Daily Clips

July 30, 2017

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017

DODGERS.COM As Kershaw improves, Dodgers lean on bullpen - Joshua Thornton Award testament to Robinson's integrity - Richard Justice Like Seager, Bellinger a 'ridiculous' rookie - Joshua Thornton Dodgers edge Giants for 7th straight win - Ken Gurnick and Chris Haft Rangers still talking Yu with Yanks, Dodgers - T.R. Sullivan Ryu looks to go long in finale vs. Giants - Joshua Thornton LA TIMES Three up, three down: Adrian Beltre quietly headed to Cooperstown - Bill Shaikin Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is expected to start rehab assignment in Oklahoma City next week - Andy McCullough Dodgers beat Giants 2-1 to extend winning streak to seven games - Andy McCullough OC REGISTER Giants at Dodgers: Sunday game time, TV channel and starting pitchers - Bill Plunkett Dodgers notes: Adrian Gonzalez ready to put injured back to test in rehab games - Bill Plunkett Dodgers run latest winning streak to seven games with 2-1 win over Giants – Bill Plunkett ESPN Clayton Kershaw throws for second time, Dodgers remain cautious - Associated Press Seager, Bellinger lead Dodgers to 2-1 victory over Giants - Associated Press Rumor Central: Dodgers more focused on Tigers' Justin Wilson than Justin Verlander? - ESPN.com This is a new one for the Dodgers: 30-up on Giants - John Fisher TRUE BLUE LA Adrián González to start rehab next week - Craig Minami Dodgers acquire left-handed pitcher Luis Ysla; Adrián González moved to 60-day DL - Craig Minami Two more doubles for Starling Heredia, Ogden wins 6-2 - Craig Minami Dodgers win seventh straight - Craig Minami DODGER INSIDER Farmer rejoins former Georgia roommate in first call to big leagues - Rowan Kavner The comeback Dodgers are also historically dominant when they get ahead – Rowan Kavner DODGERS PHOTOG BLOG 7/29/17-LAD-2,SF-1-Photography by Jon SooHoo and Josh Barber/©Los Angeles Dodgers - Jon SooHoo CBS SPORTS MLB Trade Deadline Rumors: Yankees, Dodgers, mystery team in on Yu Darvish - R.J. Anderson NBC LA Corey Seager Continues to be a Nightmare for Giants as Dodgers Make it Seven Straight Wins - Michael Duarte

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017

DODGERS.COM

As Kershaw improves, Dodgers lean on bullpen By Joshua Thornton LOS ANGELES --- For the second straight day, Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw felt well enough to play light catch five days after he was placed on the disabled list with a low back strain. The three-time Cy Young Award winner played catch and stretched on the field with teammate Brandon McCarthy, who is also on the DL, before the Dodgers played the Giants on Saturday. "Clayton says he felt good," manager Dave Roberts said. "They [the medical staff] gave him the green light to go play catch. He's going to continue to ramp up -- how aggressively I think that's going to be up to medical staff, but they've got keen eyes on him." Roberts said he's not sure if Kershaw will travel with the Dodgers for their upcoming nine-game road trip, but said it would make "sense" if the lefty stayed in Los Angeles. "For me, it's kind of being on an airplane, what's best for his back, how much he's going to get out of being on the road with us," Roberts said, With Kershaw's absence, the Dodgers have relied on and put more trust in their bullpen, which entering Saturday led the National League in ERA (2.84) and was tops in the Majors in WHIP (1.06) and strikeout-to walk ratio (3.92). Brandon Morrow, whom the Dodgers signed to a Minor League deal in January, has been a pleasant surprise out of the bullpen. The hard-throwing right-hander has been used in leverage situations in the seventh and eighth innings and has been effective, especially against left-handed hitters. Lefties have had a tough time vs. Morrow, going 1-for-28 against the 32-year-old this season, which is first among qualified relief pitchers. Morrow gives Roberts another righty who can throw heat, in addition to Pedro Baez, and leaves the Dodgers confident with what they have if the club can't acquire a lefty reliever before Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline. Morrow has thrown 16 fastballs at 100-plus mph and has a 75.8 percent strike rate with runners in scoring position. "If that's not in the cards and doesn't make sense for our ballclub to do something like that," Roberts said about picking up a left-handed reliever, "I feel very comfortable, very confident, that Pedro, Brandon Morrow, Josh Fields and Kenley [Jansen] can get out a left-handed hitter."

• After Saturday's 2-1 victory over the Giants, the Dodgers acquired left-handed pitcher Luis Ysla from Boston for cash considerations and moved Adrian Gonzalez (disk herniation) to the 60-day disabled list. Ysla, who will be optioned to Double-A Tulsa, was 1-5 with a 5.05 ERA at Double-A Portland this year. Award testament to Robinson's integrity By Richard Justice COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Rachel Robinson's legacy is a simple one. She represents the best of us. Her life has been one of unshakeable courage, and in the face of sometimes incomprehensible cruelty, her dignity and grace have been unwavering. She has dedicated her life to leaving this world better than she found it, whether by supporting her husband Jackie in his quest for racial fairness, or in leading foundations that provided everything from housing to college scholarships. For her good work and a life well lived, Robinson, 95, was given the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award by the board of directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on Saturday afternoon. She's the fourth winner of an award first given in 2008 to honor someone whose work in baseball and whose "character, integrity and dignity" are in the spirit of O'Neil, the Negro Leagues legend, who died in 2006 after eight decades working in and around baseball. "Rachel has worked tirelessly to raise the level of equality, not only in baseball, but throughout society," Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark said. "Through her grace, her dignity, her unsurpassed spirit, she continues to show the value, the decency and the importance of inclusiveness. She personifies the strengths of Buck O'Neil, and certainly personifies his character." Rachel accepted the award at Doubleday Field, a few hundred feet from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and with an array of Hall of Famers applauding. Frank Robinson was there and Joe Morgan as well, two of the players who've said they owe their careers in Major League Baseball to Jackie Robinson's breaking of the game's color line on April 15, 1947. That's the most important date in baseball history, because its impact was felt around the United States. That step -- a black man playing with white baseball players -- forced people to see the world in a way they'd never seen it before. This happened before President Truman integrated the Army in 1948 and before the Supreme Court's 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling began the desegregation of public schools. Rachel Robinson supported her husband of 26 years, every step of the way, and in 1997, she supported baseball's decision to retire his No. 42 throughout the sport. In returning to Cooperstown, she remembered her husband's 1962 induction into the Hall of Fame.

"I have such fond memories," she said. "It was a glorious day for our family." But Rachel Robinson carved out another life for herself after her husband died in 1972. She received a master's degree in psychiatric nursing from New York University and became director of nursing for the Connecticut Mental Health Center and an assistant professor at Yale. She started the Jackie Robinson Development Corporation to build and provide housing for moderate- and low-income families. She also formed the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which has provided financial and mentorship support to more than 1,500 students. "We are so proud of the nearly 100 percent graduation rate of our Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars," she said. "It makes me proud that our 1,500 alumni display an ongoing commitment to community service and stay very active in that area." These works mean that the heart and spirit of Jackie and Rachel Robinson will continue to impact the world for years to come. "For me, today is a brilliant source of encouragement," he said. "I've felt so wonderful since I've been here, and I thank you all." This baseball season began with Rachel and her children, Sharon and David, attending the unveiling of a Jackie Robinson Statue at Dodger Stadium. That statue -- the first of any kind at Dodger Stadium -- shows Jackie sliding into home plate and and includes some of Jackie's iconic quotes. This is one: "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." Rachel Robinson also attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Jackie Robinson Museum in lower Manhattan. It's scheduled to open in the spring of 2019. "The museum will expand our missions and give us a venue for vibrant dialogue on social issues and also a destination for innovative educational programming," she said. MLB Network's exclusive live coverage of the 2017 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony -- simulcast live on MLB.com -- begins with MLB Tonight Sunday at noon ET, followed by the ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Prior to Sunday's live coverage, you can watch a rebroadcast of the 2017 Hall of Fame Awards Presentation at 11 a.m. ET on MLB Network. It features Rachel Robinson (Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award), Claire Smith (J.G. Taylor Spink Award for writers), and the posthumous honoring of Bill King (Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasters). The presentation will also commemorate the 25th anniversary of the release of the film, "A League of Their Own." Like Seager, Bellinger a 'ridiculous' rookie By Joshua Thornton LOS ANGELES --- Dodgers rookie Cody Bellinger has jumped into the spotlight by mashing his way toward a record-breaking season in Dodgers history.

