Dodgers Add Former L.A. City Officials Simril, Gonzalez To Front Office

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Monday that the team has hired two former Los Angeles city officials for their front office staff.

Renata Simril worked under former mayor James Hahn as a deputy mayor and will serve as the team's Senior Vice President, External Affairs. Rafael Gonzalez recently served under current mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as a member of his senior staff. Gonzalez will work as the Dodgers' Director of Community Relations. Both are scheduled to begin their new posts immediately.

Dodgers' President and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement from the team:

"We are very fortunate to have two such seasoned professionals join our front office team. We look forward to having Renata and Rafael continuing their good work in the community on behalf of the Dodgers."

Both Simril and Gonzalez have strong ties to the Los Angeles community and will bring a wealth of experience into their new positions with the team.

For more on the Los Angeles Dodgers, visit True Blue LA.

Jerry Hairston Jr. To Have Hip Surgery Monday

According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Jerry Hairston will undergo surgery on his left hip on Monday in Vail, Colorado.

Doctors will look to repair a torn labrum and shave an irregularity in the head of the femur, which caused the injury in the first place. Though the surgery is arthroscopic, it is still considered a major surgery. Hairston's rehab will last somewhere between three to six months after spending the first three weeks after surgery on crutches.

Hairston has been on the disabled list since August 12 but he said the injury has bothered him during most of the season. Hairston is in the first year of a two-year deal with the Dodgers. He will make $3.75 million next season.

The 14-year veteran is batting .273 with four home runs and 26 RBI in 78 games played.

For more on the Dodgers throughout the season, be sure to check out True Blue LA.

Dodgers Vs. Giants Game Recap: San Francisco Wins 4-0, Takes Series

The Los Angeles Dodgers aren't playing like a team with a sense of urgency to win and get in the postseason. Not after a 4-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants Sunday night that ended a three-game series in which they dropped two of three games.

Dodgers starter Joe Blanton, pressed into service with Clayton Kershaw ruled out due to a hip injury, didn't make it out of the sixth inning and allowed all four runs, and the Dodgers couldn't get to Giants starter Barry Zito. The Dodgers managed just five hits, going another day without Matt Kemp, who remains out with a sore shoulder.

The good news is that Kershaw and Kemp might both be back in time for Tuesday's game in Arizona, where the Dodgers head to next for two games on Tuesday and Wednesday. The bad news is that the Dodgers went back to 1 1/2 games out of the last NL wild card spot, and have lost four of their last five games.

Meanwhile, the Giants are back up in the division by 5 1/2 games.

For all things Dodgers, check out True Blue LA. For the Giants perspective, head over to McCovey Chronicles.

Clayton Kershaw Scratched From Dodgers Vs. Giants Finale

Clayton Kershaw has been scratched from his Sunday night start, leaving the Los Angeles Dodgers without their ace as they get ready to take on the San Francisco Giants in the rubber match. Joe Blanton will start in his place.

Clayton Kershaw scratched. Joe Blanton starting for the #Dodgers today.

— Dylan Hernandez (@dylanohernandez) September 9, 2012

The left-hander has a hip injury and was seen trying to run in the outfield this afternoon, but apparently he did not prove to himself and the trainers that he was healthy enough to pitch. The injury is not considered serious and the expectation is that he will pitch on Tuesday.

The Dodgers' ace is 12-8 on the year with a 2.79 ERA, which is the third-best in the National League. He has also already topped 200 strikeouts.

Kershaw has pitched excellently against the Giants this year, limiting them to a .216 batting average and just six runs in four starts. Run support has been a problem, though, and the southpaw is just 1-3 against San Francisco on the season.

Blanton has not been nearly as good against the Giants this season, allowing 11 runs in 18.2 innings. He is coming off of a solid start, limiting the Padres to three runs in 6.2 innings on Monday.

The Dodgers and Giants split the opening two games of this key series in the N.L. West. San Francisco holds a 4.5 game lead on LA heading into Sunday and they finish the season with three games against each other at Dodger Stadium.

Head over to True Blue LA for more updates on Kershaw and the Dodgers' playoff push.

