Daily Clips

August 2, 2015

LOS ANGELES DODGERS CLIPSSUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 2015

LA TIMES:Defense is the biggest difference in the Dodgers this season – Steve DilbeckDodgers' Clayton Kershaw shuts down Angels in 3-1 victory – Dylan HernandezDodgers' Kenley Jansen rebounds against Angels' Mike Trout – Dylan HernandezYasmani Grandal is the unsung hero in Dodgers' win over Angels – Alex ShultzIn battle of MVPs, even Mike Trout can't stop Angels' skid – Zach HeflandMLB trade deadline talk takes away the proper focus of the game – Bill ShaikinClayton Kershaw extends scoreless streak to 37 innings in 3-1 win – Steve DilbeckJim Johnson, Luis Avilan add needed depth to Dodgers bullpen – Greg HadleyJoc Pederson out of Dodgers lineup for second consecutive day – Dylan Hernandez

OC REGISTER:Kershaw keeps scoreless innings streak alive as Dodgers beat Angels, 3-1 – Jeff FletcherFinal: Clayton Kershaw keeps streak alive in Dodgers victory over Angels – Jeff FletcherSaturday lineups: Angels at Dodgers – Pedro MouraDodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw totally dominant in stretching scoreless streak to 37 inning, but he's not too excitedabout it – Pedro MouraMiller: Watching Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw a rare treat, even if it's Angels who are victims – Jeff MillerOn deck: Angels at Dodgers, 1:10 p.m., SNLA/FSW – Pedro MouraDodgers monitoring closer Jansen's mechanics – Oscar Terrones

DODGERS.COM:Kershaw's scoreless streak hits 37 innings – Ken GurnickBacked by burst, Kershaw shuts down Angels – Ken Gurnick and David AdlerKershaw silences Trout in 'extraordinary' matchup – Lyle SpencerShaky Jansen still gets job done in ninth – Steve BourbonEllis set to be activated from DL on Tuesday – Steve BourbonLatos ready for Dodgers debut in finale vs. Angels – Steve BourbonTrout bests Greinke on outer-half pitches – David AdlerDodgers participate in Ice Bucket Challenge – Steve Bourbon

LA DAILY NEWS:L.A. Angels’ southpaw C.J. Wilson could be out for season with bone spurs – Robert MoralesClayton Kershaw runs scoreless innings streak to 37 as L.A. Dodgers beat L.A. Angels 3-1 – Robert Morales

ESPN LA:Saturday's Top 5: Clayton Kershaw keeps his streak alive – Chirstina KahrlClayton Kershaw proves he's back in gear with return to action – Anthony WitradoRapid Reaction: Dodgers 3, Angels 1 – Anthony WitradoClayton Kershaw quiets Angels for eight innings, extends scoreless run to 37 – Associated PressDodgers' Joc Pederson sits for second straight game – Anthony Witrado

TRUEBLUELA.COM:Julio Urias does not allow a hit in return to Tulsa – Brandon LennoxClayton Kershaw fires more zeroes in win over Angels – Eric StephenDodgers July review: The Clayton Kershaw & Zack Greinke show – Eric StephenDodgers trades more a reallocation of resources already committed – Eric StephenDodgers roll with same lineup in second game vs. Angels – Eric StephenDodgers add to starter count in finale with Angels – Eric Stephen

DODGER INSIDER:Kershaw’s streak is a prime 37 – Jon WeismanInside Clayton Kershaw’s scoreless-inning streak – Jon WeismanDodger Insider magazine — August 2015 edition – Jon Weisman

FOX SPORTS:Notes: Dodgers wisely willing to sacrifice dollars, not prospects – Ken Rosenthal

YAHOO SPORTS:MLB trade deadline: Winners & losers – Jeff Passan

With money and cutting-edge brilliance, Dodgers playing a game others can’t – Jeff Passan

NBC LA:Clayton Kershaw Extends Streak in Battle of MVPs, Dodgers Win 3-1 – Michael Duarte

LOS ANGELES DODGERS CLIPS

SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 2015

LA TIMES

Defense is the biggest difference in the Dodgers this season

By Steve Dilbeck

What’s the biggest difference in the Dodgers this year over last? I mean, besides that army in the front

office.

Home runs? Lack of speed? Juan Uribe’s missed wardrobe?

Try defense.

Not the sexiest subject, but more often than not, a key one for winning teams.

The Dodgers have gone from being a poor defensive team, to one of baseball’s best. That’s a pretty

impressive turnaround in one season.

Get news and notes on all the Dodgers matchups >>

That change is most obvious up the middle, and was on display again Saturday in the Dodgers' 3-1 win

over the Angels. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins and second baseman Howie Kendrick are vast defensive

upgrades over Hanley Ramirez and Dee Gordon.

In the second inning, with Albert Pujols at first after a leadoff single, Erick Aybar sent a hard bouncer up

the middle. Kendrick made a sprawling, diving stop, and then while spread out on the infield, flipped the

ball to Rollins covering second. Rollins almost turned it into a double play.

“I knew I had it,” Kendrick said. “Sometimes during the day [here], it’s tough to see the ball off the bat.

You have to wait a little bit. But I made a good play on it and just kind of flipped it to Jimmy. I just

wanted to make sure we got one. That was my whole goal, and we almost got two out of it.”

Carlos Perez then hit another bouncer in the hole, this time Rollins making the diving stop and firing to

get the force at second on Aybar.

“Good plays, absolutely,” said Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. “Always welcomed.”

See the most-read stories in Sports this hour >>

The Dodgers finished last season ranked 23rd in fielding percentage and 27th in errors. This year they’re

ranked second in both categories.

Rollins and Kendrick, plus the superb defensive play of Joc Pederson in center, have made a major

difference.

“We’ve been playing really good [defensive] baseball this year,” Kendrick said. “Hopefully we can

continue to do that. That’s what it’s about. Making the outs, making the routine plays. You’re going to

make spectacular plays here and there, but you want to try and make all the routine plays.”

Rollins, Kendrick and Pederson are not only doing both of those, but they’re covering more ground than

the Dodgers were accustomed. Yasiel Puig also got into the act Saturday, after getting a late jump in the

afternoon sun on a Mike Trout drive, making a diving, one-handed catch. Even Kershaw joined the fun,

catching an Andrew Heaney bunt attempt in the air and swiftly firing to a covering Kendrick at first for a

double play.

“I knew that’s what they wanted to do this year -- improve the defense,” Kendrick said. “That was one of

the biggest things.”

And 104 games into the season, it appears a mission accomplished. The Dodgers seldom beat

themselves, and sometimes like Saturday, they can even come up with the spectacular.

Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw shuts down Angels in 3-1 victory

By Dylan Hernandez

If the sight of Clayton Kershaw returning to the mound Saturday provided a welcome relief to the

concerned patrons at Dodger Stadium, the performance that followed granted them another

opportunity to celebrate his brilliance.

In a start that was postponed twice by a sore hip, Kershaw pitched eight shutout innings to lead the

Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over the Angels and extend his scoreless streak to 37 innings.

He gave up only two hits. He struck out seven and walked one.

Get news and notes on all the Dodgers matchups >>

He retired Mike Trout in all three at-bats of baseball's first matchup of reigning most valuable players,

most memorably in the first inning on a paralysis-inducing curveball for a called third strike.

"Kershaw today had his dominant stuff again," Trout said. "That's why he's in the best in the league."

After Trout was struck out by Kershaw in the first inning, he grounded into a force out in the fourth and

flied to right field in the seventh.

"Everything was move, cutting, sinking, sliding, curving," Trout said. "The whole bit."

Angels starter Andrew Heaney kept up with Kershaw for as long as he could, blanking the Dodgers for

the first five innings. The home team broke through with three runs in the sixth, the first on a sacrifice

fly by Scott Van Slyke against Heaney, the last two on a home run to center by Yasmani Grandal off

reliever Fernando Salas.

Heaney (5-1) muttered a four-letter expletive and said, "I had no chance." It was the fifth loss in a row

for the Angels, who now trail Houston by three games.

While reporting no problems with his hip, Kershaw acknowledged he was affected by the unusually long

layoff between his last start and this one. He was scratched Wednesday and again Friday.

Pitching on eight days' rest, instead of the usual four, Kershaw ran up his pitch count to 50 after only

three innings.

"It's crazy what two or three days off will do," Kershaw said. "I don't like days off, apparently."

Kershaw said his off-speed pitches weren't sharp, but also credited the Angels hitters.

"The Angels were doing a good job laying off a lot of pitches down in the zone," he said. "They had a

really good game plan and stuck with it."

Kershaw received help from his defense, particularly in the second inning.

With Albert Pujols on first base, second baseman Howie Kendrick dived to stop a hard-hit grounder by

Erick Aybar that was headed for center field. Kendrick flipped the ball with his glove to shortstop Jimmy

Rollins for the force at second.

Rollins made a diving stop on the ensuing at-bat by Carlos Perez to get another out at second base, and

Kershaw retired David De Jesus to get out of the inning.

Soon after, Kershaw (9-6) discovered a rhythm he would maintain for the remainder of the game, as his

earned-run averaged dropped to 2.37.

"I think my fastball got a little better as the game went on," Kershaw said.

Kershaw knew he wouldn't pitch the ninth inning, as his pitch count was at 114 through eight.

He nonetheless returned to the mound for the ninth inning, which prompted the Angels to call on the

right-handed-hitting C.J. Cron to pinch hit. Immediately after Cron was announced as the hitter, Kershaw

was replaced by closer Kenley Jansen.

Kershaw departed to a standing ovation from the capacity crowd with the Dodgers leading, 3-0, on their

way to a fifth consecutive win over the Angels.

"It was a little awkward for me," he said. "I knew I wasn't pitching. Just trying to get the matchups that

we wanted."

Kershaw moved to within a complete game of eclipsing Zack Greinke's 45 2/3-inning scoreless streak,

which ended last weekend. He became the first pitcher since Luis Tiant to record multiple scoreless

streaks of 35 or more innings. Kershaw had a 41-inning shutout streak last season. Tiant had streaks of

41 innings in 1968 and 40 innings in 1972.

Kershaw now has four consecutive starts of eight or more scoreless innings. That last time a pitcher did

that? 1988, when Orel Hershiser tossed a record 59 consecutive scoreless innings.

Up next

Mat Latos (4-7, 4.48 ERA) makes his Dodgers debut against Cory Rasmus (0-0, 0.00) of the Angels on

Sunday at 1 p.m. TV: SportsNet LA, FS West. Radio: 570, 830.

Dodgers' Kenley Jansen rebounds against Angels' Mike Trout

By Dylan Hernandez

Kenley Jansen wanted revenge.

A day earlier, he had served up a home run to Mike Trout. Now, here he was facing Trout again in the

ninth inning Saturday, this time with the game on the line.

With two men on and the Dodgers leading by three runs, Trout had a chance to level the game with a

single stroke of his bat.

Jansen struck him out. He gave up a run-scoring single to Albert Pujols, but closed out a 3-1 victory over

the Angels by forcing Erick Aybar to pop up. Jansen was credited with his 19th save.

Get news and notes on all the Dodgers matchups >>

In reference to Jansen's strikeout of Trout, Manager Don Mattingly said, "Kind of showed who he is."

Jansen thought so too.

"That's who I've been since Day 1," he said. "Someone gets me, I want to face them again."

Mattingly said he wasn't particularly concerned with the run charged to Jansen, explaining that if the

Dodgers hadn't been in a no-doubles alignment, Scott Van Slyke could have caught Pujols' flare down

the left-field line.

Jansen has given up a run in each of his three appearances in the Dodgers' current homestand,

something he blamed on a weeklong illness. "This sickness has been wearing me out," he said.

"Definitely I'm exhausted right now."

He was shaky at the start of the ninth inning Saturday, as he allowed the first two batters to reach base.

"It didn't look nice out there but I'm not worried at all," he said.

Jansen has 125 saves in his career, which ties him with Jim Brewer for fourth-most by a Dodgers pitcher

since the franchise relocated to Los Angeles in 1958.

Another big hit

Catcher Yasmani Grandal questioned the pitch selection of Angels reliever Fernando Salas leading up to

his critical two-run home run in the sixth inning.

Salas threw Grandal three consecutive changeups, the third of which was blasted over the center-field

wall to increase the Dodgers' lead to 3-0.

"We're major league hitters, you know?" Grandal said. "We see two pitches in a row and you throw it a

third time and you try to throw it for a strike, we're probably going to hit you."

The home run was the 15th of the season for Grandal, who matched the career high he set with the San

Diego Padres last season.

Grandal launched the homer from a left-handed stance. His previous two at-bats in the game were

taken right-handed.

With right-handed-hitting backup catcher A.J. Ellis on the disabled list, the switch-hitting Grandal has

been afforded more opportunities in recent days to hit right-handed. In his seven at-bats against left-

handed pitchers over the last two days, he has five hits.

"I think it's a matter of getting a bigger sample of at-bats righty … not just three here and then three a

month later," Grandal said.

Time off

Joc Pederson wasn't in the Dodgers lineup again Saturday, as Mattingly said he wanted to give the

slumping rookie center fielder a mental break.

Pederson also didn't play the previous day in the series opener against the Angels.

"As much as anything, he gets a chance to watch the game," Mattingly said. "A lot of times … you see so

much more when you don't have to try to perform. It's just a day to let everything calm down. He's able

to do some work and not try to use it right away."

Pederson batted only .169 with one home run and five runs batted in in 23 games in July. He has struck

out 18 times in 54 plate appearances since the All-Star break and was dropped from the leadoff spot in

the Dodgers lineup this week.

Short hops

Ellis is expected to be activated from the disabled list Tuesday, the first day he is eligible to be

reinstated. Ellis has been sidelined because of knee inflammation. … Carlos Frias touched 97 mph in a

rehabilitation game Friday night with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. Frias gave up two runs and struck out

eight in four innings.

Yasmani Grandal is the unsung hero in Dodgers' win over Angels

By Alex Shultz

Clayton Kershaw's eight-inning shutout performance was the story of the afternoon on Saturday, but

Yasmani Grandal was pretty good too.

Grandal's two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning was the added cushion the Dodgers needed

to defeat the Angels by a score of 3-1.

"He’s getting big hits, he’s swinging the bat right-handed," manager Don Mattingly said. "I think he

continues to grow with our staff as far as knowing him better and understanding what we’re trying to do

with our game planning."

Get news and notes on all the Dodgers matchups >>

Grandal finished three for four to raise his batting average to .292. Since catcher A.J. Ellis went on the

disabled list on July 20, Grandal has been on a tear, hitting .321 overall and five for seven against left-

handers.

Still, Grandal's priority is making sure he fulfills his catching duties before he worries about how he's

doing at the plate.

"For me, it’s one of those things where catching comes first and my pitching staff comes first," Grandal

said. "If they’re going good, then I’m going good, no matter whether I’m hitting or not. Obviously, hitting

and contributing to the team offensively is always a plus."

As for whether he gave any thought to Kershaw's dominant showing during the game, Grandal realizes

he was lucky to have some experience catching for an unhittable ace.

"When Zack [Greinke] had the streak going, you didn’t even think about it," Grandal said. "You just kept

on doing whatever it is you were doing. You never tried to change anything, pitching to his strengths.

Now that Kersh has another streak going, it’s the same thing."

In battle of MVPs, even Mike Trout can't stop Angels' skid

By Zach Hefland

Mike Trout had lost this round of reigning MVP versus reigning MVP, but with Dodgers left-hander

Clayton Kershaw out of the game, he had a chance at redemption in the ninth inning.

The Angels were down. Trout stepped to the plate representing the tying run.

Then Kenley Jansen threw a 94-mph fastball past him, and he strode back to the dugout with his head

down.

This time not even Trout could produce for the suddenly slumping Angels, who have lost five in a row

and eight of nine. The Angels lost, 3-1, thanks to another eight innings of scoreless work from Kershaw,

who extended his scoreless streak to 37 innings.

In the last three games, the Angels have faced the Houston Astros' Scott Kazmir followed by the

Dodgers' Zack Greinke and Kershaw. They’ve managed just two runs against the three starters.

“We’re running into tough pitchers making tough pitches,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “But if you’re

going to win you have to find a way to beat tough pitchers.”

Until Saturday, Trout had been unaffected by the Angels’ malaise. In his previous three games, he had

seven hits, three home runs and eight runs batted in. But he’d also missed two games with a wrist

injury, and the Angels scuffled.

On Saturday, the first time a reigning most valuable player has hit against a reigning most valuable

player, Trout was hitless in four at bats with two strikeouts. The first one, a backdoor breaking ball that

parachuted toward the zone at the last moment, left him with his mouth agape.

“Everything was moving, cutting, sinking, sliding, curving,” he said. “The whole bit.”

Without Trout powering the offense, the Angels managed just two hits against Kershaw and two more

against Jansen in the ninth inning, when Albert Pujols knocked in the team’s only run with a single.

Right-hander Andrew Heaney pitched “really well,” said Scioscia, but not well enough to match Kershaw.

He limited the Dodgers to two runs and four hits in 5 1/3 innings. In the sixth inning, he gave up a run-

scoring sacrifice fly to Scott Van Slyke.

Scioscia had been ejected in the second inning for arguing balls and strikes, so it was bench coach Dino

Ebel who decided to pull Heaney after he gave up the first run.

Two batters later, Fernando Salas gave up a two-run home run to Yasmani Grandal on a third

consecutive changeup.

“Once you go back-to-back changeups and you go and throw another changeup ... we’re major league

hitters, you know?” Grandal said.

The loss was Heaney’s first of the season.

The Angels will finally get a reprieve from the string of aces on Sunday, when the Dodgers will throw

Mat Latos, whose 4.48 earned run average is just less than double Kershaw’s. But the Angels will use

Cory Rasmus in place of the injured C.J. Wilson.

Rasmus, a reliever, started six times for the Angels last season. His longest start was four innings and 59

pitches. He didn’t say how long he could last on Sunday.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I guess it depends on how many outs I can get.”

