Manny gets a warm welcome back...

Manny received a very warm welcome back with a standing 'O' for his first at-bat. Dodger fans seem to care as much as Manny does about his suspension, not at all. I just can't wait until he puts one in the front row. Manny was 1 for 4 with 2Ks and a single. The whole Dodger offense could not seem to produce any runs last night. Wandy Rodriguez pitched a gem getting out of every single jam the Dodgers put him in, including bases loaded with 1 out. 

Trade Rumors: It looks like the Dodgers won't use Kershaw as a center piece to go after Halladay, according to SI.coms Heyman. The Dodgers also seem to be going after Chad Qualls or George Sherrill for some bullpen help. Maybe Bellasario's or Broxtons injury is more serious than originally expected. Either way the Dodgers could use another bullpen pitcher. The bullpen maybe their biggest issue.

Tonight's Game: Oswalt V. Billingsley--Hopefully the Dodgers offense can at least give Chad some offensive help. 

Question of the Day: Who will close with Broxton out?

Check out StubHub... as cheap as a Dollar a ticket...

Astros/Dodgers: Series Preview

The Dodgers are starting the second half against the Houston Astros, the forgotten NL Central contender. The Astros are only 3.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals, tied with the Cubs. Nobody would have the expected the Astros to have the same record average as the Chicago Cubs at halftime. The Astros bat for a high average as a team with .267 average and are only average in the rest of the offensive team stats. Their pitching is only a little above average ranking 6th in ERA. Wandy Rodriguez has been their best pitcher this year with an 8-6 record and a 2.96 ERA. He will start off the series against Randy Wolf, who got his first win after several disappointing no decisions. This is a very important series for the Dodgers to have a good start to the beginning of the first half. 

Check out the pitching match-ups:

Wolf (4-3) V. Rodriguez (8-6)

Billingsley (9-4) V. Oswalt (5-4)

Kershaw (7-5) V. Hampton (5-6)

Kuroda (3-5) V. Ortiz (3-4)

Predictions: Wolf beats Rodriguez, Billingsley beats Oswalt, Kershaw beats Hampton, Ortiz beats Kuroda. Dodgers win 3 of 4. 

Dodgers to watch: Furcal, I have always believed that Furcal would come around after a mediocre second half. He showed a glimmer of hope the last week before the All Star game. I look for him to keep it up the rest of the season. 

Astros to watch: Lance Berkman, holds the most HR, RBIs, and OPS for the Astros. He should be the Astros biggest offensive threat. 

Biggest Series Question: Will Kuroda be able to finally have a quality start after returning from the Disabled List? 

Yo, Joe: Is Matt Kemp going to still bat 8th? Please reconsider...

Manny Watch: Series line: 2 HRs, 6 RBIs, plays 3/4 full games. 

Promotion of the Series: Thursday, July 16 The Dodgers have the second poster night: "The Comeback Kids"

Notes: Jonathan Broxton remains on the 15 day DL. Billingsley gave up 1 ER in one 1 inning and Orlando Hudson went 1 for 2 in the All-Star game. Ronald Bellasario should be returning to the Dodgers at some point in the series. Hopefully, this is only a minor elbow injury. 

Dodgers Vs. Athletics: Series Preview

The Athletics are visiting Dodger Stadium for a 3 game set. The Dodgers should have the advantage in this series considering the A's epidemic offense. Offensively, the A's rank only 14th in the American League in: AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, and SB. This should match up with the Dodgers especially because of Dodgers dominating pitching. However, lately the A's pitching has had a upgrade with prospects like Vin Mazzaro. My prediction: Dodgers 2/3. 

Check out the pitching match-ups:

Braden (3.33) vs. Kershaw (4.50)

Cahill (4.17) vs. Kuroda (2.86)

Mazzaro (1.37) vs. Wolf (3.41)

Players to watch: 

Dodgers: Hiroki Kuroda: Can Kuroda keep up his spectacular pitching after coming back from the DL?

A's: Mazzaro: Can he continue to dominate after coming up from the Minor Leagues?

Game by Game Predictions: Tuesday: Dodgers win, Wednesday: Dodgers win, Thursday: A's win.

