Game 103: Dodgers vs Washington Nationals 13:1

What a relief. However, I refuse to get overhyped, at least not until the Dodgers start showing some consistency hitting-wise. Last night wasn't bad, I'm willing to admit it. Thirteen runs on twelve hits, every starter but pitcher (Billingsley) getting a hit with Andre Either, Russell Martin and Cesar Izturis getting multiple hit games.

Some thoughts from the non-excited me:

(1) I'm still very much against trading Izturis. If we're prone to be sellers at the deadline, having already moved Perez and Baez, Ned Colletti should try his hand with Tomko, Cruz, Lofton and Martinez in this order.

(2) Is this a coincidence that the most thought of "potential" acquisition for the Dodgers: Alfonso Soriano is in town this weekend? I just hope he does not stay here past the couple of games against the Nats ;).

(3) Add some orange here and there and you could not tell the difference between the Nats' visitor jerseys and the Giants' ones. I was rubbing my eyes at the start of the game, 'cause I thought I got it wrong with the schedule.

(4) Exactly, how hot is there in SoCal at the moment? The weather.com says 77F, which I guess means cooler than a couple of previous days, but how are you supposed to paly professional baseball (especially day games) in such cruel conditions? Luckily today's game is at 4:10 p.m. with Derek Lowe trying to top Michael O'Connor.

On the departing Danys Baez and Willie Aybar

I did like (and still do) Danys Baez as a person. I like his entourage, his way of coming out of the bullpen, the deep breath and shaking of the shoulders before his most critical pitches.

I have a lot of good feelings towards Willie Aybar, too. His bad-guy look from underneath his helmet going down a little bit too low on his face when he's getting ready to bat. His Batista-like stance and even Aybar's down-trodden looks when his boots a groundball for an error.

I'm gonna miss you, guys. I really will. Nothwithstanding what you did do and failed to do for the Dodgers this year. Have a good career with the Braves or wherever life is gonna take you. Thanks for the memories!

Game 101: Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres 3:7

Make that seven in a row. Seven games in a row in which the Dodgers just can't do it. They sure can tease us, but they just can't follow through.

After giving up two runs in the top of the third, the Dodgers crawled back to life with a run in bottom of the fourth and the fifth.

Then, starting pitcher, Mark Hendrickson, realizing the game was getting too close for comfort, he decided to give up a couple more runs. Maybe Hendrickson is mistaken by the horrible play of the Dodgers since he came here from Tampa Bay, but somebody needs to explain it to him.

In fairness to him, he did pitch a quality start. Unfortunately, anything less than a shutout by our pitching staff isn't good enough these days.

The Dodgers closed the lead to 4-3 in the sixth on singles by Ricky Ledee and Toby Hall, followed by Cesar Izturis' RBI groundout to the right side. One out later, pinch-hitter J.D. Drew did his job when he lined a single to center -- but Mike Cameron did his job just as well, charging the ball and making a perfect throw to Mike Piazza to nail Hall at home.

Why they sent Hall is beyond me. It seemed more like an act of desperation-- just trying to do anything for a win. Hall is slow and was pretty much a sitting duck from the get go.

The Dodgers' catcher admitted he was the wrong guy running at the wrong time.

"You can't always pick who's on second base when you're hitting

a line drive," Hall said. "It was two outs, and if he makes a perfect throw,

you're going to be out nine times out of 10."

For the first time in 91 games, Kenny Lofton hit a homerun. It was his first while donning the Dodger Blue.

Unfortunately, it wasn;t enough as the Dodgers lost for the 12th time in 13 games since the All-Star break. The Dodgers have fallen six and a half games behind the NL West leading Padres.

"Everybody's pressing, trying to hit the three-run homer," Hall said.

"You can't try to do too much, but that's what this team's doing.

When it rains, it pours -- and it's pouring right now."

Olmedo Saenz started at first base for the Dodgers in place of Nomar Garciaparra, who sprained a ligament in his right knee in the 11th inning of Monday night's loss and is expected to miss at least five games.

Hendrickson allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings, dropping to 0-4 on the season as a Dodger. The left-hander has a 4.97 ERA in five starts since joining the Dodgers on July 27 in a trade with Tampa Bay.

"Besides the home run, he did fine. He kept us in it," said Hall,

who came to the Dodgers in the same trade as Hendrickson.

Lofton, who hit a career-high 15 homers with Cleveland in 2000, led off the fourth with a drive into the seats in right-center to trim San Diego's lead to 2-1. It was only his second homer since opening day of last year with Philadelphia, and his first since Aug. 30, 2005, against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium.

Ramon Martinez was 0-for-13 lifetime against Park before ending the drought with a leadoff single in the fifth. He scored the tying run all the way from first on Rafael Furcal's double down the left-field line.

Some thoughts:

1) At least Elmer Dessens pitched well. He pitched two scoreless innings for the Dodgers.

2) With the trade deadline looming, and the "veterans" injured for the most part, it seems if anything happens, we will be buyers, rather than sellers. Gosh, I hope we stand pat.

Game 102: Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres 3:10

Wow. I just can't comprehend what the hell is going on out there. The offense still can't score, the defense isn't doing its job and tempers are flaring.

It is nice to see that Brad Penny and Kenny Lofton still have enough passion to care and argue over the game.

Like Lofton said, everyone is a headcase when the team is losing. With this having to be one of the worst losing streaks most players have been on, it isn't a surprise tempers are high. Especially because it isn't one run games. They are getting blown out most games!

Penny himself said he's miserable and I don't blame him. Most Dodger fans are miserable right now too.

The Dodgers have lost eight straight, are 1-13 since the All-Star break and have been outscored 81-29 during this stretch. They are eight games under .500 (47-55) and a season-worst seven and a half games out of first place in Grady Little's first season as manager.

Penny, who has lost all three outings since starting the All-Star game, gave up four runs in the third inning on six consecutive hits. He got into it with Lofton, yelling at the 16-year outfielder and pointing his finger at him as coaches and teammates got in between them.

"I overreacted," Penny said. "I was really mad. I was frustrated.

People who know me know that I wear my emotions on my sleeve

when I'm out there. That's the only way I can pitch -- to be emotional.

If I'm not, I'm not going to be the pitcher I am."

Penny eventually patched things up with Lofton.

"It's just frustration," Lofton said. "It's over with.

When you're going through a losing streak, tempers will flare."

Penny (10-5) allowed six runs and nine hits in five innings before he was lifted for a pinch hitter. It might have been worse for the right-hander had it not been for three double-play grounders.

Penny threw 26 pitches in the Padres' four-run third before recording an out. He surrendered hits to his first six batters, including consecutive doubles by Josh Barfield, Jake Peavy and Dave Roberts. Peavy's drive into the left field corner drove in San Diego's first two runs. He scored on Roberts' hit, and Giles capped the rally with an RBI single.

The Padres made it 6-1 in the fourth when Geoff Blum doubled inside first base and Peavy drove his second career home run into the lower seats in the left-field corner.

They are a bad team...

... no, not the Dodgers. The new team that will feature Mr. Odalis Perez. The Kansas City Royals :). Says the fearless burger-eating lefthander:

"The team is a bad team," he said. "I'm not saying the players
are bad but they have 34, 35 wins. I'll be happy because
I can be one good guy on that staff."

See Perez's thinking pattern? *He* could be a *good* guy on this staff! He does not see anything wrong with his performance! Just move him around to a more convenient environment, where his bloated ERA can be hidden better than on the Dodgers, and he suddenly becomes a *good guy*.

