Today we had the great pleasure of interviewing our Dodgers Insider, Michael Schwartz, Associate Reporter for Dodgers.com and MLB.com. He has been writing for the Dodgers for all of the 2008 season and was a reporter for the Diamondbacks last season, so he knows both of these teams very well. Here it is:

1) Manny has clearly made a heck of an impact on the Dodgers since being traded by the Red Sox at the non-waiver trade deadline. In your opinion, has this saved the Dodgers season?

It depends on what you call saving the season. If Furcal and Saito come back in September, I think the Dodgers would have battled the D-backs down to the wire and maybe even won the division. However, they wouldn’t have had much of a shot in the playoffs with that offense. Now if they do get in with the pitching they’ve gotten all year and the way Manny solidifies the lineup, I think they’d have a chance to make a run.

2) Do you think that the Maddux deal will give the Dodgers the edge in the race for the division? Or was that already accomplished with the Manny deal?

Yeah, I think that was accomplished with the Manny deal. I think the Maddux deal will be felt more off the field where pitchers like Billingsley and Kershaw will get to learn from one of the greatest ever. He will certainly be a plus over Eric Stults in the rotation, but I’m not sure if that could be considered the difference in the division.

3) What are the biggest strengths and weaknesses of this Dodger team as they head into September?

Pitching is an obvious strength, and it’s what has kept them in the race all season. The Dodgers rank second in the Majors in ERA and lead the NL in that category. The offense is starting to become a strength as well with Manny and a lineup that now has punch throughout, whereas earlier in the season you could basically sleep on their Nos. 7-9 hitters. Now they’ve got good hitters like Russell Martin and Casey Blake batting down there. If Furcal comes back, this will be one of the better offenses in the league. Although the bullpen has been incredible all season, it’s shown some vulnerability lately, with all of their key guys blowing games. I think if Saito returns he would stabilize that, but if not that would definitely be a concern, along with having guys in Kershaw and Maddux who rarely pitch more than six innings, putting even more strain on the ‘pen.

4) What has been the fan reaction to the Adam Dunn deal to the Diamondbacks?

Honestly, none whatseover from what I’ve seen. It could be perceived as kind of a reaction deal to Manny, but nobody has seemed to get too worked up about it.

5) Lastly, what are the chances that we’ll see Manny back in Dodger Blue next season?

I would say not great, although he has said he likes LA and is a great fit for this stretch run. He wants the big money everybody’s heard about, and the Dodgers have already been burned on big money contracts with Andruw Jones and Jason Schmidt. However, their owner Frank McCourt is a Boston guy who loves former Red Sox (like Nomar and Lowe), so it’s certainly possible. Still, it would surprise me if the Dodgers gave him a ton of money for four years since you obviously can’t DH him in the NL. So in short, gut says he goes to an AL team.

Check over at SoCalSportsHub.com for another interview with Schwartz from the Dodger’s fan point of view.

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