Daily Clips

April 13, 2016

LOS ANGELES DODGERS CLIPS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2016

OC REGISTER: Miller: It's not too early to be concerned about the Dodgers-Jeff Miller Dodgers' bullpen done in by Diamondbacks, Paul Goldschmidt-Bill Plunkett Yasiel Puig makes an impact on the bases, in the field for Dodgers-Joey Kaufman Zack Greinke doesn't fault Dodgers for not paying to keep him-Bill Plunkett On deck: Diamondbacks at Dodgers, Wednesday, 7 p.m. -Bill Plunkett Dodgers lineups: Howie Kendrick returns from disabled list for home opener-Joey Kaufman DODGERS.COM: Scully the star of Dodgers' home opener-Jack Baer LA can't preserve lead after Maeda's 6 scoreless-Ken Gurnick and Steve Gilbert Goldschmidt, 'pen continue to plague Dodgers-Ken Gurnick LA activates Kendrick, Grandal; Van Slyke to DL-Austin Laymance Back in LA, Greinke reflects fondly on Dodgers tenure-Steve Gilbert Lasorda 4-part series to premiere Saturday-Jack Baer LA TIMES: The skinny on pitcher Kenta Maeda: The Dodgers just might have made a good call in signing him-Dylan Hernandez Yasiel Puig is nifty on the bases and in the field-Mike DiGiovanna Chris Hatcher and the bullpen let down the Dodgers again during 4-2 loss to Arizona in home opener-Andy McCullough Dodgers' tribute to Vin Scully is in essence a celebration of baseball history-Bill Shaikin Ceremony honoring Vin Scully a big part of the festivities for Dodgers home opener-Mike DiGiovanna Scott Van Slyke is put on the disabled list by the Dodgers-Andy McCullough Zack Greinke not booed -- or introduced -- at Dodgers opener-Bill Shaikin DODGER INSIDER: ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ star Terry Crews on the Dodgers, sports, acting and life-Jon Weisman Dodgers can’t save Maeda’s strong start-Jon Weisman The mouse named Maury gives thanks to Vin-Cary Osborne Emotional first-pitch salute to Vin Scully opens 2016 season at Dodger Stadium-Jon Weisman No hits, 174 messages and the Opening Day moment for Ross Stripling-Cary Osborne Grandal and Kendrick activated, Van Slyke to DL-Jon Weisman What’s new and nifty at Dodger Stadium?-Yvonne Carrasco TRUEBLUELA.COM: Zach Lee, Adam Liberatore continue strong starts-Craig Minami No bullpen shake up just yet for Dodgers-Eric Stephen Dodgers can't finish what they started in home opener-Eric Stephen Yasiel Puig somehow avoids tag on hustle double-Eric Stephen Watch the Vin Scully pregame ceremony and first pitch from Dodgers home opener-Eric Stephen ESPN LA: MLB Rumor Central: Dodgers preach patience with bullpen-Doug Mittler Early reviews: Dodgers' bullpen a major work in progress-Doug Padilla Kenta Maeda strong, but Los Angeles Dodgers' bullpen fades again-Doug Padilla Goldschmidt homers to help D-backs beat Dodgers 4-2-AP Latest moves give Dodgers three active catchers-Doug Padilla Uni Watch: L.A. Dodgers display new 3-D look on batting helmet-Paul Lukas Dodgers add 3-D logo to helmets (Video)-ESPN Meet the Seagers, baseball’s newest family (Video)-ESPN Dodgers honor legend Vin Scully (Video)-ESPN LA DAILY NEWS: Dodgers bullpen squanders another lead in loss to Diamondbacks-JP Hoornstra Dodgers honor married Air Force sergeants, first 40,000 get hooded sweatshirts-City News Service Bonsignore: Dodgers bullpen already causing panic-Vincent Bonsignore FOX SPORTS: Listen to Vin Scully tell a classic story about a no-hitter in 1952-Brett Smiley YAHOO! SPORTS: Vin Scully has already left a legacy as he begins farewell season with Dodgers-Tim Brown NBC LA: Dodgers Bullpen Drops Home Opener to Dbacks, 4-2-Michael Duarte Dodgers Reinstate Howie Kendrick and Yasmani Grandal for Home Opener-Michael Duarte NEW YORK TIMES: A Few Words About Vin Scully, a Storyteller Who Has Seen It All-Tyler Kepner BLEACHER REPORT: Scott Miller's Starting 9: Set Up to Fail, Yasiel Puig Now Learning MLB Way-Scott Miller

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2016

OC REGISTER

Miller: It's not too early to be concerned about the Dodgers By Jeff Miller LOS ANGELES – Naturally, Vin Scully said it best Tuesday, the sheer brilliance of the man captured by the fact that, this time, he did it without uttering a word. Raising one hand to acknowledge the love raining down upon him on an afternoon of relentless Dodgers Stadium sunshine, Scully placed his other hand over his 88-year-old heart. That was the moment – both endearing and enduring – from one of the most significant on-field celebrations in the history of a franchise that has had so many of them, a ceremonial first pitch representing the official first goodbye. Marking the final home opener of Scully’s 67-year career with the team, the Dodgers then followed with a performance that unfortunately has become as familiar in recent seasons as the voice describing those performances. Everyone loves to hear Scully announce, “It’s time for Dodger baseball,” right? Well, the sentiment is a little different when the legendary broadcaster proclaims, “It’s time for Dodger bullpen.” Six more scoreless innings of Kenta Maeda were wasted this time, as was a 1-0 lead entirely too lean for this particular group of relievers to protect at the moment. Once Maeda departed, Arizona hammered out a 4-2 victory that ended perfectly – in an opener during which the Dodgers simply didn’t do enough – on a called third strike, Kiké Hernandez only watching as the other team’s bullpen executed. And so turned sour what for so long appeared to be the sweetest of home starts, the Dodgers playing well for those first six innings in front of a hearty sellout crowd, part of the 3.1 million tickets this team’s fans already have purchased in anticipation. “It’s a long season,” said Dave Roberts, the Dodgers’ rookie manager who, after only eight games, might already be aging by the pitch. “There are going to be ups and downs. Guys are going to struggle. These guys aren’t throwing the ball as well as they’d like to or as well as we’d like them to, but they’d be the first to say that.” They’d be the first, certainly, but hardly the only ones to say that.

The Dodgers have led in all eight of their games so far, yet they’ve lost as many as they’ve won, four apiece. Their relievers (16) have given up more runs than their starters (14) in significantly fewer innings, the respective ERAs at 6.65 and 2.55. Against the Diamondbacks, it was, in order, Pedro Baez, Chris Hatcher and Louis Coleman who failed. But it has been a group effort to date, only closer Kenley Jansen remaining unscathed. “Right now, you want to continue to give these guys confidence, continue to give them a lot of opportunities,” Roberts said. “We expect to be in a lot of close games late and we’re going to need them. If we’re going to have a great season, have a winning season, we’re going to need those guys in the ’pen.” If you’re a Dodgers fan, you’ve heard this before. But only because you’ve seen this before and repeatedly, the bullpen an issue that goes back to previous relievers, managers and even general managers. It’s clearly way too early to panic, the Dodgers just nine innings into an 81-game home schedule. History, however, says it’s never too early to be concerned. Before things fell apart Tuesday, the Dodgers had made so many nice promises, too. Maeda worked through trouble in both the first and second innings, bouncing back from a two-on, no-out situation in the latter. They scored the game’s first run in the second on an expertly handled suicide squeeze, A.J. Ellis bunting home Howie Kendrick. Four innings later, that 1-0 lead was preserved when Yasiel Puig threw to Justin Turner who threw to Ellis at the plate to nail Arizona’s Welington Castillo trying to score from first on a double. The Dodgers even won an umpire review when replays showed that Puig had turned a single into a double with a slide that was equal parts great baseball and greater escape. But then it was Baez giving up the tying home run to Nick Ahmed in the seventh and Hatcher surrendering the tiebreaker to Paul Goldschmidt in the eighth, with a pitch that was such an obvious mistake the ball should have been painted optic orange and screaming. “I’m not challenging him right there,” Hatcher said. “I’m trying to go up in the zone (with a fastball). I felt like that’s my safe spot with him. I just left it belt high.” Goldschmidt’s shot hit the Dodgers in the equivalent of just below the belt, a perfectly legal connection that had the home team doubled over. So, at the end, this was an opener very lacking in ceremony, the image of Scully sharing the field with fellow icons such as Don Newcombe, Sandy Koufax and Maury Wills long since faded.

More than three hours later, all of that had been replaced by renewed Dodger concerns and the assurance this goodbye can only get better. Dodgers' bullpen done in by Diamondbacks, Paul Goldschmidt By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers’ last, best chance to prevent Paul Goldschmidt from tormenting them came and went in June 2006. That’s when they made Goldschmidt their 49th-round pick in a 50-round draft. Goldschmidt did not sign with the Dodgers, instead heading to Texas State University, and he became an eighth-round selection by the Arizona Diamondbacks three years later. Ever since Goldschmidt made his major-league debut in August 2011, no hitter has done more damage against Dodgers pitching. He did it again Tuesday with an eighth-inning home run and two RBI as the Diamondbacks scored all their runs in the final three innings against the Dodgers’ bullpen, handing them a 4-2 loss in the home opener at Dodger Stadium. “We’ve got to pick it up as a collective group and myself, I know I have to tighten things up,” said Dodgers setup man Chris Hatcher, who gave up the home run to Goldschmidt. “The roller coaster has to stop. We have to start putting up outs.” Roller coasters have been known to cause nausea, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was looking a little queasy after watching his team lose for the fourth time in five games. Dodgers relievers have taken three of those losses, and over the five-game stretch they have allowed 16 runs on 21 hits (including five home runs) and seven walks in 13 2/3 innings. “I’m definitely seeing things. But you definitely don’t want to be reactionary,” Roberts said, explaining that what he is seeing is “certain pitches that aren’t being executed.” “You want to continue to give these guys confidence, continue to give them a lot of opportunities. We expect to be in a lot of close games late and we’re going to need them. If we’re going to have a great season, have a winning season, we’re going to need those guys in the ’pen.” At some point, changes will have to be made in roles or personnel, Roberts acknowledged, if the failures continue. When does it get to that point? “It’s not right now,” he said. Tuesday’s loss came after a second start from Kenta Maeda that looked a lot like his first start – without the home run. He went six scoreless innings again, scattering five hits again.

But the Dodgers went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and it was just a 1-0 lead handed to Pedro Baez in the seventh. “If we had given him a couple-run lead that (Goldschmidt) home run wouldn’t have meant anything,” Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said. “We’ve got to do a better job of having good at-bats. Goldschmidt’s home run did matter because Baez served up a 1-and-2 changeup to No. 9 hitter Nick Ahmed that Ahmed sent into the seats down the left-field line to make it 1-1. An inning later, Hatcher fell behind Goldschmidt 3-and-0 and served up fastball that Roberts described as “center-cut” as if it came with a baked potato and some mixed vegetables on the side. Goldschmidt gave it a 425-foot ride over the wall in left-center field. It was the fifth time in his past six games at Dodger Stadium that Goldschmidt has homered. In 37 career games in Los Angeles, Goldschmidt has hit .358 (54 for 151) with 14 home runs and 33 RBI. Add in his Arizona damage and he is a .338 career hitter against the Dodgers with 22 home runs and 64 RBI in 77 games. “It’s a long season,” Roberts said. “There are going to be ups and downs and guys are going to struggle. Right now these guys (in the bullpen) aren’t throwing the ball as well as they’d like to or we’d like them to. They’d be the first to say that. For me, it’s just a matter of continuing to run them out there.” Yasiel Puig makes an impact on the bases, in the field for Dodgers By Joey Kaufman LOS ANGELES – As the ball flew off his bat in the fifth inning and dropped into left field, Yasiel Puig sprinted out of the batter’s box and took a wide turn, blowing past first base. With two outs in the fifth inning, he hoped to get on second base, to put himself into scoring position at a point in the Dodgers’ home opener when they led the Arizona Diamondbacks by just one run. “I was thinking about going to second,” Puig said through an interpreter. “What do you think, that it was going to be a triple?” He saw an opportunity. The left fielder, Yasmany Tomas, sat deep. The throw arrived inside the base, and Puig slid in at the same point that Jean Segura caught it. But he slid a tad past the bag, then circled back to tag it with his right hand. When he couldn't quite reach, he tried again with his left. “If I wouldn't have gotten it with my left hand, I would have used my tongue,” Puig said. Puig became one of eight runners stranded in a disappointing 4-2 loss for the Dodgers on Tuesday afternoon that ended with a smattering of boos. But the dazzling sequence at second base from Puig served as one of the handful of plays to ignite the sellout crowd at Dodger Stadium.

So far this season, the ball has jumped off his bat. In eight games, he has hit .379/.500/.655 with four extra-base hits, including a home run. The fifth-inning double was the first of the season. As far as whether it toed a line between being aggressive or reckless, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts leaned toward the former. “If it’s in the process of him playing the game the right way, I’ll take it,” Roberts said. “And I think with two outs, he was thinking two out of the box. Tomas played it deep. Out or safe, I thought it was a good baseball play.” Arizona challenged the play, a review that lasted almost four minutes before being upheld. Puig was not short on highlights. In the next inning, he was a part of a relay with third baseman Justin Turner and catcher A.J. Ellis to tag a runner out at the plate. The throw came in plenty of time to give Ellis an easy play. “I threw to the cutoff man,” Puig said in English. “I never throw to the cutoff man in my life.” KENDRICK, GRANDAL BACK FROM DL Howie Kendrick returned to the lineup after a stint on the disabled list. The second baseman, who had been recovering from a strained left calf, hit fifth in the order and went 1 for 4 at the plate. Kendrick looked healthy. The exit velocity, according to the stadium scoreboard, on a sixth-inning line out clocked 108 mph. He was joined by catcher Yasmani Grandal, who was also reinstated. Grandal had been experiencing forearm soreness. Grandal pinch-hit in the bottom of the ninth. He grounded out to first base, but Corey Seager scored. In their place, Scott Van Slyke was sent to the disabled list because of back irritation and Micah Johnson was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. As the club remains lean on active outfielders, with Van Slyke joining Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier on the DL, Kendrick saw time in left field, moving there for the top of the ninth inning. With the Angels, Kendrick was in the lineup 27 times in left field and center field, but not since 2013. Zack Greinke doesn't fault Dodgers for not paying to keep him

By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES – Everyone who has spent time around Zack Greinke has a Zack Greinke story. Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis likes to tell one from Greinke’s first season in Los Angeles. The team got off to a slow start. Making conversation on the bench one day, Ellis asked Greinke – who likes to play amateur GM in his spare time – what he would do to turn things around if he were in charge of the Dodgers. Greinke said he had to think about it. When he came back to Ellis, he told him the first thing he would do is trade Ellis and get a catcher who could provide more offense. That brutal honesty apparently doesn’t apply to his own situation. Greinke returned to Dodger Stadium with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday and was asked to put himself in the place of the Dodgers’ decision-makers this winter. How far would he have gone to re-sign himself? “Well, there’s a lot that goes into it. It’s not like it’s a small signing,” Greinke said. “Any time you’re going to have to make as big of a move as it was, it can change the whole outcome of your organization. So you have to weigh a lot of things.” So – is that a “No?” “I mean, maybe,” he said with a smile. “There’s so much that goes into it. It’s not just one person’s decision too. If I was the GM of the Dodgers it’s not just me making a move that big.” It was not “a small signing” all right. The Diamondbacks swooped in late in the process, signing Greinke to a six-year, $206.5 million contract that blew away the competition – the San Francisco Giants and, running third, the Dodgers. “I guess I don’t really know,” Greinke said when asked if he was ever close to re-signing with the Dodgers. Greinke declined to say whether the Dodgers had made any attempt to negotiate a new contract with him before he exercised his opt-out clause – overtures that Greinke had given every sign he would not have been open to anyway – or whether that made him feel like his days in L.A. were numbered. “It seems like a question I don’t want to answer,” said Greinke who acknowledged he wasn’t as involved in negotiations this winter as he was in 2012 when he originally signed with the Dodgers because “it just wasn’t as interesting as the first time.” The Dodgers have been faulted in some quarters for failing to make it more interesting for Greinke by using their deep financial resources to trump whatever another team might offer. Ultimately, they fell $50 million short of the Diamondbacks’ deal. “You gotta make the decision that’s best for the team. That’s what their job is to do,” he said. “People say they have unlimited resources. If they were going to spend $2 billion a year then it’d be unlimited resources. There’s still a limit. The team has to do what’s smart for the team.”

