Domino effect lands Andrew Toles in Dodgers" leadoff spot

10/13/16: Jansen, Kershaw power Dodgers to NLCS

LOS ANGELES >> Andrew Toles started the season in left field at Dodger Stadium instead of in Oklahoma City. He can probably thank Andre Ethiers herniated disc for that.

Toles also started the season batting leadoff for the Dodgers and he can probably thank Yasiel Puig for that.

The Dodgers main offseason acquisition, Logan Forsythe spent most of the Cactus League schedule batting leadoff. but dodgers manager dave roberts put Toles in the top spot of his first lineup this season, allowing him to move Forsythe to fifth.

We like Andrew in the batters box against right-handed pitchers, Roberts said of Toles, who stepped into the left-handed half of a left-field platoon when Ethier was sidelined by a back injury this spring. To get at-bats there with the speed element, the athletic ability there with Corey behind him.

And also the other component there is to have Logan somewhere in the middle to break it up. If you look at Adrian (Gonzalez) and Joc (Pederson) and Yasmani (Grandal), theres a lot of similarities with those guys (all three left-handed hitters). Its good to have a grinder type at-bat in there. It also sandwiches Adrian between two right-handed bats so I think strategically it helps us. It puts the onus on the opposing manager to make a decision. It makes our lineup pretty tough to navigate.

But Roberts acknowledged there would not have been the same need for Forsythe in the middle of the lineup if Puig hadnt had such a poor spring. The Dodgers right fielder hit .232 this spring and showed few signs of reversing the downward slide his offensive game has taken the past three seasons (leading to a month-long demotion to Triple-A last August).

I think thats fair, Roberts said of the domino effect Puigs poor spring had on his lineup construction. With Yasiel, were looking for him to be consistent and I think the at-bat quality needs to be consistent vs. left(-handed pitchers) and vs. right(-handed pitchers). I really didnt see that throughout the spring against right-handed pitching.

With Andrew against a right-handed pitcher, I like the at-bat quality and I like the same with Logan. I hope Yasiel makes it tough on me to hit him down. If he does that and he plays to what we all know he can and I know he expects that from himself then it could change the construction of the lineup.

With everyone in the Dodgers starting lineup getting a hit and scoring at least once in Mondays 14-3 win, Toles was 2 for 5 with a run scored and Puig was on base three times (two walks and a double).

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Roberts was supportive of Puig throughout most of the spring, dismissing the idea of a platoon in right field and praising Puig as an elite defender. But Puig spent time during the final week in Arizona doing extra work on his hitting (so much so one day that he was scratched from the lineup for the Cactus League game) and getting at-bats in minor-league camp games. Roberts tone began to change when asked about Puig.

Right now, I dont see him in the middle of the lineup, Roberts said when he dropped Puig to eighth in the order for the games in Anaheim. That can change with production but right now I dont see him in the middle of the order.

Puigs on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS have all dropped each of the past three seasons.

Big bucks

For the fourth consecutive season, the Dodgers opened the season with the highest payroll in baseball but that payroll is going down.

Depending on which formula is used (and how signing bonuses are spread out), the Dodgers season-opening payroll was between $225 million and $235 million (including approximately $50 million owed to players released or currently playing for other teams).

That represents the Dodgers lowest season-opening payroll since 2013.

Baezs road back

Reliever Pedro Baez opened the season on the disabled list because of a bone bruise in his right hand suffered early in spring training. He is currently in extended spring training but will be joining Triple-A Oklahoma City later this week after the OKC Dodgers open their season on Thursday.

Baez is expected to rehab with OKC and then join the Dodgers next week when he is eligible to come off the 10-day DL. The Dodgers are currently carrying two starting pitchers as long relievers (left-hander Alex Wood and right-hander Ross Stripling) but will likely reset their bullpen after the weekend series in Colorado.

Source: http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20170403/domino-effect-lands-andrew-toles-in-dodgers-leadoff-spot

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Way NLCS with Dodgers setting up looks perfect for the Cubs, but �

Kershaw fans Difo, Dodgers advance

The moon and stars seem to be aligned for the Cubs in their quest to get to their first World Series since 1945.

