Daily Clips May 16, 2016

Daily Clips May 16, 2016

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS MONDAY, MAY 16, 2016 OC REGISTER: Dodgers bullpen lets starter Alex Wood down- Bill Plunkett Final: Cardinals rally to avoid sweep with 5-2 win over Dodgers- Bill Plunkett Freeway Series no longer a novelty for Angels and Dodgers- Joey Kaufman Dodgers' Hyun-Jin Ryu 'feels great' back on mound- JP Hoornstra Freeway Series: Historic moments in the Angels/Dodgers rivalry- Joey Kaufman DODGERS.COM: Wood's start, Seager's homers not enough- Jack Baer and Jenifer Langosch Evolving Seager has first two-homer game- Jack Baer Youth players get special day at Dodger Stadium- Jack Baer Maeda to face Angels for first time in Freeway Series- Alden Gonzalez Ryu returns to action with solid rehab outing- Austin Laymance Van Slyke's recovery ahead of schedule- Jack Baer Puig, Turner enjoy baseball on the beach- Austin Laymance LA TIMES: Dodgers mailbag: Will Trayce Thompson stick with the team all season?- Andy McCullough Dave Roberts loses a game of managerial chess, and Dodgers lose to the Cardinals, 5-2- Andy McCullough Hyun-Jin Ryu makes first rehabilitation start- Andy McCullough Dodgers' Scott Van Slyke could start rehab stint soon- Andy McCullough DODGER INSIDER: Wily Wood, Sockin Seager not enough for Dodgers- Jon Weisman Ryu goes two in rehab debut- Jon Weisman Farm Fresh: Bellinger rings true- Cary Osborne TRUEBLUELA.COM: Cardinals rally against Dodgers bullpen to prevent weekend sweep- Eric Stephen Hyun-jin Ryu makes first start on rehab assignment (Video)- Ryan Walton Dodgers try for sweep on ESPN 'Sunday Night Baseball'- Eric Stephen Hyun-jin Ryu sharp in first rehab appearance, Quakes still lose- Brandon Lennox ESPN LA: Molina's pinch-hit double lifts Cardinals over Dodgers 5-2- Associated Press Top stats to know: Cardinals-Dodgers- ESPN Stats & Information How to bet Sunday night's Cardinals-Dodgers matchup- MLB Vegas Experts, ESPN Chalk NBC LA: Corey Seager Homers Twice in 5-2 Loss to St. Louis- Michael Duarte LA TIMES: Dodgers Dugout: Is Scott Kazmir on the comeback trail?- Houston Mitchell

Dodgers bullpen lets starter Alex Wood down By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS MONDAY, MAY 16, 2016 OC REGISTER LOS ANGELES The Dodgers bullpen is like your WiFi connection. You notice it only when it doesn t work. The relief corps had quietly gone over a week (191/3 innings) without allowing an earned run, stranding all 12 inherited runners along the way, before Dave Roberts pulled Sunday s starter Alex Wood after six strong innings. A tie game didn t stay that way. The St. Louis Cardinals scored three times in the seventh inning and avoided a sweep at Dodger Stadium with a 5-2 victory. That s how it works, veteran reliever J.P. Howell said. You want no attention because that means things are going good. This is a reminder to stay on top of things, keep working. Things have been going pretty well recently for Wood who held the Cardinals to one run, a home run by Jeremy Hazelbaker, on three hits, a walk and a hit batter in his six innings. But he had to work out of trouble in the sixth and was nearly pulled then by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. He was going to yank me, Wood said of a mound visit after the first two batters had reached base on a walk and a hit batter. I asked nicely if he would leave me in. I don t remember if I said, Please or not. He asked me if was going to get a ground ball and I said, yeah, even though I didn t know if I was. Wood got two ground balls to escape damage but he had thrown 92 pitches to that point and Roberts went to his bullpen, sending Louis Coleman out to start the seventh. Coleman has been the Dodgers' most reliable reliever for some time now. He hasn t given up a hit in May, retiring 13 of the 14 batters he has faced (seven by strikeout with one walk). That included Aledmys Diaz to start the seventh. But Diaz s comebacker ricocheted off Coleman s right hip before it was redirected to third baseman Justin Turner who threw to first for the out. Coleman left the game. With two left-handers coming up, he probably would have anyway. Howell came in to face Hazelbaker and got a ground ball back to the mound. Howell was only able to reach up and deflect the ball, however, and this one went for a hit.

I wish I was shorter. I would have missed it, said Howell who has struggled this season with both poor pitching and bad luck. That s kind of the way it s gone. Howell did retire Kolten Wong for the second out of the inning and Roberts brought Joe Blanton in to face pinch-hitter Brandon Moss. With first base open, the Dodgers intentionally walked Moss and the Cardinals brought Yadier Molina in to pinch-hit. At that point in time, I wanted to make the righty beat us, Roberts said. Yadi, obviously he s a great hitter, a clutch hitter. But the way Joe throws the baseball against right-handed hitters that was the decision I chose to make. He s faced numerous great right-handed hitters and since he s gone to his role in the pen, he s dominated them. He s been great in those situations. I d take him 10 times over. At the time Roberts was making that decision, right-handed hitters had batted.191 against Blanton with a strikeout every three at-bats since the journeyman was reborn as a reliever in 2015. But the Cardinals righties went 3 for 4 against Blanton on Sunday, starting with Molina cracking his bat on a 1-and-0 slider from Blanton but dropping a two-run double down the left-field line. It was a broken bat, off the end of the bat and found some outfield grass, Roberts said. It s not hard contact but obviously it got the job done. Stephen Piscotty added an RBI single before Blanton could get out of the inning and the Cardinals added another run off Blanton in the eighth after Randal Grichuk led off with a double. Decisive as the bullpen s latest failure was, the Dodgers offense was also culpable in wasting Wood s performance. The Dodgers managed just five hits, two of them solo home runs by Corey Seager. It was the first multihomer game of Seager's career and part of a hot streak that has seen him go 15 for 35 (.429) with three doubles and four home runs in his past nine games. Seager s second home run was the Dodgers only hit after Wood himself led off the fifth inning with a single, and he was their only runner to advance past first base after the fourth inning. Final: Cardinals rally to avoid sweep with 5-2 win over Dodgers By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES The Dodgers bullpen is like your wifi connection. You only notice it when it doesn t work.

