As a huge Matt Kemp fan I’m lovin’ it! Over the last 7 games Matt Kemp is hitting .406 with 4 home runs, with 13 RBI’s. I can’t how say badly the Dodgers have needed this, and it seems to have waken up the rest of the line up. Not only is Kemp hitting well but heck even Chad Billingsley got into the fun yesterday with a double, home run and 3 RBI’s, Rod Barajas actually drove in runs that didn’t involve a home run and this was the first time I can recall that the bottom of the line up (5-9) beat out the top of the line up (1-4).

I don’t know where Matt Kemp is in the All Star balloting but he should be a starter definitely, he’s now  2nd in the National League in home-runs, leads the NL in RBI’s, is 5th in average, 10th in runs scored, 6th in hits, tied for 5th in stolen bases, 5th in on base percentage, and 2nd in slugging. If Kemp keeps up these numbers, he needs to be the MVP no matter where the Dodgers finish, without him God knows where this team would be, I’m sure we’d be looking up from the cellar.

So watch out Phillies, you’re next! Beast mode has been activated and Matt Kemp is coming to rip apart your pitching staff with his bare teeth, rawr!

Think about it- who is the ace of this Dodgers staff? Yes- Clayton Kershaw. What kind of money is he going to get? Scary to think about isn’t it? Chad Billingsley is a number 2 who pitches like a 1…or pitches like a 4. Why would you want to pay him the kind of money I suspect he’ll get, when you could take that money and go after some offense, or TWO pitchers who could really hold the fort down for some of the young talent to emerge.  Everyone is on the lookout for pitching, and I think you’ll get someone to bite on this guy for quite a bit. I also have some worry with his mechanics. After breaking down some of his tape, I believe he’s got a little bit of a timing issue, which puts excess pressure on the shoulder mainly- based on his whip action. Now what this means to me is, when he plants, his arm isn’t ready to come through (at times) meaning the arm has to rush to the throwing position instead of naturally getting there on time. We’ve seen many pitchers go down with shoulder and arm injuries and some never return. This to me is a HUGE risk, and when we’re attaching 65-80 million to him- it’s not a risk I would be willing to take. Free up that money, and start restocking the farm system- that’s how I’d attack this organization

Will this happen? Who knows? Should it be talked about internally? Absolutely.

Look- it’s time to reailze that this team is not going to be in the postseason this year. You’ve stripped the system of some good prospects to take your shot. Okay great- they took the shot…and missed. The Padres are not going away, and the Rockies are surging. The funny thing is- I’m not even throwing the Giants into that boat.

Why is it such a terrible thing to realize it’s time to wave the white flag- and move your assets. We all know about the ownership position, the lack of money, so why would we continue to hold on to some of these guys?

Manny needs to go. Lilly needs to go. You start there and see what you can get for a Chad Billingsley. If you open up some payroll- you might be able to attack a Cliff Lee next year in the off season. The fact of the matter is- this team is a sinking ship- so let’s spare our crew…and move on.

[picappgallerysingle id="8837397"]The Los Angeles Dodgers were buyers this year as the deadline has come and gone. They traded young pitchers Brett Wallach and Kyle Smil as well as servicable Blake DeWitt for Ryan Theriot and Ted Lilly. Are you kidding me with this? Not to mention the opportunity to rid themselves of Manny Ramirez’s contract was present, and ignored. Do the Los Angeles Dodgers REALLY believe they’re in this race? That the San Diego Padres will fall down in September and the San Francisco Giants will choke? Give me a break. This Dodgers team is NOT better than either of those teams right now, and adding payroll to the situation of the front office was a joke. The system already isn’t exactly tip top and they sent 2 of their better prospects for a 34 year old left hander whose lost velocity, had shoulder surgery, AND is a free agent at the end of the year. Ryan Theriot a sparkplug? What exactly is he going to spark? Is he going to teach guys how to not take a pitch? How not to get on base, evident by his .320 OBP? Blake DeWitt wasn’t worth more than Ryan Theriot? Did Ned Colletti lose his mind or forget to remember that Ryan Theriot’s career year was now 2 years ago?

