32-year old righty starter Vincente Padilla has been a solid pitcher his whole time with the Dodgers the last two years. He has pitched in 19 games (18 starts) in his two years with the Dodgers and he is 8-3 with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. This year, Padilla has started 11 games for the Dodgers and he is 4-3 with a 3.41 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. He has only given up 54 hits (11 homers!) in 68 2/3 innings for the Dodgers as he has been missing a lot of bats. His control has been outstanding as he has only walked 15 batters while whiffing 61 this year. The Dodgers really need Padilla to stay healthy the rest of the year because he’s a bulldog on the mound.

28-year old lefty swinging outfielder Andre Ethier and 26-year old closer Jonathan Broxton will be representing the Dodgers in the All-Star Game. Ethier was voted in by the fans so he will be in the starting lineup. Ethier has played in 63 games for the Dodgers this season and he is 79 of 247 (.320 avg, .933 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 13 homers and 49 RBIs. This will be Ethier’s first All-Star Game. Big Jonathan Broxton has pitched in 36 games (0 starts) for the Dodgers this season and he is 3-0 with 17 saves, a 2.02 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. He has whiffed 52 batters while only walking 7 in 35 2/3 innings which shows that you better be ready to swing the bat when he comes into the game. This will be Broxton’s 2nd All-Star Game.

28-year old lefty reliever Hong-Chih Kuo is unhittable once again this season for the Dodgers. He has pitched in 22 games (0 starts) for the Dodgers so far this season and he is 2-1 with 1 save, a 1.25 ERA and a 0.74 WHIP. Kuo has only given up 9 hits this season while whiffing 27 batters in only 21 2/3 innings showing just how dominating he has been. The Dodgers hope that they can keep him healthy the rest of the year as an injury is the only thing that could slow this cat down. Since being converted to the pen three years ago, Kuo has pitched in 99 games (3 starts) in which he is 9-4 with 2 saves, a 2.19 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP.

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.

24-year old righty reliever/starter Carlos Monasterios is looking pretty solid this season for the Dodgers.  He has pitched in 11 games (1 start) for the Dodgers so far this year and he is 1-0 with a 2.18 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP.  Monasterios was a Rule 5 Draft Pick over the winter by the Mets (from the Phillies) and then they traded him to the Dodgers for cash.  So the Dodgers have to keep Monasterios on the 25-man roster all year long or they have to offer him back to the Phillies.  I really don’t see that happening as Monasterios has been a really important part of the Dodgers’ pitching staff so far this season.