Daily Clips August 7, 2016

Transcription

1 Daily Clips August 7, 2016

2 LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2016 OC REGISTER: Whicker: Rookie Ross Stripling survives his battle with the potent Red Sox lineup and wonders what's next- Mark Whicker Spot starter Ross Stripling handcuffs Red Sox in 3-0 Dodgers win- Robert Morales New blister prevents Rich Hill from making Dodgers debut on Sunday- Robert Morales On deck: Red Sox at Dodgers, Sunday, 4 p.m.- Staff DODGERS.COM: Stripling steps up, Dodgers shut out Red Sox- Jack Baer and Quinn Roberts Hill's Dodgers debut delayed by blister- Jack Baer Adrian meets up with old team, gets 3 hits vs. lefty- Jack Baer LA asks McCarthy to eat up innings, outduel Price- Quinn Roberts Mieses among top prospect performers Saturday- Mike Rasenbaum LA TIMES: Newly acquired pitcher Rich Hill won't make his first scheduled start with Dodgers- Mike DiGiovanna Ross Stripling and Dodgers shut down the Red Sox, 3-0- Mike DiGiovanna DODGER INSIDER: Stripling passes big test in Dodgers shutout of Sox- Jon Weisman Boston gift commemorates Scully s big break- Jon Weisman Dodger pitching continues to play numbers game- Jon Weisman TRUEBLUELA.COM: Jordan Sheffield tosses two perfect frames for Loons- Brandon Lennox Grant Dayton and Ross Stripling continue to impress- Craig Minami Dodgers turn the tables to blank Red Sox- Eric Stephen Rich Hill's Dodger debut pushed back due to a new blister- Craig Minami ESPN LA: Newly promoted Stripling, Dodgers bullpen blank Red Sox- Associated Press Dodgers' Bud Norris goes on DL; Ross Stripling wins after call-up- ESPN NBC LA: Rookies Lead Dodgers over Red Sox, 3-0- Michael Duarte

3 LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2016 OC REGISTER Whicker: Rookie Ross Stripling survives his battle with the potent Red Sox lineup and wonders what's next By Mark Whicker LOS ANGELES It was almost like walking into a Yellowstone meadow and confronting a bison. With the crowd standing on behalf of the bison. He s a monster, Ross Stripling said of his first-inning encounter with David Ortiz on Saturday. He takes up the whole box. It was awesome, all the people cheering, but I couldn t cherish it. I was out there trying to get him out. Stripling is the rookie right-hander who has survived several false starts to join the Dodgers final laps of Ortiz, of course, is barreling into retirement like hardly any other baseball player ever has. The Dodgers had lost, 9-0, on Friday. Now, the first two Red Sox got singles in a four-pitch span. Stripling had survived a seven-pitch round with future batting champion Xander Bogaerts and struck him out. Now Ortiz fired a hard shot between second and first. I wasn t sure where everybody was, Stripling said, speaking of the defense. Howie Kendrick, the second baseman, was in the alley, aligned in one of the constant shifts that Ortiz sees, the ones that make his.319 batting average and all those other numbers glow even more. Kendrick somehow made the play and threw Ortiz out. Then Stripling fell behind Jackie Bradley Jr., decided to keep pitching around him, walked him, got an 0-2 count on.374-hitting catcher Sandy Leon, fell back to 3-and-2 and looked at A.J. Ellis for help. Ellis signaled changeup. Striping threw one at 84 mph. Leon struck out. Stripling got through the inning with 25 pitches but no runs, and the Dodgers went on to win, 3-0. It was only the fourth time Boston has been shut out and only the second time since April. They got back to the dugout and Ellis told Stripling, Great work, that s big time. Later, in the clubhouse, Ellis said, A lot of times people look at the eighth or ninth inning, but the first inning was the biggest one today. We re getting to the point where all these details matter. San Francisco somehow had its identity stolen during the All-Star break, along with its bat rack. The Dodgers, who were supposed to be lost at sea when Clayton Kershaw got hurt, are since Kershaw last pitched (June 26). That has brought them within two games of the Giants.

4 The Dodgers now have two paths to the playoffs and would prefer the one that doesn t match them against, say, Miami s Jose Fernandez in a one-shot wild-card situation. Stripling got through five innings. Grant Dayton, a 28-year-old pitching his first game in Dodger Stadium, blew away the Red Sox to set up Joe Blanton and Kenley Jansen. In this year of pitching dangerously, new lefty Rich Hill still has enough blister worries to get Sunday s start postponed. So everything counts. That changeup to Leon was the biggest pitch, Stripling said. He s locked in, he wasn t chasing. So I just gripped it and ripped it and fooled him a little bit. The Bogaerts at-bat was a heck of a battle, too. He fouled off everything. The curve finally made him chase. And then Bradley took a tough 3-and-1 cutter, didn t swing, took the walk. It was a long first inning. My back was against the wall from the beginning. Stripling hadn t started for the Dodgers since May 19. He came up from Oklahoma City only when Bud Norris got hurt. He had a 4.85 ERA as a Dodgers starter and the numbers showed he turned into a pumpkin after 75 pitches. I m trying to show that s not really a thing, he said, smiling. He was in the process of throwing a no-hitter in his major league debut when he was lifted after his 100th pitch. He also spent some idle time at Camelback Ranch with what was called lower body fatigue. He is a Tommy John survivor and a former Texas A&M teammate of the Cardinals Michael Wacha. Stability would be a new and foreign thing, but he s looking forward to it. Being in the rotation and the bullpen has kept me on my toes, Stripling said. You help in any way you can. Meanwhile, Corey Seager slammed an RBI double and made the art of shortstop play look as simple as vacuuming, and Adrian Gonzalez beat the Boston shift with the first of his three hits and brought in the third run with his third. Stripling would like to stick around to see where this goes, but he knows he is allergic to plan. On Saturday it was enough to survive the monster in the box. Spot starter Ross Stripling handcuffs Red Sox in 3-0 Dodgers win By Robert Morales LOS ANGELES When Bud Norris was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday, that meant Ross Stripling would get another chance to help the Dodgers. Stripling, up and down from the minors to the majors this season, threw five shutout innings as the Dodgers rebounded from a Friday drubbing to defeat the Boston Red Sox, 3-0, in front of 47,696 at Dodger Stadium.

