Daily Clips August 27, 2016

Transcription

1 Daily Clips August 27, 2016

2 LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 2016 LA TIMES: Another cruel loss for Kenley Jansen and the Dodgers, this time 6-4 to the Cubs- Andy McCullough Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw close to facing hitters as return nears- Andy McCullough Clayton Kershaw praises new Dodgers catcher Carlos Ruiz, laments loss of A.J. Ellis- Andy McCullough DODGERS.COM: Ruiz finds Jansen tough to handle in debut- Ken Gurnick Dodgers fall in 10th after Cubs get to Jansen- Jack Baer and Carrie Muskat Kershaw: Ellis trade 'tremendous subtraction'- Ken Gurnick Q&A: Monday on giving autographs to young fans- Tracy Ringolsby Stewart to start Sunday's finale with Cubs- Ken Gurnick Ruiz joins Dodgers, 'ready to play in October'- Jack Baer Urias on a roll as Dodgers, Cubs tangle- Jack Baer OC REGISTER: Dodgers blow leads, as Cubs ride Kris Bryant's two homers to 6-4 victory- JP Hoornstra Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw calls trading A.J. Ellis a 'tremendous subtraction'- JP Hoornstra On deck: Cubs at Dodgers, Saturday, 1 p.m.- JP Hoornstra DODGER INSIDER: Dodgers corner Cubs, then let a win get away- Cary Osborne Carlos Ruiz to start tonight, Brock Stewart recalled- Jon Weisman TRUEBLUELA.COM: Dodgers can t hold off Cubs comeback- Eric Stephen Dodgers recall Brock Stewart from Triple-A- Eric Stephen Julio Urias starts Saturday for Dodgers- Eric Stephen Carlos Ruiz activated, bats 6th in Dodgers debut- Eric Stephen Mitchell White taking it two at a time, Loons win fifth straight- Craig Minami ESPN LA: New battery short-circuits Dodgers in the clutch- Doug Padilla Bryant's 2-run homer rallies Cubs past Dodgers 6-4 in 10- Associated Press Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw: Don't forget A.J. Ellis' on-field contributions- Doug Padilla Dodgers show their appreciation for Vin Scully in a fun way- Courtney Schellin NBC LA: Cubs Claw Past Dodgers 6-4 in Extra Innings- Michael Duarte Los Angeles Dodgers Injury Updates: Kershaw Inching Closer, Ethier Makes Rehab Start- Michael Duarte

3 LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 2016 LA TIMES Another cruel loss for Kenley Jansen and the Dodgers, this time 6-4 to the Cubs By Andy McCullough Rarely do plans combust in such irritating fashion, as if the outcomes were scripted by a malevolent figure hoping to punish a front office for fiddling with a first-place team s chemistry. On Thursday, hours after the Dodgers traded away beloved backup catcher A.J. Ellis, the club nearly limped into a no-hitter. A day later, Ellis replacement, former Phillies stalwart Carlos Ruiz, could not handle the darting cutters of closer Kenley Jansen, a lack of familiarity, in the words of Manager Dave Roberts, that led to a 6-4 defeat in 10 innings to the Cubs. It was a tough loss, Roberts said. That s a game that we wanted to win. A verdict on a trade should not be rendered after two games. The coming days and weeks will provide a more complete picture about how Ruiz can enhance the Dodgers roster and how the rest of the club can move forward after Ellis departure. But the first 19 innings without Ellis have been cruel to his club. Clinging to a one-run lead in the ninth, Jansen served up a leadoff double to outfielder Jason Heyward. Preoccupied with Heyward behind him, Jansen still managed to strikeout outfielder Jorge Soler. But the last pitch bounced past Ruiz, and Heyward strode into third base. The extra 90 feet proved critical. Jansen pumped an elevated cutter to catcher Miguel Montero, well above the strike zone. Ruiz raised his glove to grab it. The baseball squirted loose and went to the backstop. Heyward crossed the plate. I have no excuse, Ruiz said. I should have caught that ball. I don t know what happened. It was the first time I ever caught him. His ball was moving really good. And it surprised me right there. An inning later, left-handed reliever Adam Liberatore yielded a two-run homer to third baseman Kris Bryant. It was Bryant s second homer of the night, and it delighted a ballpark stocked with thousands of Cubs fans. Those last two innings ruined what looked like a restorative victory. Instead the Dodgers (71-57) handed another game in the standings back to San Francisco. Los Angeles leads the National League West by one game. The matchups for this weekend favor the Giants. While the Dodgers tangle with the Cubs, San Francisco hosts the bottom-dwelling Braves. Dodgers starter Bud Norris handed out four walks, but still restricted Chicago to one run in five innings. Joe Blanton breezed through the seventh inning, but surrendered a solo shot to Bryant in the eighth. Blanton recovered to collect all three outs in the eighth. Jansen blew his sixth save of the season.