I will not shed a tear, for Odalis...

Game 100: Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres 6:7, 11 innings

The fading Dodgers took us to extra innings this game to show us that they can lose in more than one way. It was the Dodgers sixth consecutive loss, and eleventh of their past twelve. The Dodgers are the only team in the majors not to win an extra inning game this year.

The only positive news out of this game was rookie Andre Ethier's performance. He went four-for-five with two homeruns and three RBIs for the Dodgers

"It's disappointing anytime you lose, especially a game like this,"
Ethier said. "Unfortunately, we had a few bad breaks at the end
and they won. But it was a great team game for us tonight.
At least we were right there at the end this time instead of
being way out of it. This is when teammates really have to pull
together and help each other through this stuff."

For a rookie, he sounds like a veteran. Good stuff.

"I'm just staying positive up there at the plate," Ethier said.
"I know it's a grind and I know these guys are going to
challenge you, but you have to be ready for the challenge."

Some thoughts:

1) With each game he plays, Ethier makes an argument that he is one of, if not the top rookie in the league. He seems to be the one untouchable player on the Dodgers.

2) Derek Lowe continues to struggle but I can't figure out why. Does he have anymore extra marital affairs going on?

3) It is long overdue, but with our pitching woes, it is time to make a pitching call up.

4) Speaking of pitching, why are Odalis Perez and Brett Tomko still taking roster places? They both need to be released or pawned off on somebody.

Game 99: Dodgers vs. St Louis Cardinals 1:6

Happy Birthday Nomar Garciaparra. Too bad the Dodgers couldn;t have pulled out a win to celebrate. If not for Nomar, for the dearly departed Don Drysdale and Pee Wee Reese. But no. The Dodgers once again failed to score more than a single run.

This is the most anemic offense in the pros right now. Ex-Dodger, Juan Encarnacion homered twice to help the Cardinals beat the Dodgers for seventh straight time this season. This is the first time in their 115 year history that the Cardinals have swept the season series from the Dodgers.

Even the Dodgers under Paul DePodesta weren't that bad. At least they even won a game against the Cardinals in the playoffs.

Jason Marquis was originally slated to pitch Monday in Colorado. But after allowing 12 runs and 14 hits over five innings last Tuesday in a 14-5 loss to Atlanta, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa thought pitching Sunday would give Marquis a better chance to redeem himself. Dodger Stadium's spacious outfield is more forgiving than Coors Field, and Marquis has given up a league-worst 24 homers.

Beside, La Russa is a smart man. Wouldn't going up against an anemic Dodger offense be better suited to rebound from a horrible outing?

The three-game sweep was the Cardinals' first at Dodger Stadium since April 1993. They have won nine straight against Los Angeles and 15 of the last 19 meetings -- including a four-game sweep last week in St. Louis. The only other time the Dodgers were swept in a season series by an NL club since moving to Los Angeles in 1958 was in 1994, when Atlanta was 6-0 against them. But a players strike that year wiped out the final seven scheduled meetings between the teams.

That's what we need. A strike. Somebody call up Donald Fehr!

"I'm glad we're done playing them because they're going to get hot,"
La Russa said. "I don't want to spend the rest of the season having
to beat Brad Penny a couple more times, because that's
not going to happen."

This game made the Dodgers 1-10 with three shutout losses since the All-Star break -- two of them against St. Louis -- and have been outscored 57-17 during this stretch. The Cardinals outscored them 35-8 in the seven games.

"We ran into a buzzsaw with St. Louis," manager Grady Little said.
"We've just got to keep working. These guys are professionals
and they know how to correct it. The ball's in their court."

Rookie Chad Billingsley gave up six runs -- five of them earned -- and six hits over five-plus innings and walked five in his eighth big league start. He dropped to 1-3 on the year.

Some thoughts:

1) After the game, the Dodgers entered the trading game. They sent little-used catcher Sandy Alomar to the White Sox for minor league RHP B.J. LaMura and announced that OF Jason Repko would be activated from the 60-day disabled list on Monday.

2) Will Jason Repko's return be able to help spark this anemic offense?

3) With the deadline looming, and the Dodgers falling hard, it is time Ned Colletti becomes a seller. What can we get for Ramon Martinez, Rafael Furcal, Kenny Lofton, J.D. Drew, et al?

Game 98: Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals 1:6

This is adding insult to injury. The one game the Dodgers seemed to have the best chances to win and the Dodgers offense was still missing in action. Against ex-Dodger Jeff Weaver, who had been struggling mightily this season, would have been an ideal time for the bats to awaken. They didn't. It causes one to face the reality that they probably won't re-awaken this season.

Maybe it was the fact that Jeff Weaver was back in comfortable, familiar surroundings. Or maybe he felt he had something to prove to both the Dodgers and Aaron Sele, who both faced Weaver earlier this season, on May 19 at Chavez Ravine, when the Dodgers beat Weaver and the Angels 16-3 with a nine-run sixth inning.

Those were the good ole days. When a run deficit never seemed to much to come back from. But here we are, and thoughts of 2003 come haunting me back.

"Getting to the sixth inning seemed like the 12th for me,"
Weaver said with a laugh. "My last two outings
were short stints. I need to get back to that innings-eater
that I usually am and get to the eighth inning.
I'd like to get deeper into the game, but that's
another step down the road.

"I felt a lot better as the game went on and started getting
those groundballs that I'm accustomed to," Weaver added.
"So I'll just take all the good things from tonight and hopefully
build on it. At times, I was throwing a few too many strikes.
When I was ahead in the count, I don't think I threw enough
`chase' pitches. But that's easily adjustable."

Dodgers right fielder J.D. Drew was not in the starting lineup because of a bruised right knee, which occurred when he was struck by Jeff Suppan's pitch his first time up in Friday night's 2-0 loss. He pinch hit with two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth after Josh Hancock relieved Weaver, and lined out to center field as Los Angeles left the bases loaded for the second time.

The lackluster Dodgers are 1-9 since the All-Star break and have been shut out three times during this stretch, including Friday night's series opener, when Suppan and two relievers held them to six hits. They called a players-only meeting after the game to try to sort everything out.

They get a big "F" for failing to sort things out.

Aaron Sele dropped to 6-4 on the season. He allowed five runs and six hits over four innings before he was removed for a pinch hitter. The right-hander, pitching in sweltering heat that plummeted to 92 degrees by gametime, did not strike out a batter and walked two.

"I was up in the zone, and everything they hit was a hanging
breaking ball," Sele said. "When you're playing a really good team
that's really hot, you've got to make better pitches than that.
Those pitches should have been hit where they were hit."

The Dodgers, who have totaled only 16 runs in 10 games since the break, got their only run during a 20-pitch first inning in which Weaver gave up singles to three of his first four batters. Nomar Garciaparra had an RBI single, but Cesar Izturis flied out with the bases loaded -- one pitch after a walk to Willy Aybar.

Why Cesar was even swinging is beyond me.

Some thoughts:

1) Looking, or should I say grasping, for anything good out of this game... It sure was nice to see Giovanni Carrara and Odalis Perez throw three scoreless innings between the two of them.

2) For an ex-leadoff hitter, it was truly sad to see Cesar Izturis swing at the first pitch--especially right after Weaver had walked the previous batter. Looks like a sign of frustration on his, and the Dodgers' part.

