The Sports Report: Dodgers are no longer in first place
Never before, since interleague play began in 1997, had the Dodgers been swept in a six-game season series by the Angels.
Plenty of times in recent weeks, however, they've suffered the kind of fate that clinched that distinction Wednesday.
Entering the eighth inning at Angel Stadium, the Dodgers were leading by only one run, having once again failed to stretch a narrow lead. And without many trustworthy options in a recently scuffling bullpen, manager Dave Roberts had few cards to play from his deck.
In a 6-5 loss that was decided on Logan O'Hoppe's go-ahead two-run single, the Dodgers not only suffered a second series sweep to the Angels this year — but also, for the first time since April 27, fell out of first place in the National League West.
'It just seems like right now,' Roberts said, 'that's the way things are going.'
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Shaikin: Will Smith could win a batting title. Could the Dodgers stop him?
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From Ryan Kartje: Before he arrived at USC, Micah Banuelos was already pretty accustomed to playing through pain. As a standout offensive and defensive lineman at Kennedy Catholic High in Washington, his shoulder would pop out of its socket during almost every game. So Banuelos would check out, have his shoulder popped back in and then reenter the game like nothing changed.
'Then,' his father, Roy Banuelos, says, 'he never said anything about it after.'
But when that shoulder injury lingered past high school and into his freshman season, there was no ignoring it anymore. Just weeks into his first fall at USC, the staff suggested Banuelos get surgery.
It would be a while before Banuelos made his way back — and even longer still before he'd be competing for a real role on USC's offensive line. The shoulder injury robbed him of the following spring, then a knee issue nixed his second season after just a few games. But at the start of his third fall at USC, Banuelos has finally entered the mix at guard, a position at which USC is perilously unproven.
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From Sam Farmer: A decade ago, the languishing St. Louis Rams were ranked dead last in the NFL with a franchise valuation of $930 million.
Faced with an unappealing stadium lease and dwindling prospects in St. Louis, the Rams turned their attention westward, toward their Los Angeles roots. Quietly, they acquired two parcels of land at the former Hollywood Park racetrack in Inglewood, where they would eventually build SoFi Stadium, a state-of-the-art venue that would redefine the franchise and reshape the NFL's footprint in Los Angeles.
Today, according to Sportico rankings released Wednesday, the Rams are valued at $10.43 billion, second only to the Dallas Cowboys at $12.88 billion.
This valuation comes a month after CNBC ranked Stan Kroenke's portfolio of teams — the Rams, the NBA's Denver Nuggets, NHL's Colorado Avalanche and Premier League's Arsenal — the most valuable in sports at $21.2 billion.
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Cowboys owner Jerry Jones reveals he battled Stage 4 melanoma: 'I now have no tumors'
1903 — Jim Jeffries knocks out Jim Corbett in the 10th round to retain his world heavyweight title in San Francisco.
1936 — In Berlin, the U.S. wins the first Olympic basketball gold medal with a 19-8 win over Canada. The game is played outdoors on a dirt court in a driving rain. Joe Fortenberry leads the U.S. with seven points. James Naismith, the inventor of the game, presents the medals.
1959 — The formation of the American Football League is announced in Chicago. Play will begin in 1960 with franchises in six cities with the probability of adding two more teams.
1977 — Lanny Wadkins beats Gene Littler on the third hole of sudden death to take the PGA Championship.
1977 — The Cosmos, led by Pele, play before a Meadowlands crowd of 77,961 in East Rutherford, N.J., the most to see a soccer game in the U.S. The Cosmos beat the Fort Lauderdale Strikers 8-3 in an NASL quarterfinal playoff game.
1994 — Nick Price wins the PGA Championship, finishing at 11-under 269 for 72 holes, six strokes ahead of Corey Pavin. It is the lowest stroke total in an American major championship.
2003 — The New York blackout forces the evacuation of workers and players from Shea Stadium hours before the Mets-Giants game. It's the only major league baseball game affected by the blackout that stretches from the Northeast to Ohio and Michigan. Elsewhere, two WNBA games are postponed, and Yonkers (N.Y.) Raceway cancels its card.
