Daily Clips June 5, 2017

Transcription

1 Daily Clips June 5, 2017

2 LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS MONDAY, JUNE 5, 2017 DODGERS.COM Maeda K's 7, but Dodgers drop finale to Crew- Adam McCalvy and Ken Gurnick Roberts: LA needs deeper starts from Maeda- Ken Gurnick McCarthy confident he'll make next start- Ken Gurnick Sunday's best: Murphy homers twice for Stockton- William Boor Gio, Ryu open NLDS rematch in LA- Ken Gurnick LA TIMES No late-inning heroics this time for Dodgers, who get blanked 3-0 at Milwaukee- Andy McCullough Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy hopeful blister won't keep him from making next start- Andy McCullough OC REGISTER Eric Thames homers and the Brewers beat Dodgers, 3-0, to avoid the sweep- The Associated Press On deck: Nationals at Dodgers, Monday, 7:10 p.m.- Bill Plunkett ESPN Adrián González on learning English and uniting a clubhouse- Marly Rivera TRUE BLUE LA Dodgers lose 3-0 as Zach Davies dominates with his solid outing- Craig Minami Matt Beaty walks off with the big home run to complete another comeback win for Tulsa Craig Minami Austin Barnes comfortable in his role, starts today at second base in series finale- Craig Minami DJ Peters and Yusniel Diaz homer to drive Quakes to 6-4 win Craig Minami DODGERS INSIDER Maeda gets ahead often, but labors putting Brewers away in 3 0 loss Rowan Kavner Comeback kids look for series sweep- Rowan Kavner NBC SPORTS Dodgers Can't Complete Sweep in 3-0 Loss to Brewers Michael Duarte and The Associated Press LA TIMES Dodgers Dugout: Ten things you should know about Chris Taylor- Houston Mitchell

3 Maeda K's 7, but Dodgers drop finale to Crew By Adam McCalvy and Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS MONDAY, JUNE 5, 2017 DODGERS.COM MILWAUKEE -- Zach Davies pitched into the seventh inning without allowing a run, Eric Thames and Domingo Santana homered and this time the Brewers bullpen held firm, helping avoid a Dodgers sweep with a 3-0 win on Sunday at Miller Park. Thames' first-inning home run off Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda was his first at home since May 9 against the Red Sox, and when Eric Sogard singled home a run in the second inning, Davies had a 2-0 lead. The right-hander did not allow a hit until Yasmani Grandal's infield single in the fifth, and he did not allow a runner past first base until the seventh. Davies scattered three hits with one walk in six-plus innings to lower the ERA of Brewers starters in the team's last 10 games to Milwaukee's starters surrendered one earned run in 17 innings against the Dodgers. "They're all in a very good place right now," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "It's a good feeling when we send a guy out there that's on top of his game. I feel these guys are on top of their game and we're getting to see quality outings, for sure." Maeda needed 92 pitches for four innings and took the loss after allowing two runs on three hits and three walks, while the Dodgers right-hander did strike out seven. Brewers closer Corey Knebel, who'd suffered blown saves in each of his two previous appearances at home including Friday's series opener against the Dodgers, navigated the ninth for his fifth save. It sealed the Brewers' second shutout victory this season, and their first at home since a 7-0 win over the Dodgers last June 29. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED First threat: The Dodgers' only real threat came in the seventh, when Adrian Gonzalez led off the seventh with a single off Davies and Cody Bellinger beat the Brewers' shift with a bunt hit in a 3-0 count to give the Dodgers their first runner in scoring position of the game. With Davies at 101 pitches, the Brewers holding a 2-0 lead and the dangerous Grandal coming up, Counsell opted to dip into a bullpen which had suffered ninth-inning letdowns in each of the first two games of the series. This time, Milwaukee's relief corps held the lead, starting with Oliver Drake inducing a Grandal double play and Jacob Barnes retiring Dodgers second baseman Austin Barnes (no relation) to end the seventh and preserve Davies' scoreless start. "I think Davies was good," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "He kept the ball down, kept the ball away, changed speeds, and if you look at our at-bats, we didn't get off many good swings."

4 Insurance strike: Santana's solo home run in the eighth off Sergio Romo was his second of the series and his fourth in seven games. It continued a surge for the Brewers' right fielder, who is hitting.327 with eight home runs and 26 RBIs in his last 32 games after hitting.169 with two homers and five RBIs in his first 21 games. Romo has allowed five homers in 19 2/3 innings. "He's taken a step forward this year, there's no question," Counsell said of Santana. "He's really maturing as a hitter, and you see it in his at-bats. Even as the season is going on, he's getting better. He's becoming a real force there and an important player for us. We've gotten leads, but expanding them is not something we've done frequently. So that run is huge." QUOTABLE "Just keep doing it, don't think too much about it, don't get too angry. Just come back the next day and play. That's the best thing about baseball, every day you're in there playing so it's not like waiting a week to get back out there." -- Thames, on the Brewers rebounding from heartbreaking losses in the first two games of the series UPON FURTHER REVIEW Santana's homer was almost a two-run shot. The batter before, Travis Shaw, was out on a close play at first base after punching a soft grounder toward Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager. The Brewers challenged, but the call stood. On the next pitch, Santana went deep. WHAT'S NEXT Dodgers: The Dodgers head home for a three-game series with the Nationals at Dodger Stadium, beginning Monday at 7:10 p.m. PDT. Left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu (2-5, 3.91 ERA) will take the mound for his ninth start of the season and first career start against the Nationals. Brewers: The Brewers will continue their seven-game homestand with a four-game series against the Giants, beginning at 6:40 p.m. CT on Monday. Right-hander Junior Guerra (1-0, 1.84 ERA) will hope to build off a win against the Mets on Wednesday, where he earned his first quality start of the season. He'll face the Giants for the first time of his career. Roberts: LA needs deeper starts from Maeda By Ken Gunick MILWAUKEE -- Kenta Maeda gets another start next weekend to find last year's form, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after another brief Maeda outing contributed to a 3-0 loss to the Brewers on Sunday at Miller Park. But while explaining to Maeda on the bench why he was removed after four innings for the second consecutive start, Roberts seemingly put Maeda on notice that he needs to be better. "We're going to run him out there in five days," Roberts said. "The conversation I had with him, it's not necessarily a short leash, it's where I don't really have an option. I'd like to see him go deep into games.