The Dodgers did what was smart for Greinke on Tuesday. Greinke is not scheduled to pitch in this series so the only chance for Dodger fans to let him hear what they think of his decision to leave should have come during pregame introductions Tuesday. But the Dodgers eschewed the usual opening-day practice of introducing every player on both teams. They opted instead to have the Diamondbacks’ reserves line up on the baseline but only introduced the starting lineup individually. “Some guys get booed when they’ve done the most for a city. Then some guys get cheered when they haven’t done much for a city,” said Greinke, who went 51-15 with a 2.30 ERA in three seasons as a Dodger. “Adrian (Gonzalez) still gets booed in San Diego. I still don’t understand that. “Probably whatever they do it’s probably deserved. They’ll probably do whatever is called for. ... They’ll let me know if I did stuff wrong or if I should have done things differently. They’ll be my judge.” On deck: Diamondbacks at Dodgers, Wednesday, 7 p.m. By Bill Plunkett Where: Dodger Stadium TV: SNLA, 7 p.m. Did you know? The Dodgers have added “Speed Off Bat” – also known as “exit velocity” – to the statistics on the right-field scoreboard at Dodger Stadium. THE PITCHERS DODGERS LHP ALEX WOOD (0-1, 9.00) Vs. Diamondbacks: 1-3, 3.96 At Dodger Stadium: 4-2, 1.97 Hates to face: Paul Goldschmidt, 4 for 9 (.444), 2 HR Loves to face: Jean Segura, 0 for 4 DIAMONDBACKS RHP RUBBY DE LA ROSA (0-1, 16.20) Vs. Dodgers: 0-3, 11.21 At Dodger Stadium: 2-6, 6.33 Hates to face: Corey Seager, 2 for 2 Loves to face: Adrian Gonzalez, 2 for 10 (.200), K

Dodgers lineups: Howie Kendrick returns from disabled list for home opener By Joey Kaufman LOS ANGELES -- Howie Kendrick is back in the lineup for the Dodgers after his stint on the disabled list, activated for the home opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. The second baseman, who had been recovering from a strained left calf, will hit fifth in the lineup. He was joined by catcher Yasmani Grandal, who was also reinstated. Grandal had been experiencing forearm soreness. The left-handed batter would be available Tuesday as a pinch-hitter, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. In their place, Scott Van Slyke was sent to the disabled list. Micah Johnson was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Van Slyke will be out for at least five-six days due to back irritation. As the club remains lean on active outfielders, with Van Slyke joining Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier on the DL, Kendrick might see time there this week, an option that was raised when he re-signed with the team in the offseason. "We might dip into that well," Roberts. Over nine seasons with the Angels from 2006-14, Kendrick was in the lineup 28 times in left field and center field. Today's lineups: DODGERS (4-3) LF Kike' Hernandez RF Yasiel Puig 1B Adrian Gonzalez 3B Justin Turner 2B Howie Kendrick CF Trayce Thompson SS Corey Seager C A.J. Ellis

P Kenta Maeda DIAMONDBACKS (2-5) 2B Jean Segura CF Socrates Brito 1B Paul Goldschmidt RF David Peralta C Welington Castillo 3B Jake Lamb LF Yasmany Tomas P Patrick Corbin SS Nick Ahmed

DODGERS.COM

Scully the star of Dodgers' home opener By Jack Baer LOS ANGELES -- Like the last 65 years of Dodgers history, Tuesday's home opener ceremonies heavily featured the immortal voice of Vin Scully, who will retire after this season and had the street outside Dodger Stadium named for him on Monday. Narrated by Brooklyn native Al Michaels, a cavalcade of Dodgers greats were introduced with Scully's call of the team's greatest moments behind them, from Don Newcombe and his 1950 Opening Day start in Scully's first year announcing the team, to Clayton Kershaw and his 2014 no-hitter. Between them came World Series champions, Sandy Koufax's perfect game, Rick Monday's greatest catch of the American flag, and so many more. Kirk Gibson, seen in a Dodgers uniform again via videotape, described how lucky he was to have Scully call his famous home run in the 1988 World Series and the rest of his career with the team. Hank Aaron, whose 715th home run came against the Dodgers with Scully on the call, recorded a video message honoring and thanking the 88-year-old broadcaster.

Scully made his way to the field, escorted by former and current Dodgers owners Peter O'Malley and Magic Johnson. Standing at home plate, Scully was met with the crowd's loudest cheer, and a ball autographed by every man who was introduced was passed from Newcombe on the mound to Scully. Michaels threw out the ceremonial first pitch, and the game was underway minutes later. The ceremony came during the final home opener of the 2016 MLB season, as the Dodgers welcomed the D-backs following a seven-game road trip to open the season. All Dodgers starters were greeted with fireworks, as the entirety of both teams took their standard places along the foul lines. Sam Harris, the lead singer of the X Ambassadors, sang the national anthem, with a flag unfurled by members of the military covering nearly the entire outfield. Before the game, played at a sold-out Dodger Stadium, the club announced it had sold a record 3.1 million tickets for the season. LA can't preserve lead after Maeda's 6 scoreless By Ken Gurnick and Steve Gilbert LOS ANGELES -- Paul Goldschmidt's tiebreaking homer on a 3-0 fastball from Chris Hatcher with one out in the eighth inning helped the D-backs to a 4-2 win over the Dodgers on Tuesday and spoiled Vin Scully's final home opener in the Dodger Stadium broadcast booth. "It's a tie game, I'm just trying to find a way to get on base," Goldschmidt said of his homer. "Fortunately I was able to get it out of there. It was a good job for us to be able to tack on a few more, and the bullpen did a great job. So did [Patrick] Corbin. All and all, it was a good win, and we were fortunate to come from behind like that." Dodgers rookie Kenta Maeda, who also threw six scoreless innings in his Major League debut last week in San Diego, held Arizona scoreless over six innings on five hits while striking out four. "Maeda was great; he has so many weapons," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "After six innings and 95 pitches, I thought that was a good time to go to the 'pen and give Petey [Pedro Baez] a clean inning." Nick Ahmed tied the game with a two-out solo homer in the seventh inning off Baez. Corbin allowed one run in six innings for the D-backs, with Tyler Clippard getting the win in relief and Brad Ziegler the save. Howie Kendrick, activated off the disabled list for the game, led off the second inning for the Dodgers with a single, took second on Trayce Thompson's infield single, tagged to third on Corey Seager's flyout and scored on A.J. Ellis' perfect bunt. Goldschmidt drove in an insurance run with an RBI groundout in the ninth after Socrates Brito hit an RBI triple.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Gold standard vs. Dodgers: Something about facing the Dodgers seems to bring out the best in Goldschmidt. Including Tuesday's 1-for-5 effort, he has hit .338 against the Dodgers in his career, with 22 homers and 65 RBIs. Dodger Stadium has also been a friendly place for him, as he hit .450 with five home runs at Chavez Ravine in 2015. The home run was the first of Goldschmidt's career when the count was 3-0. "He has got comfortable doing it," D-backs manager Chip Hale said. "He got a pitch to handle and you trust him. When you trust a guy, that's when you give him a 3-0 hit sign." Great escapes: Arizona had runners on second and third with no outs in the second inning, but Maeda struck out Yasmany Tomas, then got Corbin and Ahmed on grounders. With two out in the sixth, Welington Castillo singled and was thrown out at home on Jake Lamb's double, Yasiel Puig's throw relayed by Justin Turner to Ellis. Slow going: Castillo is not known for his speed, and his lack of it cost Arizona on the basepaths a couple of times. After Castillo led off the second with a single to center, Lamb doubled to right-center, but third-base coach Matt Williams had to hold Castillo at third. Then in the sixth with two outs, Castillo was thrown out at the plate trying to score on Lamb's second double of the game. "That was a correct decision by him," Hale said of Williams. "He had to take a shot. They did a really nice job of the cutoff and relaying to throw him out at home." Streaking Seager: Seager led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a double and scored on a groundout. The double extended the rookie's hitting streak to 11 games dating back to last year. QUOTABLE "Compared to my last outing, I thought I had less command of my pitches and I threw more pitches in general. So as a result, I ended up throwing only six innings. Hopefully next time, I'll be able to stretch it out and throw a couple more innings with fewer pitches." -- Maeda SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Maeda joined Karl Spooner (1954) and Kaz Ishii (2002) as the only Dodgers to begin a career with two scoreless starts, according to Elias. UPON FURTHER REVIEW Puig singled to left in the fifth and stretched it into a hustle double. Tomas' throw to second was a little offline and pulled second baseman Jean Segura off the bag. Puig slid by the bag and reached back to tag second with his hand. Meanwhile Segura, also on his stomach, reached out to try to touch Puig's hand. Puig was ruled safe and the D-backs challenged the call. After a three-minute, 51-second review, the call stood. WHAT'S NEXT

D-backs: Rubby De La Rosa will get the start at 7:10 p.m. MST Wednesday night against the Dodgers. De La Rosa, who came up through the Dodgers' organization, struggled mightily against them in 2015, compiling an 11.21 ERA in four starts. Dodgers: Alex Wood makes his second start in the 7:10 p.m. PT game on Wednesday. Against the Giants, he threw four scoreless innings, then allowed five of the next 10 batters he faced to score. He had a 7.13 spring ERA. Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV. Goldschmidt, 'pen continue to plague Dodgers By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES -- The day after Paul Goldschmidt homered off the Dodgers this spring, a writer mentioned to new manager Dave Roberts that, no matter what the analytics say, don't pitch to the D-backs' slugger. Roberts learned the hard way on Tuesday, when the final home opener of Vin Scully's broadcasting career was ruined by yet another Goldschmidt home run in the eighth inning of a 4-2 loss to the D-backs at 1000 Vin Scully Avenue (also known as Dodger Stadium). Going back to last year, Goldschmidt has homered in four of his last five games against the Dodgers. In 19 games last year against them, he hit .397 with eight homers and 19 RBIs. In 10 games at Dodger Stadium, he hit .450 with five homers and eight RBIs. Of Goldschmidt's 101 career hits against Los Angeles, 22 are home runs. He also added an RBI grounder in the ninth inning as the Dodgers' bullpen wasted six scoreless innings from rookie Kenta Maeda. An inning before Goldschmidt's blast on a 3-0 Chris Hatcher fastball, No. 9 hitter Nick Ahmed tied the game with a home run into the first row of box seats in left off a Pedro Baez changeup. So, while Goldschmidt did his usual demolition job on the hosts, the real issue in the second week of the season is the Los Angeles bullpen, which has suffered three of the club's four losses. Every reliever not named Kenley Jansen has allowed a run. The combined bullpen ERA is 6.64. The 'pen has allowed five home runs in 21 2/3 innings, two each by Hatcher and Baez. While his bullpen didn't provide enough defense on Tuesday, Roberts defended his relievers, saying it's too early to bump Hatcher out of his eighth-inning setup role. "Right now, I'm not thinking about that at all," said Roberts. "Right now you want to give these guys confidence. We're going to need them if we're going to have a great season. For me, it's way too early for me to be thinking about changing roles.

"Right now, they're not throwing the ball as well as they'd like to or we'd like them to. For me, it's a matter of continuing to run them out there. I'm seeing certain pitches not being executed, and over a certain time, if that continues, then you have to entertain [a change]." Roberts said Ahmed hit a changeup from Baez that he thought was so low that catcher A.J. Ellis would need to block it. The manager was less forgiving on the Goldschmidt homer. "With Hatch ... he made a mistake, a fastball with Goldschmidt, 3-0, a hitter like that everyone in the ballpark knows he's swinging," Roberts said. "Definitely a pitch he'd like back." Hatcher, who allowed the home run to Trevor Brown in San Francisco after taking over Ross Stripling's no-hitter Friday night, was booed loudly by the sellout crowd. "I deserved it," the reliever said. "We've got to pick it up as a group, and I have to myself. The rollercoaster has to stop and we have to start putting up zeros." Hatcher said he wasn't challenging Goldschmidt, but trying to make him chase a pitch that was mislocated. "It missed, left it belt high," Hatcher said. "Our job is simple, put up zeros. I've got to tighten it up. Just got to make better pitches, and right now I'm not making very good pitches." LA activates Kendrick, Grandal; Van Slyke to DL By Austin Laymance LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers reinstated infielder Howie Kendrick and catcher Yasmani Grandal from the disabled list and placed outfielder Scott Van Slyke on the 15-day DL before Tuesday's 4-2 home-opening loss against the D-backs. Kendrick is coming off a left calf strain, while Grandal was dealing with a right forearm strain. Both completed Minor League rehab assignments. Kendrick was in Tuesday's starting lineup, batting fifth and playing second base. He went 1-for-4 and scored a run. Manager Dave Roberts said Grandal, who drove in a run as a pinch-hitter in the ninth Tuesday, is expected to start Wednesday. Van Slyke went for an MRI on Tuesday and was diagnosed with lower back irritation. He was removed from Saturday's win over the Giants with the injury. The Dodgers' outfield depth is being tested early with Van Slyke, Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier and Alexander Guerrero on the DL. "It's a big loss," Roberts said. The Dodgers are hopeful Van Slyke and Crawford (lower back pain) can return to action in two weeks. In the meantime, Roberts mentioned Kendrick as a possibility to see action in left field.

The Dodgers previously optioned infielder Micah Johnson to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday. Back in LA, Greinke reflects fondly on Dodgers tenure By Steve Gilbert LOS ANGELES -- Zack Greinke returned to Dodger Stadium on Tuesday for the first time since signing a six-year, $206.5 million contract with the D-backs during the offseason, and he had nothing but positive things to say about his former teammates and the city as a whole. "It feels nice," Greinke said of being back. "Very comfortable with this city. I have a house here. It seemed like normal. It feels like a good baseball place." The Dodgers attempted to re-sign Greinke during the winter, and it appeared to be a two-team race between them and the Giants. However, in the span of around five hours, the D-backs put together a package that gave Greinke the highest annual average salary in baseball history. Greinke was asked if he was surprised the Dodgers didn't pay whatever it would have taken to sign him. "You've got to make the decision that's best for the team," Greinke said. "That's what their job is to do. People say they have unlimited resources. If they're going to spend $2 billion a year, they'd have unlimited resources. There's still a limit, and a team has to do what's smart for the team." Greinke patiently answered questions for 11 minutes in the D-backs' dugout. Well, there was one he was not about to touch: Did the Dodgers attempt to sign him to an extension during the 2015 regular season? "Ask them," Greinke said of the Dodgers. "I don't know if that's a more detailed question than what you guys have been asking, but it seems like a question I don't want to answer." Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw did not try and lobby him to stay, Greinke said, and the righty's departure was not because of any concerns about the atmosphere in the Dodgers' clubhouse or outfielder Yasiel Puig in particular. "Honestly, that had zero to do with anything," Greinke said. "The clubhouse over there is fantastic. Especially last season, it was a really good place. There are a lot of great guys over there. I would say it would be much more of a positive -- the way the clubhouse is -- than a negative." Greinke's first two starts for the D-backs have not gone as either he or the team had hoped. Greinke allowed seven runs in just four innings on Opening Day, and then on Saturday against the Cubs, he gave up four runs in six innings, with three of the runs coming in the first inning. "He's not been the Zack Greinke that we saw the last couple of years, that I've seen," D-backs manager Chip Hale said. "I think that's just a matter of getting his feet on the ground. After the first inning against

the Cubs, he threw beautifully, and that's the guy we're used to seeing, and I think that's who we're going to see the rest of the season." Lasorda 4-part series to premiere Saturday By Jack Baer LOS ANGELES -- SportsNet LA announced Tuesday a four-part miniseries offering a comprehensive look at the life of former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. The series, entitled Dodgermentary: The Lasorda Chronicles, will look at the Hall of Famer's time both on and off the field and duties he took on that went beyond working as a manager. "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston will narrate the show, which premieres Saturday at 10 p.m. PT. The first episode will center on Lasorda's life before getting called up to the Majors, detailing his life growing up in a small Pennsylvania town and his initially rocky Minor League career. The next three episodes, televised Sundays in the following weeks at 7 p.m. PT, will delve into Lasorda's life as the Hall of Fame manager that led the Dodgers to two World Series titles and all that came after it. That will include his time coming out of retirement to coach the USA baseball team to its only Olympic gold medal. Vin Scully will lead a group of Lasorda friends and Dodgers greats that were interviewed for the series. Among those fans can expect to hear from are Orel Hershiser, Dusty Baker, Mike Piazza, Peter O'Malley and Rick Monday. The series will also feature Lasorda's Hall of Fame induction, including footage of a phone call from Ted Williams to notify the manager of his induction.

LA TIMES

The skinny on pitcher Kenta Maeda: The Dodgers just might have made a good call in signing him By Dylan Hernandez As Kenta Maeda reflected on pitching Tuesday in the Dodgers' home-opener defeat to the Arizona Diamondbacks, he sounded as if he didn't know what to make of everything. He's still feeling out his catcher, as well as opposing hitters. The same with Los Angeles traffic. As for how his 6-foot, 150-pound frame will respond to a grueling 162-game schedule, the 28-year-old right-hander from Japan can only guess. Maeda doesn't know how his first major league season will unfold. The Dodgers don't, either.

But there's a reason to think this $45-million gamble might work out for the Dodgers, and not only because he's pitched six scoreless innings in each of his two starts. He wants more. That was evident in his postgame news conference, as he spoke more about what he didn't do than what he did. "From here on, I'd like to manage my pitch count better and be able to stay in games longer," Maeda said in Japanese. He encountered some early trouble Tuesday, which is why his pitch count was at 95 by the end of the sixth inning. The Dodgers could use another inning or two from Maeda every time he takes the mound, if only to avoid placing the game in the hands of their combustible bullpen. Clayton Kershaw is expected to pitch 200 innings for the sixth time. Maeda's goal is to be there with him. His primary motivation is the pessimistic medical diagnosis he received when he underwent a physical examination as a free agent this winter. The uncertainty over his health resulted in his settling for a relatively modest contract, which is guaranteed for $25 million over eight years. That competitive streak was apparent against Arizona when Maeda served up a second-inning double to Jake Lamb that placed runners on second and third with no outs. Maeda struck out Yasmany Tomas, then got Patrick Corbin and Nick Ahmed to ground out. "He never loses his poise," pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said. "I think you almost see the best of him when he's in trouble. That shows how competitive he is and how he's able to execute when he has to." Maeda was also confident enough to shake off catcher A.J. Ellis on a couple of occasions. But he was also saved by his defense, particularly in the sixth inning, when Lamb doubled off the bullpen gate in right field with two outs. Yasiel Puig delivered a perfect throw to Justin Turner, who relayed the ball to the plate before Welington Castillo could score from first. "Today, I was helped by my defense a lot," Maeda said. "I don't think my pitches were that sharp. . . . "I think it will be a plus for me that I was able to hold the opponent scoreless on a bad day." Zack Greinke, who left the Dodgers for the Diamondbacks in the off-season, is known to play make-believe general manager. So if Greinke were running the Dodgers, would he have re-signed himself? "I don't know," Greinke said. "There's a lot that goes into it. It's not like it's just some small sign. Any time you're going to have to make as big a move as it was, it can change the outcome of your whole organization. So you have to weigh a lot of different things." Is that a no? Greinke wouldn't say.

