Dodger Dogs

Fresh off taking two of three from the Phillies, the L.A. Dodgers come to Shea for a set of three.

For those of us who are disheartened by seemingly being second class citizens in their own city when it comes to baseball, consider the case of the Dodgers, once the undisputed kings of baseball in Southern California (and kings for the better parts of 40 seasons). Now consider the inroads that the Angels have made, and remember what times were like in the 80's when the Mets were the kings of the city. Times may look bleak now in terms of the press and exposure the Yankees get in comparison to the Mets, but look towards the Angels as inspiration.

Then, take a cold shower and get a hold of yourself.

Friday: Jeff Weaver (7-8, 4.26 ERA) vs. Victor Zambrano (4-8, 3.51 ERA)
Saturday: D.J. Houlton (4-3, 5.64 ERA) vs. Pedro Martinez (11-3, 2.60 ERA)
Sunday: Brad Penny (5-5, 3.40 ERA) vs. Kris Benson (6-3, 3.40 ERA)

Jeff Weaver is apparently on the block. Looks like he's a fallback option for teams that lose out on A.J. Burnett.

Speaking of Dodgers on the block, Tim Kurkjian of ESPN says on SportsCenter that the Mets had a scout in Philly to watch Odalis Perez. Perez almost became a Met this past off season when he was a free agent. The Nationals also had a scout too see Perez toss a no-hitter through six innings and beat the Phillies 1-0.

Derek Lowe may also be on the block, according to Kurkjian.

Jeff Kent has 4 career hits in 25 AB's (.160) vs. Pedro Martinez, and has 5 hits in 23 career AB's (.217) vs. Kris Benson.

D.J. Houlton has a 7.16 ERA on the road.

Brad Penny is expected to appeal his suspension that he earned by going loony in a game against the Giants last week, which means he'll make his Sunday start. When he does serve his suspension, rumor has it he may very well have Alyssa Milano's shoulder to cry on. According to the link, Milano has been linked to mulitple pitchers, including Penny's former teammate Carl Pavano, and Barry Zito. Newsworthy? Maybe. An excuse to post a picture of Alyssa? You bet.

Take a cold shower and get a hold of yourself.