5 When you get ahead of hitters like he does, you have to be able to put them away. I think he's a little afraid of contact, and there are a lot of non-competitive pitches when he gets ahead, and we've got to clean that up." Maeda struck out seven in four innings, so there are times when he is very good at putting away hitters. But he issued two walks and hit a batter when he had been ahead in the count, 0-2. His first inning, which included a home run from Eric Thames, went 30 pitches. By the end of the fourth he was up to 92 and Roberts removed him, the third time in the last four games a Dodgers starter went only four innings. "We're trying to put our finger on it," Roberts said. "It obviously taxes the 'pen. I know the will, the preparation is all there. He gets ahead of hitters, but to end the at-bat and put them away has escaped him. With that, he finds himself running high pitch counts and not getting too deep into games. He finds a way to settle in, but he's laboring each inning. To ask him to go out for fifth inning with 92 pitches doesn't make sense for our ball club. "I want him to understand I have the confidence in him, but there's got to be something he's got to give me and the team to keep sending him out there To be honest, Kenta's command was sporadic. Here it's about production, and we can't have those shorter outings. We've got to find some length." Maeda said, "Maybe I was being a little too fine," when he got ahead of some hitters. Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said Maeda relies on an above-average slider, but the right-hander needs to have confidence in other weapons or he becomes too predictable to opposing hitters. "He has the pitches," Honeycutt said. "We're just seeing inconsistency. He gets 0-2, next thing you know it's 3-2. You have two shots if you're going for a punchout, and you also have to be efficient. You can't keep running the count back to full. The situation doesn't always call for a strikeout. We need him to be a solid six-inning pitcher for us." In 10 starts this year, Maeda has pitched more than five innings twice. After going last year, he's 4-3 this year, while the Dodgers are 7-3 in his starts. But his 5.16 ERA this season pales in comparison to his 3.48 mark last season. He also has allowed nine home runs this season compared to 20 in 32 starts last year. McCarthy confident he'll make next start By Ken Gunick MILWAUKEE -- Brandon McCarthy said his blistered right index finger held up fine during a full bullpen session on Sunday and remained optimistic of starting Tuesday night against the Nationals. The club pushed back the scheduled start of 20-year-old Julio Urias for Triple-A Oklahoma City from Saturday to Tuesday so he would be lined up to fill in for McCarthy if necessary. Urias' availability, however, has been clouded because he's been ill, according to manager Dave Roberts. Urias was optioned to OKC on May 21 with a 5.14 ERA. "We expect him to make his start," Roberts said after the Dodgers' 3-0 loss to the Brewers on Sunday.

6 McCarthy left his Thursday start in St. Louis after four innings because of the blister, the latest in a string of his ailments that include right knee tendinitis and a left shoulder dislocation. Worth noting Roberts said third baseman Justin Turner's rehab assignment for a strained right hamstring will start later in the week. When Turner returns to third base, Roberts said, Logan Forsythe will return to second base with Chase Utley backing him up. However, Roberts said Chris Taylor will continue to play mostly center field and Joc Pederson, currently on the concussion disabled list, will need to produce during a rehab assignment to earn back playing time in center. "Joc's got to go out there and play, and I want him to play well," said Roberts. Reliever Luis Avilan was started a rehab assignment for his sore triceps on Sunday with Triple-A Oklahoma City. The left-hander allowed two runs on one walk and one hit in an inning, striking out two. Sunday's best: Murphy homers twice for Stockton By William Boor Sean Murphy upped his season home run total to seven on Sunday with his second two-homer of the season. The Athletics' No. 14 prospect went deep in each of his first two at-bats of Class A Advanced Stockton's 3-2 win over Lake Elsinore. Murphy, the A's third-round pick from the 2016 Draft, has caught fire over the past two games, going a combined 5-for-8 with three homers and four RBIs. "I just want to take it as it comes, not really think anything or expect anything of myself," Murphy told MiLB.com. "Goals and expectations, they tend to cloud your head. So it's going up every at-bat with your mind clear, not doing anything different than what I am doing right now." After going 3-for-4 with a homer on Saturday, Murphy finished Sunday 2-for-4 with two homers and three RBIs. The 22-year-old is making his full-season debut and got off to a slow start, but has picked it up recently and is hitting.305 through 28 games. Other top prospect performances from Sunday's action: No. 84 overall prospect Bobby Bradley (Indians' No. 4) hit his eighth homer of the season as part of a 2-for-3, 2 RBI day for Double-A Akron. Bradley hit a solo homer in the fourth and came through with an RBI single in the eighth to cap a solid game in what has been a rough Double-A debut for the 21-yearold, who is hitting.230 through 48 games.

