The Houston Astros exploded with a 7-6 victory over the Dodgers. Shawn Chacon of the Astros was credited with the win, despite surrendering five runs in three innings on the mound. Unfortunately, this is the Dodgers' third-straight loss.

The Recap:

1) Hiroki Kuroda gave up five runs on six hits in three innings. Tommy Lasorda, who spoke highly of Chad Billingsley earlier in the week, praised Kuroda for throwing "well," and blamed his bad statistical performance on the Dodgers' weak defense. The Dodgers can point the figure around at each other, but in the end they will learn that they are one organization and must lose and win as a team in order to succeed.

2) Mark Sweeney, an ex-Giant, connected for two hits and his second RBI of the Pre-Season during today's game. He will probably serve as a back-up to James Loney during the 2008 Regular Season. Sweeney is a decent back-up and will do a swell job with the Dodgers.

3) Blake DeWitt went three for four with a homerun and three RBIs against the Astros. The promising youngster was called up to the Dodgers as a potential third-baseman, since Andy LaRoche and Nomar Garciaparra fell victim to Pre-Season injuries. I'm glad that the Dodgers gave DeWitt the call, rather than looking into a potential acquisition of Brandon Inge.

4) Scott Proctor pitched one full inning, striking out a batter and giving up a hit. With Torre managing the Dodgers in the 2008 Regular Season, I expect to see Proctor on the mound every other day. Although Proctor's statistics have taken a hit when he is used frequently, I'm optimistic about Proctor's role with the Dodgers in 2008.

5) Clayton Kershaw, known for his miraculous curveball recently against the Red Sox, threw two innings today. The future ace walked two batters and gave up one hit. However, I'm a strong believer that Kershaw will become a future All-Star in Los Angeles. He already took a picture alongside Dodger great, Sandy Koufax. The next time they'll be with each other, hopefully, will be when their plaques are next to each other in the MLB Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

I am planning to make a future post providing an update on Tony Abreu. Thus, the recent news concerning Abreu was not included in 'The Recap.' Also, the Dodgers will play the St. Louis Cardinals tomorrow at 10.05 AM (EST). Then, we will flip our coverage over to China, where the Dodgers will play a two-game series against the San Diego Padres during the weekend. Enjoy!