Daily Clips

July 10, 2016

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

DAILY CLIPS

SUNDAY, JULY 10, 2016

LA TIMES: Reliever Adam Liberatore reaches milestone in Dodgers' 4-3 win over Padres- Andy McCullough

Dodgers prospect Julio Urias headed to bullpen in minor leagues- Andy McCullough

Once the All-Star Game is gone, the Padres go back to chanting, 'Beat L.A.' How do they plan to do that?- Bill Shaikin

Dodgers need to trade for another ace, which they failed to do last year- Bill Plaschke

OC REGISTER: Dodgers bullpen shuts down Padres in 4-3 victory- Bill Plunkett

Dodgers lineups: Injured left-hander Alex Wood 'progressing pretty well'- Joey Kaufman

Hoffarth: Booth has built strong bond between Boyd Robertson, Vin Scully- Tom Hoffarth

On deck: Padres at Dodgers, Sunday, 1 p.m.- Bill Plunkett

DODGERS.COM: Perfect 'pen helps McCarthy earn win No. 2- Ken Gurnick and Jack baer

Scoreless again, Liberatore sets Dodgers record- Ken Gurnick

Urias to get bullpen experience in Triple-A- Ken Gurnick

Cotton, Calhoun ready for Futures Game- Ken Gurnick

Maeda, Dodgers face Padres to close first half- Jack Baer

DODGER INSIDER:

Adam Liberatore sets Dodger record in victory- Jon Weisman

TRUEBLUELA.COM: Dodgers' busy bullpen strong yet again in win over Padres- Eric Stephen

Dodgers notes: Julio Urias to get relief work, Clayton Kershaw continues to throw- Eric Stephen

All-Star Rob Segedin hits 3 home runs in Oklahoma City doubleheader sweep- Eric Stephen

Yasmani Grandal, Joc Pederson have more extra-base hits than singles- Eric Stephen

ESPN LA: Dodgers bullpen now delivering more than just victories- Doug Padilla

Dodgers set to make new entry in Julio Urias' pitching résumé- Doug Padilla

McCarthy makes it 2 in row off major surgery, Dodgers top SD- Associated Press

NBC LA:

Who Let The Dogs Out? Dodgers Hold on to Beat Padres 4-3- Michael Duarte

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

SUNDAY, JULY 10, 2016

LA TIMES

Reliever Adam Liberatore reaches milestone in Dodgers' 4-3 win over Padres By Andy McCullough The milestone caught Adam Liberatore by surprise. He looked up midway through the eighth inning of a 4-3 victory over San Diego and saw Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts walking toward the mound. “Congrats,” Roberts told Liberatore as he removed him from the game. “I didn’t know what he was talking about,” Liberatore said. “It seemed like a really weird thing to say in that situation. I’m getting pulled, and the guy is saying ‘Congrats.’ I’m like ‘What?’” The bewilderment was a fitting emotion for Liberatore, an unheralded pillar of this unheralded Dodgers bullpen. With a pair of strikeouts on Saturday, he set a franchise record with 24 consecutive scoreless appearances. He surpassed a mark set by John Candelaria in 1991. For the Dodgers (50-40), the victory fit a draining but effective pattern. Operating with scant command, starter Brandon McCarthy supplied only five innings. Liberatore and four other relievers combined for the final 12 outs. Kenley Jansen notched his 26th save of the season. Roberts and the Dodgers front office understand the formula is far from ideal. The unreliability of the starting rotation has placed an extra burden on the relief corps. Until Clayton Kershaw returns from the disabled list, or until the team secures more pitching before the Aug. 1 trade deadline, this strategy will have to do. “Everybody sees it, how much they need us, and the way we take care of business,” Jansen said. “I think they all appreciate what we do.” The bullpen held a lead captured in the fifth inning after a productive slide by Justin Turner. He broke up a double play, which caused Padres shortstop Alexei Ramirez to throw away the baseball. Adrian Gonzalez hit a two-out, RBI double in the first. Howie Kendrick smacked a two-run double in the fourth. McCarthy struck out six across his uneven outing. He was making his second major league start since undergoing Tommy John surgery last April. He understood, even before the game started, he would be climbing uphill. He had no feel for the baseball, and “it felt like I might have been throwing a football.” “Usually if you’re not good in the ‘pen, it doesn’t mean anything,” McCarthy said. “Today, I was bad in the ‘pen, and I felt like ‘Oh, boy. I don’t know how I’m going to get this back.’” He extended the Padres an early lead. He walked the first batter of the game, outfielder Travis Jankowski, on four pitches. He secured two outs before third baseman Yangervis Solarte turned on a 93-mph fastball. Off the bat, the ball kept climbing, until it cleared the fence in right.

“He really didn’t have command of much today, as far as any time of consistency or rhythm,” Roberts said. McCarthy did not give up another hit until the fifth. By then, his teammates had gotten to Padres starter Luis Perdomo. San Diego acquired Perdomo as a Rule 5 selection in December. He had never pitched above Class A during five seasons in St. Louis’ organization. To avoid returning Perdomo, a 23-year-old right-hander, the Padres attempted to hide him in the bullpen for the majority of 2016. A slew of injuries forced him into their rotation. Perdomo hauled a 7.93 earned-run average to the mound with him Saturday. He lasted six innings, which actually lowered his ERA. McCarthy would not last beyond the fifth. He gave up a leadoff double to Ramirez, who ripped a 93-mph fastball into left field and advanced to second without fear of Kendrick’s arm. Jankowski tied the game with a single into center. In between innings, McCarthy was asked how he felt. “I think I’m fine,” he told them. “But I can’t tell.” McCarthy had thrown 77 pitches, but Roberts indicated the decision to activate the bullpen was unrelated to a pitch count. “I wanted to do everything I can to give us the best chance to win that game today,” he said. “When I see that there’s no command . . .” So the phone rang in the bullpen in the left-field corner of the ballpark. Casey Fien threw a scoreless inning. Chris Hatcher picked up two outs. Liberatore arrived for the final out of the seventh. He struck out pinch-hitter Brett Wallace with a chest-high slider. Liberatore rested in between innings and faced one more batter. In a seven-pitch duel, he recorded another punchout when Jankowski declined to swing at a changeup over the middle. From the dugout strolled Roberts, ready to congratulate Liberatore for a milestone he did not know he had reached. In all likelihood, Liberatore will be asked to extend his record on Sunday. And, again and again, after the All-Star break. Like the rest of the bullpen, he will be taxed. “They call down and tell us to get ready, and we get ready to go in,” Liberatore said. “It’s not like we’re like, ‘We’re going to take over the game.’ But when they call down to put us in, we go in and try to do the best we can.” Dodgers prospect Julio Urias headed to bullpen in minor leagues By Andy McCullough

To curtail the innings of Dodgers prospect Julio Urias and expand his versatility for later in the season, the team will assign him a role pitching out of the bullpen for triple-A Oklahoma City. Urias also will make some starts, Manager Dave Roberts said, but the team will administer strict pitch counts to those outings. The more intriguing aspect of Urias’ assignment — which is still being developed by the organization’s player-development staff, Roberts said — is a relief apprenticeship. The Dodgers want Urias to know the quirks of bullpen life, like how to warm up on short notice and perform in short bursts, in case the organization needs him in the bullpen this year. “It makes sense,” Roberts said before Saturday’s game against the Padres. “It’s something that he wants. He feels comfortable. We, as an organization, do [too].” The Dodgers optioned Urias, a 19-year-old left-hander, to the minors this week after he made eight starts for the big league club. He struck out 44 batters in 36 1/3 innings, but posted a 4.95 earned-run average. He has thrown 77 1/3 innings this season and has never thrown more than 87 2/3 innings in a season. Roberts suggested the possibility of using Urias as a reliever is a real one. “At some point, it is an option,” Roberts said. “And it’s all contingent on starting pitching. If we need a starting pitcher, that changes things as well.” But the Dodgers maintain confidence about several pitchers returning from injury by next month. The team has yet to reveal a timetable for Clayton Kershaw (herniated disk), but he played catch again on Saturday, expanding to 120 feet. Both Brett Anderson (back surgery) and Alex Wood (elbow impingement) have graduated to throwing bullpen sessions. Roberts expects Anderson to return by mid-August, and Wood could arrive at a similar time. Once the All-Star Game is gone, the Padres go back to chanting, 'Beat L.A.' How do they plan to do that? By Bill Shaikin They were glory days, everywhere besides the standings, and not so long ago. In one of his final acts as commissioner, Bud Selig rewarded the San Diego Padres with the 2016 All-Star Game. The Padres had shrugged off their small-market shackles. Matt Kemp, Wil Myers and Justin Upton had landed in town the previous month. James Shields would arrive the next month, followed soon thereafter by Craig Kimbrel. In between, on a January morning last year, the Padres got the All-Star Game. “San Diego is one of America’s most beautiful cities,” Selig said in a statement, “and showcasing Petco Park in its thriving downtown will be a remarkable opportunity for the Padres.”