"Maybe," he said. "There's so much that goes into it that it's not just one person's decision, too. If I was the GM of the Dodgers, it's not just my decision, a move that's that big." Now that Greinke is with the Diamondbacks, he said he no longer spends his winters in Los Angeles. "The taxes are too high out here," he explained. Corey Seager is a quick study. Remember when Seager didn't cover third base after the Dodgers infield was shifted in the playoffs last year and it cost the team a critical run? Don't expect him to make the same mistake again. The Dodgers were in another shift Tuesday in the first inning with Maeda pitched to the left-handed-hitting David Peralta. With third baseman Turner stationed in shallow right field, Maeda uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Jean Segura to advance from first base to second. Segura had no chance to take third, though, because Seager rushed over to cover the base. Yasiel Puig is nifty on the bases and in the field By Mike DiGiovanna The inside of Yasiel Puig's left wrist was swollen and sore, the result of a Daniel Hudson 96-mph fastball that hit the Dodgers right fielder in the eighth inning of Tuesday's home opener. Puig's spirits were a little low after a 4-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. “I don't feel good,” Puig said, “because my team lost.” But Puig's sense of humor escaped unscathed. Asked about his on-the-money relay throw from the wall that helped cut down the potential tying run at the plate in the sixth inning, Puig poked fun at his reputation as a player prone to defensive mistakes and occasional mental lapses, saying, “I hit the cutoff man. I never throw to a cutoff man in my life.” And what about his sleight-of-hand maneuver at second base on his hustle double in the fifth, when, from his stomach, Puig deked Arizona second baseman Jean Segura with his right hand before reaching for the bag with his left hand? “I was trying to get on the base,” Puig said through an interpreter. “His throw was to his left hand, so I tried to attack with my right. I wasn't able to reach the bag, so I went again with my left. If I wouldn't have done it with my left hand, I would have used my tongue.” Puig, when healthy and engaged, is a dynamic player with game-changing abilities on offense and defense, and he displayed both — along with a pinch of smarts — on two of the game's more interesting plays.

With two outs in the fifth, Puig laced a hit down the left-field line. Before his swing, he noticed Diamondbacks outfielder Yasmany Tomas playing deep. Puig didn't hesitate as he rounded first base. His aggressive head-first slide took him beyond second base, but Puig was able to scramble back to the bag, with umpire Mark Carlson's safe call upheld after a 3-minute, 51-second replay review. Puig was stranded when Adrian Gonzalez flied to left on the next pitch to end the inning. “As I've said time and time again, if we play the game the right way, I'll take [the results],” Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts said. “With two outs, Tomas was playing deep. He was thinking two out of the box. Out or safe, I thought it was a great baseball play.” So was Puig's barehand grab of Jake Lamb's double as it caromed off the base of the right-field wall in the sixth. Puig spun and fired a long strike to Justin Turner, the third baseman who was in shallow right field as part of a shift. Turner's one-hop throw to catcher A.J. Ellis nailed the slow-footed Welington Castillo, who was trying to score from first, preserving a 1-0 lead. “He's just such a special player to unload the ball that fast and that accurate,” outfield coach George Lombard said. “You have to get to the ball in a hurry and get to it clean. He aimed to Turner's throwing side, J.T. executed a great throw to the plate, and A.J. held onto the ball.” Lombard is in his first year with the Dodgers, so he couldn't speak to Puig's past transgressions, but he has been impressed with Puig's focus and execution so far. “There's a lot to like,” Lombard said. “… He says he wants to win a Gold Glove, and there's no reason he can't do that.” Chris Hatcher and the bullpen let down the Dodgers again during 4-2 loss to Arizona in home opener By Andy McCullough First base was empty, extending an invitation to Dodgers reliever Chris Hatcher. He had thrown three consecutive balls to Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, one of the finest hitters on the planet. He could choose passivity and grant Goldschmidt a walk with the score tied in the eighth inning. Or he could attempt some version of gallantry. "You get behind a hitter like that, and everyone in the ballpark knows he's swinging the bat," Manager Dave Roberts said. Said first baseman Adrian Gonzalez: "Obviously, he's the one guy in the lineup . . ." Hatcher meant to throw a fastball out of the strike zone — "I'm not challenging him right there," he said — but his alignment misfired, a regrettable mistake in a 4-2 defeat. He fed Goldschmidt a 96-mph

fastball at the waist. Goldschmidt bashed a go-ahead home run about a dozen rows deep into the left-field pavilion. In Tuesday's home opener, the pattern from the weekend in San Francisco held. Everything the relievers touched turned to ash. Pedro Baez spoiled six scoreless innings from Kenta Maeda by allowing a tying homer in the seventh. Louis Coleman gave up two more runs in the ninth, rendering meaningless a run generated by Corey Seager in the bottom of the inning. After a season-opening three-game sweep of San Diego, the Dodgers have lost four of five. The offense sputtered throughout Tuesday's game and failed to excite the sellout crowd of 53,279 at Dodger Stadium. Through eight games, the earned-run average of the bullpen is 6.55. "We've got to pick it up as a collective group, myself included in that," Hatcher said. "The roller coaster's got to stop. We've got to start putting up some zeros." The front office of Andrew Friedman made only marginal changes to the bullpen during the winter, adding Coleman and Joe Blanton, but otherwise sticking with the core from 2015. Roberts suggested it was too early to consider shaking up the group's hierarchy. Manager Dave Roberts discusses the Dodgers' 4-2 loss to the Diamondbacks in their home opener on April 12. "Right now, I'm not thinking about that at all," Roberts said. "Right now, you want to continue to give these guys confidence and keep giving them opportunities." Perhaps it is too soon for Roberts to act. But it is also difficult to identify a reliever, save for closer Kenley Jansen, he can trust. Yimi Garcia has a 4.91 ERA; J.P. Howell has a 54.00 ERA. Hatcher, whose ERA is 5.40, had already surrendered a tying two-run homer to San Francisco backup catcher Trevor Brown in the eighth inning Friday. Dodgers fans sounded exultant midway through the sixth inning, when Yasiel Puig and Justin Turner teamed on a relay to cut down catcher Welington Castillo at the plate and preserve a 1-0 Dodgers lead. The Dodgers manufactured a run off Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin in the second inning. In his first game back from the disabled list, Howie Kendrick led off with a single. Trayce Thompson legged out an infield hit. Kendrick took third on a line out by Seager. Up came A.J. Ellis. Corbin threw a changeup down the middle. Ellis dropped a squeeze bunt a few feet in front of the plate. The ball dribbled too far for Castillo to get back in time to tag Kendrick, so he threw out Ellis out at first as Kendrick scored the game's first run. After that, the lineup failed to advance a runner past second base against Corbin. So Baez inherited the slimmest of margins in the seventh. He retired the first two batters. With the count at 1-2 to shortstop Nick Ahmed, Baez threw a changeup at the shins. Amhed hooked a liner down the left-field line, just deep enough to clear the low fence. "It was exactly where I wanted it," Ellis said. "He hit a pitch that was borderline going to bounce."

Hatcher could not claim anything similar. His first fastball to Goldschmidt veered well outside. His next two splitters missed low. He failed to execute his plan on the 3-0 pitch. His club paid the price. Hatcher exited the game four batters later. He left the bases loaded. The crowd jeered his exit. "I deserved it," he said. The opposite sound greeted Roberts. The crowd applauded him for the maneuver, a reaction based more on relief than happiness. Satirical applause is not the sort of reception a manager desires. After one week, the chief flaw on the Dodgers roster appeared clear. Roberts continued to support the bullpen — even if it has failed to support him. "I expect to be ahead in a lot of games late," Roberts said. "And we're going to need them. If we want to have a great season, have a winning season, we're going to need those guys in the 'pen." Dodgers' tribute to Vin Scully is in essence a celebration of baseball history By Bill Shaikin The game will go on without Vin Scully. In fact, it already did. The Dodgers produced a splendid tribute to Scully before Tuesday's home opener, but it ran so long that he could not get back from the field to the broadcast booth in time for the first pitch. There is a first time for everything, even in the 67th and final season of his career. Scully said he never had missed the start of a game, but he masked his disappointment with trademark grace and good humor. "I know they're going to play without me," he said. That was a first awkward note in a delicate farewell dance. Scully believes the spotlight should be reserved for the game, not for the guy calling it. Los Angeles wants to embrace Scully, to send him into retirement with a group hug and a million selfies. The Dodgers must walk a thin blue tightrope, trying to strike just the right balance. The fans lined up by the dozens on the club level Tuesday, waiting for a glimpse of the greatest broadcaster in baseball history. Scully emerged from the press box at 12:30 p.m., his hand on his wife's back, as security guards parted the blue sea and opened a path to an elevator. The fans cheered, shouted declarations of love, snapped pictures with their cell phones. One fan got a little too close to Scully; the guards intercepted him. The elevator took Scully down to the field, to a ceremony that traced the history of the broadcaster and the team, joyously intertwined for posterity. The first man out: Don Newcombe, 89, the starting pitcher in Scully's first Dodgers game, in 1950.

"To be out on the mound with him all those years later — 67 years later — and we're shaking hands," Scully said, "that was a great feeling." Next came Maury Wills and Sandy Koufax, and then Hank Aaron on video. Al Downing joined the parade, and Rick Monday, and Steve Garvey, Bill Russell and Ron Cey. Fernando Valenzuela did too, and then another video tribute, this time from Kirk Gibson. "It's an honor for me to have your voice attached to the soundtrack of my career," Gibson said. Orel Hershiser joined the line, and Tom Lasorda, and finally Clayton Kershaw. In that first game, in 1950, the Dodgers lineup included Hall of Famers Roy Campanella, Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider and Jackie Robinson. Think about it, a Cooperstown legacy that could extend from Robinson to Kershaw, and Scully called it all. In the visitors dugout, the best hitter in the National League sat in a folding chair, leaning forward and taking in the moment. The ceremony had nothing to do with the Arizona Diamondbacks, other than forcing them to wait a few extra minutes until the first pitch, and yet Paul Goldschmidt relished his front-row seat. "To have all those legends out there, with the history they have here at Dodger Stadium, and with all their players, that was awesome," Goldschmidt said. "It was fun to be a witness to that." Chip Hale, the Diamondbacks manager, did not direct his players to watch the Scully ceremony but said he was delighted that most of them did. "That showed me they have respect for the game. That's one thing we try to teach here," Hale said. "If you can't be out there to celebrate a guy like Vin Scully …" Hale's voice trailed off, as if he realized he did not need to complete the sentence. "That's the history of baseball," he said. "We have these newfangled uniforms — they're funky — because we don't have a history like they have here. You have to respect that." On the air, fans across America and abroad — from Newfoundland, Canada, to Nottingham, England — could enjoy Scully. Alas, more than half the fans in Los Angeles could not. Perhaps the Dodgers, Time Warner Cable and DirecTV can reach peace in our time, before Scully's broadcast time runs out in October. At the ballpark, the Dodgers plan to hold a Scully farewell salute Sept. 23. Fans must buy an 11-game plan to guarantee tickets to that game, although team President Stan Kasten said single-game tickets would be sold at a later date. The median resale price for that date: $199, according to Vivid Seats, more than $100 higher than any other Dodger Stadium date left this season. The Dodgers also will give away Scully T-shirts in May and bobbleheads in September. "It makes me uncomfortable," Scully said. "I only work here, when you get down to it." Kasten said he has discussed promotions and commemorations with Scully.

"He did understand this year has a unique significance to our fans," Kasten said. "That meant a lot to him. So maybe he did more than he might otherwise have been comfortable with, because he understood it was important to the fans." That it is. Onward, and farewell. Ceremony honoring Vin Scully a big part of the festivities for Dodgers home opener By Mike DiGiovanna There will be plenty of live entertainment, several new stadium food options and a special ceremonial first pitch honoring Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, who is in his 67th and final season in the booth for the Dodgers, before the team’s home opener on Tuesday. There will also be a little baseball played in Chavez Ravine, with the Dodgers and Japanese right-hander Kenta Maeda facing the Arizona Diamondbacks and left-hander Patrick Corbin, with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 p.m. Fans arriving early can enjoy two hours (from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) of entertainment throughout the stadium. The Angel City Dixie Band will play in the left-field reserve level, and four DJs will be performing, in the right-field reserve level, the right-field plaza, the left-field plaza and the top deck. The Budweiser Clydesdales will make an appearance beginning at 10:30 a.m., making stops around the inner parking circle throughout the pregame. Sam Harris, lead singer of X Ambassadors, will perform the national anthem, with representatives from the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force presenting our nation’s colors. A giant flag will be unfurled in center field. The pregame ceremony will celebrate many of the great moments in Scully’s iconic career. The beloved broadcaster had a street named after him on Monday. The opening-day military hero of the game will be retired U.S. Army/Coast Guard Sgt. Eddie Arambula of Torrance. Arambula joined the Army in 2002 and in March 2004 was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II. Arambula later joined the Coast Guard as Maritime Enforcement Specialist. Among the new dishes being offered in Dodger Stadium this season are a Gouda Kobe Burger, available at Elysian Park Grill, a Dodger Dog topped with pulled pork, a Kings Hawaiian Dog (quarter-pound hot dog topped with pineapple salsa), a pastrami burger, and a spicy-pork bratwurst link infused with Shock Top beer, served on a buttered-grilled lobster roll with caramelized onions and spicy brown mustard. The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation will also hold a silent auction of items including a Clayton Kershaw-autographed jersey, a Corey Seager-autographed baseball and an Adrian Gonzalez-autographed photo. The auction will take place in front of the Vin Scully press box on the club level until 2:45 p.m.

Scott Van Slyke is put on the disabled list by the Dodgers By Andy McCullough The Dodgers put Scott Van Slyke on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday because of lower-back irritation. Van Slyke joined Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford on the team's list of injured outfielders. "He's not going to be available for five to six to seven days," Manager Dave Roberts said. "So it just made sense for us." The injury to Van Slyke, combined with Monday's option of infielder Micah Johnson to triple-A Oklahoma City, opened space on the roster for the return of catcher Yasmani Grandal and infielder Howie Kendrick. Kendrick started at second base Tuesday against Arizona but moved to left field for the ninth inning. For the most part, left field will be split between Enrique Hernandez and Trayce Thompson. Charlie Culberson, a backup infielder, played some left field over the weekend in San Francisco. The team has three catchers on the active roster, with rookie Austin Barnes backing up Grandal and A.J. Ellis. Grandal will catch Alex Wood on Wednesday, Roberts said. The Dodgers activated Grandal for Tuesday so he could be used as a pinch-hitter against Diamondbacks relievers such as Tyler Clippard and Brad Ziegler. Roberts suggested the team would be without Crawford and Van Slyke for the two-week minimum. Crawford was scheduled to undergo an MRI exam on his injured back Monday, but the medical staff "decided against it," Roberts said. Just visiting Ethier joined his teammates for Tuesday's home opener festivities. Other injured players in attendance included pitchers Brett Anderson (back surgery), Brandon McCarthy (elbow ligament surgery) and Hyun-Jin Ryu (shoulder surgery). Mike Bolsinger (oblique strain) remained in Arizona at the team's Camelback Ranch training facility. Zack Greinke not booed -- or introduced -- at Dodgers opener By Bill Shaikin There were no boos for Zack Greinke at the Dodgers home opener on Tuesday. The Dodgers made sure of it. The Dodgers introduced every player and coach on their team. But they introduced only the starters for the opposing Arizona Diamondbacks, leaving Greinke among the Arizona reserves directed to head onto the field all at once.

Greinke, the runner-up for the National League Cy Young award with the Dodgers last season, signed a six-year, $206.5-million contract with Arizona last winter. The Dodgers declined to match the sixth year, and their final offer was about $50 million less. Before the game, Greinke said he did not worry about how he might be received by Dodgers fans. "Some guys get booed when they've done the most for a city," Greinke said. "Some guys get cheered when they haven't done much for a city. Adrian [Gonzalez] still gets booed in San Diego. I still don't understand that. "Whatever they do, it's probably deserved." Greinke dismissed speculation that Yasiel Puig's presence on the Dodgers played a role in his decision not to return to Los Angeles. "Honestly, that had zero to do with anything," Greinke said. Greinke, wearing a black cap with a red bill and a snake insignia, declined to say whether the Dodgers approached him about a new contract last season, or whether any lack of discussion led him to believe his future might lie elsewhere. "For some reason, I don't feel comfortable answering that question," he said. "I don't know why." He said he did not take offense that the team that fielded the highest payroll in North American sports history chose not to afford him. "People say they have unlimited resources. ... There's still a limit," Greinke said. "You have to do what is smart for the team." Greinke laughed at the question of whether he spent the off-season in California. "No," he said. "Taxes are too high out here." Greinke is not scheduled to face the Dodgers in this series. In his first 10 innings with the Diamondbacks, he has given up 11 runs. In their first 43 innings entering play Tuesday, the Dodgers' starting rotation has given up 14 runs.

