Fresh from their first four-game sweep of the San Diego Padres ever at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers appear to be riding high with a 4-1/2-game lead in the National League West. A big factor in the club's success this season has been the performance of the table setters. With back-to-back, switch-hitting speedsters hitting in the top two spots in Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson, the Dodgers have scored 22 runs in the first inning this season, tying them for second in the majors in that category with Baltimore. Only the New York Mets have more first-inning runs with 26. The only inning in which the Dodgers have been more productive has been the seventh, when they have scored 27 runs. Furcal and Hudson have combined to score 39 runs for the Dodgers already this season. At 18-8, the Dodgers are off to their best 26-game start since 1984.
PLAYER NEWS: --LF Manny Ramirez was out of the starting lineup for just the second time this season. Ramirez had been experiencing hamstring tightness for the past few days. Manager Joe Torre said the matter wasn't serious and that Ramirez should be back in the starting lineup when the Dodgers begin a two-game series with Arizona on Monday night.
--RHP Chad Billingsley continued his torrid start, holding the Padres to two runs on four hits over seven innings while striking out eight. Billingsley became the first Dodgers starting pitcher to win his first five decisions since Brad Penny did so two years ago. Billingsley is now unbeaten in his past 11 regular-season starts beginning on Aug. 30, 2008, and he is 9-0 with a 2.67 ERA in that span.
--2B Orlando Hudson went 2-for-3 with two doubles and a walk on Sunday and is now hitting .475 (19-for-40) for the season at Dodger Stadium. Hudson, the last Dodgers player to have started every game this season, is batting .336 overall with a .408 on-base percentage. Hudson also has walked (13 times) more often than he has struck out (11).
MEDICAL WATCH:
LF Manny Ramirez (hamstrings) did not start on May 3, but is expected to start on May 4.
LHP Hong-Chih Kuo (left elbow strain) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to April 30.
RHP Hiroki Kuroda (strained left oblique) went on the 15-day disabled list April 11. He received a cortisone shot and will need to make a rehab start before rejoining the Dodgers.
RHP Jason Schmidt (right shoulder surgery) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 30. He was still pitching in extended spring training as of late April.
RHP Claudio Vargas (right elbow tendinitis) went on the 60-day disabled list retroactive to April 6. He might return as soon as he's eligible.
INF Doug Mientkiewicz (dislocated right shoulder) went on the 15-day disabled list April 17, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on April 30. He had surgery April 20, and he is unlikely to return before September.
ROTATION:
LHP Randy Wolf
RHP Chad Billingsley
LHP Clayton Kershaw
LHP Eric Stults
RHP Jeff Weaver
BULLPEN:
RHP Jonathan Broxton (closer)
RHP Cory Wade
RHP Guillermo Mota
LHP Will Ohman
RHP Ronald Belisario
RHP James McDonald
RHP Ramon Troncoso
LHP Brent Leach
CATCHERS:
Russell Martin
Brad Ausmus
INFIELDERS:
1B James Loney
2B Orlando Hudson
SS Rafael Furcal
3B Casey Blake
INF Juan Castro
INF Mark Loretta
OUTFIELDERS:
LF Manny Ramirez
CF Matt Kemp
RF Andre Ethier
OF Juan Pierre
