A different kind of performance enhancing for Ramirez
A new kind of performance-enhancing sweeps Major League Baseball with the news that Los Angeles Dodgers star outfielder Manny Ramirez tested positive for a sexual enhancer.
There are two baseball players that would shock me if they tested positive for a banned substance, Ken Griffey Jr. and Manny Ramirez. The latter, one of my favorite athletes prior to his messy breakup with the Boston Red Sox, tested positive for an illegal substance, but not the type I expected. The best left-handed hitter of this generation, and, in my opinion, one of the top-five hitters of all time, saw a physician for medication to take care of a โpersonal health issue.โ Yahoo Sportsโ Tim Brown reports that the drug was a sexual enhancer. ESPNโs T.J. Quinn and Mark Fainaru-Wada clarify this, saying that the drug was โhCG โa womenโs fertility drug.โ Waitโฆwhat?
Ramirezโs career is not tarnished because he wanted to improve his sexual performance. Yet, because Major League Baseballโs drug policy is so strict, something this harmless, personalโand quite hilariousโis on their list of banned substances, costing Ramirez fifty games of his season.
He has no reason to appeal. The Dodgers, off to a 21-8 start, need his bat and he knows this. Even though he leaves a considerable hole in the offense, Los Angeles has the players to step up in his absence.
Outfielders Andre Ethier, 27, and Matt Kemp, 24, arenโt far behind the future Hall of Famer in production. Ethier leads the team with 26 rbiโs, while his batting average is well above .300. Kemp, the prototypical five-tool player, has delivered with all of the intangibles this season, batting a steady .275 with three home-runs, 17 rbiโs, and seven steals. These two outfielders, in particular, will take the initiative, and have continued success in his stead.
More pressure will be put on Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson, the tandem that anchors the lineup, to get on base for the likes of Either and Kemp. Furcal is off to a slow start, batting a below-average .264, but the shortstop is currently on a tear, batting .323 over his past seven games. Hudson, one of the smarter acquisitions of the offseason in baseball, has given the Dodgers more offense than they expected by the defensive-specialist. Heโs batting .342, second to only Ramirez on the team, with 17 rbiโs, four steals, and a 1:1.4 strikeout/walk ratio. I donโt expect him, nor Furcal, to stop hitting, meaning Ethier and Kemp will have plenty of chances to produce.
Juan Pierre will take Ramirezโs place in the outfield, alongside Ethier and Kemp. Because of this, Los Angelesโ power numbers will dip, but Pierreโs resurgence at the plate and speed on the basepaths will give opponents fits. As long as Ethier, Kemp, first baseman James Loney and third baseman Casey Blake keep hitting home-runs, the Dodgers offense will make due.
The pitching staff has been equally as impressive. The rotation is patched together with journeymen and young prospects, but manager Joe Torre and pitching coach Don Mattingly have made it one of the better staffs in the major leagues. Twenty-four-year old righthander Chad Billingsley is their ace and has pitched like one to start the season. Heโs undefeated with five wins and a 2.21 Earned Run Average, allowing just 26 hits and 10 earned runs in 42 innings. Clayton Kershaw, 21, has an ERA over 4.90, but has pitched well in four of his six starts, including his last two in which heโs relinquished one run in twelve innings. Similarly, Eric Stultsโ ERA and win total is deceiving, as he has also pitched effectively in four of five starts. The Dodgers staff has been so efficient that Jeff Weaver, who accounted for only 23 wins over the previous four seasons, has gotten into the act, pitching five innings in which he allowed one run in his first start.
If the offense and pitching staff can continue their impressive play and hold down the fort for Ramirezโs suspension, the Dodgers will still be looking down on the rest of the National League West and perhaps all 30 teams.
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