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 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.

15 Days of Kemp-ocalypse

Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp picked up in 2012 where he left off in the final months of his 2011 MVP campaign. He broke out of the gates by leading the majors in almost every single meaningful statistical category. But then something happened... Wrigley Field happened. A ballpark that is mostly known for its century plus curse which breaks the heart of Cub's fans annually, is now Matt Kemp's house of horrors. Not only were the cold whipping winds of Chicago's north side refusing to let each of Matty's hits get past the warning track, but the infamous infield, so poorly manicured that you can count the dirt clods on your living room TV,  was loose enough for Kemp to take a wrong step and trigger a hammy issue. An issue that he bravely battled for nearly a week before the Dodgers were forced to place him on the 15-day disabled list.

The reality has set in since Monday night, when the Dodgers weren't able to slip the ailing Kemp into the 2nd game of the Arizona series for a pinch hit appearance. His league leading consecutive games played streak ended at an impressive 399, while the new leader is a slugger who also cashed in this last off season, Prince Fielder. Despite Matt's absence, the Dodgers were able to ride the team's momentum to take the series with a game 2 win. Unfortunately that momentum came to a screeching halt on Tuesday as we were all exposed to this team's complexion without our shining star. And it went something like this

1. Dee Gordon (who unfortunately hasn't blossomed in his first chance to have a full MLB season as a starter... hitting around .200)
2. Mark Ellis (actually had a great night going 3 for 4 with a HR, but with out any production on either side)
3. Scott Van Slyke (making his "starting" MLB debut, and for all his minor league success, this is MATT KEMP's slot for gosh sakes)
4. Andre Ethier (who made what might be his ONLY career start in CF...)
5. AJ Ellis (the team's anchor all season at the 8th spot, was in the spot light at 5 and stunk)
6. Jerry Sands (you might remember him from last season, but he had JUST gotten to called up that day)
7. James Loney (who seems to be losing his job by the day as he had another sad 0-4)
8. Justin Sellers (last guy to make the opening day roster... enough said)
9. Pitchers spot

 Soooo... the Dodgers started 4 rookies and managed 1 run. Sounds about right.

Then there was day 2 of what I'm affectionately describing as the "Kemp-ocalypse". This is what life would look like without Matt, and if this Dodgers lineup was a person's face, it would be the before picture in all of those pro-active acne ads. OK maybe its not that terrible, but my gosh, this team feels 200% more beatable without the 1-2 punch of Matt and 'Dre. Then Mattingly gave us this little gem:

1. Tony Gwynn (it was nice seeing an actual CFer starting in CF but its tough not seeing Dee's speed somewhere in the lineup)
2. Elian Herrera (his 2nd day as a Major Leaguer and he got to spell Mark Ellis with a 1st inning double)
3. Bobby Abreu (aquired to be a bat off the bench, he had a token basehit in the 9th)
4. Andre Ethier (order was restored with Andre being back in RF, and after his RBI in the first, he didnt do much)
5. Jerry Sands (day 2 with the 2012 club and he also gets another start, this time giving Loney the day off at 1B)
6. Justin Sellers (this time Sellers took his steady glove over to SS, but predictably did nothing with his bat)
7. Adam Kennedy (only thing worse than this guy's non production, is that blank look he always has)
8. Matt Traenor (it was AJ Ellis' day off, and Matt did have a double but who can replace Aj's OBP.... sadly no one)
9. Pitchers spot 

Soooo... The Dodgers start 3 rookies and 4 backups... 2 run loss to the NL's worst team? Sounds about right.

And now we dig in for the third day of the Kemp-ocalypse. We'll surely see another lineup that we all dislike in Thursday night's wrap up of the mini 2-game series at Petco Park. And as hard as it is having to just make sense of these lineups, its even harder for Don Mattingly  to frantically piece together the Kemp-less, Uribe-less, and Rivera-less puzzle on a daily basis. Injuries are a part of all sports, and the art of overcoming such attrition is why baseball managers get paid so much money. But the 15-day managerial purgatory that Mattingly has been faced with during the absence of his best player, is a challenge that no one would ever desire. Fortunately for the Dodgers and their 0-2 record of Kemp-ocalypse, is the fact that the next closest team in the NL West standing (SF Giants) have lost on consecutive nights as well. Meaning the lead is still at 6 games, and Dodger Nation can take a collective breath of relief. 

I hope you all have put together your Kemp-ocalypse Survival Kits. I have included large amounts of gauze to wrap my head, considering the next 12 days will include a lot of banging my head against the wall. For now, we have to cross our fingers and weather the storm (and hope the new Dodger ownership notices how this team feels with out Kemp). See you all on May 29th, I'll be giving out high fives, hugs and hand shakes.

The "Matt and Andre Show" Continues...

