Alright! I'm back! I was in Argentina for the last week or so. The timeline was something like this: I left when the Dodgers swept Arizona and they proceeded to lose only one game while I was gone.
I got back early Sunday morning, just in time to learn Jose Lima died and then watch the Dodgers lose ... so, sadness...
Either way, I won't do a full week review because I had limited access to information ... Still, here are a few things I was able gather, even while on another continent.
#JonHeymanIsBadAtHisJob
Clayton Kershaw's three games since then:
-8.0 IP, 0 R, 9 Ks
-7.0 IP, 1 R, 7 Ks
-7.1 IP, 1 R, 7 Ks
Chad Billingsley's four games since then:
-6.0 IP, 4 R, 3 Ks
-5.1 IP, 2 R, 7 Ks
-7.1 IP, 0 R, 6 Ks
-7.0 IP, 1 R, 5 Ks
...
Bran Penny's four games since then:
-6.0 IP, 3 R
-7.0 IP, 4 R
-5.0 IP, 7 R
-3.0 IP, 4 R (+ a trip to the DL)
#HowIsItYouGetPaidToDoThis?
Oh, and by the way, this isn't related to anything, but I gotta love this tweet.
So, wait ... are you proud of yourself for doing this? Come on...
#SeverePettiness
EDIT: Credit to MikeSciosciasTragicIllness and nineteen84 on Twitter who found out that Heyman's definition of regressing isn't "the act of trending or shifting toward a lower state" but rather "had a bad start." I guess that's good news because horrible regression turned into progression in less than a month.
Gotta love how he plays it off not like he was wrong, but that he can just make bold declarations with no substance whenever he wants, then change his mind depending on circumstances. Bravo for journalism!
Broken Pinkies Suck
Probably doesn't need much more explanation, but seriously: Ethier is having a Triple Crown season and a broken pinkie derails him (at least temporarily). Suckage.
Ramon Ortiz Continues To Prove Me Right
I wrote way back in my thoughts on Opening Day I was not a fan of Ramon Ortiz, nor Russ Ortiz.
Now, some people who shall remain unnamed jumped all over me for this, calling me such things as "nimrod." Granted, I didn't give a whole lot of evidence to prove either Ortiz was a bad pitcher, I was just acting on a baseball hunch.
I'll admit I'm not always right, or probably not even mostly right. I've said stupid things on this blog. But guess what ... I nailed this.
Russ Ortiz had a 10.29 ERA when he was Designated for Assignment less than three weeks after I wrote that post. Not long after that he retired so he could spend more time BEING A HORRIBLE PITCHER WITH HIS FAMILY!
Meanwhile, Ramon Ortiz continues to defy odds and common sense by taking up a roster spot. He's sporting a nice 6.30 ERA in 30 innings. 30. That's not a: "Oh, I gave up two runs in three innings" six ERA. It's a: "I've been in 16 of the 44 games this season and made two starts" six ERA. What I'm saying is, it's not a small sample size. Ortiz is bad. Ortiz needs to be replaced.
I was right all along.
Player: Brad Penny
2008 Stats: 6-9, 6.27 ERA, 51 Ks (17 starts, 19 games)
2008 Analysis: Wow, is it just me or does it seem like Brad Penny made way less than 17 starts this season? I guess I just had him in my head as being out most of the season. I suppose that's because he made only eight appearances after May, and two of those were giving up three runs over two games (one combined inning of work) in mid-September.
Yes, there was obviously something wrong with Brad Penny this year.
Which is too bad considering that when he's on his game, he's really a fantastic pitcher (see 2007).
On June 17th, Penny went on the 15-day DL, and for all intents and purposes, ended his season. He did make two starts in August before going back on the DL, and the aforementioned to appearance in September before going on the DL a third time (and most likely, his last as a Dodger).
