Daily Clips

May 16, 2016

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

DAILY CLIPS

MONDAY, MAY 16, 2016

OC REGISTER:

Dodgers bullpen lets starter Alex Wood down- Bill Plunkett

Final: Cardinals rally to avoid sweep with 5-2 win over Dodgers- Bill Plunkett

Freeway Series no longer a novelty for Angels and Dodgers- Joey Kaufman

Dodgers' Hyun-Jin Ryu 'feels great' back on mound- JP Hoornstra

Freeway Series: Historic moments in the Angels/Dodgers rivalry- Joey Kaufman

DODGERS.COM:

Wood's start, Seager's homers not enough- Jack Baer and Jenifer Langosch

Evolving Seager has first two-homer game- Jack Baer

Youth players get special day at Dodger Stadium- Jack Baer

Maeda to face Angels for first time in Freeway Series- Alden Gonzalez

Ryu returns to action with solid rehab outing- Austin Laymance

Van Slyke's recovery ahead of schedule- Jack Baer

Puig, Turner enjoy baseball on the beach- Austin Laymance

LA TIMES:

Dodgers mailbag: Will Trayce Thompson stick with the team all season?- Andy McCullough

Dave Roberts loses a game of managerial chess, and Dodgers lose to the Cardinals, 5-2- Andy McCullough

Hyun-Jin Ryu makes first rehabilitation start- Andy McCullough

Dodgers' Scott Van Slyke could start rehab stint soon- Andy McCullough

DODGER INSIDER:

Wily Wood, Sockin’ Seager not enough for Dodgers- Jon Weisman

Ryu goes two in rehab debut- Jon Weisman

Farm Fresh: Bellinger rings true- Cary Osborne

TRUEBLUELA.COM: Cardinals rally against Dodgers bullpen to prevent weekend sweep- Eric Stephen

Hyun-jin Ryu makes first start on rehab assignment (Video)- Ryan Walton

Dodgers try for sweep on ESPN 'Sunday Night Baseball'- Eric Stephen

Hyun-jin Ryu sharp in first rehab appearance, Quakes still lose- Brandon Lennox

ESPN LA:

Molina's pinch-hit double lifts Cardinals over Dodgers 5-2- Associated Press

Top stats to know: Cardinals-Dodgers- ESPN Stats & Information

How to bet Sunday night's Cardinals-Dodgers matchup- MLB Vegas Experts, ESPN Chalk

NBC LA:

Corey Seager Homers Twice in 5-2 Loss to St. Louis- Michael Duarte

LA TIMES:

Dodgers Dugout: Is Scott Kazmir on the comeback trail?- Houston Mitchell

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

MONDAY, MAY 16, 2016

OC REGISTER

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

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

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

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

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

Ryu threw a mere two innings for Rancho Cucamonga. His fastball topped out at 89 mph according to one scout in attendance, and the left-hander estimated his effort as “60 to 70 percent.” Ryu even threw an extra 10 pitches in the bullpen to meet his assigned quota. Throw some cacti in the background and players jogging across the warning track mid-game, and the result might have counted in the Cactus League standings. “It’s good enough that I’m back on a mound again,” Ryu said through an interpreter. “It feels great. Hopefully I’ll stay stronger – and I know I’ll be a little stronger as time goes on.” In his first competitive innings since October 2014, Ryu allowed only a flare single, walked none and struck out two batters – both on sweeping curveballs. He threw 22 pitches. The same scout clocked his curveball in the 67-69 mph range and his changeup around 77-78. Those numbers would be a little low compared to a typical major league start for Ryu. He said the effort was similar to his recent mound work against live hitters at Dodger Stadium. But Ryu isn’t holding back because he’s hurt; he said his surgically repaired left shoulder is only getting stronger. “Pretty much I don’t have any problems, any issues right now,” he said. “I threw all my pitches.” Ryu’s next scheduled start for Rancho Cucamonga is Friday, a home game against the San Jose Giants. The plan, he said, is to throw another three games after that, building up to six innings in his final rehab start. Ryu is in the fourth year of the six-year, $36 million contract he signed before the 2013 season. He underwent surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder in May 2015. VAN SLYKE STATUS Injured outfielder Scott Van Slyke took batting practice on the field before the Dodgers’ game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. The workout was a significant enough step forward in his recovery from back problems that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts changed his expectations for Van Slyke. Roberts had been saying he didn’t expect Van Slyke back until mid-June in the best-case scenario. But after watching Van Slyke hit Sunday, Roberts said he thinks the outfielder will be able to start a rehab assignment at some point this week. “I was pleasantly surprised how the ball was coming off his bat,” Roberts said. “It (the timeline for his return) has quickened up for me. … He’s moving around really well, taking balls off the bat. The way he was swinging, I think that’s realistic later this week.” Van Slyke has been out since the first week of the season and played in just four games before going on the DL. COMING SOON

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

• Switching colors: Mike Scioscia was a catcher for the Dodgers from 1980-92 before spending five years within the organization as a minor-league coordinator, bench coach and Triple-A manager. He faced his old team as the manager of the Angels for the first time on June 2, 2000. The Angels won, 12-5. Garret Anderson, a left fielder for the Angels for 15 seasons, joined the Dodgers as a reserve outfielder for one season in 2010. Against his former team, Anderson had three hits in nine at-bats over four games.

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

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

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

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

The Dodgers won five of six against the Angels last year and had notched eight consecutive victories until the Angels won the season finale. "I look forward to playing the Angels, and I know our guys do, too," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "They've got some very good players. A lot of guys hurt, but we always play each other pretty tough." Things to know about this game

• Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Albert Pujols will start at first base in both Dodger Stadium games as long as he feels good. Pujols hasn't missed a game yet. He has started 27 of the Angels' 37 games at designated hitter, but played first base in all three games in a prior Interleague series against the Brewers at Miller Park.

• Pujols has batted .395/.429/.605 at Dodger Stadium since joining the Angels in 2012, but Mike Trout has slashed just .256/.289/.535 there. No current Dodgers player has more than three career plate appearances against Shoemaker. Maeda has never faced the Angels.

• The Dodgers' bullpen entered Sunday's contest without allowing an earned run since May 7, a stretch of seven games. In that stretch, Dodgers relievers have struck out 25 batters in 19 1/3 innings, allowing a .164 opponents' batting average and stranding all 12 of their inherited runners.

Ryu returns to action with solid rehab outing By Austin Laymance LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu began a Minor League rehab assignment Sunday, making 22 pitches over two scoreless innings with Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga. Ryu allowed a single to the first batter he faced, then retired six in a row. The left-hander had two strikeouts, two groundouts, a flyout and a popout. After he was removed from the game, Ryu made another 10 pitches in the bullpen. "It went well," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "He came out of it pretty optimistic." Sunday's rehab outing was the first game action for Ryu since March 17, 2015, in the Cactus League. He's recovering from surgery on the labrum in his pitching shoulder, performed last May by team surgeon Neal ElAttrache. The Dodgers said Ryu is expected to make about five rehab appearances as he builds his pitch count up toward 100. Ryu plans to increase his workload to 45 pitches in his next outing, Roberts said. Van Slyke's recovery ahead of schedule By Jack Baer

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

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

LA TIMES Dodgers mailbag: Will Trayce Thompson stick with the team all season? By Andy McCullough The Dodgers are 20-18. That translates to an 85-win pace over the course of the season, which is below the team’s expectations for 2016. But the team went 4-3 last week against a pair of competent teams,

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

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

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

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

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

It was Roberts' best decision of the night. The rest unfolded in less tidy fashion. "Obviously, Yadi's a great hitter, clutch hitter," Roberts said. "But the way Joe throws the baseball against right-handed hitters, that was the decision I chose to make." Hyun-Jin Ryu makes first rehabilitation start By Andy McCullough Dodgers left-handed starter Hyun-Jin Ryu (shoulder surgery) pitched two scoreless innings for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga in the first outing of his rehabilitation assignment and his first appearance in a regular-season game since 2014. Ryu gave up one hit and struck out two. A scout indicated his fastball velocity ranged from 83 to 87 mph. Roberts indicated the team clocked him around 86 mph. Before he tore his labrum, Ryu threw a fastball that averaged 90.6 mph, according to FanGraphs. Roberts expressed his belief the velocity would increase as Ryu built arm strength on this assignment. He is expected to make four or five starts before the Dodgers will consider activating him. Ryu will throw 45 pitches in his next outing, scheduled for Friday. Dodgers' Scott Van Slyke could start rehab stint soon By Andy McCullough Idle since the first week of the season because of soreness in his lower back, Dodgers outfielder Scott Van Slyke took batting practice on Sunday afternoon and could be ready to start a rehabilitation assignment later this week. Manager Dave Roberts sounded upbeat about Van Slyke's progress. Last week, he indicated Van Slyke still required two more weeks of recovery before he could play in games. Now his timetable has accelerated. "He's moving around really well," Roberts said before Sunday's series finale against St. Louis. Van Slyke, 29, entered the season as a right-handed-hitting complement to Andre Ethier in left field, in addition to Adrian Gonzalez's backup at first base. The Dodgers are searching for a consistent solution in left field, where Carl Crawford, Howie Kendrick, Enrique Hernandez and Trayce Thompson have all received playing time. It is unclear how the Dodgers would manipulate the roster to make room for Van Slyke. The team could option infielder Charlie Culberson to the minors. Both Hernandez and Thompson have minor league options, but Thompson has been one of the team's more productive hitters thus far. Crawford also has an extensive injury history, and his day-to-day reliability is always a question mark.

DODGER INSIDER

Wily Wood, Sockin’ Seager not enough for Dodgers By Jon Weisman Alex Wood extended his Dodger Stadium mastery another six innings (one run, five baserunners, five strikeouts), but another dominant streak ended a moment too soon for the Dodgers. After 20 consecutive scoreless innings, in which the past 12 inherited runners were stranded, the Dodger bullpen got beat Sunday, with J.P. Howell and Joe Blanton combining to allow four runs in what became a 5-2 Dodger defeat. Howell’s only baserunner came on a comebacker off his glove that probably would have been a harmless groundout in a harmless seventh inning had it missed the glove completely. Instead, it opened the door for St. Louis to score three runs with two out, the key hit being Yadier Molina’s pinch-hit, two-run double off Blanton, who had stranded seven of eight inherited runners with a 2.20 ERA this season. Wood lowered his record Dodger Stadium ERA since joining the team to 1.95 in nine starts — all of them quality starts, the second-longest streak to start a Dodger career at Chavez Ravine behind Hyun-Jin Ryu’s 11. Wood has held Dodger Stadium opponents to two runs or fewer in his past eight starts in Los Angeles, and exactly one earned run in the past four. JON_0359The 25-year-old’s finest moment might have been the top of the sixth, when he solved a two-on, none-out dilemma with two grounders to Corey Seager, one for a double play. Seager hit two solo home runs for the Dodgers in his first career multi-homer game. Already hot entering the three-game series with the Cardinals, Seager turned up the flame by going 6 for 13 with three home runs in the past 49 hours. Since April 22, Seager has a .411 on-base percentage and .625 slugging percentage in 90 plate appearances, and is OPSing .846 on the season. He tied Joc Pederson for the team lead in home runs this season with six. Ryu goes two in rehab debut By Jon Weisman Hyun-Jin Ryu threw two scoreless innings for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga today in his first rehab appearance, retiring six batters in a row after a leadoff single and striking out two. Ryu is expected to require three or four more rehab appearances before the Dodgers would activate him, Dave Roberts said Saturday.

J.P. Hoornstra of the Daily News said that Ryu threw 22 pitches in the game, plus 10 more in the bullpen afterward, and that both strikeouts came on curveballs. “Ryu said he was exerting about 60 to 70 percent of his maximum effort, which explains his lower-than-usual 85-mph average fastball velocity,” Hoornstra wrote. Farm Fresh: Bellinger rings true By Cary Osborne If it hadn’t been for teenage wunderkind Julio Urias, 20-year-old Cody Bellinger would have had the distinction of being the youngest player in the Dodger clubhouse on the first day of 2016 Major League Spring Training camp at Camelback Ranch in February. The Dodgers always had a hunch he’d become a powerful force — even after he tallied four total home runs in his first two seasons at the bottom levels of the organization. It was just a matter of guiding him there. Now, after a 2015 season in which he hit 30 home runs for High-A Rancho Cucamonga, Bellinger is the biggest power threat in the Dodger minor-league system and the No. 6 rated first-base prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com. “I think the biggest difference was, (after) being in professional baseball for over two years, the game kind of slows down,” said Bellinger, who began the 2016 regular season with Double-A Tulsa. “You get your feet wet. You get comfortable. But I also made some adjustments with our hitting coordinator, Damon Mashore.” Before the Dodgers selected Bellinger in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, they witnessed a lower-half explosion, combined with athleticism and a long 6-foot-4-inch frame, that made them believe he would develop into a power hitter. But it wasn’t until before the 2015 season, when Mashore worked with Bellinger to speed up his bat and get his upper half to work in harmony with his legs and hips, that Bellinger would make good on the organization’s hunch. On the minor-league side of Camelback Ranch, where the clubhouse is tighter, and names are absent from the backs of players’ jerseys, Bellinger took the first steps to getting to the other side. “Synching up his body with that swing really produces power,” Mashore said. “I just taught him how to create energy with his hands and use his back elbow. We basically call it a running-back elbow, using it to reconnect with his legs to get the most amount of force going linear.” The action with the elbow, along with a slight lowering of Bellinger’s hands, work in tandem with his already excellent base to create an acceleration of the bat’s barrel, and therefore, a faster path to the baseball. Bellinger has a natural uppercut, and when everything comes together — bang. Mashore gives Bellinger credit for not only listening to the advice, but following through and sticking with adjustments even during some down times.

Bellinger didn’t hit a home run until his 49th at-bat of 2015. He also struck out 150times on the season. But Mashore knew there was going to be some bad with the good. He thought the adjustments would lead to Bellinger hitting 23 to 25 home runs last season, and the kid went out and exceeded that. Bellinger is confident that he can carry the power up with him to another level. “I know the hitter I am,” Bellinger said. “I’m a line-drive-first type of hitter. That didn’t change last year. … The type of hitter I am, I’m not going to change my approach. We’ll see where it goes. I know have some natural loft, so we’ll see.” Bellinger also has natural talent. His father, Clay Bellinger, won a World Series with the Yankees in 2000 as a utilityman. In 2007, Cody played on the Chandler (Arizona) National Little League team that reached the Little League World Series. He also had the benefit of being around pro baseball players in numerous settings. As a sophomore in high school, he accompanied his father to a faith-based retreat for baseball players. Adrian Gonzalez was there. Bellinger remembers playing poker with Gonzalez — though he doubts the Dodger first baseman would recall. “I was nervous,” Bellinger said of his interaction with Gonzalez. “Being in the same room as Adrian Gonzalez was pretty special.” As it was in Spring Training this season, when Bellinger received an invite to big league camp as a non-roster player. “I was the young guy. I didn’t want to ask a hundred questions,” Bellinger said. “I kind of picked (Gonzalez’s) brain a little bit, but not too much. Other than that, I went out there and watched how he went about his business.” Bellinger said Gonzalez was one of his favorite players as a child. “The way he goes about his business is unreal,” Bellinger said. “He’s one of the best. He’s just so consistent. He’s had the same swing for 12 years, same approach. He doesn’t change anything. The pregame approach is fun to watch.” Bellinger went 11 for 28 at the plate for the Dodgers this spring with two home runs, ranked second on the team with nine walks and even earned some attention on Twitter from a “#CodyLove” campaign started by his big-league teammates. He began his stint in Tulsa on the disabled list with a little hip irritation, but it was nothing serious. It gave him time to reflect on his time with the big league club. “I wanted to be seen and not heard,” Bellinger said. “I wanted to show the coaching staff and everybody that they can trust me if they do want to call me up there, and that was my main goal.” It was quite a sight — one that has a lot of people looking forward.

TRUEBLUELA.COM

Cardinals rally against Dodgers bullpen to prevent weekend sweep By Eric Stephen The Cardinals broke a tie with three runs against the Dodgers bullpen in the seventh inning, sending Los Angeles to a 5-2 defeat on Sunday night to prevent a weekend sweep at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers used three pitchers to get three outs in the seventh inning, and issued two intentional walks to help stoke the flames, though none of the three runs might have scored were it not for an unfortunate bounce on one of baseball's most instinctual plays. Louis Coleman got the first out of the seventh, then gave way to southpaw J.P. Howell with a pair of left-handed batters due up. Jeremy Hazelbaker hit a bouncer back up the middle that might have been an easy putout for shortstop Corey Seager, but instead Howell instinctively reached up trying to make a play, and the ball bounced off his glove into no man's land for a hit. Kolten Wong grounded out to advance Hazelbaker into scoring position, which brought right-hander Joe Blanton into the game. An intentional walk to lefty Brandon Moss brought pinch-hitter Yadier Molina to the plate and took pitcher Mike Leake - who allowed only one run on four hits in six innings, on just 71 pitches - out of the game. But the cost to that benefit proved to be prohibitive, as Molina placed a double into the left field corner to score two runs. After another intentional walk, Stephen Piscotty singled to drive home Molina for a three-run Cardinals advantage. It snapped a string of 20 consecutive scoreless innings, not that you'd know it by the boos cascading down from the Dodger Stadium crowd. Blanton would allow another run in the eighth inning, and was charged with three of the four relief runs. Seager heating up Corey Seager provided the Dodgers offense on Sunday with a pair of solo home runs, one off Leake in the third inning and another off southpaw Kevin Siegrist in the eighth. It marked the first multi-homer game of Seager's career. Seager has at least one hit in each of his last eight starts, with six multi-hit games during that span. During that time, which also includes an 0-for-2 game that he didn't start, Seager is 15-for-35 (.429) with four home runs and three doubles. Wood sharp again Alex Wood was on his game at home yet again for the Dodgers on Sunday night, allowing just one run in his six innings. Matt Carpenter nearly took him deep with a high fly ball to the right field wall in the first inning, then finished the job with a fly ball hit a few feet farther, and over the fence, in the third inning. Wood got into some trouble by his own doing in the sixth, walking the first two batters of the inning. That prompted a mound visit by manager Dave Roberts, but he didn't bring the hook, instead opting to

let Wood get out of his own jam. Which Wood did, thanks to two ground balls to Corey Seager, the first for a 6-4-3 double play that effectively neutralized the rally. On the season Wood has allowed five runs in four home starts, and since joining the Dodgers last July has nine quality starts in nine starts at Dodger Stadium, with the last eight of those outings allowing two or fewer runs. Wood's ERA as a Dodger at Dodger Stadium is 1.95. Up next The Dodgers continue their homestand with two more games in Los Angeles, the first two games of a home-and-home Freeway Series with the Angels. In Monday's opener the Dodgers will go with Kenta Maeda, with Matt Shoemaker starting for the Halos. Sunday particulars Home runs: Corey Seager 2 (6); Matt Carpenter (8) WP - Mike Leake (2-3): 6 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts LP - J.P. Howell (1-1): ⅓ IP, 1 hit, 1 run Sv - Trevor Rosenthal (7): 1 IP, 1 walk, 1 strikeout Hyun-jin Ryu makes first start on rehab assignment (Video) By Ryan Walton Hyun-jin Ryu made his first step towards returning to the Dodgers rotation Sunday, tossing two innings for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on a rehab assignment. Ryu last pitched in a game on March 17, 2015 before having his 2015 season wiped out with surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. His last pitched game that counted was Game 3 of the 2014 NLDS. The lefty made a total of 22 pitches (19 strikes), allowing only a single while striking out two and walking none. Ryu threw 10 more pitches in the bullpen after his day was done. "It feels great," Ryu said through a translator. "I feel stronger as I continue to build my pitch count." The 29-year-old said the shoulder isn't holding him back and he has moved past the setbacks he experienced in spring training. The velocity on the fastball stayed between 85 to 87 mph throughout the short start. Ryu isn't concerned with velocity, saying he threw about 60 to 70 percent of max effort and is treating the rehab process like spring training as he slowly ramps up his arm strength.

Ryu will make at least four more starts in the minor leagues, making his next start on Friday for Rancho. Alex Guerrero is also still rehabbing with Rancho, finishing 1-for-4 with a single on the day. Dodgers try for sweep on ESPN 'Sunday Night Baseball' By Eric Stephen The Dodgers go for a sweep of the Cardinals on 'Sunday Night Baseball' and look for their first four-game winning streak of the season. The Dodgers have their first chance to sweep since winning all three games in San Diego at the start of 2016, and can thank the offense for the recent uptick in success. Adrian Gonzalez and Corey Seager went deep in Saturday's win, the ninth time the Dodgers have hit two or more home runs in a game. They are 6-3 in those games, and 14-8 this season when they hit at last one home run, but just 6-9 when they keep the ball in the park. The Dodgers are 13-4 when scoring four or more runs this season, and 7-13 when they don't. They reached five runs on Saturday, something they have done for three straight games, the first such streak by the Dodgers this season and their longest streak of scoring five or more runs since a seven-game streak from April 12-19, 2015. But the offense isn't alone. The pitching staff has allowed 17 runs in six games and sports a 2.33 ERA on the homestand, including 3.18 by the starters and 0.00 by the bullpen, the latter in 14⅓ innings. Alex Wood gets the call in the finale for the Dodgers, having struck out nine in each of his last two home starts. In three starts at Dodger Stadium this season, Wood has allowed four total runs, with a 1.33 ERA to go with 21 strikeouts and six walks in 20⅓ innings. Hyun-jin Ryu sharp in first rehab appearance, Quakes still lose By Brandon Lennox One day after winning all of their games, the Dodger minor league teams did a complete 180 and lost each of their contests Player of the day Edwin Rios set a season high in total bases on Sunday with two doubles and a single while scoring a pair of runs for Great Lakes. The 2015 sixth-round pick has gotten off to a very slow start to his season, but hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

Triple-A Oklahoma City Zach Lee kept the Dodgers in their game against the 51s (Mets) on Sunday with a quality start, but Jharel Cotton got lit up in relief as OKC fell to Las Vegas 9-7. Lee met the minimum qualifications for the quality start as he gave up eight hits and three runs over six innings while striking out four. Cotton continued his struggles when coming out of the bullpen as he has now allowed 10 runs in 10 innings of relief work. On Sunday he permitted six of those runs. Despite scoring seven runs the offense only had one extra base hit in the game, and that actually came on an RBI double by Lee. Corey Brown and Drew Maggi had a couple of runs batted in to account for most of the other scoring. Double-A Tulsa The had a rare Sunday off day as they travel to Missouri to start an eight-game road trip, starting with a four game set against the Springfield Cardinals. Class-A Rancho Cucamonga Despite a couple of rehabbing Dodgers on the Quakes roster, Rancho fell to Inland Empire (Angels) 7-1. As recapped earlier Ryu was a strike-throwing machine in his 2016 debut, notching strikes in 19 of his 22 pitches. He allowed just one single and punched out two. Bubby Rossman followed with a scoreless frame, but then Felipe Gonzalez gave up five runs, including a three-run homer, to take the loss. Like OKC, the Quakes offense also had just one extra base hit and came on Joey Curletta's third homer of the season. Curletta also singled and walked. Alex Guerrero was the other rehabbing Dodger, and on Sunday he was playing left field while going 1-for-4 at the plate. Class-A Great Lakes The Loons had more than double the number of hits as the Dragons (14 to 6), but that wasn't enough as Great Lakes fell to Dayton (Reds) 5-4. Player of the day Rios led the offense with his three hits, while Ariel Sandoval and Omar Estevez also had multi-hit games. Logan Landon also had two hits while driving in a pair and stealing a base. On the mound starter Dennis Santana had another solid outing as he allowed just one earned run over five innings while tossing a season high 96 pitches, although he did walk four. Wes Helsabeck was charged with the blown save after giving up two runs in the seventh, then Ivan Vieitez recorded the loss after permitting the game winning run in the eighth. Transactions Triple-A: Ian Thomas was placed on the DL with minor shoulder soreness, and to take his spot on the roster Grant Dayton was promoted from Tulsa. Class A: Hyun-jin Ryu was added to the Quakes roster for his rehab assignment. Sunday Scores

Las Vegas 9, Oklahoma City 7 Inland Empire 7, Rancho Cucamonga 1 Dayton 5, Great Lakes 4 Monday Schedule 3:00 p.m. - Rancho Cucamonga (Yaisel Sierra) at Inland Empire (Justin Anderson) 4:30 p.m. - Tulsa (Chase De Jong) at Springfield (Mike Mayers) 5:05 p.m. - Las Vegas (Duane Below) at Oklahoma City (Jeremy Kehrt)

ESPN LA Molina's pinch-hit double lifts Cardinals over Dodgers 5-2 By Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- Once again, Yadier Molina managed to be a problem for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Matt Carpenter homered for the fifth time in eight games, Molina had a tiebreaking two-run double in the top of the seventh inning and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Dodgers 5-2 on Sunday night to avoid being swept in the three-game series. Molina pinch hit for starting pitcher Mike Leake and put the Cardinals up 3-1 when he lined reliever Joe Blanton's pitch into the left field corner with two outs. Stephen Piscotty followed with an RBI single off Blanton two batters later to bring Molina home. Molina, who was scheduled for a day off, entered a career .301 hitter against the Dodgers and has a .300 average against them in three postseason series. "You always have to be ready," Molina said. "Anything can happen in the National League, so you always try to be ready." His clutch hit made a winner of Leake (2-3), who gave up four hits and one run in six innings to win his second straight start. It also helped the Cardinals finish their six-game trip 4-2. "Mike pitched a tremendous game and I'm just happy to come and be a part of that game," Molina said. "I'm just so happy we got the win because we really needed it." Trevor Rosenthal pitched the ninth for his seventh save. Corey Seager homered twice for the Dodgers, the first multihomer game of his career.

J.P. Howell (1-1) took the loss after allowing a one-out single to Jeremy Hazelbaker, who scored on Molina's double. Carpenter and Seager traded solo homers in the third inning, and it stayed tied until the seventh. With two out and Hazelbaker on first in the seventh, Blanton intentionally walked Brandon Moss with Molina on deck. Molina made the Dodgers pay for that decision, turning on a 1-0 slider to bring Hazelbaker and Moss home. "I just felt I'd rather take Joe against any right-hander because he's been dominant against them all year," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "Obviously Yadi is a great hitter, a clutch hitter, but the way Joe throws the ball against right-handed hitters, that was the decision I chose to make." After Carpenter was intentionally walked, Piscotty added to the lead with an RBI single to left to make it 4-1 and extend his hitting streak to eight games. The Cardinals added another run off Blanton in the eighth when Randal Grichuk led off with a double, advanced to third on a wild pitch and trotted home on Aledmys Diaz's sacrifice fly. Blanton left before reporters could speak with him. "He's faced numerous great right-handed hitters," Roberts said. "Since he's gone to this role in the `pen, he's dominated. I'd take him 10 times over in that situation." Alex Wood surrendered only three hits and one run in six innings but took a no-decision and remains winless in his last six starts for the Dodgers. TRAINER'S ROOM Cardinals: SS Jhonny Peralta (torn thumb ligament) continued swinging a bat and is expected to participate in his first full batting practice this week. Dodgers: LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (shoulder surgery) pitched two scoreless innings in a rehab start for Class A Rancho Cucamonga. He allowed one hit and struck out two in his first appearance since Sept. 12, 2014. EARLY EXIT Dodgers reliever Louis Coleman left after Diaz lined a comebacker off his right hip in the top of the seventh. The ball deflected to third baseman Justin Turner, who threw to first in time to get the out. Roberts said Coleman did not sustain a major injury and is "fine." EXTRA INFIELD The Cardinals took a 40-minute infield instead of batting practice before the game.

The change in routine came after the Cardinals committed five errors in their first two games against the Dodgers, both losses. Entering Sunday, the Cardinals ranked last in MLB in errors (34) and fielding percentage (.976). UP NEXT Cardinals: LHP Jaime Garcia (3-2, 2.58) opens a three-game home series against Colorado on Tuesday. He's thrown seven innings without allowing an earned run each of his last two starts. Dodgers: RHP Kenta Maeda (3-2, 2.30) starts the first of four games against the crosstown rival Angels on Monday. The Japanese rookie is 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA in his last three starts after beginning his MLB career 3-0 with a 0.36 ERA. Top stats to know: Cardinals-Dodgers By ESPN Stats & Information The Los Angeles Dodgers host the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday Night Baseball (8 ET, ESPN/WatchESPN) looking to sweep the three-game series. A look at the top stats to know for the game: Cardinals producing on offense The Cardinals have scored 207 runs this season, the third most in the majors entering play on Sunday. Their run-scoring profile is not what you’d expect, however. They’ve scored at least eight runs in a game 12 times, more than any other team, but only one team has been held to one run or fewer more often than St. Louis. The Cardinals have gotten contributions from unexpected sources, most notably rookie Aledmys Diaz, whose .423 batting average in April was the highest by a rookie since 1900 (minimum 60 at-bats). Diaz has 20 extra-base hits and just 11 strikeouts this season, the biggest difference between extra-base hits and strikeouts in the major leagues (Jose Altuve is plus-7). Diaz has had success against virtually every pitch type this season, but has been most successful against breaking pitches. He is hitting .500 in at-bats ending with a breaking ball this season, the highest rate among qualified hitters in the majors, and his 1.365 OPS is second best. Alex Wood, the Dodgers’ scheduled starter for Sunday night, throws his curveball 26.5 percent of the time this season, the highest rate in his career. Diaz isn't the only one contributing. Stephen Piscotty leads the team with a .345 batting average in May, and Jeremy Hazelbaker's seven home runs are the third most among players to debut this season (Trevor Story has 11, while Byung Ho Park has nine).

Wood’s weakness is Cardinals’ strength Alex Wood is off to a rough start to the 2016 season, posting a 4.58 ERA that, over the course of an entire season, would represent a career worst. Wood's main trouble spot this season has been pitching with runners on base. Opponents are hitting .290 with men on against Wood this season. Opponents are also hitting a whopping .406 against him with runners in scoring position, the worst rate in the NL and third-worst rate in the majors among qualified starters. There is some reason for optimism, as Wood is allowing an opposing BABIP of .322 with men on base and .414 with runners in scoring position. The league average among qualified starters is .301 and .299, respectively. This may cause him problems against the Cardinals, however. This season, St. Louis is hitting .272 with runners on base, second best in the National League, and .295 with runners in scoring position, which leads the NL. How to bet Sunday night's Cardinals-Dodgers matchup MLB Vegas Experts, ESPN Chalk For just the second time this year Sunday Night Baseball viewers get a look at the National League, as the Los Angeles Dodgers host the St. Louis Cardinals in ESPN's evening matchup. As projected by many, the Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants enter Sunday tied for first place in the NL West, but not many predicted both teams would struggle to stay above .500. With wins in the first two games of this series, Los Angeles is in position to post its first four-game winning streak of the season, while getting back to .500 on games played at home. For St. Louis, a loss tonight would drop it back to .500 despite entering the game with a gaudy plus-45 run differential. That spread is second-best in the National League; however, echoing a phrase that the organization and its fans are sure to be sick of this season, it considerably trails the Chicago Cubs. The Cardinals send Mike Leake to the mound in an attempt to salvage the last game of the series, while the Dodgers counter with left-hander Alex Wood. Joe Peta (3-1, plus-2.08 units) and Andrew Lange (0-4, minus-4.28 units) weigh in on the game from a betting perspective. Westgate line: St. Louis Cardinals (Leake) +140/Los Angeles Dodgers (Wood) -150 Over/under: 7.5 PickCenter Intel Joe Peta: Although the Dodgers are the team in first place while the Cardinals languish nearly double-digit games behind the NL Central-leading Cubs, to my eye, it's St. Louis that is having the more encouraging season.

The Cardinals organization, one of the best in MLB, was key to the team remaining division champs the last two years despite having a below-average offense. The Cardinals managed the transition to a new generation of everyday players exceptionally well; now, much younger at three different positions, the Cardinals are neck and neck with the Cubs as the highest-scoring team in the majors. It's probably not going to be a concern this year, but Cubs fans shouldn't get too comfortable; St. Louis is well-equipped to battle Chicago for league dominance over the next five years. I'm a firm believer that those smitten by the strength of the Cubs, Cardinals, Mets and Nationals six weeks into the 2016 season are foolishly overlooking the Dodgers (and to my eye, the Giants as well) as NL powers over the remaining 120-plus games. As good as the Cardinals' offense has been, there's a reason why Sunday's line is the most lopsided of the three-game series. Both teams are sending starters to the mound with unsightly 2016 ERAs but Alex Wood (4.58 ERA) is exhibiting a much better skill set than Mike Leake (5.10 ERA). Leake may be starting with more than a half-run advantage, but I'd still be willing to bet it's Wood who improves his ERA more over the remainder of the season. When I first plugged everything into my model on Saturday night, I arrived at a fair price right in the middle of the -120/+110 line. Overnight, however, considerable action or sentiment in the direction of the Dodgers has moved the implied win expectancy of the game about 5.5 percent. That's a considerable overnight move (bordering on massive), and enough for me to make this an easy value play on the Cardinals and their right-handed-heavy lineup. ESPN Chalk pick: St. Louis +140 Andrew Lange: Alex Wood is a prime example of what a few upticks on the fastball can do for a middle-tier starter. With most of the league well-versed on Wood's herky-jerky motion, he become fairly hittable last season. His strikeout rate dipped from 8.9 per 9 innings to 6.6, his ERA jumped a full run and I really questioned whether he was going to stick as a full-time big league starter. But Wood is now back to missing bats with nearly a strikeout per inning -- 25 over his last 18.1 IP -- and also getting ground balls as a career-high 56 percent rate. Those are good signs for a guy who is only two years removed from posting a 2.78 ERA over 171 innings. A look at Mike Leake's peripherals reveals that they are nearly all in line with previous seasons. However, there are some concerns; Leake's hard-hit and line-drive rates are higher than normal and his ground ball rate has dipped below 50 percent, which isn't ideal for someone who doesn't fan many batters. One of my concerns this evening is that because of Leake's struggles this season, he's only averaged 87 pitches in his first six starts. Last time out, which was his best outing of the season (8 IP, 1 ER vs. Angels) he threw 113 pitches -- a mark he topped only once last season. Leake isn't a high-velocity, max-effort arm, but on regular rest, the spike in pitch count is something to be aware of. When the overnight lines came out, Wood was reasonably priced in the playable -120 to -125 range. I had a feeling he'd get bet at some point, but 25 cents worth of steam later and the Dodgers and Wood are now -150 chalk. That's an inflated price tag and you certainly won't make much in the way of long-term profits betting the tail end of massive line moves. Los Angeles and Wood are the preferred play, but the price just isn't there. ESPN Chalk pick: Pass

NBC LA Corey Seager Homers Twice in 5-2 Loss to St. Louis By Michael Duarte LOS ANGELES – Corey Seager had the first multi-homer game of his career as the rookie hit two home runs in the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday night at Dodger Stadium. Seager and St. Louis' third baseman, Matt Carpenter, hit opposing solo shots in the third inning before Yadier Molina broke the 1-1 deadlock in the top of the seventh with a pinch-hit, two-run double. Joe Blanton walked Brandon Moss to get to Molina who made the Dodgers pay with his RBI double down the left field line. The runs were the first allowed by the bullpen in the last 20 innings. "We had a rested bullpen and I liked the matchups in the seventh," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of his pen. "Joe's been dominant against right-handers, obviously Yadier is a clutch hitter, but the way Joe throws the baseball, I'd take him 10 times out of 10 in that situation." After starting the season 0-3 with a 6.03 ERA, Mike Leake (2-3), won his second consecutive start, allowing one run on four hits with three strikeouts in six innings of work as St. Louis avoided the three-game sweep to the Dodgers. "Leake changes speed and works both sides of the plate," Roberts said. "We really couldn't get anything going, Corey took a great swing on a ball and that was our only offense tonight." In his first ever start against St. Louis, Alex Wood pitched well for Los Angeles, but did not factor in the decision as his home ERA rose to a paltry 1.38, still best on the team and third in the National League. "That's a really tough team to sweep," Wood said of the Cardinals. "We knew we were going to have a battle. I still wasn't sure Carpenter's homer was going to get out. I felt good, but sometimes that's the way it goes." Seager scored the only runs of the game with homers in the third and eighth inning. His first long ball off Leake was a sinker smashed into the Dodgers bullpen, and his second solo shot was off Kevin Siegrist in the bottom of the eighth as he turned on a four-seam fastball launching it into the right field pavilion for his team-leading sixth home run of the season. After a short slump to start the season, Seager has been on a tear of late, homering for the second consecutive game, third in two games, and four in the past five games. Overall, Seager has three doubles, four home runs and seven RBI in his last 35 plate appearances. "Corey is learning the league," Roberts said of his shortstop. "With the strength that he has and the swing that he has if he gets a strike he's doing to do some things. It's really good to see." The Redbirds broke the game open off Blanton in the top of the seventh. After a walk to Moss put runners on second and third, Molina's two-run double gave St. Louis a 3-1 lead. One batter later, Stephen Piscotty hit an RBI single to LF to give the Cardinals a commanding 4-1 lead. Trever Rosenthal worked the ninth for his seventh save of the season.

With the loss, the Dodgers fall out of a first place tie with the San Francisco Giants for first place in the NL West, and are just one-game ahead of the Colorado Rockies in the standings. Players of the Game: Corey Seager: Two home runs. Matt Carpenter: Home run. Yadier Molina: Game-winning pinch-hit two-run double. Three Takeaways: 1. Stop the Leake: Entering the game, the only active Dodger to have homered off Redbirds starter Mike Leake was Chase Utley. That all changed as Corey Seager joined the exclusive club in the third inning with a solo shot into the Dodgers' bullpen. viva el birdos @vivaelbirdos Leake was looking good, but Seager flips one opposite field in left to tie the game 1-1. Sort of like another game involving St. Louis. 2. Hip Check: Dodgers' relief pitcher Louis Coleman took a comebacker off the hip for the first out of the seventh inning. Thankfully, the ball ricocheted to Justin Turner at third base for the 1-5-3 putout prompting us to ask, does Coleman get an assist for that? 3. Power Surge: Thanks to Corey Seager's third inning blast, the Dodgers have now homered in nine consecutive games, their longest streak since they went deep in 11 straight games in September of 2009.

Los Angeles Dodgers ✔ @Dodgers The Dodgers have now homered in 9 consecutive games, their longest run since an 11-game HR streak, Up Next: Cardinals (20-18): St. Louis has a day off before retreating to Busch Stadium to host the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night. Dodgers (20-18): The Freeway Series starts on Monday when the Angels come to Dodger Stadium for the home-and-home four-game series.

LA TIMES

Dodgers Dugout: Is Scott Kazmir on the comeback trail? By Houston Mitchell Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and I can't believe Yasiel Puig didn't thank me for motivating him into hitting a home run Friday night. Back in the swing of things

There were two good things that happened as the Dodgers were winning two of three from St. Louis over the weekend. First, Scott Kazmir showed why the Dodgers signed him. In Saturday's 5-3 victory, he pitched 8 2/3 innings and when he was removed, he got a well-deserved standing ovation. Kazmir gave up only two earned runs and five hits while striking out seven and walking one. Better yet, he reached 94 mph on his fastball, the first time that has happened this season and a sign his thumb injury is subsiding. “He wasn't throwing his changeup as much with the injury,” Manager Dave Roberts said after the game. “But now he feels confident, and the velocity's coming back.” The other good thing is the offense showed signs of life, scoring 20 runs in their last four games, getting three homers from Corey Seager and homers by Puig, Adrian Gonzalez, Yasmani Grandal and Chase Utley. Yes, the offense stumbled again on Sunday, but things are heading in the right direction after pretty much a team-wide slump. When did those guys get there? One of the reasons the Cardinals were able to score three runs in the seventh inning Sunday was because J.P. Howell tried to field a bouncer hit up the middle, but deflected the ball, allowing Jeremy Hazelbaker to get an infield hit. Seager was ready to make the play and would have thrown out Hazelbaker if Howell hadn’t deflected the ball, which he had to leap high to reach. Why did Howell reach for the ball when Seager was ready to make a play? Howell does not study the infielders behind him when he pitches, so he was unaware Seager was in position. He was quickly told about it when he reached the dugout though. 'They were like 'Man!'" Howell said. "I was like, 'Cool. That's cool. Great to hear. Would have been an out every way, except for what I just did.' So that's cool. Cool to hear." J.P., you might want to look around occasionally the next time you are on the mound. There's a lot going on behind you. In case you hadn't noticed Joc Pederson, still a target of criticism from many readers of this newsletter, is hitting .245 with a .359 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage. He also leads the team with a 133 OPS+. His walks and power counteract his relatively low batting average. If he continues the give that kind of production, I don't care if he does strike out a lot (37 times so far in 117 plate appearances). Urias update Julio Urias continues to make it difficult for the Dodgers to keep him in the minors. He pitched six scoreless innings Saturday for triple-A Oklahoma City, extending his scoreless-innings streak to 22. He made a season-high 82 pitches in the six innings. For the season, Urias is 3-1 with a 1.25 ERA in 36 innings. He has given up 21 hits and eight walks while striking out 39.

Roberts has mentioned the possibility of bringing him up and putting him in the bullpen. It's a tough choice. Though he hasn't really been stretched enough to be an every-fifth-day starter (which would mean reaching 100 pitches consistently), it seems like the Dodgers may be better off leaving him in the minors until he can do that. If he can come up later this season and take a permanent rotation spot, the team would get a huge boost. Then again, after watching the bullpen melt down again Sunday, perhaps they should bring him up immediately and make him the set-up man for Kenley Jansen. Ryu on the comeback trail Hyun-jin Ryu is finally nearing his return. He will make four or five rehab starts in the minors as the team tries to build his stamina. If all goes well, he could return to rotation in mid-June. Let's take a look at the rotation right now. Clayton Kershaw, 5-1, 1.74 ERA, 0.726 WHIP Scott Kazmir, 3-3, 4.89 ERA, 1.283 WHIP Kenta Maeda, 3-2, 2.30 ERA, 1.023 WHIP Alex Wood, 1-3, 4.17 ERA, 1.301 WHIP Ross Stripling, 1-2, 4.26 ERA, 1.316 WHIP The top candidates to lose their spot are Wood and Stripling, with the betting money on Stripling right now. They may want to look at their next few starts as auditioning for a rotation spot. De Leon update The other top pitching prospect for the Dodgers, Jose De Leon, has a sore arm and has had his spot in the Oklahoma City rotation skipped twice. He hasn't pitched since May 3, so don't look for him in L.A. anytime soon as team officials will be extra cautious with his workload. The magic number Each week I will look at a uniform number a current Dodger is wearing and go through the history of that number with the Dodgers. When I was a kid and went to games, I was always curious as to who wore the number of my favorite players. Then again, I was a strange kid. For “best Dodgers to wear the number,” only the stats a player compiles while he was with the team and wearing that number count. Next up is: No. 14 (Kiké Hernandez)

Best Dodgers to wear No. 14: Freddie Fitzsimmons (1938-43), Gil Hodges (1947-61), Mike Scioscia (1980-92). Before we get to the other to wear No. 14 with the Dodgers, let me just say that Gil Hodges should be in the Hall of Fame, and his number retired by the Dodgers. Others to wear No. 10 with the Dodgers: High Pockets Kelly (1932), Bud Clancy (1932), Del Bissonette (1933), Joe Hutcheson (1933), Wally Millies (1934), Frank Skaff (1935), Frank Lamanske (1935), Harry Eisenstat (1936), Ox Eckhardt (1936), Roy Spencer (1937), Gene Hermanski (1943), Chris Haughey (1943), Rube Melton (1944), Lee Pfund (1945), Ferrell Anderson (1946), Dick Whitman (1947), Ken McMullem (1962), Bill Skowron (1963), Johnny Werhas (1964-67), Len Gabrielson (1967-70), Tom Haller (1971), Chris Cannizzaro (1972-73), Ivan de Jesus (1974-76), Von Joshua (1979), Delino DeShields (1994-96), F. P. Santangelo (2000), Jeff Reboulet (2001-02), Larry Barnes (2003), Bill Mueller (2006), Mike Lieberthal (2007), Pablo Ozuna (2008), Chin-lung Hu (2008), Juan Castro (2009), Jamey Carroll (2010-11), Mark Ellis (2012-13), Dan Haren (2014). What Vin Scully means to me I asked you to tell me your best Vin Scully memory, and I got a lot of responses. I will publish selected ones in each newsletter. And keep emailing them to me. Ray Smith: I met Vin Scully once, while a friend and I walked an empty cart path during the old Bob Hope Desert Classic golf tournament. “Hey,” my friend said to me as he looked ahead. “Behind that tree. That's Vin Scully!” As we approached we called out, “Hi Vin.” “How ya doing fellas?” Vin responded. Honestly, how else would Vin Scully respond? He was standing just about where a rocketing drive might start to decelerate down the fairway, or where a slice might scream into the rough. It was the same conversation he'd probably had a million times over the years. “We love listening to you call games.” “Well, thanks.” “Great day isn't it?” “Beautiful, couldn't be better.” Then the conversation subtly shifted gears. “Heads up,” he quietly cautioned. “Amateur.” That's why Vin was behind the tree. He had staked out a vantage point from which he could safely watch tee shots by pros and by amateurs. We jumped in behind him and shared the tree until the group finished teeing off. No damage, no ducking. “Well, fellas, I gotta get going. Enjoy the rest of the day.” Like he'd known us for years. “You too, Vin.” That brief encounter confirmed every nice-guy story about Vin I'd ever heard before ... and since. The TV situation

If you would like to complain about the Dodgers’ TV situation, you have three options: The Dodgers, Time Warner Cable and whatever local cable or satellite provider you have that doesn’t carry the Dodgers. Here’s who to contact: For the Dodgers, click here or call (866) DODGERS ([866] 363-4377). (I hope you like form letters). For Time Warner, click here. For your local cable or satellite provider, consult your bill for the customer service number and for the website. And finally Our Dodgers beat writer, Andy McCullough, wrote a great story about Dan Haren and the inner turmoil that drove him to retirement. Read all about it here.