Maddux Back In Blue

For the second time in three seasons, Greg Maddux is back in Dodger blue after a deadline deal. Two years ago in 2006, Ned Colletti sent SS Cesar Izturis to the Cubs to get Maddux at the non-waiver deadline. That year, he went 6-3 in the final two months, helping the Dodgers back into the post-season. This time, it was a waiver deal, with about two weeks left before that deadline on August 31. To get Maddux this time around, they sent the infamous two players to be named later to San Diego. Because those minor leaguers had not cleared through waivers at the time of the deal, the names of those two players could not be made public per baseball rules.

In the meantime, Maddux returns to the Dodgers one win shy of tying Roger Clemens on the all-time career wins list. With Brad Penny on the DL again, the Dodgers had to get some rotation depth. It was either Maddux or bring up prospect James McDonald from AAA-Las Vegas, but McDonald has struggled of late and the Dodgers obviously felt he wasn't ready. Might be a blessing in disguise because personally I think a smart, veteran pitcher would have a bigger impact on the success of the team and pitching rotation

Maddux will make his second Dodger debut tomorrow night when the Dodgers open a 10-game road trip in Philadelphia. Dodgers are 4-0 so far against Philly after sweeping them last week at home to start the just concluded homestand.

Five in a Row

What ended as a disastrous weekend in San Francisco last weekend has turned into a five-game winning streak to start the homestand, including a four-game sweep of the Phillies. Manny continues to be Manny (oh, and he finally "trimmed" his dreads, too!); Andre Ethier and Nomar continue to provide late-inning heroics; the pen is getting the job done; and the team caught Arizona atop the standings and share first place with the Snakes. All in all, it has been a successful week so far. With Milwaukee in town, the Dodgers get a bigger break when they avoid a red-hot CC Sabathia, and Ben Sheets. With about 40 games left in the schedule, the Dodgers picked the ideal time to play well, and go on a hot streak. If they can continue to play well, and continue the hot streak, they should be in great shape down the stretch. There is no room for error anymore. Now is the time.

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One other note: the Dodgers reportedly have put in a waiver claim for Washington second baseman Ronnie Belliard. Speculation is they put the claim in simply to prevent him from going to Arizona. (Arizona lost their second baseman Orlando Hudson last week for the remainder of the season with a wrist injury.) However, other sources say the Dodgers and Washington are trying to work out a deal to bring the second baseman to L.A. with the idea that he'd be their everyday second baseman next season should Jeff Kent opt to retire or play somewhere else.

Baseball and Concussions

Two words you rarely see in the same sentence.

You hear about concussions all the time in more contact sports than baseball, such as football and hockey. In football, defensive backs putting big hits on receivers, or defensive linebackers doing the same to quarterbacks are the most common causes of players suffering concussions. In hockey, it's generally any one player putting a hit or a hard check on another player either into the boards or the player taking a spill to the ice. But in baseball, where major contact with another player isn't as common as in other sports, unless perhaps a runner is barreling towards home plate to try and score, and the catcher is waiting for the runner and anticipating a hard collision, you rarely hear about concussions.

The Mets' Ryan Church, a victim of two collisions of different sorts on the playing field, knows all too well about the dangers of suffering a concussion, feeling the effects of post-concussion syndrome (PSC), which has ended a number of hockey, football and baseball players careers too early, and attempting to beat PCS too soon.

Church has been feeling those effects since the day he first collided with teammate Marlon Anderson in spring training. Both players had CT Scans which came back negative, and the Mets held Church out of baseball activities until his symtoms disappeared.

He was in the Mets Opening Day starting lineup. But less than two months later, Church suffered a second concussion when he was accidently kneed in the head by Atlanta's Yunel Escobar while trying to break up a double play at second base. Church was in and out of the lineup for three weeks after the second concussion before the Mets finally put him on the disabled list. He missed most of June with PCS. The Mets felt he had recovered enough to re-activate him three weeks later, but just as soon as he came off the disabled list, he was removed from a game against Philadelphia with dizziness, and placed back on the disabled list.

Church was told by doctors then that the episode of dizziness in Philadelphia could be related to the migraine headaches he's had since he was a teenager. Tests on his brain then were negative, but he still didn't feel 100%. He hasn't played since, and the Mets finally acknowledged today that he could be done for the season. Could his career be over, too? Only time will tell.

The Mets had been questioned recently by outsiders about the way they handled Church's second concussion. General Manager Omar Minaya insists they handled Church properly, but others, most notably, neurologists who specialize in PCS, aren't so sure.

The Mets went on Chruch's word that he felt symptom-free, rather than a doctor who specializes in these types of injuries to the head. Team doctors also cleared him to play each time he returned from PCS. But while Church may have felt symptom-free, his brain had not fully recovered from the two concussions he suffered earlier this year. And he may never fully recover.

When you take a blow to the head, your brain moves around in different directions inside your head. The direction of movement of your brain from the blow determines the severity of the concussion. The lingering effects such as headaches, dizziness, fatigue, memory and attention problems, sleep problems and irritability are commonly known as post-concussion syndrome, or PCS. These lingering effects can last for weeks, months or even years after the initial injury. Sometimes, rest alone has limited effectiveness. Generally, however, symptoms go away on their own within months.

Concussions aren't anything to mess around with. Major League Baseball is just now finding out that you simply can not use subjective reports on a player with a concussion as you would with an arm or leg injury. In the NFL or NHL, players are not allowed to even return to play until they've been tested thoroughly and are free of symptoms after rest and exertion. Major League Baseball doesn't have such testing in place.

Former Major Leaguers Mike Matheny and Corey Koskie retired early in recent years because of PCS. Like a lot of players in the NFL and NHL (the L.A. Kings' Adam Deadmarsh is a name that comes to mind) who have had to retire early because of PSC, Matheny and Koskie never fully recovered. To this day, Deadmarsh, who retired three years ago after suffering two concussions from 2002 to 2004, and missing most of the 2002-2003 season, and all of the 2003-2004 season due to lingering affects from PCS, is still feeling the symptoms of PSC.

The Ryan Church situation should be an eye-opener for Major League Baseball to look into mandating the same type of testing the NFL and NHL have in place. The players union has already begun plans to approach the league about developing formal league-wide guidlines for managing concussions. The union does not intend to use the Mets handling of Church's injury as a centerpiece of conversation with the league, but rather to use Church's injury as an awareness of the dangers of PCS, and to bring more attention to concussions and PCS.

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Manny!

Wow! What a wild and wacky four days it's been in Dodgerland.

First, the unexpected last second deadline deal that brought Manny Ramirez from Boston to L.A., and now, in the aftermath of it all, Manny's tearing the cover off the ball.

The Trade

I didn't see it coming. Just a total and complete shock! Stunned. I'm STILL blown away it actually happened. It came out of nowhere! Well... sort of.

There had been some rumors swirling around that the Dodgers were interested in Manny. Boston seemed like they were intent on trading the disgruntled slugger to the point they were willing to pay the remaining estimated $7 million left on his current guaranteed contract. But there were contradictory reports that suggested the Dodgers weren't interest, and I would guess because Boston would have wanted Matt Kemp in return. What we didn't know until after the deal was that the Dodgers had in fact talked to Boston in recent weeks and days leading up to last Thursday, but Manny's name never came up until that day around mid-morning.

Eventually, when Boston found difficulties in trying to make a deal straight up for Manny, they started hunting for a third team to get involved, and found one in Pittsburgh. Boston and Pittsburgh basically laid the groundwork to move Jason Bay to Boston, and Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss to Pittsburgh. All they needed was a third team to take Manny and send two prospects to Pittsburgh. When they found that team in Florida, the Marlins refused to part with one of the players Pittsburgh wanted, and Boston called the Dodgers. When it was agreed that the Dodgers would send only Andy LaRoche and A-ball prospect Bryan Morris, a deal had been struck. Manny had already waived his 10-5 no-trade rights to go to either Florida or L.A. And, as part of the deal, the Dodgers agreed to void the two option years of his contract, thus making Manny a true free agent after this season, and Manny agreed to refuse arbitration after the season.

In the end, the Dodgers landed a much needed power bat in the middle of the lineup. And has it ever shown!

Manny-mania!

Manny's impact is already being felt. He felt right at home in his pre-game press conference on Friday afternoon, when he was introduced to the L.A. media, donning a number familiar to many in L.A., #99. Just Manny being Manny! Everywhere you went in L.A., after word trickled out early Thursday afternoon that Manny was headed to L.A., it was all you heard people talk about. All of the local sports talk radio shows were talking about Manny heading to L.A. There was a three-hour special on AM 790 KABC, the Dodgers flagship radio station, before Friday night's game. The Dodgers sold a record 11,000 tickets for Friday night's game from Thursday afternoon up until the game sold out on Friday afternoon from walk-up sales alone. An estimate 30,000 tickets had been sold for the weekend series against Arizona, all from walk-up sales after the trade.

