Daily Clips June 29, 2018

Transcription

1 Daily Clips June 29, 2018

2 MLB.COM 5 int'l prospects to watch from NL West - Thomas Harding Buehler roughed up in return from DL - Kaelen Jones Dominant Kershaw: 'I've proven that I'm healthy' - Kaelen Jones Dodgers tie club HR record, but 'pen falters - Kaelen Jones LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2018 LA TIMES Walker Buehler and Dodgers' bullpen falter late in 11-5 loss to Cubs - Mike DiGiovanna Loss of Josh Fields throws off Dodgers' bullpen - Mike DiGiovanna OC REGISTER Josh Fields lands on disabled list, stressing an already short-handed Dodgers bullpen - J.P. Hoornstra Cubs abuse Walker Buehler, Dodgers bullpen for seven-run inning to earn series split - J.P. Hoornstra Whicker: Dodgers have to hope Thursday s fiasco isn t costly - Mark Whicker ESPN Rizzo, Russell, Cubs erupt after Kershaw exits, beat Dodgers Dodgers' Dave Roberts says Clayton Kershaw 'only going to get better' after strong outing - Alden Gonzalez TRUE BLUE LA Dodgers activate Walker Buehler, Josh Fields to DL - Ryan Walton Clayton Kershaw through 300 starts - Eric Stephen 7-run seventh inning dooms Dodgers - Stacie Wheeler Quakes win 1-0, third straight shutout over Storm - Craig Minami DODGER INSIDER Change of plans with Buehler, who is activated today as Fields goes to DL - Rowan Kavner Kershaw s efficient start spoiled, as Cubs blitz bullpen to split series - Rowan Kavner THE ATHLETIC Kershaw stays steady to boost Dodger pitching, but more arms would be nice - Pedro Moura Cubs leave Dodger Stadium feeling confident about a return trip in October - Patrick Mooney NBC LOS ANGELES Things Don't Go According to Plan as Dodgers Drop Finale to Cubs - Michael Duarte YAHOO SPORTS With Cubs in town, Dodgers fans are still torn over Yu Darvish - Alec Lewis

3 LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS FRIDAY, JUNE 29, int'l prospects to watch from NL West By Thomas Harding MLB.COM It's Christmas in July for baseball prospects outside of the 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico -- Monday's opening of the international signing period for players not subject to the MLB Draft. A player may sign that day through June 15 of the next year, if he is 16 or will turn 16 by the end of the first season of his contract. So teenagers are dreaming of their opportunities, not to mention money. Here is a look at some of the prospects in the NL West on the verge of not only completing their climb to the Majors, but becoming impact players for their clubs. D-backs: Shortstop Jasrado Chisholm (signed in 2015) How's he doing: Chisholm was signed for $200,000 out of the Bahamas and ranks No. 3 on the D-backs' prospect list, according to MLB Pipeline. He played well in his pro debut in 2016 in the short-season Pioneer League, but appeared in just 29 games in 2017 after suffering a torn right lateral meniscus. The D-backs like Chisholm's ability at shortstop and he has flashed some of his raw power this year, hitting 11 homers through his first 239 games for Class A Kane County in the Midwest League. ETA: 2021 Dodgers: Catcher Keibert Ruiz (signed in 2014) How he is doing: Ruiz is the No. 2 Dodgers prospect, per MLB Pipeline. He signed for $140,000 out of Venezuela on his 16th birthday. He, along with Will Smith and Connor Wong, give the Dodgers three good catching prospects -- perhaps their deepest position in the system. Ruiz is an advanced defender and improving offensively as a line-drive hitter better from the left side. He's still 19, but already at Double-A and hasn't been overmatched. ETA: With Yasmani Grandal a free agent after this season, Ruiz could be up next year. Giants: Outfielder Sandro Fabian (signed in 2014)

4 How he is doing: An aggressive hitter, Fabian struck out 88 times in 480 at-bats last season -- his first full Minor League season -- and finished.277/.297/.408 at Augusta in the Class A South Atlantic League. But he shot to No. 5 on the Giants' MLB Pipeline list because of a.352/.266/.535 finish in the final six weeks. Fabian is off to a.232./.282/.368 start at Class A Advanced San Jose with 65 strikeouts in 228 at-bats. But of his 53 hits, he has six home runs and 18 total extra-base hits, which shows that there is the ability to produce runs in his bat. He also receives scouting points for his arm and instincts in right field. ETA: 2021 Padres: Second baseman Luis Urias (signed in 2013) How he is doing: The Padres went on an unprecedented spending spree during the signing period, spending north of $80 million (including tax) to acquire talented youngsters like Michel Baez, Adrian Morejon and Gabriel Arias, all of whom are currently ranked among the club's top 10 prospects. It was a savvy investment, given that spending would be capped in the CBA beginning the following year. Despite the success of that class, however, their best international free agent is the relatively unheralded Urias, 21, who was signed out of the Mexican League that December. He's developed into one of the organization's best pure hitters, and is considered the second baseman of the future -- perhaps to be paired alongside shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., who was a 2015 international signing for the White Sox. ETA: Second half of this season Rockies Outfielder Yonathan Daza (signed in 2010) How he is doing: Daza, 24, signed out of Venezuela, hit.341 with 48 extra-base hits and 31 steals last year at Class A Lancaster to earn a 40-man Major League roster spot this year. In his first Major League Spring Training, he showed his tools, going 8-for-21 (.318) with two doubles, a triple and two steals in 16 games. However, Daza, the Rockies' No. 18 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, has played once for Double-A Hartford since early May because of a hamstring injury. But player development director Zach Wilson says he will be back in a couple weeks. ETA: Even with the outfield depth, Daza was a candidate for his Major League debut this season. With the injury setback, next season may be more realistic. Buehler roughed up in return from DL By Kaelen Jones LOS ANGELES -- Walker Buehler returned to the Majors on Thursday, as the Dodgers reinstated their prized right-hander from the 10-day disabled list.

