Daily Clips April 21, 2018

Transcription

1 Daily Clips April 21, 2018

2 LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2018 MLB.COM Buehler? Dodgers need a replacement for Hill - Ken Gurnick Kershaw drops duel with Nats' Scherzer - Ken Gurnick Matt Kemp is in the best shape of his life (he really is) - Mike Petriello LA TIMES Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner takes swings off tee - Andy McCullough Clayton Kershaw outlasts Max Scherzer, but Nationals still beat Dodgers Andy McCullough OC REGISTER Max Muncy s measured opportunism fits the Dodgers m.o. - J.P. Hoornstra Max Scherzer outduels Clayton Kershaw as Nationals top Dodgers in rare matchup of Cy Young Award winners - J.P. Hoornstra ESPN Nats beat Dodgers 5-2 in uneven matchup of Scherzer, Kershaw TRUE BLUE LA Drillers win 11-0 behind 17 hit attack - Craig Minami Dodgers notes: Justin Turner, Rich Hill, Logan Forsythe - Eric Stephen Max Scherzer, Nationals get the better of Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers - Eric Stephen Tim Locastro scores twice in OKC 6-3 win - Craig Minami DODGER INSIDER LADF kicks off the 2018 College and Career Accelerator at Dodger Stadium - Erin Edwards Roberts acknowledges there s a little bit more to Kershaw-Scherzer matchup - Rowan Kavner Dodgers lament opportunities lost in matchup of the aces - Rowan Kavner THE ATHLETIC Moura: Kershaw outlasted but couldn't outduel Scherzer in marquee matchup - Pedro Moura

3 LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2018 Buehler? Dodgers need a replacement for Hill By Ken Gurnick MLB.COM LOS ANGELES -- Manager Dave Roberts wasn't ready to name Walker Buehler, Brock Stewart or anybody else to replace Rich Hill as Monday night's starting pitcher for the Dodgers against the Marlins at Dodger Stadium. "We'll know soon enough," said Roberts before Friday's series opener agianst the Nationals. "We've got a couple of ideas. I can't say." Hill, placed on the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday with a split fingernail on his left middle finger, said he played catch on Friday and his finger was healed. "I could have pitched tonight," said Hill. "No issues." Of course, with the left-hander's history of finger blisters and wounds, it's understandable that management would err on the side of caution with Hill, who must snap his patented curveball with such torque that his fingertip skin is always at risk. Reliever Ross Stripling could get the start, or the Dodgers could recall Buehler or Stewart from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Buehler is listed as Sunday's starter for OKC, having last pitched on Monday. Stewart last pitched on Wednesday and Monday would be his regular day to start. Other injury updates Roberts said third baseman Justin Turner, already out nearly five weeks with a fractured left wrist, has begun hitting off a tee. "The soreness is really starting to dissipate," Roberts said. "He's not ready for a rehab assignment, but he's moving in the right direction." Logan Forsythe, who went on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation resulting from longer throws from third base after taking over for Turner, said he might resume throwing by Saturday or Sunday. Roberts said Forsythe also has begun taking dry swings in the batting cage.

4 Kershaw drops duel with Nats' Scherzer By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES -- There's not much separating the careers of three-time Cy Young Award winners Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer. But after getting outpitched by the Nationals' ace on Friday night at Dodger Stadium, Kershaw offered his opinion on what makes Scherzer elite. "His fastball is dominant. His fastball is the separator for him," said Kershaw, who was beaten by Scherzer and the Nationals, 5-2. "The life and carry he has on that ball, it's really hard for me to hit, it's just a really good fastball." Scherzer's fastball touched 96 mph, Kershaw's topped out at 92. So, in a duel between two of the best pitchers of their generation, that might be one reason Scherzer has won two National League Cy Young Awards since Kershaw won his third in While the velocity edge goes to Scherzer, he complimented Kershaw on the mental game. The mutual admiration is obvious. "He attacks the zone, doesn't walk guys," Scherzer said. "He brings it every single time, that's just the on-surface stuff that you know is going on between his ears, that he goes out there and competes as well as anybody and attacks the zone." Although they met in Game 1 of the 2016 NL Division Series (Kershaw won), the classic pitching matchup marked a regular-season rarity, the first between three-time Cy Young Award winners in a dozen years (Roger Clemens vs. Greg Maddux). And it was a shaky beginning for both. Kershaw (1-3) was ambushed in a two-run first inning -- three pitches, three swings and the first run. Ryan Zimmerman was next with an RBI double and Kershaw was down, 2-0. "That was their game plan," manager Dave Roberts said of the Nats' aggressiveness. "Knowing Clayton is a strike-thrower, get him before he gets you was their mentality. High risk, high reward." "The deeper into the at-bat you go with him, the harder it gets, especially if he can get ahead of you," Zimmerman said. "It worked out good tonight. But he's still pretty good." Kershaw was charged with four runs in seven innings on nine hits, striking out only four because the Nationals wouldn't allow their at-bats to go deep enough to get to three strikes. Of the 29 batters Kershaw faced, 14 swung at the first offering. "I usually expect that with every team; sometimes they foul off the first pitch, sometimes they don't," Kershaw said of Washington's aggressiveness. "I've got to make a better pitch to Zimmerman and get out with one run." Kershaw retired the next 11 batters before allowing runs in the fifth and sixth innings for a 4-0 deficit. The Dodgers -- who came into the game with a four-game win streak after breaking out offensively during a three-game sweep in San Diego -- went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position, wasting Chris Taylor's triple on Scherzer's first pitch and his fifth-inning two-out double.

