LOS ANGELES DODGERS
DAILY CLIPS
SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 2018
MLB.COM
Utley back from DL to face Mets in New York
By Ken Gurnick
NEW YORK -- Dodgers veteran infielder Chase Utley was activated from the disabled list before Friday night's game against the Mets at Citi Field.
Utley, whose activation was pushed back until Friday in the wake of bullpen usage during Tuesday's doubleheader, had been on the DL since May 30 due to a left thumb sprain. After the Dodgers' 4-0 loss to the Cubs on Wednesday, catcher Kyle Farmer was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City to accommodate Utley's return.
Utley has a history with the Mets. After an Utley takeout slide into second broke the leg of Mets infielder Ruben Tejada in the 2015 postseason, Utley was a wanted man when the Dodgers played in New York the next year. On May 28, 2016, Mets starter Noah Syndergaard retaliated with a purpose pitch behind Utley and was ejected. Later that game, Utley slugged a solo homer and a grand slam.
"That performance by Chase was pretty special, so we have to give them what they want," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
Kershaw back on mound tonight vs. deGrom
By Ken Gurnick
NEW YORK -- Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw will come off the disabled list and start Saturday night's game against the Mets, forgoing a previously scheduled Minor League rehabilitation assignment, manager Dave Roberts announced before Friday night's series opener at Citi Field.
Kershaw has been limited to one start since May 1. He first went on the DL with left biceps tendinitis, was activated for one five-inning start on May 31, then went back on the DL with a strained lower back. Kershaw will be opposing Mets ace Jacob deGrom and his Major League-leading 1.51 ERA. deGrom has posted a 0.90 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 70 1/3 innings over his last 11 starts.
After bullpen sessions and a simulated game, Kershaw was to make a rehab start on Saturday night for Triple-A Oklahoma City in Omaha, Neb. But with rain expected in Omaha, as it is in New York on Saturday, Dodgers management was convinced (in large part by Kershaw) to call an audible.
"We're going to keep him here with us," Roberts said. "With the weather uncertainty in Omaha, to make his start is probably the best thing for him and for us. We don't know how much he's going to pitch. Obviously, there is a limitation with him.
"Yeah, there's weather [expected in New York]. As I understand it, there's a potential delay, but we'll be mindful of it. We're not going to do anything to put him in harm's way."
Caleb Ferguson, originally announced as Saturday's Dodgers starter, will remain active and serve as a long reliever to take over if Kershaw's start is cut short. That means Kershaw's return will force the removal of another player from the active roster.
"He did play a little weatherman," Roberts confirmed of Kershaw's role.
Roberts had initially expressed concerns about Kershaw's readiness for Major League competition, with the lefty having pitched only five innings in the past six weeks.
"The thing is, we're going to obviously monitor the length for tomorrow," Roberts said. "We feel comfortable and confident."
Kershaw, a three-time National League Cy Young Award winner, began the year with some tough luck, going 1-4 despite posting a 2.76 ERA and a 3.46 FIP. Eyes will likely be on the radar gun on Saturday, as the southpaw was recording the lowest fastball velocities of his career before landing on the DL.
Rich Hill will start for the Dodgers on Sunday, and Kenta Maeda will start on Monday.
Worth noting
• Chris Taylor, removed from Wednesday's game due to a tight left hamstring, was not in the starting lineup on Friday night, but he said he would probably be available off the bench to pinch-hit. Roberts said he will be re-evaluated on Saturday. Enrique Hernandez started at shortstop.
• Rookie right-hander Walker Buehler is still experiencing some pain in his microfractured rib, but he'll throw a bullpen session to determine if he's close to being activated off the DL. Buehler made three starts before the injury was diagnosed. It was caused by a 108-mph line drive that drilled him on May 21, but Buehler wasn't placed on the DL until he had to be removed from a June 8 start with pain and difficulty breathing.
Bellinger's 2nd career slam lifts Dodgers in NY
By Ken Gurnick
NEW YORK -- If Cody Bellinger hadn't been such a sensation last year, hadn't set the bar of expectations so high, he probably wouldn't be getting so many questions about his "sophomore jinx" this year.
Bellinger landed another blow to the notion of a disappointing 2018 on Friday night with his second career grand slam, powering the Dodgers to a 5-2 win over the Mets at Citi Field.
With Yasiel Puig adding an insurance solo shot in the ninth inning, the support was enough for Alex Wood's second consecutive win.
Wood and Bellinger were both National League All-Stars a year ago. Wood (3-5) won't be returning this year, and Bellinger will need help, despite his 13th home run.
He's on pace to hit 28 homers, nothing to be ashamed of, unless his NL-rookie-record 39 of last year is the benchmark. But his average is down from .267 to .232, the OPS down from .933 to .782 and with 36 RBIs he'll have trouble matching last year's 97. He was hitting .167 with runners in scoring position entering Friday's game.
