MLB.com Really Straining To Find Anything Positive About Dodgers

Check out the preview for our upcoming series against our archrival:

The Dodgers, meanwhile, were considered among the best teams in the NL prior to Opening Day but have stumbled through a tough season marked by ownership uncertainty, player injuries and surprisingly ineffective performances. They've conceded that they're a team undergoing a fair measure of transition and that their dwindling playoff hopes are all but dashed.

Dodgers manager Joe Torre fielded a lineup light on power and experience Sunday -- four of the eight position players have not homered in the big leagues -- but assured that the Giants will face the best possible lineup beginning Tuesday.

"In all fairness to the teams that are competing, we line up our best guys against the teams that are in contention," Torre said. "When you are dealing [with] where we are at and the teams that are still alive, when you are talking about San Diego, San Francisco and Colorado, I think for the good of the game you have to do that.

"You try to win with the people you have out there."

Maybe so, but why does it seem like the people we're putting out there seem less and less like our best try to win?