MLB trade deadline talk takes away the proper focus of the game

By Bill Shaikin

The trade deadline is like the mirror at the carnival fun house. You might be stretched impossibly tall, or

widened impossibly fat. You still can see, but the view is distorted.

The relentless coverage of the trade deadline distorts your view of the game. On Friday, in an

extraordinary news conference in Philadelphia, Cole Hamels restored the proper focus for all of us.

The Phillies had traded their longtime ace, and Hamels had a plane to catch for Texas. But, on his way

out of town, Hamels stopped at Citizens Bank Park to thank everyone.

See the most-read stories in Sports this hour >>

The Phillies drafted him when he was 18, a kid from San Diego. He is 31 now, and the time had come to

leave the only team he had ever known.

He reflected upon 2008, when 2 million fans lined the streets of Philadelphia for the Phillies' first

championship parade in 28 years.

"I know a lot of us are not from Philly," Hamels said, "and we come here and our dreams are to win a

championship and win a ring.

"Sometimes, we don't really understand the purpose behind it, but we really grasped that when we got

to take that parade down Broad Street and see what it had done for the fans here."

Pardon the cliche, but this is why we play the game.

It is not about declaring winners of the trade deadline, though our vote goes to the Toronto Blue Jays

and Kansas City Royals. It is not about branding players as assets, about buying low and selling high,

about hoarding years of control.

That all factors into putting together a winning team, of course. And the Dodgers, armed with smarts,

imagination and cash, have cornered the market on buying players and draft picks in order to constantly

expand the talent pipeline.

"I don't really view it as being creative," General Manager Farhan Zaidi said. "We have a set of

objectives. We have a set of resources. We are going to use them."

Get news and notes on all the Dodgers matchups >>

Little wonder the Dodgers' front office squirms at its canonization by the analytical community. There is

a scoreboard here, and the results that matter most are the ones at the end of October, not the end of

July.

Sounding fishy

The Dodgers got better in last week's three-way trade. So did the Atlanta Braves. The Miami Marlins

most certainly did not, and president of baseball operations Michael Hill tried to explain.

"I would hope our fans are educated enough to see what we're doing here," Hill said.

At first glance, meh. The Marlins declared themselves a contender last winter, delivered a flop, and

traded some spare parts to save a few million bucks. Giancarlo Stanton remains, and so do Jose

Fernandez, and Dee Gordon, and Christian Yelich.

But the players' union is educated enough to see what the Marlins are doing. In the wake of the trade,

the union has resumed its scrutiny of the Marlins' operations.

In 2010, in a stunning and rare public rebuke, the Marlins were censured by the union and the league

over concerns that the team did not spend enough of its revenue-sharing income on player salaries.

Since then, the union and the league agreed to add so-called "competitive balance picks," extra draft

selections awarded to small-market and low-revenue teams. The Marlins traded theirs to Atlanta.

"For a club like us," Hill said, "it's very difficult to include any type of pick because we're built through

the draft."

But they did. Their return in the trade — other than shaving millions off their payroll — was three low-

level pitchers from the Dodgers. The Marlins behaved that way in other trades too.

Baseball America ranked the 57 minor leaguers traded at the deadline. The Marlins got eight, all ranked

among the bottom 13.

The competitive balance picks are the only draft picks that can be traded. They were designed as a tool

for teams to use to improve on the field, not on the balance sheet. The union is concerned about how

the Marlins used the pick they sent to Atlanta.

Stanton last fall signed a record $325-million contract with the Marlins, persuaded that the team really

was serious about winning. He cannot opt out until 2020, but the Marlins' latest shenanigans might

sooner or later trigger that long-rumored homecoming trade: Stanton back home to L.A., and the

relatively affordable Yasiel Puig home to Miami.

Clayton Kershaw extends scoreless streak to 37 innings in 3-1 win

By Steve Dilbeck

Worried about Clayton Kershaw? Concerned that soreness in his hip region might return your favorite

National League MVP to common-man status?

Fear not. The Dodgers’ ace left-hander looked absolutely normal, which is to say dominant, Saturday

afternoon when he returned to the mound after not pitching for eight days to let his soreness dissipate.

Get news and notes on all the Dodgers matchups >>

Kershaw extended his current scoreless-innings streak to 37 in leading the Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over

the Angels on a muggy afternoon at Dodger Stadium. Kenley Jansen gave up a run in the ninth but

picked up his 19th save.

The Dodgers believe Kershaw is the first pitcher since at least 1900 to put together two scoreless streaks

of 37 or more innings. He had a 41-inning streak last season.

[Update 4:55 p.m.: The Dodgers said after the game that according to Elias Sports Bureau, Kershaw is

the first pitcher with two streaks of 37-plus inning streaks since Luis Tiant, who threw 40 scoreless for

the Red Sox in 1972 and 41 for the Indians in 1968.]

Kershaw (9-6) shut out the Angels for eight innings, giving up only two hits, walking his first batter in

four starts and striking out seven. Kershaw, who had a 4.32 ERA on May 25, now has an ERA of 2.37.

Supported by some excellent defense, Kershaw never allowed a runner to advance to second base.

Dodger-for-a-heartbeat Andrew Heaney matched Kershaw for five innings, before the Dodgers scored all

their runs in the sixth.

Howie Kendrick – the player the Dodgers flipped Heaney for in the off-season – singled to lead off the

sixth and advanced to third on an Adrian Gonzalez single. Scott Van Slyke’s fly to the left field wall

brought in Kendrick for the first run.

With Heaney at 97 pitches, substitute manager Dino Ebel – Mike Scioscia was ejected in the second

inning for arguing balls and strikes – called on reliever Fernando Salas.

That looked good when Yasiel Puig fouled out on the first pitch, but not so good when Yasmani Grandal

drilled a two-run homer to almost dead center. It was Grandal’s 15th home run of the season, matching

his career high set last season for the Padres.

Jansen, who said after Friday’s appearance he had been battling flu-like symptoms for a few days, made

things interesting in the ninth.

Jansen gave up a home run to Mike Trout on Friday, and began his appearance Saturday by giving up a

single to pinch-hitter David Murphy and walking pinch-hitter Kole Calhoun.

Jansen struck out Johnny Giavotella, to bring up Trout and Albert Pujols. Jansen struck out Trout but

gave up an RBI single to Pujols on a flare to left field, before getting Erick Aybar to pop out to end the

game.

Kershaw and Trout provided the first meeting between reigning MVPs in baseball history. Kershaw

becomes the first pitcher with four straight starts of at least eight scoreless innings since Orel Hershiser

in 1988.

It was the Dodgers’ fifth consecutive victory over the Angels, a team record.

Jim Johnson, Luis Avilan add needed depth to Dodgers bullpen

By Greg Hadley

They were certainly not the biggest names the Dodgers got in their three-team trade with the Braves

and Marlins, but relievers Jim Johnson and Luis Avilan might have the most immediate impact of all the

new players.

The Dodgers officially introduced Johnson and Avilan, alongside Alex Wood, before Friday’s game, and

the two made it clear they understood their role in Los Angeles’s bullpen.

“The purpose of Luis and I is to obviously strengthen the back end of the bullpen,” Johnson said. “Every

team that wants to play into October and win in October, the key factor is getting those big outs at the

end of the game. It’s a no-brainer and that’s what we’re here to do.”

The duo brings needed depth to a relief corps that has dealt with injuries and rotated through set-up

men all season.

Johnson has a history of getting the very last outs of the game. Over the 2012 and 2013 seasons, he had

a combined 101 saves for the Baltimore Orioles. And while he has since primarily pitched in the eighth

inning, he did pick up nine saves for the Braves at the beginning of the season.

But he has no illusions about taking Kenley Jansen’s job.

“Obviously Kenley’s been one of the best guys in the game for a while, and I’m not here to do anything

but help pull the rope in the same direction as everyone else. I always refer to the bullpen as a team

within a team, and we all do our part together.”

Avilan and Johnson have appeared in 50 and 49 games this year, respectively, and Johnson said he

hoped they could provide a potent one-two punch in the seventh and eighth innings to set Jansen up.

“We call it shake and bake,” he joked.

However, with the presence of Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and now Mat Latos and Alex Wood in the

rotation, relief in the seventh inning might not be all that necessary.

While Latos was absent from Friday’s press conference, Wood expressed excitement about joining the

organization and having the chance to learn from some of baseball’s top pitchers.

“Kershaw and Greinke and some of the other guys are probably going to hate me because I’m going to

ask so many questions,” Wood said. “Especially in this game, there’s always new things you can pick up,

both physical and mental. They’ve obviously figured something out, so I can’t wait to pick their brains.”

Joc Pederson out of Dodgers lineup for second consecutive day

By Dylan Hernandez

Joc Pederson won't be in the Dodgers lineup again Saturday, as Manager Don Mattingly said he wanted

to give the slumping rookie center fielder a mental break.

Pederson also didn’t play the previous day in the series opener against the Angels.

"As much as anything, he gets a chance to watch the game," Mattingly said. "A lot of times ... you see so

much more when you don't have to try to perform. It's just a day to let everything calm down. He's able

to do some work and not try to use it right away."

Pederson batted only .169 with one home run and five RBIs in 23 games in July. He has struck out 18

times in 54 plate appearances since the All-Star break and was dropped from the leadoff spot in the

Dodgers lineup this week.

"Sometimes you can't see the forest from the trees," Mattingly said. "You get too close to it; you don’t

really get to see the big picture. I just want him to see the big picture."

OC REGISTER

Kershaw keeps scoreless innings streak alive as Dodgers beat Angels, 3-1

By Jeff Fletcher

LOS ANGELES – The difference of opinion between the Angels and Dodgers clubhouse as it relates to

Clayton Kershaw tells you just how good the Dodgers ace is.

After Kershaw ran his scoreless streak to 37 innings with eight innings in the Dodgers’ 3-1 victory over

the Angels Saturday, the losing clubhouse was full of awe and shaking heads.

“Obviously Kershaw had his dominant stuff once again,” said Mike Trout, who struck out twice in three

hitless at-bats in the battle of reigning MVPs. “He was throwing all his pitches. Everything was cutting,

sinking, sliding, curving, the whole bit.”

Andrew Heaney, a left-handed hitting pitcher, summed up his confrontations with Kershaw with an

expletive, followed by “I had no chance.”

On the other side, though, there was more of a ho-hum attitude about what has become commonplace,

especially during this streak.

“He seemed a little bit rusty, early, honestly command wise,” Manager Don Mattingly said. “It’s been

like eight days since he pitched, but it seemed like he was getting better as the game went on.”

Kershaw had a few extra days because of a left hip injury that caused his start to be pushed back twice

this week. Kershaw admitted it was “challenging” for him to adjust to the extra time.”

“I felt all right,” he said. “I don’t think I was quite as sharp.”

The results say otherwise. Kershaw gave up two hits and a walk, as the Angels couldn’t so much as get a

runner to second base against him.

Their only rally was against closer Kenley Jansen, resulting in one run on an Albert Pujols. Erick Aybar

popped out to strand runners at first and third, ending the Dodgers fifth straight victory over the Angels

and the Angels fifth straight loss overall.

The Angels, who have lost eight of nine, certainly can chalk up some of the recent failure to the

competition. In the past three games they have seen Scott Kazmir (2.10 ERA) in Houston, and Zack

Greinke (1.41) and Kershaw (2.37) in Los Angeles.

“We are running into some tough pitchers and they are making good pitches but if you’re going to win

you have to find a way to beat tough pitchers,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “We haven’t found a

way the last couple games, but we’ll keep moving forward and hope to get some continuity on the

offensive side.”

Meanwhile, Heaney did his best to match Kershaw. The game was scoreless until the sixth, when

Heaney gave up back-to-back singles to Howie Kendrick and Adrian Gonzalez to start the inning. Scott

Van Slyke then hit a sacrifice fly to the warning track in left on Heaney’s 97th – and final – pitch.

Bench coach Dino Ebel, running the team after Scioscia got ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the

second inning, then brought in Fernando Salas.

Salas gave up a two-run homer to Yasmani Grandal, bumping the lead to 3-0.

“You can see the ball was getting elevated a little bit and maybe his command wasn’t quite as sharp,”

Scioscia said, explaining the decision to pull Heaney.

It’s been a bad week for Salas, who also allowed a walk off homer to Jason Castro on Thursday night in

Houston.

It’s been a bad stretch all around for the Angels, actually.

“It (stinks) losing,” Trout said. “But we’ve got to take some positives. We had a chance to win in the

ninth. We fell short. We have to turn the page and come out tomorrow.”

Final: Clayton Kershaw keeps streak alive in Dodgers victory over Angels

By Jeff Fletcher

LOS ANGELES – Clayton Kershaw’s hip is clearly fine.

Kershaw, who had his start pushed back twice because of a sore left hip, ran his scoreless innings streak

to 37 with eight innings in the Dodgers’ 3-1 victory over the Angels on Saturday.

Kershaw is just the sixth pitcher since 1974 to have multiple scoreless streaks of at least 30 innings. He

had a 41-inning streak last season. This streak isn’t even the longest of the year for the Dodgers. Zack

Greinke’s streak ended at 45 2/3 innings last week.

Kershaw gave up just two singles and a walk. The Angels didn’t get a runner to second base against him.

The Angels scored a run on Albert Pujols' bloop single against closer Kenley Jansen in the ninth, but Erick

Aybar popped out, to strand runners at first and third.

The Dodgers have now beaten the Angels five times in a row, dating back to last year. The Angels have

lost five in a row overall, equaling their season-worst, and eight of their last nine games.

Part of the problem is that the Angels, whose offense has been spotty all season, have now faced

pitchers have outstanding seasons in four straight games. They lost to rookie Lance McCullers (2.48 ERA)

and then Scott Kazmir (2.10 ERA) in Houston. This weekend they have lost to Zack Greinke (1.41) and

Kershaw (2.37).

Meanwhile, Angels rookie Andrew Heaney did his best to match Kershaw. The game was scoreless until

the sixth, when Heaney gave up back to back singles to Howie Kendrick and Adrian Gonzalez to start the

inning. Scott Van Slyke then hit a sacrifice fly to the warning track in left.

Fernando Salas entered and retired Yasiel Puig, but he then gave up a two-run homer to Yasmani

Grandal.

Saturday lineups: Angels at Dodgers

By Pedro Moura

LOS ANGELES -- Last night, a few hours after he arrived in town, Alex Wood was told to be ready to start

today's 1 p.m. game -- just in case he was needed. Clayton Kershaw's scheduled start had already been

pushed back to today from Wednesday because of a sore hip, and it wasn't entirely clear he'd be able to

go.

As of now, Kershaw's starting, and Wood's not starting until Tuesday, when he'll be on seven days of

rest.

Here are the lineups for the second game of the Freeway Series at Dodger Stadium, with Joc Pederson

resting against a left-hander for the second straight night.

The Dodgers will face young Angels left-hander Andrew Heaney, who was a Dodger for a few minutes in

December, before being sent to Anaheim for second baseman Howie Kendrick.

ANGELS

Shane Victorino RF

Johnny Giavotella 2B

Mike Trout CF

Albert Pujols 1B

Erick Aybar SS

Carlos Perez C

David De Jesus LF

Taylor Featherston 3B

Andrew Heaney P

DODGERS

Jimmy Rollins SS

Howie Kendrick 2B

Adrian Gonzalez 1B

Scott Van Slyke LF

Yasiel Puig RF

Yasmani Grandal C

Alex Guerrero 3B

Enrique Hernandez CF

Clayton Kershaw P

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw totally dominant in stretching scoreless streak to 37 inning, but he's

not too excited about it

By Pedro Moura

LOS ANGELES – Since he last allowed a run, Clayton Kershaw has faced 128 batters and recorded 113

outs. He has allowed two doubles and 13 singles. He has struck out 51 batters and walked one – perhaps

most improbably, lowly-hitting Angels rookie infielder Taylor Featherston.

After Saturday’s eight innings, Kershaw’s scoreless-innings streak stretched to 37. He has been as close

to infallible as a pitcher has ever been for a solid month. And he has done it despite injury concerns,

with a sore hip twice delaying his latest scheduled start.

He has also done it again. He fired 41 run-free innings last summer, making him the first pitcher since

Luis Tiant to post multiple scoreless streaks of 35 or more innings. Tiant did it in 1968 and 1972.

Kershaw would not address his hip issues after the game. Asked if he was apprehensive about the injury

on the mound, he said only that it was a “good start.”

He hardly addressed the streak, even. Asked if it had been on his radar during Saturday’s affair, he deftly

avoided the question by inquiring in return about his teammate, Zack Greinke. On Sunday in New York,

Greinke indicated he was in part happy his 452/3-inning streak ended, so the questions about it ceased.

"What did Zack say?” Kershaw said, at which point he was told what Greinke said. “There you go.”

Now, with a complete-game shutout in his next start against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Orange Lutheran

product Gerrit Cole, Kershaw can surpass Greinke’s streak – and his own.

Remember, Kershaw’s start to 2015 was dominated by talk of what was wrong. He carried a 4.32 ERA

after his first nine starts. Since, then, he has proven what’s right, striking out almost 10 times as many

hitters as he’s walked – 119-12. He has a 1.09 ERA in that time.

PEDERSON SITS

Dodgers rookie center fielder Joc Pederson appeared in 101 of the Dodgers’ first 102 games, in one

capacity or another.

Then he sat out all of Friday and all of Saturday, as Mattingly put into action a plan to reset the 23-year-

old’s approach at the plate. The manager said he wanted Pederson to simply watch the game, to see the

big picture, to see the forest through the trees – he went through a lot of cliches.

“A lot of times you don’t realize that you see so much more when you don’t have to try to perform every

day,” Mattingly said. “As much as anything, young guys get caught up and their minds start going over

all kinds of stuff.

“It’s just a day to let everything calm down. If it ends up being a couple days to let things calm down

then maybe we’ll do some work and not try to have to go out and use it right away.”

ELLIS READY

Backup catcher A.J. Ellis will be activated from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday, as soon as he becomes

eligible, and rookie Austin Barnes will likely return to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

“He was probably ready a couple days ago," Mattingly said of Ellis. "If he was an outfielder, or a position

where we had a couple extra guys, then we could probably wait out the two or three days."

