www.Dodgers.com - 2 New Articles, Chad Billingsley Accepts New Contract

HOME OF THE 2007 LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Dodgers.com will provide you with all the updates from Dodger town during the 2007 season.

some of the main areas we will be following include
Trade Talks
Game Results
Injuries
Player Reports
Amateur Draft
Monthly Reports
Contract Talk
Rumours

and much much more.

its the best place for Dodger news for any Dodger fan.

HOME OF THE 2007 LOS ANGELES DODGERS

APRIL REPORT

The 2007 season was a terrible start for the playoff hopeful Dodgers. The Dodgers started it off by losing 4 straight home games, a sweep by the DBacks and then a close loss to the Rockies, finally the Dodgers got on the winning sheet, getting a 5-4 come from behind victory over the Rockies in front of a very poor 16,417 Dodger Stadium crowd. After 8 games, the Dodgers found themselves with a 2-6 record, sitting last on the NL West standings, and having the 2nd worse record in the whole of the MLB.

The Dodgers camp broke out into chaos, almost tearing the team apart. After some extremely long nights, and alot of headaches, the Dodger camp got its act together.

Its first priority was get more fans to games, the current ticket price was $35.00, and it was scaring fans away from Dodger games, everyone agreed the price must be dropped, and after a few hours of deliberation, it was agreed the Dodgers would drop their ticket price to $25.00

the next priority was getting the players sorted out, the first 8 games had shown poor performances from not only the young kids, but the expierienced players also, the Dodger rotation was performing about as poor as Tony Romo after eating chicken. The players were told to get their act together or heads would roll and that knowones position was safe.

In order for the players to believe they wernt safe, it is rumoured that the Dodgers management informed the players that trade negotiation's were underway with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for their young starting pitcher Scott Kazmir.

It must have worked, because over the next 3 weeks the Dodgers took command and went on a path of destruction, smashing their way from a 2-6 record to a 14-9 record at the conclusion of April and had propelled themselves from dead last in the NL West straight to the top.

The players looked like totally different from the 2-6 players earlier in the month, the leader of this rally was the powerhouse 2B veteran Jeff Kent, as the Dodgers swept the Rockies, Cubs and Padres and also picking up some key wins against the Giants and Brewers.

It would seem the decision to drop ticket prices by $10 had done beyond expectation, during the Dodgers next 4 home games, attendance was well over 50,000. And on Sunday the 24th of April, a full house 56,000 fans filed into Dodger Stadium, to watch the Dodgers win 5-4, in a epic 14 inning duel, with to a huge surprise, relief pitcher Rudy Seanez layed a base hit bunt down the first base line, bringing home Matt Kemp for the win. Ever since that game, every home game has been sold out. with each game the Dodgers making $1.4 million alone from the 56,000 tickets sold.

In other news Hong-Chih Kuo returned from injury but was only promoted to the AAA team. along with young pitching prospect Clayton Kershaw who had improved very fast during the first month.

End Of Month Results
Dodgers, 1st NL West, 14-9 record, 2 game lead.

End Of Month Injuries
Andre Ethier- 6 days

Player Of The Month
Jeff Kent

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MAY REPORT

With the Dodgers continuing their domination in the NL West, the atmosphere around Dodgertown had never been so high. Dodger home games were sold out time and time again all through May. Not only was the fan support outstanding, the players continued their oustanding performances on and off the field.

The Dodgers had an outstanding May record of 20-7! And by the end of month, the Dodgers had extended their NL West lead to 7 games over the newly 2nd place Arizona DBacks. And on a big morale boost, Los Angeles held the best record in all of MLB .680 win percentage with a 34-16 record.

Andre Ethier returned from injury and took back his starting job despite a strong performace from Delwyn Young during his absence. However on the 7th of May, Randy Wolf was struck down with a broken finger in a 6-5 win against Atlanta which would put him out for 28 days. This meant that Hong-Chih Kuo would be able to make his mark in the Dodger rotation after starting the season injured.

Information was released to the press that negotiations between the Dodgers and Devil Rays ended with the Dodgers pulling out of Kazmir race, and a rumour was spread that talks were underway between the Dodgers and the Giants, however this wasnt able to be comfirmed and no players were named in this latest rumour.

At the midway stage of May the Dodgers had a 3 game over the Rockies, which they were about to play a 3 game series against. The Dodgers were able to win the series with 2 wins, the only loss coming in Kuo's 1st start of the season in the 2nd game of the series. The only real negative coming out of that series was a injury to starting pitcher David Wells with a finger stress fracture, which will put him out for 20 days, this now made Mark Hendrickson the number 5 starter until a suitable replacement could be found.

