Dodgers getting healthier, but still need more fire

Let's start with the good news.  Hyun-Jin Ryu is scheduled to come off the 15-day DL and make the start on Sunday in San Diego.  He's been missed, as the Dodgers have had to rely on Kevin Correia to make his starts, with mostly bad results.  Plus, Ryu is a really good option in the #3 rotation spot.

The other good news is that Juan Uribe isn't far behind, and should be good to go within the next couple of days (same link as above).  He has one of the best gloves at third base in all of baseball, and is having a good year at the plate towards the bottom of the order by hitting .293 with six homers, 18 doubles, and 35 RBIs.

Oh, and September call-ups means we should see the debut of Joc Pederson, who should instantly add some punch to a punchless lineup... if the Dodgers actually play him.

OK, so that's the good news.  Here's the bad news: the Padres walked-off on the Dodgers for the second straight night in extra innings on Saturday 2-1.  Once again, the Dodgers wasted a great performance by their starter, this time by Zack Greinke, and the rest of the team looked as lifeless and boring as can be.  Hence, even against a pretty bad team like the Padres, it was another loss.  And of more concern, now only a 2 1/2 game lead over the Giants in the NL West.

It's important not to get too high or too low during a 162 game season.  That's the message Don Mattingly has been trying to deliver to Yasiel Puig, but considering he struck out another three times, it doesn't look like it's registering much.  But with that in mind, there's no other way to put it than to come out and say these last two nights have been bad, bad loses.

Look, let's take nothing away from the Padres.  Their pitching is much better than people realize, and they looked much hungrier for the win.  The Dodgers, on the other hand, almost appear to just go through the motions way too much, and hope one of their former All-Stars turns it on for a win.

Well, Friday night Hanley Ramirez drove in both runs, and one night later it was ex-Padre Adrian Gonzalez launching a solo shot.  And that was it.  Nobody else did a damn thing.  Dee Gordon has gone 0-for-11.  Puig has struck out four times.  Matt Kemp has five strikeouts.  Hanley went 0-for-5 following up his good Friday performance.

So many swings and so many misses has led to 25 punchouts the last two nights.  Yikes.

It's obvious the Dodgers need some serious adjustments at the plate.  I don't know if they're trying to do that, or are just too stubborn to realize they can't hit a home run on every swing.  I know the Padres have good pitching, but there's still no excuse for that many K's in only a two-game span.  When they actually put runners on, they're not moving them over, and they're not doing the little things to get them in.  Instead, it's one giant hack and one giant miss after another.  So frustrating.

Sunday is a big day for the Dodgers.  It would be really bad to get swept by a team six games under .500.  Couple that with the Giants playing so well of late, and the lead in the NL West could shrink even more by the time Labor Day rolls around.

Yes, Labor Day will also signal some new blood, whether that be from the DL or from the minors.  But to the guys already on the team, it's time to start playing with more fire, more sense of urgency, and quite frankly, more intelligence.  If not, they'll be the ones looking up to the Giants in no time.

Slumping Puig and Gordon showing their youth

The Dodgers lost to the Padres on Friday night in 12 innings, 3-2.  They managed to get two hits, but only Hanley Ramirez could deliver RBIs with a double and solo homer.  Yasmani Grandal had the walk-off RBI single with two outs, and that cut the Dodgers' lead in the NL West to 3 1/2 games.

There was a lot to take away from the game, especially the four-man right side of the infield the Dodgers unleashed on Seth Smith in the 12th.  But what I took away is just how much Dee Gordon and Yasiel Puig are struggling.

They're young, they're slumping, and it's showing.

Yesterday I wrote about five key questions the Dodgers face down the stretch, and two of those questions were about Puig's power and Gordon wearing down.  Well, those concerns were exemplified even more on Friday, in which both players had rough games.

Let's start with Gordon, who did not have a night he'd like to remember by any means.  He started the game hitting .293, but 0-for-6 in the leadoff spot dropped it to .289.  He's now down to .272 in August, which isn't terrible, but of much more concern is his .286 OBP this month.  His next lowest OBP of any month was .311 in May, and that was with a much worse average of .244.  The bottom line is that he's stopped taking walks, has too many swings and misses, and doesn't look energized.

That's the offensive side of the game, and on Friday, his defense was a glaring weakness as well.  He had two bad throws that really cost the Dodgers in the end.  In the second, his wild throw to Hanley Ramirez at second ruined a potential double play, as they couldn't even get one out and soon led to a run.  In the 12th, his low throw to A.J. Ellis at home only resulted in one out, instead of an inning ending DP.  Sure enough, Grandal walked-off right after.

As I pointed out yesterday, it's obvious that his lack of experience in playing so many games is catching up to him.  Friday was game #128 for him, and his next previous high was 87 back in 2012.  It's only natural to be somewhat worn down.  I just worry that he won't be able to regain his mojo going into October.

Speaking of being tired and slumping, there's Puig.  Don Mattingly admitted that the reason he didn't start Friday night's game was because of frustration, and that he's letting his emotions affect his play.  Donnie hit the nail on the head right there.  There's no doubt a combination of the long season and things not going his way has really plagued him.

Like Gordon, the jump of playing a part of the season to being a full-timer this year seems to be taking a toll.  Last year he appeared in 104 games, and with about a month left in the season, it's up to 123.  And considering how he puts his whole body on the line in every game (or heck, even in every swing), it's no surprise that he's in a big rut.

Probably more concerning for Puig as compared to Gordon is that Puig's numbers have taken an even bigger nosedive.  He came into August hitting .319, but that's gone down to .301.  A 19-for-87 month equates to .218.  He pinch-hit for Dan Haren in Friday's game, but again struck out, leaving him hitless in his last six games, going 0-for-17.

Let's not forget that Puig was also pretty ragged in September last season, but the Dodgers still went to the NLCS.  He seemed like he was ready to be one of baseball's top stars based on how the start of the this season went, as his bat was explosive and he dramatically cut down on his silly mistakes.

Well, that's changed, as he can't get a hit now, makes no adjustments at the plate to correct this, and let's not forget his boneheaded baserunning mistake where he was thrown out at home against the Mets last Sunday, handing them a triple play.  That summed up his frustrations right there.

With the Giants not going anywhere, you know the Dodgers have plenty of work to do to claim the NL West.  Nothing will be handed to them, meaning Donnie probably won't have the luxury of resting his guys much down the stretch like last season.  And from the looks of things, rest is exactly what these two young All-Stars need.

Maybe both guys have already hit their low points, and they'll be ready to play much better baseball in September.  The Dodgers certainly need them to.  Because if not, there's two glaring holes at the top of the order.  We'll see what September has in store for them.

5 questions the Dodgers face down the stretch

Here we are at the end of August, and there's a month left of regular season baseball on the schedule.  The Dodgers find themselves up 4 1/2 games over the Giants in the NL West, and it's a race that doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

With that said, here are five key questions the Dodgers face for the September pennant run.

1) Will Clayton Kershaw win the MVP award?
There's certainly little reason to doubt that he not only can, but he will.  After another masterful performance on Wednesday in Arizona, a place where he was pounded in May, his numbers look like this: 16-3, 1.73 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 6 CG, 2 SHO, 194 K's in 161 1/3 IP.  I'm not sure how he keeps topping himself, but he does.

We all know how rare it is for pitchers to win the MVP, as they only appear in around 20% of the games, and that's with really good health.  Kershaw was hurt for over a month at the start of the season, so his percentage will be lower.  But in addition to his awesome numbers, what he also has going for him is that there aren't many other strong candidates.  Troy Tulowitzki was, but he's done for the season already.  Andrew McCutchen has good numbers again, but he's been banged up a bit and the Pirates aren't as good as last year.  Guys like Anthony Rizzo and Justin Upton aren't getting the buzz.

The only guy who is in strong contention with Kershaw is Giancarlo Stanton.  He leads the NL in homers, RBIs, OPS, SLG, and BB.  The Marlins aren't that good, but are still hovering around that final Wild Card spot.

In my mind, if Kershaw continues to do his thing, and the Dodgers claim the top spot in the NL, then the award is his.  If he slips up at all, and the Dodgers do as well, then I'd lean towards Stanton getting it.

2) Will Yasiel Puig regain his power?
Puig was the starting right fielder in the All-Star Game, has been moved to the important position of center field, and is still one of the most exciting players in baseball.  What he doesn't have going for him right now, however, is power. 

He's currently leading the Dodgers in batting average (.301) and OBP (.388), and is eighth and fifth in the NL in those stats, respectively.  He also has greatly improved his plate discipline, with higher walk totals this year.  Unfortunately, since the end of May, he only has two home runs.  Two.  That's it.

While his game shouldn't be measured just on homers, it's still a shockingly low number for such a strong guy.  He certainly swings for the fences quite often, but is settling for choppers or simple fly balls.  He's pressing to make things happen, and it just isn't.

Even though he hits in the #2 spot, if he can start driving in more runs, and hitting more out of the park, then the Dodgers are so much better.  It would be no different than what Mike Trout brings to the Angels, as he has 30 homers and 92 RBIs in that spot (with the other 2 RBIs in the #3 spot).  Puig isn't as good a hitter, but is such a big talent that he can definitely make more happen.

3) Will the setup role ever be settled?
Ugh... the eighth inning for the Dodgers.  Whether it's Brian Wilson, Brandon League, or anyone else who has been given a shot, the results have not been pretty.  It's been an adventure, to say the least.

