Juan Pierre is headed to the DL, and fortunately, it's an MCL sprain that will not require surgery. He's on crutches today, but we'll see how he continues to progress. In the meantime, Jason Repko is being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to take his place.

I did notice that there was a comment a few days ago about Davey Lopes and the Dodgers failure to include him in the things we do and I can assure you that is not the case. He was invited to take part in the 70s reunion and unfortunately, he could not attend. As you probably know, he's a coach for the Phillies, which would usually preclude him from doing things in-season but on top of that, he has been out with cancer, too. So, when the Phillies were in town, he was not here with the club.

We've certainly had him out here in the past as part of the record-breaking infield and he'll continue to be invited to all of these sorts of events.

Also, for those who haven't seen it, Ozomatli recorded a version of Take Me Out to the Ballgame as part of the 100th anniversary celebration of the song. Fans can vote on the best version at ESPN.com's Baseball Tonight clubouse, so get behind our hometown band and check out their video. It's pretty cool and they're all decked out in Dodger gear.

Here's today's lineup in Houston...

 Repko, CF

Ethier, RF

Martin, C

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

Young, 2B

DeWitt, 3B

Maza, SS

Stults, P

Were you here? 55,000-plus fans can actually say they were at Dodger Stadium last night for history in the making. Not exactly the type of history we want to be making, but a win is a win, right?

It was just the fifth time in the modern era that a team managed to win a game without the benefit of a hit. As you can imagine, our department was looking up interesting tidbits for quite some time, so I'll post those below.

Now the question for you all is, how many no-hitters have you seen in person? By my count, Vin Scully has seen 20, though I'll have to check with him to see if perhaps he was off doing a game of the week when one of these took place.

Boston's Vern Bickford against the Dodgers in 1950.

Two by Carl Erskine 1952 and 1956.

Don Larsen's World Series perfecto.

Sal Maglie's in 1956.

Four by Koufax.

Bill Singer in 1970.

John Candelaria in 1976 against the Dodgers.

Jerry Reuss in 1980 at Candlestick.

Nolan Ryan for Houston in 1981 against the Dodgers.

Tom Browning's perfect game in 1988 against the Dodgers.

Fernando's on this date in 1990.

Dennis Martinez's perfect game in 1991.

Kevin Gross the next year.

Kent Mercker in 1994.

Ramon Martinez in 1995.

Hideo Nomo in 1996.

Still, even Vin had never seen what we saw last night. As for me, that's only the second I've ever attended, as I was a fan down the right field line at Dodger Stadium for Mercker's 1994 gem. How about all of you?

UPDATE: Just spoke to Vin and he missed Browning's perfect game, but was at Jack Morris' for a game of the week, so we still think it's 20!

Here's today's lineup:

Pierre, LF

Ethier, RF

Martin, C

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

Kemp, CF

DeWitt, 3B

Berroa, SS

Lowe, P

NO-HIT NOTES

Last night's game marked the fifth time since 1900 that a team won a game without the benefit of a hit. The four previous ones:

- April 12, 1992 (first game of a doubleheader) - The Indians beat Boston, 2-1, in Cleveland despite getting no-hit for 8.0 innings by Pasadena-born left-hander Matt Young.

- July 1, 1990 - The White Sox defeat the New York Yankees, 4-0, in Chicago despite facing 8.0 no-hit innings from right-hander Andy Hawkins.

- April 30, 1967 (first game of a doubleheader) - The Tigers defeat the Orioles, 2-1, in Baltimore despite a no-hit effort from Steve Barber (8.2) and Stu Miller (0.1).

- April 23, 1964 - The Reds defeated the Houston Colt 45s, 1-0, in Houston despite 9.0 innings of no-hit ball from Ken Johnson.

The Dodgers were held hitless last night for the first time since April 8, 1994, when Atlanta's Kent Mercker turned the trick in a 6-0 win at Dodger Stadium...the only other time the Dodgers have been held hitless at Dodger Stadium was July 28, 1991, when Dennis Martinez pitched a perfect game for the Montreal Expos.

