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Dodger Stadium was eerily quiet for much of Monday night. And not just because whole sections of the upper deck sat largely empty.
In a 9-5 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Dodgers didn’t just drop their fourth straight game, but turned in a performance that elicited as many boos as anything else at Chavez Ravine, stumbling to a season-worst losing streak on a night they did little right in any facet of the game.
There was bad defense early. In the first inning, center fielder Hyeseong Kim lost a fly ball in the twilight sky, leading to two runs that would have been unearned had it not been ruled a double. In the second, third baseman Max Muncy spiked a throw to first on a slow-rolling grounder that led to another preventable score, even though his miscue was also ruled a base hit.
The pitching wasn’t great either. Left-handed opener Jack Dreyer followed Muncy’s bad throw with an even wilder pitch to the backstop in the next at-bat, advancing the runner to set up an eventual sacrifice fly. Landon Knack took over in the third and promptly gave up a pair of two-run home runs, one to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on a down-and-in slider and another to Gabriel Moreno on an inside fastball.
Even the few bright spots offensively weren’t close to being enough.
Mookie Betts hit two home runs in his continued search to break out of a slow start. Shohei Ohtani retook sole possession of the major league lead in long balls by whacking his 17th of the season. But all three blasts came with no one on base. And they represented the Dodgers’ only hits of the night against Arizona right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, who was otherwise unbothered in a six-inning effort that included no strikeouts (or even a single swing-and-miss from a Dodgers hitter) but plenty of fine plays from an athletic defense behind him.
“It’s hard to start games behind before you take an at-bat,” manager Dave Roberts said. “We’ve given up runs in the first inning. We got to put up that zero and kind of get a chance to get the game going.”
While shaky defense and inconsistent production at the plate have been bugaboos for the Dodgers (29-19), it is the team’s increasingly pitching struggles that have stood out most during this four-game skid — the club’s longest since losing five in a row in late May last season.
With the loss to the Diamondbacks (26-22), the Dodgers own a team earned-run average of 4.28, which ranks 22nd in the majors and is their highest at this point in a campaign since 2010.
The main root of the problem is easy to identify. Starters Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki remain on the injured list, forcing the club into plans such as Monday with a rookie in Dreyer opening for a depth arm in Knack. The bullpen has been shorthanded, too, with Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips and Kirby Yates all injured, as well.
“You go through certain situations like this, it’s just tough to find a way to get back healthy and get our guys back out there,” Betts said. “But we’re battling with what we got.”
Arizona’s Gabriel Moreno, right, celebrates with teammate Josh Naylor after hitting a two-run home run in the third inning Monday.
(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
The good news is that several of those sidelined options are on the mend. Glasnow and Snell are both progressing in their throwing programs, with Glasnow “a tick ahead of Blake,” according to Roberts. Sasaki is expected to begin his throwing program during the team’s upcoming road trip. And Ohtani, who has been throwing regular bullpen sessions all season, is beginning to build up his pitch count as the club targets his return to the mound sometime around the All-Star break.
But in the meantime, the Dodgers have still expected more from their currently healthy group.
“It’s not the staff we thought we’d have this season, but I feel that what we still do [have], and have done in the past with injuries, we’re not doing,” Roberts said. “In the sense of getting ahead of hitters, and keeping them in the ballpark.”
And to do that, Roberts cited one place to start.
“On first glance, we need to be better at getting ahead in counts,” he said. “It doesn’t take a deep dive to see we start 1-and-0 quite often. When you do that, it makes pitching tough.”
Indeed, the Dodgers entered the night 24th in the majors with a 59.8% first-strike rate, a problem Roberts believes has led to too many long innings, and too large a workload for the staff.
“The 30-pitch innings just don’t play. It’s not sustainable,” he said. “And that starts with getting strike one. That ultimately goes to our entire pitching staff.”
The Dodgers were better in that area Monday, starting 27 of 49 at-bats with a strike. But it didn’t help. Dreyer needed 38 pitches to get through his two innings. Knack threw 106 to get through the next five (including 16 in one at-bat to Moreno in the fifth).
And when long reliever Matt Sauer took over in the eighth and gave up a two-run home run to Geraldo Perdomo, much of a season-low (and atypically quiet) crowd of 41,372 began streaming for the exits, not sticking around for one of the Dodgers’ flattest showings this year.
WEST SACRAMENTO — Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer, Nolan Schanuel also went deep and the Angels beat the skidding Athletics 4-3 on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series.
Kenley Jansen struck out Tyler Soderstrom for the final out with a runner on second. Coming off a surprising three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium, the Angels (21-25) have won four in a row to start a seven-game trip.
The Athletics (22-26) have lost six straight and 10 of 12, falling to 8-14 at Sutter Health Park.
Schanuel, who had three hits and scored twice, connected off J.T. Ginn for his third homer this season to give the Angels the lead two batters into the game. Ginn was activated to make his fourth start of the year and first since April 24, when elbow inflammation landed him on the 10-day injured list.
Lawrence Butler’s double, a walk and a hit batter loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the first against Angels starter José Soriano. Butler scored when Brent Rooker grounded into a double play, and Shea Langeliers’ infield single made it 2-1.
Zach Neto singled and Schanuel doubled to start the third. Yoán Moncada had an RBI groundout before Ward hit his 13th homer for a 4-2 lead.
Soderstrom doubled with two outs in the fifth and scored on Rooker’s single to make it 4-3.
Soriano (3-4) went six innings, giving up three runs on six hits and four walks. Jansen gave up a two-out single to Jacob Wilson in the ninth before pinch-runner Max Schuemann stole second. Jansen fanned Soderstrom on three pitches for his ninth save in nine opportunities.
Ginn (1-2) left after four innings and 79 pitches, yielding four runs and six hits with seven strikeouts.
Key moment: Soriano loaded the bases with one out in the third before striking out Langeliers and Nick Kurtz swinging to escape unscathed.
Key stat: Rooker has a 15-game hitting streak against the Angels. Bill North set the club record in the series at 17 games spanning the 1974 and ’75 seasons.
Up next: RHP Kyle Hendricks (1-5, 5.18 ERA) pitches Tuesday for the Angels against RHP Gunnar Hoglund (1-1, 3.78), who makes his fourth career start.
Final Score presenter Jason Mohammad and pundits Chris Sutton, Stephen Warnock and Anita Asante discuss whether – win or lose in the Europa League final on Wednesday – Ange Postecoglou will be at Tottenham next season.
On Sunday, Taylor was released by the Dodgers, making him the second longtime team veteran, along with former backup catcher Austin Barnes, to be cut loose by the team in the last week.
In corresponding roster moves, the Dodgers activated Tommy Edman from the injured list and added pitcher Lou Trivino to the 40-man roster. Trivino was in Los Angeles on Sunday — occupying the same locker stall Taylor used to — after fellow reliever Kirby Yates was placed on the injured list with a hamstring strain he suffered Saturday night.
“This has been a very emotional week for all of us,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “Barnsey and CT have been in the middle of some huge moments for this organization. Both guys have left an indelible mark on our culture and where we’re at at this point. So the decisions were incredibly difficult. The conversations were tough. But with where we are, the division race, the composition of roster, everything. We felt like this was in the Dodgers’ best interest in terms of how to win as many games and put us in a position to best win the World Series this year.”
Taylor was in the last season of a four-year, $60-million contract with the Dodgers. The former All-Star was the longest-tenured position player on the roster, after Barnes was designated for assignment last week. But, just like with Barnes, Taylor’s declining production, coupled with the emergence of a younger and more productive alternative in rookie utilityman Hyeseong Kim, left the 34-year-old expendable.
