Loney Love

The Los Angeles Dodgers were going to be in the market for a slugging 1st baseman come July. James Loney is quickly changing that plan.

Loney has been amazing in 38 AB's this year. He went 3 for 4 on Wednesday to raise his average to an even .500, with 3 HR's and 12 RBI's. The Dodgers lost 2-0 to the Diamondbacks on Wednesday but Loney did as much as he could to win the game. Loney's emergence has forced Grady Little to move Nomar Garciaparra over to 3rd just to make room for the promising slugger.

Brandon Webb was lights out though going 7 innings and shutting out the Dodgers without much trouble. He handed the reigns off to his bullpen who effectively continued the shutout for him, with Jose Valverde getting his 25th save of the year to end it. Valverde is 2nd behind Francisco Cordero in saves this season in all of MLB.

The win gives the Diamondbacks sole possession of the NL West, at least for one night. The Diamondbacks now head to San Francisco to take on Barry and the Giants, while the Dodgers host the Padres and their stacked pitching staff. It seems that the NL West will come right down to the final weekend as no one can put any distance between the opposing teams. Keep an eye on it.