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Manny Ramirez has one RBI and zero home runs since Aug. 11, a stretch of 11 games.

By Steve Phillips, ESPN

For a good part of the season, the Dodgers had been perceived to be the best team in baseball. That's no longer the case, but they are still a high-caliber team that is bound for the postseason.

The Dodgers are 18-19 since the All-Star break and their lead in the NL West has shrunk to three games over the Rockies after Colorado pulled off a wild, extra-innings win against the Giants on a walk-off grand slam from Ryan Spilborghs. Still, even with the Rockies surging, the Dodgers are going to end up winning the division, if for no other reason than they have the most balanced roster in the division.

They have been struggling as of late because of their starting pitching. Injuries to Chad Billingsley and Hiroki Kuroda have impacted the staff. The wear and tear on their bullpen over the first half of the season also started to take a little bit of a toll in recent weeks. Add to that the fact that their offense hasn't been quite as potent as it was early on, most notably from Manny Ramirez, and you can understand why they currently find themselves on the downswing.

Featured Series: Dodgers at Rockies

TUESDAY Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw) at Rockies (Jason Hammel), 8:40 ET

WEDNESDAY Dodgers (Randy Wolf) at Rockies (Josh Fogg), 8:40 ET

THURSDAY Dodgers (Vicente Padilla) at Rockies (Jorge De La Rosa), 3:40 ET

But now that Billingsley's back in the rotation, it should make a big difference. The Dodgers have gotten a couple of good starts out of knuckleballer Charlie Haeger, which has been a bonus for them as well. The real impact, though, will be with the return of Hong-Chih Kuo and the addition of George Sherrill to their bullpen. Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has added two high-quality left-handed relievers to an already deep bullpen. This will allow manager Joe Torre to better work matchups in a game and allow him to avoid overworking any one individual over the final month of the regular season. The Dodgers are an exceptional defensive team, and have a very good bullpen and an offense that can score in a number of different ways. All of those strengths have and will continue to make up for any deficiencies in their starting rotation.

Look for the Dodgers to start to get hot at just the right time -- heading into September -- and be primed and ready to play some October baseball. But the upcoming series against the Rockies is certainly going to be a big one. Expect the entire state of Colorado to be fired up for it. The Rockies have been an amazing story, but in the end, I just don't think they have the pitching on their roster (1 through 12) to match up with the Dodgers.

Look for Manny to get hot. As the games mean more, his attention will be grabbed and he will get locked back in at the plate. Torre has managed teams in this situation before, and I expect he will draw upon that experience with his veteran coaching staff in this series against Colorado and down the stretch as well.

Past Baseball Tonight Clubhouses: Aug. 23 | Aug. 20 | Aug. 19 | Aug. 18 | Aug. 17

TOUCH 'EM ALL

Who went deep? Keep track of all the home runs hit each day on "Baseball Tonight" and on the Baseball Tonight Clubhouse page.

For more, check out the Home Run Tracker page.

Home Run Tracker
NAME	HR	OPP	SITUATION
Carlos Pena, TB	35	Halladay	Top 5: 0-0, 0 Outs. 1 on.
Ryan Howard, PHI	34	Parnell	Top 3: 3-2, 1 Out. 1 on.
Ryan Howard, PHI	33	Parnell	Top 1: 2-2, 1 Out. 2 on.
Ryan Braun, MIL	27	Balester	Top 6: 0-0, 0 Outs. 1 on.
Paul Konerko, CWS	23	Buchholz	Top 5: 2-1, 2 Outs. 2 on.
Ben Zobrist, TB	23	League	Top 7: 0-0, 0 Outs. None on.
Mike Lowell, BOS	16	Contreras	Bot 3: 3-2, 2 Outs. 2 on.
Travis Hafner, CLE	13	Meche	Top 4: 3-0, 1 Out. 2 on.

The complete list of Monday's homers

ON DECK: TUESDAY'S BEST MATCHUPS

Rangers at Yankees, 7 p.m. ET

The Rangers have lost each of the past three games Kevin Millwood has pitched, though Millwood has escaped each with a no-decision. Joba Chamberlain didn't last very long the last time he faced Texas; his day was done after four innings. He walked four, struck out five and permitted three runs in a 7-3 loss.

Astros at Cardinals, 8:15 p.m. ET

Perhaps the night's best pitching matchup, with the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright (14-7, 2.61 ERA) facing the Astros' Wandy Rodriguez (12-7, 2.89). Wainwright has not given up more than two runs in a start since June 26. Rodriguez has given up a run or fewer in eight of his past nine outings.

Tigers at Angels, 10:05 p.m. ET

Jarrod Washburn still is searching for his first win with the Tigers. He is 0-1 with three no-decisions. He has allowed at least five runs in three of his four starts. The Angels have scored only four runs over John Lackey's past three starts.

For the rest of Tuesday's schedule, click here.