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PETE ROSE POLL
We asked readers of our Sports Report and Dodgers Dugout newsletters, “Should Pete Rose and Joe Jackson be in the Hall of Fame?” After 19,803 responses
Pete Rose Yes, 46.6% No, 53.4%
Joe Jackson Yes, 55.4% No, 44.6%
SPARKS
From Anthony De Leon: You only get one shot at a first impression — and for the Sparks, led by a first-year coach and a new superstar, Sunday marked the home crowd’s first glimpse of the new-look squad inside Crypto.com Arena.
With high aspirations, including a return to the playoffs, the Sparks faced an early litmus test in the Minnesota Lynx — a perennial contender and last year’s WNBA runner-up, led by one of the league’s elite talents in Napheesa Collier.
The Sparks showed they are clearly capable of competing for a playoff spot with their energetic and cohesive play, but their 89-75 loss to Minnesota also demonstrated they’re still behind the league’s elite teams.
In the first half, the Sparks (1-1) went toe-to-toe with the Lynx. They trailed 46-45 at halftime, an encouraging start for a team learning to gel under new leadership while facing a battle-tested opponent returning five starters from last year’s Finals run.
No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. No. 4 Denver Nuggets Denver 121, at Oklahoma City 119 (box score) at Oklahoma City 149, Denver 106 (box score) at Denver 113, Oklahoma City 104 (OT) (box score) Oklahoma City 92, at Denver 87 (box score) at Oklahoma City 112, Denver 105 (box score) at Denver 119, Oklahoma City 107 (box score) at Oklahoma City 125, Denver 93 (box score)
No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 7 Golden State Golden State 99, at Minnesota 88 (box score) at Minnesota 117, Golden State 93 (box score) Minnesota 102, at Golden State 97 (box score) Minnesota 117, at Golden State 110 (box score) at Minnesota 121, Golden State 110 (box score)
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 4 Indiana Indiana 121, at Cleveland 112 (box score) Indiana 120, at Cleveland 119 (box score) Cleveland 126, at Indiana 104 (box score) at Indiana 129, Cleveland 109 (box score) Indiana 114, at Cleveland 105 (box score)
No. 2 Boston vs. No. 3 New York New York 108, at Boston 105 (OT) (box score) New York 91, at Boston 90 (box score) Boston 115, at New York 93 (box score) at New York 121, Boston 113 (box score) at Boston 127, New York 102 (box score) at New York 119, Boston 81 (box score)
Conference finals
Western Conference
No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. No. 6 Minnesota Tuesday at Oklahoma City, 5:30 p.m., ESPN Thursday at Oklahoma City, 5:30 p.m., ESPN Saturday at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., ABC Monday, May 26 at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., ESPN Wed., May 28 at Oklahoma City, 5:30 p.m., ESPN* Friday, May 30 at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., ESPN* Sunday, June 1 at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m., ESPN*
Eastern Conference
No. 3 New York vs. No. 4 Indiana Wednesday at New York, 5 p.m., TNT Friday at New York, 5 p.m., TNT Sunday at Indiana, 5 p.m., TNT Tuesday, May 27 at Indiana, 5 p.m., TNT Thursday, May 29 at New York, 5 p.m., TNT* Saturday, May 31 at Indiana, 5 p.m., TNT* Monday, June 2 at New York, 5 p.m., TNT*
*if necessary
UCLA SOFTBALL
Alexis Ramirez went three for four and drove in five runs and UCLA cruised to the NCAA Super Regionals with a 12-1 dismantling of UC Santa Barbara on Sunday in the Los Angeles Regional.
The ninth-seeded Bruins (52-10) travel to face eighth-seeded South Carolina next weekend. UCLA is chasing its ninth Women’s College World Series berth in the last decade. In going 3-0 in this weekend’s regional play, UCLA outscored it opponents 31-2. UCLA started the weekend with a 9-1 win over the Gauchos (36-26) on Friday.
Ramirez started the hit parade driving in the game’s first two runs. UCLA scored four runs in the first and second innings, three in the fourth and the game was mercy-ruled after the Gauchos came up empty in the bottom of the fifth.
From Kevin Baxter: Records aren’t supposed to matter in Derby matches. When you’re facing your most bitter rival, the past is just that — the past.
So it meant nothing that the defending MLS Cup champion entered Sunday’s El Tráfico winless in 13 matches while LAFC was unbeaten in six straight.
“That all becomes irrelevant,” LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo said. “Those games are kind of isolated on their own.”
Perhaps it was fitting, then, that LAFC and the Galaxy played to a 2-2 draw in front of a crowd of 23,083 at Dignity Health Sports Park.
The draw kept LAFC (6-4-4) unbeaten since April 5. For the Galaxy (0-10-4), the tie ended a five-game losing streak — their longest since 2020 — but it also extended their winless one to 14 matches, the worst start in franchise history and the worst ever for a reigning MLS champion.
Scottie Scheffler worked harder than he imagined and got the result everyone expected Sunday in the PGA Championship: A most pleasant walk to the 18th green with another major title secure in the hands of golf’s No. 1 player.
Scheffler was flawless when he had to be on the back nine of Quail Hollow, leaving the blunders to Jon Rahm and everyone else trying to catch him on a final day that turned tense until Scheffler pulled away with a steady diet of fairways and greens.
“This back nine will be one that I remember for a long time,” Scheffler said. “It was a grind out there. I think at one point on the front I maybe had a four- or five-shot lead, and making the turn, I think I was tied for the lead.
“So to step up when I needed to the most, I’ll remember that for a while.”
He closed with a bogey he could afford for an even-par 71, giving him a five-shot victory and his third major title. Scheffler became the first player since Seve Ballesteros to win his first three majors by three shots or more.
Pacific 1 Vegas vs. Pacific 3 Edmonton Edmonton 4, at Vegas 2 (summary) Edmonton 5, at Vegas 4 (OT) (summary) Vegas 4, at Edmonton 3 (summary) at Edmonton 3, Vegas 0 (summary) Edmonton 1, at Vegas 0 (OT) (summary)
C1 Winnipeg vs. C2 Dallas Dallas 3, at Winnipeg 2 (summary) Winnipeg 4, at Dallas 0 (summary) Dallas 5, at Winnipeg 2 (summary) at Dallas 3, Winnipeg 1 (summary) at Winnipeg 4, Dallas 0 (summary) at Dallas 2, Winnipeg 1 (OT) (summary)
Eastern Conference
Atlantic 1 Toronto vs. Atlantic 3 Florida at Toronto 5, Florida 4 (summary) at Toronto 4, Florida 3 (summary) at Florida 5, Toronto 4 (OT) (summary) at Florida 2, Toronto 0 (summary) Florida 6, at Toronto 1 (summary) Toronto 2, at Florida 0 (summary) Florida 6, at Toronto 1 (summary)
Metro 1 Washington vs. Metro 2 Carolina Carolina 2, at Washington 1 (OT) (summary) at Washington 3, Carolina 1 (summary) at Carolina 4, Washington 0 (summary) at Carolina 5, Washington 2 (summary) Carolina 3, at Washington 1 (summary)
Conference finals
Western Conference
Central 2 Dallas vs. Pacific 3 Edmonton Wednesday at Dallas, 5 p.m., ESPN Friday at Dallas, 5 p.m., ESPN Sunday at Edmonton, noon, ABC Tuesday, May 27 at Edmonton, 5 p.m., ESPN Thursday, May 29 at Dallas, 5 p.m., ESPN* Saturday, May 31 at Edmonton, 5 p.m., ANC* Monday, June 2 at Dallas, 5 p.m., ESPN*
Eastern Conference
Metro 2 Carolina vs. Atlantic 3 Florida Tuesday at Carolina, 5 p.m., TNT Thursday at Carolina, 5 p.m., TNT Saturday at Florida, 5 p.m., TNT Monday, May 26 at Florida, 5 p.m., TNT Wed., May 28 at Carolina, 5 p.m., TNT* Friday, May 30 at Florida, 5 p.m., TNT* Sunday, June 1 at Carolina, 5 p.m., TNT*
* If necessary
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1909 — In his first title defense Jack Johnson fights ‘Philadelphia’ Jack O’Brien to a no decision in 6 rounds in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to retain his world heavyweight crown.
