Before the last homestand the Dodgers were a joke, the silly $200 million team that was one of the worst in the majors and 9 1/2 games out in one of the worst divisions in baseball.
Now they are right in the thick of things and have caught the eye of some experts who have now claimed that the Dodgers will win the division. Who knows if they're right or wrong? The remarkable thing is the sudden turnaround has caught the attention of folks.
But the Dodgers weren't content to stay pat. On Saturday they made a trade with the Miami Marlins acquiring starting pitcher and Southern California raised Ricky Nolasco. The Dodgers sent minor league pitchers Josh Wall, Steven Ames and Angel Sanchez. The Dodgers also received the international signing bonus slot no. 96 worth $197,000 as a part of the deal.
After a successful series in San Francisco winning two of three games, the Dodgers were dealt with a bit of a setback on Monday when Matt Kemp (AC joint inflammation retroactive to July 6) and Stephen Fife (shoulder bursitis) were placed on the disabled list. Scott Van Slyke was reinstated from Triple-A Albuquerque and Nolasco was added to the active roster in the corresponding moves.
So having to use the disabled list for the 21st and 22nd times would usually take the wind out of a team. But the Dodgers kept charging along hitting 16 singles and a double to beat the first place Diamondbacks 6-1. Starting pitcher Zack Greinke had three hits for the game only matched by Hanley Ramirez who extended his career-high hit streak to 19 games.
Greinke went seven innings for the Dodgers giving up two hits and two walks while striking out seven. Paco Rodriguez pitched a perfect eight striking out two, and Jose Dominguez gave up a run in the ninth.
The D-Backs had just held the Colorado Rockies to only two runs in their three-game weekend series, and now the Dodgers exploded for six in this game.
So the team that was hopeless several weeks ago is now only 3 1/2 games behind the D-Backs in the division and are only two games under .500. It's amazing sometimes how quickly things change.
