Indians Fire Wedge

Effective at the end of the season, Eric Wedge and his entire coaching staff will be relieved of their duties in Cleveland.

This should come as no surprise to anyone, and it should spark parades in and around downtown Cleveland and Progressive Field. It would be the first time since 1948 that Featherheads have had anything to celebrate for.

A September to Remember?

I'm pretty sure this wouldn't be any consolation to Dodger fans out there, but the Dodgers aren't the only ones mailing it in these last seven or eight days.

While the Dodgers have lost five of eight on this road trip through Washington, Pittsburgh and San Diego, three of the league's worst teams, the Phillies and Cards have both been struggling, as well. St. Louis has lost four of its last five and is 6-10 over the past two weeks or so, and Philly has done a little better, but is still 5-6 over its last 11 games.

As I said, no consolation to the Dodgers current road trip, but it should be known that all three of these teams have struggled like this before, and have turned it around to play some pretty darn good baseball. So the question is, which of them will get it together next week? We'll soon find out.

As for the Dodgers, they've got four left, one tonight in San Diego and three this weekend at the Ravine against the Rockies, who still haven't clinched the Wild Card and are still alive by the slimmest of hairs in the division.

I don't know what the popular cliche would be for a fourth effort since the third time wasn't a charm last night, but the Dodgers magic number still sits at one to win the division. Tonight is Jon Garland's turn. Maybe the offense will show up?

No Bubbly Parties Today

Rockies just beat the Cards 4-3. Second baseman Clint Barmes made an over-the-head diving catch with one out and doubled off Albert Pujols off first base to end the Cards 9th inning rally. The Cards had the tying run at 3rd after Julio Lugo stole third base.

So with the Dodgers loss and the Rockies win, the Dodgers magic number to clinch the West remains at one. Philly defeated the Brewers today, so the Cards and Phillies flip-flop in the standings for best record in the N.L. behind the Dodgers. If the playoffs were to start tomorrow, the Dodgers would play St. Louis.

They try again tomorrow morning. 9:35AM PT start.

Wow... just... wow!

I must admit after today's inexcusable loss to the Pirates that for the first time this year, I'm really concerned about the Dodgers chances in the post-season.

They looked awful all afternoon.

Last night, after their loss to the Tigers, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen ripped his team in his post-game news conference. In a nutshell, he said if the players don't care, to go play somewhere else. Well, I won't go that far, but against the two worst teams in the N.L., it seems the life has been suck right out of the Dodgers.

They've made bone-headed mistakes, bad errors, horrible base-running decisions. The defense has been horrid all week and the offense has sputtered. And the bullpen has looked about as bad this week as it has all season.

Suddenly, it seems as if there is no sense of urgency on this team.

That said, they're still going to be playing baseball in October, but I don't know if that's any consolation to the way they've played all week. Sure, anything can happen once they get there, but if they go into the post-season playing like this, it will be another quick exit for the Blue.

There's still time to turn this mess around. They've done it before. There's no reason they can't do it again.

More Clincher Fun

Forgot to mention this last night/this morning but with the playoff clincher last night, Joe Torre tied a major league record with his 14th consecutive playoff appearance as a manager, tying Atlanta's Bobby Cox.

Playoff Spot Secured!

The Dodgers rallied for their 93rd win tonight with an 8-4 win at Pittsburgh, clinching at least the Wild Card, and securing their fourth playoff spot in the last six years. Any combination of a Dodger win and Rockies lost from here on out gives the Dodgers the West for the second straight season with eight games to play.

The Dodgers are still battling the for the best record in the N.L. as well, and currently hold a three-game lead over St. Louis in that department, with Philly a half game behind St. Louis. As of right now, the Dodgers would play Philly in the NLDS, while St. Louis, who also clinched a playoff spot tonight by beating Colorado and winning the Central, would play Colorado, the current Wild Card leader.

Another Disappointing Loss

I'm not sure I'm surprised at all by this team's inability to beat the teams they're supposed to. This team seems to have a knack for playing down to the level of their opponents far to often, and tonight was no different.

They managed just one run against one of the worst teams in the league, and committed two more costly errors that would be difference in the game. The end result: a 3-1 loss and failure to clinch a playoff spot.

Jon Garland was solid again in his quest to clinch a spot in the post-season rotation, but the defense behind him would contribute to his 12th loss of the season. All three runs were unearned on two errors, one by Blake DeWitt, starting in place of Casey Blake who was resting a sore hamstring and had two doubles, and another by the usually sound James Loney. DeWitt and Loney also connected defensively on an infield hit that could have been ruled an error on either one of them.

Meanwhile, the Pirates win snapped a six-game losing streak, and coupled with Atlanta's win, the Dodgers failed to clinch that playoff berth. Their magic number to clinch remains at one, and four to clinch the division. The Rockies and Cards are still playing, and the Phillies already lost. The Dodgers continue to hold on to the best record in the N.L. which would give them home field in the LDS and LCS.

Randy Wolf gets the start tomorrow.

Individual Season Awards... Again

About a month ago, I wrote here my choices for the four main awards handed out each year for each league heading into the final month of season. Well a lot has changed since, so with 10 days left in the regular season beginning with tonight's games, I thought I'd revisit my choices.

