Daily Clips July 23, 2017

Transcription

1 Daily Clips July 23, 2017

2 LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS SUNDAY, JULY 23, 2017 DODGERS.COM Dodgers overpower Braves with three homers- Ken Gurnick and Joshua Thornton Taylor delights Dodgers, confounds opponents- Ken Gurnick Dodgers trade righty reliever Romo to Rays- Ken Gurnick Dodgers turn to Kershaw in finale vs. Braves- Joshua Thornton McCarthy tentative for next start due to blister Ken Gurnick Saturday's best: Braves' Gohara, Sims impress in upper Minors- William Boor LA TIMES Chris Taylor drives in three runs to help Dodgers end two-game slide- Andy McCullough Don Sutton shouldn't be a forgotten link between Dodgers greatness of the past and now- Bill Plaschke Best way for Dodgers to win the World Series is by adding a pitcher- Bill Shaikin Dodgers pitcher Brandon McCarthy to test blister before Tuesday's start- Andy McCullough OC REGISTER Dodgers get back to winning ways by beating Braves 6-2- Bill Plunkett Dodgers trade Sergio Romo to Tampa Bay for cash or player to be named- Bill Plunkett Dodgers notes: Brock Stewart pitching well while caught between roles- Bill Plunkett Braves at Dodgers: Sunday game time, TV channels and starting pitchers- Bill Plunkett ESPN Seager, Utley and Taylor homer and Dodgers beat Braves 4-2- Associated Press TRUE BLUE LA Jordan Sheffield strikes out seven in loss- Craig Minami Rich Hill continues strong pitching in Dodger win- Craig Minami Dodgers trade Sergio Romo to Tampa Bay- Craig Minami Logan Forsythe at third tonight for Justin Turner- Craig Minami Rich Hill to try and continue July success- Craig Minami DODGER INSIDER The incredible Chris Taylor gives the Dodgers some distance- Cary Osborne Sergio Romo dealt to the Rays- Cary Osborne Dodgers patience pays in Rowan Kavner NBC LA Chris Taylor and Rich Hill Help Dodgers Bounce Back With 6-2 Win Over Braves- Michael Duarte BOSTON GLOBE Time to make plans for Red Sox-Dodgers World Series- Dan Shaughnessy

3 LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS SUNDAY, JULY 23, 2017 Dodgers overpower Braves with three homers By Ken Gurnick and Joshua Thornton DODGERS.COM LOS ANGELES -- Corey Seager, Chase Utley and Chris Taylor homered Saturday night at Dodger Stadium as the Dodgers returned to their slugging and winning ways with a 6-2 victory over the Braves, snapping their two-game losing streak. Dodgers starter Rich Hill (7-4) struck out eight in 6 1/3 innings and is 4-0 in his career against Atlanta. He is 4-1 with a 1.93 ERA since modifying his delivery six starts back. Braves starter Julio Teheran (7-8) is 0-6 in his career against the Dodgers. "He wanted to be the stopper, you could see it," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Hill, who pitched through a respiratory infection that left him hoarse in the postgame interview. "You look back to that St. Louis start [on May 24] -- from now to that start, [the difference] is stark. I'm not going to say I wasn't hoping, which isn't a good strategy. But Rich and [pitching coach] Rick Honeycutt, they worked it out." Seager (No. 16) and Utley (No. 6) hit solo home runs in the first and third innings, respectively. Hill plunked Teheran with a 1-2 pitch to lead off the top of the fifth. Teheran was doubled to third by Johan Camargo and scored on Freddie Freeman's groundout. Former Dodger Matt Kemp singled home Camargo to tie the game at 2. The Dodgers took the lead on Yasiel Puig's two-out RBI infield single in the sixth inning. "It's tough," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "They keep coming at you. I said last night, even in that game, we got the big lead and you just never feel comfortable against these guys because they're so aggressive and they just keep coming at you." Taylor -- a defensive replacement in the seventh inning -- added a two-run triple in the eighth inning to his opposite-field homer in the seventh, which was his 12th on the season to go with a.310 average. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Line drive in the box score: With two out in the bottom of the sixth and Yasmani Grandal on third base, the Dodgers took the lead on Puig's 40-foot infield single that was fielded by Teheran, whose only play was home. Teheran's throw beat Grandal to the plate, but the ball flew out of Braves catcher Tyler Flowers' glove as he attempted the tag, allowing Grandal to score the tie-breaking run and Puig to take second base on Flowers' error. "There's nothing I could tell you I would do differently tomorrow on it," Flowers said. "It's a quick play. Julio is throwing it from the opposite side. Catch it. Try and tag him. Bam. There was time to catch the ball and it happened to be right where he was and he ran through it."

