Daily Clips

June 12, 2015

LOS ANGELES DODGERS CLIPS FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2015

DODGERS.COM: Ethier in familiar position as LA gets healthy – Steve Bourbon Peralta has slow start to rehab – Ken Gurnick Crawford doesn't allow hit in third professional start – Alex M. Smith LA TIMES: Trainer Bob Baffert wants to share American Pharoah with fans – Eric Sondheimer Dodgers Dugout: Should Howie Kendrick return? – Houston Mitchell Frustrated Dodgers' organist signals last notes, until team's overture – Bill Plaschke A healthy Brett Anderson can give the Dodgers the innings they need – Bill Shaikin Today: All in the (Fox) Family. Dodgers Save Key Player. – Davan Maharaj Charter's first telecast of Dodgers game scores big TV ratings – Meg James OC REGISTER: Dodgers' Andre Ethier proves his value with resurgence – Bill Plunkett On deck: Dodgers at Padres, Friday, 7 p.m. – Bill Plunkett LA DAILY NEWS: Dodgers’ Kershaw, Greinke, Bolsinger set to take mound against Padres – JP Hoornstra TRUEBLUELA.COM: Dodgers draftees active in College World Series – Eric Stephen Scott Baker wins pitching duel against Barry Zito; OKC Dodgers win 3-1 – Craig Minami Leonardo Crawford, 2 relievers combine for no-hitter in Dominican Summer League – Eric Stephen 4 Quakes named California League All-Stars – Eric Stephen Erik Bedard retires – Eric Stephen Double-A Tulsa televised Thursday night on CBS Sports Network – Eric Stephen 2015 MLB Draft: Dodgers take SDSU-bound RHP Imani Abdullah in 11th round – Eric Stephen ESPN LA: Erik Bedard, 11-year veteran of four teams, retires with 71-82 record – Associated Press Dodgers have set their sights on elite starting pitchers – Mark Saxon DODGER INSIDER: Video: Beach Bag giveaway June 17 (doing the wave is optional) – Jon Weisman Dodger minor league report No. 9: Olivera goes yard and buzz on Bellinger – Cary Osborne ‘The P&P Goodtime Funbunch Supershow’ – Jon Weisman FOX SPORTS: Kershaw, Dodgers come to San Diego for three-game series – Associated Press Dee Gordon nearly quit baseball to play college basketball while with Dodgers – FOX Sports Dodgers draft two pitchers who could be in the majors next season – FOX Sports Dodgers' Puig back from the DL, but will his bat flip return too? – FOX Sports

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2015

DODGERS.COM

Ethier in familiar position as LA gets healthy

By Steve Bourbon

LOS ANGELES -- Andre Ethier is in a familiar position, although it's not the most comfortable one.

Ethier has benefited from playing every day in recent weeks as the Dodgers have been ravaged by

injuries, especially in the outfield. But as Los Angeles gets back to full strength, Ethier's role with the club

becomes more uncertain.

In his 10th season in L.A., Ethier has been a victim of the numbers game. With Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford

and rookie Joc Pederson in the outfield, Ethier wasn't in the Dodgers' Opening Day lineup for the first

time since 2006. Spring Training was a battle for playing time, adding in Scott Van Slyke, utility men Alex

Guerrero and Kiké Hernandez in the mix to compete for outfield spots in the lineup.

"It's every man for himself," Ethier recalled. "It's not a competition against other teams, it's a

competition of the guys in here, and may the best man win."

But nearly immediately, the injury bug bit the Dodgers hard. Crawford sustained an oblique injury and

Puig was put on the shelf with a strained hamstring, in addition to losing a pair of starting pitchers for

the season, among other pieces in the bullpen.

In the interim, Ethier has been playing every day in right field and has made the most of it. He's already

doubled his home run output from 2014. Ethier is hitting .287, which would be his highest average since

2011. His .369 on-base percentage would be his highest since '08.

"You have to adjust a little bit and just be the best for the team that day," Ethier said. "Just be ready

when your number is called."

Now the Dodgers and their embarrassment of riches in the outfield must find playing time as they get

key pieces back in the lineup.

Puig is 9-for-15 since coming off the disabled list on Saturday, and his return slides Ethier back to left

field.

Young guns Pederson and Guerrero are first and third in home runs among rookies. Van Slyke is due

back from the DL this weekend and will split time with Ethier in left field.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said that the lineup will be dictated by matchup, and the left-handed

Ethier will get the lion's share of at-bats.

But with his name no longer a foregone conclusion in the lineup every day, Ethier knows things will be

back to the way they were in Spring Training: May the best man win.

"It's nothing that you like to see or nothing you want to be a part of, but it's one where they make

decisions and you have to be ready for your day," Ethier said. "That's all you can do here. It's a thing

where there's a lot of guys vying for spots in that lineup and you can't play every day."

Peralta has slow start to rehab

By Ken Gurnick

LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers reliever Joel Peralta began his Minor League rehab assignment with a rough

outing Thursday night.

Pitching for Class A Rancho Cucamonga against Stockton, Peralta allowed a triple, a single and a walk to

the first three batters before retiring the next three batters on fly balls and was charged with two runs in

one inning.

The 39-year-old Peralta has been on the disabled list since April 26 with a pinched nerve in his neck. He

reported to Spring Training with what was described as right shoulder discomfort.

Peralta was acquired over the winter to help provide a late-inning bridge to closer Kenley Jansen, a

problem that has plagued the Dodgers this year.

Crawford doesn't allow hit in third professional start

By Alex M. Smith

Signed less than one year ago, Dodgers pitching prospect Leonardo Crawford is already making a name

for himself in the Dominican Summer League.

The southpaw started his third pro game on Thursday and contributed the majority of the DSL's first no-

hitter since 2012. Crawford struck out nine hitters and walked one in 6 2/3 innings, giving way to a pair

of relievers -- Wally Vrolijk and Johan Diaz -- who finished the no-no.

The Dodgers only spent $47,500 of their allotted $1,963,800 bonus pool total on Crawford last July,

according to MiLB.com. Crawford allowed two hits in five innings in his debut on May 30 and struck out

six while giving up three hits and a walk in his next start on June 5. Over 17 1/3 innings this year, he

stands at 3-0 and has already shelved 19 hitters.

LA TIMES

Trainer Bob Baffert wants to share American Pharoah with fans

By Eric Sondheimer

Bob Baffert, the trainer of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, said Wednesday during a media

gathering at Santa Anita Park that the 3-year-old would run again this year, but no decision has been

made about when or where his next race will be.

"Our goal is to get to the Breeders' Cup," he said. "All kinds of tracks are calling, 'Please, could you think

of bringing him here?'"

American Pharoah's owner, Ahmed Zayat, told MSNBC that the Aug. 2 Haskell Invitational could be the

next race.

American Pharoah will be paraded on the track at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on Saturday night as

part of a racing card that features the Stephen Foster Handicap. Baffert said American Pharoah was

scheduled to return to Santa Anita on June 18 and would also train later this year at Del Mar in

preparation for the Breeders' Cup Classic on Oct. 31 at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

"Winning a Triple Crown is bringing so much enjoyment to the sport of racing," Baffert said. "We're

going to share him."

Baffert said he was still coming to terms with the impact of American Pharoah becoming the first horse

in 37 years to win the Triple Crown.

"I wasn't mentally ready for it," he said. "I'm hearing from everybody I ever grew up with. This horse

really brought everybody's attention to horse racing and they can't get enough of American Pharoah. It

still hasn't sunk in completely we actually did it. I feel I'm on a big wave and the wave seems like it's

getting bigger. This ride has been incredible."

Baffert threw out the first pitch at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday before the Dodgers' game against the

Arizona Diamondbacks.

"The catcher said, 'Just throw high,' so I threw it up there," he said. "I asked my wife Jill, 'What did you

think?' She said, 'You throw really well for a girl.'"

