PHOENIX — It’s much too early to call it 2021 yet.
But, just like the last time the Dodgers tried to defend a World Series title, the National League West isn’t presenting the easiest of paths.
Entering Thursday night, the division was home to the best team in baseball, the 25-win Dodgers. But, based on overall league records, it also included the clubs ranked third (San Diego at 23-13), fifth (San Francisco at 24-14) and 13th (Arizona at 19-18) in the majors, too.
“I think we’re the best division in baseball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I don’t think anyone is gonna run away with it.”
In 2021, of course, the Dodgers faced a similar test in the NL West. That year, the division wasn’t as deep, the bottom three teams all finishing below .500. But at the top, the Dodgers and Giants duked it out to the end. The Dodgers finished with 106 wins. The Giants topped them with 107. It forced the Dodgers to settle for a wild-card berth in the playoffs, and down an elongated October path that saw them run out of steam in the NL Championship Series.
While this season isn’t even at its quarter-point yet, a similar threat is starting to brew.
In a 5-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night, the Dodgers got their first taste of the challenge that might lie ahead. Over the next several weeks, plenty more intradivision tests loom.
After playing just one division foe over the first six weeks of the season — a three-game sweep of the utterly helpless Colorado Rockies last month — the Dodgers are finally getting into the meat of their division schedule. Starting with this weekend’s four-game set at Chase Field, five of their next 12 series will be against the Diamondbacks, Padres and Giants.
The Diamondbacks were supposed to be the weakest link of that group, starting the season slowly amid a couple of key injuries and repeated late-game collapses from their bullpen.
But on Thursday, they thrilled a lively crowd of 40,319, besting the Dodgers in every phase for a thorough series-opening victory.
While Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt cruised through 6 ⅓ scoreless innings, Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto was knocked around for five runs in five innings; the first four scoring on Gabriel Moreno’s grand slam in the fourth.
Struggling with his command all night, Yamamoto’s fourth-inning jam was largely of his own creation. He walked leadoff batter Pavin Smith. He hit Eugenio Suárez with a 0-and-2 slider to load the bases following an infield single. Then, after falling behind Moreno in a 2-and-0 count, he threw an elevated cutter that the Arizona catcher smashed to right field.
The following inning, Ketel Marte hit a solo home run to an almost identical spot.
Hyeseong Kim, left, reacts to striking out as Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno pauses at home plate during the seventh inning Thursday.
(Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press)
The five runs were tied for the most Yamamoto has allowed in an MLB game, and it doubled his ERA from an MLB-best 0.90 to 1.80 — on a night he was pitching on five days’ rest (as opposed to six) for the first time this season.
“Those are great hitters, so tip my hat to them. However, I allowed the walks and the hit by pitch,” Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda. “Overall, my stuff wasn’t too bad. But the grand slam, that cost the game.”
While Shohei Ohtani hit a solo home run with two outs in the ninth, the Dodgers’ best chance to come back was in the eighth.
Max Muncy smoked a ground-rule double for their first run. Andy Pages hit an RBI single that brought the tying run to the plate. But, with one out, Michael Conforto hit a rocket ground ball for an inning-ending double play, finishing his night 0 for three despite hitting the ball hard all three times. Over his last 12 games, he is one for 40.
“I’m definitely frustrated,” Conforto said. “Happy with a couple hard-hit balls today. Frustrated to be in position to keep a rally going and not being able to beat that ball out. It’s frustrating. It makes me sick.”
Thursday, of course, was just one game. There’s a long way to go before any real 2021 deja vu begins setting in.
Ahead of this week’s series, Roberts downplayed concerns that the division race could exhaust his team like it did four years ago, when the Dodgers and Giants went down to the last day.
“You don’t win the World Series, or the division, in May,” Roberts said. “I think it’s still just kind of making sure we stay the course and protect guys and play good baseball. So that’s what is more front of mind for me.”
Still, the longer the Dodgers’ division rivals hang around, the more pressure it will put on their regular-season performance. The last thing they want, in a year they’ve already dealt with an early wave of pitching injuries, is to be grinding through a division race during the stretch run of the season, or be in any danger of falling to a wild-card place. The way the division has played to this point, however, keeps those outcomes as real possibilities.
“I think the records show there’s a lot of great teams in this division,” Conforto said. “It’s going to be competitive right down to the end.”
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From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: During the near decade since L.A. was awarded the 2028 Olympics, new venues have arrived, proposed venues have fallen through and sports have shuffled, but the centerpiece of the ever-evolving plan has always been clear.
The iconic stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, LA28 announced Thursday, officially locking in the organizing committee’s proposal. While the Coliseum will become the first venue to host the Olympics three times, the 2028 Games will also showcase one of the region’s newest cornerstones by using SoFi Stadium as a second venue for the Olympic opening ceremony and to host the opening ceremony for the Paralympic Games.
The dual-venue opening ceremony is a first for the Olympic Games, following another unprecedented format in Paris where athletes paraded down the Seine in boats.
“We’re going to be celebrating the past and we’re also going to be celebrating the future,” LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover said Thursday at a news conference held at the Coliseum. “It is what’s next. The iconicness of the Coliseum and all the things that it represents and the ’32 Games and the ’84 Games, and then the technology and the next stage of Games and experience that the Inglewood stadium represents is going to be an amazing juxtaposition.”
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) Friday at Denver, 7 p.m., ESPN Sunday at Denver, 12:30 p.m., ABC Tuesday at Oklahoma City, TBD, TNT Thursday, May 15 at Denver, TBD, ESPN* Sunday, May 18 at Oklahoma City, TBD*
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) Saturday at Golden State, 5:30 p.m., ABC Monday at Golden State, 7 p.m., ESPN Wednesday at Minnesota, TBD, TNT Sunday, May 18 at Golden State, TBD* Tuesday, May 20 at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., ESPN*
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 4 Indiana Indiana 121, at Cleveland 112 (box score) Indiana 120, at Cleveland 119 (box score) Friday at Indiana, 4:30 p.m., ESPN Sunday at Indiana 5 p.m., TNT Tuesday at Cleveland, TBD, TNT* Thursday, May 15 at Indiana, TBD* Sunday, May 18 at Cleveland, TBD*
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) Saturday at New York, 12:0 p.m., ABC Monday at New York, 4:30 p.m., ESPN Wednesday at Boston, TBD, TNT* Friday, May 16 at New York, TBD, ESPN* Monday, May 19 at Boston, 5 p.m., TNT*
But, just like the last time the Dodgers tried to defend a World Series title, the National League West isn’t presenting the easiest of paths.
Entering Thursday night, the division was home to the best team in baseball, the 25-win Dodgers. But, based on overall league records, it also included the clubs ranked third (San Diego at 23-13), fifth (San Francisco at 24-14) and 13th (Arizona at 19-18) in the majors, too.
“I think we’re the best division in baseball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I don’t think anyone is gonna run away with it.”
In 2021, of course, the Dodgers faced a similar test in the NL West. That year, the division wasn’t as deep, the bottom three teams all finishing below .500. But at the top, the Dodgers and Giants duked it out to the end. The Dodgers finished with 106 wins. The Giants topped them with 107. It forced the Dodgers to settle for a wild-card berth in the playoffs, and down an elongated October path that saw them run out of steam in the NL Championship Series.
While this season isn’t even at its quarter-point yet, a similar threat is starting to brew.
In a 5-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night, the Dodgers got their first taste of the challenge that might lie ahead. Over the next several weeks, plenty more intradivision tests loom.
Anthony Santander hit a go-ahead, two-run single during Toronto’s four-run sixth inning, and the Blue Jays snapped their four-game losing streak with an 8-5 victory over the Angels on Thursday night.
Daulton Varsho homered and drove in three runs on three hits for the Jays, who rallied from an early four-run deficit with 14 hits to avoid a series sweep. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also had three hits as Toronto won for just the fifth time in 17 games.
Taylor Ward and Jo Adell hit early homers for the Angels, who failed to earn their first series sweep.
The second-winningest coach in NHL history said he is a changed man after nearly four years away from the game. As he took over behind the bench of the Ducks, he vowed to continue to educate himself about abuse, to expand his work with victims, and to create a safe workplace with his new team.
Quenneville also realizes that’s not nearly enough to satisfy a significant segment of hockey fans who believe his acknowledged inaction during the Blackhawks scandal should have ended his career.
“I fully understand and accept those who question my return to the league,” Quenneville said. “I know words aren’t enough. I will demonstrate (by) my actions that I am a man of character.”
Pacific 1 Vegas vs. Pacific 3 Edmonton Edmonton 4, at Vegas 2 (summary) Edmonton 5, at Vegas 4 (OT) (summary) Saturday at Edmonton, 6 p.m., TNT Monday at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m., TNT Wednesday at Vegas, TBD, ESPN* Friday, May 16 at Edmonton, TBD, TNT* Sunday, May 18 at Vegas, TBD, TNT*
C1 Winnipeg vs. C2 Dallas Dallas 3, at Winnipeg 2 (summary) Friday at Winnipeg, 6:30 p.m., TNT Sunday at Dallas, 1:30 p.m., TBS Tuesday at Dallas, 5 p.m., ESPN Thursday at Winnipeg, TBD, TNT* Saturday, May 17 at Dallas, TBD* Monday, May 19 at Winnipeg, TBD, ESPN*
Eastern Conference
Atlantic 1 Toronto vs. Atlantic 3 Florida at Toronto 5, Florida 4 (summary) at Toronto 4, Florida 3 (summary) Friday at Florida, 4 p.m., TNT Sunday at Florida, 4:30 p.m., TBS Wednesday at Toronto, TBD, ESPN* Friday, May 16 at Florida, TBD, TNT* Sunday, May 18 at Toronto, TBD, TNT*
Metro 1 Washington vs. Metro 2 Carolina Carolina 2, at Washington 1 (OT) (summary) at Washington 3, Carolina 1 (summary) Saturday at Carolina, 3 p.m., TNT Monday at Carolina, 4 p.m., TNT Thursday at Washington, TBD, TNT Saturday, May 17 at Carolina, TBD* Monday, May 19 at Washington, TBD, ESPN*
* If necessary
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1930 — Gallant Fox, ridden by Earl Sande, wins the Preakness Stakes by three-quarters of a length over Crack Brigade. Gallant Fox becomes the only Triple Crown winner to win the Preakness a week before the Kentucky Derby.
1932 — Burgoo King, ridden by Eugene James, withstands a strong drive by Tick On to win the Preakness Stakes by a head.
1942 — Alsab, ridden by Basil James, wins the Preakness Stakes by one length over Requested.
1944 — Jockey Walter Warren is involved in a rare feat in thoroughbred racing history, riding two horses to dead heat first-place finishes at Sportsman’s Park. In the sixth race, Warren rides Maejames to a dead heat finish with Piplad. In the eighth, Warren rides Susan Constant in another dead heat with Three Sands.
1990 — Sampdoria of Italy win 30th European Cup Winner’s Cup against Anderlecht of Belgium 2-0 in Gothenburg.
1993 — The Phoenix Suns beat the Lakers 112-104 in overtime to become the first NBA team to lose two playoff games at home and come back to win three straight games.
2004 — Jay Bouwmeester scores the winning goal, and Canada rallies to beat Sweden for the second straight year in the gold-medal game at the world hockey championships, 5-3.
2006 — Joffrey Lupul becomes the first player in NHL playoff history to cap a four-goal game with an overtime score, netting the game-winner at 16:30 of the extra period to give the Ducks a 4-3 victory over Colorado.
2009 — LeBron James scores 47 points to lift Cleveland to a 97-82 win over Atlanta. The Cavaliers sets an NBA record with its seventh straight double-figure win to eclipse the mark set by the 2004 Indiana Pacers.
2011 — The ATP and WTA tennis rankings are released with no American man or woman in the top 10 for the first time in the 38-year history of the rankings. Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick are Nos. 11 and 12, while Serena and Venus Williams were Nos. 17 and 19, respectively.
2016 — Stephen Curry returns from a sprained right knee to score an NBA-record 17 points in overtime, finishing with 40 as the Golden State Warriors rally to take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals with a 132-125 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
2018 — Manchester City smashes EPL records in 3-1 win over Brighton — most goals (105), most points (97) and most wins (31).
2018 — The Lehigh Valley Phantoms beat Charlotte Checkers 2-1 in the longest game in the 82-year history of the American Hockey League. Alex Krushelnyski’s goal at 6:48 of the fifth overtime period gives the Phantoms a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Atlantic Division Finals series.
2019 — English clubs create football history by taking all 4 final spots in Europe’s 2 major competitions; Chelsea & Arsenal qualify in Europa Cup after ‘miracle’ Champions League wins for Liverpool & Spurs.
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1901 — Earl Moore of the Cleveland Indians pitched nine hitless innings against the Chicago White Sox before giving up two hits in the 10th to lose 4-2.
1937 — Ernie Lombardi of the Cincinnati Reds went 6-for-6 in a 21-10 rout of the Phillies in Philadelphia.
1947 — In his first game outside of New York City, Jackie Robinson has two hits and scores twice in the Dodgers’ 6-5 loss to the Phillies.
1961 — Jim Gentile of the Baltimore Orioles hit consecutive grand slams in the first and second innings of a 13-5 rout of Minnesota.
1962 — Brooks Robinson becomes the 6th major leaguer this century to hit grand slams in back-to-back games, as he hits one against Kansas City’s Ed Rakow. Baltimore wins, 6-3, at home.
1967 — Cardinals outfielder #9 Roger Maris hits his first National League home run on the ninth day of the month in seat 9 of section 9.
1973 — Johnny Bench of the Reds hit three home runs off Philadelphia’s Steve Carlton for the second time in his career. Bench drove in seven runs in Cincinnati’s 9-7 victory.
1984 — The Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers played for 8 hours, 6 minutes in the longest game. After playing 17 innings the previous day, the teams met again before a regularly scheduled game, making the total 34 innings for two days. Harold Baines homered off Chuck Porter with one out in the bottom of the 25th for a 7-6 victory. Tom Seaver won both games for the White Sox.
1987 — Baltimore’s Eddie Murray became the first major leaguer to homer from both sides of the plate in consecutive games as the Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox 15-6 at Comiskey Park.
1993 — Cubs 1B Mark Grace hits for the cycle in Chicago’s 5-4 loss to the Padres. He is the 14th Cub to do so.
1999 — Marshall McDougall hit six consecutive homers and knocked in 16 runs — both NCAA records — in Florida State’s 26-2 rout of Maryland. The second baseman opened with an RBI single, then hit six straight homers. After his base hit, McDougall had a solo homer in the second inning, a three-run shot in the fourth, a solo homer in the sixth, a three-run shot in the seventh, a grand slam in the eighth and a three-run shot in the ninth.
2006 — Tampa Bay prospect Delmon Young was suspended for 50 games without pay by the International League for throwing a bat that hit a replacement umpire in the chest. IL president Randy Mobley said he believed the suspension was the longest in the league’s 123-year history. The suspension is retroactive to April 27, the day after Young tossed his bat in a Triple-A game while playing for Durham.
2010 — Dallas Braden pitched the 19th perfect game in major league history, a dazzling performance for the Oakland Athletics in a 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. He struck out six in the 109-pitch performance, throwing 77 strikes in his 53rd career start.
2011 — Zack Greinke wins his first game for the Milwaukee Brewers, striking out 9 batters in 6 innings in a 4-3 win over San Diego at Miller Park.
2013 — For only the third time ever, the reigning Cy Young Award winners face off. David Price and R.A. Dickey get no-decisions as the Rays top the Blue Jays, 5-4. The other match-ups had been Orel Hershiser vs. Frank Viola in 1989 and Tom Glavine vs. Roger Clemens in 1999.
2015 — Bryce Harper did it again, extending his remarkable homer streak with a two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth inning that sent the Washington Nationals over the Atlanta Braves 8-6. Harper homered for the sixth time in his last three games, one off the major league record set by Shawn Green in 2002.
2019 — With a solo homer in the 3rd inning in a 13-0 win against the Tigers, Albert Pujols of the Angels becomes the fifth player in major league history to collect 2,000 RBIs.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
The business of sports often is cloaked in secrecy. You can find out the salary of your favorite player, but how much money his team makes and how much money he makes off the field are the stuff of estimates, not public discourse.
Not on Thursday, though. Is Shohei Ohtani really making more than $100 million this year in endorsements?
Nez Balelo, the agent for Ohtani, did not hesitate.
“Absolutely,” Balelo said at Sportico’s Invest West conference at Intuit Dome.
Balelo is not, shall we say, Scott Boras. He does not embrace public speaking. So we dropped by to hear what Balelo had to say after the first full season of Ohtani’s record-breaking $700-million contract with the Dodgers.
The record did not last long. Juan Soto signed for $765 million with the New York Mets last winter.
And, because Ohtani deferred $680 million and Soto deferred $0, and because a dollar today is worth more than a dollar ten years from today, the actual value of Soto’s contract is $765 million and the actual value of Ohtani’s contract is $460 million.
Regrets?
“Not at all,” Balelo said. “We wouldn’t do anything different. He won a championship. He went to the right team. Why would we do anything different? No regrets. Nothing.”
Not even about the Angels, the team with which Ohtani chose to play the first six seasons of his major league career. The Angels never posted a winning record with Ohtani, let alone won a championship.
They did, however, stand by their commitment to let Ohtani bloom as a two-way player, even after his first Cactus League season was so rough they fielded questions about whether they would demote him to the minor leagues.
“If we had to do it all over again today, we would have done it exactly the same way,” Balelo said. “We would have chosen the Angels back in the day. It was the right place, with the group and Mike (Scioscia) and the whole team over there. They gave him an opportunity. They stuck with him. He had a tough spring. It was the right home for him at the time.”
“The Dodgers are the right home for him now.”
It was with the Angels — and in particular in 2021, when Ohtani won his first most valuable player award — that he blossomed into what Balelo called a “global superstar.”
However, before the start of his final season with the Angels, Balelo and Ohtani decided there would be no talks about an extension.
“We knew we were going to exercise our rights to go into free agency,” Balelo said.
The Angels opted to try to win with Ohtani in 2023 rather than trade him for a desperately needed infusion of young talent. They were three games out of a playoff spot at the end of July and traded prospects for rental help, then finished 16 games out of a playoff spot.
Balelo would not say exactly how many companies Ohtani endorses but put the number in the “low 20s.”
“It’s not like I’m out there pounding the pavement and soliciting companies,” Balelo said. “After 2021 and 2022, we could have really gone crazy. That’s not who he is. He doesn’t want that.”
He is everywhere in Japan, in advertisements above street crossings and at the airport, on television and in magazines. He endorses shoes and skin care products, airlines and watches and so much more.
An electronic billboard spanning nearly a city block featured advertising starring Shohei Ohtani near the Tokyo Dome in March, when the Dodgers were in town to play the Chicago Cubs to open the season.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“We have to make sure we don’t overexpose him,” Balelo said.
Say what?
“We could probably have 40 or 50 deals,” Balelo said.
That $100 million in endorsement income enabled Ohtani to offer the Dodgers — and other free-agent finalists, including the Angels — the same deal: $700 million, with $680 deferred. The Angels declined. On Thursday, Balelo condemned what he called the “reckless reporting” of Ohtani’s alleged flight to Toronto to sign with the Blue Jays.