Ned Colletti was unable to secure a top reliever before the trade deadline, and in the waiver period he went for starters in Roberto Hernandez and Kevin Correia.  Who knows how close the Dodgers were to getting a reliever, but the bottom line is that they are stuck with who they have at this point.

One thing I know for sure, and that's Wilson and League are NOT the answers, and should NOT be given more chances to pitch in the eighth.  Wilson's ERA is 5.05, and League continually chokes in big situations.  Guys like Jamey Wright and Chris Perez haven't been able to do anything either.

About the only guy who has been solid is J.P. Howell, but even he has his bouts of wildness.  He still has a 1.97 ERA, and lefties are hitting .133 against him, so that's someone you want to pitch in the setup role.  Right now, that's it.  Maybe someone like Pedro Baez steps in and fills the role.  Hey, why not?  The Dodgers have limited options, so this is an area I can definitely see haunting them in October.

4) Will Dee Gordon run out of juice?
Gordon has had a great year, as he more than earned his All-Star berth at second base, and is leading baseball with 58 steals.  He's been a huge boost to the Dodgers in the leadoff spot, a role that was questionable coming into the season.

He also has slowed down in August, and is clearly showing some wear and tear of playing the long baseball season.

In a way, this should be expected.  Right now he's played in 127 games.  Want to know what his career high was before this season?  It was 87 in 2012.  Wow, that's a big jump.  He made headlines coming into this season for "bulking up" in his words, and it most certainly paid off.  But, August has seen his average dip, his strikeouts go up, and his OBP go down.  Not a good formula for a leadoff hitter.

Don Mattingly has been giving him days off here and there, which is a good move.  The best thing that can happen for Gordon is that the Dodgers run away with the division, and he can afford to take more rest towards the end of September.  That way he'll be as fresh as he can be going into the playoffs.  If he's forced to play too much and his numbers continue to tumble, he might not be able to do much in October.  And that hurts the Dodgers a lot.

5) Which Hanley Ramirez shows up?
Hanley can go one of two ways.  There's the MVP talent who drives the ball and leads the Dodgers in the heart of the lineup.  Or there's the broken down guy who grounds out, strikes out, and continues to be awful defensively at short.  What's is gonna be?

That's a major question for the Dodgers.  It's also a major dilemma for Mattingly.  If Hanley can't hit, there's little reason to play him, other than being a threat based on past success.  Clearly guys like Miguel Rojas and Erisbel Arruebarrena are better options at short, and considering the Dodgers want to win with pitching, it makes more sense to play them despite their offensive shortcomings.

I wrote about Hanley and his big September ahead earlier this week.  Basically, if he can be that guy in the #3 spot (or around that) to get big hits, the Dodgers will be hard to stop in the postseason.  Plus, he'll earn a big payday next season, whether it's with the Dodgers or some other team.  If he looks old and broken down, it's hard to imagine him getting the money he thinks he deserves.  He'll look more like yesterday's news.

As you can see, despite the Dodgers being almost 20 games over .500, there are still questions that remain that could hold them back from their ultimate goal of being world champions.  September will be a fun month to watch, so let's see what unfolds.

September is a big month for Hanley

Hanley Ramirez was activated off the 15-day DL on Sunday and started at shortstop against the Mets.  The Dodgers were trying to close out their homestand on a positive note by getting the sweep, one week after the Brewers swept them.

Well, things didn't go so well, as Kevin Correia was bombed, the defense committed another error, and the bats went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

As for Hanley, he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts hitting in the #5 spot.  The error was also partly his fault, as a low throw to Adrian Gonzalez got away.

Not exactly the type of impact the Dodgers were hoping Hanley would make.

That is why I'm looking at the home stretch of September (and hopefully beyond) as being huge for him.  Right now he's appeared in 101 of the 132 games the Dodgers have played, once again showing how injuries have kept him off the field, just like last year.

Unlike last year, when he has played, it hasn't been at an MVP level.  He's hitting .274 with a .363 OBP, 12 homers, 58 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases.  Those numbers certainly aren't bad, but the combination of Hanley and Puig last year really propelled the Dodgers into the postseason.  That version of Hanley hasn't showed up this year.

Keep in mind that this is Hanley's contract year, meaning he's free to test the free agency market after this season.  There's no doubt in my mind he would want to stay in LA, where he can play with a contending team and make a boatload of money.  But, as has been brought up many times already this year, how badly do the Dodgers even want him back?  Enough to break the bank to keep him?  I'm not so sure.

The scouting report on him probably looks something like this: injury prone, good hitter but not as impactful when he's banged up, and one of the worst defense shortstops in baseball.  The Dodgers are willing to overlook those defensive shortcomings when he's hitting.  But when he's not hitting?  It's a tricky situation.

If Hanley can step up in this last month plus, be the run producer in the middle of the order the Dodgers need, and at least hold his own at short, then the team as a whole is so much of a bigger threat.  He's shown in the past he can do it, so maybe he's about to breakout at any moment.

If he continues to just kind of tread water, then this could be the last season we see him in Dodger blue.

Greinke passes the elbow test

I'm sure there were plenty of nervous people in Dodger Stadium last night, as Zack Greinke and his admittedly "tender elbow" took the mound on seven days' rest.  Any time your $147 million star pitcher says his elbow is sore, there's plenty of reason for concern.

How did he do?  Seven innings and 105 pitches.  And a win for the Dodgers.  I'd say he handled things well.

The Mets did tag Greinke for a couple of homers, but a big five-RBI night by Adrian Gonzalez helped lead the Dodgers to a 7-4 comeback win over the Mets.  After starting out the homestand by dropping three straight to the Brewers, the Dodgers have taken the next four of five from the Padres and Mets.

In other words, they've won the winnable games.  And they now find themselves up 4 1/2 over the Giants in the NL West.

Of the four runs Greinke surrendered, only three were earned, as an error by Miguel Rojas at third on a should-have-been inning ending double play led to a Juan Lagaras three-run jack.  The other blemish was a solo homer by Lucas Duda in the sixth.

Other than that, I really like the way Greinke battled.  I'm sure part of him realized just how much the Dodgers need him right now, as both Hyun-Jin Ryu and Josh Beckett are on the DL.  He said he was ready to go, and proved it by pitching deep into the game and tossing over 100 pitches.

I thought coming into this game that the Dodgers would be fortunate to get five innings out of him, and there was no way I saw him throwing 100+ pitches.  I was waiting to see someone like Carlos Frias get ready to pitch multiple innings in relief.  I guess that's the pessimistic side of me, because while I read how Greinke said he was good to go, I wasn't so sure.

But, that's a testament to the competitor that Greinke is.  He took the ball, battled like crazy, and came away a winner.  Let's just hope this elbow thing isn't an issue going forward.  Or more specifically, doesn't get any worse, and he can continue to provide good starts.

Other thoughts from the game:

* While it was great to see Greinke pitch well, A-Gon ended up stealing the show.  He hit an RBI single in the fourth, a three-run tater to take the lead for good in the fifth, and chipped in another RBI with a sac-fly in the seventh.  Despite hitting only .185 against lefties, he's second in the NL in RBIs with 88.  And for fun, he even threw in a sick grab at first while sprawled out to finish off a double play.  What a game he had.

* Yasiel Puig took the night off, and it was a good idea.  He's been getting on top of so many balls at the plate lately, leading to a lot of choppers in the infield.  Maybe some rest will get him back to driving the ball.

* Kenley Jansen picked up another save, his 37th, thanks in large part to a great cutter.  When that thing is moving, it's so hard to even make contact with.  Striking out David Wright to end the game was sweet.

* Speaking of Wright, what happened to him?  He looks completely lost, going 0-for-5 with two strikeouts.  I have to wonder if his best years are already in the past, which would be a shame considering the Mets never put enough talent around him when he was really good.  Seems like a waste.

* The one negative, and it's a BIG negative at that, was Don Mattingly once again inserting Brian Wilson in the eighth.  So, so stupid.  After J.P. Howell got Duda for the first out, Wilson was lucky to get the next out on a hard hit ball to Rojas, then gave up two straight hits.  Wilmer Flores grounded out to end the threat.  It just makes no sense whatsoever to keep putting him in the setup role.  None!  Stop putting him in there for crying out loud!  Geez.

OK, rant aside, the Dodgers have a chance to get the sweep today.  With Ryu will out, Kevin Correia will get the ball again.

Dodgers take full advantage of bumbling Mets

Being a Mets fan has got to be tough.

I live in New York, and while it's mostly Yankees and Red Sox dominating the talk, there are still those who show some Mets love.  And after watching how pathetic their defense looked on Friday night, I can't help but feel sorry for them.

Kind of like how people feel sorry for me being a Raiders fan.  But I digress.

The Mets committed three errors, and pretty much handed the Dodgers chance after chance.  A three-run seventh, with thanks to a huge throwing error by Wilmer Flores, broke the game open, as the Dodgers rolled 6-2.  The Giants rolled as well, ending the Nationals 10-game winning streak, so the lead in the NL West remains 3 1/2.

In case any of you wondered why Don Mattingly was so incensed at his defense earlier in the season, this game should show why it's so important.  With the Mets in town, it was a reminder about the last time the Dodgers were in New York, and that was when Matt Kemp put on such an awful display in center, he was booted out of there.

In this game, poor little Flores made one too many errors.  The first one came in the fifth on a Yasiel Puig grounder, which was booted by Flores, then he flat out fell on his face.  The loaded the bases, so naturally that meant Adrian Gonzalez easily grounded to first to end the inning.

The next error was costly, as Gonzalez grounded one to Flores with two on and two out in the seventh.  Considering Gonzalez is about the slowest human alive, that should've ended the inning and kept it a 2-1 game.  But, the throw was way too low, a run scored, and Kemp's two-run double then made it 5-1.  Game over.

