How are the ex-Dodgers doing?

While the Dodgers are enjoying a 12 of 16 run that has surged them back into a tie for first place with the Giants, I thought I'd take some time to look at how some of the 2013 Dodgers are doing.  That is, those who have since moved onto different teams.  Here we go.

Ricky Nolasco, SP, Twins: 4-6, 5.74 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 69 K's in 95 2/3 IP
Wow, he's been a disaster.  He was very good for the most part with the Dodgers last season, giving them many quality starts over the second half.  Then he faded, and was barely heard from in the postseason.  Nonetheless, the Twins gave him four years and $49 to fix their awful rotation.  It hasn't worked.  Phil Hughes and Kyle Gibson have been pretty good, but Nolasco was brought in to lead that staff.  He looks like a huge waste of money right now.

Edinson Volquez, SP, Pirates: 6-6, 4.07 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 63 K's in 93 IP
I'm not sure what the Pirates expected out of him, but all things considered, he's been pretty decent.  Considering he has a career 4.69 ERA and 1.48 WHIP, his numbers this year look even better.  The Pirates lost A.J. Burnett to the Phillies after their great run last season, and the team as a whole is struggling to find their footing.  The thing with Volquez is that I'm not sure he can get any better than this.  A second half plunge wouldn't surprise me at all.

Chris Capuano, RP, (formerly of) Red Sox: 1-1, 1 HLD, 1 BLSV, 4.55 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 29 K's in 31 2/3 IP
The Red Sox tried to make Capuano their swingman, ala Paul Maholm with the Dodgers, but it didn't quite work.  He was designated for assignment on June 25 after getting shelled by the Mariners a couple days before.  He's certainly had his fair share of arm problems, and at 35, who knows if he has any chances left.

Ronald Belisario, RP, White Sox: 3-4, 8 SV, 6 HLD, 4 BLSV, 5.54 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 28 K's in 37 1/3 IP
Three days ago, Belisario was canned as White Sox closer after he was given a three-run cushion against the Blue Jays, but couldn't finish the job.  Maybe Robin Ventura has never walked to the other side of Camelback Ranch, because if he had, he'd have seen just how wild and unpredictable Belisario is.  There's no way he should've been a closer in the first place.  Ventura learned his lesson the hard way.

Javy Guerra, RP, White Sox: 0-0, 3 HLD, 1 BLSV, 2.40 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 16 K's in 15 IP
On the flip side, a pleasant surprise has been Guerra.  He spent the first couple of months in Triple-A and earned his way up in June.  Good for him, as his Dodgers' career ended with a thud, going from 21 saves and "closer of the future" in 2011 to barely existent thereafter.  Maybe he's found confidence again, who knows.  On a team like the White Sox full of horrible pitching, he's got a great chance in front of him, and so far, has made the most of it.

Carlos Marmol, RP, Reds: 0-3, 1 HLD, 1 BLSV, 8.10 ERA, 1.95 WHIP, 14 K's in 13 1/3 IP
It's been a tough road for Marmol this year, as the stats above all came with the Marlins before he was given his walking papers on May 19.  He was then signed to a minor league contract by the Reds about a week later, only to leave Triple-A without permission a couple weeks after that.  Weird stuff, but I think even he realizes he's at the end of the road.

Mark Ellis, 2B, Cardinals: .194 AVG, .276 OBP, 6 2B, 0 HR, 12 RBI, 4 SB
Ellis had a solid career with the Dodgers, but after the signing of Alex Guerrero, he was shown the door.  Guerrero hasn't emerged with the big club yet because he wasn't ready defensively, and has since had part of his ear bitten off by that nutcase Miguel Olivo.  Dee Gordon, however, has come on strong enough to be an All-Star candidate.  So, releasing Ellis was a smart move because Gordon is the everyday leadoff hitter, and Ellis is really struggling at the plate.  He'll never have big numbers, but the ones he has now are pretty bad.  It's hard not to like how hard the guy plays, but the bottom line is that he's just not producing.

Skip Schumaker, OF/2B, Reds: .242 AVG, .276 OBP, 6 2B, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 1 SB
Schumaker only played one season with the Dodgers, as he was a favorite of hitting coach Mark McGwire from their Cardinals days.  Like the Dodgers, the Reds have used him all over the outfield and at second base, making him the super utility guy.  His average continues to tumble, as this is the fourth straight year it's gone down.  But, like I said before, that's less of a concern because he's there to plug in holes when necessary.