2005 — The U.S. 4x400 relay team, anchored by Jeremy Wariner, races to a record 14th gold medal for the United States at the field world championships.
2011 — Keegan Bradley wins the PGA Championship after trailing by five shots with three holes and then defeating Jason Dufner in a three-hole playoff. Bradley becomes the third player in at least 100 years to win a major championship in his first try.
2016 — South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk breaks Michael Johnson's 17-year-old world record in the 400-meter final in Rio de Janeiro. Usain Bolt becomes the first to capture three straight 100-meter titles at the Olympics. He finishes in 9.81 — 0.08 seconds ahead of Justin Gatlin.
2019 — French woman Stephanie Frappart is the first woman to referee a major match in a European men's tournament. UEFA Super Cup, Chelsea vs. Liverpool in Istanbul.
1919 — Chicago's Happy Felsch tied the major-league record with four outfield assists in a game. The White Sox still lost to the Boston Red Sox 15-6.
1932 — Brooklyn's John Quinn, 49, became the oldest pitcher to win a major league game. Quinn pitched the last two innings of a 2-1, 10-inning win over the New York Giants.
1933 — Jimmie Foxx of the Philadelphia Athletics hit for the cycle and drove in nine runs in an 11-5 win over the Cleveland Indians. The nine RBIs set an American League record for one game, breaking the 22-year-old mark set by Topsy Hartzell of the New York Highlanders.
1958 — Vic Power of the Cleveland Indians stole home twice, in the eighth and 10th innings, in a 10-9 win over Detroit. He had only three steals all year.
1960 — Bill White of the St. Louis Cardinals hit for the cycle in a 9-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opening game of a doubleheader.
1971 — Bob Gibson of St. Louis pitched a no-hitter, blanking the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-0.
1987 — Oakland's Mark McGwire set a major league rookie record with his 39th homer of the season to help the A's to a 7-6, 12-inning victory over the Angels.
1998 — Baltimore's Chris Hoiles became the ninth major leaguer and first catcher to hit two grand slams in one game.
2002 — Trevor Hoffman became the first reliever in major league history to have 30 or more saves in eight straight seasons in San Diego's 6-2 win over the New York Mets.
2007 — Atlanta manager Bobby Cox was ejected after the fifth inning for arguing a called third strike in the Braves' 5-4 victory over San Francisco. It was his 132nd ejection, breaking the mark set by Hall of Famer John McGraw.
2009 — Felix Pie became the fourth player in Orioles history to hit for the cycle, and Baltimore tied club records for extra-base hits and doubles in a 16-6 rout of the Angels.
2011 — Albert Pujols hit the longest home run at 6-year-old Busch Stadium in the St. Louis Cardinals' 6-2 win over Colorado. Pujols' two-run drive in the first inning was estimated at 465 feet.
2013 — Alfonso Soriano homered twice for the second straight night and drove in a career-high seven runs, giving him 13 RBIs in two games while powering the New York Yankees to an 11-3 victory over the Angels.
2015 — Matt Kemp hit a triple in the ninth for the first cycle in the history of the San Diego Padres, who beat the Colorado Rockies 9-5.
2018 — Atlanta's Ronald Acuna Jr., 20, became the youngest major leaguer to homer in five straight games.
2021 — Arizona Diamondbacks Tyler Gilbert became the fourth pitcher and first in 68 years to throw a no-hitter in his initial big league start, leading Arizona over the San Diego Padres 7-0 with the record-tying eighth no-hitter of the season.
2024 — With a long ball off Chad Kuhl in the 8th inning, Aaron Judge reaches 300 home runs, doing so in fewer games (955) and at-bats (3,431) than anyone before him. The homer follows a rare intentional walk issued to Juan Soto and is part of an emphatic 10-2 win by the Yankees over the White Sox.