The relief corps had quietly gone over a week (19 1/3 innings) without allowing an earned run, stranding all 12 inherited runners along the way, before Dave Roberts pulled Sunday s starter Alex Wood after six strong innings. A tie game didn t stay that way. The St. Louis Cardinals scored three times in the seventh inning and avoided a sweep at Dodger Stadium with a 5-2 victory over the Dodgers Sunday night. Wood turned in what has become his typically strong start at home, holding the Cardinals to just one run (a solo home run by Jeremy Hazelbaker) on three hits, a walk and a hit batter in his six innings. Since being acquired from the Atlanta Braves last July, Wood has a 1.95 ERA and 0.87 WHIP when pitching at Dodger Stadium. But he needed 92 pitches to get through those six innings Sunday and Roberts went to his bullpen to start the seventh. Louis Coleman has been the Dodgers' most reliable reliever for some time now. He hasn t given up a hit in May, retiring 13 of the 14 batters he has faced (seven by strikeout with one walk). That included Aledmys Diaz to start the seventh inning. But Diaz s comebacker ricocheted off Coleman s right hip before it was redirected to third baseman Justin Turner who threw to first for the out. Coleman left the game. With two left-handers coming up, he probably would have anyway. J.P. Howell came in to face Hazelbaker and got a ground ball back to the mound. Howell was only tall enough to deflect the ball, however, and this one went for a hit. Howell retired Kolten Wong for the second out of the inning and Roberts brought Joe Blanton in to face pinch-hitter Brandon Moss. With first base open, the Dodgers intentionally walked Moss and the Cardinals brought Yadier Molina in to pinch-hit. He dropped Blanton s 1-and-0 slider down the left-field line for a two-run double to give the Cardinals the lead. Stephen Piscotty added an RBI single before Blanton could get out of the inning. The Cardinals added another run off Blanton in the eighth after Randal Grichuk led off with a double. Decisive as the bullpen s latest failure was, the Dodgers offense was also culpable in wasting Wood s performance. The Dodgers managed just five hits in the game, two of them solo home runs by Corey Seager. It was the first multi-homer game of Seager's career and part of a hot streak that has seen him go 15 for 35 (.429) with three doubles and four home runs in his past nine games. Seager's second home run was the Dodgers' only hit after Wood himself led off the fifth inning with a single, and he was their only runner to advance past first base after the fourth inning.

Freeway Series no longer a novelty for Angels and Dodgers By Joey Kaufman Gary DiSarcina remembered the buzz. DiSarcina was the shortstop for the Angels in 1997 when they welcomed the San Diego Padres on a mid- June night for their first interleague game, a stretch of matchups against the National League West that included San Francisco as well as the Dodgers. It felt like opening day. There was the anticipation. For many on the roster, it was the first time they would face a Hall of Famer named Tony Gwynn, too. Everyone was a little curious how long this was going to go, DiSarcina said. We thought it might have been like a gimmick, almost like when the wild card was introduced. We didn't know if it was going to be long lasting. It has been. The two-decade mark is here. When the Angels and the Dodgers commence the latest edition of the Freeway Series this week with a pair of games at their respective ballparks, it will mark the 20th season since the teams began meeting in the regular season, a product of the now long-established interleague play. Since its 1997 debut, interleague play has become increasingly common. The Angels opened their season against a National League team, the Cubs, and the Dodgers already traveled earlier this month to Tampa Bay and Toronto. Houston moved to the American League West in 2013, leaving both leagues to carry 15 teams. The odd number means there is at least one interleague series throughout the season. The novelty s worn off, it s more commonplace, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. But I think, for me, if I had to do it all over again, I m in favor of it. I like it. I like seeing the different ballparks. I like seeing the different styles of baseball. For a National League team, to go into a park and give a guy a day off as a DH is nice. So, it s amazing it has been 20 years. I do still love that format. Each year, different divisions match up. The NL West meets the AL East this year. The AL West is paired with the NL Central. The Angels and Dodgers, as a regional rivalry, have met each season, either over four consecutive games or two separate three-game series. Over 106 games, the Angels have the upper hand with 58 wins, but back in 1997, the Dodgers won the first game. That came in front of 41,428 at Dodger Stadium when Todd Zeile hit a walk-off, two-run home run off Troy Percival in a 4-3 victory. There was definitely from, fan s perspective, a lot of electricity, said Mike Scioscia who was then the Dodgers bench coach. There may be less now.