At the end of the Rockies series, the Dodgers went on an 8 game winning streak, sweeping aside the Marlins and DBacks, only for the winning streak to be halted by a strong performance from Justin Germano of the Padres in a 8-2 win. The only downside of the winning streak was a injury to the starting SS Rafael Furcal with a stretched knee ligament which will sidline him for 4 weeks and will possibly have a serious impact on his future performance. Chin-Lung Hu took over at SS for the duration of Furcal's injury

The month of May may have been very promising however it ended on a low note with injuries to Randy Wolf, David Wells, Rafael Furcal, Jonathan Broxton, Scott Proctor and Juan Pierre.

With the latest report coming just after the Dodgers 3-1 win over the Nationals it was released that Clayton Kershaw, the 19 year old rookie, will get his 1st taste of MLB life, as he takes over for the injured David Wells, Clayton's 1st game is set with a clash against the Marlins on the 5th of June against Scott Olsen. This will make Clayton the youngest player in 2007 to play at MLB level, all eyes of the Dodger fans will be sure to be watching his debut on Sunday. The Dodgers have also began mass advertising for his 1st home game, which is set to be against the Indians on the 11th. a packed house is expected.

End Of Month Results
Dodgers, 1st NL West, 34-16 record, 7.5 game lead. Best Record in the MLB

End Of Month Injuries
Rafael Furcal - 17 Days
Scott Proctor - 8 Days
David Wells - 8 Days
Jonathan Broxton - 4 Days
Randy Wolf - 4 Days
Juan Pierre - 1 Day

Player Of The Month
Chad Billingsley - improving his record to 6-2 with a strong 4-1 performance in May

I can't wait for Kershaw to arrive in the majors. The guy has Superstar written all over him, and I think he will win multiple Cy Young's. Nice report, btw.

i cant wait, hope he pitches a perfect game in the 1st game haha imagine how unbelieveable that would be.

and thanks, i never realise how much i write until i actually read it lol.

TRADE NEWS

The Los Angeles Dodgers finally came to an agreement with the Brewers less then 24 hours before the Amateur draft.

The Dodgers trade SS Ivan DeJesus Jr. for CF Darren Ford.

After negotiations broke down on a previous deal when the Dodgers attempted to try get the Brewers #7 draft pick, the Dodgers quickly sparked negotiations up again for CF Darren Ford.

Rumours say that the Dodgers would of used the #7 pick on a CF but this is not confirmed yet.

The latest trade has confirmed rumours that Juan Pierre's days are numbered at starting CF, however this isnt expected to happen until atleast 2009 possibly late 2008, depending on performance.

AMATEUR DRAFT PREVIEW

The Dodgers have pick #21, even with the pick being quite a late pick, with the latest boost of high prospect players, reports comfirm the Dodgers are now more confident on getting some better players then what they first thought.

No comfirmation from Dodgertown about what type of player they are going for with the 1st round pick as of yet.

We will be watching the draft live and will bring you a Amateur Draft Report from the 1st round draft pick chosen and what it means for the Dodgers.

AMATEUR DRAFT REVIEW

With the first round of the draft picks over the Dodgers came out of it with a positive attiude.

At pick #21, the Dodgers snatched a 18 year old right handed relief pitcher Kyle Ocampo, the Dodgers were at first going after Andy Paulauskas, however he was taken by Boston at pick #19.

However the Dodgers were still extremely pleased with the outcome, and they should be, this kid has had quite a few promising years in high school, going 3-3, 5-2, 3-1 and 5-1, with his highest ERA being only 3.99 and lowest being a small 1.21.

This youngster from Buffalo looks to have a great future ahead of him, Dodger fans should be excited about what this kid can bring to the Dodger bullpen if he delivers up to expectations that the Dodgers believe he can achieve.

HOME OF THE 2007 LOS ANGELES DODGERS

JUNE REPORT

After a promising 20-7 May record, the Dodgers looks rather average in June, with a 13-14 record, giving them a 47-30 record, and maintaining the lead in the NL West.

The month got started in terrible fashion, 0-5 in the first week alone, with the starting pitchers doing poorly, Derek Lowe only lasted 1 inning in his game. The only promise from the first week was a 6 inning strong performance by Clayton Kershaw in his debut, however the Dodgers lost the game.

The Amateur Draft went pretty smothly for the Dodgers with Kyle Ocampo being taken at pick 21 in the first round.

Atleast 24 hours before the Draft the Dodgers traded Ivan DeJesus Jr. (SS) for prospect CF Darren Ford from the Brewers.

However after a promising draft the Dodgers were struck down by a serious injury. Chad Billingsley was struck down with a shoulder seperation which would put him out for 4 weeks.

The injury had come at the worst time of the month, the Dodgers were losing games and the Diamondbacks were on the attack for 1st spot, the Dodgers needed a suitable replacement until Billingsley got healthy.

