Daily Clips

June 16, 2017

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 2017

DODGERS.COM Indians' bats erupt in rout of Dodgers- William Kosileski and Ben Weinrib Bellinger interested in potential Derby showing— Ben Weinrib Father's Day particularly special for Hernandez—Ken Gurnick Roberts maintaining confidence in Hill—Ben Weinrib Reds try to get back on track vs. LA- Jay Paris Thursday's best: Bichette does it all in doubleheader sweep- Mike Rosenbaum LA TIMES Rich Hill struggles during Dodgers' 12-5 loss to Cleveland—Andy McCullough Julio Urias has no structural damage in his shoulder, Dodgers say, but no timetable is set for his return—Andy McCullough OC REGISTER Another rough outing from Rich Hill dooms Dodgers in 12-5 loss—Bill Plunkett Dodgers Notes: Could Cody Bellinger be team’s next rookie in Home Run Derby?- Bill Plunkett On deck: Dodgers at Reds, Friday, 4:10 p.m.- Bill Plunkett ESPN Rumor Central: Could the Dodgers bid on Jose Quintana?—ESPN.com Former All-Star Jair Jurrjens suspended 80 games after positive test—The Associated Press 2017 Draft Picks: Los Angeles Dodgers- ESPN.com Chisenhall homers, drives in 5 as Indians rout Dodgers 12-5- The Associated Press TRUE BLUE LA Adam Bray does his part to get Quakes a 4-1 win—Craig Minami Dodgers option Ross Stripling to Triple-A—Eric Stephen Dodgers vs. Reds starting pitchers, game times & TV schedule—Eric Stephen Jair Jurrjens suspended 80 games for positive PED test—Eric Stephen Dodgers catch a beating in finale with Indians—Eric Stephen DODGER INSIDER Dodgers’ six-game win streak snapped in 12–5 loss at Cleveland—Rowan Kavner Dodgers hope Hill works quickly, efficiently on possibly rainy day- Rowan Kavner NBC LA Rich Hill Roughed Up as Indians Snap Dodgers Win Streak, 12-5—Michael Duarte

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 2017

DODGERS.COM Indians' bats erupt in rout of Dodgers By William Kosileski and Ben Weinrib CLEVELAND -- In Thursday's series finale against the Dodgers, the Indians' offense broke out for 15 hits thanks in large part to Lonnie Chisenhall's five RBIs and Edwin Encarnacion's career-high four runs scored. Both homered to back starter Josh Tomlin and lead the Indians to a 12-5 victory over the Dodgers at Progressive Field. The Tribe's offense set the tone early, scoring five runs in the first two innings off Dodgers starter Rich Hill. Encarnacion capped off the second with his 13th homer of the season, and Chisenhall closed the book on Hill in the fifth with a pinch-hit, three-run home run off reliever Ross Stripling. Chisenhall added a two-run single in the sixth, Jose Ramirez and Roberto Perez each finished with two RBIs and Erik Gonzalez hit his first career home run in the seventh. "I think we had [Hill] up over 60 [pitches] after two," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Then he kind of started throwing like he can for a couple innings. But then we added on and we kept after him. We took our walks, we laid off the breaking ball that can be so devastating. I thought we played with a ton of energy today." Tomlin picked up his fourth win of the season after striking out seven in over five-plus innings of work. The right-hander allowed four runs on seven hits and two walks. "I felt pretty good," Tomlin said. "I felt like it was a little bit of work today, those guys made you get in the zone. A lot of 3-2, 2-2 counts. So it was a pretty tough day, but at the end of the day we won and we were able to keep the team in the game long enough for the offense to explode, and they did a great job." For the Dodgers, Chris Taylor hit a two-run homer, Cody Bellinger clubbed his 18th homer and Yasiel Puig added an RBI double. With his solo shot, Bellinger has gone deep six times in his last five games. But the offense was not enough, ending their season-long six-game winning streak. Hill was handed his third loss of the season after he was pulled in the fifth. The left-hander gave up seven runs on eight hits, two walks and two hit batters in four-plus innings. Hill has yet to pitch into the sixth inning in any of his eight starts this season. "They did a good job putting the bat on the ball and putting the ball in play," Hill said. "They had a few ground balls get through in the first inning. But at the end of the day, I'm not helping the team putting outings together like this." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Indians strike fast: The Indians wasted no time jumping on Hill in the first, as they connected for three straight singles to start the inning and score the game's first run. After hitting Encarnacion with a pitch to load the bases, Hill recorded two outs before walking Perez on six pitches to plate the Tribe's second run. The next batter, Bradley Zimmer, hit a weak grounder to the right side, but he beat out Bellinger's flip to Hill at first to score another run. In all, Hill faced all nine Indians hitters and threw 40 pitches in the first, allowing three runs on four hits. "We got the first run quick, and then it looked like we were going to strand," Francona said. "We got a walk and [an infield hit]. We got three, but his pitch count was so high [that inning]." Chisenhall opens it up: After the Dodgers put up three runs in the top of the fifth to make it a one-run game, the Tribe responded in the bottom half of the inning with three runs of its own. With two on and no outs, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts replaced Hill with Stripling to face the right-handed-hitting Austin Jackson. But Francona responded by pinch-hitting Chisenhall. Francona ultimately won the chess match, as Chisenhall hit a three-run homer to right-center to give the Indians an 8-4 lead. "Yeah, it's more of a mindset than getting your body ready, so the only way to learn how to do it is to do it a lot," Chisenhall said of pinch-hitting. "I don't know how many I have now, but like I said, I embrace it. I like to go up there and swing the bat, and Tito picks those spots where you can have success." More > QUOTABLE "My mom. And also my father. He is my hitting coach here. He's telling me, 'Hey, you need to do that to be better.' That ball is for him." -- Gonzalez, on to whom he will give his home run ball "I thought that we did a really nice job on the offensive side. To win two out of three here against a good ballclub, we still feel like we have the momentum." -- Roberts, on the series SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Bellinger is the second player to hit 18 homers in his first 47 career games. The other would be Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez, who launched 19 in his first 47 games last season. "I don't know what else there is to say," Roberts said. "I've tried to use all the ways to describe him. I just, honestly, the home runs and the production is just a byproduct of his care in wanting to be a great baseball player and helping us win baseball games. There's been multiple at-bats where he's tried to bunt his way to get on base and he ends up hitting a home run. Trying to get a guy over and hits a homer. This is a byproduct of him trying to help us win ballgames, and that's a compliment." With his two-run single in the sixth, Chisenhall became only the third player in Indians history since 1913 to drive in at least five runs as an in-game substitute. The last player to accomplish the feat was John Ellis, who drove in six runs off the bench on Sept. 16, 1973, in Boston. Chuck Essegian had five RBIs on June 11, 1961, against the Kansas City Athletics. AFTER FURTHER REVIEW

After his RBI double in the second inning, Ramirez tried to steal his seventh base of the season but was tagged out at third. The Indians challenged the call, but the ruling was confirmed, so Cleveland lost all of its challenges with seven innings to play. That was just the Indians' fifth unsuccessful challenge in 16 attempts this season. The replay became even more important one pitch later, when Encarnacion launched a 414-foot homer to left field. WHAT'S NEXT Dodgers: Left-hander Alex Wood will pitch the Dodgers' series opener on Friday against the Reds at 4:10 p.m. PT at Great American Ball Park. Wood will be making his third start since coming off the 10-day disabled list with left SC joint inflammation. He's given up just three runs in his last five outings, spanning 29 innings. Indians: Cleveland will hit the road for a four-game set with the Twins beginning with Friday's 8:10 p.m. ET tilt at Target Field. Right-hander Carlos Carrasco (6-3, 3.36 ERA) will take the mound in the series opener. He is coming off his sixth win of the season, in which he went 5 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on seven hits with four strikeouts against the White Sox on Sunday. Bellinger interested in potential Derby showing By Ben Weinrib CLEVELAND -- Since his promotion to the Major Leagues on April 25, no player has hit more home runs than Cody Bellinger with 18. So would the 21-year-old slugger consider an appearance in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby? The Dodgers visit the Marlins right after the All-Star break, so Bellinger would already be in the area for the July 10 event. "I think it would be cool," Bellinger said. "I know I'd have my dad throw to me since he's thrown to me my whole life and in the offseason. He's got a good BP, so I'd probably consider it." Bellinger's dad, Clay, played in the Major Leagues for four seasons with the Yankees and Angels. If that were to happen, it would be reminiscent of the 2011 Derby when then-Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano won it with his father, Jose, pitching to him. "It's a cool moment," Bellinger said. "It's kind of the big leagues again for him, and to experience it would be awesome." Bellinger participated in a home run derby when he was at Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga in 2015, but he said that he swung and missed twice during it. Bellinger called himself "not the greatest BP hitter," which gave him pause about joining the event this year. "He's pretty good in batting practice," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "I think he's underplaying it a little bit.