DODGER INSIDER

‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ star Terry Crews on the Dodgers, sports, acting and life By Jon Weisman

Terry Crews is as big as they come, but his heart is even bigger. And Dodger Stadium has played a not-so-small part in that. The actor, author, artist and former NFL player, currently co-starring on Fox’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” explained why Blue Heaven on Earth is so particularly important to him. Simply, it began with a desire to find something, in between 12-hour workdays on set and the endless cycle of travel, to find an activity to share with his wife and four children. But, as Crews recalled, the Dodger Stadium experience became much more than eating hot dogs and cheering for home runs. “A lot of people have a lot of different reasons for loving the Dodgers, and most of the time they have to do with baseball, but for me, it has a lot more to do with family,” Crews said. “Because literally, my wife and I had been going through a really, really hard time, and in 2013 she was invited to sing the National Anthem, and I have to say it was kind of after we came out of this kind of darkness. “The moment she sang that National Anthem, the sun was going down, and I was there with my kids, the whole thing. We had spent 20 years raising our family, and she was now getting back into her music, and this was the culmination of that. I tell you, it meant so much to me that I actually made it the last chapter of my book. That was the moment that kind of summed everything up, that I knew I was going to be OK.” Three years later, as Crews told this story unsolicited, you could feel how much it continued to resonate with him. “When people say baseball is a very spiritual thing, it’s just what it is,” he continued. “It’s more than just about the games. It’s just so deep, and to me, it has tremendous meaning. I got kind of deep there, but really, that’s what it is. And really to this day, those Dodger games, every time I’m invited, if I can get there, I do. But I never go alone. I always have to bring a friend, a family member, kids. We go there, and we always are closer when it’s over. “When you start to appreciate the beauty of what this whole thing is, it’s a very spiritual experience. I don’t know what else to say … it was beyond belief. We would never have been able to get that anywhere else. It was once-in-a-lifetime.” Crews’ appreciation for baseball as a fan goes back years, though he admits he didn’t play much as a kid. “My big experience in baseball was kind of frustrating, because growing up in Michigan, the weather was always a factor,” he said. “It would be freezing, and I would always go to from football to basketball to track once everything thawed out, and baseball was very hard to do. Plus, with fields being scarce — there would be a lot of basketball courts, but not a lot of fields. So my baseball experience is really, really limited. “But, one of my earliest memories — my first professional event I ever went to was a Tiger game. I remember all the students went down on the bus, and the big thing about baseball was you could actually enjoy the people around you while you’re watching the game. That was one of the biggest, most fun things (for) my friends and I — we could laugh and do all sorts of things, and then when something happened, we were like, ‘Oh yeah!’ ”

When fellow Michigan native Kirk Gibson and former Tiger came up to bat for the Dodgers during Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, Crews was in front of the television at his mother’s house. “Kirk Gibson — come on.” Crews marveled in recollection. ” I don’t care what sport you’re in, what you’re about, you gotta go, ‘My God — that’s incredible.’ I was literally sitting in my basement at home, back in Flint, Michigan. Incredible time.” Later, during an NFL career that began with the Rams and took him through San Diego, Washington and Philadelphia, Crews developed even greater respect for baseball players. “You know, it’s funny,” said Crews. “When I played on the Chargers, they would never switch the (playing surface) from the Padres. We’d play on the dirt. When we were at Jack Murphy Stadium, what I remember from the baseball field was, ‘Damn, there is no cushion over there. I remember scraping (myself) up. People feel like somehow that’s, ‘Oh that’s not real dirt — that’s kind of like this genetically modified dirt that it’s somehow softer when you fall.’ They think there’s a whole giant pad underneath that giant dirt. When were were playing, I was like, ‘This is dirt’ — and it hurt! “And I remember getting up scraped and the whole thing and it kind of made me imagine what it must feel like sliding, and I have much more equipment on than a baseball player. These guys are sliding around in this stuff all day. … it made me realize how hard this really was.” Crews also said he was more comfortable with the idea of a running back rushing toward him than a 99 mph fastball. “That ball is going so fast, it’s a projectile — it’s like a bullet,” Crews said. “You have to have a tremendous amount of courage every time you go to the plate, because you don’t know what’s going to happen — you really don’t know. There’s always this one chance, and this element of something could go wrong, and there’s been many examples of it going wrong and people being hurt. So you always have that excitement and adrenaline rush that ‘I have to be courageous to face this pitcher, every time I do it.’ Like I said, people think football players are tough, (but) man, baseball players have this whole other level of courage.” Though Crews has the prime physical pedigree among the “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” crew, he’s not the only sports fan. One of the show’s executive producers is Michael Schur, who under his alias Ken Tremendous co-authored the Fire Joe Morgan blog years back, and who partners with columnist Joe Posnanski on a fun and wide-ranging sports podcast. Several cast members are also fanatics. “Andy (Samberg) is a big, big sports nut,” Crews said. “Now, he’s from the Bay, so everything Bay-oriented, he’s in. He’s been super-disappointed in his 49ers right now, but to even it out, the Warriors are killing it, and I know he’s a Giants fan. Joe Lo Truglio is a gigantic baseball fan. He actually flew right after one of our episodes ended to go to the World Series. He was rooting for the Dodgers last year, major — they didn’t go, but he was always talking about it.” Where it really gets interesting with Crews is talking about his transition from athletics to acting. It wasn’t that he woke up one day after too many collisions on a football field and decided, ‘Hey, there must be easier ways to make a buck.’ Performing was on his mind from childhood.

“I was a big TV guy, and a lot of the comedies that were on TV back in the day, I was a big fan,” the 47-year-old Crews said. “I was a big Carol Burnett fan. I loved song-and-dance stuff. Big (on) Redd Foxx, with ‘Sanford and Son.’ I would watch all the sitcoms: ‘The Jeffersons,’ ‘All in the Family,’ that kind of stuff. But then I was a giant ‘Star Wars’ fan.” Talents like Jim Brown, Merlin Olson, Fred Dryer, and yes, O.J. Simpson (“I know, it’s like a dirty word right now,” Crews said) showed Crews that there was a path to the screen. “When you see athletes who made that transition into entertainment, it let me know it was possible,” he said. “I remember Alex Karras on ‘Webster,’ and (that was a) big thing because he was a Detroit Lion and everybody knew him in Michigan as a Lion. “It got to the point it was bad, because a lot of athletes felt a movie career was kind of owed them right after they decided to retire. And we found out really quick it didn’t work out that way with Shaq,” Crews added with a laugh. “And Shaq is my boy, but he’ll understand. But it’s one of those things, where you realize you really do have to be talented. I’m a big, big ‘Rocky’ fan. Sylevester Stallone is one of my good friends, but when you see Carl Weathers, knowing he was a professional football player and (then) he was Apollo Creed, I was like, ‘These are my heroes, these are the guys I was like — it’s possible. We can do this.” Some people take a long time to understand what Crews realized at a young age. He refused to sell himself short or let others try to. “You can do more than you think you can,” Crews maintained. “A lot of times, people try to make you choose. It’s funny because somehow, somewhere, we kind of have put it in our heads that you can only have one dream. But that’s not true. … You basically are more than one person, in different ways. You can reinvent yourself all the time. “I would tell any 16-year-old to always, always do it all. Don’t get so wrapped up in one thing to the exclusion of others. And the thing is, as long as you concentrate and focus very very well, you can do the two or three things extremely well. A lot of people try to convince you to give this up or give that up, but you have more time than you think. I mean, you stop playing video games, stop watching a couple of hours of TV — you gain another skill very quickly. It’s just a matter of how you spend your time and what you enjoy doing, because if you enjoy it – you’ll do it more.” The key, Crews said, is that the passion has to come from within you. “If your parents are “Do it!” that’s a whole other thing,” he pointed out. “That’s something I hear in the sports world from a lot of people. My parents never did, but I knew guys who were in the NFL who were like, ‘Man, I can’t wait to quit doing this.’ The only reason they were doing this was because their father or people in their family made them do “I always saw myself doing what I’m doing right now, and there’s other things that I’m doing that other people don’t know about. I’m an artist, I have some different companies, I want to be a restaurateur, (there’s) furniture that I’m designing, different stuff like that. This is stuff that I decided that I’m gonna do, because I like to do it.”

Crews has set an the example throughout his life. Go for it all, and never expect anything to be handed to you. “Look, you have to play the price,” Crews said. “No one does it for you. It’s one of those things, if you’ve got it and you want to do it, you’ll provably enjoy paying the price — that’s the best thing about it. To me, when you want something bad enough that you’re willing to save up for it, when you get it is one of the sweetest things of all time.” Dodgers can’t save Maeda’s strong start By Jon Weisman Dave Roberts preached faith in the Dodger bullpen after its latest tough outing. For the third time in the past four games, Dodger relievers surrendered a lead, with Pedro Baez and Chris Hatcher each allowing home runs in a 4-2 loss today to Arizona in the Dodger Stadium home opener (recapped by MLB.com). With his team at 4-4 after eight games, Roberts said it was too early to contemplate changes to the bullpen. “Right now, you want to give these guys confidence and give them opportunities,” he said. “I expect to be ahead in a lot of games late, and we’re gonna need ’em, if we want to have a great season. So for me, it’s way too early to think about changing the roles. “You’re seeing certain pitches that aren’t being executed, and over a certain time if that continues, then you’ve got to kind of entertain (changes). But right now, we’re just way too early.” Nick Ahmed became the second position player batting ninth to homer off the Dodgers in the past three games, popping a 349-foot homer off Baez, who was looking to protect a 1-0 lead for Kenta Maeda. Only three homers had been shorter in MLB this season. “The pitch that Petey threw to Ahmed,” Roberts said, “that was a 1-2 change that was down — it almost seemed like A.J. (Ellis) was getting ready to block the ball … and he hit a homer.” The tiebreaking homer in the eighth had a more logical length and source — familiar side-thorn Paul Goldschmidt, who blasted a 3-0 fastball from Hatcher 425 feet to center. Dodger relievers have now allowed five homers in their first 21 1/3 innings this season. According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, the homer was also the first of Goldschmidt’s career on a 3-0 count. “He’s not trying to throw a fastball center-cut,” Roberts said of Hatcher. “It kind of ran back over, and it was thigh-high.

“It’s a long season, and there are going to be ups and downs and guys are gonna struggle. … Right now, these guys aren’t throwing the ball as well as they’d like to or we’d like ’em to. But they’d be the first to say that.” Two more runs scored in the ninth off Louis Coleman, putting the Dodgers in a bigger hole as they hoped to salvage another pleasing start from Maeda. One day after turning 28, Maeda hit the first batter he faced and gave up a loud double to the last, but still pitched his second straight game of six shutout innings with four strikeouts. He was at his best beginning in the second inning, when he induced three straight outs after putting runners on second and third with none out. That launched a streak in which he retired 11 straight batters (Howie Kendrick error notwithstanding), and his only baserunner of the fifth was retired on a caught stealing with Goldschmidt at the plate. In Maeda’s final inning, with Wellington Castillo on first and two out in the top of the sixth, Jake Lamb lashed a double down the right-field line. Yasiel Puig corraled it, fired to third baseman Justin Turner (who was in right field on a shift), and Turner relayed home to Ellis for a putout. “Another great start by Kenta,” Roberts said. “He just can do a lot of different things, has a lot of different weapons. He competes, and actually can hit a little bit. But after six innings right there, I felt that he was stressed a little earlier, and then in that inning there was some stress and I felt that was a good time to get him out and go to the pen and give Petey a clean inning. According to Elias, Maeda is the third Dodger pitcher to begin his career with two scoreless starts, following fellow K-men Karl Spooner and Kazuhisa Ishii. Only three Los Angeles Dodger pitchers have begun with more consecutive scoreless innings than Maeda’s 12: Dave Stewart (18 1/3), Bob Welch (15 1/3) and Pedro Astacio (14). “Kenta’s a really bright guy, and he’s continuing to gather information,” Roberts said. “And actually, there were some times where he shook A.J., which is good. That’s kind of a sign that he’s starting to learn the hitters and learn their swings.” The Dodgers scored first on a pair of singles (including Kendrick in his first at-bat of 2016) and Ellis’ perfect squeeze bunt. That was mostly it for the offense, save for two hits apiece by reserve outfielders Kiké Hernandez and Trayce Thompson, and this natty bit of hand jive at second base by Puig. Corey Seager extended his hitting streak (dating back to last season) to 11 games with a ninth-inning leadoff double, and came around to score on two infield outs, but that was all for Los Angeles on this day. The mouse named Maury gives thanks to Vin By Cary Osborne

Minutes before he took the field on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium for the Dodgers’ Vin Scully tribute, Dodger legend Maury Wills reflected on a gift given to him from the Hall of Fame announcer. It’s a gift that has stayed with the 1962 National League MVP for more than 50 years. “Vin coined the phrase, ‘The Mouse that Roared,’” said Wills, the small-statured former shortstop who brought the stolen base back to baseball in the 1960s. “Not everybody has a nickname. When you get a nickname, then you know you’ve arrived.” Wills was the second Dodger legend, after Don Newcombe and before Sandy Koufax, who took the field during the ceremony honoring the legendary broadcaster in his final season. “I was the captain of the team,” Wills continued, “stealing the bases, getting the crowd reaction and Vin on the microphone. He coined that phrase, and it hung on a long time. I found that very flattering. “We all have to retire one day, I guess. A better thought is how I feel about Vin Scully. The greatest. A wonderful man. In the days I was with the Dodgers, we all flew on the Dodger plane as we flew around the league, and Vin was with us. I got to be interviewed by him Spring Training, regular-season games, postseason games. Just a tremendous baseball man and individual. Well-loved.” Speaking of retirement, Wills said he’s not there yet. During Spring Training, the 83-year-old told reporters 2016 would be his last year of helping out. Whether it was the excitement of Opening Day or not, he has not closed the door on coaching yet. “I said it in the spur of the moment,” explained Wills, who walked around Dodger Stadium this morning giving high-fives and posing for pictures with anyone who asked for one. “When the question was thrown at me, the emotion came out. That’s how I felt at the time. I can’t say for sure. What would I do if there were no baseball in my life? So let’s put that on the backburner for a while.” Emotional first-pitch salute to Vin Scully opens 2016 season at Dodger Stadium By Jon Weisman In a breathtaking experience that traversed Dodger history from Don Newcombe to Clayton Kershaw, Vin Scully received an emotional tribute before the first pitch of his final Opening Day at Dodger Stadium as the team’s broadcaster. Al Michaels, who was considered by some a possible successor to Scully four decades ago, hosted the tribute that mixed video (including messages from Henry Aaron and Kirk Gibson) with live presentations. The roll call of Dodgers that took the field went as follows: Newcombe, Maury Wills, Sandy Koufax, Al Downing, Rick Monday, Ron Cey, Steve Garvey, Bill Russell, Fernando Valenzuela, Orel Hershiser, Tommy Lasorda and Kershaw, with Magic Johnson and Peter O’Malley then escorting Scully on to the hallowed stadium grass, before an enormous standing ovation from the crowd.

A baseball autographed by every participant was then passed down the line to Scully, who truly looked moved by the moment and said afterward he was “overwhelmed.” Watching him from ground level, as the scoreboard camera circled around him for its closeup, I never felt more how much of a living legend we were privileged to know, and to call our own. No hits, 174 messages and the Opening Day moment for Ross Stripling By Cary Osborne Right in front of Ross Stripling’s locker was a bright pink suitcase. Yes, it’s his. It’s a bit humbling. Dodger players were given free suitcases during the Freeway Series. Stripling was the last to grab his and it was the only color that was left. “I can’t say it’s not easy to notice in the baggage claim,” Stripling said. Even without the suitcase, Stripling has the humility to realize that his moment on April 8 won’t last forever. His 7 1/3 no-hit innings against the Giants in San Francisco gave him overnight fame. And the day after, he was removed from the marquee. “It happened fast,” he said on how long it took him to move forward. “The day after I pitched was Bumgarner-Kershaw, so I feel like I was forgotten about soon, which is good. I’d rather have it that way — get back to the grind, getting into a routine, start prepping for the D’Backs. For me it’s day three now. I’ll get into the video room, get into all that stuff, how I attack them. So that means you forget about the last one. You have to have a short memory, whether it’s good or bad.” But this memory was so good it had some life. When he reached his locker after the game, he had 174 text messages on his phone. Then there were messages on social media. “Social media was insane, too,” he said. “Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, I really couldn’t keep up with it. Finally I caught up with the social media stuff yesterday.” The fact that Stripling even got the ball on April 8 in the first place was, insane is not the word, but incredible. Stripling missed 2014 due to Tommy John surgery and returned last June 14 to compete in a game for the first time. Things had to fall in place for Stripling, who still has yet to pitch in Triple-A, for get the start in San Francisco. He was impressive in his first three Spring Training outings, then surrendered

three home runs and five earned in his only spring start on March 29. But Mike Bolsinger and Brandon Beachy got hurt. Stripling won the No. 5 spot in the rotation over Carlos Frias and Zach Lee, two pitchers with big league experience. And to throw 7 1/3 innings of no-hit ball? No one expected that. “I think initially, he’s just a great way about him,” said Dodger manager Dave Roberts. “There’s a confidence, just kind of the way he carries himself – his mound presence, when he was working the pens, the live BPs, his interaction with the pitching coach. And obviously, his mix – he’s got great command, he’s got repeatable mechanics. And so I think that when you’ve got those components, and you’ve got a game plan that can execute, you’ve got a good chance. “Did I see him throwing no-hit ball for 7 1/3? Absolutely not. But I knew he was going to compete and make pitches. And so to kind of get his feet wet in that environment … it’s great for him, and great for us.” Stripling said he feels good today. He said he was a little fatigued after the game — physically and mentally. The 100 pitches he threw on April 8 were the most since he has come back from surgery. But he was able to throw his bullpen on Sunday, as scheduled and felt strong. Now to the next moment. For fans, and players, one of the most electrifying parts of the pregame pomp and circumstance on Opening Day is player introductions. It’s crossed Ross Stripling’s mind as to what the moment will be like when his name is called. “Hopefully somewhere in the middle,” Stripling said of what he anticipates the reception to be when his name is called. “I don’t think I’ll get a Kershaw applause. Maybe something a little bit bigger than average would be nice. Whatever they give me is great. I’m just pumped to be here.” Grandal and Kendrick activated, Van Slyke to DL By Jon Weisman The Dodgers lost one more player to the disabled list but gained two back today. Howie Kendrick and Yasmani Grandal have returned to the active roster for the Dodgers, who placed Scott Van Slyke on the DL with lower back irritation. Kendrick is starting today at second base, but Dave Roberts added that he could see some time in left field in the short term (given the Dodgers’ quantity of injured outfielders and the strong start by infielder Chase Utley). Kendrick has 26 career MLB games in left, most recently in with the Angels. “We were talking about when Howie resigned with us, he was open to playing some outfield, so we might be dipping into that well,” Roberts said.