MVP:

No change here from my choices a month ago. I'm sticking with Albert Pujols in the N.L. and Joe Mauer in the A.L. Pujols continues to put up ridiculously consistent power numbers across the board, while Mauer hasn't really let up much in his quest to complete one of the greatest offensive seasons ever by a catcher, sans Mike Piazza.

Cy Young:

While the candidates haven't really changed, there's still a lot of debate as to who should win the award in both leagues. The N.L. choices are still Tim Lincecum, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. Who wins is still anyone's guess. Carpenter leads the league in ERA, Wainwright leads the league in wins and Lincecum is blowing away the pack in strikeouts. Other than the strikeouts, and the fact Lincecum only has 14 wins, the three are pretty close overall, leaving the voters with a tough task. At this point, I'd have to give the award to Wainwright. In the A.L., there's still a lot of debate, as well, but my vote goes to Zack Greinke. His minuscule 2.08 ERA is very impressive in the A.L. and he's second in the league in strikeouts. Two more wins in his final two starts should seal the deal for the naysayers.

Manager:

Jim Tracy should be a lock in the N.L. with his Rockies inching toward a playoff berth after a horrid start under former manager Clint Hurdle. And even though his team is out of race with a rough past couple of weeks, I'm still very impressed with what the Rangers were able to accomplish this year under Ron Washington.

Rookie:

I'm still on the fence with this one in both leagues. None of the candidates stick out as clear cut favorites. At this point, I'll stick with my picks back then: J.A. Happ in the N.L. and Jeff Niemann in the A.L.

Kemp Makes Dodger History

With his first inning, three-run home run, Matt Kemp became the first Dodger ever to have a .300 avg with 25 home runs, 100 RBI and 30 stolen bases in the same season. Of course, with 9 games to play after tonight, the avg could still change.

Update on O-Dog

Orlando Hudson is day-to-day after his trip-and-fall last night. With Ronnie Belliard playing well for the Dodgers, Hudson can afford to take a few days off to rest the wrist.

Here's tonight's lineup:

Furcal, 6

Ethier, 9

Manny, 7

Kemp, 8

Loney, 3

Belliard, 4

DeWitt, 5

Martin, 2

Padilla, 1

A win tonight cuts their magic number to clinch a playoff spot down to one. Their magic number for the division is 7.

Ugly Loss

Well, what started out as a promising night turned into a disheartening 5-4 loss in Washington. In no particular order, some thoughts going through my mind after tonight's game...

• Chad Billingsley was solid in his return to the mound, pitching six innings of one-hit ball, the lone hit being a three-run home run to Ryan Zimmerman that tied the game 3-3 in the sixth inning. He struck out nine while walking four, and two of those four scored ahead of Zimmerman on the home run. He'll probably get one, maybe two, more starts before the season's end, and then the Dodgers will have to decide if he's worthy of a rotation spot in the post-season.
• The offense sputtered all night, failing to really come up a big hit when they needed it most, especially late in the game. They loaded the bases in the ninth inning with no outs and managed one run... on an error.
• I'm still not sure what Matt Kemp was thinking on the pop fly in the bottom of the eighth inning that landed between him and Manny. He seemed to be under it and then for whatever reason he pulled up, and when he realized Manny had also pulled up to back up the play, he tried to recover and the ball fell. That's a play you've got to make. That was your ball, Kemp. It turned out to be a huge.
• Orlando Hudson finally got back in the lineup and his "error" on the double-play ball that would have bailed out Kemp turned out to be huge. If Kemp makes the catch, the double play is never needed because there would have been two outs, instead of one, and all O-Dog would have had to do was step on second to get the force out. No error was given on the play because it was ruled a fielder's choice, but between this play and Kemp's, these kind of mental mistakes can derail a team in a hurry. Tonight was not a night for this to happen.
• Hopefully Hudson will be okay physically. He led off the ninth inning reaching base on a throwing error by Cristian Guzman, but tripped over Adam Dunn's foot while crossing first base and fell on the wrist that he broke last year. He was in obvious pain after the play, but he seemed to be okay as he walked off the field. It looked like they pulled him as a precaution.
• I'm still baffled by Joe Torre's use of James McDonald tonight, and in these kind of games. So far, McDonald hasn't shown me can handle pitching with the game on the line, and after the way the bottom of the eighth and top of the ninth innings transpired and sucked all the life out of the Dodgers, you would think Torre would have gone with a seasoned veteran reliever or someone who's been a little more effective late in games.

The only real positive aspect of all this was Billingsley. He was solid for the most part, although the four walks should still be a bit of a concern. But in recent starts before this one, he probably would have let this game get way out of hand long before he gave up the home run to Zimmerman.

Meanwhile, games like tonight's on a whole are the kind of games that can derail a team for a long time. There were too many mental lapses that never should have taken place. This is a very good team, especially defensively, which is why the two defensive mistakes come as a surprise. But the team has been playing very well of late, sans tonight, so hopefully, with the kind of attitude and leadership provided by Torre, his coaching staff, and some of the veterans on the team, such as Manny, they'll rebound from this tomorrow.

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A quick note from last night's 14-2 Dodger rout. Clayton Kershaw pitched two brilliant innings in relief, and tonight on the Dodger telecast he told Eric Collins and Steve Lyons that he felt good, and feels good today, and he hopes to make his next schedule start sometime over the weekend in Pittsburgh.