5 But Buehler's restoration to the club didn't go as swimmingly as he'd have hoped. He incurred a losing decision, allowing five runs to score on five hits and a walk across one-plus innings during the Dodgers' 11-5 loss to the Cubs. Buehler was blunt in describing his outing, taking ownership for his performance while crediting Chicago's strong lineup. "Trying to get back in the swing of it," Buehler said. "Those guys are good. Can't make pitches like that to them." The 23-year-old Buehler was originally scheduled to make a rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday. In fact, he was actually with Oklahoma City when he received a call informing him that he would make his return to action with the big league club instead. His flight left the Oklahoma airport at 6:15 a.m. CT on Thursday morning, giving him less than 12 hours to prepare for his outing. Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw acknowledged the difficulty in trying to prepare in such a circumstance. "We asked a lot out of Walker today," Kershaw said. "That was tough for him to fly back and then have to pitch out of the bullpen, and first time back out. It was a lot." Meanwhile, Buehler didn't chalk up his showing to travel or lack of recent in-game playing time. "I'm 23," Buehler said. "I've done it before. I should be able to adjust that way." Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said ahead of Thursday's game that Buehler, who's been out with a microfractured rib, appeared pain-free during a 25-pitch bullpen session he threw Monday. "We'll make sure he has a clean inning to start when he comes in," Roberts said at the time. The skipper thought Buehler's velocity was good, noting that his pitch location betrayed him most. The absence of a good slider also hurt the young righty, in Roberts' estimation. "There's some rust obviously, and he wasn't sharp," Roberts said. "But as far as the most important thing for Walker is, he came out of it -- as far as his ribs -- feeling fine." Buehler remained much tougher on himself postgame. He said his ribs had healed enough that he should have performed better. "You can call it rust all you want," Buehler said. "When you're in the Major Leagues, no amount of rust makes that acceptable." Catcher Austin Barnes, who started Thursday, credited Buehler's accountability to competitiveness. "I know he's frustrated," Barnes said. "He knows how good he is. He didn't start the way he wanted to. He just wanted to make sure he was relaxed and just realized the big side of the big picture to get out of this." Added Kershaw: "Walker can handle a lot and we're not worried about him. He'll be just fine."

6 Buehler's reactivation marks the second such reversal by a Dodgers pitcher this week, after Kershaw bypassed his own rehab assignment to start against the Mets this past Saturday. The decision to activate Buehler was made after the Dodgers learned on Wednesday that right-hander Josh Fields was dealing with right shoulder inflammation. Fields, who initially experienced discomfort following his outing against the Cubs on Tuesday, was placed on the 10-day DL in a corresponding move to Buehler's activation. In 10 appearances this month, Fields has been solid, posting a 2.35 ERA (two runs over 7 2/3 innings). "He's been throwing the ball great," Roberts said, "but obviously, his body's in a certain place right now, so to acknowledge that... I think that he'll be ready to come back when his days are up, and we'll get him back going." Buehler's first stint in 2018 was exceptional, as he went 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA and a 2.26 FIP, holding opponents to a.203 batting average while also starting the Dodgers' combined no-hitter against the Padres on May 4 in Monterrey, Mexico. Dominant Kershaw: 'I've proven that I'm healthy' By Kaelen Jones LOS ANGELES -- Considering the rate at which the Dodgers have smacked home runs this month, one could surmise they are beginning to look like themselves in the batter's box after a slow start to the season. But on Thursday, it was Los Angeles' ace who delivered as dominant a performance as he's given all season on the mound, one that left him and his club extremely encouraged. Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw tossed five innings, allowing one run on four hits in an 11-5 loss to the Cubs on Thursday. He struck out six batters and did not relinquish a walk during his second outing since being activated from the disabled list. "I didn't see anything that was hampering [him] or laboring or anything," Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes said. "I thought he was [the] Kershaw I know." Kershaw came away pleased with his outing, deeming it a step towards achieving top form. "Kept the pitch count down, didn't walk anybody, gave up a few leadoff hits which you can't do, and gave up that one hit with guys in scoring position that you always try to limit," Kershaw said. "But yeah, for the most part, there's definitely some things to be encouraged with today." Prior to Thursday's game, manager Dave Roberts said Kershaw was targeting a five-inning outing around 75 pitches. He threw 68 total pitches, including 47 strikes. Roberts came away very encouraged. "Obviously, after a loss, a very positive thing for us going forward," Roberts said. "Clayton was efficient, got up and down five times. I thought the fastball had life [at] 92, 93 mph. Good command, the curveball was sharp and his slider was good. So I think it's only going to get better. Talking to the training staff, [pitching coach Rick Honeycutt] afterward, Clayton felt good where his body was at."

