockies won, 3-2.

Of course, it all traces back to the fact the Dodgers are just helpless at the plate. This team is so boring, they literally can put people to sleep. I should know because I honestly dozed off during the game. When the offensive highlights consist of a single and not much else, that will happen.

Somehow the Dodgers scored in the first couple of innings. In the first, Scott Podsednik led off with a single. Ryan Theriot sacrificed him over to second, and a wild pitch put him at third. I guess the wild pitch was the theme of the night, as another one by Jason Hammel allowed him to score for the 1-0 lead.

The Rockies tied the game in the second. Seth Smith and Ian Stewart were both on with singles. With two down, Miguel Olivo hit an RBI double to left to knot the game at 1-1.

Casey Blake led off the bottom of the second with a single, which in Dodger terms, is like hitting a home run. Jay Gibbons forced Blake at second for one down. Now get this - Jamey Carroll DOUBLED for an RBI and a 2-1 lead. A double? Wow, I just didn't think that would ever happen! Talk about excitement!

Naturally, the Dodgers quit hitting after the second and did nothing to support Hiroki Kuroda's great game. Sound familiar? It's the same tune that Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw, Vicente Padilla, and Ted Lilly can sing. They pitch great, and the offense is atrocious.

In the fourth, the Rockies tied the game again. Smith walked leading off. An out later, Stewart found a hole in the infield for runners on the corners. Olivo hit one soft enough to short for an RBI groundout, and it was 2-2.

With a tie game, the Dodgers faced a massive uphill climb. The offense was probably thinking to themselves, "How dare our pitchers give up two runs? Don't they want to win? They know we can't possibly top that massive offensive output from the Rockies!"

Kuroda did all he could, and he kept the game tied until he left the game late. He lasted seven innings for six hits, two runs, one walk, and seven strikeouts. That's three straight great starts for him, and he's actually 0-1 in that span. Thanks, great Dodger offense!

Jonathan Broxton pitched the eighth and got some help from Matt Kemp to keep the game tied. Dexter Fowler led off with a single, but when he tried to stretch it to a double, Kemp gunned him out. Broxton then got a strikeout and a flyout. It was a good outing from him, and thankfully it wasn't a closing situation.

Hong-Chih Kuo came in the ninth to keep the game tied, and he got a double play ball for the final two outs. James Loney took a walk in the bottom of the ninth, but Rafael Betancourt blew away Blake and Ronnie Belliard to send it to extras.

Then Dotel entered, and boy was he just awful. Ned Colletti made a bunch of moves at the deadline, but the one criticized the most was Dotel for James McDonald. Personally, I never liked McDonald, but can certainly understand people wanting him to stay because he's so young.

To say the top of the 10th was an adventure would be an understatement. It started with Olivo striking out before Melvin Mora walked. Eric Young then struck out as Mora stole second. With two outs, things went crazy for Dotel. A wild pitch sent Mora to third, Fowler walked, and then Mora scored on another wild pitch. Eventually he had another wild pitch before getting Troy Tulowitzki grounding out.

The end of the game symbolized what kind of a year it's been for the Dodgers. With one out, Reed Johnson pinch-hit and singled. Kemp then struck out, as he was 0-for-2 with two K's. Magical. Podsednik then singled to center.

What happened next can either be considered great effort or just plain stupidity. Johnson tried to score on the single and was thrown out by... oh, about 15 feet. Seriously, it wasn't even close. I can understand Johnson's thinking that nobody else would get a hit, so why not give it a shot. But he was thrown out so easily, it looked like the latest bad baserunning decision in a season full of them.

The offense continues to be embarrassing. Seven hits, one for extra bases, and five walks. They were also caught stealing twice in two attempts. Even when they do get on base and try to make something happen, they screw it up. Of course, there were no home runs. Shocking, I know.

Back to Dotel, who rightfully took the loss. He's given up two runs in 4 2/3 innings so far with the Dodgers. Not terrible numbers, but he also has four walks for a high 1.50 WHIP. It's fair to say he's been a disappointment, because he was supposed to help the bullpen, not hurt it.

Oh by the way, McDonald is 2-1 with a 2.55 ERA, and 20 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings with the Pirates.

The Dodgers are not going to make the playoffs, so for those of you still holding out hope, you can throw that right out the window. I'm just being realistic here, folks. What the Dodgers need to do is get guys like Kemp and Broxton right again. If those guys individually get better, then at least the Dodgers can play better ball to end the season.

Ted Lilly has been a bright spot since he came in, and despite the horrendous offense, has managed to win all three starts. He'll go tonight against Jorge De La Rosa.