4 Setting up just fine: Pedro Baez took over for Hill with one out in the seventh inning and, while the save was still in order, served as a perfect bridge by retiring all five batters he faced with one strikeout. QUOTABLE "It's much more fun when you don't [stink]." -- Hill "It's a good one. It's the old-school, true curveball. It's not rolling in there. Gets down to 73, it's got a lot of bite. He was getting a lot of borderline calls, I would call them, but he recognized that and started using that to his advantage that makes it a little more challenging." -- Flowers on Hill's curveball SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The Dodgers have won 45 consecutive games in which they held a lead of any size at any time, a Major League record. WHAT'S NEXT Braves: It's a getaway game for the Braves and they will hand the ball to rookie Sean Newcomb, who is looking to earn his first win since June 27. The righty is 1-5 this season with a 4.86 ERA. First pitch slated for 4:10 p.m. ET. Dodgers: It's Clayton Kershaw Day, with a 1:10 p.m. PT first pitch. He's made 14 consecutive starts without a loss, going 11-0 with a 1.84 ERA and a.193 opponents' average, 122 strikeouts and 20 walks since May 6. He's 3-0 with a 1.52 in eight career starts against the Braves. Taylor delights Dodgers, confounds opponents By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES -- The secret is out. Chris Taylor is good. But, how good? "Until you've done it, you really don't know what you have," manager Dave Roberts said of Taylor, who came off the bench Saturday night with a homer and two-run triple that helped power the Dodgers to a 6-2 win over the Braves. "Where is his floor? We don't know. What's his ceiling? I try to stay away from projection of what to expect. Each night he tries to help us win a baseball game. I can't sit here right now and say he's hit his ceiling." But he has hit 12 home runs. He has a.310 average, second-highest on the club, behind Justin Turner. Even though Taylor began the season in the Minor Leagues, his 43 RBIs are fourth on the club. He's started at five defensive positions (second base, shortstop, third base, center field and left field). He's hit in every spot of the batting order except for ninth. Roberts used the word "elite" to describe Taylor's play in the outfield this year, where he had never really played, until injuries to Andre Ethier and Andrew Toles created an opening. He made mechanical adjustments in his swing last winter that generated increased bat speed and his power to the opposite field is impossible to ignore.

5 "That's the type of hitter I've always been, taking pride to drive ball to the right-center gap," Taylor said. "In the past, my power has been the other way in the form of doubles. Now that I've added bat speed, some of those balls are getting over the fence." Taylor's offense tailed off in June, when he said he was moving his head too much, diving into pitches and not seeing the ball well. He adjusted by watching video to get his mechanics back to where they were when he was recalled in April. He's 27-for-63 in July (.429) with three homers, three triples and six doubles. He's 16-for-31 since the All- Star break. Three of his home runs have been grand slams. His 12 stolen bases lead the team. He's one of the best acquisitions of the current management team, having been acquired last year from Seattle for pitcher Zach Lee. "He's a spark," said Roberts. "We talk about how many good players we have, he's not so much under the radar now." Just don't ask Taylor to weigh in on the debate of how good he can be. "I try not to focus on it, just try to be the best player I can be and get better every day," he said. "Throughout my career, even in Little League, I was never the best player on my team. I always had to work at it. A big credit of why I've gotten here is that I've constantly improved at every level and learned along the way." Dodgers trade righty reliever Romo to Rays By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers traded reliever Sergio Romo and cash considerations to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday for a player to be named or cash considerations. The 34-year-old Romo, whose salary this year is $3 million, was designated for assignment on Thursday to make room for the activation of left-handed reliever Grant Dayton. The former closer of the three-time champion Giants was signed as a free agent to vie for the Dodgers' setup role, but he struggled to a 6.12 ERA in 30 appearances. Dodgers turn to Kershaw in finale vs. Braves By Joshua Thornton The Braves will close out their four-game series with the Dodgers squaring off against ace Clayton Kershaw, who hasn't lost a start since May 1. The southpaw faces a red-hot Braves offense that put up 18 runs in the first two games of this series. Kershaw has made 14 straight outings without recording a loss, going 11-0 in that span and sporting a 1.84 ERA. He has held opponents to a.193 average while striking out 122 with 20 walks.

6 The three-time Cy Young Award-winner also hasn't had much trouble against the Braves in his career, tallying a 3-0 record with a 1.52 ERA in eight career starts against Atlanta. "It's arguably the best team in the game," Braves manager Brian Snitker said about the Dodgers. "You just never know with baseball. Our guys came out and we're playing our game, being aggressive from the first pitch. And it helps, too, when you get the starts that we got, to allow yourself to do that." Rookie Sean Newcomb will get the start for the Braves and will face the Dodgers for the first time in his career. The lefty has struggled in his last three starts, going 0-3 and posting an ERA with nine walks. He threw a career-high 110 pitches in his last outing against the Cubs. Things to know about this game Kershaw has not allowed a run in the first inning in any of his last 14 starts, dating back to May 6, 2017, which is the longest active streak in baseball. Opponents are hitting.294 with two strikes against Newcomb (15-for-51) over the last 30 days, which ranks 137th of 141 qualified starting pitchers. Braves left fielder Matt Kemp is 3-for-11 with an RBI and five strikeouts against Kershaw in his career. McCarthy tentative for next start due to blister By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers pitcher Brandon McCarthy will test his blistered right index finger with a Sunday bullpen session to determine if he can make his tentatively scheduled Tuesday night start against Minnesota. McCarthy, roughed up for six runs on nine hits in four innings Thursday night, was to play catch Saturday. If McCarthy cannot start, manager Dave Roberts said Kenta Maeda would make the Tuesday night start. "We're going to keep our eye on McCarthy, and Kenta is also in the mix for Tuesday, depending on Mac's blister," Roberts said. McCarthy could go on the disabled list to make room for Hyun-Jin Ryu, who is expected to come off the disabled list and start Monday night. Alex Wood, who suffered his first loss of the season Friday night, will start Wednesday night. McCarthy has been unable to complete five innings in three of his last four starts. He downplayed the blister's impact in the most recent start, saying he's been dealing with it since Spring Training. McCarthy left a June 1 start after four innings because of the blister. Roberts also said that third baseman Justin Turner, who leads the Majors with a.371 batting average, was out of Saturday night's lineup because of an upper respiratory condition, but is expected back in the lineup Sunday. Logan Forsythe started at third base with Chase Utley at second base.

