About the weather in Arlington, Texas.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Don Mattingly said this afternoon that the June heat at Globe Life Park might be something the Dodgers aren’t accustomed to. Obviously there are limits to that statement; pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Mike Bolsinger both grew up in the Dallas area.

Juan Nicasio and Carlos Frias, among others, are both from the Dominican Republic. Since the starting pitcher does not do interviews on the afternoon of a night he pitches, I asked Nicasio if the weather today was similar to that in the Dominican. He said the heat is but the humidity is not.

After the game I asked Yasiel Puig to compare this to the weather in Cuba. He declined to answer my question. So I googled it:
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Dodgers’ Alex Guerrero is healthy. So why isn’t he starting in an American League park?

Alex Guerrero grand slam

Alex Guerrero isn’t in the starting lineup for the Dodgers’ first game this season in an American League park, where they can use a designated hitter. (Getty Images)

ARLINGTON, Texas — With Justin Turner promoted to everyday third baseman status, Alex Guerrero is arguably the best hitter remaining on the Dodgers’ bench.

Rangers starter Yovani Gallardo throws right-handed. Guerrero (a right-handed hitter) is slashing .286/.322/.655 in 90 plate appearances against right-handed pitchers this season.

Yet Alberto Callaspo is playing third base instead. Callaspo (a switch hitter) is slashing .250/.331/.310 against right-handed pitchers this season.

So why is Callaspo in the lineup and Guerrero isn’t?

“It came down to Adrian (Gonzalez) or (Guerrero). Really, once JT plays first, then it’s a matchup between Callaspo and Alex,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “If Alex, I felt, was a better matchup, I probably would’ve played him at third.”

Justin Turner is playing first base, while Adrian Gonzalez will get a day as the Dodgers’ designated hitter. Here’s the complete lineup:
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How the Dodgers became a footnote to the Josh Hamilton trade.

The Dodgers were apparently a footnote to one of the biggest salary dumps in MLB history.

According to CBSsports.com, the Dodgers were involved in discussions with the Angels and Rangers regarding Josh Hamilton “to pay some money while gathering prospects,” before Hamilton was ultimately traded to the Rangers on Monday.

That same day, Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said “we’ve had a variety of talks through the last month or so revolving around a number of different possible outcomes. Some of them were more serious than others, but this is the one that always made the most sense for everybody.”

In the end, by not involving the Dodgers in the Hamilton trade, the Angels merely spared us all “old friend alerts” from Eric Stephen on Twitter every time Hamilton did something noteworthy.

Dodgers spring training 2015: Sunday lineup vs. Texas Rangers.

The Dodgers will play two split-squad games today: a home game against the Texas Rangers at Camelback Ranch, and an away game against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium.

The home game features an interesting look for the Dodgers. Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig and Andre Ethier are all out. Carl Crawford is in, but Juan Uribe is batting second and Crawford is fifth.

Update (9:08 a.m.): Juan Uribe was scratched from the Dodgers’ lineup. Buck Britton will take his place at third base and bat seventh. The correct lineup is below.

Here are both lineups for the 1 p.m. game at Camelback Ranch:

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Watch: Dodgers’ Joc Pederson gets thrown after ball hits Alamodome roof (video).

If you’re coming to Arizona this weekend to see the hottest hitter in the Dodgers’ lineup, keep driving on I-10 for another 13 hours. Eventually you’ll hit San Antontio. If you’re like Joc Pederson, who went 3 for 4 Friday with a home run and two RBIs, you’ll even hit the roof of the Alamodome:

That “baserunning error” was the only blemish on Pederson’s record in the Dodgers’ 11-6 win over the Texas Rangers. He’s leading the Dodgers in OPS (1.353) and is in some fine company among all MLB players in that category — providing for a small sample size caveat, against a hodgepodge of pitching talent, yada, yada, yada.

The Alamodome, you might recall, was built in order to attract an NFL team to San Antonio and served as the home of the NBA’s Spurs from 1993-2002. For baseball, it’s not ideal — 275 feet out to right field with a deceptively low roof. Pederson probably should have had two home runs Friday.

Anyway, the Dodgers didn’t need the help. They scored eight runs in the first inning Friday en route to the victory and they’ll play the Rangers again at 11 a.m. Pacific Time Saturday. The box score is here.