A lot of these guys are 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, said DiSarcina, now the Angels first base coach. They don't know any better. It s always been around. It s all they ve known. The Angels and Dodgers each have six players on their 25-man rosters who are 25 years or younger. If there s intrigue among the players, it s typically among the American League s starting pitchers who get the rare chance to bat. You hit as a kid, in high school, so it brings back those memories, said the Angels Matt Shoemaker, who starts Monday night at Dodger Stadium. The 29-year-old Shoemaker has just four plate appearances. He reached base on a walk last season, but is still waiting for his first career hit. Hector Santiago likes hitting enough that he put a batting cage in his house and routinely takes swings in the offseason. He singled at Milwaukee a couple weeks ago. I love hitting, he said. There s little pressure, though. We just hope they don't get hurt and get their bunt down, DiSarcina said. This will be the first Freeway Series as a manager for Roberts, who was with the club as an outfielder from 2002-04. The Dodgers were 10-8 against the Angels during those years. Roberts on Sunday called the Angels a very, very formidable organization and franchise. I know when I played, they were very good, Roberts said. I look forward to playing the Angels. I know our guys do. We always play each other very tough. Thanks to interleague play, they have become familiar foes. The novelty has been replaced by some good rivalries, Scioscia said, rivalries across town or whoever you play in interleague. Dodgers' Hyun-Jin Ryu 'feels great' back on mound By JP Hoornstra SAN BERNARDINO Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu dropped the words spring training in English into a discussion about his rehabilitation assignment on Sunday. The implication was clear, to a handful of Korean-language reporters and to the announced crowd of 3,122 at a game between the Dodgers and Angels Class-A affiliates at San Manuel Stadium.

Ryu threw a mere two innings for Rancho Cucamonga. His fastball topped out at 89 mph according to one scout in attendance, and the left-hander estimated his effort as 60 to 70 percent. Ryu even threw an extra 10 pitches in the bullpen to meet his assigned quota. Throw some cacti in the background and players jogging across the warning track mid-game, and the result might have counted in the Cactus League standings. It s good enough that I m back on a mound again, Ryu said through an interpreter. It feels great. Hopefully I ll stay stronger and I know I ll be a little stronger as time goes on. In his first competitive innings since October 2014, Ryu allowed only a flare single, walked none and struck out two batters both on sweeping curveballs. He threw 22 pitches. The same scout clocked his curveball in the 67-69 mph range and his changeup around 77-78. Those numbers would be a little low compared to a typical major league start for Ryu. He said the effort was similar to his recent mound work against live hitters at Dodger Stadium. But Ryu isn t holding back because he s hurt; he said his surgically repaired left shoulder is only getting stronger. Pretty much I don t have any problems, any issues right now, he said. I threw all my pitches. Ryu s next scheduled start for Rancho Cucamonga is Friday, a home game against the San Jose Giants. The plan, he said, is to throw another three games after that, building up to six innings in his final rehab start. Ryu is in the fourth year of the six-year, $36 million contract he signed before the 2013 season. He underwent surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder in May 2015. VAN SLYKE STATUS Injured outfielder Scott Van Slyke took batting practice on the field before the Dodgers game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. The workout was a significant enough step forward in his recovery from back problems that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts changed his expectations for Van Slyke. Roberts had been saying he didn t expect Van Slyke back until mid-june in the best-case scenario. But after watching Van Slyke hit Sunday, Roberts said he thinks the outfielder will be able to start a rehab assignment at some point this week. I was pleasantly surprised how the ball was coming off his bat, Roberts said. It (the timeline for his return) has quickened up for me. He s moving around really well, taking balls off the bat. The way he was swinging, I think that s realistic later this week. Van Slyke has been out since the first week of the season and played in just four games before going on the DL. COMING SOON

With Mike Bolsinger and Ryu currently on rehab assignments and Van Slyke and Brandon McCarthy nearly ready to start theirs, the Dodgers could soon have some roster decisions to make. Roberts said internal discussions have already started on that topic. Baseball has a way of working itself out, Roberts said. But that is something we re trying to figure out because there are only so many days on the rehab and how do you plug players in. I think our guys are talking through a lot of different scenarios. There s a lot of different ways we could go. Staff writer Bill Plunkett contributed to this report. Freeway Series: Historic moments in the Angels/Dodgers rivalry By Joey Kaufman This is the 20th season of interleague play, beginning in 1997 when teams from the American League began facing teams from the National League. The Angels and Dodgers play four games this week as part of their now annual regular-season series. Here is a look back at some of the iconic moments of the past two decades. The Angels lead the all-time series, 58-48. Inaugural edition: In the teams first regular-season game on June 17, 1997 at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers won, 4-3, when Todd Zeile hit a walk-off, two-run home run off Troy Percival. Light up that scoreboard: The Dodgers scored 16 runs on 25 hits in a win over the Angels on May 19, 2006, the most runs in a game either team has scored in the series. Four players had at least three RBI, including then-rookie Andre Ethier, who was 5 for 5 with a home run. No-hitter but no win: Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo combined on a no-hitter through eight innings, but the Angels became only the fifth team in the modern era to lose a game despite not giving up a hit. They lost, 1-0, on June 28, 2008. Matt Kemp, who reached base on an error, stole second and third before scoring on a sacrifice fly. A little weird outcome, Weaver said after the game. Fight club: The series most infamous dustup came on June 5, 1999 when a bench-clearing brawl ensued after Chan Ho Park kicked Angels pitcher Tim Belcher. Park dropped a sacrifice bunt, but was tagged out by Belcher, who then appeared to mutter a few words to him. Park took exception, elbowed him with his forearm and then gave a kick. Brother versus Brother: Jeff Weaver and Jered Weaver made baseball history on June 21, 2009, becoming the 21st pair of brothers to start against each other in a major-league game. Neither pitched through the sixth inning, but Jeff got the win after surrendering two runs over five innings. Jered gave up six earned over 51/3 innings. Extra! Extra! Six times the teams have played extra innings. Their longest game was their seventh meeting, on June 24, 1998, when the Dodgers won, 6-5, in the 11th inning. Trent Hubbard brought in the winning run on a walk-off single.