Compiled by the Associated Press
That concludes today's newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you'd like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
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Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Roki Sasaki starts his path back to the Dodgers
The Dodgers had their first bobblehead promotion for Roki Sasaki in early August 2025. The promotion made sense when it was announced. One can never tell about the timing of these events when they are announced. Yes, Blake Snell had his first Dodgers bobblehead night while he was still on the injured list, which accordingly deflated the price on the secondary market. Good news requires celebration, as it was easy to forget that the Dodgers won the Sasaki sweepstakes, much to the agita of most of the league. However, the team has made some truly boneheaded moves on and off the field in 2025 (including introducing variable pricing to tours, signing Michael Conforto, etc.) At the beginning of the year, in my wildest nightmares, I would have envisioned that the Dodgers would seemingly drive Sasaki's development into a ditch. When I last left off coverage of Sasaki, after shenanigans involving burgers, Sasaki had an uneven debut in Japan, and a solid start in Texas was wiped out because Kirby Yates decided to pitch unscheduled batting practice to finish a game in Arlington. Sasaki so far in the majors has thrown exactly two pitches over 100 mph, and they were thrown to the first batter of the first inning of his major league debut in Tokyo: Ian Happ. The first was fouled off. The second turned into his first major league out. Sasaki made three more starts after Arlington, ranging from okay to literally terrible. Sasaki was holding back with his fastball, which was to address durability and control issues based on what was publicly said by the Dodgers. While Sasaki always had elite speed with his fastball, the ongoing issue was the trajectory of the pitch, per Mark Prior to The Athletic in May: 'It's not a shape that's going to generate a lot of swing-and-miss,' pitching coach Mark Prior said. 'On anybody. We know that. But he's trying to effectively get outs as best he can.' Sasaki has historically overcome that shape by pure velocity, laying out a 'homework assignment' to prospective clubs this winter in hopes of getting that back consistently. But that triple-digit fastball he hoped to reclaim has averaged 96.4 mph this season. Saturday, [May 3, 2025], it was 94.8 mph. That's largely by design. When he reared back for 101 mph in his first major-league inning, he sprayed fastballs across the Tokyo Dome. It wasn't sustainable.'Roki, everybody knows he throws 100,' Prior said. 'He's not throwing 100 with us. That's something that I think he was trying to train and get to it, which we tried to help as much as we could. But he also felt like it affected his command tremendously in those first couple outings.' Accordingly, hitters have hit six homers off Sasaki — all on the fastball. While hitters so far in 2025 have a .225/.351/.411 slash line against Sasaki, the batting average and slugging average against for the fastball are .253/.494. That swing is like going from 2025-Ryan McMahon (.225/.402) to 2025-James Wood (.260/.488). For reference, the league average is .246/.402. Sasaki went down with right shoulder impingement in mid-May and started throwing bullpen sessions last month with a timetable of a late August return. So far, Sasaki has a 1-1 record with a 4.72 ERA. He has roughly an equal number of strikeouts (24) to walks (22) and a FIP of 6.16. Here is what I thought the Dodgers would do after the team won the Sasaki sweepstakes. I figured the team would send Sasaki to Triple-A Oklahoma City for a couple of months to ease into the transition of playing baseball in the U.S. and polish his badly needed third pitch. Did I expect some East Meets West promotional shenanigans, say a samurai cowboy or Godzilla-like promotions, while in Oklahoma City? A little. History's timeline is weird; technically, there is overlap between samurai and Abraham Lincoln. Before Nippon Professional Baseball social media comes at me, yes, Sasaki was a professional for four seasons. But by his own admission, he was an unfinished project. I figured the Dodgers might bring Sasaki to Japan on the taxi squad before easing him into the grinder that is MLB's regular season. Instead, the Dodgers chucked Sasaki into the deep end of the figurative pool. I was taught how to swim by being tossed by my uncle into the deep end of my grandfather's pool. Granted, I nearly drowned a couple of times, which I still bring up at family get-togethers, but I do swim like a fish, though. Sometimes trauma is not the best teacher. While I was and remain enamored with Sasaki's ceiling, I