The Sports Report: Pitching woes haunt the Dodgers again
'I wouldn't say [I'm] worried. It's kind of where we're at right now,' manager Dave Roberts said.
'It's been hard to gain traction.'
If anything, the Dodgers have been spinning their wheels. Because with Wednesday's 6-1 loss to the New York Mets, the team's third loss in four games, the Dodgers fell to .500 over the last month and their lead in the National League West remained at just a game over the San Diego Padres heading into Thursday's get-away day matinee with the Mets.
Since their historic start, the Dodgers have had just three winning streaks of more than two games, but three losing streaks of more than two games. For every three steps forward, the team has taken 2 ½ steps back.
And while the Dodgers entered Thursday with the fourth-best record in the league, over the last two months they have a lower winning percentage than the Milwaukee Brewers, the third-best team in the Central Division. The reason why, Roberts said, is pitching.
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Hernández: Can Clayton Kershaw contribute to Dodgers' title chase? 'I'm gonna bet on him'
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NBA FINALS
Oklahoma City vs. Indiana
Thursday at Oklahoma City, 5:30 p.m., ABCSunday at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m., ABCWednesday at Indiana, 5:30 p.m., ABCFriday, June 13 at Indiana, 5:30 p.m., ABCMonday, June 16 at Oklahoma City, 5:30 p.m., ABC*Thursday, June 19 at Indiana, 5:30 p.m., ABC*Sunday, June 22 at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m., ABC*
*if necessary
Ceddanne Rafaela curled a home run around the Pesky Pole in the bottom of the ninth inning on Wednesday and the Boston Red Sox rallied after trailing four different times to beat the Angels 11-9.
The Angels blew 4-0, 7-5, 8-7 and 9-8 leads, with Rafael Devers bouncing a chopper between the gloves of second baseman Chris Taylor and shortstop Zach Neto behind second base to tie it 9-9 in the eighth.
Each of the first three times the Red Sox scored, the Angels answered with runs of its own. But after walking Mike Trout to lead off the ninth, Cooper Criswell (1-0) got the next three batters out to give Boston a chance to walk it off.
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From Gary Klein: Jared Verse and Braden Fiske joined the Rams last season as something of a one-two punch.
The former Florida State teammates were drafted in the first and second rounds, respectively, and lived up to their billing as individuals and as a collective force.
Verse, an edge rusher, became the NFL defensive rookie of the year. Fiske, a defensive lineman, was a finalist for the award.
'I think we did good, but I think we became more focused on helping the team than trying to do our own little thing and having a good little duo going on,' Verse said, adding, 'So now we finally took another step — having another year together to figure out, 'Hey, this is how I work, this is how he works.'
'So, I feel like this year is going to be a good one for us to play together.'
As they prepare for their second seasons, the two young stars are part of a front that could rank as one of the NFL's most dynamic.
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Rams lifting contest? Aaron Donald ready to put Jared Verse 'through it'
Ex-Rams long snapper Jake McQuaide disrupts church by demanding answers in porn scandal
From Benjamin Royer: Alexander Straus was fewer than two weeks from his first training session as Angel City FC coach. Yet, Angel City CEO and co-founder Julie Uhrman wanted to see her new manager at work.
She flew to Portugal, where Straus was completing his three-season stint as FC Bayern Munich coach — a club the 49-year-old Norwegian led to three consecutive Frauen-Bundesliga titles and a 57-7-2 league record.
As Uhrman watched Straus coach Bayern Munich at the inaugural World Sevens Football tournament, she already was familiar with his technical acumen that was on display en route to a championship victory over Manchester United. That was not a surprise.
But what caught Uhrman's attention was Straus' relationships with his players.
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STANLEY CUP FINALS
Edmonton vs. Floridaat Edmonton 4, Florida 3 (OT) (summary, story)Friday at Edmonton, 5 p.m., TNTMonday at Florida, 5 p.m., TNTThursday, June 12 at Florida, 5 p.m., TNTSaturday, June 14 at Edmonton, 5 p.m., TNT*Tuesday, June 17 at Florida, 5 p.m., TNT*Friday, June 20 at Edmonton, 5 p.m., TNT*
* If necessary
1884 — James McLaughlin becomes the first jockey to win three straight Belmont Stakes when he rides Panique to victory. He won with George Kinney (1883) and Forester (1882). McLaughlin repeats his feat in 1886-88. McLaughlin's triple is matched by jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. in 1984.
1925 — Willie McFarlane beats Bobby Jones by one stroke in the second round of a playoff to capture the U.S. Open. Macfarlane shoots a 291 at Worcester (Mass.) Country Club.
1927 — Johnny Weissmuller sets 100-yard & 200-yard freestyle swim record.
