Have Dodgers Turned the Corner?

Joe Torre's teams are known for their slow starts and the 2008 Los Angeles Dodgers have been no exception, sitting at 43-45 entering Monday's game with Atlanta. Still, the Dodgers are just .5 game behind Arizona and have won seven of their last 10 games. With a seven-game homestand starting today, now is the time for Los Angeles to make its move on the faltering Diamondbacks and for some players, and Torre, to earn their salary.

The Dodgers have had problems of their own, most notably injuries, and will need Nomar Garciaparra to move back to shortstop, as none of the others the team has tried to replace the injured Rafael Furcal with have gotten the job done. Andruw Jones has been a huge disappointment this season, and starting pitcher Brad Penny is having arm problems and has missed the last three weeks. The man expected to be the ace of the staff, Dave Schmidt, hasn't pitched in over a year, yet the team is still in the hunt for the playoffs.

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Photo: Matt Kemp is greeted by Andre Eithier in the Dodgers' victory over the Giants on Sunday..(Photo by Jeb Jacobsohn/Getty Images)