Hanley bolts for Beantown

The Hanley Ramirez era in Los Angeles is officially over.

Wanting a big money contract that the Dodgers were not willing to offer, Hanley has signed a four-year, $88 million deal with the Red Sox, going back to the original team he made his professional debut with in 2005.

For the Dodgers, it's an obvious blow to the offense, as it will be hard to replace the damage he can cause at the plate.

As for his defense and health?  Well, his departure equals an immediate upgrade, quite frankly.

This is no knock on Hanley, who came over to the Dodgers in 2012, then put together a fantastic 2013 campaign by hitting .345 with 20 homers and 57 RBIs.  Had he not been beaned in the ribs by the Cardinals' Joe Kelly in Game 1 of that season's NLCS, then it may have been the Dodgers who advanced to play the Red Sox in the World Series.

The problem?  He got those numbers in only 86 games, as the injury bug just never seemed to leave him.  This past season he played in 128 games, but his numbers dipped to .287/13/71.  His Defensive Wins Above Replacement (DWAR) also went down from 0.7 to -0.6.

Simply put, he's a much better fit for the American League at this point.  The Red Sox can keep his bat in the lineup at DH when he's banged up.  Well, that may be tough with David Ortiz there, but perhaps they would be more comfortable giving Big Papi more rest with a lefty on the mound.  Already, Hanley has been introduced as the team's new left fielder, which makes sense.

Ken Gurnick over at Dodgers.com takes a look at potential replacements for Hanley, albeit short-term ones.  Right now on the roster there's Justin Turner, Miguel Rojas, and Erisbel Arruebarrena, who are hardly considered the future.  The guy who gets that distinction is Corey Seager, who might not be quite ready for the everyday role yet.

There's also free agents such as Asdrubal Cabrera and Stephen Drew, and trade possibilities like Jimmy Rollins and Alexei Ramierz.  We shall see.

In the meantime, I truly believe Dodger fans should be grateful towards Hanley and all he brought to the table for a little over two seasons.  Yes, I know it was frustrating watching him miss so much time to injuries, and his defense left something to be desired of late.  But, when everything was clicking and he felt right, he was a lot of fun to watch.  The ball would jump off of his bat, which was a beautiful sight.

And THAT'S what I'll remember most about him.

Bats stay silent as Red Sox take 2 of 3

It took over two months for it happen, but it finally did.  And Jake Peavy made sure of it.

Peavy pitched a complete game, the Dodgers' bullpen was uncharacteristically bad, and the Red Sox won easily on Sunday Night Baseball, 8-1.  And with that, the Dodgers broke their 18-series unbeaten streak by losing both weekend games.  Hey, it had to happen sometime.

At least the Diamondbacks lost as well, so the lead in the NL West remains 9 1/2 games.

Coming into this possible World Series preview, the Dodgers knew they'd have somewhat of an uphill climb for a couple of reasons.  One, they had to go without Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, who've been practically untouchable of late.  Two, even with them, the Red Sox are really good.

Chris Capuano got the call in this one, and like Hyun-Jin Ryu on Saturday, ran into some trouble right away.  Shane Victorino, who apparently can hit again now that he's no longer a Dodger, doubled with one away.  Dustin Pedroia legged out an infield "single," though replays showed it was clearly a bad call.  Mike Napoli smacked an RBI ground rule double to center, and it was 1-0.

On Saturday, Ryu gave up four runs to effectively end the game in the first, and Capuano found himself in a similar mess when he intentionally walked Jonny Gomes to load the bases.  However, Capuano made a big pitch when he needed to, and Will Middlebrooks grounded into a double play to end the threat.

The Red Sox would tack on single runs in the third and fourth.  Jacoby Ellsbury did it the small ball way in the third, as he hit an infield single, stole second, went to third on a sacrifice, and scored on a sac-fly to center by Pedroia.  The next inning, a two-out double by Xander Bogaerts scored Middlebrooks, and it was 3-0.

The only offense the Dodgers could muster on the night was a solo bomb from Adrian Gonzalez with one out in the fourth.  He seriously creamed it at an estimated 433 feet.

Capuano was done after five, and then the Red Sox home run parade started.  First it was Jarrod Saltalamacchia with a two-out homer in the sixth off of Chris Withrow to make it 5-1.  Then Withrow gave up a solo shot to Victorino the next inning, and it was 6-1.