4 Ruiz joined the team on Friday afternoon. Like Ellis, Ruiz had spent his entire career with the same team. The Phillies signed him out of Panama in He debuted in the majors eight years later, and spent a decade behind the plate in Philadelphia. Ruiz loved his time as a Phillie. He re-signed there after the 2013 season, even as the team prepared to rebuild its core. But he welcomed the opportunity to compete once more in the playoffs. I can t wait to play in October, Ruiz said. That s my goal. On Friday, with left-hander Mike Montgomery starting for Chicago, Roberts put Ruiz into the starting lineup. Roberts stopped short of describing the catching situation as a platoon. Yasmani Grandal is the starter, Roberts insisted. But Ruiz should see consistent at-bats against left-handed pitchers. In a break from routine, Roberts did not stack his lineup with right-handed hitters on Friday. He slotted Chase Utley into second base and Josh Reddick into right field. The two men made productive outs when the Dodgers scored their first run of the day. Trailing by a run after Norris gave up two hits and a walk in the first, Enrique Hernandez led off the second with a walk. Montgomery hit Ruiz with a 1-2 fastball. Reddick smashed a grounder off Montgomery s legs. Montgomery recovered to record the out, but both runners advanced. Hernandez scored on a groundout by Utley. An inning later, the Dodgers manufactured another run to pull ahead. Howie Kendrick opened with a walk. Corey Seager stroked a grounder up the middle and hustled into second for a double. Justin Turner brought Kendrick home with a grounder to the left side. The Dodgers used a similar tack in the fourth. Utley stroked a leadoff double. Norris poked a bunt single. Kendrick hit into a double play, a deflating outcome that still netted a run. Norris found a rhythm during the middle innings. He had given up six runs in his last outing, sputtering through an abbreviated outing in Cincinnati. The Dodgers stuck with him against the Cubs, a team overflowing with talent. Chicago flaunts the most complete roster in the sport. MVP candidates like Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Ben Zobrist power the offense. Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester anchor the rotation. The team acquired hardthrowing reliever Aroldis Chapman last month. They play hard, Roberts said before the game. They re aggressive with the bats. They slug. They pitch. We ve got to match that same intensity, and play a good baseball game. Norris quieted the Cubs for a while. At one point, he retired 10 batters in an 11-batter sequence. But he issued a leadoff walk in the fifth and walked Bryant with two outs. Rizzo punched an RBI single up the middle. Up came Zobrist. Norris pumped a cutter at his waist. Zobrist was inches away from tying the game, until Utley slid across the grass and stole a hit.

5 Ruiz guided Pedro Baez through the sixth and he was reunited with Blanton, another former Phillie, for the next two innings. The last three outs were Jansen s responsibility. We got the ball to the big fella, Roberts said. And it just doesn t always work out. Roberts did not assign blame to Ruiz for the first wild pitch, after Soler struck out. That s a tough block for anyone, Roberts said. With Montero at the plate, Ruiz set up inside. Jensen fired a cutter up and away. Ruiz raised his glove to snag it. The baseball clipped the mitt and the lead was soon lost. He s probably going to catch me more often, Jansen said. So we ll get comfortable. After the game, Ruiz sounded remorseful. Jansen sounded angry. He declined to assign blame to Ruiz, a well-respected professional with a renowned reputation in Philadelphia. But the disconnect between the pair on the diamond was obvious. I don t know what to say right now, Jansen said. We lost, man. We lost. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw close to facing hitters as return nears By Andy McCullough Clayton Kershaw completed another significant step in his recovery process on Friday afternoon, completing a 60-pitch bullpen session, which would put him in a position to face hitters next week. Kershaw could require only one outing, either on a rehabilitation assignment or in a simulated game, before rejoining the Dodgers. He has not pitched since late June because of a herniated disk in his lower back. It wasn t a very good bullpen, Kershaw said before Friday s series opener against the Chicago Cubs. But physically I feel fine. Kershaw was still deflated by his team s decision to trade backup catcher A.J. Ellis, a close friend to Kershaw and a crucial part of the clubhouse fabric. Ellis said goodbye to Kershaw and the rest of the team on Thursday, after the Dodgers shipped him to Philadelphia for catcher Carlos Ruiz. It was hard, man, Kershaw said. It was really hard. Carlos Ruiz is awesome. Heard nothing but great things. But it s a tremendous subtraction from this team. There s no doubt about it. He added, He really brought that presence that not a lot of people have, where you can just get along with everybody. And really help everybody s careers. That s something that s not easily replaced. Rotation keeps rotating

6 Manager Dave Roberts continued to take his day-by-day approach with his starting rotation for this weekend against the Cubs. Julio Urias will start on Saturday. Kenta Maeda will start on Monday. But the starter for Sunday s game remains unnamed. The Dodgers called up Brock Stewart as an emergency reliever for Friday. To make room on the roster for Stewart and Ruiz, the Dodgers optioned backup catcher Shawn Zarraga to triple-a Oklahoma City and optioned Maeda to the Arizona Rookie League. The season in Arizona ends on Sunday, which means Maeda is eligible to return on Monday. Either Stewart or prospect Jose De Leon could start Sunday. The Dodgers would need to create a spot on the 40-man roster for De Leon. Clayton Kershaw praises new Dodgers catcher Carlos Ruiz, laments loss of A.J. Ellis By Andy McCullough A new catcher occupied A.J. Ellis old locker at Dodger Stadium on Friday afternoon. On his first day as a Dodger, Carlos Ruiz found himself next door to Clayton Kershaw, a close friend of Ellis and one of his strongest advocates in the organization. The departure of Ellis on Thursday rocked the Dodgers clubhouse, and perhaps no man felt the loss more acutely than Kershaw. He wept with Ellis in the dugout before Ellis left the ballpark to join the Phillies. A day later, after throwing a 60-pitch bullpen session as he approaches a return to the majors, Kershaw spoke with reporters about the trade. What was yesterday like for you? It was hard, man. It was really hard. Carlos Ruiz is awesome. Heard nothing but great things. But it s a tremendous subtraction from this team. There s no doubt about it. Just what he brought to the team, as one of my best friends, but I think everybody. He really brought that presence that not a lot of people have, where you can just get along with everybody. And really help everybody s careers. That s something that s not easily replaced. Did it feel like seeing a family member leave? Yeah. There s no getting around it. It s really hard. It s been a rough couple of days. He lives in Milwaukee, so it s not like we re going to be hanging out in the off-season. We ll obviously keep in touch and hang out. But it s going to be tough, for sure. As a business decision, did you grasp why the team did this? I don t even really think about it. I just see A.J. leaving. Carlos Ruiz comes highly recommended from a lot of different guys. Cares. Loves the game. Chase loves him to death. So that tells you all you need to know right there. But I don t really think of the corresponding moves. I just think about A.J. leaving.

