In real life when you encounter people less fortunate than you, it's customary to lend them a helping hand. In sports, you stomp on them without mercy. For the slumping Dodgers, who were outscored 22-7 during their three-game beat down in the Twin Cities, a crack at their downtrodden neighbors from the O.C. was just what the doctor ordered. Sure, the Blue have struggled on the road in interleague play, but that was against the likes of Oakland and Minnesota, i.e., teams that don't suck. 

The Angels, however, have made the Dodgers look like world beaters, sinking to the bottom of the AL West like a mob patsy in concrete shoes. Considering a visit to Anaheim hardly constitutes a grueling road trip (despite brutal holiday weekend traffic), and that it seemed like about half of the 44,000+ in the crowd were Dodgers fans, this "road" game was a prime opportunity to buck a trend, and that's exactly what Grady Little's bunch did in their 6-1 win Friday night.

If anyone knows a quick way to get from Hollywood to Anaheim on a holiday weekend that doesn't involve a helicopter or Star Trek style teleporting, I'm all ears.  Just because they call it the Freeway Series shouldn't mean I have to spend 2 1/2 hours on them trying to get here. 

There was some interesting media time today with Ned Colletti.  First of all, all indications are that the Dodgers will be carrying three catchers, and all indications are that Russell Martin won't be losing starts to newly acquired Toby Hall.  That puts a guy who was playing every day in Tampa on the bench in L.A., never an easy adjustment.  I don't mean to say Hall is going to be a disruption or has already started causing trouble.  He hasn't and isn't likely to, but it's an interesting situation.  From Colletti's end, it's not a concern.  "I do what's best for the club.  The day I try to do what's best for one player I try to do what's best for one player I'll be trying to do what's best for 25 players on an individual basis rather than a collective group," Colletti says.  "I can't get beyond that the collective group, that the team itself is more important than any individual."  Hopefully, Colletti says, solid play when he does get the opportunity will give Hall (or any other player looking for playing time) tough decisions to make.  "Force issues.  Force playing time.  Force starts.  Force the issues," he says.  That element of competition is something he's emphasized all year, including in the time he spent talking to us a few weeks ago.   Hall will make his first Dodger start tomorrow, catching fellow newbie Mark Hendrickson, but Little said the arrangement was just a comfortable way to get them both in the mix, not a permanent arrangement.

It's obviously no secret that the Dodgers could use a little more oomph in the rotation. But here's the $1,000,000 question. What cost are they willing to pay? In a rather amusing bit of irony, were Jeff Weaver to rejoin the squad, the price tag would likely please Bob Barker. At any case, dude could become available.

Like everyone else, the Press-Enterprise has noted of the success currently enjoyed by "the kids."  Thus, they did some individual profiles of the usual suspects: Jonathon Broxton. Andre Ethier. Matt Kemp. Chad Billingsley. Russell Martin. One could make a serious argument that the Dodger farm system features some rather fertile soil. But don't forget about a few vets who "get 'er done" as well.

Interleague Follies! Freeway Series II, Electric Bugaloo. The weekend/rivalry gets kicked off tonight with a battle of two...heavyweights. (Oh, c'mon! You guys were thinking it! We just said it!) These, however, would be some serious heavyweights.

The Hendrickson/Hall for Navarro/Seo deal this week officially kicked off the Dodgers Summer Improvement Campaign '06. No doubt the Blue had to make a move, no doubt Navarro was no longer considered the catcher of the future. He could go without much risk of serious impact in the long term. But while Navarro may not be L.A.'s best prospect anymore, he's still a pretty good prospect at an important, talent-poor position. The Rays got some value in exchange for a pitcher in Hendrickson whose career pedigree (5.01 ERA, .291 BAA) doesn't exactly have the bust makers in Cooperstown memorizing the contours of his face. It was a nice first move for the Dodgers, but it shouldn't be their last. Think of it as a midafternoon snack. Something to tide you over until dinner, but doesn't spoil the appetite.

What the trade did show me was that in this pitching thin market, any available arm will come at a price, and if that arm were attached to say, Dontrelle Willis, Barry Zito, Livan Hernandez, or John Smoltz, the cost could kick off a new round of Congressional hearings- this time to root out extortion in baseball.  So here's the question- How far would you be willing to go to improve the Dodgers this year? 

If Pedro Martinez were still on the Dodgers (and with this current rotation, dare to dream) yesterday afternoon's 6-3 loss to Minnesota would prompt him to declare the Twins "L.A.'s daddies." The loss clinched a sweep for Minny, a team hotter right now than a warehouse of stolen merch. And speaking of thievery, any hopes of L.A. stealing a game on their way out were pretty much dashed in the bottom of the first when Odalis Perez (in the rotation for an injured Brett Tomko) gave up a granny to Torii Hunter. The quartet of runs mirrored Perez's eventual exit, in that both arrived pretty quick. But that's probably a good thing, since he apparently wasn't into expending a lot of effort on the day, anyway. The Dodgers tried making a go of things, rallying a bit in the eighth off a three-RBI double by Olmedo Saenz. But for the most part, the bats were silent, even after a lineup change made specifically to help spark a slumping Matt Kemp. As the box score shows, the tinkering didn't do much for either party. Kemp struggling is nothing to panic over, since it's typical of what happens to all rooks, much less ones jumping directly from AA. And frankly, the drought seems appropriate, given how unkind June's been to the team in general.

No, not the Madonna flick, but equally nauseating.

I consider myself a reasonably optimistic, glass is half full kind of guy, but I have to be honest. Knowing Francisco Liriano and Johan Santana would start games two and three of the trifecta in Minnesota when the Dodgers lost game one with Carlos Silva on the hill for the Twins, a certain word popped into my head when considering L.A.'s chances the rest of the way. I cannot type that word on this website. Then Derek Lowe got shelled last night. That meant only Odalis Perez could save the Blue from the Broom. I woke up this morning a first-ballot inductee of the Pessimists Hall of Fame (though I still didn't feel good about my chances of getting in, hahahahaha). But there was still a tiny part of me that still believed.  Maybe...a heroic performance from O.P...just maybe...

