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New York Times
22 minutes ago
- New York Times
Why the Angels need to embrace role as sellers ahead of trade deadline
NEW YORK — After the Angels were swept by the Mets on Wednesday afternoon, interim manager Ray Montgomery walked into the visitors clubhouse, where many players ambled around their lockers. It wasn't a formal team meeting; not everyone was present. Still, he wanted to deliver a message. 'I said to the guys, there wasn't one ounce of quit,' Montgomery said. 'The guys kept grinding through a tough game that could have gotten away from us, and it didn't. We had chances. I was proud of the way we kept fighting.' Advertisement He's right. The Angels have played inspired baseball, sometimes even in losses. It's a team that is far more enjoyable to watch than the 99-loss disaster of last season. But when it comes to the tough choices this organization needs to consider over the next week, fight, heart and competence really shouldn't matter that much. The Angels, GM Perry Minasian and owner Arte Moreno need to face facts. They have a 2.8 percent chance to make the postseason this year, according to FanGraphs. They are 4 1/2 games out and have six teams ahead of them fighting for the final wild-card spot. It's not impossible. But anything other than preparing to sell wouldn't be prudent. Minasian declined to discuss the deadline approach Monday at Citi Field, stating he'd talk next after the July 31 deadline passes. He hasn't taken questions from reporters since the beginning of July. There's a lot of interest in Angels players, and competing teams around the league are very hopeful that they sell. It's a huge opportunity for a team that has proven something very important this season: Acquiring good young players eventually leads to more wins. This deadline presents an opportunity to lean into that even more, given they have leverage over competing teams desperate to improve. It's an opportunity to put the franchise in a position to be legitimately competitive long-term. That might mean trading players with more than one year of team control. That includes Taylor Ward, Reid Detmers and José Soriano, among others, all of whom have been inquired about by competing clubs. Reasonable people could disagree on just how aggressive a sell-off the Angels want to conduct. But there's no reasonable argument for anything other than selling, as things stand presently. Particularly as Moreno has been more frugal in his free-agent spending over the years, with Yusei Kikuchi's 3-year, $63 million contract marking the most expensive deal since 2019. Advertisement Leveraging the deadline is a crucial element of building a competitive operation. But it's unclear if Moreno understands that. And Minasian, whose contract expires after next season, might not be inclined to think far beyond 2026. It will ultimately come down to Moreno's inclinations, as always. One team source suggested before the Mets series that he might not want to sell off, since it's unfair to the fans. That's flawed logic — the kind they've employed over the last 11 dreadful seasons. What's unfair to the fans is a malaise of perpetual failure. They've been different iterations of bad every year since 2015. Sure, they have a higher floor than the Rockies or White Sox. But with their modus operandi, their ceiling is also a lot lower. Trading a player like Ward would be tough. And it would hurt their chances in 2026. But it might also bring back talented players who could be the backbone of their competitive window. That's how good teams build, and rebuild quickly — by establishing a pipeline of talent that has not existed in Anaheim in a long time. Winning often requires tough choices and sacrifice. That's the mindset the Angels need to employ, but almost certainly won't. They have always operated in the interest of cobbling together a good enough team, not building something self-sustaining. That's why trading players with years of team control is often off-limits this time of year. The Angels' run differential this season is minus-65. They are 19-12 in one-run games. And they have remained extremely healthy, thus far, throughout the season. They went the entire first half of the season using the same five starting pitchers. Players, coaches and fans want to, and should, look for the positives in evaluating where the Angels are. Hope and optimism can help a club. But front offices need to be cold calculators in assessing the operations. They need to ask if what they've built is actually good enough to be one of the best teams after 162 games. Advertisement The Angels were not overmatched by the Mets. But the sweep highlighted areas of weakness. Poor defensive decision-making was on display. The bullpen wasn't able to lock down leads. And the offense missed several big scoring chances. 'It's frustrating,' Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe said after his team blew a four-run lead in a loss Monday. 'We've got to win games in the second half. We're over good looks, we're over good signs. We've got to win games.' This is what you want your starting catcher to say. This is exactly the right mindset, and whether the Angels sell, the players need to keep that way of thinking. But there needs to be a distinction between what the players' goals are in the clubhouse and the prudent decisions of a big-league front office. Maybe they'll go 7-0 this week, and change the entire calculation. If that happens, great, you can reset. The whole point, however, is that this team's decision-makers need to be preparing for what's most likely, instead of praying for a miracle. (Top photo of Ray Montgomery: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