The Dodgers took the deal, promising to use the money they would not be spending on Ohtani right away to sign other players.
“They get it,” Balelo said. “They have the vision.”
“He knew the marketing leg was doing extremely well,” Balelo said. “He knew it was not about the money. It was more about getting with a team that would appreciate him and understand him and allow him to develop as a two-way player.”
With Ohtani coming off his second elbow reconstruction, Balelo said he wondered whether teams might recruit him only as a hitter. As it turned out, he said, none made such an offer.
Balelo said he could have pursued deals of as many as 15 years, and maybe even longer, but Ohtani rejected those overtures. When his contract with the Dodgers expires, he’ll be 39.
“He just didn’t want to have the end of his storybook career tail off,” Balelo said, “and then in Year 13, 14 , and 15: ‘Who is this guy? He can’t even run down to first.’”
That raises the possibility that Balelo already has negotiated Ohtani’s last playing contract, even though Ohtani is 30.
Ohtani already has won three MVP awards, all unanimously. He would have won a fourth if not for Aaron Judge breaking the American League home run record in 2022. No one besides Barry Bonds has won more than three.
So Balelo might not be done negotiating on Ohtani’s behalf after all. The Cooperstown marketing deals await but, fortunately for the Dodgers, not any time soon.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. When an announcer says a player is “day-to-day” I’m reminded of what Vin Scully said about that: “Aren’t we all.”
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It looked like the Dodgers were just going to have to be satisfied with only pitchers going on the injured list. But since our last newsletter, two key position players have been injured.
Tommy Edman was put on the 10-day IL on May 3 because of right ankle inflammation. He is scheduled to resume running this week, but he probably won’t be back until the Dodgers return home to play the Athletics on May 13. The Dodgers recalled Hyeseong Kim to replace him.
Teoscar Hernández was put on the 10-day IL on Tuesday after straining an adductor muscle while stretching to make a catch in Monday’s game. According to the Mayo Clinic, the adductors are a group of three muscles which exist in the inner thigh that help control the leg and stabilize the pelvis.
“Obviously, he’s going to be inactive for a while,” Dave Roberts said Tuesday. “It’s certainly [going to be several] weeks, but I just don’t know how long. I think that’s all contingent on when he starts back up again.” On Wednesday, he was a bit more optimistic, saying Hernández could be back in a couple of weeks.
When he was injured, Hernández was tied with Shohei Ohtani for the team lead with nine homers and led the majors with 34 RBIs, so that’s a big loss.
James Outman was brought up to replace Hernández. Outman got off to a bad start at triple-A Oklahoma City, but has hit .359 the last three weeks. His overall numbers there: .254/.322/.508 with seven doubles and eight homers in 130 at-bats. The Dodgers would gladly welcome similar production with them. And he had a solid first game with the team Wednesday
Losing Edman and Ohtani puts a couple of big holes in the offense. Kim is hitting .417, but it’s far too early to draw any conclusions. He does bring some needed speed to the lineup, and you can see why the Dodgers were so high on him. Outman was a Rookie of the Year candidate in 2023, but was terrible last season. Can he rebound? This will be a big chance for him to reclaim a spot with the Dodgers.
On Wednesday, the Dodgers put reliever Evan Phillips on the IL with right forearm discomfort.
Phillips joins a major league roster full of pitchers on the IL. Let’s take a look at the current injured list. Don’t hold your breath while reading this or you will pass out before the end.
Pitchers Tyler Glasnow Brusdar Graterol Michael Grove Edgardo Henriquez Kyle Hurt Clayton Kershaw Michael Kopech Evan Phillips River Ryan Emmet Sheehan Blake Snell Gavin Stone Blake Treinen
Position players Tommy Edman Teoscar Hernández
That’s 13 pitchers, two positions players, 15 overall. How does that compare to other teams (through Wednesday afternoon)?
Dodgers, 15 overall, 13 pitchers, 2 position players Orioles, 13 overall, 8 pitchers, 5 position players Mets, 12 overall, 8 pitchers, 4 position players Yankees, 11 overall, 8 pitchers, 3 position players Tigers, 11 overall, 6 pitchers, 5 position players Reds, 10 overall, 6 pitchers, 4 position players White Sox, 10 overall, 6 pitchers, 4 position players Rays, 10 overall, 5 pitchers, 5 position players Brewers, 9 overall, 7 pitchers, 2 position players Guardians, 9 overall, 7 pitchers, 2 position players Nationals, 9 overall, 7 pitchers, 2 position players Astros, 9 overall, 6 pitchers, 3 position players Marlins, 9 overall, 5 pitchers, 4 position players Pirates, 9 overall, 5 pitchers, 4 position players Rockies, 9 overall, 4 pitchers, 5 position players Padres, 8 overall, 6 pitchers, 2 position players Red Sox, 8 overall, 6 pitchers, 2 position players Athletics, 7 overall, 6 pitchers, 1 position player Mariners, 7 overall, 4 pitchers, 3 position players Blue Jays, 6 overall, 6 pitchers Cubs, 6 overall, 6 pitchers Royals, 6 overall, 5 pitchers, 1 position player Angels, 6 overall, 4 pitchers, 2 position players Diamondbacks, 5 overall, 5 pitchers Rangers, 5 overall, 4 pitchers, 1 position player Braves, 5 overall, 3 pitchers, 2 position players Giants, 4 overall, 4 position players Twins, 3 overall, 1 pitcher, 2 position players Cardinals, 2 overall, 1 pitcher, 1 position player Phillies, 1 overall, 1 pitcher
The Dodgers have the most players on the IL, and by far the most pitchers. Some of that is because they sign players with injury histories, such as Snell and Glasnow, some of that is because some pitchers are getting older, such as Kershaw, but some of that remains a mystery.
Why do the Dodgers have more pitching injuries than anyone else? They say they studied their methods during the offseason, yet pitchers are still getting hurt. Every former pitcher I talk to blames it on one of these things: pitchers are throwing with maximum effort on every pitch; the lack of “Spider tack” on balls has made it harder on elbows and shoulders; the pitch clock doesn’t allow for enough rest between pitches; kids are asked to throw breaking balls at far too young an age. And the Dodgers also seem to enjoy signing or drafting pitchers who have had arm injuries.
It could be one of those things, something else entirely, or some of those things combined. We all have our beliefs why this is happening, but no one has any proof. Unless your name was Nolan Ryan, pitchers in the old days didn’t give maximum effort on every pitch. And Ryan lasted for 27 years. There was no pitch clock, but game film tells us most pitchers in the 1930s and ‘40s didn’t waste any time between pitches.
We may never know for sure what is causing all this, we just know that it happens to the Dodgers more frequently. And they need to figure out why.
Speaking of Kershaw
He pitched six scoreless innings in a rehab start Tuesday night. He will make one more start, and if all goes well, he should come off the IL when he’s eligible on May 17.
Ohtani loves Miami
Ohtani had another big series against the Marlins in Miami, a place he seems to favor. Let’s look at his numbers at various parks (minimum 20 plate appearances):
Highest OPS at Miami: .382 Avg/.475 OB%/1.000 SLG% (six homers in 34 at-bats) at Texas: .432/.479/.841 (four in 44) at Kansas City: .357/.471/.810 (four in 42) at Washington: .370/.433/.778 (two in 27) at Colorado: .407/.448/.759 (four in 54)
Worst OPS at San Diego: .133/.297/.267 (one homer in 30 at-bats) at Yankees: .167/.239/.373 (four in 59) at Seattle: .184/.280.,377 (six in 114) at Philadelphia: .250/.365/.296 (0 in 44) at Houston: .228/.307/.461 (nine in 167)
Most homers at Angels: 99 (1,254 at-bats) at Dodgers: 34 (399) at Houston: 9 (167) at White Sox: 8 (70) at Texas: 8 (126) at Oakland: 8 (150) at Seattle: 6 (114) at Miami: 6 (34)
Least homers at Cincinnati: 0 (14 at-bats) at Philadelphia: 0 (44) at San Diego: 1 (30) at Pittsburgh: 1 (15) at Mets: 1 (19) at Toronto: 1 (14) at Cubs: 1 (22)
Vision quest
If you have watched the last few games, you may have noticed something different about Max Muncy: He’s wearing glasses.
It turns out that Muncy has an astigmatism in his right eye, and as a left-handed hitter, his right eye is forward when he’s batting, so … glasses.
The big question is why they are just now finding out he has this problem. Maybe a thorough eye exam should happen in spring training?
Since he started wearing them, Muncy is 3 for 19 with a double, triple, homer, three RBIs, five walks and six strikeouts.
All-time leaders
The Dodgers all-time leaders among starting pitchers in ERA+, which compares ERA to the league average. For example, a pitcher with an ERA of 3.00 when the league average is 4.50 is better than a pitcher with an ERA of 3.00 when the league average is 3.50. An ERA+ of 120 means the pitcher is 20% better than league average, an ERA+ of 80 means 20% worse than league average. A league ERA+ is 100.
Sandy Koufax pitches a shutout in Game 7 to win the 1965 World Series. Watch and listen here.
Until next time…
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
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From Gary Klein: Rams coach Sean McVay typically rewards players for their dedicated voluntary offseason work by not holding a mandatory minicamp.
This year, players are apt to welcome one.
The Rams and the Hawaii Tourism Authority announced Wednesday that the Rams will hold a minicamp and other events on Maui from June 16-18.
The Rams will conduct football activity workouts at War Memorial Stadium in Wailuku, including one open to the public on June 18, and will also participate in girls’ flag football and tackle football clinics as well as community events. Rams staff and some players will also work with Habitat for Humanity to assist in the rebuilding of four homes in Lahaina that were affected by the devastating wildfire in 2023.
The Rams view the trip as an opportunity to further expand their brand.
The NFL awarded the Rams marketing rights to Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates.
The Rams will be the home team for a 2026 regular-season game in Melbourne, Australia. The opponent for the game has not been announced.
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) Friday at Denver, 7 p.m., ESPN Sunday at Denver, 12:30 p.m., ABC Tuesday at Oklahoma City, TBD, TNT Thursday, May 15 at Denver, TBD, ESPN* Sunday, May 18 at Oklahoma City, TBD*
No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 7 Golden State Golden State 99, at Minnesota 88 (box score) Thursday at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., TNT Saturday at Golden State, 5:30 p.m., ABC Monday at Golden State, 7 p.m., ESPN Wednesday at Minnesota, TBD, TNT* Sunday, May 18 at Golden State, TBD* Tuesday, May 20 at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., ESPN*
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 4 Indiana Indiana 121, at Cleveland 112 (box score) Indiana 120, at Cleveland 119 (box score) Friday at Indiana, 4:30 p.m., ESPN Sunday at Indiana 5 p.m., TNT Tuesday at Cleveland, TBD, TNT* Thursday, May 15 at Indiana, TBD* Sunday, May 18 at Cleveland, TBD*
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) Saturday at New York, 12:0 p.m., ABC Monday at New York, 4:30 p.m., ESPN Wednesday at Boston, TBD, TNT* Friday, May 16 at New York, TBD, ESPN* Monday, May 19 at Boston, 5 p.m., TNT*
*if necessary
DODGERS
From Jack Harris: When minor-league reliever Matt Sauer showed up in the Dodgers clubhouse Wednesday afternoon, it was a sign that something was amiss.
In the middle of the first inning of the team’s 10-1 win against the Miami Marlins, the reason for his arrival finally became clear.
In yet another blow to their increasingly banged-up pitching staff, the Dodgers placed right-handed reliever Evan Phillips on the injured list with forearm discomfort, leaving an already overworked bullpen without one of its most trusted arms.
Phillips missed most of the first month of the season while recovering from a tear in his rotator cuff he suffered during last year’s postseason. He hadn’t given up a run in seven outings since coming back, but had been dealing with the discomfort in recent days.
The good news for the Dodgers: Neither he nor the team believe the injury to be serious. Phillips and Roberts described his IL stint as a “precautionary move.” They said they expected him to return once his minimum 15 days are up.
Jorge Soler lined a double into the left-field corner with the bases loaded to drive in three runs in the ninth inning and lift the Angels to a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night.
Trailing 4-2, the Angels loaded the bases with no outs against Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman (3-1) when Kyren Paris drew a four-pitch walk and Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel singled.
Hoffman struck out Taylor Ward for the first out, but Soler drove a ball that rolled into the corner and past left fielder Jonatan Clase for the comeback win.
The former student alleges that Scott escorted her into a janitor’s closet and that according to the lawsuit he “began kissing her on the mouth as she repeatedly asked ‘what are you doing?’
“Then, despite her clear protests, Scott pushed [her] to her knees, and, against her will, pulled off her top. Scott then pulled down his shorts, exposed his erect penis, and tried to force [her] to perform oral sex on him.”
The lawsuit originally was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Dec. 30, 2022, but Scott was referred to as “John Doe,” the Lakers as “one of the most popular NBA franchise teams” and Campbell Hall as “Private School Doe.” An amended complaint filed May 1 named Scott, the Lakers and Campbell Hall after a judge denied objections by Scott that he shouldn’t be identified because he is a public figure and that there wasn’t evidence to corroborate the woman’s claims.
“I just feel like the next step, reconnecting with the European game and coaching in Europe, is something that I would like to do,” said Cherundolo, who is returning to Germany, where he starred as a player. “The timing of it and the messaging, I think the sooner the better so we can all kind of plan and move forward and get it out of the way and focus on this season’s goals.
“I’m not a great fan of leaving things to the last minute.”
Cherundolo, 46, spent his entire 16-year club career in Germany at Hannover, where he met his wife, started a family and still owns a house. That’s also where he started coaching. The decision to go back was a family one, he said, as was the decision to come to the U.S. four years ago.
Pacific 1 Vegas vs. Pacific 3 Edmonton Edmonton 4, at Vegas 2 (summary) Thursday at Vegas, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Saturday at Edmonton, 6 p.m., TNT Monday at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m., TNT Wednesday at Vegas, TBD, ESPN* Friday, May 16 at Edmonton, TBD, TNT* Sunday, May 18 at Vegas, TBD, TNT*
C1 Winnipeg vs. C2 Dallas Wednesday at Winnipeg (summary) Friday at Winnipeg, 6:30 p.m., TNT Sunday at Dallas, 1:30 p.m., TBS Tuesday at Dallas, 5 p.m., ESPN Thursday, May 15 at Winnipeg, TBD, TNT* Saturday, May 17 at Dallas, TBD* Monday, May 19 at Winnipeg, TBD, ESPN*
Eastern Conference
Atlantic 1 Toronto vs. Atlantic 3 Florida at Toronto 5, Florida 4 (summary) at Toronto 4, Florida (summary) Friday at Florida, 4 p.m., TNT Sunday at Florida, 4:30 p.m., TBS Wednesday at Toronto, TBD, ESPN* Friday, May 16 at Florida, TBD, TNT* Sunday, May 18 at Toronto, TBD, TNT*
Metro 1 Washington vs. Metro 2 Carolina Carolina 2, at Washington 1 (OT) (summary) Thursday at Washington, 4 p.m., ESPN Saturday at Carolina, 3 p.m., TNT Monday at Carolina, 4 p.m., TNT Thursday, May 15 at Washington, TBD, TNT* Saturday, May 17 at Carolina, TBD* Monday, May 19 at Washington, TBD, ESPN*
* If necessary
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1907 — Canadian Tommy Burns retains his world heavyweight boxing title after beating ‘Philadelphia’ Jack O’Brien on points in 20 rounds.
1915 — Regret, ridden by Joe Notter, becomes the first filly to win the Kentucky Derby, with a 2-length wire-to-wire victory over Pebbles.
1937 — War Admiral, the favorite ridden by Charles Kurtsinger, wins the Kentucky Derby by 1 3/4 lengths over Pompoon.
1943 — Count Fleet, ridden by Johnny Longden, wins the Preakness Stakes by 8 lengths over Blue Swords.
1954 — World record holder William Parry O’Brien becomes the first man to put the shot more than 60 feet with a 60-5¼ toss at a meet in Los Angeles.
1967 — Muhammad Ali is indicted for refusing induction in U.S. Army.
1970 — Walt Frazier scores 36 points to lead the New York Knicks to a 113-99 victory over the Lakers and the NBA championship in seven games.
1974 — FC Magdenburg of East Germany win 14th European Cup Winner’s Cup against AC Milan of Italy 2-0 in Rotterdam.
1984 — On the day the Olympic torch relay begins, the Soviet Union announces it will not take part in the 1984 Summer Olympics. The Soviet National Olympic Committee Union said the participation of Soviet athletes would be impossible because of “the gross flouting” of Olympic ideals by U.S. authorities.
1993 — Lennox Lewis of Britain scores a unanimous 12-round decision over Tony Tucker in his first defense of the WBC heavyweight title in Las Vegas.
1995 — New Zealand’s Black Magic 1 takes a 2-0 lead, defeating Young America by the widest margin for a challenger since the 1871 America’s Cup.
1996 — Paris Saint-Germain of France win 36th European Cup Winner’s Cup against Rapid Wien of Austria 1-0 in Brussels.
2003 — Minnesota becomes the first team in NHL history to rebound from two 3-1 series deficits to win in one postseason with a 4-2 victory at Vancouver.
2011 — University of Georgia senior Russell Henley becomes the second amateur winner in PGA Nationwide Tour history, shooting a 3-under 68 for a two-stroke victory in the Stadion Classic.
2011 — The Tradition Senior Men’s Golf, Shoal Creek G&CC: Tom Lehman wins second of 3 Champions Tour majors with par on 2nd playoff hole against Australian Peter Senior.
2013 — Alex Ferguson announces his retirement as Manchester United’s manager at the end of the season.
2014 — The Houston Texans takes South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney with the first pick in the NFL draft. The draft’s other big name, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, sits until Cleveland makes its third trade of the round and grabs the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner at No. 22.
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1906 — Philadelphia manager Connie Mack needed a substitute outfielder in the sixth inning of a game against Boston and called on pitcher Chief Bender. Bender hit two home runs, both inside the park.
1907 — Boston’s Big Jeff Pfeffer threw a no-hitter to give the Braves a 6-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in Boston.
1929 — Carl Hubbell of the New York Giants pitched a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the first by a left-hander in the majors in 13 seasons.
1935 — In the first game of a doubleheader, Ernie Lombardi of the Cincinnati Reds hit four doubles in consecutive innings (sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth) off four different Phillies pitchers. Lombardi also singled to send the Reds past Philadelphia 15-4.
1946 — Boston shortstop Johnny Pesky scored six times, an American League record, in a 14-10 win over the White Sox. Pesky, who was 4-for-5 with a walk and two RBIs, matched Mel Ott’s National League mark for runs scored in a game.
1963 — A Stan Musial home run against the Dodgers gives him 1,357 extra-base hits, surpassing Babe Ruth’s major league record. He will get 20 more; his record will later be broken by Hank Aaron.
1963 — Pirates LF Willie Stargell’s first major league homer and Cubs P Bob Buhl’s first major league hit in 88 at-bats highlight a 9-5 Chicago win over Pittsburgh.
1966 — Frank Robinson became the only player to hit a home run out of Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium. The shot over the left-field wall came off Cleveland right-hander Luis Tiant. The Orioles won 8-3.