Ellis was on a six-game hitting streak, including his two home runs this season, when he became disabled

by right knee inflamation.

"We're hoping that he's able to pick up right where he left off," Mattingly said.

NOTES

Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal hit the decisive two-run home run in Saturday’s sixth inning off Angels

reliever Fernando Salas, who entered the game one batter before. Salas threw two changeups to

Grandal to begin their matchup, and Grandal took the first and swung through the second. When he

threw a third, though, Grandal pounced on it for the homer. “We’re major league hitters, you know?” he

said afterward. … Saturday morning, Mattingly was asked how he would describe Angels starter Andrew

Heaney’s career with the Dodgers, which lasted less than a day last December. “Short,” the manager

said. “That’s a pretty good answer right there.” … Right-hander Carlos Frias (lower back) completed a

successful rehab start Friday, and now the team must decide his next step, and how much he will be

focused on relieving, with no more space in the Dodgers’ rotation. “Obviously there’s been discussion

about Carlos,” Mattingly said. “Do we really think he’s a starter, or do we think he’s a guy who’s a

reliever? I think those will continue on.” … Enrique Hernandez and Yasiel Puig participated in the ALS Ice

Bucket challenge on Saturday, as the 2014 fund-raising sensation attempts to re-start its campaign this

year.

Miller: Watching Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw a rare treat, even if it's Angels who are victims

By Jeff Miller

LOS ANGELES – This, this one was a treat.

And, here, I’m not even talking about the fact I covered this game free from the restraints of sweaty

underpants.

I’m not kidding. On a day at Dodger Stadium when the opening-pitch temperature was 83 and the sun

was as unrelenting as Scott Van Slyke’s beard, I wore a pair of those hybrid board shorts that render

skivvies optional.

Just another day at the office, folks, another afternoon of grinding it out, for you, the loyal reader. And

another day that I was thankful for going against my parents’ wishes years ago by not studying

engineering.

As an engineer, I’m pretty certain I never would have been paid to watch Clayton Kershaw match his

staggering talents against the bubbling potential of Andrew Heaney in a brilliantly manicured theater

picturesque enough to be framed.

These were two lefties who made one big right.

For those of you convinced I’m the most negative thing going until the next outbreak of bird flu, you’re

going to be disappointed. It’s hard to be anything but grateful today after receiving the gift that was this

Dodgers’ 3-1 victory over the Angels.

Again, I’m not kidding. I’m being 100 percent serious, even though I generally ridicule those people who

idealize baseball and prattle on about its charms, as if there’s anything romantic about a grown man

scratching in public.

But this, this one was different, an opportunity to witness Kershaw’s mastery over eight dominantly

dormant innings during which he never permitted a runner beyond first base. In stretching his current

scoreless streak to 37 innings, Kershaw didn’t allow an Angel to reach even halfway home.

Is it any mystery why Shane Victorino tried to bunt his way on base? Leading off the game?

Heaney was nearly as good into the sixth, when he ran into trouble maybe because of the heat, maybe

because of a rising pitch count or maybe because his actual pitches were doing the rising.

Whatever, the young lefthander’s most glaring mistake Saturday was this: He wasn’t Clayton Kershaw.

Oh, there’s plenty to fret about today, to be abundantly alarmed about really, if you live on the Orange

County stretch of this 5 Freeway rivalry.

The Angels now have lost five in a row and 8 of 9 overall, going, in the span of a week, from the team to

beat in the American League West to the team to beat up.

They just lost starting pitcher C.J. Wilson, probably for the season, to an elbow injury, barely hours after

the non-waiver trade deadline inconveniently passed and leaving them with little choice but to try to

win Sunday without a starting pitcher and instead a string of relievers.

They appear to be coming apart at the exact time playoff teams are supposed to be coming together.

In the second inning Saturday, Manager Mike Scioscia was ejected, forcing him, presumably, to watch

the remainder of the game on a clubhouse television. That’s how bad Scioscia’s day was; it was a

disappointment for him to hear the descriptions of Vin Scully.

“If you’re going to win, you have to find a way to beat tough pitchers,” Scioscia said later. “We haven’t

found a way the past couple games.”

The Angels are now just another loss on Sunday away from a winless trip – 0-6, for those scoring the

losing at home – and, if that happens, it’s possible that a drive back from L.A. never will feel longer. And

that’s saying something, given the traffic in Southern California.

But now look at me, seven paragraphs later, going on and on about the bad stuff. Enough. Here was

Kershaw afterward:

“I don’t think I was quite as sharp as I’ve been in the past,” he said before praising the Angels for their

approach and their discipline and using the word “fortunate” three times to characterize his day.

Yeah, and we all should be so lucky in performing our jobs. If Kershaw was fortunate to smother the

Angels like he did, I’m fortunate to be blessed with the calves of a super model.

He was, however, backed by some highlight defense, which frankly, seems unfair. When Kershaw’s on a

roll like this, baseball should handicap him by forcing the Dodgers to play with a defender or two tied

behind their backs.

Instead, in the fourth inning, Howie Kendrick made a throw from his belly, with his gloved hand, no less,

for a force out at second base, just a batter before Jimmy Rollins sprawled into the shortstop hole to

stab a grounder and initiate a second straight forceout.

Three innings later, right fielder Yasiel Puig charged in to make a diving catch off a Mike Trout liner,

basically doing to Trout what Trout has done to so many others.

Puig’s catch – like Kershaw’s performance and Heaney’s effort and this entire glorious day – was a

beauty, a present to be unwrapped and enjoyed.

Sorry, Clayton, but we were the fortunate ones Saturday, all of us inside Dodger Stadium and not

dressed as Angels.

On deck: Angels at Dodgers, 1:10 p.m., SNLA/FSW

By Pedro Moura

Where: Dodger Stadium

Did you know: After the July 31 trade deadline, the Dodgers’ $300 million payroll is almost $90 million

more than the New York Yankees’ ($211 million).

THE PITCHERS

RHP MAT LATOS (4-7, 4.48 ERA)

Latos will make his first start for the Dodgers since being acquired from the Miami Marlins in a three-

team trade prior to the July 31 trade deadline. Latos is posting the worst ERA of his career in his seventh

season, but he’s 3-3 with a 2.98 ERA in his previous seven starts.

Vs. Angels: 0-0, 4.05 ERA

At Dodger Stadium: 1-5, 3.34 ERA

Loves to face: None

Hates to face: David DeJesus (6 for 17, .353)

RHP CORY RASMUS (0-1, 2.85 ERA WITH TRIPLE-A SALT LAKE)

Rasmus will make his first start of the season in place of the injured C.J. Wilson on Sunday when the

Angels try to avoid a sweep. Rasmus, unlike right-hander Drew Rucinski, hasn’t been stretched out as a

starter. The most pitches he’s thrown in a Triple-A appearance this year is 42. The Angels used Rasmus

predominantly as a spot-starter and long reliever after Garret Richards went down with an injury last

season. "It'll just be like last year,” he said. “Try to get outs and see how long I can last."

Vs. Dodgers: 0-0, 0.00 ERA

At Dodger Stadium: 0-0, 6.75 ERA

Dodgers monitoring closer Jansen's mechanics

By Oscar Terrones

LOS ANGELES – Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen’s home run troubles have continued against the Angels,

and Manager Don Mattingly says a mechanical flaw in his closer’s delivery is to blame.

“I think the main thing with Kenley when he struggles at all, he just gets out of line,” Mattingly said.

“When he’s in line and his direction’s good, the ball comes out differently. He’s really like a lot of

different guys. If the delivery’s not right and he’s getting a little out of sync, the ball doesn’t come out

the same way, and you can see that.”

On the surface, Jansen seems to be having another impressive season, putting up numbers in line with

his career averages. He’s 2-1 with a 3.04 ERA and 19 saves, but his penchant for giving up home runs,

even as the Dodgers have continued to win games, is a dangerous trend.

Jansen has given up five home runs in 252/3 innings after allowing five home runs in 651/3 innings last

year. He gave up six home runs – a career-high – in 2012 (65 innings) and 2013 (762/3 innings).

Every home run Jansen has surrendered this season came in July.

Mattingly said he didn’t think Jansen’s foot injury before the season has anything to do with Jansen

becoming more vulnerable to home runs. Jansen missed the first month-and-a-half of the season after

having a growth in his right foot removed.

With the Dodgers up 5-2 in the top of the ninth against the Angels on Friday night, Jansen gave up a

mammoth homer to Mike Trout. That’s when pitching coach Rick Honeycutt noticed Jansen’s delivery

was “a little off line,” Mattingly said.

“I think from there, once (Honeycutt) went out and talked to him, to me the ball came out differently,”

Mattingly said. “He was seeing different swings; his command was better. After the (Albert) Pujols at-bat

I thought he was pretty good.”

Jansen’s struggles continued on Saturday when he gave up an earned run, two hits, and walked a batter

in the Dodgers’ 3-1 win.

The Dodgers bullpen, which is 23rd in baseball with a 3.89 ERA, received reinforcements with the July

trade deadline. Right-hander Jim Johnson was acquired from the Atlanta Braves, and the acquisition of

right-hander Mat Latos from the Miami Marlins will force Mike Bolsinger and Carlos Frias to reliever

roles.

Mattingly didn’t say whether the Dodgers were considering a change at closer, instead focusing on

getting Jansen right mechanically.

“The concern is more the direction than it is the result of that,” Mattingly said. “If his direction’s right

then the ball’s going to come out differently and they’re not hitting home runs. The concern is making

sure that he stays in line as far as mechanically where the ball comes out.”

DODGERS.COM

Kershaw's scoreless streak hits 37 innings

By Ken Gurnick

LOS ANGELES -- Scratched from starts Wednesday and Friday nights with a sore right hip, Clayton

Kershaw finally took the mound Saturday and was his usual, dominating self. He allowed two hits in a 3-

1 win over the Angels and added eight scoreless innings to a streak that is now 37 and counting.

About the only thing Kershaw likes to talk about less than how well he pitches is how much he's hurting,

so his postgame session was even shorter than normal, even after another Superman performance. He

ignored reporters' questions about his health, as if even acknowledging an injury is a sign of weakness.

Was he apprehensive because of the right hip, which apparently is a flareup of a condition he dealt with

in 2012?

"This is a good start today," Kershaw said. "I felt good."

Kershaw missed a start against the Giants in 2012 with a right hip impingement. He wouldn't discuss the

injury then, and he won't talk about it now. After missing the '12 start, he allowed two runs over the

final 21 regular-season innings with a pair of eight-inning starts.

Pitching Saturday on eight days rest, he struck out seven and issued his first walk since July 3, outdueling

rookie Andrew Heaney (5-1), who the Dodgers flipped from Miami to the Angels to get Howie Kendrick.

According to Elias, Kershaw is the first pitcher with multiple single-season scoreless streaks of 37 or

more innings since Luis Tiant in 1968 and '72. According to ESPN, he's the first pitcher in the modern era

with 45 strikeouts in a span of four scoreless starts. In his past 12 starts, he has a 1.09 ERA with 119

strikeouts and 12 walks.

"I felt all right; I don't think I was quite as sharp as usual," Kershaw said. "The Angels did a good job

laying off pitches down in the zone. I was fortunate to get to eight [innings] today. I think my fastball

command got better as the game went on.

"It's crazy what two or three days off will do. I don't like days off."

At 114 pitches, Kershaw was sent back to the mound to warm up for the ninth inning, but it was merely

a successful ploy to get the Angels (whose manager, Mike Scioscia, was ejected in the second inning) to

burn an extra pinch-hitter. He left to a standing ovation.

"It was a little awkward for me, because I knew I wasn't pitching, we were just trying to get the

matchups we wanted," Kershaw said.

Kershaw is now is 9-6, including four straight wins, and his ERA is 2.37, which would be stunning if it

weren't almost a full run higher than the 1.30 of Zack Greinke, whose streak of 45 2/3 scoreless innings

can be eclipsed by Kershaw next week.

Greinke's streak ended last week in New York, but while it was going, he didn't want to talk about it.

How about Kershaw?

"What did Zack say?" Kershaw asked.

When he was told Greinke didn't like talking about it, Kershaw said, "There you go."

Backed by burst, Kershaw shuts down Angels

By Ken Gurnick and David Adler

LOS ANGELES -- Scratched twice due to a sore hip, Clayton Kershaw returned to the mound Saturday at

Dodger Stadium and still dominated, extending his scoreless innings streak to 37 with a two-hitter over

eight innings in a 3-1 Dodgers win over the Angels.

Kershaw struck out seven with one walk, the first he's issued since July 3. He has four consecutive wins

for a 9-6 overall record and 2.37 ERA.

"He seemed a little rusty early, honestly, command-wise," said manager Don Mattingly. "But he got

better as the game went on."

Yasmani Grandal slugged a two-run homer, his 15th, off reliever Fernando Salas in a three-run sixth

inning that included singles by Howie Kendrick and Adrian Gonzalez and Scott Van Slyke's sacrifice fly.

That chased Angels rookie starter Andrew Heaney, who was charged with two runs over 5 1/3 innings.

Heaney was acquired by the Dodgers from Miami last winter and flipped to the Angels for Kendrick.

"You could see the ball maybe was getting elevated, and maybe his command wasn't quite as crisp,"

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of Heaney's sixth inning. "I think Andrew went as far as he could for

us this afternoon."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Up-the-middle defense: Second baseman Kendrick and shortstop Jimmy Rollins stole back-to-back hits

from Erick Aybar and Carlos Perez with diving plays to help Kershaw contain the Angels in the second

inning. Kendrick's included a glove flip while on his stomach for a force at second base. Kershaw helped

himself with a running catch of Heaney's bunt attempt and turned it into a double play.

"I was fortunate he bunted it kind of hard and right back to me," said Kershaw. "It's a tough spot for the

runner, he doesn't want to get out at second. It was a good play by Howie to be there."

Heaney continues to impress: Although the Angels lost on Saturday, Heaney tied Jered Weaver's

franchise record with his seventh consecutive start of five-plus innings allowing two or fewer runs to

open his Angels career. After his four-hit effort against the Dodgers, Heaney has posted a 1.97 ERA in 45

2/3 innings since his Angels debut on June 24.

"I thought he pitched really well," Scioscia said. "He had a good game plan, was making pitches. Some

weren't called strikes, some were called strikes. He pitched out of trouble a couple of times. … Andrew

pitched a terrific game, definitely gave us a chance to win."

Kershaw gets the better of Trout: In a matchup of the two 2014 Most Valuable Players -- Kershaw the

National League MVP, Mike Trout the American League MVP -- Kershaw won. Trout struck out looking

on a curveball from the Dodgers left-hander in the first inning, grounded into a weak fielder's choice in

the fourth and lined out to a diving Yasiel Puig in right field in the seventh.

"He was throwing all his pitches and every pitch was going in [a different] direction -- cutting, sinking,

sliding, curving, the whole bit," Trout said. "Felt like I was seeing him pretty good. He jammed me on a

couple of pitches, but other than that, it's a tough one."

Another save: Fighting off a virus, Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth inning for his 19th save and second in

as many games. He allowed a run on two hits, walking one and striking out two.

QUOTABLE

"I had no chance." -- Heaney, on batting against Kershaw

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Kershaw's matchup with Trout in the first was the first time in history a reigning MVP pitcher faced a

reigning MVP batter in a regular-season game.

SCIOSCIA GETS EARLY HEAVE

Scioscia was ejected by home-plate umpire Chris Segal in the second inning for arguing balls and strikes.

With one out and a full count on Puig, Heaney threw a 92-mph fastball that missed catcher Perez's

inside target -- Perez had to reach back across the plate to catch the pitch -- but still appeared to hit the

strike zone.

Segal called it a ball, and as Puig jogged to first, Scioscia started arguing from the dugout -- repeatedly

asking, "Where's the pitch?" -- and was tossed. He then came out of the dugout to get his money's

worth with Segal at home plate. It was Scioscia's second ejection of the season.

"No doubt it was a strike -- I don't think there's any question," Scioscia said after the game. "Umpires are

gonna miss a pitch; if you miss a pitch, just say, 'Hey, I missed a pitch, let's keep playing ball.' That wasn't

[Segal's] attitude. I think the ramifications, when you're in tight games, of missing a pitch like that to

start an inning and give them a baserunner, it's big."

WHAT'S NEXT

Angels: Right-hander Cory Rasmus will start Sunday's 1:10 p.m. PT series finale in place of C.J. Wilson,

who is on the 15-day disabled list with "left elbow impingement secondary to arthritis" and could miss

the rest of the season if he opts for surgery to clean out his elbow. That likely means a staff day for the

Angels, who could use righty Drew Rucinski to follow Rasmus.

Dodgers: Mat Latos makes his Dodgers debut in the series finale three days after being acquired from

Miami. Since returning from the disabled list (left knee inflammation) on June 13, he has gone 3-3 with a

2.96 ERA (15 earned runs in 45 2/3 innings) and has limited the opposition to a .198 average.

Kershaw silences Trout in 'extraordinary' matchup

By Lyle Spencer

LOS ANGELES - From the moment Mike Trout stepped into the batter's box and tapped Yasmani

Grandal's shin guards in his customary first-inning greeting, the Dodgers' catcher knew he was in the

middle of something really good, something extraordinary.

"It's not often you get to see one of the best players face one of the best pitchers," said Grandal, whose

two-run homer proved the difference in a 3-1 victory that has the Angels in danger of being swept at the

hands of their geographical rivals on Sunday.

"I'm a fan not only of baseball but of players -- especially a player like Trout," Grandal said. "Even though

he's a young guy, he's earned respect around the game for how he plays."

Trout engaging Clayton Kershaw on a flawless Saturday afternoon marked the first time in history the

reigning Most Valuable Player Award winners in each league squared off in a regular season game. It

had happened in the 1937 World Series, when the Yankees' Lou Gehrig took his swings against the

Giants' Carl Hubbell.

It was Grandal's job to put down the right fingers in the right spots. Kershaw, his fastball humming, the

breaking ball snapping, was dealing like a man with no concern about a tender hip.

