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Daily Clips
August 13, 2017
LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS
SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 2017 DODGERS.COM Kershaw talks healthy lifestyle at PLAY event - Ryan Posner A-Gon likely to return on road trip in Detroit – Joshua Thornton Dodgers send Maeda after series victory - Nathan Ruiz Dodgers shocked by Utley's unusual ejection - Joshua Thornton Bellinger 1 HR from Dodgers' rookie record - Joshua Thornton Dodgers fastest in NL to 82 wins in 73 years - AJ Cassavell and Josh Thornton LA TIMES Brian Holton, the forgotten Dodger of '88, struggles to live in the present - Bill Plaschke Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is set to return, but he won't be an everyday player - Bill Shaikin Dodgers get another comeback win over Padres during their march to the postseason - Bill Shaikin OC REGISTER Dodgers Notes: Adrian Gonzalez will have part-time role upon his return - Eric Stephens Corey Seager sparks comeback as Dodgers go on to 6-3 win - Eric Stephens ESPN Seager's hit rallies Dodgers over Padres 6-3 - Associated Press TRUE BLUE LA Dodgers offense powers up another comeback win - Ryan Walton Ogden’s Rylan Bannon has four hits in 15-6 win - Craig Minami DODGER INSIDER Patience, precision and Puig - Rowan Kavner NBC LA Corey Seager's Clutch Hit Leads L.A. Over San Diego, 6-3 - Michael Duarte
LOS ANGELES DODGERS
DAILY CLIPS
AUGUST 13, 2017
DODGERS.COM
Kershaw talks healthy lifestyle at PLAY event
By Ryan Posner
LOS ANGELES -- When delivering tips to a group of children about how to conduct a healthy lifestyle,
who better than Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw to help the message sink in?
On Saturday morning at Dodger Stadium, Kershaw surprised a group of nearly 70 kids who were
participating in the latest stop on the National PLAY (Promoting a Lifestyle of Activity for Youth)
Campaign.
"It's important that you're able to implement these tips for a healthy lifestyle at a young age so you have
them at your disposal for the rest of your life," Kershaw said while addressing the group before diving
into a question-and-answer session. "There are a lot of harmful substances out there, and it's crucial to
be able to distance yourself from that stuff."
Kershaw's presence brought ear-to-ear smiles to kids after they had already been taken through a circuit
that included agility drills on the field and batting practice in the Dodgers' underground cages.
Dodgers head athletic trainer Neil Rampe also led a discussion promoting an active lifestyle in the team's
bullpen in left field.
"It's important to get in good habits," Rampe said. "We want the kids to have a say in how they live a
healthy lifestyle, whether that's helping their parents out at the grocery store or just making more time
for physical activities."
Several of the PLAY campaign's partners, including the Taylor Hooton Foundation and the Henry Schein
Cares Foundation, were also present to help run circuits.
The PLAY campaign became the first professional sports program to include children with disabilities in
2014, and a group of children represented by the National Down Syndrome Society were in attendance
Saturday.
"It makes me feel really excited when you get to see these kids interact with their favorite players and
get to come onto the field," said Ruben Nieto, whose 12-year-old son, Adam, was one of the children
who attended with the NDSS.
Adam and a few other kids had the chance to take a picture with Kershaw before he departed. The
three-time National League Cy Young Award winner then wrapped Adam in a hug, leading the lifelong
Dodgers fan to break out into celebration.
"I've learned so much from [my son]," Nieto said. "He's changed my life forever. It's amazing to be able
to see how he views the world through his eyes."
The PLAY campaign was created in 2004 by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society. It has
hosted over 300 events, spanning all 30 Major League ballparks.
Dodgers assistant athletic trainers Nate Lucero and Thomas Albert and strength and conditioning coach
Brandon McDaniel helped lead agility drills and throw batting practice. Justin Matlage, representing the
Henry Schein Cares Foundation, led a discussion in the Dodgers' dugout on a daily guide to living
healthy.
The day began with a message on the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs from Taylor Hooton
Foundation president Donald Hooton Jr.
"It's important for them to hear our message because anyone can be tempted to use these drugs,"
Hooton Jr. said. "To be able to combine that message with coming out here and being on the field, it's
perfect."
A-Gon likely to return on road trip in Detroit
By Joshua Thornton
LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers' potent lineup will add another weapon in Adrian Gonzalez, who is set to
return to the club during the next road trip.
Gonzalez, who has been on the disabled list since June 12 with a herniated disk, will play through
Wednesday with Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga. He will "probably" join the Dodgers when they
travel to Detroit, manager Dave Roberts said on Saturday. Gonzalez, who is batting .255 with one homer
in 49 games, landed on the DL for the first time in his career at the start of the season with elbow
soreness.
With the way rookie Cody Bellinger has played this season, the Dodgers don't plan on Gonzalez
returning to his everyday role, Roberts said. But with Gonzalez's addition to the roster, there will be
more opportunities for the 22-year-old to get a few off-days, Roberts said.
"Obviously, he's going to need to play and stay sharp," Roberts said. "The way we run Chris Taylor out
there a lot and Cody out there a lot, there are some days where they can get a day and give Adrian
opportunities. We understand that going forward, we're better with Adrian on our ballclub, to what
extent we haven't made that decision yet."
Gonzalez, a career .297 hitter against right-handed pitchers, will get his fair share of at-bats against
righties Roberts said, but his role going forward is to be determined.
"I think that where he's at in his career and what your body allows you to do, all that he's accomplished
as an individual is incredible," Roberts said. "But the one thing he wants to do is win a championship."
Worth noting
• Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw will throw another bullpen session on Sunday as he continues to recover
from a lower back strain injury. Kershaw completed a bullpen session on Friday, throwing around 35
pitches.
• Besides being a little sore, right-hander Rich Hill is set to make his next start. Hill said he feels fine and
was able to go through a normal post-start workout on Saturday, after a fastball from Padres lefty
Clayton Richard clipped him on the neck on Friday night.
• Right-hander Chris Hatcher will be activated on Sunday. He has been out with shoulder inflammation
that landed him on the DL.
Dodgers send Maeda after series victory
By Nathan Ruiz
Kenta Maeda has seen plenty of the Dodgers-Padres rivalry in 2017, while Luis Perdomo will get his first
taste of it this season when the pitchers face off in Sunday's rubber match at Dodger Stadium. San Diego
has a chance to hand Los Angeles its first series loss since June 5-7 against the Nationals.
This will be Maeda's fourth start in the Dodgers' 12 games against San Diego this season. He went 0-2 in
the first three, allowing nine runs in 13 2/3 innings. Since the All-Star break, the right-hander has a 1.23
ERA.
The Dodgers torched Perdomo last year, scoring 23 runs in his 24 innings. The right-hander has lasted at
least six innings in four straight starts, matching his longest streak of the season.
"It'll be a real challenge here," Padres manager Andy Green said. "Not a real strikeout pitcher against a
team that puts the ball in play and hits the ball hard, handles sinkerballers fairly well, so he's got his
work cut out for him. I look forward to seeing him rise up to the challenge."