Baffert said the whole experience of winning the Triple Crown has been "spiritual and emotional."

"It was such a magical moment," he said.

Dodgers Dugout: Should Howie Kendrick return?

By Houston Mitchell

Hi, welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, wondering if there is a

way for the MLB to arrange for the Dodgers to play Arizona in the playoffs.

Underrated

I haven’t written much about Howie Kendrick yet, and that seems fitting because he has always been

one of the most underappreciated players in the league. He drove in all three runs of Tuesday’s 3-1

victory over Arizona, and drove in the winning run in Wednesday’s 7-6 victory. He has 19 extra-base hits

and is third on the team with 28 RBIs. I’d still rather have him than Dee Gordon, even with Gordon

leading the league in hitting. If you adjust for ballparks and consider on-base percentage, slugging and

defense, Kendrick is having a better year.

More on Howie

Kendrick is in the final year of a four-year, $33.5-million deal he signed with the Angels before the 2012

season. So what to do with him after the season? He will be 32 and just exiting his prime years. Do you

try to sign him or let him walk? The main candidate to replace him would be Alex Guerrero, but

Guerrero is horrible on defense and the Dodgers’ front office makes defense a priority. So what to do?

(By the way, Steve Dilbeck has a great look at Guerrero here.)

Trade bait

Don’t be surprised to see the Dodgers use Guerrero as their main trading chip to acquire a pitcher. Most

teams want Corey Seager or Julio Urias in a deal, but the Dodgers would be foolish to give up either of

them. Guerrero is at peak trade value right now, and his batting is beginning to slide. He is hitting only

.227 in June and slugging below .500. The Dodgers will have to give up something to get a pitcher, and

Guerrero would be the best guy to give up. You can then either try to re-sign Kendrick after the season,

sign a different free agent, or slide Justin Turner over the second. An infield of Adrian Gonzalez, Turner,

Seager and Hector Olivera does not sound too shabby.

Speaking of Turner

He has been sidelined by a bruised knee and has not played since June 8, meaning more playing time for

Alberto Callaspo, who hits about as well as you or I do. If only the Dodgers had a guy on their bench

who was Gold Glove caliber, a great teammate and a clutch hitter who could fill in at a time like this.

Someone like, oh, I don’t know, Juan Uribe.

More on Turner

Jon Weisman of the Dodgers provides an interesting stat about Turner on his Dodgers Insider blog. It’s

worth a read.

Tough stretch

The Dodgers have only five more home games this month: two against Texas and three against the

Giants. They have 14 road games, including four against the surging Chicago Cubs. This will be the next

test for the team, which, despite what seems to be an erratic season, still has the third-best record in

baseball.

Draft recap

Of the 42 players the Dodgers selected in the draft, 25 of them were pitchers. We won’t really know

how well they did for a few years, but most experts say the Dodgers and Houston Astros had the best

drafts. Here’s one example.

She’ll be back

Thursday was quite the whirlwind day for Dodger Stadium organist Nancy Bea Hefley. First, she

announced on Facebook that she was retiring after the season because she felt that the Dodgers didn’t

appreciate her. One phone call from the Dodgers later, she announced she would be back and had been

given a lifetime contract by the team. That’s good; now let’s hope the Dodgers let her play more often

during games. Bill Plaschke has all the details here.

And finally

Adrian Gonzalez dropped to second in the latest release of All-Star game vote totals. Gonzalez deserves

to start, so do your part and go vote for him here.

Frustrated Dodgers' organist signals last notes, until team's overture

By Bill Plaschke

Her music had been marginalized, her volume diminished, her Dodgers career slowly muted into

irrelevance.

So Thursday morning, in responding to a question from a friend on her Facebook page about whether

she was returning next season, a frustrated Nancy Bea Hefley answered simply, " No ... I don't fit in."

The longest-tenured stadium musician in Los Angeles sports history confirmed that at the end of her

27th year as Dodgers organist, she would be unhappily walking away, a decision she later repeated after

being contacted by The Times.

"I am retiring at the end of this season," Hefley told The Times. "It's finally gotten to me."

Even her richest show tune wouldn't be proper accompaniment for what happened next.

The Facebook exchange began spreading. Twitter talk began buzzing. Hints of outrage began forming.

Dodgers officials who had not been previously informed of Hefley's plans took notice.

Three hours after the original post appeared, one of those officials called Hefley and, soon thereafter,

the woman who had been reduced to playing five minutes a day was suddenly un-retired after being

promised a lifetime deal.

Anybody know the chords for, "Ya Got Trouble?" Or maybe it should just be, "Hallelujah."

"I'm going to be staying with the Dodgers," Hefley said in an interview after her phone call with team

officials. "We talked things over, they told me I'm important to them."

Indeed, despite slowly removing her from the game experience such that it seemed obvious she would

not be re-signed after her three-year contract expired this fall, Dodgers management suddenly thought

she was so important they gave her a job for life.

"They said I had a job as long as I want the job, the job would not be open for anybody else," Hefley said.

"I will be signing a new contract at the end of the year."

They suddenly thought she was so important, they even asked her to immediately return to Facebook

and post the good news, and so she did, writing, "To all my faithful fans, I WILL be coming back next

year. Thank you for your support. The Dodgers have stated I have a job as long as I want.''

Lon Rosen, the Dodgers' marketing boss, confirmed the contract promise and the lifetime offer, which

will come with a pay raise for next season.

"She's always been a valuable part of the Dodgers," said Rosen. Her retirement "was news to us, we

spoke to her, we told her she was a valuable part of the Dodgers organization and the fan experience."

Until now, their actions had not supported a belief in that value. In fact, Hefley has spent most of this

season as a Dodgers afterthought, creating the frustration that led to her Facebook exchange.

"I'm not going to be badmouthing anybody, but I'm just tired of it. You get to the point where it's just

not worth it anymore," she initially said Thursday morning.

Hefley said the final straw occurred during the last homestand when management stopped allowing her

to play during the visiting team's introductions, then ended the regular practice of showing her image on

the big screen during her playing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Those changes, while small, are

symbolic of the slow silencing that has occurred since Guggenheim Baseball Management purchased the

team three seasons ago.

Hefley, whose Dodgers career began during the team's last World Series championship season in 1988,

estimated she once played 45 to 50 songs a night. Now she plays, at most, snippets of three or four

songs. She once played virtually the entire game. Now she estimates she plays a total of five minutes.

During the Dodgers' glory days, she became famous for serenading Orel Hershiser's appearances with

the song, "Master of the House," from the musical "Les Miserables." Today, she is not allowed to play

when the pitchers come into the game.

During the Dodgers' most glorious moment, she serenaded Kirk Gibson's first-pumping home run trot

with "Happy Days Are Here Again." Today, when a Dodgers hit leaves the park, she keeps quiet.

"They don't like my music, that's what it comes down to," she initially said. "I think it's the style … they

want more of the new stuff."

After she un-retired, Hefley said more playing time was discussed, but not promised, something Rosen

confirmed.

"The in-game experience keeps changing, continues to evolve, and Nancy's role will still be there,'' said

Rosen.

In some ways, the Dodgers are in a tough spot with Hefley. Like all teams in a sport with an aging fan

base, they are trying to attract a younger demographic, and thus are filling most of the game's dead

space with popular music ranging from rap to hip-hop to dance. As even Hefley would admit, there are

times her classic favorites would slow the vibe, and she can't easily change her tune. She acknowledged

that a couple of years ago, officials requested she learn 20 newer songs, but she said they weren't her

style. The Dodgers' taste seem to lean more toward the thump of Dieter Ruehle, the celebrated Kings

organist, who was given more playing time when he filled in for Hefley last weekend.