1966 — The St. Louis Cardinals closed old Busch Stadium with a 10-5 loss to the San Francisco Giants.
1966 — Orioles outfielder Frank Robinson hits the only ball ever completely out of Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium. The shot clears the left-field single-deck grandstand’s rear wall, 451-feet away, going an estimated 541 feet.
1968 — Jim “Catfish” Hunter of the Oakland A’s pitched a perfect game to beat the Minnesota Twins 4-0.
1983 — Darryl Strawberry gets his first major league hit, a single that scores Danny Heep, in a 10-5 Mets win over the Reds.
1984 — Minnesota’s Kirby Puckett had four singles in his first major league game, and the Twins beat the California Angels 5-0.
1994 — Danny Tartabull, Mike Stanley and Gerald Williams hit back-to-back-to-back home runs for the Yankees in the 6th inning of New York’s 8-4 win over Boston.
1994 — The Colorado Silver Bullets, the first women’s team to play a pro men’s team, lost 19-0 to the Northern League All-Stars. Leon Durham hit two homers and Oil Can Boyd started for the All-Stars. The Silver Bullets had two hits, struck out 16 times and made six errors.
1998 — Cardinals 1B Mark McGwire hits his 400th home run in a 9-2 loss to the Mets. He is the 27th player to reach 400, and does so in fewer at bats than anyone in history, 4,726. Babe Ruth had taken 127 more at-bats, having held the old record.
2000 — Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals hits his 12th home run of the season, against the San Francisco Giants. The homer ties “Big Mac” with Jimmie Foxx for ninth place on the all-time list with 534 career homers. McGwire needs just two taters to catch number eight on the list, Mickey Mantle, at 536.
2001 — Randy Johnson became the third pitcher to strike out 20 in nine innings, but didn’t finish the game in which the Arizona Diamondbacks beat Cincinnati 4-3 in 11 innings. Johnson, the first left-hander to strike out 20, missed a chance to join Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood as the record-holders for a nine-inning game because Arizona could not finish off the Reds in regulation.
2001 — The Devil Rays edge the Orioles, 4-3, as Tampa Bay’s Fred McGriff joins Mark McGwire, Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Eddie Murray and Reggie Jackson as the only players to homer off 300 different pitchers in their career.
2009 — In his first game of the season after missing six weeks because of hip surgery, Alex Rodriguez hits the first pitch he sees from Baltimore’s Jeremy Guthrie for a three-run home run in a 4-0 Yankees win that ends a five-game losing streak. CC Sabathia pitches a four-hit shutout in his best performance since signing a huge free agent contract over the winter.
2010 — Jody Gerut hit for the cycle and drove in four runs, and the Milwaukee Brewers pounded the Arizona Diamondbacks 17-3. Gerut hit a solo home run in the second inning, singled in the third, drove in a run with a triple in the fifth and added a two-run double in the ninth.
2012 — Josh Hamilton became the 16th player to hit four home runs in a game. His four two-run drives came against three different pitchers, carrying the Texas Rangers to a 10-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
2015 — Bryce Harper hit two more home runs, giving him five in two games, and Danny Espinosa also connected twice to power the Washington Nationals to a 9-2 win over the Atlanta Braves. The 22-year-old Harper became the youngest in major league history to hit five homers in two games.
2018 — James Paxton of the Mariners becomes only the second-ever Canadian-born pitcher to throw a no-hitter, after Dick Fowler in 1945, turning the trick against the Blue Jays in a 5-0 win.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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MIAMI — When minor-league reliever Matt Sauer showed up in the Dodgers clubhouse Wednesday afternoon, it was a sign that something was amiss.
In the middle of the first inning of the team’s 10-1 win against the Miami Marlins, the reason for his arrival finally became clear.
In yet another blow to their increasingly banged-up pitching staff, the Dodgers placed right-handed reliever Evan Phillips on the injured list with forearm discomfort, leaving an already overworked bullpen without one of its most trusted arms.
Phillips missed most of the first month of the season while recovering from a tear in his rotator cuff he suffered during last year’s postseason. He hadn’t given up a run in seven outings since coming back, but was bypassed in the bullpen during Tuesday night’s loss when the Dodgers instead called upon lower-leverage relievers in high-leverage spots.
The severity of Phillips’ injury was not immediately known.
The good news for the Dodgers: Phillips’ absence didn’t harm them Wednesday.
In fact, in the team’s ninth win out of its last 11 games, it was Sauer who got some of the biggest outs.
With the Dodgers protecting a 1-0 lead in the sixth, right-hander Landon Knack got the hook after back-to-back leadoff singles, ending his spot start after five scoreless innings. Sauer was then summoned, making his first appearance since an important five-inning relief outing against the Marlins (14-22) in Los Angeles last week.
This time, Sauer played the role of high-leverage reliever, getting a double-play and strikeout to extinguish the threat.
The next time he took the mound, the Dodgers (25-12) had broken the game open, exploding for a six-run rally in the seventh.
After a one-out pinch-hit walk from James Outman and a single from Kiké Hernández, Hyeseong Kim rolled an RBI single through the right side of the infield, part of a two-hit day that has him batting five-for-12 since being called up last week.
Shohei Ohtani, who helped the Dodgers get on the board in the sixth with a triple, came up next but was intentionally walked by Marlins manager — and former Dodgers first-base coach — Clayton McCullough with first base open, leaving the bases loaded for Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
They each promptly took advantage, with Betts drawing a run-scoring walk before Freeman cleared the bags with a three-run triple. Freeman finished his day three-for-four with four RBIs, extending a 12-game hitting streak and raising his early-season batting average to .362, trailing only Aaron Judge (.412) among MLB hitters with 90 at-bats.
Teoscar Hernández’s timeline
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had a more encouraging update Wednesday on injured outfielder Teoscar Hernández, saying the veteran slugger could return from his groin strain in as little as two weeks if he progresses well.
“That’s my hope, and that’s his hope,” Roberts said. “But obviously we’re not going to activate him until he’s good and ready to get back and stay healthy.”
Though Roberts didn’t offer a timeline on Hernández’s injury — which he suffered running down a fly ball in right field Monday night — he had said on Tuesday that the MLB’s RBI leader would be “inactive for a while.”
By Wednesday, however, Roberts said Hernández told him he was already feeling better, raising hopes that his absence will ultimately be on the shorter side.
Clayton Kershaw’s return
The Dodgers have only four true starting pitchers in their rotation right now. But in a couple more weeks, that could finally change.
Clayton Kershaw is eligible to come off the 60-day injured list on May 18. And Roberts said the future Hall of Fame left-hander is on track to be ready when that date arrives, showing more progress in his return from offseason toe and knee surgeries on Tuesday with six no-hit innings in a rehab start in the Arizona Complex League.
Kershaw is expected to make one last rehab outing with triple-A Oklahoma on Sunday, Roberts said. After that, the 37-year-old left-hander should be ready to make his return to the majors.
In the meantime, the Dodgers will likely keep swingman Ben Casparius stretched out to pitch bulk innings every time the open spot in the rotation is up.
Roberts said the team’s other injured starters, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, are scheduled to begin throwing by the end of this week, an important step in their recoveries from similar shoulder inflammation injuries.
Tony Gonsolin produced a solid five-inning outing in his second start back from Tommy John surgery, giving up just two runs.
Shohei Ohtani posted another monster stat line at LoanDepot Park, hitting a tying, second-deck home run in the sixth and a tying double in the seventh in what he calls “one of my favorite stadiums” to play in.
Late in a 5-4 walk-off loss to the Miami Marlins, however, one of the Dodgers’ few early-season concerns finally caught up with them.
The team’s bullpen, quite simply, has been overworked through the first month-plus of the year, leading the majors by a wide margin with 157 innings pitched. And in a game that hung in the balance until the very end, the toll of that strain was unmistakably evident, with manager Dave Roberts turning to two of his lowest-leverage relievers in two of the night’s most critical sequences.
Trying to protect a one-run lead in the sixth, Roberts summoned right-hander Luis García — who promptly gave up two runs that put the Marlins ahead.
No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. No. 4 Denver Nuggets Denver 121, at Oklahoma City 119 (box score) Wednesday at Oklahoma City, 6:30 p.m., TNT Friday at Denver, 7 p.m., ESPN Sunday at Denver, 12:30 p.m., ABC Tuesday at Oklahoma City, TBD, TNT* Thursday, May 15 at Denver, TBD, ESPN* Sunday, May 18 at Oklahoma City, TBD*
No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 7 Golden State Golden State 99, at Minnesota 88 (box score) Thursday at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., TNT Saturday at Golden State, 5:30 p.m., ABC Monday at Golden State, 7 p.m., ESPN Wednesday, May 14 at Minnesota, TBD, TNT* Sunday, May 18 at Golden State, TBD* Tuesday, May 20 at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., ESPN*
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 4 Indiana Indiana 121, at Cleveland 112 (box score) Indiana 120, at Cleveland 119 (box score) Friday at Indiana, 4:30 p.m., ESPN Sunday at Indiana 5 p.m., TNT Tuesday at Cleveland, TBD, TNT* Thursday, May 15 at Indiana, TBD* Sunday, May 18 at Cleveland, TBD*
No. 2 Boston vs. No. 3 New York New York 108, at Boston 105 (OT) (box score) Wednesday at Boston, 4 p.m., TNT Saturday at New York, TBD, ABC Monday at New York, TBD, ESPN Wed., May 14 at Boston, TBD, TNT* Friday, May 16 at New York, TBD, ESPN* Monday, May 19 at Boston, 5 p.m., TNT*
*if necessary
ANGELS
Logan O’Hoppe drove in the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning, Yoán Moncada followed with a three-run homer, and the host Angels rallied to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 on Tuesday night for just their second win in their last 10 games.
Zach Neto hustled home with the tying run to start a six-run rally in the eighth by the Angels, who scored more than five runs in a full game for the first time since April 10.
O’Hoppe delivered an RBI single before Moncada hit his first homer since September 2023 in his first game back from a thumb injury. Jo Adell added another homer moments later.
From John Cherwa: There will be no Triple Crown winner this year. It became official Tuesday when Sovereignty trainer Bill Mott told Preakness Stakes officials that the Kentucky Derby winner will not run in the second leg of the Triple Crown and instead point to the Belmont Stakes.
“We received a call from trainer Bill Mott that Sovereignty will not be competing in the Preakness,” Mike Rogers, a Stronach Group executive vice president, said in a media release. “Bill informed us they would point toward the Belmont Stakes. We extend our congratulations to the connections of Sovereignty and respect their decision.”
It opens the door for Rodriguez, the Bob Baffert-trained horse who scratched from the Derby because of a tender hoof. The winner of the Wood Memorial will likely be the favorite unless Journalism runs in the second leg of the Triple Crown. Journalism’s trainer, Michael McCarthy, has still not announced the next race for the Santa Anita Derby winner and runner-up in the Kentucky Derby.
LAFC will get one more chance to earn a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup that will be played in the U.S. this summer.
Mexican soccer club León lost its legal challenge against FIFA on Tuesday, clearing the way for FIFA to host a play-in game between LAFC and Mexican team América for the last spot in the bracket.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport said its judges rejected León’s attempt to overturn being removed by FIFA from the 32-team tournament for having the same ownership group as another Club World Cup entry, Pachuca.
From Kevin Baxter: A day after parting ways with his general manager, Kings president Luc Robitaille expressed confidence in his head coach, saying he expected Jim Hiller would be back with the team next season. Yet the final decision, he added, would be with the new GM.
“Your general manager, you want to give him the freedom. You don’t want to lock up a new person that’s coming in,” he said. “But the record of what Jimmy’s done this year is really, really good. It would be really hard for any GM to say, ‘Well, this guy shouldn’t come back.’
“I think Jimmy is a great coach and I fully think that this guy’s coming back, for sure.”
In his first full season as an NHL coach, Hiller equaled team bests for wins (48) and points (105) and broke the record for home wins (31). But he had made several crucial mistakes in the playoffs that hastened the team’s exit, leading to another record: The Kings have gone a franchise-worst 11 seasons without winning a postseason series.
Pacific 1 Vegas vs. Pacific 3 Edmonton Edmonton 4, at Vegas 2 (summary) Thursday at Vegas, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Saturday at Edmonton, 6 p.m., TNT Monday at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m., TNT Wednesday, May 14 at Vegas, TBD, ESPN* Friday, May 16 at Edmonton, TBD, TNT* Sunday, May 18 at Vegas, TBD, TNT*
C1 Winnipeg vs. C2 Dallas Wednesday at Winnipeg, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Friday at Winnipeg, 6:30 p.m., TNT Sunday at Dallas, 1:30 p.m., TBS Tuesday at Dallas, 5 p.m., ESPN Thursday, May 15 at Winnipeg, TBD, TNT* Saturday, May 17 at Dallas, TBD* Monday, May 19 at Winnipeg, TBD, ESPN*
Eastern Conference
Atlantic 1 Toronto vs. Atlantic 3 Florida at Toronto 5, Florida 4 (summary) Wednesday at Toronto, 4 p.m., ESPN Friday at Florida, 4 p.m., TNT Sunday at Florida, 4:0 p.m., TBS Wednesday, May 14 at Toronto, TBD, ESPN* Friday, May 16 at Florida, TBD, TNT* Sunday, May 18 at Toronto, TBD, TNT*
Metro 1 Washington vs. Metro 2 Carolina Carolina 2, at Washington 1 (OT) (summary) Thursday at Washington, 4 p.m., ESPN Saturday at Carolina, 3 p.m., TNT Monday at Carolina, 4 p.m., TNT Thursday, May 15 at Washington, TBD, TNT* Saturday, May 17 at Carolina, TBD* Monday, May 19 at Washington, TBD, ESPN*
* If necessary
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1938 — Lawrin, ridden by Eddie Arcaro, wins the Kentucky Derby by one length over Dauber.
1955 — Swaps, ridden by Willie Shoemaker, wins the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths over Nashua.
1969 — 2nd ABA championship: Oakland Oaks beat Indiana Pacers, 4 games to 1.
1972 — The Lakers win their first NBA championship with a 114-100 victory over the New York Knicks in Game 5.
1977 — Heavily favored Seattle Slew, ridden by Jean Cruguet, wins the Kentucky Derby by 1 3/4 lengths over Run Dusty Run.
1982 — A federal jury rules the NFL violated antitrust laws when it unsuccessfully attempted to prevent the Oakland Raiders from moving to Los Angeles.
1986 — 30th European Cup: Steaua Bucuresti beats Barcelona (0-0, 2-0 on penalties) at Seville.
1988 — Winning Colors, ridden by Gary Stevens, leads from start to finish to win the Kentucky Derby by a neck, becoming the first roan and the third filly to win the race.
1989 — Chicago’s Michael Jordan hits an 18-foot shot over the outstretched fingertips of Craig Ehlo to give the Bulls a 101-100 victory in the deciding Game 5 of their 1989 Eastern Conference first round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
1993 — Wayne Gretzky of the Kings scores his 100th and 101st playoff goals in a 7-4 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
1994 — The Denver Nuggets, with a 98-94 overtime win against the No. 1-seeded Seattle SuperSonics, become the first eighth-seeded playoff team to win a series. The Nuggets come back from an 0-2 deficit in the best-of-5 series.
1995 — Reggie Miller scores eight points in the last 16 seconds to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 107-105 win over the New York Knicks in the second-round opener of the NBA playoffs.
2005 — Giacomo, a 50-1 shot, wins the Kentucky Derby, running down a game Afleet Alex in the final strides and generating a huge payoff. Closing Argument, a 70-1 shot, finishes second with Afleet Alex third.
2005 — Dallas’ 116-76 victory over Houston is the most lopsided Game 7 score in NBA history. The Mavericks are the third team in playoff history to win a seven-game series after losing the first two games at home.
2010 — Before a record hockey crowd of 77,803, the U.S. loses to Germany 2-1 in the opening game of the world hockey championships. Felix Schutz scores the winning goal 21 seconds into overtime at Veltins Arena, ordinarily the home of the Schalke soccer team.
2014 — Russell Westbrook has a triple-double, Kevin Durant falls one assist short and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Clippers 112-101 to tie their Western Conference semifinal series at one win apiece. Westbrook has 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Durant has 32 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists before leaving the game with 1:21 remaining.
2016 — Nyquist won the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/4 lengths, improving to 8-0 in his career as the fourth consecutive favorite to win the race. Ridden by Mario Gutierrez, Nyquist finished in 2:01.31. The 3-year-old colt became the eighth unbeaten winner in the race’s 142-year history.
2017 — Bradley Beal scores 29 points and Washington Wizards used a 26-0 third-quarter run to beat the Boston Celtics 121-102 to tie the second-round series at two games apiece. John Wall, who adds 27 points and 12 assists, has seven points, three assists and two steals during the third-quarter spree.
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1917 — Babe Ruth of the Red Sox gave up two hits as he outdueled Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators 1-0. Ruth knocked in the winning run with a sacrifice fly.
1922 — Jesse Barnes of the New York Giants pitched the only no-hitter of the year, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 6-0.
1925 — Pittsburgh shortstop Glenn Wright made an unassisted triple play in the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals when he caught Jim Bottomley’s line drive, stepped on second to double Jimmy Cooney, and tagged Rogers Hornsby coming from first. The Cardinals, trailing 9-4, scored six runs in the eighth inning to win 10-9 at Forbes Field.
1957 — Cleveland pitcher Herb Score was hit on the right eye by a line drive off the bat of Gil McDougald in the first inning. The ball broke Score’s nose and damaged his eye; he missed the rest of the season.
1959 — A crowd of 93,103 came to the Los Angeles Coliseum on “Roy Campanella Night” to show its affection for the paralyzed Dodger catcher. The Dodgers were beaten by the New York Yankees 6-2 in an exhibition game that followed the ceremonies.
1960 — Norm Sherry, a replacement catcher for the Dodgers, hit a home run in the 11th inning to give his brother, relief pitcher Larry Sherry, a 3-2 triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies in Los Angeles.
1970 — Wes Parker of Dodgers hit for the cycle in a 7-4, 10-inning win over the New York Mets.
1973 — The Pittsburgh Pirates became the first team to score their five runs on five solo homers in a 5-4 win over the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Willie Stargell, Dave Cash, Richie Hebner, Manny Sanguillen and Al Oliver homered.
1986 — Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Garry Maddox announces his retirement at the age of 36. Properly nicknamed “Secretary of Defense,” the slick-fielding Maddox won eight Gold Gloves.
1997 — The Montreal Expos scored 13 runs to set an NL record for runs in a sixth inning during their 19-3 win over the San Francisco Giants.
1999 — Tampa Bay’s first baseman Fred McGriff sets a major league record by homering in his 34th major league ballpark.
1999 — Carlos Lee becomes the first player in Chicago White Sox history to hit a home run in his first major league at-bat in the Sox’s 7-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics.
2005 — Julio Franco of the Atlanta Braves goes 3 for 4, including his first home run of the season, in a 4-1 victory over the Houston Astros. Franco, who turns 47 on August 23rd, becomes the second-oldest player in major league history to homer at 46 years, 257 days. Jack Quinn, a pitcher who accomplished the feat when he was 100 days older, hit a home run for the Philadelphia Athletics on June 27, 1930; Franco will eventually pass him as well.
