...along comes Steve Phillips to say the Dodgers will be just fine:
Look for the Dodgers to start to get hot at just the right time -- heading into September -- and be primed and ready to play some October baseball. But the upcoming series against the Rockies is certainly going to be a big one. Expect the entire state of Colorado to be fired up for it. The Rockies have been an amazing story, but in the end, I just don't think they have the pitching on their roster (1 through 12) to match up with the Dodgers.
Look for Manny to get hot. As the games mean more, his attention will be grabbed and he will get locked back in at the plate. Torre has managed teams in this situation before, and I expect he will draw upon that experience with his veteran coaching staff in this series against Colorado and down the stretch as well. But now that [Chad] Billingsley's back in the rotation, it should make a big difference. The Dodgers have gotten a couple of good starts out of knuckleballer Charlie Haeger, which has been a bonus for them as well. The real impact, though, will be with the return of Hong-Chih Kuo and the addition of George Sherrill to their bullpen. Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has added two high-quality left-handed relievers to an already deep bullpen. This will allow manager Joe Torre to better work matchups in a game and allow him to avoid overworking any one individual over the final month of the regular season. The Dodgers are an exceptional defensive team, and have a very good bullpen and an offense that can score in a number of different ways. All of those strengths have and will continue to make up for any deficiencies in their starting rotation.
If Phillips thinks we'll be fine, our pitching staff will settle down, Manny will get hot, and Torre will manage well under pressure--I'm guessing none of these four things will happen. Holy smokes, now I'm worried.
4 comments:
Steve Phillips is one of the great baseball minds, I mean just look at what he did with Mets...oh wait he got fired for thinking it was a good idea to sign Roberto Alomar, Ricky Henderson (when he was pushing 50) and Bobby Bonilla and he traded away Jason Bay. You are a genius Steve, please keep giving us your opinion.
Could be worse, Rosenthal could have said it.
I heard Rosenthal the other day he had a great analysis:
He said he talked to a "NL GM" say the Rockies are better than the Dodgers. Hmmm probably the Rockies GM. He also said the Dodgers lack of bench depth and Pitching were problems that would "not go away"
Then he started talking about the Cardinals pitching staff and how the roster expansion in Sept.helps all teams with their depth. I guess all teams except the Dodgers whose problems are here to stay.
Steve Phillips just looked at the Dodgers schedule in Sept. for his detailed review.
Steve Phillips simply says that if the Dodgers play the way they are capable of playing, then they should be a contender for the rings.
All true stuff.
So Dodgers take heed and play the way you are capable of playing. No more, no less.
It's the less that drives me crazy.
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