Official Los Angeles Dodgers Season Thread: NLCS vs Phillies

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Nomahhhhhhh, jesus Broxton you can only do so much with a #%$%##+ fastball man.

If James Loney was in there, I don't think he could have made that play being left handed.

Wow, we're 1.5 gms up, all we gotta do is Win
 
Nomar still sucks. I thought he was gonna get up after that play with a broken arm, finger, wrist....something!
 
Dodger's in first place for consecutive days
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. Now we just need to win these easy games against the padres and pirates.
 
Originally Posted by laker4lifeman

Dodger's in first place for consecutive days
smokin.gif
. Now we just need to win these easy games against the padres and pirates.
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Same thing I thought when we played Washington.. and we got swept. But man, I hope we can just ride out the last 20 games and hold onto the lead! I thinkit's safe to say we are hoping SF does well.. at least for the next three days.
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NEXT GAME 9/8

TV: PRIME-HD | RADIO: KABC 790, KHJ 930

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@
PETCO Park
7:05PM PDT


Maddux (7-11)


Baek (4-10)


Tickets

Probable Pitchers | Full Schedule

[table][tr][td]West[/td] [td]W[/td] [td]L[/td] [td]PCT[/td] [td]GB[/td] [td]E#[/td] [td]L10[/td] [td]STRK[/td] [td]vs E[/td] [td]vs C[/td] [td]vs W[/td] [td]INT[/td] [td]HOME[/td] [td]ROAD[/td] [td]vs R[/td] [td]vs L[/td] [td]XTRA[/td] [td]1-RUN[/td] [td]RS[/td] [td]RA[/td] [td]X W-L[/td] [td]LAST GAME[/td] [td]NEXT GAME[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Los Angeles[/td] [td]73[/td] [td]70[/td] [td].510[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]8-2[/td] [td]W8[/td] [td]16-18[/td] [td]20-17[/td] [td]32-25[/td] [td]5-10[/td] [td]45-30[/td] [td]28-40[/td] [td]49-51[/td] [td]24-19[/td] [td]5-9[/td] [td]17-21[/td] [td]603[/td] [td]577[/td] [td]74-69[/td] [td]9/7 v ARI, W 5-3[/td] [td]9/8 @ SD, 10:05P[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Arizona[/td] [td]71[/td] [td]71[/td] [td].500[/td] [td]1.5[/td] [td]19[/td] [td]3-7[/td] [td]L3[/td] [td]15-21[/td] [td]15-17[/td] [td]35-24[/td] [td]6-9[/td] [td]40-31[/td] [td]31-40[/td] [td]45-53[/td] [td]26-18[/td] [td]4-4[/td] [td]18-18[/td] [td]643[/td] [td]631[/td] [td]72-70[/td] [td]9/7 @ LAD, L 3-5[/td] [td]9/8 @ SF, 10:15P[/td] [/tr][tr][td]Colorado[/td] [td]67[/td] [td]77[/td] [td].465[/td] [td]6.5[/td] [td]13[/td] [td]4-6[/td] [td]L2[/td] [td]15-18[/td] [td]21-18[/td] [td]24-33[/td] [td]7-8[/td] [td]39-33[/td] [td]28-44[/td] [td]44-60[/td] [td]23-17[/td] [td]5-5[/td] [td]22-18[/td] [td]668[/td] [td]729[/td] [td]66-78[/td] [td]9/7 v HOU, L 5-7[/td] [td]9/9 @ ATL, 7:00P[/td] [/tr][tr][td]San Francisco[/td] [td]62[/td] [td]80[/td] [td].437[/td] [td]10.5[/td] [td]10[/td] [td]4-6[/td] [td]W2[/td] [td]19-13[/td] [td]11-29[/td] [td]26-26[/td] [td]6-12[/td] [td]32-40[/td] [td]30-40[/td] [td]47-52[/td] [td]15-28[/td] [td]7-5[/td] [td]27-18[/td] [td]557[/td] [td]670[/td] [td]59-83[/td] [td]9/7 v PIT, W 11-6[/td] [td]9/8 v ARI, 10:15P[/td] [/tr][tr][td]San Diego[/td] [td]55[/td] [td]88[/td] [td].385[/td] [td]18.0[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]4-6[/td] [td]W1[/td] [td]12-16[/td] [td]15-23[/td] [td]25-34[/td] [td]3-15[/td] [td]32-39[/td] [td]23-49[/td] [td]38-54[/td] [td]17-34[/td] [td]5-7[/td] [td]15-27[/td] [td]554[/td] [td]662[/td] [td]60-83[/td] [td]9/7 @ MIL, W 10-1[/td] [td]9/8 v LAD, 10:05P[/td] [/tr][/table]
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09/08/2008 12:00 AM ET