The All-Star Game is Tuesday. The city remains beautiful, as does the ballpark. The team, not so much. Upton, Shields and Kimbrel are gone. The Padres are fighting to stay out of last place in the National League West, and attendance is down, even with the lure of the All-Star Game. The team has shuffled through three ownership groups and four general managers since its last postseason appearance in 2006, and the current managing partner is brutally honest about what he says he tells fans wondering when the Padres might return to the playoffs. “We look ’em in the eye,” Peter Seidler said, “and say, ‘2019 is probably the earliest you can see this strategy working.’ ” The strategy is sound, and we’ll get back to it. But Seidler is the nephew of legendary Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley, and therein lies a curious tangent to the Padres’ uncomfortable season. Under the O’Malley family, the Dodgers put a good product on the field every year at a fair price. On the rare occasion that fans heard from the owner, the words always were dignified. Seidler is his own man. He says he does not consult with O’Malley about how to run the Padres. “He still has a little bit of conflict,” Seidler said. “We’ll talk baseball in general. More than anything else, it’s the personal side. He’s a great uncle. He’s a great friend. He’s a special person. “In fairness to him, the strategy and the really significant stuff that goes on with the Padres goes on within this room.” The room in which we are sitting is the Petco Park office of Ron Fowler, the Padres’ executive chairman. Fowler led the local investor group that partnered with Seidler, his brother and his nephews on the winning bid for the Padres four years ago. Fowler attracted national attention with an emotional radio interview last month. After the Padres had lost seven of eight games — the last, 16-4 — he blasted the team as “miserable failures” and singled out Shields, who had just given up 10 runs in 2 2/3 innings, for a performance that was “an embarrassment to the team, an embarrassment to him.” Fowler appeared to be particularly incensed by Shields’ postgame comments, even though the pitcher had acknowledged that he “did not do my job.” “It happens to everybody. … I’m not one to dwell on my games, whether I do good or bad,” Shields told reporters then. “I just move on to the next game and try to help my team win ballgames.” Said Fowler: “Do I stand by everything I said? Yeah. The reason I was upset with our pitcher at the time was he had sloughed off what he had done. “He makes over 10 times more per start than the average family income of San Diego. He didn’t say … ‘I was terrible’ or whatever. Just admit it and move on.” There are times, Seidler said, when fans need to hear that an owner is just as frustrated as they are. That might be, but a primal scream does not right a franchise, and it is more important for fans to hear how an owner proposes to turn a losing team into a winning one.

Angels owner Arte Moreno has declined interviews this season. Seidler and Fowler, however, are not shy about sharing the Padres’ plan. “We took a little bit of a ‘Let’s jump off the deep end’ last year,” Seidler said, “but it was not at the expense of what our strategy was heading into this year.” The Padres knew all along, he said, that this would be the year to strike in the international market. So many big-money teams already had in previous years — the Dodgers, Angels, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees among them — that they were severely restricted in international spending this year. When Seidler and Fowler hired General Manager A.J. Preller two years ago, they took particular note of his expertise in finding talent in Latin America and around the world. The Padres outspent every other major league team on international amateurs this year. They have signed four of the top seven prospects and 18 in all, according to Baseball America. The cost, including baseball’s tax: about $60 million. “In the context of baseball, it’s two years of Zack Greinke,” Seidler said. “It’s two years of Clayton Kershaw. For us, we get 20 high-ceiling teenagers. Most of them ultimately are not going to make it to Petco Park. But if four or five of them are impact players at Petco?” That would be fortunate. The Dodgers have signed what seems like half of Cuba, and so far, only Yasiel Puig has panned out. “That’s our strategic decision,” Seidler said. “In our judgment, in this calendar year, it’s the smartest place to spend money.” The Padres also had six of the first 85 draft picks this year, with a cost of about $13 million to sign their draft class. That’s close to $75 million in signing bonuses for amateurs this year — not much less than what the Padres are spending on salaries for major leaguers. As Seidler noted, the payoff might not come until 2019, or 2020. “One of the things we just can’t do is tank,” Seidler said. “Fundamentally, I think it’s bad for the game. This is competition at the highest level. It turns my stomach to think we would do that.” They’ll do what they can to remain competitive, but not at the expense of player development. They love All-Star pitcher Drew Pomeranz, 27, but they would not rule out trading him. However, Fowler said, the Padres would like to discuss a contract extension with Myers, 25, their other representative in the All-Star Game. “He’s the type of guy we want to build this team around,” Fowler said. “He’s not going to be traded,” Seidler said. The Padres have three triple-A players set for Sunday’s Futures Game — outfielders Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe and infielder Carlos Asuaje. Catcher Austin Hedges is ready for the majors too. The long, slow march toward 2019 starts with those players.

“This franchise has never had a player from the Dominican Republic do anything close to significant,” Seidler said. “This franchise’s history in the amateur draft — as far as having impactful players play for the Padres in the major leagues — is probably as bad as it gets. “We have confidence that what we are building is going to completely reverse that.” The Padres are going to have to reverse that, if they are to have any hope of keeping up with the Dodgers. “The way we’re building this business is really straightforward,” Seidler said. “It’s all about building a core of high-ceiling, home-grown talent. That does go back to the way the best sports franchises in any of the major sports have always been run.” He cited the San Francisco Giants, and the St. Louis Cardinals, and even the Golden State Warriors. He did not cite the team with 16 rookie-of-the-year awards, twice as many as any other club in the majors. That team is the one his uncle used to run. “When our fans chant, ‘Beat L.A.,’ ” Seidler said, “I’m as loud as anybody in the ballpark doing it.” Dodgers need to trade for another ace, which they failed to do last year By Bill Plaschke A barking line of dogs paraded through the Dodger Stadium field before Saturday’s game, but the upcoming midseason break is an entirely different animal. It feels like groundhog day. The Dodgers are in the same needy spot as last July. A playoff team that needs starting pitching. Only a handful of games behind the best teams in baseball, but at least one strong arm away from a competitive autumn. It’s just like last season, only minus Clayton Kershaw for a least a month and Zack Greinke for at least forever. It’s groundhog day, only more desperate, which means it’s even more ominous, because everyone knows what happened last year. Nothing happened. Cole Hamels didn’t happen. Johnny Cueto didn’t happen. David Price didn’t happen. Hoping to protect the organization’s top prospects, baseball boss Andrew Friedman bypassed the available stars and chose instead to build a cheap and rickety bridge to October. That bridge eventually collapsed under the weight of Mat Latos and Alex Wood, leaving the team in another pile of smoldering playoff dust.

Think the Dodgers could have used Hamels? Since being acquired by the Texas Rangers at last year’s deadline, Hamels is 16-3 with a 3.41 earned-run average while leading the Rangers to the best record in the American League. Maybe the Dodgers needed Cueto? Since last year’s trading deadline, even though he struggled during the regular season in Kansas City, he’s a combined 17-8 with a 3.34 ERA while winning a World Series game with the Royals and leading the San Francisco Giants to the best record in baseball. How about David Price, would that have worked? He was traded to Toronto, ended up in Boston, and during that time is 17-7 with a 3.73 ERA. So here we are again, and Dodgers fans can only hope that, in his second season, Friedman has a better understanding of this market’s win-now mandate and can use his giant brain trust — the Dodgers have more “general managers” than bench players — to figure out how to fill a hole that remains even deeper than ever. With Kershaw’s injury and Greinke’s absence, the Dodgers will not win a playoff series without a least one more veteran front-line starter, if not two. If it was true last year, it’s absolutely true this year, placing serious pressure on Friedman to throw what would be the biggest pitch of the season. And, no, don’t buy the recent spin out of Chavez Ravine that Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy are the answer. Having witnessed each of their most recent starts, the guess here is that their full recoveries from shoulder and elbow surgeries won’t happen until next season. On Thursday, in his first game since the end of the 2014 season, Ryu struggled with his velocity in allowing the San Diego Padres six runs in 4 2/3 innings. The Dodgers said they loved his peformance, although observers weren’t exactly sure why. On Saturday, in his second start after sitting out more than a year because of elbow ligament-replacement surgery, McCarthy allowed the Padres three runs in five innings and was pulled after 77 pitches in the Dodgers’ 4-3 victory. The ticket-holding dogs who filled the pavilion as part of the “Pups at the Park’’ promotion had barely been ordered to “sit’’ before McCarthy allowed a first-inning walk to Travis Jankowski and a two-run homer to Yangervis Solarte. Then, as soon as the Dodgers took a 3-2 lead in the fourth, McCarthy gave it back in the fifth by allowing a couple of hits featuring a soft run-scoring single to center by Jankowski. “Today I felt like I was throwing a football,’’ said McCarthy, who broke enough tackles to get the win after the Dodgers took the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Added Manager Dave Roberts: “He really didn’t have command of much today. To expect him to be sharp as he hits the ground running is unfair.’’ Unfair for McCarthy, unfair for Ryu, and unfair to the Dodgers relievers. The early exit by McCarthy meant that the Dodgers haven’t had a seven-inning outing from a starter not named Kershaw since May 14, and are without a seven-inning outing from Kershaw since June 20.