"It's been difficult," said Bellinger. "But it's been a good learning lesson, I guess. The guys in the clubhouse keep me even-keeled. It hasn't been too hard. The game's hard. Maybe I've tried too hard. When you don't start off, you want to help the team and you try too hard."
Bellinger isn't using excuses, but he's carrying a heavy load in the lineup for a second-year player. Corey Seager is gone for the season. Justin Turner missed six weeks and hasn't really driven the ball since returning from a broken wrist. Chris Taylor hasn't duplicated last year's breakout season.
Manager Dave Roberts said Bellinger has adjusted with a wider stance at the plate.
"It was still a short swing, but the results were a 500-foot homer," said Roberts. "It was a really good swing."
Bellinger said he hasn't tinkered much with his swing because it worked for him last year. The adjustments he said he's trying are in mental approach.
The home run came on a Zack Wheeler 0-2 pitch. Wheeler and Wood had been locked into a scoreless duel, but Joc Pederson worked an eight-pitch walk and Max Muncy followed with a four-pitch walk. Turner was robbed of a hit by left fielder Brandon Nimmo's diving catch, but Matt Kemp loaded the bases with a flare single.
Statcast™ projected the home run at 401 feet, although it arced into the upper deck. Bellinger said he wasn't swinging for the fences.
"I was just thinking of hitting the ball and I got it on the barrel," he said. "Good things can happen when you don't try too hard. Obviously, pitchers are making adjustments and they made them quick. I'm trying to do it back to them now. It's a cat and mouse game. One of the hardest games to play."
The Mets answered right back with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, when Michael Conforto singled and Jose Bautista slugged his first Mets homer.
Both defenses pulled off run-saving gems to keep the game scoreless through five. In the top of the third with two out and Enrique Hernandez on third base, Pederson's drive to left-center was snagged with a lay-out dive from Conforto.
And in the bottom of the fifth, with two out and Mets on first and second, Turner short-hopped Todd Frazier's sharp grounder to third and threw him out at first.
Wood (3-5) also escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the second inning for his second consecutive winning start. Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth inning for his 19th save.
"The last two [starts] I've made steps forward," said Wood. "The previous three-start stretch, I've never had a stretch like that my whole career. Three in a row like I had was something I've never dealt with. You start thinking, 'What do I do? Where do I go? What do I throw?' -- the list goes on and on. To see light at the end of the tunnel, you feel good about it."
"He's back for me," said Roberts.
SOUND SMART
The Dodgers have won their past 10 games against the Mets.
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
The Dodgers tend to forget to cover third base against the Mets (remember the 2015 postseason?), and they did it again in the eighth inning. Again it came in a defensive shift, when Muncy dropped a Conforto double-play grounder. Asdrubal Cabrera was safe at second and just kept going to third because, well, Turner was in right field. The Dodgers quickly regrouped and halted the rally when Bautista grounded into a double play.
HE SAID IT
"I missed my flight." -- A pleased Clayton Kershaw, after maneuvering his way out of a rehab start and into Saturday night's Dodgers-Mets game
UP NEXT
Kershaw will come off the disabled list and start Saturday night's game against Jacob deGrom and the Mets in a 4:15 p.m. PT start, forgoing a previously scheduled Minor League rehabilitation assignment. It will be Kershaw's second Dodgers start since May 1, having been sidelined by biceps and back issues.
LA TIMES
Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw to start Saturday against Mets
By Andy McCullough
Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw has accelerated his return to the big-league roster.
Kershaw will start Saturday at Citi Field in New York after being allowed to skip his scheduled minor-league rehabilitation outing with triple-A Oklahoma City.
Kershaw has pitched only once in the majors since May 1 and has been on the disabled list twice, first with biceps tendonitis then with a lower back strain.
Manager Dave Roberts cited the possibility of storms in Omaha, where Oklahoma City is playing this weekend, as one factor in the decision. There is also a significant chance for rain in New York on Saturday, and the weather forecast suggested it was more likely to see rain in Queens than in Omaha. No matter: Kershaw (1-4, 2.76 earned-run average) will not be headed to the minors.
“With the weather uncertainty in Omaha, to keep him here to make his start is probably the best thing for him, and for us,” Roberts said before Friday’s series opener. “We don’t know how much he’s going to pitch. I don’t want to put a limit on him. Obviously there is a limitation with Clayton, and I’ll make that decision.”
The matchup should delight executives at Fox, which will broadcast Saturday’s game. Mets ace Jacob deGrom (5-2, 1.51 ERA), who has posted a 1.13 ERA in his last nine starts, also is starting.
Kershaw was slated to throw four or five innings for Oklahoma City. The Dodgers will keep Caleb Ferguson, who was scheduled to start Saturday, on the roster in case the New York weather disrupts Kershaw’s appearance.
Kershaw never hid his preference for pitching in the majors over the minors. He mentioned the forecast in Omaha to team officials, Roberts said.
