So this is what rock bottom feels like....

Dodgers mount a come back and fall short. Dodgers outhit their opponent and still lose. Dodgers starter keeps the game winnable, Dodgers bullpen blows game. Adrian Gonzalez fights through injury to contribute and its still not enough. 2/3 of the outfield gets hits and steals bases while Andre Ethier just gets to be plain terrible.

No matter how many times we've seen this team have various positives , there's always been a charcoal lining in 2013. In the month of May there has been only one unavoidable truth: The Dodgers lose.

It's like watching a sad movie you've seen before. You know it's gonna suck soon but you sacrifice your well being to see the entire thing through. You sit in front of your TV for hours while the few happy parts entertain you and remind you why you love this movie, all the while distracting you from the inevitable unhappy conclusion that you somehow forgot about completely.

The Dodgers 21st loss of the season was their 8th consecutive heartbreak of the month. An all too familiar result for a franchise that has lost any semblance of home field advantage in 2013. Their 7-12 home record at Chavez Ravine is the 3rd worst in the entire MLB and is the only home record in their division below .555. In a division that has annually become a tightly contested dog fight, the Dodgers (13-21) have already put themselves at the back of the pack and on a leash. 2nd best On Base Percentage in the sport, 2nd lowest run total... alot of bark, no bite.

In a year where the front office was curiously mum on the status of Don Mattingly, they have become even more non committal as the mounting losses have shaken the confidence of everyone including the man himself during his unsettling post game interviews. While president Stan Kasten refuses to show his cards, I cant help but think hes already made up his mind to keep things the way they are. If it didnt look as if Mattingly was on the hot seat after last season, he sure must be now. When it comes to Donnie Baseball the prevailing sentiment is that he's a pretty calm guy that doesn't lose his cool when things get tough (MVP's tend to be that way). Most notably, players love to play for him. But considering they haven't ever been a team with the clutch gene or one that has gotten even remotely close to playoff contention since he took the reigns, it's a curious sentiment...

Jon Heyman put it perfectly when he tweeted:

#dodgers players love donnie baseball, but have funny way of showing it. team cant hit w/ risp. 7 straights Ls. down 5-3.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) May 11, 2013

After this tweet, AJ Ellis did his AJ-thing and had an RBI single in the 8th inning, but like we've all come to expect was stranded at 3rd base when Dee Gordon grounded out to end the threat, and essentially the Dodgers evening. And on an night where all the emotional debris floats to the surface of our collective Dodger-conscious, the exhale comes a little easier knowing that it can't get much worse.

And now you're thinking ...

"Oh really Reis? It's always darkest before the dawn?! Thats all you've got for us!? The most pessimistic Dodger fan on twitter is gonna conclude his once-a-month blog post with the 'hey it has to get better' mantra?!!??!!??"

You'll be happy to know that this 8-game losing streak has only strengthened my jaded thoughts to new heights. This year's combination of health issues, lack of clutchness, and head scratching roster management has left me both angry and happy at the same time. A bizarre malaise of numbness and frustration that allows me to turn on Dodger games each night to cap my day with a torturous act of self loathing.

As anyone who follows me knows, I'm still concerned with whether Don Mattingly is the guy who can get this team to the promise land based upon his unsuccessful albeit brief run as dodgers skipper. The front office has painstakingly clung to the "let's see what he can do with a healthy roster", while the court of public opinion is that eventually this falls on the players.

Regardless of what or who is to blame... (I say it's the depth issues brought on by Ned Colletti's apparent lack for long term vision) the point is that the sad movie has played 8 nights in a row. I haven't been able to turn it off and it's getting to the point where I'm not even noticing the good parts anymore (yea... I had to be informed by Vin Scully Matt Kemp has a 9-game hitting streak going on).

Well respected sports psychologist and good friend Dr. Kenneth Hartline tweeted a nice little uplifting note my way this evening:

 Which brings me to my final point... This is rock bottom. It's not as cold as I'd though it'd be... Wait never mind. Booze gives a false sense of warmth.

Dodgers Start It Off Right in Philadelphia

So we meet again... My apologies for the infrequency to what was becoming pretty frequent banter. So much was happening with this Dodgers club and so much was happening for yours truly at work, that I've just been flat out exhausted trying to keep up with it all. I know, I know... No excuses, blog like a champ.