1923 — Zev, a 19-1 long shot ridden by Earl Sande, wins the Kentucky Derby by 1½ lengths over Martingale.
1935 — NFL adopts an annual college draft to begin in 1936.
1965 — West Ham United of England win 5th European Cup Winner’s Cup against 1860 München of West Germany 2-0 in London.
1973 — Secretariat, ridden by Ron Turcotte, rallies from last with a powerful move on the clubhouse turn to win the Preakness Stakes by 2½ lengths over Sham. There is controversy over the timing of the race as original teletimer time was 1:55 for the 1 3/16-mile race. Pimlico amends it to 1:54 2/5, two days later.
1974 — The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Boston Bruins 1-0 to win the Stanley Cup in six games.
1979 — Spectacular Bid, ridden by Ron Franklin, wins the Preakness Stakes by an easy 5½ lengths over Golden Act.
1984 — Stanley Cup Final, Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton, AL: Wayne Gretzky scores twice as Edmonton Oilers beat NY Islanders, 5-2 for a 4-1 series win; Oilers first SC title.
1990 — Hobart wins its 11th straight NCAA Division III lacrosse championship, beating Washington College of Maryland 18-6. The Statesmen, winners of every final since the tournament’s inception in 1980, are 100-3 in Division III in that time.
1991 — Willy T. Ribbs becomes the first black driver to make the lineup for the Indianapolis 500.
2001 — Manchester United lose 3-1 to Tottenham at White Hart Lane but win English Premier League title for the 3rd consecutive season.
2004 — NHL Western Conference Final: Calgary Flames beat San Jose Sharks, 4 games to 2.
2007 — Curlin, ridden by Robby Albarado, nips Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense by putting his head in front on the final stride, winning the Preakness Stakes in a riveting finish. The winning time was a blazing 1:53.46, equaling the stakes record of 1:53 2/5.
2007 — English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (89,826): Chelsea beats Manchester United, 1 – 0 (a.e.t.); Didier Drogba scores 116′ winner for Blues’ 4th title.
2007 — NHL Eastern Conference Final: Ottawa Senators beat Buffalo Sabres, 4 games to 1.
2008 — NHL Western Conference Final: Detroit Red Wings beat Dallas Stars, 4 games to 2.
2012 — I’ll Have Another overtakes Bodemeister down the stretch to win the Preakness. Like the Kentucky Derby, I’ll Have Another races from behind to beat pacesetter Bodemeister, who also finished second in the Derby. I’ll Have Another, ridden by Mario Gutierrez, covers the 1 3/16 miles in 1:55.94.
2012 — UEFA Champions League Final, Munich: Chelsea beats Bayern Munich, 4-3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw at the end of extra time; Blues’ first title.
2014 — Lucy Li becomes the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open by winning the sectional qualifier at Half Moon Bay in California. The 11-year-old Li shoots rounds of 74 and 68 on the par-72 Old Course and surpasses Lexi Thompson as the youngest competitor in a U.S. Women’s Open when she tees off at Pinehurst on June 19. Thompson was 12 when she qualified for the 2007 Open.
2015 — The NFL announces it is moving back extra-point kicks and allowing defenses to score on conversion turnovers. The owners approve the proposal to snap the ball from the 15-yard line on PATs to make them more challenging.
2017 — LeBron James scores 30 points, Kevin Love had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers steamroll the Boston Celtics 130-86 to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals and tie an NBA record with their 13th straight playoff victory.
2018 — Justify holds off several hard-charging challengers and win the Preakness Stakes on a sloppy, slippery track. Ridden by Mike Smith, the 2-5 favorite wins by a half-length after completing the race in 1:55.93. Bravazo edges Tenfold for second. Trainer Bob Baffert ties D. Wayne Lukas’ record with his 14th Triple Crown victory and matches 19th-century trainer R.W. Walden with his seventh Preakness title.
2018 — English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London: Chelsea beats Manchester United, 1-0; Belgian international Eden Hazard scores 22′ penalty.
2019 — PGA Championship Men’s Golf, Bethpage State Park: Defending champion Brooks Koepka leads wire-to-wire; wins despite 5 bogeys on last 8 holes by 2 strokes from world #1 Dustin Johnson.
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1910 — Cy Young won the 500th game of his career as the Cleveland Indians beat the Washington Senators, 5-4, in 11 innings.
1910 — Boston beat the Pirates 6-3 for the first time in 26 tries.
1933 — For the first time in major league history, brothers on opposite teams hit home runs in the same game. Boston Red Sox catcher Rick Ferrell homers off his brother Wes Ferrell in the 2nd inning, but the Cleveland Indians pitcher returns the favor as he homers in the 3rd on a pitch called by his sibling. It is the only time that the Ferrell brothers homer in the same game.
1942 — Paul Waner of the Boston Braves got his 3,000th career hit off Pittsburgh’s Rip Sewell in a 7-6, 11-inning loss to the Pirates.
1956 — Pittsburgh’s Dale Long hit a ninth-inning homer against the Chicago Cubs. It was Long’s first of eight straight games with a homer.
1962 — Stan Musial of St. Louis became the NL career hits leader. The 41-year-old got a ninth inning single for his 3,431st hit and moved past Honus Wagner. The Cardinals beat the Dodgers, 8-1.
1968 — After hitting 10 home runs in six games, Frank Howard of the Washington Senators was stopped by pitcher Earl Wilson of Detroit, which won the game 5-4.
1976 — Carl Yastrzemski has the only three-homer game of his illustrious career, going deep three times in a 4-for-4 day in a 9-2 Red Sox win over the Tigers. He victimizes three pitchers — Dave Roberts, Steve Grilli and John Hiller.
1979 — After a bitter six-week strike, the major league umpires return to work. During the work stoppage, the men in blue were replaced by amateur and minor league arbiters.
1981 — Pittsburgh’s Jim Bibby gave up a leadoff single to Terry Harper of the Atlanta Braves, then retired the next 27 batters for a 5-0 one-hitter. Bibby also hit two doubles.
1998 — Mark McGwire hit three two-run homers against Philadelphia. It was the second time this season and fourth time in his career McGwire hit three homers in a game. McGwire became the 12th player to have two three-homer games in a season.
2000 — Jason Kendall hit for the cycle and drove in a career-high five runs, leading Pittsburgh to a 13-1 rout of St. Louis. Kendall had a two-run homer in the first inning, an RBI single in the second, a double in the third and a two-run triple in the eighth.
2004 — Atlanta’s 45-year-old Julio Franco broke his own record for the oldest player to hit a pinch-hit homer. Franco, who had a pinch-hit homer two weeks earlier against San Diego, hit a two-out, two-run homer to tie the score at 4 in the eighth. The Braves lost 6-4 in 11 innings to the Diamondbacks.
2008 — Boston’s Jon Lester shut down Kansas City 7-0 for the first no-hitter in the majors this season. The 24-year-old lefty, who survived cancer to pitch the World Series clincher for the Red Sox last fall, allowed two baserunners, walking Billy Butler in the second inning and Esteban German to open the ninth. Jason Varitek catches his fourth no-hitter, tying Ray Schalk for the major league record; one of Schalk’s no-hitters was later removed from the official records, making Varitek the first backstop to have four official no-hitters to his name.
2009 — Washington became the fourth team in major league history to score at least five runs in each game of a six-game losing streak. The Nationals lost 8-5 in 10 innings to Pittsburgh after they rallied to tie the score with a run in the ninth, but another letdown from a bullpen with a collective 1-14 record allowed them to join the 1929 Pirates, 2004 Cincinnati Reds and 2005 Texas Rangers.