1937 — War Admiral, ridden by Charles Kurtsinger, wins the Triple Crown with a three-length victory over Sceneshifter in the Belmont Stakes.
1943 — Count Fleet, ridden by Johnny Longden, wins the Triple Crown by 25 lengths in the Belmont Stakes. Count Fleet goes at off at 1-20 odds in a race with no place or show betting.
1952 — Jersey Joe Walcott scores a 15-round unanimous decision over Ezzard Charles in Philadelphia to retain the world heavyweight title.
1961 — The newly formed American Basketball League adopts the 3-point field goal.
1977 — The Portland Trail Blazers hold off the Philadelphia 76ers 109-107 to win the NBA championship in six games. Portland becomes the first team in the 31-year history of the league to win four straight after losing the first two games.
1985 — Steve Cauthen wins the Epsom Derby aboard Slip Anchor and became the only American jockey to win the English Derby and Kentucky Derby. Cauthen had ridden Affirmed to victory in the 1978 Kentucky Derby.
1993 — Julie Krone guides Colonial Affair to victory in the Belmont Stakes, becoming the first female jockey to win a Triple Crown race.
1994 — Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Sergi Bruguera produce the best day of tennis in Spanish history. Sanchez Vicario beats Mary Pierce 6-4, 6-4 in the French Open final and Bruguera retains his title by defeating another Spaniard, Alberto Berasategui, 6-3, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1.
1999 — Steffi Graf wins her sixth French Open title and her first Grand Slam championship in almost three years, beating top-ranked Martina Hingis 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
1999 — Charismatic loses his bid to become the 12th Triple Crown winner when he fractures his left front cannon bone and sesamoid while finishing third to Lemon Drop Kid in the Belmont Stakes.
2004 — Smarty Jones loses his Triple Crown bid and his perfect record when Birdstone runs him down near the finish of a thrilling Belmont Stakes. Birdstone, a 36-1 long shot ridden by Edgar Prado, returns $74, $14 and $8.60.
2005 — Spanish teenager Rafael Nadal beats unseeded Mariano Puerta of Argentina in four sets to win the French Open men's singles title. The No. 4-seeded Nadal becomes the youngest men's Grand Slam champion since Pete Sampras won the U.S. Open at 19 in 1990.
2011 — Rafael Nadal wins his record-equaling sixth French Open title, beating Roger Federer 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-1 in the final.
2016 — Novak Djokovic becomes the first man in nearly a half-century to win four consecutive major championships and finally earned elusive French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam, beating Andy Murray 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.
2021 — Luis Saez rides Essential Quality to wins the 153rd Belmont Stakes.
1915 — Philadelphia's Grover Cleveland Alexander lost his no-hitter when Artie Butler punched a single with two outs in the ninth. Alexander struck out Bob Bescher for the final out to beat St. Louis 3-0. Alexander went on to pitch three more one-hitters during the season.
1929 — The Cincinnati Reds scored nine runs in the sixth inning en route to a 21-4 romp over the Chicago Cubs.
1935 — Chicago White Sox rookie John Whitehead loses to St. Louis 2-0. It was his first loss after winning his first eight starts, an AL record for the start of a career.
1949 — Commissioner Happy Chandler lifted the ban on all players who had jumped to a league in Mexico.
1955 — Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees hit a home run off Chicago's Billy Pierce that traveled about 550 feet. The ball cleared the left-field upper deck at Comiskey Park.
1959 — Pittsburgh's Dick Stuart hit the longest home run at Forbes Field. Stuart smashed a shot over the center-field wall off Chicago pitcher Glenn Hobbie.
1966 — Leo Cardenas of the Reds hit four home runs in a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs. Cardenas hit two home runs in each game as Cincinnati won the opener 8-3 but dropped the second game 9-5.
1986 — San Diego's Steve Garvey was ejected for the first time in his career when he argued a play at home plate. Garvey, the on-deck hitter, protested the last out of a triple play by the Atlanta Braves. Television replays showed that Bip Roberts was indeed safe. The Padres lost 4-2.
1989 — The Blue Jays lost their debut in the SkyDome as Glenn Braggs hit a two-run homer to lead the Milwaukee Brewers past Toronto 5-3. The $375-million complex featured a $100-million, four-section, retractable roof.
1997 — Alex Rodriguez of the Mariners became the first Seattle player to hit for the cycle in a nine-inning game. He completed the cycle with a double in the ninth of a 14-6 win at Detroit.
2001 — Colorado pitcher Mike Hampton had two homers, three RBIs and recorded his eighth win as Colorado defeated Houston 9-4.