"For some people, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. For Cody, it's easy to bet on the fact that he's going to have multiple opportunities. In his first year to get acknowledged by the fans or his peers, to be in an All-Star Game or Home Run Derby, I think that's fantastic." Worth noting • Right-hander Kenta Maeda will make a spot start on Sunday for the Dodgers after throwing a 30-pitch bullpen before Thursday's 12-5 loss to the Indians. The other five members of the rotation will get an extra day of rest, as the Dodgers began a span of 20 games in 20 days on Tuesday. Maeda began the season as a starter but was removed from the rotation on June 7 after posting a 5.16 ERA through 10 starts. He made one relief outing on June 9, a four-inning save with one run on three hits and six strikeouts. Maeda, 29, signed an eight-year, $24 million contract with the Dodgers in January 2016 as an international free agent. • Right-hander Jair Jurrjens was suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball without pay after violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Jurrjens, who last pitched in the Majors in 2014 with the Rockies, was starting for Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 31-year-old right-hander was 4-3 with a 4.64 ERA in 54 1/3 innings after playing in the Chinese Baseball Professional League in 2016. Father's Day particularly special for Hernandez By Ken Gurnick CINCINNATI -- This is the best Father's Day ever for Dodgers utility man Enrique "Kiké" Hernandez III, because Enrique Hernandez II is still alive to celebrate it. In December 2015, Kiké's father was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer related to leukemia. Last November, it was determined the cancer is in remission. The devastating emotion and physical strain patients and families endure when cancer strikes, Kiké said, only hits home when it hits your home. Being a Major Leaguer based in Los Angeles, he couldn't take his father to the doctor or accompany his mother to Tampa, Fla., for her husband's bone marrow surgery. His parents came to Los Angeles for Kiké's birthday last August, and for the first time, he saw the toll taken on his father by radiation and chemotherapy. "Seeing my dad after he lost all that weight and lost his hair, pictures don't do justice to what a cancer patient goes through," he said. "To see him in person, to see how much his body changed when they came for my birthday, it was shocking, eye-opening."

While his father battled cancer, the distracted son was in a professional struggle. When Kiké wasn't hurt (he missed July with rib cage inflammation), he wasn't producing at the plate. A .307 hitter in 2015, he plunged to .190 last year. He even struggled against left-handed pitching for the first time in his career. "I felt I had the pressure to perform because I needed my Dad to stay positive to kick cancer's butt," he said. "If I don't perform, my dad's going to get frustrated and my dad's going to get sad, it's going to eat him up. By putting that much pressure on myself, I started failing. Every time I had an 0-for-4, I thought I was going to get sent down, I felt I was letting my dad down. So many things started snowballing. "I lost a lot of sleep last year, a lot of nights just because not knowing what's going on with my Dad, my confidence was nowhere to be found. Thinking, 'Can I actually have a career as a baseball player and play a full career?' All of it went through my mind. At the same time, 'Am I going to have a Dad? Will he see my kids grow up?'" With news of remission, "It was like, 'OK, we can breathe again,'" he said. "'Back to normal, go on with life now. Everything's good now.'" Dad is back to work in Puerto Rico as a salesman. His passion, though, was always baseball. He coached Kiké until his son's senior year in high school. That's when Dad's good friend and Kiké's godfather, retired Yankees legend Jorge Posada, mentored him to be a scout. Dad has worked part-time for the Pirates the last five years. "All of my baseball," said Kiké, "I get from him. When I was 4, he took me to a baseball camp and I said I didn't want to go back because it was too hot. But he would play in a semi-pro league and I would go, and soon I wanted to play, too. When I was 6, he saw my potential. Since then, my life has been nothing but baseball, and he's been right by my side. During the World Baseball Classic, he missed almost a month of work to be with me." Not coincidentally, with Dad healthy, so is Kiké's baseball game. He's back to terrorizing left-handed pitching, never more apparent than the home run he hit against Indians star reliever Andrew Miller on Thursday. He's slugging against right-handers as well. The body clearly is linked to the mind. "I learned so much last year," he said. "It opened a side of me I didn't know was there. Now I know what every family goes through with something like this. I got the chance to go to a kids hospital, a cancer center. I used to think that was a job for a veteran, more well-known guys. Just going one time and seeing how just by showing up I can change the day for a kid and everything we take for granted. "This year taught me by failing -- this year with a little more success and I know what it feels like to fail -- I can be positive and shorten the slumps and learned how to be a better teammate. Last year, I needed someone to come pat on the back, 'Everything be OK.' Me going through those struggles taught me I know what it feels like and you kind of know what that person needs, any way you can help. As much as last year sucked, I'm extremely appreciative of going through a season like that in my personal life. It made me mature."

Roberts maintaining confidence in Hill By Ben Weinrib CLEVELAND -- Rich Hill submitted his poorest start of the season on Thursday, but his manager is sticking by his side. Despite giving up a season-high seven runs on eight hits over four-plus innings in the Dodgers' 12-5 loss to the Indians, manager Dave Roberts said that Hill remains an integral part of the team's rotation. Hill battled early, throwing 40 pitches in a three-run first inning and another 22 in a two-run second. But in a season in which he has yet to pitch into the sixth inning in eight starts, the Dodgers needed him to give them more length. "I thought the stuff was good," Roberts said. "But just to find a way to be more efficient. Even when his stuff is good, it seems like he's working harder than he needs to. Whether it be a foul ball or just missing, it just seems like counts are running a little bit too deep. And even when he's going low, he can't get through five innings at this point in time. He's a guy that we're counting on to give us a chance to go deep and give us some length." Hill said he felt fine mechanically and emotionally, but his pitches weren't working the way he wanted them to. He eventually got in a groove in the third and fourth innings, when he retired six out of seven batters, but he couldn't record an out in the fifth and allowed a walk and a single to open the frame, both of which ultimately scored. "When you stink, you stink," Hill said. "I'm not making any excuses for that. I've thrown plenty of pitches where I've missed my spot and guys have popped it up. I've thrown plenty of pitches where I've hit my spot and guys have hit it 450 feet. At the end of the day, it's just continuing to put the work in and the time in and the effort in." Hill, who is in line to start next Wednesday, will have an extra day of rest with right-hander Kenta Maeda getting a spot start on Sunday. Roberts has not given much thought to sending Hill to the bullpen, but at some point, the team wants to see him give it more length. The Dodgers have seen the pitcher he can be, as his 2.12 ERA last season trailed only his teammate Clayton Kershaw among pitchers with at least 100 innings. It's why they acquired him at the non-waiver Trade Deadline and inked him to a three-year, $48 million deal this past offseason. "It's necessary for us to win the championship, he has to be good in the rotation," Roberts said. "But obviously he knows he's got to get better. And he's trying."