They sneaked past the Giants in the National League Division Series without much offense to speak of, and will face a Dodgers team in the National League Championship Series that"s still recovering from an emotional five-game NLDS triumph over the Nationals.

The Cubs are a year older and a bit wiser than they were last year, when the Mets swept them in the NLCS. And they still have that chip on their shoulder after an embarrassing performance.

"It left a bitter taste in guys" mouths as far as how far we had come last season and to get to that point, and then really not put up a fight," said Jon Lester, who is to face Kenta Meada in Game 1 of the NLCS.

The last time the Cubs faced the Dodgers in the postseason also ended up without much of a fight. The Cubs business operations department invited a Greek Orthodox priest to spread holy water in the home dugout before Game 1 to remove the "curse" that general manager Jim Hendry and manager Lou Piniella took pains to say did not exist.

The Cubs promptly were swept in three games.

Rev. Jim Greanias, the designated holy water spreader, said Friday he will be in attendance at Wrigley for Game 1, but only as a fan.

"I don"t think security would let me in with the holy water," he cracked. "I may be on a watch list."

A Cubs source with access to the pre-game ceremonies guaranteed there would be no repeat of the holy water incident.

So the Cubs will have to win it without any extraneous karma, just as they have done all year.

"They"re a solid team from what I understand," Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw said, tongue firmly embedded in cheek.

From what we have heard in Chicago, Kershaw is also solid as well. Though he missed part of the summer with back issues, Kershaw went 12-4 with a 1.69 ERA, 172 strikeouts and 11 walks, one of which was intentional.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hinted Kershaw may be able to start in Game 2 on Sunday after starting on Tuesday in Game 4 of the division series, and then retiring the final two hitters to close out Game 5 Thursday.

"Obviously we"re not prepared to make that decision yet," Roberts said. "But he"s tracking to start when we all think."

Cubs manager Joe Maddon, who deftly outmaneuvered Giants counterpart Bruce Bochy in the ninth inning of Game 4, has a new challenge in Roberts. Like Maddon, Roberts is an unconventional thinker who isn"t afraid to kick over the chess board.

Roberts said closer Kenly Jansen would be available for Game 1 despite being brought in during the seventh inning and throwing 51 pitches in Game 5.

"I"d be interested to see they won the war but the effect on Jansen and Kershaw when they get to Chicago," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said after the loss to the Dodgers.

That may sounds like sour grapes, but Baker"s point was the Dodgers may have overtaxed their two most valuable pitchers unnecessarily to get past the Nats.

We soon will find out if either or both can rebound without coming up for air.

This postseason has seen more outside-the-box bullpen moves than any in recent memory. Maddon said it always has been that way, but is just being played up more.

"It would be much more difficult to be consistently successful by moving people around that often and having them throw that much," Maddon said. "However, this time of the year is a different animal, and I think that I get it. It"s the way it should be."

Lester, one of the best left-handers in the game, is coming off eight shutout innings in the Cubs 1-0 victory over the Giants in Game 1 of the NLDS. The Cubs also have three lefties in their bullpen in Mike Montgomery, Travis Wood and closer Aroldis Chapman, and could add a fourth for the NLCS in Rob Zastryzny, who threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings Aug. 27 at Los Angeles.

Against lefties, the Dodgers ranked dead last in the majors in hitting (.213), on-base percentage (.290) and slugging percentage (.332).

"The so-called (criticism) they don"t hit lefties good, I"ve heard that," Cubs catcher David Ross said. "It doesn"t matter. They still won. That"s their take on it, too. Jon threw well (in Game 1) and I expect him to throw well Saturday."

The Cubs should be geeked up after their come-from-behind victory in Game 4, and are used to playing in this atmosphere.

"Getting through that first series, there was a lot of emotion, a lot of high energy, especially on the road at (AT&T Park)," said Kyle Hendricks, the Game 2 starter. "And the crowd here at Wrigley, honestly, we caught some games during the regular season that were just as loud as we"re getting in the playoffs."

