--LHP Clayton Kershaw will get the ball for the opener of the Philadelphia series Tuesday night. Kershaw made one start at Citizens Bank Park last season, when he was lit up for six earned runs on seven hits over four innings. Kershaw did make a 1 2/3-inning scoreless appearance there during last year's National League Championship Series.
--LF Juan Pierre might have been salivating on the charter flight to Philadelphia. He is hitting .480 (12-for-25) for his career against RHP Chan Ho Park, who is scheduled to start the series opener for the Phillies. Pierre has struck out just once in those 25 at-bats while also drawing three walks. --C Brad Ausmus, who rarely plays, has a six-game hitting streak in which he has batted .381 (8-for-21). He also has hit safely in all five of the games he has started in place of Russell Martin this season, batting .350 (7-for-20) in those games with two RBI and three runs scored. Until Sunday, Ausmus had struck out just once in 18 plate appearances, but he then struck out in each of his final three plate appearances.
--RF Andre Ethier has cooled off considerably since sizzling for most of April. Ethier went 0-for-5 in each of the past two games and has five hits in his last 28 at-bats since his most recent home run on May 4. His average fell 42 points in the last five games alone as he went 2-for-22 to drop from .327 to .285.
MEDICAL WATCH:
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 played catch without discomfort May 5, but he had yet to be scheduled for a rehab start.
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 early May, but he might start a rehab assignment during the weekend of May 8-10.
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 Juan Pierre
CF Matt Kemp
RF Andre Ethier
OF Xavier Paul