7 Does Ruiz s resume and reputation make the trade more understandable? I m not even going to let myself think about that. It s just a really abrupt ending. A.J. kind of described it like a car wreck. We both knew that this might have been our last season together. But we ve been saying that for four years, and it keeps working out. We realized what a huge blessing it was to have that time. But when you see each other every day, you play with each other every day, you take it for granted. That abrupt ending was tough. Did you appreciate the outpouring of affection for A.J. yesterday? Rightfully so. He s meant a lot to this organization. He s done a lot. Not only as the guy, everybody talks about the guy he was, but he was pretty good there for a while, and one of the better postseason guys that we ve ever had. There s a lot to be said about his skill level, too. Absolutely. He meant a lot. He got drafted in So that s a really long time. Ellis said that the hardest part of the trade was knowing he would never catch you again. What was it like throwing to him? That s just the guy he is. The pitcher-catcher relationship is pretty one-sided. We get all the credit, and then we take all the blame, and the catcher s just kind of there, and that s the way it is. But A.J. thrives at that. He prepares harder than anybody. He prepares harder than all of us do for our own individual starts or bullpen roles. He does that for 12 different guys, every single series. He takes a lot of pride in it. He has a servant s heart. He really does. And so it s not going to be easy not throwing to him anymore, for sure. Ruiz finds Jansen tough to handle in debut By Ken Gurnick DODGERS.COM LOS ANGELES -- The game has a tendency to find you, as it found Carlos Ruiz in his Dodgers debut Friday night. The Dodgers lost to the Cubs in the series opener between division leaders, 6-4 in 10 innings, on the second of two Kris Bryant moonshots and a two-strikeout save by Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman. But the Dodgers, and Ruiz, let this one get away. The new catcher acquired in the A.J. Ellis trade had a nice debut ruined when he was unable to handle closer Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning. A strike-three slider in the dirt bounced off his backhand glove attempt to allow the tying run to take third, then when calling for a high cutter, he simply missed the pitch that let the tying run home. The official scorer ruled a wild pitch that could have been called a passed ball. "I don't have an excuse, I should have caught that ball and I don't know what happened," said Ruiz, who went 1-for-3 with a walk and was hit by a pitch. "It's the first time that I caught him and his ball was

8 moving real good. It surprised me right there. Like I said, I should have caught that one. I'll move forward, come back tomorrow, and get it done." That took the luster off Jansen's newest franchise record, as he surpassed Jim Brewer for most career strikeouts by a Dodgers reliever with 606. Ruiz was 0-for-5 as a hitter against Jansen but had never caught him until this game, which demonstrated the risk of changing catchers on the fly in a pennant race. "He's probably going to catch me more often and we'll get more comfortable," Jansen said, after a leadoff double by Jason Heyward set in motion his sixth blown save. "It's tough, especially today, with late movement and sometimes it backs up. It's going to be fine. We will get used to each other. I don't know what to say. We lost, man, we lost." Once the Cubs took the lead in the 10th on Bryant's homer off Adam Liberatore, they gave the ball to Chapman, who pitched around a leadoff single by pinch-hitter Charlie Culberson for his 30th save, with 16 of his 19 pitches hitting triple digits. Winning two of three against the Giants earlier in the week turned into a push after this loss, as the Dodgers' lead was whittled back to one game. Now the Dodgers will try to win the series with back-toback rookie starters, Julio Urias (4-2) and Brock Stewart (0-2). "The first one was a tough block for anyone and it got him to third base and the other one was a misfire with the cutter," said manager Dave Roberts. "Obviously, with the lack of familiarity, Kenley is tough to catch. It happens. It was a tough loss. It's a game we wanted to win." The Dodgers are 1-4 against the Cubs this year. Dodgers fall in 10th after Cubs get to Jansen By Jack Baer and Carrie Muskat LOS ANGELES -- Kris Bryant made yet another addition to his MVP case as he hit home runs in the eighth and 10th innings to power a 6-4, comeback win for the Cubs over the Dodgers on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. To force extra innings, Jason Heyward tied the game against Kenley Jansen when he doubled to lead off the ninth, then advanced on a Jorge Soler strikeout and scored on Jansen's first wild pitch of the season. "That's huge -- that gets the whole thing started," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Heyward's double and heads-up baserunning. "That's him -- he's a winner. The guy's a winner, he plays to win." Carlos Ruiz was making his Dodgers debut behind the plate, and it was his first time catching Jansen. Ruiz made no excuses after the game, saying that he wasn't used to Jansen's velocity and late movement. "The first one on the strikeout, that's a tough block for anyone," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "It got him to third base and the other one, I think it was just a misfire with the cutter. Obviously, the lack

