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From Jack Harris: For most of this season, the Dodgers have looked close to invincible.
In eight meetings with the San Diego Padres, however, they have appeared anything but.
For the second time already this season, the Dodgers dropped a series to their intradivision rivals, falling to the Padres 4-0 in a Sunday rubber match at a sold-out Petco Park.
The reasons for this defeat weren’t difficult to diagnose. Shohei Ohtani sat out because of a tight back. Padres starter Yu Darvish cruised through seven scoreless innings. And, most of all, Walker Buehler struggled in his second start back from Tommy John surgery, giving up three runs in just 3 ⅓ innings.
In the big picture, this weekend’s setback should just be a temporary blip.
Ohtani is expected back in the lineup Monday, needing just a one-day break after his back tightened up on him Saturday night. The Dodgers’ lineup seems bound to heat up again, especially if Mookie Betts can end a recent two-week slump. Buehler’s lumps have been no surprise, either, not with the 29-year-old returning from a second surgery that required nearly two years of rehabilitation.
Hernández: Dave Roberts does his job: Protecting Shohei Ohtani from himself
Inside young Clayton Kershaw’s fight to save his career and learn a unique pitch
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NBA PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE
All times Pacific
Second round
Western Conference
No. 1 Oklahoma City vs. No. 5 Dallas
at Oklahoma City 117, Dallas 95 (box score)
Dallas 119, at Oklahoma City 110 (box score)
at Dallas 105, Oklahoma City 101 (box score)
Monday at Dallas, 6:30 p.m., TNT
Wednesday at Oklahoma City, 6:30 p.m., TNT
*Saturday at Dallas, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
*Monday at Oklahoma City, 5:30 p.m., TNT
No. 2 Denver vs. No. 3 Minnesota
Minnesota 106, at Denver 99 (box score)
Minnesota 106, at Denver 80 (box score)
Denver 117, at Minnesota 90 (box score)
Denver 115, at Minnesota 107 (box score)
Tuesday at Denver, 7:30 p.m., TNT
*Thursday at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
*Sunday at Denver, TBD, TNT
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Boston vs. No. 4 Cleveland
at Boston 120, Cleveland 95 (box score)
Cleveland 118, at Boston 94 (box score)
Boston 106, at Cleveland 93 (box score)
Monday at Cleveland, 4 p.m., TNT
Wednesday at Boston, 4 p.m., TNT
*Friday at Cleveland, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
*Sunday at Boston, TBD, TBD
No. 2 New York vs. No. 6 Indiana
at New York 121, Indiana 117 (box score)
at New York 130, Indiana 121 (box score)
at Indiana 111, New York 106 (box score)
at Indiana 121, New York 89 (box score)
Tuesday at New York, 5 p.m., TNT
Friday at Indiana, TBD, ESPN
*Sunday at New York, 12:30 p.m., ABC
*-if necessary
ANGELS
Seth Lugo racked up a career-high 12 strikeouts and allowed one run over eight strong innings, and Hunter Renfroe had a two-run single against his former team in the Kansas City Royals’ 4-2 victory over the Angels on Sunday.
Freddie Fermin and Michael Massey also had RBIs during the Royals’ four-run fourth inning, giving Lugo (6-1) plenty of support as Kansas City took three of four from the Angels.
Willie Calhoun had an RBI double in the sixth and a solo homer in the ninth for the Halos, who have lost 17 of 23 with a major league-worst 14 players on the injured list. Los Angeles has lost all six of its series at the Big A this season, failing to win consecutive home games at any point.
UCLA WATER POLO
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: UCLA claimed its first NCAA women’s polo title since 2009 with a 7-4 win over California on Sunday, completing its first undefeated season since 2008 to win the program’s seventh national championship. The Bruins (26-0) are the first team since USC in 2016 to complete a perfect season and just the fifth team in NCAA women’s water polo history.
After guiding the UCLA men’s program to four national titles in 15 seasons as the head coach, Adam Wright won his first NCAA championship at the helm of the women’s team. He took over both programs in 2017 after the women’s team had advanced to three national championship games in four seasons, but had no trophy to show for it.
With the composure of a coach that’s made the championship dive before, Wright took off his sneakers at the final horn and set them on the bench. He gathered several players and assistant coaches in a group hug on the pool deck, wrapped Cal head coach Coralie Simmons in a consoling hug then dove head first into the pool.
