Dodgers Can't Hang On in Extras

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the San Francisco Giants 4-2 in 10 innings, but still took the series two games to one. Tim Lincecum was nails, allowing only one run in eight innings of work before going into the ninth. After Rafael Furcal singled and tagged up to second, Andre Ethier singled him home with two out to tie the game at two runs apiece. The match entered extra innings, and Guillermo Mota surrendered a two-run homer to Juan Uribe that ended the game. The Dodgers had only four hits, two coming from Ethier. Juan Pierre tripled and scored a run, and Rafael Furcal had the only other hit and RBI. Freddy Sanchez had two hits, a run scored, and an RBI for the Giants.

Dodgers Take Series with Blowout Against Giants

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 9-1, sealing a series victory against the Giants. Just like in the first game, San Francisco struck first, scoring a run in the third inning. The Dodgers came right back with four runs in the fifth, and for good measure they scored five in the seventh to clinch the victory. Randy Wolf went eight innings, allowing just the one run on three hits and one walk. Manny Ramirez had a double and a homer, collecting three RBI's and two runs scored when all was said and done. Matt Kemp had a three-run home run, and James Loney had two hits. Andre Ethier doubled twice, scoring twice and driving in two. Edgar Renteria had two hits for the Giants, and Fred Lewis scored the lone run.

Eric Stults was demoted to Triple-A Albuquerque. Knuckleballer Charlie Haeger was called up to replace him.

Dodgers Pad Lead with Win

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 4-2, snapping a three-game losing streak. The Dodgers hit Jonathan Sanchez for four runs in the fourth inning, the back-breaker being Matt Kemp's bases-loaded double that drove in all three runners. Mark Loretta then singled to drive in Kemp. Manny Ramirez had two hits and a run scored. Hiroki Kuroda pitched 6-and-a-third effective innings, allowing only one run. Travis Ishikawa and Bengie Molina both had solo-homers to account for the Giants' only two runs.

Orlando Hudson had to leave the game after feeling pain in his groin area. He is listed as day-to-day.

Editor's Note: How the West Has Won

The NL West was supposed to be the worst division in the Major Leagues. That theory has quickly died, though no one seems up to giving a big, hearty "Mea Culpa" to the mistaken belief. Don't get me wrong. This division had very little going for it at the beginning of the season. The Dodgers won the West with just 84 wins. The Padres looked like they were a glorified Triple-A team. The Giants had the worst lineup of the bunch. The only shining beacon of the division would be the Dodgers, and even then Sports Illustrated's Baseball Preview edition predicted the Boys in Blue would garner only 88 wins, four more than last season's net-total. Unfortunately for the pundits, their theories were soundly squashed. The Dodgers are baseball's best team, and the Giants and Rockies are leading the pack for the NL Wild Card. Only two teams in the National League boast a winning record against ballclubs west of the Rocky Mountains. Both Los Angeles and San Francisco have the privilege of calling their pitching staffs the best in the Majors, not just the NL. Yet no one has taken a step forward to apologize. The East-Coast leaning general consensus is that the Western Division is still subpar, and the Dodgers have fattened up on h'ors-doeuvres, not the real meat of the league. Call me biased, but the NL West deserves the credit that it has earned.

Unlucky 13th Does in Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the San Francisco Giants 7-5 in 13 innings, dropping the series 2 games to one. The game went into extra innings with the score tied at four apiece, but Guillermo Mota surrendered the lead run in the 12th. However, Casey Blake hit a line-drive homer to keep the game alive. But Mota could not, giving up two in the 13th and the Dodgers could not respond. Juan Pierre had three hits and scored three times, and Blake had a hit in all three at-bats. Orlando Hudson doubled and drove in two, and Rafael Furcal had a run-batted-in. The Dodgers exhausted the entire bullpen minus Brent Leach when Jeff Weaver could only go five innings. Randy Winn finished with four hits, four runs scored, and the game-winning two-run single. Edgar Renteria added two hits, a run, and an RBI, and Emmanuel Burriss had four hits.

Stults Throws Gem in Victory

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 8-0, snapping a two-game losing streak and their first win without Manny Ramirez. Eric Stults was dominant, pitching a complete-game shutout while only allowing four hits, no walks, and striking out five. Juan Pierre doubled twice, knocked in three and scoring a run, and Orlando Hudson had a double and a run scored. Juan Castro also had two RBI-doubles, and Russell Martin walked three times and singled to reach base in all four plate-appearances. Aaron Rowand and Edgar Renteria had the Giants' only extra-base hits as both doubled.

Dodgers Are Stumped in Loss

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the San Francisco Giants 3-1, their second loss in a row. Chad Billingsley had five solid innings before giving up a run in the sixth and two in the seventh, delivering him his first loss of the season. Barry Zito was lights-out for San Fran, pitching six innings and allowing only one run. The Dodgers could not pull through in the clutch, batting a collective 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Rafael Furcal had a leadoff double but never made it to third, and Casey Blake had an RBI-double. Russell Martin had two hits, and Matt Kemp scored the only run for LA. Edgar Renteria had two hits, an RBI and a run scored for the Giants.