Reds try to get back on track vs. LA By Jay Paris The Reds return to Cincinnati, but it's not for long as they start a three-game homestand against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night. The Dodgers swept the Reds last weekend in a three-game set in L.A., the beginning of what was a dismal road trip for Cincinnati. The Reds were then swept by San Diego. Tim Adleman (4-2, 4.34) takes the mound for the Reds, and he's been solid of late. In his last four starts the right-hander is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA. He exited without a decision when going against the Dodgers on Sunday. He was charged with five hits and three runs (two earned) over five innings. The Dodgers will counter with southpaw Alex Wood (6-0, 2.01) as he looks for his seventh straight win. Wood didn't get a decision when facing the Reds on Saturday after giving up three runs and five hits over 5 2/3 innings. He was sharp with seven strikeouts and no walks. Three things to know about this game • Reds speedsters Jose Peraza (62) and Billy Hamilton (61) entered Wednesday's game ranked first and second in the Majors, respectively, for most batted balls hit with an exit velocity below 75 mph, according to Statcast. They have contributed to Cincinnati's Major League lead in both that category and base hits of 75 mph and below (86). • Wood's last showing was especially positive for the Dodgers as it was his first since being on the disabled list with a sore shoulder. With his injury history, the Dodgers are hopeful Wood can string together consecutive strong outings. • The Dodgers will be minus first baseman Adrian Gonzalez as he's on the disabled list for the second time this season. He's bothered this time by a herniated disk in his lower back. Thursday's best: Bichette does it all in doubleheader sweep By Mike Rosenbaum Make no doubt about it -- Bo Bichette can absolutely rake. Bichette, the Blue Jays' No. 5 prospect and No. 100 on MLBPipeline.com's list of the Top 100 prospects, had a day to remember on Thursday as he went 7-for-8 with five RBIs to pace Class A Lansing in a doubleheader sweep on the road against South Bend. Bichette began his day with a perfect 4-for-4 performance in the opener. Two of those hits went for extra bases, as the 19-year-old shortstop tallied a run-scoring double in the third inning before connecting on his seventh homer of the season, a solo shot to left field, in the sixth. It was his second four-hit game of the season, both coming this month.

Bichette picked up right where he'd left off in the nightcap, tallying a single in the first inning followed by a two-run double in the third. Though he'd strike out in his next at-bat, Bichette came right back to record his third hit and third RBI of the game in his final trip to the plate. "I'm really just trying to stay with my approach and my routine every day," Bichette told MiLB.com. "I'm trying to be aggressive and watch how the pitchers attack me every day, but it's a tough thing to be aggressive and smart at the same time. "I've had some good streaks before, but not against competition like this obviously. I'm learning a lot this year, and trusting myself a little more every day. I just want to keep getting better and continue to be the same player and person every day. Routines are king, so it's important to keep with it and learn as much as I can." What Bichette, Toronto's second-round Draft pick in 2016, has done so far in his first full season is simply remarkable. Through 54 games, he's leading the Midwest League in all three triple-slash categories (.400/.468/.645) as well as doubles (27) and hits (88). He also ranks second in the circuit in both runs scored (48) and RBIs (44) The rest of the best performances from top prospects Thursday • No. 12 overall prospect Rafael Devers (Red Sox's No. 1) went 2-for-4 with a solo home run on Thursday -- his second straight game with a home run -- to account for Double-A Portland's lone run in a loss against Altoona. The 20-year-old third baseman has now hit a career-high 12 home runs in 57 games this season, surpassing his previous high-water mark of 11 which he achieved in both 2015-16 over twice as many games. • No. 52 overall prospect Alex Verdugo (Dodgers' No. 2) and Willie Calhoun (No. 71 overall, Dodgers' No. 3) went a combined 5-for-8 with three extra-base hits and four runs scored as Triple-A Oklahoma City fell to Omaha, 15-11. Calhoun connected on his 14th home run and later added a triple before finishing 2-for-4, while the 21-year-old Verdugo tallied three hits including a double out of the leadoff spot. He improved his average to .322 with the performance and now has hit safely in seven straight games. • No. 66 overall prospect Mike Soroka (Braves' No. 4) tossed seven more scoreless frames for Double-A Mississippi, giving him 22 straight scoreless innings spanning his last three starts. The 19-year-old righty allowed just three hits, issued one walk and struck out five in the outing while also generating nine ground-ball outs. He's now 8-3 with a 2.23 ERA in 13 starts. "[Soroka is] calm and doesn't panic. He continues to pitch the way he wants in those situations," Mississippi pitching coach Derrick Lewis told MiLB.com. "He has a gameplan when they have runners in scoring position. He doesn't speed up or rush or make quick pitches. He just goes about his business. Nothing really changes whether there's someone on or if it's the first pitch of the inning." • Ryan McMahon has quickly taken a liking to hitting in the Pacific Cost League. The Rockies' No. 5 prospect connected on a pair of home runs, hitting a solo shot in the fifth inning followed by a game-tying two-run homer in the seventh, going 4-for-4 overall with four RBIs for Triple-A Albuquerque. He extended his hitting streak to nine games in the process -- seven of which have been of the multi-hit

variety -- and he's now batting .404 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in 13 games since being promoted from Double-A. • Astros No. 7 prospect Teoscar Hernandez drove in four with a pair of home runs for Triple-A Fresno. It was the first multi-homer game of the season for the 24-year-old outfielder, who has now accomplished the feat seven times in his seven-year career. • White Sox No. 10 prospect Alec Hansen recorded his third double-digit strikeout game in his last five starts in the nightcap of Class A Kannapolis' doubleheader against Hagerstown. The 6-foot-7 right-hander fanned 10 over six innings while allowing one earned run (solo homer) on two hits and one walk. Hansen, who now has 50 strikeouts over his last 30 innings, is leading the South Atlantic League with 92 strikeouts (in 72 2/3 innings, a 11.4 K/9 rate). • Pirates No. 13 prospect Luis Escobar lowered his ERA to 3.71 while striking out seven batters over five scoreless frames in Class A West Virginia's win over Charleston. The 21-year-old righty threw 51 of his 79 pitches for strikes, scattering three hits and walking one. He's held opposing hitters to a .214 average over 63 innings this season and ranks second among South Atlantic League hurlers with 84 strikeouts (12.0 K/9). • Indians No. 16 prospect Shawn Morimando went the distance for Triple-A Columbus en route to his first career shutout and third complete game. The left-hander allowed five hits over nine innings with three walks, two strikeouts and 12 ground-ball outs. He's allowed two earned runs in his last 22 2/3 innings (three starts). • Making his Double-A debut, Yankees No. 20 prospect Zack Littell recorded a season-high 10 strikeouts while allowing one unearned run on two hits and three walks in seven innings. The 21-year-old righty was dominant during his time with Class A Advanced Tampa before the promotion, going 8-1 with a 1.76 ERA in 12 outings (10 starts). He owns a 0.66 ERA in 41 innings over his last six starts between the two levels.

LA TIMES Rich Hill struggles during Dodgers' 12-5 loss to Cleveland By Andy McCullough Rich Hill stomped into the Dodgers dugout, flung his glove against the bench and disappeared from sight. He made this furious march twice in Thursday’s 12-5 loss to the Indians. Once, after the first inning, when he threw 40 pitches and dumped his team in a three-run hole. And again, after the second inning, when he permitted two more runs. Then he watched from the bench as the game disappeared from reach in the fifth. In all, Hill was charged with seven runs. He cost his club a chance for a sweep as a six-game winning streak was snapped. Hill had not allowed that many runs in one outing in seven years. His descent toward mediocrity, after displaying such capability in 2016, disgusted him.

