Ugly Start to New Season

That was definitely ugly, and hopefully there won't be many games like today. And it's probably a good thing it was only the first game of 162. Final score: Pirates 11, Dodgers 5.

But after watching today's game, several things became clear to me. One, it's going to be a long season pitching-wise. Vicente Padilla seemed to be pitching from behind all afternoon. He pitched himself into a mess that resulted in a bases-clearing double by Ryan Church off Ramon Ortiz, who replaced Padilla during a five-run Pirate fifth. George Sherrill didn't look very sharp either, as he failed to keep the game within reach and failed to get out of the eighth, giving up three runs in the process.

The offense appears like it's going to be just fine. The lineup is well-balanced. They pounded out 11 hits today as Manny Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Casey Blake and Blake DeWitt all had multiple hits today. Both Manny and Kemp each had two RBI today, as well.

They're not going to get the big hit every time but if today was any indication, they won't go down without a fight. They won't go down until the final out is recorded, which has been very indicative of this team for the past two seasons.

And lastly, Blake DeWitt looks like he's still not very comfortable at second base. He didn't commit any errors, but on one pop fly over his head, he appeared to get turned around and looked rather confused in doing so. That tells me he's still not very comfortable out there. I suppose it's a good thing the kid can hit, and the fact there are two pretty solid guys to back him up defensively in Ronnie Belliard and Jamey Carroll.

Day off tomorrow. Right back at it on Wednesday night.

Dodgers Avoid Arbitration with Remaining Six

Andre Ethier and Jonathan Broxton both get two-year deals, while Russell Martin, Hong-Chih Kuo, George Sherrill and James Loney all ink one-year deals. Here's the story.

The Dodgers now have everyone signed for 2010 and will not have to go through the arbitration hearings with any of their players. Martin, Kuo, Sherill, Loney, Jason Repko and Chad Billingsley will go through the arbitration process again in a year.

Some Random Thoughts from Game 1

The Dodgers lost the game 8-6, in large part because of two two glaring problems that has plagued this team off and on throughout the season: walking too many hitters and leaving too many runners on base.

Clayton Kershaw was cruising through four innings before the wheels fell off the barrel in the fifth. In that inning alone, he walked three batters and threw a post-season record three wild pitches. Two of those walks eventually scored. When the inning started, the Dodgers had a 1-0 lead. At the end of it, the score was 5-1 Phils.

In the eighth inning, George Sherrill walked the first two batters he faced and they both scored as well. A 5-4 game was suddenly 8-4.

Between Kershaw and Sherrill, they walked seven batters total. You can't expect to win many games when you walk that many hitters.

The offense did its part most of the night. Six runs is usually enough for this pitching staff and bullpen to squeeze out a win. But against an offensive juggernaut such as these "Phightin' Phils," six runs usually just keeps you in games.

The Dodgers left a total of 10 runners on base. Between the 14 hits and three walks they were issued, leaving 10 runners on base is far too many. They had chances in the first, sixth and seventh innings to get at least one, maybe two runs. They left two runners in the first, they loaded the bases in the sixth with two out and didn't score, and they stranded a lead-off double in the seventh inning. If they get one hit in the first and seventh innings, or one in the sixth, thats two more runs they could have had.

In a nutshell, as much as the win was a team effort for the Phillies, the loss was just as much of a team effort for the Blue. But there were some positives that came out of the loss.

The Dodgers showed resiliency all night. Every time they fell behind, they didn't quit. They rallied each time to get the game close again.

When they fell behind 5-1 in the fifth, they responded by scoring three of their own, capped by a booming Manny home run. In the eighth, after Raul Ibanez's home run gave the Phils the 8-4 lead, the Dodgers battled back by scoring two more off Ryan Madson, and they came pretty darn close to getting more when Manny came up again with the deuces wild, as Vin Scully would say. With two on, two out and two in, Madson battled Manny, pounding him inside mostly, and eventually getting him to ground out harmlessly to Chase Utley at second.

