Daily Clips

June 7, 2017

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017

DODGERS.COM McCarthy strong, but LA can't solve Scherzer—Ken Gurnick and Joshua Thornton En garde: Stras, Kershaw to duel for 1st time—Joshua Thornton Dodgers trying to fight through offensive slump—Ken Gurnick Wood to bump Maeda or Ryu from rotation—Ken Gurnick LA TIMES Scherzer sizzles in Nationals' 2-1 win over Dodgers— Andy McCullough Alex Wood to rejoin Dodgers' rotation this weekend against Cincinnati—Andy McCullough OC REGISTER Max Scherzer strikes out 14 as Dodgers lose to Nationals, 2-1—Bill Plunkett Dodgers Notes: Utilityman Kiké Hernandez passes his first base audition- J.P. Hoornstra On deck: Nationals at Dodgers, Wednesday, 12:10 p.m.- Bill Plunkett ESPN Is this the year Clayton Kershaw finally ends the Kershaw/Koufax debate?—Bradford Doolittle Exchange between Koda Glover, Yasiel Puig gets testy—ESPN.com News Services Scherzer strikes out 14 in Nationals' 2-1 win over Dodgers—The Associated Press TRUE BLUE LA Max Scherzer proves too much for Dodgers to overcome—Eric Stephen Justin Turner begins rehab assignment—Eric Stephen Dodgers face tough test in Max Scherzer—Eric Stephen DODGER INSIDER It’s time to start noticing McCarthy—Cary Osborne Eibner could take Dodger versatility to greater heights—Rowan Kavner NBC LA Max Scherzer Mows Down Dodgers as Nationals Win 2-1- Michael Duarte YAHOO SPORTS Yasiel Puig and Koda Glover almost fought after game-ending strikeout- Mike Oz CBS SPORTS MLB Trade Deadline Rumors: Dodgers reportedly targeting pitching upgrades—Dayn Perry MLB TRADE RUMORS Inside The Draft Room: The 2002-2003 Dodgers—Chuck Wasserstrom

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017

DODGERS.COM Scherzer K's 14 before 'pen closes out LA By Ken Gurnick and Joshua Thornton LOS ANGELES -- Max Scherzer did to the Dodgers on Tuesday night what the Dodgers usually watch Clayton Kershaw do to opponents, striking out 14 in seven innings while outdueling Brandon McCarthy as the Nationals edged Los Angeles, 2-1, at Dodger Stadium. "We saw Max doing Max things," said McCarthy. Washington's bullpen, which had blown nine of its 27 previous save opportunities, locked this one down, with Oliver Perez striking out two in a perfect eighth inning and Koda Glover pitching the ninth for his eighth save, which leads MLB rookies. The final pitch was a strikeout of Yasiel Puig, who exchanged words with Glover and catcher Matt Wieters as the benches briefly cleared, but only words were exchanged. "Tempers flare a little bit," Glover said. "It is what it is. I don't have any hard feelings towards him. He was staring at me and I didn't like it." Scherzer (7-3) has fanned 13, 11 and 14 in his last three starts, giving him double digits in strikeouts six times this year and 55 times in his career, one more than Kershaw for the most among active pitchers. "Obviously, he's on a nice run right now," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "And when he's against us, he's going to bring his best and he did tonight. This guy can [get a strike on] any pitch that he throws, getting ahead of guys, and when he gets ahead, he can wipe you out. It was tough sledding tonight." McCarthy (5-3), coming off a start cut short at four innings because of a finger blister, lasted seven innings and matched Scherzer by allowing only three hits. Nationals speedy leadoff hitter Trea Turner manufactured a first-inning run off McCarthy with a chopped infield single and two stolen bases before scoring on Bryce Harper's sacrifice fly. McCarthy blamed his mental errors for the first run. "Forgetting Trea Turner was on first and second, and he's going to steal at will, and not doing all I should do to hold him," McCarthy said. "Good chance he's going to go anyway, but I've got to do all I can to increase the odds in our favor and I didn't do any of those. You have to vary the looks. The one at second I didn't vary the look, just handed it to him, should have told him to just go to third." In the bottom of the inning, the Dodgers converted an error by second baseman Daniel Murphy into a run off Scherzer when Adrian Gonzalez singled home Chase Utley. But Washington scored the decisive run in the fourth. Harper led off with a double down the right-field line that landed just fair and he scored on another sacrifice fly, this one by Murphy.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Biggest escape act: Two walks by Scherzer, his errant pickoff attempt and a passed ball by Wieters on a called strikeout of Cody Bellinger created a bases-loaded jam with two outs in the bottom of the third inning, but Scherzer wiggled free by striking out Chris Taylor for the second time with a nasty slider. Next biggest escape act: Nearly as impressive as the third inning for Scherzer was the first. After Gonzalez's one-out RBI single, Scherzer struck out Bellinger and Taylor to leave two of the seven runners the Dodgers stranded in the game. Scherzer fanned Bellinger and Yasmani Grandal three times each, as Los Angeles struck out a season-high 17 times. QUOTABLE "Disgusting." -- Bellinger, describing Scherzer "With the mighty Kershaw going tomorrow, it's going to be a great game tomorrow. … I might be wrong, but I don't anticipate too many runs -- it's going to be a low-scoring game. It's going to be a great series finale tomorrow." -- Nationals manager Dusty Baker on the series finale that will feature a matchup of Stephen Strasburg vs. Kershaw WHAT'S NEXT Nationals: Washington concludes its West Coast road trip with Strasburg taking the ball at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday. Strasburg is 7-1 this season and the Nationals are 9-2 when he starts. First pitch is slated for 3:10 p.m. ET. Dodgers: The last time Kershaw faced the Nationals he was a reliever, nailing down his first career save in the 2016 National League Division Series clincher. On Wednesday at 12:10 p.m. PT, he duels Strasburg for the first time. As a starter, Kershaw is 10-2 with a 2.02 ERA against Washington in the regular season. En garde: Stras, Kershaw to duel for 1st time By Joshua Thornton Two franchise cornerstones will clash for the first time on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium. The long-awaited blockbuster matchup between the Dodgers' three-time National League Cy Young Award winner, Clayton Kershaw, and Nationals hard-throwing righty Stephen Strasburg is here. Washington will be looking to complete the sweep and an 8-1 West Coast road trip after taking the first two games of this series. The pitchers' duel was scheduled to happen last season, but an upper back strain kept Strasburg from squaring off against Kershaw. The matchup would have been the second time pitchers with double-digit victories and fewer than two losses faced each other.

"That's the matchup everybody wanted to see last year," said Nationals manager Dusty Baker. "We knew what we were in for when we got here. ... We have our work cut out for us and we have to finish strong on this road trip." For the Dodgers and the Nationals this season, it's hard for them not to expect a win any time Kershaw or Strasburg take the mound. The last six games both Kershaw and Strasburg have started resulted in a victory for their respective teams, but that streak will come to an end for one club Wednesday. Not every team is able to figure out Kershaw's devastating curveball or find a way to catch up to Strasburg's fastball, but it can be done. "Everybody has a Kryptonite," Baker said. "It's just that [Kershaw] doesn't have a bunch and Stras doesn't either." The numbers for both hurlers this season aren't too far apart either. Kershaw is 7-2. Strasburg is 7-1. Kershaw owns a 2.28 ERA, while Strasburg has posted a 2.91 ERA. "You get up for those games and you increase concentration and desire for those games," Baker said. Things to know about this game • Kershaw gave up just two hits in his last start, but one was a 110.9-mph, 443-foot home run by the Brewers' Domingo Santana. That made it the hardest and longest home run Kershaw has given up in the Statcast Era (since 2015). • Kershaw hasn't had much trouble in his career against the Nationals. He's 10-2 with a 2.02 ERA, striking out 104 batters against 17 walks in 14 games. • Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman is 7-for-22 against Kershaw. • The last time Kershaw faced the Nationals it was in an unfamiliar and unforgettable situation. Kershaw shut the door on the Nationals coming into Game 5 of the 2016 NL Division Series as a closer and earned a save. Dodgers trying to fight through offensive slump By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers have lost their last three, five of their last seven and in those five losses have scored a total of four runs, including Tuesday night's 2-1 loss to the Nationals. But they didn't panic last year when they were eight games out of first, and they're not panicking now as they ride out a rocky stretch of the schedule against pitching-rich staffs of the Cardinals, Brewers and Nationals. "I wouldn't say we're in a lull," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "Look back at [St. Louis' Adam] Wainwright and what he did to us [six scoreless innings] and we run into [Carlos] Martinez [one run in

eight innings]. I look at the video, Zach Davies [six scoreless innings], the last two nights with these two guys [Max Scherzer and Gio Gonzalez]. Against guys that throw the ball well, you've still got to find a way to get baserunners and score runs. But, I wouldn't consider our offense in a lull." Roberts' offense, though, definitely is missing its most significant right-handed hitter, Justin Turner, who could return from the disabled list by Friday. But with Scherzer ringing up a season-high 14 strikeouts in seven innings, and the Dodgers finishing with a season-high 17 whiffs, some of their hitters aren't just in a lull, but a full-on slump. Logan Forsythe is in an 0-for-20 slump and, in 13 games since coming off the disabled list, is 4-for-42 with 16 strikeouts, including two by Scherzer. Cody Bellinger, in the last 13 games, is 8-for-46 with 22 strikeouts, three by Scherzer. Yasmani Grandal, in the last 10 games, is 6-for-38 with 17 strikeouts, three by Scherzer. Corey Seager, who snapped out of a 3-for-23 slide with three hits Monday night, was 0-for-4 on Tuesday night. Franklin Gutierrez, who did not play Tuesday night, is in an 0-for-12 funk. Most of the Dodgers were willing to credit Scherzer for Tuesday night's struggles. "Disgusting," was Bellinger's summation of the opposing starter. "Pitches I've never seen before. The slider is one of the best in the game. He's got electric stuff. The slider is the hardest to pick up. It's so deceiving. Crazy. Sometimes you've just got to tip your cap." "We weren't able to do much after the first inning," said Adrian Gonzalez, whose RBI single scored the lone unearned run off Scherzer. "He's a great pitcher and you have to be ready for fastballs and I was lucky and found a hole. Sometimes you score six or seven and sometimes you don't. I wouldn't look much into it. We're doing what we can. We're going to have our good games and our bad ones." Roberts was disappointed that his club wasted seven strong innings from starter Brandon McCarthy, who said the blistered finger that cut short his last start after four innings held up fine. "Scherzer is one of the best in the game, and when you get a performance like that from Mac to pretty much match him all night and to not come away with a win, it's a tough one," said Roberts. McCarthy echoed those thoughts. "When Max is pitching like that, the odds are long, it's a tough fight," McCarthy said. "It's not something to bemoan, you understand it, but you'd like to be able to pull out a game like that." Wood to bump Maeda or Ryu from rotation By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES -- Alex Wood's return from the disabled list this weekend will cost Kenta Maeda or Hyun-Jin Ryu a spot in the Dodgers' starting rotation. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on Tuesday said Wood will start either Saturday or Sunday against the Reds, but he was non-committal on which day or whose spot he would take pending internal conversations scheduled for later in the day.