“It’s not fun to go out there and suck,” Hill said. “So I’ve got to get some better results next time.” The debacle heightened scrutiny of Hill’s performance in 2017. Signed to a three-year, $48-million contract in the winter, Hill has been beset by blisters and maddened by inconsistency. He has yet to pitch in the sixth inning this season. His earned-run average inflated to 5.14 on Thursday. The outing spawned a conflicting array of explanations. Manager Dave Roberts suggested that Hill struggled to maintain focus on each pitch as he boiled with intensity. Hill downplayed that notion, and attributed his trouble to insufficient execution, particularly with his curveball. Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt stressed that Hill has ironed out his mechanical glitches, but conceded something could be upsetting Hill’s equilibrium. “If you let your emotions get too high, then it can run the opposite way,” Honeycutt said. “Some people need to have that certain edge, but also the edge can also get things moving in the wrong direction sometimes.” Away from the field, Hill exudes politeness, armed with a goofy sense of humor and a curiosity about the world. On the mound, he becomes a far more agitated figure, snarling and swearing through his outings. He often can laugh about the transformation. On Thursday, Roberts wondered if emotion played a role in the calamity. “I think Rich is ultra-competitive, and I think [that sometimes is a] detriment to himself,” Roberts said. “Where he’s throwing the baseball well, and he makes one bad pitch, and he tries to get back to perfection. It compounds itself. … I love the fight, but sometimes, yeah, you’ve got to keep his emotions at bay, or temper him.” On the official record, Hill only pitched four innings. But he returned for the fifth, after a two-run homer by Chris Taylor in the fourth cut the deficit to one. The team would never get closer. Hill walked a batter and gave up a single to another before Ross Stripling surrendered a three-run homer to Indians outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall. Cleveland collected three more runs off Stripling in the sixth. Chris Hatcher yielded another home run in seventh. Roberts relied on Stripling and Hatcher because Kenta Maeda was not available. Maeda, the most recent addition to the relief corps, threw a bullpen session on Thursday morning. He will make a spot start Sunday in Cincinnati. The Dodgers intend to give all five of the starters an extra day of rest. And Hill will remain in the rotation — for one more turn, at least. Maeda cannot be considered a reliable alternative. Shoulder inflammation has felled Julio Urias. So the Dodgers still need Hill to contribute as a starter. “It’s necessary for us to win a championship; he’s got to be good and be in the rotation,” Roberts said. “He knows he’s got to get better. And he’s trying.”

Hill felt heartened by his previous outing, on June 9. He completed five innings, and only one stretched into a marathon. Afterward, he mentioned technical improvements that streamlined his approach to the plate and sharpened his command. He could not recapture that form Thursday. From the start, Hill operated under duress. He gave up a leadoff single on a 3-1 fastball. He gave up another single on a full-count fastball. Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez singled on a 1-1 fastball to drive in a run. Hill loaded the bases when a curveball brushed the leg of slugger Edwin Encarnacion. The unwieldiness of the curveball forced Hill to lean on his fastball. Hill edged toward an escape, but stumbled with two outs. He issued a walk to catcher Roberto Perez, who has a .229 on-base percentage. The nightmare extended when rookie outfielder Bradley Zimmer beat Hill to the bag on an infield single. Down three runs, Hill let the second inning resemble the first. After a one-out single by outfielder Daniel Robertson, Ramirez roped a run-scoring double. Ramirez got caught trying to steal third base, but that was only a small reprieve. Encarnacion clobbered a 2-2 fastball for a home run with the bases empty. The Dodgers lineup pulled the club back into contention. Cody Bellinger recorded his 18th homer of the season with a solo shot in the fourth. Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig traded doubles in the fifth. Taylor bashed his two-run shot off Indians starter Josh Tomlin. A comeback appeared in reach — until Hill and Stripling frittered it away in the bottom of the inning. “The results need to be better,” Hill said. “That’s it.” Julio Urias has no structural damage in his shoulder, Dodgers say, but no timetable is set for his return By Andy McCullough An examination of Julio Urias’ sore left shoulder showed no structural damage, but the Dodgers have shut down Urias to allow time for the inflammation in the joint to subside. Manager Dave Roberts indicated there was no timetable for Urias’ resumption of a throwing program and said that the pitcher will not engage in baseball activity “for the foreseeable future.” “I don’t know if we’ve made the decision yet on if it’s a week, if it’s two weeks when he’s going to pick up a baseball,” Roberts said before Thursday’s series finale against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. “Right now, I don’t think we have an answer.” The Dodgers had hoped Urias would sharpen his delivery during a stint with triple-A Oklahoma City. But Urias reported an issue with his shoulder this week. When his condition did not improve with a few days of rest, he underwent an MRI. Urias had hoped to break camp as a member of the starting rotation. The Dodgers paused his preseason schedule to preserve his innings for later in the season. Roberts said he did not believe his team’s approach contributed to Urias’ injury.

“No. 1, obviously, I know it’s not the workload,” Roberts said. “As far as how we’ve managed him, I don’t think [it caused the injury]. Because the starts that he made down there, he was throwing the ball well. He has been on a consistent routine.” He added, “Part of pitching, having inflammation, a sore shoulder — all pitchers are going to go through that. I really don’t believe it was the way he was managed, and I don’t think it was the workload, either.” Epidural for Gonzalez? The second opinion on Adrian Gonzalez’s lower back matched the first, Roberts said. Gonzalez has a herniated disk and could take a pain-killing epidural injection to ease his discomfort. Gonzalez received an epidural last season and played through it. “I don’t know a timetable, when he’ll be back,” Roberts said. “Hopefully sooner, rather than later.” Even so, the Dodgers do not want to rush Gonzalez back. He has shown little power this season, and has landed on the disabled list twice. In the first 13 seasons of his career, he never went on the disabled list. Short hop Dodgers minor-league pitcher Jair Jurrjens was suspended 80 games after testing positive for exogenous testosterone. Jurrjens, 31, was pitching for triple-A Oklahoma City.

OC REGISTER Another rough outing from Rich Hill dooms Dodgers in 12-5 loss By Bill Plunkett CLEVELAND – After giving up seven runs in the Dodgers’ 12-5 loss to the Cleveland Indians on Thursday afternoon, Rich Hill dismissed physical issues, mechanical problems in his delivery and a lack of focus or composure as being responsible for his season-long struggles. So what is the problem? “Sucking,” Hill said, his normally affable personality replaced by disgust and disappointment with the latest in a string of starts that have fallen far short of his and the Dodgers’ expectations. “I mean, that’s really it. At the end of the day, that’s what it is.” Acquired at the trade deadline last season in a deal that cost the Dodgers three top pitching prospects and re-signed to a three-year, $48 million contract this past winter, the Dodgers envisioned Hill being a dominant starter to pair with Clayton Kershaw. They have seen only flashes of that – and none of it this season.

The seven runs charged to Hill are the most he has allowed in a game since June 30, 2009 for the Baltimore Orioles (when he gave up nine runs in 3-1/3 innings) and raised his ERA through eight starts this season to 5.14 with an unsightly 1.69 WHIP bloated by 23 walks and four hit batters in only 35 innings. He has yet to throw a pitch in the sixth inning of a game this season – despite throwing more pitches Thursday (105) than he has in a start since May 2016. “There are no excuses,” Hill said, hitting himself harder than the Indians did during a three-run first inning that featured three consecutive ground ball singles, a hit batter, a bases-loaded walk and an infield single. “At the end of the day, when you stink, you stink and I’m not making any excuses for that. “Results obviously need to be better, at the end of the day – striking the curveball better, sequences, getting ahead with the curveball, being able to actually have that work for you would be huge for me. I’m missing a little bit on that right now. Other than that, I don’t think it has anything to do with mechanics. I don’t think it has anything to do with anything physically. I don’t think it’s anything mentally. It’s just about going out there and making better pitches. That’s it.” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt were much less effective in trying to explain Hill’s struggles this season. Roberts offered that Hill’s fiery nature on the mound might be getting in his way, causing him to focus too much on “some grounders that had eyes” in the first innings rather than moving to the next pitch. Honeycutt explained that Hill has had to fight a number of things since spring training (including his recurring blister problem) that have prevented him from getting “on a regular roll.” “We’ve seen good innings then bad innings,” Honeycutt said. “So it’s there. It’s just the consistency part.” The second inning was another bad inning. Hill gave up an RBI double to Jose Ramirez and a 414-foot home run to Encarnacion. He did make it through two more uneventful innings but his pitch count was at 93 as he took the mound for the fifth inning. The Dodgers had closed to within a run by then thanks to Cody Bellinger’s 18th home run of the season in the fourth inning then back-to-back doubles by Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig plus a two-run home run by Chris Taylor in the fifth. That was the high point of the afternoon for the Dodgers. With Kenta Maeda no longer a long reliever – he will start Sunday in order to give the rest of the rotation an extra day’s rest – Roberts sent Hill back out for the fifth. He walked the first batter he faced and gave up a single to Carlos Santana before Ross Stripling replaced Hill. Lonnie Chisenhall launched Stripling’s second pitch into the right field seats for a three-run home run. The Indians added three more in the sixth to break the game open. “I think his value and any top-end starter is to give you a chance to win , No. 1, but also take care of the ’pen on days that he starts. He’s clearly aware of that,” Roberts said of Hill’s failure Thursday. “For us to win a championship, he’s got to be good and be in the rotation. But obviously he knows he’s got to get better and he’s trying.”