Bellinger, who has hit 28 homers in 84 games this season, drove in Corey Seager twice Saturday, the Dodgers' only scores as they won, 2-1, against the Giants. In doing so, the National League Rookie of the Year candidate collected his 69th RBI, which leads the team, and his 27th off a lefty, also good for first on the team. Bellinger, who's hitting .288 with three homers, a double, a triple and 11 RBIs to go along with an .881 OPS since the All-Star break, said the reason for his success vs. lefties is the comfort he feels in the batter's box against them. "I think the thing with Cody, he can hit velocity and he can also hit spin." manager Dave Roberts said. "So as a left-on-left guy, those breaking balls going away from you, that's the ones that are tough. He stays in there and keeps that front side closed. On some of the best in the game, he can slug him, but he can still get a base hit, but he's not afraid, so that's why for me I feel good where he's at in four [hitting cleanup]." Seager, who went 3-for-4 on Saturday, and Bellinger feed off one another and trade tips on how to attack pitchers. Seager was in a similar position to Bellinger last season, emerging as a powerful bat in the Dodgers lineup and working his way toward the 2016 NL Rookie of the Year. He's running out of words to describe what Bellinger has done. "It's kind of getting ridiculous at this point," Seager said. Roberts added: "You look at two guys who can hurt you with damage and can hurt you with slug, so a lot of times pitchers attack guys the same way. Cody does understand how they're attacking Corey, both very good hitters, hitting lefties, righties. Corey is swinging the bat really well, and up and down the lineup, we've done some good things." Dodgers edge Giants for 7th straight win By Ken Gurnick and Chris Haft LOS ANGELES -- Rich Hill outdueled Ty Blach and the sizzling Dodgers didn't even need to come from behind Saturday to beat the Giants, 2-1, running their latest win streak to seven and extending their MLB record for consecutive games won when leading at some point to 51. Hill, battling a cold for the second week, is 8-4 this year and 4-0 with a 1.45 ERA in July. Although Hill said he lacked fastball command early, he had a perfect game through 3 2/3 innings when Hunter Pence homered, cutting in half a Dodgers lead provided by a double from Corey Seager followed by an RBI single from Cody Bellinger in the first inning, then a repeat by Seager and Bellinger of the double/single in the third inning. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts removed Hill with two out in the sixth inning with Pence coming up and agreed that the comfortable division lead and deep bullpen allows him to manage differently. "Outside of the mistake to Pence, we pushed him a lot and where he's at, I like the matchup with Petey [Pedro Baez] right there," Roberts said. "Where we're at right now, the next month and a half, we have

to be aware of pitcher usage and make sure they're fresh. Right now it doesn't make a lot of sense to push him." Hill allowed two hits and Kenley Jansen earned his 27th save, saved from allowing three baserunners by a double-play grounder from Pence. "I totally understand, there's a lot of season left," said Hill, who allowed only two hits. "It would have been great but overall we played extremely great today." The win put the Dodgers 13 1/2 games in front of Arizona, 42 games above .500 for the first time since 1974 and 38-6 most recently, the best 44-game stretch in franchise history and best in MLB since the 1942 Cardinals. They've won 18 of their last 20 and a win Sunday would give the Dodgers their 14th series sweep of the season, the most since the 1976 club had 15 sweeps. Blach (6-7) kept the score close while yielding both Dodgers runs and eight hits in seven innings. He was able to fool enough hitters despite facing Los Angeles for the fifth time in 42 big league appearances. "I think we've been able to mix in all four of my pitches, throw different pitches to different guys," Blach said. "Just give them a different look every time." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Easy as 1-2-3: The Dodgers could have buried Blach in the first inning with one run in, one out and the bases loaded. But after falling behind Yasiel Puig in the count, 2-0, Blach got Puig to bounce a 3-2 pitch back to the box for a 1-2-3 inning-ending double play. "You're another fielder out there," Blach said. "It's good to be able to make plays when they hit it to you." Puig atonement: After the double-play grounder, Puig took his position and immediately made the defensive play of the game -- a running, sliding catch on the foul line of a Buster Posey liner, with Puig plowing into the side wall but hanging on to the ball. "Yasi's catch was great out there," said Hill. QUOTABLE "His mix is very simple, but when he's attacking, he's in a good place." -- Roberts, on Hill WHAT'S NEXT Giants: Switching places with Matt Cain in the starting rotation, Madison Bumgarner instead will get the call in Sunday's series finale against Los Angeles, which begins at 5:05 p.m. PT. Bumgarner's coming off his first victory of the season, a five-inning effort last Tuesday against Pittsburgh. Dodgers: Hyun-Jin Ryu starts the homestand finale Sunday with a 5:05 p.m. PT first pitch. Ryu returned from the disabled list (foot contusion) with a decent start against the Twins, allowing two runs in five innings. In his only start against the Giants this year, he allowed one run over six innings in a 2-1 loss.

Rangers still talking Yu with Yanks, Dodgers By T.R. Sullivan COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- The Rangers continue to have ongoing discussions with the Yankees and the Dodgers regarding Yu Darvish as Monday's 3 p.m. CT non-waiver Trade Deadline approaches. There could be at least one other team involved, according to Major League sources, and it is likely the Rangers will have to wait until the Athletics make a decision on Sonny Gray. Gray is more desired by other teams because he is not eligible for free agency until 2020. Darvish is a free agent after this season and thus qualifies as a "rental." The Rangers have made the decision to find the best deal possible for Darvish, but aren't committed to trading him if they don't get the desired return. The Rangers still have interest in re-signing Darvish after the season. Another thing to remember regarding the Darvish market are the new Qualifying Offer rules that were set forth by the Collective Bargaining Agreement that was ratified during the offseason. Under the new QO rules, only teams that receive revenue sharing can receive a first-round compensation pick when a free agent rejects a QO to sign elsewhere. According to MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi, the Rangers are not on the list of 16 clubs that will receive revenue sharing, which isn't surprising given the size of their market. As a result, the best they can do if Darvish rejects a qualifying offer and leaves is a comp pick before the third round (likely in the 70s). These new rules could incentivize a trade, as Darvish would certainly bring back a prospect package more valuable than a Draft pick in that range. Ryu looks to go long in finale vs. Giants By Joshua Thornton To keep their ace on turn, the Giants will give the ball to Madison Bumgarner for their series finale against the Dodgers on Sunday. Matt Cain was slated to start Sunday, but his start was bumped for Bumgarner so he can start on regular rest. Bumgarner will make his fourth start since coming off the disabled list and will face the Dodgers for the first time this season. The southpaw picked up his first win of the season Tuesday, tossing five innings of one-run ball against the Pirates. The Dodgers will throw lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu, who will look to get his first win since June 17. Ryu took a no-decision in his last outing, giving up two runs in five innings against the Twins on Monday. The 30-year-old has struggled to go deep into games, throwing more than five innings in only four of his 14 starts this season.

Ryu (3-6, 4.17 ERA) has faced the Giants 10 times. He's gone 4-5 with a 3.79 ERA and has struck out 34 against 17 walks. Things to know about this game • Bumgarner owns an 8-6 record with a 2.56 ERA in his 16 Dodger Stadium appearances. • Yasiel Puig is 10-for-35 (.286) with two homers and three RBIs against Bumgarner. • Ryu has thrown offspeed pitches 61.4 percent of the time vs. right-handed batters over the last 30 days.