ANYWAYS... as I'm typing the Los Angeles Kings have now taken a three games to none lead over the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup finals. While my main concern is normally getting that big trophy with all the little flags on it in Los Angeles, it will definitely be fun seeing Lord Stanley's behemoth of a silver cup hoisted around tinsel town. As a child of the 90's, the only hockey that I've ever been interested in was the roller hockey in the cultisac after gaining inspiration from Emilio Estevez and the mighty ducks on VHS. So I haven't been glued to this series but I know some are, and for that... congrats Kings fans, its allllllmost wrapped up!

Alright Dodger fans, back to what we really care about... Baseball. Or should I say injuries with a SIDE of baseball. When we last spoke, Matt Kemp was about to make his triumphant return from a hammy issue and Juan Rivera was soon to follow. Instead what we got was about 24 hours of Kemp in uniform, before an Andre Ethier double to the Left Center gap at Dodger stadium not only scored Kemp from first base, but more importantly led to the re injury of said hamstring. So now we could now be without Matt for an even LONGER stint (rumors are that he might just wait to come back after the all-star break).

Right as Matty was making his comeback, Dodger fans were feeling good about themselves with the next-best San Francisco Giants 5.5 games back. But just as quickly, Matt was gone again and the Dodgers would then lose 6 of 7 games. A stretch that saw the Dodgers, who hadn't even lost 3 in a row in 2012, lose 5 in a row. The division lead had shriveled down to 3 games going into the morning of June 4th, and with the Giants beating up on the hapless Cubs early on Monday, the Dodgers were beginning a 4-game set with the Philadelphia Phillies. With the opposing starting pitcher Worley still in the process of coming back from injury, his pitch count for game one was set at 75. The Dodgers cracked into that count early with a 2 run first inning, and 1 run 2nd.  But as Worley settled down, Kershaw's efficient start disappeared just as quickly on a Placido Polanco 2-run home run to the porch in left field.

After the Dodgers had some grief with balls and strikes called in the middle innings. Two Dodger ejections left the away team without a manager. The rest of the game was a chess match as acting manager Tim Wallach and Charlie Manuel. The tie was broken in the 9th inning as Dee Gordon's lead off triple off of Jonathan Papelbon was followed by an Elian Hererra RBI single through the left side. The Phillies manager had called the infield in to prevent the runner scoring from third, and the ball was hit hard enough between 3rd and SS to allow Gordon to walk his way to home plate. Of all the young guns who've been thrown into action in the wake of all these injuries, Hererra has done enough to keep himself in play for an everyday roll and without his mini-stint of reliability, the Dodgers might have given up their division lead altogether. His heroic diving catch in the 9th inning, preserved Kenley Jansen's save and all but ensured he'll be in the lineup tomorrow.

While Kershaw technically might still be fighting his demons with the no-decision against a Phillies team that doesn't have much power (Howard, Utley on DL), the reality is that he did enough to keep the Dodgers in position for a late game win. He was effective enough to stick around 7 full innings in a hitter friendly park like Citizen's Bank Field. The Dodgers are now 34-21 and refuse to relinquish the MLB's best record. During a very daunting stretch of 20 games in 20 days, where the Dodgers play 4 straight in Philadelphia before flying all the way to Seattle for inter league play, getting wins on days that Kershaw starts is key. So step one has been accomplished, and the Giants are kept at bay for the time being. Its important to get wins against good teams on days where the team that is chasing you (Giants) plays a bottom dweller like the Cubs. 

See you all tomorrow on twitter for game 2 as the Dodgers try to ensure, at the very least, a series split.

Dodgers Refuse to Lose

Well... Somebody had to get to 30 wins first, and at this point, the Los Angeles Dodgers seem to be a team of destiny in 2012. They were destined for new ownership and landed the "dream team". And coming off of their hot finish in 2011, it looked as if the Dodgers were destined to get off to a much stronger start in Don Mattingly's sophomore season as manager. But 30-13 (best record in MLB) and a 7 game division lead (biggest in MLB)? I'm not sure anybody saw this coming. And for the very select (and/or crazy) few who predicted the Dodgers would be the class of Major League Baseball through the first 43 games of 2012, none of them would have predicted the Dodgers would be doing so with out the help of one of the league's best all around players.