On Friday night, in his Dodger debut, Manny went 2 for 4 in a 2-1 loss to Arizona. The game's key moment involving Manny came in the 9th inning when Russell Martin led off the inning with a base hit. Manny came up representing the winning run, and with the crowd roaring and on its feet, Manny disappointed when he grounded into a double play.

With everything that had gone on from Thursday until before game time Saturday, Manny blew everyone away when he told the media he wanted to finish his career in L.A. donning Dodger blue. Manny Being Manny, I guess, right?!

Then Manny made the Dodgers and their fans happy. In his first at bat Saturday night, Manny launched a booming two-run home run to left field for his first as a Dodger, his 21st of the season overall, and the 511th of his long career. He came out for a curtain call after the home run. Manny would add another hit and finish the night 2 for 4 yet again, this time, a 4-2 Dodger victory that pulled them back to within two games of Arizona.

Manny didn't disappoint again today. He went 4 for 5 with another booming home run, this time a solo shot leading off the 5th inning, and added an RBI single in the first, an RBI double in the 2nd, and an 8th inning infield single while scoring two runs.

His three game total? Eight hits in 13 at bats with two home runs and five RBI. Not a bad start, huh?!

Manny-mania has definitely arrived in Los Angeles, and hopefully it'll last longer than two or three months!

BREAKING NEWS

UPDATE (12:03PM CT): Dodgers are set to send just the two players mentioned below.

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Dodgers are on the verge of acquiring third baseman Casey Blake from the Indians. According to MLBtraderumors.com, ESPN's Jayson Stark is reporting multiple sources saying the Indians will get three players in return, possibley minor league catcher Carlos Santana and minor league pitcher Jon Meloan.

Also, Ken Gurnick says in MLBlogs.com that Dodger sources refuted an earlier report that they were on the verge of trading Andy Laroche to Oakland for Huston Street. However, I think the Blake deal might change things.

Stay tuned...

Interesting Read...

This column by SI's John Heyman pretty much sums up what's going on with the Dodgers. Apparently, in a nutshell, there's a LOT of disagreements in the front office when it comes to possible trades. Unfortunately, this shouldn't come as a surprise, and ultimately it could be the reason they could be unable to pull off any kind of minor deal, let alone a big one that could impact the face of the division.

One other note, Dodgers are still trying to get a SS, perhaps Orlando Cabrera or Jack Wilson. However, the rumored deal involving Derek Lowe and Matt Kemp for Robinson Cano is pretty much just that... a rumor. It's likely not happening. However, Derek Lowe is apparently being shopped as he could probably get the most value in return, but why Lowe? All this is going to do give them a bigger hole in the rotation with all the injuries and inconsistencies.

Stay tuned... trade deadline is next Thursday!

Road Trip; Trade Rumors

Well the road trip wasn't a complete bust, but it could have been better. They took 2 of 3 in Arizona then lost 2 of 3 in Denver. But i Just wanted to touch on the Sunday and Monday games because I was convinced the one in Arizona on Sunday was a turning point for the Dodgers. They trailed that game 4-1 in the 9th inning after Brandon Webb shut them down for 7 innings. Enter Brandon Lyon. The night before, he came in the game in the 9th with a 3-0 lead, and barely got out of it when the Dodgers scored twice and left the tying run at third. But it was a different turn of even this on this day. The Dodgers scored 5 runs off Lyon and held on for a big 6-5 win that got them even atop the division standings with Arizona. The following night, they scored 16 runs in Denver (8 in the first inning) en route to a 16-10 win. Obviously 16 runs in Coors Field is nothing new, but for this team, it's a big deal because of their struggles to score runs all season. So to finish up the trip in Colorado having scored just 4 runs combined the last two games, was a bit disappointing.

So that said, it's obvious the Dodgers need more bats, and maybe a tad more pitching depth. While they do own the best team ERA in the National League, they are decimated by injuries and inconsistencies, primarily among the starters. And it's no secret this team needs to find ways to score more runs. With the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline approaching, a ton of rumors have surrounded the Dodgers, and I thought I'd mention a few names being thrown around out there. For in-depth rumor analysis, check out mlbtraderumors.com.

• Hank Blalock, 3B, Texas - Blalock could provide some offense from 3B; the Rangers want a young pitcher in return for him.
• Casey Blake, 3B, Cleveland - He was supposed to be part of a CC Sabathia trade to the Dodgers that never happened.
• Robinson Cano, 2B, Yankees - Cano is red-hot right now, and it's almost impossible to fathom the Dodgers trading Matt Kemp; the Dodgers are looking for offense from the left side of the infield, not second base.
• Jack Wilson, SS, Pittsburgh - The Pirates asking price for Wilson, and others, is asinine, thus turning the Dodgers, and many other teams, away from Pittsburgh.
• Orlando Cabrera, SS, White Sox - If the White Sox can deal Juan Uribe to Boston to clear salary to rekindle Brian Roberts trade talks with Baltimore, they could ship Cabrera to the Dodgers and move Alexei Ramirez to SS.
• Adrian Beltre, 3B, Seattle - Beltre has a no-trade clause to the Dodgers, so this one isn't happening.
• Huston Street, RP, Oakland - The Dodgers could use him to add bullpen depth with Takashi Saito shelved; there are conflicting reports about the Dodgers interest in him.
  
• Bobby Crosby, SS, Oakland - He could be a throw-in to a Street deal, but he doesn't come across as the "bat" the Dodgers covet for that side of the infield.
• AJ Burnett, SP, Toronto - Dodgers could use some rotation depth with Brad Penny's status still unclear and the inconsistencies of the rest of the rotation.
• Roy Halladay, SP, Toronto - Word out of Toronto is Halladay is unhappy there, and the Jays are quietly looking at teams outside the American League who could be potential fits.
• George Sherrill, RP, Baltimore - Like Oakland's Street, Sherrill could fill a void in the pen left behind by Saito's injury; Street appears to be a better fit, however.
• Mark Teixeira, 1B, Atlanta - The Braves have initiated talks with several teams to see if there might a fit; the Dodgers really don't have much of a need for a 1B.
• Greg Maddux, SP, San Diego - Maddux has said he'd be willing to accept a trade only to a west coast contender, and the Dodgers would appear to be the only fit as they could add more depth in the rotation.
• Dallas McPherson, 3B, Marlins - McPherson is in AAA putting up big numbers (.287/.400/.650 with 32 homeruns in 312 ABs); at 28, he could be a cheap alternative.

All-Star Game and Home Run Derby

Wow! That was quite a game last night. Great pitching. Great defense (sans Dan Uggla). Terrible timely hitting. Extra innings. Drama. Controversy. The game had it all. Only thing missing was the game ending in another tie. And as the game got further along into extra innings, I'm sure there was growing concern among some people that we were headed for that. Fortunately, one of the teams found a way to squeak in a run just when it was needed most. Final score: American League 4, National League 3, 15 innings.

Among the solid pitching performances were starters Ben Sheets and Cliff Lee, Carlos Zambrano and Dan Haren of the National League, who all pitched two scoreless innings, and Aaron Cook and George Sherrill, who pitched three and two and a third scoreless innings in extra innings, respectively. And it was Cook's three that was most impressive in light of having to work himself out of two nasty jams, one being a bases loaded, no-out fiasco in the 11th inning.

The defense was stellar all night, but Russell Martin and Miguel Tejada stole the show with two great plays each in the 11th inning, sharing one of the plays when Martin threw out Ian Kinsler trying to steal second base being covered by Tejada. Nate McLouth also threw out a runner at home plate in that 11th inning. Dan Uggla, however, had a rough night, committing three errors in the game, two on back-to-back grounders late in the game that almost gave the American League the game.

There were plenty of hits throughout the game, but as far as getting the runners across home plate? Forget it. Twenty-eight runners were stranded combined, with the American League leaving 17 of them. J.D. Drew might have had the biggest at-bat of the night, when he connected off Cincinnati pitcher Edison Volquez for a game-tying, two-run homerun in the 7th inning. Each team would get a run in the 8th inning, and the National League came close in the 9th off Mariano Rivera. Even though they didn't score in the inning, Russell Martin had the best at-bat of the night, when he battled Rivera by fouling off a handful of pitches, taking the count to 3-2, then singling to right field with one out.