Limiting the Angels to two singles and a walk, the reigning National League MVP was dominant across

eight innings.

"That's why he's the best in the league," Trout said.

His scoreless-innings streak reached 37. A complete-game shutout next time out will push Kershaw past

teammate Zack Greinke's 45 2/3 innings streak that ended in New York.

To get through the Angels, Kershaw had to navigate his way past Trout, who has the look of a man who

could make a serious run at a Triple Crown. He's within striking distance, batting .314 with an MLB-high

32 homers and 67 RBIs.

Trout was a one-man wrecking crew on Friday night against Greinke and closer Kenley Jansen, falling a

double shy of the cycle. But on Saturday, Kershaw quickly established the upper hand. The reigning

American League MVP looked at a third-strike hook that started at his shoulders and dipped sharply.

Three innings later, he grounded into a forceout on a 2-1 fastball after Kershaw again got ahead with a

first-pitch slider. Good pitchers have razors-edge memories; Kershaw recalled Trout lashing a first-pitch

fastball for a double and going 2-for-3 in their first encounter last season at Dodger Stadium.

"There were different circumstances in his first at-bat," Kershaw said, Trout hitting with two down and

nobody on base. "The next time, with a man on, we went off-speed. The third time it's 3-0 [Dodgers]. If

he's going to hit a homer, so be it."

Trout was denied in his final at-bat against Kershaw on a sprawling catch in right by Yasiel Puig. The best

player in the game is now 2-for-6 against the sport's premier pitcher.

"He was throwing all his pitches -- cutting, sinking, sliding, curving, the whole bit," Trout said. "Felt like I

was seeing him pretty good. He jammed me on a couple of pitches, but other than that, it's a tough

one."

Jansen made amends for the homer by striking out Trout in the ninth before Albert Pujols' RBI single

averted a shutout.

"He's a great hitter, probably the best hitter in the game," Kershaw said of the Trout confrontation. "I

was just trying to get him out."

Grandal was impressed with Kershaw's execution.

"If you make a mistake on him, Trout is going to make you pay," Grandal said. "He showed that [Friday

night]. Today it was more a matter of making good pitches, getting ahead and putting him away.

"For a guy as young as he is, he's very smart. Pujols, I think, has a little bit to do with that. It seems like

they talk a lot. They have a very similar approach -- they won't swing at bad pitches. They make you

work."

Howie Kendrick, Trout's Angels teammate for four years, was dealt to the Dodgers in December in

exchange for Andrew Heaney. Heaney, the young lefty, yielded two runs in 5 1/3 solid innings in his duel

with Kershaw.

"He had good stuff," Kendrick said. "It's always interesting facing the guy you were traded for."

Kendrick started the decisive three-run sixth with a line-drive single off Heaney, scoring on Scott Van

Slyke's sacrifice fly after Adrian Gonzalez's single. Grandal finished it off with a two-run homer off

reliever Fernando Salas.

Kendrick was fully engaged facing his former club with his family watching. He supplied a memory,

robbing old buddy Erick Aybar of a hit with a dazzling play in the second inning.

Trout and Kendrick remain close, texting each other regularly.

"My kids love Mike," Kendrick said, beaming. "[My son] Owen told me, 'I'm going to be in the stands so I

can watch Mike.' Mike's the best player in the game. And he gets so much respect around the game for

his attitude and work ethic as much as his talent.

"Clayton's got a couple years on him, but they're both young. They're going to be facing each other for a

long time. Doesn't get any better than this, does it?"

Shaky Jansen still gets job done in ninth

By Steve Bourbon

LOS ANGELES -- Even though Clayton Kershaw pitched eight innings and allowed just two hits, the ninth

inning between the Dodgers and Angels was a tense affair at Dodger Stadium in Saturday's 3-1 victory.

For the second straight game, the usually reliable Kenley Jansen had worked himself into a jam, only to

get himself out of it for the Dodgers' second straight win over their crosstown rivals. Jansen -- who has

been batting a flu-like virus since the team was in New York last week -- was able to work through the

heart of the Angels' lineup to earn his 19th save.

"I didn't give up. Go about the best part of their lineup and try to get out of it," Jansen said.

Last night, Jansen dueled with Mike Trout in a nine-pitch at-bat, which ended with Trout launching his

MLB-leading 32nd home run of the season, although the Dodgers held on for a 5-3 victory.

On Saturday, the duo clashed once again, with Trout representing the tying run after Jansen struck out

Johnny Giavotella.

With Kershaw pacing in the Dodgers' dugout, Trout fouled off a pair of pitches and worked the count to

2-2, but chased a 94-mph cutter high out of the zone for strike three.

"He got into a little bit of trouble but then two big punchouts, kind of showed who he is right there,"

manager Don Mattingly said.

Albert Pujols drove in a run on a looping single to left field, but Jansen retired Erick Aybar to end the

game.

Jansen allowed a run for the third straight outing, raising his ERA since July 1 to 6.30. The closer opened

the season with eight straight scoreless outings, but he has been in a bit of a rut lately.

One solution could be to throw his slider more, according to catcher Yasmani Grandal. Jansen's cutter

sits between 93-95 mph, but going offspeed could show hitters a different look. Of his 26 pitches on

Friday night, only two were sliders. It was three of 20 on Saturday, although Giavotella struck out on a

slider in the dirt.

"I feel like him throwing the slider gets everyone off the fastball," Grandal said. "I've been trying to get

him to throw that slider a little bit more."

Perhaps Jansen is listening to his batterymate. According to FanGraphs, Jansen is throwing the slider 9.9

percent of the time this season, which is nearly double what he had thrown it in recent years -- he

hadn't thrown the slider more often than 5.9 percent of the time in each of the past three seasons.

"You've got to show something soft to get them off balance and get back to that fastball," Grandal said.

"It doesn't even have to be for a strike, just something for them to see that is soft and in a location that

they can't hit it."

Ellis set to be activated from DL on Tuesday

By Steve Bourbon

LOS ANGELES -- Catcher A.J. Ellis should be ready as soon as he's eligible to return from the disabled list

on Tuesday, according to manager Don Mattingly.

Ellis has been dealing with right knee inflammation, and he was placed on the disabled list on July 20.

"I think A.J. is probably ready now. He was probably ready a couple days ago," Mattingly said. "If he was

an outfielder, or a position where we had a couple extra guys, then we could probably wait out the two

or three days."

Ellis has been the Dodgers' backup catcher behind Yasmani Grandal, but he usually catches for Clayton

Kershaw. Ellis is hitting .222 this season with two home runs and seven RBIs, but the veteran has posted

a .333 average and a .435 on-base percentage in 12 starts since June 1.

"He was swinging the bat good when he got hurt, so [we're] hoping that he's able to pick up right where

he left off," Mattingly said.

• Carlos Frias threw four innings Friday night for Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga, allowing two

runs and striking out eight. His fastball averaged 95 mph and topped out at 97, according to Mattingly.

With the acquisition of two starters -- Mat Latos and Alex Wood -- prior to Friday's non-waiver Trade

Deadline, Frias' spot in the five-man rotation seems filled, although he has worked out of the bullpen in

the past.

"I think we're going to want to keep him stretched out for sure, just because you never know what could

happen," Mattingly said. "But that's been discussion over time with Carlos; is he a starter, is he a

reliever?"

Latos ready for Dodgers debut in finale vs. Angels

By Steve Bourbon

In the finale of the Freeway Series on Sunday at Dodger Stadium, Dodgers non-waiver Trade Deadline

acquisition Mat Latos will square off against the Angels' Cory Rasmus.

Latos will be making his first start in Dodger blue. He was acquired from the Marlins, along with Michael

Morse, in exchange for three Minor Leaguers and cash in a three-team trade.

Rasmus will start in place of C.J. Wilson, who could be sidelined for the rest of the season if he opts for

surgery to clean out bone spurs from his left elbow. Rasmus starting likely means a staff day for the

Angels, with callup Drew Rucinski a possibility to follow.

Rasmus headed multiple staff days down the stretch for the Angels last year after Garrett Richards'

season-ending injury, but his first appearance of 2015 was in relief on Friday.

"It all depends on what I can show on the mound," Rasmus said. "I'm not going to throw 70 pitches,

obviously. I'm just going to try to get some outs. Just like last year, same kind of thing. See if I can get

anybody out and how long I'll last."

Things to know about this game

• Latos is making his first home start at Dodger Stadium, and he is 2-3 with a 6.92 ERA in all home starts

this year -- although he owns a 2.44 ERA on the road.

• Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson could get his first start of the series on Sunday, with the right-

hander Rucinski a strong possibility to take the mound for the Angels. The slumping Pederson sat on

Friday and Saturday against lefties Hector Santiago and Andrew Heaney.

• Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun didn't start on Saturday, drawing a walk as a pinch-hitter, and he

should be back in the lineup Sunday.

Trout bests Greinke on outer-half pitches

By David Adler

LOS ANGELES -- Zack Greinke, arguably the best pitcher in baseball in 2015, has rolled through the Major

Leagues by relentlessly attacking the outer third of the strike zone. But Mike Trout, well, he's in a league

of his own.

After his leadoff homer off Greinke in the 2015 All-Star Game -- notably, on a fastball off the outside

corner -- Trout got his first regular-season at-bats of the year against Greinke in Friday's Freeway Series

opener, a 5-3 Dodgers win at Dodger Stadium. Trout got the better of the matchup, going 2-for-3 off

Greinke with an RBI triple smoked into the right-center-field gap and an RBI single lined cleanly into left-

center.

The triple came on a 94-mph fastball over the outer half of the plate. The single came on a slider spotted

perfectly onto the low outside corner. In fact, of the 14 pitches Greinke threw Trout on Friday (and the

four in the All-Star Game), exactly one made it across the inner half of the plate. Greinke pitched Trout

away; it just didn't work.

Zack Greinke's dominated all year by attacking outer third. Mike Trout has 1B, 3B + ASG HR off him on

pitches away. pic.twitter.com/bmzXAJ1ths

— David Adler (@_dadler) August 1, 2015

"I thought I had a good idea to face him today," Greinke said after Friday's game. "Just didn't execute my

pitches at all. So I didn't even figure out if my game plan was good or not."

While it seemed Greinke was focused on staying away from Trout, he actually tweaked his typical

approach to account for the best player in the game.

"If you look at it afterwards, I try to go in on him more than I go in on most people, because I didn't want

to just keep going away on him," Greinke said. "When someone's that good and has that few holes, the

best plan is to not show him the same thing over and over again and just kind of mix it all around."

But Greinke didn't always hit his spots. He reiterated his comment from after the All-Star Game, when

he thought he had a "two-inch window" up and away to pitch Trout: if you miss the tiny zones where

Trout's vulnerable, he'll take advantage.

You can see, for example, by watching Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal, that the pitch Trout tripled on

Friday was meant to be in. It leaked across the plate, and Trout ripped it.

Mike Trout hits off Zack Greinke

"Well, he hits in and he hits away," Greinke said. "He hits down also. He doesn't hit up as good, but it's

tough throwing up because it's not called a strike very often and you work so hard on keeping the ball

down. And he doesn't chase up either."

Greinke's right about Trout not chasing up. His swing rate on pitches at and above the top of the strike

zone is consistently among the lowest in the Majors, as FanGraphs' Jeff Sullivan pointed out before the

season. Trout's plate coverage essentially makes every pitch selection difficult, and if you miss your spot,

you're in trouble.

"Trout does that to everyone, though," Greinke said. Before Friday's start, he had been watching Trout's

at-bats against Felix Hernandez to try to gain insight into how the Mariners' ace had pitched him. Then

Greinke saw Trout has hit .344 average (21-for-61) against Hernandez with three homers.

"There's not much you can do," Greinke said. "Just throw your best pitches."

Dodgers participate in Ice Bucket Challenge

By Steve Bourbon

LOS ANGELES -- There will always be a connection between baseball and ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease,

because the disease took the life of one of the sport's icons.

So it's natural then, that Major League Baseball has joined the efforts of the ALS Association and the ALS

Ice Bucket Challenge for the second straight year. Friday, the Red Sox restarted the movement that went

viral a year ago, and they challenged the Dodgers to follow suit. So Yasiel Puig and Enrique Hernandez

stepped up Saturday and were doused in ice.

"It is a completely organic event supported by the ALS community, initiated by people with ALS," said

Fred Fisher, president and CEO of the ALS Association and a lifetime Dodgers fan. "August is when the

world saw an unprecedented social media, mass media phenomenon like we've never seen before."

The Dodgers showed a video presentation before the game on Saturday, highlighting this year's hashtag

"#EveryAugustUntilACure."

"The presentation was great. Really moving," said Paul Zuccaro, who was diagnosed with ALS in August

2012.

Last year, the viral movement raised $220 million worldwide. The movement shed light on the incurable

disease and the ALS Association funded more than 60 new research projects.

"Research is accelerating now. The problem now is there is more good research than there is research to

fund it," Fisher said. "So the Ice Bucket Challenge helped launch some initiatives that were ready to go,

but lacked funding."

According to Fisher, it takes about $2 billion to fund a drug from start to finish. Funding goes to all parts

interconnected system of getting funding, labs to create therapeutic ideas and clinics to test them on

patients. So even with how viral the movement went last year, the ALS Association still needs more help

to develop a cure. But as the calendar flipped to August, the chance to make a difference came with it.

"We need many, many years of Ice Bucket Challenges to fund a cure," Fisher said. "We're so grateful for

Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball stepping in to support the ALS Association. The world

came to know about this disease because of Lou Gehrig. So every year, we remember Gehrig. We

celebrate his spirit, because it's the same spirit that lives within people [who] have ALS."

The Dodgers challenged the Astros, ace Dallas Keuchel and Houston mayor Annise Parker to continue

the movement. The Ice Bucket Challenge is set to pick up again and while it provides precious dollars for

research and development, it is also a beacon of hope for those afflicted with the disease.

"Now they know the world is watching," Fisher said. "They know the world is caring and they feel much

less alone."

LA DAILY NEWS

L.A. Angels’ southpaw C.J. Wilson could be out for season with bone spurs

By Robert Morales

Angels southpaw C.J. Wilson has been placed on the 15-day disabled list and could be out for the season

with bone spurs in his left elbow. Wilson, who had surgery to remove bone spurs in August 2008 and

October 2012, said he expects to have the same surgery unless a second opinion tells him he won’t need

it. An MRI on Friday revealed the damage.

Wilson spoke to reporters about the situation prior to Saturday’s Freeway Series game against the

Dodgers. He was chagrined.

“Yeah, it sucks,” said Wilson, who is 8-8 with an ERA of 3.89 in 21 starts. “... Despite the win-loss record I

feel like I had a lot of really good games where I provided depth and stuff for the team.

“But right now I just have to cheerlead and help in some other way.”

Wilson said an MRI in April revealed the bone spurs. He said it was recommended to him he quit

throwing, but the compromise was that he would not throw between starts while managing the injury.

“But the whole time I’ve been losing range of motion from the bone spurs continually growing,” Wilson

said. “So it’s been more difficult just to even throw strikes.”

Wilson demonstrated that he can’t come close to completely straightening out his elbow.

“That’s all I got,” he said. “So there’s nothing much I can really do there. I don’t have a good knuckleball.

We’ve got plenty of other pitchers who can pick it up. I was told basically to stop throwing in April, so I

pushed through and got another hundred innings out of my elbow and pretty much gave it everything I

had.”

By now, he said he couldn’t even play catch between starts. He gave up six earned runs in four innings in

his most recent start on Tuesday in Houston.

Wilson was asked if he is definitely out for the year. He intimated that is the probability, but that he was

going to seek opinions from orthopedic surgeons Dr. Neal ElAttrache and Dr. James Andrews.

“I just want to be able to pitch next year and pitch effectively and not risk doing something that’s going

to cost me next year as well,” said Wilson, 34, who bounced back just fine from the surgeries in ‘08 and

‘12.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said it was obvious that Wilson was struggling to execute his pitches of

late.

“This year I know there were a lot of games where he pitched with a lot of discomfort here and there -

just like any other pitcher - to go out there and get it done,” Scioscia said. “But last couple of starts you

just didn’t see the crispness, you didn’t see the life that he would have as far as maintaining his stuff

through a higher pitch count. But I think it was just going in the wrong direction, for sure.”

Wilson is making $18,000,000 this season.

PEDERSON SITS AGAIN

Dodgers rookie center fielder Joc Pederson was not in the lineup for the second consecutive game,

partly because the Angels threw a lefty, partly because Pederson is struggling mightily at the plate.

Pederson batted just .169 in July with one home run and five RBIs. On the season, he has 21 home runs

and 43 RBIs, but just a .225 batting average.

“I think as much as anything, he just gets a chance to watch the game,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly

said. “A lot of times, you don’t realize that you see that much more when you don’t have to perform

that day. ... Young guys get caught up in everything and their minds start going over all kinds of stuff.

“You get too close to it and you don’t really see the big picture. And I want him to see the big picture. So

this is just another day to let everything calm down, do some work and not have to try to go out and use

it right away.”

MATTINGLY ON TROUT

Count Mattingly among the fans of Angels center fielder and reigning AL MVP Mike Trout.

It’s no fun facing him,” Mattingly said. “But he’s a good representative of our game, for sure. He’s an

easy guy to like, and he plays the game right. He always runs hard and gets after it. He’s a guy that steals

bags, makes plays, hits homers and hits for average, so there’s really not a whole lot not to like.

“And he’s always playing with a smile on his face. He’s having fun and playing the game like a kid, but

he’s also serious about getting better, and he seems to be really respectful of the game.”

Clayton Kershaw runs scoreless innings streak to 37 as L.A. Dodgers beat L.A. Angels 3-1

By Robert Morales

Clayton Kershaw had his Saturday start pushed back twice because of inflammation in his right hip. One

would have never known he was in any recent pain because he certainly put a hurtin’ on the Angels in

Game 2 of the Freeway Series.

The Dodgers left-hander gave up just two hits in eight innings to run his scoreless innings streak to 37.

