WHAT TO WATCH FOR
The Dodgers are 41-51 and 11 games behind the San Francisco Giants in the National League West as they pick up action Friday at Arizona. How the season’s second half shapes up:
Top story lines
Whatever the Dodgers do on the field will be overshadowed by their ownership situation. Frank McCourt is desperately trying to hang on to the team while Commissioner Bud Selig appears determined to force a sale. The longer it takes for the matter to be resolved, the worse off the Dodgers will be. The team needs money to address pressing issues, including Matt Kemp’s and Andre Ethier’s becoming eligible for free agency at the end of the 2012 season. There are few quality position players in the farm system.
Players to watch
Kemp batted third for the NL in the All-Star game, an acknowledgement that he has become one of the sport’s best players. He could become the Dodgers’ first NL most valuable player since Kirk Gibson in 1988 and the franchise’s first player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season. Clayton Kershaw, 23, is establishing himself as one of baseball’s top pitchers. Kershaw, tied for the major league lead in strikeouts with Detroit’s Justin Verlander, has pitched three complete games. The best news for the Dodgers: Kershaw is under their control for another three years.
On the farm
Dee Gordon electrified with his speed but was sent to triple A to work on his hitting. Minor league home run sensation Jerry Sands had an underwhelming first stint in the majors and is in Albuquerque with Gordon. Both players figure to be called up again. Outfielder Trayvon Robinson, who had 21 home runs for Albuquerque at the minor league all-star break, could be a September call-up.
Buyer or seller?
The next six games, visits to second-place Arizona and first-place San Francisco, will decide that. If the Dodgers don’t make up significant ground in the next week, General Manager Ned Colletti could be a seller for the first time in his tenure with the club. The Dodgers have plenty of veterans who could be nice additions for contending clubs. Among them: starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, shortstop Rafael Furcal, third baseman Casey Blake and utility players Jamey Carroll and Aaron Miles. Catcher Rod Barajas is hitting .220 but could bolster a lineup looking for power.
Contract drive
Injured closer Jonathan Broxton is eligible to become a free agent for the first time this off-season. He has not pitched since May 3 and has not looked like an All-Star for more than a year. If he does not return late this season and pitch reasonably well, he probably won’t receive any multiyear contract offers during the off-season. Furcal and Blake are in the final guaranteed year of their contracts. Because both players have been put on the disabled list multiple times this season, the Dodgers are not expected to exercise the team options in their contracts for 2012. Carroll and Miles are playing well and could be in position for multiyear deals.
Last look
James Loney has turned his play around his season but will be eligible for arbitration this off-season, meaning that if the Dodgers tender him a contract, he would be in line for a significant raise from his $4.875-million salary. The Dodgers let Russell Martin go last off-season and Loney could face the same fate. Because of their ages and recent medical histories, Furcal and Blake probably will not be re-signed. Don’t expect veteran catchers Barajas and Dioner Navarro to return next year, either.
Must improve
Cash flow. Until the Dodgers have the financial ability to make significant player acquisitions, they will be a sub-.500 team. That will not happen between now and the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline. And if it does not happen between now and the World Series, the Dodgers will probably endure a similar season next year.
Best-case scenario
Streaky Juan Uribe breaks out of his seasonlong slump and Furcal and Blake turn back the clock and perform the way they did in earning their current multiyear deals. The injury-plagued team remains healthy the rest of the season and the starting rotation maintains its outstanding form. The Dodgers finish the season a couple of games over .500.
Worst-case scenario
Uribe confirms suspicions that he is the team’s latest high-priced free-agent bust. Furcal and Blake can’t stay healthy. A member of the rotation is lost to injury and the bullpen shows its inexperience. Kemp and/or Ethier struggle for a prolonged period, making an already impotent offense even worse. The Dodgers lose 100 games for the first time since 1908.
What’s realistic
Kemp remains an MVP candidate. Kershaw finishes in the top five in Cy Young Award voting. Ethier finishes the season with a career-high batting average. Starting pitching continues to be a strength. Otherwise, there’s not much to be excited about. Crowds at Dodger Stadium remain small. The bullpen’s inexperience becomes an issue. Gordon, Sands and Robinson are called up late in the season. They show promise ... and their inexperience. The Dodgers lose 90 games.
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Dodgers 41-51| 4th in NL West
Four-season breakdown:
*--* Year 1st half 2nd half Division 2010 49-39 31-43 Fourth 2009 56-32 39-35 First 2008 46-49 38-29 First 2007 49-40 33-40 Fourth *--*
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