Daily Clips

September 4, 2016

LOS ANGELES DODGERS CLIPS

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2016 LA TIMES: Clayton Kershaw is sharp in three innings of work in Rancho Cucamonga-Jesse Dougherty Rich Hill's six scoreless innings help Dodgers beat Padres, 5-1-Andy McCullough Dodgers rookie Corey Seager still dealing with soreness in wrist-Andy McCullough DODGERS.COM: King of the Hill: Lefty flirts with no-no-Ken Gurnick and AJ Cassavell Kershaw dominant in first rehab start-Jack Baer Hill, Kershaw give Dodgers hope for rotation rebound-Ken Gurnick De Leon to fulfill dream of Scully calling debut-Ken Gurnick Dodgers host PLAY campaign event for kids-Jack Baer Pipeline preview: Blackburn aims to build on longest start of career-Mike Rosenbaum OC REGISTER: Rich Hill baffles Padres in his second start for the Dodgers-Bill Plunkett Dodgers lineups: Corey Seager says his slump is not related to HBP on wrist-Bill Plunkett Kershaw's return to Dodgers rotation is near-Jim Alexander Miller: How the banged-up Dodgers are in first place is quite baffling-Jeff Miller De Leon will be 15th different pitcher to start a game for the Dodgers-Bill Plunkett On deck: Padres at Dodgers, Sunday, 1 p.m.-Bill Plunkett DODGER INSIDER: #VinTop20: No. 11, Joe Ferguson’s throw-Jon Weisman From L.A. to Rancho, Dodgers deliver 1-2 punch-Cary Osborne The loud knocking of Jose De León gets answered-Cary Osborne On the Hill and ready to use weapon No. 1-Cary Osborne #VinTop20: No. 12, Fernandomania begins-Jon Weisman TRUEBLUELA.COM: Dodgers minors: Great Lakes, Ogden near postseason berths-Brandon Lennox Rich Hill gets straight A’s in second Dodgers test-Eric Stephen Clayton Kershaw talks about his rehab start (Video)-Ryan Walton Clayton Kershaw has a successful rehab start at Rancho Cucamonga-Ryan Walton and Craig Minami ESPN LA: Rich Hill, Josh Reddick turn it on as Clayton Kershaw nears return-Doug Padilla Clayton Kershaw says he expects to pitch for Dodgers in '4 or 5 days'-Nic Reiner Jose De Leon ready for the Vin Scully treatment on Sunday-Doug Padilla Hill dominant in pitching Dodgers to 5-1 win over Padres-AP Fatigued and a bit sore, Corey Seager vows to keep pushing-Doug Padilla NBC LA: Trade Acquisitions Lead Dodgers Past Padres, 5-1, on Saturday Night-Michael Duarte FOX SPORTS: Sources: Dodgers and Brewers discussed a deal involving Yasiel Puig and Ryan Braun-Barry Werner YAHOO! SPORTS: Act two: Dodgers' Yasiel Puig ready for fresh start-Tim Brown

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2016

LA TIMES

Clayton Kershaw is sharp in three innings of work in Rancho Cucamonga By Jesse Dougherty Two scalpers paced the sidewalk trying to sell minor league baseball tickets. A sign on every will-call window at LoanMart Field, tucked inside a row of mountains in Rancho Cucamonga, read “SOLD OUT.” Inside the small stadium, fans raised their phones and pushed toward the first row along the left-field line. And there sat Clayton Kershaw, head bowed and staring at the outfield grass as excitement swirled around him. He barely flinched for a few minutes, taking a moment to himself before a much-anticipated rehab start with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, the Dodgers’ Class-A affiliate on Saturday night. The last time Kershaw started a game was June 26 in Pittsburgh, and lower-back discomfort from a herniated disk had sidelined him since. After stretching, warming up and then fidgeting throughout the national anthem, Kershaw used 34 pitches to set down nine hitters from the Modesto Nuts in three innings of work. He struck out five and gave up one hit that traveled no more than 10 feet. His fastball touched 94 mph. He finished the third inning with a double play, then relocated to the bullpen to get up to an even 50 pitches before wrapping his left arm in ice. Kershaw said he’s expected to pitch again in four or five days. Where that will be, he added, is still being ironed out. “It felt good. I was able to, you know, warm up and sit in between innings, stuff that’s kind of bothered me in the past,” Kershaw said. “It was definitely a good test, kind of pitch in a game-setting again, kind of have a normal game-type situation.” His own summary of the start included two caveats: It was only “kind of” a game situation, and he has experienced pain after fully cooling down from throwing. Kershaw said that if he could sit comfortably Saturday night, he would be confident of where he’s at right now. There have been false alarms during his rehab process, as he was first placed on the 15-day disabled list at the end of June and then moved to the 60-day disabled list at the start of August.

That came after he threw a simulated game on July 16, which was followed by a setback that saw him not throw again until having a catch at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 7. The Dodgers are 30-23 since Kershaw’s first missed turn in the rotation, and held a two-game lead over the San Francisco Giants heading into Saturday night. With Kershaw, Brandon McCarthy, Bud Norris, Scott Kazmir and Rich Hill (Saturday’s starter against the San Diego Padres) all spending time on the disabled list this summer, the rotation has leaned on Kenta Maeda and a combination of Ross Stripling, Brock Stewart and top prospect Julio Urias. Maeda has made 26 starts, and is 13-8 with a 3.38 earned-run average. Stripling, Stewart and Urias could probably travel from Los Angeles to triple-A Oklahoma City with their eyes closed at this point of the season. When Jose De Leon makes his major league debut Sunday, the Dodgers will have used seven starters in seven days. Kerhsaw is hopeful he will soon rejoin the mix. “At this point it’s more of a pitch-count deal, making sure that I can contribute and not just kind of go out there,” Kershaw said. “It helps that it’s September, we have a lot of guys up there in the bullpen. We’re still working the kinks out, but we’ll see.” He did not specify his next goal in terms of pitch count. He used his full arsenal of pitches against the Nuts and thought his fastball and slider felt normal. His curveball wasn’t as sharp, but Kershaw said he expected that given how long it has been since he had faced live hitters. It took him three minutes to finish the first, three minutes to finish the second, and five minutes to finish the third. Then Kershaw’s night was over almost as soon as it started. It began with him looking down, and ended with everything looking up. “It was definitely fun to be back out there,” Kershaw said. “It feel good right now, and hopefully it stays that way throughout the night.” Rich Hill's six scoreless innings help Dodgers beat Padres, 5-1 By Andy McCullough The scream erupted from Rich Hill just as the line drive raced into the outfield. He had recorded 17 outs without allowing a hit, and while his escalating pitch count made a bid for history seem unlikely, the single by San Diego Padres veteran Alexei Ramirez still chafed him. On Saturday, in a 5-1 victory, there was little else for Hill to get upset about.

In his second start as a Dodger, Hill replicated a simulacrum of his debut on Aug. 24 against the San Francisco Giants. He twirled six more scoreless innings, striking out eight alone the way. He helped his club maintain a two-game advantage on the Giants in the National League West. “The biggest thing is just staying in the moment, and focusing each pitch, having each pitch come out of your hand the way you want it to,” Hill said. “I was able to do that tonight.” Hill has tantalized the Dodgers for weeks. He was scratched from his scheduled appearance earlier this week due to a reemergence of the blisters on his left hand. But he showed no signs of distress in Saturday’s victory. His teammates handed him a four-run lead in the fourth inning, when Yasmani Grandal capped a rally with a three-run home run. In the sixth inning, Josh Reddick added his first home run as a Dodger. Casey Fien gave up a run in relief in the eighth inning. The offense thrashed Padres starter Luis Perdomo during his second turn through the lineup. Earlier in the day, Corey Seager admitted his left wrist still felt sore after getting hit by a fastball five days earlier. Seager insisted the discomfort was not the source of his recent mini-slump, with zero hits in 16 at-bats heading into Saturday. To prove his point, Seager singled in the first inning and again in the fourth. After his second hit, he raced to third base on a single by Justin Turner. Adrian Gonzalez drove him in with the team’s third consecutive single, placing runners at the corners for Grandal. “The base-running in that inning was very good,” Manager Dave Roberts said. Grandal was in the midst of a slump of his own. He had managed only four hits in his last 25 at-bats. Then Perdomo challenged him with a fastball at the waist. Grandal belted it over the center-field fence for his 22nd home run of the season. “Overall, it was just a really good team win,” Hill said. De Leon is set to make debut The mind of Dodgers pitching prospect Jose De Leon grows anxious in the hours before he pitches, so on Friday he sneaked into a movie theater in Omaha to quell his nerves. He often finds refuge in front of the silver screen. After he watched Jason Statham wreak havoc in “Mechanic: Resurrection,” he walked outside and felt his phone ring. “Hey,” Oklahoma City Manager Bill Haselman told him, “I’ve got good news for you.” After weeks of waiting, the Dodgers will bring up De Leon to make his major league debut on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

With Julio Urias ensconced on the big league club, De Leon became the organization’s top pitching prospect. He had struck out 40 batters in his previous for starts in triple A, and has posted a 2.61 earned-run average in 16 outings. De Leon, a 24-year-old right-hander, acknowledged the chatter from the fan base for his promotion in recent weeks. He insisted he did not question the organization’s decision to wait until September to bring him up. “They have a plan,” De Leon said. “I’ve just got to stick to it, and be ready whenever they call me. The best thing that I was really thinking about is that I needed to be here in L.A. this year, because I wanted Vin Scully to call my game. So that’s a good thing.” Unlike Urias, De Leon does not appear to be nearing a shutdown due to an innings restriction. He has only thrown 86 1/3 innings this season, in part because the team kept him in extended spring training and he missed most of May. De Leon threw 114 1/3 innings last season, which gives him plenty of room to contribute in September. De Leon said he had not leaned much on Urias, one of his good friends in the organization, for advice. “I just try to keep it simple,” De Leon said. “If I ask too many questions, it’s going to get into my head. I just want to go out there and pitch, and do what I do, and just have fun.” Dodgers rookie Corey Seager still dealing with soreness in wrist By Andy McCullough Five days after being hit on the wrist by a fastball, Dodgers rookie Corey Seager admitted he still feels some soreness in the area, but insisted that was not to blame for his recent mini-slump. Seager entered Saturday’s game against San Diego in the midst of a rare cold spell. He had not recorded a hit in his previous five games, a span of 16 at-bats. That is the standard he has set for himself, as he makes a case to be the National League MVP. “It happens to everyone,” Manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s probably just one of those things that happens to everyone.” Seager, 22, said he was seeing progress with his wrist. “It’s gotten better every day,” Seager said. “The swelling has gotten out. Hopefully it stops being sore here soon, and we move on.” Before this recent stretch, Seager was a model of consistency. He played through September last season, so his body is more acclimated to the 162-game schedule. He dismissed the idea that he was feeling fatigued, even while admitting, in essence, he felt fatigued.

“I wouldn’t say ‘tired,’” Seager said. “It’s the end of the year. You don’t feel as good as you do at the beginning. It just takes a little longer to get loose, get warmed up.” So, in a word: Tired.

