Back in early August, the Dodgers were trailing the Diamondbacks in
the NL West and were facing a road-heavy schedule the rest of the way.
The problem then, as I noted in this post, was that the Dodgers just
weren't a good road team. What success they'd managed up to that point
(56-56 after Aug. 5) had a lot to do with great pitching at home to
prop up an anemic offense. Pitching on the road had been another
story, and the road offense, although better when far away from
pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium, hadn't done enough to compensate for
too many sub-par outings from their starters. I thought at the time
that the Dodgers' road offense would have to seriously outperform with
Manny Ramirez now in the lineup to have a chance to compete for the NL
West title.

Well, since then, the Dodgers have managed to go 8-14 on the road.
This would have put the team in trouble, except that, in the NL West,
that's more than good enough. Two of those road wins came against D-
Back aces Dan Haren and Brandon Webb. Those wins started the
Diamondbacks implosion that's left the Dodgers 4 1/2 games up in the
standings, nearly free and clear with a couple of weeks left to go.
Now, as the Dodgers mop up against teams in the NL basement, all the
talk is about how hot the team is, and what they could do in the
playoffs once they get there. I guess if you're in the right division,
it pays to be average, or just a little above.

The ratings

The team lost Rafael Furcal to injury in early May and quickly went
into a tailspin. Furcal is among the best leadoff hitters in the
league, and the Dodgers didn't have enough in reserve with Andruw
Jones and Juan Pierre to make up for his lost contribution. The team
hit a low point in mid-June during interleague play, but managed to
climb back and they have since maintained a consistent position around
20th in the rankings. Even their recent stretch of wins hasn't helped
much in the rankings, because they've come at the expense of some of
the worst teams in the league.
Seasonal ratings - Los Angeles Dodgers

The pitchers

The Dodgers have had terrific options this season from their bullpen.
Jonathan Broxton has stepped in capably for the injured Takashi Saito
as the team's closer. Both relievers are in the top 100 for their runs
allowed per out numbers. Hong-Chih Kuo, Cory Wade, Joe Beimel, and
even Ramon Troncoso have done well in middle relief. Chan Ho Park (who
had a turn in the starting rotation) and Eric Stults have been more
vulnerable to surrendering runs through pure outcomes, and, as such,
have been somewhat riskier in relief. But, overall, the team hasn't
been notable for surrendering leads late, and the credit goes to the
team's steady bullpen.
Runs per out - Los Angeles Dodgers (pitchers)

As far as the starters go, Derek Lowe, Hiroki Kuroda, and Chad
Billingsley have all been good options for the team at home, but, of
the three, only Billingsley has managed to keep opponent scoring down
on the road. If the Dodgers make the playoffs, they will definitely
start on the road, so it might make sense for the team, based on
season performance, to give Billingsley the nod in the first game.

The batters

You can see how jaw-dropping Manny Ramirez's performance has been
since joining the Dodgers. On power and on total production, he's
crushing opposing pitchers, and making up for a serious lack of
offense throughout the Dodgers lineup. With Furcal injured, Andre
Ethier is the only other Dodger in the top 100 for offensive
production. With Manny in the lineup and playing for his new contract,
people can focus on how great Angel Berroa has been in the field
instead of how horrible he's been with his bat.
Runs per out - Los Angeles Dodgers (batters)

Looking ahead

The Dodgers have benefitted from a favorable schedule, but have also
managed to do things to help themselves when necessary. Their lead at
this point is mostly due to their 5-1 record against the Diamondbacks
in the home stretch. Everything else, including the Diamondbacks'
losing streak, comes out in the wash. The Dodgers are not good enough
to count their chickens at this point. The Diamondbacks are playing
teams that they've done well against the rest of the way, while the
Dodgers are up against a tougher Pirates team at this time of year as
well a Giants team that's youth-heavy and playing loose. The 4 1/2
game lead should hold up, but the team still needs to win some on the
road.

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