From Jack Harris: Fifty at-bats.
Before the start of the Dodgers’ regular season schedule next month in Korea, that’s how many spring training at-bats Shohei Ohtani has told the team he would like to take in order to prepare for the year.
“He feels if he can get 50 at-bats,” manager Dave Roberts said, “that’ll get him ready for the season.”
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Ohtani confirmed as much when approached by reporters at his locker Wednesday, shortly after taking live batting practice for the second time this spring.
In Wednesday’s session, Ohtani worked a swing-less walk against reliever Daniel Hudson, then hit a ground ball to second base against left-handed swingman Ryan Yarbrough.
Between those two at-bats, and the three Ohtani took in his first live batting practice session Monday, he already has five under his belt before Cactus League games begin.
“As long as my body is feeling good and reacting the right way the next day,” he said through his interpreter, “then we should be good.”
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LAKERS
Lakers D’Angelo Russell, left, and LeBron James high five as they walk on the court alongside teammates Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers’ efficient offense has helped them win despite lineup changes.
(Juan Ocampo / NBAE via Getty Images)
From Dan Woike: The Lakers didn’t have LeBron James on Jan. 15 in Utah, the middle of a stretch during which the team played every other day for almost an entire month. They were stuck in a bit of a malaise, wins over the Clippers and the Raptors erased after the Lakers got smoked by the Suns.
Short-handed and on the road, the light seemed to get extra green for D’Angelo Russell, and the nine-year veteran has never been shy. So he called his number. Again. And Again.
Russell took 26 shots that night in a tight loss to the Jazz, but his aggression fully ignited a thought he had in the weeks prior.
He needed to do more, to be more. He had to get out of the backseat. He had to be himself.
CLIPPERS
Clippers guard Russell Westbrook, left, celebrates with James Harden as he exits a game against the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 2. The Clippers are upbeat after proving they can win despite critics who suggested Harden would be a bad fit with the team.
(Paul Sancya / Associated Press)
From Broderick Turner: James Harden was the first of the Clippers’ star trio to descend the steps and onto the Paycom Center court for the start of practice Wednesday afternoon. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, fresh off having played in the NBA’s All-Star game Sunday in Indianapolis, were next to take the court.
All three of them looked relaxed and in good spirits, the week off before the start of the next phase of the season — which begins with Thursday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder — leaving Harden, Leonard and George in a good space.
They have made this union work despite naysayers arguing the addition of Harden via trade in October was doomed for failure.
But they all were committed to the process, as was coach Tyronn Lue, and stood firm in their belief that in due time they would figure it out.
SOCCER
U.S. forward Mia Fishel tore the ACL in her right knee on the eve of the CONCACAF W Gold Cup, which started Tuesday night for the U.S. women’s national team.
(Alex Gallardo / Associated Press)
From Kevin Baxter: Mia Fishel should have been in the starting lineup for the women’s national team Tuesday. Instead, she wasn’t even on the roster.
The first CONCACAF W Gold Cup was to be her coming-out party, the springboard that would catapult her into contention for a spot on the Olympic team this summer. Instead, she’ll be watching the Olympics from her sofa.
A future that seemed limitless for Fishel entering the week is now clouded in doubt after a freak accident during the final training session for Tuesday’s Gold Cup opener against the Dominican Republic, a game the U.S. won 5-0 behind two goals from teenager Olivia Moultrie before a crowd of 3,242 on a cold, rainy night at Dignity Health Sports Park. In the first game, Mexico outshot Argentina 16-3 but had to settle for a scoreless draw.
The tournament continues Friday in Carson with the second-ranked U.S. facing Argentina and Mexico playing the Dominican Republic. And it will go on without Fishel, who tore the ACL in right knee during a short practice on a rain-slicked field Monday afternoon.
“I’m gutted for Mia, and I know the team and the entire staff is as well,” interim U.S. coach Twila Kilgore said. “She’s been very effective in camp and has worked hard to make an impact.”
Galaxy acquire Ghanaian winger Joseph Paintsil from Genk, reshaping their roster
RAMS
Rams center Brian Allen reacts after the team scored a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders on Dec. 8, 2022.
(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
From Gary Klein: The Rams began their roster overhaul on Wednesday by releasing veteran center Brian Allen.
Allen, 28, signed an extension after the 2021 season and was due to carry a salary-cap number of about $8 million for the 2024 season, according to overthecap.com. Allen, a fourth-round draft pick in 2018, was a key player for the Rams in his first few seasons but he has been hampered by injuries and lost his starting job to Coleman Shelton in 2022.