Sandy heading east

The Dodgers have complied with the wish of seldom-used third-string veteran catcher Sandy Alomar and traded him away to Chicago White Sox. Sandy lives in the "Windy City" in the off-season and he welcomed a chance to play for a contender:

"I want to thank (the Dodgers) for giving me a chance to be on this team," Alomar said. "I'm happy, because I'm going home and I'm going to a (team) that is obviously a contender that I am familiar with. ... The role I was in, the Dodgers weren't getting the best out of me, so I figured something was on the horizon. I just didn't know what."

Thank you, Sandy, for your brief stint with the Dodgers :) and good luck in Chicago!

LA acquired AA-level pitcher BJ LaMura in the deal.

Game 96: Dodgers @ Arizona Diamondbacks 2:5

Sorry for the delay. I hadn't received Marcin's email asking me to do the summary for this game.

The Dodgers had another lackluster game, but at least the kids are hitting. Oh wait, that was a Diamondbacks kid

New Dodger Mark Hendrickson kept his record perfect since joining the Dodgers. Perfectly abysmal, now reaching the 0-3 mark.

This was the Dodgers' sixth loss in their last seven games.

"I just see a team that things just aren't happening
for them right now," Los Angeles manager
Grady Little said. "The effort is there. It's something
we've got to get through."

Hendrickson lasted 5 1-3 innings, allowing five runs and nine hits.

"One of those games that's kind of frustrating because
I felt like I had pretty good stuff," Hendrickson said.

Hmmm, could have fooled me that it was a good game.

The Dodgers offense were dominated by Brandon Webb. They definitely didn;t look like the National League leading team with a .280 batting average. The Dodgers hit into four double plays.

"He's not the guy we wanted to see today," Little said.
"He was on the top of his game. A couple of times
there we thought we had a chance, and then here comes
that double play ball and that was the story."

It seems that any pitcher is who the Dodgers don;t want to see lately.

It was a nice touch of the fan who caught Quentin's first career homerun back to him without even asking for anything in return.

I like that. Shows class. Well, unless its a Steroid Boy home run.

"The guy gave it back," Quentin said. "He didn't want anything.
He wrote me a note. I think I'm going to send him maybe
a bat or something, and say thank you."

Game 97: Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals 0:2

Two words: run production. That is what is missing from the Dodgers as of late. When the ace on the staff suceeds at pitching a quality start and only holds the opposition to two runs, said team should win the ballgame.

Unfortunately, the Dodgers were shutout.

The Dodgers have stumbled to near the cellar in the National League West-- which many consider the worst division in baseball.

The Dodgers tried to redeem themselves in the ninth. Andre Ethier reached base on a walk and Olmedo Saenz, pinch hitting, reached on Scott Rolen's fielding error.

Then, Grady Little, obviously having given up on the game, decided that out of his three available players to pinch hit, he sent Sandy Alomar up to the bat. Alomar flew out to end the game.

Why Little went with him other than Ricky Ledee or Kenny Lofton is beyond me.

The Dodgers are 1-8 since the All-Star break and have been outscored 45-15 during this stretch.

Penny dropped to 10-4, allowing two runs and six hits in 6 2-3 innings against a Cardinals lineup that averaged 12 runs over their previous four games.

"`I threw the ball well and I felt better than I've felt
in a long time," Penny said. "Unfortunately, the way
we're playing right now, if you make a couple of mistakes
you're going to pay for them."

J.D. Drew limped out of the game in the first inning with a bruised right knee getting hit by a pitch. Being that this happened shortly after reigning NL MVP Albert Pujols was brushed back by a 2-0 delivery from Penny, and the fact that Cardinal Manager Tony LaRussa openly admits to ordering intentional hits, it wouldn't surprise me if it was payback.

Hopefully when Penny plunked Jeff Suppan on the left arm with a 3-2 pitch in the fifth, it was in retaliation. No warnings were issued by the umpires though, and there were no further incidents.

Juan Encarnacion, who was part of a five player trade that brought Penny to the Dodgers with a run scoring single in the sixth. Penny minimized the damage by retiring the next batter on a double play grounder.

Some thoughts:

1) If the hit Drew took puts him on the DL like last year, I hope we plunk the hell out of the Cardinal lineup Saturday and Sunday.

2) Cesar Izturis was back in the lineup after missing four games to be with his wife, Liliana, for the birth of their daughter. A special congratulations to them.

3) Now that it seems as apparent as ever that the Dodgers can't be considered true contenders for 2006, I think it is time to officially rebuild. It isn't often I say this, but I think we need to be sellers.

Game 95: Dodgers @ Arizona D'backs 0:8

A quick test of how observant you are: what is the reason for Derek Lowe's recent struggles? (hint: there are three Dodger-world submitted reasons here). It's becoming harder and harder to watch Dodgers hit. Let alone pitch.

Game report:

(1) If you did not submit the answer to the above, do not read any further :).

(2) It scares the living daylights out of me to think that the pitcher we were shut out by was *not* Mr. Webb. Mind you, we're facing him only tonight. Can you spell "doom"?

(3) What is the English name for the situation where you are trying to tell yourself that everything is going to be fine just to be scared less? Positive confession, is it? I'm trying to give a short piece of advice to Mark Hendrickson before this evening's ballgame so I need to be precise ;).

(4) Here's my list of prospects (from most to least willing) that I could offer for immediate starting pitching help. I mean real help. 1) Guzman, 2) Aybar 3) LaRoche 4) Either. Others are either untouchable, or non-factors for reasonably immediate plans of teams we'd need to trade with. What's your list?

Selection, location or mechanics...?

...you tell me. After last night's pounding against the timely hitting D'back offense there are several explanations as to what went wrong with Derek Lowe's stuff:

"Those type of starts obviously are not going to get it done,"
said Lowe. "This is not a trial-and-error session. My job is to
pitch deep into games and I haven't done it in a month."

Lowe scoffed at the suggestion that the three effective innings
were a positive to build on.

"Yeah, if you're a rookie," said the nine-year veteran.
"There comes a point in time where I have to make better pitches.
Now it seems like when I make them, they get hit.
And when I make mistakes, it's punishing, an extra-base hit or
a home run. It's not for lack of effort or concentration.
It comes down to execution. I'm beyond frustration.
The results are horrible."

Lowe repeated the theory that pitch selection is part
of his problem. He said he abandoned the curveball against Arizona
and succeeded with the sinker early, but felt he had to change
the pitch selection the next time through the lineup,
which is exactly when the Diamondbacks awoke.
He's clearly not trusting his stuff.

"Right now, I'm fighting when to throw the breaking ball," he said.

Little praised Lowe's stuff, but said he mislocated pitches.
Arizona outfielder Luis Gonzalez, however, said Lowe's sinker
flattened out after the second inning.

Say "no!" to SoriaNO!

While there might be reports of the Dodger interest in the extravagant 2b/LF Alfonso Soriano, I'd rather we passed for one main reason:

"The biggest negative about Soriano is that he would likely be just
a three-month rental. Soriano seems determined to become
a free agent at the end of the season, and it's believed that
he strongly desires to return to the New York Yankees . . . "

See, the guy is a Yankee at heart.

Games 93-94: Dodgers @ Arizona Diamondbacks 3:8, 4:1

The current four series, the "statement series" to open the second half of the season are @STL, @ARI, vs STL and vs SD. We have already gotten swept by the Cards in Busch. We need at at least split the series in the desert and Cards at home and take two out of the from the Fathers to gain some respectability.

If we lose all for series, we can probably call it a season just to save on Tylenol ;).

Anyway, whoever has seen the first two games of the Arizona series, please tell me if:

(1) There is any mechanical flow in JD Drew's hitting? His last HR was one that I saw with my own eyes on June 1 vs Phillies at Chavez Ravine. It's been six weeks since! What's wrong? He seems to play even more than we thought he'd be let by Little to, but seems to have lost his power.

