Mattingly Upset with Lack of Cohesion on Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers have the most expensive team in the history of major league baseball. However, the team of high priced stars is playing just above .500 after the first 60 games of the regular season.
This week, Don Mattingly the manager of the Dodgers said he blamed the mediocre play on a lack of cohesion amongst his players.
Mattingly said that through the first 60 games of the season there have been days here and there that he felt team cohesion, but it has not felt like a true team up to this point.
The Dodgers manager said that he has not been able to get the players all worried about the Los Angeles Dodgers and not individually about themselves. He promised that at some point, the team would get there, but he does not know when.
Los Angeles entered this season with a payroll of $239 million. However, at this point in time, the Dodgers are 31-30 and 8 games behind the San Francisco Giants the National League West leaders. Los Angeles lost their last outing on Wednesday 2-1 to the Chicago White Sox.
Los Angeles has neither won nor lost three straight games over their first 60 this season.
The starting pitching on the team is third in the NL in ERA, while their batting order led by Cuban sensation Yasiel Puig is third in the league in ru
ns scored. However, the different parts have not given Mattingly what is describes as traction.
The Los Angeles manager made the implication that individual agendas were being given too much attention over the team agenda. One of the biggest discussions in the clubhouse, dugout, on field and away from the park is the four-outfielder rotation Mattingly is using. Three of the four are former All-Stars.
Recently, Matt Kemp a former runner-up for the MVP, and a career player at center field, was shifted to left field after sitting on the bench for five games, when leftfielder Carl Crawford sprained an ankle.
Kemp was not shy about letting it be known that he does not like the move to left field.
Mattingly added that he seemed the players were talking so much about one person or another and instead of trying to focus on winning the game, what can be done to win the game or how we can win the game.
Last season the club put things together in June and went on an incredible winning run that took them to the top of the NL West and into the National League Championship series where they lost the NL Pennant to the St. Louis Cardinals.
On June 22, Los Angeles started on his historic winning run of 42-8, going from last in the NL West to NL West champions.
Similar concerns were expressed last season by Mattingly when Los Angeles started so slow. It was a bench-clearing brawl with NL West rivals the Arizona Diamondback in mid June that seemed to bring the team together and build the all-elusive cohesion.
Mattingly is hoping that something will spark his team this season before it, get too late and they will not be able to battle their way back to a playoff berth.
