30-year old righty reliever Brandon League signed a big extension with the Dodgers last year (4 years, $27.5 million bucks), so they decided that he would be the closer over Kenley Jansen.  It has proven to be a mistake so far this year.  League has pitched in 14 games (0 starts) for the Dodgers so far this year and he is 0-2 with 8 saves, a 6.28 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.  He has given up 16 hits (3 homers) and he has walked 4 batters while whiffing only 7 of them in 14 1/3 innings, which isn’t too impressive at all.  If League doesn’t turn things around soon, the Dodgers will have no choice but to replace him as the closer with Kenley Jansen.  Jansen has pitched in 20 games (0 starts) for the Dodgers so far this year and he is 1-1 with 2 saves, a 2.25 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP.  He has given up only 13 hits and 5 walks while whiffing 28 batters in his first 20 innings, which is pretty darn impressive.  Jansen has had issues with his heart early on in his career and that is likely why the Dodgers gave League the big contract.  But, Jansen is a far better pitcher than League and he should be the closer for the Dodgers.

31-year old righty starting pitcher Joe Blanton has not looked good for the Dodgers so far. Blanton has pitched in 4 games (all starts) so far for the Dodgers and he is 0-3 with a 7.71 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. He has given up 28 hits (4 homers) and he has walked 9 batters while whiffing 18 of them in his first 21 innings with the Dodgers. Blanton has now pitched in 25 games (24 starts) overall this year for the Dodgers and Pirates and he is 8-12 with a 5.02 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. The Dodgers hope that Blanton gets back on the right track soon.

The Dodgers have yanked 26-year old righty Jonathan Broxton out of the closer’s role. Broxton blew a save yesterday and that must have been the final straw for manager Joe Torre. Broxton has pitched in 47 games (0 starts) for the Dodgers this year and he is 4-4 with 21 saves, a 3.50 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. Broxton still has great stuff as evidenced by his 60 hits in 46 1/3 innings and I have a hunch he will get his job back sometime in the near future. The Dodgers will use 28-year old lefty Hong-Chih Kuo as the new closer for now. Kuo has pitched in 38 games (0 starts) for the Dodgers this year and he is 3-1 with 3 saves, a 0.90 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP. Kuo has only allowed 20 hits in 40 innings this year while whiffing 49 batters. Kuo should do a fine job closing games and the Dodgers have Octavio Dotel now to help at the end of games if he’s needed.

The Dodgers have designated 26-year old righty starter/reliever Charlie Haeger for assignment. Haeger pitched in 9 games (6 starts) for the Dodgers this year and he was 0-4 with a 8.40 ERA and a 2.07 WHIP. He walked an amazing 26 batters in only 30 innings this season for the Dodgers. In two years with the Dodgers, Haeger pitched in 15 games (9 starts) in which he was 1-5 with a 6.43 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP. Dodgers’ fans should rejoice as you won’t have to ever worry if he’s pitching when you have tickets to the game.

26-year old righty knuckleballer Charlie Haeger has been pathetic for the Dodgers so far this season. He has pitched in 8 games (5 starts) for the Dodgers this year and he is 0-4 with a 8.53 ERA and a 2.09 WHIP. He has given up 31 hits and walked 23 batters in only 25 1/3 innings so far this season. Haeger has been awful so far this season for the Dodgers and he’s just taking up space on the pitching staff. I’m thinking he might have pictures of someone doing something they shouldn’t have.

The Dodgers have released 33-year old righty starting pitcher Josh Towers. Towers started 8 games in AAA-ball for the Dodgers this year and he was 2-5 with a 8.05 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP. He allowed a stunning 62 hits (9 of which were homers) in only 38 innings this season in the minors. I guess the Dodgers could bring back Towers if they need a batting practice pitcher as that appears to be all he’s good for.

The Dodgers just can’t afford to keep running 26-year old righty starting pitcher Charlie Haeger to the pitching mound. He has pitched in 5 games (4 starts) for the Dodgers this season and he is 0-3 with a 7.45 ERA and a 1.91 WHIP. He is having big time control issues as expected because of him using the knuckleball as he has walked 16 batters in only 19 1/3 innings so far this season. He does have 20 whiffs which is good but he has also given up 21 hits (3 which have left the field). The Dodgers are now 8-14 on the season which has them in last place, 6 games behind the Padres in the N.L. West. They can’t afford to throw a game away every five days by running Haeger out to the mound. With that in mind they should make a pitch to sign either Jarrod Washburn or Braden Looper who are both sitting at home right now as unsigned free agents.

The Dodgers have placed starting pitcher Vicente Padilla on the 15-day disabled list with right forearm soreness. Padilla has started 4 games for the Dodgers so far this season and he is 1-1 with a 7.06 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. He has allowed 26 hits (5 homers) in only 21 2/3 innings but he has also whiffed 23 batters as he is sending out mixed signals. The Dodgers have not announced who will replace him in the starting rotation but they should make sure Padilla is 100% before activating him because they need him healthy this year.

Veteran starting pitcher Vicente Padilla pitched well for the Dodgers last season earning a new deal with them. But, he has been awful so far this season. Padilla has started 2 games this season and he is 0-1 with a 11.42 ERA and a 2.08 WHIP. He has given up 14 hits (3 homers) and he has walked 4 batters in only 8 2/3 innings. The Dodgers won’t put up with this kind of performance too much longer so Padilla needs to get his act together soon.