"As far as Saturday or Sunday, Alex will pitch one of those games," said Roberts. "Outside of that, we're trying to figure out how to kind of plug in the other potential options." Maeda's spot in the rotation comes up on Saturday (he threw a bullpen session on Tuesday) and Ryu's on Sunday. Both have had their struggles this season, with Maeda's ERA at 5.16 and Ryu's at 4.08. But Ryu's recent form -- including seven innings of four-run ball Monday night -- has been improving, while Maeda has had back-to-back four-inning starts. Roberts suggested that whoever is removed could "piggyback" as coverage for a short Wood start, something Ryu did spectacularly with a four-inning save of a Maeda win on May 25. Both Maeda and Ryu have had recent stints on the disabled list, so there's always that possibility for resolving a roster spot. Wood, the National League Pitcher of the Month for May, went on the disabled list on May 27 with inflammation in the SC joint of his sternum. He is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, Justin Turner will face Minor League pitchers in a simulated game that could be his final hurdle before being activated, perhaps as soon as Friday with the club off on Thursday. Turner, on the disabled list since May 19 with a strained right hamstring, had a hit in a rehab game for Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga on Monday night. "Come Friday, we'll make an assessment on how he feels at the plate, if he's got to plan another one or two games," said Roberts. "There's a possibility Friday, but it could also be pushed back a couple of days." Worth noting Roberts said the club remains interested in using outfielder Brett Eibner as a pitcher in a lopsided game or just to eat an inning. Roberts said Eibner has thrown six bullpen sessions. Eibner was a reliever in college.

LA TIMES

Scherzer sizzles in Nationals' 2-1 win over Dodgers By Andy McCullough At any moment, inside any game, Washington ace Max Scherzer can pick between four pitches. When the arsenal blends properly, the mixture borders somewhere between unfair and unkind. His curveball disappears when opponents swing. His changeup disrupts timing. He can toggle the velocity on his slider to run away from right-handed hitters and jam up left-handed hitters. And his fastball often jumps beyond 95-mph as the game progresses. On Tuesday night, in a 2-1 loss to the Nationals, the Dodgers confronted an elite performer operating with full mastery of his gifts. Scherzer struck out 14 Dodgers in seven innings, yielding only one run as he

squashed his hosts. He defused almost every threat he faced and disarmed batters with his four-pitch blend. “When he has an opportunity to face us, he’s going to bring his best,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And he did tonight.” After Scherzer departed, the Dodgers could not touch Washington’s vulnerable bullpen, which added three strikeouts. The only fireworks occurred after the game. Yasiel Puig struck out with the tying run at second base in the ninth. As he walked toward his dugout, he glared at Nationals reliever Koda Glover. Glover said something to Puig. Puig approached Glover and catcher Matt Wieters. The benches emptied, and both sides soon dispersed. Puig did not make himself available after the game. Glover kept his explanation succinct. “He was staring at me,” Glover said. “I didn’t like it. It is what it is.” Alex Wood to rejoin Dodgers' rotation this weekend against Cincinnati The dominance from Scherzer offset a strong effort from Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy. After an outing shortened by a blister last week, McCarthy permitted two runs in seven innings. The Nationals got only three hits against him but exploited the openings presented to them. The Dodgers had only four hits all night. McCarthy reported no trouble caused by the blister on his right index finger. He thrived despite adversity at the outset. He logged seven innings for only the third time since signing with the Dodgers in 2015. During last October’s playoffs, Nationals shortstop Trea Turner exasperated the Dodgers with his legs. He displayed his speed in Tuesday’s first inning. He reached on an infield single when Logan Forsythe delayed a throw as McCarthy moved through his line of vision. Turner stole second, stole third without a throw and scored on a sacrifice fly by Bryce Harper. McCarthy blamed himself for not varying his tempo on the mound, which allowed Turner to time his delivery. “I made some really bad mental errors in letting that run score,” McCarthy said. “From that point on, I felt like the quality was good. I made most of the pitches I needed to make.” The Dodgers evened the score in the bottom of the inning. They benefited from an error by Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy. After a leadoff single by Chase Utley, Murphy fumbled a potential double-play grounder hit by Corey Seager. Two batters later, Adrian Gonzalez volleyed a 97-mph fastball into right field for a tying single. Like Clayton Kershaw did last week, Scherzer will record his 2,000th strikeout this month. Scherzer entered the evening ranked third in the majors among starting pitchers with 11.64 strikeouts per nine innings. And that was before he struck out nine in the first three innings Tuesday. Dodgers minor league team cancels promotion that called women 'hourglass-shaped color commentators' “We weren’t able to get much more after the first inning,” Gonzalez said. “Scherzer did a good job.”

In the third, Scherzer created an opening for the Dodgers. He issued walks to Utley and Gonzalez. On an 0-2 pitch to rookie Cody Bellinger, Scherzer fired a 94-mph fastball down the middle. Bellinger never tried to swing. It was strike three — only Wieters muffed the reception.“It was literally the best pitch I’ve seen in I don’t know how long,” Bellinger said. “And I just took it.” With the bases loaded after the passed ball, Scherzer struck out Chris Taylor with a succession of sliders that darted down and away. “When he gets ahead, he’s going to wipe you out,” Roberts said. Washington took the lead in the fourth. Harper hit a ground-rule double to open the inning, went to third on a groundout and scored on Murphy’s sacrifice fly. Scherzer disarmed a similar threat in the bottom of the inning. Puig lashed a one-out double on a fastball. Scherzer responded by striking out McCarthy, and Utley stranded Puig by flying out. The stress on Scherzer did not result in runs. But he did need 72 pitches to complete four innings. The bullpen looms as Washington’s primary flaw, a seven-man tinderbox. Scherzer resolved to limit their exposure. In the fifth, sixth and seventh, he operated within the widening strike zone of umpire Angel Hernandez, who rewarded Scherzer with his 13th strikeout on a 3-2 fastball to Bellinger that appeared to be outside. An inning later, Scherzer fooled pinch-hitter Austin Barnes for strikeout No. 14. “Sometimes you’ve got to tip your cap,” Bellinger said. “And that’s just what it was tonight.” Alex Wood to rejoin Dodgers' rotation this weekend against Cincinnati By Andy McCullough The Dodgers intend to re-insert Alex Wood in the starting rotation this weekend against Cincinnati. The exact date of his return has not been determined, manager Dave Roberts said before Tuesday’s game against the Washington Nationals. Wood, who has a record of 6-0 with a 1.69 earned-run average, has not pitched since May 26 as he recovers from inflammation in his sternum. He has not allowed a run in his last 25 1/3 innings. Rich Hill is scheduled to pitch Friday. Wood will start either Saturday or Sunday. To fill the other spot, the team probably will form a tandem between Hyun-Jin Ryu and Kenta Maeda. “We’re trying to figure out how to plug in the other potential options,” Roberts said. “We haven’t made the decision how it’s going to play out. But we do know that Alex will start a game over the weekend, and Rich will start a game on Friday.” Maeda (4-3, 5.16 ERA) could lose his spot in the rotation, at least temporarily. He has not been able to pitch beyond the fourth inning in his last two outings. Ryu appears to have leap-frogged over him in the rotation’s hierarchy.

Short hops Justin Turner (hamstring strain) told Roberts that he felt fine after playing for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Monday. Turner is slated to appear in a simulated game Wednesday, with the hope of being activated Friday. … With the Dodgers holding their third annual Blue Diamond Gala Thursday, Roberts said he was more excited to see Maroon 5 perform than Earth, Wind and Fire. While he grew up listening to the latter, the former is currently closer to his heart. “I’m a huge Adam Levine guy,” Roberts said.

OC REGISTER

Max Scherzer strikes out 14 as Dodgers lose to Nationals, 2-1 By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers are experiencing their own version of June gloom. Right-hander Max Scherzer struck out 14 Dodgers in seven innings Tuesday night as the Washington Nationals handed the Dodgers their third consecutive loss, 2-1. A week ago, the Dodgers were riding the wave of a six-game winning streak that carried them temporarily into first place in the National League West. They averaged 6½ runs per game during that winning streak. But they have lost five of the seven games since, batting .174 (a mere .102 with runners in scoring position) and striking out 80 times while scoring a total of 16 runs — 10 of them in one game at Miller Park in Milwaukee on Friday, the only time in the past seven games they have scored more than two runs. “You score six runs, seven runs a game for a little while, then you’re going to have stretches where it’s tough to score runs,” Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said. “I wouldn’t look much into it.” It doesn’t take a deep dive. The Dodgers have faced three of the top five starting rotations in the National League (the Cardinals, Brewers and Nationals) while playing without two regulars in their lineup – third baseman Justin Turner (due back from his hamstring injury Friday) and center fielder Joc Pederson (albeit a slumping Joc Pederson). The opposing starters over the past seven games have allowed just six runs in their 45 innings against the Dodgers. “I wouldn’t say we’re in a lull because if you look back and look at (Cardinals starter Adam) Wainwright and what he did to us and then running into (Carlos) Martinez,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I look back at all the games on video and see the pitches these guys have been making – Zach Davies (in Milwaukee) and then the last two nights (Scherzer and Gio Gonzalez) – they’ve thrown the ball really well, some of those guys.