DODGERS.COM

King of the Hill: Lefty flirts with no-no By Ken Gurnick and AJ Cassavell LOS ANGELES -- Rich Hill returned from a scratched start by firing a one-hitter for six innings and Yasmani Grandal punished his old team with a three-run home run as the Dodgers beat the Padres, 5-1, on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium. Alexei Ramirez's line single with two out in the sixth ruined the no-hitter and was the lone hit allowed by Hill, who missed a start Wednesday in Colorado as a precautionary measure because of recurring finger blisters. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Hill would have been removed from the game after six innings even if the no-hitter was still intact as a further precaution. "With his history and the blisters, we're trying to be cognizant of that," said Roberts. "To give us 89 or 90 pitches is enough, and to extend Richie, it doesn't balance out the risk versus reward." Hill struck out eight and walked two, at one point retiring 14 consecutive Padres. He left after throwing 89 pitches and is 2-0 for the Dodgers with 12 scoreless innings. Bob Miller (1963) and Kenta Maeda (2016) are the only other Los Angeles Dodgers to pitch at least six innings without allowing a run in their first two starts. "Looking back on it, Alexei put a nice swing on the ball, nothing you can do about it," said Hill. Grandal's home run to center field, his 22nd, followed an RBI single by another former Padre, Adrian Gonzalez, in a string of five consecutive hits off losing pitcher Luis Perdomo. "You're a young guy, you're trying to match Rich Hill pitch for pitch," Padres manager Andy Green said of Perdomo. "Instead of getting the ball down in the zone, playing for the ground ball and the double play, you start trying to pitch for the punchout. … When you're trying to pitch for a punchout, sometimes you end up with a three-run homer." In the sixth, Perdomo also allowed Josh Reddick's first Dodgers home run. Hill and Reddick came to Los Angeles from Oakland in a July 31 trade. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Slump's over: Corey Seager came into the game in an 0-for-19 slump and was 0-for-13 since being hit on the left wrist by a Chris Rusin fastball Monday night. But that's history after Seager lined singles in his first two at-bats Saturday night, including a leadoff hit that triggered the four-run fourth inning.

Spoiler alert: With his laser single up the middle, Ramirez broke up his second no-no in less than a month. (He ended Steven Matz's bid in the eighth inning on Aug. 14.) For the second night in a row, Ramirez started in right field, despite never having done so until last weekend. And for the second night in a row, Ramirez more than held his own defensively, as well. "When I first started with Chicago, I was playing center," Ramirez said. "To me it's really not that different. In my mind it's the same thing, having had that center-field background and being in right." Reddick revived: In addition to the home run, Reddick had a pair of singles for his first three-hit game as a Dodger. He began his Dodgers career going 2-for-27. "Took long enough," Reddick said of his home run. "I finally got it out of the way. Just to contribute, that's something I've wanted to do for a month now. I hope I'll be able to do it the rest of the year." On the board: Luis Sardinas' one-out double in the eighth turned into the Padres' run when Wil Myers drove him home with a bloop single to center. The Friars would've had more, however, if not for a nice running catch at the wall by left fielder Howie Kendrick, who robbed Ramirez of extra bases. Ultimately, the Padres simply couldn't overcome Hill's masterful effort. "He was throwing his pitches really well, working both sides of the plate," said Myers. "He elevated when he needed to. His fastball was very sneaky, got on you quicker than you expected." QUOTABLE "That was awesome. Get used to seeing it here. It's exciting." -- Hill talking about Reddick's home run ROTATION ON THE REBOUND While Hill flirted with a no-hitter, Clayton Kershaw was rehabbing his way back into the Dodgers rotation, "To make a good night even better," Roberts said. Kershaw faced the minimum number of batters over three innings while throwing 34 pitches and striking out five. As long as he returns, and assuming Hill really is past the blister issues, Roberts can see a formidable rotation coming together after months of patching things together. "If you look at Clayton, Richie, Kenta -- those guys against any three, I like our chances," said Roberts. "That's why we acquired Richie." WHAT'S NEXT Padres : With a pair of off-days surrounding last weekend's series in Miami, the Padres opted to skip Christian Friedrich's last start. But he'll take the ball for Sunday's series finale in Los Angeles, with first pitch slated for 1:10 p.m. PT. San Diego is keeping a sharp eye on Friedrich's innings, and Sunday's outing could very well be his last of the season. Dodgers: Jose De Leon, the organization's No. 2 prospect as ranked by MLBPipeline.com, makes his highly anticipated Major League debut in the 1:10 p.m. PT start. De Leon went 7-1 with a 2.61 ERA at Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV. Kershaw dominant in first rehab start By Jack Baer RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. -- With the playoffs fast approaching, Clayton Kershaw (herniated disk) pitched in a baseball game for the first time since June 26 as he began a rehab assignment Saturday at Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga. Whether the ace is ready to return to the Majors has yet to be decided, though Kershaw did say he thinks he will pitch in the next four or five days as long as his back presents no problems while he cools down. "We're still ironing some stuff out," Kershaw said. "At this point, it's more of a pitch count deal, making sure that I can contribute and not just go out there. It helps that it's September. We got a lot of guys in the bullpen. We're still working kinks out, but we'll see." Kershaw faced the minimum number of batters over three innings while throwing 34 pitches. He got five strikeouts and had his fastball ranging from 92-94 mph in all three innings, according to the stadium gun. The sole hit against him was a soft infield single that was erased on a double play. "Fastball and slider were pretty decent," Kershaw said. "Curveball needs a little work, wasn't there at times. I threw a couple good ones, but a few of them got away from me. I guess for as much time as I've missed, I'll take it, but once I get up to pitching real games in the Major Leagues, there's not going to be so much forgiveness. Definitely need to be more consistent." The 34 pitches actually came well short of Kershaw's 50-pitch target, so he threw the remaining pitches in the bullpen. "Three good innings, 15 more [pitches] in the 'pen to make a good night even better," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "[Four or five days], is that what he said? We're going to talk about that. Clayton has an idea of what he wants to do, so we'll have a discussion." Vice President of Baseball Operations Josh Byrnes and Director of Player Development Gabe Kapler were among the Dodgers brass in attendance. Fellow rehabbing pitcher Brett Anderson followed Kershaw for a scheduled five innings or 75-80 pitches of relief, but lasted just two innings while allowing six earned runs and nine hits. Outfielder Andre Ethier also made his seventh rehab appearance with Rancho, going 1-for-3 with a double and sacrifice fly. Their opponent Saturday night was the Modesto Nuts, the Rockies' California League affiliate, who had two of the team's Top 30 prospects in their lineup with second baseman Forrest Wall (No. 9) and catcher Dom Nunez (No. 13) at designated hitter.

Kershaw had been sidelined since the end of June when pain in his back forced him to the DL. While it initially seemed he could make a quick recovery, a setback in a mid-July simulated game prompted the Dodgers to shut him down. Kershaw threw a simulated game without incident on Tuesday that allowed the Dodgers to send him to Rancho just in time for the Quakes' final series of the regular season. Catching him was Will Smith, the No. 32 overall pick in the 2016 Draft and the Dodgers' No. 11 prospect. Smith came away impressed, to say the least. "You're expecting one of the best pitchers you've ever caught and he definitely proved that. He was the best I've ever caught," Smith said. "His curveball was nasty, slider was gross, and the command of his fastball was something I've never seen. But he still looked frustrated after a couple pitches, missing some spots." Until the injury, Kershaw seemed well on his way to a fourth Cy Young Award after recording a 1.79 ERA and 145 strikeouts in 121 innings in the first half. Hill, Kershaw give Dodgers hope for rotation rebound By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES -- While Rich Hill flirted with a no-hitter Saturday night, Clayton Kershaw was rehabbing his way back into the Dodgers rotation, "To make a good night even better," manager Dave Roberts said. "We might have a two- or three-headed monster going," said Yasmani Grandal, who complemented Hill's six scoreless innings with a three-run homer in the Dodgers' 5-1 win over San Diego. Hill, scratched as a precaution Wednesday in Colorado, said his finger blisters were no issue, and Kershaw predicted he would be pitching in a game in four of five days, an endorsement of his recovery from a herniated disk, even if the final decision isn't his to make. "Is that what he said?" asked Roberts. "We're going to talk about that. Clayton has an idea of what he wants to do, so we'll have a discussion." If Kershaw waits to pitch until Friday in Miami, he will be lined up to pitch in both remaining series with the Giants. As long as he returns, and assuming Hill really is past the blister issues, Roberts can see a formidable rotation coming together after months of patching things together. "If you look at Clayton, Richie, Kenta [Maeda] -- those guys against any three, I like our chances," said Roberts. "That's why we acquired Richie." That's also why Roberts said he wasn't going to let Hill pursue his no-hitter beyond six innings, even if Alexei Ramirez hadn't broken it up with a line single with two outs in the sixth. "We're trying to make sure he's out of the woods," said Roberts, who lifted Hill after 89 pitches. "To sustain where he's at, with the finger and blister, he wasn't going to see that next inning, regardless. It

would have been a bigger fight. Where he was at with the pitch count, to figure how to manage three more innings, it wasn't going to happen." Hill, unbeaten in his last 10 starts since May 7, insisted he was healthy enough to continue, but he didn't argue. "I feel great. Everything is good health-wise," he said. "That's not my decision. I continue to pitch when the ball is given to me. That's baseball. You don't go out there looking at completing a no-hitter, but as the game goes on each pitch has its own moment and the rhythm and tempo, and you want to stay in that moment." Hill struck out eight and walked two. He said his curve had depth and his fastball carried through the strike zone. Since his acquisition from Oakland with Josh Reddick on July 31, Hill has made only two starts, but both were six scoreless-inning victories. "Rich did what Rich Hill does," Reddick said. "He strikes people out. The fastball seems like 96 [mph], the way the curve moves so much. Joc [Pederson] and I talk about how dirty he looks from the outfield." Although nothing is certain, Roberts allowed himself the same enjoyment as Grandal, envisioning what might be a dynamic top of the rotation. "Most of it is contingent upon Clayton," he said. "We're trying to take each step with him and build on that. Looking forward, there's a little bit of lining those guys up together." De Leon to fulfill dream of Scully calling debut By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES -- Jose De Leon makes his Dodgers debut Sunday, fulfilling not only his dream of being a big leaguer, but being one this year in particular. "The best thing I was thinking about, I needed to be here this year because I wanted Vin Scully to call my games," said De Leon, ranked as the organization's No. 2 prospect by MLBPipeline.com. "To be honest, I'm still in shock, it still hasn't hit me." De Leon was 7-1 with a 2.61 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 86 1/3 innings at Triple-A. De Leon's parents will fly in to see his debut. "[Oklahoma City manager] Bill Haselman called me [Friday] as I was coming out of the movies, which I do on days I pitch, and said he's got good news, I'm going to the big leagues. My parents are crying, jumping all over the place." Despite De Leon's dominating second half at OKC, and the onslaught of injuries in Los Angeles and the presence of fellow rookies Ross Stripling, Julio Urias, Brock Stewart, the Dodgers front office was determined not to bring him up until September.

