The Dodgers have acquired right handed reliever Scott Proctor for Wilson Betemit.  Proctor will help the Dodgers shorten games and he’s a workhorse that can pitch in a lot.  Proctor has pitched in 52 games this season for the Yankees and he was 2-5 with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP.  In 54.1 innings this season he has allowed 53 hits, walked 29 batters and whiffed 37.  Proctor has had a decent career with the Yanks covering 190 games (1 start) in which he was 11-10 with 1 save, a 4.29 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP.  In 226.1 innings with the Yankees he allowed 217 hits, walked 93 batters and whiffed 183.

Wilson Betemit was a huge disappointment to the Dodgers as he lost his starting job because of his poor play.  The Dodgers shifted Nomar Garciaparra to Betemit’s spot and started playing James Loney at first base.  Betemit played in 84 games this season for the Dodgers and he was 36 for 156 (.231 avg, .833 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 10 homers and 26 RBIs.  This was a good trade for both teams as they filled needs on their rosters.

The Dodgers have placed Chin-Hui Tsao on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain.  Tsao has pitched in 21 games out of the bullpen for the Dodgers this season and he is 0-1 with a 4.38 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP.  In 24.2 innings he has allowed 18 hits, walked 8 batters and whiffed 16.  The Dodgers have recalled D.J. Houlton to replace Tsao in the bullpen.  Houlton has pitched in 5 games this season for the Dodgers and he is 0-0 with a 4.15 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP.

Jason Schmidt, Brett Tomko and Hong-Chih Kuo have been disappointments for different reasons this season.  Jason Schmidt was signed to a big contract in the off season by the Dodgers and he had his season cut short by injury.  He finished the 2007 season with a 1-4 record, a 6.31 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP.  The Dodgers then gave Brett Tomko a chance to replace Schmidt in the rotation but it didn’t work out.  Tomko is now a mop up man in the bullpen due to his 1-7 record, 6.18 ERA and 1.63 WHIP.  The Dodgers also gave young lefty Hong-Chih Kuo a chance in the rotation but he pitched poorly before he injured himself.  He is 1-4 with a 7.42 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP so far this season.

Closer Takashi Saito and setup man Jonathan Broxton have been slamming the door shut all season long for the Dodgers.  Saito is 1-0 with 23 saves, a 1.47 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP so far this season.  He has been dominant as he has only allowed 22 hits, walked 4 batters and whiffed 47 in only 36.2 innings.  Big Jonathan Broxton just comes in and brings the gas.  He is 3-2 with 1 save, a 2.80 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP so far this season.  Broxton has whiffed 52 batters so far this season in 45 innings which shows you what kind of stuff he has.  Brad Penny has been the anchor of the starting rotation this season as he is 10-1 with a 2.39 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP so far.  Penny is succeeding this season because he’s become a complete pitcher and has quit worrying about radar gun readings.  Look for him to have a good second half and he one of the finalists for the Cy Young Award.  Derek Lowe should sue the offensive players on the Dodgers for lack of support as he is only 8-8 this season despite having a 3.12 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP.

Wilson Betemit needs to get his act together soon before he gets nailed to the bench.  He opened the season as the starting thirdbaseman for the Dodgers but he lost the job because of his bat.  He is only hitting .206 this season with 19 runs scored, 9 homers and 24 RBIs in 131 atbats.  He also has whiffed 42 times this season which is way too many for a hitter like him.  Olmedo Saenz is off to a rough start to the 2007 season also as he is only hitting .206 with 7 runs scored, 3 homers and 12 RBIs.  Saenz is one of their most important bench players so they need him to regain his stroke at the plate.  Backup catcher Mike Lieberthal doesn’t get to play much but that doesn’t excuse his poor performance so far this season.  He is 10 for 45 (.222 avg) with only 2 runs scored and 1 RBI this season.  Ramon Martinez has looked lost at the plate this season for the Dodgers as he is only 10 for 63 (.159 avg) with 2 runs scored and 9 RBIs.