Key games in the Dodgers' 2015 season

Spring Training is humming along without much news to report of.  About the only exciting things to have happened were Will Farrell pitching a perfect 1/3 of an inning, and Aroldis Chapman throwing behind Justin Turner for God knows what reason.  Other than that, not much going on.

So, let's get ourselves excited for when the games count for good.  Here's a look at some key/big/fun games in the Dodgers' 2015 schedule.

Monday, April 6 vs. Padres - Home opener, and the return of Matt Kemp
Monday, April 13 vs. Mariners - First Interleague set
Tuesday, April 21 at Giants - First tilt against the defending World Series champs
Monday, May 11 at Marlins - First matchup with old friends Dee Gordon and Dan Haren
Friday, May 29 at Cardinals - First matchup with the team that knocked the Dodgers out of the playoffs... again
Monday, June 22 at Cubs - Four-game set again Jon Lester, Joe Maddon, and a suddenly relevant Cubs team
Friday, July 17 at Nationals - First game after the All-Star break against a preseason World Series contender
Friday, July 31 vs. Angels - Freeway Series begins
Thursday, August 13 vs. Reds - First time seeing Chapman since Spring Training...
Monday, September 14 vs. Rockies - Last big homestand of the season, a 10-game set with the Rockies, Pirates, and Diamondbacks
Sunday, October 4 vs. Padres - Final game of the regular season, coming full circle

There you have it.  In examining the schedule, there are a heck of a lot of division games to start the season, and of course the last couple of weeks as well.  Then they have this quirk: they start July by playing the DBacks, end August with the Giants, and have no other division games in between.  That's right - there's virtually no games within the NL West for two straight months.  That seems very unusual.

The Interleague games are with the AL West.  The Freeway Series is always fun, and a bit more so this year with Howie Kendrick in Dodger blue.  Who knows what the A's will look like, but they always find a way.  The Mariners have two stars in Robinson Cano and King Felix.  The Rangers were just dealt a huge blow by losing Yu Darvish for the season.  And the Astros?  Well, they do have young talent, so we'll see.

Dodgers can't pull through when needed the most

The good news in Wednesday afternoon's 14-inning marathon loss to the Nationals was that the Dodgers hit a couple of big home runs.  Justin Turner's two-run shot in the seventh started the scoring, and Carl Crawford's game tying two-run homer in the 12th kept the game going.

The bad news?  More and more futility with the bases loaded, a bad defensive play that ended up costing them dearly, and a bullpen that lost the battle to the other 'pen.

As Vin Scully said during the game, it's surprising that the Dodgers are even in first place with these kinds of performances.

Adam LaRoche came off the bench to drive in five, and the Nationals outlasted the Dodgers in a loooooooong game of five hours and 34 minutes by a score of 8-5 in 14 innings.  The Giants were slapped around by the Rockies, but in the end it didn't matter, as the Dodgers failed to do a damn thing with it.  The lead in the NL West remains two games.

The Dodgers absolutely should feel good for the way they came back in the 12th, as Crawford's home run to dead center was clutch.  But that still does not excuse the fact that time and time again, this team flat out blows it when the pressure is on.

Here's a couple of examples.  With the score tied at three in the 10th, the Dodgers loaded the bases with one out.  Adrian Gonzalez then struck out, and Juan Uribe pinch-hit and did the same.

No problem, as they had the same exact opportunity an inning later.  This time it was Drew "I Can't Hit to Save My Life" Butera popping to third after a long at-bat, and Dee Gordon striking out, something he seems to be very comfortable with lately.

Crawford did tie the game in the 12th in response to LaRoche's two-run single off of crappy Brandon League.  So shocking the League couldn't get big outs.  I absolutely cannot wait for his contract to be up and he hits the damn road.

The 13th saw another chance, as Joc Pederson hit a leadoff single to left.  He soon went to second on a bad pickoff throw to first, and advanced to third on a grounder.  With two outs, Gordon again failed to come through by grounding a bunt out to first.

Then Kevin Correia came on, Justin Turner made another blunder at short on a bad throw, and the onslaught was soon on.

Right now, the Dodgers look like they will win one game in the playoffs, and that's Clayton Kershaw's start.  As good as guys like Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu are, the offense is so pathetic, I don't trust them to give the proper support.  They'll get hits, but not when they're needed the most with runners on.

In fact, the hitting with the bases loaded is just downright embarrassing.  In those situations, they are 17-for-99 for a .171 average, by far the worst in baseball.  That's pathetic!  It's just inconceivable to me how so many so-called "superstars" can have that many at-bats and not even get a hit 20% of the time.  So pitiful.

Simply put, that kind of output will not get it done when it matters the most in October.  There's no way a team can survive and advance when they give away so many scoring opportunities.  I don't care how good the starting pitching is, it's just not realistic to win that way.

The Dodgers will play each of their NL West opponents in three-game sets coming up.  The Giants series will be tough, but they should be favored in the other three.  Then again, if they don't bring that focus and execution to the plate for those games, then they could be heading towards an ugly September no matter what the opposing records are.

Other thoughts from the game:

* All of this extra inning stuff could've been avoided had Kenley Jansen closed things out in the ninth.  Alas, a two-run lead was not enough, as he was lit up by LaRoche's two-run homer, and an RBI single from Denard Span.  It didn't look like Jansen was throwing any differently than normal, so I'll chalk it up to just one of those days. 

* Speaking of giving leads right back, Jayson Werth did his best Matt Holliday impersonation by dropping what should have been the game's final out in the ninth.  Sure enough, the error led to the tying run, and on and on the game went from there.

* Lost in all of this was a fantastic start by young Carlos Frias.  His first career start yielded great results, as he lasted six innings for three hits, no runs, one walk, and four strikeouts.  It was important to give everyone else an extra day off, and he deserved a win.  But, as usual, the bats didn't agree, and it was a no-decision.

* Kevin Correia really stinks.  He now has a 6.75 ERA in 14 2/3 innings with the Dodgers.  Granted, all three of his runs were unearned today, but it's not like he still pitched well.  He'll easily be left off the postseason roster, and rightfully so.

12 straight road wins ties a franchise record

The Dodgers won again on the road Friday, knocking All-Star Travis Wood out in the fourth en route to a 6-2 win.  It came on a day where Hanley Ramirez and Carl Crawford got the day off, Mark Ellis and Don Mattingly got ejected for arguing a called third strike, and Hyun-Jin Ryu gave up 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings.

It didn't matter.  The Dodgers once again made the big plays to win... and the Cubs are just really, really bad.  Doesn't hurt.

The Dodgers haven't won this many consecutive road games since they were the 1924 Brooklyn Robins.  As Mark Saxon of the Dodgers Report points out, the farthest they ever had to travel was from New York to St. Louis.  (Although, in a funny side note, Saxon also points out that they did have to travel by train!)

Let's breakdown just how impressive this streak has been, taking a look at how well they've played on both sides of the field.  First, a look at the scores during this streak.

July 7: 4-1 over Giants
July 8-10: 6-1, 6-1, 7-5 (14 inn.) over Diamondbacks
July 19-21: 3-2, 3-1 (10 inn.), 9-2 over Nationals
July 22-24: 14-5, 10-9, 8-3 (10 inn.) over Blue Jays
August 1-2: 6-4, 6-2 over Cubs

Offense:
148-438 (.306 AVG), 29 2B, 1 3B, 12 HR
Per Game: 12.3 H, 2.4 2B, 1 HR

Pitching:
115 IP, 36 ER (2.82 ERA), 93 K, 31 BB
Per Game: 9.6 IP, 3 ER, 7.8 K, 2.6 BB

As you can see, the Dodgers have had to win in different ways, from blowouts to close game to extra-inning games.  But the bottom line is that they've gotten consistency on both sides of the field, with a .306 average and 2.82 ERA.  They've taken care of it all.

The thing that sticks out to me the most is on offense, where the average is certainly high, but it's not like they're pounding out the big hits.  We're not looking at the Red Sox or Tigers here, who seemingly hit for power in every inning.  The Dodgers average about 3.5 extra-base hits a game, which isn't bad, but nothing that blows you away.

What does that mean?  It means that in order to win and keep winning, they've done the little things right: string singles together, move runners over, hit sacrifice flies, take walks, and steal some bases.  And then they toss in some big hits for good measure.  While guys like Ramirez and Yasiel Puig get the publicity, and rightfully so, let's not ignore guys like Juan Uribe, Mark Ellis, and A.J. Ellis.  They're a huge part of this run as well.