If you thought Gonzalez's homer was long earlier, then Napoli actually topped it with a 437-foot, two-run tater to left off of the awful Brandon League in the ninth.  I don't know which was worse - watching League suck up the joint again, or the $22.5 million that the Dodgers are completely wasting on him.  I guess both things go hand in hand.  Boy is he pathetic.

Fittingly, Peavy struck out his last batter to get the complete game, as Hanley Ramirez was the victim.

I think we should all thank Ricky Nolasco for his awesome performance on Friday, because without that, there's a great chance the Dodgers would have gotten swept.  All in all, they only managed five runs in three games, as their offense just never got going.

Don Mattingly tried to spark the bats by putting Yasiel Puig in the five-hole, putting Nick Punto behind Carl Crawford at the top, and benching Andre Ethier because of his poor stats against Peavy.  It didn't matter.  They had three hits and one walk the whole night.

This wasn't a bad performance by Capuano, but not a very good one either.  He lasted five innings for six hits, three runs, one walk, and three strikeouts.  Again, not bad, but could've been better.  But then again, that's about what to expect from him, as he truly is a #5 starter.

If these two teams meet again, which obviously would only happen in the World Series, then the Dodgers have to feel much better about their chances.  Not only will they get to use Kershaw and Greinke, but with Matt Kemp soon starting his rehab assignment, they'll get to add his power to the lineup.  Games like these last three are a great reminder that as good as the Dodgers have been, having an instant home run threat in the lineup makes them so much more dangerous.

The Dodgers will now welcome the Cubs for three starting on Monday.  The last time they met earlier in August, the Cubs did just about everything possible to beat themselves.  Greinke will take the hill in the first game.

Hanley's blast is all Nolasco needs

In a sparkling pitching duel between Ricky Nolasco and John Lackey, the game was decided on one swing from a Red Sox' original.

Hanley Ramirez's two-run homer to center proved to be the game-winning hit, as the Dodgers beat the Red Sox, 2-0.  It was the first meeting between the teams responsible for one of the biggest trades in baseball history about a year ago.  The win puts the Dodgers a whopping 10 1/2 games up in the NL West.

Yes, it was a good night.

The Dodgers had to wish they were able to run Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke out to the mound against their mighty American League counterparts.  But after those two combined to throw 16 innings of one-run ball against the Marlins, they'll have to wait until next week against the Cubs to pitch again.

Instead, Nolasco, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Chris Capuano all the got the calls to start instead.  Nolasco has certainly pitched well since coming over from the Marlins in early July, but I'm not sure people expected him to be as dominant as he was on Friday.

Good for the Dodgers, he was.  Led by a great fastball and a sharp breaking ball, he went eight innings for two hits, no runs, no walks, and six strikeouts, making him 5-1 with a 2.53 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with the Dodgers.  And that's just awesome.

Lackey was every bit as good, save for the big blow by Ramirez in the fourth.  Carl Crawford, who definitely has not hid his bitter feelings about his old team, singled leading off after Lackey retired the first nine in order.  Yasiel Puig popped up and Adrian Gonzalez flew out for two down.

Ramirez got the day off on Thursday, as Don Mattingly made a slick call in resting his star while Kershaw was on the mound.  It turned out to be the right thing to do, as Ramirez cranked a two-run shot just out of the reach of Shane Victorino in center, and it was 2-0.

The best chance for the Red Sox to score was in the fifth.  It started with one out as Daniel Nava was beaned on the foot.  Stephen Drew followed with a single.  Will Middlebrooks hit a hard grounder to third, but Juan Uribe fielded it cleanly, threw to second from his knee for one out, and Mark Ellis completed the double play.

Nolasco was flawless the next three innings, as he ended up retiring the final 10 batters faced.  In the ninth, Kenley Jansen got Mike Carp and Jacoby Ellsbury swinging, and Victorino popped to Ramirez at short for the last out, as Dodger Stadium was rocking.  It was Jansen's 22nd save.

I mentioned after Thursday's win how much fun it is to describe this recent run.  And guess what?  I'm about to do it again!  With the win, the Dodgers are now on a 46-10 run, 29-5 since the All-Star break, and 19-3 in August.  The team ERA this month is a ridiculous 1.86.  It's hard to imagine doing any better than that.

