Before this season started, I posted 10 key questions the Dodgers would face throughout the year. Let's take a look and see how each question is shaping up.
1. Will Clayton Kershaw be the ace?
YES!
Kershaw has been awesome to say the least. He's 9-4 with a 3.03 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, .215 BAA, and 147 K's in 130 2/3 innings. He's thrown three complete games, and two of them shutouts. He also got named to his first All-Star team and threw a perfect inning. He's the Dodgers' money pitcher.
2. Can Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier provide the power?
Yes and no.
Kemp has been huge with 22 homers, 19 doubles, 2 triples, and 67 RBIs. Ethier has a .311 average, but his power numbers are down with 9 homers, 23 doubles, and 44 RBIs. What Ethier has going for him is that he hit two jacks in the final game before the All-Star break, so it's possible that was a sign of big things to come. The Dodgers have to hope so if they want to win more.
3. Which Jonathan Broxton will show up?
The bad and injured one.
What Broxton has going for him is seven saves in eight chances. The rest is a whole lot negativity. He has a 5.68 ERA, 1.89 WHIP, .283 BAA, and 9 walks in 12 2/3 innings. After refusing to admit that anything was wrong with his arm, the Dodgers forced him to shut things down after discovering bone spurs in his elbow. He hasn't made an appearance since May 4, and after a few rehab innings, was shut down again until late July after feeling tightness on June 25. Who knows what we'll see from him the rest of the way, but it doesn't look good.
4. Will Hong-Chih Kuo hold up?
Not really.
Kuo was just about the perfect reliever last year, but certainly not this year. He missed time earlier in the year with a back strain and anxiety disorder. He's back now, but has a 8.71 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, and 8 walks in 10 1/3 innings. He does have 14 strikeouts, so that's one positive sign. But it's hard to expect him to regain his old form, at least not like we saw last year.
5. Who will emerge in left field?
Nobody.
There certainly have been a number of candidates, but none of have emerged as the clear-cut choice. Tony Gywnn, Marcus Thames, Jerry Sands, and now Juan Rivera have all been given their chances, not to mention guys like Trent Oeltjen and Jay Gibbons (I'm sure there have been more, but I lost count). Sands was given 33 starts in 41 games, but just couldn't emerge with a .200 average and two homers. Gwynn has played much better lately, hitting .309 in June and .324 in July, so maybe he'll be the guy. Now throw Rivera in the mix, as he was just acquired from the Blue Jays.
6. Who will emerge behind the plate?
Rod Barajas.
It's not like he's been lighting the world on fire, as he has a measly .220 average. But, he does have eight homers, six doubles, and 17 RBIs, so the power has been there for the most part. A.J. Ellis is hitting .222 with no extra-base hits. Dioner Navarro is hitting .183. I think it's safe to say Barajas will reclaim the starting nod when he gets back from injury.
7. Will Juan Uribe provide a spark, ala last year in San Francisco?
NO!
Uribe has been a big disappointment. He's hitting .207 with four homers and 27 RBIs. Lately he's been losing some playing time, which I can't at all blame Don Mattingly for doing. Uribe really needs to step up in the second half, because these numbers are just plain ugly.
8. Will the 'pen get back to business?
Nope.
Injuries are a big part of it. At one point they had their top guys in Vicente Padilla (done for the year), Broxton, and Kuo all injured. Ronald Belisario never even showed up. Lance Cormier, Ramon Troncoso, Scott Elbert, and Kuo have all been terrible. Kenley Jansen and Matt Guerrier have been decent. The bright spots have been a resurgent Mike MacDougal, Blake Hawksworth, and Javy Guerra, the new closer. Still, the inconsistency in this group has been hard to watch.
9. Is James Loney here for the long haul?
Who knows?
With the All-Star break over, the trade winds will start whirling soon. I haven't seen Loney's name come up, but that could easily change. There's not much different about him, as he provides a great glove, and just so-so offense. If I had a guess, I still think he'll be moved at some point. Even with the bleak financial situation, I just don't see him fitting into the long-term plans of this team.
10. How will Mattingly leave his mark?
Too early to tell.
If this were a report card, he'd get an "Incomplete." This has not been an easy year for him at all. I don't care who the manager is, it's still a tough spot to lead this team right now. From off the field crap to injuries to mediocre players, he's had a lot to juggle. If the Dodgers had been a little healthier, I think we'd have a fairer judgment of how he's done. We'll have to give this more time and see how the season plays out.
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