Daily Clips

July 7, 2017

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

FRIDAY, JULY 7, 2017

DODGERS.COM Taylor caps 4-run 9th as LA stuns D-backs- Steve Gilbert and Ken Gurnick Turner humbled by Final Vote victory- Ken Gurnick Derby seeds: Stanton, Joltin' Judge are 1-2- Anthony Castrovince Taylor adds walk-off knock to storybook rise- Joshua Thornton LA's top 2 prospects ready for Futures Game- Ken Gurnick Maeda, Dodgers set to face Hammel, Royals- Josh Horton Dodgers poised for sustained success- Barry M. Bloom The Dodgers' organist celebrated Justin Turner's Final Vote win by playing Smash Mouth's 'All Star'- Adrian Garro Van Slyke rejoins Dodgers as Dayton hits DL- Ken Gurnick Dodgers' top three Draft picks remain unsigned- Ken Gurnick LA TIMES Cody Bellinger has fast become the Dodgers’ new King of Swing- Andy McCullough Fans vote Justin Turner into All-Star game, then Dodgers earn comeback win over Arizona- Andy McCullough He's no longer in charge, but Ned Colletti's contributions are still paying dividends for the Dodgers- Bill Plaschke Dodgers place reliever Grant Dayton on disabled list, call up Scott Van Slyke- Andy McCullough Dodgers' Justin Turner joins All-Star team as fan favorite in final vote- Bill Shaikin OC REGISTER Dodgers score four times in ninth to complete sweep of Diamondbacks, 5-4- Bill Plunkett Dodgers’ Justin Turner wins fan vote, headed to first All-Star Game- Bill Plunkett Royals at Dodgers: Friday game time, TV channels and starting pitchers- Bill Plunkett ESPN Dodgers rally in 9th to beat D-backs 5-4 to complete sweep- The Associated Press Justin Turner celebrates first All-Star selection in real time- ESPN.com Royals' Mike Moustakas, Dodgers' Justin Turner win last All-Star spots- ESPN.com News Services MVP and Cy Young watch: Is Aaron Judge the clear front-runner in the AL?- Mark Simon TRUE BLUE LA Dodgers ride the Fernando Rodney Experience to sweep Diamondbacks- Eric Stephen Two home runs for Jose Miguel Fernandez key 8-7 Tulsa win- Craig Minami All-Star Game 2017: Justin Turner wins Final Vote- Eric Stephen Yusniel Diaz wins California League Player of the Month for June- Eric Stephen Dodgers place Grant Dayton on DL, recall Scott Van Slyke from Triple-A- Eric Stephen DODGER INSIDER Dave Roberts gets his “perfect day”- Rowan Kavner Notebook: Enjoying the ride; Dayton to DL, Van Slyke recalled- Rowan Kavner Turner sets all-time Final Vote record to become fifth Dodger All-Star- Rowan Kavner Justin Turner — the Dodgers’ triple threat- Cary Osborne NBC LA Dodgers Complete Improbable Comeback With Four-Run Bottom of the Ninth, Sweep D-Backs, 5-4- Michael Duarte Dodgers' Justin Turner Wins All-Star Game Final Vote in Record Fashion- Michael Duarte LA TIMES Dodgers Dugout: 2017? It feels more like 1988- Houston Mitchell

LOS ANGELES DODGERS DAILY CLIPS

FRIDAY, JULY 7, 2017

DODGERS.COM Taylor caps 4-run 9th as LA stuns D-backs By Steve Gilbert and Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES -- Chris Taylor's fourth hit of the game, a bases-loaded liner over left fielder Rey Fuentes, capped a four-run bottom of the ninth as the Dodgers rallied for a 5-4 walk-off win over the D-backs and closer Fernando Rodney on Thursday night to sweep the three-game series. In the last two homestands, the Dodgers have series sweeps over their closest pursuers, Arizona and Colorado, and now lead the National League West by a season-high 5 1/2 games. "From Day 1, we knew we were the best club; it's just a matter of going out and playing," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "The Rockies and Diamondbacks were playing good when they came in here, and we wanted to play well and we took care of business. Now we have to continue to do it. But we've shown after big series, we don't let down; we keep going. That's a credit to the guys in the clubhouse." The Dodgers' winning rally, which saw all seven batters against Rodney reach base, overshadowed Arizona All-Star Jake Lamb's pair of solo homers, which shared the spotlight with a 22-strikeout duel between starting pitchers Robbie Ray and Rich Hill. Ray tied his career high with 13 strikeouts in six innings and allowed five hits. Hill struck out nine in seven innings and allowed two hits. It was Hill's third consecutive start of seven innings and in his last four starts he has a 1.73 ERA. Lamb and the Dodgers' Logan Forsythe traded fifth-inning homers, and the game remained tied 1-1 in the eighth after Ray and Hill were done for the night having settled for no-decisions. Lamb broke that tie with a leadoff blast off Luis Avilan, who also allowed Ketel Marte's first home run of the season later in the eighth, estimated by Statcast™ at 440 feet. The D-backs added an insurance run in the ninth when a balk was called on eventual winning pitcher Josh Fields, and Rodney took the mound in the bottom of the inning with a 4-1 lead. "That balk made things a little dicey, made it a little tougher for us," said Roberts. "But we've done this for the last year and a half. The odds were against us. But even if we didn't win, we didn't quit, and that's the sign of a good club." To beat Rodney, the Dodgers loaded the bases on a Yasiel Puig single, then walks to Joc Pederson, Cody Bellinger and Forsythe scored one run. After Corey Seager's two-run single up the middle tied the game at 4 and Forsythe aggressively advanced to third, Justin Turner was walked intentionally to load the bases again for Taylor, whose career-high fourth hit was the first walk-off of his career. "I missed a lot with fastball command tonight and they're a very good team," Rodney said. "My command was not there tonight."

Said Roberts: "Rodney has a proven track record, but he just couldn't find it tonight. For us to essentially make his own grave right there, not get ourselves out but make him make pitches, we put ourselves in a good spot." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Ray's K's: Ray's biggest strikeouts came in the bottom of the sixth inning. Turner led off with a walk and was doubled to third by Taylor. Austin Barnes struck out, Kiké Hernandez was walked intentionally to load the bases, then Ray struck out Puig and Trayce Thompson (for the third time). "I came at them with my best stuff and came out on top," Ray said. "Any chance you can get to shut up that many fans is great." Shot down: Scott Van Slyke, recalled before the game, pinch-hit for Hill leading off the bottom of the seventh inning and walked. But on a pitch in the dirt, he slipped on his secondary lead and Arizona catcher Chris Iannetta picked him off as he scrambled back to first base. QUOTABLE "It was a perfect game." -- Roberts, whose daughter sang the national anthem and son threw out the ceremonial first pitch (which Roberts caught) on his Bobblehead Night SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The Dodgers are 15-1 in their last 16 games at Dodger Stadium. WHAT'S NEXT D-backs: Zack Greinke gets the start for the D-backs on Friday night as they return home to take on the Reds at 6:40 p.m. MST in the opener of a three-game series before the All-Star break. Greinke is 4-1 with a 2.68 ERA in his last six starts. Dodgers: Kenta Maeda gets the 7:10 p.m. PT start in the Interleague series opener against Kansas City, but it's as much out of necessity as anything with Hyun-Jin Ryu on the DL. Maeda was ineffective in his last start in San Diego, allowing five runs in 3 2/3 innings. He's really struggled in the first inning, when opponents have a 1.051 OPS. Turner humbled by Final Vote victory By Joshua Thornton LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner can finally say he's an All-Star, after winning the Esurance MLB All-Star Final Vote on Thursday, earning a spot in the 2017 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard. Turner received a record 20.8 million votes, breaking the mark of 19.7 million set by Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman in 2013. Turner beat out Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, Nationals third

baseman Anthony Rendon, Rockies first baseman Mark Reynolds and Marlins first baseman Justin Bour to earn his first career All-Star appearance. "It's incredible," Turner said about the votes he received. "I think what it did, it set a bar for the Los Angeles Dodgers and for All-Star Games for years to come. I think Kenley [Jansen] caught a little bit of heat for what he said in San Diego, but he also sparked a huge mob of voters to get out there and prove that Dodger fans are the best fans in baseball." Entering Thursday, the 32-year-old Turner led the Majors (min. 200 AB) in batting average (.384) and on-base percentage (.473). With Turner being selected, he joins Clayton Kershaw, Cody Bellinger, Jansen and Corey Seager to give the Dodgers five All-Star representatives for the third time in 12 years. "Hitting .300 in the big leagues, that's one thing," Jansen said. "Let's say that hitting .270 is a big thing. But almost .400? That's ridiculous. He should've been in the first place, but what can we do? I'm happy, and I have to say I'm thankful for our fans and they showed up. That's why we have the best fan base and the best fans in the world." Turner's ascension from signing a Minor League deal with the Dodgers in 2014 to All-Star is something he said he couldn't imagine. To aid Turner's Final Vote campaign, the Dodgers created a voting room at Dodger Stadium, where members of their fan group, Pantone 294, have been voting around the clock. "It's very humbling," Turner said. "I'm so appreciative of Dodger fans across the country and around the world who got out and voted and helped me get to my first All-Star Game. Something that I don't take lightly. I'll forever be grateful to the Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans for what they did for me this week." On Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET, tune in to the 2017 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard live on FOX, and during the game visit MLB.com to submit your choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet via the 2017 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote. The 88th All-Star Game, in Miami, will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB.com, MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com. Derby seeds: Stanton, Joltin' Judge are 1-2 By Anthony Castrovince We intend absolutely no disrespect to the other participants when we make the fairly obvious observation that Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge are the foremost figures of the upcoming T-Mobile Home Run Derby, and they've got the seeds to show for it. As defending Derby champ, Stanton is the No. 1 seed for the event, which takes place at 8 p.m. ET Monday at Miami's Marlins Park and will be broadcast on ESPN and MLB.com. Judge, as the midweek Major League home run leader (he hit his 29th of the season Wednesday), is the No. 2.

In the first round of the Derby, which serves as an appetizer to Tuesday's All-Star Game presented by Mastercard, Stanton will oppose No. 8 seed Gary Sanchez, and Judge will face No. 7 seed Justin Bour. So that's two installments of Yankees vs. Marlins. The other first-round pairings, as determined by 2017 home run totals entering Wednesday, include No. 3 Cody Bellinger vs. No. 6 Charlie Blackmon (an NL West-ern standoff) and No. 4 Mike Moustakas vs. No. 5 Miguel Sano (an AL Central showdown). Home Run Derby FAQs: Format, rules, more The winner of the Stanton-Sanchez matchup will meet the winner of the Moustakas-Sano matchup. On the other side of the bracket, the Judge-Bour winner faces the Bellinger-Blackmon winner. The two players left standing will meet in the final round. Moustakas is second behind Judge with 25 homers, while Bellinger had 24 homers, Bour had 19, and Blackmon had 18 through Thursday, but Bellinger and Blackmon got the higher seeds by having more home runs since June 15, which is the tiebreaker according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Bellinger hit seven and Moustakas two since June 15, while Blackmon had three and Bour two. Now in its third year with a bracketed format and timed rounds, the Derby will serve as a showcase of both the impressive youth and the unbelievable raw power of the modern game. Not long ago, the 6-foot-6, 245-pound Stanton seemed to be the slugger designed for this particular platform, and he proved as much with last year's stunning performance in San Diego's Petco Park, where he hit 5.15 miles of home runs and the 20 hardest-hit homers of the night, as measured by Statcast™. His 504-foot shot on Aug. 6, 2016, established the Statcast™ record for longest home run. Stanton's home run swing is in fine form right now. He went deep twice for the Marlins in a 9-6 victory over the Cardinals on Wednesday night. Suddenly, though, another player with the body of a superhero and a booming bat has emerged in the 6-foot-7, 282-pound rookie Judge, the early American League MVP favorite who has put himself at the top not only of the home run leaderboard but also the Statcast-calculated average exit velocity board, too. Judge's 495-foot homer on June 12 was the longest of the season, and his 121.1-mph laser from the previous day was the hardest-hit homer ever recorded by Statcast™. Judge is seemingly making history with every home run. His 29th long ball on Wednesday tied him with Joe DiMaggio for the single-season franchise record by a rookie. It should come as no surprise that when we conducted a recent poll of players to find out who they most want to see in the Derby, Stanton and Judge were the resounding winners. The danger, however, in getting so easily and understandably distracted by the presences of Stanton and Judge is that any of the others involved in this Derby are capable of a March Madness-style upset in the single-elimination brackets. Bellinger's been in the league just 10 weeks and already has six multi-homer games. Sano's 97.7 mph average exit velocity on fastballs tops everybody, even Judge. The left-handed-hitting Moustakas' pull power could play perfectly with Marlins Park's 335-foot distance to the wall in the right-field corner. And he is on a roll of his own with homers in three consecutive games.

And remember when Sanchez was the Yankees' rookie sensation, belting 20 homers in just 201 at-bats? It shouldn't be that hard to remember, for it was just last season. All of these guys will have their talents tested by a format that rewards not just raw strength but also speed -- because the clock definitely becomes a factor. Batters will have four minutes per round. The clock starts with the release of the first pitch. In the first round and semifinals, each batter is entitled to one 45-second timeout. In the finals, each batter gets two timeouts (one for 45 seconds and another for 30). Here's where brute strength really comes into play: Batters can earn 30 seconds of bonus time for up to two home runs that equal or exceed 440 feet. Last year, Stanton took full advantage of this wrinkle, because his home runs averaged 446 feet. Ties in any round will be broken by a 60-second swing-off with no stoppage of time or additional time added. If a tie remains after the swing-off, batters will engage in successive three-swing swing-offs until there is a winner. Stanton vs. Judge would be an epic final, but it's impossible to know how players will handle this unorthodox and entertaining round of BP and that ticking clock until the moment of truth arrives. Thankfully, we're mere days away from finding out. Taylor adds walk-off knock to storybook rise By Joshua Thornton LOS ANGELES -- From Alex Wood's 10-0 start to Cody Bellinger becoming the fastest player to mash 24 homers, the Dodgers' first half of the season has been full of unexpected contributions. Chris Taylor's emergence may be the Dodgers' biggest and most welcomed surprise. The 26-year-old went 4-for-5 and delivered his first career walk-off hit as the Dodgers secured a 5-4 win and a series sweep over the divisional rival D-backs on Thursday night. "I think we've seen that with Chris all year in big spots," manager Dave Roberts said. "He doesn't panic." Taylor, a natural shortstop, has emerged not only as a dependable utility player, he's also provided a spark offensively for a team that has dealt with injuries to key contributors like Adrian Gonzalez and Joc Pederson. Taylor has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, with seven runs, five doubles and one homer to go along with a .359 batting average. Coming into the season, Taylor only had two home runs in 156 career games. He already has 10 homers this season, including three grand slams. "We've had various guys on the DL," Roberts said. "Guys have stepped up. It's kind of the culture that we've got. Everyone has an opportunity, and there's a good support group and guys want to be 'the guy' and step up. It's not all about Clayton [Kershaw] or Corey [Seager]; we have a lot of good players."

