NewsSarah's Take: Pitching is key in 2010
Starters Wolf, Padilla deserve to be re-signed
By Sarah D. Morris / Special to Dodgers.com
10/23/09 9:08 PM ET
On Wednesday night, the Dodgers had their playoff hopes dashed when the Philadelphia Phillies earned the right to go to their second consecutive World Series. Again, the Dodgers couldn't stop the hard-hitting Phillies. Although the Dodgers had the best record in the National League, they didn't play well in the National League Championship Series.From Opening Day to their last game, the Dodgers played with incredible heart, which enabled them to have many dramatic come-from-behind wins. This team endeared themselves to every fan who watched them. They worked hard to improve over last season's performance. For almost the entire season, it looked like the Dodgers were going to the World Series for the first time since 1988. However, it wasn't meant to be.
Although the Dodgers were great, the Phillies were better in the NLCS. The Phillies hitters can hit home runs seemingly at will while the Dodgers need to link hits together to score. Against Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez, not many teams can put together hits. Before the series began, everyone knew the Phillies have had problems with their bullpen, but it performed well in this series.
All this year, the Dodgers had relied on their fantastic pitching. When they needed it the most, it wasn't there. They received two good starts, and they never had a good performance from their league-best bullpen. Their weak pitching cost them a trip to the World Series.
During this offseason, the Dodgers must get better pitching to compete with the elite teams in baseball. General manager Ned Colletti needs to re-sign Randy Wolf and Vicente Padilla. He must decide whether Chad Billingsley will be the starter that the Dodgers think he can be or whether he needs to be traded. The Dodgers need another good starter.
This season, Clayton Kershaw showed tremendous growth as a starter. Since May, he was the best Dodgers starter. He pitched the game that clinched the NL West title for the Dodgers, and he did well against the St. Louis Cardinals in his first start in the playoffs. The Phillies proved to be too much for the 21-year-old kid. Kershaw will get better and lead the Dodgers soon.
Jonathan Broxton once again blew an important save in Game 4 of the NLCS. He will recover from this and be his dominating self again. However, the Dodgers must have starters who can pitch longer into the games to give the bullpen more rest to preserve its strength and effectiveness if they want to be a better team.
The Dodgers' defense was tremendous. They never made an error during the playoffs. Since most of the fielders will return, the Dodgers organization doesn't need to worry about defense.
Although the Dodgers scored the fourth-most runs in the National League, they must improve their offense. Russell Martin and Rafael Furcal will have better hitting in 2010. In 2009, they didn't hit the way we know they can. Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier had awesome performances in 2009, but they will be better next year.
The Dodgers must do something with Manny Ramirez, who didn't hit well after coming back from his 50-game suspension, and this hurt the Dodgers' run production greatly. I hope he won't return, but the likelihood of that isn't good. If he doesn't want to be a Dodger again, I want to see Colletti pursue Matt Holliday, a great hitter in his prime. If Ramirez wants to play for the Dodgers again, he needs to be on the bench and let Juan Pierre play. Although Pierre doesn't have power, he brings something that the Dodgers need -- speed. His incredible speed will create more runs than an aging power hitter.
Although the Dodgers made it to the NLCS, I'm disappointed with their play. They need better pitching and need to be able to generate more runs even against the best pitching in baseball. The old saying, "Wait 'til next year," fits this Dodgers team.
Sarah D. Morris is the editor of Sarah's Dodger Place. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
