The past week has been pretty tough to go through. Being my second year, it was quite an experience. Getting so close, and watching it just slip from your fingers. You got to give Colorado their credit, they got the big hits when they were needed. Matt Holliday had an unbelieveble series, and the rest of their team as well.

We are still going to finish out the season strong, and play the game right. We're going to go out and try to win every series we can that we have left. Just like you try to do every week.

My last outing went against my normal routine, even though it was a really successful one. On Tuesday, I threw a 30 pitch bullpen, and was notified that night that I was going to pitch on Wednesday because Derek Lowe had hurt his hand playing catch. Normally I have 2 days rest before I pitch, but having thrown the day before I wasn't as fresh for the game as I should have been. This late in the season, during the playoff run, there's going to be times when I have to pitch on short notice and without a lot of rest.

It has been crucial for the team to have two winning series this past homestand, and we have done it. We took 2 out of 3 against the Padres, and have won both games against the Diamondbacks with one remaining tomorrow. We have really gained a lot of ground in the playoff race. Hopefully we can take tomorrow against the Diamondbacks, and have a strong series in Colorodo.

Sorry I haven't posted the pictures but I'll try to have them up by Tuesday.

It was a tough series against the Giants. As any Dodger fan knows, any time you play the Giants, you know it will be a good battle. Especially being this late in the season, and with us being in the playoff race, you know they'll be wanting to spoil our chances.

This homestand will be huge for us, against the Padres and Diamondbacks. We are at the point where we will have to win, if not, sweep these series, and hopefully get us on a winning streak.

A lot of people know about teams hazing their rookies and younger players. The vets had us do a little costume party after we finished the Chicago series. I was Robin Hood...no tights...got lucky. Other guys had it way worse, like Snow White, Popeye, a barely dressed fat woman, and others. When we got to San Fran. that night, the bus dropped us off about 6 blocks from the hotel, so we could show off our lovely outfits. It was quite entertaining. I'll work on getting some photos for all to see.

Hey Yardbarkers,

This is my second year in the Majors and I have already noticed that nothing is going to be easy any time we play the Padres. First two games of the series were tough losses for us. On Sunday, it was just one of those days where you have everything working. I was able to get ahead hitters and put guys away when I needed to. It was a big win for us, we had some great defensive plays, and had some clutch hitting from Andre Ethier and James Loney.



We started yesterday in Chicago with a big win against the Cubs. Loaiza really stepped up big and pitched a great game, and the offense did a great job of producing some runs. That's what we need to make a push for the playoffs.

Hey Yardbarkers,

It feels good to finally have this blog up and running. I would have started a few days ago, but I haven't been able to get to my computer. I just bought a house in Arizona, where I'm at now, and there was a flood in the room where I usually keep the computer. They had to knock down two walls and replace the carpet in the downstairs rooms of my new house to fix everything. But everthing's back to normal now. It's all good.

I've been involved in sports since I was a kid. Every time I watched a game, I 'd imagine what it would be like to actually talk to Nolan Ryan or Greg Maddux. Those are the guys I idolized growing up. That's what I want to do here. I just want to have fun with the fans and talk about my experiences.

I was drafted out of high school in 2003 and I've spent the last few years climbing through the minors, trying to realize my dream of playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's been tough at times. I started out the year in the bullpen, which was a real big change for me. I've never really done that before. You have to make adjustments and be prepared to pitch every day. As a starter, you have four days in between appearances. In the pen, you really have to keep your arm healthy because you could be called on to pitch back to back days. Now, I'm in the rotation. That's where I want to stay for the rest of my career.

Today's an off day and tomorrow we start a three game set with the Padres. My next start is Sunday. It's a big series for us. Hopefully, we can come away with a few big wins down in San Diego.