2009 Outlook: Penny's option was not picked up by the Dodgers at the beginning of the offseason, which makes him a free agent. It looks like the Boston Red Sox are going to pick him up cheap, which is not a bad idea. Like I said before, Penny, when he's on, is an excellent pitcher. The Red Sox are gambling that he'll be that pitcher for them in 2009.
The Dodgers outslug the Pirates to take the first game in this four game series.
Hiroki Kuroda got the win, he's 9-10. Ross Ohlendorf took the loss, he's 0-2.
Hiroki Kuroda had an excellent start. He went seven innings, giving up only three hits and a walk, surrendering no runs while striking out two. Takashi Saito made his return and pitched a scoreless inning, striking out two. Brad Penny pitched the 9th and gave up a two-run homerun, but ultimately ended the inning to close out the game.
The Dodger offense was even better than the Dodger pitching. They scored eight runs on 12 hits and eight walks. Russell Martin went 1-3 with two walks and three runs scored. 
Juan Pierre went 3-5 with an RBI and three runs scored. He actually hit a homerun, his first in almost two years. Manny Ramírez went 3-4 with a double, two RBIs, and a run scored. James Loney went 2-4 and added three RBIs as well.
The Arizona Diamondbacks also won today, so the Dodger lead will remain 4.5 games in the NL West race. They'll try to pick up their second win in a row tomorrow at 4:05 L.A. time.
Also: With the win, the Dodgers move back up to six games over .500 (78-72)... With the win, the Dodger Magic Number is now 9... James Loney's three RBIs bring his team leading total up to 86.
Opinion: Good pitching (except Penny) and good hitting. When Juan Pierre hits a homerun, you know something is going on. Anyway, we definitely gotta beat the Pirates. One down, three to go.
The Dodgers take the rubber match of the series to extend their lead in the NL West to 3.5 games.
Derek Lowe got the win, he's 13-11. Shawn Estes took the loss, he's 2-2.
Derek Lowe was pitching a pretty good game before leaving in the 6th inning after being struck in the knee with a come-backer. Ultimately, he went 5.1 innings, giving up just one run on three hits and a walk, while striking out three. Brad Penny came off the DL before today's game. He came in to pitch some relief in the 7th inning, but gave up two hits and a walk before being pulled. Cory Wade allowed one runner to score on a sac-fly (charged to Penny) before getting a double play to end the inning. Wade pitched two scoreless innings total. Joe Beimel pitched a perfect 9th to end the game.
The Dodgers, led by Manny Ramírez, scored seven runs of Padres' pitching today. Manny went 2-5 with two two-run homeruns. He had four RBIs and two runs scored. Andre Ethier went 2-4 with a walk and two runs scored. Russell Martin went 1-4 with a walk, a stolen base, and an RBI. Blake DeWitt went 2-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
The Arizona Diamondbacks were swept by the San Francisco Giants earlier today, so with the win today, the Dodgers push their lead in the NL West to 3.5 games. 
The Dodgers have an off-day tomorrow as they travel to Colorado. They'll begin a three game weekend series there on Friday, starting at 6:05 L.A. time.
Also: With the win, the Dodgers move to four games over .500 (75-71)... With the Dodger win and the Diamondback loss, the Dodgers' Magic Number is lowered to 14... James Loney went 1-4 with a homerun today, but more importantly, that gave him his team leading 80th RBI on the season.
Opinion: After struggling to score a run in the first game of the series, the Dodgers came back to score 13 runs in the next two games. Continuing the theme from yesterday's game recap, 
Manny added four RBIs today. This gives both Manny and Andre Ethier 11 RBIs each in the last six games. This is also important because we are going into Colorado, where the games so often become slugfests. Pitching is important, but when we go into Colorado, we need to have our hitting win some games for us. We will have a small advantage going in, though. The Dodgers will travel tomorrow from San Diego to Colorado. A relatively short commute. They'll probably get into Colorado sometime early tomorrow, get to the hotel and get some rest before Friday's game. Colorado, on the other hand, has a night game tomorrow, in Atlanta. They are finishing up a three game series out there (where, by the way, they've lost their first two games). It seems like an advantage to me, but then again, can't take anything for granted. We just got to keep up this good play. 10 wins in our last 11 games, and the gap in the NL West race is getting bigger, while the season is getting shorter. We officially eliminated San Diego from the playoff chase this series. We won't be able to "officially" do that Colorado this weekend series, but with a good series, we can, for all intents and purposes, take them out of the hunt. And that's good enough for me...
