August 2008 Archives

You're not supposed to be happy at the end of a 2-8 road trip. But then, you're not supposed to beat Dan Haren and Brandon Webb, on their own turf no less, on back-to-back nights. Because the Dodgers did the latter, they are entitled to do the former. They are right back in this thing, folks, and if they have a good showing against the Snakes at home this coming weekend, it'll be time to buckle your seatbelts -- and maybe even to head down to BevMo to see how much champagne costs. Dodgers go to 67-70 and now trail the Snakes by 2 1/2. But the one thing the boys simply can't afford is to get tripped up by the Pods. Three-game series starts tomorrow night (5:10 p.m.) at Chavez Ravine. See you there.

The guys coming off the DL are Andruw Jones, Delwyn Young and Scott Proctor. The guys being recalled are Jason Repko, Chin-lung Hu, James McDonald and, of course, Clayton Kershaw, who will pitch on Tuesday night against the Pods as if he had never left. The guy getting his contract purchased is A.J. Ellis, and there already is an open 40-man spot waiting for him to fill it. That's all, folks. Rafael Furcal and Takashi Saito might be added later, but for now, the Dodgers will start September with 33 guys. Xavier Paul is NOT getting a callup despite having a good year at Vegas and despite being on the 40-man. Outfield is too crowded already, and there wouldn't be any playing time for him. I realize that raises the question of why Repko is coming up, but I honestly don't have an answer for that at this point. ... Nomar out again tonight, and Torre hinted that Angel Berroa's recent performance -- he is 7 for 18 over the past six games in which he has registered an at-bat -- could warrant more playing time. However, Joe seemed to indicate that Nomar is still his primary shortstop because of his ability to hit in the clutch. ... Jeff Kent's MRI is happening today, but we won't know the results until tomorrow.

Below is a press release the Dodgers sent out last week about the quick success of the Dodgers Trolley, which beginning tomorrow night and through the weeklong homestand will feature certain former Dodgers riding the bus with fans. They're all listed below. I still don't really get the connection between the Dodgers Trolley and Marrakesh Express, a song by Crosby, Stills and Nash that the Dodgers play every night when they're advertising the Trolley on the leftfield video board -- and a song that someone just informed me isn't really about a train trip at all but instead is about another kind of trip that was popular in the 1960s. But after looking it up on that inter-web thingy that all the kids are using these days, what I learned was that the Marrakesh Express WAS actually a popular train ride that many hippies took back in the day. What they did when they got to Marrakesh, well, we can only imagine.

But I digress. Here's the release:

The Dodgers Trolley has accommodated more than 30,000 boardings in its first month of operation and will now feature Dodgers legends on some of the rides. Created by the City of Los Angeles as a first step to meeting the demand for public transportation to the stadium, the free service, launched on July 25, has shuttled fans each of the last two homestands between Union Station and Dodger Stadium. The buses ride 90 minutes before every home game and conclude one hour after the game ends.
During the Dodgers' upcoming homestand Hall of Fame Manager Tommy Lasorda and other former Dodgers will ride with fans. Among those scheduled are Rudy Law (Tuesday, Sept. 2), Kenny Landreaux (Wednesday, Sept. 3), Bobby Castillo (Friday, Sept. 5) and Lasorda (Sunday, Sept. 7).
Union Station is the central transit hub for Southern California, with rail lines extending to Long Beach, Santa Clarita, Pasadena, Simi Valley, the San Fernando Valley, the South Bay and the San Gabriel Valley, as well as other areas.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa led the first Dodgers Trolley on July 25 and reiterated his commitment to creating convenient, fast, and affordable options for fans traveling to Dodger Stadium.
``We're really excited that at this time of high gas prices that the Dodgers and the City of Los Angeles have provided an opportunity to get people on the trolley, give them an opportunity to beat the traffic, beat the high gas prices, and get to a Dodger game and eat a Dodger Dog,'' said Villaraigosa.
Mayor Villaraigosa was joined on the first shuttle by City Councilmember Ed P. Reyes and Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, who serves as the Chair of the City's Transportation Committee.
The Dodgers Trolley is the leading topic among fans providing feedback to the club through fanfeedback@ladodgers.com.
``I really enjoy taking the Dodger Trolley service from Union Station,'' said Dodger fan Vicki Addley of West Hills. ``I save money on gas and parking. The best bonus is that I do not have to drive in traffic before the game. It has really added to my Dodger game experience.''
``I thought that it was on time, comfortable, quick, not too crowded, and very convenient,'' said Trisha Addicks, who took the shuttle during a visit from Atlanta, GA. ``If the Dodgers had beaten the Rockies, it would have been a perfect evening. Even with the loss, it was a great experience.''
``We are pleased that Dodger fans have left their vehicles at home, traveled on the region's public transit system, and taken advantage of the service,'' said Senior Vice President Howard Sunkin. ``Clearly this pilot program demonstrates an overwhelming need for a comprehensive public transit plan for Dodger Stadium.''
The shuttle route, which is less than two miles, connects with regional MTA bus and rail services, including the MTA Red, Purple, and Gold Lines. Metrolink and Amtrak services are available on day games. The trolley makes two stops as it travels along Sunset Blvd. on its way to Dodger Stadium. At Figueroa St., the shuttle connects with MTA Lines 2, 4, 55, 60; Metro Limited Lines 302, 304 and 355; as well as Metro Rapid Line 704. This stop allows passengers on LADOT's DASH Lincoln Heights/Chinatown service to easily connect to the stadium. The second stop at Marion Ave. connects the shuttle service with MTA Lines 2 and 4 arriving from the west. The return trip includes all of the same stops.
Fans interested in mapping routes to Union Station from their homes and taking advantage of the free Dodgers Trolley can visit the official Dodgers website at www.dodgers.com/trolley.