Promotion of the Series: Free Parking at Dodger Stadium. ($15 Dollars off)

All-Star watch: Orlando Hudson is still trying to chase Chase Utley for the All-Star voting. Be sure to vote for O-Dog at www.dodgers.com

Game to watch: Thursday: Mazzaro vs. Wolf

Be sure to get some tickets at STUBHUB... you can get to tickets as low as $1.

Dodgers secret weapon...

James Loney seems to have been the forgotten Dodger first baseman. Who has the most RBIs on the Dodgers? James Loney. Who has been arguably the most consistent hitter for the Dodgers? James Loney. Who only has only 2 Errors on the season? James Loney. Sure, Loney doesn't go into a slump only hitting .100 for a week then roles around with 2 walk offs and 5 home runs in a week, but, he brings stability to the Dodger line up. Some would disagree with me... Orlando Hudson deserves all the credit this year so far, and one could make a great argument for that, but Loney has quietly become a rock in the middle of the Dodger order. He always seems to get a hit when runners are in scoring position. 

One of my friends the other day said, "Yes, James Loney is up, guarantee RBI," and I said, "what Loney? No..." But my friend was right. Loney has been an absolute machine when runners are in scoring position. Think about this... Loney only has 2 HRs this year, and 42 RBIs, that would mean he would have drove in 40 other runners. That is a lot of RBIs for such a limited home run hitter. He is hitting .306 with runners in scoring position this year. The best out of any Dodger. 

So, when the game is on the line give me James Loney.

Rangers: Series Review

The Dodgers head to Arlington to face the Texas Rangers. This should be another interesting interleague series. I definitely hope the Dodgers are able to at least get 1/3. Interleague has never been kind to the Dodgers and it looks like this won't be any different. Although the Rangers are 4-6 in their last 10 games their offense has been swinging them to victory. But, that's not all, believe it or not their pitching has been doing well too. The Rangers pitching? Yes! The Dodgers do have the upper-hand in the pitching department but anything could happen at the Ranger's park. Although, being over shadowed by the new Yankee Stadium, their park still can't hold in the balls. I think the Dodgers will only pull 1/3, mainly because of their struggling offense. I don't think the Dodgers will be able to win only scoring 2-4 runs a game. What do you think?

Check out the pitching match-ups:

Kuroda V. Padilla

Wolf V. Feldman 

Billingsley V. Holland

The Dodgers definitely have the better starting pitching. But, will it be enough?

Players to watch: 

Dodgers: Andre Ethier So far in June: .400, 5HR, 8 RBIs

Rangers: Andruw Jones Yeah, I know. 

Quote of the Series: "I don't have a problem with them," Jones said. "I don't have a problem with the team. I wasn't in their plans when I first got there. It's one of those things where you move on, change of pace."-Andruw Jones (Reported by: T.R. Sullivan) 

What the quote should have been: "The Dodgers are coming to town? Are their going to be Dodger fans there? I don't think they like me very much..."

Dodgers best chance to win: Game 1, The Dodgers should do well with Kuroda on the mound who has had two very solid starts since his return. 

Rangers best chance to win: Game 2, Wolf has given up a lot of home runs lately, something you don't want to do against the Rangers. 

Cool promotions? Friday is Firework night...

Prediction: Game 1- Dodgers; Game 2- Rangers; Game 3- Rangers.

Come on Joe...

If I had five questions to ask Joe Torre:

1. Why does one of our best hitters in Matt Kemp continue to bat eighth? 

(Kemp .309/.375/.480 and 33 RBIs)

2. Why does one of our most struggling hitters in Russell Martin continue to bat in the 4th or 5th hole?

(Martin .254/.366/.301) 

3. How long are you going to let Furcal make little-league errors before you tell him to get his head in the game?

(Furcal 7 errors, even more just bone headed plays)

4. Who is going to be Broxton's set-up man Troncoso or Bellasario?

5. What have you done about the Manny Situation?

Eth-money providing Dodgers with needed power...

Andre Ethier may have found his power-swing... even without Manny. I, like a lot of Dodger fans quickly fell off of the Ethier band wagon after his power/average slump. Post-Manny Ethier struggled. He continued to drop his shoulder and did not have the same patience as he did before. But, he finally has gotten his swing back: it seems like he is hitting home runs every game. 

