Los Angeles Dodgers

Team12/15/12 Odds12/29/12 Odds5/22/2013 Tigers777 Rangers10147.25 Braves16169 Nationals889.5 Cardinals141411 Yankees101213.5 Reds101213.5 Giants141413.5 Red Sox303014 Rays201625 Athletics403025 Orioles505025 Dodgers7727 Indians608030 Angels7733 Blue Jays101035 Diamdonbacks405035 Royals304040 Pirates505040 Phillies161466 Rockies10010066 Brewers3030125 Padres100100150 White Sox4040175 Mariners6080175 Mets60100200 Twins100100200 Cubs6050300 Marlins1001002500 Astros1001002500 Note: All odds are "to 1", ie - 60 is 60-1 odds.

By criticizing some Dodger players the past few days, Don Mattingly has all but admitted that he has lost this team.  He is frustrated as we all are and wants the team to fight, not just play.  That sums up what is wrong with the Dodgers more than anything else.  Donnie said what he said [...]

The Dodgers will reportedly not make a change in managers before Friday's game against the Cardinals, but one wonders just how long Don Mattingly will stay at the helm.

With today’s win over the Brew Crew, the Dodgers, thanks to a big 5 run 2nd inning and Hyun-Jin Ryu’s 7 1/3 stellar innings, record their largest margin of victory this season 9-2, finishing the road trip 2-4.  Of course with a little more offense and some help from the bullpen The Blue could have easily gone 4-2….. Me with Matt Kemp during the Dodgers Winter Caravan at Santa Monica during a beach cleanup with Heal The Bay.  By now, we all know about the devestating hurricane that occurred this week in Moore, Oklahoma.  We all know that Matt Kemp is a native of Oklahoma.  We all know that Matt Kemp is contributing to those who have been affected in his home state.  We also know that his production has been down so far this season.  So of course he was going to be subjected to some, plenty of fan backlash when it was announced he was contributing $1,000 for each home run up until the all-star break, considering he only has 2 home runs to this point. ( I’m sure he was expecting this himself…)  Now as fans, we can’t say this was not expected.  ( I ain’t gonna lie folks… )  But let’s not lose sight of the fact that Matt is still contributing to those greatly affected in his home state.  Lets also remember his good deed when he gave the cancer stricken child his uniform off his back in San Francisco recently.  Matt will heat up eventually.  I still think he will go 30/30 this year.  But let’s also look at the fact that Matt is doing all he can to help out those in great need…. Flashback !!!  5/20/2012.  Sunday Night Baseball, and a victory bump… Something not seen so frequently to this point.  Andre Ethier, Tony Gwynn Jr., filling in for an injured Matt Kemp, and Scott Van Slyke.  This was the game when Scott Van Slyke hit the 3 run pinch hit homer in the home 7th to give the Dodgers a 6-5 lead that they would not give up.  This would be Scott Van Slyke’s first big league homer.  Looking at that this pic today, it’s ironic that this would include Van Slyke and Ethier considering that Andre was scratched from today’s starting lineup by Mattingley in favor of Van Slyke , much to the displeasure of Dre after indirect comments made about Dre by the skipper himself.  Stay tuned ?  On a personal note, when I think of Scott Van Slyke, I still have daunting memories of his dad, Andy Van Slyke, on the Cardinals on deck circle during Game 6 of the 1985 NLCS and Jack Clark at the plate with runners on 2nd and 3rd , 1st base open, and the Dodgers one out away from forcing a 7th game…. And finally, today’s Fan of The Game… Here she is !!!  Many of you may already recognize Emma from her blog Dodger Blue World, http://crzblue.mlblogs.com.  This was over the weekend as the Dodgers would suffer another painful loss en route to being swept by the Braves, ” drinking her sorrows away… “  Hopefully, any drink from this point forward ( That watermelon margarita looks good BTW…)  will be a toast to many more wins for the Blue.  Oh yeah, check out that shirt of her’s.  The famous words of Dodgers Spanish broadcaster Jaime Jarrin during his home run calls.  Speaking of Jaime, you all do know they are giving away a Jaime Jarrin bobblehead this Saturday….  OK, time for some home cooking for The Blue.  The NL Central leading St. Louis Cardinals are in town this weekend.  There should be some good pitching matchups this weekend, especially this Sunday….

Sunday afternoon's pitching matchup at Dodger Stadium is one of the best showdowns of the young MLB season, with Clayton Kershaw and Shelby Miller facing off.

