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From Jack Harris: In a perfect world, Clayton Kershaw would have liked to wait and see if his sore shoulder improved enough in the coming days to make one more start before next week’s All-Star break.
In what has been a thoroughly imperfect season for the banged-up Dodgers’ pitching staff, though, keeping Kershaw on the active roster as he nursed his injury was a luxury the team couldn’t afford.
Kershaw was put on the 15-day injured list Monday, six days after initially feeling shoulder pain during a start in Colorado last week.
“Any time you have to take time off, it’s frustrating, disappointing,” Kershaw said. “Just the way that the season was going, I had hoped that I could make it through a full season. Haven’t done that in a while. It’s always something that I want to do.”
Though he wasn’t ready for his scheduled turn through the rotation Monday — Michael Grove was called up instead to start the Dodgers’ 5-2 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates — Kershaw believed he might have been able to make one more outing before the All-Star break, had the team’s short-handed staff not been in such a dire state.
Mo’ne Davis is not just your average summer intern for the Dodgers
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DODGERS POLL
Will the Dodgers make the postseason this year? Click here to vote.
ANGELS
From Sarah Valenzuela: Phil Nevin was 28 years old when he came to play for the San Diego Padres and general manager Kevin Towers in 1999.
Nevin played several positions for the Padres at their old ballpark, Qualcomm Stadium, until 2003 and at Petco Park until 2005. In 2001, he earned his first All-Star Game selection.
“A lot of great memories for me,” the Angels’ manager said before his team’s series-opening 10-3 loss to his former club Monday night at Petco Park. “I made sure I drove down [Interstate]15 and cut across [Interstate]8 so I could see the old stadium. … A lot of memories driving down here today.”
During the game, Angels star Mike Trout exited with a left wrist injury after fouling off a pitch while leading off the eighth inning.
He immediately shook his arm. Nevin and a trainer came out to check on the superstar, and he left the field.
CLIPPERS
From Andrew Greif: Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, coach Tyronn Lue and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank all made a clear pitch in recent days to free-agent center Mason Plumlee: We want you back.
The unified message was part of an aggressive pursuit to re-sign Plumlee, who became the team’s backup center immediately after being acquired from Charlotte via a trade in February, and ward off other teams that offered more lucrative contracts, said Plumlee’s agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports and Entertainment.
Bartelstein termed Plumlee’s decision difficult. It arrived Monday when Plumlee agreed to a one-year contract worth $5 million to return to the Clippers.
EL TRÁFICO
From Kevin Baxter: When a massive storm blew through Southern California last February, MLS determined it wasn’t safe to play the season-opening game between the Galaxy and LAFC at the Rose Bowl. But Tom Braun quickly discovered there was a silver lining ringing those dark, black rain clouds.
As the Galaxy’s senior vice president for soccer and business operations, it was Braun’s job to find an alternate date for the game in the most crowded MLS schedule in history. And less than two hours after the Galaxy announced the postponement, Braun had it: the game would be played on the Fourth of July.
LAFC wasn’t busy that day. St. Louis City, an MLS expansion team scheduled to play the Galaxy that night, agreed to move its game to September. And not only was the Rose Bowl available, but the city of Pasadena allowed the Galaxy to stage their traditional fireworks show at the stadium as well.
HORSE RACING
From John Cherwa: In a stunning development, Churchill Downs Inc. extended trainer Bob Baffert’s suspension from all of its racetracks, including its signature track that hosts the Kentucky Derby, by at least another year despite the fact he has had no violations in the two years since he was suspended.
Churchill Downs suspended the Hall of Fame trainer for two years in 2021 after Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit tested positive for a medication that is legal except for on race day. Medina Spirit had a positive test for betamethasone, an anti-inflammatory that is not considered a performance enhancer in the traditional sense. Baffert has contended that the now-deceased colt had been administered the medication as an ointment for a rash and was not given through an injection. The case remains in litigation with the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, and Medina Spirit has been stripped of the victory. There are no current suits against Churchill Downs.
