With 31 games left, the team began a three-game series at the Stadium with Philadelphia and San Francisco.

The Dodgers (67-64) are in the playoff hunt, but this week will be telling.

After riding a four-game winning streak, the Dodgers lost the final two games against Colorado, and Sunday’s 10-5 defeat was disappointing, given that pitcher Ted Lilly (8-9) came in having won five straight for his new club, lasted four innings and gave up seven runs (earned).

Rising star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez smashed two home runs, bringing his record to 29, and drove in four runs for the Rockies (68-61).

His solo homer in the third gave Colorado a 2-0 lead, and his two-run blast into the second deck was part of a five-run, four-hit fourth that pushed the advantage to 7-0.

The Dodgers made it 7-1 in the fifth when Jamey Carroll doubled to right and scored on a single by pinch hitter Jay Gibbons.

In the sixth, James Loney’s double scored Matt Kemp (double), and the Dodgers crawled within 8-5 in the eighth when Ryan Theriot added a two-run single to center, and Ronnie Belliard contributed a run-scoring hit.

Colorado survived a 5-3 decision on Saturday, with Gonzalez ripping a two-run homer in the seventh that gave the Rockies a four-run lead.

Gonzalez lined a triple into the right-field corner in the fourth and scored when Troy Tulowitzki lashed a single to right. Melvin Mora’s hit made it 2-1.

Colorado added a run in the sixth and took a 3-1 edge on Todd Helton’s home run to right.

Rod Barajas cracked a two-run homer in the ninth that got the Dodgers within two runs, and Casey Blake’s double to right center scored Loney (single) in the second.

On Friday, it was Blake’s grand slam in the eighth that provided the Dodgers with a 6-2 victory and gave the club a four-game winning skein.

Kemp knocked in a run with a single, and Andre Ethier drove in a run with a double for the Dodgers, who out-hit the Rockies, 11-7.

On Thursday, Blake paced the Dodgers to a 7-1 win over Milwaukee with a two-run homer.

Scott Podsednik and Brad Ausmus each had three hits during the 11-hit barrage, as the Dodgers scored in four of nine innings.

Pitcher Hiroki Kuroda allowed seven hits over seven innings of Wednesday’s 5-4 win against the Brewers.

Kuroda (9-11) struck out six, and didn’t surrender a walk, while giving up four runs (earned).

Ethier connected on a solo homer, Manny Ramirez (two hits) drove in a run, and Loney (two hits) pushed across two runs for the Dodgers, who led 5-3 heading into the bottom of the sixth.

Barajas doubled twice and launched a three-run homer during Tuesday’s 5-3 triumph over the Brewers. Lilly picked up the victory after going six and one-third innings, allowing seven hits.

This is Torre’s third season in Southern California, and the club is a nice mix of talented young players such as center fielder Matt Kemp, right fielder Andre Ethier and first baseman James Loney, along with veterans like third baseman Casey Blake, shortstop Rafael Furcal and sometime volatile left fielder Manny Ramirez, who seems to be closing out his time with the Dodgers by hitting for average (without much power). He also has three stints on the disabled list.

Hovering around .500 will do that to a man, even one as accomplished as Torre, a Brooklyn, New York native, nine-time All-Star and lock for the Hall of Fame.

Torre has said he will make his decision on whether to return after the club has been eliminated from postseason contention, which may come sooner than later, given that the Dodgers are 67-64, in fourth place in the National League West and have four clubs in front of them in the wild-card chase.

Complicating matters is the trial of Frank and Jamie McCourt, which begins this week to determine who owns the club.

Torre, who had a career batting average of .297, with 252 homers and 1,185 runs batted in over 18 seasons, has been above the fray, much like he was when the New York Yankees, a team he guided to four World Series titles and six appearances, offered him a one-year deal with incentives following the 2007 season.

Torre, the NL Most Valuable Player in 1971 after driving in 137 runs with 230 hits and 24 homers, said he was insulted by the offer.

“My goal is the same every season, and that’s to win a World Series,” he said. “Anything less is disappointing.”

It helped that the late Yankees’ owner George Steinbrenner was always willing to go after high-priced players, regardless of the cost. The same can not be said of the Dodgers, who only make small splashes in the free-agent pool.

Torre, who played for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets, has pushed the Dodgers to the NL Championship Series the last two years, only to have the club knocked out each time by the Philadelphia Phillies, the team that currently leads the wild-card race.