The Cubs are treating it like just another day at the ballpark, as they have done all year long.

psullivan@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @PWSullivan

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-cubs-success-seems-set-sullivan-spt-1015-20161014-column.html

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Carlos Ruiz again delivers for Dodgers with go-ahead RBI in Game 5

Dodgers Beat Nationals 2016 NLDS Game 5 Kershaw

Entire baseball games have been played to nine-inning conclusions faster than the forever-to-be-storied seventh inning of Game 5 of the National League division series, and that was not even the most unprecedented part of it.

When he asked Carlos Ruiz to pinch-hit for Chase Utley within the 66-minute inning, Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts deployed his third catcher of the inning. Third-stringer Austin Barnes had sprinted to second base two minutes before to pinch-run for Yasmani Grandal.

But Roberts wanted Ruiz to bat against left-hander Sammy Solis, so he threw contingencies to the wind. And, in Thursdays marathon seventh, down in the count, the 37-year-old Ruiz stroked a smooth single through to left field for the go-ahead run in the Dodgers 4-3 victory.

He found a way to get it done, Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner said. He got down two strikes, and he battled.

The Dodgers traded away fan and ace favorite A.J. Ellis on Aug. 25 to acquire Ruiz, known as Chooch, with the stated purpose of adding a man capable of hitting left-handed pitching. He also entered October with a .380 career on-base percentage in 46 games for Philadelphia.

Although Ruiz did not start against the only left-hander Washington started in this series, he pinch-hit against left-handers three times in the series and succeeded twice. On Monday, he homered against Gio Gonzalez. In Game 5, Ruiz stayed in and caught closer Kenley Jansen and, to his surprise, ace Clayton Kershaw. He missed catching Kershaws first pitch, but Kershaw said that was his own fault.

Chooch has been there and done that. Ive seen him get big hits against me before. Hes been there, and hes calm and confident, Kershaw said. Hes really worked since he got here to get to know our pitchers. Hes a guy who works tirelessly at what he can.

Ruiz noted he saw Kershaw wearing running shoes in the dugout during the games middle innings. He had no idea he might catch the man in the game. But he ended the night embracing the man near the mound.

I am always getting myself ready for the opportunity, Ruiz said. I was so happy to be on the field for the last out. That was a big moment for me, because I was almost at the end of my career, and I had a chance to extend it.

The Dodgers sacrificed an extra reliever and put three catchers on their postseason roster so they could use one of their backups to pinch-hit or pinch-run and still feel safe. But, in Thursdays instance, Roberts essentially bet significant money Ruiz would remain healthy. If he had gotten hurt, Yasiel Puig would have strapped on extra catcher gear in the dugout and jogged out to the backstop.

When it was made, the trade was considered disastrous for the clubs chemistry and Kershaws happiness. In his first game, Ruiz missed two pitches from Jansen that helped the Chicago Cubs win.

But Kershaw, best friends with Ellis, soon endorsed Ruiz. And the team followed, continuing to play unfettered baseball.

That was tough for all of us, Turner said. A.J. was like a brother to us and a leader in here and meant so much to this team. To see him go was tough for us. But as soon as Chooch came in, we opened up our arms, embraced him, and made him feel like one of us.

Sure enough, here he is, getting big hits for us.

pedro.moura@latimes.com

Twitter: @pedromoura

Source: http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-nationals-tba-20161013-snap-story.html

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Dodgers down Nationals, 4-3, in Game 5 to advance to NLCS against Cubs

10/11/16: Dodgers force Game 5 with dramatic 6-5 win

Clayton Kershaw could barely lift his feet. His sandals splattered through puddles of champagne and beer, kicking away corks and crushed bottles of Budweiser. He slipped away from the chaos inside his clubhouse, a scene of revelry after a 4-3 victory to send the Dodgers to the National League Championship Series, and found a quiet space inside a cafeteria.

Kershaw grabbed a trash can and stared into its contents. A team official came by and hugged him. Unreal, the man said. Kershaw sputtered a reply and shook his head. He was smiling but dazed. Nothing came easy for the Dodgers on this night, not even the words for Kershaw to describe his emotion.

