The Trolley Dodger

Analysis of the 2010 Dodgers season can get pretty snarky, fatalist, and needlessly complex. The truth of the matter is all-too simple: just check the standings.

NL WEST STANDINGS Through 8/15/10

    W   L    PCT  GB  RS  RA  DIFF
----------------------------------
SD  69  47  .595    - 508 395 +113
SF  67  52  .563  3.5 518 440  +78
COL 61  56  .521  8.5 558 517  +41
LAD 60  58  .508 10.0 516 517   -1
ARI 47  72  .395 23.5 540 648 -108

Colorado and Arizona have been scoring (RS) like crazy compared to the other teams — in the Rockies’ case, they’re keeping their opponents from scoring (RA) too many in return, while the Dbacks have a woeful -108 run deficit (DIFF).

Meanwhile on the top of the division, San Diego and San Francisco aren’t scoring very many runs, but their pitching and defense are keeping the opposition down — the Padres with a phenomenal +113 to the positive.

And then there’s the Dodgers. They have kept their opponents to a tepid 517 runs…and have scored one less than that themselves. This is a recipe for malaise.

Whether viewed from an NL (8th out of 16 teams) or overall NL+AL perspective (15th out of 30 teams), the Dodgers are in the middle of the pack. They are 6.5 games out of the wild card, 10 games away from the NL West pennant.

What can they do to save the 2010 season?

Score more runs. It’s not too complicated.

Am I surprised Clint Hurdle was canned as Rockies manager? No, I am not.

Does it bode well for Rockies fans that former Dodger manager Jim Tracy is taking over the helm? No, it does not.

Do I think the Dodgers have much to worry about from the Rockies and their new skipper? No, I do not.

Am I making fun of Jim Tracy’s methods of answering reporters’ questions by posing a new question and then answering that question instead?

Yes.

Yes, I am.

As I’m observing my 40th birthday this week, I thought I’d have a look see at the 1969 Dodgers season. This was the 7th year in Dodger Stadium and 11th in California.

100th anniversary celebrations for MLB saw the addition of four expansion teams in 1969: the KC Royals and Seattle Pilots in the AL, and the Padres and Montreal Expos in the NL.

Not a great finish for the Dodgers in 1969: 4th place in the newly formed National League West division. The teams in the NL West from 1969-1992:

• Atlanta Braves
• Cincinnati Reds
• Houston Astros
• Los Angeles Dodgers
• San Diego Padres
• San Francisco Giants

(Colorado was added in 1993, while the Braves, Reds, and Astros moved away in 1994. Arizona came in 1998.)

The Dodgers finished 85-77, eight games back from the division-winning Braves. The opening day Dodger starters:

• CF Willie Crawford
• RF Len Gabrielson
• 3B Bill Sudakis
• 1B Ron Fairly
• LF Andy Kosco
• C Tom Haller
• 2B Jim Lefebvre
• SS Ted Sizemore
• P Don Drysdale

That was April 7, 1969, at Cincy. LA won, 3-2. Don Drysdale won, with Bill Singer getting the save — the first official save in baseball history.

While the 4th-place finish wasn’t great, it was a bit of an improvement over their awful 76-86 and 73-89 performances the previous two years. One step closer to the glory years of the mid-to-late 1970s.

Two highlights from 1969:

• On January 21st, Roy Campanella was elected to the Hall of Fame.
• On August 11th, Don Drysdale retired. He was the last active Dodger who had also played in Brooklyn.

Transactions that year (from Wikipedia):

• March 30: Acquired Jimmie Schaffer from the Cincinnati Reds for Ted Savage
• April 17: Acquired Al McBean from the San Diego Padres for Tommy Dean and Leon Everitt
• June 5: Bob Randall was drafted by the Dodgers in the 2nd round of the 1969 Major League Baseball Draft (Secondary Phase).
• June 11: Acquired Maury Wills and Manny Mota from the Montreal Expos for Ron Fairly and Paul Popovich
• August 15: Acquired Jim Bunning from the Pittsburgh Pirates for Ron Mitchell, Chuck Coggin and cash
• September 1: Acquired Jack Jenkins from the Washington Senators for cash

More info:

• 1969 Dodgers at Wikipedia
• 1969 Dodgers at Retrosheet
• 1969 Dodgers at Baseball Reference
• 1969 Dodgers at Baseball Almanac
• 1969 MLB season at Wikipedia