[PilotMan]

7/1 4-2 W over the Pirates
LA scored 3 in the first inning a single and RBI by Guerrero and a 2-run shot by Von Hayes (4). Ken Howell picked up the W to move to 5-7 in his 8 innings of work. John Franco pitched a scoreless 9^th for his 15^th save.


The Houston Astros have lost Barry Larkin for a few weeks due to an ankle sprain. Larkin was hitting .318 with 4 HR's and 28 RBI's. He was also leading the NL in votes at short stop for the All Star game.


So then the Astros decided that they needed more help. Being stupidly deep, they traded away former closer, Scott Garrelts, who found himself behind Henke, Burke and Pena in the bullpen. He also started 5 games this year, and has a 4-0 record, with a save and a 1.32 ERA. The former All Star, lead the NL in saves last year. He'll be going to the Padres (along with pitching prospect, Dave Burba) now with the Astros getting John Kruk in exchange. Kruk plays first and the corner outfield spots. He's hitting .286, with a .394 OBP, 5 HR's and 23 RBI's. Kruk is a 2 time All Star. This is the third time Garrelts has been dealt. He's previously been involved in deals for John Lowenstein and Claudell Washington. The Astros continue to be aggressive at making the team better.


7/2 5-4 (10) W over the Pirates
John Franco (3-2) blew a save chance in the 9^th on an error by SS Armando Moreno. Moreno made up for it in the 10^th when he singled in Caminiti to win the game. That capped a 3-4 game by him. Scioscia went 3-5.


7/3 3-2 (12) L to the Pirates
So close to the win here today. Should have had it. Joe Price (1-3) gave up an RBI single to Pirates catcher Falcone, a guy hitting .173 on the year. LA got on the board with a Guerrero homer in the 4^th (10) and Jim Beattie carried a no-hitter into the 6^th inning with 2 out. From there, the Pirates put a rally together to get on the board, then tied it in the 7^th. Pirates starter McDowell had only allowed 1 hit all day (the homer) when he hit an RBI double and then was hurt sliding into 2^nd. He had to leave the game. Credit the Pirates pen for keeping LA quiet the rest of the game.


Inky is back with the club and they have optioned Eddie Vargas (.245/0/2) back to Albuquerque.


7/4 4-2 L to the Cardinals
Frank Viola and Mike Morgan matched zeros until the bottom of the 7^th, when the Cardinals put a run across. In the top of the 8^th LA took the lead 2-1 on a Ken Caminiti 2 run HR (2). Franco came on to close it out, but he was touched for 4 hits and 3 runs in 2/3ds of an inning. Franco takes the loss (3-3). LA lost Von Hayes who was hurt making a diving catch.


7/5 5-4 W over the Cardinals
Bryn Smith was roughed up early for 3 in the first 2 innings, and only lasted 5 innings today. LA only got offense from 3 guys today. Inky had a great day as he went 4-5, and knocked in 2. Doug Jennings had a big one, as his, go ahead, 2-run HR (1), wasn't only his first career knock in 205 at bats, it gave LA the lead they needed to win. Frank Tanana got the win (6-7), and Lee Smith pitched the final 2 innings for his 2^nd save.


7/6 7-6 L to the Cardinals
A good back and forth game tonight. LA scored first with Guerrero homering in the first (11) as part of a 3-4 day, but the Cards tied it in the 2^nd, then took the lead in the 4^th. LA got the lead back in the 6^th on a Von Hayes 3-run HR (5), but LA gave it right back in the bottom of the inning. LA then took the lead again, plating 2 in the 8^th and had the lead. Franco (3-4) came on in the 8^th but a Surhoff error lead to a tying run. In the 9^th the Cards got back to back hits, with none out. An intentional walk to Calderon saw Franco get Herr on strikes. Ozzie Smith, with the infield in, blasted a shot right at Schofield, but he bobbled the hard hit ball and couldn't get the runner at hom.