Things to know about this game
• Maeda's second-half success is largely the result of his effectiveness against right-handed batters. The
righty is holding righty swingers to a .107 batting average and .138 on-base percentage since the All-Star
break while striking out 41.4 percent of them. All three marks rank in the top three in baseball among
starters who have faced at least 25 right-handed batters in the second half.
• Perdomo faced the Dodgers six times last season, his rookie year, but only three of the outings were
starts. In those games, he posted a 4.76 ERA.
• After Sunday, the Dodgers won't host the Padres again until Sept. 25-27, their final home series of the
regular season. The teams open September with a four-game series at Petco Park, including a
doubleheader on Sept. 2.
Dodgers shocked by Utley's unusual ejection
By Joshua Thornton
LOS ANGELES -- With one out in the top of the ninth during the Dodgers' 6-3 win over the Padres on
Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, second-base umpire Ramon De Jesus ejected Chase Utley after the
veteran second baseman and De Jesus had a disagreement about the ump's positioning.
Utley said over his 15-year career, he's asked umpires to change positioning so he won't get blocked out
a play. The 38-year-old said he thought it was fair to ask De Jesus to fix his positioning.
"You live and you learn," Utley said. "I'll learn from it, I hope Ramon learns from it, too."
Utley said he didn't see "eye to eye" with De Jesus. Logan Forsythe would come into the game to replace
Utley, who said he was surprised to be thrown out.
Manager Dave Roberts was also "shocked" by the ump's decision, because of the situation and the
importance of Utley position.
"In my opinion, it was a big toss," Roberts said. "A guy like Chase, who is respected around the game, I
was shocked."
Other than a brief delay and some confusion, the ejection had no impact, as Dodgers closer Kenley
Jansen struck out the next two batters to end the game.
Bellinger 1 HR from Dodgers' rookie record
By Joshua Thornton
LOS ANGELES -- The accolades for Cody Bellinger's rookie season continue to grow.
On Saturday during the Dodgers' 6-3 win over the Padres, the 22-year-old homered for the 34th time,
bringing him within one of the club's rookie record, set by Hall of Famer Mike Piazza in 1993.
Not only is Bellinger on pace to cement himself in the franchise record books, he's doing it a faster pace
than Piazza, who needed 149 games to accomplish the feat.
Bellinger is tied with Mark McGwire for the most home runs in Major League history through 96 games.
Bellinger has also already tied Ryan Braun (2007) and Walt Dipo (1950) for the 12th most home runs by
a rookie.
"A lot of guys in our clubhouse are having really big years," manager Dave Roberts said, "and getting
some acclaim, and that's great."
Since the All-Star break, Bellinger is batting .307 with 17 runs, three doubles, one triple, nine home runs
and 21 RBIs to go along with a .993 OPS.
One club that has taken the brunt of Bellinger's season is the Padres, who have seen the rookie trot
around the bases four times this season. Bellinger is also slashing .419/.471/.806 in seven games vs. San
Diego. He continued that dominance on Saturday, going 3-for-3 with the homer and a stolen base.
Chris Taylor, who played with Bellinger at Triple-A Oklahoma City, has seen Bellinger's ride firsthand.
"It's been a lot of fun," Taylor said. "I had the opportunity to play with Cody in Triple-A, and I've seen
what's he can do. It doesn't surprise me at all."
Dodgers fastest in NL to 82 wins in 73 years
By AJ Cassavell and Josh Thornton
LOS ANGELES -- Not that there was ever much doubt -- but the Dodgers assured themselves of a winning
season with a 6-3 victory over the Padres on Saturday night. And they did so with more than a month
and a half left in the regular season.
Yasiel Puig's aggressive baserunning put L.A. on top, and Cody Bellinger added his 34th home run, as the
Dodgers became the fastest National League team to 82 victories since the 1944 Cardinals. (The last AL
team to reach the mark so quickly was the record-setting 2001 Seattle Mariners, who did so in 113
games. Los Angeles needed 116.)
"Every day we come in here and we're focused on getting a win that day," said outfielder Chris Taylor,
who added an insurance run with a homer in the eighth inning. "We're not worried about yesterday or
tomorrow or a three-game series."
The Dodgers, who lead the NL West by 17 games, are on pace for 115 wins, one off the Major League
record. The Padres (51-65) are well out of the postseason race, but they have a chance to hand Los
Angeles its first series defeat in over two months in Sunday's rubber match at Dodger Stadium.
Win No. 82 didn't come easy.
With the Dodgers trailing, 3-1, in the sixth, Corey Seager smacked a bases-loaded single to right. Two
runs scored easily, and Puig broke for home when Seager got hung up in a rundown. Puig slid safely
across the plate, as Wil Myers' throw sailed off-line.
"I saw Puig running out of the corner of my eye," Myers said. "I just pulled the throw a little bit. That was
it. ... I should have made a better throw."
Bellinger would tack on an insurance blast an inning later, moving him within one home run of the
franchise's rookie record, held by Hall of Famer Mike Piazza.
"It's just what we do," manager Dave Roberts said. "Just continue to get guys on base and continue to
get base hits."
Padres right-hander Jhoulys Chacin held the Dodgers in check over five innings, allowing one run on four
hits. Since a nine-run shellacking on Opening Day at Dodger Stadium, he's posted a 1.17 ERA in his last
three starts against the NL West leaders. But Los Angeles was quick to capitalize on his early exit
Saturday.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Wil power: The Padres scored a run apiece in the third, fourth and fifth innings, capped by Myers' shot
off Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu. It was Myers' team-leading 24th homer, and his third opposite-field
dinger this week -- more than he had in the season's first four months combined.
"I've had a couple months where it's been pretty tough," Myers said. "But I for sure feel something
clicking for me. I'm seeing pitches better."
Nine lives: As the potential go-ahead run with two outs in the sixth inning, Puig found himself in a 1-2
hole against Padres righty Craig Stammen. He battled his way into a nine-pitch walk and made it count
later in the frame when he scored the go-ahead run. It set up the Dodgers' 35th come-from-behind win.
They only have 34 losses.
QUOTABLE
"Corey Seager is Corey Seager. It wasn't a huge mistake [pitch], but he got enough of it to get the ball
into right field. It was one of those plays that spiraled on us after that." -- Padres manager Andy Green
"In my opinion, it was a big toss. A guy like Chase, who is respected around the game, I was shocked." --
Roberts, on Chase Utley being ejected with one out in the ninth after asking an umpire to adjust his
positioning so the second baseman could see the batter
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS
With his stolen base in the third inning, Bellinger became the fifth player since 1901 with at least 33
homers and eight steals in his rookie season. He joins a rather elite group that includes Frank Robinson,
Ron Kittle, Ryan Braun and Jose Canseco, all of whom won the Rookie of the Year Award.
FALTERING 'PEN
The Padres' bullpen has struggled -- perhaps predictably -- since the deal that sent Brandon Maurer and
Ryan Buchter to Kansas City last month. On Saturday night, Jose Torres put two men on base in the
sixth, before Stammen surrendered Seager's single. Then, Carter Capps and Phil Maton allowed homers
in the seventh and eighth, respectively.
"They're trying to find their footing," said Green. "They've got good stuff. In time, they're going to be
fine, but they're being thrust into different roles right now."
