Dodgers Top Ten -- Pitching Edition

1. Stults -- shutouts ( 1 )

Of course Stults leads the Dodgers in shutouts! He's the only starter to have recorded one. Heck, he's the only starter to have a complete game. To me this is still the weirdest result all year.

2. Kershaw -- strikeouts ( 75 )

This is why we believe in Kershaw. This is the number that matters, that tell us how much we should value him. His team leading walk and loss totals are discouraging, but they don't tell the whole story. Only Billingsley has more total strikeouts than Kershaw.

3. Troncoso -- ground ball double plays ( 7 )

The double play is the secret of the Troncuilizer's success. He's not a strikeout guy like Belisario or Broxton. He just makes hitters pound the dirt, and then pound their helmets against the dugout wall because they hit into a double play. Don't be mad, batter guy, it's not your fault you hit into the DP. You were Troncuilized! Troncoso trails only starters Billingsley and Wolf in double plays induced.

4. Billingsley -- home runs allowed ( 3 )

Billingsley is tied for fourth with a bunch of other Dodger pitchers, but he's pitched a lot more innings than most of those other guys. Who is ahead of him? Kershaw, Wolf, and Ohman. Ohman! Yeah, the rarely used reliever whose been hurt for a while has still given up more home runs than the Dodgers innings leader. Ohman gives up a home run every 3 innings; Billingsley gives one up every 33 innings.

5. Mota -- losses ( 2 )

Mota is tied for fifth in losses with three other pitchers. We're lucky he's so low on this list, given his poor ERA and strikeout numbers. I think it's a credit to Joe Torre that as much as Mota has been used this season he's rarely been put in a position where he could blow the game for the Dodgers.

6. Wolf -- wins ( 3 )

Wolf is tied with Mota for sixth in wins on the club. In fact both Wolf and Mota have 3-2 records. It's pretty incredible that a Dodger starter who hasn't missed a turn and tends to go fairly deep into games has the same record as a reliever who is usually kept as far away from close games as possible.

7. Belisario -- hits allowed ( 31 )

Pretty much the same as the Ethier entry from the previous top then list, in that it fills a space and doesn't violate the arcane uniqueness rules I followed in constructing these top ten lists. Not much to say here. Belisario has pitched 42 innings, so that's a good hit total.

8. Weaver -- innings pitched ( 34.0 )

Weaver is eighth on the Dodgers in innings pitched this season, and I don't mind one bit. I sure didn't think I'd be saying that before this season started. Aside from Weaver helping out the Dodgers with long relief and solid spot starting, I'm also happy for Weaver that he's found some measure of success again.

9. Kuo -- wild pitches ( 2 )

Hey, it's hard to fill out the pitching list. This is yet another tied entry, but I never cheated and moved a player down if there was a tie --- ties always get treated as the highest possible spot. Kuo's 2 wild pitches came in 5.1 innings. That pretty much sums up what this year has been for him.

10. Kuroda -- batters faced ( 112 )

This is kind of cheating, since batters faced is pretty close to innings pitched, which I already used. But it's not the same, and no other unused Dodger pitcher is tenth in something, so this is it. I guess the insight here is that Kuroda has been hurt a lot and that's why he's so low in batters faced.


This leaves Broxton off the top ten list. There is a good reason for this --- he gets his own special list later tonight that will fully explore his true awesomeness.