Torre turned around the culture in the Dodgers’ clubhouse. Like his 12 seasons at the Yankees’ helm, he’s all business, but not to the exclusion of being accessible to the media or his players.

Few managers are more revered than Torre, a two-time American League Manager of the Year, even when questioning an umpire’s call, he’s never screaming or blowing his stack.

In this way, he’s the opposite of one-time Manager Tommy Lasorda, winner of two World Series in 1981 and 1988, the latter being the last time the Dodgers advanced to the NLCS.

Given everything that’s going on around the Dodgers, the smart money says Torre’s leaving. We can only hope that he stays around a little longer, but this seems like a real long shot. If he does leaves, I’ll say it was fun while it lasted.

Rick Assad has been a sportswriter for more than two decades. He has a political science degree from UCLA, a journalism degree from CSUN, and is a staff writer for diamondboxing.com, and is a columnist for socalboxing.wordpress.com. You may e-mail him at richsports5@sbcglobal.net.

The Los Angeles Dodgers opted to let Ramirez go and get nothing in return instead of working out a trade or keeping the outfielder. The White Sox will pay the remaining $3.8 million left on Ramirez’s contract. Ramirez will become a free agent at the end of the season.

But for now, Chicago hopes to get a spark from Ramirez while trying to catch the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central race. Ramirez helped lead the Dodgers to an NL West Division title in 2008 after getting traded from Boston. He hit .396 with 17 home runs and 53 RBIs in the Dodgers last 53 games that year and added four homers with 10 RBIs in the playoffs.

Ramirez, 38, is a 12-time All-Star who ranked 14th on the all-time home run list with 554 career homers at the start of this week. He had a .311 average with just eight homers and 40 RBIs with the Dodgers this season in 66 games. Ramirez went on the disabled list three times with right-leg injuries.

Ramirez’s last game as a Dodger was not pretty. After sitting for four consecutive games, he pinch-hit in the sixth inning with the bases loaded on Sunday at Colorado. After just one pitch, Ramirez argued a strike call and was ejected from the game.

Strasburg likely needs surgery

Maybe it was too good to be true — a No. 1 draft pick, a consistent fastball in the 100 mph range and the future of the downtrodden Washington Nationals franchise.

But Stephen Strasburg, the 22-year-old rookie pitching sensation, has a torn ligament in his right elbow. He will likely need Tommy John surgery to replace the ligament, which will require 12 to 18 months of rehabilitation. That means that Strasburg will miss the rest of this year and all of next season.

Strasburg came on like gangbusters in his first major league start in June, striking out 14 batters against Pittsburgh. He had 92 strikeouts in 68 innings pitched with a 5-3 record and 2.91 ERA in 12 starts for the Nationals.

“It’s a new challenge,” Strasburg said. “I want to be the best at everything, and right now I want to be the best at rehabbing and getting back out there. It’s going to be a learning experience. I feel I’m going to be able to grow a lot as an individual and as a baseball player.”

Many pitchers have successfully returned after having Tommy John surgery, named after the pitcher who first had the procedure done in 1974 by Dr. Frank Jobe, when John was with the Dodgers.

Among those who have had the surgery and are prospering this season are Francisco Liriano, who is 12-7 with a 3.41 ERA for the Twins; Tim Hudson, who is 15-5 with a 2.24 ERA with Atlanta; and Chris Carpenter, who is 14-4 with a 2.93 ERA with St. Louis.

StatsWatch

Who will win the NL home run title this season? It’s a tight race with several players battling it out. Here are the NL’s homer leaders (through Sunday):

• Albert Pujols, Cardinals, 35 HRs
• Adam Dunn, Nationals, 32
• Joey Votto, Reds, 32
• Dan Uggla, Marlins, 29
• Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies, 29
• Mark Reynolds,
• Diamondbacks, 29
• Prince Fielder, Brewers, 28
• Adrian Gonzalez, Padres, 27

Diamond Notes

• The Chicago White Sox retired the uniform number of former slugger Frank Thomas in a ceremony at U.S. Cellular Field on Sunday. Thomas, who wore No. 35, is the ninth White Sox player to have his number retired. Thomas played 16 of his 19 major league seasons with Chicago and had a career .301 batting average to go with 521 home runs, 1,704 RBIs and a .419 on-base percentage. The club will also erect a statue of Thomas at the ball park next year.
• Former major league pitcher Roger Clemens entered a not guilty plea on Monday to charges of lying to Congress regarding whether he used performance-enhancing drugs. Clemens swore under oath before a House Committee in February 2008 that he did not use steroids or human growth hormone. Federal prosecutors charged Clemens with making false statements, perjury and obstruction of Congress
• Andy Pettitte is eying a return in about two weeks. The New York Yankees pitcher has been out since July 18 with a strained groin. With the minor league season ending next week, Pettitte’s preparation for a start will likely be done in bullpen sessions and throwing against teammates. He was 11-2 with a 2.88 ERA at the time of his injury.