Add to that a three-run sixth inning highlighted by a two-run home run by Yasmani Grandal over the

center-field fence off reliever Fernando Salas, and the Dodgers defeated the Angels 3-1 before 52,979 in

an afternoon game at Dodger Stadium. It was the 10th sellout of the season for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers will try for a series sweep Sunday at 1:10 p.m.

The Angels (55-48), who recently won 17 of 20 games, have lost five consecutive and eight of nine. They

entered the day two games behind the first-place Houston Astros in the AL West.

The Dodgers (59-45), winners of three in a row, took a 1 1/2-game lead over the second-place San

Francisco Giants in the NL West into the day’s games.

Including Thursday’s off day, Kershaw (9-6, 2.37 ERA) had three extra days of rest. He was humble in

victory.

“I think my fastball command got a little better as the game went on,” he said. “It’s crazy what an extra

three days off will do. I don’t like days off, apparently. My off-speed stuff wasn’t as sharp as it has been

in the past, and coupled with the Angels not swinging at anything in the dirt, made it a little bit difficult

at first.

“They had a really good game plan and stuck with it, but I was able to get some quick innings in the

middle and I was fortunate to get through eight today.”

Kenley Jansen gave up an RBI single to Albert Pujols in the ninth, but earned his 19th save.

The matchup everyone wanted to see was Kershaw going against the Angels’ Mike Trout. They are

reigning MVPs of their respective leagues. Trout went 0 for 3 against Kershaw with a strikeout looking

on a high curveball in the first inning.

In the seventh inning, Trout had a potential hit off Kershaw, however right fielder Yasiel Puig made a

dazzling diving catch on the looping line drive.

“I was just trying to get him out,” Kershaw said of his strikeout of Trout. “He’s an unbelievable hitter,

probably the best hitter in the game. If he hits three homers and we win, I’ll be OK, too. I don’t think it’s

fun to face anybody. But if you get him out, it’s fun.”

Trout looked back at home plate umpire Chris Segal upon that strikeout.

“To me, I thought it was up,” Trout said. “But when I looked on the replay, I guess it caught the top of

the zone. But Kershaw was good.”

Trout took it further.

“Every pitch was cutting, sinking, sliding, curving, the whole bit,” he said.

Speaking of Segal, he tossed Angels manager Mike Scioscia in the bottom of the second inning for

arguing a ball 4 call that sent Puig to first base.

“Yeah, no doubt it was a strike,” Scioscia said. “I don’t think there’s any question. Umpires are going to

miss a pitch. If you miss a pitch, just say, ‘Hey, I missed a pitch, all right, let’s keep playing ball.’ “That

wasn’t his attitude.”

Scioscia was ejected while still in the dugout. He went out and gave Segal an earful.

Southpaw Andrew Heaney (5-1) started for the Angels and suffered his first loss. He went 5 1/3 innings,

giving up two runs on four hits while striking out three and walking two. He was pulled after Scott Van

Slyke had a scoring fly ball to drive in the first run in the sixth.

Salas came on to get Puig to pop out to first. But with Adrian Gonzalez on the base paths, the left-

handed hitting Grandal took Salas over the wall in center for a 3-0 lead. Heaney was at 97 pitches and

would have liked to have stayed in, but he didn’t beef about it.

“I’m a competitor, I want to stay out there,” he said. “Those are my runs on the bases. I want to do that.

But I’ve got all the faith in the world in Salas to get it done. He’s done it multiple times for me and for

everybody else, so I don’t question the decisions, I just go out there and pitch.”

There was no designated hitter in this interleague game, so Heaney was asked what it was like facing

Kershaw.

“(Expletive), I had no chance,” he said.

The home run was No. 15 for Grandal.

“He (Salas) started me off with a changeup and then threw another changeup,” Grandal said. “Once you

throw back-to-back changeups and then try to throw another changeup for a strike, we’re major league

hitters and we’re going to hit you.”

ESPN LA

Saturday's Top 5: Clayton Kershaw keeps his streak alive

By Chirstina Kahrl

1. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers: With eight more frames added to it, the 37-inning scoreless

streak is a thing of its own, something Kershaw is sustaining after initial concerns that his health might

endanger it, not to mention the Dodgers' chances of staying out in front in the National League West if

he was lost for any real length of time.

Instead of adding to those concerns, Kershaw made it look easy in the Dodgers' 3-1 win over the Angels,

allowing just three baserunners across those eight frames and 115 pitches, even hanging an oh-fer with

two K's on Mike Trout, simply the best player on the planet, in the first-ever confrontation between

reigning MVPs.

But you know what's even cooler to think about? That Kershaw might not just take that streak of innings

into the 40s his next time out there. He could also simultaneously tie the franchise record for 200-

strikeout seasons with six, which would tie a mark shared by Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale, the

Dodgers' co-aces of the high-mound '60s. He's at 192 now, and eight whiffs? For Kershaw? A trifle. And

he's just 27 years old, so yes, he's going to rewrite more than a few corners of the record book in the

decade to come, perhaps even more than he has already.

2. Lucas Duda, New York Mets: Handed a “produce or come take a seat next to me” ultimatum by

manager Terry Collins, Duda has gone on a tear: Who doesn't love it when Marcus Thames comes up in

polite conversation? Anyway, Duda's “all-or-nothing” hit streak continued into the eighth when he

doubled home Curtis Granderson to plate the third of the three runs he drove in to beat the Washington

Nationals, 3-2, and reclaim the limelight from newly minted Met Yoenis Cespedes in his first game. But

most importantly, the win brought the Mets to within a game of the lead in the NL East. Anybody want

to stick with the assertion that the Nats are the team to beat? Tune in when Noah Syndergaard takes on

Jordan Zimmermann on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball broadcast.

3. The Giants rain on the Cole Hamels parade: Sure, this was like rooting for the Grinch to steal

Christmas, and it was nice that the Rangers made themselves relevant by demonstrating that they still

have the organizational depth to deal for someone as valuable as the Phillies ace. But the defending

world champs have an NL West title to contend for and another invitation to October to earn.

So when the Giants bounced back from trailing Texas 7-4 with four outs to go, it just seemed

characteristic of them. Skip identifying “the” big hit: Was it Joe Panik's two-out double in the eighth to

chase Hamels? Hunter Pence's game-tying single three batters later? Pence's lead-taking blast in the

11th? What about Brandon Belt's two-homer night to bookend the Giants' scoring in their 9-7 win?

For Hamels, this wasn't unfamiliar territory for him -- there's only one team he's faced 10 or more times

that has scored more regularly against him than the Giants, who average 4.6 runs per nine against him.

(For those curious, the team that does even better against Hamels? The Rangers' interstate and inter-

division rivals, the Houston Astros, who average 5.2 R/9. Probably not the last you'll hear about that

stat.)

4. Travis Shaw, Boston Red Sox: Ever had that perfect day at work? Shaw came pretty close, putting up a

huge day at the plate after getting called back up from Triple-A Pawtucket to help cover from the

Panda's latest complaint. By homering twice without tripling, Shaw did better than hitting for the cycle

for the Sox -- and seemed pretty OK with that -- while delivering four hits and scoring five times to help

Boston beat the Rays 11-7.

Far from being a top-10 prospect in the Sox system, Shaw has a rap to beat that perhaps focuses less on

what he is than on what he isn't: As a corner infielder, his bat may not play at first base on a contender,

and his glove at third has not and may never merit regular work. Add in a slow development curve that

has seen him struggle in his initial seasons after scaling each of the upper rungs of Boston's farm system,

and you can understand why he may not be in the long-term picture at either corner for the Sox. If you

look at what he can do, you see a guy who can work counts (his walk rate in the minors is above 12

percent) and clobber heat.

Days like this are rare for anybody, but here's hoping Shaw's great day at the office reminded people

about what he can do; whether that ultimately creates an opportunity -- in Boston or elsewhere --

remains to be seen. But how can you not root for the guy?

5. Those plucky Minnesota Twins keep on keepin' on: A walk-off comeback win against erstwhile M's

closer Carson Smith? Thank Miguel Sano for doubling to lead off the ninth, Eddie Rosario's steal of third,

Kurt Suzuki's plinked single to plate the game-winner, but also thank Kyle Gibson's latest sweet start. So

here we are, two-thirds done with the season, and the Twins are still holding onto a wild-card slot.

Clayton Kershaw proves he's back in gear with return to action

By Anthony Witrado

LOS ANGELES -- All the panic can subside. Clayton Kershaw is still his normal, healthy, extraordinary self.

After being pushed back from his original Wednesday start and again from his rescheduled Friday turn,

there might have been significant concern among the Los Angeles Dodgers faithful, and pessimists in

general, that Kershaw's sore right hip was more than just a passing irritation. That worry was heightened

by the fact the Dodgers did not trade for a front-line starter before Friday's non-waiver deadline.

Kershaw's answer was to simultaneously shut down the Los Angeles Angels and the fright about his

health Saturday afternoon with eight shutout innings. He extended his scoreless streak to 37 innings

while pushing the first-place Dodgers to a 3-1 victory at Dodger Stadium, their third in a row.

Kershaw became the first pitcher since Luis Tiant in 1972 to produce multiple single-season scoreless

streaks of at least 37 innings, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. Kershaw's first streak lasted 41

innings last season. This latest outing also made Kershaw the first pitcher since Orel Hershiser in 1988 to

produce four consecutive starts of at least eight scoreless innings.

In his past 12 starts, Kershaw has a 1.09 ERA, 119 strikeouts and 12 walks, with Saturday's outing coming

on eight days' rest. And if we are being nitpicky about things, this outing -- complete with two hits,

seven strikeouts and a walk -- was his worst since July 3 when he went seven and allowed one run, a

walk and struck out seven.

"He seemed a little bit rusty, honestly, early. Just command-wise," manager Don Mattingly said, blaming

Kershaw's layoff. "It had been eight days since he pitched, but he got better as the game went on. His

pitch count was up early, but he got it in line."

Another dominant start can take the focus off Kershaw's hip, which sidelined him in 2012 but never led

to time on the disabled list. Mattingly insisted the team would not chance it with their ace and send him

out at less than 100 percent. Kershaw co-signed that sentiment with his words and performance.

"It's crazy what two or three days off will do," Kershaw said. "I don't like days off, apparently. ... If I know

they're coming I can deal with it, but this was a little bit different. Overall it worked out.

"I felt fine," he added.

Once Kershaw's health issues were put to bed, his scoreless innings streak became the postgame topic.

His is the second such for the Dodgers this season, with Zack Greinke's 45а �ĐŽŶƐĞĐƵƟǀ Ğ�ŝŶŶŝŶŐƐ͕ �ǁ ŚŝĐŚ�

ended last Sunday in New York, the reigning champion on the staff.

Like Greinke, though, Kershaw refused to give the run too much attention -- or any at all. He was asked if

he was cognizant of it while he pitched, and he relied on his teammate for his stock answer.

"What did Zack say?" Kershaw asked before being told Greinke consistently brushed off the inquiry.

"Well there you go."

Catcher Yasmani Grandal, who hit his 15th home run of the season that ended up being the deciding

factor in the game aside from Kershaw, elaborated a little more on the subject.

"You can't really think about it, you know? This is a game that if you think about too many things and

you try to be perfect all the time, at some point, you're going to give something up," Grandal said.

"When Zack had the streak going, you didn't even think about it. You just kept on doing whatever it is

you were doing. You never tried to change anything, pitching to his strengths.

"Now that Kersh has another streak going, it's the same thing. It's going out there and trying to put up

zeros."

Rapid Reaction: Dodgers 3, Angels 1

By Anthony Witrado

LOS ANGELES -- One streak continued. Another was halted. The results stayed the same. The Los Angeles

Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw continued his mastery of opposing lineups Saturday afternoon, shutting down

the Los Angeles Angels for a 3-1 win at Dodger Stadium. His shutout streak reached 37 innings after he

went eight innings, struck out seven and allowed two hits. He also became the first pitcher with four

consecutive starts of at least eight scoreless innings since former Dodger Orel Hershiser in 1988.

In addition, Kershaw became the first pitcher since 1974 to produce two streaks of more than 35 innings

in separate seasons, according to Stats LLC. He had a streak of 41 consecutive scoreless innings last

season.

How it happened: The Dodgers obviously did not need many runs with Kershaw on the mound, and it's a

good thing because for a while even the threat of one was a difficult find. The Dodgers loaded the bases

with a couple of walks wrapped around a Yasmani Grandal single in the second inning, but Kershaw

grounded out to strand three. There were not many opportunities after that as Kershaw and Angels

starter Andrew Heaney dominated through five frames -- each team had only two hits.

Kershaw continued jamming up the Angels beyond that point, but Heaney found trouble in the sixth

when Howie Kendrick and Adrian Gonzalez led off with back-to-back singles to put themselves on the

corners. Scott Van Slyke followed with a sacrifice fly to score Kendrick and give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead,

chasing Heaney from the game.

That run, as has been the case lately, was enough for Kershaw. The Dodgers did not stop there, though.

Grandal smashed his 15th home run of the season to straightaway center field in the same inning, a

two-run shot off reliever Fernando Salas, who replaced Heaney.

What it means: There is no legitimate need to worry about Kershaw's health. The team pushed him back

a couple of days from his normal start day, which was supposed to be Wednesday, and then pushed him

back another day to Saturday because of an irritated hip. That set off all kinds of alarms in Dodgertown,

especially since the trade deadline did not turn up an ace to add to the rotation.

The panic can cease. Kershaw, who on Friday said he was fine, picked up where he left off with his

scoreless innings streak and threw 114 pitches to further prove his health should not be a concern.

Another streak snapped: Kershaw went into this start as the only pitcher since 1900 to have three

consecutive starts with at least 10 strikeouts without allowing a walk or a run. That streak snapped

when he walked Taylor Featherston to lead off the third. Kershaw still faced the minimum that inning

thanks to a double play.

MVP vs. MVP: When Mike Trout stepped into the box to face Kershaw in the first inning, it was the first

time in major league history that reigning MVPs faced each other in the regular season. The at-bat

ended after four pitches when Kershaw froze Trout with his world famous over-the-top curveball for the

final out of the first inning.

Up next: Despite having airline trouble getting from Miami to Los Angeles after being traded from the

Marlins, right-hander Mat Latos will make his Dodgers debut Sunday when the team goes for a sweep of

the Angels. In his last seven starts, Latos has a 2.96 ERA and opposing lineups are hitting .198 against

him in 45 2/3 innings. The Angels will counter with Cory Rasmus.

Clayton Kershaw quiets Angels for eight innings, extends scoreless run to 37

By Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- Clayton Kershaw and Mike Trout made history at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. It was

the first time that a reigning MVP from the National League faced a reigning MVP from the American

League.

Trout was 0-for-3 against Kershaw, who extended his scoreless streak to 37 innings with eight innings of

two-hit ball and led the Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over the Angels.

"I was just trying to get him out," Kershaw said. "He's an unbelievable hitter, probably the best hitter in

the game. If he hits three homers and we win, I'll be OK, too. I don't think it's fun to face anybody. But if

you get him out, it's fun.

Trout looked at a called third strike his first time up, grounded into a fielder's choice, and got robbed of

a bloop single by right fielder Yasiel Puig.

"We've faced some good pitching the last couple of days," Trout said. "Obviously, Kershaw today had his

dominant stuff once again. That's why he's the best in the league. He threw all pitches for strikes today

and had his good stuff. Every pitch was cutting, sinking, sliding, curving, the whole bit."

Kershaw (9-6) struck out seven, walked one and retired his last 15 batters. The left-hander was working

on eight days' rest after his outing was delayed twice because of a sore hip.

"It's crazy what an extra three days off will do. I don't like days off, apparently," Kershaw said. "My off-

speed stuff wasn't as sharp as it has been in the past -- and coupled with the Angels not swinging at

anything in the dirt made it a little bit difficult at first.

"They had a really good game plan and stuck with it, but I was able to get some quick innings in the

middle and I was fortunate to get through eight today. I think my fastball command got a little better as

the game went on," he added.

Kershaw's previous start was a three-hit shutout on July 23 at New York in which he took a perfect game

into the seventh inning. The three-time Cy Young Award winner hasn't given up a run since Wilmer

Flores' RBI single for the Mets on July 3 at Dodger Stadium.

Kershaw had a 41-inning shutout streak last season, when he became the first NL pitcher since 1968 to

be named MVP and won his unprecedented fourth consecutive major league ERA title.

Albert Pujols' leadoff single in the second and Johnny Giavotella's leadoff single in the fourth were the

only hits off Kershaw, who lowered his ERA this season to 2.37 and raised his major league-leading

strikeout total to 192.

"Clayton's tough," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "When he gets a hold of a count he's pretty good

at making pitches, and he did that this afternoon -- not only on Mike, but on all of our guys."

Kershaw benefited from batterymate Yasmani Grandal's two-run homer in the Dodgers' three-run sixth

inning, and back-to-back dazzling plays by his infield in the second.

Kenley Jansen, battling a virus for the past four days, pitched a shaky ninth for his 20th save in 21

attempts. He ended it by retiring Erick Aybar on a popup with runners at the corners after giving up an

RBI single by Pujols.

Andrew Heaney (5-1) was charged with two runs and four hits in 5⅓ innings. The 24-year-old lefty, who

came in with a 1.79 ERA, had thrown at least six innings and allowed two runs or fewer in each of his six

previous starts with the Angels.

"I didn't have my best stuff today," Heaney said. "I should have done a better job of competing and

trying to get some early outs. I worked some long counts and wasn't able to put guys away. I made

mistakes in a few spots where it hurt us."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Angels: An MRI taken on LHP C.J. Wilson's elbow showed that he has an impingement and is

contemplating surgery to remove bone spurs, which would end his season. But first, he will get a second

opinion.

Dodgers: Catcher A.J. Ellis, who hasn't played since July 19 because of inflammation in his right knee, is

expected to be reinstated from the disabled list on Tuesday when he is eligible to come off.