5 "More a product of who they're facing. He's pretty good," Kershaw said, forgiving an offense that's facing Scherzer. "We did the same thing [swinging early] to Max. He was able to pitch out of it. Usually you can come back from two [runs down], but it's tough against Max. I can get through seven [innings] and two [runs], but I had those two tack-ons late that you can't have. We had opportunities, Max limited the damage." The Dodgers didn't score on Scherzer until Yasiel Puig's RBI single with two out in the sixth. Scherzer finished with nine strikeouts in six innings. The Dodgers added a run in the seventh off Washington's bullpen. They scored seven runs in Kershaw's lone win this year, but only five runs total in his other four starts. In the Dodgers' first inning, Taylor's triple was followed by the first of two times Corey Seager was hit by a pitch. Runners on the corners and no outs, but hot-hitting Yasmani Grandal popped out and Scherzer fanned Cody Bellinger and Joc Pederson. "First and third, nobody out, came up empty," said Roberts. "That was a big part of the game. If we get one across, it could have been a different ballgame. Couldn't come up with the big hit." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Leave 'em stranded: In addition to the missed opportunity in the first inning, the Dodgers had a two-on, one-out setup in the third with hot-hitting Yasmani Grandal up. But Scherzer induced a double play to end the inning. Where's the bunt defense? While Washington's execution of the safety squeeze was perfect, you can't say the same for the Dodgers' defense. First baseman Bellinger charged hard, but the bunt was fielded by Kershaw, and second baseman Chase Utley had no chance to outrun Turner to first. The third run scored as Turner raced to an easy single. "Belly and I just have to be on the same page. We can't both do the same," said Kershaw. "[Turner] is really fast, a run is going to score regardless. Just a good play by them." HE SAID IT "This is a hard gauge, Scherzer." -- Roberts, on judging the Dodgers' offense on this game SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Kershaw entered the game 10-0 against the Nationals in 10 starts since 2012, including the postseason. WHAT'S NEXT? After dealing with Max Scherzer on Friday night, the sledding doesn't ease up on Saturday when the Dodgers face Stephen Strasburg at 6:10 p.m. PT at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers will counter with Hyun- Jin Ryu, who is coming off his second consecutive effective start, striking out nine in six innings against San Diego.

6 Matt Kemp is in the best shape of his life (he really is) By Mike Petriello Matt Kemp has "improved his physical conditioning, having lost 40 pounds," read a story here on MLB.com when Kemp reported to Dodgers Spring Training in February. You're forgiven if that didn't exactly fire you up about Kemp's 2018 potential. After all, a player claiming he's shown up at camp "in the best shape of his life" has become something of a running joke in baseball circles. It's become such a meme that actual studies have been done on the phrase, showing very little on-field impact for hitters claiming to have improved their conditioning. And don't forget this: Kemp showed up at Atlanta camp in 2017 with a version of the exact same story. He followed it with his worst full season in the Majors. You hear this talk every spring. It rarely matters. Now, with all that said, in Kemp's case, early in the season, there's maybe at least something to this. Kemp looks better. He's hitting better (.340/.382/.580 in 55 plate appearances entering Saturday). He's moving better -- and, according to our recent rollout of 2018 Sprint Speed leaderboards, the data backs it up, too. Of nearly 300 players who qualified in both 2017 and '18, only one has increased his speed more than Kemp. Here's what we mean by that. The way Sprint Speed works, it's measured in feet per second on what we consider to be "qualified runs." (You can read more about it here.) The Major League average is 27 feet per second, so Kemp's 26.4 ft/sec isn't exactly speedy, but he's gone from being basically the slowest left fielder in baseball in 2017 (24.9 ft/sec) to being only slightly below the positional average in '18. It's a sizable jump, bettered only by a slightly larger one from Oakland's Matt Olson. Now, that list should tell you two things. First, with rare exceptions, most of these guys had belowaverage speed last season, giving them room to improve. Someone like Byron Buxton (30.7 ft/sec in 2017) can't really get faster, he can only hold steady (30.5 ft/sec in '18) or go down. Second, you can also see that a lot of the players on this list who were slower last season had some pretty compelling health-related reasons. We should be careful to note that it's still early and that we're somewhat fitting a narrative to an outcome here, yet there's enough signal through the noise to believe that there's some evidence even before the first month is done. For example, Mike Moustakas worked hard this winter to improve his conditioning after a disappointing free-agent experience, and he is also another year removed from his 2016 knee surgery. Albert Pujols worked hard, as well, knowing the arrival of Shohei Ohtani would force him to play more first base. (He's already played three more games at first than he did in all of 2017.) So, of course, did Kemp. There's also simply the matter of health, or lack of it. Adrian Gonzalez (back), Jarrod Dyson (foot, hernia), Luis Valbuena (hamstring), and Jean Segura (ankle) all had lower-body concerns in 2017 that presumably haven't been issues in '18. (Cheslor Cuthbert also missed time, but it's hard to pin a wrist injury to foot speed.)

