Danny Ardoin

Manny Ramirez hit the first of Los Angeles' four homers, and the Dodgers blew a four-run lead Saturday before powering their way to an 11-4 victory that ended the Cincinnati Reds' longest winning streak of the season at five games. Ramirez connected on a two-run shot in the first inning off left-hander Matt Maloney (0-3), his first homer since Aug. 11. Rafael Furcal hit a tiebreaking solo shot in the fifth, and Matt Kemp and Orlando Hudson homered as the Dodgers pulled away. Jeff Weaver (6-4) bailed out starter Charlie Haeger, who had a bad day with his knuckleball. Haeger squandered a 4-0 lead ... Read Full Story

Manny Ramirez's hamstring injury will keep him out of spring training games for at least a week. "We're just going to lay low till we get rid of this," Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre said Monday. "We're just going to keep him out. I can't give you a time because I don't know the time, but it's certainly going to be through the weekend and probably beyond that." Ramirez aggravated his sore left hamstring Sunday while playing the outfield for the first time this spring. The Dodgers slugger first had trouble with his hamstring last week, when he was scratched from the lineup ... Read Full Story

Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon compared former teammate Manny Ramirez to cancer, saying Boston made the right decision when it traded the slugging left fielder to the Los Angeles Dodgers last summer. "He was on a different train! And you saw what happened with that. We got rid of him, and we moved on without him," Papelbon was quoted in the April issue of Esquire. The story was posted on the magazine's Web site Thursday. "So Manny was tough for us," Papelbon added. "You have somebody like him, you know at any point in the ballgame, he can dictate the outcome of the game. ... Read Full Story

Manny Ramirez is scheduled to make his spring training debut Thursday when the Los Angeles Dodgers play South Korea's World Baseball Classic team. The exhibition game won't count in Cactus League standings, but Ramirez's return to the Dodgers after agreeing to a $45 million, two-year contract last week will make it a major attraction. Los Angeles manager Joe Torre said Tuesday he isn't sure if Ramirez will play the outfield or be the designated hitter, but the slugger will get a start on the 50 or so at-bats he's expected to receive before opening day. "With the veterans, I usually go back to the ... Read Full Story

When will it end? Manny Ramirez has received a 50-game suspension for testing positive for game enhancing drugs. The Los Angeles Times reported that Ramirez is expected to attribute the test results to medication received from a doctor for a personal medical issue. The suspension will begin immediately, and Ramirez won’t be able to return to the Dodgers until July 3, althought that date could change depending on rainouts between now and then. Can we just clean out the MLB once and for all? © admin for BettorFan , 2009. | Permalink | | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: la dodgers , los angeles ... Read Full Story