Dodgers Continue To Sink as Overpaid Aging Roster Declines

Dan Haren was pathetic yet again as the Dodgers lost their second consecutive road series . Wednesday evening the Dodgers fell to two games behind the Giants in the NL West after losing the series finale to the Pirates by a score of 6-1.

Stacie had a dream that perhaps Haren wouldn’t suck horribly. But alas, we all had that dream. Too bad that dream did not come true. Instead we had the usual Haren nightmare and the offense folded like a chair yet again.

Haren couldn’t even get out of the first inning again, allowing four earned runs on three hits and two walks. Haren looked like his usual self as he allowed a single to Gregory Polanco to lead-off the bottom  of the first inning. Travis Snider singled, and somehow Haren and the Dodgers got lucky when Andrew McCutchen lined out to Uribe. Then Haren walked Neil Walker, and former Dodger Russell Martin to walk in a run. Ike Davis’s sacrifice fly to left plated the second run.

Dodgers  1 5 0

Pirates     6 9 0

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LP-Haren-8-8

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The nightmare continued when Josh Harrison’s line drive double down the left field line scored two more runs to put the Pirates up 4-0. The only way the Dodgers even got out of the first inning was by intentionally walking Jordy Mercer and opposing starter Francisco Liriano’s line out to right finally ended it.

The game was over after that. It’s the typical script. The Dodgers can only win when they get an early lead. If they fall behind early, they give up. We already know Haren stinks, but what’s the offenses excuse?

The Dodgers continued to make horrible management decisions by sitting Yasiel Puig and Hanley Ramirez, even though they both could have probably played. Especially Puig who looked just fine to me, and even got into the game as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Miguel Rojas filled in at shortstop. Why the club didn’t play the multi-talented Justin Turner is beyond me. More horrible decisions from management. The club needed to win this game, and in order to do that they needed to outscore Haren’s horrendous pitching. They needed at least 6 runs or more. They needed to win this game more than they needed to rest guys and play with a short bench.

But the club is so shortsighted, they couldn’t see this. The opposing starter Francisco Liriano who’s only win of the year came against the Dodgers, picked up his second win, easily shutting down the Dodger’s listless offense. Liriano limited the Dodgers to just one measly run on four hits over seven frames. Not hard to do when the Dodgers give up. Liriano walked two and whiffed four.

Haren gave up one more run, a solo home run to Travis Snider in the bottom of the second that made it a 5-0 game. Now Haren did settle down to retire eleven Bucs in a row, but it didn’t matter, The club had already given up at that point.

The only run the Dodgers scored was in the top of the sixth. Turner led off with a pinch-hit single, and Gordon’s double sent him to third. Matt Kemp’s grounder scored Turner and that was it. The Dodgers had just five hits. The Pirate’s bullpen easily shut the door for the final two innings. Justin Wilson, and Jared Hughes, real relievers allowed two walks and one single to pitch the final two frames and sealed the win for Pittsburgh. The Pirates end up winning five out of seven from the Dodgers this season.

The Dodgers are simply incapable of winning consistently this season. They still have yet to win four consecutive games, and three good weeks of Baseball does not make a championship caliber club. The Dodger’s overpaid and aging roster looks worse and worse each day.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Now the Dodgers must go into the lion’s den of San Francisco for a three game series beginning on Friday evening. If they don’t win at least two out of three, then I am afraid it will be the end for the Dodger’s divisional hopes as they don’t play the Giants again until September.

Thursday is an off-day for the club and they should be thinking about making some tough decisions. Thus far management has done nothing to improve the roster at all. Not one move has been made other than shifting players on and off the disabled list.

For 230 million dollars the Dodgers should be a lot better than this. They shouldn’t be trotting out the same injury riddled overpaid declining veterans that aren’t getting the job done. They shouldn’t be playing every game with a short bench. They shouldn’t be blocking younger healthier better players because they refuse to jettison some of the washed up veterans.

Until the club dumps some of these declining veterans and starts to make some tweaks to the roster than they will continue to play mediocre unimpressive Baseball. As we move closer to the July 31 trade deadline, the incredible run of the 2013 season remains a distant fluky memory.

Friday night the Dodgers will have Zack Greinke counter Tim Lincecum in the series opener at 7:15 PM