OK, so the Midwest heat got to the boys. If only the games were 4½ innings instead of 9. Seems our starters were hitting a wall about the bottom of the fifth. Then the bullpen had to work twice as hard as it should, and they’re mostly kids still finding their way around the mound. Only Belisario has been around the block (a really sketchy block) and he doesn’t have the appearance of caring one way or another if he gets us out of jams. But, looking to the future, we have 62 games left and the first three of them are in the Bay with our first-place rivals. This could be it. This could be a make-or-break series. And to start it, we’ve got (maybe) Barney Fife’s grandson, Stephen, matching wits with Matt “Perfect Game” Cain. Maybe David can slay Goliath, it happened once before.

Blues of the Summer

(Dodgers @ Giants, July 27-29, 2012)

Blues of the summer
Let’s throw a Giant party
It’s double playtime!

Above the tragedies of this earth.

(Image: Matt Treanor, backup catcher)

Now, that’s what I call a scrappy ball club. Sweeping the Mets, capped with a five-run 12th-inning blitz! Gotta love that. The blue bats have come alive in the clutch. Everybody is contributing something right now, from Uribe’s new-found patience (He’s walked more often than not lately!) to Loney’s key hits and nearly every bat coming through in a pinch. We’re more like the team that started this season than we had been in June. Just gotta keep up the good work and sustain the mojo.

We’re Up Then We’re Down

(Dodgers @ Cardinals, July 23-26, 2012)

We’re up, then we’re down
They speak of our potential.
Gods! Don’t destroy us!

And into lightness I arise.

(Image: Rick Honeycutt, pitching coach)

A walk-off 12th-inning two-run homer by All Star Matt Kemp was a nice way to finish the first home stand of the second half, especially after such a dismal run of bad luck (and bad baseball). I’m hoping it signals a shift in momentum to bring win after win after win. It was fun to see Matt gallop to the plate and get mobbed by elated teammates. A welcome moment of bliss. It looks doubtful we’ll have any significant trade-deadline improvements this year, so the boys have to look to themselves to get better, be a team and focus on the finish line.

L.A.’s Blue Seasons

(Dodgers @ Mets, July 20-22, 2012)

L.A.’s blue seasons
Fire, flood, riot & quake
Mets get Best Coast shake!

And with that bursting comes the light.

(Image: “Psycho” Steve Lyons, Dodger broadcaster)

When I said things were going to get interesting, I didn’t mean the Dodgers would find new and unusual ways to lose! Kenley Jansen contemplating the moon in between pitches while Padres steal home out from under him? What the hell was that? And then, five errors? Really? Every team can have a bad day, but we had quite a few before the break. Now, our best bats are back, and we need to start playing as if our season depends on it. Because it does.

Smite Phils With Fastballs!

(Phillies @ Dodgers, July 16-18, 2012)

Smite Phils with fastballs!
Blue swords of retribution!
Let’s get sweepy!

Galaxies of emotion burst from me.

OK. It’s time to get to work! Matt and Andre back in the lineup tonight. Kershaw on the mound. Playing the Padres. Cross fingers these good prospects pay off with a healthy win to start the second half and maintain 1st place in the NL West. OK, so Kemp didn’t do so well in the Home Run Derby (but better than Robinson Cano!), I know he was just saving himself for the real contest: getting to the Fall Classic. Now things get interesting!

Blue’s Back in the Game!

(Padres @ Dodgers, July 13-15, 2012)

Blue’s back in the game!
Smack those tonsures off their heads
Padre noggins roll!

Thoughts that spin like galaxies.

Well, somehow, without their All-Star center fielder and many other opening day starters, the boys in blue are still Numero Uno at the All-Star break, albeit by a slim half-game margin. Four days of rest and then Kemp and Ethier return to the lineup. Who knows? Last year, our second half was spectacular, but it wasn’t enough to pull out of the ditch we dug in the first half. This year, we just need to get everybody healthy and win more games than we lose. Simple, right?

Big Blue Shooting Stars

(All-Star Break, July 9-12, 2012)

Big blue shooting stars!
Explode in Missouri skies
Sizzle in K.C.

A mind with troubled thoughts.

So, the boys are heading to Arizona after having recaptured the division lead. The All-Star Game is Tuesday, and our injury-plagued team can sure use the break. Ethier joins the way-too-long DL, and now Gordon thumbs a ride to Disabledville! The good news, however, is Mark Ellis is up and running, and Matt Kemp will rejoin the team after he takes a bow in Kansas City (and maybe wins the Home Run Derby).

A Pint of Blue Sweat

(Dodgers @ Diamondbacks, July 5-8, 2012)

A pint of blue sweat
Will save gallons of blue blood!
Vanquish the vipers!

Delights that seduce and lull the mind.

Yikes! That was a bad month of “baseball.” But yesterday, the boys began July with a bang! Getting key hits and capitalizing on the Mets’ shoddy defense. (Although in the beginning, our own D[ee] was questionable.) KKKKKKKKKershaw greeted Hello Kitty with a strong win. And both he and Matt Kemp made the All-Star squad for the second year in a row. Loney got two clutch RBIs to break out of his epic slump, and Juan Uribe walked (twice!). Things are looking up, at least for today. Porkopolis is in town, and we’re seeing Red!

Cin City’s No Match

(Reds @ Dodgers, July 2-4, 2012)

Cin City’s no match!
Tie the Red Hose up in knots
A rusted machine?

My Eden of visual delights.

As we near the end of the first half of the season, our boys have hit a bit of a slump. Good thing they got off to such a great start. As of this writing, the Dodgers are tied for No. 1 with the dreaded Giants. But Mr. Kemp (N.L. Home Run Derby captain, to you) will return to the lineup after the All-Star break, and hopefully the new management will spring for  another starter and a bat to fill the void left by the wild swings of Loney and Uribe. It’s not panic time, just time to realize that magic and wishing hard only take you so far. Meanwhile, in the Ravine, we face the Mets for four games. Hopefully, yesterday, they used up all their run allotment for the week when they walloped the Orioles, 17-1.

June Bugs ‘n’ Pop Flies

(Mets @ Dodgers, June 28-July 1, 2012)

June bugs ‘n’ pop flies
Give the cheer to Flushing’s guys
Whack ’em in Ravine!

To be banished from my garden of Eden.

You see, there’s some Giants we need to slay — but good. We are three games ahead of S.F. and now we face them for three games. Of course, it’s still the first half, but the boys in blue need to get their mojo back (or their Matt Kemp, which may be the same thing). No need to panic yet, but the Dodgers are just more fun to watch when they are winning.

That Ol’ Summer Fog

(Dodgers @ Giants, June 25-27, 2012)

That ol’ summer fog
Memories of Candlestick
Ancient rivalries!

And you hear that you are mortal.