The Dodgers have baseball's biggest payroll and two Cy Young candidates in the rotation, so why is ace left-hander Clayton Kershaw panicking? Well, the Dodgers have dropped five straight games, and their lead over the Giants in the NL West has shrunk to 1.5 games.
Also, panicking is healthy according to Kershaw.
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"I hope we're panicking a little bit. I think panic's a good thing, to a certain extent," Kershaw told the Los Angeles Times.
"There need to be a sense of urgency, maybe that's better to say than panic. I feel like we have to start playing like that. Not to say we haven't, but it's definitely time to start thinking that way."
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Manager Don Mattingly might be panicking, too. He has benched stud rookie center fielder Joc Pederson, the team's leadoff hitter for most of the season. Pederson's slumped badly since the All-Star break, slashing .163/.333/.293 with just three home runs. He's still drawing a surprising amount of walks, but overall his production made him unplayable for Mattingly.
To put Pederson's second half in perspective, Madison Bumgarner, the Giants' ace left-hander, has matched Pederson's three home runs and hit .254 in 20 plate appearances. Pederson has had 117 plate appearances.
Pederson will be replaced by little-known Enrique Hernandez, whom Mattingly says "gives us a better chance to win." Pederson's been undoubtedly bad, but removing him from the starting lineup does look like a panic move, especially when Mattingly professes no doubts about his future.
"He's not a guy that's been a prospect who's come up and just doesn't care," Mattingly said. "Actually, the other direction. Probably cares too much. Probably lets it bother him too much. I have no doubt Joc's going to end up being a great player."
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