“He did play a little weatherman,” Roberts said. “With weather.com and Clayton, we were pretty abreast of the weather in Omaha.”
Day off for Taylor
After feeling tightness in his left hamstring on Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs, shortstop Chris Taylor received a day off on Friday. Taylor had still not undergone an MRI on the muscle, Roberts said.
“Give him today, and we’ll reevaluate tomorrow,” Roberts said.
Enrique Hernandez started at shortstop Friday. Taylor was not considered available as a fielder for the game, which left the Dodgers without a backup shortstop.
Short hops
The Dodgers activated Chase Utley from the disabled list. Utley was shut down at the end of May with a sprained thumb. He posted a .381 on-base plus slugging percentage in May.
Cody Bellinger's grand slam is the big blow in Dodgers' win at New York
By Andy McCullough
The ballpark shuddered upon impact. A visceral groan rippled through Citi Field as Cody Bellinger’s sixth-inning grand slam took flight. Mets right fielder Jose Bautista stood in place and stared upward. At last the baseball landed in the second deck, a towering blast that proved the difference in a 5-2 Dodgers victory.
“I was thinking, ‘Just hit the ball,’ honestly,” Bellinger said. “I connected on the barrel. I guess good things happen when you don’t try too hard some times.”
The homer broke a scoreless deadlock and provided enough cover for the Dodgers (39-35) to survive Alex Wood surrendering a two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth and an eventful eighth inning in the field from new second baseman Max Muncy. Scott Alexander strung together two scoreless innings and overcame an error by Muncy to keep the Mets at bay. A ninth-inning homer by Yasiel Puig offered some insurance.
Wood (3-5, 4.13 earned-run average) struck out seven across six innings. His only blemish occurred in his final frame, when Bautista took him deep. Wood hoped to build off his last start, when he held San Francisco to one run in 5 1/3 innings. Wood had been clubbed by the San Diego Padres, the Colorado Rockies and the Atlanta Braves in his previous three outings, as he dealt with lingering discomfort in his hamstring.
In that outing against San Francisco, Wood collected only two strikeouts. He topped that in Friday’s first inning as he struck out the side. The Mets had better luck in the second inning. Wood watched as the bases became loaded after a pair of singles and a walk.
Wood extricated himself from the jam against the No. 8 and No. 9 hitters. Amed Rosario grounded into a forceout at the plate. Wood struck out Zack Wheeler with a curveball to leave the bases loaded. Manager Dave Roberts credited Wood for succeeding despite not having much fastball command.
“He threw the ball really well,” Roberts said. “He’s back, for me.”
The Dodgers came to New York after an ineffective series at the plate at Wrigley Field. On Wednesday afternoon, the hitters squared up Cubs ace Jon Lester often but couldn’t manage a run. The trend continued at the start of Friday.
In the third inning, Joc Pederson smashed a 99-mph fastball into center. Enrique Hernandez stood on third with two outs, in position to walk home if the baseball fell. Instead Mets center fielder Michael Conforto dived for a sprawling catch to keep the Dodgers off the board.
An inning later, the Dodgers could not capitalize on a leadoff walk by Muncy and a single by Justin Turner. Matt Kemp flied out. Bellinger smashed a hanging splitter almost directly at Conforto. Yasiel Puig hit a grounder for the third out.
Wood faced a similar threat in the fifth. He yielded singles to Devin Mesoraco and Rosario. Wheeler could not lay down a bunt, and his strikeout turned over the lineup. Wood struck out Brandon Nimmo with three pitches, the last two changeups at the shins. Turner scooped a well-struck groundball off the bat of Todd Frazier to suppress the Mets rally. “They’ve played great D the last two games behind me,” Wood said.
For the Dodgers, the failures with runners aboard ended in the sixth. The hitters set the table for Bellinger. Muncy took his second walk of the game. Turner did the same. Wheeler struggled with command and his footing — he aired a 58-mph accidental eephus to Kemp before Kemp blooped a single on the next pitch.
Wheeler had little choice but to challenge Bellinger, who swung through one 96-mph fastball. He took another for a strike. He destroyed the third. Bellinger flexed his bat in his follow-through before jogging around the bases.
“It was still a short swing,” Roberts said. “The result was a 500-foot homer.”
The Mets cut the four-run lead in half in the bottom of the inning. Wood fell victim to a brief, two-out rally. After a single by Conforto, Wood left a changeup in the zone for Bautista. The two-run blast sullied Wood’s line.
Alexander replaced Wood on the mound. He retired the side in the seventh before returning for the eighth. After a leadoff single by Asdrubal Cabrera, Wood struck out Wilmer Flores. Conforto tapped a roller toward Muncy that could have been a double play. Muncy bobbled the ball.
Muncy played some second base in Oakland and last season at triple-A Oklahoma City. The Dodgers want his bat in the lineup, and with Bellinger and Pederson on the upswing, the best location for Muncy might be second base. His fielding in the eighth still created problems.