I can't believe what I've been reading. Maybe it's the nature of the online world, but I cannot understand what exactly is wrong with a manager stating something that he believes has got to be said. Sure, you can argue that Donnie should have done this a long time ago, but that's neither here nor there. All we can look at is what needs to be done today, and I applaud this initial effort to try to steer the ship in to the right direction. After all, If a manager perceives that a player is lacking in his hustle (his grit) and he doesn't do something about it, doesn't that mean that said manager isn't doing his job? Sure, you prefer it stay in-house. I get that. You always prefer that this kind of thing stay in the clubhouse, but sometimes public admonishment is needed too. Heck, I don't even believe this was all that bad. Mattingly just stated what he thought to be obvious. He put the best team, on that given day, on the field that he believed would give the team the best chance of winning. If that means that Ethier has to sit because he hasn't been giving the kind of effort the coach believes is necessary to win, then so be it. And on some other day, Kemp might sit for the same reason. Or Carl Crawford. Or Adrian Gonzalez. Or AJ Ellis. And there is nothing wrong with that. There is no shame in it. Have we become so damn sensitive that public criticism of a millionaire ballplayers effort is construed as an insult that cannot be allowed? Get this straight. Ethier should feel no shame because of the recent comments made by Mattingly. Mattingly was not trying to insult him or publicly out him as a villain. He was signalling to Ethier that he knows he has more to give. In sports this is often called "Compete Level", but I prefer to call it "Manning Up". You experience it when you are about to take that midterm exam, or when you're at work getting prepared to give an important presentation. The test here is how the player in question responds. We'll get a good look at his mettle, and for that matter the mettle of the entire team. * Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes * * Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook * * Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Ramon Hernandez not only played, he hit a homer and got on base four times. You’re damned right we’re leading with a picture of him, if only just to prove he exists. On what has to be one of the oddest days in recent Dodger memory — you’ll understand that this not a statement to be taken lightly given that this is a franchise where “Russian faith-healing psychics” were part of a real news story not that long ago — we at least have this, a surprisingly unsatisfying 9-2 victory. I say that not because the rare outburst of offense wasn’t fun, because it was. Aside from Hernandez, Carl Crawford, Matt Kemp, Nick Punto, & Scott Van Slyke each had two hits and a walk, with Van Slyke’s two doubles and two driven in a welcome payoff for Don Mattingly‘s unexpected decision to sit Andre Ethier against a righty. That righty, Wily Peralta, was bounced out of the game in the midst of a five-run second inning, and Hyun-jin Ryu was effective once again while working into the eighth inning. The fireworks might have been even more had Ryan Braun not taken a home run away from Adrian Gonzalez with a spectacular play in left field. …and yet, I’m having difficulty enjoying this, because it seems to change little. Mattingly didn’t just bench Ethier, he seemingly went into full “screw you” mode with his pre-game comments: I don’t know what happened with Ethier behind the scenes, though anyone surprised that he’s got a reputation as being difficult hasn’t been paying attention — and yes, they did try to trade him over the winter. But whether or not you agree with what Mattingly is saying, it’s hard to look at this as an organization that’s all on the same page right now. I can’t imagine what Ned Colletti’s reaction was to that, and while a 9-2 victory and taking the series is nice, I don’t really see how it changes much — and I’m still far, far from certain that Mattingly is the manager when the St. Louis series kicks off on Friday back at Dodger Stadium.

DODGERS 9, BREWERS 2 With Clayton Kershaw (worst run support in the NL) looking on enviously, the Dodgers supported Hyun-Jin Ryu with an amazing seven runs of support, tacking on two more in the ninth inning just for good measure. Ryu did his part: 7.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB and 4 Ks over 109 pitches. But the offensive support was so laughable, even 53-year-old Ramon Hernandez got a home run (Hernandez went 2-for-3). Brewers starter Wily Peralta was gone by the second inning (1.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 4 ER), and the Dodgers rolled to a series victory. Other Dodgers offensive highlights, which are typically so rare so we will call out: Carl Crawford, 2-for-4 with 2 R and 2 RBI; Matt Kemp, 2-for-4 with 1 R and 1 RBI; Scott Van Slyke, 2-for-4 with 1 R and 2 RBI; Nick Punto, 2-for-4 with 1 R and 1 RBI. Not so good: Adrian Gonzalez, 0-for-5 with an RBI. Gonzalez had a tough series at Miller Park, going 1-for-13 with that single RBI; he was 2-for-23 on the roadtrip. Ronald Belisario also had a shaky two outs in the eighth, and League wasn't exactly automatic in the ninth, even with a seven-run lead (Nick Punto's fielding error didn't help any). But a win is a win; the Dodgers vault to a scant 6.5 GB division leaders Arizona and SF. Thanks, Ryu!

The Dodgers with the win improved to 23-16 all-time at Miller Park, thanks to an 9-2 victory over the Brewers to win a three-game series in Milwaukee.