Kershaw goes for 17th win, as Ethier returns to lineup for Dodgers

Dodgers Lineup
Sellers6
Loney3
Kemp8
Rivera7
Ethier9
Miles5
Barajas2
Carroll4
Kershaw1


Matt Latos-6-12 vs. Clayton Kershaw-16-5



Andre Ethier returns to the Dodgers starting lineup, and Clayton Kershaw goes for his 17th win tonight, as the Dodgers face off against San Diego in the first game of a three game series.

the Ethier story has died down a bit, apparently Ethier had met with Mattingly and Colletti to discuss whats going on and his injuries. from reading reports his knee is pretty messed up and causing some issues with his Swing mechanics, however I guess its not bad enough where he needs to be Disabled. besides everyone knows what a competitor Ethier is. he wants to be playing, and he's still has had a solid year compared to the average player, but of coarse for Ethier standards he's having a poor year. normally Ethier hits 20-25 home runs, with 100 RBI,  with a .300 avg, and a solid OBP. I think we should give Ethier the benefit of the doubt. Im sure he was misquoted or misrepresented in the story. I think its really lame how all the fans, and bloggers who were praising him just a year or two ago, when he was cranking out the walk-offs, oh and just because someone makes a couple of comments out of frustration, doesn't automatically mean they want to go play in Boston. oh and BTW if your wondering, the Red Sox already have a bunch of all-star outfielders. they already have Carl Crawford, and Jacoby Ellsbury, plus a very talented 24 year old right fielder named Josh Reddick. Their outfield is crowded. so lets stop the Ethier bashing shall we? I'm sure all those Ethier bashers will be singing his praise once he starts hitting again, and he will hit. I mean come on he's Andre Ethier!

the pitching match ups has Right hander Matt Latos on the mound for San Diego. Latos is kind o f like the Kuroda of the Padres. Latos continues to pitch very well, but the Padres just don't score him any runs. Latos has pitched five consecutive quality starts, and only allowed two earned runs in his last start and got a no-decision because San Diego couldn't score any runs for him. he's pitched well against the Dodgers with a 2.45 ERA, but the hard luck lagos still has nothing to show for it with a 1-5 record. only one Dodger has consistently hit him well. who is this Dodger? you guessed it......Loney. James is hitting .364 in 11 at bats with a home run off of Latos. Latos is 6-12 against the league with a 3.74 ERA

the Dodgers will counter with Ace lefty Clayton Kershaw. Kersh continues his Cy Young type Season. Kershaw is 16-5 with a 2.51 ERA. ranking second in wins, and third in ERA. he also leads the league in strikeouts with 207. if he wins his 17th tonight, he will tie Ian Kennedy for the league lead in wins. Kershaw has always killed San Diego. last time out he shut them out. he is 5-3 lifetime against the Padres, with a 2.48 ERA and 56 strikeouts. this should be a fun night!

lets put this Ethier story behind us and enjoy the game. If Kershaw can win his 17th, hell be closer to that 20 win mark, and a Cy Young award. Can kersh win 20? will Kemp get to 40/40? can the Dodgers win 18 more games to finish the season with a non-losing record? which rookies will the Dodgers look at in september? these are the questions that will be answered next month, as we approach the end of the 2011 season. so stick with us Dodger fans! well get all those questions answered. its going to be a wild ride!

game time tonight is at 710 on Prime Ticket. Go Kersh and Dre! and GO BLUE!