The Dodgers have announced the winners of their May Dodger Pride Awards.  The Dodger Pride Awards were created in 2008 by General Manager Ned Colletti, and are given on a monthly basis to the players at each level of the club’s minor league system who play the game with a hustling, smart, aggressive style. The players and staff on each respective club vote for the awards. The winners for May are as follows:

Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes

Pitcher – RHP JOHN ELY went 2-2 and ranked fifth in the Pacific Coast League with a 2.52 ERA (11 ER/39.1 IP) in six May starts. The 26-year-old limited opposing hitters to a .236 batting average in the month while striking out 43 and walking only 10 in 39.1 innings. Ely made five quality starts during the month, including an 11-strikeout effort on May 10 at Tacoma and his May 26 start against Oklahoma City in which he allowed only four hits in 8.0 scoreless innings. Overall, Ely leads the PCL with 78 strikeouts in 72.2 innings and ranks seventh among league qualifiers with a 3.22 ERA in 12 starts.

Player – SS LUIS CRUZ batted .317 (32-for-101) with 18 runs scored, four home runs and 20 RBI in 26 May games. Cruz tied for fourth in the Pacific Coast League with 18 extra-base hits in the month, including tying for the league lead with 13 doubles. Overall, the native of Navajoa, Sonora, Mexico leads the PCL with 21 doubles and is batting .309 with five home runs and 32 RBI in 53 games. Cruz is batting .429 (27-for-63) against left-handed pitching and has come through in the clutch with a .389 average (21-for-54) with runners in scoring position. The 28-year-old is in his first season with the Dodger organization after signing with the club as a free agent this past offseason and batted .308 with a home run and eight RBI in 24 Spring Training games with the Dodgers.

Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts

Pitcher – RHP MATT MAGILL went 3-1 and ranked among the Southern League leaders in ERA (2.33, 6^th), strikeouts (35, 2^nd) and opponents’ batting average (.188, 4^th) in five May starts. The 22-year-old earned his second selection as the league’s Pitcher of the Week for the period of May 21-27, striking out 10 and allowing just two hits in 7.0 scoreless innings on May 24 against Jacksonville in his only start that week. Magill posted two double-digit strikeout games during the month (also: May 18 vs. Huntsville) and overall leads the circuit with 71 Ks in 58.0 innings. The Simi Valley native is in his fifth professional season and was recently named to the Southern League North Division All-Star team with an overall record of 5-3 with a 3.72 ERA in 11 starts.

Player – OF BLAKE SMITH batted .295 and ranked among the  Southern League leaders with 20 runs scored (T-3^rd), four home runs (T-6^th), 18 RBI (T-6^th) and a .516 slugging percentage (5^th) in 28 May games. Smith, who was recently named to the Southern League North Division All-Star team, is tied for second overall in the league with 36 runs scored and also ties for eighth with his team-leading seven home runs and for 10^th with 31 RBI. The 24-year-old is in his fourth professional season after being selected in the second round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.

Single-A Rancho Cucamonga

Pitcher – RHP ANGEL SANCHEZ recorded three wins in the month of May, which ranked tied for second among all California League hurlers. In his six May starts, the right-hander struck out 32 batters and walked only seven (4.57K/BB) in 39.0 innings pitched. The 22-year-old is in his second season in the Dodger organization after going 8-4 with a 2.82 ERA and limiting opponents to a .198 batting average in 20 games (16 starts) with Single-A Great Lakes last year.

Player – OF LEON LANDRY tied for the California League lead in triples (4) and led the Quakes in batting average (.310) and stolen bases (5) in 20 May games. Landry recorded an 11-game hitting streak from May 6-17, batting .417 (20-for-48) with five doubles and four triples. Overall, the Baker, CA, native leads the Quakes with 11 steals and is batting .294 in 34 games, including a .333 mark with runners in scoring position (7-for-21).

Single-A Great Lakes Loons

Pitcher – LHP MICHAEL THOMAS held opponents to a .164 average and posted a 1.59 ERA (3 ER/17.0 IP) in 10 May relief appearances to win the Dodger Pride Award. The 23-year-old did not allow an earned run in 13.0 innings over eight appearances from May 3-25, striking out 17 during that span. Overall, the Maryland native has limited opposing hitters to a .146 batting average, including a .106 mark against left-handers, and has 40 strikeouts in 29.1 innings pitched.

Player – OF SCOTT SCHEBLER led the team in multiple offensive categories in May, as the left-handed hitter racked up 18 runs scored and three triples in 28 games. Overall, Schebler is tied for the Midwest League lead with six triples, ties for 10^th in the league with 16 doubles and is tied for the team lead with 34 RBI. The Dodgers’ 2010 26^th-round selection is hitting .333 (22-for-66) with runners in scoring position and .400 (2-for-5) with the bases loaded this season.