The Dodgers had some pieces that could have been coveted by other teams. Look no farther than Manny Ramirez. Mannywood hasn’t exactly lived up to the hype this year, with his “injuries” popping up often. Ridding the remainder of his contract would have been glorious while adding a couple of prospects. Nope- instead they’ll hold on to him and watch him leave for free agency. Good move. They could have traded Casey Blake for a couple mid level prospects. Hiroki Kuroda for a couple mid level prospects. Vincente Padilla could have attracted some buyers. Heck- you could have moved Chad Billingsley at the high as well which would have saved some money. Sometimes, you have to be realistic about your roster. Sometimes you have to say ” you know what- it’s time to move on from this roster, build around Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, and the big man Broxton at the back end of the bullpen. Instead, the Dodgers hurt their future, while NOT helping their present.

Terrible moves and moves that should get Ned Colletti fired.

[picappgallerysingle id="8647564"]Without slugger Andre Ethier, the Dodgers managed only two hits this afternoon, but that turned out to be enough as Russ singled in shortstop Jamey Carroll for the ballgame’s only run in the top of the sixth.

Then Jonathan Broxton shut the door with a perfect ninth and his third save of the series–seventh-out-of-nine chances on the season. The win marks the Dodgers 12th in the last 15 games.

But it was the right-handed Billingsley that was the hero today. On the mound Bills (4-2) posted six strikeouts in 7 and 1/3, allowing only four hits and one walk, as he finished the week with the ace-like command we’ve come to expect from the 25-year-old.

That’s impressive enough, but he did his job at the plate, too. After Carroll drew a lead-off walk the sixth inning, Bills dropped down a sacrifice bunt which later turned into a run off Martin’s single to center. That’s what I call paying the Bills.

Manager Joe Torre initially wanted to give Martin the day off after he caught back-to-back games this weekend (Martin has also started every game this month), but he figured it would be tough to give Martin, Casey Blake and Manny Ramirez the day off without having Ethier in the lineup.

It turned out to be a wise choice indeed, Joe. Russell Martin continues to be one of the Dodgers’ most reliable bats hitting safely in the last 11 games dating back to May 5 against the Brewers. During that span he’s batting .304 with two home-runs, seven RBI and seven runs-scored.

This afternoon’s win marks the first time this season the Dodgers have swept back-to-back divisional series. After entering the weekend with a three-and-a-half game lead, the Padres’ margin atop the NL West is down to a half game over the San Francisco Giants, who travel to San Diego for a two-game series starting Monday night.

The Dodgers are two games back in the division as they return home to Chavez Ravine to take on the Houston Astros (13-24) tomorrow night @ 10:10 EDT .

It was another masterful outing for Kershaw (3-2, 3.55) as he kept the Padres off-balance all night long throwing seven strong and allowing only one run off three hits, seven K’s, and only two walks.

The lone run came in the first inning after walking lead-off man Scott Hairston, who later scored on Chase Headley’s fielder’s choice. After giving up a lead-off double to Yorvit Torrealba in the second, Kershaw retired 12 of his next 13 batters.

It just goes to show that when Kershaw’s control is on, he is one of the most dominant pitchers in the league; the lefty started the Dodgers’ tear last Sunday striking out nine in a two-hit, eight-inning shut-out over the Rockies.

“He keeps it together,” head coach Joe Torre added. “He doesn’t unravel. For a kid his age, it’s pretty remarkable. It’s a lot of fun to watch him grow into his ability right now. He’s not going to give you the ball. You’re going to have to take it away.” (from Yahoo Sports)

Ramon Troncoso added a scoreless eighth with two strikeouts and then Jonathan Broxton came on to secure the ninth with his sixth save in eight chances.

Loney’s fourth home-run of the season came in the top of the second to tie the game 1-1. Shortstop Jamey Carroll (2-for-3 with a run and a RBI) continued to swing the bat well with a go-ahead single in the fifth scoring Casey Blake. Carroll later scored off Russ Martin’s single to center, and then Garrett Anderson added an insurance run with an RBI triple in the sixth. Just enough offense to squeak by the Pads.

The win does come with some bad news, though, as the Dodgers found out they’d be without slugger and triple-crown leader Andre Ethier, who missed the game with a broken right pinkie.

Ethier said he was taking swings in the indoor batting cage when he pinched his right pinkie against his bat. He took a few more swings during batting practice before telling hitting coach Don Mattingly the problem. Ethier also said the finger bothered him while he was playing catch. According to team officials he’ll be examined by a hand specialist today, but he doesn’t expect to miss more than a few games.