The eight-game losing streak, the longest by a Joe Torre-managed team since the 1982 Atlanta Braves, is over, Don't overlook tonight's contribution from Hong-Chih Kuo, who was dazzling. He struck out five of the seven batters he faced after entering with a man on second, a run in and nobody out in relief of Chad Billingsley in the eighth. That saved the Dodgers from having to use any other relievers. ... By the way, Billingsley won't start again until next Saturday against the Snakes because Derek Lowe, who pitches tonight, will go Friday night on normal rest because of the off-day Thursday. ... Manny Ramirez reached base in nine consecutive plate appearances before grounding out in the ninth inning. Remarkably, this is the first time in his 16-year career that he has had back-to-back, four-hit games. ... Dodgers go to 66-70 and pull within 3 1/2 of the Snakes.

Joe Torre said before the game that although Jason Schmidt is going to make another rehab appearance in the Las Vegas season finale on Monday, he isn't going to pitch for the Dodgers this year. He will rejoin the club after Monday and maybe do some simulated games, or he may pitch some games in the Arizona Instructional League this fall. His velocity was mostly in the high 80s last night against Colorado Springs, when he pitched one inning. ... Andruw Jones is back in Los Angeles seeing Dr. ElAttrache because his leg is still bothering him, but he is expected to rejoin the Dodgers and be activated in time for the homestand opener on Monday against the Pods. ... The list of players the Dodgers plan to activate or call up from the minors on Monday just keeps getting longer. It now includes Jones, Scott Proctor, Chin-lung Hu, A.J. Ellis, Delwyn Young, James McDonald, Eric Stults and Clayton Kershaw. There could be others. ... I talked with DeJon Watson before the game about Greg Miller, and he says the organization is still firmly committed to him. ``Yes, we are still committed to Greg Miller,'' he said. ``We will exhause all our energy to get him back on track and to where he needs to be, with a repeatable delivery that he can sustain.''

This isn't necessarily a career-ending injury, but given that he probably was going to retire anyway, given that he has been playing with this degenerative tear in the cartilage of his left knee for about a month knowing all the while it could tear more severely at any time (and probably would, eventually, and that appears to be exactly what happened), and given that this is a wear-and-tear injury that is fairly normal for a 40-year-old guy trying to play baseball on an everyday basis for six months, it seems unlikely that he'll return.
``Knowing him, I can't say that for sure,'' Dodgers manager Joe Torre said.
Indeed, Kent is known for his durability, his scrappiness and his willingness to play hurt. But he was said to be in excruciating pain when he came out of the game last night. He is back in Los Angeles now awaiting an MRI that will hopefully be done either tonight or tomorrow -- club officials are trying to find a hospital where it can be done on a holiday weekend. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if Kent tries to play again. But from what I am told, if he does, the same thing is very likely to happen again, only more severely.
There also is a chance the MRI will show nothing other than, again, wear and tear, and Kent can be back out there in a few days. But the fact the pain was severe enough to get him to take a seat has to mean something. Kent generally doesn't take a seat for anything other than the manager giving him a day off.
Unfortunately, it probably means the end of a Hall of Fame career. Torre said Blake DeWitt will get the first crack at the everyday 2B job for the rest of the season. It also is very possible Kent could be placed on the 60-day DL next week to clear a 40-man roster spot for the September roster expansion, because the Dodgers appear to need spots.
Just to clarify, Kent has never said this will be his last season. But it was generally assumed by just about everybody, including Torre.
``I think he was just trying to help us win a pennant,'' Torre said. ``All the hinting seemed to say that this probably was going to be it for him. I really respect what he has done here, and I have been very comfortable with our relationship. He is a pro. I guess that is the only way you can categorize it.''

Jason Schmidt started and threw a scoreless, hitless inning for Las Vegas tonight against Colorado Springs, walking one batter. He'll pitch again on Monday, and I suppose it's possible he'll be activated as a reliever after that, but when I asked Torre before the game, he was non-committal. Scott Proctor followed him and pitched two innings, allowing one hit while striking out four. Proctor is expected to be activated on Monday, the day you can expand rosters. Andruw Jones also is going to be activated that day, and possibly Delwyn Young. ... By the way, when perusing the box score for the pitching lines of Schmidt and Proctor, I couldn't help but notice that Greg Miller had another rough outing. He walked three, gave up three earned runs and allowed only one hit in ZERO innings. A tough stretch for a really good guy. Hope he can find a way to right himself, but this has been going on for a long, long time.

First time this year or last year. Not sure about 2006, but I can't remember any such occasions off the top of my head. Torre clearly desperate to jump start this offense.

C Martin
RF Ethier
LF Ramirez
2B Kent
CF Kemp
1B Loney
SS Garciaparra
3B Blake
RH Kuroda

The only reason these numbers are starting to sound redundant is that they only get more and more ridiculous with each passing day -- and, of course, each passing loss. The Dodgers went 0 for 5 last night with runners in scoring position. In their seven-game losing streak, they now are batting .098 with RISP, and this isn't the first time in the five years that this team has gone into such a monumental swoon hitting with RISP. Far from it, in fact. It doesn't mattter who the personnel is. Going all the way back to 2004, this team has a tendency to periodically go into these unthinkable dry spells when it comes to clutch hitting. They're now 3 for 45 over the past four games, and only one of those three hits actually drove in a run. By the way, the Dodgers now have to go 16-12 the rest of the way just to finish .500. They do not, however, necessarily have to go 16-12 to win the N.L. West. What a world.

In case you missed it, Clayton Kershaw was the roster move for Scott Elbert, but that's only a roster technicality. Because the roster expansion begins on Monday -- but mostly Tuesday, because Las Vegas has another game on Monday -- the Dodgers can option Kershaw now and still bring him back in time to make his next scheduled start on Tuesday night against San Diego. The 10-day rule -- all players optioned to the minors must stay a minimum of 10 days unless a major-league player is placed on the DL, and that exception is limited to a pitcher replacing a pitcher or a position player replacing a position player -- isn't in effect because the PCL season ends Monday and Las Vegas isn't going to the playoffs.