Dodgers Vs. Giants Game Preview: Clayton Kershaw Goes For Series Win On ESPN

The Los Angeles Dodgers will try to continue their climb up the standings when they face the San Francisco Giants on Sunday in their weekend series finale.

The Dodgers are currently 4.5 games back of the Giants -- but with plenty of season left to be played, they are taking it one game at a time and using last season’s St. Louis Cardinals as an example.

“I remember, and I think a lot about it, we swept St. Louis four straight and they were getting booed and it looked like a dead team with no chance. Two weeks later, they caught fire and rolled right through,” said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly to MLB.com. “We’ve got to get on that roll.”

To try to close out the series, the Dodgers will entrust lefty Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw has only allowed six earned runs in 31 innings pitched against the Giants this year in four starts, but has only come away with one win in those games. He isn’t the only lefty the Giants have tortured, as San Francisco is 30-15 against left-handed starting pitchers this season, the best winning percentage in the majors.

On the other side will be Barry Zito, who has been solid but nothing special this season. Zito comes into the game with a 10-8 record and a 4.51 ERA.

Game Time: 5 p.m PT
Television Coverage: ESPN

Stick with this StoryStream for more coverage from the Dodgers vs. Giants series. For all things Dodgers, check out True Blue LA. For the Giants perspective, head over to McCovey Chronicles.

Dodgers Vs. Giants Game Recap: L.A. Newcomers Lead Team To 3-2 Victory

Matt Kemp Injury Update: Dodgers OF To Have MRI On Shoulder

After Matt Kemp was kept out of Saturday's lineup against the Giants, it now appears that he will miss the rest of the crucial NL West series as he is scheduled to have an MRI on his shoulder.

Dylan Hernandez, the Dodgers beat writer for the Los Angeles Times, tweeted out the news shortly after Saturday's lineups were posted without Kemp being included.

Matt Kemp will miss the remainder of the #SFGiants series. Undergoing contrast MRI on shoulder today.

— Dylan Hernandez (@dylanohernandez) September 8, 2012

Kemp crashed hard into the center-field fence in a Aug. 28 game against the Colorado Rockies and left the game one batter later.

The Dodgers fell to their rivals, 5-2, on Friday in the series opener and are currently 5.5 games behind the Giants.

Saturday's game gets underway at 1:05 p.m. from AT&T Park and will be televised on FOX.

Stick with this StoryStream for more coverage from the Dodgers vs. Giants series. For all things Dodgers, check out True Blue LA. For the Giants perspective, head over to McCovey Chronicles.

Dodgers Vs. Giants Starting Lineups: Matt Kemp Out On Saturday

The Los Angeles Dodgers will look to get back on track against the Giants on Saturday afternoon. The club dropped their series opener with the NL West foes on Friday night by a score of 5-2, and now they'll give the ball to Chris Capuano to right the ship. Capuano has struggled in recent starts though, going 0-2 with a 8.44 ERA in his last three games.

Matt Cain will make the start for the Giants. Cain, who is 13-5 with a 2.98 ERA this season, is 1-0 with a 3.76 ERA in his last three games, a span of 19.2 innings.

Here are the lineups for Saturday's game. Matt Kemp is not playing. First pitch from AT&T Park is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. and will be televised on FOX.

Giants:

Angel Pagan - CF
Marco Scutaro - 2B
Pablo Sandoval - 3B
Buster Posey - C
Hunter Pence - RF
Joaquin Arias - SS
Brandon Belt - 1B
Gregor Blanco - LF
Matt Cain - P

Dodgers:

Mark Ellis - 2B
Shane Victorino - CF
Adrian Gonzalez - 1B
Hanley Ramirez - SS
Andre Ethier - RF
Luis Cruz - 3B
Juan Rivera - LF
A.J. Ellis - C
Chris Capuano - P

For more on the Dodgers throughout the season, be sure to check out True Blue LA.

Ned Colletti, Dodgers Talking Contract Extension, Per Report

The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to secure general manager Ned Colletti to a long term contract, reports the LA Times. Dodgers Chairman Mark Walter confirmed the story but offered no details of the discussions.

