Los Angeles Dodgers

John Maine was supposed to be a big part of the Mets rotation this season. General manager Omar Minaya said as much this offseason as he skipped out on signing any free agent starters and elected to stand pat with what he had. However, after Maine’s second start of the season it was abundantly clear that he might not be the pitcher they thought he was.

The Mets continued their hot streak with a 7-3 win against the Dodgers today behind some early offense and a strong pitching performance by John Maine. They have now won seven games in a row, and have wrapped up this homestand by winning 9 out of 10 games. Not bad.

Be careful though, these Mets were clearly not as bad as they were early in the season, but they probably aren’t this good either.

Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Manny Ramirez is back on the disabled list, this time with a strained right calf.

Ramirez hasn't officially been on the DL since 2002, but the calf strain is just another injury in a string of complications experienced by the slugger over the past several seasons.

As the season moves in to full swing, the pace set by Manny seems to mimic last season's pre-suspension trend. Ramirez has now missed five of the Dodgers' 18 games, and when he is not in the lineup, the numbers certainly reflect his absence.

Through two weeks and 12 games, the story remains the same for the Dodgers bullpen. The pitchers coming out of the gate can't seem to close out games when handed big leads, nor can they keep their team in it while the game is close. It has become clear changes are required as soon as possible.

Dodgers manager Joe Torre is poised to make some moves this week with Hong-Chih Kuo finishing up his minor league rehab assignment successfully.

Game No. 12 in our journey to score 162 games this summer featured an Alfonso Soriano spotting and an unlikely performance from a less-than-desirable pitcher. 

Game No. 12 – Houston Astros vs. Chicago Cubs

Los Angeles Dodgers’ LHP Clayton Kershaw has a ton of talent. There is no doubt about that. It’s that talent that made him the seventh overall pick in the 2006 Draft.

Kershaw is entering his third year now in the major leagues and if he wants to get to the next level in his career, he is going to have to learn how to throw strikes. I don’t care how much talent you have as a pitcher, if you can’t throw strikes on a consistent basis, your career won’t last long.

If you've caught a Los Angeles Dodgers game this season, you've undoubtedly noticed the struggles the team is going through trying to pitch their way to victory. The Dodgers are near the top of the Major Leagues in runs scored, and yet they are still playing sub-.500 ball.
The "Boys in Blue" sorely miss their mainstays in the bullpen. Hong-Chih Kuo is still out with shoulder problems but is due back in the next week.

On April 14, 1947, Major League Baseball was a whites-only sport. Not since the expulsion of black players in 1888 had a non-Caucasian man swung a bat or thrown a pitch in the Big Show.

That changed on April 15, 1947, when Jackie Robinson suited up for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field.

Through the first week of the season, one glaring deficiency is cutting down the Dodgers' success, and their record.

Of the four losses the Dodgers have suffered this season—the Dodgers are 2-4—three belong to relief pitchers. George Sherrill currently sports a 22.50 ERA in just two innings pitched. He has accounted for five earned runs, four walks and a hit-by-pitch. He is the lone lefty in the Dodgers bullpen and has not been reliable when called upon.

Opening Day in Pittsburgh - while warm & breezy, Pittsburgh is not high on the list of places I would hope to begin the season. Sadly I was not consulted by the schedule makers.