The win does bring the Dodgers within three games of first place, and L.A. could close more ground with a win tonight. After getting over that .500 mark for the first time Friday night, the Dodgers look to build on the momentum with a sweep over the Padres, which would mark back-to-back divisional sweeps.

Chad Billingsley will be looking for his third win in four starts, and second straight on the road. He’ll be taking on Padre left-hander Wade LeBlanc (2-0). Billingsley is 7-4 with a 2.74 ERA in 14 career starts against the Padres, and has earned wins in four of the last six match-ups. Bring out them brooms, Blue!

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How does a baseball team still manage to stay below .500 despite having one of the most explosive offenses in the league? Pitching, or a lack thereof.

This time the Dodgers tried but couldn’t quite rebound from Billingsley’s latest meltdown. After giving up seven hits and four earned, most of which came in a six-run second inning, Los Angeles erased a six-run Reds’ lead late in the ballgame, but the struggling Dodger bullpen couldn’t come through in the clutch…again.

The Reds jumped out to what seemed like an insurmountable 9-3 lead when Matt Kemp and the Dodger offense came back in waves. After a lead-off double by Ronnie Belliard, Rafael Furcal singled in a run in the eighth and Kemp cleared the bases with a three-run shot to center which tied the ballgame, completing obliterating a six-run deficit. The home-run was Kemps his sixth of the season, all of which have come in the last nine games.

The tie lasted all of three batters as the Dodgers’ bullpen continues to lose games in the late innings. Ramon Troncoso (1-1) came in the game and quickly gave two of those runs right back to the Reds, which ended up being the difference in the game. After Troncoso walked two, Cincinnati’s Paul Janish singled home the tiebreaking run, and the Reds broke their five-game losing streak to a Dodger team that just haven’t found the answers on the road.

I guess the Reds were just due.

But when you’re losing games despite having plated nine runs, it be a little nauseating to watch. Casey Blake led the Dodger hitting with two extra-base hits and four RBI while the 6-7-8 portion of the batting order (Blake, DeWitt, Martin) all managed to go 2-for-5. However, it’s pitching that’s the problem for Los Angeles, both starting and relief pitching. When the starting rotation can’t seem to go past the sixth inning and the bullpen struggles to get out of jams late in the ballgame it’s a recipe for disaster. Something’s got to give, and until they find the right chemistry it’s going to continue to be a roller coaster season.

In a move to patch up their bleeding bullpen, the Dodgers activated pitcher Ronald Belisario for tonight’s game against Cincinatti. Last season Belisario pitched an impressive 2.04 ERA in 70 1/3 innings in his rookie season, but he was placed on the restricted list of the Dodgers’ roster this off-season after missing most of spring training when he couldn’t acquire a visa from his native Venezuela.

Hiroki Kuroda (1-0) gets his third start of the season tonight against Aaron Harang (0-2), who gets my vote for ugliest soul patch in the National League (considering that Scott Spiezio is no longer playing). The Dodgers hope to get some help from their bullpen and hopefully take a game on the road (they have lost five of seven on the road so far this season).

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The Dodger bullpen had it’s work cut out for them last night.  Los Angeles used seven relief pitchers in the battle including last Sunday’s starter Charlie Haeger who pitched a scoreless ninth. But the Diamondbacks (5-3) came out on top after the 11-inning affair went late into the Los Angeles night.

The ‘Backs went ahead for good in the 11th when Chris Young (4-8, two RBI on the series) hit a bases-loaded single off Russ Ortiz (0-1) to bring in Stephen Drew. Second baseman Augie Ojeda added an insurance run plating Adam LaRoche with a sac fly to center, but Arizona really only needed one run to win the ball game.

Chad Billingsley looked great through the first couple innings, but as the Dodgers’ starting pitching goes, he couldn’t make it through the sixth allowing eight hits and six runs in five-and-two-thirds innings. Bills got the no decision, though, and it was an air-tight, seesaw battle the rest of the way. Torre decided to rest relief pitcher Jeff Weaver who had seen action in six of the Dodgers seven games.

The top part of the Dodgers line-up carried most of the weight going 11-19 with five RBI including a two-run home-run by Matt Kemp in the fourth. Kemp, who’s hit home-runs in back-to-back games, went 2-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored. The Dodger outfield continued to put up big numbers last night; Ethier was 3-for-6 at the plate while Manny went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI extending his batting average to .385.