Where Taylor has helped the most is against lefties, which have plagued the Dodgers most of the last two seasons. Entering Thursday, Taylor was slashing .339/.431/.949 with two homers in 56 at-bats against southpaws. His bat was crucial on Thursday evening, as the Dodgers' offense struggled to get to D-backs All-Star southpaw Robbie Ray, who struck out 13 in six innings. Taylor had three of the five hits Ray allowed. "He has explosive stuff," Taylor said of Ray. "He's having an unbelievable year; he's an All-Star. I was just trying to keep it simple, almost go into two-strike mode and just throw your hands to the ball, find a way to get the barrel on it and not overswing." To Roberts, Taylor's night is just a reflection of the Dodgers' depth and how they've built their 5 1/2-game lead in the National League West. "Chris Taylor had a huge night offensively," Roberts said. "But you can look at what Rich [Hill] did. Every night again it's somebody different, and that's the sign of a good team. ... Seems like I say the word depth every single night, but that's probably been the biggest reason for our success." LA's top 2 prospects ready for Futures Game By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES -- Corey Seager was the National League Rookie of the Year last season, Cody Bellinger is the leading candidate this season and the Dodgers will be represented in Sunday's 2017 SiriusXM Futures Game by pitcher Yadier Alvarez and outfielder Alex Verdugo, who someday could follow in their footsteps. Alvarez and Verdugo, the top-ranked prospects in a deep Dodgers organization, will play for the World Team at Marlins Park in Miami. The annual showcase can be viewed live at 1 p.m. PT on MLB Network and MLB.com. Current Dodgers who have played in Futures Games are Adrian Gonzalez (2001), Chase Utley (2001), Franklin Gutierrez (2003), Josh Fields (2006), Clayton Kershaw (2007), Pedro Baez (2009-10 as an infielder), Joc Pederson (2013), Seager (2014) and Julio Urias (2014). The Futures Game, which is now in its 19th year, features the top Minor League prospects competing in a nine-inning contest as part of All-Star Sunday. The U.S. Team leads the all-time series, 11-7. Last year in San Diego, the World Team defeated the U.S., 11-3, snapping a six-game U.S. winning streak. Major League Baseball, in conjunction with MLB.com, Baseball America and the 30 Major League Clubs, selected the 25 players currently on each team. Each Major League organization is represented and players from all full-season Minor Leagues were eligible to be selected. As part of its live All-Star Week programming, MLB Network will exclusively televise and MLB.com will live stream the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at 4:00 p.m. (ET), with Matt Vasgersian, Mike Lowell, Heidi Watney and MLB.com prospect expert Jonathan Mayo on the call live from Marlins Park.

The 21-year-old Alvarez, who signed out of Cuba for a $16 million bonus (and matching penalty) in 2015 and debuted in the United States in '16, is ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the No. 1 prospect in the organization and No. 40 overall in MLB. The lanky right-hander is 2-4 with a 5.37 ERA at Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga. "Yadi has come a long way in the last few months," said Gabe Kapler, the Dodgers' director of player development. "His talent is shining through. Our staff in Rancho has noticed improvements across the board, both on and off the field. The arm is electric, and we're all excited for him. He really wants the ball on the big stage and will undoubtedly be honored to perform." The 21-year-old Verdugo, drafted in the second round in 2014, is ranked by MLBPipleline.com as the No. 2 prospect in the organization and No. 51 overall in MLB. A left-handed hitter and thrower with a rocket right-field arm, he is batting .347 with an .884 OPS at Triple-A Oklahoma City. "Alex has earned the respect of his teammates, Hass [OKC manager Bill Haselman] and all his coaches in Triple-A through his devotion and professionalism," said Kapler. "He's become a dependable defender, an instinctive, assertive base runner and a great manager of his at bats. He's a complete baseball player and is well-deserving of experiences like the one he's about to have at the Futures Game." Although a native of Tucson, Ariz., Verdugo played for Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic and will represent that country on the World Team. "It's an honor and privilege to represent a country, Mexico or the United States," said Verdugo. "My father is Mexican and I take a lot of pride in that." Maeda, Dodgers set to face Hammel, Royals By Josh Horton Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda will take on Royals right-hander Jason Hammel on Friday in the first of three games at Dodger Stadium. After beginning the season in the starting rotation, the Dodgers placed Maeda in the bullpen, where he made two appearances, earning a four-out save and tossing a scoreless inning. But injuries to Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu have put Maeda back in the rotation. Maeda struggled in his last start, allowing five runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings in a loss to the Padres. Over the righty's four outings before that, he had a 1.06 ERA. Maeda owns a 3.27 ERA at home this season, compared to a 6.25 ERA on the road. Hammel (4-7, 5.08) allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings in a loss to the Twins in his last start. He is 2-7 with a 5.00 ERA in 18 career games (14 starts) against the Dodgers. Three things to know about this game • Maeda will be facing the Royals for the first time in his career.

• Hammel has allowed a .338 expected batting average on pitches in the lower third of the strike zone this season, based on the quality of contact against him, according to Statcast. That's the fourth highest xBA for any pitcher who has ended at least 75 at-bats in the lower third of the zone. • Hammel has performed well after allowing runners to reach scoring position, owning a .175 batting average against with RISP. Dodgers poised for sustained success By Barry M. Bloom LOS ANGELES -- The All-Star break begins Monday, and with 58 wins each, the Dodgers and Astros are on a blistering pace to run away with their respective leagues. The Dodgers are 44-17 since April and Thursday night's come-from-behind stunner in the ninth, with four runs off D-backs closer Fernando Rodney for a 5-4 win at Dodger Stadium, was really a microcosm of their season to date. "It was, it was," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "Every night it's somebody different. And that is the sign of a really good team." On Thursday night it was Chris Taylor, who went 4-for-5 with two doubles and singled in the winning run off T.J. McFarland who replaced Rodney. The right-handed closer faced six batters, walked four and didn't get anyone out. It was a devastating loss for the D-backs, a 52-win team that was swept in a series for the first time all season, losing all three games by a single run. They now trail the first-place Dodgers by 5 1/2 games in the National League West. "We let [Rodney] make his own grave right there," Roberts said. "Just our patience and the continued fight." The Dodgers have three games against the Royals beginning at home on Friday night, while the Astros finish a four-game series against the Blue Jays at Toronto. If the second half is as potent as the first, both teams have a shot at the record of 116 regular-season wins set by the Cubs in 1906 and tied in 2001 by the Mariners. "That's not even on our radar," Roberts said. "All we're thinking about -- and this is the honest to God truth -- is, winning every game and I think that will all take care of itself. We can't control that right now and I think that the thing that we've been doing is focusing on each day." The Dodgers have taken advantage of the lopsided nature of the NL with only five of the 15 teams over .500, three of them in the West. Aside from the Dodgers, the Nationals, D-backs and Rockies have all won 50 or more games. The Brewers, who lead the Central with 48 wins, are the other team over .500.

Over in the American League, the Astros are the only team with more than 50 wins, although eight teams are over .500. Houston has nine more wins than second-best Boston, which leads the East with 48. Roberts said the entire pattern of play right now is a tad strange. "It is," he said. "I think that you never how this thing is going to play out and obviously, we have a long way to go. A.J. [Hinch] is one of my very best friends. I'm excited for him and the Astros. You look at our clubs, they're very similar in the sense that we have young, positional players, athletic. They can beat you in a lot of different ways. "And so, I like our club, he likes their club. It's interesting that the teams you would have expected to be there haven't started off well and there are some surprise teams. But we're playing good baseball." Hinch, Houston's manager, was the assistant general manager of the Padres under general manager Josh Byrnes when Roberts was the bench coach for manager Bud Black, now skipper of the 50-win Rockies. The Rockies and D-backs, under first-year manager Torey Lovullo, are certainly the surprises. The D-backs lost 93 games a year ago and the Rockies dropped 87. Both teams made managerial changes and the D-backs also cleaned out their baseball operations department. The Giants and Mets collapsed under the weight of injuries and have severely underperformed. Meanwhile, the defending World Series-champion Cubs are under .500 and recently designated and then traded catcher Miguel Montero because of a clubhouse rift. The Dodgers have taken advantage of the situation and have positioned themselves well to win the West for the fifth year in a row. After a lackluster 14-12 April, the Dodgers have gained 7 1/2 games in the standings. They made a statement the last two weeks by sweeping the upstart D-backs and Rockies in three-game sets at home. This loss stung, Lovullo said. "Look, we're very proud of the 52 wins," he said. "But we know a lot can change in three months of baseball. We just want to keep playing our brand of baseball. These guys have earned everything they've done in these 52 wins. We're in a very good spot. We've just got to stay with what we've done." The D-backs haven't won the division nor made the postseason since 2011. The Giants and Dodgers have captured every NL West title since. The Dodgers, it should be noted, haven't won or even been back to the World Series since 1988. Last year, the Dodgers won 91 games with a tattered starting rotation and succumbed to the Cubs in a six-game NL Championship Series. They've lost in the NLCS four times since 2008. This year's team is better than last year's, Roberts said, even without the injured Adrian Gonzalez. "I think it is," Roberts said. "I'm not going to get into the whys of it, but I think it is." The way they're playing now, it's hard to argue the point.

Heading into the media room after the game, Roberts said he was ready to turn the page on the evening's festivities. "Time to get ready for Kansas City," he said. He was only half kidding. The Dodgers' organist celebrated Justin Turner's Final Vote win by playing Smash Mouth's 'All Star' By Adrian Garro On Thursday, the big news was revealed: Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner won the Esurance MLB All-Star Final Vote and was awarded a spot on the NL roster for next week's All-Star Game presented by Mastercard. This is a big deal. Watching him play this season, it's seemed as if the hits start coming and they don't stop coming, over and over. Which makes sense, considering Turner entered Thursday's 5-4 win over the D-backs hitting at a more than robust .384/.473/.571 clip. The Dodgers' organist is a man named Dieter Ruehle, who also does work for the nearby Kings and Clippers. Ruehle has a knack for amazing in-game musical selections. So what did he choose to play before the game to celebrate Turner's big news? What else but the Internet's ubiquitous favorite song, "All Star" by Smash Mouth: Just stellar. This marks the first time in Turner's career he's punched a ticket to the All-Star Game. It's easy to imagine all ballplayers, even as children, wondering what the ASG experience is really like -- but as the old saying goes, you'll never know if you don't go. Fortunately for Turner, he won't have to wonder anymore. Van Slyke rejoins Dodgers as Dayton hits DL By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers placed left-handed reliever Grant Dayton on the 10-day disabled list on Thursday with neck stiffness and recalled outfielder Scott Van Slyke from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Dayton last pitched Friday night in San Diego, allowing one run in 1 2/3 innings. He has a 3.63 ERA in 27 games and spent 11 days in April on the DL with an intercostal strain. Van Slyke returns after being optioned May 18 with a .122 batting average. He was hitting .233 at OKC.

Dodgers' top three Draft picks remain unsigned By Ken Gurnick LOS ANGELES - The Dodgers' top three picks from the June Draft are still unsigned, and the deadline to get it done is Friday at 2 p.m. PT. The slot money for first-rounder Jeren Kendall, an outfielder from Vanderbilt, is $2,702,700. For second-rounder Morgan Cooper, a pitcher from the University of Texas, it's $1,018,200. And for third-rounder Connor Wong, a catcher from the University of Houston, it's $537,100. The Dodgers are roughly even with the recommended slot salaries for their next seven picks, so they have about $4.2 million remaining in its bonus pool to distribute to the trio. The club would be entitled to a compensatory pick in next year's Draft if a pick goes unsigned, but MLBPipleline.com expert Jim Callis said all three are expected to agree to a deal. A club that outspends its pool by 0-5 percent pays a 75-percent tax on the overage. At higher thresholds, teams forfeit future selections: a first-rounder and a 75-percent tax for exceeding their pool by more than 5 and up to 10 percent; a first- and a second-rounder plus 100-percent tax for more than 10 and up to 15 percent; and two first-rounders and 100-percent tax for more than 15 percent. The Draft Tracker lists all signings and bonuses. Kendall, 21, bats left-handed and throws right-handed. He is 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds and has elite speed but a high strikeout rate. He hit .307 (80-for-261) with 10 doubles, five triples, 15 home runs, 53 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 2017 as a junior for Vandy. He led the team in runs scored (59), hits and home runs, while posting a .372 on-base percentage and a .556 slugging percentage. In 2014, he was drafted in the 30th round by the Red Sox, but went to college. Cooper, 22, is 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds. He went 6-3 with a 2.32 ERA with 110 strikeouts in 89 1/3 innings this year as a starter. Cooper missed the 2015 season following Tommy John surgery, but bounced back strong this year. Wong, 21, is 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, built like current Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes because the Dodgers value smaller, agile, athletic catchers who they can refine as receivers. Like Barnes, Wong has basestealing speed and a plus throwing arm.

LA TIMES

Cody Bellinger has fast become the Dodgers’ new King of Swing By Andy McCullough One day when he was a boy, Cody Bellinger slipped inside a batting cage with his father. Clay Bellinger spent parts of three seasons with the New York Yankees, which granted his eldest son access to areas designated only for those in pinstripes. Cody was kindergarten age but already treating the ballpark as his playground.