The Dodgers completed their second comeback in as many games and take the third game in the series to assure a series win.
Jonathan Broxton got the win, he's 3-3. Clay Condrey took the loss, he's 3-3.
Brad Penny had a bad start for the Dodgers. He went just three innings, giving up six hits on six hits and two walks. All six runs came on two-run, two-out homeruns (two in the 1st, and one in the 2nd). The bullpen took over in the 4th and did much better. They allowed no runs on only one hit over the next six innings (though they did walk four guys and hit a batter). Jonathan Broxton pitched a perfect 9th, striking out two, and was the pitcher of record when the Dodgers won in the bottom of the 9th.
The Dodgers had a solid day offensively, collecting 12 hits and five walks. Jeff Kent went 4-5, scored a run, and had a big two-RBI double with two outs in the 8th inning. 
Andre Ethier went 2-5, with a RBI and two runs scored, hitting his 12th homerun on the year. Manny Ramírez also hit a homerun. It was a two run shot, his 5th as a Dodger (for the day, he went 1-3, with two walks, two RBIs, and a run). Russell Martin bounced back from his recent struggles, going 3-3, with a double, a walk, and a run scored. Nomar Garciaparra went 1-5, but the one hit was a big one. He hit a walk-off line drive homerun into the Dodger bullpen in left field to win the game for the Dodgers.
With the win, the Dodgers move to 61-59, two games over .500. The Arizona Diamondbacks lost today, so the Dodgers move into a first place tie in the NL West. They'll try to go for the four-game sweep of the Phillies tomorrow at 7:10 L.A. time.
Also: James Loney also collected a RBI today, moving his total up to a team-leading 68 on the year... Mark Sweeney came in to pinch hit in the 3rd inning and grounded out to 1st, lowering his average to .125.
Opinion: A good win for the Dodgers, who are starting to act like a team that wants to be in the postseason... Brad Penny worries me though. He was throwing some very hittable pitches to the Phillies. I do wonder if we'll be able to rely on him down the stretch. Though I'm not sure it really matters, because even if there are some better options, Joe Torre's reluctance to make a change won't allow it... Mark Sweeney made another out today, but thankfully it was in the 3rd inning, so there was no chance he could come up in an important situation later in the game. I really feel like I'm beating a pointless dead horse. Sweeney only needs to survive until September 1st when the rosters expand, and then he can make it the rest of the year easy. Torre knows that when the rosters expand they'll be less pressure on the bench and Sweeney himself. I'll be shocked if Sweeney isn't with us the rest of the year, and deep into the playoffs... The Dodgers have really made a strong statement this series against a top team in the NL East. It will be even stronger if they complete the sweep tomorrow, not that winning the series itself won't be a good statement. It's just that, I'm going to the game tomorrow, and I really want to see a win.
So some stuff happened while I was gone. Here's a quick breakdown.
On Thursday, 20-year-old rookie Clayton Kershaw did what 35-year-old veteran Derek Lowe couldn't, shut down the St. Louis Cardinals.
Brad Penny made a good return Friday and the Dodgers showed some power to win the first game in the series against the San Francisco Giants.
Then we lost the next two games when our bullpen blew the lead late in the game, and while we should have swept the Giants, we ended up losing two out of three. And while we should have been in first place in the NL West by 1/2 a game, we now sit 1.5 games behind the Diamondbacks.
While in Arizona, I did manage to put some bad voodoo on the Diamondbacks. Orlando Hudson is going to be out for the rest of the year with a wrist injury. I was even watching that on Arizona's Fox Sports channel when it happened. Apparently, however, I wasn't in Phoenix long enough, as they picked up Adam Dunn today for stretch run. This is getting interesting.