7 Kershaw's fastball averaged 91.7 mph and peaked at 92.9 mph. During his three-inning start against the Mets last week, he pumped fastballs at 91.2 and 91.7 mph, suggesting his latest showing was an improvement as he takes it slow while recovering from a lower back strain. "When you have your horse throw the way he did -- five innings and felt really good after," said Roberts, "and to know that we can build him up and build on this start, that's probably the most important thing for our club. This loss doesn't feel good, but I think the bigger picture is very good for us." The three-time National League Cy Young Award winner left the contest prior to the sixth inning, in line for a win with the Dodgers holding a 3-1 advantage. Right-hander Walker Buehler, who was activated from the disabled list prior to the contest, relinquished a pair of runs, however, keeping Kershaw's season record at 1-4 with a 2.84 ERA. Kershaw expressed the desire to pitch even deeper into his next outing. "I've proven that I'm healthy," Kershaw said. "So now next time out I'm sure the restriction should hopefully be pretty close to off. [I'm going to] get ready and just try to beat an opponent." When asked about Kershaw's competitiveness and desire to be on the mound, Barnes, whose locker is located to the left of the pitcher, was nonchalant, mentioning Kershaw sets the standard in the clubhouse. "That's who he is," Barnes said. The Dodgers certainly hope that's who Kershaw will continue to be the rest of the season. Dodgers tie club HR record, but 'pen falters By Kaelen Jones LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers' power surge continued Thursday, as they tied the franchise record for homers in a single month behind their ace, Clayton Kershaw, who delivered a vintage performance. But for just the third time this month, Los Angeles lost a game in which it produced a home run, falling 11-5 to the Cubs at Dodger Stadium. Third baseman Justin Turner blasted a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Dodgers their 53rd this month, matching the club record set last June, but the effort wasn't enough. First baseman Max Muncy provided the muscle for the Dodgers early, belting his 17th home run of the season -- and 10th this month -- off Cubs starter Jose Quintana in the third inning. A pair of RBI hits from Enrique Hernandez had Los Angeles in the driver's seat behind Kershaw's stellar outing halfway through the contest. Kershaw tossed five innings, allowing one run on four hits without permitting any walks. He struck out six batters. It was perhaps as positive a development as the Dodgers had hoped. "It felt good," Kershaw said. "Today was a good step." However, Kershaw's step forward unraveled into a swift fall for the Dodgers as the Cubs rallied as soon as the lefty exited the game.

8 Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler, who was activated from the disabled list earlier Thursday, made his return to the mound. Los Angeles elected to have the rookie work back into form at the Major League level instead of in the Minors, and Chicago took advantage. "You're handing the ball to Walker Buehler," manager Dave Roberts said. "I felt pretty good about it." Buehler, who had been out with a microfractured rib, entered the contest with the Dodgers ahead by two runs. By the time he was replaced -- following one-plus innings in which he surrendered five runs on five hits and a walk -- Chicago had jumped ahead. His replacement, right-hander Erik Goeddel, was charged with four runs, as the Cubs tallied four hits, including a two-run homer by shortstop Addison Russell, to cap off a seven-run seventh to take a 10-3 advantage. Buehler took ownership of his outing, noting that he struggled with his location throughout the game, an issue that plagued him last season. "Just some bad pitches to good hitters," Buehler said. Chicago finished 7-for-11 with runners in scoring position, making the most of its opportunities to spur its comeback. "You have to give credit to those guys over there," Roberts said. "They squared them up, they took good at-bats." Kershaw said he didn't consider Buehler's outing to be a nightmare. He chalked it up to simply being a bad day for the young righty, who had arrived in Los Angeles Thursday morning to make his first appearance since June 8. "I think it's a good team," Kershaw said. "Sometimes that stuff happens." In a rematch of the past two National League Championship Series, the Cubs won the regular-season head-to-head matchup, 4-3. With the loss, the Dodgers dropped to on the season, falling 3 1/2 games behind the D-backs for first place in the National League West. Despite the result, the Dodgers could very well be on their way towards trending in the right direction, with the health of Kershaw the main reason for such a sentiment. "When you have your horse throw the way he did," said Roberts, "and to know that we can build him up and build on this start, that's probably the most important thing for our club. This loss doesn't feel good, but I think the bigger picture is very good for us." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Hernandez on fire: Hernandez, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, gave the Dodgers the lead during the second inning when he brought catcher Austin Barnes home with an RBI single. In the fourth, he drove another run in with a run-scoring double into the gap in right-center, extending Los Angeles' lead to 3-1. Hernandez, who saw increased playing time during the absence of shortstop Chris Taylor, has been hot of late. In his last 16 games, he's hitting.345 (19-for-55) with six home runs, 12 RBIs and a OPS. SOUND SMART

9 Kershaw did not factor into the decision Thursday, marking the deepest into a season the three-time National League Cy Young Award winner has pitched without picking up a second win since his rookie year in That season, 74 days went by before Kershaw notched his second career victory. HE SAID IT "It's really no longer a surprise. He's having good at-bats." -- Roberts, on Muncy hitting his 17th home run and 10th this month UP NEXT Left-hander Rich Hill (1-2, 5.30 ERA) will start for the Dodgers on Friday as they begin a three-game series against the Rockies at Dodger Stadium. This will be Hill's first start at Chavez Ravine since May 13. Colorado will counter with lefty Tyler Anderson. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. PT. LA TIMES Walker Buehler and Dodgers' bullpen falter late in 11-5 loss to Cubs By Mike DiGiovanna Clayton Kershaw made what amounted to a major league rehabilitation start last Saturday, forgoing a minor league tuneup in his return from a lower-back strain to throw 55 pitches over three innings in a win over the New York Mets. The strategy worked so well that the Dodgers tried it with hard-throwing right-hander Walker Buehler, who was originally scheduled to start for triple-a Oklahoma City on Thursday night but was instead called back to Los Angeles to pitch against the Chicago Cubs. Buehler, sidelined for three weeks because of a small rib-cage fracture, replaced Kershaw to start the sixth inning Thursday and quickly gave up a two-run lead. He was then charged with three of the Cubs seven runs in the seventh inning of an 11-5 loss before 52,187 in Dodger Stadium. We asked a lot out of Walker today, Kershaw said. That was tough for him to fly back and have to pitch out of the bullpen his first time back out. Walker can handle a lot, but we re not worried about him. He ll be just fine. Buehler, 23, who hadn t pitched since June 9, threw 25 pitches in a bullpen workout in Dodger Stadium on Tuesday. He traveled to Oklahoma City on Wednesday and took in that night s game against Nashville. But when it became clear Wednesday night that reliever Josh Fields (right shoulder inflammation) would join bullpen mates Pedro Baez and Tony Cingrani on the disabled list, the Dodgers brought Buehler home. Buehler boarded a 6:15 a.m. flight in Oklahoma City and flew to Los Angeles, racking up 2,400 frequentflyer miles in two days. The Dodgers thought he would be OK without a minor league stint. Every injury is different, manager Dave Roberts said before the game. When you see the way [Buehler] is throwing the ball and he s pain-free, I think it was pretty clear that, with the pitching we