7 Saturday's best: Braves' Gohara, Sims impress in upper Minors By William Boor The Braves' farm system is loaded with talented young arms, and that was easily apparent on Saturday as Luiz Gohara and Lucas Sims led Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett to wins with dominating performances on the mound. The duo combined for 20 strikeouts over 13 scoreless frames as Mississippi topped Blioxi, 8-0, and Gwinnett held off Indianapolis, 2-1. Whats more, these impressive outings come just a day after Braves No. 11 prospect Touki Toussaint struck out 11 with Class A Advanced Florida. Gohara, the Braves' No. 9 prospect, set a career high with 11 strikeouts in six scoreless frames for Mississippi. The 20-year-old lefty got into a rhythm early as he struck out the first two batters he faced. Gohara struck out the side in the fourth and recorded at least one strikeout in each inning. When it was all over, Gohara, who has a 2.60 ERA in 12 Double-A appearances, had thrown 72 of his 98 pitches for strikes, allowing five hits and no walks. Sims, the Braves' No. 18 prospect, spun seven shutout innings for Gwinnett in what was his third straight quality start. The righty threw 104 pitches, 71 strikes, as he carved his way through the Indianapolis lineup, giving up just three hits and one walk. Sims also struck out nine in the outing, bringing his season total to 124 through 110 1/3 innings. Other top prospect performances from Saturday's action: No. 4 overall prospect J.P. Crawford (Phillies' No. 1) put up another big game, continuing his strong month for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Crawford, who has struggled for the bulk of the season, went 4-for-5 with three RBIs and is now hitting.324 in July and.230 on the season. No. 24 overall prospect Kevin Maitan (Braves' No. 2) hit his first professional homer for Rookie-level Danville. Maitan hit a solo homer in the third to extend his hitting streak to six games and jumpstart his 3-for-5, two-rbi night. No. 68 overall prospect Willie Calhoun (Dodgers' No. 3) made the most of his pinch-hitting opportunity as he belted a solo homer in the fifth inning of Triple-A Oklahoma City's loss to Iowa. Calhoun has 21 homers this season and is batting.302 through 92 games. Rays No. 6 prospect Joshua Lowe collected a career-best four hits in Class A Bowling Green's extrainnings victory over Peoria. Lowe, who finished 4-for-6, drove in two runs and stole two bases, the latest big game in what has been an impressive month. Lowe has boosted his average from.239 to.260 as he's gone 24-for-74 (.324) over the past 19 games. Orioles No. 7 prospect Austin Hays hit his fifth homer in eight games and extended his hitting streak to 13 in Double-A Bowie's win over Altoona. Hays, who finished 3-for-4, got the scoring started with a solo homer in the fourth and is now batting.330 through 27 games with Bowie. Cardinals No. 10 prospect Dakota Hudson has posted 12 quality starts in his last 13 turns after throwing seven scoreless innings for Double-A Springfield. Hudson led the Cardinals to a win over

8 Arkansas as he gave up just four hits in the outing. The 22-year-old has also allowed one earned run or fewer in five of his past seven outings. Rockies No. 11 prospect Yency Almonte has a 2.00 ERA through 14 starts after spinning a gem for Double-A Hartford. Almonte gave up no earned runs for the second time in his past three starts as he held Portland scoreless over seven innings. Almonte threw 69 of his 109 pitches for strikes, yielding five hits and notching seven strikeouts. Phillies No. 12 prospect Rhys Hoskins hit his 22nd homer of the season and second in two days in Lehigh Valley's win over Durham. Hoskins, who finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs, wasn't the only Phillies prospect to go deep. Dylan Cozens (No. 9) hit his 23rd homer, putting him atop the International League leaderboard. Cozens and Hoskins led the Eastern League in home runs in 2016 as they hit 40 and 38, respectively. Phillies No. 14 prospect Adonis Medina has given up one earned run or fewer in each of his past three starts after allowing one run across seven frames for Class A Lakewood. Medina struck out five in the outing, allowing six hits and one walk. Nationals No. 17 prospect Raudy Read led Double-A Harrisburg to a win over Binghamton with a big 3- for-4 day at the plate. Read set a career high with his 10th homer of the season and also matched his season high with four RBIs in the game. Giants No. 18 prospect Kelvin Beltre appears to be heating up for Class A Augusta. Beltre went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Augusta's win over Hagerstown. He has put together back-to-back multi-hit games and has at least one hit in eight of his past 10 games. Padres No. 19 prospect Joey Lucchesi picked up his third win in four starts as Double-A San Antonio topped Frisco, 4-1. After posting a 2.52 ERA through 14 starts with Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore, Lucchesi was promoted to San Antonio where he has continued to throw well. The lefty fired eight innings, struck out four and gave up one unearned run. White Sox No. 27 prospect Jake Peter extended his hitting streak to 12 games in Triple-A Charlotte's win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Extra-base hits have come in bunches for Peter, who finished 3-for-5 with a homer and a pair of doubles. He also set a season high with four RBIs. Mariners No. 30 prospect Luis Rengifo had the first two-homer game of his career in Class A Clinton's win over Lake County. Rengifo homered in the third and the sixth while also doubling in the eighth on his way to a 3-for-4, four-rbi night. LA TIMES Chris Taylor drives in three runs to help Dodgers end two-game slide By Andy McCullough In late June, as his batting average sunk beneath.300 and his importance to the Dodgers lineup dimmed, Chris Taylor began to study video of himself. He was unhappy with the images he saw. His