WHAT'S NEXT
Padres: Right-hander Luis Perdomo is coming off his best start of the second half, with six-plus innings of
two-run ball in Cincinnati. In his second big league season, he's no longer on an innings limit, and he'll
start Sunday's finale at 1:10 p.m. PT.
Dodgers: Kenta Maeda gets the ball for the Dodgers to close out their series against the Padres. The
righty had a tough outing the last time he saw the Padres, giving up eight runs on five hits.
LA TIMES
Brian Holton, the forgotten Dodger of '88, struggles to live in the present
By Bill Plaschke
As Brian Holton lay in a Wisconsin hospital preparing for knee-replacement surgery a few days ago, he
was comforted by a number on his medical chart.
It is a number that, while legendary among Dodgers fans, has held an even greater importance to the
team’s former relief pitcher. It has defined both the best six months of his life and the disillusioning 29-
year journey to relive it.
It has chased him through homelessness, jail and substance abuse. Yet, for all the pain it has caused, it
still fills Holton with blinding hope.
“On my chart, for whatever reason, there was the number 88,” said Holton. “I saw that and said, ‘Doc,
this surgery is going to turn out just fine.’ ”
You remember Kirk Gibson’s home run. But do you remember Brian Holton holding the Oakland
Athletics hitless for two innings to help set up Gibson’s blast?
“He was a guy who nobody had really counted on, yet a guy who helped deliver a world championship,”
said Fred Claire, the Dodgers general manager at the time.
You remember Mike Scioscia’s home run. But do you remember Holton pitching out of a runner-on-
third-none-out jam against those New York Mets to set up Scioscia’s drive?
“He had big outs in big moments in close games, a vital part of our team,” Orel Hershiser said.
For the last Dodgers World Series title, in 1988, Holton was their suffocating middle reliever, their
Andrew Miller, the best WAR in the bullpen, the best year of his life. In 45 appearances, he was 7-3 with
a 1.70 ERA, ending the season with a 17 2/3-inning scoreless streak.
I was kind of overshadowed. They always talk about the stars from that season, and rightfully so, but I’m
like, ‘Hey, I also had a pretty good year.'
— Brian Holton
But he pitched during a time when middle relievers were anonymous. He was lost in the glory of Gibby
and Bulldog and even closer Jay Howell, even though Holton earned the save against the Mets in Game
5 of the National League Championship Series while Howell was serving a suspension for pine tar.
“I was kind of overshadowed,” said Holton, 57. “They always talk about the stars from that season, and
rightfully so, but I’m like, ‘Hey, I also had a pretty good year.’ ”
Today, he would have been one of those stars. But in 1988, he was little more than an oddity, a charmed
Dodgers lifer who, at 28, finally struck gold in his 11th year in the organization.
Then when it was over, it was over. Barely a month after the championship parade, Holton was traded
to the Baltimore Orioles with Juan Bell and Ken Howell for Eddie Murray.
“When I was told about the trade, I cursed and slammed down the phone because I thought it was a
joke,” Holton said. “It hurt. We had just won a World Series, and I wanted to get my ring at Dodger
Stadium, but instead I got it in the mail from Federal Express.”
It was a blow from which he never emotionally recovered. In two years with the Orioles he was 7-10
with a 4.18 ERA and never pitched in the big leagues again. He returned to the Dodgers for two minor
league seasons, but was never recalled and retired at 32 with a great sense of loss.
“I knew I would miss the game,” he said. “I didn’t realize how much I would miss the game.”
He missed it so much he got lost in a dizzying array of personal afflictions and setbacks, and eventually
fell off the grid. The Dodgers couldn’t find him. When tracking down the 1988 team for anniversary
columns a couple of years ago, I found every former player but him. When he was found, Claire was so
surprised that he taped a message to play for Holton during our interview.
“Hey Brian, Fred Claire … the Dodgers, will never forget, ever, what you meant to the last world
championship. You were huge, you were absolutely huge. I know what you did, and how many times
you did it, in a role that got so overlooked.”
Holton heard the message in that hospital bed in Wisconsin and his voice thickened.
“Holy cow, that was really Fred Claire, that gave me the goose bumps,” he said. “Best year of my life.”
Holton decided to finally talk about his life because, with this year’s Dodgers seemingly on an
unstoppable journey toward their first World Series championship since 1988, he wanted to give his
potential successors some advice.
“I want tell them to slow it down, step back, try to enjoy every moment,” he said. “Because it goes by so
damn quick.”
One minute Holton was running out of the Dodgers bullpen and past left fielder Gibson, who greeted
each of his home appearances with the same warning.
“Gibby would shout to me, ‘Don’t screw this up,’ ” he said. “With that kind of intimidation, how could I
screw it up?”
The next minute he was dancing in Oakland, parading through downtown Los Angeles, appearing on the
“Gong Show.”
“I remember thinking, ‘So this is what it’s like to win a World Series,’ ” he said. “Today I’m like, ‘Holy
cow, I was actually there.’ ”
And then he wasn’t.
“I kept chasing that feeling from 1988, but I just never got it back,” he said. “I was living my dream, then
it came down to the other part of my life, the reality part, and it wasn’t real good.”
He saved his Dodgers uniform, never even washed it, keeps it in a plastic laundry bag with his stained
cap, pulls it out sometimes, says it still smells like musty champagne. But after becoming addicted to
alcohol and pain medication, he lost everything else.
He pawned his World Series ring to stay out of bankruptcy. His marriage ended in divorce. He spent time
in a Wisconsin jail when he didn’t make child-support payments for his two daughters. He entered a
substance-abuse program. He lived in a homeless shelter.
He says he tried to make life work. He unloaded trucks. He worked in a mailroom. He ran a country
store. He managed a discount variety store. He sold mulch. None of it could compare to working at
Chavez Ravine.
“It still seems like yesterday when I was coming into the game, I can still almost smell the pine tar in my
glove,” he said, pausing, laughing. “Yeah, I used pine tar. What can they do to me now?”
He spent a lot of his time in a drug and alcohol haze, battling demons that still confront him today.
“I was depressed, drinking a lot, taking pain pills, didn’t care about anything, my life turned into crap,”
he said. “I kept thinking, there has to be more to life than this. A lot of times I went to sleep thinking, if I
don’t wake up, c’est la vie.’’
He now lives in suburban Milwaukee in the home of longtime friend Kathlene Wells, who is helping him
recover from two knee replacements in recent months. He has no job. He is living off savings and a
major league pension. He believes his life is turning around. He knows it is a daily struggle.
”He wants to be back in the past, when he was a great baseball star, but that’s back there, that’s not
here now,” Wells said. “He hit the big time, then he had it taken away. I just hope he’s on the way back.”
He is planning on it. He has a souvenir Dodgers cap that he wears when he watches their games. He
plans on watching all of their postseason games, cheering like a kid, cheering not just for today, but for
their tomorrows.
“Just like them, probably, I couldn’t imagine in my wildest dreams I would have a season like I had,” he
said. ‘’Slow it down. Keep it. It’s magic. And then it’s gone.”
Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is set to return, but he won't be an everyday player
By Bill Shaikin
Adrian Gonzalez was 23 when the San Diego Padres made him their everyday first baseman. That was in
2006, and he never missed more than six games in a season from that season until this one.
He is 35 now. This season included his first career trip to the disabled list, and then his second. He is
about to return, but the Dodgers will not use him as an everyday player.
“Where he’s at in his career, he understands that,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday.
Gonzalez has spent the past nine weeks on the disabled list, primarily to strengthen the muscles
surrounding the herniated disk in his back. Roberts said Gonzalez is expected to complete a minor
league rehabilitation assignment Wednesday, fly with the Dodgers to Detroit on Thursday, and be
activated at some point on the seven-game trip.
Roberts said Gonzalez would be “playing his share against right-handed pitching.” In that scenario,
Gonzalez could play first base, moving Cody Bellinger to left field and Chris Taylor to second base.
Roberts said Taylor could play center field to give Joc Pederson a day off. Roberts also said Taylor
(previously a utility player) and Bellinger (a rookie) could benefit from time off during these dog days of
the season.
Gonzalez, a five-time All-Star, is batting .255 with one home run. He is batting .237 off left-handers, with
one extra-base hit — a double — in 38 at-bats. Roberts said he has discussed the reduced role with
Gonzalez.
“All that he’s accomplished as an individual is incredible,” Roberts said, “but the one thing he wants to
do is win a championship. … Any competitor wants to be in there every day. I would expect that from
him as well. But the unselfishness that he has as a person and a player will allow me to make the
decision that’s best for our ballclub.”
Hill checks out fine
Rich Hill said he was sore but otherwise fine Saturday, one day after being hit in the neck with a pitch
while batting. He remained in Friday’s game after athletic trainers confirmed that he still could breathe
and speak comfortably, and precautionary postgame testing at a hospital did not reveal any injury.
“It’s obviously scary when a ball comes up in that area,” Hill said. “I’m just thankful that everything was
fine.”
Hill completed his usual workout Saturday and said he expected to take his next turn in the Dodgers’
rotation. He said he had no trepidation about watching the replay a couple times.
“Guys get hit all the time,” he said. “The way I look at it is, I’ve hit guys. Getting in the box, you have to
understand that there is an amount of risk that you take.”
Hatcher back
Roberts said the Dodgers would activate reliever Chris Hatcher on Sunday. The Dodgers have six right-
handed relievers — Kenley Jansen, Pedro Baez, Brandon Morrow, Josh Fields, Ross Stripling and Brock
Stewart — who have pitched at least 20 innings and performed significantly better than the league
average. The Dodgers ran out of room for Stewart and sent him back to the minor leagues on Friday.
So why activate Hatcher, who has a 4.66 earned-run average this season and has not pitched better than
league average since 2015?
“Chris has been there from the beginning,” Roberts said. “He’s a part of what we’re doing. As he is
healthy, we believe that you’ve got to give him an opportunity. For us, it’s day to day. We’ve got to
assess each day and see where it takes us.”
Song of you
Justin Turner said he was delighted to turn on his phone after Friday’s game and get a blizzard of
messages informing him that Ed Sheeran had worn Turner’s jersey while playing “Shape of You” at
Staples Center.
After using “Turn Down for What” as his walk-up song last season, Turner picked “Shape of You” this
season.
“I listen to new stuff and find one that catches your attention,” Turner said. “I’ve always liked Ed
Sheeran and his music. It’s a different genre than I’ve used the last couple years.”
And, Turner said, he liked one more thing about Sheeran.
“He’s a ginger,” Turner said, smiling.
Dodgers get another comeback win over Padres during their march to the postseason
By Bill Shaikin
The sellout crowd packed Dodger Stadium on Saturday, ready to enjoy a warm evening of little
consequence. The countdown to the postseason is on, and the results of August are becoming analyzed
in the context of what they mean for October.
The Washington Nationals might be the most formidable team standing between the Dodgers and their
first World Series since 1988. But the crowd at Nationals Park on Saturday went silent as Bryce Harper
slipped on first base, collapsed to the ground, and grabbed his left knee in pain. The Nationals await an
MRI examination Sunday that should reveal the severity of the injury to perhaps the best player in the
National League.
The Chicago Cubs could stand in the Dodgers’ way too. The Cubs have played sluggishly all summer, but
the defending World Series champions finally surged into first place July 26. Yet, barely more than two
weeks later, the Cubs no longer are the sole occupants of first place in the NL Central.
They now are tied with the St. Louis Cardinals, the winners of eight straight games and the proprietors
of the Dodgers’ greatest October nightmares. The Cardinals eliminated the Dodgers from the playoffs in
2013 and 2014, remembered in part for the home runs Matt Adams and Matt Carpenter hit against
Clayton Kershaw, and for Joe Kelly neutralizing Hanley Ramirez by breaking his rib with a fastball.
At Dodger Stadium, the opponents were the San Diego Padres, who are playing for October … of 2019.
The pesky Padres were trying to become the first team to win a series from the Dodgers since the
powerful Nationals, way back in the first week of June.
Not so fast, Padres. Maybe Sunday.
On Saturday, the Padres had a two-run lead after five innings. The Dodgers scored five runs in the next
three innings, and that made for a 6-3 victory. The Dodgers had come from behind to win for the 35th
time this season. And, in an impressive footnote to this remarkable season, the Dodgers clinched a
winning record with 46 games to play.
“We’re just focused on winning one game at a time,” Chris Taylor said. “It sounds like a cliché, but it’s
true.”
In the seventh, Cody Bellinger hit his 34th home run, one shy of Mike Piazza’s Dodgers rookie record.
Bellinger ranks third in the majors in homers, behind Giancarlo Stanton of Miami (41) and Aaron Judge
of the New York Yankees (35).
In the eighth, Taylor added a home run, his 17th of the season.
Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth for his third save in four days and 31st of the season.
The Padres took a 3-1 lead into the sixth, but the Dodgers scored three runs in the inning to take the
lead for good. The Dodgers loaded the bases with none out, on a walk to Yasmani Grandal, a double by
Chase Utley and a nine-pitch walk by Yasiel Puig.
“That was huge,” Corey Seager said. “That was a really mature at-bat.”
Seager had one of his own, a full-count single laced into right field. Grandal and Utley scored, tying the
game. The Padres trapped Seager in a rundown between first base and second, then threw home trying
to prevent Puig from scoring. The throw was bad, Puig was safe, and the Dodgers had a 4-3 lead.
The Dodgers went on to win, but not before a bizarre incident in the ninth inning. Utley asked second
base umpire Ramon De Jesus to move out of his way, the kind of request commonly granted when a
middle infielder says his view is blocked. Roberts said he was “shocked” that Utley’s request was denied
and Utley was then ejected, after an apparent cross word that neither Utley nor Roberts would specify.
“Chase might have voiced his thoughts,” Roberts said.
Utley said “most umpires oblige” his requests to move but De Jesus had declined over the course of the
game. Utley said he believed he had “a pretty good rapport” with most umpires but “clearly not with
Ramon.”
Said Utley: “You live and you learn. I’ll learn from it. I hope Ramon learns from it too.”