...maybe not. Any lingering optimism I had lasted 2/3 of an inning before Odalis hung it over the heart of the plate for Torii Hunter to tattoo and send over the left field "wall" at the Metrodome for a first-inning grand slam. In the end, it was all Minnesota would need in their 6-3 win Wednesday afternoon.

Joe Mauer once again used the Dodgers as his personal AL MVP resume builder. He followed up a 4-5, 5 RBI show Monday with a 5-5 performance last night. In the end, that made his 2-3, two runs scored and a walk on Wednesday seem pretty weak by comparison. Think Mauer liked Dodger pitching? In three games, he raised his average from .368 to .392. In late June. That's ridiculous. Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau also chipped in with big games for the Twinkies. As for the Dodgers, only Olmedo Saenz managed to do some damage, generating two of the five L.A. hits and all three of their RBIs with a double in the eighth off Juan Rincon.

Hey, at least the 'pen kept the game close. 3.2 scoreless from Broxton, Baez and Saito. That's pretty good.

Fortunately for the Dodgers, who haven't exactly weathered this interleague road thing all that well (0-6 this month against Oakland and now Minnesota), the team they'll see next — the Angels — are quickly becoming a 25-man slump breaker. If ever there were a time to head down to the Big A and feast on the home team, this could be it. After a day off Thursday, we'll find out.

—BK

Thus far, the Dodgers are 0-1 in the Mark Hendrickson-Toby Hall era. Of course, it's probably a stretch to blame last night's 9-2 loss against the Twins on the presence of the newest Boys in Blue, considering they won't even join the squad until the Anaheim series. Those seeking more accurate explanations might simply say Derek Lowe's sinkerball...sunk. The Metrodome's field (the baseball equivalent of a fake Christmas tree) didn't quite mix with Lowe's propensity to create groundballs, making them more or less radioactive. Four of the dozen hits he surrendered came courtesy of Joe Mauer and they all helped the Twins score — as Ferris Bueller's principal would say — nine times. But hey, it could be worse. At least Lowe didn't get hit by a grounder against his final batter.... Never mind. If it's any comfort to Lowe (and it's probably not), at least his teammates were also pretty lousy. They didn't exactly light up the box score either.

Plus, the Twins got some runs off him.

For the most part, Derek Lowe's sinkerball has been his bread and butter, with a success rate that makes it a more-than-satisfying meal. But tonight, the trademark pitch came up tasting more like bread and water. The 9-2 loss also left a little to be desired when it comes to tempting a Dodger fan's palate. In a mere 5.1 innings, Lowe was pounded for a dirty dozen hits, all of which added up to an ugly nine earned runs. Six of those runs came in the second, an inning so out of control that Justin Morneau nearly batted twice. Adding insult to (a hopefully non-) injury, Lowe was hit in the forearm by a line drive, which led to him in the dugout with a trainer using some space age blow dryer-looking contraption to keep the swelling down. No word yet as to the seriousness, but it doesn't take a baseball genius (or in lieu of one, me) to figure out that the Dodgers can't afford any more holes in their already Swiss cheese-esque rotation.

In the meantime, Twins rookie phenom Francisco Liriano was pretty much money, stifling Dodgers hitters for a mere five hits and two runs over seven innings, although Nomar and Jeff Kent did manage solo jacks (the latter an absolute monster long ball). Unfortunately, that was almost the extent of any L.A. excitement. Save a sweet diving catch by Jose Cruz Jr. and Russell Martin's in-game shaving of a horrible idea mustache, there weren't many other Blue highlights to speak of. Seriously, I gave it some legit thought. Drawing a big ol' blank here.

More to come later.

—AK

Brett Tomko has been placed on the 15 day DL with a strained left oblique muscle, retroactive to Saturday the 24th. That opens up the two roster spots necessary for newbies Hendrickson and Hall. Odalis Perez will fill Tomko's slot on Wednesday. In theory, Hendrickson would fill it this weekend against the Angels, but I'm just guessing and doing a little math...often a recipe for disaster.

—BK

We hate to interrupt a lively trade discussion, but we want to send our best to Peter Gammons, who suffered a brain aneurysm today and is in surgery. He's truly one of the great baseball writers around.

Similar to what was reported this morning by the Tampa Tribune and L.A. Daily News, the Dodgers and Devil Rays have completed a trade that will send Dioner Navarro and Jae Seo to Tampa in exchange for LHP Mark Hendrickson and C Toby Hall. Some cash will be tossed L.A.'s way as well.

In the previous post, I talked about the trade, and the addition of Seo doesn't really change any of my analysis, other than to say I was very disappointed in Seo's performance in L.A.  When he was brought in from the Mets — for a valuable reliever in Duaner Sanchez — I thought he'd slide into the back of the rotation and give the Dodgers some solid innings. I'm gonna go ahead and say I got that one wrong.

Click below for the press release on the trade, courtesy of Dodgers PR. If nothing else, the Dodgers are putting together quite a hoops team. More to come as it comes in.

—BK

All of this information is in this morning's Extra!, but just in case not everyone reads to the end, here it is again.

The L.A. Daily News and Tampa Tribune are reporting that the Dodgers and Devil Rays are on the verge of completing a trade that would send Dioner Navarro to Tampa in exchange for LHP Mark Hendrickson and C Toby Hall.

The first thing this deal shows, should it happen, is the high price teams will have to pay to pick up starting pitching this trading season. Though he's been pitching well this season and has had a nice June, Hendrickson has been known more for being extremely tall (6-foot-9) than for being extremely good over the course of his career. Honestly, his profile is pretty ordinary — unless you think a 5.01 ERA and .291 BAA over five seasons HOF material. Still, he was reportedly getting attention from the pitching-starved Yankees as well, and I'm guessing other teams have made inquiries. And the Dodgers don't need him to be good forever, just for a couple months. If this is Hendrickson's career year, they'll take it.