7 No. 89 overall prospect Matt Chapman (Athletics' No. 4) and Paul Blackburn (Athletics' No. 22) led Triple-A Nashville to a 6-0 win over Iowa. Chapman, who finished 2-for-5, hit his 13th homer of the season, his second in as many days, while Blackburn fired seven scoreless innings, giving up just two hits. Astros' No. 14 prospect Yordan Alvarez extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a 2-for-5, five RBI performance for Class A Quad Cities. Alvarez hit a three-run homer, his third this season, in the third inning and had an RBI single in the seventh. He later drew a bases loaded walk to pick up his fifth RBI. Astros' No. 26 prospect Jason Martin collected his first two hits, including a homer, with Double-A Corpus Christi. After Martin was promoted from Class A Advanced Buies Creek -- where he hit.287 in 46 games -- the 21-year-old got off to a sluggish start with the Hooks. Martin went 0-for-10 over his first three games, but got on track Sunday as he finished 2-for-5 with a double, homer and three RBIs. Brewers' No. 7 prospect Lucas Erceg notched a career-high four hits in Class A Advanced Carolina's walk-off win over Winston-Salem. Erceg finished 4-for-5 with a double and three RBIs, two of which came via clutch two-out hits. "It was a good day, definitely an all-around team win," Erceg told MiLB.com. "I kind of just went back into my Spring Training mentality, just going up there and trying to see the ball as well as I can and put a good swing on it. The results showed today that that process works." Cardinals' No. 17 prospect Jake Woodford bounced back from a round outing with seven scoreless frames for Class A Advanced Palm Beach. Woodford was tagged for seven runs (four earned) in 4 2/3 innings in his last start, but was lights out on Sunday, limiting Fort Myers to just three hits. Dodgers' No. 22 prospect Dustin May put it all together for Class A Great Lakes, spinning seven scoreless innings of five-hit ball. The 19-year-old struck out seven and retired 11 of the first 12 he faced. Mariners' No. 8 prospect Dan Vogelbach reached base five times in his first four-hit game of the season for Triple-A Tacoma. Vogelbach, who finished 4-for-5 with a walk and three RBIs, hit his seventh homer of the season in the first and then collected RBI singles in the second and ninth innings. He also added a base hit in the fourth. Orioles' No. 4 prospect Ryan Mountcastle missed out of a cycle, but still put together quite a game for Class A Advanced Frederick. Mountcastle hit his 12th homer of the season and finished 3-for-5 with a double. Phillies No. 25 prospect JoJo Romero lowered his Class A Lakewood ERA to 2.06 with seven strong innings. The lefty held Asheville scoreless and limited the Tourists to just five hits. He also exhibited strong command, as he struck out five without issuing a walk. Red Sox's No. 10 prospect Michael Chavis had a monster game for Class A Advanced Salem in Game 1 of a doubleheader. Chavis put together his third multi-homer game of the season as he finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Chavis, whose career-high is 16, has 14 homers through 47 games this year. Reds' No. 15 prospect T.J. Friedl had a perfect day at the plate, going 3-for-3 for Class A Dayton. Friedl, who has a hit in four straight games, fell a double shy of the cycle as he tripled in the first, singled in the third and homered in the seventh.

8 Yankees' No. 12 prospect Domingo Acevedo spun another strong start for Double-A Trenton, giving up two runs on five hits in six innings. The 23-year-old struck out seven and has been stellar since his promotion. Acevedo has pitched at least five innings in all four starts with Trenton and has posted a 1.78 ERA thus far. Yankees' No. 20 prospect Zack Littell continued his stellar run of pitching seven innings while giving up one earned run or less. Littell led Class A Advanced Tampa to a win over Jupiter with a seven-inning complete game, giving up just one run on eight hits. The right-hander has given up a total of three runs over his past 28 innings (four starts). Gio, Ryu open NLDS rematch in LA By Ken Gurnick For the first time since last year's dramatic National League Division Series, the Dodgers and Nationals square off with Monday night's opener of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium that will feature lefthanders Gio Gonzalez and Hyun-Jin Ryu. The Dodgers beat the Nats last October in the best-of-five series, with Clayton Kershaw picking up his first save in the thrilling Game 5 clincher. This time, the Dodgers are battling for the lead in the NL West while Washington runs away with the NL East. The teams won't meet in Washington until Sept Nats slugger Bryce Harper wanted to finish the appeal process and serve his recent three-game suspension as quickly as possible so he could be ready for the start of this series. "I think getting it done and not really letting it linger," Harper said Sunday. "I want to play at home of course and don't want to linger into L.A. It's a big series down in L.A., so trying to get it done as quick as possible, get it out of the way." Ryu will be making his second start in place of the injured Alex Wood, having allowed one run in six innings against the Cardinals last week in a no-decision. That was his most effective start, following a scoreless four-inning save after he was sent to the bullpen. He was hurt last year and did not pitch in the NLDS. Gonzalez, seeking his eighth consecutive season of double-digit victories, allowed the Dodgers three runs in 4 1/3 innings in Game 3 last October, drawing a no-decision in the Nationals' 8-3 win at Dodger Stadium. Things to know about this game Gonzalez has been relatively successful against current Dodgers hitters in his career. Adrian Gonzalez is 2-for-17 against him, Yasiel Puig 1-for-11 and even lefty killer Franklin Gutierrez is only 2-for-14 with five walks. If Adrian Gonzalez doesn't start for the Dodgers, rookie Cody Bellinger likely replaces him at first base. The Dodgers are 8-0 when Bellinger starts at first, while when Gonzalez starts there.

