What is going on??

Is it just me or are the Dodgers becoming the Yankees in more ways than just the overload of money?

With Magic Johnson stepping in, the team got all the money to grab the weapons they wanted. From Adrian Gonzales and the rest of the Red Sox crew to other stragglers such as Hanley Ramirez and Zach Grienke they beefed up there team looking like the new team to beat.  Lots of people put their money in   on them this season, but things only appear to be getting worse as we roll into May.
Year started positive, in spring training the Dodgers are thinking Crawford is coming back, the team is being put together and no one can get in our way. Then Hanley gets dinged in the World Baseball Classic not expected to come back til May. This did not get much media hype as the Yankees were the team sucking up all the air time about injuries due to AROD, Jeter, Texiera etc. all on the DL. Well since the loss of the Dodgers shorstop, things have only started to look more like the Yankees current roster.

Once the season was underway, things got started with the whole Zach vs. Carlos battle on the mound. Dodgers had to say peace out for a while to their highest paid started as he thought it was a good idea to make hard physical contact with the Padres huge slugger in a full out sprint. Grienke's collarbone went snap, and the Dodgers went down a starter. Next Chris Capuano had been having issues with his calf and was placed on the 15 day DL. At this moment however things look to be positive for him and the Dodgers may be getting back a pitcher who they may place either in the rotation or in bullpen rather soon.

To stick with the pitcher stories, Chad Billingsley was lost for the season with his need to get Tommy John Surgery. He was having elbow soreness and it turned out to be exactly what Don Mattingly did not want to hear as his starter is now gone until the first pitch of 2014.  With a couple guys down, the Dodgers need to bring a few pitchers in to fill their shoes. Well Stephen Fife got to come in for one start but then was scratched in the end of April and hit the DL due to shoulder issues. One backup down...Ted Lily made a few appearances but then was placed on the DL as well with rib problems right before they lost game one to the Giants in San Francisco. Thats a lot of pitchers to lose in the beginning of the year. But hey, we reached May, meaning Hanley should back with the rest of the offense right??
Second baseman Mark Ellis has been missing games due to some quad problems recently, as he has not made an appearance in any games since April 27th.  Then Carl Crawford is back to his usual thing of being hurt. he had hamstring issues during the series against the Rockies to finish of the month of April, he did make his first appearance of May in a pinch hit at bat on May 3rd against the Giants but does not appear to be able to start still.
Going on Adrian Gonzales has been having neck issues as he missed his first game on May 3rd against the Giants. His injury appears to be minor, but there is no telling how long Mattingley will want to keep him out of the lineup to guarantee it stays a minor problem unlike many of his other players.  Finally Hanley Ramirez came back for his first game on April 29th against the Rockies. While in Coors Field he blasted a homerun and was looking good. But on his attempt to reach third base safely on a single by A.J. Ellis from first base, Hanley rounded second and had the look of pain on his face. Slowing down and making a last attempt to slide into third as he was getting tagged out, Hanley rose from the base limping on his way back to the dugout. On only his fourth game back Hanley was hurt yet again but in a completely different place. Talk about injury prone. Some how all these EX MArlins are just hitting the DL, though they suck this year its like they saw the future before dumping all their players. Hanley suffered and hamstring injury and after limping about halfway to the dugout, he needed assistance to get the rest of the way there. Dodgers reported that they don't expect to see him back out on the field for a while.
Though both the Yankees and Dodgers have a lot of dough and a bunch of injured players, the thing they don't have in common is how they are able to perform without their big names. Though a very good portion of the Yankees payroll gets to watch the games they still have a record of 17-11 only trailing the Red Sox in the division by 2.5 games. You got to admit that is rather impressive as Cano, Wells, Overbay and others have stepped in. The Dodgers on the other hand are 13-15 and sit in fourth in the NL West behind the Giants, Rockies and Diamondbacks. The Dodgers may have more problems when it comes to pitching, but in this who can play better with a bunch of injuries rivalry they got going, I got to say the Yankees are out in front.