Saturday afternoon in Wrigley Field could be a historic day for the Dodgers as they look to set the franchise record for consecutive road wins at 13.  Chris Capuano will take on Jeff Samardzija.

Winning baseball, by any means necessary

Is this fun or what?

After another thrilling, come-from-behind victory on Wednesday night, the Dodgers are now 1 1/2 games in front of the Diamondbacks for first in the NL West.  A month ago today?  Try dead last and seven games back.

Yes, life has been that good.

The streak is now at six straight after the All-Star break, which have all come on the road in Washington and Toronto.  How have they done it?  Let's take a look, game-by-game:

July 19, 3-2 over Nationals: Andre Ethier hit a game-winning solo homer in the ninth.
July 20, 3-1 (10 innings) over Nationals: Hanley Ramirez hit an RBI double and Ethier a sac-fly RBI in extra innings.
July 21, 9-2 over Nationals: Matt Kemp returned from the DL to collect three hits with a homer (then exited with a twisted ankle that eventually put him back on the DL), Ramirez hit a three-run shot, and Clayton Kershaw cruised.
July 22, 14-5 over Blue Jays: A.J. Ellis had five RBIs, Skip Schumaker three, and the Dodgers set a season-high with 14 runs.
July 23, 10-9 over Blue Jays: Down 8-3 going into the eighth, Adrian Gonzalez hit a three-run bomb, and Ethier added an insurance run with a solo shot.
July 24, 8-3 (10 innings) over Blue Jays: Down to their last strike, Ethier blooped a single into center, which was misplayed by Colby Rasmus to allow Yasiel Puig to score from first.  Five runs were scored in the 10th on a two-run shot by Mark Ellis, a solo shot by Puig, and a two-run double by Ethier.

As you can see, it's been a collection of one clutch play after another.  They've had games where the offense scores early and often, games where they needed to comeback to force extras, and games where they got a little bit of luck to win as well.  Like the title says, it's been by any means necessary.

Perhaps even more exciting is that they're still not fully healthy, as Kemp is back on the DL after playing in one whopping game.  Who knows how long he'll be gone, but the luxury is that they can afford to take their time with so many other guys contributing.

The other bright spot is that Puig really struggled through the Nationals' series, but is starting to get things going again against the Blue Jays.  For awhile it seemed like all the Dodgers had going for them on offense was Puig, but that has certainly changed.  They've won without him doing much at the plate, and now that he has five hits in the last two games, they're even more dangerous.

At some point they'll regress a bit, as it's only natural for the ball to bounce the other way.  But even with that in mind, what they'll still have going for them is four solid starters on the mound and an offense that can score in bunches. 

And that, along with a good bit of HEALTH (something that's never a guarantee), will carry the Dodgers forward in the stretch run.

Dodgers keep rolling along by sweeping Nationals

For the first time all season, Don Mattingly etched out a lineup that included the names of Carl Crawford, Hanley Ramirez, and Matt Kemp.  They combined to go 8-for-13 with four runs, two doubles, two home runs, seven RBIs, and a stolen base.

Then Kemp limped off the field in the ninth with a sprained ankle, and despite the win, it put a damper on the afternoon.

Perhaps Kemp really will be OK, as Mattingly said he didn't anticipate him going back on the DL.  Of course, that's what was said last time... right before Kemp went back on the DL.

All of that aside, the Dodgers put it all together on Sunday, as a seven-run second inning was more than enough for Clayton Kershaw, as the Dodgers cruised, 9-2.  The Diamondbacks beat the Giants, so it wasn't all perfect, as the Dodgers are still a 1/2 game back.

Jordan Zimmerman made the start for the Nationals, and he was recently scratched from the All-Star Game with a sore neck.  Well, maybe he wasn't quite over it, because he was unmercifully hammered as a result of way too many hangers over the plate.  Basically, he lobbed it up there, and the Dodgers smashed it around.

After wasting a couple of men on in the first, the offense sent 11 men to the plate the next inning.  It all started on a solo shot by Kemp to make it 1-0.  The Ellis Bros. A.J. and Mark hit a single and double, respectively, and Kershaw's RBI groundout made it 2-0.  Crawford got in on the act with an RBI single, and it was starting to be a runaway.

Crawford stole second and Nick Punto took a walk, which led to a three-run shot from Ramirez, who continues to play like the best player in the league not named Miguel Cabrera.  Andre Ethier walked and scored from first on Kemp's double, his third RBI of the inning, and the Dodgers blew it open at 7-0.

Kershaw ended up tossing seven innings of two-hit ball, striking out nine and not walking a soul.  Those two hits were long bombs by Jayson Werth, who was about the only person to show up for the Nats.  The other two hits came off of Brandon League, who somehow pitched two scoreless innings in relief.  The guy seriously never pitches anymore, as that was only his fourth appearance this month.  Yikes.

The other two runs for the Dodgers came in the fourth.  Adrian Gonzalez and Ramirez each singled to put runners on the corners with one down.  Ethier scored one on a groundout, and Kemp the other with a single.

When you win 20 of 25 games, there obviously is no hotter team in the league than the Dodgers.  I can't imagine many teams, or heck, ANY team, wanting to play them right now.  A healthy lineup featuring Kemp, Ramirez, Crawford, Gonzalez, and Yasiel Puig is pretty scary.  I know I know... Kemp just hurt his ankle again and you would think might miss some time.  But when he is good to go, what a deep lineup that is.

Save for a defensive appearance in the ninth, Puig sat the game out, which was a good thing considering he's looking lost at the plate of late.  His numbers are still awesome, and a slump was expected at some point, so this really isn't surprising.  You can expect him to be right back in there with Kemp's ankle being tweaked.

Next up is a trip to Toronto for three.  Neither Kershaw or R.A. Dickey are scheduled to start in this series, which is a shame because it would have been fun to see those two face each other after finishing 1-2 in the NL Cy Young Award voting last year.  Hyun-Jin Ryu will start on Monday against Josh Johnson, who's been horrible this year.

Hanley's clutch hitting has Dodgers on brink of first

Where would the Dodgers be without Hanley Ramirez?  For starters, they wouldn't be a 1/2 game out of first in the NL West.

One night after hitting a two-run homer as part of a 3-2 win, Ramirez's RBI double in the 10th proved to be the game winner, as the Dodgers went on to win, 3-1.  The Diamondbacks fell to the Giants, so the Dodgers have a golden opportunity to put the heat on even more with Clayton Kershaw taking the mound on Sunday.

Friday night saw the Dodgers win a in a bit of rare way for them - with two homers.  They found themselves down 1-0 going into the third when Mark Ellis and Yasiel Puig each struck out to start.  Adrian Gonzalez hit what seemed like an innocent single to center, though that brought up the red hot Ramirez.  Sure enough, Ramirez hit a liner out to right that cleared the wall in what seemed like two seconds for the 2-1 lead.

The Nationals tied it up in the sixth on an Ian Desmond RBI single, and the 2-2 score stayed that way until the ninth.  Andre Ethier, Mr. Play Every Outfield Position Any Given Night, golfed a pitch at his feet over the wall in right off of Rafael Soriano for the 3-2 lead.  A perfect ninth by Kenley Jansen later, and it was a perfect post-All-Star break start for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers had to be feeling great about taking the road series after Friday's big win, considering they had Zack Greinke and Kershaw going on the weekend.  Greinke ran into trouble in the first, as the bases were loaded with one out.  Jayson Werth and Desmond each popped up, and nothing came of it.

Greinke wasn't exactly at his sharpest, as he gave up seven hits and three walks in six innings.  But, thanks to an anemic 1-for-12 with RISP, the Nationals only scored one run.  Basically, they looked like the Dodgers circa-early 2013.  Only Roger Bernadina's RBI single in the sixth could get the Nats on the board.

The Dodgers couldn't do anything against Gio Gonzalez, who struck out 11 in only six innings.  Thankfully he was pulled when Bernadina pinch-hit for him in the sixth, and the Dodgers got on the board to start the seventh.  Skip Schumaker hit for Greinke with two outs and doubled, leading to a soft RBI single to left by Mark Ellis to tie the game.

Continuing the theme of the night, the Nationals had two runners apiece reach in the eighth and ninth and do nothing with it.  Chris Withrow struck out Bryce Harper looking on a nasty breaking ball to put the game into extra innings.

With Craig Stammen in to pitch the 10th, Gonzalez greeted him with a double.  That's when Ramirez came through again, smashing an RBI double off the wall in center for the 2-1 lead.  An out later, Ethier's sac-fly to left scored Ramirez, and it was 3-1.  Jansen had his second straight perfect save, his 11th overall.

