Daily Clips

July 24, 2015

LOS ANGELES DODGERS CLIPS FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2015

DODGERS.COM: Kershaw rolls shutout streak to 29 innings – Ken Gurnick Ker-shutout: Ace stifles Mets with 3-hit gem – Ken Gurnick and Joe Trezza Greinke to miss start; Thomas filling in – Ken Gurnick Kershaw makes Colon swing out of his helmet – Ben Cosman Frias, Hatcher slated to begin rehab action – Ken Gurnick Kershaw, A-Gon among most popular jerseys – Mark Newman Thomas to face Mets in first MLB start – Joe Trezza LA TIMES: Clayton Kershaw special, if not perfect, in Dodgers' 3-0 win over Mets – Dylan Hernandez Zack Greinke goes back to L.A. – Dylan Hernandez Orel Hershiser's streak was a different ballgame – Bill Plaschke Clayton Kershaw retires first 18 Mets in throwing three-hitter – Steve Dilbeck Dodgers' Zack Greinke likely to miss Friday start due to birth of child – Dylan Hernandez Howie Kendrick wants all Dodgers critics to 'go follow someone else' – Steve Dilbeck OC REGISTER: Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw flirts with perfection in three-hit shutout of Mets – Bill Plunkett Zack Greinke leaves Dodgers for the birth of his first child, will miss scheduled start – Bill Plunkett On deck: Dodgers at Mets, Friday, 4 p.m. – Bill Plunkett Final: Clayton Kershaw perfect through six innings, throws 3-hit shutout – Bill Plunkett Zack Greinke to miss start for Dodgers on Friday to be with wife for birth of their child – Bill Plunkett LA DAILY NEWS: Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is almost perfect against the New York Mets – JP Hoornstra Zack Greinke leaves Dodgers for the birth of his first child – JP hoornstra TRUEBLUELA.COM: Matt Beaty has 4 hits in Great Lakes romp – Eric Stephen Clayton Kershaw rounding into peak form, again – Eric Stephen Clayton Kershaw beats Mets with 3-hit shutout – Eric Stephen Corey Seager expected to return to Oklahoma City lineup soon – Eric Stephen Zack Greinke leaves for pending birth of child, out for Friday start – Eric Stephen Howie Kendrick sits in Dodgers opener with Mets – Eric Stephen ESPNLA: Mets have no answer for streaking Clayton Kershaw – Danny Knobler Clayton Kershaw reminds us that he's still pretty good – David Schoenfield Rapid Reaction: Dodgers 3, Mets 0 – Danny Knobler Clayton Kershaw flirts with perfect game in shutout of Mets – ESPN.com Zack Greinke out Fri. for child's birth; Dodgers hopeful for weekend start – Danny Knobler DODGER INSIDER: Defense can’t rest in scoreless streaks – Mark Langill Dodgers RBI players gaining financial literacy – Erin Edwards Clayton Kershaw flirts with Perfection, Perfection still won’t commit to a relationship, but Scorelessness remains true – Jon Weisman Soon-to-be-a-dad Zack Greinke back in Los Angeles – Jon Weisman Clayton Kershaw: 0.96 ERA in past 15 July starts – Jon Weisman

DODGERS PHOTO BLOG: 7/23/15-Something Current-LAD-3,NYM-0 - Jon SooHoo NBC LA: Clayton Kershaw Loses Perfect Game in 7th, Dodgers Whitewash Mets 3-0 – Michael Duarte FOX SPORTS: MLB Quick Hits: Oh, baby! Greinke expected to miss Friday start – John Halpin Clayton Kershaw's jersey is a top seller but eclipsed by Bumgarner's – FOX Sports Zack Greinke puts scoreless streak on hold for birth of his first child – FOX Sports RIGHT-HANDER BOLSINGER, THE DODGERS SOFT-TOSSING SAVIOR – Rob Neyer FOX NEWS LATINO: Legendary L.A. Dodgers' pitcher Fernando Valenzuela becomes a U.S. citizen – FOX News Latino LAOPINION.COM: Fernando Valenzuela se convierte en ciudadano de EEUU – Abraham Nudelstejer ESPN DEPORTES: Fernando Valenzuela se convirtió en ciudadano de Estados Unidos – ESPN Deportes

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2015

DODGERS.COM

Kershaw rolls shutout streak to 29 innings

By Ken Gurnick

NEW YORK -- The best pitcher in baseball wasn't the best pitcher on his team during the first half of the

season, but Clayton Kershaw is still Clayton Kershaw.

So, while Zack Greinke took his scoreless-innings streak home to be with his expectant wife, Kershaw

took his scoreless-innings streak to the mound at Citi Field on Thursday night and closed the gap with his

teammate.

He dominated the Mets with a three-hit shutout, losing a perfect game in the seventh inning when he

shifted from making history to making sure a one-run lead would hold up.

Kershaw finished off the 3-0 Dodgers win with 11 strikeouts and no walks. His scoreless-innings streak is

29, his record is 8-6 and his ERA 2.51. It was his second shutout and complete game of the season and

raised his career record against the Mets to 6-0.

In Kershaw's last five starts over 40 innings, he has allowed two earned runs with 54 strikeouts and two

walks. He's the first MLB pitcher since Ray Culp in 1968 with eight scoreless innings and at least 11

strikeouts in three consecutive starts. In those three starts, Kershaw has at least 10 strikeouts and no

walks, matching Tampa Bay's Chris Archer for the longest streak in the last 100 years.

"He had one run until the ninth and made it stand," said Jimmy Rollins, whose third-inning solo shot

accounted for that run. "That's what aces do. When he's like that, they've got no chance. When a guy's

good, he's good."

Greinke and his 43 2/3 scoreless-innings streak could be back on the mound by Saturday or Sunday,

restoring the Dodgers' best one-two tandem since Sandy Koufax (who pitched the only perfect game in

franchise history 50 years ago) and Don Drysdale.

"Those two have been pretty special for a while," manager Don Mattingly said of Kershaw and Greinke.

"It's been good for both of them. Zack has been so good and Clayton is so competitive, in a healthy way,

to show how good he is. He didn't want to go by the wayside, and he's shown us what he can do, too."

"I don't compete against my teammates. It's hard enough to get guys out," he said. "Yeah, I try to copy

Zack, the way he's throwing. I'm trying not to lower the bar."

Curtis Granderson ruined the perfect game by lining an 0-2 slider down and over the plate to right field

leading off the seventh inning. Wilmer Flores singled on a slider one out later. Lucas Duda also singled

off a slider leading off the eighth inning, but Kershaw picked him off.

Kershaw said he thought the pitch to Granderson was a good one, not so much the other two sliders for

hits. He had to quickly shift his focus from perfection into protection of the one-run lead in the seventh.

"That's the thing, you've got to refocus really fast, you've got to bear down really quick to get out of it,"

he said.

Kershaw admitted he started to think about a perfect game "right about the time he got the hit. Once

the seventh rolls around, it could be possible. It didn't last very long."

Ker-shutout: Ace stifles Mets with 3-hit gem

By Ken Gurnick and Joe Trezza

NEW YORK -- Reigning National League MVP Clayton Kershaw fired a three-hit shutout Thursday night,

striking out 11 Mets without a walk in a 3-0 Dodgers win at Citi Field.

Curtis Granderson broke up the perfect game leading off the bottom of the seventh inning with a line

single to right field on an 0-2 slider. One out later, Wilmer Flores blooped a single to right field, but

Kershaw pitched out of the jam. The only perfect game thrown by a Dodger remains Sandy Koufax with

a 1-0 win over the Cubs on Sept. 9, 1965.

"I definitely thought we'd see a perfect game tonight, the way he was throwing and the way they were

swinging," said Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal.

Kershaw ran his scoreless-innings streak to 29, raised his record to 8-6 and lowered his ERA to 2.51. It

was his second shutout and complete game of the season and raised his career record against the Mets

to 6-0. In Kershaw's last five starts over 40 innings, he has allowed two earned runs with 54 strikeouts

and two walks.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Mets killer: Jimmy Rollins homered off tough-luck loser Bartolo Colon in the third inning for the first

Dodgers run, and that held until the ninth, when they scored two insurance runs. Rollins' homer,

estimated to have traveled 418.9 feet by Statcast™, was his ninth of the season and 31st of his career

against the Mets. The only active players with more are Rollins' former Phillies teammates, Ryan Howard

(42) and Chase Utley (35).

"The way we're swinging the bats, we were overmatched," said Mets manager Terry Collins, whose

team ranks last in the Majors in hitting.

Curtis can: Granderson's liner to right might have garnered bigger applause than any leadoff single of his

career, and at least temporarily removed a Citi-sized monkey off the Mets' back. Combine Granderson's

.121 average against left-handed pitching and the ease with which Kershaw carved through the Mets'

lineup, any salvation felt doubtful. New York managed just two singles the rest of the way.

"It was a relief to get one on the board and break up the perfect game," third baseman Eric Campbell

said.

Colon cruises: Almost lost amid Kershaw's run at history were Colon's eight innings of one-run baseball.

The veteran righty allowed just five hits while striking out four without a walk. He retired the first seven

batters before Rollins' homer and faced the minimum over the next three innings thanks to three double

plays. The righty remains winless in his last six starts.

"Tonight, you saw Bart came back on regular rest and was much sharper than he has been. I think that

will continue," Collins said.

Duda's misstep: Lucas Duda usually hears "Luuu" not "boo" at Citi Field. But the first baseman was

greeted with the worse of the two in the eighth, when he was picked off by Kershaw after leading off

the inning with a single. The Mets produced just three baserunners all night, making each one vitally

important. Duda's baserunning blunder turned a promising late inning into a quick one for Kershaw.

"He has kind of a lean before he goes to the plate," Duda said. "The bunt was on, so I tried to get a little

more with my shuffle. I guessed wrong. Big mistake on my part. "

QUOTABLE

"He'd have been pretty ticked off." -- Grandal, of Kershaw's favorite catcher A.J. Ellis, if Grandal had

caught a Kershaw perfecto while Ellis was on the disabled list

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

The Dodgers pitching staff has 15 shutouts, which leads the Major Leagues.

MANAGER CHALLENGE

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly challenged a call on the field in the sixth inning when home-plate

umpire Ben May ruled that Joc Pederson was not hit by a Colon pitch. A replay official ruled that

Pederson was hit by the pitch and Pederson was awarded first base.

WHAT'S NEXT

Dodgers: With Zack Greinke leaving the club to be with his expectant wife in Los Angeles, the Dodgers

will go with left-hander Ian Thomas as the starting pitcher for Friday night's game at 7:10 ET (4:10 PT). It

will be Thomas' first Major League start.

Mets: Jon Niese takes the hill looking for his third win in four stars. The lefty has excelled lately as a

subject of trade rumors, posting a 2.00 ERA in his last seven outings. Niese could be pitching with an

outfield including hyped prospect Michael Conforto in it. Conforto is a candidate to be promoted if the

Mets decide to put Michael Cuddyer on the disabled list.

Greinke to miss start; Thomas filling in

By Ken Gurnick

NEW YORK -- All-Star starter Zack Greinke returned to Los Angeles on Thursday to be with his expectant

wife, so the Dodgers will start swingman Ian Thomas in his place Friday night against the Mets.

The club already was in limbo for Saturday night, as Brandon Beachy had been demoted, and Sunday,

the normal day for Brett Anderson, who left his Tuesday start in the third inning with left Achilles

irritation.

Prospect Zach Lee had been positioned to make his Major League debut Saturday night in place of

Beachy, although the club never made that official. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said Greinke would

be placed on paternity leave and a pitcher would be called up, but wouldn't say who.

After Thursday night's game -- a 3-0 win for the Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw -- the club announced

that Thomas would start Friday. It will be the first Major League start for Thomas, who has a 5.23 ERA in

seven relief appearances this season.

Greinke, who has a scoreless-innings streak of 43 2/3 and a 1.30 ERA, was originally scheduled to start

Friday night. Mattingly said he was hopeful Greinke could rejoin the club in time to start Saturday night

but said a return in time for Friday night's game was "unrealistic."

Mattingly also said he was hopeful Anderson could make his start Sunday after successfully testing the

injury Thursday with agility drills, throwing, and pushing off the bullpen mound without throwing.

Anderson, who still wears a protective boot when not at the ballpark -- "In case I trip on a curb or get hit

by a cab" -- said his workout Thursday was a "good step" and he had "no issues."

He will throw a bullpen session Friday, possibly with some fielding practice, as he suffered the injury

fielding a batted ball. He said he wouldn't need to be disabled, barring a setback.

Mattingly, who said he received a call from Greinke at 5 a.m. Thursday with the news he was leaving,

downplayed the severity of the situation.

"We're OK," he said. "It's not like he's out for the season."

Frias, Hatcher slated to begin rehab action

By Ken Gurnick

NEW YORK -- Dodgers starting pitcher Carlos Frias and reliever Chris Hatcher are scheduled to begin

injury rehabilitation assignments with Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga this weekend.

Hatcher, on the disabled list since June 15 with a left oblique strain, will pitch in a game Friday night.

Frias, on the disabled list since July 1 with lower back tightness, will start Sunday after throwing a 31-

pitch batting practice session.

Hatcher, acquired in the offseason Dee Gordon trade, has struggled (1-4, 6.38 ERA) most of the season

in a setup role.

