The hit by pitches are adding up and starting to resonate with players. Tonight’s game story.

Clint Hurdle

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle was ejected after pitcher Justin Wilson was ejected for hitting Justin Turner with a pitch Tuesday. (Associated Press photo)


Dodgers shortstop Justin Turner was measured but outspoken in his postgame comments tonight — not only about getting hit by a 97-mph fastball, but the fact that he’s far from alone.

One late, important result that won’t make the early editions: The Giants (56-44) beat the Phillies in the 14th inning, so the Dodgers (56-46) are now a full game out of first place in the National League West.

Click here for the story.

The box score is here.

Dodgers 5, San Diego Padres 4: Julio Urias debuts, and the Dodgers hold on for a win.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The story of the game was Julio Urias, the 17-year-old prodigy who needed 14 pitches to mow down the San Diego Padres’ first three batters. Mike Brito, the scout who signed Urias, had a cigar hanging from his mouth as he walked the Dodgers’ clubhouse after the game.

Don Mattingly said Urias will be in the rotation by May “at the latest”: “For me, with young guys, you know it’s going to be a little while. You have to build him up. He hasn’t thrown that many professional innings. To me, you can like him all you want but you really need to grow up, and part of that is the expectation for a 17-year-old. You’re always going to get a lot better. Well, he has to get a lot better, right?

“I had a kid a couple years ago in the (Arizona) Fall League who was a can’t-miss, can’t do anything (wrong) and he’s still not in the big leagues,” Mattingly continued. “I think it’s just easier to let him grow up. He looked really good. For 17, 18, 19 or 20 he looked really good, but I still think we have to let him grow up.”

So we shall. The game that followed Urias’ debut was a good one for a number of Dodgers. Dee Gordon tripled, scored a run, and laid down a bunt for a base hit. He also stole his ninth base (in nine tries). Miguel Rojas went 2 for 3, raising his average to .440. Hanley Ramirez singled, stole second base and scored on an RBI single by Adrian Gonzalez.

The major-league portion of the Dodgers’ bullpen had no trouble. Javy Guerra, J.P. Howell, Kenley Jansen and Chris Perez combined to throw three scoreless innings.

San Diego rallied for four runs in the eighth inning off minor-league right-hander Romulo Sanchez. Sanchez got out of his own bases-loaded jam by striking out former Dodgers farmhand Alex Castellanos to end the inning.

Mattingly said after the game that Guerra, and possibly Jansen and Howell, would pitch in tomorrow’s game against the Colorado Rockies.

The box score is here.

There’s another game here starting in 80 minutes.

Some notes and observations:

Mike Baxter had a busy day in the field. He played right field, center field and first base in the game. He hasn’t played first base to this point in spring training but he told me that he played the position in college (Vanderbilt) and has been taking ground balls with the other infielders throughout camp.

• Gordon’s bunt hit was not a drag bunt, just a 10-footer between home plate and the mound that made the Padres scramble. He beat the throw by a step.

• The Dodgers drew seven walks in the game. Andre Ethier had two.

Carl Crawford went 0 for 3, lowering his Cactus League batting average to .138. More from the bad batting average department: Joc Pederson (0 for 1), .192; Hanley Ramirez (1 for 4), .229; Tim Federowicz (0 for 3), .077.

• I wonder which can’t-miss prospect Mattingly was referring to. Could it have been this guy?

Dodgers 10, Cincinnati Reds 3: Alex Guerrero homers, Yasiel Puig leaves, Hyun-Jin Ryu goes 4. Update.

Alex Guerrero

Dodgers second baseman Alex Guerrero hit a grand slam, his first extra-base hit of spring training, on Wednesday.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Alex Guerrero’s fifth-inning grand slam gave the Dodgers the lead for good in their 10-3 win Wednesday night over the Cincinnati Reds.

Guerrero, who was 4 for 15 with four singles to begin his first major-league spring training, hit the first pitch he saw from Jeff Francis high over the left-field fence to give the Dodgers their first runs of the game.