As I mentioned earlier, the offense wasn't silent last night. James Loney and Andre Ethier each had three hits, and both battled against season trends. Loney had just one of his 13 home runs at Dodger Stadium this year. He hit one last night. Ethier was just a .194 hitter against lefties, but had two hits last night against them. And Manny? Well, I'd say Manny's back. It took a while but he's swinging the bat in the last two or three games about as well as he has all year.

Outside of Sherrill's hiccup in the eighth, the pen was as good as it had been all year. Sure, if Sherrill doesn't give up the Ibanez home run, the Dodgers probably win the game. He could have still given up the home run even with out the walks, and things might have been different. But the rest of the pen was stellar last night, and if they have the chance in Game 2 to do it all over again, the Dodgers won't hesitate to do it again.

Keep in mind, the only thing Dodgers lost was one game, and home field advantage. Remember 1988... the Dodgers lost the first game that year in the NLCS at home to the heavily favored Mets. They won Game 2, and went on to win the series in seven games, despite losing two at home. In a seven game series, anything is possible.

That said, down 0-1, they'll turn to Vicente Padilla this afternoon to do battle with former Dodger Pedro Martinez. And you can bet the fans will have a field day with him if the Dodgers push him around today. Today's lineup...

• Furcal, 1
• Kemp, 8
• Ethier, 9
• Manny, 7
• Loney, 3
• Blake, 5
• Belliard, 4
• Martin, 2
• Padilla, 1

Game time is T-minus two hours and 37 minutes...

Round One: Rockies

Final: Rockies 5, Dodgers 4, 10 innings. Winning pitcher: Matt Herges? Yikes!

The Blue missed a number of opportunities in this game. The offense was 2 for 10 with RISP tonight. The pitching did what it was supposed to, more or less, but I wasn't too keen on Joe Torre's choice of relievers in the 9th and 10th innings when he still had George Sherrill and Jonathan Broxton waiting for a call in the bullpen.

Several hitters had nice games overall for the Dodgers. Manny was on-base three times, including coming up with a game-tying RBI-knock in the 9th off a Huston Street-less Rockies pen. Andre Ethier had three hits and was on-base four times, and Casey Blake was on-base three times including a solo homerun that gave them an early 2-0 lead.

James Loney, however, continues to struggle, even in a place where he usually dominates. Loney went 0 for 5, and botched an important play late in the game after James McDonald overran a litlle grounder between the mound and first base. Before last night though, Loney was a career .372 hitter at Coors in 103 plate appearances with 34 RBI. Something just isn't right with him, and if he'd stop dancing around in the batter's box, he might straighten out his problems there.

Clayton Kershaw, meanwhile, pitch 6 1/3 solid innings, giving up just a Brad Hawpe two-run homerun that tied the game at 2-2. (Hawpe, by the way, just owns the Dodgers in his career, hitting .359, with 19 homeruns and 74 RBI in 328 plate appearances after last night). Kershaw wasn't as overpowering as we've seen, but he was effective.

The Dodgers N.L. West lead is dwindled down to two now. They still have the best record in the N.L. at 74-52, but they're now just .002 percentage points away from giving that up, too.

So, now on to round two tonight. The principles: Randy Wolf for the Dodgers, Josh Fogg for the Rockies. Maybe Torre will move Wolf up in the batting order to give the Dodgers a "bat" in the middle of the lineup that might come through with runners on base.

And It's A Winning Streak!

Knuckleballer Charlie Haeger stymied the Cubs all afternoon, and Matt Kemp and Casey Blake each hit solo homeruns to lead the Blue to their thrid straight win, 2-0. Haeger was masterful for seven innings, allowing no runs on just three hits with seven strikeouts.

In an unexpected move, and likely only a temporary one, Joe Torre opted to use Jonathan Broxton in the eighth inning today ahead of George Sherrill. Sherrill wound up pitching a perfect ninth inning for his first save as a Dodger.

The Blue momentarily up their lead in the West to five games over Colorado, and six over the Giants, who square off tonight in Denver. With a record now of 74-50, the Dodgers continue to maintain the best record in the NL.