Allen’s release, which saves the Rams about $4.9 million against the cap, is the first move for a team that is coming off a 10-7 season and a playoff appearance.
DUCKS
Ducks defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin (46) controls the puck in front of Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Justin Danforth (17) during the first period of the Ducks’ loss in Anaheim Wednesday.
(Alex Gallardo / Associated Press)
From the Associated Press: Yegor Chinakhov scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period and the Columbus Blue Jackets blew a four-goal lead before rallying for a 7-4 victory over the Ducks on Wednesday night.
Sean Kuraly got his second goal of the night 49 seconds after Chinakhov’s score for Columbus, which finished its three-game California trip with two victories. Boone Jenner had two early assists and got an empty-net goal with 32 seconds left for his fifth goal in five games.
Zach Werenski scored two goals in the first period and Johnny Gaudreau ended his 17-game goal drought for the Jackets, who snapped their five-game losing streak against Anaheim. Kuraly and Werenski both had their first multi-goal games of the season.
The Ducks trailed 4-0 before they tied it up in an 11-minute burst to close the second period, with Mason McTavish getting two of the four goals. Alex Killorn made it 4-4 with a short-handed goal 24 seconds before the second intermission.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1919 — The first dog race track to use an imitation rabbit opens in Emeryville, Calif.
1936 — Figure skater Sonja Henie wins her 10th straight world championship.
1959 — Lee Petty, driving an Oldsmobile, wins the first Daytona 500.
1969 — Barbara Jo Rubin becomes the first female jockey to win a race at an American thoroughbred track. She rides Cohesian to a neck victory over Reely Beeg in the ninth race at Charles Town in West Virginia.
1975 — Madison Square Garden hosts its first women’s college basketball game. In a rematch of the 1973 national championship game, defending national champion Immaculata beats Queens College 65-31 before a crowd of 11,969.
1980 — The U.S. Olympic hockey team stuns the Soviet Union with a 4-3 victory in the medal round of the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. Captain Mike Eruzione scores the winning goal midway through the final period.
1981 — Rookies Peter and Anton Stastny total eight points apiece, sending the Quebec Nordiques past the Washington Capitals 11-7. Peter has four goals and four assists; Aaron has three goals and five assists.
1988 — Hersey Hawkins scores 63 points to lead Bradley over Detroit 122-107. Archie Tullos scores 49 points for the Titans.
1988 — Bonnie Blair wins America’s second gold medal at the Winter Olympics in world-record time, beating Christa Rothenburger of East Germany by .02 seconds in the 500-meter speed skating.
1990 — Lionel Simmons scores 27 points to move into fourth place of the NCAA Division I scoring list at 3,024 and becomes the fifth player to score 3,000 points as the Explorers beat Manhattan 100-60.
1993 — Glenn Anderson becomes the 36th NHL player with 1,000 points, picking up a goal and two assists to help the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Vancouver Canucks 8-1.
1998 — Bjorn Dahlie, the Norwegian cross-country skiing great, extends his Winter Olympics record by picking up his 12th medal, and record eighth gold, in the last race of Nagano — the 50-kilometer.
2006 — Gene Bess becomes the first college basketball coach to win 1,000 games when Three Rivers Community College beat Forest Park 77-60.
2008 — Lindsey Vonn clinches the World Cup downhill title, becoming the first American woman to claim the crown since Picabo Street in 1996. Nadia Styger of Switzerland wins the race at Whistler, British Columbia with Vonn finishing 0.01 behind Styger.
2008 — The Indy Racing League and the Champ Car World Series sign a deal to unify the two American open-wheel circuits, bringing them under the umbrella of the IRL.
2010 — Caltech ends its 310-game conference losing streak in men’s basketball beating Occidental College 46-45 in its season finale.
2013 — The Chicago Blackhawks sets an NHL record for the best start to a season, beating the San Jose Sharks 2-1 to give them at least one point in their first 17 games.
2016 — Tennessee’s 31-year run in the AP’s women’s college basketball rankings ends. The Lady Vols had been ranked for 565 consecutive weeks. The streak started Feb. 17, 1985.
2019 – Robert Kraft, owner of NFL team the New England Patriots, charged with soliciting prostitution, as part of human-trafficking sting operation in Jupiter, Florida.
Compiled by the Associated Press
And finally
Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi earned an assist as teammate Robert Taylor scored the first goal of the 2024 MLS season. Watch the sequence 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 houston.mitchell@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.