9 At 21-8, the Dodgers are tied with Arizona for the best home record in MLB. Washington, at 19-11, has the second-best road record in the National League. LA TIMES No late-inning heroics this time for Dodgers, who get blanked 3-0 at Milwaukee By Andy McCullough Dave Roberts ventured to the far end of the Dodgers dugout Sunday afternoon and found Kenta Maeda. The fourth inning of a 3-0 loss to the Brewers had just ended. For the second outing in a row, Roberts did not feel comfortable sending Maeda back to the mound for the fifth. He came to tell Maeda why. I want him to understand that I have confidence in him, Roberts said. But there s got to be something that he s got to give me, and the team a reason to keep sending him out there. When he debuted in the majors in 2016, Maeda buoyed an injury-prone starting rotation and never missed a start. He sagged in the second half of the season, but his performance kept the club afloat after Clayton Kershaw and others disappeared on the disabled list. He won 16 games and posted a 3.48 earned-run average. Maeda has been unable to replicate those early successes in 2017 he s 4-3 with a 5.16 ERA and his outing Sunday offered a microcosm of the trouble. In the eyes of his manager, Maeda shied away from contact. His command wavered and he often threw pitches that lacked purpose. He allowed at-bats to extend. He permitted two runs and required 92 pitches to collect 12 outs, an output that exposed an already taxed bullpen to heavy duty. Sergio Romo allowed a solo homer in the eighth inning. The deterioration from Maeda has left Dodgers officials searching for answers. Team officials have spoken to him about operating with more urgency, attacking hitters, embracing the necessity of contact. Maeda has absorbed the advice and attempted to implement it. He blames his trouble on wayward execution, rather than a misshapen mentality. I wasted too many pitches, overall, Maeda said. I didn t execute at all. So the result ended being like this. Roberts expects Maeda to remain in the rotation. Despite the team s wealth of depth, they lack a ready alternative. Alex Wood is resting his inflamed sternum on the disabled list. Julio Urias is sorting out his own mechanical glitches in the minors. Brock Stewart is rebuilding arm strength after injuring his shoulder during spring training. Trevor Oaks has performed creditably for triple-a Oklahoma City, but has not pounded down the door. That leaves Maeda, for now, as a member of the starting five. He will likely return to action next weekend against the Cincinnati Reds. The team returns to Dodger Stadium on Monday for a rematch

10 from the National League division series with Washington. The Dodgers finished their trip with a 4-3 record. Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy hopeful blister won't keep him from making next start During their three losses on this swing through the Midwest, the lineup produced only one run. After staging ninth-inning rallies on Friday and Saturday, the Dodgers (35-23) managed three singles Sunday. The team waited until the fifth inning to record a hit against Milwaukee right-hander Zach Davies Yasmani Grandal s infield single. After a pair of singles in the seventh, reliever Oliver Drake forced Grandal to hit into a rally-squashing double play. Davies was good, Roberts said. He kept the ball down, he kept the ball away, changed speeds. If you look at the at-bats throughout the day, we just didn t really get off many good swings. And Maeda did not get off to a good start. Most pitchers deteriorate during their third trip through the batting order. Maeda experiences a more confounding obstacle. He struggles at the start of the game. Heading into Sunday, he had allowed opposing hitters to post a on-base-plus-slugging percentage in the first inning, transforming each batter in Bryce Harper. The pattern continued Sunday. In the second at-bat of the first inning, Maeda flipped a curveball toward outfielder Eric Thames. The pitch flirted with the outer edge of the zone. Thames swung anyway. He clobbered his 15th home run of the season. Maeda did not allow another run in the first. But he threw 30 pitches. In the second, he handed Milwaukee a second run. He issued a leadoff walk to catcher Manny Pina by throwing four consecutive balls after two quick strikes. He hit shortstop Orlando Arcia with an 0-2 changeup. A two-out single by second baseman Eric Sogard scored Pina. When you get ahead of hitters like he does, you ve got to be able to put them away, Roberts said of Maeda. I think he starts to be a little too afraid of contact. There s a lot of noncompetitive pitchers once he gets ahead, and we ve got to clean that up. Maeda offered a short response when asked why he has struggled to finish at-bats. Maybe I was being a little too fine, he said. After the fourth, Roberts told Maeda his day was over. Maeda could not argue. He is not the only Dodgers pitcher to struggle thus far. Rich Hill has been displeased with his own delivery. But Maeda has minor league options, and his utility in the bullpen may be limited. Roberts would not say that Maeda is facing a crossroads. But one cannot be far off. Here, it s about production, Roberts said. We can t have the shorter outings. We ve got to find some length.

11 Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy hopeful blister won't keep him from making next start By Andy McCullough fter testing the blister on his right hand in a bullpen session on Sunday morning, Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy indicated he should be able to make his next start Tuesday at Dodger Stadium against the Washington Nationals. McCarthy completed his throwing session without incident, he said. He had left his start last week after only four innings as he dealt with the blister. The Dodgers have been drawing up contingency plans, though. Manager Dave Roberts mentioned Julio Urias as a potential replacement if the team chooses to be cautious with McCarthy. Urias was pushed back from an outing with triple-a Oklahoma City this weekend because he came down with an illness, Roberts said. Logic says that Julio might be a candidate, Roberts said. On our roster right now, we don t have a person who can fill that void. Maybe we ll look more through the system. Julio is under the weather right now. McCarthy (5-2, 3.38 earned-run average) already spent time on the disabled list this season after dislocating his non-throwing shoulder in a weight-room accident. He is also dealing with tendinitis in his knee. He has made a quality start in five of his nine outings this season. Turner likely to start rehab assignment soon Justin Turner (hamstring strain) continues to test his body with conditioning drills, but Roberts said he won t go on a rehabilitation assignment until later this week, after the team plays the Nationals. Turner is unlikely to be activated before the Dodgers travel to Cleveland on June 13. Turner is only expected to play one or two games before being recalled. Joc Pederson (concussion) will likely require more time playing in the minors when his own rehab assignment begins. Pederson has hit.200 with only two homers this season. Joc s got to go out there and play and get healthy, Roberts said. And play well. When he got hurt, he wasn t right. Now you add in two weeks of not playing. With Pederson on the shelf, Chris Taylor has replaced him in center field. When Turner and Pederson return, Roberts expects Taylor to shuffle between center field and third base, while occasionally filling in for Logan Forsythe at second base.