Astros Dismiss Cooper

The Astros have fired manager Cecil Cooper with just 13 games remaining on their schedule after a horrid road trip that saw them go 0-6. Cooper was replaced by third base coach Dave Clark for the remainder of the season. The Astros are currently 70-79 heading into tonight's game against St. Louis in Houston, trailing the first place Cards by 16½ in fourth place in the N.L. Central.

The firing of Cooper doesn't come as much of surprise, but the timing does. The Astros front office obviously felt they couldn't wait until the end of the season to let him go.

Bradley's Latest Meltdown

I find this pretty ironic.

When Ned Colletti became GM of the Dodgers after the 2005 season, his very first trade was shipping outfielder Milton Bradley to Oakland for AA-prospect Andre Ethier. Ethier has done nothing but shine in four seasons with the Dodgers.

So in the same week in which Ethier collected his 40th double, 30th home run and 100th run batted in, all career highs, the man he was once traded for, Bradley, was suspended by the Cubs for the rest of the season for what the organization has labeled as "conduct detrimental to the team."

Bradley criticized the team, the city and the fans in a newspaper article on Saturday, and today, Cubs GM Jim Hendry ended his season early, and possibly the rest of his Chicago Cubs career. (Bradley has two years left on a three-year, $30MM contract he signed this past off-season.)

Not surprisingly, several of his teammates, responded harshly to Bradley's comments, as did Cubs manager Lou Piniella.

So while Ethier continues to become a superstar in the National League, improving each season, Bradley's career has taken some twists and turns through three other cities since his stint in Oakland.

His antics with the Dodgers during his two-year stint is well documented. His two most memorable moments took place at Dodger Stadium. In one incident, after being ejected from a game in 2004, he promptly went to the dugout and threw a bag of baseballs out onto the field from the dugout, and then picked up one of the balls and threw it into the left field pavilion.

In the other incident, he charged a fan and threw a plastic beer bottle into the right field stands after someone in the stands threw it at him while he was playing right field in 2004. Then, during the playoffs that season, he called a newspaper reporter an "Uncle Tom" and was forced to undergo anger management counseling.

The final straw came towards the end of a dreadful 2005, 90-loss season when teammate Jeff Kent criticized him for his lack of hustle after a game in San Francisco in September that year. A war of words ensued through the media when Bradley then accused Kent of badgering him all-season and not understanding African-American players.

The Dodgers certainly knew what they were getting when they traded for him just days before the 2004 season. Bradley had a number of run-ins with Indians manager Eric Wedge, including one that would eventually result in his being traded to the Dodgers.

He behaved rather maturely during his one and a half seasons in Oakland. Midway through that season, he was designated for assignment after having a poor first half that was riddled with injuries. When he was finally released after 10 days, he signed with the Padres for the rest of the season. But once he left Oakland, controversy found him again.

Towards the end of that 2007 season, Bradley tore his ACL while he was being restrained by Padres manager Bud Black during an altercation with an umpire and missed the rest of that season. The following season with the Rangers in 2008, he attempted to go after a Royals TV announcer after the announcer made what Bradley called unfair comments directed towards Bradley.

And now this.

It's a pretty sad story because I've always felt Bradley has a load of talent and could be a superstar in this league. But injuries and all of these altercations and incidents have prevented that from happening. And unfortunately, this last incident might not only end his tenure in Chicago, but it could very well be the end of his career. I can't imagine what other would take a flyer on him, if the Cubs do in fact cut him loose from his contract.

Dodgers Bounce Back from Loss with Rout of Giants

Well that was nice of James Loney today.

Loney, who had 12 home runs this season heading into today's game against the Giants, waited until home game number 77 to finally hit his first home run of the season at Dodger Stadium as part of a 3 for 4 afternoon.

In all, the Blue smacked four home runs today as part of a 12-1 rout of the Giants. A first inning slam by Ronnie Belliard off former Dodger Brad Penny got the Dodgers off and running.

Matt Kemp preceded Loney's dinger with a solo shot of his own, part of a back-to-back job, and Blake DeWitt also added a solo shot of his own in the seventh inning. Jon Garland pitched eight brilliant innings today, giving the bullpen some much needed rest.

All this occurred after a rough night for the Blue last night. Vicente Padilla was ineffective for the first time as a Dodger, the offense struggled to come up with timely hits after they tied the game twice early after falling behind 1-0 and 4-1, and Chad Billingsley was even less effective in his first relief appearance of the season. All in all, despite home runs by Manny and Raffy Furcal, the 8-4 loss was one they'd just as soon forget, and today, they forgot about it.

Winning today might turn out to be bigger than they think as they have a tough task tomorrow afternoon having to face Tim Lincecum. Randy Wolf takes the hill for the Dodgers

As for Loney, he's been a tale of two hitters all season. While he's been superb on the road with .311/.389/.493 marks to go with his 12 home runs, at home, he's been a putrid .245/.317/.303 before today. Not to say the team need to address this in the off-season, but obviously they would hope for better consistency from him next season both at home and on the road, ot else they should address it.

As for now, they'll take anything they can get out of him, and Dodger fans would, too.

