Apparently Joe Morgan still thinks the NL West is terrible. Hmmm. Well, only the Mets and Cardinals would be above third place if they were in the west, and six teams--Milwaukee, Houston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Washington, and Florida--would be in last place in the division. Cincinnatti, Atlanta, and Philadelphia would fit right in. Whatever, Joe.
The Dodgers have a shot at first place tonight if they can take care of business and the Mets help out. While that would be nice, what I really wish for is more of the torrid hitting. At the very least, everyone's trade value is through the roof. Teams will actually pay attention if we start talking Ethier, Aybar, Martin, or Broxton. While I certainly don't want to see the farm system destroyed, I'd be willing to trade a few top prospects for a proven young talent. Guys like Cabrera or Bay (notice the poll at right). I wouldn't like to see them go for old guys or one-year rental guys (whom we could acquire for a draft pick in the FA market). The question is, would pathetic teams trade top young talent? These guys will be going to arbitration soon, and their teams are going to stink for a while. But if I was a Pirate/Marlin fan I would be furious to see those guys go.
No Matt Kemp (and no Jeff Kent) tonight as Aaron Sele Brings his stuff to Atlanta for the first time. His last two starts were all you could ask for, so just keep your fingers crossed. Maybe the bats can stay hot and give him a nice cushion.
Go Blue.
The Pitching Matchup:
Aaron Sele (RHP, Dodgers) vs. Jorge Sosa (RHP, Braves)
For your (29-22) Los Angeles Dodgers:
Furcal, SS
Lofton, CF
Garciaparra, 1B
Drew, RF
Aybar, 3B
Ethier, LF
Martinez, 2B
Martin, C
Sele, P
For the (27-24) Atlanta Braves:
Giles, 2B
Renteria, SS
Chipper Jones, 3B
Andruw Jones, CF
LaRoche, 1B
Francoeur, RF
Langerhans, LF
Pena, C
Sosa, P