9 head was moving too much at the plate. He invested too much of his body in his swing, which distorted the direction of his bat. Taylor vowed to re-create the revamped swing he displayed when the team called him up in mid-april. After three weeks in July, including a late-game infusion of offense in a 6-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday, Taylor can consider his adjustments a success. It was just about simplifying things, Taylor said. Not trying to over-swing. Just get the barrel on the ball. On the bench for the first six innings of the night, Taylor drove in three runs in two at-bats to help his team end a two-game losing streak. He swatted a solo homer in the seventh. An inning later, he slashed a two-out, two-run triple. In the process, he upped his batting average for July to.429 and stabilized his season on-base-plus-slugging percentage at.920. The Dodgers (67-31) still have not lost three in a row since the first week of June. Clayton Kershaw can salvage a split for the series in the finale on Sunday. The team had grabbed the lead in the sixth inning when Yasmani Grandal barreled through a tag at the plate placed by opposing catcher Tyler Flowers. The offense produced a pair of solo homers earlier in the night by Corey Seager and Chase Utley. Rich Hill (7-4, 3.48 earned-run average) allowed the Braves to tie the score in the fifth, but stuck around to log 61/3 innings without further damage. Don Sutton shouldn't be a forgotten link between Dodgers greatness of the past and now The effectiveness was good, manager Dave Roberts said about Hill. The efficiency could have been better. But as far as the pitch quality very good. Taylor is not the only Dodger to rescue his season in late June. Hill did something similar, a process he extended with his sixth reassuring outing in a row on Saturday. He had been adrift for most of the first half. His blisters resurfaced in April and caused two trips to the disabled list. Upon his return in mid-may, he failed to deliver his fastball and curveball to the strike zone with regularity. A tip from President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, who provided Hill with information showing his performance while in the windup versus the stretch, aided Hill s resurgence. Hill saw he threw much better when runners were on base than when the bases were empty. Inspired by the data, Hill modified his delivery to cut down on his windup, even when there were no men aboard. The difference was stark. In his first eight starts, Hill posted a 5.14 ERA and never pitched into the sixth inning. In his next five outings, Hill produced a 1.74 ERA and completed the seventh inning three times. It s much more fun when you don t [stink], Hill said. It s good to contribute to the team. That s what I want to do. Before the game, Hill popped some Mucinex to deal with a cold filtering through the clubhouse. He struck out the side in the first inning. He yielded a pair of singles in the second, but recovered to strike out two more in a scoreless frame. In between, the offense provided him a one-run lead. Best way for Dodgers to win the World Series is by adding a pitcher

10 Seager had supplied only one hit in the first two nights of this series. He delivered his second with one out in the first. Julio Teheran challenged him with a full-count fastball at the waist. Seager answered with a towering drive to right-center field. The ball landed deep in the pavilion. The Dodgers doubled their lead in the bottom of the inning. Teheran ran a 92-mph fastball inside to Utley. Utley turned on the pitch and deposited it inside the Atlanta bullpen in right field. It was his sixth homer of the season. We hit some balls hard tonight, Utley said. Through four innings, Hill struck out eight. He had thrown 69 pitches when the fifth began. His 73rd pitch proved problematic. It was a curveball that spun across the plate and into the legs of Teheran. The mistake gave Atlanta a free baserunner. Two batters later, second baseman Johan Camargo doubled for the second time on the evening. First baseman Freddie Freeman drove Teheran in with a grounder. Up came former Dodgers All-Star Matt Kemp with a runner in scoring position. He did not wait to attack. Hill flung a curveball. Kemp roped it into left for a game-tying single. The Dodgers picked up the lead in the sixth. Taylor replaced Trayce Thompson in left field during a double switch to start the seventh. He made his two at-bats count. It s scary to see he s getting better, Utley said. He just puts quality at-bat after quality at-bat together. Don Sutton shouldn't be a forgotten link between Dodgers greatness of the past and now By Bill Plaschke In a magical Dodgers summer where destiny could be colliding with history, every bit of Dodgers greatness seems to unearth another Dodgers great. With every Clayton Kershaw start, somebody mentions Sandy Koufax. With every Kenley Jansen save, there appears Eric Gagne. As Cody Bellinger swings, so does Mike Piazza. Corey Seager doesn t just play shortstop, he is a throwback jersey bearing the names of Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell and Ron Cey. From one dramatic moment to the next, the names of Dodgers legends keep pinging across the landscape, bonding the past and present with all the appropriate bridges, all except for one. One name is never mentioned. Yet, as much as anyone, it is a name that epitomizes this current team s work ethic, professionalism and plain willingness to show up. Does anybody out there remember Don Sutton? He s the only one of the Dodgers 10 retired numbers who has no ties to Brooklyn. He s the only Dodgers player in the Hall of Fame who began and ended his career in Los Angeles and is immortalized on a Cooperstown plaque with a Los Angeles cap.