It was decided that Long Relief pitcher Mark Hendrickson would get the call up to the #4 spot in the rotation and Kuo would move to 3rd, and with Billingsley sent down because of the injury Steven Johnson got his debut in the MLB at the spot left by Hendrickson at Long Relief.

The press was also informed that 2 Dodger veterans Jeff Kent and Nomar Garciapara would no long have complete starting jobs at their positions, the Dodgers Coaching Staff decided that the two young prospects Andy LaRoche (3B) and Tony Abreu (2B) would share duties with Kent and Garciapara. It is believed that LaRoche and Abreu would take the starting job against a starting right handed pitcher and Kent and Garciapara would start against lefties, the Dodgers decided this based on Kent and Garciapara's good stats in the past against lefties, and also that they are both right handed batting.

After the Billingsley injury and the change of structure in pitching and on positional players, things began to turn around for the Dodgers, in the final week and a half the Dodgers went 9-3 and managed to gain some ground on the Diamondbacks as they got as close as 1 game from taking the lead from the Dodgers.

Rumours have been going around that it is possible the Dodgers are looking to trade the veterans Nomar Garciapara and Jeff Kent, and also possibly Andre Ethier towards the end of this year.

End Of Month Results
Dodgers, 1st NL West, 47-30 record, 5 game lead.

End Of Month Injuries
Chad Billingsley - 16 Days

Player Of The Month
Takashi Saito, had 8 saves in june and has a 4-0 record with a bare ERA of 1.06, he leads the MLB with 26 saves.

HOME OF THE 2007 LOS ANGELES DODGERS

MID SEASON REPORT

What a hell of a year it has been for the Dodgers.

This year has already had its fair share of everything, slumps, injuries, trades, releases, player warnings and comebacks.

It is the 18th of July, and the Dodgers sit 1st on the NL West table, with a comfortable 7 game lead over Arizona, the Dodgers have a 57-35 record, and are 3rd on the Power Rankings.

Current news, great news for all Dodger fans as Chad Billingsley is now fully healthy and will retake his #3 rotation position, he is expected to take the mound in the next game, which will be against the Phillies, in 24 hours.

The All Star game in San Francisco was a game to remember for Dodger fans, as Takashi Saito, Brad Penny and Russell Martin staring for the Dodger Blue. The NL won the game 8-6, and the All Star Game MVP was awarded to Russell Martin.

As for the rest of the season, we have every belief that the Dodgers will be able to maintain their current lead on the NL West and will be marching into the playoffs with alot of confidence in every single player.

Mid Season Report Leaders.

Hits
Russell Martin (102)

Home Runs
Russell Martin (14)

Steals
Juan Pierre (23)

Average
Matt Kemp (.317)

Wins
Brad Penny (11)

Strikeouts
Brad Penny (104)

ERA
Brad Penny (3.03) However the true winner of this goes to Takashi Saito (0.95)

Team Record
57-35, 1st NL West, 7 game lead



GOOD LUCK FOR THE REST OF THE 2007 SEASON LOS ANGELES, WE WILL BE SURE TO CONTINUE TO BRING UPDATES.

JULY REPORT

After a poor June performance the Dodgers really turned up the heat in july, posting a 19-8 month record, to improve the season record to 66-38.

July was a month for the Dodgers, with Brad Penny, Takashi Saito and Russell Martin being selected in the NL All Star team. NL won the game 8-6, the NL's win was led by none other then Dodgers catcher Russell Martin, as he was named All Star Game MVP.

July was host to some strong performances as they were able to beat 2nd place Arizona 3 game to 1 in the 4 game series, also complete 3 game sweeps of the Phillies and the Mets.

News was released that the starting 2nd and 3rd base positions would be shared, Vets Jeff Kent and Nomar Garciapara will now share 2nd and 3rd base with Tony Abreu (2B) and Andy LaRoche (3B).

Both of the youth prospects expressed their excitement when they where at the press conference for the announcement of the change, despite losing complete control of 2nd and 3rd base, Jeff Kent and Nomar Garciapara were excited about taking on the role of being mentors for the future generation of the Dodgers.

When the trade deadline was approaching the Dodgers were very quiet during the time, as they didnt make any trades in the last week upto the deadline, however the news of San Francisco's trade and getting centre fielder Aaron Rowand was a little concerning however he has been kept in the Giants AAA so far.

With the Playoff's within sight, the Dodgers look to be in control of the NL West however nothing is certain in the MLB these days.

End Of Month Results
Dodgers, 1st NL West, 66-38 record, 10 game lead.

End Of Month Injuries
None

Player Of The Month
Brad Penny, improving his 2007 record to 12-7 in 21 games with strong 4-0 performance in July in the 5 games he started.

HOME OF THE 2007 LOS ANGELES DODGERS

AUGUST REPORT

A bumpy August has been a wake up call to the Dodgers.