NL West foes part ways for stretch run

Dodgers, D-backs wrap season series with LA in driver's seat

By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com


LOS ANGELES -- A line drive to end a critical ballgame snared by a first baseman who had just been moved across the infield an inning earlier in a quadruple switch. In the Magical Mystery Tour that is Major League Baseball, when you're hot, you're hot, and when you're not, you're not.
It was Nomar Garciaparra who made the diving play, reaching across his body on a shot off the bat of Diamondbacks left fielder Conor Jackson that could have scored both baserunners to tie the game.

"That's certainly luck," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said after the 5-3 victory Sunday at Dodger Stadium. "Again, James [Loney] could have caught the ball, too, because his glove is on the other
hand, and he's closer to it. But I don't want to redo that."

The Diamondbacks probably would like to redo the last nine days. After defeating the Dodgers in Phoenix on Aug. 29, they led the National League West by 4 1/2 games. The 73-70 Dodgers have won eight in a row since then -- including a three-game sweep of the D-backs -- to pick up six games in the standings.

They lead the 71-71 Diamondbacks by 1 1/2 games and the defending NL champion Rockies by 6 1/2 with exactly three weeks left to play.

The Dodgers and D-backs are now finished head-to-head for the 2008 regular season, with the Dodgers holding a 10-8 edge. Los Angeles won the last five in a row over Arizona by a combined score of 33-8.

"You can say bounces haven't gone our way and they had a few jam-shot hits," said D-backs manager Bob Melvin about a team that came into the series with a 1 1/2-game lead. "But when you're going good, those things don't happen. That's baseball. You try not to think about it, but you can't help noticing it sometimes. There are no excuses. They outplayed us."

With 19 games to play, the Dodgers have the far easier schedule, considering they face the last-place Padres six more times, including a three-game set beginning on Monday night at PETCO Park.

They also have three games next weekend at Colorado, followed by four at Pittsburgh. Their last 10 days of the season looks like this: hosting the Giants for three and the Padres for three, followed by a three-game series at San Francisco.

It's the first time all season the Dodgers have spent two days in a row alone in first, and Torre said that's a good place to be.

"Now you control your own destiny," Torre said. "If you win enough games, then you're going to stay in first place. You don't need to look around for help. You don't need to look at the scoreboard. If you win your share you're going to finish in first place. What that share is you don't know. And if you don't win, there's nobody to blame but yourself."

The D-backs have 20 games left -- six of them against the Rockies and seven against the Giants. They open a three-gamer on Monday night at AT&T Park and after their last off-day on Thursday, play on each of the final 17 days of the season.

Beginning on Friday, they're home for three games against the Reds and then four more against the Giants. Their last 10 days look like this: three at Denver, four at St. Louis and a season-closing three-game set at Chase Field against the Rockies.

The D-backs are on a downhill slide, having lost 10 of their last 13, and Melvin, whose pregame meeting went for naught on Sunday, has to find a way to staunch the bleeding. Until Saturday, the D-backs had spent every day since April 6 in first place.

"We just have to keep playing, got to keep playing," Melvin said. "We did show some resolve today, which was a lot better than the first two games. I think we just keep playing hard. When it's all said and done, you total 'em up and you see where you're at in the standings. But every game is a must game for us from here on in. That's the way you have to look at it."

Whether the 67-77 Rockies can climb back into it or not, they will certainly be a factor, considering that nine of their last 18 games are against the Dodgers and D-backs. They are 2-10 against Arizona and 7-8 against Los Angeles, 3-3 at Coors Field, which Torre considers "a very tough place to play, no matter what."

Last season on Sept. 15, the Rox were four games out and losers of three in a row. They won 15 of their last 16 games, including a one-game playoff for the NL Wild Card spot over the Padres to make the playoffs.

Only the inconsistent play of the division leaders has kept them close this year, but Rockies manager Clint Hurdle certainly isn't ready to cash it in. As 2007 proved, he has good reason. The big difference this year is that the NL Wild Card winner will not come out of the West. So it's the division title or bust.