Dodger rookies haven't spent much time looking overmatched this season, so it was bound to happen at some point. Chad Billingsley, making only his third start in the bigs, was beaten around the Heftydome in Monday night's 8-2 loss to the red-hot Minnesota Twins, stopping L.A.'s winning streak at four (including three against Pittsburgh, which should only really count as 1.5). Billingsley ran into problems from the start. In the bottom of the first, following a Joe Mauer — get used to that name — RBI single, Torii Hunter nearly lit Bills for a grand slam before grounding into an inning-ending double play.

Trouble was only temporarily averted. After one Minnesota run had already scored in the second, a Mauer triple plated two more before Grady Little took a moment to remind Billingsley what he was capable of doing. Billingsley, who said he was trying to be too fine on the corners, managed to escape the frame and stretched his outing to the sixth, but by the time it was over, the box score shows he had given up seven hits (four to Mauer), six runs (five driven in by Mauer), plunked a guy, and worst of all, walked seven. Those are Oliver Perez numbers. That L.A.'s top pitching prospect hasn't seen the seventh in any of his three big league starts shouldn't surprise, since he wasn't doing it at AAA either.

...but no player should have to create a SportsCenter-worthy highlight by making a leaping catch into a freakin' garbage bag, as Matt Kemp did.

Just an observation. Makes you appreciate Dodger Stadium a little more, despite the traffic issues — and the lousy hot dogs.

—BK

Here was the Q from Friday afternoon:

1) Gold Glove shortstop Cesar Izturis returned to the regular lineup last night, albeit at third base. It was his first, and the first for a Dodger since Charles Johnson in 1998. Who has won the most Gold Glove Awards as a Dodger? What position did he play?

2) Having broken in with the Blue in 1999, Eric Gagne is currently the longest-tenured Dodger. That's turnover, people. But he's got a long way to go before catching the guys who played the longest with the franchise. Who are they, and how many seasons were they Dodgers?

As Lolo correctly pointed out, the answer to No. 1 is 1B Wes Parker, who took home the hardware six consecutive times between 1967 and 1972. All the more impressive considering he only played nine years. Dude could pick it.

No. 2? It's a tie, at 18 seasons each for HOFer Zach Wheat (1909-28) and Bill Russell (1969-1986). 

Thanks for playing.

—BK

Everywhere you went yesterday, were you constantly hearing the faint sound of a broom bristling against the floor? Well, that's probably because a whole lotta sweeping was going down this weekend. And it all came to a head Sunday afternoon after the Dodgers took down Pittsburgh 7-4.

Had they actually traveled to Chavez Ravine on a sinking pirate ship, the Bucs couldn't be any more downtrodden at the moment. Bad for them (and former Dodger skip Jim Tracy). Great for L.A., who got themselves plenty hot before heading on this upcoming roadie. Unfortunately, Brad Penny got a little too hot, which turned his pitching anything but. The silly bad humidity got to the righty from the outset, draining Penny's stamina and resulting in an early exit. But with the blue bats going nutty, including wood swung by a de-slumped J.D. Drew, Penny's mediocre outing was plenty covered. As the box score shows, plenty of multi-hit games. Should the guns remain so loaded, the Dodger starters can get as hot, cold, lukewarm or whatever temperature of any given particular game.

That's the beauty of playing the Pittsburgh Pirates. Such headlines are always a strong possibility. And in the case of today's 7-4 win over the Bucs, such expectations became a reality. The boys in Blue went out of their way to give their opponents props (Grady Little: "We respect everybody we play." Rafael Furcal: "They've got a lot of good players." Kenny Lofton: "Any team can be a pretty good team on any given day."), but I'm not on their payroll, so there's no need for me to apply tact.

The Pirates stink.

The Dodgers should be brooming the likes of them.

There. I said it.

That phrase doesn't just describe an inexplicably popular, totally mediocre '70s sitcom or the mindset of those fighting various addictions. As I scoped out various thoughts from around the Dodgers clubhouse, the sentiment was more or less a common theme regarding the Blue.

Take Cesar Izturis' adjustment to his new position of third base. For now, he's going 24 hours by 24 hours on his quest to get into the groove. "So far, so good," he replied, when asked about the adjustment so far. He admitted that the new position doesn't feel entirely comfortable to him yet, but all in all, he'd label things "good." He also a little surprised, given his tendency to play reasonably far back, that nobody's tested him with a bunt in his direction. Especially during the Seattle series, because they have some rummy named Ichiro leading off. According to the scouting report, he's got some decent speed and ability with a bat. I asked Izzy if, all adjustment and trial and error aside, he's actually enjoying his time at third. Well, depends on how you define "like." Dude wouldn't go so far as to say he's having a blast back there (the man's still a shortstop, given his druthers), but he is digging the pure challenge placed in front of him. "Especially playing third in the big leagues...especially for the L.A. Dodgers."

Asked about a variety of subjects, Grady Little answered with a lot of variations of "day by day." Take Brett Tomko's progress. "I haven't heard anything new today, but they're working on him back there. So we don't have any new news today." Same question, this time in regards to Eric Gagne? More or less the same answer. "No update on that either on our end. I wish I could help you, but I can't."

Asked if it's safe to assume that the lack of specific info could be interpreted as "Game Over" being a ways off from actually entering a game, Little responded with a simple "sounds like it to me." If nothing else, it could be time for Takashi Saito to find some intimidating rock and roll for his save entrances. Suggestions, anyone? Asked about DH's for the upcoming interleague series against Minny and that other team in the L.A. area, Little will be making his decisions on a game to game, matchup by matchup basis. That said, a betting man could probably feel good about placing a Vegas wager on "Olmedo Saenz DH'ing against a Twins lefty" without worrying too much about losing his shirt (although we at Blue Notes don't condone such activities, so you didn't hear it from us).

Finally, the 24-hour time period was given the biggest shoutout by Joe Beimel, who packed the "24" season one DVD, still in the plastic, into his bag for the upcoming road trip. The reliever's never seen an episode of the real time show in his life, but he plans on killing time on the road by watching a day in the life of Jack Bauer. Ramon Martinez warned him of the show's rather addictive quality. "You're gonna be hooked for the rest of your life, bro!"

