According to the Los Angeles Times, it appears five Dodgers were placed on waivers today.  The source, who of course claimed to be speaking anonymously, said, besides Ramirez, Casey Blake, Hiroki Karoda, Scott Podsednik, and Jay Gibbons were placed on waivers today.  Being placed on waivers does not necessary mean a team will automatically pick up that player if the player is claimed by a team.  Rather, a trade usually needs to be worked out within 48 hours after a team claims a player on waivers. 

In the case of Ramirez, the Chicago White Sox is the team appearing interested in Ramirez’s services.  If the White Sox claim Ramirez, the Dodgers and White Sox would have 48 hours to work out a trade, and the White Sox would probably pick up the remaining $3.3 million tab on Manny’s contract for this year.  If Manny clears waivers, the Dodgers could still trade him.  This can be confusing.

If tonight was one of Manny’s last starts as a Dodger, he helped the team out by going 2 for 2 with an RBI and a run scored.

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Scully, 82, has called many major sporting events over the last 60 years, including the 1956 perfect game in the World Series by Don Larsen, the 1988 World Series home run by Kirk Gibson, several Masters golf tournaments, including wins by Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus, and countless other major sporting events.  For 49er fans, you may remember “The Catch” in the 1981 NFC Championship Game against the Dallas Cowboys.  Scully called that name.

Scully, on coming back in 2011, said “I just love it so much,” he said. “It’s like a very good marriage. I found when push came to shove, I just did not want to leave.  My wife understood it, God bless her.  She said, ‘If you love it, do it.’ So I love it, and I’m going to do it.”

He will continue to broadcast all nine innings of Dodger home games, as well as games on the road against National League West and American League West teams.  Scully has no plans yet on broadcasting beyond 2011. 

Scully’s 61 years of broadcasting is the longest tenure of any sportscaster in the history of broadcasting.

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Lee, from McKinney, Texas was an excellent pitcher with a 95 MPH fastball, a changeup and breaking ball.

The surprise was the fact the Dodgers spent the contract amount at the time the McCourts are currently in divorce proceedings.  The $5.25 million contract is a record signing bonus by the Dodgers.

Meanwhile, Manny Ramirez continues to work out in Phoenix at the Dodger complex to prepare for a rehabilitation assignment, which could occur later this week. 

Ramirez, who has missed over 116 games in the last two years, is possibly on his way of Los Angeles, and depending on the Dodgers’ ever-slim playoff hopes, could be placed on the waiver wire later this month.  While Manny is hitting .317, he has just eight home runs and 39 runs batted in.

What are the chances Manny will return to the Dodgers in 2011?  Probably less than slim…

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Lilly, who was the most available pitcher on the market after Roy Oswalt, Cliff Lee and Dan Haren, was 3-8 with the Chicago Cubs.  The record is deceptive as the Cubs only provided Lily with a 3.77 average run support per start.

DeWitt, who was batting .270, did not seem to fit well with the Dodgers as its starting second baseman.  Joe Torre was using Ronnie Belliard and Jamie Carroll on several occasions in place of Dewitt.  In Theriot, the Dodgers have a second baseman through the 2012 season.  Theriot has a .320 on-base percentage.

Later on Saturday, the Dodgers picked up Octavio Dotel for James McDonald and one prospect.  Dotel has been the Pittsburg Pirates closer of late, having converted 21 out of 26 save opportunities.  McDonald was an occasional starter who also relieved games.  It is unclear his role as a Pirate.  What could be clear is the bullpen, and whether this spells the end of George Sherrill. 

Scott Podsednik was also added to the roster on Friday for two prospects.  Podsednik is batting .308 with 30 stolen bases for Kansas City when he was traded to Los Angeles on Thursday.  Podsednik has started two games in left field so far for the Dodgers, but is 0-2 as a Dodger.  The Dodgers lost 6-5 against the Giants on Friday evening and 2-1 on Saturday afternoon.

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Clayton Kershaw pitched eight strong innings as he struck out three and gave up seven hits to lower his ERA to 2.96.  Kenley Jensen, a former catcher, pitched a scoreless ninth inning to record his first save in the major leagues.  The Dodgers beat the Mets three games out of four on the homestand, to finish the homestand at 4-3.

The Dodgers are now 53-46 on the season and six games out of first place in the National League West.  The Dodgers will face the San Diego Padres this week in San Diego starting on Tuesday evening. 

The questions facing the Dodgers as the trade deadline approaches on July 31 is another outfielder and a starting pitcher.  According to the Los Angeles Times, General Manager Ned Colletti stated the Dodgers are “buyers” for starting pitching and an outfielder; however, it does not appear likely the Dodgers will trade for Houston Astros’ ace Roy Oswalt, given the high salary the Dodgers would have to incur. 

The Dodgers appear to be searching for a second or third starter to supplement the current pitching staff, and also the team may attempt to land another relief pitcher.  This week will provde interesting for the club, and it may give an indication of how the divorce proceeding are going for Frank and Jamie McCourt.

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Loney’s seventh home run provided reliever George Sherrill with his first victory of the year.  Sherrill, who has been struggling all year, is now 1-1.

The Dodgers have beaten the Mets two games out of three on the homestand, with a final game against the Metropolitans on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.  Clayton Kershaw takes his 9-5 record on the mound against R.A. Dickey, who is 6-4 with a 2.73 ERA on the 2010 campaign.

Sherrill was the ninth pitcher used by Joe Torre in the game.  Jonathan Broxton escaped the ninth inning by striking out David Wright with runners on second and third.  The home run by Loney was his first walk-off home run of his career.