The Mets are sixth in the National League with a .985 fielding %, so it's not like they do this a lot.  It just shows how little a margin of error they have.  The Dodgers are ninth at .984, but that's an improvement over earlier in the season.  Making some adjustments in the outfield has helped with Puig in center and Kemp in right.  Plus, Hanley Ramirez being hurt has given more playing time to Miguel Rojas and Errisbel Arruebarrena, who have slick gloves.

The bottom line is that a Major League team should be able to take care of the little things, something the Mets obviously didn't do on Friday.  And for that, Mets fans, I sympathize with you.  That's gotta be rough!

Other thoughts from the game:

* If you thought Dan Haren would last seven innings and pitch great after surrendering a leadoff homer to Curtis Granderson, then I probably would call you a liar.  But he did, as he gave up only two more hits the rest of the way, striking out six, and not walking anyone.  His pitches had great movement on them, and he just looked to be in total control.  Good for him.

* The eighth inning again was not an easy ride, though the Dodgers did escape unharmed.  Brandon League got a couple of outs and gave up one hit.  J.P. Howell has great numbers on the season, but lately has been way too wild.  He walked one, gave up a passed ball, then struck out Granderson looking on a very favorable call.  I guess you could call him "wildly effective."  We'll go with that.

* Good to see Dee Gordon get three hits in the leadoff spot, as he struggled lately.  Also, Justin Turner continued his solid play at third with two hits, including a double, and a stolen base.

* I love watching Arruebarrena throw.  So smooth and in control.  It seriously looks effortless.  If that guy can learn to at least hold his own at the plate, he'll be playing a long time.

* Give A.J. Ellis credit for how he played late in the game.  He took a pitch from Howell right off of his right thigh in the seventh, which obviously hurt.  He then stepped right up the next inning and stroked an RBI double.  He hasn't done much this year, but no one can say he isn't tough.

Saturday will be a big day for the Dodgers.  Zack Greinke will take the mound, as he admittedly has a creaky elbow.  I'll give the Dodgers the benefit of the doubt that they would never start him if they thought it was serious.  I'd look for someone like Carlos Frias to be ready to go in long relief if Greinke can't give them much.  This will be interesting to watch.

Turner provides just enough pop for Kershaw

It sure looked like another lifeless night in Dodger Stadium on Thursday.  Tyson Ross was mowing the Dodgers down left and right, and Clayton Kershaw was down 1-0 despite not giving up a hit until the sixth (to Ross, of all people).

So what finally made the crowd come to their feet and wake everyone up?  Why of course... a two-run homer by Justin Turner!

Yes, that really did happen, as Turner's two-run shot in the eighth put the Dodgers ahead for good, as they went on to beat the Padres 2-1.  It sure didn't seem like it, but the Dodgers actually won two of three in this series, and are 3 1/2 games in front of the Giants in the NL West.

Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com wrote a great article about how Turner's blast not only gave the Dodgers a needed jolt, but kept Kershaw's MVP hopes alive.  It's true, because any loss Kershaw takes from here on out, no matter how good he is, will only hurt his chances of claiming the NL's top prize.

Right now, Kershaw is 15-3 with a 1.82 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 184 K's in 153 1/3 innings.  He's now leading the NL in wins, ERA, WHIP, winning %, and complete games.  He's third in strikeouts, despite missing all of April with a strained back muscle.  Stephen Strasburg leads with 198 K's, and he's made six more starts than Kershaw. 

So yes, Kershaw has been awesome.

What Turner's game-winning homer did was put the spotlight back on Kershaw and his dominant run.  Say the Dodgers took another loss because their offense didn't come through, just like his last start against the Brewers, then the focus would be on the pitiful offense.  It's not like the bats did a whole lot better in this game, but they came through just when it was needed.

And with a little over a month left in the season, the Dodgers will gladly take wins by any means.

Other thoughts from the game:

* I actually feel badly for Padres fans.  If they had any clue how to finish games, they would've gotten a sweep.  Instead, despite grabbing the lead in all three games, they drop two of three.  That lineup is just brutal, and I'm not sure if there's any help on the way.  They just have to hope different guys like Ross step up and deliver.

* Kenley Jansen's 36th save gets him up to fourth in the NL, only two behind leader Francisco Rodriguez.  Who would've though that guy would flashback to his K Rod days?  Good for him.  Jansen is tops in strikeouts by one over Craig Kimbrel (83 to 82) among closers with at least 10 saves.  Pretty impressive.

* Take away Turner's homer, and the last two games have been pretty ugly at the plate.  On Wednesday they had one run on six hits, and last night it was two runs on four hits.  Add it up, and that's three runs on 10 hits in two games, which really sucks.  They just look like a tired bunch.

* Some good news is that all signs are pointing to Hanley Ramirez being activated from the DL on Sunday.  He's not the same hitter as last year, but still an instant threat that this offense desperately needs.  Considering his replacement Miguel Rojas is hitting .203, it's safe to say it's an offensive upgrade.  I mean, duh.

* Dee Gordon continues to struggle, as he's only hitting .243 this month.  He's swinging and missing too many times, and when he did get a single last night, he was instantly erased trying to swipe second.  I wasn't surprised to see him press the issue, as I'm sure he's trying to make things happen a little too much.  The Dodgers really need him to get back on track in September and beyond.

The Mets are next into town for three.  They are once again going nowhere, but are 5-4 on the road this month, if you're a Mets fan and looking for a silver lining.  Dan Haren gets the call in the first game.

Wednesday sums up the state of the Dodgers right now

And what exactly is the state of the Dodgers?  Not so good.

With news early in the day that Zack Greinke's elbow is not 100%, but he'll make a start on Saturday anyway, to the lifeless performance against the Padres at night, it was not a day to remember.  The early 3-0 hole was not overcome this time, as the Padres rolled to an easy win 4-1.

Let's start with Greinke, who provided either good news or bad news, depending on your view.  In case you missed it, he will avoid a trip to the DL, which on this team is obviously some good news.  The flip side is that he admitted to pitching with elbow discomfort for about a month, and in his own words, "can't guarantee I'll be good from here on out."  Not exactly the most comforting words from an ace.

I wrote about this yesterday, so I'll reiterate how much the words "elbow issues" and "pitcher" make me concerned.  Greinke was brought in to pair with Clayton Kershaw as the league's best Game 1 and 2 starters in any playoff series.  But the playoffs are well over a month away, and even though the Dodgers are in first place now, there's no guarantee that they'll even be in the postseason if they keep playing like they have been lately.

Maybe Greinke will go out on Saturday, throw a gem, then report that his elbow feels great and he's ready to roll with it.  Or he'll get hit around and provide even more concern.  I guess we'll all just have to wait until Saturday against the Mets to see.

As for the game on Wednesday, there wasn't a whole lot to feel good about.  For the second straight night, the Padres got up 3-0 in the early going.  It was a combination of three soft singles, two walks, and a horrible bobble by Scott Van Slyke in left.  Oh ya, and Eric Stults had an RBI single with the bases loaded.  It was bad.

How did the Dodgers do at the plate?  Well, they had six hits and one run against a guy who came into the game at 5-13 with a 4.64 ERA.  So that should sum up how sorry the Dodgers looked.  Only Adrian Gonzalez had an extra base hit with a double, and Van Slyke was the only guy with two hits.  Basically, it was a whole lot of nothing going on.  With runners in scoring position, they were 0-for-5, including another blown opportunity with the bases loaded.

And by the way, the defense committed three errors.  It looked like a flashback to April.  Ugh.

A lot has been made about the Dodgers "easy" schedule down the stretch, at least in terms of winning percentage compared to other contenders.  So far, the Padres aren't rolling over, and the Mets come in next, and they took it to Jeff Samardzija and the A's yesterday.  In other words, I don't care what the records say, these teams are not going to roll over and play dead.

At least the Dodgers can turn to Clayton Kershaw tonight.  Then again, his last start he went the distance, gave up three runs... and still lost to the Brewers 3-2.  And with Tyson Ross on the mound for the Padres, who's one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball, winning will be tough once again.  Let's see how the Dodgers respond.

More injury issues as Greinke has a "tender elbow"

The Dodgers stopped their slide on Tuesday night, fighting back from an early 3-0 hole to beat the Padres 8-6.  Carl Crawford came alive by going 3-for-3 with a two-run homer, Justin Turner added two doubles, and a great defensive play at third ended the game.

That's the good news.

The bad news?  Zack Greinke will most likely miss his next start on Thursday due to what is being called a "tender elbow."  The club doesn't seem too concerned with it right now, as he has been able to throw off flat ground at least.

Still, any time a pitcher is dealing with any sort of elbow problems, it has the potential to be a huge worry.  Especially when that pitcher is a former Cy Young Award winner and current All-Star.

There's no doubt that Greinke has not been his normal self over his last three starts.  He certainly hasn't been pounded, but did walk five Brewers his last start, surrender four runs on eight hits to the Brewers the start before, and three earned run in seven innings against the Angels the start before.  They've all been Dodger loses, though that's certainly not all his fault.

Right now the Dodgers' depth is seriously being put to the test, as Hyun-Jin Ryu, Juan Uribe, and Hanley Ramirez are all sitting on the DL, to name a few.  Their numbers are very hard to replace, obviously.  So if Greinke gets added to that list, or is forced to miss a start or two, it will be even harder to win.  There's no other way about it.