LA TIMES Three up, three down: Adrian Beltre quietly headed to Cooperstown By Bill Shaikin A look at the trending topics this week in MLB: THREE UP Beltre 3K: Adrian Beltre made his major league debut with the Dodgers in 1998. He doubled in his first at-bat, against Chuck Finley of the Angels. Beltre has played so long and so well that he is on the verge of his 3,000th career hit, an almost certain admission ticket to Cooperstown. Of the 30 players with 3,000 hits, the ones with no Hall of Fame plaque are sinners (Pete Rose, Rafael Palmeiro), not yet eligible (Derek Jeter, Ichiro Suzuki) or both (Alex Rodriguez). Add Beltre’s premium glove and renowned leadership to his consistently strong bat and he remains one of the most underrated players of his era, as evidenced over the past week, when his run to 3,000 got less attention than a weird play in which an umpire puffed his chest and ejected Beltre for moving the on-deck circle. Cy and sigh: Clayton Kershaw’s back injury all but assures Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals of his second consecutive National League Cy Young Award. Kershaw has finished among the top five in Cy Young voting six consecutive years; Scherzer has done so in five (the first two in the AL). Kershaw (2.04) leads Scherzer (2.23) in earned-run average. He needs 21 innings to qualify for what would be his sixth season leading the majors in that category. If he had pitched another 13 innings last season, Kershaw would be trying to lead the majors in ERA for the seventh time in eight years. Scherzer last Thursday celebrated his 32nd birthday by pitching six innings for the victory, with a single and two walks at bat. Stars and stripes: Willie Mays and Ted Williams are among the baseball stars who sacrificed part of their careers to serve in the United States military. That tradition has been revived by pitcher Griffin Jax, whom the Minnesota Twins drafted from Air Force in the third round last year. Jax and the Twins originally thought he could meet his two-year service commitment in the reserves while playing in the minor leagues but, under the Trump administration, the Defense Department no longer excuses athletes from active duty. Jax reported for duty last week, but not before winning his last start at Class-A Cedar Rapids and walking off the mound to a standing ovation.

THREE DOWN Debut disaster: Michael Blazek was the 1,068th player selected in the 2007 draft. After 345 games over 11 professional seasons, he made the first start of his major league career last Thursday, for the Milwaukee Brewers. He pitched 2 1/3 innings and gave up six home runs to the Nationals, including back-to-back-to-back-to-back shots to Brian Goodwin, Wilmer Difo, Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman. Blazek became the first pitcher in major league history to give up five homers in one inning. “Not the way I wanted it to go,” Blazek said, “obviously.” Blazek pitched to 15 batters, giving up as many home runs as Houston Astros ace Dallas Keuchel had given up to 283 batters this season. Dansby down: The trade that damned Diamondbacks executives Dave Stewart and Tony La Russa in Arizona was the one in which they acquired pitcher Shelby Miller from the Atlanta Braves for shortstop Dansby Swanson, six months after taking Swanson with the first overall pick in the 2015 draft. Miller went 3-12 with a 6.15 ERA last year, Stewart and La Russa were removed from power, and Miller underwent elbow ligament replacement surgery this year. But Swanson, 23, fared so poorly in Atlanta — batting .213 with a .599 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, each figure the second-lowest in the NL — that the Braves demoted him to triple-A last Thursday. Mitigating factor for Atlanta: Outfielder Ender Inciarte, a throw-in to the deal with Swanson, was an all-star this season. Don’t do me like that: Wrigley Field is tucked into a residential neighborhood. Wrigley did not add lights until 1988 — amid the Cubs’ threat to flee for an antiseptic suburban stadium — and the number of night events there is limited by the city. The number is too few for Crane Kenney, the Cubs’ president of business operations, who told WSCR the Cubs not only have to beat rival teams, “we also have to beat the city … to try and win games.” They could have had more night games had they not used some of their allocated night dates for concerts — Tom Petty played Wrigley last month — because the Cubs need not share concert revenue with other teams. SERIES OF THE WEEK Indians at Red Sox Monday through Wednesday The Cleveland Indians headed into the weekend riding a seven-game winning streak. For all of the peskiness of the Minnesota Twins, the Indians have been in first place in the American League Central every day but one since June 16. But now the Kansas City Royals are knocking, and the Indians’ soft second-half schedule (Oakland, San Francisco, Toronto, Cincinnati, the Angels and Chicago White Sox) is about to turn hard (Boston, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay). The Red Sox, trying to win consecutive AL East championships for the first time, acquired third baseman Eduardo Nunez from the Giants. The Red Sox entered the weekend with the lowest OPS at third base. The team with the next-lowest OPS at third base? The Giants. After the Boston Globe reported how David Price mocked Red Sox broadcaster and Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley on a team flight, Dustin Pedroia pronounced himself the team leader: “You don't see anyone else standing up here doing this. Nope. There's your source, from my mouth.”

Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is expected to start rehab assignment in Oklahoma City next week By Andy McCullough Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is expected to report to triple-A Oklahoma City this week to begin what is likely to be a lengthy rehabilitation assignment to test the readiness of his injured back. Manager Dave Roberts indicated Saturday morning that the team had not determined on which particular day Gonzalez would start the assignment. Gonzalez is expected to spend several weeks in the minors, first with Oklahoma City and then with class-A Rancho Cucamonga, for logistical reasons, Roberts said. “He’s getting close to heading out,” Roberts said. The team transferred Gonzalez to the 60-day disabled list Saturday after acquiring left-handed pitcher Luis Ysla from Boston for cash considerations. Gonzalez cannot be activated until Aug. 11. Ysla was transferred to double-A Tulsa. Gonzalez has not played since June 11. He has been dealing with a herniated disk. The team needs to see what he can contribute before deciding if he can play first base, which would shift Cody Bellinger into the outfield and likely send Chris Taylor back to second base. Gonzalez has posted a career-worst .643 on-base plus slugging percentage this season. He has homered once in 182 plate appearances. Kershaw plays catch again Clayton Kershaw played catch Saturday for the second day in a row. He has begun to make progress in his rehabilitation from a lower back strain, which occurred last Sunday. The team is not expected to reveal a timetable for his return. Roberts said he didn’t know whether Kershaw would accompany the team on its three-city, cross-country trip next week. Roberts expressed some concern about Kershaw flying from Los Angeles to Atlanta to New York to Phoenix. He said team trainer Neil Rampe might prefer to keep Kershaw in Los Angeles to be examined by specialists. “We want to make sure the right people have eyes on him,” Roberts said. “I don’t even want to speculate. But it kind of makes sense that he might stay here. But if he has this burning desire to travel with us, we’ll take that into consideration too.” Short hops Brandon McCarthy will throw a bullpen session Sunday to gauge how the blisters on his right hand are affecting him …. Kenta Maeda will start Tuesday against Atlanta, followed by Brock Stewart and Alex

Wood. Stewart should be able to stretch out longer than he did in his first start of the season, a 55-pitch appearance Wednesday against Minnesota. Dodgers beat Giants 2-1 to extend winning streak to seven games By Andy McCullough Dave Roberts bounded up the steps of the Dodgers dugout and strode toward the mound. In the sixth inning of the team’s 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants, Roberts made a concession to his team’s extraordinary place in the standings and their larger goal for October. Rich Hill had thrown 86 pitches. For this day, for this inconsequential game in a summer that figures to include dozens more, that was enough. Hill disagreed with the decision; no pitcher enjoys departing midway through an inning. But he did not object. He acknowledged the bigger picture as he stood by his locker, soon after the Dodgers (73-31) finished their seventh victory in a row. “I totally understand,” Hill said. “There’s a lot of season left. It would have been great [to stay in], but overall, we played extremely well today.” It was an understated victory. There were no late-game dramatics or come-from-behind heroics. Hill (8-4) gave up one run and two hits in 5 2/3 innings. Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger produced the two runs. Seager doubled twice to set up two run-scoring singles by Bellinger. In San Francisco, the Dodgers faced a wounded, limited opponent. The Giants reside in last place in the National League West. They lack power and speed. The Dodgers did not take pity on them. Instead, the pitching staff held them to four hits, with two singles yielded by Kenley Jansen en route to his 27th save. Since June 7, the team is 38-6, which translates to the best 44-game stretch in franchise history. “It’s been crazy how well we’ve been playing these past couple months,” Bellinger said. “It’s been pretty special. Hopefully we can keep it going.” The team will attempt to sweep the Giants on Sunday evening. A day later, a more intriguing event looms. The non-waiver trade deadline arrives at 1 p.m. PDT on Monday, while the Dodgers are expected to be flying to Atlanta to start a three-city trip. Roberts expects to utilize the in-flight Wi-Fi to keep tabs on his team’s maneuvers. The Dodgers are believed to be targeting a trio of pitchers — Texas starter Yu Darvish, Oakland starter Sonny Gray and Baltimore reliever Zach Britton — while keeping tabs on other arms on the block, according to people familiar with the situation. The team has yet to show much willingness to part with top prospects like pitcher Walker Buehler or outfielder Alex Verdugo, who may be necessary if the team wants to consummate a trade for an elite talent. Time will tell on whether the prices drop or the Dodgers budge — or the front office devises a more creative solution. Until then, the current 25-man roster rolls along, without much worry or much struggle.

