The series opens tonight with Shawn Estes facing Elmer Dessens, who is making his second regular-season start for LA. The other one was the day the Dodgers clinched the title - not that Dessens had as much to do with it the seven runs LA scored in the ninth. [Elmer was yanked after four innings, and only gets mentioned in the second-to-last paragraph of the game report!]
Mind you, Estes is not exactly our pitcher voted most likely to succeed either, but I still have to give us the edge here. The D'backs offense rolled along at a nice 6.3 runs/game in the opening series, and should do well against Dessens. I hope Gonzo will be passing on lots of juicy tips to the rest of the team, since most of them didn't play alongside Dessens here last season. Patience at the plate is the key: Elmer is a lot easier to hit after 45 pitches than to start with.
I won't get to see much of this game, or indeed, the entire series, since it's back to the grind for me in about 90 minutes. Thus, please fill in the yawning commentless chasm which opens below, with your thoughts on this evening's events.