7 At the other end of the scale, one of the biggest speed decliners is Adam Eaton, who was running at a very strong 28.7 ft/sec in 2017 before missing most of the season after undergoing surgery on his left knee and landing on the disabled list again this year with a bruised left ankle. His Sprint Speed early on has fallen more than two ft/sec, to 26.5 ft/sec. That importance of health applies to Kemp, too, since he landed on the DL twice in 2017, in April for a left hamstring injury and in July for a right hamstring injury. Those were just the latest in a litany of lower-body injuries, including left ankle surgery and a right hamstring strain in '13, and pulls to both hamstrings in '12. The speed that once allowed him to steal 34 bases or more in three separate seasons is long gone. Since Statcast came online only in 2015, we can't compare the most recent versions of Kemp to his earlier heyday. But with the data we do have, it's clear to see that whether due to age, injury or conditioning, his Sprint Speed declined from '15 to '16, and again from '16 to '17. Matt Kemp Sprint Speed, ft/sec ft/sec ft/sec ft/sec Major League average ft/sec The downward trend is clear, though it's interesting to note that in two of his previous three seasons, Kemp's fastest months have been April. We know that injuries were to come in previous years, though there may also be something to be said about feeling fresh early before the weight of the long daily grind takes its toll. That said, we've tracked more than 1,000 Kemp runs over the last three-plus seasons, and two of his fastest five individual runs have come in the last two weeks. Matt Kemp fastest individual Sprint Speed runs, ft/sec -- April 12, 2015 (triple) 29.8 ft/sec -- April 12, 2015 (groundout) 29.7 ft/sec -- April 29, 2015 (double, to third on the throw) 29.2 ft/sec -- April 16, 2018 (single) 29.1 ft/sec -- April 10, 2018 (double) In theory, improved speed should help on defense, too, though it's a little early to draw any solid conclusions. What we can say is based on the balls hit to Kemp this season, an average outfielder would have been expected to make the play 94 percent of the time, and he's made the play 95 percent of the time, so about as expected. Last year, he underperformed by 10 points (expected to catch the ball 86

8 percent, made the catch 76 percent) and the year before, he underperformed by 7 points (expected 84, actual 77). It's still so early for Kemp, and the possibility of injury or fatigue is a very real concern. But if he's not in the "best" shape of his life, it's perhaps at least better compared with the last few years. For a player generally seen as well past his prime, acquired in what was more an accounting move than anything, Kemp is off to a good start. He's been shockingly useful, based on the eye test. The early data says it might be legit. For now. LA TIMES Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner takes swings off tee By Andy McCullough Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner took a tentative step forward in his recovery from a fractured wrist when he took swings off a tee on Friday afternoon, manager Dave Roberts said. Turner has yet to play this season after suffering the injury on March 19. The team has not announced a timetable for his return. "I don't have a date yet when he's going to go out on a rehab" assignment," Roberts said. "But he's moving in the right direction." Turner fielded grounders with his injured left hand before Friday's game. He has been able to maintain his cardio program and throwing program, but is progressing slower with activities that place stress on the fractured bones. Logan Forsythe, the team's replacement for Turner at third base, also took some swings in the batting cage on Friday. Forsythe is recovering from inflammation in his right shoulder. He fielded grounders alongside Turner before the game, but did not make throws. "I don't think the pain is there, but there's still a little bit of fatigue," Roberts said. "Is he 100 percent? No." No starter set for Monday Roberts would not say who will start for the Dodgers on Monday against the Miami Marlins. The team needs a pitcher to replace Rich Hill in the rotation as Hill completes a 10-day stay on the disabled list with a cracked fingernail. Kenta Maeda will receive an extra day of rest and start on Tuesday, which creates a vacancy for the series opener. Roberts declined to speculate on the candidates. "We'll know soon enough," Roberts said. "I'll let you guys know soon enough. We have a couple ideas. Can't say."

9 The Oklahoma City game notes for Friday listed Walker Buehler as the starter on Sunday and Manny Banuelos as the starter for Monday. Brock Stewart started on Wednesday and has a 2.65 earned-run average in three outings this season. Hill played catch on Friday. He may throw a bullpen session this weekend. He hopes to miss only one start. Clayton Kershaw outlasts Max Scherzer, but Nationals still beat Dodgers 5-2 By Andy McCullough In the middle of the seventh inning of a 5-2 loss to Washington, Clayton Kershaw hunched on the bench inside his dugout. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts patted Kershaw on the leg and sat down next to him. Nationals ace Max Scherzer already had completed his evening. Kershaw's night would end soon after. Kershaw outlasted Scherzer in a duel on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. But he did not outperform Scherzer. Kershaw (1-3) yielded four runs across seven innings on nine hits, punished by Washington's aggression, and gave up more hits Friday than he had in any game since last May. Scherzer logged six innings but surrendered only one run. "We had our opportunities, just like they did," Kershaw said. "But Max limited the damage better than I did." The defeat snapped a four-game winning streak for the Dodgers (8-10). After scoring 30 runs in three days in San Diego, the offense wilted against more credible competition. Down two in the eighth, Pedro Baez issued three walks, one with the bases loaded, to deepen the deficit. The starting pitching matchup was a rarity. In the history of baseball, on only 13 occasions had two three-time Cy Young Award winners faced each other. The last one was a 2006 duel between Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens, both near the twilight of their careers. Friday's game offered a meeting between two pitchers near the height of their powers. Kershaw had 12 strikeouts in his last outing. Scherzer struck out 11. Roberts did not defuse the hype. "They're pretty much in a league by themselves," he said. "We understand this is April. But the intensity already in the clubhouse with Clayton pitching, and knowing who we're playing, it's that playoff mindset." As the Nationals gathered for batting practice, Dodgers president Stan Kasten walked over. Kasten had spent four years in a similar role in Washington, serving as team president when the Nationals drafted Bryce Harper in Kasten spotted reporters nearby and joked they would go crazy with speculation as he chatted with Harper. Kasten offered similar greetings to Nationals stalwart Ryan Zimmerman and former Dodger Howie Kendrick. Harper will be a free agent this winter. He figures to headline a class that could include Kershaw if Kershaw chooses to opt out. At 3:20 p.m., Kershaw stalked to his locker inside the clubhouse. He turned toward a monitor to study the Nationals lineup. Washington sported an offense racked by injuries, with Daniel Murphy, Anthony

