Still Not Enough Pitching

The Dodgers still don't have enough pitching.

Sure, they lead the National League West by 7-1/2 games.

Sure, they have the best record in the major leagues at 31 - 15 after 46 games.

But the starting pitchers have not been able to pitch enough innings.

The Dodgers cannot continue to win if their starting pitchers pitch just 5 or 6 innings every game. The starting pitchers have to finish 7 or 8 innings, consistently, if the team is going to go all the way to the World Series.

The Dodger offense has come together; the Dodgers gang up on their opponents, now, hitting hit after hit after hit.

7 runs in one inning, 8 in another today.

But Stults (who has a complete game this year) couldn't finish the fifth... couldn't get credit for the win today, even though it was his to take, if he could just have nailed it down.

I am beginning to wonder about the effectiveness of Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt. He was not a winner; he pitched in the major leagues for 13 years, but his overall record was 95 - 125. I remember him as a nibbler - a pitcher who tried to throw pitches that just missed the strike zone, hoping the batter would swing at them.

In today's game (5/25/09; the Dodgers won 16 - 6), the Dodger pitchers walked 11 Rockies. I guess you can get away with that in Coors Field as long as you can hit. But you can't win the division, the league or the World Series by nibbling.

You have to throw strikes.

I'm not sure the Dodgers have enough pitchers who can throw enough strikes to win the season. We'll see.