Want another reason for why the Dodgers have turned the corner?  Puig is 0-for-9 with five strikeouts these last two games.  He's cleary overswinging at... well, pretty much any pitch thrown near the plate.  Yet, the Dodgers keep winning.  Remember when Puig was on fire when he was first called up, but the Dodgers still couldn't win?  It's so refreshing to see them getting contributions from other guys now.  Talk about night and day!

Ramirez is hitting .390 with 8 homers and 25 RBIs in only 41 games.  He still doesn't qualify for the batting title (don't ask me what that magic number of at-bats is, I have no idea), but the leader in the NL is Yadier Molina at .336.  Obviously, the more Ramirez plays, the closer he'll get to "officially" be a league leader, and he certainly has the ability to do so.

I mentioned before how Kershaw goes on Sunday, which always gives the Dodgers an edge against whatever team they are facing.  The Nationals, on the other hand, counter with their own All-Star, Jordan Zimmerman, who's 12-4 with a 2.58 ERA and 0.97 WHIP.  Nationals' fans were already booing their team off the field on Saturday, so I can imagine it will be worse if Kershaw outduels Zimmerman for the sweep.

Over in San Francisco, Madison Bumgarner and his 3.02 ERA goes up against Randall Delgado.  The stars are aligning for the Dodgers to be in first by the end of Sunday.

Nationals roll right over the Dodgers

With the Nationals coming into Thursday night's ballgame sporting a magic number of one, you know they wanted to get the win themselves, and not back their way into the postseason.

And fortunately for them, they got to play the Dodgers. 

The Dodgers only got one run to continue their trend of futility, and the Nationals were able to easily dispose of them to get the win, 4-1.  While the Nationals are 5 1/2 in front of the Braves for the NL East crown, the Dodgers continue to tumble by falling three games in back of the Cardinals for the second Wild Card spot.

There's not much to report here after another frustrating night, but what the hell, here goes nothing.

Chris Capuano was put in charge of getting the Dodgers back on track, but in the third, the Nationals started their scoring.  Jayson Werth singled leading off, but a Bryce Harper grounder forced him at second for one down.  Ryan Zimmerman then hit an RBI double to make it 1-0.  Zimmerman advanced to third on a grounder and came in to score on a wild pitch.

Down 2-0, the Dodgers had the top of their order due up after going down in order the first time through.  Mark Ellis got into one leading off, as his solo shot to left made it 2-1.  Shane Victorino then struck out and Matt Kemp popped up.  Adrian Gonzalez singled, but of course Hanley Ramirez popped up for the final out.

Any thought of a comeback was quickly erased in the bottom of the inning.  Ian Desmond walked leading off.  Danny Espinosa then doubled him in to go up 3-1.  A sac-fly RBI by Kurt Suzuki later, and it was now 4-1.

When you look at a Dodgers' lineup of Victorino, Kemp, Gonzalez, Ramirez, and Andre Ethier, normally you'd think that an early three-run deficit isn't a big deal.  At least that's what you should think, right?

Wrong!

These current Dodgers couldn't string together a good inning if it was their sole job on Earth (which it kind of is if you think about it...).  From the fifth inning on, only Kemp and pinch-hitter Bobby Abreu singled, and that was it.  A whole lot of swings, and a whole lot of nothing.

A whole lot of nothing, kind of like what the Dodgers have shown the world this entire pitiful month of September.

Capuano had a couple of rough innings, and unfortunately, that's not nearly good enough to get a win these days.  He went only five innings for six hits, four runs (three earned), one walk, and three strikeouts.  Through June he was 9-3 with a 2.69 ERA.  Now he's 11-11 with a 3.65 ERA.  It hasn't been very pretty.

I guess the only positive is that the bullpen did a good job.  It didn't matter one bit with the offense sucking so bad again, but I digress.  Jamey Wright, Paco Rodriguez, Kenley Jansen, Randy Choate, and Shawn Tolleson pitched a nearly perfect final four innings, giving up only one hit and one walk.  It was especially good to see Jansen back in the mix.  Glad he's healthy and ready to go again.

Honestly, there's just not much I can even say anymore about these guys.  It's the same old story over and over.  The lineup looks like it should be lethal, yet it's strikeouts, pop ups, and weak grounders all game.  They still look like they're all trying to hit grand slams with nobody on base.  I'm stunned they haven't even considered changing their approach at the plate, but I guess that's just not gonna happen.

At only four games over .500, not only are the Dodgers dangerously close to being left in the dust for the postseason, but they might not even finish with a winning record anymore.  At this rate, it wouldn't even surprise me.  Like Don Mattingly admitted after the game, the season is definitely slipping away.

And lucky them, they get to go to Cincinnati for three starting Friday.  The Reds' magic number for the NL Central is down to two, so beating the Dodgers will get them a pass into the Division Series.  Joe Blanton and his sparkling 4.97 ERA takes on Bronson Arroyo.

A disputed run, a collapse, and a home run

What do all of these things have in common?

It all led to the Dodgers earning a split with the Nationals on Wednesday.  After lifelessly dropping the afternoon game 4-1, the Dodgers built up a comfortable 6-0 lead in the nightcap.

Then the Nationals broke through for six in the eighth, and the Dodgers looked dangerously close to getting swept.  It's a good thing Matt Kemp flexed his muscle and hit the game-winning homer in the ninth to get the win, 7-6.

As for the disputed run?  Just wait, we'll get to that.

The first game was more of the same: good pitching, but horrible offense.  With the Nationals up 1-0 in the third, Andre Ethier and Kemp both singled with one out.  Adrian Gonzalez stuck, but Hanley Ramirez's RBI single tied the game at 1-1.

The score remained that way until the fifth when Bryce Harper tripled leading off.  An RBI groundout by Ryan Zimmerman followed to make it 2-1.  An inning later, another RBI groundout from Tyler Moore gave the Nats a 3-1 lead, and the Dodgers would get no closer.

Of course, those 11 men they left on base didn't exactly help things, either.

The second game was a thing of beauty... for 7 1/2 innings anyway.  But the Dodgers were putting it all together for awhile.

Most of the damage was done in the third and fourth.  Mark Ellis got things started with one out in the third by singling.  Shane Victorino struck out for two down, but John Lannan walked both Kemp and Gonzalez to load the bases.  Ramirez ripped a two-run single, and Ethier followed with an RBI single to make it 3-0.

Matt Treanor got the start in the nightcap and singled leading off the fourth.  Josh Beckett sacrificed him over to second and Ellis grounded out.  Once again, the Nationals couldn't get out of the inning with two outs.  Lannan pegged Victorino to put runners on the corners.  Kemp's RBI single made it 4-0.

A single by Gonzalez loaded the bases, and also brought an end to Lannan's night.  Chien Meng Wang came in.  No, really, he still exists!  His first pitch bounced all the way to the backstop, allowing Victorino to make it 5-0.

Then came the "disputed" part of this game.  Ramirez grounded one to Zimmerman at third, who bobbled it a bit.  As he reached for it and was rolling over, he actually tagged Gonzalez out as he tried to advance.  That was the final out, but then Don Mattingly came out and argued that Kemp's run should count since it wasn't a forceout.  Technically, he's right.

But realistically, Kemp really wasn't even close to the plate when the tag was applied, something the umpires apparently didn't notice.  And despite a fuss from the Nats, the run did count, and it was 6-0.

With Beckett looking awesome on the mound, it looked like a moot point as the Dodgers entered the eighth up 6-0.  But wouldn't you know it, as if things haven't been bad enough for the Dodgers this month, Michael Morse led off with solo shot, Ian Desmond singled, and Steve Lombardozzi hit a two-run homer.  As fast as you can blink, it was now 6-3.  Even the sure-handed Gonzalez committed an error at first, which chased Beckett.

Randy Choate came in and was terrible.  Mark DeRosa singled, and Harper followed with an RBI single to make it 6-4.  Ronald Belisario tried to keep the now slim lead, but a two-run single by Morse that just found its way through the infield to tie the game.  Unbelievable.

I'm sure plenty of Dodger fans turned the game off at that point, as it went from slightly uncomfortable to just plain painful.  We can all rejoice that Kemp turned back the clock to April and hit an 0-2 pitch out to center to give the Dodgers a 7-6 lead.  Brandon League got his third save by retiring the Nats in order.

Wow, that was certainly a crazy game.  Yes, a win is a win, but it's hard to be excited over a team blowing a huge six-run cushion so late in the game.  And lo and behold, that "run" Kemp scored actually turned out to be the difference.  It just figures.

