Dodgers Need Ace Up Their Sleeve
The Dodgers have a great bullpen, but unless their two young aces come around that will not matter in the playoffs.
Chad Billingsley has had his head down a lot lately.
No need to worry about the Dodgers making the playoffs — what seemed a growing concern a couple weeks ago now seems as distant as Manny Ramirez’s suspension. Los Angeles is playing well again, 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Dodgers will make the playoffs and could well have the best record in the National League.
The problem is, getting to the playoffs and winning in them are two different things. Winning in the playoffs is largely about pitching — and while the Dodgers bullpen is great right now a couple of potential aces are out of the Dodgers starting deck.
Unless Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw come around fast, the Dodgers will be out fast.
Kershaw was maybe the Dodgers best pitcher through the heat of the summer and seemed like nothing could stop him — except for an outfield wall, it turns out. On Sept 6 he crashed into the outfield wall while shagging fly balls during batting practice. He injured his non-throwing shoulder.
This week, Kershaw is scheduled to pitch out of the bullpen. The question is not really if his stuff is still good, but rather will he be able to field the position and bat with a bum shoulder. You can expect him on the mound, but with time off right now exactly how good he will be remains a question mark.
Billingsley is more of a problem. He started the season 9-3 with a 2.72 ERA, but since then has gone 3-7 with a 5.40 ERA — and nobody seems to know what is wrong. Billingsley’s outings tend to go well for a couple innings then comes the one disastrous inning where he gives up enough runs to cost the Dodgers the game. To be fair, he has not gotten a lot of run support lately either, and the combination has turned the Dodger ace into a worry.
Billingsley is trying to work through it and Torre is giving him the space — largely because he has no choice. The Dodgers didn’t trade for an ace at the deadline, so Kershaw and Billingsley are it. The Dodgers have other guys who can pitch, who can start playoff games, on their roster, but only Kershaw and Billingsley are the ones who can strike fear in the hearts of opponents. Who can dominate from the mound every outing.
And if they don’t start doing that soon the post season will be a short one for the Dodgers.
