True Blue LA - Apr. 28: Dodgers 2, Brewers 0Where The Dodger Dogs Are Always Grilledhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49563/truebluela_fav.png2013-04-28T15:34:49-07:00http://www.truebluela.com/rss/stream/40434352013-04-28T15:34:49-07:002013-04-28T15:34:49-07:00Dodgers 2, Brewers 0
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Dodgers improved to .500 (12-12) on the season, including 6-6 at home.</p> <p><span>Clayton Kershaw</span> was magnificent and <span>Carl Crawford</span> provided the offense, leading the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> to a 2-0 win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brewers</a> in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.</p>
<p>Kershaw put himself in trouble early, allowing a runner in scoring position with one out in the first inning and with nobody out in the second. But after <span>Rickie Weeks</span> led off the second frame with a Matt Kemp-aided two-bagger, Kershaw retired the next 18 straight batters.</p>
<p>Crawford homered to lead off the first inning, then added another solo shot in the fifth inning. It was <a target="_blank" href="http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/Ycd4k">the sixth two-homer game of Crawford's career</a>, and his first since July 8, 2010 while with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.draysbay.com/">Rays</a>, against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Indians</a>.</p>
<p>Crawford joins <span>Mark Ellis</span> as the only two Dodgers with multi-homer games this season, and at four home runs Crawford took over the team lead.</p>
<p>Kershaw struck out 12 on the day, his <a target="_blank" href="http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/9ddsa">19th career game of 10 or more strikeouts</a> and first this season. After walking eight batters in his last two starts combined, Kershaw did not issue a free pass on Sunday, <a target="_blank" href="http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/PPljj">the fifth game of his career with at least 10 strikeouts and no walks</a>.</p>
<p>Milwaukee threatened in the eighth inning when <span>Carlos Gomez</span> opened with a double, but he was later erased on a heads-up fielders choice by Kershaw, a play that ended with <span>Juan Uribe</span> running down the speedy Gomez for the tag. Kershaw, fittingly, accounted for the other two outs in the inning with strikeouts.</p>
<p>Since 1916, there <a target="_blank" href="http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/TjJ5r">have been 18 games by a Dodgers starting pitcher with at least 12 strikeouts and no walks</a>. The last two have been accomplished by Kershaw, who joins Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale as the only repeat offenders on the list.</p>
<p>On the season, Kershaw now has 47 strikeouts, one behind <span>A.J. Burnett</span> for the major league lead, and 12 walks in 41⅔ innings, to go along with his 1.73 ERA.</p>
<h3>Sunday's particulars</h3>
<p><b>Home runs</b>: Carl Crawford 2 (4)</p>
<p><b>WP - Clayton Kershaw (3-2)</b>: 8 IP, 4 hits, 12 strikeouts</p>
<p><b>LP - <span>Kyle Lohse</span> (1-2)</b>: 7 IP, 5 hits, 2 runs, 4 strikeouts</p>
<p><b>Sv - <span>Brandon League</span> (8)</b>: 3 up, 3 down</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2013/4/28/4279934/clayton-kershaw-carl-crawford-dodgers-brewersEric Stephen2013-04-28T12:06:07-07:002013-04-28T12:06:07-07:00Hanley could return as early as Monday night
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Dodgers shortstop, playing his second minor league rehab game on Sunday with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, could return to the Dodgers as early as Monday night against the Rockies.</p> <p><span>Hanley Ramirez</span> was 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and two RBI in his first rehab game Saturday night with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. On Sunday, he is back in the Quakes lineup playing shortstop and batting leadoff. After that, it's not out of the question that could be activated as early as Monday when the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> open a series with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.purplerow.com/">Rockies</a> at Dodger Stadium.</p>
<p>"Anything is possible, the way he looked last night. Depending on what medical says," said manager Don Mattingly on Sunday. "Right now we really don't have a plan past today."</p>
<p>Complicating matters is that Rancho Cucmonga is off on Monday, meaning if Ramirez wanted to continue his rehab he would have to travel to Albuquerque to play for the Triple-A Isotopes. But Mattingly sounded impressed with what he saw of Ramirez on film.</p>
<p>"The throwing was good, the footwork was good. His at-bats were good," Mattingly said. "Some guys, it seems like they don't need to ever go down. They start hitting right away. The main thing with rehab assignments is to make sure the guy is healthy."</p>
<p>Ramirez is just one of several pending decisions looming for the Dodgers in the coming days.</p>
<p>Second baseman <span>Mark Ellis</span>, who strained his right quad on Friday night, took batting practice in the batting cages today and also threw on the field. The Dodgers are trying to wait and see if he improves in the next day or so before committing to putting him on the disabled list and losing him for 15 days.</p>
<p>"We're going to put him through different movements and things like that," Ellis said. "It's still up in the air."</p>