The Dodgers are expected to purchase the contract of the left-hander and former first-round draft pick from Double-A Jacksonville. Corresponding move will be announced at that time. Once one of the organization's top pitching prospects, Elbert missed most of last season with a shoulder injury that effectively turned him into a reliever, at least for now. At Jacksonville this season, he has made one start and 24 relief appearances and gone 4-1 with a 2.40 ERA. He has allowed just 22 hits in 41 1/3 innings, struck out 46 and walked 20.

Tanyon Sturtze's one-day reprieve turned into exactly that. He was DFA'd today to make room for Cory Wade to come off the DL. What the Dodgers have done in DFA'ing Pablo Ozuna and Sturtze the past two days is clear two 40-man spots, which are expected to be filled in the next few days by reliever Scott Proctor when he is activated from the 60-day DL and catcher A.J. Ellis when his contract is purchased from Triple-A Las Vegas for the September roster expansion. They'll still need to clear 40-man spots for Rafael Furcal and Jason Schmidt if they come back anytime this season. Players on the 15-day DL count against the 40-man roster, while players on the 60-day do not.

I asked Torre last night if he was thinking about a change with Kent because he had stopped benefiting from hitting in front of Manny. He said he didn't want to announce a change without taking a long look at it. Well, I guess he took a long look at it. Kent is hitting fourth tonight, in front of Loney, the first time he has hit in front of anyone other than Manny since he hit in front of Casey Blake on Aug. 5. Nomar has three hits in his past 30 at-bats. Martin isn't slumping, but he needs a day off, and the Dodgers don't have any day games after night games coming up. ... By the way, I wrote in today's paper that Jeff Kent is 5 for 28 since he was given last Thursday off. My mistake. He is 5 for 27. I was counting an 11th inning at-bat on Sunday night at Philly. That was actually Pablo Ozuna, who had entered defensively for Kent in the bottom of the ninth.

Kemp. CF
Ethier. RF
Ramirez. LF
Kent. 2B
Loney. 1B
Blake. 3B
Ardoin. C
Berroa. SS
Kershaw. LHP

It's hard to blame the Dodgers for letting Joel Hanrahan get away. Although he was long one of their top pitching prospects, the key word there is ``long.'' He was in the organization for seven seasons, spending at least parts of three of them in Triple-A, and yet he was never quite able to make the jump to the majors. He also seemed to backslide in 2005, the year after he spent the entire season at Las Vegas and went 7-7 with a decent-for-the-PCL 5.05 ERA. But he backslid in 2005, started the season in high Single-A after coming back from an injury, then never got above Double-A the rest of the year. He split 2006 between Jacksonville and Las Vegas, but no one could blame him when he left after that season for minor-league free agency, something he had earned the right to do after accruing so much time in the minors. When the Nationals signed him to a major-league contract two winters ago -- he still began the season in Triple-A -- no one could have imagined that he would eventually become their closer. It was even more difficult to imagine that he would post saves on back-to-back nights against his old club. But as critical as I have been of Nats GM Jim Bowden -- see my previous post -- you have to give Jimbo credit for finding this one. And you have to give Hanrahan credit for establishing a niche, and a foothold, in the majors after all those years in the minors with the Dodgers.

Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden, a man who was difficult to take seriously when I first met him eight years ago when he was the Reds GM and I was starting on the beat there, is even MORE difficult to take seriously now. As he walked onto the field today to watch his team taking batting practice, he was wearing fake Manny Ramirez dreadlocks under a Nationals cap. This is the same guy who, on a Reds interleague trip to Texas in 2002, stood behind the cage dressed head to toe in Western wear, including cowboy hat and cowboy boots. Despite the props, he didn't in any way look the part, and the scouts who typically gather in the press box just before the game were laughing hysterically at him. One day, when he is done playing around, Jimbo might want to put some time into building a team that doesn't have the worst record in the majors. ... Dodgers decided to hold off on that second roster move, so Tanyon Sturtze gets a reprieve. He might not even be the odd man out now. Torre said it depends on what happens tonight and how deep he has to go into the bullpen.

Didn't see this one coming. Guess is has something to do with the team's sagging offense. DeWitt was batting .500 (11 for 22) over a four-game stretch that ended on Saturday, but according to his day-by-day stats on milb.com, he hasn't played since. Not sure why, but I'll try to find out. ... Ozuna had become nothing more than a late-inning defensive replacement and pinch runner, but I would imagine if he clears waivers, he'll be back next week. ... A few minutes ago, the club also announced that Cory Wade was coming off the DL and that Tanyon Sturtze had been DFA'd, but they quickly retracted that. Not sure why, unless they decided to wait a couple of days because Cory is still sore.

Reported a few days ago that it was going to include Ivan De Jesus, Lucas May, Andrew Lambo and Scott Elbert. It will be rounded out by Justin Orenduff, Travis Schlichting and Brent Leach, and the ``taxi squad'' -- these are extra guys who are only allowed to play on Wednesdays and Saturdays -- will consist of Russell Mitchell and Jamie Hoffman. You can look all those guys up on milb.com, and a lot of you already know who they are, but suffice to say, they are ALL legit prospects. If they weren't, they wouldn't be headed to the AFL, which is reserved for the elite prospects around baseball. The Dodgers contingent will play for Surprise. ... According to an item in today's Washington Times, when Greg Maddux takes the hill for the Dodgers tonight, he will become the first 350-game winner to pitch in Washington since Walter Johnson's final appearance of his career on Sept. 22, 1927. Only one other 350-game winner has ever pitched here is some guy named Cy Young, who last pitched here on July 29, 1911.

Over their past three games, the Dodgers have gone 4 for 39 w/RISP. And the thing is, two of those four hits DIDNT EVEN SCORE THE RUN. It has become almost comical -- and yes, Joe Torre admitted after the game that he is getting to the point where he has to laugh to avoid crying. Every time the Dodgers get a hit with a man on second but the ball is hit so hard the runner has to stop at third, you KNOW they're not going to get him home. The entire visiting writers' row in the press box burst into laughter -- not AT the Dodgers, mind you, but at the sheer absurdity of it all -- when, with the bases loaded and nobody out in the sixth, Nomar Garciaparra lined out to third and Nats 3B Ryan Zimmerman managed to double Manny Ramirez off third. Nats manager Manny Acta then walked Casey Blake to load the bases, even though the runners had been on first and second, to bring Derek Lowe to the plate. The question was asked of Joe after the game whether he considered pinch hitting in that spot, and his answer was that he still needed a pitcher in the game who could shut down the other team. At any rate, Lowe struck out, and the Dodgers had wasted another chance. ... The Nats, by the way, came into yesterday ranked last in the N.L. in hitting, next to last in fielding and 12th in the league in pitching. Oh, and they also had the worst record in the majors. And for one night, at least, the Dodgers couldn't hang with them.