Today's lineups:
Pittsburgh
Nate McLouth cf
Freddy Sanchez ss
Sean Casey 1b
Jason Bay lf
Jeromy Burnitz rf
Joe Randa 3b
Jose Castillo 2b
Ronny Paulino c
Kip Wells p

Dodgers
Furcal ss
Lofton cf
Nomar 1b
Drew rf
Ethier lf
Martinez 2b
Izturis 3b
Martin c
Penny p

The Dodgers were a lot like Ringling Brothers on Saturday night in their 7-0 win over the Pirates.  Fun for young and old.  Taking advantage of a rare start against left-handed pitching, Andre Ethier ripped a two-run single to center in the bottom of the second, then got all deja vu in the sixth with a second two-run single. All to prove what he's said all along — he can hit southpaws. Aaron Sele (he's old) scattered five hits in six shutout innings, striking out four and allowing him to put the skids on a four game winless streak. Just as Brett Tomko credited a mechanical adjustment for his success on Friday, Sele said he put on his tinkerin' hat to fix a flaw in his delivery. The box score also shows a bunch of other Dodgers, including Olmedo Saenz, Jeff Kent, and Nomar Garciaparra, all played well enough to get their names in the paper. All good enough to put the Blue back at the top of the NL West.

With Brad Penny pitching this afternoon, the Dodgers will be looking for their fourth consecutive strong start, going back to Derek Lowe's effort against the Mariners on Thursday. Does that mean they won't be looking for a rotation-solidifying arm or two over the next few weeks (despite having some of the NL's better-though-somewhat-misleading-pitching stats)?  Hardly.  But they'll have some company in the trade market and the pickin's are slim.

No, you get out of town, because it's true.

And because of their prominent roles this season, ESPN Insider's Gary Gillette gave a rundown on the contributions/success thus far of Russell Martin, Andrew Ethier, Matt Kemp, Willy Aybar, Chad Billingsley, Jonathon Broxton, Takashi Saito and Hong-Chih Kuo. For those with a subscription, here you go. For those without, you'll simply have to remain in agonizing suspense for the rest of your lives, never knowing how the writer evaluated your Blue's young talent.

Or you could check out the comments section, where it's been cut and pasted. Whichever seems like the more practical approach.

—AK

...but check it out anyway. It's really interesting and involves math that in a million years I would never attempt.

Anyone you'd put on the list?  Anyone in Dodger Blue? (There's the tie in!).

FYI, there won't be a pregame update tonight, since AK and I will be putting on ties and heading over to the Biltmore to try and take home some hardware at the Southern California Journalism Awards. But remember, it's an honor just to be nominated.

Screw that. While I have absolutely no idea who, if anyone, pays attention to this sort of thing, I want to win. And if we do, I'm wearing whatever they give me around my neck like Flavor Flav's clock.

—BK

Sometimes the scheduler taketh away, sometimes he giveth. The Dodgers, who have struggled big time recently, needed some momentum after beating the Mariners Wednesday night to end a four-game losing streak. Something to get the gang on a little roll. Grease the wheels a little bit. The baseball equivalent of tipping the maitre'd for a better table. 

Enter the Pittsburgh Pirates, the worst team in the National League, fresh off getting swept by the Kansas City Royals. The Kansas City Royals! If there ever was an opportunity to build a winning streak, it arrived in the form of former skipper Jim Tracy's new bunch. In Friday night's 10-4 win, the Dodgers used a lineup shuffle, a big blow from Jeff Kent, and a solid performance from Brett Tomko to lay the foundation. They also got a little — OK, a lot — of help from Pirates starter Oliver Perez, who walked seven and surrendered seven earned before getting yanked in the third.

Nostalgia aside, this probably wasn't what Tracy had in mind for his return to Dodger Stadium. He said there are lots of good memories for him at the Ravine...which is good because his current reality is pretty freakin' ugly. He's even noticed similarities between his squad and the Blue. Bite your tongue, sir! Unfortunately, once you get past a sweet looking box score, the news wasn't as good. 

First things first. If they remade "The Shining" as a baseball flick, there's no doubt the Pittsburgh Pirates would be cast in the Jack Nicholson role, because I can't imagine anything scarier than this bunch. Fans (assuming there are any) in Pittsburgh must go to bed terrified they'll wake up with the Pirates' starting nine hovering over their beds. They're now 26-49, and to paraphrase Bull Durham, how'd they ever win 26?

During the course of Friday night's 10-4 thrashing of Kent Tekulve's former squad, the Dodgers certainly had some timely hits — they always come in handy — but the Blue's most effective weapon consisted of putting their bats on their shoulders and letting Pittsburgh starter Oliver Perez throw the ball all over creation. Seven walks in 3.2 innings. Seven! Those are Ricky Vaughn numbers. Somewhere, Pittsburgh franchise wins leader Wilbur Cooper (yes, I had to look that up) is rolling in his grave. The "Hey, let's walk!" strategy helped put a run on the board in the third, and when combined with a three-run Jeff Kent homer, was good for five runs in the fourth. The Dodgers also used the tried and true "lazy fly balls that should be caught but fall for hits" scam to score three more in the sixth.

I know this is a Dodgers site and I should be praising the Blue — I'll get to that, I swear — but I'm having a little trouble wrapping my head around how bad Pittsburgh is. Their blog must be filled with stories of fans putting their heads in the oven.

Well, in a world without the supernaturally horrendous Kansas City Royals, the Pittsburgh Pirates would be as bad as anything baseball had to offer. So you'd think three games at home against Jim Tracy's bunch would be all the Dodgers would need to keep up the momentum Derek Lowe generated with Thursday night's complete game (I wanted to type complete game shutout.  Baby steps...). Let's hope they can make that happen, because in an NL West packed tighter than sardines in oil, you can't give away the chippies.

Despite Derek Lowe's complete game gem last night, fans still have trading on the brain. No shock as to why. With that, I give you the following as inspiration:

On this day in 1987 (it is the 23rd, right?), the Dodgers acquired Bill Krueger (P) from the Oakland A's for Tom Meeks (P). Not inspirational enough? This one, from 1976, at least includes players I've heard of. L.A. picks up Elias Sosa (P) and Lee Lacy (OF) from the Atlanta Braves for Mike Marshall (P).

