Mets Series Notes

Due to popular demand, Blue Notes is back in effect. Here are thoughts on the Dodgers-Mets series and various other issues as the trading deadline approaches and Los Doyers embark on what appears to be an exciting stretch run.

But before I get into some points, I believe that the Las Vegas 51's may be looking for a utility infielder, someone who could play all four spots adequately, but none particularly well, and I think Nomar Garciaparra may be their guy. Just kidding, but seriously. All that crap he does with his batting gloves gets old if it only leads to weak groundouts. He really needs to start hitting some line drives.

Mets Reflections

For the most part, Dodgers fans can feel very good about the Mets series. The Dodgers' best hitter, Russell Martin, went 2-for-19 in the series and the team was still a Matt Kemp routine fly ball away from splitting the series. Considering the state of their pitching staff (the line between bullpen and rotation is practically dissolved), a split with the first-place Mets would have been more than welcome. Nonetheless, the defense, particularly in the outfield, needs to get better.

For the series, the Dodgers' offense, once considered the team's biggest weakness, looked very good. 22 runs in the series -- including nine against Tom Glavine on Thursday -- against a fine pitching staff and a good bullpen bodes well for an offense full of young players going into August.

Rafael Furcal (8-for-20 against the Mets, .362 over last 10 games) seems to be getting it going, and if you will remember back to last year, that means very good things for the Dodgers as a team.

In terms of pitching, there were many encouraging signs for the Dodgers. D-Lowe was bad on Thursday, obviously, but it's going to take a few more bad starts for me to say a bad word about him. Everyone who knows anything knows that wins for a pitcher mean nothing, but it is really a shame that he has pitched as well as anybody in the National League and somehow finds himself with a losing record (8-9).

Other than Lowe, Dodgers starters all pitched well enough to win. In his second consecutive good start, Brett Tomko went six innings without an earned run, Brad Penny "struggled" through 6.1 innings and three earned runs, and fill-in Eric Stults fulfilled his annual requirement of one productive start against the Mets with 5.1 innings and two earned runs. Pretty good for two long relievers and a "bad" outing from an ace.

Speaking of Tomko

Sometimes I wonder if athletes get so caught up in the life they live (making lots of money, playing sports for a living), that they lose touch with reality. The most recent case of this is Tomko. Before his start in San Francisco on July 14, he had this to say:

"I might have lost confidence. To go from a starter to mop-up guy, it doesn't feel great. Nobody wants to be a long guy in the bullpen. It takes a toll. It's not that I feel I can't get people out. I like starting. It's what I want to do next year. I have thought about next year. Being a long guy is not what I want to do."

Call me crazy, but doesn't this quote insinuate that Tomko believes he has pitched well enough to be in the rotation rather than the bullpen? Let's look at his stats: 5.42 ERA. The only Dodgers with worse ERAs are Jason Schmidt and Hong-Chih Kuo, both of whom are on the disabled list with significant arm injuries.

No one wants to be the mop up guy, Brett, but if you are the worst pitcher on the team, your options are pretty much: 1) mop-up guy or 2) in Triple-A waiting for Nomar.

It seems to me that if you accept your job as a 6th starter/long reliever and do it well, you will get ample opportunities to start. When you start, you can showcase your skills for teams like Kansas City so you can decide to go play there next year if you really want. Or you could whine about being the mop-up guy on a good team and Ned Colletti could trade you there next week as a throw-in for Octavio Dotel and you could start your offseason early. I suggest you ask Odalis Perez how Option Two works out in the long run.

Dotel and Teixeira Rumors

As previously mentioned, the Dodgers are reportedly interested in Octavio Dotel, a notion of which I am in full support. He was once a dominant closer for the Astros and he looks like he is throwing great again. If the Dodgers could get him for, say, Delwyn Young (.346 and 16 homers in Triple-A) and maybe a throw-in like Tomko, I think that would be great.

As for Mark Teixeira, I'm not so sure what I think about getting him. Sure, he's batting .301 with 13 homers and allegedly plays great defense, but he only plays 1st base, and to the best of my knowledge, the Dodgers have recently seen that they have a stud first baseman of the future playing for them right now. I won't react to any rumored moves until they are made, but I don't really see the point in going after Teixeira. Back for more on the Astros later.