To start, a few fundamental pillars of my belief system:

1. Teams should, when possible and within reason, give fans a chance at the postseason, or failing that, make their team as good as it can be.

2. Teams can't be afraid to trade prospects on the chance that they turn into good players. That'll happen periodically, but there's a reason they're called prospects.

3. Overpaying isn't necessarily a bad thing, as long as it serves a purpose and doesn't crush the long term outlook (still, it should be minimized).

4. P.R. trades (for example, moving guys so at least the team can say, "Hey, at least we did something.") are generally a bad idea.

With that in mind, I can confidently say I understand the theory behind what the Dodgers did today. They play in a division weaker than Rafael Palmiero's steroids alibi, and though they deserve to be out of the race, they're not. They have a serious need for pitching and like most teams, can use another bat. More than that, the entire National League is so weak it can be argued that any team playing well entering the playoffs — and by definition that would include the Dodgers, who need to kick butt just to get there — has an opportunity to qualify for (and be crushed in) the World Series. So I get all that. But I can't say I'm all that excited about the deals.

The official press statement from the Dodgers front office. We tried getting into the conference call with Ned Coletti, but the lines was full. Apparently, four slots alone were taken up by writers from some rag called the L.A. Times. Glory hogs. But we'll keep an eye out when the audio is posted on the Dodgers website and let you know.
—AK

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced today that they have acquired right-handed pitcher Greg Maddux and cash considerations from the Chicago Cubs for infielder Cesar Izturis and infielder Julio Lugo from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for minor leaguers Joel Guzman and Sergio Pedroza, according to Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti.

“Greg is one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the game,” said Colletti. “What he can bring to this team goes beyond his ability on the mound. We expect him to solidify our rotation and serve as a strong influence in the clubhouse.

“Julio is a solid infielder both offensively and defensively and will help strengthen us up the middle. He also adds more speed to our lineup.”

Maddux, 40, is a four-time Cy Young Award winner and eight-time All-Star. His 327 career victories are second among active pitchers behind Roger Clemens and rank 12^th on the all-time victory list in Major League history. He has won 15 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards, including 13 consecutive from 1990-2002 and back-to-back awards in 2004-05. Maddux has led the league in victories three times and ERA four times.

In 22 games (21 starts) this season, the right-hander is 9-11 with a 4.69, tying him for the ninth-most victories in the league. He recently surpassed Bob Gibson on the all-time strikeout list, as his 3,133 rank 12^th in big league history and third among active pitchers behind Clemens and Randy Johnson.

Maddux has appeared in the postseason 11 times, 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 31 career playoff games, Maddux has a 3.22 ERA, including a 2.09 ERA in five World Series starts.

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. His next victory will give him 19 consecutive seasons with 10 or more wins, equaling Young’s mark set from 1891-1909.

Maddux’s brother, Mike, played for the Dodgers in 1990 and 1999, making the duo the ninth pair of siblings in franchise history, joining Con and Ed Daily, Jim and Mickey Hughes, Ramon and Pedro Martinez, Dave and Steve Sax, Larry and Norm Sherry, Chris and Johnny Van Cuyk, Lloyd and Paul Waner and Zack and Mack Wheat.

Lugo, 30, is batting .308 with 12 homers and 27 RBI and 18 stolen bases for Tampa Bay this season. In 2004-05, he averaged 158 games played and a .286 mark with 66 RBI and 30 stolen bases.  In eight Major League seasons, he has a .279 career average with 68 homers, 326 RBI and 133 stolen bases.

Lugo set career highs in homers with 15 in 2003 and RBI with 75 in 2004. He swiped a career-high 39 stolen bases in 2005, which ranked fifth in the American League. He ranked sixth in the AL with 41 doubles in 2004. In 2005, Lugo led all Major League shortstops in batting average, doubles, triples, RBI and stolen bases. The Dominican Republic native was raised in Brooklyn, where he attended Fort Hamilton High School.

Izturis, 26, was batting .252 with one homer and 12 RBI in 32 games for the Dodgers following Tommy John surgery last season. The 2004 Gold Glove Award winner has played six seasons in the Major Leagues, including the last five with the Dodgers.

Guzman, 22, is batting .297 with 11 homers and 55 RBI this season for Triple-A Las Vegas. He appeared in eight games for the Dodgers this season and batted .211 (4-for-19) with three RBI.

Pedroza, 22, batted .281 with 21 homers and 75 RBI in 89 games for Single-A Columbus before a promotion earlier this month to Single-A Vero Beach. In 13 games with the Vero Beach Dodgers, he was batting .154 (6-for-39) with three homers and nine RBI.

A week ago, every team in baseball was hoping for a crack at the Dodgers. So what does that say about the Nationals?

Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep of their visitors from D.C. on Sunday afternoon, regaining some much needed momentum and moving themselves within five games of first place San Diego in the West. As for the wild card, they've got five games to make up on Cincinnati...where the Blue will begin a three-game set starting tomorrow.

You want intrigue? We deliver. On Sunday, it looked like the Dodgers were ready to do anything they could to lose. They wasted leadoff doubles, including two by newly acquired 3B Wilson Betemit, and balked runners home (in reality, the latter was fairly entertaining for anyone not named Mark Hendrickson).

The old Dodgers of say, five days ago would have folded like an accordion. But these are the new Blue: indestructible, determined and clutch. Jose Cruz Jr.'s game tying, pinch-hit homer in the seventh was one of three Dodger solo shots; then James Loney and Cesar Izturis won it in the ninth. They've got a long way to go, but for the first time in a while, the Dodgers have reason to feel optimistic. The box score, meanwhile, shows an inelegant-but-effective-enough start from Hendrickson, and solid bullpen work.

And playing by those rules, the Dodgers have officially reached Alyssa Milano/Holly Marie Combs/Shannen Doherty/Rose McGowan territory, depending on which was your favorite witch. (As for the players poll results, Milano's obviously a landslide winner.)

Today's 4-3 win over the Nats marked the team's third straight victory (the first series sweep in eons), three more than Mark Hendrickson seems destined to ever get while donning a Dodger uni. I'm totally convinced I'll notch a "W" next to my name before the lanky lefty breaks through (which says something, considering how buried I am on that pitching staff. Then again, Grady Little used to regularly warm me up in the pen before giving Odalis the call, so I guess you never know.). But like a couple Hendrickson non-win outings, he didn't particularly hurt himself while on the hill. Although he came seriously close on a rather bizarre balk, falling ass over tea kettle when his cleat got caught on the mound. Luckily, as Little pointed out, "just his feelings were hurt."