Switching colors: Mike Scioscia was a catcher for the Dodgers from 1980-92 before spending five years within the organization as a minor-league coordinator, bench coach and Triple-A manager. He faced his old team as the manager of the Angels for the first time on June 2, 2000. The Angels won, 12-5. Garret Anderson, a left fielder for the Angels for 15 seasons, joined the Dodgers as a reserve outfielder for one season in 2010. Against his former team, Anderson had three hits in nine at-bats over four games. Wood's start, Seager's homers not enough By Jack Baer and Jenifer Langosch DODGERS.COM LOS ANGELES -- Yadier Molina's pinch-hit double keyed a seventh-inning rally and helped hand the Cardinals a 5-2 win to salvage their series at Dodger Stadium. The RBI double was Molina's first extra-base hit as a pinch-hitter in his 13-year career and also snapped a streak of eight straight scoreless games for the Dodgers bullpen. "First of all, it was a good game by Mike Leake," said Molina, whose hit was his eighth in 24 career atbats against Joe Blanton. "I'm just happy to come through and be part of that game. We really needed it." While a Corey Seager home run in the eighth, his second of the game, forced the Cardinals to turn to Trevor Rosenthal for the save, the Dodgers were unable to muster any more offense. Before the dramatics, Alex Wood and Leake both turned in solid starts, each allowing one run on a solo homer across six innings The outing from Wood lowered his career Dodger Stadium ERA to 1.95, the lowest by a starting pitcher in team history. "I thought we attacked pretty well," Wood said. "Me and [catcher Yasmani Grandal] were on the same page and are really starting to get in motion together. I thought I had all three [pitches] early." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Chess moves: When Dodgers manager Dave Roberts brought in Blanton to face Eric Fryer with a runner in scoring position and two out in the seventh, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny countered by sending up the left-handed-hitting Brandon Moss to pinch-hit. The Dodgers opted to intentionally walk Moss and take their chances with Molina, who was ready in the on-deck circle as another pinch-hitter. The move backfired, and Molina drove home the go-ahead run. Two batters later, Stephen Piscotty stung the Dodgers with an RBI hit after another intentional walk. "I wasn't sure what they were going to do with Moss, thinking they might walk him," Matheny said. "But [I was] still feeling pretty good that Yadi has had quite a few at-bats against him. Yadi came through and had a huge hit. He did a great job of staying ready on a day we were trying to give him off."

Cardinals 5, Seager 2: Seager registered the first multi-homer game of his young career with solo shots in the third and eighth innings, the only runs of the night for the Dodgers. The first was an opposite-field shot to left and the second a 409-foot no-doubter to right. With his home run Saturday, he also recorded his first career back-to-back games with home runs. "Corey is learning the league. I think that he's been a little more patient and just getting good pitches to hit," Roberts said. "It's really good to see, and if we get everybody else around him going, we'll be fine." Dandy defense: Though the Cardinals made six errors in the series, they made a pair of top-notch defensive plays to keep the Dodgers from taking a fourth-inning lead. Randal Grichuk leapt into the center-field wall to snare a drive by Yasiel Puig with two aboard and one out. Matt Holliday, making his first start at first base since April 15, then knocked down a sharp ground ball by Joc Pederson and flipped it to Leake for the inning's final out. "Those are probably game changers," Leake said of the two plays. "That could have changed the pace of the game, for sure." Faith in Wood rewarded: Wood ran into trouble in the sixth inning when a walk and hit-by-pitch gave the Cardinals two runners on with none out in a tie game. After a mound visit during a Cardinals challenge and with Louis Coleman warming, Roberts opted to keep Wood in to face the middle of the Cardinals' order. Two ground balls, one a double play from Holliday, rewarded that faith and kept the game tied. "I don't know if I said please or not. I might have," Wood said. "He just asked me if I could get a ground ball and I said yeah." QUOTABLE "[Holliday], in tribute to the Blues, made a nice kick save over at first. He's done that a couple times where he'll sacrifice his body. He's going to continue to get opportunities." -- Matheny, on Holliday's performance at first base on a night when the St. Louis Blues won the opening game of their Western Conference Final UPON FURTHER REVIEW After a 2-2 curveball from Wood to Piscotty landed in the dirt, Piscotty started walking to first base as he had felt the ball hit his foot. Home-plate umpire Tom Hallion initially called it as ball 3, but a challenge from the Cardinals quickly overturned the ruling and gave Piscotty the bag. WHAT'S NEXT Cardinals: Following Monday's off-day, the Cardinals will open a nine-game homestand with a threegame series against the Rockies. Lefty Jaime Garcia will draw the start in Tuesday's 7:15 p.m. CT game against Colorado's Chad Bettis. Dodgers: Kenta Maeda doesn't have to worry about Noah Syndergaard anymore, but one guy named Mike Trout could give him trouble as he makes his Freeway Series debut Monday against the Angels. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. PT at Dodger Stadium.