Lincecum Looks Sharp as Dodgers Fall

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the San Francisco Giants 9-4, dropping the series two games to one. LA finished the road-trip going 4-5. Cy Young-winner Tim Lincecum was solid, keeping the Dodgers scoreless up to the eighth inning when he left the game with runners on. He finished giving up three runs and striking out eight. Eric Stults was shaky, allowing five runs on seven hits in less than three innings of work. Orlando Hudson had two hits, including a double, and an RBI, and Manny Ramirez had a hit and scored a run. Juan Pierre had two hits, an RBI, and a run scored. Bengie Molina was money for the Giants, getting a single, triple, and homer, finishing with four runs-batted-in. Edgar Renteria had four hits, knocked in two, and scored twice.

Dodgers Escape Giants' Clutches

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 5-3, snapping a small two-game losing streak. Chad Billingsley was solid, allowing only two runs, one earned, before giving the ball to Jonathan Broxton with one out in the eighth and two aboard with the Dodgers leading 3-2. However, Broxton walked two, sending the tying run home. The run was charged to Billingsley, who ended up missing a chance to get his fifth win of the season. However, Manny Ramirez led the ninth off with a double, Andre Ethier then doubled, and Matt Kemp tripled. Manny finished with three doubles and two runs scored. James Loney knocked in two and walked three times. Defense played a big part in the win, with a tag at the plate by Russell Martin with assists from Rafael Furcal and Kemp in the first inning, a line-drive caught by Loney with runners on that ended up being a double-play, and a diving catch by Casey Blake with runners at second and third that saved two runs. Giant pitchers were very wild, uncorking three wild pitches. Pablo Sandoval had two hits and an RBI for the Hated Ones, and Aaron Rowand scored the go-ahead run in the eighth.

Dodgers Can't Finish Giants

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the San Francisco Giants 5-4, their second loss in a row. The Giants took an early 3-0 lead after the first inning, but Randy Wolf held on to keep San Fran to just the three. In the seventh, the Dodgers exploded for four runs, but Ronald Belisario surrendered the lead after giving up two runs in the eighth. Casey Blake had a two-run homer, and Manny Ramirez had two hits and an RBI. Juan Pierre had a pinch-hit single and scored the game-tying run. Edgar Renteria had a double and scored twice for the Giants, and Randy Winn had a triple, RBI, and run scored. Bengie Molina had the game-winning RBI.

Stults Gets Plenty of Support in Win

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 7-2, completing the three-game sweep of their bitter rivals. Eric Stults pitched five innings, allowing just two runs on five hits and three walks to get the win. Rafael Furcal hit a leadoff home run on the third pitch of the first inning, and Matt Kemp hit an RBI-triple and scored two runs. Casey Blake drove in two runs, and Doug Mientkiewicz had a pinch-hit, two-run double. However, on his slide into second, Mientkiewicz dislocated his right shoulder, and he is most likely going to the disabled list. The Giants hit just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring-position. Emmanuel Burris had three hits for San Fran, including a double, and scored a run.

Dodgers' Win is Just a Walk in the Park

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 5-4, their fourth straight win. The Dodgers won in the bottom of the ninth after James Loney walked with the bases loaded. The Dodgers initially led 2-1 going into the eighth, but Hong-Chih Kuo put two batters on base, and Ronald Belisario gave up a three-run bomb to Aaron Rowand. The Dodgers scored twice in the eighth to tie the game, then the walk in the ninth secured the victory. Jonathan Broxton had a perfect inning to get the win, and Clayton Kershaw pitched a gem, allowing one hit, one run, one walk, and racked up 13 K's. Orlando Hudson had three hits and a run, Casey Blake hit a home run, and Matt Kemp had a double and an RBI-single. Loney knocked in three runs, all without a hit, walking twice with the bases loaded and hitting a sacrifice fly. Bengie Molina hit a solo homer for the Giants, but the black-and-orange collected only four hits.

Opening Day: Oh Dog! Hudson Leads Way as Dodgers Pound Giants

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the rival San Francisco Giants 11-1, their first game at Dodger Stadium this season. Orlando Hudson led the way as he hit for the cycle, the first Dodger to hit for the cycle since Wes Parker in 1970. First Hudson hit an infield-single in the first inning, then homered to put the Dodgers up 1-0 in the third. Later Hudson hit a one-run double in a six-run fourth, then tripled to get himself the rare cycle in the sixth inning. Hudson finished the game with four hits, 2 RBI's, and three runs scored. Andre Ethier did his best to catch up to the red-hot Hudson by hitting two home runs and collecting four RBI's. Russell Martin and Rafael Furcal both knocked in two runs, and Matt Kemp's single gives him an eight-game hitting streak. Manny Ramirez doubled and scored a run. Chad Billingsley pitched a gem to get the win, allowing just one run on five hits while fanning 11 with no walks. Travis Ishikawa had the Giants' only RBI, and veteran Randy Johnson was lit up, allowing seven runs in less than four innings of work.