Are you psyched yet? Maybe things get better on the 24th.... anyway, onto the trivia:

1) Gold Glove shortstop Cesar Izturis returned to the regular lineup last night, albeit at third base. It was his first, and the first for a Dodger since Charles Johnson in 1998. Who has won the most Gold Glove Awards as a Dodger? What position did he play?

2) Having broken in with the Blue in 1999, Eric Gagne is currently the longest-tenured Dodger. That's turnover, people. But he's got a long way to go before catching the guys who played the longest with the franchise. Who are they, and how many seasons were they Dodgers?

—BK

There have been timely performances in recent Dodgers history. Steve Finley and Jose Lima in '04. In 2005 there was, um, OK, well...not so much. But this year we've seen huge hits from Nomar and clutch showings by L.A.'s gaggle o' rookies, just to name a couple. But what Derek Lowe did Thursday night might trump them all. With the bullpen bleeding out like an extra on "ER," Lowe sucked it up and threw L.A.'s first complete game of the season, combining excellent stuff and a little extra faith from Grady Little to go a full nine in for a 4-2 win. Considering how Lowe's last start ended, the confidence shown in him was a big thing. As for Little, he held a team meeting after BP. Not sure what he said, but the skip might want to consider repeating it about 90 more times between now and October.

...Because if it was, that would have meant serious on-field ugliness at the Ravine Thursday night.  Instead, fans were treated to something they've waited all season to see: a complete game. You know, one of those deals where the guy who pitches in the first is still throwing when the game is over. Yep, they have a name for that and everything. I looked it up, just to be sure. And finally, the Dodgers, courtesy of Derek Lowe, can say they have one (Yeah, it took a while, but one thing worse than not having a complete game on June 22 is not having one on June 23), and a 4-2 win to go along with it. Still, it almost didn't happen.

OK, here we go. Just had a rousing anthem from "Geffen recording artist, Joanna." Not sure if I'm spelling her name right. Between her and the Pink Spiders concert after the game, now there are two music acts I've never heard of in the house tonight. There's a good chance I'm not hip. Or that nobody's heard of the Pink Spiders. You choose. ("Both" is an option.)

Fun fact: The guy who does the PA here is the same dude who does Clippers games. I'd give him $100 to go through an entire game just saying "Cuttino Mooooooooooobley!" all night. As in, "Batting next, second baseman Jeff Kent, who bears no resemblence to Cuttino Moooooooooobley!" Or maybe just have him yell out "Now pitching, Hong-Chih Kuooooooooooooooobley!"

It's gonna be a long evening, I can tell already.

A smattering of stats that help explain why:

-He's leading the majors in hits with 114.
-He's hitting .449 in his first AB of every game.
-He's hitting .472 over the course of his current 20 game hitting streak (42/89, if you're keeping score), .463 in June, .407 since May 1, and finally....
-He's a career .471 hitter (8/17) against tonight's Dodgers starter, Derek Lowe. 

Put it all together, and if I was a betting man (and outside of when I'm gambling, I'm not), I wouldn't put money on an Ichiro donut tonight.  I saw him in the locker room before the game on the floor, polishing his shoes.  I can honestly say I've never seen any major leaguer- or any professional athlete for that matter- do that sort of thing.  They like clean shoes, yeah, but usually it's the clubhouse boy who does it.  Ichiro is a very particular guy, which makes sense because collecting seven billion hits a year requires all sorts of discipline.

As for Dodger killer Adrian Beltre?  He's a career 0-5 against Lowe. 

You've asked for it (well, some of you have), and now you're going to get it.  And if you didn't ask for it, you'll get it anyway.  AK and I are going to give the live blog thing a shot.  Tonight, it's just me (BK). 

Yes, I'm a little worried about finding interesting, entertaining things to say over nine innings and three plus hours, but you can't live in fear.  Besides, if the Dodgers bullpen sees extensive time tonight, I'll probably have most of my punchlines written for me (Zing!  We're off to the races!). 

So we'll see how this goes.  But if you're near the computer while watching the game, hop on the blog (and bring, oh, ten friends or so). 

See you around 7:05.

BK

Perhaps you haven't noticed, but the Dodger bullpen is something of a train wreck at the moment. Granted, the starters are hardly rock solid, unless a two-man Penny-Lowe rotation can somehow be made feasible (and I doubt even Jason Grimsley has enough HGH on hand to get the duo through such a regimen). But even if Sele, Tomko and Billingsley (or whoever the starters are in two weeks) can match the rotation's top dogs, it might not even matter because there's no relief to be counted on, literally and metaphorically.

Since last Friday alone, we've seen Baez, Seo, Kuo and Broxton take turns getting the snot beat out of him. The one night they managed to get it together as a unit (Saturday's marathon game against Oakland) ended up spoiled by Seo's walk heard 'round the world. Odalis Perez did manage a fantastic long relief effort on Sunday, but given his erratic output so far, he's hardly able to be counted on. Ironically, the only pen member I'd feel confident putting on the mound right now is Takashi Saito, but his cohorts are making it impossible to put him in a save situation, so his arm's mostly collecting dust.

But on the plus side, they're not really "missing" Gagne, right?

This one stings.

Not because Adrian Beltre continued to beat the hell out of the Blue — at least not only because of that — or because Wednesday night's 8-5 loss dropped the Dodgers another game behind the first place Padres. Nope. L.A. had a perfect opportunity to put the skids on their (then) four-game losing streak after a solo blast from Olmedo Saenz and a two-run double from Ramon Martinez gave them a 5-2 lead. And if this was one of those seven inning little league affairs, it would have been enough. Unfortunately, they play nine in the bigs. Just enough time for the wheels to come off.

Adrian Beltre or your bullpen?

Well, if you're picking Beltre, that's a one-way street, because he loves seeing Dodger fans. It's become clear after tonight's 8-5 loss that had he signed as a free agent with a team that faces the Dodgers regularly, he'd have never hit a slump in the first place. For the second night in a row, dude's drove in and/or scored a slew of Seattle runs. This evening's eighth inning, two-RBI double put the Ms on top. And just for good measure, he scored one at-bat later off a Jose Lopez single to put the game on ice. Next time you see Scott Boras, flick his ear. You might get arrested, but you'll probably feel better as you wallow in a holding cell.