Yet in another way, this should have been easy for the Dodgers. She's Nancy Bea, for Pete's sake. She's

beloved, she's respected, she's adored by Vin Scully, she still plays the heck out of Rodgers and

Hammerstein, and why can't you throw her a few more songs, a couple of more innings? There are few

more trendy parks in baseball than the new Yankee Stadium, and yet organ music still fills the Bronx.

There is still a small but valuable place in the modern baseball experience for "The Surrey With the

Fringe on Top.'' Why can't the Dodgers find that place for Hefley and the many traditional fans who still

love her?

And, just wondering, if Hefley is so important to them, shouldn't the Dodgers have been in closer

communication with her? At least close enough her frustration would never reach a level that she would

publicly retire without telling them?

"I'm so humbled by all this," said Hefley. "So overwhelmed."

The Dodgers' marketing people now know the feeling. Or at least they should.

A healthy Brett Anderson can give the Dodgers the innings they need

By Bill Shaikin

Dodgers left-hander Brett Anderson has pitched 12 2/3 innings in June. That would be about as ordinary

as statistics can get, except for this: Over the previous five years, Anderson pitched a total of seven

innings in June.

When the Dodgers signed the oft-injured Anderson last winter, he was their fifth starter, and they might

have been thrilled to get 100 innings from him. Now, after season-ending injuries to Brandon McCarthy

and Hyun-Jin Ryu, Anderson is their third starter, and they might need close to 200 innings from him.

Anderson pitched 53 innings last year, 54 the year before and 60 in 2012.

Needing to triple that workload, the Dodgers have not mixed in any extra rest for Anderson. They have

no plans to skip him in the rotation every now and then. They do not have a target for how many innings

he should pitch this year.

"Hopefully, there is no cap," Anderson said. "I feel good right now. Hopefully — knock on wood — I will

continue to feel this way."

Anderson has made all of his starts this season. He has started on extra rest more often than on the

regular four days of rest, but so have aces Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.

"It's a long season, with hopefully a long October run," said Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers' president of

baseball operations. "That's been how the schedule has laid out, and it's been that way for all our guys."

The Dodgers will not have that luxury over the next several weeks. They open a weekend series Friday in

San Diego, the first of 20 consecutive games without a day off.

Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said the team would keep a wary eye on Anderson.

"Right now, he's been able to bounce back extremely well and do everything he needs to do in between

starts," Honeycutt said. "That's what I'm watching more than anything.

"We're going to have a hard stretch 'til the All-Star break. That's obviously a time that will dictate what

we'll be able to see. There will probably be three starts in a row that will have to be on regular time."

Anderson, 27, has a record of 2-4 with a 3.57 earned-run average. He, Kershaw and Greinke each have

started 12 games, but Kershaw ranks fifth in the National League in innings pitched and Greinke sixth.

Anderson ranks 41st in innings (68), and 46th in pitches thrown — 1,042, compared to 1,191 for Greinke

and 1,197 for Kershaw.

Kershaw leads the league in strikeouts, with 101. Anderson has less than half as many, and he is thrilled

with the lower pitch count.

"Hopefully, I can keep getting ground balls and being efficient," he said. "Hopefully, the innings rack up

quickly."

Said Honeycutt: "There really haven't been, as of late, stressful innings for him. For the most part, it's

been pretty smooth. He's been able to hold his delivery and hold his mechanics together. Those are

things I look for, more than thinking so far ahead and saying we've got to do this or that."

Anderson is on pace to throw 184 innings — which would top his career high of 175, set in 2009. He has

been on the disabled list in every season between that one and this one. But he has not had an arm

injury since returning from Tommy John surgery in 2012.

The Dodgers treat him differently than a prospect building to a 175-inning workload, they say, because

Anderson already has thrown 175 innings, even if it was six years ago.

"It's not like he's never done it," Honeycutt said. "It's not the same as a younger guy going through."

Said Anderson: "I've saved some bullets in the arm with other injuries, to other parts of my body.

Hopefully, that conservation that I have had to have will play itself out, and I will be fresh for the long

haul this year."

Friedman said the Dodgers — the baseball operations staff, the coaching staff, and the medical staff —

prefer to rely on Anderson to provide regular and honest input about his arm strength rather than

saddle him with an arbitrary inning limit.

"We do it on guys in the minor leagues and guys who are just coming up," Friedman said. "And, even

with that, it's not like we have tremendous precision. We tend to follow a pretty similar schedule for a

lot of those guys.

"But, once they get up here, we try to make it as specific as possible. The fact that he has done it — and

everyone is unique and different — requires us to be as specific as we can be with him, and how he's

bouncing back, and where his strength levels are, to help provide us a road map."

Said Anderson: "At this point, I'm just trying to go out there every five days and give us a chance. We'll

see what the number is later on in the season."

Does he really believe he could throw 50 innings one year and 180 the next?

"Hopefully," he said. "Hopefully, one year — this year — my big, durable body will finally take hold."

Today: All in the (Fox) Family. Dodgers Save Key Player.

By Davan Maharaj

TOP STORIES

All in the Family

Rupert Murdoch has reminded everyone that 21st Century Fox, a media giant, is still a family business.

Soon his two sons will be running it, an "heir and a spare," as British media call them. He'll ask the board

to name James Murdoch chief exec and Lachlan Murdoch co-chief-exec. Plenty of room for intrigue

here, though it's no surprise. Here's a look at challenges the brothers will face.

Obama's Legacy in the Dock

President Obama's legacy may depend to an unusual degree on the Supreme Court. His signature

healthcare law, immigration reform effort and climate change crusade could all ride on rulings. "Not

since the New Deal has the court been as involved in defining a president's legacy," says one court

scholar. The most important ruling, on Obamacare, is due this month.

The Clinton Difference

After an eight-year presidency, history says, Americans want something different. So if Hillary Rodham

Clinton believes voters favor President Obama's values and priorities, how will she be different? She'll

say she has the tenacity to actually get something done. As for trust, well, strategists cite a 1992 poll

showing that only a third of voters found Bill Clinton trustworthy. They elected him anyway.

Colombia's Mysterious Buzz

It'll give you the spins. It may lead to intense nausea and diarrhea and, after that, scary visions of snakes,

jaguars and insects. So why do people from all over the world come to a remote corner of Colombia to

sip yage (pronounced ya-HEY)? Today's Great Read explores the world of shamans who administer this

"cure" and the tourists who swear by its mind-expanding powers.

You've Got Pathogens

Talk about weird stuff in the mail. Many were shocked at the discovery that an Army biodefense lab in

Utah accidentally shipped live samples of anthrax to private and military research facilities in as many as

17 states, Canada, Australia and South Korea. Turns out it's not all that unusual. Here's a rundown of

some scary mistakes.

Dodgers Save a Key Player

Nancy Bea Hefley had had enough. "I just don't fit in," said the Dodger Stadium organist since 1988.

The team seemed to be easing her out. No more tunes during visiting-team intros. No more Nancy on

the big screen playing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." She said she was quitting. On Facebook. The

team was stunned. Really stunned. She now has a lifetime contract.

Charter's first telecast of Dodgers game scores big TV ratings

By Meg James

Television viewership soared for Tuesday’s Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game in the inaugural telecast

for the team-owned TV channel on Charter Communications cable systems.

Ratings for the game on SportsNet LA more than doubled compared with this season’s average.

Tuesday’s contest, in which the Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-1, drew a 1.31 household TV

rating and an estimated 103,871 TV viewers.

That is more than double the average viewership for SportsNet LA this year.

Before Tuesday, Dodger games had been averaging a 0.63 household rating and an estimated 45,535

viewers a game -- a smaller audience than what typically turns out for a game at Dodger Stadium.

After holding out for more than 14 months, Charter Communications agreed this month to begin

offering SportsNet LA in its channel lineup.

Charter’s change in strategy came after it unveiled its nearly $57-billion deal to acquire Time Warner

Cable, which until recently had been the only major pay-TV operator in Southern California to carry

SportsNet LA.