Actually, were it not for the run scored off the mishap, Hendrickson's pride would have been just ducky. "I would have laughed it off," Hendrickson shrugged. And even if Hendrickson never finds it hilarious, Toby Hall plans on laughing enough for both of them in a couple days, if not sooner. I'll give Hendrickson this much. I'm not sure John Ritter in his "Three's Company" prime could have pulled off such a sweet pratfall. But the overall result lingered more on the starter's mind, content with the team's "W," but not thrilled with his own performance. "Did you see how many walks I had today?" Reminded that he got himself out of a jam after walking the bases loaded, Hendrickson wasn't impressed. "I'm gonna battle," he reminded the reporter. "It's just one of things, that's not how I pitch...I kind of got a little pissed off at myself."

Sorry about the late pregame. Ned Colletti was made available to talk a little trade deadline, so that threw a wrench in the typin'. I'll try to get some of that up today, but I'll offer this as an appetizer: Don't expect big movement. Colletti said he had one deal that still has some life to it and another on life support, but neither sounded groundbreaking in nature. Granted, Colletti was speaking in terms so vague he might as well have been speaking Russian. Stay tuned.

So while we were all gathered in the dugout with Grady Little this morning for today's media information extravaganza, the stadium P.A. was playing U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday." I asked Little if that was a good or bad omen. "Who's request is this?" he asked. "They didn't get that CD out of my car."

Little's rotation, while likely heavy on country, doesn't come exclusively from Nashville. "It depends on what we can find at the pawn shop. You ever buy CDs and DVDs at the pawn shop? You get great deals, man. You can get all kinds of movies at a pawn shop. Check it out sometime."

Little said during his last visit he walked off with a big stack of entertainment options for around $30, so he's got a point. Of course, anyone who frequents the pawn shop knows in-kind trading is key. A little jersey bartering could make removing his wallet unnecessary. "About two weeks ago, the price was going down on that. One week. They'd make me pay them to take it. Timing is a factor," he said.

Before that diversion into Grady's shopping habits, he told us that Nomar would probably be ready for Tuesday's game in Cincinnati, Wednesday at the latest. Or, maybe it'll be Aug. 9, when he's eligible to come off the 15-day DL for his sprained knee. As we mentioned in the last post, he's officially going on the shelf.

Well, I lied. Or rather, they lied. To make room for Wilson Betemit, Nomar Garciaparra was placed in the 15-day DL for his bum knee, retroactive to July 25. By my math (for the love of all things holy, double check it), that makes him eligible to come off on Aug. 9.

—BK

James Loney and Wilson Betemit are both in the Dodgers starting lineup today, which means a roster move has to be made. Again, Little says he's waiting for the Bat Phone to ring, but it could simply be a matter of designating someone on the current roster (Ledee?  Cruz?).

As for the DL, the only likely candidate would be Nomar, but again Little said they think he'll be ready to play Tuesday in Cincinnati, or failing that, on Wednesday. One thing looks fairly certain — today's transaction won't include Bobby Abreu.

More to come in the full pregame report.

—BK

It's odd these days to see the words "winning," "streak," and "Dodgers" within screaming distance of each other, but that's the case after yesterday's 7-5 win over the Nationals marked consecutive wins.

Starter Derek Lowe's "W" tally bumped itself up to eight, but the outing wasn't as smooth as the end results might infer. The righty's been struggling for quite some time and this outing actually featured plenty of the same. Lowe surrendered four runs (and just as many stolen bases) in the  opening two innings, a mess that required 85 pitches to create.

But Lowe eventually centered himself and blanked the Nats through the fifth, becoming more a victim of the sun's heat than the heat of Washington's bats. A glass equally half-full and empty for Lowe, but a win's a win. In the meantime, the dude catching Lowe's pitches had a nice day at the office. Russell Martin knocked in a quartet of RBIs, including the one that permanently put the squad over. He and good bud Andre Ethier (another RBI man) presumably had fun reading the box score, although the names destined to enter it for the remainder of '06 is up in the air for the next 24 hours. With any luck, one of the people sticking around or entering the mix will be a leader.

For the first few innings of Saturday's 7-5 win over the Nationals, it looked like L.A.'s strategy to keep yesterday's momentum alive was to have today's game last literally forever.  I'm telling you, this sucker moved slower than Star Jones through the buffet line at Sizzler.  To call what starters Derek Lowe and Mike O'Connor were doing on the mound "laboring" would make actual labor fly by like spring break in comparison.  After Felipe Lopez singled on a slow roller and stole second (a recurring theme for the day), Lowe struck out Ryan Zimmerman before Nick Johnson deposited a hanger over the center field wall.  2-0 Nats. 

In the second, Lowe allowed two more runs, this time on four hits.  By the end of the inning, his pitch count was higher than fans at a Phish concert.  Fortunately for the Dodgers, he'd settle down, mowing through the fourth and fifth before leaving for a pinch hitter.  Even more fortunate for the Blue was the performance of O'Connor, who snotted on the lead he was spotted by allowing four Dodger runs in the home half of the first, including two homers.  First a Rafael Furcal shot to lead off the game, then a two-run bomb from Russell Martin.

You think the Dodgers are banged up?  Try the Nationals.  They've got eleven guys on the DL, and have lost a grand total of 1,069 games due to injury.  More than enough to lead the Major Leagues, and plenty to make the Dodgers- sitting third in MLB at 768 games lost (heads up, Atlanta, we're comin' after ya' for #2!) look like the picture of health.  But while it's nice to know that your M.A.S.H. unit isn't the biggest in baseball, the Dodgers, with Jeff Kent disabled, Willy Aybar gone, Nomar nursing and injury, and new Blue Wilson Betemit not yet in town, could use another hand on deck for Saturday afternoon's game.  (Segue alert!)

After last night's swap was announced to the media (Danys Baez, Willy Aybar and about 1.5 mil's worth of cash considerations to Atlanta for third baseman Wilson Betemit), Ned Colletti addressed the throng for a few minutes. Subjects ranged from the team's newest acquisition, how the Dodgers are in a "buying mode" and the potential for more moves before Monday. Colletti said his conversations with other G.M.'s (labeled "more frequent and serious" of late) have come more as a result of outgoing calls than incoming, a sign that he's taken on the pursuer role. And that the Dodgers will finish this month with a honkin' big phone bill, if not a blockbuster trade. It wasn't a long gathering, but here's some of what he had to say.