Another day, another Dodgers win over a less than stellar opponent. But the reality of an 11-3 start is that you still have to play those 14 games regardless of the opponent, and see where the ball falls. With the exception of back to back nights where the "play-at-the-plate" odds fell in the Milwaukee Brewer's favor, the Dodgers clawed back with a gritty low scoring win going away. The salvage game of the series wouldn't have been possible if not for the continually ridiculous offensive contribution from the 1-2 punch of Kemp and Ethier. Less than 30 hours after Javy Guerra's MLB leading 6th save in the upper midwest, Don Mattingly's Dodgers were calling upon Guerra once again to close the door. Only this time, the task took place "deep in the heart of Texas".

The Dodgers began the first half of their 6-game road trip in Houston Texas, calling upon veteran starter Ted Lilly for a quality outing. Lilly delivered and the rest of the pieces fell into the same places they have been lately. Matt Kemp put the Dodgers in front early with an opposite field 2-run home run to right field, while his bash-brother, Andre Ethier, extended the lead to 3-0 with an RBI single in the top of the 3rd inning. Jerry Hairston Jr. played stellar defense to keep the opponent at bay. Kenley Jansen threw a few good ol' country fastballs. And finally, Guerra came into close the door for another early season Dodgers win. It's a pretty iron clad game plan the Dodgers have used to get off to the most wins in the MLB, but the reality is that no team can maintain this sort of torrid pace on the backs of only two players.

Matt Kemp's production will likely have to slow down at some point and the same can be said for Andre Ethier. With Andre being in the best health we've seen in years, and Matt being, well... Matt, it's not exactly clear when this eventual break in the offensive madness might take place. But when the numbers cool down, it will take a slightly more balanced offense from the rest of the Los Angeles Dodgers to sustain success through the bulk of the season. As the dog-days of summer set in, its going to take a few more working parts for the "blue crew" to make it out the other side and into October. Some well timed base hits from AJ Ellis and a little more patience at the plate from Dee Gordon and/or James Loney should be a step in the proper direction. But while Ethier and Kemp continue their historic start, those other minor deficiencies will continue to be a footnote in this better-tan-expected April.

If you had told me this past off-season that the Dodgers would be the 2nd Major League team to 11 wins and all that would take place before reigning Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw had gotten his first win of the season, I'd say you're crazy. But this is where we are. The Dodgers are still hot into late April, while Kershaw somehow still winless through 3 starts despite a respectable 2.35 ERA. Hopefully four times a charm, when the Dodgers look to win their 2nd road series of this young season. Tomorrow's first pitch is scheduled for 4:05 PT. There's no reason to believe that Kemp and/or Ethier wont continue their amazing offense, but if for some reason they don't, Kershaw will definitely need a less likely hero to join the RBI party and continue the Dodgers' winning ways.

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.

Matt, Andre, and those other guys

The San Diego Padres' let Matt Latos get away during the past off-season, effectively leaving the Padres with out a true "ace" on their staff. But after three straight losses to begin the season, the Padres' #4 starter, Clayton Richard, gave the home crowd at Petco Park about as good of an effort they will get this season. The left-hander continued his success against the Dodgers, bringing his career record to 5-1. The Dodgers had not started a season 4-0 since the World Championship season of 1981, and with the Dodgers batting lineup only producing 4 hits, that streak will continue for at least another year.

The one bright spot on the day that ended the eternal quest for 162? The Dodgers bash brothers continued their torrid pace to begin the year. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier closed out the uneventful final game with a 2-run HR each. That makes 3 doubles, a triple, 3 home-runs and 16 RBI's between the two of them in the 4-game series. It seems Matt has shaken off the spring training rust that led to the slightly alarming strikeout rate. And it also seems as if Ethier is back to the successful early season form of 2011 (prior to the infamous pinky injury).

With the two outfielders getting off to such a positive start during the first three games of this young season, I was surprised this morning to see the batting order. Mattingly decided to wedge Juan Rivera between the two power hitters. Whether it was an attempt to stretch the lineup, have a little more balance of power in the middle, or simply have a right-hander batting cleanup on the lefty starter, it confused me that he would mess with a good thing. When you have a true 3 hitter like Kemp, and a true 4 like Ethier, their bats tend to protect each other like Manny used to do for both them a few years back. I don't care which handed pitcher is on the mound, Ethier already had a home-run off of a lefty in the pitcher friendly Petco and Juan Rivera certainly isn't Manny. I also felt it was a little early in the season to start giving Mark Ellis the courtesy "day off" when his bat was getting off to a decent start and Sellers had come into the season barely making the roster. Those moves among others seemed a little conservative on a weekend where the Dodgers could have thoroughly stepped on the Padres' throat.

With all that being said, Dodgers fans will take 3 out of 4 everyday of the week and twice on Sundays (better yet, make that on Easter Sundays). The 2012 season has gotten off to a positive start and it looks as if Kershaw's health has fortunately improved. The sellout opening day crowd will get to revere their Cy Young hero as originally planned. Between the new owner Magic Johnson and Clayton Kershaw, I'm not sure who gets the bigger standing ovation on Tuesday night. Either one is a beautiful choice, I say they ride in on a chariot pulled by Lasorda in a golf cart. Then they can hold hands like those two kids in that Hunger Games movie my girlfriend made me watch. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your Easter weekend.

As Vin would say, "Goodnight everybody."