Dodgers 6, Pirates 2

At one point tonight, the roughly 57 people sitting in a section of roughly 1,500 seats in the leftfield corner started serenading Manny Ramirez with chants of ``WHOO-pee GOLD-berg (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap) WHOO-pee GOLD-berg (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap).'' And that was about the most interesting thing that happened in this one, other than Casey Blake falling a double short of hitting for the cycle just two days after his back tightened up on him and forced him out of a game and one day after Joe Torre insisted that he sit out one more game as a precaution. Another solid outing for D-Lowe, another standup effort by the bullpen and another big game at the plate for Manny, who matched Blake with three hits. But the Pirates are BAD. A while back, even before the Dodgers lost eight in a row in late August, some in the media (myself included) began pointing to the season-ending schedule, and how it strongly favored the Dodgers over the D-backs. Well, I hate to say I (WE) told you so, but that is what has come to pass in the N.L. West. Give the Dodgers credit, though. These are games they HAVE to win, and they are winning them. ... Dodgers go to 79-72, first time this year they have been seven over. 500. Seven UNDER .500 was their low-water mark, back on June 15 after they had been swept in Detroit. Snakes lead the Giants 1-0 in the third, but at the very least, the Dodgers have trimmed their magic number to eight.