Dodgers Pummel Mets for Series Victory

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Mets 11-2, taking the series two games to one. The Dodgers led before the first out could be recorded, and scored enough runs in the first inning to win the game. LA totaled 17 hits, and Randy Wolf's shaky outing was enough to get him his fourth win of the season. Rafael Furcal doubled twice and scored three runs, Manny Ramirez had two hits, RBI's and runs scored, and Andre Ethier collected two runs. Casey Blake drove in and scored a run, and Orlando Hudson had a three-run double. Matt Kemp had three hits, and Russell Martin had two runs-batted-in. David Wright had two hits and scored a run for the Mets, and Gary Sheffield drove in a run.

Orlando Hudson was struck by a pitch on the leg, and had to be replaced with a pinch-runner. He will be in the lineup for Friday's game in Milwaukee.

Randy Wolf changed his number to help him get his fourth win. He previously wore #21, but after four out of five of his last starts ended in a no-decision he changed it to #43, the record he hoped to reach with tonight's start. He did get the win.

Dodgers Come Up Short Against Mets

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the New York Mets 5-4, splitting the series at a game apiece. The Dodgers struck early, scoring in the first, but Hiroki Kuroda could not get outs, giving up eight hits and two walks that resulted in five runs scoring. The bullpen held New York back, but the offense failed in the clutch, hitting 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. The Boys in Blue tried to get back into the game, scoring a run in the eighth and in the ninth to cut the deficit to one. However, with two on and one out Andre Ethier grounded into a double-play to end the game. Rafael Furcal had two hits and two RBI's, and Matt Kemp tripled and scored twice. Russell Martin reached base four times, twice by hit and twice by walk. Manny Ramirez hit a home run in the ninth to cut the lead in half. David Wright scored two runs and drove in a run for the Mets.

Ronald Belisario was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a stiff shoulder, though the MRI revealed no structural damage. Corey Wade was called up from Triple-A to take his place.

Dodgers Defeat Mets Handily

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Mets 8-0, their first victory in the Mets' new Citi Field. The Dodgers struck early in the second with three runs, and led for the rest of the game. New York could only muster four hits and two walks over nine innings. Rafael Furcal scored twice, and Orlando Hudson drove in two runs. Manny Ramirez collected three RBI's before being ejected after reacting negatively to a strike out. Matt Kemp totaled two hits, a run scored, a run-batted-in, and an outfield assist. Blake DeWitt had a pinch-hit homer, his first blast of the season. Juan Pierre tripled and scored a run after replacing Manny. Clayton Kershaw pitched six shutout innings, striking out seven and walking only two. Luis Castillo had only one of the Amazins' four hits.

Claudio Vargas made his Dodger debut after spending the entire season on the disabled list. Vargas had a perfect inning, but was struck by a line-drive.

Ronald Belisario returned to Los Angeles to have an MRI on his right elbow after he complained of stiffness. There is no word if he will be placed on the disabled list.

Dodgers Break Out Brooms for Mets

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Mets 2-1, sweeping the three-game series. Jeff Weaver allowed only one run in five innings in his spot-start, and Brent Leach received the first win of his career. Juan Pierre had two hits and scored a run, and Orlando Hudson spent no time on the bench after hurting his shoulder yesterday; he doubled and scored. Russell Martin had the game-winning RBI. Jonathan Broxton had a scoreless ninth to get his 11th save of the season. Carlos Beltran doubled twice and drove in Luis Castillo for the Mets' only run of the game.

Blake Powers Dodgers to Win

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Mets 5-3, their third win in a row. Chad Billingsley struggled, giving up three runs on four hits and five walks, but got his sixth win of the season after Casey Blake hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning. Juan Pierre scored a run in the first inning, and Orlando Hudson drove in a run before leaving the game with a bruised shoulder. Matt Kemp and James Loney each had a hit and a run scored, and Billingsley helped his own cause with an RBI-double. David Wright had a hit, RBI, and run scored for the Mets, and pitcher John Maine drove in two runs. Jonathan Broxton had a perfect ninth for his 10th save of the season.

Hudson suffered a bruised left shoulder after landing akwardly while trying to make an over-the-shoulder catch. He will be day-to-day.

