WEST
Diamondbacks
Manager Kirk Gibson said new chief baseball officer Tony La Russa is busy assessing the minor league system but they stay in contact with text messages. … According to ESPN.com, GM Kevin Towers told a Phoenix radio station he doesn’t want to be a “pseudo-GM,” but he expressed confidence he could work with La Russa. … LF Mark Trumbo was in the batting cage last week, a first since he went on the DL with a stress fracture in his left foot on April 24.
Dodgers
A day after Josh Beckett recorded the first no-hitter for the Dodgers since 1996, Hyun-Jin came within six outs of the first perfect game by a Dodger since Sandy Koufax against the Cubs in 1965. The only other team since 1974 to have a no-hitter through seven innings in back-to-back games was the Athletics on July 14-15, 2005, against Texas, according to STATS. … CF Matt Kemp, the 2011 NL MVP runner-up, will start playing some LF.
Giants
Already having pushed past an April slump, Buster Posey finds himself mired in a May skid. According to the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News, he has been working with hitting coach Hensley Meulens on being more upright in the batter’s box. Manager Bruce Bochy told the newspapper, “I thought he looked good. He felt a lot freer. He was getting his normal bat speed. I think he felt a lot more comfortable today and looked a lot more comfortable.” … Tim Hudson (5-2) turned in another vintage outing, tossing seven scoreless innings vs. the Cubs last week. Cubs manager Rick Renteria: “It was all Hudson. He did a great job. You have to tip your hat to him. He threw a very nice ballgame. We weren’t able to put a whole lot together.” The 38-year-old has allowed two earned runs or fewer in nine of his 10 starts, and he has pitched at least seven innings eight times.
Padres
The team honored first responders involved in fighting the recent wildfires. The players and coaches formed two lines in the outfield and greeted the first responders as they walked in from the warning track. … Andrew Cashner (sore right elbow) played long toss for the first time since going on the DL. Cashner is scheduled to throw again today. … Newly acquired LHP Troy Patton, acquired from Baltimore in a trade for C Nick Hundley, should complement LHP Alex Torres in the bullpen.
Rockies
Wilin Rosario has been struggling at the plate recently, so Jorge De La Rosa gave him a pep talk before a game last week vs. the Phillies. “I told Rosario in the training room before the game, ‘You have to do something to win the game,’” De La Rosa said. “And he did.” Rosario, who entered the game without a hit in his previous 13 at-bats, belted a three-run homer to lift the Rockies. The left-handed De La Rosa improved to 6-0 with a 1.58 ERA in his last seven starts.
Compiled by Rick Crotts from wire reports.