Dodgers Notes: Could Cody Bellinger be team’s next rookie in Home Run Derby? By Bill Plunkett CLEVELAND – Cody Bellinger has competed in a Home Run Derby before, two years ago at the California League vs. Carolina League All-Star Game. “I swung and missed twice,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m not the greatest BP hitter.” Bellinger’s modesty does not hold up under closer inspection. “Have you watched him take BP?” teammate Corey Seager said. “He’s lying.” Bellinger hit his 18th home run Thursday. Only one player in major-league history has hit more home runs in his first 47 big-league games than Bellinger – Gary Sanchez had 19 last year for the New York Yankees. If he keeps hitting them at that rate (or maybe even if he doesn’t), Bellinger could get an invitation to compete in the Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game next month in Miami even though he might not be selected for the National League team. “I’ve thought about it. … I haven’t been asked yet so I haven’t thought too much into it,” Bellinger said. “It’d just be fun whether I hit any or not, just for the experience. Hopefully I’d do well. We’ll see.” If invited, Bellinger would be the third consecutive Dodgers rookie to participate in the Derby. Two years ago in Cincinnati, Joc Pederson reached the final round before losing to Todd Frazier. Last year in San Diego, Seager hit 15 home runs in the first round but was eliminated in the head-to-head format when Baltimore’s Mark Trumbo followed with 16. “I would tell him it’s fun,” Seager said when asked what he would tell Bellinger about the experience. “It’s a lot of fun if you have someone special throwing to you. My experience with my dad was awesome. It’s a fun moment, an exciting experience. “I would tell him – go for it.” Bellinger has given it enough thought to know he would also ask his father to throw to him in the Derby. In his case, that would mean a return to a major-league field for Clay Bellinger, who spent parts of four seasons (1999-2002) with the New York Yankees and Angels. “He’s thrown to me my whole life in the offseason. He throws good BP,” Cody Bellinger said. “I think it’s a cool moment. It’s the big leagues again and for him to experience it would be awesome.” HEALTH CARE The MRI on Julio Urias’ left shoulder Wednesday showed inflammation but no structural damage, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “The strength is there, so it’s basically a sore shoulder,” Roberts said.

There is no timetable for Urias to begin a throwing program and it is likely he will be shut down for at least a week or two. Meanwhile, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez received a second opinion on the herniated disc in his back that was pretty much the same as the first, Roberts said. It is likely Gonzalez will receive an epidural injection to help him manage the pain. Beyond that, “it’s kind of how he can manage the pain,” Roberts said. And right-hander Sergio Romo pitched a hitless inning Wednesday night for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, striking out two of the three batters he faced. Romo is on the DL with a sprained left ankle. He could return this weekend. PUIG STATUS Outfielder Yasiel Puig was in the lineup again Thursday and Roberts said he expects Puig to follow through on his appeal of a one-game suspension for making an obscene gesture to fans during Tuesday’s game. “I think there have been instances where players made obscene gestures and weren’t suspended,” Roberts said. “I expect him to go through with the appeal, run the play out. … For us, we’d rather not lose him for a game.” Early last season, Tigers outfielder Tyler Collins was booed by fans after he lost a fly ball in the lights and it fell in for a hit. He responded with the same gesture as Puig – though he limited it to one hand. Collins was not suspended by MLB. An appeal hearing has not been scheduled for Puig, who was also fined an undisclosed amount. JURRJENS SUSPENDED Former big-leaguer Jair Jurrjens has been suspended 80 games after failing a PED test with Triple-A Oklahoma City. Jurrjens, 31, tested positive for exogenous testosterone. An All-Star with the Atlanta Braves in 2011, Jurrjens has not pitched in the majors since 2014 with the Colorado Rockies and was out of baseball entirely last season. The Dodgers signed him this spring after he pitched for Team Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. Jurrjens was 4-3 with a 4.64 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) for the OKC Dodgers. ALSO The Dodgers optioned pitcher Ross Striping to Triple-A Oklahoma City after the game. Stripling has allowed seven runs in his last two appearances, spanning 3-2/3 innings, including four runs in Thursday’s loss to the Cleveland Indians. The right-hander is 0-3 with a 4.00 earned-run average in 21 appearances out of the bullpen. The team hasn’t officially announced the transaction or the corresponding roster move.

On deck: Dodgers at Reds, Friday, 4:10 p.m. By Bill Plunkett DODGERS at REDS When: Friday, 4:10 p.m. Where: Great American Ball Park TV: SportsNet LA (where available) THE PITCHERS DODGERS LHP ALEX WOOD (6-0, 2.01) Vs. Reds: 2-0, 2.95 At Great American Ball Park: 1-0, 1.59 Hates to face: Scooter Gennett, 3 for 4 (.750), 2B Loves to face: Scott Schebler, 0 for 3, 2 Ks REDS RHP TIM ADLEMAN (4-2, 4.34) Vs. Dodgers: 1-0, 1.80 At Great American Ball Park: 6-2, 4.36 Hates to face: Chase Utley, 2 for 4 (.500), HR Loves to face: Chris Taylor, 0 for 3 UPCOMING Saturday – Dodgers (LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu. 2-6, 4.42) at Reds (RHP Asher Wojciechowski, 1-0, 5.21), SportsNet LA, 1:10 p.m. Sunday – Dodgers (RHP Kenta Maeda, 4-3, 4.95) at Reds (RHP Bronson Arroyo, 3-5, 7.01), SportsNet LA, 10:10 a.m.

ESPN

Rumor Central: Could the Dodgers bid on Jose Quintana? By ESPN.com The Los Angeles Dodgers might be “a surprise entry” in the summer pursuit of Chicago White Sox southpaw Jose Quintana, suggests Jon Heyman of FanRagSports.com. Rumor CentralHeyman says the Dodgers have a deep farm system with prospects that may have caught the attention of the rebuilding White Sox. The Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees have all been mentioned as possible suitors for Quintana. The Astros, who are dealing with numerous injuries to their starting staff, would appear to be a logical fit, but Heyman says the White Sox have been “frustrated” by Houston’s offers. The 28-year-old Quintana has stumbled to a 5.30 ERA in 13 starts, but the White Sox can still keep the price high because of a team-friendly contract that pays the left-hander $7 million this year and keeps him under club control through the 2020 season. The Dodgers could be interested in Quintana as a way to add pitching insurance without adding a big salary to an already heavy payroll. ESPN’s Buster Olney lists the White Sox as a team that is “ready to sell now,” noting they have been willing to listen to offers for Quintana, Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Jose Abreu. Former All-Star Jair Jurrjens suspended 80 games after positive test By The Associated Press NEW YORK -- Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jair Jurrjens, a veteran of eight major league seasons and an All-Star with Atlanta in 2011, has been suspended for 80 games under baseball's minor league drug program following a positive test for testosterone that did not originate in his body. The 31-year-old right-hander is 4-3 with a 4.64 ERA in 10 starts and one relief appearances this season at Triple-A Oklahoma City. He has not appeared in a game since June 7. A native of Curacao, Jurrjens is 53-38 with a 3.72 ERA for Detroit (2007), the Braves (2008-12), Baltimore (2013) and Colorado (2014). He spent 2015 at Cincinnati's Triple-A farm team, pitched in Taiwan the following year and was part of the Netherlands' roster for this year's World Baseball Classic. Jurrjens' suspension, announced Thursday, was the 41st this year under the minor league drug program. There have been two under the big league program: Pittsburgh All-Star outfielder Starling Marte and Philadelphia pitcher Elniery Garcia.

