The Dodgers take their three game winning streak into tonight's game, with Eric Milton taking the hill in a major league game for the first time in over two years.
Jason Schmidt, hoping to join the two-year-off club later this season, will start again for Inland Empire in a rehabilitation assignment on Sunday.
The Dodgers are 10-3 in games started by their "fifth" starters this season (everybody but Hiroki Kuroda, Randy Wolf, Chad Billingsley, and Clayton Kershaw), despite these collective numbers:
| Starts | W-L | IP | IP/GS | H | ER | BB | K | ERA | WHIP |
| 13 | 10-3 | 61.0 | 4.69 | 57 | 33 | 34 | 39 | 4.87 | 1.492 |
It probably helps that the offense has provided 90 runs of support, or 6.92 per game.
Tonight's game offers a dilemma. The game starts at 3pm, but will not be televised until 4pm. Thanks, Stevie B and TKA! The options are:
- Listen to the game for the first hour, then join the game in progress via MLB.tv
- Avoid the game (and this blog) for the first hour, then join the delayed broadcast on KCAL at 4pm to watch the game in it's entirety, on an hour delay
- Listen to the entire game because you didn't purchase MLB.tv, and because sporting events are meant to be experienced live.
From the Dodger press notes:
- James Loney is four for his last seven against LHP the last three days, with two home runs and five RBI, and "is the second-hardest player in the NL to strike out, fanning once every 15.6 plate appearances."
- In his last eight games, Juan Pierre is batting .424 (14-for-33) with six RBI, four stolen bases and a .500 on-base percentage
- Casey Blake Bobblehead night is Wednesday against the Mets
Josh Rawitch at Inside the Dodgers gives us tonight's lineup, which has been the same every game of this road trip.
Pierre, LF
Furcal, SS
Hudson, 2B
Ethier, RF
Martin, C
Loney, 1B
Kemp, CF
Blake, 3B
Milton, P
Ken Gurnick tells us that many players may rest Sunday:
Torre said he is likely to give several players Sunday off, mentioning shortstop Rafael Furcal, catcher Russell Martin and third baseman Casey Blake. He said he also might try to find a start for Xavier Paul, who slugged a pinch-hit homer and is 3-for-5 with a double and home run since replacing Ramirez on the roster.
Get your guesses in for "Just A Bit Outside" here.