Charter was motivated to begin offering the baseball games as the company seeks to build goodwill for

its proposed takeover, which would make it the largest pay-TV company in Southern California.

The Stamford, Conn., cable provider did not want to antagonize Southern California customers or

politicians who have expressed frustration about the stalemate over distribution of SportsNet LA.

Charter's shift represented the first break in the logjam that has prevented hundreds of thousands of

homes in the region from having regular access to Dodger games.

Charter serves nearly 300,000 homes in the Los Angeles region, including in Long Beach, Glendale,

Burbank, parts of Pasadena, Malibu, Whittier and Riverside.

Charter customers were particularly hard-hit by the Dodger channel impasse because they had limited

options. They could not switch to Time Warner Cable because that company does not provide service in

areas served by Charter.

Time Warner Cable, which agreed to pay the Dodgers’ organization $8.35-billion over 25 years for the

rights to distribute the channel, has lost hundreds of millions of dollars on its SportsNet LA contract after

failing to persuade other providers to distribute the network.

Pay-TV providers including DirecTV, Dish Network, Cox Communications, Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-Verse

have refused to carry SportsNet LA, citing its high cost. It is one of the most expensive regional sports

networks in the country, priced at as much as $4.90 per month per subscriber home, according to

consulting firm SNL Kagan.

Guggenheim Baseball Management owns the SportsNet LA channel.

The huge jump in TV viewership on Tuesday was noteworthy because the Dodger game ran opposite a

highly rated NBA championship series game on ABC between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden

State Warriors.

In addition, Time Warner Cable has four times the subscriber homes as does Charter, which suggests

that Charter customers were starved for Dodgers baseball or there might be a higher concentration of

Dodger fans in neighborhoods served by Charter.

OC REGISTER

Dodgers' Andre Ethier proves his value with resurgence

By Bill Plunkett

LOS ANGELES – Andre Ethier is back. And he never left.

Both are surprising parts of the Dodgers’ season to date. The longest-tenured of the reconstituted

Dodgers has gone from expendable to dependable. Sixty games into a season he wasn’t supposed to be

a part of, only rookie Joc Pederson (56) has started more games in the outfield than Ethier (43).

And he has been productive. Ethier has already doubled his home run total from last season – the first

time in his career he failed to get 400 plate appearances (or reach double digits in home runs). His

batting average (.287) is higher than it has been since 2011 (one of his two All-Star seasons). His slugging

percentage (.506) and OPS (.875) are higher than they have been since his personal bests in 2008.

After a winter spent feeling as unwanted as an old VCR, Ethier had a meeting this spring with Dodgers

manager Don Mattingly, GM Farhan Zaidi and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman during

which the 33-year-old made it clear he still saw himself as an every-day player. Three months later, he

has earned the right to say, ‘I told you so.’

“No, I don’t think it’s an ‘I told you so’ situation at all. That was never any part of it,” Ethier says now. “It

was ‘If you want me to help and help the team win, this is what I’m still able to do. Not the role I was

doing last year.’ I could definitely do that role, too, but that’s not where I am at in my game yet. I’m still

able to do it on a pretty much everyday basis.”

But Ethier was in a Catch-22 situation – he needed to play every day to prove he could still play every

day. Though he cites better health (particularly full recovery from what he now refers to as a stress

fracture in his left shin late in the 2013 season) as a factor in his revival, a steady diet of at-bats has been

key.

“You can’t take away the at-bats and not notice what the consistent at-bats do for timing and seeing

guys,” Ethier said. “I mean, it’s tough when you get one start or two starts a week and you’re facing a

setup guy or closer in between. For one at-bat against a guy throwing 97 every night. That plays tricks on

your mind because you’re going up there and not having much success, for the most part. Then you get

a start and you get four at-bats and that puts more pressure on yourself to try and get something done.

You try to get five hits in four at-bats to make things up.”

The Dodgers’ new front office tossed players aside this winter as if they were clearing out an overstuffed

closet. But they couldn’t get rid of Ethier. Most prominently, a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks

involving catcher Miguel Montero was reportedly vetoed by Diamondbacks ownership. Is it the cliché

come to life – sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make?

“I don’t know if it was all their doing. I don’t think anybody wanted me either,” Ethier said. “I’m well

aware of that part. It takes two to tango like in a lot of things. … At the same time, maybe they knew

what they were doing. Maybe the reason it didn’t happen was because they were asking more than

other teams were willing to give, and they still saw more value than other teams were willing to give.”

There is something to that, Zaidi acknowledges.

“I think he has every right to say I told you so, if not to us then to the whole industry, because we had a

surplus of outfielders, certainly engaged in some conversations about Andre and kept him and his agent

informed,” the GM said. “In my mind, there was never really the level of interest there should have been

given how good a player I think he is.

“It certainly worked out good for us. We said all along we were perfectly happy to have him be part of

the outfield mix. … He’s been a huge part of our success early. I think there are probably teams out there

that are kicking themselves for not being more interested or more active when we did have a bit of that

outfield surplus. It’s obviously worked out great for him and for us.”

Ironically, Ethier’s resurgence – and the steady erosion of the remaining salary commitment on his

contract which runs through 2017 – could give those “teams out there that are kicking themselves”

another chance. As Friedman and Zaidi look to make the inescapable trade for pitching help, Ethier

might have played himself into being a movable asset now.

Ethier says only that he takes “satisfaction that we’re playing pretty well, we’re in first place and I’ve had

somewhat of a hand in that, satisfaction at being in the mix and with the way things are going.”

On deck: Dodgers at Padres, Friday, 7 p.m.

By Bill Plunkett

Where: Petco Park

TV: SportsNet LA

Did you know: The Dodgers have hit 15 home runs in their first nine games against the Padres this

season.

THE PITCHERS

LHP CLAYTON KERSHAW (5-3, 3.36 ERA)

After an uneven start as the reigning NL MVP, Kershaw has looked like himself over the past month,

going 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA in his past five starts. Over his past three starts, he has allowed just two runs

and 10 hits while striking out 28 in 22 innings. The Padres have caused him trouble at times over the

years but have hit just a collective .208 in his 25 career starts against them.

Vs. Padres: 12-6, 2.33 ERA

At Petco Park: 4-2, 2.22 ERA

Hates to face: Matt Kemp, 2 for 3 (.667), 1 double

Loves to face: Justin Upton, 4 for 41 (.098), 13 strikeouts

RHP ODRISAMER DESPAIGNE (3-4, 4.72 ERA)

Despaigne was 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA at the end of April. Since then, he has become very hittable. In his

past six starts, he has a 5.82 ERA while allowing 47 hits (including six home runs) over 34 innings.

Opposing batters are hitting .326 with an .890 OPS against him in that stretch. Despaigne might not be

long for the Padres’ rotation. He could lose his spot to Brandon Morrow when Morrow returns from the

DL. But Morrow had a setback with his shoulder during his rehab assignment start last week.

Vs. Dodgers: 0-2, 5.84 ERA

At Petco Park: 5-3, 2.74 ERA

Hates to face: Yasiel Puig, 2 for 5 (.400), 1 double

Loves to face: Adrian Gonzalez, 0 for 5, 1 strikeout

UPCOMING MATCHUPS

Saturday – Dodgers RHP Zack Greinke (5-1, 1.92) at Padres RHP Ian Kennedy (3-5, 6.48), 7:10 p.m.

Sunday – Dodgers RHP Mike Bolsinger (4-1, 2.08) at Padres RHP James Shields (7-0, 3.79), 1:10 p.m.