"He's already got some experience under his belt. He's played in a good organization, obviously, in Atlanta. His extra base production for the number of at bats that he's had, it's pretty strong. He's farther along than a prospect. More accomplished than a prospect... I think he's gonna be a real good bog league player. We'll take as many of those as we can get. Betemit is a versatile player who can play second, play short, play third..." - on Betemit

"We've seen him up here. He's got a great future. He's got a lot of potential, but we think Betemit's a little bit farther along right now in his development. So that's why there's a trade. " - on Willy Aybar

"Tomko is coming back to fit in Baez's place. With the addition of Giovanni (Carrara) a couple weeks ago and with Elmer the other day, we felt that we could take a chance." - On losing Danys Baez's contributions

"We've got a lot of things going on... I'd say from the middle of last night forward, there's been a whole lot more activity. Been a whole lot more conversations. Big Pieces. Smaller pieces... What will get done I can't predict because I'm only half the equation." - On the possibility of more trades on the horizon

"Sure, but again, a big bat is like an ace starting pitcher. There's not many of them available and you have to take it as it comes. If there's a player of that ilk available and I can make it work, we'll do it... I think this is an upgrade to our offense with Betemit." - On whether he's still seeking out a big bat.


AK

Grady Little said it would happen again. The players said it would happen again. The fans said it would happen again, if simply by the law of odds. But nonetheless, the Dodgers 13-1 win over the Nationals initially prompted more shock than fist pumps. But once that understandable reaction wore off, hard not to get stoked (or in Tommy's case, down to some serious eating) over starting a series with a good old fashioned thumping. Chad Billingsley may have thrown his usual gazillion pitches per outing, but at least he had something to show for the effort. The rook put a second "W" next to his name, and more importantly, found himself with plenty of teammates getting his back in said quest. The whole damn squad, more or less. And watching Andre Ethier, Cesar Izturis, and J.D Drew swat balls out of the park, you'd wonder why this squad ever hit such skids in the first place. Or why similar box scores have been more rare than undercooked sashimi.

No, it's not a typo.

BK

Shut yo' mouth!

As I suspected earlier, the Dodgers have indeed made a move. It was just announced about two minutes ago that The Dodgers have traded Danys Baez, Willy Aybar and cash considerations (I had a feeling that guy was on the move) to the Braves for...

Wilson Betemit!

I'm about to listen to Ned Colletti discuss the trade, but I wanted to let y'all in the loop.

More to come later.

AK

And you know this is big, because Ryan is about to confront Luke and tell him he needs to stop sleeping with Marissa's mom.

I got a call from AK, at the game today, and he told me there's a good chance the Dodgers have something in the works. In the pregame wrangle with Grady Little, the GM said Brett Tomko will be activated before the game... but they can't do it quite yet.

"We have a decision on Tomko. There's a couple more things going on right now where we're kind of on hold on the announcement on the move," Little said. "The other day it was health issues. Today it could be other things."

Says AK: "At minimum, it sounded like someone is going to get released, but it sounds like there could be a trade in the works. The throng seemed to get that impression. Little said he was just waiting for the phone to ring, and was as anxious as we were."

If it's Soriano, it would make for one of those cool deals in sports where guys clean out their lockers and walk to the other dugout. At least we know it won't require a police escort. But AK pointed out he could be off, and had no idea what players might be headed in, or out. It could just be someone getting designated.

"They gave no indication more than there's a phone, and it needs to ring," my brother said in an exclusive Blue Notes interview. It's actually a giant red phone in Little's office with one huge flashing light in the center. No buttons to call out, just a big red light in the center.

That last part may not be true, but it adds flavor and atmosphere to the scene.

—BK

Slow news days. Perhaps the nation's writers are having trouble varying descriptions of the Dodgers' struggles. It hasn't been a picnic for us. With any luck, Thursday's break will help the Dodgers regroup. Or refresh. Or rejuvenate. Re-anything, as long as some tangible results are quickly on display. Though by now it requires the help of a forklift, Grady Little is keeping his chin firmly high.

And on the positive side, the NL West remains the still the most winnable division this side of a beer softball league, so anything can happen. And since the Dodgers are running out of ways to lose, "anything" may start including wins purely by default.

Elmer Dessens rides like the wind when it comes to getting on the mound.

Will East Coast bias hurt Andre Ethier (or darker horse candidate Russell Martin) in a Rookie of the Year campaign?

If you're such a roto enthusiast that you play minor league fantasy baseball (not to judge, but... loser!), you may wanna consider releasing Chris Hobdy from your squad. Kid won't be of much value  for a while (unless you also play prison league fantasy sports).

Tonight's game: "Last meets Last" in a battle between the Dodgers and the Nationals. Rookie Chad Billingsley will attempt to turn the team's fortunes by outdueling Tony Armas. Bills picked up his first win two starts ago, then proceeded to get crushed. One hopes that was just a hiccup on the road to breakthrough, although Armas is certainly just as vulnerable a pitcher.

We learned a few things in the Dodgers' 10-3 loss to San Diego on Wednesday afternoon.  First, Brad Penny is Rafael Palmeiro's finger-pointing equal both in technique (very crisp, excellent extension) and bad timing (just as Palmiero probably should have held off on his "vitamin B-12" shots before getting all high and mighty in front of Congress, Penny might have waited for an inning where he didn't give up six straight hits- including a crippling double to the pitcher- before freaking out at a teammate, even if Lofton's hustle was suspect, which it was).  We learned that what last week could have been a fun, laugh it off, "Hey, remember that time we lost seven of eight out of the break on our way to winning the West?" kind of deal has become an unqualified "Women and children first!" five alarm emergency after three losses to the division leading Padres has the Blue in dead last, 7.5 games out.  We learned that the Dodgers may now be too far gone to make a deadline deal effective. 

The Dodgers were never shoe ins for the Fall Classic, but c'mon!  Even the Royals look at L.A. right now and say, "Man, those guys really suck!"  I heard the front office is getting sympathy cards from the Pirates, and that Forest Lawn is saving space for the entire bunch.  But how the hell did this happen?  Bad pitching?  Horrible hitting?  Debilitating brain cramps?  Questionable decision making from players and management?  Those could explain it, but the Dodgers have lost in soul sucking ways that have an air of inevitability to them, as if the results are out of their hands?  Like, say, a curse?    

On the plus side, it can't get any worse. It really can't. Short of players showing up drunk and passing out before the sixth inning, how much further can the Dodgers sink than recently displayed?

Yesterday afternoon's 10-3 loss to San Diego completed a Padres sweep, the second straight series that left the Dodgers thoroughly broomed. The Blue actually jumped out to a quick lead (for new fans unfamiliar with such proceedings, that's when the Dodgers have more runs than their opponent), but relinquished it by the third inning.

The Padres broke things open by shelling ace hurler Brad Penny, the one Dodger pitcher worthy of theoretical confidence. Even Pads pitcher Jake Peavy got in his licks, hitting the Okie for a double and a long ball. Then things got really bad for Penny. The fiery righty took exception to the speed with which Kenny Lofton ran down a Dave Roberts ground ball and let his displeasure be known. The two ended up screeching at each other in the dugout (to the delight of their opponents). Both claim the matter is behind them, but the conflict represents a larger problem for Penny. The box score represents a continual problem for the Dodgers.

