dodgers end losing skid

Manny Ramirez homered twice and hit his 500th double as the Dodgers ended their eight-game losing streak with a 6-2 win over the D-backs on Saturday.

Veteran forced to exit game, says he is 'worried' about pain

Kent will undergo an MRI Saturday on his left knee, which locked up in so much pain that he couldn't take his at-bat in the seventh inning with Manny Ramirez on second base after a double and his Dodgers playing the D-backs, the team they need to beat.

Dodgers fall to 0-8 on road trip

The losing streak reached eight with a 9-3 pounding by the D-backs in the opener of a showdown series, the Dodgers falling 4 1/2 games out for the first time in two months. Manny Ramirez had four of the hits and scored two of the runs, but nothing else was working, not even Torre's decision to bat Russell Martin leadoff and drop Matt Kemp to fifth.

showdown with dbacks

The Dodgers will be sending Hiroki Kuroda to the mound after he followed up a rough end to July with a great August, compiling a 3-1 record and a 2.10 ERA while yielding just one run in four of his five starts.With the D-backs losing along with them, the Dodgers have lost just 1 1/2 games during their seven-game losing streak, and are 3 1/2 games back of Arizona in the NL West. If their struggles continue this weekend, that will change.James Loney is the only Dodger to be hot of late. He's hit in eight straight, going 14-for-31 (.452) to boost his batting average to a team-high .300. He also leads the club with 72 RBIs. ... Brad Penny (right shoulder inflammation) and Jason Schmidt (shoulder surgery) both saw Dr. Neal ElAttrache this week. Penny played catch on flat ground on Wednesday for the first time since his Aug. 13 start, and Schmidt will pitch in a rehab game for Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.

slump continues

Manny Ramirez handed Clayton Kershaw a two-run lead with a homer before the rookie even took the mound, but the southpaw served up home run balls to Cristian Guzman and Elijah Dukes. Both of which came in the first inning. The bullpen let the nats build their lead and the slumping dodger offensive never responded.

Three-homer loss

James Loney, Casey Blake and Andre Ethier all knocked solo homers off Tim Redding, but the Nationals took advantage of their opportunities against Greg Maddux.
Los Angeles lost its season-high eighth straight road game and ninth of 11 overall
Los Angeles went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position to bring the club's four-game total in that category to 5-for-50, but another D-backs loss kept the Dodgers safely three games back in a division nobody seems to want to win.

Dodgers recall DeWitt from Las Vegas

The Dodgers made one roster move on Wednesday but held off on another by calling up infielder Blake DeWitt and waiting to activate reliever Cory Wade from the disabled list for at least another day.Infielder Pablo Ozuna was designated for assignment to make room for DeWitt five days before DeWitt would have been back as a September callup.

chances wasted

Tuesday's game included four double plays, 10 runners left on base and a lineout double play with the bases loaded, as the Dodgers dropped their season-high-tying fifth straight game, 2-1, to the Nationals at Nationals Park.
Los Angeles had several chances to score but couldn't cash em in as they went 1-17 with runners in scoring position, spoiling a quality start from Derek Lowe.

Los Angeles fires blanks in series-ending shutout

The Dodgers were shutout Monday in a 5-0 lost to the Phils as they complete a four-game sweep.
The Dodgers had chances in every inning on Monday to score, leaving 14 runners on base, including nine in scoring position. They left multiple runners on base in six of the nine innings.

Dodgers go down in extras

Dodgers Starter Hiroki Kuroda went six strong innings giving up just two hits and one earned run while striking out five but it just wasn't enough as the bullpen blows the lead and eventually the game as the dodgers go down 2-5 in eleven innings. The Dodgers, now three games behind the D-backs in the National League West, will aim to salvage the finale of the four-game series with the Phillies Today.

Can the dodgers control phils offense

The Dodgers will go to Hiroki Kuroda(7-9) to try and shut down phillies offense. Kuroda held the Phillies to one run on two hits in a 79-pitch, seven-inning outing on Aug. 14 in Los Angeles. ... Manny Ramirez is hitting .609 (14-for-23) with a homer and eight RBIs in his career against Blanton. Andre Ethier is 4-for-6 with a homer. ... James Loney had been in a 1-for-12 skid before getting six hits in his past 10 at-bats. ... The Dodgers are in a stretch of playing three straight nationally televised contests. They played Saturday's game on FOX and will play Sunday's game on ESPN and Monday's contest on ESPN2. Next Sunday's game against the D-backs in Phoenix will be televised by ESPN2.