LA DAILY NEWS

Dodgers’ Kershaw, Greinke, Bolsinger set to take mound against Padres

By JP Hoornstra

TODAY’S MLB GAME

DODGERS AT SAN DIEGO

When: 7:10 p.m. today, 7:10 p.m. Saturday, 1:10 p.m. Sunday

TV/Radio: SportsNet LA/570-AM

Update: Clayton Kershaw (5-3, 3.36 ERA), Zack Greinke (5-1, 1.92) and Mike Bolsinger (4-1, 2.08) have

been arguably the Dodgers’ three best starters over the last month. They’re lined up, in that order, to

take on the third-place team in the National League West. San Diego (31-31) is treading water in the

division without much help from former Dodgers slugger Matt Kemp, who is hitting .249 with two home

runs.

TRUEBLUELA.COM

Dodgers draftees active in College World Series

By Eric Stephen

The Dodgers have four players drafted this week with teams that qualified for the College World Series,

which starts on Saturday in Omaha. Here is a look at what to watch for in the double-elimination

tournament, which runs through June 23 or June 24.

First-round pick Walker Buehler and third-round selection Philip Pfeifer are both starting pitchers for

Vanderbilt, while competitive balance Round B pick Josh Sborz is the closer for Virginia, and 14th-

rounder Garrett Kennedy is the catcher for Miami.

Virginia plays in the first game of the College World Series tournament, at noon PT Saturday against

Arkansas on ESPN. Virginia's next game would be Monday on ESPN2, either at noon if they lose to

Arkansas or 5 p.m. if they win.

Miami plays in Saturday's second game, against Florida at 5 p.m. on ESPN. The Hurricanes are in the

same boat as Virginia; if they win they play at 5 p.m. Monday, but if they lose they play at noon on

Monday.

Vanderbilt is the defending champion, and will play its first game on Sunday night against Cal State

Fullerton. Carson Fulmer, who went eighth overall to the White Sox, will start that game. If the

Commodores win, they would play Tuesday at 5 p.m. on ESPN, but if they lose would play on Tuesday at

noon on ESPN2.

Either Pfeifer or Walker will start Tuesday for Vanderbilt, but it hasn't yet been announced.

Games to watch

Saturday

12 p.m. - Virginia vs. Arkansas (ESPN)

5 p.m. - Miami vs. Florida (ESPN)

Monday

12 p.m. - Virginia/Arkansas loser vs. Miami/Florida loser (ESPN2)

5 p.m. - Virginia/Arkansas winner vs. Miami/Florida winner (ESPN2)

Tuesday

12 p.m. - Vanderbilt/Fullerton loser vs. LSU/TCU loser (ESPN2)

5 p.m. - Vanderbilt/Fullerton winner vs. LSU/TCU winner (ESPN)

Scott Baker wins pitching duel against Barry Zito; OKC Dodgers win 3-1

By Craig Minami

Player of the day

Pitcher Leonardo Crawford and two relievers threw a combined no-hitter for the Dominican Summer

League Dodgers on Thursday. Eric Stephen wrote about Crawford's performance here.

Triple-A Oklahoma City

The Dodgers returned home and began their four-game series against the Sounds (Athletics) with a 3-1

victory. Scott Baker out-pitched Barry Zito to pick up his fifth win of the season.

Baker pitched seven innings and allowed one run, four hits, one walk and struck out three. Barry Zito

began the game with a 21 consecutive scoreless innings streak and Zito pitched five more scoreless

innings.

In the sixth inning, trailing 1-0, Darnell Sweeney and Austin Barnes each singled. The rally stalled as

Corey Seager struck out and Kyle Jensen flew out to center. But then Andy Wilkins would his sixth home

run of the season to make it 3-1.

Wilkins went 2-for-4 with his three-run home run. Corey Seager and Sweeney also had two hits.

Ryan Buchter and Chin-hui Tsao pitched the eighth and ninth innings, respectively. Tsao got his third

save.

Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers hosted the Naturals (Royals) on a nationally televised game on Thursday and that audience

saw Eric Stults give up six runs in route to the Royals 7-3 win. Eric Stults pitched four innings and besides

the six runs, Stults gave up seven hits, two walks and struck out three.

Chris Reed followed and Reed allowed an unearned run in one inning of work. Jacob Rhame pitched two

scoreless innings and Jeremy Horst finished with a scoreless ninth inning.

Hector Olivera went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Yadir Drake was 1-for-3 with two runs scored.

Class-A Rancho Cucamonga

The Quakes returned home where they had a 22-6 record to start a four-game series against the Ports

(Athletics). It was not a nice homecoming as the Ports shutout the Quakes 9-0 to take the first game.

Los Angeles relief pitcher Joel Peralta made his first rehab appearance and Peralta allowed two runs,

two hits and a walk in one inning of work. John Richy followed and Richy allowed six runs, nine hits,

three walks and struck out five in four innings.

A.J. Vanegas pitched three innings and Vanegas allowed a run, three hits and a walk. Victor Araujo

pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Not a lot of offense produced by the Quakes in their shutout loss. Brandon Trinkwon was 1-for-2 with a

double and two walks, Tyler Ogle was 2-for-3.

Low Class-A Great Lakes

The Loons game against the Kernels (Twins) was postponed and it will be made up as part of a double-

header on Friday.

Transactions

Class-A: Pitcher Erik Bedard retired; outfielder Johan Mieses and pitcher Joe Broussard assigned to

Rancho Cucamonga from Great Lakes; Los Angeles sent pitcher Joel Peralta on a rehab assignment to

Rancho Cucamonga; placed pitcher Luis Meza and outfielder Travis Witherspoon on the 7-day disabled

list; and activated pitcher John Richy from the 7-day disabled list.

Low Class-A: Activated pitcher Matt Campbell from the 7-day disabled list; and outfielder Federico Celli

assigned to Great Lakes Loons from Dodgers Extended Spring Training.

Thursday box scores

Oklahoma City 3, Nashville 1

NW Arkansas 7, Tulsa 3

Stockton 9, Rancho Cucamonga 0

DSL Dodgers 7, DSL Mets1 0

Friday schedule

7:30 a.m. PT: DSL Dodgers at DSL Mets1

3:05 p.m.: Game 1 - Tulsa (Randy Fontanez) at NW Arkansas (Jonathan Dziedzic)

Game 2 - Tulsa (TBD) at NW Arkansas (TBD)

3:35 p.m.: Game 1 - Great Lakes (Grant Holmes) at Cedar Rapids (Dereck Rodriguez)

Game 2 - Great Lakes (TBD) at Cedar Rapids (Keaton Steele)

5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Ian Thomas) vs. Nashville (TBD)

7:05 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Jeff Brigham) vs. Stockton (Dillon Overton)

Leonardo Crawford, 2 relievers combine for no-hitter in Dominican Summer League

By Eric Stephen

The professional career for Leonardo Crawford is off to a very nice start. The 18-year-old left-hander

started and pitched the first 6⅓ innings of a combined no-hitter by the Dodgers Dominican Summer

League team in a 7-0 win over the DSL Mets on Thursday.

Crawford retired the first eight batters of the game before hitting a batter in the third inning. His only

other runner allowed to reach base was a walk with one out in the seventh, his final batter of the game.

Crawford struck out nine in the win and after his first three professional starts is 3-0 with one unearned

run allowed on five hits in 17⅓ innings, with 19 strikeouts and three walks.

Dodgers scouts Nemesio Porras and Luis Molina found Crawford in Nicaragua and signed him last July 2,

the first day of the international signing period, for a signing bonus of $47,500.

Wally Vrolijk followed Crawford by recording five outs, including two by strikeout. Johan Diaz followed

with a scoreless, hitless ninth, allowing one walk, to complete the combined no-hitter.

This was the first no-hitter in the Dominican Summer League since Aug. 7, 2012, per Danny Wild of

MiLB.com.

4 Quakes named California League All-Stars

By Eric Stephen

LOS ANGELES -- The Class-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes have a three-game lead in the South Division of

the California League with 11 games left in the first half of the season, and on Thursday were recognized

with four Dodgers minor leaguers named to the Cal League All-Star team.