2008 — Carlos Gomez became the first Minnesota player to hit for the cycle in 22 years in a 13-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
2009 — New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera gave up home runs to consecutive batters for the first time in his major league career, with Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria connecting in the ninth inning of Tampa Bay’s 8-6 victory. Rivera had not given up back-to-back homers in 862 games coming in.
2009 — The Boston Red Sox tied a modern major-league record with 12 runs in an inning before making an out in a 13-3 win over Cleveland. The Red Sox tied the mark set by the Brooklyn Dodgers on May 24, 1953.
2009 — The Dodgers’ star outfielder, Manny Ramirez, is suspended for 50 games for testing positive for a banned substance. He is the most prominent player yet caught under Major League Baseball’s PED policy implemented in 2005.
2010 — Starlin Castro hit a three-run homer in his first major league at-bat and drove in a record six runs during the Chicago Cubs’ 14-7 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Castro added a bases-loaded triple, sliding headfirst into the record books with six RBIs, the most ever in a modern day debut — one more than the previous mark shared by four players.
2011 — Justin Verlander threw his second career no-hitter, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 9-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. The only runner Verlander allowed came with one out in the eighth inning when J.P. Arencibia walked on a full count.
2011 — Andre Ethier’s 30-game hitting streak ends in a 4-2 Dodgers loss to the Mets. Ethier, who goes 0 for 4, ends up one game short of the franchise record of 31 games held by Willie Davis since 1969.
2016 — Aaron Hill hit a grand slam in Milwaukee’s seven-run 10th inning for his third homer of the game, and the Brewers beat Cincinnati 13-7.
2016 — New York’s Bartolo Colon became the oldest player to hit his first major league home run, connecting less than three weeks before his 43rd birthday, to help the Mets to a 6-3 victory over the Padres.
2019 — Mike Fiers pitches his second career no-hitter as the Athletics defeat the Reds, 2-0.
2022 — Less than two weeks after getting his 3,000th hit, Miguel Cabrera reaches another milestone with his 600th career double, only the 18th player to that total. Only two others — Hank Aaron and Albert Pujols — have compiled his combination of 3,000 hits, 600 doubles and 500 home runs.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
MIAMI — Most of Tuesday’s game went according to plan for the Dodgers.
Tony Gonsolin produced a solid five-inning start in his second start back from Tommy John surgery, giving up just two runs.
Shohei Ohtani posted another monster stat line at LoanDepot Park, hitting a tying home run in the sixth and a tying double in the seventh in what he calls “one of my favorite stadiums” to play in.
Late in a 5-4 loss to the Miami Marlins, however, one of the Dodgers’ few early-season concerns turned into a glaringly costly problem — the game ending with journeyman reliever JP Feyereisen on the mound, giving up a walk-off single to Jesús Sanchez in the bottom of the 10th inning.
The Dodgers’ bullpen, quite simply, has been overworked through the first month-plus of the year. And in a game that came down to the final few innings, the toll of that strain became evident.
Entering the bottom of the sixth, the Dodgers were leading 3-2, having turned an early one-run deficit into a one-run lead after Ohtani and Freddie Freeman hit home runs in the top half of the inning. With Gonsolin done after 82 pitches manager Dave Roberts turned to his bullpen.
But it was not a high-leverage arm that came trotting in.
With all of his most trusted relievers having already pitched twice this trip — including appearances from top right-handers Evan Phillips and Kirby Yates the night before — Roberts instead summoned minor league offseason signing Luis García, seemingly hoping to steal an inning with the lower-leverage right-hander.
Granted, García had been decent this year, entering the game with a 3.78 ERA in his 13th MLB season. But he had already made 17 appearances in their first 35 contests. And on Tuesday, the Marlins wasted little time jumping all over him.
Designated hitter Agustin Ramírez led off with a double. Two batters later, Connor Norby did the same, hitting a line drive to left field that just evaded a leaping effort from Michael Conforto. That tied the score. Matt Mervis’ single in the next at-bat gave Miami a 4-3 lead.
The Dodgers (24-12) didn’t trail for long, Ohtani tying the score with a double that scored speedy Hyeseong Kim from first.
But after Alex Vesia, Anthony Banda and Tanner Scott posted zeroes to get the game to extras, Roberts was forced into another less-than-appealing pitching decision in the bottom of the 10th.
Claimed off waivers last week from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Feyereisen (a player the Dodgers once traded for before later releasing) came into the game — Roberts once again bypassing a better option, such as $13-million offseason signing Yates, out of obvious workload concerns.
Moments later, their defeat had been sealed, with Sánchez blasting his game-winning, bases-loaded single through a five-man Dodgers infield.
MIAMI — The Dodgers put outfielder Teoscar Hernández on the injured list Tuesday with a left groin strain, a day after Hernández injured himself chasing down a fly ball in right field and left the game early.
James Outman was called up from triple-A Oklahoma City to replace Hernández on the roster.
In the third inning of Monday’s win over the Miami Marlins, Hernández broke hard for a line drive in the gap and stretched at full sprint to make the catch.
After returning to the dugout between innings, Hernández was removed from the game, reporting tightness in both his hamstring and adductor to the team’s training staff. He was sent for an MRI exam on Tuesday.
“He’s a guy that just doesn’t come out of games by way of injury,” manager Dave Roberts said afterward. “That’s a little concerning given the person.”
Back with the Dodgers this season after re-signing with the club on a three-year, $66 million contract as a free agent this winter, Hernández had been one of the lineup’s most consistent run producers early this year.
He was batting .315, well above his career .264 average. He had nine home runs, tied with Shohei Ohtani for most on the team. He’d collected 34 RBIs in just 33 games, most in the majors.
Now the Dodgers, who were already playing without Tommy Edman this trip due to an ankle injury, will have another lineup hole to fill.
Outman, who finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2023 but has struggled in brief stints in the majors since, was one of three triple-A players who arrived in Miami on Tuesday.
Reliever JP Feyereisen was called up, with fellow right-hander Yoendrys Gómez getting designated for assignment.
Starting pitcher Landon Knack also joined the big-league club, and is likely to pitch in the series finale against the Marlins on Wednesday.
“I thought it was just gonna be a little two-day sickness, and that was gonna be it,” Betts said. “Go to Japan. By the time you get there, probably have a day down. Then be fine by the day before the game.”
Looking back on what instead became a two-week ordeal that derailed his opening month to the season, Betts can do nothing but shake his head.
Entering this season, the 32-year-old former MVP was filled with excitement.
After a three-month cameo at shortstop last year, Betts was returning to the position on a full-time basis, confident that the strides he made this winter would lead to stark improvement after last season’s error-filled experiment.
Behind the scenes, Betts felt his swing was in a great place, too, setting high baseline marks in bat speed and quality of contact as he ramped up during spring camp.
“In spring training,” co-hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc said, “he was in a great spot.”
Then, however, his stomach illness changed everything. And more than a month later, the after-effects have continued to linger.
For two weeks, Betts could hardly eat solid foods, failing to keep down the little he did consume. By the time opening day arrived, he had lost nearly 20 pounds — and much of the progress he made over the winter.
“I didn’t realize how coming back so much underweight would affect me even now,” Betts said. “Trying to do that 20 pounds lighter, I just created some really, really, really bad habits, man.”
Throughout his 12-year career, the consistency of Betts’ swing has been the bedrock of his offensive success. Given his wiry 5-foot-10 frame, and naturally below-average bat speed, he’s never had much margin for error or inefficiency in his hitting mechanics. If not for the robotic-like precision he possesses in the batter’s box, he would have never been a seven-time Silver Slugger, or the majors’ most undersized power threat.
“I’m not Shohei,” Betts said. “I can’t, unfortunately, not have my A-swing that day but still run into something and [have it] go over the fence or whatever. Even when I have my A-swing, if I don’t get it, it’s not gonna be a homer. If I don’t flush that ball in that gap, they’re gonna catch it.”
“And that,” Betts added, “is when I’m fully healthy.”
For much of April, he saw what happens when he’s not.
Though Betts long ago returned to full health, as well as his typical 180-pound playing weight, he has only recently started to look more like his old self again at the plate. Entering Tuesday, he was on an eight-game on-base streak. In five of them, he had multiple hits, including a double, a triple and his first home run in 13 games.
The Dodgers’ Mookie Betts singles to left in the first inning of Monday’s game against the Miami Marlins.
(Marta Lavandier / Associated Press)
He’s not all the way back yet, still hitting just .266 on the season. What he bluntly described as a “garbage” opening month, in which batting average dipped as low as .230, remains a source of frustration, even as he has slowly started correcting some underlying issues.
“Mentally, it was challenging [for him],” Van Scoyoc siad. “Just feeling like he didn’t get the benefits of all the hard work [he put in during the offseason].”
In the midst of Betts’ slump, questions emerged about whether his move back to shortstop was having an impact on his bat; whether he could still be the same hitter while taking on a demanding defensive position.
In Betts’ view, however, shortstop has been a blessing, not a burden.
“I enjoy my process,” he said. “That’s the No. 1 thing,”
Recalibrating his swing amid wildly fluctuating weight, on the other hand, has been a more tedious process.
At first, the ill effects of Betts’ two-week illness were not immediately evident. He was sent home from the team’s Japan trip early. But he recovered in time to collect six hits, three of them home runs, during the Dodgers’ undefeated opening homestand.
By the middle of April, Betts was also back to his pre-illness playing weight, having worked with the Dodgers’ performance staff, as well as his own personal trainer and chef, to devise a bulked-up meal plan that maximized his intake of macronutrients.
“We didn’t go the Michael Phelps route,” joked major league development integration coach Brandon McDaniel, referencing the former Olympic swimmer’s notorious 10,000-calorie diet. “But [his weight] stabilized pretty well.”
In that interim period, though, Betts’ bat speed began to suffer. After averaging only 69 mph last year, which ranked in the 13th percentile among MLB hitters according to the league’s Statcast system, it dropped to almost 67 mph during the opening month of this season.
That didn’t come as a surprise to the Dodgers’ hitting coaches, even after Betts’ gain in that metric early on this spring.
“You’re not impacting the ball the same way you were,” the Dodgers’ other hitting coach, Aaron Bates, said, “because you don’t have the weight behind it.”
But as Betts made an effort to try and start swinging harder, all he did was create mechanical flaws he has since had to correct. The biggest issue “had to do with how his arms and hands load, and how that affects the rest of his body,” Van Scoyoc said.
Fixing it has been an uphill battle.
“At first, it was cool. When I first came back, I hit a couple homers. The habits didn’t creep all the way in,” Betts said. “But then they started creeping in. And that’s what you’ve seen here recently. The product of some really bad habits from being so light.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers actually have one of the best records in baseball, but no one seems to be too thrilled by it. Injuries, question marks and hitters not hitting are issues.
Over 22 games from April 2-28, Betts performed nowhere near his eight-time All-Star standards. He batted .202 with just three doubles and one home run. He was swinging at the right pitches (he struck out just nine times in those 98 plate appearances), but managed little more than soft pop-ups and routine groundouts.
“He’s one of those guys that can’t really be that far off [in his mechanics],” Bates said. “When he’s synced up right, he’s one of the best in baseball. But being that he’s 180 pounds, he doesn’t have a lot of margin for error.”
Betts still produced in other ways. Defensively, he is top-10 among MLB shortstops in fielding percentage, defensive runs saved and outs above average.
But as the Dodgers endured a team-wide malaise that plagued them for much of April, Betts’ offensive struggles loomed as a prominent factor.
“Obviously the results haven’t been there,” Betts said. “I’ve been trying to get this bad habit out.”
This past week, it has seemingly started to happen.
Betts entered Tuesday with 12 hits and 10 RBIs during his last eight games. Manager Dave Roberts has noticed “more convicted swipes” in the batter’s box. His bat speed has also started to tick back toward his pre-illness levels.
The Dodgers’ offense, not coincidentally, has improved right along with him — the club scoring 73 runs and hitting .329 as a team over its last nine games.
That’s why, as Betts discussed the state of his game during the Dodgers’ trip this week, he didn’t sound defeated, nor resentful about his physical limitations.
He was looking past his opening month, and an illness that lasted longer than he ever expected.
“It’s hard to get lost in the results. It’s not a good place to be,” he said. “So I’m really trying to just get lost in the process and make sure I’m prepared.”
“On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank Rob for his dedication to the L.A. Kings and the passion he brought to the role,” president Luc Robitaille said in a statement. “Reaching this understanding wasn’t easy and I appreciate Rob’s partnership in always working toward what is best for the Kings.
“Rob deserves a great deal of credit and respect for elevating us to where we are today. He has been an important part of the Kings and will always be appreciated for what he has meant to this franchise.”
The search for a new general manager will begin immediately, the Kings said.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Kings coach Jim Hiller said he hadn’t talked with Robitaille yet regarding his future. Hiller, 55, signed a three-year contract with the Kings last May.
Robitaille is scheduled to to speak Tuesday about the coaching situation and the search for a new general manager.
From Jack Harris: The Dodgers’ biggest player waited for their smallest one in the visiting dugout at LoanDepot Park on Monday night.
There, in a moment of joy captured by television broadcast cameras, the two shared a celebratory mid-game embrace.
Like many Asian-born players of his generation, Hyeseong Kim has long looked up to Shohei Ohtani. At first it was from afar, Kim following the Japanese superstar closely while beginning his own career in the Korean Baseball Organization. Then, this winter, the pair became coincidental training partners, occasionally working out at the same Southern California facility together as Kim (who, like Ohtani, is represented by Creative Artists Agency) prepared for his own move to the major leagues.
And during the top of the fifth inning, the two co-starred in a sequence that put the game out of reach — Kim collecting his first MLB hit on a leadoff single, before Ohtani launched a home run that made the score 5-0.
After Ohtani rounded the bases, Kim was the first to greet him, sharing a high-five near the on-deck circle. Back in the dugout, it was Ohtani’s turn to return the favor, putting his hands on his new teammate’s helmet while cracking a wide smile and jumping up and down.
“Even [though] he hit his home run, he celebrated for me, he gave me congratulations,” Kim said through interpreter Joe Lee, after going two for four with a stolen base. “It was a great honor.”
President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank views Harden as having done a “great job leading the way” while Kawhi Leonard sat out the first 34 games because of right-knee injury management and liked how the team responded to the 16-year veteran.
Frank spoke with reporters at a season-ending news conference Monday about how Harden played in 79 games this season, played the fifth-most total minutes in the NBA (2,789), was fifth in the league in assists (8.7), averaged 22.8 points per game and was the only player this season with 1,500 points, 500 assists, 100 steals and 50 blocks.
Frank did not mention how Harden was underwhelming in the postseason, averaging just 18.7 points per game in the series the Clippers lost to the Nuggets and how he scored just 33 points combined in Games 4, 5 and 7 losses, including seven points in Game 7.
“When it was James this year with no Kawhi, with Norm [Powell] and [Ivica] Zubac and the rest of the group, we really asked James to do a lot,” Frank said via Zoom because he was away with his family at a New York hospital because of a family medical issue.
No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. No. 4 Denver Nuggets Denver 121, at Oklahoma City 119 (box score) Wednesday at Oklahoma City, 6:30 p.m., TNT Friday at Denver, 7 p.m., ESPN Sunday at Denver, 12:30 p.m., ABC Tuesday, May 13 at Oklahoma City, TBD, TNT* Thursday, May 15 at Denver, TBD, ESPN* Sunday, May 18 at Oklahoma City, TBD*
No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 7 Golden State Tuesday at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m., TNT Thursday at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., TNT Saturday at Golden State, 5:30 p.m., ABC Monday at Golden State, 7 p.m., ESPN Wednesday, May 14 at Minnesota, TBD, TNT* Sunday, May 18 at Golden State, TBD* Tuesday, May 20 at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., ESPN*
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 4 Indiana Indiana 121, at Cleveland 112 (box score) Tuesday at Cleveland, 4 p.m., TNT Friday at Indiana, 4:30 p.m., ESPN Sunday at Indiana 5 p.m., TNT Tuesday, May 13 at Cleveland, TBD, TNT* Thursday, May 15 at Indiana, TBD* Sunday, May 18 at Cleveland, TBD*
No. 2 Boston vs. No. 3 New York New York 108, at Boston 105 (OT) (box score) Wednesday at Boston, 4 p.m., TNT Saturday at New York, TBD, ABC Monday at New York, TBD, ESPN Wed., May 14 at Boston, TBD, TNT* Friday, May 16 at New York, TBD, ESPN* Monday, May 19 at Boston, 5 p.m., TNT*
He now has all five golds, all three silvers and both bronzes back in his possession again, after the International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach presented him with replicas Monday during a ceremony at the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland.
In a phone interview with The Times, Hall admitted he got “emotional” at the ceremony over what he considers to be a tremendous gesture by one of the largest governing bodies in sports.
“Just the appreciation — ‘one of our own’ was kind of the sense that I was embraced with,” Hall said. “When tough times happen, you find out who your friends are. And to see this response from the highest level of sport, it makes you feel special. It makes you feel supported, which is so needed at this time. And with the rebuilding process and dealing with incredible loss, that value is tremendous.
Pacific 1 Vegas vs. Pacific 3 Edmonton Tuesday at Vegas, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Thursday at Vegas, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Saturday at Edmonton, 6 p.m., TNT Monday at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m., TNT Wednesday, May 14 at Vegas, TBD, ESPN* Friday, May 16 at Edmonton, TBD, TNT* Sunday, May 18 at Vegas, TBD, TNT*
C1 Winnipeg vs. C2 Dallas Wednesday at Winnipeg, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Friday at Winnipeg, 6:30 p.m., TNT Sunday at Dallas, 1:30 p.m., TBS Tuesday, May 13 at Dallas, 5 p.m., ESPN Thursday, May 15 at Winnipeg, TBD, TNT* Saturday, May 17 at Dallas, TBD* Monday, May 19 at Winnipeg, TBD, ESPN*
Eastern Conference
Atlantic 1 Toronto vs. Atlantic 3 Florida at Toronto 5, Florida 4 (summary) Wednesday at Toronto, 4 p.m., ESPN Friday at Florida, 4 p.m., TNT Sunday at Florida, 4:0 p.m., TBS Wednesday, May 14 at Toronto, TBD, ESPN* Friday, May 16 at Florida, TBD, TNT* Sunday, May 18 at Toronto, TBD, TNT*
Metro 1 Washington vs. Metro 2 Carolina Tuesday at Washington, 4 p.m., ESPN Thursday at Washington, 4 p.m., ESPN Saturday at Carolina, 3 p.m., TNT Monday at Carolina, 4 p.m., TNT Thursday, May 15 at Washington, TBD, TNT* Saturday, May 17 at Carolina, TBD* Monday, May 19 at Washington, TBD, ESPN*
* If necessary
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1895 — African American jockey James “Soup” Perkins guides Halma to a wire-to-wire victory in the Kentucky Derby. The 15-year-old joins fellow African American jockey Alonzo Clayton as the youngest jockey to ride a Derby winner.
