SAN FRANCISCO -- Manny Ramirez is an important part of the Dodgers offense, FanHouse has learned.Not quite an earth-shattering scoop there, but nonetheless a point driven home -- along with a few runners -- as Los Angeles took the first two games of its series against the Giants.
Ramirez had been decidedly human for much of the previous two weeks, hitting .190 over a 15-game stretch during which the Dodgers went 6-9.
Over the past three games, though, Ramirez has racked up seven hits in 11 at-bats, including a two-run homer and a double on Tuesday night.
Ramirez was smack in the middle of the Dodgers' four-run fifth-inning rally and their five-run seventh-inning rally, which were enough to whip the Giants, 9-1.
"He hasn't really been in a slump," said Matt Kemp. "He was just trying to get his timing. I don't think he ever gets in a slump."
Manager Joe Torre said Ramirez had been out of whack.
"He really has such great balance, and for a time there he was sort off balance when he was swinging," he said.Ramirez, who took some extra swings in the indoor cage hours before Tuesday's game, seemed pretty balanced when the game began. He stood patiently while the Giants issued him intentional walks in his first two trips to the plate.
In the fifth inning, with Andre Ethier at second after his RBI double, Ramirez got a 1-2 fastball from Joe Martinez over the inside corner and he whipped his bat around quick enough to yank it into the left-field corner, for a double.
In the seventh, he reached down to golf Brandon Medders' two-strike breaking ball over the left-field fence. It was Ramirez's first homer in a week, and second in 18 games.
"He's the same guy, just sometimes it takes awhile to regain your form," said Ethier, who had three of the Dodgers' 11 hits. "Sometimes you don't execute the way you want to, and sometimes things fall into place. Sometimes as teammates, we've looked for him to do too much, and he feels pressure from that. But he's the same guy we had last year."
"I don't think he ever gets in a slump"
-- Matt Kemp on Manny Ramirez Last year, of course, Ramirez was the savior for the Dodgers' offense when he arrived in a July 31 trade. Although the Dodgers proved that they can win without him, maintaining their division lead during his suspension, there is no question they aren't as good when he's not in the lineup and swinging a hot bat.
"I think it sort of takes the pressure off a lot of the other guys who try to pick up the slack," Torre said. "It's tough to make up for his absence, to try to duplicate what he gives us. He's probably one of the best five or six right-handed hitters I've seen."
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
I'm a BIG Dodger fan but I think Manny has been in a horrible slump no matter what the other Dodgers say trying to back him up. Since he came back from his suspension he is hitting around 190! He weighs more than that! And that's over 15-16 games. That's not a slump? Maybe he needs the steroids to hit. He has 2 HOMERUNS since his return! TWO! Move over David Ortiz. The Dodgers are about 25 games over 500 and I'm shocked. They have 3 almost automatic outs in the starting lineup: Russell Martin, Rafael Furcal and Corey Blake. What happened to Blake's homerun power? Did he leave it in Cleveland? He's a good third baseman but so am I. He has 13 homeruns and maybe 50 rbi's. Yeah, he's earning his dough. And Russell Martin is a joke. He is a fine catcher but he cannot hit in the clutch, is batting around 260 and has hit 3 HOMERUNS all year! Even Rafael "260 B.A." Furcal has six. And Furcal and Martin are hitting 1-2 in the lineup! How did they get 25 games over 500? Is baseball that bad???
It is hilarious how DOdger fans were so all over dogging Barry Bonds and now they lap up Manny the Juicer! He used in Boston ... he is using in LA and somehow it is OK because???
The hypocracy of MLB is disgusting! I frankly don't give a damn about all this PED stuff but to blacklist Bonds and rave about Manny, Oriz and ARod is totally rediculous! How is it that Manny and Ortiz get busted for using and somehow it is OK while the league has black listed Bonds? It just goes to show what a wacked out society we live in ... with no set standards for people and crucifying some while they rave and applaud others ... all guilty of the same offense. MLB is a joke and Manny is one of the main characters in this joke! Funny how you haters think ... it's OK for a hero on my team to use but lets crucify anyone on another team for the same thing your hero is doing!