Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres

When Manny Ramirez was suspended nearly two months ago for 50 games, many wondered if the Los Angeles Dodgers would be able to sustain first place during his absence, after all the Dodgers never really caught fire last year until Ramirez joined their team mid-season. Seven and a half games up prove that they were able to.

Los Angeles (50-29) was the best team in baseball when Ramirez was suspended for using performance enhancement drugs and he returns to the best team in baseball. The Dodgers were able to weather streaks by the San Diego Padres, the Colorado Rockies and consistent play by the second-place San Francisco Giants while he was gone.

But that is not to say that Los Angeles is not happy to see their slugger return. The Dodgers had been in a mini-slump, losing five of their last seven games before gaining a gritty 1-0 victory over the Rockies on Wednesday.

While Ramirez is returning on the road, perhaps the road destination is the best possible location. Dodger fans have always been well represented in the San Diego ballparks over the years, and this edition of the Padres (34-44)-Dodgers rivalry figures to be no different.

The fans clad in the blue will no doubt try and cheer out the boos from the fans clad in-well, whatever colors the San Diego Padres are sporting these days.

Ramirez will try to pick-up where he left off when he was suspended on May 7 after hitting .348 with six homers and 20 RBIs in 27 games.

The left field position did not suffer in the line-up however, as Juan Pierre did the best with what playing time he got, hitting .322 while filling in. Now Pierre will go back to being the best bench player in the league on Friday.

Chad Gaudin (4-6, 4.97) will try to keep the boos louder than the cheers as he faces Ramirez and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, the opening of a three-game Fourth of July weekend series. Gaudin seems up to the task as he looks for his third straight start, including his last game when he allowed just one hit and fanned nine batters in eight innings of a masterful 2-0 win over the Texas Rangers on Sunday.

He will be faced by Los Angeles’ Hiroki Kuroda (2-4, 3.77), trying to rebound from his last game when he allowed all four runs on eight hits of a 4-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.

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