Shortstop Rafael Furcal has unexpectedly returned to the L.A. lineup, which makes the team much more formidable in the postseason.  While his presence might not equal the arrival of Manny Ramirez it probably comes just about as close as it can get. 

Furcal batted leadoff and played

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

Rafael Furcal hit the DL with a bad back. He had been one of the hottest hitters in baseball through the early going, so losing him will undoubtedly affect your fantasy team especially because of the dearth of options at shortstop. Furcal should be back and hitting soon after he is eligible to be activated so his injury shouldn't cause too much worry, but you still

Plenty of teams with dreams of reaching the playoffs are already in need of a boost.  Good thing help is literally only a phone call away.  There are plenty of top prospects thriving down on the farm that could change the fortunes of both their major league and your fantasy teams. 

Max Scherzer, P, ARI:  Groomed previously as a reliever, Scherzer has been spectacular as a starter this season.  The PCL is known so much as a hitter’s league that the Dodgers tend to avoid placing

 

Last season Rafael Furcal appeared in just 138 games for the Dodgers after he sprained his left ankle in Spring Training.  The injury plagued him the entire year and never fully healed affecting every part of his game from his hitting and ability to run.  “Last year I was hurt in spring training and I never could get fine because I played every day on my bad ankle,” Furcal told reporters Wednesday after a win over the Pirates. 

Over the previous five seasons Furcal had averaged 153 games. &

The four teams with the best records in baseball all play in the American League (Red Sox, Yankees, Angels, and Indians). This has led many to dismiss the quality of play in the Senior Circuit, but as evidenced by the World Series a year ago, that would be a big mistake. While there was no dominant team in the National League this year, through the first two games of the playoffs there was clearly one dominant division: the NL West.

Matt Holliday is having a MVP season