10 had, the health, it made sense at this point in time. You get the comfort level and confidence in the player, in Walker. It was pretty easy for us to make that decision. The plan was for Kershaw to throw five innings and about 75 pitches and for Buehler to throw three innings, bridging the gap between Kershaw and closer Kenley Jansen. The first part of that plan worked perfectly. Kershaw needed only 68 pitches to get through five innings, giving up one run and four hits, striking out six and walking none. The second part went haywire. Buehler took over to start the sixth inning with a 3-1 lead. Five batters later, the lead was gone. Albert Almora Jr. led off with a home run to left field. Willson Contreras singled with one out and took third on Anthony Rizzo s double to right-center. Addison Russell s sacrifice fly to center made it 3-3. Ian Happ opened the seventh inning with a double to right-center. Kyle Schwarber walked. Jason Heyward doubled to right-center field for a 4-3 lead, and Roberts pulled Buehler in favor of Erik Goeddel, who didn t fare any better. With runners on second and third, Almora hit a popup that first baseman Max Muncy lost in the sun. The ball dropped behind him for an RBI single and a 5-3 lead. Javier Baez loaded the bases with a bunt single. Goeddel struck out Contreras, but Rizzo broke the game open with a three-run double to right-center for an 8-3 lead. Russell lined a two-run homer to left. The seven-run outburst was the most runs the Dodgers have given up in an inning this season. I made some bad pitches to good hitters, Buehler said. I m trying to get back in the swing of it. Those guys are good. You can t make pitches like that to them. Did the back-and-forth travel contribute to Buehler s off day? Was he rusty? We talked about it, Buehler said. I felt good about it, and I didn t execute. That s about it. You can call it rust, whatever you want, but I didn t throw the ball the way I wanted to, and those guys took advantage. Velocity wasn t a problem. Buehler, who gave up five earned runs and five hits in one inning, with one walk and no strikeouts, cranked his fastball up to mph, a pretty good indication he is physically sound. I think the velocity was there, but he was missing in the big part of the plate, and the slider just wasn t there today, Roberts said. There s some rust, obviously. He hasn t pitched in a few weeks. He wasn t sharp. Roberts said Buehler, who threw 35 pitches Thursday, would throw in the bullpen this weekend and return to the rotation next week. Did the manager have any reservations about having Buehler making a rehab appearance in the big leagues? Obviously, when you look at the result, probably, Roberts said. But before that, where our bullpen was at, we have four guys down, we have Walker, who was gonna pitch that same day

11 Any time he takes the mound we feel good. And seeing him from the side, the stuff was good, he was throwing mph. You have to give credit to the guys over there. They squared him up and had good at-bats. Loss of Josh Fields throws off Dodgers' bullpen By Mike DiGiovanna Josh Fields was placed on the 10-day disabled list because of right-shoulder inflammation on Thursday, throwing the back of the Dodgers bullpen into a state of flux. Fields, 32, has been the team s primary right-handed setup man, going 2-2 with a 2.36 ERA and two saves in 37 appearances, striking out 28 and walking nine in 34 1/3 innings. Left-hander Scott Alexander will remain in a setup role, but the loss of Fields, whose injury is not expected to sideline him for much longer than 10 days, will thrust right-handers Yimi Garcia and Erik Goeddel into more higher-leverage situations. Goeddel was roughed up for four runs and four hits in Thursday s 11-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs. I don t know, manager Dave Roberts said, when asked who would slide into Fields eighth-inning slot. It s more how they ve been used previously, how each guy is performing, how a certain matchup against a particular right-handed hitter looks. Fields has given up only four earned runs over his last 19 innings (1.89 ERA) since May 8 and limited batters to a.172 average. Roberts said Fields felt something in his shoulder after pitching Tuesday night against the Cubs, and the soreness did not subside Wednesday. He s been throwing the ball great, but his body is in a certain place right now, and we have to acknowledge that, Roberts said. But I think he ll be ready to come back when his [DL stint] is up. Mighty Max Max Muncy had a better day at the plate Thursday than he did in the field, where the first baseman lost a popup by Albert Almora Jr. in the sun that dropped for a key hit in Chicago s seven-run seventh inning. Muncy walked in the first inning. He drove a 92-mph fastball from Cubs left-hander Jose Quintana into the left-field seats for an opposite-field homer in the third for a 2-0 lead. He struck out in the fifth, walked in the seventh and singled off Cubs closer Brandon Morrow in the ninth. The left-handed-hitting Muncy was out of baseball for a few weeks after Oakland released him in spring training of He signed with the Dodgers last April and spent all of last season at triple A. Muncy was recalled April 17 and has emerged as one of the National League s best hitters, with a.266 average, on-base-plus-slugging percentage, and a team-high 17 homers and 35 RBIs in 169 at-bats over 58 games. Muncy has hit 10 of his 17 homers in June, a month in which he is batting.296 with a OPS, 16 runs, 16 RBIs, 25 walks and 20 strikeouts.