Eric Stults was scratched from his start tomorrow due to a sore thumb. Jeff Weaver will make the start instead, and Eric Milton's spot will be skipped due to Thursday's off-day.

Mets Gift-Wrap Win for Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Mets 3-2, their second win in a row. The game was tied at 2 apiece after Gary Sheffield hit a single to score Angel Pagan, and it eventually entered extra-innings. In the 11th, the wheels fell off for the Mets when Ryan Church, who singled, missed third-base as he headed home on a Pagan-triple, ending the inning. In the bottom of the inning, after Mark Loretta walked, Pagan and Carlos Beltran miscommunicated on a fly-ball from Xavier Paul and it dropped in. Juan Pierre was intentionally walked, and Orlando Hudson grounded a ball to Jeremy Reed at first. However, Reed threw the ball away as he tried to get Loretta at home. The Mets made a total of five errors. Rafael Furcal had two hits and scored a run, and Hudson singled twice and drove in a run. Pagan finished with four hits for the Mets, and David Wright doubled twice and scored a run.

Clippers Win in Knick of Time

The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the New York Knicks 140-135 in overtime, their 18th victory of the season. New York held a 19-point lead early in the first quarter, but lost nearly all of it heading into halftime, leading only by one. The Clips scored at least 30 points in each quarter after the first, and had a .577 shooting percentage through the entire game, including 10-for-19 from 3-point range. Mike Taylor had his best game of the season for LA, scoring 35 points off the bench, and Zach Randolph had 33 points against his former team. Al Thornton had 21 points and 9 rebounds, and Eric Gordon added 19 points. Baron Davis had 13 points and 6 assists. Al Harrington led the Knicks with 38 points, and Wilson Chandler added 22.

Clips Pull One Out in Knick of Time

The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the New York Knicks 128-124 in overtime, their 13th win of the season. The Clips rallied from a 10 point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game after Zach Randolph hit a hook shot at the end of regulation. LA won the OT 18-14. The Clippers shot .515 from the field and took 37 three-point attempts, 15 of which went in. Eric Gordon led LA with 30 points, and Steve Novak had a career-high 23 points, including going 6-for-8 from three-point range. Randolph scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and Baron Davis had 13 points with a season-high 20 assists. Al Thornton scored 20 points, and Fred Jones had 14. Nate Robinson led the Knicks with 33 points and 15 assists to go with 9 rebounds. Wilson Chandler added 27 points, David Lee had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Al Harrington finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Kings End Trip on High Note

The Los Angeles Kings completed a 5-game road trip by defeating the New York Islanders 4-3 in a shootout. LA went 4-1 on the trip. Wayne Simmonds, Anze Kopitar, and Alexander Frolov each scored a goal for the Kings. Doug Weight, Tim Jackman, and Andy Hilbert each scored for New York. The Islanders took just 25 shots, while LA took 39. In the SO, Jack Johnson scored the only goal for both teams, giving LA the win.

Lakers Enjoy 61 Reasons to Ignore Bynum...For Now

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New York Knicks 126-117, their first game without Andrew Bynum. Kobe Bryant did his best to make everyone forget about his prognosis, scoring a Madison Square Garden-record 61 points, eclipsing Michael Jordans' visiting-record 55 points and Bernard King's 60. Kobe finished shooting 19-for-31. The Lakers had a combined .524 shooting percentage, and out-rebounded New York 52-41. The Knicks were held to 7-for-27 from 3-point range. Pau Gasol played his first full game of center, scoring 31 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Trevor Ariza was the only other Laker to score in double-figures, finishing with 13 points and 8 rebounds. Al Harrington led the Knicks with 24 points, and David Lee had 22 points and 14 rebounds.

Jones's Contract is Reworked

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Andruw Jones (left) reworked his contract, virtually assuring he will not be with the team for the 2009 season. The new, restructured contract will spread the $21.1 million Jones is owed over as many as 6 years, with the amount deferred for next season coming to $12 million. Jones will either be traded or released, though there is a small trade market for the struggling outfielder. Talks with the Mets broke down on the issue as New York wanted to send their own Andruw Jones: Luis Castillo. The $12 million saved is meant to go to Manny Ramirez and pitching.

