If yesterday’s first at-bat is any indication, Gonzalez is going to be a huge addition for the heart of this order down the stretch. If Victorino-Ellis-Kemp-Ethier-Ramirez wasn’t enough to make those opposing pitchers’ white pants go brown, this new lineup certainly will.

We know Gonzalez is here to hit cleanup. The 3-4 spots are clear cut with him and Kemp. But that leaves two premier hitters haggling over that coveted 5th spot in the order, where RBI are out there for the taking.

Andre Ethier and Hanley Ramirez have playEd Huge roles for this team in their own way so far. It’s hard to fathom moving Ethier out of the six-hole after his second consecutive 4-for-4 game there yesterday. And I actually really liked Luis Cruiz hitting in the 2-hole.

But if you are Don Mattingly, don’t you want two of your four sluggers to have a guaranteed at-bat in the first inning, in order to get the game off on the right foot?

Personally, I’d prefer to see a lineup that looks like this:

1. Victorino, LF

2. Ramirez, SS

3. Kemp, CF

4. Gonzalez, 1B

5. Ethier, RF

6. Cruz, 3B

7. M. Ellis, 2B

8. A. Ellis, C

9. Kershaw, SP

But then you worry about a few things – what happens when a righty is on the mound. It’s not a huge deal, but it would be nice to have the lefty-righty-lefty-righty order in those four spots. Of course that would require swapping Ramirez and Ethier in that proposed lineup above, limiting the speed you have after Victorino.

Do you consider hitting Ramirez leadoff, Ethier second to get all four sluggers more at-bats? Move Victorino down to 5th or 6th? He’s hit there before.

Cruz has shown he can pretty much hit anywhere in the lineup, A.J. Ellis thrives toward the bottom, and Mark Ellis has seemed to do well in the two-hole in front of Kemp.

I love how many options Mattingly has to play with in the lineup these days. No matter what, an opposing pitcher has to face at least five veteran, powerful hitters in the first two innings. Life is good in Los Angeles, but Mattingly’s job of balancing his star power just became more difficult.

How do YOU think the order should be arranged? Comment below and tell us!

You can follow Jeremy on Twitter @Jamblinman.

“Holy CENSORED!” That was my reaction upon seeing this tweet earlier today about San Francisco Giants’ left-fielder Melky Cabrera being suspended for the remainder of the regular season (plus five games) for testing positive for testosterone.

“Holy mother CENSORED!” That was my reaction upon hearing that Cabrera had straight up admitted to taking a banned substance and would not appeal the suspension.

“SWEET SON OF A CENSOREDCENSOREDCENSORED!” That was my reaction upon realizing that the Giants’ most consistent offensive weapon was no longer in the lineup. And wouldn’t be, for the rest of the 2012 regular season.

We see you, Giants. We see you.

I am, after all, a loyal Dodger fan. So does Melky’s suspension mean the Dodgers are now toast of the NL West? Top of the class? Cream of the crop? Any other cliche to indicate superiority in a division?

In the context of pure talent and postseason possibilities, yes. The Dodgers are now the odds-on favorites to win the division and advance to the playoffs. That being said, I’m nowhere near comfortable “handing the division to the Dodgers,” as many fans seem to want to do (dejected Giants fans included).

First of all, the Giants are still a very solid team. They have a ridiculously good starting rotation, and if Tim Lincecum ever clicks into gear, it spells real trouble. With Buster Posey playing out of his mind since the All-Star Break, consistent production from Pablo Sandoval when healthy, and scary potential and experience in Hunter Pence, there is still a solid 3-4-5 in the lineup.

Those three back-to-back-to-back don’t quite instill the fear that a Dodger threesome of Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Hanley Ramirez do, but it’s not as big a difference as you might think.

Anyway, the point is that the Giants are nowhere near finished. Even if the Dodgers start to pull away in the West, the Giants could keep a stranglehold on one of the two Wild Card spots and sneak in to the one-game playoff.

Do you really want to face Matt Cain, Ryan Vogelsong and Madison Bumgarner twice each in a best-of-7 game series?

Let’s just leave it at this – the 2012 version of the Giants, even without Cabrera, is undeniably more talented than their 2010 roster. And we all know what a good hot streak and a couple bad pitches from Roy Halladay led to that year.

Don’t get me wrong. In no way am I defending Cabrera or his team. I fully expect the Dodgers to take the rivalry by the throat and choke their way to a division crown. I just don’t want anyone getting complacent.

If all indications are true, Don Mattingly would never let that happen. But you never know. Crazier things have happened.

Amid all the drama today, the Dodgers have a golden opportunity. The Giants are down right now after losing their best all-around hitter and two of three games at home to the Washington Nationals. Leg, operate. A swift kick to the stomach is what we need to inflict upon our fallen rivals. 

Now is the time to stick it to the Giants and the rest of the West and pull away. Cabrera’s selfishness has given our Dodgers the chance of a lifetime to make a mockery of this division race. Winning the first three (not to mention five of the first six on the road trip overall) games in Pittsburgh is a great place to stop.

But as @NotHawk tweets whenever the White Sox begin to score runs,”DON’T STOP NOW, BOYS!”

Don’t stop. Take advantage of the situation. Cabrera’s positive test means the door has been kicked open for your newly minted (again) NL West leaders.

Time to charge through that door and create a little mayhem.

You can follow Jeremy on Twitter @Jamblinman.