“We’re relentless every single day,” Hill said. “In the lineup, on the mound, and out on the field. It’s been a lot of fun.” Hill inherited a lead after the first inning. The Dodgers produced a run against Ty Blach. Seager doubled. Justin Turner walked. Bellinger pounced on a flat changeup for a run-scoring single. A chance at a bigger rally fizzled when Yasiel Puig grounded into a 1-2-3 double play with the bases loaded and one out. Puig made up for the at-bat soon after returning to the field. Catcher Buster Posey hit a 91-mph fastball down the right-field line. Puig sprinted toward the baseball and sprawled across his backside to catch it. He skidded to a stop against the wall. Back near the mound, Hill raised both arms to salute his teammate. “Yasi’s catch was great out there,” Hill said. The heart of the order produced again in the third inning. Seager hit a belt-high fastball off the wall for a double. Turner hit a flyball to center field deep enough for Seager, unbothered by outfielder Denard Span’s arm, to take third. Bellinger bounced a grounder through the drawn-in infield, as the baseball skipped past first baseman Jae-Gyun Hwang for a run-scoring single. Hill retired the first 11 batters he faced. The 12th was Hunter Pence, a three-time All-Star who began Saturday with only six homers in 83 games. His seventh came in the fourth inning. Hill attacked Pence with fastballs at the start. Pence swung through one and fouled off a few others. With the count at 2 and 2, Hill tried a curveball. The pitch hung over the plate. Pence hit it over the fence in left field. After the homer, Hill slithered through a jam in the fifth, when Chris Taylor misplayed a hit by outfielder Gorkys Hernandez into a double with an extra base on the error. Hill kept the Dodgers ahead by striking out Blach. Roberts commended Hill for harnessing his fastball command as the day progressed. “Just made that mistake to Pence, but outside of that, he was very good,” Roberts said. Hill retired the first two batters in the sixth. With Pence coming to bat and Hill’s pitch count at 86, Hill saw Roberts walking onto the field to retrieve him. Pedro Baez finished the inning. Pence flied out at the warning track as Hill watched from the dugout. “It was a great team win,” he said.

OC REGISTER

Giants at Dodgers: Sunday game time, TV channel and starting pitchers By Bill Plunkett GIANTS at DODGERS

When: 5 p.m. TV: ESPN Where: Dodger Stadium THE PITCHERS DODGERS LHP HYUN-JIN RYU (3-6, 4.17 ERA) Vs. Giants: 4-5, 3.79 ERA At Dodger Stadium: 13-10, 3.35 ERA Hates to face: Hunter Pence, 11 for 25 (.440), 2 doubles Loves to face: Brandon Crawford, 3 for 16 (.188) GIANTS LHP MADISON BUMGARNER (1-4, 3.38 ERA) Vs. Dodgers: 14-9, 2.70 ERA At Dodger Stadium: 8-6, 2.56 ERA Hates to face: Kike’ Hernandez, 12 for 24 (.500), 4 doubles, 3 home runs Loves to face: Yasmani Grandal, 1 for 12 (.083), 6 strikeouts Upcoming Monday – Off Dodgers notes: Adrian Gonzalez ready to put injured back to test in rehab games By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES – Adrian Gonzalez is ready to find out. “It feels good,” the Dodgers first baseman said of the back injury that sent him to the DL. “I’m not playing in pain. But I haven’t been playing baseball games.” Gonzalez hasn’t played a baseball game since June 11. Since then, he has two examinations on the herniated disc in his back, received an epidural injection to relieve the pain and gone through countless hours of physical therapy and core-strengthening exercises.

He will start playing games again next week. Gonzalez is scheduled to go through a simulated-game session before the Dodgers’ game on Sunday then joined Triple-A Oklahoma City to begin a minor-league injury-rehabilitation assignment next week while the Dodgers are on the road. The choice of Triple-A is partially “logistics-driven and travel, things like that, (but) a little bit the competition” as well, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Gonzalez said he is planning to stay on rehab for the full 20 days allotted to position players as a way to fully test the back. He wants to play “four or five” games in a row or four in five days to see how his back responds. In second place, 1 ½ games behind the Colorado Rockies, when Gonzalez went on the DL for the second time this season, the Dodgers have gone 34-6 in his absence, building a 13-game lead in the National League West and are 39-5 when Cody Bellinger starts at first base this season. “It’s been great. It’s always great when the team is playing well,” Gonzalez said of watching it from the bench – an unfamiliar perspective for a player who played 1,745 of a possible 1,782 games over the past 11 seasons. “There’s no need to rush back when things are going so well. You don’t want to mess anything up. … When things are rolling you just sit back and enjoy the show.” When he is ready to return, Gonzalez said “the hope” is he can add to what the Dodgers have going. “That’s the plan,” he said. KERSHAW STATUS For the second consecutive day, left-hander Clayton Kershaw was on the field playing catch early before the Dodgers’ game. The progress just five days after he left his most recent start with a lower back strain gives the Dodgers reason to be optimistic about Kershaw making good on his promise to “get back quick.” “He’s going to continue to ramp up,” Roberts said. “How aggressively? I think that’s going to depend on the medical staff. But they’ve got their eyes on him.” Roberts said he planned to talk with Kershaw to see if the injured left-hander will make the Dodgers’ 10-day, three-city road trip beginning in Atlanta next week. “For me it’s the thought of being on an airplane, what’s best for his back, how much is he going to get out of being on the road with us. I’ll defer to him,” Roberts said. We want to make sure the right people (from the training staff) have eyes on him. “I don’t even want to speculate but it kind of makes sense that he stay here. But if he has this burning desire to travel then we’ll take that into consideration.” LEFTY DEAL As Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline approaches, the Dodgers continue to be interested in adding a left-handed reliever to their bullpen mix with Baltimore’s Zach Britton and San Diego’s Brad Hand the most prominent names in play. The left-handed options in the Dodgers’ bullpen have thinned down to Luis Avilan and Edward Paredes (who made his major-league debut earlier this week) with Grant Dayton and Adam Liberatore on the DL.

Roberts sounds like he would appreciate adding a left-handed option. But he called it “a luxury” and indicated he doesn’t consider it a hardship because he has three right-handed setup men who have been very successful in retiring left-handed batters – Brandon Morrow (1 for 28 with nine strikeouts), Pedro Baez (13 for 67 with 12 strikeouts) and Josh Fields (nine for 57 with 16 strikeouts). “I think you can ask any left-handed hitter if they would rather face a (right-handed) guy throwing 100 or a wipeout lefty, they’d probably still go right-hander throwing 100,” Roberts said. “But if that’s not in the cards, if it doesn’t make sense for our organization to do something like that, I feel very confident that Pedro, Brandon Morrow, Josh Fields and Kenley (Jansen) can get out a left-hander.” ALSO Right-hander Brandon McCarthy is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Sunday afternoon. McCarthy has not pitched since July 20 due to a recurring blister problem on his pitching hand. McCarthy will progress to a sim-game setting or possibly another bullpen session depending on how Sunday’s workout goes, Roberts said. Dodgers run latest winning streak to seven games with 2-1 win over Giants By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES – During last summer’s presidential pageant, we as Americans were promised so much winning “you’re going to be sick and tired of winning. You’re going to go, ‘Please, please – we can’t win anymore.’” So – are you tired of winning yet? “Not yet,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after his team’s latest victory, 2-1 over the San Francisco Giants Saturday afternoon. “Talk to me in late October, early November. But right now, we’re in a good place.” It is just about the best place any team could be in as July winds down. Saturday’s win extended their latest win streak to seven games and sets them up to go for a major-league-leading 14th series sweep Sunday against the tattered Giants. They are 38-6 since June 7 and 40-10 in their past 50 games. The 44-game run is the best in franchise history and the best in baseball since the 1942 Cardinals did the same. “It’s been crazy how well we’ve been playing the past couple months,” said rookie Cody Bellinger who pretty much knows nothing else in this major-league career. “I know it’s not normal. I know it’s pretty special.” It is also not normal for a young left-handed hitter – in particular, one with power – to be undaunted by left-handed pitching. The Dodgers have two who are.