The Dodgers get the benefit of a very favorable schedule the rest of the season. After tomorrow's series and season finale with the Cubs, where they can sweep the four game set with a win, the Dodgers play just two teams the rest of the way with better than .500 records: the Rockies and Giants, fittingly, the two teams chasing them in the division.

After a day off Monday, the Blue start a three-game series with those Rockies in Colorado, followed by three in Cincinnati. They then start a four-game homestand against Arizona to finish off the month of August and start off the final month of September. After that, they'll have six left with San Diego, three more in Arizona, six more with the Giants, seven with Pittsburgh (the only NL team they have yet to play this season), three in DC, and they finish up at home with three more against the Rockies.

So needless to say, winning the first three of this series with the Cubs could prove to be very pivotal in gaining some momentum heading into the final six weeks of the season with that favorable schedule.

As for tomorrow's game, Ryan Dempster (6-7, 4.28) will oppose Chad Billingsley (12-6, 3.70) at 1:10pm PT.

Dodgers, Schmidt Blank Braves

Was that the same Jason Schmidt who missed two years to injuries out there tonight?

What a nice effort by Schmidt tonight in Atlanta. Schmidt pitched six scoreless innings of one-hit ball, newcomer George Sherrill struck out the side in the seventh in his Dodger debut, and Andre Ethier hit his 21st homerun of the season while driving in four runs as the Dodgers shutdown the Braves, 5-0.

The Dodgers have seemingly put their four-game skid behind them and have won two in a row. They improved the league's best record to 64-39, and can push their division lead over the Giants back up to eight games with a Giants loss tonight in San Francisco. (Cliff Lee is making his Phillies debut tonight at AT&T Park and currently has a 1-0 lead in the third inning.)

Randy Wolf takes the hill for the Dodgers tomorrow afternoon and opposes former Dodger Derek Lowe.

The Blockbuster Deal That Almost Happened

(UPDATE 6:41 PM CT): According to SI's Jon Heyman, the Padres almost traded Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell to the Dodgers for James Loney, Russell Martin, Blake DeWitt, James McDonald and Ivan Dejesus, Jr. Wow!

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UPDATE (5:32 PM CT): While this deal never consumated, here's what really happened...

According to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark, the Dodgers had called the Padres to get a feel for Heath Bell. The Dodgers had been rumored to be looking for addition bullpen help even after acquiring George Sherrill yesterday when they were convinced acquiring Roy Halladay or another starter today wasn't going to happen.

Stark says when the Dodgers called the Padres, the Padres asked the Dodgers if they had any interest in Adrian Gonzalez and would be willing to expand the deal to include him. They talked, and kick around names, but were never really able to get anything going.

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A big turn of events has transpired in the last hour. According to one report, the Dodgers have turned their attention to Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell of the Padres. James Loney could be part of this directly, or indirectly.

Not sure how much juice this has but it makes no sense to me. The Dodgers need an arm in the rotation. Deadline is 41 minutes from now. We'll know soon enough if this comes to fruition.

Dodgers Trade Claudio Vargas

For a team in need of pitching depth anywhere they can find it, I'm not sure what this deal means. Either way, the Blue have shipped Claudio Vargas to Milwaukee (he was a starter there in the past) for minor league catcher Vinny Rottino.

Could this be a precursor to something else? Or is this just to make room on the roster for George Sherrill? We'll find out soon enough... deadline is just over two hours away.

Some More Deals Today

There's still about 22 hours left before tomorrow's deadline but teams aren't waiting around to make deals. Here's a rundown of today's deals, so far:

• The Tigers traded outfielder Josh Anderson to the Royals for cash considerations.
• The Dodgers acquired reliever George Sherrill from the Orioles for two prospects (third baseman Josh Bell and pitcher Steven Johnson).
• And the Pirates continued to overhaul their Major League roster by dealing pitchers John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny to the Cubs for three minor leaguers.

All the links on these can be found at MLB.com and MLBTradeRumors.com in the right column under Top Stories.

