Tonight won’t exactly be easy.  The Dodgers will throw out their resident fifth starter of the week, Carlos Monasterios, against the two-time defending Cy Young known as “the freak.”  Ironically, it was Tim Lincecum whom the Dodgers last had success against offensively by tagging the right-hander for 5 runs in 4.2 innings, yet we all know that saying about how lightning usually doesn’t strike….well I’ll try not to go there.  If there’s a sliver of hope tonight, it’s that Monasterios threw really well in his last start (5 shutout innings) before succumbing to injury.

Unfortunately, the acquisition of the mighty Scott Podsednik didn’t jump start the offense in his debut as we all expected last night (just wanted to see if you were paying attention).  Whether the Dodgers make another move will be determined in less than 20 hours when the deadline of the baseball trading season arrives.  Don’t expect anything flashy, ladies and gentleman.

In the meantime, let’s hope the team understands the significance of the next several games and plays with a collective sense of urgency.

At least there is a plausible explanation for Billingsley’s last start against the Angels, during which he got rocked to the tune of 7 ER in 5.2 IP. Billingsley will head to the DL with a groin strain. It’s likely that Carlos Monasterios will get the ball in his place.