2008 — Atlanta's Chipper Jones became the third switch-hitter in major league history to hit 400 home runs. Jones' homer off Ricky Nolasco was one of his four hits in the 7-5 comeback win over Florida. Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray were the first two reach the milestone.
2013 — The Chicago White Sox and Seattle Mariners played the first game in major league history when each team scored five or more runs in the game when it was scoreless through the ninth. Alejandro De Aza and Alex Rios each had an RBI single in the 16th inning, and Chicago won 7-5.
2015 — Oakland's Pat Venditte became the first pitcher in 20 years to throw with both arms in the same game, but the Boston Red Sox beat the Athletics 4-2 on a night a fan sustained life-threatening injuries when she was struck by a broken bat.
2021 — Team USA secured a spot in the Tokyo Olympics by winning the Americas Olympic Qualifier.
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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Los Angeles Dodgers v Boston Red Sox Venue: Fenway Park, Boston Date: Sunday, 27 July First pitch: 18:35 BST Coverage: Live coverage on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Red Button and the BBC Sport website and app, from 18:30 After winning last year's World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers picked up from where they left off. They made a flying start to the current Major League Baseball season, becoming the first defending champions to win their first eight games. It had many saying this is the best MLB team that has ever been assembled. Three months later, the Dodgers remain top of their division, but they are struggling. After Tuesday's defeat to Minnesota, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was desperate to stop the rot, saying: "It better be rock bottom." Now his team visit the Boston Red Sox hoping to get their title defence back on track, and you can watch the final game of their three-game series live on the BBC. How did the Dodgers get even better? Speaking to BBC Sport after last year's championship win, former World Series winner Chase Utley said that the Dodgers' "entire line-up has the ability to hit a home run and they play great defence. They're just really good at all aspects of the game." And in the off-season their roster got even better. After their starting pitcher rotation was hit by injuries last year, they brought in Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki to add greater strength in depth. They also re-signed veteran pitcher Clayton Kershaw and knew that at some point Shohei Ohtani would be able to pitch again after recovering from elbow surgery. Ohtani is a 'unicorn' in that he is a two-way player. The Japanese star is the first MLB player to be elite at both pitching and hitting at the same time. After joining the Dodgers in a deal worth $700m (£558m), he could only hit in his first season, yet still earned his third Most Valuable Player award as they won the World Series. The Dodgers' offensive line-up also features two former MVPs in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who are part of a nucleus of players on long-term contracts. And the team bolstered that core with Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernandez signing extensions. Why Dodgers are on brink of World Series dynasty Why 'face of baseball' is on cusp of global stardom What's gone wrong since winning start? It's a good job the Dodgers secured that pitching insurance for this season because their injury woes returned, with four of their starting pitchers having had spells out. That has meant they could not sustain that early-season form and have had to use their relieving pitchers - known as the bullpen - far more than any other MLB team. That has taken its toll, with six relieving pitchers currently out injured, and the team generally struggling for form - in the outfield, on the mound and at the plate. Betts has hit three home runs in his past 49 games and Freeman one in 61. At the start of this month, the Dodgers lost seven games in a row for the first time since September 2017. And since that 8-0 start to the season, their record is 53-43. Manager Dave Roberts said on Tuesday: "It better be rock bottom, as far as how we've been pitching, how we've been playing defence. "I think the offence is kind of starting to tick up, which is good. There's certainly more in there. But I think as far as quality of baseball, it's been a tough watch. It really has." Ohtani's class continues to shine through though. Only Seattle's Cal Raleigh (39) has hit more home runs than Ohtani (37) this season. Ohtani homered in five consecutive games over the past week, and in one of those games he also had three strikeouts as a pitcher. The 31-year-old's return to the mound last month has provided the Dodgers with some relief. So far he has made six starts, with his innings gradually being increased, and in his third game back, Ohtani threw his fastest MLB pitch ever (101.7mph). Red Sox also looking to regroup Ohtani is not scheduled to pitch again until Wednesday, with Dustin May set to be the Dodgers' starting pitcher for Sunday's game against Boston. And there will be a familiar face on the Fenway Park mound. Walker Buehler left the Dodgers for the Red Sox in the off-season and before the start of their three-game series on Friday, some of his former team-mates presented Buehler with his World Series ring for last season's championship triumph. The Dodgers won Friday's game 5-2 to improve their record to 61-43 atop the National League West division. Boston are 55-50 and sit third in the American League East, with Wilyer Abreu (20 home runs) their leading hitter. After going into the All-Star break on a 10-game winning streak, the Red Sox have won just two of their seven games since. As it stands, they would end their three-year play-off absence, but they too need an upturn in form to be sure of securing a wild-card spot. BBC Sport will be showing an MLB game live every Sunday evening until the end of the regular season on 28 September. How does scoring work in baseball?
