With 22 games left in the season it is now do or die time for the Dodgers.  They currently sit 1.5 games out of first place, behind the D-Backs of course.  They start a crucial three game series against those first place D-Backs and they have to sweep if not, at least win two out of the three games.  If the Dodgers end up sweeping the series it will vault them into a 1.5 game lead.  If they win two of three they will be only .5 games back of the D-Backs which is better than 1.5.

The end of the season is near and what better way to make up ground on the first place team than to beat the first place team.  Not only is this series important because they are playing the D-Backs, but after this series the Dodgers go on a long road trip.  They will be on a 10 game road trip and it is always harder to win on the road than at home.  The road trip will consist of the Padres, Rockies and the Pirates.

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The Dodgers had one of their most exciting series against the Phillies. The four game series ended last night capping it off with a 3-1 win and a series sweep.  The first game the Dodgers played Dodgers won the games 8-6, 4-3 (comeback), 7-6 (comeback) and 3-1.  The Dodgers have caught up to the Diamondbacks and have managed to keep pace with them over these past few games.  They are no in a tie with them and maybe if they keep their winning ways going they might be in first place all alone by the end of the week.

The two middle games of the series were by far the most nail biting games.  In game two the Dodgers were down 3-1 after six innings and were able to mount a comeback at the end.  The game ended when Martin scored on Andre Ethier’s walk-off single.

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Manny Ramirez has been on a tear since coming to the Dodgers.  He is hitting .565, with four homers, nine RBIs and seven runs scored.  He hit his fourth home run in six games with the Dodgers and since acquiring Manny at the trade deadline the Dodgers have gone 3-3.  Still not where the Dodgers would like to be, but at least their offense is consistently scoring runs at around five runs per game in the six games since Manny has joined the team.

The Dodgers started a six game road trip with a series against the Cardinals on Tuesday.  they started the series bad losing the first two games 4-6 and 6-9.  They were in danger of being swept Thursday, bu luckily Kershaw, the young Dodger pitcher, saved the day and pitched a gem.  The Dodgers won 4-1 behind Kershaw’s seven strong innings (7IP, 3H, 1ER) and Manny homered once again to lead the Dodgers to the win.

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Los Angeles was surprised this Sunday by some determined Earthquakes. I’m not talking about a repeat of the natural disaster that struck the L.A. area a week ago. I’m talking about the game between the Los Angeles Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes where the final score was 3-2 in favor of the Bay Area club. The game belonged to Major League Soccer’s Week 19 and was played in McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, Calif.

The Galaxy needed points in order to ensure a more comfortable spot in the Western Conference. On the other hand, the Earthquakes have collapsed in the season and were looking to accumulate any points to help them get out of last place. Regardless, the SoCal/NoCal rivalry did not disappoint as the game was filled with excitement, offensive plays and beautiful goals.

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The Dodgers were able to pull off a blockbuster trade right before the trade deadline ended and landed Manny Ramirez from the Red Sox. They sent Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris to the Pirates.

Manny Ramirez was acquired to bring a struggling offense a decent clean-up batter and to score more runs. Something the Dodgers offense has struggled to accomplish for most of the season. Along with the great bat that Manny brings to the team he also carries a lot of baggage, something the Dodgers must be willing to put up with.

Manny is probably just a two month rental for the Dodgers for the rest of the season. He has two $20 million options for the 2009 and 2010 seasons that the Dodgers got wavied. Manny will probably be to expensive for the Dodgers and be a free agent after the season.

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The Dodgers have made the first step to making the postseason. Third base was in need of a major upgrade over the likes of Andy “You mean pitching’s different in the Majors” LaRoche and Blake “What’s a bat” DeWitt.

On Saturday, the Dodgers made, hopefully, the first of many moves as the trading deadline approaches on July 31st. Casey Blake was traded from Cleveland to LA for a couple of minor leaguers. Now, he may not be the piece of the puzzle that propels the team to the World Series, but he is a nice upgrade. Blake will hit for power and is the gritty type of player that is needed to keep the offense moving.

Are more trades looming in the future or is General Manager Ned Colletti content keeping this young, underachieving team as is? If the past is indicative of anything, then he will make a few minor moves to maybe bolster the bullpen but make sure to keep the farm system intact.

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The Dodgers started out the All-Star break with a win that propelled them into a NL West tie with the Diamondbacks, but since that win the Dodgers have been a mediocre .500 team. They are now, again, one game back of the Diamondbacks after losing two of three against the Rockies.

The Dodgers offensive spurts continue as the scoring machine team showed up for the first game winning 16-10 at Coors Field. They scored eight runs alone in the first inning and kept it going throughout the game, led by James Loney’s five RBI night. The next two games were a completely different team scoring four runs combined in a 1-10 and 3-5 losses.

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Working in the media definitely has its perks.

Sunday afternoon I had the pleasure of watching the Dodgers rout the Florida Marlins 9-1, directly followed by playing in the media game.

To start the day off, I viewed the game from the press box. My first experience there was very interesting. I have seen numerous games Chavez Ravine, and the atmospheres could not be more on different ends of the spectrum. In the stands, people are either having family fun time or let’s get hammered time with your friends. In the box, it is all business. You are not allowed to root for either team and the writers/broadcasters discuss the issues on each team in a calm manner. However, the food is free and I took major advantage. Dodger Dog here, nachos there. I’ll end up blaming the food for my play later, just wait.

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Sigh. The Clippers.Every time you think they are getting close to getting back on track, the curse of Donald Sterling bites them where it hurts the most. The wallet.

Baron Davis is coming home after signing a multi-year contract with LA’s other team. After playing his high school ball at Crossroads in Santa Monica, Baron moved just a few miles down the road to Westwood and UCLA. He was ecstatic to play again for his hometown fans.

Too bad the happiness was short lived.

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With only three games left before the All-Star break The Dodgers find themselves one game back (from four and a half games a couple of weeks ago) of the first place Diamondbacks. What a difference pitching makes. With the Dodgers offense being so erratic it’s the pitching that has kept them in the win column and in a first place tie with the Diamondbacks.

As of right now the Dodgers are one game back of the Arizona Diamondbacks, but they have crept up by winning seven of their last ten games.

The last series win was against the Atlanta Braves in which the Dodgers won two out of three with a 3-9 loss and 3-0, 2-1 wins at home.

The Dodgers just started a four game series against the Florida Marlins yesterday, but they lost the first game 4-5 in extra innings. The Dodgers were down 3-4 in the sixth when Russell Martin (2 for 4, HR, 2 RBI) hit a solo home run to tie the game.

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The Dodgers took 2 out of 3 this weekend from their hated rivals, the San Francisco Giants. In doing so, they are now only a half game out first place in the NL West despite the fact that they are two games below .500.

With the All-Star break coming up, that fact got me thinking: Will they stay the underachieving, boring to watch team that put them in this position? Or can they right the ship and become a team to reckon with?

Let’s take a look at each scenario individually and come up with a conclusion from there.

This Dodger team is harder to watch than “The Bill Engvall Show.” The offense is stagnant. Nobody can hit in a clutch situation. And can someone please hit a three run homerun? Oh wait, that would mean there has to be baserunners.

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The Revolution ultimately prevailed on Independence Day. No, I’m not giving you a history lesson on something that occurred 232 years ago. I’m simply talking about Friday’s match between the New England Revolution and the Los Angeles Galaxy where the final score was 2-1 in favor of the Revs.

The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. was the venue of a sellout crowd who witnessed the two top teams of their respective conference battle it out in a very exciting game. Both teams were offensive and displayed a show that would make any firework display seem like child’s play.

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