Inside the cage, Cody swung and he swung and he swung, his prowess drawing the attention of Derek Jeter, the iconic shortstop. Beneath his sleek exterior, Jeter wielded a wit sharper than a scythe. Jeter regarded the boy’s father, a grinder who spent a decade in the minor leagues. Then he turned back to the kid. “Man,” Jeter said, “you didn’t get your swing from your dad.” Blessed with the talent of a superstar and raised with his father’s grit, Cody Bellinger flashed a bashful grin as he recalled Jeter’s seal of approval. He wears that look often these days. He wore it while he rounded the bases two dozen times this season for the Dodgers. It was there when he credited salted caramel ice cream for his strength. When teammates used his bats hoping to siphon some talismanic power. And during a television interview when he admitted he wasn’t sure who Jerry Seinfeld was. Bellinger will wear that smile on Monday, when his father pitches to him in the Home Run Derby in Miami. And again on Tuesday when he represents the Dodgers and the National League in the All-Star Game. In an organization famed for its young talent — the team who brought Sandy Koufax and Fernando Valenzuela to the majors at 19, and Clayton Kershaw at 20, Bellinger is the youngest all-star in Dodgers history. Bellinger turns 22 on Thursday. He was born six years, eight months and 23 days after Orel Hershiser threw a complete game to finish the 1988 World Series. In October, Bellinger will be crucial as the team tries to end a 29-year championship drought. When he made his major league debut on April 25, the Dodgers owned a losing record. They will end the season’s first half on Sunday with the best record in the NL, steaming toward a fifth consecutive division title. Bellinger leads the team in home runs, runs batted in and slugging percentage. He required only 51 games to swat 21 homers — the fastest pace in baseball history. “After a game, when you’re laying in bed, you’re like ‘Is this really happening?’” Bellinger said. Manager Dave Roberts has called Bellinger the team’s savior. His teammates have described him as indispensable. He “rejuvenated” the Dodgers, third baseman Justin Turner said. His performance “lifted everybody else up,” second baseman Chase Utley said. “His presence in the lineup was definitely needed,” fellow all-star Clayton Kershaw said. “It helped stabilize us.” To his best friends, the ones who’ve known him since he was a scrawny teen growing up outside of Phoenix, Bellinger’s sudden fame is more surreal than surprising. In the offseason, those friends — all ballplayers — often convene at the home of Patrick Murphy, one of Bellinger’s high school teammates and a pitcher in Toronto’s minor league system. The guys pile onto the couch and watch sports. Bellinger usually grabs a pillow, sprawls on the floor and checks his phone. “We’re always just messing around, talking crap to each other,” Murphy said. This past winter, Bellinger told his friends he couldn’t wait to get to The Show. Shut up, bro, his buddies responded. You’re the No. 1 prospect.

“As the whole ‘Legend of Cody Bellinger' thing keeps taking off, I’m not even really surprised, because we’ve talked about it,” said Jamie Westbrook, a friend of Bellinger’s since middle school and a player in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ farm system. “Everybody is like so surprised because he’s hitting all these homers, but look at his minor league stats. What did you expect him to do? The kid hits homers.” Clay Bellinger hit 12 homers over parts of four big-league seasons. He appeared in two games for the Angels in 2002, which was his last stay in the majors. His family accompanied him to New York, but also to minor league stops in Columbus, Salt Lake City and Fresno. After games, Cody clung to his dad like a shadow, pestering him to throw batting practice. “That’s all he wanted to do when he was 4, 5, 6,” Clay said. “Hit and throw. Hit and throw. Hit and throw.” The family settled in a suburb of Phoenix when Clay retired after the 2004 season. He joined the Gilbert Fire Department, and found time for Cody and younger son Cole. Clay coached Cody’s team when it reached the Little League World Series in 2007. Despite his pedigree and his zeal for the game, Cody did not emerge as a star until near the end of his high school career. Dodgers' Justin Turner joins All-Star team as fan favorite in final vote As a junior at Hamilton High, Bellinger grew beyond 6-feet tall. His body began to catch up to his violent swing, but he still produced more line drives than long balls. During his senior season, Bellinger hit only one home run. He felt the weight of expectation, stressed by the pressure of trying to improve his draft stock while facing opponents wary of throwing him hittable pitches. At one point, he sought advice from Mitch Nay, a teammate chosen by Toronto in the first round the year before. “Your talent is going to show, no matter what,” Nay recalled telling Bellinger. “Don’t worry about it.” Some scouts felt Bellinger did not show enough power to play first base in the majors. The Dodgers were still intrigued by his athleticism. They chose him in the fourth round of the 2013 draft. Then-general manager Ned Colletti and scouting director Logan White offered a $700,000 signing bonus, nearly $300,000 more than the amount recommended by Major League Baseball’s draft guidelines. Bellinger splurged on a truck, but was unprepared to splash other money around. One day that summer, his friends wanted a ride to Chipotle. Bellinger could drive, but there was one problem — he needed to fill up his tank and wasn’t sure how to pay for it. “We’re like, ‘Get gas!’” Westbrook said. “What do you mean? Go to the pump, put your credit card in and fill it up. You have money to get gas. That’s not an excuse anymore.’” Bellinger learned to adjust — on the field too. He hit only four homers in his first two professional seasons. By his third season in the minors, Bellinger had modified the arc of his swing and felt his power click into place. He hit 30 homers for the Dodgers’ Class-A affiliate and earned an invitation to big-league spring training in 2016. That spring, manager Roberts noticed, Bellinger soaked up knowledge by closely watching every inning of every tedious exhibition game. Bellinger carried that ethos with him after the Dodgers called him up in April. Before his debut, he sought advice from former top prospects Corey Seager and Joc Pederson. He listened to the wisdom of

five-time all-star Adrian Gonzalez, who helped even as Bellinger was supplanting him as the team’s starting first basemen. “He doesn’t think he’s got it all figured out,” Utley said. Bellinger ended his first week in the majors by homering twice in the same game. He won National League Player of the Week after his second week. Soon after, when Turner returned from the disabled list, he decided to use one of Bellinger’s bats to solve his own power outage. Turner homered in his first at-bat with the borrowed lumber. As the homers took flight, Bellinger became emblematic of the gap between Generation X and millennials. The symbolism started when Dodgers pitcher Brandon McCarthy, born in 1983, remarked that when he pitched against the New York Mets, he often thought about how his performance would affect the mood of comedian Jerry Seinfeld, a well-known Mets fan. A couple days later, ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt asked Bellinger a simple question. “Do you know who Jerry Seinfeld is?” Van Pelt said. “I’m not going to lie to you,” Bellinger replied. “I know the name. But I couldn’t put a face to the name.” Cody Bellinger's first 22 home runs Watch Cody Bellinger become the faster player in Major League Baseball history to hit 22 home runs. Van Pelt held his head in his hands. Bellinger smiled and sputtered an apology. A generation of “Seinfeld” devotees felt that much older. Bellinger’s phone erupted with texts. “We all gave him crap about that,” Murphy said. “That was one of the funniest things he’s done in a while.” Bellinger laughed off the insults. “Those guys are clowns,” he said. As for the Seinfeld gaffe? “I should have lied,” he said. His face wore that grin again as he spoke. At times, Bellinger admitted, he feels overwhelmed by the interview requests and the autograph seekers and the sudden spotlight. Growing up around the Yankees, he understood the scope of fame. In his first few months as a Dodger, he is learning to live beneath its glare. There is one memory from his father’s career he hopes to replicate. After the Yankees won the World Series in 1999 and 2000, Cody and Cole accompanied their parents along the parade route. Cody remembered pandemonium, with fans packing the streets and toilet paper raining down from the buildings. One day last week, he allowed himself to imagine bringing a scene like that to Los Angeles. He burst into a smile. “Man, that would be crazy,” Bellinger said. “Especially because it’s been so long. That would be awesome.”

Fans vote Justin Turner into All-Star game, then Dodgers earn comeback win over Arizona By Andy McCullough On the ground floor of Dodger Stadium, as he walked into a room filled with fans who spent the night punching keys to vote him into the All-Star Game, Justin Turner reached for the hand of his fiancee, Kourtney Pogue. His hand was coated with sweat. He had tried to downplay his desire to be an All-Star, but he could not hide the jitters. Turner grabbed a seat in front of a television showing the announcement of the final vote. He held his dog, Moonshine, on his lap. When he heard the news, that he had won the “Final Vote” contest with a record 20.8 million votes, Turner hugged Pogue and beamed. Behind him, the fans chanted his name. “I definitely had butterflies,” Turner said a few hours before his team’s stirring 5-4 comeback victory to sweep the Arizona Diamondbacks. “I was overcome with happiness when I heard them say my name.” Turner played a secondary role in Thursday’s ninth-inning rally against Arizona closer Fernando Rodney. Turner was intentionally walked moments after Corey Seager tied the score with a two-run single, and moments before Chris Taylor ended the game with a walk-off single off reliever T.J. McFarland. Rodney had walked three of the first four batters he faced, including a bases-loaded walk to Logan Forsythe, to melt down. It marked the 22nd comeback victory of the season for the Dodgers (58-29). He's no longer in charge, but Ned Colletti's contributions are still paying dividends for the Dodgers Rodney blew a three-run lead built off the Dodgers’ own bullpen. Luis Avilan served up a pair of solo homers to Arizona infielders Jake Lamb and Ketel Marte in the eighth. An inning later, Josh Fields balked in a run. Before the relievers blew up, Rich Hill dueled with Arizona starter Robbie Ray. Hill struck out nine in seven innings of one-run baseball; Ray countered with 13 strikeouts in six innings of one-run ball. Hill gave up a solo homer to Lamb in the fifth. Forsythe tied it with a solo shot in the bottom of the inning. In the ninth, Rodney combusted and the Dodgers capitalized. “It feels like we’re never out of the game,” Taylor said. Even before the sweep occurred, the victory for Turner turned what could have been a black eye for the organization into something of a triumph. Four days after closer Kenley Jansen criticized Dodgers fans for failing to vote any members of the team into the National League’s starting lineup, the voters propelled Turner to top a field including reigning NL MVP Kris Bryant. Turner, the 32-year-old from Long Beach, became the fifth Dodger headed to Miami next week for the Midsummer Classic. He will attend with Clayton Kershaw, Cody Bellinger, Seager and Jansen. Alex Wood could join the group, as Kershaw will start Sunday against Kansas City, making him ineligible to pitch in Tuesday’s exhibition. Of the six men, Turner traveled the most circuitous route to stardom. He was non-tendered by the Mets after 2013. A balky knee caused him to flunk a Dodgers physical in the offseason. He signed a minor league contract and earned a spot on the roster in spring training. Across the next four years, he played

his way into the starting lineup, into a four-year, $64-million contract this past winter, into a role as “the glue” of the Dodgers, as manager Dave Roberts called him. “He plays the game hard every single night,” Roberts said. “You want to do right by him.” Turner owns a sterling resume, including a .380 batting average. But Colorado third baseman Nolan Arenado won the fan vote and the players voted Lamb as the backup. The tepid performance in the fan voting prompted an outburst by Jansen over the weekend in San Diego. “It’s the Dodgers’ fans fault,” Jensen said. The comment stung, especially for those unable to watch the team on television. Jansen’s words fueled a public-relations offensive from the organization. The marketing department reached out to the fan group Pantone 294, who staffed the “campaign center” inside the ballpark. Help also came from the Midwest. The Dodgers teamed with the Kansas City Royals, famed for stuffing the ballot for the All-Star game in 2015, for votes through social media. Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas won the American League voting. In the aftermath of the turnout, Jansen’s remarks were recast as a challenge, rather than criticism. “I think Kenley caught a little bit of heat for what he said in San Diego, but he also sparked a huge mob of voters to get out there and prove to everyone that Dodger fans are the best fans in baseball, which we’ve said all along,” Turner said. Asked if Turner owed him dinner for his efforts, Jansen demurred. He said he was happier for Turner making the team than he was for his own selection. And he credited the fan base for supporting Turner. “I have to say I’m thankful for our fans,” Jansen said. “They showed up.” And Turner was the beneficiary. “I’m so appreciative for everyone, all the Dodger fans across the country and across the world who got out and voted, and helped me get to my first All-Star Game,” Turner said. “It’s something that I don’t take lightly. I’ll forever be grateful to the Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans for what they did for me this week.” He's no longer in charge, but Ned Colletti's contributions are still paying dividends for the Dodgers By Bill Plaschke This fall at Pepperdine, students will be offered a class called “The General Manager.’’ It will be taught by a guy who will need no formal introduction, no curriculum vitae, not even a syllabus. Professor Ned Colletti can just show them a video of Tuesday’s All-Star game.

The careers of the five Dodgers representatives are filled with Colletti fingerprints from his nine-year tenure as Dodger general manager, a job that ended three seasons ago with a legacy that just keeps getting stronger. Clayton Kershaw, Cory Seager and Cody Bellinger were drafted by Colletti’s regime. Kenley Jansen was moved from catcher to pitcher under Colletti’s guidance. Then there’s Justin Turner, who was signed as a minor-league free agent by Colletti in February 2014 and has since blossomed into an All-Star after winning the fans’ “Final Vote’’ polling with a record 20.8 million votes. Sitting in the Dodger Stadium dugout after his selection was formalized Thursday, Turner was reminded of the day Colletti helped convince him to become a Dodger. Turner was offered a minor league deal because a balky knee caused him to flunk his physical exam, and he could have gone elsewhere for more guaranteed money, but Colletti asked him to bet on himself. Recalled Colletti: “I told him, ‘You’re my guy, I know you can play, man to man, you are making this team, it’s just a matter of your health.’’ Recalled Turner: “Ned has been so great, so encouraging, a great baseball mind. I no doubt owe him a lot of credit for taking a chance on me.’’ This is how Colletti worked. This is what Colletti did best. He convinced his players to push themselves. He sold his players on their potential greatness. He guided the team to five playoff appearances during a nine-year tenure that included the stormy Frank McCourt era, but it wasn’t enough. Front offices were changing, and it was judged that Colletti wasn’t changing with them. While he used analytics, he placed a greater reliance on eyes and instincts, and sometimes those failed him. He gave too many big contracts to veterans such as Juan Pierre, Jason Schmidt, Andruw Jones and Brian Wilson. He gave seemingly endless contracts to Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. Under duress from McCourt’s financial constraints, he traded future star Carlos Santana. After the Dodgers lost a division series to the better-constructed St. Louis Cardinals in 2014 for a second consecutive playoff failure, it was time for a change. It was a smooth change. The hiring of Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi has worked well. They have led the team to consecutive West Division titles and this summer have constructed what appears to be one of the best teams in Los Angeles Dodgers history. But Colletti is still here. He was smartly never fired. The Dodgers knew what they had. He is an integral part of this team’s history, his lingering presence a reminder of how they were built and the dreams behind where they are headed. Colletti, 63, works as an analyst on the team’s SportsNet LA studio shows while teaching at Pepperdine and serving as a mentor for several community groups.

