The Dodgers have signed 32-year old righty reliever Jesus Colome to a minor league deal. Colome pitched in 12 games (0 starts) earlier this season for the Mariners in which he was 0-1 with a 5.29 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. He has now pitched in 341 games (0 starts) in his 10 years in the majors and he is 19-27 with 6 saves, a 4.69 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. Colome has always had good stuff but he still hasn’t learned how to pitch which doesn’t bode well for the Dodgers if they eventually need him.

22-year old lefty starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw has been outstanding for the Los Angeles Dodgers so far this season. He has started 14 games for the Dodgers this season and he is 7-3 with a 2.96 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. He has only allowed 64 hits while whiffing 97 batters in only 85 innings pitched showing just how dominating he can be. His only problem has been his control as he has walked 45 batters already this season. If Kershaw ever learns to tame his flame by throwing more strikes he will really be awesome…..but he’s still really good even with the wildness.

The Dodgers have placed 24-year old righty starter/reliever Carlos Monasterios on the 15-day disabled list with a blister on his index finger. Monasterios has pitched in 17 games (6 starts) for the Dodgers this year and he is 3-2 with a 3.88 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. The Dodgers will miss Monasterios as he has been pretty solid this season for them.

The Dodgers have signed 31-year old righty reliever/starter Claudio Vargas to a minor league deal with the idea of starting him in AAA. Vargas pitched in 17 games (0 starts) earlier this season for the Brewers in which he was 1-0 with a 7.32 ERA and a 1.93 WHIP. He pitched in 8 games (0 starts) last season for the Dodgers in which he was 0-0 with a 1.64 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. Vargas has now pitched in 217 games (114 starts) in his major league career and he is 48-40 with 1 save, a 4.83 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. This was a good signing for depth as the Dodgers definitely need some help due to the rash of injuries that they’ve suffered in the pitching staff.

The Dodgers have placed 25-year old righty starting pitcher Chad Billingsley on the 15-day disabled list with a groin strain. Billingsley has started 13 games for the Dodgers this year and he is 6-4 with a 4.34 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. The Dodgers will likely activate 32-year old righty starting pitcher Vicente Padilla off the D.L. soon. Padilla has started 3 games in A+AAA-ball on his rehab assignment so far and he is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. He has whiffed 14 batters while only walking 1 in 13 1/3 innings on rehab showing that he’s pretty sharp right now. He has started 4 games for the Dodgers so far this season and he is 1-1 with a 6.65 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. The Dodgers need both Padilla and Billingsley to stay healthy if they are going to have any hope of winning the A.L. West this year.