“But against guys that throw the ball well, you’ve still got to find ways to get baserunners and manufacture and create runs.” Scherzer did not offer many opportunities for that. The Dodgers scratched out a run in the first inning when Chase Utley led off with a single, Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy booted a grounder from Corey Seager and Gonzalez delivered an RBI single. But Scherzer promptly struck out the next five Dodgers batters and 11 of the first 18 he faced. Twenty-four of Scherzer’s first 28 pitches registered as strikes, an early sign of the forgiving zone home plate umpire Angel Hernandez would use to keep things moving along. “Scherzer is one of the best in the game,” Roberts said of the two-time Cy Young Award winner who has 38 strikeouts and just 11 hits allowed in 24-2/3 innings over his past three starts. “Obviously when you get a performance like that from Mac (Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy), to pretty much match him, and not get a win, it’s a tough one. “Infield hit, steals a couple bases and they get the sac fly. Another ball that (Bryce) Harper hits that’s just fair. Ultimately, another run was plated after that. He threw the ball really well. His entire mix was good. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t put a whole lot together against Scherzer.” McCarthy was more democratic in his approach than Scherzer, striking out only four but getting an assortment of soft contact instead and allowing the same number of hits as Scherzer – three. Two of the Nats’ three wound up scoring, however. Trea Turner’s speed produced a run in the first inning – he beat out an infield single, stole second and third and scored on a sacrifice fly. “Still really frustrated over the run in the first,” McCarthy said. “I felt like I made a couple mental mistakes … not doing all I should do in holding him. He’s probably going to go anyway, but I should do more to increase the odds we can get him. “I was slide-stepping. But when he was on second, I didn’t vary my rhythm at all. I knew as soon as the ball left my hand he had third. That’s the one that’s unacceptable.” McCarthy’s only other mistake was a changeup to Harper leading off the fourth. He lined it into the right-field corner for a double and the Nationals cashed it in for the winning run. Yasiel Puig had a double of his own with one out in the bottom of the fourth. But the Dodgers couldn’t advance him and didn’t have another baserunner until Chris Taylor’s one-out single in the ninth inning. Puig stranded him at second, striking out against Nationals reliever Koda Glover to end the game. Both benches briefly emptied for a scrum on the grass in front of the pitcher’s mound, Puig having objected to Glover’s punctuating the strikeout with a gesture in his direction and Glover unhappy with Puig staring back at him.

Dodgers Notes: Utilityman Kiké Hernandez passes his first base audition By J.P. Hoornstra LOS ANGELES – Dodgers utilityman Kiké Hernandez did something on Monday that first basemen don’t often do. With Matt Wieters bearing down the base line on a ground ball, and a throw arriving late from second baseman Chris Taylor, Hernandez managed to catch Taylor’s throw, turn, attempt a swipe-tag and practically do the splits while tagging first base with his back leg in the bat of an eye. The play was aesthetically and athletically pleasing, an act of pure instinct. That Wieters was safe at first base — scored as an error on Taylor — seemed like an afterthought, if only because Wieters did not ultimately score. “It’s not something you try to do,” Hernandez said. “Instincts take over. I just do whatever the body does. It’s not like I’m thinking about doing the splits.” In the second inning of his first game as a major league first baseman, Hernandez elegantly displayed the latest tool in his vast kit. Hernandez, 25, is a veteran of 240 games. He’s now seen time at seven positions — all but pitcher and catcher. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he liked what he saw from Hernandez enough to consider him an option for double-switches or spot start duty in the future. The black first baseman’s mitt that Hernandez used for the game was broken in long before Monday’s game. Roberts mentioned the possibility of first-base duty to Hernandez last winter. So he played one game at first base in the Puerto Rican Winter League, then continued to take ground balls and throws there once spring training began. Hernandez said his instincts were tailored to the position long ago. When playing second base or shortstop, Hernandez got in the habit of backing up every throw from the catcher to the pitcher. In a game that takes three or more hours, he believes that habit can help a fielder maintain his focus. As an outfielder, backing up every throw back to the mound is not as useful. To stay focused, Hernandez needed a different set of techniques. “You talk to yourself,” he said. “You pretend you’re a catcher and you try to think of what pitches you’re going to throw. As an infielder, I like to read swings. If the guy is late I like to constantly be moving, just be focused on where the catcher’s setting up, stuff like that. Little ways.” As a first baseman, Hernandez is more engaged. He’s involved in every ground ball. He has a specific task when cutting off throws from the outfield. Sometimes, he’d even have a runner to talk to. “I’m an infielder that can play outfield,” he said. “I’m not an outfielder that can play infield.”

ROTATION DECISION LOOMS Roberts said Rich Hill will start Friday’s series opener against the Cincinnati Reds, but the Saturday and Sunday assignments are still to be determined. Alex Wood, on the disabled list with shoulder joint inflammation, is expected to start one of the weekend games. The other start figures to go to either right-hander Kenta Maeda or left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu. Ryu backed up Maeda with a four-inning relief appearance once already; it’s possible the two starters could team up to throw nine innings again. Wood will throw off a mound Wednesday. The left-hander is 6-0 with a 1.69 earned-run average this season. ALSO Roberts said he would support rookie Cody Bellinger taking part in the Home Run Derby if invited. Bellinger, 21, leads the Dodgers with 12 home runs in 39 games through Tuesday. … Roberts said outfielder Brett Eibner has thrown six bullpen sessions as he prepares for possible relief duty. A closer in college, Eibner “could not only pitch in a lopsided game, but if he could pitch a game, eat up an inning if needed, could really help our ball club,” Roberts said. … Third baseman Justin Turner will face minor league pitching in a simulated game Wednesday at Dodger Stadium. On deck: Nationals at Dodgers, Wednesday, 12:10 p.m. By Bill Plunkett NATIONALS at DODGERS When: Wednesday, 12:10 p.m. Where: Dodger Stadium TV: SportsNet LA (where available); MLB Network (out of market only) THE PITCHERS DODGERS LHP CLAYTON KERSHAW (7-2, 2.28 ERA) Vs. Nationals: 10-2, 2.02 ERA At Dodger Stadium: 74-30. 2.01 ERA Hates to face: Trea Turner, 3 for 6 (.500) Loves to face: Jose Lobaton, 0 for 8, 1 strikeout NATIONALS RHP STEPHEN STRASBURG (7-1, 2.91 ERA)

Vs. Dodgers: 1-1, 3.06 ERA At Dodger Stadium: 0-0, 1.29 ERA Hates to face: Adrian Gonzalez, 6 for 12 (.500), 2 doubles Loves to face: Chris Taylor, 0 for 6, 2 strikeouts UPCOMING Friday – Reds (LHP Amir Garrett, 3-4, 7.17 ERA) at Dodgers (LHP Rich Hill, 2-2, 4.15 ERA), 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA Saturday – Reds (RHP Asher Wojciechowski, 1-0, 4.50 ERA) at Dodgers (TBD), 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market only)

ESPN

Is this the year Clayton Kershaw finally ends the Kershaw/Koufax debate? By Bradford Doolittle The notion of eternal recurrence isn't invoked when it comes to sports, probably because we think of our games as being decided by some combination of luck and skill. To start citing, say, "Battlestar Galactica" and its mantra of "everything that's happened will happen again" is to be fatalistic about something that is anything but. Yet, when you think about the intrinsic link between the careers of Clayton Kershaw and Sandy Koufax, it’s easy to think there might be something to this whole eternal recurrence business. Think about it. For a stretch of five years during the 1960s, Koufax was as dominant as any pitcher has ever been for a span of seasons that long. He was a big lefty with a wicked, rising fastball and a drop-off-the-table curveball. He wore Dodger blue and, during his prime, played his home games at Dodger Stadium. When his career was snuffed at its height because of debilitating elbow trouble, the blaze of Koufax’s prime seemed like something we wouldn’t see again. In many ways, watching Kershaw dominate the National League for the past seven years is to get a glimpse of Koufax at his height, only for a longer stretch that shows no sign of abating. That’s a joy for those of us who have seen Koufax pitch only in highlight films. If you’re at all interested in baseball history, it’s hard not to think of Koufax when you ponder Kershaw’s career. Even the great Vin Scully once famously referred to Kershaw as Koufax, and absolutely no one could blame him for the mix-up. "[Koufax] was a really hard thrower," said Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker (yeah, that Bob Uecker). "And everybody always talks about how hard Sandy threw, but he had an unbelievable curveball. Probably a major portion of his strikeouts came on that big breaking ball he had. When I look at Kershaw