Dodger Sweep; Billingsley; Suspensions

No late inning heroics needed today. Dodgers beat the Pirates 3-1 to sweep the series. Matt Kemp hit a two-run homerun in the 6th inning that would be the difference in the game. Ronnie Belliard added a solo shot two innings later. Hiroki Kuroda was solid through six innings, as well.

For the moment, the Dodgers increase their division lead to 5½ games over the Rockies. The Cards lost again today, so the Dodger lead for best record in the N.L. is now three games. The team now has 88 wins and is a season-high 29 games over .500.

Tomorrow's an off day in the schedule with the Giants in town over the weekend. Having said that, yesterday the Dodgers announced that they would not skip Chad Billingsley in the rotation despite his recent struggles and having two off days in the next week. But today it was announced his next start would likely be Wednesday in D.C. He was made available as long man out of the pen behind Kuroda if he was needed, but he wasn't. Vicente Padilla, Jon Garland and Randy Wolf will get the starts this weekend.

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Jorge Posada and Jesse Carlson were both suspended today for four games for their part in last night's brawl at Yankee Stadium. Carlson's suspension was then reduced to three games after he agreed not to appeal. No word from the Posada camp on whether or not he will appeal.

Last Night's Yankee Brawl

If you missed these highlights from last night's Blue Jays/Yankees game in New york, check 'em out below. Here's what happened:

After two Blue Jays were plunked by Yankee pitches earlier in the game, unintentionally, Yankee catcher Jorge Posada was nearly hit by a Jesse Carlson pitch late in the game. Whether it was intentional or not is anyone's guess, but Posada took exception to the pitch, since pitchers aren't allowed to pitch inside to Yankee hitters anymore per MLB rules. (Before any of you Yankee fans who might read this fly off the handle because of this comment, please note: sarcasm alert!) This caused the benches to clear. Some finger-pointing took place, and a lot of shouting back and forth. The umpires took control of the situation, warned both teams, and Posada would eventually walk after play resumed.

The video picks up the incident from there...

Obviously, Posada was still upset with the inside pitch and threw an elbow at Carlson after he crossed home plate to score a run. Carlson was merely minding his own business; he had stopped at home plate instead of continuing to back up the play at home since the relay throw never made it that far and Posada was going to score easily on the play. After Posada threw the elbow, Carlson turned and started jawing at Posada, who then turned to go after Carlson. Home plate umpire Jim Joyce immediately tossed Posada.

Punches were thrown; players were bloodied-up. Carlson wound up with a large welt on the left side of his forehead, and Yankee manager Joe Girardi, who wound up in the middle of the pile after trying to break up the brawl, ended up with a cut on his left ear and a swollen left eye. Carlson was ejected after the melee, as well.

Now, I found nothing wrong with Carlson pitching inside when he did. Two of his teammates had already been hit by pitches, so it was only a matter of time before the Jays would send a message back to the Yankees. That's how baseball works, you hit my guys, I'm gonna hit yours, or least try and send a message with an inside pitch, which is what Carlson did. And in a blowout game, you knew it was coming.

So why then, was Posada all upset? I can only think of one reason, and this shouldn't come as a surprise. It's because he's a crybaby. Crybabies take exception to the obvious. Most other hitters would have seen that pitch coming, and let it go. But not Posada; he has a history of being a crybaby.

The best line after the game about Posada's elbow came from home plate umpire Jim Joyce.

"It was very unsportsmanlike. The pitcher wasn't looking for anything like that and he ran past him, didn't say anything and just gave him a shove with his elbow. It was a cheap shot."

I couldn't agree more, not because it was the Yankees, and not even because it was Posada. I agree with it because it was uncalled for, and there was no point in doing it. It didn't solve anything.

You can bet there will be suspensions from the league out of this. Joyce said he and his crew would take their time reviewing the tape before submitting a report the league.

Mr. Miracle, the Walk-Off King!

Andre Ethier is making a habit of this, isn't he?!

Trailing most of the game, Ethier doubled in the ninth inning with two outs and scored on Matt Kemp's base hit to tie the game. After the Pirates took the lead in the top of the 13th, Ethier came up with one on and two out, and slugged a first pitch fastball from Phil Dumatrait into the right field pavilion for his 30th home run of the season.

The home run was his fourth in walk-off style of the season, most in the majors. He also has six total walk-off hits this season, also tops in baseball.

Randy Wolf was solid for seven innings in his first start in 10 days after suffer some inflammation in his left elbow.

And with that, the division lead is back up to five games over the Rockies, who continue to crumble in San Francisco. The Cards also lost, so the Dodgers are ahead of them by two games for best record in the N.L.

Series finale tomorrow... Hiroki Kuroda takes the hill against Kevin Hart.

2009 World Series Could Be Prelude to Interleague Next Season

Preliminary 2010 schedules were revealed around MLB today and the Dodgers were blessed with the possibility of having to play all four of this year's current A.L. playoff teams next season in interleague.

There had been some rumors that the Dodgers would finally travel to the Bronx to play the Yankees in Yankee Stadium. Instead, the Yankees head to L.A. next year for a three game series at the Ravine in late June. The Detroit Tigers also visit Dodger Stadium in May, while the Blue travel to Boston the weekend before the Yanks arrive in L.A. And of course, the annual home-and-home Freeway Series with the Halos is also on tap, with all six games in mid-June.