The game had all sorts of drama and controversy, as well. But in the end, the American League won for the sixth straight time, and are unbeaten in twelve straight, including the laughable tie in 2002. The game tied the longest game in All-Star history, lasting 15 innings, but it was the longest game as far as the time goes. The game officially lasted four hours and 50 minutes, ending at nearly 2am ET.

The best part of the night had to have been the pre-game festivities, when 40 Hall of Fame All-Stars were introduced before the game by position. As the All-Star legends were introduced by position, the starters were introduced with them, in a new twist to announcing the starters for the game. But to see last night's starters stand next to legends at their own positions, such as Yogi Berra, Mike Schmidt, Gaylord Perry, Whitey Ford, Willie McCovey, Willy Mays, Cal Ripken, Jr., Ernie Banks and Tommy Lasorda, was pretty darn cool. Only in New York could hey have pulled it off, and only in the very last All-Star Game in the very last season in "The House That Ruth Built" could they have pulled it off.

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Now, the night before was another night to remember, but it expemplified why the Home Run Derby is farce. The rules of the Derby are each of the starting eight hitters get 10 outs in each of the rounds. The top four totals in the first round move on to the second, and the top two move into the finals from the second round. But the first round totals are carried over into the second round, and then the totals are wiped out in the final round when they start over. This is where it needs to be changed.

Josh Hamilton put on a display at Yankee Stadium on Monday night that I don't think anyone will ever forget. He finished the first round with an astounding 28 homeruns, four more than any other player has ever hit in any round. And it wasn't just the number of homeruns he hit, it was the distance of these bombs. Hamilton hit one that landed 518' away from home plate, hitting the back wall in the right-center field bleachers. He hit two or three more that landed over 500' away. And at one point, he hit 13 in a row. By the time he was done in the first round, and the next best three finished their second rounds, Hamilton still had more than any of the others., even before he started his second round, which he eventually did not finish. When all was said and done, Hamilton and Justin Morneau moved on to the finals. And here's were it gets mirky.

Morneau hit a total of five homeruns in the last round. Add that to what he hit in the first two rounds, he wouldn't have come close to beating Hamilton. But because you start over at 0 in the final round, Hamilton, who only hit three homeruns in the final round, would lose the derby to Morneau.

To me it's a shame because he had the entire stadium on their feet in the first round cheering him on, applauding him like he were one of the Yankees. And really, in my eyes, he won the derby. No one will ever forget the display he put on, and those who were there will remember his incredible display in the first round more than Morneau winning 5-3 in the final round. Josh Hamilton is my Home Run Derby Champion.

And because of what I witnessed on television on Monday night, I now have a legitimate reason, besides the fact the Rangers are 50-46 and playing some solid baseball, to go to at least one Rangers game before this season ends.

Saito Injury; Billingsley Dominates; Martin in the AS Game

So we'll start with the oldest news first.

Last Saturday, Takashi Saito came out of the game with what is now diagnosed as a sprained elbow ligament. He will undergo six weeks of treatment and therapy (no surgery is needed) and then be re-evaluated. What this means is he will be out until at least September and Jonathan Broxton takes over the closer's role in the bullpen.

I dunno about anyone else, but this scares the living daylights out of me right now. While Saito is 38, and who knows how much longer he can go beyond this season, Broxton has yet to prove to me he can handle the closer's role. He's got the stuff to be an effective closer, but I', still not convinced he's mentally ready for it. We've already seen him cough up a couple of leads this year in which he has inherited runners. One thing I will give him is when he comes in to start an inning, in almost every situation, he's gotten the job done. It's when he comes in and inherits runners in a close game that I worry about him.

So with Broxton likely to close the rest of the season, at the very least through August, I think Ned Colletti has to shift some of his focus approaching the trade deadline to finding some more pen depth. Remember, Scott Proctor is on the DL, although this might be a blessing in disguise! In any case, the strength of the team took a big hit.

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Meanwhile Chad Billingsley pitched a game for the ages on Sunday, striking out 13 Marlins while giving up just one hit over seven innings on Sunday. The 13 strikeouts were a career high for Billngsley, who now has 125 on the season, good for third in the NL. Billingsley also improved to 9-8 and lowered his ERA to a very solid 3.25. There is no question he has become the ace of the staff.

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And how about Russell Martin's performance last night in the All-Star Game? That was something special to see, wasn't it?

Martin came in the game in the 5th inning as a defensive replacement for starter Geovany Soto, and wound up playing through the 14th inning, a total of 10 innings. With the bat, Martin was 1-3 with a 9th inning single off Yankee closer Mariano Rivera. Martin single-handedly almost gave the NL the lead back in the 9th inning. With the score tied 3-3, Martin battled Rivera before singling to right field with one out. Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada followed with a base hit up the middle with Martin running on the pitch, and Martin wound up at third. But Florida's Dan Uggla (who also committed an All-Star Game record three errors, two on back-to-back plays) hit into an inning-ending double play to end the threat, and the game went into extra innings.

In extra innings, Martin was involved in two controversial but stellar plays that really had nothing to do with him rather than just two missed calls by the umpires. In the 11th inning, after Texas' Ian Kinsler singled, Martin threw him out trying to steal second base. The throw by Martin, and tag by Tejada combined for a great play even though Tejada actually never tagged Kinsler out. Later in the inning, after a walk by Tampa Bay catcher Dioner Navarro and a single by Boston's J.D. Drew, who would eventually earn the MVP honors in the game after hitting a game-tying two-run homerun in the seventh inning and getting on base four times in the game, Texas second baseman Michael Young singled to center. With Navarro coming around third trying to score from second, Pittsburgh's Nate McLouth through a one-hopper on target to Martin at the plate, who blocked Navarro and tagged him out to keep the game alive. However, again, replays showed Navarro got his foot on the plate before Martin could tag him. Still, two very good plays by Martin. And for the next couple of innings, Martin was praised for his defensive abilities by Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, who was a major league catcher in his days as a player.

In any case, it was great to see Martin play very well and play long enough for people to really get a good look at what a special player he really is for the Dodgers. What might have topped it all off is if he played third base for an inning!

Mattingly Set To Return To Full-Time Roll

Well it's about time. Because this team can't seem to hit when it matters. And so the revolving door at the hitting coach's position continues.

Don Mattingly, who was hired to be the original hitting coach when Joe Torre brought him with him to L.A. in the off-season but decided to back out at the last minute due to family concerns and remained on as a special instructor, will become the team's eighth hitting coach in 10 years. Mattingly is slated to replace Mike Easler, who will be reassigned in the organization, after the All-Star Game next week. Last season, Bill Mueller replaced Eddie Murray as hitting coach at mid-season.

Very Cool Blog Post

Dodgers PR head man Josh Rawitch posted this cool blog today on Inside the Dodgers. Take note of two things: one, the free ice cream at the stadium for the staff, keeping with tradition that began when Walter O'Malley brought the team to L.A., and two, the interesting stat involving Dodger Stadium and shutouts. Tonight's lineup (same as last night) is also posted.

BREAKING NEWS: Cubs Counter Brewers Move

The National League Central just got very interesting to say the least. Just two days after the Brewers pulled off a deal for C.C. Sabathia (who makes his Milwaukee debut tonight), the Cubs countered with a blockbuster of their own. Just announced within the hour, the Cubs have traded four players, including Sean Gallagher and Matt Murton, to Oakland for Rich Hardin and Chad Gaudin.

All I can say about this is "Wow!" No one saw this one coming really. But this certainly tips the scales back in Chicago's favor after a two-day tilt towards Milwaukee. The Brewers on Sunday added reigning A.L. Cy Young champion C.C. Sabathia to a rotation that already includes Ben Sheets, Jeff Suppan and up-and-coming Manny Parra. With these four, and a line-up that includes Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Corey Hart and a rejuvenated Bill Hall and J.J. Hardy, the Brewers, with their bullpen, pushed the scales in their favor. But the Cubs, knowing they had to counter and leading the Central by just 3.5 games over St. Louis and 4 games over the Brewers, were already in talks for Rich Harden, and stepped up their efforts over the last 48 hours to get Harden. Harden joins a rotation that already features Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Ted Lilly. With their offense and bullpen anchored by closer Kerry Wood and set-up man Carlos Marmol, the Cubs have regained the edge in the division. It won't be easy fending off St. Louis or Milwaukee, but they are clearly the cream of the crop in the N.L. now.

Kuroda Nearly Perfect!