"We are still battling," Hurdle said on Sunday. "This is good for everybody involved, for focus, for experience. I hate to use the word gut check, because everybody's bringing what they can every day. But as far as dealing with the challenge and not getting overcome by the moment, there's nothing like this type of experience -- to be tested by fire -- to make you better in the long run."

The Dodgers have certainly been tested. They were on an eight-game losing streak after that 9-3 loss at Arizona nine days ago, a game in which Garciaparra, playing shortstop, made two critical errors. That night, second baseman Jeff Kent came out with a sore knee. He later went on the disabled list and had surgery. The next day, Torre benched Garciaparra.

"I think we just bottomed out," Torre said.

The Dodgers have now negated the eight-game losing streak and have done it with journeyman Angel Berroa at short and rookie Blake DeWitt at second. It wasn't by design, but because of the wear and tear suffered by Garciaparra and Kent, the middle of the infield has been much more mobile.

Kent may be back before the regular season ends. And Garciaparra, who was sent into the game at third base on Sunday in the seventh and moved to first in the eighth, is obviously still capable of making the key play when occasionally spotted.

"I took Nomar out because it just looked like we had pushed him a little too far," Torre said. "He was needing some time off. We slid Berroa in there, and he solidified our defense. We were a little reluctant to commit to DeWitt [at second base] because he didn't look very comfortable. We didn't want to fire him out there in a pennant race, and all of a sudden, we had to. We got lucky."

Melvin is hoping that a little bit of that luck changes hands.

On Sunday, the game seemed over with Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton in command, two men out in the ninth and nobody on base. A double and a walk later, the Diamondbacks were thwarted by Garciaparra and the hand of the baseball gods.

But there are three weeks to go. There's plenty of time for the momentum to switch again, and even once again after that.

"There's no question about it," Melvin said. "Look at how quickly it turned around for [the Dodgers]. All it takes sometimes is one game, one game to get some confidence and enthusiasm back."

Barry M. Bloom is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
​
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BILL SHAIKIN ON BASEBALL

[h1]Dodgers in the World Series? Stranger things have happened[/h1]

Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

With pitchers like Chad Billingsley who are likely to be tough to beat in a short series, the notion of the Dodgers making it through the National League playoffs and into the World Series isn't far-fetched.

They may be a deeply flawed team, but the Dodgers lead the sad-sack NL West.

By Bill Shaikin, SUNDAY REPORT
September 7, 2008
Think blue. Dream big.

The autumn leaves could be blue this year. The Dodgers could be in the World Series.


They were left for dead a week ago. They were at .500 two days ago. They have been in first place in the National League West for a few hours.

The Dodgers are a flawed team, with no business being in a pennant race, let alone in first place. But the standings are reset in October, and the Dodgers could take it from there, and into the World Series.

This is not the American League, with a Goliath in pinstripes, red socks or halos standing between the Dodgers and the World Series. This is the National League, where the team with the best record has failed to advance to the World Series in seven of the last eight years.
The Dodgers are on pace to win 82 games. In 2006, the St. Louis Cardinals won 83, backing into the playoffs by losing nine of their last 12 games.

"It was like, whew, new life," said David Eckstein, then the Cardinals' shortstop. "We had made it.

"It doesn't matter what your record is once you get in. We heard about it the whole year. The end result is, it doesn't mean a thing if you get in."

The end result for the Cardinals? They got to the World Series -- and won, with Eckstein as most valuable player.

"We heard we had no chance to win," he said. "You can say what you want, but in the playoffs, it all comes down to pitching and timely hitting."

In that case, the Dodgers could be fine, thanks to Chad Billingsley, Derek Lowe and Manny Ramirez. We would not have dared make the Dodgers' case even a week ago, but hitting might not be all that is timely in their world right now.

We've been waiting all year for the Diamondbacks to run away with the division, to follow the lead of Brandon Webb, Dan Haren and Randy Johnson.

Yet the Dodgers routed Webb and Haren in Phoenix last weekend, and again in L.A. this weekend. Johnson would have had his chance to stop the Dodgers' seven-game winning streak today, but the Diamondbacks scratched him because of a sore shoulder.

Arizona has been plagued by inconsistencies in various areas all summer, Manager Bob Melvin said, in all but the most critical area -- until now.

"This is the first time it's really cropped up with starting pitching," Melvin said.

And, should the Dodgers get to the playoffs, where a team needs that 1-2 pitching punch to last, Billingsley and Lowe could provide the Dodgers that staying power.