Kendrick is taking the roster spot of Micah Johnson, who was optioned late Monday. Though Grandal’s first start of the season won’t come until Wednesday, he could see action off the bench today. With three catchers now on the roster, Roberts wouldn’t need to hesitate to use Grandal as a pinch-hitter against Arizona’s bullpen. “I like him for today’s game against (Brad) Ziegler — he could come off the bench — and also, I like him against (Tyler) Clippard,” Roberts said. “So I think to have that flexibility, that left-handed bat off the bench, that helps in the game.” Van Slyke hurt himself in Saturday’s game, saying “I felt a jolt in my back when I stood up really quick for a pop fly in the outfield.” The Dodgers expect Van Slyke to be healthy within a week, but didn’t want to play a man down during that time. “You’ve seen how aggressive we are as far as putting people on the disabled list,” Roberts said. “For me, I’d rather err on that side, especially when we have the depth that we have, instead of playing with 24 or 23 guys for the next two or three days, or whatever it might be. If you’re talking about a bat, or you’re talking about Yasi’s forearm that was bothering him … I just feel that it’s best to take it out of the player’s hands. “There are certain games throughout the season and the player says, ‘It’s gonna be two days, I’m available, I can still help us.’ Then you kind of defer to them. But I think other times, you’ve got to be aggressive and make that move.” Roberts was eager to turn his focus to the game at hand today. He said that though he didn’t want to sound jaded about his first home Opening Day as manager, there was only one bit of pomp and circumstance that he was looking forward to. “When we’re shaking hands after the ninth inning,” Roberts said. What’s new and nifty at Dodger Stadium? By Yvonne Carrasco Several enhancements were made to Dodger Stadium this offseason. More standing room tables and stools were added to the top of the park, accessible to all fans, to give all a chance to take in picturesque Dodger Stadium. More memorabilia is now on display throughout Dodger Stadium, including added exhibits on the Top Deck, in the Press Box gallery on the Club Level and on the Field Level at the entries near the right- and left-field bullpen bars and at the baseline clubs. Several upgrades to the electrical infrastructure throughout Dodger Stadium were also made that increase lighting throughout the stadium, exterior stairs and pedestrian improvements to guide fans

safely through the parking lots and along the routes fans take when they use the Dodger Stadium Express. The newly rebranded BMW Club Suites, a setting to entertain clients, potential investors, reward employees or enjoy an evening out with friends and family, accommodate 15-30 persons, include 8-10 complimentary preferred parking passes and are packaged in certain locations with a complimentary food and non-alcoholic starter package. The BMW Club Suites will feature two BMW vehicle displays where fans will have the opportunity to enter a Dodger road trip sweepstakes. The Emirates Lounge is a newly designed space for accommodating larger groups of 30-70 guests. Well-appointed and modern, the Emirates Lounge serves to entertain clients, reward employees or celebrate special occasions. Ten to 20 preferred parking passes and a complimentary food and beverage starter package is also included. Offering the widest and most comfortable seats at Dodger Stadium, the Baseline Club seats are located on the Field Level from sections 26-44 on the first-base side and sections 27-45 on the third-base side. Ticket holders have access to the exclusive Ketel One Baseline Club on the first-base side and the newly rebranded, Don Julio Baseline Club on the third-base side of the stadium. The clubs feature complimentary food and non-alcoholic beverages, full bar, in-seat service, private restrooms and restaurant style seating. The Lexus Dugout Club is the most exclusive club at Dodger Stadium and offers the best seats in the house. With new enhancements for the 2016 season, the Lexus Dugout Club is an all-inclusive experience and features access to private bars, private restrooms, in-seat service and restaurant-style seating, featuring unlimited complimentary high-end Levy Restaurant food options and non-alcoholic beverages. Dodger Premium Sales can be reached at 866-DODGERS or via email at premiumtix@ladodgers.com. Dodger Stadium is also debuting a new look in all New Era stores which include black-wall backdrops and highlighted new product. A new location for New Era is also now at Loge section 150, a first-of-its-kind retail space which features new merchandise along with all on-field headwear. The Dodgers are also launching a Star Wars collaboration with pennants, cups and lanyards and a Marvel movie-series lanyard. Opening Day merchandise includes a 2016 Opening Day T-shirt, Opening Day pin and Opening Day baseball.

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Zach Lee, Adam Liberatore continue strong starts By Craig Minami Three of four Dodger affiliates won on Tuesday night, Oklahoma City, Rancho Cucamonga and Great Lakes won their games while Tulsa lost. Tulsa will have Wednesday off before having their home opener on Thursday.

Player of the day Oklahoma City left-handed reliever Adam Liberatore is making a case for himself to be considered for a spot on the Dodger bullpen. Liberatore has pitched in three games, including Tuesday night, and has been nearly perfect. He has pitched four scoreless innings total and has struck out 8 while walking 2. Triple-A Oklahoma CIty Trailing by a run going to the seventh inning, the Dodgers scored two runs to take the lead and added one more to win 4-2 over the Redbirds (Cardinals). Newly acquired outfielder James Ramsey had the key hit, an RBI double to tie the game and then Ramsey scored on an error. Zach Lee made his second start of the season and he gave up two runs in six innings, scattering nine hits while striking out six. Jacob Rhame and Adam Liberatore held the Redbirds scoreless while striking out five in their three innings. Alex Hassan and Corey Brown each had two hits. Jose Tabata singled and had an RBI. Double-A Tulsa After taking a 3-1 lead, the Drillers saw the Missions (Padres) score four unanswered runs to win 6-3 and take the series. Chase De Jong started for the Drillers and was ineffective, giving up four runs in three innings. Reliever Michael Johnson didn't fare much better when he gave up two runs in two innings. Jordan Schafer made his second pitching appearance and pitched two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Brandon Trinkwon hit a two-run home run and Jacob Scavuzzo doubled and scored a run. Class-A Rancho Cucamonga The Quakes returned to .500 with their second straight win over the 66ers (Angels),with a 6-5 comeback win. Outfielder Yusniel Diaz was hitless until he singled on Tuesday night. But it was Diaz's sacrifice fly that provided the winning run. Trevor Oaks started and pitched six solid innings, giving up three runs and five hits. Kyle Hooper would get the win in relief and Scott Griggs picked up his first save. Andrew Toles had three hits and he is now 12-for-24, Matt Beaty hit his first home run. Mike Ahmed didn't homer like his brother did a few hours earlier at Dodger Stadium but Ahmed did go 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Class-A Great Lakes The Loons defeated the TinCaps (Padres) 3-1 with outstanding pitching by Andrew Sopko, Adam Bray and Gavin Pittore. Those three combined to allow one run while striking out 15 and walking one.

Brendon Davis and Garrett Kennedy each had two hits, Omar Estevez singled and walked. Ariel Sandoval singled and scored a run. Tuesday scores Oklahoma City 4, Memphis 2 San Antonio 6, Tulsa 3 Rancho Cucamonga 6, Inland Empire 5 Great Lakes 3, Fort Wayne 1 Wednesday schedule 11:05 a.m. - Fort Wayne (Austin Smith) at Great Lakes (Victor Gonzalez) 4:35 p.m. - Oklahoma City (Jharel Cotton) at Memphis (J.C. Sulbaran) 7:05 p.m. - Inland Empire (Justin Anderson) at Rancho Cucamonga (Brock Stewart) No bullpen shake up just yet for Dodgers By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES -- The good news is that the Dodgers have led in the sixth inning or later in all eight of their games this season. The bad news is that the team has lost four of those games, with the four losses coming in the last five games. The latest defeat was a 4-2 loss to the Diamondbacks in Tuesday's home opener at Dodger Stadium that saw the bullpen give up all four runs. Dodgers starting pitchers have a 2.55 ERA in the early going while averaging 6.17 innings per start. But the bullpen has a 6.65 ERA that is just one tick away from the mark of the beast yet still bad enough to bedevil fans. But not yet manager Dave Roberts, who admits things aren't going so well in the bullpen, but also noted that it was too early to make any rash changes. "I definitely am seeing things," Roberts said. "I don't want to be reactionary." Arizona hit two home runs off Dodgers relievers that got two different reactions postgame. The first one was from Nick Ahmed in the seventh inning, on a 1-2 pitch with two outs. "The pitch that Petey threw to Ahmed, that was a 1-2 change that was down," Roberts said. "It almost seemed like A.J. [Ellis] was ready to block the ball." Ahmed hit it out to tie the score at 1-1.

"It was exactly where I wanted it," Ellis said. "I give Nick Ahmed a lot of credit, he took a ball that was borderline going to bounce." The go-ahead shot came from Paul Goldschmidt in the eighth inning, continuing his ownership of the Dodgers. It was a 3-0 fastball down the middle from Chris Hatcher. "That's a pitch you'd definitely have to take back," Roberts said. In his career Goldschmidt is hitting .338/.400/.625 against the Dodgers, with 22 home runs and 65 RBI in 77 games. Hatcher said he didn't want to throw that pitch where it ended up. "I'm not trying to challenge him," Hatcher said. "I just missed. Belt high. "Things happen. You learn from them, but you have to minimize it. You just have to make better pitches, and right now I'm not making very good pitches. The ball isn't going where I want it, and I'm trying to figure out why." The Dodgers in games they led at the beginning of the sixth inning last year were 65-10 (.867), ahead of the league-wide winning percentage of .830 in those games. This year, they are 3-3. But for now, it appears there will be no shake up in the bullpen, at least for now. "I just want to continue to give these guys confidence, and continue to give them opportunities. We expect to be ahead in a lot of games late, and we're going to need them," Roberts said. "It's way too early to think about changing roles." Notes Howie Kendrick played left field in the ninth inning, his first game at the position since June 4, 2013 with the Angels. It was his 27th career game at the position. Roberts before the game said, "We talked when Howie re-signed with us, he was open to play outfield. I think we might dip into that well." Corey Seager doubled in the ninth inning to extend his hitting streak to 11 games, which dates back to 2015. Seager was 1-for-3 with a walk and during the streak is hitting .372/.417/.535. Kiké Hernandez was 2-for-5 on the day from the leadoff position, including 2-for-3 against Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin. Hernandez is 4-for-6 with a double so far against left-handed pitching this season. Hatcher said he didn't hear the boos as he walked off the field in the eighth inning after giving up the go-ahead home run then loading the bases, but added, "I deserved it.". Up next

Alex Wood starts for the Dodgers on Wednesday night, a 7:10 p.m. PT start in the middle game of the series. Rubby De La Rosa starts for the Diamondbacks. Dodgers can't finish what they started in home opener By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES -- The dangerous Paul Goldschmidt struck again, but he wasn't alone for the Diamondbacks, who scored four runs against the Dodgers bullpen for a 4-2 victory to spoil the home opener on Tuesday afternoon for Los Angeles. The Dodgers pitching staff — not just the bullpen — blew leads in San Francisco in the sixth inning, the eighth inning and the fourth inning, so in a way Tuesday was just filling out another box in an increasingly disappointing bingo card. The blown lead on Tuesday came in the seventh inning, when Nick Ahmed lined a ball over the short wall in left field with two outs against Pedro Baez, tying the game at 1-1. One inning later, Chris Hatcher grooved a 3-0 fastball to Goldschmidt, who deposited it into the left field pavilion, giving Arizona the lead. After getting the second out of the inning, Hatcher loaded the bases and was pulled, but Louis Coleman got the final out of the frame to keep the Dodgers within a run. Goldschmidt has 19 home runs and 54 RBI in his last 53 games against the Dodgers, dating back to the beginning o 2013. But after threatening and coming up short in the bottom of the eighth, the Dodgers allowed two more runs in the ninth, both coming off Coleman. Through eight games, the Dodgers starting pitchers have allowed 14 runs in 49⅓ innings, while their bullpen has allowed 16 runs in 21⅔ innings. Good start Kenta Maeda continued where he left off last week, only in this start he had to work out of more jambs. But despite Arizona putting runners on second and third base with nobody out in the second inning, then threatening again in the sixth, the results were pretty much the same. Maeda pitched six scoreless innings, allowing five hits while striking out four, identical to his start in San Diego. The only difference on Tuesday was that he walked a batter this time around. The Diamondbacks were kept off the board in the sixth inning thanks to spectacular throws from Yasiel Puig and Justin Turner after a double into the corner by Jake Lamb, retiring catcher Welington Castillo, who was trying to score from first base.

"It was really encouraging to see him pitch out of trouble. Second and third, none out, to get out of that jam was really big for us at that point in the game," catcher A.J. Ellis said. "For him to give us six really strong innings today gave us a great chance to win the game, but we weren't able to come through." With the zeroes to his ledger, Maeda became just the third Dodgers pitcher since 1913 to open his career with two scoreless starts, joining Karl Spooner (1954) and Kaz Ishii (2002). Tuesday particulars Home runs: Nick Ahmed (2), Paul Goldschmidt (3) WP - Tyler Clippard (2-0): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 strikeout LP - Chris Hatcher (1-1): ⅔ IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 2 walks Sv - Brad Ziegler (1): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 run, 1 strikeout Yasiel Puig somehow avoids tag on hustle double By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES -- Yasiel Puig singled to left field in the fifth inning on Tuesday, only he never stopped running. The throw to Jean Segura was a bit wild, then ... this happened. (GIF) That Puig managed to evade the tag there (upheld on replay review as well) is pretty amazing. That's a double, by the way. Watch the Vin Scully pregame ceremony and first pitch from Dodgers home opener By Eric Stephen A cornucopia of Dodgers legends showed up for Vin Scully's 67th and final home opener as the team's broadcaster. Al Michaels first narrated a video tribute to Scully, then was on field to introduce the various Dodgers legends, as a sort of timeline of Scully's career. Here is the video shown on DodgerVision first: Don Newcombe came out first, the starting pitcher for Scully's first broadcast, in 1950. He was followed by... Maury Wills Sandy Koufax video tribute from Hank Aaron (Scully called his 715th home run)

Al Downing, who allowed Aaron's 715th home run Rick Monday Steve Garvey, Bill Russell and Ron Cey (the other member of The Infield­™, Davey Lopes, is working in Washington) Fernando Valenzuela video tribute from Kirk Gibson ("Thank you for being on the soundtrack to my career.") Orel Hershiser Tommy Lasorda Clayton Kershaw (Scully's 25th and last no-hitter, to date) Scully was then escorted to the batters box by Magic Johnson and former owner Peter O'Malley, then was presented with a baseball signed by all the players listed above. The video isn't able to embed just yet, but you can watch part of that here. After several minutes of ovation from the crowd, the players announced Scully's trademark "It's time for Dodger baseball." The ceremony ran so long that the umpires were in a hurry to get the game started. It started so quickly after the pregame ceremony that Scully didn't make it to his booth in time to call the first pitch. Once Scully did reach the booth and was on the air, without missing a beat he said, "The stairs get steeper every year, so it took us a little time." Thanks to Bennett Hipp for that last quote.

ESPN LA

MLB Rumor Central: Dodgers preach patience with bullpen By Doug Mittler The early-season bullpen woes of the Los Angeles Dodgers continued Tuesday when three relievers allowed four runs in a 4-2 loss to the Diamondbacks, wasting six scoreless innings by starter Kenta Maeda. The Dodgers’ bullpen ERA ballooned to 6.65, including a well-documented meltdown by Chris Hatcher on Friday in San Francisco that followed 7 1/3 scoreless innings by rookie Ross Stripling. Louis Coleman, who appeared to be in line for a more significant role, allowed a pair of insurance runs in Tuesday’s home opener. The Dodgers have been unable to find a suitable setup man to get the ball to closer Kenley Jansen, and the only alternative is to stick with in-house solutions. “Manager Dave Roberts knows no team is going to deconstruct an entire bullpen and put it back together again eight days into a season, so he is leading the patience theme,” writes ESPN’s Doug Padilla.

Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times has a similar sentiment, noting the Dodgers can tread water for the time being. “In the eyes of rival evaluators, the Dodgers possess the talent to upgrade internally and the resources to pursue help as the trade deadline approaches,” McCullough notes. The Dodgers have signed three relievers — Dale Thayer, Sam LeCure and Sean Burnett — to minor league contracts, and could move one of their starters to the bullpen once Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy return from injuries, hopefully by June or July. Early reviews: Dodgers' bullpen a major work in progress By Doug Padilla LOS ANGELES -- What goes up must come down, but so far, gravity does not have much of a connection with the Los Angeles Dodgers' bullpen ERA. Chris Hatcher likened the Dodgers’ issues after eight games to an amusement-park ride, and not in the good way. Louis Coleman called it a test of your short-term memory. The start to Hatcher’s season has been particularly unsightly. If his 5.40 ERA fails to tell the tale, his issues in high-profile spots will. Last Friday he had the rare honor of entering a game in a no-hitter. He gave up a two-run home run to the first batter he faced in the eighth inning and the San Francisco Giants rallied for an improbable victory. On Tuesday, Hatcher took the loss in the home opener when the Arizona Diamondbacks went up for good in the eighth inning on a Paul Goldschmidt home run and eventually nailed down a 4-2 victory. While Hatcher isn’t running from any blame, he isn’t quite sure how to fix his issues either -- not yet, anyway. A question was prefaced Tuesday with the concept that there is no shame in giving up a home run to an MVP candidate like Goldschmidt. “No shame in it because you’re not throwing it,” Hatcher said. He was not mocking the question, but rather acknowledging the disappointment of not winning a battle against a fellow major leaguer, home-run Adonis or not. As they say, acknowledgement is the first step. “We have to pick it up as a collective group, and myself included in that,” Hatcher said. “The roller coaster’s got to stop and we have to start putting up zeroes.” It seems as if Kenley Jansen can put up zeroes, but the relievers can’t quite get to the burly right-handed closer. It’s hard to pinpoint a Dodgers set-up man at this point, much less a seventh-inning man. The group entered Tuesday with a 5.79 ERA, 12th in the 15-team National League. By Tuesday evening their bullpen ERA ballooned to 6.65.

Coleman seemed to be a candidate for a higher-profile role, but even he gave up two Diamondbacks insurance runs in the ninth inning after getting out of a bases-loaded mess that he inherited in the eighth inning with a strikeout of Rickie Weeks Jr. He also gave up a run Sunday at San Francisco. Coleman also refused to buy into excuses, like the fact that the bullpen’s woes are magnified because it is the start of the season, a time when negatives and positives tend to get overanalyzed. “I don’t think so -- it’s part of the game,” he said. “You’re going to hit some bumps every now and then, so I don’t think it gets magnified early.” There is acknowledgement all around that it needs to get better, but nobody wants the side effects that come with panic. Manager Dave Roberts knows no team is going to deconstruct an entire bullpen and put it back together again eight days into a season, so he is leading the patience theme. It will take him much further in his clubhouse than scrambling the bullpen roles this early in the game. “I’m definitely seeing things, but I definitely don’t want to be reactionary,” Roberts said. It’s a fine line, just as it was with Hatcher in the eighth inning, when down in the count 3-0 to Goldschmidt. Hatcher was still trying to play it cautious, even if it meant putting the go-ahead runner on base with a walk. It didn’t work. “I’m not challenging him right there,” Hatcher said. “I’m trying to go above the zone. I feel that’s my safe spot with him and I just left it belt high.” The same issue happened two batters later, when Welington Castillo doubled. “The ball’s not going where I want it and I have to figure out why,” Hatcher said. “I’m trying to go up on Castillo, I’m trying to go up on Goldschmidt and both of them [hit it]. I don’t know if it’s mechanical. Maybe my aim point is wrong. But we’ll figure it out.” It appears he will continue to get chances to figure it out, and those chances will continue to come in the late innings. “Right now you want to give these guys confidence and give them opportunities,” Roberts said. “I expect them to be in a lot of games late, and we’re going to need them. If we want to have a great season, a winning season, we’re going to need those guys in the pen. So, for me, it’s way too early for me to think about changing roles.” But perhaps it is the time to go with the hot hand in the late innings and not permanently commit to a change in roles, right? “It’s not right now,” Roberts said. So it will continue to be a matter of the relay team figuring out how to get the baton to Jansen.

“Yeah, its baseball; it’s going to happen and it won’t be the last time it happens and it won’t be the next-to-last time it happens,” Coleman said when asked if the bullpen appreciates it that Roberts isn’t going to panic. “It’s going to happen. You just have to come back and play again.” Until it gets figured out, there could be more boos, like the ones heaped on Hatcher from a packed house of 53,279. “It happens,” he said. “I deserved it.” Kenta Maeda strong, but Los Angeles Dodgers' bullpen fades again By Doug Padilla LOS ANGELES -- Kenta Maeda is the latest Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher to get victimized by the team's bullpen. After pitching six scoreless innings, relievers Pedro Baez and Chris Hatcher each gave up home runs and the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied for a 4-2 victory Tuesday in the Dodgers' home opener. It was shades of Friday when rookie Ross Stripling threw 7 1/3 hitless innings only to see Hatcher give up a two-run home run to the first batter he faced. On Sunday, the bullpen had its struggles again, but so did starter Scott Kazmir. Perhaps an inconsistent offense was as much a reason for the Dodgers' issues as the relievers on Tuesday. The Dodgers had hits in every inning but the fourth, but scored only in the second inning on a squeeze bunt from A.J. Ellis and again in the ninth on a Yasmani Grandal groundout. Two starts into his Dodgers career and Maeda is making life difficult on the National League West. And he is getting some defense behind him as well. Thanks to a brilliant relay throw from Yasiel Puig to Justin Turner to Ellis, the Dodgers cut down Welington Castillo at the plate in the sixth inning. In his start last week against the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers also threw out a runner at the plate. But starting pitching and defense have not been the club's issues thus far. Even the offense can't be blamed. The bullpen is where the red flags are raised highest. Goldschmidt homers to help D-backs beat Dodgers 4-2 By AP LOS ANGELES -- Paul Goldschmidt is finding his stroke early in the season, something he always seems to do against the Dodgers.

Goldschmidt hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning and drove in another run, and the Arizona Diamondbacks won 4-2 Tuesday, spoiling the Dodgers' home opener in Vin Scully's final season. Goldschmidt gave the D-backs a 2-1 lead with his second homer of the season off Chris Hatcher (1-1). Goldschmidt homered for the second straight game and has done so in four of his last five against the Dodgers dating to last season. "It was a nice come-from-behind win, especially against these guys," Goldschmidt said. "Hopefully, we'll be battling them the whole year with the rest of the division. It's a tough division, so these guys mean a little bit extra because you're trying to get that playoff spot." Ahead 3-0 in the count, Arizona manager Chip Hale gave Goldschmidt the hit sign. "It's one of the things I always tried to instill in my guys, to be comfortable hitting 3-0," Hale said. "He got a pitch to hit, and you trust him. When you trust a guy, that's when you give him the 3-0 hit sign." Arizona added two more runs in the ninth on Socrates Brito's triple and Goldschmidt's groundout to shortstop. After Goldschmidt's homer, Hatcher gave up a two-out double to Welington Castillo before issuing consecutive walks to Jake Lamb (intentional) and Yasmany Tomas that loaded the bases. Hatcher departed to boos. "I deserve it. Right now I'm not making good pitches," Hatcher said. "The roller coaster has to stop and we got to put up some zeros." Kenta Maeda allowed five hits over six scoreless innings, struck out four and walked one in becoming the first Japanese pitcher to start a Dodgers home opener since Hideo Nomo in 1996 and 2004. Except for the walk, his line was identical to that of his 7-0 win last week at San Diego in his major league debut. "Maybe the only good thing we did off of him was that we kind of pitch-counted him, so his pitch count got deep," Hale said. "They had to go to the bullpen, which is a good bullpen, but we've had some history against those guys. And now we have a little history against Maeda." Tyler Clippard (2-0) gave up one hit in one inning and striking out one. Brad Ziegler pitched the ninth to earn his first save. Arizona tied the game 1-all on Nick Ahmed's home run off reliever Pedro Baez with two outs in the seventh. Arizona starter Patrick Corbin gave up one run and six hits in six innings. The left-hander struck out one and walked one. FUN TO WATCH Yasiel Puig entertained the sellout crowd of 53,279 on the base path and in the field.

In the fifth, Puig legged out a double and overslid the bag, putting him in a game of cat and mouse with second baseman Jean Segura. Sprawled on his stomach in the dirt, Puig initially touched the bag with his right hand while a fully stretched Segura rested his left glove in the middle of the base. Then Puig quickly stuck out his left hand and the umpire signaled safe. The D-backs challenged the call when it appeared Puig touched Segura's glove with his left hand, but it was upheld after a review lasting 3 minutes, 51 seconds. In the sixth, Puig played a ball barehanded off the wall in right field and his throw to third baseman Justin Turner got Castillo out. HONORING SCULLY The Dodgers brought out some of their greats before the game to honor 88-year-old broadcaster Scully, who is retiring at season's end after 67 years. Don Newcombe, who started Scully's first opening day in Brooklyn in 1950, began a relay of the ball that went through the hands of Maury Wills, Sandy Koufax, Al Downing, Fernando Valenzuela, Orel Hershiser, Tom Lasorda and Clayton Kershaw before Scully got it. He was escorted to home plate by Dodgers co-owner Magic Johnson and Peter O'Malley, whose father Walter brought the team west from Brooklyn. Scully then hustled from the field to his upstairs booth, but not in time to announce the game's first batter. He was well-prepared for the D-backs' No. 2 hitter, Socrates Brito, with Scully spinning stories about the Greek philosopher with the same name who was sentenced to death by drinking poisoned hemlock. D-BACKS' PEN Arizona's relievers brought a 4.56 ERA into the game and held the Dodgers scoreless over the final three innings -- with Clippard, Daniel Hudson and Ziegler doing the job. "I want to give these guys as much confidence right now in what they're doing," Hale said. "You always look at the numbers and then you trust your gut. Those three guys are interchangeable, but Zig has been our closer now for a year and a half." TRAINER'S ROOM Dodgers: Placed IF-OF Scott Van Slyke on 15-day DL with low back irritation retroactive to Sunday, once again giving the team 10 players on the DL, the same number that were on it to start the season. Van Slyke is 1 for 9 with a double and two RBI in four games. ... C Yasmani Grandal (right forearm tightness) and 2B Howie Kendrick (strained left calf) were reinstated from the 15-day DL. UP NEXT D-backs: RHP Rubby De La Rosa (0-1, 16.20 ERA) starts Wednesday, his fifth career start against his former team. Dodgers: LHP Alex Wood (0-1, 9.00) makes his eighth career start against Arizona. He is 1/3 with a 3.96 ERA.

Latest moves give Dodgers three active catchers By Doug Padilla LOS ANGELES -- As expected, the Los Angeles Dodgers added Howie Kendrick and Yasmani Grandal to the active roster for Tuesday’s home opener. Micah Johnson already was optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday to open one roster spot, and the second one was made available when Scott Van Slyke was placed on the 15-day disabled list with lower back discomfort. Kendrick, who started the season the 15-day disabled list with a strained left calf, was in the starting lineup for Tuesday’s home opener playing second base. Grandal, who was out with right forearm tightness, did not start but was available off the bench. The roster moves mean the Dodgers will carry three catchers for the time being. A.J. Ellis started Tuesday’s game, and Austin Barnes was also available. Manager Dave Roberts said the set-up allows him to use Grandal as a pinch hitter if necessary and not worry about not having a catcher in case of an emergency. Kendrick and Grandal are the first two players to return from what was a devastating spring, injury-wise. When the Opening Day roster was announced on March 3, the club had 10 players on the disabled list. Those in line to return as the season progresses are Mike Bolsinger, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Frankie Montas and Brandon McCarthy. “I think that we’re doing a lot of things well, and I’ve said it from Day 1 that if we play the game the right way, do things well, we compete pitch to pitch, then with our talent I like where we’re going to end up,” Roberts said. “If somebody would have said 4-3 after the first seven games, you’d say I’d take it, that’s a good start, especially with health.” Uni Watch: L.A. Dodgers display new 3-D look on batting helmet By Paul Lukas The Los Angeles Dodgers are making two changes to their batting helmets -- one of which is unprecedented in MLB history. The Dodgers today unveiled new matte-finish batting helmets for their home opener. Several other MLB teams have recently changed their helmet finish from glossy to matte, including the Dodgers' opponents today, the Arizona Diamondbacks. But the Dodgers' new helmets have a unique feature: The team's familiar interlocking "LA" logo is raised from the helmet shell instead of being flat against it, creating a three-dimensional effect. The "LA" lettering projects outward only about three millimeters from the helmet's surface, but that's enough to create a noticeable sense of depth unlike anything seen on a typical batting helmet. Of the

other 29 MLB teams, 28 of them use flat decals for their helmet logos. The Chicago Cubs use an adhesive embroidered cloth patch that provides a greater sense of texture, but it doesn't create the same 3D effect as the Dodgers' new headwear mark. "We wanted to go with the matte helmet, but we wanted to make it our own," said Mitch Poole, the team's equipment manager. "So we thought we'd go with the three-dimensional look." Poole kept the new helmets a secret until today's home opener. The Dodgers wore conventional glossy helmets with standard logo decals during spring training and for their season-opening six-game road trip. Even the team's players didn't know about the new headgear until just prior to today's game. The new helmets will be worn for the balance of the 2016 season. Ross Yoshida, the Dodgers' director of graphic design, said the process for creating the new helmets began last year, when the team's chief marketing officer, Lon Rosen, suggested that the matte finish would be a good look. "Lon loves for us to be the first to do things, but he didn't realize that other teams had already gone with the matte," said Yoshida. "I said, 'Lon, the Diamondbacks and Pirates have already done that. But we could do something new with the logo.'" Yoshida initially proposed an embroidered cloth logo patch, similar to what the Cubs use. "We even cut out the logo from a cap and pasted it onto a sample matte helmet, just to see how it looked," he said. "It was OK, but we wouldn't have been the first to do it, because of the Cubs." He said there was also some concern about the white cloth logo getting dirty over the course of the year. "Then I thought about football helmet nose bumpers," said Yoshida, referring to the raised logos used by an increasing number of football teams in recent years. "Nobody had ever done that in baseball. So that was the inspiration." The football nose bumper logos are made from rubber and cast from molds. But the logos on the Dodgers' helmets are plastic and were produced on a 3D printer. They were supplied by Pro Helmet Decals, a Florida vendor with broad experience in sports graphics. The project has provided some challenges. Because the plastic logos are rigid and the helmet shells are rounded, for example, the logo's underside had to be concave to match the curvature of the helmet, which in turn meant the logos had to be positioned very carefully on the helmets. "You do have to get it on just the right spot, or else it won't be flush against the surface," said Pro Helmet Decals owner David Sulecki. "But it's not difficult to find that spot. You can feel it." In addition, nobody knows how sturdy the plastic logos will turn out to be as players toss their helmets around during the course of the season. "The original plan was to test them in spring training, but then we decided to make it a surprise at the home opener," said Yoshida. "Will they break? Will they chip? Will they fall off? We're in uncharted territory here. But hey, you have to take a risk sometimes." For his part, Poole said, "They may fall off once in a while, but I'll have some super-glue in my pocket, just in case."

It might sound like a lot of fuss over such a small element, but that's what happens when a team is doing something that's never been done. And if it looks as good on the field as the Dodgers think it will, don't be surprised if other teams follow with 3D helmet logos of their own.

LA DAILY NEWS

Dodgers bullpen squanders another lead in loss to Diamondbacks By JP Hoornstra Howie Kendrick finished Tuesday’s game in left field, something he doesn’t do very often. Kendrick is 32 years old and has played 1,080 games at second base in an 11-year career. His role has changed out of necessity. Scott Van Slyke became the third Dodgers left fielder to go on the disabled list since the season began last week. Meanwhile, manager Dave Roberts insisted he wasn’t about to change the roles in his bullpen, even after the Dodgers squandered a lead for the fourth time in their last five games. This loss came in the first home game of the regular season, 4-2 at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks before a sold-out crowd of 53,279. To Roberts, the urgency to fix the bullpen hasn’t reached the point of necessity. “It’s a long season,” Roberts said. “There’s going to be ups and downs, and guys are going to struggle. Right now these guys aren’t throwing the ball as well as they’d like to, or we’d like ‘em to. But they’d be the first to say that. For me, it’s just a matter of continuing to run ‘em out there.” Arizona scored all its runs after Kenta Maeda threw six shutout innings in his second major league start. Pedro Baez relieved Maeda and allowed a 345-foot line drive by Nick Ahmed to sneak out over the short left field porch for a home run. That tied the game 1-1. Chris Hatcher (1-1) relieved Baez and allowed a solo home run by Paul Goldschmidt to begin the eighth inning, giving the Diamondbacks a 2-1 lead. Hatcher stayed in the game long enough to load the bases before Louis Coleman struck out Rickie Weeks Jr. to end the inning.

But Coleman was tagged for two runs in the ninth inning ‑ on an RBI triple by Socrates Brito and an RBI

groundout by Goldschmidt ‑ to put the game away. In eight games, the Dodgers’ bullpen has allowed 16 earned runs in 21 2/3 innings, while the starters have allowed only 14 in 49 1/3 innings. The trend only emerged after the Dodgers won three games in San Diego to begin the season while outscoring the Padres 25-0.