12 OC REGISTER Eric Thames homers and the Brewers beat Dodgers, 3-0, to avoid the sweep By The Associated Press MILWAUKEE (AP) Starter Zach Davies set the tone on the mound for the Milwaukee Brewers. Then the bullpen bounced back after two forgettable games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Davies pitched three-hit ball into the seventh inning, hit his 15th homer and the Brewers averted a three-game series sweep with a 3-0 victory on Sunday. Three relievers followed Davies to combine for three hitless innings, quite the confidence boost for a bullpen that was battered for nine earned runs over the previous two games. The past two games have been pretty tough so to get that win today, especially a shutout, was very important for us, closer Corey Knebel said. He struck out the side around a walk in the ninth for his fifth save. Davies (6-3) struck out six and allowed a walk in six-plus innings, effectively mixing a curveball, sinker and fastball that hovered around 90 mph. The right-hander retired 13 in a row from the first until Yasmani Grandal reached on a one-out infield single up the middle in the fifth, the Dodgers first hit. He kept the ball down. He kept the ball away. He changed speeds. I think if you look at the at-bats today, we didn t get off too many good swings, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Los Angeles didn t get a runner to second until Adrian Gonzalez and Cody Bellinger opened the seventh with singles that chased Davies. This time, the bullpen shut down the Dodgers. Grandal bounced into a double play against Oliver Drake, and Austin Barnes flied out to Hernan Perez. On Saturday, Chris Taylor hit a grand slam off Carlos Torres in the ninth to complete the Dodgers 10-8 comeback win. On Friday, Grandal homered in the ninth off Knebel to tie the game at 1 before Cody Bellinger went deep in the 12th off Neftali Feliz in a 2-1 loss. MAEDA ON THE MOUND The Dodgers fell behind after Thames hit a hanging curveball from starter Kenta Maeda (4-3) over the wall in right-center for a 1-0 lead in the first. He threw 92 pitches in working just four innings against a lineup that likes to work counts and extend at-bats. I know that he finds a way to settle in but it s still laboring to get through each inning. I know he s trying to figure it out, Roberts said. The right-hander struck out seven, walked three and allowed two hits and two runs. He has not worked more than five innings since coming off the disabled list on May 25 following a left hamstring injury. THAMES TIME

13 Thames hit his first homer at Miller Park since May 9. He seems to be getting back into a groove after dealing with a sore hamstring and strep throat for much of May. He is hitting.278 with two homers since May 30. I ve been trying to work on staying short to the ball, I ve been getting long a lot the last few weeks, Thames said, but I kind of flipped my wrists and the ball just kind of jumped off the bat a little bit. LEADING OFF Sogard, who started at second with Jonathan Villar getting a day off, had an RBI single in the second. The utility infielder is hitting.400 with five runs and five RBIs in seven starts in the leadoff spot. TRAINER S ROOM Dodgers: Roberts said 3B Justin Turner (right hamstring) could return from the disabled list late next week. The Dodgers begin a six-game road trip to Cleveland and Cincinnati on June 13. Roberts said that RHP Brandon McCarthy, who left his start on Thursday against St. Louis early with a blister on his right index finger, had a good bullpen session before the game on Sunday. McCarthy is expected to make his next scheduled start on Tuesday against Washington. Brewers: RHP Matt Garza was sore after leaving his start Saturday after four innings following a collision on defense at first with 6-foot-3, 250-pound first baseman Jesus Aguilar. Manager Craig Counsell said it was too early to say if Garza might miss his next start. UP NEXT Dodgers: Los Angeles returns home to open a three-game series Monday against NL East-leading Washington, LHP Hyun Jin Ryu (2-5) taking the hill. It s the first meeting this year between two of the top squads in the National League. Brewers: RHP Junior Guerra starts Monday when San Francisco begins a four-game series. Guerra is 1-0 with a 0.77 ERA in two starts since coming off the disabled list for a right calf injury. He got hurt during his opening-day start. On deck: Nationals at Dodgers, Monday, 7:10 p.m. By Bill Plunkett Where: Dodger Stadium THE PITCHERS DODGERS LHP HYUN-JIN RYU (2-5, 3.91 ERA)

14 Vs. Nationals: Has never faced them before At Dodger Stadium: 13-9, 3.15 ERA Hates to face: None Loves to face: None ADVERTISING NATIONALS LHP GIO GONZALEZ (4-1, 3.03 ERA) Vs. Dodgers: 3-1, 1.69 ERA At Dodger Stadium: 2-1, 2.25 ERA Hates to face: Logan Forsythe, 4 for 6 (.667) Loves to face: Yasiel Puig, 1 for 13 (.077), 6 strikeouts Upcoming Tuesday Nationals (RHP Max Scherzer, 6-3, 2.56 ERA) at Dodgers (RHP Brandon McCarthy, 5-2, 3.38), 7:10 p.m. SportsNet LA Wednesday Nationals (RHP Stephen Strasburg, 7-1, 2.91 ERA) at Dodgers (LHP Clayton Kershaw, 7-2, 2.28 ERA), 12:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market only) ESPN Adrián González on learning English and uniting a clubhouse By Marly Rivera Los Angeles first baseman Adrián González was born in San Diego, then spent several years in Tijuana as a child with his Mexican-born parents. Now, he talks to reporter Marly Rivera about moving back to the U.S. in elementary school, how Mexico is different now and whether he thinks baseball players should speak out on social issues. When you were growing up in Mexico, what attracted you to baseball? I come from a baseball family. My dad played baseball all his life; so did my two older brothers. I come from an area in the north, Tijuana, where baseball is the No. 1 sport.