11 He s the Dodgers leader in nearly every important pitching category with several career records that might never be broken even by an entire rotation of Kershaws. Best way for Dodgers to win the World Series is by adding a pitcher He pitched in a rotation not only with Koufax and Don Drysdale, but also Fernando Valenzuela and Orel Hershiser, his career spanning not just mere seasons, but eras. Yeah, that guy. It has been far too easy to forget Sutton as he has been out of sight and out of mind while forging a life on the other side of the country as an Atlanta Braves broadcaster for most of the last 29 years. But rest assured, Don Sutton has not forgotten about Los Angeles. I am 100% convinced that if I had spent most of my career anywhere but with the Dodgers, I would not have the record, not have the Hall of Fame, not have the life I enjoyed, Sutton said this week in a phone interview. All those Dodger people gave me all of that. It s my alma mater, and all the good I had in baseball came from them. Sutton, 72, could have enjoyed a nice homecoming at Dodger Stadium this weekend with the Braves in town. In fact, that was the impetus for the timing of this column. But he has always chosen family over self-promotion, and thus didn t come west, instead taking advantage of the midseason break to spend time with his 91-year-old father Howard in Florida. While he threw the last pitch of his career for the Dodgers in the summer of 1988, and even though he lives in Rancho Mirage during the offseason, he has never been employed by the Dodgers. He seemed like a natural replacement for Vin Scully, but either the timing was never right or the Dodgers interest was never there. He has been so close, yet so far, the Dodgers great who got away, and now he knows that the time for any triumphant return has passed. Mistakes led to Dodgers acquiring Alex Wood, the new 'bulldog' I don t know where you d put a 72-year-old man, he said with a laugh. At this stage of my life, I m not sure it would make sense, but I will always love them. In various ways, the Dodgers have also professed their love for him. They ve given him a bobblehead night, honored him as part of opening day, and, of course, retired his No. 20 jersey in 1998 with an emotional ceremony that brought Koufax back to Chavez Ravine. But they ve never been able to work out anything permanent, and that s too bad, because imagine Sutton hanging out talking to young Dodgers pitchers the way Don Newcombe sits elegantly behind the batting cage and counsels Jansen. In his case, the record book really does speak for itself, said Mark Langill, Dodgers historian. There have been so many flashes in Dodger history, but Don Sutton was not a flash, his was a body of work that lasted a generation. The only quote necessary to describe the pitcher is two words that come from Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda. When Lasorda is asked who he would want on the mound if he had to win one game, his answer is always the same. Don Sutton, he says, and that s pretty much all you need to know.

12 I don t have any fantasy or thought of being the best pitcher in Dodger history, Sutton said. But I would like to think I got everything I could get out of what I was gifted with. Did he ever. Just check out his numbers. Critics have noted that he never had a Cy Young Award-winning season, he was never active for a World Series-winning team, and became a Hall of Famer simply because he won 324 games while pitching for 23 years. But goodness, those years between 1966 and 1988, including 16 as a Dodger, were as consistent and powerful as any in baseball history. When I was getting on the bus to go to my first professional spring training with the Dodgers, my father, who was a farmer and construction worker, put his hands on my shoulders and said, Son, there s always going to be somebody better than you, but don t let anybody outwork you, Sutton said. I never forgot those words. You know how today s pitchers seem to be constantly rotating through the disabled list? Sutton never missed a start because of an injury for 22 consecutive seasons. You know how Kershaw is justifiably celebrated for having at least 100 strikeouts in each of his 10 seasons? Sutton, the club s career strikeout leader, reached that mark for 21 consecutive seasons. Sutton has a career-leading 233 Dodgers victories, nearly 100 more than legends Hershiser and Valenzuela. Sutton has a career-leading 52 Dodgers shutouts, which is 37 more shutouts than the next closest active Dodger in Kershaw. His career was also marked by his infamous clubhouse fight with Garvey in 1978, and the constant chatter that he doctored the ball even though he never served a suspension for any wrongdoing. Let s just say I would never willingly throw a ball out of game if it happened to have blemish, he said with a laugh. I exhausted every effort to win a ballgame for my team. Perhaps his crowning achievement is leading the franchise in games started and innings pitched with an approximate two-season lead over runner-up Drysdale. Nobody will break those records. Nobody will even come close. I just wanted to be ready when it was my turn, Sutton said. I can honestly say in my time there, I never shortchanged anyone in any ounce of effort, or minute of preparation. Hmmm. Sound like any other group of guys you know? Don Sutton might not be around much anymore, but these days, he s everywhere. Best way for Dodgers to win the World Series is by adding a pitcher By Bill Shaikin There is no great mystery about the most effective way to win a World Series. The Dodgers demonstrated how in 1963, when they swept the New York Yankees. The Dodgers got 108 outs in that World Series. Their starting pitchers got 106 of them.

13 Sandy Koufax pitched two complete games. Don Drysdale pitched one. Johnny Podres, that slacker, came within two outs of a complete game. Baseball has changed radically over the last half a century, and so have the means to that championship end. Koufax threw two complete games within five days. No National League team has more than two complete games this season. The factors are many and familiar: pitch counts that restrict starting pitchers; the emphasis on batters taking pitches and drawing a walk; the rise of the closer, and then the setup man, and then the lefthanded specialist; the data that discourage a team from letting a starter face a lineup three times and encourage the use of better relievers earlier in the game. There are various means to that championship end these days. This is the backdrop for the debate within the Dodgers front office eight days before the trade deadline, and 29 years since the last parade. The debate over whether Alex Wood is a No. 2 starter in a World Series rotation misses the point. So does the debate over whether the Dodgers need a better No. 4 starter than Brandon McCarthy. Mistakes led to Dodgers acquiring Alex Wood, the new 'bulldog' The debate really is about how the Dodgers can most effectively get the 27 outs they need to win each October game. Are they better off with a starter who can pitch six or seven innings maybe once in a series, or a reliever who can pitch six or seven innings over three or four games? Whatever answer the front office determines will influence its strategy at the deadline. The Dodgers are interested in Yu Darvish and in Zach Britton. The asking price for each will factor heavily into this answer, of course, but would the Dodgers be better off sacrificing their precious prospects for a starter like Darvish to pitch behind Clayton Kershaw or a reliever like Britton to pitch ahead of Kenley Jansen? Remember, the Dodgers had a trade in place for Aroldis Chapman to pitch in front of Jansen last season, then backed away after learning of the domestic-violence incident for which Chapman ultimately was suspended 30 games. This is the crucial point: Wood and Rich Hill look good now, but the Dodgers have handled each with extreme caution. Wood has not thrown more than 100 pitches in a game this season. Hill has done it once. If the Dodgers won t let them pitch deep into games now, they certainly can t expect them to deliver seven innings in October, right? That s fair, manager Dave Roberts said. Let s say the Dodgers get seven innings from Kershaw in his starts, five from Wood, five from Hill. That would leave 30 outs to cover over a three-game span. And, even if Jansen could get six outs in each of those games, that would leave 18 outs.