10 Rendon and Adam Eaton either on the disabled list or on the bench. The top half of the group was still formidable. The Nationals came out swinging. The first three batters attacked Kershaw's first pitch. Trea Turner smashed a 91.2-mph fastball into left for a double. Kendrick lined out to center. Harper chopped a slider to the right side for an RBI single, capitalizing on a drawn-in infield. The pace slowed as Zimmerman stepped into the box. Kershaw bounced a pair of sliders, one for a wild pitch. He evened the count before testing Zimmerman with a 2-2 fastball. Zimmerman hit a laser beyond the reach of Chris Taylor in center for a run-scoring double. "I've got to make a better pitch to Zimmerman," Kershaw said. "Maybe get out of there with one run." Scherzer dealt with a similar rocky start. Taylor pounded Scherzer's first pitch off the right-field wall for a triple. Scherzer clipped Corey Seager with his next pitch to place runners at the corners. Unlike the Nationals, the Dodgers could not convert the runners into runs. Up came Yasmani Grandal, one of the National League's top hitters who had visited with a trainer between innings after getting drilled by a pair of foul balls behind the plate. Grandal popped up a 1-0 fastball. Cody Bellinger swung through a 94.8-mph fastball. Joc Pederson could only blink at a full-count curveball which dove into the zone at the last moment. "If you're not getting guys in when he's on the mound, you're not going to win. Kershaw pitched great for us," said Bellinger, who struck out three times. "They just got to him a few times. We've just got to hit with runners [on]. Myself included." Grandal got another chance in the third. After a walk by Taylor, Scherzer hit Seager with another slider. Grandal could not capitalize. He bounced a 1-1 changeup into a double play to end the inning. After Zimmerman's first-inning double, Kershaw retired 11 in a row. He fanned Harper in the third with an 0-1 curveball and an 0-2 slider. After Taylor's leadoff triple in the first, Scherzer did not permit a hit until Taylor doubled in the fifth. Scherzer contributed to Kershaw's troubles in the fifth. The Nationals continued to attack Kershaw on the first pitch. Michael A. Taylor slashed a slider for a leadoff double. Scherzer blooped a single to put runners at the corners for Turner. Turner bats from the right side. The Dodgers shaded second baseman Chase Utley closer to the bag. Turner exploited the arrangement. He dropped a bunt down the first-base line. Kershaw and Bellinger converged on the ball. They had no play at the plate, as Taylor scored. And there was no play at first, as Utley could not arrive in time. "He made a good bunt," Roberts said. "With a guy like that, there's really not a whole you can do." The Nationals stung Kershaw in the sixth with three singles. The last, by Michael A. Taylor, gave Scherzer a four-run lead. The Dodgers staged a two-out rally in the bottom of the inning. Yasiel Puig delivered their first run with a single. Scherzer departed after six innings and 106 pitches. The Dodgers benefited from seeing Washington's bullpen. Grandal cracked a run-scoring single off reliever Sammy Solis. The rally went no further, though:

11 Bellinger flailed at a pair of changeups outside the zone and Matt Kemp came off the bench to ground out. "It's just another loss," Bellinger said. "You've got to tip your cap sometimes." OC REGISTER Max Muncy s measured opportunism fits the Dodgers m.o. By J.P. Hoornstra LOS ANGELES In his final season of college baseball, Max Muncy wasn t Baylor s best hitter. He didn t lead the team in batting average, home runs, RBIs, or stolen bases. He wasn t the tallest or the fastest. Muncy was, however, the first Baylor player chosen in the 2012 draft. When the fifth round arrived, the A s could not overlook Muncy s special talent: he knew the strike zone. With Oakland, something they like to teach is working the count, Muncy said. That was something I was always proud of. When I grew up doing that, whether it was high school, college or pro ball, I ve always been a guy that I wait to get a good pitch to swing. I don t know where I got it or how I got it. When Muncy was released by the A s last April, the Dodgers quickly signed him to a minor league contract. Since then, he s used his trademark patience to post a.415 on-base percentage at Triple-A Oklahoma City. In spring training, three of Muncy s four hits went for extra bases. In his Dodger debut Thursday in San Diego, Muncy hit his first major-league home run since August of The Dodgers don t seem to care where Muncy discovered his discipline at the plate, as long as he keeps it. On Sunday, they won their first of four consecutive games by beating the Diamondbacks 7-2. They drew seven walks in that game, and averaged 5.8 walks per game during the streak. They had averaged 3.1 walks per game to that point in the season. Manager Dave Roberts said a concerted effort to get guys on base and to win pitches has been key to the Dodgers reversal of fortunes. At times you start to lose the importance of winning every pitch, he said. It s a small sample, it s four games, but I think we ve done that. Muncy fits the Dodgers mission statement well. So does Breyvic Valera, the utility player who last week became the first position player summoned from Triple-A. Both players had walked more than they d struck out at the time of their call-ups. Few expected Valera and Muncy to be the first two position players to leave Oklahoma City for Los Angeles. But with their specific skill set in vogue, each has been able to add to his nominal major league service time this month.