12 It s really no longer a surprise, Roberts said. He s having good at-bats. Even his last at-bat against Morrow, he takes a 94-mph cut fastball and lines it to right-center. To take a left-hander the other way out of the ballpark, to take couple of walks in the batter s box, there s a lot to like. Joy ride over Goeddel did not give up an earned run in 14 1/3 innings of his first 13 games for the Dodgers after being claimed off waivers from Seattle on May 18. The right-hander gave up a three-run double to Anthony Rizzo and a two-run homer to Addison Russell in the seventh inning Thursday and has yielded eight earned runs and seven hits in four innings of his last four games, bumping his ERA to Erik s been very good for us, but the last few have been a little shaky, Roberts said. I don t think his pitch execution is what it was earlier. Short hops Justin Turner s two-run homer in the ninth inning Thursday was the 53rd in June for the Dodgers, tying the franchise record for homers in a month, set in June Enrique Hernandez had two clutch hits Thursday, a two-out RBI single in the second inning and a two-out RBI double in the fourth.... Shortstop Chris Taylor returned to the lineup after being limited by a sore left hamstring to a pinch-hitting for seven games. He doubled to left field in the first but was hitless in his next four at-bats. OC REGISTER Josh Fields lands on disabled list, stressing an already short-handed Dodgers bullpen By J.P. Hoornstra LOS ANGELES Josh Fields, Pedro Baez and Tony Cingrani have been three of Dave Roberts go-to relievers this season. Now, all three are on the disabled list. Fields was placed on the 10-day DL Thursday with inflammation in his right shoulder. Roberts expressed hope that the right-hander would only need the minimum 10 days to recover. He said he came in two nights ago, felt something in his shoulder, then didn t feel it afterward, Roberts said of Fields. I think he threw six, seven pitches in relief of (Daniel) Hudson and after that night (Tuesday), said it was sore. He came in (Wednesday) and it was still sore. With Fields on the disabled list, the Dodgers forced Walker Buehler into action earlier than expected. The rookie right-hander flew in from Oklahoma City early Thursday morning, pitched out of the Dodgers bullpen in the afternoon, and was the losing pitcher in an 11-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs. Fields is 2-2 with a 2.36 ERA in a team-leading 37 appearances this season. He has inherited six runners this season and none have scored. Closer Kenley Jansen is the Dodgers only other active reliever who hasn t allowed an inherited runner to score this season.

13 The Dodgers lost Cingrani (left shoulder strain) and Baez (right biceps tendinitis) to the disabled list five days apart earlier this month. Both were expected to begin throwing in earnest off a bullpen mound this week. Baez (30) and Cingrani (28) rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in appearances. Roberts said that four relief pitchers were down for Thursday s game. The manager leaned on Buehler and left-hander Caleb Ferguson, who had pitched primarily as starters to this point in the season, for three of the final four innings against the Cubs. HOME RUN DERBY The Dodgers two home runs Thursday gave them 53 for the month of June, tying a franchise record. No major league team has hit more home runs this month. The Dodgers will play two more games in June, Friday and Saturday against the Colorado Rockies. Max Muncy has led the surge with 10 home runs this month. His solo shot to left field in the third inning against Jose Quintana was his 17th of the season, extending his career high. Justin Turner s two-run homer in the ninth inning against Luke Farrell was his fourth of Three have come in June. The Dodgers also hit 53 home runs as a team in June ALSO Rich Hill, Kenta Maeda and Ross Stripling will start in that order this weekend against the Rockies. Colorado will counter with Tyler Anderson, German Marquez and Chad Bettis, respectively. Lefthander Manny Bañuelos, switch-pitcher Pat Venditte, catcher Rocky Gale and outfielder Alex Verdugo were chosen to represent Oklahoma City in the Triple-A All-Star Game July 11 in Columbus, Ohio. Turner has been hit by pitches in each of his last two games, ending a streak of 29 games without being hit by a pitch. UP NEXT Dodgers (LHP Rich Hill, 1-2, 5.30 ERA) vs. Rockies (LHP Tyler Anderson, 4-3, 4.62 ERA), Friday, 7 p.m., SportsNet LA (where available) Cubs abuse Walker Buehler, Dodgers bullpen for seven-run inning to earn series split By J.P. Hoornstra LOS ANGELES Earlier this week, pitcher Ross Stripling called the Chicago Cubs a good benchmark for the Dodgers. The two teams were good enough to play each other in the last two National League Championship Series. Had the regular season ended Wednesday, they were good enough to play each other in the wild card game. The four-game series between the Dodgers and Cubs this week was predictably even. Chicago s 11-5 win Thursday before an announced crowd of 52,187 at Dodger Stadium forged a series split.