The club divided six games on their recent home stand, and it’s going to take a near miracle for the team to make the playoffs.

Cincinnati claimed two of three, including last Sunday’s 5-2 victory, as Joey Votto blasted a solo homer (29th) in the sixth off Clayton Kershaw (11-8), added a two-run single in the ninth, Ryan Hanigan drove in two, and Brandon Phillips had four hits.

Matt Kemp slugged his 21st homer in the second inning, driving in his 69th run, and A.J. Ellis contributed an RBI single in the fifth.

Powered by back-to-back home runs in the second and third, the Dodgers were 8-5 winners Saturday over the Reds.

Pitcher Chad Billingsley (10-7) left with two out in the sixth inning after allowing seven hits, three runs (earned), striking out seven and walking one.

Ryan Theriot sliced a homer down the left-field line to make it 2-0, and Andre Ethier followed with his 19th homer to center, knocking in his 69th run to make it 3-0.

The Dodgers jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Casey Blake drew a bases-loaded walk.

In the third, Jay Gibbons lined a solo blast to center that hit the top of the wall and bounced over, and Kemp ripped a solo shot that made it 5-0.

The Dodgers added two runs in the fifth inning when Blake doubled to right-center, scoring Gibbons (single), and Jamey Carroll’s hit brought in Blake to make it 7-1.

Blake singled in the seventh, and scored on a fielder’s choice that gave the Dodgers an 8-5 edge.

Phillips drove in three runs during Friday’s 3-1 victory. A two-run single in the fourth afforded Cincinnati a two-run advantage. Phillips (three hits) also had a run-scoring single in the second.

Pitcher Ted Lilly made his fourth start for the Dodgers after being acquired at the trade deadline, notching as many victories.

On Thursday, he tossed a complete-game shutout over the Colorado Rockies, winning 2-0.

A bright spot, Lilly (7-8), a left-hander, struck out 11, walked two and allowed two hits.

Reserve outfielder Reed Johnson collected a two-run homer in the second inning for the only runs.

In the middle game, the Dodgers fell in 10 innings, 3-2, when reliever Octavio Dotel uncorked a wild pitch that sent Melvin Mora home with the game-winner. Johnson was thrown out at the plate to end the contest.

On Tuesday, the Dodgers blanked the Rockies 6-0, with Kershaw giving up five hits, striking out six, and walking three over seven innings.

James Loney and Scott Podsednik each belted two-run doubles in the fifth inning. Blake (two hits and a run scored) drove in a run.

Before arriving home, the Dodgers were handed a 4-3 setback to the Atlanta Braves on Monday when Melky Cabrera slashed a two-run single to left in the ninth.

The duo made their initial All-Star team this season, and are the heart-and-soul of a rising young squad that leads the National League Central by 3 1/2 games over St. Louis, after taking two of three from the Dodgers at the Ravine this past weekend.

It’s not hyperbole, but these two have restored and given hope to a once-proud franchise that boasts the “Big Red Machine,’’ – a legendary group that advanced to four World Series in seven years, winning in 1975 and 1976. Aside from a title in 1990, there hasn’t been much winning in the Queen City.

Votto bats left-handed and third in the lineup. On Sunday, he hit a homer and drove in three runs during the 5-2 win.

Votto can pull the ball to right, or hit with equal power the opposite way, which explains why he’s third in the NL in homers (29), and second in runs batted in (86).

Through Saturday, Votto was batting .321 (first), with 246 total bases (third), a .420 on-base percentage (first), and a .586 slugging percentage (second).

Votto advanced to the majors late in 2007, and has racked up no fewer than 24 homers, which he accomplished in 2008, his first full season, along with 84 RBIs, and a .297 batting average.

Votto will turn 27 next month, and was chosen in the second round by the Reds. It took a while to find his sea legs.