and the way he throws, he's got a more herky-jerky motion and windup. Sandy got on top of that breaking ball and came straight over the top." You might recognize Uecker from his appearances on Johnny Carson, as "Mr. Belvedere," as Harry Doyle in "Major League" and as the guy on the beer commercial saying, "I must be in the front row." But he also has a unique perspective on the two Dodgers greats, even if they did play a half-century apart. Not only has Uecker called most of the Brewers-Dodgers games since Kershaw came into the league, but, during his playing career -- the subject of his famous self-deprecating humor -- he faced Koufax more often than all but one other pitcher. He was 7-for-38 with three walks against Koufax. He sees a lot of shared traits in the two lefties. "[Kershaw] is not just a thrower. He can pitch, too," Uecker said. "He can paint the corners and do what he wants. Sandy was kind of the same way. When Sandy was on his game and really right, his fastball was great and his curveball was just so sharp-breaking." In 1965, arguably Koufax’s best season, Uecker went 6-for-15 against him and hit a home run. For one season at least, Uecker kind of owned Koufax. "I don’t know why I had success against him," Uecker said. "I played for the most [part] against left-handed pitching. Every time I see Sandy, and I still do it, I always apologize, because I thought I was going to keep him out of the Hall of Fame. He is a great guy and a great pitcher." What does he remember about that homer off Koufax? "I remember it was at Dodger Stadium," Uecker said. "I think when I got back to the dugout, the guys were laying on the floor." The other night in Milwaukee, Kershaw blew past 2,000 career strikeouts, whiffing 14 Brewers and becoming the second-fastest pitcher ever to hit that mark by games pitched (277). Only Randy Johnson (262) got there faster. With Kershaw nearing age 30 (he’ll get there during spring training next year), we’re likely entering into a new phase of Kershaw-related milestones. "He's in very, very exclusive company," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "The thing that's remarkable about Clayton is that it's a notch in his belt, but I don't think he puts too much credence in that. That says a lot about his character, understanding not only the big picture but his ability to stay micro-focused on today. He's a great pitcher, and for me to be a part of his journey is great." It’s pretty amazing, really. Not only has Kershaw more or less matched Koufax’s unmatchable peak, but he has done it as a lefty in the same uniform in the same stadium. What are the odds? Don’t ask Kershaw, who isn’t big on talking up his achievements, not even on a night he reaches a concrete milestone like 2,000 strikeouts. "It'll be cool some day," Kershaw said after the Milwaukee game. "I guess when you retire, you look back on that stuff. I'm not taking it for granted but also not thinking about it, how to quantify it. It'll be cool some day." He did save the ball, pointing to it in his locker with a jerk of his head, adding, "Hopefully, I don’t forget and leave it behind."

People have been doing analytical comparisons of Kershaw and Koufax for a few years now. It’s prime time to do so, with Kershaw in the midst of a long peak stretch of his career, and Koufax forever frozen in his. Kershaw’s ERA from 2012 through last season (1.92) was 92 percent better than league average. No one else during that span is even close. It was like that for Koufax, too. From 1962 to 1966, Koufax had a 1.95 ERA that was 65 percent above average, best of all pitchers during that span. Juan Marichal was second at 43 percent above average. That’s only a jumping off point, though, to illustrate just how dominant each pitcher was in his respective era. Baseball in the 21st century might be more different than the era in which Koufax pitched than any other modern epoch except for the dead ball years. Starting pitchers were working from higher mounds. The leagues were smaller by number of teams, and the player pool had yet to be blessed with the large-scale influx of Latin talent we have in the game today. Rotations were smaller, and starters were expected to finish what they started. Lineups weren’t as deep with power hitters. During both of his last two seasons, Koufax started 41 games, completed 27 and finished with well more than 300 innings pitched. Kershaw led the National League in innings in 2015 with 232⅔, and he has completed 24 games in his career. As illustrated in this excellent and layered comparison published a couple of years back at the Hardball Times, there are an incredible number of adjustments you have to make in order to view the numbers of Kershaw and Koufax with something like an apples-to-apples comparison. Sometimes you have to defer to the eyeballs of someone who has seen both. "They really are pretty similar," Uecker said. "This guy is a little bigger than Sandy. Both good power pitchers." The conclusion of the Hardball Times analysis seems about right: Once you adjust for everything you can adjust for, these pitchers were really, really close once they hit their prime. Kershaw realized his potential at an earlier age, hitting Cy Young-level production by 23. Koufax was a bonus baby who never played a day in the minor leagues. Instead, he languished for a few years with control problems that threatened to sink his career. At 22, Koufax walked six guys per nine innings and led the league in wild pitches even though he wasn’t even yet a full-time member of Walter Alston's rotation. Still, he hit his stride by 25, not appreciably different than Kershaw, and more than made up for lost time. Two things will separate Koufax and Kershaw from here on out. First, Koufax was so overused that his elbow began to turn inward, shortening his arm to the point that he had to have the left sleeves of his suit-coats shortened. In his final year, he won 27 games, led the league with a 1.73 ERA and 317 strikeouts and was named the Cy Young winner for the third time in four years. But he was done, the pain in his arm too great and the advent of Tommy John surgery still years in the future. "At the end of Sandy’s career, when you looked at his left arm, it started to bend," Uecker said. "He couldn’t straighten it. I wonder what might have happened had he had surgery, what might have transpired down the road." Meanwhile, if the arguments about Koufax and Kershaw right now are too close to call, this is probably the last year we can have that debate, if it’s not too late already. Because Kershaw shows no sign of slowing down, and with each passing season he sets a new standard for Dodgers pitchers. In fact, among pitchers with at least 1,500 innings, Kershaw’s 160 ERA+ is the best of all time. Others have written this, and it’s true: Because Kershaw has been healthy and benefits from modern-day pitcher usage, in many

respects he’s going to show us what might have happened had Koufax not been forced into such an early retirement. Then again, there’s something to be said for going out on top. "I don't care if [Koufax] told you what was coming," Uecker said. "When Sandy was on his game, he threw so hard and with that curveball, you couldn’t hit him. He does remind me a lot of Clayton personality-wise. Kershaw is a great guy, too." Besides the question of longevity, the other thing separating Kershaw from Koufax works heavily in Koufax’s favor: postseason performance. Koufax won three rings with the Dodgers, though the first (1959) came before he had reached stardom. In 1963 and 1965, however, Koufax was the winner in four of L.A.’s eight World Series victories. He threw complete games while winning the clinchers in both series, the one in 1965 coming on just two days' rest. His career postseason ERA (0.95) is the lowest of any starting pitcher who logged at least 50 innings in the playoffs. Kershaw’s postseason struggles have been well chronicled. He’s 4-7 with a 4.55 ERA, and his Dodgers have never reached the Fall Classic during his career. The lack of postseason success has become an unfortunate and largely unfair co-narrative for Kershaw, much like it once was for Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and others who seemingly faltered in the playoffs until they didn’t. One dominant postseason run is likely all Kershaw needs to set things right, especially if it ends with the Dodgers’ first World Series win since 1988. So far this season, the Dodgers own the best run differential in the National League. That matches up with most preseason analytical forecasts, even though the Cubs were a more popular subjective choice. So Kershaw has plenty of help, and this might be his best chance yet to get a ring. But the Dodgers are far from a sure thing. They are mired in a three-team scrum in the NL West, and as strong as their differential looks, it’s not appreciably better than that of Wednesday’s opponent, the Washington Nationals, who have the NL’s best win-loss record. On top of that, most everyone still expects the Cubs to mount a strong defense of their crown. And whoever survives the NL playoff derby might have to face a Houston Astros team that right now looks historically strong. But whatever happens, Kershaw’s opponents don’t think he really has anything left to prove. "[Kershaw] has got three really good pitches," said Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell, who as a player went 0-for-2 with a walk against him. "He's a great competitor, never beats himself with walks. He's certainly one of the best that we've seen in major league baseball. He's proven it over a long period of time." In the end, Kershaw might never be able to close the postseason gap with Koufax. He might have to settle for being the best regular-season pitcher ever and cede the playoff equivalent of that crown to Koufax. And that might not be such a bad outcome. It might be the exact outcome Koufax would have had were he pitching now. And if Kershaw were shipped back in time, maybe it would be he who polished off the Twins in 1965 but had to retire a year later because of overuse. This is a show the Dodgers have seen before, and it’s not the kind of thing anyone can get tired of.

Exchange between Koda Glover, Yasiel Puig gets testy By ESPN.com News Services The Washington Nationals' 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night ended with a testy exchange. With a runner on second base, Nationals closer Koda Glover fanned Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig for the final out and then shouted in the direction of home plate. Not pleased, Puig walked toward the mound and twice appeared to ask Glover what he said. Glover took off his cap and tossed aside his glove as players from both teams quickly intervened to keep the two separated. Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman pulled Glover away, and nothing escalated before the squads headed off the field. "Tempers flared a little bit," Glover said. "It is what it is. I don't have any hard feelings toward him. He was staring at me, and I didn't like it." Puig did not speak to reporters after the game. The Dodgers took a tense divisional-round playoff series between the teams last year, winning in five games. The Nationals have won both games between the teams so far this season, with the finale of their current series set for Wednesday's matinee, featuring Washington star Stephen Strasburg and Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw. Scherzer strikes out 14 in Nationals' 2-1 win over Dodgers By The Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- Max Scherzer knows exactly what he is. At age 32 and in his 10th major league season, he has absolutely no doubt. "I'm a strikeout pitcher," Scherzer said. "That's just who I am." No one had to convince the Los Angeles Dodgers after Scherzer struck out a season-high 14, outpitching Brandon McCarthy to lead the Washington Nationals to a 2-1 victory that ended with a testy exchange Tuesday night. With a runner on second base, Koda Glover fanned Yasiel Puig for the final out and shouted in the direction of home plate. Not pleased, Puig walked toward the mound and twice appeared to ask Glover what he said. Glover took off his cap and tossed aside his glove as players from both teams quickly intervened to keep the two separated. Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman pulled Glover away, and nothing escalated before the squads headed off the field.

