Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in Notes From the Clubhouse.

Say what you want about GM Ned Colletti, and we've said it all here at FanHouse, but he's done just about everything possible to put the Dodgers in a position to win the NL West this year. When one Hall of Famer -- Manny Ramirez -- wasn't enough, he went out and got another one -- Greg Maddux.

Yet here the Dodgers sit, losers of six straight and eight of their last nine on the eve of a stretch where they will play the Diamondbacks in six of their next nine games

It'd be an understatement to say Los Angeles is at a crossroads.

Just as it was before the Ramirez trade, the offense is at the heart of the Dodgers' problems. Manager Joe Torre insists the now daily struggle to put runs on the board is a result of his team pressing, particularly with runners in scoring position.

"Right now, the only thing we're not doing enough of is breathing," says Torre. "We're putting ourselves in a position to succeed and we just can't get over this hump."

The Houston Astros are 16 games out of first place in the NL Central, and ten games out of the wild card. Basically, you'd have to say they definitely are out of the pennant race barring several miraculous occurrences from here on out ... one of them being a commissioner's order that they are switched to the NL West.

That's right, the Houston Astros would only be one game out of first place in the West, where the division-leading Diamondbacks have lost four straight. The Diamondbacks were most recently swept by the Padres, whose winning percentage is .383 ... after the sweep. Starting pitchers for the Snakes in the three losses? Dan Haren, Brandon Webb, and Randy Johnson. You know, the same three the Cubs are supposed to be wetting themselves over having to face in the "short series" NLDS.

On the bright side, Justin Upton is close to returning to the lineup, but the defense will become a bit shaky when he does. The Backs are talking about moving Adam Dunn to first base to accommodate Upton, or moving Mark Reynolds to second base, which would move Chad Tracy to third. I understand the need for offense with this group, but sacrificing the defense could render Webb a little less significant.

The Dodgers are flat-lining right now, but the division is still within reach thanks to the overall futility of the NL West. A little heimlicking and they'll still have a month to win this thing.

The difference in approach was called "good cop/bad cop" in the LA Times, while I prefer Riggs/Murtaugh due to my affinity for the Lethal Weapon series. No matter how you slice it, though, Joe Torre and Larry Bowa are a complete 180 from each other in how they are dealing with the players in light of the recent onslaught of losing. They are even arguing like the explosive fictional LAPD officers, which was kickstarted Monday night by this:

"I've seen teams play like this when they're 30 games out," Bowa said Monday. "There's no excuse for it."

He also said the team should be "embarrassed."

Torre had a closed meeting with the team Tuesday to remind players not to lose their "spirit." The team responded by losing to the Washington Nationals. Ouch.

Torre didn't speak only to the players, of course, he spoke out to the media about his fiery third-base coach.

"He's a tough-love guy," Torre said. "I see where his emotions are. He's frustrated by it, just like a lot of the players."

So disciplinarian Joe Torre made Manny Ramirez cut a whole inch off his dreads. Big freaking deal.

Apparently it is, because the Dodgers' new found mojo went by the wayside along with that seemingly insignificant inch.

The Dodgers were playing like a powerhouse after Ramirez's arrival -- until the Dodgers' hair-challenged manager insisted on Samson cutting his dreadlocks, Ramirez complying and hitting .250 ever since, the Dodgers going 4-7 in that time.

An interesting find here by the LA Times, to say the least. I've never actually had long hair, so I can't speak to how losing it would muzzle Manny's ability to rake ... but I can say that when playing a different position you are definitely affected by your teammates hair. No wonder Jonathan Broxton can't close games, Russell Martin is tiring, and Andre Ethier can't hit the ball out of the infield ... and of course, the always mentally weak Greg Maddux obviously got touched up because he was so bothered by Manny's hair missing that one ever-so-important inch.

Seriously, guys ... isn't this the kind of material writers reserve for Cubs' bad stretches?

At least Torre had a sense of humor about it and played along.

"That's something about discipline," Torre joked after getting Ramirez to snip an inch off his dreadlocks. "You sacrifice wins, the season and everything else to have it."

Perhaps you haven't heard, but Joe Torre is currently in Los Angeles. And it's a mid-life crisis type thing too, if you believe the VISA commercials (said it on TV, etc., so yeah). Which might explain why Joe is suddenly firing up a blog on MLBlogs.com, the thing that we love because it's about sports and it's not Dane Cook.

Well, here's my first blog entry. I was a little nervous at first, but the guys who blog on MLBlogs said it was sort of like keeping an online diary, so I figured how hard could it be? Aside from the fact that men don't usually have diaries; even the word "diary" brings to mind a little pink book with a heart-shaped lock and a label that reads "My Secrets" in lavender bubble letters. But that's not really me, so I think a blog is a more acceptable "dude-like" version.

Some of the guys talk about their team or their swing, their away game trips, some even write restaurant reviews (thanks for the reco, Ethier). Me? I'm just a coach with a new team, a new city, a new life as a West-Coaster, and above all a new outlook on life.

