Dodger shortstop Rafael Furcal will undergo surgery to repair a bulging disc leaving his season (and his team's playoff chances) in doubt.  He is expected to miss two months at the minimum, but that means he would be returning in September which leaves precious few games left in the regular season.  Los Angeles started Thursday just 1.5 games behind Arizona, and in the West two good weeks could create a comfortable cushion in the standings.

 

Furcal was hitting .366 with a 1.045 OPS at the time of his injury.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been a disappointment all season.  The off-season signings of manger Joe Torre and slugging outfielder Andruw Jones brought optimism to Chavez Ravine, but that has morphed into a 38-43 record at the halfway point.  Torre has not been able to ignite a punchless offense, and Jones is among 10 players currently on the disabled list (which is probably a good thing - he's been terrible at the plate).

By the miracle of the mediocre National West however, the Dodgers still stand just 2.5 games out of first place and the playoff spot that comes with

Those fan and fantasy owners eagerly awaiting the debut of wunderkind lefty Clayton Kershaw will have to wait, at least for a little while. With Esteban Loaiza on the DL the Dodgers need a fifth starter on Saturday, and lined up Kershaw at Double-A Jacksonville so he would be ready to pitch on normal rest. Instead, the phenom gave up five runs on five hits (and two wild pitches) in just 3.1 innings. Dodger manager Joe Torre doesn’t think the kid is quite ready. "They had him lined

I've got nothing against Joe Torre.  He's a great guy from everything that I have read about him.  I'm not a Yankees hater.  As a Pirate fan I can't really complain about teams over-spending my team, because that's the entire league I'd be complaining about.  The problem I have isn't with Torre.  It's with managers in general.

As you probably know by now, Joe Torre was offered a one year deal worth $5 million, with a $1 million incentive for every round of the playoffs he reached.  If you haven't heard, then you've