Evolving Seager has first two-homer game By Jack Baer LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers' Corey Seager reached another milestone for his promising career in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Cardinals, hitting multiple homers in a game for the first time. The two home runs could also have not been more different outside of being solo shots. The first was an opposite-field strike that just cleared the left-field fence, while the second was a no-doubter pulled into right field that traveled 409 feet according to Statcast. The first came ahead in the count, 2-0, against right-hander Mike Leake, the second behind, 1-2, against southpaw Kevin Siegrist. Together, they gave the Dodgers their only runs of the night. That kind of all-field ability speaks to what level of hitting the shortstop has reached at just age 22. "Corey is learning the league. I think that he's been a little more patient and just getting good pitches to hit," manager Dave Roberts said. "With the strength that he has and the swing that he has, if he gets a strike, he's going to do some things." With those two home runs, Seager is now on a six-game hitting streak. In that span, he has four multi-hit games and six extra-base hits. In the month of May, he's hitting.370/.420/.717 in 46 at-bats. Like Roberts, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said he hasn't seen any changes in Seager's swing or approach to spur the strong results, just an abundance of opportunity. "Haven't seen anything different," Gonzalez said. "Like every hitter, he's going to go through times when he feels good at the plate and he's going to have times when he's not as effective, but right now he's obviously been seeing the ball and putting some good swings on it." Seager was.250/.311/.396 in April, averages in line with the league's collective shortstops, but not what one would expect from a hit tool that has drawn plus-plus ratings from prospect experts, along with opposing managers. "Amazing how the ball carries for Seager. The ball jumps off his bat," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "Just try to let him beat you to the big part of the field and he still did it." Youth players get special day at Dodger Stadium By Jack Baer LOS ANGELES -- Dodger Stadium hosted a few more players on the field than usual before Sunday's game vs. the Cardinals, welcoming over 7,000 local Little League players for a pregame parade. For an hour, kids with their families and coaches walked along the field's track, taking pictures and peeks into the dugout. The parade was just one of several youth-oriented events that took place around Los Angeles over the weekend as the Dodgers took part in Major League Baseball's Play Ball Weekend.

Play Ball Weekend is an extension of the Play Ball initiative, which launched in 2015 as the sport's largest effort to encourage widespread participation in both formal and casual baseball and softball activities. The Manhattan Beach Little League team in particular received some special pregame lessons from members of the Dodgers organization. Adrian Gonzalez gave instruction on fielding at first base, while manager Dave Roberts gave the team a lecture on how to develop their games. "[For pitchers], you've got to get that fastball command down first," Roberts said. "When your pitcher is locating to the glove side, that means all the mechanics are in sync." On Saturday, Yasiel Puig and Justin Turner surprised the Boys & Girls Club of Venice with a game of beach baseball, which culminated in a massive pinch-hit blast from Turner with Puig pitching. "I think I had more fun than some of them did," said Turner. "I think the message here is to encourage kids to get outside and be active. Maybe in the future, they will organize some little games like this on their own so they can come out and get out of the house, get out from behind the computer screen and the ipad." To increase awareness of the program, players on the Dodgers and Cardinals, along with the rest of the Majors, warmed up in Play Ball T-shirts and sported commemorative patches on their uniforms for both games during the weekend. Special attention was also made for the Dodgers RBI partner organizations Sunday, as members of the organizations took part in on-field pregame recognitions, the managers' lineup exchange and the proclamation of "It's time for Dodger baseball" to begin the game. Maeda to face Angels for first time in Freeway Series By Alden Gonzalez Japanese sensation Kenta Maeda takes the ball opposite Matt Shoemaker when the Angels and Dodgers open up a four-game series, split between Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium. The Dodgers will host the first two from Los Angeles, starting with the series opener on Monday night. Maeda (3-2, 2.30 ERA) began his stint in the U.S. with three dominant starts, giving up one run on 17 hits and five walks in 25 1/3 innings, striking out 23. Since then, though, the 28-year-old right-hander has gone winless in his last three starts, posting a 5.09 ERA. He gave up four runs on six hits and two walks in five innings to the Mets on Wednesday. Shoemaker (1-5, 9.12 ERA) finished April with a 9.15 ERA, was sent down to Triple-A Salt Lake, came back up because the Angels have four injured starting pitchers and struggled against the Cardinals on Wednesday, allowing four second-inning runs and being unable to record an out in the fifth. The 29- year-old right-hander pitched six innings of two-run ball in his only other start against the Dodgers in 2014.

The Dodgers won five of six against the Angels last year and had notched eight consecutive victories until the Angels won the season finale. "I look forward to playing the Angels, and I know our guys do, too," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "They've got some very good players. A lot of guys hurt, but we always play each other pretty tough." Things to know about this game Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Albert Pujols will start at first base in both Dodger Stadium games as long as he feels good. Pujols hasn't missed a game yet. He has started 27 of the Angels' 37 games at designated hitter, but played first base in all three games in a prior Interleague series against the Brewers at Miller Park. Pujols has batted.395/.429/.605 at Dodger Stadium since joining the Angels in 2012, but Mike Trout has slashed just.256/.289/.535 there. No current Dodgers player has more than three career plate appearances against Shoemaker. Maeda has never faced the Angels. The Dodgers' bullpen entered Sunday's contest without allowing an earned run since May 7, a stretch of seven games. In that stretch, Dodgers relievers have struck out 25 batters in 19 1/3 innings, allowing a.164 opponents' batting average and stranding all 12 of their inherited runners. Ryu returns to action with solid rehab outing By Austin Laymance LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu began a Minor League rehab assignment Sunday, making 22 pitches over two scoreless innings with Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga. Ryu allowed a single to the first batter he faced, then retired six in a row. The left-hander had two strikeouts, two groundouts, a flyout and a popout. After he was removed from the game, Ryu made another 10 pitches in the bullpen. "It went well," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "He came out of it pretty optimistic." Sunday's rehab outing was the first game action for Ryu since March 17, 2015, in the Cactus League. He's recovering from surgery on the labrum in his pitching shoulder, performed last May by team surgeon Neal ElAttrache. The Dodgers said Ryu is expected to make about five rehab appearances as he builds his pitch count up toward 100. Ryu plans to increase his workload to 45 pitches in his next outing, Roberts said. Van Slyke's recovery ahead of schedule By Jack Baer