...but this team hasn't won a game since Odalis Perez was traded. Not a single game. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. I think at this point, it's fair to say that he was the glue that held the squad together. They cannot win without O.D.! He's like a left-handed-throwing Paul LoDuca!

OK, we're not quite at that stage yet, but after Wednesday afternoon's 10-3 loss to San Diego, the Blue's 13th in 14 outings since the All-Star break, it's getting pretty hard not to give in to wild, irrational notions about what's wrong with the team.

So what is the problem? Let's hit the checklist. Bad hitting? Check. Bad pitching? Check. Lousy defense? Check. Mental lapses? Hella check. Lack of passion? Check. Lack of dugout arguments between your starting pitcher and veteran centerfielder? Good news, that's not a problem anymore. Brad Penny and Kenny Lofton had to be separated after it looked like Penny felt Lofton didn't put in a great effort on a shallow fly ball to center that fell in between Lofton and Willy Aybar. UPDATE: Your fearless reporter bricked this hard.  It was a ground ball past Aybar that Lofton played into a Dave Roberts double.  Bad mistake.  Thanks to those who pointed out the error.

Things got very finger pointy and yelly (I'm sure television viewers appreciated the first bit of heated action from the Dodgers in a while), but by the end of the game, they said it was talked about and done with.

"It was frustration," said Lofton. "It's over with. When you're going through a losing streak, that can happen. It's over." (As for the play itself, both Little and Lofton pointed out that its tough to pick up balls against the new, pale painted seats at the Ravine. It's a complaint that we've heard from home and visiting teams all year, so it is, at least, a viable excuse. Granted, it doesn't explain the balls Lofton has misplayed at night, but one thing at a time.)

Little also blamed the blowup on frustration. The kind that can sink in when the opposing pitcher not only not only goes seven strong, allowing only five hits and striking out eight, but out-RBIs the home squad 4-3, as San Diego's Jake Peavy managed to do today. Or the kind that sinks in when your team seems to be BASE jumping to the bottom of the NL West without a parachute.

One programming note — the Dodgers didn't end up making the anticipated roster move to activate Brett Tomko. They're gonna marinate in that decision until Friday. The blood tests on Danys Baez came up clean. Just a stomach virus. He told me he'll be fine when the Nats come to town.

Wish I could say the same about the Dodgers.

—BK

Grady Little has been in baseball a long time. A very long time. So to hear him say as he did this morning that he's never gone through a stretch quite like the one the Dodgers are currently experiencing is a little unnerving, unprecedented losing spells not being an area in which teams hope to forge new ground. I asked him how he's managed to keep a positive public face while the team heads southward, when other managers might blow up publicly and/or call out players.

"I keep things in the right perspective. I've got a job to do and I know that I'm doing it the very best I can. There's not much more I can ask of myself. Things happen a lot of times that are out of our control, so there's not much you can do about it. You do as much as you can to make it better, but then you've got to wait for the results," Little said. "If I the manager or my coaches start to lose it, it's going to trickle down. And that's not going to happen here. We're going to continue working and doing our jobs as we expect our players to do, and we'll all get through this together."

You know things are bad when the manager is giving the media pep talks, but that's exactly what happened.

"This is not an easy time for us as a ballclub, and the end result is it's not an easy time for you. God dang, you get tired of asking the same questions, and take my word we're trying to get you some variety," he said. "We have a lot of respect for what you guys have to do, so just hang in there. Things have to change. Nobody likes to keep writing about losing games every day, and we don't like to play them either. Hang in there."

He's right. We could use some variety.

Is it just us, or are the Dodgers in something of a rut at the moment? One certainly hopes that's the case, because if results like last night's 7-3 loss to San Diego were produced by a team operating at peak proficiency...blech.

Mark Hendrickson, who may never get a win in Dodger blue (intentional overstatement in the hopes of motivating the lefty), allowed four runs in six innings worth of action. Mike Cameron's two-run jack put the visitors up early, with the host team never relinquishing "catch-up" status. Cameron also was the Glove Man of the Hour, making a great chuck from center to nail a charging, chugging Toby Hall dead to rights. (On top of all that glory, dude could make the cover of Men's Health. Jerk.)

The Dodgers did rally a bit for the cause, despite sporting a depleted lineup some of our readers might have cracked. Lotta cats missing. But Kenny Lofton left the building for the first time this season and RBIs came via nonusual suspects Rafael Furcal and Cesar Izturis. But once within a run of striking distance, an illin' Danys Baez pounded for a run trio, putting the game on ice for SD.

One can debate whether or not Ned Colletti's inclinations regarding short term acquisitions are the right call. But one thing's for sure. Without a change of sorts (personnel, attitude, alignment of the stars), similar box scores feel imminent.

At this point, I'm starting to wonder if the Lakers will win another game before the Dodgers do. This is like watching a car wreck play out over two weeks or the lemmings at the "Hey, let's run to the cliffs!" committee meeting. You see where the ship is headed, and it ain't pretty.

Tuesday's 7-3 Padres win means seven losses in a row for L.A., 12 of 13 since the break. I saw an awful lot of gate giveaway baseball cards floating down from the upper deck, indicating fans may not believe this bunch is worth taking home, even in picture form. As the old saying goes, good thing it wasn't Machete Night. Not that sharp flying objects would have done much damage. By the end of the evening, if someone in the right field stands wanted to swap digits with a fan in left, it wouldn't have been a problem. That empty, that quiet. Few even bothered to boo on their way out. Anger is dangerously close to giving way to its ugly cousin, apathy.

While the Dodgers stuck with the recent game plan, combining an effective blend of runners left on base, mental and physical lapses, and undisciplined hitting, to their credit they did manage to add variety and color to Tuesday's loss. Instead of a heartbreaking defeat in extra innings, the Blue chose a more nuanced, uniquely demoralizing way to stave off victory. They kept the game tight and made a couple of comeback attempts before allowing the game to get out of hand in the ninth. J.D. Drew, pinch-hitting for Mark Hendrickson in the sixth, finally came through with a clutch base hit...and Toby Hall got gunned down at home.

"It was hit hard to (Padres CF Mike Cameron), and he made a perfect throw," Hall said. "If Raffy was running I'm sure he would have gotten there a little quicker than me, but you can't always pick who's on second when you hit a line drive."

