NEW YORK — Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti is fed up with his ballclub.
A day after taking the team to task in an interview with a Los Angeles radio station even before the Dodgers were swept by the Mets in a doubleheader, Colletti again expressed his frustration a last-place team that dropped to 8-12.
“Overall, I’m not satisfied with how the club’s played. They could be 12-8 right now. If they played the same way I’d still sit here and tell you I’m not satisfied with how we played,” Colletti said before Wednesday’s series finale at New York. “I’m not satisfied with the presentation. I’m not satisfied with execution. I’m not satisfied with the thought process of it.” He added: “I normally temper my thoughts,” Colletti said. “At some point and time you can’t kid yourself either.”
The Dodgers have lost six of eight on a nine-game trip and have been plagued by poor fielding, baserunning and pitching.
Entering Wednesday’s game, Los Angeles was last in the National League in fielding with a .972 average and 21 errors, and is ninth in the NL in pitching with a 4.99 ERA.
“If they had a category for execution we’d be in the bottom half of that, too,” Colletti said.
In the radio interview, Colletti was asked about the subpar play of 25-year-old Gold Glove winner Matt Kemp. He did not shy away from criticizing a player he rewarded with a $10.95, two-year contract.
Kemp was 1-for-9 in the doubleheader, dropping his average to .294 with seven homers and 20 RBIs.
He’s made an error and has no outfield assists in the first 20 games. Last season he made two errors and had 14 outfield assists in 158 games.
Prior to Wednesday’s game, Kemp said he did not hear the interview. When given a recap, he defended his effort, saying he shows up early every day for extra work.
“He can say what he wants to say, he can think what he wants to think,” Kemp said. “Ain’t no deal going to change the way I play the game.”
Manager Joe Torre also defended Kemp, saying he does come early and works hard. But he emphasized, “That’s the physical stuff.”
“A big part of this game is the mental part. It’s being able to deal with the failures,” Torre said.
While he would not back down from his comments — including questioning Kemp’s performance under the new deal — Colletti blamed the problems on the team, not just the dynamic center fielder.
“It’s not tennis or golf where you’re on your own. It’s a team sport,” said Colletti, who hadn’t met with Kemp since his comments.
Colletti’s point was that the Dodgers are nearly the same squad that won 95 games and made it to the NL championship series — even as Manny Ramirez served a 50-game suspension — and he expects similar results.
“I don’t think there’s anybody in the clubhouse that likes what’s going on,” Torre said. “I’m not of a mind to think that players don’t care. You get to a point where you frustrated and lose your discipline. That doesn’t mean it’s OK to do that. It’s my job to find out where to sort of reel it back in.”