7/7 11-6 W over the Cubs
The Dodgers committed 5 errors and smacked enough hits to see this one through. Rickey went 3-4 with 2 walks and 4 RBI's. Dick Schofield hit a bases clearing double in the 8^th that gave LA the lead, and LA piled on another 3 in the 9^th. John Denny got the win (and also blew the lead, 1-0) and the Cubs closer Sixto DeLaCruz dropped to 0-7.


7/8 3-2 W over the Cubs
Jim Beattie got the start and Tom Brunansky put the Cubs on the board in the first with a 2 run HR (3). LA answered with one in the 2^nd, but that's how it stayed for a while. In the 7^th with 2 out, Doug Jennings pinch hit for Dick Schofield with the bases loaded and smacked a hit over 2^nd that scored the 2 LA needed to take the lead. The bullpen did the rest as Franco pitched much better today getting his 16^th save. Joe Price picked up the win (2-3).


7/9 6-5 W over the Cubs
Nice little sweep of the Cubbies here. It almost got away from them tonight too. Viola (8-10) goes 7, and strikes out 6. He's over 100 on the year now. LA scored first, in the first. Guerrero's solo homer off of Kevin Brown (12) put us up. We'd add another and another in the 2^nd, but in the 3^rd the Cubs came back. Kevin Brown helped his own cause with his 2^nd career hit. This one a triple that scored 1. Caminiti and Guerrero had 2 hit games. LA went up 6-3 late, but the Cubs fought back against Lee Smith and had the winning run on 2^nd before David Justice lightly grounded out to first to end it. Smith picked up his 3^rd save. Kevin Brown left the game with a shoulder injury.




All Star Break


LA has 2 players who were selected to the All Star game this year. None were voted in, both were selected by the manager to go. First is closer John Franco (3-4, 16S, 1.81 ERA). It's his 3^rd straight All Star game selection. The other player is Frank Tanana (6-7, 3.09). This is Tanana's 4^th career All Star appearance and his first in 11 years. Lee Smith was probably robbed. His numbers are good too (2-2, 3S, 1.51), but I'm happy it was Tanana, even though Abercrombie sent him to the pen.


All Star Game
7/11 3-2 AL over NL


California Angles outfielder Eric Davis won the MVP for tonight's game. Davis went 3-3 and hit the games only HR. A solo shot off of Expos strarter Ed Whitson, who took the loss. Randy Myers was the only pitcher to strike out all 3 batters he faced. Franco didn't pitch, but Tanana threw 21 pitches, gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning of work.




LA activated 2B Marty Barrett (.229/0/18) and optioned OF Bruce Fields (.246/1/6) to Albuquerque to make room on the roster.


7/13 8-5 W over the Cardinals
Bryn Smith took the mound tonight, but he wasn't good enough to get the win. Guerrero hammered a shot in the first to put LA up 2-0 to start. Halfway through the game the Cardinals had taken the lead 5-3. In the 7^th, LA's Inky hammered another HR (3), a 3-run shot that gave LA the lead again. Von Hayes also got his 6^th to give LA the lead for good. Joe Price (3-3) gets the win, while Franco gets his 17^th save.


7/14 6-2 L to the Cardinals
Will Clark went 4-4 with 3 RBI's and a solo homer off of Frank Viola (8-11) to give the Cards the win today. Mike Heath went 3-4 and Ozzie 2-4 as the Cards got Viola for 9 hits and 5 runs. Guerrero has found his stroke again as he went 4-4 with a double and a triple. Schofield went 2-3 with an RBI. The loss breaks LA's 4 game win streak that has seen the Dodgers climb over the Padres for 4^th in the West.


7/15 10-0 L to the Cardinals
Will Clark (20), Mell Hall (10) and Mike Pagliarulo (1) all took turns going deep tonight and all off of Ken Howell (5-8) who was tagged for 9 earned runs in 5 innings of work. LA loaded the bases in the 9^th and Caminiti had a 2 hit day. Frank Tanana worked 4 innings of relief to give the bullpen a break on a bad day.