Three runs in the ninth of Danys Baez turned a one-run game and an opportunity to be totally baffled by Trevor Hoffman's changeup for a second consecutive night into a relative laugher. Baez, by the way, was fighting the flu yesterday and left the game tonight with dehydration and dizziness. There's a joke in there somewhere, I'm sure.

Grady Little is running out of positive spins, but is trying his best. "We've just got to keep plugging. They're all trying, but we just have to go a step further and get the job done," he said. "We know we're going to be back out here in a few hours to play again (Note: I don't believe this is intended as a threat or warning to ticket holders, but I can't be sure), and we've got to be ready. This could be a situation where people in [the clubhouse] could start pointing fingers, but it's actually the best time for people to take a good look in the mirror and decide for themselves that they're going to do what they can do to get it going."

On a positive note — because here at Blue Notes we always look for the positive — Elmer Dessens had a nice Dodger debut with two scoreless innings, and Ricky Ledee decided to make me look stupid for saying he's not much use as a hitter by singling twice and scoring a run. At this point, I'm willing to take a bullet for a win.

More on the game tomorrow (sorry).

—BK

Perhaps worn down by the monotonous nature of their current run of bad news (Dodgers don't hit, Dodgers don't score, Dodgers don't stay focused, Dodgers don't win), the Blue reached back into the Unfortunate Things Goodie Bag and produced an old favorite.

It seems that the spirit-crushing Josh Barfield popup that fell in between the Bermuda Triangle of Jose Cruz Jr., Rafael Furcal, and Willy Aybar in the 11th last night did more damage than simply kick off a game-winning rally for San Diego.

As Barfield slid into second under the tag of Nomar Garciaparra — alertly trailing the play and covering the bag — the All-Star 1B tweaked his right knee. He underwent an MRI today, which showed a sprained ligament but no additional structural damage — to the joint, not the Dodgers lineup — but Grady Little believes the injury will keep Nomar out about five days, give or take. I wouldn't worry, though. It's not like the guy has had a history of injury over the last few years.

So no Kent, now no Garciaparra. As an added treat, tonight the Dodgers offense will also be without J.D. Drew (cynics in the crowd will point out they've been that way for a while). Little is giving the slumping right fielder a breather tonight "to regroup and see if he can get his mind straight." I figure this is basically a tailor-made comments page setup for many Blue Notes readers, so I'll let you guys spike it.

Because of off days and schedule quirks, Aaron Sele's next start has been pushed back. That means he's available in relief tonight, as is the newly reacquired Elmer Dessens. The righty is landing at the aeropuerto around six, and Little says he'll be available later in the game. As for Dessens pulling a Doug Mirabelli-style police escort, change his uni in the car-type deal, Little hopes it isn't necessary. "That has a lot to do with how Hendrickson does tonight."

Say what you will about Ned Colletti, but today he managed to do something many thought was impossible — trade Odalis Perez. The Dodgers shipped the unhappy lefty off to Kansas City (nothing but sunshine and happy times there, right?) along with right handed minor league hurlers Blake Johnson and Julio Pimentel, and enough cash (about $8 mil or so) to fund a small island nation in exchange for spot starter/reliever Elmer Dessens.

"I've been in discussions with teams for quite a while," GM Ned Colletti said in a conference call this afternoon. "I'd rather not say exactly how long, but I'll just say quite a while." A very diplomatic Colletti said that Perez was a tough chip to move. "If it was easy, it would have happened a while ago." Dude, I'm impressed you were able to do it at all.

The prospects and cash were required to sweeten the deal to the point that Kansas City would even foot around $3 mil to take on Perez. Apparently, Colletti's first offer of Perez and a year's supply of Everlasting Gobstoppers just didn't have enough sugar. That might have worked on Allard Baird, but not Dayton Moore. In regards to the prospects, Colletti said that Johnson, L.A.'s second-round pick in '04, has some upside but is still some years away. "Pimental is a tougher to read," he said. "He's probably the lesser prospect." Both have been pitching in Single A Vero Beach.

If a loss contains more entertainment value than many a victory, then doesn't that in fact equal a win, when it's all said and done? Well, no, but at least last night's 7-6 extra innings loss to the Padres provided plenty of fireworks (in lieu of an actual "W.")

Like the Spinal Tap amps (and the number of losses in the last dozen games), Monday's innings go to "11," reflective of the extra punch on display. A fiery Derek Lowe, desperately in search of a win during his recent struggles, threw nearly seven innings, giving up just three earned runs.

Unfortunately, Lowe had barely sat down before Jonathon Broxton served up a three-run jack to Mike Cameron, the result of a poorly placed slider. Now behind 6-3, your post-All-Star break Dodgers would typically fold like a guy holding 2-7 off suit. But Monday's squad featured fire. Andre Ethier had already taken it upon himself to be a one-man gang, socking two homers and 3 RBIs. His rookie buddy Russell Martin was also on a "slack picking up" mission, knocking in two ribbies to get the team within 1. Even seldom used, oft-injured Rickey Ledee got in on the act, lacing a pinch-hit game-tying RBI.

Unfortunately, a Josh Barfield single hit the ground before Jose Cruz Jr., Ramon Martinez or Rafael Furcal could decide who's ball it was. Josh Bard, ready to hit the hotel, knocked in Barfield to go up 7-6. Three Dodger batters down in the bottom of the 11th, and here's your box score.

But one doesn't nab extra points for spunkiness, so this 7-6 series opening loss to the Padres causes the same standings tumble as an apathetic one. In case you just tuned in this season (or happen to be a loyal fan living in denial), the Blue haven't exactly been dominating competition in recent days.

And tonight's 11-inning seesaw battle started with a bad omen, as Willy Aybar committed an error on the very first play of the game. The beneficiary in question, Dave Roberts, was eventually singled in by Brian Giles, putting L.A. under the gun before fans had finished filing into the park. Derek Lowe (6.2 innings, three ERs, seven hits, six K's) suffered another unearned run in the third inning (this time at the hands of his own error), but in Grady Little's eyes "pitched well enough to win the game tonight."

Immediate relief Jonathon Broxton? Not so much, particularly on a slider Mike Cameron sent sailing for a seventh inning three-run jack (Russell Martin had signaled for a pitch in the dirt). "Just a bad pitch," nodded Little. "And he had to pay dearly for it."

The Dodgers did manage to rally, reminiscent of a night spent determined to swing momentum their way. From start to finish, Andre Ethier certainly attempted to do his part, slugging two homers (his first multi-HR game in the bigs) and driving in three runs. Fellow rook Martin drove in a pair of his own, and Ricky Ledee's eighth inning pinch-hit ribbie squared things up at a half dozen apiece.

From there, things kicked into overdrive (and overtime, so to speak), but a lack of communication between Jose Cruz Jr. and Ramon Martinez allowed Josh Barfield's lazy center-field fly to hit the ground. One Josh Bard single later, Barfield was home, the Pads were up by one, and another "L" smeared the record books.