It's a good thing Ned Colletti added a couple of arms in Roberto Hernandez and Kevin Correia recently.  Yes, I know they're not the greatest pitchers on Earth, but they are veteran starters who can take the ball at any time.  And that time is now.

Let's all hope Greinke is just fine, and some extra rest will do the trick as the Dodgers try to regain some momentum.  If he is hurt worse than we think... then that's a huge blow for this team.

Dodgers hit a lull, so what's the problem?

For anyone who thought the Dodgers might be able to run away with not only the NL West, but the National League as a whole, think again.

The Brewers came into Dodger Stadium and showed why they're a legit contender with a three-game sweep, finishing off the Dodgers with a 7-2 shellacking on Sunday.  Couple that with last weekend, and the Brew Crew have to feel good about taking five of six from LA.  And that's with both Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke starting four of the six games.

After getting the lead in the NL West up to over six games, the lead over the Giants has dropped to 3 1/2.  Washington and Milwaukee are now ahead of the Dodgers in the race for #1 seed in the NL.

Simply put, like the headline says, the Dodgers are in a lull, dropping three straight and four of five.  So what's the deal?  Here's the deal:

* In those four loses, the offense has scored nine runs, averaging 2.3 per.  Even with great starting pitching, it's hard to win many games like that.

* Hyun-Jin Ryu was placed on the DL with a sore glute muscle.  Kevin Correia will fill in, and while he had a great opening act, isn't the caliber of Ryu over the long haul.

* Juan Uribe was placed on the DL with a strained hamstring.  Justin Turner will see action at third, but his glove has been shaky to say the least of late.

* Greinke hasn't been as sharp in August.  In three starts, he's 0-2 with a 3.50 ERA.  He walked five in only five innings his last start, running his pitch count way up to 99.

* The bullpen completely imploded on Friday night, as Jamey Wright and Brandon League combined to give up five runs in the eighth.  The eighth inning, as I recently wrote about, has been a huge disappointment.

* Even Kershaw was off his normal dominant self, giving up a couple of home runs in losing on Saturday.  Of course, he still went the distance and only surrendered three runs, but his offense gave him nothing.

* Dee Gordon still has his big games, but has seen his numbers dip a bit after the break, and one has to wonder if he's slowing down a bit just from the grind of the long season.

* Matt Kemp was red hot in July, but in August he's back down to hitting .219.  He's actually hit safely in 12 of 17 games, but most of those are 1-for-4 or 1-for-5.

* The defense is much-improved since the start of the season, but is still middle of the pack in fielding %.  Losing Uribe at third does nothing to help, either.

* All the good vibes Dan Haren had coming into Sunday may have come to screeching halt, as the Brewers smacked him around.

Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com wrote a good article about how this is not a time to panic, and to instead "keep the faith."  It makes a lot of sense, as every team is bound to go through peaks and valleys over the course of a 162-game season.

But, for the many reasons listed above, it's also realistic that the Dodgers need to figure things out in order to keep that first place standing in the NL West.  When one of their key starting pitchers and starting third baseman get hurt, then they get swept at home, there's reasons to be a little nervous.

There is some good news, as Hanley Ramirez looks like he'll be ready to go when he comes off the DL next Sunday.  As a bonus, it looks like he might play some third, something he did in his Marlins' days when they acquired Jose Reyes.  That will get his bat back in the lineup, and keep the better fielding Miguel Rojas at short.

That's still a week away, and in the meantime the Dodgers will welcome the Padres and Mets into town starting Tuesday.  Even though they both stink, with the way the Dodgers play at home, they can't afford to overlook anyone.  If they do, they might find themselves in second in no time.

We'll see what the Dodgers' depth can do, as they will go deep into their 25-man roster to stay afloat.  It would be great if guys like Kemp, Gordon, and Adrian Gonzalez have a big week, and the Dodgers can get rolling again.  They are the stars, so now they need to step up and play like it.

Oh ya, and not blowing more leads in the eighth inning would help too.

8th inning could be the Dodgers downfall

Remember last season when Brian Wilson was signed, and the Dodgers had the ultimate 1-2 punch with Kenley Jansen down the stretch and in the postseason?

Well, it sure was fun while it lasted.

The combination of Jamey Wright and Brandon League were the latest to not get the job done in the setup role, as they turned a 2-0 lead into a 5-2 deficit, and the Dodgers dropped one to the Brewers 6-3.  At least the Phillies had a comeback of their own in beating the Giants, so the lead in the NL West remains 5 1/2.

To say the eighth inning was ugly would be an understatement.  Here's the final tally: nine batters, four hits, five runs, one walk, one strikeout.  Most of that damage was done against Wright, who gave up four of those hits and one intentional walk.  Even his one out was a hard lineout by Jonathan Lucroy leading off.  Every ball hit against him was hard.

League was put in a tough situation of the bases loaded and one out, but he did get Rickie Weeks swinging for two down.  But, as has been the case over his three-year deal worth $22.5 million, he couldn't get a second big out, as Lyle Overbay's double cleared the bases and any hope of the Dodgers winning.  It was pathetic.

There's no doubt in my mind that the biggest issue the Dodgers face right now is bridging the gap to Jansen.  There certainly isn't a Wilson circa 2013 Don Mattingly can turn to.  Wilson, by the way, had an 0.66 ERA in 18 appearances last season.  Little did we realize just how much we'd miss that version of Wilson.

About the only reliable guy in the 'pen before Jansen is J.P. Howell, but he's not your prototypical setup man.  He relies on the soft stuff, and is very effective at it.  In 39 1/3 innings, he has a 1.37 ERA.  I think Mattingly should just ignore the lefty-righty stuff and pitch him more in the eighth regardless.  It certainly can't hurt.

But other than Howell... yikes.  It's just a whole lot of nothing to turn to.  Here's my breakdown of the other choices, and why they're.... well, not good choices:

Wilson - 5.26 ERA, and can't seem to pitch a clean eighth
League - Much better ERA at 2.32, but the bigger the pressure, the worse he gets
Wright - Had a chance to make a positive impression, and showed why he's much more suited to pitching earlier in the game
Chris Perez - Currently on the DL, and when he's back, has absolutely no business taking the mound in any inning
Pedro Baez and Carlos Frias - Too young and inexperienced to pitch in a big situation.  But then again, it's not like they can do any worse, so why not try them?

So like I said, there just aren't any solid options to turn to.  I actually liked it on Friday night when Donny gave Wright a chance to do the job.  It definitely backfired, but the other options are so bad, it was worth a shot.

This is definitely a big concern heading into the postseason.  The only positive is that the Dodgers have really good starting pitching in Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, and Hyun-Jin Ryu (who hopefully can rest his sore butt!).  They can pitch deep into games, which would then limit the amount of relievers needed.  We hope.

If I'm Jansen, I'm making sure my arm is plenty rested and ready to go in October.  I absolutely think Donny will call upon him in the eighth for more than the traditional three-out save.  Donny really has no choice.  Might as well skip all the other bums and go with the Big Dog.

Will someone actually step up and finally claim that setup role over the final month-and-a-half?  That will be the major question facing the Dodgers the rest of the season.

Dodgers sure like to hit the road

Everyone likes a little home cookin'. 

The Dodgers apparently prefer to do their eating away from home.

And so it went on Thursday afternoon, as the Dodgers continued to play some really good baseball on the road in a 6-4 win over the Braves.  They also like to pound on the Braves, taking six of seven games from them this season.

Today's win marked the 40th away from home this season, as they're the first in the majors to do so.  It also increased their lead over the Giants in the NL West to 5 1/2 games.

How are the Dodgers getting it done on the road so well?  Take a look at their rankings in all of baseball:

They're first in... hits, triples, and OBP.

They're second in... runs, RBI, and pitching shutouts and strikeouts.

They're third in... total bases, AVG, and OPS.

Not bad.

Seriously, those are all very impressive and encouraging numbers for a team that looks destined for the playoffs.  Considering that went 1-4 on the road last postseason, including a horrendous loss in St. Louis to end the season, this year's squad looks like it can win anywhere.

If you're a big follower of the team like me, then you'll notice how they just look so much more relaxed on the road.  And that leads to more timely hitting to support their excellent starting pitching.  Heck, they're hitting .265 on the road and .252 at home, which is a pretty big difference at this point of the season.

Every team wants to have home field advantage in the playoffs for as long as possible.  Right now, the Dodgers are two up on the Nationals for the #1 seed, with the Brewers lurking right behind at 2 1/2 back.  Oh by the way, the Brew Crew visits LA for three this weekend.  That should be fun.

While the Dodgers would gladly take all those home games, it's good to know that they're the most dangerous road team in baseball right now.  That means if there's a big closeout game or elimination game they're facing on the road, they're more than capable of playing well to win.

The Dodgers have 15 games remaining on the road against the Diamondbacks (2), Padres (3), Giants (3), Rockies (3), and Cubs (4).  In other words, not many big challenges.  I fully expect that road record to stay hot, if not improve.

Kershaw's ready for a pitch-off!

Here's a cool little story involving my favorite pitcher and yours, Clayton Kershaw.

If you're a follower of the Little League World Series like I am, then you've heard about young Mo'ne Davis, who pitched Philadelphia all the way to Williamsport with a blazing fastball and nasty breaking ball (sound familiar, Dodger fans?).  Pretty cool right?

Oh by the way, Mo'ne is a girl.

That's right, Mo'ne is the Big Dog of Little League right now, and has a chance to rule the world based on her performance these next couple of weeks in Williamsport.  What a great story that is.

Mo'ne is feeling so good, in fact, that she's openly challenged Kershaw to what she described as a "pitch-off."