14 If one series is an accurate measuring stick, this one exposed a major shortcoming with the Dodgers roster: Their bullpen allowed 18 runs in the two losses combined. The Cubs scored six runs against Edward Paredes and Yimi Garcia in the sixth inning Tuesday night. They scored seven runs against Walker Buehler and Erik Goeddel in the seventh inning Thursday afternoon. Each time, one crooked inning unraveled an otherwise close game. We match up very well with those guys. They match up very well with us, Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts said. I think that we re very comparable clubs. You give away outs by walks; we both can slug. You ve got to play good baseball. Look at a couple of these games, they broke it open on our guys, but by and large our bullpen s been pretty good for quite some time. Thursday s outcome was particularly brutal for Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw. In his second start since returning from a back injury, Kershaw needed only 68 of his allotted 75 pitches to get through five innings. The left-hander allowed one run and exited in line for his first win since April 15 with the Dodgers leading 3-1. The lead quickly fizzled in the hands of Buehler. On Wednesday, the rookie right-hander flew into Oklahoma City, where he was scheduled to make a three-inning rehab start for the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate. Instead, Buehler was summoned to the majors for his first game action since a rib microfracture sent him to the disabled list June 8. Buehler began the day Thursday by boarding an early-morning flight for Los Angeles. In the afternoon, he faced nine Cubs hitters in relief of Kershaw. Five of them scored, raising Buehler s earned-run average from 2.63 to 3.44, leaving him with his second loss of the season. We asked a lot out of Walker today, Kershaw said. That was tough for him, to fly back and have to pitch out of the bullpen; first time back out. It was a lot. Walker can handle a lot. We re not worried about him. He ll be just fine. After Buehler walked Kyle Schwarber in the seventh inning, Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes visited the mound for a long meeting, his right arm wrapped around the rookie pitcher s shoulder. I know he was frustrated, Barnes said. He knows how good he is. He didn t start the way he wanted to. I wanted to make sure he was relaxed, just realize the big picture: had to get out of this, continue to make pitches. I made some bad pitches to good hitters, Buehler said. Those guys are good. You can t make pitches like that to them. In the seventh inning, Goeddel took over with runners on second and third base and the Dodgers trailing 4-3. The first batter he faced, Albert Almora Jr., hit a pop-up to first baseman Max Muncy. In an omen of things to come, Muncy lost sight of the baseball in the afternoon sun, and Schwarber trotted home with the Cubs fifth run. The carnage continued. Javier Baez singled, loading the bases. Anthony Rizzo doubled, clearing the bases. Addison Russell homered, giving the Cubs a 10-3 lead. Left-hander Caleb Ferguson relieved Goeddel and allowed one run over the final two innings.

15 The Dodgers collected nine hits against left-hander Jose Quintana and three relievers. Muncy hit a solo home run his team-leading 17th of the season singled, and drew two walks. Chris Taylor made his first start since injuring his left hamstring June 20. He led off the game with a double and finished 1 for 5, showing no signs of the injury. Kiké Hernandez and Austin Barnes each had two hits; Hernandez used a single and a double to drive in Barnes. Kershaw saw his fastball velocity rebound to its pre-injury range of mph. He did not walk a batter and struck out six. The Cubs got their only run against him on a double by Baez and an RBI single by Russell in the fourth inning. Clayton was efficient, got up and down five times, Roberts said. I thought the fastball had life, good command. The curveball was sharp and the slider was good. I think it s only going to get better. Kershaw said his pitch and innings-limit restrictions should pretty much be off now. There s definitely some things to be encouraged with today, he said. The Dodgers (43-36) trail the Arizona Diamondbacks (47-34) by 3-1/2 games for first place in the National League West. They begin a three-game series against the fourth-place Rockies here Friday. For Buehler, the future is brighter than the immediate past. Roberts said Buehler will continue to build up his arm strength and return to the starting rotation. The Dodgers have a stretch of 10 games in 10 days prior to the All-Star break, and could conceivably insert Buehler into the rotation then. Thursday marked the second time this month the Dodgers have allowed an injured pitcher to go straight from the DL to their major league roster. Kershaw missed 22 days with a back injury before he was activated from the disabled list last week. He did not appear in a game at any level during that time. Prior to the game, Roberts expressed no reservations about using Buehler in an unexpected situation against a deep lineup. Every injury s different, Roberts said. When you re seeing the way (Buehler) is throwing the ball and is pain-free, I think it was pretty clear that with the pitching that we had, the health, it made sense at the point in time. You get the comfort level and confidence in the player, in Walker, it was pretty easy for us to make that decision. Whicker: Dodgers have to hope Thursday s fiasco isn t costly By Mark Whicker LOS ANGELES When Clayton Kershaw hears something he doesn t like from the writers, he occasionally implores them to ask a better question. Kershaw was very good on Thursday, no question about it. After he left, some things happened that prompted inquiry.