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Yesterday it was suggested that Chad Billingsley be given a little extra rest and have his next start skipped in the rotation with two off days in the next week. And the Dodgers had even toyed with the notion at one point yesterday. But today, it was announced that they would not skip his next start, slated for Saturday against the Hated-Ones-to-the-North at the Ravine.

What's Eating Chad Billingsley?

It's no secret Chad Billingsley isn't himself these days. He didn't look good this afternoon against the Giants, and he hasn't looked all that great, really, since August 1st.

His ERA since August 1st isn't all that bad, and he'd actually gone six innings in five of his previous six starts prior to today. But even so, you can just tell from watching him pitch that something isn't quite right with him. This isn't the same Billingsley we saw in the second half last season, and it's not the same we saw in the first half of this year.

Billingsley says he's fine, and that's all we have to go on: his word. But there are still plenty of people who think something isn't right with him. Something is attributing to his recent struggles.

Some suggest he's still bothered by his hamstring tightness from his start in Atlanta at the beginning of last month. Others think it's mental, that it's all in his head. I'm one who think it might just be the rigors of a long season. I think it's fatigue that's eating at him.

Whatever the problem is for Billingsley, I think the overwhelming verdict is to give him a little rest. I've had numerous conversations with other Dodger fans and most of us agree that he needs a day off. The team has two days off in the next week, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to skip one of his next starts. And they have the luxury to do that because of the surplus of starting pitching with the recent acquisitions of Vicente Padilla and Jon Garland.

With Hiroki Kuroda back from his freak incident of taking a comeback liner to the head, and with Randy Wolf returning tonight after missing a start, the Dodgers can afford to go into a four-man rotation over the next week to give Billingsley, and Clayton Kershaw, a little extra rest. (Kershaw is apparently still bothered by that sore right shoulder after crashing into the Dodger Stadium outfield wall two Sundays ago while shagging fly balls during batting practice.)

Do the right thing, Torre. Give the guy a little rest. It might be the best thing that happens for him and the team come October.

Giants Return Favor, Rout Dodgers

All you really need to know is Chad Billingsley was awful today (more on him later) and Brad Penny was not. The game wasn't really as close as the 7-2 final indicated, and even that's not really close either. Russ Martin provided the only Dodger offense today with a two-run homer in the seventh inning.

No real change in the standings from this morning other than the Giants picking up a game on the Dodgers and Rockies. Dodger lead is still three games over the Rockies in the division, and one over the Cards for best record in the N.L. Cards got blown out today and swept at home this weekend by the Braves. Chris Carpenter allowed six runs in the third inning of his start today.

All that said, Dodgers head home to face the Pirates for the first time this season, followed by the Giants next weekend. Giants host the Rockies this week. Last time the Rockies were in the Bay Area, the Giants swept them.

Another Giant Rout For Dodgers and a Series Win

A near repeat of last night. 9-1 tonight. Six solid innings by Vicente Padilla. Big homeruns tonight for Russell Martin, just his fifth of the season, and James Loney, his 12th, all on the road. Bullpen did its thing again: three more shutout innings.

Rockies finally lost; snapped eight-game winning streak with a 3-2 loss in 10 innings to Padres. Cards lost, and Phillies lost. So Dodgers gain on all of them. Division lead is now three games. Dodgers have best record in N.L. again by one game with an 85-58 record, and match season-high of 27 games over .500. Rockies still lead Wild Card by 5½ over Giants, and now 5½ over the Marlins, too. Giants fall to 8½ back in division.

Dodgers also surpass last year's win total of 84 with the win tonight with 19 games to spare. Can they get to 100 wins? Might be a tough task, but they do have the schedule in their favor. I'm thinking they have 12 or 13 more wins in them, which gets them to 97 or 98 for the season. Also, win tomorrow gives the Blue identical home and road records for the season: 43-29.

Interesting pitching matchup tomorrow in series finale. Chad Billingsley takes the hill for the Dodgers and former Dodger Brad Penny, recently acquired signed after being released by the Red Sox, takes the bump for the Giants.

Dodgers Hammer Giants

I like those kind of games. The kind of games where you can just sit back and smile, knowing full well a sharp dagger has just been inserted into the hearts of your rival team.

In just his second start since taking a header by a batted ball, Hiroki Kuroda was masterful for eight innings. He was brilliant tonight, shutting down what was left of the Giants season as it was fading into a deep, dark abyss, fading into oblivion. Kuroda struck out five while making 86 pitches, giving up just one earned run and walking no one as the Blue rolled.

The Dodger offense found its groove once again, this time sending one of their aces, Matt Cain, to his seventh career loss without a win against the Dodgers. James Loney had a big night as he always seems to do on the road this season. Casey Blake welcomed himself back to the lineup with a big night. And, like they did on Tuesday night in Arizona, the offense strung together a bunch of hits in a five-run seventh inning that would all but seal the fate on the Hated-Ones-to-the-North, at least on this night.

Meanwhile, the Rockies continued their amazing winning streak, pushed to eight tonight after a four-run ninth inning with two out off Padre closer Heath Bell, to keep things interesting in the division, and the dagger that struck the Giants after their loss was dug just a little further into them with that Rockies win.