This is for tomorrow's paper. It is important to reiterate here that Joe did NOT hear Hershiser's comments directly, nor did I, so this is kind of awkward reporting.

Dodgers manager Joe Torre took exception on Tuesday to comments made by former Dodgers World Series hero Orel Hershiser during the ESPN2 broadcast of Monday night's loss at Philadephia, although it wasn't immediately clear what those comments were. Torre said he had been told of them secondhand, and Hershiser, who served as an in-game analyst for the cable channel, declined a request from the Daily News immediately after that game to clarify what he had said on the air.
``Just listen to the broadcast,'' Hershiser said. ``I don't want to say it for the paper.''
According to multiple sources, Hershiser, who also worked a Dodgers-Phillies game in Los Angeles for ESPN2 on Aug. 11, questioned the Dodgers' passion and team chemistry.
``He came in (before Monday's game) and talked to me, and I did a couple of interviews,'' Torre said. ``(But) I never got any questions along those lines. I don't know where that came from. For me, I don't think there is any prototypical passionate team that has guys hanging from lockers and stuff. This game really is about determination moreso than showing somebody else what they think it should look like.''
Hershiser pitched for the Dodgers from 1983-94 and again in 2000 and was the Most Valuable Player of the 1988 World Series. He also seemed for a time to be a candidate for the team's managerial vacancy after Jim Tracy was fired following the 2005 season.
``I have always been a proponent of the fact you have to eliminate the highs and lows in this game, because you have to keep it on an even keel and maintain it for 162 games. I don't know any clubhouse where, if you have lost three (in a row) and five of six, you're going to see guys jumping around and doing things other people consider positive.''

They seem to have created quite a stir on the blogosphere today, but I haven't heard them for myself, and so I'm obviously a little leery of writing much about them. I did receive an IM during the game last night (from my dad) telling me that Orel was very critical of the Dodgers during the ESPN2 broadcast. I actually waited for Orel after the game (at the cost of missing Torre's postgame), but when I got him, he didn't want to comment for the paper. ``Just listen to the broadcast,'' he said. Tough to do when you're on a deadline, and frankly, I don't know that you can even get that on-line anywhere. From what I have been told, he said something about walking through the clubhouse before the game and seeing a ``passionless'' team, although I don't have any proof that that is the word he used (even though I have heard it from a couple of different sources). But if anybody can turn me on to a web site where there might be actual footage (or sound) of these comments, I would love to go there.

Back in 2003, when I was covering the Reds and they moved into the rather bland Great American Ball Park, people would ask me what I thought of the place, and that's what I would always say, that it sure beats what they used to have. Well, that's about the way I would sum up Nationals Park, as well. It's not what I would call beautiful or spectacular, but anything -- AND I DO MEAN ANYTHING -- would have beaten RFK Stadium, otherwise known as America's Toilet Bowl. In an era when almost every one of the National League's parks is new, there isn't much to set this place apart, other than the view of the capitol dome in the distance beyond left field. The back drop beyond the outfield consists almost entirely of mid-rise office and apartment buildings (for security reasons, you're only allowed to build to a certain height in Washington). But then, it's 4 p.m., right now. The real test will come when the sun sets, the place is lit up and filled with paying customers and there is a ballgame going on.

They're bringing a stadium tour group through the press box right now. One of the things that really inspired me to want to become a baseball writer (I actually already wanted to become one when this happened, but this really cemented it) was when I was 16 years old, attending the National High School Press Association convention in St. Louis, and we took a tour of old Busch Stadium that took us into the press box. The tour wasn't part of the convention, just something for the school newspaper and yearbook staffs from my school in Arkansas to do on an afternoon when nothing else was scheduled. The football Cardinals still played there at the time, and the place was configured for football (this was a Saturday in November). But they took us into the baseball press box, the first time I was ever in a major-league press box. Anyone who was ever in the press box at old Busch Stadium will tell you it was one of the most spartan, uncomfortable and in many ways non-functional boxes in the league, but I was enthralled that day, and I vowed that the next time I set foot in that box, it would be in a working capacity. I made good on that promise when I went to St. Louis with the Rockies in August 1999. Just another one of my boring stories about ME, but hey, I got nothing else to post right now.

If you're a Dodgers fan, or someone employed by the Dodgers in any way, this one stung. They could have held a 2-1 lead in the ninth, they could have scored after loading the bases with nobody out in the 10th, they could have gained a game in the standings, they could have gotten more than two runs out of their 13 hits, they could have done a lot of things, but they didn't do any of them. And if this keeps up, in a few weeks, we'll be saying they could have made the playoffs if they had done this, that or the other. ... Joe Torre told the team after the game they don't have to be at the park until 6 p.m. for a game that starts at 7:05. That means no batting practice. ``I told them to just get dressed and play the game,'' Torre said. ``Hopefully, that will allow us to relax a little bit, because I think we might be putting too much pressure on ourselves.'' ... Failed to do my job properly tonight. In my haste to make deadline, I had to minimize the time I spent in the clubhouse, and I flat out forgot to ask Torre if he considered walking Pedro Feliz to get to Jimmy Rollins in the 11th inning. I left Joe's office while several reporters were still in there, checked the clubhouse for available players, found none, then returned to Joe's office. The question might have been asked while I was gone. But it never dawned on me to ask until after I got back to the press box. Anyway, Feliz had driven in the tying run with an RBI single in the ninth, and here he was at the plate with runners on second and two outs. It was a right-right matchup against Jason Johnson, and Rollins is a switch-hitter and the reigning N.L. MVP. But Rollins also has two hits in his past 25 at-bats. Anyway, Feliz homered, his 13th of the season. ... Dodgers fall to 65-65. That is now the NINTH-best record in the bad National League, putting the Dodgers in the lower half of the 16-team loop even as they appear to be within striking distance in the West. They still trail the Snakes by three games. Decent chance to avoid the four-game sweep with Billingsley going tomorrow night against Brett Myers, but the Dodgers already have lost as many games on this 10-game road trip (three) as they lost on the 10-game homestand that preceded it.