The game last night marked the 17th time that the Dodgers did not get a hit in a game, which includes Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series. On two occasions, the Dodgers have been held hitless for nine innings, only to notch a hit in extra innings and go on to win the game:

- April 15, 1909 when the New York Giants' Leon Ames made his Major League debut and pitched 9.1 hitless innings but lost the game in the 13th inning, 3-0

- July 26, 1991 when the Montreal Expos' Mark Gardner pitched 9.0 hitless innings but gave up a hit and lost the game in the 10th inning 

There have been 82 players who have played for the Dodgers and Angels in their career and incredibly, six have thrown no-hitters - John Candelaria (8/19/1976), Kevin Gross (8/17.1992), Jerry Reuss (6/27/1980), Bill Singer (7/20/1970), Fernando Valenzuela (6/29/1990), Hoyt Wilhelm (9/20/58).  Though last night's Angel pitcher Jered Weaver does not fit that category, his older brother, Jeff, does.

Today marks the 18th anniversary of Dodger great Fernando Valenzuela's no-hitter against St. Louis at Dodger Stadium.  In silencing the Cardinals, 6-0, on June 29, 1990, the southpaw walked three batters and struck out seven.  On that same Friday night, Dave Stewart, a former Dodger, tossed a no-hitter for Oakland at Toronto.  Speaking of no-hitters, tomorrow marks the 46th anniversary of Sandy Koufax's National League-record fourth no-hitter.  On June 30, 1962, the Hall of Famer recorded 13 strikeouts in no-hitting the New York Mets.

Today's Dodger starter, Derek Lowe, threw a no-hitter on April 27, 2002 for Boston while facing the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Lowe joins Dennis Eckersley as the only two pitchers in Major League history with a 20-win season, a 40-save season and a no-hitter.

Believe it or not, back when Fox used to own the team and I was starting out here full-time, we had a day at Dodger Stadium to launch something called "That 70s Show." It was really one of the first times the Dodgers had tried something so unique - most of the time we just had cap night or baseball night (which was ended after the debacle of '95 when I was an intern).

I never thought in a million years that the show would have an eight-year run on TV or be in syndication around the world, but I guess it just goes to show the love that Americans have for that decade. So, it should come as no surprise that the luncheon we held today for the 70s reunion of Dodger players was an overwhelming success. In fact, so many people came we might have to move the 1980s one to the Stadium Club for more room, but if you're interested in attending that one on Aug. 2, email fanfeedback@ladodgers.com

Three-fourth of the record-setting infield were in attendance today, as were countless others like Tommy Lasorda, Rick Monday, Jerry Reuss, Tom Paciorek, Lee Lacy, Billy Grabarkewitz, Bobby Castillo, Kenny Landreaux, and many more. It's very cool to have a history like that to celebrate and now we just need to start winning in the 2000s so that the kids growing up this decade know what it's like to have a World Championship. Of course, we didn't win any titles in the 1970s, but we were in the Fall Classic three times, which I'd certainly settle for in '08, '09 and 2010.

But, before we start thinking about championships, we have to be able to get to the postseason and beat some of the best teams in baseball and the Angels' record would seemingly put them in that group. Here's tonight's lineup against them, with a pregame ceremony to honor the 70s players, so come on down if you've got no plans yet for tonight.

Pierre, LF

Ethier, RF

Martin, C

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

Kemp, CF

DeWitt, 3B

Berroa, SS

Billingsley

If you're going to be in Vegas next week, be sure to hit up a 51s game. It looks like Furcal, Andruw and possibly Nomar could be playing for Triple-A on Monday throughout much of the week. All three have rehab assignments coming up and hopefully we're getting closer to being at full strength.

Scott Proctor came back from the doctor with an MRI that showed no structural damage, so rest and rehab is what should get him back on the right track. Given that he has pitched in more games than just about anyone else in baseball over the last two years, and he had been pretty good until late, I think this is very positive news. That said, Cory Wade, Hong-Chih Kuo and others have done a solid job in his place.