The Dodger lead in the division dwindled down to 2½ games on Wednesday night in Arizona after Ramon Troncoso threw a comebacker down the right field line in the ninth inning. He was forced to intentionally walk two hitters in a row to load the bases, and then couldn't find the strike zone in walking in the unearned winning run. The Rockies gained another half game with a win yesterday while the Dodgers had the day off.

That lead looked like it might climb back up to three until the Rockies rallied tonight in San Diego. But the Giants are now 5½ games behind the Rockies in the Wild Card race, and 7½ behind the Dodgers in the division. The Cardinals lost tonight, as well, and are now even with the Dodgers for best record in the N.L.

As for tomorrow night, it's Vicente Padilla's turn with a chance to really send the Giants reeling. Jonathan Sanchez, who's also never had any luck against the Dodgers, takes the bump for the Giants.

Jeter Passes Gehrig

Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter has just passed Lou Gehrig on the Yankees all-time hit list with his 2,722nd hit, an opposite field single down the right field line at a rainy Yankee Stadium against the Orioles.

The Starting Infirmary

Go figure. Just as quickly as the Dodgers were set with a six-man rotation, it quickly dwindled down to four again.

Yesterday we learned of Clayton Kershaw's freak injury, albeit a very minor one, today we find out that Randy Wolf will be shelved for his next start Friday with stiffness in the back of his pitching elbow.

The injury is not considered to be serious, and it is unrelated to his Tommy John surgery back in 2005. Wolf received a cortisone shot on the elbow and early reports are he was feeling much better. But to be sure, the Dodgers aren't taking any chances and Hiroki Kuroda, who just came off the DL himself, will take his spot and pitch Friday in San Francisco.

The Comeback Kids Are Back!

Or, let's put this in other terms. A regulation baseball game in the Major Leagues is nine innings, not seven, or even eight. And I'm guilty of thinking last night's game was long over before the Dodgers rallied for four runs in the eighth inning to take a 5-4 lead and turn the game into a win.

The Dodgers looked dreadful on offense last night. And they flirted with history in the process in the first seven innings when they hit into five - yes, that's right, five - double plays. They couldn't do anything against Arizona starter Billy Buckner. Buckner himself even had two hits for two RBI against Chad Billingsley, who has completely turned his season around the wrong way and looks more like the Billingsley we saw against Philly in the NLCS last season.

But because we haven't seen many memorable heroics in recent weeks from this team, and because the offense has been conveniently inconsistent of late, it's easy to think when they're down 4-1 in the eighth inning that the game is probably going to end that way.

So when the Dodgers suddenly put together a string of hits together against the D-backs bullpen to complete the four-run rally, it reminded me why we should never assume any game is over until that 27th out is recorded.

It was also understandable why it was so easy to just give up on the game because th Rockies, Cards and Phillies had all already won their games to keep pace with the Dodgers. But more importantly, the win allowed them to maintain their precious 3½ game lead in the division, and keep pace with St. Louis for the best record overall in the N.L.

The Cards have already won their game today, and the Rockies and Phillies already have leads in their games tonight, so it looks like the Dodgers will have to come up with another win to keep pace. The only real consolation of all this so far is that the Hated-Ones-to-the-North are fading in both the Wild Card and division.

Say What, Joe?!

If you missed this little bit from Joe Torre, don't fret! I'm more than willing to share it with you all.

With certain people, it's easy. You know where the leadoff guy goes. I used to have trouble and Don Zimmer gave me a great hint-start from the bottom. He was right. All of a sudden I realized when you put the names down that way, it makes the rest of it easier. With our current lineup, you know where (Matt) Kemp, (Andre) Ethier, Manny (Ramirez) and (Rafael) Furcal will be. Those guys will be in the top four or five spots. It becomes pretty simple, and occasionally it's a matter of how to attack a certain pitcher with right-handed hitters or left-handed hitters. But when you have players who play every day regardless, it's not that tough a call.

I can't help but agree with Rob Neyer. Torre seems to have forgotten that Kemp was hitting in the bottom third of the order for much of the earlier part of the season. And Furcal, who has an on-base percentage of just .320 with just six stolen bases all season, shouldn't be anywhere near the lead off spot, while Russell Martin has a much a higher on-base percentage and more than twice as many stolen bases as Furcal is stuck at the bottom of the lineup.

I know Martin hasn't had a very good year offensively by his standards, and as much as he's struggled at times with the bat, he's far better suited in the two hole with his high OBP with Orlando Hudson hitting in the leadoff spot. Furcal shouldn't be hitting anywhere in the lineup but eighth (or ninth on those rare days when Torre does decide to bat the pitcher eighth as he's done with Randy Wolf on several occasions).

I've been having issues with Torre's use of the lineup all season. For some strange reason, he still insists on hitting James Loney in the middle of the lineup with his .745 OPS, among the worst in baseball for everyday first basemen.

For once I'd like to see Torre get the lineup right. I suppose there's still a chance with 24 games left in the season.

