Dodgers mailbag: Why don’t the Dodgers have more clutch hitters?

The Dodgers are 27-25. That translated to an 84-win pace across a 162-game season, which would fall below the team’s expectations. But the Dodgers have played solid baseball in the past week or so, sweeping the Reds at home and capturing a series against the Mets on the road.

Now comes a serious challenge, a four-game series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The offense looked comatose in Monday’s loss. I was basically comatose, too, because of the travel hassle of getting to Chicago after an 8 p.m. game the night before, which is why the mailbag arrives a day behind schedule.

On that note, let’s get to it without further delay. You can send me questions on Twitter @McCulloughTimes.

In my opinion, it’s not really worthwhile to discuss an issue like this in a multiyear sample. The composition of the roster changes so much from year to year, so it’s best to probably assess this in the vacuum of 2016.

And within that vacuum, I would say the Dodgers suffer from a lack of clutch hitting because the Dodgers suffer from a lack of hitting, in general.

For example: The Dodgers have a .663 on-base plus slugging percentage with runners in scoring position this season. The offense ranks 26th in the majors in this category. That is not very good.

But then, overall, the Dodgers have a .689 OPS. The offense ranks 23rd in the majors in this category. This is also not very good.

You can argue that because the team produces at a weaker clip when runners are in scoring position, they lack a clutch gene. In the eyes of some scouts who track the club, the Dodgers do lack attention to detail when it comes to situational hitting, especially in the back half of the lineup. But that’s a small issue compared with the overall malaise.  

This question was, quite obviously, asked last week. The most obvious reason not to use a six-man rotation is that means Clayton Kershaw pitches only once every six days. That is sub-optimal.

Even if you jury-rig the schedule so Kershaw remains on a five-day schedule, the routines of the other pitchers will be upset.

But with Ryu temporarily shelved and Urias struggling in his debut, it looks like the team will rough it with Mike Bolsinger in the fifth spot. At least they will on Wednesday at Wrigley Field. Much like last year, the Dodgers are likely to rotate that fifth spot quite often.

You are being generous. Cot’s Contracts projects the payroll at just shy of $250 million for 2016. The number sounds gaudy, but a lot of that money is dead. Not literally, but you understand the phrase.

To wit: The Dodgers have spent about $87.3 million on players who have not taken the field for them this season.

Andre Ethier: $18 million

Brett Anderson: $15.8 million

Brandon McCarthy: $12.5 million

Hyun-Jin Ryu: $7.83 million

Alex Guerrero: $7.5 million

Yasiel Sierra: $2 million

Brandon Beachy: $1.5 million

Hector Olivera: $4.67 million

Michael Morse: $8.5 million

Erisbel Arruebarruena: $5.5 million

Matt Kemp: $3.5 million.

The responsibility for the bill can be spread to both current head of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and his predecessor, Ned Colletti. Friedman was saddled with the contracts for non-contributors like Guerrero and Arruebarruena. Those deals are basically unmovable. As Friedman reshaped the roster, he used his team’s financial flexibility.

The Dodgers ate a portion of Kemp’s salary in order to acquire Yasmani Grandal from San Diego. The team swallowed the whole bill for Morse in that three-way dance that involved Alex Wood.

Another portion of dead money arises from quality players (Ethier, Ryu) who suffered injuries. But Friedman holds the bag on a four-year deal for Brandon McCarthy, who required Tommy John surgery early last season. And the team experienced a bit of misfortune when Anderson accepted a qualifying offer in the fall and blew out his back in the spring.

That’s a good question. I’ve mentioned on multiple occasions in this space that the Dodgers were expected to get in the mix for Gray if Oakland made him available at the deadline. That was before Gray posted a 6.19 earned-run average in his first nine starts this season and strained his trapezius muscle. I’m curious to see how he bounces back, and if the Dodgers shy away.

One suspects the team will revert to the more standard seven-man bullpen and five-man bench. That means a reliever is likely to lose his spot. The team could option Bolsinger if he struggles on Wednesday, and start a carousel designed to return Frankie Montas and a starting pitcher like Zach Lee shortly thereafter. Or the team could designate Casey Fien for assignment and hope he clears waivers.

I am sure the front office will figure out a solution.

For what? It’s hard to imagine the team receiving proper compensation for him.

I used to get Pat Carney or Ben Folds a lot. Then I put on about 15 pounds and I started to get Jonah Hill. It’s a work in progress.

I haven’t had a gout flare-up since April 2015. Thank you for your concern.

[email protected]

Twitter: @McCulloughTimes