Check out Kershaw's response to her.  I don't care what it takes, the Dodgers need to make this thing happen!

Good luck to Mo'ne and all the other participants in Williamsport.  And good luck to Kershaw, who's going to need it against her!

In the early going, Colletti's small trades have paid off

Let me start off by saying that each of the three players Ned Colletti has traded for have only started one game for the Dodgers.  So let's not get too carried away about what we see.

But hey, Roberto Hernandez, Kevin Correia, and Darwin Barney have all played great and the Dodgers are six games up in the NL West.  So why shouldn't we be excited?

All three men were brought in for depth, and they had great debuts.  Encouraging enough for the Dodgers to feel pretty darn good about who they have going forward.

Let's take a look at them:

Robert Hernandez.  He got the start last week in Milwaukee in what turned out to be a 9-3 loss.  That was more because Justin Turner had a meltdown at short, and the floodgates opened.  Hernandez overcame two runs and three hits in the first inning so throw five perfect innings after that.  Can't beat that.

How effective was Hernandez during that game?  He retired the final 17 batters in a row he faced.  The offense gave him a 3-2 lead in the seventh, but like I said before, it was all downhill from there.  Still, he looks like a legit option for the fifth starter, and has definitely earned more starts going forward.

Kevin Correia.  Hernandez had pretty good numbers coming in from Philly... but Correia definitely did not in Minnesota.  His ERA hovered around five on a team going nowhere.  So when he got the start against the Braves on Monday, it would've been hard to be optimistic.

The result?  Six innings of one-run ball, guiding the Dodgers to a 6-2 win.  He just looked rejuvenated, mixing his pitches and looking sharp all night.  He probably could've kept going at only 82 pitches, but it was probably a smart move by Don Mattingly to yank him on a high note.  I would think that's only a spot start and he'll eventually fill the long relief role vacated by Paul Maholm.  But if Monday was any indication, he looks like he can fill either role just fine.

Darwin Barney.  With Dee Gordon slowing down a bit as he's playing deeper in a season than he's ever been used to, the Barney acquisition looked really good on Tuesday.  Getting his first start at second, he went 1-for-4 with an RBI single and run scored.

But, his real value didn't really show up in the box score.  He showed his legs in the ninth when he reached on an error at short and hustled to second.  After going to third on a groundout, he perfectly read a passed ball and scampered home to go up 4-2.  With Kenley Jansen going for his 33rd save, he ranged behind him to catch a popup in short center.  Not a bad first start to say the least.

Overall, all three have at least given Mattingly confidence to rest some regulars and put them in again.  What also helps tremendously is that the Giants are in another free fall, and the rest of the NL West flat out sucks.  Why not sprinkle in some bench players to keep everyone fresh in the stretch run?  Makes sense to me.

If you throw in Dan Haren's last two starts, which have been great, then there's a lot to like about the back end of the 25-man roster.  It's not like I expect all of them to keep dominating, as there were plenty of reasons why they had subpar numbers in the first place.  But, I do think something has to be said about joining a winning team.

It makes everyone feel better about themselves and how they play.  Now keep it going!

Clayton Kershaw, MVP frontrunner?

Clayton Kershaw continues to set the bar even higher for himself.  Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee, he put the Dodgers on his back with a marvelous performance, holding the Brew Crew down for one run in eight innings, striking out six.  And that was on a day where he probably didn't even have his best stuff.

Oh by the way, he also added an RBI single, took a walk, and was hit by a pitch.  But the true highlight of the day came on a diving catch of Jean Segura's suicide squeeze attempt in the fifth, which he then tossed to third for a double play, preserving the one-run lead.

Oh by the way (again), he's won 11 straight decisions for a 1.16 ERA, and hasn't lost since May.

He's already won the Cy Young Award twice, and certainly appears to be well on his way to a third in four years.  So what can he possibly do next?

How about the MVP of the National League.

On the Sunday night SportsCenter, a case was made that a combination of Kershaw's dominance and the lack of a true great hitter in the NL makes him the favorite.  And you know what?  It's probably true.

I want to present to you the case for Kershaw:

* Start with the overall numbers: 14-2, 1.78 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 163 K's in 136 1/3 IP.  Wow.

* He's currently leading the NL in wins, ERA, WHIP, Winning % (.875), and Complete Games (5).

* In you're a believer in WAR (Wins Above Replacement), he's leading that as well at 5.9.  The next closest is Troy Tulowitzki at 5.6.  Tulo is a great player, but he's also on the 15-day DL right now and plays for a horrible team.

* The Dodgers have the best record in the NL.

* All things considered, Kershaw is now viewed as the best pitcher in baseball, ala Justin Verlander when he won the MVP in 2011.  That season, Verlander was 24-8 with a 2.40 ERA and 0.92 WHIP.  Kershaw probably won't get that many wins, but he can definitely best the other numbers.

One factor that will definitely be huge is how the Kershaw and the Dodgers finish up the season.  If he remains at the top of his game and the Dodgers keep the #1 seed in the NL, then there will be strong consideration for him winning the MVP.  If both slip, then that will be fresh in the voters' minds, and he might not get it.

The Dodgers certainly have talent on their team, but there's no doubt Kershaw is the top dog.  Even though he plays in only one out of every five games, his impact is bigger than that.  Need a stopper after a two-game skid?  Kershaw is the guy.  Need a guy to give the bullpen a rest?  Call on Kershaw.  Need a guy to win a big game, no matter the situation?  Of course, it's Kershaw.

Depending on how Don Mattingly toggles his rotation, Kershaw has about 8-10 starts left in the regular season.  Many of those starts are against NL West opponents, and judging by the way they swing the bats, his numbers can get even better.  Things are definitely looking good.

So good, in fact, that a 2014 MVP trophy could go right next to his third Cy Young Award on his mantel.

Dodgers get Correia from the Twins

Ned Colletti stated that he wasn't done acquiring pitching help after trading for Roberto Hernandez.  Apparently he meant it by trading for Kevin Correia from the Twins for a player to be named or cash.  Sort of like the Hernandez deal.

This season has not exactly gone well for the Correia, as he's 5-13 with a 4.94 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 26 starts.  Yikes.  Opponents are also hitting .297 against him.  Yikes again.

So, what exactly does Colletti see in Correia?  If anything, it's a low-risk investment to provide depth, whether that be as a spot starter or in long relief.  Paul Maholm is out for the season with a torn ACL, and Josh Beckett probably will be as well with a bad hip.  Dan Haren was very good against the Angels on Wednesday, but before that was atrocious.  Maybe Correia provides a boost in his spot.

If you're looking for a silver lining, then perhaps it's that Correia is more of a National League pitcher.  He was an All-Star in 2011 with the Pirates when he went 11-7 with a 4.01 ERA in the first half of the season.  Then again, he completely tanked in the second half, raising his ERA to 4.79, but I digress.

He certainly knows the NL West well, as he was a member of the Giants for many years before pitching two seasons for the Padres.  None of his stats really stand out from that time.

The bottom line is that this won't be the move that propels the Dodgers to World Series champions by any means.  All they can hope for is some solid innings from the veteran.  I can't imagine he could do a whole lot worse than Maholm did, so maybe that long relief role will fit him well.

Left field has become the Black Hole of production

Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier.

Yuck and yuck.

That's exactly what I think of them as this season has worn on, as time and time again, these two have not gotten it done at the plate.  Somehow the Dodgers are about middle of the pack in terms of AVG, OPS, and runs scored in the National League from that position.  But you wouldn't know it from watching lately.

Crawford looks completely washed up.  He's being paid $21 million this year to hit .234 with four homers, 23 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases.  His defense is just OK, but his arm is about as weak as can be.  There's very little reason to play him, especially since he's hitting .172 this month after hitting .163 in July.

Ethier might be the better of the two options, but that's barely saying anything.  He's earning $15.5 million, and is hitting .247 with four homers, 39 RBIs, and one steal.  His bat continues to show little to no life in it, not unlike Crawford.  He hit .221 in June, .239 in July, and .250 this month.  Hardly numbers worthy of what he's making.

For those of you clamoring for Scott Van Slyke, well, he's only hitting .247, and has clearly struggled since the end of June.  So it's not like he's a much better option for an everyday starter.  He should play more, but I'm not sure that's really solving the problem at all.

The most frustrating thing is that Yasiel Puig is an All-Star this season, and Matt Kemp has turned things around both at the plate and in finding a comfort spot in right field.  And then there's left field featuring two guys making over a combined $35 million this season giving the team absolutely nothing.

In a perfect world, Ned Colletti would designate one or two of them for assignment, call up Joc Pederson, and give him plenty of time to get adjusted for the playoffs.  But, those ridiculous contracts just handcuff everyone so much.  Getting rid of them without getting anything in return would be admitting a huge mistake, and because they still have the name value, that's not going to happen.

About all the Dodgers can do now is hope one of them gets hot like Kemp did and at least somewhat justify all of the playing time they receive.  Do I think that will happen?  Hell no.  But then again, I don't think anyone saw Kemp figuring things out, so at least it's possible.

The Dodgers may have the best record in the NL still, but they still have an inconsistent offense.  Getting something... ANYTHING, out of left field will only help them going forward.

Hey, I can dream at least, right?

Defense unravels late as Dodgers fall in Milwaukee

The Dodgers had to be at least somewhat tired coming into Friday night's game in Milwaukee.  Just the night before they took care of the Angels, then had to fly halfway across the country.  So it was understandable that the team might look a little sluggish.