There are sure to be more wheelin' and dealin' in the next day so, be sure to keep checking the aforementioned MLBTradeRumors.com, as well as tune into MLB Network tomorrow for complete coverage of all the rumors and actual deals.

Dodgers Pick Up Sherrill From O's

UPDATE (2:45 PM CT): The Dodgers have acquired Sherrill in exchange for two minor league prospects, third baseman Josh Bell, and pitcher Steve Johnson. Ken Gurnick has the details here.

Sherill will slide into the set-up role behind closer Jonathan Broxton, and occasionally fill in for Broxton when needed.

Solid move by the Dodgers. This should not preclude them from still going after Roy Halladay.

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Rumor circulating that Sherrill has indeed been traded to the Blue. Confirmation en route?

Trade On The Way?

UPDATE (10:56 PM CT): Ned Colletti has told the Times that the Elbert move does not have anything to do with a trade, but that's as much as we know as he didn't elaborate further. This could get interesting. (And for the record, Elbert was sent down by the Dodgers on July 20th, so he can be recalled as early as tomorrow. The Times speculates he could be replacing Brent Leach, however, who could be headed to the DL.)

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UPDATE (10:33 PM CT): False alarm? Whatever is going on with Elbert, has nothing to do with a Sherrill acquisition.

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For what it's worth, Scott Elbert was scratched from his scheduled start tonight down in Albuquerque. Unless he's hurt again, he's either being recalled by the Dodgers, or traded. I wouldn't be surprised if he's part of a George Sherrill deal since his name came up in rumors yesterday as part of a possible Sherrill deal.

Stay tuned.

Tonight's Game, and Cliff Lee

Well, we now know Cliff Lee won't be a Dodger since he was traded to Philadelphia earlier today (and both teams did very in the deal). So the question is, are the Dodgers going to be stupid enough to cave in to Toronto's asking price and include Chad Billingsley in a possible Roy Halladay deal? My gut still tells me it won't happen, but it does make you wonder.

Having said that, I still think the team needs another starter in the rotation, and at this point, because of Toronto's asking price for Halladay, the next best bet who's actually available is Jarrod Washburn. While he is no Halladay, and he is no Cliff Lee, he does have some post-season experience having pitched for the Angels in the 2002, 2004 and 2005 playoffs. His career post-season numbers are about average for an A.L. pitcher: 1-3 record, 4.91 ERA in eight total games (36.2 IP total). Washburn's also having a nice season for the Mariners (8-6, 2.64 ERA in 133 IP).

The team is still aggressively pursuing Baltimore reliever George Sherrill, and a deal could happen soon since there is mutual interest in each other's players. The O's love Dodger's AA 3B prospect Josh Bell, and with Aubrey Huff and Melvin Mora slated to be free agents after next season, Bell would fit in nicely at 3B in 2011. The Dodgers would probably have to include a pitcher to get a deal done, and Scott Elbert's name has come up.

Stay tuned... about 46 hours until the trade deadline Friday afternoon.

As for tonight's game, Dodgers look to halt their first three-game skid of the season with Clayton Kershaw on the bump. No surprises in tonight's lineup...

Go get 'em Blue!

Seven Trades That Could Happen Before Friday

With the non-waiver trade deadline just two days away, instead of running through some of the rumors flying around since there are so many of them, I thought I'd run down some of the trades that could happen. So without further ado...

1. Roy Halladay to Phillies. The Phillies desperately need another starter to anchor the front of their rotation. They've had a lot of inconsistencies and injuries to their rotation and bullpen this year that you almost have to wonder if the pitching staff could withstand a long playoff series again. The Phils have the prospects to pull off a deal, but because the Jays are asking for the world for Halladay, the question becomes, who blinks first, Toronto, Philly, or neither? Other suitors: Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Brewers, Rangers.

PREDICTION: My bet is Halladay doesn't get traded at all.