9 of familiarity, but I think Kenley's tough for anyone to catch. It happens. It was a tough loss. It was a game that we wanted to win." It was a frustrating night at the plate for the Dodgers, who finished 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base. Starting pitchers Bud Norris and Mike Montgomery each lasted just five innings, with the Dodgers up 3-2 as both teams went to their bullpens. Adrian Gonzalez and Bryant added offsetting solo homers before Heyward tied the game. Bryant broke the tie with his 35th home run before Aroldis Chapman closed it out. With the loss, the Dodgers fell to just one game ahead of the Giants due to a 7-0 San Francisco win over the Braves. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Down and out: With the tying run on third and Norris laboring at 88 pitches in the fifth inning, Utley defied Father Time again to preserve the Dodgers' one-run lead. Shifted into the gap between first and second, Utley made a diving grab about 20 feet from the right-field foul line and managed a throw to first while lying on his back to end the inning. The play was so good, Utley even flashed a rare smile after. Start me up: Making his second start for the Cubs in place of injured John Lackey, Montgomery had to battle. The leadoff man reached in the first four innings, and the Dodgers took advantage of Montgomery's control issues in the second when he walked Kiké Hernandez, hit Ruiz with a pitch, and one out later, watched as Hernandez scored on a groundout. The lefty threw a season-high 91 pitches over five innings. Montgomery, who will go to the bullpen when Lackey returns, did show his baserunning abilities in the fifth when he scored from second on Anthony Rizzo's single. "I thought Montgomery fought through well," Maddon said. "His command was off a little bit, and he bent a little but did not break." Reddick frustrated: Twenty five days after his acquisition at the Trade Deadline, Josh Reddick still does not have an RBI as a Dodger. He squandered a pair of prime opportunities to change that, striking out in the third inning with the bases loaded, then getting punched out again with a runner on second in the fifth. Following the second strikeout, Reddick destroyed a bat in the dugout in frustration. He singled in the seventh inning, but then got picked off to seal another rough night for the outfielder. Ka-boom: Bryant continued his hot streak with a leadoff homer in the Cubs' eighth to move into a tie with the Rockies' Nolan Arenado for the National League lead, and then moved past him with his gamewinner in the 10th. In the eighth, Bryant launched a 2-1 pitch from Joe Blanton a projected 416 feet to straightaway center, according to Statcast. His 35 homers are the most by a Cubs player since Derrek Lee hit 35 in He also scored on Addison Russell's single in the first, and now has scored 107 runs, tops in the Majors. So far on the West Coast trip, Bryant is 12-for-30 with five home runs and 11 RBIs. Cubs fans in the crowd of 48,609 chanted "M-V-P" after Bryant's second homer. "It's pretty cool," Bryant said. "Growing up, you hear that on TV and to hear it now, it's humbling and keeps me going, and keeps me determined to do more. It's pretty cool to hear."

10 WHAT'S NEXT Cubs: Jason Hammel will try to get back on track Saturday after a rough outing against the Rockies when he gave up six earned runs over 3 1/3 innings. Despite the results, Hammel is 3-1 with a 2.31 ERA in four starts this month. First pitch will be 3:05 p.m. CT. Dodgers: Since allowing five earned runs to the Cubs in the second start of his career, Julio Urias holds a 3.10 ERA in 11 appearances, nine of them starts. He'll get another chance to show how far he's come as a 20-year-old in a 1:05 p.m. PT start. Kershaw: Ellis trade 'tremendous subtraction' By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES -- Because life goes on, Clayton Kershaw threw a 60-pitch bullpen session on Friday and said he would face hitters next week. He also spoke for the first time about the trade of good friend and batterymate A.J. Ellis. "It's been a rough couple of days," said Kershaw. "Just a really abrupt ending. A.J. kind of described it as a car wreck. This might have been our last season together, but we've been saying that for four years and it keeps working out. We realize what a huge blessing it was to have that time. But you see each other every day all season and you take it for granted a little bit." Ellis was dealt with Minor League pitcher Tommy Bergjans and cash to the Phillies for veteran catcher Carlos Ruiz, who started Friday night and will back up Yasmani Grandal. Management viewed the 37- year-old Ruiz as an incremental offensive upgrade over the 35-year-old Ellis against left-handed pitching, against which the Dodgers have struggled all year. Kershaw said he had no issue with Ruiz and he wouldn't address the reasoning of the trade. Instead, often still speaking in the present tense, he provided a thoughtful explanation why trading away a.194 hitter would elicit such emotion throughout the organization. "The pitcher-catcher relationship is pretty one-sided -- we get all the credit, we take all the blame, and the catcher is just there," he said. "A.J. prepares harder than any of us and for 12 different guys every series. He has a servant's heart, he really does. It's not going to be easy." Kershaw reminded the media that Ellis had a few solid offensive seasons and exceptional postseason success (.365 in 17 games). But Ellis was known best for intangibles hard to measure. "Carlos Ruiz is awesome, I've heard nothing but great things, but it's a tremendous subtraction to this team, no doubt about it. Not only what he brought to me, one of my best friends, but I think everybody. He really brought that presence that not a lot of people have, that he can get along with everybody and really help everybody's careers. That's something that's not easily replaced. "I just see A.J. leaving. Like I said, Carlos Ruiz comes highly recommended from a lot of different guys. Cares about the game. Chase [Utley, a Ruiz teammate in Philadelphia] loves him to death, so that tells you all you need to know right there. But I don't think of the corresponding moves. I just think about A.J. leaving."