“Right now you want to continue to give these guys confidence and give them opportunities,” Roberts said. “We’re going to need those guys in the ‘pen.” The bullpen’s failures have undermined several reasons to celebrate. Maeda produced an identical stat

line to his major league debut last Wednesday ‑ six innings, five hits, no runs, five strikeouts ‑ despite inferior command. He shook off catcher A.J. Ellis a few times, something he didn’t do at all in his first start. Also just like his debut, Maeda needed a stellar play at the plate to preserve his perfect earned-run average. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Jake Lamb laced a double into the right-field corner with a runner on base. Yasiel Puig picked the ball up on the warning track, relayed it to third baseman Justin

Turner ‑ who had shifted to the right side of the infield against Lamb ‑ and Turner’s throw home beat Wellington Castillo for a dramatic out. Ellis’ squeeze bunt in the second inning brought home Kendrick, who was returning from a calf injury that forced him to miss the season’s first seven games. Kiké Hernandez and Trayce Thompson had two hits apiece, solidifying their spots in the lineup against left-handers. Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin allowed six hits in six innings, and was removed with a 1-0 deficit. Corey Seager doubled to lead off the ninth inning, extending his hitting streak to 11 games. He scored on an RBI groundout by pinch-hitter Yasmani Grandal. Like Kendrick, Grandal was playing his first game of the season following a DL stint. If the bullpen roles or personnel don’t change, maybe the Dodgers’ best solution is to extract more innings from their starters. So far, however, Roberts and the front office have wielded a fairly short leash. No starter has been allowed to throw more than 100 pitches in a game, and no one with fewer than three Cy Young Awards on his shelf has faced a team four times through the lineup. Rookie Ross Stripling was removed in the middle of a no-hitter Friday. Maeda was pulled from his shutout Tuesday after 95 pitches. “Ideally I would have thrown less pitches,” he said through an interpreter, “but I understand my pitches were creeping up a bit and there were many times there were runners on base, so I understand that I had to be pulled out of the game.” Maybe Vin Scully had the right idea. A pregame ceremony to honor the 88-year-old broadcaster made him late to the press box, so the broadcast on SportsNet LA and 570-AM went silent while Maeda delivered his first pitch. This is Scully’s 67th and final year with the Dodgers, and he couldn’t remember the last time a game began without him. “I think they were trying to slow (the players) down, but Roberts said ‘go out,’” Scully said. Lately, the Dodgers have rewarded the late arrivers. The games only get interesting at the end.

Dodgers honor married Air Force sergeants, first 40,000 get hooded sweatshirts By City News Service LOS ANGELES — Married U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgts. Ruben and Olivia Munoz of Chino will be honored as the Military Heroes of the Game tonight when the Los Angeles Dodgers play host to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second game of their three-game series. The couple met in the Air Force where Olivia has served has served for 14 years with deployments to Kyrgyzstan, Qatar and Kuwait. Ruben has served for four years, including a deployment to Balad Air Base Iraq. IndyCar driver Charlie Kimball, the third-place finisher in last year’s Indianapolis 500 and leader of the race for 10 laps, will throw the ceremonial first pitch, four days before he races in the Long Beach Grand Prix. Kimball was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2007 and was forced to abandon his racing program midseason. He returned to racing in 2008, finishing second in his first race. Kimball began racing in the IndyCar Series in 2011, and is the first licensed driver on the circuit with diabetes. He had 10 top 10 finishes in both 2014 and 2015. He won the Honda Indy at Mid-Ohio in 2013, becoming the first driver with diabetes to win an IndyCar race. Kimball was raised in Camarillo. On his Twitter profile he wrote, “Off track, I’m either on my Axis boat or cheering for Stanford & the Dodgers.” Haley Reinhart, who finished third in the 2011 season of “American Idol,” will sing the national anthem. The first 40,000 fans in attendance will receive an adult hooded sweatshirt. The Diamondbacks will wear red jerseys after wearing their alternate road gray jerseys in Tuesday’s series opener, a team official said. Arizona has eight uniform options. Auto gates will open at 4:40 p.m. and stadium gates at 5:10 p.m. The Dodgers will take batting practice from 4:20-5:20 p.m. and Arizona from 5:25- 6:20 p.m. Pregame ceremonies, including the national anthem and ceremonial first pitch will begin at 6:57 p.m., with the game beginning at 7:10 p.m. Bonsignore: Dodgers bullpen already causing panic By Vincent Bonsignore

Eager to show everyone why it’s too early to panic, the Dodgers bullpen loaded up a couple of gallons of gasoline, doused the pitching mound with it at Dodgers Stadium, threw in a couple of sticks of dynamite and lit a match. And KA-BOOM went Opening Day against the Arizona Diamondbacks on an otherwise glorious April afternoon Tuesday in Los Angeles. Forget panic, how about straight up hysteria? You can talk all you want about small sample sizes, but eight games into the season the Dodgers bullpen hasn’t been able to hold a lead or maintain a tie score in four of them. Hence their 4-4 record after Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to Arizona in front of a sellout crowd at Chavez Ravine. So let the worrying commence. “We have to pick it up, collectively as a group and myself included in that,” said Chris Hatcher, a central figure in the early struggles after grooving a 3-0 belt-high fastball to Diamondbacks slugger Paul Goldschmidt for a booming eighth-inning home run and a 2-1 Arizona lead. Hatcher, you’ll remember, came on in relief of rookie Ross Stripling’s no-hit bid in the eighth inning last Friday against the Giants and promptly gave up a game-tying two-run home run in an eventual 3-2 Giants victory. It was more of the same Tuesday during another Dodgers’ bullpen implosion, this one a three-inning, three-pitcher, four-run nosedive in which another six scoreless innings from Dodgers rookie Kenta Maede went for naught. Maeda has now tossed 12 scoreless innings over two starts, but all he had for the effort Tuesday was handshakes and pats on the back. Thanks to a bullpen that is about as trustworthy as a Donald Trump stump speech. “This roller coaster has to stop. We have to start putting up some zeros,” Hatcher said, solemnly. The question is, are they really capable of consistently doing that over the course of a long season after showing precious few signs they can a week into the season? Dodgers first-year manager Dave Roberts continues to preach patience, insisting he isn’t contemplating any changes. But he didn’t sound all that convincing. “There’s definitely a point where you got to...” Roberts started, before catching himself. “I’m definitely seeing things (but) I definitely don’t want to be reactionary.” But how long can he stomach this kind of ineptness? For that matter, how much longer can the front office sit on its hands before providing Roberts some help?

It would be one thing if this group had a track record of success, but the reality is the bullpen has been an ongoing issue for three years. And patience would be much more understandable had the Dodgers front office done a dramatic makeover and the new pieces just needed time to mesh together. But this bullpen is essentially the same one from last year, and the 2015 version wasn’t a particularly strong one at that. Me, I’m all-in on panic mode. Maybe it’s already time for the Dodgers front office to start thinking about making some changes, a concept they egregiously neglected last winter. First, Pedro Baez surrendered a tying home run to Nick Ahmed with two outs in the seventh inning, obliterating another brilliant six-inning effort by Maeda and sending Dodgers fans reaching for the Maalox. They barely screwed the lid back on before Hatcher served up the booming home run to Goldschmidt. On a 3-0 pitch no less. “I’m not challenging him there,” Hatcher said, insisting he was trying to work above the zone. Instead, he grooved a fat fastball to one of the best power hitters in the game. “That’s a pitch he obviously has to take back,” Roberts said. Hatcher eventually loaded the bases before getting pulled, He departed to a chorus of boos as he slowly made his way to the dugout. “I deserved it,” he said. In the ninth, Louis Coleman gave up two more runs and all of a sudden Arizona led, 4-1, and fans were making the long walk out to the parking lot for a worrisome drive home. In the dugout, a frustrated Roberts could only watch. “Right now, you want to continue to give these guys confidence and give them opportunities,” Roberts said. “I expect to be in a lot of games late. We’re going to need ‘em (the relievers). To have a great season, have a winning season, we’re going to need those guys in the ‘pen.” But will they reward that patience? Eight games into the new season and four blown chances, it’s time to panic about the bullpen.

FOX SPORTS

Listen to Vin Scully tell a classic story about a no-hitter in 1952 By Brett Smiley Vin Scully has seen it all in his 67 seasons as the Voice of the Dodgers -- from miracles, misery and apparently also a prescient pitcher. During what looks like a photo shoot ahead of what will be his final home opener on Tuesday, the living legend told the folks gathered around a story about starting pitcher Carl Erskine in 1952. Watch courtesy SportsNetLA: That game was played on June 19 at Ebbets Field against the Chicago Cubs when the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn. Erskine nearly threw a perfect game but issued one free pass. An article by Bob Hurte for the Society for American Baseball Research sheds more light on that base-on-balls and a game of bridge the players used to kill time during a rain delay (condensed): It was a heavy, overcast day and rain was said to be imminent. Minutes before the game Vin Scully, the young Dodger announcer, came over and sat down next to Carl, who wondered out loud, "I wonder what the little pill has in store for me today?" Since it seemed that it would rain at any time, it was Carl's job to get the Cubs out quickly and get five innings in so the game could go into the books. Ramsdell, a notoriously weak hitter, stepped into the batter's box. For some unknown reason, Carl pitched Willard carefully and threw four successive balls to walk him. Then the skies opened and the rains came, causing the players to retreat to the clubhouse. It was the Dodger pastime during times like that to play cards. Bridge was their game of choice. They played for 40 minutes. Carl had just made a four-heart hand, when word came out that the game was on again. Erskine changed into a dry uniform. He went on to complete the game, winning 5-0 in route to pitching a no-hitter. If the game were played today, Erskine may have been pulled after the delay and the pitching left to a reliever. Scully has witnessed such an evolution. Tune in for the Dodgers' home opener against the Diamondbacks at 4:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

YAHOO! SPORTS

Vin Scully has already left a legacy as he begins farewell season with Dodgers By Tim Brown

LOS ANGELES – There is a corner of the world without hate or envy or gluttony and with a reasonable amount of compassion and levity, which isn't to say it is perfect there. Surely it is not. Except, and here's the thing, one day they took a thoroughfare named after the heavens and improved on it by naming it for this corner of the world. If it's still not perfect we're getting a little closer. Elysian Park Avenue becomes Vin Scully Avenue, and if only the man himself could widen that thoroughfare maybe more people would have seen him clap his hand over his heart before Tuesday afternoon's first pitch, a gesture that caught most square in their throats. It's getting on toward time to say goodbye, so close now that three generations of Dodgers fans would drag a finger down his sleeve, linger in a smile and tell him again about what a time they had. Remember how you always said hello, Vin? Do you? "Hi everybody and a very pleasant good evening to you wherever you may be." Remember those friends we had? "Swung on and missed, a perfect game!" And that night that we were so proud of? "A black man is getting a standing ovation in the deep South …" Remember that? That thing Monday did with the flag? "And Rick will get an ovation and properly so." It feels like we're running out of summers. The game has changed everywhere but in his telling of it. Those are still human beings out there, still ballplayers. They have flaws and stories and sometimes they do things we've never seen before, and then there's no sense putting a number by it when a few moments of quiet observation will do. Yeah, we're maybe running out of summers, and the men who led Vin to the field Tuesday afternoon are gray and bent. Their legs seem heavy. The game is so distant now and yet there, under their feet, all around them. Vin is 88 years old and has done something other than call Dodgers games for all but about 20 of them. Those years he spent falling in love with the idea. The rest, remembering why. On the final Opening Day of his 67th season, he stepped into the eighth-floor elevator at Dodger Stadium just after 10 a.m., the eighth floor being where the employees punch in and punch out and have their lockers. He wore a dark blue suit, a starchy white shirt and a striped tie. Sandy, his wife, was with him. They rode to the fifth floor and the doors opened to a crowd of people, three generations of Dodgers fans who would hear his voice, "Well, hello!" break into applause and think about the times they had, the people they knew.

Like Fernando, remember him? "If you have a sombrero, throw it to the sky!" Like Gibby, right? Ol' Gibby? "In a year that's been so improbable, the impossible has happened!" Like Clayton. "And there is one out to go. One miserable, measly out. Got him! He's done it!" Like the man he passed in the press box, who none of them would know. "How are you? Happy New Year!" Pick a night, really. Pick a good cry, a good laugh. Pick a summer he ran along with them, or made the best of. And then find an afternoon at the beginning of the last of those summers, Vin in the right-hand batter's box, the stadium rising behind him like a wave he rode in. Nearby stood Peter O'Malley and Magic Johnson, then Sandy Koufax and Don Newcombe, Maury Wills, Fernando Valenzuela, Orel Hershiser, Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Bill Russell and Tommy Lasorda. Clayton Kershaw strode across the diamond to join them. Vin touched his heart and the people roared, because every one of them felt that tap on theirs, just as it was intended. It's the nature of the game to lose almost as often as you win, even in the best of summers. This was the man who'd told them it would be all right, just by showing up every day, just by having them in for a few hours to talk about a ballgame. He'd allowed them to believe, even in the worst of summers. He'd taught them the perspective required to love a thing that belongs to no one, to everyone. And now, suddenly, after all these years, he'll say goodbye a few hours at a time. So they'll hold on to what they can and manage a smile. They had a time, didn't they? Remember? Moments after the last out, the people in the corridor parted and Vin passed by on his way to the elevator, to the eighth floor, into the parking lot and straight down the street he'll probably always think of as something other than Vin Scully Avenue. Something more heavenly.

NBC LA

Dodgers Bullpen Drops Home Opener to Dbacks, 4-2 By Michael Duarte

LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers bullpen imploded for the fourth time in five games and Los Angeles lost their home opener, 4-2, to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. Dodgers rookie' Kenta Maeda, was sensational once again as he pitched another six shutout innings in his second Major League start. Madea allowed no runs on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts as he joined Kazuhisa Ishii and Karl Spooner as the only Dodgers to begin their careers with back-to-back scoreless starts. "I did my job, but the team lost," Maeda said following the game. "I think I had less command today then I did in San Diego." Maeda did indeed do his job, but once again, the Dodgers bullpen let its starting pitching down. Paul Goldschmidt hit the go-ahead home run off Chris Hatcher in the eighth inning, and Louis Coleman gave up two runs in the ninth to spoil the Dodgers final home opener for Vin Scully. Before today, the Dodgers had won seven of their last eight home openers. "The roller coaster has to stop," Hatcher said of the bullpen lately. "We have to start putting up zeros." Just one week into the season, and the Dodgers glaring problem is staring them directly in the face. The starters look solid, the offense is putting up enough runs, but the bullpen has been an absolute disaster. The bullpen's ERA is an astronomical 6.79, good for fourth worst in baseball. The New Faces of the Los Angeles DodgersMeet the New Faces of the 2016 Los Angeles Dodgers "It's part of the game, it's baseball," Coleman said. "Sometimes it just doesn't go your way, and that's just the way baseball is." The Dodgers scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning after leadoff singles by Howie Kendrick and Trayce Thompson. Rookie Corey Seager advanced Kendrick to third on a sac fly and A.J. Ellis brought him home with an RBI squeeze bunt down the first base line. Nick Ahmed tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the seventh inning with a solo shot into the left field seats off reliever Pedro Baez. Baez continues the magical mystery ride that is the Dodgers bullpen this season as it seems you never know what to expect from the pen on any given night. The bullpen implosion continued as Hatcher struggled in the eighth inning yet again. Hatcher allowed a long solo blast to Goldschmidt that gave Arizona the lead, then promptly loaded the bases before getting the hook from manager Dave Roberts. "Right now I'm not thinking about changing anything," Roberts said after the loss. "Right now I want to continue to give these guys confidence and give them opportunities. I expect to be having a lot of leads late, and we're going to need them. It's way too early for me to think about changing anything." Hatcher got behind in the count 3-0, and then served up a 96MPH fastball right over the heart of the plate. "Boy, you talk about throwing a lamb chop to a lion," said Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully of the call. The Dodger fans voiced their opinions as Hatcher left the field, booing the right-handed setup man profusely as they articulated their disgust with the Dodgers bullpen in general.

Coleman got out of the jam, but gave up two runs in the ninth, and the Dodgers lost the game, and a lot of confidence in their bullpen just a week into the newborn season. Players of the Game: Kenta Maeda: 0 runs, five hits, one walk, four strikeouts, 6IP. Corey Seager: 1-for-3 with a double and run scored, extending his hitting streak to 11 games, dating back to last season. Paul Goldschmidt: 1-for-5 with 2 RBI and the game-winning home run in the 8th. Three Takeaways: 1. Maeda for History: Kenta Maeda's six scoreless innings on Tuesday gives him a total of 12 to start the season. That mark is the fourth best in franchise history behind Dave Stewart (18.1), Bob Welch (15.1) and Pedro Astacio (14.0). 2. Patty Cake Puig: The always playful Yasiel Puig played a game of patty cake with Diamondbacks shortstop Jean Segura in the bottom of the fifth inning. Puig hit a shot to the gap that he tried to stretch into a double, but slid passed the base on the play. Check out the hilarious video below of what happened next. 3. Vin Scully Day: After getting a street named after him on Monday, Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully received a long pregame ceremony before his 65th Opening Day. The Dodgers played a video tribute, narrated by Al Michaels as a conclave of Dodgers legends took to the field. Up Next: Diamondbacks (3-5): Rubby De La Rosa takes the mound on Wednesday looking to bounce back from his horrific opening start. De La Rosa heads to the hill with a record of 0-1 and an ERA of 16.20 Dodgers (4-4): Alex Wood will give it another go on Wednesday after he collapsed in the fifth and sixth innings in San Francisco at 7:10PM PST. Dodgers Reinstate Howie Kendrick and Yasmani Grandal for Home Opener By Michael Duarte LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers return to the City of Angels and the confines of Chavez Ravine on Tuesday for their 2016 MLB Home Opener after dropping three of four in San Francisco to the rival Giants. Thankfully for Los Angeles, reinforcements are on the way as the team announced on Tuesday that catcher Yasmani Grandal and second baseman Howie Kendrick have been reinstated from the 15-day disabled list. Grandal has had a lingering forearm injury throughout spring training, but played in Triple-A Oklahoma City last week and experience no pain or tightness. He's not expected to be in the lineup in the home opener, as A.J. Ellis will likely get the start, but Grandal is available to pinch-hit if needed.

Kendrick, strained his left calf in the final week of spring training and has been resting/rehabbing in Arizona ever since. Kendrick played a couple games in Single-A Rancho Cucamonga last week and is expected to start at second base against the left-handed Patrick Corbin of the Diamondbacks. The New Faces of the Los Angeles DodgersMeet the New Faces of the 2016 Los Angeles Dodgers To make room for Grandal and Kendrick on the active roster, outfielder, Scott Van Slyke was placed on the 15-day disabled list with lower back irritation, and infielder Micah Johnson was optioned down to Triple-A. Van Slyke injured himself at the plate on an attempted swing in the Dodgers 3-2 come from behind victory over the Giants on Saturday.