After a 19-8 July the Dodgers were hit hard in August and had a 14-14 record, however injuries were pretty full on in August.

Despite the slow down of the Dodgertown attack the Dodgers have maintained their 10 game in the NL West in which they started the month off with.

injuries to Brad Penny and Derek Lowe hit the Dodgers pretty deep. However despite the .500 month record the Dodgers got the wins where it counted most, against divisional rivals, striking some good wins against 2nd place Colorado.

Clayton Kershaw has shown some promise in the MLB during his 1st season, he currently has a 3-7 record in the 15 games he has started.

The entire Dodger rotation has shown extreme improvement during the later parts of the season.

With the playoffs a month away the Dodgers are hoping to go in with alot of confidence and injury free, one again injuries are rare at the end of the month, the only injury a 2 day injury to Loney.

End Of Month Results
Dodgers, 1st NL West, 80-52 record, 10 game lead.

End Of Month Injuries
James Loney - 2 Days

Player Of The Month
Takashi Saito, 9 saves in August in 11 games. now has 40 saves and leads the League in saves

I always enjoy your articles.

You guys doing these articals are great!

thanks. it really helps when you get some compliments

HOME OF THE 2007 LOS ANGELES DODGERS

SEPTEMBER REPORT

The Dodgers are Playoff bound!

The Dodgers clinched the NL West on the 23rd of September with a 10-3 win against the Rockies.

Dodgertown erupted with life, the streets of Los Angeles partying well into the night.

It was a fairly average month for the Dodgers, going 13-15, bringing their 2007 record to a 95-67 conclusion, best record in the NL however second best in the MLB with the Twins making a blistering September to have a 99-63 record.

Dodgers closer Takashi Saito finished the year with the most saves (49).

In other news, the Dodgers sent injured veteran Jason Schmidt packing, Schmidt was suppose to play a strong role for the Dodgers in 2007 when they got him from the Giants, however he was struck down by injury which put him out for the 2007 and 2008 season, the Dodgers decided to save the money and not waste the time and send him packing.

The Dodgers are set to play the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the Playoffs starting Wednesday October 5th.

Despite a extremely promising year from the Dodgers youth, the Dodgers will be heading into the playoffs missing a vital component that got them so far, Chad Billingsley was struck down with a mid shoulder separation on the 28th of September against the Padres, he is expected to be out until the 16th of October.

We are unsure who will be taking his place, the debate is up in the air between 3 players, Clayton Kershaw the 1st year rookie despite a 4-9 record, showed extreme promise, Mark Hendrickson, played long relief role extremely well and was the replacement mid was through the season when Billingsley got injured or Randy Wolf, started earlier in the season before being replaced by a healthy Hong-Chih Kuo.

No official word has been released yet however we believe Clayton Kershaw will get the job.

Brad Penny was the standout in September, finishing his season off with a magnificent 19-8 record, only 1 win behind none other then the Braves Tim Hudson (20 wins)

End Of Month Results
Dodgers 2007 NL West CHAMPIONS, 95-67 record

End Of Month Injuries
Chad Billingsley - 12 Days

Player Of The Month
Brad Penny – 19-8 record, dominating all through the year

Tomorrow we will bring you a 2007 Season Report, and also a preview of the Playoffs and the Dodgers 1st round contest against the Braves.

2007 NL WEST CHAMPIONS

2007 REPORT

What a season it has been for the Dodgers, full of just about everything.

It was a uncertain season, at times the Dodgers looked poor, other times, pure skill.

The 2007 season saw alot of new faces into the Dodger lineup, the biggest name out of the group, was rookie pitcher Clayton Kershaw.

The season started off with a shocker, the Dodgers were sitting last in the NL West with the second worst lead in the MLB, it looked like a dismal year for the Dodgers and the youth.

Players were told to shape up or ship out, did it work? surprisingly it did. Within the next few weeks the Dodgers propelled themselves from 5th to 1st. Despite constant challenges, the Dodgers would never lose their position at 1st for the rest of year. Arizona got within 2 games, but no futher.

Early on in the year more youth was brought in as Clayton Kershaw and Hong-Chih Kuo were brought into the rotation, in replace for the aging Randy Wolf and David Wells.

Trade talks with the Devil Rays for their superstar Scott Kazmir broke down as the Dodgers bowed out of race, as they were unwilling to breakdown their future youth.

With the rumours of trade talks the rotation really picked up its game and begun to win games led by Brad Penny in particular.

The Dodgers put on a clinic in May going 20-7, looking well in control, and the Dodger youth were showing their skill.

Aging player Luis Gonzalaz was released by the Dodgers along with injured pitcher Loazia. Gonzalaz lost his starting job in the Dodgers to Andre Ethier at LF and he was dropped to AAA and young prospect Delwyn Young was brought up to the bench. The Dodgers tried to release Jason Schmidt but were unable to afford to buyout his contract at the current time, in mid September the Dodgers would finally release the injured pitcher.