The Dodgers will gladly take the break, but they also know they lived up to their team name by dodging a major bullet.  They ended the night two games in back of the Cardinals in the Wild Card.  They should consider themselves lucky that it's just that.

With the Nationals' magic number to clinch a playoff berth down to one, they'll be looking to take Thursday's game at home.  As for the Dodgers, they need to take just about every game here on out.  Chris Capuano will take on Ross Detwiler.

Dodgers earn a sweep in battle of division leaders

In an April to remember, the Dodgers made another big statement.

James Loney's two-run single in the sixth held up the rest of the way, as the Dodgers beat the Nationals again, 2-0.  That's now three sweeps this young season for L.A., as they improved their record to an NL-best 16-6.

Much like the other two games in this series, there wasn't a big margin of error for each team.  In fact, the Dodgers won three straight by a combined score of only 9-5.  That's a normal game over in the American League.  In this league, that passes as an entire series.

The bats were silent through five innings.  Both teams really only had one scoring opportunity.  Ian Desmond doubled leading off the fourth, then advanced to third on a bunt.  A couple strikeouts later killed that threat.  Matt Treanor singled with an out in the fifth and also moved up on a bunt, but Tony Gwynn popped up with two down.

Then came the sixth, and the Dodgers finally broke through.  Gio Gonzalez was pitching beautifully up to this point, but was his own worst enemy here.  With one out, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and Juan Uribe all drew walks.  Loney came up in a big spot, and found himself in a 1-2 hole, but delivered with a clutch two-run single up the middle to make it 2-0. 

Like pretty much every other Dodger game this year, the last few innings were nail biters.  Chris Capuano was lifted two outs in the seventh and a runner on first.  Josh Lindblom has been money all year, and he got Jesus Flores to fly out.

Lindblom stayed on and got through the eighth with a couple of strikeouts.  Now Don Mattingly had another decision to make - should he stick with the suddenly ineffective Javy Guerra, or give Kenley Jansen a crack at it?

Jansen would be the answer, and he started off by walking Adam LaRoche on four straight.  After Xavier Nady got to a 2-0 count, Jansen mercifully settled down to strike him out.  Chad Tracy struck out pinch-hitting, then Bryce Harper drew a walk on a full count.  Flores struck out swinging to end the game.

Capuano was fantastic in this one, going 6 2/3 innings for three hits, no runs, two walks, and nine strikeouts.  He's gotten a little better with each start, thanks to a combination of pounding the inside part of the plate to righties, and off speed stuff.  He's now 2-1 with a 2.73 ERA and 1.21 WHIP.  I love the way he battles, and he's getting great results because of it.

Lindblom continues to turn heads, as he's gone from possible demotion to a major threat in close games.  He's given up only one run in 13 2/3 innings (0.66 ERA), and has 11 strikeouts.  Mattingly will ride him while he's hot, especially since Matt Guerrier and Todd Coffey are hurt, and Mike MacDougal is kind of all over the place.

It's good to see Loney be the one who got the game-winning hit, as he again is struggling to get going.  It seems like every time he looks like he's about to fall apart, he reminds you why he can be a good hitter.  Granted, he's only hitting .227, and has expressed frustration at being platooned with Juan Rivera.  There's really only one solution for him to play everyday, and it's simple: be a more consistent hitter.  The playing time will then take care of itself.

The Dodgers definitely made a statement with this sweep, as the Nationals have some really good starting pitching.  To be fair, it should be noted that they are a bit banged up with Ryan Zimmerman on the DL and Jayson Werth missing this game with a migraine.  Brad Lidge is hurt too, but he stinks anyway.  When they get their hitting even somewhat figured out, they're going to be a playoff contender.  If they don't, then they'll waste all of that good pitching.

Up next is a trip to Colorado for three starting on Monday.  Those games are always an adventure.  A win would get the Dodgers 11 games over .500 for month of April.  Even with a loss, it's still an incredible start.  Aaron Harang will take on Juan Nicasio.

Kemp's walk-off spoils Harper's debut

Bryce Harper showed why he is the player of the future with a double, RBI, and a cannon of an arm in the outfield.

Matt Kemp showed why is he the best player right now... and for years to come.

After the Dodgers scored two runs to tie the game in the ninth, Kemp blasted a solo shot leading off the 10th to get another win over the Nationals, 4-3.  The Dodgers are now the first to 15 wins in the National League.

This was a game that featured a little of everything, as Stephen Strasburg and Chad Billingsley matched each other pitch for pitch through most of the game.  In fact, both ended up with identical lines of seven innings, five hits, and one run.  Strasburg won the strikeout battle 9-6.

Adam LaRoche homered on Friday night for the Nats, and he did so once again to start the seventh.  His laser shot to right gave them a 1-0 lead.  With Ryan Zimmerman on the DL and very little power elsewhere, they'll need him to do much more of that going forward.

In the bottom of the frame, the Dodgers got it right back.  Jerry Hairston, Jr., who already made a terrific diving catch for a double play earlier in the game, was beaned leading off.  James Loney bounced one that Danny Espinosa booted to reach on the error.  Juan Uribe struck out, but A.J. Ellis plated a run with a single, thanks to Hairston gutting it out and knocking the ball away from catcher Wilson Ramos on the slide.

A bit lost in the Kemp hysteria at the end was another rough ninth inning from Javy Guerra.  Granted, it was Scott Elbert who made a bad 0-2 pitch to allow LaRoche to reach on a single leading off.  But, Guerra was brought in an out later to put out the fire, and once again he made it worse.  Espinosa singled and Harper's first career RBI made it 2-1.  Ramos hit an RBI single next to push it to 3-1.

Things weren't looking good for the Dodgers, as the bottom of their order was due up against the flame throwing Henry Rodriguez, who continually touched triple digits on the gun.  His own wildness, however, would be his undoing.

Mark Ellis singled leading off and went to second on a wild pitch.  Loney singled, and Uribe's ground rule double made it 3-2.  The other Ellis struck out for one down, and Adam Kennedy then pinch-hit in the pitcher's spot.  All he could do was bounce one to first, and for God knows what reason, Loney sprinted for home and was out by 12 miles.

Sure enough, another wild pitch to Dee Gordon allowed Uribe to sprint home to tie the game at three.  Gordon soon reached on a strikeout with a wild pitch, but Tony Gwynn's liner was gloved at first to send it into extras.

Jamey Wright did a wonderful job in getting the Nats in order to set the plate for Kemp.  On a 1-2 count against Tom Gorzelanny, Kemp deposited it over the wall in center, and that was all she wrote.

Kemp struggled at the plate for most of the game, as Strasburg struck him out twice.  He managed a walk and stolen base off of Tyler Clippard in the eighth, so perhaps that helped give him some momentum back.  Whatever the case, he swung the bat like the man he is to again save his best for last.  Amazing.

The Dodgers are now 8-3 in one-run games, which goes to show they are getting big hits at the right time.  They could've easily rolled over both when Strasburg was on the mound and after falling behind in the ninth, but they kept battling.  That's what's been so much fun about these guys so far this season.  They keep eyeballs glued to the TV set until the end.

As for Harper, he gave everyone a taste of just how good he's going to be, and fast.  He has incredible bat speed, a great arm, and is very fast.  It's hard not to like him.  Say what you want about his perceived arrogance, but he's going to be a star in no time.  Maybe the Dodgers should be thankful they at least got him out twice.

A sweep would be huge, and that's exactly what the Dodgers will go for on Sunday.  It'll be up to Chris Capuano, who will look to improve to 3-0.  He'll be opposed by another great, young starter for the Nats, Gio Gonzalez.

Kershaw goes 8 strong for win

The opening game of a matchup between the National League's two best teams went the Dodgers' way on Friday, as they were able to down the Nationals, 3-2.  Both teams now sport identical 14-6 records, just above the Braves and Cardinals at 13-7.

It's no surprise to anyone who follows the Dodgers that a big part of their win came from doing damage in the first inning.  With two outs, Matt Kemp hit a sharp single into left.  Andre Ethier had four homers at this point, but none against lefties.  That changed, as he took southpaw Ross Detwiler deep for a two-run blast, and it was 2-0.  The runs also gave the Dodgers a 21-5 advantage in the opening frame this year.

With Clayton Kershaw cruising, the Dodgers tacked on an extra run in the fourth that would eventually pay off big time.  As Vin Scully described so well at the end of the game, "the left hook and right cross" of Kemp and Ethier started it with singles.  Jerry Hairston, Jr. sacrificed them over to scoring position, but James Loney grounded out for two down.  Juan Uribe was just able to beat out an infield single for the RBI and 3-0 lead.

