FanNation - The Republic of Sport

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to the Washington Nationals today, 10-4. Tommy Lasorda, filling in for Joe Torre in China, said that he, "got sick," by the loss. Despite sending several of their projected 2008 starters to China, they Dodgers are not performing at their potential.

The Recap:

1) Chad Billingsley gave up two runs on three hits in 3.1 innings. The young hurler also walked two batters, but struck out three. Although this was one of his worst starts of Spring Training, I'm still optimistic that the youngster will have a splendid record in the 2008 Regular Season.

2) Jamie Hoffman, a center-fielder for the Dodgers, smashed a solo-homerun. The undrafted prospect signed with the Dodgers in 2003. Unfortunately, I don't think he will have a great shot at making the 2008 Opening Day Roster considering the Dodgers' superb depth in the outfield.

3) In China, Jeff Kent stepped up to the plate against Takashi Saito. For a second, I thought this was a Disabled-List convention. But, Kent stated afterwards that he is suffering from "lingering," hamstring pain, which is "typical," for ball players. However, the determined second-baseman claimed that he will play through the injury during the 2008 Regular Season. In other words, we cannot cannot expect him to run at full force around the bases in the upcoming season. He will have to play it safe, or he will be taking another trip to the Disabled-List.

4) Andre Ethier also whacked a homerun, knocking in two-RBIs. His competitor for a starting job in left-field, Juan Pierre, did not get a hit today but stole two bases. This position bout is going to go down to the wire, but at the moment, Ethier is the apparent favorite.

5) Tony Abreu hopped on an urgent flight to Philadelphia today to meet with Dr. William Meyers. The sports hernia specialist performed surgery on Abreu's abdominal area this past October. The third-baseman may not be ready for Opening Day 2008, which would leave a major gap open at third-base in the Dodgers' organization.

The Dodgers are falling apart, emotionally and physically. Saito, Kent, Garciaparra, LaRoche, and Abreu have already experienced injuries and/or pain. Lets hope that the worst is over, as the Dodgers match-up against the Houston Astros tomorrow at 1.05 PM (EST). Go Dodgers!