15 How proud is your family, especially being from that area, to see what you have accomplished? My family is very proud. The whole family is involved in baseball. My dad has a baseball academy in Tijuana with my brother. Obviously, my middle brother, Edgar, played in the major leagues. My older brother played in college, but he got hurt. Is there more pressure to perform when you come from a baseball family? No, I've never seen it that way. I just have fun. I don't care what people say. I just come here to have fun and play ball. If things go well, great, very good, thank God. If not, I thank God too, because I am on a baseball diamond. How difficult was the transition, moving from Mexico to the United States, and learning English? When I first got to elementary school in the United States, it was a bit difficult because I obviously I did not speak English, and I had to be on a special program for people who spoke only Spanish. But the school had good programs so you could adjust, more or less. Two or three years later, I could speak it, more or less. I could get by. So I felt more comfortable. Being bilingual, were you the interpreter in the minor leagues? When I signed, I was already bilingual and spoke both languages. For most Latinos, I was the one who would be there with them, and I would take them to eat and would explain what was on the menu. Those were fun times with them and enabled us to spend more time together. That balance of being bilingual and bicultural, did it make it easier to understand both sides? Yes, of course, because each person has their own point of view and their own way of being, their roots, their culture. Each country plays [baseball] differently. Even Latin countries play differently from one another. And one is able to identify with each one of them and also respect each one's style. It's about accepting everybody for who they are and having fun. How do you strike that the balance with baseball's 'unwritten' rules? Those are people who want to control baseball, and the reality is that you don't need to control it. You have to let it be and allow people to have fun. Obviously, you shouldn't do anything that offends your opponent, but if you are doing it to have fun yourself and have fun with your team, it's all good. I have not seen it here [with the Dodgers] but some clubhouses are a bit fractured. Latinos hang out with Latinos and Americans with Americans. Have you felt you needed to bridge the two cultures? I have the ability to talk to Americans and talk to Latinos; I can go out to dinner with both of them. So, often, I would end up being the one inviting people: "Hey, let's go eat, come with us." Even if that person wasn't able to communicate a lot, communication in baseball is universal. So going to dinner, even if you're not able to talk all the time with a person who may not speak your language, you can spend time with them. Nearly a third of MLB is made up of Latin players. Have you seen baseball change with the influence of Latin baseball players?

16 I have not seen much change. The only thing I've seen is that the media and people in general talk more about Latin people. It's all over social media, on camera; they talk about everything. In the past, if something would happen, they would let it be and nobody talked about things, so they did not come to light. But things [in baseball] are very similar. The things that have changed are the athleticism of players and the way baseball is played, but in regards to Latinos and Americans, nothing much has changed. Why do you think baseball players are not as vocal as NBA or NFL athletes on political or social issues? Because the truth is that we are in a team to play baseball and we are not politicians. So politics are for politicians and baseball is for baseball players. So one doesn't get into that. If you want to be a politician, then do it once you retire. When I talked to Rick Rentería from the White Sox, especially being Mexican-American in this political climate, he told me that he prefers to express himself privately because he represents his organization when he is wearing his uniform. Is it that way for you? If I feel I want to talk about something, I will talk about it. As I always say, I don't care what people think. If I want to say something, I will; but most of the time, I just don't get into politics. I don't want to mess with politics. If I do something, I do it in my private life and not for people to know. What has been the biggest change you've seen in Tijuana from when you were a kid? Baseball is still played very much the same way it was when I was growing up. I have nephews in Tijuana, and they play in Chula Vista [California], and they play on both sides of the border, just like I did. More people from Chula Vista, on the United States side, want to go to play baseball in Tijuana now more than before. Baseball has developed a lot in Tijuana, and it's still one of the best in little leagues in the world. Why do you think this has happened? Because the quality of baseball has increased? Yes, I think a lot of people are paying more attention to baseball on an individual basis. They are practicing more and have more desire, more enthusiasm and are putting in more time. When young kids do that, baseball improves. After your baseball career, would you like to get involved in helping baseball grow in Mexico or would you like to be a manager or coach? I am not thinking about that right now. I will only worry about that at the end of my career. TRUE BLUE LA Dodgers lose 3-0 as Zach Davies dominates with his solid outing By Craig Minami