ESPN picked up that one, too, so for TV purposes, it's going to start at the same time this one did. For beat writer purposes, it's going to start three hours earlier, because we'll be in PHX and it'll start at 5:05 (woohooooo!!!!!) instead of 8:05 (booooooo!!!!).

Andruw Jones played 1B at Las Vegas last night. Not sure what that means, but I'm guessing it means he'll be an option to back up there if Joe wants to give James Loney a day off here or there and doesn't want to go back to that musical chairs thing he did last week with Martin at 3B and Blake at 1B. The 51s committed four errors last night, but none of them were by Andruw. That's a good sign. ... The Dodgers are still somewhat in contention in the N.L. West, but it's worth noting that they began the day tied with Houston for the eighth-best record in the bad National League, a loop that only has 16 teams. The Astros, by the way, were 14 games out in the Central. ... Greg Miller, once the Dodgers' top left-handed pitching prospect, might be getting close to the end of the line. There was a time earlier this season when he seemed to be coming out of his longstanding control problems, but he seems to have relapsed since his promotion to Las Vegas. He gave up four runs last night after walking three batters (and allowing NO hits) in one inning pitched at Colorado Springs. Since his promotion to Vegas, he has walked 46 batters in 28 2/3 innings, all while allowing just 19 hits. In his past three appearances, he has walked eight batters in 3 2/3 innings.

That's what one of the TV production guys just yelled down the hall from the press box as he packed up the TV production equipment for the day. Not sure what elicited that exclamation, but I'm assuming the guy must have just eaten a bag of them. Anyway, the Dodgers with Manny Ramirez and Casey Blake are starting to look a lot like the Dodgers before Manny Ramirez and Casey Blake. Ramirez and Blake are struggling for the first time since they got here, and the rest of the lineup is struggling, too, a fact that might suggest this team is way too reliant on the two newcomers. Torre said it has more to do with a lack of production at the top, where Kemp and Ethier were a combined 0 for 8 today, are a combined 1 for 16 in this series and are a combined 3 for 24 over the past three games. Jeff Kent is 0 for 8 in this series, too, meaning the top three batters in the Dodgers' lineup are a combined 1 for 24 in the first two games here. That doesn't completely explain why Manny has now gone five games without an RBI, his last three coming on that first-inning home run against the Brewers on Sunday. But it explains it to a point. ... Kemp had little to say on the matter of why that fly ball fell 30 feet behind him, other than to say, ``I guess,'' in acknowledgement of a suggestion he lost the ball in the sun. When asked how long he saw it before losing it, he said, ``That's a great question. I would have caught it if I had seen it.'' ... Kemp's gaffe notwithstanding, Clayton Kershaw wasn't good today. It is worth noting that before Kemp's miscue, Kershaw had walked Chase Utley, ;putting runners on second and third with none out in what became a three-run inning. The lefty wound up getting rocked for six runs on seven hits over four-plus. ... Dodgers fall to 65-64. Snakes play later, but this team has bigger problems than the standings right now. Twelve runs in the past five games. three of them in the first two games of this series. All three of them scored on two swings, a solo homer by Ethier and a two-run shot by Russell Martin.

With apparently none of the Dodgers' minor-league affiliates looking like they'll be playoff bound, the team's September callups should start arriving on Sept. 2, the second day of the upcoming homestand. It looks like A.J. Ellis will be coming up from Vegas to be the third catcher. He is hitting .309 this year, so he'll edge out Lucas May, who is hitting .228 at Jacksonville, even though May is on the 40-man roster and Ellis isn't. Although I have long been under the impression that James McDonald was a lock for a callup, that apparently is still being discussed and is far from assured. But it looks like Ellis will be the only guy not presently on the roster who will be called up. Dodgers don't have a lot of flexibility. The 40-man is full, and there aren't a lot of guys on it whom you can look at and say, ``He's expendable.'' ... I love these late-Saturday games for Fox, just a beautiful time of day. It's a perfect, sunny day here in Philly, and the shadows had started to creep across the field before the game even started. Kershaw had a rough first inning, but he appears to have settled in now, and Russell Martin just got the boys back into the game with a two-run homer, a possible slump buster. 3-2 Phils, bottom 3. ... Went for 1 a.m. cheesesteaks at Jim's last night (this morning) with Diamond Leung from the RIVERSIDE Press-Enterprise and Takashi Yamakawa from the Kyodo News. Even at that hour, there was still a long line. But those sandwiches were well worth the wait. ... Kershaw just walked the leadoff man in the third. Perhaps I spoke too soon.

Offensively, this team is beginning to bear a strange resemblance to its former self. I'm talking before Blake and Manny arrived. Dodgers have lost three out of four and scored a total of 10 runs in those four games. Tonight, in one of the most ridiculous hitter's parks in baseball, the Dodgers managed one run on five hits and went hitless in four at-bats with RISP. Greg Maddux's debut was hardly worth waiting for. He was great for three innings and good for 3 2/3. But then he walked Pat Burrell with two outs in the fourth, fell behind Ryan Howard 2-0 and gave up a bomb. Phillies never looked back. Dodgers fall to 65-63. Snakes already up 1-0 on the Fish. If the Dodgers slip to three games behind, it will be their largest deficit since Aug. 1. The last time they were MORE than three games back was on June 30.