1944 — Pensive, ridden by Conn McCreary, wins the Kentucky Derby going away by four and a half lengths ahead of Broadcloth. Pensive, who clocks 2:04.2, is third entering the stretch and wears down Broadcloth and Stir Up.
1967 — 93rd Kentucky Derby: Bobby Ussery on Proud Clarion wins in 2:00.6.
1970 — European Cup Final, San Siro, Milan: Feyenoord beats Celtic, 2-1; first time title won by a Dutch club.
1973 — The New England Whalers beat the Winnipeg Jets 9-6 to win the first World Hockey Association championship.
1976 — Philadelphia’s Reggie Leach ties an NHL playoff record, scoring five goals in the Flyers’ 6-3 win over the Boston Bruins. Maurice Richard and Darryl Sittler also accomplished the feat.
1978 — Affirmed, ridden by Steve Cauthen, holds off Alydar’s late charge for a 1½-length victory in the Kentucky Derby. This is Affirmed’s easiest race against Alydar en route to the Triple Crown.
1988 — Rick Stiner is 6-for-8 with 11 RBIs and three home runs and Matt Hyde is 6-for-9 with two homers and seven RBIs as Grand Canyon College sets a college scoring record with a 45-15 victory over Denver.
1987 — Mario Andretti sets one-lap speed record at Indy at 218.204 MPH.
1991 — Sergei Bubka of the Soviet Union breaks his world outdoor pole vault record and Seppo Raty of Finland smashes the world javelin record during the Toto International Super Track and Field Meet in Japan. Bubka clears 19 feet, 11 inches, breaking his outdoor record of 19-10½. Raty hurls the javelin 301 feet, 9 inches, breaking the world record of 298-6 set.
1992 — Werder Bremen of Germany win 32nd European Cup winner’s Cup against AS Monaco of France 2-0 in Lisbon.
1994 — Lennox Lewis TKOs Phil Jackson in 8 for heavyweight boxing title.
2000 — Fusaichi Pegasus, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, is the first favorite to win Kentucky Derby since 1979. Fusaichi Pegasus pays $6.60, becoming the first favorite to win the race since Spectacular Bid.
2001 — Scott Dixon, a 20-year-old rookie, becomes the youngest winner in major open-wheel racing when he holds off Kenny Brack by 0.366 seconds to capture the CART Lehigh Valley Grand Prix.
2006 — Barbaro storms into the lead at the top of the stretch and wins the Kentucky Derby victory convincingly. Barbaro, ridden by Edgar Prado, wins his sixth consecutive race 6½ lengths ahead of Bluegrass Cat and is the sixth undefeated winner of the Derby.
2006 — Phoenix is the eighth team in NBA history to win a series after trailing 3-1 with a 121-90 victory over Lakers in Game 7 of its Western Conference opening-round series.
2010 — Johan Franzen scores a natural hat trick in a 3:26 span of the first period, scores a fourth goal in the third, and sets a Red Wings playoff record with six points as Detroit stays alive with a 7-1 rout of the San Jose Sharks in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals.
2011 — James Hylton, at age 76, becomes the oldest driver to make the field in NASCAR’s top three series by qualifying for the Nationwide event at Darlington Raceway. Hylton surpasses his own mark for racing longevity set three years ago when the then-73-year-old started the Nationwide event at Daytona.
2012 — Dustin Brown scores two goals and the eighth-seeded Kings finish an improbable four-game sweep of the St. Louis Blues with a 3-1 victory, advancing to the conference finals. The Kings become the first No. 8 seed in NHL history to eliminate their conference’s top two seeds in the same postseason. After steamrolling past top-seeded Vancouver and second-seeded St. Louis with eight wins in nine games.
2018 — Marc-Andre Fleury makes 28 saves in his fourth shutout of the playoffs and the expansion Vegas Golden Knights are headed to the Western Conference Final in their inaugural season after beating the San Jose Sharks 3-0 in Game 6 of their second-round series. Vegas becomes the third team in NHL history to win multiple series in its first season.
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1917 — Bob Groom of the Browns duplicated teammate Ernie Koob’s feat of the previous day by pitching a 3-0 no-hit victory against the Chicago White Sox in the second game of a doubleheader in St. Louis.
1934 — Carl Reynolds, Moose Solters, Rick Ferrell and Bucky Walters hit four consecutive triples in a 12-run fourth inning for the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, en route to a 14-4 win over the Detroit Tigers.
1941 — In his last game before entering the U.S. military, Detroit’s Hank Greenberg hit two home runs with three RBIs to help the Tigers to a 7-4 victory over the New York Yankees.
1951 — Cliff Chambers of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitched a 3-0 no-hitter in the second game of a doubleheader against the Braves in Boston.
1953 — Bobo Holloman of the St. Louis Browns pitched a 6-0 no-hitter against the Philadelphia Athletics in his first major league start. He never pitched another complete game in the majors.
1955 — Roberto Clemente crashes Willie Mays’s birthday party in his second visit to the Polo Grounds, by banging a 430-foot triple over the birthday boy’s head in the midst of a decisive rally in a 3-2 Pirate win over the Giants.
1968 — San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Lindy McDaniel sets a National League record playing his 225th consecutive game without committing an error. The streak includes 108 chances handled successfully since June 16, 1964.
1974 — Oakland Athletics pitcher Paul Lindblad’s major league streak of 385 consecutive games without committing an error comes to an end when he makes an errant throw in a 6-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
1982 — Gaylord Perry of the Seattle Mariners became the 15th major league pitcher with 300 victories when he defeated the New York Yankees 7-3 at the Kingdome.
1984 — Cal Ripken of the Baltimore Orioles hit for the cycle in a 6-1 win over the Texas Rangers. Ripken completed the cycle with a solo homer in the ninth.
1994 — Anthony Young won as a starter for the first time in more than two years as the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-1. The win ended Young’s 29-game losing streak as a starter. Young’s previous win as a starter came on April 9, 1992 with the New York Mets.
1998 — Rookie Kerry Wood tied the major league record with 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game, pitching a one-hitter to lead the Chicago Cubs over the Houston Astros 2-0.
2005 — San Diego’s Trevor Hoffman became the third pitcher in major league history to reach 400 saves in the Padres’ 6-5 victory over St. Louis. Hoffman joined Lee Smith (478) and John Franco (424) in the 400-save club.
2007 — Hideki Matsui doubles to left in an at-bat against Jarrod Washburn. It is his 2,000th hit between Major League Baseball and Nippon Pro Baseball.
2012 — The Baltimore Orioles completed a three-game sweep at Boston with a 9-6 win in 17 innings. In the first major league game since 1925 in which both teams put a position player on the mound, Baltimore designated hitter Chris Davis overcame an awful 0-for-8 day at the plate by pitching two scoreless innings and getting the win over Darnell McDonald, an outfielder Boston called upon once the Red Sox bullpen was also depleted. Adam Jones hit a three-run homer in the top of the 17th off McDonald.
2012 — Albert Pujols finally hits his first American League homer, breaking the longest homerless drought of his career, when he connects off the Blue Jays’ Drew Hutchison with a runner on in the 5th inning of the Angels’ 4-3 win.
2015 — OF Bryce Harper has the first three-homer game of his career in leading the Nationals to a 7 – 5 win over the Marlins.
2021 — The Angels designate for assignment veteran slugger Albert Pujols, for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release. Pujols is in the last season of a ten-year, $253-million contract, but his production has declined significantly in recent years and he has become a bench player of late. The 41-year-old Pujols is the active leader in games played, hits, home runs and RBIs. He states that he hopes to find another team that will give him a shot at a starting job. The Dodgers will take him on board in a few days.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. My name is EricSondheimer. May Madness has arrived in high school sports, the final month of the 2024-25 season.
Month of championships
Corona High’s Seth Hernandez.
(Jerry Soifer)
Get ready for a month of section, regional and state championships as the 2024-25 sports season comes to a close.
Dodger Stadium will be the site for the City Section baseball championships on May 24. It remains the most special destination every season for lucky City players who make it. El Camino Real, Birmingham and Venice are the early contenders.
Cal State Fullerton or Blair Field will host the Southern Section baseball finals May 30-31. Someone will have to eliminate Corona to win it all in Division 1. Pitcher Seth Hernandez has an astounding 88 strikeouts and just three walks in 42 1/3 innings. Make sure you take an afternoon off to see him pitch before he’s taken No. 1 or No. 2 in this summer’s amateur draft. He has a 98-mph fastball.
The Southern Section track and field prelims take place this weekend. There are so many male and female runners ready to unleash their best performances in the coming weeks leading up to the state championships at the end of the month at Buchanan High in Clovis.
Prepare for a month of excitement, surprises, tears of happiness and tears of disappointment.
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Baseball
Crespi coach Mike Glendenning (right) got to celebrate a Mission League championship on Friday.
(Craig Weston)
Crespi clinched the Mission League championship by winning two of three games over Harvard-Westlake. Catcher Landon Hodge was impressive hitting. Sophomore Mikey Martinez turned in a stellar relief performance. Nate Lopez came through in the clutch. Here’s a report.
To get you ready for Game 3 of Crespi vs. Harvard-Westlake today at O’Malley Family Field, a look back at Landon Hodge’s two-run home run on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/GsG85jc0QJ
Santa Margarita claimed the Trinity League’s final automatic playoff berth with a win over Servite on Friday.
Arcadia wrapped up an unbeaten Pacific League season. Summit has won 19 consecutive games. Norco ended Big VIII League play with 11 wins in its last 12 games.
Birmingham dropped two games to Granada Hills in the West Valley League, which means the Patriots must sweep El Camino Real in a two-game series this week to win the title. El Camino Real has a one-game lead and is on a 12-game league winning streak.
Venice lost a nonleague game to San Pedro to drop to 24-2 but is unbeaten in the Western League. City Section pairings will be announced Saturday with Southern Section pairings Sunday.
RED ALERT! IN BIG LETTERS. Batting practice is illegal for the Southern Section baseball playoffs. No excuses. Read it or weep. The MEMO! Don’t forfeit because of stupidity. pic.twitter.com/QWvObvWR8q
It’s time for the annual warning that seems to be ignored yearly. Batting practice before Southern Section playoff games is not allowed and could result in forfeits. Parents and coaches have been known to break out their cameras to take video to prove the illegality. And protests must be made before the first pitch to the umpire. Then it’s up to the Southern Section to decide if the violation is deserving of a forfeit. Good luck and make sure your video is clear.
Softball
Orange Lutheran has clinched the Trinity League championship. Kai Minor leads the team with 40 hits, a .488 batting average and 31 RBIs.
It’s been a wild season in the Crestview League, where Garden Grove Pacifica (7-4) is trying to hold off El Modena (7-5), Anaheim Canyon (6-5) and Cypress (6-5).
Norco has clinched the Big VIII League title but lost for only the third time all season in a 7-4 defeat to Eastvale Roosevelt.
Rosary is 24-2-1 and 9-0 in the Pacific Coast League. Sophomore Jenna Caldera is hitting .570 with 49 hits.
In the City Section, San Pedro (7-0) has a two-game lead over defending City champion Carson (5-2) in the Marine League. Dahlia Davila is batting .509.
Granada Hills has a two-game lead over Birmingham in the West Valley League and is 21-3.
Track
Demare Dezeurn of Bishop Alemany finishes up running 10.32 seconds in the 100 meters at the Mission League finals.
(Craig Weston)
Demare Dezeurn said he runs track to help his receiving skills in football.
“This is for football to get me faster,” he said before running the 100 meters at the Thursday’s Mission League track and field finals Thursday at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.
His coach at Bishop Alemany, Terrell Stanley, said he gave Dezeurn permission to run a fast time. Dezeurn then ran a wind legal 10.32 seconds, second fastest in the state. Here’s the report.
Rodney Sermons ran a wind-aided 10.30 100 meters at the Baseline League finals.
The Trinity League finals were filled with top performances. Servite set a meet record in the 4×100 relay at 40.48.
At the Trinity League Finals, Alden Morales of @JSerraTF flies to victory in the boys 800 in 1:51.97 as the Lions have FIVE athletes break 1:55.75! The league sends TEN (!!!) athletes into CIF in the event! Ohhh Myyy!! pic.twitter.com/tzsjySe1As
Servite freshman Jaelen Hunter broke the meet record in the 400 at 46.32. There were nine runners who broke 11 seconds in the boys 100 with Servite’s Benjamin Harris running 10.45. Santa Margarita’s Leo Francis ran the 200 in 20.99. Eden Murray of Mater Dei won the girls 100 in 12.08
Beach volleyball
Redondo Union teammates congratulate Bella Jones (far right) after her championship-winning kill Saturday against league rival Mira Costa that clinched the Southern Section girls’ beach volleyball title.
(Steve Galluzzo / For the Times)
Rivals Mira Costa and Redondo Union faced off for the Southern Section Division 1 championship, and Redondo upset the top-seeded Mustangs in matches filled with drama. Here’s the report.
Venice won the City Section championship. Here’s the report.
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Braun Levi was a standout tennis player at Loyola.
(Steve Galluzzo)
Tragedy struck the Loyola High community with the death of tennis standout Braun Levi, the team’s captain who was killed in a traffic accident. He’s the report. . . .
The Southern Section baseball championship games will be played May 30 and 31 at Cal State Fullerton and Blair Field in Long Beach. . . .
Orange Lutheran has hired Nate Klitzing as its new boys basketball coach. He had been at Crean Lutheran for seven years and is a former Orange Lutheran assistant. . . .
Debbie Shaffer has resigned as tennis coach at Mater Dei. . . .
A new rule change coming for girls flag football: You’re going to need punt. Start recruiting girls soccer players who can punt. No rushing the punter.
Savannah Seiler is the new girls basketball coach at Edison. . . .
Quarterback Derek Garcia from Ventura has committed to UNLV. . . .
Jeremiah Soifer, who was a longtime high school sportswriter during his days with the Riverside Press-Enterprise and recently inducted into the Norco High Hall of Fame, died last week. He was 80. He became a photographer in retirement. . . .
Former Oaks Christian running back Marc Tyler is the school’s first girls flag football coach.
Nathan Santa Cruz, a 400-meter runner at Venice, has committed to Cal Poly Poly. He was the player who came back from a serious football injury in 2022 that required brain surgery. . . .
Standout guard Isaiah Bennett from AGBU has committed to the University of La Verne. . . .
Junior receiver Luc Weaver of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame has committed to USC. He ran a 10.68 100 meters at the Mission League track finals. . . .
Mater Dei pitcher Brandon Thomas has committed to Fresno State. . . .
Former Iowa wrestler Charles Matthews is the new wrestling coach at San Clemente. . . .
Brothers Bear and Tiger Bachmeier are transferring from Stanford to BYU for football. They were standouts at Murrieta Valley.
From the archives: Roman Martin
Roman Martin of Servite in 2022.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Former Servite infielder Roman Martin has become a standout in his sophomore season at UCLA.
He entered this week hitting .300 with 45 hits, three home runs and 33 RBIs.
He’s part of a Servite contingent that has been performing well for UCLA, including Jarrod Hocking and Chris Grotheus.
From the Los Angeles Times, a story on Dodgers manager Dave Roberts adopting the Palisades baseball team and helping out the program after the school and field became unavailable after the Palisades fire.
From the Washington Post, a story on how Maryland is known for lacrosse but one county is playing catch up.
From Floridatoday, a story on high school football coaches hoping for a raise.
Tweets you might have missed
🏆🎮Congratulations to all the 2025 CIF Esports Initiative Champions!
League of Legends Champ – Rowland HS Rocket League Champ – Franklin HS, L.A. Super Smash Bros Ultimate Blue Division Champ – West HS, Torrance Super Smash Bros Ultimate Gold Division Champ – West Covina HS pic.twitter.com/8OKpV5wLqo
— Loyola High Athletics (@LoyolaAthletics) April 30, 2025
The class of 2029 in high school baseball is supposed to be a good one and Harvard-Westlake is getting three pitchers/hitters already 6-3 or taller: Louis Lappe, Mateo Meir, Nate Englander.
Congratulations to Van Nuys High School (Most improved GPA) and John F Kennedy High School (Highest GPA) for being our academic challenge winners. pic.twitter.com/MS3HRbZO5b
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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ATLANTA — The Dodgers had the right runner on base, but the wrong matchups at the plate.
And, in a sign of what’s perhaps been their biggest roster vulnerability early on this season, manager Dave Roberts had no way to alter the situation.
After trailing by four runs to the Atlanta Braves early on Sunday night, the Dodgers positioned themselves for a potential comeback in the top of the ninth.
With the deficit down to one, Andy Pages stayed alive in a two-strike count for a leadoff infield single. Rookie speedster Hyeseong Kim then entered the game as a pinch-runner and wreaked instant havoc on the bases, stealing second off Braves closer Raisel Iglesias before daringly dashing to third when a dropped third strike was being thrown to first.
“That was great,” Roberts said of Kim’s speed on the bases. “That was exciting.”
Infielder Miguel Rojas came up and fanned on three straight changeups. In the next at-bat, backup catcher Austin Barnes chased a two-strike slider that was down and off the plate, ending the game with a strikeout as Shohei Ohtani loomed on deck.
It was a reminder that, for all the strengths the Dodgers have built with their $400-million payroll this year, the depth of their offense has thus far been a weakness.
Which is why, in the two most important at-bats of Sunday night’s game, Roberts had no other choice than to let Rojas and Barnes — in right-on-right matchups that were always unlikely to be successful — step up to the plate.
“We put ourselves in a great position,” Rojas said. “Kim did an amazing job coming off the bench, stealing that bag. And I couldn’t deliver.”
On the whole this season, the Dodgers’ lineup balance hasn’t been much of a problem. The superstars at the top of their order have gradually heated up after relatively slow starts. An offense that slumped through much of April now ranks third in the majors in scoring.
Still, the bottom half of the team’s batting order hasn’t been productive. Entering Monday, the team still had four hitters batting .200 or worse. Six were stuck with an OPS below .700. Even with recent improvements from the likes of Pages and Max Muncy, the club’s .211 batting average and .647 OPS from the Nos. 6-9 spots in the order ranked in the bottom third of the majors. And though they are seven-for-16 in pinch-hit situations, none of those knocks have come from a lefty.
The Los Angeles Dodgers actually have one of the best records in baseball, but no one seems to be too thrilled by it. Injuries, question marks and hitters not hitting are issues.
In the big picture, it’s a problem the Dodgers will have to monitor this year.
Down the stretch of Sunday, they saw just how costly it could be.
Roberts first had to dip into his bench in the seventh inning, pinch-hitting Rojas for Michael Conforto as the Braves brought left-handed reliever Dylan Lee into the game.
Hitting for Conforto, the $17-million offseason signing the Dodgers were anticipating a bounceback season from, is something Roberts acknowledged he didn’t expect to do much this year. But after opening the season with a six-game hitting streak, the veteran slugger has been frozen in the deepest of slumps.
Since April 4, Conforto is batting a stunning .088, with as many hits (six, all singles) as double-play grounders. His two strikeouts earlier Sunday — both looking, a strangely common occurrence for him early this year — left him 0 for his last 29.
“He’s grinding,” Roberts said. “I just felt that Miggy had a better chance in that moment.”
That move worked, with Rojas capitalizing on the right-left advantage for his first home run of the season; and second pinch-hit homer from any Dodger this year.