The Dodgers were off to a hot first month, and as the calendar turned to the month of May, they began to face some adversity and attrition. Opening day starters Juan Rivera, Matt Kemp, and Juan Uribe were all on the disabled list when the defending world champs came to Dodger Stadium last weekend. Don Mattingly started to write lineup cards that looked so bad, I was forced to coin the phrase "Kemp-ocalypse". Even one of the Dodgers most reliable players in 2B Mark Ellis experienced a freak injury that almost cost him his leg (literally). The thought was that the Dodgers would HAVE to regress with the call ups of Van Slyke, Sands, Hererra, DeJesus, and Sellers combined with the miniature benchings of James Loney and Dee Gordon . But in the last week, all six have made considerable (even heroic) contributions to the club's current 6-game winning streak. Between Scott Van Slyke's 7th inning 3-run home run at Dodger stadium on Sunday to complete the sweep of the Cardinals, and Tuesday night's 2RBI double by Ivan DeJesus while trailing a run with 2 outs in the 9th inning in Arizona, the Dodgers continue to get help from various lesser known players on a daily basis.

Los Angeles has a chance to complete their second consecutive series sweep and what would be their 6th of the season. The idea of this ball club getting one of the league's best everyday players back in CF (Kemp in a week), and one of the league's best utility players in back on the bench (Hairston in a few days), makes it hard to believe that the Dodgers can't build upon their lead in the standings before the All-Star break. Somebody had to get to 30 wins first, and with the four biggest payrolls in the sport (Angels, Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox) struggling just to stay in contention, it only makes sense that a team full of triple-A regulars would help an injury riddled club storm to 17 games over .500. Everyday someone else is taking their turn being the hero. The 2012 season was set up to be a season of destiny.... so far, so good. OH, soooo good.

Dodgers sweep Rockies, Have Most Wins in Baseball

It seems as if the Dodgers plan on making the most of their long stretch of inter divisional games in the month of May. The boys in blue have taken 5 of their last 6 over the Giants and Rockies after returning home from a dismal 2-4 road trip. Not only have the last few games helped the Dodgers return to having the best record in baseball with 23 wins, But Los Angeles also owns the best home record in baseball at 15-3 and the largest division lead at 6 games. So much has happened since we last spoke...

The Dodgers had 3 players home run in the series opener on Friday night. They had three very similar swings result all in fly outs at the center field warning track on Saturday night.  But the Dodgers were able to win both games As the embattled Dodgers 3rd baseman Juan Uribe got off of the proverbial shneid on Friday night as he hit his first home run in almost an entire year and then had an important RBI single in a low-scoring 2-1 affair in which the Dodgers won on Saturday.

While last years bunch of Dodgers quickly learned that the only way they could win games was in pain stakingly low scoring affairs, this years club has proven that they can win in all types of ways. Through the first month of the season, it was the RBI machine of Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier doing all the work while their supporting cast was helpful yet relatively quiet. But as the month turned to May and Matt Kemp with his nagging hamstring issues has gone cold, its been time for everyone else's close up. This most recent home stand has seen extra base hits and RBI's from Mark Ellis, James Loney, AJ Ellis, Tony Gwynn Jr, Bobby Abreu, and Juan Uribe.

Such a contribution could not have been timed any better, as Sunday's final game of the series with the Rockies saw Colorado jump out to the 3 run lead before the Dodgers had even recorded an out.  After Dodgers staert Ted Lilly had settled down and the Dodgers had cut into said lead with runs in the 1st and 2nd, Matt Kemp left the game at the end of the 3rd inning with a re-aggravated sore hammy. Right fielder Andre Ethier and Manager Don Mattingly were soon to follow after receiving consecutive ejections in the 5th inning. Despite those subtractions, the Dodgers were able to over come a 4-2 deficit, with a bases clearing 3-rbi double by Bobby Abrea batting in Kemp's slot. Another 3 runs were plated by a 3-run AJ Ellis home run to the left field pavilion. After the eventful 6 run frame, the Dodgers never looked back.

Some observations that I had to make:

• Andre Ethier gets ejected on his own themed "Tote-Bag" giveaway day because of a strikeout pitch that looked like a pretty good pitch. Even more ironic than his promotional toss out, was that it came with his mother in attendance for the mothers day festivities. He had some good words and quality expletives with the home plate umpire. Which begs the question, "does he kiss his mother with that mouth?"

• Matt Kemp's hamstring issue has been classified as sore, which was exactly what scratched him from the lineup in Chicago. I have a feeling that subliminally, Mattingly has been trying to keep Matt Kemp's games played streak (best in majors) alive for Matt's sake. It was clear how angry he was when he was asked to leave the game, after Donny spoke with the training staff. I say the Dodgers just shut him down for a few days and get him fully right, so he can get back to being the best hitter in the sport.