"If I tell you I was not thinking about it, I'd be lying, because it's been in my head since I was a kid," De Leon said. "But you've got to control what you can control and I knew the moment would come, eventually. I was just having fun down there, the same thing I'll try to do up there. I know it will be really emotional tomorrow, I know that, but I'll just keep focused and enjoy the ride." • It was originally announced the left-handed reliever Luis Avilan, who was the 26th man for the nightcap of Wednesday's double-header in Denver, would be in the first wave of September callups. But because Avilan was optioned to Triple-A Aug. 25, he's not eligible to return until Sunday. • Scott Van Slyke said doctors repaired two ligament tears and removed scar tissue in his right wrist Thursday. The wrist will be immobilized for two weeks, but he expects to be fully healed by Spring Training. • Manager Dave Roberts said the probable starting pitchers are uncertain beyond Kenta Maeda on Monday, but Stripling threw a bullpen session Saturday, lining him up for a Tuesday start. • Roberts said Urias, whose fingers were nicked by a pitch while attempted to bunt Friday night, was fine on Saturday. • Brandon McCarthy, on the disabled list since Aug. 14, will make a rehab start at Rancho Cucamonga on Monday. Dodgers host PLAY campaign event for kids By Jack Baer LOS ANGELES -- A group of around 60 kids got a chance to learn about some of the hard work and nutrition that goes into being a Major League Baseball player on Saturday at Dodger Stadium as part of the National PLAY Campaign. Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner, head trainer Neil Rampe, assistant trainers Nate Lucero and Thomas Albert, and strength and conditioning coach Brandon McDaniel offered advice to members of the Los Angeles Boys and Girls Club and MLB's Urban Youth Academy in Compton. Each led stations focusing on different aspects of fitness. "A big thing is to get them in good habits early, so that's their base of reference," Rampe said. "It's always easier to learn something new than to have to unlearn something to move forward. Nowadays, the kids are asking really good questions and they're informed on stuff. I think it comes down to the fundamentals of quality nutrition, quality activity in their lives, quality sleep." Lucero and Albert led sessions in the team's batting cages, McDaniel led a stretching and agility session, and Rampe explained the basics of nutrition and proper diet. Also offering advice were Justin Matlage of the Henry Schein Cares Foundation on training and Brian Parker of the Taylor Hooton Foundation on the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs. Both foundations sponsor the campaign along with MLB Charities. The Taylor Hooton Foundation was founded in 2004 in honor of Hooton, a 17-year-old from Plano, Texas, who took his own life after using anabolic steroids. Hooton's family started the foundation to limit the growing number of teenagers using steroids. The foundation has programs with all 30 teams and sports Clayton Kershaw as its player representative from the team.

"It's crucial for prevention," Parker said. "The numbers are now telling us we've got five, six percent of kids getting involved with steroids at some point in their lives. That's one out of every 14, 15 kids. The earlier you can educate, the better, because the age of initiation has gone all the down to 15. They're starting the stuff in high school and sometimes middle schools." However, the teacher the kids were understandably the most excited for was Turner, who ran a 20-minute question-and-answer session on all aspects of his career and the Dodgers. There were relatively few questions on health and fitness though, as the kids had more pressing questions about Turner and their favorite team. Turner's first question was, who is better, him or Corey Seager, to which Turner promptly answered Seager. He named Felix Hernandez as the toughest pitcher he has ever faced, said carne asada was his favorite food, confirmed he has hit a home run before, and said he would love to stay with the Dodgers when his free agency hits this offseason. If there was a general message from Turner, it was the importance of trusting a process and not letting bad results affect mentality or nerves. While nutrition didn't come up too often, Turner did recall his own experiences with it after the session. "I didn't really start learning a whole lot about [nutrition] until I came here and I got with Brandon [McDaniel] and these guys," Turner said. "I do think it's important the more aware we get kids to be at an earlier age, the better off I think our entire country is going to be." Pipeline preview: Blackburn aims to build on longest start of career By Mike Rosenbaum Here's a look at top prospects to watch in Sunday's Minor League action: Hitter to watch: Cody Bellinger (Dodgers' No. 1), Oklahoma City at Omaha (8:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV) Promoted to Oklahoma City on Saturday, Bellinger -- who celebrated his 21st birthday in July -- got his first Triple-A knock out of the way in his second plate appearance, delivering a pinch-hit RBI single in the top of the ninth inning. The No. 34 overall prospect earned a trip to the Minors' highest level after a strong showing in the Double-A Texas League, where he batted .263/.359/.484 with 23 home runs and 65 RBIs. Pitcher to watch: Paul Blackburn (Mariners' No. 18), Jackson vs. Chattanooga (3:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV) Blackburn permitted one earned run on seven hits and completed 8 1/3 innings in his last turn, marking the longest outing of his career. Acquired from the Cubs along with Dan Vogelbach in the July 20 deal for Mike Montgomery, Blackburn, 22, has gone 3-1 with a 3.54 ERA in 40 2/3 innings (8 appearances/7 starts) since joining Double-A Jackson. The right-hander has pitched to a 3.27 ERA in 143 innings this season in the Southern League. Duel of the day: Tyler Beede (Giants' No. 2) vs. Nick Kingham (Pirates' No. 10), Richmond vs. Altoona (6:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV)

Never has Beede been better in the Minors than he was in his last start for Double-A Richmond, when he tossed nine scoreless innings of two-hit ball to record the first complete game and shutout of his career. The 23-year-old righty tallied a career-best 11 strikeouts and walked just one. Beede, the Giants' first-round pick in 2014, has enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2016, posting a 2.87 ERA with 133 strikeouts over 141 1/3 innings (23 starts) in the Eastern League. Kingham appeared destined to pitch in the big leagues in 2015 before a right elbow injury, followed by Tommy John surgery, prematurely ended his season and then sidelined him for much of '16. But after eight starts between the Gulf Coast and Florida State Leagues, the 24-year-old right-hander had his rehab assignment moved up to Double-A Altoona last week and tossed six strong innings versus Binghamton, allowing one earned run on three hits. Sunday's Top 100 prospect probables No. 40 Reynaldo Lopez (Nationals' No. 3), Syracuse at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (1:05 p.m. ET on MiLB.TV) More top prospect probables Daniel Gossett (A's No. 19), Nashville at New Orleans (Triple-A) Matt Koch (D-backs' No. 20), Reno at Tacoma (Triple-A) Harrison Musgrave (Rockies' No. 25), Albuquerque at El Paso (Triple-A) Myles Jaye (Tigers' No. 25), Toledo vs. Columbus (Triple-A) Chris Stratton (Giants' No. 26), Sacramento vs. Fresno (Triple-A) Joe Gunkel (Orioles' No. 27), Norfolk at Durham (Triple-A) Ariel Jurado (Rangers' No. 8), Frisco vs. Midland (Double-A) Sal Romano (Reds' No. 17), Pensacola at Birmingham (Double-A) Max Povse (Braves' No. 20) vs. Brandon Woodruff (Brewers' No. 25), Mississippi vs. Biloxi (Double-A) Albert Abreu (Astros' No. 8), Lancaster vs. Inland Empire (Class A Advanced) Jordan Stephens (White Sox No. 11), Winston-Salem at Carolina (Class A Advanced) Marcos Diplan (Brewers' No. 12), Brevard County vs. Daytona (Class A Advanced) Justin Donatella (D-backs' No. 27), Visalia at San Jose (Class A Advanced) Brett Graves (Athletics' No. 30), Stockton vs. Bakersfield (Class A Advanced) T.J. Zeuch (Blue Jays' No. 8), Lansing at Lake County (Class A) Franklyn Kilome (Phillies' No. 9), Lakewood vs. Greensboro (Class A) Franklin Perez (Astros' No. 11), Quad Cities at Burlington (Class A) Nolan Watson (Royals' No. 12), Lexington at Hickory (Class A) Logan Allen (Padres' No. 17), Fort Wayne at Bowling Green (Class A) (Class A) Justin Steele (Cubs' No. 23), South Bend vs. Dayton (Class A) Joan Baez (Nationals' No. 24), Hagerstown at Asheville (Class A) Ricardo Sanchez (Braves' No. 25), Rome at Augusta (Class A) Dane Dunning (Nationals' No. 6), Auburn vs. Batavia (Class A Short Season) Dakota Chalmers (A's No. 9), Vermont vs. Lowell (Class A Short Season) Juan Hillman (Indians' No. 12), Mahoning Valley at West Virginia (Class A Short Season) Hansel Rodriguez (Padres' No. 19), Tri-City vs. Vancouver (Class A Short Season)

OC REGISTER

Rich Hill baffles Padres in his second start for the Dodgers By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES – In his time with the Dodgers, Rich Hill has demonstrated a mastery of one of the rules of show business. Always leave them wanting more. In his second start for the Dodgers – separated from the first by nine days, a rainout and a postponement – Hill took a no-hitter into the sixth inning while holding the San Diego Padres scoreless on the way to a 5-1 victory Saturday night. At the same time on another mound in the Southland, Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was dominating some wide-eyed Class-A hitters in a three-inning rehab start for Rancho Cucamonga. They were the first 34 pitches Kershaw has thrown in earnest since June 26 but he declared himself ready to return to the front of the Dodgers’ rotation next week. With Hill’s arrival, he won’t find himself alone there this time. “When you think about Rich and Clayton and Kenta (Maeda) and what we have in our rotation, it’s just very encouraging,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But obviously most of that is contingent upon Clayton. So we’re trying to take each step with him and build on that. But I think looking forward a little bit – which I think everyone has to do – there’s a little bit of trying to line those two guys up together. “I think if you look at Clayton, Richie and Kenta, those three guys against any three I like our chances. That’s why we acquired him.” The Dodgers have said that far more than Hill has been able to demonstrate it. Inhibited by the blister issues on his index and middle fingers, Hill has made just those two starts since being acquired by the Dodgers at the Aug. 1 trade deadline. But they have each been enticing signs of the front-of-the-rotation force the Dodgers believe they acquired. Hill has not allowed a run in his 12 innings for the Dodgers. Saturday night, he walked the first Padres batter he faced then retired the next 14 in order, striking out six and allowing little in the way of hard contact. He walked another in the fifth inning and finally gave up his only hit of the night with two outs in the sixth inning when Alexei Ramirez singled through the box and into center field. “You just tip your hat,” Hill said of the lone hit he allowed in six scoreless innings. “I looked back at it afterwards and he really put a good swing on the ball. There’s nothing you can do about it. Just keep going with that same effort and same intensity. That’s baseball.

“You don’t go out there looking to complete a no-hitter or throw a no-hitter. But as the game goes on, each pitch has its moment and the tempo and rhythm of the game plays out. You want to stay in that moment and bring that intensity for every pitch.” Still cautious about overworking Hill’s fingers, Roberts said the left-hander would not have seen the seventh inning even if the no-hitter was still intact. He pulled him after 89 pitches in six innings, leaving the rest to the Dodgers’ bullpen. Reliever Casey Fien surrendered the Padres’ only run in the eighth. “For us, we’re trying to obviously win each game but with his history this season and the blisters we’re really trying to be cognizant of that,” Roberts said. “To give us 89, 90 pitches whatever it is – we’re trying to make sure we’re out of the woods.” Hill’s trade-mate, outfielder Josh Reddick, has been lost in the woods since joining the Dodgers. But he has shown signs of life recently and had his second multi-hit game in his past two starts. Reddick’s three hits Saturday included his first home run (and second RBI) with the Dodgers. “It took long enough to finally get here,” Reddick said. “It felt great to contribute to a win. It’s something I wanted to do for a month now and it finally came.” Reddick’s second hit of the night was the last of five consecutive hits by the Dodgers in the fourth inning against Padres starter Luis Perdomo. Consecutive singles by Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Adrian Gonzalez produced one run, then Yasmani Grandal crushed a first-pitch fastball from Perdomo, sending it 440 feet over the wall in straightaway center field. Seager’s hit was one of two singles in the game for the rookie shortstop, who snapped an 0-for-19 skid. Prior to this stretch of five consecutive hitless games, Seager had not gone more than back-to-back games without a hit this season. Dodgers lineups: Corey Seager says his slump is not related to HBP on wrist By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES -- Monday at Coors Field, Dodgers rookie shortstop Corey Seager was hit by pitches twice. The second one caught him flush on the left wrist. X-rays were taken and no damage was revealed but Seager doesn't have a hit in 15 plate appearances since the second HBP. Seager said the wrist is not the reason for the hitless string but acknowledged "hopefully it stops being sore" soon. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he doesn't see any issue in Seager's swing that would indicate the wrist is bothering him. But Roberts did check in on both Seager and Justin Turner who is batting .242 (15 for 62) since missing a couple games in mid-August with a bruised right hand.