12 For our lineup, I think it s important for us to be aggressive in the strike zone, not be passive, Roberts said. If you watch any video of Max Muncy, if the ball s over the plate, he can do some damage. He still can differentiate between strike and ball and take a walk, which we value. INJURY UPDATES Third baseman Justin Turner swung a bat Friday for the first time this month and hit off a tee, Roberts said. Turner has been relegated to the 10-day disabled list since he was hit by a pitch in spring training, fracturing his left wrist. He said the soreness has really started to dissipate, Roberts said. Turner participated in some light infield pregame drills but hasn t been cleared to catch a ball in his glove hand. Pitcher Rich Hill, who was scratched from Friday s start with a wound on the tip of his left middle finger, played catch from 120 feet. I could have started today, he said. Roberts said Hill s next start has not been determined. He can t be activated from the DL until April 28. Hill expects to throw a bullpen session Sunday. Infielder Logan Forsythe (right shoulder inflammation) took dry swings in the batting cage, Roberts said, and participated in infield drills alongside Turner without throwing. ALSO Monday s starting pitcher has not been decided yet, Roberts said. Of the five starters at Triple-A Oklahoma City, Brock Stewart, Justin De Fratus and Tyler Pill would be required to pitch on short rest. That leaves Manny Banuelos (scheduled to start for OKC on Monday) and Walker Buehler (Sunday) as the most likely options on the farm. The Giants pushed their April 29 game against the Dodgers back an hour, to 2:05 p.m. AT&T Park will open its gates at 12:05 p.m. UP NEXT Nationals (RHP Stephen Strasburg) at Dodgers (LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu), 6 p.m., KTLA/5, SportsNet LA (where available), MLB Network (out of market only). Max Scherzer outduels Clayton Kershaw as Nationals top Dodgers in rare matchup of Cy Young Award winners By J.P. Hoornstra LOS ANGELES Somewhere between the latent winter clouds of Washington D.C. and the smog of Southern California, the Washington Nationals decided they were going to swing their bats against Clayton Kershaw on Friday. Trea Turner swung at Kershaw s first pitch and hit a double down the left-field line. Howie Kendrick swung at Kershaw s next pitch and hit a long fly to center, allowing Turner to tag up and reach third

13 base. Bryce Harper swung at the next pitch and singled through a helplessly shallow infield. Turner trotted home with the first run of the game. Three pitches into Kershaw s highly anticipated duel with Max Scherzer, the Nationals had turned him into Alexander Hamilton. The hits kept coming and the Dodgers ultimately lost 5-2 before an announced crowd of 50,211 at Dodger Stadium. We did the same thing to Max, Kershaw said. Max was just able to pitch out of it. Two (runs) is tough. Usually if you re lucky you can come back from two, but against a guy like Max it s going to be tough. I can get through seven (innings) and two (runs), but I had those tack-on runs late that I can t have. We had our opportunities, just like they did, but Max limited the damage tonight. Scherzer won this round against Kershaw, a reversal of fortunes from their last meeting in the 2016 National League Division Series. He allowed only one run over six dominant innings Friday, striking out nine. Other than Chris Taylor (triple, walk, double) no Dodger had Scherzer s number. The Dodgers touched Scherzer for four hits and three walks but went 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position. He was just throwing his normal stuff, Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger said of Scherzer. Everything is elite. Every pitch is elite and he can throw it in any count. That s what makes him so effective: you can t really expect a pitch because he can throw anything, whenever. Between flashes of brilliance, Kershaw allowed nine hits and four runs over seven innings. With every batter coming up hacking, Kershaw finished with just four strikeouts. The last time he pitched seven or more innings and struck out four or fewer batters? July of Still, Friday s performance might have been enough for Kershaw on another night. The Dodgers began the day riding a four-game winning streak in which they outscored opponents This time, Scherzer was simply too good. You look at the last four games, I thought we d been pretty good, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Scherzer s kind of a hard guy to gauge off of. Games between two such adulated pitchers are rare. It s been 12 years since the last time Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux faced off, and by then they were past their peak. Both three-time Cy Young winners, Scherzer and Kershaw finished 1-2 in last year s voting and have combined to win four of the past five NL awards. It was only game 18 of 162 for the Dodgers (and Game 20 for the Nationals), but Friday s matchup took on adding meaning. Roberts said that Scherzer and Kershaw are pretty much in a league by themselves. We understand this is April, the manager said prior to the game, but the intensity already in the clubhouse with Clayton pitching, and we know who we re playing, it s that kind of playoff mindset. It s an important baseball game.

14 For the Nationals, their reaction was to be aggressive from the outset of each at-bat. They scored another run in the first inning when Ryan Zimmerman doubled to center field, driving in Harper to put Kershaw in a 2-0 hole. Between Taylor s triple to lead off the game, and his double with one out in the fifth inning, Scherzer did not allow a hit. Turner laid down a perfectly placed safety squeeze in the fifth inning to scramble the Dodgers defense and knock in Michael Taylor from third base. Up 3-0, Washington tacked on in the sixth, using three singles to score another run. The Dodgers trailed once during their four-game winning streak; Friday they never led. The Dodgers finally broke through in the sixth inning. Joc Pederson drew a two-out walk against Scherzer. Chase Utley ended a seven-pitch at-bat with a single, sending Pederson to third base. Yasiel Puig fought off a two-strike fastball from Scherzer then pounced on a slider, hitting it sharply into left field to score Pederson with the Dodgers first run. By then, Scherzer had a comfortable cushion. He and Kershaw have split their three head-to-head meetings evenly: each pitcher is 1-1 with a no-decision from their first meeting back on Sept. 7, 2008, when the two pitchers were rookies. When you play a team that s as talented as they are, and you face one of the game s best pitchers, there is a little bit more at stake I think: your pride, individually competing against Scherzer, your pride as a ball club, Roberts said. Pedro Baez took over for Kershaw in the eighth inning. He allowed one single and walked three batters, including one with the bases loaded to force in a run. The Dodgers got their other run in the seventh inning against right-hander Matt Grace. Austin Barnes led off with a single, Taylor drew another walk, and a one-out single by Yasmani Grandal scored Barnes. Two more chances to beat the Nationals (10-10) await the Dodgers (8-10) this weekend. Their next shot at Scherzer will have to wait. ESPN Nats beat Dodgers 5-2 in uneven matchup of Scherzer, Kershaw LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers didn't make it easy on Max Scherzer. In the end, though, he was just better than Clayton Kershaw. Scherzer allowed one run over six innings in the 13th all-time meeting of three-time Cy Young Award winners and the Washington Nationals beat Los Angeles 5-2 on Friday night. Scherzer (4-1) scattered four hits, struck out nine and walked a season-high three in the first such matchup since "Their lineup is tough and they present a lot of problems," he said. "But you don't measure yourself against the worst, you measure yourself against the best."

