I thought the Dodgers would run away with the NL West once MANNY RAMIREZ returned from his MLB suspension for trying to acquire mantits. Even though they set the pace for the entire league with their first half start, the second half hasn’t been the case for the Blue crew. While the Dodgers still have the best record in the West division they are close to losing that perch for overall record to the Phillies and or possible the Cards.
What has hurt the Dodgers has been their lack of consistent pitching. When you don’t have a rotation with any big name starters you hope that your mid level talent gets warm late in the season. These Dodger pitchers were hot early and that helped L.A. overcome the loss of their superstar leftfielder but now it seems like the gas is running out of the tank. I just hope the acquisition of VICENTE PADILLA can help the Dodgers out.
MANNY hasn’t been totally MANNY either since his return from the suspension. Yeah, it’s unrealistic to expect him to post the same numbers he did last season when he first came to L.A. and yes, he is still an above .300 hitter, the Dodgers need his .400 avg. bat and his clutch RBI production if they hope to honestly contend with Philadelphia and St. Louis for the NL World Series berth. I’m tuned in hardbody to the MLB from this point forward.