Dodgers drop second straight against Phils

Dodgers roughed up once again in a 2-9 deficit against the Phils, dropping them three games back of the Dbacks.

Dodgers face off against Phils on Fox

Clayton Kershaw(2-3) will take the mound today at 12:55pst against the Phils and their ace Cole Hamels(10-8), who held the Dodgers to two runs in seven innings on Aug. 12. Kershaw pitched six-innings giving up eight hits and one earned run while striking out six in his last outing. Lets see if the blue crew can pull it through.. Go Blue!

Maddux is punished by the Phillies in opener

Greg Maddux's 2008 Dodger Debut was a forgettable one, as the 4-time Cy Young winner gives up nine hits over 5 2/3 innings, including Ryan Howard's national League leading 34th home run . The Dodgers only run came on an Andre Ethier's solo home run in the first inning as the blue crew drops the opener in Philly 1-8 and is now two games back of Arizona.

The move the blue crew has been looking for or not?

With Maddux taking the mound against the Phillies for his debut in a Dodger jersey this season, will be a win/win scenario for the Dodgers. After yesterday's come back win against the Rockies, LA will have to show some deffense against Ryan Howard and his Phillies to still be in the running for first place against the D-backs. Also seeing as Manny's bat was a little rusty against Colorado, he still manages to put in work both offensively and deffensively. This series coming up will determine the rest of the season for the boys in blue.

Greg Maddux takes the mound for the series opener in Philly

Four time Cy Young winner Greg Maddux will take the mound in the opener of a four-game road series against the Phillies. Maddux who pitch against the Phillies on the 15th, went seven innings giving up one earned run on a Pat Burrell solo-home run in a lost.

Penny could return as a reliever

If Brad Penny returns this season from the dl, it would be as a reliever. The opening day pitcher and 16-game winner last season, volunteered to comeback as a reliever. With the bullpen mentally exhausted by hard work and Greg Maddux having been acquired to replace Penny in the starting rotation.

LONEY'S BAT, DLOWE'S ARM HELPS DODGERS TO VICTORY

Loney homers in the seventh, and drives in two runs to back a solid start by Derek Lowe, as he out pitched Jorge De La Rosa to avoid being swept in a 3-1 victory.

INJURY UPDATE

Takashi Saito, out with a sprained ligament in his right elbow, is throwing off flat ground every other day, but there's no guess when, or if, he'll return.
reliever
Yhency Brazoban, who was rehabbing in the Dominican Republic and pitched for the Dodgers' Summer League club there Monday night, suddenly surfaced with Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday night and pitched a shaky ninth inning for a save. Brazoban has battled right shoulder problems the past two years but, if healthy, could earn a September promotion.

Cory Wade, out since Aug. 9 with right shoulder irritation, probably will return to the active roster without needing a rehab assignment.
Scott Proctor, out since June 22 with right elbow tendinitis, threw a bullpen session Tuesday and also is targeted for a rehab assignment next week.

Jason Schmidt will join Triple-A Las Vegas sometime next week before that club's season ends on Labor Day. Schmidt has had two Minor League rehab assignments cut short with renewed discomfort in the shoulder that was operated on 14 months ago. Whether Schmidt will be able to rebuild arm strength enough for a starter's pitch count and pitch in a Major League game this year remains doubtful.

Future Hall of Famer back in LA

General manager Ned Colletti re-acquired pitcher Greg Maddux from the Padres, hoping the future Hall of Famer can help lead the Dodgers to the postseason again. The Future Hall of Famer was acquired from Padres for two players or cash.

Four errors do in Dodgers in loss to Rockies

The Dodgers committed four errors in a 4-3 loss to the Rockies on Wednesday, falling two games behind in the NL West. Manager Joe Torre moved Russell Martin to third, Casey Blake to first and started Danny Ardoin at catcher. But all three committed errors, and the Dodgers' final 15 batters were set down in a second consecutive loss to the Rockies.