First baseman Cody Bellinger, catcher Kyle Farmer and second baseman Brandon Trinkwon will all start

for the Cal League in the California League / Carolina League All-Star Game, to be played on Tuesday,

June 23 at LoanMart Field in Rancho Cucamonga.

Starting pitcher Jose De Leon was also named to the Cal League All-Star team, but won't participate in

the game because he was already promoted to Double-A Tulsa.

Farmer is hitting .346/.404/.528 with 14 doubles, six triples and a home run in 43 games with the

Quakes this year. He ranks fourth in the Cal League in on-base percentage and leads the circuit in batting

average.

Bellinger has taken the Darin Erstad route this year, playing 11 games in center field in addition to 47

games at first base. Bellinger, who turns 20 on July 13, is hitting .283/.354/.577 in 58 games, is fourth in

the league with 18 doubles and tied for fifth with 12 home runs. Bellinger has also stolen seven bases

without getting caught.

Trinkwon, 23, is hitting .290/.368/.375 with 26 walks in 54 games, and has played second base, third

base and shortstop this season.

De Leon was 4-1 with a 1.67 ERA in seven starts for Rancho Cucamonga before his promotion, with 58

strikeouts and only eight walks in 37⅔ innings, an absurd 39.2-percent strikeout rate.

All four All-Stars were drafted by the Dodgers in 2013 - Bellinger in the fourth round, Trinkwon in the

seventh, Farmer in the eighth, and De Leon in the 24th round.

Erik Bedard retires

By Eric Stephen

LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers pitcher Erik Bedard has decided to retire rather than continue his comeback

from a teres major muscle strain earlier this year.

Bedard was placed on the voluntary retired list on Thursday by Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, after the 36-

year-old made three starts for the Quakes, allowing eight runs on 16 hits in 14⅓ innings, with seven

strikeouts and one walk.

His last start for Rancho Cucamonga was June 4, during which he allowed two home runs. He will remain

in the Dodgers organization as a minor league instructor.

"He was a great presence this spring, and while we're disappointed for him that he didn't feel like he

could pitch at his accustomed level, we're thrilled he's staying in the organization," Dodgers general

manager Farhan Zaidi said. "His pitching knowledge and experience will be a tremendous asset for our

younger players."

Bedard signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers on January 15, looking to become one of the

Dodgers' starting options beyond its planned five in the rotation.

"I know where I stand," Bedard said early in spring training. "The game is still fun, and I like playing

baseball."

But a teres major muscle strain - the same injury that sidelined both Clayton Kershaw and Paco

Rodriguez in 2014 - suffered in a March 20 start in a spring training game in San Antonio put Bedard on

the shelf for two months.

Bedard pitched in 11 big league seasons for the Orioles, Mariners, Red Sox, Pirates, Astros and Rays.

In other minor league transactions on Thursday, outfielder Johan Mieses and pitcher Joe Broussard were

both promoted from Class-A Great Lakes to Rancho Cucamonga.

Mieses doesn't turn 20 until July 13, and hit .277/.320/.440 in 45 games for the Loons in his first pro

season in the United States, and takes with him a seven-game hitting streak, during which he is 10-for-

25 (.400) with two home runs, two doubles and a triple.

Broussard, drafted by the Dodgers in the 15th round in 2014, had 38 strikeouts against only four walks

in 33⅔ innings for Great Lakes this season, with a 2.41 ERA.

Another 2014 draft, ninth-rounder Matt Campbell, was activated off the disabled list on Thursday and

will make his 2015 season debut with Great Lakes.

Joel Peralta will begin his minor league rehab assignment with one inning to start tonight's Rancho

Cucamonga game at home. Peralta, sidelined with a sore shoulder and a pinched nerve in his neck, last

pitched in a game on April 23.

2015 MLB Draft: Dodgers take SDSU-bound RHP Imani Abdullah in 11th round

By Eric Stephen

LOS ANGELES -- After taking seven college pitchers in their first 12 picks in the first two days of the MLB

Draft, the Dodgers began Wednesday's final day by taking high school right-hander Imani Abdullah in

the 11th round, with pick No. 342 overall.

Abdullah had a 0.45 ERA in his senior season at Madison High School in San Diego, with 114 strikeouts in

78⅓ innings.

The 6'5, 200-pound right-hander was clocked at 94 mph in May in a win over Point Loma, impressing the

opposing coach, former major league pitcher David Wells.

"That kid threw a tremendous game," Wells said, per Scott Hopkins of SDNews.com.

Abdullah was an outfielder until his junior season in high school, and the lack of relative mileage on his

arm makes him an attractive get. He was described as regularly hitting 92 mph in April by Dan Norcross

of the San Diego Union-Tribune:

"I can teach somebody to throw harder," says Madison pitching coach Nick Furlong, who has helped

more than 25 pitchers get drafted or play in college. "But you can’t teach (92 mph). You just can’t. It’s

something he was born with."

Adbullah was not rated in the Baseball America top 500 draft prospects, but was rated their No. 74

prospect in California (the No. 66 prospect in California was Dodgers' fifth-round pick Brendon Davis,

rated No. 496 nationally).

Abdullah signed a letter of intent to attend San Diego State.

"Imani has barely scratched the surface of his potential," SDSU coach Mark Martinez said of Abdullah in

November. "He made a name for himself this summer and performed well at some major events. He is a

local kid that we are excited to keep close to home and watch him develop in our program. He is an

intelligent kid that gets better each time we see him pitch."

The commitment to college gives Abdullah leverage, and will likely eat into the Dodgers' bonus pool to

sign. For any picks after the 10th round, any signing bonus amount above $100,000 gets added to the

team's total bonus money spent (for instance, the Dodgers paid 2013 11th-round pick Spencer Navin a

$300,000 bonus; $200,000 counted toward the bonus pool).

The Dodgers' bonus pool is $7,781,700, the total allotted slot amounts for their 12 picks in the first 10

rounds. The team can spend just up to five percent over without losing a draft pick, giving them an extra

$389,084 to play with. The only penalty for that overage is a 75-percent tax, though if the team does

reach five percent over they would lose their first-round draft pick in 2016.

The first three picks by the Dodgers were all projected to go higher than the Dodgers picked them,

suggesting they might take above their slotted amounts to sign. But the Dodgers will likely save money

on their eighth, ninth and 10th-round picks, all college seniors, and possibly Jeff Sborz (competitive

balance pick B) and Jeff Pfeifer (another senior, third round) as well.

Abdullah's demands in April were said to be near the $600,000 range, while Ken Gurnick of MLB.com

reported Wednesday the right-hander originally wanted upwards of $800,000.

Dodgers scouting director Billy Gasparino called Abdullah "a priority sign," per Gurnick, and it sounds like

the right-hander is willing to join, thanks to a call from an ownership partner. From Gurnick:

"I think I'll take the opportunity to go pro," said Abdullah, "especially when someone like Magic Johnson

tells you that you have a bright future. That's pretty darn convincing."

ESPN LA

Erik Bedard, 11-year veteran of four teams, retires with 71-82 record

By Associated Press

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. -- Erik Bedard has ended his attempt at a comeback from yet another

injury and announced his retirement after an 11-year major league career.

The oft-injured left-hander had been pitching for the Dodgers at Class A Rancho Cucamonga, rehabbing

a strained lat muscle. The news was announced Thursday.

The 36-year-old Bedard went 71-82 with one save in a big league career that included time with

Baltimore, Seattle, Boston and Tampa Bay. His best season came with the Orioles in 2007, when he went

13-5 with 221 strikeouts and finished fifth in the AL Cy Young Award voting. He was 15-11 a year earlier.

But he topped 150 innings only once after 2007 because of a series of injuries in 2013.

