the dodgers have a closer problem. I suspected that saito wasn't 100% after being on the DL for a month with a partially torn ligament in his pitching elbow*. his september ERA is 4.76 and his WHIP is 1.8, which are about twice his career numbers. I suppose it could be rust, but he has struggled mightily since his return to the lineup. last night's game should have ended 10-1, but saito couldn't get an out in the ninth, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, all very hard hit balls. broxton came in with a man on second and was saved from giving up a run and allowing the thing to get a little complicated when berroa speared a screaming line drive that was headed for the gap in right center. the moral of this story is that the 8th and 9th innings are going to be very stressful in a close game.
on the upside, having furcal back in the lineup and hitting in the leadoff spot has transformed the dodgers batting order almost as dramatically as having ramirez hitting 3rd. okay, that is an exaggeration, but the alternative, angel berroa, is 3 semi-automatic outs per game.
I'm not sure what to expect saturday night. the dodgers haven't faced harden this season, although kuroda has been effective against the cubs in the two games that he started against them. and the dodgers are running out of freakish ways (7 walks wednesday night, 4 errors and 5 unearned runs last night) of beating chicago.
*initial reports were that he may require tommy john surgery, in which case he would have been done for this season and next season. but he underwent some sort of new cutting edge procedure that involved injecting concentrated platelets into his elbow, and made a miraculous recovery.