2017 Draft Picks: Los Angeles Dodgers By ESPN.com The Los Angeles Dodgers' draft picks are listed by round, with the overall pick in parentheses. For more, check out the overall draft results and the 2017 first-year player draft home page. 1 (23) -- Jeren Kendall, OF, Vanderbilt 2 (62) -- Morgan Cooper, RHP, Texas 3 (100) -- Connor Wong, C, Houston 4 (130) -- James Marinan, RHP, Park Vista HS (Lake Worth, Fla.) 5 (160) -- Riley Ottesen, RHP, Utah 6 (190) -- Wills Montgomerie, RHP, Connecticut 7 (220) -- Zachery Pop, RHP, Kentucky 8 (250) -- Rylan Bannon, 3B, Xavier 9 (280) -- Connor Strain, RHP, Evansville 10 (310) -- Zach Reks, OF, Kentucky 11 -- Jacob Amaya, SS, South Hills HS (Rosemead, Calif.) 12 -- Andre Jackson, RHP, Utah 13 -- Marshall Kasowski, RHP, West Texas A&M 14 -- Josh McLain, CF, NC State 15 -- Marcus Chiu, 2B, Marin CC 16 -- Evy Ruibal, RHP, Notre Dame 17 -- Nathan Witt, RHP, Michigan State 18 -- Max Gamboa, RHP, Pepperdine 19 -- Zach Willeman, RHP, Kent State 20 -- Donovan Casey, OF, Boston College 21 -- Joshua Rivera, SS, Carlos Beltran BB Academy (Carolina, Puerto Rico)

22 -- Justin Hoyt, LHP, Jacksonville State 23 -- Connor Heady, SS, Kentucky 24 -- Preston Grand Pre, SS, California 25 -- Mark Washington, RHP, Lehigh 26 -- Devin Hemmerich, LHP, Norfolk State 27 -- Jeremy Arocho, SS, Old Mill Senior HS (Glen Burnie, Md.) 28 -- Justin Lewis, LHP, Cornell 29 -- Deacon Liput, 2B, Florida 30 -- Chris Roller, CF, McLennan CC 31 -- Hunter Mercado-Hood, OF, San Diego 32 -- Tyler Adkison, OF, San Diego State 33 -- Brett De Geus, RHP, Cabrillo College 34 -- Dan Jagiello, RHP, LIU Post 35 -- Colby Nealy, RHP, Washington State 36 -- Riley Richert, RHP, Howard 37 -- Corey Merrill, RHP, Tulane 38 -- Preston White, OF, Birmingham Southern 39 -- Logan White, C, Mountain Pointe HS (Gilbert, Ariz.) 40 -- Clayton Andrews, LHP, Cabrillo College Chisenhall homers, drives in 5 as Indians rout Dodgers 12-5 By The Associated Press CLEVELAND -- Lonnie Chisenhall usually senses when Indians manager Terry Francona is going to call on him as a pinch-hitter. That moment came earlier than normal for Chisenhall on Thursday, and he was ready.

Chisenhall connected for a three-run, pinch-hit homer in the fifth inning and had five RBIs as Cleveland salvaged the finale of a three-game series by beating Los Angeles 12-5 and stopping the Dodgers' six-game winning streak. After the Dodgers closed to 5-4 in the fifth, Chisenhall hit a 415-foot drive on the second pitch from Ross Stripling to open a four-run lead for Josh Tomlin (4-8), who struggled after being staked to a 5-0 lead. Chisenhall added a two-run single in the sixth, making him just the third Cleveland player since 1913 to come off the bench and record five RBIs or more. "Tito finds those good situations for guys and you try to not read his mind," Chisenhall said of Francona. "But I've done it for long enough that we're kind of on the same page." Francona joked that he probably should have started Chisenhall, "but I'm not very smart." He and bench coach Brad Mills debated whether to have Austin Jackson bunt or bring up Chisenhall, a left-hander, to face Stripling. "You want to tack on, but then we're bunting for the bottom of the order," Francona said. "Millsy kind of pushed me in that direction. Boy, Lonnie took a beautiful swing." Edwin Encarnacion homered off Rich Hill (3-3), reached base five times and scored four runs as Cleveland moved back over .500 with just its second win in 11 interleague games. Rookie Cody Bellinger homered again for the Dodgers. He touched up Tomlin for a line-drive homer in the fourth, his 18th home run in 47 games. Only New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez hit more through 47 games, slugging 19. "I don't know what else there is to say," Dodgers manager Dave Robert said of his 21-year-old first baseman. "I've tried to use all the ways to describe him. The home runs and the production are just a by-product of his care in wanting to be a great baseball player and helping us to win games." Tomlin got help from Cleveland's offense and did just enough to cool off the Dodgers, who were in a five-run hole after two innings but closed within a run in the fifth on Yasiel Puig's RBI double and Chris Taylor's two-run homer. Hill, who was facing the Indians for the first time since leaving as a free after the 2013 season, walked Encarnacion opening the fifth and was pulled for Stripling after Carlos Santana singled. Chisenhall took one pitch before sending his eighth homer, and second as a pinch-hitter, into the seats in right to make it 8-4. "It's an adrenaline rush going up there, especially it's always a crunch-time situation," Chisenhall said, "so you want to go up there and make sure you're taking hacks that are going to help the team." The Indians added three runs with two outs in the sixth on Chisenhall's single and Roberto Perez's broken-bat blooper. Tomlin is impressed with Chisenhall's ability to come off the bench and deliver.

"He's an intelligent player," Tomlin said. "He's been around for a little while. He pays attention to the game and he knows when his number is going to be called, they do a good job of letting him know. He's a good player, that's what good players do." EASY E Encarnacion, who struggled in April and May, capped a two-run second with a homer onto the pedestrian plaza in left. He's batting .341 with eight homers and 16 RBIs in his last 24 games. "He's starting to look a lot like himself," Francona said. "He's taking a lot of good swings. It's nice to get him going." ROSTER SHUFFLE Francona didn't have second baseman Jason Kipnis (stiff neck) or Michael Brantley, who was with his wife, Melissa, as the couple is expecting its fourth child. Francona said Brantley will go on the paternity list and the Indians will make other roster moves this weekend, when they play a double-header in Minnesota. ROTATION SHUFFLE Roberts said right-hander Kenta Maeda will start Sunday in Cincinnati, bumping back Clayton Kershaw to pitch Monday against the New York Mets. TRAINER'S ROOM Dodgers: 1B Adrian Gonzalez received a second opinion on his back injury, which confirmed he has a herniated disc. He'll likely receive an epidural. LHP Julio Urias (shoulder inflammation) has been shut down indefinitely. The 20-year-old phenom is on the disabled list at Triple-A Oklahoma City after being up with the Dodgers earlier. UP NEXT Dodgers: Stay in Ohio and open a three-game series in Cincinnati with Alex Wood (6-0) starting for the second time against the Reds since June 10. Indians: Carlos Carrasco starts the opener of a four-game series at first-place Minnesota. The right-hander is 4-1 with a 3.13 ERA in six road outings this season.

TRUE BLUE LA Adam Bray does his part to get Quakes a 4-1 win By Craig Minami OKLAHOMA CITY — The final game proved to be the most important, a win by Rancho Cucamonga pulled them within a game of the division lead with three games to go. Great Lakes and the two Dominican Summer League teams also won. Oklahoma City saw the end of their six-game winning streak and Tulsa dropped the first game of a big double-header and then the second game was suspended after seven innings. Player of the day Adam Bray carried Rancho Cucamonga’s division title hopes with him to the mound and he responded by keeping Lancaster, who averages over six runs a game, mostly quiet for five innings. Bray finished his five innings allowing just a run and seven hits. Triple-A Oklahoma City The Dodgers fell behind early, came back but eventually lost 15-11 to the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals). It was a one-run game going to the 9th inning but the Storm Chasers hit two home runs to make it a five-run game and that was that. The loss ended the Dodgers six-game winning streak though they still continuing their run-scoring surge, now having scored 60 runs in their last six games. Justin Masterson started for the Dodgers and pitched 4⅔ innings, he gave up eight hits, seven runs, and six walks. The pitchers that followed Masterson, Justin Marks, Joe Broussard and Jacob Rhame, were unable to keep runs off the scoreboard. Rhame had the roughest inning as he entered the game with the Dodgers trailing by a run. He would give up two home runs that accounted for four runs, which too much to overcome. The offense did keep the Dodgers in the game. Willie Calhoun hit a three-run homer. Alex Verdugo was 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Trayce Thompson had two hits and scored twice while Kyle Farmer also had two hits with two RBI. Double-A Tulsa The Drillers and NW Arkansas Naturals (Royals) were scheduled to play two games and they came close to doing so but in the end, the Naturals won the first 4-2 and the second game was suspended due to rain still tied 2-2 after seven. Walker Buehler returned to action and started the first game. Buehler pitched five innings, gave up five hits, two runs, and one walk. He also struck out six. The game was tied 2-2 going to the 7th, with one out, Shea Spitzbarth didn’t run to cover first immediately and that cost him a baserunner. Eventually two runs would score and that was enough for the Naturals to take the first game.