5 Stripling (3-3), called up from Oklahoma City to make the start, gave up four hits. He walked one and struck out four to earn the victory. Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth for his 33rd save. The Dodgers (61-49), who were trounced, 9-0, by Boston on Friday, are leading the National League wild-card race. They remain two games behind the NL West-leading Giants, who beat Washington, 7-1, Saturday. There was much more for Dodgers fans to celebrate on this day. Rookie southpaw Grant Dayton made his second relief appearance for the Dodgers after being recalled from OKC for the second time. He was brilliant, throwing two hitless innings while striking out four and walking one. He has now thrown four scoreless innings for the Dodgers. Then there was rookie shortstop Corey Seager. His RBI double in the fifth inning off lefty Eduardo Rodriguez gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. It was Seager s 31st double of the season, setting an L.A. Dodgers record for rookies. Eric Karros had 30 in Yeah, that's cool, the left-handed hitting Seager said. With the long history of the Dodgers, it s just cool to be in the record books no matter how it is. It s exciting, for sure. Suffice to say, Dayton was rather excited afterward. He made his major league debut for the Dodgers on July 22 at St. Louis. This was his first work at Dodger Stadium. It was exciting, he said. I didn't know what to expect. But, you know, when it comes down to it, it s still baseball. The fans are awesome, they were cheering me on. I had a good time. With one out in the sixth, Dayton faced David Ortiz. No problem, as he struck out the Red Sox slugger. Yeah, I was trying not to think about it, Dayton said, smiling. Obviously, he s a legend and I ve still gotta do my job, so I just wanted to execute pitches and trust (catcher) A.J. (Ellis). Manager Dave Roberts trusted Dayton enough to let him bat for himself in the bottom of the inning so he could stay in and pitch the seventh. Grant s been great, Roberts said. And the way he carries himself on a big league mound for such little service is rare. And, obviously, the fastball plays. He threw it for strikes and he doesn t scare off. So we put him in a big spot in St. Louis, here, and he s really shown well. Ellis got the scoring started for the Dodgers in the second inning with an RBI double. Adrian Gonzalez followed Seager s run-scoring double with an RBI single for the game s final run in the fifth. Joe Blanton pitched the eighth for the Dodgers, who out-hit the Red Sox, One of those Dodgers hits came from recently acquired outfielder Josh Reddick. He began the day 0-for- 12 for the Dodgers. He lined out hard to center in his first at bat, struck out and then lined out to Ortiz at first. At that point, he bent over at the waist in dismay.

6 Undaunted, Reddick singled in the eighth, then raising his arms toward his dugout. Yeah, I know the whole team, the dugout, was just... once I finally got it, they were going to give me some good times and give me a smile over there," he said. So to get it out of the way now is a relief, but I would have liked to have had it a little earlier. New blister prevents Rich Hill from making Dodgers debut on Sunday By Robert Morales LOS ANGELES Longtime left-handed reliever Rich Hill figured it would be difficult to find a major league team that would throw him into its rotation when he went looking for work in He was a starter for the first five years of his career. So Hill signed with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League a year ago July. That began a journey that landed him back in the major leagues. I don't think they (major league teams) would give me the opportunity to (start) at that time until I went out and proved myself again, and I did that in independent ball, said Hill, who was recently acquired by the Dodgers in a trade. Hill has been on the disabled list since the third week of July because of a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand. It was thought that he might start Sunday against the Red Sox, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Saturday s 3-0 victory over Boston that Brandon McCarthy will start because Hill had a small, yet different, blister appear on the same finger when he was playing catch Friday. There was a little remnant of a new-formed blister a different part of the finger but I think that with his recent history, we want to be cautious and push his start date back, Roberts said. So McCarthy will go on regular rest and Rich will be day to day. Before Roberts made that announcement, Hill said he might start, but that he didn t know for certain. Roberts didn t seem concerned. After performing well at Long Island, Hill was signed by Boston in August 2015, went to its Triple-A Pawtucket team, was called up to the parent club, and went 2-1 with an ERA of 1.55 in four starts. Hill signed with Oakland in the offseason and was 9-3 with an ERA of 2.25 before coming to the Dodgers. Hill, who has undergone both shoulder and Tommy John surgery during his 12-year career, was asked if he has a sense of pride for not only getting back to the big leagues, but doing it with success. He said that s not the case. It s more that he was astute enough to learn several things along the way that have been solid contributors to his return to the majors stay within himself, stay in the moment and keep his nose to the grindstone.