15 Kershaw (1-3) gave up four runs and nine hits in seven innings while striking out a season-low four against no walks. The left-hander started the 2009 season with the same record. "Max limited the damage better than I did," Kershaw said. "Just not enough good pitches with runners in scoring position. When you're going against Max, it's going to be tough." Washington improved to 7-3 on the road and ended the Dodgers' four-game winning streak. "We kept getting guys on base, but we couldn't score," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. The Nationals wasted no time in getting to Kershaw. Trea Turner doubled on his first pitch -- a 91 mph fastball -- to open the game. After Howie Kendrick flied out, Bryce Harper banged an 87-mph, first-pitch slider into right field for an RBI single. He took second on Kershaw's wild pitch. Ryan Zimmerman followed with an RBI double to center for a 2-0 lead. "I was ready to hit the first pitch," Zimmerman said. "The deeper you go into at bats with him, the harder it gets." Kershaw retired 11 in a row after his messy start in front of 50,211 on an unseasonable 62-degree evening. Scherzer also gave up a hit to start the game, a triple by Chris Taylor. After hitting Corey Seager in the right leg, he retired the next three batters, striking out two. The Nats bailed out Scherzer in the third. After striking out Kershaw, he walked Taylor and hit Seager for the second time before the defense turned Yasmani Grandal's grounder into an inning-ending double play. "I felt like I was falling behind in the counts and just wasn't pitching quite as efficient as I would like to, and it led to three walks," Scherzer said. "(Matt) Wieters called some good pitches and the offense kept scrapping along. It made for a good team win." Sean Doolittle pitched the ninth for his fourth save. Washington added a run in the fifth on Michael A. Taylor's bunt single to Kershaw that beat the shift. Kershaw first looked helpless as he searched for someone to throw to and then annoyed when no one covered first. "Belli and I have to be on the same page," Kershaw said of first baseman Cody Bellinger. "Either I go to the base or he does. We can't do the same thing." Kershaw gave up three singles to center in the sixth. Taylor's RBI came with two outs and had Kershaw ducking to avoid being hit as the Nats extended their lead to 4-0. Washington made it 5-2 in the eighth after Pedro Baez gave up his third bases-loaded walk of the season to Wilmer Difo with two outs. Baez exited to boos. Yasiel Puig snapped the Dodgers' 0-for-6 string with runners in scoring position streak with a two-out, two-strike RBI single in the sixth that made it 4-1.

16 Los Angeles trailed 4-2 in the seventh on Grandal's single off Sammy Solis. The Dodgers had the potential tying runs on and go-ahead run at the plate when pinch-hitter Matt Kemp grounded into a fielder's choice to second that ended the threat. "That was a playoff atmosphere," Solis said. TRAINER'S ROOM Nationals: OF Adam Eaton (left ankle bone bruise) hit in the batting cage and ran and is close to returning.... 3B Anthony Rendon (day-to-day with toe injury) took ground balls and hit on the field. He is likely to play this weekend. Dodgers: INF Justin Turner (left wrist fracture) took ground balls and hit off a tee for the first time. He says his soreness is dissipating, although no date has been set for a rehab appearance.... INF Logan Forsythe (right shoulder inflammation) took swings in the cage, but still has fatigue in his shoulder.... LHP Rich Hill was supposed to start Friday, but is on the DL with a cracked nail on his middle left finger. STREAK SNAPPED Kershaw had his nine-game winning streak against the Nationals dating to 2010 snapped. However, he is 11-3 with a 2.18 ERA against them. So far this season, Kershaw has a 2.45 ERA with 35 strikeouts and three walks while holding hitters to a.228 average. HARPER ON BASE Harper went 1 for 4 with two runs and a walk. He's reached base safely in 17 of 20 games to open the season, with 20 runs, one double, eight homers and 19 RBI. TAYLOR RISING Taylor went 2 for 4 with a run while recording his third multi-hit game of the season. In his last six games, he's hitting.300 with six runs, three doubles and three RBI along with a.391 on-base percentage. "He's been trying to cut down on his stride a little bit and stay in the middle of the field, and it was good to see him hit a breaking ball," Martinez said. SIT DOWN CATCH Puig caught a sinking line drive off Harper's bat in the sixth while sitting down in right field. UP NEXT RHP Stephen Strasburg (2-1, 3.08 ERA) starts for the Nats against LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (2-0, 2.87) on Saturday. The Nats won both matchups against Ryu last season, 4-2 in LA and 7-1 in Washington. Ryu didn't factor in the road loss.

17 TRUE BLUE LA Drillers win 11-0 behind 17 hit attack By Craig Minami For a moment it looked like a perfect day for the four Dodger affiliates. But then a two-run homer in the 9th inning would end up beating Rancho Cucamonga. Prior to that game, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Great Lakes each won their games. Player of the day Loons designated hitter Nick Yarnall had four hits including his third home run. Two Drillers, Keibert Ruiz and Jacob Scavuzzo each had four hits. But I picked Yusniel Diaz for today s Player of the Day. Diaz was making his 2018 debut and he had great game with three hits and two walks. Diaz was the No. 11 prospect on the 2018 True Blue LA list. He joins a lineup with three True Blue LA Top 10 Dodger prospects Keibert Ruiz, DJ Peters and Will Smith. Triple-A Oklahoma City The Dodgers bounced back from their extra-inning loss and beat the Round Rock Express (Rangers) 2-1 on Thursday. The Dodgers got solid relief work from Pat Venditte, who threw two scoreless innings and Brian Schlitter, who recorded his second save. Trailing by a run and with one out, Travis Taijeron singled and went to second on a wild pitch. The recently returned Breyvic Valera singled home Taijeron. Tied 1-1, the Dodgers took the lead when Alex Verdugo hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Tim Locastro, who had tripled to lead off the sixth inning. Justus DeFratus made his first start for Oklahoma City after starting his season in Tulsa. DeFratus pitched 5⅔ innings and allowed one run and six hits. While he had no walks, DeFratus only had one strikeout. Double-A Tulsa The Drillers were refreshed after their off-day and went to Springdale, Arkansas to beat NW Arkansas Naturals (Royals) The Drillers had 17 hits, including home runs from Will Smith and Jacob Scavuzzo. Four players had multiple hit games, Keibert Ruiz and Scavuzzo each had four hits, Luke Raley and Yusniel Diaz had three hits. Diaz would also walk twice and score twice. In his first four games this season, DJ Peters had struck out eight times with no walks. Since April 12th, Peters has seven walks, including four on Thursday, while striking out seven times. Four pitchers combined to pitch the shutout, Frank Duncan started and went 3⅔ innings. Duncan was followed by Shea Spitzbarth and Michael Johnson each pitched 2⅓ scoreless innings. Corey Copping recorded to the final two outs to ensure the shutout. Class-A Rancho Cucamonga