One pitch. That was the difference between a perfect game and a one-hitter. What a pitching performance tonight by Hiroki Kuroda. Atlanta's Mark Teixeira broke up Kuroda's perfect game leading off the 8th inning with a double that would turn out to be the only hit Kuroda would allow. With a little help from Blake DeWitt and Angel Berroa defensively, and Nomar Garciaparra's bat, the Dodgers helped Kuroda come close to the perfecto and earn the win that pulled the Dodgers even in the standings at 44-45 atop the NL West with Arizona.

Kuroda was masterful tonight, striking out six in the one-hit, complete-game shutout for the win. He kept the Atlanta hitters off-balanced all night, mixing his pitches very well, and getting some help by the Braves who were consistently swinging at first pitches all night. Final score: Dodgers 3, Braves 0.

I've seen a lot of great pitching performances in my lifetime but this one ranks up there with Nomo's no-no in Coors Field in 1996 and Fernando's no-no in 1990, even though Kuroda fell short of the perfect game. This is the second time this season Kuroda has taken a no-hitter into at least the seventh inning. The other time ended up in a loss in May against the Astros in a game the Astros would score eight runs over the final three innings against the bullpen to complete a three-game sweep of the Dodgers.

Mid-Season Awards

Before the season began, I went out on a limb and made some bold predictions on this year's regular season award winners. Now that we've reached the half-way point (in terms of games played), it's time to look back, and forward.

MVP

In the National League, I thought Matt Holliday would be a clear-cut obvious choice based on his history and what he did last season with the Rockies. But the Rockies are off to a horrid start, and despite hitting .337 up to now, his over-all numbers are well below where he would normally be at this point, in large part of the rest of the team's struggles. The nod up to this point goes to Atlanta's Chipper Jones. All he's done is hit .393, and is chasing a mark no one has touched since Ted Williams lsat did way back in 1941: hit .400 in a season. Can it be done? Sure. Will he do it? That remains to be seen. Staying healthy and avoiding any long slumps will help.

In the American League, the pre-season choice will always be Alex Rodriguez. There's really never much of an argument here. But having spent part of the season on the DL, he's fallen behind a bit and is playing catch-up. The Rangers' Josh Hamilton is having an insane season, already with 80 RBI. He's tied for the league lead in home runs with 19, and he's on a ridiculous RBI pace that could get him close to 160. he probably won't keep that up, but it will be fun to watch him from here on out.

CY YOUNG

Brandon Webb was my pre-season choice, and you could make a strong argument for him up to this point. Webb leads the league with 12 wins, and his ERA is a very respectable 3.21. He was 10-0 before the chairs were warm, but he's struggled of late, going just 2-2 in June with an ERA near 5. That has slowed him down and allowed someone else to enter the picture. Enter Ben Sheets. Sheets only has 9 wins by comparison, but he's been more consistent and has kept his ERA down (2.83). His team has also been more consistent as well, and he has a better chance of getting to 20 wins at this point for that reason. This one is a toss-up, but because of the team factor, I'm leaning slightly towards Sheets now.

In the American League, Eric Bedard was my pick going into the season, simply because of what he's done in the past, and the fact he would be pitching in a premier pitcher's park in Seattle. But he has struggled some and spent much of April on the DL and is playing catch-up, as well. Plus the Mariners are off to the worst record in the American League, and that makes it hard to get wins. That said, with 11 wins and an ERA of 2.26 despite pitching on a decent-at-times last-place team, Cleveland's Cliff Lee gets the award to this point.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

I figured Florida's Cameron Maybin would get enough playing time to be considered in the NL, but he's been down in AAA most of the season. But the Cubs' Geovany Soto, someone I overlooked before the season started, has emerged as the ROY winner to this point. All Soto has done is hit .284 with 13 home runs and an .886 OPS while playing a very tough position behind the plate. And this will earn him a starting nod in the All-Star game next week, as well. In the American League, I went with Evan Longoria before the season started, and despite Tampa Bay stunning everyone and starting him in AAA, he got his call and hasn't disappoint. Longoria is hitting .268 with 15 home runs and a .864 OPS for the league's best team. Soto and Longoria get the nods.

MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Of the two managers I thought would win the award in each league in pre-season, one is already gone: Seattle fired John McLaren two weeks ago. The other, Atlanta's Bobby Cox, has seen his team hover around .500 most of the season and currently sits at 40-44, but, just five games back of first place. That said, the two Florida managers have done what many thought couldn't be done through the first-half of the season: one has the league's best record, and the other spent a good chunk of the first-half in first place and are currently just one game back in their division. That said, kudos to Tampa Bay's Joe Maddon and Florida's Fredi Gonzalez for a job well done so far!

Injury Updates

Without getting too much into details since there are plenty of places to get the information, i.e. the Dodgers website, here's what we know as of today:

• Hiroki Kuroda will be activated from the DL in time to start tonight's game in Houston.
• Nomar Garciaparra is on track to possibly join the team and come off the DL for Friday night's game in San Francisco; he will likely take over at short stop.
• Brad Penny is on schedule to be activated from the DL in time to start Saturday's game in San Francisco.
• Andruw Jones is reporting no problems after his first two days of rehab, and is on target for a return right after the All-Star break.
• Rafael Furcal woke up yesterday with more lower back stiffness after beginning his rehab Monday night. He has since returned to L.A. for more tests and whatnot. My gut feeling tells me his season could be over.

Mid-Season Rankings

Over the past six or seven weeks, a lot has changed in the baseball world. As we've reached the mid-way point of the season in terms of number of games played, two weeks shy of the All-Star Game, it's time to look back on the first half of the season and where teams stand now as the second half unofficially gets underway.

1. Tampa Bay (49-32): The Rays are not only the best team right now, but putting them at the top of the rankings is a trendy thing to do these days. (LR: 5)

2. Chicago-NL (49-33): If the Cubbies can figure out how to win on the road (16-23), they might actually win a few games in the playoffs this year. (LR: 2)

3. Boston (50-34): Manny Ramirez has been asked to wear a straight-jacket from now on when he isn't on the field. (LR: 3)

4. Chicago-AL (49-35): Lately, it's been the White Sox bats making a lot of noise, and not Ozzie Guillen's mouth. (LR: 10)

5. L.A. Angels (49-33): The Halos have petitioned with MLB to play their remaining home games on the road instead (MLB-best 27-15 road record). (LR: 6)

6. St. Louis (47-36): Mark Mulder will be taking a gurney and an ER surgeon to the mound with him every time he pitches. (LR: 8)

7. Minnesota (45-37): The Twins are looking for a way to trade back for Johan Santana for the pennant stretch. Nah, just kidding! (LR: 15)

8. Oakland (44-37): Even GM Billy Beane is shocked at how quickly all of his trades this past off-season have worked out for the A's. (LR: 13)

9. N.Y. Yankees (44-38): The Yankees have designated Jason Giambi's new mustache as the team’s new good luck charm, which will be prominently on display during games. (LR: 23)

10. Detroit (41-40): In light of the Tigers recent play, Jim Leyland's cigarette intake has dropped from three packs a day to two. (LR: 27)

11. Philadelphia (44-39): Chase Utley is so popular in Philly, the city is replacing the Rocky statue at the city's Museum of Art with one of Utley. (LR: 12)

12. Milwaukee (44-37): Upon Eric Gagne’s return, Bob Eucker will be asked to cover up his white wife-beater, and cut back on the booze, so as to not distract Gagne during save opportunities. (LR: 20)

13. Florida (42-39): The City of Miami has decided not to build the Marlins new stadium until they reach the 15,000 mark in home average attendence. (LR: 7)

14. Baltimore (41-39): The Mariners new GM called and inquired about possibly trading Eric Bedard back to the O's for Adam Jones and George Sherrill. (LR: 14)

15. Texas (42-41): Josh Hamilton is driving in runs at such a ridiculous rate that Cincinnati has called and asked for him back to help their offense. (LR: 19)

16. Arizona (41-41): What gives? The Snakes' offense has tanked, and Brandon Webb is now on pace for only 24 wins and 1.5 Cy Young Awards. (LR: 1)

17. Toronto (40-43): Back to the Future Part IV? The Blue Jays have brought Cito Gaston back from 1997 to turn the team around. Great Scott! (LR: 18)

18. Atlanta (40-43): The Braves are still trying to figure out how they can take Turner Field with them on road trips. (LR: 11)

19. L.A. Dodgers (38-43): The Dodgers have decided to place the remaining $56M of their $119M payroll on the DL with the other $63M. (LR: 9)

20. N.Y. Mets (40-41): Omar Minaya is having second thoughts and is contemplating re-hiring Willie Randolph. (LR: 17)

21. Cleveland (37-45): C.C. Sabathia will ask the Indians to include the locker room buffet table in any trade he's involved in. (LR: 16)