7 I don t really think it s a pride thing, he said. It s more of a conscientious decision when you re in that moment and staying in that moment. He s not kidding. I enjoy it in the moment, I enjoy it during that pitch, when you execute a pitch, Hill said. That s the kind of feeling that you want and then you do it again and you do it again and you do it again. The more often you can have the ball come out of your hand the way you want to, the more success you re going to have. THOMPSON TARGETING SEPT. 1 Outfielder Trayce Thompson (back) was expected to go on a rehab assignment soon, but Roberts said Friday that he doesn't expect to see Thompson until perhaps Sept. 1. Roberts said Saturday that Thompson did not re-aggravate his back injury. Rather, he just wasn t responding well to treatment. So we did a little bit more imaging and I don t know the exact diagnosis, but there was stuff prior that we wanted to kind of calm down, Roberts said. So with the back, we took a step back on his rehab. I think now it s limited, if any, baseball activity. But we re just trying to stabilize his core and back. ALSO RHP Bud Norris went on the disabled list because of a Grade 1 back strain. We don t have a date as to when he ll return, Roberts said. The Dodgers recalled RHP Ross Stripling, who made Saturday s start.... LHP Brett Anderson (back), on the 60-day disabled list, is expected to make his next rehab assignment Monday with Triple-A Oklahoma City. Brett just threw a pen today and really looked good, Roberts said. On deck: Red Sox at Dodgers, Sunday, 4 p.m. By Staff Where: Dodger Stadium TV: SNLA, 4 p.m. Did you know? In his last two starts, Boston s David Price pitched eight shutout innings against the Angels and held the Mariners scoreless through seven but didn t get a win in either game. THE PITCHERS DODGERS RHP BRANDON McCARTHY (2-2, 2.76) Vs. Red Sox: 3-4, 4.75 At Dodger Stadium: 4-1, 4.23 Hates to face: Hanley Ramirez, 3 for 4 (.750), 2B, RBI Loves to face: Pablo Sandoval 3 for 12 (.250), 2 Ks RED SOX LHP DAVID PRICE (9-7, 4.30)

8 Vs. Dodgers: 0-0, 0.00 (7 innings) At Dodger Stadium: 0-0, 0.00 (7 innings) Hates to face: Chase Utley, 2 for 3 (.667), 2B, HR, 4 RBI Loves to face: Adrian Gonzalez, 3 for 21 (.143), 6 Ks Stripling steps up, Dodgers shut out Red Sox By Jack Baer and Quinn Roberts DODGERS.COM LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers' rotation has been reeling from injuries for weeks if not months, but it found at least one peaceful day Saturday, as spot starter Ross Stripling put together five shutout innings against baseball's top offense to lead the Dodgers to a 3-0 win over the Red Sox. Stripling -- called up to replace Bud Norris (back), who had been acquired to replace Clayton Kershaw (back) -- allowed four hits in his first start since May 19. Since then, the Dodgers had been trying to limit his innings due to his Tommy John surgery in That limit, along with his OPS allowed in his third time through the lineup, led to an early hook. Despite the starter sitting at just 75 pitches through five innings, manager Dave Roberts opted to pinch-hit Chris Taylor in the bottom of the fifth. "Can't say enough about Ross and the effort he gave us today," Roberts said. "We put him in some tough spots that we've talked about, but he's always risen to the occasion and gave us a huge lift today that we needed." Three relievers combined to allow just one hit over the final four scoreless frames, with Kenley Jansen earning his 33rd save. Stripling wasn't the only rookie to contribute to the shutout, as Grant Dayton also pitched two scoreless innings with four strikeouts. "The way [Dayton] carries himself on a big league mound with such little service is rare," Roberts said. "The fastball plays, he throws strikes, and he doesn't scare off." Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez, struggled in his shortest start since being recalled on July 15. The southpaw allowed eight hits and three runs in 4 1/3 innings, with three of those hits coming from a player the Red Sox know quite well, former Boston first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. The Sox bullpen limited the damage from there, but it was a moot point with the lineup unable to score or even collect an extra-base hit. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Boss Stripling: Stripling started his day on a discouraging note, allowing hits to Mookie Betts and Brock Holt and having to face the heart of the Red Sox lineup with no outs, but he more than got it together. Stripling struck out Xander Bogaerts, induced a groundout from David Ortiz, then threw out Sandy Leon on a weak comebacker after walking Jackie Bradley Jr. Stripling allowed just two more baserunners for the rest of his start.

9 "You don't want to give them any opportunities," Stripling said. "After you start getting a few guys out, things start falling in line for you. Pitching out of the windup is nice, able to get in a rhythm. Before you know it, five innings are behind you and the team gets a win." E-Rod struggles: Rodriguez found himself in trouble throughout the day, allowing the leadoff batters to reach in three of his five innings. It was the fifth that proved to be the left-hander's undoing, as he allowed a single, a walk and then an RBI double to Corey Seager to begin the frame. Gonzalez followed that up with a one-out RBI single to chase Rodriguez. "He obviously fell behind in that fifth inning, and they were able to bunch some hits together," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "On a day when three runs seems like a large margin, it holds up." Reddick's first hit: The frustration seemed to be getting to Josh Reddick, who was still hitless as a Dodger entering Saturday's game. After a 98-mph line drive found its way into the glove of Ortiz during the fifth inning, the outfielder put his hands on his knees and stared at the ground for several seconds. Reddick found relief in the eighth inning, though, with a line drive that barely beat out a diving Holt and landed safely in the outfield. "Would have liked to have it a little bit earlier, got it out of the way now," Reddick said of the single that broke an 0-for-15 start to his Dodgers tenure. "The positive thing is I've been swinging at great pitches and I've been hitting the ball well. Could be worse; I could be striking out twice, three times a game, but that's not the case. I think that's the one thing that kept me sane." Papi pulls two in: Ortiz showed that he can still flash the leather at first base. At the position for the first time since last August, Boston's typical designated hitter nabbed two line drives to his right during the game. Howie Kendrick led off with a shot at Ortiz, before the first baseman gobbled up a ball hit by Reddick with runners on the corners and two outs in the fifth inning. "He made two very outstanding plays," Farrell said. "It is somewhat ironic that he hasn't been on the field in almost a year, and the first ball that is put in play is a snare of a line drive on his part." More > SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS With his RBI double in the fifth inning, Seager set the Dodgers' rookie record for doubles in a season with 31. The previous record holder, Erik Karros, was at Dodger Stadium to see the feat as a broadcaster for FS1. WHAT'S NEXT Red Sox: Left-hander David Price will make his third start on the Red Sox's road trip in Sunday's 7:05 p.m. ET series finale. He cruised through seven innings on Tuesday against the Mariners, but allowed four straight hits to begin the eighth. All four batters wound up scoring and Price finished the day allowing four runs on seven hits for the no-decision. Dodgers: Rich Hill was initially scheduled to start Sunday for the Dodgers, but a new blister for the southpaw means Brandon McCarthy will instead take the mound in the 4:05 p.m. PT finale vs. the Red Sox. McCarthy has lasted a total of seven innings in his last two starts, but he has still had strong numbers since returning from Tommy John surgery.