"Talked to those guys about that," Roberts said. "But both of those guys to their credit -- maybe not full disclosure -- they say it's not affecting their swing. With Corey it's that top hand and with Justin it's the top hand as well. "The bat speed from Corey seems to be the same. JT's taken some good swings too. I don't know if there's any correlation." Seager's lull does go back a little farther than Colorado into last week's series against the Giants and Cubs. He has just four hits in his past 32 -- a tiny blip in a rookie season that has been remarkably consistent (he has hit over .300 with an OPS over .890 for every calendar month since April). "I don't think it's any reason," Seager said of the 4-for-32 stretch. "It's just one of those points in the season where you're just not able to do it as consistently as you might have earlier in the year." The 22-year-old Seager has started 123 of the Dodgers' first 134 games this season but won't admit to any fatigue, still walking the eight flights of stairs from the players' parking lot at Dodger Stadium every day -- something that he admits is probably more superstition than anything else at this point. "I wouldn't say 'tired,'" he said. "It's the end of the year. You don't feel as good as you do at the beginning. It's just at that point in the year where it takes a little longer to get loose." Well on his way to the NL Rookie of the Year award that he was favored to win from the start of the season, Seager is probably the least of Roberts' worries at this point. "I don't know what he's mired in as far as the numbers. I know he hasn't had a hit in a little while," Roberts said. "He hasn't had that all year but it happens to every player. I tjust hasn't happened to him." Tonight's lineups: PADRES (56-78) SS Luis Sardinas RF Alexei Ramirez 1B Wil Myers 3B Yangervis Solarte C Derek Norris 2B Ryan Schimpf LF Adam Rosales CF Travis Jankowski RHP Luis Perdomo (7-7, 5.84 ERA)

DODGERS (74-60) 2B Chase Utley SS Corey Seager 3B Justin Turner 1B Adrian Gonzalez C Yasmani Grandal RF Josh Reddick LF Howie Kendrick CF Joc Pederson LHP Rich Hill (10-3, 2.09 ERA) Kershaw's return to Dodgers rotation is near By Jim Alexander RANCHO CUCAMONGA – The final decision might not come for a day or two, after Clayton Kershaw has time to determine just how much 34 pitches to Class-A hitters affected his back. But if he has any input, and if he feels as good as he did Saturday evening, his next appearance will be in a National League game. “I think I’m pitching in four days, or five days,” Kershaw said after a one-hit, five-strikeout performance for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes against the Modesto Nuts. “I think they’re still ironing some stuff out, but at this point it’s still kind of a pitch count deal, making sure that I can contribute and not just go out there. It helps that it’s September, and we’ve got a lot of guys out there in the bullpen. “We’re still working the kinks out, but we’ll see.” If Kershaw is about to return to the rotation, odds are that it will be Friday in Miami, the opener of a 12-game trip. It would be his first appearance in a big league game since June 26, when he was roughed up in a 4-3 loss at Pittsburgh right before going to the disabled list, with what turned out to be a herniated disc.

Not a bad September call-up, at all, for a team trying to expand on a two-game lead in the National League West: A guy with an 11-2 record and 1.79 ERA, whose team was 14-2 on days he pitched before he went to the disabled list. For the record, the Dodgers were 27-34 in games he didn’t pitch before he went to the DL. They’re 10 games over .500 since, following Saturday night’s 5-1 victory over San Diego. Just imagine the possibilities. Certainly, the way Kershaw toyed with California League hitters allowed Dodgers pulses to race a little bit. He threw 22 strikes in his 34 pitches, was between 92 and 94 mph with his fastball most of the night, and overmatched a lineup with no one hitting over .280 or driving in more than 59 runs. He had a 10-pitch first inning, striking out the first two hitters he faced and getting a first-pitch ground ball for the third out. He threw 11 in the second, getting a broken-bat grounder and two more strikeouts, both swinging. The only hit he allowed? Catcher Robbie Perkins hit a 2-2 pitch maybe 10 feet, at most, and beat catcher Will Smith’s throw for an infield single with one out in the third. Kershaw got a double-play grounder to finish the inning, then went to the bullpen to fulfill his mandate of 45 to 50 pitches. He gave the kids the full mix of pitches. “The fastball and slider were pretty decent,” he said. “The curveball needed a little work. It wasn’t there at times. I threw a couple of good ones, but a few got away from me. I guess for as much time as I’ve missed, I’ll take it. “But once you get into pitching real games in the major leagues, there’s not going to be so much forgiveness. I definitely need to be more consistent.” Performance, however, was less important than the condition of his back. The full verdict might not come for a couple of days, but Kershaw said he felt progress, building on what he experienced following a simulated game Tuesday in which he pitched to Quakes hitters at Dodger Stadium. “I felt good,” he said. “I was able to warm up and sit in between innings and everything, stuff that’s bothered me in the past. It’s fun to pitch in a game setting again, and have some normal game-type situations. “The last few times when I’ve pitched, once I cool down and kind of sit for a little bit, it’ll stiffen up. As long as I’m OK doing that tonight, it’ll be a good test.” These rehab stints are necessary, and they're fun for the fans who are more used to seeing the prospects. Still, it's kind of weird to see Kershaw wearing a Quakes jersey, or to hear the LoanMart jingle after his strikeouts instead of the opening bars of Beethoven's Fifth, as he hears at Dodger Stadium. Brett Anderson would have been happy with those problems. He pitched only two innings of a scheduled five-inning stint and gave up six runs and nine hits, including two doubles and a triple. For some reason, no one was asking when his next start might occur.

Miller: How the banged-up Dodgers are in first place is quite baffling By Jeff Miller LOS ANGELES – The Dodgers have placed 27 players on the disabled list this season, a season in which they’ve used 100 lineups but, admirably, avoided using an equal number of excuses. In discussing the health of his starting pitcher Saturday, Manager Dave Roberts had to make sure he was clear as to which blister on what finger he was referencing. With Rich Hill, there are multiple possibilities. On Sunday, the ailing Dodgers will be forced to start Jose De Leon in his big league debut. When asked what he knows about the rookie, Roberts mentioned De Leon’s repertoire, work ethic and – suddenly running short on information – homeland. “And he’s from Puerto Rico,” Roberts joked. “I’m anxious to learn a little more about him.” Given the expedition in roster expansion that this season has been for the Dodgers, their next starter might as well be Ponce de Leon. It isn’t a real mystery how this team has discovered first place in the National League West; the Giants have spent the past several weeks stinking with a purpose. But how, precisely, the Dodgers were 14 games over .500 before Saturday remains a little baffling, even in baseball, a sport were 60 feet, 6 inches makes sense. Honestly, why not just 60 feet, period? What are those extra six inches for, to accommodate for possible weight gain? In late June, I wrote a column forecasting doom for the Dodgers in light of the rotation-crippling injury to Clayton Kershaw. Turns out, Kershaw’s troublesome disc wasn’t nearly as herniated as my opinion. Of course, in the offseason, I also mocked the Dodgers’ front office of Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi for ruining the team, and apparently that perspective was as blistered as any of Hill’s digits. The Dodgers simply decided to use the occasion of losing baseball’s single most dominant force to become better. Entering Saturday, they were nine games above .500 without Kershaw. Remember early in the season when the Dodgers were great whenever their left-handed ace pitched and lousy whenever anyone else did? Well, evidently, neither do they. “It’s been a group effort,” Roberts said. “It obviously takes more guys than you have in the clubhouse.” Speaking to mlb.com, closer Kenley Jansen last week called the Dodgers “a grinding group,” and consider that assessment the next time you read about L.A. being a sports town that supports only stars. Admittedly, it feels a little strange to paint the team with baseball’s highest payroll as grinders. The Dodgers are paying their players more than the Marlins, Brewers and Rays are combined.

But when that team is winning games on the grand-slam exploits of Andrew Toles, a man who spent more time last year working in a grocery store than working in baseball, grinders is a term that makes some sense. “Guys are really just continuing to be unselfish and playing each game to win,” Roberts said. “With the lineup and at-bats and playing time or innings, there’s got to be some unselfishness.” That’s why, before promoting Yasiel Puig from the minors Friday, Roberts and Friedman met with a few of the Dodgers veterans to make sure they were OK with Puig returning to their clubhouse. Puig, you might recall, wasn’t demoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City as much as be was banished there, the Dodgers concluding they were better off with him miles from their lineup and locker room. Reportedly, everyone was fine with Puig returning, including the media. On the field Friday, the prodigal outfielder was wrapped in the most soulful of man hugs by radio personality Vic “The Brick” Jacobs, an embrace of two of L.A.’s famously fuzzy characters. “We’re all aligned with the fact we want to win baseball games, and he makes us better,” Roberts said, speaking of Puig and not Vic “The Brick,” who later on Twitter officially anointed the day a “Puig-a-Palooza.” And consider that assessment the next time you read about L.A. being a tough sports media town. Anyway, it’s hard for any of us to be real critical of the Dodgers at this point, the team continuing to win despite its assorted strains, breaks and impingements. On Saturday, Hill was brilliant against San Diego, his blistered fingers yielding to a performance that, for his six innings, left the Padres hurting more. No, the Dodgers haven't made excuses this season, though they’ve had plenty of chances. They seem more interested in making something special happen, a healthy stretch run for a group unfamiliar with what healthy even means. De Leon will be 15th different pitcher to start a game for the Dodgers By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES – Jose De Leon had a deadline to make. “I wanted to be here this year because I wanted Vin Scully to call my game,” De Leon said Saturday. De Leon, 24, will get his wish Sunday when he makes his major league debut, starting at Dodger Stadium against the San Diego Padres. De Leon will become the 15th different pitcher to start a game for the Dodgers this season (one short of their MLB-leading 2015 total), the fifth to make his MLB debut.