But when Rojas’ spot came back up in a far less advantageous matchup against Iglesias in the ninth, Roberts had no more cards to play.
Entering the ninth, Roberts had one primary goal: Get starting catcher Will Smith, who was getting a scheduled day out of the starting lineup Sunday, to the plate with a chance to have an impact on the game.
After Pages’ leadoff single, Roberts pulled the trigger. Rather than wait for Barnes’ turn to come up later in the inning, he pinch-hit Smith for Kiké Hernández with one out.
Smith ultimately struck out, but not before Kim — who was called up for his MLB debut the previous day after signing out of South Korea this offseason — had scooted to the other corner of the diamond with his steal of second base and aggressive break for third.
“That’s an instinctual play,” Roberts said, praising Kim for reading catcher Drake Baldwin’s soft throw to first on a dropped third-strike that nearly changed the game.
“For him to get the jump that he did and then to get over there to third base … that just shows that he’s got really good instincts.”
Unfortunately for the Dodgers, they couldn’t advance him all the way home.
As Rojas and Barnes came up, the only player left on the team’s bench was Chris Taylor, another right-handed hitter who has taken a grand total of 20 at-bats all season.
Roberts considered calling for a squeeze bunt from Rojas, but was wary of the Braves infield playing in.
“I just thought that Miguel could put the ball in play and give us a chance to tie the game up,” Roberts said.
He couldn’t. Neither could Barnes. And as the game ended, the Dodgers’ offensive depth concerns became all the more clear.
Most nights, of course, this is all unlikely to matter. But on any given night, it could.
That’s why, as the Dodgers take stock of the first part of this season, lineup depth remains a primary concern. On Sunday, it cost them an opportunity to steal a win from the Braves.
“It’s going to be huge,” the Dodgers right-hander said earlier this spring. “Being able to land that is probably going to be my biggest thing for the whole year.”
Lately, however, he’s learning there’s a flip side to that coin, as well.
For as good as May’s Frisbee-esque breaking ball looked, when he returned from a nearly two-year absence by giving up just two earned runs in his first three starts, the pitch has been more inconsistent in the three outings since, dragging May’s overall performance down with it.
In a 4-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday at Truist Park, it was two bad sweepers — both to Braves slugger Austin Riley — that sank May on a night the Dodgers saw their seven-game winning streak stopped.
In the first inning, May had two strikes against Riley before throwing a sweeper up and over the plate. Riley launched it to left for a two-run homer.
In the third, May tried his sweeper again against Riley, throwing it over the outer edge of the plate in a 1-and-1 count. But Riley was on it once more, belting another two-run blast that gave the Braves an early 4-0 lead.
From Broderick Turner: Don’t tell the Clippers they overachieved this season based on preseason NBA predictions that had them vying for a play-in spot in the uber-competitive Western Conference because Kawhi Leonard started the season dealing with right knee injury management and Paul George had bolted to the 76ers.
Don’t tell the Clippers they exceeded expectations with a 50-32 record and a fifth seed in the West despite odds against that happening.
They always viewed themselves in a different light and refused to listen to the “outside noise” that pointed to the Clippers finishing in the bottom half of the conference.
By losing to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs, the Clippers failed to achieve their goals for the season.
“Whether you overachieve or not, when you lose in the playoffs, it’s tough,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said after the team’s 120-101 loss in Game 7 on Saturday. “And, so, I feel bad. … Our players feel bad. Like I said, that’s all you think about is this game. You’re not thinking about the season. You’re just thinking about things you could have done better when we got to this point and it’s frustrating to go out like this. So, how I feel, I’m pissed off.”
No. 3 Lakers vs. No. 6 Minnesota Minnesota 117, at Lakers 95 (box score) at Lakers 94, Minnesota 85 (box score) at Minnesota 116, Lakers 104 (box score) at Minnesota 116, Lakers 113 (box score) Minnesota 103, at Lakers 96 (box score)
No. 4 Denver vs. No. 5 Clippers at Denver 112, Clippers 110 (OT) (box score) Clippers 105, at Denver 102 (box score) at Clippers 117, Denver 83 (box score) Denver 101, at Clippers 99 (box score) at Denver 131, Clippers 115 (box score) at Clippers 111, Denver 105 (box score) at Denver 120, Clippers 101 (box score)
No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. No. 8 Memphis at Oklahoma City 131, Memphis 80 (box score) at Oklahoma City 118, Memphis 99 (box score) Oklahoma City 114, at Memphis 108 (box score) Oklahoma City 117, at Memphis 115 (box score)
No. 2 Houston vs. No. 7 Golden State Golden State 95, at Houston 85 (box score) at Houston 109, Golden State 94 (box score) at Golden State 104, Houston 93 (box score) at Golden State 109, Houston 106 (box score) at Houston 131, Golden State 116 (box score) Houston 115, at Golden State 107 (box score) Sunday at Houston (box score)
Eastern Conference No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 8 Miami at Cleveland 121, Miami 100 (box score) at Cleveland 121, Miami 112 (box score) Cleveland 124, at Miami 87 (box score) Cleveland 138, at Miami 83 (box score)
No. 2 Boston vs. No. 7 Orlando at Boston 103, Orlando 86 (box score) at Boston 109, Orlando 100 (box score) at Orlando 95, Boston 93 (box score) Boston 107, at Orlando 98 (box score) at Boston 120, Orlando 89 (box score)
No. 3 New York vs. No. 6 Detroit at New York 123, Detroit 112 (box score) Detroit 100, at New York 94 (box score) New York 118, at Detroit 116 (box score) New York 94, at Detroit 93 (box score) Detroit 106, at New York 103 (box score) New York 116, at Detroit 113 (box score)
No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 5 Milwaukee at Indiana 117, Milwaukee 98 (box score) at Indiana 123, Milwaukee 115 (box score) at Milwaukee 117, Indiana 101 (box score) Indiana 129, at Milwaukee 103 (box score) at Indiana 119, Milwaukee 118 (OT) (box score)
* if necessary
Conference semifinals
Western Conference
No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. No. 4 Denver Nuggets Monday at Oklahoma City, 6:30 p.m., TNT Wednesday at Oklahoma City, 6:30 p.m., TNT Friday at Denver, 7 p.m., ESPN Sunday at Denver, 12:30 p.m., ABC Tuesday, May 13 at Oklahoma City, TBD, TNT* Thursday, May 15 at Denver, TBD, ESPN* Sunday, May 18 at Oklahoma City, TBD*
No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 7 Golden State Tuesday at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m., TNT Thursday at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., TNT Saturday at Golden State, 5:30 p.m., ABC Monday, May 12 at Golden State, 7 p.m., ESPN Wednesday, May 14 at Minnesota, TBD, TNT* Sunday, May 18 at Golden State, TBD* Tuesday, May 20 at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., ESPN*
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 4 Indiana Indiana 121, at Cleveland 112 (box score) Tuesday at Cleveland, 4 p.m., TNT Friday at Indiana, 4:30 p.m., ESPN Sunday at Indiana 5 p.m., TNT Tuesday, May 13 at Cleveland, TBD, TNT* Thursday, May 15 at Indiana, TBD* Sunday, May 18 at Cleveland, TBD*
No. 2 Boston vs. No. 3 New York Monday at Boston, 4 p.m., TNT Wednesday at Boston, 4 p.m., TNT Saturday at New York, TBD, ABC Monday, May 12 at New York, TBD, ESPN Wed., May 14 at Boston, TBD, TNT* Friday, May 16 at New York, TBD, ESPN* Monday, May 19 at Boston, 5 p.m., TNT*
*if necessary
ANGELS
Trey Sweeney and Kerry Carpenter each homered and had four hits, and they combined to drive in 11 runs as the Detroit Tigers pounded the Angels13-1 on Sunday to win three of four in the series.
After Sweeney singled in the first run off Jack Kochanowicz (1-5) in the second inning, Carpenter made it 3-0 with a two-run double to the right-field wall that Jo Adell kept inside the park but couldn’t catch.
Zach Neto had two hits and drove in the lone run for the Angels. Kochanowicz was tagged for five runs in five innings.
The Angels, last in the AL West, are 1-3 to begin a 10-game homestand.
Galaxy defender Maya Yoshida had the only score on Sunday night. Unfortunately, it was an own goal that led to a 1-0 victory for Sporting Kansas City — continuing the worst start by a defending champion in league history.
Texas Christian’s Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno came from behind to win the final match on Sunday as the second-seeded Horned Frogs wrapped up their first NCAA women’s beach volleyball championship with a 3-2 victory over No. 4 seed Loyola Marymount.
TCU (32-5) is the first school other than USC and UCLA to win the title. The Trojans won the first two and the previous four, while the Bruins won two straight in 2018-19.
Alvarez and Moreno, who took a year off to play in the Olympics, returned to finish unbeaten in four years as a duo. Alvarez and Moreno dropped the first game 18-21 to LMU’s Michelle Shaffer and Anna Pelloia before rallying to win the final two 21-15 and 15-6.
From Sam Farmer: Although it felt at times there was only one quarterback in last weekend’s NFL draft — the slip-sliding Shedeur Sanders who tumbled to the fifth round — there were actually 14 selected over the three days. That’s tied for the most taken in a draft since 2016.
Considering the impact of last year’s class, which included Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix and Bo Nix, each of those quarterbacks drafted this year has to be encouraged that the window of opportunity is more than cracked open.
To get a better understanding about some of these players, the Los Angeles Times spoke to quarterback analysts Rick Neuheisel and Greg Cosell, who spend countless hours studying the position and prospects.
From Anthony De Leon: On the Dignity Health Sports Park concourse, a group of men sat with drinks in hand, laughing and soaking in the final day of the Rugby Sevens World Championship. Their trip from Cornwall, in southwest England, to Carson spanned 5,408 miles, all for the sole purpose of cheering on Britain.
Donning custom button-up shirts with matching shorts, they proudly pointed out the emblems pressed onto their kits — symbols of home. Their outfits featured a Union Jack, a classic Cornish mining engine house and scones topped with jam first, then cream — the only proper way, they insisted, while chastising anyone who did it differently, much like their intolerable cousins from the neighboring county of Devon.
The getaway to L.A. wasn’t so much a planned excursion as it was a series of phone calls between seven childhood friends, all contingent on getting approval from their wives. Unfortunately, the group was greeted with back-to-back dreary, overcast afternoons instead of the trademark California sunshine. Still, the weather didn’t dampen the fun.
“That’s what we like about sevens — it goes all day,” said Jason Penprase, referring to the raucous atmosphere and rapid pace. “It’s good that we actually get to see nations that you wouldn’t necessarily associate with rugby. … You get to see other nations come forward and play. … It’s got to be good [for the games]. You’re trying to make it a worldwide sport.”
Western Conference Pacific 3 Edmonton vs. Pacific 2 Kings at Kings 6, Edmonton 5 (summary) at Kings 6, Edmonton 2 (summary) at Edmonton 7, Kings 4 (summary) at Edmonton 4, Kings 3 (OT) (summary) Edmonton 3, at Kings 1 (summary) at Edmonton 6, Kings 4 (summary)
Wild-card 2 St. Louis vs. Central 1 Winnipeg at Winnipeg 5, St. Louis 3 (summary) Winnipeg 2, St. Louis 1 (summary) at St. Louis 7, Winnipeg 2 (summary) at St. Louis 5, Winnipeg 1 (summary) at Winnipeg 5, St. Louis 3 (summary) at St. Louis 5, Winnipeg 2 (summary) at Winnipeg 4, St. Louis 3 (2 OT) (summary)
Central 3 Colorado vs. Central 2 Dallas Colorado 5, at Dallas 1 (summary) at Dallas 4, Colorado 3 (summary) Dallas 2, at Colorado 1 (OT) (summary) at Colorado 4, Dallas 0 (summary) at Dallas 6, Colorado 2 (summary) Thursday at Colorado (summary) at Dallas 4, Colorado 2 (summary)
Wild-card 1 Minnesota vs. Pacific 1 Vegas at Vegas 4, Minnesota 2 (summary) Minnesota 5, at Vegas 2 (summary) at Minnesota 5, Vegas 2 (summary) Vegas 4, at Minnesota 3 (OT) (summary) at Vegas 3, Minnesota 2 (OT) (summary) Vegas 3, at Minnesota 2 (summary)
Eastern Conference
Wild-card 2 Ottawa vs. Atlantic 1 Toronto at Toronto 6, Ottawa 2 (summary) at Toronto 3, Ottawa 2 (summary) Toronto 3, at Ottawa 2 (OT) (summary) at Ottawa 4, Toronto 3 (OT) (summary) Ottawa 4, at Toronto 0 (summary) Toronto 4, at Ottawa 2 (summary)
Atlantic 3 Florida vs. Atlantic 2 Tampa Bay Florida 6, at Tampa Bay 2 (summary) Florida 2, at Tampa Bay 0 (summary) Tampa Bay 5, at Florida 1 (summary) at Florida 4, Tampa Bay 2 (summary) Florida 6, at Tampa Bay 3 (summary)
Wild-card 2 Montreal vs. Metropolitan 1 Washington at Washington 3, Montreal 2 (OT) (summary) at Washington 3, Montreal 1 (summary) at Montreal 6, Washington 3 (summary) Washington 5, at Montreal 2 (summary) at Washington 4, Montreal 1 (summary)
Metropolitan 3 New Jersey vs. Metropolitan 2 Carolina at Carolina 4, New Jersey 1 (summary) at Carolina 3, New Jersey 1 (summary) at New Jersey 3, Carolina 2 (2 OT) (summary) Carolina 5, at New Jersey 2 (summary) at Carolina 5, New Jersey 4 (2 OT) (summary)
Conference semifinals
Pacific 1 Vegas vs. Pacific 3 Edmonton Tuesday at Vegas, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Thursday at Vegas, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Saturday at Edmonton, 6 p.m., TNT Monday, May 12 at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m., TNT Wednesday, May 14 at Vegas, TBD, ESPN* Friday, May 16 at Edmonton, TBD, TNT* Sunday, May 18 at Vegas, TBD, TNT*
C1 Winnipeg vs. C2 Dallas Wednesday at Winnipeg, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Friday at Winnipeg, 6:30 p.m., TNT Sunday at Dallas, 1:30 p.m., TBS Tuesday, May 13 at Dallas, 5 p.m., ESPN Thursday, May 15 at Winnipeg, TBD, TNT* Saturday, May 17 at Dallas, TBD* Monday, May 19 at Winnipeg, TBD, ESPN*
Eastern Conference
Atlantic 1 Toronto vs. Atlantic 3 Florida Monday at Toronto, 5 p.m., ESPN Wednesday at Toronto, 4 p.m., ESPN Friday at Florida, 4 p.m., TNT Sunday at Florida, 4:0 p.m., TBS Wednesday, May 14 at Toronto, TBD, ESPN* Friday, May 16 at Florida, TBD, TNT* Sunday, May 18 at Toronto, TBD, TNT*
Metro 1 Washington vs. Metro 2 Carolina Tuesday at Washington, 4 p.m., ESPN Thursday at Washington, 4 p.m., ESPN Saturday at Carolina, 3 p.m., TNT Monday, May 12 at Carolina, 4 p.m., TNT Thursday, May 15 at Washington, TBD, TNT* Saturday, May 17 at Carolina, TBD* Monday, May 19 at Washington, TBD, ESPN*
* If necessary
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1904 — Cy Young of the Red Sox pitches a perfect game against the Philadelphia Athletics, beating Rube Waddell 3-0.
1908 — 34th Kentucky Derby: Arthur Pickens aboard 66-1 chance Stone Street wins in muddy track conditions; 2:15.20 slowest Derby in history.
1934 — Cavalcade wins the Kentucky Derby by more than three lengths over Discovery. It’s his third victory in less than two weeks.
1949 — Detroit Tigers second baseman Charlie Gehringer is elected in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1966 — The Montreal Canadiens beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 to win the Stanley Cup in six games.
1969 — The Boston Celtics beat the Lakers 107-102 in the seventh game to win the NBA championship for the 10th time in 11 years. Player-coach Bill Russell and Sam Jones retire as players.
1969 — Milwaukee Bucks sign #1 NBA Draft pick, star UCLA center Lew Alcindor.
1973 — Secretariat, ridden by Ron Turcotte, wins the Kentucky Derby with a record time of 1:59.2. Secretariat beats Sham by 2½ lengths and goes on to win the Triple Crown.
1978 — Pete Rose of the Reds becomes the 14th player with 3,000 hits, singling in the fifth inning against Montreal’s Steve Rogers at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium.
1993 — Canisius beats Niagara 11-1 in softball to set an NCAA Division I record with 34 straight wins.
2001 — Monarchos wins the Kentucky Derby carrying Jorge Chavez across the finish line in 1:59 4-5, only two-fifths of a second off the track record set by Secretariat en route to the Triple Crown in 1973. Monarchos finishes a dominating 4¾ lengths over Invisible Ink.
2007 — Street Sense, ridden by Calvin Borel, roars from next-to-last in a 20-horse field to win the Kentucky Derby by 2 1-2 lengths over Hard Spun.
2007 — Floyd Mayweather Jr. beats Oscar De La Hoya in one of the richest fights. Mayweather, with superb defensive skills and superior speed, wins a 12-round split decision and the WBC 154-pound title in his first fight at that weight. The sellout crowd of 16,200 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas sets a record $19 million gate.
2012 — I’ll Have Another catches Bodemeister down the stretch and pulls away in the final furlong to win the Kentucky Derby. Jockey Mario Gutierrez, riding in his first Derby, guides the 3-year-old colt to a 1½-length victory in front of a Derby-record crowd of 165,307.
2012 — English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (89,102): Chelsea beats Liverpool, 2–1; Didier Drogba scores winner for Blues’ 7th title.
2013 — LeBron James is the overwhelming choice as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. The Miami star gets 120 of 121 first-place votes in this year’s balloting, giving him the award for the fourth time.
2017 — Corey Perry scores 6:57 into the second overtime after the Ducks rally from a three-goal deficit in the final minutes of regulation, completing a spectacular 4-3 comeback win over the Edmonton Oilers. Rickard Rakell scores the tying goal with 15 seconds left in regulation to cap a stunning sequence of three goals in just over three minutes, all with goalie John Gibson pulled for an extra attacker.
2018 — Justify splashes through the slop to win the Kentucky Derby by 2½ lengths, becoming the first colt in 136 years to wear the roses after not racing as a 2-year-old. The colt that began his racing career in February improves to 4-0 and gives trainer Bob Baffert his fifth Derby victory. Jockey Mike Smith earns his second Derby victory as the 5-2 favorite in the field of 20.
2021 — John Means of the Baltimore Orioles pitches a no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners, 6-0 at T-Mobile Park, Seattle.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
ATLANTA — Dustin May knew how key his sweeper would be this season.
“It’s going to be huge,” the Dodgers right-hander said earlier this spring. “Being able to land that is probably going to be my biggest thing for the whole year.”
Lately, however, he’s learning there’s a flip side to that coin, as well.
For as good as May’s Frisbee-esque breaking ball looked, when he returned from a nearly two-year absence by giving up just two earned runs in his first three starts, the pitch has been more inconsistent in the three outings since, dragging May’s overall performance down with it.