Enter the bullpen, which has been brilliant, but which is also been increasingly overworked. The once-maligned group began the day leading the National League relievers with a 2.89 ERA and an amazing .199 batting average by opponents. But the Dodgers relievers also ranked sixth in the league with 293 innings, one of only two teams in the top six with a winning record. They have pitched in nearly 50 more innings than the bullpen of the division-leading Giants. “You do see the innings start to accumulate, you take the first half to the second half, that’s a lot of innings,’’ said Roberts. Roberts said he feels that if the team’s starters were all healthy and at at full speed, the team wouldn’t need another starter, but that’s not going to be the case. Ryu and McCarthy won’t be truly back until next year. The Dodgers need somebody, or somebodies, now. “This is not a group of five horses that are healthy and happy and have been here all year,’’ McCarthy said. “It’s guys that are kind of, it’s a real hodgepodge.’’ This year’s trading deadline was pushed back to Aug. 1 so it doesn’t occur on a busy Sunday. This means Friedman will be working on an extra day’s rest, and here’s hoping he uses it. The Dodgers need another ace, all right, and it needs to be him.

OC REGISTER

Dodgers bullpen shuts down Padres in 4-3 victory By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES – For the Dodgers’ bullpen, every day is a barn-raising in Amish country – everyone shows up to work and they usually start early. Five relievers combined to retire all 12 batters they faced, turning in four scoreless innings to make a one-run lead hold up in a 4-3 victory over the San Diego Padres on Saturday afternoon. Dodgers relievers have thrown 47 innings over the past 10 games, only one fewer than the starting pitchers in that time, 73 over the past 18 games and 297 innings this season. Only two teams with winning records have asked more from their bullpen (the Orioles and Pirates) – and only the gold-standard Kansas City Royals bullpen has a lower ERA than the 2.85 sported by the Dodgers’ relief corps. “I don’t want to go there,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said when asked where his team would be without the efforts of the bullpen. “I know I've asked a lot of them. But to a man, they have responded.” Left-hander Adam Liberatore was the middle man in Saturday’s five-man relief relay. He struck out both batters he faced – and was congratulated by Roberts and catcher Yasmani Grandal as he was pulled from the game which confused Liberatore. “That seemed like a really weird thing to say in that situation,” Liberatore said. “Being pulled from the game and they’re saying, ‘Congrats.’”

They were congratulating Liberatore on his 24th consecutive scoreless appearance, a Dodgers franchise record (surpassing John Candelaria’s 23 consecutive scoreless appearances in 1991). Liberatore has been charged with a run in just one of his 38 appearances this season, allowing 15 hits and striking out 33 of the 112 batters he has faced. “I just get ready to go every day,” Liberatore said. “I’ve had a lot of people ask me what I’m doing. But I really just try to keep it simple and be ready to go whenever they give me the ball.” Roberts might be getting tendinitis in his elbow from taking the ball away from starting pitchers and handing it to relievers. In his second start since returning from Tommy John surgery, Brandon McCarthy went just five innings against the Padres. It was the seventh consecutive game, 12th time in the past 17 and 39th time this season that a Dodgers starter lasted five innings or less. “I know all of us would like to get deeper into games. It’s something you want,” said McCarthy who was pulled after 77 pitches. “It’s a lot of guys dealing with a lot of different situations. So it’s not a group of five horses (in the rotation) that are healthy and happy and have been here all year. It’s guys where it’s a little bit of a hodgepodge. “It’s on us, all of us, to get a little deeper into games. The bullpen’s been outstanding picking us up. But we, in the second half, need to do our share to take some of the load off them.” McCarthy gave up a two-run home run to Yangervis Solarte in the first inning and said he felt “very different from the first time out” when he pitched five scoreless innings. “I talked to a lot of guys who have come back from this (surgery) and they said there are days where it’s just not there,” McCarthy said. “Your command’s gone. The baseball feels foreign. That was very much the case today. I’m glad I was able to get through it and hand a decent game off to the bullpen.” He was able to hand off a 4-3 lead thanks to an RBI double by Adrian Gonzalez in the first inning, a two-run double by Howie Kendrick in the fourth and a defensive blunder by the Padres in the bottom of the fifth. After singles by Corey Seager and Justin Turner, Gonzalez bounced a ground ball to Padres second baseman Ryan Schimpf. Schimpf tossed to Ramirez for the force out at second but Ramirez’s throw to first base was in the dirt. Gonzalez was safe and Seager scored the go-ahead run on the throwing error. The relief relay began from there. Casey Fien, Chris Hatcher, Liberatore, Joe Blanton and Kenley Jansen retired the final 12 Padres batters in order over the last four innings, striking out eight of them. “It's all hands on deck,” Roberts said. “Like I said, I do ask for a little bit more from these guys and they've always given it.” Dodgers lineups: Injured left-hander Alex Wood 'progressing pretty well' By Joey Kaufman

LOS ANGELES -- In the last week, the Dodgers added two arms to their pitching rotation with Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu. They could bring back another pair in the next month with Alex Wood and Brett Anderson. Wood (elbow impingement) has recently thrown a couple bullpen sessions and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Saturday that the left-hander’s progression was “really close” with Anderson, who is expected to return in August. Anderson has not pitched this season after he underwent back surgery in February. Before he was shelved in May, Wood had made 10 starts, going 1-4 with a 3.99 ERA. Roberts did not offer a specific timetable for his return, but said “we’re pretty optimistic. He’s progressing pretty well.” Hoffarth: Booth has built strong bond between Boyd Robertson, Vin Scully By Tom Hoffarth It’s been a 28-year give-and-take relationship that Boyd Robertson and Vin Scully have going on here. It’s also a given that neither of them take it for granted. Much of it works without a word spoken. At least, on Robertson’s part. Between hand signals, index cards, spotting boards or just a knowing nod, you’ll find Robertson, as the stage manager positioned to Scully’s right and with his left ear always open on his headset as he sits in the SportsNet LA TV booth on the Dodger Stadium club level. There is no disputing he has been the play-by-play legend’s self-appointed information middleman/security blanket/work wife/gatekeeper/sidekick for every situation imaginable, before, during and after a contest since the two of them were paired up for the 1989 season opener in Cincinnati. No matter how many times a Dodgers local broadcast has changed hands and new rights holders have considered changing things up – from KTTV/11 in the late ’80s when Robertson first came on to KTLA/5, from the original Prime Ticket to the recent SportsNet LA – Scully’s request is that Robertson be part of the package deal. Wish granted. To think that at 63 years old, and already mapping out some retirement plans having also logged a dozen years as a stage manager for the Lakers’ Chick Hearn and more of them on major events at ABC for Jim McKay, Keith Jackson and the “Monday Night Football” crew of Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford and Don Meredith, Robertson wasn’t even alive when Scully started his broadcasting career with the franchise.

“This is the pinnacle of my professional life,” said Robertson, a varsity golfer at Southeastern Oklahoma State who came West in the early 1980s, moving to Burbank to get into the TV business. “I’ve always been down on the food chain. I like to be part of a team. That’s where I belong. But with Vin, it’s the best.” Managing Scully’s time Every home game this season, especially, reinforces that heart-felt feeling for Robertson. Because of his responsibilities in the booth as the liaison from the TV truck and Scully, Robertson has become part of the daily dance that takes place upon Scully’s arrival usually at about 3:30 p.m. for a 7:10 p.m. game. As visitors come by his booth to share a moment with Scully, both arranged ahead of time or by spur of the moment, Robertson can go into a natural protective mode. “It’s really all about keeping things the way he wants it, and adjusting to him whatever he needs,” said Robertson, who drives in from Lake Forest and often carpools with his 28-year-old daughter, Darcy, an Irvine resident who works as an EVS operator on the in-house DodgerVision team. “At the same time, we all know he tries to make time for as many people as possible. It’s just a matter of knowing his schedule, review notes, knowing when we have to have him on camera for the openings, get stat packages ready, all those things that go into it.” That’s also where Rob Menschel, the camera operator to Robertson’s right who also arranges the lighting for Scully’s on-camera appearances, statistician Brian Hagen and audio specialist Dave Wolcott come in. Menschel, who occasionally produces Dodgers telecasts, has logged 25 seasons on Team Scully. While manning his camera, he’ll often flip open his laptop to track down a note that Scully may be interested in and hands it to Robertson. Hagen has been there another 10 years, feeding numbers to Robertson, who then slips them across the table for Scully’s consideration. If the 88-year-old Hall of Famer is the last Major League Baseball broadcaster to call a game without an analyst, it’s not as if he’s all by himself. “All of them mean so much to me,” Scully says. “I think if I were there all alone, I wouldn’t have half the stuff I’m able to rely on because, well, I just can’t do it. “Sometimes I’ll be talking and miss something that Boyd sees – a pitcher in the bullpen warming up, a pinch runner comes in. Sometimes, I’ll be writing a play down in the scorebook, and could miss a decision that a play will be reviewed, and Boyd will have it. “It’s a constant source to prop me up. They can anticipate me and I can rely on them. Their personalities are wonderful, they’re great to work with, they’re constantly working, we have great respect for each other and best of all, as all these years got along, we’re good pals. I love all of them.” As time goes on Robertson can now laugh as he humbly recalls the first time he met Scully on the field at Riverfront Stadium before that Dodgers-Reds game, when Scully used to do pregame interviews in the dugout.