He is a man without a baseball front-office job, but he is not a man without lasting impact. He may be forgotten by those who watch but will be forever remembered by those who play, witness his recent encounter with one of the Dodgers young stars at Chavez Ravine. It was Seager. Three summers ago, when Seager was a prospect playing in the mid-season Futures Game, Colletti phoned him for a chat. “I want you to know how I see you,’’ Colletti says he told Seager. “You have a chance to not only be big league player, but great big league player. It’s going to take a lot of work, and it’s not going to come easy, but I see your greatness.’’ When Seager saw Colletti walking through the stadium recently, the kid pulled his former boss aside. “You remember the phone call you made to me?’’ said Seager. “I’ll never forget it,’’ said Colletti. ‘Neither will I,’’ said Seager. It is these memories that keep Colletti involved and engaged in what is surely the most unusual position for an ex-Dodgers official in club history. “I’m doing great, I love what I’m doing, I’m proud of the organization and where it seems to be going,’’ said Colletti. ‘’Andrew and Farhan are obviously doing a tremendous job. It’s all been very good.’’ Colletti also had an impact on several guys who didn’t make the All-Star team but who play big roles on the hottest team in baseball. Pedro Baez was moved from third base to reliever, Joc Pederson was drafted and Yasiel Puig was signed and made his debut under Colletti’s watch. “We had a great staff, they all had a special ingredient to them, a little something in their DNA that you don’t always find,’’ Colletti said. ‘’We worked together like iron sharpening iron.’’ That staff included respected executives Logan White, De Jon Watson, Vance Lovelace and Rick Ragazzo. Scouts who were involved in the current All-Stars included Paul Fryer, Calvin Jones, Lon Joyce, Dustin Yount and Brian Stephenson. Colletti was hoping that every scout and executive who worked for him could be listed in this story. He used everyone’s eyes. He listened to everyone’s voice. When he ordered his staff to consider moving gifted prospects to new positions if their current positions weren’t working — ‘’It’s incumbent on us to figure out how to get these kids to the big leagues’’ — he was presented with Jansen. After watching Jansen struggle at the plate for the first four years of his pro career, Colletti approved his move to the mound, and then talked Jansen into buying in. “He fought us in the beginning,” Colletti said. “He didn’t want to move, but I told him, ‘I don’t see you as a big league hitter, I don’t see it happening, being a pitcher is your best chance to get to the big leagues. He finally saw what we saw.’’

On Tuesday, the baseball world will see what Colletti saw, from Seager’s toughness to Turner’s perseverence to Jansen’s cutter. Colletti won’t be at the game. He’ll be watching on TV. He’ll be thinking about that meeting with Seager. He will be hearing the gratitude from Turner. Maybe Jansen will get the save, and Colletti will smile, and for the old baseball guy who helped build its most forward-thinking team, that will be enough. Dodgers place reliever Grant Dayton on disabled list, call up Scott Van Slyke By Andy McCullough Scott Van Slyke rejoined the Dodgers on Thursday after spending seven weeks with triple-A Oklahoma City. The Dodgers recalled Van Slyke, a longtime infielder and outfielder on the big league roster, after placing reliever Grant Dayton on the disabled list because of a stiff neck. Dayton has not pitched since June 30. He will be eligible to return after the All-Star break. Van Slyke was hitting .122 when the team demoted him on May 16. He will contribute off the bench. “It continues to give us that versatility,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Slyke is a guy I trust on defense anywhere. The bat, to be able to get a hit, hit a homer against a lefty is a good thing. For him to be back in our clubhouse, I know the guys are excited to see him.” Dayton has a 2.84 earned-run average in nine outings since getting recalled on June 14. Bellinger gets day off After hitting four for 28 in his last seven games, All-Star rookie Cody Bellinger received a day off on Thursday. The Dodgers wanted to refresh him as he navigates through this slump. “We’ve put him through a lot,” Roberts said. “He’s got an abbreviated All-Star break coming up. So I think today was a good day for him to watch a major league game.” Roberts suggested that Bellinger was been out of rhythm at the plate in recent days. Bellinger has not hit a home run since a two-homer outing against Colorado on June 25. “They’re making some tough pitches on him,” Roberts said. “But I think he’s a little bit in between in his decision making. Whether he’s being a little overly aggressive, or in between, [trying to figure out] what pitches or what sequence they’re trying to attack him with. Rather than just having an approach, seeing the ball and taking an aggressive swing. “It happens to all hitters. I’m not too worried about it. I know he’s not too concerned about it.”

Dodgers' Justin Turner joins All-Star team as fan favorite in final vote By Bill Shaikin Justin Turner did not have a team three years ago, the same year he turned 30. The Dodgers found him unemployed at a Cal State Fullerton alumni game and invited him to spring training to compete for a utility job. Today, he is an All-Star. Turner won the “Final Vote” contest for the last spot on the National League All-Star roster, Major League Baseball announced Thursday. Mike Moustakas of the Kansas City Royals won the American League vote, making it a sweep for Southern California natives: Turner played at Lakewood Mayfair High, Moustakas at Chatsworth High. After Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen blamed fans for not electing Turner into the starting lineup — the winner at third base was Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies and Lake Forest El Toro High — the Dodgers mounted a spirited and intense “Final Vote” campaign for Turner, including a round-the-clock balloting headquarters at Dodger Stadium. Turner received a record 20.8 million votes, surpassing the 19.7 million that Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves received in 2013. "It's very humbling. I'm so appreciative for everyone, all the Dodger fans across the country and across the world who got out and voted, and helped me get to my first All-Star Game,” Turner said. “It's something that I don't take lightly. I'll forever be grateful to the Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans for what they did for me this week. "It's incredible. What it did is it set a bar for the L.A. Dodgers and their fanbase for years to come. I think Kenley caught a little bit of heat for what he said in San Diego, but he also sparked a huge mob of voters to get out there and prove to everyone that Dodger fans are the best fans in baseball, which we've said all along. They went out and proved it this week. I couldn't be happier. I get to reap the benefits of it. It's pretty cool." Dodgers fans finally show up at the polls to push Justin Turner to lead in All-Star voting Turner joins Jansen, pitcher Clayton Kershaw and infielders Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager on the team. If pitcher Alex Wood is selected to replace Kershaw, who will become ineligible when he starts this Sunday, the Dodgers would have six All-Stars for the first time since 1991 (Brett Butler, Ramon Martinez, Mike Morgan, Eddie Murray, Juan Samuel, Darryl Strawberry). Turner’s emotions were bittersweet on Sunday as he learned that Bellinger and Seager had made the All-Star team. He was happy for them, but Bellinger is 21 and Seager is 23. Turner, 32, said he would not be disappointed to make his first All-Star team by winning the five-man vote-off.

“I’m not like Belly and Corey,” Turner said. “I’m getting up there in age. Whatever opportunity I get, I’ll gladly take it.” Turner is batting .384, the highest of any major league player with at least 250 plate appearances. The Dodgers, the team that originally signed him for zero guaranteed dollars, kept him last winter by signing him for a guaranteed $64 million. The New York Mets, his previous employer, released him from their roster — letting him go, with nothing in return. “You’d have to say,” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told The Times in 2015, “we missed on him.”

OC REGISTER Dodgers score four times in ninth to complete sweep of Diamondbacks, 5-4 By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES – Love was in the air at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night. An outpouring of fan support got Justin Turner an invitation to the All-Star Game. Manager Dave Roberts’ daughter, Emme, sang the National Anthem on her dad’s bobblehead night and his son, Cole, threw a ceremonial first pitch to him. Hours later, the Dodgers dispensed some tough love, rallying for four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to hand the Arizona Diamondbacks a 5-4 defeat. “It was a perfect day,” Dave Roberts said. “The way it started with my daughter singing the anthem and my son throwing a strike to me and winning in that fashion – it was a perfect day.” Cole found the strike zone more often than Diamondbacks closer Fernando Rodney, who was handed a three-run lead but didn’t retire any of the six batters he faced. Rodney walked four (one with the bases loaded) and gave up a game-tying two-run single to Corey Seager before being removed. Chris Taylor’s fourth hit of the night, a single off the final Diamondbacks reliever, T.J. McFarland, gave the Dodgers their latest walk-off – but don’t walk away – win. “That was incredible,” Dodgers starting pitcher Rich Hill said after the team’s fifth walk-off and 22nd comeback win. “I saw some people leaving the ballpark. You’ve gotta stay with this team.” The Diamondbacks must have left the ballpark depleted after the ninth-inning gut punch of a rally completed a three-game sweep and moved the Dodgers 5½ games in front in the National League West. With the win, the Dodgers (58-29) have gone 23-4 over their past 27 games, going from two games down to once again exerting their authority over the division they have ruled each of the past four years. Two weeks ago, the Colorado Rockies came to Dodger Stadium just 1½ games back. They were outscored 22-7 in a three-game sweep by the Dodgers and haven’t been heard from since.

This week, the Diamondbacks brought their hopes to town and got swept, losing three consecutive one-run games. “I think from Day One we knew we were the best team in the West,” Roberts said. “It was just a matter of going out there and playing. You had the Rockies and the Diamondbacks playing good when they came in here. Yeah, we wanted to play well and win games. We took care of business.” Not right away. The Dodgers struck out 13 times in the first seven innings against Diamondbacks All-Star Robbie Ray. They wasted a leadoff double by Taylor in the fourth inning and got nothing out of bases-loaded situations in the first and sixth. With runners in scoring position against Ray, the Dodgers were 0 for 7 and struck out five times. Their only run came on a solo home run by Logan Forsythe in the fifth inning, matching one of the same by Jake Lamb off Hill in the top of the inning. It stayed tied until the eighth when Lamb hit his second home run of the night, lofting a 2-and-1 changeup from Luis Avilan into the right field seats. Two batters later, Ketel Marte drilled a 1-and-1 fastball from Avilan 440 feet deep into the left-field pavilion. In the top of the ninth, Josh Fields balked in a run to make it 4-1. That’s when Rodney went to work. Only three of his first 15 pitches found the strike zone – and one of those was whacked for a single by Yasiel Puig to light the fire. “Obviously, Rodney has a proven track record but he just couldn’t find it tonight,” Roberts said. “We were able to essentially make his own grave there and not kind of get ourselves out and made him make pitches. We put ourselves in a good spot.” Joc Pederson and Cody Bellinger came off the bench to pinch hit and walked on a combined nine pitches to load the bases. Neither swung at a single pitch. “Once a guy is struggling a little bit, you don’t want to be too aggressive,” Bellinger said. “You want to make him work. “It’s hard, especially when you have however many people cheering for you to do something.” Those fans that Hill didn’t catch heading for the exits got to see Rodney walk Forsythe on four more pitches then Seager bounce a 2-and-2 pitch through the middle of the infield to tie the score. Taylor sent the rest home with his walk-off single.

Dodgers’ Justin Turner wins fan vote, headed to first All-Star Game By Bill Plunkett LOS ANGELES — Justin Turner will be taking his talents to South Beach after all. Snubbed in the All-Star selections announced Sunday, the Dodgers third baseman – and the major-league leader with a .384 batting average going into Thursday’s game – was added to the National League All-Star team after winning the Final Vote. Turner received 20.8 million votes by text and online, a record for the competition. Turner becomes the fifth Dodger player selected for next week’s exhibition game with left-hander Alex Wood a good bet to make it six. Wood is the likely replacement for teammate Clayton Kershaw when Kershaw becomes ineligible by starting Sunday’s game. “I don’t think it’ll set in for awhile,” Turner said of earning his first All-Star selection. “The amount of support and the votes, setting a record – it’s very humbling. “I can’t believe the amount of support I got from everyone. Just unbelievable.” Turner’s snub Sunday set in motion an all-out campaign by the Dodgers’ marketing and game-day staffs as well as the team’s social media, TV and radio broadcast partners. A room at Dodger Stadium was set up as “campaign headquarters” and 15 to 20 fans from the group Pantone 294 “pulled an all-nighter,” as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts put it, voting round the clock for Turner. “They put in over 26 hours straight in that room,” Turner said of the group that surrounded him when the announcement was made Thursday afternoon. “They were incredible. We’ll never be able to thank Pantone 294 enough for what they did, literally locking themselves in a bunker for 24 hours in front of their computers, punching away to vote and retweeting and doing everything they could to help me get there.” The Dodgers partnered with the Kansas City Royals to push both Turner and Mike Moustakas, another Southern California native. It worked. Moustakas, also a third baseman, will go to the All-Star Game after winning the American League side of the Final Vote with 15.6 million votes. “I think what it did is it set a bar for the L.A. Dodgers and their fan base for All-Star Games for years to come,” Turner said. The response might not have had the same energy if not for Kenley Jansen’s comments on Sunday, saying it was “Dodgers fans’ fault” neither Turner nor shortstop Corey Seager had been elected as starters for the NL team. Turner acknowledged the role Jansen played. “Kenley caught a little bit of heat for what he said in San Diego,” Turner said. “But he also sparked a huge mob of voters to get out there and prove to everyone that Dodger fans are the best fans in baseball, which we’ve said all along. They went out and proved it this week. I couldn’t be happier. I get to reap the benefits of it.”

Jansen smiled when told of Turner’s comment, repeating what he said on Tuesday – that he was “just being a messenger” on behalf of teammates frustrated Turner and Seager didn’t get their due. “Not getting voted in and you’re talking about a guy hitting almost .400?” Jansen said Thursday. “I was in that situation a couple years ago where I thought I deserved to go and I didn’t get picked so I knew what he was feeling. “It’s awesome (that Turner won the Final Vote). The one thing I’ll say is Dodgers fans are the best. They didn’t take it (his comments) the wrong way. They recognized it and they went to work. … They showed up and I’m thankful for that. I’m happy for him. He deserves it.” BELLINGER BREAK Rookie Cody Bellinger was not in the Dodgers’ starting lineup Thursday for only the third time since he was promoted from Triple-A on April 25. Bellinger will participate in the Home Run Derby on Monday in Miami and was selected for the All-Star Game. But he has not homered in nine games (the longest since he was promoted) and is 5 for 33 (.152) with 14 strikeouts in that time. “They’ve been making some tough pitches on him,” Roberts said of opposing pitchers now focusing more on cooling Bellinger. “He’s in between, on his decision-making –whether he’s being a little overly aggressive or in between what pitches or what sequences they’re trying to attack him with instead of just having an approach, seeing the ball and taking an aggressive swing. It happens to all hitters.” Roberts also acknowledged that the swirl of attention that has gathered around Bellinger off the field might be playing into the slump. “There might be something to that,” Roberts said. “I don’t know if he would admit to that. I know he’s young, takes care of himself, gets his rest. But, yeah, when you’re talking every day about being in the Home Run Derby, the potential to make an All-Star team – obviously that plays into your head and the noise. But Cody is very mature. This whole thing is an adjustment that he’s kind of had to learn on the fly.” ALSO Left-hander Grant Dayton has been dealing with a stiff neck and was placed on the DL on Thursday. Outfielder-first baseman Scott Van Slyke was promoted from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Demoted in mid-May, Van Slyke hit .233 with three home runs and nine RBI in 40 games for the OKC Dodgers. Final Vote standings: National League 1. Justin Turner, Dodgers 2. Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs 3. Anthony Rendon, Washington

