Perhaps the power of us on a group watch can spark some O.  Or we'll just, as a unit, cheer both base runners who manage to reach third over the course of nine innings. 

7:40 pm PST.  Be there or be square.

AK

Assuming those embers were doused with water, moved to a meat locker to cool down, then placed in a freezer as a precaution against any lingering possibility of gaining a temperature above -10 degrees.  Yesterday afternoon saw the Dodgers put forth another display of anemic offense, culminating in a 2-0 loss to the White Sox.  Clayton Kershaw's day as a starter was short and not all that sweet, a struggle to maintain control of the contest while not necessarily surrendering a whole bunch of runs.  The kid's curve ball pleased him well enough, but he couldn't get the action he wanted on his changeup or fastball.  Then again, dude could have thrown underhanded and it might not have mattered much in the long run, given how a Dodger pitcher offering anything less than a shut out is leaving himself vulnerable for an "L" in the box score.  Joe Torre attempted a big time lineup juggle and got nothing short of "been there, done that" in return.  Of course, such moves may not mean much until the missing-est piece is back.  That piece would be Raffy Furcal and he's close.

Give Joe Torre credit.  Today's 2-0, series dropping loss to the White Sox would appear like the same old same old (the Blue unable to score, terrible work with men on base), but that's only when viewed by the naked eye.  Check out the unique starting lineup (Danny Ardoin catching, Russell Martin at third, Delwyn Young in right, Andy LaRoche at second) and it's readily apparently:  There was some controlled madness to what's become the preferred losing method.  Then in the eighth, we saw the mother of all switches.  Pinch hitters Luis Maza and Andre Ethier entered the game at second and right field respectively, the former pushing LaRoche to third and Martin behind the dish and the latter moving Young to left, Juan Pierre to center and Matt Kemp to the bench.  Throw in this defense now backing recent call up Ramon Troncoso (on a day also featuring first time call up Brian Falkenborg) and you're looking at a game featuring more "mix and match" than a "any ten specially marked items for $10" sales at your nearest Ralph's. 

Granted, this lineup card unpredictability did bupkis when it came to adding anything remotely exciting to a snoozer box score, but I guess on day where very little went right for the Blue, I guess it's only fitting that even a train wreck defeat couldn't be accomplished.  A rut is a rut, any way you draw it up.

AK

Generally speaking, nothing really happens in the 12 or so hours between the end of a night game and the start of a day game.  That's especially true when said day game starts an hour earlier than your typical sunshine laden affair.  I'd love to tell you that today is the exception to that rule, that the Dodgers made huge moves, cut six or seven players, painted the stadium in day-glo orange hues and changed their name to the Los Angeles Dodgers of Orange County.  Not that these would necessarily be positive developments for the team or the organization, but from a news delivery standpoint it would give me a lot more to talk about than I actually have.  Which is the following:

• It's an interesting lineup today.  Jeff Kent gets the day off (no surprise there, with the day game after the night game), and LaRoche will start at second. Russell Martin gets a "day off," moving to third, with Danny Ardoin behind the plate.  With lefty John Danks on the mound for Chicago, Delwyn Young gets the nod in right.  The hope is that LaRoche can provide a little O in Kent's stead (as opposed to Luis Maza), and that Martin can rest while playing, so to speak.  Torre has been comfortable alternating Andre Ethier and DY based on pitching matchups- Juan Pierre seems entrenched in left, no matter what, at least with Furcal out.   
• Injury update: Furcal worked out before the game, running zig zags on the field and taking grounders, lifting weights, and all that good stuff.  He could start a rehab gig next week.  Hiroki Kuroda felt nothing but normal soreness after throwing a bullpen session yesterday, and will pitch to live hitters on Saturday.  Jason Schmidt is still scheduled to start Saturday in Vegas, Nomar could begin his rehab assignment next week, and Scott Proctor had an MRI this morning (don't know anything about the results yet).  As you were.

That'll teach me to be one of those cynical, constantly negative members of the media.  In an effort to (as a passionless, cold, calculated fantasy GM, nothing more) capitalize on LA's recent offensive woes, I decided it would be smart to pick up whatever pitchers are available in my league on the day they're facing the Blue.  That meant Gavin Floyd became a proud member of my squad this morning.  Surely you saw it on the crawl watching ESPN2 over your morning coffee.  Anyway, I got my just desserts, that's for sure.  Because the real gem on the waiver wire wasn't Floyd, but Dodgers fill-in Eric Stults.  The lefty went the distance for the Dodgers, leading them to a 5-0 win over the White Sox Wednesday night at the Ravine.  Dude was nails in his second start since his recall from AAA Vegas (baby!), as he tries to make a case for the Dodgers to find space for him somewhere on the roster, even when the regulars return. 

Offensively, the Dodgers weren't exactly dynamic, but they got the job done, jumping on Floyd early with two runs in the first, then adding three more in the fourth.  Some decent glove work and LA's second complete game shutout of the season later, and the Dodgers had only their second win in their last 10 games against teams not from Cincinnati.  Even better, the Diamondbacks lost in Boston, so despite being five games under .500, the Dodgers are only three games out of first place. 