Frias, who stepped into the starting rotation after the injury to Brandon McCarthy, is 4-5 with a 4.54 ERA

in 12 starts.

Thomas to face Mets in first MLB start

By Joe Trezza

Zack Greinke's scoreless-innings streak will have to wait. The Dodgers right-hander was originally

scheduled to face off against Mets lefty Jon Niese on Friday night as the teams continued a four-game

series at Citi Field. But Greinke, who hasn't allowed a run in 43 2/3 scoreless innings, flew back to Los

Angeles on Thursday to be with his wife for the birth of their first child.

Los Angeles will start lefty rookie Ian Thomas in place of its All-Star righty. Acquired from the Braves as

part of the deal that sent Juan Uribe to Atlanta on May 27, Thomas is in his fourth stint in the Majors

this season. His first career big league start comes after 23 relief appearances, over which he posted a

4.71 since last season. Thomas will become the 13th starter the Dodgers have used this year, surpassing

their total from 2014.

He opposes Niese, who has been brilliant for the better part of the past two months. The lefty, who has

been the subject of trade rumors, has pitched at least seven innings in five of his last seven starts,

owning a 2.00 ERA over that span.

New York will limp into the contest having lost three of four, but at least not nursing the hangover of a

second no-hitter this season. The Mets managed just three hits off Clayton Kershaw in the series opener

Thursday, when the possibility of history lingered into the seventh inning of the Dodgers' 3-0 win. New

York was no-hit by the Giants' Chris Heston on June 9 and ranks last in the Majors in batting average.

Things to know about this game

• New York is expected to make a decision prior to the game regarding ailing outfielder Michael

Cuddyer, who is dealing with a bone bruise in his left knee. If Cuddyer were to be placed on the disabled

list, the Mets would promote a player to replace him, and GM Sandy Alderson hinted Thursday that it

could be hyped outfielder Michael Conforto.

• Jimmy Rollins was notorious in Queens for killing the Mets during his days with the Phillies. Rollins may

be having a down year overall, but he showed Thursday he's still the same old player in New York.

Rollins' solo home run Thursday was his 31st in 244 games against the Mets.

* Expect New York third baseman Daniel Murphy and catcher Kevin Plawecki back in the lineup. Murphy

and Plawecki were given scheduled days off Thursday. Their replacements, Eric Campbell and Anthony

Recker, gave the Mets four players batting lower than .200 in the starting lineup.

LA TIMES

Clayton Kershaw special, if not perfect, in Dodgers' 3-0 win over Mets

By Dylan Hernandez

From his station behind home plate, Yasmani Grandal glanced up at the scoreboard at Citi Field,

expecting to see that the game was in the fourth inning.

It was already in the sixth.

Suddenly, it occurred to the Dodgers catcher that baseball history might be unfolding in front of him.

"I definitely thought we were going to see a perfect game tonight," Grandal said.

Clayton Kershaw entertained the possibility too — "Right around the time he got a hit," Kershaw later

recalled with a chuckle.

Curtis Granderson singled to right field to start the bottom of the seventh inning, depriving Kershaw of

what could have been the signature moment of an already-decorated career.

Kershaw settled for a three-hit shutout in a 3-0 victory over the New York Mets. He struck out 11

batters.

The performance Thursday night was crucial for the Dodgers, who learned Zack Greinke wouldn't pitch

for them the next day because he was back in Los Angeles for the birth of his first child.

With Greinke's scoreless streak currently at 43 2/3 innings, Kershaw extended his own to 29 innings.

The shutout was the second for Kershaw in his last three starts. In the other start, he pitched eight

innings.

"I'm trying to copy Zack, for sure," Kershaw said. "I'm just trying not to lower the bar at all when I'm out

there."

Over this three-game stretch, Kershaw has struck out 11 or more batters in each start and walked none.

"Not too many people can do that, unless you're Greinke," Grandal said.

Kershaw was expected to dominate the Mets.

Their cleanup hitter, John Mayberry Jr., was batting .179 entering the game. Their No. 5 hitter, Eric

Campell, was batting .170.

See the most-read stories in Sports this hour >>

Campbell nearly broke up the perfect game in the fifth inning on a pitch that bounced off Grandal. As

Campbell charged down the first-base line, Grandal scrambled to the ball.

He threw him out. Barely.

For most of the night, Kershaw worked with a one-run lead that came courtesy of a third-inning home

run by Jimmy Rollins. The run was the only one scored by the Dodgers in eighth innings against Mets

starter Bartolo Colon.

The Dodgers scored twice in the ninth inning.

Kershaw said Colon might have helped him by allowing the game to proceed at a brisk tempo.

Meanwhile, Grandal credited Colon for establishing an advantageous strike zone.

Colon was "just nicking the bottom of the zone and he was getting the strikes," Grandal said. "So

whenever Clayton went down there, he was getting the strikes too."

Grandal also caught Kershaw the last time he pitched against the Mets, which was on July 3 in Los

Angeles. In Grandal's eyes, Kershaw underwent a significant transformation between then and now.

Kershaw is now commanding his fastball better, which has allowed him to get into more favorable

counts. As a result, he is frequently forcing hitters to chase pitches out of the zone.

Granderson's single in the seventh inning was followed by a one-out single by Wilmer Flores. With the

Dodgers leading by only 1-0, the Mets had a runner in scoring position.

"You've got to kind of refocus really fast," Kershaw said.

He did, striking out Mayberry and forcing Campbell to ground out.

Though Kershaw said he didn't view Greinke as a rival, Grandal and Manager Don Mattingly remained

convinced the two pitchers push each other.

Grandal recalled a conversation with Greinke in spring training a day after they played an exhibition

game in San Antonio.

"Kershaw better watch out because I'm coming after him," Grandal recalled Greinke telling him.

"It's one of those things where they give each other confidence," Grandal said. "Somebody has a good

outing, the other guy wants to come out and have an even better outing. That's the one thing I like

about them. They both kind of compete."

Up next

Ian Thomas (0-1, 5.23 earned-run average) will face the Mets and Jon Niese (5-8, 3.36) at Citi Field on

Friday at 4 p.m. PDT. TV: SportsNet LA. Radio: 570, 1020.

Zack Greinke goes back to L.A.

By Dylan Hernandez

Zack Greinke returned to Los Angeles on Thursday for the impending birth of his first child, altering the

Dodgers' already-shaky rotation plans for the weekend.

Greinke will miss his scheduled turn in the rotation Friday against the New York Mets and be replaced by

left-hander Ian Thomas, a long reliever who was recalled from triple-A Oklahoma City earlier in the

week. Thomas has started five games in the minor leagues.

Manager Don Mattingly wouldn't rule out Greinke for the entire four-game series, which ends Sunday.

Greinke has a scoreless streak of 43 2/3 innings.

"He may be able to get back for Saturday, he may be able to get back for Sunday, he may not be able to

get back for either one," Mattingly said. "We're just hopeful he'll be able to pitch this weekend. We

think it's realistic at this point. Obviously, anything can happen with the birth of a child."

The Dodgers still haven't named their starting pitchers for Saturday or Sunday.

The rotation spot that will come up Saturday became vacant when the Dodgers optioned Brandon

Beachy to triple A earlier in the week. Beachy, who returned from his second reconstructive elbow

operation, lasted only four innings in each of his two starts.

As for Sunday, Mattingly thinks Brett Anderson could pitch that day. So does Anderson.

"Just based off the last few days, I wouldn't foresee any setbacks," Anderson said.

Anderson departed from his start Tuesday in Atlanta after only 2 2/3 innings because of problems with

his Achilles' tendon. Anderson has since reported significant improvement in his condition and threw on

flat ground Thursday. He said he will throw his regularly scheduled bullpen session Friday.

How Anderson feels Friday will determine whether he starts Sunday.

Regardless of whether Anderson pitches Sunday, he said he is confident he will avoid the disabled list.

Extra bases

Right-hander Chris Hatcher is scheduled to start a minor league rehabilitation Friday with Class-A

Rancho Cucamonga. … Sidelined starter Carlos Frias is expected to start Sunday for Rancho Cucamonga.

Frias has been sidelined since July 1 because of lower-back problems.

Orel Hershiser's streak was a different ballgame

By Bill Plaschke

When Zack Greinke left the Dodgers on Thursday in the middle of his potentially historic scoreless-inning

streak to be with wife Emily for the birth of their first child, you'll never guess who smiled at the

memories.

Orel Hershiser, whose record 59-inning scoreless streak is being threatened by Greinke's 43 2/3-inning

streak, also witnessed a birth during his legendary run in 1988.

Been there, pitched through that.

On Sept. 14, 1988, at Dodger Stadium, Hershiser threw a six-hit shutout in a 1-0 victory over the Atlanta

Braves.

One day later, labor was induced on then-wife Jamie and son Jordan was born.

Four days later, Hershiser threw a four-hit shutout in a 1-0 victory over the Houston Astros.

"I'm thrilled for Zack and his family, he is doing what he needs to do," said Hershiser, now a club

broadcaster. "When I played, it was just a different time."

Get news and notes on all the Dodgers matchups >>

Even though Hershiser has been reluctant to offer comparisons, his was also a very different streak.

While what Greinke has accomplished has been amazing, Hershiser was simply astonishing, blazing a

trail of greatness for which mere numbers do not do justice. Greinke might catch him, but it's hard to

imagine anyone ever matching him.

"I have never thrown a ball as hard as Zack Greinke," Hershiser protested Thursday in a phone call from

New York, where Greinke had been scheduled to face the Mets on Friday before he appropriately

rushed off to daddy duty. "I've never thrown a ball in my whole career as good as Greinke and Kershaw

are throwing. I'm not even in that realm. These guys are on a different level."

But for one month in 1988, Hershiser existed on an even higher plane, one that could not be equaled by

Kershaw's 41-inning scoreless streak attempt last season, and one that will not even be equaled if

Greinke passes him in the next couple of weeks.

"I'm cheering for this, I want this to happen, I've had my day," Hershiser said. "I want Zack and the next

Dodger championship team to have their day."

Yes, but perhaps it's worth pausing to remember the day of the Bulldog.

Hershiser's streak included five consecutive shutouts in the middle of a pennant race, capped by 10

scoreless innings in his final start of the season. For comparison's sake, Greinke has not completed any

of the six games during his mid-summer streak, and has pitched as many as eight innings only twice.

"That's all about game management, I'm sure Zack would complete games if they needed him to

complete games, he's doing what they ask," said Hershiser. "For me, Tommy [Lasorda] would always

say, 'If you were playing poker, would you get up from table and let somebody else play your chips?

Then why are you letting the bullpen come into your games?'"

See the most-read stories in Sports this hour >>

When Hershiser tied record-holder Don Drysdale after nine innings of a scoreless tie in San Diego on

Sept. 28, he told Lasorda that he was coming out of the game.

''We had already clinched the division, the game meant nothing, and how cool would it be for two

Dodgers to share the record?" Hershiser recalled. ''I thought the situation was perfect, I wanted to be

linked with Big D forever."

When Lasorda heard Hershiser make this argument in the dugout, he simply shook his head and walked

away as if he'd been talking to a crazy man.

"You're going out there!" he shouted to Hershiser, who sheepishly grabbed his glove and jogged into

history.

And who was in the dugout waiting for Hershiser after the record-setting inning, with the score still 0-0?

It was Drysdale, who had come down from his usual spot in the team's broadcast booth to hug him and

conduct the first in-game, postgame radio interview in Dodgers history. The game, incidentally, was not

shown on television in Los Angeles because it was so late in the season and all the broadcast dates had

been used.

Hershiser's streak amazingly extended into the postseason, where eight scoreless innings in the playoff

opener against the Mets gave him 67 consecutive scoreless innings.

"We just had a really good team, it wasn't about me, I was always just part of the whole," Hershiser said.

Eleven days after setting the record, one day after his second playoff start lasted seven innings in cold

weather, Hershiser made his biggest three pitches of the season out of the bullpen.

It was after 1 a.m. in New York, in the 12th inning of a rain-delayed Game 4 against the Mets. The

Dodgers had run out of relievers, so Hershiser volunteered to stretch out his battered arm and face a

batter. He entered the game with bases loaded and two out, threw three pitches, retired Kevin

McReynolds on a fly ball to center that was caught at the knees by a charging John Shelby, and earned

the save that probably saved the season.

"What had happened to me during the streak just kept happening the rest of the season," Hershiser

said. "Guys would continually make great plays behind me. My record was as much of a team record as

an individual record."

Hershiser ended the season with three consecutive complete-game victories, one against the Mets in

Game 7 and two against the Oakland Athletics in the World Series, the final one ending with catcher Rick

Dempsey lifting Hershiser into a championship celebration. It turns out, the streak was only the

beginning.

"I don't get up in the morning and go, 'This is going to be a good day because I have the streak,"'

Hershiser said. "I have this great job in a city I love, with a team we won a world championship with, for

a fan base that still greets me every day with smile and applause. Why would I be the only person in my

world who would be disappointed to see Zack break my record? I want it to happen."

Even though their streaks are very different, there is one way they are exactly the same. They are both

working with struggling offenses, which Hershiser said leads to the sort of batter-to-batter focus that

can result in strings of zeros.