The lineup for tonight is:

Pierre, LF

Kemp, CF

Martin, C

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

LaRoche, 3B

Young, RF

Berroa, SS

Park, P 

Pierre, LF

Kemp, CF

Martin, C

Loney, 1B

LaRoche, 2B

Young, RF

Berroa, SS

Ardoin, C

Kershaw, P

Had the chance to grab lunch today with my White Sox counterpart, Scott Reifert, who was the one you all have to thank for Inside the Dodgers. He started Inside the White Sox midway through a season and they finished with a World Championship. If only it were that easy! In any event, it's somewhat normal for us to try and get together with our colleagues at other teams when they're in town and this was a very welcome exchange of ideas, especially since we'll be sharing a Spring Training complex with them in years to come.

After lunch, we officially made the move to purchase the contract of Brian Falkenborg and put Scott Proctor on the 15-day DL. Making room for Brian on the 40-man came by putting Gary Bennett on the 60-day DL.

As for tonight's lineup, here it is...

Pierre, LF

Ethier, RF

Kent, 2B

Martin, C

Loney, 1B

Kemp, CF

DeWitt, 3B

Berroa, SS

Stults, P

I got tied up in meetings yesterday afternoon and then I was involved in the salute to Jaime Jarrin, who was honored yesterday for 50 years in the Dodger broadcast booth. It's hard to even fathom that and he quite obviously belongs in any conversation about the most significant people in the history of the Dodgers. He oozes class, he epitomizes dignity and he deserves all the honors that come his way.

In case somehow you missed it, Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times wrote a very nice feature about Jaime and for those of you Spanish speakers, Hoy had a great piece, too, that you can see here: P30_Dodgers.pdf 

Needless to say, it was a very special night for Jaime and if you've never had a chance to hear him, do yourself a favor and tune into 930 AM during a game sometime when you're driving. Even if you don't understand Spanish, you'll understand why he's been so successful at his trade. He's helped me learn the language and he's truly a legend in Los Angeles.

Of course, by the time there was a chance to post a lineup last night, the game was over. That's Mark Buehrle, I guess. But, the Snakes lost again so we're still four games back. Hard to imagine how far ahead we could be if we were playing up to our potential, but the silver lining is that we remain in the race and there's plenty of room for improvement.  

A big thanks to those of you who took the time to share your thoughts on Dodgers Magazine. We'll definitely take the input to heart and hope you will continue to share your thoughts on the things you see that make the fan experience better, both inside and outside Dodger Stadium. There was one comment about how they don't like to buy it at the stadium and in case some of you are unaware, you can purchase it for subscription here so it comes to your home.

I know a lot of you like to follow the minor leagues, too, so take a look at milb.com's new daily minor league update. It looks like these will be updated regularly and are a good way to keep up with what's going on in Vegas, Jacksonville, Inland Empire, Ogden, Great Lakes, etc.

Also, for those of you kids of the 70s, you can meet a bunch of the Dodgers stars from that decade next Saturday at the 70s luncheon we're hosting. Tommy, Cey, Garvey, Russell, Monday and many more will be on hand and you can get autographs from them all, plus Q&A and lots more for $75, which benefits the Dodgers Dream Foundation.

And finally, if you've got kids, bring 'em to the yard on Thursday and they can run the bases on the field after the game as part of a McDonald's promotion we've got going.

That's all I've got for today. It's an off day for the players but we're in the office preparing for the series against the Sox and all that's going on at the stadium.

Ned will be on DodgerTalk postgame today while at the same time, Nomar's Carne Asada Sunday will be taking place on the Loge Level Terrace. Hope you'll all be out here for one thing or another...

In a rush to go set up a photo shoot right now for next month's Dodgers Magazine. As you've hopefully seen, we've had a current player with a Dodger legend each month (Andruw/Duke, Furcal/Wills, Nomar/Garvey/Cey) and July's magazine will feature Fernando and Saito. A very cool theme, I think, but you tell me. Do any of you guys read the magazine and if so, what are your thoughts?

Today's lineup is:

Pierre, LF

Kemp, CF

Loney, 1B

Martin, C

DeWitt, 3B

Ethier, RF

Berroa, SS

Maza, 2B

Billingsley, P

It's the start of summer and if you couldn't tell by the date on the calendar, perhaps the 115-degree on field temperature will confirm that. Even in places with air conditioning, it's warm.

Today's game is on FOX, followed by the Hollywood Stars Game on the field. Kareem Abdul Jabbar is going to give the lineups on TV, so that should be pretty cool.