That just ain't natural, but you won't hear the Dodgers complain.  Click below for the breakdown.

This doesn't make me a bad person, just an opportunistic fantasy GM.  Moving on...

The big news, of course, involves Scott Proctor being placed on the 15 day DL with elbow pain.  The extent of the injury won't be known until Proctor is examined by the white coat crowd, likely tonight or tomorrow.  Brian Falkenborg will take his place on the roster, with Gary Bennett being transfered to the 60 day DL to make room on the 40 man roster. The interesting wrinkle, though, with the move is that initially, we were told that Proctor had been optioned to AAA Las Vegas before we were told he had, in fact, been placed on the DL.  Needless to say, it raised some eyebrows. 

"Having a little history with Scott Proctor, and knowing the guy I was watching was not really what you've seen before, and knowing again that he would never acknowledge anything was wrong," Joe Torre explained.  "We were going to option him.  After being asked again, he finally volunteered (the information that he was hurt)."  Torre didn't believe, though, that he was trying to avoid a trip to Vegas.  "I basically told him he needs to work out what he needs to work out, and get himself straightened out.  And we had extensive conversations about being injured.  But he was even willing to go down and pitch with the injury.  Evidently, it's been bothering him for close to a month. He would have gone to Las Vegas and pitched."

Torre agreed when asked if Proctor should have copped to the injury faster (which, by the way, Proctor should have done).  "Scotty's that guy who figures that even in spite of it he can go and get people out," he said.  "I'm not defending it, I'm just explaining from what I know about him what the thinking is.  I don't agree with the thinking, by any stretch of the imagination.  I don't condone that thinking, first thing for his well being, secondly, if you can't do what you normally do than you're not helping the team."

I'm sure BK will be providing more news with the official pregame report, but just to give a heads up, Scott Proctor was just placed on the 15-Day DL with right elbow tendinitis.  Whether or not some time off will straighten out what's been a rough season for one of Joe Torre's preferred horses remains to be seen, but we shall see.  In the meantime, his place will be taken by Vegas righty Brian Falkenborg.  As opposed to Falco (which, while admittedly bizarre, would be a very cool outside the box move by Ned Colletti).

Also Gary Bennett was given a retroactive transfer to the 60-Day DL. 

The official press release is below.

AK

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Join us for Purple, Gold, and Blue at 11 am.  Our guests?  Well, we're still working on it.  But we'll be talking Blue and some Lakers too (and avoiding other cheap rhymes).  Click the show widget at the side of the blog page, or go straight to our show player by clicking here.

After all, how many days and in how many ways can you rewrite "the Dodgers can't score any runs, and are wasting good pitching" before the clever variations are used up and all our wit goes the way of the dodo?  If LA's most recent loss, 6-1 to the White Sox Tuesday night at the Ravine, is any indication, they certainly seem intent on pushing us to the limit.  Yesterday the Blue fell victim, rather quickly it should be noted, to Chicago starter Mark Buerhle, who recorded his 1,000th career strikeout in the eighth inning (though given how the Dodgers have been hitting should striking them out really count?) and dominated the Blue for eight innings. 

As it's been for much of the season, the approach LA hitters take to the plate was a topic of conversation when it was over.  Joe Torre wants his hitters to go up with a plan, and make the opposing hurler work as much as possible.  It hasn't happened enough.  That balance, though, between patience and aggression, especially against a strike-thrower like Buerhle, is a tough one to find.  While the young players learn, the Dodgers will have some growing pains.  (Nothing Senor Forearms can't handle.) They'll also waste some solid pitching performances, like the one they received from Derek Lowe Tuesday night.  Down 2-0 after two, Lowe settled down and kept the White Sox off the board until the eighth, when Jermaine Dye hit his 17th homer of the season.

In support of Lowe, the box score shows only a solo shot from Delwyn Young.  No margin for error = tough environment in which to pitch. 

Can you blame me?  I'm trying to win.

Frankly, at this point, smart fantasy GMs are grabbing whatever Major League hurler is available that might have a date with the Dodgers.  If Dixie Leverett, who won 10 games for Kid Gleason's 1923 White Sox squad, was named the starter for Wednesday's game, I'd probably pick him up, too, and Leverett died in 1957.    The scene tonight was one that's played out repeatedly this year. Once again, the Dodgers were shut down offensively and wasted a pretty good performance from a starting pitcher.  Tonight's big winner?  Buehrle, who cruised through eight innings of one run ball.  Tonight's victim?  Derek Lowe, who had only the single run of support against a quality offensive club.  The result?  A 6-1 Dodgers loss to Chicago Tuesday night at the Ravine. 

At least it didn't take long.  Between Lowe and Buehrle, two notoriously fast workers on the mound, the game took a mere 2:05 to finish.

I should also mention that Gavin Floyd, Wednesday's starter for the Sox, is also available in my league.

Click below for the breakdown.

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