Another Gutless Loss Sinks Dodgers Further In The Standings

It seems to me that we are slowly but surely witnessing the death of the Dodger’s season. It is painful and sad to watch. After last night’s gutless yellow performance at the hands of the last place Colorado Rockies, the Dodgers rolled over again, losing 8-4, and dropping yet another game behind the Giants in the NL West.

I swear I hate Coors Field. Each game there is like torture. That ball park is a joke. It’s like 1997 there all over again. You would think that the people in Colorado who built that park would put a retractable dome over it, to try and counteract the high altitude and thin air, that causes the games to be like a pinball match. The humidors don’t do jack.

I am very sorry guys, but I just can’t find anything positive to say right now. The only positive is that Matt Kemp wasn’t seriously hurt after a death-defying crash into the center field wall in the bottom of the first inning. Kemp did not suffer a concussion, but did suffer a right knee contusion, and he hit his jaw on the concrete wall. This collision was way worse than the one that scared us yesterday. I’m sorry if I am being negative here, but I owe it not only to myself as a Dodger fan, and writer, but to you our faithful readers to be honest and direct, and not mince words. This is a total team failure, from the top to the bottom. The offense was again a life-less depressing display of grounders, and double plays. The Dodgers scored three of their four runs off of a double play, and two sac flys. The multi-million dollar lineup loaded with all-stars could only manage seven hits off the worst pitching staff in Baseball. DJ LeMahieu recorded 12 assists tonight.

The defense was inferior, as A.J. Ellis dropped an easy out at the plate, and Adam Kennedy missed a tag at third in the eighth inning. Not playing Luis Cruz tonight was inexcusable. Let’s not let the pitching staff off the hook either. The pitching has been atrocious for the last week. Starter Chris Capuano was dreadful allowing six runs on ten hits through six innings. Jamey Wright came in to allow two more runs in the eighth inning like he usually does. It was over by then anyways. Colorado catcher Wilin Rosario was 3 for 4 knocking in three with a home run, and two RBI singles. Colorado starter Tyler Chatwood, the second year pitcher with an ERA of nearly five, pitches five solid innings, holding the Dodgers to two runs, on five hits, and whiffed four. Matt Reynolds, Carlos Torres, and Rafael Betancourt finished the game for the Rockies. The Giants beat the Astros 3-2, and the Dodgers now fall to 3.5 games behind, and further into the abyss. If you are a true blue faithful, and a glutton for punishment then read on for the lowlights! For the people that do, thank you, I salute you. We are still here guys, and we aren’t going anywhere. We are right there with you, just as frustrated. If September turns out to be the titanic, we’ll go down along with you.

The Dodgers get a break to start the game. Tyler Chatwood whiffs Mark Ellis on a ball ten feet off the plate, literally. The ball bounces away from Colorado catcher Wilin Rosario, rolling all the way to the backstop allowing Mark Ellis to reach on a strikeout wild pitch. Shane Victorino’s force out cuts down M.ellis at second base for the first out of the frame. Victorino then steals second with Bison at the plate. Matt Kemp walks. Of course as on cue, Adrian Gonzalez lines into a double play to end the inning.

Chris Capuano begins the bottom of the first by getting Tyler Colvin to ground out to second. Then the wheels fall off. Rookie Josh Rutledge who has killed us this series so far hits a long drive to deep center, Matt Kemp goes back to the wall and leaps to make the catch, slamming into the center field concrete wall. Rutledge ends up at third with a triple, but Matt is down for the count. The center field wall met an immovable object named Matt Kemp. It’s a scary scene for a minute. Coors Field is like a tomb. Sue Falsone and the Dodger trainers, run out to check on Bison. For a few minutes he is on the ground and not moving. Finally Matt gets up and it appears he is ok. He hit his head, or so it appears. Matt actually stays in the game. Bison is a warrior. We all breath a collective sigh of relief. Jordan Pacheco bloops a leg double into right center field. Kemp again goes all out with a fully extended dive, but it’s for not. Rutledge scores to make it 1-0 Colorado. Kemp appears to be dazed, and Victorino puts his hands up to signal for Kemp to come out of the game. Matt walks off the field under his own power. Juan Rivera enters the game to play left field, and Victorino has to move over to center. The hit parade continues off of Cappy. Wilin Rosario singles up the middle to score Pacheco. 2-0 Colorado. Rosario advances to second on a wild pitch. Remember there always has to be at least one wild pitch involved. Chris Nelson grounds out to third for the second out. Rookie Andrew Brown singles to right, Rivera’s throw to the plate is on time, but A.J. Ellis drops the ball. Rosario scores, to make it 3-0. DJ LeMahieu then doubles in Brown to make it a 4-0 game. Finally Charlie Blackmon grounds out to end the inning.