Joe Torre, the Dodgers' manager, knows. His New York Yankees dropped out of the playoffs in the first round in each of the last three years, in large part because he had no ace, notwithstanding the impressive victory totals run up by Chien-Ming Wang.

Billingsley, emerging as one of the elite pitchers in the majors, ranks second in the league in strikeouts and eighth in earned-run average. He pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings in beating Webb and the Diamondbacks on Saturday, and he has given up no more than three runs in 11 straight starts.

Lowe won the clinching game for the Boston Red Sox in all three rounds of the 2004 playoffs. His 3.53 ERA is his lowest in six years. He has given up no more than three runs in eight of his last nine starts.

"He was pretty well discarded in Boston, and all of a sudden he won Game 7 against us," Torre said. "He's been somebody you can count on. And Billingsley looks like he's got the ability to be a No. 1."

In the playoffs, Billingsley and Lowe might not compare favorably to Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden of the Chicago Cubs, but Zambrano and the oft-injured Harden are resting injuries right now.

The Milwaukee Brewers would offer CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets, but Sabathia had an 8.80 ERA last October and the oft-injured Sheets just returned from a groin injury.


Johan Santana, sure. But, for Game 2, the New York Mets might have to skip Pedro Martinez and John Maine, each troubled by a shoulder injury, for Mike Pelfrey. That might not be all bad for New York -- Pelfrey is 11-3 with a 2.96 ERA since June 1 -- but the scare factor of Johan and Pedro would be absent.

And, should the Philadelphia Phillies get into the playoffs, they probably would follow Cole Hamels with Brett Myers, who has a 1.39 ERA since Aug. 1 but was in the minor leagues in July.

The opposing pitcher, whatever his name, would have to face Ramirez. He is the Dodgers' first legitimate power hitter since Adrian Beltre in 2004, and it is impossible to overstate how he has transformed their lineup.
"He's a very dangerous hitter," Webb said. "He makes the guy who hits in front of him and the guy who hits behind him that much better."

Ramirez has been here barely five weeks, and already he has 11 home runs, same as Jeff Kent and James Loney.

He has a .500 on-base percentage, a figure bettered 19 times over a full season -- five times by Babe Ruth, four by Barry Bonds, three by Ted Williams. He has a .748 slugging percentage, a figure bettered 13 times over a full season -- four times by Ruth, four by Bonds.

All this talk of Manny, Babe and the World Series could just mean we spent too much time in the sun on Saturday.

These are the Dodgers, the team that was swept by the lowly Washington Nationals on the last trip. They're on their sixth choice at shortstop, with Angel Berroa following Rafael Furcal, Tony Abreu, Chin-lung Hu, Luis Maza and Nomar Garciaparra. Arizona could punt them back into second place this afternoon.

These Dodgers, in the World Series? Stranger things have happened. Ask the Diamondbacks' bench coach, guy by the name of Kirk Gibson.

[email protected]
T.J. Simers:
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[h1]Dodgers' Manny Ramirez is serious when he has to be[/h1]

Outfielder jokes his way through the game, then delivers the big blow.

Manny Ramirez holds up his glove before the game. "It's illegal," he says.

The glove is red, white and blue, so the obvious conclusion is the colors aren't within the rules.

"It's illegal," Ramirez explains, while always mocking his own shortcomings, "because it catches everything," and everyone in the clubhouse laughs.

It happens a lot around here now, music blasting, which is against the rules, dreadlocks flowing in the wind, and who rules the Dodgers these days?

"It starts late in the game," Manager Joe Torre says with a grin. "I'll hear, 'Joe, Joe,' from the end of the dugout and it's Manny looking for me to take him out, and I just point to left field.

"He's always messing with me. I asked him if he wanted to face the Arizona left-hander and he says, 'Why don't you put in one of your young players,' and I have to tell him, 'Don't tell me how to manage.' Then he sits next to Greg Maddux and tells him how he got me."

Recently the Dodgers have asked Ramirez to go out early and work on his throws from the outfield, Ramirez complying but with a twinkle.

"What is this?" he says. "You see what they've got me doing? My arm's gone because they got me working so much."

But then he makes a good play the other day, running into the dugout afterward to tell everyone, "Gold Glove, Gold Glove."

At times he refers to himself as Dave Roberts, other times as Juan Pierre, because he's running hard to first base all the time, jabbing himself publicly now for not always doing so.

Now maybe pitching makes the difference, as Torre likes to maintain, Lowe & Billingsley so much better than Haren & Webb and the Diamondbacks left for dead. But this is L.A., and the Dodgers finally have star power.