14 Scioscia: Angels bullpen compares favorably to the team's 2002 'pen That is not necessarily a recipe for doom. To the contrary: it is the direction in which the sport appears to be trending. In the 36 World Series starts over the last three years, the starting pitcher lasted more than six innings only four times Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto went nine innings, Matt Harvey eight, Yordano Ventura seven. In those 36 starts, the starting pitcher went fewer than five innings 14 times. In 2002, the last time a Southern California team got to the World Series, the Angels won in seven games. The number of games in which the Angels starter lasted six innings: zero. But Francisco Rodriguez got 26 outs over four games and Brendan Donnelly got 23 outs over five games, in support of closer Troy Percival. I don t think there s any magic formula to get you to a World Series, said Mike Scioscia, the Angels manager then and now. If you have the Randy Johnson and the [Curt] Schilling, the [Max] Scherzer and the [Stephen] Strasburg, the guys who pitch deep into games, great. If you don t, you ve got to find a way to get the game on your terms. It could be the 5 1/3-inning start, with the guys that hold the lead or keep the game where you want it to be. I think it s just how you piece it together. If you ve got guy that s going to pitch 21, 22, 23 outs, he s his own middle man, his own setup guy, and then you have your bullpen after that. If you don t, you better find a way to do it. Nationals debut new relievers in Anaheim, just miles away from potential playoff stop Dodger Stadium The guy that built the team with Scherzer and Strasburg, the team the Dodgers might need to beat to get to the World Series, is counting on his aces. I m from the old school, Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said. When you have starting pitching, anything is possible. And, when you don t have starting pitching, nothing is possible. We built our organization on starting pitching. We rely heavily on it. Each one of our starters gives us a chance to win every day. That s what we ve tried to build. That s what we have this year. I think that s the way a contender has to be built. Scherzer and Kershaw are tied for the league lead in innings pitched, with Gio Gonzalez of the Nationals ranking fifth, and Strasburg 11th. No Dodgers pitcher besides Kershaw ranks in the top 40. The Nationals shored up their faulty bullpen last week, acquiring Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson. But even then, Rizzo said, he sees no reason why his big three starters cannot pitch into the seventh inning, deep into October. We re hoping for that, and we re expecting that, Rizzo said. It s been their track record. We re going to rely on them to take us to the promised land, if that s at all possible. Andrew Miller of the Cleveland Indians got 23 outs over four games in the last World Series, fewer outs than Rodriguez in four games 15 years ago, yet still somehow was heralded as a revolution. As Roberts

15 pointed out, the Indians probably would not have worked Miller quite so hard had they not lost two of their top three starters (Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar) to injury in September. Dodgers prospect Alex Verdugo could be prime trade bait When you don t have those guys, and you ve got off days, and you can deploy relievers for matchups, I think that is kind of the best alternative, Roberts said. If you look at Clayton and those top-tier guys, and they are few and far between, I think it s more driven by your particular roster. Roberts said the Dodgers are fortunate enough not to have a glaring weakness. If there is one priority he would like to see the front office address, it would be the left-handed reliever to face, say, Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy of the Nationals, in the innings between the starter and Jansen. That wipeout lefty is something that does make sense, Roberts said, especially looking at potentially who you re going to face in the postseason. And if the front office tells you it can acquire a seven-inning starter or a multi-inning reliever, but not both? I don t have a preference, Roberts said. I really don t. Kershaw has pitched in 18 postseason games, none of them in the World Series. He said the Dodgers depth affords the front office the chance to build the pitching staff from the front or the back, without worrying that the other end would be too weak to win. I think we re in a good spot as a team, Kershaw said. The Dodgers chances to win the World Series might be best served by adding another starter, or they might be best served by adding another reliever, but the only way to find out for sure is to get to the World Series. I hope we find out, Kershaw said. Dodgers pitcher Brandon McCarthy to test blister before Tuesday's start By Andy McCullough Dodgers pitcher Brandon McCarthy will throw a bullpen session on Sunday to test the blister on his right hand and determine if he can make his start Tuesday against San Francisco. The Dodgers have told Kenta Maeda to be ready to pitch in McCarthy s place if the blister worsens, manager Dave Roberts said. Kenta has done some really good things, Roberts said before the Dodgers faced the Braves on Saturday. So to have him in there, to be prepared, he s making the necessary preparations to make that start if we need him.