2010 — CF Angel Pagan hits the first inside-the-park homer in the history of Nationals Park.
2011 — After sitting on the bench for most of the season so far, veteran 1B Jason Giambi has the first three-homer game of his career in the Rockies’ 7-1 win over Philadelphia. He hits homers in his first three at-bats, driving in all 7 of his team’s runs, but fails in his last two at-bats to become only the 16th player to hit four dingers in one game. Giambi entered the game hitting .115 with 1 homer and 4 RBI; at 40, he is the second-oldest player to hit three home runs in a game, after Stan Musial who was 41 when he accomplished the feat on July 8, 1962.
2018 — The Rays have been experimenting with “bullpen days” all season, when the starting pitcher is not expected to go deep into the game, going all out for 3 or 4 innings before handing the ball over to another reliever, but today they take it even further. Short reliever Sergio Romo starts today’s game against the Angels, his first start in the majors after 588 appearances out of the bullpen, and is only asked to pitch one inning before handing the ball over to Ryan Yarbrough. The plan works perfectly as Romo strikes out the three men he faces — Zack Cozart, Mike Trout and Justin Upton, all righthanders — then hands the ball over to lefty Yarbrough in the 2nd. Yarbrough pitches scoreless ball until allowing a run in the 8th as Tampa Bay wins, 5-3. It is the first time a starting pitcher leaves after a perfect 1st inning since Ernie Shore had done so on October 5, 1915. Manager Kevin Cash is so pleased with how the scheme goes that he picks Romo to start the next day’s game as well.
2021 — Corey Kluber of the Yankees is the latest pitcher to join this season’s no-hitter parade, pulling off the feat with a 2-0 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Field. It is already the 6th 9-inning no-hitter this year, and comes one day after Spencer Turnbull of the Tigers had pitched the previous one.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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Brighton, Brentford and Bournemouth all have an outside chance of qualifying for Europe – but need Chelsea to win the Conference League and finish seventh in the Premier League.
The final matches in the Premier League take place on Sunday and there is still a scenario in which 10 of the teams, external would be playing in European competition in 2025-26.
Six English clubs will be in the Champions League – Liverpool and Arsenal have already secured their spots and will be joined by three of Newcastle, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Nottingham Forest.
Manchester United play Tottenham in the final of the Europa League in Bilbao, Spain on Wednesday and the winner of that match will also be in next season’s Champions League.
Crystal Palace’s 1-0 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final has taken the Eagles into the 2025-26 Europa League, where they will be joined by whichever team finishes sixth in the Premier League.
The complication comes with Newcastle, whose Carabao Cup victory has ensured themselves a Conference League place at least. But if they finish sixth they would go into the Europa League instead, while a top-five place for Eddie Howe’s team would move them into the Champions League instead.
Chelsea play Real Betis in the Conference League final on Wednesday, 28 May, with the winner qualifying for the Europa League. But Enzo Maresca’s Blues also could still claim Champions League football with a top-five Premier League finish.
If Chelsea win the Conference League and come seventh, that would open up their Conference League place to the Premier League team which finishes eighth – with Brighton, who beat Liverpool 3-2 on Monday, in that spot, although Brentford and Bournemouth could still overtake them.
It is a similar situation if Chelsea win the Conference League and come sixth, with Newcastle seventh, meaning eighth in the Premier League would again be enough for European competition.
If Chelsea lose the Conference League final or finish in a Champions League place, the picture becomes much clearer.
The top five plus the Europa League winners would be in the Champions League, Crystal Palace and the sixth-placed team would be in the Europa League and the side that finishes seventh in the Premier League would be in the Conference League.
When you have perhaps the best golfer in Southern California on your team, it certainly helps in team competitions. Oaks Christian always turns to junior Max Emberson to set the standard, and he helped deliver a Southern Section Division 2 team championship on Monday at Bear Valley Country Club in Victorville. The Lions finished with a score of 371.
Emberson, who won last year’s state individual championship, shot 65. Sophomore Broxton Brock shot 68. Apple Valley, Corona del Mar and Great Oak tied for second at 376.
La Serna pulled off the day’s biggest surprise, winning the Division 1 title by a single stroke over powerhouse Santa Margarita at El Dorado Park Golf Course in Long Beach. Hill Wang of La Serna led the way with a 69. Junlin Pan of Orange Lutheran, a sophomore, had the low score at 68.
In Division 7, St. Bonaventure won the team title with a 414. Los Altos finished second. Eoin O’Neil shot a 72 for St. Bonaventure.
In Division 3, Xavier Prep won at 384. Newport Harbor was second. Troy Song of Chaparral shot 67 for the low score on the day.
In Division 6, Alta Loma edged Damien 411 to 412. Troy Borges of Chino shot 68.
Under McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, England have delivered often thrilling cricket and secured landmark series wins away in Pakistan and New Zealand.
However, they failed to regain the Ashes in 2023, having gone 2-0 behind against Australia before surging back to draw the series, while they were also heavily beaten in India and lost in Pakistan last year.
After securing the series win in New Zealand in December, they lost the third and final Test in feeble fashion.
McCullum said he and his side wants England fans to feel an “attachment” to them, liking them both as players and their style of cricket, while also winning series.
“There’s no greater opportunity than playing in big series against the best opposition on the biggest stage under the brightest lights to be able to test that,” he added.
But McCullum said the all-rounder is “the most ruthless” sportsperson he has ever met.
“He is unbelievably driven, to push himself, to push his team-mates, to win at all costs,” he said.
“We’re very lucky to have him in the chair because he’s going to be very strong about trying to push this team to the next level.”
Despite the obvious focus on the five-Test series against India and the Ashes down under, McCullum said England will not underestimate Zimbabwe in the four-day Test at Trent Bridge.
“We want to be where our feet are,” he said.
“This game has an amazing ability to bring you back down to earth if you don’t have the respect for the game or the respect for the opposition.
“We go into it as favourites so we need to make sure we’re rock hard fit and ready to go and make good decisions under pressure.”
Natalia Bryant, the eldest daughter of late Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, got an A-list round of applause online after she graduated Friday with honors from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.
“Congratulations!! World is yours!!” actor Michael B. Jordan wrote on Natalia’s Instagram post while “Euphoria” actor Storm Reid shouted out, “gorg nani! proud of you.”
Jennifer Garner left hearts and clapping hands on the model’s post while Tina Knowles, Beyoncé’s mom, wrote, “Congratulations you make us all proud.”
“Gooo Nani Boo! So incredibly proud of you!!” singer Ciara wrote, ending her comment with a series of red hearts.
“Brava,” declared filmmaker Ava DuVernay. Eudoxie Bridges, the model and philanthropist who’s married to Ludacris, said, “Congratulations, beautiful.”
Writer-podcaster Jay Shetty, U.S. Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin, reality star Kyle Richards, model Lily Aldridge and actor Lily Collins all offered kudos, with American fashion designer Solange Franklin Reed saying she was “so proud” of Bryant.
“Omgg! It IS YOUUU! Congrats my beautiful babyy!” Kimora Lee Simmons gushed. “My smart intelligent beautiful girl,” La La Anthony wrote.
“We’re so proud of you @nataliabryant!” proud mama Vanessa Bryant wrote in her caption of a photo of Natalia Bryant sitting by a fountain on the USC campus.
The 22-year-old attended the university’s main graduation ceremony Thursday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, according to pictures on her mom’s Instagram. Friday afternoon she collected her diploma when she walked in the film school’s graduation.
Her diploma was presented by Jeanie Buss, daughter of late Lakers owner Jerry Buss, who drafted Kobe Bryant straight out of high school when he was only 17.
For the Friday ceremony, Natalia Bryant wore a cream-colored, long-sleeve, high-neck minidress set off by a custom cardinal-and-gold stole, which featured her father’s sheath logo and acknowledged her cum laude status and membership in the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. On the back of the neck, “Thank You Mom & Dad” was embroidered on the stole.
