I thought a photo of my Dodger steppingstones would be appropriate, because everyone we face just walks all over us.

Shortstop Dee Gordon greets first baseman Adrian Gonzalez with a special ritual all their own after A-Gone’s towering home run.

What a game. Almost lost by Ronald Belisario, but still a great game!

Nearly everybody contributed something: Nick Punto and Carl Crawford hustled; Adrian Gonzalez had a burst of out-of-the-park power; Ted Lilly pitched well (who woulda thunk?); Mark “Mr. Dependable” Ellis hit a timely double to knock in an insurance run; reliever Paco Rodriguez got his first win; and, believe it or not, Brandon League registered a save. All contributed to a fantastic hard-fought victory over the St. Louis visitors.

It was a team effort, for sure, and I’m glad Matt Kemp realized that. He only acted like a baby for a little while after he was replaced in the lineup in a double-switch. He sulked but got over it pretty quick when he realized it was in the best interest of the team in a close game. Good to see that.

Utility infielder Nick Punto

In Praise of the Little Guy
In recent years, the Dodgers have enjoyed the unexpected contributions of several veteran utility infielders of small stature but massive competitive spirit.

This year, Nick Punto is filling the role admirably, following in the footsteps of Jamey Carroll, Aaron Miles and Gerry Hairston Jr., just to name a few.

Punto is batting well, runs like a race horse and has the optimistic exuberance of someone who loves playing baseball. I love this guy.

Friday Night Fireworks as seen from my front porch.

The good news: Chris Capuano and the other Dodger pitchers last night only allowed six hits. The bad news: Those six hits produced seven runs.

Oh yeah, and those two Dodger errors didn’t help.

The Dream Team of Chavez Ravine couldn’t do anything right last night. They couldn’t pitch, they couldn’t field, and they couldn’t hit. (That last one is not so different from every other game.)

They stand at 19-27 in last place in the National League West, and Ted Lilly on the mound today against the best team in baseball.

I think the fireworks were actually Stan Kasten’s head exploding!