Before I post the lineup, here's a really cool story about a former Dodger beat writer in the 1950s and 60s who went on to work for the Angels, George Lederer. If you take a few minutes to read it, I guarantee you'll learn something new. I know I did.

Also, for those of you who tuned into DodgerTalk last night, we wound up postponing Ned's appearance because the show didn't start until close to midnight. He's going to do it on another day this homestand, so keep tuning in.

Pierre, LF

Kemp, CF

Kent, 2B

Martin, C

Young, RF

Loney, 1B

LaRoche, 3B

Berroa, SS

Park, P

This morning's visit to Tinseltown was pretty cool and I hope a few of you were able to make it out there. We had tons of current and former Dodger players, coaches, broadcasters and other luminaries and despite the heat, I think it was a pretty special event.

Over at DodgerThoughts, Jon Weisman married his career with his passion, as we worked together to create a special section of Daily Variety that honored the Dodgers for their 50th anniversary in Los Angeles. There are a ton of stories in today's edition, many of which are written by Jon and his DT readers, so be sure to take a look. It's easily the most extensive coverage of the Dodgers' Hollywood history as I've ever seen and arguably the best that exists.

I'm a day late, but congrats go out to former Dodger coach Jim Riggleman, who is now the manager of the Mariners. While I'm sure he isn't happy with the way it came to be, I know that he had always wanted to manage again and that's mainly why he left here as Jim Tracy's bench coach. Riggs is a solid person and a longtime baseball veteran and it's nice to see good things happen to good people.

As a reminder, Ned Colletti will take some calls tonight on DodgerTalk on KABC 790 after the game, so tune in to the show with Ken Levine and Josh Suchon.

Lineup to be posted shortly...once it's up in the clubhouse (Troncoso is here, by the way, in place of Hiroki).

UPDATE: TONIGHT'S LINEUP

 Pierre, LF

Kemp, CF

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

LaRoche, 3B

Ethier, RF

Berroa, SS

Ardoin, C

Kershaw, P

Not really, but tomorrow (Friday) you can be a part of one.

It's going to be a very cool turnout tomorrow when the Dodgers get their award of excellence star on Hollywood Blvd. Vin Scully, Tommy Lasorda, Joe Torre, Fernando Valenzuela, Russell Martin...those are just five of the Dodger luminaries who will be on hand for this first-ever event.

It's open to the public, so stop by wearing your blue. It will be at 6801 Hollywood Blvd. (the corner of Hollywood and Highland) and the best parking is at the property at Highland and Johnny Grant Way (the entrance to Hollywood and Highland).

We hope you'll all be there...and if you can't be, you can watch it live on FSN Prime Ticket, starting at 11 a.m. PT.

Also, tomorrow night on DodgerTalk following the game, Ned Colletti will be taking calls from the fans to answer your questions. The game is cap night and then afterward, Ned will head to the studio here at the stadium with Ken Levine and Josh Suchon on KABC 790.

I tried posting from home this morning but apparently it didn't register...

First off, regarding the Dodger Stadium tour by Andre Ethier, it did air late last season during a pregame show on FSN, but I'll see what I can do about getting a copy of the feature and posting it here. I'm not sure I'm that technologically skilled yet, but I'll give it a shot.

Also, there have been some questions about Carne Asada Sunday and obviously with Nomar's rehab assignment up in the air, we're still hoping that the event will take place this Sunday as planned. However, if he is ready to play, there's a chance he won't be in town and we'd have to reschedule, but rest assured, anyone who signed up will be taken care of one way or another. As soon as we have an update, we'll keep you all posted and thanks for your understanding.

Here's the lineup going for a sweep in Cincy (it's 1-0 in the bottom of the first)

Pierre, LF

DeWitt, 3B

Kent, 2B

Martin, C

Loney, 1B

Kemp, CF

Ethier, RF

Berroa, SS

Stults, P (one of two Indiana natives on the pitching staff, along with Cory Wade, who was featured today in the Indianapolis Star).

Here's a heads up for those of you with DirecTV:

Beginning today, DirecTV is changing the FSN Prime Ticket and FSN West channel numbers. FSN Prime ticket will move from 653 to 694 and FSN West will be switched from 652 to 692. The change is only applicable to DirecTV customers and does not affect any other satellite or cable operators.

