[PilotMan]

7/1 7-6 W over the Padres
Rick Rhoden hit a bases loaded double, scoring 3 in the bottom of the 5^th that gave LA the lead. They would add another in the 7^th then turn it over to Niedenfuer. Tom proceeded to blow his 2^nd save of the year, but allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk. LA would pick him up though as Ricky came through with a 2 out single to give us the win. Don Robinson lowered his ERA to 6.20.


Tony Phillips is heading to the DL with a stitches in his hand from a collision at 2^nd base. LA has brought up Charlie Kerfeld for his first action this year.


7/3 4-1 L to the Pirates
Mike Scott (9-6) strikes out 9, including Lynn 4 times (once with the bases loaded) and Kittle 3 times. Valenzuela loses to drop to 9-6. LA's only run came on a Sax single after a triple by Rickey. They only managed 1 other hit, the entire game.


Tom Burgmeier was reinstated after his failed trip to the waiver wire and Kerfeld was optioned back to Albuquerque without throwing a pitch.


7/4 5-1 W over the Pirates
Great game by Denny (9-7) who pitched 8 and allowed 4 hits and 1 unearned run. Ron Kittle hit number 7, giving him more than '86 or '85. He went 2-4 to lead the team.


Don Sutton won game #300 with a Yankees uniform on.


7/5 3-2 W over the Pirates
Kelly Downs (7-6) went 8, striking out 7, but it was his 8^th inning that almost cost the team. The Bucs put 2 runs up and took a 2-1 lead. Tom Henke (1-3) came on gave up a lead off double to Scioscia. Parrish moved him over to third. With 2 outs, George Hinshaw, who took over for an injured Sax, singled in 2 to give LA the lead again. That's Henke's 4^th BS of the year already. Don Robinson pitched a scoreless 9^th for his 2^nd save.


Sax is on the DL again, this time with a some knee tenderness. Chuck Jackson (.406/.472/.535 in AAA) is getting his second stint with the team. Last year he went 1-3 in 1 start. Jackson is the Dodgers #4 prospect.


7/6 7-4 L to the Cardinals
Rhoden (11-5) was roughed up for 3 in the first, thanks to the 20^th HR of the year for Will Clark. He gave up another gopher ball in the 2^nd to Matthew Tyner (7) and the Dodgers just couldn't catch up. Ron Kittle hit #8 in the 4^th and Sid Bream hit #6 in the 7^th inning. Kittle's 2-4 day lead the team.


7/7 6-3 W over the Cardinals
Ron Kittle (9) and Roy Smalley (1) each hit home runs in the 5^th to put LA on top, then Kittle would add his 2^nd (10) in the 6^th. He would finish 3-4, with 3 RBI's. Rickey went 2-4, scored 2 runs and stole his 40^th base of the season. He is having a very, very good year. Lost in all that was a complete game by who? Oh yeah, Frank Tanana (7-6). The master of inconsistency strikes again, just like I said he would. Striking out 6 in a good pitching performance. He still gave up a 9^th inning gopher ball to Tom Brunansky (16).


Kittle, in 35 games, is closing in on his high HR total while playing for LA. He hit 14 after the trade in '83, and he's got 10 this year. Don't call it a comeback though. He's been here for years.


7/8 6-4 (11) W over the Cardinals
Sid Bream hit a bases loaded single in the 11^th to score Scioscia and Hinshaw and put LA up. Niedenfeur got the last 3 outs for his first save, but he made it interesting. LA had the game in hand early on, building a 4-0 lead on Rickey and aggressive baserunning. Henderson went 4-6 and scored 2 more runs. He's on pace for over 150 runs scored this year. Valenzuela was cruising, when he let the Cards tie it in the 8^th on a Bill Schroeder HR (5). Franco pitched 2 scoreless to get the W (3-2).


Reigning 2-time Cy Young winner Doc Gooden pitched a no-hitter last night against the Braves. It's his first no-no. He struck out 9 and walked 1. It's the first NL no-hitter since Mike Scott against the Phillies back in '84 for the Mets, and the first in baseball since June 8^th of last year, when Sid Fernandez got his 2^nd with the M's.