USC BASEBALL
From Bill Shaikin: “You ever played Mafia before?”
I had asked Connor Clift, a senior catcher for the USC baseball team, about the Trojans’ trying season.
“We play Mafia for hours,” Clift said.
It’s a video game.
“You have a sheriff, and you have townies, and the mafia tries to kill the townies, and the sheriff tries to catch the mafia,” he said. “Nobody knows who is who, and then you fight it out.”
The Trojans play for hours, because they ride the bus for hours. They are a team without a home.
They practice half an hour from campus — an hour, with traffic. They play most of their home games an hour from campus — two hours, with traffic.
USC VOLLEYBALL
From Ryan Kartje: Before he built a beach volleyball dynasty, Dain Blanton had decided in the summer of 2018 to put coaching on the back burner.
After four years as a volunteer assistant, it felt like he’d hit his ceiling at USC. Anna Collier, the only head coach USC beach volleyball ever had, didn’t seem likely to move on any time soon. And ESPN, where Blanton worked on volleyball coverage, was offering him a chance to commit to a career in broadcasting, not to mention financial stability. With a new baby to think about, it felt like the right time to move on.
Blanton loved coaching. But he was ready for something new, and his broadcast career, which included work as a Clippers sideline reporter and Olympics analyst, seemed primed to take off. Still, during the next year, Collier checked in to remind Blanton not to close the door completely on coaching — not knowing, at the time, that she would retire from USC the following summer.
Stunned by the news, Blanton wondered if he’d have a shot. “Everyone and their brother wanted the job,” he said.
NHL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE
All times Pacific
Second round
Western Conference
C1 Dallas vs. C3 Colorado
Colorado 4, at Dallas 3 (OT) (box score)
at Dallas 5, Colorado 3 (box score)
Dallas 4, at Colorado 1 (box score)
Monday at Colorado, 7 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday at Dallas, 5 p.m., ESPN
*Friday at Colorado
*Sunday at Dallas, TBD
P1 Vancouver vs. P2 Edmonton
at Vancouver 5, Edmonton 4 (box score)
Edmonton 4, at Vancouver 3 (OT) (box score)
Vancouver 4, at Edmonton 3 (box score)
Tuesday at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday at Vancouver, TBD
*Saturday at Edmonton, TBD
*Monday at Vancouver, TBD
Eastern Conference
M1 New York Rangers vs. M2 Carolina
at New York 4, Carolina 3 (box score)
at New York 4, Carolina 3 (2 OT) (box score)
New York 3, at Carolina 2 (OT) (box score)
at Carolina 4, New York 3 (box score)
Monday at New York, 4 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday at Carolina, 4 p.m., TNT
*Saturday at New York, TBD
A1 Florida vs. A2 Boston
Boston 5, at Florida 1 (box score)
at Florida 6, Boston 1 (box score)
Florida 6, at Boston 2 (box score)
Florida 3, at Boston 2 (box score)
Tuesday at Florida, 4 p.m., ESPN
*Friday at Boston, TBD
*Sunday at Floria, TBD
*-if necessary
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1950 — First ever race of the Formula 1 World Drivers Championship is run at Silverstone, England and won by Giuseppe Farina of italy in an Alfa Romeo.
1952 — In an Appalachian League game, Ron Necciai of the Bristol Twins strikes out 27 batters while pitching a 7-0 no-hitter against the Welch Miners.
1958 — Stan Musial gets his 3,000th hit with a pinch-double off Chicago’s Moe Drabowsky at Wrigley Field. The Cardinals win 5-3.
1976 — The New York Nets overcome a 22-point third-quarter deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets 112-106 and win the last ABA championship in six games.
1989 — Trinidad & Tobago ties US 1-1, in 3rd round of 1990 soccer world cup.
2005 — Tiger Woods misses the cut at the Byron Nelson Championship to end his record of 142 consecutive cuts made over the last seven years on the PGA Tour.
2007 — Canada wins hockey’s world championship with a 4-2 victory over Finland. Rick Nash leads the way with two goals as Canada captures its’ 24th world title and first since 2004.
2014 — Henrik Lundqvist sets an NHL record with his fifth straight Game 7 victory. He made 35 saves to lift the New York Rangers to a 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins and earn a spot in the Eastern Conference finals.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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