Thanks for indulging this morning's entry. Just to be clear, it wasn't surrender. The series just left a bad taste in my mouth.

Things could get worse before they get better, with Jason Schmidt pitching for the Giants against Barry Zito tonight. The Dodgers, meanwhile, face an Angel team with a bullpen that, while it has no Eric Gagne, might be every bit as good.

Interestingly, though, Baseball Prospectus rates the Dodger offense above the Angel offense in EQA, .271 to .254. Here's a simplistic position-by-position comparison (without injured Darin Erstad or suspenjured Milton Bradley):

C: Lo Duca .285, B. Molina .256
1B: Green .269, Quinlan .255
2B: Hernandez .317 (Cora .292), Kennedy .218
SS: Izturis .266, Eckstein .259
3B: Beltre .308, Figgins .288
LF: Werth .293, Guillen .289
CF: Roberts .313, Anderson .301
RF: Encarnacion .259, Guerrero .336

The 7-1 margin for the Dodgers is misleading - among other things, Guerrero so dominates the right-field matchup, and Werth's number is based on a limited number of at-bats. On the other hand, the Dodgers are making a killing at second base, and they are actually better off at first base than their cross-I-5 rivals. With no designated hitter this weekend, could the Angels stuff Jeff DaVanon (.310) at the cold corner?

Tonight's starter for the Angels, Jarrod Washburn (7-3, 5.18 ERA), has the second-most deceptive won-loss record in baseball this season. And the Angels' defense on the left side of the infield is no match for that of the Dodgers.

Let's play tonight's game and see what happens.

Oh, and by the way, the Wilkin has landed - in Wichita. More details on the bumpy minor league ride here.