Some Labor Day Musings

While the Dodgers were powering their way past the D-backs, 7-2, this afternoon, I couldn't help but get a chuckle out of the Dodgers latest reported injury. As if the unpredictable sidelinings of Chad Billingsley and Hiroki Kuroda last month weren't enough to hamper the rotation, add Clayton Kershaw to the infirmary list with a bizarre injury.

Yesterday, Kershaw injured his shoulder while shagging flyballs at Dodger Stadium during pregame batting practice when he unexpectedly hit the outfield wall. The result? A sore shoulder and a missed start this weekend in San Francisco.

And add newly acquired disignated hitter Jim Thome to the list of ailings. Thome reinjured a heel problem he's had for several years last night while pinch-hitting and is listed as day-to-day.

As for today's game, the Blue displayed some of the power they've shown in recent weeks. Manny and James Loney hit back-to-back homeruns in the second inning, and Ronnie Belliard belted his second homer since being acquired last week in the fourth inning.

Tempers flared briefly after Belliard's homerun when Arizona starter Max Scherzer plunked Russell Martin in the middle of the back with a fastball. Both teams were warned by the umpires. When the inning ended, both Martin and Scherzer continued to jaw at each other as they ran off the field, but no further incidents occured in the game.

But the talk of the day, really, was Manny. And not because of his homerun. After striking out on three straight pitches to end the third inning, Manny angrily tossed his bat and helmet away, turned to the home plate umpire and said something, and was quickly tossed from the game. What he said, we'll never know, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the two previous pitches (the first one was outside; the second one was inside but borderline). Juan Pierre finished the game in left field for Manny.

Meanwhile, Belliard has been a welcome addition. With Casey Blake nursing a nagging hamstring, all Belliard has done in starting six straight games for the Dodgers since coming over from Washington is go for 10 for 27, with two homeruns and six RBI, including finishing a triple shy of hitting for the cycle today.

Credit Ned Colletti for finding Belliard when they really needed him. He was supposed to be a power source off the bench when he was acquired, but then Thome fell into their hands and Belliard has filled in nicely for Blake, while also spelling Orlando Hudson twice last week at second base.

As for the team itself, I'm beginning to think this team is a better road team now than they are at home. I'm not sure what it is because they were cruising at home when the season started, winning their first 13 games at home, but they seem to be much more relaxed on the road right now. So would it be such a bad thing if the Dodgers didn't have home field advantage in the N.L. playoffs? Only time will tell. They play 15 of their final 24 games on the road.

There were no changes in the standings today as the Rockies and Giants both won, as well. The Dodgers continue to lead the Rockies by 3½ games and the Giants by 5½, with the Rockies still holding a two-game edge in the Wild Card over the Giants. The Cards also won, so they remain even with the Dodgers for the best record in the N.L. with identical 82-57 records.

The Blue send Billingsely to the bump tomorrow night to face Arizona's Billy Buckner.

Home Not-So-Sweet Anymore

Well, that was embarassing. It was bad enough splitting four games at home to the Diamondbacks, but to then follow that up and lose two of three to the Padres, too? Something isn't right with this team.

Granted they didn't quit on tonight's game, and they really haven't quit on any game, they seem to have fallen back into old habits of wasting at-bats and leaving too many runners on base. The offense has suddenly become a liability for this team as they struggle to score runs consistently.

And on top of all that, they're wasting great pitching. Kuroda didn't have his best stuff, but he battled and kept the game close tonight. He gave up four runs, and then turned it over to the pen who completely shut down the Padres. So, there is still hope.

But my first beef of the night was benching Matt Kemp. Why? Because he was something like one for his last 18 or something like that? He's been one of the two most consistent hitters in the lineup all season, and he gets benched because of a mini-slump. Go figure.

Kemp isn't someone who needs a day off. James Loney and Rafael Furcal are guys who need days off. And perhaps even Russell Martin. These guys have struggle for much of the season. But Matt Kemp? I don't get it.

So, the Dodgers remain tied with the Cards at 81-57 for the best record in the N.L., but the Cards are technically ahead because they're 5-2 against the Dodgers this season. The Dodger lead is back down to 3½ games over the Rockies. A week ago, it was a six game lead after a nice 4-2 roadtrip, including winning two of three in Colorado against the Rockies. But now they have to go back to Arizona again, where they lost two of three there just three weeks ago, and just split four with them on this homestand.

The Dodgers seem to play better when they're challenged by good teams. So maybe a trip to the Bay Area next weekend is just what the doctor ordered? We'll find out soon enough, but they've got to get their act together offensively and use their schedule this month to their advantage. A 5-5 mark against Pittsburgh (seven games) and Washington (three games) later in the month will be unacceptable.

As for tomorrow's game, it's a Labor Day matinee. Vicente Padilla takes the bump for the Blue, and opposes Arizona's Max Scherzer. Game time is 12:40pm PT.

The Return of Kuroda-san!

I could never imagine what it must be like to stand 60 feet, six inches from home plate and to have a line drive come right back at you after you've just thrown a 94-mph fastball. Three weeks ago, that's exactly what happened to Hiroki Kuroda. Most major leaguer pitchers have to deal with it. But Hiroki Kuroda is one of the very few who've been hit with that ball hit back to them.