And now with the lead of 10 1/2 games in the NL West, the Dodgers have their first double-digit lead in the division since 1977 over the Reds.  Wow!

At some point (maybe now), the Dodgers can shift their attention away from the division and focus on home-field advantage.  In taking a look at that, the Braves hold a slim one-game lead over the Dodgers and Pirates for tops in the NL.  The Dodgers would get home field over the Pirates if the playoffs started today thanks to a 4-2 season series advantage.

There's still plenty of games to go, and the Dodgers will look to take another series with a win on Saturday.  Ryu will get the call against Jon Lester.  It's a FOX game, which means I have to suffer through the Mets and Tigers.  Ugh!  Vin Scully and Charlie Steiner on XM Radio, here I come.

Signed and sealed: Another new day in LA

Just when you thought the new Dodgers' ownership couldn't top themselves... think again.

The same team that has gone out and acquired Hanley Ramirez, Shane Victorino, Joe Blanton, Brandon League, and Randy Choate has taken their new philosophy of "spend, spend, spend" even further.  Coming over to LA from Boston are superstars Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Nick Punto.  OK, so technically Punto isn't a superstar, and Crawford and Beckett haven't been this year either, but you get the point.

Shuttling across the country to Boston are James Loney, Jerry Sands, Rubby De La Rosa, Ivan De Jesus, and top prospect Allen Webster.

The two major players in this deal for the Dodgers are obviously Gonzalez and Beckett.  In Gonzalez, the Dodgers are finally getting the cleanup hitter they've been looking for.  Now they can have Matt Kemp hit #3, Gonzalez #4, and flip-flop Hanley Ramirez and Andre Ethier in the #5-6 spots depending on the matchup.  That's pretty nasty, and a heck of a lot better than what they've had.

Gonzalez wasn't the same player in the first half of the season, as he hit .283 with only 6 homers and 45 RBIs.  But, in 37 games since the break, he's really found his stroke, hitting .338 with 9 homers and 41 RBIs.  That's the guy the Dodgers need in their order cleaning up the bases.

The arrival of Beckett is fantastic timing only because of the latest injury to Chad Billingsley.  It's the second time this year he's shown elbow inflammation, so who knows what kind of time he'll miss.  And when you're bringing in a guy who was a major player on two championship teams, that's a good thing.

There's no denying that Beckett has not enjoyed the 2012 season at all.  Right now he's 5-11 with a 5.23 ERA and 1.33 WHIP.  That's a heck of a lot different than last season (13-7, 2.89, 1.03).  And let's not forget about the drama that has hovered around him (chicken and beer, playing golf). 

There's also no denying that, much like Hanley Ramirez, he really needed a change of scenery, and he's got it.  Take a look at his postseason numbers: 14 games (13 starts), 7-3, 3.07 ERA, 0.94 WHIP.  You don't think the Dodgers are excited about that?  Here's a guy who won't be rattled to take the ball in October, and it shows.

It's hard to say too much about Crawford now, as he won't even be a factor this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery a couple days ago.  Here's what we do know: his time in Boston has been a disaster.  The Red Sox have to be ecstatic to simply rid themselves of his bloated contract, which was 7 years and $142 million back in 2010.  Last year he played in 130 games and hit .255, and this year played 31 and hit .288.  Not exactly the types of numbers they were expecting.

The Dodgers can now be patient with him as he recovers from surgery, as it typically takes anywhere from 6-9 months.  All things considered, he could be ready for Spring Training, or closer to the start of the season if all goes well.  And if he can find his groove that made him a superstar in Tampa, then the outfield of Crawford, Kemp, and Ethier is just awesome.  Time will tell, however.

Punto gives the Dodgers another guy off the bench, which was needed since Jerry Hairston, Jr. has been lost for the season with a hip injury, which completely sucks.  I'm sure Punto will get some playing time, as it's not like Juan Uribe should play over him.  Heck, a one-armed Crawford could switch positions to infield and still play better than Uribe.

Needless to say, it's a historic deal for the Dodgers, and no doubt once again jolts some life into a team that has fallen back a bit in the playoff push.  Now they have no excuses.  Management has added plenty of positive pieces, so it's time to get the job done.