16 Is boarding a 6:15 a.m. plane in Oklahoma City the best launching point for Walker Buehler to throw his first major league pitches since June 8? After Buehler gave up seven total bases to the first four Chicago hitters he faced in the sixth, was any thought given to using someone else in the seventh? Was this an actual major league game that counted, or a Camelback Ranch friendly? And, the overarching question throughout baseball: Since when are 13 pitchers not enough to get through a week, much less a season? Most of the questions were rhetorical after the Cubs, throttled by Kershaw through five innings, erupted for 10 consecutive runs to win Even the fouls were loud against Buehler in his nine-batter tour of the lineup. He gave up five earned runs, which jacked his ERA from 2.63 to He was given a 3-1 lead, but the Cubs tied it in the sixth, led 4-3 when Eric Goeddel relieved him, and then went into another late-inning frenzy. For the fourgame series, Chicago pushed across 19 runs in 12 innings against the Dodgers relievers. We asked a lot of Walker today, Kershaw said. Buehler was going to pitch three innings for Oklahoma City on Thursday. Then Josh Fields went on the disabled list and Buehler was shipped to L.A. to back up Kershaw, who is coming off his own injuries and was hooked after 68 pitches. There were six Dodger relievers available, not counting Kenley Jansen. Everybody was either overused or underperforming, apparently. Well, except for Caleb Ferguson, whom Dave Roberts used in the piggy-back role for Kershaw in New York on Saturday. It was deemed more important to see Buehler instead. Which is fine. Buehler has to regain the flow sometime. But that s why you have rehab starts, so he can straighten the kinks in a garbage-time situation. To send Buehler back out for a second inning, when he was throwing peppermints to the Cubs in the first, made even less sense. There was just no movement, Buehler said. You can t make pitches like that. We talked about how we were going to do this, I felt good about it, and then I didn t execute. So the Dodgers failed to win a game in which Kershaw excelled. He left the Cubs spellbound with his slider and curve. He walked nobody and struck out six. And he should have had a bigger lead to give Buehler. The Dodgers left the bags loaded in the first without scoring, then stranded two others in scoring position through the fifth. This allowed the Cubs Jose Quintana to stagger unscathed through five and one-third innings. No one doubted that Roberts was in something of a bind. This was the Dodgers seventh game in seven days, and they aren t off again until Thursday. But this isn t 2017 when the Dodgers were stretching their NL West lead to Secretariat-at-the-Belmont proportions. Even at the halfway point, there s weight to these games.

17 The Dodgers can get into the playoffs by winning the division or by winning one of two wild-card spots, as you know. Coming into Thursday, the Cubs, Dodgers, Phillies, Nationals and Giants were all inside a two-game blanket. You might think Arizona, Milwaukee and Atlanta, the division leaders, will disappear like the marine layer when the races warm up. They show no signs of that. Thursday s developmental experiment gave the Cubs a 4-3 edge in the season series. Head-to-head record is the first tiebreaker for the second wild-card spot. Fields becomes the sixth Dodgers pitcher on the disabled list. At the moment there are 63 pitchers on National League DLs. The Cardinals have seven, the Braves and Nationals six apiece. Not all of those have bad arms. There are a few oblique problems, and San Francisco s Hunter Strickland busted a hand while throwing a tantrum, not a baseball. But at some point, the brains of baseball must begin to wonder why their pitchers have the shelf life of link sausages, despite the pitch counts and general pampering. On Thursday morning Cubs manager Joe Maddon watched Yu Darvish throw in the bullpen. He came back and said, It didn t go well, and Darvish remains inoperative. So it s a macro problem that isn t team-specific. The Dodgers move on from Thursday, as we all will, unless they miss the postseason by one game. If that happens, they ll need better answers. ESPN Rizzo, Russell, Cubs erupt after Kershaw exits, beat Dodgers LOS ANGELES -- Once Clayton Kershaw exited, the Chicago Cubs put a positive ending on a 2-6 road trip. Anthony Rizzo's three-run double and Addison Russell's two-run homer highlighted a seven-run seventh inning as Chicago broke loose late and beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-5 on Thursday. The Cubs pounded out 15 hits, including a season-best four by Rizzo. Russell drove in a season-high four runs in the final regular season meeting between the teams that played each other in the NL Championship Series the last two years. "Over the course of this road trip everyone has been fine-tuning their approaches," Russell said. "Today you see a clear example of it being executed. It's nice to see the ball fly." The teams met seven times in 10 days, with the Cubs winning four games over the two series. "We're doing this without everybody right now, too, and that's the even better part," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "We have part of our bullpen but not everybody. I give these guys a lot of credit. During this little stretch they've been above and beyond." The Dodgers staked Kershaw to a 3-1 lead before he departed after five innings because of a pitch limit. "He's that good where he can rehab in the big leagues," Rizzo said. "It's amazing."

18 The Cubs jumped on reliever Walker Buehler (4-2), who arrived earlier in the morning from Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he had been set for a rehab assignment. Albert Almora Jr. homered on Buehler's second pitch and Russell's sacrifice fly tied it at 3 in the sixth. "Some bad pitches to good hitters," Buehler lamented. The Cubs didn't let up in the seventh when they batted around. Jason Heyward's pinch-hit RBI double gave them the lead for good, 4-3. Almora followed with a popup to first base. Max Muncy used his glove as a shield against the sun in a cloudless sky, but the ball dropped for a single and scored Kyle Schwarber, who reached on a walk. Rizzo stroked a double to right-center field off Erik Goeddel, extending the lead to 8-3. Russell followed with a two-run shot on an 0-2 pitch that made it The Cubs' seven runs were the most by a Dodgers' opponent in an inning this season. "I just want to stay consistent," said Rizzo, who has 53 RBI this season. "That's what I've shown over the last few years and that's what I want to get back to." Steve Cishek (2-0) got the win with 1 2/3 innings of relief. Muncy hit his team-leading 17th homer in the third and Justin Turner added a two-run shot in the ninth, giving the Dodgers a major league-leading 53 homers in June and tying the franchise record set last year. Enrique Hernandez drove in a pair of two-out runs with a single in the second and a double in the fourth. Kershaw tossed five innings of one-run ball in his second start since coming off the disabled list with a lower back strain. He allowed four hits, struck out six and didn't walk anyone while restricted to 68 pitches. "Today was a good step and hopefully next time the restrictions should be off," Kershaw said. "I kept the pitch count down and didn't walk anybody. There's definitely some things to be positive about." Cubs starter Jose Quintana gave up three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings, the fourth time in five starts this month he hasn't completed six innings. The left-hander struck out four and walked three. TRAINER'S ROOM Cubs: RHP Yu Darvish (right triceps tendinitis) threw a bullpen session that didn't go well when he experienced pain. He will return to Chicago to be re-evaluated and RHP Tyler Chatwood will start in his place on Saturday. Chatwood was activated from the paternity list.... INF Kris Bryant (shoulder) has yet to be cleared for baseball activities, although it's hoped he will come off the DL next week.... RHP Carl Edwards Jr. (right shoulder inflammation) will pitch for Triple-A Iowa on Friday and if it goes well, he could rejoin the rotation. Dodgers: RHP Josh Fields (right shoulder inflammation) went on the DL. QUICKEST TURNAROUND Buehler had the quickest turnaround of any of his teammates who faced a day game after a night game. The rookie right-hander arrived in Oklahoma City for a rehab assignment on Wednesday only to board a 6:15 a.m. flight Thursday to LA. He came off the DL where he had been nursing a rib microfracture. The