At the start of June the Dodgers went 0-5 in the 1st week, and things didnt get any easier for them. Talks with the Brewers for their number 7 pick in the 1st round of the draft broke down and the Brewers ended up keeping the pick. The Dodgers snatched relief pitcher Kyle Ocampo at pick number 21.

Shortly after the break down of the Draft pick trade, LAD and MIL came up with another trade, the Dodgers traded SS Ivan DeJesus Jr. for young CF Darren Ford.

In July the Dodgers put on another clinic, going 19-8, and also in the All Star game at San Francisco, the Dodgers Russell Martin led the NL to a 8-6 victory, Martin being named the All Star MVP. Brad Penny and Takashi Saito were also picked in the All Star game.

After July the Dodgers looked certain to rap up the West as they were able to pull away from the surging Arizona during June and early July.

However August was less then impressive, Injuries to Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley, Rafael Furcal, Nomar Garciapara and Jeff Kent forced the Dodgers to change strategy, and at the near end of August word was released that Garciapara and Kent would now share their 2B and 3B with prospects Andy LaRoche and Tony Abreu in order to help them gain some experience for the expected full time starting job next season.

Joe Beimel was also struck down with injury and was replaced by Chin-Hui Tsao, Beimel would spend the rest of the regular season in AAA despite recovering from injury.

Garciapara and Kent were willing to accept the sharing jobs they would now do, however after a while Jeff Kent became annoyed with this, and demanded he get his full time starting job back. The Dodgers denied Kent his request.

Therefore when the Dodgers negotiated their contracts in September, Kent denied the offer from the Dodgers and refused to re-sign, joining him was Scott Proctor who surprised everyone by being angry at his short relief position, wanting to become the Dodger closer, however he was also denied his request, as the closer position was in the firm hands of Takashi Saito who led the entire MLB in saves finishing the season with 49, best in the league.

The Dodgers then announced after the contract talks, that all players had re-signed except for Kent and Proctor, they also added they were still wanting to reach an agreement with Proctor but were now unwilling to bow to Kents demands and he would be released at the conclusion of the season.

by September the Dodgers were in cruise control, they had a firm 10 game lead and clinching the West was now certain, however activity in the AL East as Boston made a charge at the Yankees, The Dodgers became concerned about the Rockies making a similar charge. However it was halted on the 23rd of September as LAD beat COL 10-3 and clinched the West.

LAD would finish the season with the best NL record, but the 2nd best record in the MLB with the Twins putting on a clinic in September to be the best in baseball.

The only downside to the end of the season was an injury to young superstar Chad Billingsley with a Mild Shoulder Separation on the 28th of September, putting him out until atleast the 16th of October, which would be in the middle of the NLCS.

After a poor start by the Dodgers, changes in the front office witnessed a mass turnaround, going from 5th all the way up to 1st with a team mostly full of young kids that showed why they will be quite impressive for the future years in Dodgertown.

The Dodgers are set to open their 2007 Playoffs vsing the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday the 5th of October.

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2007 NL WEST CHAMPIONS

NLDS PLAYOFF PREVIEW

ATLANTA BRAVES VS LOS ANGELES DODGERS

The Dodgers are set to open their NLDS at Dodger Stadium on the 5th of October against the Braves.

Main concerns for the Dodgers are the Braves big bats, in particular Andruw Jones, despite an average year for the CF, he is always a danger.

The Dodgers announced today that Clayton Kershaw will get the #3 rotation spot left by injured Chad Billingsley, he was also sent to AAA for the duration of his injury with Randy Wolf being called up for first time since May. Wolf will play the Mopup #5 position in the rotation.

The Dodgers also released that ticket prices would not be raised during the Playoffs and entrence fee would be left at $25.00, this is expected to bring yet again a 56,000 strong crowd as it had at every home game since the ticket price was dropped to $25.

Good luck to the 2007 NL WEST CHAMPION DODGERS in the Playoffs.

2007 DODGERS NLDS ROSTER

Dodgers Lineup

1. Rafael Furcal - SS - .305 AVG
2. Juan Pierre - CF - .275 AVG
3. Russell Martin - C - .291 AVG
4. James Loney - 1B - .290 AVG
5. Andy LaRoche (RHP) / Nomar Garciapara (LHP) - 3B - .242 AVG / .293 AVG
6. Tony Abreu (RHP) / Jeff Kent (LHP) - 2B - .255 AVG / .307 AVG
7. Andre Ethier - LF - .280 AVG
8. Matt Kemp - RF - .288 AVG
9. Pitcher