Kemp is swinging the hottest bat for the Dodgers right now going 8-for-19 with three home-runs and six RBI in the last four games. Combined, the Dodger trio has posted McDonald’s type numbers in the series: 13-for-27 with four home-runs, 10 RBI and eight runs scored.

Lead-off man Raphael Furcal added three singles to the mix as well, and Russell Martin posted three hits going 3-for-five and improving his average to .389.

Hitting wasn’t really the problem for the L.A.–it was timely hitting. The Dodgers did manage to string together several clutch hits, such as Casey Blake’s game-tying double in the ninth, but they left way too many men on base (23). James Loney led the team with seven runners stranded.

The Dodgers (3-5) split the first two games at home this year. Last season, the Blue won their first 13 at Chavez Ravine to set a modern major league record for consecutive home wins to start a season.

Hiroki Kuroda (1-0) will take the hill tonight against Diamondbacks opening-day starter Dan Haren (1-1), who struggled in his last outing.  Kuroda on the other hand was masterful in his first start coming off an injury-plagued 2009. The right-hander allowed no runs in eight innings and posted seven strikeouts. After last night the Dodgers bullpen could really use another eight-inning effort from Kuroda. The game is scheduled to begin at 10:10 EDT

Notes: Matt Kemp is 8-19 with three home-runs and six RBI in the last four games. Combined the Dodger outfield is 13-27 with four home-runs and 10 RBI. Comedian and The Soup host Joe McHale threw out the first pitch, and former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda and his wife Jo were at the ballpark celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.

The Dodgers have an ace in the hole, and his name is Chad Billingsley.

Because of this, Chad Billingsley is the first to take home Matt Gullette’s Semi-Weekly Nut-Up Award: Players that Step it Up in the Clutch, Volume 1.

According to Webster’s dictionary, defiance is a disposition to resist; a willingness to contend or fight.

Defiance.

That’s exactly the kind of game Chad Billingsley pitched this afternoon. It was a statement. Yes, he beat the Pirates, but it was an urgent message sent across the radio waves loud and clear: Chad Billingsley is here to stay.

Message received.

C. Bills, as I like to call him, pitched his first game of the 2010 season. Billingsley, as the name on his jersey likes to call him, won his first game of 2010. And Chad Ryan Billingsley, as his mother probably calls him, threw a gem this afternoon and avoided a potential Dodgers sweep at the behest of the strangely-competitive-during-the-first-week-of-the-season Pittsburgh Pirates.

Maybe to some it was just the third game of the season. But to Chad, it was a fight for a spot in the rotation, a fight to earn back some of his respect, and more importantly, it was a fight to show the kind of defiance we want from our Ace of Spades.

That fight earned Bills and the Dodgers the first win of the season. Third time’s the charm.

We can’t deny that this Dodger team is just as talented, if not more talented, than last year’s squad that made it to the NLCS for the second-consecutive season. That being said, we also can’t deny that we have a pitching problem too. And no, his time it has nothing to do with Jamie Schmidt.

Chad was our go-to-guy for most of the last season, winning his first five decisions and hurling more K’s than an Eastern European brunch menu.

But we all know the dreadful end of that story. After he made his All-Star Game debut, Bills had a tough run late in the season which ended in a 12-11 finish and an E.R.A above 4.00. That is why the Dodgers invested money into the volatile Vicente Padilla and chose to selectively expose C. Bills to anymore postseason stress than necessary. In other words, they hid him in the bullpen.

But while the Dodgers were en route to dropping three straight games to Pittsburgh (yes, the Pirates), Billingsley came up huge. He threw five and a third strong innings with seven wiffs and only one earned run. He even buckled a few knees with the good ole Uncle Charlie. That’s something you’d expect from a guy born and raised in Defiance, Ohio.

This is what I’m saying: Chad Ryan Billingsley is the future of the Los Angeles Dodgers. After all, Chad’s mother didn’t raise no punk.

Bills is only 25, and with Kershaw at number two in the rotation, plus a pretty darn good bullpen to fall back on, there’s no reason why the Dodgers shouldn’t give him a second chance. Joe Torre, take heed. What more can we lose? Plus, the combination of Billingsley/Kershaw in the playoffs: I’m talking more K’s than an entire Czechoslovakian restaurant.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are the toughest team to beat the first week of the season. They certainly gave the Dodgers fits.

