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“Help Wanted Pitching”

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This is pretty bad, especially in the teams in Southern Californa.

Somehow the Dodgers are staying in the National League West race, with a pitching staff that resembles a Mash Unit.

Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw has been out since mid-July with a herniated disc in his back. Weight training and rehab are all he has done. He soft tossed for the first time yesterday, but that means little for the time being.

The Dodgers rotation is made up of the skiterish Scott Kazmir, some good outings, some shaky outings. There’s Brandon McCarthy, coming off surgeries, who is only as good as his last start, because you never know what you will get start to start. Brett Anderson seems to be on lifetime rehab, injuries and surgery part of his career.

There is no Hyun Jin-Ryu, and might never be again, first the labrum, then the elbow.. Alex Wood is coming back from elbow surgery. Julio Urias is bright and young, but is on an innings limit and he is just 19.

Gone to free agency Zack Greinke. Then the failures, whom so much was hoped for, but now dealt away, Joe Wieland-Carlos Frias-Zach Lee-Mike Bolsinger.

How the Dodgers are just a game out of first with all these problems in amazing.

The Angels have a better pitching staff on the disabled list than on the mound. Pick a name, and they have been hurt.

Tim Lincecum has just been removed from the roster with a (9.16-ERA), an 83-mile an hour fastball, and having allowed 64-basrunners and 10-homers in his last 24-innings.

Once ace Jered Weaver has an ERA in the 5.00-range and is in the final days of his Halos career. His 20M running mate CJ Wilson never got out of spring training and has now had more surgery.

Promising ace Garrett Richards has a partial elbow ligament tear, trying everything rehab, hoping not to have surgery.

Promising lefty Andrew Heaney has just had elbow surgery as has young minor leaguer Colin Rasmus.

The only ones not to do down, Hector Santiago and Matt Shoemaker, and Santiago was just shipped off to the Twins, and Shoemaker keeps taking the ball. And this is a team that dealt away two top minor leaguers in arms for a bat from the Braves during the winter.

If you are in San Diego, you do remember in recent years, the brilliance of the pitching staffs Bud Black had to use. Everyone of them is gone, as is the manager.

Andy Green now gets to choose from bright light young starter Luis Perdomo, who was in A-ball this time last summer.

The rest of his rotation is made up of Edwin Jackson, who has been with 11-different teams, walks alot of guys, gives up homers, but does take the ball every fifth day. There’s Jared Cosart, now on his 3rd club, yet to harness his talents. Paul Clemens, a journeyman, gives up home-runs and is here, because everyone needs a fifth starter.

The magic of Chrisitan Friederich of early season seems gone. Drew Poneranz is gone-traded. Tyson Ross made 1-start and got hurt.

And Robbie Erlin, Colin Rea and Erik Johnson are all rehabbing elbow issues.

Once upon a time James Shieflds, Andrew Cashner and Fernado Rodney were all part of this staff, all dealt away.

Have you ever seen anything like this? This seems to be just the tip of the iceberg around major league baseball.

The Dodgers might chase down the Giants. The Padres might not be good till 2019. The Angels have Mike Trout, an aging Albert Pujols and not much else. .

I can just see it now, teams always looking for an angle to attract new fans.

Buy a season tickete for next year, and get to make a start in someone’s rotation.

Pitching, got to have it. No one does right now.

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