Somehow Kershaw worked around two straight errors in the fifth by Dee Gordon and Loney on routine grounders that were thrown away.  In the sixth, however, he wouldn't be as lucky.  Jayson Werth walked leading off.  Adam LaRoche then took a bad 0-2 breaking ball that stayed up out to right field for a two-run homer, and it was now 3-2.

The Dodgers had chances in the seventh and eighth to get more runs, but came away with nothing instead.  In the seventh, Kemp found himself up with Kershaw on third and Ellis on second with two outs, but grounded out.  The next inning, Uribe ripped a double to right in which pinch-runner Tony Gwynn tried to score on, but was denied by a blocked plate and was called out.

Kershaw got through the heart of the order and finished with 113 pitches in the eighth, and once again, the Dodgers found themselves in a save situation.  Javy Guerra got the night off, probably for a combination of mental (two straight loses) and physical (liner off the face) rest. 

So, Kenley Jansen was given the shot, and came within inches of blowing it himself when Danny Espinosa just missed a homer to right.  After two straight liners to Kemp in center and a beaning to Chad Tracy, Jesus Flores struck out to end the game.  It was Jansen's first save of the season to go along with five holds.

The Nationals just lost Ryan Zimmerman to the DL with a bad right shoulder, so they're not going into this series with all of their ammo.  Still, they're no longer a pushover by any means, as their starting pitching has been incredible so far.  It's a good test for the Dodgers just like the Braves series, so a win is always a good thing.

Kershaw put up his usual awesome numbers, even on a night he wasn't quite as sharp as he could be.  He lasted eight innings for three hits, two runs, one walk, and six strikeouts.  The homer by LaRoche was obviously his biggest blow, but he shut 'em down the rest of the way.  He improved to 2-0 with a 1.78 ERA and 0.89 WHIP.

Four of the Dodgers' seven hits came from the "left hook and right cross" combo, not that anyone should be surprised by that.  Uribe had two himself.  The funny thing is, he actually has five multi-hit games this season, good for a .275 average.  Considering he was hitting .211 as recently as April 22, we'll all take it.

Hopefully Guerra is able to come back soon, as he's still the closer according to Don Mattingly.  Jansen got the job done on this night to his credit.  Still, and I know this will seem picky, but he worries me a bit.  He's a power pitcher, which works quite often.  But I can't help but think he's one fastball down the middle away from giving up a big run.  He needs to keep developing his cutter and slider so he's not relying on just the pure heat so much.

Another guy who's worrying me is Gordon, who went 0-for-4 and committed his sixth error already.  He's young, he's got blazing speed, and is just an electric player when he's clicking.  Right now he's not, as his average has dipped to .224 with only five walks all season.  I have to wonder if he'll be dropped in the order soon, maybe just temporarily.  He's definitely pressing now and he's having some bad at-bats because of it.

Those negative things aside, the Dodgers have won 14 of the first 20, which is just awesome considering nobody thought they'd come close to winning the division.  So far they are showing that their hot end to last season has carried over, and maybe, just maybe, they actually are a good team and aren't just getting lucky over and over.  We'll see if the "baseball experts" agree or not.

Saturday night will be a fun one in Dodger Stadium.  Chad Billingsley will take on young stud Stephen Strasburg.  But what's being talked about even more is the Major League debut of Bryce Harper, who replaced Zimmerman on the big club.  It would have been something else if Kershaw somehow got this start, but it wasn't meant to be.  Regardless, this will be a great game to watch for both sides.

Dodgers pounce on Storen to grab a win

*** UPDATE ***

Game 2 of the doubleheader has been rained out. The Dodgers will now travel to San Francisco as Clayton Kershaw takes on Tim Lincecum on Friday night.

***

Faced with a 4-4 tie going into the ninth inning and facing Nationals' closer Drew Storen, the Dodgers would probably be happy just going to extra innings.

Eight batters and three runs later, the Dodgers continued their late-season surge.

Powered by a huge two-out, two-run double by Tony Gwynn, the Dodgers took the first game of a doubleheader in Washington, 7-4. And with the win, the Dodgers creep even closer to the .500 mark at 70-72.

Early on, the Dodgers looked like they would run away with this one, as they built a 4-0 lead against Chien-Ming Wang. It started in the first on a single by Dee Gordon, who went 4-for-5. James Loney followed with a ground rule double to left. Matt Kemp grounded one sharply to Ryan Zimmerman at third, who then fired home to get Gordon out in a rundown. No matter, as Juan Rivera's two-run double made it 2-0.

Chad Billingsley got through the first easily, then ran into trouble in the second by walking the bases loaded. Thankfully it was Wang up with two down, and he struck out.

The Dodgers scored again in the third, and it was practically a carbon copy of the first. Gordon singled, Loney singled, and Kemp again grounded to third in which Zimmerman gunned down Gordon at home. And once again, Rivera smacked a two-run double, making it 4-0.

That lead would not last long, as Billingsley completely unraveled in the bottom of the third. It all started with a leadoff single by Ian Desmond. An out later, Zimmerman's RBI double made it 4-1. Michael Morse also got an RBI on a double to slash the lead in half. Jayson Werth tied it up on a two-run homer, and we had a brand new game.

Josh Lindblom was summoned already to bail the Dodgers out, and he did just that by getting the last two outs in order to keep the score as is.

Nothing happened over the next five innings, as both bullpens seemed to find their groove. That was until the ninth when Storen came in and the Dodgers seemed to wake up again. Aaron Miles popped up to start, then Jerry Sands was beaned. Rod Barajas singled, but Trent Oeltjen struck out for two down.

From there, the Dodgers turned it on, as Gwynn's two-run double made it 6-4. After he stole third, he scored on Gordon's RBI single up the middle for a 7-4 lead.

That was all Javy Guerra needed, as he shut the Nationals down without any problems to collect his 16th save.

Before getting to the good stuff, I've got to start with another disappointing, and quite frankly, lously, start from Billingsley. For the whatever amount of times, he was given a comfortable lead, and gave it all right back. He lasted only 2 1/3 innings for five hits, four runs, three walks, and two strikeouts. He's lucky it wasn't worse considering he walked the bases loaded in the second.

With a 4.30 ERA and 1.47 WHIP, he continues to fall further and further down the rotation. Forget about him being a #2 guy behind Clayton Kershaw, he looks more like a #4 guy until he proves otherwise. Maybe he's hurt, maybe it's all mental... call it what you want, but he's about as unreliable as you can get.

What was reliable was the phenomenal job by the bullpen. It started with Linblom pitching 2 1/3 innings of scoreless ball. Hong-Chih Kuo walked the only batter he faced, but Matt Guerrier picked him up by getting the next four outs. The last three innings were controlled by scoreless innings each from Kenley Jansen, Mike MacDougal, and Guerra.

Add it all up, and that's 6 2/3 no-hit innings, with only three walks and six strikeouts. On a day where Billingsley stunk it up (again), that performance couldn't have come at a better time. That's more like the 'pen we expected all season long.

The offense picked it up early and late, and they were led at the top by Gordon. Boy is he showing what kind of threat he can be with his legs. I'm already looking forward to seeing what a full season out of him will look like. Rivera and Loney also had big days with two hits each.

The next game was supposed to start about 30 minutes after the end of the first, but as I write this, it's raining and neither Dana Eveland or Ross Detwiler have started warming up. So, it remains to be seen if they'll get it in. Regardless, it's off to San Francisco for three on Friday as the long road trip concludes.

Smooth sailing... once Strasburg left

For the opening five innings of Tuesday night's ballgame in Washington, the Dodgers could not have looked much worse against Steven Strasburg.

Then Strasburg was lifted, and the Dodgers took over late.

Despite being completely shut down by the returning Strasburg for half of the game, the Dodgers went to work against the Nationals' bullpen and came back for the win, 7-3. The win gets them back to three games under .500.

Dee Gordon started the game positively by using his blazing speed for a double to center. James Loney, Matt Kemp, and Juan Rivera all couldn't reach, and the Dodgers wouldn't get much else going against Strasburg.

The veteran Ted Lilly opposed the phenom, and he allowed the bases to be loaded on a walk to Jayson Werth, a single by Ryan Zimmerman, and a walk to Jonny Gomes. Danny Espinosa then struck out to end the inning on a nasty breaking ball.

After the Dodgers went down in order in the second, the Nationals did some damage. Chris Marrero led off with a double and scored on Wilson Ramos's double to make it 1-0. Strasburg then laid down the sacrifice, but Lilly threw it away to allow Ramos to score. Following a single by Ian Desmond, Werth's grounder to short got another run in, and it was 3-0.