Dodgers and Red Sox working on a MAJOR deal

Word has come Friday afternoon that the Dodgers and Red Sox are piecing together a blockbuster deal that involves some major players.

Accoring to ESPN Boston, the Dodgers are about to receive Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Nick Punto.  The Dodgers have been rumored to do anything from sending over players like Rubby De La Rosa, James Loney, Ivan De Jesus, and Jerry Sands, to simply taking on all of those contracts.  The Dodgers' part of the deal is still being worked out.

For the Dodgers, the deal means a HUGE upgrade at first (Gonzalez for Loney/Juan Rivera).  Plus, Beckett has plenty of big game experience, and could use a change of scenery to regain his fire, ala Hanley Ramirez.  And for the Sox, it's a great way to shed some mega contracts and somewhat start over.  It makes sense on both sides.

As we learned near the trade deadline with Ryan Dempster, let's not assume any trade is finalized until we get official word.  But if this does go down... whoa, baby!  This is a big day!

For updates on this, keep checking out MLBTradeRumors.com.

Dodgers swept in Boston

Manny Ramirez did his part. Hiroki Kuroda did too.

The rest? Not so much.

For the second straight interleague series, the Dodgers were swept in three games. The Red Sox scored only twice against Hiroki Kuroda, but it held up as they won, 2-0. The Padres won again, so their lead in the NL West is up to two games.

Clay Buchholtz started for the Red Sox, and he has been their best starter this year. Early on, though, the Dodgers put some pressure on him. Andre Ethier drew a walk with one out in the first. Manny singled up the middle for two on. James Loney battled and also walked to load the bases.

With one out, the Dodgers needed to at least get someone home. But, it didn't happen. Garret Anderson struck out and Casey Blake bounced feebly back to the pitcher. Three runners on and no runs.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the Dodgers' defense just handed the Sox a run in the first. Dustin Pedroia bounced one to Blake, and he botched it for a "single" (should've easily been an error, but hey, they were in Boston). Pedroia then stole second, Russell Martin threw the ball away, and Pedroia kept running when nobody covered third because of the shift on for David Ortiz.

If you're keeping track, Pedroia was basically handed three bases. Ortiz was put on intentionally, and Kevin Youkilis's RBI single made it 1-0. Kuroda wiggled out of trouble soon after to keep the score as is.

The Dodgers again put runners on in the second, but again got nothing out of it. With one out, Blake DeWitt singled and Jamey Carroll was beaned. Matt Kemp hit leadoff (more on that later) and lined into a double play. To his defense, he did put good wood on it, but had no luck.

In the third, the Sox got their other run, which would turn out to be the last scoring of the day. Marco Scutaro and Pedroia singled to start. A sac-fly RBI by Ortiz made it 2-0.

From the second inning on, the Dodgers looked helpless at the plate. They only got two more hits and generally looked like they didn't belong on the same field as a good American League team like the Sox.

The only other scoring opportunity was in the seventh. Anderson hit a ground rule double leading off. Two straight flyouts came next, with the latter allowing Anderson to tag to third. DeWitt was then beaned to put runners on the corners. In came Daniel Bard, who got Carroll to ground into a fielder's choice.

Kuroda had a great effort, not that he got any support from the bats or gloves. He finished with seven innings for six hits, two runs, one walk, and nine strikeouts. His off-speed stuff was really effective. He definitely settled into a groove as the game went on.

George Sherrill came on to start the eighth and immediately gave up a triple to Pedroia. The Dodgers were lucky he was stranded there. I continue to be amazed at just how bad Sherrill is right now.

Like I said before, Manny did his part. He was 2-for-3 with a walk. The rest of the lineup was just downright pathetic. Anderson and DeWitt were the only other ones with a hit. They left seven on and hit into two double plays.

I'm not one to question and/or criticize the great Joe Torre, mostly because... well, he's Joe Torre. But hitting Kemp in the leadoff spot has been a flop. I have no clue why a guy who's such a free swinger would hit first. He's now 2-for-13 for a .154 AVG leading off. Yes, it's not a big sample size, but good enough to show that he should never hit there again.

Not that Kemp's alone, because there's others that haven't pulled their weight as well. Ethier continues his freefall with another 0-fer (0-for-3 last night). Russell Martin was 0-for-4 and is hitting .253.