With a suit and tie on, Robertson addressed him as “Mr. Scully” out of respect and then told him his name. The immediate response after the handshake was: “If we’re going to work together, it’s Vin.” “Right away, I knew that I’d better be pretty good at this or I won’t be here long,” said Robertson, who found out almost immediately that wasn’t going to be true. During that same Dodgers-Reds series, Robertson realized that he gave a note to Scully that was used on the air and was incorrect. “I signal for him to take off the headset after he threw it to a commercial, and I said: ‘You know that information I gave you on the air? It’s wrong. I made the mistake and it’s my fault.’ “I thought that would be it for me. But Vin took this pause, and looked at me and finally said, ‘Well, welcome to the club.’ “That, to me, was a confidence thing that he wanted me to succeed. Out of that failure, I succeeded, I think. It’s come to a point where I wake up every morning and can’t believe I still get to do this. I take none of it for granted.” Work ethic rubs off If he can admit it took some years to finally get comfortable as the stage manager for Scully, Robertson says now that as far as the booth crew goes, “we all develop a rhythm off him, supporting him, and all feeding off each other.” Like passing notes in class without distracting from a teacher’s lesson, Robertson has the system down. As to whether Robertson has ever seen Scully have a so-called “bad day,” he honestly says: “I’m not sure what a bad day is with him. He’s always done his homework. Always professional and with energy. Maybe it comes from what he said he heard once from an old-time writer in New York: Only losers beef. And that rubs off on everyone. You don’t complain around him – after all, what can you complain about?” Maybe that, after all these years, things are about to change dramatically. Robertson can’t even be sure he’ll be around after this season depending on the needs of new play-by-play man Joe Davis. “We know it’s very different this year, and it’s supposed to be,” said Robertson. “We wish it could go on, but I remember all the times when we’d leave one channel at the end of the season, knowing we’d join another one, and Vin would always say, ‘Nothing lasts forever.’ “Well, this really is his year to say goodbye.” And on that note ... On deck: Padres at Dodgers, Sunday, 1 p.m. By Bill Plunkett

Where: Dodger Stadium TV: SNLA Did you know? In his first season with the Dodgers, Kenta Maeda has gone 5-1 with a 2.62 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in eight starts on the road, 2-5 with a 3.46 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in nine starts at Dodger Stadium. THE PITCHERS DODGERS RHP KENTA MAEDA (1-0, 0.00) Vs. Padres: 1-0, 3.27 ERA. At Dodger Stadium: 2-5, 3.46 ERA. Hates to face: Christian Bethancourt, 1 for 2 (.500) Loves to face: Derek Norris/Alexei Ramirez, 0 for 2 PADRES LHP CHRISTIAN FRIEDRICH (4-4, 4.42) Vs. Dodgers: 0-0, 7.84 ERA At Dodger Stadium: 0-0, 2.08 ERA. Hates to face: Yasmani Grandal, 3 for 5 (.600), 1 double, 1 home run Loves to face: Scott Van Slyke, 0 for 1, 1 strikeout

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Perfect 'pen helps McCarthy earn win No. 2 By Ken Gurnick and Jack baer LOS ANGELES -- Brandon McCarthy won his second consecutive start after returning from Tommy John surgery, with the Dodgers bullpen finishing off the final four spotless innings of a three-hitter and a 4-3 win over the Padres on Saturday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. "It felt very weird and it was a struggle, but at least I'm happy to get through five [innings], keep the game close and give the offense and bullpen a chance to win it," said McCarthy, who had surgery April 29 of last year. The Dodgers broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning when Justin Turner disrupted a potential double-play with his slide into second base, causing San Diego shortstop Alexei Ramirez to make an errant throw to first base that allowed Corey Seager to score from second. San Diego challenged that the slide was illegal, but the original call was confirmed. "It's a very difficult rule to ascertain how they're going to call it," Padres manager Andy Green said. "I frankly feel like I've seen plays like that called violations. ... It's a borderline flip of the coin for us." The Padres jumped out to a first-inning lead with a two-run homer by Yangervis Solarte off McCarthy. The Dodgers scored an unearned run in the first on Adrian Gonzalez's RBI double and took a 3-2 lead in the fourth on Howie Kendrick's two-run double off Luis Perdomo. San Diego tied the game in the fifth on Travis Jankowski's RBI single. Dodgers starters have lasted five innings or fewer in 12 of the past 17 games, and no starter other than Clayton Kershaw has pitched as many as seven innings since May 14.

"I've asked a lot of them, but to a man they've responded," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of his relievers. "We're looking forward to getting to the break and resetting." McCarthy threw five scoreless innings in his debut six days earlier, but this time Roberts lifted him because he lacked the sharpness of the first start. "He'll remain in the rotation after the break, but today everything he threw he didn't have command of as far as consistency or rhythm," Roberts said. "Where he was at and what I saw, I just felt we can find four innings to keep those guys at bay. It wasn't a pitch-count thing for me, just the best chance of winning when I see there's no command." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Bullpen to the rescue again: With McCarthy limited to five innings again, Roberts turned to the bullpen with the lowest ERA in the league. Casey Fien, Chris Hatcher, Adam Liberatore, Joe Blanton and Kenley Jansen retired the final 12 batters, eight by strikeout. Liberatore struck out both batters he faced, and he set the franchise record with his 24th consecutive scoreless appearance. "What those guys have done in this spot is really special," said Roberts. "Those guys are prepared, they take care of themselves. I'm trying to keep track of their usage while trying to win baseball games." Solarte squares one up: Before he had even taken the mound, Perdomo was spotted an early lead when Solarte hit a home run to put the Padres up, 2-0. The homer was Solarte's eighth of the year and the first runs allowed by McCarthy since his return from the DL. "First pitch, he threw a sinker. The second one didn't move as much," Solarte said through an interpreter. " I was ready for that and I was just trying to make hard contact. I was looking for that pitch and he made it." Puig goes full-extension: Protecting a one-run lead in the seventh inning, Chris Hatcher was saved when Yasiel Puig made an incredible diving catch of Alexei Ramirez's sinking line drive to right field. Fair or foul: The slide rule wasn't the only ruling that Green chafed at. Perdomo was looking strong until the Dodgers' rally in the fourth inning, which brought Kendrick up with the bases loaded. Kendrick hit a hard grounder down the third-base line to score two, but the ball was close enough to the line for Green to think it might have been foul. He didn't challenge, but he did have an extended discussion with third-base umpire Gerry Davis. Solarte, who was playing third base, said after the game he thought it was foul, but said he understood that Davis had a different perspective. WHAT'S NEXT Padres: Christian Friedrich will take the mound at Dodger Stadium for a 1:10 p.m. PT game, trying to reverse some recent struggles as the Padres enter the All-Star break and San Diego prepares for the All-Star Game festivities. The southpaw has allowed at least four earned runs in his last four starts and lasted just 3 1/3 innings in his last time out against the Dodgers.