As the Dodgers prepare for October, one of the story lines will be how the team sets up its pitching for
the postseason. If Kershaw returns as expected, the Dodgers figure to use him, Yu Darvish, Rich Hill and
Alex Wood in the playoff rotation. But Hyun-Jin Ryu and Kenta Maeda still could earn a spot, and both
have pitched well lately.
Ryu entered Saturday’s game with a streak of 15 scoreless innings in a row, and a ERA of 0.95 since the
All-Star break. But he needed needed 108 pitches to last five innings against San Diego.
He extended his streak of consecutive scoreless innings to 17, but the Padres scored one run in each of
the next three innings. Ryu gave up seven hits, including a home run to Wil Myers, and three walks in
five innings.
OC REGISTER
Dodgers Notes: Adrian Gonzalez will have part-time role upon his return
By Eric Stephens
LOS ANGELES – A bad back has kept the amount of entries Adrian Gonzalez has written into this
storybook Dodgers season. And now that he’s due to return soon, just how often will the veteran
slugger be allowed to pen?
The Dodgers have not had to pine for Gonzalez’s return as the emergence of rookie star and would-be
most valuable player candidate Cody Bellinger has effectively reduced Gonzalez to part-time status,
which is exactly what the 35-year-old will be when he comes back.
Gonzalez went hitless in his first four at-bats while playing in his sixth rehabilitation game for the
Dodgers’ Class-A affiliate in Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday but remains on a path to meet up with the
Dodgers on a trip that begins in Detroit on Friday and continues on to Pittsburgh, Manager Dave Roberts
said before Saturday’s game against San Diego.
Bellinger, with his 33 home runs and 78 RBI entering Saturday, is obviously entrenched as the regular
first baseman. And while Bellinger can play the outfield, hot-hitting Chris Taylor has also pinned down a
spot in left with his emergence as an impact bat at the top of the order.
The presence of those two limits the opportunities for Gonzalez, who has been on the mend from a
herniated disk in his back that has limited him to one homer in his 182 plate appearances. But Roberts is
intent on finding him a role.
“Obviously he’s going to need to play and stay sharp and get back into the flow of things,” Roberts said.
“The way that we’ve run Chris Taylor out there a lot and Cody out there a lot, there are some days
where they can get a day and give Adrian opportunities. And we understand that.
“Going forward, we’re better with Adrian on our ballclub.”
How he fits into the daily Dodger equation is something that Roberts and Gonzalez have already
discussed. His presence does allow for Roberts to further move his lineup around as he sees fit and have
at his disposal a proven – and potentially potent – bat off the bench.
Roberts wouldn’t commit to how many days he sees Gonzalez playing each week but allowed for the
likelihood that he’ll see action against right-handed starters. Gonzalez could play first on days when
Taylor can move to center to give Joc Pederson a day off and Bellinger can switch to left.
Gonzalez could also see some time upon activation as their designated hitter next weekend in Detroit,
but those will be the Dodgers’ final three interleague games. Roberts said he expects Gonzalez to
compete for more playing time but added his unselfishness won’t cause a stir in the clubhouse.
“Where he’s at in his career, he understands that and what your body allows you to do,” Roberts said.
“All that he’s accomplished as an individual is incredible. But the one thing he wants to do is win a
championship. To be in the clubhouse and to see what we have and what he’s a part of, seeing the guys
be productive, I know that he’s only here to help the situation.”
HILL BOUNCES BACK
A day after getting in the throat by a fastball from San Diego left-hander Clayton Richard, Rich Hill knows
how fortunate he was Friday night.
“Obviously just scary when the ball comes up in that area,” Hill said. “I’m just thankful that everything
was fine. An inch one way or the other would have been a lot worse.”
Hill had put himself in position to bunt during his at-bat in the fourth inning when Richard’s pitch sailed
toward his head and left him unable to duck away from. After getting checked on, the Dodgers left-
hander stayed in the game to run the bases and pitched two more scoreless innings.
Roberts said multiple tests done on Hill at a hospital came back normal and Hill said he plans to make his
next start, which should be Friday against the Tigers.
“It’s sore today but no breathing issues,” said Hill, who is 8-4 with a 3.44 earned-run average. “That’s the
biggest thing. There isn’t anything really major going on.”
Hill said he has seen replays and understands that it comes with the territory of standing in the batter’s
box.
“It’s just the way it is,” he said. “It’s part of it. Guys get hit all the time.”
ALSO
The Dodgers will fortify their already-solid bullpen by adding Chris Hatcher as Roberts said the right-
hander will be activated on Sunday.
Hatcher hasn’t pitched for them since June 22 because of thoracic inflammation but has been
proclaimed healthy after making three scoreless appearances for Triple-A Oklahoma City. “We believe
that we got to give him an opportunity,” Roberts said, adding that no decision has been made on a
corresponding roster move. ….
Clayton Kershaw is scheduled to have another bullpen session Sunday after throwing approximately 35
pitches Friday, the first time he has done so from a mound since going on the 10-day disabled list with a
lower back strain July 24.
If there is no setback, Kershaw could begin a minor-league rehab assignment early next week. … Andre
Ethier went 0 for 3 as a designated hitter in his first rehab game for Rancho Cucamonga. Ethier is seeing
his first action this season after incurring a herniated disk in spring training.
Corey Seager sparks comeback as Dodgers go on to 6-3 win
By Eric Stephens
LOS ANGELES – Remarkable consistency has defined the Dodgers’ unrelenting run since their so-so first
six weeks of 2017 and Corey Seager continues to be their unassuming heartbeat.
Seager made sure their script didn’t change Saturday night. The Dodgers haven’t gone without wins in
consecutive games since falling twice to Atlanta at home last month and the smooth shortstop made
that stay true, pulling his team out of a sixth-inning hole.
And with home runs mixed in by Cody Bellinger and Chris Taylor, the team with baseball’s best record
went on to a 6-3 win over the San Diego Padres before an announced sellout crowd of 53,230 at Dodger
Stadium.
Bellinger and Taylor hit their solo shots in the seventh and eighth respectively after the Dodgers (82-34)
scored three times on San Diego’s bullpen. Bellinger hit his team-leading 34th on a three-hit night while
Taylor, who hit his 17th, reached base four times in also walking twice and adding a third-inning single.
The emergence of the two have grabbed a fair share of the many positive headlines the Dodgers have
created. All the second-year Seager continues to do is bat over .300 with power while tossing in clutch
hits along the way.
“His value defensively, offensively, in the clubhouse, his consistency doesn’t get overlooked by us,”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But obviously a lot of guys in our clubhouse are having really big
years and getting some acclaim and that’s great.
“But I think that in Corey’s opinion, he wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The win wasn’t completed without an event-filled ninth inning. Kenley Jansen allowed singles to Hector
Sanchez and Manuel Margot to open it but got Carlose Asauje to pop out and struck out Jose Pirela and
Hunter Renfroe for his 31st save.
If only that was the crazy part. It wasn’t as Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley was ejected by second
base umpire Ramon De Jesus after Utley balked when De Jesus refused to move his positioning in the
infield.