10 Hill's Dodgers debut delayed by blister By Jack Baer LOS ANGELES -- A new blister for the recently acquired Rich Hill will push the southpaw's return date back and leave the Dodgers to shuffle their rotation yet again. While playing catch on Friday, Hill felt a "little remnant of a new formed blister," according to manager Dave Roberts, prompting the team to push his Dodgers debut back from Sunday in a precautionary move. After being acquired last Monday as the headliner of a five-player deal with the Athletics, Hill was placed on the DL with a bad blister, but he had passed all tests by Friday and was considered ready to go for Sunday. The new blister leaves him day to day, but the Dodgers' new rotation schedule makes a return before Friday unlikely. Brandon McCarthy, whose start was moved to Monday so Hill could throw on Sunday, will instead go ahead on Sunday on regular rest. Monday's starter will be determined following this weekend's games, while Kenta Maeda and Scott Kazmir are in line to pitch Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Roberts. The Dodgers were already feeling enough heat recently from injuries in their rotation, having placed Bud Norris on the 15-day DL on Saturday with a Grade 1 back strain. There's no timetable set for Norris' return. L.A. officially called up Ross Stripling to take Norris' place in a spot start Saturday, Stripling's first start since May 19. Since then, he's been shut down in Arizona, pitching for Triple-A Oklahoma City, or working out of the Dodgers' bullpen. "Ross has given us a lot of value in his versatility," Roberts said. "I think you always want a soft landing for any young pitcher, a routine or whatever you want to call it. In this situation, he's really grown because he's had to be flexible." Some relief could soon come in the form of Brett Anderson (back surgery), who will make his third and possible final rehab start on Monday with Triple-A Oklahoma City. The southpaw was at Dodger Stadium on Saturday to throw a bullpen session, which Roberts said "really looked good." Anderson will throw around five innings or 75 pitches Monday, then the team will make a decision on whether to activate him or have him throw another rehab start. "With the starting pitching and where we're at, it'll be nice to get Brett back," Roberts said. More injury news Trayce Thompson (back) had his return moved back to September, but it wasn't due to an aggravation or reinjury of his back. Even though the outfielder was expected to start a rehab assignment this week, his progress had recently slowed enough to prompt the Dodgers to reexamine his back. "He was doing the baseball activity and really wasn't responding," Roberts said. "Symptomatically, didn't feel great. So we did a little more imaging and I don't know the exact diagnosis, but there was some stuff prior that we wanted to calm down."

11 The Dodgers are currently trying to stabilize the outfielder's back and core, with any baseball activity being severely limited. Adam Liberatore (left elbow inflammation) will throw in the next couple of days, and Roberts sees no reason why the reliever won't be back on his first day of eligibility on Aug. 13. Liberatore is not expected to need a rehab assignment. Casey Fien (right elbow tendinitis) will go to the team's facility in Arizona on Monday to start his rehab. Adrian meets up with old team, gets 3 hits vs. lefty By Jack Baer LOS ANGELES -- The blockbuster nine-player trade between the Dodgers and Red Sox went down more than four years ago, but the one player left from the trade on either team still made his presence felt in L.A.'s 3-0 win over Boston on Saturday. Adrian Gonzalez put together a three-hit day, with all three singles coming against Red Sox starter Eduardo Rodriguez. The hits didn't come hard, with Statcast exit velocities of 78, 91, and 61 mph, but they ended up in a good enough spot to play a part in two of the Dodgers' three runs. "We went into the game knowing he was going to attack with his fastball," Gonzalez said of Rodriguez. "Secondary pitches aren't his go-to stuff. He definitely wants to put you away with the fastball, so we were ready for fastballs. Not get big because his fastball plays harder than the number says. Stay short, stay up the middle, and try to be ready for fastballs." Adrián Big win today, let's win the series tomorrow. #DodgersWin #WeLoveLA Gonzalez is the only player involved in the 2012 trade that is still with either organization. On the Dodgers' side, Carl Crawford was designated for assignment earlier this season, while Josh Beckett retired following the '14 campaign. The other piece acquired, Nick Punto, left for Oakland in free agency after '13. Gonzalez is 5-for-14 with a double and a homer in five games against Boston since the trade. While his time with the Red Sox ended abruptly, Gonzalez still had good things to say about the organization. "I still got some really good friends, Papi [David Ortiz] and [Dustin] Pedroia," Gonzalez said. "Stay in touch with them a lot, and I know [president of baseball operations Dave] Dombrowski's there now, so he's been a big part of my career. It's definitely great to see them continue to have success. I always root for them when I'm watching from this side of baseball." Dombrowski was general manager of the Marlins when they selected Gonzalez with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2000 Draft. While Gonzalez's numbers have held steady over the past month, he is hitting just.245/.308/.327 in 107 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers this season. The first baseman might be as close to an everyday player that the matchup-happy Dodgers have, but manager Dave Roberts still faced questions about starting him against Rodriguez before Saturday's game. The subsequent performance vindicated the manager.