In a 4-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday at Truist Park, it was two bad sweepers — both to Braves slugger Austin Riley — that sank May on a night the Dodgers saw their seven-game winning streak stopped.
In the first inning, May had two strikes against Riley before throwing a sweeper up and over the plate. Riley launched it to left for a two-run homer.
In the third, May tried his sweeper again against Riley, throwing it over the outer edge of the plate in a 1-and-1 count. But Riley was on it once more, belting another two-run blast that gave the Braves an early 4-0 lead.
Outside of those pitches, May was mostly effective. He got through 5 ⅔ innings. He struck out six batters. He didn’t give up any other runs.
But for this new version of May — who, in search of better health after two major elbow surgeries, has dialed back on his fastball velocity and drastically dropped the arm angle of his already somewhat side-arm delivery — even a couple of misplaced mistakes can spell trouble.
The Dodgers (23-11) didn’t give May much support.
With Braves starter Bryce Elder painting the corners of the strike zone, their recently streaking offense went cold. Max Muncy supplied their lone early RBIs, plating one run on a fourth-inning double and another on a sixth-inning groundout.
Miguel Rojas came off the bench in the sixth inning as a pinch-hitter for ice-cold outfielder Michael Conforto — who struck out twice and is six for 73 going back to early April — and hit a home run off left-handed reliever Dylan Lee to cut the deficit to 4-3.
Teoscar Hernández hits a single in the third inning for the Dodgers against the Braves on Sunday.
(Mike Stewart / Associated Press)
But that was as close as the Dodgers would come against the Atlanta bullpen. In the eighth, they were twice robbed of hits by diving plays from the Braves’ defense. In the ninth, they stranded Hyeseong Kim at third after he stole second as a pinch-runner for Andy Pages and advanced to third on a dropped third strike.
Still, for a banged-up Dodgers rotation looking for someone else to step up alongside staff ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, May’s recent regression has been the bigger disappointment.
In his last three outings, the 27-year-old has yielded 14 runs in 16 innings.
And each time, an inability to consistently land his sweeper has served as a source of frustration.
Two weeks ago, when an overall lack of command led to May getting knocked around at Wrigley Field by the Chicago Cubs, he was asked how difficult it is to be successful when that pitch isn’t working.
“I think you can see how important it is,” he said that night.
May remained dissatisfied after giving up three runs to the Miami Marlins last Monday.
“I still wasn’t executing very well at all,” he said then. “I just got away with some stuff.”
On Sunday against the Braves, it was a similar story, May looking frustrated with himself as Riley took his two trots around the bases, bemoaning poorly executed sweepers again.
When the Dodgers called up Andy Pages to the majors early last season, one of the first things co-hitting coach Aaron Bates did was seek out veteran outfielder Teoscar Hernández.
That spring, Bates had watched a relationship blossom between Pages, a then 23-year-old prospect who had bounced back miraculously fast from a labrum surgery the previous season, and Hernández, an All-Star veteran who had signed with the club that winter at age 31 in search of a bounce-back performance.
All camp, Pages and Hernández were among the first to arrive at the batting cages each morning. They became almost attached at the hip in the clubhouse and on the backfields, constantly discussing the state of their games.
It was, as Bates and several others around the team have since described it, the start of a “big brother, little brother” relationship between the two sluggers.
Thus, once Pages joined the big-league roster a couple weeks into the regular season, Bates encouraged Hernández to help reinforce the coaching staff’s message to the newly recalled rookie — and to, more important, be a guiding voice as he took Pages under his wing.
“As a hitting coach, you can go to a veteran player if you want him to get a message across to a younger guy, if it’s coming off better or might land a little bit better with the veteran player telling him,” Bates said. “So as Andy was coming up to the big leagues, Teo was a big asset to us to get stuff across to Andy. And Andy is super coachable. You can tell him yourself. But Teo can see it from his vantage point.”
One year later, few Dodgers teammates are closer than Hernández and Pages.
They talk almost daily in their shared corner of the team’s clubhouse. They’ll watch one another during batting practice, and coordinate defensively in outfielders’ meetings. After most home games, they’ll leave the stadium side-by-side (more than once this year, Hernández has waited in the clubhouse hallway, playfully shouting for Pages to hurry up to leave). And the more their bond has strengthened, the more they’ve each benefited from the partnership — leaning on one another while becoming integral pieces of the Dodgers’ offense.
“We’ve always been really close,” Pages said through an interpreter. “We talked through a lot of things. We’ve been talking through a lot of difficult times. A lot of the good times. Obviously, he has a lot of experience in the big leagues, so I utilize him for some of these difficult times. But we’ve had a close relationship since the beginning.”
When Hernández first arrived in Dodgers camp last spring, Pages wasn’t the only young Latin American player that gravitated toward him.
Miguel Vargas — who, like Pages, was signed as an amateur out of Cuba — was transitioning full-time to the outfield. Jose Ramos, a double-A prospect originally signed out of Panama, had also earned an invite to big-league spring training.
“Because they were working in the outfield, we built a good relationship,” said Hernández, a Dominican native who was once in their shoes while trying to break into the majors with the Houston Astros in 2016. “I was trying to teach them some of the things I went through when I came to the big leagues. Trying to make them feel better when things are not going right.”
Teoscar Hernández congratulates Andy Pages after Pages lept at the center field wall to rob the Chicago Cubs’ Michael Busch of a homer during a game at Dodger Stadium last month.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
In Pages specifically, though, Hernández found something of a kindred spirit.
Pages is not as outwardly animated as Hernández, whose “happy-go-lucky” personality, as Bates described it, is evident every time he showers his teammates with sunflower seeds to celebrate home runs. But Pages did have the same persistent work ethic, having spent the 2024 offseason making a rapid recovery from his 2023 shoulder surgery. And he had the same steady demeanor, helping him earn his first big-league promotion in mid-April of last year.
“We all knew he was gonna get to the big leagues last year,” Hernández said. “When you see a good player, you’re gonna see it right away. You’re gonna see the guy has talent. You’re gonna know right away if he can play in the big leagues.”
That’s why, once Pages did join the Dodgers, Hernández helped him hone the mental side of his game.
In the good times, like when Pages hit over .300 in his first 20 games, Hernández reinforced his confidence. In bad stretches, like when Pages was demoted after a 33-game run through July and early August in which he batted .226 with just one home run and 28 strikeouts, Hernández tried to foster positivity.
“This game is hard,” Hernández told him. “You’re gonna fail more times than you have success.”
All players know that when they arrive in the majors. But understanding it is different. And only with experience, Hernández had learned, came the ability to navigate such adversity.
“When you realize that as a player, and you get it, everything becomes easier to handle,” Hernández said.
A similar dynamic was at play early this season.
Despite returning to the majors late last year and exploding for a two-homer game in the National League Championship Series, Pages entered this season on the fringes of the Dodgers’ MLB roster. And even though he made the team coming out of camp, he felt pressure to try and entrench his place permanently in the big leagues.
The Los Angeles Dodgers actually have one of the best records in baseball but no one seems to be too thrilled by it. Injuries, question marks and hitters not hitting are issues.
That strain beget a slump, Pages batting .159 through the season’s first three weeks.
But Hernández continued to support him, both in public comments to reporters and private chats between the two, aiming to simply “keep his mind positive.”
“We’re not talking about what he’s doing wrong, or the slump he’s in,” Hernández said. “Just trying to tell him: ‘OK, let’s try this. Or that. Whatever it is for you to feel good with what you’re doing on the field.’”
Part of the slump, Pages felt, came from adjustments he had while primarily batting in the nine-hole — feeling the need to be overly selective in hopes of getting on base for leadoff man Shohei Ohtani.
So, recently, Dodgers hitting coaches encouraged Pages to get back to his typical aggressive approach at the plate. Hernández, who in another parallel to Pages is a free swinger himself, once again backed up that message.
“I think having someone like that to look up to, and model himself as far as what he wants to be, is great,” Bates said.
Pages not only heeded the advice, but has seen his results improve almost immediately. Over his last nine games entering Saturday, Pages is batting .500 with three doubles, four home runs, nine RBIs and only five strikeouts.
Hernández has been almost as good in that same stretch, snapping out of an early slump by batting .410 with five doubles, four home runs and 15 RBIs (giving him an MLB-high 32 runs driven in on the season) since April 22.
Manager Dave Roberts doesn’t believe it’s a coincidence.
“I think that there is some type of commonality to Andy and Teo’s success [happening] together,” Roberts said this week. “They certainly have a big brother, little brother relationship. And Teo obviously has established himself as an All-Star and has been a mentor to Andy … But I do think that those guys are continuing to push each other, which is fun to watch.”
No sequence was more joyful than last week’s series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates, when both Hernández and Pages homered in the same inning.
Hernández’s long ball was a milestone moment, marking the 200th home run of his MLB career.
But his reaction to Pages’ big fly later in the inning was noticeably more gleeful, with Hernández flying out of the dugout and pelting Pages with an overhand chuck of sunflower seeds at the top step.
“I was happy, yes. Two hundred, that’s a big one,” Hernández said. “But I was more excited for him.”
To those who have watched Hernández and Pages up close over the last year, that was hardly surprising to hear.
“Teo, he likes those numbers, but I don’t think he plays for that reason,” Bates said. “He just plays to love the game. And I think he’s happier when he sees a younger player like that, that he can help.”
South Korean utilityman Hyeseong Kim is being called up by the Dodgers, people with knowledge of the situation who were not authorized to speak publicly confirmed, set to join the team in Atlanta on Saturday for what will be his first stint on the MLB roster this year.
In spring training, Kim struggled mightily to hit in Cactus League play, going six for 29 with one home run and 11 strikeouts. His swing needed so much work, the Dodgers elected to have him open the season in triple-A Oklahoma City, hoping it’d provide a softer landing spot for him to revamp his mechanics in order to handle big-league-caliber competition.
“The foundations, the actual swing mechanics needed to improve,” general manager Brandon Gomes said last week.
Improvement, however, has come fast for Kim, who has batted .252 in Oklahoma City with five home runs, 19 RBIs and a .798 OPS. He has also stolen 13 bases without getting caught.
The corresponding move for Kim’s call-up wasn’t immediately known, but utilityman Tommy Edman has been battling a right ankle injury the past couple days that manager Dave Roberts indicated could land him on the injured list if it didn’t improve.
Losing Edman, who has eight home runs and 24 RBIs this season, for any stretch would be a blow.
But the anticipation for Kim, potentially a future Gold Glover with game-changing speed, might help cushion it more than most.
A left-handed hitter who over eight seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization batted .304 but amassed only 37 home runs, Kim’s bat always figured to be the biggest question mark when the Dodgers signed him.
The Los Angeles Dodgers actually have one of the best records in baseball but no one seems to be too thrilled by it. Injuries, question marks and hitters not hitting are issues.
It was clear the team envisioned a prominent role for the 5-foot-10, 175-pound speedster, trading former second baseman Gavin Lux to Cincinnati just days after Kim was acquired. But it was also clear they’d have to be patient with his development, after Kim spent most of the spring flailing in the batter’s box in his first dose against big-league competition.
“Getting him exposed to real big league pitching, there’s just no real way to simulate that,” Gomes said when asked about Kim’s development last week. “You see a lot of guys [from overseas], it takes a little bit of time to get adjusted.”
After just one month, though, the team was already seeing growth.
Kim started the season with a 13-game tear, batting .293 with three home runs, seven doubles, one triple and 13 RBIs. His OPS at that point was .963. And he was immediately emerging as “a real threat on the bases,” Gomes said.
“[It was] the overall package of what we were hoping for,” Gomes said. “Speed, defense — and we knew the swing was gonna need a little bit of work.”
Kim has not been as productive lately, batting just .211 over his last 15 games. But, Gomes said reports from the minor-league staff have remained strong.
“The numbers are good. The swing is taking real steps forward,” Gomes said. “Now you’re starting to hone in on maybe some more advanced game-planning stuff, and being able to cover different parts of the zone.”
Regardless of how Kim hits in the majors, he should provide production in other ways for the Dodgers.
A four-time Gold Glove second baseman and shortstop in South Korea, Kim has added center field duties to his plate in triple-A. His 13 steals, meanwhile, are second-most in the Pacific Coast League, trailing only fellow Oklahoma City teammate Estuery Ruiz.
“He’s completely bought in,” Gomes said, “and [his improvement is] actually happening and performing even better than we expected this early.”
Kim hadn’t been called up sooner because the Dodgers were believed to be waiting for an opportunity to give him consistent playing time. Edman’s uncertain status opened the door for that this weekend. And now, exactly four months to the day after his Jan. 3 signing with the team, he’ll get his first taste of life in the majors.
On Friday night at Truist Park, Muncy took the field for the Dodgers’ series opener against the Atlanta Braves wearing clear prescription eyeglasses. He subtly did the same during the Dodgers’ last game of the most recent homestand on Wednesday afternoon, using sunglasses with prescription lenses when he hit his first home run of the season.
It’s not that Muncy has bad eyesight. His vision, he said, is actually an excellent 20/12.
However, Muncy did learn he has astigmatism in his right eye, making him slightly left-eye dominant. Given that he’s a left-handed hitter — positioning him with his right eye forward in the batter’s box — he thus decided the glasses were worth a try.
“If there’s anything that can help out a little bit,” Muncy said, “I’ll try it.”
Based on his results from Wednesday, the benefits might have already been felt.
After enduring a career-long 28-game home run drought to start the season, Muncy went deep in his first at-bat Wednesday, launching a low-and-away sinker to straightaway center field.
He struck out in his next trip to the plate, then flied out to left in the fifth inning. After that, however, he tripled and drew a walk, giving him his most productive performance of what had been a slow start to the season.
Granted, Muncy’s performance had started to tick up before he started using his new glasses.
Thanks to some recent swing adjustments, he entered Wednesday with three hits in his previous two games (he’d recorded just four in the 11 before that) and as many walks as strikeouts in his prior 13 contests overall (10 each).
Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy wore sunglasses with prescription lenses during Wednesday’s game against the Marlins, and hit his first home run of the season.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“The swing feels like it’s getting closer and closer,” said Muncy, who entered Friday with a .194 batting average on the season. “I still have to clean some things up. Have to be better in certain situations. It’s a work in progress. But … it’s just getting the ball to go forward.”
Still, in recent days, Muncy decided it was time to break out the glasses, too.
The 34-year-old third baseman had been testing his glasses in pregame batting practice and infield drills since the start of last week’s homestand. He’d initially been hesitant to take them into game action, noting a “fish-bowl” effect he felt while wearing them, but said he has since adjusted by using them even when he’s away from the field.
Muncy isn’t the first Dodger player to begin utilizing glasses midseason.
Last year, Kiké Hernández did the same thing after discovering astigmatism (a condition caused by imperfections in the curvature of the eye that can impact vision) in his own right eye.
Like Muncy, Hernández described an adjustment period when his glasses arrived midseason.
“It took me like a week or two to really feel like my depth perception felt normal,” Hernández recalled.
Unlike Muncy, Hernández began wearing them in games as soon as they arrived.
“You can’t be afraid to fail,” he quipped.
Fail, Hernández did not. Before last year’s All-Star break, Hernández was batting .191 with just five home runs in 71 games, wearing glasses for only the final series of the opening half. After the break, once his eyesight adjusted to his new lenses, Hernández finished the year batting .274 with seven home runs in his final 55 games. He then proceeded to have a monster postseason (.294 average, two home runs, six RBIs) during the Dodgers’ run to a World Series title.
This year, the glasses have remained a fixture. And even though he batted just .188 in March and April, he did tally five home runs and 13 RBIs.
The biggest benefit Hernández noticed from his glasses: An ability to see the actual spin on the baseball, and more easily identify each pitch type.
“Before the glasses, I was trying to see the shape of each pitch,” Hernández said, which forced him to wait a split-second to see if the ball would dive or slide away from its starting location.
“Once I got the glasses,” he added, “I could actually see the spin.”
Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.
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From Broderick Turner: Tyronn Lue made sure to call every player, a move the Clippers coach said was necessary to check the “temperature” of his team before its biggest game of the season.
Lue refused to text his players in a group message because he wanted to “hear their voices” and encourage them before playing in a win-or-go-home Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets.
His players responded and delivered in a 111-105 win at the Intuit Dome on Thursday night.
“Got a great temperature,” Lue said. “Took a lot of temperatures in the last 36 hours.”
Lue’s two stars are reticent, but James Harden and Kawhi Leonard spoke volumes with their play in forcing a Game 7 in Denver on Saturday night.
Harden had 28 points, eight assists and six rebounds. He played 46 minutes 35 seconds after being criticized for his subpar play in Games 4 and 5.
Harden said he was “tired a little bit” but didn’t see the criticism “at all.”
“Tonight the game plan was more for me to be in attack mode and making sure our spacing was right,” Harden said. “And as a result, you know, I’ll be aggressive.”
With 39 seconds left, fans silently filled the aisles and literally turned their back on their beloved Lakers, who historically dropped this series four games to one.
Historically, because it was the first time the Lakers lost a first-round series as a No. 3 or higher seed.
No, they never folded this dramatically.
“Disappointment,” LeBron James said. “Unfulfillment.”
No. 3 Lakers vs. No. 6 Minnesota Minnesota 117, at Lakers 95 (box score) at Lakers 94, Minnesota 85 (box score) at Minnesota 116, Lakers 104 (box score) at Minnesota 116, Lakers 113 (box score) Minnesota 103, at Lakers 96 (box score)
No. 4 Denver vs. No. 5 Clippers at Denver 112, Clippers 110 (OT) (box score) Clippers 105, at Denver 102 (box score) at Clippers 117, Denver 83 (box score) Denver 101, at Clippers 99 (box score) at Denver 131, Clippers 115 (box score) at Clippers 111, Denver 105 (box score) Saturday at Denver, 4:30 p.m., TNT
No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. No. 8 Memphis at Oklahoma City 131, Memphis 80 (box score) at Oklahoma City 118, Memphis 99 (box score) Oklahoma City 114, at Memphis 108 (box score) Oklahoma City 117, at Memphis 115 (box score)
No. 2 Houston vs. No. 7 Golden State Golden State 95, at Houston 85 (box score) at Houston 109, Golden State 94 (box score) at Golden State 104, Houston 93 (box score) at Golden State 109, Houston 106 (box score) at Houston 131, Golden State 116 (box score) Friday at Golden State, 6 p.m., ESPN Sunday at Houston, 5:30 p.m, TNT*
Eastern Conference No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 8 Miami at Cleveland 121, Miami 100 (box score) at Cleveland 121, Miami 112 (box score) Cleveland 124, at Miami 87 (box score) Cleveland 138, at Miami 83 (box score)
No. 2 Boston vs. No. 7 Orlando at Boston 103, Orlando 86 (box score) at Boston 109, Orlando 100 (box score) at Orlando 95, Boston 93 (box score) Boston 107, at Orlando 98 (box score) at Boston 120, Orlando 89 (box score)
No. 3 New York vs. No. 6 Detroit at New York 123, Detroit 112 (box score) Detroit 100, at New York 94 (box score) New York 118, at Detroit 116 (box score) New York 94, at Detroit 93 (box score) Detroit 106, at New York 103 (box score) New York 116, at Detroit 113 (box score)
No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 5 Milwaukee at Indiana 117, Milwaukee 98 (box score) at Indiana 123, Milwaukee 115 (box score) at Milwaukee 117, Indiana 101 (box score) Indiana 129, at Milwaukee 103 (box score) at Indiana 119, Milwaukee 118 (OT) (box score)
* if necessary
DODGERS
From Jack Harris: The celebration was simple. But the relief was immense.
