A day after hearing manager Don Mattingly rip into the Dodgers, president Stan Kasten backed the embattled manager, citing he understood what he was trying to do. Ken Rosenthal from FoxSports.com had the quotes from Kasten:
Kasten on Mattingly’s remarks: “I know what Don is trying to do, what his intention is. It’s to light a fire, kickstart the team … 1/2
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 23, 2013
Rest of Kasten quote on Mattingly: “He’s trying everything he can think of. We’re all behind him.”
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 23, 2013
The report that the organization is behind Mattingly comes days after he was on the firing line, while Dodgers officials denied that initial report. Regardless, the drama in Los Angeles has boiled over to the players as Mattingly ripped into outfielder Andre Ethier and criticized the make-up of the team.
Coming into the season, the Dodgers were supposed to set the baseball world on fire, but they sit at 19-26 and they’re in last place in the NL West. Injuries and a lack of production from the middle of the order have contributed to the slow start, but management and Mattingly aren’t using that as an excuse.
While the Dodgers have won two of their last three series, they still rank second-to-last in runs scored, while getting on-base at a .328 clip. Matt Kemp has two home runs and Ethier has four, while Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez have been the team’s most consistent hitters.
With upcoming series against the Cardinals and Angels, the schedule doesn’t get easier for the struggling Dodgers. It’s been a strange week for Mattingly and the Dodgers, but it sounds like management is behind him 100 percent.
Even though it looked like the end was near for Mattingly in LA, it sounds like the team’s losing won’t cost him his job, yet.
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