Disappointment aside, Almost Man of the Hour Ethier liked the fight on display. "It was a great team effort all around," said the modest one. "We can build on today." Words after his manager's own heart. "We're gonna get it going," stressed the skip. "These guys are battling. They're not quitting. They're continuing to go out there and put out the effort...it will happen."

And it couldn't happen any sooner.

More to come later.

—AK

I had left the following comment in the previous thread:

"The natives are seriously starting to get restless around here. The crowd was booing Broxton hard after that HR and on his way to the clubhouse, Lowe punched the dugout fan and tossed his hat onto the dugout. And FYI, Good God, would I kill to have one of those fans in the pressbox!!! This place is like having a cookout in a sauna. "

I need to clarify a couple things right here, right now.

1) It turns out Lowe just threw his glove at the fan, as opposed to hitting it with his fist.

2) THE FAN IN QUESTION WAS NOT A HUMAN. IT'S A MECHANICAL FAN. AN INANIMATE OBJECT. THE KIND THAT COOLS YOU OFF IN TODAY'S RIDICULOUS HEAT. DEREK LOWE DID NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, STRIKE, THROW HIS GLOVE AT, OR DO ANYTHING MEAN OR THREATENING TO ANY LIVING PERSON.

Whew!!!

Now that the libel lawsuit has been prevented, we return you to this evening's game currently in progress.

—AK

Grady Little's a pretty laid-back cat, but don't interpret the cool demeanor as indifference toward his team's recent output. The losses are getting to him. The skip admitted before the game that this ugly slump, the longest he's ever experienced with any team at any level, stays with him long after he exits the Ravine.

"I'm usually a person who can leave it at the ball park," shrugged Little. "But like I said, having (never) personally experienced something quite this bad before... It has been (staying) on the freeways with me a bit."

And you people thought your commute sucked.

Asked if he thinks about it at night, Little smiled a bit. "I think about a lot of things at night." Fortunately, once in the casa, a bit of a reprieve waits. "When I'm around my wife, most of my concerns are with her. She makes sure of that. Whether it be monetary or whatever."

As we mentioned yesterday, Ned Colletti spent some time with the media discussing the Alomar deal and the return of Jason Repko. We've already posted the good stuff from that part of the conversation, but the rest — trade deadline issues and the like — follows below.

—BK

Q: With the team's recent play, has your outlook or approach changed approaching the deadline?
NC: I'm still looking for pitching and I'm still looking for offense. It's interesting, I'm not sure if the Dodgers led the league in hitting with runners in scoring position — we may have led the league. And to come back after the break, we're hitting .100. That's (tough).

Q: How concerned are you that Chad Billingsley is ready to pitch at the Major League level?
NC: I'm not concerned with Chad Billingsley. He's going to continue to learn. There's far more accomplished big league pitchers who struggled at the big league level and worked their way out of it, whether it was pitch to pitch or inning to inning or game to game, than those who came up here and just figured it out as soon as they showed up. I think his confidence is still strong, I know he's a real smart kid. I think he'll get better as the year goes on, and next year he'll be even better than if he had pitched all year in AAA. St. Louis (who touched him for five earned in five innings Sunday) is not a bad club. St. Louis has a lot of offense, and they can pitch.

In news that will please nobody reading this blog (save the two people who actually run it), the weekend closed out with the Cardinals declaring official ownership of the Dodgers. Sunday's 6-1 beat down at the hands of St. Louis marked the sweep of all sweeps: Series and season.

This particular Cardinal onslaught was led by (brief) one-time Dodger Juan Encarnacion, who likely won't be eating dinner at Chad Billingsley's house anytime soon. Encarnacion pounded the rook for two home runs (one barely out, one way the hell out), part of a six-run onslaught that exited the youngster in just five innings. On the flip side, every offensive scenario faced by the Dodgers came up emptier than a homeless man's wallet.

Hopefully, Nomar's got some better loot for his birthday than a gift-wrapped copy of the box score. The way things are presently heading, nobody got a better present than Sandy Alomar Jr.

After Sunday's 6-1 loss to the Cardinals, the Dodgers announced a trade, sending Sandy Alomar Jr. to the Chicago White Sox for AA righthander BJ LaMura. The 25-year-old was 5-0 with a 1.99 ERA and three saves for Birmingham this year, his fifth in the pros. In 54 appearances, he struck out 67 against 31 walks, allowed only 34 hits, and held opposing hitters to a .182 BA. Over his minor league career, LaMura is 25-25 with a 4.13 ERA (177 ER/385.1 IP).

The move allows the Dodgers to open a roster space for Jason Repko, who will be activated from the DL and is likely to start in center Monday against San Diego. The trade didn't come as a shock to Alomar, who has played for the Sox before and lives in Chicago. Nor did he seem particularly disappointed. "It's a good move for myself and my family," he said. "There was no room for me to play. I don't bring a lot of stuff to the team that they need. I can't be a pinch-runner, I can't play in the outfield. All I can do is catch and hit. There are a lot of players who can bring more to the team and are for better use."

I'm not sure who punches, I'm not sure who gets punched, nor am I exactly sure what it will accomplish. But after Jason Marquis shut out the Blue on four hits over eight innings in St. Louis' broom wielding 6-1 Sunday afternoon win- becoming the latest in a growing line of unexceptional hurlers morphed by the Dodgers into the second coming of Cy Young- I think this post All Star break skid has officially reached the face-punching stage. It's borderline Biblical.

Seriously, the Dodgers need to do something soon, because I'm dangerously close to running out of "the offense sucks" material. There are only so many ways I can tackle this problem on a family friendly website, and unfortunately the scoring drought doesn't look like it's ending anytime soon. I feel like a Dust Bowl farmer staring desperately at the sky waiting for the rain to come. I'm sure (I hope?) the team feels the same way, but they make more money than I do. I'm less concerned about their jobs than mine. The blog needs variety. A little change of pace here and there, or it could suffer.

Nomar Garciaparra turns 33 today, sharing a birthday with Dodger legends and HOFers Pee Wee Reese and Don Drysdale. Here's the good part. Over the course of major league history only two big leaguers — Al Simmons and Alex Rodriguez — have more birthday big flies than Nomar's four. That's an encouraging stat, right? Of course, like all things involving this team and power numbers, there's a catch. In this case, it's the fact that three came in one game back in '99. But when a team has lost 9 of 10, seen the pitching staff fray and the offense disappear faster than Chumbawamba, beggars can't be choosers.

