--CF Andruw Jones returned to the lineup five weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, but the result was pretty much the same as it was before he got hurt. Jones went 0 for 5 with four strikeouts and is hitting .159 for the season. He is striking out at a rate of once every 3.2 plate appearances for the season.

--IF Nomar Garciaparra returned for the first time in more than two months. Garciaparra played seven innings at shortstop, the first time since 2005 that he has played the position where he became a Rookie of the Year and All-Star. He went 2 for 4 at the plate with two doubles, a walk and two RBI and fielded two groundballs flawlessly.

--INF Mark Sweeney, who was in danger of being released, was instead placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring he said he has been battling for three or four weeks. Sweeney stopped short of blaming the hamstring for his .094 average, but manager Joe Torre said it had an effect. Sweeney is hitless in his last 18 at-bats.

--OF Jason Repko was sent to Class AAA Las Vegas to make room for CF Andruw Jones to come off the disabled list.

--RHP Derek Lowe won his second consecutive decision on the road, the first time he has won two consecutive decisions on the road since May 5-June 22, 2007. Lowe is 2-4 on the road this season. He lasted just five innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on eight hits, but the Dodgers broke through for five runs in the sixth to get him the win.

--OF Andre Ethier singled, doubled and homered, the second time in the last three games he has fallen a triple short of the cycle. Ethier now has a five-game hitting streak, during which he is batting .409 (9 for 22). Of his past 10 hits beginning June 27, seven have gone for extra bases, including three doubles and four home runs.

BY THE NUMBERS
5 -- Times in the modern history of baseball that a team has been no-hit in a game but still won, a result that means the game doesn't go on the books as a no-hitter. The Angels' Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo combined to no-hit the Dodgers for eight innings on Saturday night, but the Dodgers won 1-0 on an unearned run after Matt Kemp reached on an error, stole second, took third on another error and scored on a sacrifice fly.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"In reality, it's a catch between patience and being aggressive. There is that fine line. There is a time to be patient and a time to be aggressive when you're an offensive player. There is a time to be patient when you're coaching, too. There is a time to be aggressive and take some action, because you can't wait too long." -- Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent, on the inability of the club's young players to adapt to a more patient approach to hitting.

Copyright (C) 2008 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.