(2) There is anything special about Gio Carrara's pitches? What is his out pitch?

(3) Chad Billingsley, all his wildness notwithstanding, has already surpassed all but Penny, Lowe, Saito and Broxton in effectiveness? By the way - congratulations Chad on your first major league win!

In a battle of the battled right-handers, Derek Lowe takes our hopes in his (pitching) hand against Miguel Batista.

Shuffling Izzy around again

If I was Cesar Izturis - currently on a leave to attend the new-born baby daughter and Cesar's wife - I'd be sizzling with discontent. The only remaining long-time Dodger is about to be shuffled into second base once he's back. All due to Jeff Kent's strained oblique muscle in his side.

Side note: more on the oblique muscle here (it's one of these definitions that make comprehension even more difficult :)).

Anyway, Izturis, a Gold-Glove short-stop, has been moved first to third base (at which we excelled defensively, no doubt) and now is scheduled to take over the second base for Kent. At the same time the Dodgers called up pretty questionable defensively Willy Aybar.

Why not leave Izturis at third (if you have to keep Rafael Furcal at short and leadoff) and give Ramon Martinez a regular shot at 2b? Martinez has been hitting pretty well given how scarcely he's being used and defensively has a range similar to Aybar, if not better.

I hope Grady Little thinks twice about moving Izzy to second. I really do.

[photo: www.mlb.com]

Tomko in relief?

What is your gut feeling about Brett Tomko's willingness to become a (long) reliever upon his return from the DL? His major argument for is the fact that he would not have to go through the lineup three or more times and he feels that he might be more effective facing batters only once.

Hmmm... The thing is that since the beginning of his Dodger career Tomko's *first* turn through a lineup (namely first couple of innings in any game) have been pretty rough. Ok, it's an understatement: he's been bombed in early innings.

I would understand the move if he had been having trouble past the fifth inning. The problem is - he hardly ever got there...

Games 91-92: Dodgers @ St Louis Cardinals 1:2, 3:11

Ouch, it hurts getting swept, especially that in half of the four games we were right in, and with a little luck here and there we might have split the series. Not that it would have been right, I guess...

(1) Anyway - with the trading deadline looming, I guess I'm leaning towards the "sell mode". Really, this team does not seem to be getting pretty much anywhere, apart from those of us who had estimated a well sub-par performance for the 2006 Dodgers. Why not take chances and let the youth take over at, let's say, RF, 2B and CF? I know Lofton, Cruz and Alomar are on one-year contracts, but trading them away NOW, would give our youngsters a good shot at the additional half-year of play.

(2) What can you get in the open market for Rafael Furcal? Honestly, I need names :)

(3) I did not realize until two days ago how much Mark Hendrickson's face reminds me of poor-man John Smoltz's. Do you see how similar they are to each other? No, I don't mean height ;).

(4) Observing the last two Cardinals games pretty closely, it occurred to me to pose this question: do you think the Dodgers have already quit on this season? There seems to be no "fire in their collective loins" ;), so to say. Batters show up at the batters box seemingly to make an out as soon as possible. They do not rally. They swing at bad pitches (ok, Cruz swings at everything - he's average No of pitches he sees at the at bat is probably 3.2...).

(5) The character-revealing series @the Diamondbacks starts tonight. If we want to bounce back and start negating the (4), we'd better do it right off as the happy-go-lucky Aaron Sele counters a hittable Enrique Gonzalez.

Game 90: Dodgers @ St Louis Cardinals 0:5

Why is it that the Dodgers get outblanked by other teams this season so much? Another gem at the wrong side of the matchup, even though I half-expected Cy Young Carpenter to give the Cardinals a good shot at the win.

Is this, as Dave Schmidt somewhere suggested (AFAIR), about time the Dodgers started to think SELL at the deadline rather than buy? If they'd be thinking sell: I would recommend they get some prospect pitching for the guys such as Tomko, Hall, Perez, Lowe and Furcal. At this point I would much sooner trade Raffy than Cesar, to be honest.

Right, second game in a row that I did not see (but I will tonight's - much better time over here):

(1) Why is everybody saying that if we ever traded Cesar Izturis than we'd have to call up Adam LaRoche. What happened all of the sudden to the promising future at 3b for Willy Aybar and/or Guzman? And if the third is somehow open, why would we not move Nomar over there and have the future infield of (left to right): Nomar-Cesar(Raffy)-Willy-James Loney?

(2) With all the recent difference in performance between the Dodgers and the Cardinals, St. Louis has like four wins more than us. Geeez, big deal. We need someone to step up for sure, and for that reason I'be looking to the likes of veterans like recently absent-minded JD Drew and/or Jose Cruz jr.

(3) I'm not sure I'd take the soft approach to Perez's venting, the way Little and Colletti did. If Odalis is never faced with reality, he's going to whine louder and louder with sympathetic audience.

(4) Tonight (our time) I get to see Mark Hendrickson wearing the Dodger blue for the first time. Hope he stops the bleeding against very hittable Jeff Suppan.

Brad Penny up close

Los Angeles Times ran a great piece on our All-Star pitcher Brad Penny a couple of days ago called "Touching a nerve". It's a story full of insight on his life, attitude, sports and hobbies.

I highly recommend you read it in your spare time.

[Photo]: www.usatoday.com

Odalis NOT in the TOP 10 worst contracts in baseball

This is really a wow. Apparently there are at least ten worse contracts, at least according to ESPN, than the one that Odalis Perez once signed with the Dodgers.

Hard to believe, eh? If I were to guess which ones made the ESPN's TOP 10 off the top of my head, I'd name Ponson, Weaver and Beltre (even though I might feel different about him). See how many you will score before looking up this link.

Game 89: Dodgers @ St Louis Cardinals 2:3 (14 inn.)

I did not see last nights game, apart from innings 11-14 and the wrap-up in form of the condensed game. Obviously very frustrating as it has been noted earlier.

Some food for thought just to vent:

(1) Chad Billinglsey was sooo lucky in the opening frames (bases loaded one out in the first for no runs, inning ending DP with two on in the fourth, bases juiced in the fifth, amongst others). His luck will run out one day and he'd get shelled. What's better for him and the Dodgers at this stage: send him back to LV or let him run out of luck? Is there a third option?

(2) Nomar Garciaparra and Andre Ethier, only regular Dodgers over .300 BA went 2-for-12, obviously with Nomar's 2-run HR. On the contrary, Rafael Furcal had a huge night (4-for-7).

(3) Why do you think Takeshi Saito was so unusually wild (three walks in the 12th and 13th)?

(4) And a quote from Odalis Perez:

"The last pitch's purpose was to walk him".

My take: Where was Little not showing four fingers when Pujols came to bat with his numbers against Odalis? This one is on Grady, I'm afraid.

Btw, Danys Baez was not available due to flu-like symptoms. Here's a cracker: what would you do with Pujols coming in in the fourteenth had Baez been available:

a) leave Saito in to picth to him (would have been Saito's third inning);
b) bring in Baez to pitch to Pujols (better numbers against him than Perez);
c) go with any pitcher (including Perez) to walk Pujols intentionally.

(5) Derek Lowe picks up the ball tonight against Chris Carpenter in the second game of the series.

Oh shit, Dioner...

This is one of these situations that you can't do anything but give thanks to God that no-one got hurt. I was in a car accident a little more than a year ago (though unlike Navarro I fell asleep for 3 seconds while driving at 90 mph at night), so I know what the Dioner family must have felt like.