Meanwhile, here's an interesting note from today's daily notes...

On this date in 1972, Dodger broadcaster Jerry Reuss had one of his most memorable performances in the big leagues. Pitching for the Houston Astros, Reuss took a no-hitter (allowed four walks) into the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies, only to see Dodger third base coach Larry Bowa lead off the frame with a double. The left-hander quickly recovered, stranding Bowa on the bases by striking out Roger Freed and Greg Luzinski for his fifth career shutout. Reuss would go on to fire a no-hitter for the Dodgers on June 27, 1980.

Here's tonight's lineup...Charley Steiner called a little bit ago and pointed out that incredibly, we were in Cincinnati almost two months ago and at the time, we were six games out of first place. We're three games under .500 since then and we're closer to first than we were then. Wow. 

Pierre, LF

DeWitt, 3B

Kent, 2B

Martin, C

Loney, 1B

Kemp, CF

Ethier, RF

Berroa, SS

Lowe, P

As a reminder, there's a live chat today at 2 p.m. PT with Logan, De Jon and Tim Hallgren.

Also, a great write-up on Sons of Steve Garvey about the Father's Day Catch for those who didn't get a chance to make it out here. "Orel" is right, this is one of those events that can't be ruined by a losing streak...if you haven't had the chance to make it down here for this over the last five years, make sure you do soon. And while I appreciate the kudos, I can't take credit for this event...there are a ton of hard-working people in the front office who put this together for the fans and they deserve it far more than me. In fact, I didn't even make it down this year, as my daughter can't quite throw yet.

Meanwhile, team travel manager Scott Akasaki checks in with a blog posting from Cincy on a well-deserved day off...

"The Basic Agreement calls for 162 regular season games in a period of 180 days.  Simple mathematics tells us that there are not a lot of "off days" during the regular season.  If there is an off day, it is usually spent traveling to the next city, like we did on April 3rd, April 17th, April 28th, May 12th, and June 9th.  A home off day is truly special (and perhaps even sacred) while a road off day comes every now and again.  I do not know about the other members of our traveling party but when I am at home, I try to use the off day and spend it with loved ones - I may even do home repairs and self maintenance stuff like regular doctor's appointments or a visit to the dentist. 

On the road, like we had here in Cincinnati, I took the chance to catch up (and get ahead) on some work, do some running, and go out for a nice dinner.  I heard that other players and staff were going to use the off day to play golf or shop.  Some probably went to catch a movie but no matter what everyone ended up doing, we all probably wanted to catch a break from the daily routine of our baseball lives.  The baseball season is long and I am of the opinion that we all need a mental break from the game to recharge.  While the rest of the world may have two days off every week, those who are with the team on a daily basis have 18 days off in 180 days.  Let's hope that our team had a good off day and that we follow up with some wins here in Cincinnati."

UPDATE: Today's lineup:

Pierre, LF

DeWitt, 3B

Kent, 2B

Martin, C

Loney, 1B

Kemp, CF

Ethier, RF

Berroa, SS

Billingsley, P

A few of you have asked about updates on which guys have signed and information about our new draftees and minor league prospects.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) you can ask the men who are in charge of this area, as Logan White, De Jon Watson and Tim Hallgren are hosting a live web chat at dodgers.com.

They are all around the country, so they'll be calling into the offices to take your questions and answer them online.

As for medical updates, Nomar is heading to Vegas tomorrow to start his rehab assignment. Penny's MRI showed no structural damage but did show some tendonitis, so we'll have to see where we go from there. We should have a better prognosis tomorrow.

Let's hope the day off in Cincinnati got the team back on track...

By now, you probably already have the lineups as the game is scoreless in the early innings and the skies have opened up over Detroit.

To all the dads out there, including my own and all the dads in the Dodger organization, thanks for everything you do for your children. I hope that some of you will enjoy the sunshine here in Southern California and go have a catch at Dodger Stadium anytime until 2 p.m. today. If not, enjoy the day with your family...