2. Cliff Lee to Dodgers. The Dodgers could use some depth in the rotation, as well. While Hiroki Kuroda was brilliant in the post-season last year, Chad Billingsley has struggled immensely in his last eight starts, and he didn't look too hot against Philly in the NLCS last year. Clayton Kershaw is unproven in the playoffs and Randy Wolf hasnever been in a playoff game in his 11 year career. The Dodgers have the prospects to pull a deal off without having to give up Billingsley or Kershaw. If the Indians are willing to accept a package that doesn't include Billingsley, Kershaw or any other player currently on the Dodgers major league roster, a deal could get done. Other suitors: same teams in on Halladay.

PREDICTION: Because Halladay doesn't get traded, Phill will turn their attention to Lee and have their "ace" by day's end.

3. Jarrod Washburn to Yankees. He might not be Halladay or Lee, but pluck him in the middle of the Yankee rotation and they're the clear-cut favorites in the A.L. At the same time, it won't cost them Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes to get him. Other suitors: same teams in on Halladay and Lee, and Twins.

PREDICTION: Dodgers need a starter more than the Yanks do, so I expect Washburn to land in L.A.

4. George Sherrill to Angels. Sherrill is a perfect fit for the Halos, whose bullpen is among the worst in baseball. They have their closer in Brian Fuentes, they're just having trouble getting the lead to him. Other suitors: Dodgers.

PREDICTION: The Dodgers have been the most aggressive in their pursuit of him. Sherrill will be a Dodger before Friday.

5. Freddy Sanchez to Giants. This deal was near completion on Monday night, and then at the last minute, Sanchez was held out of Pittsburgh's lineup on Tuesday night in San Francisco. As it turned out, no deal was completed, but the Pirates are looking to move him (and Jack Wilson) due to their inability to sign them to extentions. The Giants, who added Ryan Garko on Monday in a trade with the Indians, have been looking to upgrade their offense anyway they possibly can. Sanchez isn't a known power hitter, but he should bring stability to an inconsistent lineup on a team with arguably the league's best starting rotation. Other suitors: Twins.

PREDICTION: Sanchez will eventually end up in the Bay Area, although the Giants will take their time completing the deal to make sure his knee is sound.

6. Orlando Cabrera to Twins. Oakland GM Billy Beane has already made one trade by shipping Matt Holliday to St. Louis for a package of prospects, and with several Twins players lobbying for an O-Cab trade, it wouldn't be a shock to see him in a Twins uniform come Friday. Other suitors: Red Sox.

PREDICTION: I'm still on the fence about where O-Cab lands, but I think eventually he lands in the Twin Cities.

7. Victor Martinez to Red Sox. The Red Sox have coveted him for quite some time. They did just trade for Pittsburgh's Adam LaRoche for depth at first base that would allow Kevin Youkilis to play some third base and give Mike Lowell some much needed days off, but the growing feeling is they want V-Mart behind the plate, pushing Jason Varitek to a reserve/back-up. Other suitors: Tampa Bay.

PREDICTION: If the Indians move Lee, you can almost bet they'd move V-Mart, whether in the same deal, or a separate one. In the end, I believe V-Mart will wind up in Boston.

Now, on to a couple of teams in need:

• The Dodgers are also looking for relief help, so if they can't get their hands on Sherrill, they could turn their attention elsewhere.
• The Red Sox are desperate for starting pitching, as well. The rotation is very shaky after Josh Beckett and Jon Lester. Most teams will ask for Clay Buchholz in any trade from the Red Sox, so unless they can get a quality starter in return, don't expect the Red Sox to move Buchholz. The Red Sox are also in the market for another bat and have been tied to Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who the Padres say isn't on the market, and Martinez. V-Mart has been linked in a package with Lee to several teams including the Red Sox, Dodgers and Rays.
  
• The Rangers, too, are "scrambling" for starting pitching with the uncertainty of Vicente Padilla's health (swine flu), Kevin Millwood's recent struggles, and no experience behind either of them. Look for the Rangers to make a minor deal to get a starting pitcher as finances will be a sticking point in them landing a major player.
• The Rays are looking to make a big splash anyway they possibly can, and have supposedly dangled Scott Kazmir (Angels?), Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford. The only way they move Pena and Crawford, however, is if they can get Lee and Martinez from the Indians.