SportsHubLA

Y E S T E R D A Y…

Dodgers 6, Cardinals 9: Derek Lowe’s sinkerballs seemed to defy physics on Wednesday. For some strange reason, the sinkers weren’t sinking, they were actually rising…off Cardinals’ bats and into the Busch Stadium seats, that is. D Lowe received a rare shellacking, giving up eight runs in only 3 1/3, giving the Blue little chance to win from the get-go. ManRam’s bat stayed red-hot, as #99 posted another multi-hit game and a homer in the losing effort. But if Manny is a stove-top, the Red Birds’ Ryan Ludwick is liquid-hot magma; the 30 year-old journeyman outfielder homered for the fifth consecutive game, one batter after Fat Albert delivered a grand salami. Fortunately for the Blue Man Group, ‘Zona got blanked by the Pirates’ Jeff Karstens, so L.A. still remains only two-and-a-half out.

Orioles 4, Angels 9: While Ervin Santana hasn’t matched his pre-All Star break numbers since the start of the second half, he has been good enough. Despite surrendering four runs as the O’s Nick Markakis and rookie Luis Montanez played long-ball at Ervin’s expense, he kept his team in the game and logged seven long innings and no free passes. Cal Poly product Garrett Olson continues to provide free batting practice to the rest of the American League since the Break (free of charge), giving up six runs and two homers in less than three innings of work. Vlad, G.A., and Tex all stayed hot, collecting two or more hits apiece in the rout.

T O D A Y…

Dodgers at Cardinals (11:15 am, FSN PT): The Cards have their eyes on a sweep of the three-game set, but first they’ll have to get through rookie southpaw Clay Kershaw. Kersh has seemed to find his stride since his second call-up, posting only eight hits and no runs over his last 12 frames. The Cards’ other aberration (how do they find these guys? Skip Schumaker?! C’mon…), Kyle Lohse, takes his career-best 3.73 ERA to the hill for St. Louie.

N E W S W O R T H Y…

• I know it’s not L.A. sports news, but I don’t care. It’s Brett-freaking-Favre, for Christ’s sake! Brett has gone Broadway, with a trade from the Packers to the Jets that left Green Bay with a conditional fourth-rounder. Yep, that’s it. Think the Pack wanted him out? Maybe just a little. If Favre takes 50 percent or more of the Jets’ snaps in 2009, the fourth-rounder becomes a third-rounder. Whoop-dee-do. Great trade for NYJ, if you ask me. The most important result of the aftermath, however, is that we no longer have to be bombarded with the daily “Brett’s Betrayal” soap opera every time we flip on ESPN. Back to General Hospital for me, I suppose…
• The Lakers will begin next season against one of the (potentially) most exciting teams of 2009….drum roll, please…the Portland Trail Blazers. Now fully equipped with a healthy Greg Oden and a star-in-the-making in rookie PG Jerryd Bayless, the Blazers are gonna shock some people, maybe starting with the P&G.
• USC linebacker recruit Maurice Simmons was found guilty of two felonies related to a street robbery. See ya later, scholarship!

C O L U M N S…

• Let’s play word association. Ready? Here goes –10 years, $200 million. “The duration and debt from the War in Iraq?!” Nope. “The expected remaining life expectancy and worth of Hugh Hefner?!” Wrong again. Give up? It’s actually the estimated going-rate for the services of Mark Teixeira, who along with that Manny guy, will be one of the most highly sought-after FA’s going into 2009. Is Tex worth it? Teammate Torii Hunter says absolutely.
• With the litany of injuries and disappointments that has befallen closers of the past in the season following their 50+ save campaign, the Register’s Randy Youngman argues that maybe it’s best for K-Rod — and the Halos — if Frankie doesn’t have a record-breaking season, after all.
• While it’s already clear that Manny’s fun-loving, home-run-hitting self has lifted spirits in the Dodger clubhouse, it has seemed to have a particularly strong effect on one Dodger in particular, perhaps the one who needed it most - Andruw Jones. Perhaps, the Times’ T.J. Simers muses, Andruw will be able to harness some of Ramirez’s energy, and discover his inner-Manny. Simers says…hit a homer! Sure enough, Jones crushed a pinch-hit homer on Wednesday. Too early to tell if the homer was a slump-buster, but the sight of ball-clearing-wall (and the sight of Jones smiling again) are signs of life.

Discuss: