Daily Clips

August 25, 2015

LOS ANGELES DODGERS CLIPS TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2015

DODGERS.COM: 10 companies picked for Dodgers Accelerator program – Ken Gurnick LA TIMES: Dodgers Dugout: Clayton Kershaw speaks the truth – Houston Mitchell Every pitch counts in baseball, but the 1-1 pitch counts more than any other – Zach Helfand Dodgers seek to end slump, and maybe the Cincinnati Reds can help – Dylan Hernandez Dodgers send Yimi Garcia back to triple-A, set to activate Juan Nicasio – Steve Dilbeck Don't panic if Dodgers start playing with a greater sense of urgency – Steve Dilbeck OC REGISTER: Struggling to get a break on road, the Dodgers look to create their own luck – Pedro Moura On deck: Dodgers at Reds, Tuesday, 4 p.m. – Pedro Moura LA DAILY NEWS: Kenley Jansen’s issue: when batters become base stealers – JP Hoornstra TRUEBLUELA.COM: Looking ahead to possible Dodgers September roster additions – Eric Stephen Michael Boyle, 3 relievers combine for Loons shutout – Craig Minami Dodgers vs. Reds series snapshot: Cincinnati edition – Eric Stephen Dodgers vs. Reds probable pitching matchups – Eric Stephen Jharel Cotton emerges as possible Dodgers bullpen option – Eric Stephen Dodgers payroll – Eric Stephen Dodgers option Yimi Garcia to make room for Juan Nicasio – Eric Stephen ESPN LA: Bullpen tweak: Juan Nicasio back, Yimi Garcia out – Mark Saxon Dodgers' bullpen changes figure to be internal – Mark Saxon DODGER INSIDER: Bear and grin it: The line between too much and too little encouragement – Jon Weisman Remembering ’65: See-saw second half of August – Jon Weisman Dodgers Accelerator startup program takes next step – Jon Weisman As Nicasio nears return, Dodgers option Garcia – Jon Weisman FOX SPORTS: Will Dodgers call up top prospect Julio Urias to join beleaguered bullpen? – Robert Pace Energy level lackluster as Dodgers find themselves in offensive rut – FOX Sports FORBES.COM: Dodgers DOA? How L.A. Can Win In October Despite Flaws – Howard Cole CHICAGO TRIBUNE: Los Angeles Dodgers give Chicago-based DoorStat big-league shot – John Carpenter THEFIELDSOFGREEN.COM: Dodgers' Accelerator program gives boost to cutting-edge firms – Courtney Brunious LA BUSINESS JOURNAL: Dodgers Launch First Accelerator Class – Garrett Reim

NEW HAVEN REGISTER: New Haven-based social media platform Yezno picked for program launched by Dodgers – Luther Turmelle SOCALTECH.COM: Why The LA Dodgers Accelerator Is Combining Sports, Investment and Startups – Benjamin F. Kuo SPORTTECHIE.COM: LA Dodgers Declare Ten Finalists For Sports Accelerator – Alex Stanley SILIVE.COM: According to Gordon: Island native George Genovese should be first scout in Cooperstown – Cormac Gordon

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2015

DODGERS.COM

10 companies picked for Dodgers Accelerator program

By Ken Gurnick

LOS ANGELES -- The first-ever Dodgers Accelerator program reached the second stage on Monday with

the selection of 10 companies that will leverage the resources of the franchise, its owners and partners.

The program, in partnership with communications and advertising company R/GA, has selected fledgling

companies dedicated to transforming sports, technology, entertainment and media. The companies will

spend the next three months working to impact the sports and entertainment industry, not just the

Dodgers and MLB.

The 10 companies selected for the program represent the diverse spectrum of sports technology and

entertainment:

• Appetize -- point of service, mobile ordering and inventory management platform for live events.

• Doorstat -- helps businesses and brands better understand foot traffic, customer demographics and

customer behavior through a proprietary technology solution.

• FieldLevel -- private social network for sports recruiting that connects coaches and helps college teams

find the best athletes for their programs.

• FocusMotion -- complete solution that makes it easy to track and analyze movements, gestures and

exercises with wearables.

• Kinduct -- develops connected health, fitness and human performance software solutions that help

make people better.

• LeagueApps -- platform enabling local sports organizers to create and manage sports experiences.

• ProDay -- mobile app that lets anyone work out with professional athletes. Anytime. Anywhere.

• SidePrize -- facilitates side challenges for your fantasy league.

• Swish Analytics -- algorithm-driven tools for daily fantasy players and fans.

• Yezno -- social platform that allows sports fans to poll, engage and debate each other.

Tucker Kain, chief financial officer of the Dodgers and managing director of Guggenheim Baseball

Management, said 600 applications were narrowed to the 10 selected. He said the universe of

companies not only included expected first-stage startups with innovative ideas and visionary founders,

but established category leaders that are rapidly scaling operations.

"All of the companies will benefit greatly from the network and expertise the L.A. Dodgers, and its

ownership, can provide," Kain said. "It's a little bit of an array of businesses, and we're excited about it.

Now we have the opportunity to dig in and understand what problems people are trying to solve, find

great entrepreneurs and work with them."

The program is designed to provide companies with opportunities for strategic business development,

pilot programs, technology development and brand strategy customized for each of the participants.

The Dodgers will provide the companies with a $20,000 investment in exchange for a 6 percent equity

stake. The companies will be given office space and access to Dodgers owners Mark Walter, Magic

Johnson, Todd Boehly, Bobby Patton and Peter Guber.

The companies will gain access to industry partnerships, mentors and distribution channels while

developing successful business models, impactful customer experiences and enduring brands.

"This program is significantly different from any traditional accelerator. We are fortunate to be working

with category leaders such as Appetize, FieldLevel, Kinduct and LeagueApps, which have already built

successful businesses, raised significant rounds and achieved impressive valuations," said Stephen

Plumlee, global chief operating officer, R/GA and managing partner of R/GA Ventures. "We are also

excited to work with each of the emerging companies. With their input, we are innovating on the very

idea of what an accelerator is and how a program can create value for companies at all stages."

The program will culminate in an invite-only demo day for industry leaders, partner organizations,

investors and media at Dodger Stadium in early November 2015.

LA TIMES

Dodgers Dugout: Clayton Kershaw speaks the truth

By Houston Mitchell

Hi, welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, wondering when the

Dodgers will notice that their bullpen is not as strong as it could be.

Clayton Kershaw has the answer

The Dodgers have lost five in a row. They were no-hit by Houston on Friday and the bullpen blew a

victory for Clayton Kershaw on Sunday.

For the last few weeks, I have been saying the Dodgers need to play with at least a little bit of passion.

They seem terribly complacent on the field, just standing around waiting for things to happen instead of

making things happen. Finally, someone on the team said basically the same thing. And it was an

important someone.

After Sunday’s loss, Kershaw had this to say: "I hope we're panicking a little bit. I think panic's a good

thing, to a certain extent. There needs to be a sense of urgency, maybe that's better to say than panic. I

feel like we have to start playing like that. Not to say we haven't, but it's definitely time to start thinking

that way."

Can’t beat good teams

Much has been made about the Dodgers’ poor record against teams with winning records. But how does

their record compare against how other teams, such as St. Louis, have done against teams with winning

records? I chose the 12 teams with the best records in baseball, and compiled the Dodgers’ record

against those teams. The Dodgers are 14-29 against those teams.

Then, I checked the record of the five other top NL playoff contenders (the New York Mets, St. Louis

Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants) against those same 12 teams. How

those teams fared:

St. Louis, 31-18

Pittsburgh, 27-17

Chicago, 25-17

San Francisco, 20-22

Dodgers, 14-29

New York, 13-27

And in one-run games?

Next I decided to check how those teams did in one-run games. A team’s record in one-run games can

give you a clue as to how good the bullpen is, and basically how good the team is, with the theory being

that really good teams, teams that know how to manufacture runs, have strong records in one-run

games.

Pittsburgh, 27-15

Chicago, 27-17

St. Louis, 28-19

New York, 20-21

San Francisco, 15-18

Dodgers, 16-21

Ouch.

Mark them down

The Dodgers have seven games left with the Giants, so the season will more than likely come down to

those seven games. It appears the NL Central has both wild-card spots locked up, meaning the Dodgers

will need to win the NL West to make the playoffs. Those seven games against the Giants will be must-

see TV for the 30% of you who actually get to watch games on TV, and must-hear radio for the rest of us.

The dates: Aug. 31, Sept. 1 and 2 at Dodger Stadium, and Sept. 28-Oct. 1 at San Francisco.

Pederson is benched

The Dodgers finally decided they have seen enough of Joc Pederson as their everyday center fielder, for

now. Don Mattingly made it official Sunday, saying Kiké Hernandez is the new center fielder. "I think he

gives us a better chance to win," Mattingly said.

Since the All-Star break, Hernandez is hitting .344, Pederson .163. Pederson will be the late-inning

defensive replacement.

Ask Ross Porter

Former Dodgers announcer Ross Porter will be answering select reader questions for the rest of the

season. Email me a question for Ross, and I will pass it on to him. Here’s his next reponse:

Patricia Savery asks this question: "I’m very surprised that the current Dodgers front office does not

appear to be interested in extending Zack Greinke’s contract past his ‘2015 opt out date.’ He appears to

be a guy who continues to be consistently successful even as his fastball speed has possibly lessened

due to aging. He is so intelligent that he can outthink most hitters and, then, come up with other

pitches to compensate. Frankly, I’d take Greinke over all the potential pitchers that are due to become

available in the off-season. Why wouldn’t the Dodgers work to keep him before the time arrives when

other teams are negotiating? It doesn’t make sense to me."

Ross: "Your question, Patricia, is a good one. But, to bring up a well-known quote, ‘It takes two to

tango.’ That's what you have in the Zack Greinke sweepstakes. I'm sure the Dodgers would love to sign

the pitcher who may well be the National League Cy Young winner to a multi-year contract. And, maybe

they will. However, if you look at the situation from Greinke's point of view, he is in a position to listen

to several teams' generous offers. This could be Zack's last baseball contract, so why should he be in a

rush when this will be the most lucrative deal he ever has. It's tough to guess what Greinke will

command, but six years and $150 million might win the bidding rights.”

This week in Dodgers history

Aug. 25, 2012: The Dodgers obtain Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto from

Boston for James Loney, Allen Webster, Ivan De Jesus Jr., Rubby De La Rosa and Jerry Sands.

Aug. 29, 1951: Gil Hodges sets the team record for homers in one season with his 36th of the season.

Aug. 31, 1950: Hodges hits four home runs in a game, becoming the fourth major leaguer of the modern

era to accomplish the feat. The Dodgers defeat the Milwaukee Braves, 19-3.

Aug. 31, 1959: Sandy Koufax strikes out 18 Giants to set a new NL record.

Every pitch counts in baseball, but the 1-1 pitch counts more than any other

By Zach Helfand

Dodgers right-hander Zack Greinke has a reputation for being among the most cerebral pitchers in

baseball, and when he leans in for the sign, his mind runs a quick scan through scores of numbers,

memories and situational factors.

"So many things come into play," he says. "You've got to weigh what type of hitter it is up to bat, what

pitches are working that day, who's up to bat next, what inning, what's the score, if there's guys on base,

if there's guys not on base, what type of park you're in, if the ball's carrying that day. And that's probably

just the beginning."

How his arm feels, what the umpire's strike zone looks like, what a hitter has done against Greinke in the

past — even seasons ago — and whether he looks like he's sitting on a certain pitch are among other

considerations.

And the calculus becomes even more complicated in a specific count: one ball and one strike.

The general consensus in baseball has long held that the first pitch of an at-bat is the most important.

The logic: getting ahead in a count will lead to better results.

But advanced analytics show the 1-1 count actually is most likely to be an at-bat's turning point, and

teams like the Dodgers, whose front office is constantly probing for even the slimmest of edges, are

trying to leverage the count to their advantage.

"We, organizationally, are stressing what pitchers and what hitters can control versus what things are

out of their control," says Gabe Kapler, the team's director of player development.

Pitchers have at least partial control over whether they throw a strike with the count at 1-1. This year,

the Dodgers began using 1-1 strike percentage to help choose the organization's pitcher of the month.

For every pitcher in their minor league system, Kapler says, "if he's not executing enough strikes in a 1-1

count, we can use that to start a discussion of how much better he might be if he was perhaps more

assertive in that count versus maybe trying to make the perfect pitch."

The idea has been used before. In the 2003 book "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game," Paul

DePodesta, then in the Oakland Athletics' front office, describes hitters with a 1-2 count as scrubs and

hitters at 2-1 as "all-stars."

DePodesta, a Harvard graduate in economics who was the Dodgers' general manager in 2004 and '05

and now works in the New York Mets' front office, based that opinion on numbers — and statistics this

season indicate not much has changed. Through Sunday, major league hitters this season were batting

.169 when the count is 1-2 compared to .342 on a 2-1 count — the biggest single-pitch difference in any

count.

Thirty-nine percent of all at-bats go to 1-1, meaning there are dozens of mini-crossroads in each game.

"If you have even five 1-1 counts in a game, and you turn them all into 2-1 counts, you've just put five

hitters . . . in a really good position," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia says. "We call it an action line of a

pitcher, what pitches you have available, what counts and where you want to use them. That 1-1 count

is the most intriguing because it's the biggest swing count. If you look at just the difference between 1-2

counts and 2-1 counts, it's staggering."

But ask how the Angels use that information to determine pitch selection and Scioscia turns cagey.

Hitters, knowing that information, could use it to their advantage, he says.

Angels right-hander Huston Street has been one of the most consistent closers in the past decade

despite a fastball that never climbed out of the low 90s. He has been effective, he says, because he

knows when to throw strikes and when to nibble.

Street believes the first pitch is the most important, noting that if he throws a strike, then he has to

throw only one more strike in the next two pitches to put the batter in a 1-2 hole. But, he says, the 1-1

count is more complex because hitters become more dangerous the more pitches they see. The deeper

a count goes, the more careful a pitcher has to be.

"To me, I totally agree with the numbers," Street says, "1-1, I do think that at the end of the day, that is

the most pivotal pitch in an at bat."

Greinke notes that, with the long list of factors that goes into his pitch selection at a 1-1 count, nothing

is a given.

"Depending on the batter," he says, "you might throw a ball on purpose," thinking that a batter

anticipating a strike might chase.

A pitcher's approach might also depend on how lively his arm is. For example, Street has to be more

careful than many closers because he uses deception more than power.

Angels right-hander Garrett Richards says he studies other pitchers' sequences when he is not pitching.

But before his own starts, Richards' preparation consists only of a brief rundown of the opposing lineup.

His stuff is sharp enough, and he has enough confidence in his secondary pitches, that his overriding

goal is always the same: stay ahead in a count. And, he says, "1-1 is kind of that tipping point."

Hitters can try to work a count, too, but they can't control strikes or balls. Often, they can only react.

Mike Trout says he is unaware what his batting average is in different counts.

"I just go up there and try to square up a ball," he says.

He doesn't know it, but he's much more likely to do that after taking a 1-1 ball.

His career batting average at 2-1 counts? .459.

Dodgers seek to end slump, and maybe the Cincinnati Reds can help

By Dylan Hernandez

Three years ago, the Dodgers were in an even worse late-season slump than the one now.

In an attempt to change the atmosphere in the clubhouse, they canceled batting practice and played

make-believe.

Smiles appeared as the players started throwing an imaginary baseball around the infield. The smiles

turned to laughs when Adrian Gonzalez pretended to make an error. Everyone seemed loose.

One problem.

"It didn't work," Andre Ethier recalled.

Later that day, the Dodgers lost. They went on to miss the playoffs.

So what is a team supposed to do when it can't win a game?

The Dodgers enter their series opener against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday in the midst of a season-

high five-game losing streak. Their lead over the second-place San Francisco Giants in the National

League West is down to 1 1/2 games.

Shortstop Jimmy Rollins, a World Series champion with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008, recently called

on his teammates to remain calm. The next day, Clayton Kershaw advocated they play with a greater

sense of urgency.

There is no clear-cut answer in baseball, where streaks — whether positive or negative — can have a

supernatural feel to them. With the line between failed execution and bad luck frequently blurred, the

source of a losing streak can be hard to identify.

During a recently completed three-game series in Houston, Manager Don Mattingly made a remark

about the team's energy. Asked to elaborate, Mattingly made clear that he didn't mean the Dodgers

went into games lacking energy. Rather, he was saying that a shortage of baserunners created a

negative vibe.

"The only way, basically, to get out of it is put some runs on the board," he said.

And you do that by …?

Start by doing nothing out of the ordinary, Ethier said.

"You can't take extra chances just because you're not scoring," Ethier said. "If you start to do things out

of character, that's when you get yourself in trouble."

Pregame meetings are a long-standing slump-busting tradition in the sport, and at least some of the

Dodgers resorted to that last week. The team's relievers spoke in a group Wednesday, only for their

problems to continue that night.

Mattingly has tried altering his suddenly impotent lineup, with the most significant change coming in

center field. He has replaced Joc Pederson with hot-hitting utility man Enrique Hernandez. Yet runs have

remained scarce.

Slumping players are working with coaches on mechanical adjustments. Recently acquired starting

pitcher Mat Latos, whose turn in the rotation will be skipped for the second time this week, has been

throwing in the bullpen with the pitching coaches by his side. Mattingly has talked recently about

Pederson and Yasiel Puig attempting to rediscover their swings in the batting cages.

The Dodgers didn't play Monday, and catcher A.J. Ellis wondered aloud if that could help.

"Take a day of not looking at each other," Ellis said. "Sometimes, that's a good thing to do."

Or sometimes all it takes is a break in the opposition. With the Reds' rotation consisting entirely of

rookies, the Dodgers won three of four games against them in Los Angeles earlier this month.

This week, the Dodgers are scheduled to face the same three pitchers they beat at Dodger Stadium —

John Lamb (6.35 earned-run average), David Holmberg (6.57 ERA) and Anthony DeSclafani (3.97). The

Dodgers' offense will have the added benefit of batting in hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park.

Ethier recently thought back to the 2008 season, when the Dodgers went on an eight-game losing streak

in late August that dropped them 4 1/2 games out of first place. That streak was immediately followed

by an eight-game winning streak that moved them into the lead.

The Dodgers reached the NL Championship Series that year.

Ethier said the key to the turnaround was confidence. He believes the current Dodgers also have that.

"Just remembering you really are a good team," he said.

Ellis had similar thoughts.

"You're in the midst of a streak like this, it's easy to let the negative outweigh the possibility of the

positive," he said. "We need to find a way to keep the energy up, keep the positive thoughts going."

Up next

Left-hander Alex Wood (8-8, 3.79 ERA) will face left-hander Lamb (0-1) and the Reds at 4 p.m. PDT at

Great American. TV: SportsNet LA; Radio: 570, 1020.

Dodgers send Yimi Garcia back to triple-A, set to activate Juan Nicasio

By Steve Dilbeck

Ah, the bullpen. The Dodgers’ ever-changing relief corps, bodies always coming and going, the results

just slightly ahead of disastrous since the second month of the season.

The Dodgers tweaked it again Monday, sending right-hander Yimi Garcia back to triple-A in order to

activate right-hander Juan Nicasio from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday in Cincinnati.

Nicasio has been on the DL since Aug. 10 with a left abdominal strain. He has actually been one of the

team’s more reliable relievers, owning a 3.06 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 47 innings. Opponents have batted

.222 against him.

Garcia has been shuttled up and down to triple-A Oklahoma City this season. Overall in 45 2/3 innings,

he has a 3.55 ERA and 0.99 WHIP, with 58 strikeouts to nine walks. He appeared in five games in his

latest call-up, allowing one run in 7 1/3 innings.

The bullpen has been a continuing problem for the Dodgers dating back to the beginning of June. Since

the All-Star break, it's posted an ugly 6.12 ERA and 1.51 WHIP.

Don't panic if Dodgers start playing with a greater sense of urgency

By Steve Dilbeck

Panic is never a good thing. Not by the manager, the front office or in the clubhouse.

But Clayton Kershaw looked back on the Dodgers’ fifth consecutive loss Sunday and said, “I hope we're

panicking a little bit. I think panic's a good thing, to a certain extent.”

And then wisely decided perhaps there was a better choice of words.

“There needs to be a sense of urgency, maybe that's better to say than panic,” Kershaw said. “I feel like

we have to start playing like that. Not to say we haven't, but it's definitely time to start thinking that

way.”

Not that they haven’t? Sounded like a qualifier, like he really didn’t want to come off as someone who

was calling out his team, which he surely was. Kershaw wasn’t ranting or blowing off steam after the

Dodgers had blown the second consecutive lead he’d turned over to the team. There was a matter-of-

fact tone, an almost objective reflection.

Time to ramp it up, to recognize the calendar reads Aug. 24 and the only reason things are not more dire

is the Giants haven’t played any better. Since starting the season 22-10 on May 12, the Dodgers have

gone 45-46 and yet remain 1½ games up.

That’s a lot of mediocre, underperforming baseball. Way too much of it. I don’t think a team has to wait

until Aug. 24 to play with a sense of urgency.

Kershaw, of course, is one of the most competitive people on the planet. He’s going to react to all this as

his nature dictates, which is a call to arms, to refocus, to play with greater intensity.

Of course, there is that proverbial fine line between playing with urgency and playing tight.

The season does not end on Aug. 24, but you can see the finish line. Just the day before, after their

fourth consecutive loss, veteran Jimmy Rollins told the media: “The season's not over. Don't make this

interview sad, all right?”

It’s hard to fight the dread, watching the Dodgers tread water when the time seems to demand a sprint.

If they can appear a tad too casual in their approach, it’s neither a phenomenon unique to them in the

dog days of August nor a requirement to their play.

Kershaw is correct, of course. It is the time to play with a sense of urgency. An opportunity is there, but

without any guarantee it will remain. A running back may carry the ball 25 times a game, but only once

when the season is on the line.

The stretch beckons and it demands resolve, not panic. An awareness of the moment and an

appropriate response. All year it’s been said this $300-million team will ultimately be judged by what it

does in the playoffs, but first, they have to demonstrate the will to get there.

OC REGISTER

Struggling to get a break on road, the Dodgers look to create their own luck

By Pedro Moura

CINCINNATI – In one of the more famous scenes of one of the most famous films in human history,

several well-to-do characters are sitting at a table aboard the RMS Titanic.

Jack Dawson explains the fortuitous means by which he ended up there. Some in attendance are

skeptical, and Col. Archibald Gracie interjects to say, “All life is a game of luck.”

Cal Hockley, portrayed by Billy Zane, disagrees: “A real man makes his own luck, Archie.”

That scene found an unexpected application to the 2015 Dodgers this week, after they stood one out

away from snapping a four-game slide Sunday in Houston and instead sunk their losing streak to season-

long depths.

“You always feel like, when things are going bad, that the breaks are always against you,” Dodgers

catcher A.J. Ellis said. “Sometimes you gotta create your own luck. I think the guy in ‘Titanic’ said that.

“We’ll all listen to Billy Zane and create our own luck, starting in Cincinnati.”

The Dodgers, who begin a three-game series with the lowly Reds on Tuesday, have been both bad and a

bit unlucky this month. They remain in first place in the National League West only because the Giants

have also sputtered. Just six teams, all middling or worse, have suffered more losses on the road than

the Dodgers’ 36.

“You’re in the midst of a streak like this, it’s easy to let the negative outweigh the possibility of a

positive,” Ellis said. “We need to find a way to keep the energy up. Keep the positive thoughts going. The

thing that’s really hard to fight at this time is, if you fall behind, momentum switches in a game, you

gotta be ready to get it back.”

“It’s time to start getting aware of the standings and where you’re at and how the teams behind you are

doing. The pennant race is on. We’re closing in on September. We’re still in first place, but we know we

have to finish strong.”

ANDERSON’S WEIRD YEAR

For four seasons, Brett Anderson had one persistent problem: He kept getting hurt. Everything else

about his pitching, pretty much, portended success. He walked few batters, struck out a fair amount and

got a good amount of ground balls. Generally, grounders are better than flies.

This year, the persistent problem has vanished – he’s on pace to finish with a career-high 185 innings.

But it has been replaced by another concerning one: He keeps giving up home runs.

The left-hander’s rate of homers given up per fly ball is the fifth-highest in baseball. Given that mark,

most ERAs would be far higher than Anderson’s 3.52. He has been successful, then, because he gets

more grounders than anyone else. Only 22 of baseball’s 88 qualified starters get even half their balls-in-

play hit on the ground. Two-thirds of the balls hit into play off Anderson are dirt-bound.

“That’s what I do now,” Anderson said. “If you had told me that four or five years ago, that I pitch to

contact and get ground balls and double plays, I’d have been like, ‘You’re high.’

“But, with injuries and evolving, that’s kind of what I do now.”

That does not mean he has accepted his fate. He has worked to combat it.

“It’s kinda weird,” Anderson said. “I get a bunch of ground balls, and then when they hit it in the air, it

seems to go far. I don’t know if that’s just guys trying to make adjustments and they get underneath

balls and they end up barreling it up and it goes far. Before, up until last year, I’d been a strikeout,

putaway guy. My strikeout numbers hadn’t been real heavy, but they were better than they have been

this year.”

“I don’t know how to explain it.”

The strikeout numbers appear explainable. When Anderson struck out more hitters as a rookie, his

fastball velocity was, on average, 2.5 mph faster than it is now. Now, the rate at which he draws swings

on fastballs outside the zone has dropped from 25 percent to 19 percent.

“Just being selfish and looking at numbers, I’d still like to strike more people out,” he said. “But I’d

rather keep the ball on the ground and give up some random homers then give up a bunch of fly balls

and extra-base hits,” he said. “You don’t want to give up homers, but you’d rather give up less extra-

base hits and things like that, so it kinda comes with the territory.”

“I can accept that if it comes with success. If that’s what I am, then that’s what I am, but, hopefully, next

year or whenever, they can kind of mesh together, and I can get some more ground balls and some

more strikeouts.”

Several times this season, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly has compared Anderson to fellow left-

hander Hyun-jin Ryu. From Mattingly’s perspective, Ryu was overlooked in 2013 and 2014 because of

Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke’s exploits, and Anderson has been overlooked in 2015 for the same

reasons.

“Every time out, he's given us a chance to win,” Mattingly said. “Because of a couple starts that we've

had, he's been lumped in with everybody but Kershaw and Greinke – I think unfairly."

NOTES

The Dodgers announced the selected startups for their accelerator program announced in April. Most of

the 10 companies chosen relate to the entertainment side of the franchise – startups to manage

inventory, foot traffic, and so on. Two appear to have a potential practical application to the field:

FocusMotion, which tracks and analyzes movements, gestures and exercises with wearables, and

Kinduct, which develops connected health, fitness and human performance software solutions. The

Toronto Blue Jays have also worked with Kinduct since earlier this year. …

The Dodgers optioned right-hander Yimi Garcia to Triple-A and are expected to activate right-hander

Juan Nicasio from the disabled list Tuesday. Nicasio was placed on the disabled list Aug. 10. He has a

3.06 ERA in 47 innings.

On deck: Dodgers at Reds, Tuesday, 4 p.m.

By Pedro Moura

Where: Great American Ball Park

TV: SportsNet LA, 4 p.m.

Did you know: Rookie pitchers have already made 71 starts for Cincinnati this season. The Reds are on

pace to shatter their rookie record of 77 starts, set in 2001. They’ve also had 25 straight starts by

rookies, breaking the major league record of 18 set by the 1997 Cardinals.

THE PITCHERS

LHP ALEX WOOD (8-8, 3.79)

Wood has made four starts as a Dodger, each time allowing three or four runs and recording between

15 and 19 outs. So, not awful, but not particularly good either. His best start might actually have been

his first one, when he struck out eight Phillies. He struck out only one batter last time out.

Vs. Reds: 1-0, 2.70

At Great American Ball Park: First game

Loves to face: Jay Bruce, 0 for 4, SO

Hates to face: Joey Votto, 2 for 4 (.500), HR

LHP JOHN LAMB (0-1, 6.35)

The Reds acquired Lamb from the Royals for Johnny Cueto ahead of last month’s trade deadline and

quickly inserted him into their rotation. His big-league debut came at Dodger Stadium, and it did not go

all that well. He took the loss. Lamb, 25 last month, is a Laguna Hills High graduate. He had a 2.67 ERA in

20 Triple-A starts this season.

Vs. Dodgers: 0-1, 7.50 (6 innings)

At Great American Ball Park: 0-0, 5.06 (51/3 innings)

Loves to face: Yasmani Grandal, 0 for 3, 1 SO

Hates to face: Justin Turner, 2 for 2, 2 RBI

UPCOMING MATCHUPS

Wednesday: Dodgers LHP Brett Anderson (7-8, 3.52) vs. Reds LHP David Holmberg (1-3, 6.57), 4 p.m.,

SportsNet LA

Thursday: Dodgers RHP Zack Greinke (13-3, 1.67) vs. Reds RHP Anthony DeSclafani (7-9, 3.57), 9:30 a.m.,

SportsNet LA

LA DAILY NEWS

Kenley Jansen’s issue: when batters become base stealers By JP Hoornstra HOUSTON — Thirty-three runners have stolen a base against Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen since he debuted in 2010, including all three would-be base stealers this season. Only four men have ever been caught stealing with Jansen on the mound, an almost unthinkable 89.2 percent success rate for potential thieves. This is a natural consequence of being 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds. With so many large body parts moving so slowly, Jansen simply takes a long time to complete his delivery. Usually it doesn’t matter. Because he allows so few hits and walks, Jansen on average has less than one runner on base for every inning he pitches. Other times, like when Jansen blew a save in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Houston Astros, it matters a great deal. Astros rookie shortstop Carlos Correa had been successful in 10 out of 13 stolen-base attempts before he touched Jansen for a single to lead off the ninth inning Sunday. Since he is at a natural disadvantage thwarting potential base-stealers, Jansen has a bag of tricks he’ll use to keep runners close to first base. He threw over four times during Luis Valbuena’s at-bat — each time throwing before he came to a set position, unlike most pitchers who throw once they’re set. Analyst Kevin Kennedy said on the Dodgers’ radio broadcast that Jansen’s delivery time to Valbuena was clocked at 1.37 seconds. That’s considered slow by major-league standards, but not slow enough to completely prevent a catcher from throwing out a baserunner. Correa tried to steal second base on Jansen’s 2-2 pitch, but Valbuena fouled the pitch off. Jansen came back to strike out Valbuena but Correa stole second — by a wide margin — on the first pitch to Evan Gattis. In Jansen’s mind, that was OK. “Get on second, don’t bother me, just can’t score,” he said. Except Correa did score when Marwin Gonzalez stroked a line drive into right field with two outs. The game was now tied at 2. Jansen had blown his second save in 26 attempts this season. The closer was frustrated, calling the hits by Correa and Gonzalez “bulls---.” He also offered an interesting defense of his approach to holding runners on base.

“Sometimes,” Jansen said, “you just can’t give up your best stuff, you know what I’m saying? I try to keep them on all the time, but you can’t trade stuff just to hold the runners.” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly sounded satisfied with Jansen’s effort. “Kenley tried to work on him, change tempo a little bit,” Mattingly said. “That’s really what he does. But even with that, he gets two big outs and puts himself in a situation where we can get an out for a win right there. We just weren’t able to get that out.” YIMI GARCIA OPTIONED The Dodgers optioned right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday. Juan Nicasio, who’s been traveling with the team on its current three-city road trip, is expected to be activated from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday in Cincinnati. Garcia, 25, had been on the Dodgers’ major league roster for the third time this season. He allowed four hits and one run, walked none and struck out four batters in 7 1/3 innings since his last call-up from Triple-A. Nicasio has been on the disabled list since Aug. 10 with a left abdominal strain and has gone 1-3 with one save and a 3.06 ERA in 38 games (one start) this year. BREAKOUT BOX Through Sunday, 99 major-league pitchers had been victimized by at least two stolen bases in 2015 without a single runner being thrown out. Eight are Dodgers: Pitcher SB-SBA Juan Nicasio 7-7 J.P. Howell 7-7 Jim Johnson 6-6 Kenley Jansen 3-3 Adam Liberatore 3-3 Joel Peralta 2-2 Josh Ravin 2-2 Yimi Garcia 2-2 Source: sportingcharts.com

TRUEBLUELA.COM Looking ahead to possible Dodgers September roster additions By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES -- Believe it or not, we are only a week away from rosters expanding in September, when active roster limits across major league baseball expand from 25 to 40 players. Here's a look at who the Dodgers will likely add, and when they might add them. First though, a note. To be eligible for postseason rosters (yes, the Dodgers still have October aspirations even if their play hasn't indicated as much of late) a player must either be on the active roster or on the disabled list by 9 p.m. PT on Aug. 31. But it's okay for players who are called up in September, too; the only requirement there is that the player was already in the organization (not even on the 40-man, just in the organization), replacing a player on the 60-day disabled list, and the Dodgers have plenty of those space-creating players, including Hyun-jin Ryu, Brandon McCarthy and Bronson Arroyo. Manager Don Mattingly said the club has been talking for a few weeks about potential call-ups, with the players likely coming in waves. First wave Austin Barnes, Mike Bolsinger, Adam Liberatore These will be the players up for sure on Sept. 1. A third catcher is always the first to get the call, and both Bolsinger (the sixth starter, long-man reliever) and Liberatore (the third lefty) have already made big contributions to the major league team this season. Jose Peraza could very well be among this first group of call ups given his versatility, as a pinch runner or as someone who could be a utility man all over the middle of the field. The regular seasons for Triple-A Oklahoma City and Double-A Tulsa both end on Sept. 7, so some players could stay down longer. Top dog Corey Seager is the consensus top prospect in baseball who is still in the minors, and very well could get the call in September, even if he doesn't play a ton, much like Joc Pederson last September. Pederson played in 18 of 25 games in September, collecting 38 plate appearances and starting three games. Seager is hitting .293/.310/.512 with five extra-base hits in his last nine games (Photo: OKC Dodgers) The one caveat and difference between Seager in 2015 and Pederson in 2014 is that Pederson needed to be added to the 40-man roster by November to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft. The Dodgers don't have to add Seager, a high school draftee in 2012, to their 40-man roster until November 2016, so if there are any reservations about Seager taking over at shortstop next April it might be prudent to keep him off the 40-man roster for now.

Then again, the Dodgers have 39 games in the final 41 days of the regular season beginning Tuesday, so if the club is intent on giving Justin Turner a day off at third base every fourth or fifth day, there is really nobody on the current roster who fits the bill at the hot corner. Sure, there has been lip service to Chase Utley becoming the backup third baseman once Howie Kendrick returns, or perhaps Kike Hernandez sliding over once in a while, but neither one of those are real third baseman, and Alex Guerrero is, well, Alex Guerrero. Unlike Utley and Hernandez, Seager has actually played third base this year, 17 starts in the minors, and is a natural shortstop. Again, Seager is widely regarded as the top prospect in baseball, so from a talent standpoint he should probably be up with the big club, and given the positional fit the sooner the better. The injured Kendrick has been out since Aug. 9 with a hamstring strain, and figures to be back some time around the first week of September. He will probably need minor league rehab games first. Joel Peralta will be due back once rosters expand, too, and probably conveniently not a moment before. Carlos Frias is on the 60-day DL with back tightness, and will be eligible to return as early as Aug. 30, though waiting a few more days seems the most likely tact. But if healthy, the Dodgers would almost certainly add Frias, who could be a bullpen wild card. Next wave Yimi Garcia will certainly be back up, but will have to wait 10 days unless replacing an injured player, so look for him on Sept. 3. Outfielder Scott Schebler and left-handed pitcher Ian Thomas are possible additions as well, whether it is a few days after Sept. 1 or after Oklahoma City's season ends. "I think generally guys don't need to be here for no reason. If there isn't a reason, more is not the merrier," Mattingly said last week. "We're in a pennant race, and if you get guys who aren't invested it's not the best scenario." Starting pitchers Zach Lee and Joe Wieland are other options, though I wouldn't bet on it. Others on the 40-man roster, like pitchers Josh Ravin and Daniel Coulombe, and infielders Ronald Torreyes and Andy Wilkins, are on the fringe. They potentially could be brought up, or they could be roster casualties if the Dodgers need to add players to the 40-man roster, whether acquired by Aug. 31 or otherwise. Which brings us to the most intriguing part... The young bullpen arms You can't swing a dead cat without hitting multiple people reminding you just how bad the Dodgers bullpen is since the All-Star break, and with pickings potentially slim on the waiver trade market the most likely chance for improvement just might be from within.

The Dodgers already promoted starters Chase Anderson and Jharel Cotton to Triple-A to work in relief as a mini tryout for possible major league work. Back in Tulsa, there are two more options with Julio Urias and Jose De Leon. Urias, who just turned 19, is the pitching jewel of the system, up near Seager-level on most national prospect lists. He has 80 strikeouts against just 16 walks in 70 innings this season, including a 28.6-percent strikeout rate in Double-A, almost all as an 18-year-old. He missed over a month in the middle of the season with elective eye surgery, a cosmetic procedure which also served as a convenient way to limit his innings, keeping room on the odometer should the Dodgers need Urias come September and October. "I think he's okay innings-wise. They planned it so if that was something we'd want to do he'd be okay," Matttingly said. "There have been teams to have young guys come up. K-Rod came up with the Angels and lit the world on fire. All the players in the world, they got an opportunity somewhere. At some point they were young players. I'm not opposed to young guys at all, so we'll see where it goes." Urias has thrown 70 innings this season compared to 87⅔ innings in 2014. Similarly, De Leon has 105 innings in 2015 after 77 in 2014. His innings were limited by a three-week DL stint, and since returning has been on a pitch count limit, perhaps making him an option as well. Francisco Rodriguez is the best example of a player not on the 40-man roster (but in the organization) on Aug. 31 who still helped a postseason team, replacing the injured Steve Green for the 2002 Angels. Rodriguez struck out 13 of 21 batters faced in September, then struck out 28 with five walks in 18⅔ innings in the postseason with a 1.93 ERA, winning five games in relief for the World Series champs. Mattingly tried to limit expectations should Urias join the Dodgers down the stretch. "I don't think it's fair to throw [K-Rod] on him. He's still a young kid developing," Mattingly said. "Andrew [Friedman, president of baseball operations] and development are going to do what's best for him, hopefully maturing into a starter." Another Urias comp, fair or not, could be fellow left-handed Mexican pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, who pitched for the Dodgers in September 1980 during a pennant drive and allowed only two unearned runs in 17⅔ innings. That was just a prelude to Fernandomania, which began the next year. It's not fair to Urias to expect him to live up to such expectations, but it would be pretty exciting and pretty special if he joins the Dodgers in September. Michael Boyle, 3 relievers combine for Loons shutout By Craig Minami Player Of The Day

Michael Boyle made his second appearance for the Loons and Boyle pitched 3⅔ innings and allowed no runs, four hits, one walk and struck out four. The 21-year old left-hander from Radford University had pitched 105⅓ innings in his last college season, Boyle has pitched 37⅓ innings in his first professional season. Triple-A Oklahoma City The Dodgers gave up single runs in the eighth and ninth innings and saw the Isotopes (Rockies) walk-off to a 5-4 win. Daniel Coulombe took the loss when Corey Seager could not come up with Angelys Nina's grounder cleanly. Seager's throw home was not in time to catch Cristhian Adames, who scored the winning run. In the eighth inning, Mike Bolsinger, who had pitched 3⅓ scoreless innings, gave up the tying run when Wilin Rosario homered. Bolsinger would end up with 4⅓ innings pitched, giving up one run, three hits, and four strikeouts. Ian Thomas started and pitched 3⅔ innings allowing three runs, seven hits, two walks and striking out three. Austin Barnes homered and also walked twice. Andy Wilkins was 2-for-4 with two doubles, Corey Seager was 1-for-4 with a double. Class-A Rancho Cucamonga The Quakes began their series against the JetHawks (Astros) with a 10-5 loss at Lancaster. The Quakes scored in each of the first four innings but then only had three walks in the last five innings of the game. Willie Calhoun hit his first two home runs as a Quake. Calhoun has continued the theme of offensive production from many of the 2015 draft picks who have been aggressively promoted since being drafted. Chase De Jong pitched two innings and gave up three runs, two hits, five walks and two strikeouts. Michael Johnson, A.J. Vanegas, and Karch Kowalcyzk each gave up runs. Only infielder Nate Samson recorded a scoreless inning. Low Class-A Great Lakes The Loons shutout the Hot Rods (Rays) 4-0 on Monday evening. Michael Boyle started for Loons and was followed by Cameron Palmer, Jose Alberto Molina, and Matt Campbell. Matt Beaty was 3-for-4 with a run scored, Jordan Tarsovich and Brian Wolfe each had two hits. Rookie - Pioneer League – Ogden The Owlz (Angels) beat the Raptors 7-3 as Raptor starter Ivan Vietez gave up six runs in 3⅔ innings. Colin Hering gave up the final run in his two innings of work.

Jordan Paroubeck was 4-for-5 with an RBI, Alex Santana had two hits, including his fourth home run. Jake Henson and Faustino Oguisten each had two hits. Transactions Triple-A: Los Angeles optioned pitcher Yimi Garcia to Oklahoma City. Double-A: Pitcher Matt West assigned to Tulsa from Oklahoma City. Class-A: Rancho Cucamonga placed pitcher Pablo Fernandez on the 7-day disabled list; pitcher David Reid-Foley assigned to Rancho Cucamonga from Great Lakes. Low Class-A: Activated pitcher Derrick Sylvester from the 7-day disabled list. Monday box scores Albuquerque 5, Oklahoma City 4 Lancaster 10, Rancho Cucamonga 5 Great Lakes 4, Bowling Green 0 Orem 7, Ogden 4 Tuesday schedule 4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Tommy Bergjans) vs. Bowling Green (Brad Wallace) 5:10 p.m.: Tulsa (Julio Urias) at Arkansas (Angels) (Sean Newcomb) 5:35 p.m.: Oklahoma City (David Huff) at Albuquerque (John Lannan) 6:15 p.m.: Ogden (Kevin Brown) at Orem (Jared Ruxer) 6:30 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Matt Shelton) at Lancaster (Akeem Bostick) 7:00 p.m.: Arizona Dodgers at Arizona Brewers Dodgers vs. Reds series snapshot: Cincinnati edition By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers try to get right at the hands of the Reds in Cincinnati, the final three games of seven matchups in a 15-day span this month. Here is an overview of the two struggling teams before their series at Great American Ball Park. Teams: Dodgers (67-56) at Reds (52-71)

Split records: Dodgers on road (25-36), Reds at home (29-32) Run differential: Dodgers (+51, fourth in NL), Reds (-56, 10th in NL) DODGERS VS. REDS 2015 Day Date Location Time (PT) Thu Aug 13 Los Angeles 10-3, Cin Fri Aug 14 Los Angeles 5-3, LA Sat Aug 15 Los Angeles 8-3, LA Sun Aug 16 Los Angeles 2-1, LA Tue Aug 25 Cincinnati 4:10pm Wed Aug 26 Cincinnati 4:10pm Thu Aug 27 Cincinnati 9:35am Runs scored: Dodgers 4.11 per game (seventh), Reds 3.96 (11th) OPS+: Dodgers 107 (first), Reds 94 (seventh) Runs allowed: Dodgers 3.69 (fourth), Reds 4.41 (11th) ERA+: Dodgers 106 (fifth), Reds 97 (10th) Last 10 games: Dodgers 4-6, Reds 1-9 2015 head-to-head record: 3-1 Dodgers 2014 head-to-head: 4-3 Dodgers Reds SB Nation site: Red Reporter Series Schedule & probable pitching matchups Tuesday, 4:10 p.m.: Alex Wood vs. LHP John Lamb (SportsNet LA) Wednesday, 4:10 p.m.: Brett Anderson vs. LHP David Holmberg (SportsNet LA) Thursday, 9:35 a.m.: Zack Greinke vs. Anthony DeSclafani (SportsNet LA) Dodgers vs. Reds probable pitching matchups By Eric Stephen The reeling Dodgers face the reeling Reds for three games in Cincinnati beginning Tuesday night, a rematch of the four-game series a week and a half ago in Los Angeles, of which three games were won by the home team. Here is a look at the probable pitchers for the three games from Great American Ball Park. Tuesday, 4:10 p.m. PT (SportsNet LA)

It has only been four starts, but the Dodgers career of Alex Wood has featured a discernible pattern - strong out of the gate, only to fade perhaps earlier than anyone wants. The first two times through the batting order, Wood has held hitters to .242/.292/.333, with 15 strikeouts and five walks; but the third time through, hitters are batting .333/.462/.667 with two strikeouts and four walks. In his first five innings of Dodgers starts, Wood has allowed a combined six runs in 20 innings, with 16 strikeouts and seven walks. The rest of the way, he has allowed seven runs in 3⅓ innings, with four walks and just one strikeout. John Lamb made his major league debut on Aug. 14, and Tuesday will be his third start. On the positive side, Lamb has struck out 15 of 51 major league batters faced (a 29.4-percent strikeout rate) against only two walks. But the left-hander has also allowed eight runs on 17 hits, including two home runs and three doubles, in 11⅓ innings. Wednesday, 4:10 p.m. (SportsNet LA) Brett Anderson has allowed seven home runs in his last seven starts, after allowing seven home runs in his first 17 starts of the season. He got the win against the Reds on Aug. 15 in Los Angeles, pitching a quality start allowing three runs in six innings. Fellow southpaw David Holmberg got obliterated at Dodger Stadium that same night, allowing three home runs and seven runs while recording only six outs. In his other four starts this season, Holmberg has a 4.36 ERA, wiith 14 strikeouts and 10 walks in 22⅔ innings. Thursday, 9:35 a.m. (SportsNet LA) The final a.m. start of the season is on Thursday morning's getaway day, with Zack Greinke the main course for breakfast baseball. Greinke this season in seven daytime starts is 6-0 with a 1.47 ERA, with 47 strikeouts and eight walks in 49⅔ innings. The Dodgers face a right-hander in the series finale in Anthony DeSclafani, who pitched well at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 16, allowing only two solo home runs — one by Greinke — in defeat. DeSclafani has a 5.85 ERA in 11 home starts this season, but in his last three starts in Cincinnati has also walked none and struck out 17 in 16 innings. He also allowed five home runs in those three games, and 14 runs, losing twice. Jharel Cotton emerges as possible Dodgers bullpen option By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers minor league pitcher Jharel Cotton got the call on Friday, when Double-A Tulsa manager Razor Shines told the right-hander he was promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City. If Cotton keeps up his breakout season, it might not be the last such meeting he has in 2015. "He told me I'm going to Triple-A to relieve out of the pen, and hopefully the Dodgers like what they see," Cotton said. "It's great to know that."

The promotion to Triple-A was well earned for Cotton, the Dodgers' 20th-round pick in 2012. Cotton, 23, was 5-2 with a 2.30 ERA in 11 games for Double-A Tulsa, including eight starts, with 71 strikeouts and 21 walks in 62⅔ innings. On a prospect-laden staff that included Julio Urias, Jose De Leon and Chris Anderson, Cotton was just as good as if not better than all of them in Double-A in many respects. "It's a pretty good group of guys," Cotton said. "I tried to benefit from them." Anderson was promoted with Cotton to Oklahoma City, where both starters will pitch out of the bullpen, a tryout of sorts for a September call-up to help the beleaguered Dodgers bullpen. It's a bit of a long shot as Anderson have doesn't have to be added to the 40-man roster until November 2016 — Cotton will need to be added this November, giving him a slight edge — but they definitely have a chance. Cotton's breakout season actually began in 2014, when with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga he was urged by pitching coach Matt Herges and roving instructor Damon Mashore to attack hitters more often, to trust his stuff and have a plan before he pitched. "At the end of last year, I found a mechanical change, and stopped tipping my pitches. I built my confidence up, and took that confidence from last year into this year. I worked hard, came to spring training in shape, and just ran with it," Cotton said. "This season has been a step up in my confidence and my aggressiveness, and it's taken me a long way." He finished 2014 with a 1.11 ERA over his last seven starts, with 55 strikeouts against only 12 walks. But before his 2015 began, Cotton suffered a setback. Hit by a comebacker during spring training, Cotton broke his left wrist (his non-throwing hand), which sidelined him for over two months. "I was frustrated, because the doctor said I was out for three months. I'm like 'Three months for my left hand? I can catch a ball within a month or so.' I felt like I could pitch after the first two weeks, but I knew I had to take it slow," Cotton recalled. "After that surgery all I did was workout and throw, keep my pitching ability up, so when I did come back I was back where I started." After one rehab start with Class-A Great Lakes in May, then four starts with Rancho Cucamonga in June, Cotton was in Tulsa. It was his second career stint in Double-A, though the last time was a six-week stint in 2013 in an attempt to shift him to the bullpen, though for a different reason. "Coaches were saying I would be better out of the pen. I don't think I was ready at that point. I was still tipping my pitches, I wasn't the pitcher that I am right now," Cotton said. "But now I'm different, and ready to go out there and pitch my butt off." Cotton today has a low-90s fastball that may play up in relief, and he calls his changeup his second-best pitch. He'll use the cutter or slider to right-handers as well. He recently switched agents to Beverly Hills Sports Council.

Across three levels this season Cotton's strikeout rate is 30.1 percent, a career best. If anything, Cotton enjoys a challenge. When asked to name a highlight from this season, Cotton picked a July 31 start against Arkansas in which he walked seven batters in five innings. Cotton got out of a bases-loaded jam with two outs in the first inning, stranded runners in scoring position in both the second and fourth innings, then loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth. He got out of that predicament as well, completing a most unusual five scoreless innings. "It wasn't my best game at all, but the way I attacked and pitched, I got out of every jam presented to me," Cotton said. "It showed me a lot with my pitching ability." If anything, the broken wrist helped limit Cotton's innings this season, having thrown 88⅓ innings in 2015 compared to 126⅔ last year. In other words, there is plenty left in the tank for a deep run this season. While Cotton sees himself as a starting pitcher in the long term, he's willing to do whatever is necessary to get to the major leagues. "I'm pretty confident," he said. "But whatever the Dodgers have planned for me is what I'll do. I'll just go out there and do my best." So far that has served him well. Dodgers option Yimi Garcia to make room for Juan Nicasio By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers on Monday optioned Yimi Garcia to Triple-A Oklahoma City to make room in the bullpen for Juan Nicasio, who will be activated from the disabled list before the Dodgers' series in Cincinnati against the Reds on Tuesday after the minimum 15 days. Garcia is 3-3 with a 3.55 ERA in 46 games this season for the Dodgers, with 58 strikeouts — second among Dodgers relievers to Kenley Jansen — and just nine walks in 45⅔ innings. Garcia has also allowed a bullpen-high seven home runs, which first got him sent down just before the All-Star break. But Garcia hasn't allowed a home run since July 6, and in his last six appearances with the Dodgers has allowed just one run in 8⅓ innings with five strikeouts and no walks. The run came Tuesday in Oakland, with two straight doubles to open the 10th inning for a walk-off loss after Garcia pitched a scoreless ninth. Nicasio suffered a left abdominal strain during the Dodgers' last homestand and last pitched on Aug. 9 in Pittsburgh. He started throwing off a mound on Wednesday in Oakland. Nicasio, in his first full season as a reliever after four seasons mostly as a starter in Colorado, is 1-3 with a 3.06 ERA in 38 games, with 52 strikeouts and 22 walks in 47 innings. He has pitched in a variety of roles

for the Dodgers in the bullpen this year, from multi-inning middle relief work to setting up in the seventh and eighth innings. The Dodgers bullpen since the All-Star break has a 6.12 ERA and 4.59 FIP that both rank 14th in the National League, ahead of only the Rockies. For what it's worth, their 3.51 xFIP ranks sixth and 3.03 SIERA during that span is third in the league. Garcia will have to remain on optional assignment for 10 days unless he's called back up to replace an injured player. By optioning him Monday, the earliest Garcia can return to the Dodgers is Sept. 3. Oklahoma City's regular season ends on Monday, Sept. 7.

ESPN LA Bullpen tweak: Juan Nicasio back, Yimi Garcia out By Mark Saxon CINCINNATI -- The Los Angeles Dodgers are tweaking their struggling bullpen again. They demoted right-hander Yimi Garcia to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday in anticipation of activating Juan Nicasio from the 15-day disabled list before Tuesday’s game in Cincinnati. Nicasio could help a bullpen that has a 4.20 ERA, worse than all but two teams in the National League. He had a 3.06 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 47 innings before he strained an abdominal muscle on Aug. 9. Garcia had similar numbers – 3.55 ERA, 0.99 WHIP – but has options. Dodgers' bullpen changes figure to be internal By Mark Saxon CINCINNATI -- One Los Angeles Dodgers source said it is unlikely the team will be able to trade for an impact reliever this month since they have been "blocked all month" by teams lower in the standings. In a perverse twist, the team's recent five-game slide could increase their odds a tick. Teams are awarded waiver claims in reverse order of the standings in the league of the player in question. The New York Mets have now caught the Dodgers with an identical record of 67-56 and, of course, the San Francisco Giants are only two games behind in the loss column. Don't look now, but the Arizona Diamondbacks are only five back. Tanking, though, seems like a bad move to try to land a veteran, overpaid reliever who might or might not help in these last 39 games, so what else can the Dodgers do about a bullpen that has been their biggest deficiency for four months now? You really can't argue with the need. The Dodgers now have the worst bullpen ERA (4.20) in the National League aside from the Colorado Rockies and Atlanta Braves. Closer Kenley Jansen blew a save Sunday in

a game -- with a brilliant 10-strikeouts performance by Clayton Kershaw -- that could have turned the tide. Chris Hatcher gave up the winning 10th-inning home run. Granted, the offense isn't producing much, but you've occasionally got to be able to pull out tight, low-scoring games and the Dodgers rarely can because of the bullpen. Though Jansen had been pitching well, was on a week's rest and wasn't hit hard, the team wasn't giving him any free passes, not at this time of year. "Kenley's not going to make excuses and we're not going to make excuses either. He knows he's got to come in and do the job," catcher A.J. Ellis said. "The great thing about Kenley is he has a short-term memory. If he gets the chance, he'll be ready to go Tuesday." Some of it his purely bad luck. Opposing hitters have a .319 batting average on balls in play (BABIP), second-highest in the league, against the Dodgers relievers. Some of it is bad pitching. Dodgers relievers are giving up more than a home run per nine innings. Only three teams in the league have done that. There is a fair amount of hope things will improve with no changes. With Kershaw and Zack Greinke pitching as well as they have, the bullpen isn't particularly taxed. Plus, Dodgers relievers have the highest strikeout-per-nine in the league and only four teams are walking fewer people. But, of course, Dodgers fans don't want to hear that and simply trusting in a regression to the mean when the season is reduced to six weeks seems risky. Change will come, but it might come from within. The most interesting potential fix is to promote the team's best pitching prospect, 19-year old Julio Urias. Since the Dodgers have little interest in adding the actual Francisco Rodriguez, perhaps they could add the guy who could have the kind of impact K-Rod once had in helping the 2002 Los Angeles Angels win a World Series. Rodriguez was 20 at the time. He had a wipeout slider and a mid-90s fastball. He pitched in fewer than six innings for the Angels that September, but he was so unhittable -- 13 strikeouts and only five base runners -- that the Angels put him on their postseason roster. Urias' impact could be similar. He's a starting pitcher, of course, so it would take some getting used to, but teams have been breaking their top pitching prospects in as relievers fairly routinely lately. It didn't seem to affect Carlos Martinez's development in St. Louis. He came up at 21, pitched mostly in relief for two years and now he's one of the most dominant starters in the major leagues. Urias is 3-4 with a 3.21 ERA at Double-A Tulsa. He has 80 strikeouts and 15 walks. Opponents are hitting .224 off him. Coming out of the bullpen, his mid-90s fastball probably would play up. His breaking ball and changeup could be devastating weapons. The Dodgers have to worry about Urias' confidence if he comes up and fails, but the first thing everyone in the organization always says about him is that he has poise well beyond his years. He has been dominating older hitters since he was 16. It seems more and more likely the Dodgers will have Urias in their clubhouse in September. At the very least he'll get a look at where he figures to end up soon and, at the most, he brings a live, fresh arm and helps turn the tide.

The other guy who could help is Mike Bolsinger, who has been pitching in a hybrid role in Triple-A Oklahoma City since the Dodgers demoted him after they traded for Mat Latos and Alex Wood. Bolsinger had one game in which he struck out nine Tacoma Rainiers in seven innings. His curveball, one of the best in baseball, could be an effective weapon out of the bullpen. He could also give the bullpen length and spare other arms for higher-leverage situations in games that get out of hand. Changes are coming, no doubt. To sit back and wait risks the Dodgers' chances, not only in the postseason but of even getting there.

DODGER INSIDER Bear and grin it: The line between too much and too little encouragement By Jon Weisman How far should you go to light a fire under someone? After seeing the Oscar-nominated movie “Whiplash” last winter, with its internal debate between tough love and abuse, I was curious what the reaction would be in the sports world. So earlier this season, I talked to Scott Van Slyke, A.J. Ellis, Kiké Hernandez, J.P. Howell and Darwin Barney about it for the July issue of Dodger Insider magazine. Click each page below to enlarge. Remembering ’65: See-saw second half of August By Jon Weisman When might you be having a charmed season? When you’re scoreless with two out in the bottom of the 10th inning, Sandy Koufax bats for himself and walks, and then Roberto Clemente — of all people — drops a fly ball to allow the game-winning run to score. That’s what happened August 14, 1965 at Dodger Stadium to allow the Dodgers to win, 1-0. “It was sinking all the way,” Jim Gilliam, who hit the ball at Clemente, told Frank Finch of the Times. “Clemente first had his glove up in front of his chest, but at the last moment had to shift it. That’s when he muffed the ball.” Said Clemente: “I was groping for the ball. I lost it.” Though there were still many skeptics about the ’65 Dodgers, one who saw their potential was Pirates third baseman Bob Bailey. “They’re not just giving an 80% effort like some teams,” Bailey told Times columnist Sid Ziff. “They go all out. They go for the extra base, the squeeze bunt, the impossible catch. And, of course, they’ve got tremendous pitching.”

But rather using the Clemente game to launch like a rocket to the National League pennant, the Dodgers would have one of their bumpiest weeks of the year. Batting .295 with five homers, starting pitcher Don Drysdale hit seventh for the Dodgers on August 15, but struck out twice and took a 4-2 loss to the Pirates on the mound, the first of two consecutive defeats that reduced their NL lead to half a game. Then, in front of an feisty home crowd August 17, Los Angeles barely staved off a fall from first place. “The fast-increasing colony of boo birds at Dodger Stadium changed hoots into huzzahs,” wrote Frank Finch of the Times, after the Dodgers rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the seventh inning to retain their hold on the National League lead. Jims Gilliam and Lefebvre singled in the tying and go-ahead runs. A day later, there was no saving them. After Koufax couldn’t hold a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning, Maury Wills’ 12th-inning error opened the door for three Philadelphia runs and a 6-3 defeat. Milwaukee moved into first place, with the Giants only .001 behind heading into a three-game series at San Francisco — the kickoff to a 18-day, 17-game roadtrip. Not a relaxing time for Dodger fans at all. The journey began with a 15-inning daytime marathon (that meant 27 innings in less than 24 hours) that could have been a sprint if the Dodgers were sharper. Wes Parker made a first-inning error that was followed immediately by a home run by Willie Mays. Drysdale homered in the sixth and took a two-run lead into the late inning, but like Koufax the night before, he couldn’t finish, allowing a tying homer to Tom Haller with two out in the ninth. In the 12th, 18-year-old Willie Crawford was on his way to score the go-ahead run but turned back because he had missed third base. Mercifully, “Sweet Lou” Johnson’s two-run homer in the 15th inning put the Dodgers ahead to stay in an 8-5 victory that moved Los Angeles back into first place. Finch wrote that the Dodgers overcame “a series of bad breaks that would have blown a less-guttier gang sky-high.” A day later, the Dodgers were back in second place again, with a 5-3 loss to the Giants. And a day after that, the Dodgers were back in first place again, with Wes Parker’s 11th-inning homer giving them a 6-4 victory at San Francisco. Johnny Podres, the 1955 World Series hero, got the win with two shutout innings of relief — after struggling with a sore arm and a 6.23 ERA since June 1. Podres had allowed 11 runs in his previous 12 2/3 August innings. From Ziff: Podres was working so hard in the 11th the perspiration was pouring down his face although it was cold enough in the park to freeze a mackerel. “It sure makes you feel good to help the ball club,” said Podres with a sigh, “after what I’ve gone through there for months. It’s been almost impossible for me to smile or even act human. A guy can get down when his arm is hurting.”

By this point, Ziff, who was among the media skeptics in July, was describing the Dodgers as a “team of destiny.” The next day, Juan Marichal would face Sandy Koufax, with John Roseboro behind the plate for the Dodgers, and the entire Dodger world would be turned upside down. Dodgers Accelerator startup program takes next step By Jon Weisman The Dodgers Accelerator program announced in April — a program for investing in startups to benefit the next era of sports teams and their fans — has announced the selection of its initial 10 companies. From today’s press release, they are: Appetize – POS, mobile-ordering, and inventory management platform for live events Doorstat – helps businesses and brands better understand foot traffic, customer demographics, and customer behavior through a proprietary technology solution FieldLevel – private social network for sports recruiting that connects coaches and helps college teams find the best athletes for their programs FocusMotion – complete solution that makes it easy to track and analyze movements, gestures, and exercises with wearables Kinduct – develops connected health, fitness and human performance software solutions that help make people better LeagueApps – platform enabling local sports organizers to create and manage amazing sports experiences ProDay – mobile app that lets anyone work out with professional athletes. Anytime. Anywhere. SidePrize – facilitates side challenges for your fantasy league Swish Analytics – algorithm-driven tools for daily fantasy players, and fans Yezno – social platform that allows sports fans to poll, engage and debate each other “This program includes companies that have already established category leadership and are rapidly scaling operations, as well as earlier-stage companies with innovative ideas and visionary founders,” said Dodger chief financial officer Tucker Kain. “All of the companies will benefit greatly from the network and expertise the L.A. Dodgers, and its ownership, can provide.”

Dodgers Accelerator is run by the Dodgers in partnership with R/GA, which develops products, services and communications to grow client brands and businesses. A demonstration day is scheduled for November 10. Christine Magee of TechCrunch has more on the program and today’s news. As Nicasio nears return, Dodgers option Garcia By Jon Weisman The Dodgers optioned Yimi Garcia to Triple-A Oklahoma City, with the expectation of activating Juan Nicasio from the disabled list before their next game Tuesday in Cincinnati. Nicasio has struck out 10.0 batters per nine innings this year while allowing 62 baserunners in 47 innings. In August, he allowed a hit in each of his four appearances before going on the DL with a left abdominal strain, though none of those hits led to a run. Garcia has allowed one run in 8 1/3 innings for the Dodgers since the All-Star Break, but it was a killer: the 10th-inning run scored by Oakland on August 18, Garcia’s 25th birthday. For the year, Garcia has allowed 46 baserunners in 45 2/3 innings while striking out 58. Though rosters expand September 1, the right-hander can’t be recalled for 10 days unless he is replacing another player going on the DL.

FOX SPORTS Will Dodgers call up top prospect Julio Urias to join beleaguered bullpen? By Robert Pace Although the Los Angeles Dodgers have two of the best starting pitchers in baseball, they don't have a formidable bullpen in place to back their aces, which may force them to make an eventful September call-up. Although the Dodgers still have the option to acquire a reliever through the waiver wire, ESPN reports that that it's "unlikely the team will be able to trade for an impact reliever this month since they have been 'blocked all month' by teams lower in the standings." There's no denying the Dodgers' need to fortify their bullpen before the postseason, as it proved to be the crux of their downfall in last year's postseason, in which manager Don Mattingly was forced to stretch ace Clayton Kershaw to compensate for his justifiable lack of trust in the bullpen. If Los Angeles is unable to acquire a reliever on waivers, it will almost certainly resort to calling up a prospect or demoted starter Mike Bolsinger, who could provide crucial long-relief during the pennant race.

With expanded rosters coming in September, the Dodgers will have the opportunity to add some reinforcements to the bullpen, the most notable of whom could be the organization's top prospect, 19-year-old lefty Julio Urias, who has yet to make his major-league debut. Although Urias is slated to be a starter in his major-league career, teams have brought up starters as relievers and later transitioned them into starters or other roles at the major-league level. The most notable recent examples include Carlos Martinez and Shelby Miller of the St. Louis Cardinals and Francisco Rodriguez, who helped the then-Anaheim Angels win a World Series in 2002. After pitching out of the bullpen for the Cardinals for two seasons, Martinez is now an ace in the Cardinals' rotation, Miller is having a career year as a starter now with the Braves, and Rodriguez went on to be an elite closer for years. Of course, the most relevant example as it pertains to the Dodgers is Fernando Valenzuela, who helped the Dodgers in the pennant chase in his first month in the majors in Sept. 1980, during which he threw 17 2/3 scoreless innings of relief with 16 strikeouts over 10 games. Whether Urias is ready to face major-league batters or not is a decision only the Dodgers can assess, but he is having another solid season in the minors this year, in which he holds a 3.21 ERA with 80 strikeouts and 16 walks in 70 innings. In his three years in the Dodgers organization, the Mexican left-hander holds a 7-6 record with a 2.67 ERA and 256 strikeouts in 212 innings. Now it's up to the Dodgers to make the call: Is it in the best interest of both Urias and the club to bring him up for the pennant race? Energy level lackluster as Dodgers find themselves in offensive rut By FOX Sports The Los Angeles Dodgers recently have been hard-pressed to put runs on the board, which was on full display over the weekend when they scored a mere three runs in three games against the Houston Astros and were no-hit by Mike Fiers. "It feels like we're not swinging the bats great right now. The energy's really not what we would like," manager Don Mattingly said. Since leaving Dodger Stadium off a three-game winning streak last Sunday, the Dodgers have lost five consecutive games on the road, first in a two-game series against the A's and most recently in a three-game series against the Astros. While they got no help from their besieged bullpen, the Dodgers have only scored a total of nine runs over their five-game road trip.

"The only way, basically, to get out of it is to put some runs on the board and guys getting hits all over the place. That's always fun," Mattingly said. "When you're not getting hits, it kind of rolls over from one game to the next." After an off-day on Monday, the Dodgers will head to Cincinnati to take on the Reds for a three-game series before returning home for a three-game weekend series against the Chicago Cubs.

FORBES.COM

Dodgers DOA? How L.A. Can Win In October Despite Flaws By Howard Cole Having been no-hit over the weekend in Houston and humbled more often than seems reasonable recently, the Dodgers are thus far 0-for-their-eight-game-road trip, their championship ambitions very much in doubt, and shaken to the core. And as many a long-suffering and savvy baseball fan can attest, it’s always darkest …just before it turns pitch black. But the season has not turned pitch black. Not just yet, anyway. Los Angeles has lost five straight. So perhaps by the transitive property, the Pythagorean Theory or the laws of the baseball gods, all we can conclude with certainty is this: It’s a five-game losing streak. Not pretty, clearly, but neither life nor pennant-threatening this August 25. Clayton Kershaw would like to see some “panic” and a “sense of urgency” in his mates, thoughts made public after the team’s come-from-ahead loss to the Astros on Sunday. While we can debate the wisdom of those comments, depending on whether the Dodgers’ ace shared them in the clubhouse first (thanks to David Vassegh for the idea), to the extent that “sense of urgency” can be explained – much like the disciplines of baserunning, general execution on the diamond and selfless play – it is something that comes from, or should come from the manager, and from the culture he has instilled. We’ve heard comments like Kershaw’s, along with stories about issues “in the room” with some degree of drama throughout Don Mattingly’s five-year tenure, and any expectation that things will magically improve between now and the end of the 2015 campaign is a bit of reach. Minus a change at the helm, of course. And while the promoting of Ron Roenicke, Tim Wallach or Gabe Kapler – or the hiring of Bud Black – seems unlikely at this late date, you might consider that nearly everything about Jackie Robinson was unlikely too. The move from Brooklyn was unlikely. Sandy Koufax was unlikely, as are Kershaw and Zack Greinke and Adrian Gonzalez on down. Justin Turner is unlikely. Twenty-seven years between pennants is unlikely. Baseball is unlikely too, for that matter. Firing a first-place manager is unlikely. A second-place manager, however, not so much. Check back with me in a couple of days. So yes, it seems unlikely that Los Angeles can succeed down the stretch and into October, flawed in direct proportion to their leader, warts and all. But the answer is simple, actually. They take the National League West by winning one more game than their rivals from San Francisco.

The Giants are a fine team that plays to and above its potential as a matter of course, led by a future a Hall of Fame manager in Bruce Bochy and an annual MVP candidate catcher in Buster Posey. They are also a team with a three good-to-great starting pitchers, a weak back-end and a bullpen which has given up some monumentally unclutch home runs of late (witness this, this, this and that). Sound familiar? L.A. wins the division by beating the crap out of the Reds in Cincinnati while the Giants play the Cubs at in the Bay Area Tuesday through Thursday, by holding their own versus Chicago at Chavez Ravine next weekend, by winning two out of three when the Giants hit the City of Dodgers the series after that, and by hanging on for dear life the rest of the way. L.A. wins by avoiding a wild card game. Next, it’s equally simple. They get through an NLDS by winning one more game than their opponent – preferably a team other than the St. Louis Cardinals. They capture the pennant, and the World Series, not be being wonderful every chance they get, but by being better than the team in the other dugout four times out of a possible seven. They can stink up the joint in the games they lose and still be the last team standing, because that’s baseball. And in particular, because it’s postseason baseball. Alex Wood or Mat Latos or even Kershaw can be lit up like fireworks in a domed stadium, which is never attractive, once or twice each along the way, with the Dodgers still coming out the victor. The bullpen can melt down a time or three per series, as long as it is successful four times out of seven. Some of those games can be won with as little as an out or an inning from a solitary reliever, most likely but not necessarily Kenley Jansen. I’ve said this a hundred times if I’ve said it once, and I’ll continue to say it until I’m Dodger Blue in the face (or in the beard): there’s no predicting in baseball. There. Is. No. Predicting. In. Baseball. There isn’t a pundit on the planet, this one included, who can tell you what will transpire in October. Not a one. The Dodgers can succeed in October. Likely or unlikely, I have no idea. And neither does anyone else. And we wouldn’t have it any other way now, would we? And remember, glove conquers all.

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Los Angeles Dodgers give Chicago-based DoorStat big-league shot By John Carpenter A Chicago-based customer-analytics startup just got called up to the majors. DoorStat, which uses video-based software to help businesses analyze everything from foot-traffic patterns to customer mood, gender and ethnicity, is one of 10 companies in the first class of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ new accelerator program.

Dodgers Chief Financial Officer Tucker Kain said the team sees the accelerator as a way to help it solve business challenges and better serve its fans. Forbes in March valued the Dodgers at $2.1 billion, second to the New York Yankees among Major League Baseball teams. The accelerator, run jointly by the Dodgers and New York-based R/GA, a digital development and communications firm, says it is giving each of the participants $120,000, along with networking opportunities and mentoring, in return for a 6 percent stake in each. “It’s primarily about finding new partners and new solutions to problems in the industry,” Kane said. “The investment part of it is secondary.” DoorStat CEO Cole Harper said the program is a perfect fit for his company, which uses propriety software to collect anonymous demographic data from customers. The software uses an “intelligent algorithm” to analyze what people look like. From this it can tell age, gender, ethnicity and even mood, he said. According to DoorStat’s website, it can differentiate seven different moods: happy, surprised, neutral, angry, sad, afraid and disgust. Harper emphasized that the technology does not identify people or record images. The software, which Harper claimed is 86 percent accurate, might tell a baseball team something simple, such as that parents with young children typically arrive at the ballpark early while young adults tend to come late. It might also be used to manage resources in the concessions area by gauging the mood of people waiting in line. “We can help them decide how long people are willing to wait in line before it becomes a negative experience,” Harper said. “If your concession area is a negative for 60 percent of your customers, that’s a problem.” He said he and the company’s three other full-time employees will split time between Chicago and Los Angeles through November, when the program will stage a demo day. Harper is no stranger to facial-recognition software. He was CEO of SceneTap, recognized as an “up and comer” at the 2013 Chicago Innovation Awards. That company combined recognition software with a mobile app to help bar-goers determine the gender and age of a bar’s patrons before they decided to go there. He said SceneTap merged last year with BarVision, a company that helps taverns monitor inventory. DoorStat spun out of SceneTap but is a separate company, Harper said. The Dodgers’ startups “include category leaders and the best emerging companies at the intersection of sports, technology, entertainment, and media,” according to a statement announcing the winners. CFO Kain emphasized that the startups focus on the broader entertainment industry and that they’ll help the Dodgers “enhance our customer experience and build our brand.” Other participants in the accelerator include:

• Appetize, an inventory-management platform for live events; • FieldLevel, a private social network for sports recruiting; • FocusMotion, which works with wearables to track and analyze movements, gestures and exercises; • Kinduct, maker of health, fitness and human-performance software; • LeagueApps, a program that helps manage local sports leagues; • ProDay, a mobile workout app that links fitness buffs with professional athletes; • SidePrize, a platform that builds weekly fantasy games into traditional, season-long fantasy leagues; • Swish Analytics, a tool for fantasy sports players; and • Yezno, a social platform that allows sports fans to poll, engage and debate each other.

THE FIELDS OF GREEN

Dodgers' Accelerator program gives boost to cutting-edge firms By Courtney Brunious In the latest sign that leagues and franchises are continuing to expand their reach beyond the confines of their respective sports, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced the companies involved with their LA Dodgers Accelerator program. The program is a partnership between the baseball team and R/GA, a full-service digital agency focused on technology, design and marketing. Its goal is to provide companies with unique networking and strategic development opportunities that will help them grow and expand their brands across business verticals. The initial 10 companies that will benefit from the program: Appetize – POS, mobile-ordering and inventory management platform for live events. Doorstat – helps businesses and brands better understand foot traffic, customer demographics and customer behavior through a proprietary technology solution. FieldLevel – private social network for sports recruiting that connects coaches and helps college teams find the best athletes for their needs. FocusMotion – complete solution that makes it easy to track and analyze movements, gestures and exercises with wearables. Kinduct – develops connected health, fitness and human performance software solutions that help make people better. LeagueApps – platform enabling local sports organizers to create and manage amazing sports experiences. ProDay – mobile app that lets anyone work out with professional athletes. Anytime. Anywhere.

SidePrize – facilitates side challenges for your fantasy leagues. Swish Analytics – algorithm-driven tools for daily fantasy players and fans. Yezno – social platform that allows sports fans to poll, engage and debate each other. With this wide array of companies having at least some tangential connection to sports, the Dodgers should benefit from working directly with these start-ups and category leaders to influence their trajectories. In addition, the team and its executives will be at the forefront of new technology that may enhance their ability to decrease inefficiencies and increase revenues and engagement. This type of partnership is part of a larger trend that has also seen the NFL start its own venture capital firm and Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) expand into other sports and entertainment. With record revenues being generated and a cross-section of industries attached to sports, it is only natural that this type of expansion becomes more prevalent. Executives attached to franchises and leagues have a wealth of experience in finance, real estate, media, and entertainment, as well as other industries. Leveraging this knowledge to help enable companies and industries to grow, while also benefiting the core business and bottom lines of these teams and leagues, can only help rise the tide for all involved.

LA BUSINESS JOURNAL

Dodgers Launch First Accelerator Class By Garrett Reim The Los Angeles Dodgers and advertising agency R/GA of New York have selected 10 companies for the inaugural L.A. Dodgers Accelerator. The three-month program, which launched today, provides mentorship from the Dodger organization, R/GA and local sports and tech executives, as well as $20,000, in exchange for a 6 percent equity stake. The accelerator also will invest $100,000 in convertible notes on a case-by-case basis. The accelerator is run out of Playa Vista by four full-time staff from R/GA. Members of this year’s class include companies in varied sports categories, including ticketing, wearable devices and a sports social network. Companies also range from early to late stage, and are not limited to baseball. Local members of the class include: Appetize: a West L.A. company that has developed a point-of-sale software system used on tablets and cell phones. FieldLevel: a Pacific Palisades company that has developed a software platform used by college sports teams to evaluate players. FocusMotion: a Santa Monica company that has developed wearable device motion analysis software.

The Dodger’s extensive ties to apparel brands, other professional teams and sports executives was especially enticing for Kai Sato, co-founder and chief operating officer of FieldLevel. “It was the team that was assembled. … Guys like Peter Guber and other people who are involved in the sports space and people at Guggenheim Baseball Management,” he said. “This network is extremely far reaching.”

NEW HAVEN REGISTER

New Haven-based social media platform Yezno picked for program launched by Dodgers By Luther Turmelle A fledgling New Haven-based company that is launching a social media platform aimed at sports fans has been selected to participate in a business accelerator program launched by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Yezno is one 10 companies selected by officials with the Major League Baseball team and its partner in the business accelerator program, the international advertising firm R/GA. The Dodgers announced their business accelerator in April and the program is launching this week. “This program includes companies that have already established category leadership and are rapidly scaling operations, as well as earlier-stage companies with innovative ideas and visionary founders,” Tucker Kain, the team’s chief financial officer, said in a statement Monday. “All of the companies will benefit greatly from the network and expertise the LA Dodgers, and its ownership, can provide.” The business accelerator partners will invest $120,000 in each of the 10 companies, according to program’s web site. R/GA will provide co-working space for the companies at its offices in the Playa Vista section of Los Angeles through early November, when the 10 businesses take part in a demonstration day at Dodger Stadium. R/GA will advise the companies on branding of their respective products and the firms will also have mentors in technology and other categories from the Dodgers organization and the team’s business partners. Besides Yezno, which is a start-up, some of the other companies selected for the program have already raised significant rounds of funding, Stephen Plumlee, global chief operating officer for R/GA, said in a statement. “With their input, we are innovating on the very idea of what an accelerator is and how a program can create value for companies at all stages,” Plumlee said.

SOCALTECH.COM

Why The LA Dodgers Accelerator Is Combining Sports, Investment and Startups By Benjamin F. Kuo

At first glance, it might not be clear why a sports organization like the LA Dodgers might be in the business of startup accelerators--until you realize that the current owners of the Dodgers, including Mark Walter, Magic Johnson, Stan Kasten, Peter Guber, Bobby Patton and Todd Boehly--are all from the investment and entrepreneurial world, even as much as they are from the sports and entertainment world. We caught up with Tucker Kain, CFO of LA Dodgers and Managing Director, Guggenheim Baseball Management LP, to understand that link better, and why the organization has so enthusiastically embraced startup acceleration with the first class of the LA Dodgers Accelerator (www.dodgersaccelerator.com), which it launched its first class of ten companies yesterday. How did the idea to launch your own accelerator come about? Tucker Kain: In 2012, when the current ownership group bought the Dodgers, the group they pulled together was pretty heavily investment focused. They all had come from backgrounds as investment professionals, which is how they had built their own businesses. As we came in, and started looking at opportunities the Dodgers had in front of them, they saw many great, smart, innovative young companies approaching us. Those companies wanted to partner with us, and to put commercial arrangements in place with the Dodgers, to better validate their product and why they were building what they were to solve industry issues. What we realized, is that using a platform like the Dodgers to validate those products, and at the same time, solve some of our own problems, made a lot of sense. It ended up being a pretty interesting opportunity, where we could create value not just for us, but industry-wide. With the background of our ownership group, and their interest in putting capital to use and our resources to work, we saw the opportunity to create strategic partnerships. That not included the relationships and network that our owners bring to bear, but also capital. That strategy manifested in our launching this program, which is in day one as of today, as one of the opportunities we saw in the market. That reflects our ownership's willingness to take some risk, and invest dollars in creating value, while also looking for ways to mitigate the downside a bit and change the odds on a business, and at the same time, participate in the growth and value created by doing so. That's how we approached it. We saw the opportunity, and decided to put resources where our heads where. We've been pleased with the response from the market, and from interest in the early stage businesses in our industry, and we're really excited about the tons of businesses we're launching today. What's the big value of linking a sports team like the Dodgers to these startups? Tucker Kain: One thing we've found, is the ability to bring a brand like the Dodgers to bear on these early stage businesses opens up opportunities for them, from our network of mentors and industry experts. You have to start and end with our ownership, particularly Mark Walter of Guggenheim Financial, Magic Johnson, who needs no introduction due to his brand and businesses in sports and entertainment; and Peter Guber, one of our co-owners, who also is an owner of the Golden State Warriors, and the new Los Angeles Football Club. The breadth of scope of our entire business group adds value. In a lot of ways, they all realize how early businesses are funded and started, and also understand the opportunity something like Dodger Stadium gives to pilot some of those opportunities. All of that combined can change the odds of success for companies. There are lots of great, innovative young

businesses, but lots of them fail, unfortunately. The question is, how do you differentiate those companies ,and pick which ones will succeed? We bring lots of things to bear, and by partnering with a digital agency like RG/A, we are also able to add lots more value, and change the odds for those young companies. That also allows us to help solve some of the issues which are widespread in our industry, by supporting the category leaders, and future category leaders in the space. It's all of that coming together, which is what really interested us in getting involved in the process. The people who are familiar with your ownership's financial background might understand this move, but how about the fans—who might not be so aware of the business of sports? Tucker Kain: We're always thinking of our fans, and creating a better experience, a better product, and a better team on the field. We're always thinking about how we can deepen and increase our relationship with our fan base. With our platform, we are always also thinking about operational issues, about how people interact with the sports business, and we are bringing all of that to bear in a program like this. I'm not sure our fans are overly concerned about the ancillary pieces of our business, and the operational efficiency opportunities we have here, but at the end of the day, they are all intended to enhance and increase the value proposition the sports and entertainment industry provides. That should all accrue benefit to our fan base, and better engage them with the sports industry. It's been an interesting conversation for us, when people ask what a baseball team is doing in the early stage, business financing industry. It's a good question, and an understandable question, but you'll see our owners have provided us with the resources to manage a number of these things, from upgrading Dodger Stadium and putting $200M into the building, increasing the quality of the fan experience, our willingness to spend resources on the field, by acquiring players and improving our product, and improving the efficiency of capital, time, resources, and more for the industry, from a general, operational perspective. We want to life all boats, and grow the space. How was experience finding companies for this first class of startups? Tucker Kain: It's been great. We launched the program earlier this year, and got lots of positive feedback. We had almost six hundred companies apply to be included. For us, the ability to go through and understand each of these companies and what they were doing, how they were approaching the marketing, the problems they were attempting to solve, and how they overlay with our business, was incredibly productive. It gave us an incredible view into the space. The process of culling that list down to ten companies was very difficult. But, at the same time, it gave us a tremendous opportunity. These ten companies are great businesses, all in our space, some in related categories. Some might not fit the traditional, accelerator model, but still saw the value of partnering with the Dodgers and RG/A, and we also have many traditional, accelerator candidates, who have great ideas and young businesses, and impressive founders. We're excited to get behind them, and help them build their vision, and build a forward looking business. We have a great cross section of companies. It's really increased our understanding of the industry, and what exists for our business, and really illuminated the quality of work which is being done in our space. How did you select who would make the final ten companies? Tucker Kain: There were a number of factors. We were looking for places where we could be strategic, and add value, making sure it wasn't a one way street. We want the Dodgers brand, and R/GA's core competencies to be very valuable and strategic to these companies. We also wanted to make sure the companies helped address some issues in our business. We definitely layered them ove rour own

business, and combined that with the ability for us to be strategic, where we could apply our mentor network, and make sure we found the ten most interesting and collaborative businesses to bring into the program. Finally, what's the next steps for the accelerator? Tucker Kain: Our next step is rolling up our sleeves, and digging in for the next three months or so. We're getting into those businesses, understanding them all the way to the core of their business, and figuring out ways to bring our mentor network, the owners in the Dodgers, to bear directly on their business. We want to create opportunities, change the odds of success, and really create great outcomes. We're going to be heads down, rolling our our sleeves, and working through those businesses, with a goal of rolling them out at Demo Day in mid-November,and hopefully have them in an even better position than where they started. From there, we will continue to contribute where we can, and participate in the ongoing innovation and elevation of the sports and entertainment industry.

SPORTTECHIE.COM

LA Dodgers Declare Ten Finalists For Sports Accelerator By Alex Stanley Last April, the LA Dodgers and advertising agency R/GA announced the creation of a sports accelerator—an opportunity for emerging sports startups to access $120,000, mentors and contacts within the sports industry. Well, after 600 applications from the 34 countries, the Dodgers program has chosen its 10 inductees, who will benefit from the sum of money above and 80 mentors to counsel them over the course of three months. There will be an invite-only demo day in November at Dodger Stadium to showcase all of these companies, and their progress since being initiated by the Dodgers Accelerator. One might think that the Dodgers would themselves be looking to benefit from this accelerator, growing startups that could positively impact their front office and field players. But, there are a few companies on the list that would operate in a different realm than professional baseball. Take LeagueApps for example, a company that has raised nearly $5 million in investments over nine years for their program that enables people to create and manage organized sports in their own community. This is in contrast to mobile app ProDay, also a finalist within the accelerator program, which has yet to completely launch their platform for helping the everyday person workout with professional athletes. “We are fortunate to be working with category leaders such as Appetize, FieldLevel, Kinduct, and LeagueApps, which have already built successful businesses, raised significant rounds, and achieved impressive valuations,” said Stephen Plumlee, Global Chief Operating Officer, R/GA and Managing Partner of R/GA Ventures. “We are also excited to work with each of the emerging companies. With their input, we are innovating on the very idea of what an accelerator is and how a program can create value for companies at all stages.”

Kinduct Technologies CEO Travis McDonough was equally pleased about being named to the final 10. “We are ecstatic being named as one of the companies in the Dodgers Accelerator, it is truly an All-Star cast of companies,” said McDonough. “We are going to have some of the best mentors in the industry and have the opportunity to take the next step for Kinduct in our growth process.” Diversification in size goes along with the diversity in the markets that these companies are trying to reach—ranging from the fantasy sports enthusiast to the college sports recruiter. The complete list of the Dodgers Accelerator finalists can be found at their site.

SILIVE.COM

According to Gordon: Island native George Genovese should be first scout in Cooperstown By Cormac Gordon The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown is a big deal. The brick building in the scenic upstate town is the most enduring sports shrine in a sports-mad nation. But it's not always a shining beacon. Granted, its existence has been complicated the last few years by all the controversy surrounding PEDs and the players who benefited from them. These days, who should get a pass in is a question that's no as simple to answer as it used to be. It's become a big, messy argument. But there's one Hall of Fame oversight that can be fixed in a heartbeat. It won't take any moralistic navel-gazing, either. As of now, Cooperstown doesn't honor the game's scouts. The legions of undervalued, underpaid, sunbaked men who spend their lives driving two-lanes from field to field across America, carrying a folding chair, speed gun, and pocket full of leaky pens. Baseball's lifeline is what they are. But, for the people who find the players, there's no entrance. That has to change. Scouts should be recognized at The Hall, of course. Simple common sense tells us that.

And when Cooperstown finally gets around to doing the right thing, Staten Island native George Genovese should be at the head of the entrance line. Genovese is 93 today, spry, happy, filled with stories. He lives in North Hollywood, Calif., where he once played for and managed the Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League. And where, in the off-season, he picked up a job delivering the mail to Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra. That was back in the PCL's big time. When some players stayed in Triple-A Hollywood, with all its glitz and glamor, rather than heading off to some low-level big league organization in an outpost town in the middle of the country. And Genovese is still working, now for the Los Angeles Dodgers. "A really remarkable person," says Dan Taylor, who recently collaborated on a memoir of Genovese's life. BOOK COVERS ALL BASES The book covers Genovese's life, from his days on the rocky fields of the Island of the 1920 and 30s, to his one official big league at-bat with the 1950 Washington Senators, to a managing and scouting career that began working for the legendary Branch Rickey. The book, "A Scout's Report: My 70 Years in Baseball" is published by McFarland Press. "It's a unique story," said Taylor, who first met Genovese when the native Islander was the lead scout for the San Francisco Giants in California in the 1970s. "George was a great scout who took such care with kids, and really found a different and better way to evaluate them. It was fascinating to be able to peel back the layers on his life." Genovese has signed top-of-the-draft, first-round types like Dave Kingman and Matt Williams. But he also found All-Stars like Chili Davis (11th round) and Jack Clark (13th round), when most other organizations passed on them. When some suggested Clark couldn't run well enough to be a big league player, George's response was, "When you hit the ball as far as he does, you just have to trot." Clark would become a four-time All Star who hit 340 major league home runs. One-time Mets outfielder George Foster didn't even play baseball as a high school senior. Instead, he worked out with George Genovese most days after school; and on weekends, when Genovese was coaching his sandlot team in the L.A. area, a labor of love that lasted almost 50 years.

The West Brighton native signed Bobby Bonds, Rob Deer, Gary Maddox; Jim Barr, Ken Henderson, Gary Matthews. "He took guys everyone else wrote off," one scouting friend said. "George somehow had the ability to project the un-projectable." Taylor believes that talent came, at least in part, from his growing up as the youngest of five ball-playing brothers in depression-era Staten Island. George lived with his immigrant parents on Clove Road, and worked on a vegetable truck as a teenager, shoveled snow for the sanitation department in the winters, and racked balls at a pool hall. A BASEBALL LIFER But mostly he played baseball. "We played on one field where goats would graze when the games ended," he says now. He battled in the minors for over a decade, an undersized infielder, and was a manager at every level. At the same time, his brother Chick was becoming a Triple-A outfielder and manager who would go on to sign some of the earliest Dominican stars in the major leagues. But what George Genovese really is more than anything else is a lover of the game with an uncanny ability to evaluate baseball talent. And he should be in The Hall. "They'll be putting the team bus drivers in the Hall of Fame before they get around to scouts," an old-time baseball guy groused recently. Let's hope that's not so. Scouts should be in. And George Genovese of West Brighton deserves it as much as any of them.