Obviously, Ethier was the hero of the Phillies series which was greatly needed. Without Ethier, their would be a lot of sad Dodger fans and a lot of neigh sayers, we've all seen this: "dodgers are only good because they are playing the NL west teams." 

Dodger fans owe Ethier a lot for keeping the Dodgers on track...

Tomorrow, 5 questions for Joe Torre.

What up Manny?

Dodgers left-fielder Manny Ramirez came by the Dodger clubhouse for the first time since his 50-game suspension for using PEDs, Ken Kurnick reports. This is very good news for Dodger fans. I was getting worried that Manny may have lost all his pull in the clubhouse. I felt like Manny should have made as many appearances as possible. He was such a welcoming addition last year. I think all Dodger fans were hoping that that would continue that into this year. 

Don Mattingly pointed out Manny's approach to baseball was a big reason for the teams new-look offense: patience at the plate as reported by espn.com. Now that Manny was suspended the question was whether he would have the same affect on his teammates. So far, probably not. Sure, he gave his formal apology but there has been little reported about Manny hanging out with teammates or even being seen in the the clubhouse at Dodger Stadium.

Hopefully, this is the first step for Manny to bring himself on the same pedestal he was on at the end of last season. For the teams sake, for Manny's sake, let's hope the Dodgers players continue support number 99.

Sweet... The cooler...

Dodger fans! One of my favorite giveaways is coming to Dodger Stadium Wednesday. Besides the cap giveaway, the cooler has always been one of my favorites. I have to say this years cooler looks a little awkward, but when it's time for fun in the sun, what do you need more than a Dodgers cooler bag, right?

I hope I will see you all at the game. Come out and support your Dodgers. (Tickets can be as cheap as $1 on StubHub)

The 'not so mighty' Padres come to Dodgertown

Another NL West blunder comes to the confines of the Chavez Ravine. Take a look at the starting pitching probables:

Young--4.46 V. Dollar Dollar Bills (Billingsley)--2.59

Gaudin--5.01 V. Kershaw and Public Enemy Number 1--4.26

Hopefully, the Dodgers offense can recover after not leading by more than 1 run all week. The resiliency of this team was proven this weekend. The offense was awful and they were able to still pull away 2 from the Phillies. Which Dodgers are we going to get this series? The spectacular pitching or the knock 'em dead offense. As a fan, we want to see a combination of the two but I think we are going to see a blowout on Tuesday. Mattingly has done a spectacular job on the Dodgers young hitters. One of his main contributions is patience. Patience in hitters is something Young doesn't want to see with mediocre K/BB ratio: 49/34. Which has been Young's problem so far this season. Look to see some great at-bats by the Dodgers and this could be exactly what they need to get their offense swinging again.

Gaudin and Kershaw will be a different story. Gaudin has been consistently bad while Kershaw has been just inconsistent. I think this game might be a close one, especially if the Dodgers' offense continues to struggle. If Kershaw can throw that nasty curve for a strike, there will be a lot of swing and misses by the fathers. Hopefully, the Dodgers can use these two games of bad pitching to get on track... They are going to need the offense for Texas.

Where are you headed? Dodgertown, USA

Saturday was a big day for Dodger fans. The US postal service has officially gave Dodgertown it's very own postal zip code. 

I love this new marketing plan that the McCourt's have put into action. Dodgertown. It has a great ring to it. In 2008, when Jamie McCourt proposed the "Next 50 Years" campaign I was a little skeptical. I wasn't sure I wanted beloved Dodger Stadium wrapped up in buildings of shops and restaurants. In other words I didn't want Chavez Ravine to turn into a "who's who" shopping mall with a stadium in the middle. But, now I think the McCourts are pushing Dodger Stadium in the right direction. A place where fans can meet up before the game: Have a couple of beers, maybe play some pool, or sit down for a meal at a family restaurant. 

Wrigley Field for example, smack dab in the middle of North-side Chicago. It was so awesome to wonder around that park while a game was going on. All the hopping bars. People singing on the streets. It was great atmosphere which I hope the McCourts could emulate in the process as they begin to build Dodgertown. 