18 The Quakes returned home trying to go over.500 for the first time this season. They took a one-run lead to the ninth inning but then Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) came back with two runs to win 5-4. Stetson Allie entered the game looking for his first career save but he gave up a single to Brad Zunica. Luis Torrens, who had six career home runs in over 600 minor league at-bats, hit a two-run homer to give the Storm the lead. Prior to the ninth inning, Isaac Anderson and Andrew Istler combined to pitch six innings and give up two runs. Jason Richman pitched a scoreless seventh but allowed one run in the eighth that set up the Storm s comeback win. As for the Quakes offense, Cristian Santana had two hits and an RBI, Donovan Casey scored two runs and Gavin Lux had a key two-run double that gave the lead to the Quakes. Class-A Great Lakes The Loons had lost six straight games while also having an entire weekend series at home postponed due to weather. So on Thursday, they hopefully turned the corner with a 10-2 win over the Fort Wayne TinCaps (Padres). Nick Yarnall, who has played well despite the off-days and bad weather, went 4-for-5 with a home run and four RBI. Yarnall was a 35th round pick in 2016 and he is making his second stop at Great Lakes. Moises Perez also had four hits including a double. Jesus Vargas is an intriguing pitcher, the nineteen year old has been in the Dodger organization since Last season, in stops at both Dodger Rookie League teams, Vargas pitched 62⅔ innings with 52 strikeouts and nine walks. On Thursday, Vargas got his first Midwest League win when he pitched five scoreless innings with no runs or hits. Vargas struck out five and walked three. Transactions Triple-A: Right-handed pitchers Justin DeFratus and Daniel Corcino assigned to Oklahoma City from Tulsa Double-A: Outfielder Yusniel Diaz assigned to Tulsa from Extended Spring Training. Class-A: Right-handed pitcher Alfredo Tavarez assigned to Great Lakes from Ogden. Thursday s scores Oklahoma City 2, Round Rock 1 Tulsa 11, NW Arkansas 0 Lake Elsinore 5, Rancho Cucamonga 4 Great Lakes 10, Fort Wayne 2 Friday s schedule 3:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (TBD) vs. West Michigan [Tigers] (Matt Manning)

19 5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (TBD) at Round Rock (TBD) 5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Devin Smeltzer) at NW Arkansas (Emilio Ogando) 7:05 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Dean Kremer) vs. Lake Elsinore (Pedro Avila) Dodgers notes: Justin Turner, Rich Hill, Logan Forsythe By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES Before the Dodgers started their weekend series against the Nationals a trio of three players on the disabled list threw a baseball in various stages of their rehab. Justin Turner played light catch in the infield and threw long toss in the outfield on Friday but used a partner to catch the ball, to protect his broken left wrist. That partner was Logan Forsythe, who didn t throw while still dealing with inflammation in his right shoulder. Both Turner and Forsythe took dry swings on Friday, going through the motions without actually hitting the ball. Turner also for the first time hit off a tee. There is still no timetable for Turner s return. Starting lineups Pos Nationals Pos Dodgers SS Turner CF Taylor 2B Kendrick SS Seager (L) RF Harper (L) C Grandal (S) 1B Zimmerman 1B Bellinger (L) LF Sierra LF Pederson (L) C Wieters (S) 2B Utley (L) CF Taylor RF Puig 3B Difo (S) 3B Muncy (L) P Scherzer P Kershaw (L) Time: 7:10 p.m. PT TV: SportsNet LA Forsythe will be eligible to return as early as Wednesday though it s unclear exactly when he will be activated. I don t think the pain is there but there s still some fatigue, manager Dave Roberts said. Rich Hill threw as well on Friday, testing his cracked fingernail, and remains likely to just miss one start. I could start today, Hill told Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.