16 The Dodgers plan to activate Hyun-Jin Ryu from the disabled list to start on Monday. Ryu has not pitched since getting hit in the left foot on June 28. Both Ryu and Maeda have floated from the rotation to the bullpen and back at points this season. A recent downswing by McCarthy has unsettled the rotation. In his last four starts, he has given up 17 runs (15 earned) in 17 2/3 innings. Atlanta roughed him up Friday, scoring six times in four innings. Earlier during this stretch, McCarthy struggled to control his cut fastball. After McCarthy s outing on Friday, Roberts suggested he could possibly land on the disabled list. The team could give McCarthy a 10-day rest to open up a roster spot for Ryu s return. Turner gets day off Justin Turner received the day off after reporting to Dodger Stadium a little bit under the weather, Roberts said. Turner was dealing with an illness involving his upper-respiratory system. Roberts expects Turner to return to the lineup Sunday. Turner had hit.304 with a.936 on-base plus slugging percentage in his first seven games after the All- Star break. As exemplary as that production might be, Turner still saw his batting average dip to.371 from.377 during that process which gives a hint at how torrid his first-half hitting was. Romo to Tampa Bay Two days after being designated for assignment, reliever Sergio Romo was traded to Tampa Bay in exchange for either cash or a player to be named. Romo posted a 6.12 earned-run average in his brief, unsuccessful run as a Dodger. OC REGISTER Dodgers get back to winning ways by beating Braves 6-2 By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES Rich Hill is an old hand at re-invention. Chris Taylor is new at it. But those two combined to get the Dodgers back to their winning ways Saturday night. Hill continued his mid-season revival with another strong start while Taylor came off the bench to drive in three runs as the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 6-2. The win continued the Dodgers dominant summer run after a brief pause for back-to-back losses. They are now 32-6 since June 7. He s a spark, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Taylor. We talk about how many good players we have and how many are contributing to what we re doing. I guess it s not so much under the radar any more how much Chris adds that spark.

17 That spark was flickering for awhile in June. Taylor struggled through a 3-for-30 slide over a 10-day stretch that saw his average drop to.273. Since then, he has gone 29 for 68 (.426) with 12 extra-base hits including a solo home run in the seventh inning Saturday after he came off into the game defensively as part of a double switch and then a tworun triple in the eighth that effectively put the game away. I m feeling pretty good right now, Taylor said. I cleaned up a couple mechanical things. My head was moving a lot. I think I was using too much body, diving at the ball. I wasn t seeing the ball great. I watched a lot of video, trying to get back to where I was when I first came up (in mid-april) and just trying not to do too much. Taylor has already done so much more than the Dodgers had a right to expect. With virtually no outfield experience, he has become their primary left fielder. His.920 OPS is third on the team behind All-Stars Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger. His home run Saturday was his 12th of the season and came in his 308th plate appearance. In 1,972 plate appearances over six minor-league seasons, Taylor hit a grand total of 23 home runs. It s one of those things where until you ve done it, you don t really know what you have, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. So where s his floor? We don t know. What s his ceiling? I can t sit here right now and say what his floor is or his ceiling. Both are known with Hill and he spent most of the season s first three months closer to the floor. I look back at that St. Louis start here and from now to that start it s stark, Roberts said, referring to a seven-walk, five-run debacle in late May. I m not going to say I wasn t a little on the fence or worried or hoping which isn t a good strategy. But Rich, Honey (pitching coach Rick Honeycutt), they worked it out. It wasn t until another clunker in mid-june that Hill hit bottom, though. After that start in Cleveland, Hill verbally beat himself up in front of the media. Though his voice was rough from a respiratory illness that has hit some of the Dodgers, Hill sounded much better after Saturday s win. Yeah, it s much more fun when you don t suck, he said. The win continued Hill s less-is-more revival. The Braves scored twice in the fifth inning against the Dodgers starter who struck out eight in 6 1/3 innings. Since simplifying his delivery, Hill has a 1.93 ERA, an 0.75 WHIP and 52 strikeouts in 37 1/3 innings. The Dodgers have won five of his six starts since Hill made the adjustments. They (the changes) never felt too different, Hill said. It s just about getting myself in good position over the rubber and making sure my release point is out in front. You can see that in the shape of the curveball. When you can see it s that 12-6 break instead of, say, 11-5 then I know my release point is out in front.

18 It was out front against the Braves. Hill struck out five in the first two innings, finishing four of them off with sharp-breaking curveballs for strike three. The Dodgers gave him an early lead with home runs from Corey Seager and Chase Utley two of the major-league high 76 the Dodgers have hit since June 7. But the Braves tied it with two runs in the fifth. The Dodgers got it back for good in the sixth while barely hitting the ball out of the infield. An infield single against the shift by Yasmani Grandal got it started. He scored when Yasiel Puig hit his own dribbler up the third-base line. Braves pitcher Julio Teheran raced over to field it and made a nice play to throw catcher Tyler Flowers on the run. The throw easily beat Grandal to the plate but the ball came flying out of Flowers glove when he made contact with Grandal on the tag. Taylor took it from there an inning later and Hill, Pedro Baez and Brandon Morrow combined to retire the final 13 Braves in order to close it out. Dodgers trade Sergio Romo to Tampa Bay for cash or player to be named By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES When he signed with the Dodgers this spring, veteran reliever Sergio Romo was thrilled to get a chance to play for the team he grew up following and for which his family cheered. He might not have the same warm feelings about his new employer. Romo was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later. Romo was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Thursday in order to clear a roster spot for reliever Grant Dayton to be activated from the DL. Signed to a one-year contract for $3 million by the Dodgers after nine seasons with the Giants, the 34- year-old Romo did not pitch well for the Dodgers. He had a 6.12 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP in 30 appearances and gave up seven home runs in just 25 innings. Romo had fallen out of such disfavor in Los Angeles that he was used just once (for all of four pitches) in July before he was DFAed. Dodgers notes: Brock Stewart pitching well while caught between roles By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES Think of this as Brock Stewart s gap year. The 25-year-old right-hander has a bright enough future as a starting pitcher that the Dodgers deflected attempts to get him included in trades this offseason. But he has thrown just 22 1/3 innings and made only four starts this season three in Triple-A and one in the Class-A California League after starting the year in extended spring training because of a sore shoulder.