"No question, Manny took us to another level here," Torre says. "He just came from a world championship team with an attitude of let's have some fun, guys. And if you want to watch him prepare every day -- a lot of guys were surprised and so was I at the regiment he follows -- then fine.

"He's also a lot deeper than I thought. He has a feel for the game, more than just hitting. And he's very sensitive to other players' needs."

On Saturday he walked over to backup catcher Gary Bennett, the guy who can't throw the ball back to the pitcher like a

big league player, and gave him a baseball handshake, which is an exchange of knuckles.

"How ya doing, coach?" Ramirez says, while probably having no idea of Bennett's name, or how he figures into the Dodgers' plans, but let's all get along here.

"He's a kick," Torre says. "He strikes out on three pitches [against Brandon Webb], takes off his helmet, returns to the bat rack, no complaining, no second-guessing about how he shouldn't have swung at that pitch, and the next time goes up there and hits the first pitch out of the park. That's being a hitter."

Ramirez has not only made a difference on the field, but he's been a force inside the clubhouse, young and old players united for the first time, every one of them afraid at any given moment Ramirez might spray them with perfume.

He got Page 2 Saturday.

"Every time I get you, I hit a home run," Ramirez says, and now when people say Page 2 stinks, they've got a point.

Five innings later Ramirez is hitting a three-run homer, his 11th for the Dodgers, who were power starved for much of the season, and at the same time maybe ending Arizona's year.

"Webb's nasty," Ramirez says, "he got me with an unbelievable changeup, so the next time up I studied him early, picked up the ball and that was it."

Home run Dodgers, and the stadium is filled with happy folks chanting Manny's name, and a playoff date with the Cubs looking likely. And now if the Parking Lot Attendant doesn't do everything he can to bring back Ramirez next season as a full-fledged Dodger, how does he invite the fans to return?

CASEY BLAKE was so excited before the game. "Got another great movie for you," he gushed, " 'Groundhog Day.' "

Apparently it just hit all the theaters in Iowa.

TODAY'S LAST word comes from a number of e-mailers saying almost the same thing, GlennTanner the most concise in his point:

"I am sure you noticed: Jeff Kent leaves -- Dodgers start winning, seven in a row, and now in first place. More than a coincidence? I think so."

I don't. Dodger success has more to do with playing crummy teams like the Padres and slumping Diamondbacks.

Hard to argue the Dodgers can't use a great competitor like Kent who gives the ticket-buying public everything he's got every game -- except a smile and a warm embrace for his teammates.

And no question he'll be back, because he hasn't told us yet what he really thinks of Charley Steiner.

T.J. Simers can be reached at [email protected]. To read previous columns by Simers, go to latimes.com/simers


does anyone else think we need to pickup FUENTES?
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For me, No. Just for the simple fact Colorado is still in the race, they won't trade him and if they do they'll want some AA prospects for the guy. Our pitching staff / bullpen will get stronger as the month goes because we're going to get some arms back.
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Damn, and to think, we are getting Furcal, Saito and Penny possibly back by this week.

It's gonna be a crowded dugout..... How long do the September call-ups stay with the team? I never keep track or notice when the deadline is.
 
Any of you guys going to make the deposit to be able to to purchase pre-sale tickets?
Just called to verify if its one game per series or all the possible games. They informed it was the one per series. Any word when they go on sale?
Its worth it for the ws tickets because from what i remember it was 250 per seat in the pavillion (2004, 2006).
 
Originally Posted by amarusgear

Any of you guys going to make the deposit to be able to to purchase pre-sale tickets?
Just called to verify if its one game per series or all the possible games. They informed it was the one per series. Any word when they go on sale?
Its worth it for the ws tickets because from what i remember it was 250 per seat in the pavillion (2004, 2006).
Click to expand...
I'll be trying to get tickets for September 19th, so that I can be eligible to buy NLDS tickets.
Also registered for the ticket drawing, but that's a long shot.

Here are the other options:

Dodgers 2008 Postseason Single Game Tickets

Single game tickets for 2008 Postseason games at Dodger Stadium are not available for purchase at this time, but the following options are available now to secure your place in line:

Option 1:

2009 Season Ticket Deposits
Don't miss your chance to secure your place at Dodger Stadium for October, and lock in 2008 pricing for 2009 season tickets. Place a deposit on 2009 season tickets and get 2008 prices plus the opportunity to purchase 2008 postseason tickets before the general public.



