The Blue Crew traveled to San Diego and Arizona in hopes of staying above .500, but after a dirty paw in San Diego and a clean sweep in Arizona, The Dodgers return home this weekend with a 4-5 record, and the rival Padres and Jake Peavy are waiting…

THIS WEEK
[ Friday, April 4th, Dodgers 7, Padres 1 ]
Last years Silver Slugger, Russell Martin, snapped his 0-for-13 start to the season with a two-run, bases-loaded single that put the Dodgers ahead for good in a six-run seventh inning.  Hiroki Kuroda showed stellar stuff in his Major League debut. (Kuroda/ 7.0 inn, 3 H, 1R, 4K)

[ Saturday, Dodgers 1, Padres 4 ]
Brad Penny gets rocked in the first, and Peavy uses a dirty hand, but that wasn’t as strange as Josh Bard sliding into his dugout and making an incredible catch, only to be rewarded with an error and an unearned run.  Manager Joe Torre then became the first manager in history to complain and get a called overturned. (R. Furcal/ 1-3, 1R, 1BB, .400)

[ Sunday, Dodgers 3, Padres 2 ]
Derek Lowe looked like the old Lowe, going six strong, and Chin-lung Hu made a name for himself, knocking in Martin with a game-winning single in the ninth…  “HUUUUUUUUUUUU” (A. Ethier/ 2-4, 1HR (1), 1 RBI)

[ Monday, Dodgers 3, D’Backs 9 ]
Arizona welcomed their fans to the new season by knocking Esteban Loaiza around in the first inning for 4 runs.  Meanwhile, Andruw Jones is… Andrew Jones!?… Anyone!? (A.Jones/ 0-4, 2K, 5LOB, .115)

[ Tuesday, Dodgers 5, D’Backs 10]
Chad Billingsley, because of last weeks “it is/isn’t going to rain” fiasco, had to wait to pitch until the eighth game of the season.  He made sure he saw as many hitters as possible (18 in 2.1 innings), you know, to make up for lost time.  Hong-Chih Kuo came in for 3+ solid innings. (M. Kemp/ 3-5, 1R, 1 3B)

[ Wednesday, Dodgers 3, D’Backs 4]
The Dodgers had plenty of chances to cause damage, and avoid it, but a key error in the fourth led to two runs, and another loss.  It was the sixth-straight win for Arizona while they slugged double-digit hits for third straight game. (J. Pierre/ 2-3, 1RBI, 1 2B)

NEXT WEEK
Sitting in third place, three games back, the Dodgers need a good showing at home this week against the Padres and Pirates.

NOTES
– Okay, Juan Pierre did finally break through with a hit on Wednesday, but that’s been the high water mark on the year.  From my couch, Pierre doesn’t seem to have any above average skill.  Where is the multi-million dollar man we signed to slap singles and wreak havoc on the base paths?  A few nights ago, after walking in the ninth with the Dodgers trailing by one with only one out, Pierre sat on first for more than 10 pitches.  He looked like he had mild interest in advancing to second, but struggled to solve the pitchers move, and almost got picked off, twice.  The game ended with Pierre on first, and me yelling.  If he’s one of those guys who needs to play to get on track, how much time does Torre give him?  I mean come on, I’ve got a better arm than Pierre!

– James Loney’s had a hit in every game, and his first home run on Wednesday.  Why is it always one guy doing it, and everyone else slacking?  Because that’s baseball…