Dreary Dodgers
While everybody was blaming closer Jonathan Broxton for the Dodgers blowing a 9-2 lead to the Phillies Thursday night, two key items were lightly mentioned or overlooked altogether in newspaper stories the following morning.
The first was that Ronald Belisario gave up four runs in the eighth inning without getting an out, and the second was that third baseman Casey Blake let a potential double-play ball go through his legs in the ninth, and his error allowed two runs to score.
It would appear that Broxton's problems in closing out games are more mental than physical, although there is muttering in baseball notes that he has lost some velocity on his fastball, his out-pitch.
There's plenty of blame to go around, though, and it solidifies the fact that the Dodgers just aren't very good. They have a nice record against National League West teams, but when they get out on the road against clubs such as the Phillies, the Atlanta Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals, their inability to win is exposed.
So far they are 1-4 on this trip with Saturday and Sunday games in Atlanta. Broxton has lost his job as closer, and it's becoming quite evident that the team is losing confidence in itself.
About Me
- John Scheibe
- "West Coast Feed" takes a candid look at sports and media in Los Angeles, with a side view of life in the San Fernando Valley. Scheibe, who grew up in Encino, is an editor at the Los Angeles Times. His career has spanned a remarkable 38-year period. The greater part has been spent in the paper's sports department, where he has written on a variety of topics including sports radio and television. He also had a 15-year stint in the paper's entertainment section where he edited and wrote for the television department. He is the author of the acclaimed book "On the Road With Jim Murray: Baseball and the Summer of '79" which was published in 2007 by Encino Media. He is currently writing a mystery novel titled "Angels Gate" and has also written two children's books, "The Baseball Shoes" and "The Yo-Yo Tournament," both of which are being illustrated for publication in 2014.
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