Two truths and a lie:
- At least half of the Dodgers starting lineup came up through their minor league system.
- The Dodgers swooped in and stole the Reds AA affiliate at the end of last season, and despite their reputation of a solid minor league system, finished with a worse record than when the Reds were with the team.
- Despite having the best record in the NL, they actually underperformed according to their Pythagorean W-L record.
Despite being without their big money slugger for 50 games, the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles was the best team in the NL. 18 of their pitchers had an ERA+ over 100, including an obscene 639 ERA+ by reliever George Sherrill, who was acquired from Baltimore in July. Even more amazingly, they've accomplished all of this while giving significant playing time to two of the most maligned former Reds from the mid-aughts, TSF Juan Castro and the top-notch Eric Milton.
Discuss all things Dodgers here. They begin their series tonight at home against the Cardinals at 9:37 ET.