Given all the instability in the Dodgers’ rotation this season, it would have been understandable if De Leon had wondered what took so long for him to get his opportunity – a large segment of Dodgers fans have certainly wondered that on social media and fan sites. De Leon couldn’t blame any organization-imposed innings cap. After spending spring training in the big league camp, he made just one start before June due to an ankle injury and shoulder inflammation. “If I tell you I wasn’t thinking about it, I’d be lying,” De Leon said. “But you’ve got to control what you can control. I tried not to think about that. I was just having fun down there and that’s the same thing I’ll try to do up here. “They had a plan. You just have to stick to it. I just wanted to be ready when they called me and they did.” That strategy worked in Triple-A, where De Leon went 7-1 with a 2.61 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 111 strikeouts and 20 walks in 16 starts for the OKC Dodgers. Over his last four starts before being called up, he allowed just four runs in 282/3 innings while striking out 40 and walking one. “I’ve been throwing strikes, attacking the zone,” said De Leon, whose low to mid-90s fastball is complemented by a changeup considered to be a “plus-plus” weapon by scouts. “In between starts, I try to improve something. I’ve been keeping it simple and trying to get better each time out.” De Leon watched as fellow prospects Ross Stripling, Brock Stewart and Julio Urias – a close friend who calls De Leon “my brother” – made their big league debuts and ran into difficulty. De Leon said he will try to learn from their experiences, but hasn’t spent too much time studying them. “I’ve talked to them but I try to keep it simple,” he said. “If I ask them too many questions then it’s going to get in my head. I just want to go out there and pitch and do what I do.” The native of Puerto Rico got the news about his debut far enough in advance that his parents are traveling from Puerto Rico to be at Dodger Stadium Sunday. As many as 15 to 18 friends and family will be on hand, De Leon estimated, including one relative making the drive from Tacoma to Los Angeles for the event. “It’s going to be my dream,” said De Leon who rose from being a 24th-round draft pick out of Southern University in 2013 to top-prospect status. “I’ve had this dream since I was a kid so it’s going to be really emotional. I know that. But I’m going to try to stay focused and enjoy the ride.” NOTES Outfielder Trayce Thompson said the chances of his playing again this season are “dim” after the latest examination of his injured back earlier this week. Thompson had hoped to be cleared to increase his workouts but he was told he would have to wait at least another week before being cleared for baseball activities. “It’s been very frustrating,” said Thompson who has not played since July 10 due to a pair of stress fractures in his lower back. … Right-hander Brandon McCarthy is expected to make a rehab start with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Monday in the Cal League season finale.

On deck: Padres at Dodgers, Sunday, 1 p.m. By Bill Plunkett Where: Dodger Stadium TV: SNLA, 1 p.m. Did you know: Jose De Leon is the fifth rookie pitcher to start a game for the Dodgers this season. The other four – Kenta Maeda, Ross Stripling, Julio Urias and Brock Stewart – have started a combined 55 games. The Dodgers are 31-24 in those games. THE PITCHERS DODGERS RHP JOSE DE LEON (MLB debut) PADRES LHP CHRISTIAN FRIEDRICH (4-10, 4.84) Vs. Dodgers: 0-1, 7.04 At Dodger Stadium: 0-1, 3.86 Hates to face: Carlos Ruiz, 3 for 4 (.750), 2 doubles Loves to face: Charlie Culberson, 0 for 3, 2 strikeouts UPCOMING MATCHUPS Monday: Diamondbacks RHP Zack Greinke (12-4, 4.17) at Dodgers RHP Kenta Maeda (13-8, 3.38), 5 p.m., SNLA Tuesday: Diamondbacks RHP Shelby Miller (2-10, 6.81) at Dodgers TBD, 7 p.m., SNLA

DODGER INSIDER

#VinTop20: No. 11, Joe Ferguson’s throw By Jon Weisman Between now and Vin Scully Appreciation Day on September 23, the Dodgers are revealing the results of the fan vote ranking Scully’s top 20 Dodger calls of all time, one at each home game. Here’s No. 11: Joe Ferguson’s stunning World Series throw. Previously: No. 12, Fernandomania begins

No. 13, ‘The Squeeze!’ No. 14, Nomo’s No-No No. 15, the 4+1 Game No. 16, Don Drysdale’s streak stays alive No. 17, Mike Piazza, Giant-slayer No. 18, Yasiel Puig’s first slam No. 19, Manny’s Bobbleslam No. 20, Mark McGwire hits it way, way out From L.A. to Rancho, Dodgers deliver 1-2 punch By Cary Osborne Rich Hill barely touched the rubber, winding up from the farthest point west on it. He delivered an 0-1 pitch to Alexei Ramirez who shot it right back toward him and into center field for a single. To that point, Hill allowed no hits through 5 2/3 innings. A collective groan came from the crowd at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, which immediately morphed into an appreciative roar for the left-hander’s effort. Hill pitched six shutout innings, allowing just the one hit, while striking out eight and walking two in the Dodgers’ 5-1 win against the Padres. Couple that with Clayton Kershaw’s extremely positive outing in his rehab start in Rancho Cucamonga (three shutout innings, 34 pitches and 23 strikes, one hit — a bunt single — and five strikeouts) and one can’t help but envision a September and beyond with those two leading the Dodger pitching staff. Dodger manager added Kenta Maeda to the mix, saying: “Those three guys against any three, I like our chances.” After a leadoff walk to Luis Sardinas in the first inning, Hill retired the next 14 Padres in a row. He threw 89 pitches in the game. Even if Hill had a no-hitter through six, Roberts said there was no way he would come back out for the seventh inning. “With Richie and extending him possibly tonight or his last start, it really doesn’t make a whole lot of (sense) in risk versus reward, so we want to ensure as much as we can that one-two punch,” Roberts said. Hill said he felt great healthwise and saw no effect of the blisters that have limited him to two starts as a Dodger. “You don’t go up there trying to complete a no-hitter or throw a no-hitter,” Hill said. “But as the game goes on, each pitch has its own moment and the tempo and rhythm of the game plays out, you want to stay in that moment and bring that intensity for every pitch.”

Hill, who Roberts has compared to Kershaw in terms of intensity, brought that laser focus Saturday. And in Rancho Cucamonga, Kershaw apparently brought it as well. After he was done with his three innings, he tossed another 15 pitches in the bullpen to get his work in. As for his next step … Back in L.A., the Dodgers put four on the board in the fourth. A string of singles from Corey Seager to Justin Turner to Adrian González produced one run off Padres starter Luis Perdomo. Yasmani Grandal then followed with a three-run homer that traveled 440 feet to dead center field. Grandal now owns three of the six longest home runs in Dodger Stadium this year, the others traveling 440 feet (August 8 vs. Zach Eflin) and 449 feet (May 12 vs. Bartolo Colon). More positive is Josh Reddick. In the sixth inning, Reddick smacked a Perdomo pitch into the Right Field Pavilion for his first home run as a Dodger, which gave the Dodgers a 5-0 lead at the time. The home run arrived in his 99th plate appearance with the team. Reddick went 3 for 4 in the game. “It took long enough,” Reddick said with a smile. “Just to be able to help contribute to this team, finally, is always a good feeling and something I’ve been wanting to do for a month now, and finally it happened so hopefully this is a sign of good things to come.” The loud knocking of Jose De León gets answered By Cary Osborne Jose De León had been at Dodger Stadium mere minutes and he already accomplished a first in Dodger history. He became the first Dodger to wear No. 87 in the big leagues. De León officially became a Dodger today with the callup from Triple-A Oklahoma City becoming official. One of the top right-handed prospects in the game and the Dodgers’ No. 2 overall prospect, according to MLB.com, will start on Sunday against the San Diego Padres in his Major League debut. “I have everything mixed,” the 24-year-old said on his emotions one day before the start. “I just have to use that to an advantage. If somebody tells you don’t feel pressure they’ve never played the game. There’s always going to be pressure. It’s different when you take the pressure and use it to your advantage.” Since 2014, De León, who wasn’t on any prospect radar prior to that season, has rarely buckled under pressure. He has climbed the minor league ladder rung by rung and dominated at nearly every level, starting with Rookie League Ogden. In five levels since 2014 he has a 2.66 ERA in 277 2/3 innings. He has also averaged 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings and has a 5.0 strikeouts to walks ratio. One of De León’s best attributes has been his ability to hide his pitches. Austin Barnes, who caught nine of De León’s 16 starts in Oklahoma City this year and was brought up to the Dodgers on September 1, said the pitches themselves are elite.

“I think his fastball-changeup combination is pretty special.” Barnes said. “People really don’t see his fastball, and his changeup plays really well off his fastball.” De León began Spring Training in big league camp this year and appeared in three Cactus League games (five earned runs and five strikeouts in six innings). His minor league season was delayed by an ankle injury that cost him all of April. But he started fast and didn’t let up. In his first outing on May 3 for Oklahoma City, he allowed two hits and struck out nine in five shutout innings. On July 20, he struck out 10, walked none and allowed four hits in eight shutout innings. Even with his success and the slew of injuries to Dodger pitchers, the Dodgers stayed patient. But the knocking kept getting louder. In his last three outings, he struck out at least 10 batters in each and walked none. He allowed 11 hits, two earned runs and struck out 33 total batters. In August, he struck out 45 batters to just two walks. Then Dave Roberts announced on Friday it was time for him to contribute to the big league club. “I understand how the business works, so there’s nothing you can control,” De León said on waiting for a callup. “It’s up to them to decide when you’re coming up. … Timing is always perfect. Today was time for me to come here.” De León said he’s had the same stuff for the last couple of years and his biggest leap has been on the mental side — not getting too high or too low. As for what we can all expect on Sunday, Barnes weighed in. “I think he’ll be fine,” Barnes said. “He’s been ready for a little while now. Sure he’ll have a little nerves in the beginning. But he’ll get past that and throw well.” On the Hill and ready to use weapon No. 1 By Cary Osborne For the second day in a row we’re talking about fingers. Last night it was Julio Uriás, whose left index and middle finger absorbed some baseball while he attempted a bunt. Today it’s Rich Hill, who is making his second start as a Dodger after dealing with blister issues on his left hand. Hill warmed up and threw 40 pitches prior to his scheduled start on Tuesday in Colorado, but the game was eventually rained out and he was scratched for a rescheduled start in the nightcap of Wednesday’s doubleheader in Colorado as a precaution. Now he goes tonight against San Diego and there’s confidence that he’s putting the blisters behind him — one blister on his middle finger that landed him on the disabled list when he was in Oakland and came over to the Dodgers and one on his index finger that he added since arriving on August 1. “The finger seems like it’s in good shape. Both fingers actually are in good standing,” said Dave Roberts.