The Dodgers will start a four game series with the Philadelphia Phillies at 7:10 L.A. time.
Good news and bad news. Good news: The Dodgers finally break out of their offensive slump. Bad news: Their pitching falls apart. They've now lost four straight.
Brad Penny is handed the loss, he's 5-9. Eddie Bonine gets the win, he's 1-0.
On the day the Dodgers finally score some runs, Brad Penny is not able to keep them in the game. Penny was given a 1-0 lead before he gave up a run. He was then given a 4-1 lead before he gave up six more runs to let the Dodgers fall behind 7-4. Penny walked two, gave up seven hits (including two two-run homeruns) and struck out nobody before being pulled in the fourth inning. Scott Proctor followed it up by pitching a shaky two innings, in which he gave up four runs (albeit only one earned). Takashi Saito pitched the 8th inning giving up a run as well.
And all this on a day when the Dodgers pulled together seven runs on 13 hits. In fact, the only two Dodgers today to not get a hit: Juan Pierre and Mark Sweeney *cough* see previous post *cough* Ok, ok, Sweeney drew a walk... but still. James Loney continued his streak of getting an extra base hits. He went 3-5 today with two doubles. 
He's collected an extra base hit in his last three games. Andre Ethier flashed a little power: he went 2-4 with a homerun, ground-rule double, and four RBIs. The homerun was Ethier's sixth, putting him in second place on the team. Delwyn Young collected three hits, as well, and raised his average to a solid .300.
On an interesting side note, some of the younger Dodgers chose to wear their socks old-school style, up over the shins. James Loney, Russell Martin, Blake DeWitt, Delwyn Young, and Andre Ethier all joined in on the fashion statement. I don't know if it was a sign of solidarity or just a way to try and bust out of an offensive slump but if it'll help them score seven runs a game, I say keep it up. Whatever works... In any case, a showing of Dodger offense was squandered by poor pitching. What remains to be seen is if this offense can carry over into tomorrow. The Dodgers haven't been able to find that consistent hitting. Since the beginning of June, here's the amount of runs they've scored per game: 1, 8, 0, 1, 4, 3, 7, 1, 7, 1, 0, 0, 7. They move up and down like a roller coaster. We'll have to see how they come out tomorrow.
Clayton Kershaw will take on Nate Robertson at 10:05 L.A. time.
The Dodger's offense was shut down again, this time by the Tigers, who before last night, had not had a shutout on the season.
Armando Galarraga got the win, he's 6-2. Derek Lowe gets the loss, he's 4-6. Freddy Dolsi went two innings to get his 2nd save on the season.
Derek Lowe's pitching performance was not bad. He went seven innnings, giving up three runs, only two of which were earned and struck out five. Unfortunately for Lowe though, Armando Galarraga pitched better. He also struck out five over seven innings, but he gave up no runs over those seven innings.
The big story in the game, however, would have to be the offense, or lack thereof. The Dodgers were shut out for the second straight game and have now not scored a run since Andy LaRoche's solo shot against Randy Wolf in the fourth inning of Wednesday's game. Of course, that was the only run scored in that game, so for the better part of the Dodger's last 27 innings, they've been outscored 18-1. Yesterday was very similar in that the Dodger's didn't just not get timely hitting, they hardly even threatened to score a run. There were only two scoring opportunities in yesterday's game, and both came with two outs. In the second inning, James Loney tripled and Andy LaRoche walked with two outs before Mark Sweeney, starting at DH, struck out swinging. Juan Pierre got to third base in the sixth inning with two outs before Jeff Kent grounded out to end the inning. There are three things that are hurting out offense right now. I'm make a post about them later. For now, the Dodger take another loss.
Brad Penny takes on Eddie Bonine tomorrow at 12:55 L.A. time.
Clayton Kershaw's three games since then:
