With Manny return behind them, LA gets back to business in San Diego

Baseball Betting Lines

07/04/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the return of Manny Ramirez now behind them, the Los Angeles Dodgers can get back to business, as they continue their three-game series with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.

Ramirez returned from a 50-game suspension on Friday and played only 5 1/2 innings, going 0-for-3 with a walk, two groundouts and a pop out, but the rest of his Dodger teammates picked up the slack and used a five-run first inning to defeat the Padres, 6-3.

The 12-time All- Star, who was greeted with a a mixture of jeers and applause in his first at-bat, was suspended on May 7 after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

"It was great, it was the best," Ramirez said after the game. "The fans in LA drove (to San Diego) to watch me, it was unbelievable."

Ramirez was lifted in the middle of the sixth for the speedy Juan Pierre, who made sure the Dodgers didn't miss a beat in the absence of their star outfielder. Pierre started all 50 games during the suspension, batting .318 with 14 doubles, 21 runs batted in, 31 runs scored, 15 walks and 20 steals.

"I don't think there's any question he's rusty," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said of Ramirez. "He really hasn't had a lot of practice, but I thought that first at-bat was pretty amazing. It shows how good of a hitter he is and how he knows the strike zone.

"I thought it would help the defense with (Pierre) out there (in the field) because he's been playing, and that's how I made the decision (to take Ramirez out)," Torre added.

During the suspension, LA went a respectable 29-21, maintaining their healthy lead atop the NL West standings. Although the record without him was solid in a weak National League, the team moved to 21-7 this season with him in the starting lineup.

"Everyone in the clubhouse is a professional hitter, and they can do a lot of great things without me," Ramirez said. "I'm there just to follow and bring my presence and make everyone feel comfortable."

As far as his other teammates were concerned, Russell Martin and Matt Kemp each drove in a pair of runs, as LA won for the third time in its last four games. Rafael Furcal went 4-for-5 with a run scored out of the leadoff spot, and Hiroki Kuroda (3-4) earned his second win this season against San Diego after yielding three runs on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.

Jonathan Broxton earned his 20th save of the season in the win.

Adrian Gonzalez hit a two-run double, while Scott Hairston blasted a solo homer for San Diego, which has lost seven of 10. Chad Gaudin (4-7), who hurled eight one-hit, scoreless innings in Texas his last time out, was touched for six runs on seven hits, with four walks and four strikeouts, in five frames.

Going for the Dodgers today will be former Padre Randy Wolf, who is winless in his last six starts. Wolf did not get a decision on Monday against Colorado, as he allowed two runs and four hits in six innings of his team's 4-2 win.

Wolf, who is 3-3 with a 3.61 ERA, is 5-4 lifetime against the Padres with a 5.65 ERA. He was 6-10 in 21 starts for San Diego a year ago.

San Diego will counter with righty Josh Geer, who is 1-3 with a 5.68 ERA. Geer was saddled with the loss on Monday against Houston, surrendering three runs and seven hits in seven innings.

Geer did not get a decision the last time he faced the Dodgers but is 1-1 in eight games (six starts) against them with a 4.98 ERA.

The Dodgers have won eight of 11 matchups with the Padres this season and 12 of the last 16 contests between the clubs.