Offensive Woes

by Art.

NAME	GP	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA
Matt Kemp	8	26	2	7	0	1	0	9	.269
R. Martin	9	29	4	3	0	3	6	10	.103
Andruw Jones	9	31	0	4	0	1	3	10	.129
Juan Pierre	7	18	0	3	0	1	0	1	.167

Our reliance on our pitching is becoming unfair. The Dodgers have scored three or fewer runs in six of their nine games, four of those games accounting for almost all of their five losses on the season. It's a tribute to Dodger pitching that we've been able to salvage and win two of those six.

Of all of the Dodger bats no one looks worse then Andruw Jones who started the day on the bench in today's 4-3 loss against Arizona. It's a joy to watch him play the outfield but it's a chore to watch him bat. He just looks over matched out there.

This is nothing new to the Dodgers who have struggled at the plate since the early nineties when I remember begging for a hit when runners were in scoring position. So far in this young season the Dodgers have stranded 132 runners. Let me say that again, 132!!!! Their wins haven't looked much better then their losses: in their four wins this season they've averaged 12.75 stranded runners a game meanwhile that number balloons when they lose to 16.2. If they were able to score just two of those 16.2 well then you're looking at 6-3 record, which would put them in a tie for first with Arizona instead of three games back.

It's only nine games into the season and it's crazy to panic or to read too much into what's going on yet. Martin will get better, Kemp is on his way back, and Jones might carry last year's slump into this year but he can't be this bad all season so there is reason to be hopeful, I just hope we don't blow out our pitching before then.