NEW YORK TIMES

A Few Words About Vin Scully, a Storyteller Who Has Seen It All By Tyler Kepner LOS ANGELES — The first baseball game played at 1000 Vin Scully Avenue began on Tuesday with a relay. One by one, hallowed members of the Los Angeles Dodgers passed an autographed ball from the pitcher’s mound to the plate. Magic Johnson, a co-owner, presented it to Scully, who has spent 67 seasons passing down baseball. “And now,” said Al Michaels, the master of ceremonies, “all Vinny has to do is go to work!” The Dodgers were the final team to stage a home opener this season, drawing out, just a bit, the last workdays of their voice. Scully, 88, is retiring after the season. The city on Monday renamed the street leading to Dodger Stadium in his honor. The fans thundered with applause for Scully, the gentleman storyteller who has seemingly seen it all. Stan Kasten, the Dodgers’ president, once debated with Scully the proper way to execute a rundown, citing a book by Branch Rickey, the Hall of Fame executive who signed Jackie Robinson. Scully replied that he and Rickey used to talk about that very subject. “Now, here’s the thing,” Kasten said. “Branch Rickey, before he was an executive, was a major league player. He broke in with the St. Louis Browns in 1905. So Vin Scully has discussed baseball with major leaguers who were here from 1905 through yesterday, O.K.? Who can do that? No one. There’s one person on the planet. It’s Vin Scully.” Scully reached back much farther on Tuesday during the Dodgers’ 4-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Inspired by the name of Socrates Brito, Diamondbacks’ rookie center fielder, Scully mused on the air about hemlock, the poison that killed the philosopher Socrates in 399 B.C. Scully was on his game, as always — even though the elevator could not whisk him up to the booth in time for the first pitch. That was a first, Scully said, but he was touched by the gathering of old friends.

“I tell you, you enjoy it, and then all of a sudden, it overwhelms you,” he said a few minutes after the final out. “Looking around, it’s hard. But it was wonderful. My first opening day was in Philadelphia, and Don Newcombe pitched. So to be out on the mound with him, all those years later, and we’re shaking hands — that was a great feeling.” The Dodgers will honor Scully all season, with a T-shirt night, a bobblehead night and fireworks shows set to his famous calls. Many of their fans still cannot watch the team on its network, SportsNet LA, but players — at least the curious ones — are luckier. “Vin’s awesome,” said Howie Kendrick, the Dodgers’ second baseman. “To be with this team for as long as he has, you talk to him and he can remember his first game, or he’ll tell you stories about Jackie or Sandy or Newcombe, because he lived it. To see how sharp he is after all that time — and just that voice — that’s really cool.” Scully, who called the opening series in San Diego, plans to work only home games, plus those in Anaheim and the season-ending series in San Francisco. He last called a Dodgers championship in 1988, and the team’s current drought is its longest since the franchise’s first World Series victory with Brooklyn in 1955. Two members of that team, Newcombe and Sandy Koufax, were part of Tuesday’s first-pitch relay. The real first pitch came from Kenta Maeda, a right-hander the Dodgers signed from Japan in January for eight years and $25 million. Maeda tossed six scoreless innings for the second start in a row, a small but satisfying sample as he replaces Zack Greinke in the rotation. Greinke helped the Dodgers win the National League West in each of his three seasons here, going 51-15 before signing with Arizona for six years and $206.5 million. His average annual salary, more than $34.4 million, is the highest in history. The Dodgers made a strong bid, but would not go that high. “They’ve got to make the decision that’s best for the team,” Greinke said, in the visiting dugout after batting practice. “That’s what their job is to do. People say they have unlimited resources. If they’re going to spend $2 billion a year, then it’d be unlimited resources. There’s still a limit, and the team’s got to do what’s smart for the team.” For the Dodgers, that meant signing Maeda and Scott Kazmir and forgoing the kinds of commitments that have given them a payroll near $250 million, the highest in the majors. Postseason stumbling aside, the Dodgers owners have largely done what they promised when they took over in 2012 after Frank McCourt had driven the team to bankruptcy: win in the majors while overhauling a depleted farm system. Kasten, who said the team had already sold 3.1 million tickets for this season, pointed to young contributors like shortstop Corey Seager and center fielder Joc Pederson, with more talent to come. “There’s another wave right behind those guys, and then what’s really exciting to me is the wave after the next wave — that would be the international wave,” Kasten said. “In two or three or four years, they’re going to come. I think that will be the fulfillment of the restoration of the Dodger process, the Dodger method — homegrown prospects with an emphasis on international. That’s classic Dodgers and that’s what we’re trying to get back to.”

The ultimate classic Dodger is the one who has been behind their microphone since April 18, 1950. The Dodgers played their home games at 55 Sullivan Place. Now, they play on a street named for the most beloved man in town. The fans were ornery in the late innings Tuesday, when the Dodgers’ chronically shaky bullpen lost an early lead. But Scully has never let them down, except in his decision to retire. “I’ve given it a lot of consideration and no, thank you very much,” he told the crowd at the street-naming ceremony. “No, I’ve done enough. I have said almost everything. I still have this year left, God willing, and maybe on the final day of my final broadcast I’ll somehow come up with the magic words that you deserve. As for now, I have only two magic words: thank you.”

BLEACHER REPORT

Scott Miller's Starting 9: Set Up to Fail, Yasiel Puig Now Learning MLB Way By Scott Miller One week in, no wonder the Oriole on Baltimore's cap and the Dodgers are smiling so big... 1. The Yasiel Puig Experience, Year 4 Seven games, two triples, one homer, four RBI and an 1.154 OPS into a new year, Yasiel Puig is supercharged and making up for lost time. Is this real, or is it a mirage? Andrew Friedman, Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations, votes for the former. When we spoke at the club's Arizona complex in late spring, Friedman told Bleacher Report that Puig was doing "incredibly well" and that new manager Dave Roberts and the coaching staff were doing "a great job creating a relationship" with Puig and everybody else. But what really had Friedman optimistic was a Puig interview he read from the Caribbean World Series over the winter. "He said he wanted to be a better teammate, he just wasn't sure how," Friedman said. "It showed a level of vulnerability to me. "We've never questioned his work ethic." It does get tired, placing every one of Puig's moves under a microscope and evaluating his every action daily and in real time. At 25, he still hasn't shown the maturity and understanding that the Dodgers hoped to see by now.

But what's new this year as Friedman and his regime begin their second season is this: Maybe it is the Dodgers now who finally have a better understanding. "We as an industry, in my opinion, have failed our Cuban players," Friedman told Bleacher Report. "We sign them for big money and rush them to the big leagues. "It's different over there. The preparation. When guys show up [to the ballpark]. The expectations." He's right. When expensive free agents sign from Japan, they get translators from day one. When Latin players and Cubans land in the majors, they're on their own. That's changed this year. To its credit under commissioner Rob Manfred, beginning this season MLB has ordered that Spanish-speaking translators be around full-time for Latin players. Including, yes, the Cuban players. It seems so elementary, yet like so many things in baseball, it was slow to change. Where Puig is concerned, Friedman and his assistants took on a lot in their debut season in Los Angeles last summer. Learned a lot along the way, too. "Last year, obviously you're mired in what's going on within your own clubhouse, the 25 guys," Friedman said. "That said, observing and [having] various conversations with Puig kind of helped enlighten us a little bit, the assumptions that we as an industry have made along the way. And it's allowed us to evaluate our process with our minor league players and make some changes on the front end to help educate our guys to the uniqueness that is Major League Baseball." Chief among them: Because of the significant culture change these players undergo, it helps to assume nothing. That point was driven home when Friedman read of Puig's plaintive cry from the Caribbean this winter about wanting to become a better teammate but not knowing how. This came during another tumultuous period in which, among other things, his own teammates were critical of him in a Bleacher Report story. To Friedman, Puig's desire to be a better teammate "manifested" itself this spring. "He's asking questions and trying to figure out things that are important," Friedman said. "But at the same time, we're trying to balance that with not fundamentally changing any of our guys. We want them to be the unique individuals that they are and not strip that individuality. "But there are certain constructs within the environment of a team that are important." Finding that balance continues to be a tricky proposition, and it is one of the most important challenges facing Roberts as he begins his managerial career. Because of hamstring injuries, Puig only played in 79 games last summer, and his swing was so rusty come October that former manager Don Mattingly benched him during the playoffs.

As 2016 launches, the Dodgers must find a way not to have themselves and Puig in that position again. 2. New Analytics, Orioles Style Patrick Semansky/Associated Press From afterthought to undefeated in the first week, what is the Baltimore Orioles' secret? For one thing, third baseman Manny Machado, who has the tools to win an MVP award one day, did a pretty good imitation of an MVP in his club's first five games. He batted .429/.455/.905 with three homers, completely camouflaging the fact that All-Star center fielder Adam Jones missed three consecutive games with sore ribs. But the chief reason why the Orioles' 5-0 start (entering Monday) matched the best in club history (since 1954) is that Baltimore starting pitchers ranked second in the majors with a 2.28 ERA over the season's first week. Chris Tillman, Yovani Gallardo, Ubaldo Jimenez and even Vance Worley all positioned the O's to win against Minnesota and Tampa Bay. Meanwhile, Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard started in the outfield on Opening Day, and the last O's Rule 5 pick to do that? According to STATS LLC, it was none other than Jose Bautista in 2004. Yes, that Joey Bats. Manager Buck Showalter praised the club's defense and fundamentals out of the gate, specifically Chris Davis' productive outs and Mark Trumbo's extra work in right field. "We kid around," Showalter told the Baltimore media, including MASN's Roch Kubatko, regarding productive outs. "We call them POFOs: Productive Outs for Orioles. "It's a new analytics, Orioles-style, I guess." 3. The Neighborhood: Not So Friendly Anymore Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press Second baseman Joe Panik and the San Francisco Giants learned quickly last week that the old swipe-your-foot-near-second-base is no longer good enough while turning a double play. The Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros each suffered losses last week that were directly attributable to the new slide rules at second base. In the case of the Blue Jays, a sliding Jose Bautista reached out and grabbed the leg of Tampa Bay second baseman Logan Forsythe and was called on it. In the case of the Astros, Colby Rasmus was called out for interference on a slide in Milwaukee. That this new rule would create trouble was more predictable than a run at your neighborhood pizza place on a Friday night. The two most controversial parts: the elimination of the neighborhood play, which has infielders like San Francisco's Brandon Crawford up in arms, and the "hold your base" part of it that got Rasmus. When sliding into second, runners cannot slide past the bag, even if they start their slide late. If they do, they're out.

Astros manager A.J. Hinch begrudgingly agreed that umpires had correctly interpreted the rule last week, but he didn't exactly sound enamored with it: Managers from the Cubs' Joe Maddon to the Diamondbacks' Chip Hale don't understand why the hold-your-base part of the rule is there, calling for common-sense interpretations when a runner innocently starts his slide late. Where we're headed, surely, is toward some subtle adjustments to the rule, much like two years ago when a rule change created confusion on the transfer part of a catch. Suddenly, sure outs after a fielder caught a pop fly were becoming hits when the fielder dropped the ball attempting to transfer it from his glove to his hand when throwing the ball. One manager with significant input into the rules committee, however, will not lobby for the return of the "neighborhood play" anytime soon. "If you're limiting what a player can do by sliding into the bag, there's no reason to give an advantage to the infielder," Angels skipper Mike Scioscia said. "It takes a guy who is really proficient at turning the double play and gives a guy who is not proficient at it at all leeway to play at a comparable level. "You're neutralizing the effectiveness of the rule, especially now when a runner can't slide into the fielder. "I'm glad you have to keep your foot on the bag. It's baseball." 4. The Ghost of the No-Hitter Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press No question, it was deflating when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts removed rookie starter Ross Stripling with one out in the eighth and a no-hitter still intact in San Francisco on Friday night. It also was the absolute correct move. No matter how much the tar-and-feathers crowd disagreed on Twitter and other various forms of social media and social talk show radio. Stripling, 26, had Tommy John ligament transfer surgery two years ago, had never pitched above the Double-A level and started just 14 games last summer. Friday night in San Francisco, Roberts pulled him at the 100-pitch mark. The velocity on his fastball had dipped a bit; he had issued walks in both the seventh and eighth innings and admitted after the game that he was tired. He needed five more outs to obtain the no-no. So, realistically, he would have had to run his pitch count up to at least the 120-130 range even had he gotten it. Sure, it well might have been a once-in-a-lifetime chance. But it's not like Roberts lifted him just one or two outs away.

Say what you will, but the best validation came to Roberts in the hotel lobby the next day when Stripling's father approached him. Roberts told reporters, via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register: He came up to me and was really kind of emotional and just thanked me from him and his wife for looking out for his son. When you have a father and a mother who know their kid's story and what he's endured to get here, they enjoy that moment more than anyone. For him to say thank you for taking care of my son's future and our family and I'll have him and his mom's support forever – for me, I felt good about it regardless, but to get the parent's stamp of approval is always a good thing. Stripling, by the way, was teammates with St. Louis starter Michael Wacha at Texas A&M. 5. Of Managers and Dresses Chris O'Meara/Associated Press Interesting response from Toronto skipper John Gibbons when he said "the world needs to lighten up a little bit" the other day. This was in response to the reaction he elicited a day earlier, after Jose Bautista was called out at second under the new slide rule. Then, he had said, "Maybe we'll come out and wear dresses tomorrow. Maybe that's what everyone's looking for." Predictably, Gibbons was slammed for being a sexist Blue Jay. "It doesn't offend my mother, my daughter, my wife, who have a great understanding of life," Gibbons said. What Gibbons and the slow-starting Blue Jays need right now is a great understanding of how to beat the Yankees and Red Sox this week. 6. Weekly Power Rankings David Zalubowski/Associated Press 1. Trevor Story: Rockies hoping for a long Story, not a short Story, as kid shortstop leaps out of the gate with seven home runs in club's first six games. 2. Bumpus Jones: Only man in history to throw a no-hitter in his first MLB start, with the Cincinnati Reds in 1892. Still standing tall after Dodgers hook Ross Stripling. 3. Second base: New slide rules give second base its moment of glory and cause teenage couples throughout the land to hastily re-evaluate what it means, exactly, in the modern era, to get to second base, third base… 4. Starlin Castro: A Star(lin) is Born in the Bronx as Castro posts 1.326 OPS in first five games as a Yankee.

5. Jackie Robinson Day: It's this Friday, and we repeat one of the most meaningful things he or anyone else has ever said: "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." 7. Boys Will Be Boys Mike Trout and Garrett Richards have a long history together in the Angels organization. They were roommates at Class A Cedar Rapids and Rancho Cucamonga, Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Salt Lake, and Richards tells of the days when Trout would seek out a Domino's pizza joint in whichever city they were in. And of his ability to devour 24 Buffalo wings in about 10 minutes. Now, add this tremendous April Fools' prank to their shared history (with the help of YouTube pranksters Jesse and Jeana of Prank Academy): 8. Chatter Seth Wenig/Associated Press • New York, New York: The Mets and Yankees have two of the top three strikeout-to-walk ratios in the majors heading into the season's second week. Mets pitchers have produced a 6.14-1 ratio, while Yankees pitchers are at 6.38-1. • Cubs manager Joe Maddon is predicting a big year for Jon Lester. "His delivery," Maddon says. "I don't think there was a moment last year that I thought his delivery was as smooth as it was this spring. His cutter was as good in camp as it was anytime last season. And I think he's more comfortable not having the weight of the world on his shoulders [now that he's in his second season in the organization]." • Tough sledding ahead: The Cleveland Indians had three games postponed in the season's first week. Shoehorning all those makeup games in will present significant challenges later this summer. • Minnesota's 0-6 start was the worst in team history. • Confusion patrol: The Cubs on Monday acquired left-hander Giovanni Soto from the Cleveland Indians for cash. The Cubs also once employed a catcher named Geovany Soto. Uh-huh. • Arizona's Jean Segura last week became only the eighth player in history to collect a leadoff home run and inside-the-park homer in the same game, according to STATS LLC. • So after the Padres started the season by failing to score in their first 30 innings, a major league record, they started this week ranked eighth in the majors with 32 runs scored. Of course. 9. How to Use a Bench On Friday, in St. Louis' 7-4 win over Atlanta: 9a. Rock 'n' Roll Lyric of the Day Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images A few years ago, I spent a day in Bakersfield, California, when the Blaze were the Class A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and Ken Griffey Sr. was their manager. Now, the Blaze are affiliated with the Seattle Mariners and still play in Sam Lynn Ballpark, where start times graduate during the summer from 7:15 p.m. to 7:30 to 7:45 because the ballpark was built the wrong way, facing west, which makes it

precarious for hitters as the sun sets directly into their eyes. So, they must adjust as the summer moves along. The little ballpark was built on the site of an oval horse racing track, which contributed to why it was built the wrong way. Anyway, just a few miles up the road is Merle Haggard Drive, where today they're in mourning after the Country Music Hall of Famer died last week at 79. Haggard followed in the footsteps of Buck Owens before him to give us what became known as the "Bakersfield Sound," and Haggard's death follows that of Glenn Frey, David Bowie and Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire in what has been a tough year for music. "Cowboys and outlaws, right guys and southpaws, "Good dogs and all kinds of cats "Dirt roads and white lines and all kinds of stop signs, "But I stand right here where I'm at, "'Cause I wear my own kind of hat." —Merle Haggard, "My Own Kind of Hat"