Among pitchers who have thrown 80 innings this year, Hill’s curveball has been the fifth best in baseball, according to Fangraphs and its stat curveball runs above average (wCB). Opposing batters are hitting .180 with a .250 slugging percentage against Hill’s curveball this year, according to Brooks Baseball. The good news is he appears to be free to attack hitters with the pitch. He threw it 31 times in his lone Dodger start on August 24 against the Giants in which he threw six shutout innings. “With the original middle finger (blister) it was the breaking ball (that was most impacted), and with the index finger it was more the (fastball),” Roberts said. “I think the original one where he had problems with in Oakland and came over here, we kind of got that at bay. The other one that came up, which wasn’t as significant, obviously, (affected the fastball). I think we’re in a good place with both fingers right now.” As for Uriás, who took X-rays Friday night that came out negative, he appears to be fine. When asked if it still hurts, Uriás said: “A little.” Roberts was confident he’ll be good. “Julio’s great,” Roberts said. “He’s in good spirits.” #VinTop20: No. 12, Fernandomania begins By Jon Weisman Between now and Vin Scully Appreciation Day on September 23, the Dodgers are revealing the results of the fan vote ranking Scully’s top 20 Dodger calls of all time, one at each home game. Here’s No. 12: The pitch that launched Fernandomania. No. 13, ‘The Squeeze!’ No. 14, Nomo’s No-No No. 15, the 4+1 Game No. 16, Don Drysdale’s streak stays alive No. 17, Mike Piazza, Giant-slayer No. 18, Yasiel Puig’s first slam No. 19, Manny’s Bobbleslam No. 20, Mark McGwire hits it way, way out

TRUEBLUELA.COM Dodgers minors: Great Lakes, Ogden near postseason berths

By Brandon Lennox The Loons reduced their magic number to one on Saturday, while the Raptors are still a half-game back of a playoff spot Player of the day Sven Schuller, a 20-year-old who was signed out of Germany back in 2014, had the longest and best start of his minor league career on Saturday as he tossed five shutout innings for Ogden. This was actually Schller's first start of 2016 as all of his previous appearances had been out of the bullpen, so hopefully it's a sign of things to come. Triple-A Oklahoma City The Dodgers shut out the Storm Chasers (Royals) 3-0 on Saturday. 32-year-old Alfredo Figaro, signed by the Dodgers back in June, was outstanding in his third start for OKC. He tossed seven scoreless frames to pick up the win. Luis Avilan got through the eighth without any issues, then the recently promoted Joe Broussard recorded his first Triple-A save with a perfect ninth. On offense, both Micah Johnson and Will Venable connected on solo homers. Jack Murphy went 2-for-3, while Cody Bellinger, who was just promoted from Double-A Tulsa, pinch hit and singled in the third run of the game for the Dodgers. Double-A Tulsa The Drillers were crushed by the Cardinals 11-2 on Saturday. Starter Jeremy Kehrt got hit with most of the damage as he permitted two first inning runs, then gave up seven more scores in the third frame. 37-year-old former first baseman Dan Johnson threw well in his six innings of relief, but it was mostly just mop up duty. The Tulsa offense managed just one extra base hit, and that was an RBI double by recently crowned minor league player of the year Edwin Rios. Joey Curletta drove in the other run with a late single. Class-A Rancho Cucamonga The Quakes fell to the Nuts (Rockies) 7-3 on Saturday and Craig has the recap here. Class-A Great Lakes The Loons reduced their magic number to one with a doubleheader split on Saturday. After falling to the Whitecaps (Tigers) 4-3 in Game 1, Great Lakes came back and defeated West Michigan 3-1 in Game 2. With just two days left in the regular season, all that is needed for the Loons to reach the playoffs is a win or a Lansing loss. In the first game on Saturday, Walker Buehler made his home debut with two hitless innings, but Willian Soto gave up seven hits and four runs in relief to take the loss. Erick Meza homered to lead he offense, but it wasn't enough. In the second game the Loons scored two first inning runs, then used an outstanding start by Leonardo Crawford to pick up the win. Crawford tossed five shutout frames to record his fourth win, striking out

six and lowering his ERA to 2.20 for the season. Karch Kowalczyk gave up a run in relief, but Shea Spitzbarth shut the door for his sixth save. At the dish Omar Estevez drove in a couple of runs, while Matt Jones and Brendon Davis both doubled for the clubs only extra base hits. Rookie - Ogden Like the Loons, the Raptors split the doubleheader with a 3-0 loss to the Chukars (Royals) in Game 1, followed by a 7-1 victory in Game 2. Jairo Pacheco threw well in the first game as he fired 5 2/3 innings and allowed just one run, but he still walked away with the loss. DJ Peters was the only offensive highlight as he was a perfect 3-for-3 at the dish. In game two Peters continued his hot streak by connecting on three more hits (to finish the day a perfect 6-for-6), however Jordan Paroubeck did most of the offensive damage with three RBI's, including a two-run homer. Gavin Lux, Mitchell Hansen, and Keibert Ruiz also had two hits each. On the mound player of the day Schuller put together the best start of his career, then Osiris Ramirez toss two solid innings of relief. Transactions Triple-A: Cody Bellinger, Chase De Jong, and Joe Broussard were promoted to OKC from Tulsa. Andrew Sopko, Jeremy Kehrt, and Tyler Ogle were sent back to Tulsa from Oklahoma City. Class-A: Karch Kowalczyk was sent from Rancho to the Loons. Matt Jones was activated from the Great Lakes DL while Ibandel Isabel was placed on the DL. Saturday Scores Oklahoma City 3, Omaha 0 Springfield 11, Tulsa 2 Modesto 7, Rancho Cucamonga 3 West Michigan 4, Great Lakes 3 - Game 1 Great Lakes 3, West Michigan 1 - Game 2 Idaho Falls 3, Ogden 0 - Game 1 Ogden 7, Idaho Falls 1 - Game 2 Sunday Schedule 11:05 a.m. PT - Great Lakes (TBD) at West Michigan (Eudis Idrogo) 2:05 p.m. - Modesto (Helmis Rodriguez) at Rancho Cucamonga (Adam Bray) 3:00 p.m. - Idaho Falls (Jane Vines) at Ogden (TBD)

5:05 p.m. - Oklahoma City (Chase De Jong) at Omaha (Jonathan Dziedzic) 5:05 p.m. - Springfield (Corey Baker) at Tulsa (Isaac Anderson) Rich Hill gets straight A’s in second Dodgers test By Eric Stephen e more we see of Rich Hill, the more it becomes obvious why the Dodgers traded for him. The left-hander’s latest mound excellence was on display in Saturday night’s 5-1 win over the Padres at Dodger Stadium, keeping the Dodgers two games ahead of San Francisco in the National League West. Hill took a no-hitter into the sixth inning on Saturday, allowing only three batters total to reach base in his night. Alexei Ramirez lined a single to center field with two outs in the sixth to end any thoughts of history on Saturday. It was the only hit allowed by Hill, who let out the mother of all expletives on the mound. "He wanted it,” Vin Scully said on the SportsNet LA television broadcast. “I mean he let out a holler and a tough word to repeat.” After a leadoff walk in the first inning, Hill retired his next 14 batters faced until another walk in the fifth. None of his three runners allowed got past second base. The Dodgers waited until 23 days after they acquired Hill to see his first start, in which he pitched six scoreless frames against the Giants. Then they played it carefully in Colorado, and ultimately waited another nine days before start No. 2, his six scoreless innings on Saturday. Hill is just the fourth pitcher since 1913 to begin his Dodgers career with two straight games of six or more scoreless innings, with teammate Kenta Maeda one of the others to do so. Hill has a slugging percentage allowed this season of just .250, first among the 148 MLB pitchers with at least 25 at-bats against them, per Inside Edge. Second on that list, by the way, is Clayton Kershaw (.269), who is due back soon after his three scoreless innings on Saturday in a rehab start for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. So while the wait might have been frustrating and perhaps at times agonizing, it’s clear that in Hill the Dodgers have an excellent pitcher, one of the very best in the game when he is on the mound. Hill owns a 1.94 ERA in 16 starts this season, with 101 strikeouts and 30 walks in 88 innings. That will get it done. The key will be making sure he’s ready to be on the mound in October, and for as many times as needed in between now and then to help ensure that the Dodgers get there.

Saturday was scoreless in the park until the bottom of the fourth, when the Dodgers opened the inning with five consecutive hits. The first three were singles by Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Adrian Gonzalez to produce one run, then Yasmani Grandal launched a 440-foot shot to dead center for a 4-0 lead. Grandal’s 22nd home run of the year is the most among catchers in baseball, set a new career high, and was his team-best sixth three-run home run this season. It was also Grandal’s fifth home run this season against his old team, his most against any team in 2016. Josh Reddick, who was acquired with Hill from the A’s on Aug. 1, had his best game since joining the Dodgers. After struggling mightily for a month, failing to see the sustenance of having his high line-drive rate not produce results, Reddick has seen his fortunes turn this week. He walked and singled in a run in his final two plate appearances in Colorado on Wednesday, then singled as a pinch hitter on Friday. Reddick singled in his fist two at-bats on Saturday before launching a home run in the seventh to widen the Dodgers’ lead in the sixth inning. It gave Reddick five consecutive hits and six straight plate appearances reaching base, a streak that was snapped with a ground ball double play in the eighth. Up next The Dodgers turn to Jose De Leon on Sunday in his major league debut after an excellent season in Triple-A. San Diego counters with southpaw Christian Friedrich in the series finale. Saturday particulars Home runs: Yasmani Grandal (22), Josh Reddick (9) WP - Rich Hill (11-3): 6 IP, 1 hit, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts LP - Luis Perdomo (7-8): 6 IP, 9 hits, 5 runs, 5 strikeouts Clayton Kershaw has a successful rehab start at Rancho Cucamonga By Ryan Walton and Craig Minami RANCHO CUCAMONGA --- Clayton Kershaw returned to action on Saturday night at LoanMart Field and the best description might be he looked a lot like Clayton Kershaw. After the game, Kershaw said that if all goes well, his next game will be in his Dodger uniform. "Think I'm pitching in four days,or five days, Kershaw said, "I think that we're still trying to ironing some stuff out but I think it is more of a pitch count deal."

Kershaw knows with the expanded roster, there are more arms in the bullpen as he builds up his pitch count. [I'm] making sure that I can contribute," Kershaw said, "not just kind of go out there, it helps that it is September, we have a lot of guys up in the bullpen. "We're still working the kinks out but we'll see." Kershaw retired the first seven batters in a row on five strikeouts and two groundouts. Modesto's Robbie Perkins will remember he singled off Kershaw, actually it was a little dribbler in front of the plate and the catcher Will Smith tried to make a play and threw it wide. Kershaw rebounded from that play to induce a double play, shortstop to second to first. With that, Kershaw's line was three innings, one hit, five strikeouts on 34 pitches. After the game, Kershaw said he felt good and was glad to be pitching in a game. "Felt good, was able to warm up and sit in between innings and everything, stuff that had kind of bothered me in the past," Kershaw said, "it's fun to kind of pitch in a game setting again, kind of have a normal game type situations, definitely fun to be out there again." The key will be how Kershaw feels tonight and over the next few days but he remains hopeful. "Feels good right now and hopefully it stays this way through the night," Kershaw said, "the last few times when I've pitched at times it is after, so once I cool down, kind of sit for a little bit, it will stiffen up, so as long as I am okay doing that tonight, it will be a good test and should be good to go for my next one. Kershaw threw all of his pitches and he thought given his time off, he will take tonight's outing. "Fastball and slider were pretty decent, curveball needed a little work," said Kershaw, "wasn't there at times, I threw a couple of good ones but a few of them got away from me." "I guess for as much time as I missed, I'll take it," said Kershaw, "but you know, once you get up and pitch in real games in the major leagues, there's not going to be so much forgiveness, definitely need to be more consistent." The Nuts (Rockies) defeated the Quakes 7-3 After Kershaw was done, Dodger left-handed pitcher Brett Anderson made his first rehab appearance since he was put on disabled list on August 23rd with a blister. Anderson pitched two innings, he gave up six runs and nine hits. Michael Boyle finished the game with four innings and one run allowed. Trailing 6-0 at one point, Rancho scored three runs to try and come back, two of the runs were on solo home runs by Yusniel Diaz and Devan Ahart.

The Nuts would score their final run on Josh Fuentes solo home run, Fuentes also had a double and a triple to fall short of the cycle by a single.