UP NEXT

Angels: RHP Cory Rasmus, who struck out the side on 12 pitches in the seventh inning on Friday night in

his first inning with the club this season, will start the Freeway Series finale.

Dodgers: RHP Mat Latos makes his debut with the club following Thursday's three-team, 13-player trade

with Miami and Atlanta that brought him to Los Angeles from the Marlins and left-hander Alex Wood

from the Braves.

Dodgers' Joc Pederson sits for second straight game

By Anthony Witrado

LOS ANGELES -- The first move was dropping Joc Pederson in the lineup. The next has been removing

him completely with the hope that he will regain the patience and swing that made him a National

League All-Star as a 23-year-old rookie.

The Dodgers sat Pederson for a second consecutive game Saturday afternoon, the second of their

weekend set against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium.

“I think as much as anything he gets a chance to just watch the game,” manager Don Mattingly said. “A

lot of times you don’t realize that you’re [pressing]. You see so much more when you don’t have to try

to perform that day. Young guys get caught up and their mind starts going over all kinds of stuff. So it’s

just a day to let everything calm down, and it ends up being a couple of days.”

Pederson’s struggles date back to the start of July. Since then he has hit .169/.229/.258 with a .488 OPS,

one home run, five RBI, four walks and 31 strikeouts in 96 plate appearances.

Pederson has been a high-strikeout hitter all season, but he offset that by drawing walks to boost is OBP

-- it is still a well-above average .348 for the season -- and hitting home runs. Those things disappeared

in the past month.

Pederson, who put on a show in the Home Run Derby, recently started showing clear and outward signs

of frustration, slamming his equipment on the ground after strikeouts or screaming at nobody in

particular as he moped back to the dugout after ugly at-bats. That was enough for Mattingly to start

tinkering.

The initial solution was to drop Pederson from the leadoff spot to seventh Wednesday, a move the

hitter endorsed. The experiment did not work as Pederson went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

The Dodgers were off Thursday, and Mattingly decided it would best serve Pederson to take a couple

more days off after that. He did not say Saturday if Pederson would be back in the lineup for Sunday’s

series finale or where he might hit upon his return, only that he wanted the young center fielder to

watch games without having to worry about producing in them.

“I want him to watch the game and just watch it, to be a part of the club without having to go do

something,” Mattingly said. “Sometimes you can’t see the forest from in the trees. You get too close to

it and you don’t see the big picture. I want him to see the big picture.”

TRUEBLUELA.COM

Julio Urias does not allow a hit in return to Tulsa

By Brandon Lennox

Player of the day

Julio Urias struck out six and didn't allow a hit in 5⅓ innings for Double-A Tulsa, but also walked four and

got stuck with the loss despite allowing just two runs.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

Corey Seager went 4-for-5 on Saturday to lead the Dodgers to a 6-3 win over the Zephyrs (Marlins). Five

of the six OKC runs were scored during the final third of the game, which is why reliever Ramon

Troncoso ended up with the win. Grant Dayton and Chin-hui Tsao were also solid out of the bullpen to

aid in the victory, while starter Trevor Cahill permitted two earned runs over the first six frames.

While Seager led the offense with four hits, Kyle Jensen drove in a game high two runs with a couple of

singles of his own. The Dodgers were actually held without an extra base hit in this contest, however

Darnell Sweeney reached base four times via three walks and a single. Jose Peraza was 2-for-4 in his

Dodger debut.

Double-A Tulsa

Julio Urias didn't allow a hit in his return to Tulsa but he walked four and took the loss as the Drillers fell

to the Travelers (Angels) 3 to 1. Urias struck out six during his time on the mound, but is lack of control

led to the defeat.

The Drillers actually out-hit the opposition 7 to 2 in this game, with two of the base knocks coming from

Kyle Farmer who also drove in a run. Lars Anderson had the only other offensive highlight as he reached

base three times via two walks and a single.

Class-A Rancho Cucamonga

The Quake defeated the Storm (Padres) 8 to 5 on Saturday. Brandon Dixon had the big game at the

plate as he mashed a pair of homers, finishing the day 3-for-5 with 3 RBI's. Cody Bellinger doubled twice

and also drove in a run, while Paul Hoenecke had the other other multi-hit game.

On the mound starter Brock Stewart allowed just one hit over three shutout innings, however Joe

Broussard was the one who picked up the win despite giving up a couple of runs. Kyle Hooper was the

most impressive reliever as he permitted just one hit over two shutout frames and struck out a pair.

Low Class-A Great Lakes

Scott Barlow allowed eight runs in his return to Great Lakes as the Loons fell to the Captains (Indians) 9

to 6. Barlow returned to the Loons spending all of last season with the affiliate, but the results were not

favorable in the loss. David Reid-Foley tossed the final three frames and gave up the final run of the

game.

At the dish Justin Chigbogu continued to stay hot on the weekends as he crushed his 1oth homer of the

season, while Alex Verdugo had two more hits to increase his average to .294 for the season.

Short Season Ogden

The Chukars (Royals) scored a run in the top of the 11th to defeat the Raptors 9 to 8 on Saturday. Idaho

Falls scored their winning run against Rob McDonnell, who recorded his second loss since joining the

organization last month. Going back to the start of the game Jairo Pacheco gave up five runs (three

earned) over four frames, then Marcus Crescentini and Colin Hering allowed the game to get to extra

innings.

At the plate Nick Sell was 3-for-6 and knocked in a trio while Garrett Kennedy had the only other extra

base hit for Ogden and was 2-for-6 with a double and knocked in one of the other runs.

Rookie-level Arizona

The Arizona Dodgers were not able to pull out a win on Saturday as they fell to the Reds 5 to 1. Mitch

Hansen and Yensys Capellan both tripled and had the only extra base hits for the Dodgers, but neither

drove in a run. Hendrik Clementina was the only one to drive in a run for the good guys, and that came

on a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

On the mound the 6'8" starter Miguel Urena took the first loss of the 2015 season despite allowing zero

earned runs over four frames. Gregor Mora was perfect for the next t then three frames, but then Caleb

Ferguson permitted two scores while getting just one out.

Dominican Summer League

The Dodgers clipped the Orioles 8 to 5 on Saturday. 17 year old Romer Cuadrado had the only extra base

hit for the Dodgers, and he made it count as he crushed a two-run homer. Carlos Mosquera had the only

other multi-hit game for the good guys and he also drove in a run.

On the mound starter Adalberto Pena allowed three runs over five frames, but his relievers were solid

and Rawel Peralta picked up the win with two shutout innings. 18 year old Raul Ascanio picked up the

first save of his professional career thanks to a hitless 9th.

Transactions

Triple-A: Pitchers Josh Ravin and Randy Fontanez were placed on the DL while Ryan Scott was assigned

to Great Lakes. On the flip side Webster Rivas and Jose Tabata were assigned to OKC.

Double-A: Jeremy Kehrt was placed on the DL while Caleb Dirks was promoted to AA and Brock Stewart

was activated from the Quakes DL.

Low Class-A: Luis De Paula was activated from the DL in addition to the moves above.

Saturday box scores

Oklahoma City 6, New Orleans 3

Arkansas 3, Tulsa 1

Rancho Cucamonga 6, Lake Elsinore 3

Lake County 9, Great Lakes 6

Idaho Falls 9, Ogden 8

AZL Reds 5, AZL Dodgers 1

DSL Dodgers 8, DSL Orioles 5

Sunday schedule

1:05 p.m. PT: Double-Header - New Orleans (TBD, TBD) at Oklahoma City (Eric Surkamp, TBD)

3:05 p.m.: Idaho Falls (TBD) at Ogden (Adam Bray)

3:30 p.m.: Great Lakes (TBD) at Lake County (Thomas Pannone)

4:10 p.m.: Tulsa (Ross Stripling) at Arkansas (TBD)

5:05 p.m.: Lake Elsinore (Kyle Lloyd) at Rancho Cucamonga (Pablo Fernandez)

7:00 p.m.: AZL Dodgers vs. AZL Angels

Clayton Kershaw fires more zeroes in win over Angels

By Eric Stephen

LOS ANGELES -- Clayton Kershaw had the audacity to walk a batter on Saturday, but that was one of just

three runners allowed to reach base in the Dodgers' 3-1 win over the Angels on Saturday afternoon at

Dodger Stadium.

Kershaw was pitching on eight days rest, with his last outing on July 23. On Saturday, he was worth the

wait.

Kershaw struck out seven but allowed only two hits in his eight scoreless innings, running his

consecutive scoreless inning streak to 37. He's the first pitcher to have two scoreless streaks of at least

35 innings dating back to at least 1974, per STATS LLC.

You might have to go back as far as 43 years to find the last time that happened.

Kershaw has four straight starts of at least eight innings with no runs allowed, the longest streak by a

Dodgers pitcher since Orel Hershier had six straight in his record 59-inning streak in 1988.

At the end of the last inning in which Kershaw allowed a run (on July 3), Kershaw's ERA was 3.16. After

Saturday's win, he's at 2.37.

If there was one way to encapsulate Kershaw's performance on Saturday into one single moveable

picture, it came in the first inning, with the first-ever matchup of reigning MVPs, against Mike Trout.

Andrew Heaney was nearly as good, putting up zeroes until the sixth inning.

The Dodgers opened the frame with singles by Howie Kendrick and Adrian Gonzalez to put runners at

the corners. Scott Van Slyke followed with a fly ball to the warning track in left field. Had he not hit it off

the end of the bat, the ball might have been a home run. Instead, it was a sacrifice fly and a precious run

for the Dodgers.

Two batters later, that one-run lead became even more insurmountable when Yasmani Grandal

launched a two-run shot over the center field wall for a 3-0 lead.

For a second straight game, Kenley Jansen struggled in the ninth. He allowed a hit and a walk to open

the inning, but he recovered to strikeout Johnny Giovatella and Trout. Albert Pujols blooped a single to

left to put the Angels on the board, buy Erick Aybar popped out to end it.

The Dodgers have now won three straight games, and have beaten the Angels five straight times for the

first time ever.

Saturday particulars

Home run: Yasmani Grandal (15)

WP - Clayton Kershaw (9-6): 8 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts

LP - Andrew Heaney (5-1): 5⅓ IP, 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts

Sv - Kenley Jansen (19): 1 IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

Dodgers July review: The Clayton Kershaw & Zack Greinke show

By Eric Stephen

The Dodgers finished strong in July with two straight wins to close out the month, but it was in many

ways quite an up-and-down month.

Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke were at their peaks and allowed five total runs in nine combined

starts, but the flip side was the Dodgers bullpen that allowed three more runs in July than did the

starters, in 80 fewer innings.

The offense was hampered by slumps from Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig and Howie Kendrick, but weirdly

even with a bad month and amid talk of his lack of old standard production numbers Puig still managed

to lead the team in RBI. Adrian Gonzalez, Yasmani Grandal and Justin Turner nearly balanced the slumps

with strong months of their own, and Jimmy Rollins had his best month of the year.

Dodger Batter of July: This goes to Adrian Gonzalez, who had a power spike with eight home runs and a

.650 slugging percentage.

Dodger Pitcher of July: If I were a betting man, I think the National League Pitcher of the Month Award

might be split, but for the sake of not riding the fence I will pick Clayton Kershaw as the single winner.

He had one fewer start than Greinke but only five fewer innings. Kershaw allowed only one run in the

entire month and struck out 45, 11 more punchouts than Greinke.

July record: 14-10

92 runs scored (3.83 per game)

93 runs allowed (3.88 per game)

.495 pythagorean winning percentage (12-12)

July National League West Standings

Club W-L Pct GB RS RA

Dodgers 14-10 .583 --- 92 93

San Francisco 14-10 .583 --- 108 79

Arizona 13-11 .542 1 100 79

San Diego 13-11 .542 1 74 85

Colorado 9-15 .375 5 114 133

2015 record: 58-45

428 runs scored (4.16 per game)

365 runs allowed (3.54 per game)

.572 pythagorean winning percentage (59-44)

National League West Standings through July 31

Club W-L Pct GB RS RA

Dodgers 58-45 .563 --- 428 365

San Francisco 56-46 .549 1½ 440 389

Arizona 50-51 .495 7 448 435

San Diego 50-53 .485 8 401 449

Colorado 43-58 .426 14 461 525

Game of the Month: In the final game of the first series after the All-Star break, in a battle of first-place

teams, Zack Greinke out-dueled Max Scherzer in a contest of Cy Young candidates. Greinke struck out 11

in eight scoreless innings in a 5-0 Dodgers win over the Nationals on July 19 in Washington D.C.

Pinch Hitting: For the month, Dodger pinch hitters were 6-for-34 with a double and three walks, hitting

.176/.237/.206.

Runners in Scoring Position: In July, the Dodgers hit .234/.291/.380 with runners in scoring position in

210 plate appearances, with nine doubles and six home runs.

They had a runner on third base with less than two outs 34 times in July, and got the runner home 16

times, or 47.1 percent (the entire National League scored 336 of 690 times, 48.7 percent).

They had a runner on second base with nobody out 36 times in July, and the runner advanced 23 times,

or 63.9 percent (the entire NL advanced the runner 277 of 503 times, 55.1 percent).

Bases loaded: The Dodgers were 3-for-17 with the bases loaded in July, with one walk and two sacrifice

flies, hitting .176/.200/.176.

July Stats

Player PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SB/CS BA/OBP/SLG OPS

Gonzalez 89 80 15 24 4 0 8 13 8 0/0 .300/.371/.650 1.021

Grandal 64 53 10 18 3 0 2 8 9 0/1 .340/.444/.509 .954

Turner 73 67 6 23 8 0 2 8 2 0/0 .343/.384/.552 .936

Ethier 61 51 6 16 3 0 0 6 7 0/1 .314/.410/.373 .782

Rollins 84 77 12 18 5 1 4 10 7 2/1 .234/.298/.481 .778

Kendrick 101 94 11 24 2 1 1 9 4 3/0 .255/.290/.330 .620

Puig 92 86 8 17 3 0 4 16 5 1/0 .198/.239/.372 .611

Pederson 96 89 6 15 5 0 1 5 4 0/1 .169/.229/.258 .488

Starters 660 597 74 155 33 2 22 75 46 6/4 .260/.322/.432 .754

Ellis 22 20 3 8 1 0 2 4 2 0/0 .400/.455/.750 1.205

Hernandez 32 29 4 11 3 1 0 4 1 0/0 .379/.406/.552 .958

Barnes 12 10 1 3 1 0 0 0 1 0/0 .300/.471/.400 .817

Van Slyke 30 22 3 5 2 0 0 0 7 1/0 .227/.414/.318 .732

Callaspo 34 30 2 6 0 0 0 4 4 0/0 .200/.294/.200 .494

Guerrero 22 22 3 2 0 0 1 2 0 0/0 .091/.091/.227 .318

Crawford 11 11 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0/0 .091/.091/.091 .182

Bench 163 144 17 36 7 1 3 14 15 1/0 .250/.327/.375 .702

Pitchers 52 49 1 5 1 0 0 0 0 0/0 .102/.102/.122 .224

Totals 875 790 92 196 41 3 25 89 61 7/4 .248/.311/.403 .713

:

Pitcher G W-L Sv IP H R ER BB K ERA WHIP FIP*

Kershaw 4 3-0 -- 33 19 1 1 2 45 0.27 0.636 0.62

Greinke 5 4-0 -- 38 17 4 4 5 34 0.95 0.579 1.75

Thomas 1 1-0 -- 5 3 1 1 0 5 1.80 0.600 1.07

Bolsinger 5 1-1 -- 27 26 10 9 9 19 3.00 1.296 2.44

Anderson 5 1-2 -- 28⅔ 31 13 10 7 19 3.14 1.326 4.40

Beachy 2 0-1 -- 8 10 7 7 6 5 7.88 2.000 4.95

Garcia 1 0-0 -- 2 4 2 2 0 2 9.00 2.000 7.57

Lee 1 0-1 -- 4⅔ 11 7 7 1 3 13.50 2.571 5.21

Starters 24 10-5 -- 146⅓ 121 45 41 30 132 2.52 1.032 2.48

Thomas 1 0-0 -- 2 0 0 0 1 2 0.00 0.500 2.57

Howell 10 1-0 1 7⅓ 7 3 2 3 9 2.45 1.364 2.25

Baez 10 2-1 -- 10 10 4 4 3 9 3.60 1.300 3.77

Coulombe 1 0-0 -- 2 3 1 1 1 0 4.50 2.000 4.57

Peralta 9 0-0 -- 7⅓ 11 4 4 4 6 4.91 2.045 2.66

Jansen 10 0-1 6 9 8 6 6 2 17 6.00 1.111 5.74

Nicasio 8 0-1 -- 10⅓ 9 8 8 5 13 6.97 1.355 2.97

Ravin 2 0-0 -- 2⅓ 2 2 2 3 3 7.71 2.143 11.21

Garcia 3 0-0 -- 2 3 2 2 0 3 9.00 1.500 0.07

Tsao 5 1-1 -- 7 15 9 8 3 7 10.29 2.571 7.50

Surkamp 1 0-0 -- 3⅓ 4 4 4 1 4 10.80 1.500 11.17

Liberatore 5 0-1 -- 3⅓ 7 5 5 2 0 13.50 2.700 7.78

Relievers 24 4-5 7 66 79 48 46 28 73 6.27 1.621 4.74

Totals 24 14-10 7/2 212⅔ 200 93 87 58 205 3.69 1.215 3.18

*FIP is estimated

Dodgers trades more a reallocation of resources already committed

By Eric Stephen

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers flexed their financial muscles as a way to help facilitate their three-team,

13-player trade with the Braves and Marlins, plus an offshoot side deal with a fourth team, the Pirates.

The Associated Press estimates the Dodgers' payroll climbed to roughly $297 million with the big trade.

One of these days I will get to updating our payroll worksheet, but for now I just want to break down

how much was added in these deals.

Thanks as always to the invaluable Cot's Baseball Contracts for help with filling in some of the gaps here.

First, a note: baseball salaries based on a 183-day regular season that runs from the Sunday opening day

through the final Sunday of the season, Oct. 4 this year.