The Sports Report: Serious knee injury puts Alijah Arenas' USC career in question
From Ryan Kartje: USC star freshman Alijah Arenas will miss at least the next six-to-eight months after sustaining a serious knee injury that will require surgery, leaving his future with the Trojans in question. An MRI this week found a slight meniscus tear, as well as a bone bruise, according to a person familiar with the situation not authorized to discuss it publicly, dealing a critical blow to both USC and a player it hoped could become a superstar in short order. 'Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor and person,' USC coach Eric Musselman said in a statement. 'He is understandably disappointed that he will not be able to take the court to start the season, but his health is our No. 1 priority.' The injury comes just two weeks after Arenas was cleared to practice with USC, and three months after he survived a carwreck in his Tesla Cybertruck. Now it's unclear how much he'll play for USC — if at all. Continue reading here From Kevin Baxter: For 2 ½ hours of a sun-splashed Wednesday afternoon, the Dodgers were playing up to — or perhaps down to — recent expectations. Their offense consisted mainly of a Shohei Ohtani home run while the starting pitching kept them in the game, but then everything appeared to go off the rails when manager Dave Roberts went to his bullpen. This time there was a surprise ending though, with Freddie Freeman lining a two-strike, two-out, two-run single to left field to give the Dodgers a walk-off 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins. The win was just the second in six games since the All-Star break. But with the team beginning a nine-game, three-city road trip, its longest of the second half, Friday in Boston, Roberts believes the comeback could provide the spark the Dodgers have been missing. Continue reading here The California League is abandoning Modesto. How pro baseball might stick around Dodgers box score MLB scores MLB standings Pete Alonso hit a three-run homer to power the New York Mets to a 6-3 win and series sweep of the Angels on Wednesday. Alonso, mired in a 2-for-34 slump dating to July 10, homered two batters after Francisco Lindor broke a career-long 0-for-31 drought with an RBI single. Brandon Nimmo hit his 14th career leadoff homer and Lindor added another RBI single in the fourth for the Mets, who swept a series for the fifth time this season. Continue reading here Angels box score MLB scores MLB standings From Gary Klein: Sean McVay has led the Rams to two Super Bowl appearances, one championship and six playoff appearances. Now, as he prepares for his ninth season, the 39-year-old coach once again has a team regarded as a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The roster includes experience — quarterback Matthew Stafford is entering his 17th season — and young stars such as receiver Puka Nacua and edge rusher Jared Verse, the 2024 NFL defensive rookie of the year. 'I love the natural, just zest and the joy that this group has,' McVay said this week as players reported for training camp at Loyola Marymount. Which is not to say that McVay, Snead and the Rams do not have concerns. Here are five issues to watch as the Rams prepare for their Sept. 7 opener against the Houston Texans: Continue reading here From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: As the Chargers' team bus rolled down the freeway past Poway and toward San Diego, Tony Jefferson couldn't help but smile. This feels like home. Eight years after the Chargers left San Diego, the organization is reintroducing itself to the city with two days of training camp this week. Fans who couldn't secure tickets to practice at the University of San Diego on Tuesday still clamored for a glimpse from the top of a nearby hill. Jefferson, a San Diego native who grew up rooting for the Chargers, has been happy to see the support grow after the franchise's contentious departure. 'With any sports team that leaves the city, [fans] feel empty when it comes to that spot,' said Jefferson, who signed with the Chargers last year. 'But I think we're gradually filling that void back.' Coach Jim Harbaugh's numerous ties to San Diego and instantaneous winning appeared to smooth out a potential reunion with the city. When team executives approached him about returning to San Diego for training camp, the coach eagerly agreed. He suggested the University of San Diego campus, where he got his head coaching start in 2004 for the Toreros. Continue reading here From Kara Alexander: Ever since she visited Los Angeles with her national team three years ago, Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir knew she wanted to play in the National Women's Soccer League one day. When the opportunity to play for Angel City presented itself, Jónsdóttir was eager to join the league and play for new Angel City coach Alexander Straus. 