Utley said he had asked De Jesus to move on a few occasions during the game to get a better line of
sight when contact is made and expressed surprise that he would be tossed, particularly with one out in
the ninth and the tying run at the plate.
“Over the course of my career, it’s happened to me a few times where I get blocked out by the umpire
and it turns out to be a tough play,” Utley said. “I wanted to try to avoid that. Most umpires oblige.
“I feel like I have a pretty good rapport with a number of guys throughout the league, throughout the
years. Clearly not with him. I don’t know.”
Utley wouldn’t say if he uttered a bad word to De Jesus, only acknowledging that “we didn’t really see
eye-to-eye after that.
“But you live and you learn,” Utley continued. “I’ll learn from it and I hope Ramon learns from it too.”
Meanwhile, the Dodgers put the brakes on potential back-to-back losses with their rally Saturday.
They’ve won 16 of 19 and have not lost a series since dropping two of three at home to Washington in
early June. That streak can be kept alive with a win Sunday but it’s not within their thought process.
“We just focus on winning one game at a time,” Taylor said. “It sounds cliché but it’s true. Every day we
come in here focused on getting a ‘W’ that day. We’re not worried about yesterday or tomorrow, a
three-game series or anything like that. We’re just trying to win today.”
The Dodgers were coming up empty for a second straight night with runners in scoring position. Five
runners were stranded and seven were left on base in all over the first five innings Saturday, this coming
after only three of 14 they put in position reached the plate in Friday’s loss.
Joc Pederson couldn’t bring any of the three he stranded with a first-pitch groundout after San Diego
starter Jhoulys Chacin walked the bases loaded. But that went away in the sixth when Seager sent a full-
count fastball from Padres reliever Craig Stammen into right field.
Walks to Yasmani Grandal and Chase Utley were cashed in as they scored to tie the game. And as Seager
got caught in a rundown between first and second, Yasiel Puig raced home and broke the 3-3 tie with a
head-first slide.
“We left a lot of guys last night and to finally get some across, it was nice to score some runs basically,”
Seager said.
Puig continued to show his own growth. The tempestuous outfielder, who has played Gold Glove-caliber
defense in right, coolly worked a walk from Stammen after being miffed with plate umpire Dana
DeMuth earlier in the at-bat following a strike call on a pitch that Padres catcher Austin Hedges
dropped.
“That was huge,” Seager said. “That was a really mature at-bat for him. He didn’t give up, didn’t give in.
He got a bad call on him in the first few pitches, stayed in the at-bat, grinded it out and drew the walk.
That’s huge.”
The sixth-inning outburst got Dodgers starter Hyun-Jim Ryu off the hook for a loss. Ryu threw 15 first-
pitch strikes but still managed to find himself in several full counts in throwing 108 pitches over five
innings. His 15-inning scoreless streak coming into this start was not going to last long on this night.
Two-out hits also kept him from cleaner innings. Jose Pirela and Hunter Renfroe hit back-to-back
doubles in the third to forge a 1-1 tie and Wil Myers made it a 3-1 Padres lead with a solo home run in
the fifth, his 24th. Chacin also had a one-out single in the fourth that scored Yangervis Solarte.
All in all, Ryu’s outing was a far cry from his dominating seven-inning, one-hit scoreless effort against
New York his last time out but nothing that will put him behind Kenta Maeda in their battle for the
Dodgers’ No. 5 starter job and the chance to be in the postseason pitching mix.
“I thought Hyun-Jim was good,” Roberts said. “The stuff was good. Just the pitch count was up there and
so at that point you get a good five innings. … That hit from Chacin was a tough one. [Cory]
Spangenberg, it was a pitch up in the zone and he slapped it the other way. But I thought the stuff was
really good.”
ESPN
Seager's hit rallies Dodgers over Padres 6-3
By Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers have become so accustomed to winning this season, they are almost
stunned when they do not rally to pull out a game.
But after losing the series opener to the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers were not about to go quietly
Saturday after falling behind 3-1 in the sixth.
This time it was Corey Seager coming up with the big hit, his bases-loaded single leading to three runs in
the Dodgers' 6-3 victory.
"It's just what we do," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "Just continually to get guys on base and get
that big hit."
With their 27th win in 32 games, the Dodgers improved the best record in the major leagues to 82-34,
on pace for 115 wins. Los Angeles is 17-3 on Saturdays.
Trailing 3-1 in the sixth, the Dodgers loaded the bases when Chase Utley doubled between walks to
Yamani Grandal and Yasiel Puig from Craig Stammen (0-2). Seager followed with a tying single to right as
Puig took third, and when Seager overran first and got caught in a rundown, Puig broke for home and
with a headfirst slide beat the throw from first baseman Wil Myers.
"It was the right play," Myers said. "I saw Puig out of the corner of my eye but I pulled the throw a little.
I rushed it."
Cody Bellinger homered in the seventh off Carter Capps and with 34 home runs is one shy of Mike
Piazza's team rookie record. Chris Taylor went deep against Phil Maton in the eighth.
Tony Watson (6-4) pitched a perfect sixth inning for his first win since the Dodgers acquired from from
Pittsburgh at the July 31 trade deadline. Kenley Jansen allowed a pair of singles starting the ninth, then
retired three in a row, including the last two on strikeouts, for his 31st save in 32 chances.
The Padres built their lead on Hunter Renfroe's RBI double in the third, right-hander Jhoulys Chacin's
run-scoring single in the fourth and Myers' homer in the fifth.
"I was lucky," Chacin said. "I just didn't want to strike out."
LASORDA FRACTURE
Ex-Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda broke his right wrist after a fall.
Lasorda, who turns 90 next month, showed up to Dodger Stadium on Friday wearing a blue cast.
Lasorda spent time in the hospital in May to have his pacemaker replaced. He has a history of heart
problems.
He guided the Dodgers to two World Series titles and currently serves as a special advisor to the
chairman.
UTLEY EJECTED
In an odd and confusing occurrence, Utley was ejected in the ninth by second base umpire Ramon De
Jesus. Initially, no one but Utley and the umpire knew what was happening.
"I had no idea," said Taylor. "At first I thought they'd call a balk."
Utley said he asked De Jesus to reposition himself and he refused.
"Over the course of my career, it's happened a few times where I get blocked out by the umpire and it
turns out to be a tough play," Utley said. "I wanted to try and avoid that. Most umpires oblige."
When De Jesus would not move, things apparently became a tad more heated.
"We really didn't see eye to eye after that," Utley said.
SERIES WINNERS
The Padres get a second chance to try and become the first team to win a series from the Dodgers in
over two months. The Dodgers haven't lost a series since June 5-7 to the Nationals, going 15-0-3.
"You always want to win the series, but I don't think we're thinking about a streak," Taylor said.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: Manager Andy Green said C Hector Sanchez (concussion), who has not played since pinch hitting
Sunday, is available. ... RHP Miguel Diaz (right forearm strain) is scheduled to throw a 40-pitch bullpen
session next week and expected to be activated later this month.
Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw (lower back soreness) is scheduled to throw a second bullpen session Sunday.
