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?

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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.