He then goes on (actually this was the first entry about a week ago) to make awkward comments about web speak (ROFL!!!!1) Most of the blogs are actually well written, and while I don't doubt Torre's ability to write, I just don't know if I'm buying how completely freaking chipper they all sound.

There's also a very heavy "I just moved to L.A." factor going on, which is cool and all ... but he's been there for a few months now. So, while he should be kind of used to at this point, I guess I understand why his agent keeps reminding him to spin that image how it all seems so new.

Via Deadspin

Somehow, only five weeks remain in the baseball season. Other than injuries, a contending team's schedule might be the biggest factor in determining which teams get a shot at postseason glory and which spend October on the golf course.

The following is a quick breakdown of what the NL teams still fighting for a playoff spot will face over the season's final weeks.

Brewers

The Good: There are plenty of bottom-feeding clubs left on Milwaukee's schedule. The Brewers will play six against the Pirates and Reds as well as four against the Padres down the stretch. In all, 16 of their final 31 games will be against sub-.500 competition. In addition, they only face the Cardinals -- the team chasing them in the wild-card race -- two more times.

The Bad: The Brew Crew still have six games left against the Cubs, including a three-game set to finish the season. Milwaukee might want to lock up the wild card before that final series.

Key Stretch: From Sept. 11-21, Milwaukee will embark on its final road trip of the season. The Brewers will head to Philadelphia for four games and then Wrigley Field for three before ending the trip in Cincinnati. They'll have a chance to catch the Cubs over the final 2 1/2 weeks of the season, but if they take care of business, the NL Central title should be a point of pride more than anything else.

Once the gold standard for center-fielders in the majors, Andruw Jones has made a rapid descent back to Earth in just a couple years. Now he may not even be a center-fielder anymore. He played first base over the weekend during his rehab assignment. Though it was only to rest his aching knee and the feeling was this was a temporary measure, Joe Torre would not rule out the possibility of it becoming more.

Of course he wouldn't. You'd have to be crazy to not at least consider the move for the remainder of this season, if no more. If Jones comes back and starts hitting the ball like the Andruw of old -- highly unlikely, by the way -- than Torre has nice flexibility. James Loney is a good hitter, but he's much better against righties (.310 vs. righties, .268 vs. lefties). Jones has traditionally hit lefties a bit better than righties.

Of course, Andre Ethier is horrible against southpaws ... much worse than Loney. Like I said, though, if they make this move it's all about flexibility. Torre can play Jones in the OF or at 1B while resting either Loney, Ethier, or both.

The only problem is that Andruw Jones sucks with the stick now. Will the move to first base be the cure-all remedy?

There's still a pennant race being staged in baseball, but with the way CC Sabathia is straight dealing right now for the beermakers in Milwaukee ... well, we just can't stop thinking about the free agent frenzy. The big left-hander is going to easily break the bank with a Johan-like contract. Where will he end up? Casey Blake thinks Los Angeles:

"I think he wants to be close to home," Blake said. "I think it would be in his best interest to stay in the National League."

If this is the case, the Dodgers are obviously the last remaining team, since the Padres and Giants won't be in the running. Blake also went on to say that he'd like to stay in La-La land, but it's more likely they pay CC instead.

On Sabathia, the move would make sense for both sides. CC is reportedly looking for a house in southern California, after growing up in the bay area. The Dodgers can afford to pay him, and they've completely dwindled their farm system for this season's run. If you're gonna act like the Yankees (trading prospects for veterans over and over), you might as well spend like them as well.

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

New York Yankees (68-60) at Baltimore Orioles (61-66) 7:05 PM ET

I remember it being early April, 2007. I was just starting out at FanHouse, and I was blogging my ever-loving heart out while wearing some new pajamas that I had bought to celebrate my arrival here. It was then when all of a sudden, a loud "whoosh" rattled my windows and knocked me off of my seat. I thought it was some sort of freakish weather pattern, or an airplane flying a bit too low while landing at LaGuardia.

Turns out there was nothing to worry about. It was just Carl Pavano falling off the face of the earth.

Derek Lowe threw a gem last night in the Dodgers 3-1 victory over Colorado, but he couldn't take any credit for it. You see, Greg Maddux has magical powers.

While the Dodgers were hitting, the 42-year-old Maddux offered him his opinion on what the opposing hitters were trying to do and what he might want to do to offset that.

"It actually worked, believe it or not," Lowe said, smiling.

Usually I think clubhouse chemistry is somewhat overrated. Teams generally (again, generally ... this doesn't mean there aren't examples to the contrary) get along when they are winning and have problems if they are severely underachieving. In this case, however, what Greg Maddux brings to the Dodgers is much more than just his averageish six innings of work every five days.

You'll see several more stories like this as the NL West race roars towards the finish line, because Maddux is just that dynamic a baseball mind. When he retires, someone must publish a book which includes all the "Greg Maddux is a baseball genius" stories from his illustrious career. We've all heard a bunch ... someone just needs to compile them.

Who wouldn't buy that? I'd be the first in line.