19 Stewart probably won t start again this season. Instead, he finds himself pitching (with great success) out of the Dodgers bullpen. It s funny. With guys like him who have good track records as starters but you always have in the back of your mind this guy would bring a lot of impact out of the pen, Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi said recently of Stewart. Then you see him in that role and it becomes a little bit of a dilemma. Do we leave him here where he s a big part of the team or do we put him back in that starting role where there might be greater long-term value for the team? It s no dilemma for Stewart. I ll do whatever, Stewart said. But there s been no talk (about his role). So right now, I m thinking I ll just stick out there in the pen which is fine with me. I ll do whatever. I think long-term and longterm could mean next year I ll build back up to be a starter. I think they re watching my arm a little bit too, to keep it healthy. I think that s part of it too. A year ago, Stewart rose from Class A to the majors, making five starts for the Dodgers and showing flashes of his promise most notably in a late August start against the eventual World Series champion Chicago Cubs. Stewart allowed just two hits in five scoreless innings while striking out eight. Things have slowed down for Stewart this year but in a good way. Yeah, it has. It s just experience, Stewart said. The problem last year was I tried to do way too much because I thought the big leagues was such a bigger deal than the minors. In a sense, it is. But in a sense, it s not at all. It s the same exact game and there s studs down there too. Now that I ve been here more, over time I ve realized it s the same game. Just go out there and focus on what you can do, control your emotions and eventually it s going to slow down with every experience on the mound. And it has for me. There s not a definite science behind it but it has slowed down for me. It has showed in Stewart s results. In 13 scoreless innings over six appearances with the Dodgers, he has 10 strikeouts and hitters are 5 for 41 (.122) with no extra-base hits. It s enough to tempt Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to use him in high-leverage situations and not just as a long man out of the bullpen. I think he is (an option in high-leverage situations) against the right matchup, Roberts said. He s got an elite fastball, slider and a plus-change. So for me, when you get guys that you have similar confidence in and now I have an opportunity to look at matchups and see what fits their pitch mix. I do trust him in leverage spots. But I also like the length too. If that leaves Stewart in an ill-defined role with a lot of time on his hands, he can take solace in knowing he is held in high enough regard within the organization that the Dodgers have thus far refused to use him as a trade chip. I didn t read up on it or anything but had family members and friends telling me the situations, he said of hearing his name come up in trade speculation. I mean, it was cool to hear the Dodgers didn t want

20 to give me up, that s for sure. It makes you believe they have faith in you and see you growing into a stud that s going to help them for years to come. That s what my plan is (laughs). STARTER STATUS Right-hander Brandon McCarthy is scheduled to make his next start Tuesday. But he has been bothered by blister issues on his pitching hand and will throw a bullpen session Sunday to test it. If he isn t able to pitch Tuesday, Roberts said right-hander Kenta Maeda is available to fill in. Alex Wood is scheduled to start Wednesday. After that, the Dodgers have off days bracketed on both sides of a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants next weekend. ALSO Third baseman Justin Turner was not in the starting lineup Saturday. He was a little bit under the weather, according to Roberts who described it as an upper respiratory issue. Turner is expected to be back in the lineup Sunday. Braves at Dodgers: Sunday game time, TV channels and starting pitchers By Bill Plunkett BRAVES at DODGERS When: 1:10 p.m. TV: SportsNet LA (where available) Where: Dodger Stadium THE PITCHERS DODGERS LHP CLAYTON KERSHAW (15-2, 2.07) Vs. Braves: 3-0, 1.52 At Dodger Stadium: 79-30, 2.02 Hates to face: Nick Markakis, 2 for 5 (.400), 1 double Loves to face: Anthony Recker, 0 for 3, 1 strikeout BRAVES LHP SEAN NEWCOMB (1-5, 4.86)

21 Vs. Dodgers: Has never faced them before ESPN Seager, Utley and Taylor homer and Dodgers beat Braves 4-2 By Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- Apparently, the Los Angeles Dodgers just needed a little spark to right themselves. That spark came off the bench Saturday night in the form of Chris Taylor, who drove in three runs with a home run and a triple and helped the Dodgers to a 6-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves. "He's a spark," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "He's not so much under the radar anymore, but he adds that spark with quality at-bats. "To come off the bench with a huge homer and then to hit a triple that clears the bases, and give (closer) Kenley (Jansen) another day, that puts us in a good spot." Corey Seager and Chase Utley hit solo home runs as the Dodgers snapped a two-game losing streak that saw them outscored Los Angeles has won 32 of 38, and 19 of 22 at Dodger Stadium, for the best record in baseball. The Dodgers' mark is their best through 98 games since the Brooklyn Dodgers were in "Everybody played really well tonight," Dodgers starter Rich Hill said. "We've got such a good clubhouse, and we're a really good, quality team. Just to bounce back tonight was a really good team win by everybody." Roberts likes what he's seeing in the Los Angeles clubhouse. "There's talent. There's focus. There's a little chip on our shoulders. And there's confidence," he said. "These guys are relentless." Braves manager Brian Snitker saw the same thing from the Atlanta dugout. "You never feel comfortable against these guys," Snitker said. "They are so aggressive; they just keep coming at you." Taylor, who entered the game as part of a double-switch in the seventh, led off the bottom of the inning by driving an 0-1 pitch from Julio Teheran 400 feet into the left field bleachers, giving the Dodgers a 4-2 lead. "Sometimes you think you've got an off day, and you've got to realize that in the National League there are no off days," Taylor said. "You can come in at any time. I came up in some good spots and I'm feeling good right now."