"When you're getting one or two runs a game, you can't pitch around people, every out is huge, the

focus is finer," Hershiser said. ''If you're winning 5-0, you're just trying to get out of the inning, end the

game, allowing a run or two doesn't worry you so much."

Greinke hasn't sought pitching advice from Hershiser, not like Hershiser used to lean on Drysdale for

help. But Hershiser understands that with all the video and statistical information today, veterans don't

need much mentoring.

Still, if there was one piece of wisdom Hershiser would like to pass along, it can be found in the location

of the silver cup given to him by the Dodgers in honor of the record streak. He keeps it on a glass top

that he put on an antique funeral cart with other awards, including his World Series MVP trophy, as a

sober reminder.

"That moment was great, I'll remember it forever, but I've happily moved on to other things, and that

part of my life is dead," Hershiser said. "Enjoy it, cherish it, but know that it doesn't last forever."

Clayton Kershaw retires first 18 Mets in throwing three-hitter

By Steve Dilbeck

Let’s see, where were we? Oh, yeah, all hail Clayton Kershaw. Please forgive us, O greatest pitcher of

your generation, for doubting you back in May.

Now in July it is again Kershaw, slayer of mere mortals with baseball bats, ruler of all he surveys from

the mound.

Any doubting Kershaw’s return to dominance had only to take in his latest work of art Thursday. The

left-hander retired the first 18 Mets batters and went on to extend his scoreless streak to 29 innings.

Jimmy Rollins’ solo home run off Bartolo Colon in the third inning provided the night’s early score. The

Dodgers then rode the arm of Kershaw for a three-hit, 3-0 victory over New York at Citi Field.

Kershaw made many nervous when he started the season 2-3 with a 4.32 earned-run average in his first

nine starts. Overreaction was rampant. In his last 11 starts, he is 6-3 with a 1.21 ERA.

He was completely masterful Thursday against an admittedly weak-looking Mets lineup. He did not walk

a batter and struck out 11. He needed just 104 pitches, throwing 79 of them for strikes.

Kershaw had the Mets talking to themselves through the first six innings. But he lost his perfect game

and no-hit bid when Curtis Granderson led off the seventh with a clean single to right field. One out

later, Wilmer Flores dumped a single to right to move Granderson to second. Kershaw then struck out

cleanup hitter John Mayberry Jr. and got Eric Campbell to ground out.

Lucas Duda bounced a single up the middle for the Mets’ only other hit in the eighth, but Kershaw

quickly picked him off first.

Otherwise, he was a man completely in control. His slider was again sharp, but his curveball was also

breaking as though it was weighted once to the plate. He easily leads the majors in strikeouts with 185.

Kershaw (now 8-6, 2.51 ERA overall) pitched his first no-hitter last year against the Colorado Rockies,

striking out 15. In his last three starts, he has stuck out 38 without allowing a walk.

Rollins, who drove in the winning run Wednesday in Atlanta, hit his ninth home run of the year against

an otherwise sharp Colon in the third. Colon went eight innings for the Mets, allowing one run on five

hits. He struck out four and did not walk a batter.

The Dodgers got two insurance runs against the Mets’ bullpen in the ninth. The Dodgers put together

three consecutive singles to load the bases against Sean Gilmartin. New York then turned to Carlos

Torres, who walked pinch-hitter Alberto Callaspo to force in one run and gave up a sacrifice fly to Yasiel

Puig to complete the scoring.

Dodgers' Zack Greinke likely to miss Friday start due to birth of child

By Dylan Hernandez

Zack Greinke returned to Los Angeles for the birth of his first child and is expected to miss his scheduled

start Friday against the New York Mets at Citi Field.

While Manager Don Mattingly said it was “unrealistic” to expect Greinke to be back in time to pitch

Friday, he remained hopeful the All-Star right-hander could pitch later in the four-game series. Greinke

is currently on a 43 2/3-inning scoreless streak.

Mattingly wouldn’t say who would take Greinke's place in the rotation Friday, saying what happens in

the series opener Thursday could be a factor.

One option could be long reliever Ian Thomas, who has started five games in triple-A Oklahoma City.

Thomas was recalled earlier this week.

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There is also uncertainty regarding who will pitch Saturday and Sunday.

The rotation spot that falls on Saturday became vacant when the Dodgers optioned Brandon Beachy to

triple A after two ineffective starts.

Theoretically, Greinke could pitch that day. If not, the Dodgers could turn to former first-round draft pick

Zach Lee.

As for the game Sunday, Mattingly is hopeful Brett Anderson can pitch that day.

Anderson departed from his start Tuesday in Atlanta after 2 2/3 innings because of problems with his

Achilles' tendon. Anderson has since reported significant improvement in his condition and threw on flat

ground Thursday. He said he will throw his regularly scheduled bullpen session Friday.

How Anderson feels Friday probably will determine whether he starts Sunday.

Regardless of whether Anderson pitches Sunday, he said he is confident he will avoid landing on the

disabled list.

Howie Kendrick wants all Dodgers critics to 'go follow someone else'

By Steve Dilbeck

Howie, Howie, Howie. What’s a veteran second baseman to do? Not this, of course. Never this. It’s so

silly that it’s somewhat amazing it’s even being discussed. But, as the kids say, you went there.

You went and ripped people for ripping the Dodgers.

Which raises two immediate questions: 1) Why? and, 2) Exactly what critics are you talking about?

Not the Los Angeles media, which has been remarkably soft in its criticism of the Dodgers. They’re

playing pretty well and execs Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi have mostly been given a first-year

pass. The biggest complaint is that the richest team in baseball history is not close to dominant.

Yet, Wednesday in an Instagram post Howie Kendrick wrote:

“It’s funny how people who have never played baseball at a professional level or maybe even high

school have an opinion about baseball. Of course it’s easy to sit on the couch and be a good coach or

player. I guarantee you everyone that is talking would look like a complete fool in the batters box.

There’s a reason we are Major League Baseball players. So will all the coaches and critics go follow

someone else. Our team is fine.”

How enlightening. Apparently only former major leaguers are allowed to criticize Major League Baseball.

This would bring a whole new dimension to the world of criticism, or pretty much its death rattle. I’m

pretty sure most people who criticize politics have never held political office or who offer an opinion on

“Ant-Man” have never directed a movie, though I suspect critics of “Housewives of Whatever” consist of

plenty of housewives.

If all those critics sitting on their couches really were to go follow someone else, the Dodgers would be

out of business. Kendrick is 32, played in the majors for 10 years and has to know this as well as anyone.

Apparently rational thought returned to Kendrick, since he later took down the post. Either that or he

was tired of reading all the post’s critical comments.

Second-guessing is as much a part of sports as sweat. And no sport gets more of it than baseball, which

in reality is one of its charms. In this social media world, everyone is a critic. You may find this shocking,

but there are actually people on their couches who lecture me on the art of journalism. Hey, it’s a crazy

world.

Kendrick probably didn’t help his cause by somehow transitioning in the same post to his love for guns.

That he loves guns and lives in Arizona might be more information that many might care to possess.

I’d offer a critique, but then I don’t have any personal experience with guns.

OC REGISTER

Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw flirts with perfection in three-hit shutout of Mets

By Bill Plunkett

NEW YORK – As easy as he made it look Thursday night, the Dodgers might be able to solve their

rotation issues by letting Clayton Kershaw pitch a couple more times this weekend. That way, he might

catch Zack Greinke’s scoreless-innings streak before the new father rejoins the team.

Kershaw went through the New York Mets like a warm knife through butter – really, really soft butter.

He took a perfect game into the seventh inning before settling for a three-hit shutout as the Dodgers

beat the Mets, 3-0, at Citi Field.

Kershaw retired the first 18 batters, striking out eight of them before Curtis Granderson led off the

seventh inning with a clean single to right field.

“Oh yeah – I definitely thought we were going to see a perfect game tonight,” Dodgers catcher Yasmani

Grandal said. “The way that he was throwing, the way that they were swinging – you could tell he was

on. I definitely thought we had a chance to get a perfect game.”

Grandal is probably not the first visiting player to think that at Citi Field this season. The Mets rank last in

the National League in runs scored, as well as a number of other offensive statistics, and have already

been no-hit once (by Giants rookie Chris Heston). According to Elias Sports, the Mets became just the

second team since 1920 to start No. 4 and 5 hitters with batting averages under .180 after at least 100

at-bats when they sent John Mayberry Jr. (.165) and Eric Campbell (.176) up against Kershaw on

Thursday.

Kershaw has been facing tougher competition in his own clubhouse, where Greinke’s scoreless innings

streak (at 432/3 and holding) and miniscule ERA (1.30) have drawn national attention.

Kershaw now has a scoreless streak of his own (29) and his own shrinking ERA (2.51 thanks to a 1.21

stretch over his last 11 starts). In his last three starts, Kershaw has thrown two complete-game shutouts.

He has three consecutive scoreless starts with 10 or more strikeouts and no walks each time – according

to Elias, no pitcher since 1900 had done that.

“Those two have been pretty special, really, for awhile,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “I think

it’s good for both of them actually to have Zack pitching so well. Clayton’s so competitive in a healthy

way that I think he wants to show how good he is. And Zack, on the other end of it, seems like over the

last couple years didn’t want to sort of go by the wayside. I think he wanted to show us all that he can

pitch, too.

“It’s a healthy kind of duo right there.”

In fact, Grandal said Greinke quietly threw down the gauntlet this spring after watching Kershaw win his

third Cy Young Award last year.

“One of the funny things was in spring training, I’m catching Greinke and we go to San Antonio (for

exhibition games) and he has a great outing,” Grandal recalled. “First thing he tells me the next day

when I’m talking to him is, ‘Kershaw better watch out because I’m coming after him.’”

Kershaw will not admit to any such competition, friendly or otherwise.

“I don’t compete against my teammates. It’s hard enough to get guys out,” he said. “But, yeah, I’m

trying to copy Zack for sure, the way he’s throwing. It’s been really fun to watch. I’m just trying not to

lower the bar at all when I’m out there.”

In a start that looked a lot like his eight scoreless innings in Washington on Saturday – only against the

Mets’ much weaker lineup – Kershaw was once again ruthlessly efficient. He needed more than 13

pitches to retire the side just once and went to a three-ball count just once in the first eight innings. He

struck out Anthony Recker on a full-count called third strike in the third inning.

“The first few innings, the thing that they tried to do – and a lot of teams try to do – they swing early,”

Mattingly said. “That’s good if you’re getting hits. But if you’re not, you end up leaving his pitch count

down and he’s strong the whole game.

“Then you get a full dose.”

Kershaw called the 0-and-2 slider to Granderson “a pretty decent pitch.” When Granderson slapped it

into right field for a clean single, Kershaw was just two batters short of a perfect game – sort of. He had

retired 25 consecutive batters over two starts on this trip.

Kershaw admitted he had started to think about the possibility of a perfect game.

“Yeah – right about the time he got a hit,” he said. “Once the seventh inning rolls around, it could be

possible. It didn’t last very long.

“There’s not a whole lot of nerves. If you don’t do it, so what? But if you do it, it’s pretty exciting.”

Once Granderson broke it up, Kershaw had other things to worry about. The Dodgers gave him just one

run over the first eight innings (on a solo home run by Jimmy Rollins). The Dodgers had nearly as many

double-play grounders (three) as hits (five) during Mets starter Bartolo Colon’s eight innings before

finally adding two runs against the bullpen in the ninth.

Zack Greinke leaves Dodgers for the birth of his first child, will miss scheduled start

By Bill Plunkett

NEW YORK – Zack Greinke’s pursuit of Orel Hershiser’s scoreless innings streak will be put on hold for at

least a day – and likely more – for something more important.

Greinke left the Dodgers in New York on Thursday in order to return to Southern California for the birth

of his first child. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said he got a call from Greinke at 5 a.m. Thursday with

the news. Left-hander Ian Thomas will start in place of Greinke on Friday but Mattingly said there is a

possibility Greinke could return in time to pitch before the Dodgers’ four-game series at Citi Field ends

this weekend.

In the meantime, Greinke will hold at 432/3 consecutive scoreless innings. The Dodgers can place

Greinke on the paternity list for no more than three days and replace him with another player. No roster

move was made Thursday.

“At this point, we’re hopeful that he’ll pitch here this weekend,” Mattingly said. “You never know what

might happen with the birth of a child. We’ll see how it goes. We feel there’s a potential of that.”

The happy occasion comes at a difficult time for the Dodgers’ starting rotation. Currently, their starting

pitcher for the next three days is the same guy – he goes by the initials “TBA.”

“It’s definitely up in the air at this point,” Mattingly said. “Lots of plans right now. Lots of plans before

this happened. We just added plans.”

Besides Greinke on Friday, the Dodgers were already planning to replace Brandon Beachy in the rotation

on Saturday. Brett Anderson’s turn will come up again Sunday. He left his start Tuesday in the third

inning after suffering an Achilles tendon injury.

But the news on Anderson’s injury has been positive and he could be back in the mix to make that start

Sunday. An MRI on Wednesday showed no tendon damage, only inflammation in the tendon sheath

around the Achilles. Anderson threw on flat ground before Thursday’s game at Citi Field and will throw a

bullpen session on Friday. If that step goes well, Mattingly called it a “realistic” possibility that Anderson

would be able to take his regular turn Sunday.