In the second game, the Drillers jumped out to a 2-0 lead as they scored twice in the first inning due to a Quincy Latimore ground out and an Edwin Rios RBI single. The Drillers held a one-run going to the 7th but then with two out and a runner on second, a ground ball was deflected off Rios’ glove and that was enough for the tying run to score. After the Drillers failed to score in the 7th, the game was delayed and eventually suspended due to rain, it will be made up later today. Class-A Rancho Cucamonga The Quakes entered the game trailing the Lancaster JetHawks (Rockies) by two games with four to play. They ended the game with the lead down to one as they defeated the JetHawks 4-1 on Thursday at LoanMart Field. With the game tied 1-1 going to bottom of the 7th, Victor Roache hit a long home run to right field to give the Quakes the lead. In the 8th, Luke Raley led off with a solo home run and later Will Smith doubled home Luke Raley. Andrew Istler closed the game and collected his seventh save of the season. Adam Bray pitched well, giving up just one run to the JetHawks, and along with that, seven hits, one walk and striking out five. Class-A Great Lakes The Loons jumped out to a 4-0 lead and eventually beat the Dayton Dragons (Reds) 8-3. Dustin May pitched 6⅔ innings and got the win. He gave up six hits, three runs, and one walk. May also struck out six. Oneil Cruz hit a three-run home run in the first inning. The Loons would score four runs in the first inning to take the early lead. The Dragons would narrow it down to one before Mitchell Hansen drove in a run in the fifth. Later in the game, the Loons would score three more runs to put the game out of reach. Transactions Triple-A: Los Angeles optioned right-handed pitcher Ross Stripling to Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City placed right-handed pitcher Jair Jurrjens on the restricted list and released left-handed pitcher Patrick Schuster. Double-A: Tulsa activated right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler from the 7-day disabled list; Tulsa placed right-handed pitcher Josh Sborz on the 7-day disabled list retroactive to June 14, 2017. Thursday’s Scores Omaha 15, Oklahoma City 11 NW Arkansas 4, Tulsa 2 Tulsa 2, NW Arkansas 2 (Suspended)

Rancho Cucamonga 4, Lancaster 1 Great Lakes 8, Dayton 3 DSL Dodgers1 3, DSL Rays1 0 DSL Dodgers2 5, DSL Rays2 0 Friday Schedule 3:00 p.m. PT: Tulsa vs. NW Arkansas - Completion of suspended game 4:35 p.m.: Great Lakes (Chris Mathewson) at Bowling Green Hot Rods [Rays] (TBD) 5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Fabio Castillo) vs. Omaha (Jonathan Dziedzic) 5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Scott Barlow) vs. NW Arkansas (Zach Lovvorn) 7:05 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Yadier Alvarez) vs. Lancaster JetHawks (Peter Lambert) Dodgers option Ross Stripling to Triple-A By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers optioned pitcher Ross Stripling to Triple-A Oklahoma City after Thursday’s game, one day before opening a three-game series against the Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. The club has not yet officially announced the move, which will likely happen Friday along with a corresponding roster move, probably adding a fresh arm to the bullpen with the Dodgers about to play their fourth game in a stretch of 20 games in 20 days. With Kenta Maeda starting on Sunday to give the rest of the rotation extra rest, that is one fewer arm in the bullpen as a potential long man for this weekend series in Cincinnati. Stripling has served a variety of roles in the Dodgers bullpen this season, from high-leverage setup to long man, posting a 4.00 ERA and 2.71 FIP in 21 games, with 39 strikeouts and eight walks in 36 innings. He leads the Dodgers bullpen in innings pitched and was second in strikeouts. In 17 of Stripling’s 21 outings he pitched in multiple innings. But Stripling has also allowed seven runs and two home runs in his last two appearances, including four runs in 1⅔ innings on Thursday against the Indians. In his first 19 appearances this season, he allowed nine total runs, and one home run. Stripling has also proven versatile, scoring the game-winning run twice as a pinch runner this season.

Dodgers vs. Reds starting pitchers, game times & TV schedule By Eric Stephen The Dodgers conclude their Ohio road trip with three games against the Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Here is a look at the pitching matchup for the weekend set. Friday, 4:10 p.m. PT (SportsNet LA) Alex Wood has nine walks and 12 total runs allowed in his last eight starts. He struck out seven and walked none in 5⅔ innings against these Reds last Saturday. Wood left with a 4-1 lead and two runners on base, but a three-run home run tied the score in a game the Dodgers would eventually win in the ninth inning. Tim Adleman in three starts against the National League West this year has allowed 13 runs on 15 hits in 10⅔ innings, with eight walks and eight strikeouts. Saturday, 1:10 p.m. (SportsNet LA) These Reds tagged Hyun-jin Ryu for three home runs in four innings last Sunday at Dodger Stadium, matching his total allowed over his previous seven appearances and 37⅔ innings. Asher Wojciechowski allowed four runs in five innings in a no-decision last Saturday at Dodger Stadium. Sunday, 10:10 a.m. (SportsNet LA) At the start of a stretch of 20 games in 20 days, manager Dave Roberts will utilize the series finale to give the rest of the rotation an extra day of rest. Kenta Maeda gets his first start since June 4, and looks to last into the fifth inning for the first time since May 25. The move also means Clayton Kershaw will start the Dodgers’ series opener on Monday against the Mets, the beginning of a nine-game homestand. Old friend Bronson Arroyo has a 7.01 ERA in 13 starts, the worst among 84 qualified pitchers in MLB. His 22 home runs allowed are three more than any other pitcher in baseball. Jair Jurrjens suspended 80 games for positive PED test By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers pitcher Jair Jurrjens will miss the rest of the season, suspended on Thursday for 80 games for testing positive for exogenous testosterone, a performance-enhancing drug. Jurrjens was signed to a minor league deal on March 29, and the 31-year-old had a 4.64 ERA in 11 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City, including 10 starts, with 44 strikeouts and 18 walks in 54 innings. He last pitched on June 7, allowing four runs in just two innings against Iowa. Jurrjens had a 3.25 ERA in his first eight starts for OKC, but over his last three outings allowed 14 runs on 19 hits in 10 innings, with as many walks (six) as strikeouts. Jurrjens last pitched in the major leagues in 2014.

There are 77 games remaining in Oklahoma City’s season, so Jurrjens is done for 2017, and his suspension will carry over three games into 2018, should he sign elsewhere. Dodgers catch a beating in finale with Indians By Eric Stephen In honor of the start of golf’s U.S. Open on Thursday, Rich Hill had a subpar performance in the finale of a three-game series against the Indians. Cleveland put a hurting on Hill and Ross Stripling in an 12-5 win over the Dodgers to stave off a sweep on getaway day at Progressive Field in Cleveland. Things got wonky very early for Hill, who allowed three singles and hit a batter before recording an out in the first inning. A walk and a single with two outs made it a three-run opening frame, giving Cleveland their first lead of the series. Hill allowed two more runs in the second inning, including a double by Jose Ramirez and a home run by Edwin Encarnacion. Down 5-0, the Dodgers got on the board with a solo home run by Cody Bellinger in the fourth inning, his fifth home run in the last four games. Bellinger’s 18 home runs are the most by a Dodger through 67 team games since Matt Kemp hit 20 in 2011, a feat even more impressive since Bellinger was not called up until the Dodgers’ 21st game in 2017. Doubles by Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig cut into the lead in the fifth, then a two-run home run by Chris Taylor brought the Dodgers within 5-4, stirring thoughts of more late runs in this series by Los Angeles. But that’s when everything fell apart for the Dodgers. Hill, who needed 62 pitches to get through those first two innings, fought his way into the fifth, which started with a walk and a single, ending his day. Stripling was brought in, and immediately allowed a three-run home run to pinch hitter Lonnie Chisenhall, giving Cleveland a four-run advantage. Two of those runs were charged to Hill, who allowed seven runs in four-plus innings on Thursday. Hill has been nothing like the pitcher he was in 2016 this season, and through eight starts — none of which have lasted beyond five innings — the left-hander sports a 5.14 ERA and a 5.30 FIP, with 23 walks in 35 innings. After getting the first two outs of the sixth inning, things went south for Stripling, who loaded the bases with two singles and a walk. Chisenhall continued his tormenting of Stripling with a two-run single, breaking the game open. Another RBI single by Roberto Perez ended Stripling’s day. Six of the Indians’ 12 runs were scored with two outs.