Natalia Bryant was only 17 years old when her dad Kobe, 41, and sister Gianna,13, died on a foggy Sunday in January 2020 as the helicopter they were riding in crashed into a Calabasas hillside. Sister Bianka was 3 years old and sister Capri was 7 months old.
The wait to break the Premier League’s goal involvement record goes on for Mohamed Salah.
But on his 400th Liverpool appearance, he really should have been celebrating equalling the tally.
Quite how the Egyptian side-footed Cody Gakpo’s low cross wide of an empty net from just yards out in Monday’s defeat at Brighton, no-one really knows. His own wry smile suggested his own disbelief.
Two months ago, he looked set to destroy Premier League records and produce the greatest attacking individual season in the competition’s history.
Salah’s double against Southampton on 8 March took him to 27 goals and 17 assists in 29 matches, just three goal involvements short of the Premier League record of 47, held jointly by Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole.
He also looked certain to beat the record of 20 Premier League assists in a season, jointly held by Arsenal’s Thierry Henry and Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne.
Since then, has recorded just one goal and one assist in eight matches, leaving him still one short of the goal involvement record and two short of the assist record.
After Monday’s missed sitter, Liverpool boss Arne Slot said: “The first thought that goes through my head when I see the ball moving towards Mo, I’m like, ‘It’s quite a big chance, this could lead to a goal,’ because that’s what Mo normally does.
“He’s been throughout this season almost inhuman. But there were moments in the season where he was human, so it’s not the first time that he’s not scoring for one or two games in a row.
“But the good thing for us is this hardly ever happens and, if it happens, you can be sure that he will score in the third game of the fourth game.”
After helping Liverpool secure the Premier League title on 27 April, Salah said: “Hopefully I’m going to break [the goal involvements record] soon. It’s something pushing me forward to just keep going and keep working hard.”
With one game to go – the visit of Crystal Palace to Anfield – you still would not bet against him.
During the offseason, the team solidified its offense by re-signing left tackle Alaric Jackson and receiver Tutu Atwell, adding free-agent receiver Davante Adams and offensive lineman Coleman Shelton and adjusting the contract of quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Williams, who rushed for more than 1,100 yards in each of the last two seasons, is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is eligible for an extension.
In April, the Rams and Williams’ agent exchanged proposed contract terms. But with organized team activities scheduled to begin next week, a deal has not been done.
Still, Williams said he was “feeling good” about the situation.
“I know with time it’s going to happen,” Williams said last week in Pasadena, where he helped distribute new shoes to kids affected by the Eaton Fire.
And if Williams and the Rams do not reach a deal before the season?
“I would love for it to get done so I can take care of my family and the loved ones that helped me get here,” he said. “I’ve always got trust in God. Whether it happens now or I play out the season, I know it’s going to happen eventually.
“And so, time will tell. I just know I’ve got to do what I need to do each and every single day to make sure that it does happen in my favor.”
Rams running back Kyren Williams, second from right, helped distribute new shoes to kids affected by Eaton fire last week in a joint effort between the Seattle Seahawks and Rams.
(Gary Klein / Los Angeles Times)
Williams, a 2022 fifth-round draft pick from Notre Dame, was slowed by injuries much of his rookie season. But in 12 games in 2023, he rushed for 1,144 yards, scored 15 touchdowns and was voted to the Pro Bowl. In 16 games last season, he rushed for 1,299 yards and scored 16 touchdowns and helped the Rams advance to the NFC divisional round.
Williams, 24, leads a Rams running back corps that includes second-year pro Blake Corum, Ronnie Rivers, Cody Schrader and rookie Jarquez Hunter, a fourth-round draft pick from Auburn.
Williams is scheduled to earn about $5.4 million this season, according to Overthecap.com. The Rams have not given a running back a top-level extension since they awarded Todd Gurley a then-record deal before the 2018 season.
General manager Les Snead has said that Rams would “definitely like to engineer a long-term partnership,” with Williams. Coach Sean McVay said in April that “bridging that gap” financially was the challenge.
“We’ll see how far that we have to go with that but he is a very important part of what we want to be moving forward,” McVay said, adding, “He knows how much I love him, and so we’ll see if we can get something done.”
In the meantime, Williams is preparing for the season — and continuing to contribute off the field with actions consistent with those that made him the Rams’ nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award last season.
Williams directed his $25,000 from the NFL Foundation to the LAFD Foundation to help with fire relief efforts, said Molly Higgins, the Rams’ executive vice president of community impact and engagement.
“He’s been very vocal in saying, ‘However I can help with the fire-impacted families, let me know,’” Higgins said.
So when the Seattle Seahawks reached out to the Rams offering to combine forces to distribute sneakers to needy kids affected by the fires, Williams signed on to assist team mascots and several former Seahawks players at the Boys & Girls Club of Pasadena.
“I couldn’t imagine what these young kids and their families went through when they lost their houses and things due to the fire so just being able to be here — this is a blessing,” Williams said.
As his contract situation plays out, the work on and off the field will continue, Williams said.
“My only purpose is to continue to get better,” he said, “and finding joy in each and every single day and finding something to get better at.”
Departing midfielder Kevin de Bruyne will receive a farewell from Manchester City after his final home game against Bournemouth on Tuesday.
The Belgian announced last month he will leave City after 10 years when his contract expires at the end of the season.
The 33-year-old has won 16 trophies since joining from Bundesliga club Wolfsburg in 2015, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2023.
De Bruyne, though, missed the opportunity to bring his City career to a dream finish when they lost Saturday’s FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.
Manager Pep Guardiola did not confirm whether De Bruyne would start against Bournemouth, saying: “Kevin will get what he deserves. That is the best compliment for his incredible trajectory.
“What he has done with other legends in the club, it would not have been possible since Sheikh Mansour took over the club to reach another level.”
The game will be his last at Etihad Stadium and he will be afforded a guard of honour from team-mates at coaches at full-time.
De Bruyne will give a short speech on the pitch and be presented with gifts by the wife and son of late club legend Colin Bell, before heading on a lap of appreciation with the other players.
City end the campaign with a trip to Fulham on Sunday (16:00 BST), which is likely to be De Bruyne’s last game for the club.
The side compete in this summer’s Club World Cup in the USA, which starts on 14 June, but De Bruyne said he “probably” will not play in the tournament for City as injury could scupper plans to find a new club.
A fan allegedly made racist comments toward Chicago Sky star Angel Reese during the team’s season opener against the Indiana Fever on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“The WNBA strongly condemns racism, hate and discrimination in all forms — they have no place in our league or in society,” the WNBA said in a statement released Sunday. “We are aware of the allegations and are looking into the matter.”
The WNBA told The Times on Monday that it has no further comment at this time.
The Women’s National Basketball Players Assn. said in a statement Sunday that the league was investigating “hateful comments” made at the Fever-Sky game. Multiple media outlets were reporting that the comments were racial and directed at Reese.
“The WNBPA is aware of reports of hateful comments at yesterday’s game in Indianapolis and suppports the WNBA’s current investigation into this matter,” the union wrote Sunday. “Such behavior is unacceptable in our sport.”
Both teams issued statements supporting the WNBA’s investigation into what they characterized as fan misconduct.
“We will do everything in our power to protect Chicago Sky players,” team president and CEO Adam Fox stated, “and we encourage the league to continue taking meaningful steps to create a safe environment for all WNBA players.”
Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Mel Raines said: “We stand firm in our commitment to providing a safe environment for all WNBA players.”
In the latest marquee matchup between Reese and the Fever’s Caitlin Clark, Reese appeared upset after Clark committed a hard foul on her.
