PITTSBURGH – Although they’re not accustomed to being known for their ball playing ability, the last place Pittsburgh Pirates beat the first place Los Anhele Dohyers 15-8 in what commentators are calling “an ugly loss on the field and under helmets.”

Their comments, likely referring to Adam LaRoche’s uncanny resemblance to Sesame Street‘s own Bert (slightly noticeable above), left the 6’3″ first baseman both speechless, and heading to the locker room to shave his unibrow.

In the Dodger clubhouse, more serious matters took precedent over LaRoche’s fleeting fame.

When rounding third base in what proved to be a fatal play, Nomar Garciaparra sprained his left knee for the second time this season. The Dodger infielder, who looks like Robert DiNero (as seen below), optimistically believes his injury is day-to-day and expects to be back on the field before the playoffs. Dodgers.com reports:

“I’ve sprained it before, I sprained it again. I don’t know how bad. I’m sure it will be sore tomorrow. I’m able to move it and that’s good. There’s definitely swelling in there. It’s a day-by-day thing.”

The Dodgers lost a game in the playoff race with Arizona’s win but are still 3.5 games up with just 10 games to go.

To see what the player’s really look like, click on the thumbnails below. Not that far off, right?

In a surprise move today, Ned Colletti, GM of the Dodgers, actually made a trade that might benefit the team.

The three-way trade lands Manny Ramirez in Los Angeles, Jason Bay to Boston, and the Pirates get prospects Andy Laroche, Bryan Morris, Craig Hansen, and Brandon Moss. The BoSox also agreed to pick up $7 million of Manny’s Salary.

The only way this could get better is if Mark Sweeney retired, Andruw Jones lost 90 pounds, and Jamie McCourt blew me while I ate an endless supply of Dodger Dogs. I’ll take 2 out of 3, though.