'When Angel City came up, I was just really excited about it,' she said. 'I know Alex. I played against him when he was at Bayern and so I knew he was a great coach.' Three new players have joined Angel City (4-3-6) during the past few months, delivering an infusion of talent for a team that sits in 11th place in the 14-team NWSL standings. The league's top eight teams advance to the playoffs. Continue reading here From Kevin Baxter: NASCAR is returning to Southern California, only its cars will be racing on the streets of Coronado and not on an oval in Fontana. The stock car racing circuit announced Wednesday it will be hosting a three-day series of races June 19-21, ending in a NASCAR Cup Series race on the U.S. Naval base in Coronado. NASCAR did not race in Southern California last year for the first time since 1997, with the exception of 2021, when the schedule was hampered by the coronavirus pandemic. For much of that time, the races were held at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, but that track was torn down in 2023 to make room for a giant warehouse complex. NASCAR preserved part of the grandstand and had hoped to built a half-mile oval track on the site, but that project has stalled and is unlikely to be revived. NASCAR also raced on a temporary quarter-mile oval on the floor of the Coliseum, but that event has also been abandoned. Next summer's Coronado race, which came to fruition after years of careful negotiation, is the first NASCAR event to be run on an active military base. It is being timed to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy and will feature a race weekend including an Xfinity Series race and a Craftsman Truck Series event. Continue reading here Sprint specialist Jonathan Milan pounced at the finish to win the 17th stage of the Tour de France after a crash in the last kilometer derailed rivals' hopes on Wednesday. Italian rider Milan, the green jersey holder, consolidated his lead in the points classification with an explosive finish to get his wheel just over the line ahead of Jordi Meeus, Tobias Lund Andresen, Arnaud De Lie, Davide Ballerini and others in a rain-soaked sprint finale. It's Milan's second stage win of the Tour after his victory in similar fashion in Laval on Saturday. But it was arguably more dramatic with rival sprinter Tim Merlier and others involved in a crash under the 'flamme rouge' — the triangular red banner over the road signaling the final kilometer. 'The last 25 kilometers were really, really, fast,' said Merlier, who finished 25th, more than a minute behind. 'I think I did a mistake. I took one roundabout on the wrong side and I lost a lot of positions. And then I knew I needed to move up. The moment I wanted to move up, I crashed.' Milan was in trouble earlier in the stage when the peloton split into two groups, finding himself in the second one. He had Lidl-Trek teammates Quinn Simmons and Jasper Stuyven to thank for dropping back to help. 'I didn't survive alone, I survived with the help of my teammates and I have to appreciate this. Without them, I would still be on one of the climbs, I wouldn't be here,' said Milan, who clocked 71.1 km/h and is the first Italian to win two stages in the same Tour since Vincenzo Nibali in 2014. There was no change atop the overall standings with three-time Tour champion Tadej Pogačar maintaining his lead of 4 minutes, 15 seconds over main rival Jonas Vingegaard. 1908 — John Hayes wins the Olympic marathon in a record of 2 hours, 55 minutes, 18.4 seconds. Italian Dorando Pietri is the first athlete to enter the stadium, but collapses several times before being disqualified when officials help him across the line. 1931 — Paavo Nurmi sets the world record at 2 miles in a meet at Helsinki, Finland, with a time of 8:59.6. 1960 — Jay Hebert beats Jim Ferrier by one stroke to win the PGA golf tournament. 1967 — Don January wins a playoff by two strokes over Don Massengale to win the PGA championship. 1970 — The International Lawn Tennis Association institutes the nine-point tiebreaker rule. 1976 — John Naber of the United States becomes the first swimmer to break the 2-minute barrier in the 200-meter backstroke at the Olympics in Montreal. 1976 — Mac Wilkins of the United States sets an Olympic record in the discus with a toss of 224 feet in Montreal. 1977 — Hollis Stacy wins the U.S. Women's Open golf championship by two strokes over Nancy Lopez. 1998 — Tour de France riders, angered by the drug scandal that has dominated the event, protest by delaying the start of racing for two hours. Armin Meier, a member of the Festina team who was kicked off the tour the previous week, admits to a French radio station that he used a banned drug. 2005 — Lance Armstrong wins his seventh consecutive Tour de France. All of the titles are stripped in 2012 for doping. 