LOS ANGELES -- A slow rehab for Scott Van Slyke (back) has accelerated to the point where he could start a rehab assignment as soon as this week. Van Slyke resumed baseball activities last week, and he took batting practice and threw on the field at Dodger Stadium before Sunday's game. His progress has been much quicker than the team anticipated earlier in May. "I was pleasantly surprised by how the ball was coming off his bat," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "He's moving around really well, taking balls off the bat and the way he was swinging. I think later this week is realistic now, I really do." It still hasn't been determined where Van Slyke will take his rehab assignment, but it's worth noting that both Alex Guerrero (knee) and Hyun-Jin Ryu (shoulder) are currently rehabbing at Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga. Since hitting the disabled list in the team's first homestand with a lower back injury, Van Slyke has remained in the Dodgers' clubhouse during homestands. Van Slyke's return would bolster the right-handed-hitting depth for the Dodgers, especially at first base, where the team has been forced to get creative when giving Adrian Gonzalez the day off. Catcher Yasmani Grandal and second baseman Howie Kendrick have received starts at the position in Van Slyke's absence. Puig, Turner enjoy baseball on the beach By Austin Laymance LOS ANGELES -- Baseball can be played anywhere, even the beach. That was the message Dodgers stars Yasiel Puig and Justin Turner helped relay to a group of 60 kids from the Boys & Girls Club of Venice on Saturday morning, when they arrived at Venice Beach for a surprise baseball play date before that night's game against the Cardinals. Puig and Turner, position players by trade, stepped out of their element a bit, pitching to the kids in two casual games no more than 20 yards from the surf. The big leaguers offered tips, words of encouragement and some playful ribbing. "I think I had more fun than some of them did," said Turner, who often played different forms of baseball on the beach as a kid growing up in Southern California. "I think the message here is to encourage kids to get outside and be active. Maybe in the future, they will organize some little games like this on their own so they can come out and get out of the house, get out from behind the computer screen and the ipad." Not long after Puig and Turner set foot on the sand, they were surrounded by youngsters who seemed more than thrilled to be in the presence of a couple of Dodgers cult heroes.

"I think they were pretty excited," Turner said. "Some of them were like, 'I know you, I know what position you play, I saw you play Thursday night.' And that's the cool part, to be recognized by them. Hopefully, it motivates some to come back and get out on their own and just be active." After Puig and Turner pitched to the kids for about 25 minutes, Turner hustled over to Puig's group and announced he would pinch-hit. As the kids watched in awe, Turner blasted an 0-2 offering from Puig to straightaway center, much to the delight of the onlookers. "I was nervous when I pinch-hit," Turner admitted. "I actually swung and foul-tipped one and I'm like, 'Oh man, if I strike out here this isn't going to be good.'" Saturday's beach activities, hosted by the Dodgers and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, were part of the inaugural Play Ball Weekend, a league-wide effort by Major League Baseball and all 30 clubs to engage youth baseball fans and celebrate the continued support of youth participation in baseball and softball. Play Ball Weekend is an extension of the Play Ball initiative, which launched in 2015 as the sport's largest effort to encourage widespread participation in both formal and casual baseball and softball activities. One of the key messages of Play Ball is that baseball doesn't have to be an organized activity. It can be simple and can be enjoyed in almost any setting. The kids used plastic bats and balls. They didn't need gloves to have fun, either. There were plastic cones marking foul lines and mats for bases. "What we're really trying to establish with the Play Ball initiative is to engage kids and present baseball in a way that is fun," said Tony Reagins, MLB's senior vice president of youth programs, at a recent Play Ball event at MLB's Urban Youth Academy in Compton. "It's just getting kids out there and playing ball in its simplest form, letting them know that you don't need 18 players, an umpire or a field to engage in the game." It certainly worked on this day. After Puig and Turner posed for pictures, took selfies and signed autographs, each boy and girl received their own plastic bat and ball, a Dodgers hat and tickets to the May 23 game against the Reds. Within minutes, the kids had removed the packaging from the bats and balls and spread out along the sand to play their own games. LA TIMES Dodgers mailbag: Will Trayce Thompson stick with the team all season? By Andy McCullough The Dodgers are 20-18. That translates to an 85-win pace over the course of the season, which is below the team s expectations for 2016. But the team went 4-3 last week against a pair of competent teams,

