Joe Torre, not Manny Ramirez, holds Dodgers together

If the Los Angeles Dodgers now make the playoffs with Manny Ramirez, many will say Joe Torre managed to reach the postseason again due to superior talent.

Not so fast. Maybe Torre reached the postseason every year with the Yankees due to great talent, but not this time in L.A.

If anything, Torre may have accomplished one of his best managing jobs ever just to keep the Dodgers in the NL West race and be in position to trade for Ramirez.

Consider the odds Torre has faced in his first year with the Dodgers:

The team’s best player, shortstop Rafael Furcal, has been injured since May 5.
Staff pitching ace Brad Penny has been sidelined since June 14.
Closer Takashi Saito has been out since July 12.
L.A.’s top three third basemen were injured when the season began.
Center fielder Andruw Jones is a $36 million bust.
Jason Schmidt may "earn" his $47 million with the Dodgers by recording one win.

Despite it all, Torre has kept the Dodgers in contention in the Weak Weak NL West.

All things considered, that may be nearly as much of an accomplishment as winning four World Series in five years with the greatest talent on earth in New York.

Will Padres win the marathon?

Can the Padres continue to out-pitch everybody else in baseball?

Do they have the capability to start scoring runs more than once in a blue moon?

Will the additions of Michael Barrett and Milton Bradley mean anything to their offense?

Does Bud Black have it in him to continue being a master in utilizing his bullpen?

These questions, and more, begin to unfold when the Padres return from the All-Star break tonight with a three-game series at Arizona.

This may be a perfect time to catch the Diamondbacks. They are reeling from five straight losses, including three against lowly Cincinnati.

The Padres’ other main competitor in the NL West, the Dodgers, are making a pitch for anybody to become a starter on the mound.

Three of their top five starters are shelved with injuries: Jason Schmidt, Randy Wolf and Hong-Chih Kuo.

Maybe the Padres can distance themselves from the NL West for the time being. But no matter what happens right after the All-Star break, remember there is still a long way to go.

The Dodgers seemingly took themselves out of contention by losing 13 of 14 games coming out of last year’s break. Then they won 15 of 16, propelling themselves on their way to an eventual first-place tie with the Padres in the NL West.

The marathon is still on. Let’s see which team crosses the finish line first.

Padres care more about series than Dodgers

The Padres are taking this much more seriously than the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Starting tonight, the teams play a three-game series at Petco Park.

The Padres are pitching their top three starters. In turn, the Dodgers are going with their Nos. 3-5 starters.

Coincidence?

Yes and no.

San Diego rearranged its rotation partly so that ace Jake Peavy will pitch the third game of the series. He follows Chris Young and Greg Maddux.

In the series opener, Los Angeles is pitching Jason Schmidt, who traditionally gets beat up by the Padres. That’s the same Schmidt who is coming off the disabled list.

The Dodgers could have pitched Schmidt last night in Pittsburgh and moved ace Derek Lowe back a day to face the Padres. And, yes, Lowe is a Padre killer.

On pitching match-ups alone, the Padres appear more interested in focusing specifically on this one series.

We’ll find out which team is using the best strategy over the next three days.