Timm's Two Cents

So, I've been thinking...

• Clayton Kershaw is now 1-3 against the Giants this season, but with a 1.74 ERA. 

• I now loathe Juan Rivera. Why? Because he's not Jerry Sands. Sands went 5-6 with four RBIs Monday night as the Isotopes lost a wild one, 20-10 to the New Orleans Zephyrs. He's now hitting .306 with 98 RBIs. Rivera has three hits in 33 August at-bats. 

• Another reason to consider promoting Josh Fields: he can pitch.  Kind of. Fields pitched an inning Monday night, giving up a run on three hits. He did strike out a batter, however. Who knew?

• I love that Mickey Hatcher is back with the Dodgers. Not sure what he really brings to the table, but he is part of the history and legend of that fabled 1988 team. Bring 'em all back, Ned!

• Gotta assume that Dee Gordon finds a spot on the bench when he returns from the DL in the next week or two. Luis Cruz is simply playing too well to consider anything else. But any kind of slump by Cruz could result in some starts by Dee, thus moving Hanley back to third.

• If you were watching the telecast Monday night, you might recall Vin Scully discussing the Dodgers-Giants rivalry. He suggested that something was missing. That there were too many nice guys and not any villains like in the past. Here's where you're wrong, Vinny. The simple fact is, they're all villains. Pablo, Angel, Buster, Timmy, the whole lot of them. Doesn't matter how nice they are, Vin. As soon as they put on that ugly orange and black uniform they become the bad guy. We root against the Giants because we hate them. As fans, we hate them. No, this isn't human being to human being hate. This is sports. It's a rivalry because it's the Dodgers vs. Giants - not because it's Mark Ellis vs. Brandon Belt. The rivalry will deepen this season - and perhaps this series - because both teams have so much on the line this time around. I still hate the Giants. Therefore, the rivalry stands. 

...but that's just my two cents.