Well, they may have been sluggish at first as they were down 2-0 after one.  But some timely hitting and a very solid start by newcomer Roberto Hernandez handed them a 3-2 lead in the seventh.

And then the Dodgers decided to play defense about as well as the Lakers did last season.  Which is to say, not at all.

If you blinked, then you missed the Brewers putting up a four-spot in the seventh thanks to two (should have been three) errors from shortstop Justin Turner.  Toss in a three-run bomb by Rickie Weeks in the eighth, and the Dodgers ended up getting creamed 9-3.

As Don Mattingly said after the game, it was the defense that did the biggest damage, as Turner had a night he'd like to completely forget.  He was actually the third shortstop used, as Hanley Ramirez had to exit after one inning with tightness in his right side.  Miguel Rojas entered after that, but as usual couldn't hit (.207), so he was lifted for pinch-hitter Andre Ethier in the seventh, who responded with an RBI infield single for the 3-2 lead.

The funny thing about the seventh is that Turner actually started off the inning with a fantastic diving catch ranging to his right.  Then it all fell apart.  He botched a double play ball from Mark Reynolds, which inexplicably was ruled a hit.  Then Brandon League tried to flip a ball home from his glove, which didn't work and led to a run.  Then Turner committed two errors on a bobble and bad throw to first.

The 3-2 lead morphed into a 6-3 deficit.  Uh, not good.

So now Mattingly has to face the dilemma of whom to play at shortstop if Hanley is out for awhile.  Rojas has a good glove, but that boy absolutely cannot hit.  The funniest sight of this game was him hitting in the cleanup spot.  He might be the worst cleanup hitter any team has used this season.  Turner certainly has a better glove than what he showed, but he's no doubt more comfortable at third.

So what can be done?  My guess is Rojas gets the call, simply because of his glove, and he'll be the automatic #8 hitter.  Turner might get some time there, but he now has a lot to prove as far as handling it defensively.  We'll see how that goes.

Other thoughts from the game:

* The Dodgers have to be very happy with what they saw from Hernandez, who overcame a shaky first to post a very respectable line of six innings, three hits, two runs, no walks, and five strikeouts.  He certainly settled down as the game progressed.  He did his part, I just wish the guys behind him did theirs.

* Adrian Gonzalez has hit very well the last couple of nights, as his solo homer in the sixth got the Dodgers on the board.  He's been as streaky as can be this year, as he has five hits in the last two games, but went 0-for-4 in each of the previous three games.  He's still second in the NL with 76 RBIs, so he's getting it done.

* One of the funniest moments of the night was when Matt Kemp got very irritated calling for a fly ball early in the game.  Close ups showed him yelling "I got it," which then turned into "I GOT IT!!!" when Yasiel Puig was lurking.  I wouldn't want to be around Kemp when he gets pissed like that.

* A final thought on Hanley.  While I can appreciate his desire to play, honesty should've taken over so the Dodgers didn't have to waste a bench spot so early in the game, and subjugated themselves to Rojas hitting cleanup.  It was obvious something was up during his only at-bat, so he must have felt something before the game.  An early scratch would have helped the team much more.

The Dodgers still have an excellent road record, and they send their two studs to the mound this weekend in Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw.  You'd like to think they'd win at least one of those games.

When the Dodgers are clicking, they're hard to beat

I'm not sure many people saw this coming, especially after getting smacked around by the Angels on Monday.  And after Clayton Kershaw suffered through a rough start to Tuesday's game.

Then the Dodgers decided to flick that switch, and when they did, they proved why they have the best record in the National League.

The latest example was Thursday night, as Hyun-Jin Ryu absolutely took over, holding the Angels scoreless in seven innings, giving up only two hits.  The offense stepped up, the defense was fantastic, and the result was an easy 7-0 win in Anaheim.

I made this comment during the Cubs' series, which was pretty much a disaster: "You never know which Dodger team will show up."  They swept the Giants, swept the Braves, then dropped two of three to the lowly Cubs.  Then they followed that up by taking three of four in the Freeway Series.  Go figure.

So what was the big difference between this series and the last one?  Energy, pitching, defense, and timely hitting.  Pretty much your recipe for any win, but all of that stuff was a notch better against the crosstown rivals.

The Dodgers had their big three pitchers going, but it was actually Dan Haren who may have shined the brightest.  Here's a breakdown of each pitcher's performance the last four games:

Greinke: 7 IP, 3 ER, 5 K
Kershaw: 7 IP, 3 ER, 7 K
Haren: 7 1/3 IP, 1 ER, 4 K
Ryu: 7 IP, 0 ER, 4 K
Total: 28 1/3 IP, 7 ER, 20 K

There's also the defense, which was flawless the last three games (all wins).  The only errors the Dodgers committed were on Monday, when Hanley Ramirez decided to throw the ball all over the place.  He was the DH last night, and Miguel Rojas put on a great display with his glove at short, with an assist to some slick grabs at first by Adrian Gonzalez.

Yasiel Puig again showed why he's fit for center field, as the only real threat the Angels put together was in the sixth.  With Mike Trout and Albert Pujols on, Josh Hamilton lifted a long fly to center that Puig caught ranging to his right against the wall.  Nothing against Matt Kemp, but it's hard to imagine he'd make the same play.  It was a great catch.

And let's not ignore the fact that the Dodgers got a hit with the bases loaded!  Yes, I did just type that.  It almost didn't happen, as Puig struck out in the seventh to make it two down, but A-Gon stroked a two-run single to left, really breaking the game open at 6-0.  With that hit, the Dodgers are now hitting .171 with the bases juiced... still dead last in the majors.  But hey, that can only go up, right?

The Dodgers certainly still have their question marks, as they lack power, good bullpen depth, and who knows if Haren can keep this up and if Roberto Hernandez is the answer at the back end of the rotation.  But, if they can play with this type of energy and spirit, they're able to overcome all of that.  This is a team that truly needs contributions from so many different parts, and in the Freeway Series, that's what they got.

The next 10 games will be just as tough, as they face the Brewers away for three, the Braves away for four, and the Brewers back home for three.  The Brew Crew are holding off the Cardinals by a game in the NL Central, and the Braves are 4 1/2 in back of the Nationals in the East.  In other words, these are big games for everyone.

New friend Hernandez gets the call in Milwaukee.  It looks like he'll be sticking around the rotation for awhile, as Josh Beckett could be gone for quite awhile with his hip problems.

Dodgers acquire Roberto Fausto Carmona Hernandez

*** UPDATE ***

It looks like Hernandez will take the place of Beckett in the rotation.  Uh oh... not a good sign for Beckett, who's obviously hurt worse than we all thought.  What a shame.

***

Ned Colletti traded for some pitching reinforcement today, picking up Roberto "Don't Call Me Fausto Carmona" Hernandez from the Phillies for a couple of players or cash.  Hernandez was lined up to start for the Phillies tonight against the Astros, but that's obviously not going to happen.

This season, Hernandez is 6-8 with a 3.87 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 75 K's in 121 IP.  Decent numbers, but nothing spectacular.  What is very encouraging is his work since the All-Star break, as he's 2-0 with a 2.18 ERA and 0.87 WHIP.  He's cut down big time on his walks, which has led to much better numbers.

It's unclear right now how the Dodgers will use him, as a starter or in the 'pen.  The rotation has issues at the bottom, as Josh Beckett is battling a bad hip, and Dan Haren has been hit hard before last night's start, where he dominated the Angels.  Maybe giving Hernandez a start in one of their spots is an idea, or to give everyone else an extra day of rest in a spot start.

The bullpen could certainly use him as well.  Take away Kenley Jansen and J.P. Howell, and the other options are slim and none for big outs late in games.  Jamey Wright is having a pretty good year, but he's being used more for outs earlier in the game.  Perhaps Hernandez gets a crack at pitching in setup.

Whatever the case, based on his recent success, this appears like a good move without giving up much.  It's not like the Dodgers can't afford to give away cash, and anytime there's players to be named later, it means low-end prospects.  In other words, not much being lost.

It will be interesting to see if Colletti is done here, which I doubt.  I would think he's still looking for more help in the pitching department.  We shall see what else he has in store.

Haren finally finds his groove

It's been awhile (a LONG while), but Dan Haren turned back the clock to April on Wednesday night in Anaheim.  And after Kenley Jansen struck out Josh Hamilton to end the game, the Dodgers had one of their biggest wins of the season.

Haren pitched very well into the eighth inning, including setting down the first 16 batters of the game, as the Dodgers beat the Angels for the second straight night, 2-1.  The Giants ran away from the Brewers, so the lead in the NL West remains at 2 1/2 games.

I'm not sure it's possible to say just how good and effective Haren was, as he completely baffled the mighty Angels' hitters all night long.  In fact, when he was yanked in the eighth, he was only at 87 pitches, and the bullpen of J.P. Howell and Brandon League came dangerously close to handing the lead right back.  Thankfully only one run was surrendered.

Coming into this start, Haren was as bad as bad could be.  With numbers that said 0-5 and a 10.03 ERA in his last five starts, there was no way in the world even the biggest Dodger fans could be confident about this start.  Heck, even Haren admitted after the game that he "tried almost everything" in this start, pretty much saying that he was willing to do anything to shake out of his slump.

It worked.

With a mixture of a sharp breaking ball and great fastball location, he ended up tossing 7 1/3 innings for three hits, one run, no walks, and four strikeouts.  This one start alone lowered his ERA from 4.76 to 4.57.  And more importantly for him, earned him more starts going forward.

Who would've thought that Haren would overshadow Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw the last three days?  That's how unlikely this start was.  Heck, I hope he keeps having unlikely starts going forward.  The Dodgers could sure use more quality starts from the end of the rotation going forward.