the Mets and the Cardinals, and the schedule calls for seven this week against the Angels and the Padres. As always, there is plenty to discuss. As always, you can send me questions on Twitter @McCulloughTimes. Let s do this. Andy McCullough @McCulloughTimes Do you have Dodgers questions for the mailbag? Ask away. I might even answer them. Nick Gatti @_itsnickgatti @McCulloughTimes what are the chances Trayce stays on the 25 man roster for the rest of the year. The Dodgers had a decent week. Trayce Thompson had a great week. He hit a two-run homer on May 9. He hit a walkoff homer as a pinch hitter on Tuesday. Two days later, he contributed a walk and a tworun single. Manager Dave Roberts is still wary about playing Thompson on a regular basis, so Thompson operates as part of the roving band of spare parts (Carl Crawford, Howie Kendrick, Enrique Hernandez) used to fill the void in left field created by injuries to Andre Ethier and Scott Van Slyke. But Van Slyke is getting closer to a rehabilitation assignment, and fans are terrified. Will Thompson get sent down when Van Slyke returns? It s a reasonable fear, since Thompson entered this spring looking like he was bound for the minors. Only a slew of injuries forced him onto the roster. But Thompson has played well enough that a demotion, frankly, does not make sense. It is always folly to predict a roster move. So much can change in a week. Two weeks is a lifetime. But if Thompson continues to perform, I would be stunned if he gets optioned. The Dodgers have plenty of other choices. They could send backup infielder Charlie Culberson to the minors. Crawford could turn up with an injury. Or, if the club is in the business of hard choices, it could send Hernandez to Oklahoma City. Hernandez is hitless in the month of May. He has never hit right-handed pitchers at the major-league level, and since his one-game decimation of Madison Bumgarner in April, he has a.249 on-base plus slugging percentage. Overall, he has a.603 OPS, which pales in comparison to Thompson s.837 mark. Hernandez still provides plenty of value with his utility. He can play shortstop, second base and third base. But both second and third are occupied, with Chase Utley, Howie Kendrick and Justin Turner soaking up playing time. And Culberson can handle shortstop. With Hernandez slumping, a stint to boost his confidence in the minors may not be the worst solution to the team s roster crunch. He is certainly more deserving of a demotion than Thompson. Andy McCullough @McCulloughTimes Do you have Dodgers questions for the mailbag? Ask away. I might even answer them. Patrick Rodriguez @P_Rod29 @McCulloughTimes any chance Dodgers start to let Seager and Joc bat against more left handed pitchers?

Well, Corey Seager plays almost every day. He has been given some days off this season against certain tough left-handed pitchers because the Dodgers do not want him to play 162 games. But he still sees plenty of at-bats against lefties. As for Joc Pederson, given the current roster construction, I doubt he ll start facing more left-handed starters in the coming weeks. The team wants to keep Hernandez and Thompson fresh, and both may give the club better at-bats against lefties than Pederson. Some in the organization also worry that by allowing Pederson to struggle against lefties, that may affect his performance against righties. And he has been crushing right-handed pitchers this season, with his.859 on-base plus slugging percentage leading the team. Andy McCullough @McCulloughTimes Do you have Dodgers questions for the mailbag? Ask away. I might even answer them. alan s @Sarp7x @McCulloughTimes any chance they revisit a trade for a true #2 Starting pitcher? Yes, there is a strong chance the Dodgers revisit a trade. I expect them to make a heavy pursuit of Oakland starter Sonny Gray when he becomes available this summer. Will they get him? Who knows? But if they do, Andrew Friedman gets to soak Dylan Hernandez in a dunk tank. You know what I m rooting for. Andy McCullough @McCulloughTimes Do you have Dodgers questions for the mailbag? Ask away. I might even answer them. Owen @owenmain @McCulloughTimes people been talking about urias but what you think about de Leon getting some spot starts sooner than later? I do not think it will happen sooner. That s for sure. The team has given Jose De Leon the past two weeks off to rest his arm after he made his 2016 debut for triple-a Oklahoma City on May 3. De Leon reported some soreness after that outing, so the team has backed him off. On Sunday, he was not listed on the OKC Dodgers pitching schedule for the next five days. And considering Julio Urias 22-inning streak without allowing a run, he s going to keep knocking on the door. The Dodgers might have to answer. Andy McCullough @McCulloughTimes Do you have #Dodgers mailbag questions? Last chance to dance. Andy Fraudman @OccupyDodgers @McCulloughTimes who gets canned when this team finishes.500 and sputters to the end of the line? 9:13 AM - 14 May 2016 Los Angeles, CA, United States You sound optimistic about the team s future! Andy McCullough @McCulloughTimes If you have questions about the Dodgers or something else for Monday's mailbag, ask away.

shelby steffen @Sdsteffen55 @McCulloughTimes is it a coincidence that you left and the royals start losing? Not if you believe in chaos theory. Andy McCullough @McCulloughTimes Do you have Dodgers questions for the mailbag? Ask away. I might even answer them. #NicoYourFriend @nicogervasoni @McCulloughTimes where is the best burrito you've had in your time in LA? I have not eaten a burrito yet since arriving in Los Angeles in January. I have had several excellent meals. I have enjoyed, in no particular order, the spicy fried chicken wings at OB Bear, the pork belly bowl at Chego and the pastrami sandwich at Langer s. My immersion into L.A. food culture has not more of a toe-dip than a full-on splash one downside of this job is you eat too many meals at the ballpark but I m looking forward to expanding my horizons as the year continues. Andy McCullough @McCulloughTimes Do you have Dodgers questions for the mailbag? Ask away. I might even answer them. R2-G2 @gthobday @McCulloughTimes are you more excited for Thursday touring or a new Taking Back Sunday album? Is Thursday actually touring? It seems like the band is just playing one show in Atlanta. If that s the case, I have to side with a new Taking Back Sunday record. I loved the self-titled reunion record, in part because I had missed John Nolan s voice within TBS s construct, and in part because some of those new songs ( Best Places to Be a Mom, This Is All Now ) just crushed. While disappointing at first, I learned to appreciate the charms of Happiness Is. It was a solid transition record into musical middle age. It isn t a young band by any stretch these days, and its fans aren t that young, either. I m 28 and I ve been listening to their music for 14 years. So it s nice to see the band translate their passion into songs for people with jobs and families and grown-up problems ( Better Homes and Gardens comes to mind). I m happy these guys can tolerate each other enough to keep making music, and I m happy I get to listen to it. Brynndyn @Bryn90 @McCulloughTimes should Eric Hosmer lose weight? Meat @SirDouglasCase @Bryn90 @McCulloughTimes is blink 182 with Matt Skiba the best thing ever? I would like to withhold judgment until I can hear the full record with Skiba. This is less a dig at Skiba and more a nod to just how great Tom DeLonge s contributions to the band were. I loved his goofy, nasal voice, and how the band could weaponize the contrast on songs like I Miss You. He also sang the lead of classics old ( Dysentery Gary, Mutt, Story of a Lonely Guy ) and new ( Ghost on The Dance Floor, When I Was Young ). So I m interested to see what the band does with Skiba, but I ll miss DeLonge. That weirdo was great.