The 12 runs allowed by the Dodgers were one shy of their season high, which came on Apr. 21 in Arizona. Up next The Dodgers move 250 miles southwest in Ohio to face the Reds for a weekend series in Cincinnati, beginning Friday night. Alex Wood starts the series opener, facing off against Tim Adleman. Thursday particulars Home runs: Cody Bellinger (18), Chris Taylor (8); Edwin Encarnacion (13), Lonnie Chisenhall (8), Erik Gonzalez (1) WP - Josh Tomlin (4-8): 5 IP, 7 hits, 4 runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts LP - Rich Hill (3-3): 4+ IP, 8 hits, 7 runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts

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Dodgers’ six-game win streak snapped in 12–5 loss at Cleveland By Rowan Kavner It only took watching Cleveland’s first few at-bats to assume Thursday wouldn’t go the way most days have for a Dodger pitching staff that leads the Major Leagues in ERA and WHIP. Rich Hill allowed three straight singles to start the game and a season-high seven hits in his first two innings of a four-inning outing in a 12–5 loss to the Indians, who became the first team this month to post double-digit runs on the Dodgers. The loss marked the end of a six-game Dodger winning streak, which tied for the team’s longest this year, but the Dodgers still took the series in Cleveland as they now stay in Ohio to begin a three-game weekend series in Cincinnati. “To win two out of three here, against a good ball club, I think we have momentum,” said manager Dave Roberts. While walks and control problems had forced short outings for Hill in recent starts, hits against him typically haven’t been a problem. He allowed three hits or fewer in each of his last three starts entering Thursday. This time around, multiple Cleveland grounders found holes early, and two walks and two hit batters elongated innings. Hill said he didn’t think the issues were mechanical, and the Reds did a good job getting the bat on the ball. “At the end of the day, not helping the team and putting outings together like this, it’s not fun,” said Hill, who’s still looking to go six innings for the first time this year.

Still, despite the early hole, the Dodgers scored at least five runs in each of their last five games entering Thursday’s finale for a reason. They didn’t fold offensively after going down 5–0 in the second inning. The Dodgers began the fifth inning with two doubles, including an RBI double from Yasiel Puig — who’s 5-for-12 in his last three games — before Chris Taylor delivered a two-run home run to cut Cleveland’s lead to 5–4. Taylor finished the series 5-for-12 with a home run, a double, four RBI, four runs, three stolen bases and two walks. The Dodgers’ fifth-inning rally occurred after Cody Bellinger belted his sixth home run in his last five games and his 18th homer of the year. But the rally was short-lived. Hill settled in during the third and fourth innings, but with his pitch count already above 60 after the first two innings, his day was done after putting two on base to start the fifth. Roberts said there were “some grounders that had eyes,” but Hill needs to find a way to be more efficient and go deeper in games. “Even when his stuff is good, it seems like he’s working harder than he needs to,” Roberts said. On a peculiar weekend for the two best bullpens in their respective leagues, Ross Stripling then entered and allowed a three-run homer to the first batter he saw. Stripling had allowed just one home run in all of April and May before allowing a homer in each of his last two outings. The 12 runs the Dodgers allowed Thursday were the second most they’ve surrendered in a game this year and the most since allowing 13 runs April 21 in Arizona. Up Next: Alex Wood takes his 6–0 record into the start of the series Friday against the Reds and Tim Adleman. Dodgers hope Hill works quickly, efficiently on possibly rainy day By Rowan Kavner 06/15 Dodgers at Indians, 9:10 a.m.: Chris Taylor LF Corey Seager SS Justin Turner DH Cody Bellinger 1B Kiké Hernández 2B Austin Barnes C Logan Forsythe 3B Joc Pederson CF Yasiel Puig RF Rich Hill P

Manager Dave Roberts said when Rich Hill works quickly, that’s typically when the starting pitcher’s going well. The Dodgers may need Hill to work fast Thursday for more reasons than one. With the Dodgers looking for their seventh straight win and second straight sweep in a 9:10 a.m. PT start in Cleveland, rain isn’t far behind. Assuming the Dodgers and Indians are able to finish up their series on time, things are in the Dodgers’ favor for this series finale before heading to Cincinnati ahead of Friday’s game. The Dodgers are 14–6 in day games this year and 13–7 in the last game of a series as they look for their fifth three-game sweep of the year. It would mark the Dodgers’ first sweep on the road this year, but they do know something about doing that in Cleveland. The last Dodger visit to Cleveland occurred June 13–15, 2003, and that was a Dodger sweep. Hill is looking to build off his five-inning, two-hit, one-run performance in his last outing, a 7–2 win against the Reds. Hill has allowed two earned runs or fewer in all but one start this year, but uncharacteristic control has included him walking at least two batters in all but one start this year and going no more than five innings in any start this season. He’ll try to change that Thursday in his first ever start in Cleveland. Other Notes: · Justin Turner will serve as the designated hitter for a second straight game. · After further testing, Roberts said Julio Urías is just dealing with inflammation and no structural damage in his throwing shoulder. He’s shut down for the time being. · Roberts told reporters Adrián González’s second opinion was the same as the first, and it’s about managing the disk herniation in his back.

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Rich Hill Roughed Up as Indians Snap Dodgers Win Streak, 12-5 By Michael Duarte They couldn't come back from this one. Cody Bellinger and Chris Taylor both homered, but the Los Angeles Dodgers dropped the finale of the three-game series with the Cleveland Indians, 12-5, on a Thursday matinee at Progressive Field. Lonnie Chisenall knocked in five RBI as Cleveland snapped the Dodgers six-game winning streak.

Rich Hill had a rough start as the left-hander put the Dodgers behind the eight ball, surrendering three runs in the first inning and two in the second inning. Edwin Encarnacion homered off Hill in the bottom of the second, a mammoth shot to left field for his 13th long ball of the season. Trailing by five runs, the Dodgers clawed their way back thanks to rookie Cody Bellinger. Bellinger belted his team-leading 18th home run of the season when he hit a line-drive shot down the right field line that just cleared the fence under the foul pole. Bellinger's blast made him the second fastest all-time in MLB history to hit 18 homers, doing it in his first 47 games of his career. Gary Sanchez of the New York Yankees is the only player with more homers (19) in his first 47 career games. One inning later, it was Chris Taylor who continued to crush as he homered off Cleveland starter Josh Tomlin to cut the lead to 5-4. However, Chisenhall broke the game open with a three-run home run in the bottom half of the sixth and Cleveland cruised from there. Facing the Indians for the first time in his career, Hill (3-3) allowed seven runs on eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts in just four innings pitched. Tomlin (4-8) got the victory, surrendering four runs on seven hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in five innings. The 12 runs allowed were the second most by the Dodgers this season, and the most since they surrendered 13 runs against the Diamondbacks in Arizona in April. With the loss, the Dodgers move a ½ game behind the Colorado Rockies for first place in the N.L. West with the Rockies set to take on the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field later in the day. Up Next: Alex Wood starts on Friday night as the Dodgers travel a few hours south on the 71 to Cincinnati where they will meet RHP Tim Adelman and the Reds in a three-game weekend series. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10PM PST.