11 Kershaw, on the disabled list for nearly two months with a herniated disk in his back, said "it wasn't a very good bullpen, but physically I feel fine." He said he was excited for the next step, which he said is to face hitters. Brett Anderson, on the disabled list with a finger blister, also threw a bullpen session and said he hopes to face hitters next week, too. Q&A: Monday on giving autographs to young fans By Tracy Ringolsby Rick Monday broke into the big leagues at the age of 20, and 50 years later he is still making daily trips to the ballpark. After 19 seasons in the Majors, he moved into the broadcast booth. Monday was the first pick of the first amateur Draft in baseball history, coming out of Arizona State University to sign with the Kansas City A's in By the end of the next season, Monday was in the big leagues. He remains one of the most personable people in the game -- always taking time for fans, never forgetting the lesson he learned at a young age, when a big league player didn't have time for him. Monday is the subject of this week's Q&A: MLB.com: I guess your big league memories go back to the Dodgers moving to Los Angeles? Monday: Yes. First souvenir I had in a Major League game was at the L.A. Coliseum. Cubs were in town to play the Dodgers. Ernie Banks hit a line drive -- and we were sitting down the left-field line, hit a line drive just foul. We were sitting just past the foul pole. The ball hit two rows behind me, came back, hit me right in the chest. I had a souvenir. MLB.com: Excited? Monday: After the game, I noticed a couple of Dodgers walk out. I recognized one of them, and asked if he would please sign my ball that Ernie Banks hit. He, very graciously and very calmly and very politely said, "Son, I'm sorry, but I'm in a really big hurry. I have to get somewhere." He very gently kind of backed me up against the chain link fence. MLB.com: Those are things you remember over time? Monday: In my rookie year, I'm asked to pinch-hit to open the ninth of a tie game. They bring in a reliever to start the inning. It's the guy who said to me years and years and years ago, "Son, I'm sorry but I'm in a really big hurry and I have to go somewhere" and very gently and politely, just kind of moved me out of the way, Larry Sherry. I get on base and Larry Stahl singles me to third. They make a pitching change and I'm jumping up and down and said, "That's for not signing my ball." I'm yelling it. I'm 20 years old. I'm in the big leagues. "That's for not signing my ball. That's for not signing my ball." Everybody looked at me. MLB.com: Did he realize what you were talking about? Monday: Years and years go by. I am retired and doing the Dodger Fantasy Camp in Vero Beach, Fla. He and his wife were sitting next to my wife and myself at a dinner. "Larry, I've got to tell you a story." "What's that?" "Years ago, at the Coliseum, Banks hit a foul ball, when I asked a Dodgers player to sign it, he tells me, 'Sorry kid, I'm in a really big hurry,' and pushed me into a chain-link fence. I was crushed."

12 MLB.com: Did he know what you were talking about? Monday: He's looking at me like, "Ok Rick, that's a nice story." I said, "Then I got to face this pitcher in a Major League game." He said, "Really?" Now I'm starting to see some interest in him. And I said, "Yeah, the pitcher came in to face me." And I said, "The pitcher was being taken out of the game and I'm standing at third base, jumping up and down yelling, 'That's for not signing my ball'." He goes, "That was me. I'm glad you told me this, because all these years I just thought you were a nutcase, because I remember you jumping up and down and yelling, but I couldn't understand what you were yelling. He apologized. MLB.com: Did that make you more cognizant of signing kids' autographs? Monday: I think it did. I think there was awareness of it. I had this treasure, a baseball from a Major League game. Not a bad player hit it either, Ernie Banks. And it was the Dodgers, which I thought these guys played in this magical green carpet. I couldn't understand how they threw the ball as hard as they did, how they hit it as far as they did, how they got the balls and were able to catch them. That afternoon, when I was very gently and very politely just put on the back burner, something maybe clicked for later on. A lot of times, players don't realize what it means to a kid. MLB.com: Did you ever face a similar situation as a player? Monday: I remember once leaving Dodger Stadium. A lady asked me to sign. I said, "Ma'am, I'm sorry, I have to go right now." And she got very indignant, said a few things, wanted me to sign something for her daughter. And I said, "I'm sorry, but my daughter's in the hospital and I just got word." But I still feel guilty for not signing [for] her daughter, what she wanted that day. But I had just literally been told after a game, my daughter was taken the hospital. Fortunately, she was OK, but you don't know at the time. But I remembered at that moment what the chain-link fence felt like on my back. MLB.com: That all goes back to how things in your youth shape your adult life. Monday: There are always people in our lives. I'm like a lot of people. I look back and thank God there were some wonderful individuals in my life. From Joe Misbrenner, who was my Pony League coach. I'm 14 and he says, "Let's take a walk." He says, "So you want to play pro ball?" I said," I'd love to." He said, "You got a chance." He said, "I want you to play in this other league." I went, "Coach, that's for like 18 years of age and up." He goes, "I know. And you're not going to have fun for the first few weeks, but that's how you're going to get better." I got to say the final goodbye to Joe Misbrenner, on Coors Field. He became an usher there. MLB.com: Small world, isn't it? Monday: "I found out that Joe was coming to the game with his kids. I got his number and told him to come up to the booth. I had a chance to say, "Thank you." Thank you for all the things he did. What I did not know was he was on the short end of his life. His son told me, "My dad has a short period of time left. I think it was the next year that we went to Coors Field and his son came in and said, "My dad passed away." He said that afternoon when you guys clicked, and I said, "I'm glad I got a chance to say thank you to your dad." He is one of the guys. So was my high school coach, Ruben Navarro. Then I went to Arizona State with Bobby Winkles. I talked to coach Winks about two weeks ago. He is one of the best. He had a stroke. When I went into the College Baseball Hall of Fame, I invited him to attend, but he couldn't make the trip. It was in July and it was neat. Three of us off that Arizona State team are in it -- Sal Bando, coach and myself. MLB.com: Coach Winkles really had an impact?

