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Dodgers Look To Get Off On The Right Phoot In Philly

On the Mason & Ireland radio show on ESPN 710, reporter A. Martinez for weeks has discounted the Dodgers' hot start, even before the Manny Ramirez suspension, because they have played the "inferior" NL West almost exclusively. He has cited this week as the beginning of the real challenge for the Dodgers, as they finally play "real" teams in Phildelphia, Florida, and the Mets over their next nine games.

Tonight Clayton Kershaw takes the mound for the Dodgers, and will be opposed by old friend Chan Ho Park. It appears the clock has struck midnight for Park, as he has been tagged for a 6.67 ERA (and 5.95 FIP) in the early going, with opposing batters hititng a robust .284/.372/.510 against him.

A few Dodger notes:

“There’s no commitment to anyone, especially the young guys,” said Ethier, who watched the Dodgers stick with Andruw Jones, baseball’s biggest free-agent bust last season, while he played part time.

“It’s not like we’re under a system where you can mess up for two or three months and they’re going to stick with you and say, ‘Oh, he’s our guy.’ They’ll either find somebody internally or get somebody to replace you. There is a lot of pressure to win right now.”

Josh Rawitch of the Dodgers gives us the lineup:

Pierre LF
Furcal SS
Hudson 2B
Ethier RF
Martin C
Loney 1B
Kemp CF
Blake 3B
Kershaw P

Get your guesses in for "Just A Bit Outside" here.

Box Score | Gameday