Izzy did some more drills today, will likely do some more tomorrow and then the training wheels come off, so to speak. Anybody thinking remotely realistically would expect a few bumps in the road while making the defensive adjustments. Grady Little would qualify as a realistic thinker (although he did say it wouldn't shock him if Izturis were comfortable in a few days). "He understands that there still might be a few things that happen to him during a ball game, during the course of a game, that won't really be routine for him at first. But he's ready and we're ready to see him out there."

The interesting thing, at least to me, is how to go about "judging" the guy's relative success in the field, since he's never played the position in the first place. How do you tell if an error is the result of a guy who's not getting the hang of things or just...an error? Well, since I have no idea what I'm talking about, I decided to get some feedback from Little. "I and we and whoever is watching him should not make hurried decisions on him. We got to give the guy a chance. We know that everything's not going to run smoothly every play that goes down there." When I said that it sounded as much like a process for Little and his staff as Izzy himself, the skip agreed. "Sure, and especially for him. We don't want him to think that he's gonna be getting judged every single play that comes about for him at third base." Little and Co., however, do feel comfortable immediately scrutinizing Cesar's bat as a meter for success. "A lot will be dictated by the offense he brings. But we do feel at this time that he will bring a little bit more excitement to our lineup and hopefully will be the case." Fair enough. After all, it ain't like playing a new position requires him to suddenly bat with his feet or something.

Sometimes items are too long to cut 'n' paste, and since not everyone has access to this stuff I thought I'd put it up. Click here if you want to read it on the website. Martin has handled the pitching staff pretty well and gained the respect of the vets, but it'll be fun to see how he develops with one of his own, so to speak. Just another thing to watch for while you pray to the heavens that Billingsley can pitch like a solid No. 3 for the rest of the season, and Ned Colletti will find the magical, mythical Effective Back of the Rotation Starterland (coming soon to Epcot!) ASAP.

—BK

Chad Billingsley and Russell Martin met when they broke into pro ball, back when Martin was still a third baseman yet to be converted into a catcher. They were roommates, staying with the same host family, and became friends — and battery mates.

Martin has caught probably 80% of Billingsley's professional starts, the pitcher estimated Tuesday night. "We know each other so well," he said. "We know what the other's thinking."

The problem (OK, a problem) with only having two solid starters is if you take a turn through the rotation and neither one wins, it makes you wonder if it'll be another four or five days until the team can taste victory. Or even has a shot.

We'll all get to find out. Derek Lowe couldn't get the W in Saturday's baseball-a-thon, and Brad Penny was unable to stop the bleeding Tuesday night. Seattle continued their dominance over the NL West and beat Penny around like a birthday party pinata — 10 hits and five earned in only six innings — on the way to a 9-4 win over the Blue in the first of a three game set at Chavez Ravine. The box score shows it was a sweet day to be a Mariner, with every Seattle starter (save the pitcher) notching a hit, or two, or in the case of Richie Sexson, three. That would include a fifth inning big fly off a Penny fastball the Dodgers hurler put in a spot they just shouldn't go when pitching to a 6-foot-8 dude.

But good as Sexson was, the day belonged to Adrian Beltre. Despite hearing plenty of boos (we stopped being surprised by L.A. fans when they booed Brian Grant), the former almost-MVP for the Dodgers had a huge day. Two hits, four runs, two walks, two RBIs, and creating more traffic on the basepaths than the 101 through downtown, not looking at all like the guy who's been a huge disappointment in Frappucino country.

The majority of Dodger Stadium booed when the jumbotron showed that Shaq and the Heat just won a championship.

Now the sad news. Their booing didn't somehow magically turn into six extra runs, meaning the Dodgers still lost to the Mariners 9-4.

Perhaps Miami's eventual win was an omen for the evening in general, because Brad Penny was uncharacteristically ineffective. You could even make a serious argument that he got rocked, except for the fact that you'd have trouble finding anybody to even debate it. Once Penny served up a first inning jack/second batter jack to Adrian Beltre (who was booed louder than the Heat), you just kinda got the sense that this wasn't gonna be pretty. Asked about the struggles afterward, Grady Little said that his hurler had "trouble locating his fastball and that's been the key to his success so far this season." No argument from Penny, who acknowledged he wasn't "locating like I usually do." And in the skipper's mind, Seattle is the kind of ball club where if "you don't make your pitches, they'll make you pay." But as Little pointed out, Penny's been pretty pinpoint with that pitch for the majority of his starts, so it's reasonable to write off the performance as "just not his night."

And that's because Grady Little has made a decision as to who'll be manning the bag for the Dodgers upon Cesar Izturis' activation. Beginning Thursday, your starting third baseman will be...

Cesar Izturis.

The news seemed to take everyone by surprise (including AAA-bound Willy Aybar, more than likely), since word on the street was that Izzy didn't want to play so far from the infield's middle. Either the rumor mill was generating crazy talk or Izturis simply realized that if he wants to play on a regular basis, this was his best (and only) option. And the team's best option as well, according to Little: "We just feel like we'll be better with Cesar out there right now." It's also more than a stop gap solution. Until the guy proves a disaster, Little is treating this as a regular thing (except when Izzy's spelling Furcal and Kent during off days), unless Bill Mueller miraculously heals up from an injury which Little can't even put a timetable on. One potential snag? The dude's never played third in his life, save a couple innings of minor league ball in the late '90s. Unfortunately, he didn't get any work down in Vegas at the position, for reasons which both Little and Izturis remained somewhat cryptic. "I can't answer that," shrugged Little. "You know, I mentioned it to him a week ago that this was a possibility. I guess the closer it got time for him to play, the more that he thought that he wanted to get in there and help the club anyway he could."

Were I fluent in "Little-ese," I imagine that the direct English translation to that sentence would be "Cesar didn't realize I'd actually make him play third until his time in Vegas was up. And here we are."

