Clayton Kershaw, ace

Before last night's rough outing against Milwaukee, Clayton Kershaw had been one of the best pitchers in the Majors since May. Even with the hiccup, he still has been one of the best pitchers over the last few of months. Kershaw is going through a similar progression as Chad Billingsley, but he's actually further along than Billingsley was at the same point of their respective careers.

Kershaw's Line from May 1 - July 29:
8-3 W-L
1.81 ERA
99 2/3 IP
91 Strikeouts
1.18 WHIP
.187 BAA

These are some superb numbers, and it couldn't come at a better time for the Dodgers. It seems once Kershaw picked it up, Billingsley hit a rough stretch.

Billingsley's Line from June 1 - July 29:
4-3 W-L
5.29 ERA
64 2/3 IP
55 Strikeouts
1.41 WHIP
.252 BAA

However, Billingley's outing on Sunday Night Baseball is very encouraging. He threw five scoreless innings, walking one and striking out nine before having to leave early with hamstring cramping. He will be OK to make his next start.

If the Dodgers can get these two guys on track at the same time, then the inability to land an ace before the trade deadline will be an afterthought. However, doom and gloomers like The Los Angeles Times' Bill Plashcke, perhaps the worst columnist in the country, thinks otherwise. But he's a tool who inexplicably still has a job. But that's another topic for another time.