Votto’s breakout season was 2004 at Class A, where he batted .302 with 26 doubles and 14 home runs. He moved to Class A Advanced, and added five more homers.

This earned Votto, who has committed four errors, attention from Cincinnati’s front office, and eventually a trip to the big club where he hasn’t looked back after hitting four homers with 17 RBIs, and a .321 batting average in 24 games in 2007.

Phillips can be hot-tempered, saying what’s on his mind. It was his comment, “I hate the Cardinals,’” that set off a recent first-inning brawl between the two clubs.

The Reds have had problems with the Red Birds, losing 10 of 15 games, but have three left.

Phillips is Cincinnati’s leadoff hitter, despite having topped 20 homers three times, with a high of 30 in 2007.

In the three games with the Dodgers, Phillips had eight hits, and the 29-year-old is hitting .284 with 14 homers, 48 RBIs, 86 runs (first), and 143 hits (second) through Saturday.

Phillips was tabbed by the one-time Montreal Expos in the second round of the 1999 draft, arriving in the majors at the tail end of 2002, and after being traded to Cleveland, played in only 11 games.

Phillips saw action in 112 games for the Tribe in 2003, but played in 12 games over the next two seasons before being shipped to Cincinnati in April 2006.

Phillips made a name for himself that year, registering 587 plate appearances, batting .276, with 17 homers, 75 RBIs, 28 doubles, and 25 stolen bases.

Grinding forward the next season, Phillips, who has made two errors, scored 107 runs, stole 32 bases, drove in 94 runs, and batted .288.

Votto and Phillips are primed for a wild ride to the finish line.

Rick Assad has been a sportswriter for more than two decades. He has a political science degree from UCLA, a journalism degree from CSUN, and is a staff writer for diamondboxing.com, and is a columnist for socalboxing.wordpress.com. You may e-mail him at richsports5@sbcglobal.net.

OF Tyler Colvin, Chicago Cubs

Key Stats: 55 games, 18 HRs (1st), 42 RBIs, .250 AVG.

Note: Became a regular for the most part beginning in mid-June, but recently sat out a few games during a hitting slump.

What Baseball Prospectus said: “More likely to be bench player than a starting corner outfielder.”

1B Ike Davis, New York Mets

Key Stats: 105 games 15 HRs (2nd), 55 RBIs (tie 2nd), .242 AVG.

Note: Hit six home runs with 18 RBIs in July.

What Baseball Prospectus said: “His arrival in time for the 2011 season is a far more realistic expectation than 2010, as Davis does most of his damage against right-handers, giving him something to work on.”

OF Brennan Boesch, Detroit Tigers

Key Stats: 97 games, 14 HRs (tied 3rd), 55 RBIs (tie 1st), .270 AVG.

Note: Hit eight homers and drove in 23 runs in June, but batted just .121 in first 32 games after the All-Star break.

What Baseball Prospectus said: “He has a long way to go. Between a swing more hole-y than the Pope and a swing-at-anything approach less discriminating than Tila Tequila, there are issues that go beyond mere ironing out.”

1B Gaby Sanchez, Florida Marlins

Key Stats: 112 games, 12 HRs (tie 5th), 55 RBIs (tie 1st), .285 AVG.

Note: Just more than half of his RBIs (28) came in June and July.

What Baseball Prospectus said: “Sanchez is a prospect with a limited ceiling.”

OF Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves

Key Stats: 100 games, 12 HRs (tie 5th), 53 RBIs (4th), .255 AVG.

Note: Hit .337 in May and .356 in July. Has been slowed by injuries this season, but has played a key role in his team’s success.

What Baseball Prospectus said: “There’s really nothing he can’t do. He has face-of-the-franchise potential.”

C Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants

Key Stats: 70 games, 9 HRs, 43 RBIs, .338 AVG. (3rd), .386 OBP (tie 3rd)

Note: Had a hit in 21 consecutive games from July 4 to July 28.

What Baseball Prospectus said: “The big-league job should be his to lose, though the Giants may opt for more seasoning. Should he come up in time, he’s an instant short-list candidate for Rookie of the Year.”

OF John Jay, St. Louis Cardinals

Key Stats: 62 games, 3 HRs, 16 RBIs, .350 AVG. (1st), .399 OBP .399 (2nd).

Note: Went 31-for-72 for a .431 average and a .500 on base percentage in July.

