Having as much trouble as I am believing that this Dodger team has the best record in the National League?

Yeah, the resurgent offense has made a huge difference, the bullpen has been spotty but farily effective - but that starting pitching! The rotation's ERA remains way too high, at 5.24.

What mitigates that ERA, for better or worse, is that the starting pitching is averaging fewer than six innings per start. That means the starters are allowing an average of 3.5 runs per game. The bullpen, with an ERA of 3.04, is allowing one run per game. The Dodgers have needed to score five runs per game to win - and they're averaging 4.9.

This week, for the first time this year, the Dodgers face a top opponent from outside the division. Or do they? The NL East-leading Florida Marlins flew into San Francisco over the weekend and got swept. They held a 9-2 lead over the Giants after 1 1/2 innings Friday night, then got outscored, 25-11, the rest of the series.

The Dodgers will send their three (relatively) best starting pitchers of the season against Florida: Odalis Perez, Jeff Weaver and Kazuhisa Ishii against three celebrated Marlins: Josh Beckett, Brad Penny and Dontrelle Willis. Hee Seop Choi (1.097 OPS), Mike Lowell (.993) and Miguel Cabrera (.954) lead the Florida offense.

Los Angeles has some noteworthy series this month, among them Chicago May 11-13, at Philadelphia May 18-20. A winning record in the aggregate would make the Dodgers' early success seem worthy of more than a rooty tooty bumper sticker.