“No issues. It felt good,” Anderson said after his light throwing session and some “dry” work (no

baseball) on the mound in the bullpen Thursday. “I was able to push off, balance on my back leg and

make sure it was stable.

“Tomorrow (his bullpen session) is a big step. Let’s get through that. But based on the past two days, I

don’t foresee any setbacks.”

Anderson said once he passes the test of a bullpen session he would be ready to pitch “whenever they

want me to pitch, whenever they ask me to pitch.”

“With my track record and (injury) history, I’m sure they’re going to be as cautious as possible,” he said.

2016 SCHEDULE

Teams have received the preliminary schedule for the 2016 season. The Dodgers are scheduled to start

the season on the road with the home opener a week into the season.

The NL West will be matched against the AL East in interleague play next season. In addition to their

annual series with the Angels in Los Angeles and Anaheim, the Dodgers will play home-and-home series

against Andrew Friedman’s former team, the Tampa Bay Rays. The Boston Red Sox and Baltimore

Orioles will also play interleague series at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers will travel to Toronto and

Yankee Stadium for the second time in four years.

REHAB STARTS

Reliever Chris Hatcher will start his rehab assignment by pitching for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on

Friday night. Hatcher has been out since June 15 with a strained oblique muscle.

Right-hander Carlos Frias threw to hitters at the Dodgers’ training complex in Arizona on Wednesday

and will make a rehab start for the Quakes on Sunday.

On deck: Dodgers at Mets, Friday, 4 p.m.

By Bill Plunkett

Where: Citi Field

TV: SportsNet LA

Did you know: Ian Thomas will become the 13th pitcher to start a game for the Dodgers this season (one

more than the entire 2014 season). Nine of the 13 were not in the Dodgers’ organization last year.

THE PITCHERS

LHP IAN THOMAS (0-1, 5.23 ERA)

Thomas was called up earlier this week to serve as a long man in the bullpen but wasn’t needed. Now,

he will step in for Zack Greinke and make his first major-league start. Acquired from the Braves in the

Juan Uribe-Alberto Callaspo trade, Thomas has made 23 big-league appearances in relief (two with the

Dodgers). He was being used primarily as a starter in Triple-A since the trade and was 4-1 with a 6.30

ERA in eight appearances (five starts) with Oklahoma City.

Vs. Mets: 0-0, 2.45 ERA

Hates to face: Lucas Duda, 1 for 2 (.500), 1 walk

Loves to face: Curtis Granderson, 0 for 3, 1 strikeout

RHP JONATHON NIESE (5-8, 3.36 ERA)

Niese reportedly is a starting pitcher the Dodgers were evaluating in their trade search. He has pitched

well recently. The Mets have won his last three starts and Niese has a 1.53 ERA over his last five outings,

while holding batters to a .200 average and just one home run in his past 351/3 innings. Niese has been

dependable, pitching into the seventh inning six times in his last seven starts.

Vs. Dodgers: 2-1, 3.79 ERA

At Citi Field: 24-31, 3.53 ERA

Hates to face: Justin Turner, 3 for 5 (.600), 1 double, 1 home run

Loves to face: Adrian Gonzalez, 0 for 9, 2 stikeouts

UPCOMING MATCHUPS

Saturday – Dodgers TBA at Mets RHP Matt Harvey (8-7, 3.19 ERA), 4:10 p.m.

Sunday – Dodgers TBA at Mets RHP Jacob deGrom (10-6, 2.18 ERA), 10:10 a.m.

Final: Clayton Kershaw perfect through six innings, throws 3-hit shutout

By Bill Plunkett

NEW YORK – Left-hander Clayton Kershaw took a perfect game into the seventh inning before settling

for a three-hit shutout as the Dodgers beat the New York Mets, 3-0, Thursday night at Citi Field.

In a start that looked a lot like his eight scoreless innings in Washington on Saturday -- only against the

Mets' much weaker lineup -- Kershaw was once again ruthlessly efficient. He retired the first 18 Mets in

order, striking out eight and needing no more than 13 pitches in any of the innings.

Kershaw went to a three-ball count just once in the first eight innings. He struck Anthony Recker out on

a full-count called third strike in the third inning.

It looked like more of the same when he jumped ahead of Curtis Granderson 0-and-2 to start the

seventh inning. But Granderson slapped a slider into right field for a clean single to break up the perfect

game and no-hitter.

To that point, Kershaw was just two batters short of a perfect game -- sort of. He had retired 25

consecutive batters stretching back to his eight scoreless innings in Washington on Saturday. Dating

back even farther, he has not allowed a run in his past 29 innings.

Taking a much different approach, Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon was nearly as effective as Kershaw.

The 42-year-old Colon relies almost exclusively on well-placed fastballs (usually topping out at 90-91

mph).

He retired the first seven Dodgers batters he faced, then gave up a solo home run to Jimmy Rollins. The

Dodgers added four more singles in Colon's eight innings but didn't get another runner past first base,

thanks in part to three double plays in the middle innings.

The Dodgers left Kershaw to walk that 1-0 tightrope until adding two runs on three hits, a walk and a

sacrifice fly against the Mets bullpen in the ninth inning.

Zack Greinke to miss start for Dodgers on Friday to be with wife for birth of their child

By Bill Plunkett

NEW YORK -- Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke's scoreless-innings streak will stay at 43 2/3 for now. Greinke

will not make his scheduled start Friday against the Mets in New York after leaving the team to fly back

to Southern California and be with his wife for the birth of their first child.

Greinke's streak is the longest in the majors since Orel Hershiser's record 59 consecutive scoreless

innings in 1988.

The Dodgers can place Greinke on the paternity list and replace him with another player for no more

than three days. But Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said there is a possibility that Greinke could rejoin

the team in time to start this weekend in New York.

As it stands, however, the Dodgers' starting pitcher for the next three games is undecided.

"Definitely up in the air at this point," Mattingly said of the Dodgers' pitching plans for the next three

days.

Besides Greinke on Friday, the Dodgers were already planning to replace Brandon Beachy in the rotation

on Saturday. Brett Anderson's turn will come up again on Sunday. He left his start Tuesday in the third

inning after suffering an apparent Achilles tendon injury. But Anderson threw on flat ground before

Thursday's game at Citi Field and will throw a bullpen session on Friday. He could make his regular turn

on Sunday.

LA DAILY NEWS

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is almost perfect against the New York Mets By JP Hoornstra NEW YORK >> Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal thought what everyone else at Citi Field was thinking Thursday. “I definitely thought we were going to see a perfect game,” said Grandal, who had the privilege of wiggling his neon-taped fingers for Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw said he only allowed the thought after he’d retired 18 straight batters to begin the Dodgers’ 3-0 win over the New York Mets. Curtis Granderson led off the seventh inning and took a fastball for a strike. A curveball floated into Grandal’s mitt for strike two. Next Kershaw went to his slider, the pitch that made him look so unhittable five days earlier in Washington, D.C. The ball caught just enough of the plate for Granderson to punch a line drive into left field for a single. Just like that, the biggest element of suspense disappeared before the announced crowd of 34,222 at Citi Field. “There’s a lot of luck for this to happen, to throw a perfect game, obviously a lot of lineouts and things like that,” Kershaw said. The Dodgers were only leading 1-0 at the time, but the game was already over. Kershaw, the reigning National League MVP, settled for a shutout and a streak of 29 consecutive scoreless innings. It was his second complete-game shutout in his last three starts, sandwiched around eight scoreless innings in Washington.

A season that began with Kershaw looking downright human has become a sort of Jekyll-and-Hyde campaign. Kershaw had a 4.32 earned-run average through his first nine starts; in 11 games since, his ERA is 1.21. “He’s getting ahead of guys,” Grandal said. “Beginning of the season when he would get ahead of guys, he was good. When he wasn’t, then he would kind of get in trouble. The fact that he is getting ahead throwing his fastball for strikes, throwing his slider for strikes — where it seems like a strike, goes off and they’re swinging, getting a lot of bad swings, a lot of soft hits — I think that’s helped him out a lot.” The Mets settled for three hits, all singles, all on sliders. Kershaw’s 11-strikeout, zero-walk performance gave him three straight starts without allowing a run or walk and striking out at least 10. The game ended in a crisp two hours, 27 minutes. Kershaw needed only 104 pitches to complete his task. “It might be one of the most dominant appearances in the big leagues as of now,” Grandal said. “Not too many people can do that, unless you’re (Zack) Greinke.” Greinke hasn’t allowed a run in his last 43 2/3 innings outside the All-Star Game. A solo home run by Jimmy Rollins was the Dodgers’ only run in eight innings against Mets starter Bartolo Colon (9-9). The Dodgers tacked on two more runs against reliever Carlos Torres in the ninth inning. Torres walked Alberto Callaspo with the bases loaded, then allowed a sacrifice fly to Yasiel Puig to provide the final score. Greinke isn’t certain to get a start in the series. He’s in Los Angeles to be with his wife for the birth of the couple’s first child. Missing one ace, the Dodgers might have needed nine strong innings from Kershaw for the sake of their bullpen. The men in the field Thursday didn’t mind it, either. “It was a lot of fun, obviously,” Rollins said. “We were all pulling for a no-hitter, a perfect game, but he did the most important thing and that’s put up a zero and get a win. He was filthy. If he’s like this all night, they have no chance, and he was like that all night.” Grandal doesn’t usually catch Kershaw, who usually throws to A.J. Ellis. Ellis is on the 15-day disabled list with a knee injury and watched from the dugout. How would Ellis have reacted if Kershaw had thrown his first perfect game with Grandal behind the plate? “I think he would have been pretty (ticked) off,” Grandal said. “Happy but (ticked) off.” Zack Greinke leaves Dodgers for the birth of his first child

By JP hoornstra NEW YORK >> Don Mattingly’s phone rang ridiculously early Thursday morning, around 5 a.m. Not his cell phone, either — his house phone. “The house phone doesn’t hardly ever ring now, ever, either the one at home or the one on the road,” the Dodgers manager said. “House phones just don’t ring anymore. I forget that we had one at home. The only reason we have one is because the alarm has to be linked to something.” Odds were this was something fairly serious. It was not a false alarm. Indeed, Zack Greinke was calling to say he wouldn’t be at the ballpark Thursday. His wife, Emily, was about to deliver the couple’s first child. Since Emily Greinke is in Los Angeles, Zack probably wouldn’t be back in time to make his scheduled start Friday. This was wonderful news for the soon-to-be parents, not so wonderful for the Dodgers. Brandon Beachy had been lined up to start Saturday’s game against the Mets until he was optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday. Brett Anderson was lined up to start Sunday until he hurt his ankle. With one early-morning phone call, the Dodgers were suddenly down three starting pitchers for the next three days. Ian Thomas will start Friday instead. The left-hander was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City for the fourth time this season Tuesday. He will become the 13th different pitcher to start a game for the Dodgers this season. Thomas has a 7.20 earned-run average (five innings pitched, four earned runs) in two appearances for the Dodgers, both out of the bullpen. He pitched 24 1/3 innings in five starts at Triple-A, posting a 5.55 ERA. As for Greinke, “you never know what’s going to happen with Emily,” Mattingly said. “We’ll see where it goes. There’s the potential that he’ll possibly pitch this weekend. … Maybe he’ll get back for Saturday, maybe he’ll get back for Sunday. He may not get back for either one.” Greinke, who has a 43 2/3-inning scoreless streak, will be placed on paternity leave through the weekend, unless he comes back sooner. That will allow the Dodgers to call up a player from the minor leagues without sending anyone down. ANDERSON UPDATE Anderson wouldn’t rule himself out for making his scheduled start Sunday after playing catch and doing a light workout at Citi Field before the game. “I was able to push off, balance on my back leg, make sure it was stable and I got it taped up,” he said. “I’ll go in tomorrow and throw my bullpen, go on, and they’ll tell me when they want me to pitch.”

Anderson pitched just 2 2/3 innings Tuesday before leaving the game against the Washington Nationals. An MRI revealed inflammation in the sheath surrounding his left Achilles tendon, and he’s still wearing a walking boot away from the field as a precaution. Beachy could always come back and start Saturday’s game, though the organization would prefer he continue to get work at Triple-A. Should the Dodgers tap the Oklahoma City pipeline, veteran left-hander Eric Stults is scheduled to start Friday, followed by Zach Lee on Saturday and Joe Wieland on Sunday. ALSO ... Chris Hatcher (oblique) is scheduled to make a rehab appearance for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Friday. Carlos Frias (back) is scheduled to make a rehab appearance for Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday. It will be the first minor-league rehab appearance for both pitchers. … Pitchers Josh Sborz and Philip Pfeifer, two of the Dodgers’ top five picks in the June draft, were assigned to rookie-level Ogden. … The Dodgers claimed three of the top 21 best-selling individual jerseys, based on sales from MLB.com between Opening Day and the All-Star Game. Clayton Kershaw ranked fourth, Adrian Gonzalez 20th and Yasiel Puig 21st.