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Rich Hill, Josh Reddick turn it on as Clayton Kershaw nears return By Doug Padilla LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers' front office had a vision when it completed a trade with the Oakland Athletics. One long month later, it became a reality. Rich Hill pitched six scoreless innings of one-hit ball and Josh Reddick hit a home run as the Dodgers downed the San Diego Padres 5-1 to remain two games up on the San Francisco Giants in the National League West. For over a month now, the Reddick-Hill combination has only caused head scratching. Hill came to the Dodgers on the disabled list because of blister issues, made just one start before Saturday and was a scratch multiple other times because he was not quite ready to go. Reddick was another story entirely. He had been available to play on a daily basis, but had been struggling since his arrival in the NL. Reddick entered Saturday's game batting .170 with a .182 slugging percentage in a Dodgers uniform. He had just one extra-base hit in his first 26 games with the Dodgers. On Saturday it was as if the East Bay got the best of The City, as former Oakland players prevented San Francisco's team from moving to within a game of first place. "[Reddick] was having some good at-bats, and for him, not just the homer, but to get a couple of other hits (was big)," manager Dave Roberts said. "The quality of contact overall wasn't like it has been in the last few starts that he's had, but he got some rewards tonight. So for his confidence, that was a good thing. I think we're optimistic." And from two different spots in Southern California, the Dodgers started to get a better look at how the rest of the regular season might unfold. While Hill was looking like a steadying influence from the mound the rest of the way, Clayton Kershaw was doing some fine-tuning some 48 miles down Interstate 10. Call it a different 1-2 punch, that could be even more influential on the Dodgers. Kershaw turned loose three scoreless innings in a rehab start at Rancho Cucamonga, giving up just one hit and facing the minimum nine batters. He could return to the Dodgers when the club heads to Miami next week. On a day like Saturday, it was not hard to envision a Kershaw-Hill combination at the top of the Dodgers' rotation when the postseason arrives. The Dodgers need to make it there first, of course.

"You saw what Clayton did tonight in just a rehab start, and for [Hill] to do what he has been doing since he got here, it's going to be something special to watch," Reddick said. "Clayton is going to do what Kershaw has done. I've seen him play on TV, so to be able to play behind him will be an honor. And it should be as fun and exciting with [Hill] because you know there is not a lot of base hits; there are a lot of strikeouts and save your energy for the plate." Next up for Roberts is to decide when and where to use Kershaw. If he does pitch at Miami on Friday, it could line Kershaw up to not only pitch at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 14, but in the opening game of the last two series against the Giants. After his start at Rancho Cucamonga, though, Kershaw suggested he would be pitching in four days. That would be in the homestand finale on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Whenever it is, the next step would be to figure out a playoff rotation. But Roberts didn't want to get ahead of himself. "I think there is a little bit of that, but most of it is contingent upon Clayton," Roberts said. "We're trying to take each step with him and build on that, but looking forward a little bit, like everybody has to do, there is a little bit of trying to line those guys up together." Hill now has two starts in a Dodgers uniform and in both of them he has pitched six scoreless innings. He becomes the third Dodgers pitcher since the team moved to Los Angeles to go at least six scoreless innings in his first two outings with the club, and the second one this season. Kenta Maeda did it in April, while Bob Miller did it first in 1963. Adding Maeda to form a starting pitching trio with Kershaw and Hill has Roberts excited. "If you look at Clayton, Rich and Kenta, those three guys, against any three, I like our chances," Roberts said. "That's why we acquired [Hill], and so with extending him (past six innings Saturday) possibly, it doesn't balance risk versus reward. We want to ensure, as much as we can, that 1-2 (Kershaw-Hill) punch." The last month of the season will be a get-to-know-you period as Kershaw, Hill and Maeda have never pitched in a rotation together. Hill is up for seeing what it looks like. "It comes down to that intensity Clayton brings every time he's out there, and you can see that and how guys feed off that," Hill said. "I actually got to see some highlights in here (of Kershaw's rehab start), and it was nice to see. It's looking good." Clayton Kershaw says he expects to pitch for Dodgers in '4 or 5 days' By Nic Reiner RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. -- Clayton Kershaw made his return to the mound Saturday night at LoanMart Field starting for the Los Angeles Dodgers' Class A affiliate. Kershaw struck out five batters in three innings for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, allowing one hit and no runs on 34 pitches, including 23 strikes.

After the outing, Kershaw said he should be ready as early as next week for the Dodgers. "I think I'm pitching in four or five days," he said. "I think we're ironing some stuff out, but at this point it's more of a pitch-count deal." Late-season roster adjustments factor into how his return will be handled. "It's making sure that I can contribute and not just go out there," Kershaw said. "It helps that it's September and we have a lot of guys in the bullpen. We're still working the kinks out, but we'll see. "It felt good, and I was able to warm up and sit in between innings and work on stuff that was bothering me in the past. It was fun to pitch in a game setting again, be in normal game-type situations. Definitely fun to be back out there." Kershaw retired his first seven batters. Modesto's Robbie Perkins dribbled a ball just past home plate in the third inning and catcher Will Smith missed on an off-balance throw to first base to account for the hit. A double play on the next batter ensured Kershaw left the game with no balls making it past the infield. Kershaw talked about his recovery from a herniated disc, which has forced him to sit out since June 26. "Once I cool down and sit for a bit, it will stiffen up. As long as I'm OK doing that tonight, it will be a good test and I should be good to go for my next one." Kershaw said he was using all of his pitches. "The fastball and slider were pretty decent, but the curveball needed some work. I threw a couple of good ones but it got away from me. As much time as I've missed, I'll take it. "Once you get up to pitching real games in the major leagues, there's not going to be as much forgiveness." Rancho Cucamonga lost the game 7-3. Jose De Leon ready for the Vin Scully treatment on Sunday By Doug Padilla LOS ANGELES -- Jose De Leon made it to the Los Angeles Dodgers clubhouse Saturday. His parents will be in Dodger Stadium on Sunday. Sunday is when the 24-year-old will make his major league debut as the Dodgers' starting pitcher against the San Diego Padres.

“When I told my parents, they were crying and jumping all over the place,” De Leon said. “To be honest, I’m still in shock. It still hasn’t hit me.” It is an understandable reaction, but the reality should have hit De Leon some time ago. He was 7-1 with a 2.61 ERA at Triple-A Oklahoma City and struck out 111 batters over 86⅓ innings with just 20 walks. He has not allowed a run in his past 17⅔ innings and he recorded 10 or more strikeouts in each of his past three starts. De Leon gets to make his debut just over three months after good friend Julio Urias did. They sat at neighboring lockers during big league camp in spring training and when Urias was approached to talk about De Leon on Saturday, he smiled as if he knew it was coming. Is there anything Urias can pass on about his major league debut against the Mets on May 27 that can help De Leon on Sunday? “After I pitched in New York, I was sent back down, so I was able to talk to him then and we talked about what it was like to be in the big leagues, the differences between Triple-A and the big leagues, and we haven’t stopped talking about it since,” Urias said through an interpreter. To De Leon’s credit, though, he doesn’t want to know about all the nerves, the butterflies and the expectations that come with pitching in front of a crowd that could be as large as 50,000. He will try to make things as normal as possible, as crazy as that might sound. “I just want to keep it simple,” De Leon said. “If I ask too many questions, it’s going to get into my head. I just want to go out there and pitch and do what I do and just have fun.” The right-handed De Leon, a 24th-round draft pick in 2013, has risen relatively quickly in the Dodgers system. During his last three minor league seasons, the Puerto Rico native has never had an ERA over 2.99 in a season. Regardless of how Sunday goes, the Dodgers are confident in De Leon’s future. More importantly, De Leon is confident he can keep having success. “It’s going to be my dream,” he said about Sunday. “I’ve had this dream since I was a kid. It’s going to be emotional, I know that. I’m going to try to stay focused and enjoy the ride.” In many ways, Sunday might be a little like Urias passing the torch to De Leon, at least in the short confines of the rest of this season. Urias has pitched more than 100 innings this season, so if he goes to the bullpen to save his arm, maybe De Leon will take over as the team’s young starter, at least for a few outings. While plenty has happened since his debut, Urias remembers that day vividly and knows what De Leon will be going through. Urias was asked if he was nervous or excited for his friend. “A little bit of both,” Urias said. “I know how a debut goes and it’s something that only happens once, but at the same time, I know he has the tools to be successful and I hope he is successful.”

After seeing guys like Ross Stripling, Brock Stewart and his buddy Urias get to the Dodgers before him, De Leon remained patient as well as he could and never avoided the hard work it took to get to where he wanted to go. “Like I always say, you can only control what you can control,” De Leon said. “They have a plan and I had to be ready to call me when they did. What I was really thinking about was that I needed to be in L.A. this year because I wanted Vin Scully to call my games. That is a good thing.” “It’s time for Dodger baseball” will take on a whole new meaning for De Leon on Sunday. Hill dominant in pitching Dodgers to 5-1 win over Padres By AP LOS ANGELES -- Rich Hill took a no-hitter into the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium. Thirty-eight miles away, Clayton Kershaw was looking dominant in his first minor league rehab start. The Dodgers' rotation might suddenly be off life support. Hill pitched six strong innings, Yasmani Grandal hit a three-run homer and Los Angeles beat the San Diego Padres 5-1 Saturday night. The NL West-leading Dodgers stayed two games in front of San Francisco, which edged the Cubs 3-2 earlier in the day. "It's just very encouraging," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. He was talking about Hill, but he could have said the same about Kershaw. The Dodgers ace tossed three innings at Class A Rancho Cucamonga, allowing only an infield single, with five strikeouts and no walks. The left-hander threw 23 pitches and finished with another 11 in the bullpen. Afterward, Kershaw said he would be pitching for the Dodgers in four days. Roberts demurred on that one, but Kershaw certainly appears ready to rejoin his team after being sidelined for over two months with a herniated disk in his back. Hill (11-3) allowed one hit, struck out eight and walked two in his second start since the Dodgers acquired him from Oakland at the Aug. 1 trade deadline. The left-hander was scratched at Colorado last week due to a combination of weather and a finger blister. "The biggest thing was staying in the moment," he said, "and focusing on each pitch and having it come out of your hand the way you wanted it." Hill remains unbeaten in his last 10 starts since May 7 with a career-best eight-game winning streak, going 8-0 in that span with a 1.61 ERA.