Dodger Bench

Delwyn Young - LF - .303 AVG
Chin-Lung Hu - SS - .263 AVG
Andy LaRoche / Nomar Garicpara - 3B - .242 AVG / .293 AVG
Tony Abreu / Jeff Kent - 2B - .255 AVG / .307 AVG
Shea Hillenbrand - 1B - .239 AVG
Mike Lieberthal - C - .158 AVG

Dodger Rotation

1. Brad Penny (19-8)
2. Derek Lowe (12-9)
3. Clayton Kershaw (4-9)
4. Hong-Chih Kuo (10-12)
5. (Mopup) Randy Wolf (2-2)

Dodger Bullpen

Short Relief
1. Scott Procter (2-1)
2. Chin-Hui Tsao (4-3)

Middle Relief
1. Rudy Seanez (1-3)

Long Relief
1. Mark Hendrickson (4-4)

Set Up
1. Jonathan Broxton (8-5)

Closer
1. Takashi Saito (7-3, 49 saves)

Good luck tomorrow, Dodgers!

HOME OF THE 2007 LOS ANGELES DODGERS

2007 NL WEST CHAMPIONS

NLDS REPORT

ATLANTA BRAVES VS LOS ANGELES DODGERS

DODGERS ADVANCE TO NLCS!

Clayton Kershaw is quickly making a name for himself as the rookie pitched some magic in the NLDS on 2 separate occasions!

The Dodgers won the series 3-2, from the jaws of defeat.

GAME 1

Clayton Kershaw vs Tim Hudson… perhaps a better term would be David vs Goliath! And as history books state, David won, in this case Clayton.

The rookie pitched nothing but magic throughout the game however it wasn’t the playoff debut rookie’s superstar performance that will be the main talking point, the late Dodger comeback will steal the show, with the Dodgers putting on 3 runs in the final 2 innings to win 4-3 with Rafael Furcal driving in Andre Ethier in the bottom of the 9th with 2 out to clinch victory for the Dodgers in front of their 56,000 strong home crowd which erupted with life as the playoffs were brought to Dodger Stadium, and boy did they start out great.

GAME 2

The Dodgers riding the confidence of game 1 looks to go in strong however that was quickly vanquished as Hong-Chih Kuo left the game after 2.2 innings giving up 5 runs. The Dodgers would never really challenge the Braves in this game however an attempted comeback showed signs of the repeat of game 1 but it was able to produce the same result, Braves win 6-4.

GAME 3

With the series tied at 1-1 the series headed to Atlanta, with the Braves winning game 2 they were high on confidence, as were the fans, Atlanta had a great day on the mound with Chuck James pitching 8 amazing innings, keeping the Dodgers to a small 7 hits and only 1 run. Penny pitched a great game as he did all season long however his offence was unable to back him up on this occasion as Atlanta won it easily 5-1.

GAME 4

Atlanta leads the series 2-1 the Dodgers are on the brink of being sent home, after such a great start. However Derek Lowe had different plans, he pitched an amazing 8 inning performance, keeping the Braves offence in check with only 1 run from only 6 hits. James Loney and Andre Ethier put in strong performances as they have done throughout the NLDS so far. The Dodgers won the game 5-2, however the victory was crippled by a terrible season ending injury to superstar Matt Kemp.

GAME 5

Clayton Kershaw is now the man to ask if you need an answer for the word Pressure, after surviving defeat the Dodgers headed home with a chance to win game 5 and advance in the comfort of Dodger Stadium, Clayton Kershaw was set to toe the rubber again against Goliath Tim Hudson, it seemed Clayton had the hopes of an entire city on his shoulders, it was pressure with a capital P! However as he did in game 1, he pitched like a Cy Young pitcher would pitch, throwing an amazing game for 7.2 innings. Tim Hudson didn’t last long, leaving after only 2.2 innings as he gave up 5 early runs to a strong Dodger batting performance, putting up 15 hits in a terrific 11-3 win. However one again the game was soured with injury, Matt Kemps replacement Delwyn Young also got hit with a season ending injury, this may pose problems for the Dodgers as they don’t have much depth at OF as far as MLB capable players go, it will be interesting to see what adjustments the front office makes to cope.

NLDS MVP was awarded to Derek Lowe for his outstanding performance which brought back memories of Lowe’s outstanding performance with the Red Sox in the playoffs years ago. Congratulations Derek

Our NLDS MVP Pick – without a doubt this award has to be awarded to Clayton Kershaw, the Rookie who had the weight of an entire city on his shoulders not only once, but twice, and against impossible odds, the youngster pulled through and carried the Dodgers to the NLDS. Well done Clayton.

The Dodgers jumped from the jaws of defeat to victory, and are now set to take on another NL East team, the Florida Marlins for a shot at the World Series.

First game of the NLCS is set for Thursday the 13th of October at Dodger Stadium, Hong-Chih Kuo is set as the starter for Dodgers in game 1.