TRUEBLUELA.COM Matt Beaty has 4 hits in Great Lakes romp By Eric Stephen The Dodgers on the farm saw several losses on Thursday, but the Great Lakes Loons erupted on offense in a big win to finish off a road trip. Player of the day Matt Beaty, drafted by the Dodgers in the 12th round out of Belmont, continued to hit for Great Lakes. He went 4-for-5 with two doubles in the Loons' 13-0 romp, his third four-hit game in the last 15 days. Beaty has a five-game hitting streak and since making the jump from Ogden to Great Lakes the third baseman is hitting .330/.370/.392 in 25 games. Triple-A Oklahoma City The Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals) scored five runs on six hits in the eighth inning against newcomer Grant Dayton, breaking a tie to beat Oklahoma City 6-3. Eric Surkamp allowed one run on six hits in a no-decision, with four strikeouts. Chris Heisey homered in defeat, is 14th of the season. Scott Schebler was 2-for-4 with a stolen base. Double-A Tulsa

The Drillers fell 5-3 to the Arkansas Travelers. a Jeremy Rathjen had two hits, including a home run in defeat. Erisbel Arruebarrena was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, a run scored and an RBI. Kyle Farmer and Brandon Trinkwon also each had two hits. Ronald Torreyes went 0-for-4, snapping his 11-game hitting streak. Class-A Rancho Cucamonga Jeff Brigham was knocked out in the first inning after giving up three runs and recording just two outs. The Quakes came back to tie the game in the ninth inning, but lost 7-6 in 10 innings to the Inland Empire 66ers (Angels). Johan Mieses doubled, homered and walked for the Quakes. Low Class-A Great Lakes The Loons exploded for a season-high 13 runs on 18 hits in a 13-0 shutout of the Great Lakes Cubs. Everyone got involved, with all nine starters tallying at least one hit and one RBI, with seven of the nine scoring at least one run. Jimmy Allen doubled and drove in three, Federico Celli had three hits, Mike Ahmed tripled and scored twice in addition to Beaty's four hits. Isaac Anderson, drafted by the Dodgers in the 40th round last month, started and pitched four scoreless innings in his Great Lakes debut, promoted earlier in the day. He struck out two and allowed only one single, facing one over the minimum in his outing. The Loons also announced on Thursday that playoff tickets are on sale. By clinching a playoff spot in the first half, Great Lakes will play the Lansing Lugnuts (Blue Jays) in the Midwest League first round in a best-of-three series. The series begins on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at Great Lakes, followed by two games at Lansing. Rookie-level Ogden The Raptors fell behind big early in an 8-5 loss to the Grand Junction Rockies. Andrew Istler allowed seven runs on 10 hits in three innings for the loss. Nick Sell continued to hit, going 2-for-5 with a home run, a triple, three RBI and two runs scored in defeat. Rookie-level Arizona Sven Schuller, the 19-year-old German right-hander the Dodgers signed out of Germany in June 2013, started for the AZL Dodgers but not record an out. He faced seven AZL Rangers batters, with the following results, in order: hit by pitch, walk, double, single, walk, double, home run. The AZL Dodgers lost to the AZL Rangers ... Transactions Triple-A: Ralph Henriquez was activated from the disabled list. Class-A: Isaac Anderson, the Dodgers' 40th-round pick this year, was transferred from Ogden to Great Lakes to start for the Loons. Delvis Morales completed his rehab with Ogden and was reinstated off the disabled list by Rancho Cucamonga. Outfielder a Travis Witherspoon was placed on the DL by the

Quakes. Catcher Brant Whiting was activated off the DL by Great Lakes. Pitcher Yeuri Gonzalez was released by the Dodgers; the 22-year-old had a 7.50 ERA in 11 relief appearance with Great Lakes. Rookie-level: 2015 draft picks Josh Sborz (Competitive Balance Round B) and Philip Pfeifer (third round) were assigned to Ogden, and both will piggyback start on Friday for their pro debuts, with Sborz following Pfeifer. Pitchers Hector Rodriguez and M.J. Villegas were transferred from AZL Dodgers to Ogden, and pitchers Roberth Fernandez and Dennis Santana were transferred to the AZL from Ogden. Thursday box scores Omaha 6, Oklahoma City 3 Arkansas 5, Tulsa 3 Inland Empire 7, Rancho Cucamonga 6 (10) Great Lakes 13, South Bend 0 Grand Junction 8, Ogden 5 AZL Rangers 11, AZL Dodgers 4 DSL Yankees 9, DSL Dodgers 0 Friday schedule 4:05 p.m. PT: Lake County (Indians) (Justus Sheffield) at Great Lakes (Tommy Begjans) 5:05 p.m.: Oklahoma City (Eric Stults) at Round Rock (Rangers) (Jerad Eickhoff) 5:05 p.m.: Arkansas (Kyle McGowin) at Tulsa (Jeremy Kehrt) 5:30 p.m.: Ogden (Philip Pfeifer) at Grand Junction (Kyle Freeland) 7:05 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Chase DeJong) at Inland Empire (Jeremy Rhoades) Chris Hatcher is expected to begin a rehab assignment with the Quakes beginning Friday night, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. Clayton Kershaw rounding into peak form, again By Eric Stephen Clayton Kershaw was dominant again on Thursday against the Mets, pitching his second shutout in three starts. The Dodgers ace didn't allow a runner to reach base until the seventh inning on Thursday, flirting with his second career no-hitter.

"I thought for a second he was going to throw a no-hitter, potentially a perfect game. He made a good pitch on [Curtis] Granderson. He was great tonight," catcher Yasmani Grandal told Alanna Rizzo after the game on the SportsNet LA broadcast. "The last couple nights he's been lights out. That's the one thing you want to see from your horse." Kershaw has allowed 11 earned runs and 11 walks in his last 11 starts, and lowered his ERA on the season to 2.51. "I guess he's answering all those questions that people were asking," Grandal said. "He's been here all along, and just getting stronger as he goes." Kershaw has a scoreless streak of 29 consecutive innings, which happens to be the second-longest streak on his own staff, with Zack Greinke at 43⅔ innings. "Watching him and watching Greinke out there just being so dominant, it kind of lets me play with the batters, and start experimenting, knowing they're not really going to hit them," Grandal told Rizzo while smiling. "One of the things I wanted to see was Bartolo Colon caught swinging, and hopefully his helmet would come off." Colon grounded out in the third and was called out on strikes in the sixth. He kept his helmet on. "The way Bartolo was working, he was working so fast, it felt like as soon as I sat down I was back out there again," Kershaw said, again per SportsNet LA. "I got to get into a pretty good rhythm." The game lasted only two hours, 27 minutes. Kershaw on the night struck out 11, the ninth time in 20 starts this season he has reached double digits in strikeouts. His most in any season. It was the 38th double-digit strikeout game of his career. "I saw the most dominant pitcher on the planet," Orel Hershiser said on the postgame show. "He's on a roll right now, Cy Young, MVP form." "It's like, if he's like this all night, those guys have no chance," said Jimmy Rollins. "And he was like that all night." Kershaw leads the majors with 185 strikeouts in his 140 innings. "I just feel like he's been throwing good for so long, it was just a matter of time," said manager Don Mattingly after the game. "He's going to get stronger as the year goes." Up next The Dodgers have Ian Thomas starting Friday, which probably means some combination of Juan Nicasio and a relief pitcher called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City will be ready as backup, at least for a day or so with Zack Greinke potentially on paternity leave. Jonathon Niese starts for the Mets. Clayton Kershaw beats Mets with 3-hit shutout

By Eric Stephen Clayton Kershaw not only continued his scoreless streak on Thursday night and flirted with perfection, settling for a shutout in the Dodgers' 3-0 win over the Mets in the series opener at Citi Field in New York. Just 400 days after his first no-hitter, Kershaw looked like he might pitch another. He retired the first 18 batters of the game, needing just 62 pitches to get through the first six frames. Curtis Granderson broke up the perfect game and the no-hitter with a line drive single to right field to open the seventh inning. That broke up a string of 25 consecutive batters retired, dating back to Kershaw's last start on Sunday in Washington D.C. Wilmer Flores added a bloop hit to right field one out later, but Kershaw was able to escape the inning unscathed. Lucas Duda singled to open the eighth inning as well, but Kershaw promptly picked him off first base. Kershaw struck out 11 in his masterpiece against the Mets, needing only 104 pitches. With the shutout, Kershaw's second in his last three starts, he extended his scoreless streak to 29 consecutive innings. Kershaw has allowed one run in his last 38 innings. The closest Kershaw came to allowing a runner to reach base in the first six innings was on a strikeout in the fifth inning. Eric Campbell struck out and nearly reached first base on a wild pitch, but catcher Yasmani Grandal tracked the ball down and threw to first, where Adrian Gonzalez made a clean pick for the out. On replay it looked like Campbell might have beaten the throw, but the Mets chose not to challenge the play. Kershaw is the first Dodgers pitcher with two shutouts in the same month since Carlos Perez in September 2008. Over his last 11 starts, Kershaw is 6-3 with a miniscule 1.21 ERA, with 112 strikeouts and 11 walks. He has 45 strikeouts since his last walk. With his 11 strikeouts and no walks, Kershaw now has 38 strikeouts in his last three starts, with no walks and no runs allowed in 26 innings. Since 1914, the only other pitcher in the majors with three straight starts of double-digit strikeouts and no walks was Chris Archer, earlier this season. Kershaw is the only one dating back to 1900 to have three straight starts with double-digit strikeouts, no walks and no runs allowed, per the Elias Sports Bureau. The Dodgers needed this type of performance out of Kershaw, and not just because the rest of the weekend rotation is in a bit of disarray. Kershaw was needed to keep the Mets at zero because Bartolo Colon was on his game as well.

Colon pitched eight strong innings of his own, allowing just six people to reach base while striking out four. The only run he allowed was a solo home run by Jimmy Rollins in the third inning, his ninth of the season. The Dodgers added a pair of insurance runs with three straight singles to open the ninth inning, cashing them in with a walk by Alberto Callaspo and a sacrifice fly by Yasiel Puig. Thursday particulars Home run: Jimmy Rollins (9) WP - Clayton Kershaw (8-6): 9 IP, 3 hits, 11 strikeouts LP - Bartolo Colon (9-9): 8 IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 4 strikeouts Corey Seager expected to return to Oklahoma City lineup soon By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES -- Triple-A Oklahoma City finishes off a five-game, four-day series in Omaha on Thursday, and for the sixth straight day will not have Corey Seager in the lineup. He did not make the trip to Omaha, but is expected to rejoin the team soon. "Corey had a little virus. He's on the mend, feeling stronger daily," said Dodgers director of player development Gabe Kapler. "We expect him to be fully participating in game activities in short order." Seager, the consensus top prospect in baseball, is hitting .283/.335/.461 with 20 doubles and eight home runs in 65 games since his promotion to Triple-A. He last played on Friday, July 17. Oklahoma City plays four games in Round Rock followed by four in Memphis to complete its road trip. Zack Greinke leaves for pending birth of child, out for Friday start By Eric Stephen So, about those Dodgers weekend starting rotation plans... Zack Greinke won't start for the Dodgers on Friday, as he is with his wife Emily for the birth of their first child. Alanna Rizzo was the first to report, followed by several Dodgers beat writers. So after Clayton Kershaw on Thursday, there is technically three TBA slots for the final three games against the Mets.

Zach Lee remains the most likely for Saturday, and Brett Anderson is currently throwing on the field at Citi Field, hoping to progress toward a Sunday start, after suffering some inflammation near his Achilles tendon on Tuesday in Atlanta. It is not known how long Greinke will be out, but at the very least Friday is a bit of a scramble for the team. Ian Thomas is with the Dodgers and made five starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City, and he last pitched last Friday, but that would likely be a glorified bullpen game. Thomas pitched 2⅓ innings last Friday, his longest outing since July 2 while riding the yo-yo in between OKC and Los Angeles. Eric Stults is scheduled to start for Oklahoma City on Friday, with Eric Surkmap pitching Thursday night. Both are off the 40-man roster. The Dodgers are allowed to use paternity leave to replace Greinke on the active roster for between one and three games. Get ready for a lot of bullpen innings this weekend in New York. Howie Kendrick sits in Dodgers opener with Mets By Eric Stephen The Dodgers open up a four-game series against the Mets at Citi Field, and will do so without Howie Kendrick at second base, getting a breather on Thursday night in New York. Kendrick had started the last 23 games. On Thursday, Kiké Hernandez gets the call at second base, his seventh start at the position this season. The timing might have worked out for Kendrick to sit against Bartolo Colon, against whom he is 2-for-22 (.091) though with only four strikeouts. Hernandez is 1-for-1 against Colon Kendrick out of the lineup means Justin Turner moves up, batting second, with Adrian Gonzalez hitting third. It also means Andre Ethier is batting cleanup for a second straight game and third time in the last five games, after not batting there since Aug. 28, 2013. Gonzalez is 9-for-21 (.429) against Colon, with two home runs and two doubles. The Mets are batting Wilmer Flores third, John Mayberry Jr. cleanup and Eric Campbell fifth on Thursday night. Their season performances to date: Flores: .248/.282/.382 in 350 plate appearances (though 9-for-13 in the three-game series at Dodger Stadium earlier this month Mayberry: .170/.235/.330 in 115 plate appearances Campbell: .179/.305/.283 in 175 plate appearances

Mayberry is 3-for-12 with two doubles and two walks against Kershaw, while Flores is 2-for-3. That trio, and the rest of the Mets, get to face Clayton Kershaw, working on a streak of 20 straight scoreless innings of his own. The lineup doesn't seem to be popular in New York:

ESPN LA Mets have no answer for streaking Clayton Kershaw By Danny Knobler NEW YORK -- He wasn't able to catch Zack Greinke, not in one game. But maybe on one perfect night at Citi Field, Clayton Kershaw could outdo his Los Angeles Dodgers teammate. For inning after inning this month, neither one of them has allowed a run. Thursday against the New York Mets, inning after inning went by, and Kershaw didn't allow a hit. Clayton Kershaw insists he's not competing with Dodgers teammate Zack Greinke as the two aces engage in a historic 1-2 shutout punch. Jim McIsaac/Getty Images He was perfect for six innings and very, very good for nine, in a 3-0 win that extended his own scoreless streak to 29 innings. Kershaw ended up allowing three singles and no other baserunners, and along the way he had his teammates convinced they were going to be part of history. "Oh yeah, definitely," catcher Yasmani Grandal said. "I thought we were going to see a perfect game. The way he was throwing and the way they were swinging, you could really tell that he was on." What the Dodgers have seen from Kershaw and Greinke in July has been a near-perfect month. Kershaw has allowed one run in 33 innings, with two walks and 45 strikeouts. Greinke has allowed no runs in 23 innings, with one walk and 23 strikeouts. "Two completely different pitchers," Grandal said. "At the same time, they do the same thing." Kershaw insists it's not a competition, saying Thursday, "I don't compete against my teammates." He does compete against the opposing hitters, and he's doing it now about as well as he has at any point in his brilliant career. The July numbers are phenomenal, but in Kershaw's past three starts, he has pitched 26 scoreless innings with no walks and 38 strikeouts. "I don't know anything I'm doing better," he said. "I just feel better." He felt great Thursday and wasn't even stressing about the slider that Curtis Granderson lined into right field to start the seventh inning, ending the perfect-game bid. It was a good pitch, Kershaw said, and Grandal agreed, although the catcher wished it had been a little outside the zone. "If it's off the plate, it's a swing and miss," he said. Kershaw said it wasn't until the seventh that he really started thinking perfect game.