<p>Another choice is what to do with the bullpen. Mattingly said had the Dodgers tied Saturday's game in the ninth inning, he would have been forced to use <span>Josh Wall</span> for the 10th inning, then <span>Kenley Jansen</span> in the 11th, because next on his depth chart was utility man <span>Skip Schumaker</span>. In 2011 when he was with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/">Cardinals</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN201108230.shtml">Schumaker pitched one inning against the Dodgers in a blowout</a>, and allowed a home run to <span>Aaron Miles</span>.</p>
<p>Mattingly said the lack of a true long man in the bullpen is a concern, even if he doesn't get used frequently.</p>
<p>"We don't have that true guy who can go four innings or three innings," Mattingly said. "But we don't use it that often."</p>
<p><span>Javy Guerra</span> has been pitching multiple innings in Triple-A Albuquerque, and threw 85 pitches in five innings on Friday night. He is an option for a call-up, as are <span>Steven Ames</span> and <span>Chris Withrow</span>.</p>
<p>"Javy is on the roster, and I know he threw five innings the other night. I know he's getting stretched out," Mattingly said. "He's part of discussions. Anybody that is on the roster is an option. It's all about how we put this thing together in the right way."</p>
<p>Another option would be simply keeping <span>Matt Magill</span>, who threw 103 pitches Saturday night in his MLB debut. With his start getting skipped with Thursday's off day and <span>Chris Capuano</span> slightly more than a week away from returning, keeping Magill in the majors would mean a relief role, for now.</p>
<p>"It's something we're talking about," Mattingly said. "It's about what's best for him in the future, what's best for us in the future."</p>
<h3>Game info</h3>
<p>Time: 1:10 p.m.</p>
<p>TV: Prime Ticket</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_04_28_milmlb_lanmlb_1&mode=gameday">MLB Gameday</a></p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2013/4/28/4279292/hanley-ramirez-mark-ellis-dodgers-bullpenEric Stephen2013-04-28T10:51:39-07:002013-04-28T10:51:39-07:00Kershaw looks to continue streak vs. Brewers
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Kershaw is 2-2 this season with a 2.14 ERA that ranks 12th in the National League.</p> <p><span>Clayton Kershaw</span> looks to continue a streak of run prevention that is the longest of his career on Sunday afternoon as the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> look to capture their series against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Brewers</a> at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw has allowed three earned runs or less in each of his last 17 starts, the longest streak of his career.</p>
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<h2>Starting Lineups</h2>
<table class="sbnu-legacy-content-table" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"><tbody>
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<td colspan="2" align="center" bgcolor="#012143" width="125"><font color="#c4953b"><b>Brewers</b></font></td>
<td colspan="2" align="center" bgcolor="#157dec" width="125"><font color="#ffffff"><b>Dodgers</b></font></td>
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<td>RF</td>
<td>Aoki (L)</td>
<td>LF</td>
<td>Crawford (L)</td>
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<td>SS</td>
<td>Segura</td>
<td>2B</td>
<td>Punto (S)<br>
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<td>LF</td>
<td>Braun</td>
<td>1B</td>
<td>Gonzalez (L)<br>
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</tr>
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<td>C</td>
<td>Lucroy</td>
<td>CF</td>
<td>Kemp<br>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2B</td>
<td>Weeks</td>
<td>RF</td>
<td>Ethier (L)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>CF</td>
<td>Gomez</td>
<td>C</td>
<td>Hernandez<br>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3B</td>
<td>Betancourt<br>
</td>
<td>3B</td>
<td>Uribe<br>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1B</td>
<td>Maldonado</td>
<td>SS</td>
<td>Sellers</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>P</td>
<td>Lohse</td>
<td>P</td>
<td>Kershaw<br>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
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<p>The last Dodger with a streak that long was <span>Ted Lilly</span>, who did so in 17 consecutive starts from Jul. 29, 2011 to May 7, 2012. The last Dodger with a longer streak was knuckleballer Tom Candiotti, who had a 19-start streak from May 25 to Aug. 25, 1993.</p>
<p>Kershaw is 9-5 with a 1.71 ERA during his streak, with 128 strikeouts and 37 walks in 121 innings during that span, an average of just over seven innings per start. The team is 11-6 in those games.</p>
<p>On Sunday, Kershaw will throw to catcher <span>Ramon Hernandez</span> for the first time this season, while <span>A.J. Ellis</span> gets a rest from behind the plate in the day game after the night game.</p>
<p><span>Nick Punto</span> gets the start at second base against <span>Kyle Lohse</span> on Sunday, subbing for <span>Mark Ellis</span>. A strained right quad suffered Friday night has Ellis out of action this weekend, and a disabled list stint is still a possibility. Ellis on Sunday morning was headed out of the clubhouse on his way to the field for more tests of his leg, and offered the briefest of health assessments.</p>
<p>"I feel good," he said.</p>
<p>The Dodgers are 2-2 in series rubber games this season, including 0-1 at home.</p>
<h3>Game info</h3>
<p>Time: 1:10 p.m.</p>
<p>TV: Prime Ticket</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_04_28_milmlb_lanmlb_1&mode=gameday">MLB Gameday</a></p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2013/4/28/4279084/clayton-kershaw-dodgers-streakEric Stephen