I went to bed last night thinking that I'd be able to come up with some poignant way to capture the Vin Scully/John Wooden event last night and woke up no more able than the night before. Jon Weisman, on the other hand, recapped it great and shares many thoughts, nearly all of which I agree wholeheartedly, so rather than try and re-write it, I'll just direct you there.

It's been far too long since the Dodgers scored...what more can be said on that front? Here's the group that will try to push some runs across the board this afternoon in the Motor City.

Pierre, LF

DeWitt, 3B

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

Martin, C

Ethier, RF

Kemp, CF

Young, DH

Berroa, SS

Penny, P 

Wow...you take one day off and look what happens!

Actually, it wasn't so much a day off as it was a departmental team building event, as we all went down to the game yesterday in San Diego. Certainly not a fun game to watch, so we'll put that behind us. This morning I was at a news conference to announce the launch of the new billboards that the Boy Scouts are putting out around Los Angeles. It's a very cool campaign so those of you in Los Angeles, be on the lookout for these.

As for what's written on the comments of the blog...I do keep track of the overall themes and pass them along to the powers-that-be when they're constructive. There's obviously a huge difference between constructive feedback and some of the other things we see on here every day and I know that you are all smart enough to recognize the difference.

For those not in the greater Michigan area, I hope you'll get to TIVO the Vin Scully/John Wooden event at the Nokia Theatre if you're not already planning to go. If you are, I'll hopefully see you there, but it's going to be an extremely special once-in-a-lifetime event.

Here's tonight's lineup in Detroit...

Pierre, CF

Young, LF

Ethier, RF

Kent, 2B

Martin, C

Loney, 1B

LaRoche, 3B

Sweeney, DH

Berroa, SS

Lowe, P

It won't be long before Dodger Stadium catches on and starts chanting Blake De-Witt like they chanted Chin-lung Hu or Hee-Seop Choi...he's a natural. And the whole country is figuring it out, as he was named the Gillette Rookie of the Month today. Congrats to Blake and the Dodgers Dream Foundation, which will get a $5,000 check in Blake's name.

The DDF will also be the beneficiary of the auctions currently running on dodgers.com where you can purchase a chance to be a co-captain of one of the Hollywood Stars teams next Saturday. Or perhaps read the lineups or take the field with the celebs. It's all for a good cause, so check it out.

As for the comment about acupuncture for Rafael Furcal, I don't know if we've tried that but I can tell you that we do have a certified acupuncturist in the training room, Ichiro Tani, and he's worked with a number of our players over the last several years. That said, I'm sure the option has been explored.

Here's tonight's lineup:

Pierre, LF

Young, RF

Kent, 2B

Martin, C

Kemp, CF

LaRoche, 1B

DeWitt, 3B

Berroa, SS

Billingsley, P

Andre has posted his first restaurant review over at Dining with 'Dre so be sure to check it out. There should be links off the home page of dodgers.com, too.

Meanwhile, for a truly inspirational story, take a look at this young man in Kentucky. The video is well worth watching.

And here's a good read on Cory Wade, who also has ties to Kentucky (Kentucky Wesleyan is where he went to school). Cory hasn't received much ink this year but has been incredibly conistent out of the 'pen.

Lineups will be posted here later in the day.

UPDATE:

Pierre, LF

Ethier, RF

Kent, 2B

Martin, C

Loney, 1B

Kemp, CF

DeWitt, 3B

Berroa, SS

Kershaw, P

Check out this funny story about a good friend of mine from college, Phil Elson, who just so happens to be the play-by-play announcer for the Arkansas Travelers. Of course, it begs the question of your most memorable foul ball catch, so post 'em here.

I've attended more than 1,200 games over the last 13 years or so and I've only caught three or maybe four. But the most memorable one came in 2001, when I was covering the Dodgers for MLB.com and was interviewing Tommy Lasorda in the stands at Dodgertown for a story about the famed Spring Training site. As we were talking, a shot comes flying towards us and I literally threw my hand out in front of Tommy and snared it, thus receiving a big round of applause from everyone around us. Hard to forget something like that, as you might imagine.

Anyway, back to tonight's game, we're going for three out of four tonight against the team with the best record in baseball. Here who will be getting after it...