Let's hope for a great comeback for Dioner and his Tampa Bay D-Rays for the rest of the year!

Trade Rumors

Well, the All-Star game is over, so the rumors are beginning to mount.

1) Cesar Izturis for a starting pitcher. This would require promoting Andy LaRoche. Many in the Dodgers organization support the idea, but Ned Colletti doesn;t like putting so much pressure on rookies to sink or swim.

2) Rumors had previously surface that Toby Hall was unhappy and asked for a trade. Ned Colletti has denied this.

3) Dontrelle Willis, Barry Zito and Livan Hernandez. All three are rumored to be available for the right price. Question is: What is the RIGHT price? Florida has talked to the Dodgers about Willis, but they seemed to want Matt Kemp, which the Dodgers seem to have made untouchable by not even entertaining the idea. Barry Zito may end the year in Oakland as the A's are sure to be in the mix and with injuries surrounding others in their rotation. Lizan hernandez may be the cheapest, but is he even worth it?

4) Soriano. I don't know why, but the Dodgers continue to be mentioned as suitors for Soriano.

5) Nomar Garciaparra. Nomar isn't worried about an extension right now, and just wants to do what he loves-- play baseball. He has indicated that he wants to remain in Los Angeles though.

6) Greg Maddux. Maddux has reportedly okayed a potential trade to the Dodgers, if the Dodgers make an offer.

Game 88: Dodgers vs. San Francisco 3:1

After spending the first month of the season in the minor leagues, with the thought in the back of his head that he may be through in the majors, Aaron Sele has proven he can still pitch at the big league level. In doing so, he has given the Dodgers' shaky starting rotation quite a boost.

Truth of the matter is,, the 36-year-old right-hander has been unbeatable at home.

Sele worked six strong innings, Nomar Garciaparra extended his hitting streak to 21 games, and the Dodgers beat All-Star Jason Schmidt 3-1 Sunday.

Sele (6-2) allowed four hits and one run while walking two and striking out a season-high seven before being relieved by Brad Penny to start the seventh. Sele is 6-0 with a 1.65 ERA in seven starts at Dodger Stadium this season.

"This guy throws strikes," Dodgers manager Grady Little said. "He changes speeds and throws strikes. That's the No. 1 ingredient to winning baseball."

Sele, who went 6-12 for the Seattle Mariners last season, has no explanation for his remarkable success at home.

"I like pitching with this team behind me," he said. "Teams usually put the ball in play against me. The guys play great defense."

As Little pointed out, Sele is anything but overpowering. His fastball rarely rises above 85 mph, and most of his strikeouts come on off-speed pitches.

Sele has had a much tougher time on the road, going 0-2 with a 4.71 ERA in four starts.
The Dodgers enter the All-Star break with a 46-42 record and trail NL West-leading San Diego by two games.

"We're right where we need to be," Sele said. "Everybody's bunched up. We've got a good chance going into the second half."

The Dodgers lead the National League Wildcard standings.

Penny, an All-Star who hadn't pitched since Wednesday, retired only one batter in the second relief appearance of his career, leaving with runners at first and second. The Giants loaded the bases with two outs before Danys Baez forced Moises Alou to ground into a force out. It was the second time Alou failed to come through with two outs and the bases loaded.

Takashi Saito, the fifth Dodgers pitcher, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his eighth save in as many chances.

Schmidt (6-5) allowed seven hits and three runs in six innings with one walk and three strikeouts. He hasn't won since June 6, going 0-3 with three no-decisions.

Barry "Steroid Boy" Bonds returned to the Giants' lineup after taking Saturday off because of a sore right knee and went 1-for-4 but was held homerless.

The Dodgers scored all the runs they would need in the first. Rafael Furcalsingled, and scored on Cesar izturis' double. Izturis took third on Nomar Garciaparra's fly to right, and scored on Andre Ethier's sacrifice fly.

Garciaparra, hitting .358 and tied for the NL batting lead with Pittsburgh's Freddy Sanchez, singled to start the sixth and later scored on a single by Jose Cruz to complete the scoring.

"I'm not worried about it," Garciaparra said of his hitting streak. "You just go out and keep playing. Today the biggest at-bat for me was the first one, moving the guy over."

Some thoughts:

1) Garciaparra had a career-high 30-game hitting streak as a rookie with the Boston Red Sox in 1997. It sure would be nice to see him at least match that streak. With the All-Star break giving him some extra rest, and him having matured since his rookie season, it doesn;t seem unreasonable to surpass that mark.

2) Jeff Kent sat out his sixth game because of a strained muscle in his left side. However, he is supposed to be back in the lineup Thursday.

3) Thought it was nice to see Sele cap an 11-pitch at-bat against Schmidt by hitting a broken-bat single in the third.

4) Bonds is 1-for-8 with four strikeouts against Sele in his career. Hopefully he doesn't get anymore hits off of Sele again this year.

5) Any idea why J.D. Drew was kept out of the lineup? Was it just to give him some rest? Andre Ethier replaced him, batting cleanup for the first time as a major leaguer.

I'm back and catching up

Hi gals and guys,

I'm just back from vacation and catching up on a lot of reading. I would like to thank Matt for filling in for me with the game reports and generally keeping the blog alive for the last fortnight. Thanks a lot, mate! :)

It would make sense if you Matt finished up with the Giants series reports and I will take back over some of the blogging right after the All-Star break.

Game 87: Dodgers vs. San Grancisco 7:11

Just two days after saying he would play the entire four game series, Barry "Steroid Boy" Bonds was unavailable for Saturdays game. Maybe he was actually tired of the taunting.

Nevertheless, a game without him participating is truly a cleaner game.

Derek Lowe gave up four runs in the top half of the first inning before even getting an out. In all, Lowe gave up seven runs, all of them earned on eight hits and three walks in 4.2 innings. Two of his hits he allowed were the long ball. One came from the opposing pitcher. It wasn;t a very pretty day for Lowe, who fell to

"Obviously, I'm in a little bit of a funk," Lowe said. "I mean, four runs before you get an out. I think clearly, there's something's going on that we will figure out before the next start, as far as what's going on mechanically to cause the inconsistency. I let the team down."

The Dodgers scored three times off Lowry in the second on a two-run single by new Dodger Toby Hall and a broken-bat RBI single by Rafael Furcal, but the Giants got a run back in the third.

Giants pitcher, Noah Lowry homered to make it 6-3, and Todd Greene hit a two-out, run-scoring single in the fifth to chase Lowe.

The Dodgers scored once in the sixth, but blew a chance for more. Kevin Correia relieved Lowry with one on and one out, and gave up a single to Hall and a walk to pinch-hitter Andre Ethier to load the bases. Jonathan Sanchez relieved and walked Furcal to force in a run before retiring Jose Cruz on a fly to shallow right and Nomar Garciaparra on a liner to center.

Alou opened the seventh by hitting a full-count pitch from Joe Beimel into the lower left-field seats for his 10th homer to make it 8-4.

Hall hit an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh before Saenz came through with the ninth pinch-hit homer of his career. But the Dodgers wouldn't score again.

It looked as if we were going to rally. IN the ninth, the Dodgers loaded the bases. However, with two outs, Russell Martin flied out to deep left field to end the game.

"Outside of the balls that left the park, it wasn't that bad," Dodgers manager Grady Little said. "But the balls that leave the park just kind of magnifies the situation. As the case may be, we should have had some taller outfielders in a couple of cases."


