Taking into account the recent buzz about the Dodgers, and how their lineup is now loaded with many more impact hitters, and how on the mound was a guy who already has two rings, one thing became obvious when Monday night's painful game was over.
This was the worst loss of the season for the Dodgers. Period.
Josh Beckett pitched pretty well, but the offense was terrible, and the bullpen was even worse as the Rockies stomped all over the Dodgers, 10-0. The Giants were idle, so their lead gets bumped a bit to 2 1/2 games.
After the Dodgers couldn't do anything with a two-out double from Matt Kemp, Beckett took the mound for his first start in the National League since 2005. The first batter he faced was Tyler Colvin, and let's just say that Colvin left his mark. A towering solo homer that landed in the second deck gave the Rockies an early 1-0 lead. Beckett did get a couple of K's to end the inning.
The Dodgers couldn't get anything going on offense, but Beckett was keeping it a one-run game until the fourth. With two outs, Chris Nelson tripled to left center. D.J. LeMahieu did something that Dodgers have failed to do the last couple of games, which is deliver in the clutch with an RBI single and 2-0 lead.
To start the fifth, Luis Cruz singled and A.J. Ellis came within inches of a homer to left, but settled for a double to put two on. It was a tough decision for Don Mattingly whether or not to pinch-hit for Beckett. But considering how taxed the bullpen was on Sunday, Beckett stayed in and struck out. Shane Victorino had a chance for a big hit... and promptly struck out.
The Rockies tacked on another run in the sixth and chased Beckett in the process. Nelson singled with one out, and Jonathan Herrera did the same an out later. Josh Rutledge pinch hit and singled up the middle to score a run and make it 3-0. Randy Choate struck out Colvin to keep the deficit within a reasonable amount.
The eighth inning saw the Dodgers go from the verge of making this a close game to getting completely blown out. Victorino tripled with two outs, then Mark Ellis was beaned by Mark Belisle. Kemp was looking to kickstart the offense, but instead grounded into a double play.
As for the bottom half of the eighth... forget it. The Rockies sent 10 hitters to the plate to make a joke of this game. Kenley Jansen started the inning, and for those of you who believe that closers are only effective when a save is on the line, here is your support. Jansen was horrible, giving up an RBI single to LeMahieu and two-run triple to Colvin.
Josh Wall was recently recalled for Shawn Tolleson, and he was the sacrificial lamb to finish the inning. Jordan Pecheco's RBI double made it 8-0, and Wilin Rosario put the cherry on top with a two-run bomb, giving the Rocks a double digit lead.
Before getting to all of the negatives, let's start with something that was pretty much a positive, and that's Beckett's first start. His final line only looks OK: 5 2/3 innings, seven hits, three runs, three walks, six strikeouts. He recovered quite nicely from Colvin's 457-foot bomb to start the game, but couldn't escape the sixth with two outs. Still, I'm encouraged by this start, and Dodger fans should be as well.
The negative? Oh boy, was the offense bad! Here's the thing about high expectations: when things don't go well, it looks even worse than normal. The 3-6 hitters of Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, and Andre Ethier went a combined 1-for-14 with two walks. Wow, that's really bad. Yes, I know it's just one game, but still, that's bad.
Much like Sunday's game, it was obvious to me that those guys are just trying to do too much right now. It seems like every swing they take is geared towards the upper deck, instead of trying to move runners along. Ramirez looks the guiltiest of this, as he's now hitless in last 12 at-bats. It's easier said than done, but he really needs to just settle down and become a gap hitter again, letting his legs do the talking.
Even I'm not crazy enough to suggest that this offense will continue to come up empty in big situations, as there's just too much talent there for that to happen. As I stated for Ramirez, the key in my mind is to simply not try to hit homers everytime runners are on. The Dodgers started the year off red hot because they moved runners along, and that's the mindset that's needed here. The homers will still come.
The Dodgers will lick their wounds and try to bounce back on Tuesday, as they send Chris Capuano to the mound looking for his 12th win.
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