What Baseball Prospectus said: “Jay might be the one whose star burns both the most steadily and the least brightly.”

SP Jaime Garcia, St. Louis Cardinals

Key Stats: 10-6 (1st in wins). 2.58 ERA (3rd), 105 K’s (tie 1st).

Note: Best month was in June, with a 3-1 record in six starts and a 1.53 ERA.

What Baseball Prospectus said: “He’s back on the list of interesting pitching prospects. He’ll contend for the fifth slot in the rotation, aided in part in that he’d be the lone lefty.”

SP Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals

Key Stats: 5-3, 2.97 ERA, 86 K’s (tie 6th), 17 walks.

Note: He struck out 32 while walking only five in his first three major league starts.

What Baseball Prospectus said: “He should have no trouble serving as the ace of the Nationals’ rotation as soon as 2011, if not sooner.”

RP Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers

Key Stats: 3-3, 3.48 ERA, 29 saves (1st) in 32 chances.

Note: Gave up just three earned runs in 22.2 innings pitched in May and June combined.

What Baseball Prospectus said: “Feliz was just so darn good in the bullpen, but he was raised as a starter, and if he can bring that stuff to the rotation, just imagine what he could be.”

Copyright © 2010  Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

The Dodgers (60-58) are in fourth place in the National League West by falling 13-1 last Sunday to the Braves, with Troy Glaus and Alex Gonzalez both driving in four runs, and losing to Tim Hudson, 1-0, in the opener.

The club managed a 2-1 win Saturday behind Ted Lilly (6-8), who was acquired from the Chicago Cubs. He allowed three hits, no runs, with four strikeouts and two walks across six innings. This is his third straight victory with the Dodgers.

On Friday, Hudson shut out the Dodgers over eight innings, and Brooks Conrad’s solo homer in the seventh was the difference.

Hudson (14-5) was stupendous, tossing a three-hitter, striking out six, and walking one.

Philadelphia wasn’t kind to the Blue Crew, and never more so than in the series finale on Thursday.

In that game, the Dodgers blew a seven-run lead with two innings left, and lost 10-9. On Wednesday, the club was blanked by Roy Oswalt 2-0, after taking the opener 15-9.

In what looked like a laugher, the Dodgers built a 3-0 advantage after one inning, were ahead 4-2 through five, and added two runs in the seventh, and three in the eighth for a 9-2 cushion.

In the bottom of the eighth, Ronald Belisario gave up hits to Placido Polanco and Mike Sweeney, and they moved to second and third on a wild pitch. Jayson Werth drove in both with a hit to center.

Belisario balked Werth to second, and he scored on a double by Ben Francisco. Wilson Valdez plated Francisco with a single, and the Phillies trailed 9-6.

In the ninth, closer Jonathan Broxton, who has been demoted, hit Polanco, and walked Sweeney and Werth. Francisco reached on an error by third baseman Casey Blake, trimming the lead to 9-8. Carlos Ruiz drilled a double off the left-center field wall for the game-winner.

The bright spot was Matt Kemp’s three-for-five night, with four runs batted in, and one run scored. Kemp walloped his team-best 19th homer in the seventh inning.

Pitcher Clayton Kershaw went six and two-third innings, gave up two runs (earned), struck out four and walked two.

Oswalt (7-13) came over from the Houston Astros, and held the Dodgers in check over seven innings, walking two, fanning five, with five hits and no runs.

Raul Ibanez doubled and singled, drove in a run, while Polanco and Sweeney each scored a run.

In the opener on Tuesday, the Dodgers compiled 18 hits, as Andre Ethier (four hits) drove in three and scored four runs, with Blake (homer and single) driving in four runs and scoring one, and Jay Gibbons (homer and two singles) knocking in three runs with a run scored.

Vicente Padilla (6-3) was the winner, striking out two, walking two, allowing four runs (earned) with six hits in five frames.

If you do, his value can’t be overstated, because he’s been a constant power source for the team since 1999, when dealt by the Dodgers to the Cincinnati Reds, who shipped the right-handed hitter to Chicago in the fall of 1998.

Now a fixture at first base and designated hitter, Konerko has fashioned a stellar career, and the White Sox are in contention with the Minnesota Twins for the top spot in the American League Central.

Without Konerko, it’s hard to imagine the White Sox being anywhere near first place. Through last Saturday, Konerko is second in home runs in the AL with 28, ninth in runs batted in with 78, and is hitting .300 with 23 doubles.