"Tempers flared a little bit," Glover said. "It is what it is. I don't have any hard feelings towards him. He was staring at me and I didn't like it." Both starting pitchers went seven innings and allowed only three hits. The first 11 outs for Scherzer (7-3) came on strikeouts. "He can get sharp when he needs to be," Washington manager Dusty Baker said. "He had quite a few pitches early. The strikeouts don't help your pitch total, but Max was outstanding." For the second consecutive night, a scuffling Nationals bullpen came through. Oliver Perez held the Dodgers scoreless in the eighth and Glover worked the ninth to earn his eighth save in nine tries. "He knows what he wants to do," Scherzer said. "He's a closer. He wants the ball. He's not afraid of anybody. He's going to attack the zone. He has unbelievable stuff. He has the attitude to go out there with a chip on his shoulder." Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy each had a sacrifice fly for Washington, which has won the first two games of this series between NL pennant contenders. Los Angeles took a tense playoff series between the teams last year, winning in five games. Trea Turner opened the game by beating out a little tapper to third. He stole second and third before scoring on Harper's sacrifice fly. The Dodgers answered with a run in the bottom half after Chase Utley singled. Corey Seager's grounder to second was bobbled by Murphy for an error, and Adrian Gonzalez lined a single to score Utley. The Nationals scored the go-ahead run in the fourth after Harper led off with a ground-rule double. Zimmerman's groundout moved him to third, and Murphy hit a deep sac fly to center field. McCarthy (5-3), who lasted only four innings in his previous start because of a blister, walked two and struck out four. "It seems like every single time he gets out there he has control of the game, and he's so well prepared," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "For us to have him healthy -- and we got through that blister thing tonight -- I think that's a victory in itself." Scherzer walked two and did not permit an earned run. He struck out Taylor and Yasmani Grandal three times each. The two-time Cy Young Award winner has 38 strikeouts in his last three starts. TRAINER'S ROOM Nationals: Glover was held out of Monday's game after complaining of arm soreness. He threw 22 pitches on Sunday. Dodgers: Roberts said left-hander Alex Wood (shoulder inflammation) will come off the 10-day disabled list to start Saturday or Sunday in Cincinnati. ... 3B Justin Turner (hamstring) reported no problems after

his first rehab game Monday. He is scheduled to play in a simulated game Wednesday and could be activated Friday. TWO-WAY PLAYER Dodgers outfielder Brett Eibner could get an opportunity to pitch in relief. He pitched at Arkansas and has thrown six bullpen sessions for Los Angeles. "He closed in college and he's obviously got a big arm, and a slider to go with that," Roberts said. "Our organization identified him as a guy who potentially could not only pitch in a lopsided game, but if he could pitch a game and heat up an inning." UP NEXT Nationals: RHP Stephen Strasburg (7-1, 2.91 ERA) faces Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw (7-2, 2.28) in Wednesday's matinee series finale. Strasburg has gone at least seven innings in eight of his 11 starts. He is 1-1 with a 3.06 ERA in five career starts against Los Angeles. Dodgers: Kershaw leads the NL in ERA and innings (83). He is tied with Strasburg and two others for the lead in wins. Kershaw is 10-2 with a 2.02 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) against the Nationals.

TRUE BLUE LA

Max Scherzer proves too much for Dodgers to overcome By Eric Stephen Max Scherzer had his way with the Dodgers on Tuesday night, and some missed opportunities proved costly in the Nationals’ 2-1 victory at Dodger Stadium. Scherzer struck out 14 in seven innings for the win, but even though he left several batters muttering on the way back to the third base dugout, the Dodgers still had their chances against the Nationals right-hander. The Dodgers cashed in on their first opportunity of the night, after a single and a fielding error to start the first inning. Adrian Gonzalez cashed in a run with an RBI single, but that proved to be the extent of the Dodgers’ offense, one that has scored two or fewer runs in six of their last seven games. Scherzer had 10 strikeouts through the first 10 outs of the game, thanks in part to a passed ball in the third inning by Matt Wieters. That, coupled with two walks and a throwing error by Scherzer on a pickoff attempt set up the Dodgers with a golden opportunity to score, but Chris Taylor struck out with the bases loaded to end the threat. Scherzer has 74 strikeouts over his last seven starts, including five games with double-digit strikeouts during that span. Game of inches

Both Nationals runs were of the manufactured variety. Trea Turner reached on an infield single, stole two bases, then scored on a sacrifice fly in the first inning. Then in the fourth, Bryce Harper led off with a drive down the right field line that appeared to touch the smallest speck of chalk, good enough for a ground rule double instead of a long strike. A ground ball to the right side then another sacrifice fly gave the Nationals the lead. With one out in the bottom of the fourth inning, Yasiel Puig turned on a pitch and lined a ball just off the short wall in left field for a double of his own. Had it been hit a few inches higher, the game would have been tied. But it wasn’t, and after a strikeout and line out to center field that threat was neutralized. The lack of offense by the Dodgers masked a highly effective start from Brandon McCarthy, who pitched seven innings for the second time this season, giving the club back-to-back seven-inning outings from the rotation. McCarthy allowed just three hits and struck out four while walking two. He has a 1.96 ERA over his last four starts. Up next We get an excellent pitching matchup to close things out on Wednesday afternoon, with Clayton Kershaw starting for the Dodgers against Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals in a 12:10 p.m. PT contest. Tuesday particulars Home runs: none WP - Max Scherzer (7-3): 7 IP, 3 hits, 1 unearned run, 2 walks, 14 strikeouts LP - Brandon McCarthy (5-3): 7 IP, 3 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts Sv - Koda Glover (8): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 strikeout Dodgers vs. Nationals Tuesday starting lineups By Eric Stephen The Dodgers have won their last four regular season series against the Nationals, and to keep that streak alive have their work cut out for them, facing Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg in a span of roughly 21 hours. First things first, the Dodgers are back to their more normal lineup — if there is such a thing — with the right-handed Scherzer on the mound. Despite the relative teeth-gnashing and wailing over Monday’s lineup — which seemed odd with Kiké Hernandez at first base — the only real surprise left-hander who sat against Gio Gonzalez was Cody Bellinger, and that was more of a day off than anything since Bellinger started every game but one since his call up.

Bellinger doubled in the ninth inning as a pinch-hitter but was stranded. He’s back in there on Tuesday night, batting fifth and playing left field. It’s Bellinger’s 40th game played and 38th start in 40 games since he joined the team from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Apr. 25. Corey Seager also doubled on Monday, part of a three-hit night, his second of the season. It snapped a mini 1-for-14 slump for the shortstop, though that also included four walks in the previous two games. Seager homered against Scherzer in Game 1 of the 2016 National League Division Series, his only hit in six at-bats against the right-hander. The two veteran Dodgers who have faced Scherzer the most have very little success against him. Adrian Gonzalez is 6-for-32 (.188) with a double and two walks, and Chase Utley is 3-for-16 (.188) with two doubles and a walk. Washington is using mostly the same lineup as Monday night, with one change. Brian Goodwin, a left-handed hitter, is starting in left field after Ryan Raburn got the call in Monday’s series opener. Dodgers face tough test in Max Scherzer By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers face another tough test in the middle game of their series with the Nationals, with reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer toeing the rubber on Tuesday for Washington. The Dodgers have scored just 15 runs in their last six games — including four losses — and 10 of those 15 came in one game, on Saturday in Milwaukee. They will have their hands full on Tuesday night against Scherzer. Since the start of the 2013 season, Scherzer has one of the strongest pitching resumes in baseball — most strikeouts (1,152), most wins (79), most innings pitched (969), second in ERA+ (139) to Clayton Kershaw (192), the latter with a minimum of 600 innings. Scherzer won the 2013 American League Cy Young Award with the Tigers, and finished fifth in 2014 and 2015 before winning again in 2016, this time in the National League. The Dodgers have only faced Scherzer three times during the regular season since the start of 2013, and Scherzer has a 1.80 ERA with 23 strikeouts and four walks in 20 innings in those starts. Amazingly, the Dodgers have won two of those three games. Scherzer didn’t pitch against the Dodgers in the regular season in 2016, but faced them twice in the NLDS. That the Dodgers won both contests — Games 1 and 5 — made last October’s postseason run all the more remarkable. Scherzer led the NL with a career-best 284 strikeouts last year, and stands atop the league again with 100 punch outs this season.

Brandon McCarthy starts for the Dodgers, stingy in his own right with three runs allowed in his last three starts. The right-hander has six straight starts issuing exactly one walk, with 31 strikeouts in 33⅔ innings during that span. Game info Time: 7:10 p.m. PT TV: SportsNet LA

DODGER INSIDER

It’s time to start noticing McCarthy By Cary Osborne Max Scherzer struck out 14 Dodgers on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. He threw 105 pitches. He surrendered three hits. The Nationals’ ace earned 21 outs in seven innings of work. Brandon McCarthy struck out 10 fewer batters. He threw 18 fewer pitches and also gave up three hits. He earned 21 outs in seven innings of work. For as good as Scherzer was on Tuesday, especially early when he struck out nine Dodgers through three innings, McCarthy nearly matched him in the Dodgers’ 2–1 loss. He might have matched him were it not for an infield single to open the game by Trea Turner, who beat Logan Forsythe’s throw by a hair. The rabbit then stole second and third and scored on Bryce Harper’s sacrifice fly. Harper hit a leadoff double against McCarthy in the top of the fourth inning and came around to score on a Daniel Murphy sacrifice fly. McCarthy went on to retire nine of the next 10 batters he faced. In his last four starts, McCarthy has a 1.96 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and has allowed one home run in 23 innings. McCarthy has had two rough starts this season — April 29 against Philadelphia (five innings, four earned runs) and May 15 at San Francisco (5 2/3 innings, six earned runs). In his other eight starts, he has a 2.11 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 43 strikeouts and three home runs allowed in 47 innings. The numbers surprised manager Dave Roberts, but the consistent performances are not. “It seems like every single time he gets out there he has control of the game,” Roberts said. “Like Scherzer, he had his mix working today — the breaking ball, the cutter, the two-seamer down below the zone, the four-seamer up. He left the change to Harper up that he hit the double on. But you take those (two) starts out and he’s as good as anyone in the league.”

