The Dodgers moved Chad Billingsley into the starting rotation right before the All Star Break and he has been outstanding.  In 14 starts after the All-Star Break, Billingsley is 6-5 with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.  In 85.1 innings in the 2nd half, Billingsley has allowed 76 hits, walked 35 batters and whiffed 76.  He has now pitched in 41 games this season for the Dodgers (18 starts) and he is 11-5 with a 3.15 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP.  In 140 innings, Billingsley has allowed 120 hits, walked 57 batters and whiffed 134.  The Dodgers are now 79-72 which has them tied for 3rd place with the Colorado Rockies, 5.5 games behind the D-Backs.  The Dodgers are also 4.5 games behind the Padres for the N.L. Wild Card, but time is running out for them.

The Dodgers still have time to make a playoff run.  They are currently 75-69 which has them tied for third place in the National League West with the Rockies, 6 games behind the Diamondbacks.  The Dodgers should focus o the Wild Card race as they are 3.5 games behind the Padres.  They need to start swinging the bat better to make their pitching stand up.

The Dodgers are trying hard to hang in the race in the National League West as they are in 3rd place with a 72-65 record which has them 4 games behind the Padres.  The Dodgers are also tied with the Phillies three games behind the Diamondbacks.  The Dodgers have been riding their young players for the offense.  Catcher Russell Martin is having a breakout season as he is hitting .297 with 78 runs scored, 17 homers, 81 RBIs and 21 stolen bases.  Young 1B James Loney has injected some life into the offense as he has played in 71 games for the Dodgers this season and he is hitting .311 with 6 homers and 40 RBIs.  Outfielder Matt Kemp is also swinging a hot bat as he is hitting .333 with 37 runs scored, 9 homers, 34 RBIs and 8 stolen bases in only 75 games.  Brad Penny has also been outstanding this season as he is 14-4 with a 2.88 ERA to lead the starting rotation.  The bullpen has been outstanding at the back end as Jonathan Broxton and Takashi Saito have been turning out the lights on opponents.  Broxton is 4-2 with 2 saves and a 2.17 ERA this season working almost exclusively in the 8th inning for the Dodgers.  Takashi Saito has been a dominator in the 9th inning for the Dodgers as he is 1-0 with 36 saves in 39 attempts and a 1.33 ERA.

The Dodgers are 6-7 the last two weeks as they have been outscored 54-52 by their opponents.  The Dodgers offense needs someone to get hot as that is the reason for the teams recent slide.  The Dodgers enter this week with a 35-28 record which has them in 3rd place in the American League West, 1.5 games behind the Diamondbacks and Padres.

The Dodgers went 4-2 last week as they outscored their opponents 26-25.  The Dodgers combined solid pitching and timely hit to achieve a good record last week.  The Dodgers entered this week with a 29-21 record which had them tied for first place with the Padres in the National League West.