Astros

HOUSTON - Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier led the offense, third baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. made two dazzling plays and the Dodgers' starting pitcher was effective enough if not outstanding. Sound familiar? In a repeat of their win over the Milwaukee Brewers a day earlier, the Dodgers followed nearly the same blueprint again Friday to defeat the Houston Astros, 3-1, in the opener of their three-game series at Minute Maid Park. That lifted the Dodgers' record to 11-3 on Manager Don Mattingly's 51st birthday, their best start since going 12-2 through the first 14 games in 2005.

It is not required during the course of a season that all victories must be works of art. Mangled, difficult and uncomfortable victories, they ultimately count just the same. The Dodgers defeated the Astros, 3-1, on Friday night in Houston, and if many of the ingredients appeared familiar -- another home run by Matt Kemp, another RBI from Andre Ethier, more dazzling defense from Jerr yHairston Jr. -- there were also several cover-the-eyes moments. Most of which were provided by left-hander Ted Lilly, who was the model of efficiency in his first outing, but never could seem to find any rhythm Friday.

Reporting from Milwaukee — Houston will be pushed from the National League Central to the American League West in 2013, a move Major League Baseball announced Thursday in conjunction with its unanimous approval of Jim Crane as the Astros' new owner. Also coming soon, perhaps as early as next season, is a second wild-card team to each league, meaning 10 of 30 teams would make the playoffs. Commissioner Bud Selig, acting on the advice of a special committee for on-field matters, said the two wild-card teams from each league probably will play a one-game playoff to advance to the postseason with the three division winners.

Reporting from Milwaukee — A national baseball writer tweeted Wednesday that "there is some opposition to [new Houston Owner Jim] Crane from American League West teams not wanting the Astros in the division. " To which another writer in the work room at the general managers/owners meetings responded, "What's not to like? You get to play the Astros 18 times. " When owners gather at the Pfister Hotel on Thursday, they are expected to approve Crane's $680-million purchase of the Astros from Drayton McLane.

The pennant races are all but decided, so staff writer Kevin Baxter takes one final look at how Major League Baseball stacks up heading into the postseason. Records and statistics are through Friday's games: Last team standing? 1. PHILADELPHIA (97-52): First team to clinch a playoff berth is nearing a franchise record for wins. 2. MILWAUKEE (88-63): Only contender with a losing record on the road. Good thing the NL has home-field advantage in the World Series. 3. DETROIT (88-63)

Gobs of shaving cream were caked in Justin Sellers' sideburns, his jersey, his glove. The Dodgers rookie had left the field minutes earlier, but the remnants of his most joyous moment in baseball still covered him like a badge of honor. "You don't top this feeling," Sellers said. In his third major league game, the speck of a shortstop transformed a two-thirds-empty Dodger Stadium into a rollicking place Sunday during the Dodgers' 7-0 victory against the Houston Astros.

Sizing up the apparent mismatch between the Houston Astros and Clayton Kershaw, a radio reporter asked Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly before the game if his ace had a chance to do something more special than usual against the team with the worst record in baseball. "You mean a perfect game or something?" Mattingly said. Jason Michaels erased that possibility with a broken-bat infield single in the second inning Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, but Kershaw was nearly flawless for much of a 6-1 victory in which he notched his career-high 14th victory.

Hiroki Kuroda was pitching a gem through seven innings Sunday, holding the Houston Astros scoreless and to only three hits. But this is the 2011 Dodgers we're talking about, so not surprisingly, Kuroda had nothing to show for it because his teammates also hadn't scored. It was a familiar story for the Japanese right-hander, who had lost his previous five starts in large part because of poor run support. In the eighth inning, though, the unusual happened: Catcher Dioner Navarro — batting .165 — drilled a 2-and-0 fastball from reliever Wilton Lopez into the right-field pavilion to give the Dodgers a 1-0 victory.

This is turning into a special season for the Dodgers. Special the way their 91-loss season in 2005 was special. Or their 99-loss season in 1992. Just when you think their situation can't become any worse, it somehow does. The Dodgers descended to new depths Friday night at Dodger Stadium when they were beaten, 7-3, by the worst team in baseball. The Houston Astros had won only two of their previous 13 games and were 25-45 overall, but they battered Ted Lilly for six runs and eight hits in 51/3 innings.

The Dodgers hope to emerge from their recent slump, and quell their growing frustration, when left-hander Ted Lilly goes against the Houston Astros on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium. Lilly has a 7-2 career record and 2.30 earned-run average against Houston, which has baseball's worst record at 25-45. The Astros have lost eight of their last 10 games, but the Dodgers (31-39) have fared little better, losing seven of their last 10, including a three-game sweep by the Cincinnati Reds this week.