22. Houston (39-43): Lance Berkman has cooled of so much that not even the heat and humidity in Houston can keep him hot. (LR: 4)

23. San Francisco (36-46): Suddenly, being 10 games back in this division isn't so bad afterall. (LR: 28)

24. Pittsburgh (38-43): Pirates fans are already counting down the days to the Steelers and Penguins season openers. (LR: 22)

25. Kansas City (37-45): I'm telling you, Royals fans are really, really ticked about that George Brett pine-tar incident. (LR: 21)

26. Cincinnati (38-45): Team trainers are still trying to remove the toothpick lodged in Dusty Baker's throat. (LR: 24)

27. Colorado (32-50): The Rockies may not need to win 13 straight games at end of the season to make the playoffs again. (LR: 29)

28. San Diego (32-51): Greg Maddux has been stuck at 350 career wins for so long, he's resorted to playing himself on PS2 to remember what its like to win a game. (LR: 30)

29. Seattle (31-50): At this rate, Mariners fans might ask the M's to leave town for Oklahoma City with the Sonics. (LR: 26)

30. Washington (33-50): Opponents, feeling bad about the Nats' -114 run differential, have been offering to spot them runs to give them a chance. (LR: 25)

LR = Last Rank

Pierre Lands On DL

Well, it's about time! (Just kidding! Hahaha...)

Actually, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm tired of watching him hitting his little pop-ups to left field every other at-bat, and I'm tired of watching below average runners take an extra base on him because they know he can't throw a lick. This could be a blessing in disguise, either way, especially with Raffy Furcal expected back this weekend.

In any case, Pierre hurt his knee running the bases during yesterday's game, and limped off the field in obvious pain. An MRI today revealed a sprained MCL in his left knee. He is expected to mis anywhere from four to six weeks. (This might be the best news of all!)

Jason Repko will take his spot on the roster, probably until Andruw Jones is ready to come off the DL after the All-Star Game next week. In the meantime, Delwyn "Pee Wee" Young will get Pierre's playing time in left field for now, and then when Andruw comes back, the Dodgers can go with what should be their best outfield of Jones, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. Unfortunately, that will only last until Pierre comes back.

Dodgers Get No-Hit... And Win

No, that's not a typo. It really did happen! The Dodgers were no-hit through eight innings by two Angels pitchers, but came away with a 1-0 win thanks to an unearned run in the fifth inning. Unfortunately, by Major League Baseball rules, because the Dodgers were the home team and didn't bat in the ninth inning, the game does not count as an official no-hitter. Regardless, the Dodgers pulled off a rare feat.

Matt Kemp led off the fifth inning reaching base on a little roller down the first base line that was misplayed by Angels starting pitcher Jered Weaver. The play was originally ruled a hit, and then changed to an error. Kemp then stole second base and took third base when Jeff Mathis' throw sailed over second base into center field. Blake DeWitt then hit a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Kemp, and the Dodgers made it hold up.

And we'll all take it. A win is a win, right? And it was a big win because Arizona won earlier tonight. So with the wins, Arizona (41-40) maintains a 2.5 game lead in the standings over the Dodgers, who improve to 38-42 with their second straight win. And, more importantly, the Dodgers trail by only two games in the loss column.

I dunno about anyone else, but this division, for the moment, reminds me of the division in 2006, when the Padres won the division with 82 wins. But with half a season still left to play, I think the Dodgers are in pretty good shape to start doing some good things here.

They are expected to get Rafael Furcal and Nomar Garciaparra back sometime next weekend, and Andruw Jones is about two weeks away from returning from the disabled list, as well. Hiroki Kuroda and Brad Penny threw in the pen today to test their shoulders, and felt no discomfort. The telling tale will be how they feel in the morning. And Jason Schmidt will be resuming his rehab this week, and he, too, could make his first appearance in over a year after the All-Star Break. So all-in-all, lots of good news for the Dodgers (although personally, I'd prefer if Schmidt never steps foot on a mound again as a Dodger).

In the meantime, they're getting some much needed help from the guys stepping up and filling in for Kuroda and Penny, as Chan Ho Park and Eric Stults have been solid in their absences. The same can't be said for Furcal's replacements. His replacements are hitting below .200 combined, and that's basically Chin-Ling Hu (.159), back in AAA Las Vegas, and Angel Berroa (.185 before tonight's game). Luis Maza (.236) has seen some play at short, but he's hitting a tad better than Hu and Berroa.

So, back to tonight's game. When was the last time a team lost a game after not allowing a hit? How about 1992. Long time ago. That was also the last unofficial no-hitter in Major League Baseball history.

Anyway, Dodgers take the series against the Angels, with one more tomorrow, and can sweep the series, and win the season series with the Angels with a win. John Lackey opposes Derek Lowe at the Ravine.

Interleague Woes; Injury Reports

It's been a while since I've had a chance to post anything here, but there really hasn't been anything spectacular to write about when it comes to the Dodgers. Since May 24th, the Dodgers have gone 9-17 and amazingly have not lost much ground on the division-leading Diamondbacks. The Dodgers had just come off a three-game sweep of Cincinnati, and conveniently enough, before last night's extra-inning loss to Cleveland, they just came off another three-game sweep of the Reds. The only other decent stretch during that time was a split of a four game series at home against the Cubs, who the league's best record.

The Dodgers are sorely missing Rafael Furcal's presence in the lineup. Unfortunately, his back injury turned out to be more serious than originally thought, and the bulging disk in his back causing the problems doesn't have him close to 100%. Furcal's injury, along with Chin-Lung Hu's struggles as a temporary replacement forced the Dodgers to trade for former AL Rookie of the Year winner, Angel Berroa. It also prompted the Dodgers to send Nomar on a rehab assignment from his calf injury; he was told to be prepared to play shortstop when he returns. However, there's no timetable for either of their returns.

Andruw Jones appears closer to returning from knee surgery. But in the meantime, Brad Penny and Hiroki Kuroda have since been DL'd with stiffness in their pitching shoulders. Penny had been God-awful in his last five starts before being disabled, and Kuroda had been inconsistent all year, going just 3-6 with an ERA around 4.

The bright side of all this is Andy LaRoche was activated and recalled from AAA Vegas, where he got some work in at first and second bases. The idea was to find more ways to get him in the lineup, and to make him more versatile around the infield, so he could occasionally spell Loney, Kent and DeWitt.

Back to the games themselves. The Dodgers, for whatever reason, just can't seem to find a way to win a game against an American League team. The Dodgers, who have struggled mightily during interleague play in recent years, are already 1-6 after last night's loss. Last night was a tough loss to swallow because after being shut down for 7 innings by Cliff Lee, the Dodgers erased a 4-0 deficit with two runs each in the 8th and 9th innings off the Indians bullpen. They actually had a good chance to win it in the 9th but LaRoche hit a rocket to center field to end the inning, leaving the bases loaded in the process. Then Saito gave the lead back in the 10th.

The Indians loaded the bases with no outs off Saito. Before Jhonny Peralta's game-winning two-run double, former Dodger Franklin Gutierrez hit into a very rare, but huge 6-2-5 double play. Unfortunately, the defensive web gem didn't help in the end. And as awful as he was in the 9th inning, Indians closer Joe Borowski was taken off the hook by the offense and he was credited with a win. Makes no sense to me.

Oh, and to add insult to injury, Indians starting pitcher CC Sabathia hit a 450-plus bomb for a home run this afternoon off Dodger starter Chan Ho Park. Park has 8 K's through 4 innings, but it's 1-0 Indians.

The Mess That is the Mets; Hammerin' Hank Hates the NL

We all saw this one coming, didn't we? And it all started with a little incident last season when Willie Randolph benched his superstar shortstop after failing to hustle down to first base. I've heard countless Mets fans, generally the Latino fans, suggest that the Mets are Jose Reyes' team; the clubhouse is Jose Reyes' clubhouse. All I can do is laugh when I hear that kind of ignorant banter.

The Mets, in what appeared to be a cowardly act, fired their manager after a 9-6 win last night in interleague play at Anaheim. But it was the way Mets GM Omar Minaya did it. Once he made the decision that the time was now, he boarded a flight to Los Angeles, went to the team hotel, and then told him he was being let go, at midnight.

Here's how this really went down, says ESPN's Buster Olney, and I can't help but to agree with every last bit of it. The circus that is the Mets front office really should think twice about the way they handled this. And then to add insult to injury, Minaya went out and made a bigger ass of himself by trying to explain this to anyone who was willing to listen to him or believe him during his press conference this afternoon. Karma's a bitch, isn't it? I'll be the first to sit back with a smile on my face when this all comes back to bite the Mets and Minaya in the ass later on. Or, maybe it's already starting? Reyes left tonight's game against the Angels with an apparent leg injury, which turned out to be a stiff hamstring.