During the third quarter of the Fever’s 93-58 win, Clark sent Reese, who had just pulled in an offensive rebound, to the floor. Reese got up and tried to confront Clark, who walked away as members from both teams intervened. Clark’s foul was eventually upgraded to a flagrant 1, while Reese and Indiana’s Aliyah Boston were given technical fouls.
After the game, Reese referred to Clark’s foul as a “basketball play.”
‘‘Refs got it right,” she said. “Move on.’’
Clark told reporters of the incident: “Let’s not make it something that it’s not. It was just a good play on the basketball. I’m not sure what the ref saw to upgrade it, and that’s up to their discretion. … It’s a take foul to put them at the free-throw line rather than give up two points, you know? I’ve watched a lot of basketball in my life, that’s exactly what it was. I wasn’t trying to do anything malicious. That’s not the type of player I am. It wasn’t anything like that.”
The rivalry between the two players gained widespread attention in 2023, when Reese’s LSU Tigers defeated Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in the NCAA tournament championship game. It carried over to the WNBA for the players’ rookie season last year, although both insisted that there are no personal hard feelings.
Clark was named the league’s rookie of the year, with Reese finishing second in the voting.
The presence of both players helped propel the league into unprecedented popularity. With the additional attention, however, came a negative aspect, as some players spoke about experiencing an increasing amount of racism online and in person throughout the season.
The WNBA has launched the “No Space for Hate” campaign this year to help fight hate and promote tolerance and respect.
Northern Ireland manager Tanya Oxtoby says she is “really excited” by the inclusion of 16-year-old goalkeeper Abbie Smith in her squad for the forthcoming Nations League games against Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Smith has been named in the senior squad for the first time after joining Manchester City on a two-year scholarship from Crusaders Strikers in March.
The teenager was brought in to train with the squad last month but is now officially part of the panel after impressing the NI boss.
Northern Ireland sit second in Group B1, four points behind the table-topping Poles before the final pair of fixtures.
They will play the unbeaten group leaders at Seaview in Belfast on Friday, 30 May and then travel to Zenica to face third-placed Bosnia-Herzegovina on Tuesday, 3 June.
“Abbie came in and she was seamless in relation to training intensity, being in and around the group and the maturity that she showed,” said Oxtoby.
“There’s no doubting her talent so that was really impressive. The main thing when we’re looking at the younger players coming in is are they ready for that senior environment?”
Oxtoby has involved other young players in recent squads also, including Aimee Kerr, Abi Sweetlove, Keri Halliday and Kascie Weir.
“They’re all playing really well and they add a lot. They add a lot of quality to our group,” she added.
“We know their ability says they are, but from a cultural and an emotional point of view, are they ready? There are elements of that we need to appreciate are quite difficult for young players to come into.
“Our job is to support them in that and Abbie has really impressed in that area. We’re really excited to see how she goes in a full camp.”
Four years later, the memory remains uncomfortably fresh.
The last time the Dodgers tried to defend a World Series title, they racked up 106 victories. They matched the best winning percentage in the franchise’s Los Angeles history. They had seven All-Stars and three Cy Young vote-getters.
And it still wasn’t enough to win them the National League West.
The San Francisco Giants, the Dodgers still well remember, won 107 games in the 2021 season, marking the only time in the last dozen years someone else has claimed the division crown. The Dodgers eventually knocked the Giants out of the playoffs that October, but their elongated path through the postseason as a wild card team left them gassed in the NL Championship Series. They were eliminated six wins shy of a repeat title.
For president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, the experience underscored an all-important truth.
“Our primary goal during the regular season is to win the division,” Friedman said. “That is what we feel like puts us in the best position to accomplish our ultimate goal.”
Thus, with another tight division race looming this year, the Dodgers didn’t wait to act aggressively this week.
Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor were struggling. Dalton Rushing and Hyeseong Kim looked like intriguing big-league options. And in two moves that were made in an effort to “win as many games as we can” in this season’s World Series title defense, Friedman said, the longtime veterans were released to make room for the rookies. Sentimentality lost out to the odds of even slightly better regular-season success.
“This has been a very emotional week for all of us,” Friedman said, addressing reporters hours after Taylor was released on Sunday. Barnes was designated for assignment earlier in the week. “Barnsey and CT have been in the middle of some huge moments for this organization. Both guys have left an indelible mark on our culture and where we’re at this point. So the decisions were incredibly difficult. The conversations were tough.”
“But,” Friedman countered, “with where we are, the division race, the composition of roster, everything — we felt like this was in the Dodgers’ best interest … [to] put us in a position to best win the World Series this year.”
Note the first factor Friedman mentioned in his answer.
Though the Dodgers are tied for the best record in the National League at 29-18, they continue to nurse the slimmest of NL West leads, entering Monday just one game up on the rival San Diego Padres (27-18) and upstart San Francisco Giants (28-19), and only four games clear of even the fourth-place Arizona Diamondbacks (25-22).
With their pitching staff already in tatters, at least temporarily, because of a wave of early-season injuries, the importance of consistent offense has also suddenly heightened; the Dodgers needing to maximize the production of their lineup to help offset a 4.18 team ERA that ranks 21st in the majors.
In a world where the Dodgers were running away with the division, or pitching the way they expected after two offseasons of spending heavily on the mound, maybe they could have tolerated Barnes’ and Taylor’s combined .208 batting average. They might have been more comfortable giving two longtime cornerstones of the franchise a longer leash to turn things around.
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Instead, as club brass surveyed this year’s competitive division landscape, they recognized that — this season more than most — every single victory could matter come the end of the campaign. That every single loss would make the challenge of winning another World Series incrementally tougher.
So, as Rushing crushed triple-A pitching and Kim excelled in what was initially planned to be only a brief big-league call-up, the Dodgers did what they felt like they must. Rushing replaced Barnes as backup catcher. Taylor was cut loose so Kim wouldn’t be sent back to the minors. And a roster that once seemed too top-heavy now has, at least in theory, more potential impact options to bring off the bench.
“We didn’t feel like coming into the season this was something that we would necessarily be doing in May,” Friedman said. “But with where we were, all things factored in, while not easy, we felt like it was the right thing to do.”
There were other reasons, of course, the Dodgers felt motivated to make such emotionally conflicting decisions now.
Manager Dave Roberts noted that Rushing (who was batting .308 in the minors this year, and has started his big-league career an impressive four-for-10) and Kim (who has hit .452 since arriving in the majors, and has impacted games with his versatile glove and lightning-quick speed) deserved opportunities for more prominent roles.
With most of the team’s core players on the wrong side of 30, there are longer-term considerations about developing younger talent as well.
“I think some of it is the [division] race,” Roberts said. “Some of it is, you still want to continue to develop young players and give them opportunities with a veteran ball club.”
Eventually, it was always likely that Rushing would force his way to the majors, and that Kim would carve out a niche with his well-rounded skill set.
But the early pressure being applied by the team’s NL West rivals still sped up that timeline. The Dodgers remember what happened in 2021. And, wary of having that reality repeat itself, they didn’t wait to begin acting with urgency this year.
“We saw it in 2021, winning 106 games and not winning the division,” Friedman said. “We have a tough division [again this year]. We’ve got some really good teams in our division who are playing well. And so for us, it’s about doing everything we can each night to try to win a game.”
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. It’s the greatest weekend for City Section athletics, because the baseball championship games in Open Division and Division I will be held Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
Tantalizingly close
Venice’s Canon King (left) gives a chest bump after his home run against Chatsworth.
(Craig Weston)
It’s the week in City Section sports where dreams come true. The City Section Open Division and Division I baseball championship games will be played Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
“It’s magical,” Venice center fielder Canon King said of what the experience would be like.
A semifinal doubleheader is set for Tuesday at Cal State Northridge in the Open Division, with Birmingham playing El Camino Real at 3 p.m. and Venice facing Sylmar at 6 p.m. In Division I, the semifinals are Wednesday at Stengel Field in Glendale. Taft will play Carson at 3 p.m., followed by Verdugo Hills against Banning at 6 p.m.