12 "I think that he's got that skill, sometimes maybe a little too much trying to beat the shift, but I think Adrian's still fine," Roberts said. "He's a veteran player who's performed consistently. So, left on left, three hits. He's very intelligent." LA asks McCarthy to eat up innings, outduel Price By Quinn Roberts The Red Sox finish a grueling 11-game West Coast road trip on Sunday against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Left-hander David Price gets the nod for the Red Sox, while Brandon McCarthy takes the hill for the Dodgers in an MLB Plus game on MLB.TV and MLB Network. Price will make his third start on the road trip. In his previous outing on Tuesday in Seattle, the lefthander allowed four runs on seven hits in seven innings for the no-decision. Price dominated on July 28 in Anaheim, allowing seven hits in eight innings, but took the no-decision in a 2-1 loss. "The West Coast trip has been very good for him. You can point to the consistency of his curveball as a big reason why," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "He has 15 innings pitched and four runs allowed and you'd think that he's 2-0, but he's pitched in tight situations." Recently acquired left-hander Rich Hill was supposed to make his Dodgers debut on Sunday, but a "little remnant of a new formed blister" prompted the team to start McCarthy. The right-hander, whose start was initially moved to Monday so Hill could throw on Sunday, will pitch on regular rest. In six starts with the Dodgers this season, McCarthy is 2-2 with a 2.76 ERA. He allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits in just three innings on Tuesday against the Rockies, but took a loss. McCarthy lasted only four innings in his start before that. Three things to know about this game Farrell left open the possibility that recently signed catcher Bryan Holaday could catch Price on Sunday. Holaday and Price were teammates with the Tigers. Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia is expected to be back in the lineup for Sunday's series finale after sitting out Saturday's game. He left Friday's game in the fourth inning with a left shin contusion. Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is one home run away from 300 for his career. Mieses among top prospect performers Saturday By Mike Rasenbaum Few hitters have the ability to impact a game at the plate like Matt Chapman. The A's No. 4 prospect was the driving force behind Double-A Midland's 7-2 victory over Corpus Christi on Saturday night as he went 3-for-4 and matched his career highs by hitting two home runs and tallying six RBIs.

13 Chapman connected on a three-run homer to center field in the bottom of the first before adding a solo shot to his pull side in his second trip to the plate in the third inning. After grounding out in his third atbat, Chapman tacked on two more RBIs with a two-out triple in the seventh inning. The two-homer performance increased Chapman's Texas League-best total to 26 through 110 games, and he's now pacing the circuit with 75 RBIs. The 23-year-old third baseman has been red-hot since the calendar flipped to August, hitting a robust.423/.464/.885 with seven extra-base hits and seven RBIs over his last six games. All together, Chapman has posted a.243/.333/.507 slash line for the RockHounds, though he does sit atop the Texas League leaderboard with 139 strikeouts. The rest of the best performances from top prospects Saturday No. 9 overall prospect Alex Reyes (Cardinals' No. 1) got back on track with six innings of one-run ball for Triple-A Memphis against Omaha. The 21-year-old righty scattered six hits and walked two in the outing, with 67 of his 105 pitches going for strikes. He also struck out eight, giving him 93 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings for the season. No. 14 overall prospect Joey Gallo belted his 21st home run -- a solo shot off of No. 41 overall prospect Jose De Leon -- as Triple-A Round Rock edged Oklahoma City in 15 innings, 5-4. The Rangers' No. 1 prospect has five homers and 12 RBIs in his last 10 games. It was a memorable day for No. 22 overall prospect Clint Frazier, who hit his first Triple-A homer and first as a member of the Yankees to help power Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre past Syracuse, 4-2. After striking out in his first two at-bats against No. 4 overall prospect Lucas Giolito, Frazier, the Yankees' No. 1 prospect, got the best of the right-hander when he connected on a solo shot in the fourth inning. Overall, the 21-year-old outfielder is hitting.267/.342/.455 with 14 homers through 99 games. No. 53 overall prospect Nick Senzel (Reds' No. 1) went 3-for-4 and hit a home run for a second straight game for Class A Dayton. The 2016 No. 2 overall Draft pick has been an offensive force since arriving in the Midwest League, hitting.333/.443/.579 with five home runs, 20 RBIs and 12 steals in 33 games. "He's been outstanding since he got here," Dragons hitting coach Luis Bolivar told MiLB.com. "He has a good work ethic. He keeps his routine down. He looks very, very mature when he's at the plate, taking good pitches. He's not rushing. The game isn't too fast for him at all. He made a big adjustment coming from school to the professionals. He gets it." No. 70 overall prospect Tyler O'Neill's (Mariners' No. 2) bat proved the difference in Double-A Jackson's 7-6 win against Birmingham, as he went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run. The 21-year-old outfielder is pacing the Southern League with 83 RBIs, ranks second in home runs (20), slugging (.527) and OPS (.907) and is third in on-base percentage (.380). No. 85 overall prospect Mitch Keller (Pirates' No. 5) was dominant in a no-decision for Class A West Virginia as he struck out nine batters in six scoreless innings. The 20-year-old righty scattered four hits and did not issue a walk in the outing, giving him a strikeout-to-walk ratio -- as well as a 2.85 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP -- in 107 1/3 innings (20 starts) for the season. "I had a really good bullpen leading up to the start and just had a good feeling coming in," Keller told MiLB.com. "I felt really powerful throughout the whole game. "I was just getting ahead with fastballs. I didn't throw a curveball or any off-speed pitches until the fourth inning. They were pretty late on the fastball, and later in the game, I was just going with my putaway pitch, which is my curveball." Mets No. 8 prospect Thomas Szapucki allowed two earned runs in a start for the first time this season as he took the loss for Class A Short Season Brooklyn. The 2015 fifth-rounder was excellent otherwise, yielding just one hit and four walks in 5 1/3 frames while piling up 11 strikeouts. With the performance, Szapucki, 20, now has posted double-digit strikeouts in his first two starts for Brooklyn, giving him 65