In 14 big-league seasons that included a World Series title in 2005, Konerko has a .279 batting average and a .495 slugging percentage.

Considering that Konerko is trying to drive the ball, and fanned 82 times with 53 walks, he shows excellent plate discipline.

Some may have questioned why the Dodgers unloaded Konerko, selected 13th overall in the 1994 draft. The thinking was the club had enough young power hitters in Mike Piazza and Eric Karros.

What they needed was a proven closer, and Jeff Shaw was the man Tommy Lasorda targeted.

Konerko played in 55 games for the Dodgers, hit four homers with 16 RBIs and batted .212.

Looking back, the deal worked out for the Dodgers, who had a genuine shut-down reliever. But the Reds had Konerko for one season, and then sent him to the White Sox in exchange for Mike Cameron, a splendid outfielder now with Boston.

How was it that no one saw the need to have a third big stick in the lineup? Imagine if the Dodgers had Konerko in their lineup today?

In short time, Konerko became a bonafide slugger with the White Sox, hitting 24 and 21 homers in his first two seasons, and then ripping 32 in 2001 with 99 RBIs.

Aside from hitting homers, Konerko has averaged 30 doubles and 85 runs scored. But it’s the long ball Konerko is known for around the Junior Circuit, twice cracking 40 or more homers, and two times surpassing 30.

The White Sox hadn’t been to the World Series since 1959, when the Dodgers beat them, but the city turned on its head in 2005 after Chicago downed Houston for the grand prize.

That drive to the World Series put Konerko, who has eclipsed 100 RBIs four times, on the map.

In the opening round against the Red Sox, Konerko, a four-time All-Star, smashed two homers and drove in four runs.

Next in line were the Angels, and Konerko, who has averaged 32 homers and 101 RBIs, delivered by knocking in seven runs and bashing two homers with a double.

In the four-game sweep of the Astros, Konerko drove in four runs, with one homer and a two-base hit.

Considering the Texas Rangers seem a lock in the AL West, and the New York Yankees or Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East, the White Sox will have to win the division in order to make the playoffs. If they get there, and Konerko is hitting, watch out.

Rick Assad has been a sportswriter for more than two decades. He has a political science degree from UCLA, a journalism degree from CSUN, and is a staff writer for diamondboxing.com, and is a columnist for socalboxing.wordpress.com. You may e-mail him at richsports5@sbcglobal.net.

So in Sunday’s game against the Oakland A’s, Gardenhire removed Kevin Slowey despite the fact that Slowey was throwing a no-hitter. The Twins manager was booed by Minnesota fans for making the move.

Jon Rauch came in to try for a combined no-hitter, but allowed a double to the second batter he faced. The Twins ended up winning the game 4-2.

“I would boo me too,” Gardenhire said. “I took a pitcher out with a no-hitter going. But I would do it 1,000 times the same way.”

Slowey had problems with elbow tendonitis recently, which forced him to sit out his last start. He had thrown 106 pitches through seven innings.

“We’re not going to come close to risking this guy,” Gardenhire said.

Slowey became only the fourth pitcher in the last 20 years to be taken out of a game with a no-hitter in at least the seventh inning.

Atlanta’s Damian Moss in 2002 and David Cone of the New York Yankees in 1996 were removed from no-hit bids. Mark Langston of the California Angels in 1990 also was taken out, but the bullpen completed the no-hitter.

“I was a little disappointed,” said Slowey (11-5). “But I think more than anything I was encouraged by the fact that Gardy and (pitching coach Rick Anderson) care a whole lot about me as a person and as a pitcher in the long term.”

Protesting ‘11 All-Star Game: Arizona’s new immigration legislation has brought out protesters at major league ball parks this summer wherever the Arizona Diamondbacks play.

They don’t want the 2011 All-Star Game to be played in Phoenix, and are urging Commissioner Bud Selig to move it.

On Sunday, a small group of demonstrators gathered outside Nationals Park in Washington D.C., carrying signs and handing out fliers. In the fifth inning, they tried taking their message to the field.

Several protesters ran onto the field. But before they could display a banner, security caught them. The disruption caused about a two minute delay in the game.