Rusty Ryal swung at a Kuroda fastball three weeks ago in Arizona, and the ball plunked Kuroda on the right side of the head, ricocheting into the stands behind the Arizona on-deck circle and bouncing back onto the field near the backstop. Fortunately for Kuroda, he suffered no major injuries, only a slight concussion, and minimal post-concussion symptoms. And after a two week stay on the DL and a very effective bullpen session and rehab assignment with no ill-affects, Kuroda will return to the mound tonight against the Padres.

With the Dodger pitching staff continuing to lead the N.L. in team ERA, and the starters getting much needed boosts with the additions of Jon Garland and Vicente Padilla, anything they get out of Kuroda from here on out is certainly an added bonus.

But what has to be of concern from here on out at this point is the inconsistencies from the offense. The Blue continue to struggle to come through with runners on base of late, going 0 for 11 with RISP in Friday night's 2-0 loss to the lowly Padres.

And what makes it an even bigger concern is the fact the Dodgers have been blessed with an extrememly favorable schedule these last six weeks of the season, and since winning three of four at home to the Cubs two weekends ago, they're just one game over .500 in the first 11 games of the final six weeks of the season.

One can only hope they'd turn this offensive funk around and start hitting the way they did the first four months of the season. Hopefully, the new guy, Ronnie Belliard, can continue to spark the offense. It'd be nice if Raffy Furcal, James Loney and Russell Martin could feed off Belliard and have a decent month heading into October.

Ethier Saves The Day... Again!

Usually, Andre Ethier is clutch with his bat in the late innings of close games. Tonight, he was clutch with his glove. Ethier robbed rookie Brandon Allen of extra bases when he made a spectacular catch in right center field, leaping and crashing into the wall, to preserve a 4-3 lead to end the eighth inning. And that's how the game would end.

After losing a tough game last night in 10 innings after acquiring Jim Thome and Jon Garland during the game, the Dodgers came out and grabbed an early lead as they so often do. After a Matt Kemp homerun in the first inning tied the game at one, the Blue added solo runs in the next two innings to grab an early 3-1 lead. Eventually, the D-backs would come back and tie the game with two runs in the sixth, spoiling a solid start by Vicente Padilla in his first home start.

Ethier drew a bases loaded walk in the 7th inning to break the 3-3 tie before making his big catch in the top half of the next inning.

A couple of days ago, there was a poll somewhere on a Dodger message board or another Dodger blog asking pollers who they thought was the Dodger MVP so far. Clayton Kershaw was well ahead in the poll, but I have to believe that because they're everyday players, and because of some of the big hits and plays they've made all year, that Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier should be co-MVP's.

Tonight, it was Ethier's turn again to show us why he's a co-MVP's.

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On another note, Jon Garland was scheduled to pitch Thursday night against the Dodgers before he was traded to the Dodgers. He's still starting Thursday night, but now it will be for the Dodgers against - yep, you guessed it - the Diamondbacks. Funny how this game works.

More Thome and Garland Stuff

So we now know the Dodgers have officially acquired Jim Thome and Jon Garland. The question is, how will they help the Dodgers and affect the team?

Let's start with Thome. The Dodgers already have a first baseman in James Loney. Loney's been struggling mightily in the last six weeks, and has one of the lowest OPS's of any regular, everyday first basemen. Thome used to be a regular first baseman, until he was traded from Philly to the White Sox before the 2005 season. Since then, Thome has played in fewer than five games at first base, being completely restricted to a designated hitter.

Having said all that, the Dodgers were in the market for a hitter who could provide some pop off the bench. The team has just four homeruns this season off the bench, and two of them are from regular starters. So they acquired Ronnie Belliard yesterday from Washington to help in that area. The hope was he would be that guy. But then Thome was made available this morning, and the Dodgers jumped at the opportunity to add one more bat.

According to Ned Colletti, who was just on Dodgers Live on FS Prime Ticket after the game, Thome called him about half hour before the deadline and told him that playing first base was more or less out of the question. Thome is 39 years old and hasn't really played much on the field in four years, mainly because of back issues in recent years, so he basically toldColletti that he'd love to go out to L.A. and help in any other way possible, such as providing a much needed bat off the bench. When they both agreed on this, Thome waived his no-trade clause and was sent packing to L.A.

Thome will be in L.A. not to take Loney's job, but to merely back him up and provide some power off the bench. He does have 23 this season, and only 564 in his illustrious career. So he will be a much needed addition in that area. On top of that, Thome is a swell guy, and he's a great teammate if you ask anyone who's ever played with him. He has post-season experience, as well, so his presence alone will be an added bonus.

As for Garland, he'll provide much needed depth in the rotation.

The Dodgers have coveted him for months, going back to last off-season when they attempted to sign him (and signed Randy Wolf instead) as a free agent. With him, you know what you're getting: consistency and innings. Much needed innings, at this point.

The Dodger rotation has thrown the fewest innings of any team in the league, and the pen has thrown the most innings in the league. So adding a guy who will give them innings at the back end of the rotation will be much appreciated. Plus, with the uncertainty of how Hiroki Kuroda will respond once he's back this weekend after being plunked in the head three weeks ago by a batted ball, adding Garland for practically nothing right now can only help.

And if they end up with six starters when all is said and done, the more the merrier.

So obviously both players will help in some way, shape or form, and hopefully the end result of it all will be a World Series win.