Although the Dodgers' 2009 regular-season schedule remains tentative and isn't close to being released, the Daily News learned this week that the club will play an 18-game interleague schedule that will consist mostly of American League West opponents.
In addition to their usual, home-and-home with the Angels -- the two clubs will play three-game series at Dodger Stadium May 22-24 and at Angel Stadium June 19-21 -- the Dodgers will host three-game series against the Oakland A's June 16-18 and the Seattle Mariners June 26-28.
The Dodgers also will play at Texas June 12-14. There will be an additional interleague series at Chicago June 26-28, which the White Sox almost certainly will use as an opportunity to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the two clubs meeting in the 1959 World Series.
The Dodgers won that series in six games.
The Dodgers are slated to begin the season by playing 14 consecutive games without a day off. They open on the road, with a four-game series at San Diego starting on April 6 followed by a three-game series at Arizona starting on April 10.
For the second consecutive season, San Francisco is the opponent for the home opener, scheduled for April 13. That begins a three-game series, with Colorado then coming in for a four-game set beginning on April 16. The season also will conclude at home against the Rockies, a three-game series Oct. 2-4.
The Dodgers will finish the first half in Milwaukee, meaning an easy flight to St. Louis for any Dodgers players selected to the National League All-Star team. The second half will begin back in Los Angeles with a four-game series against Houston, marking the first time in three years that the Dodgers will get a break of only three days instead of four.

Andruw Jones is taking another day with his knee and is expected to play for Las Vegas at Colorado Springs tomorrow. Jason Schmidt is expected to start a rehab early next week, although that has been previously reported. Scott Proctor will resume his rehab on Monday at Las Vegas, NOT back at Inland Empire, where he started it a few weeks ago before shutting it down. Brad Penny is expected to start playing catch in the next day or two. Rafael Furcal is doing weight-bearing running and hitting off a tee, but there is no timetable for getting him on the field. Cory Wade will throw a second bullpen tomorrow, make a one- or two-inning rehab appearance probably at Great Lakes next week, then probably be activated. And Takashi Saito is throwing off flat ground, but still no plans for getting him on a mound.

Greetings from one of my favorite stops on the tour. If you have never been to Philadelphia, it's well worth the trip just to take in the history of the place. I once took a guided tour of Independence Hall, and they take you right into the room where the U.S. Constitution was ratified. Or was it the Declaration of Independence? All those history classes I took, you would think I should know that. The room has been preserved to look much the way it did then, and the tour guide even claimed that the ink well sitting on the table in the front of the room was the ACTUAL ink well that they used. Even more interesting than that, though, is to walk around in the Society Hill neighborhood and check out some of the old townhouses that are there. Many of them have the dates they were built posted on the outside, and a few of them have been standing since the 18th century. From the press box at Citizens Bank Park, you can see the downtown skyline in the distance, beyond left-center field, and you can very easily spot the 37-foot-high statue of William Penn atop the City Hall spire. Oh, and the cheesesteaks aren't bad, either. Wonder if the boys sent out for a few of those while they were working on the Constitution (or was it the Declaration of Independence?)

This is a game the boys really needed to win, and they did, finishing their second consecutive 7-3 homestand, and this one wouldn't have been nearly as impressive at 6-4 because that would have meant it ended with a three-game sweep at the hands of the Rockies. Big game for D-Lowe, a run on four hits over 6 1/3 innings. He struck out seven. A big game for the bullpen, too, especially Broxton. He gave up a leadoff double to Ian Stewart in the ninth, suggesting another shaky outing, and later threw a wild pitch. But he struck out the next three batters, and that was that. Dodgers hit the road with a 65-62 mark, with the Snakes hosting the Pods tonight and Brandon Webb on the hill. This is a grueling trip for the Dodgers, not just in terms of length (10 games in 10 days) but in terms of travel logistics. Assuming they get out of here by 5, they'll get to Philly around 1 a.m. with the time change, and that means it'll be 2 by the time everybody settles into their rooms. Philly ends with a night game on Monday, then a bus ride to DC. DC ends with a night game Thursday and then a redeye to PHX (why can't you go East to West on a commercial redeye flight?). The whole thing ends with a day game in PHX, but then there isn't an off-day before the next homestand either.

Light blogging today. Padilla covering the game, and I got a lot of little stuff to clear from my to-do list before catching the redeye tonight.

Kemp, CF
Ethier, RF
Garciaparra, SS
Ramirez, LF
Martin, C
Loney, 1B
Blake, 3B
Berroa, 2B
Lowe, P

The boys lost this one in the bottom of the fourth, when they got runners to second and third with one out and left them there when Juan Pierre and Matt Kemp struck out in succession. Although they still led 3-1 at that point, there was a sense of impending doom after that, and it held true. The very shaky Jonathan Broxton imploded again in the ninth, hitting Matt Holliday to begin the inning, and it led to what hitting a batter to begin an inning almost always does. The Dodgers committed four errors in a game for the first time in more than three years, and it is worth noting that all four of them were committed by catcher Danny Ardoin, third baseman Russell Martin and first baseman Casey Blake -- all three of whom were part of an elaborate musical chairs in the starting lineup that all resulted from manager Joe Torre wanting to sit James Loney because Loney was 1 for 15 against Jeff Francis. This is one instance where Torre might have outsmarted himself. ... Dodgers fall to 64-62 and are now two games behind the Snakes, the biggest deficit they have faced in two weeks. It all lends an undeniable touch of urgency to tomorrow's series and homestand finale, especially given that the upcoming, 10-game trip begins with a dicey, four-game series in Philly.

He stepped in a hole while chasing a fly ball for Las Vegas at Fresno last night and left the game with discomfort in his knee. He isn't playing tonight at Colorado Springs, but he is expected to return to the lineup tomorrow. Joe Torre made sure to point out that Jones was scheduled to sit tonight anyway, even before stepping in the hole.

Pierre also is hitting .481 (13 for 27) for his career against Jef Francis, while Ethier is 4 for 17 (.235). I didn't notice when I posted earlier that Loney is out, with Martin at third and Blake at first. This is because Loney is 1 for 15 (.067) against Francis, with five strikeouts.