Bedard made three starts for the Dodgers' minor league team in the California League this season. He

had been slowed by injuries late in his career.

Dodgers have set their sights on elite starting pitchers

By Mark Saxon

LOS ANGELES -- Not long ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers sent out a memo to their scouts telling them to

keep an eye on a long list of potential starting pitcher targets leading up to next month’s trade deadline.

At the top of the Dodgers’ wish list, according to a source, is hard-throwing Washington Nationals right-

hander Jordan Zimmermann, with Cincinnati Reds ace Johnny Cueto and Detroit Tigers lefty David Price

also on the short list of desirable targets.

Galen Carr, the major league scout whose opinion will carry the most weight with Dodgers president of

baseball operations Andrew Friedman, has attended several of Zimmermann’s starts, a source said, and

has also been at more than one of Cueto’s starts. The link to Price is less clear, but Friedman’s history

with Price in Tampa Bay would indicate that possibility has some merit if the sides can match up on a

deal.

Of course, wanting to acquire any of those pitchers and having the resources to get a deal done are

entirely different things. The standings and the presence of two wild-card bids will make a trade for one

of those pitchers difficult, particularly if the Dodgers want to hold on to their most treasured prospects,

pitcher Julio Urias and shortstop Corey Seager.

But the fact that the Dodgers have prioritized three pitchers who will be free agents in November is an

indication of their motivation to land at least one more top-level starting pitcher to a Clayton Kershaw-

and-Zack Greinke-led rotation that has lost two starters -- Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu -- to

season-ending injuries.

The Dodgers have gotten solid production from fill-in starters Mike Bolsinger and Carlos Frias, but they

would be more comfortable about their postseason hopes if they were relying on just one of those

pitchers, who were viewed as Triple-A depth out of spring training. Brandon Beachy is close to going on

a minor league rehab assignment, but he’s far from a sure thing given the elevated chances of another

arm injury after two Tommy John surgeries.

Needless to say, matching up on a trade for an elite starter would be a challenge, but Friedman and his

group proved at the winter meetings that they’re willing to radically alter their major league team’s

composition to improve.

The Nationals are beset by injuries to starting pitchers, but they have managed to remain in first place

despite them. The Tigers are two games over .500 and 4 1/2 games behind the Kansas City Royals in the

AL Central. The Reds -- 11 games back in the NL Central and four games under .500 -- could be the

likeliest team to deal, but they’ll have plenty of suitors.

The Dodgers have gotten no indication from Washington that it is willing to move Zimmermann, a

source said, but there is plenty of time between now and the July 31 deadline. If Stephen Strasburg

(neck tightness) and Doug Fister (strained right forearm) bounce back from injuries, the Nationals could

find themselves with a starting pitcher surplus. If Carl Crawford and Scott Van Slyke return from the

disabled list in the coming weeks, as expected, the Dodgers will have a surplus of hitters. Alex Guerrero,

who has a .926 OPS in 123 plate appearances, figures to be particularly expendable when those two

outfielders return and third baseman/second baseman Hector Olivera reaches the major leagues, which

should be a matter of weeks.

Crawford won’t draw much trade interest because of his massive contract, but Andre Ethier, who is

thriving back in an everyday role with an .875 OPS, is looking more desirable by the day. And the

Dodgers suddenly have enough minor league depth that they might consider trading young starting

pitchers for a chance at a 2015 World Series.

The Dodgers’ trade chips are no longer confined to the big three of Urias, Seager and center fielder Joc

Pederson. Their Triple-A Oklahoma City team has the best winning percentage in the Pacific Coast

League. Behind Urias are a few well-regarded pitching prospects in Grant Holmes, Jose De Leon and

Chris Anderson. The team took 20 college pitchers in the recently completed draft and considers two of

them, Vanderbilt right-hander Walker Buehler and Louisville right-hander Kyle Funkhouser, to be 2016

rotation options.

The will is there, as are the resources. It seems only a matter of time before the Dodgers fortify their

starting rotation. The only question now is how big the splash will be.

DODGER INSIDER

Dodger minor league report No. 9: Olivera goes yard and buzz on Bellinger

By Cary Osborne

Hector Olivera hit his first career stateside home run on Tuesday. The Cuban import and Tulsa infielder

took Kansas City farmhand and reliever Mark Peterson deep in the seventh inning. Olivera went 3 for 3

in the game and also walked. He is now 5 for 18 at the plate with four singles.

Buzz is starting to pick up on first baseman Cody Bellinger. He’s been a regular here in the report, but

there he is front and center on MiLB.com on Thursday. Bellinger is profiled here for his developing

power and defensive ability.

Bellinger, the son of former Yankees infielder Clay Bellinger, is batting .283/.354/.557 with 12 home runs

(33 total extra-base hits) and 46 RBI in 58 games. Bellinger hit the game-winning two-run home run in

the 10th inning on Wednesday against Modesto.

And the reward is a selection to the California League All-Star team, which was announced Thursday.

The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are hosting the 2015 California League vs. Carolina League All-Star

Game on June 23.

California League batting leader Kyle Farmer, who will start for the Cal League at catcher, and second

baseman Brandon Trinkwon, will join their Quake teammate Bellinger on the team. Pitcher Jose De Leon

was selected, but because of his promotion to Tulsa in May, he won’t be playing.

Now, for the rest of the news …

Oklahoma City Dodgers (AAA)

Thus far: 37-21

Darnell Sweeney has turned up the dial in his last 10 games. He is 16 for 44 in that time frame with three

stolen bases. That raised his batting average from .251 to .265. Sweeney leads the Pacific Coast League

with 21 stolen bases (in 28 chances). Sweeney was 15 for 31 in stolen bases last season.

Catcher Austin Barnes went 4 for 4 on Monday and is 7 for his last 15 with two home runs over his last

four games. Barnes is hitting .289/.388/.453 for OKC.

After David Aardsma opted out of his contract with the Dodgers, Taiwanese 34-year-old Chin-hui Tsao

stepped into the closer role and picked up saves in two straight games — Monday and Tuesday. Tsao

has now thrown eight consecutive scoreless innings (seven appearances) and has lowered his ERA with

OKC from 8.00 on May 11 to 4.24 today. Tsao has a 1.24 WHIP and has 25 strikeouts in 17 innings in

Triple-A.

Tulsa Drillers (AA)

Thus far: 24-32

Chris Anderson, the Dodgers’ 2013 first-rounder, continues to roll. He went seven innings on Sunday,

allowing four hits, three walks and no earned runs, while striking out seven. In his last five starts (31 1/3

innings), Anderson has a 1.72 ERA/1.34 WHIP and has struck out 28 batters.

Relievers Ralston Cash and Jeremy Horst have identical 2.16 ERAs in their 25 innings pitched and have

walked an identical 14 batters. Horst has struck out 32 batters to Cash’s 24.

De Leon ran into big trouble for the first time this season in Wednesday’s start. He allowed seven hits,

three walks and six earned runs, while striking out five. Prior to that start, he had a 3.15 ERA in 20

innings since getting promoted to Tulsa. Interestingly, De Leon has had more strikeouts than innings

pitched in nine of his 11 starts this season.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (High A)

Thus far: 35-24

Tyler Ogle has been warming up. In his last 10 games, he is 15 for 34 with three home runs and nine

RBIs. Ogle, who Baseball America ranked as the organization’s No. 26 prospect after the 2013 season, is

in his second season with Rancho. He is batting .261/.344/.503 with 10 home runs and 30 RBI this

season. Ogle was primarily a catcher last season, but has split his time between designated hitter,

catcher, third base and first base this year.

Great Lakes Loons (Low A)

Thus far: 32-26

In case you missed it, infielder Michael Ahmed, pitcher Grant Holmes and reliever J.D. Underwood were

selected for the Eastern All-Star roster for the 2015 Midwest League All-Star Game.