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And how about this from Yankee's co-chairman, Hank Steinbrenner.

During yesterday's game in Houston, Yankee pitcher Chien-Ming Wang hurt his foot running the bases while trying to score from second base. The diagnosis after an MRI yesterday leaves him in a protective boot and on crutches for six weeks, and he is expected to be out until September.

But in the aftermath of the injury, Hank had some choice words, which I found rather amusing and cute, for the National League.

"My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century. They need to grow up and join the 21st century. Am I [mad] about? Yes. I've got my pitchers running the bases, and one of them gets hurt. He's going to be out. I don't like that and it's time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s."

Now I don't know about anyone else, but doesn't the American League basically play with the same rules now? Sure the game has evolved and some of the rules have been modernized over the years. But the basic rules of the game that Major League Baseball uses today... is from the 1800s, Hank! The 21st century? Please, Hank. Your pitcher could have just as easily got hurt on the pitchers mound or running to cover first base on a defensive play, or to back up the catcher behind home plate on a throw from the outfield. Don't go crying to MLB because your pitchers don't know how to run the bases properly. Don't go crying to MLB because they aren't well conditioned to run the bases. And let's be honest, I can't begin to remember the last time a pitcher in the American League hurt his foot the way Wang did while running the bases during interleague play. In fact, the answer is never! Heck, that kind of injury has never happened to an NL pitcher from running the bases! (Sure, Derek Lowe re-aggravated a pre-existing hip injury last season in Houston trying to leg out a hit to right field. It happens.) There's no crying in baseball, Hank!

And to be honest, I absolutely hate the designated hitter. It's a useless position. The player doesn't play on the field. And if you really dig in and did research, I'll bet only a small number of American League teams have really benefited and had success with it over the years. But we'll save this for another time.

But for now, I'm just going to sit back and chuckle a little more over Hank's little crying tirade.

Instant Replay Coming?

More than any other season, umpires have blown an insane number of home run calls this season, most notably in May. Because of this, baseball and its umpires have been under fire to get instant replay into baseball to help prevent these calls, some of which have dramatically affected games. While I'm one of the "old school" fans who prefer to not have instant replay part of baseball, what I've seen this season has changed my opinion on the issue and I would certainly favor it... in limited use. So, baseball has implemented a plan that could become reality by August 1st, where instant replay would be used only on "boundary" calls involving home runs, meaning fair or foul, or did it clear the yellow line or not. I would also not be opposed to it used for plays at home plate, as missed calls there could affect the outcome of a game, as well, but that's far from becoming a reality.

Some people worry instant replay would lengthen games and drag them on. But after giving this much thought, I've concluded that since umpires generally spend a minute or two discussing these type of controversial calls before they finalize a decision anyway (as they did in the aforementioned situations), using that time to walk over to a camera in the camera well next to one of the dugouts and viewing a home run in question within a 90-second time frame wouldn't lengthen or drag a game on any more than without the use of instant replay. What generally lengthens and drags games on are all the little nuances that players bring with them to the field, such as a pitcher taking forever to make a pitch by either waiting until the alloted time to make pitch has elapsed, or continuously stepping on and off the pitching rubber on the mound, or a hitter who keeps stepping in and out of the batter's box.

This is all probably still in the early stages but it appears that this could all come to fruition over the next six weeks as we approach August 1st. It seems to me that baseball is as concerned about these calls as the general public, as well as the teams it could affect. Baseball seems to be finally getting things right!

Early All-Star Selections

I've always thought voting for and discussing possible All-Star nods in late-May and early June didn't make a whole lot of sense when the season's not even two months old, and the game is still six weeks away. But here we are anyway, on June 3rd, and the first voting results are already in with still another month left in the voting.

I've also never understood, mostly since MLB decided that the All-Star game winner would determine World Series home-field advantage, why fans are allowed to vote. Most fans don't understand the concept of how important the All-Star game is now, even if it shouldn't be important to them or the players, now that it is tied to the World Series. The game is supposed to be an exhibition of the best players having the best seasons at their position up to that point in the season. It's supposed to reward players for the excellence over the first half of the season. Instead, it's become nothing more than another popularity contest, much like American Idol (which is why I refuse to watch thae show, or get caught up in the hype surrounding the show). That said, I thought I'd try to make sense of the current vote leaders so far, and come up with my own All-Stars, not to be confused with my pre-season picks!

NATIONAL LEAGUE

1. FIRST BASE - So far, the voters have this one right. Lance Berkman is having an MVP-caliber season thus far, hitting .385 with an astounding .750 slugging percentage to go with his 17 home runs and 47 RBI. You really can make a case for Albert Pujols "quietly" hitting .366 despite having an elbow just short of requiring Tommy John surgery, but not with the season Berkman is having so far.

2. SECOND BASE - Chase Utley leads all Major League hitters with 21 home runs and all National League hitters with 52 RBI. There isn't a second baseman in either league anywhere near his production, and thus he should get the nod here. Voters are right on target here, as the MVP-candidate leads the N.L. in voting with almost 900,000 votes. However, very worthy honorable mentions to Florida's Dan Uggla (.297/16/38/1.008 OPS), and Cincinnati's Brandon Phillips (.287/11/32/.865 OPS).

3. THIRD BASE - Some guys just get better with age. And there's no question Chipper Jones is one of those guys. The N.L. early front-runner for MVP is off to an astonishing start, hitting an MLB-best .407, an OBP near .500, and slugging a robust .637. No one else should matter right now at third base in the N.L. The voters haven't missed a step yet!

4. SHORTSTOP - The N.L. is loaded with premier shortstops throughout the league: defending MVP Jimmy Rollins; Jose Reyes; Rafael Furcal; Miguel Tejada. But Rollins and Furcal are hurt, and Reyes has been inconsistent much of the season. You can make a case for either Tejada or Ramirez, but Ramirez is having a slightly better overall year than Tejada despite Tejada being ahead of him with a .312 average. Plus, Ramirez is one of the big reasons why the Marlins are in first place in the N.L. East.

5. CATCHER - Much like the shortstop position, the catcher position is stacked in the N.L. with several guys deserving of All-Star nods. Brian McCann leads all N.L. backstoppers with 10 home runs to go with his .313 average. Russell Martin, last year's starter, leads all catchers with an astounding .429 on-base percentage to go with his .321 average after a horrid 3-for-29 start. And Bengie Molina leads all N.L. catchers with 63 hits and a .332 average. But because he's getting a lot recognition on the league's best team, Rookie of the Year candidate Geovany Soto should get the nod here. Soto is hitting .296 with a .388 on-base percentage and nine home runs. The voters have chosen Soto so far, but any of the aforementioned catchers are deserving.

6. OUTFIELD - Premier N.L. outfielders are not having the best of seasons so far. Among the vote-leaders, Alfonso Soriano had a recent hot-streak after a stint on the DL and is still trying to make up ground; Kosuke Fukudome has shown flashes of greatness with a solid average and defense, but lacks power; Ken Griffey Jr is hitting .255; 2007 MVP runner-up Matt Holliday is on the disabled list; Carlos Beltran is just now starting to hit. That said, four outfielders (including three 'Ryans') who have flown under the radar this year are having All-Star type seasons and should be recognized for their achievements: Ryan Ludwick (.321/13/42/1.062 OPS), Ryan Braun (.297/15/42/.899 OPS), Ryan Church (.314/10/42/.928 OPS) and Nate McLouth (.312/13/42/1.002 OPS). You can make a case for any three of these four young outfielders to start in the All-Star game.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

1. FIRST BASE - The voters say Kevin Youkilis, but you can make the very same case for Justin Morneau. Both first basemen are having practically identical seasons offensively. The only other first baseman worthy of mention here is Casey Kotchman, who is leading all A.L. first basemen with a .324 average. Youk or Morneau. Take your pick.

2. SECOND BASE - Ian Kinsler leads all A.L. second basemen in every offensive category. But because he plays for Texas and not Boston or New York, the voters haven't taken much notice, and Dustin Pedroia has a commanding lead, with Robinson Cano a distant second. Kinsler should be the starter as of today, with Jose Lopez as a reserve.

3. THIRD BASE - There really isn't a worthy selection here among third basemen who haven't spent any time on the disabled list. So by default, because they're both having better seasons than any other third basemen despite having missed significant time due to injuries, Alex Rodriguez or Mike Lowell are obvious choices. The voters like A-Rod in a landslide.