17 It has been duly noted that there were seven different start times for the seven games on this road trip. Well today, the Dodgers looked like a team playing at 11:00 a.m. in Los Angeles than 1:00 p.m. in Milwaukee as they lost 3-0 to the Brewers. The Dodgers were shutout for the second time in four days and now have been shutout four times this season. It didn t help that the Dodgers had very short innings against Zach Davies. Through six innings, Davies had retired 18 of the 21 Dodgers he faced, including 12 in a row at one point. For the game, Davies pitched six innings, allowed three hits, no runs, one walk and struck out seven. Those numbers matched or set his best efforts for the season. This road trip has seen some incredible comebacks but a concern hast to be that in four of the seven games, the Dodgers starting pitchers went just four innings and in another, Rich Hill completed five innings. Kenta Maeda had two of the starts, including today, that went just four innings. Maeda s troubles started in the first inning, with one out Eric Thames hit a solo home run to make it 1-0. But then in the second, Maeda s wildness was a main key in the Brewer s second run. Manny Piña led off with a walk, and then with one out, on an 0-2 count, Maeda hit Orlando Arcia and that put runners on first and second. Davies would strike out on a foul bunt but then Eric Sogard singled to bring home the second run. Maeda would finish with seven strikeouts but in his four innings along with giving up two runs and two hits, he also walked three and hit a batter. Maeda would throw 92 pitches. There wasn t much offense by the Dodgers and the biggest play might have been in the seventh inning. Trailing by two, the Dodgers put the first two runners on against Davies on consecutive hits by Adrian González and Cody Bellinger. Davies was then taken out for Oliver Drake. Drake had a 2-1 count on Yasmani Grandal and then Drake bounced a pitch in front of the plate. Catcher Manny Piña was able to block it so no runners could advance. On the next pitch, Grandal hit into a double play and the threat was over. Sergio Romo gave up a solo home run to Domingo Santana which accounted for the last run for the Brewers. Corey Knebel, who blew the save opportunity on Friday, this time got three strikeouts to send the Dodgers home to Los Angeles. Up next The Dodgers return to Los Angeles and start a three-game series against their 2016 NL Divisional Series opponent, the Washington Nationals. A pair of left-handers are scheduled to start, the Dodgers Hyun-jin Ryu against Gio Gonzalez. The game is listed to begin at 7:00 p.m. PT. Sunday particulars Home runs: Eric Thames (15), Domingo Santana (10)

18 WP - Zach Davies (6-3): 6 IP, 3 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts LP - Kenta Maeda (4-3): 4 IP, 2 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts Save - Corey Knebel (5): 1 IP, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts Matt Beaty walks off with the big home run to complete another comeback win for Tulsa By Craig Minami Tulsa and Great Lakes won while Oklahoma City and Rancho Cucamonga tried to catch up but couldn t. Player of the day Matt Beaty went 3-for-5 and his fourth home run of the season provided the Drillers with the win. Beaty spent, a 2015 draftee, spent all of 2016 at Rancho Cucamonga, he s been playing first base for the Drillers this season. Triple-A Oklahoma City The Dodgers dropped their third of four games against the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Brewers) with a 3-1 defeat on Sunday. Oklahoma City had the tying runs on base with two out in the ninth but Willie Calhoun grounded out to end the game. Justin Masterson started and pitched 6⅓ innings, giving up four hits, one run, two walks and struck out four. Luis Avilan started his rehab assignment and he pitched an inning and allowed a hit, two runs, one walk and struck out two. Not much was happening at the plate for the Dodgers, they had five singles and went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Double-A Tulsa The Drillers had a couple of late comebacks in the last few days and they had one more up their sleeve as they hit two home runs in the ninth to walkoff with 10-9 win over Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros). Edwin Rios tied the game with a two-run homer and then with two outs, Matt Beaty hit a walkoff homer to win the game. Both starting pitchers ended up with nothing to do with the game which is just as well. Tulsa s Isaac Anderson gave up seven runs and seven hits in four innings. His opposing pitcher, who had pitched very well this year, Alex Winkelman gave up six runs and seven hits in five innings of work. Karch Kowalczyk pitched 1⅔ innings to get the win. But on a day like this, it was guys at the plate who were the stars. The aforementioned Beaty went 3-for- 5 with three RBI, Tim Locastro was 2-for-4 with three runs scored, a home run and three RBI. Quincy Latimore had two hits, scored two runs and had two RBI. And Erick Mejia had two hits and scored three times.

19 Class-A Rancho Cucamonga The Quakes fell behind, tied the game and then eventually lost to the Modesto Nuts (Mariners) 6-4 on Sunday at LoanMart Field. Quakes starter Adam Bray took all of the attack, giving up seven hits and six runs in 3⅓ innings. The Quakes bullpen picked up Bray but it might have been too late. Yusniel Diaz did get his fourth home run of the season as he went 3-for-4 in this game. Class-A Great Lakes The Loons had one of those great days and the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Rays) were unfortunate other team as the Loons won 11-0 on Sunday. But with all that offense, the star of the game is Loon starting pitcher Dustin May. May pitched seven scoreless innings, scattered five hits and struck out seven. May surpassed his season high six innings that he just reached in his last start. However, there were also stars at the plate for the Loons. Errol Robinson was 4-for-4 with a double and triple, he scored two runs and drove in two. Oneil Cruz had four hits and two runs scored. Cody Thomas had a big day with four hits including a double and his tenth home run. He scored twice and had four RBI. Transactions Triple-A: Los Angeles sent left-handed pitcher Luis Avilan on a rehab assignment to Oklahoma City. Double-A: Tulsa placed right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler on the 7-day disabled list; outfielder Quincy Latimore assigned to Tulsa. Class-A: Great Lakes activated outfielder Carlos Rincon from the 7-day disabled list and placed outfielder Darien Tubbs on the 7-day disabled list. Sunday Scores Colorado Springs 3, Oklahoma 1 Tulsa 10, Corpus Christi 9 Modesto 6, Rancho Cucamonga 4 Great Lakes 11, Bowling Green 0 Monday schedule 5:08 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Julio Urias) at Iowa Cubs (TBD) 7:05 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Yadier Alvarez) vs. Modesto (Reggie McClain)