Kemp, Ethier, and Martin are the Dodgers' core and future. If they can't do better than that, you can forget about getting further in the postseason. Heck, you can forget about the playoffs, which is much harder to make than people realize. The Dodgers can't be a team where Manny is going to have to do everything to win. He's done much better lately, but he can no longer carry a team on his own.

Obviously, Rafael Furcal's absence has been felt, and everybody looks forward to his return from the awful news of his father passing away. Once he's back, the offense automatically gets a jumpstart. Until then, they need their other players to worry about base hits and not home runs and being a hero.

The Dodgers have a chance to reverse their recent poor play with another week of interleague play against tough AL teams. First up is three in Anaheim and then three back home against the Yankees. Those two teams have a combined record of 82-59.

We still have plenty of time left in the season, but in my mind, this is a very important week for the Dodgers. They simply cannot roll over and play dead like they have so far in interleague play. It's time to step up and show that they can be a threat against anyone.

The Dodgers will happily take an off day to try and regroup on Monday. Tuesday they'll play the Angels, as Clayton Kershaw takes the mound against Ervin Santana.

Manny shines, but Dodgers fall in Fenway

Manny Ramirez delivered the type of game he wanted against his old mates. It wasn't enough, however, as the Red Sox scrapped together a run in the ninth to win again, 5-4. The Dodgers remain a game back of the Padres in the NL West.

Vicente Padilla made his way back from being on the DL for two months to get the start. He got through the first three hitters in a good sign.

The Dodgers took an early lead in the second. Manny started it by singling to left off of Tim Wakefield. Amazingly, he then stole second as James Loney struck out. Of course, it helps when the opposing pitcher is throwing a knuckleball. Garret Anderson scored him with an RBI single.

The Sox got that run right back in the bottom of the frame. With Victor Martinez on second, Daniel Nava hit an RBI double to tie the game.

In the third, the Dodgers blew a golden opportunity to score. Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutaro both had errors throwing too high to first. Remember how I just said how it was easy to steal a base off a knuckleballer? Well, I guess it's not for Matt Kemp, who was easily gunned out trying to take second. That was pathetic. He now has 10 steals and 10 times caught stealing. Last year, he had 34 steals and eight caught.

With Kemp getting gunned down, Andre Ethier struck out to end the inning. Those are a couple of bad trends that we've seen way too much lately. Ethier's average has tumbled down to .323.

Martinez made his presence felt again in the fourth. Kevin Youkilis singled to lead off, and Martinez hit a two-run shot to give the Sox the lead, 3-1.

Both teams traded homers in the sixth. Manny connected on one over the Green Monster to cut the deficit to 3-2. No doubt that had to feel great for him. Actually, maybe it didn't, as he probably could care less about how the fans feel about him. Youkilis got that run back by hitting one himself.

The game became tied in the seventh, starting with Anderson's double. Blake DeWitt followed an out later with an RBI double, and it was 4-3. DeWitt went to third on Bill Hall's error, and Kemp's sac-fly RBI tied the game at 4-4.

Hong-Chih Kuo struck out David Ortiz with a couple men on to end the seventh. Kuo then struck out two more in the eighth to keep the game tied.

Anderson again singled to start the ninth off of Jonathan Papelbon. Three straight outs came next, though. Anderson went 3-for-4 in his best game as a Dodger. Maybe being in an American League stadium brought back good memories. He is a career .331 hitter at Fenway.

Ronald Belisario was called on to keep the game tied in the ninth. Hall singled leading off, but the next two hitters were retired. Scutaro then drew a walk to keep the inning alive.

Joe Torre then brought in Jonathan Broxton to get one big out. After getting two easy strikes on Dustin Pedroia, an RBI single to right ended the game.

Despite being handed four errors by some very shaky Sox' defense and stealing three bases, the Dodgers couldn't get the job done late in the game. They didn't get the kind of production up and down the lineup that it takes to beat a good team like the Sox. Manny and Anderson combined to go 5-for-8 with three runs, one homer, two RBIs, and one steal.

The rest of the lineup? 1-for-24. Yikes!

Padilla didn't have a great final line, but showed some good signs of being healthy again. He finished at 5 1/3 innings, five hits, four runs, one walk, and four strikeouts. Obviously, the two home runs hurt him. Still, it was good to see him back and have good movement on his pitches.

