Stumbling to the finish *

As the Dodgers prepare for tonight's mercifully final home game, things are not all bad. Plenty bad, yes. They need to win three of four this weekend to avoid having the Dodgers' worst season since they came to Los Angeles. Of the 22 teams in history to start a year 12-2, only one other ended with even a losing record. Tonight's pre-game media notes, however, see mostly positives. The Dodgers have committed just 102 errors, the third fewest in L.A. history. Their 280 doubles are the team's second-most in Los Angeles. And attendance was the second highest since the franchise came west, averaging a league-high 44,482 a game. Finally, Willy Aybar has enjoyed a nice start with the Dodgers, batting .365 and adding thirteen walks since getting his first major league hit on Sept. 10. The kid has had nine multi-hit games since he came up.

* Vinnie sums up: Scully described the season as "puzzling" in his intro before tonight's game. 7:30 pm They lost, 3-2. 11:30 pm