LOS ANGELES - Considering where they are (last place) and where they've been recently (1-13 after the All-Star break), it's hard to imagine where the Dodgers might be minus the contributions of rookies Russell Martin, Andre Ethier and Jonathan Broxton.
"I"d hate to think where we"d be without them," Dodgers manager Grady Little said Saturday. "They've been doing it very well for a long time now. We just hope they keep it up."
While Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti continues to work the phones in search of another trade-deadline acquisition that won't cost him any of the organization's young talent, those three went out and justified his protective instincts again in a 7-5 victory over the Washington Nationals.
The victory gave the Dodgers a winning streak (two games) for the first time since they swept the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 3-5.
"The last couple weeks has left some bad taste in our mouths," Ethier said. "We wish we had those (wins). At the same time, we're focusing on trying to finish this homestand on a strong note. I think things are changing here, just overall."
If they are, the Dodgers' youngsters are playing key roles.
Martin was 2 for 3 with four RBIs on a home run and a double Saturday. Ethier was 1 for 3 with a run scored and an RBI. Broxton, filling in for Takashi Saito, pitched a scoreless ninth for his first major-league save.
With 58 games to go in the season and a division race to rejoin, none look like rookies.
"Early on, they did," Little said. "They'd have their vapor-locks or whatever you want to call it on the basepaths or with some of the little things in the game. After they got that out of their system, they relaxed a little bit and they play like they've been here a long time."
By recent Dodgers standards - they have been. Ethier and Martin both were promoted in the first days of May and have since made themselves at home. Literally.
Martin is hitting .341 at Dodger Stadium with four home runs and 33 RBIs (he is hitting.243 with one home run and 11 RBIs on the road).
Ethier is a .397 hitter at home with seven home runs and 30 RBIs (.294 with two home runs and nine RBIs on the road).
Meanwhile, it is Dodgers right-hander Derek Lowe who seems to have lost his way. Lowe gave up four runs in the first two innings, seven hits and four stolen bases in the first three while throwing 85 pitches - and somehow survived five innings to record his second victory since June 23.
In six starts since then, Lowe is 2-4 with an 8.27 ERA while allowing 63 hits in 37 innings.
"It's been a tough six weeks. I really haven't pitched worth a darn," Lowe said, though he saw progress in Saturday's outing.
Little agreed that there has been progress and said he has not lost confidence in Lowe.
"No. The guy has scuffled a bit but as long as he keeps battling, he's got a chance," Little said.
After 21/3 innings of scoreless relief from Elmer Dessens settled the Dodgers, Little turned to Broxton rather than Saito, who gave up three runs in two-thirds of an inning Wednesday.
"We're giving him a couple days to recover from that outing," Little said. "He threw 37 pitches and that kind of overloaded his circuits."
Instead, Broxton pitched a scoreless ninth for his first major-league save - a potential glimpse into the Dodgers' post-Gagne, ninth-inning future.