NLCS PREVIEW

FLORIDA MARLINS VS LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Coming off an inspiring NLDS performance the Dodgers are going in as favourites.

The Dodgers today announced in a report as far as the crisis at OF goes. Here is what the statement said

"After a meeting with players and coaching staff an agreement was reached that injured players Matt Kemp and Delwyn Young will both be dropped to our AAA team, for the replacing by Anthony Raglani and Choo Freeman. Also for the starting jobs, Andre Ethier will be moved to RF and Andy LaRoche will leave 3B for the moment and will start at LF with Choo Freeman and Anthony Raglani sitting on the bench, Garciapara will take over full control of 3rd for the time being, pending LaRoche's performance at LF."

The Dodgers also included in the statement

"As far as the injury of Randy Wolf, he also will be dropped to our AAA and Eric Stults will be brought up to take the #5 mop-up spot. Also despite Chad Billingsley being a few days away from being healthy we have decided to leave him in AAA for the NLCS, however if the Dodgers make the World Series he will be brought back up to the MLB."

Game 1 is set to take place against Florida at Dodger Stadium on Thursday the 13th of October with Hong-Chih Kuo hoping to turn things around from his terrible performance in the NLDS.

Good luck to the Dodgers.

2007 DODGERS NLCS ROSTER

Dodger Lineup

1. Rafael Furcal - SS
2. Juan Pierre - CF
3. Russell Martin - C
4. James Loney - 1B
5. Nomar Garciapara - 3B
6. Tony Abreu (RHP) / Jeff Kent (LHP) - 2B
7. Andre Ethier - RF
8. Andy LaRoche - LF
9. Pitcher

Dodger Bench

Choo Freeman - CF
Chin-Lung Hu - SS
Anthony Raglani - LF
Tony Abreu / Jeff Kent - 2B
Shea Hillenbrand - 1B
Mike Lieberthal - C

Dodger Rotation

1. Brad Penny
2. Derek Lowe
3. Clayton Kershaw
4. Hong-Chih Kuo
5. (Mopup) Eric Stults

Dodger Bullpen

Short Relief
1. Scott Procter
2. Chin-Hui Tsao

Middle Relief
1. Rudy Seanez

Long Relief
1. Mark Hendrickson

Set Up
1. Jonathan Broxton

Closer
1. Takashi Saito

NLCS REPORT

FLORIDA MARLINS VS LOS ANGELES DODGERS

DODGERS ARE HEADED FOR THE WORLD SERIES!

Some superb pitching has sent the Los Angeles Dodgers off to the 2007 World Series!

The Dodgers won the NLCS 4-1, despite the first game the remaining 4 were all pitching duels, with 1 game being decided in the 16th inning!.

No injuries reported for the current team, however they will be excited to be welcoming back Chad Billingsley into the rotation, Eric Stults is expected to be dropped to AAA, however as to who gets dropped to the Mopup spot is yet to be decided.

GAME 1

Dodgers opened their NLCS in some fine fashion as the Dodgers put on the runs early and won the game comfortably 9-3. Hong-Chih Kuo pitched far more impressive game then his NLDS game. He pitched 5.1 innings, giving up 7 hits for 3 runs. He ended up getting the win due to the early scored. However the surprise story of the game was Andy LaRoche the 3B prospect, starting at LF. However he didn’t disappoint, putting in a strong performance.

GAME 2

Brad Penny vs Dontrelle Willis. It turned out to be quite a pitching duel. Penny only gave up 3 hits for 3 runs in 7 innings, however he was beaten by Willis who pitched 8 innings giving up 6 hits for 1 earned run. The Marlins took the game 3-1.

GAME 3

The series headed to Florida, the Marlins were riding the confidence of the game 2 victory and were hoping to win some for the home crowd, however this didn’t occur as a long and tiring duel the Dodgers won game 3 2-1 with the game not coming to an end until the 16th inning when James Loney sent one flying out of the park. Derek Lowe pitched a strong 7 inning performance only giving up 4 hits for 1 run. It seemed the move of LaRoche at LF was paying off, as it gave them a solid OF and a solid bat also. Dodgers now led the series 2-1.

GAME 4

The in-form rookie Clayton Kershaw took the mound for the Dodgers in game 4, looking to continue the magic he has produced all season long and in the playoffs especially. He pitched 6.2 innings and gave up 8 hits for 4 runs. However he managed 8 K’s. This has been the main focus point of his season, his ability to rack up a significant number of K’s in games. However it wasn’t Claytons pitching that was the show, the Dodgers were down by 1 heading into the 9th. Matt Kemp replacement Choo Freeman got the inning started with a walk, LaRoche then hit a bunt base hit advancing Freeman to 2nd. Then Hu grounded to the pitcher, Hu was safe, Freeman to 3rd but LaRoche was out at 2nd. Then Rafael Furcal laid down a superb sac bunt to 1st base which allowed Freeman to hit home plate and tie the game. The game went into extra’s and it looked like it would be another long night however in the 11th Juan Pierre doubled in the LF gap which allowed Rafael Furcal to come home and the Dodgers won 5-4.

