Many thought Chan Ho Park was washed up years ago but he has made a comeback as a relief pitcher. He has pitched in 15 games (1 start) this season for the Dodgers and he is 1-1 with 1 save, a 2.37 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. The only thing that Park could do to improve his pitching right now is to throw more strikes as he has walked 13 batters in 30.1 innings. Overall, though he has looked very sharp.

As much of a mistake as it was to acquire Esteban Loaiza last season it pales in comparison to the signing of Andruw Jones this off season. Jones will be placed on the 15-day disabled list due to surgery on his right knee that will keep him out of action from 4-6 weeks. Jones has played in 43 games this season for the Dodgers and he is 22 for 133 (.165 avg, .544 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 2 homers and 7 RBIs. He also has whiffed an amazing 45 times this season already. Jones will be replaced in CF by Matt Kemp and in the lineup by Juan Pierre who will play LF. Pierre has played in 39 games this season for the Dodgers and he is 36 for 131 (.275 avg, .658 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 16 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. The Dodgers will likely play a lot better without Jones in the lineup. The Dodgers have recalled 29-year old switch hitting 1B/3B Terry Tiffee from AAA ball where he was tearing the cover off the baseball. Tiffee has played in 46 games in AAA ball this year and he is 81 for 192 (.422 avg, 1.073 OPS) with 40 runs scored, 4 homers and 38 RBIs. Tiffee has 91 games of major league experience in his career and he is 54 for 239 (.226 avg, .624 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 5 homers and 29 RBIs.

The Dodgers activated Esteban Loaiza from the D.L. and then they designated him for assignment. Loaiza pitched in 7 games (3 starts) for the Dodgers this season and he was 1-2 with a 5.63 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Picking Loaiza up last season is the kind of move that gets GMs fired. He has pitched in 12 games (8 starts) in his career for the Dodgers and he is 2-6 with a 6.94 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. The Dodgers have recalled 20-year old lefty Clayton Kershaw to replace Loaiza in the rotation. He has pitched in 10 games (9 starts) in AA ball this season and he was 0-3 with a 2.28 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. He only has allowed 32 hits in 43.1 innings this season while whiffing 47. It will be interesting to see if Kershaw is ready to handle big league hitters or not.

Lefty reliever Joe Beimel is off to another good start for the Dodgers. After failing as a starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates the Dodgers decided to convert him into a full time reliever and he has been outstanding since. He has pitched in 24 games for the Dodgers this season and he is 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Beimel will continue to be the pitcher the Dodgers turn to when they need to get a tough lefty hitter out.

The Dodgers have placed catcher Gary Bennett on the 15-day disabled list with plantar fasciitis of the left foot. Bennett has only played in 10 games this season for the Dodgers and he is 4 for 21 (.190 avg, .642 OPS) with 1 run scored, 1 homer and 4 RBIs. The Dodgers have recalled 33-year old righty swinging Danny Ardoin to replace Bennett as the backup catcher. Ardoin has played in 29 games in AAA ball this season and he is 30 for 99 (.303 avg, .854 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 4 homers and 16 RBIs. Don’t let the minor league numbers fool you as Ardoin has not hit the ball well in his major league career. Ardoin has played in 141 games in his major league career and he is 75 for 372 (.202 avg, .604 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 7 homers and 31 RBIs. He also has whiffed 114 times which is kind of shocking for a hitter with so little power. Still, the Dodgers won’t miss Bennett much as Russell Martin rarely takes a day off.