Ahmed is hitting .260/.355/.363 with 17 stolen bases for the Loons. Holmes has a 1.55 ERA in his last six

starts (29 innings) with 36 strikeouts. Underwood has a 1.93 ERA/0.86 WHIP and 32 strikeouts in 32 2/3

innings.

Holmes gets his first start of June tonight.

Top 10 prospects thus far

Corey Seager (OKC) .292/.352/.451, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 14 XBH in 36 games

Julio Urias (Tulsa) 7 GS, 36 IP, 25 H, 9 BB, 46 SO, 3.00 ERA, 0.94 WHIP

Grant Holmes (GL) 10 GS, 44 2/3 IP, 36 H, 24 BB, 58 SO, 3.22 ERA, 1.34 WHIP

Alex Verdugo (GL) .225/.264/.305, 8 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 16 RBI

Chris Anderson (Tulsa) 11 GS, 61 2/3 IP, 55 H, 30 BB, 55 SO, 3.50 ERA, 1.38 WHIP

Jose De Leon (Tulsa/RC) 11 GS, 60 2/3 IP, 43 H, 17 BB, 88 SO, 2.97 ERA, 0.99 WHIP

Darnell Sweeney (OKC) .265/.329/.397, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 21 for 28 SB

Scott Schebler (OKC) .219/.305/.416, 7 HR, 16 RBI

Zachary Bird (RC) 11 G (10 GS), 46 1/3 IP, 37 H, 32 BB, 49 SO, 4.66 ERA, 1.49 WHIP

Chris Reed (Tulsa/OKC) 17 G, 25 2/3 IP, 25 H, 14 BB, 19 SO, 5.96 ERA, 1.52 WHIP

FOX SPORTS

Kershaw, Dodgers come to San Diego for three-game series

By Associated Press

Clayton Kershaw is enjoying his best stretch of the season as he gets ready to face a familiar strikeout-

prone opponent.

The Los Angeles Dodgers starter looks to win his fourth straight outing Friday night in the opener of a

three-game road series against the San Diego Padres.

Kershaw (5-3, 3.36 ERA) has yielded two runs and 10 hits with 28 strikeouts over 22 innings in his last

three starts after he pitched eight innings of one-hit ball with 11 strikeouts in Saturday's 2-0 home win

over St. Louis.

"I just executed some fastballs away that were pretty well located and tough to put a bat on," he said.

"This was probably the best slider-curveball combination I've had in a while."

Kershaw is third in the majors with 101 strikeouts as he gets another look at San Diego (31-31), which

has struck out 510 times for baseball's third-highest total. The Padres are the team he has faced the

third-most in his career, going 12-6 with a 2.33 ERA in 25 starts.

The left-hander is 4-0 with a 1.42 ERA in his last five outings against San Diego, failing to win in a 6-3

victory on opening day in which he gave up three runs in six innings with nine strikeouts.

Jun 8, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel (46) throws a pitch against

the Atlanta Braves in the eleventh inning at Turner Field. The Padres defeated the Braves 5-3.

That marked his first look at former teammate Matt Kemp, who was 2 for 3 off him. Justin Upton is 4 for

36 with 12 strikeouts in this matchup, Will Venable is 4 for 16 and lefty-swinging Yonder Alonso - who

bats .429 off southpaws - has one hit in nine at-bats.

Batters swing at Kershaw's first pitch 39.3 percent of the time for baseball's highest mark.

This will be the third time that Kershaw will square off with Odrisamer Despaigne (3-4, 4.72), who went

0-2 with a 6.35 ERA last year in his lone starts against Los Angeles. Kershaw allowed two earned runs in

17 innings in those games.

Despaigne is 1-4 with a 5.82 ERA in six outings since joining the rotation May 7 but has a 2.42 ERA in the

last four. He gave up four runs over six innings in Sunday's 4-0 defeat at Cincinnati.

No Dodgers hitter has more than five at-bats against the right-hander, with Cuban compatriot Yasiel

Puig going 2 for 5.

Puig went 4 for 4 with a three-run homer and scored the winning run in the ninth inning as Los Angeles

(35-25) beat Arizona 7-6 on Wednesday to complete a three-game home sweep. The right fielder missed

more than a month with a strained left hamstring before returning Saturday.

"It's tough to fill the shoes of a guy like that when he can do so much," second baseman Howie Kendrick

said.

Third baseman Justin Turner could return to the lineup after missing two games because he fouled a

pitch off his left kneecap in Monday's 9-3 win.

San Diego capped a 4-3 trip by rallying from three runs down in Thursday's 6-4 win over Atlanta.

Yangervis Solarte hit a two-run single in the 11th inning in a game that featured a benches-clearing

incident involving Kemp and the ejection of manager Bud Black.

"That just shows how good of a team we have," Kemp said. "We have to win those games. That was a

good comeback."

Cory Spangenberg, who has never faced Kershaw, went 7 for 16 with four RBIs in the four-game series.

Los Angeles has captured six of nine meetings.

Dee Gordon nearly quit baseball to play college basketball while with Dodgers

By FOX Sports

Before Dee Gordon became an All-Star second baseman, he struggled in the Dodgers' organization for

years, which nearly pushed him to give up baseball entirely.

Gordon has come a long way in a few years' time. After all, it wasn't too long ago that he was making

frequent trips to the minors as he struggled both at the plate and in the field as the Dodgers' shortstop.

In a recent video feature put together by VICE Sports, Gordon admits that those early struggles in the

Dodgers organization nearly convinced him to quit baseball and pursue his original passion, basketball,

instead.

"Honestly, if I could be truthful about it, I wasn't convinced until about 2013 that I was really good at

baseball," he divulges. "I'm being honest. I was going through some things, and I was like ... 'Man, I think

I might go to college and play basketball.'"

The Marlins are surely glad he didn't.

After transitioning to second base from shortstop, where Gordon never truly seemed comfortable in the

big leagues, he became an All-Star second baseman for the Dodgers in 2014.

In his first season with the Marlins this year after being traded in the offseason, he has led the league in

batting average for nearly the entire season, and currently sits at the .356 mark after 57 games.

Dodgers draft two pitchers who could be in the majors next season

By FOX Sports

Two of the pitchers which the Dodgers picked in the 2015 MLB Draft could be poised to contribute in the

big leagues as early as next season, according to the Los Angeles Times. Dodgers scouting director Billy

Gasparino spoke about them to the Times:

“Walker Buehler and Kyle Funkhouser were supposed to go in the top 15 picks, so to get two of those

guys at pick 24 and 35, we thought was great value,” Gasparino said. “The timeline of these guys is very

quick, in our opinion. They’re advanced, they’re ready.”

Both pitchers are right-handers in the their junior year of college -- Funkhouser with Louisville and

Buehler with Vanderbilt. Buehler was part of Vanderbilt’s College World Series championship team last

year and is once again in the CWS this season.

The two were part of a large class of pitchers taken by the Dodgers in this Draft. Gasparino admitted he

was “shocked” when he realized that the team had selected pitchers with 25 of the 42 picks.

Dodgers' Puig back from the DL, but will his bat flip return too?

By FOX Sports

With Yasiel Puig back from the disabled list, that means that his signature bat flips are back as well. Or

are they? The Los Angeles Times notes that he celebrated his first hit back from the DL with only a

“mini” bat flip. His first home run since his DL stint came on Wednesday night, and it was also not

followed by a dramatic bat flip.

Earlier this season Puig had said that he wanted to tone down his flips saying, "I want to show American

baseball that I'm not disrespecting the game.” Though some may be saddened to see his bat flip go

away, the Dodgers might still have another player willing to carry on the tradition. Pitcher Zack Greinke

flipped his bat dramatically after hitting a double in Milwaukee last month. Per the L.A. Times, catcher

A.J. Ellis quipped:

"Nobody in the game's got a bigger bat flip than Zack Greinke right now."