GAME 5

Los Angeles now led the series 3 games to 1.

Hong-Chih Kuo took the mound for the Dodgers. The Marlins needed a miracle, however it never happened. Hong-Chih Kuo pitched a strong 7 inning performance only giving up 4 hits for no runs. The Dodgers scored 2 runs in the 8th including a Jeff Kent HR, and the Dodgers won the game 2-0 and advanced to the World Series winning 3 straight away games.

NLCS MVP was awarded to James Loney for his 16th inning HR, and some strong batting and defensive plays.

Our NLCS MVP has been awarded to Hong-Chih Kuo, after a terrible NLDS Kuo turned things around and went 2-0 against the Marlins, and put in some strong performances.

After some very tough pitching duels the Dodgers proved the critics wrong about the rotation, putting in some great performances winning the series 4-1 to advance to the World Series.

Later on today a preview for the 2007 World Series with the winner of the ALCS yet to be decided.

GOOD LUCK DODGERS!

Love the writeup, Lago!

Thanks good news so far lets hope it continues and this will be quite a season.

WORLD SERIES PREVIEW... SOOOOOOOOOOOON!

WORLD SERIES PREVIEW

MINNESOTA TWINS VS LOS ANGELES DODGERS

THE WORLD SERIES IS UPON US.

The World Series is finally back at Dodger Stadium.

After playing 2 strong NL East teams (Florida, Atlanta) the Dodgers are 1 step away from world glory.

Thanks to the NL All Star victory the Dodgers have 4 home games. With the first game set to start at 8:30 on the 24th of October at Dodger Stadium.

The Twins dominant September and then October, beating Both Boston and the Yankees, its no wonder they Twins head into this game as favorites.

However that hasn’t worried the Dodgers at all, with NLCS MVP James Loney stating “it doesn’t matter who is favorite, it doesn’t confirm anything, we are going out there with a lot of confidence”

This is quite a year for the Dodgers, with youngsters such as Kershaw, Ethier, Martin, Loney, Abreu, LaRoche, Kuo, Billingsley, Broxton, Tsao, Hu and Raglani seeing playoff action for the first time, and what a start, they will all be in the Dodgers starting 25 roster for the World Series, also members in this group that would be in the list but cannot because of injury are Matt Kemp and Delwyn Young, who both played vital roles throughout the season until both being struck by season ending injury in the NLDS against the Braves.

So for a team of youngsters it’s quite an achievement to be here so early in a career.

The experiment of Andy LaRoche at LF seemed to pay off, he put in the good batting and didn’t commit any errors, he is expected to hold that job until the end of the season when Kemp and Young return, he is then expected to start full time at 3rd.

Problems for the Dodgers that the Twins can cause -

With Santana traded it makes the job a little easier pitching wise, but that cannot be taken for granted as they still have a strong group of guys that dealt with the likes of Boston’s and Yankee’s lineups, they cannot be underestimated.

The injury to DH Baldelli will cause some changes, but with a strong group of guys in the lineup it’s hard to find weaknesses to exploit, this is truly an all round strength team.

Chad Billingsley returns for the Dodgers and he is looking to kick his playoffs with bang, so that will bolster the pitching rotation.

It seems 2007 was year of youth, teams went after World Series winning teams with aging players, they gave them results, but couldn’t carry them that 1 step further.

It will be a great constant starting Monday night, its hard to pick a winner, both teams have their strengths.

Good luck to the Dodgers!

2007 DODGERS WORLD SERIES ROSTER

Dodger Lineup

1. Rafael Furcal - SS
2. Juan Pierre - CF
3. Russell Martin - C
4. James Loney - 1B
5. Nomar Garciapara - 3B
6. Tony Abreu (RHP) / Jeff Kent (LHP) - 2B
7. Andre Ethier - RF
8. Andy LaRoche - LF
9. Pitcher/ Chin-Lung Hu - DH

Dodger Bench

Chin-Lung Hu - SS (No DH)
Choo Freeman - CF
Anthony Raglani - LF
Tony Abreu / Jeff Kent - 2B
Shea Hillenbrand - 1B
Mike Lieberthal - C

Dodger Rotation

1. Brad Penny
2. Derek Lowe
3. Chad Billingsley
4. Clayton Kershaw
5. (Mopup) Hong-Chih Kuo

Dodger Bullpen

Short Relief
1. Scott Procter
2. Chin-Hui Tsao

Middle Relief
1. Rudy Seanez

Long Relief
1. Mark Hendrickson

Set Up
1. Jonathan Broxton

Closer
1. Takashi Saito