Corey Seager was 3 for 4 against Giants left-handed starter Ty Blach Saturday and is hitting better against lefties (.325 with a higher OPS) than righties this season. He doubled in the first and third innings off Blach. Each time Bellinger drove him in with an RBI single, providing all of the Dodgers’ offense in the game. The RBIs ran Bellinger’s team-leading total to 69 (in just 84 games). Twenty-seven of them have come against left-handed pitching. No other left-handed hitter in the majors has driven in more runs off a left-handed pitcher. (Seager is right behind with 25.) “It’s tough to do,” Roberts said of the challenge for young left-handed hitters. “The thing with Cody is he can hit velocity but he can also hit spin. As a left-on-left guy, those breaking balls going away from you, that’s the one that’s tough. But he stays in there, keeps that front side closed from some of the best in the game. “He can slug them but he can also get a base hit. He’s not afraid.” Rich Hill has made a pretty good living (more so now) as a left-hander with spin. Things were not spinning his way in the first three months of the season, though. Those struggles didn’t turn around until he simplified his delivery. With that reworked delivery in July, he is 5-0 with a 1.45 ERA (five runs in 31 innings), 0.84 WHIP, 40 strikeouts and five walks while holding opposing batters to a .171 average. It all seems so, well, simple now. “Yeah, it’s easy to look back and connect the dots,” said Hill who was shown statistics indicating he was much more successful when pitching with runners on base – out of the shorter stretch than a full windup. “But thinking about how you’re going to go out there and be successful you have to take chances. You have to put a certain amount of risk on the line and it’s not going to be a clean run at all if you want to be successful. I think that’s something where you have to look back and, wow, it’s been a pretty good mess but at the end of it you look at it and you’ve succeeded. You just put your head down and keep moving forward.” Roberts is not in the mood for many risks with the Dodgers leading the division by 13 games. Hill retired the first 11 batters he faced – thanks in part to an outstanding sliding catch by Yasiel Puig down the right-field line and an excellent backhanded play by Justin Turner at the third-base line. That ended when Hill gave up a two-out solo home run to Hunter Pence. When Pence’s spot came round in the order again in the sixth inning, Roberts sprang from the dugout to pull Hill after 86 pitches and relied on his bullpen to protect a one-run lead the rest of the way. “Fastball command wasn’t great. Curveball wasn’t great,” Hill said. “But it’s having that relentless attack on the hitters. That’s what we’ve shown – we’re relentless every single day. In the lineup. On the mound. And in the field. It’s been a lot of fun.”

ESPN

Clayton Kershaw throws for second time, Dodgers remain cautious By Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- Clayton Kershaw played catch for the second day in a row Saturday, giving the Los Angeles Dodgers another positive sign that he is closer to pitching again than they originally speculated. The 10-minute session prior to the Dodgers' game Saturday against San Francisco came after Manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw's activities would depend upon how he felt after Friday night's throwing session. How many days in a row will Kershaw be allowed to pick up a baseball? "That's in the hands of the medical staff," Roberts said. "He said he felt good today, and they gave him the green light to go play catch." Kershaw was forced by lower back stiffness to end his most recent start after two innings Sunday against Atlanta. The Dodgers originally put a four-to-six-week time frame on Kershaw's return, but allowed him to resume throwing Friday after he reported feeling no negative symptoms. "He'll continue to ramp up, how aggressively I think that's going to be up to the medical staff," Roberts said. "They have keen eyes on him, so we'll see." The Dodgers have yet to decide whether their ace who was 15-2 with a baseball-best 2.04 ERA will travel with the team on a road trip next week. "Being on an airplane, what's best for his back, how much he's going to get out of being on the road with us," Roberts said. "And I'll defer to him and the trainer." The injury, which appears far less serious than the disc herniation that sidelined Kershaw for several months last year, still has the Dodgers taking every precaution with their three-time Cy Young Award winner and the 2014 National League MVP. "Obviously, with Clayton, we want to have the right people have eyes on him," said Roberts. "I don't even want to speculate, but it kind of makes sense that he stays here. But if he has a burning desire to travel with us, we'll take that into consideration, too." Seager, Bellinger lead Dodgers to 2-1 victory over Giants By Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts felt it was a perfect time to get Rich Hill out of the game. No reason to push anyone these days.

Hill pitched two-hit ball into the sixth inning, helping the Dodgers beat the Giants 2-1 Saturday for their seventh consecutive victory. Corey Seager had three hits and Cody Bellinger drove in two runs as major league-leading Los Angeles won for the 38th time in 44 games. At 73-31, the Dodgers are 42 games over .500 for the first time since finishing 102-60 in 1974. "I think that's what you see from this team every single day," Hill said. "Guys are getting their work in, they're staying true to the process to what they need to do to get better every single time they come to the field." Hill (8-4) struck out three and walked two in 5 2/3 innings. The oft-injured left-hander improved to 4-0 with a 1.45 ERA in five July starts. Hunter Pence homered in the fourth and Gorkys Hernandez doubled in the fifth for San Francisco's only hits against Hill. With Pence coming to the plate in the sixth, Roberts decided to bring in Pedro Baez. "Where we're at right now, every game is different, but I think for the next month and a half me, (pitching coach) Rick (Honeycutt) are aware of the pitchers, their usage, and trying to make sure guys are fresh," Roberts said. "Right now, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to push these guys." Hill threw 86 pitches after totaling at least 92 in each of his previous nine starts. But he said he understood the move. "There's a lot of season left," Hill said. Kenley Jansen worked the ninth for his 26th save in 27 opportunities, striking out Jae-Gyun Hwang with runners on first and second for the final out. The closer also allowed a leadoff single to Miguel Gomez, but he was promptly erased when Pence bounced into a double play. Seager doubled in the first and third innings, scoring each time on a Bellinger single . Seager also singled in the fifth for his 29th multihit game this season. Bellinger made his major league debut on April 25, but he leads the Dodgers with 69 RBI. He has driven in two or more runs in 18 games. "They feed off one another," Roberts said of Seager and Bellinger. "You're looking at two guys who can hurt you, do damage with slugging. They're both very good hitters." Giants starter Ty Blach (6-7) allowed eight hits in seven innings while falling to 2-5 in nine starts since June 7. "Blach did a great job, gave us a chance," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "I really didn't think he had his best stuff but this kid's got all the confidence, he's not afraid." DEFENSIVE GEMS

Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig robbed Buster Posey with a sliding catch in the second inning after a long run to the right field line. The baseball nearly popped out of Puig's glove as he tumbled into the wall, but he managed to bring it in after a bobble. Los Angeles third baseman Justin Turner got into the act in the fourth. He backhanded Denard Span's grounder after taking several steps toward the line behind third base. Falling into foul ground, Turner still managed to put enough on the throw to get Span at first. "Yasiel's catch was great out there, and JT making the play at third was fantastic," Hill said. DODGER REINFORCEMENTS Out since June 12 with lower back soreness, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is one step away from a rehab stint. Gonzalez is scheduled to hit in a simulated game Sunday. Roberts thinks Gonzalez's rehab stint will begin next week at Triple-A Oklahoma City before finishing at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. "A lot of that is the logistics of it, the travel, things like that," Roberts said. "I'm not exactly sure what day, but he's getting close to heading out." TRAINER'S ROOM Giants: RHP Mark Melancon (right pronator strain) is on the verge of a rehab stint that figures to be at least two to three appearances before he'll return as closer, said Bochy. ... C Nick Hundley was scratched. He complained of headaches when he arrived at Dodger Stadium after taking a foul ball on the mask Friday night. Dodgers: RHP Brandon McCarthy (blister on right third finger) is scheduled throw a bullpen session on Sunday. NEXT UP Giants: LHP Madison Bumgarner (1-4, 3.38 ERA) will start the series finale Sunday, swapping assignments with Matt Cain, who will pitch Monday night at Oakland. Bumgarner makes his fourth start since being sidelined by injuries stemming from a dirt bike accident. Dodgers: LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (3-6, 4.17 ERA) makes his 15th start of the season. He pitched five innings of two-run ball in a no-decision against Minnesota on Monday. --- This version corrects to Giants starter Ty Blach allowed eight hits instead of seven.