In the bottom of the second inning Wednesday afternoon, on the last day of what had been a torturous opening month to the season,Max Muncy finally did the thing that had eluded him over an ice-cold start.
After 29 forgettable games and 90 infuriating at-bats, the 10th-year veteran finally hit his first home run.
With a lightning-quick swing on a down-and-away, 92-mph sinker from Miami Marlins right-hander Cal Quantrill, Muncy put a long-awaited end to his longest home run drought — and some much-needed life into his slumping start.
And though Muncy did little more than pound a closed fist into his open palm as he trotted around the bases for the first time, it allowed him to finally release the emotional tensions that had been building on the inside.
“Felt really good to have that happen,” Muncy told reporters from his clubhouse locker afterward, finally allowing himself to smile after a season-best game in which he also tripled and drew a walk.
“Just hope today is something to build on,” he added. “It’s been a rough month.”
Mike Trout is headed to the injured list as the Angels stumbled to their sixth straight loss.
Dillon Dingler capped a five-run eighth inning with a three-run homer, Javier Báez and Gleyber Torres each hit a solo shot in the third, and the Detroit Tigers rallied for a 10-4 win Thursday night.
Spencer Torkelson added a two-run homer — his ninth of the season — in a three-run ninth as Detroit improved to an American League-best 20-12. Tigers starter Casey Mize (5-1) gave up four runs and seven hits in seven innings, including Logan O’Hoppe’s solo homer in the second and Jorge Soler’s two-run shot in the third.
Trout did not play after being pulled from Wednesday’s game in Seattle because of left knee soreness. Trout, who had two operations to repair a torn meniscus in the knee last season, was injured when his foot hit first base on a third-inning groundout. Washington later said Trout has a bone bruise in the knee and would go on the 10-day IL. Washington said the injury “is not serious” but that Trout “needs some rest.”
From John Cherwa: Rodriguez, the Wood Memorial winner who was considered trainer Bob Baffert’s best horse in this year’s Kentucky Derby, scratched out of the race on Thursday after a sensitive foot bruise was discovered on the 3-year-old colt. He is expected to recover quickly and will be pointed to the Preakness States in two weeks.
“The horse is by all measures healthy and well,” Tom Ryan, who heads Rodriguez’s ownership group, said. “I guess we look on the bright side and know we can now target him for the Preakness.
“Of all the possible setbacks, this is the one we can live with.”
Ryan said the sensitivity was discovered a couple days ago and “out of an abundance of caution” the owners and Baffert thought a scratch was the right thing to do.
From Kevin Baxter: For the fourth time in as many years, the Kings’ season came to an end with a first-round playoff loss to the Edmonton Oilers. The coup de grace came Thursday in a 6-4 Oilers’ win at a raucous Rogers Place, which has become a house of horrors for the Kings.
Edmonton got goals from (take a deep breath) Adam Henrique, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman, Darnell Nurse, Trent Frederic and Connor Brown. For the Kings, Quinton Byfield, Brandt Clarke, Jordan Spence and Anze Kopitar scored.
The Kings haven’t beaten the Oilers in the postseason since 1989, but this year’s loss may be the most painful of the nine playoff series they’ve dropped to Edmonton. The Kings tied franchise bests for wins (48) and points (105) this season and won a team-record 31 times at home during the regular season, finishing ahead of the Oilers in the Pacific Division standings for the first time in seven years.
They seemed primed for a long run in the postseason but once again, they couldn’t get by Edmonton.
“Having the season that we had, the group of guys in this locker room, to come up short again, it sucks. It’s frustrating,” said Kopitar, the team captain. “This one, this one hurts a little more.
“Having home ice and getting off to a good start with the first two games, winning the first two games. And then just not able to close games out. It cost us ”
Western Conference Pacific 3 Edmonton vs. Pacific 2 Kings at Kings 6, Edmonton 5 (summary) at Kings 6, Edmonton 2 (summary) at Edmonton 7, Kings 4 (summary) at Edmonton 4, Kings 3 (OT) (summary) Edmonton 3, at Kings 1 (summary) at Edmonton 6, Kings 4 (summary)
Wild-card 2 St. Louis vs. Central 1 Winnipeg at Winnipeg 5, St. Louis 3 (summary) Winnipeg 2, St. Louis 1 (summary) at St. Louis 7, Winnipeg 2 (summary) at St. Louis 5, Winnipeg 1 (summary) at Winnipeg 5, St. Louis 3 (summary) Friday at St. Louis, 5 p.m., TNT Sunday at Winnipeg, TBD*
Central 3 Colorado vs. Central 2 Dallas Colorado 5, at Dallas 1 (summary) at Dallas 4, Colorado 3 (summary) Dallas 2, at Colorado 1 (OT) (summary) at Colorado 4, Dallas 0 (summary) at Dallas 6, Colorado 2 (summary) Thursday at Colorado (summary) Saturday at Dallas, TBD*
Wild-card 1 Minnesota vs. Pacific 1 Vegas at Vegas 4, Minnesota 2 (summary) Minnesota 5, at Vegas 2 (summary) at Minnesota 5, Vegas 2 (summary) Vegas 4, at Minnesota 3 (OT) (summary) at Vegas 3, Minnesota 2 (OT) (summary) Vegas 3, at Minnesota 2 (summary)
Eastern Conference
Wild-card 2 Ottawa vs. Atlantic 1 Toronto at Toronto 6, Ottawa 2 (summary) at Toronto 3, Ottawa 2 (summary) Toronto 3, at Ottawa 2 (OT) (summary) at Ottawa 4, Toronto 3 (OT) (summary) Ottawa 4, at Toronto 0 (summary) Toronto 4, at Ottawa 2 (summary)
Atlantic 3 Florida vs. Atlantic 2 Tampa Bay Florida 6, at Tampa Bay 2 (summary) Florida 2, at Tampa Bay 0 (summary) Tampa Bay 5, at Florida 1 (summary) at Florida 4, Tampa Bay 2 (summary) Florida 6, at Tampa Bay 3 (summary)
Wild-card 2 Montreal vs. Metropolitan 1 Washington at Washington 3, Montreal 2 (OT) (summary) at Washington 3, Montreal 1 (summary) at Montreal 6, Washington 3 (summary) Washington 5, at Montreal 2 (summary) at Washington 4, Montreal 1 (summary)
Metropolitan 3 New Jersey vs. Metropolitan 2 Carolina at Carolina 4, New Jersey 1 (summary) at Carolina 3, New Jersey 1 (summary) at New Jersey 3, Carolina 2 (2 OT) (summary) Carolina 5, at New Jersey 2 (summary) at Carolina 5, New Jersey 4 (2 OT) (summary)
* If necessary
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1920 — Legendary slugger Babe Ruth hits his first HR for the New York Yankees.
1920 — Joe Oeschger of the Boston Braves and Leon Cadore of the Brooklyn Dodgers both pitch 26 innings in a 1-1 tie, the longest game in major league history.
1926 — Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paige (19) debuts in the Negro Southern League.
1943 — Count Fleet, ridden by Johnny Longden, wins the Kentucky Derby by three lengths over Blue Swords.
1948 — Citation, ridden by Eddie Arcaro, wins the Kentucky Derby by 3½ lengths over Coaltown. It’s Citation’s toughest race in winning the Triple Crown.
1951 — Future Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Mickey Mantle hits first career home run.
1954 — 80th Kentucky Derby: Raymond York wins aboard Determine, his only Derby success.
1955 — American golfer Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins the Peach Blossom LPGA Tournament in Spartanburg, South Carolina, her final victory before her death the following year.
1959 — Floyd Patterson scores 11th round KO of Englishman Brian London in Indianapolis; his 4th World Heavyweight Boxing title defence.
1965 — The Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 in Game 7 to capture the Stanley Cup.
1965 — 91st Kentucky Derby: Bill Shoemaker wins aboard Lucky Debonair, the third of his 4 Derby victories.
1969 — Leonard Tose buys NFL Philadelphia Eagles for a pro sports record $16.15m.
1976 — 102nd Kentucky Derby: Puerto Rican jockey Ángel Cordero Jr. wins aboard Bold Forbes, the second of 3 Derby successes.
1981 — Tennis player Billie Jean King acknowledges a lesbian relationship with Marilyn Barnett, becoming first prominent sportswoman to come out.
1982 — Gato del Sol, ridden by Ed Delahoussaye, comes from last place in a field of 19 to win the Kentucky Derby. Gato del Sol, finishes 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Laser Light, who beat Reinvested by a neck for second. He finishes in 2:02 2/5 and returns $44.40 for a $2 bet. Air Forbes Won, the 5-2 favorite of the crow of 141,009, finishes seventh.
1984 — NFL Draft: Nebraska wide receiver Irving Fryar first pick by New England Patriots.
1988 — After scoring 50 points in Game 1, NBA Eastern Conference playoff series, Michael Jordan has 55 in Chicago Bulls 106-101 win vs Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2; first to score 50+ points in consecutive playoff games.
1991 — Nolan Ryan pitches his seventh no-hitter in a 3-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Ryan faces 29 batters, striking out 16 and walking two.
1991 — Rickey Henderson of the Oakland Athletics sets a major league record by stealing his 939th base, eclipsing Lou Brock’s career mark.
1992 — The Pittsburgh Penguins become the 11th NHL team to rebound from a 3-1 deficit and win a playoff series after beating the Washington Capitals 3-1.
1992 — Rickey Henderson, baseball’s career stolen base leader, steals his 1,000th base in the first inning of Oakland’s 7-6 win over Detroit.
1993 — Bruce Baumgartner wins his 11th straight national wrestling title by beating Joel Greenlee 6-0 in the 286-pound freestyle division at the U.S. championships in Las Vegas.
2002 — Padres closer Trevor Hoffman sets MLB record for saves for one team (321) in 4-3 win v Chicago Cubs in San Diego.
2003 — The three-time defending champion Lakers beat Minnesota 101-85 to win the series 4-2. It’s the 13th straight playoff series won under Phil Jackson, and Jackson-coached teams have an NBA-record 25 consecutive series wins.
2004 — Smarty Jones splashes his way past Lion Heart in the stretch to win the Kentucky Derby. Smarty Jones runs his record to 7 for 7 and becomes the first unbeaten Derby winner since Seattle Slew in 1977.
2005 — 17-year old Lionel Messi scores his 1st senior league goal for FC Barcelona in 2-0 win against Albacete Balompié, at the Spotify Camp Nou in Barcelona.
2006 — Detroit, winner of the President’s Trophy by leading the league in points (124) this season, is eliminated in the first round for the third time in five postseasons after a 4-3 loss to Edmonton in Game 6.
2010 — Jockey Calvin Borel steers Super Saver through the mud to win his third Kentucky Derby in four years, beating Lookin At Lucky by 2 1/2 lengths. The win ends trainer Todd Pletcher’s Derby drought. Pletcher, who had four horses in the race, came into the race 0 for 24 since 2000.
2019 — Argentine forward Lionel Messi scores twice for his 600th goal for FC Barcelona in a 3-0 home win over Liverpool in a Champions League semifinal.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected], and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Write about Max Muncy, and he suddenly homers. I must remember to use my powers for good and not evil.
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I’ve been writing this newsletter for 11 years now, so it’s always good to get a different perspective on the team, who may have a different way of looking at things.
So I asked colleague Jack Harris, who is The Times beat writer for the Dodgers and travels with the team, some questions about this season. Here are his thoughts.
Q. The Dodgers may be the only team in baseball that can start 21-10 and have a segment of the fans worried. What is your take on the team so far?
Harris: Supremely talented, but not yet totally in sync.
Yes, it’s easy to note all the ways the club has struggled in this opening month, from inconsistent offense to early-season pitching injuries to simple fundamental lapses that have cost them repeatedly.
And yet, they still have the best record in baseball. They are still well over a 100-win pace. They are still most peoples’ pick to win the World Series. If there’s one thing we’ve learned so far, it’s that this team’s floor seems incredibly high. That’s one of the luxuries a $400 million roster buys you.
The question, of course, is how long it will take for them to hit their ceiling.
We began seeing signs of it during this current five-game winning streak, starting with improved performance from their Big 3 of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman — all of whom endured slumps at various points in this opening month, not to mention the time they missed because of either injury, sickness and paternity leave.
The rotation’s production has also been lacking, putting a heavy early burden on what’s been a sturdy, but overworked, bullpen.
Still, it should probably be comforting to Dodgers fans that, even in a month when their best hitters and pitchers were inconsistent, they were still this good. So, no, there’s no reason to panic right now, obviously. We’ve seen glimpses of the Dodgers’ potential to be dominant. And they have plenty of time to still get better.
Q. I get more email about Max Muncy than any other Dodger. Some saying the Dodgers should remain patient, some saying they should bench him. What are your thoughts and how long a runway does a guy like Muncy get?
Harris: Put it this way: Part of the reason the Dodgers made no serious pursuit for Nolan Arenado this offseason was because of the trust they had in Max Muncy as their everyday third baseman.
Thus, it will take a lot more than one bad month to erode that faith in any meaningful way.
That’s why, for now, the Dodgers are going to give Muncy ample opportunities to figure things out. As Dave Roberts noted, Muncy’s worst career splits are almost always in March/April. And he’s bounced back from slow starts before, having finished every full season of his Dodgers tenure with above-league-average production at the plate.
To me, the most concerning things at this point are: 1) Muncy’s defense, which has significantly regressed after some notable improvements last year; and 2) that, until Wednesday, he didn’t have any home runs yet, failing to generate the type of power that often off-sets his high strikeout totals and low batting average.
However, Muncy’s performance this past week (he has reached safely 10 times in the past five games, and finally did hit his first home run Wednesday) already offered some reasons for optimism. And between now and the trade deadline (when the team could more seriously consider other alternatives at third base), he will get plenty of opportunities to keep trying to turn his season around.
Q. The Dodgers have two catchers at Oklahoma City, Hunter Feduccia and Dalton Rushing, who appear major league ready. But Will Smith is locked in to a long contract and is still a top catcher. What happens to both these guys in the long run? Would they think about bringing one up this season to serve as backup and part ways with Austin Barnes?
Harris: Like with Muncy, the Dodgers made their trust in Barnes clear this winter, picking up his team option despite their organizational depth at the position. So I wouldn’t expect them making a change there barring some unforeseen circumstances.
For now, Feduccia is the better short-term stopgap to come up in the event they need more bench depth. We already saw that once, when he was recalled during Freeman’s stint on the injured list.
Rushing, on the other hand, is still in a more developmental phase. There’s little left for him to prove with his bat at the minor-league level. But the Dodgers want him to get regular playing time behind the plate to keep improving as a catcher, which is why they’ve kept him in triple-A to this point.
Exactly where he fits into their long-term plans does remain a question. He could always serve as a trade chip if they need to bolster the big-league roster. Then again, power hitting left-handed catchers don’t grow on trees. So for now, they’re content to hold on to him, see how his defensive abilities as a catcher develop, and go from there.
Q. Tyler Glasnow is having a rough season. Fans are riding him on social media, calling him Glass-now. Damp conditions, leg cramps, now his shoulder. How concerned should people be about his long-term future just based on his health?
Harris: At this point, it is fair to wonder if Glasnow will ever stay healthy for a full year. Injuries have plagued him his entire MLB career. And at 31 years old, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that will ever change.
As far as this season is concerned, the Dodgers’ main priority will be letting his shoulder calm down, then working with him to try and find tweaks to his delivery. Ideally, he will be able to return at some point this summer, and factor into their late-season pitching plans.
Still, when you pay a pitcher more than $100 million like the Dodgers did last offseason, you are hoping for more than a few productive stretches interrupted by repeated injuries. Acquiring him, and signing him to a five-year extension, was always a risk given his injury history. And so far, they haven’t been any more effective at keeping him healthy.
Q. Gavin Lux is off to a fine start with the Reds. Do you think the Dodgers have any regrets about trading him?
Harris: I wouldn’t say regret quite yet.
Hyeseong Kim — whose signing this offseason effectively triggered Lux’s trade to Cincinnati — has been making strides with his swing in triple-A. And even if he’s never the big-league hitter Lux is, his positional versatility defensively gives him value Lux didn’t have with the Dodgers (who seemed reluctant to play him anywhere other than second base).
Moving Lux also kept their options at second base fluid, which could be useful if the team decides to move Mookie Betts off shortstop at some point this year (though that’s not a guarantee to happen, given how much better his defense at shortstop has been to this point).
So, for now, I still think the Dodgers are comfortable with the trade. Then again, if Lux remains a .300 hitter, they could miss the production he would have supplied to the bottom of their lineup.
Q. Finally, taking Dodger Stadium off the table, what is your favorite ball park to visit when covering the team? Any why? And is there a least favorite?
Best ballparks:
—Petco Park: Great environment, great location, great in-stadium food options.
—Oracle Park: Best press box location (lower level, right behind home plate).
—Fenway & Wrigley: Just cool historical places that are so different from any other venues in the league (even if you have to elbow through crowded concourses to reach the clubhouse postgame).
Worst ballparks:
—PNC Park and Camden Yards: These might be hot takes, given how scenic they are as venues. But I’m not personally much of a fan of either city. And beyond the views, the stadiums themselves are rather average. Good to visit once; not every year (or even, in the case of Camden, every other year).
All-time leaders
The reception for the all-time pinch-hit leaders was exceptional, so from time to time we will take a look at the Dodgers career leaders in different categories, combined and just in L.A. This week, we’ll look at hits.
Franchise
1. Zack Wheat, 2,804 2. Pee Wee Reese, 2,170 3. Willie Davis, 2,091 4. Duke Snider, 1,995 5. Steve Garvey, 1,968 6. Bill Russell, 1,926 7. Carl Furillo, 1,910 8. Jim Gilliam, 1,889 9. Gil Hodges, 1,884 10. Maury Wills, 1,732
Los Angeles only
1. Willie Davis, 2,091 2. Steve Garvey, 1,968 3. Bill Russell, 1,926 4. Maury Wills, 1,732 5. Eric Karros, 1,608 6. Ron Cey, 1,378 7. Andre Ethier, 1,367 8. Matt Kemp, 1,322 9. Steve Sax, 1,218 10. Davey Lopes, 1,204 11. Dusty Baker, 1,144 12. Mike Scioscia, 1,131
Up next
Friday: Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 3-2, 1.06 ERA) at Atlanta (Grant Holmes, 2-1, 4.50 ERA), 4:15 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Saturday: Dodgers (Roki Sasaki, 0-1, 3.55 ERA) at Atlanta (Spencer Schwellenbach, 1-2, 2.87 ERA), 4:15 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Sunday: Dodgers (Dustin May, 1-1, 3.95 ERA) at Atlanta (Bryce Elder, 1-1, 5.33 ERA), 4:10 p.m., ESPN, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