was very clear about the areas that Sasaki needed to improve upon arriving in MLB (including durability and the viability of a third pitch, his slider): One can envision a Japanese Paul Skenes with a higher upside in the right light. But in the least flattering light, if you are having flashbacks to Dustin May with subtitles, you would not technically be wrong except for one aspect: Sasaki has yet to suffer an arm injury. (emphasis added.) I suppose the shoulder is not the arm injury that I was worried about, but I cannot help but feel like I monkey's paw'd myself. Yes, the Monster of the Reiwa Era arrived, but instead of the classic monster we all know and love, his inaugural campaign has had more in common with the 1998 Roland Emmerich flop that entirely missed the point of the character. If your action movie has Matthew Broderick as a lead, you have made a terrible movie. Also, when the copyright to the 1998 monster reverted to Toho Company, Ltd., the original Japanese creator, the company stripped God from the monster's name. It renamed the creature Zilla, which they brought back to hilarious effect in 2006. For the record, the designer of the 1998 version of Godzilla did not mind being mocked, as he was happy his creation was embraced, of sorts, in the Toho canon. Any final determination about Sasaki in MLB is wildly premature. The bloom is off, and anyone who was forecasting any award for Sasaki in 2025 looks silly now. But what is past is prologue; the question now is, where does Sasaki go from here? When Yoshinobu Yamamoto came over last year, I argued he made a bad first impression, but he had a pedigree unmatched by anyone in MLB. However, when it mattered most, Yamamoto was the most reliable arm in the Dodgers' rotation. Sasaki never had that pedigree, only the physical tools and stuff that exceeded just about every pitcher I could think of, not named Paul Skenes, in my forty years of following baseball. Dustin May is now gone, which makes using him as the benchmark for Sasaki a bit awkward. As an aside, May went on the record saying that the Dodgers pushed him out, which is a bit rich considering that I was arguing for the Dodgers to demote him last month. When Sasaki returns, he and the Dodgers will have a second chance to make a first impression. I fear that Sasaki's baseball comparison now is Bobby Miller, a once-cant-miss prospect who managed to get relegated to the bullpen in record time after getting a bobblehead after a promising rookie campaign. While wonder is the cost of experience, I freely admit it when I am a fan of someone, especially one who wears their emotions on their sleeves. Saying the worst-case scenario out loud does not make it true; in fact, sometimes you have to face things head-on to literally eat your words. I got a Sasaki bobblehead on the secondary market for $50, because sometimes I am a sucker for a gesture. My hope is that Sasaki can build something this year. If unchanged, at worst, the Dodgers turned a moderately successful pro from Japan with amazing stuff into a Double-A, which is an indictment of everyone involved. At this point, Sasaki can only reasonably get better. I have to believe that the Dodgers' pitching staff can figure this puzzle out. Sasaki threw a bullpen session this week, and the team is being flexible as to plans for the coming stretch drive. What Sasaki does next is an open question. Sasaki pitched three innings in a simulated game last Friday at Dodger Stadium, and will start a rehab assignment Thursday night for Oklahoma City. Not to be Yoda, but there is another that I have kept tabs on during the NPB season as a person of interest in the interim. Being photographed in Dodger gear will do that, but this sneak peek may take a couple of years, barring a lockout. To conclude this recap of Sasaki, we shall shift gears to a time that seems so very long ago. I would be remiss if I did not take the opportunity to highlight something right that the Dodgers did last month that escaped just about everyone's notice in my circle. Thirty years ago, the original maverick from Japan touched down in Los Angeles: Hideo Nomo. The Dodgers released a documentary about Nomomania, which is well worth your time to watch, and includes everyone from Nomo to front office personnel to Mike Piazza. Fernandomania was two years before I was born. Like Stephen Nelson, I was a 12-year-old boy poorly mimicking Nomo's tornado windup in trying to throw Tom Candiotti's knuckleball. While a generation of fans holds a special place in their heart for Clayton Kershaw as a once-in-a-lifetime talent, for me, that spot was filled by an awkward maverick who absolutely challenged and transformed my view of baseball.
Fox News
22 minutes ago
- Fox News
Who are the Top 10 Impact Transfer Quarterbacks Entering the 2025 CFB Season?
