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One playoff-bound team, the Yankees, swept three from the Boston Red Sox this weekend to clinch the toughest division in baseball. The Dodgers, meanwhile, lost three of four to the league's second-worst team, the Pittsburgh Pirates — and looked especially ugly today. The Pirates were on their worst losing string in 119 years until the Dodgers limped into town, and today beat L.A. 11-1. Manny Ramirez and Casey Blake were out with injuries, but that wasn't the Dodgers' problem. From ESPN:
They played like a team that couldn't wait to get out of Pittsburgh while having three runners thrown out on the bases and committing a key error in the first two innings alone. "We'd give the Bad News Bears a run for their money," Torre said.
Not exactly encouraging for the Dodgers' chances against the Cardinals or Phillies in the playoffs.