"It didn't last very long," he said. It did have that feel. Kershaw had come close before, notably in his 2014 no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies, when the only baserunner reached on a Hanley Ramirez error -- also in the seventh inning. "There's a lot of luck that has to happen for a perfect game," Kershaw said. What Kershaw and Greinke have done lately has little to do with luck. The two have been brilliant and have kept the Dodgers in first place at a time when the rest of the rotation is something of a mess. Greinke will miss his scheduled start Friday; he flew back to Los Angeles to be with his wife when she delivers the couple's first child. Without him and without many other options, the Dodgers are going to start Ian Thomas, a 28-year-old left-hander they picked up in the Alberto Callaspo trade with the Atlanta Braves in May. Thomas has never started a major league game. His career numbers in relief -- 11 earned runs in 21 innings, with 19 hits and 14 walks -- aren't exactly inspiring. Greinke may return to New York in time to start Saturday night, or it could be Zach Lee coming up from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Then on Sunday, it could be Greinke or Brett Anderson, who left his last start with an Achilles problem but has recovered well. At some point, the Dodgers will no doubt trade for a pitcher, perhaps for another ace along the lines of Kershaw and Greinke. And perhaps whoever they get will be inspired by the competition between the two aces. Grandal said he first noticed it at the end of spring training, after he caught Greinke in a start in San Antonio. "He had a good outing and he told me, 'Kershaw better watch out, I'm coming after him,'" Grandal said. "Now, somebody has a good outing, the other guy wants to have a better outing." Maybe Kershaw wouldn't put it the same way, but that's the way it has been for a month now. Inning after inning, Greinke doesn't give up any runs. But on a near-perfect Thursday night at Citi Field, inning after inning, Kershaw didn't give up any hits. Clayton Kershaw reminds us that he's still pretty good By David Schoenfield Hey, I thought it was going to happen, too. For six innings Thursday, Clayton Kershaw mowed through the New York Mets' lineup like the greenkeepers at Augusta National, the only thing resembling hard contact a grounder off the bat of Bartolo Colon. He'd thrown just 62 pitches, 47 for strikes, and punched out eight batters. Considering the Mets' cleanup hitter on this night entered batting .170 and the No. 5 hitter .179, this wasn't exactly a surprise, as far as potential perfect games go.

It didn't happen. Curtis Granderson led off the bottom of the seventh and Kershaw threw an 0-2 slider that didn't slide off the plate and Granderson hit a soft liner to right field for a base hit. With two runners on in that inning, Kershaw fanned John Mayberry Jr. -- that cleanup hitter -- on a nasty curveball and then got Eric Campbell to ground out, and that was the ballgame. Kershaw finished the 3-0 win with a three-hit shutout, the 11th of his career, and over his past three starts has recorded 38 strikeouts and no walks, just the third pitcher in 101 years to have three straight games of 10-plus K's with no walks. Clayton Kershaw. You remember him: The best pitcher in the game. The Los Angeles Dodgers southpaw has been overshadowed by teammate Zack Greinke, who has a 1.30 ERA and a streak of 43 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings. Greinke, who was scheduled to start Friday before leaving the team when his wife into labor, now has Kershaw breathing down his neck with 29 consecutive zeroes of his own. What a duo of starters, certainly the best in the game right now. Bill James created a method that ranks the best current starting pitchers. It factors in a variety of things, with an emphasis on more recent performance. Kershaw still ranked No. 1 on the list, just ahead of Max Scherzer with Greinke third. That sounds right to me; as great as Greinke has been, Kershaw is still the best pitcher in baseball. While there were some concerns about Kershaw when his ERA stood at 4.32 in late May, it's now down to 2.51. He's fine. Just ask the Mets. The best five duos right now? Just using the rankings at BillJamesonline, we'd get this: 1. Kershaw (1st) and Greinke (3rd) 2. Scherzer (2nd) and Jordan Zimmermann, Nationals (15th) 3. Jon Lester (10th) and Jake Arrieta (16th), Cubs 4. Chris Sale (4th) and Jeff Samardzija (20th), White Sox 5. Francisco Liriano (13th) and Gerrit Cole (31st), Pirates Subjectively, I might move the Pirates' duo up to third, considering how well Cole has pitched this season. But under the James method, he has to work his way up. The system also looks at game score, and Cole ranks just 14th in average game score among qualified starters, as he doesn't have a lot of games in which he's gone eight or nine innings and has just one double-digit strikeout game. So he hasn't been as dominant in a strikeout sense as some of these other guys. The Mets' pair of Jacob deGrom and Matt Harvey could also be considered, although after missing all of 2014, Harvey also has to earn his way back up into the elite (and has scuffled a bit of late). Where do Kershaw and Greinke rank historically? The James site has a search mechanism but it goes back only a couple of years. For what it's worth, Scherzer and Justin Verlander of the Tigers ranked second and third at the end of 2013 and Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee of the Phillies ranked first and third in 2011. So having two aces at this level isn't that unusual.

Using Baseball-Reference WAR, here are teammates who ranked 1-2 in the majors in pitching WAR: 2011: Halladay (8.9) and Lee (8.6) 2002: Randy Johnson (10.9) and Curt Schilling (8.7), Diamondbacks 2001: Johnson (10.0) and Schilling (8.8) 1956: Early Wynn (7.8) and Herb Score (7.3), Indians 1944: Dizzy Trout (9.6) and Hal Newhouser (8.0), Tigers 1903: Joe McGinnity (11.6) and Christy Mathewson (9.8), Giants What about some other famous duos? Tom Glavine led in WAR in 1991 while teammate John Smoltz was ninth. Greg Maddux joined the Braves in 1993 and ranked first in WAR in 1994 and 1995, but those weren't great years for Glavine or Smoltz. Smoltz and Maddux ranked fourth and fifth in 1996. Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax were second and third in 1964, a year Koufax missed some time. Koufax ranked first in 1963 and 1966, but Drysdale didn't crack the top 10 in either season. Frank Tanana and Nolan Ryan of the Angels were third and fifth in 1977, a dynamic duo for a few seasons until Tanana got hurt. Mark Gubicza of the Royals was first in 1988 and sixth in 1989 and teammate Bret Saberhagen was first in 1989. Bob Gibson and Steve Carlton of the Cardinals were first and eighth in 1969, but Carlton didn't really become CARLTON until he was traded to the Phillies. Other methods may produce a pair I may have missed, but there's little doubt that the Kershaw-Greinke duo has a chance to become one of the most dominant single-season duos ever seen. Greinke is having a historic season that will forever be remembered if he keeps it going. Kershaw is simply still the best there is. Rapid Reaction: Dodgers 3, Mets 0 By Danny Knobler NEW YORK -- For their four-game series at Citi Field, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced just one starting pitcher. When you have Clayton Kershaw, who else do you need? The Dodgers didn't need much else Thursday, as Kershaw carried a perfect game into the seventh inning and finished with a three-hit shutout and a 3-0 Dodgers win over the New York Mets. Curtis Granderson's line-drive single to right field leading off the seventh gave the Mets their first baserunner. Kershaw also allowed a Wilmer Flores bloop single in the seventh and a Lucas Duda single on a hard ground ball to start the eighth (but he picked Duda off first base). Kershaw struck out 11, didn't walk a batter and extended his scoreless innings streak to 29 innings.

So Kershaw is 14 2/3 innings behind teammate Zack Greinke, who faces the Mets ... well, he was supposed to start Friday night. But Greinke took an early Thursday morning flight back to Los Angeles to be with his pregnant wife, leaving the Dodgers unsure of who would start Friday -- and Saturday and Sunday. They did have Kershaw to start Thursday, and for one day, that was all they needed. How it happened: The Dodgers didn't do much against Mets starter Bartolo Colon, but Jimmy Rollins' third-inning home run gave Kershaw a lead. Kershaw needed just 62 pitches to get through the first six innings. At that point, the Mets hadn't really come close to a hit. The three hits that followed were clean singles, keeping Kershaw from making history. But he did lower his ERA for the season to 2.51, and he lowered his ERA for his past 11 starts to 1.21. The Dodgers added two ninth-inning runs on a bases-loaded walk to Alberto Callaspo and a Yasiel Puig sacrifice fly. What it means: With the uncertainty about the rotation for the rest of the weekend, the Dodgers needed a win from Kershaw. He gave them that, and almost gave them a night to remember. The Dodgers are 4-3 on a 10-game road trip that will end with three more games against the Mets. The win extended the Dodgers' division lead to three games over the idle San Francisco Giants. Notable: Rollins' home run was his 31st career homer against the Mets. The only two active players with more are Rollins' two former Philadelphia Phillies teammates, Ryan Howard (42) and Chase Utley (35). ... Kershaw has never lost to the Mets, with a 6-0 record and 1.34 ERA in nine career starts. ... Besides the Rollins home run, the Dodgers didn't advance a runner past first base in eight innings against Colon. Up next: Friday was supposed to be the night Greinke looked to extend his 43 2/3-inning scoreless inning streak, but he returned home to L.A. to be with his wife, Emily, for the birth of the couple's first child. Manager Don Mattingly said he would wait until after Thursday night's game to decide on a Friday starter. Left-hander Jonathon Niese (5-8, 3.36) starts for the Mets, with first pitch set for 7:10 p.m. ET. Update: The Dodgers announced that left-hander Ian Thomas (0-1, 5.23) will start in Greinke's place Friday. Clayton Kershaw flirts with perfect game in shutout of Mets By ESPN.com NEW YORK -- Clayton Kershaw breezed through six perfectly easy innings against the worst-hitting team in the majors, facing an especially meek Mets lineup that made a no-hitter seem more likely than not. Not long after the Dodgers left-hander realized that he was working on a perfect game to start the seventh inning, it was gone. Kershaw had to settle for a three-hit shutout, leading Los Angeles to a 3-0 victory against New York on Thursday night. EDITOR'S PICKS

After struggling during the first two months of the season, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw has regained his form as baseball's best pitcher. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw flirted with a perfect game before "settling" for a three-hit, 11-strikeout, complete-game victory over the Mets. We take a look at how dominant Clayton Kershaw has been over his last three starts and this season. "Once the seventh inning rolls around, it's time that it could be possible and didn't last very long," Kershaw said. "Not a whole lot of nerves. If you don't do it, so what, but if you do, it's pretty exciting." Kershaw (8-6) now has thrown 29 consecutive scoreless innings -- 14 2/3 less than teammate Zack Greinke -- and 11 career shutouts. He was perfect until Curtis Granderson lined a leadoff single in the seventh inning. "Clayton is so competitive, in a healthy way, that he wants to show how good he is. And Zack, on the other end of it, doesn't seem like, over the last couple years, he was really just wanting to go by the wayside, he was kind of showing all of us that he could pitch too," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. The Mets were all but helpless against the three-time Cy Young Award winner. Kershaw struck out 11 and did not walk a batter. He has fanned 38 without a walk in his past three outings. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Kershaw has three consecutive starts with 10 strikeouts, no runs and no walks; the last pitcher to accomplish that in consecutive outings was Cy Young in 1905, and he did it in two straight starts. "He really didn't miss over the middle of the plate tonight," said Lucas Duda, who singled in the eighth and was picked off at first. Jimmy Rollins hit his ninth home run in the third inning for first-place Los Angeles, and that was enough for Kershaw, who improved to 6-0 with a 1.34 ERA in his career against the Mets. His career ERA against the Mets is the lowest of any pitcher to ever face them in at least eight starts, according to Stats LLC. Bartolo Colon (9-9) tossed eight innings and allowed five hits and one run. The Dodgers tacked on two runs against relievers Sean Gilmartin and Carlos Torres in the ninth. Kershaw threw his first no-hitter 13 months ago at Dodger Stadium against the Colorado Rockies. The closest New York came to getting a runner in the first six innings was when Eric Campbell struck out in the fifth inning and the ball bounced away from the catcher. Yasmani Grandal quickly made an off-balance throw to nip Campbell at first. Kershaw got ahead 0-2 on Granderson leading off the seventh, but the Mets outfielder lined a clean single to right on the third pitch. Kershaw dipped his head, took a short walk behind the mound and proceeded to strike out the next batter, Ruben Tejada, with a curveball.