Other thoughts from the game:

* Two other guys who've been slumping (a lot) are Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford, and they each had two hits to contribute to the win.  Ethier's RBI double scored Crawford in the second for the 2-0 lead.  Throw in Justin Turner getting on base three times, and the bottom part of the order had a big game.

* The other run came from a Matt Kemp solo home run to continue his recent run.  He's slowed down a bit in August by hitting .217, but he still has three homers to up his total to 14 on the season.  On a team that sorely lacks power, I think the Dodgers will sacrifice his average for the power.

* Jansen faced a rocky road in the ninth, as Kole Calhoun led off with a single to center, then soon stole second with nobody out.  But, Jansen got Mike Trout swinging, Albert Pujols to fly to center, and Hamilton swinging to end the game.  That could have easily gone the other way, and all the work the Dodgers did to lead the entire game would've gone up in smoke.  Instead, Jansen threw smoke to earn his 32nd save.  That's tied for third in the majors with Craig Kimbrel and Greg Holland, some pretty impressive company.

* Yasiel Puig doubled and walked, but his biggest contribution was gunning down Hank Conger at third in the sixth.  It looked like Conger had it made going to third, but Puig once again showed the world why his arm strength is on another level.  Kudos to Turner for the slick catch and tag as well.  That was awesome.

This didn't seem possible after Monday's game, and after Kershaw was hit around to start the next game, but the Dodgers have a chance to take three of four in the Freeway Series.  Hyun-Jin Ryu will be the man on the mound Thursday, as he takes on C.J. Wilson.

Dodgers need Uribe more than ever

The Dodgers are in the midst of a rough stretch, with a very tough schedule against good teams and injuries on the pitching staff mounting.  Even the great Clayton Kershaw was roughed up a bit on Tuesday night against the Angels.

That's where Juan Uribe stepped in and stepped up, as his three-run homer in the second soon led to a single and game-winning run in the ninth, giving the Dodgers a 5-4 walk-off win over the Angels.

Then it became obvious to me - if the Dodgers want to survive this hard stretch in the schedule in which the next 12 games are against contending teams, they need someone like Uribe to play well.  And by "play well," I mean have nights where he's the hero just like Tuesday.

We all know the Dodgers' troubles - poor back end of the rotation, lack of good options in the bullpen, inconsistent offense.  So when you look at the box score and see Uribe's line of 2-for-4 with two runs, three RBIs, and a home run, you know they have a chance of winning anyway.  Take away his night, and it's another easy win for the Halos.

Uribe is capable of breaking out and having big nights.  Remember last season on July 5 when he hit a double, triple, and homer against the Giants for seven RBIs?  That was a big win that gave the Dodgers a two-game lead over their rivals.  Of course, we can't forget his game-winning homer to clinch the NLDS against the Braves.

Through it all, on good nights at the plate or bad, he's always bringing it at the hot corner with the glove.  I still feel that he was robbed of a Gold Glove last year, so maybe this year he gets his just due.  You never know with the voting on that damn award, so we'll see.

Tuesday night definitely made me appreciate what Uribe brings each game even more.  I'm not sure many people realize he's hitting .300, as he's hitting .313 since the All-Star break.  Those are numbers the Dodgers need, as it would be great to count on his consistency on a team surrounded by so much uncertainty.

Other thoughts from the game:

* Things didn't look so hot at first, but it was a tale of two Kershaws as the game progressed.  Fortunately for the Dodgers, he was unhittable in innings 4-7, making up for giving up three runs and being hit hard through three.  Overall, he finished at seven innings, seven hits, three runs, two walks, and seven strikeouts.  He'll take that.

* Then there's Brian Wilson, who might be among the game's worst setup men.  Albert Pujols tied the game in the eighth with a towering solo shot.  Granted, Pujols has done that to a lot of people, but it was predictable nonetheless.  Wilson's ERA is up to 5.05, and there's really no reason to keep running him out there in the setup role.  Enough already!

* Dee Gordon bounced back from a tough night at the plate on Monday by getting two hits, including a double.  He also made a fantastic play at second, scooping a low throw from Kershaw and flipping to first from his knees for a double play in the first.  His defense at second continues to be excellent.

* Let's also show some love to Matt Kemp, who made the most of his one single in the sixth.  He then stole second, beat out Mike Trout's throw to third on the overthrow, and came home on Scott Van Slyke's sac-fly RBI.  I don't think we're used to seeing him make noise with his legs anymore, so that was a great sign.

* Also was great to see Van Slyke in left, and not Carl Crawford or Andre Ethier.  Anyone is better than those two bums.

* Yes, I know Ethier was at the plate when Uribe scored the winning run, but his little dribbler to third pretty much summed out how little he has left to give at the plate.  It's kind of sad to watch.

Dan Haren gets the start tonight, as the series shifts to Anaheim for two.  It's probably a good thing the Dodgers were able to find a way to win this one, as Haren's stock has just plummeted.  This might not be pretty...

In playoff-like test, Dodgers flunk big time

Monday night at Dodger Stadium was about what you'd expect from a playoff game.  Sellout crowd of over 53,000; two contending teams clashing; and two good starting pitchers on the mound.

Well, if that was a test, the Dodgers earned themselves a big fat F.

Just about nothing went right, from the horrific defense, to Greinke getting hit around early, to an offense that generated zip at the plate.  The result was a sloppy 5-0 loss in which the Dodgers' lead in the NL West is down to 1 1/2 games thanks to the Giants beating the Mets.

You just never know which Dodger team will show up, and in this game it was the one that was made to look silly against the Cubs.  Not the team that swept the Giants.  Not the team that swept the Braves.  More like the team that looked lost against a last place team this past weekend.

Let's start with the defense.  It sucked.  I'll get to Hanley Ramirez's exploits in a second, but let's look at Carl Crawford, who continues to show that not only has he lost a step, but more like two or three.  To start the game off, he missed on two straight sliding catches off the bats of Kole Calhoun and Mike Trout, making it 1-0 before you could blink.  I guess the effort was there, but the execution most certainly was not.  Oh by the way, Crawford is hitting .236.

Then there's Ramirez, who continues to embarrass himself at short more and more each game.  With the Dodgers already down 2-0 and Greinke scuffling, Howie Kendrick bounced one to short that should have been the third out.  Instead, Ramirez did his best Tim Tebow impersonation by throwing it away.  Two runs later, the Dodgers were already down 4-0 before they even came to bat.

Lastly, there's good old Yasiel Puig, who was made to look silly by snail slow Albert Pujols later in the game.  Pujols singled leading off the eighth.  Josh Hamilton then flew out to Puig in center, and as Puig was once again acting way too arrogant and nonchalant, Pujols actually tagged up and went to second, mocking Puig in the process.

I actually loved seeing that, especially since Puig still acts way too cool whenever he catches a fly ball.  There's been a whole lot of good about Puig this year, but little things like that are beyond annoying, especially when his team is getting crushed on the field.  The teacher taught the student a lesson there.

All of that aside, it's not like it mattered much when the offense continues to look lost.  Garrett Richards is having a very good season with a 2.58 ERA, as he went the distance.  No disrespect to him, but the Dodgers made him look like a combination of David Price and Clayton Kershaw, as they stood no chance against him.

In fact, the Dodgers managed only five singles, and were 0-for-7 with RISP.  Dee Gordon and Adrian Gonzalez struck out twice, and Matt Kemp three times.  There was a whole lot of swinging, and a whole lot of nothing to show for it.

The bottom line is that the Dodgers have three more games against the Angels to prove they belong in their class.  Last night, that wasn't the case at all.  At least they have Kershaw on the mound tonight, who's the ultimate guy to turn to when things are down.  Now if they still lose, then we have problems...

Start of more changes? Perez to the DL, Frias called up

After a pretty humiliating weekend in which the Dodgers not only dropped two of three to the Cubs, but looked pretty lifeless in the process, one thing they knew needed to get better was their pitching.  More specifically, the back ends of both their rotation and bullpen.

Today appeared to be the first step in making changes, as Chris Perez and his 5.03 ERA was placed on the 15-day DL with bone spurs in his right ankle.  In his place will be right-handed Carlos Frias from Triple-A Albuquerque.

It's obvious the Dodgers have some pretty big pitching problems, so sitting Perez is a good start.  Look, I am in no way celebrating someone getting hurt.  As has happened many times in the past when someone struggling mysteriously has an injury that leads to a DL stint, we have to take their word for it that something is really wrong... even when we probably know the truth.

So out goes Perez, and in comes Frias.  In the article that you can click above, it says he's made 20 starts between Double-a Chattanooga and Triple-A for a 10-5 record and 4.58 ERA.  Keep in mind that any ERA at Albuquerque will be high since that's considered the Coors Field of the minors.  Hitters will always have better numbers, and pitchers worse.  That's just the way it is.

Don Mattingly has already stated that Frias will only start if something happens to Beckett or Haren, who are both slated for starts this week.  So, it appears that Frias will be used in long relief, which is needed with Paul Maholm tearing his ACL.  Maybe he'll eventually get a start, who knows.

I don't care who was brought up, this is a good move.  Every time Perez takes the mound, there's a losing feeling that goes with it.  Now the Dodgers can put in a fresh arm and let him show what he can do.  At the very worst, he performs like Perez.  Let's hope he can do better.

This is a decent start, but what I want to know is, what's next?

Dodgers embarrassingly drop home set to Cubs

If there was a way for the Dodgers to get rid of all of those good vibes from sweeping the Giants and Braves, this was it.