All the Dodgers could do in the next three innings was a single by Rivera. Strasburg was lifted after five innings and 56 pitches, giving up only two hits, no walks, and striking out four. National fans have waited awhile to see him, and I'd say he more than delivered.

Of course, there were still a few innings left to play, and the Nationals suddenly remembered they were the Nationals. With Doug Slaten now in, Jamey Carroll and Gordon singled to start. James Loney struck out for the first out. Brad Peacock then entered to pitch to Kemp, and Kemp hit one to short that took a strange hop, allowing Carroll to score and make it 3-1.

The Dodgers weren't done there, as Rivera walked to load the bases. Andre Ethier had a big night, and it started here with a two-run single to tie the game at 3-3. Aaron Miles kept the inning going with a single to load the bases, but Rod Barajas grounded into a double play.

Matt Guerrier got through the bottom of the sixth unharmed. With two outs in the seventh, Gordon singled, which also brought about a rain delay. About 30 minutes later, he stole second but was stranded on Loney's strikeout.

In the eighth, the Dodgers took the lead for good. Rivera singled with one out against Henry Rodriguez. Tony Gwynn pinch-ran for him and stole second. Ethier grounded one to short in which Gwynn was nailed trying to get to third. Miles kept the inning going with a single, and Barajas stroked a two-run double to make it 5-3.

A couple of insurance runs were added in the ninth. It all started with a two-out double by Loney. Kemp worked a 3-0 count before given an intentional pass. Gwynn walked, and just like that the bases were again full. Ethier again delivered in a big spot with a two-run double to make it 7-3. Gwynn was thrown out at home trying to score on the hit.

Javy Guerra came on in the non-save situation and was shaky to start. Rick Ankiel found some luck with an infield single, and Desmond walked. Werth struck out, but Ryan Zimmerman walked to load 'em up. Guerra wiggled out of trouble by striking out Michael Morse and getting Corey Brown to fly to left.

This was the ultimate tail of two games, as Strasburg really made them look pretty silly during his five innings. Take him out of the picture, and the Dodgers put 14 men on base in the final four innings. Compare that to two in the first five innings... well, you get the point. I think it's safe to say the Dodgers woke up once that dude was gone.

Four men had multiple hits, led by Gordon's three-hit night. He also stole his 16th base in 19 tries, and he's only played in 36 games. Ethier made his two hits count with four RBIs. It was a good bounce back game after going 0-for-4 against the Braves on Sunday.

Lilly really only had one bad inning in the third, which was made worse by his error. He went five innings for four hits, three runs (two earned), three walks, and two strikeouts. The bullpen of Guerrier, Hong-Chih Kuo, Kenley Jansen, Mike MacDougal, and Guerra went the other four innings without allowing a run, with only two hits and eight strikeouts. A job very well done.

I would preview Wednesday's game, but it's already been postponed due to rain. Instead, both teams will play a doubleheader on Thursday. Dana Eveland will go first, followed by Chad Billingsley.

Bad start spells doom for Kuroda

All season long, the Dodgers' starting staff has done an excellent job of not allowing any runs in the first inning.

Today was not one of those days.

Matt Kemp gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead, but three home runs for the Nationals later, the score became 4-1. The Dodgers didn't have a comeback in them, as they fell easily, 7-2. It's the second straight loss after winning 11 of the previous 12.

One day after dropping a game in the bottom of the ninth against the Braves, Kemp looked to get the Dodgers right back on track in the first. Jamey Carroll doubled with one down, which led to Kemp's 106th RBI of the season on a double to left. He's still neck and neck with Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard for first in the National League. It changes by the day.

The Nationals got that run right back from an unlikely source, as Ian Desmond led off with his seventh homer. Things didn't get any better for Kuroda, as Rick Ankiel singed next, and Michael Morse smacked a two-run shot to make it 3-1. Jayson Werth then got in on the fun with the third homer of the inning, and the Nationals held a 4-1 lead.

Kuroda settled down from there, but the offense couldn't do a lick against John Lannan. They did put two men on to start the fourth as Juan Rivera walked and Aaron Miles singled. Russ Mitchell was recently called back up to the bigs, but he grounded into a double play, and Tony Gwynn grounded out.

In the sixth, the Dodgers again wasted two men on base. Rivera singled with one out, which chased Lannan from the game. In came Collin Balester, who got Miles to fly out, but James Loney pinch-hit for Mitchell and singled. Tom Gorzelanny was then summoned and got Gwynn swinging to end the threat.

Morse once again was a thorn in Kuroda's side with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the sixth. It was his 26th of the season and made it 5-1.

From there, the Nationals kept tacking on a run in their last couple of at-bats. In the seventh, Desmond singled and scored on Ankiel's RBI double. The following inning, an error by Miles allowed Werth to reach. Ramon Troncoso got the next two outs, but Wilson Ramos made the Dodgers pay with an RBI single, and it was 7-1.

With the game already in the fridge, the Dodgers at least got one more run out of it. In the ninth, A.J. Ellis doubled with two outs. Justin Sellers got him in on an RBI double to make it 7-2. Dee Gordon grounded to short to put an end to it.

It's too bad Kuroda was way off the mark in the first, because he cruised through the next five innings. But, giving up three homers in one inning is usually a recipe for disaster. In all, he lasted six innings for eight hits, five runs, no walks, and nine strikeouts. Take away the bad first, and he only gave up one run on three hits the rest of his day.

The offense did a pretty good job in gathering nine hits, but they left eight men on base. The funny part is that they actually had four doubles, yet still struggled to push more across the plate. Like many other loses, a big part of it was not getting key hits with two outs. Four of those men left were in scoring position with two outs.

Still, it's hard to blame the Dodgers if they have tired legs. After playing 13 straight days in mid-August before getting a day off, they're now in the midst of 24 games in 24 days. Right now they have a great record of 8-3. With 13 more games to go, you can expect to see Don Mattingly taking full advantage of September callups to give guys some needed rest.

Tuesday's game should be fun, as Stephen Strasburg makes his comeback from Tommy John surgery to make the start, a little over one year after going down. I'm not sure the Dodgers' hitters will agree that it's fun, but this should be great to watch. Ted Lilly will go for the Dodgers looking to get his 10th win.

Billingsley flips the switch as Dodgers win

Chad Billingsley needed 31 pitches to record his first out on Sunday. The previous four hitters reached base, and it was 1-0 Nationals with the bases loaded before you could even settle into your seat.

In what was sure looking like a long afternoon, Billingsley struck out the side, and then never looked back. Seven dominant innings led the way as the Dodgers won the rubber match, 3-1. It's their first series win since sweeping the Padres right before the All-Star break.

The first inning was wild all around. Roger Bernadina walked, Danny Espinosa was beaned, and consecutive singles by Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse made it 1-0. Just when you thought Billingsley was about get creamed, he struck out Jayson Werth, Rick Ankiel, and Jesus Flores to escape the huge jam.

The Dodgers made sure to get on the board right away and grab the lead. Rafael Furcal, Saturday night's hero with a walk-off double, singled into right with one out. Andre Ethier forced him out at second for the second out, but Matt Kemp kept the inning going with a single. Aaron Miles then singled home Ethier, and Kemp came around as well on some aggressive baserunning to make it 2-1.

With Billingsley completely locked in, the offense got another run in the third. Raffy again started it with a walk and a steal of second, only his fourth of the year. Kemp singled an out later, and Miles walked to load the bases. James Loney then grounded into what should have been an easy double play ball, but Ian Desmond's throw to first was way off, scoring Furcal and giving Loney an RBI for a 3-1 lead.

Billingsley didn't need anymore support, as he was simply electric from the moment he figured things out in the first. In innings 2-7, the only baserunner he allowed was a walk to Werth in the fourth. That, my friends, was it. He was lifted lifted in the eighth after 115 pitches for a final line of seven innings, two hits, one run, two walks, and 10 strikeouts. He improved to 9-8.

Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect eighth to continue his ascent. Since coming off the DL in mid-June, he has yet to allow a run. In fact, he's pitched 14 innings, given up only three hits, seven walks, and 22 strikeouts. It's gone mostly unnoticed since the Dodgers haven't been winning, but it's great to see him become the big arm in late innings his team needs.

The save went to Javy Guerra, another arm in the 'pen that continues to impress. He's now a perfect 7-7 in save situations with a 1.99 ERA. He struck out Werth to end the game.

Dodger fans haven't had a whole lot to be excited about this season, so we have to find reasons to get happy. The combination of Jansen and Guerra is a reason to be optimistic about the future. They both have the stuff to be a good duo to close out games. Two perfect innings today showed what they're capable of. I'm glad they're getting some chances to show they can pitch in tight games and be successful.