Rumor Central: Dodgers more focused on Tigers' Justin Wilson than Justin Verlander? By ESPN.com The Los Angeles Dodgers don't necessarily need to make a trade considering the blistering roll that they're enjoying, but it appears a reliever might be higher on their wish list than a starter as the trade deadline approaches. According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Dodgers are more focused on Detroit Tigers closer Justin Wilson rather than starter Justin Verlander when it comes to a potential deal with the AL Central club. Morosi's report coincides with news from FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman that indicates Verlander will more than likely remain in Detroit past Monday afternoon's deadline. Wilson, 29, has compiled a 2.75 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and a 3.44 strikeout-to-walk ratio (55-16) with 12 saves (two blown) across 41 appearances this season for the Tigers. The left-hander is under team control through 2018 and is eligible for arbitration at the conclusion of his current one-year, $2.7 million contract. The Dodgers, who already boast the best bullpen ERA in the majors, would almost certainly use Wilson in a setup role ahead of All-Star closer Kenley Jansen. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reported earlier this week that several other teams are interested in Wilson, including the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians. -- Nick Ostiller This is a new one for the Dodgers: 30-up on Giants By John Fisher This is a runaway. The Los Angeles Dodgers are 33 1/2 games ahead of the Giants in the NL West standings. The Elias Sports Bureau reports that this is the 127th year of the Giants-Dodgers rivalry and this is the first time that the Dodgers had a 30-game lead before the end of July. Things have gone the other way three times, but the last instance was more than 100 years ago. The Giants have built 30-game leads on the Dodgers before the end of July three times – in 1904, 1905 and 1912. As for the other Big Three rivalries in Major League Baseball (Dodgers-Giants, Yankees-Red Sox and Cardinals-Cubs), per Elias, this is only the 13th time one of those teams has been 30 games ahead of its big rival before the end of July. Before the Dodgers did it to the Giants this year, the last time it happened in one of the Big Three rivalries was in 1932, when the Yankees did it to the Red Sox. That was a Yankees team that featured

Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and whose World Series triumph over the Cubs included Ruth’s “Called Shot” home run. Still, the Giants are 6-6 against the Dodgers this season. But the Dodgers have another thing going for them. They have a schedule that ranks as the third easiest in baseball the rest of the way.

TRUE BLUE LA

Adrián González to start rehab next week By Craig Minami LOS ANGELES —- Manager Dave Roberts said this morning that first baseman Adrián González will play a simulated game on Sunday. A rehab schedule has been planned and González will initially play with the Oklahoma City at some point next week. “We have a schedule lined up for him, he’s going to go out on assignment, join the OKC team,” Roberts said, “I don’t know exactly what day he’s going to go out.” “A lot of that is logistics driven, and travel and things like that, a little bit the competition,” Roberts said, “the last part of his rehab, he’ll probably, just for logistics, be with that Rancho team.” Brandon McCarthy is throwing a bullpen on Sunday. “From that point, depending on how it goes,” Roberts said, “we’ll get him in a simulated situation, or maybe another pen, it is all contingent on tomorrow.” Roberts said the rotation for the series next week at Atlanta is Kenta Maeda, Brock Stewart and Alex Wood. Roberts said that Stewart should be able to go to 70 pitches on his next turn, Stewart had a limit of 55 pitches in his start earlier this week. Atlanta is catcher Kyle Farmer’s hometown and Roberts was asked if he planned to give him a start there. After initially not saying yes or no, Roberts said that he would make sure Farmer got some at-bats in Atlanta. Dodgers acquire left-handed pitcher Luis Ysla; Adrián González moved to 60-day DL By Craig Minami The Dodgers announced this afternoon that they have acquired left-handed pitcher Luis Ysla from the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations. The 25-year old Ysla has pitched for the Portland Sea Dogs this season. They play in the Double-A Eastern League. He was designated for assignment on July 26, 2017. The Dodgers said Ysla will be optioned to the Tulsa Drillers.

Ysla has appeared in 29 games, pitching 46⅓ innings, he’s allowed 28 runs (26 earned), 47 hits and 32 walks. Ysla has 44 strikeouts this season. Ysla was originally signed by the San Francisco Giants in 2012 and was traded to the Red Sox for outfielder Alejandro De Aza on August 31, 2015. As the corresponding move, first baseman Adrián González will be moved to the 60-day disabled list, retroactive to June 12th. Earlier on Saturday, manager Dave Roberts said González would start a rehab assignment next week, this move should not affect that though more will be known after González plays his simulated game on Sunday. Two more doubles for Starling Heredia, Ogden wins 6-2 By Craig Minami Saturday was another some win, some lose day for the Dodger minor league affiliates. Oklahoma City, Rancho Cucamonga, and the AZL Dodgers lost but Tulsa, Great Lakes, Ogden and Ogden won. The DSL Dodgers teams also split, with the DSL Dodgers1 winning their game. Player of the day While Keibert Ruiz seems unstoppable as he had a 3-for-4 night (and extended his hitting streak to 10 games) and Alex Verdugo is trying to shake off a down July for him, today’s Player of the day is Starling Heredia for his 2-for-4 game with two doubles. Heredia has hit in 10 of the last 11 games and has maintained his .400+ average from day one in Ogden and he will be starting for the Pioneer League in their All-Star game on Tuesday. Triple-A Oklahoma City The Dodgers fell behind by a lot early and went down 14-9 to the Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners) in the first game of their series at Oklahoma City. Justin Masterson took the loss as he gave up seven runs in 3⅔ innings. The Rainiers would pound out 17 hits to go with their 14 runs. The Dodgers would get to within three runs but the Rainiers scored five runs in the eighth to put the game away. Alex Verdugo went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. After a blistering June, Verdugo has hit .240/.326/.360 in 84 plate appearances in July. Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers won 11-3 over the Arkansas Travelers (Mariners) as they had a 17 hit attack with every starter collecting at least one hit. Michael Johnson would get the win with two scoreless innings in relief work. Yadier Alvarez started and he had an uneven game. In 4⅔ innings pitched, Alvarez gave up six hits and six walks that produced three runs (one earned). Alvarez did strike out five in his 102 pitch effort. Tim Locastro and Henry Ramos each had three hits, Ramos had one of the three home runs hit by the Drillers, Peter O’Brien and Garret Kennedy were the other home run hitters. O’Brien, Matt Beaty, Erick Mejia and Darien Tubbs each had two hits. Class-A Rancho Cucamonga The Quakes dropped the third game of their four-game series against the Inland Empire 66ers (Angels), losing 6-4 on Saturday. Michael Boyle took the loss as he gave up four runs (three earned) in four innings pitched. Aside from the above-mentioned Keibert Ruiz, Ariel Sandoval and Ibandel Isabel each had good games at the plate. Sandoval hit two solo home runs and Isabel hit his California League leading 22nd home run. Class-A Great Lakes The Loons used a four run eighth inning to win 6-2 over the Lansing Lugnuts (Blue Jays). Taking advantage of the first Lugnut error in the inning, Brandon Montgomery drove in two with a single with the bases-loaded and then two more Lugnut errors allowed the other two runs to score. Jordan Sheffield started and pitched 5⅔ innings solid innings as he gave up a run, three hits and walked three with four strikeouts. Andre Scrubb would give up the tying run but then finish up strong to collect the win. Nick Yarnell had three hits and Cristian Santana collected two more hits. Rookie-Ogden The Raptors held on to win 5-4 over the Grand Junction Rockies to begin the second half of their season. They will play today and then the Pioneer League will take their All-Star break. Five Raptors had multi-hit games, Jared Walker led the way with three hits with Starling Heredia, Romar Cuadrado, Hendrick Clementina and Tyler Adkison each with two hits. Rookie-AZL Dodgers The AZL Dodgers lost 3-2 to the AZL Brewers as Yeison Cespedes gave up two runs in the fifth which proved to be enough for the Brewers.

