Dodger Offense

It can be said of the Dodger offense that what you see is what you get. That's a chilling prospect for a pitching staff that faces disk damage if it has to carry the offense through a long summer. However, the cold reality is that given the large and inflexible contracts handcuffing General Manager Dan Evans and management's rigid determination--for now, at least--to avoid expanding a $102-million payroll, it's unlikely the Dodgers will be adding a proven run producer any time soon.

Money can't buy you love or, apparently, runs. The Los Angeles Dodgers, the most expensive team in baseball history, cannot score. Cannot manufacture runs, unveil a power game, rally or do much of anything that actually leads to this strange phenomenon called scoring . The Dodgers were handcuffed Saturday in the second game of their split doubleheader by Baltimore's Wei-Yin Chin, who apparently was really dealing, in a 6-1 loss that left...

Dodger Manager Bill Russell, whose calm temperament has been his trademark during these troubling times, found himself seething Friday night, struggling to control his anger. He kept his office door shut for nearly 20 minutes after the Dodgers' 4-2 loss to the Florida Marlins in front of 40,151 at Pro Player Stadium. He paced the clubhouse. He walked in and out of the trainer's room. He was constantly on the move, afraid that he would say something regrettable if he stayed still.

The Dodgers' rotation had been a major strength through their first 10 games of the season. All but one starter, anyway. It's not that Josh Beckett was stinking it up, just that he wasn't quite in the same category as Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Zack Greinke and Chad Billingsley. In his first pair of starts to the season, Beckett had a 4.91 earned-run average. The other four had a combined 1.82 ERA. But Sunday afternoon in Phoenix, Beckett pitched brilliantly. Trouble was, he was still supported by the now familiar-looking, limp Dodgers' offense.

Things are much easier for the Dodgers when they pound opponents like they did Monday night during a 12-7 victory over the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium. And the Dodgers have been doing that more often lately. They had four home runs among 14 hits in winning for the seventh time in nine games before a crowd of 14,805. The Dodgers have scored at least 11 runs four times in that span. On Monday, they quickly jumped on struggling Pirate starter Jose Silva, taking a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

It's like old times for the Dodgers these days, which is not what they wanted. But here they are again, struggling on offense and searching for answers as their slide continued Wednesday night in a 2-1 loss in 12 innings to the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. The Dodgers had only eight hits, none after the seventh inning, and watched in frustration as Brewer relievers retired 14 in a row to close the game.

The Dodger formula is so simple: Provide the major league's top pitching staff with at least four runs and relax. Executing the plan hasn't been as easy, explaining the Dodgers' relief Thursday night after a 6-1 victory over the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. "We keep talking about just trying to survive with the pitching we have until we start hitting, and that's really what we've been doing," said right fielder Shawn Green, who had two of the team's 12 hits.

It's appropriate that Rupert Murdoch and Fox should be buying the Dodgers, since the explanation for the bizarre inconsistency of the Dodger offense could be explained only on "The X Files." KEN MARCUS Los Angeles

Have you noticed how quiet it is in Dodgertown these days? About the only sound you hear after a game in Chavez Ravine is the clank of the fielders' gloves as they toss them on the dugout floor and reach for the Rustoleum to prepare the iron for the next day's game. The only thing more inept than the Dodger defense would be the Dodger offense. TOMMY VOZE Santa Ana

The idea of blaming Jim Tracy for the lack of Dodger hitting is ludicrous. It is, however, appropriate to ask and wonder why he would continue to use his best reliever in games in which the Dodgers are tied. From Bruce Sutter to Dennis Eckersley to Mariano Rivera, the most effective and meaningful way to use a genuine closer is to protect a lead and shut down the opposition. Because the Dodger offense is so pitiful, using Gagne in a tied game only runs the risk of damaging the most important Dodger asset.

The thing about a fat payroll and monster expectations is they can lead to huge disappointment. Even without shortstop Hanley Ramirez, the Dodgers boast a power-packed lineup. Anyway, they should. That is the company line. But three games into the new season, that great offense has yet to be hinted at, even if on Wednesday night short-haired Tim Lincecum seemed to do everything in his power to help their cause. Lincecum walked seven batters in his five innings, but did not give up an earned run as the Dodgers fell to the Giants, 5-3, before a Dodger Stadium crowd of 52,906.

In search of offense, a continuing story … Look at the Dodgers rotation and you probably figure that should be the team weakness. A bunch of .500-looking pitchers, currently minus ace Clayton Kershaw. But the Dodgers' rotation has a collective 3.54 ERA, third lowest in baseball. Lower than the Giants, Cardinals, Brewers and Phillies. They keep them in games. The problem has continued to be a horrifically disappointing offense. It is there where they continue to hover among the lower five teams in baseball in most every significant category: runs and RBI (26 th )

PHOENIX — Adrian Gonzalez spoke softly as he looked down at the clubhouse floor. "I'm just letting the team down," he said, taking a deep breath. Clayton Kershaw was back on the mound, Matt Kemp was back in center field and the team held a players-only meeting before its game Tuesday, but nothing changed for the Dodgers. Gonzalez took a called third strike with Shane Victorino on second base for the final out of the Dodgers' second consecutive shutout defeat, a 1-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

Is a little sneak preview too much to ask? Because, honestly, this can't be it. The Dodgers offense has been struggling to produce all season, yet now with that new super middle of the order, it's actually gotten worse (3.3 runs per game with Adrian Gonzalez vs. 4.0 before). The Dodgers can't manufacture runs, and at the moment, can't play long ball, either. They are at the bottom of most every offensive statistic, unless you get excited about sacrifice hits. Yet despite being second in that category - just one back of Milwaukee!

They traveled up state full of ambition, but the results looked too familiar. The rebuilt Dodgers continued to struggle offensively Friday, continued to flail away, to sink deeper in the National League West. Even against a wild Tim Lincecum whose fastball topped out at 91 mph and walked a career-high seven, the Dodgers could not generate anything resembling a sustained attack, falling 5-2 to the Giants at AT&T Park. The loss dropped the Dodgers -- who once led the division by 7 1/2 games -- to a season-high 5 1/2 back of the Giants in the West, and six back in the loss column with 23 games left to play.

Well, you can't blame this on James Loney. The Dodgers scuffled to score when Loney was here, and much to their surprise now that they've rebuilt the lineup, they are still scuffling to score. What's a team to do? Offense was identified as the main problem -- the factor that more than anything seemed to be holding the Dodgers back from being a clear postseason threat. And offense was the main area addressed prior to the non-waiver trading deadline. The corners were weak, so they added Hanley Ramirez and Adrian Gonzalez.

Dear Dan Evans, Look, I know you're a professional GM, and you've forgotten more about your job than I'll ever know, but can you at least clue us in on what you're doing? In this most promising of off-seasons, where virtually every one of the Dodgers' offensive needs can be met, what have you done, other than get beat to the punch time and time again? Raul Ibanez is gone, Derrek Lee is gone, Richie Sexson is gone! Now you had a great opportunity to trade Kevin Brown, free up salary and acquire Nick Johnson.

Once again, The Times' Dodger writers are wondering about the Dodgers' mysterious lack of homers with men on base. They cite the recent performances of Ron Cey and Dusty Baker with envy, as if these ex-Dodgers not only went to other teams, but dragged some of our base runners with them. There's no mystery about any of this. The Dodgers of 1984 and 1985 lead the major leagues in sacrifice bunts and bunt attempts; they also are a pretty low percentage base-stealing club. In a recent 3-2 loss to Pittsburgh, blamed on a wild bullpen, Tommy Lasorda called for three steals (all were caught)