Wilson falters in relief

Hyun-Jin Ryu is a second-year starter with the Dodgers but is anything but a newcomer to professional baseball. Before coming to the U.S. last year, Ryu pitched for seven years in the Korean League and was a star in his home country.

Ryu went to the mound tonight in San Diego as the Dodgers made their U.S. debut after winning two games in Australia.

Ryu pitched well enough to improve his record to 2-0, tossing a masterful three-hitter over seven innings but setup man Brian Wilson, the bearded one, could not hold the Padres at bay. San Diego's Seth Smith hit a towering homerun to right field and the Padres added two more runs in the eighth off Wilson to post a 3-1 victory.

Ryu was on the mound because Dodger ace Clayton Kershaw was put on the disabled list with an injury to his back. The Dodgers sound like they are being cautious with their prize southpaw but Dodger fans are dreading being without baseball's best pitcher for any length of time.

Speaking of injuries, Matt Kemp is apparently only days away from returning to the lineup and could see action in a week or so.

Dee Gordon got the start at second base tonight but he is still getting overpowered at the plate. Second base figures to be a committee effort with veteran Chone Figgins and Justin Turner getting a shot to win the job.

Cuban sensation Yasiel Puig sat down with his manager, coaches and teammates this week and heard what the team expects from him this year. No doubt Puig was reminded to hit the cutoff man, run the bases with more purpose and less abandon and play more within a team mindset.

The Dodgers are favorites to win the NL West with San Francisco expected to contend. When Kemp returns to the batting order the Dodgers will offer a potent lineup that includes Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier, Puig and Juan Uribe.

San Diego's Andrew Cashner held the Dodgers to four hits over six frames tonight with a fastball in the mid-90's and good control.

After a day off tomorrow (Monday) the Dodgers close out the three-game set against the Padres on Tuesday and Wednesday before welcoming the Giants to Chavez Ravine for a three-game set starting Friday.

Opening weekend Down Under goes well

The Dodgers opening weekend in Sydney, Australia was a success. Clayton Kershaw proved that spring training doesn't matter with a five-hitter and Hyun Jin-Ryu looked masterful in beating Arizona for a two-game sweep of the opening series that wasn't an opening series.

The Dodgers return to the U.S. for several more exhibition games before starting the season again. Here are some first impressions...

• Yasiel Puig can hit and cover ground in the outfield but he still needs to work on his "wild horse" base running.
• Dee Gordon will win the second base job if he hits like he did in Game Two.
• Andre Ethier still has a sweet stroke and has learned to play centerfield. Matt Kemp is close but if he can't go Ethier would do fine.
• Brian Wilson is the real deal as a setup man. Despite giving up a four-run ninth inning in a 7-5 Dodgers win the LA bullpen should be stellar.
• Adrian Gonzalez is the best pure hitter on the Dodgers.
• Juan Uribe has found the fountain of youth because he is still the best option at third base.

Sydney's Cricket Ground transformed into a fine baseball stadium and the Australian fans seemed to like baseball, even getting into the wave in the stands.