StatsWatch: Here are baseball’s top hitters at the start of this week (note that the top five are from the American League) —

• Josh Hamilton, Rangers, .362
• Miguel Cabrera, Tigers, .341
• Joe Mauer, Twins, .331
• Adrian Beltre, Red Sox, .328
• Robinson Cano, Yankees, .324

Quotable: “If he doesn’t want to play here, then we don’t want him here.” — Washington pitcher Stephen Strasburg on the Nationals’ No. 1 draft pick, Bryce Harper, who was approaching a signing deadline with the team this week.

Diamond Notes: New York Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez rejoined the team on Saturday three days after he was arrested and charged with third-degree assault on his girlfriend’s father, resulting in a two-game suspension by the club. “Right now the plan is I’m going to be going to an anger management program,” Rodriguez said. He apologized to teammates and fans before the game. An examination on Monday revealed that Rodriquez has a torn ligament in his right thumb. Rodriguez has a court date set for next month.. .Braves third baseman Chipper Jones suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last week while landing awkwardly after making a throw, and will miss the rest of the season. Jones, who has pondered retirement, will go through about six to eight months of rehabilitation. “He was a force, we’re losing a lot,” Braves general manager Frank Wren told the Atlanta Journal & Constitution. A career .306 hitter, Jones was batting .265 with 10 home runs and 46 RBIs this season…A study by ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” showed that 1.3 calls per game (excluding balls and strikes) by umpires from 184 games played between June 29 to July 11 were close enough to require replay review to determine if the call was correct. Of the close plays, 13.9 percent were too close to call; 65.7 percent were confirmed as correct and 20.4 percent confirmed as incorrect… Texas Rangers pitcher Rich Harden was placed on the disabled list for the second time this season and the ninth time in six years. Harden, who has tendonitis in his right shoulder, is 4-4 with a 5.45 ERA.

Copyright © 2010 Bob Hurst. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Hurst Sports Media.

Last Sunday, the Dodgers pasted the Nationals, 8-3, behind newly-acquired pitcher Ted Lilly (5-8), who struck out six, walked none, allowed five hits, and three runs (earned).

James Loney’s hit to right field was the game-winner Saturday during the team’s 3-2 victory in 10 innings.

On Friday, Adam Dunn powered two three-run homers that pushed the Nationals to a 6-3 triumph, and pitcher John Lannan gave up five hits and three runs (two earned) over six innings.

The Dodgers (58-54) scuffled for three runs in the fourth, with Andre Ethier knocking in two with a single, Casey Blake adding a run batted in, and Ryan Theriot finishing with two hits.

A night earlier, the Dodgers were blanked 5-0 by the Padres’ Kevin Correia (8-7) over five and two-third innings.

Four relief pitchers, including closer Heath Bell (31st save), shut out the team the rest of the way.

Chad Billingsley (9-6) had his problems, giving up seven hits and three runs (earned) in six innings, walking three and striking out four.

The first-place Padres took a 3-0 lead in the fourth, and added two runs in the ninth.

Unheralded pitcher Vicente Padilla came to the Dodgers’ rescue, taking a no-hitter into the seventh, earning a complete-game shutout, as the Blue Crew won, 9-0, on Wednesday.

The right-handed Padilla (5-3) allowed two hits, while fanning nine and walking two. He was backed by a 12-hit barrage, with Ethier driving in two runs and delivering two doubles and his 17th homer. Recently-acquired Theriot and Scott Podsednik each drove in two runs.

The Dodgers led 3-0 after two innings, and 4-0 after three frames, before piling on five runs in the eighth.

Lilly doesn’t have a winning record, but that’s due in part because he pitched with terrible run support while employed by the Chicago Cubs.

On Tuesday, the left-hander may have felt as though he was still pitching for the Cubs, as the Dodgers managed only five hits off four San Diego pitchers, but they pulled out a 2-1 victory.

Lilly made his Dodgers debut, and was sharp, walking none, striking out five, with two hits, and one run (earned) over seven innings. Miguel Tejada’s first-inning homer was the only run he allowed.

Russell Martin’s two-run double to right-center in the second erased a 1-0 San Diego lead.

Unfortunately, Martin later tried to score standing up, but injured his hip, and is likely out for the season.

The Padres’ rookie hurler Mat Latos (11-5) worked six innings, striking out six with two walks, while allowing two runs (earned).

San Diego took the series opener, 10-5, on Monday, with Tejada driving in two, and Chase Headley (single, two doubles and a homer) driving in three.

Clayton Richard (9-5) wasn’t impressive, striking out six, walking three, with four runs (earned), while giving up 10 hits.