In a sport where quarterbacks loom large, it's only natural that they would dominate the 2024-25 college football transfer portal. Of course, an enormous number of players change teams through the portal every year, making it easy for one to forget a move or two. With that in mind, which quarterbacks will have the biggest impact on their new programs? Here are the top 10 impact transfer quarterbacks entering the 2025 college football season, according to FOX Sports Research. Moss waited his turn for three seasons at USC before getting the starting nod for the 2024 season. While he was benched after nine games, Moss flashed some promise in the appearances he did make, showcasing an ability to be decisive and fire quick, crisp passes. In 2024, Moss totaled 2,555 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 135.1 passer rating, while completing 64.4% of his passes. Moss joins a Louisville program that's 19-8 in its first two seasons under head coach Jeff Brohm. Ironically, the best game of Moss' collegiate career came when USC played Louisville in the 2023 Holiday Bowl in what was Moss' first career start and one that saw him throw for 372 yards and six touchdowns. After redshirting his 2023 freshman season, Mensah was Tulane's starting quarterback in 2024 and balled out. Last season, Mensah totaled 2,723 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, six interceptions and a 166.7 passer rating, while completing 65.9% of his passes. His passer rating and completion percentage each led the AAC. Mensah entered the transfer portal following Tulane's loss to Army in the AAC Championship Game, with the Green Wave going 9-4 with him as their quarterback. The now-junior joins a Duke program that's coming off a 9-4 season in what was its first season under head coach Manny Diaz. Salter defines "dual-threat." Across his four seasons at Liberty (2021-24) and two-plus years as its starting quarterback, Salter was an electric rusher who did his share of damage in the air. Prior to an underwhelming 2024 campaign by Salter's standards, he totaled 2,876 passing yards, 32 passing touchdowns, six interceptions and a 176.6 passer rating, while completing 61.0% of his passes in 2023. Salter's passing touchdown total and passer rating each led Conference USA. He also rushed for 1,089 yards and 12 touchdowns. The senior quarterback is expected to be Colorado's 2025 starter, and he'll add a rushing dimension that the program hasn't had in recent memory. The Utes want to impose their will up front and have the running game reap the benefits. Well, a quarterback who rushes like nobody's business would fit that model, wouldn't it? In his sophomore season at New Mexico (2024), Dampier totaled 2,768 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 121.6 passer rating, while completing 57.9% of his passes. At the same time, he rushed for 1,166 yards and 19 touchdowns on a Mountain West-high 7.5 yards per carry. Each of Dampier's aforementioned rushing totals would've led the Utes last season. Utah is coming off a season that saw it fail to attain bowl eligibility for the first time in a full season since 2013 – the Utes only played five games in the 2020 season, which was a truncated season in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Murphy was a five-star quarterback recruit at Texas, making two starts for the Longhorns in his 2023 freshman campaign. Then, he transferred to Duke for the 2024 season and transferred to Beaver Land thereafter. In what was his first season as a full-time starter (2024), Murphy, who has showcased a strong arm, totaled 2,933 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 133.5 passer rating, while completing 60.3% of his passes in 12 starts, of which the Blue Devils went 9-3. The 6-foot-5 quarterback joins an Oregon State team that's coming off a 5-7 season and entering its second season under head coach Trent Bray. His departure was ugly, but, nevertheless, Iamaleava departed Knoxville for L.A. after his first season as the team's starter. In said season, Iamaleava totaled 2,616 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, five interceptions and a 145.3 passer rating, while completing 63.8% of his passes. He also rushed for 358 yards and three touchdowns. Tennessee went 10-2 and reached the College Football Playoff before losing to Ohio State in the first round. The sophomore quarterback, who redshirted one season and is from the Greater Los Angeles Area, joins a Bruins team that went 5-7 in their first year under head coach and former school running back Deshaun Foster. Morris lived in various parts of Texas throughout his childhood, which was followed by playing one season at Oklahoma (2020), three at TCU (2021-23) and one at North Texas (2024). After essentially living his entire life in the heart of Big 12 country, Morris is now in I-95 territory. Last season was