Dodgers Look At Dunn, Abreu

The Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in Adam Dunn (left) and Bobby Abreu should they fail to sign Manny Ramirez, says ESPN.com and MLB.com. Both outfielders are big run-producers, each having at least 100 RBI last year. Abreu hit 20 homers, while Dunn hit 40. Dunn is more of a defensive liability and is prone to strike-outs, while Abreu lacks his power but is more defensively capable. The Dodgers are also interested in trading Andruw Jones to the Mets, as long as they eat up the majority of his contract. It is unclear who the Dodgers would want in return for Jones.

Editor's Note: Manny Market Crumbles

The New York Yankees signed 1B Mark Teixeira to an 8-year, $180 million contract, effectively destroying any market that was available for Manny Ramirez. Both Angels GM Tony Reagins and Yankee GM Brian Cashman have said that Manny is not an option for their respective clubs. And while NY head-honchos Hal and Hank Steinbrenner have said Manny would be a great fit for the Bronx Bombers, signing him would create a huge breach of trust between them and Cashman, without having the benefit of the team as an excuse. With no suitors for the left-fielder, Manny's only option may very well be the Boys in Blue, just the kind of thing GM Ned Colletti planned out. He preached patience on this issue, and now it's almost as if Manny has fallen into his lap. Other teams considering Man-Ram have folded: Toronto is playing it safe due to the weak Canadian Dollar, while Boston has a better chance of signing Lou Gehrig than the guy who was "dogging it" every day. Everything has fallen into place for Colletti. All he has to do is wait for agent Scott Boras to come crawling back for that $45 million contract Boras scoffed at earlier.

Kings Fall to NY

The Los Angeles Kings were defeated by the New York Rangers 3-2 in overtime. Michal Rozsival scored a second period and OT goal to give the Rangers the win. New York goalie Steve Valiquette, originally drafted by LA, made 39 saves, while Kings goalie Jason LaBarbera, who was drafted by New York, made 27 saves.

Lakers Pull One Out in the Knick of Time

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the New York Knicks 116-114, their 21st victory of the season. LA trailed by 15 at halftime, but came back to win by scoring 66 points in the second half. The Lakers were missing Pau Gasol, who is out with strep throat, meaning Lamar Odom made his first start of the season, even though he too was sick. All five starters scored double-digits, including Luke Walton with 14 points. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 28 points, then Odom with 17 points and 11 rebounds, followed by Derek Fisher with 15 points and a team high 7 assists. Andrew Bynum scored 13 with 11 rebounds and 4 blocks, and Trevor Ariza came off the bench with 13 points. Nate Robinson led New York with 33 points, and 5 other Knicks scored in double-digits.

Sabathia Signs With Yankees

The New York Yankees and CC Sabathia have reached an agreement over a $161 million 7-year contract. Sabathia was one of the most coveted free-agents, but had only received offers from New York and Milwaukee. Other teams were reported to have interests in him, including the Dodgers, but no actions were ever made.

Clippers Shorthanded in Loss

The Los Angeles Clippers were defeated by the New Orleans Hornets 99-87. The Clips were without Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins after the Knicks learned about Cuttino Mobley's heart condition, putting the trade's effects on hold. New York could have voided the deal if they felt Mobley's condition would be too uncomfortable. However, the trade went through as planned, and Randolph and Collins will be available for LA's next game. However, the trade's problems caused problems in the Clipper's game against the Hornets, who outscored LA 50-41 in the second half. David West lead New Orleans with 27 points, and Chris Paul had a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 17 assists. Rookie Eric Gordon had his first NBA start with the Clips, scoring 25 points. Baron Davis also helped LA with 19 points and 8 assists.

Clippers Trade Forward

The Los Angeles Clippers traded Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas for the New York Knicks' forward Zach Randolph and guard Mardy Collins. Randolph has averaged 16.4 points in his NBA career, and looks to provide more of a low-post scoring threat for the Clips.

Dodgers Get in on Sabathia

The Los Angeles Dodgers are prepared to offer CC Sabathia a $100-120 million 6-year contract, reports MLB.com. The former CyYoung pitcher is seen as the best pitching free agent, and is being courted by the Yankees, Angels, Brewers, and Giants. CC is a California native who prefers the NL so he can bat.