Billingsley continues to go up and down in his starts, but his ERA does stand at 3.92 after today's effort. He's definitely not an ace (thankfully Clayton Kershaw is), so the challenge for him is to be that #2 guy. Right now, I'd say he's more of a #3, but games like this show just how good he can be.

The Dodgers are still 13 1/2 in back of the NL West, so the playoffs are thrown out the window. What they can do instead is make life miserable for the teams who are battling it out for an October spot. They take on the Rockies and Diamondbacks next, and after a visit to the Padres, play the DBacks again and the Phillies. So, there's plenty of games in which they can play the old "spoiler" role. I know, not exactly what was envisioned back in April, but at least it's something.

The Rockies will be coming into town for three starting Monday. Rubby De La Rosa will get the start, and despite his ERA continuing to improve, he's on a personal four-game losing streak. He'll look to even things up at 4-4.

4 runs in the 1st? Yup, it happened

If you didn't watch Sunday's Dodger game and just saw the box score, you would probably think it was some sort of typo. Four runs in one inning? That just doesn't seem possible.

I'm here to let you know that yes, indeed, it really did happen.

Those four runs propelled the Dodgers the rest of the afternoon, as they put up a few more along the way to get the win over the Nationals, 8-3. The Dodgers took two of three from them, and remain seven games in back of the Padres in the NL West.

Scott Podsednik walked and stole second to get things going in the first. Ryan Theriot laid down a bunt, and he would be safe when Jason Marquis couldn't field it cleanly, as Podsednik scampered to third. Theriot then took off for second on a steal, and the ball bounced away to let Podsednik score.

Andre Ethier followed with a walk. James Loney hit an RBI single to make it 2-0. Matt Kemp chipped in by... striking out swinging. So I guess he didn't chip in. Not that I'm surprised. Ronnie Belliard grounded Loney out to second, but Belliard soon stole second. A two-run single by Jamey Carroll pushed the lead to 4-0.

The Nationals found some unlikely power to cut the lead in half in the second. Michael Morse and Justin Maxwell hit back-to-back solo shots to go down 4-2. Both now have 10 homers together for the season.

As unlikely as those homers were, something even rarer occurred in the fourth for the Dodgers. With Carroll on second from a double, A.J. Ellis hit an RBI double to make it 5-2. That's his second extra-base hit... of his career. Seriously. It's not like he's played a lot, but that's still a pretty shocking number. But hey, you have to start somewhere, right?

Ted Lilly gave one back in the fifth as Will Nieves doubled and soon scored on a sacrifice fly. Lilly lasted six innings and did pretty well with five hits, three runs, no walks, and six strikeouts. It's his second win in as many starts with the Dodgers since being traded from the Cubs.

In the sixth, it was the new guy Jay Gibbons who got in on the act. It started with Kemp striking out. OK, so I guess it didn't start with him then. Belliard and Carroll singled, and Ellis popped up for two down. In came Gibbons to hit for Lilly, and he bounced one to center for the RBI single and 6-3 advantage.

The final runs came in the eighth on a two-run single from pinch-hitter Reed Johnson.

The bullpen did a great job of keeping the Nationals grounded. Kenley Jansen had another scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Octavio Dotel equaled those numbers in the eighth. Ramon Troncoso tried to finish it out, but only got two outs before Hong-Chih Kuo got Kevin Mench to pop up to Ellis to end the game.

In addition to scoring the early runs, another major key to winning was holding Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn in check. Both went 0-for-4, and Dunn had three strikeouts. That lineup doesn't stand much of a chance if those guys don't get on.

Beating the Nationals is nothing to get excited about. Good teams should win at least two of three from them. It was still good to see the Dodgers take both weekend games after getting beat on Friday. Nothing heroic or anything, but still positive wins.

Coming up is a week that could very well make or break the Dodgers. They play three in Philadelphia starting Tuesday, then four more in Atlanta on Friday. Their combined record? 126-96. Oh joy.

The good news is that the Dodgers avoid Roy Halladay, who pitched against the Mets today. Vicente Padilla has been fantastic lately, and he'll go on Tuesday.

Loney's single wins it in 10

The Dodgers got a much-needed clutch hit on Saturday, as James Loney's bases loaded single in the 10th inning gave them the win over the Nationals, 3-2. With the Padres losing, the Dodgers are now seven games back in the NL West.

Judging by the first inning, you would think the Dodgers would have rolled over and played dead yet again. With Hiroki Kuroda on the mound, Roger Bernadina walked leading off. Iam Desmond followed with a foul out to first. Ryan Zimmerman then stepped up and took a low pitch out to center for the quick 2-0 lead.

The Dodgers responded by going down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame. A long night at Dodger Stadium looked to be on tap.

Kuorda, however, wouldn't let that happen as he settled down quite nicely. He actually gave up a couple of singles to Pudge Rodriguez and Adam Kennedy in the second, but got the final two outs of the inning to prevent anymore damage.

With Kuroda now locked it, the Dodgers got on the board thanks to a very strange sequence in the fourth. Ryan Theriot hit a single with one out, something he's become quite good at. Andre Ethier followed with a double, and Loney walked to load the bases for Matt Kemp.

Kemp has certainly gone through his fair amount of struggles, but he lifted a long fly to right. Looking like it could be a grand slam, Michael Morse erased that thought with a nice catch above the wall. Theriot tagged and scored, making it 2-1. Kennedy got the ball on the cutoff and threw to first to try and get Loney sneaking off the bag too far.

The only problem was that nobody was covering first, so it went to the fence, allowing Ethier to score and tie the game at 2-2. It was dumb luck (and a dumb throw), but the Dodgers will take any sort of run they can get at this point.

The Dodgers had a chance to get more runs, but as has plagued them terribly lately, they couldn't deliver with men on. In the sixth, Loney hit a ground rule double to right with two outs. Kemp was given the intentional walk to get to Casey Blake, who drew a walk himself. Jamey Carroll grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning.

Kuroda checked out after the seventh, as he retired 17 men straight to end his night. Overall, he gave up three hits, two runs, one walk, and eight strikeouts. He didn't get the win, though he very much deserved it. It was good to see him battle back from a rough first inning.

Hong-Chih Kuo came on in the eighth, and had to wiggle out of some trouble. The bases got loaded with two outs on a single by Kevin Mench, a bunt single by Bernadina, and a walk to Zimmerman. Adam Dunn absolutely killed the Dodgers on Friday, but he popped up this time, all part of his 0-for-4 night.

Next up was Jonathan Broxton, who got a double play ball from Morse to easily get out of the ninth. After the Dodgers went down in order to put the game into extras, Blake's error let Alberto Gonzalez reach, and Broxton walked pinch-hitter Willie Harris get bring up Zimmerman. In a big spot, Broxton got Zimmerman swinging.

The Dodgers quickly went to work on Sean Burnett. Ronnie Belliard pinch-hit and walked, and Scott Podsednik singled for runners on the corners. Nationals skipper Jim Riggleman brought in five infielders to face Theriot, and it worked as he grounded out. Ethier was given the intentional pass to face Loney. Loney lined one just inside the right field line to end the game.

True, the Nationals are not a contender and not a very good team, even if they're not as awful as they used to be. But it doesn't matter how the Dodgers win or who they beat anymore - they need all the positive vibes they can get.

It's not like all of their offensive woes were solved, because they left nine men on and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. That one hit, however, was Loney's game-winning single. He hit cleanup against the righty Livan Hernandez and went 2-for-4 with a double and RBI. Not huge slugger numbers, but better than watching Kemp go 0-for-everything.

The goal for Sunday is to get the win to take two of three from this series. Their series record since the All-Star break is 1-4-1, with the lone win over the Mets. With a tough road schedule coming up next against the Phillies and Braves, the Dodgers need to win the winnable games.

Ted Lilly was brilliant in his first start with the Dodgers, and he'll look to repeat that performance today.

Dunn's bombs do in Dodgers

It's safe to say Clayton Kershaw won't be pitching anywhere near the strike zone the next time he faces Adam Dunn.

Dunn hit two three-run homers, accounting for all six Nationals' runs as they beat the Dodgers, 6-3. The Padres also lost, but the Giants won. But let's be honest, as long as the Dodgers keep losing, the amount of games back make no difference, so I'll skip that part. If you want to know, look it up yourself. I won't waste my time.

The first blow came in the first. With one out, Ian Desmond hit an infield single, and Ryan Zimmerman reached on a walk. Dunn then crushed one that just stayed inside the foul pole in right for a three-run shot, and it was 3-0.

