Despite Another Kershaw Win, Things Just Go From Bad to Worse for Dodgers

It was the usual suspects leading the Dodgers to a 6-to-2 victory over San Diego. Clayton Kershaw threw his 4th complete game of the season on only 108 pitches allowing just 6 hits, yet Dodgers announcer Steve Lyons had the audacity to say to him in the post-game interview “You got it done without your good stuff.”

Seriously Lyons? Kershaw said, “he battled the whole night, that it wasn’t pretty, he said he couldn’t get his fastball away and it was a struggle tonight,” yet somehow to Lyons he was able to turn those comments into Kershaw winning without having good stuff. Just because he struck out 4 batters instead of his usual 10, doesn’t mean his stuff isn’t good.

I realize it’s the Padres but you don’t throw a complete game without having great stuff, and Kershaw had great stuff tonight, despite Lyons opinion to the contrary. He still leads the major leagues in strike outs, he won his 13th game of the season which matches his career high, so how about you focus on how good he is and shut the hell up about him winning “despite not having his good stuff.”

Okay enough on Lyons, I apologize to all of you for wasting all of our time by mentioning him in the first place. Matt Kemp doubled, tripled, scored two runs and knocked in another, his National League best 83rd RBI.

But all news isn’t rosy in Dodgerland, how could it possibly be with what is going on throughout the organization. Rubby De La Rosa was placed on the DL with a sore elbow. MRI results are in and the news is bad, but not disastrous. He is likely done for the season with a sprained ligament in his pitching elbow.

The only positive to come out of that statement is that the phrase Tommy John Surgery was not mentioned. According to multiple Tweets. Let’s hope that time will heal his elbow and he doesn’t need surgery. Rubby throws hard, his average fastball was tops in the majors at 96.1 MPH. If he goes down for an extended period of time and does need Tommy John Surgery then we know the Dodgers are for sure cursed.

One other item of bad news. Not only did the Dodgers trade their most dynamic hitting prospect Trayvon Robinson yesterday, but according toEvan Brunell of CBS Sports they did so for 3 players who are eligible for the rule 5 draft next year. That means that all three must be given precious spots on the Dodgers 40 man roster. If not then they are available to be drafted by any other MLB team and the Dodgers lose them. Here’s Brunell’s exact quote about the trade the Dodgers made:

"In the morning, Los Angeles’ deal sending Rafael Furcal — who was injured most of the year and not producing when he was in the lineup — to St. Louis was finalized. They received a 24-year-old outfielder crushing Double-A but without much promise, and $1.4 million in saved money. Whatever, right? The Dodgers aren’t listed here because of that deal.There was only one trade made the entire week in which a team was instantly ridiculed for its move. The Cardinals were headed for the loser’s seat before the waning minutes of the deadline, but Los Angeles took it away with a staggering display of incompetence. To help Boston facilitate acquiring Erik Bedard, the Dodgers agreed to trade away Trayvon Robinson, one of the few bright spots in the high minors that could actually hit. Robinson, along with Jerry Sands, could have made a pretty decent first base-left field combo over the next few years. Instead, Robinson will take his .293/.375/.563 line with 26 home runs in Triple-A to Seattle while the Dodgers come away with three organizational pieces.And really, that’s all they are. You’ve got catcher Tim Federowicz, who has a strong defensive reputation but whose hitting will be challenged enough that he best profiles as a long-term backup catcher. Those aren’t tough to find. Add in starter Stephen Fife, who has pitched to Federowicz all season for Double-A Portland, who profiles as a back of the rotation starter or solid middle reliever. Lastly, Juan Rodriguez, a reliever who throws smoke but is 22 years old and in Class A. Splendid. Oh, and all three will be Rule 5 eligible after the year, meaning they need to be added to the 40-man roster or risk being lost in the draft — and all three would be strong candidates to be taken. The Dodgers, in one fell swoop, traded away one of their few high-ceiling prospects for three organizational players who will all require 40-man spots, which are incredibly valuable."

By the way Brunell rated the Dodgers as the #1 losers of the trade deadline, and I agree with him completely. If you don’t agree with me check out Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness, who finds about 10 other sources who think Ned Colletti made a boneheaded trade yesterday.

And now as if things couldn’t get any worse we get the news about Rubby. Please Tommy Lasorda, talk to the big man upstairs who you said bleeds Dodger blue, and beg him for forgiveness for all of Frank McCourt’s sins, and ask him to give us just some kind of a break, anything. Really can it possibly get any worse?