Right-handed pitcher Chris Hatcher began a rehab assignment with one scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Transactions Double-A: Tulsa activated outfielder Jacob Scavuzzo from the 7-day disabled list and placed outfielder Quincy Latimore on the 7-day disabled list. Rookie: Los Angeles sent right-handed pitcher Chris Hatcher on a rehab assignment to AZL Dodgers. Saturday’s Scores Tacoma 14, Oklahoma City 9 Tulsa 11, Arkansas 3 Inland Empire 6, Rancho Cucamonga 4 Great Lakes 6, Lansing 2 Ogden 5, Grand Junction 4 AZL Brewers 3, AZL Dodgers 2 DSL Dodgers1 4, DSL Braves 3 DSL Astros Orange 10, DSL Dodgers2 2 Sunday’s Schedule 11:05 a.m. PT: Great Lakes (TBD) at Lansing (Michael Ellenbest) 2:05 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Devin Smeltzer) at Inland Empire (TBD) 3:00 p.m.: Ogden (Gregorio Sequera) vs. Grand Junction (Logan Longwith) 4:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Scott Barlow) vs. Tacoma Rainiers (TBD) 5:00 p.m.: AZL Dodgers vs. AZL White Sox 5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Dennis Santana) vs. Arkansas (Lindsey Caughel)

Dodgers win seventh straight By Craig Minami LOS ANGELES— The second of now three matchups of left-handers between the Dodgers and Giants was a full on pitching duel. And while this season has seen a lot of runs scored, today the Dodgers won a close 2-1 game over the Giants. Rich Hill and Ty Blach kept the runs off the board with Hill getting the win while Blach suffered a very tough loss. Hill pitched 5⅔ innings and gave up two hits, a run and two walks. Hill had three strikeouts. Pedro Baez came in to face Hunter Pence and retired him. Baez went on to pitch a scoreless seventh before handing the ball to Josh Fields. Fields got Gorkys Hernández to ground out to short and manager Dave Roberts walked out to the mound to bring in Luis Avilán to face the lefty swinging Conor Gillaspie. Carlos Moncrief, making his major-league debut, pinch hit for Blach. Moncrief would work a walk in his first plate appearance. Denard Span would line out to Cody Bellinger to end the inning. Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the ninth and it was much busier inning than he and all the fans would have liked. Jansen gave up an infield single to Miguel Gomez but soon after that Hunter Pence hit into a 6-3 double play. Jansen would then walk Buster Posey. That brought up Brandon Crawford who singled. Jae-gyun Hwang was then up in a key spot and Jansen would strike him out to get the save. Blach does what Blach does against the Dodgers, he had some rough parts, especially in the first inning when he got Yasiel Puig to hit into a 1-2-3 double play with the bases-loaded. Blach pitched seven innings, gave up two runs while scattering eight hits and two walks. Blach struck out three. The Dodgers scored those runs in the first and third inning and both were scored the same way; a pair of Corey Seager doubles soon to be followed by a pair of Cody Bellinger RBI singles. Bellinger was aided with the infield being in on the second single. The Giants would cut the lead to one when Pence hit a solo home run in the fourth but that was as close as they got on Saturday. Up next The Dodgers conclude the home stand and a great month of July with a 5:05 p.m. ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game with Hyun-jin Ryu going against Madison Bumgarner. Saturday particulars Home runs: Hunter Pence (7) WP - Rich Hill (8-4): 5⅔ IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts

LP - Ty Blach (6-7): 7 IP, 8 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts Save - Kenley Jansen (27): 1 IP, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, 1 double play

DODGER INSIDER

Farmer rejoins former Georgia roommate in first call to big leagues By Rowan Kavner Kyle Farmer’s accustomed to being on the field with Alex Wood. Only, now it’s from a different vantage point. Friday marked Farmer’s first career appearance on a Major League roster after getting recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 26-year-old’s days of being a college shortstop are over, as he’s since transitioned to catcher. While he didn’t play in the game Friday, he did warm up Wood, his former University of Georgia roommate, between innings as Austin Barnes got his gear back on. “He’s actually pitching better here than he did at Georgia,” Farmer quipped. “I’m used to sitting behind him at shortstop at Georgia, now I got to warm him up a little in the game. That was pretty cool. But great pitcher, great guy. I’d call him a great friend.” Wood couldn’t be more thrilled to see his old college teammate getting his first Major League chance. “I’m really, really excited for him,” Wood said. “Everybody dreams to be here and be a big leaguer, but if there was a top or a limit to how much you really want to be here and be in the big leagues, he puts the work in and he deserves it. I’m really, really happy for him.” Farmer earned the opportunity by hitting .316/.363/.503 in 48 games with Oklahoma City this year after getting promoted May 23. His ability to also play the infield helped in the Dodgers deciding to recall him, even with two catchers already on the roster. “He’s performed, which is a credit to him going back to Double-A and still kind of taking his medicine but being a pro, performing there and going to Triple-A and doing the same thing,” said manager Dave Roberts. “Having the ability to fire that bullet with Austin early in the game with the third catcher is a luxury. Kyle can play third base, and I’ve seen it with my eyes, he plays a good third base. Can move to first base if need be, but also have him behind the plate.” Farmer got the news he’d be heading to the show on his way to breakfast, when Triple-A manager Bill Haselman called him and let him know. The first person Farmer called was his father, who’s also his offseason hitting coach. “Pretty cool experience,” Farmer said. “Had to stop the car and take a minute to relax.”

Farmer said his Dodger teammates have welcomed him in with open arms, and he’s now 1–0 with his new group. In addition, he’ll get to head back to his hometown when the Dodgers hit the road early next week to Atlanta. “I know he’s excited,” Roberts said. “I’ll be certain to make sure he gets some at-bats in Atlanta.” Kershaw playing catch again Clayton Kershaw was back on the field playing catch Saturday morning, throwing the ball around with Brandon McCarthy. Kershaw’s still less than a week removed from a back strain, and both Kershaw (back) and McCarthy (blister) are on the 10-day disabled list. “That’s all in the hands of the medical staff,” Roberts said. “Clayton says he felt good today and they gave him the green light to go play catch. He’s going to continue to ramp up. How aggressively, I think that’s going to be up to the medical staff. They’ve got keen eyes on him, so we’ll see.” McCarthy is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Sunday. From that point, a decision will be made if McCarthy will throw in a simulated game a few days later or another bullpen session. González rehab assignment next week Adrián González will head out on a rehab assignment next week, according to Roberts. González will take part in a simulated game Sunday before joining Triple-A Oklahoma City next week. “He’s going to start with the OKC team,” Roberts said. “A lot of that is logistics driven and travel and things like that. Little bit the competition.” Roberts said González will likely end his rehab with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga because of logistics. The last part of his rehab, he’ll probably with logistics be with that (Single-A) Rancho team.” On rotation Roberts said the rotation will stay on turn when the Dodgers go to Atlanta to start their road trip next week. That means Kenta Maeda on Tuesday, Brock Stewart on Wednesday and Alex Wood on Thursday. Roberts said Stewart should be able to stretch out to about 70 pitches after being limited to the 50–60 pitch range in his first start of the season.