Morris' best piece of work, as the quarterback totaled 3,774 passing yards, 31 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 140.1 passer rating, while completing 62.9% of his passes. His passing yards and passing touchdown total each led the AAC. Morris also rushed for 242 yards and four touchdowns. The sixth-year quarterback is under center for a Virginia program that hasn't been bowl eligible in four years. Across his two seasons at California in 2023 and 2024, Mendoza showcased an ability to sling the rock with efficiency. Last year, he totaled 3,004 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns, six interceptions and a 144.6 passer rating, while completing 68.7% of his passes. Entering his junior season, the 6-foot-5 signal-caller will be under center for an Indiana program that was the breakout team of 2024, finishing 11-2 and making an appearance in the College Football Playoff in what was its first year under head coach Curt Cignetti. One year ago, Beck looked like a shoo-in to be a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but a lot can change in one season of college football, as Beck ended up transferring from Georgia to Miami after leading the SEC with 12 interceptions and suffering a season-ending elbow injury in the SEC Championship Game. However, he still threw for a career-high 28 touchdowns. The year prior, Beck totaled an SEC-high 3,941 passing yards and completed 72.4% of his passes. The 6-foot-4 Beck has a strong arm, methodically brought the Bulldogs down the field and can use his legs when needed. He replaces 2024 Heisman Trophy finalist and the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Cam Ward, under center for Miami, which went 10-3 last season. Arguably the best quarterback in the portal set up shop in Norman, Oklahoma, for a season where head coach Brent Venables is likely on the hot seat after the Sooners posted their second losing campaign in his three years on the job. As for Venables' new quarterback, Mateer shined in his first season as Washington State's starter in 2024, totaling 3,139 passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 164.1 passer rating, while completing 64.6% of his passes. He also rushed for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns. Mateer, who led the Cougars in both passing yards and rushing yards, helped Washington State to an 8-4 record before entering the portal. Check out all of our Daily Rankers. 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Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Mookie Betts has a playoff soundtrack infused with ‘the relaxing vibe of the beach'
The announcement could not have been more unfortunately timed. On the morning after the Dodgers had been swept by the Angels and fallen out of first place in the National League West for the first time in 108 days, the email to media members started this way: 'Ever wonder how a player like Mookie Betts gets in the zone for the MLB Postseason?' This is not on Betts, not at all. He is simply the front man for a campaign in which Corona Beer and its advertising partners had pre-timed an otherwise harmless press release for 6 a.m. PT Thursday. The headline on the press release: 'Corona Teams Up with Mookie Betts to Bring the Beach to the Ballpark Through a First-of-its-Kind Soundtrack for the MLB Postseason.' One of the keys to Betts' success: an even keel that sometimes frustrates fans who want every player on their team to be as visibly frustrated as they are. In the aftermath of the Angels' sweep, this is what Betts said Wednesday night: 'It is what it is. Can't change it right now.' The promotional photo distributed with the press release shows Betts relaxing on a beach towel, next to home plate, headphones on. The soundtrack 'fuses the iconic sounds of the ballpark with the relaxing vibe of the beach.' Betts helped to pick seven minutes and 54 seconds of 'home run blasts, in-stadium crowd waves and announcer calls from his most memorable postseason moments ... combined with ambient ocean breezes and crashing waves.' You can hear the soundtrack here. From the press release: 'The entire mix is tuned at 432hz — a frequency commonly associated with enhanced clarity.' 'As a player, you need to be in the right head space to show up when the lights are brightest,' Betts said in the press release. 'I worked with Corona to make sure this soundtrack accurately captures the energy of the postseason and channels that into something both the guys in the dugout and fans can use to prepare for the season's biggest upcoming moments.' In last year's postseason, Betts batted .290, hitting four home runs and scoring 14 runs in 16 games. After the World Series, on an episode of his podcast, he and several teammates broke down the Dodgers' championship run, including a discussion of the New York Yankees' fundamental flaws in the World Series.