4. SHORTSTOP - There really is only one obvious choice here, and it's not who you think. Derek Jeter is having an average season (.279/3/26/.747 OPS); nowhere near good enough to warrant 832,000 votes. The nod here should go to Michael Young (.296/5/26/.778 OPS), who is a distant third in the voting behind Jeter, who leads the second place vote-getter, Edgar Renteria, by more than half a million votes. Yikes!

5. CATCHER - Once again, the voters have gone with the popular vote here, which is another Boston or New York player. With Yankee catcher Jorge Posada stuck on the DL, Jason Varitek is getting the majority vote. However, Varitek is hitting .269 despite leading A.L. catchers with just six home runs. The nod here should be Joe Mauer, who leads all A.L. catchers with a .319 average and a .405 on-base percentage despite the fact he has just one home run. There really isn't any one else to mention this year here.

6. DESIGNATED HITTER - Because the game is being playing in an A.L. park (Yankee Stadium), the DH is on the ballot for the A.L. David Ortiz is running away with the votes here in a major landslide, but that all might be for naught. Ortiz struggled early in the season to keep his average above .200, and is now at .252. He leads all DH's with 13 home runs and 43 RBI. But he's headed for the DL after learning yesterday he has a partial ligament tear in his wrist, and will likely be out at least a month. Second on the voting list is Hideki Matsui, having a solid year hitting .328 with a .409 on-base percentage despite having only six home runs and 26 RBI. But Milton Bradley should get some mention here. All Bradley is doing is hitting .317, with nine home runs, 34 RBI, a .425 on-base percentage and is slugging .552. My vote goes to Bradley over Matsui.

7. OUTFIELDER - The outfielders should be three guys, and the voters have two of them right. There's no mistaking what Manny Ramirez does year in and year out, and this season is no different. Leading MVP-candidtate Josh Hamilton is having an insane year, hitting .331 with 16 home runs, an MLB-best 65 RBI, with an OPS just a tad under 1.000. You can make a slight case for Ichiro, third in the voting, and even Magglio Ordonez (.322/9/37/.908 OPS), but the third outfield starter should be Carlos Quentin, who has come out of nowhere after an off-season trade that brought him to Chicago from Arizona. All Quentin has done is hit .293 with 14 home runs and 48 RBI, with a .967 OPS. There's no reason he shouldn't be out of the Top 15 among A.L. outfield voting.

Stormy Friday; Kid Kershaw Koming!

Not the kind of way to start off a weekend series against one of the more surprising teams so far, especially coming off a sweep of Cincinnati. The Dodgers played well last night against St. Louis, and got a much needed good start from D-Lowe (the team's third straight solid start). Unfortunately, the offense could never get going.

Personally, I still think losing Rafael Furcal for these last few weeks has hindered the offense.

Now, I don't live in L.A. anymore but it was quite a surprise to see the weather looking more like it does here in Texas. There was snow in the mountains, twin twisters in Moreno Valley, and a rain delay in a Dodger game. Last night's game went into an hour rain delay with one out in the bottom of the 9th inning with the Blue trailing 2-1. Just then, we had a widespread power outage here in parts of Dallas. Unfortunately, when the power came back on, I got to see the end of the game: Andruw Jones strike out swinging with the tying run at 3rd and winning run at first.

The guy claims he isn't the "make-excuses" kind of guy for anything, especially his current slump. He's been nursing a bum knee (torn cartilage) for who knows how long, and was recently benched in order to get some rest and try to strengthen the knee through exercises. So all he did was get a pinch-hitting call last night and looked no better than he did before.

Andruw? Get the damn surgery, take the six weeks to recover, recuperate, rehab and return, and hope you can give the team half a season's worth.

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Kid Kershaw is coming! The Dodgers have finally brought up Clayton Kershaw, who wowed and dazzled hitters during Spring Training. Kershaw will be making his Major League debut tomorrow afternoon. Kershaw might just be the spark in the rotation the Dodgers need. Penny and Lowe have been fairly inconsistent, and much of the production in the rotation has been coming from Billingsley and Kuroda. They have gotten virtually nothing out of the 5th spot all year, at least when it's been needed. Well, they don't have a day from now until June 9th, so a 5th starter is needed, so Kershaw will get at least three starts from now until then. Billingsley, who was to start tomorrow, will get an extra day off and start Monday in Chicago, and Kuroda will start Tuesday now instead of Monday.

To make room for Kershaw, Loaiza was activated from the DL and then designated for assignment, which means the Dodgers have 10 days to either trade or release him, and Brazoban was optioned back to AAA-Vegas.

Quarterly Power Rankings

While many sites do weekly rankings, I figured it'd be easier to do them quarterly. We've played a little over ¼ of the season so far, so it's time to do the first!

1. Arizona (28-17): Brandon Webb is on pace for 36 wins and TWO Cy Young Awards.

2. Chicago-NL (28-18): Bad news! Kerry Wood hurt again! Seriously! He's really hurt again! Ok, maybe not.

3. Boston (29-19): Any new World Series rings will no longer have trademark phrase "Yankees Suck" on it.

4. Houston (26-21): Lance Berkman is so hot, the hitting coach is coming to him for hitting advice.

5. Tampa Bay (27-19): Rays players are debating whether or not they like this winning "thing".

6. L.A. Angels (27-20): Angels announce stadium food vendors no longer required to use phlegm as a condiment.

7. Florida (25-19): Go figure... Fish trade Miguel Cabrera and D-Train and go from last place to first.

8. St. Louis (27-21): So much for Albert Pujols and his torn elbow ligament; he's hitting .355 with 11 dingers.

9. L.A. Dodgers (24-21): Bargain signing? Andruw Jones earning an average of $2.25 million per home run so far.

10. Chicago-AL (24-20): Ozzie Guillen has vowed to control his temper and to not lash out in Spanglish tirades.

11. Atlanta (24-21): Braves have begun plans to take Turner Field with them on the road.

12. Philadelphia (25-22): Jayson Werth had more RBI in one game last week than Andruw Jones has all season.

13. Oakland (24-23): Rich Harden got his annual trip to the disabled list out of the way early this season.

14. Baltimore (24-20): Orioles players still wondering why they can't play the Yankees 162 times.

15. Minnesota (23-22): The Twins have decided not to trade Johan Santana. Ooops! Wrong season.

16. Cleveland (22-23): C.C. Sabathia's ERA is so bloated that he might have to GIVE BACK his Cy Young Award.

17. N.Y. Mets (22-21): Billy Wagner has offered to become the clubhouse psychologist and liaison for the Latinos.

18. Toronto (23-24): The Blue Jays have asked Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams to help out in the bullpen.

19. Texas (22-25): NWS will halt Tornado Warnings during home games when Ron Washington gets fired.

20. Milwaukee (21-24): Eric Gagne has asked the Brewers to suspend the Sausage Race until he holds onto a save.

21. Kansas City (21-24): Royals fans are still irate over the George Brett pine-tar incident.

22. Pittsburgh (21-24): The Willie Stargell statue outside PNC will remove paperbag over its head when Bucs get to .500.

23. N.Y. Yankees (20-25): Yankees announce plans for a new plaque in Monument Park to honor Johnny Damon's defense.

24. Cincinnati (21-25): Dusty Baker swallowed a box of toothpicks trying to master the "double-switch."

25. Washington (20-27): Local Democrats are pushing for Brain Tumor Day to help boost attendance in new park.

26. Seattle (18-28): First the Sonics threaten to leave town, and now this?

27. Detroit (18-27): Jim Leyland is so disgusted, he's resorted to smoking three packs a day instead of two.

28. San Francisco (18-29): Bruce Bochy is wondering if leaving San Diego for 'Frisco really makes a difference.

29. Colorado (18-28): Rockies are just one game behind last year's World Series team after 46 games.

30. San Diego (17-30): Even GM Kevin Towers thinks this team stinks.

Boston's Lester Toss No-No

Well we've seen several pitchers flirt with no-hitters so far this young season, but Boston's Jon Lester is the first to get it done. Earlier tonight, Lester blanked the Royals 7-0 to become the first Boston lefty to toss a no-no since 1957. Lester becomes the second Red Sox pitcher in as many seasons to throw a no-hitter, following rookie Clay Buchholz's no-hitter last season. And Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek caught his fourth career no-hitter, a Major League record. Varitek, who caught Buchholz's no-hitter last season, as well as Lester's tonight, also caught Derek Lowe's no-hitter, and Hideo Nomo's second no-hitter.

Congratulations to Jon Lester!