19 Dodgers needed him with four others unavailable in the bullpen. Buehler, who has been starting this season, refused to use the travel as an excuse. "These guys are good. You can't make pitches like that," he said. "I didn't execute." Manager Dave Roberts said Buehler would toss a bullpen session and then return to the rotation. UP NEXT Cubs: LHP Mike Montgomery (2-2, 3.39 ERA) starts Friday against Minnesota in the opener of an eightgame homestand. It will be his seventh start to go with 18 relief appearances. Dodgers: LHP Rich Hill (1-2, 5.30) starts Friday against Colorado. He is 0-3 with a 7.52 ERA in four career starts against the Rockies. Dodgers' Dave Roberts says Clayton Kershaw 'only going to get better' after strong outing By Alden Gonzalez LOS ANGELES -- The fastball reached 93 mph, the curveball came with appreciable depth and the slider looked sharp. Clayton Kershaw breezed through five innings against a dangerous Chicago Cubs lineup on Thursday afternoon, scattering four baserunners while giving up only one run. The Los Angeles Dodgers ultimately lost 11-5, falling for only the 11th time in their past 38 games -- but it appears they got their ace back. "I saw 100 percent from him," Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes said of Kershaw. "I didn't see anything hampering or laboring or anything. I thought he was the Kershaw that I know." Kershaw gave up only four hits and no walks in a five-inning, 68-pitch outing that constituted his second start since coming off his second stint on the disabled list. He added six strikeouts, three of them on his trademark sweeping curveball. The 30-year-old left-hander later called it "a good step to kind of prove that I'm healthy." "Restrictions should hopefully be pretty close to off," Kershaw said, "and now I can get ready to just try to beat an opponent. Limited to only five innings in his second start since returning from the disabled list, Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw gave up only one run to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. AP Photo/Chris Carlson Thursday's loss, which allowed the Cubs to win the regular-season series, was handed to Dodgers rookie starter Walker Buehler, who made an appearance out of the bullpen rather than a previously scheduled start for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Josh Fields, who has emerged as a premier setup option, was put on the DL because of inflammation in his shoulder and the Dodgers suddenly found themselves shorthanded in the bullpen. Their manager, Dave Roberts, had Buehler fly back Thursday morning and basically rehab in the major leagues for what would be his first appearance in nearly three weeks. Buehler gave up a leadoff homer in the sixth and allowed five of the next eight batters to reach, setting up a seven-run seventh inning that blew the doors open.

20 Roberts didn't regret the decision, outside of the fact that it led to a loss. He stated that Buehler is fully recovered from the microfracture to his ribs, and he expressed optimism over Kershaw. "It was very positive for us moving forward," said Roberts, who didn't want Kershaw exceeding five innings or 75 pitches. "Clayton was efficient, got up and down five times. I thought the fastball had life -- 92, 93, good command. Curveball was sharp. And the slider was good. It's only going to get better." Kershaw made only one start between May 2 and June 22. He initially went on the DL because of biceps tendinitis, then rejoined the rotation on May 31 and went right back on the DL because of a lower back strain the following day, making this the third straight year that his back has forced him to miss time. In lieu of a traditional minor league rehab start, Kershaw pitched against the New York Mets at Citi Field on Saturday and gave up a couple of runs in three innings, expressing good health thereafter. On Thursday, he averaged 91.7 mph with his fastball -- standard for this season -- and generated 10 swinging strikes. Kershaw pitched a first inning, then worked around leadoff singles in the second and third. The red-hot Javier Baez led off the fourth with a double, then came around to score on a two-out RBI single by Addison Russell. In the fifth, Kershaw struck out Ian Happ looking with a 90-mph slider, struck out Kyle Schwarber swinging with a curveball in the dirt and retired opposing starter Jose Quintana on a weak comebacker. "For the most part," Kershaw said, "there's definitely some things to be encouraged with today." Kershaw still has only one win this season, but his ERA is 2.84 through 57 innings. He has finished within the top five in National League Cy Young Award voting after each of the past seven seasons, winning three of them. But he hasn't topped 175 innings in either of the past two summers and might struggle to reach 150 this year. As his back has acted up, his average fastball velocity has declined, from 94 in 2016 to 93 in 2017 to 92 in And soon he must decide whether to opt out of a contract that will pay him $65 million over the next two seasons, a dilemma that seems to grow more intriguing by the week. For now, all that matters is that he's back. "No loss feels good," Roberts said. "But I'll tell you, when you have your horse throw the way he did, in five innings, and felt really good after, and to know that we can build him up, and build on this start, that's probably the most important thing for our club. This loss doesn't feel good, but I think the bigger picture is good for us."