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
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Baseball
It’s nervous time in the Southern Section baseball playoffs that resume Tuesday. Top-seeded Corona, which got a first-round bye in Division 1, makes its debut at home against Los Osos and will send out pitcher Seth Hernandez, who is 17-0 in high school baseball.
There are no upsets in Division 1 despite the seedings. It’s still about ace vs. ace. The one interesting thing to watch is how well the four teams who got first-round byes perform after being inactive for more than a week. That’s Corona, Crespi, Huntington Beach and St. John Bosco. They better be ready to perform with their ace pitchers or suffer an early exit.
Quentin Young of Oaks Christian has hit 14 home runs.
(Craig Weston)
The Trinity League has done best with Orange Lutheran, Mater Dei, Servite and Santa Margarita all winning their playoff openers. It was a big day for Oaks Christian and Quentin Young, who hit his 14th home run.
Highlights from 6-foot-8 junior pitcher Gary Morse of Orange Lutheran with his one-hit shutout in opening round of Division 1 playoffs. pic.twitter.com/Cv1opyqkO9
Jackie Morales is one of six freshman contributors for Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.
(Greg Fiore)
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame has become the surprise team in high school softball, eliminating last season’s Division 1 runner-up Orange Lutheran in a 9-7 stunner, then beating El Segundo 12-10. Who says you need a standout pitcher with a freshman named Jackie Morales?
All Morales did was hit four home runs on the week, including three against Orange Lutheran. Top-seeded Norco remains the favorite in Division 1, but in a season without any dominant pitcher, the Knights’ hitting could keep them going far. Notre Dame hosts El Modena in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. Here’s the complete pairings.
The City Section announced its playoff pairings, with Granada Hills seeded No. 1. Here’s the pairings.
Lacrosse
𝐂𝐈𝐅 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 🏆
For the second time in program history, @LoyolaLX is your CIF-SS Division I Champion!
The No. 1 seed Cubs (21-3) defeated No. 3 Mater Dei 11-3 in the finals at Fred Kelly Stadium to end the season on a 14-game win streak.#LoyolaLax | #AMDG | #C4Lpic.twitter.com/phwYtR2CVX
— Loyola High Athletics (@LoyolaAthletics) May 18, 2025
Loyola has been the No. 1 lacrosse team all season and delivered a second Southern Section title with an 11-3 win over Mater Dei in the Division 1 final. Cash Ginsberg scored three goals and Tripp King had two goals.
Foothill upset No. 1-seeded Mira Costa 12-7 to win the Division 1 girls title. Foothill lost to Marlborough in last year’s final. Brynn Perkins scored five goals.
Track
Benjamin Harris of Servite shows emotion after his win in Division 200 final. He also won the 100.
(Craig Weston)
The weather was cool and overcast, but there were some terrific individual and team performances at the Southern Section track and field championships at Moorpark.
There were two ties for team titles in Division 4 boys (Serra and Viewpoint) and girls (St. Mary’s and Rosary). And Division 3 boys came down to the 4×400 relay with Sherman Oaks Notre Dame prevailing over Servite.
Servite’s Benjamin Harris, only a sophomore, ran a 10.32 100 meters. Rodney Sermons, a junior USC commit at Rancho Cucamonga, ran a 10.36 100. Here’s a rundown on the day’s activities.
In a day of successes statewide, also some bitter hiccups along the “Road To State”. Among the biggest, defending state 100/200 champ @brandonjubie2 is done for the CIF season after not racing today. Also, state #2 @LBPolyTrack_XC boys 4×100 & Calabasas girls 4×100 both DQ’ed. pic.twitter.com/nrrcPPTGkw
On Saturday, the Southern Section will hold its Masters Meet at Moorpark and for the first time have 18 qualifiers competing in races and field events, up from nine.
The City Section will hold its championships Thursday at Birmingham High using the school’s new Mondo track surface.
Volleyball
Connor Koski hammers a kill over Venice’s Sam Engelen in the City Section Open Division boys’ volleyball final at Birmingham High on May 17, 2025.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
El Camino Real stunned top-seeded Venice to win the City Section Open Division championship. The Royals have one of the brightest young coaches in the Southland in Alyssa Lee, who used to play girls volleyball for Tom Harp at Granada Hills. She’s now won a boys title, girls title and beach title.
Former UCLA softball pitcher Rachel Garcia stands in the batting cage as the digital Rachel Garcia pitches to visitors at the new Game On! exhibition prepares to open on Thursday at the California Science Center.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
The California Science Center next to the Coliseum has opened a free interactive sports exhibit that will stay open through the 2028 Olympic Games. It’s phenomenal, allowing kids and adults to learn about science and participate in baseball, softball, climbing, soccer, basketball and other sports. The first day it was opened saw more than 1,300 visitors.
Here come the freshmen. At the Northern Regional for individual golf, freshman Brandon Anderson of Buena won with a 63 and second was freshman Jaden Soong of St. Francis. The individual championships will take place Thursday at Temecula Creek Country Club.
Team titles are scheduled Monday and Tuesday.
Hello Eric
Eric Sondheimer answers questions.
(Nick Koza / For the Times)
It’s time to start a weekly help guide for parents, athletes, coaches, even officials. I’m going to ask questions and answer them with help from others.
First question: “How do I get my coach to notice me more?”
Get to practices before anyone else. Stay until everyone leaves. That lets the coach know you are passionate and committed to getting better. Volunteer to do the little things that coaches notice, like helping to clean a gym floor or bring out water. Show hustle whenever you can. Be bold and talk to your coach and tell him or her that you want to reach your full potential and would appreciate any feedback.
The key is working hard when no one is watching. The coach will see the development and provide a reward known as playing time. If not, keep doing it for yourself and your future. Good grades always bring a smile to any coach. Run extra laps. And you might even tell your coach, “You’re doing a really good job.” They like compliments.
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Former NFL defensive back Troy Hill is the new head football coach at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure. He becomes the second ex-NFL player recently headed to high school football, joining Carson Palmer, who went to Santa Margarita. . . .
Junior receiver Devin Olmande of Newbury Park has committed to San Jose State. . . .
Irvine University and Woodbridge won the Southern Section Open Division and Division 1 tennis championships. Here’s a report on Woodbridge’s win. . . .
Mission Viejo won the Millikan seven on seven passing tournament, defeating San Diego Lincoln in the final. Charter Oak won its own passing tournament title, defeating Rancho Cucamonga, and San Juan Hills defeated Capistrano Valley in the championship of the Dana Hills passing tournament. . . .
Thatcher Fahlbusch from Mira Costa has committed to Hawaii for volleyball.
From the archives: Easton Hawk
Easton Hawk during his Granada Hills days.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
UCLA was searching for a reliable closer in baseball this season, and look who’s emerged late in the season: freshman Easton Hawk from Granada Hills High.
He entered the week with four saves in 17 appearances but has come on strong this month to give the Bruins hope he can be a stopper in the NCAA playoffs. UCLA shared the regular season Big 10 championship with Oregon.
He’s always had good velocity. Throwing strikes is important at the collegiate level.
Rich Gonzalez of https://t.co/iQTFkgj3Eg, said of Servite qualifying six in the D3 200 meters: “I’ve never seen so many athletes exploding out of the turn heat after heat. My jaw dropped.”
Former Westlake pitcher Dylan Volantis is headed for freshman All-American status at Texas. He has 12 saves, a 4-0 record and 1.66 ERA for the SEC champions.
Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.
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“Of course, it’s important to qualify, but except for Newcastle who won the Carabao Cup, Liverpool won the Premier League and Manchester City that won the Community Shield – the other teams didn’t win trophies,” Guardiola said.
“So the other teams like Chelsea, who can win one title [Europa Conference League] against Real Betis, and [Manchester] United and Tottenham can win the Europa League.