Andy McCullough @McCulloughTimes Do you have Dodgers questions for the mailbag? Ask away. I might even answer them. Brandon Aspe @RealBrandonAspe @McCulloughTimes as a 29 year old man that is into emo music, what emo bands would you recommend? I am very excited about The Hotelier s new record Goodness, which comes out May 27. That should be tremendous. If you are looking for other relatively new bands, or at least bands that have released new music in the past year or so, I would recommend Pity Sex (a pitiable name, but a good band), Sorority Noise, Foxing and Better Off. Probably all of those bands would chafe at the emo label, but you get the drift. There s some good stuff in there. Dave Roberts loses a game of managerial chess, and Dodgers lose to the Cardinals, 5-2 By Andy McCullough The game of managerial chess unfolded in brisk fashion, one move forcing another, until both Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts and Mike Matheny, his St. Louis Cardinals counterpart, could meddle no longer. With two runners on in the seventh inning Sunday, control of a 1-1 game left the minds of the managers and entered the hands of the players. Joe Blanton stood on the mound for the Dodgers. Yadier Molina hunkered in the batter's box for the Cardinals. This, Roberts would insist later, was the matchup he desired. "I wanted to make the righty beat us," Roberts said. Molina, the aforementioned righty, did. Blanton threw a slider over the middle of the plate. Molina drove the baseball into left field. It rolled into the corner. Two runs scored, the deciding blow in a 5-2 Dodgers loss. After giving up three runs, Blanton will receive blame, but the offense was toothless for most of the evening. Only Corey Seager supplied production. He hit a pair of solo home runs. His teammates mustered three hits. The Dodgers (20-18) missed a chance at a sweep and failed to extend a winning streak to a season-high four games. The three-run rally by the Cardinals in the seventh ruined six innings of one-run baseball from starter Alex Wood. The trouble started when left-handed reliever J.P. Howell lunged for a grounder up the middle, rather than let it bounce toward his infielders. Howell deflected the ball but could not make a play, and Cardinals outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker had a one-out infield single. Howell does not study the infielders

behind him when he pitches, so he was unaware Seager was in position for an easy out, a fact he learned when he went into the dugout. 'They were like 'Man!'" Howell said. "I was like, 'Cool. That's cool. Great to hear. Would have been an out every way, except for what I just did.' So that's cool. Cool to hear." A ground out moved Hazelbaker to second base and activated the managers. Roberts could have allowed Howell, who entered the game with an 8.31 earned-run average, to face backup catcher Eric Fryer, a journeyman playing in only his 79th major league game. Fryer swings from the right side. Howell struggles to retire right-handed hitters. In came Blanton, which caused Matheny to counter. He sent up Brandon Moss, a left-handed hitter. Moss carried a.224 batting average to the plate, but he possessed intimidating power. He had already hit seven home runs in 2016. Roberts ordered Blanton to intentionally walk Moss. Back to Matheny: He removed pitcher Mike Leake, who had allowed one run in six innings, and sent up his regular catcher. Molina was hitting.371 against right-handed pitchers coming into Sunday. Molina entered the on-deck circle as Blanton walked Moss. Roberts trusted Blanton, who had held righthanded hitters to a.143 batting average and an.481 on-base-plus-slugging percentage this season. "He's faced numerous, great right-handed hitters," Roberts said. "And since he's gone to this role in the 'pen, he's dominated them. You look at this season, what he's done, he earned the right to pitch in the back end of the game. He's been great in these situations." But Molina doubled and Stephen Piscotty drove in another run with a single. Blanton gave up another run in the eighth, washing away the optimism created by Wood's third quality start in his last four outings. A few hours before the game, Wood lay on a clubhouse couch. A television screen above him showed a replay of the previous night's game, when Scott Kazmir carried the Dodgers into the ninth inning and provided a blueprint for how a left-handed pitcher could disarm the Cardinals. Wood found similar success. His only mistake was an elevated fastball in the third, which St. Louis third baseman Matt Carpenter bashed for a homer. Seager tied the score in the bottom of the inning with an opposite-field homer to left. Neither club manufactured much offense until the top of the sixth. Carpenter led off with a walk. Wood hit Piscotty in the foot with a curveball. Out in the bullpen, a pair of Dodgers relievers warmed up. Roberts left the dugout to confer with Wood. Waiting to bat was Matt Holliday, St. Louis' most accomplished hitter. A discussion ensued. "He was going to yank me," Wood said. "And I pretty much asked nicely to stay in. And he let me stay in." His faith was rewarded when Holliday grounded into a double play. Another ground out allowed Wood to escape.