Option 2:

Pennant Race Ticket Special
Save on tickets during the stretch run and secure your place in line for Division Series seats! Buy any Reserve level ticket and receive a $10 savings per ticket for any game during Think Blue Week, our Fan Appreciation Week, September 19-25. You will also automatically be eligible for a Division Series pre-onsale prior to the public on-sale date.



Option 3:

Postseason Ticket Opportunity
Register on dodgers.com for a random drawing for the opportunity to purchase single-game postseason tickets at Dodger Stadium. This opportunity ends on Tuesday, September 16.
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Mailbag: Will Dodgers re-sign Furcal?

Beat reporter Ken Gurnick answers Dodgers fans' questions

By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com


Will the Dodgers re-sign Rafael Furcal?
-- Tony D., San Marino, Calif.
One likely scenario is for Furcal to sign an incentive-laden contract and remain with the Dodgers, but it's never a decision made by only one side. Furcal said the club hasn't talked about next year yet, but it's clear he doesn't want to leave.

"I love this city," Furcal said. "I love the fans. I love the staff and my teammates. You just never know what's going to happen. They want to see if I'm healthy and I understand that. Everybody wants to see me on the field this year. If I don't, I'll play winter ball in the Dominican Republic for the first time since 2003. I need to play and teams need to see me. The way I started the year, I thought this would be a big year for me. It's so disappointing."

I understand that players traded after the deadline must clear waivers. But when the Diamondbacks traded for David Eckstein, the Dodgers had a worse record, so they would've had the right to take Eckstein first. Since Jeff Kent was already injured, couldn't the Dodgers have blocked the deal?
-- Michael B., Westlake Village, Calif.

Yes, but when a club puts in a claim, it must be prepared to take the player and what's left of his salary if his original club lets him go, and the new club must move a player off its roster to make room for the new player. The Dodgers scouted Eckstein and decided against putting in a claim.

I saw Tanyon Sturtze in the bullpen this weekend. I thought he was taken off the roster. What's that about?
-- Sam F., San Fernando, Calif.

You're right, he was taken off the roster, and he was in the bullpen this weekend. Sturtze asked the club if there was a way he could remain in some role to help, and the club named him its third bullpen catcher, joining Rob Flippo and Mike Borzello, even though Sturtze has been a pitcher, not a catcher.

With the induction of Walter O'Malley into the Hall of Fame this year, is there any plan by the Dodgers to recognize him at Dodger Stadium?
-- Mac M., Westminster, Calif.

The club has made no announcement, but it's my understanding that O'Malley, as well as former Dodgers Hall of Famers that predated uniform numbers, will be included in the proposed club Hall of Fame that will be part of the stadium renovation. The other Dodgers Hall of Famers are recognized by the retired uniform numbers in the pavilions.

Who are the Dodgers sending to the Arizona Fall League?
-- Bob W., Cucamonga, Calif.

Assigned to the Surprise Rafters are Dodgers pitchers Scott Elbert, Brent Leach, Justin Orenduff and Travis Schlichting; catchers Lucas May and Russell Mitchell; infielder Ivan DeJesus Jr. and outfielders Jamie Hoffman and Andrew Lambo.

Do the Dodgers have an official policy on hair length?
-- Bill W., Simi Valley, Calif.

According to manager Joe Torre, there is a written policy, although nobody has explained it. I doubt it was discussed when Manny Ramirez was acquired because, while unconventional styles might be very offensive to a segment of fans, in today's professional sports such things take a back seat in priority to performance. And the Dodgers are selling Manny dreadlock wigs at the concession stands, which sort of weakens the idea that there's anything wrong with his hair.

What's happened to our Minor League system? Four full-season clubs 49 games under .500? Is there any help in sight?
-- Van W., Cupertino, Calif.

Player development is the priority in the Minor Leagues, not team wins. Are there as many prospects in the Dodgers' system as there were three or four years ago? The club recently enjoyed a wave of top prospects reaching the Major Leagues in a short time frame. That's not easy to do, and to expect a constant wave of players year after year is unrealistic. The Draft is too much of a crapshoot. Clayton Kershaw arrived ahead of schedule this year, Elbert has come along quickly now that he's healthy and James McDonald could contend for a job next year. The better position players seem to be at the lower levels.

Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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^it always happens.

Also, our hitters are being too aggressive on Baek. They're not seeing enough pitches and trying to hit everything out of the park.
 
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