Like the headline says, there's no other way of putting it than to say the Dodgers were embarrassed at home the past three days, as the Cubs won another one today 7-3.  In the two loses on Friday and Sunday, the Dodgers were outscored 15-5 to a team with the third worst record in all of baseball, and the second most road loses.

There were all sorts of reasons the Dodgers lost, so let's take a look at them.

1) Josh Beckett was ineffective once again.  This time he only lasted four innings for six hits, three runs, three walks, and six strikeouts.  He started the fifth inning tied 1-1, but then watched Edwin Jackson crush a double to center, Chris Coghlan smack a two-run homer, and Arismendy Alcantara single.  That was it after that.  He made a whopping 94 pitches, and only got four innings out of it.  Ouch.

There's definite reason for concern now, as that's now five straight starts of five innings or less.  Hardly what you'd want from your starter.  Over the course of that time, his ERA has risen from 2.02 to 2.88.  As I tweeted out during the game, the Dodgers are only a three-deep rotation right now with Haren's struggles as well.  It's a great three, but then a huge dropoff after.

2) The clutch hitting was, well, not clutch.  Today the offense was 2-for-12 with RISP.  Saturday it was 1-for-10.  Friday it was 0-for-4.  I'm pretty sure that adds up to 3-for-26, or a .115 average.  That is really pathetic.

The offense got all sorts of hits against the Giants and Braves, and that was a big reason why they went 6-0 in those games.  In these games, it's as if everyone was looking around at everyone else waiting for someone to step up.  Nobody really did.

3) Brandon League and Chris Perez are really, REALLY bad.  I thought maybe League was good again, but I was wrong.  He is terrible.  His ERA of 2.49 is not at all a reflection of the type of pitcher he is.  He got that good number from pitching a bunch of meaningless innings with no pressure.  Today he entered the game in the eighth down 3-2.  He then proceeded to walk the bases loaded with nobody out, and then give up both an RBI groundout and two-run single.  It was embarrassing.  And that's why he sucks - he can't be relied upon to pitch any sort of big innings.

Perez is just so pathetic, I don't even know what else to say about him.  In one inning today he gave up a solo homer, single, and walk.  His ERA is 5.03.  I don't care what the situation is, that guy has no business being on this roster.  Ship his ass out!

4) Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier are giving them NOTHING.  These two are interchangeable in left field only because neither one of them can hit to save their lives.  Crawford is hitting .230 and Ethier .243.  It's either a strikeout or popup every single freakin' time.  In a perfect world, they'd be gone, and their contracts would be history.  But basically they have to stick around because they're making a BOATLOAD of money to perform like crap.  Man are they hard to watch.

What went right today was the fifth homer in six games by a suddenly red hot Matt Kemp, who is now hitting .285.  Most importantly, he's swinging the bat like a guy who believes he can cause damage again.  If he really is in Beast Mode, then look out.  Let's hope so.

The other positive was Justin Turner, who filled in for Dee Gordon at leadoff and went 2-for-3 with two runs and a stolen base.  That guy always plays hard and is fun to watch.

I can't say the same about the rest of team, because this series was not fun to watch at all.  The Dodgers played like a team that thought they could simply walk onto the field and beat a bad team.  Well, that bad team is still full of Major League players, and when a minimal effort is put in, that's what happens.

We're about to find out how the Dodgers will respond, because they have the Angels and Brewers this week.  The Angels would be in first place in any division except their own, as the A's own the AL West.  The Brewers are tops in the NL Central.

If the last couple of weeks is any indication, maybe the Dodgers are about to play better, because they certainly seem to play to their competition.

Whenever Kemp and Hanley hit, it's a good thing

Saturday night was a struggle for the Dodgers.  They just come off getting slapped around 8-2 by the Cubs the night before, the offense couldn't get anything going against a bunch of no-name pitchers, and it actually started raining at Dodger Stadium.

So whom did the Dodgers need to turn to in order to get some scoring?  Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez.  And it worked.

Kemp continued his scorching run in recent days with a two-run homer in the fourth, and Hanley hit his first career walk-off home run in the 12th to give the Dodgers a 5-2 victory.  The Mets beat the Giants, so the lead in the NL West is back up to 3 1/2.

Both Kemp and Hanley were especially needed on a night where Adrian Gonzalez and Yasiel Puig didn't start and each pinch-hit.  A-Gon predictably struck out, and Puig singled only to be picked off of first after a replay review.  So their contributions to the offense were pretty much nothing.

Their injuries were another reason why the bats of Kemp and Hanley were sorely needed.  Kemp is hitting .367 with four homers since the break, and looks like a guy who is finally ready to quit making excuses and sulking about where he's playing in the field, and just freakin' play.  What a sight that is.

Hanley hasn't exactly been torching the ball of late, as he entered this game 1-for-15 in the last four games.  In this one, he went 3-for-5 with two runs, a double, three RBIs, and the walk-off blast.  If the Dodgers absolutely needed someone to step up and be the man to get a win, it was him, and he did just that.

Taking a look at the lineup, it was Hanley at #3, and Kemp right behind him cleaning up.  In a perfect lineup, the top of the order would be Dee Gordon, Puig, Hanley, Kemp, A-Gon, and Uribe.  Might as well ride Kemp while he's hot, put him in an RBI situation, and see if he keeps responding.

Above all, it's just good to see the Dodgers get a win because their two big dogs led the way on a night of injuries and rain. 

Other thoughts from the game:

* Hyun-Jin Ryu seemed to struggle at first, as the Cubs probably left some runs off the board.  But as Ryu typically does, when he's settled in, he's really good.  He lasted seven innings for nine hits, two runs, one walk, and six strikeouts.  He did have a chance to exit with the lead, but a two-out RBI double by Arismendy Alcantara tied the game at two.

* The bullpen combined to pitch the remaining five innings and didn't give up a run.  It was a complete reversal from the night before, when that clown Chris Perez pitched.  On Saturday it was Brandon League (2/3 IP), J.P. Howell (1/3), Kenley Jansen (1), Brian Wilson (1), and Jamey Wright (2) who closed the door and allowed the offense a chance to win it.

* It's a good thing Hanley got the big hit when he did, because most of the night was lifeless baseball for the second straight night.  I think it's fair to say the Dodgers play to their competition.  They smacked around the Braves, always a solid team, and let the Cubs make them look pretty foolish.  Thankfully they came through when needed.

* We should all be especially thankful even more to Hanley, because if you took a close look at the bullpen as his homer was leaving the yard, there was Perez warming up.  If that guy entered the game, Vin Scully may as well have just gotten on the PA system and announced to everyone that the game was over and to go home.

Sunday afternoon is a big start for Josh Beckett, as he's really looking to get back on track after his hip injury.  Another poor start probably means he's hurt worse than he's letting on, and we can forget about seeing the Beckett from the first half.  Let's see how he responds.

Haren, Perez continue to tumble in drubbing to Cubs

If the Dodgers thought a six-game winning streak and first place in the NL West was enough to boost the confidence of Dan Haren coming into Friday night, well... they were wrong.

Haren was awful, again, as the Dodgers looked like crap in losing 8-2 to the Cubs.  The same Cubs team that came into this game 20-35 away from Wrigley Field.  This is his ugly final line: 4 1/3 innings, eight hits, seven runs (six earned), two walks, three strikeouts.  His record is 8-9 and his ERA is 4.76.  Yuck.

The reason he got the start in the first place was because Don Mattingly wanted to give Hyun-Jin Ryu an extra day of rest, as he's historically much better with at least five days off.  Plus, it doesn't hurt to give the big dogs Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke a little more time off as well.

And let's face it - they were playing the freakin' Cubs.  Take away Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro, and I'm not sure anyone can even mention another player.  Well, they're still one of the worst teams in baseball, but they scored eight runs on 13 hits, and played like a team that was angry at Haren getting what was designed to be an "easy" start to get him going again.  Didn't work.

So Haren's story was a rough one, and Chris Perez's wasn't any better.  Perez technically didn't give up any runs 2/3 of an inning, but still failed to do what he was brought in for.  And it only added to his pitiful season.

In the fifth, Perez entered with one out and the bases loaded.  It was not an easy situation, but Perez's own ineffectiveness didn't make it any easier.  Right away, Welington Castillo hit an RBI single to make it 5-1.  Nate Schierholtz lifted a sac-fly RBI to center, and then Perez uncorked a wild pitch.  An infield single by Kyle Kendricks (yes, the starting pitcher...) finished things off at 7-1.

All in all, none of those three runs were charged to Perez, as they only added to Haren's sad tally.  But once again, Perez just cannot get the job done.  It's hard to believe this guy was once an All-Star closer.  His pitches are all over the place, and when he does throw strikes, they're hammered.  His ERA stands at 4.97.

If you want more bad pitching news, long reliever Paul Maholm said he felt something "pop" in his right knee while covering first, immediately coming out of the game.  Who knows what that could lead to.

Ned Colletti wasn't too harshly criticized for not making any moves on Thursday before the Trade Deadline expired, but there was a bit of surprise that he didn't bring in more pitching help.  It's pretty much the worst timing in the world to have this game happen a day later.  The Dodgers need some serious help in the back ends of both the rotation and bullpen.

Will it happen?  We've seen plenty of August waiver deals in the past, so it definitely can.  I have to think Colletti is trying very hard on this.  There's always a balancing act between making a move and protecting the prospects on a team that's not getting any younger.

We'll see if Friday night was the last straw for Haren and Perez, who can't possibly be in the team's postseason's plans at this point.  Right???