Major League Baseball

Dodgers acquire Cubs LHP Ted Lilly

Published Jul. 31, 2010 8:37 p.m. ET

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Joe Torre believes his Dodgers can make a playoff run with their latest upgrades.

The Los Angeles manager has a familiar face for the push: left-hander Ted Lilly.

Lilly was traded to the Dodgers by the Chicago Cubs on Saturday along with infielder Ryan Theriot for infielder Blake DeWitt and minor league right-handers Kyle Smit and Brett Wallach. Lilly pitched for Torre with the New York Yankees.

Los Angeles also received approximately $2.5 million cash to cover part of what remains in Lilly's $12 million salary. Los Angeles general manager Ned Colletti was looking to bolster his starting rotation by the trade deadline.

Third in the NL West, the Dodgers already acquired center fielder and leadoff man Scott Podsednik from Kansas City on Wednesday. Theriot is slated to be the team's everyday second baseman, while Lilly could make his Los Angeles debut as soon as Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium against the first-place San Diego Padres.

''Hopefully it makes us better,'' Torre said before the Dodgers played the San Francisco Giants. ''That's all you can do. I just talked to Theriot and he's excited. Hopefully Ted Lilly will give us a little more stability in our rotation. I had Teddy before and I'll tell you one thing, he's a competitor.''

Lilly is 3-8 with a 3.69 ERA and hasn't won since June 13. He pitched 5 2-3 scoreless innings against Houston on Tuesday and has allowed four earned runs over his last 16 innings. He is eligible for free agency after the season.

Theriot has a .284 average with one homer and 21 RBIs.

The 24-year-old DeWitt, a first-round pick in the 2004 amateur draft who bats left-handed, is batting .270 with 15 doubles, one homer and 30 RBIs. He hit .295 with a triple, three doubles and six RBIs in 21 games in July.

DeWitt isn't sure what to expect with the Cubs, considering this is the first trade of his career.

''This is the first time anything like this has ever happened to me. It definitely comes as a little surprise,'' DeWitt said shortly after receiving the news. ''I haven't really had time to gather my thoughts yet. ... It happened. I appreciated the opportunity I had here. I had a lot of fun here and I look forward to the opportunity in Chicago.''

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