I mean, look at the alternatives... Do Dodger fans want a brand new stadium? I don't. Don't change what's not broke. Personally, I think Dodger Stadium is one of the classiest stadiums mostly because of it's standard dimensions. Look at Yankee stadium for example. Balls are flying out of there like airplanes fly out of airports. 

My biggest fear is that it will turn into a shopping mall. But, as long as the McCourts look at this as an opportunity to make Dodger Stadium a better place to be. I am all for it.

Dodger fans interested in wrong Padre

Dodger fans seem to be pushing Ned Colletti to go after Padre's ace Jake Peavy. Peavy definitely still is an ace and his addition to the Dodger rotation would rival the Yankees rotation hands down. But, there are several problems with him. 

First, as of now, the Padre's asking price is entirely to high. During Spring Training the Padres were asking for 2 40-man roster guys (speculation says: Kershaw and Kemp or Loney or Ethier), plus two top pitching prospects. Plus, the Padres will expect the Dodgers to pick up his $11 million dollar contract. In my opinion, no pitcher is worth that package, especially a pitcher as over-rated as Jake Peavy. Peavy seems to always disappear in his big starts. His start in the single-game playoff against Colorado was less than ace-like giving up several hits and 4 runs. Not only that, Jake Peavy has never really had a dominant playoff start. The Dodgers don't need an ace to bring them to the playoffs, they need an ace that will dominate in the playoffs. 

Furthermore, the Dodgers don't need a starter. Our current rotation is doing really well. Surprises by Milton, Stults, and Weaver have really given the rotation a decent amount of stability while Kuroda was out. Now that he is back it looks like the Dodgers have one of the best rotations in the NL, collectively posting a 3.66 ERA.

The Dodgers don't need Jake Peavy, the Dodgers need a legitimate set up man. Troncoso and Belisario have done a great job. But, when the 7th and 8th inning roll around in a close games, I am always wondering which pitcher Torre will pick. The Dodgers should go after Heath Bell. Bell has been spectacular on a less then spectacular team. He posts a 1.27 ERA and a fantastic 26 to 6 strikeout to walk ratio. His asking price would be much less and would be a much better fit for the Dodgers. Not only would the Dodgers have a good rotation they would have a dominant bullpen.

Colletti: little risk, big reward

The Dodger's starting rotation has been a pleasant surprise as we are now 1/3 through the MLB season. Who would of thought that the Dodger's pitchers would post such a dominant 3.66 ERA to start the year? Not only that, they have done it without Opening Day starter Hiroki Kuroda who has recently returned from the DL after he strained his right oblique. Giving credit where credit is due is hard in this instance. The question at the beginning of the year was: who was the fifth starter? Was it going to be Jeff Weaver, Eric Stults, James McDonald, or Eric Milton? 

 

Desperation set in when the Dodgers suffered the loss of Kuroda. Stults immediately claimed the role and came in surprising the Dodgers again and again with quality start after quality start. McDonald, as most rookies are, was plagued with control problems walking 16 out of 18.2 innings. So Torre replaced him the wiry veteran Jeff Weaver. Jeff Weaver turned in 3 decent starts giving the Dodgers a chance to win every time. But Joe Torre either decided that Weaver wasn't going deep enough in the game or the bullpen was in need of another long reliever. 

 

Now Eric Milton gets the call. And his last 2 starts have been great. His last 2 injury ridden years look like they have past him. What made him so impressive was his command in his last two starts. He has only walked 1 in his last two starts and has shown that he can strike hitters out posting 10Ks in his first 14 innings of work. Granted, he only has three starts under his belt. But if this lefty can really show what he is worth against the Phillies, Friday, I would be happy to give credit where credit is due...

 

Ned Colletti brought in all these washed up vets who looked like their careers maybe over. Jeff Weaver couldn't stop throwing strikes right down the middle of the plate. Eric Milton had so many injury problems the last 2 years his hospital bill paid for the new Sports Injury Wing. Ned Colletti, however, signed these guys to minor league deals and the minor risk turned into a big reward. Theo Epstein has gotten so much credit for bringing in John Smoltz and Brad Penny. Where's Ned's credit? It's time for Dodger fans to give credit where credit is due.