As for Broxton, it was pretty disappointing that he couldn't get Pedroia out in such a big spot. Broxton is still one of the best closers in the game no doubt. But, he needs to find a way to get that game into extra innings, especially with a two-strike count.

The Dodgers have a chance to get something out of this series on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. It's a good pitching matchup as Hiroki Kuroda takes on Clay Buchholtz. Kuroda's coming off two fantastic starts, and Buchholtz has nine wins and a 2.67 ERA. This should be a good one.

Manny's Fenway return ends with a K

Friday night was all about Manny Ramirez and his return to Boston. Would the fans cheer him? Would they boo him? How would he respond?

Well, the answers went like this: yes, yes, and he struck out to end the game.

The Dodgers battled back from a quick 3-0 hole, but a seven-run fifth was more than enough for the Red Sox to get the first game, 10-6. Manny ended up 1-for-5 with a single and run scored.

Carlos Monasterios was coming off his worst start as a Dodger against the Angels, and that seemed to carry over to start the game. With one out, Dustin Pedroia singled. David Ortiz then took a fat pitch over the plate way out to center, putting the Sox up 2-0. A solo shot by J.D. Drew (I still hate him) on a reviewed call made it 3-0.

Monasterios settled down a bit after that, and the Dodgers fought back in the third against Felix Doubront, who was making his first career start. Ronnie Belliard got the start at second and doubled to lead off. Reed Johnson then grounded to Kevin Youkilis at first, who then flipped to Doubront covering the bag, only for the ball to bounce off his glove and into the dugout, allowing Belliard to score.

Now with one out, Matt Kemp tripled to center to force home another run. An RBI groundout by Russell Martin tied the score at 3-3, and the Dodgers had new life. The Sox left the bases loaded in the bottom of the frame when Jason Varitek flied out to Andre Ethier.

The Dodgers threatened to take the lead in the fifth when Reed Johnson singled and Martin walked with two outs. Ethier struck out to end it, and that would be the start of his rough night.

It would also lead to the Sox pushing seven straight runs across the plate.

It was a pretty ugly fifth, as Monasterios allowed the first three men to reach. With two on, Ramon Troncoso came on. To put it bluntly, Troncoso was absolutely horrific. Five batters came up, and five batters reached base. Darnell McDonald singled home a run, another came in on Kemp's bobble in center, and Adrian Beltre crushed a two-run shot.

Six hits, two walks, one steal, one beaned batter, one wild pitch, one fielder's choice, and one sacrifice fly later, the Sox were up 10-3.

The Dodgers tried to somewhat battle back in the sixth. Manny got his only hit of the night with a single, and Casey Blake doubled both men into scoring position. James Loney hit a two-run single to cut the score to 10-5. Belliard walked, and the Dodgers looked to be in business.

But, Garret Anderson struck out (can't imagine that happening), Jamey Carroll did the same, and Kemp grounded into a fielder's choice for the third out.

Anderson homered to lead off the ninth, raising his average to a blistering .172. Fantastic! Kemp and Martin both singled, but Ethier and Manny couldn't drive them in as the game ended with Manny looking at a breaking ball for a called strike three.

Manny didn't have to endure heckling in the field as he was the DH, but even when he was hitting, it's not like the fans were totally against them. It honestly seemed like a 50/50 response. I expected more boos, but I'm glad I was wrong.

While Manny struggled, more concerning is Ethier's performance (or lack there of). He was hitless in five at-bats, and his average is now down to .330. He was at .392 when he went on the DL May 14. It's not like he was going to hit that high all year, but he's definitely not the same hitter he was at the start of the year. He's probably just pressing too much to make something happen.

The Dodgers need Ethier to get back into a groove. Ditto for Kemp, who's had a horrible June, though he did have a big triple tonight. If they are both taking too many strikeouts and unproductive at-bats, they're going to struggle to put runs on the board. It's that simple.

As for the pitching, Monasterios is now going through the same struggles that John Ely is facing. They're both young and inexperienced. They've both had peaks this season, now they're going through valleys. This is why Ned Colletti has talked about finding another starting pitcher. It only makes sense going forward.

Vicente Padilla will make his return from the DL on Saturday, and he'll be pitching in his first game since April 22. He'll go against Tim Wakefield, who's been throwing that knuckleball since Lincoln was president.