The gap is widening. Pierre now hitting 152 points higher than Ethier (.354 to .202) against left-handed pitchers -- although Ethier still has three more home runs against lefties this season than Pierre has against ANY pitcher since the start of last year (that would be ZERO).

Pierre CF
Kemp RF
Kent 2B
Ramirez LF
Garciaparra SS
Blake 1B
Martin 3B
Ardoin C
Billingsley P

Game story in tomorrow's paper will provide all the reasons why, most of which you already know anyway. But there was a very cool story hidden behind this ugly loss by the Dodgers. Tanyon Sturtze, the veteran reliever whose contract was purchased from Las Vegas on Thursday, finally got into a game -- his first major-league game since May 13, 2006, for the Yankees against the A's. Since then, he has lost most of one season to right shoulder surgery and all of another season when his recovery from that procedure didn't go as smoothly as he thought it would. He was in camp with the Dodgers in 2004, then was sent out before opening day and traded to the Yankees on May 15 of that year for the unforgettable Brian Myrow. I was new on the beat that year and didn't arrive in camp until March 4, so I must confess I never made an effort to get to know Sturtze. But I met him for the first time on Friday, the day after he was called up, and he seems like a really good dude. And although he gave up a double to the first major-league batter he faced in more than two years, Troy Tulowitzki, he came back to get the next three guys in order, all on fly balls to the outfield, without Tulowitzki advancing, then took a seat. All in all, it was a triumphant return. Good for him. ... Dodgers fall to 64-61 and a game behind the Snakes.

This will be in tomorrow's paper

By Tony Jackson
Staff Writer
History repeated itself on Tuesday. And so did Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti.
``We had this conversation two years ago,'' Colletti said to a small group of reporters, shortly after the Dodgers formally announced they once again had acquired veteran right-hander Greg Maddux. ``He brings a lot more than just (pitching) every fifth day. He brings a lot to the party the other four days. too.''
Colletti was referring, of course, to leadership, and a degree of it that only a 23-year veteran with four Cy Young Awards under his belt can bring.
Two years ago, when Maddux came to the Dodgers in a trading-deadline deal with the Chicago Cubs, Dodgers right-hander Chad Billingsley, then a rookie, got a chance to learn from Maddux, both by watching him and by listening to him. This time, another rookie, lefty Clayton Kershaw, will get the same opportunity.
``(Maddux) adds more than just taking the ball every fifth or sixth day,'' said Dodgers manager Joe Torre, virtually echoing Colletti. ``What he has done in his career, and the way he has done it, I believe it's going to add a lot, just his willingness to talk to the younger players and his presence.''
The Dodgers acquired Maddux from San Diego, along with what is believed to be about $1.3 million to cover slightly more than half of what remains of his $10 million salary for this season -- the Dodgers appear to be on the hook for roughly $900,000. The Padres get two Dodgers minor leaguers to be named, which they will select from an already agreed-upon pool of five players, or they can simply choose to take one player and recoup some of the money.
To clear a 25-man roster spot for Maddux, the Dodgers optioned left-hander Eric Stults to Triple-A Las Vegas. Stults, who was in the majors for the second time this season, had been recalled from Las Vegas just five days earlier and hadn't appeared in a game for the Dodgers. To clear a 40-man roster spot, the Dodgers moved reliever Scott Proctor from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list. That still leaves Proctor eligible for activation as soon as Thursday, although he isn't expected back anytime soon.
Maddux, who will make his first start for the Dodgers on Friday night at Philadelphia, downplayed his role as a leader.
``I don't know what all that stuff means,'' he said. ``I'll just try to be a teammate and do what I can to try to support guys. The coaching staff is usually good at teaching. I'll just stay out of their way and let the coaches coach.''
While there is no denying Maddux's Hall of Fame credentials -- he has won 353 career games, including at least 13 in each of the past 20 seasons -- there is a question as to how much he has left at age 42. Maddux struggled to a 6-9 record with the Padres this year, although his 3.99 ERA would suggest that has more to do with bad luck than anything else.
``Obviously, I'm not as strong or as durable as I once was,'' he said. ``It's not easy for me to go out there and throw 120 or 130 pitches anymore. But you have to go out there and play with what you've got and hopefully give your team a good six or seven innings, then let everybody else do their thing after that.''
Maddux, who will be eligible for free agency in the fall, said he hasn't decided whether to retire after this season.
``I'm not there yet,'' he said. ``A lot has happened in the last day or two, a lot of changes. I will worry about next year when the time comes.''

The Dodgers optioned lefty Eric Stults to Triple-A Las Vegas to make room for Maddux, and they cleared a 40-man spot by moving Scott Proctor to the 60-day DL. Stults had been recalled on Thursday and hadn't made a single appearance in between. Proctor is still eligible to return as early as this Thursday, but he isn't expected to do so for a while yet. ... By the way, Maddux gets No. 36, same one he had two years ago. That was Danny Ardoin's number, and he just showed up today and had a No. 28 jersey hanging in his locker because no one had even asked him first. ``It's all good,'' Ardoin said. ``I wasn't attached to (36).''

The cash considerations mean the Padres are picking up part of his salary. Not sure yet how much. Here's the release.