13 Monday: He wanted a good program, no question, but even more so, he wanted people who would leave his program and go back to their communities and be responsive to people. Rules applied to everybody. He was tough when he needed to be. Stewart to start Sunday's finale with Cubs By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES - The Dodgers took roster manipulation to a new level on Friday, optioning No. 1 starter Kenta Maeda to Rookie-level Arizona League, whose season ends Sunday, allowing Maeda to be recalled to pitch Monday for the Dodgers in Denver. An optioned player is frozen in the Minors for 10 days, or until the Minor League team's season ends. This loophole makes room on the roster for Brock Stewart to start Sunday, manager Dave Roberts announced after Friday night's game. Before the game, Roberts announced that Julio Urias would start Saturday. As for Maeda, he will be pitching on five days' rest and the Dodgers have maneuvered his rest to replicate his routine in Japan. Maeda's had success at Coors Field, going 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA, 13 strikeouts and one walk in 12 innings. In the other move announced on Friday, catcher Carlos Ruiz was activated following his acquisition on Thursday and Shawn Zarraga was optioned back to Triple-A. Ruiz joins Dodgers, 'ready to play in October' By Jack Baer LOS ANGELES -- One could say parallel careers intersected on Thursday, when the Dodgers acquired Carlos Ruiz for A.J. Ellis and a Minor Leaguer. The two catchers shared humble origins as Ruiz first signed with the Phillies for $8,000 in 1998, while Ellis was drafted in the 18th round of the 2003 Draft. Both fought their ways to the Majors and instilled themselves as fan favorites. And, until Thursday, both had known only one team. The Dodgers and their fans weren't the only ones to say a difficult goodbye in the trade. Ruiz arrived at Dodger Stadium on Friday, in time for the team photo, and was immediately inserted into the lineup, batting sixth against Cubs left-hander Mike Montgomery. Ruiz's debut at the plate was a success, reaching base three times. But his trouble catching closer Kenley Jansen's cutter helped Jason Heyward tie the game following a leadoff double in the ninth inning, ultimately resulting in a 6-4 loss to the Cubs. "I'm going to do my best to learn real quick and then go from there," Ruiz said. "His fastball's real good and it's also moving late. It's different when you face him and when you're catching."

14 While a major justification of the Ruiz trade was his production against left-handers, manager Dave Roberts was hesitant to say Ruiz's playing time would be determined by a platoon. "Yasmani [Grandal] is our starting catcher. His statistics are just where they need to be against lefthanded pitching. He's fine," Roberts said. "If there are certain days where it makes sense for a backup catcher to catch that day in Carlos, then I'll catch him. If it aligns with a left-handed starter, then even better." Oddly enough, the Dodgers now have more members of the '08 world champion Phillies (Ruiz, Chase Utley, Joe Blanton) than the '08 Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw, Andre Ethier) on their staff. In addition to those familiar faces, Ruiz carries an immaculate reputation as a teammate and manager of pitching staffs as he integrates himself into the clubhouse. "Carlos Ruiz comes highly recommended from a lot of different guys," Kershaw said. "Cares, loves the game, Chase loves him to death, so that tells you all the need to know right there." While Ruiz left plenty of friends in Philadelphia, he is still excited to join the Dodgers and compete in the postseason. "I'm ready to play in October. That's my goal, pretty excited," Ruiz said. "They showed me a lot of respect so they tried to get me on a team that had a chance to go to the postseason. It was really good to hear." In the corresponding move to add Ruiz on Friday, the Dodgers optioned catcher Shawn Zarraga to Triple- A Oklahoma City. Zarraga's contract was selected Thursday when the Dodgers needed a backup catcher after trading Ellis. Worth noting Trayce Thompson (back fractures) still hasn't swung a bat and is doing mostly core work, but could ramp up after seeing a doctor early next week. Ethier (fractured right tibia) received a day off after going 2-for-4 in his first rehab game with Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga. He is expected back in the Rancho lineup Saturday, playing as the designated hitter. Urias on a roll as Dodgers, Cubs tangle By Jack Baer Julio Urias will get a chance to show how far he has come since his first time seeing the Cubs as the Dodgers face off against Jason Hammel on Saturday in another clash of division leaders. The Cubs, who have won four straight, piled it on against Urias on June 2 when the southpaw was making his second career start, hitting three home runs and scoring six runs (five earned) over five innings. Those home runs were more than Urias has allowed in his 12 other appearances combined. Since that date, Urias holds a 3.10 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings and has earned the win in his last three starts.

15 Hammel is coming off a rough day at Coors Field in which he allowed 10 runs (six earned) in 3 1/3 innings. That start broke a streak of 22 straight scoreless innings. It was also his second-shortest start of the season, only behind a May 30 start against the Dodgers when he had to leave after two innings due to a leg injury. The Cubs would go on to one-hit the Dodgers in a 2-0 win. Things to know about this game The Dodgers have had an MLB-record 27 players hit the disabled list, but the Cubs don't think they have it much better with Hector Rondon, John Lackey and Kyle Schwarber sidelined, among others. "We're missing people, they're missing people, and at the end of the day, you always like your best group against their best group, and let's go. You could lament who they're missing, and we could do the same in return," manager Joe Maddon said. Despite a platoon advantage, Adrian Gonzalez is just 7-for-38 against Hammel in his career. Yasmani Grandal was out of the starting lineup Friday as Carlos Ruiz got his first start with the Dodgers against left-hander Mike Montgomery, but he should be back in there along with outfielder Joc Pederson against Hammel. OC REGISTER Dodgers blow leads, as Cubs ride Kris Bryant's two homers to 6-4 victory By JP Hoornstra LOS ANGELES Like a baseball off the bat of Kris Bryant, the Chicago Cubs fan base travels well. When Bryant hit a two-run home run in the 10th inning Friday night, lifting the Cubs to a 6-4 victory over the Dodgers, chants of M-V-P began to swell from the crowd. The noise wasn t for Corey Seager or Clayton Kershaw or the vivid pyrotechnics show that was nearly canceled due to time constraints. The noise was for Bryant, whose two home runs Friday gave him 35 for the season. That leads a Cubs team that owns the best record in baseball (82-45). Bryant also leapfrogged Nolan Arenado for the National League lead in home runs always a sterling credential when MVP voting is conducted in September. Friday s game was more than a referendum on Bryant s claim to individual dominance. It was a matchup of the majors two best teams since the All-Star break. In that regard, the game was suitably close and suitably frustrating for the portion of 48,609 announced patrons who came to see a Dodgers victory. Kenley Jansen blew a save in the ninth inning. Aroldis Chapman, whom the Dodgers considered acquiring last winter then refrained when a cloud of domestic violence accusations grew thick, converted his 10th save for the Cubs. Bryant also homered off Dodgers pitcher Joe Blanton in the eighth inning as Chicago erased deficits of 3-1 and 4-2 to win.