The comeback Dodgers are also historically dominant when they get ahead By Rowan Kavner The concept seems simple: Don’t quit when you’re down. Put teams away when you’re ahead. To do it at the level the Dodgers are in 2017, however, is something entirely different. Their ability to accomplish the former has been well-documented in their 30 comeback wins. Their ability to do the latter might be less celebrated, but is actually more historic and was on display again Saturday, as the Dodgers held onto a one-run lead from the fourth inning on in a 2–1 win against the Giants. It was their 73rd victory of the year, this one ensuring the Dodgers would win their 20th series of the season, putting them in position for their 14th sweep of 2017. It’s also the 51st straight game the Dodgers have won when leading at any point, a streak no other team has accomplished in Major League history. “It’s been crazy how well we’ve been playing the past couple months,” said Cody Bellinger, whose two run-scoring hits were the only two RBI the Dodgers needed to pull out the win. “It’s been pretty special. Hopefully, we can keep it going.” Both of Bellinger’s hits came off Giants southpaw starter Ty Blach, bringing Bellinger up to 69 RBI, including 27 RBI against left-handed pitchers, who continue to pose little threat to the 22-year-old Dodger All-Star. “I just feel comfortable against them,” Bellinger said. “Sometimes when I’m off against a righty, I tend to pull off. I can’t do that against a lefty. It keeps me straight and keeps me balanced.” Those two runs were enough the way Rich Hill and the Dodger bullpen pitched. Hill allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings and has only allowed five earned runs in 31 innings while striking out 40 with five walks in July. As much as Hill wanted to stay in to pitch to Hunter Pence, who provided the only run of the day for the Giants on a fourth-inning solo homer that ended Hill’s perfect game after 3 2/3 innings, Hill said he understands there’s a lot of season left. He was done at 86 pitches and has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his five starts this month. His ERA, which sat at 5.14 in mid-June, is now 3.35 following a month and a half of elite pitching, assisted by a few tweaks on the mound including a modified delivery. “It’s easy to look back and say, ‘Connect the dots,’ right? But again, thinking about how you’re going to go out there and be successful, you have to take chances,” Hill said. “You have to go out there and put a certain amount of risk on the line.” He gave the Giants some pitches to hit, and his defense backed him up. While the Dodgers only scored two runs Saturday, Chris Taylor and Corey Seager stayed sizzling at the plate. For the second straight day, Taylor doubled late to keep his hit hitting streak alive, stretching it to

seven games. Taylor has hits in 13 of his last 14 games, while Seager finished the day 3-for-4 and is now 5-for-8 with two home runs, two doubles, four runs and three RBI this series. Bellinger said the veterans in the clubhouse haven’t told him that what the Dodgers, who’ve secured 38 wins in their last 44 games, are doing this year is out of the ordinary. “But I know it’s not normal,” Bellinger said. “I know what we have here is special. I’m just trying to enjoy it every day.” Dodgers acquire Ysla from Red Sox, González to 60-day DL After the win, the Dodgers acquired left-handed pitcher Luis Ysla from the Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations. Ysla will be optioned to Double-A Tulsa. To make room for Ysla on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers transferred Adrián González (lumbar disc herniation, retroactive to June 12) to the 60-day disabled list. Manager Dave Roberts said González is expected to join Triple-A Oklahoma City for a rehab assignment next week. Ysla has posted a 5.05 ERA in 29 relief appearances with Boston’s Double-A Portland. In five Minor League seasons with the Giants (2013–15) and Red Sox (2015–17) organizations, Ysla has posted a 3.85 ERA with 374 strikeouts in 359 2/3 innings.

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MLB Trade Deadline Rumors: Yankees, Dodgers, mystery team in on Yu Darvish By R.J. Anderson Earlier this week, we covered the report stating the Texas Rangers had informed clubs they were going to trade ace Yu Darvish before the July 31 deadline. With the deadline a day away, we're starting to gain clarity on whom they might be making a deal with. The New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and an unnamed (and unexpected) club are all in on Darvish, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.

We've touched on both the Yankees and Dodgers' interest in Darvish before. The Dodgers in particular could stand to add another frontline starter, what with Clayton Kershaw missing the next month due to back woes. But the interesting aspect is that unknown third team could be pulled toward Darvish for similar reasons. Both the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox are dealing with injuries to key pitchers -- Stephen Strasburg and David Price, respectively. It's unclear whether either is the team mentioned, but it would make some sense. The catch is that the Nationals have been loosely tied to Darvish before, so who knows whether they fit the bill. Of course, it's also possible that the mystery team is neither of the above, and instead a true darkhorse. We might never know for sure, but we're just over a day away from knowing for certain where Darvish will end up to finish the season.

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Corey Seager Continues to be a Nightmare for Giants as Dodgers Make it Seven Straight Wins By Michael Duarte Young blood. Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger connected on both of the Dodgers' runs as Los Angeles held on to defeat the rival San Francisco Giants, 2-1, for their seventh straight win on Saturday afternoon at Chavez Ravine. Seager (23), scored both of the Dodgers' runs as he started the game off with doubles in the first and third innings, respectively. "We got on them early and stayed on them," Seager said of he and the team's early at-bats. "We did a good enough job today." The reigning Rookie of the Year has continued to be a nightmare against the Giants this series as Seager is 5-for-8 so far, with two doubles, two home runs, three RBI and four runs scored against San Francisco. "He's a good hiiter," San Francisco starter Ty Blach said of Seager. "Knowing that you get to face the best-of-the-best is always my goal. To know that those guys [Seager and Bellinger] are up and coming and I'll be able to face them for years to come is exciting to be able to compete against them." Speaking of Rookie of the Year, the 2017 frontrunner for the award knocked in both runs for the Boys in Blue as Cody Bellinger (22), finished the game 2-for-4 with two singles and two RBI. "I love hitting behind him [Seager] and JT," added Bellinger. "I talk to him [Seager] everyday and we feed off eachother." The Dodgers are a perfect 18-0 this season when Bellinger records at least two RBI.

"I feel comfortable against them," Bellinger said about facing the Giants and left-handed pitching in general. "I can't pull off against a lefty, so it keeps me straight and keeps me balanced." Dodgers' starter Rich Hill had a perfect game through three innings but Hunter Pence put a stop to that with one swing in the top of the fourth. "He made just one mistake to Pence," Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts said of his starter Rich Hill. "Outside of that, he was really good. When he's attackingm he's in a good place." Hill (8-4) had another strong outing, allowing just the one run on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 5 and 2/3 innings. "I've continued to put in the work and time every single day," said Hill. "We're relentless every single day. In the lineup, on the mound and out on the field." In his last six starts, Hill is 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA with 40 strikeouts and just 12 walks. Ty Blach (6-7) took home the though loss, allowing just two runs on eight hits, with two walks and three strikeouts in seven strong innings. "I didn't have the best command today, but was able to grind through innings," Blach said of his start. "I was able to keep the team in it and give us a chance." In Hill's absence, the Dodgers' bullpen combined for 3 and 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Kenley Jansen recorded his 27th save of the season. The Dodgers' pitching staff leads the Majors with a 3.13 ERA and are the first team since the 1988 New York Mets to lead MLB in ERA, opponents batting average and walks allowed in the same season. After a recent string of success in the eight-hole, Yasiel Puig was moved up to the sixth spot in the Dodgers' lineup, but struggled, finishing 0-for-4, and leaving four runners on base. San Francisco rookie, Carlos Moncreif, was called up from Triple-A Sacramento before the game and walked in his MLB debut as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning. The Dodgers won their seventh in a row, the fifth time they have had a winning streak of five or more games this season. They are an MLB-best 73-31, and extended their MLB record to 51 consecutive victories when leading at any point. In their last 44 games, Los Angeles is a MLB-best 38-6, tied for the best 44-game stretch in MLB history with the 1942 St. Louis Cardinals. Despite the seemingly opposite record, the Dodgers have split the twelve games this season with San Francisco.

"Regardless of how good we are or they are, we both play each other really well," Seager said of the rivalry despite the fact that the Dodgers are 33.5 games ahead of the Giants. "That's what you expect when we match up together." After the national media said the "sky was falling," following the back injury to Clayton Kershaw last week, the Dodgers are a perfect 6-0 since the three-time Cy Young Award winner was placed on the disabled list. Up Next: There's a San Francisco surprise set for Sunday night's game on ESPN as the Giants scratched RHP Matt Cain and will instead start Madison Bumgarner. The Dodgers will counter with Hyun-Jin Ryu. First pitch is scheduled for 5:05PM PST.