14 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings (seven starts) for the season. He also boasts a 0.44 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP, while opposing hitters have mustered a.152 clip against him. Ariel Jurado hurled five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits for Double-A Frisco. The Rangers' No. 8 prospect issued one walk while fanning six in the outing, throwing 37 of his 61 pitches for strikes. The 20-year-old righty has registered a 1.59 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP over 17 innings (three starts) since being promoted from Class A Advanced High Desert, where he had gone 7-2 with a 3.86 ERA in 16 starts. Phillies No. 13 prospect Rhys Hoskins connected on his Minor League-leading 34th home run, though it wasn't enough to keep Double-A Reading from falling to Altoona in 10 innings, 2-1. The 23-year-old first baseman has gone deep four times in his past four games for the Fightin Phils, and he now has an even 100 RBIs in 107 games for the season. Meanwhile, Ricardo Pinto (Phillies' No. 16 ) was excellent on the bump for Reading as he allowed an unearned run on three hits in eight-plus innings, walking one and striking out six. The righty has yielded just two earned runs on nine hits in his last 19 innings (three starts). Rangers No. 13 prospect Jairo Beras homered in his first two trips to the plate as part of a big night at the plate for Class A Advanced High Desert. The 21-year-old outfielder delivered a two-run homer in the first inning and then tacked on a three-run shot in the subsequent frame to finish 2-for-5. With 17 homers through 82 games, Beras already has blown past his previous career of nine, which he achieved over 88 games in his second tour of the South Atlantic League in Yankees No. 14 prospect Chance Adams improved to 13-0 in 22 starts as he fired six scoreless innings to pace Double-A Trenton in a 6-0 shutout of Harrisburg. The 21-year-old right-hander -- the Yankees' fifth-round Draft pick in scattered four hits, fanned a pair and generated eight ground-ball outs in the game, which saw him find the zone with 44 of his 69 pitches. In what has been a breakout campaign, Adams has pitched to a 2.28 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP across 114 1/3 innings, with 125 strikeouts and 33 walks. Opposing hitters, meanwhile, have posted a paltry.167 average against him. Pacing the Thunder at the plate was outfielder Dustin Fowler (Yankees' No. 13), who hit his seventh home run and tallied three RBIs as part of a 3-for-5 performance. Mariners No. 14 prospect Zack Littell matched his career high with 10 strikeouts but allowed three earned runs in five innings to suffer his first loss for Class A Advanced Bakersfield. An 11th-round Draft pick in 2013, the 20-year-old right-hander has logged a 2.56 ERA with a strikeout-to-walk ratio in 140 2/3 innings between the Midwest and California Leagues. In the same game that saw Jairo Beras hit a pair of homers, Dodgers No. 24 prospect Johan Mieses hit a grand slam and a double en route to driving in five runs for Class A Rancho Cucamonga. The home run was the 21-year-old outfielder's 22nd of the season and ninth in his last 13 games for the Quakes. LA TIMES Newly acquired pitcher Rich Hill won't make his first scheduled start with Dodgers By Mike DiGiovanna The Dodgers knew full well what they were getting when they acquired Rich Hill from Oakland on Monday. The veteran left-hander was on the disabled list because of a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand when the trade-deadline deal was consummated. But Hill s condition might be worse than originally thought. Manager Dave Roberts announced Saturday that Hill will not make his scheduled Dodgers debut Sunday because of remnants of a new-formed blister on the same finger that arose while Hill played catch Friday.

15 It s on a different part of the finger, but I think with his recent history, we want to be cautious and push his start date back, Roberts said. He will be day to day. Brandon McCarthy will start Sunday against the Boston Red Sox on regular rest. Julio Urias will likely pitch Monday night against Philadelphia. Roberts said Kenta Maeda and Scott Kazmir will start Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, against the Phillies. Hill survived shoulder surgery in 2009 and elbow ligament-replacement surgery in 2011, but said he has never had a problem with blisters. The latest one is on the lower part of his finger and affects him while throwing his curveball, not his fastball. I don t want it to expand and become more of a problem, Hill said, adding that he is shooting to pitch Friday night against Pittsburgh. Hill, who was 9-3 with a 2.25 earned-run average in 14 starts for the Athletics, striking out 90 and walking 28 in 76 innings, left a July 17 start after only five pitches because of the blister. It worsened after he threw a 60-pitch bullpen session July 22, and Hill was put on the DL on July 30. Without a Trayce Trayce Thompson was hoping to begin a minor league rehabilitation stint this week, but the outfielder was shut down after he aggravated his lower-back injury by increasing the intensity of his running last week. Roberts said Thompson will not return until September. Thompson, who said the pain in his lower back sometimes goes down my legs, is trying to stabilize his back with core-strengthening exercises. I could throw and hit, but running still bothers me, said Thompson, who was hitting.225 with 13 homers and 32 runs batted in when he went on the DL on July 15. So I have to take a step back right now and let it heal for a bit. Short hops Reliever Adam Libertatore (elbow inflammation) will begin playing catch in the next few days. Roberts sees no reason why the left-hander, who is 2-0 with a 1.62 ERA in 44 games, won t return Aug. 14, the day he is eligible to come off the DL. The Dodgers will decide after Brett Anderson s triple-a start on Monday whether the left-hander, who is scheduled for five innings and 75 pitches, will make one more rehab start or join the rotation. With where our starting pitching is at, it will be nice to get him back, Roberts said of Anderson, who is recovering form surgery for a herniated disk in his lower back. Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia sat out Saturday because of a bruised left shin but expects to start Sunday. The Red Sox presented retiring Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully with a framed program from the 1949 Boston University-Maryland football game that he announced in Fenway Park. The assignment led to Scully being hired by the Dodgers to start the 1950 season. Ross Stripling and Dodgers shut down the Red Sox, 3-0 By Mike DiGiovanna