16 He s an MVP-caliber player, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Bryant. When he gets extended he hit a changeup (against Blanton) and a fastball out over (against Adam Liberatore) he can hit the ball as far as anyone. Because the San Francisco Giants won earlier in the day, they now trail the Dodgers by one game in the National League West. Adrian Gonzalez homered for the Dodgers, and Seager extended his franchise record by hitting two more doubles the 35th and 36th of his rookie season. By the numbers, right-hander Bud Norris might not have made his best start as a Dodger, but it was perfectly adequate and much needed just the same. The right-hander allowed two runs over five innings, thanks in part to some stellar defense. The Dodgers led 3-2 in the fifth inning when Norris began to reach the end of his rope. He had already walked two batters and allowed one run when Ben Zobrist batted with two outs and runners on the corners. Zobrist hit a ground ball sharply to the right side of the infield, and only a perfectly timed dive by second baseman Chase Utley prevented a hit. Utley threw out Zobrist while lying on his back, earning a point of congratulations from the outstretched right arm of Norris. Norris kept competing and settled in nicely, got through five innings, Roberts said. We got the ball to the big fella and it doesn t always work out. Trying to preserve a 4-3 lead, Jansen surrendered a leadoff double to Jason Heyward in the ninth inning. Heyward advanced to third base when Jorge Soler struck out on a pitch in the dirt. Catcher Carlos Ruiz, playing his first game as a Dodger, quickly retrieved the ball behind home plate, and Gonzalez scooped Ruiz s throw at first base. But before he could record a second out, Jansen threw a 95-mph cut fastball that fooled Ruiz. The pitch glanced off the top of the catcher s mitt, trickled more than halfway to the backstop, and settled far enough away from home plate that Heyward was able to score easily from third base, tying the score, 4-4. No excuses; I should ve caught that ball, Ruiz said. I don t know what happened. It s the first time I caught (Jansen) and his ball was moving real good. It surprised me like that. I should ve caught it. I ll move forward, come back tomorrow and get it done. Ruiz flew into Los Angeles on Friday morning and was in the starting lineup at night, his first game as a Dodger after playing 1,069 in a Philadelphia Phillies uniform. The catcher was acquired Thursday in a trade for popular backup catcher A.J. Ellis. Roberts stopped short of saying that the right-handed hitting Ruiz would start every game against lefthanded pitchers, but his debut against Cubs southpaw Mike Montgomery was a good one. Ruiz was hit by a pitch in the second inning, drew a walk in the third inning, and singled off Montgomery in the fifth.

17 Unfortunately, Ruiz s strong debut with his bat was undone by his poor glovework late. That was a tough game, Ruiz said, especially for myself. Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw calls trading A.J. Ellis a 'tremendous subtraction By JP Hoornstra LOS ANGELES One day after his best friend was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw still couldn t bring himself to contemplate the baseball logic behind A.J. Ellis absence. I don t really think of the corresponding moves, I just think about A.J. leaving, he said. Kershaw also called the Dodgers latest trade a tremendous subtraction. Ellis, 35, was drafted by the Dodgers in He d been catching Kershaw since the two were teammates at Double-A in Kershaw s voice rippled with emotion as he praised the servant s heart that made Ellis more valuable than his.194 batting average would indicate. The Dodgers highest-paid player wasn t the only one in the clubhouse who spent Thursday afternoon mourning. Nor was he the only one Friday offering high praise for Carlos Ruiz, the veteran catcher who was acquired from the Phillies. Carlos Ruiz comes highly recommended from a lot of different guys, Kershaw said. Cares. Loves the game. Chase (Utley, who was teammates with Ruiz in Philadelphia) loves him to death. So that tells you all you need to know right there. Still, nothing about the trade hit Kershaw lightly. He left the stadium for a time Thursday to spend one last afternoon with Ellis as teammates. He didn t address reporters until after throwing a 60-pitch bullpen session Friday afternoon. When he did, Kershaw s thoughts were still raw. He really brought, just that presence that not a lot of people have where you can get along with everybody, Kershaw said of Ellis. Really helped everybody s careers. That s something that s not easily replaced. Thursday, Ellis said the most devastating aspect of the trade is the likelihood that he would never catch the three-time Cy Young Award winner again. Kershaw said throwing to catchers other than Ellis won t be easy for him, either. The pitcher-catcher relationship is pretty one-sided, Kershaw said. We get all the credit and we take all the blame. The catcher s just kind of there, and that s the way it is. A.J. thrives at that. He prepares harder than anybody. He prepares harder than us for all of our individual starts or our bullpen roles. He does that for 12 different guys every single series, and he takes a lot of pride in it.