20 Austin Barnes comfortable in his role, starts today at second base in series finale By Craig Minami The Dodgers will try to end their stay in Milwaukee with a series sweep. The last time they swept a three-game series against the Brewers at Miller Park was back on August 24 through August 26, Manager Dave Roberts is starting Austin Barnes at second base today, this is his first start there in Barnes had three prior starts at second base in the prior two seasons. Barnes had been up and down for the prior two seasons, he had 74 total plate appearances from 2015 and 2016 and his stat line was.180/.315/.230 with no home runs. Going in today s game, he s about to surpass his prior two seasons number of plate appearances and his improvement has been noticeable. In 71 plate appearances, he s hitting.283/.394/.533 with two home runs and seven doubles. Last week, I asked manager Dave Roberts what he saw in Barnes game this season. "I think Austin, he s seeing the game this year a little bit slower," Roberts said, "last year was the first time I had the chance to put eyes on him and when he was here, albeit up and down, and it was quick, and that makes sense because you really don t have that certainty that you are going to be here." "But this year, through the whole spring, knowing his role, and he is going to be with us," Roberts said, "I think that he s exhaled, he s confident, comfortable, he s worked a ton on his throwing with Bob Geren, the hitting coaches, his approach, he s getting on base, love him in the box, he s great on the team." "So to have a guy like that, who can also play second base, adds some versatility, he s a winning player, doing great." Barnes agreed with manager s assessment. "It s nice to be here," Barnes said, "last couple of years of going up and down, it s nice to have that." "I m here, I m working with the pitchers, it s getting better every day." DJ Peters and Yusniel Diaz homer to drive Quakes to 6-4 win By Craig Minami The four Dodger full-season minor league teams split their games. Oklahoma City and Rancho Cucamonga were winners on Saturday. Tulsa and Great Lakes took losses. Player of the day DJ Peters went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI. His three hits included a double and a tworun homer. Triple-A Oklahoma City

21 The Dodgers shutout the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Brewers) 4-0 in a rain-shortened game at Oklahoma City. The Dodgers had scored two runs and had the bases-loaded with one out when the game was delayed due to rain. Ultimately the rain won out and the game was called in the sixth. The Dodgers initially took the lead in the third inning when O Koyea Dickson hit his 15th home run, a two-run shot, to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. In the sixth, Dickson doubled and Scott Van Slyke doubled in him in. With one out, Mike Freeman singled in Van Slyke. After that, a pitching change, a walk and single, loaded the bases and at that point, the game was put on hold. Fabio Castillo started for the Dodgers and pitched four innings, he allowed a hit and struck out three. Justin Marks followed and he got the win for pitching two innings, giving up a hit and striking out three. Double-A Tulsa The Drillers could not make it three late comebacks in a row, losing 5-3 to Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros). Walker Buehler took the loss, he pitched five innings, gave up two solo home runs, walked two and struck out three. Johan Mieses hit his 9th home run and Tim Locastro went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a double. Class-A Rancho Cucamonga The Quakes went ahead early, fell behind briefly and then went on to win 6-4 over Visalia Rawhide (Diamondbacks). Michael Boyle pitched three scoreless innings in relief to get the win and Parker Curry got his second save. Yusniel Diaz started the scoring with a solo home run in the second. Later Zach McKinstry got one his three hits and that scored Omar Estevez to make it 2-0. Back-to-back doubles by DJ Peters and Diaz gave the Quakes a 3-0 lead. However a pair of two-run innings by the Rawhide put the Quakes behind. The lead was short-lived, DJ Peters hit a two-run homer in the fifth and the Quakes retook the lead for good. Peters would single in another run in the sixth to end the scoring. Class-A Great Lakes The Loons were shutout 6-0 by Bowling Green Hot Rods (Rays). Jordan Sheffield pitched four innings, gave up four hits, four runs, walked two and struck out four. The Hot Rods pitching dominated the Loons, they struck out 18 Loons while walking just two. Brook Burke struck out a season-high ten in six innings but then the two relievers combined to get eight of their final nine outs by strikeout. Transactions There were no transactions reported on Saturday. Saturday Scores Oklahoma City 4, Colorado Springs 0 (6)

22 Corpus Christi 5, Tulsa 3 Rancho Cucamonga 6, Visalia 4 Bowling Green 6, Great Lakes 0 Sunday schedule 11:05 a.m. PT: Tulsa (Isaac Anderson) vs. Corpus Christi (Alex Winkelman) 11:05 a.m.: Great Lakes (Dustin May) vs. Bowling Green (TBD) 12:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Justin Masterson) vs. Colorado Springs (Josh Hader) 5:05 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Adam Bray) vs. Modesto Nuts [Mariners] (Anthony Misiewicz) DODGER INSIDER Maeda gets ahead often, but labors putting Brewers away in 3 0 loss By Rowan Kavner It was typically all or nothing for the Dodgers on their road trip. Sunday was the latter. The Dodgers won the series but failed to sweep the Brewers, unable to record their first hit against Milwaukee starter Zach Davies until the fifth inning in a 3 0 loss, finishing their seven-game road trip 4 3. It was the fourth time this season and the second time this road trip the Dodgers have been shut out. They averaged 6 ½ runs per game in their four wins in St. Louis and Milwaukee this trip and less than a run in their three losses. After plating 10 runs in their comeback win Saturday, and with Dodger players on the 40-man roster slashing.361/.395/.722 against Davies entering Sunday s start, it was tough to predict the struggles offensively. But it was a light-hitting afternoon. Yasmani Grandal recorded the Dodgers first hit on an infield single up the middle that second baseman Eric Sogard couldn t handle. That was the only runner of the inning. The Dodgers only real threat came two innings later, when Adrián González singled and Cody Bellinger followed by making the Brewers pay for their shift with a bunt single down an uninhabited third-base line. But Oliver Drake then replaced Davies and forced a double play and a lineout to end the inning. Can t put em away Kenta Maeda only allowed two runs through the first four innings, but it took 92 pitches.