Dodgers: Kenta Maeda wraps up the first half with a start against San Diego. He is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in two starts against the Padres this year, but he's only 2-5 at Dodger Stadium and he is coming off a four-inning losing start at home against Baltimore, chased by a Manny Machado three-run homer. Scoreless again, Liberatore sets Dodgers record By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES -- When Saturday's 4-3 Dodgers win over the Padres ended, the FOX cameras rolled on Kenley Jansen, the All-Star who had just recorded his 26th save with a two-strikeout ninth inning. Meanwhile, in the clubhouse, Adam Liberatore was still trying to make sense of unknowingly becoming a franchise record-setter. He struck out two batters, manager Dave Roberts came to the mound to make a pitching change and catcher Yasmani Grandal turned to Liberatore and said: "Congratulations." "I didn't know what he meant, and it seemed like a really weird thing to say in that situation," said Liberatore. "I'm getting pulled and the guy says, 'Congratulations.'" Turns out Liberatore had just made his 24th consecutive scoreless appearance, breaking John Candelaria's record set in 1991. This on a franchise that had closers such as Eric Gagne and Ron Perranoski, and even Saturday saver Jansen, none of them doing what Liberatore accomplished. Clubhouse manager Mitch Poole had the baseball authenticated and presented it to Liberatore, which is as official as it gets. "I got the ball," said Liberatore. "It's pretty cool if it's true." It's true. So is the workhorse performance being turned in over most of the first half by the Dodgers' bullpen. With so many starting pitchers injured and so many replacements struggling to deliver the innings contending teams need from their rotations, the load has fallen on a bullpen that leads the league in ERA and has a 1.60 ERA through nine games of this homestand, averaging five innings per game. With Jansen getting the bulk of the attention, Liberatore (0.61 ERA) leads the bullpen in being underappreciated after supplanting J.P. Howell as the left-handed setup man. Joe Blanton (2.14 ERA) replaced Chris Hatcher as the right-handed setup. Casey Fien (2.49 ERA) was grabbed from Minnesota to join Pedro Baez, Louis Coleman, Howell and Hatcher. Fien, Hatcher, Liberatore, Blanton and Jansen picked up the final four perfect innings Saturday, retiring the last 12 batters, eight on strikeouts, with manager Dave Roberts pushing all the right buttons. "We've talked about closing out the first half strong, and it's all hands on deck," Roberts said. "I ask a little more from these guys. The [All-Star] break is coming at a good time. They're doing what they can. Sometimes guys have to pick each other up and that's what's happening." Along with Jansen, nobody is doing more than Liberatore. Like Jansen, a converted catcher, Liberatore has an unlikely story. He was mostly an outfielder in high school, became a pitcher in college, blew out

his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery, then was drafted in the 21st round by the Tampa Bay Rays and their boss, Andrew Friedman, who immediately traded for Liberatore and Joel Peralta after taking over the Dodgers. Peralta is gone, but Liberatore has become irreplaceable. "It hasn't been easy for me to get here," Liberatore said. "It was a long road for me to get to the big leagues and I don't take it for granted." Urias to get bullpen experience in Triple-A By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES -- Teenager Julio Urias will pitch in relief at Triple-A Oklahoma City and, likely, for the Dodgers later this year. The 19-year-old was rushed to the big leagues at the end of May because of injuries and he made eight starts for the Dodgers, going 1-2 with a 4.95 ERA. He was removed from the rotation and sent down after a 3 1/3-inning start on July 4. Urias has thrown 77 1/3 innings combined this year, three short of his total for 2015, which was interrupted by cosmetic eye surgery. His career high is 87 2/3 innings in '14, and the club wants to nurse him the rest of this season to avoid a significant workload jump that might increase the risk of injury. "We definitely want him to rest and kind of control his innings," said manager Dave Roberts. "The front office and development are collaborating. We're going to send him to Oklahoma City and keep him there. He will be out of the bullpen, but not exclusively. He'll also start, but we'll limit the pitch count and he'll also pitch out of the 'pen and assimilate to that. It only makes sense. It's something he wants and he feels comfortable about." Roberts said the club wants Urias to learn a quicker warmup while in the Minor Leagues and not try that conversion in the Major Leagues. He said Urias will not pitch on back-to-back days, at least initially. "At some point it is an option," Roberts said of Urias pitching out of the Dodgers' bullpen in the second half. "It's also contingent on the starting pitching. If we need a starting pitcher, that changes things as well." Roberts said a meeting would be held Saturday to line up the starting rotation coming out of the All-Star break. Cotton, Calhoun ready for Futures Game By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers' representatives in the 2016 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game might be in the big league club's not-too-distant future.

Jharel Cotton is a starting pitcher with the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, and he will be on the World Team. Willie Calhoun is an infielder with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, and he will be on the U.S. Team. "Jharel has continued to miss bats and throw strikes at the same rate he did in 2015 in Double-A," said director of player development Gabe Kapler. "He's controlling what he can control. "We're proud of the work JC is doing to prepare himself to compete every time out. He has not yet reached his ceiling. As Jharel commands his [fastball] more consistently, his [changeup] becomes even more devastating. Because of his especially strong work ethic, we believe in his ability to reach these heights." Calhoun, 21, was a fourth-round Draft pick in 2015 out of Yavapai College after also attending the University of Arizona. He is the No. 11 prospect in the organization, according to MLBPipeline.com. Calhoun has 17 home runs and 58 RBIs in 82 games as the Tulsa second baseman. "Most impressively, Willie has improved his strikeout rate from [Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga] last year, while still spitting on pitches he can't drive," said Kapler. "He is maintaining his power and consistently making hard, quality contact with the baseball. He's made great strides defensively and continues to display the characteristics of a great teammate. His confidence in the batter's box is second to none in our system." Cotton, 24, is from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and he was drafted in the 20th round out of East Carolina University in 2012 after playing two years at Miami Dade College. He was originally drafted by the Mets in the 28th round in '11, but he did not sign. Cotton is the No. 9 prospect in the organization, according to MLBPipeline.com, as he attempts to become the second big leaguer from his island after Al McBean. Cotton, at 5-11, is a smallish right-hander who is 7-4 with a 4.74 ERA at Oklahoma City. Cotton was added to the 40-man roster last November after jumping from Class A to Triple-A during the season and posting a 15-19 career record with a 3.41 ERA in four Minor League seasons. He was signed by scout Clair Rierson. Calhoun was originally drafted by Tampa Bay in the 17th round in 2013, but he did not sign. He was signed by Dodgers scout Dustin Yount, son of Hall of Famer Robin Yount. Maeda, Dodgers face Padres to close first half By Jack Baer The Padres and Dodgers will close out the first half of the season Sunday afternoon as Christian Friedrich and Kenta Maeda take the mound in a day game at Dodger Stadium. Friedrich has had a rough go of it in recent weeks, allowing at least four earned runs in his past four starts. The southpaw got off to a hot start to begin his season, posting a 2.12 ERA in his first five starts, but that's in the past as he tries to right the ship. The Dodgers might not be the best opponent to do that against, as he lasted just 3 1/3 innings against them earlier this year.

Maeda has been excellent in his first season in the Majors, holding a 3.07 ERA and tallying 8.8 K/9. However, he got knocked around in his last time out against the Orioles, lasting just four innings and allowing four runs on seven hits. That was a disappointing link in a chain of short starts for the Dodgers, who have gone seven straight games without the starting pitcher lasting more than five innings. Three things to know about this game • With a lefty pitching for the Padres, Trayce Thompson will likely start in center field for the first time in three games. The 25-year-old was a pleasant surprise for the Dodgers earlier this season, but he's hitting just .156 over the past four weeks. • The Padres have seen two Kenta Maedas this season: the one that shut them down in his MLB debut and the one that got knocked around in May to the tune of four earned runs in five innings. • Derek Norris couldn't have been blamed for sitting out a game after sustaining a right quad contusion in a collision with Chase Utley on Friday, but the catcher was back in the lineup Saturday. A start Sunday would be his fifth straight.

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Adam Liberatore sets Dodger record in victory By Jon Weisman On Pups in the Park Day at Dodger Stadium, Adam Liberatore struck out both batters he faced to set a Dodger record with his 24th consecutive scoreless appearance, helping preserve a 4-3 Dodger victory over San Diego. The 29-year-old Liberatore has thrown 18 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings during the streak, retiring 54 of 66 batters, 23 of them on strikeouts. Two of 14 baserunners he has inherited have scored, both harmlessly enough in Dodger victories. For the season, Liberatore has a 0.61 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 29 1/3 innings, with 33 strikeouts. Dating back to September 22, Liberatore has pitched 32 innings since he last allowed a home run. Starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy went five innings for the second time this week, throwing 77 pitches and striking out six with three hits (one home run) and three walks. The Dodger bullpen threw four more scoreless (and perfect) innings, giving them 44 innings in nine games on the homestand with a 1.64 ERA.

