The team currently ranks 14th in all of baseball with a .259 average, and 26th in home runs with 84. The offense has not been up to par, especially considering the quick starts experienced by both Andre Either and Matt Kemp. Either, who was off to a blazing start, has come down to Earth a bit. Entering Friday, Either has a .300/.364/.509 line along with 16 home runs and 68 RBIs. And while those numbers are still impressive, the Dodgers as a team, have been extremely inconsistent both offensively and defensively this season. The Dodgers’ pitching staff hasn’t been anything special this season, and currently ranks 16th in ERA (4.06). Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw have performed decent this season, but the Dodgers have not gotten the most out of their two young stars. Unfortunately for LA, San Diego’s pitching staff has been much more consistent, which is the main reason why the friars lead the NL West. Despite lacking a powerful or even remotely terrifying offensive attack, the Padres’ 3.16 team ERA (best in baseball) is indicative of what kind of team they are. They’ve built their team around their pitching, and they’ve managed to get by with two or three runs a game.

The Dodgers, well, they’re a different story. In fact, it may be too late for the Dodgers. What figured to be at least a three team race between the Dodgers, Rockies and Giants during the offseason, has become a one-team show featuring the Padres. If the Dodgers are to make any noise for the remainder of the season, they’ll have to be a little more consistent on both offense and defense.

The Dodgers hope to have Furcal back by next Tuesday in Philly. (Photo: Courtesy of Yardbarker.com)

With yet another crucial game against the Padres on Thursday, the Dodgers need to play their best baseball if they wish to close the seven game gap that separates them from first-place. Despite winning two in row, the Dodgers still have a lot of ground to make up. Entering Thursday, the Dodgers are in fourth place in the NL West, and find themselves in quite a hole. San Francisco, and Colorado have been playing well lately, and both are chasing San Diego.

Adding Ted Lilly was a great move for the pitching staff, however, the team’s overall depth and health remains in question. Rafael Furcal, who leads the team in batting average (.316), received an MRI on his back on Tuesday. And while it came back negative, the team does not expect to have Furcal back until Tuesday in Philadelphia. The season has been an improvement for Furcal, who hit .269/.335/.375 with 9 homers and 47 RBIs last season. Furcal is currently hitting .316/.380/.492 with 8 homers and 39 RBIs.

Also dealing with health issues is Russell Martin, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday. Martin, who had been hitting just .248/.347/.332 with 5 homers and 26 RBIs, is out with a hip injury. The Dodgers have not seen a lot of production out of Martin this season, as they have in the past. Russell’s best season came back in 2007, when he belted 19 homers and drove in 87 runs. Since then, he’s failed to live up to that type of success.

Manny Ramirez, who is currently on the 15-day disabled list, is still at least a week away from playing in any minor-league rehab games. Ramirez had been mentioned in several trade rumors last week, but is still with LA. At 38, the slugger has said that playing as a DH would be ideal for his body, but right now he’s a Dodger. There’s always a chance, though, Ramirez could slip through waivers…