Dodgers regrouped and got better

THE DIFFERENCE between winning and losing at the upper echelon of sport is so small as to be almost immeasurable. The Dodgers might be in their second consecutive National League Championship Series because of a man almost nobody knows.

Ron Rizzi is an East Coast scout who is responsible for closely observing several teams, including Baltimore and Washington. He also spends every winter in Venezuela.

Two years ago, Rizzi found lefthander Victor Garate in Venezuela. On Aug. 30, the Dodgers traded Garate and Luis Garcia to the Nationals for Ronnie Belliard, the same Belliard who has become their starting second baseman, who batted .351 in 24 regular-season games for the Dodgers, who knocked in the tying run in the incredible Game 2 comeback against the Cardinals.

It was Rizzi who strongly suggested the Dodgers trade for Orioles closer George Sherrill. On July 30, they did. Sherrill now sets up closer Jonathan Broxton.

"He was the lead guy on Belliard," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said, moments after the Dodgers eliminated the Cardinals. "He was the lead guy on Sherrill. And he was also the guy who convinced us to sign Ronald Belisario.

"He kept calling us around Thanksgiving from Venezuela, saying, 'We need to sign this guy. The arm is live.' We brought him in and gave him a chance."

All Belisario, 26, did in 69 games out of the bullpen was pitch to a 2.04 ERA.

The Dodgers are a better team than the one the Phillies beat in the 2008 NLCS because most of the players who are left from that team got better. And the front office complemented them with the players Rizzi suggested, as well as free-agent Randy Wolf and late-season pickups Jon Garland, Vicente Padilla and Jim Thome.

"Last year, we really relied on Manny [Ramirez]," Dodgers third-base coach Larry Bowa said. "It was like, 'Manny's got to stay hot or we're dead.' I don't think it's anything like that this year."

Not with solid regulars like Rafael Furcal, James Loney, Casey Blake, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp and Russell Martin. Ramirez' 50-game suspension actually helped all the other regulars get better. They had no choice.