It’s not until about, oh, the third or fourth game, when the Pirates come back down to reality and lose the rest of their games–as has been the tradition for the last 17 years (1992 was the last year Pittsburgh had a record above .500).

But with the heart of the Dodgers line-up taking the day off and Chad Billingsley on the hill, Joe Torre’s crew managed to hold off the invincible Garrett Jones and Ronnie Belliard led the Dodgers with three extra base hits (a single shy of the cycle) as L.A. avoided an embarrassing opening-series sweep from the Bucs, 10-2.

Today the Dodgers sat out five regular starters including Andre Ethier (sore ankle), Manny Ramirez, and Casey Blake, but the Blue Crew still managed to rack up 16 hits and  sent four different Pirate pitchers to the showers. The Dodgers strung together base hits like they did most of last season when they actually led the NL in hits (fourth in the NL in runs scored).

Phew….nostalgia.

Speaking of nostalgia, Ronnie “Big Belly” Belliard, after having lost his second base job to Blake DeWitt, moved into third base to replace the usual starter Blake and made an impressive argument for a starting spot going 3-for-5 with two runs, four RBI, and a two-run shot in the fifth to help the Dodgers pull away 4-0.

Much has been said about Belliard’s weight in the off-season (hence the move to DeWitt), but love handles or no love handles, the guy hits the ball with the same kind of zeal as a chubby fourth-grader in the cafeteria line. He really gave us a boost in the latter part of last season when Blake’s bat went into an August-September slumber. Over a span of 24 games, Belliard hit a belly-busting .351 with five homers and 17 RBI. Give the man some credit and a Little Debbie snack or two. I believe he’s earned it.

Aside from Ronnie, the middle part of the order hit the face off the ball.  Batters 1-4 (1. Raffie, 2. Reed Johnson, 3. Matty K., and 4. Loney) batted an unconscionable 10-for-18! with three extra-base hits and four runs batted in. I’m not sure what kind of slugging percentage that is, but I do know this: it’s going to win you ball games.

My personal favorite, Matt Kemp, is always Mr. Consistent at the plate proving that he can hit from anywhere in the line-up. I really like Kemp at the three-spot, though, because he hits well with runners in scoring position (.280 in 2009). In fact, last season Matty hit from every position possible  hitting the best  in the seven-hole (.328 with eight home-runs and 30 RBI). He is prone to the strikeout (had two today), but I’ll take 2-for-4 to the bank any day of the week.

However, one of the best stories of today probably goes to Reed Johnson who went 3-for-4 in his Dodgers debut. Might I be the first to say: welcome to L.A., Mr. Johnson.

The Dodgers signed the outfielder in the off-season after he spent two years as utility-man for the Chicago Cubs. With the absence of Mark Derosa (who’s now with the Giants–ugh), Johnson was one of the scrappiest players for the Cubs and could always find ways to manufacture runs. Today he scored a couple of runs including the first of the ball game on Loney’s single to center.

The other best-story nominee definitely  goes to Chad Billingsley who got his first win today–hopefully there’s more where that came from. Today he threw a solid five and a third innings and served up 7 sweet-baby-K’s. I know as well as you know he struggled late last season. He knows struggled late season. And I know that you know that the Philadelphia Phillies know he struggled late last season.

But the 25-year-old hurler IS our ace, and it was Chad who should have started Opening Day (I’m not sayin’….I’m just sayin’). I think after having some time to adjust to the role, Bills will be more comfortable as our go-to-guy. And I’m more than willing to give him another chance. The only negative is that he did have four walks, but when you can keep serving up wiffle balls, all is forgiven.

And man it feels good to get the first win off our backs. I thought the world was coming to an end after we dropped two in a row to open the season to the Pirates. Kind of like last year when they dropped three-of-four to the Buccos in the last week of the season. Is it just me, or do we have a really difficult time beating teams from Pennsylvania?

The Dodgers hadn’t been swept in a three-game series by Pittsburgh since Sept. 4-6, 2000, in Los Angeles. The last time it happened in Pittsburgh was May 31-June 2, 1999, when the Pirates still played in Three Rivers Stadium.