Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Chad Billingsley and the Dodgers' pitchers have made the ride a bit smoother without Manny Ramirez.

By Tim Kurkjian, ESPN

This weekend's Dodgers-Cubs series is a fascinating matchup, as it always is between these clubs. They have been playing each other since 1890, and entering this series they were exactly .500 against each other.

Before Thursday's game the lifetime series record was 1,012-1,012-14. Amazingly, in their long history -- 2,038 games' worth -- they were dead even. That alone is a pretty good setup for any series, but what makes it even more compelling is that, in the preseason, many considered these two of the best teams in the National League and this weekend a possible preview of the 2009 NLCS. They met a year ago in the playoffs, when Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers swept the Cubs.

While there is all sorts of intrigue and subplots to this weekend, one thing that doesn't appear to hold much mystery is the race in the NL West right now. The Dodgers are that good. We all understand that the rest of the division is not that good. Still, the thought of the Padres winning 10 games in a row and still finding themselves 7½ out of first before the end of May tells you how dominant the Dodgers have been this year with, and without, Manny.

We've seen how good the Dodgers are offensively. We know their infield defense is absolutely terrific, but we've also found that their pitching has been better than people thought. Chad Billingsley, Friday's starter, is a really, really good pitcher and has made great strides in each of the past two years. The rest of the staff has been a pleasant surprise as well. Eric Stults and Eric Milton were not even supposed to be in the Dodgers' rotation, but both of those guys have done pretty well. It proves how well this team is put together. It would be absolutely astonishing if they don't win the division. In fact, they should do so pretty handily, maybe by 15 games or so.

Featured Series: Dodgers at Cubs

FRIDAY Dodgers (Chad Billingsley) at Cubs (Ted Lilly), 2:20 ET

SATURDAY Dodgers (Eric Stults) at Cubs (Ryan Dempster), 4:10 ET

SUNDAY Dodgers (Eric Milton) at Yankees (Sean Marshall), 8:05 ET

The Cubs are a somewhat different story. They led the league in runs scored last year, but they've recently been stuck in the lower fourth of the league, which just doesn't make sense. They are going to start to hit. You know guys like Milton Bradley, Derrek Lee, Geovany Soto and Mike Fontenot will get going at some point. Perhaps the bigger concern right now is their pitching. Rich Harden is on the disabled list. Ryan Dempster, Saturday's starter, has just not been as dominant as he was last season, when he was really, really good.

They have some things to work out as a team, but the danger for the Cubs is that they are in a more competitive division than Los Angeles. The St. Louis Cardinals, especially, are playing very well. Some thought before the season that the Cubs had a chance to win the NL Central going away, but it just doesn't look like that's going to happen. They still should win the division, but it's going to be a lot harder than most people, including myself, thought. The Cardinals should push them right to the end, and it wouldn't be a shock to see St. Louis win the wild card.

The Cubs should be OK. Logically, you've got to think they will start putting things together here soon because they're not nearly as bad as they've been playing so far.

Another storyline from this series to consider: Bradley played for the Dodgers and had some tumultuous seasons there. But one of the things I'm most looking forward to in this series is two Hall of Fame-caliber managers, Joe Torre and Lou Piniella. Their demeanors are different and they have a sharp contrast of styles, but they have made both of them work.

With all the history in this series, it's possible both teams will leave without taking historical bragging rights. It's a four-game series, and a split would leave them both with 1,014 wins against each other with 14 ties, even more symmetrical than before.

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TOUCH 'EM ALL

Who went deep? Keep track of all the home runs hit each day on "Baseball Tonight" and on the Baseball Tonight Clubhouse page.

For more, check out the Home Run Tracker page.

Home Run Tracker
NAME	HR	OPP	PITCHER	SITUATION
J. Crede, Min	9	Bos	Beckett	Bot 2: 0-1, 1 Outs. None on.
J. Varitek, Bos	9	Min	Swarzak	Top 5: 1-0, 0 Outs. None on.
J. Varitek, Bos	10	Min	Swarzak	Top 7: 2-1, 0 Outs. None on.
W. Aybar, TB	3	Cle	Lewis	Top 6: 1-0, 1 Outs. None on.

The complete list of Thursday's homers

ON DECK: WEEKEND WATCH

Red Sox at Blue Jays

The Blue Jays limp into the series, having lost nine in a row to fall two games behind the Red Sox in the American League East. Waiting for the Jays will be Tim Wakefield (6-2), Brad Penny (5-1) and Jon Lester (3-5). While Lester has a losing record, he had no trouble with Toronto two starts ago.

Reds at Brewers

The Reds have won four in a row and five of six to pull within 1½ games of first in the NL Central. The teams' pitching staffs match up well, with Cincinnati fifth in the NL in ERA (3.97) and Milwaukee sixth (4.07). How good is the pitching in the NL Central? The Cardinals are first, giving the NL Central three in the top six in ERA in the league.

Cardinals at Giants

Barry Zito pitches Saturday, and it's hard to tell if he is again in a rut or just the victim of bad fortune. He has lost three consecutive starts to fall to 1-5 on the season. In each start, though, he has gone at least 6 1/3 innings and not given up more than five runs in any of those outings. His ERA remains at a respectable 4.02.

For the rest of Friday's schedule, click here. To see what's on tap for Saturday, click here. And for Sunday's full slate of games, click here.