For comparison, Alex Wood has started eight games this season, and in those games he has a 1.90 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 56 strikeouts and one home run allowed in 42 2/3 innings. Yes, McCarthy has been that good — and without much notice. “It’s just staying in the same place mentally, staying in the same place physically and moving through and trying to execute as many pitches as I can — as stupidly cliché as that is. It’s really the truth,” McCarthy explained of his consistency. “Past start doesn’t matter. Next start doesn’t matter. The last inning (doesn’t matter). It’s what can I do on this pitch, and take that game by game and make that a series of 80 to 100 pitches a game.” McCarthy went four innings in his last start on June 1 due to a blister on his right index finger. He said it didn’t bother him on Tuesday. The lone run The Dodgers scored in the bottom of the first inning after Chase Utley led off with a single and Corey Seager reached on an error. Adrián González followed two batters later with an RBI single. The Dodgers loaded the bases in the third when Washington catcher Matt Wieters dropped a third strike with Cody Bellinger up. But Chris Taylor was struck out to end the threat. A year in the making Clayton Kershaw gets the start against Stephen Strasburg on Wednesday at 12:10 p.m. The two pitchers were supposed to oppose each other last June 20, but Strasburg was scratched an hour before the game with an upper back strain. Strasburg has one career start at Dodger Stadium — April 28, 2012 (a no decision). Eibner could take Dodger versatility to greater heights By Rowan Kavner 06/06 Nationals at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.: Chase Utley 2B Corey Seager SS Yasmani Grandal C Adrián González 1B Cody Bellinger LF Chris Taylor CF Logan Forsythe 3B Yasiel Puig RF Brandon McCarthy P

Brett Eibner could take the Dodgers’ willingness to let players demonstrate their versatility to new levels. Chris Taylor logged his first start in the outfield of his Major League career. Kiké Hernández played first base for the first time in his career Monday. Now, Eibner, an outfielder who last pitched at the University of Arkansas, could end up back on the mound at some point in a game. “He closed in college, and he’s obviously got a big arm and a slider to go with it,” said manager Dave Roberts. “For us, our organization identified him as a guy that could potentially not only pitch in a lopsided game, but if he could pitch a game and eat up an inning if needed, it could really help our ball club out.” Eibner was drafted by the Royals in the second round in 2010 out of Arkansas. In his final season as a Razorback, Eibner not only hit .333/.446/.718, but he also appeared in 15 games in a pitcher, making 11 starts and recording a save. While Eibner hasn’t thrown in a Minor League or Major League game in his career, Roberts said Dodger pitching coach Rick Honeycutt has liked what he’s seen. “I think he’s thrown six pens for us, four in front of Honey’s eyes,” Roberts said. “Rick likes the mechanics, the delivery. It was good to see, so we’ll see where it goes, but it is something that Brett’s embraced, and we’re really considering it.” Other Notes: · Brandon McCarthy makes his 10th start of the year and his first since leaving after four innings last Thursday with a blister on his throwing hand. Roberts said he’s not as concerned about McCarthy’s blister as he was Rich Hill’s. “From the medical staff to Brandon, he feels confident and comfortable,” Roberts said. “We’ll key an eye on it, but our expectation is that he’s going to get through this without issue.” · Roberts said Alex Wood, who’s been on the disabled list since May 29 (retroactive to May 27) with left SC joint inflammation, is on track to start either Saturday or Sunday this weekend. · It’s Justin Turner bobblehead night, and while Turner won’t be playing as he recovers from his hamstring injury, he’s on the comeback trail. Turner went 1-for-3 with an RBI single in his first rehab game with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, and he’ll play in a simulated game at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday. “Come Friday, we’ll make an assessment on where he’s at, how he feels, his timing at the plate, if he’s got to play another one or two games,” Roberts said. “There’s a possibility Friday, but it could also be pushed back a couple days.”

NBC LA

Max Scherzer Mows Down Dodgers as Nationals Win 2-1 By Michael Duarte Mad Max: Fury Road. Max Scherzer struck out 14 batters and the Washington Nationals defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-1, on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. Scherzer (7-3) was sensational in one of the more dominant starts of the season for the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner. "I knew I had to come out with a lot of off-speed pitches to counteract their lefties," said Scherzer of the Dodgers' lineup. "I had a good feel for my slider. It's a pitch I can have great feel for. If I can find the zone early, it's an indication I can put it wherever I want it." The right-hander allowed one unearned run on just three hits with two walks and 14 strikeouts in seven strong innings for the Nationals who have won seven of their last eight games on the road. Scherzer's 14 strikeouts was the 55th time in his career that he recorded 10 or more strikeouts in a game, the most among active players. The two-time Cy Young Award winner also joined Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan, Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens as the only players in MLB history with five or more career games with at least 14 strikeouts and no earned runs. "I knew I had nine strikeouts through three," said Scherzer of his strikeouts. "But after those walks, I knew my pitch count was up so I had to work more efficiently. I'm a strikeout pitcher, that's just who I am. So when you get in two strike situations I have to put them away." Clayton Kershaw is second on that list, and has a chance to tie Scherzer's record when he takes the mound on Wednesday. Brandon McCarthy nearly matched Scherzer, but was done in by Washington's speed and small-ball style of play. "Scherzer's one of the best in the game," said Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts of the pitching matchup. "When you get a performance like that from Mac [McCarthy] to match him, it's a tough one to lose." Trea Turner started the game with an infield single and then promptly stole second and third before the Dodgers knew what hit them. Two batters later, Turner would score on a sacrifice fly by Bryce Harper. "Forgetting Trea Turner was on first and second and that he was going to steal at will and not doing all that I should do to hold him," McCarthy said of the most frustrating part of the game. "I have to do things to increase the odds in our favor and I didn't do any of those."

Harper himself scored on a sacrifice fly by Daniel Murphy in the fourth inning to give the Nationals a 2-1 lead, as both Washinton runs came via the sacrifice fly. McCarthy (5-3), was the hard-luck loser, allowing just two runs on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts in seven solid innings of work. It was his first loss of the season at Dodger Stadium. "I understand when Max is pitching like that the odds are long and it's going to be a tough fight," said McCarthy of the loss. "I understand it, but you'd like to be able to pull out a game like that." Adrian Gonzalez knocked in the Dodgers only run of the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning. Rookie Koda Glover pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save of the season. Los Angeles struck out a season-high 17 times and have now lost three games in a row as they look to avoid their first series sweep of the season on Wednesday. Up Next: Clayton Kershaw will once again look to snap the skid when he takes the mound opposite Stephen Strasburg in a marquee pitching set for a matinee start time of 12:10PM PST.

YAHOO SPORTS

Yasiel Puig and Koda Glover almost fought after game-ending strikeout By Mike Oz The Washington Nationals sure aren’t feeling the so-called California Love. For the second time in nine days, they were in a middle of a benches-clearing situation, this time in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. This one didn’t lead to punches like the Nats-Giants brawl involving Bryce Harper and Hunter Strickland, but tempers certainly flared and it featured another polarizing outfielder and another reliever. In the center of this one was Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig. Puig struck out against closer Koda Glover to the end the game, a 2-1 Nats win. Afterward, as Puig walked back to the dugout, he wasn’t happy about something Glover did or said. You can see Puig saying, “What?” to Glover. Here’s another angle that show Glover say something to Puig. It looks like there’s an F-word and “dugout” in there, but we’re professional lip readers. Puig didn’t exactly charge the mound. Rather, he strolled up toward Glover. Before anything could happen, Dodgers first-base coach George Lombard rushed in to restrain Puig and Nats catcher Matt Wieters got in front of Glover. After the game, there was no real explanation from either side, beyond the usual baseball machismo:

People are bound to pile on Puig here, since he’s already hated by many baseball fans. But in his defense, it didn’t seem like he did too much wrong. He swung at ball four with a runner on second base and his team down a run — that was bad. But afterward, he was walking back to the dugout. What Glover did to get Puig’s attention puts him just as much at fault here. Now we’ll see if the tempers roll into Wednesday when the Nats conclude their California road trip. They’ll face Clayton Kershaw, who generally doesn’t have time for shenanigans like these. Nonetheless, the Nats are 7-1 thus far on their California road trip. So who needs California Love. They’ll take California Wins.

CBS SPORTS MLB Trade Deadline Rumors: Dodgers reportedly targeting pitching upgrades By Dayn Perry It's June, and among other baseball considerations, that means it's time to keep one eye on the approaching July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. One contender/buyer expected to be active leading up to the deadline is the Dodgers. They're angling for their fifth consecutive NL West title, and while the roster is strong and deep, they have some needs. On that point, here's MLB.com's Jon Morosi: The Dodgers entered this week's showdown series against the Nationals with the best team ERA in Major League Baseball. However, executives around the game expect Los Angeles to pursue pitching upgrades -- starters and relievers -- before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline. So L.A.'s getting very good pitching thus far, but there's some downside in the rotation, mostly because of injury histories. Presently, Alex Wood and Scott Kazmir are on the disabled list. Elsewhere, Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu each has an extensive ledger of past injuries, and Rich Hill is of course often afflicted by blisters. Kenta Maeda spent time on the DL last month with a hamstring injury. Even ace of aces Clayton Kershaw has dealt with back, hip, and shoulder problems in recent years. Yes, there's depth, but there's also wide-ranging potential for collapse. That, presumably, is why the Dodgers might be looking to add even more rotation depth before the calendar flips to August. In the bullpen, needs are less pressing, but, as Morosi notes, the Dodgers might see a need for more help from the left side, especially if they indeed remain in line to make the playoffs. As a general matter, contenders are always looking for more bullpen help, and that's especially the case now that relievers are being leaned up more and more in postseason play. The Dodgers have the kind of young talent to make a big swap happen, and they also of course have the resources to take on salary. Leading up to last year's deadline, they swung deals for Hill, Josh Reddick, Jesse Chavez, Josh Fields, and Bud Norris. Don't be surprised if L.A. is similarly active this time around. There's some organizational weariness when it comes to this run of early to semi-early playoff exits, and assuming the team's still in the postseason mix six weeks from now, bold steps might be taken to make this roster as strong and playoff-ready as possible.

As for arms possibly available in trade, it's a fluid list given that some teams don't know if they're buyers or sellers just yet. That said, notables like Jose Quintana, Yu Darvish, Jason Vargas, Brad Hand, Tony Watson, Jeremy Hellickson, and Derek Holland might be up for grabs. If the Twins slip back, then Ervin Santana could be shopped. There will of course be many others, just as there will be a number of other teams in hot pursuit.