"We know that they care. We know that they're trying, we see it out there on the field," Grady Little said of his players before the game. "The results just aren't coming right now. But these days shall pass, and we know that one month from now we'll look back on these times and we'll get some laughs out of it." I'm not entirely sure I buy the notion that they'll actually laugh.

"Right now they're just tears."

That I believe.

Whatever the emotion, the Dodgers will need something big to snap their losing streak against the Cardinals, who have become (to paraphrase Pedro) their daddies. They'll do it without Kenny Lofton (scheduled day off), but J.D. Drew returns to the lineup, and Russell Martin will stay in the fifth spot. Martin wasn't able to capitalize on a couple run scoring opportunities last night, but Little felt his approach was good enough to keep him there for another day. "This guy knows what he's doing," he said.

If anybody reading this post hasn't already been to church, turn off the computer, run to your nearest service, and get your pray on. Immediately. Because right now, as last night's 6-1 loss to St. Louis demonstrated, the Dodgers could use a little divine intervention of sorts in their corner.

If Dodger fans started following the season on Saturday (and were that the case, one must question how big of fans they actually are), they'd see Jeff Weaver's line and curse the organization for letting the lanky one slip through their fingers. But they'd be wrong, because he's not all that good. The Dodgers just made him (and all pitchers recently) look good. The oft-rocked hurler went 5.2 innings, holding the Dodgers to one earned run and maintaining the Dodger bats' soft status.

Said lack of pop extended itself upon Aaron Sele, who's typically butter when throwing at the Ravine. Sele only lasted four innings, but certainly gave Cardinal batters their money's worth, highlighted by Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds jacks. He exited with five earned runs to his name. A brief (but scoreless) rally in the sixth inning aside, the Dodgers never came within screaming distance of threatening the Birds.

If this outing (and the post-All-Star break play in general) strikes you as a scenario requiring a player's door meeting, nobody would accuse you of crazy talk. Although instead of the pow wow, perhaps Grady Little should have just made his players write "I will not produce box scores like these" 500 times before going home.

To recap:

On Wednesday, Arizona's Brandon Webb held the Dodgers to two runs over eight innings. No worries, he's their ace. On Friday, St. Louis righty Jeff Suppan, who had given up 16 runs in his last 14 innings against teams not from Los Angeles and sported a road ERA more inflated than Enron stock in Y2K, shutout the Blue over seven. Uh oh.

Tonight, Jeff Weaver, cast off by the Angels for his nasty habit of coughing up more than six runs per nine, threw 5.2 innings, allowing a lone run in the Cardinals 6-1 win. Yikes! Sunday afternoon, the Redbirds will give the ball to Jason Marquis, who was absolutely barbecued in his last start. I'm talking 12 earned in only five innings. Twelve! Only four fewer than L.A. has scored since the break!

Which makes him primed and ready to no-hit the Dodgers, right?

Here's the good news: J.D. Drew's knee will be fine. A lot of ice, stimulation (presumably electric), and some time in his personal hyperbaric chamber (are those in The Sharper Image catalog?) has the RF hoping for "a quick turnaround." Grady Little even left open the possibility that Drew could pinch hit tonight, though it seems unlikely. When asked if Drew could run well enough to hit, Little joked, "One of these days he'll hit a ball where he doesn't have to run." The bad news? A lineup already struggling loses one of its bigger sticks (keep your cynical remarks to yourself... or post them on the comments board!).

Little mentioned yesterday that Russell Martin's future would include a higher spot in the batting order than the eighth slot he's occupied since his debut. Presumably he meant in the long term, but with things going the way they are- the Dodgers currently are to run production what Death Valley is to rainfall- Little said Martin's future could "be tomorrow evening." With Jeff Kent already on the shelf and now Drew on the bench, turns out Skip wasn't kidding around. Martin will hit fifth tonight. Though over the long haul I think Martin is a perfect No. 2 hitter, I like the move. He's one of the few guys on the team managing to drive the ball even a little, hitting .389 with a pair of doubles over the last week. Yeah, with only one RBI...but unfortunately that puts him among the team leaders over that span. Martin's obviously not an ideal middle of the order guy because there's not a lot of home run power there, but at this point, the Dodgers need someone who can put bat to ball. Start there, with baby steps.

In fairness, Jeff Suppan isn't himself a Cy Young winner, but he does play with one and probably has met at least a half-dozen more, so it's basically the same thing.  Suppan supplied St. Louis with seven of the nine scoreless Dodger innings- Adam Wainright and Jason Isringhausen chipping in with the others- in the Cardinals 2-0 win over L.A.  For the Dodgers, it's eight losses in nine games, and a grand total of fifteen runs over that span.  Say it again.  Nine games.  Fifteen runs.  Even worse, a basically catatonic offense lost a bat Friday night when J.D. Drew was plunked by a Suppan pitch on his right knee. X-rays showed a contusion, good for a guy with a history of breaking stuff when pitches hit him.  He'll be evaluated again today.  What won't require evaluation is the effort of Brad Penny. The box score shows he did what he could to keep his team in the game, hurt only by a moon shot by Chris Duncan and an RBI single from Juan Encarnacion over his 6.2 innings of work.  The way things are going, that was plenty.  There was that little tease in the ninth, sure, but that's all it was. 

If you were expecting to eat the righty up like a meal, that is.

It's now official. The Dodgers' ongoing slump can make just about any ordinary pitcher look like Dizzy Dean. Seriously, they don't come much more ordinary than Jeff Suppan, 6-5 with a 5.52 ERA heading into tonight's eventual 2-0 Dodgers loss. But Suppan was a stud on the hill, giving up a mere 5 hits and nada in the run column over seven innings. The performance was the best he's been since... well, his last outing, which also just happened to be against the Dodgers on July 15.  Seems to be a pattern forming. But there is some good news. This totally hittable, typically underwhelming hurler won't be facing the Dodgers for the rest of regular season. So rest easy. Unfortunately, as  listless as the Blue bats have gotten, a lot of opposing pitchers could come off looking Suppan-esque. "Right now, we're not hitting the ball," lamented Grady Little. "And it doesn't matter who's out there. It would be the same."

J.D. Drew's injury (from a pitch hitting him in the right knee) has been diagnosed as a contusion and he's being listed as day to day.

As you were...

AK

Many of y'all were scratching your heads during the St. Louis and Arizona roadies, trying to figure out exactly what the problem was with your beloved Blue. Well, get in line. When it comes to assessing a problem (or problems) in cause and effect terms, Grady Little is as at much a loss as the fans watching his team. When asked why the team has such a bad road record but plays better at home, he responded rather matter of factly. "We have a bad road record and we play better at home. What do you want me to say?"