Random thoughts:

1) What is up with Jeff Kent? This was his fifth straight game he sat out. If he is so hurt he cant play for five games, he needs to be on the disabled list. At least get something out of that roster spot. Either bring up Willy Aybar or another pitcher!

2) To ass insult to injury, it looks like the old man on the team, Kenny Lofton may also be injured. After leaving Friday nights game early, he didn't play Saturday

3) Nomar Garciaparra singled in the first to extend his hitting streak to 20 games while teammate J.D. Drew went hitless in four official at-bats, ending his 13-game hitting streak.

4) One positive to Lowe's pitching was his continued dominanace of Barry "Steroid Boy" Bonds, who is hitless in six lifetime at-bats against Lowe.

5) With Toby Hall going three-for-five, with three RBIs, maybe this is a sign of things to come. One can only hope.

Game 86: Dodgers vs. San Francisco 9:7

Nomar Garciaparra stole the show once again. This time, he stole it from Steroid Boy himself. His tei-breaking, two run homer in the eighth inning overshadowed Steroid Boy's 720th cheating episode.

"When I hit it, I knew it was gone," said Garciaparra, who fouled off two fastballs before connecting. "I was able to get one where I got the barrel on it. I was just battling, trying to keep the inning alive because the guys behind me are swinging the bat well."

That is why I like Garciaparra so much. They teach us as early as Little League to just make contact and have faith in the batters behind you. He seems to truly apply to that thinking which is rare in the pros.

Garciaparra, who is going to his sixth All-Star game, the first as a National Leaguer, drove an 0-2 pitch from Jeremy Accardo into the bullpen in left with one out in the eighth. It was his 11th homer of the season and it broke a 6-6 tie.

Cesar Izturis capped the decisive rally with an RBI single, his third hit.

Rafael Furcal went two-for-three while Garciaparra and J.D. Drew each went two-for-five. Cesar Izturis went three-for-five, increasing his batting average to .279. Andre Ethier went three-for-five while Russell Martin went two-for-three.

Chad Billingsley took the hill for the Dodgers and went 5.1 innings. He gave up five runs, four of which were earned, on six hits and five walks while striking out five. Two of his hits were for homeruns.

Giovanna Carrara pitched a perfect two-thirds of an inning, striking out one.

Jonathan Broxton then recorded his second blown save of the year by giving up one run on one hit and a walk.

Danys Baez came in and pitched a hitless eighth for the victory.
Takashi Saito got three outs for his seventh save in as many chances, just hours after the Dodgers announced that former All-Star closer Eric Gagne would undergo season-ending back surgery on Saturday.

Some random thoughts and observations:

1) Once again, Jeff kent sat out. This is his fourth straight game and it is looking more and more likely he will need some time on the DL.

2) It looks like age may be catching up to Kenny Lofton. He left the game with tightness in his right hamstring after running out a sacrafiuce bunt in the first inning. He has been questionable with his health for some time now.

3) Garciaparra and J.D. Drew both extended their hitting streaks during the Dodgers' three-run first. Garciaparra made it 19 straight with an RBI single, Drew followed with a double that gave him 13 consecutive games with a hit. Martinez drove them in with a two-out double that gave Los Angeles a 3-1 lead.

4) The news of Gagne's surgery to repair a herniated disk in his lower back was saddening but not unexpected. It now seems more apparent that the Dodgers, especially their fans, need to brace themselves for an after Eric Gagne period, as it seems his chances of returning to the level we are accustomed to or slim to none.

5) Nomar Garciaparra is only the second player in history to make the All-Star roster as both a shortstop and a first baseman. The other was Hall of Famer Ernie Banks.

Game 85 Dodgers vs. San Francisco 4:5

I hate the Giants. I hate them even more after it appears they took a cue from the Arizona Diamondbacks in plunking Nomar Garciaparra two times.

Now, I have always advocated not walking Barry "Steroid Boy" Bonds. In todays world of pitch counts, it is a waste of four pitches. Just plunk him and get it over with. I advocate that even more now. Where is Danys "the Hitman" Baez when we need him?

Giants cheater, drug abusing, wife beater Barry "Steroid Boy" Bonds remained at 719 career homers, going hitless in three at-bats with a walk. He is 3-for-20 on the current road trip and hasn't homered since June 24. It sure is a pretty sight watching him suffer and not get homeruns. Maybe there are baseball gods afterall.

I am sure the ghosts of Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and other greats are looking down. Fortunately for us, they are on our side.

Steroid Boy acknowledged disappointment concerning his lack of production. He's hitting .242 with 11 homers and 35 RBIs.

"Yeah, a little bit," he said. "I know I can still do it. It's not happening right now."
Then, he added with a smile: "It matters down the stretch."

Sounds like a veiled, "I don't care if my best friend is in prison. I know some AIDS patients too. I can still get my fix while we're going down the stretch," to me.

The Dodgers scored twice in the bottom of the third on Nomar Garciaparra's run-scoring infield hit and Andre Ethier's sacrifice fly with the bases loaded.

The Dodgers got their final run in the seventh on a run-scoring single by Ramon Martinez. With runners at first and second and one out, the rallie ended. Ethier struck out and Cesar Izturis lined out to right.

"We hung in there, kept battling back and made a good ballgame out of it," Dodgers manager Grady Little said. "We had a few chances to bust it open, and didn't get it done."

Mark Hendrickson, making his second start for the Dodgers, gave up nine hits and five runs in six innings while walking one and striking out three.

"I was getting groundballs, but they weren't directed at our infielders," Hendrickson said. "I found my rhythm tonight. After the first inning, I seemed to find a little bit better groove. It was just one of those games where we got in too big a hole too early."

I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I'll take his word that he has found his rhythm. Let's see how he does next start.

Some thoughts:

1) Jeff Kent missed his third straight game due to soreness in his left side. As time goes on, this becomes more and more of a concern. Is it time to recall Willy Aybar from Las Vegas?

2) Garciaparra, who was selected Thursday as the final member of the National League All-Star team, extended his hitting streak to 18 games -- the second-longest in the NL this year behind Edgar Renteria's 23-game streak.

3) J.D. Drew got an infield single in the fifth to extend his hitting streak to 12 games.

4) Steroid Boy has said he plans to play all four games this series. I hope he screws up his knees so bad that he is forced into retirement. It would be even better if he was injured trying to reach a Jeff Kent blooper or something similar.

Game 84: Dodgers vs. Arizona 5:4

Brad Penny is focused. It seems all he is concerned about is his next start for the Dodgers. He isn;t even worried about the All-Star game in Pittsburgh.

"I'm planning on throwing maybe an inning out of the bullpen on Sunday here, so that's what I've got on my mind right now," Penny said Wednesday night after pitching seven strong innings in a 5-4 victory that completed a three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"We're tied for first, so the important thing is going out there and not worrying about my first half, but the team's first half."

Penny (10-2) allowed two runs and seven hits while striking out six. The right-hander, who is off to the best start of his seven-year career, won for the third straight time and lowered his ERA to 2.92.

"Wins and losses are sometimes more luck than how you pitch," Penny said. "But if you keep your team in the game, you're going to win more than you lose. And that's what I'm trying to do."

The turning point of Penny's season so far may have been on May 29 at Atlanta, when he was removed by manager Grady Little with an 8-5 lead -- just two outs shy of the required five innings for a victory. He was rightly irate and showed the country how pissed he was. He and Grady Little quickly patched things up, which seems to have helped both parties/

"I think the best thing was that it was handled head-on by Grady the next day," Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said. "I was in the meeting, and they put it behind them. Both of them said what they needed to say, and it was over right then. From that point on, he's been tremendous -- not that he wasn't before that -- but he hasn't let it affect him."