Delwyn Young was designated for assignment in order to make room on the 40-man roster. The Dodgers have 10 days to release him, trade him, or place him on waivers. If Young can clear waivers, he can stay with the organization in the minor-leagues. However, if placed on waivers, another team claim and take him.

Blake DeWitt was sent to Triple-A Albuquerque in order to play regularly and get more at-bats. The Dodgers called up Juan Castro to take his place in the roster.

Dodgers End Spring with Whimper

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the San Francisco Giants 3-1, their last spring exhibition of the year. James McDonald pitched four innings, yielding three runs on six hits while striking out five. Josh Lindblom took full advantage of his last chance to make the club, pitching four scoreless innings while allowing only three baserunners. James Loney had two hits and an RBI, and Juan Pierre scored the Dodgers' only run. Juan Castro had a double.

Dodgers News: Bench Mob, Ardoin is Cut, and Goodbye Arizona

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the San Francisco Giants 10-8, their last game in Arizona. Bench favorite Doug Mientkiewicz hit a two-run bomb, and Juan Castro had a double and homer. Juan Pierre had three hits, including a double, and Jason Repko knocked in two and scored a run. Hiroki Kuroda had his last tune-up before the season begins, allowing just one run in three innings. Hong-Chih Kuo pitched a perfect inning, and Eric Milton gave up eight runs in less than three innings, including two homers.

The Dodgers designated Danny Ardoin for assignment. Ardoin spent most of last season as Russell Martin's backup after Gary Bennet hit the DL. He has ten days to either accept his assignment in Triple-A or become a minor-league free agent.

This was the Dodgers' last game in Arizona. They will play three exhibition games at Dodger Stadium, one against the Angels and two against Milwaukee, then go to San Francisco to play a game against the Giants.

The Dodgers sent Eric Milton to Triple-A, and notified Tanyon Sturtze that he is on the bubble. Milton came into Spring Training as a candidate for the fifth-starter spot, but a 10.07 ER knocked him out of the race. Sturtze is still a possibility of joining the bullpen, but if he doesn't he will be sent to the minors as well.

Dodgers News: High Scores, Sore Wrist, and Return to Lineup

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the San Francisco Giants 10-8, their 4th loss of Spring Training. Clayton Kershaw gave up 4 hits and two runs in just two innings of work, and James McDonald surrendered two runs as well. Andre Ethier was back in the lineup as a DH and had a home run, 2 RBI's and a run. Xavier Paul also knocked in two runs, and Chin-lung Hu had two hits. Delwyn Young had a double, an RBI, and a run.

Orlando Hudson could not play in today's game due to a sore left-wrist, the same wrist that underwent surgery several months ago. Chin-lung Hu took over for him at second-base. The soreness is not considered serious and Hudson can return to the lineup by tomorrow.

Andre Ethier played his second game at DH, getting his second hit and second run at the position. Ethier stayed on the bench for a few days after suffering from a sore heel. It is unclear when he will return to the outfield. Casey Blake is still recovering from a pulled muscle.

WBC teams played more exhibitions today. Russell Martin did not play in Team Canada's 9-2 loss to Philadelphia. Valentino Pascucci had a hit and an RBI in Team Italy's 5-1 win over Florida. Jonathan Broxton did not pitch for Team USA in its 6-5 loss to Toronto. Luis Maza went hitless in two at-bats in Team Venezuala's 4-4 tie with Houston. Kenley Jansen went hitless in two at-bats in Team Netherlands' 4-3 10-inning loss to Cincinnati.

Dodgers News: Power Bats, Injured Players, & New Acquisition

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the rival San Francisco Giants 16-7, their first official win in the Cactus League. Russell Martin homered and drove in 3 runs, and LA had a 5-run second inning and a 6-run ninth. Chin-Lung Hu had a 3-run homer, and Valentino Pascucci had a home run as well. Orlando Hudson played his first game with the club, getting a hit and a run. Randy Wolf pitched 2 perfect innings, and Jeff Weaver pitched a scoreless third. Jonathan Broxton gave up a run, and Guillermo Mota gave up 2 hits but held the Giants scoreless in 1 inning.

Andre Ethier and Casey Blake both suffered minor injuries. Ethier has a sore heel, and Blake pulled a groin muscle. Both are expected to return quickly.

The Dodgers signed veteran 1B Doug Mientkiewicz to a minor-league deal. Mientkiewicz is a Gold-Glove fielder and hit .277 last season in Pittsburgh.

Manny Ramirez is expected to respond to the Dodgers' offer by Friday.

Dodgers Work to Unload Jones, Jump on Manny

The LA Times is reporting that the Dodgers are working to cut Andruw Jones (left) from the roster while still keeping $12 million of what they owe him. The Dodgers are looking at either an extension to take the money off the 2009 payroll, or a buyout to either trade or release Jones. The 10-time Gold Glove winner batted .158 last season, with 14 RBI and 76 strikeouts with 209 at-bats. The freed-up money is meant to be used for a new Manny Ramirez contract after the Denver Post said the San Francisco Giants are quietly pursuing the left-fielder.

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.