That Was Quick

As quickly as they ran off eight straight wins and 10 of 11, they've suddenly looked abysmal and lost while losing four straight in ugly fashion. All of a sudden the pitching has stunk, the offense has shut down, and their defense has looked like a bunch of little leaguers just learning how to play the game. And to make matters worse, their best player so far this year, Rafael Furcal was just placed on the DL with a bad back, retroactive to last Wednesday.

I suppose the ugliest of the games, although it wasn't really all that ugly, was yesterday's loss to the Astros at home. They had already won the first two games of the series in convincing fashion when Hiroki Kuroda took the mound to hopefully rebound from his horrific start during the week against the Mets. All he did was take a no-hitter into the seventh inning with two outs. He gave a hit to Hunter Pence, then a run, and then he was done. But the Dodgers still had the lead 2-1, and stretched it out to 3-1 in the bottom of the inning. Then it all unraveled. Jonathan Broxton couldn't get anyone out to save his life, and the Astros blew the game open with a 6-run eighth inning and eventually won 8-5.

I guess it just goes to show you what can happen when you lose one important guy in the lineup. It becomes contagious. No knock on Juan Pierre, who hasn't played all that bad when he's gotten the chance to play. But Pierre just doesn't seem to have that same effect on an offense like Raffy does, and it shows. The offense just hasn't been the same since Raffy went down, and it could be another week or so before he's back. So for now, because the Dodgers don't dare set forth with a lineup without a "true" leadoff hitter, Pierre plays and leads off, and Ethier probably sits while Torre allows Andruw more time to figure his swing out at the bottom of the lineup.

The Blue head to Milwaukee for three, and with perfect timing, I suppose, because they won't get a chance to further damage former Dodger Eric Gagne's season as the Brewers closer since he was pulled from that role over the weekend. But the Brewers are struggling themselves, so now would be an ideal time to get going again. After three in Brew Town, they head back to the Southland to face the Halos down in Anaheim this weekend as interleague gets underway. They've got to put up a good showing and win two of three against the Angels...

Great Read

This story was forwarded to me by another Dodger fan, which was posted on SI.com via Baseball Prospectus. It basically shows how the current team was constructed and put together, and gives props to everyone involved.

It's Been A While...

Yeah it sure has! I figured I'd give the team a month to get settled in before I really start to rip into the team or Joe Torre for their early failures and boneheaded moves. And for a while it looked like this was going to get ugly pretty quickly. But then the Pirates showed up in L.A., and after a terrible six-game trip to Cincy and Atlanta, the Rockies showed up, and all was well again!

One of the things I noticed over the first part of April was Joe Torre couldn't settle on one set lineup. And while I think this was part of the reason for the early struggles, I kind of got the feeling that because of odd scheduling and traveling during Spring Training, Torre never really got much of a chance to see where everyone fit into the lineup, and he never really got much of a feel for everyone's strengths and weaknesses. I don't know what it was that finally clicked on in his mind, but eventually he settled on a lineup that looks something like this:

SS - Furcal
LF - Ethier/Pierre
RF - Kemp
2B - Kent
1B - Loney
C - Martin
CF - Jones
3B - Dewitt

And with this lineup, the offense, which had been struggling to score runs (the team was already hitting, just not much with runners on), started to click and gel, and the team was off and running. In just a matter of an 8-game winning streak and winning 10 of 12 games, and 11 out of 15, the Dodgers cut Arizona's lead in the division in half from 6 to 3 games. And for a while there it looked like Arizona was going to run away with the division after their red-hot start. I know Arizona is good, and I knew they were going to be good, I just didn't think it would happen so soon and so quickly.

So for now, the Dodger offense is one of the best in the league as far as runs scored and team hitting, as they rank in the Top 5 in both categories. The pitching has also been spectacular, even after three poor outings by the starters in the just concluded Mets series. And the defense has been brilliant for the most part, as well.

My only concern at this point, really, is Andruw Jones' bat. This guy has all the talent in the world, and yet for whatever reason, he can't seem to get out of this funk he's in. Now, having played baseball growing up through high school, and having been taught how to hit, I can already see what Andruw's problems are. One, his back leg keeps flying out every time he swings at a bad pitch away. And two, his hips keep opening up which is keeping him off-balanced. And because one and two are so constant and consistent with him, it has all gone to head and become a mental thing. I know for a fact, from what I've heard and read, that he's been out at the ballpark early everyday and watching video with hitting coach Mike Easler trying to fix the problems. He sees the problem. He acknowledges it. He KNOWS it's a problem. And during his sessions with Easler, and during batting practice, the guy is a monster in the hitters box. But for whatever reason, he can't seem to translate all that into the games. And thus it has all gone to his head. I know this is so cliche, but he just needs to relax, stop thinking about everything, and just go out there and play. I can't see him hitting .170 with 1 home run the rest of the season, and I'm pretty confident he'll snap out of it. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Having said all that, Rafael Furcal is having a career year. Andre Ethier is quietly having a solid season so far. Matt Kemp has quickly become the team's best hitter. Jeff Kent has been as consistent as always. James Loney has made a name for himself as an elite first baseman. Russell Martin is following up his All-Star season with another stellar start. Blake Dewitt, who wasn't even supposed to be in big league camp during Spring Training, let alone the everyday third baseman through the first month of the season, has done a solid job of holding down the fort at the hot corner until Andy Laroche and/or Nomar are ready. And when they are, how do you send Dewitt down? And then there's Juan Pierre. I'm still not much of a fan of his, especially after his boneheaded play after stealing second base the other night, but he has quietly gone out and done his job as a part-time player and hasn't complained about it once. And he's been fairly decent in left field, too. And the pitching has more or less done what it has had to do to keep the team in most of these games to allow the offense to do their thing.

So, as it turns out, it looks like the Dodgers are in this for the long haul, and as a fan, I couldn't be more thrilled with what has transpired through the first 34 games.

Down Goes Pedro; Notes From Opening Day

Ahahaha! Well that was quick! Fifty-seven pitches into the season and Pedro Martinez goes down with a hamstring injury. And to compound the problem, the Mets lost to the Marlins in 10 innings on a walk-off homerun by some unknown kid, Robert Andino. As for Pedro, no clue how serious (or not) his hammy is, but because it is Pedro, anything is possible!

**********
By the way, anyone catch the end of that Braves-Nationals game on Sunday night? Or the Brewers-Cubs yesterday? What a couple of finishes and moments for Opening Day.

In the Braves-Nationals game Sunday night, Washington had a 2-1 lead going into the 9th inning. Their regular closer, Chad Cordero, was out, so Jon Rauch was brought in to close the game. Only problem was he threw a wild pitch with a runner on third to allow the tying run to score. But Rauch was taken off the hook when Ryan Zimmerman came up in the bottom of the inning and hit a walk-off homerun to give D.C. the win 3-2. What made it memorable was the fact it was the first game ever at the Nationals new park, Nationals Park.

Yesterday, the Brewers-Cubs game was scoreless through 8 innings. Cubs manager Lou Piniella brought in closer Kerry Wood to pitch the ninth, who promptly gave up three runs. In the bottom of the inning, Brewers manager countered with his new closer, Eric Gagne. The first two Cubs hitters got on base for the Cubs against Gagne, bringing up Kosuke Fukudome, who took Gagne deep into the right-center field bleachers for a three-run homerun that tied the game. Gagne would eventually get the three outs to send the game into extra innings, where Tony Gwynn, Jr. hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th that would be enough to give the Milwaukee a 4-3 win. Fukudome wound up going 3 for 3 with a walk, including the three-run bomb in the ninth.

Dodgers Win Opener; Tonight's Game

Ahhhhhhh! It was so great to see meaningful baseball again, even if I had to watch it from afar on TV. And what made it even sweeter was not only the 5-0 win, but the fact it came against the Giants. And let me just add that Barry Zito looked horrible and the Giants offense looked even worse! On the flip side, Brad Penny was solid. Rafael Furcal had a great game going 3 for 4 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI. Jeff Kent was 2 for 3 with a homerun and two RBI. And James Loney had two hits. So we move on to tonight's game...

Why on earth is Juan Pierre in the friggin lineup already? I mean seriously, two days after Joe Torre said he was starting Andre Ethier, and already Kemp gets benched for Pierre? And wouldn't you know it, Pierre just hit one of his little pop flies into shallow left field for an out. Didn't we see enough of that crap last season? Please, Joe, keep the stiff on the bench! He already played himself out of a starting job in Spring Training. Anyway, tonight's game is scoreless with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning. Hopefully, Derek Lowe can keep the pathetic Giants offense from doing anything, and give the Dodger offense a chance to get him some run support (something he rarely got last season, especially in his losses).