"Since then, I think his attitude towards the game has been better," Honeycutt added. "He's been looser and has gone about his business really well. That relationship between him and Grady continues to grow. They lean on each other. Grady has shown that he has confidence in Brad, and vice-versa. So that's always a good thing."

Takashi Saito got four outs for his sixth save in six chances. He loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth and gave up a two-run single to Chad Tracy before striking out Conor Jackson with the tying run on second.


Andre Ethier opened the scoring with a leadoff homer in the second, driving a 2-1 pitch into the right field pavilion.

In the third, the Dodgers scored four runs to increase their lead to 5-0. Penny helped his own cause with a lead off double and came home on a one-out triple by Cesar Izturis. Nomar Garciaparra walked and J.D. Drew hit what appeared was going to be a routine double play grounder to second baseman Orlando Hudson. But his throw sailed past Damion Easley as izturis and Drew scored.

Ethier finished the series 6-for-12 with a triple, two doubles and seven RBIs. He also prevented a run in the sixth with a sliding grab of Johnny Estrada's flyball in short left field for the third out.

More randomness:

1) Eric Gagne seems to have hurt his back now. Already sidelined with elbow problems, this is cause for concern. He may need surgery to correct it.

2) Overdramtic Shawn "Cry Baby" Green did not play because the pitch by Danys "the Hitman" Baez gave him a small bone bruise.

3) Nomar Garciaparra extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a leadoff double in the fifth. Garciaparra continues to lead the National League in batting, with a .359 average.

Game 83: Dodgers vs. Arizona 11:3

The Dodgers brought their bats to this game. For the first time since May, the Dodgers racked up double digit runs in back to back games.

The most memorable hits, though, were another round of plunkings. Arizona decided to keep the love fest going and plunked J.D. Drew in the fifth by Brandon Medders.

Danys Baez earned himself a spot in the bullpen when he became our go-to guy in retribution plunkings. He beaned Shawn Green in the ninth, with two outs and two strikes.

It sure was a thing of beauty seeing a pitcher finally stand up for our batters.

Green then decided to whine to the media.

"I can honestly say I wasn't expecting it, but I know it was intentional," Green said. "It's unfortunate that the two intentional ones are on that side with guys on our team that got hit. It wasn't vice versa. But we've got a lot more games, so we'll see what happens."

Cry me a freaking river, Shawn Green. It is time to apply the Tony LaRussa rule. For every one of our hitters hit, we will hit two of yours. Looks like we owe the Diamondbacks six more courtesy plunks.

A whining Luis Gonzalez took a break from dressing in an adjacent locker, interrupted reporters as they talked to Green after the game.

I guess he felt left out. He saw Green whining and getting all the attention and his Attention Deficit Disorder kicked in and he wanted the same attention. So he whined, then he ranted like a sad excuse of a millionaire baseball player.

"Go ask Baez and Grady Little," he said in a whiny, expletive-filled tirade. "They're the ones that waited until late in the game to throw at him. It was gutless. Go talk to them so they can tell you that the ball slipped out of his hand." Asked about Baez hitting Green, Little, the Dodgers manager, replied, "I call that a pitcher trying to get a ball in on him that just got too far in. That's all it was."

It would have been nice if Grady admitted it, but maybe Baez did it on his own. If so, he deserves and even louder applause.

Danys "the hitman" Baez has earned my respect. I hope he plunks a few more Diamondbacks before the season is over.

Andre Ethier, continuing his torrid offensive pace with four RBIs, said he doesn't anticipate any fallout.

Guess he hadn't heard of Luis "Cry Me A River" Gonzalez' comments about this being a long season. Although I am sure it was said in a teary voice, the implication and threats were heard.

Kenny Lofton drove in three runs for the Dodgers, who have scored 21 runs in their last two games after getting 15 in their previous six combined.

Ethier had four hits and drove in two runs in the Dodgers' 10-4 victory Monday, and his .342 average leads all major league rookies by a wide margin. His turnaround came after striking out four times against the Angels on Sunday.

"I guess you got to even out those bad games," he said. "You always hear you don't want those peaks and valleys and you'd rather have small hills. That's what I'm trying to do -- staying positive and keeping hope no matter the circumstance."

Aaron Sele improved to 5-2 whiule allowing two runs on seven hits through six innings. He struck out five and walked one. He improved his career mark to 3-0 against Arizona.

After three consecutive outs in the first, Los Angeles scored in each of the next five innings.
The Dodgers struck for five runs in the third, highlighted by two-run singles from Lofton and Cesar Izturis. Ethier walked to force in another run with two outs.

Lofton's sacrifice fly made it 7-2 in the fourth. Ethier's triple and a sacrifice fly by rookie Russell Martin added three runs in the fifth.

Random thoughts:

1) Jeff Kent was a late scratch because of a strained left oblique muscle. This appears to be a bad sign. With the All Star Break looming, he may be able to avoid a trip to the DL.

2) Garciaparra singled in the third, extending his hitting streak to 16 games -- longest on the team this season.

3) The Dodgers improved to 24-25 on Independence Day since moving from Brooklyn in 1958.

Game 82: Arizona @ Dodgers 10:4

A quick note: My apologies for the delay. I accidently saved this post as a draft rather than publishing it. With a family emergency I have been unable to check as frequently as before.
-----------------------------------

Derek Lowe pitched five strong innings to notch his seventh victory of the season. He gave up two runs on seven hits and a pair of walks. Jonathan Broxton fared well, but did walk a pair while giving up no runs on no hits. Hong-Chih Kuo gave up a pair of runs on four hits and a walk. Each Dodger pitcher struck out two.

Nomar Garciaparra got bruised up en route to tying a major league record by being hit by a pitch three times. He was hit by three different pitchers. The last pitcher to plunk him was Randy Choate, and when he did, he and manager Bob Melvin were ejected by home plate umpire.

"Obviously, it looked ugly. At times, you try to crowd him, but certainly no one's trying to hit him," Melvin said. "It looked like they (the Dodgers) were trying to get our guys a couple of times and couldn't get them until they finally got (Conor) Jackson. But I don't think there was any animosity involved, and we'll just move on."

Sounds like accusations. If he is thinking that after the game, I wouldn't be surprised if he ordered the plunkings. Just wait till the next time, Bob.

Garciaparra, who drove in two runs, was hit in the back by Juan Cruz in the first, then took a blow off the front of his helmet on a pitch by Edgar Gonzalez in the fourth and was struck in the foot by Choate. After the blow to the head, we should have plunked their star immediately.

The mild-mannered Garciaparra calmly walked to first base each time, and later said he wasn't in any pain.

"Do I get mad? I don't get mad. Go play baseball," he said. "Just go out there, play the game. It's a game I love and respect the game. You got to respect the game always."

The Dodgers are 2-7 in their last nine games.

"Three is a big number to be hit that many times," Ethier said. "Let's put it aside and focus on the other things, which is finish strong here in the first half and go into the All-Star break on a winning note. Not this win one, lose a couple thing."


Grady Little said he didn't think the Diamondbacks intentionally hit Garciaparra.

Maybe if it had been just one plunking. But two? Three???

Please.

The Dodgers got on the board early. They scored three first-inning runs when J.D. Drew and Jeff Kent had back-to-back RBI singles and Andre Ethier followed with a run-scoring double.

"I came out early and refocused, did a little analyzing of my swing," he said. "I was swinging good before, it was just a little slight mechanical issue yesterday. When you put your mind to it, good things happen."

