Ken Gurnick at MLB.com gets to be the first to publish that the Dodgers have designated for assignment (i.e., jettisoned) Scott Mullen, Larry Barnes ... and Daryle Ward.

Talk about an acquisition gone sour. Talk about putting the dis in disenchanted.

Ward had one extra-base hit and three walks in 52 games for the Dodgers. His final numbers: .183 batting average, .211 on-base percentage, .193 slugging percentage, .403 OPS.

And yet, don't be surprised if some team goes after Ward for the stretch run ...

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He may have only 35 plate appearances this season, but man, Todd Hundley has hit two huge home runs for the Dodgers - both as a pinch-hitter.

His three-run shot Friday night was the turning point of the Dodgers' remarkable victory, especially in light of my Friday morning entry highlighting how hopeless Los Angeles had played on the road against divisional opponents. (The one game I picked as pivotal this season, the Dodgers staged one of their most stunning rallies.)

Hundley also hit a game-winning, three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning in a 4-3 victory over San Diego on April 17.

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Faithful reader Louis writes in response to Friday's somewhat disgruntled entry:

You're right, there just ain't much mystery about this year's team. Hasn't been since the All-Star break. But there's finally some light at the end of this tunnel of mediocrity, as you wrote about a couple of days ago (here and here). We didn't trade any top prospects for the quick fix - as the Bill Plaschkes and T.J. Simers of the world practically the begged the team to do. While Evans didn't truly recognize the reality of this season (mediocre team with little chance of reaching the playoffs), he at least kept our existing prospects. As I've said before, if he had recognized what this team was and what it wasn't, he could've been a big-time seller at the deadline and gotten some serious value for any number of our pitchers - thereby improving our organizational depth. But I can understand why he didn't do that; there are business and public relations realities to be considered here. And with each passing year the mistakes of the past have less and less influence over the future. We'll have more payroll flexibility this off-season and more (presumably) the next.

I think overall the franchise is finally headed in the right direction and I have a growing sense of optimism about the future. There are a few black clouds on the horizon - the biggest being the ownership situation - but overall I think we're ok. Now if Dan Evans gets fired who knows what happens....

And, at the very least, be thankful that you're not a Reds, Pirates or Tigers fan. That's true misery.

Louis

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Update: Dodger postseason chances, from Baseball Prospectus
Today: 4.8 percent
September 5: 3.5 percent
September 4: 4.3 percent
September 3: 7.9 percent
September 2: 4.8 percent
September 1: 7.9 percent
August 31: 6.9 percent
August 30: 5.5 percent
August 29: 4.8 percent
August 28: 2.6 percent
August 26: 3.6 percent
August 25: 3.1 percent
August 24: 4.4 percent
August 23: 6.5 percent
August 22: 5.8 percent
August 21: 4.2 percent
August 20: 2.3 percent

(Division leaders account for the remaining wild card possibilities.)