Dodgers Dugout: Giant problems

Hi, Houston Mitchell here with one big thought: Of all the teams to get swept by, why did it have to be the Giants?

Giant step back

Remember all the giddiness from that seven-game winning streak? Yeah, I don’t either after losing three straight games to the San Francisco Giants. Could there be anything worse? The Dodgers scored six runs in three games, and Alex Guerrero, who started only one of those games, drove in four of those runs. The bullpen cost them a win on Thursday and is responsible for four of the Dodgers’ six losses this season. But, before we all put away our Dodgers caps for the season, it’s important to remember one thing: It’s a long season. There are still 147 games left to play. Sure, it would be nice to have won a game, but you can’t get too high or too low yet. Except about the bullpen, go ahead and worry about that, because if it doesn’t improve, there’s no way the Dodgers win the World Series this year.

More on Guerrero

He is batting .474, though granted that is only with 19 at-bats. But he also has hit four home runs and is tied for eighth in the National League with 12 runs batted in. The drumbeat from fans to get him in the starting lineup in place of Juan Uribe is beginning, but Manager Don Mattingly isn’t ready for that yet, telling Times Dodgers reporter Dylan Hernandez, “I know the people are chanting for Alex right now, but there’s other guys, too, that probably have swung the bat better. [Justin Turner] hits .340 last year, leads the league in hitting, basically. Now, because he’s not the flavor of the day, we start talking about somebody else. That’s where we can’t get involved with what happened over a 10-day period. We have to make decisions based on long term and what we see and project, but also with the fact that things change. Not discounting Alex, but you still have a full roster we know we’ll use over the course of the season.” Mattingly is right.

About the offense

I’ve been praising them all season, but there are three disturbing statistics to note: Jimmy Rollins is hitting .193, Yasmani Grandal is hitting .167 and Carl Crawford is hitting .216.

Can’t watch this

More bad news for those of us who hope to one day watch the Dodgers on television again. The proposed merger between Comcast and Time Warner Cable has collapsed, which means the chances of seeing the team on TV are almost non-existent. But hey, as long as it’s not hurting the Dodgers’ brand, no big deal, right, Magic Johnson? “Unless Time Warner does what it should have done when it found out it was overpriced -- bite the bullet and write off a big chunk of what it paid the Dodgers -- it is unlikely Dodgers fans will have carriage this year,” said Marc Ganis, president of the consulting firm Sportscorp Ltd.

However

There are ways to see the Dodgers on TV if you don’t have Time Warner Cable. Chris Erskine breaks it all down for you here. Next week, we will tell you how to rob a bank and cheat on your taxes.

Flag day

Saturday will be the 39th anniversary of Rick Monday’s rescuing the American flag from being burned by protesters in the Dodger Stadium outfield. Many people forget this, but Monday was with the Chicago Cubs at the time. The Dodgers traded for him after the season ended. Monday’s saving the flag was voted the 19th greatest moment in Los Angeles sports history in a vote by Times readers in 2011. In an interview with mlb.com, Monday said, “There was a buzz in the stands, people being aghast with what had taken place. Without being prompted, and I don’t know where it started, but people began to sing ‘God Bless America.’ When I reflect back upon it now, I still get goose bumps.” Before the next game, Monday was presented with the flag by the Dodgers and still has it hanging in his home.

And finally

The Dodgers acquired pitcher Xavier Cedeno from the Washington Nationals on Wednesday for cash and added him to the 40-man roster. To make room for him, they designated pitcher Daniel Corcino for assignment. The Dodgers got Corcino last Friday and released Ryan Dennick, a player they had signed two days before, while designating David Huff for assignment. The week before that … well, you get the idea. At this rate, I figure I will be added to the Dodgers’ 40-man roster by the end of next week.

Want to sign up to have Dodgers Dugout emailed to you twice a week? Go here.

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me and follow me on Twitter: @latimeshouston