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Dodgers' busy bullpen strong yet again in win over Padres By Eric Stephen A throwing error on a sure double play ball allowed the Dodgers to score the go-ahead run, and the bullpen continued its Herculean effort to beat the Padres 4-3 on Saturday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers bullpen pitched four more scoreless innings on Saturday, lowering their ERA to 1.64 in a whopping 44 innings in nine games on this homestand, with 52 strikeouts against nine walks. That includes eight strikeouts in four perfect innings on Saturday by five different pitchers. It was a game of call and response early on. Yangervis Solarte hit a two-run home run in the first inning, then the Dodgers answered back with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame, with Adrian Gonzalez doubling home Chase Utley. Padres starter Luis Perdomo retired seven straight after that, but the Dodgers loaded the bases against him with nobody out in the fourth inning. Howie Kendrick hit a bouncing double down the third base line to cash in two runs and give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. Kendrick is hitting .303/.378/.545 with six extra-base hits in nine July games. San Diego answered right back with a run in the fifth, with Alexei Ramirez doubling off Brandon McCarthy to start the inning, then scoring on a bloop single to left center field by Travis Jankowski. McCarthy was pulled after the fifth inning and 77 pitches in his second start back from Tommy John surgery, with six strikeouts and three walks. It marked the seventh straight game the Dodgers didn't have a starter record an out in the sixth inning. The Dodgers were able to answer back in the sixth inning with back-to-back singles by Corey Seager and Justin Turner. That brought up Gonzalez, who grounded a 3-0 pitch into what should have been an easy double play, but Ramiirez at shortstop threw wildly to first, which not only allowed Gonzalez to reach base but also allowed Seager to score the go-ahead run. The Dodgers bullpen was tasked with an extended effort yet again, and they came through. Among the superlatives was Adam Liberatore, who struck out both batters he faced. It was the 24th consecutive scoreless appearance for the left-hander, breaking the record previously held by John Candelaria in 1991. Liberatore during his scoreless streak has allowed five hits and six walks, two of them intentional, and hit one batter, while striking out 23 in 18⅔ innings. Up next The Dodgers close out the unofficial first half and go for a series win on Sunday afternoon, sending Kenta Maeda to the mound. The Padres will throw left-hander Christian Friedrich in the finale. Saturday particulars Home run: Yangervis Solarte (8) WP - Brandon McCarthy (2-0): 5 IP, 3 hits, 3 runs, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts LP - Luis Perdomo (3-4): 6 IP, 9 hits, 4 runs (2 earned runs), 1 walk, 3 strikeouts Sv - Kenley Jansen (26): 1 IP, 2 strikeouts

Dodgers notes: Julio Urias to get relief work, Clayton Kershaw continues to throw By Eric Stephen ile the Dodgers roll out the same lineup on Saturday that scored 10 runs on Friday, including the main culprit Yasmani Grandal behind the plate against the Padres, here are some pregame notes about Julio Urias, Clayton Kershaw and others. Julio Urias, who was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, will pitch an inning in relief this weekend, manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Saturday, per J.P. Hoornstra of the LA Daily News. As Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register noted, the Dodgers haven't revealed their full plan but don't plan to completely shut down the left-hander, and using him in relief occasionally in the minors would get him used to the role. This makes sense should the Dodgers opt to use him in that manor in the majors in September or October. Urias is already at 77⅓ innings between the majors and minors combined in 2016, after throwing 80⅓ innings in 2015. He was never going to be able to start the entire season, and this current planned usage was something Andrew Friedman discussed when Urias was first called up in May. "He's not a guy whether it's in Triple-A or the major leagues can make a start every fifth day through the balance of the year," Friedman said in May. "You want to make sure he gets the range he wants, but you have to balance the 'right now' part of the season with potentially September as well, having as many capable arms as possible." In other Dodgers left-hander news, Clayton Kershaw threw on Saturday on the field at Dodger Stadium from 120 feet, described by Ken Gurnick of MLB.com "as hard as he usually would when healthy." Gurnick added that Kershaw later threw from 60 feet from a windup off flat ground. Other lefty news, in tweet form:

J.P. Hoornstra ✔ @jphoornstra Alex Wood has thrown a couple bullpen sessions. He and Brett Anderson are "really close" in terms of their progression, Dave Roberts said. Wood, sidelined with triceps tightness, last pitched on May 30 and is on the 60-day disabled list, His earliest possible activation date is July 30. Anderson, recovering from back surgery, is eligible to return whenever he is ready and built up.

J.P. Hoornstra ✔ @jphoornstra Andre Ethier still projected to return in early-to-mid-August. All-Star Rob Segedin hits 3 home runs in Oklahoma City doubleheader sweep By Eric Stephen

There were some strong offensive performances across the Dodgers minor league landscape on Saturday, plus one very wild inning in the Dominican Summer League and a pair of walk-offs, one good and one not so good. Player of the day Rob Segedin after Sunday will head to Charlotte for the Triple-A All-Star Game, between the Pacific Coast League and International League on Wednesday night. But he'll also participate in the Triple-A Home Run Derby on Monday night, and on Saturday got a nice head start on those efforts. Segedin homered and walked in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, then in the nightcap homered twice more and doubled, driving in three runs for Oklahoma City. On the day he drove in five runs, reached base five times in seven plate appearances, racked up 14 total bases, and stole a base for good measure. It has been a stellar first half for the 27-year-old third baseman, now hitting .306/.386/.584 on the season, with 16 home runs, 17 doubles, 53 RBI and 54 runs scored in 80 games in Triple-A. Triple-A Oklahoma City Behind Segedin and friends, Oklahoma City swept a doubleheader against the Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals), winning 5-1 and 9-4 in a pair of seven-inning contests. Zach Walters was also hot at the plate with five hits in the two games, including 4-for-4 with a home run and a double in Game 2. Ross Stripling needed 67 pitches to get through 3⅔ innings in Game 1, but only allowed a run while striking out three. Logan Bawcom allowed only one unearned run in five innings in Game 2 to earn the win, and also struck out three. Double-A Tulsa A six-run seventh inning spoiled what was shaping up to be a good night for Chase De Jong and the Drillers, who fell 7-6 to the Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros) on Saturday night. Kyle Garlick hit a three-run home run in the second inning that saw Tulsa grab a 6-0 lead, and De Jong entered the seventh inning up 6-1, allowing only three hits to that point. He even got the first two batters of the seventh before everything unraveled. Three straight singles loaded the bases, then a walk forced in a run and ended De Jong's night. Ralston Cash entered in relief then allowed an infield single deflected off his glove to make it 6-3, then allowed a two-run double to James Ramsay, compounded by the ball getting away from catcher Shawn Zarraga into the Drillers' dugout, allowing the tying and go-ahead runs to score. Class-A Rancho Cucamonga Andrew Sopko struck out seven in seven strong innings, but suffered the hard-luck loss, allowing three runs in a 3-2 loss to the High Desert Mavericks (Rangers) on Saturday night in Adelanto. Down a run, the Quakes loaded the bases with one out in both the eighth and ninth innings but couldn't score the equalizer. Catcher Garrett Kennedy homered for Rancho Cucamonga in defeat.

Class-A Great Lakes Third baseman Noah Perio had three hits, stole a base and scored the winning run in the Loons' 7-6 walk-off win over the Dayton Dragons (Reds) on Saturday night. Outfielder Luke Raley, the Dodgers' seventh-round draft pick this year, singled home Perio to win the game for Great Lakes, one of his two hits on the night. Second baseman Omar Estevez was 1-for-3 with a home run, extending his hitting streak to seven games. The 18-year-old Cuban import also walked for the fourth straight game. After struggling mightily in the first three months of the season, with 76 strikeouts against only 10 walks while hitting .206, he has been outstanding so far in July. This month he is 10-for-26 (.385) with two home runs, three doubles, four walks and three strikeouts in seven games. Rookie-level Ogden The Raptors got home runs from outfielder D.J. Peters, third baseman Jared Walker and designated hitter Jordan Paroubeck, but found themselves on the wrong end of a walk-off. Grand Junction (Rockies) scored twice in the ninth inning for a 6-5 win. Dominican Summer League It was a rough day for pitchers Juan Herrera and Raul Ascanio in the third inning on Saturday against the DSL Red Sox. The inning went like this: Walk, wild pitch, walk, passed ball, walk, hit by pitch, pitching change, walk, hit by pitch, strikeout, walk, ground out, wild pitch, walk, hit by pitch, out at home (presumably on another would-be wild pitch). That's how to give up six runs in an inning without a hit. Transactions Amazingly, none Saturday scores Game 1: Oklahoma City 5, Omaha 1 (7); Game 2: Oklahoma City 9, Omaha 4 (7) Corpus Christi 7, Tulsa 6 High Desert 3, Rancho Cucamonga 2 Great Lakes 7, Dayton 6 Grand Junction 6, Ogden 5 DSL Dodgers 6, DSL Cubs 5 DSL Red Sox 10, DSL Dodgers 0 Sunday schedule 10:05 a.m. PT: Omaha (Luke Farrell) at Oklahoma City (Trevor Oaks) 11:05 a.m.: Corpus Christi (Edison Frias) at Tulsa (Tim Shibuya) 11:05 a.m.: Dayton (Austin Orewiler) at Great Lakes (Michael Boyle) 4 p.m.: MLB Futures Game (ESPN) 5:05 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Yaisel Sierra) at High Desert (Ariel Jurado) 6:05 p.m.: Ogden (M.J. Villegas) at Grand Junction (Ty Culbreth)