16 Dodgers right-hander Ross Stripling navigated his way through a two-hit, one-walk opening act to throw five shutout innings on Saturday, and three relievers blanked the Boston Red Sox over the final four innings of a 3-0 victory in Dodger Stadium. Stripling, spot-starting for the injured Bud Norris, gave up four hits, struck out four and walked one. Grant Dayton, a 28-year-old left-hander who has spent seven years in the minor leagues, looked dominant in two scoreless innings, striking out four and walking one. Setup man Joe Blanton gave up a single in a scoreless eighth, and closer Kenley Jensen struck out the side in the ninth for his 33rd save, which ranks second in the National League. Stripling, facing a potent Red Sox lineup that leads the major leagues in runs and on-base-plus-slugging percentage, did some of his best work in the first inning after Mookie Betts and Brock Holt opened the game with singles. Xander Bogaerts, who entered with a.320 average, 14 homers and 67 runs batted in, struck out on a 2- and-2 curve in the dirt. David Ortiz (.311, 25 homers, 87 RBIs) grounded sharply to the right side where Howie Kendrick, making a rare start at second base after starting in left field in 17 of 18 games since the All-Star break, smothered the ball with a diving stop to his left and threw to first for the out. Jackie Bradley walked to load the bases. Sandy Leon, who drove in four runs Friday night, worked a full count before tapping Stripling s 25th pitch of the inning back to the mound for the third out. Stripling needed only 50 pitches to complete the next four innings, in which he gave up only two singles and retired the side in order in the second and fifth innings. The Dodgers were shut out Friday night by knuckleballer Steven Wright and were probably not looking forward to facing left-handers Eduardo Rodriguez on Saturday and David Price on Sunday. The Dodgers entered Saturday with a record against left-handed starters and a.224 average,.301 on-base percentage and.361 slugging percentage against all left-handers. They were against right-handed starters with a.252/.323/.412 slash line. The three runs and eight hits the Dodgers posted in 4 1/3 innings against Rodriguez was hardly a pummeling, but it was enough to give their bullpen a decent cushion to work with. The left-handed-hitting Adrian Gonzalez had three singles off Rodriguez, one to spark a rally in the second inning and one to cap a rally in the fifth. Enrique Hernandez followed Gonzalez s leadoff single to left in the second with a single to left. Josh Reddick flied to center, and Scott Van Slyke struck out, but A.J. Ellis looped a broken-bat, run-scoring single to left for a 1-0 lead. Pinch-hitter Chris Taylor led off the fifth with a single to left, and Kendrick walked. Corey Seager doubled into the right-field corner for a 2-0 lead, his 31st double of the season breaking Eric Karros rookie record of 30, set in 1992.

17 Justin Turner grounded out, the runners holding at second and third, but Gonzalez, with the infield in, blooped an RBI single to shallow center for a 3-0 lead. Stripling passes big test in Dodgers shutout of Sox By Jon Weisman Tie game, bases loaded, two out, full count. DODGER INSIDER Sometimes, the biggest moment of the game comes in the bottom of the ninth. For Ross Stripling and the Dodgers today, it was the top of the first. Boston backstop Sandy Leon, who had four RBI the night before, stood in. After missing with a changeup to force the full count, Stripling went right back to it. And Leon hit a soft grounder between the mound and first base that Stripling fielded and passed along to first base. After taking 25 pitches to retire the side for the first time today, Stripling needed only 50 more to complete five innings in what would become a 3-0 victory over the Red Sox. In his first big-league start since May 19, Stripling made his finest since holding Toronto to a run over six innings May 8, lowering his ERA to After allowing five baserunners with four strikeouts, Stripling has a 0.64 WHIP, 0.64 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 14 innings vs. the three American League East teams he has faced this year. Singles by Adrián González, Kiké Hernández and A.J. Ellis for a run in the second inning gave Stripling the thinnest margin for error to work with, but his cushion improved after he left the game for pinch-hitter Chris Taylor in the bottom of the fifth. Following Taylor s single and Howie Kendrick s walk, the Dodgers scored twice more on hits by Corey Seager (on his Dodger rookie-record 31st double) and González. Rookie lefty Grant Dayton impressed in his second outing for the Dodgers even more than his first, striking out four of the seven batters he faced in two shutout innings. The 28-year-old Dayton now has four hitless shutout innings in the big leagues with six whiffs. Stripling and Dayton kept David Ortiz hitless in three at-bats, though in his first game at first base since August 30, 2015, the soon-to-retire 40-year-old made two fine defensive plays. Frankly, there was good defense all around today, with Kendrick and Seager sparkling in particular. With a scoreless inning each, Joe Blanton and Kenley Jansen (who struck out the side) wrapped up the Dodgers 10th shutout in 110 games this season. Boston gift commemorates Scully s big break By Jon Weisman

18 From the bitter cold of Fenway Park in the fall of 1949, Vin Scully broadcast the Boston-Maryland football game without complaint, impressing the man who had given him the job, Red Barber. That ultimately led to Scully being hired by the Dodgers to start the 1950 season. Today, Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski (third from left) and announcers Joe Castigilione and Dave O Brien presented Scully with a framed copy of him the program from that game, along with an image of him at Fenway Park, as a going-away present. Dodger pitching continues to play numbers game By Jon Weisman Brandon McCarthy will start Sunday on four days rest after all, with the Dodgers postponing the anticipated activation of Rich Hill from the disabled list. Dave Roberts told reporters today that Hill remains day to day because of remnants of a blister on a different part of his finger than the one that sent him to the DL in July. McCarthy has thrown a total of seven innings over his past two starts, averaging 84 pitches. Bud Norris was officially placed on the disabled list (retroactive to August 1), and Ross Stripling was officially promoted to start today s game. In 34 innings this month, the Dodgers have used 13 pitchers, with none pitching more than twice. Stripling will be their 14th pitcher in August, and Grant Dayton, recalled Thursday from Triple-A Oklahoma City, could soon be No. 15. No reliever has thrown more than three innings in the past five days. Until things stabilize, Dodger pitching might continue to resemble a series of line changes that incorporate additions and subtractions from the minors and the DL. Within the next two weeks, that could include the return of Brett Anderson, Louis Coleman, Casey Fien, Adam Liberatore, Hill and Norris from the disabled list. Jose De Leon, scheduled to pitch tonight for Triple-A Oklahoma City, is among those who continue to lurk in the minors. It s not out of the question that the Dodgers will use 20 different pitchers in August alone. TRUEBLUELA.COM Jordan Sheffield tosses two perfect frames for Loons By Brandon Lennox The Rookie-level Ogden Raptors won a rain shortened game, but none of the full-season teams were victorious on Saturday. Player of the day