But all kidding aside, what is Little really supposed to say? While conceding he could offer sports cliche answers, the truth is that while everybody knows what's wrong (pitching's gone sour, bats are colder than The Great Santini), the formula for righting the ship remains an Agatha Christie-esque mystery. Thus, Little does whatever he can to make something happen. Once again, the lineup's shuffled a touch. J.D. Drew and Andre Ethier each move down a spot in the lineup, the former prompted by Kenny Lofton's return to action. "We're still tweaking. We're looking for that right combination. It's a tough situation, especially when you're without a bat like Jeff Kent's in the lineup... But you've got to find a way to get through this." The idea of moving Russell Martin up in the order has also crossed Grady Little's mind, but for now, it's not in the works, but "will happen one day in the future." And as Little reminded us, "Any day after today is his future."

Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the last day or so, you've heard that Shea Hillenbrand is available for all interested parties. The Dodgers need a bat, he's not a bad one, and he'll likely come cheap. So here's the question: If you're Ned Colletti, do you take a run?

A few things to consider:

Pro: Hillenbrand can hit. He's spent the last three seasons around .300, and while 12 homers isn't much, on this Dodger team that makes him Mel Ott.
Con: Hillenbrand can hit, but that's about the only way he gets on base. In nearly 600 ABs last year, he walked 26 times. His current OPS (.821) isn't significantly better than Willy Aybar's (.812).

Pro: Hillenbrand can hit, and the Dodgers have scored about four runs since the break.
Con: He can't catch. Or not that well, at least. Hillenbrand has never been known as a glove man. And where would he play? Nomar's done a nice job at first. Put him at third, and it's an exchange of offense for defense and Izzy sits. Theoretically, he could play first and Nomar could go to third, but I don't think that's a good idea at all. Horrible, really.

Pro: Did I mention he can hit?
Con: Even before this week, he'd developed a rep as a clubhouse problem, especially when he's not in the lineup every day. With all the parts L.A. lugs around, that probably won't happen. How will he react? I was in the Jays locker room earlier this year, and a couple people described Hillenbrand with essentially the "That's just Shea being Shea" line, which generally means a guy does strange, often off-putting things that you just learn to ignore. Toby Hall has already expressed displeasure at his situation. Do you want two of those guys?

This is one of those decisions that comes down to simply how desperate you think the Dodgers are, or should be, for scoring. Hillenbrand would be an upgrade to the offense — though not a massive one — and in a thin market could be among the most cost-effective acquisitions available. But he's currently carrying more baggage than a Samsonite salesman. Is it worth it to play bellman for him in an effort to add a spark?

—BK

As far as road trips go, this was worse than anything Clark Griswold ever had to endure, and the Dodgers didn't even get to see Christie Brinkley in a sports car (or the world's largest ball of mud). After dropping six of the first seven games of their swing through St. Louis and Arizona — setting some unimpressive statistical benchmarks along the way — the odds didn't favor a Dodger rebound against Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb. But this being Hollywood, of course they bucked the numbers and pulled it out, right?

Not so much. Webb's sinker sank the Blue's revamped, shorthanded lineup, who managed only eight hits and refused to give into scoring opportunities, valiantly grounding into four double plays and stranding 11 in a 5-2 loss. It was just one L in a series that has mucked up Grady Little's calendar, and one for which starter Mark Hendrickson was kicking himself, particularly for a two-run, sixth-inning big fly from Carlos Quentin in the OF's big league debut. Want to kill time at work this morning (of course you do, you're here, right?)? Check out all the 0's in important box score categories.

'Cause seriously, they could use a hug.

The stank that covered them in St. Louis has slightly left their bodies (I mean, they did win one in the desert), but it stands to reason that they'll be loading up on the deodorant upon their return to La-La Land. Whatever Right Guard scent neutralizes a 5-2 loss odor.

Mark Hendrickson's bid to gain momentum from his best Blue start (6.2 IP, 1ER in a loss at St. Louis) was pretty much done by the top of the second inning's end, a trio of runs already under his belt. The Dodgers had earlier put one of their own in the bank, thanks to Willy Aybar scoring off Ramon Martinez's double-play grounder (Glass half full or empty? You make the call.). But the inning finished up with L.A. behind the eight-ball, a status they never relinquished.

As for Hendrickson, his trio of earned runs eventually swelled to a quartet, but on the positive side, he provided rookie Carlos Quentin with a night he'll never forget. Not everyone gets to jack one out of their home field during a Major League debut. If the kid doesn't at least send Hendrickson a handwritten thank-you note (e-mail is just so impersonal), I'm writing the youngster off as a snot-nosed punk. Yeah, I said it, Carlos Quentin! Snot...Nosed...Punk!

(FYI. I'm assuming that when the D-Backs come back to L.A. in late September, Quentin will have completely forgotten about this post. Otherwise, I'm totally avoiding the Arizona clubhouse. Dude's got 5 inches and about 45 to 50 pounds on me.)

In the meantime, Brandon Webb pitched like Brandon Webb, which is bad news for an opponent barely running on one cylinder as it is. Thus, it's tough to say whether or not the All-Star was the sole cause of the Dodgers grounding into four double plays. Or stranding four runners in scoring position with two outs. Or that Odalis Perez pitching two scoreless innings is the contest's high point from the Angeleno perspective.

On a positive note, J.D. Drew did manage to get on base (and knock in the team's other run) off little brother Stephen's error. Assuming you're willing to really reach, that's pretty cool, right? Sort of? Maybe?

More to come later.

—AK

This is just too odd not to post. Many of you have read by now that after San Francisco's win last night over the Brewers, Barry Bonds sat and watched a clip of Bobby Brown performing "My Perogative" on "The Tyra Banks Show" while a bunch of writers (including our own Tim Brown!) waited to ask if he was going to prison. 

Well, here's the video footage. Oddly hypnotic. 

The dude is just weird.

—BK

Any of this sound familiar? File under "believe it when you see it."

—BK

One and done. After breaking their five game, post-All-Star break losing streak on Tuesday, the Dodgers were apparently quite keen on starting a new one. That might explain the roll-over-and-play-dead showing in Wednesday night's 8-0 loss to Arizona, which dropped the Blue back under .500 and ran their record on the current roadie to an unsightly 1-6.

Derek Lowe continued his descent into averageness, hitting the wall in the fourth after three solid innings before exiting with one out in the fifth. Right now, he's fighting everything (and not winning). Of course, had Lowe spun nine innings of one-run ball it wouldn't have done any good, because the Dodgers let Renaissance man Miguel Batista become the latest in an increasingly long line of opposing hurlers to put Dodger bats to sleep. (Keeping score at home? It's 14 runs in seven games since the break.)

Earlier in the season, the Dodgers were short-handed and thrived. Now? They're short and hurting.