Adrian Gonzalez also homered as the Dodgers improved to 3-4-1.

Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched four innings and allowed single runs in the first and second innings, both earned. He allowed four hits, all singles, walked two and struck out three. The left-hander said after the game that he did not throw a slider until the third inning — then used it effectively. He struck out the side in the third, including Reds slugger Joey Votto on a slider.

Ryu was originally scheduled to pitch three innings, but Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt gave him the option of pitching the fourth and coming out after 10 pitches. He got three outs — a walk, a double-play ground ball, and another groundout — before reaching his 10-pitch limit.

Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig left the game after four innings after experiencing symptoms of inflammation in his upper left back/shoulder area. He was seen grimacing at home plate during his second at-bat of the game, in the top of the fourth inning, against Francis. Puig played the bottom of the fourth inning without making a play in the field, did not bat in the top of the fifth inning, and was replaced by Mike Baxter in the bottom of the fifth. He was the first Dodgers position player to leave the game.

Puig told reporters after the game that he would be able to play tomorrow.

9:25 p.m. update: Here’s what Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said about Puig after the game:

Puig said this via the club’s official Twitter feed:

Reds starter Homer Bailey no-hit the Dodgers through three innings. Francis pitched a 1-2-3 fourth inning before allowing singles to Gonzalez and Juan Uribe — a blooper that fell between three fielders in right-center — and walking Joc Pederson. Guerrero then cleared the bases with his home run.

Tim Federowicz padded the Dodgers’ lead with a two-run double in the sixth inning and scored on an RBI single by Miguel Rojas. Minor-league call-up Aaron Bates hit an RBI double in the seventh inning. Uribe’s sacrifice fly allowed Baxter to tag up and score the Dodgers’ final run.

Jose Dominguez and Paco Rodriguez pitched scoreless relief innings. Matt Magill pitched a scoreless seventh inning and allowed a solo home run to Neftali Soto in the eighth.

The box score is here. Some more notes and observations:
Continue reading “Dodgers 10, Cincinnati Reds 3: Alex Guerrero homers, Yasiel Puig leaves, Hyun-Jin Ryu goes 4. Update.” »

Kuo back to the DL; Elbert called up

Ten days after being activated from the disabled list, Hong-Chih Kuo is headed back.

The Dodgers placed Kuo on the 15-day disabled list today but have yet to cite an injury. The left-handed reliever, who has had four elbow operations, was expected to be the team’s setup man this season but has struggled to stay healthy. Kuo was first sent to the DL on April 16 with a lower back strain.

The Associated Press is reporting from Pittsburgh that Manager Don Mattingly declined to discuss specifics of the injury but said it could be long-term. Kuo was expected
to return to Los Angeles late tonight.

On the season, Kuo has appeared in nine games and pitched 4 2/3 innings, surrendering five hits, six walks and six earned runs for a less-than-stellar 11.57 ERA and 2.36 WHIP.

In his place, the Dodgers have recalled Scott Elbert from Triple-A Albuquerque. The left-hander has struck out 16 against nine walks in 14 1/3 innings this season.

Elbow woes shelve Ethier, Broxton

Tom Hoffarth reports from Dodger Stadium that Andre Ethier has been scratched from the starting lineup today because of a sore left elbow. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said the right fielder, who has an MLB-best 29-game hitting streak, is available to pinch hit, which could put his streak in jeopardy with just one at-bat.

“We’d have to. We’re here to win games even if that puts him in a bind,” Mattingly said.

Meanwhile, embattled reliever Jonathan Broxton will get an MRI on his right elbow after last night’s struggles in a 4-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs. The right-hander issued consecutive four-pitch walks to Marlon Byrd and Carlos Pena before being removed by Mattingly. After the game, Broxton and Dodgers trainer Stan Conte told Mattingly about the pitcher’s elbow discomfort.

Broxton’s decrease in velocity has been noted this season. One year after notching the save in the All-Star Game, he is 1-2 with a 5.68 ERA in 14 appearances.

In Broxton’s absence, Vicente Padilla will continue to be the first option to close for the Dodgers.