At this point, it's pretty straightforward

Remember, Live Blog at 7:05!  Come one, come all! 

One of the great ironies of the stretch run is that, while the games are way more important, carry more weight, have infinitely more buzz surrounding them, unless your best hitter is punching bats, from the standpoint of having nuts and bolts, useful information to pass along to fans after the pregame confab with the manager or a few minutes in the clubhouse, there's actually very little to discuss.  There aren't many lineup decisions, trends to seek out, or adjustments to make.  The guys who are playing now are, barring injury or the occasional performance based day off (such as the one Matt Kemp got the other night when Joe Torre felt he was pressing), are the ones who will be in the lineup tomorrow.  "It's pretty much the same people," Torre said.  "You send them out there and the guys who are used to playing are going to play, unless something jumps out at you." 

If the groundwork hasn't been laid at this point as a manager, it's probably not going to happen.

That said, there are a couple housekeeping items to toss out there:

• Takashi Saito will throw a 15 pitch simulated game (if only all games were that quick) on Saturday, and then again on Tuesday.  Assuming everything goes without a hitch, he'll be activated late next week when he's eligible to come off the 60 Day DL.
• Rafael Furcal is back to doing "baseball stuff," but there's still no timetable on his return.  Given how long he's been out, the Dodgers still aren't counting on him to contribute this year.  It's not simply a health thing, Torre said, but a confidence issue.  It takes time for a player to feel confident in a surgically repaired body part- in this case Furcal's back- and with no Minor League games to play, it'll be tough for Furcal to work himself back into true game shape.
• Jeff Kent is feeling better and will continue his rehab with the team when the Blue hit the road Monday.  There is still no timetable for his recovery. 

That's about it.  For more on what you might want to look for in the series, take a look at the vid below.  AK thinks the Blue need a sweep.  I think two of three works just fine.  Anything less, though, and the Dodgers are in a tough spot.  See you at the live blog.

BK