Colletti should blaze trail by just staying the course

Jason Schmidt’s busted shoulder is a dud for the Dodgers, but a dream for anyone possessing both calculator and cynicism.

Any time a baseball team’s highest-paid player finishes his season on an operating table in June, the numbers are as crooked as the scar.

Think about it.

He made $15.7 million per win.

He made $713,815 per strikeout.

He made $3,327 per pitch.

Those figures will be repeated throughout the rest of the summer, falling on Ned Colletti like hot rain, ended only by the coolness of winter or the World Series, whichever comes first.

I hate to be a pity pooper, but I’ve got a different stat.

It doesn’t require a calculator, only common sense.

The Dodgers were 1-5 in games in which Schmidt appeared.

They are 40-26 when he did not.

They have, in other words, been the best team in the National League without him.

So while Colletti is now understandably doing a slow turn above the fire fed by Dodgers fans still eager to make someone pay for the roasting of Paul DePodesta, I give him one bit of advice.

Don’t move. Take the heat. The Schmidt signing was a mistake, but it would be a bigger mistake to risk the future of the team by attempting to fix it.

Colletti has won admirers here by giving the impression that he has a distinct lack of ego. He never says he’s smarter than his scouts. He never acts as if he’s bigger than the organization.

With the exception of last winter’s fight with Scott Boras -- which he later openly regretted -- Colletti never makes it about him.

Now he has to prove it.

Now that he’s being buffeted by the valid criticisms of the Schmidt and Juan Pierre signings, he needs to stand firm lest he topple the team with him.

Stay put. Hold fast. Don’t do anything crazy.

His youngsters are fun. His veterans have time to heat up. His pitching is mostly intact. His league is a joke.

It says here the Dodgers can make the playoffs as constituted.

“Correct,” said Colletti on Thursday. “I agree.”

He returned my call from Toronto, where the Dodgers pulled off a nice little comeback in an 8-4 victory.

His cellphone received spotty coverage in the stadium, so, before the game, he called me from Manager Grady Little’s office. When I didn’t answer the first time, he called back 10 minutes later.

He’s not afraid to face the fire. Now we’ll see whether he’s willing to spend three months sitting in it.

Teams will be calling the Dodgers and offering Schmidt replacements. Colletti should remind them that the Dodgers rank fourth in major league baseball in team earned-run average.

“Pitching has not been our problem,” he said.

Teams will be calling and offering hitting replacements to compensate for Schmidt’s loss. This will be a tougher call. The Dodgers are 25th in runs scored and 29th in home runs.

But Colletti should politely refuse again, and hand the phone to a fan, who will tell him that these kids are just too much fun to give up.

With the Dodgers games blaring in the background of my life in the last couple of weeks, I have stopped to watch James Loney hit. I have dropped everything to watch Matt Kemp swing. I’m almost always sitting down when Russell Martin is coming up.

I wish Andy LaRoche was given a longer chance. I wonder how Tony Abreu will look at second base. I love how Andre Ethier always surprises. I have been infected with these kids’ ability and enthusiasm, and I know I’m not the only one.

No, sometimes I can barely stand to watch Jeff Kent bat. And, yes, I’m wondering whether Nomar Garciaparra will ever pass Schmidt in the team home run race.

But the offense is fun, and history says it will get better, and Colletti needs to believe that.

“I do believe it,” he said. “All this team needs is for this offense to live up to preseason expectations. That’s all we need. If they do that, we’ll be fine.”

Last year I begged Colletti to make an August deal. He picked up Greg Maddux and Wilson Betemit and Julio Lugo. It didn’t all work, but it worked well enough, and they made the playoffs.

This year, I’m already begging the opposite. The kids finally seem ready. Don’t sacrifice them for a big bat that might not be the difference. Don’t risk everything for an extra arm that is not necessary.

The starting rotation will survive without Schmidt, particularly if Brad Penny stays focused. Another bullpen arm is needed with Chad Billingsley going into the rotation, but one can be acquired without giving up a top prospect.

The offense will react better to new hitting coach Bill Mueller than to Eddie Murray, whose greatness overwhelmed kids who were just too darn intimidated by him.

The Dodgers may not be able to overcome the loaded San Diego Padres, but they don’t have to. They only need to find a wild card spot in a league of bluffers. Once there, who knows?

“We continue to try to do the hardest thing in baseball,” Colletti said. “We’re not rebuilding, but we’re not selling off the farm, either. We’re trying to develop our young players while our veterans are still contributing. We’re trying to bridge the gap.”

While dangling high above that gap, Colletti is feeling an increasing heat, to which it is hoped he is reacting with an increasingly Southern California calm.

Schmidt done?

Dude, chill.

Bill Plaschke can be reached at bill.plaschke@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Plaschke, go to latimes.com/plaschke.