This story was excerpted from Sonja Chen’s Dodgers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

LOS ANGELES -- As Eliezer Alfonzo stepped into the Dodger Stadium batter's box, the home crowd rose to its feet for an ovation. More than a warm welcome to the big leagues, it was an acknowledgement of the heavy heart that Alfonzo brought to the diamond.

LOS ANGELES -- One day after sitting out a game due to a minor issue with his right biceps, Shohei Ohtani returned to the leadoff spot as the designated hitter for Sunday’s series finale against the Padres at Dodger Stadium -- just in time for the two-way superstar's 32nd birthday.

LOS ANGELES -- Warm up the trumpets. Edwin Díaz is closing in on his return to the Dodgers. Díaz threw his first live batting practice since having surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow ahead of Sunday's finale against the Padres at Dodger Stadium, facing Alex Freeland and

LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani was out of Saturday's lineup as planned after exiting early due to some tightness in his right biceps the night before. The two-way superstar was potentially available to pinch-hit Saturday but ultimately sat out the entirety of L.A.'s 3-0 win over San Diego.

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers have been one of the Majors' top teams through the first half, and accordingly, they will be well-represented at the All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

LOS ANGELES -- The last time Yoshinobu Yamamoto took the mound, he was backed by a season-high 15-run outburst in San Diego.

LOS ANGELES -- To the naked eye, one might have thought that Teoscar Hernández's bat traveled nearly as far as the long ball that sent the Dodger Stadium faithful into a frenzy that had been building all night long.

LOS ANGELES -- The two-way show at Dodger Stadium came to an early end when Shohei Ohtani was pinch-hit for as a precaution in the seventh inning of Friday night's 4-3 comeback victory over the Padres.

LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani is already penciled in as the National League's starting designated hitter for the upcoming All-Star Game, but it's looking unlikely that he will be available to pitch in the Midsummer Classic.

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers pushed Shohei Ohtani's next pitching start back to tonight, when he'll carry out his full two-way duties against the Padres at Dodger Stadium. He was originally scheduled to make his next start in Wednesday's series finale against the A's at Sutter Health Park. Ohtani has

LOS ANGELES -- Mookie Betts returned to the Dodgers' lineup for Thursday's series opener against the Padres at Dodger Stadium, as had been expected after the starting shortstop was held out of Wednesday night's game against the Athletics in West Sacramento as a precaution due to right wrist soreness. Betts'

WEST SACRAMENTO -- Mookie Betts was scratched ahead of Wednesday night's 7-1 loss to the A's at Sutter Health Park due to right wrist soreness, but the Dodgers are hopeful that he will only end up missing one game. Betts informed manager Dave Roberts about the soreness in his wrist

WEST SACRAMENTO – The calendar has only just flipped to July, and the Dodgers have all but run away with the National League West. The Dodgers hold a comfortable 12-game lead in the division after Wednesday night's 7-1 loss to the A's, their largest margin since the end of the

WEST SACRAMENTO -- With 11 games remaining for the Dodgers in the first half, manager Dave Roberts confirmed that catcher Will Smith is not expected back from the injured list until after the All-Star break. Given how Smith's neck inflammation has persisted and not yet allowed him to resume baseball

WEST SACRAMENTO -- Dave Roberts managed his first Major League game on June 15, 2015. The Padres' bench coach at the time, Roberts served as interim manager for one game, a 9-1 loss to the A's, before returning to his regular role for the rest of the year.

WEST SACRAMENTO -- The Dodgers pushed Shohei Ohtani's next pitching start back to Friday night, when he'll take on the Padres at Dodger Stadium. He was originally scheduled to make his next start in Wednesday's series finale against the A's at Sutter Health Park. Ohtani has gone 8-2 with a

WEST SACRAMENTO -- The Dodgers have some organizational familiarity with Sutter Health Park, as the temporary home of the A's is one of the Pacific Coast League destinations for L.A.'s Triple-A affiliate. So they came into Monday night with a loose idea of what to expect before playing their first

WEST SACRAMENTO -- Not only do the Dodgers have the best record in baseball, but they also boast one of the best farm systems among Major League organizations.

SAN DIEGO -- After a week spent rehabbing with Triple-A Oklahoma City in Reno, Teoscar Hernández was just a drive down I-80 away from rejoining the Dodgers in West Sacramento. The club made that move official on Monday, activating Hernández from the IL ahead of its opener with the A's

This story was excerpted from Sonja Chen's Dodgers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SAN DIEGO -- All of a sudden, Mookie Betts is back to looking like a real threat in the heart of the Dodgers' order.

SAN DIEGO -- After a quiet series opener at Petco Park, the Dodgers' bats were the driving force behind a statement showing against their rivals to the south. A nine-run sixth inning that featured back-to-back homers from Kyle Tucker and Dalton Rushing and a three-run blast from Mookie Betts secured

SAN DIEGO -- Yoshinobu Yamamoto's margin for error was razor-thin for the first five innings, during which his offense scored only one run to back him on the mound. Then the Dodgers' bats exploded for a nine-spot in the top of the sixth inning, and all of a sudden, Yamamoto

SAN DIEGO -- The Dodgers held a lead for a mere half-inning, but after one good swing from Ty France off Roki Sasaki in the bottom of the second, Friday night's game was out of their hands. It wasn't so much France's home run that sank the Dodgers as they