As Izturis spoke with the media, it was obvious third ain't his first choice. He admitted that the idea of losing his spot over injury doesn't sit great, but also acknowledged there ain't a whole hell of a lot he can do about it. "I don't have no control over that," he nodded, adding that the situation is  entirely out of his hands. "I just want to play every day." What will be in his hands, however, are sharply hit baseballs requiring a hurl towards first base, but he doesn't see that as a problem. "I think if you can short, you can play third." He anticipates the biggest adjustment coming while fielding slow ground balls. As for the effects on his surgically-repaired elbow via the longer throw, no worries. "No worries" would also describe the public face he's putting on (from his perspective) a disappointing development. For now, no complaining. At least not publicly, a stance Little greatly seemed to appreciate. "The type of person Cesar is and the way he took to this, you can't say enough good things."

Tonight's lineups
Seattle
Ichiro rf
Adrian Beltre 3b
Raul Ibanez lf
Richie Sexson 1b
Kenji Johjima c
Jeremy Reed cf
Willie Bloomquist 2b
Yuniesky Betancourt ss
Joel Pinero p

Dodgers
Furcal ss
Lofton cf
Nomar 1b
Drew rf
Kent 2b
Kemp lf
Martinez 3b
Martin c
Penny p

—AK

Tired of the Starbucksization of America, Dodger fans? Tired of explaining to Microsoft types about why your Mac is a superior machine? For three games, starting tonight, you get to take out your anger, baseball style. Booing until your heart's content at the hated Seattle Mariners. 

OK, so not all Interleague games lend themselves to natural rivalries, but that doesn't mean this series is without intrigue. First of all, the Dodgers are coming off a horrible trip that served as an open invitation to the rest of the division to climb back into the race (or, if you prefer, to be pulled back in). Second, the Mariners are, aside from a three game sweep at the hands of the A's (sound familiar?), finally playing some good baseball after trolling at the bottom of the AL West for a couple seasons.

But the big issue is of course the return of Adrian Beltre to Chavez Ravine. He won't see many former teammates across the diamond, but the biggest change is in his play. Beltre hasn't been close to the guy who left L.A. a year and a half ago (and too much like the guy who played here three or four years ago for Seattle's taste). How Beltre would have played had he stayed in Los Angeles is one of the all time great Dodger "what ifs." One more reason to dislike Scott Boras?

A few weeks back, A.K. was a guest on the Mason and Ireland Show on ESPN Radio 710, talking a little Lakers. Today around 5:00 p.m. or so, I'll be on to discuss the Dodgers. Tune in if you can. 

—BK

P.S.: Faith, you know we love you, but don't be expecting a shout out every time we're on the radio (hahahaha). 

When I was little, I had an aquarium in my room. Every once in a while, I'd have a fish that was a little off. He'd thrash around the water a little bit, or swim sideways. He might suck it up and look pretty good for a while, but then I'd come home to find him floating listlessly on top of the water, flopping here and there just to remind you he's alive. Before dying, that is. 

That's how I feel about the Dodgers pitching staff right now: lots of awkward, sideways swimming, the occasional burst of encouraging activity, followed by listless floating and the possiblity of death.

It was, as road trips go, about as ugly as anything the Griswolds ever did, without the redeeming trip to Wally World at the end. Only a few hours after letting the A's walk away with a 17-inning win (Get it? Walk away?) Saturday night, the Blue played Sunday like a group in a hurry to escape Oakland. They chased so many pitches early in the count that A's starter Joe Blanton entered the ninth without cracking the century mark. Dodger starter Aaron Sele had 77 tosses of his own, except they all came before he fifth and translated into seven hits, three walks, and five earned runs for the A's. His ERA is still only 3.09, but Sunday's start was the second consecutive time Sele didn't make the fifth inning, a disturbing development for an older pitcher with a history of fast starts and pokey finishes. 

So once again, the Dodgers were reduced to looking at the bright side. Passing up "well, at least nobody got hurt," "the uniforms were clean," "we're still in first place," and "a meteor didn't hit the team bus," the Blue settled on "at least Odalis Perez pitched well." Very well, actually. O.P.'s four scoreless frames rescued a bullpen run through the ringer Saturday night (had Odalis faltered, Grady Little might have been forced to turn Brett Tomko's scheduled bullpen session into an actual appearance). His effort, and a solo blast from Nomar, were clearly the highlights of an otherwise dreary box score.

One thing's for sure. Those in attendance last night in Oakland got their money's worth, if nothing else. Very rarely does one get 17 innings of baseball for their ticket dollar. Unfortunately for those rooting Dodgers, it ended up a bargain rate 5-4 loss. The affair come to a close after Jae Seo walked Bobby Crosby with the bases loaded, which scored Marco Scutaro for an A's win. The outing not only was typical of what landed Seo in the pen, it reflected his all or nothing results throughout the season. Few pitchers could manage two strike outs and three walks in less than one inning. On the plus side, the other Dodger relievers (Broxton, Baez, Saito and Beimel) actually performed up to snuff. And since those are Grady Little's first-choice names to end up in a box score, maybe it's the sign of some bullpen stability down the road.

If Dodger fans can't stomach a baked zit-i for dinner this evening, it's only because they're still feeling the after effects of Barry Zit-o in last night's 7-3 loss to the A's. The ace hurler (rumored to be on the Dodgers' radar) was mostly en fuego, hitting L.A. with a barrage of nasty weapons. And like Spinal Tap's amps, Zito also went to 11. His string of K's left the Dodgers mostly off balance and ineffective, although they did manage a few runs over Zito's eight innings.

Unfortunately, the Dodgers had a Bizarro-Zito on the mound, which meant the A's didn't have to worry much about matching L.A'.s tally. To his credit, Tomko's been doing off-day work sessions and spoke with a sports psychologist to help get back on track. Unfortunately, "effort" doesn't always "results" make, as evidenced by Tomko's fifth straight loss. For that matter, there's also no category for "effort" in the box score.