The Dodgers finally get on the board with a run in the top of the second. After Hanley Ramirez grounds out, Andre Ethier double down the third base line. Adam Kennedy singles Dre to third. AJ’s sac fly to center scores Dre to make the score 4-1. Capuano grounds out for the third out. Cappy finally settles down and turns in a 123 inning. The Dodgers needed that in the first inning. Tyler Colvin whiffs, and Rutledge grounds out.

The Dodgers go down 123 yet again in the top of the third. Rivera whiffs to end the inning. The Rockies put up another run as Capuano keeps pitching like crap. It could have been worse had Rivera not made a great catch to rob Pacheco of a home run. He reached up over the wall, caught it, then pretended like he didn’t, non-chalantly throwing the ball back to the infield. Kudos Rivera. The next one couldn’t be caught. Rosario sends another Cappy meatball about ten rows up the bleacher seats in left. 5-1 Colorado. Nelson lines out, Brown doubles on a blooper that falls between three Dodgers in right field. Mark Ellis makes a great diving catch to snare LeMahieu’s liner and end the inning.

Chatwood begins the top of the fifth by walking Gonzalez. Ramirez singles to right. Ethier singles off of Pacheco’s glove to load the bases. So with the bases loaded, you can almost predict what happens next with Kennedy at the plate. Yes, the double play does the score a run, but now there is two outs, and the rally killed. AJ is intentionally walked, and Cappy whiffs. 5-2 Colorado.

More scorage for Colorado in the bottom of the fifth. Charlie Blackmon doubles on a ball that goes over Victorino’s head. Chatwood sacrifices Blackmon to third. So the Dodgers decide to bring the infield in. Colvin’s grounder to short, would have been an out, but it bounces right over Hanley’s head, and Blackmon walks into score. 6-2 Colorado.

Lefty Matt Reynolds comes into pitch the top of the sixth. Chatwood goes five innings allows two runs, five hits, three walks, and whiffs four. He made 80 pitches. Reynolds retires the lifeless Dodger lineup in order.

Capuano somehow gets through the bottom of the sixth without allowing anymore runs. Of course a pick-off of Charlie Blackmon certainly helped. Reynolds retires Kennedy on a fly ball in the seventh, and then is hooked. Righty Carlos Torres comes in to whiff AJ. Pinch-hitter Nick Punto grounds out to end the inning.

Colorado scores two more runs off of mop-up man Jamey Wright. I really don’t feel like recapping anymore of this game, since it’s just a replay of yesterday’s suckfest. So let’s just say Colorado scored twice more off of Wright to go up 8-2. Trust me you don’t want to be reminded of that inning.

Rookie Josh Wall comes in to pitch a quiet scoreless bottom of the eighth. Move to the top of the ninth. Carlos Torres serves up a home run to Hanley, and the Dodgers are down by four 8-4. Ethier grounds out. Kennedy walks. Colorado has to bring in Betancourt. AJ flies out to deep center. Pinch-hitter Luis Cruz whiffs to end the game. The Dodgers fall 8-4.

It’s not the trades that are the problem. The team has been playing terrible since mid June. The Dodgers are 27-35 since June 13, and have now lost six of their last eight games, and three in a row. The pitching staff has allowed first inning runs in seven, seven of their last eight games. A huge reason the Dodgers playoff hopes are slipping away is their poor play against the NL west. They are 23-27 against their own division. This was a team that used to own the NL West. The team looks lifeless, and Don Mattingly is not instilling any kind of passion In these guys. I think I have lost like five pounds of sweat this month. This team is giving me and their fans a lot of heartburn right now.

The Dodgers drop to 69-61, and will have the worst pitcher in Baseball take the hill tomorrow. Somehow the Dodgers have to try to pull themselves out of this hole. Joe Blanton will counter Drew Pomeranz in the series finale tomorrow afternoon, as the Dodgers try to avoid the sweep. Go Blue.