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…

Will the Dodgers land Roy Oswalt? (Photo: Courtesy of Yardbarker.com)

With the trade deadline right around the corner, the Dodgers still remain idle spectators to everyone else in the league. The question of will they or won’t they make a deal this season is driving most fans crazy right now, especially since the team could certainly benefit from the services of let’s say, Roy Oswalt. The Astros’ asking price of Oswalt, which is deemed as an arm and a leg, could be too expensive for the Dodgers. Still, the front office should be doing everything within their power(s) to make this team better for a run at the post-season.

At 53-46, the Dodgers currently sit in the third-spot of the NL West, and trail first-place San Diego by six games. On Tuesday, the Dodgers enter a series against the Padres, and must make the most out of the series. In fact, the Dodgers play the Padres a whopping seven times in the next ten games. So, if the Dodgers play well against the Padres, as they have all season, they could close the gap between themselves and San Diego.

On the year, the Dodgers are 4-1 against San Diego. The Dodgers hope that Chad Billingsley (8-5, 4.22 ERA) can counter San Diego’s Jon Garland (9-6, 3.61 ERA). The Dodgers’ offense, which is without Manny Ramirez, will have to help the team keep its recent hot-streak alive. Winners of four out of their last five, the Dodgers will need their offense, which is 8th in the MLB with a .263 average, to keep on scoring runs. Andre Either, Matt Kemp and James Loney are among the Dodgers’ best hitters, and will need to get things done without Manny in the lineup.

The question of will they or won’t they make a big trade in order to help alleviate some of the pressure will continue to be a frustrating question up until the deadline. Until then, however, there’s no question that this upcoming stretch of ten games will be very crucial for the Dodgers—with or without Roy Oswalt.