7/9 7-4 W over the Cubs
This is it friends. There's nothing left to play for this year. Ricky Henderson left the game with some kind of injury after making a catch and throw. No idea yet on how serious. This is probably the biggest blow we've had this year, and that's saying a lot. The key to the game was a bases loaded triple by John Denny (10-7) in the 4^th . It was only his 3^rd hit all year long and he quadrupled his RBI total from 1 to 4. That put LA in front 4-3 and we'd add a 5^th on Ray Knight's 9^th in the 5^th. The Cubs would scratch back, the we'd add 2 more in the 8^th and Franco got the final 8 outs for his 12^th save.


7/10 6-1 L to the Cubs
Scott Bankhead (6-11) flashed some skills that made him, at one time, the #14 prospect in ML baseball. He came within 2 singles and a HR of no-hitting us. He only walked 1 and struck out 13 in the complete game. Only Fred Lynn, who hit number 22, and Chuck Jackson could manage hits. Downs took the loss to drop to 7-7.


7/11 5-3 W over the Cubs
Rhoden (12-5) got player of the game. He went 8 and struck out 8, allowing 7 hits and 2 walks along the way. He was helped along by 3 Dodger errors, including one of his own. Kittle homered in the 6^th (11) to tie the game at 2. LA would break out in the 8^th with 3 when Scioscia got a bases loaded single. Don Robinson pitched the 9^th for his 3^rd save. He lowered his ERA to 5.40.


7/12 9-7 W over the Cubs
LA nearly paid for 4 errors, but it was the completely inept Cubbie pitching that allowed LA to win this one. Both teams scored in each of the first 3 innings, and LA carried a 2 run lead forward. A Shane Mack HR tied it in the 6^th (7), but LA managed to open it back up for good in the 7^th. LA walked 10 times in the game and left 11 runners on base.


All-Star Break


No question, it's bad news for LA. Rickey is down until mid August with back pain. Not having him in the lineup is going to change everything. Dwayne Murphy has been getting the playing time in center in his absence, but Rickey Henderson he isn't. As he is sent to the DL, Tom Beyers (.338/.376/.520 5 HR, 42 RBI) is getting called up for his 2^nd stint with the team. He went 0-5 in 6 games last season and is still looking for his first career hit. Notably, he's older than Rickey is. So he's not the wave of the future.


LA has locked down #4 outfielder Ron Kittle to a 3yr/1.53M contract to stay with the team. Not sure what the justification is, other than he's fairly cheap. He hits the ball a freaking mile, when he hits it.

Know how else we were shafted? Both Rickey and Inky were left off the NL All Star team.


Here are the current and former Dodgers that make up this year's All Star team:


P - Bob Welch (KC) (4^th AS) – 9-6, 3.40, 4.1 WAR
SS – Mariano Duncan (CWS) (1) - .301/.362/.473 9HR, 34 SB
OF – Franklin Stubbs (TOR) (1) - .333/.380/.692 30HR 8 SB


P – Fernando Valenzuela (LA) (7) – 9-6, 2.77 ERA, 2.5 WAR
P – John Franco (LA)(1) – 3-2, 12 S, 1.57 ERA, 1.1 WAR
3B – Pedro Guerrero (PHI) (5) - .339/.397/.516, 16HR
OF – Fred Lynn (LA) (10) - .290/.353/.592 22HR


Rickey and Inky both should have been on this team. Both deserved it. If we go deep, Rickey has strong MVP stats, but he needs to get healthy. Inky has big ROY possibilities. Who the fuck would have ever believed that Stubbs would blow up like he has. He is a bonafide stud for Toronto.


The NL All Stars knocked off the AL 8-4.


Fred Lynn was 0-3, Valenzuela only managed 2/3 of an inning, allowing 3 hits and a walk with 2 runs. John Franco pitched a scoreless 9^th. Andy Van Slyke went 2-2 with smacked a HR in the 2^nd off of Roger Clemens to nab MVP honors.