Better be this week...

Los Angeles, CA

The Los Angeles Dodgers (93-66) tip-off a three game series with the Rockies (91-68) tonight at Chavez Ravine. That would not be newsworthy until the recent tailspin the first place team has taken. Los Angeles holds a two game lead in the West with these final three games to go. The Dodgers once boasted a 9 1/2 game lead, and now are in a must win situation of sorts. They have claimed a playoff spot but need to win at least once this weekend to win the division for the second straight year, and to celebrate a little. The Dodgers were once so confident that they would win the division outright, that they put off celebrating their entrance into the playoffs, as it was only a mere stepping stone. The team, now losers of their last four, are skipping stones and making wishes in hopes of winning a game to end the slump.

When asked to put his teams recent woes in perspective, Mark Loretta had this to say, "Better this week than next week." Well, let's all hope he's right.

Left hander Randy Wolf (11-6, 3.22) will lead the charge against Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez (14-12, 3.52). Wolf has pitched a quality start in 15 of his last 16 attempts. He also leads the team with 16 no-decisions, and is just 1 1/3 innings shy of his career high. He pitched 210 2/3 innings in 2002. He's also a perfect 6-0, with a 2.73 ERA in his last ten starts. Los Angeles will rely on him to be the consistent workhorse he has been all year come game time. His cross field foe is Ubaldo Jimenez. It's no secret that Jimenez has been feasted on by the Dodgers in the past. In ten career starts he is 4-3, but has a high 6.84 ERA, with many of those runs coming in bunches off the Dodgers bats.

In Wednesday nights loss to the Padres, the Dodgers only came up with one hit. That is the lowest output of the year for the team. In related bad news, the team finished the month of September with a very mediocre 15-12 record. In going 0-3, Rafael Furcal saw the end of his 12 game hit streak. If Los Angeles fails to record a victory over Colorado this weekend, they, not the Rockies will be the Wild-Card winners. I can think of maybe only one Dodger that would be happy about that scenario. Dodgers first baseman James Loney has hit 12 of his 13 HR's on the road this season