... LHP Rich Hill said he was fine after getting hit in the throat by Clayton Richard's fastball attempting to
bunt Friday. ... RHP Chris Hatcher (chest inflammation) is to be activated Sunday. ... 1B Adrian Gonzalez
(herniated disk) is expected to be activated on the next trip.
UP NEXT
Padres: RHP Luis Perdomo (6-6, 4.81 ERA) is scheduled to make his first start against the Dodgers on
Sunday. He is 1/3 with an 8.63 ERA against the Dodgers in three starts and three relief appearances. He
has induced 22 ground-ball double plays this season, tied with Texas' Martin Perez for third most in
baseball.
Dodgers: RHP Kenta Maeda (10-4, 3.69) is 6-1 with a 2.11 ERA in his last eight starts, but only 2/3 with a
4.29 ERA in seven starts against San Diego.
TRUE BLUE LA
Dodgers offense powers up another comeback win
By Ryan Walton
As many times as the Dodgers had chances to score on Saturday night, it was only a matter of time
before they broke through. The time came in the bottom of the sixth with a 3-1 deficit and Corey Seager
at the plate with the bases loaded.
Seager punched a single to right field that would eventually score three for the Dodgers, giving them a
lead they wouldn’t surrender. The bullpen would put the clamps on the Padres as the Dodgers came
away with 6-3 victory.
With two runs already heading home, the throw from the outfield went to second where Seager was
headed. Yasiel Puig alertly took off for home with Seager in a rundown and beat the throw, scoring the
go-ahead run.
The Dodgers now have 82 wins on the season and a 17.0-game lead in the NL West.
The offense was spinning it’s wheels for five innings against Padres starter Jhoulys Chacin, scoring only
one run on a Justin Turner sac-fly in the first. Chacin entered the game with a league-high 7.36 ERA on
the road and the Dodgers had their chances.
Los Angeles couldn’t score in the fifth when Chacin loaded the bases with three walks. The Dodgers
would end the night just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Cody Bellinger and Chris Taylor would tack on solo homers in the seventh and eighth to pad the lead.
Bellinger now stands one home run shy of the Dodgers rookie record, set by Mike Piazza in 1993.
Hyun-jin Ryu had his own tightrope to walk in his five innings of work, surrendering three runs on seven
hits and two walks. The Padres would put a run on the board in each of the third through the fifth
innings, including a solo blast from Wil Myers.
The run in the third inning snapped a 17-inning scoreless streak for Ryu dating back to July 24.
Up next
The Dodgers and Padres will play the rubber game of the series, sending Kenta Maeda (10-4, 3.69) to the
mound against Luis Perdomo (6-6, 4.81).
Saturday particulars
Home runs: Wil Myers (24), Cody Bellinger (34), Chris Taylor (17)
WP - Tony Watson (6-4): 1 IP, 1 strikeout
LP - Craig Stammen (0-2): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 run, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
SV - Kenley Jansen (31): 1 IP, 2 hits, 2 strikeouts
Ogden’s Rylan Bannon has four hits in 15-6 win
By Craig Minami
Close losses for Tulsa and Rancho Cucamonga while Great Lakes tosses a shutout. Oklahoma City’s game
was postponed. The AZL Dodgers game was suspended due to rain and the other Rookie League teams
won.
Player of the day
Rylan Bannon was drafted in the 8th round of the 2017 draft. The third baseman is hitting
.403/.448/.629 at Ogden with four home runs.
Triple-A Oklahoma City
The Dodgers and Round Rock Express (Rangers) game was postponed due to wet conditions, they are
scheduled to play a doubleheader today.
Double-A Tulsa
The Drillers were no-hit for 7⅓ innings and lost 3-1 to the San Antonio Missions (Padres) on Saturday.
Enyel De Los Santos finished with eight innings pitched, giving up a run, one hit and two walks to the
Drillers. He also struck out seven.
Yadier Alvarez started and pitched five innings and gave up three runs and two hits. Alvarez walked six
and struck out three. Since his arrival at Tulsa, Alvarez has started four games and pitched 17⅔ innings.
He’s given up 17 hits and 18 walks.
Class-A Rancho Cucamonga
The Quakes had two Los Angeles Dodgers in their lineup but it wasn’t enough as the Inland Empire 66ers
(Angels) had a 3-2 walkoff win on Saturday night.
With two out and two on in the ninth inning, Michael Barash singled home Jack Kruger to win the game.
Andrew Istler took the loss for the Quakes.
Adrien Gonzalez started at first base for the Quakes and went 0-for-4. Andre Ethier started at
designated hitter and was 0-for-3 with one strikeout. Gonzalez had played five games with the
Oklahoma City Dodgers before playing last night with the Quakes.
This was Andre Ethier’s first rehab game this season.
DJ Peters and Omar Estevez each had two hits in the loss.
Class-A Great Lakes
The Loons shut out the West Michigan Whitecaps (Tigers) 3-0 behind the excellent pitching from Chris
Mathewson. Mathewson pitched seven innings, gave up four hits and four walks while striking out nine.
Cristian Santana, Starling Heredia and Jared Walker each had two hits in the win.
Jeren Kendall was 1-for-4 with a walk.
Rookie Pioneer - Ogden
The Raptors had 19 hits in their 15-6 win over Billings Mustangs (Reds). Rylan Bannon had four hits
including his fourth home run.
Romar Cuadrado had three hits, Mitchell Hansen, Tyler Adkison, Garrett Hope and Gersel Pitre each had
two hits.
Ogden finished second to Orem in the first half, Orem is leading in the second half so the race right now
is for second place. Ogden and Grand Junction are tied for second and for now, the race for the second
playoff spot is between those two teams.
Rookie - AZL Dodgers
The AZL Dodgers and AZL Indians had their 4-4 game suspended after seven innings. Jefrey Souffront hit
two home runs and Jair Camargo hit two doubles.
Transactions
Triple-A: Oklahoma City placed right-handed pitcher Steve Geltz on the 7-day disabled list.
Class-A: Los Angeles sent first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and outfielder Andre Ethier on a rehab
assignment to Rancho Cucamonga.
Rookie: Shortstop Erisbel Arruebarrena assigned to AZL Dodgers from Tulsa.
Saturday’s scores
San Antonio 3, Tulsa 1
Inland Empire 3, Rancho Cucamonga 2
Great Lakes 3, West Michigan 0
Ogden 15, Billings 6
AZL Dodgers 4, AZL Indians 4 (suspended after 7)
DSL Dodgers1 5, DSL Astros Blue 4
DSL Dodgers1 4, DSL Astros Blue 0
DSL Dodgers2 5, DSL Indians/Brewers 2
Sunday’s schedule
10:00 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (Riley Ottesen) at West Michigan (Alfred Gutierrez)
1:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Wilmer Font & Justin Masterson) vs. Round Rock (David Ledbetter & TBD)
2:05 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Adam Bray) at Inland Empire (TBD)
3:00 p.m.: Ogden (TBD) vs. Billings (Packy Naughton)
4:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Dennis Santana) at San Antonio (Brett Kennedy)
5:00 p.m.: AZL Dodgers vs. AZL Padres
DODGER INSIDER
Patience, precision and Puig
By Rowan Kavner
It’s patience and precision at the plate that allowed Yasiel Puig to pick up his 47th walk of the year, just
one shy of doubling his walk total from 2016.