MLB has been saddled with enough drug scandal controversy to make a pack mule cringe. There's Barry, (supposition alert!) Sammy, and Big Mac, but also Lawton, Palmiero, and now Grimsley, among others. Testing has at least seemed to curb the problem — generally, players aren't getting caught using stuff they test for — but obviously there are some loopholes in the system. You know, all the stuff they can't test for. Then there are the guys who really think big, like Ted Williams' kid who froze dad's head to preserve the Splendid Splinter's DNA to create performance enhanced babies, I presume.

That whole thing was really creepy. Really, really creepy. And sad. Very sad (but mostly creepy). But the 'roids, HGH, and frozen heads got me thinking — which is never a good thing. Why not cut out the stuff about making single players better, and assemble players that are totally unbeatable? Dodger players, specifically. Picture it as a Big Blue Build-a-Bear Workshop. Enough of using the minor leagues and coaching to develop better players. Let's literally manufacture them! An arm here, leg and batting eye there! Who would you use? The left arm of Koufax is sure to pop up on a few lists. The batting eye of Pee Wee Reese, the franchise leader in walks? The wrists of Gary Sheffield (dude could turn on a fastball)? The legs of Maury Wills?

Here's the thing — I'm not as steeped in Dodgers history as your average dyed-in-the-wool, grew-up-with-Steve-Garvey's-picture-under-the-pillow Dodger fan. So rather than have you all wait for me to contribute my bionic Dodger, I'll do it right along with you. Crack open the research books. Extra points for creativity.

—BK

Despite San Diego's always gorgeous weather, the trip down south had been unpleasant as a visit from the IRS. But with a 7-3 win over the Padres, the series at least ended in positive fashion. The game featured the debut of highly coveted prospect Chad Billingsley, who arrived on a team desperate to find a shred of stability with their fourth and fifth starters. And in keeping with this season's "You can't spell Grade A without AAA" trend, the rook stepped up. He didn't get the "W," but his effort on the mound (5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER) felt like a gallon of Evian for a team parched for some pitching. Whether it turns out to be a mere oasis remains to be seen, but for now, the kid stays in the picture. With any luck, his name in the box score will coincide with continued bat prowess. After all, Matt Kemp could always use an RBI buddy. He could join the Billingsley-Martin clique. They're always willing to extend the secret handshake.

Remember that episode of "Seinfeld" where George became obsessed with cracking up a room, then giving a joyous "All right! That's it for me. Goodnight, everyone!" The entire goal was to waltz out the door on a high note. Well, that's the attitude Dodgers fans should take after this afternoon's 7-3 win over the Padres. L.A. may have bombed during the majority of the show, but they killed before the final exit.

And speaking of bombing, rookie and MLB debut boy Chad Billingsley was the equivalent of the unknown comic who has to somehow win the audience back after watching a series of "names" stink up the club. And darned if he didn't manage to acquit himself nicely enough. The kid was obviously running out of steam down the stretch, but the end results (5.1 IP, 6H, 2ER) certainly won't kill ya, especially compared to the current state of Dodger Country 4/5 starters. And when you throw in the fact that he helped his own cause with a two-RBI single, Billingsley will probably look back on his first day in the bigs with a smile, even if he didn't get a decision for his troubles.

The Blue did most of their damage in the top of the seventh, courtesy of a four-run rally. Russell Martin got the party started with a single and quickly found himself standing at third base after Ramon Martinez followed suit. Copycat that he is, Rafael Furcal (error-free today, I might add) imitated his buddies, which sent Martin to the plate for the go-ahead run. Throw in a few RBIs for Jeff Kent and Olmedo Saenz and the trip back to L.A.'s a little more ducky. And now, in the words of Mr. Constanza himself...

All right! That's it for me! Goodnight everybody!

—AK

Go to a prop shop and find a fake mustache if it helps you get into character. 

Here's the deal. Poster Dodger Tony linked to this article from ESPN.com, regarding Arizona's release of Russ Ortiz. The writer, Keith Law, says the Snakes didn't lose a single thing by dropping Ortiz because that money was gone anyway. It was just a question as to whether or not he could help the team. Anyone who has seen Ortiz pitch this year knows the answer to that one.

Not sure you've noticed, but the Dodgers have a similar situation brewing at the Ravine with J.D. Drew...just kidding (sometimes you have to make sure people are paying attention). Of course, I'm talking about Odalis Perez. He of the, as my friend Tropp would say, "swolled" ERA, accept-no-blame attitude, and contract more radioactive than a turkey sandwich from the commissary at Chernobyl. That's a tough sales pitch for a trade. So what would you do? Dump him? See if he regains form? After all, he was effective at the beginning of the year, and has some successful seasons on his bubble gum card.

Is it just a 5-3 loss to the Padres or does it feel like the Dodgers are in a bit of a rut lately? Whatever's been contaminating the L.A. pitching staff drinking water, Brad Penny may have taken a sip. Better that than chugging the stuff, but it was enough to cause a bad second inning with three runs surrendered. Suddenly Willy Aybar's two-run jack at the top of the inning didn't count for much, unless you're Pads starter Mike Thompson seeking a career-first win against the Dodgers. From there, things were pretty tight until an eighth-inning roller coaster ride.

It seems like Dodger wunderkind Matt Kemp has already hit 50 HRs. What he hadn't done yet, however, was go yard while pinch hitting. He now can cross that task off his "Things to do" list. A solo blast (emphasis on "blast," since the ball still hasn't landed) tied things up at 3 and provided the Blue life anew. Unfortunately, Hong-Chih Kuo didn't have his life insurance paperwork in order. Even if he had, the beneficiary of his policy is apparently Adrian Gonzalez. The dude pretty much owned the eighth's bottom, doubling in Brian Giles, getting to third on (SHOCK OF ALL SHOCKS!) Rafael Furcal's error throwing to the plate, then scoring an insurance run. The Dodger bats added no action to the box score during the ninth and that was your ball game.

Hong-Chih Kuo had been lights out in four appearances since returning from Las Vegas and rejoining the L.A. bullpen. 4.2 innings, one hit, eight Ks, no walks. Unfortunately, 10 days mingling with the Dodger relief corps can cure the heartiest pitcher of excessive effective