Things we learned from last night's game (8/9/11)

Ted Lilly?  He throws like a girl.

Overview: Lilly strong, Cliff Lee stronger.  Dodgers lose, 2-1.

Pros:  Ted Lilly gave up a home run to Cliff Lee, but was otherwise very solid.  He pitched 8 innings, giving up only 6 hits and a walk against a team with All-Stars starting at six of the eight positions.  It was the deepest Lilly has gone in a game for the Dodgers this season, and a well-earned quality start from a guy we've been pretty hard on this year.  Blake Hawksworth pitched a shutout ninth and has quietly gotten his ERA under three. Considering the Dodgers got him for the moldering corpse of Ryan Theriot, he has to go down as one of Ned Colletti's best trades. Casey Blake deserves some love too, following up Monday's two hit, two walk game with another 2 for 4.  He's gotten his average up almost twenty points in the last week- maybe he's playing his way into a waiver deal?

Cons:  It's hard to knock the offense for getting shut out by Cliff Lee, so the big story here is Dee Gordon.  He re-injured his right shoulder and had to leave mid at-bat, and is at the doctor's office getting an MRI as I type this.  As we've said before, any kind of injury to Dee is disasterous, and if this turns into a lingering issue for the rest of the season, the Dodgers are in serious trouble.  Here's hoping a cortisone injection and a couple of days off heal the kid.

What we learned:  The Dodgers have lost to the Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee by a combined three runs.  A loss is a loss is a loss, of course, but they've played hard and have been in both games until the final out.  It's nice to see the team fighting against the no-doubt best team in the NL, and it makes you wonder how the season would have gone had this group gelled earlier in the season.