"There's passion and conviction behind every pitch," Padres manager Andy Green said. "He's attacking, and you can feel that on the other side. His curveball is one of the most effective pitches in the game. We really don't match up well with that pitch. He drops it in the zone on 2-0 counts. Those types of things are almost unfair at times." Kenley Jansen struck out the side in the ninth for his 41st save in 47 chances. Luis Perdomo (7-8) allowed five runs and nine hits in six innings, struck out five and walked none. The right-hander tossed a complete game against Miami in his previous start. He came into the game owning a 60 percent ground-ball rate, tops in the National League among pitchers with at least 100 innings. The Dodgers undid that in a hurry in the fourth. They needed just seven pitches in their first four at-bats to break open the scoreless game. Corey Seager singled on the first pitch, Justin Turner singled on a 1-2 offering and Adrian Gonzalez singled on the first pitch, scoring Seager. Grandal came up next and hit his career-high 22nd homer on the first pitch, extending the lead to 4-0. Perdomo had given up just one earned run in 16 innings in his two previous starts. Josh Reddick made it 5-0 in the sixth with his first homer in his 27th game for the Dodgers since being acquired in the Hill deal last month. The Padres' lone run came on Wil Myers' single in the eighth for his team-leading 76th RBI. TRAINER'S ROOM Padres: RHP Tyson Ross played long toss in a pregame workout. The Padres hope to get him on a mound soon to progress him to pitch an inning at some point. They have no plans to start Ross. Dodgers: X-rays on the index and middle fingers of LHP Julio Urias' left hand were negative. Roberts said the team won't shut down the 20-year-old rookie because of an innings limit. SNAPPING THE SKID Seager snapped a 0-for-19 skid with a single in the first inning, and finished the game going 2 for 3. It was the rookie's team-leading 48th multihit game of the season. UP NEXT Padres: LHP Christian Friedrich (4-10, 4.84 ERA) makes his 19th start coming off his only relief appearance, a one-inning scoreless stint Tuesday at Atlanta. Friedrich is 0-8 with a 5.96 ERA over his 10 starts since June 29. Dodgers: RHP Jose De Leon makes his major league debut. The 24-year-old finished up his Triple-A season with Oklahoma City with 7 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out 13 without a walk, in a division-clinching win.

Fatigued and a bit sore, Corey Seager vows to keep pushing By Doug Padilla LOS ANGELES -- Despite a lull offensively late in the season, Los Angeles Dodgers rookie sensation Corey Seager is still taking the stairs to the top. No, that is not a metaphor. Seager says he still maneuvers eight flights of stairs a day when the Dodgers are home. The legs are weary, while the superstition remains strong. "I always take the stairs every day," Seager said, admitting it is a routine he is reluctant to break at this point. Then Seager frowned. Only seconds before, when asked how he feels at this point of the season, he admitted: "I wouldn't say [I'm] tired. It's just the end of the year and the normal thing where you don't feel as good as you did at the beginning of the year." Seager asked for leniency. "That's going to come out and they're going to yell at me for taking the stairs," Seager said about the team's front office and coaching staff. "You guys are going to get me in trouble here." Stairs or not, Seager is in the least amount of trouble as anybody in the Dodgers' locker room. He is in a full sprint toward a National League Rookie of the Year award and has been the most consistent performer on a Dodgers offense that has flourished in the second half. Hits are not coming as frequently, though, and a sore wrist seems to be the cause. But Seager offers no excuses. Since he was hit on the left wrist by a pitch in Monday's game at Colorado, Seager was hitless in his past 16 plate appearances, going 0-for-14 with two walks. "Yeah, it's kind of getting better every day," Seager said, shrugging, not wanting to make a big deal about it. "The swelling's gotten to and stuff, so hopefully it stops being sore here pretty soon and we can move on." Except the blow to the wrist was definitely something to worry about. The Dodgers might have been able to stay afloat without Clayton Kershaw for two-plus months, but getting by without Kershaw and Seager is not something that was going to work well. So Seager will fight through the sore wrist and heavy legs, because at this time of the year, that is what you do. Even rookies know that. "I don't think there is any reason (for an offensive lull), just one of those points where you're not physically where you want to be," Seager said. "You just can't maintain (your swing), or do it as consistently as I was in the beginning. It's just that point of the year."

Just what kind of rookie has Seager been? At the start of Saturday, he was fourth in hits at 162, fifth in runs at 88, third in doubles at 38 and eighth in batting average at .312. And those aren't rankings among other rookies; that is his place in each category in the entire National League. Seager has solved all the challenges to this point, so it is only a matter of time before he figures out how to muster his second wind.

NBC LA

Trade Acquisitions Lead Dodgers Past Padres, 5-1, on Saturday Night By Michael Duarte This is what the Dodgers expected after the trade deadline. Yasmani Grandal and Josh Reddick both hit home runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres, 5-1, at Chavez Ravine on Saturday night. Grandal hit a three-run homer that capped off a four-run fourth inning and Reddick hit a rocket to right field in the sixth inning, his first homer as a Dodger. "It took long enough," joked Reddick of his home run after the game. "To finally get it out of the way is huge and finally be able to contribute to this team. It's something I've been wanting to do for a month now." Reddick's Oakland A's teammate Rich Hill did the rest as the left-hander had a no-hitter with two outs in the sixth inning before Alexei Ramirez broke it up with a single to center. "You have to tip your hat. Alexei put a nice swing on the ball," Hill said of the only hit he allowed. "That's baseball. You don't go out there looking to throw a no-hitter, but as the game goes on each pitch has it's own moment." Hill (2-0) was the King of the Mound for the second consecutive start as he allowed just one hit in six shutout innings with eight strikeouts. Hill has thrown 12 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts in his first two starts with the Dodgers. "Everything felt great and worked out the way you want it to," Hill said of his start. "Overall it was a really great team win." Overall, Hill is unbeaten in his last 10 starts dating back to May 7. He is riding an eight-game win streak as he is 8-0 with a 1.61 ERA and 60 strikeouts over that span. "He strikes people out," Reddick joked of his A's and now Dodger teammate. "He's dirty. These guys here are seeing it for the second time, but I'm used to it. On defense, when he's pitching there's no action for sure."

After three scoreless frames to start the game, the Dodgers broke it open in the fourth. Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Adrian Gonzalez hit three straight singles to score the first run of the game, and Grandal cleared the bases one pitch later with a bomb to dead-center. "We haven't had a three-run homer in a while," Roberts said of the four-run inning. "For Yaz to get that homer, that was a nice one." Two innings later, Reddick hit his first home run since he was acquired at the trade deadline with a solo shot to right field to give the Dodgers a 5-0 lead. "It was awesome. Everyone was jumping around and hugging and punching me," Reddick said of the reaction to his home run. "It was a good feeling to see this team still believing in me." Reddick had his best game as a Dodger finishing 3-for-4 with a home run and has now hit safely in his last four games. "To hit the homer and a couple other hits it was good for his confidence," Roberts said of Reddick. "We're optimistic that he's getting out of it." All five runs were scored off San Diego starter Luis Perdomo (7-8) who allowed five runs on nine hits with five strikeouts in six innings. Los Angeles remained two games ahead of the San Francisco Giants for first place in the National League West after both teams won on Saturday. Players of the Game: Rich Hill: Six shutout innings with one hit allowed. Yasmani Grandal: Three-run home run. Josh Reddick: First home run as a Dodger. Three Takeaways: 1. Home is Where the Heart Is: At 43-27 the Los Angeles Dodgers have the second best home record in the National League this season, behind only the Chicago Cubs (50-2). 2. King of the Hill: Rich Hill joined Bob Miller (1963) and Kenta maeda (2016) as the third pitcher in Los Angeles Dodgers history to have back-to-back starts of 6+ innings without allowing a run in their first two games as a Dodger. 3. Ace in the Hole: Clayton Kershaw threw three-innings of one-hit ball in his first rehab start at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday night. After the game, when asked if he would make another rehab start, Kershaw said: "No. I intend to pitch in four days." Up Next: Padres (56-79): San Diego will start left-hander Christian Friedrich in the rubber match on Sunday. Dodgers (74-61): Jose de Leon makes his Major League debut when he heads to the mound in the finale on Sunday afternoon at 1:10PM PST.

FOX SPORTS

Sources: Dodgers and Brewers discussed a deal involving Yasiel Puig and Ryan Braun By Barry Werner The "mystery" team that won the waiver rights to Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig was not a mystery to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. The national baseball columnist reported that the Milwaukee Brewers were the team that would have won the waiver battle for the right fielder. The teams attempted to complete a deal for the controversial Puig, but were unable to make it work. Discussed as part of the possible trade was Milwaukee All-Star Ryan Braun, whom the Dodgers had pursued before the non-waiver deadline. However, the teams were unable to work out the details. That left Puig, who was recalled after a month in Triple A Oklahoma City, in the Dodgers' lineup Friday. Puig, who hit nearly .350 in the minors, went 2-for-4 in a 4-2 loss to the San Diego Padres. He is now hitting .263 on the season.

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Act two: Dodgers' Yasiel Puig ready for fresh start By Tim Brown LOS ANGELES – Yasiel Puig flew from Oklahoma City on Thursday night after a few days spent wondering if he would be among those chosen for September duty. He spoke to manager Dave Roberts on the phone Thursday. Before that, Roberts and Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, polled a handful of veteran players regarding them having another go with Puig in their clubhouse. Puig arrived at Dodger Stadium on Friday afternoon – “Early,” Roberts stressed – and met again with Roberts, then with some of those veteran players, who assured him he was welcome, and then with the cameras and notepads. This is his new life, at least for now. No more grumbling over him in the corner. No more head shakes from the front office that lead only to Puig batting fifth and playing right field in his return against the Padres. No more misdirection questions from the press, who had run through the chemistry dilemma only the week before when catcher A.J. Ellis was traded. Instead, he was asked how he’d grown, how he

intended to conduct himself, what it was like to walk into a clubhouse that 32 days before was glad to be rid of him, then to discover his locker had been moved across the room. The game rolls on. Puig had spent a good part of his three-plus-year career testing the limits of the talent-always-plays adage, and then everybody it seemed tired of an act that wandered between endearing and obnoxious, sometimes all the way to detrimental, and so the guy who showed up Friday seemed subdued, even tamped. “It wasn’t embarrassing,” he said through translator Jesus Quinonez. “I earned the demotion to Triple-A. I feel like I’m a better person and I’m here now to show it, to play well, to do things that will positively effect my future. “This is my job. I can only do what helps me play better. … The rest is not up to me. I don’t decide those things. If I’m here in Los Angeles, I’m going to take advantage of the opportunity and enjoy the city. If it’s with another team, then that’s something I can’t control.” A month in Oklahoma City – 19 games – wrought a .348 batting average, a .400 on-base percentage, four home runs and 12 RBI. Scouts who saw him said he’d scalded the ball, that he’d lost none of his swagger, and that he looked like the same guy to them. That is, an exceptionally toolsy player who enjoys the spotlight a lot and sliders away not so much. Yes, it was all very serious, this shape-up-or-ship-out period of Yasiel Puig’s life. Normally gregarious, or at the very least sociable, he stared ahead when discussing his time away and then his re-entry. He smiled once, when a teammate passed and applauded his return. He said, basically, he was here to work hard and fly right, to be a good teammate, to do what was asked of him. There’s no telling if Puig was back because he’d grown enough in a month to warrant a place among them again, or because Josh Reddick spent a month batting .161 – three for 25 against lefties. Dustings of both, maybe. “We accomplished – he accomplished – what we had hoped,” Roberts said. “He earned the opportunity to get back here,” adding later, “Ultimately we thought he made us better.” The crowd at Dodger Stadium bellowed its approval when his name was announced in the lineup, and then again when he came to bat in the second inning. He flied to right. To many here, he remains the best of Puig – fast and strong and alive and maybe a little nutty. Even Puig said his goal was to be the Puig of 2013, the one who lit up the summer while viewing cut-off men as charming distractions. The Dodgers three years later might well have put up with that guy, if not the guy whose on-base and slugging percentages have declined annually. Whatever happens from here, it seems clear Puig’s name will be a hot one this winter. First, however, there is baseball to play, and a platoon to fill, and a room to win over, and an organization to romance, and maybe Puig has his heart in it. And maybe it’s not easy to become somebody else in a month.