(Best E Casino) - The Manny Ramirez-era starts tonight for the
Los Angeles Dodgers, as they continue their pivotal four-game series with the
Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.
Ramirez did not suit up for Los Angeles on Thursday, but he will presumably be ready to go in left field tonight for his first career game in the NL and his first outing in a non-Boston uniform since the close of his days with the Cleveland Indians back in 2000.
The 36-year-old, who was the MVP of the Red Sox' title-winning sweep of St. Louis in 2004 and earned another ring when Boston blew past Colorado in four games last fall, is in the final year of an eight-year contract worth $160 million and will reportedly seek at least $20 million per season if he becomes a free agent in the offseason.
Starting game one of the new era for the Dodgers will be youngster Clayton Kershaw, who earned the first win of his major-league career on July 27 against Washington.
Making his 10th start of the season, the 20-year-old southpaw allowed just four hits and struck out five batters over six scoreless innings while helping Los Angeles to a 2-0 victory.
Previously, in nine starts, he'd allowed 49 hits and 24 earned runs in 41 2/3 innings.
He has never faced the Diamondbacks.
For Arizona, lefty Randy Johnson tries to prolong an extended hot streak.
The 44-year-old Californian, who was drafted three years before Kershaw was born, has won four straight starts since falling to 4-7 with an 8-6 loss to Milwaukee on July 1.
He's blanked the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants in recent succession, combining to allow 11 hits in 14 innings while walking one batter and striking out six. In the four wins overall, he's given up 19 hits and five runs in 26 1/3 innings with two walks and 19 strikeouts.
Johnson, who's 7-6 against the Dodgers in 22 starts, has held Ramirez to 11 hits in 45 career at-bats, which have yielded five home runs, 17 runs batted in and 14 strikeouts.
On Thursday, Chris Snyder drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh and made a diving tag to preserve the lead in the eighth, as Arizona came away with a 2-1 victory to up their advantage in the NL West to two games.
Russell Martin drove in the only Dodgers run, but his battery mate counterpart and Brandon Webb stole the show.
Webb (15-4) won his big-league best 15th game, scattering six hits and one run over eight frames with one walk and six strikeouts. Webb has won eight straight decisions against the Dodgers and four in a row overall.
Brandon Lyon pitched the ninth for his 23rd save.
Stephen Drew had three hits, while Mark Reynolds and Snyder drove in the runs for Arizona, winners in three straight, six of seven and eight of 10.
Derek Lowe (8-9) was the hard-luck loser, giving up two runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and no walks in 6 1/3 innings. Lowe threw 58 of his 87 pitches for strikes. The Dodgers saw their two-game winning streak come to an end.
Arizona has won six of nine from the Dodgers this season.