4. Mark Reynolds, Colorado 5. Justin Bour, Miami American League 1. Mike Moustakas, Kansas City 2. Xander Bogaerts, Boston 3. Didi Gregorius, New York Yankees 4. Elvis Andrus, Texas 5. Logan Morrison, Tampa Bay Royals at Dodgers: Friday game time, TV channels and starting pitchers By Bill Plunkett ROYALS at DODGERS When: 7:10 p.m. Where: Dodger Stadium TV: SportsNet LA (where available) THE PITCHERS DODGERS RHP KENTA MAEDA (6-4, 4.76 ERA) Vs. Royals: Has never faced them before At Dodger Stadium: 11-6, 3.23 ERA ROYALS RHP JASON HAMMEL (4-7, 5.08 ERA) Vs. Dodgers: 2-7, 5.00 ERA At Dodger Stadium: 0-5, 5.35 ERA Hates to face: Chase Utley, 6 for 12 (.500), 1 triple, 1 HR Loves to face: Yasmani Grandal, 0 for 7, 3 Ks

UPCOMING Saturday: Royals (RHP Ian Kennedy, 3-6, 4.44 ERA) at Dodgers (RHP Brandon McCarthy, 6-3, 3.25 ERA), 4:15 p.m., FOX Sunday: Royals (LHP Danny Duffy, 5-4, 3.51 ERA) at Dodgers (LHP Clayton Kershaw, 13-2, 2.19 ERA), 1:10 p.m., SportsNet LA

ESPN Dodgers rally in 9th to beat D-backs 5-4 to complete sweep By The Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- Trailing 4-1 in the ninth, the Los Angeles Dodgers found a way to win again. They didn't even need extra innings, either. Chris Taylor singled in the winning run in a four-run ninth, helping the NL West leaders rally for a 5-4 victory over the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night to complete a three-game sweep. It was the Dodgers' 22nd comeback win of the season. "It's kind of been our bread and butter this year; it feels like we're never out of the game," Taylor said. "We've had I don't even know how many comebacks in the ninth where it seems like we're out of it. We just put one good at-bat together and get some guys on and things start happening." Taylor's bases-loaded single off T.J. McFarland eluded the desperate stab of left fielder Ray Fuentes and scored Logan Forsythe. It was one of Taylor's career-high four hits, including two doubles. "That was incredible," Dodgers starter Rich Hill said. "I saw some people leaving the ballpark. You've got to stay!" Los Angeles increased its division lead to 5 1/2 games over the D-backs. "For us to look back on this series and win three is obviously a big boost," manager Dave Roberts said. Josh Fields (4-0) got the win after a run-scoring balk in the top of the ninth. Fernando Rodney (3-3) took the loss, having given up a bases-loaded walk to Forsythe that left the Dodgers trailing 4-2 with no outs. Jake Lamb homered twice for Arizona, including a go-ahead solo shot in the eighth. The D-backs were swept for the first time this season and have lost six of eight since June 28.

"It was a great series sweep against a great team," Taylor said. "Our pitch throwing was unbelievable this series and then some really tough pitching we faced as well. We did a good job battling, grinding, coming up with some clutch hits, clutch at-bats, especially at the end of the game." Rodney entered with a 4-1 lead in the ninth, but he couldn't find the strike zone. Yasiel Puig hit a leadoff single before Rodney issued consecutive walks to pinch-hitters Joc Pederson and Cody Bellinger and Forsythe that loaded the bases. Corey Seager singled to center, driving in Pederson and Bellinger to tie the game at 4. After intentionally walking Justin Turner, Rodney yielded to McFarland, who gave up Taylor's first career walk-off hit. Turner doused Taylor with a cooler of water on the field in celebration. "They're a resilient team, just like we are," Arizona All-Star pitcher Robbie Ray said. "They won the series, but we're not going to lay down." Ray tied his career high with 13 strikeouts while allowing one run and five hits in six innings with four walks. After Hill left in the seventh with the game tied at 1, the D-backs jumped on the Dodgers' bullpen. Luis Avilan served up Lamb's second homer leading off the eighth and another to pinch-hitter Ketel Marte, putting Arizona ahead 3-1. Brandon Morrow followed and gave up singles to A.J. Pollock and Paul Goldschmidt before striking out Chris Owings to end the inning. Chris Iannetta doubled leading off the ninth and scored on Fields' balk, extending the D-backs' lead to 4-1. Having recovered from blisters that bothered him, Hill gave up one run and two hits. He struck out nine with no walks. Hill couldn't quite match fellow lefties Clayton Kershaw and Alex Wood, who each threw seven shutout innings in the Dodgers' pair of one-run victories in the series. Forsythe homered with two outs in the fifth for a 1-1 tie. Arizona led 1-0 in the fifth when Lamb sent an 0-2 pitch into the lower right field seats for his 19th homer. FAMILY NIGHT Roberts' 12-year-old daughter, Emme, sang the national anthem on her father's bobblehead night. As she finished, Roberts raised both his arms in approval before they shared a hug. His teenage son, Cole, threw out the first pitch, tossing a strike down the middle to Roberts, who served as catcher. They embraced as the crowd cheered. The kids teamed up to shout, "It's time for Dodger baseball!" before the game with mom Tricia looking on. VAN SLYKE RETURNS

INF-OF Scott Van Slyke was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City for his second stint with the Dodgers. He walked as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and was picked off at first. Van Slyke hit .233 for OKC, with 24 runs, eight doubles, three homers and nine RBI. TRAINER'S ROOM Diamondbacks: RHP Rubby De La Rosa went on the 10-day DL with right shoulder inflammation. Dodgers: LH reliever Grant Dayton went on the DL with neck stiffness. He is 1-1 with a 3.63 ERA in 27 relief appearances this season. UP NEXT Diamondbacks: RHP Zack Greinke (10-4, 3.05 ERA) starts as Arizona returns home for a three-game series against Cincinnati before the All-Star break. He is 8-0 with a 2.67 ERA in 10 home starts this season. Dodgers: RHP Kenta Maeda (6-4, 4.76) moves from the bullpen back to the rotation after injuries to Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Maeda is struggling, having allowed five runs and eight hits in 3 2/3 innings of a 5-3 loss at San Diego last week. The Japanese righty will be making his first career start against Kansas City. Justin Turner celebrates first All-Star selection in real time By ESPN.com Justin Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers didn't know if he made his first-ever All-Star Game until he found out along with the rest of the country, while watching the selection show Thursday on MLB Network. The veteran third baseman was packed into a room at Dodger Stadium prior to the Dodgers' game against the Arizona Diamondbacks when he heard his name called as the winner of the National League Final Vote. Surrounded by a loyal group of fans -- known as Pantone 294 -- who spent 24 consecutive hours voting for him online, Turner celebrated with his fiancé and dog as it was announced that he garnered a record 20.8 million votes to beat Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs for the 32nd spot on the National League roster next week in Miami. Turner, who took to Twitter to thank everyone involved in the #VoteJT campaign, entered Thursday hitting .384/.473/.571 with 17 doubles and eight home runs across 61 games in the first season of a four-year, $64 million contract signed this past winter. The 32-year-old originally joined the Dodgers as a non-roster invitee during spring training in 2014. Several of Turner's teammates as well as Ned Colletti, the former Los Angeles general manager who signed him three years ago, offered congratulations on Twitter.

Dodgers pitcher Brandon McCarthy, known for his dry humor on social media, didn't disappoint as the Final Vote campaign neared its conclusion. Turner's alma mater, Cal State Fullerton, also acknowledged the accomplishment, as did fellow third baseman and Southern California native Mike Moustakas, who won the American League Final Vote representing the Kansas City Royals. The 20.8 million votes in favor of Turner broke the previous record of 19.7 million that Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves received in 2013. Turner became the first Dodgers player to win the Final Vote since Nomar Garciaparra in 2006 and the first Dodgers third baseman to earn an All-Star bid since Mike Sharperson in 1992. Royals' Mike Moustakas, Dodgers' Justin Turner win last All-Star spots By ESPN.com News Services The final initial two roster spots for next week's All-Star Game went to third baseman Mike Moustakas of the Kansas City Royals and fellow third baseman Justin Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Online fan voting determined the "Final Vote" last spot on each league's roster, both of which were announced Thursday evening on MLB Network. Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant was second in the NL vote, leaving Cubs reliever Wade Davis as the sole representative of the World Series champions at Tuesday's game in Miami. Davis did not join the Cubs until the offseason, after Chicago's first World Series title since 1908. The last time a World Series champion had only one All-Star was 2007, when Albert Pujols was the only player from the St. Louis Cardinals. Kris Bryant is not an All-Star, so the Cubs are the 1st World Series champ ever with 0 All-Stars that made it previous year ESPN Stats and Information Turner received a record 20.8 million votes, topping Freddie Freeman's 19.7 million in 2013, the commissioner's office said Thursday. Moustakas, who also won the final spot vote in 2015, received 15.6 million ballots. Washington third baseman Anthony Rendon was third, followed by Colorado first baseman Mark Reynolds and Miami first baseman Justin Bour, who will compete in Monday's Home Run Derby. Boston shortstop Xander Bogaerts was second in the AL vote, followed by Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius, Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus and Tampa Bay first baseman Logan Morrison. Turner, who had never made an All-Star team, entered Thursday night's game hitting .384, with eight home runs and 33 RBIs. Moustakas, who joins Shane Victorino as the only two-time "Final Vote" winners, is hitting .275 with 25 homers and 54 RBIs.

The Royals were among a flurry of team officials and players who tweeted congratulations to both Moustakas and Turner. The All-Star starters and reserves were named on Sunday for the game in Miami on July 11. Additional All-Stars will be picked for injured players. MVP and Cy Young watch: Is Aaron Judge the clear front-runner in the AL? By Mark Simon As we approach the All-Star Break, it's again time to check in on the game's best of the best and see how the races for MVP and Cy Young are stacking up. Our top choices remain unchanged from previous months, but a few new names join the mix. AL MVP Aaron Judge, New York Yankees When Mike Trout went down with an injury on May 28, there was a question of what would happen in his absence. What has happened is Judge has put some distance between himself and the rest of the MVP field. Since Trout played his last game, Judge has hit .344/.479/.718, with 13 home runs, 31 RBIs and 37 runs scored in 36 games. He's almost two full wins above replacement ahead of Trout, and he's nearly a full win ahead of any AL position player. Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox Before you say that Betts' offensive numbers aren't quite MVP-caliber, remember that you're dealing with the best defensive outfielder in the majors. Betts finished second in the majors in WAR last season and will be in the mix for the top spot this season, largely due to his defensive value and his baserunning (15 stolen bases in 17 attempts). And while Betts has only 15 home runs, remember that he currently leads the American League in doubles with 28. Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve or George Springer, Houston Astros The biggest reason an Astros player won't win the MVP is that there are too many good ones to choose from. Altuve and Correa rank 2-3 behind Judge in WAR, and they're close enough (4.3 and 4.2) to be interchangeable, right alongside Betts. Springer is not far behind at 3.6. Springer has been the Astros' biggest catalyst of late. He's hitting .377 with 16 home runs and an MLB-best 1.219 OPS in his past 36 games, in which the Astros are 26-10. And it's Springer who has the most WAR in the majors since Trout went out (2.4). He's just ahead of Altuve and Correa (2.2). Sleeper: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Indians

Ramirez has played his way into the back end of this discussion after a June in which, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, he became the first player in the modern era to record at least 14 extra-base hits in a seven-game span. In the past two seasons, Ramirez has made the jump from solid infielder to All-Star standout. Remember that this is someone who hit .219 two years ago. Since June 14, he's on a 22-game tear in which he's leading the majors with a .440 batting average and 1.370 OPS. His 2.3 WAR since Trout's injury is second among position players. In a season where home runs are flying at a record clip, Chris Sale has been among the best at keeping the ball inside the park. Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images AL Cy Young Chris Sale, Red Sox In a season where anyone and everyone is hitting the ball out of the ballpark, Sale has given up only nine home runs in 120 2/3 innings. He has given up a home run to 1.9 percent of the hitters he has faced, which ranks third out of the 74 pitchers in the majors who have qualified for the ERA title. He trails only Michael Fulmer (1.4 percent) and Lance McCullers Jr. (1.7 percent). Last season, Sale gave up 27 home runs and ranked 37th at 3 percent. A 1 percent change is a big one in this case. Jason Vargas, Kansas City Royals Vargas might have been due for a bit of a drop-off, but Wednesday's start notwithstanding, he has been ace-caliber and done so without the strikeouts. Instead, he has relied on retiring hitters with runners in scoring position, as well as his outfield defense, to drive his success. Regarding the latter, the out rate he's getting on balls hit in the air ranks among the top 15 in the majors. It also helps that he has walked barely more than two batters per nine innings. Corey Kluber, Indians When Kluber went on the disabled list in early May, it looked like another case of a pitcher suffering from the hangover of a heavy workload during the previous (dominant) postseason. Since Kluber's return, however, he has looked like the pitcher who excelled in October and then some. He has a 1.24 ERA in seven starts, his only loss a 1-0 affair against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday. He has struck out 74 in 51 innings and set the Indians' record with five straight 10-strikeout games. And like Sale, he has limited the long ball, giving up only one home run in that span. Sleeper: Craig Kimbrel, Red Sox Because of the high-scoring environment in the majors, and an abundance of high ERAs, a good reliever could sneak in and net some votes. In the AL, that's Kimbrel, who looks like the 2013 version of himself that saved 50 games. Kimbrel has had one season with a strikeout-to-walk rate higher than 5-to-1. Right now, he's at 13-to-1 (65-5). And he's allowing about half-a-baserunner per inning.

NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks Goldschmidt hit a little skid the past two weeks, bringing his numbers down. But he's still a front-runner, which is a testament to how good his stats were to begin with. Goldschmidt is hitting .315 with 19 home runs. He has a legitimate shot of besting his career-high 36 home runs from 2015. He excels in the field, boasting an uncanny range that allows him to play farther off first base than anyone else. The only thing that could deter Goldschmidt from being top three by season's end is injury (which he has experienced before), or an abundance of intentional walks that prevent him from doing major damage. He shares the major league lead in that stat with the next guy on our list. Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals This isn't quite 2015 Harper, but it's reasonably close: He's hitting .324/.431/.600 and there has been no drop-off at any point this season. He has ended every day he has played but one with a batting average of at least .300, an on-base percentage of at least .400 and a slugging percentage of at least .500. And by the way, in the past 10 games, Harper is locked in, compiling 16 hits, nine walks, nine runs scored and eight RBIs. He's hitting .444 with a 1.278 OPS in that span. Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers If we're rating players on a per-game basis, you can make a case that Turner is a match for Judge. Injuries cost Turner significant time. What's amazing about Turner is that he has been better in the 22 games since his return (.392 batting average, 16 RBIs) than he was in his first 39 pre-injury (.379 batting average, 17 RBIs). The one question mark with Turner is how long his magic will last. He's getting hits on 84 percent of his line drives. That's atypical (he was 67 and 68 percent the previous two seasons) and might not stretch through September. Sleeper: Travis Shaw, Milwaukee Brewers It seems necessary to acknowledge the Brewers in some way, given how long they've held onto first place in the NL Central. Though Eric Thames would be the popular choice, Shaw has been almost as good of a hitter (at a position in which good hitters aren't as prevalent). He has racked up a .926 OPS (15 points behind Thames) and is a far more valuable defender. The deal that netted him from the Red Sox in exchange for Tyler Thornburg and minor leaguers is one of the most notable of the last offseason. NL Cy Young Max Scherzer, Nationals

Scherzer leads the NL in ERA, WHIP and FIP with numbers that look otherworldly. He's currently in the midst of an eight-start run in which he has given up 10 runs and 24 hits in 61 innings. He has compiled 87 strikeouts and an ERA of 0.89 in that span. Scherzer might have the best pitch in baseball: a slider with a couple of variations that causes massive issues for hitters because of its late-darting nature. Opponents are hitting .081 (11-for-135) against it. Last season, he struck out 98 batters with his slider. He's already at 72 through 17 starts this season. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers Since the start of June, Kershaw has made a pretty good case that he's at worst No. 1a when it comes to being the best pitcher in baseball. He has posted a 1.90 ERA in seven starts, helped by a current stretch of 20 straight innings in which he has not given up an earned run. In six of those seven starts, he gave up two runs or fewer. Much like with Scherzer, so much of Kershaw's success is tied to his slider. Opponents are 6-for-69 (.087) in at-bats ending against it in his past nine starts. They're missing on nearly half of their swings against it. Gio Gonzalez, Nationals We challenge you to try to identify the third-best starting pitcher in the National League. The top two are head-and-shoulders above anyone else. The conversation for the No. 3 spot encompasses a lot of names -- Zack Greinke, Robbie Ray, Stephen Strasburg, Carlos Martinez and Jacob deGrom among them. We're going with the hot hand, Gonzalez, who has been fantastic in his past six starts. Since June 5, Gonzalez has a 2.31 ERA. Other than one blip, he has avoided the biggest issue he has dealt with throughout his career: issuing walks. He has 44 strikeouts and 12 walks in that span. Before that, his strikeout-to-walk ratio was 1.7-to-1. Sleeper: Alex Wood, Dodgers If you looked only at Wood's numbers and didn't look at the name, you'd think you were looking at Kershaw. That's how good Wood has been. He has given up no runs or one run in eight of his past nine starts. The one knock on Wood is the lack of innings pitched (he started the season in the bullpen). But six or seven innings of brilliance every five days has been far more than we ever could have expected. We'll leave you with this doozy that a colleague procured from the Elias Sports Bureau: In the past 100 years, only two left-handed starters have begun a season 10-0 with a sub-2.00 ERA -- Wood and 1978 Yankees starter Ron Guidry, who finished 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA.

TRUE BLUE LA

Dodgers ride the Fernando Rodney Experience to sweep Diamondbacks By Eric Stephen The Dodgers by all accounts had no business winning this game. But before Fernando Rodney knew what hit him, the Dodgers rallied for four runs without making an out in the ninth inning, stunning the Diamondbacks with a 5-4 comeback win to somehow, some way complete a three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers struck out 16 times on Thursday night, but they also walked 10 times, including four times against Rodney in the ninth to steal one. Down 4-1 to start the ninth, Yasiel Puig greeted Rodney with a single to right field, then all of a sudden Rodney couldn’t find the strike zone, walking three in succession to force in a run. Corey Seager hit a two-run single to tie the game, then Rodney intentionally walked Justin Turner, and Arizona made a pitching change, bringing in T.J. McFarland to face Chris Taylor, batting cleanup for the first time in his career. Taylor, who had two doubles and a single earlier in the game, singled to deep left field for his fourth hit of the game to give the Dodgers their fifth walk-off win of the season. With the bases loaded this season, Taylor is 4-for-5 with three grand slams, four walks, and 17 RBI. The Dodgers now find themselves 6-0 in divisional showdown series at home in the last two weeks, and 5½ games ahead of Arizona in the NL West. This looks familiar The Dodgers during their famous 42-8 run in 2013 won a game against the Rays that saw them down 6-0 in the seventh inning against peak David Price, a game they somehow won 7-6, culminating in a rally against Rodney in the ninth inning that saw him literally throw the game away. Two weeks ago, when the Dodgers came back from down 5-0 to beat the Rockies 12-6, a comeback fueled by five straight runs scored on wild pitches, I thought that was the equivalent of that 2013 comeback. But after tonight, I stand corrected. They literally have another Fernando Rodney Game. Rare relief troubles Arizona looked to have this one locked up, after rallying against the Dodgers bullpen. Jake Lamb entered Thursday a career .159/.254/.297 hitter against left-handed pitching, with seven home runs in 280 plate appearances, including .130/.231/.261 with two home runs in 78 PA against southpaws in 2017.

Naturally, both of his home runs Thursday were against lefties — Rich Hill in the fifth inning and Luis Avilan in the eighth. Those were the first two home runs allowed by Avilan this season in 36 games and 101 batters faced. One out later against Avilan, Ketel Marte crushed a ball three quarters of the way up the left pavilion for another solo home run, giving Arizona a two-run advantage. On a day the Dodgers put Grant Dayton on the 10-day disabled list, and with Adam Liberatore sidelined for the last five weeks, Avilan is the only left-handed relief pitcher in the Dodgers bullpen at the moment, something that figures to be addressed before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. The D-backs added another run in the ninth inning on, of all things, a balk by Josh Fields. He got the win. For starters MLB: Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers Rich Hill has a 1.71 ERA in 21 innings in his last three starts. Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports Hill followed the Dodgers pattern to perfection, continuing his midseason renaissance with seven strong innings, his third consecutive start lasting seven innings. Hill struck out nine and walked none, his second start without a walk this season. The left-hander allowed just two hits and one run, a solo home run by Lamb. The Dodgers got excellent starting pitching in this series, with Clayton Kershaw and Alex Wood also lasting seven innings like Hill did on Thursday. That trio combined to allow one run on seven hits, with 30 strikeouts and four walks. Hill had to be stingy on Thursday, because Robbie Ray was mowing down hitters like nobody’s business. The All-Star left-hander struck out a season-high 13 in his six innings. Ray, like Hill, had only a fifth-inning home run as a stain on his ledger, this one by Logan Forsythe, who matched Lamb to tie the score at 1-1. The Dodgers threatened against Ray a few other times, basically when Taylor doubled. That was once in the fourth inning and again in the sixth. Taylor gave the Dodgers runners in scoring position with no outs in both frames, but Ray recovered quite nicely, with five strikeouts and a ground out in those innings to escape any further trouble. Up next We are down to one more series before the All-Star break, with the Royals coming to town for three games. Kenta Maeda starts Friday’s opener for the Dodgers, a 7:10 p.m. PT start, against Jason Hammel for Kansas City. Thursday particulars Home runs: Logan Forsythe (3); Jake Lamb 2 (20), Ketel Marte (1) WP - Josh Fields (4-0): 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 run, 1 walk, 1 strikeout

LP - Fernando Rodney (3-3): 0 IP, 2 hits, 4 runs, 4 walks Two home runs for Jose Miguel Fernandez key 8-7 Tulsa win By Craig Minami The only full-season affiliate to win on Thursday was Tulsa though three Rookie affiliates, Ogden and both Dominican Summer League teams did win. Player of the day Jose Miguel Fernandez hit his 9th and 10th home runs of the season in the Drillers one-run victory. His second home run turned out to be the game-winner. Triple-A Oklahoma City The Dodgers were going for a series sweep but instead saw the Iowa Cubs run away to a 13-3 victory. Kevin Barlow started and pitched five innings. He gave up ten runs (eight earned), seven hits, walked four and struck out five. Utility player Max Muncy pitched a scoreless ninth for the Dodgers. Willie Calhoun hit his 19th home run of the season as part of his three-hit night, he also scored all three runs. Alex Verdugo and Kyle Farmer each had two hits. Double-A Tulsa The Drillers trailed the Frisco RoughRiders (Rangers) three different times in this game but they took the last the lead and won 8-7. Trailing by a run in the eighth, Jose Miguel Fernandez hit his second home run, a two-run shot, to give the Drillers the lead and the game. Both Fernandez and Henry Ramos had three hits, Ramos hit his second home run of the season. Fernandez and Ramos also each scored three times with Fernandez also driving in five runs. Class-A Rancho Cucamonga The Quakes left ten men on base in their 3-2 loss to the San Jose Giants. The went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position with their best chance, bases-loaded and none out going for naught in the eighth. Dennis Santana made the start and pitched 5⅓ innings, he gave up eight hits, three runs, walked one and struck out ten. Class-A Great Lakes The Loons saw the South Bend Cubs score 10 runs in the sixth and that was more than enough to beat them 12-6 on Thursday night. Leo Crawford started and pitched five plus innings, he gave up eight runs, ten hits, walked four and struck out three. He did not retire a batter in the sixth inning, giving up four hits, a walk and another batter reached by error. Three Loons, Oneil Cruz, Cristian Santana and Steve Berman had two hits, Cody Thomas had a two-out, two-run single that gave the Loons a lead early in the game. But along with the big inning by the Cubs, the Loons also went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position in this loss.

Rookie-Level Ogden The Raptors kept scoring and scoring, finally beating the Idaho Falls Chukars (Royals) 18-1, one day after a 17-3 win over the Chukars. The Raptors had 17 hits, including five doubles and home runs by Luis Paz, Garrett Hope and Nick Yarnall. Moises Perez had four hits, Starling Heredia had three hits and Connor Heady, Paz and Yarnall each had two hits. Rookie-Level AZL Dodgers The AZL Dodgers lost 2-1 to the AZL Giants, the highlight of this game was right-handed pitcher Mitch White’s return to the mound. White had not pitched in a game since May 20th, as he as been rehabbing a broken toe. White started and pitched two innings, he gave up one walk while striking out one. Transactions Triple-A: Los Angeles recalled outfielder Scott Van Slyke from Oklahoma City. Rookie: Rancho Cucamonga sent right-handed pitcher Mitchell White on a rehab assignment to AZL Dodgers. Ogden released outfielder Michael Medina. Thursday’s Scores Iowa 13, Oklahoma City 3 Tulsa 8, Frisco 7 San Jose 3, Rancho Cucamonga 2 South Bend 12, Great Lakes 6 Ogden 18, Idaho Falls 1 AZL Giants 2, AZL Dodgers 1 DSL Dodgers1 5, DSL Athletics 3 DSL Dodgers2 2, DSL Rangers1 1 Friday Schedule 4:35 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Imani Abdullah) at Bowling Green [Rays] (TBD) 5:00 p.m.: Oklahoma City (David Hale) at New Orleans Baby Cakes [Marlins] (Adam Conley) 5:05 p.m.: Tulsa (Andrew Sopko) vs. Frisco (Tyler Davis) 6:15 p.m.: Ogden (TBD) at Idaho Falls (Edwin Uceta)

7:00 p.m.: AZL Dodgers at AZL Indians 7:05 p.m.: Rancho Cucamonga (Adam Bray) at Inland Empire [Angels] (TBD) All-Star Game 2017: Justin Turner wins Final Vote By Eric Stephen The results are in, and for the first time in 11 years the Dodgers have won a Final Vote contest. Third baseman Justin Turner beat out four others for the 32nd and final roster spot on the National League All-Star team. With 20.8 million votes, Turner outpaced Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon, Marlins first baseman Justin Bour, and Rockies first baseman Mark Reynolds. Here is Turner receiving the news, as announced on MLB Network: Turner is the second Dodgers player to win the Final Vote, which is shockingly in its 16th season of existence. Current Dodgers broadcaster Nomar Garciaparra, then a first baseman, won the Final Vote back in 2006. This is a first-time All-Star selection for the 32-year-old Turner, who has been arguably the best non-roster invitee in Dodgers history. Signed to a minor league deal before the 2014 season, Turner since the start of 2014 is tied for ninth in MLB with a 145 wRC+, and 16th among major league hitters with 16.9 fWAR. Arizona Diamondbacks v Los Angeles Dodgers The Dodgers’ mobilization efforts to get out the vote for Justin Turner were incredible. A voting station was set up at Dodger Stadium since Tuesday, staffed by volunteers from the great folks at Pantone 294, including several voters staying to vote for the final 24 hours of the Final Vote voting period. Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images In 2017, the first year of a four-year, $64 million contract signed in the offseason, Turner has been even better, hitting .384/.473/.571 with 17 doubles and eight home runs in 61 games. Turner leads the National League in batting average and on-base percentage, and is in line to have the highest Dodgers batting average before the All-Star break. Among Dodgers with 200 plate appearances before the All-Star break from 1933 to 2016, the highest average was .368 by Dixie Walker in 1946. Turner is the first Dodgers third baseman to be named an All-Star since Mike Sharperson in 1992. With the selection of Turner, the Dodgers have five All-Stars — Clayton Kershaw, Kenley Jansen, Corey Seager, and Cody Bellinger are the others. Alex Wood is a potential addition as well, should a pitcher or two drop out, such as Kershaw, who is slated to start Sunday, which would make him ineligible to pitch in the All-Star Game on Tuesday. The Dodgers haven’t had six All-Stars since 1981.

Other Dodgers who were in the Final Vote but lost were Matt Kemp (2009), Andre Ethier (2011), Adrian Gonzalez (2013), Yasiel Puig (2013), and Clayton Kershaw (2015). Ether and Kershaw both eventually made the All-Star team in their year as a replacement. Yusniel Diaz wins California League Player of the Month for June By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES — Dodgers minor league outfielder Yusniel Diaz was red hot in June for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, and on Thursday was named the California League Player of the Month. Diaz, 20, hit .396/.438/.673 with nine doubles, five home runs, two triples, and 20 runs scored in 24 games in June. The outfielder led the Cal League in June in hits (40), doubles (nine), extra-base hits (16), total bases (68) and on-base percentage. Diaz finished second in home runs and OPS (1.111). He had two four-hit games in a three-game stretch in June, and 13 of his 24 games were multi-hit contests. Diaz was signed out of Cuba in November 2015, part of the Dodgers’ spending spree during the 2015-16 international signing period, one that has limited them to signing bonuses of no more than $300,000 through June 15, 2018. The Dodgers paid a $15.5 million bonus for Diaz, part of an international haul with over $45 million in bonuses, plus another roughly $45 million in penalties. On the season, Diaz is hitting .287/.352/.439 with 24 extra-base hits in 74 games for the Quakes. Dodgers place Grant Dayton on DL, recall Scott Van Slyke from Triple-A By Eric Stephen LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers on Thursday placed relief pitcher Grant Dayton on the 10-day disabled list with neck stiffness, and recalled outfielder and first baseman Scott Van Slyke from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Dayton has a 3.63 ERA and 4.22 FIP in 27 games for the Dodgers this season, with 20 strikeouts and 12 walks in 22⅓ innings. After a two-week stint in the minors in May, Dayton has allowed just two runs in 13 appearances since returning to the majors. He last pitched on Friday in San Diego, allowing a run in 1⅔ innings. This is his second disabled list stint of the season, having missed nine games in April with an intercostal strain. Van Slyke opened the season with the big club, but was optioned to Triple-A after a 4-for-31 (.129) start in April. He was back for a second stint in May, going 1-for-10 with a home run in seven games.

