Dodgers Diaries

Managers always take the fall when a team plays badly. But you have to wonder what Arizona’s owners were thinking when they fired both their GM and field manager A.J. Hinch. If the weekend’s series between the Dodgers and D-backs is any indication, they haven’t seen their team play.

Sure, the Diamondbacks exploded for 12 runs against an unusually permissive Hiroki Kuroda on Friday. But they also gave up five runs in that loss. The D-Backs’ performances Saturday and Sunday were more indicative of a team that has lost 50 games at the halfway point of the season.

On Saturday, Arizona’s defense made six errors, allowing eight unearned runs in a 14-1 drubbing. Tony Abreu, whom the Dodgers traded for Jon Garland last season, made three subbing for shortstop Stephen Drew. Many lamented the loss of a top prospect, but Abreu’s fielding clinic demonstrated his shortcomings as an infielder. Were he still with Los Angeles, Abreu would be looking for a position to play.

On Sunday, 16 Diamondbacks failed to put the ball in play against a trio of Dodger pitchers. Chad Billingsley led the way with 8 Ks, and Hong Chih Kuo got all six of his outs via the whiff. Jonathan Broxton, appearing in an actual save situation for the first time since June 9 (seriously!) got two more strikeouts and his 17th save.

Let’s give credit to the Dodgers for throwing the 48 pitches that prevented the Arizona hitters from putting the ball in play. Billingsley shows signs that he is retuning to the form he demonstrated just before going on the DL (and thankfully not the woes he experienced the first month of the season). Kuo has been the Dodgers’ most reliable reliever, and his omission from the All-Star roster has only to do with the fact that he’s not a starter or closer. Broxton is once again Broxton.

But let’s not blame A.J. Hinch. He’s still 36, younger than many active ballplayers. He should get another chance to manage, and with luck, it will be with a team that has some talent, and with an ownership that will give him longer than 14 months to turn things around.

-- JOHN ROSENTHAL