I feel . . . I feel . . . good, Kershaw said as he wandered back into the madness. The Dodgers did not reach this moment solely because of him. But he stooda few steps off the mound, arms raised to the sky, at 12:41 a.m. EDT on Friday as his club held off the Nationals in Game 5 of the National League division series. He recorded the final two outs to deliver his team to a date with the Cubs on Saturday at Wrigley Field.

Kershaw arrived on the scene at the height of tension, with the potential winning run already on base. The ballpark rattled around him, trying to exorcise a franchises demons of playoff failure. Kershaw wanted to exorcise his own. His manager did not ask him to pitch. Kershaw insisted upon it, despite performing on one day of rest, just two nights of sleep removed from a 110-pitch effort on Tuesday, just three months removed from the herniated disk that sidelined him for much of the summer.

Kershaw could not finish Game 4. But he would finish Game 5.

At the plate stood Daniel Murphy, one of the finest hitters in the sport, a man who has tormented the Dodgers these last two Octobers. Kershaw deposed of him with ease. He induced a pop-up on a 94-mph fastball. Five pitches later, he snapped a curveball past the helpless swing of infielder Wilmer Difo and waited for his teammates.

The group engulfed him. Kershaw opened his arms to backup catcher Carlos Ruiz, who gave the team the lead in the seventh inning with an RBI single. Joining the pile was Kenley Jansen, who expended himself with 51 pitches to drag this game from the seventh inning into the ninth. Along came Manager Dave Roberts, the man who masterminded the entire night.

His way of thinking was, Were going to do everything we need to do to win today, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said. Today was the ultimate example.

Roberts ran the game like a clinic, aware of the stakes, unwilling to bend to the sports orthodoxy. He used set-up man Joe Blanton in the third inning. He called upon his closer in the seventh. He trusted his ace in the ninth.

The result was a game like few others in recent memory. It lasted 4 hours32 minutes. The seventh inning took 66 minutes alone. After securing a stirring victory in Game 4, the Dodgers managed to top themselves in the clincher.

Theyre going to be talking about this game for years, Dodgers President Stan Kasten said.

The entire evening felt like prologue until the seventh inning. The Nationals held a one-run lead, with Manager Dusty Baker willing to trust Max Scherzer on a third pass through the Dodgers lineup. The trust proved ill-fated. Joc Pederson led off the inning with a solo home run. Baker opened up his bullpen, and the Dodgers started to feast.

Roberts utilized all three of his catchers in the inning. StarterYasmani Grandal walked. Roberts sent Austin Barnes to pinch-run for Grandal. Then he sent Ruiz to the plate. Ruiz smacked an RBI single off reliever Sammy Solis to score Barnes. Justin Turner padded the lead with a two-run triple.

The advantage felt comfortable. And then, suddenly, it was not.

Grant Dayton, a rookie reliever, served up a two-run homer to former Dodger Chris Heisey in the bottom of the seventh. Roberts sprung into action. After Dayton walked a batter, Roberts went to Jansen. Inside the dugout, Kershaw started to do the math. Then he found Roberts.

I wanted to be out there tonight, Kershaw said.

Earlier in the afternoon, Kershaw took the field to play catch. He joked to a few reporters that he felt fantastic. He was not planning on throwing his usual bullpen session until Friday, so he just wanted to keep his arm loose. As he finished his session, he caught the eye of Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez.

Great game, Gonzalez told him.

Thanks, man, Kershaw said.

That was a heck of a game, Gonzalez said.

There was little reason to expect Kershaw would appear on Thursday. Before the game, Roberts insisted that Kershaw would absolutely not pitch. His back was too vulnerable. His value as an asset was too high.

To get through Game 5, the Dodgers required creativity. They were working under constrained circumstances. Unlike the Nationals, the Dodgers did not have a starter capable of going deep. They asked Rich Hill to pitch on short rest for the first time in a decade. The team required a plan to handle the game after Hills exit.

The Dodgers finalized their strategy on Wednesday. The team sifted through the matchups, stitching together different pitchers for different scenarios. They called it The Road Map to 27 Outs. During the conversations, Kershaws name never came up, General Manager Farhan Zaidi said. Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said he could not imagine Kershaw appearing in my wildest dreams.