MLB TRADE RUMORS

Inside The Draft Room: The 2002-2003 Dodgers By Chuck Wasserstrom All Logan White could do was laugh when I shared my story. The 2008 Cubs – the winningest team in the National League that season at 97-64 – were taking on the 84-78 Dodgers in the Division Series. At the time, I was a member of the Cubs’ Baseball Operations department. It was expected to be a quick series, and it was – for Los Angeles. Sure, Manny Ramirez had a thing or two to do with the Dodgers’ three-game sweep, but the big blow in Game 1 was a James Loney grand slam. For good measure, Russell Martin also went deep later in the contest. In Game 2, Chad Billingsley stifled Cubs bats, allowing one run in 6.2 innings while fanning seven. In Game 3, Jonathan Broxton had his third scoreless appearance of the NLDS in picking up the save and completing the sweep. “That was a lot of fun,” said White, who is now in his third year with the Padres after spending 13 years up the coast in Los Angeles. In his first two Dodgers drafts in 2002 and 2003, White’s combined haul included Loney, Martin, Billingsley, Broxton, Matt Kemp and A.J. Ellis, along with nine others who spent time in the Majors. “What wasn’t fun is we could never get to the big dance. And you know how hard that is, obviously. It’s tough to get to the big game, and that was my only regret when I was in L.A. – never getting to the World Series. “That’s what keeps us going. That’s what we’re trying to do in San Diego now. We’re trying to rebuild the farm and everything. Hopefully, at some point, we’ll have some young players like you saw in those Dodgers days.” – – – Going back to the early years of the draft – heck, you can really go back to their Brooklyn days and Branch Rickey – the Dodgers have had a reputation for player development and scouting. Baseball America still calls the Dodgers’ class of 1968 “the best in draft annals,” as the team selected Ron Cey, Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Buckner, Doyle Alexander, Geoff Zahn, Joe Ferguson, Tom Paciorek and Bobby Valentine. But after years of draft success, Los Angeles then had a dry spell. While the 1993 draft brought a couple solid longtime Dodgers in Darren Dreifort and Paul Lo Duca, there was very little cause to pat

themselves on the back from 1994-2001. Granted, there were a few solid hits – Paul Konerko (1994), Ted Lilly (1996) and Shane Victorino (1999) – but those three made their biggest impact with other organizations. In November 2001, the Dodgers turned to Logan White to return their scouting department to its glory days. A former relief pitcher in Seattle’s farm system, White began his scouting career in 1988 as an associate scout with the Mariners. He had stints as the West Coast supervisor for San Diego (1993-1995) and Baltimore (1996-2001) en route to Los Angeles. Upon joining the Dodgers’ organization, White brought with him a very high school-centric draft philosophy. “I think my approach developed from watching others,” he said. “Having been around Don Welke – who was a mentor of mine and worked for Toronto for a long time, and being around Pat Gillick, and in watching the Atlanta Braves during that period of time … when you look at them, they drafted a lot of high-ceiling players and high school players. What I found out was … if you’re picking in the top 10 of the draft, there’s a lot of good scouts and evaluators out there, so teams generally will take the good college player up there. “We were picking 19th in 2002 and 24th in 2003. My research showed that you’d better know the high school player there because the quality college players that everyone knows have already been taken. Now, there are exceptions to that rule, of course. Mike Mussina went 20th for the Orioles when I was there (in 1990), that type of thing. But there was some philosophy behind it; I didn’t look at it as analytics at the time, but I did research on it. “The other thing … there was a dynamic that happened in 2002 and 2003. That was the beginning of the ‘Moneyball’ years where teams – it wasn’t just Oakland – were drafting heavily from college. That was their philosophy and a lot of teams did well at it. So maybe 10 or 15 of them weren’t drafting from the high school pool. It just left a bigger pool of talent for us at the high school level in those years. So it was kind of by design and by circumstance, if that makes sense. “At the same time, we were just trying to draft the best available player who we thought had the highest ceiling. For example, let’s say there would be a college player we liked. We mixed our high school and college players together on the draft board. The college player would be pushed down a little further. Well, now you take another team and they’re only ranking college players. The college player gets ranked higher on their board. Say there’s a college player we would have liked to take in round three. But shoot, he went in round two or at the end of the first round to one of the teams selecting only from the college pool. “It left us more high school players. It’s really how the draft fell because we liked a number of college guys. Heck, we liked Nick Swisher, but Swisher went before we picked.” Swisher, who had attended Ohio State, was taken at No. 16 in the 2002 draft by Oakland. “That’s kind of how those drafts unfolded,” White said. “But we did focus on the high school player. That was definitely by design.”

The 2002 and 2003 drafts were very different for the Dodgers in terms of volume of picks – in ’02, the team gained two additional selections as compensation for the loss of free agent Chan Ho Park to Texas; in ’03, the club only had one pick in the top 60 – but not in terms of a common theme. In his first year as a scouting director, White didn’t select a four-year college player until his ninth pick. In his second year, his first eight picks – and 13 of his first 15 – were high school players. 2002 … the famous “Moneyball” draft. While Oakland’s draft was covered in-depth in Michael Lewis’ book, White was in the process of telling a story of his own, focusing on a bunch of high school kids. “It was my first year, and I went to a college baseball tournament at Minute Maid Park,” White recalled. “While I was in Houston, there was a high school game going on and my area scout, Chris Smith, said, ‘There’s a good matchup. You can see two pitchers and a first baseman named James Loney play.’ I went out to the high school and you had Scott Kazmir and Clint Everts pitch. And they all ended up being first-round picks.” Loney played for Lawrence E. Elkins High School in the Houston suburb of Missouri City. His high school team was facing Cypress Falls High School, which featured Everts (who was selected fifth overall by the Expos) and Kazmir (selected 15th by the Mets). “James faced them both that day,” White said, “and he hit a home run to left-center off Everts. And he also pitched that day. James was actually touted as a pitcher. He was supposed to be a high draft pick as a pitcher but he swung the bat extremely well. I talked to Chris Smith about him. I’m like, ‘Man, this guy can really swing the bat. I love his swing.’ And I told him to keep an eye on him. Don’t forget him as a hitter even though he was better known as a left-handed pitcher. As the year went on, he was always in the back of my head. We kept checking on him. “Gib Bodet, our national cross-checker, later went in to see him. He called me and said, ‘Hey Logan, this Loney kid has a chance to be a Gold Glove defender.’ He loved his defense. So we just kept doing our work. Chris and I remember being at a game later in the year and James wasn’t pitching; he was only hitting, and there were no other scouts there. When James was pitching there’d be 30 scouts or whatever. We knew we were probably one of the few teams on him as a hitter. “There were players we had high on our board. We loved Zack Greinke. We loved Prince Fielder. Like I mentioned, we loved Swisher. But we knew as the draft was going to unfold, those guys were going to get taken ahead of us. “The one player we were hoping would get to us was Cole Hamels.” Hamels, a high school left-hander out of San Diego, had fractured his humerus – the bone between the shoulder and the elbow – after his sophomore season. There were medical concerns about him, so White asked for and obtained clearance from Dr. Frank Jobe and from club ownership. The hope was that there were enough concerns industry-wide to allow Hamels to drop all the way to Dodgers.

“We were hoping Hamels would get to us at 19, and then we could take James at 31 because we had that sandwich pick. That was our strategy, but of course, the Phillies took Hamels at 17,” White said. “So we went with our next plan, moving James up to 19. And then we took Greg Miller, who was a left-handed pitcher who had really good years before he, unfortunately, got hurt. He could have been as good as any of them at 31.” In taking Loney with their first pick, the Dodgers took him ahead of Denard Span (No. 20 to Minnesota), Jeremy Guthrie (No. 22 to Cleveland), Joe Blanton (No. 24 to Oakland) and Matt Cain (No. 25 to San Francisco). “That range actually was pretty good from about 15 to 25,” White said. “I remember being asked by writers on the conference call when we took James, ‘You know, Logan, you took James Loney with your first pick at 19. He’s ranked by Baseball America on their list at like, number 56 as a left-handed pitcher.’ I said, ‘No disrespect to anybody, but I only paid attention to our list.’ I was so naïve my first year, and I didn’t even think much about the question. Fortunately, James has had a good career. I would have loved for him to have hit 30 homers and been an All-Star every year, but I’m still proud of him.” Miller might have softened the blow of missing out on the opportunity to pick Hamels, had Miller been able to stay healthy. As an 18-year-old in 2003, the graduate of Esperanza High School in Anaheim was on the fast track, combining to go 12-5 with a 2.21 ERA at High-A Vero Beach and Double-A Jacksonville. The following year, he missed the entire campaign with shoulder issues, and was never the same. “He was throwing 95 with a great breaking ball and he was a 6-foot-6 lefty,” White said. “He certainly had as high of a ceiling as any of them. It’s just a shame he got hurt. His stuff was electric, it really was.” In the second round, White had a pair of selections, choosing Iowa City High School right-hander Zach Hammes at No. 51 and Jonathan Broxton, a right-hander out of Burke County High School in Waynesboro, Ga., at No. 60. One of those two worked out, as Broxton has pitched in nearly 700 major league games. Hammes pitched until 2013, but only saw brief Triple-A action. Still, White kicks himself, as Jon Lester wasn’t selected by Boston until No. 57, and Brian McCann wasn’t picked by Atlanta until No. 64. “If I was so smart … McCann, I should’ve taken him right there,” White said. “Obviously, we took Hammes. He was a tall projection pitcher out of Iowa. Our scouts liked him and we thought we were going to get a good one there, but we just didn’t. “I will tell you with Lester … I learned a lesson. I saw Lester match up against Adam Loewen [who went fourth overall to the Orioles] in the fall of their senior years, and it was a great matchup. Lester threw outstanding. Well, then I went and saw Lester in the spring and his fastball was down. He was 87-89 and did not have the same stuff he showed in the fall. I learned my lesson — I should have gone with what I first saw and with my instincts, and instead, I didn’t do that. I obviously regret missing a big player, a big pitcher, right there. “Lester and McCann … those bother me because we certainly liked both of those players – but obviously, we didn’t like them as well as the teams that got them.”

