The Dodgers have lost two of three against the Mets and the end result is the Dodgers now sit just one game ahead of the second place Padres and they’re tied in the loss column. It’ll be interesting to see what the brain trust does. The Dodgers have a ton of talent down in the minors and they could use that to give them an edge in the final two months. Of course you don’t want to cost the team’s future but there’s no doubt this team needs some hitting. Adding a guy like Adam Dunn to the lineup would be a huge coup but for now it looks like the Dodgers are looking more for pen help like Octavio Dotel then they are a big bat.
Brad Penny didn’t have his best stuff yesterday but he helped the Dodgers end their two game mini-skid to the Mets. Penny is now 12-1 and one of a few guys in line for the Cy Young. Of course he’ll have to keep it up down the stretch but he’ll be one of several guys who will be a key to the Dodgers making the postseason.
Jeff Kent is starting to heat up and he’s belted three homeruns in his past seven games. He also has a nice little five game hitting streak going again and in the month of July, he’s slugged .635. He’s been even better in his eight games since the All Star Break with a .769 slugging.
Russ Martin continues to keep his batting average over .300 and his OPS is still over .850. Martin and Kent have been the big bats but you wonder how long they can both keep it up. They’ll need guys like Rafael Furcal and, gulp, Juan Pierre to provide some punch if the Dodgers want to stay in the lead.
The Dodgers finish up with the Mets this afternoon and then it’s three against the Astros and three against the Rockies. The Rockies have hung in the hunt for the division and it’d be nice to bury them. In the meantime, a tune up series against the Astros is just the thing this team might need.