20 Hill s return is also eligible Wednesday, but with Thursday s off day he could wait to be activated for next weekend s series in San Francisco. Roberts on Friday wouldn t commit to his rotation beyond this weekend. When asked who the candidates were for Monday s start, he said, I don t want to go there yet. Brock Stewart and Walker Buehler remain the most likely choices for Monday s opener against the Marlins. The Dodgers are stacking left-handers against Max Scherzer, with Max Muncy getting a second straight start at third base plus Chase Utley at second base and Joc Pederson in left field. Matt Kemp gets the night off, at least to start. He has the most career plate appearances against Scherzer among Dodgers, but is just 6-for-46 with two doubles, a home run, three walks and 14 strikeouts (.130/.184/.239). He started 0-for-22 against Scherzer before getting his first single against him in Bryce Harper is just 2-for-23 (.087) with a home run, a double, two walks and 14 strikeouts against Clayton Kershaw in his career. Harper this season is hitting.288/.471/.712, leading the majors in home runs (eight) and walks (24) and leading the National League in RBI (18). Of Friday night s pitching matchup, Roberts said of Kershaw and Scherzer, They re two of the best competitors in the game. The stuff, the execution, they are in a league pretty much by themselves. Washington move The Nationals before the series opener made a roster move, calling up relief pitcher Carlos Torres for their bullpen and designating pitcher A.J. Cole for assignment. Max Scherzer, Nationals get the better of Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES If Friday night s game was a heavyweight bout, the Nationals got their jabs in all night against Clayton Kershaw while the Dodgers were unable to put together many combinations in a 5-2 loss to Max Scherzer in the opener of a weekend series at Dodger Stadium. Three pitches into the game Washington swung three times against Kershaw and were rewarded with a run thanks to a double by Trea Turner and a single by Bryce Harper. The next batter, Ryan Zimmerman, was more patient waiting until the fifth pitch to hit a booming double of his own for a quick 2-0 lead. That was their game plan, manager Dave Roberts said. Knowing that Clayton was a strike-thrower, kind of get him before he gets you mentality. Before Friday batters were 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position against Kershaw, and that hit didn t even score a run. In the first inning on Friday the Nationals got two such hits. Washington was 5-for-11 on Friday with runners in scoring position against Kershaw, and tacked on runs in the fifth and sixth against him.

21 Max limited the damage better than I did tonight, Kershaw said. There were just not enough good pitches with runners in scoring position to get out of jams. When you re going against Max it s going to be tough. Against Scherzer, Chris Taylor messed around and got a triple, double (and a walk) but it was anything but a good day for the Dodgers offense. Taylor was stranded after his triple to lead off the first inning, like the Nats also hit on the first pitch. The Dodgers have hit three triples this season, and both of the leadoff triples resulted in no runs. The Dodgers put runners in scoring position in five of the first six innings against Scherzer but were just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position against him. An RBI single by Yasiel Puig in the sixth inning finally got the Dodgers on the scoreboard. All that traffic on the bases taxed Scherzer to the tune of 106 pitches, enough to limit him to six innings. He did strike out nine, which helped limit the damage. Every pitch is elite, and he can throw it in any count, Cody Bellinger said. That s what makes him so hard to hit. The rope-a-dope strategy briefly paid off for the Dodgers, who used two singles and a walk to score a run in the sixth then did the same against the bullpen in the seventh. Our offense did a good job of getting the pitch count up, getting Scherzer out of there in six innings, Roberts said. But there were some opportunities we had that we just couldn t capitalize on. However, Pedro Baez slowed the Dodgers comeback climb to a crawl with a three-walk eighth inning, including walking home another insurance run for Washington. Notes Friday was Kershaw s first loss to the Nationals since Aug. 6, He was 10-0 with a 1.68 ERA in his previous 11 starts against them, including the playoffs. Corey Seager was hit twice by Scherzer. Seager is the first Dodger to get hit by two pitches in one game since no surprise Justin Turner on Apr. 15, Bellinger played the final two defensive innings in left field, his first action in the outfield this season. He played 366 defensive innings in the outfield in his rookie season, including 29 starts. Dodgers pitchers have six bases-loaded walks this season, one shy of Atlanta s major league lead. Baez has three of them. Up next Hyun-jin Ryu takes the mound in the middle game of the series on Saturday night, a 6:10 p.m. PT start. Stephen Strasburg starts for the Nationals. Saturday s SportsNet LA broadcast will be simulcast by KTLA and also shown on MLB Network, the latter subject to local blackouts. Schedule change: The Dodgers series finale on Sunday, Apr. 29 against the Giants in San Francisco has been changed from a 1:05 p.m. start to a 2:05 p.m. game time.

22 Friday particulars Home runs: none WP - Max Scherzer (4-1): 6 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts LP - Clayton Kershaw (1-3): 7 IP, 9 hits, 4 runs, 4 strikeouts Sv - Sean Doolittle (4): 1 IP, 1 strikeout Tim Locastro scores twice in OKC 6-3 win By Craig Minami Oklahoma City has won 11 out of their last 12 games and Rancho Cucamonga eighth-inning comeback brings them back to.500. Tulsa s offense has an off-day while Great Lakes drops their game in the late innings. Player of the day Tim Locastro scored twice and got on base three times in five plate appearances in Oklahoma City s win. Locastro has scored 18 runs that is tied for first place in the PCL. He is hitting.391/.481/.609 in 52 plate appearances. Triple-A Oklahoma City The Dodgers scored twice in the seventh inning to break a 3-3 tie and went on to beat the Round Rock Express (Rangers) 6-3 to take three out of four games in their series. The win raised the Dodgers record to 12-2 which is a franchise best start since joining the Pacific Coast League. The two-run rally started when Jake Peter was hit by pitch. Breyvic Valera singled Peter to third and then Valera went to second on a wild pitch. A sacrifice fly scored Peter and later a wild pitch brought home Valera. The Dodgers scored once more in the eighth on three singles from Rob Segedin, Peter and Valera. Six pitchers took the mound for the Dodgers, two highlights include Daniel Hudson s fifth scoreless appearance and Brian Schlitter recorded his third save in four tries. Double-A Tulsa The Drillers lost 4-1 to the NW Arkansas Naturals (Royals) and split their two-game set in Arkansas. Both teams will now travel to 100 plus miles back to Tulsa for a two-game series. Karch Kowalcyzk took the loss after giving up three runs (one earned) in two innings pitched. Brian Moran pitched well with three scoreless innings in relief. The Drillers had a quiet day at the plate, DJ Peters was walked twice and Yusniel Diaz went 2-for-4. Jacob Scavuzzo hit his second home run of the season. Class-A Rancho Cucamonga