• AJ Ellis had his career high in RBI's on Sunday after having been moved into the 6th spot in the lineup. Mattingly says he's comfortable with AJ's bat in his more traditional 8 hole, but the guy is 3rd in all of baseball in on-base percentage. I'm thinking that everyone benefits from AJ batting 6 or 7. His numbers can hang with any catcher in baseball at this point, and while his career might not jump off the page as Mr. Sexy, he has quietly helped this club reach the best record in baseball through 34 games. He currently holds a streak of 23 games where he has reached base safely. I say good for him, the 31 year old has definitely earned it.

• Juan Rivera's ruptured hammy has led to a week of firsts for Dodgers rookie Scotty Van Slyke. In his first game appearance on Wednesday night, Scott had his first RBI in his first at-bat. On Sunday afternoon, he saw his first MLB defensive experience after Ethier's ejection. After that, he went up to the plate and got two RBI's out of his first extra base hit (double to the LC gap). I've never been a fan of platoons, but with the way Tony Gwynn has played (both his bat and glove), and the way Van Slyke has flashed his swing and arm in the last few days, I could see these two being starters based on the lefty/righty match ups.

TDB: Odds and Ends

The Dodgers wrapped up their first 2012 series with the San Francisco Giants last night by pulling away from Tim Lincecum and Company. Tony Gwynn Jr.'s pinch hit triple cleared the bases and made the chances of the Dodgers losing another low scoring, 2-1 type game disappear. Not to often are you going to see the Dodgers beat a two-time Cy Young winner when their own starter has thrown 85 pitches through 4 innings. But last night was the exception to the rule, as the clutch pinch hit, combined with Jamey Wright's solid 2 innings of relief shut down the Giants offense. Which allowed manager Don Mattingly to avoid digging deep into his bullpen.

Speaking of Mattingly... Only a few hours after I was tearing his decisions from Tuesday night apart on my podcast, he looked like a pure genius by having TGJr. bat in Chad Billingsley's spot in the bottom of the fourth. The game was heading in the direction of a loss as the Dodgers righthander had been fighting his stuff from the jump, and Timmy was dealing. So when the bases were loaded with one out in the 4th, Donny obviously felt it could potentially be his team's only chance to jump all over the Giants. Mattingly took his shot, and Chad was not thrilled. After he was called back from the on-deck circle, he immediately smacked his bat on the ground of the dugout before sitting down and cooling his jets. Fortunately for Chad he was off the hook of a loss after the pinch hit. Unfortunately for Chad he had not reached the five inning minimum to be in line for the win. Considering how badly he was missing locations, he can call it a wash.

So its the day off for 'Dem Bums (20-11) but The Dodger Blog never takes a day off, whether it be by blog, podcast, facebook, or twitter. So with that being said, lets dive into whats going around the Dodger Town:

• Scott Van Slyke made his Major League debut last night with an RBI, broken-bat single pinch hit in the late innings. I could give an entire diatribe about what Andy's son may or may not do for the Dodgers this season, but the reality is Mike Petriello over at the blog "Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness" already did so.
• Van Slyke is currently occupying Juan Rivera's spot on the roster while Rivera spends the time being on the disabled list with a strained or "sore" left hamstring. So far this season the "H-word" has been the fly in the ointment for the Dodgers' training staff. Iron man Matt Kemp, the owner of Major League Baseballs longest games played streak, missing a start last week in Chicago (he still looks a step slow as we speak), Jerry Hairston Jr. having the last few games off as he's trying to stay off the disabled list himself, and now Rivera is gone. The Dodgers are hoping that this hamstring fiasco follows the rule of bad things coming in three's, and that there won't be a fourth hammy issue before the end of may.
• The Dodger Blog got a little bit of a face lift today. Seeing as I'm in the plastic surgery capital of the country (Hollywood), it only seemed natural. Hopefully, the loyal few followers of TDB find the page a little easier on the eyes and the mouse pad. You no longer have to go constantly scrolling through past posts when looking for any previous pod casts. There's a little player just to your right hand side where you can find the latest audio from TDB.

The Dodgers still share the best record in the National League and we're over a month into the season. While I'm not completely sold that this team is the real deal quite yet, there is definitely an air of confidence and positivity in the Dodgers club house this year that seems to breeding success. Good evening to you, wherever you may be.

Hump Day at TDB

It looks as if my guest article about the Dodgers' everday depth on Mike Petriello's popular Dodger fan blog "Mike Sciosia's Tragic Illness" has spurred some quality debate on how the organization should go forward. Building around special pieces like Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw, is going to be paramount over the next calendar year (if new ownership looks to start making an immediate run at some titles).