The Mets came into the game with the lowest batting average in the major leagues at .235, and Thursday's lineup was especially limited. New York had three starters, not including Colon, hitting under .200. Cleanup hitter John Mayberry started batting .170. In the 5-hole, Campbell was batting .179. On June 9, San Francisco rookie Chris Heston threw a no-hitter at Citi Field. UP NEXT Dodgers: Greinke was supposed to start Friday night against the Mets, but his shutout streak is on hold while the Dodgers ace and his wife await the birth of their first child. He is pursuing the big league record of 59 straight scoreless innings by Orel Hershiser in 1988 for the Dodgers. Mattingly said before Thursday night's game that he hopes Greinke can be back from Los Angeles before the weekend series in New York is over. After the game, the Dodgers said long reliever Ian Thomas (0-1, 5.23 ERA) will start Friday. Mets: Jon Niese (5-8, 3.36 ERA) faces the Dodgers. There has been speculation that Los Angeles could be interested in acquiring the left-hander from New York in a trade. TRAINER'S ROOM Dodgers: LHP Brett Anderson, who left his last start in the third inning with an irritated Achilles tendon, is likely to be ready to start Sunday, Mattingly said. Mets: LF Michael Cuddyer was re-examined by doctors, and the Mets are hopeful that a switch in medication will help his aching left knee and keep him off the disabled list, manager Terry Collins said after the game. Cuddyer was not in the starting lineup for the 12th time in the past 19 games. ... 3B David Wright (back) will return to New York next week and begin baseball activities. He has been on the DL since April 15. ... C Travis d'Arnaud (elbow) was set to begin a minor league rehab assignment Thursday night, but the game was rained out. Zack Greinke out Fri. for child's birth; Dodgers hopeful for weekend start By Danny Knobler NEW YORK -- Zack Greinke's scoreless-innings streak is on hold. The Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander, who hasn't allowed a run in 43⅔ innings, flew back to Los Angeles on Thursday morning to be with his wife, Emily, who is expecting the couple's first child. Greinke won't make his scheduled start against the New York Mets on Friday, but Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said there's a chance he could return to pitch either Saturday or Sunday. "At this point, we're hopeful he'll pitch here this weekend," Mattingly said. After Clayton Kershaw extended his own shutout streak to 29 innings in an 11-strikeout complete-game win over the Mets on Thursday, the team announced left-hander Ian Thomas as Greinke's rotation replacement for Friday. Thomas, 28, has pitched five innings across two appearances with the Dodgers this season for a 7.20 ERA.

The Dodgers already had an open spot in their rotation on Saturday, having sent Brandon Beachy to the minor leagues after two unsuccessful starts. They're also uncertain about Sunday, because Brett Anderson had to leave his Tuesday start in Atlanta with an Achilles tendon injury. Zack Greinke hasn't gone to the paternity list while with his wife for the birth of the couple's first child, and the Dodgers hope Greinke can start Saturday or Sunday in New York. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill Anderson, whose MRI showed some inflammation in the sheath surrounding his Achilles tendon, worked out Thursday afternoon at Citi Field and expects to be able to throw a between-starts bullpen session Friday. If all goes well, he could still start Sunday -- unless Greinke returns to pitch that game. "We have lots of plans," Mattingly said. "There were lots of plans before this happened. Now, there's added plans." The Dodgers can add a player to their roster by putting Greinke on the paternity list, which they didn't do Thursday. The Dodgers also could call up Zach Lee, who is scheduled to pitch Saturday for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Mattingly did rule out the possibility of bringing Anderson back to pitch before Sunday. Anderson threw only 54 pitches Tuesday. "I'm sure with my track record, they're going to be as conservative as possible," said Anderson, who hasn't stayed healthy enough to pitch a full season since 2009. Anderson was encouraged by his workout Thursday. "It was a good step," he said. "Based off the last two days, I don't foresee any setbacks."

DODGER INSIDER Defense can’t rest in scoreless streaks By Mark Langill Former first baseman Wes Parker admits he felt pressure playing behind Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale in 1968 during the right-hander’s record-setting scoreless streak of 58 innings, a feat surpassed 20 years later by L.A.’s Orel Hershiser’s 59 innings. “I didn’t want to be the one who messed things up for another player,” said Parker, also on eggshells with rookie infielder Jim Lefebvre during the late innings of Sandy Koufax’s perfect game in 1965. “I made one error the entire season in 1968. Nobody remembers the play because it didn’t involve Drysdale’s streak.” In the ninth inning of what would be Drysdale’s sixth consecutive shutout on May 31, the Giants had the bases loaded and one out. Ty Cline hit a grounder to Parker, who with a three-run lead could’ve tried to start a 3-6-3 double play. But he threw home for the force play, preserving the shutout.

“Because of the streak, it took any decision out of my mind in terms of going to second base,” Parker said. If a six-time Gold Glove Award winner like Parker admitted a few butterflies, I wondered about Steve Sax, the former second baseman whose Dodger career was nearly derailed as a sophomore in 1983 when he committed 30 errors, mostly on routine throws to first base. Five years later, Sax was playing defense for Hershiser and wasn’t worried about making a mistake. Sax throwing ball“The throwing thing was way gone by then,” said Sax, a radio commentator for the MLB Network who also works in the private sector as an executive coach and motivational speaker. “We had so much confidence in Orel during the 1988 season, we just needed to play our regular game.” The subject of Sax’s errors usually surfaces if his former manager Tommy Lasorda dusts off his banquet material about Pedro Guerrero, the longtime outfielder who sometimes struggled on defense at third base in the early 1980s. The general punch line was Guerrero praying when playing third base for the batter not to hit the ball to him — or to Sax. “I battled it for two months,” said Sax, the 1982 National League Rookie of the Year who spent 14 years in the Majors with the Dodgers (1981-88), Yankees (1989-91), White Sox (1992-93) and Athletics (1994). “That was the year I lost my dad. I don’t use it as an excuse. Looking back, it wasn’t a throwing problem or a mental thing. It was a loss of confidence, but it manifested itself for everyone to see. The confidence to throw is something innate in every player going back to the days of Little League. When you lose the confidence to do something, you’re baffled.” In his 2010 book “Shift: Change Your Mindset and Change Your World,” Sax shares the story of his father on his deathbed, having suffered a fifth heart attack. Before his passing, John Sax admitted to Steve that he also had a throwing problem in school and had to take small steps in order to rebuild his confidence. Years later after his retirement from the Majors, Sax found out from his mother that his father made up the story to get Steve back on track. Sax’s error total gradually decreased for the rest of his Dodger career, and by 1988 he committed only 14 in 158 games, anchoring the defense with shortstops Alfredo Griffin and Dave Anderson. Sax led the American League in fielding and double plays during his first season with the Yankees in 1989, but was edged in the Gold Glove Award voting by Seattle’s Harold Reynolds. Looking back at Hershiser’s 1988 string of scoreless innings, Sax could keep things in perspective. “We’re all human like everyone else,” he said. “We hear the buzz of the crowd, and we knew the importance of Orel’s streak. You were going to dive in either direction for a ball, really make sure you were going to play to your extreme best. But it’s still baseball, and you have to remember to keep things simple — see the ball, hit the ball. If you put too much pressure on yourself, it can be a detriment.” Dodgers RBI players gaining financial literacy By Erin Edwards

The partnership between Bank of America and Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation has been beneficial for the underserved players and their families in the Dodgers Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program. As a part of being Dodgers RBI Gold Sponsor, Bank of America provides financial literacy seminars where players 13-18 are encouraged to attend with their families. Dodger RBI LogoBank of America’s financial literacy program begins with the basics such as opening a checking and savings account, and then moves on to investing in stocks and bonds. In addition, mini-workshops about budgeting, saving and meeting financial goals are offered. Bank of America recently conducted a survey to gauge customers’ confidence in their financial knowledge. Here are some of their findings: Nearly four in five U.S. adults (78%) feel it is difficult to learn about personal finance, primarily because they are overwhelmed by the number of financial education resources available. 32% of U.S. adults recognize their lack of financial knowledge has led them to make poor financial decisions (Ngo, 2015). “The Dodgers RBI program emphasizes more than baseball skills,” LADF executive director Nichol Whiteman said. “By adding to the financial knowledge of our players and their parents, our aim is to assist them to move in the direction of self-reliance, personal responsibility and financial literacy.” On Tuesday, the second seminar of the season was held at MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton. Dodgers RBI players went from the field to the seminar ready to learn. It even drew some of the football players from Compton College over. Clayton Kershaw flirts with Perfection, Perfection still won’t commit to a relationship, but Scorelessness remains true By Jon Weisman That was very real, and nearly spectacular. You know it had to be, considering that the consolation prize was a 3-0 shutout for Clayton Kershaw, extending this year’s scoreless streak to 29 consecutive innings. Numerous people joked before tonight’s game that the no-hit watch for Kershaw tonight should begin in the top of the first, considering the offensively challenged Mets lineup he was facing. But pretty soon, it wasn’t any joke at all. For six spellbinding innings, using only 62 pitches, Kershaw owned New York, setting down the first 18 batters in a row, and the possibility that he would merely retire each remaining Mets batter one more time — for his second year in a row with a no-hitter, this time with a perfect cherry on top — seemed entirely realistic.

In the top of the seventh, the imminent magic moment was popped, when Curtis Granderson lined an 0-2 pitch to right field for the Mets’ first baserunner. One out later, Wilmer Flores hit a bloop to right for a second hit, and not only was the perfect game gone, but suddenly in jeopardy were Kershaw’s shutout streak and his slim 1-0 lead — provided by Jimmy Rollins’ third-inning, 420-foot homer off Bartolo Colon to right center. With the pressure on, Kershaw stepped up to strike out John Mayberry Jr. and retire Eric Campbell on a slow grounder to short. In the eighth, Lucas Duda defied a shift with a leadoff single to right field for the third hit off Kershaw, but was picked off moments later. Then, a bases-loaded walk by pinch-hitter Alberto Callaspo and Yasiel Puig’s sacrifice fly tripled the Dodgers’ lead in the ninth inning and widened Kershaw’s tightrope. Retiring the side in order in the ninth, Kershaw finished with 11 strikeouts on 104 pitches (79 for strikes). He went to ball 3 twice in the game. For the first six innings, two plays threatened to disrupt Kershaw’s perfect game. With one out in the bottom of the third inning, Kershaw had his only full count, to Mets catcher Anthony Recker (.279 on-base percentage). Kershaw’s pitch hit the lower border of the strike zone for the whiff. In the bottom off the fifth, Campbell struck out swinging, but the ball bounced away from Dodger catcher Yasmani Grandal, and it was immediately clear this would be a tough play at first. Grandal raced to retrieve the ball and fire it on one hop to Adrian Gonzalez, who dug it out to record the out by an eyelash. Days after Zack Greinke had a streak of 28 batters in a row retired, Kershaw retired 25 in a row before Granderson’s hit. In addition to the scoreless inning streak, we’re left with the following numbers for Kershaw: Kershaw is the first MLB pitcher with three straight games of at least 10 strikeouts and no runs or walks allowed. In 11 starts since May 23, Kershaw has a 1.21 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings. In his past 16 July starts, Kershaw has a 0.89 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 9.5 K/9. Kershaw has combined with Greinke to pitch 56 innings this month. They have allowed one run, for a 0.16 ERA. Soon-to-be-a-dad Zack Greinke back in Los Angeles By Jon Weisman Originally scheduled to start for the Dodgers on Friday, Zack Greinke left the team early this morning to be with his wife for the imminent birth of their first child, for which we send our very best wishes. At this particular moment in time, it’s unclear who will be the starting pitcher for the Dodgers in each of their next three games in New York after tonight.