Ethier upped his average to .345, which leads all major league rookies, a day after striking out four times against the Angels.

"It's very humbling," he said. "You can swing it well; I guess a day like yesterday (you can) feel like and look like you're the worst player."

After the Diamondbacks got a couple runs back, the Dodgers extended their lead on a Rafael Furcal single in the third, making the game 4-2.

Seems like Grady Little made a good roster move involving Furcal. He was dropped in the batting order from lead off to the seven hole after going zero-for-four the previous night.

The Dodgers added four runs in the fifth, when three of their five hits went to right field. Pinch-hitter Jose Cruz had an RBI double and Ethier and Kenny Lofton added run-scoring doubles. Lofton's double barely dropped inside the right-field line. Cesar Izturis had a sacrifice fly and Garciaparra extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a run-scoring single to make it 8-2.

The Dodgers added two runs in the seventh. After Choate hit Garciaparra to force in a run, Ethier had an infield hit.

Some thoughts:

1) After looking good in the seven hole, it appears it was to be short lived. After the game, Little said Furcal would return to the leadoff spot Tuesday. I can agree with moving him back to the leadoff spot eventually, but is one good game enough to have confidence he has regained his form? I doubt it.

2) Just a random comparison: Like I mentioned above, Garciaparra was plunked three times in a game, tying the record. The last major leaguer to be hit that many times in a game was a former little league leaguemate of mine, Jonny Gomes. That feat was accomplished last season.

3) How do the Dodgers retaliate for such an obvious (in my opinion) attack on Nomar?

Game 81: Dodgers @ Anaheim 0:4

Chad Billingsley had another tough outing, falling to 0-2 on the year. He also lowered his trade value, which could be considered either a good thing or a bad thing. He gave up four runs (two earned) on four runs and four walks, while striking out three in six innings.

Billinsley made some rookie mistakes. Most notably, when he apparently nodded off in the third when Orlando Cabrera stole home plate without Billingley even throwing the ball.

J.D. Drew booted a liner down the right field line, his fourth error on the year.

Hopefully Billingsley can work on this fundamental error that Cabrara pointed out.

According to Vladimir Guerrero, Cabrera told him, `This guy's doing something that's giving me a chance, so please get out of the way,' Guerrero said through a translator. "I always look to the third base coach. I saw Orlando, he said a word or two in Spanish. His hand gesture was really enough."

Cabrera said he noticed that Billingsley, making his fourth major league start, paused before every pitch.

Cabrera said he had never stolen home before, and wouldn't have tried it had Guerrero not looked at him.

Dodgers catcher, Russell Martin said that wouldn't happen again because Billingsley will pitch from the stretch position in the future with a runner at third.

"When he goes into his windup, he has this routine where he steps back and looks down," Martin said. "I guess Cabrera picked it up because as soon as he put his head down, Cabrera took off. And by the time he picked his head up, Cabrera was already starting to slide. So we didn't really have a chance."

The Dodgers finished their interleague schedule with a 5-10 record after losing five of their final six games.

Some notes:

1) Rafael Furcal committed his 18th error of the season already. He is on pace for 36 errors this season, surpassing his career high of 27 in 2002. He has already committed three more errors than all of last season. Something needs to be done about this. We can't afford to give away extra runs.

2) Nomar Garciaparra, the National League batting leader, doubled in the ninth to extend his hitting streak to a season-high 14 games.

3) Cesar Izturis hit a two-out single in the third to end an 0-for-19 slump. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come from Izturis.

4) Coming into this series, the Angeles had only sold out 15 games, about one in three played. After the series, they had three more. Just goes to show that the Dodgers are bringing crowds with them. I saw it in Oakland and elsewhere.

Game 80: Dodgers @ Anaheim 2:9

Mark Hendrickson was a victim Saturday. He was a victim of poor Dodger defense. For his National League debut, he gave up five runs, but only one was earned.

The Dodgers played about as poorly as the Angels played well, committing three errors that led to five unearned runs and running into an out at the plate and another at third when the game was still within reach.

"It was a long day at the park, and we're glad that one's over," Dodgers manager Grady Little said.

A long day seems to be an understatement.

Hendrickson allowed seven hits and five runs in five innings on the hill.

"My job is to keep the team in the game, but the pitches I made were not good pitches, and they made me pay," Hendrickson said. "I left a lot of pitches up that got hit pretty hard. It just wasn't our day."

At least Hendrickson seems to be a team player, taking the blame which was clearly not his, for the most part.

Aaron Sele gave up two earned runs in a third of an inning, and Hong-Chih Kuo gave up an earned run in two-and-two-thirds innings.

Jeff Kent and Matt Kemp both hit RBI singles in the eighth, but it was too little, too late.

Toby Hall singled in his first at-bat in Dodger Blue.

Nomar Garciaparra went one-for-four, extending his hitting streak to thirteen games.

Some thoughts:

1) Does Aaron Sele's brief appearance in a relief role Saturday mean he has been demoted?

2) Rumors are mounting that Ned Colletti is pursuing Jeff Weaver. He would not confirm nor deny this though because of tampering rules. Any thoughts?

Game 79 Dodgers @ ANAHEIM 6:1

Andre Ethier stepped up his game a notch. After coming down to Earth, he continues to impress with his play. After going three-for-four with a two-run homer, most players, especially rookies, would have been out celebrating. Not Ethier. He hit the weight room.

"Got to maintain that strength, I guess," he said, grinning sheepishly. "Long season."

"I don't think I hit any Anaheim farm team too well coming up, and I guess now it's paying off for all those bad games I had against them," said Ethier, whose .333 batting average leads NL rookies.

The rookie's offense helped Brad Penny notch his ninth win of the season, more than his combined victories from the previous two seasons. Penny threw seven strong innings from to open the interleague Freeway Series with a 6-1 victory over the Anaheim Angels on Friday night.

Penny (9-2) allowed one run and seven hits, struck out six and walked none for his first victory in four career starts against the Angels.

The right-hander rushed out of the clubhouse after the game, saying he wanted to beat the traffic, and didn't talk to reporters.

Ironically, Russell Martin, who usually drives Penny around, had time to stay and chat.

"He had his good stuff," Martin said. "He had good snap on his curveball, he was keeping his fastball down, moving it in and out. He's throwing that ball like 95 miles an hour, and he's keeping that ball down, it's going to be real tough on those hitters."

The Dodgers snapped a 15-game interleague road losing streak with the victory at Angel Stadium, site of their last interleague road win in 2004.

After being swept in Minneapolis, this is just what the doctor ordered.

"We went a long way to get our butts kicked three games in Minnesota and we needed to rebound some way," said Ethier, who just concluded his second month in the majors after being called up in May.

Martin got a two-out RBI double and Jeff Kent got an RBI single, before scoring on a bad throw by Vladimir Guerrero, the Angels' 30th error in June.

J.D. Drew hit an RBI groundout.

Penny gave up his lone run on a double in the fourth. He then retired 11 of his next 13 batters in his last start before the All-Star rosters are announced Sunday.

"To me, it's a no-brainer," Dodgers manager Grady Little said of Penny's chances. "I don't see how there could be any question."

Nomar Garciaparra went two-for-four, increasing his batting average to .365 on the year.

Some thoughts:

1) Mark Hendrickson makes his Dodger debut Saturday against a struggling Angels team. This should be a good indicator of what we got in the trade.

2) J.D. Drew seems to be playing fatigued lately. He just hasn't been doing much. Should we maybe rest him for a couple days?