The calculus changed as Jansen labored. He gave up a single to outfielder Jayson Werth and intentionally walked Murphy. Jansen struck out third baseman Anthony Rendon, but his pitch count was rising. Kershaw told Roberts he would warm up and see how he felt. Roberts checked with the training staff.

I just felt that Clayton was going to go out there and give us everything he had, Roberts said.

Jansen survived the eighth. At 12:12 a.m., as a game, a series and a season hung in the balance, Kershaw climbed up the steps of the Dodgers dugout and walked toward his bullpen. Murphy was due up fourth in the inning. He was Kershaws responsibility.

Jansen approached the end of his rope in the ninth. He walked outfielder Bryce Harper. He walked Werth. He had already thrown 20 more pitches than he had in another other game this season. He could go no further.

Thats as gutsy a performance as I can remember seeing, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said.

There was one more feat left for the team to witness. Kershaw needed only seven pitches to find those last two outs. It was his first save in a professional game since the Gulf Coast League in 2006. His catcher that day was a kid from Curacao named Kenley Jansen.

In the chaos that followed, Kershaw could not hide his exhaustion. This series has sapped his energy on so many occasions, leaving him mentally and physically spent.

As he walked from his clubhouse toward a news conference, he could not hide a smile.

Weve got to win eight more of these? Kershaw said.

For Kershaw and the Dodgers, October has just begun.

andy.mccullough@latimes.com

Twitter: @McCulloughTimes

Source: http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-nationals-20161013-snap-story.html

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Dodgers get excellent results with Chase Utley in leadoff spot

October 15, 2015 - New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers [NLDS: G5]

The text message from manager to purported leadoff hitter reached Chase Utley on Sunday night. Dave Roberts wanted to inform the 37-year-old veteran of his assignment for the start of the season. At least against right-handed pitchers, Utley will bat first.

The early returns were excellent for the Dodgers in a 15-0 victory over the San Diego Padres in the season opener. Utley recorded three hits, drove in two runs and scored one. He downplayed the significance of his placement in the order.

"For me, the only difference is you"re the first batter of the game," he said. "You"re still trying to put good at-bats together no matter where you"re hitting in the lineup."

Utley, 37, is the oldest member of the Dodgers. Monday marked the 1,586th game of his career. It was only the 12th time he had batted in the No. 1 spot.

The Dodgers turned to Utley after Andre Ethier broke a leg in March. The team chose Utley over Carl Crawford, who batted sixth.

The team had intended to use Howie Kendrick, who is on the disabled list, as its primary second baseman. But Dodgers officials continue to believe Utley, a six-time All-Star in Philadelphia, can still be a capable hitter against right-handed pitchers.

"For me, it"s just to get him the extra at-bats," Roberts said. "Sometimes you get a guy on second base with two outs. He"s been a guy who"s driven in runs. So I feel comfortable with him in that spot. Ultimately, I trust the at-bats, and I trust that he can get on base."

Yasmani Grandal and Kendrick are on track to return

Roberts repeated his hope that Kendrick and catcher Yasmani Grandal will be ready to rejoin the Dodgers by the home opener April 12.

Grandal (forearm inflammation) has been able to play in minor league games at the team"s complex in Phoenix. The Dodgers are being cautious with him rather than risking his injury flaring up when he is not ready to return.

Kendrick (calf tightness) may require extra time to recover. He has not been cleared to play in a game. Roberts indicated Kendrick would take part in live batting practice by Tuesday or soon after.

Hyun-Jin Ryu is ready to face hitters

Hyun-Jin Ryu (shoulder surgery) stayed in Arizona when the team broke camp and is slowly making progress in building arm strength. Roberts said Ryu was scheduled to throw a session of live batting practice Thursday or Friday.

Kenley Jansen is accidentally roughed up

Kenley Jansen sported a butterfly bandage under his left eye after the game, courtesy of a pregame mishap with fellow reliever J.P. Howell. Howell hit Jansen in the face with an errant throw during batting practice.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-report-20160405-story.html

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