Greinke could conceivably (pun not intended but welcomed) return to the Dodgers before their series against the Mets is over. Brett Anderson worked out today without his walking boot, throwing and doing agility drills, and is almost certain to avoid the disabled list, but whether he pitches Sunday remains undecided — especially if that’s the day Greinke is able to rejoin the team. (No one asked me, but with Sunday’s game being the end of a cross-country road trip, the sensible thing might just be to let Greinke rest at home with his newborn and take the mound for the next homestand opener Tuesday against Oakland. Of course, these aren’t necessarily sensible times, and I can understand wanting a guy with 43 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings to get out there as soon as possible.) Anderson said he will throw a bullpen session Friday that will help determine whether he is able to take his turn Sunday on four days’ rest. Whatever happens with those two, the Dodgers still need a starter at least for Friday. Ian Thomas, called up to be the long man out of the bullpen, might be one candidate. The Dodgers will also add a pitcher Friday, when Greinke is officially on paternity leave (maximum of three days). Carlos Frias is scheduled for a rehab start for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday, and is not a candidate to start for the Dodgers this weekend. Relief pitcher Chris Hatcher, by the way, will also make a rehab appearance for Rancho on Friday. This will all sort itself out soon enough, but for now, it’s a whirlwind. Clayton Kershaw: 0.96 ERA in past 15 July starts By Jon Weisman When the weather gets hot, so does Clayton Kershaw. The big lefty not only brings a 20-inning scoreless streak into tonight’s game against the Mets, but also an awesome recent history of July dominance. Kershaw has made 15 consecutive quality starts in the month of July, dating back to his last July outing of 2012, and they’ve hardly been cheap. It’s been a day short of three years since Kershaw didn’t go seven innings in a July start, and he has allowed three runs in only two of the 15 games. He has pitched shutout ball in seven of his past 15 July starts, and overall has an ERA of 0.96 in 122 innings across that set of games. (In his past 10 July starts, his ERA is 0.68 in 82 innings.) Here’s the score by innings against Kershaw in those 15 games combined: 221 113 201 — 13

With 14 and 13 strikeouts in his past two games, Kershaw has a chance to become the first National League pitcher ever to strike out at least 13 in three games in a row. Pedro Martinez did this twice for the Boston Red Sox in 1999 (May 1-7-12, September 4-10-15). Kershaw is the first Dodger to strike out at least 13 this two times in a row since Chan Ho Park in 2000, and he is the first MLB player to do this with no walks since Dwight Gooden in 1984. He is already the only pitcher in more than 100 years to strike out at least 13 in a game twice in a row with no walks or runs allowed. Tonight’s opponent, the Mets, is the last team to score on Kershaw — on Wilmer Flores’ RBI single in the fourth inning July 3, following a John Mayberry double and a wild pitch. That is the only RBI against either Kershaw or Zack Greinke this month.

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Clayton Kershaw Loses Perfect Game in 7th, Dodgers Whitewash Mets 3-0 By Michael Duarte Attention baseball: Clayton Kershaw is unhittable. The reigning NL MVP took a perfect game into the seventh inning on Thursday as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Mets 3-0 in the first game of a four game series on Thursday at Citi Field. Kershaw (8-6) threw a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits, with no walks, and 11 strikeouts over nine innings, extending his scoreless streak to 29 innings. "There's a lot of luck that has to happen to throw a perfect game," Kershaw said. "Once the seventh inning rolled around I thought it could be possible, but it didn't last very long." It was Kershaw's 11th complete game shutout of his career as the three-time Cy Young award winner became the first pitcher since the man himself (Cy Young – 1905) to have 10+ strikeouts, no runs and no walks in three consecutive starts. Kershaw has 1.22 ERA in his last 11 starts, allowing 11 earned runs with 11 walks and 112 strikeouts. "I feel like I have pretty good command right now, especially with my fastball," Kershaw continued. "I got in a pretty good rhythm there, and once Jimmy hit that home run I felt good." Kershaw's perfect game was broken up in the seventh inning when Curtis Granderson led off with a line drive single to right field. "I thought for a second there we were going to throw a no-hitter, potentially a perfect game," Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal said. "He made a good pitch on Granderson, but he got the bat on the ball."

Kershaw is 6-0 in nine career starts with a 1.49 ERA against the NY Mets. The Mets were also the only team that Kershaw had not beaten in the past three years until today. Kershaw's last victory over the 'Amazing Mets' was on July 1, 2012. "Looks like he's back, he's been lights out," Grandal continued. "He's answering all those critics who asked 'Where has Clayton gone?' Looks like he's been here all along." Jimmy Rollins hit a solo shot to right center off of Bartolo Colon in the third inning. Rollins leads all active players in hits against the Mets with 277. He trails only Pete Rose (396) and Lou Brock (289) for the most against the Mets all-time. Colon was equally impressive for New York, unfortunately he ran into a buzz saw in Kershaw who is simply unhittable at the moment as he white washed the Mets. Colon (9-9) was the hard-luck loser allowing just one run on five hits with four strikeouts over eight strong innings. "We were overmatched tonight," Mets manager Terry Collins said matter of factly. Adrian Gonzalez went 3-for-4 with three singles on the day. The Dodgers loaded the bases in the top of the ninth with no outs and Mets reliever Carlos Torres walked in a run, before a sac fly to right field by Yasiel Puig made it 3-0. Kiké Hernandez started at second base in place of Howie Kendrick. Game Notes: Since 1914, only one pitcher had three consecutive starts with at least 10 strikeouts and no walks. Chris Archer did it earlier this year, as Kershaw becomes the second starting pitcher to do it over the last 101 years. It was the Dodgers MLB leading 15th shutout of the year.

FOX SPORTS Zack Greinke puts scoreless streak on hold for birth of his first child By FOX Sports Zack Greinke is in the midst of a historic run for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he's putting baseball history aside for a moment to witness a precious piece of history in his personal life. The righty ace has put his 43 2/3-inning scoreless streak on hold to be with his wife as she delivers their first child in Los Angeles, as originally reported by TWC SportsNet LA's Alanna Rizzo. Greinke was originally scheduled to pitch the Dodgers' game against the Mets in New York on Friday afternoon.

Manager Don Mattingly said that while Greinke will likely miss his Friday start, he's hopeful he'll join the team in New York and pitch sometime during the weekend in the Dodgers' four-game series with the Mets. RIGHT-HANDER BOLSINGER, THE DODGERS SOFT-TOSSING SAVIOR By Rob Neyer OK, so I won’t minimize the Dodgers’ organizational priority; not after both the general manager and the manager underlined this priority. Still, I think at least some of the loose talk about the Dodgers’ needs is informed by at least a tinge of skepticism about Mike Bolsinger, who’s essentially been the team’s No. 4 starter since late April. This was not the plan. When the Dodgers acquired Bolsinger last November – more on that in a moment – he was just organizational depth. These days, every team with the budget likes to park three or four replacement-level starters in Triple-A, since there’s approximately zero chance that everybody in the Opening Day rotation will stay healthy and effective all season long. This went double for the Dodgers, whose Opening Day rotation included oft-injured Brett Anderson and oft-injured Brandon McCarthy. But nobody outside of maybe Gabe Kapler was counting on anything from Bolsinger in 2015. The Diamondbacks drafted him in 2010. In the 15th round, which isn’t typically a productive round. Baseball America did not rank him among Arizona’s 30 best prospects in 2011. Or 2012. Or 2013. Or 2014. In 2012, the "Prospect Handbook" did mention Bolsinger as the organization’s fifth-best right-handed, relief-pitching prospect, sandwiched between Chris Odegaard and D.J. Johnson. In 2014, the "Prospect Handbook" mentioned Bolsinger again, this time as the Diamondbacks’ 11th-best right-handed-throwing, relief-pitching prospect, sandwiched between Charles Brewer and Kyle Winkler. Have you ever heard of Chris Odegaard or D.J. Johnson or Charles Brewer or Kyle Winkler? If so, congratulations! You’re officially qualified to work at Baseball America! Somewhat unaccountably, Bolsinger actually reached the majors and even lost his rookie status – and his eligibility for everyone’s prospect lists – last season, pitching 52 innings with the Diamondbacks. Then the Dodgers purchased his contract a few weeks after the World Series. Before this season, FanGraphs’ Kiley McDaniel ranked Bolsinger ninth among the Dodgers’ “27 & Under Big League Assets” (which is a pretty nifty category, by the way) ... right between Paco Rodriguez and Chris Withrow, both of whom, at the moment, are recovering from elbow surgery. OK, so now’s the part where you might be wondering what Mike Bolsinger’s done to deserve all this attention. From me, I mean.

He’s done really well this season. In 15 starts with the Dodgers, Bolsinger’s 5-3 with a 2.79 ERA. In 84 innings, he’s given up only three home runs. You might be wondering why someone who’s pitching so well this season for a first-place team was discarded last November by a last-place team. Bolsinger doesn’t throw hard. Relatively speaking, he throws soft. He’s not pitched enough innings to qualify for leader boards. But his average fastball (87.3 mph) would rank 92nd in the majors, between Tim Hudson (87.9) and Chris Young (86.2). Also, he gave up a lot of runs with the Diamondbacks last season: 36 in 52 innings. And it seems management might not have really noticed that Bolsinger was a groundball pitcher who, despite throwing relatively softly, struck out nearly three times more batters than he walked. But then it does seem that the Diamondbacks sometimes don’t see value the same as others might. We shouldn’t pick on the Diamondbacks, though. When they designated Bolsinger for assignment last season, 29 teams had a shot at him. It seems nobody but the Dodgers was particularly interested. You might be wondering how a complete non-prospect like Mike Bolsinger happens to be pitching sorta like an actual star this season. As I mentioned above, Bolsinger’s a groundball pitcher. His 57.6 groundball percentage would rank sixth in the majors, behind (again) Tim Hudson, and just a hair above Felix Hernandez. As I also mentioned above, last season Bolsinger’s strikeout-to-walk ratio was nearly 3 to 1. Well, it’s exactly the same this season. Last month, Eno Sarris did some interesting work on Bolsinger’s repertoire of pitches, and how that might have changed this year. On the other hand, qualitatively he doesn’t seem to have changed much at all. His strikeout-to-walk ratio’s practically identical, and his groundball percentage is up just a tick or two. The difference in his ERA can be explained almost completely by his HR/FB going from abnormally high (16 percent) with the Diamondbacks to abnormally low (five percent) with the Dodgers. One way or another, Mike Bolsinger simply seems to be one of those few pitchers who can thrive in the major leagues without throwing hard, even by minor-league standards. And it’s probably not a great coincidence that the Diamondbacks didn’t want him and the Dodgers did. Oh, and one more thing? The Dodgers acquired Bolsinger in exchange for "cash considerations," which is a really weird way of saying they paid for Bolsinger before he was actually released. Typically, these exchanges range anywhere from $1 to $100,000 ... which, these days in Major League Baseball, both are equivalent to approximately zero dollars. The first-place Dodgers got their No. 4 starter for the price of a song that's in the public domain.

FOX NEWS LATINO

Legendary L.A. Dodgers' pitcher Fernando Valenzuela becomes a U.S. citizen By FOX News Latino Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, who came to the U.S. from Mexico 36 years ago, became a naturalized citizen this week.

The 54-year-old ballplayer took an oath of allegiance to the United States during a ceremony Wednesday morning in downtown Los Angeles. He pledged alongside 8,000 other people – foregoing a private ceremony. Valenzuela was born in Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico. His wife, a schoolteacher, became a U.S. citizen a few months ago. Valenzuela was once one of the game's most popular players, becoming the first pitcher to win both the Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award in the same season - 1981. A native of Mexico, the left-hander created "Fernandomania" with his immediate success and affable personality. "El Toro" led the Los Angeles Dodgers to the 1981 World Series title, galvanized the interest of millions of Latinos and finished his 17-year career 173-153 with a 3.54 ERA. He retired in 1997, after a short stint with the St. Louis Cardinals. He returned to the Dodgers in 1988 as a broadcaster for the team.

LAOPINION.COM

Fernando Valenzuela se convierte en ciudadano de EEUU Por Abraham Nudelstejer Esta vez no fue el brazo izquierdo el que Fernando Valenzuela utilizó para realizar uno de los movimientos más importantes de su vida. El legendario pitcher de los Dodgers de Los Ángeles alzó su mano derecha para hacer el juramento con el que el miércoles se convirtió en ciudadano de los Estados Unidos. “La naturalización es un gran beneficio que nos otorga el sistema migratorio de nuestra nación y es un honor y un privilegio recibir a Fernando Valenzuela, un ícono de los Dodgers, como nuevo ciudadano de los Estados Unidos”, dijo la directora de migración del distrito de Los Ángeles, Susan. M. Curda. Valenzuela hizo el juramento a la bandera y preceptos de los Estados Unidos junto a otras ocho mil personas de 130 diferentes países en una ceremonia efectuada en el Centro de Los Ángeles.

ESPN DEPORTES Fernando Valenzuela se convirtió en ciudadano de Estados Unidos By ESPN Deportes LOS ÁNGELES -- El legendario lanzador mexicano de los Dodgers de Los Ángeles, Fernando Valenzuela, se convirtió este miércoles en ciudadano de Estados Unidos.

El nativo de Etchohuaquila, Sonora, alzó el brazo derecho y tomó el juramento a la bandera de Estados Unidos. En la ceremonia realizada en el centro de Los Ángeles, el mexicano se unió a cerca de 8,000 personas de más de 130 países que tomaban el gran paso. Valenzuela estuvo acompañado de su esposa Linda, quien también se convirtió en ciudadana tan solo unos meses atrás, y su familia. La primera ocasión en que El Toro se mudó a la Unión Americana fue en 1979 luego de firmar con los Dodgers el 6 de julio. Tras su exitosa carrera en las Mayores pasó atrás del micrófono para analizar juegos de béisbol. Este 2015 se cumplió también el 25 aniversario del juego sin hit que el mexicano lanzó aquella noche del 29 de junio de 1990, frente a los Cardenales de San Luis.