Christopher Hanewin-USA Today Sports
For about three weeks now, we have heard announcers on TV and writers in print say Yasiel Puig is bringing a new energy to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They say, “Puig is what the Dodgers needed! He is bringing life to the Dodgers!”
Please. Let’s not kid ourselves. Things are still bad in Dodgertown.
Take a look at the bigger picture. The last-place Dodgers as a team are no different than they were when the rookie Cuban phenom laced his cleats up on May 3. Since his arrival to MLB, they are 7-9 and have lost eight of their last 11 games. Like the pre-Puig era, they have yet to build a winning streak of more than three games.
Puig is good, but he can’t turn losses into wins all by himself. That would be nice, though.
Really, all Puig (who I love as a player) has done is make people want to watch the Dodgers more. That just means more people are watching the Dodgers lose. Their latest loss came against the San Diego Padres on Thursday night. It was a 6-3 defeat that saw Dodgers second baseman Mark Ellis make a critical error to set up two runs after Puig hit a solo home run in the first inning.
Puig is good. But he can’t play every position on the field. That would be nice, though
Then the Dodgers bullpen continued to show their soft side when Matt Guerrier surrendered a double and triple in back-to-back at bats in the seventh inning that allowed the go-ahead run. Reliever Peter Moylan then served up a two-run shot to new Padres shortstop Pedro Ciriaco in the eighth inning to close the book on the Dodgers.
Puig is good. But he can’t come out of the bullpen and pitch. That would be nice, though.
The Dodgers still have three games left in San Diego before they head back home for a seven-game homestand against the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies. Yes, the Dodgers will need Puig to continue his hot start, but the kid needs some help.
Matthew Muench writes about the Los Angeles Dodgers for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewMuench and add him to your network at Google+.