18 It s not going to be easy not throwing to him, for sure. NEXT UP: URIAS, TBA, MAEDA With more than a month remaining in the regular season, the Dodgers have used 14 starting pitchers. They might make it 15 on Sunday. Manager Dave Roberts announced that rookie left-hander Julio Urias will start Saturday against the Chicago Cubs and right-hander Kenta Maeda will start Monday in Colorado. That leaves Sunday s start to be determined. One of the first 14 starters, right-hander Brock Stewart, was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to serve as a possible long reliever Saturday. If he isn t needed to relieve Urias, Stewart will have had seven days rest by Sunday, making him a potential spot starter. An intriguing alternative is Jose De Leon, perhaps the Dodgers top pitching prospect still in the minor leagues. The 24-year-old right-hander is 6-1 with a 2.86 ERA this season at Triple-A, and is scheduled to start Sunday s game for Oklahoma City. Maeda was optioned to the Rookie-level Arizona League Dodgers, a procedural move that will allow him to start Monday s game because the AZL season ends Sunday. The Dodgers also optioned catcher Shawn Zarraga to Oklahoma City on Friday. ALSO The Dodgers had some fun with Vin Scully during their annual team photo Friday. In addition to posing for a serious photo for the camera, everyone in the frame pulled out a face mask bearing Scully s likeness. The Hall of Fame broadcaster, seated front and center, smiled and shrugged. Andre Ethier is scheduled to play his second rehab game for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday. He is expected to DH. Outfielder Trayce Thompson said he will meet with a team doctor either Monday or Tuesday. He hasn t been allowed to take part in baseball activities since being diagnosed with multiple spinal fractures nearly a month ago. On deck: Cubs at Dodgers, Saturday, 1 p.m. By JP Hoornstra Where: Dodger Stadium TV: SNLA, Fox Sports 1 Did you know? Chicago Cubs coach Henry Blanco played the first three of his 971 major league games for the Dodgers in 1997, none as a catcher. THE PITCHERS DODGERS LHP JULIO URIAS (4-2, 3.95) Vs. Cubs: 0-1, 9.00 ERA At Dodger Stadium: 2-0, 3.24 ERA Hates to face: Javier Baez, 2 for 2, HR, 3 RBI Loves to face: Miguel Montero, 0 for 2, strikeout

19 CUBS RHP JASON HAMMEL (13-6, 3.07) Vs. Dodgers: 2-6, 4.80 At Dodger Stadium: 0-4, 4.91 ERA Hates to face: Chase Utley, 5 for 10 (.500), HR, 3B Loves to face: Adrian Gonzalez, 7 for 38 (.184), 7 strikeouts UPCOMING MATCHUPS Sunday: Cubs LHP Jon Lester (14-4, 2.81) at Dodgers (TBA), 1 p.m., SNLA, TBS (not blacked out in Southern California) Dodgers corner Cubs, then let a win get away By Cary Osborne DODGER INSIDER What s become typical for the Dodgers took an atypical turn on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. Starter Bud Norris went five innings, leaving with a 3-2 lead after throwing 89 pitches. But the usually steady bullpen couldn t hold this one and the Dodgers lost 6-4. The Cubs tied the score 4-4 in the ninth on a wild pitch by Kenley Jansen that crossed up catcher Carlos Ruiz in his Dodger debut. They took the lead for good with a two-run home run by Kris Bryant off Adam Liberatore in the 10th inning. Bryant also hit a solo shot in the eighth off Joe Blanton to pull the Cubs to within one, down 4-3. It was the third time this month that the stable of workhorses in the bullpen didn t hold a lead for a Dodger starter (the other two being August 10 against Philadelphia and August 18 at Philadelphia). The wild pitch will be magnified, acknowledged Dave Roberts, being that there is a lack of familiarity between Ruiz and Jansen, whose cutter has been widely said to be one of the toughest pitches in the game to catch. It was a tough loss and a game we wanted to win, Roberts said. It was a well-played game. I thought there were a lot of good things. There were some big hits and good pitching. Very good defensive plays. But those guys are a very good ballclub. They don t quit. The biggest hit for the Dodgers came off the bat of Adrián González. A day after his 17-game hitting streak ended, González hit a 398-foot solo home run to center field in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Dodgers a 4-2 lead. It was his 299th career home run as a first baseman. He s one away from becoming the 19th player in Major League history to have hit 300 or more homers as a first baseman. Gonzalez has seven homers in his last 17 games and is OPSing in that span. Chase Utley made a phenomenal play in the fifth inning.

20 With the Cubs breathing down hard on the Dodgers, having cut the lead to 3-2 in the frame and with runners on first and third and two outs, Ben Zobrist grounded through the infield into shallow right field. Utley chased, dove and snagged the ball and threw Zobrist out while lying nearly flat on his back. Ruiz reached base three times in the game with a hit by pitch, walk and single. Corey Seager had two doubles to take sole possession of second place for most doubles by a Dodger rookie with 37. Johnny Frederick hit 52 doubles as a rookie for the Brooklyn Dodgers in After the game, Roberts said Brock Stewart, who was called up from Oklahoma City earlier in the day, will start for the Dodgers on Sunday. Carlos Ruiz to start tonight, Brock Stewart recalled By Jon Weisman As expected, Carlos Ruiz is in the starting lineup for his Dodger debut tonight, with Shawn Zarraga being optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Zarraga, as you can see in the video above, did enjoy the thrill of being an official Major Leaguer, however briefly. He arrived Thursday via private jet, as Michael Clair notes at MLB.com s Cut4. As the newest big leaguer told MLB.com s Ken Gurnick, It was a 12-seater and it was just me and the pilot, but I got to sit next to him and that was cool. In addition, the Dodgers have recalled Brock Stewart from Triple-A. Stewart, who was optioned August 15 to make room for the activation of Casey Fien, threw five innings of shutout ball August 19 for Oklahoma City. So, how are the Dodgers making room for Stewart on the roster this weekend? They have optioned Kenta Maeda yes, that s right to the Rookie-level AZL Dodgers, whose season concludes on Sunday. That means he can be recalled immediately after that day, without a 10-day waiting period. As Dave Roberts said today, the plan is that Julio Urías will start for the Dodgers on Saturday and Maeda will take the mound Monday in Colorado, leaving Sunday as TBD. Dodgers can t hold off Cubs comeback By Eric Stephen TRUEBLUELA.COM National League MVP favorite Kris Bryant hit two home runs in the final three innings, including the tworun game-winner in the 10th inning, giving the Cubs a 6-4 comeback victory over the Dodgers in the opener of a three-game weekend series on Friday night at Dodger Stadium.