Pierre, LF

Ethier, RF

Kent, 2B

Martin, C

Loney, 1B

Kemp, CF

DeWitt, 3B

Berroa, SS

Penny, P

Today's game is a regional telecast on FOX so hopefully you'll be either here or watching on TV.

Last night's victory was just what the doctor ordered and the stadium was hopping. Sure, a lot of them are transplanted Cub fans, but that made it even more exciting to see what Kuroda could do.

We are designating Terry Tiffee for assignment this morning and Angel Berroa will be here shortly, if he hasn't already arrived. Joe Torre said he'd be starting tomorrow. Adding a Dominican named "Angel" made me think of Angel Pena, the former catching prospect, who I believe still plays winter ball down there and does pretty well. That's not really relevant to anything, but just throwing it out there.

While Berroa will start tomorrow at shortstop, Jason Schmidt will not be starting for the 51s,  as he's had a little tightness in his shoulder so he'll take a few more days off before heading to Vegas.

Meanwhile, Jeff Kent was supposed to get today off, but he gave himself last night off when he went off on the umpire, so he's in there today. Here's the lineup:

Pierre, LF

Ethier, RF

Kent, 2B

Martin, C

Loney, 1B

Kemp, CF

DeWitt, 3B

Hu, SS

Lowe, P

It's been quite a day, starting with the early morning taping of Chef Jeff, which was attended by Andre Ethier, Sweet Lou Johnson and Tommy Davis. Once we know details of when it will air, we'll pass them along.

By 10:30, we were on the road to the Union Rescue Mission, where Andre wanted to spend some time volunteering to help feed the homeless. They had a rooftop barbecue with a view of the downtown skyline that rivals that of the Standard Hotel. Of course, served at the BBQ was Dodger Dogs, many of which were grilled up by Mr. Ethier himself.  A photo gallery should be on the front of the site relatively soon.

This was all part of his personal community initiative that kicked off today, as did the launch of his new blog, Dining with 'Dre. I know he had intended to post his first real entry today, but some technical difficulties have us backlogged by a day or so. Let's just say that he's been typing the whole thing out on his phone, so we're getting there. Still, you can check out the site and see what will be coming - a review of Shabu Hachi in Los Angeles.  

Back at the ballpark, we've made a trade for former AL ROY Angel Berroa for minor leaguer Juan Rivera. Berroa is not currently on the 25-man roster or 40-man roster, but seems like a nice reinforcement up the middle until Raffy gets healthy, provided he does make it to the big leagues with us.

Speaking of Raffy, Joe Torre said he feels better in general and will come with the team to SD, then likely go on rehab after that series for three or four games. Jason Schmidt will be pitching for Vegas this Sunday.

Meanwhile, when we were at the shelter earlier today, we ran into a choir of kids who are in town from Georgia, if I remember correctly, and I told them they could come see Andre play tonight. Turns out, I was wrong, as he's not in the lineup in favor of DY against the southpaw. My bad. Russell is out, too, as Joe would prefer not to have both him and Jeff out of the lineup on the same day and Jeff will be out tomorrow in the day game after tonight's night game.

Here's the lineup:

Pierre, LF

Young, RF

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

Kemp, CF

DeWitt, 3B

Ardoin, C

Hu, SS

Kuroda, P

P.S. There is an insane amount of media here right now because we have about seven sumo wrestlers taking part in pregame ceremonies, including one who will throw out the first pitch. Combine that with Saito, Kuroda pitching and Fukudome and we've got quite the contingent of Japanese media on site.

The second round is getting started now that the pomp and circumstance of Round 1 and the compensation round has come and gone. I'm hoping to get Logan White and De Jon Watson in a combo chat to talk to you all at some point, so stay tuned on that front.

For those of you who would like the chance to meet James Loney and Andruw Jones, you can do so tomorrow at the Macy's in Sherman Oaks from 1-2 p.m. They will be signing autographs as part of a Father's Day promotion, and anyone who purchases $50 or more on Fossil merchandise in the men's department will get a special baseball to get autographed by both players.

Meanwhile, speaking of cool experiences, for any of you who missed Nomar Garciaparra's Carne Asada Sundays last year, he's hosting another one on June 22 of this month and it's a chance to get an autographed photo of him, go to the game against the Indians, get a nice dinner and hang out with Nomar. If you're interested, call 323.224.1435, as there aren't very many spots left (the whole thing is limited to 250 people).