In the minors, Van Slyke hit .233/.346/.361 with three home runs and eight doubles in 40 games with Oklahoma City.

DODGERS INSIDER Dave Roberts gets his “perfect day” By Rowan Kavner Manager Dave Roberts couldn’t have drawn up a better Thursday night. On Roberts’ bobblehead night, his daughter, Emme, sang the national anthem, hitting the high note at the end. His son, Cole, delivered a perfect first pitch to Roberts’ glove. Then, his team displayed the same resilience it has all year, scoffing at a three-run ninth-inning deficit as each of the Dodgers’ seven batters in the ninth inning reached base safely to sweep the second-place Diamondbacks in a 5–4 walk-off win. “It was a perfect day for me,” Roberts said. Chris Taylor made sure of that. After Fernando Rodney entered with the Diamondbacks leading 4–1 in the ninth, Yasiel Puig started the inning with a hit. The next two batters walked, setting up a bases loaded situation for Logan Forsythe, who did the same thing to score the first run of the inning. All-Star Corey Seager followed with a two-run single up the middle to tie the game at four, at which point the National League’s newest All-Star, Justin Turner, was walked. That might make sense, considering Turner leads the NL’s batting average and on-base percentage leader. Only, that meant loading the bases for a player in Taylor who was 3-for-4 to that point, who leads the league this year in grand slams (three) and who entered the night 3-for-4 with 16 RBI and four walks in eight plate appearances with the bases loaded in 2017. A fourth grand slam didn’t follow, but his first career walk-off hit did. Taylor finished 4-for-5 and is now OPSing 3.489 in nine plate appearances with the bases loaded this year. “We’ve seen that with Chris all year in big spots,” Roberts said. “He didn’t panic.” The comeback seemingly came out of nowhere, as Arizona starter Robbie Ray struck out 13 in six innings and the Dodgers mustered only five hits and a run on a Logan Forsythe solo homer entering the ninth inning. Then again, counting out this team at any point would be a senseless act, considering what they’ve demonstrated all year. “You have to do it to sort of expect it,” Roberts said.

And they’ve done it. Thursday night marked the fifth walk-off victory of the season for the Dodgers and their 22nd comeback win of the year. “It feels like we’re never out of the game,” Taylor said. The Dodgers, who still haven’t been swept this year, recorded their ninth sweep of an opponent this season. It was the first time the Diamondbacks have been swept this year, as the Dodgers continued to increase their division foe to 5 ½ games. They were still within striking distance because of another masterful performance from Rich Hill, who went seven innings for the third straight start after going no more than five innings in any of his first nine starts this season. Roberts credits the job Hill did cleaning up his delivery for the recent turnaround, and he also credits Hill controlling his emotions better. Hill said it’s been all about finding his mechanics. Hill allowed one run on two hits while striking out nine. He didn’t walk anyone and now has allowed just four runs while walking three and striking out 27 in 21 innings over his last three starts. He did plenty to ensure regardless what the Diamondbacks did in the late innings, his team would at least be in striking distance.Then, the offense did the rest. And the perfect day was complete. “You’ve got to stay if you’re going to watch these games,” Hill said. “It’s a lot of fun.” Notebook: Enjoying the ride; Dayton to DL, Van Slyke recalled By Rowan Kavner 07/06 Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m. PT: Logan Forsythe 2B Corey Seager SS Justin Turner 3B Chris Taylor LF Austin Barnes C Kiké Hernández 1B Yasiel Puig RF Trayce Thompson CF Rich Hill P The Dodgers know their 2017 season can’t be judged in July.

But they can still enjoy the experience in the present as they’re off to their best 86-game start since 1974, with a chance to sweep the second-place Diamondbacks on Thursday. “We all know what we expect of our ball club, but I don’t think that takes us out of each day and how we enjoy being around each other, how we enjoy competing,” said manager Dave Roberts. “Even when we’re playing just above .500 baseball, I think our guys had that same joy showing up to the ballpark. Yeah, there’s an expectation, but again, I don’t think we get too far of getting into October just yet.” It’s been a while since they’ve seen anything close to .500 baseball. The Dodgers’ 57–29 record is the best in the National League, and their plus-155 run differential is the best in the Majors. The Dodgers have never been swept this year, and they have a chance to sweep an opponent for the ninth time this season. They know October is where they’ll ultimately be defined, but they’re enjoying the ride until then. Hill tries to repeat Rich Hill enters his start Thursday in the best place he’s been all year. Hill’s gone seven innings in each of his last two starts after going five innings or fewer in each of his first nine starts of the year. In his most recent start, Hill tied a career-high with 11 strikeouts in seven shutout innings against the Padres. Van Slyke recalled, Dayton to DL The Dodgers recalled Scott Van Slyke from Triple-A Oklahoma City, placing left-hander Grant Dayton on the 10-day disabled list with neck stiffness. Roberts said Dayton’s neck flared up when he was throwing a few days ago, and it’s still stiff. With the team not projecting him to be available for at least a few more days, they decided to put him on the DL. Dayton hasn’t pitched since June 30, when he allowed his first run in his past six appearances. Van Slyke returns for his second stint with the Dodgers. Turner sets all-time Final Vote record to become fifth Dodger All-Star By Rowan Kavner The butterflies set in. His hands started to sweat. With his dog sitting in his lap and his fiancée by his side, Justin Turner sat in the Voting Room at Dodger Stadium waiting for the results on MLB Network. For the final 24-plus hours of the National League Final Vote, members of Pantone 294 sat in that room voting for the Dodger third baseman to try to make Turner an All-Star for the first time in his nine-year career. Not only did Turner earn the final NL position player roster spot, but he set a record doing it.

“Just overcome with happiness when I heard them say my name,” Turner said. Turner tallied 20.8 million votes, surpassing the previous high mark set by Freddie Freeman in 2013 of 19.7 million. The Dodgers partnered with the Royals to try to get Turner and Mike Moustakas both in, and it worked, as Moustakas was the American League Final Vote winner. “I don’t think it’ll set in for a while,” Turner said. “The amount of support and the votes and setting a record, it’s just very humbling and I’m so appreciative of everyone, all the Dodger fans across the country and across the world who got out and voted and helped me get to my first All-Star Game. It’s something that I don’t take lightly. I’ll forever be grateful to the Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans for what they did for me.” This was the scene after Turner found out he’d won: Turner completely dominated the West Coast voting. He had the support of Dodger fans. He had the support of celebrities. He had the support of his teammates. All of them took to social media in the final hours to give him more tallies and add to his all-time vote total. “I love those guys in there, and it’s not because I want them to help me win an All-Star vote,” Turner said. “They really are good friends of mine, not just on the field, but off the field.” His manager sees the same thing. Dave Roberts said it says a lot about the clubhouse to see the support Turner got from his teammates. “To know JT and know how much he cares and how he doesn’t take for granted being a Major League player and playing for the Dodgers, he’s a guy that’s always in the community, he’s going to children’s hospitals, he’s the glue of our ballclub and really holding guys accountable, plays the game hard every single night,” Roberts said. “You want to do right by him.” Turner said he won’t ever be able to thank Pantone 294 enough for what they did staying up all night to vote. Turner periodically checked in throughout the 24-hour period to let his fans know how appreciate he was. It was clear how much a first All-Star experience would mean to the veteran third baseman, who leads the NL in batting average and on-base percentage. He wasn’t initially voted in with his other four Dodger All-Star teammates. But the way it unfolded, and the way so many people supported him to be the final NL position player, he may look back on how he got in more fondly than if it happened any other way. “It definitely created a Dodger buzz around the stadium, around the city, around the country,” Turner said. “All the Dodger fans came out in droves and showed their support. With the way we’re playing baseball right now, this Final Vote going on right now setting the record, it’s kind of the perfect storm.”

Now, all that’s left for Turner is enjoying the experience. He’ll see fellow Final Vote winner Moustakas after the Dodgers finish their series against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, as the Royals come to Dodger Stadium for the final series before the break. Next week, he’ll get to do what he’s wanted to do for a long time. “I’ll probably be as nervous for that as I have been in any game in my life,” Turner said. “Just to be out there standing with the best baseball players in the world, it’ll be incredible.” 2017 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote standings: National League: 1. Justin Turner, LAD 2. Kris Bryant, CHI 3. Anthony Rendon, WSH 4. Mark Reynolds, COL 5. Justin Bour, MIA American League: 1. Mike Moustakas, KC 2. Xander Bogaerts, BOS 3. Didi Gregorius, NYY 4. Elvis Andrus, TEX 5. Logan Morrison, TB Justin Turner — the Dodgers’ triple threat By Cary Osborne There’s a luxury for established Major League players during early Spring Training games. They get their work done and head out, not required to stay for an entire game. It was the second Spring Training game of 2017, and Justin Turner had two plate appearances, delivering a two-run single in the first at-bat and walking the second time around. Midway through the game, he left for the clubhouse, allowing some Dodger Minor Leaguers opportunities for at-bats. With the game in its waning moments, Turner made his way out of the clubhouse and headed for the parking lot, but not before stopping at the doorway and telling the clubhouse attendant to let a few of those Minor Leaguers who made the most of their opportunities know he was picking up the bill for their dinner. Since coming to the Dodgers in 2014 as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training, Turner has been an offensive force and one of the most underrated defenders in the game. Over the last two years, he has statistically been one of baseball’s best third basemen. A free agent after the 2016 season, Turner was re-signed and given a four-year contact by the Dodgers. But it wasn’t just his production that made him so irreplaceable. It was also his influence.

“He represents so much of what we value in a player in terms of what he does on the field, what he does off the field, the burning desire to win,” said Dodger president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman at the Jan. 11 joint press conference announcing Turner’s and Kenley Jansen’s return. “It’s part of that clubhouse dynamic, that clubhouse culture that we’re trying to cultivate and continue to build.” A.J. Ellis was beloved by teammates. Humble and polite, Ellis would never be described as loud. But his voice carried heavy weight in the Dodger clubhouse. When Ellis was traded to Philadelphia on Aug. 25, 2016, he and his teammates were stunned. Not everyone meets with the media after getting dealt. But Ellis, also a beloved figure with the media, met reporters in a somber Dodger dugout that afternoon. He spoke about his appreciation for the Dodger organization. Visibly shaken, he discussed the sting of leaving. And then he acknowledged Turner. “Justin Turner is the new heart and soul of this team,” Ellis said. “He’s the new leader and has become the voice of this club, not just in the clubhouse but on the field.” Respect starts with production. And Turner, who in parts of five seasons before coming to the Dodgers hit eight homers and OPSed .684 in 926 plate appearances, has been a dynamic, steadily rising star in Los Angeles. According to FanGraphs, Turner ranks second among all Major League third basemen in Ultimate Zone Rating per 150 games at 11.8 — behind Adrián Beltré. He is tied for second among third basemen in weighted runs created plus (wRC+) at 141, which means he created 41 percent more runs than the league average hitter would have in the same number of plate appearances. He is fourth in OPS at .879. Turner ranks fifth in WAR (13.3) among all National League position players in the same time span. Turner has the all-time greatest career OPS in postseason division series history (minimum 40 plate appearances) at 1.295. Beyond numbers, being genuine builds belief. “He’s very important — on and off the field,” Jansen says. “He’s been great. He pushes me, too, to keep my head straight. I’m glad we have him here because he can put a team on his back when he needs to.” Turner says he’s taken a lot of his ability to connect with teammates from watching former teammates. He says David Wright, Carlos Beltrán and Jose Reyes took him under their wing when he was in New York. And Ellis was his influence in LA. “A.J. was the guy I had a lot of conversations with after games talking about different stuff, what we could do, what we should do, how we could get better,” Turner says. “So when he ended up getting traded it was obviously tough for me because I lost a good friend, but he was also a sounding board to run stuff by and have good conversations with. Then, when he said that it’s my team to lead now, it was really cool of him to say.” There was the real possibility, though, the Dodgers could lose another voice in the clubhouse with Turner being a coveted free agent.

Turner was a finalist for a Gold Glove Award in 2016 (his throwing errors per chance fell from 2.2 percent in 2015 to 1.2 percent in 2016, and he led the National League in defensive runs above average — 16.2). He finished ninth in the National League Most Valuable Player voting after hitting 27 homers and OPSing .832. The 32-year-old says he wanted to test the market, at least to experience what it was like. “But at the end of the day, my heart was I wanted LA to be the team that made the right offer,” Turner says. If you follow him on Instagram or Twitter (@redturn2), you know the Long Beach native and former Cal State Fullerton star has a lust for life and a lust for Los Angeles. If you don’t follow him, you’re missing his images of his support of the Lakers and Kings, his trips to see WWE at Staples Center or a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. You’re missing his appreciation of fans who dressed up as him for Halloween and fans who got creative with their Justin Turner Chia Pet — a 2016 giveaway at Dodger Stadium. And you’re also missing how much he cares about the people of Los Angeles. Turner had to be one of the National League’s leaders in community service appearances the last two years. A few years back, he started the Justin Turner Foundation, which supports homeless veterans and children and families battling life-altering diseases. Turner hit his eighth homer of the season on Tuesday. Turner was touched by the story of Ryan Teixeira, a 20-year-old former Arroyo Grande baseball star who was diagnosed with cancer twice in 2016. On Dec. 16, Turner paid the Dodger fan a surprise visit at Ronald Reagan Medical Center and during the same trip visited kids at Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA. Turner wouldn’t forget Teixeira. On March 3, knowing Teixeira could use any bit of hope, Turner tweeted asking for prayers for Teixeira. The young man passed away the next day. Turner cares deeply about others. And because he is a Major Leaguer, and a successful one at that, he understands his platform. “We get to play this game and make a really good living because so many people in our community come out and support us,” Turner says. “We have a long season and a tough schedule and spend a lot of time at the field. But whenever we have an opportunity to go out and do even the smallest of small things — you say hi to a kid, or you wave to somebody, you go sign an autograph — that’s a story that kid can share the rest of their life. It makes a huge difference. I was one of those kids. “It takes a little bit of time and obviously it’s hard — you can’t get to every fan … but when you do have time to go out of the way and make a gesture to someone, it’s impactful. It’s a story they can tell their entire life.” When he was a kid, Turner and his father would write to Major League Baseball teams and ask for team-signed balls. He says about 10 teams sent autographed balls back. It resonated with him. If he became a Major Leaguer, he would give.

