--RHP Ramon Troncoso came up big for the Dodgers on Saturday night, when their bullpen was basically shot because Jonathan Broxton had gotten eight outs in the previous two games and Hong-Chih Kuo still can't pitch on back-to-back days. With James McDonald gone after five innings, Troncoso pitched four shutout innings for the Dodgers, allowing only one baserunner on an infield single that Rafael Furcal double-clutched before throwing to first. Troncoso was credited with his first career save, preserving McDonald's first career win.
--RHP Hiroki Kuroda will consult with team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday to see if a cause can be determined for continued tightness in Kuroda's right oblique muscle, which flared up again after the pitcher's most recent bullpen session on Thursday. Dodgers trainer Stan Conte was quick to say this isn't a setback for Kuroda, who remains on the 15-day disabled list with a mild strain of the muscle and hasn't pitched since opening day. But this clearly means that Kuroda isn't close to beginning a minor-league rehabilitation assignment or rejoining the big-league club. --2B Orlando Hudson failed to set a career high for length of a hitting streak. After tying his previous best by hitting in 11 consecutive games, Hudson went 0-for-4 with a walk on Sunday. During the streak, he hit .444 (20 for 45).
BY THE NUMBERS: .480 -- Combined batting average for Dodgers reserves Brad Ausmus and Mark Loretta, two veteran players and former everyday guys on the down sides of their careers who have accepted bench roles in their first season with the club. Ausmus, who turned 40 a couple of weeks ago, is hitting .417 (5-for-12). Loretta, 37, is hitting .538 (7-for-13), including five hits in seven pinch-hit at-bats.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "A good night for the old guys. It was past our bedtime, and we had already missed the buffet." -- Dodgers C Brad Ausmus, after delivering two critical hits in the late innings of a three-hour, 45-minute marathon on Friday night at Colorado. Ausmus had scored one tie-breaking run when he was driven in by fellow "old guy" Mark Loretta in the eighth inning, and Ausmus drove in another tie-breaking run in the ninth that ultimately held up as the winner.
