The Suprising Dodgers!

Dear TTCers:

Well, how about them Dodgers?

I'm shocked!

Derek Lowe has been amazing. Last Wednesday, I saw Odalis Perez mow down the Giants at Dodger's Stadium. Weaver is still hot and cold with a strong first outing and then a poor second outing. Scott Erickson had a bad first outing but a good second one. In post-game Dodgertalk, it was reported that Brad Penny had a good minor league rehab start. He will probably have one or two more before they bring him up to the majors.

The relief corp is composed of ... where did they find these guys? Buddy Carlyle? D.J. Houlton? Kelly Wunsch? Steve Schmoll? They have been doing a remarkable job supporting the holdovers from last year Sanchez and Carrara. Brazoban is closing pending Gagne's return which appears to be at least a month off.

There were concerns about hitting but so far the Dodgers have been also surprising on this front. Kent, Bradley and Valentin have been solid. The pleasant surprise has been catcher Phillips and outfielder Ledee. Huge disappointments have been Drew and Choi.

Anyway, most experts are picking the Giants with a few going with the Padres. Of course, I have to be a Homer and pick the Dodgers!

Go Blue!

Rene