2008 — Nancy Lieberman makes a one-game appearance for the Detroit Shock after the 50-year-old Hall-of-Famer signed a seven-day contract earlier in the day. Lieberman, finishes with two assists and two turnovers, surpassing her own record as the oldest player in WNBA history. Lieberman held the record playing at age 39 in 1997 while playing for the Phoenix Mercury. 2009 — Ron Hornaday Jr. holds off a late challenge from Mike Skinner to win the AAA Insurance 200, making him the first driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to win four consecutive races. 2010 — Fourteen-year-old Jim Liu of Smithtown, N.Y., beats Justin Thomas of Goshen, Ky., 4 and 2 to become the youngest U.S. Junior Amateur champion. Liu, who turns 15 next month, is more than six months younger than Tiger Woods when he won the first of his three consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur titles in 1991. 2011 — Cadel Evans wins the Tour de France, becoming the first Australian champion in cycling's greatest race. 2014 — Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice receives a two-game suspension from the NFL following his offseason arrest for domestic violence. The six-year veteran was arrested following a Feb. 15 altercation in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with then-fiancee Janay Palmer. 2016 — Chris Froome celebrates his third Tour de France title in four years. The British rider finishes safely at the back of the main pack during the final stage, arm-in-arm with his teammates during the mostly ceremonial final stage ending on the Champs-Elysees. Froome, who also won the Tour in 2013 and 2015, becomes the first rider to defend the title since Miguel Indurain won the last of his five straight in 1995. Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven consecutive titles for doping. 2019 — 19-year-old Hungarian swimmer Kristof Milak breaks Michael Phelps' 10-year-old 200m butterfly record in a time of 1:50.73, 0.78s faster than Phelps. 1909 — Nap Rucker of the Brooklyn Dodgers struck out 16 batters in a 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. 1931 — In an 8-7 loss to Pittsburgh, Babe Herman of Brooklyn hit for the cycle for the second time in the season. 1947 — Jackie Robinson stole home for the first time in his major league career in the Brooklyn Dodgers' 4-2 win over Pittsburgh. 1948 — Chicago White Sox outfielder Pat Seerey become the first major leaguer to strike out seven times in a doubleheader. 1949 — Cleveland pitcher Bob Lemon hit two home runs to lead the Indians to a 7-5 victory over the Washington Senators in the opener of a doubleheader. 1968 — Hoyt Wilhelm of the Chicago White Sox passed Cy Young's major league record when he made his 907th appearance. He retired with 1,070 appearances. 1973 — Bobby Bonds homered and doubled to lead the NL to a 7-1 rout of the AL in the All-Star game at Kansas City. 1983 — The 'Pine Tar' home run was hit by the Kansas City Royals' George Brett off New York pitcher Goose Gossage at Yankee Stadium. Brett's shot came with two out in the top of the ninth to give the Royals a 5-4 lead. Brett's homer was ruled an out because the amount of pine tar exceeded what was allowed. After a protest by the Royals, the final out and the Yankees' half of the ninth was completed on Aug. 18. 1993 — Anthony Young of the New York Mets extended his record losing streak to 27 games when he walked in the winning run in the 10th inning for a 5-4 loss to the Dodgers. 1999 — In their biggest victory in 46 years, the New York Yankees routed the Cleveland Indians 21-1 as Chili Davis went 5-for-6 with six RBIs. 2010 — Tampa Bay won in Cleveland for the first time in nearly five years. The Rays snapped an 18-game losing streak with a 6-3 win against the Indians. Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon snapped an 0-21 personal losing streak as the visiting manager that began when he was the Angels interim manager in 1996. 2016 — Ken Griffey, Jr. and Mike Piazza are inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Cooperstown, NY. Griffey obtained the highest percentage of the vote ever — 99.3% — in being elected in his first year of eligibility by the BBWAA, while Piazza made it on his fourth try. A crowd estimated at 50,000, the second-largest ever at Cooperstown, is on hand to witness the event. 2022 — The induction ceremony is held for the Class of 2022 at the Hall of Fame. Three of the seven men inducted — David Ortiz, Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva — are present to receive the honor. The others, all deceased, are represented by relatives — Gil Hodges, Minnie Minoso and Buck O'Neil — while Dave Winfield introduces 19th-century Black baseball pioneer Bud Fowler. Over 35,000 persons are present in Cooperstown, NY to witness the ceremony, and Dominican flags and Boston Red Sox gear, in honor of Ortiz, are well in evidence in the crowd. 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 To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Shohei Ohtani homers again as the Dodgers beat the Twins
Los Angeles' slugger hit a home run for a fifth straight game as the Dodgers beat Minnesota on a walk-off single on Wednesday. #MLB #Dodgers #Baseball Learn more about your ad choices. Visit FOX News Radio