Scott Podsednik tried to get things going for the Dodgers by laying down a great bunt to lead off. Ryan Theriot walked, and the Dodgers were in business.

I'd like to pause right here to give you a chance to guess what happened next. Did they A) Hit a home run? B) Get any other sort of hit? Or C) Fail to score any runs and end the inning with a double play?

These are the Dodgers, so of course it was C! Andre Ethier flied to center, and Matt Kemp grounded into a double play. Surprising? Nope. The Dodgers continually find ways to screw up when opportunity knocks.

Dunn was back at it again in the third. Desmond and Zimmerman flopped roles this time, as Desmond walked and Zimmerman singled with nobody out. Dunn then knocked one square off of the foul pole in right, and it was 6-0 just like that.

The only time the Dodgers looked even somewhat in this game was in the fourth. Theriot has been a singles machine, and he got another one leading off. Ethier then hit his 18th homer of the season, a two-run job to make it 6-2. Now with one out, James Loney walked and took second on a passed ball. Casey Blake's RBI single made it 6-3.

The rest of the night the Dodgers managed only one hit. One. Measly. Hit. That came from Theriot in the fifth, another single. Maybe he should hit cleanup. Seriously, better than watching Kemp go through the motions of another horrible at-bat. I'll take singles over nothing.

Kershaw will have better days, as he couldn't hold Dunn down if his life depended on it. To his defense, Dunn is in the middle of a hot streak, so he shouldn't feel too bad. He's just the latest pitcher to be victimized. On the night, he went six innings for seven hits, six run, two walks, and nine strikeouts.

Kenley Jansen pitched the seventh and survived a couple walks for a scoreless inning. Ramon Troncoso pitched the eighth well, then got into a little trouble in the ninth by letting two reach with two outs. George Sherrill struck out Adam Kennedy with a nice breaking ball to end the inning.

That makes three straight good appearances by Sherrill. Dare I say that means he's back to being a good reliever? No I wouldn't, because I'd be an idiot if I did.

New Nationals closer Drew Storen worked the ninth for his first save. He faced the bottom part of the order. Not that it matters. Top, middle, or bottom, it all looks the same: terrible.

John Lannan has been so bad this year that he was sent down to Triple-A at one point. How poorly did the Dodgers do against him? Let's put it this way - his ERA after this game stands at 5.44. Way to make a horrible pitcher look like Cy Young, offense.

There's not a whole lot to say about the Dodgers at this point that hasn't been spoken (or yelled, or cursed) in recent weeks. If the pitching isn't top notch, they won't win. It's not like the offense will bail them out. They just don't nearly have enough punch to get it done. And that's reality with this bunch.

Hiroki Kuroda will look to reverse a poor start against the Padres last time out by going to the hill on Saturday. He'll be opposed by 97-year-old Livan Hernandez, who's actually enjoying a great season with a 3.12 ERA. He's probably licking his chops right now.

Billingsley rebounds, but Dodgers lose a close one

Chad Billingsley finally stepped up and pitched the kind of game people have been waiting to see. After giving up a run in the first, he shut the Nationals down for the next five innings, striking out five along the way.

Too bad the offense didn't have his back.

The Dodgers didn't capitalize at all when men would reach base, and the Nationals held on for the narrow win, 1-0. With the loss, the Dodgers dropped two of three in Washington, and are now 2-4 on the current road trip.

On paper, this looked like anything but the pitcher's duel that it turned into. Billingsley and Scott Olsen each had horrible ERA's entering Sunday afternoon's game, and one would think that the bats would make plenty of noise.

During the first inning, both teams had plenty of chances to score. Russell Martin, Matt Kemp, and James Loney all singled to center with one down. Casey Blake came up, and he was coming off a two-homer game the day before. The good vibes didn't carry over to today, as he struck out. Ronnie Belliard popped out to center, and a big scoring chance was flushed down the drain.

Nyjer Morgan began things for the Nationals with a single. Adam Kennedy then took a walk, and Christian Guzman laid down a nice bunt to get them both over. Adam Dunn ripped one to Belliard, who had to make a diving catch just to get the out and only one run.

That would be it for the scoring on this day, as both pitchers did a nice job of keeping their team in the game. The Dodgers actually put a runner on in innings 4-7, but couldn't get the big hit. Andre Ethier had the day off, but pinch-hit in the seventh and grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Matt Capps came on once again for the Nationals to try and nail down the save. Loney led off with a double, and the Dodgers were in business. But, like every other inning, they failed to get anything done. Blake, Belliard, and Garret Anderson all recorded easy outs to end the game.

I'll look at the positive here, and it was definitely Billingsley. He came into this game with a 7.07 ERA, and left with a 5.40 ERA. He took the loss, but it wasn't his fault by any means. With Vicente Padilla hurt, the Dodgers really needed Bills to get back on track, and he started to do that today.

While the offense was sizzling coming into this series, they only scored five runs in three games. Manny Ramirez did not appear in any of them, as he's on the 15-day DL. It's not hard to figure out just how valuable he is to the offense as a whole. Take his presence out of there, and opposing pitchers are more confident in getting the job done.

Next up is a three-game series in New York, rounding out the road trip. The Mets are an average team like the Dodgers are now, so it's an even matchup. Hiroki Kuroda will go in the first game against Oliver Perez.

Martin's single gives Dodgers the win in 13

Russell Martin's error led to the tying run in the eighth, but his RBI single in the 13th lifted the Dodgers over the Nationals, 4-3. Basically, it was the typical formula of the hitting outperforming the defense and bullpen to get the win.

It was a bit of a wild game with pretty good starting pitching, plenty of hits, and lots of baserunning blunders. Fortunately for the Dodgers, the Nationals seemed determined to screw up on the bases and give away outs.

Ian Desmond's one-out triple in the first was the game's first hit. He scored a batter later on an RBI groundout from Christian Guzman.

Casey Blake was involved in a lot of big plays today, and it all started for him in the second. James Loney singled with one down. Blake then hit a two-run homer, his second of the season, making it 2-1.

One of the big mistakes on the bases from the Nationals cost them in the sixth. The starting pitcher, Craig Stammen, hit an RBI single to tie the game at two. Nyjer Morgan then hit one over Xavier Paul's head in left, but got gunned out trying to get a triple out of it. Stammen didn't cross home plate in time, so it remained tied.

Blake continued his hot day at the plate with a solo shot in the seventh, his second of the day, making it 3-2. Once again, he's quietly putting together a good year with a .316 average, and great defense at third.

The game was then turned over to the bullpen, and you can probably guess that it would be an adventure one way or another. And it was. Hong-Chih Kuo and Ronald Belisario combined to hold the Nats scoreless in the seventh, but it wasn't easy. Rafael Furcal had an error, but the Nationals ran into an out when Desmond was tagged out at home.

Ramon Troncoso came in next inning, and gave up a single to Alberto Gonzalez with one out. Adam Kennedy forced him out with a fielder's choice for two down. Enter Jonathan Broxton, still only with one save. Well, Martin didn't make it easy, as his bad throw to second on Kennedy's steal allowed him to go to third.

Wouldn't you know it, the bad defense cost the Dodgers. Morgan singled to left, and Broxton suffered a blown save in knotting the game at three.

Matt Capps already has seven saves, and he was called upon to keep the game even. Singles by Loney and Blake put men in scoring position with two down, but Paul flew out to deep center to end it.

Fast forward to the 13th, and the Dodgers came through. With two outs, Raffy singled and stole second. That would be key, as Martin lined a single just ahead of Morgan in center to score the winning run.

Carlos Monasterios survived a very shaky bottom of the 13th for the win. Pudge Rodriguez singled and Morgan doubled with one down. Desmond then bounced one to Blake, and the throw home just barely got Pudge on a nice block and tag by Martin. Guzman flied out to Paul to end the game.

Yes, the Dodgers made it hard on themselves, but it doesn't matter. They just need wins while their bullpen settles in. Clayton Kershaw wasn't too sharp, going six innings for eight hits, two runs, three walks, and six strikeouts. But, the bottom line was only giving up two runs in six innings, which he'll take.

Give credit to both George Sherrill (yes, I did just say that) and Monasterios for their work in extra innings. Sherrill was perfect in 1 1/3 innings, and Monasterios went 2 2/3 scoreless for his first career win.

Sunday is a big start for Chad Billingsley. The Dodgers have all but lost patience with him, and he needs a good start to reassure everyone that he'll be OK. He currently has ERA of 7.07. It could be worse, though. The guy he's going against is Scott Olsen, and his is 11.74.