It’s patience and precision on the bases that allowed Puig to score the go-ahead run in the sixth inning
of a 6–3 win Saturday night, giving a sellout crowd of 53,230 at Dodger Stadium a reason to keep
cheering after erupting on Corey Seager’s two-out, bases-loaded, game-tying, two-run single.
Given all the Dodger breakout seasons this year, it’s possible Seager’s flown relatively under the radar.
But not by his manager.
“His value defensively, offensively, in the clubhouse, his consistency, it doesn’t go overlooked by us,”
said Dave Roberts.
The Dodgers had chances earlier in the night, putting two runners in scoring position in the third inning
and loading the bases in the fifth inning with nothing to show for either opportunity. They had no hits
with runners in scoring position when Puig stepped to the plate in the sixth inning, his team trailing 3–1
with runners on first and second following a Chase Utley double and a Yasmani Grandal walk.
Puig found himself down 1–2. He held off on a ball in the dirt, fouled two pitches off, held off on another
ball in the dirt, fouled another pitch off and eventually worked a nine-pitch walk.
“That was huge,” Seager said. “That was a really mature at-bat for him. He didn’t give up, didn’t give in.”
He hasn’t all month.
Puig, who walked a total of 24 times in 2016, has walked 10 times in just 11 August games. This one was
particularly noteworthy, giving the Dodgers another bases loaded opportunity, this time with no outs.
“That hit in Miami, that game-winning hit that he got that homer, from that point on there have been
some big spots Yasiel’s been in,” Roberts said. “The bat quality, with regard to result, has been very
good.”
But after an Austin Barnes fly out and a Chris Taylor strikeout — the lone time the Padres retired Taylor
on a 2-for-3 night with two walks — the Dodgers suddenly found themselves 0-for-7 with runners in
scoring position and Seager heading to the plate.
After working a full count, Seager delivered the hit the sellout crowd anxiously waited for.
“We left a lot of guys (on base) last night,” Seager said. “To finally get some across, it was nice. It was
nice to score some runs.”
Seager ripped a single to right field to tie the game at 3, when he got caught between first and second.
As Puig watched the play unfold as he reached third base, he waited for his opportunity. As the pickle
began, a throw to first baseman Wil Myers was low and to the right, and Puig took off for home. The
throw from Myers to catcher Austin Hedges was off the plate, allowing Puig just enough room to get his
hand in and give the Dodgers the lead.
Those 53,230 fans in the stadium? They exploded, as the Dodgers found another way to claw back and
win. It was their 35th comeback of the year. Eleven of their last 15 comebacks have happened in the
sixth inning or later.
Cody Bellinger (34) and Taylor (17) put the icing on the win with insurance home runs in the late innings,
with Bellinger also stealing a base to become one of four players in baseball history with at least 34
home runs and eight stolen bases in a rookie season.
The victory ensured a second consecutive rubber match, after the Dodgers took their last one Thursday
at Arizona. They haven’t lost a series since June 5–7 against Washington, and they’ll look to continue
that trend Sunday.
NBC LA
Corey Seager's Clutch Hit Leads L.A. Over San Diego, 6-3
By Michael Duarte
Let's call him Corey "Clutch."
Corey Seager knocked in the go-ahead run with a three-run single in the sixth inning and the Los Angeles
Dodgers stole a win from the San Diego Padres, 6-3, on Saturday night at Chavez Ravine.
The Dodgers trailed 3-1, when Seager came to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded.
After working the count full, Seager delivered a single to right field that scored the tying runs of the
game.
However, anticipating a throw to the plate, Seager headed for second base and got caught in a run
down between first and second.
"I thought he was a little more up the line and thought he was going to turn and throw home," Seager
said of the play. "I was going to sneak a bag, but unfortunately not, I got stuck."
Simultaneously, Yasiel Puig headed for home, sliding under the tag at the plate, as Seager advanced to
second base and the Dodgers took a 4-3 lead.
"I tried to stay in it as long as possible," Seager said of the run down. "Puig did a really good job of
scoring."
Seager has hit safely in eight of his last nine games and is batting .429 with four runs, two doubles, one
home run and five RBI over that span.
"His value defensively, offensively, in the clubhouse, and his consistency doesn't get overlooked by us,"
said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "There's a lot of other guys in our clubhouse that are having really
big years and getting claim. I think in Corey's opinion, he wouldn't have it any other way."
One of those other guys, is rookie Cody Bellinger, who one inning later, added a much-needed insurance
run with his 34th long ball of the season.
Bellinger reached base safely in all four plate appearances, finishing the night 3-for-3 with a walk and a
stolen base.
The Rookie of the Year frontrunner is one home run shy of Mike Piazza's franchise record of 35 home
runs by a rookie in a single season, and has hit 17 homers in the 7th inning or later.
The Dodgers struck first with a run in the bottom of the first inning, but the Padres tied the game in the
top of the third thanks to an RBI double by Hunter Renfroe.
An inning later, San Deigo starting pitcher Jhoulys Chacin, helped his own cause when he knocked in the
go-ahead run with an RBI single to right field.
Wil Myers helped extend the Padres lead in the top of the fifth with a solo shot to center field off Hyun-
Jin Ryu.
Ryu did not factor in the decision, allowing three runs on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts in
just five short innings.
"I thought Hyun-Jin was good," said Roberts of Ryu. "His stuff looked good, but that hit from Chacin was
a tough one, but his stuff was really good."
In his last two starts before Saturday, the Korean southpaw had tossed 14 shutout innings with 15
strikeouts.
Over the course of his career against the Padres, Ryu is 4-1 with a 2.19 ERA with 41 strikeouts.
Chris Taylor hit his 17th home run of the season when he crushed a cutter from Phil Maton in the
bottom of the eighth inning to give the Dodgers a 6-3 lead.
"It was awesome," Taylor said of his home run. "I was extremely frustrated that I struck out with the
bases loaded earlier in the game. It was another big win."
The Dodgers bullpen of Tony Watson, Brandon Morrow, Pedro Baez, and Kenley Jansen combined for
four scoreless innings of relief as Jansen shut the door on San Diego for his 31st save of the season.
Overall, the Dodgers pitching staff leads the Major Leagues with a 3.12 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP, while
leading the National League in strikeouts with 1,100.
The victory was the Dodgers 35th comeback win of the season as they improved to 9-1 in their last 10
games at home.
Los Angeles currently leads the National League West by a season-high 17 games, their largest division
lead since Sept. 8 1955.
Utley Gets 'Chased'
Dodgers' second baseman, Chase Utley, was ejected from the game by second-base umpire Ramon De
Jesus in top of the ninth inning with one out.
According to Utley, the veteran asked De Jesus to move out of his sight line at multiple times throughout
the game, but in the ninth inning, did not want to move for Utley. Utley had some choice words for the
umpire and was quickly ejected from the game.
Up Next:
RHP Luis Perdomo takes the mound for San Diego against Kenta Maeda for the Dodgers in the rubber
match of the series on Sunday afternoon at 1:10PM PST.
