Wednesday the Philadelphia Phillies eliminated the Dodgers from the playoffs

Saturday, October 18, 2008

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The Dodgers Overcome Injuries to Go to the Playoffs

Copyrighted by Sarah D. Morris, 2008

Wednesday the Philadelphia Phillies eliminated the Dodgers from the playoffs. All Dod= ger fans and players are disappointed, but the 2008 Dodgers gave us thrills and dreams that we hadn’t experienced for the last twenty years.

It was a miracle for the Dodgers to reach the playoffs this season. Many Dodger fans thought it was guaranteed for the Dodgers t= o go to the playoffs when they hired Joe Torre as their manager last November. However, I didn’t. Late August I remember I wanted the baseball seaso= n to end quickly because I thought the Dodgers were going nowhere. September can= be either fun or awful for baseball writers. This September the Dodgers made it fun for me.

From spring training, it looked like it was not the Dodger year. The Dodgers lost two possible third basemen within fifteen minutes. Any team who does that a= nd survives is a remarkable team. Without the emergence of Blake DeWitt, gener= al manager Ned Colletti probably would have been forced to trade for a suitable third baseman. This probably would have forced him = to break up the young Dodger nucleus. Though Colletti obtained Casey Blake in July, he didn’t trade a valuable player to get him.

Throughout the season, the Dodgers dealt with debilitating injuries. Most fans think a successful baseball team has a set lineup. The Dodgers didn’t have an established lineup until September. It seemed every time the Dodgers turned around another player was going on the disabled list. Not many teams can go= to the playoffs when they have many injuries, but the Dodgers did. =

Although the Dodgers had the lowest ERA in the National League, they suffered injuri= es to the pitching staff, which ultimately cost them the pennant. At one point= in June, the Dodgers had 40 percent of their regular starting rotation on the disabled list. For the last two seasons, Brad Penny was the ace of the Dodg= ers. Although he pitched brilliantly through spring training, he never looked li= ke himself at any time during this season. He attempted to hide a sore shoulder and was ineffective. After the middle of May, Penny rarely pitched and never had velocity.

Since last July when Colletti obtained Scott Proctor, he was the main setup man f= or the Dodgers. While managing the New York Yankees, Proctor was a Torre favor= ite. At no time during the season, Proctor pitched well. In June, the Dodgers revealed Proctor had an elbow injury.

Before spring training, most people believed Jason Schmidt would pitch for the Dod= gers some time this season. He suffered many setbacks, including another shoulder surgery in September. The Dodgers hope Schmidt will be ready for spring training.

Without the emergence of Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers would ha= ve had serious pitching problems and probably never would have gone to the playoffs. Never pitching above Double-A, Cory Wade took over the setup role. Until September, Hong-Chih Kuo was a left-handed stopper. Though Chan Ho Pa= rk wanted to be a starter, he was a valuable member of the Dodger bullpen. Tor= re used Park in every role, and Park rarely failed.

On July 12, the Dodgers suffered a crushing blow. Though the Dodgers reached t= he playoffs, having a young closer probably caused them not to go to the World Series. Takashi Saito injured his elbow. Though the elbow injury was seriou= s, Saito came back in September and pitched in the National League Division Championship Series, but he was never effective.

Although Jonathan Broxton did well in the closer role, he sometimes faltered. When a closer makes a mistake letting the opposition win the game, the mistake is magnified. If Broxton could have saved every victor= y, the Dodgers would have won their division easier, maybe have gone to the World Series.

Before the season, every Dodger fan would say if Rafael Furcal injured himself and= missed much time, the Dodgers wouldn’t have gone anywhere in the National Le= ague Western Division. Coming off a disappointing season caused by an injured an= kle and a stiff back, Furcal was determined to have an excellent season, especi= ally becoming a free agent after this season. For spring training and the first month of the season, Furcal was the best player in the major leagues. Many Dodger fans believed Furcal would win the National League Most Valuable Pla= yer (MVP) if he continued playing as he was.

On May 5, Furcal missed the game with a stiff back. Everyone thought the injury was minor, and Furcal would return after a few days. Furcal never got better and went on the disabled list. After six weeks on the disabled list, Furcal wen= t on a rehabilitation assignment, but it didn’t go well. It was determined Furcal needed surgery to remove the disk causing the pain. Although it was unlikely for him to return this season, Furcal vowed to play again in 2008. Furcal did return for the last week of the regular season and played in the playoffs. Although he looked rusty, he played an important role in the swee= p of the Chicago Cubs.

While Furcal couldn’t play, the Dodgers didn’t a proven leadoff hitte= r or a satisfactory shortstop. Torre tried several in the leadoff position befor= e he settled on Russell Martin in there. Although many people didn’t think= of Martin as a leadoff hitter, he did a good job getting on base, even when he slumpe= d. Angel Berroa came in June and played a good defensive shortstop. Mostly he = didn’t hit well, but in September he had many important hits that helped the Dodge= rs to win their division.

I believe the Dodgers wouldn’t have gone to the playoffs without the acquisitio= ns of Casey Blake and Manny Ramirez. Blake provided a calming influence for the young Dodgers while giving them a professional attitude example. Often overshadowed by Ramirez, Blake did almost everything that he could to make = the Dodgers win their division.

Ramirez had the best twelve weeks any baseball player ever had. As a Dodger, Ramirez hit .396 with 17 home runs and 56 RBI. According to Larry Bowa, Ramirez hel= ped the young Dodgers mature. When he came to Los Angeles= , the Dodger clubhouse was a sober place, and Los Angeles didn’t believe in the Dodgers. Ramirez livened up the clubhouse and made Dodger fans excited about the Dodgers.

The 2008 Dodgers were a memorable team. They overcame many injuries to go to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1988. The young Dodge= rs matured and gained valuable playoff experience. Unlike many Dodger fans, I expect to see the Dodgers in the World Series within three years.