Los Angeles Dodgers

Update: (8:20pm CDT) The two minor leaguers heading to the Kansas City Royals are catcher Lucas May and pitcher Elisaul Pimentel.

Chad Billingsley happily handed his three-hit shutout in the sixth inning to reliable setup man Hong-Chih Kuo, whose lights out relief pitching allowed Jonathon Broxton to close the Los Angeles Dodgers' 2-0 victory against the San Diego Padres last night at Petco Park.

The Dodgers' pitching looked unstoppable, unflappable, and simply unbeatable Tuesday night, which has been a rarity for this ailing pitching staff.

The MLB trade deadline is almost exactly three days away, and so far the only acquisition the Dodgers have made is the re-acquisition of veteran infielder Juan Castro on Tuesday. Castro will be making his third tour with the Dodgers, and many analysts see Castro's addition in many different ways.

Castro may be trade bait, or he may be insurance should the Dodgers move other veterans such as Jamey Carroll, Ronnie Belliard, and/or Garret Anderson.

Even though the Dodgers have been quiet so far, it may be the calm before the Ned Colletti storm.

Crucial. Pivotal. Momentous.

Call it what you will, but this Dodgers vs. Padres series holds as much importance as any other this season for the Los Angeles Dodgers who are looking to oust the Padres from solidifying the top spot in the NL West while proving that they are genuine playoff contenders.

Who legitimately has the momentum heading into this series?

Sometimes the good news arrives just in the nick of time.

After what can be only be described as a massive struggle, the Los Angeles Dodgers are finally getting some much needed relief in their fragile bullpen.

Rookie Kenley Jansen was called up from Double-A Chattanooga on Friday, and all the hype leading up to his debut was by no means exaggerated.

With the latest installment of Hall of Fame inductees being honored Sunday, the concept of current players with the ability to make it to the Hall of Fame is once again on the minds of fans around the league.

The Dodgers have a talented outfield and some well-known names in the infield. There's a "sure thing," a "quite likely," and a "possibly," on the Dodgers roster when it comes to the Hall of Fame, and some big names that may not make it.

Here are three players I feel have a legitimate chance at finding their way to Cooperstown, and some honorable mentions that might just miss the mark.

The Dodgers’ Kenley Jansen is a good example of why MLB teams like guys with tools. 

Jansen is a big (6’6″ and 220 pound) 22-year-old right-hander from Curacao (Andruw Jones’ birthplace) who just got called up to take Justin Miller’s place on the Dodgers’ major league roster.

Jansen started his professional career as a catcher, but after more than 1,000 plate appearances at or below the Class A+ level, Jansen proved he just can’t hit (.647 career minor league OPS).

1. Jose Reyes, SS
2. Luis Castillo, 2B
3. Angel Pagan, RF
4. David Wright, 3B
5. Carlos Beltran, CF
6. Ike Davis, 1B
7. Jason Bay, LF
8. Henry Blanco, C
9. Johan Santana, LHP

This is the Mets' best chance to turn this slump around. Johan Santana is 2-0 with a 0.58 ERA in his last four starts.

This is a good lineup no matter what anybody says, and they should be able to score enough runs to win every time Santana starts.

Even before the 2010 MLB season began, almost every team in baseball was in awe of the offensive potential of the Los Angeles Dodgers powerhouse outfield.

With 2009 Silver Slugger Award winners Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, along with a rejuvenated Manny Ramirez, the Los Angeles outfield was sure to wreak havoc on the best pitching staffs around the league in 2010.

The Los Angeles Dodgers head into next week's trade deadline looking to add a piece that will vault them back into serious contention in the National League West.

Entering Thursday's action, the Dodgers find themselves six games back of the first place San Diego Padres having lost seven of their last 10 games.

That is a bad recipe for a team that entered the season with loftier expectations. However, the Dodgers are also in a tricky situation.

A heated divorce between owner Frank McCourt and his wife has left the team very much cash strapped without the ability to add a big money player.