Dodgers need to play the Angels' brand of ball

In one dugout, they were fuming.

"Our club is not where we were projected to be. . . . We are not firing on all cylinders," said Manager Mike Scioscia.

At that moment, his Angels had the fourth-best winning percentage in baseball.

In the other dugout, they were thankful.

"It's amazing, I agree," said Manager Joe Torre. "We're very fortunate to be where we are."

At that moment, his Dodgers had the 22nd-best winning percentage in baseball.

The Angels consistently win, but it's not enough.

The Dodgers lose but, hey, well, everybody else in the division stinks, so whoopee!

Those quotes given last weekend are symbolic of the last eight years.

Like the city whose name they share, the Angels and Dodgers are a clash of cultures.

The Angels expect to win.

The Dodgers don't know what to expect.

The Angels live by a standard of excellence.

The Dodgers live by the seat of their pants.

Scioscia speaks from the strongest seat of any major league manager -- unchallenged, unquestioned, and undeniably the boss.

"Winning the World Series certainly puts your organization at a different level, but it has to be more than that," Scioscia said.

Torre sits on a throne of cardboard, deserving of instant respect but admittedly receiving little from a crowd much more amateur than those professional New York Yankees.

His young players still don't listen. When they should be looking at the scoreboard, they are looking in the mirror. When they should be moving the runner from first, they are often only interested in advancing themselves.

The Angels are all about winning in October.

The Dodgers are all about surviving tonight.