In other news, Matt Kemp was suspended today for four games, but he has appealed it and is in tonight's lineup, which is:

Pierre, LF

Kemp, CF

Ethier, RF

Kent, 2B

Martin, C

Loney, 1B

DeWitt, 3B

Hu, SS

Billingsley, P

With our first round pick, the Dodgers took right-handed pitcher Ethan Martin...who not only had nearly two strikeouts an inning and a 0.99 ERA in high school, but he hit over .500 as a third baseman. If you like that sort of thing...

if you want to watch while they go off the board, check out the live draft caster.

More on draft day to follow later in the day.

Interesting game last night...certainly not enough offense but obviously there was a little fracas in the eighth as frustration boiled over from Matt. He certainly sounded remorseful after the fact, as that's never the way you want things to turn out, but in this case, it obviously happened and we'll have to await word from the league office on the ramifications.

There are plenty of people who are of the school of thought that a fight of this nature can often create team unity and get the team fired up. I know that in 2002, Jeff Kent credited his dugout dust-up with Barry Bonds as the turning point in the season that saw them eventually reach the World Series.

Who knows if it's a real effect or a perceived one or how it will affect the team today and down the road, but it's certainly made for good fodder on DodgerTalk, message boards and this blog. In any event, here's today's lineup for the afternoon matinee. 

Pierre LF

Kemp CF

Ethier RF

Martin C

Loney 1B

DeWitt 3B

Maza 2B

Hu SS

Kershaw LHP

You'll all be happy to know that we had a brainstorming lunch today where everyone was coming up with ideas for creative merchandise that fans might like. Several years ago, we had the Gagne "Game Over" shirts with the fuzzy goatee and it was that sort of thing that we were seeking.

So, while we had tons of good ideas, hopefully many of which we'll be able to implement down the road, I thought it was funny that someone threw out the idea of a shirt that said, "My Loney Has a First Name," and then talked about how you guys had come up with a whole song for it. It remains to be seen if that shirt makes the cut, but if you've got interesting ideas on what kind of merchandise you'd buy, we're all ears.

Beimel had tons of questions from you guys today and I think we answered at least one from everyone who asked, which was a lot of questions. I know that last year there were questions about not answering the "good" questions, so hopefully we got to yours, even if it was a "tough" one. 

A nice win last night with Russ out of the lineup. Time to start a streak, if you ask me.  

Pierre, LF

Kemp, CF

Kent, 2B

Martin, C

Loney, 1B

Young, RF

DeWitt, 3B

Hu, SS

Penny, P

I'm sure that there will be plenty said about what time the team arrived home in Los Angeles so for the record, I think we touched down at 4:30 a.m. But, I think there's only one person who gets to say they're tired in the world today and that's this guy.

He left his house on foot this morning at 7 a.m. in Granada Hills and arrived here at Dodger Stadium at about 4 p.m. Why, you might ask? To help raise money for Mattel Children's Hospital, where his kid has received treatment for autism.

So, here's to Gary Wolber for putting things into perspective for today, at least for me. And here's to starting off the homestand with a victory...we definitely need one.

Pierre, LF

Kemp, CF

Ethier, RF

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

DeWitt, 3B

Ardoin, C

Hu, SS

Lowe, P

P.S. Don't forget about Joe Beimel chatting online with you guys tomorrow at 2 p.m. PT

We could really use a win in the finale tonight, which will be on ESPN. I read somewhere today that we only play one team that's above .500 before June 24 and that's a rematch with the Cubs at home. This would certainly be a good time to go on a little run.

We'll get in about 4 a.m., I'd imagine, but get right back after it tomorrow night when the homestand starts, so hopefully some of you will make it out for a game. Or, at the very least, you'll be online Tuesday to chat with Joe Beimel at 2 p.m.

Here's the lineup for tonight...DY gets a rare start against Johan Santana, the fifth time we've faced a former Cy Young Award winner this year.

Pierre, LF

Kemp, CF

Kent, 2B

Loney, 1B

Martin, C

Young, RF

DeWitt, 3B

Maza, SS

Kuroda, P