The three-team deal with the Marlins was completed on Thursday. Counting that day, there were 67

days remaining in the regular season. Which brings us back the Associated Press, with the details of cash

received by the Dodgers in the three-teamer:

Atlanta pays the Dodgers $7.45 million on Dec. 10 this year, and Miami gives the Dodgers $2,601,093 on

Oct. 15, 2016.

That second amount happens to work out perfectly to Michael Morse 's $7 million 2015 salary, with 68

days left in the season ($7 million / 183 x 68 = $2,601,093), but the deal wasn't completed on

Wednesday, so I am adjusting this slightly, to $2,562,842 ($7 million / 183 x 67).

The Dodgers carried Morse for a day before dealing him to the Pirates, so I'm adding 1/183rd of his

salary ($38,251) to the cost of the deal. The only unknown to date is the amount of money the Dodgers

sent to the Pirates in the Morse deal for Jose Tabata.

Here is a look at what the Dodgers added and lost, including the roster spots of Mike Bolsinger, Zach Lee

and (I'm assuming on Sunday) Yimi Garcia, whose spots were taken.

Hector Olivera is the big wild card here. The Dodgers committed a $28 million signing bonus to the

Cuban import, for which they are responsible. So they essentially paid $28 million, plus $1,267,760 of his

$2 million salary in 2015, for the right to an asset they could trade. If you want to add that the cost of

the deal, I wouldn't argue.

But the flip side is that the Dodgers also trimmed the $32.5 million over five years that was committed

to him from 2016-2020. A huge chunk of that will likely go to Wood in his four years before free agency.

"For us, it's a trade off between talent and taking on money when you can. In our situation, with our

directive to build up the farm system to a point where we can operate at a level of sustainability which

we are comfortable at in the long term, there are times it makes sense to substitute cash for players,"

general manager Farhan Zaidi said on Friday. "In the three-way deal there was obviously some money

changing hands where we felt it was advantageous to do that."

So while the numbers thrown around in the deal were quite large, these trades for the Dodgers were

basically just a reallocation of resources based on salary commitments that were already made.

Dodgers roll with same lineup in second game vs. Angels

By Eric Stephen

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers go for a third straight win on Saturday afternoon with their second game

against the Angels, and will use the same starting lineup as Friday night.

That means another day off for the slumping Joc Pederson to clear his head, as manager Don Mattingly

suggested on Friday.

The Dodgers have scored 10 and five runs in their last two games, trying on Saturday to score five or

more runs in three straight games for the first time since May 10-12.

Perhaps more importantly, Clayton Kershaw was not scratched from this start. At least not yet.

The Dodgers ace will take his 29-inning scoreless streak into Saturday, making his first start since July 23.

This is his second career start on exactly eight days rest. The other came on July 21, 2013, when he

allowed two runs in seven innings in a win over the Nationals while striking out nine.

Left-hander Andrew Heaney starts for the Angels. The old friend has been fantastic so for the Halos, 5-0

with a 1.79 ERA in six starts, with 31 strikeouts and five walks in 40 innings.

The Dodgers with their win over Hector Santiago on Friday evened their record against left-handed

pitchers this season at 10-10. They have won six of their last eight games against southpaw starters.

Dodgers add to starter count in finale with Angels

By Eric Stephen

LOS ANGELES -- After the Dodgers unleashes their two aces against the Angels on Friday and Saturday,

Los Angeles goes for the sweep on Sunday with newcomer Mat Latos in his Dodgers debut.

Latos will be the 15th different pitcher to start a game for the Dodgers in 2015. Alex Wood will be No. 16

on Tuesday in Philadelphia. Both were acquired in a three-team, 13-player trade on Thursday from the

Marlins and Braves, respectively.

The only Dodgers team in franchise history to use more starting pitchers than the 14 used so far this

year was in 1944, when the team went through 19 starters during World War II.

In 1944, the Dodgers didn't use its 15th pitcher (Tom Sunkel) until Game No. 109, and No. 16 (Art

Herring) was used in the 114th game.

Sunday is the Dodgers' 105th game of this season.

Latos will be starting on six days rest, having allowed three runs in six innings last Sunday in San Diego. It

was the fourth straight quality start for Latos, who during that span has a 2.08 ERA with 23 strikeouts

and three walks in 26 innings.

Latos has averaged 6.52 innings in his seven starts since his return from the disabled list with left knee

inflammation in June.

The Angels will counter with Cory Rasmus starting on Sunday, in what appears to be a bullpen game for

the Halos. Rasmus, who was just recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday, pitched one inning of

relief on Friday night, striking out three in a scoreless seventh frame while striking out three.

All 10 of Rasmus' appearances in Triple-A this season were in relief, with the longest one at 2⅓ innings.

He made six starts down the stretch for the Angels in 2014, but never lasted more than four innings.

The Dodgers have beaten the Angels five straight times, dating back to 2014, but they have swept the

Halos in a three-game series only once in 28 tries. That came in 2006, when the Dodgers outscored the

Angels 31-7 in three games at Dodger Stadium from May 19-21.

Andre Ethier, then a rookie in his third week in the major leagues, was 7-for-13 with two home runs and

six RBI during the sweep, including a career-high five hits in the series opener. Ethier didn't start either

of the first two games of the series with southpaws on the mound, but figures to return to the lineup for

the Sunday finale.

DODGER INSIDER

Kershaw’s streak is a prime 37

By Jon Weisman

Well, you figured an MVP was going to do well today.

In the first-ever regular-season meeting between reigning Most Valuable Players, pitcher vs. hitter,

Clayton Kershaw got the best of Mike Trout, and rolled right on in his latest march toward history.

Setting the tone with a Trout-freezing curveball in the first inning for strike three, then allowing only

three baserunners in his eight shutout innings during today’s 3-1 victory over the Angels, Kershaw has

extended his current scoreless-innings streak to 37, which is …

four innings shy of his career high

8 2/3 innings shy of Zack Greinke’s Dodger season high

22 innings shy of Orel Hershiser’s Major League record.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Kershaw is the first pitcher with two single-season

scoreless streaks of at least 37 innings since Luis Tiant in 1968 and 1972.

Opponents are hitting .135/.148/.151 during the streak, for an OPS of .299.

Though he did walk his first batter since before the streak began (striking out 46 in between), Kershaw

has thrown nine straight innings without a runner getting past first base and 25 straight without a

runner getting past second base.

Only eight of the 128 batters Kershaw has faced during the streak have reached scoring position. Only

two of 128 have reached third base.

The big lefty’s 2015 ERA is down to 2.37, which marks the first time this season that it is below his career

ERA (now 2.47). In 12 starts since May 26, Kershaw has a 1.10 ERA with 119 strikeouts and only 12 walks

in 89 2/3 innings, averaging 7.5 innings per start.

Inside Clayton Kershaw’s scoreless-inning streak

By Jon Weisman

If he gets through the first inning of today’s start without allowing a run, Clayton Kershaw will be more

than halfway to Orel Hershiser’s record streak of 59 consecutive scoreless innings.

Twice in the past two seasons, we’ve seen the second half of the climb prove unassailable, with

Kershaw’s 41-inning streak last summer and Zack Greinke’s 45 2/3-inning runless run that ended

Sunday. But Kershaw’s current run of 29 consecutive scoreless innings is worth a look.

During the streak, opponents have a .157 on-base percentage and .168 slugging percentage against

Kershaw.

In retrospect, it’s a bit surprising Kershaw’s streak is as long as it is. Against the Phillies on July 8, he was

in regular trouble, allowing eight hits, with six of them reaching scoring position.

However, Kershaw enters today having thrown 17 straight innings without a runner getting past second

base. Only two opponents have been in scoring position in that time.

From the seventh inning against the Nationals through the sixth inning July 23 against the Mets,

Kershaw retired 25 batters in a row.

Perhaps most impressively, Kershaw has struck out 42 batters during the streak without walking any

(though he did hit Carlos Ruiz in the second inning July 8). Overall, Kershaw has struck out 45 batters in a

row since his last walk, and 56 batters since he last gave up a home run — to Matt Szczur of the Cubs in

the seventh inning June 22.

No one has an extra-base hit against Kershaw since Ruiz’s ninth-inning double more than three weeks

ago.

The combined July numbers of Kershaw and Greinke were astounding: a 0.63 ERA with 79 strikeouts and

eight walks.

Dodger Insider magazine — August 2015 edition

By Jon Weisman

After making the NL All-Star team in his first year as a Dodger, Yasmani Grandal graces the cover of the

August 2015 issue of Dodger Insider magazine (on sale beginning today). In the story, “Player To Be

Famed Later,” we highlight Grandal’s journey from relative anonymity to becoming an All-Star and the

most productive catcher in the National League this side of Buster Posey.

Dodger Insider’s biggest issue of the season to date also features Cary Osborne’s multifaceted, in-depth

examination of Yasiel Puig and his effort to conquer baseball adversity, two years after making a smash

big-league debut at age 22. We have charts and analysis from the intermingling scout and sabermetric

branches of baseball, as well as introspective thoughts from Puig himself.

Another fun piece in the issue, in addition to all you see at right, is team historian Mark Langill’s look at

some of the great unlikely heroes of past Dodger stretch runs. Also, Mike Petriello gives us more insight

into how MLB’s Statcast helps fill in the blanks of our baseball comprehension.

In total, there are more than two dozen stories, plus all the usual great photos, games, tidbits and more.

For $5 at the ballpark, it’s a bargain.

The August 2015 Dodger Insider magazine is available at all Dodger team stores. To subscribe, visit

dodgers.com/magazine. Orders taken through August 7 will begin with the September issue.

FOX SPORTS

Notes: Dodgers wisely willing to sacrifice dollars, not prospects

By Ken Rosenthal

The Blue Jays needed a David Price. The Royals needed a Johnny Cueto. But the Dodgers already had an

ace, two of them actually: Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.

For the Dodgers, a pitcher such as Price, Cueto or Cole Hamels was more of a luxury than a necessity,

and the team's new front office was not inclined to give up significant prospects for a luxury.

That, more than anything, is why the Dodgers ended up with two lesser but capable starters, Mat

Latos and Alex Wood, rather than say, Price or Hamels in a bigger deal.

The team is on a 91-win pace, despite injuries to Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy. And while Mike

Bolsinger effectively has plugged one hole, the Dodgers have scrambled pretty much all season to plug

the other.

Adding Latos and Wood to the trio of Kershaw, Greinke and Brett Anderson changes the entire

dynamic, reducing Bolsinger — he of the 2.83 ERA — to the first option if someone gets injured, the

sixth starter.

Yet, the Dodgers did not part with a single top prospect in their 13-player deal with the Marlins and

Braves. No, they simply flexed their financial muscle to land not just Latos and Wood, but also

relievers Jim Johnson and Luis Avila plus top infield prospect Jose Peraza.

The finances in the deal were so complex, one Dodgers official couldn't recall off the top of his head

Saturday exactly how much money the team swallowed. With the Braves acquiring Cuban infielder

Hector Olivera, to whom the Dodgers gave a $28 million signing bonus, L.A. is now paying $85.75

million to players who are not on their roster, according to the Los Angeles Times.

For years, fans complained about the Yankees' spending, but the Dodgers' Guggenheim ownership

makes the late George Steinbrenner look almost like Frank McCourt. Rival clubs might object, but the

Dodgers, like the Yankees, are simply exploiting the system to maximum advantage.

The scary part is, this is only the beginning. Over time, Andrew Friedman and Co. will mix in talented

youngsters such as Peraza, shortstop Corey Seager and left-hander Julio Urias while shedding inflated

contracts that they inherited from the previous front office and absorbed in their own deals.

At that point, the Dodgers will be in a remarkably flexible financial position, making them even more

dangerous. And as their rivals in the NL West can attest, they're already dangerous enough.

THE METS: ALL IS FORGIVEN (ALMOST)

A cynic would say that the Mets spent only $2 million or so more on their acquisitions than the money

they will pocket from David Wright's insurance and Jennry Mejia's suspension.

Enough.

For once, Mets ownership and general manager Sandy Alderson warrant outright praise, and not simply

the benefit of the doubt.

First the Mets obtained Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson, then Tyler Clippard and then — after a bizarre,

circuitous journey — their big prize, Yoenis Cespedes.

Mets fans will not be satisfied — and should not be satisfied — until the team raises its payroll to a level

more commensurate with the New York market. But Alderson's moves were the proper moves for this

team at this time.

Uribe and Johnson are incremental upgrades who add presence and professionalism. Clippard reinforces

a bullpen that needed help even before Mejia's latest suspension. And Cespedes is what the Mets

needed most: “ a slugger to supplement the middle of their lineup.

The debate over what happened with Carlos Gomez might never be settled, but the end result validated

the Mets' position — that they backed out of the trade due to physical concerns about Gomez, not

financial considerations.

Cespedes is owed about $3.8 million for the rest of the season, Gomez about $2.9 million. Jay Bruce,

whom the Mets tried to acquire before Cespedes, is more expensive than both.

A cynic would say that Cespedes' guarantee is the lowest of the three — he is a free agent at the end of

the season, while Gomez and Bruce are under contract through 2016.

Ah, give the Mets a break. They did what they had to do. Enough.

THE TRUE MARKET FOR HAMELS

Every time I wrote the Phillies should lower their expectations in a Cole Hamels trade, I would hear from

some of their fans — and even some of their executives — arguing, "No way. Hamels is an ace. He is

under control. We get top prospects, or no deal."

In the end, the Phillies did well for Hamels and lefty Jake Diekman, landing a solid package that included

outfielder Nick Williams, catcher Jorge Alfaro and right-hander Jake Thompson. But to get even that

much, the Phils needed to give up Diekman, send $9.5 million to the Rangers and absorb the

approximately $33 million remaining on left-hander Matt Harrison’s deal (though the Phillies could

collect insurance on Harrison for time missed due to injury).

The Rangers, meanwhile, retained two of their top prospects, third baseman Joey Gallo and outfielder

Nomar Mazara. And factoring in the financial exchange, they're getting Hamels for four more years at an

average salary in the $13 million to $14 million range, assuming his option vests, plus three more years

of control on Diekman.

That's pretty darned good.

In a separate deal, the Rangers acquired from the Marlins another reliever, right-hander Sam Dyson,

whom they can control for six more years.

JAYS FLEX PROSPECT POWER

Shortly after 4 p.m. ET on Friday, I sent Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos a text saying that

his farm system was the star of the deadline.

"People seemed to like it — haha," Anthopoulos replied.

Baseball America ranked the Jays' system No. 9 in its preseason organization rankings — upper third, but

not elite. Yet Anthopoulos, by trading 11 prospects and Jose Reyes, acquired five major leaguers over

the past week: superstars Troy Tulowitzki and David Price, plus LaTroy Hawkins, Ben Revere and Mark

Lowe.

Anthopoulos went down the same aggressive path after the 2012 season when he made his blockbuster

with the Marlins and the R.A. Dickey trade. But the Jays' scouting and player development departments

kept producing talent, and just two years later Anthopoulos was in position to acquire Josh Donaldson,

and eight months after that, Tulowitzki and Price.

The cost has been high, but hardly crippling. The Jays, in particular, have traded a slew of starting

pitchers since '12: Noah Syndergaard, Anthony DeSclafani and Kendall Graveman among them, and now

Daniel Norris and Jeff Hoffman. But their major-league club still includes a number of homegrown arms,

including Drew Hutchison, Aaron Sanchez, Roberto Osuna and the injured Marcus Stroman.

Did Anthopoulos pay too high a price in turning over 25 percent of his roster? It remains to be seen. But

isn't this the way a team is supposed to operate, churning out players for trades and the major-league

club? Absolutely.

Astros GM Jeff Luhnow had little experience as a buyer, though he did part with two of his top 10

prospects to land Evan Gattis in January. But the only need that Luhnow failed to address at the

deadline was a reliever — and it wasn't for lack of trying, given his discussions on Aroldis Chapman,

Craig Kimbrel and others.

In the end, Luhnow parted with two prospects for Scott Kazmir, four for Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers.

The latter deal was particularly interesting — the acquisition cost was outfielders Brett Phillips and

Domingo Santana, plus left-hander Josh Hader and righty Adrian Houser. As one Astros official said of

the Brewers, "They did their homework."

Phillips was the big prize, a speedy center fielder with a terrific arm who ultimately will be a long-term

replacement for Gomez. Some with the Astros viewed Phillips as similar to Adam Eaton but not quite

Brett Gardner. Few doubt that he will be successful.

Hader, whom Luhnow acquired from the Orioles in the Bud Norris trade, is likely a reliever, possibly a

Jake McGee-type. Hauser is a classic power right-hander who could end up a back-end starter. Santana,

a right-handed hitter with big power and big swing-and-miss, could be a future run producer in right

field, or another Justin Maxwell.

Luhnow — like Alderson, Anthopoulos and the Royals' Dayton Moore, among others — “ proved willing

to part with significant young talent while teams such as the Dodgers and Yankees hoarded their

prospects.

The trend was refreshing. Teams can play for tomorrow for only so long.

YAHOO SPORTS

MLB trade deadline: Winners & losers

By Jeff Passan

Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline went with a whimper Friday, all the talk of three-way deals and

blockbusters fizzling into the Mets acquiring Yoenis Cespedes and the San Diego Padres holding onto

every one of their numerous assets. Most of the activity came in the days prior, and it kept the deadline

busy enough to warrant the breathless talk about it.

Here, then, are one-sentence summaries of every team’s deadline dealings, with a few getting an extra

paragraph to encapsulate their activity.

New York Yankees: They whiffed going after Craig Kimbrel, who would’ve made their bullpen the finest

three-headed monster since Ghidorah, but are calling up Luis Severino to join the rotation, so the AL

East’s first-place team just got better.

Verdict: Good job, good effort.

Boston Red Sox: For all of the calls they made – and though they kept quiet, they were trying to get

creative – they didn’t have any impending free agents worth much and didn’t want to deal from a core

in which they still believe.

Verdict: About right.

Tampa Bay Rays: Got rid of Kevin Jepsen and David DeJesus, and will be a frequent target for teams

looking to deal this offseason because of their honey hole of starting pitching.