19 Jordan Sheffield, who was the 36th overall pick in the 2016 draft, tossed two perfect innings in his third professional appearance and recorded his first strikeout as a pro. The 21-year-old out of Vanderbilt got roughed up in his Great Lakes debut earlier this week, but he really turned things around on Saturday. Triple-A Oklahoma City Matt West and the Dodgers gave up the tying run in the top of the ninth, then after battling for six extra frames OKC came out on the losing end of a 5-4 game to Round Rock (Rangers). Jose De Leon started for OKC and allowed just two earned runs over six frames, although he did give up two long balls. Jeremy Kehrt allowed the winning run despite starting his relief appearance with three shutout frames. At the dish O`Koyea Dickson led the team by reaching base five times via two doubles and three walks. Micah Johnson also had a big part in the offensive attack by doubling and homering. Austin Barnes and Corey Brown each added two hits. Double-A Tulsa The Drillers had their modest two-game winning streak snapped as they fell to the Naturals (Royals) 7-5. Edwin Rios continued his monster season in the loss as he connected on his third homer in eight games for Tulsa, and his 25th overall for the season. Jacob Scavuzzo doubled twice and scored two runs, while Willie Calhoun reached base three times and drove in a run. On the mound starter Chase De Jong allowed just four hits over five frames, but he also walked a pair and gave up four runs. Yaisel Sierra, who was recently promoted to the Drillers after having a rough time in Rancho, took the loss in his Double A debut after permitting two runs in two innings, although he did strike out four. Class-A Rancho Cucamonga Despite scoring five runs in the top of the first, a nine-run second inning by High Desert was the downfall of the Quakes as Rancho fell to the Mavericks (Rangers) Starter Michael Boyle took a beating in just his second California League start as he permitted 11 hits and 11 runs while not making it out of the second frame. Alex Burgos threw very well in relief, but Alex Hermeling could not continue the solid work out of the bullpen as he permitted three more runs and actually took the loss after his offense came alive. There were several strong offense performances in the loss, starting with leadoff man Mike Ahmed who reached base five times thanks to two singles, a double, and two walks. Noah Perio also had three hits, including his fourth homer of the season, while Johan Mieses connected on his 22nd homer of the season and collected 5 RBI's during his three-hit night. Class-A Great Lakes The Loons pitching staff ran into trouble in the eighth inning as Great Lakes fell to South Bend (Cubs) 5-4. Reliever Angel German hit a batter and threw three wild pitches while taking the loss, although most of those runs were charged to Tony Gonsolin. Player of the day Sheffield threw two flawless innings to start the game. At the dish, the Great Lakes offense was limited to just one extra base hit, which was a solo homer by Ibandel Isabel. Catcher Steve Berman was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Pioneer - Ogden

20 The Raptors defeated the Mustangs (Reds) 8-5 in a game that ended a little early due to rain. Ogden led 6-5 after eight frames, and that's what mattered as weather did not allow the two clubs to finish the ninth. Despite the eight runs the Raptor offense had just one extra base hit, and that was a solo homer by Moises Perez. Errol Robinson and Keibert Ruiz both drove in two runs each to lead the Raptors. Starter William Soto allowed four hits and one earned run over five innings, although an error by the defense permitted two additional runs to score against him. Jorge Gonzalez picked up the win with a scoreless sixth, then Jose Santos recorded his third save by striking out the side in the final frame. Arizona League - AZL Dodgers The AZL Dodgers held the Brewers hitless over the first five frames, but the wheels fell off in the sixth as the Dodgers ended up losing 7-0. A rehabbing Casey Fien stared the game with a scoreless inning, then Logan Crouse got through the next four innings without any issues. An error contributed to four runs being scored in the sixth, and at that point it was too late for a punchless offense that connected on just two extra base hits. Dominican Summer League The Dodgers1 game got postponed, while the Dodgers2 were shutout by the Royals 5-0. Despite the loss 19-year-old starter Jeronimo Castro threw very well as he did not allow an earned run over six innings and struck out seven. Transactions Triple-A: Ross Stripling was recalled to join Los Angeles. Saturday Scores Round Rock 5, Oklahoma City 4 NW Arkansas 7, Tulsa 5 High Desert 14, Rancho Cucamonga 13 South Bend 5, Great Lakes 4 Ogden 8, Billings 5 AZL Brewers 7, AZL Dodgers 0 DSL Royals 2, DSL Dodgers Two 0 Sunday Schedule 11:05 a.m. PT - Great Lakes (Imani Abdullah) at South Bend (Justin Steele) 12:05 p.m., - Ogden (Roberth Fernandez) at Billings (Max Wotell) 12:05 p.m. - Tulsa (Isaac Anderson) at NW Arkansas (Eric Skoglund) 2:08 p.m. - Oklahoma City (Lisalverto Bonilla) at Iowa (Rob Zastryzny) 5:05 p.m. - Rancho Cucamonga (TBD) at High Desert (Tyler Davis) Grant Dayton and Ross Stripling continue to impress By Craig Minami LOS ANGELES --- Manager Dave Roberts knows it is a lot to ask two rookie pitchers to face one of the top offensive teams in the majors. That is why Roberts was so impressed by Ross Stripling and Grant Dayton's strong pitching performances in the Dodgers 3-0 shutout over the Red Sox on Saturday.