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced that they have re-acquired right-handed pitcher Greg Maddux and cash considerations from the San Diego Padres for two minor league players to be named later or cash considerations. The announcement was made by Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti.
"It's very rare that you get the opportunity to add a pitcher like Greg even one time, let alone twice," said Colletti. "He's one of the greatest pitchers of all time and we've already seen what he can add to a team both on the field and in the clubhouse."
Maddux, 42, is a four-time Cy Young Award winner and eight-time All-Star. Earlier this season, he became just the ninth pitcher in Major League history to reach 350 victories in his career, as he currently is one win behind Roger Clemens for eighth place all-time.
He joined the Dodgers in 2006 and went 6-3 with a 3.30 ERA in 12 starts down the stretch while helping Los Angeles earn a Wild Card berth. That marked his 12th postseason appearance, including nine consecutive years with the Braves from 1995-2003. He has twice helped Atlanta to the World Series, winning the championship in 1995. In 32 career playoff games, Maddux has a 3.34 ERA, including a 2.09 ERA in five World Series starts.
Last season, Maddux earned his 17th Rawlings Gold Glove Award, setting a new Major League record. He won 13 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1990-2002 and four in a row awards in 2004-07. Maddux has led the league in victories three times and ERA four times.
In 26 starts this season, the right-hander is 6-9 with a 3.99 ERA. He recently surpassed Phil Niekro to break into the top 10 on the all-time strikeout list, as his 3,353 punch outs rank 10th in big league history and second among active pitchers behind Randy Johnson. Maddux has averaged just 1.80 walks per nine innings in his career, the third-lowest career mark among active big leaguers.
In his last three starts, the right-hander is 2-1 with a 1.89 ER (4 ER/19.0 IP) while striking out nine and walking just one batter.
From 1988-2004, he won 15 or more games each year, surpassing Cy Young (15 from 1891-1905) for the most consecutive 15-win seasons (17) in Major League history. He also has 20 consecutive seasons with 10 or more wins, surpassing Young's mark of 19 set from 1891-1909.

Sounds like they have agreed in principle, although the deal has yet to be finalized. Guessing it could come down tonight, so stay tuned. The major hurdles clearly have been cleared, with Maddux agreeing to the trade. He last pitched on Friday, so he could make his Dodgers debut anytime starting Wednesday night.

The Dodgers are believed to be actively engaged in talks with the San Diego Padres about a potential trade that would bring veteran right-hander and certain future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux back to Los Angeles, although it isn't clear how far those talks have progressed. There had been widespread speculation of such a possible move over the past several days, since news first surfaced that Maddux had cleared waivers following the July 31 trading deadline and thus became eligible to be traded through Aug. 31. But it isn't believed that the clubs began earnestly discussing such a deal until sometime during the past 24 hours.
Maddux, 42, is in his 23rd major-league season and has won 353 games in his career. The Dodgers acquired him from the Chicago Cubs at the trading deadline in 2006, and he went 6-3 with a 3.30 ERA in 12 starts the rest of the way, helping the Dodgers capture the National League wild card.
Maddux became a free agent after that season and signed a one-year, $10 million contract with San Diego for 2007. He signed another one-year, $10 million contract with the Padres last winter.
Maddux has struggled this season, going 6-9 despite a 3.99 ERA. After beating Colorado on May 10, he didn't win again until July 28, ending a span of 14 consecutive winless starts in which he was 0-5 with a 4.54 ERA.

Andre Ethier's second career multiple-home run game was enough to carry the Dodgers to their third walkoff victory and their sixth win in the first seven games of this monumentally important homestand. All seven of those games, and all six of those wins, have come against teams that were either leading their division when they arrived here (Phillies) or were leading (and are still leading) in the wild card (Brewers). For perhaps the first time this season, you can call these Dodgers a legitimately good team that has a real shot not only of getting to the playoffs, but of lasting a while when they do. Thirty-eight games to go. They improve to 64-60 and pull back into a first-place tie with the Snakes. ... For some reason, they played Don't Stop Believing going into the TOP of the ninth today. Obviously, that messed up the karma. Dodgers blew a four-run lead. But Ethier's walkoff in the bottom of the inning made up for it. Off-day tomorrow. First one in two weeks, last one for 2 1/2. See ya Tuesday.

Although Joe Torre probably was right in his assessment that there isn't enough time left in the season for Brad Penny to do what he would have to do to get himself ready to return to the Dodgers' starting rotation, general manager Ned Colletti said this morning that he hasn't given up on getting Penny back this season and that his return could come out of the bullpen, something that wouldn't require nearly as much rehab time.
``We could get him back in the bullpen, too,'' Colletti said. ``Who knows? Even if it does take that long to rehab, if we can get him healthy ... I don't know if we have enough (information) right now to be saying anything (definitive).''
Colletti declined to address the issue of whether Penny's health concerns will impact the club's decision to exercise or decline the $9.25 million option for 2009 on Penny's contract. The option carries a $2 million buyout. Penny has made just 17 starts this season, 15 of which came before he went on the DL the first time back in June.
Presumably, even if the Dodgers decline Penny's option, they still would be willing to re-sign him as a free agent.

Kemp, CF
Ethier, RF
Kent, 2B
Ramirez, LF
Loney, 1B
Martin, C
Blake, 3B
Berroa, SS
Kershaw, P

Andruw Jones went 0 for 3, and Delwyn Young went 0 for 2 with a walk for Triple-A Las Vegas at Fresno tonight. They'll be there for a while.

After the Dodgers put together a stirring rally in the ninth to tie it and just missed winning it when Brewers 2B Ray Durham ran down Casey Blake's blooper in shallow right field to end the inning with the bases loaded, Jonathan Broxton issued a two-out walk to Durham in the 10th that would end up costing the Dodgers the game. Durham stole second and came home on J.J. Hardy's single, and although the Dodgers got two men on for Kent and Ramirez in the 10th, neither one of them came through. Dodgers fall to 63-60, snapping a seven-game winning streak at home. They also fall a game behind the Snakes. ... By the way, I'm guessing this was a Charles Steinberg decision, but the Dodgers added two musical touches tonight that anyone who grew up in the '70s and '80s (that would be me) can't help but love. First, with the team trailing in the ninth, they played Journey's Don't Stop Believing. Played it through the entire break before the inning started, then played snippets of it every time a batter reached base. OUTSTANDING!!! The second one actually began the last time the Dodgers lost a home game, but it was so long ago that I had forgotten about it. Anyway, they have replaced that canned recording of Nancy Bea playing Tomorrow, from the musical Annie (yes, it's a canned recording, Nancy Bea is long gone by the ninth inning). They now play Fleetwood Mac's Don't Stop. I love Nancy Bea, and I love organ music at the ballpark. But I LOVE Journey and Fleetwood Mac, two of the greatest bands that ever lived IMHO. And even if you disagree, I think you have to admit that either one is better than Go Dodgers Go or The Dodgers are the Heart of L.A. or any of that other postgame noise pollution they play here every night.