Nick Punto, 2B/SS, A's: .235 AVG, .336 OBP, 5 2B, 0 HR, 10 RBI, 2 SB
Much like Schumaker, Punto is mostly there for his utility work, as he's appeared mostly at second and short, but also a little third and right field.  He's getting a pretty good amount of at-bats on a very good team, and thanks to 20 walks, has a decent OBP.  He appears to be well on his way to his fifth postseason in his career, and that experience is where he's truly most valuable, just like when he was a Dodger last year.

Volquez gets a second life, but will it last?

As the Dodgers get ready for another game in Coors Field, one day after overcoming a rare clunker from Clayton Kershaw for the 10-8 win, Dodgers beat writer Ken Gurnick confirmed that newcomer Edinson Volquez will get the start on Wednesday.

After being castoff by the lowly Padres with a 6.01 ERA in 27 starts, there's really no better way for him to make a great impression than by pitching well in Colorado.

And if you're Volquez, you know that time is ticking.  He can't afford to have many, or ANY, more bad starts.

With just under a month left in the regular season before the do-or-die postseason of October hits, Volquez is in direct competition with Chris Capuano for the #5 spot.  Capuano has been about as hit or miss as one can possibly get, but he is coming off a hit by tossing seven innings of one-run ball against the Padres on Saturday.  Before that was four straight misses in which he wasn't scorched, but didn't pitch past the fifth in any of them.

Even with that positive start, it's a telling sign that Don Mattingly is giving Volquez a chance to see what he can do.  Capuano's own inconsistency is what caused this to happen, as it's not like anyone is claiming that Volquez is so much better.  In fact, his numbers are much worse.

In three starts this season in Colorado, Volquez has been flat out awful.  He's 0-2 with a 14.92 ERA in 12 2/3 innings, and the Rockies are hitting .439 against him.  Ouch.  I think it's safe to say the Rockies are much happier to see him on the mound than Hyun-Jin Ryu, who will be pushed to Friday in Cincinnati.

I think it's also safe to say that Mattingly knows there might not be much of a difference between Volquez and Capuano making the start, so why not see if Volquez can step up?  Maybe it's not entirely fair to Volquez, but then again, when you have a 5.97 ERA, it's hard to be picky about where you get a chance to start.  Hopefully he looks at this as the ultimate opportunity to show he has something left.

If he falls victim to Coors Field as so many others have, then who knows if he'll get another chance to start.  I can possibly see him getting one more, but that's it.

Or maybe if he does stink, he should just walk down to the bullpen before the start of each game, and get ready for the long relief role.

Dodgers set to acquire Volquez

It appears that Chris Capuano's time as fifth starter is about to end.

The Dodgers are set to give Edinson Volquez a major league deal, pending a physical.  Volquez was released from the Padres this past Sunday, and his former team will be responsible for nearly all of his $5.725 million deal.

The move seemed to come out of nowhere, but if you were really paying attention to Capuano, it shouldn't be too surprising.  He's simply been way too inconsistent, and now that we're entering the stretch run of September, the Dodgers are in a position to go for home field advantage in the NL.  If they don't feel that they can rely on their fifth starter, then it's the right thing to get someone else.

Considering the Padres are paying most of his deal this season, it appears to be a low-risk, high-reward move.  Then again, looking at Volquez's stats this season (9-10, 6.01 ERA, 1.67 WHIP), you have to wonder if this is the guy who will actually improve on Capuano's stats (4-7, 4.74 ERA, 1.44 WHIP).

I don't mind the move because I just don't see Capuano getting any better, especially when the games start to mean a little more and more.  He had a pretty good July with a 4.15 ERA in four starts, but tanked this month to a 5.26 ERA in five starts.  And that was with giving up no runs in 6 1/3 innings against the Cubs to start August.

Volquez is a former All-Star in 2008 with the Reds, going 17-6 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.33 WHIP.  But that was then, and this is now.  He hasn't had an ERA below 4.14 since, and that was last season.  Padres' pitching coach Darren Balsley was quoted as saying that Volquez runs into trouble because he actually tries too hard and starts to throw his mechanics out the window during games.  That would appear to be one of the key aspects of his game to focus on for Rick Honeycutt.

And speaking of Honeycutt, if he gets some good starts out of Volquez, then it'll be further proof that this guy might be the top pitching coach in the game.  Yes, I know it helps when you get to claim guys like Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke as yours.  But, take a look at the work of Hyun-Jin Ryu and Ricky Nolasco.  There's two great examples of how Honeycutt has left his mark this year.

This deal isn't final yet, but appears to be on the verge.  Stay tuned.