Yasmani Grandal, Joc Pederson have more extra-base hits than singles By Eric Stephen Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal had the best game of his career on Friday night, and with his three home runs joined select company in franchise history, joining Hall of Famers Roy Campanella and Mike Piazza as the only catchers to do so. But with Grandal's five-hit game he is also working on another rare feat in Dodgers history. Grandal on the season has 12 home runs and eight doubles, but has just 39 hits, hitting .204/.317/.415 on the season. That gives Grandal 20 extra-base hits and 19 singles on the season, something that is quite rare. In club history, among all players with at least 30 hits in a season, only four times through 2015 has a Dodgers player had more extra-base hits than singles. Duke Snider did it twice, first in Brooklyn in 1957, with 40 home runs, 25 doubles, seven triples and 67 singles in 139 games. With 592 plate appearances, Snider has more than double any other player on the list, and is the only Dodger to have more extra-base hits than singles with enough PA to qualify for the batting title. Snider in 1960 had 32 extra-base hits and 25 singles in 101 games, this time calling the Coliseum in Los Angeles home. Lee Lacy was next to join the club, with 16 doubles, 13 home runs and four triples in 103 games in 1978, to go along with his 31 singles. David Ross in 2003 had a remarkable year, foreshadowing his future as one of the best backup catchers ever, with 10 home runs in 40 games and 140 plate appearances. Ross had seven doubles to go along with that, and 15 singles. Grandal, with his 20 extra-base hits and 19 singles in 2016, isn't alone on the team in this regard. Joc Pederson has 16 home runs and 13 doubles this season, giving him 29 extra-base hits and just 25 singles. He came reasonably close to joining the club in 2015, with 46 extra-base hits and 55 singles. The closest Grandal came to having more extra-base hits than singles was in 2013 with the Padres, when he had eight doubles, a home run and 10 singles in 28 games. Fox will televise Saturday's game agains the Padres, with Brandon McCarthy making his second start of the season, facing Rule 5 pick Luis Perdomo for San Diego.

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Dodgers bullpen now delivering more than just victories By Doug Padilla

LOS ANGELES -- Another day, another four innings from the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen, and the results keep getting better and better. Already one of the most-used relief corps in baseball since the start of June, the late-inning Dodgers arms keep finding their way into games and aren’t really concerned if the trend continues. Those most recent four innings came to close out a 4-3 victory over the San Diego Padres on Saturday. “We all know how early the (bullpen) phone is ringing, but the good thing about it is how all those guys’ character is,” said closer Kenley Jansen, who picked up his 26th save with a perfect ninth inning that he closed out with two strikeouts. “We never complain about anything. Whatever inning the phone rings certain guys just have to pitch. Guys don’t complain, they just want to win ballgames. That’s a good group of guys we have down there.” Jansen might be an All-Star this season, but Adam Liberatore is a Dodgers record holder. The left-hander struck out both batters he faced to give him 24 consecutive scoreless outings this season, one better than John Candelaria’s franchise record. Catcher Yasmani Grandal was the first to offer congratulations on the mound as Liberatore was pulled from the game in the eighth inning. “He told me congrats, and I really didn’t know what he was talking about,” Liberatore said. “It seemed like a really weird thing to say in that situation. I’m getting pulled and the guy is saying congrats. I was like ‘What?’” In the dugout, he soon learned what all the fuss was about, getting a game ball and the adoration from his teammates. The moment was made better for the Pittsburgh native when he learned of Candelaria’s involvement in the record. “I know that name a little bit so that’s cool,” Liberatore said of the former Pirates and Dodgers pitcher. If the Dodgers’ bullpen is supposed to collapse under the weight of its recent obligations, it hasn’t shown any cracks. In fact, the group seems to be getting stronger. With Saturday’s four hitless innings, the Dodgers now have a 1.64 ERA over the first nine games of the season-long, 10-game homestand to end the first half. One more game to go, then manager Dave Roberts will get his bullpen the rest and hydration it needs at the All-Star break. “It’s coming at a perfect time,” Roberts said of the four days off that are ahead for all but Jansen, who figures to pitch in the showcase game Tuesday. It has been a unique turn of events that has led to the busy stretch for the relievers. A mix of young starters and players returning from injury have kept innings to a minimum for the rotation. Guys such as Ross Stripling and Julio Urias were held back because of their youth, and now Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu have been eased back into the staff. McCarthy started Saturday and allowed three runs on three hits over his five innings, limited to just 77 pitches. “I know all of us would like to get deeper into games and it’s something we want,” McCarthy said. “There are a lot of guys dealing with a lot of different situations, so it’s not a group of five horses that

are healthy, happy and have been here all year. It’s guys that are a little bit of hodge-podge, so it’s on all of us to get deeper into games. The bullpen has been outstanding in picking us up, but we need to do our share in the second half to make sure we take some of the load off them.” It seems unlikely the bullpen can keep up this pace, so the rotation will have to do its part. The eventual return of Clayton Kershaw from the disabled list will help. But then again, who would have thought the Dodgers would have reached the start of play Saturday with a National League-best 2.89 ERA after starting off the season so slowly? “You can’t predict if the bullpen will be used heavily the rest of the way, but I think guys like Brandon and Hyun-Jin, they’re going to bounce back,” Jansen said. “They will build up, and when Kersh comes back, they will be built up. We have to stay positive. Those guys are going to step up, but at the same time we’re going to have to stay focused. Whatever happens, we’re going to have to be ready for it.” Dodgers set to make new entry in Julio Urias' pitching résumé By Doug Padilla LOS ANGELES -- It is back-to-school time for 19-year-old Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Julio Urias, as the club announced the young left-hander is going to begin learning the nuances of being a relief pitcher while at Triple-A Oklahoma City. The move is far from a surprise. In fact, it had been expected, even when Urias arrived on the scene as a starting pitcher in late May. The only surprise to the start of the major leaguer’s career is that he actually got eight major league starts before the Dodgers moved into the second phase of the plan. The club was always expected to protect Urias’ innings count at all costs. His high was the 87 2/3 innings he collected at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2014. He pitched 80 1/3 innings over three separate minor league levels last season. Adding his minor league innings this year to his major league innings, Urias is at 77 1/3. And while the Dodgers have not revealed what Urias’ innings cap might be, it is more than conceivable that he could push just past 100 this year. So instead of getting about five or six more starts out of Urias the rest of the way, the club has decided to explore the relief option as the best way to get value out of whatever innings remain. Urias still figures to start again at Oklahoma City this year, but those starts might have limited innings. Even if successful, the relief move is not expected to be permanent, as Urias will undoubtedly be turned back into a starter next season, and he has a good chance of leaving spring training as a member of the major league rotation. The biggest test for Urias in relief will be the preparation it will take to enter games. Warming up midgame, as opposed to settling into a standard routine while preparing for a start, is one obstacle. The other will be to get the sense of what it takes to pitch in relief on back-to-back days, although the Dodgers might not be inclined to challenge the youngster that way.

“I think it just only makes sense,” manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s something that he wants, and he feels comfortable. We as an organization knew [not] to put him in a situation where he hasn't done it, and you're sitting in a pen getting loose and getting hot quicker.” How long Urias’ bullpen tutorial takes remains to be seen, but it is likely that he'll return to the Dodgers at some point this season. And when he does, there figure to be more changes than just the fact that he is no longer starting. On Aug. 12, Urias will no longer be a teenager. The novelty of being a teen in the major leagues will be gone, and perhaps a new Twitter handle will be in order. Urias’ current Twitter handle: @theteenager7. McCarthy makes it 2 in row off major surgery, Dodgers top SD By Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- Brandon McCarthy couldn't find his best stuff. Thankfully for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the bullpen could. Again. Despite his struggles, McCarthy won his second straight start after a 14-month recovery from Tommy John surgery, and the Dodgers scored a disputed run to beat the San Diego Padres 4-3 on Saturday. "I hadn't really had one yet, coming through the minor leagues, a day where it felt totally foreign, but today it did," McCarthy said. "Yesterday, the ball felt perfect in my hand," he said. "Today it felt like I was throwing a football." McCarthy (2-0) gave up three runs in five innings, including a first-inning, two-run homer by Yangervis Solarte. The right-hander retired 10 of the next 12 hitters, holding the Padres to a pair of walks. McCarthy's win came six days after he threw five scoreless innings in his return from major surgery. Going five innings meant the Dodgers bullpen needed to come up big. Again. Los Angeles relievers have thrown 28 innings over the last six games. "I know I've asked a lot of them, but to a man, they've responded," manager Dave Roberts said. "I think we're looking forward to getting to that break. With those guys, they're prepared. They're taking care of themselves. I'm trying to be mindful of their usage, but still trying to win baseball games." Dodgers reliever Adam Liberatore got two outs for his club-record 24th consecutive scoreless appearance. He broke the mark of 23 set by John Candelaria in 1991, but didn't know it at the time. "Dave was coming out, and Yas (Dodger catcher Yasmani Grandal) came out and said, 'Congrats.' And I didn't know what he was talking about," he said. "It seemed like a really weird thing to say in that situation. I'm getting pulled and the guy's saying, 'Congrats.' "

Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth for his 26th save. It was 3-all in the fifth when Corey Seager scored from second base on a throwing error by shortstop Alexei Ramirez as he tried to complete a double play. With runners at first and second, Adrian Gonzalez hit a high bouncer to second baseman Ryan Schimpf, who threw to Ramirez for a forceout. Justin Turner slid toward the outfield side of second base -- which he grabbed as he went by -- and Ramirez made a wide throw that glanced off the glove of first baseman Wil Myers. The Padres challenged the call, but replay upheld the original ruling that Turner's slide was legal. "You're running along the grass and then the next that you know, you're 6 feet outside of the grass, so you clearly at some point in time changed his path," Padres manager Andy Green said. "Was it not close enough to call? I guess that's what they decided," he said. Solarte homered over the fence in right-center field to give the Padres a 2-0 lead in the first. Over his last 19 games, Solarte is hitting .380 (27 for 71) with seven doubles, four homers and 16 RBIs. Luis Perdomo (3-4) took the loss. POMERANZ TO PETCO Padres starter Drew Pomeranz (8-7, 2.47) was picked on Saturday to the National League's All-Star team for the first time in his career. "He's earned everything he's gotten this year," Green said. "He's definitely rewarded the front office for the faith it had trading for him, and understanding the type of pitcher he could be, and is." MOST IN MAJORS Travis Jankowski easily stole second on the first pitch to Solarte in the first inning, his ninth theft in 16 games since June 21, the most in the majors during that stretch. TRAINER'S ROOM Padres: C Derek Norris was back in the starting lineup after leaving Friday night's game with a right quad contusion suffered in a first-inning collision with Dodgers 2B Chase Utley. "He regenerates quickly," Green said. "He took a shot. It's a testament to how tough he is. We waited to post the starting lineup to see if he was capable of going." Dodgers: RHP Julio Urias will head to the minors to learn to pitch in relief, Roberts said before the game. The Dodgers want the 19-year-old to learn to pitch in a variety of situations before reaching a team-imposing innings cap. The Dodgers will make the move after the All-Star break, Roberts said. ... OF Andre Ethier (fractured tibia), out since spring training, is playing catch, taking swings in the batting cage. "He's more of a baseball player now," Roberts said. The Dodgers are hoping he'll return in early August.

NEXT UP Padres: LHP Christian Friedrich (4-4, 4.42) starts in Sunday's finale before the All-Star Game. After posting a 3-1 record with a 2.12 ERA over his first six appearances for the Padres, Friedrich is 1-3 with an 8.31 ERA over his last five. He's given up six home runs in those five appearances. Dodgers: RHP Kenta Maeda (7-6, 3.07) hopes to right himself after three starts in which he's gone 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA, giving up three home runs along the way.

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Who Let The Dogs Out? Dodgers Hold on to Beat Padres 4-3 By Michael Duarte Los Angeles turned and burned in a back and forth battle with San Diego as the Dodgers edged out the Padres 4-3, on Saturday evening at Dodger Stadium. It was "Pups at the Park" day at Dodger Stadium as well as the 30th anniversary of the movie Top Gun, which was screened on the videoboards after the game. "I've seen the movie once, but I misquoted it on the videoboard," joked Dodgers' rookie Corey Seager of the film. "I probably should see it a few more times." Things quickly kicked off to mach speed to start the game. After a leadoff walk to Travis Jankowski, Yangervis Solarte feasted on a Brandon McCarthy fastball to deep right-center field as San Diego staked an early 2-0 lead. The Dodgers would answer in the bottom half of the first as Adrian Gonzalez wrote a check his body couldn't cash when he hit an RBI double to left field in the bottom of the first inning that scored Chase Utley. "Adrian has always driven in runs, but when there's a running scoring situation I always have confidence he'll bring it in," Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts. "It's nice to have him in there." McCarthy (2-0) settled down in just his second start since coming off the disabled list, allowing three runs on just three hits with six strikeouts in five innings pitched. "He really didn't have command of much today," Roberts said. "He didn't have any consistency or rhythm. He found a way to get through it today." McCarthy made just 77 pitches, but the team is openly trying to ease him back into the big leagues as he continues to progress from Tommy John surgery. "Yesterday the day felt perfect in my hand, today it felt foreign. It was like throwing a football," McCarthy said of his lack of control. "There were a couple innings in the game where I had some semblance of control, but it would go away just as fast."

Luis Perdomo loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fourth and Howie Kendrick made him pay as he doubled down the left field line to give LA a 3-2 lead. "We did a nice job off Perdomo today. He had an incosistent fastball," Roberts added. "We were ready to hit off the fastball and I thought we did a good job taking walks as well." Perdomo (3-4) was the hard-luck loser as he allowed four runs (two earned) on nine hits with three strikeouts in six innings pitched. San Diego tied the game in the top of the fifth after a leadoff double by Alexei Ramirez put the Padres in scoring position. Two batters later, Jankowski singled up the middle to score the shortstop and tie the game as the Dodgers briefly lost that loving feeling. The Dodgers recaptured the lead in the bottom half of the fifth as the cat-and-mouse game continued. Back-to-back singles by Corey Seager and Justin Turner put runners on first and second for Gonzalez who nearly grounded into a double play. However, the throw from Ramirez on the return skipped past first baseman Wil Myers and Seager felt the need for speed as he smartly scored on the error to give LA back the lead. "You run hard around the bases in the hopes that that happens," Seager said of the game-winning run. "It was a huge play for us. It put us ahead and we hung on. It was the difference in the game." The one-run lead was all the National League-leading Dodger bullpen needed as five different relievers kept the Padres hitless over the final five frames. "Our whole bullpen wants the ball in those situations," Dodgers' reliever Adam Liberatore who pitched 0.2 scoreless innings of relief on Saturday to break the all-time franchise record of 23 consecutive scoreless apperances by John Candaleria. "We're all having success and feeding off each other and we're already to go no matter what the situation." Kenley Jansen was given an opportunity to avenge two of his three earlier blown saves this season when he went face-to-face with Melvin Upton Jr. in the top of the ninth. "I want to compete against guys who hurt me," Jansen said. "That's who I am. When I face them again I want to get them out." Upton homered and hit an RBI double off Jansen in San Diego in his last two at-bats against the All-Star closer, but Jansen got revenge, strikeout out Upton for the second out and his 26th save of the season. Despite his early struggles, McCarthy recorded his second win of the season and fourth consecutive overall. The right-hander is undefeated and becomes the first Dodger since Ted Lilly to win their first five decisions in a Dodgers uniform. "Us getting the win is the biggest part for me," McCarthy said. "Whether I get through 4 or 6 or 5 as long as I limit some run prevention. I didn't feel great but I was able to battle."

The Dodgers continue to trail the first place San Francisco Giants by six games with one game remaining for the All-Star break. The boys in blue need to remember that there's no points for second place as they continue to chase the three-time World Series champions. Players of the Game: Yangervis Solarte: Two-run home run. Howie Kendrick: Double, two RBI. Adam Liberatore: 24th consecutive scoreless appearance. Three Takeaways: 1. Goose and Maverick: Yasmani Grandal and Corey Seager became the first Dodger teammates to hit three home runs in a game during the same season since Jimmy Wynn and Davey Lopes did it in 1974. 2. It's Classified: Adam Liberatore did his best Maverick impression on the mound as the left-handed relief pitcher threw 0.2 innings of shutout relief on Saturday for his 24th consecutive scoreless appearance, passing John Candaleria for the most all-time in Dodgers franchise history. 3. Mach 2 with your Hair on Fire: The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated their second annual "Pups in the Park" night at Dodger Stadium. It was also movie night as fans in attendance were treated to a 30th anniversary screening of Top Gun after the game. Up Next: Padres (38-50): Christian Friedrich will finish the first half for San Diego as he gets the start on Sunday afternoon. Dodgers (50-40): Kenta Maeda makes his final start before the All-Star break as first pitch is scheduled for 1:10 PM PST.