First is the worst
Randy Wolf had struggled with first innings (and pitches 1-30, for that matter) in his first five starts as a Dodger. He also went into Wednesday night's game with a serious track record of success against Barry Bonds, holding him to 3-17 with nine Ks over his career. So when they faced off with two men on and nobody out in the Giants' half of the first with San Francisco already up a run, something had to give. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, it was the whole "Randy Wolf owns Barry Bonds" thing. Bonds jacked his seventh homer of the year to give the Giants a 4-0 lead, goosing them to an eventual 6-4 win over the Blue. So much for trying to be aggressive. It was L.A.'s third straight loss and San Francisco's seventh straight win, and put the Giants a scant game behind the Dodgers in the West (especially significant if the season were 25 or so games long). That the Bonds blow wasn't even the most frustrating for Wolf says a lot, too.
One person who cannot be blamed for last night's loss, not without getting a little roundabout and 
abstract at least, is Wilson Betemit. Why? He didn't play, in no small part because of his .122 batting average. Still, Grady Little says they're going to stick with the third baseman, who is sticking with switch hitting. Granted, he's not hitting anyone right now, but Betemit is really not hitting lefties, to the tune of an 0-11 this year: .000. You literally cannot get worse than that. Hitting eighth probably doesn't help him see enough good pitches to snap the slump, but at .122 (did we already mention that?) it's hard to justify marching into Grady's office to demand a promotion. Call it an old fashioned baseball Catch-22. And Little isn't ready to move Nomar over to third, either. It's also hard to blame Jason Repko, but at least he was back in the clubhouse for the day.
Know who loves farm hands? Farmers. Know who else? Dodgers director of player development, De Jon Watson.
Whether it's the Giants/Dodgers rivalry or the seductive lure of Nomar bobbleheads, tonight's game at the Ravine is sold out (you might want to start heading to the stadium now to avoid traffic ...). It'll be Brad Penny (3-0, 1.37) against Russ Ortiz (2-1, 4.35).
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