“All the other teams, they are expecting of course to qualify for the Champions League but this is important for every club that play this in competition next year.
“We played a really good [FA Cup] final, not enough to win it, and we have the last two games, we need four points to be in the Champions League next year and this is enough and everyone has to be aware of that.”
With Liverpool Premier League champions and Arsenal sealing second spot, City have a fight to qualify for Europe’s elite club competition and a fascinating race has developed for the top five, with third-placed Newcastle and Nottingham Forest in seventh separated by a solitary point.
Results over the weekend means City have dropped to sixth in the table, but they hold a game in hand over the challengers which comes against Bournemouth on Tuesday (kick-off 20:00 BST), with the final round of games taking place on Sunday.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Let’s hope the Dodgers don’t have to face the Angels in the postseason.
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Last week, the Dodgers designated longtime backup catcher Austin Barnes for assignment to make room for Dalton Rushing. The other shoe dropped Sunday when the Dodgers released Chris Taylor to make way for a returning Tommy Edman.
Taylor is a longtime fan favorite whose last good season at the plate was 2021. After that season, he signed a four-year, $60-million contract. He also had elbow surgery that offseason, and was never the same after that. Still good-to-great defensively, but on offense, well, the numbers speak for themselves:
Taylor had only 35 at-bats spread over 28 games this season. When Hyeseong Kim came up from the minors and played so well, there was no reason to keep Taylor when Edman came off the IL. It would have been really hard to justify sending Kim down.
But, showing that it’s possible for two conflicting thoughts to be true at the same time, while it was the best thing for the Dodgers to release him, it’s still hard to see him go.
“This has been a very emotional week for all of us,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters before Sunday’s game. “Barnsey and CT have been in the middle of some huge moments for this organization. Both guys have left an indelible mark on our culture and where we’re at at this point. So the decisions were incredibly difficult. The conversations were tough. But with where we are, the division race, the composition of roster, everything. We felt like this was in the Dodgers’ best interest in terms of how to win as many games and put us in a position to best win the World Series this year.”
Taylor, who went to Virginia, was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the fifth round of the 2012 draft. He reached the majors in 2014 with the Mariners and was considered a disappointment at the time after hitting only .240/.296/.296 in 86 games with the Mariners. The Dodgers acquired him on June 19, 2016 for one-time top prospect Zach Lee. Not much attention was given to the deal, and the attention it was given was for the Dodgers giving up on Lee.
A few years later, Jerry DiPoto, who was GM of the Mariners for the trade, called it the worst deal he ever made.
Taylor hit .207 in limited playing time with the Dodgers over the rest of the 2016 season, before the Dodgers, or Taylor, or both, unlocked something offensively. He hit .288/.354/.496 with 34 doubles, 21 homers, 72 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 2017 while playing five different positions and was a key player on the team that reached the World Series before losing to the Houston Astros*. Taylor hit two homers during the NLCS and one during the World Series. He was named co-MVP of the NLCS with Justin Turner. Little-known fact: He didn’t make the team out of spring training. He was brought up for the minors on April 19, 2017 when Logan Forsythe suffered a broken toe when hit by a pitch. How would Dodger, and Chris Taylor’s, fortunes have changed if Forsythe wasn’t hit by that pitch?
in 2018 he hit .254/.331/.444, with 35 doubles and 17 homers, .262/.333/.462 with 29 doubles and 12 homers in 2019 and .270/.366/.476 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He made his first and only All-Star team in 2021. And then the wheels started falling off.
Here’s a guy who has been with the team since 2016, and what do we know about him? Not much. He never sought the spotlight, just did his job every day to the best of his abilities.
“He is the consummate pro, the way he did a trust fall when he got here,” Friedman said. “He came in hungry and wanting to get better, and dove in with our hitting guys, with our position coaches. … He was a huge part of so much success that we’ve enjoyed. Can’t say enough about the human, the worker, the teammate, the player.”
If you dig a little deeper about Taylor, you discover he quietly helped families who were hurt by the devastating wildfires earlier this year. His CT3 Foundation raised millions of dollars for organization in L.A. and his hometown Virginia Beach, including Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Variety Boys and Girls Club, The Friendship Foundation, Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughters, and Roc Solid Foundation.
He was just shy of reaching 10 seasons in the majors. Once a player reaches 10 years of service, they are eligible for up to $265,000 per year if they wait until age 62 to activate their pension. Seasons are counted as 172 days on the 26-man roster, so if you are bounced up and down from the minors, only your time in the majors counts. That’s how Taylor can be listed as “12 seasons” in the majors on most stat sites, but really be shy of 10 seasons. He needed to be on the Dodgers until early August to make it. If some other team signs him, then his time there will also count toward his 10 seasons. Taylor is at 9.037 seasons. He has also been paid almost $74 million in his career, so he should be fine. He just beats me out by about…. $73,500,000. Austin Barnes was at 8.098 seasons of service. He has been paid $18 million in his career.
Taylor’s first career home run was a grand slam with the Dodgers. His 100th career home run was a grand slam with the Dodgers, making him the only player in history whose first and 100th home runs were grand slams.
He appeared in 80 postseason games with L.A., hitting .247/.351/.441 with 13 doubles, nine homers and 26 RBIs. The most important homer may have been his walk-off homer in the 2021 wild-card game against St. Louis. You can watch that here.
Taylor was a part of two World Series winning teams. There aren’t a lot of players who can say that. It seems likely some other team will pick him up and see if he can recapture some of his old magic. We wish him well and thank him for some great memories.
*-The Astros cheated during that season and postseason.
First outing
Clayton Kershaw had his first outing of the season Saturday and the results were…. mixed. He gave up three runs in the first inning and looked bad. Then he settled a bit before seeming to tire. His line: Four innings pitched, five hits, five runs, three walks, two strikeouts.
We can draw no conclusions from this. We couldn’t if he had thrown five hitless innings. It’s going to take a couple more starts to figure out just how Kershaw is.
“I love getting back out there. It’s a special thing to get to go back and pitch at Dodger Stadium,” Kershaw told reporters after Saturday’s game. “Obviously, I wanted to pitch better. I need to pitch better going forward. But I think there’s some glimpses of some of my stuff being there, which is good. The problem tonight was just command.”
Dave Roberts on Kershaw to reporters after the game: “The stuff overall, I was impressed with. The velocity was more than it’s been in quite some time. At times the slider was good. At times the curveball was good. He mixed in a lot of change-ups, which was good. The command just wasn’t consistent. He got to a lot of two-strike counts and couldn’t put hitters away, where typically that’s his hallmark.”
Pete Rose poll
We asked readers of our Sports Report and Dodgers Dugout newsletters, “Should Pete Rose and Joe Jackson be in the Baseball Hall of Fame?” After 19,803 responses
Pete Rose Yes, 46.6% No, 53.4%
Joe Jackson Yes, 55.4% No, 44.6%
All-time leaders
The Dodgers’ all-time leaders in batting average with two out and runners in scoring position, minimum 150 at-bats.
Los Angeles only 1. Freddie Freeman, .343 2. Corey Seager, .327 3. Mike Piazza, .318 4. Mookie Betts, .317 5. Lou Johnson, .313 6. Paul Lo Duca, .311 7. Jeff Kent, .304 8. Steve Garvey, .295 9. Ron Fairly, .293 10. Adrián González, .287
Is there a top 10 Dodgers list you’d like to see Email me at [email protected] and let me know.
These names seem familiar
A look at how some prominent Dodgers from the last few seasons are doing with their new team (through Sunday). Click on the player name to be taken to the baseball-reference page with all their stats.
Chris Taylor hits a walk-off homer to win the 2021 wild-card game. Watch and listen here. Chris Taylor makes an incredible catch to preserve a 2018 NLCS Game 7 lead over Milwaukee. Watch and listen here.
Until next time…
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