Here's another TDB Podcast recapping last nights defeat and previewing the final game of the home series with Atlanta.

listen to ‘ TDB recaps last nights loss and previews the rubber match as #dodgers wrap up 3-game series with #braves.’ on Audioboo

Cheers

Pre-Game Pod Casts...

While we might have benefited from waiting until the batting lineup for today's game with the Astros had been posted before recording TDB's first-ever podcast, the thoughts on the Dodgers are hopefully relevant nonetheless. Have a great start to your weekend. Think Blue.

listen to ‘The first ever podcast from The Dodger Blog is a preview of the #Dodgers and #Astros in the 2nd game of the series’ on Audioboo

Today's starting lineup:

Gordon SS 

Kennedy 2B 

Kemp CF 

Ethier RF 

Rivera LF 

Loney 1B 

Sellers 3B 

AJ Ellis C 

Kershaw P

TDB's Odds and Ends

The Los Angeles Dodgers have MLB's best record after the first 10 games of the season,. The team's 9-1 record has the Dodgers off to their best start since their World Title season of 1981. The team has benefited from the piping hot start of Matt Kemp, who recently received his 2nd straight (3rd straight if you count last season's final week)"player of the week" award. Kemp is off to a MLB best .487 batting average (among players with at least 30 at-bats), and leads all of baseball in HR's (6), RBI's (16) and runs (13). Looks as if Kemp is doing his best to remind everyone that he certainly is the player who deserved last season's MVP and has the ability to remain in that form, year in and year out. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise for ALL Dodgers, fans and teammates alike, that Matt didn't win the award last season. Because it certainly seems as if Matt is determined to prove all those Braun voters wrong. Here are a few other thoughts I have after seeing the Dodgers' first home stand:

- I think that Andre Ethier has gotten back that spark he once had (especially at home), and I think part of that comes from that fact that Kemp is doing what he has. Professional athletes are extremely competitive beings, and just being around the MVP-type caliber of Matt Kemp's play (both being beside him in the outfield and near him in the lineup, Ethier is going to feel compelled to at least TRY and best Kemp's contribution. Lest we forget, it IS a contract year. And if Ethier can put together a healthy season with numbers that rival that of Kemp's, then he can sit down with the GM and say "you gave this guy 180 mill, and we're neck and neck in stats, lets talk big money".

- If any team was due for the fortunes in close games to fall in their favor this year, it had to be the Dodgers. But their early season success isn't simply the law of averages finally giving the Dodgers a few W's. The proof is in the pudding. The Dodgers proved last season that you can have the best position player and pitcher in baseball, and still find ways to lose close games. And it came from the rest of the lineup being extremely underwhelming. While Ned Colletti put together another one of his annual bargain bin free agency shopping sprees. This years crop of yawn-inducing 1 and 2-year contracts actually seem to be providing a little bit of balance. I hate giving Colletti ANY kind of credit but this roster feels stronger than last years.

* AJ Ellis gets on base, Dioner Navarro/Rod Barajas never did.
* Mark Ellis = Jamey Carroll with stronger bat/glove
* Adam Kennedy and Jerry Hairston platooning = Less Uribe.
* Capuano and Harang > Kuroda and a vacant 5th slot
* Keeping Juan Rivera around works with protection Kemp and/or Ethier

- Dee Gordon will continue to give us the maddening ups and downs that are guaranteed when you have a rookie starter in his first full season. Take yesterday for example: letting a fairly easy ball get right by him costing Kershaw a chance at the win. But that play was preceded by a fantastic over the shoulder catch, and followed by a heroic 2-strike walk-off single through the left side of the infield. Patience is a virtue when it comes to following the paths of rookies with electric talent like Dee's. They tend to handle the extremely hard plays with ease, and botch the easy ones. But the end result to these growing pains could be something beautiful.

- It's GREAT to have Vin Scully back in the booth at Dodger Stadium after getting over a serious cold that kept him bed ridden for a number of days. Dodger Stadium celebrated their 50th anniversary on opening day and there was a glaring absence. The man who has been the voice of the Dodgers for every one of those 50 seasons (and then some) fortunately returned in time to help Major League baseball celebrate Jackie Robinson Day. His first hand accounts of Jackie breaking the color barrier and forever changing history, could never be replaced. For a moment there, we all got a glimpse of what life is going to be like when Vin is no longer the voice of the Dodgers. Odds are the organization will find a suitable talent to fill the booth when Vin has decided to call it a career. But you can't ever replace a legend, and those few games reminded us how lucky we all are to have the standard in hall of fame broadcasting.


Cheers.