Verdict: Fine.

Baltimore Orioles: Added Gerardo Parra to their rotating troupe of outfielders, a fine move but not one

that brought the impact sort of player a team with a handful of free-agents-to-be needed.

Verdict: Could’ve done more.

Toronto Blue Jays: Crushed a case of Labatt and went shoppin’! Oh, and: If you’re going out, like GM

Alex Anthopoulos might be, best to go out trying to win a pennant. The Blue Jays are in complete flux,

with CEO Paul Beeston gone at season’s end and the failed hire of Orioles GM Dan Duquette for the

position in the offseason showing little faith in the incumbent GM. Still, ownership allowed Anthopoulos

to raid the Jays’ farm system in getting the best pitcher traded (David Price), the best hitter traded (Troy

Tulowitzki), two arms to help a bullpen in need of it (Mark Lowe and LaTroy Hawkins) as well as the

outfielder they needed (Ben Revere). It was classic Anthopoulos, swashbuckling his way through

transactions, hopeful this time works out better than his last big run of maneuvers.

Verdict: They’d better make the postseason …

Kansas City Royals: Really, legitimately, truly bought at the deadline, which is still a shock, because these

are the Kansas City Royals.

Oh, and: What they bought is really good. Next to the Blue Jays, the Royals received the greatest boon

of short-term talent in Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist. Cueto is the starter Kansas City coveted. Zobrist is

the Swiss Army knife they desired. And the team with the best record in the AL wasn’t happy to rest on

its first-half performance. It’s going for the World Series again.

Verdict: Bravo.

Minnesota Twins: All they did was trade for Kevin Jepsen, which isn’t exactly the sort of thing a team

looking to hold onto its playoff spot does when the team directly behind it in the standings does what

Toronto did, but the Twins recognize giving up future talent for this year would be foolish.

Verdict: Understandable.

Chicago White Sox: Did nothing.

Verdict: Makes sense.

Detroit Tigers: Sold what they needed to sell.

Oh, and: They did a rather excellent job of the selling. Few teams had better assets to offload than the

Tigers, and they may have gotten the most of any deadline dealer in future talent. Getting three hard-

throwing left-handers, headlined by Daniel Norris, was a reasonable return for David Price. The Mets

overpaid for Yoenis Cespedes, sending Michael Fulmer to Detroit. And even JaCoby Jones, the return for

Joakim Soria, has a big ceiling. In 72 hours, Dave Dombrowski completely remade Detroit’s bad farm

system into something worth following.

Verdict: Two thumbs up.

Cleveland Indians: It wasn’t as much about whom they traded – Brandon Moss in a great upside play for

Rob Kaminsky and David Murphy – as whom they didn’t: Carlos Carrasco.

Verdict: Solid.

Los Angeles Angels: Needed an impact outfield bat and instead got David Murphy, David DeJesus and

Shane Victorino.

Verdict: Underwhelming.

Houston Astros: Watch what happens when the sellers buy.

Oh, and: As long as Carlos Gomez’s hips don’t lie – “eyeroll” emoji – this is what it looks like when a well-

run team never deviates from its plan and executes with great clarity when it’s time. Adding the

dynamic Gomez to a team with all sorts of dynamism already – Carlos Correa and George Springer and

Jose Altuve are all fun as hell to watch – was a masterstroke, and a rotation of the just-acquired Scott

Kazmir, Dallas Keuchel, Lance McCullers and two of the Vince Velasquez-Mike Fiers-Collin McHugh-Scott

Feldman grab bag could be dangerous. This is your AL West favorite – and, when it’s all said and done, it

might be the best team in the AL.

Verdict: Winner.

Seattle Mariners: Traded free-agent-to-be J.A. Happ while holding onto Austin Jackson, Hisashi Iwakuma

and Fernando Rodney, all the same, for no particularly good reason.

Verdict: About right for them – in the wrong sort of way.

Oakland A’s: They jumped the market in trading Kazmir, Zobrist and Tyler Clippard, and came away with

a nice haul of prospects to begin their reload for 2016.

Verdict: About right for them – in the right sort of way.

Texas Rangers: While they gave up a ton of talent to get Cole Hamels, the Rangers didn’t sacrifice their

biggest-ticket prospects, and with Yovani Gallardo sticking around, they’re a sneaky bet to make a run at

the postseason.

Verdict: Played the market well.

Philadelphia Phillies: Finally.

Oh, and: They did really well. By taking on Matt Harrison’s contract in the Hamels deal, Philadelphia got

much higher-end prospects than it would’ve otherwise. And though neither Joey Gallo nor Nomar

Mazara came back, Jorge Alfaro, Nick Williams and Jake Thompson all have big ceilings. Nick Pivetta was

a really nice return for Jonathan Papelbon, and Alberto Tirado, one of the two pitchers coming back for

Revere, could be a special bullpen arm.

Verdict: Ruben played it right! (Even if he’s not in charge anymore … )

Washington Nationals: In a market saturated with closers, the Nationals traded for one who is kind of

crazy and bumped their effective, should’ve-been-an-All-Star closer to the eighth inning while doing

nothing to supplement their position-playing depth problems.

Verdict: Outdone by the Mets? Ugh.

Atlanta Braves: The paucity of bats in their system prompted them to sell a solid starter in Alex Wood

and a good prospect in Jose Peraza for the lottery ticket of 30-year-old Cuban Hector Olivera, whose

success will make or break this deadline for them.

Verdict: TBD.

Miami Marlins: Annual tent sale went according to plan.

Verdict: GM still manager, owners still jokes, players still disenchanted, so pretty much status quo.

New York Mets: Holy hell.

Oh, and: For the disaster that was the failed Carlos Gomez trade – and it was a disaster in all respects –

the Mets’ acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes for Michael Fulmer and another prospect erased the awful

taste. While they didn’t go as big as the Jays or Royals or Astros, they made a legitimate, concerted

effort, which must show how vulnerable they think the Nationals are. Because at just two games over

.500, it’s not like the Mets have been world-beaters. And considering what they gave up – Fulmer and

Casey Meisner (the Tyler Clippard deal) are both legitimate pitching prospects – an October without any

baseball can’t be seen as anything other than a disappointment.

Verdict: Bold, if a bit premature.

Pittsburgh Pirates: This was about as typical a Pirates deadline as possible, in which they don’t make any

big moves but fill holes capably, with Aramis Ramirez at third, Joakim Soria in the bullpen, Michael

Morse as a bench bat and J.A. Happ to take the injured A.J. Burnett’s place in the rotation.

Verdict: Utilitarian as ever.

Chicago Cubs: As hard as they tried to get Tyson Ross and other controllable pitchers, the Cubs weren’t

going to spend tangible assets on just this season, so Dan Haren and Tommy Hunter gave them solid

arms at a reasonable price.

Verdict: Smart.

St. Louis Cardinals: The cost of Rob Kaminsky for Brandon Moss still doesn’t make a ton of sense, nor

does adding Jonathan Broxton to a bullpen deep with arms, though Steve Cishek has a chance to do

some damage.

Verdict: Confusing, but they’re the Cardinals and get the benefit of the doubt.

Cincinnati Reds: Even though they’re rich with arms in the minor leagues, the Reds prioritized that in

their trades of Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake and did well in doing so.

Oh, and: Not trading Aroldis Chapman didn’t make the most sense – especially with teams gearing up for

a playoff run and, as one interested executive said, “Ready to overpay.” He’ll be a plenty good

alternative to Greg Holland on the trade market this offseason, though, or at next year’s deadline.

Verdict: One thumb up, with the other reserved for if the pitchers stay healthy.

Milwaukee Brewers: By saying goodbye to Carlos Gomez, Mike Fiers, Aramis Ramirez, Gerardo Parra and

Jonathan Broxton, the Brewers did exactly what they needed to: start over and build around a system

with a number of interesting assets, particularly center fielder Brett Phillips.

Verdict: Return for Gomez and Fiers a bit light, though Phillips could be a star.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Bullied people with their money.

Verdict: Like this.

San Francisco Giants: Getting Mike Leake was a quintessential Giants move that makes them better but

might not be enough to win them a fourth World Series in six years.

Verdict: Aw, hell, they didn’t look like they were going to win three others, either.

Colorado Rockies: In trading away Troy Tulowitzki – a solid trade, actually – they managed to disappoint

the face of their franchise on the way out of the door as well as his teammates, who happen to be their

future core.

Verdict: Fine baseball move, bad people skills.

Arizona Diamondbacks: The failed effort to get Aroldis Chapman left them as one of just two teams not

to make any substantive moves, which wasn’t a huge surprise since they’re a fringe contender without

any free agents of substance.

Verdict: That weird shoulder shrug thing.

San Diego Padres: Acquired left-handed reliever Mark Rzepczynski from Cleveland.

Oh, and: The Padres – the 49-53 Padres – held on to all of their free-agents-to-be (Justin Upton, Joaquin

Benoit, Ian Kennedy, Will Venable), couldn’t move the assets with tangible value (Tyson Ross, Andrew

Cashner, Craig Kimbrel) and are stuck with the contract of James Shields. Yes, it’s true: The Padres’

schedule over the next three weeks goes Miami, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Colorado, Atlanta

– the five worst teams in the NL. The Padres are the sixth worst, and expecting a flawed team, no matter

how well it’s playing, to not just make up a 7½-game deficit to the second wild card but leap over four

teams to do it, borders on lunacy. Most of the Padres’ moves this offseason have gone wrong. The

moves they didn’t make at the deadline might be the ones they regret this time around.

Verdict: Losers.

With money and cutting-edge brilliance, Dodgers playing a game others can’t

By Jeff Passan

All those years when the New York Yankees were outspending everyone by $20 million and $30 million

and more, this is what they should’ve done. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a monetary behemoth,

beneficiaries of an $8 billion TV contract, and under president Andrew Friedman and GM Farhan Zaidi,

they’re parlaying that financial advantage into a competitive one, too.

The Yankees sashayed into free-agent meetings like fat cats, paying big dollars for big names and big

splashes. They were old money acting like new money. The Dodgers positioned themselves in diametric

opposition, fundamentally against larding their roster with aging players, using their cash as judiciously

as the filthy rich can, exploring every creative nook and cranny possible.

And thus came together the madcap 13-player, three-team trade that was agreed upon Thursday among

the Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins. On both sides of the return for the Dodgers, they took

on unwanted salary obligations and received talent for doing so. It was a brilliant deployment of

resources that landed Los Angeles a pair of starters, one who should join the rotation for years to come

and another who helps strengthen it for the stretch run.

The entirety of the deal goes like this: Los Angeles received starter Alex Wood, utility prospect Jose

Peraza, relievers Jim Johnson and Luis Avilan, and starter Bronson Arroyo from Atlanta, plus starter Mat

Latos and outfielder Michael Morse from Miami. Atlanta got Cuban infielder Hector Olivera, reliever

Paco Rodriguez and prospect Zack Bird from the Dodgers, along with the Marlins’ competitive-balance

draft pick, which should land somewhere in the mid-30s in the 2016 draft. For dumping the salaries of

Latos and Morse, plus the draft pick, the Marlins received Class A pitchers Jeff Brigham, Kevin Guzman

and Victor Araujo.

Essentially, the Dodgers bought three years of Wood, two months of Latos, a solid prospect in Peraza

and a couple relief pitchers to bolster their shaky bullpen. Gone is Olivera, a 30-year-old coveted by the

Braves, who couldn’t compete with the Dodgers’ six-year, $62.5 million offer he signed in May. The

Dodgers will pay all $28 million of his signing bonus, and with most of his 2015 salary paid, Atlanta

essentially gets him for five years at around $32 million. Considering the Dodgers are taking on some but

not all of Arroyo’s remaining $7.5 million – he has a $4.5 million buyout for next season’s deal – Atlanta

is paying down Olivera’s cost even more.

By absorbing about $15 million from the Marlins – the struggling Morse is owed $8 million next season –

Los Angeles paid more than $40 million in contracts for which it has no use. This is where money is best

spent, because swallowing others’ problematic contracts or fronting money for valuable players allows

the Dodgers to ask for premium talent in return, and in Wood and Peraza, it got just that.

This isn’t the first time Friedman and Zaidi pulled off such a deal. They’re also paying the salaries of Matt

Kemp, Dan Haren and Dee Gordon – all traded in the offseason – this year. In the Kemp deal, the

Dodgers received All-Star catcher Yasmani Grandal. From the Marlins, they got utilityman Enrique

Hernandez, catcher/second baseman Austin Barnes and pitcher Andrew Heaney, whom they flipped for

Howie Kendrick.

The strategy is brilliant, a way to circumvent the artificial spending limits placed almost everywhere on

young talent. Got a terrible signing? Just package it with something valuable, and the Dodgers are happy

to use their money to buy talent.

And that’s what this is: The Dodgers are purchasing talent from others, using their financial advantage to

stay flexible instead of boxing themselves into untradeable corners like the Yankees did for so many

years. The rules were different then, not nearly as restrictive, but New York has shown no inclination to

operate in a similar fashion to the Dodgers. Few teams do. The Braves, actually, pulled off a trade like

this earlier in the year, taking on Arroyo’s contract and receiving pitching prospect Touki Toussaint from

Arizona. For Atlanta it was novel. For the Dodgers, it’s standard operating procedure.

Which is why they stand out so much. Executives are howling about the 13-player trade, about what

happens at the intersection of money and creativity. It frightens those who see how it will bear fruit, and

it frightens those without the foresight but within the steamroller’s path.

It’s not just the ingenuity that makes the Dodgers so menacing. It’s the behind-the-scenes activities: the

think tank filled with brilliant minds they’re cultivating and the devotion to injury prevention and

neuroscouting and other branches of the development tree they’re learning about and keeping in their

silo of knowledge. The scariest part of the Dodgers isn’t what we see. It’s what we don’t see.

Over nearly a decade, Friedman built the Rays into a consistent powerhouse with among the worst

resources in the game. Zaidi came up through Oakland, which literally wrote the book on surviving with

meager resources. Their old shops forced them to think like this, to dream up wacky conceits that might

better their teams.

Marrying that to an endless spigot of money puts the Dodgers here, not just atop the NL West but

stronger than they’ve been this year. They didn’t get Cole Hamels, and they didn’t get David Price, and

that’s OK for now. With Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Brett Anderson and the two new guys, the

Dodgers are primed to strike at San Francisco and the rest of the NL.

This is just the beginning. Though the Friedman-and-Zaidi Dodgers aren’t even a year in at this point,

their goals are evident. They are going to bully all of baseball with their money, a comeuppance for the

years they were the targets who had to sell, and they’ll have no qualms about it.

NBC LA

Clayton Kershaw Extends Streak in Battle of MVPs, Dodgers Win 3-1

By Michael Duarte

Clayton Kershaw threw a two-hitter, fanning seven batters over eight scoreless innings as the Los

Angeles Dodgers shut down the Angels 3-1 on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

It was the Dodgers fifth consecutive victory over the Angels in the Freeway Series rivalry, and the Halos

fifth straight loss overall, tying a season high losing streak.

Like a good Drake diss, the Dodgers and Angels went back-to-back with marquee pitching matchups.

Saturday's duel featured the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw against Angels

undefeated rookie Andrew Heaney.

Kershaw (9-6) outdueled the youngster and extended his scoreless streak to 37 consecutive innings.

Kershaw became the first player in MLB history to have two scoreless innings streaks of 35+ in

consecutive seasons.

"What did Zack [Greinke] say when you used to ask him about the streak?" Kershaw asked the media

when questioned about the streak. "He didn't think about it," they replied. "There you go," Kershaw

laughed.

Heaney (5-1) suffered his first loss of the season, snapping his five game winning streak. Heaney allowed

two runs on four hits in just 5.1 innings, his shortest start of the year. The 24-year-old entered the game

5-0 with a 1.79 ERA, and a 1.30 ERA in day games. The Halos were a perfect 6-0 in game's Heaney had

started before today.

Heaney was with the Dodgers for a New York minute this winter when he was acquired by Los Angeles

for Dee Gordon and Dan Haren. Heaney however, was immediately flipped to the Angels for second

baseman Howie Kendrick.

Kendrick beat his former team with the bat on Friday and with glove on Saturday. Kendrick made

multiple web gems in the field including a diving stop in the second inning to rob Erick Aybar of a base

hit and keep Kershaw's scoreless streak intact.

The game also gave fans the much-anticipated duel between reigning MVPs. Kershaw, the 2014 NL MVP

versus Mike Trout, the 2014 AL MVP. Kershaw struck out Trout on a filthy curveball in the first inning,

the first time an MVP pitcher faced an opposing MVP at the plate in MLB history.

"He's a great hitter, probably the best hitter in the game," Kershaw said of Trout. "He's an unbelievable

hitter and I'm just trying to get him out."

Trout finished 0-for-3 and was robbed of a base hit in the top of the seventh inning by Yasiel Puig who

made a magnificent diving catch in right field.

Scott Van Slyke knocked in the game's first run in the sixth inning with a sac fly to the warning track in

left field that scored Kendrick.

Yasmani Grandal continued his hot-hitting summer as he blasted a two-run bomb to dead center off

reliever Fernando Salas. It was Grandal's 15th homer of the season, tied for the most in his career.

"If I would have got more playing time last year, I think I would have gotten to 15 home runs easier,"

Grandal said about tying his career mark. "It showed once I started playing every day here in LA, my

power numbers have gone up."

Grandal went 3-for-4, his second consecutive three-hit game. The Cuban catcher has four doubles, five

homers, and 15 RBI to go with his .385 batting average since June 29th.

Kershaw came out of the dugout on to the mound for the start of the ninth inning, but exited the game

to a standing ovation before making a single pitch.

Kenely Jansen allowed a run, but earned his 19th save, striking out Trout in a rematch of last night, when

the Halos slugger homered to center off the closer.

Game Notes:

Angels' manager Mike Scioscia was ejected from the game in the second inning for arguing balls and

strikes by home plate umpire Chris Segal.

52,979 fans came out on a hot Saturday summer day.