It’s a reason why excellence on the field means so much to Turner. It gives his voice more volume and makes his influence stronger. The Dodgers made a four-year commitment to him. And he has made his own commitment — give to others, give everything of himself. “The second you get satisfied, there’s someone right behind you who can take your job,” he says. “There’s no room in the game to be satisfied. There’s no room in the game to be complacent. It’s always about continuing to get better and continuing to work on your craft. The thing I love the most about baseball is it’s one of the most humbling games on the planet. As soon as you think you have it figured out, the game will knock you on your butt and make you pick yourself back up.”

NBC LA Dodgers Complete Improbable Comeback With Four-Run Bottom of the Ninth, Sweep D-Backs, 5-4 By Michael Duarte Call them the comeback kids. The Dodgers scored four runs before they recorded an out in the bottom of the ninth and Los Angeles completed the most improbable of sweeps over the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-4, on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. Arizona closer Fernando Rodney was a giant can of gas on the mound just waiting to explode as he entered the game in the bottom of the ninth. The D-backs closer walked four in the inning before allowing a two-run single to Corey Seager that tied the game 4-4. "I had some at-bats against him in the past luckily, so I kind of knew what it was like," said Seager of his at-bat against Rodney. "He was struggling. He couldn't find the zone, and that's hard for a closer when you can't throw strikes." Rodney was removed for T.J. McFarland who allowed a line drive to left field on the first pitch to Chris Taylor and the Dodgers completed the stunning walk-off victory over the Snakes. The game-winning hit was the first of Taylor's career as the Virginia native collected a career-high four hits, finishing 4-for-5 with two doubles and prompting the the Fox Sports Arizona Twitter account to publish this tweet: "It feels like we're never out of the game," Taylor said of the team's comeback. "It seems like we're out of it and we put one good at-bat together at a time, we get some guys on and then good things happen." Before the dramatic finish in the ninth, the first four runs of the game came via the solo home run. Jake Lamb hit a pair of solo shots, and Ketel Marte and Logan Forsythe each hit one as the Diamondbacks led 3-1 heading into the ninth inning.

Lamb started the scoring when he crushed a 73 MPH curveball from Rich Hill 435-feet down the left field line in the top of the fifth inning to give the Diamondbacks a 1-0 lead. That lead was short-lived as Logan Forsythe tied the game with a solo shot of his own on an 83 MPH slider from Robbie Ray in the bottom half of the inning. Forsythe has been on fire over the last two weeks, reaching base safely in 10 of his last 11 games, and batting .405 with 14 runs, four doubles, one homer and three RBI over that span. Other than the home runs, both southpaw starters pitched well despite either not factoring in the decision. Ray allowed one run on five hits with four walks and a career-high 13 strikeouts in six strong innings as he made his final start before the All-Star Game. Ray was selected as an All-Star for the Midsummer Classic for the first time in his career on Sunday. "Butcher [Pitching coach] told me to work my magic, so I came at it with my best stuff and came out on top," said Ray of his performance. "Anytime you can shut up that many fans is great." Hill was equally as good, allowing just one run on two hits with no walks and nine strikeouts over seven innings for the Dodgers. Hill has pitched at least seven innings with no walks and nine strikeouts in each of his last three starts, a feat he was unable to do in any of his first nine starts this season. In fact, Hill had not pitched out of the fifth inning until June 26th against the Angels. "The ball is coming out of my hand the way I want it to," said Hill of his turnaround the last few starts. "Finding my mechanics was the biggest thing. When you can find the consistency in those mechanics you're able to execute a lot more efficiently in the zone." The Dodgers went to the bullpen in the eighth inning and immediately got blown up as Lamb and Marte absolutely crushed balls from Luis Avilan to break the tie. Lamb started the inning with a 415-foot shot off Avilan and two batters later, it was Marte with a 440-foot bomb that nearly left the stadium entirely. Dodgers' relief pitcher Josh Fields brought home a run on a balk in the ninth inning that ended the streak of solo home runs in the game. But just as fans in attendance started heading for the parking lot, the Dodgers continued their fairytale season with a four-run bottom of the ninth, capping off the comeback with CT3's thrilling walk-off hit. "It was incredible," said Hill of the comeback. "I saw some people leaving the ballpark. You gotta stay. If you're going to watch these games you have to stay, it's a lot of fun." It was the fifth walk-off victory for the Dodgers this season and their 22nd comeback of the year.

Meanwhile, thanks to Rodney, the Diamondbacks were swept for the first time this season and fall 5.5 games behind the Dodgers for first place in the Natioinal League West. "It's certainly a tough loss to absorb. It will probably stick with us for the next couple of hours," said Arizona manager, Torey Lovullo. "But we have to find a way to turn the page and figure out what happened." Los Angeles has an MLB-best nine sweeps on the season. Up Next: Former Cubs starter, Jason Hammel heads to the mound on Friday opposite Kenta Maeda as the Dodgers open up the final three-game series of the first half against the Kansas City Royals at 7:10PM PST. Dodgers' Justin Turner Wins All-Star Game Final Vote in Record Fashion By Michael Duarte Hey now, you're an All Star! After 72 hours of non-stop voting, Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner was named to his first ever All-Star Game selection as the winner of MLB's Final Vote contest. The results were announced live on MLB Tonight and Turner was named the representative for the National League with a record 20.8 million votes, shattering the previous record held by Freddie Freeman with 19.7 million in 2013. Kansas City Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas was the winner in the American League. Moustakas also won the Final Vote contest in 2015, his first All-Star Game appearance. Fans were able to vote online, through text, and on Twitter using the hashtag, #VoteJT. Dodgers' super fans, Pantone 294, voted around the clock at Dodger Stadium in a room set up by the Dodgers. The room was known throughout the week as "Justin Turner All-Star Game Voting Headquarters," and featured over 20 Pantone 294 members voting in shifts on computers around the clock until voting ended at 1:00PM PST on Thursday afternoon. "I'll be forever grateful to the Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans for what they did for me this week," Turner said in the dugout after the announcement was made. In addition to his teammates, Turner received the support of celebrities and other SoCal based sports teams like the Rams, Clippers and Kings. Turner leads the National League in batting average (.384) and on-base percentage (.473), and OPS (1.042). Here were the final vote standings per MLB.com.

Final Standings: American League: Mike Moustaks, KC Xander Bogaerts, BOS Didi Gregorius, NYY Elvis Andrus, TEX Logan Morrison, TB National League: Justin Turner, LAD Kris Bryant, CHI Anthony Rendon, WSH Mark Reynolds, COL Justin Bour, MIA

LA TIMES

Dodgers Dugout: 2017? It feels more like 1988 By Houston Mitchell i, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell and I remember when the All-Star game was your only chance to see some great players on TV. Smooth sailing Almost lost in all the All-Star talk this week is the fact the Dodgers swept Arizona, their nearest division rivals, have the second-best record in baseball and lead the NL West by 5 ½ games. Thursday night’s win was thrilling. Trailing 4-1 going into the bottom of the ninth, the Dodgers got a leadoff single from Yasiel Puig off of Diamondbacks closer Fernando Rodney. Joc Pederson and Cody Bellinger walked to load the bases. Rodney then walked Logan Forsythe to make it 4-2. Corey Seager singled to center, scoring two runs. Justin Turner was walked intentionally to load the bases again. Arizona then replaced Rodney with T.J. McFarland, who promptly gave up the game-winning single to Chris Taylor. “It feels like we’re never out of the game,” Taylor said after the win. The Dodgers are clearly the best team in the National League right now and have that magical feel to them, much like the 1988 team did. It was the 22nd comeback victory for the team, and they are now on pace to win 108 games. Don’t blame the TV deal

When no Dodgers were voted by fans into the starting lineup of this year's All-Star game, reliever Kenley Jansen blamed the fans. Many of those same fans took to email and social media to say that it's not the fault of the fans, it’s because about 70% of fans in the area still can't watch the team on TV. But is that correct? Let's take a look at Dodgers All-Star voting history since 1970 (when fan voting for the All-Star game starters resumed after 12 years in which the players voted) until the TV deal began before the 2014 season. 1970s This decade was somewhat similar to the current problem: Not every game was on TV, yet it was the most successful decade for Dodgers All-Star starters, with 13 overall, including a campaign by Dodgers fans to get Steve Garvey elected as a write-in candidate in 1974. 1970-73: None 1974: Ron Cey, Steve Garvey, Jimmy Wynn. 1975: Ron Cey, Steve Garvey, Jimmy Wynn. 1976: Steve Garvey 1977: Ron Cey, Steve Garvey 1978: Steve Garvey, Rick Monday 1979: Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes 1980s The 80s started with a bang, with fans voting four Dodgers into the starting lineup in 1980, which is also the last time Dodger Stadium played host to the game. But only two other Dodgers were voted into the lineup in the ensuing years. 1980: Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell, Reggie Smith 1981: Davey Lopes 1982: None 1983: Steve Sax 1984-89: None 1990s Only five times were Dodgers voted into the lineup in the 1990s. Mike Piazza accounted for four of them. 1990: Mike Scioscia

1991-93: None 1994: Mike Piazza 1995: Mike Piazza 1996: Mike Piazza 1997: Mike Piazza 1998-99: None 2000s Almost every game was available for the majority of fans to watch in the 2000s, but only two times were Dodgers elected. In 2009, Matt Kemp was part of the Final Vote but lost to Shane Victorino of Philadelphia. 2000-04: None 2005: Jeff Kent 2006: None 2007: Russell Martin 2008-09: None 2010s In 2011, Andre Ethier was part of the Final Vote but lost to Victorino. In 2013, Adrian Gonzalez and Yasiel Puig were part of the Final Vote, but lost to Freddie Freeman of Atlanta. 2010: Andre Ethier 2011: Matt Kemp 2012: Matt Kemp 2013: None Before the 2014 season began, the Dodgers' new channel began showing their games, with 70% of Dodgers fans not being able to watch them. Despite that, Dodgers fans elected a player to the starting lineup in 2014 and in 2017, they added Justin Turnerto the roster after the Final Vote. In 2015, Clayton Kershaw was part of the Final Vote, but lost to Carlos Martinez of St. Louis. 2014: Yasiel Puig

2015-17: None So what conclusions can be drawn? Blaming the TV deal for the lack of starters is shortsighted. Does it help? Of course not. But I think there is more at play here than just that. I got many emails saying fans just aren't reminded enough to vote or don't know how to vote because they can't see the team on TV. However, despite those obstacles, Turner won the fan vote this year, with 20.8 million votes. So fans indeed can find out how to vote for the Dodgers without seeing them on television. The TV deal is a horrible thing for Dodgers fans. The fact most of us still can't watch the games on TV is an embarrassment. The Dodgers do a horrible job of acting like they care about the situation. There's plenty of blame to go around among them, Spectrum SportsNet and the providers that don't show the station. But it's not why the Dodgers don't have All-Star starters. Here's what I blame: 1. The Dodgers don't really push All-Star voting like most other teams do. I remember in the 1970s, when fans still voted with those punch out ballots, ushers would go up and down the aisles handing out ballots with the names of the Dodgers already punched. Nowadays, there really isn't a concerted effort at games to get fans to vote. When the Dodgers do put out a concerted effort, like they did with Turner, fans somehow figure out how to vote despite not seeing the games on TV. 2. Dodgers fans don't really care who starts the All-Star game. And why should they? The game is meaningless. Dodgers fans are more interested in ending the World Series drought. 3. Dodgers fans are actually smart voters who vote for the best player that season at each position. You can make a strong argument that Zack Cozart is having a better season so far than Corey Seager. Same for Nolan Arenado over Turner. Heck, the players themselves didn't even vote Turner onto the team. So, yes, I am sure the TV deal costs a few votes, but not enough to make a difference. The evidence just doesn't back it up. Wood should replace Kershaw Clayton Kershaw will start Sunday, which means he won't be able to play in the All-Star game Tuesday. The general consensus is that MLB will select Alex Wood to replace him, and really, Wood should have been on the team to begin with. He is 10-0 with a 1.67 ERA and a 2.04 FIP this season, with an 0.893 WHIP and 97 strikeouts in 80 2/3 innings. After giving up five runs in five innings against the Giants on May 2, he was 2-0 with a 3.28 ERA. Since then, Wood has gone 8-0 with a 0.96 ERA in 56 innings. In those nine starts, he has given up no more than one run eight times. He became the first Dodgers starter to open a season 10-0 since the team moved to Los Angeles. The last Brooklyn Dodger to do it was Don Newcombe in 1955. “You’ve got to pinch yourself sometimes,” Wood said after Wednesday's win over Arizona. Bellinger slumping

If Cody Bellinger hits a second-half slump, please keep one thing in mind before blaming the Home Run Derby: He is hitting .152 in his last 10 games, with 14 strikeouts and no home runs in 40 plate appearances. Comparison The Dodgers are trying to win their fifth consecutive division title. Let's take a look at this year's record and how it compares to the same point in the last four seasons. 2017: 58-29, first place in NL West, 5 1/2 games ahead of Arizona 2016: 48-39, second place, 6 games behind San Francisco 2015: 49-38, first place, 5 1/2 games ahead of Arizona and San Francisco 2014: 48-39, second place, 1 game behind San Francisco 2013: 42-45, second place, 4 1/2 games behind Arizona Ask Ross Porter Miles asks: I've noticed a spike in home runs. What is your take, Ross, on the juiced ball conspiracy? Ross: In 2014, scoring was its lowest since 1976. New baseballs were put into use after the 2015 All-Star break. Since August of 2015, the homer rate has risen. Last year's rate was the highest ever. A home run record for a single season will be shattered this fall. In 2000, 5,693 were hit and this season over 6,100 will clear the fences. Last month, a record 1,101 were crushed. From 2014 to 2016, players with 20-plus homers increased from 57 to 111. Why? All kinds of theories. Bouncier, lower seams and smaller-circumference baseballs, improved wood bats, bigger and stronger hitters, extreme lift in swings, added pitch velocity, a major jump in batted ball exit speed, and less emphasis on making contact. Strikeouts have set records for nine straight years, and this season will be a new mark of more than eight strikeouts per team per game. And yet, Miles, a recent major league baseball comprehensive study confirmed by independent experts showed that extensive testing of the baseballs found no changes. Ross answers reader questions every week. Email me and I will pass your question on to him. Next series Friday, 7 p.m., Kansas City (Jason Hammel, 4-7, 5.08) at Dodgers (Kenta Maeda, 6-4, 4.56) Saturday, 4:15 p.m., Kansas City (Ian Kennedy, 3-6, 4.44) at Dodgers (Brandon McCarthy, 6-3, 3.25) Sunday, 1 p.m., Kansas City (Danny Duffy, 5-4, 3.51) at Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw, 13-2, 2.19)