The Dodgers can salvage their homestand with a win on Sunday.  The possible win can help the Dodgers to a winning record on the homestand at 4-3.

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Gibson, a veteran of 17 seasons playing for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates, has been a bench coach for the Tigers, and the Diamondbacks, and for the last season, has been a hitting coach for the Diamondbacks.

Arguably the most famous event of Gibson’s career occurred during Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.  Gibson, bothered by two bad knees, came up as a pinch hitter with two outs and Mike Davis on first base.  Dennis Eckersley, the Oakland A’s closer, who had not allowed a home run for over two months, made several outside pitches to Gibson, prompting him to foul off several pitches.  Eckersley made a slider pitch on a 3-2 count to Gibson, which Gibson knew from a scouting report Eckersley would do on a full count, and Gibson hit the pitch over the 360 sign in right field.

See the video here for the full call from the NBC national broadcast from Game 1 with Vin Scully and Joe Garagiola.

http://www.sportzu.tv/video/kirk-gibsons-88-home-run

Gibson should bring a new dynamic to the Arizona ballclub, emphasizing a more intense approach.  According to the Detroit Free Press, Gibson said that in his six years as a coach, he has learned a lot he’d apply as a manager.

“I understand now how important relationships with the players are as a coach, and even more so as a manager,” Gibson said. “I’ve always possessed good team qualities. I’ve always wanted to do well for the team.

“But if you don’t have relationships, the players will tune you out. If you don’t have relationships, it’s hard to motivate.

“As a player I was very rough and very forceful, and I was probably that way when I started coaching. I didn’t understand how the game had evolved and changed. It’s important to understand that.”

Good luck to Kirk, as he inherits an Arizona ballclub in last place in the National League West.  His first game as manager will be against, who else, the team he provided the greatest memory in its franchise, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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The Dodgers are now 2-4 in interleague play in 2010, having been swept by the Angels and taking 2 of 3 games from the Detroit Tigers.  The Dodgers will be on the road this week against Cincinnati and, this weekend, against the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park.

Next week, the Dodgers will return to Southern California to face the Angels in Anaheim and then back to Dodger Stadium for three games against the New York Yankees.

The Red Sox series will be interesting as it will mark a visit by Manny Ramirez.  Ramirez has not been playing well since coming off the disabled list in May.  His average has dropped from .385 to .285 and has only five home runs for the 2010 campaign.  Will he start to heat up as a designated hitter, which Joe Torre plans to use Manny? 

The Dodgers are one game back of the San Diego Padres for first place in the National League West.  With the Red Sox series, besides the sideshow of Manny against his old club, the Dodgers will turn to a legend who will travel to Boston to call the June 19 game.  Vin Scully will be making an appearance east of Colorado to call the action.

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Tonight is the start of interleague play, where the Dodgers test their May surge against the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers lead the AL Central with a record of 24-17, going 7-3 over their last ten games. Of course, the Dodgers remain the hottest team in baseball. After having their 9 game winning streak snapped by the Friars on Wednesday night, the Dodgers, behind the stellar pitching of Clayton Kershaw, came back to defeat their rivals from the south on Thursday night.

Tonight the Dodgers send Chad Billingsley to the mound to face Dontrelle Willis. And it is Empire Strikes Back Night to boot! Dodgerblogs will be sitting in the All You Can Eat Pavilion cheering on the Boys to another victory!

May the Force Be With the Dodgers!

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Let’s take a look at the numbers…
First the areas of concern:
Pitching, pitching and pitching!
Team ERA: 5.30 (worst in the NL West)
Blown Saves: 2 (in 3 opportunities)

Starting Rotation

Padilla: 8.04 ERA
Billingsley: 5.73 ERA
Haeger: 7.20 ERA
Kershaw: 3.18 ERA (thanks in large part to a stellar performance against the Giants on Sunday.)
Kuroda: 1.20 ERA (now there’s something to cheer about!)

The relievers aren’t giving much relief these days either. Russ Ortiz was FINALLY dumped from the lineup after giving up 8 earned runs in 6 innings pitched. Sherrill has been equally pathetic with 6 earned runs in 4 2/3 innings pitched. Ramon Ortiz (the Ortiz that is still on the pitching staff, for now) has given up 6 earned runs in 7 innings pitched.

There are actually a few things to cheer about regarding pitching. Jonathan Broxton notched his first save against the Giants and continues to dominate with no runs in 5 2/3 innings pitched so far. Troncoso is sitting at a 2.84 ERA and looks to be an important middle reliever.

In other pitching news, as noted above, the Dodgers dumped Russ Ortiz (don’t let the door hit you on the ass…) and have recalled RHP Jon Link from the Isotopes. Link pitched a few innings in Glendale this spring, not giving up a run in his appearances. Of course, Spring Training is a LONG way from Regular Season play. So we’ll have to keep an eye on Link as he gets his chance to shine. Also, Hong Chih Kuo is expected to return to the team after being on the  DL for the starting two weeks of the season.

And now for the good news!

Hitting, hitting and hitting!
When it comes to hitting, Dodger bats are solid top to bottom. The team batting average ranks at the top of the NL with a .303 average, second only to the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central. Of the starters, Ethier, Belliard, Ramirez, Furcal, Kemp, Blake and Loney all sit above the .300 mark. And Russell Martin (who struggled throughout the 2009 campaign) is close behind at .290. When it comes to hitting, the Dodgers are rock solid!

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