“Mr. Baffert continues to peddle a false narrative concerning the failed drug test of Medina Spirit at the 147th Kentucky Derby from which his horse was disqualified by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission in accordance with Kentucky law and regulations,” Churchill Downs said Monday in a statement.
“Prior to that race, Mr. Baffert signed an agreement with Churchill Downs which stated that he was responsible for understanding the rules of racing in Kentucky and that he would abide by them. The results of the tests clearly show that he did not comply, and his ongoing conduct reveals his continued disregard for the rules and regulations that ensure horse and jockey safety, as well as the integrity and fairness of the races conducted at our facilities.
“A trainer who is unwilling to accept responsibility for multiple drug test failures in our highest-profile races cannot be trusted to avoid future misconduct. Mr. Baffert will remain suspended from entering horses at all racetracks owned by CDI through 2024. After such time, we will re-evaluate his status.”
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THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1910 — Jack Johnson knocks out Jim Jeffries in the 15th round at Reno, Nev., to retain the world heavyweight title and spoil Jeffries’ comeback.
1919 — Jack Dempsey wins the world heavyweight title at Toledo, Ohio, when Jess Willard fails to answer the bell for the fourth round.
1923 — Jack Dempsey beats Tommy Gibbon in 15 for the heavyweight title. The fight almost bankrupts the town of Shelby, Montana, which borrowed heavily to stage it.
1930 — Helen Wills Moody wins her fourth straight singles title at Wimbledon with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Elizabeth Ryan. Moody would go on to win four more Wimbledon singles titles.
1954 — FIFA World Cup Final, Wankdorf Stadium, Bern, Switzerland: Helmut Rahn scores twice as West Germany beats Hungary, 3-2.
1964 — Maria Bueno of Brazil upsets Margaret Smith of Australia 6-4, 7-9, 6-3 for the women’s title at Wimbledon.
1975 — Billie Jean King beats Evonne Goolagong, 6-0, 6-1 for her sixth and final singles title at Wimbledon.
1980 — Nolan Ryan fans Reds’ Cesar Geronimo to become 4th pitcher to 3,000 MLB strikeouts.
1982 — Jimmy Connors beats John McEnroe 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 for the men’s singles championship at Wimbledon. The match lasts 4 hours, 16 minutes.
1987 — Martina Navratilova wins her eighth Wimbledon singles title and sixth straight, beating Steffi Graf 7-5, 6-3.
1994 — FIFA World Cup: A Bebeto strike saves Brazil from embarrassment, beat USA 1-0 at Stanford.
1999 — Pete Sampras overwhelms Andre Agassi in three sets to capture his sixth Wimbledon title and tie Roy Emerson’s record with his 12th Grand Slam championship. Sampras is the first man in the Open era with six Wimbledon titles.
2003 — Lakers star Kobe Bryant is arrested in Eagle, Colorado for sexual assault, charges eventually dismissed.
2004 — Meg Mallon wins the Women’s U.S. Open with a 6-under 65, the lowest final round by a champion in the 59-year history of the tournament. Mallon finishes at 10-under 274 for a two-shot victory over Annika Sorenstam.
2009 — Serena Williams beats her big sister Venus 7-6 (3), 6-2 for her third Wimbledon title and 11th Grand Slam championship. In the fourth all-Williams final at Wimbledon, Serena comes out on top for the third time. Later, Venus and Serena win their fourth women’s doubles title at Wimbledon and ninth Grand Slam doubles title as a pair.
2010 — Rafael Nadal beats Tomas Berdych in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4, to win his second Wimbledon title and eighth Grand Slam championship.
2022 — Minneosta Twins turn 1st 8-5 triple play in MLB history as centerfielder Byron Buxton makes a catch and third baseman Gio Urshela tags one runner out in the basepath and doubles-off another runner by tagging second base against White Sox in Chicago.
—Compiled by the Associated Press
And finally…
The Minnesota Twins turn the first-ever 8-5 triple play. Watch and listen here.
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.