Broxton, who is now in his 13th big league season, has appeared in more games than any other pitcher selected in the ’02 draft. Before departing the Dodgers as a free agent after the 2011 season, he went to two All-Star games and made 13 playoff appearances. “Lon Joyce, our area scout in Georgia, did a really good job on him,” White said. “Broxton was a big, thick guy throwing 90-93. Good slider, good breaking ball and just had a really good delivery for a big guy. And he was athletic. I remember him having to cover first and make a play and he moved well for his size. I just loved the arm and everything. “Right before the draft there was a Georgia All-Star game, and Lon called me and said, ‘Hey, Logan, I’m at this game and Broxton is throwing 95-96.’ And back then, 95-96 was probably like 97-98 nowadays because the guns were not as sophisticated. But that definitely helped that he saw him right before the draft. We loved the delivery and loved his size. It fit everything we were looking for in him.” White hit on several other players who had some decent big-league time – fourth-rounder Delwyn Young out of Santa Barbara (Calif.) City College, 11th-rounder James McDonald out of Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, Calif., and 15th-rounder Eric Stults out of Bethel College in Mishawaka, Ind. But the player who would go on to have the biggest impact – Russell Martin – was a second baseman selected in the 17th round out of Chipola College in Marianna, Fla. “When I went to L.A., I did have a philosophy of, ‘We’re going to look for guys that we can convert to catch,’ because I’ve always felt catching is hard to find,” White said. “It all goes back to being an area scout in Arizona. I remember going in to watch Arizona Western Junior College play. “They had this shortstop and I liked him. I’m going, ‘Man, this guy can hit a little bit. He can throw, but he’s kind of heavy.’ He was a chunky guy and he didn’t run that well, and he was playing shortstop in junior college. I was a first-year scout, and I started comparing him to the Derek Jeters, the Alex Rodriguezes; I knew this guy couldn’t play short in the big leagues. I didn’t know where he was going to play, but I knew I liked something about him. Well, I didn’t write him up. I didn’t do anything with him. Nobody drafts him. “Fast forward three or four years later, and I hear this guy’s name again. Somebody signed him after the fact; they worked him out and made him a catcher. And you know who it was? It was Bengie Molina. At the time, I didn’t have the mindset to take a player like that and put him behind the plate. I hadn’t acquired that skill of scouting yet. “Now, when I get to L.A., I have a little more experience under my belt, and I wanted the scouts to look for guys we could convert to catch. I asked one of my big questions, ‘Is there anybody that’s playing second or short, third, good feet, good hands, we can convert?’ The area scout was Clarence Johns and the East Coast supervisor was John Barr, who’s now with the Giants as their scouting director. They both were at a game and Russ was messing around in the outfield or the bullpen, catching somebody. Just playing, not really in gear or anything. And they said, ‘Hey, you know what? We think this guy would be perfect.’ “So we intentionally drafted him to convert him. The rest is history.” Martin, a four-time All-Star, is closing in on 1,400 games behind the plate for his big-league career.

“It was by design; we were trying to get guys like that,” White said. “Now we could say we were lucky we got him in the 17th round, of course. But there was a lot of work that had to go into it because I know our catching people had to do a lot of work that helped Russ become the catcher he became.” – – – Fast forward 12 months to June of 2003. Thanks to a 92-70 record during the 2002 campaign, the Dodgers found themselves selecting in the 24th slot of the draft. Looking back, it wasn’t a great draft. Three of the top six picks didn’t reach the Majors. The projected studs of the class, Delmon Young and Rickie Weeks, didn’t put up the numbers expected of them. Throughout the spring scouting season, though, White had his eye on Chad Billingsley, a high school right-hander out of Defiance, Ohio. “Well, that year … it wasn’t like the year before when there were a lot of guys you’d have been happy with it,” White said. “We saw Chad really early. And you know the thing about Chad … he was the ace of the Junior Olympic team. Those are things that were always important to me, kids that have played and had success wherever they’d been. “Chad had such a good arm and a good delivery. He was throwing 94-95 with a plus breaking ball, plus changeup. He had a feel for pitching. He was a pretty good athlete for a high school kid. And we honestly were on Chad right away from the get-go. I’m trying to remember if we had anybody else that we liked better than Chad. I don’t remember off the top of my head; it was not like the way we hoped Hamels would get to us. Chad was pretty much a guy we were going to take at 24; I penciled him in and he was going to be our guy. I had all our people see him. As a matter of fact, I even had Dave Wallace – at the time he was our roving pitching coordinator – go see him for us because I just knew I liked him so much. “And I think the thing that helped us, too, was he’s a high school right-handed pitcher. The industry gets a little afraid of high school right-handed pitchers, rightly so. A lot don’t make it.” Billingsley was the first of eight consecutive high school players White selected in 2003. Of those eight, five reached the majors, including fourth-rounder Xavier Paul out of Slidell, La., seventh-rounder Wesley Wright out of Goshen, Ala., and eighth-rounder Lucas May out of Parkway West High School in Ballwin, Mo. And then there was the sixth-round pick – outfielder Matt Kemp, better known as a basketball player than for his baseball exploits at Midwest City (Okla.) High School. Kemp was the shooting guard on two state championship teams, where he was teammates with Shelden Williams, the fifth pick in the 2006 NBA draft. “We loved Matt,” White said. “Matt was getting recruited to play basketball by big schools and didn’t play baseball on the circuit. He wasn’t seen in the summers a lot. Honestly, we were really lucky on Matt in that regard.

“My area scout, Mike Leuzinger, took me to see a pitcher on Matt’s team that got drafted [Brent Weaver, the Brewers’ second-round pick]. Matt’s playing right field, and I asked Mike about him. He said, ‘That’s Matt Kemp. He’s a basketball player.’ And he went 0-for-3. “A bunch of people were in to see the pitcher. They leave, and then I say, ‘We’re going to stick around for the second game.’ I wanted to see Matt play again. He went 1-for-3, then Mike and I asked the coach if he’d let Matt hit some more. So we went and saw Matt hit at the high school. “And what’s funny, I told Matt, ‘Now do not tell anybody that I’ve been in here. Don’t tell them you met me. Don’t tell them you’ve seen me. Don’t mention my name to anybody, please.’ This is how literally he took that; he didn’t even tell his Mom or Dad. They always kid me about that, ‘We didn’t even know the Dodgers were on him because he didn’t tell us.’ We knew strategy-wise we needed to try to be smart. Mike did a great job; he told me, ‘Logan, nobody’s going to take him until the eighth, ninth, 10th round. Nobody sees him as that kind of guy.’ We had him on our board in about the third or fourth round. “We actually had him over Xavier Paul, who we took in the fourth round. Xavier was going to Tulane, but I knew I might be able to sign him if we took him in the fourth. But if I took Matt in the fourth and Xavier in the sixth, I probably would just be able to sign Matt. So that became part of our strategy in how we drafted them. That’s where Mike did a great job. And that’s an important part of scouting – to get a feel for where you have to take a player. It helps you maximize your draft. “Mike did a good job of knowing we didn’t have to take Matt there, so it allowed us to take Matt in the sixth round. I didn’t want to let him fall too far because it’s dangerous trying that. When you look back you might even say it was stupid to wait that long; somebody could’ve taken him.” Kemp, a two-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove Award winner and two-time Silver Slugger, looks like a player with his athletic build. Playing in front of a bunch of scouts because his high school team included a highly rated pitcher, it’s amazing that he fell to the 181st slot. “I honestly don’t know the reason for that,” White said. “I do think the fact that people thought he would play basketball, and he wasn’t seen a lot, and it’s one of those … I don’t know. I wish I knew the answer to what other teams are thinking.” Once the draft moved into the late teens, White again landed a catcher who would go on to see significant time in the majors with 18th-rounder A.J. Ellis, a backstop out of Austin Peay University. This time, White was actually looking for someone who had caught before. While not a star in the same category as Russell Martin, Ellis is now in his 10th big league season and was a member of the Dodgers’ organization from draft day 2003 until an August 2016 trade to Philadelphia. “If you look at my drafts historically, I’m kind of superstitious,” White said. “I don’t know why I got superstitious about that. I guess because of Martin. But I always try to target a catcher there. “I have to give credit to Marty Lamb, the area scout. What we were targeting that year … we were honestly trying to get a catcher who was older, who had some leadership qualities, those kind of things – because we did have a young pitching corps that we had drafted in back-to-back years. We had just

drafted Broxton and all those guys and then we had Billingsley and those guys. Russ was just learning to catch. So we had a need for a guy that was a little more polished to catch our young guys. “I had a really good feel for A.J. based on how Marty felt about him, and the way he’s turned out is exactly what Marty described. Great person. Quality leader. Not going to wow you when you first see him. We were fortunate that we got him in the 18th round.” – – – During his tenure in Los Angeles, more than 50 of White’s draft selections reached the major leagues. Some turned out to be better than others. (He did pick some guy named Clayton Kershaw, for instance.) Most came from the high school ranks. His time in L.A. was reminiscent of the Dodger Way of scouting and developing players. “That 2002 draft, and again in 2003, we felt really good when we left the draft room,” White said. “And sometimes when you feel good leaving the draft room, your instincts are usually right. “Those two years, what I’m just as proud of – and this may sound stupid, but I’m really proud of it – I think our scouts did great work after the draft as well. There’s actually three players that don’t show up on those lists. We signed a fifth-year senior out of Maryland named Steve Schmoll, who got to the big leagues and contributed. “After the 2002 draft, Hank Jones, our scout in the Northwest, signed a pitcher out of Portland named Eric Hull who got in a little big league time. And then the next year, we signed a player named Jamie Hoffman – who Jeff Schugel saw in the American Legion Tournament in Minnesota, I want to say. We signed Jamie towards the end of that summer, and he got in some time. We actually ended up with three more big leaguers than what actually showed up in the draft process. “You try to get as many high-ceiling players as you can that are going to be quality big leaguers, and then you want to have depth. I was proud of the scouts; they kept working through the later rounds. They kept working after the draft. Those guys were out there working their tails off. It was one of our philosophies – to keep pressing before and after the draft and always be out there looking for talent.”