Colletti's contract is no longer guaranteed following the 2012 season, though it includes mutual options. Retaining Colletti would be a significant vote of confidence; most general managers don't survive a change in management for very long. Colletti was hired by Frank McCourt, who sold the Dodgers to Guggenheim Baseball Management earlier this year. Walter specifically cited the recent Dodgers trade for Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford as an impressive example of Colletti's work.

Colletti has been the general manager for Los Angeles since just after the 2005 season, making him the seventh man to hold the office in eight years. The Dodgers made the playoffs in three of his first four years and are close to returning after a drought in the later McCourt years.

For more on the Dodgers, stick with SB Nation Los Angeles or head over to True Blue LA.

Dodgers Vs. Giants Game Preview: L.A. Looks To Snap 3-Game Skid

The Los Angeles Dodgers face the San Francisco Giants on Saturday in another round in their fight for the NL West crown. Los Angeles is currently 5 1/2 games behind the first-place Giants, and a 5-2 loss on Friday night didn't help their cause. They're currently 1 1/2 games behind in the race for one of the two NL Wild Card spots, currently held by the Atlanta Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Chris Capuano (11-10, 3.63 ERA) will start for the Dodgers. He's 0-4 with a 5.32 ERA in five appearances at San Francisco. The team will likely need a lot of offensive production, something they (like the rest of the league) have struggled with when facing Matt Cain (13-5, 2.98 ERA). He's 4-0 with a 2.02 ERA in seven starts against the Dodgers, with Los Angeles scoring one run or less in each of the four wins.

Game Time: 1:05 p.m PT
Television Coverage: Fox
Streaming Coverage: MLB.tv

Stick with this StoryStream for more coverage from the Dodgers vs. Giants series. For all things Dodgers, check out True Blue LA. For the Giants perspective, head over to McCovey Chronicles.

Dodgers Vs. Giants Game Recap: L.A. Fails To Capitalize In 5-2 Loss

The Los Angeles Dodgers had plenty of opportunities on Friday night, but they couldn't cash them in, falling 5-2 to the San Francisco Giants in the opener of a three-game series at AT&T Park in San Francisco. The loss was the third straight for the Dodgers and dropped them to 5½ games back of the Giants in the National League West.

The Dodgers put 13 runners on base, including a career-high seven walks issued by Tim Lincecum, but Los Angeles could only manage two runs on the night, thanks in part to going 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

The middle of the order quartet of Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez, and Andre Ethier combined to go 0-for-17, with one walk. Kemp was 0-for-5 and is batting .100 (3-for-30) in seven games since missing two games with a right knee contusion.

Josh Beckett allowed just two runs going into the seventh inning, but with two runners on and one out in the seventh, manager Don Mattingly had Beckett intentionally walk Angel Pagan to get to Marco Scutaro, who delivered the go-ahead two-run single.

The Giants added an insurance run in the eighth inning.

Adam Kennedy, who homered earlier in the game, left the game after the sixth inning with a groin injury.

For more information on Dodgers baseball, head on over to True Blue L.A.

Dodgers Recall OF/2B Alex Castellanos From Triple-A

The Los Angeles Dodgers recalled OF/2B Alex Castellanos from Triple-A Albuquerque Friday afternoon, according to team sources.

Castellanos made his major league debut earlier this season on May 31 against the Milwaukee Brewers. This is his third stint with the team, and he's hit .136 (3-for-22) with two RBI in his 12 previous appearances.

The 26-year-old was acquired in the deal that sent shortstop Rafael Furcal to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. Castellanos has batted .328 with 25 doubles, 17 homers and 52 RBI in 94 games with the Isotopes in Triple-A this season.

It's doubtful that Castellanos sees major action in this weekend's make-or-break series with the San Francisco Giants, but it's possible that he sees a pinch-hit appearance or two. It's worth noting that Castellanos has yet to have an at-bat against a single Giants pitcher in his career in Dodger Blue.

For more information on Dodgers baseball, head on over to True Blue L.A.

Dodgers Face Crucial Test In Weekend Series With Giants

The Dodgers play National League division leaders San Francisco, Washington, and Cincinnati in their next 15 games.