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From Jack Harris: During Game 2 of the National League Division Series on Sunday night, San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado threw a ball toward the Dodgers dugout between innings that almost hit manager Dave Roberts.
Roberts told reporters Monday he didn’t notice the throw at the time but later saw a video of the incident, calling it “unsettling.”
“I don’t know his intent. I don’t want to speak for him,” Roberts said. “But I did see the video. And the ball was directed at me with something behind it.”
The sequence took place before the bottom of the sixth inning, after Dodgers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty struck out Machado the half-inning before and shouted expletives toward the Padres star on his way back to the dugout.
According to people who witnessed the play, Machado’s throw toward the Dodgers dugout came as the Padres were warming up defensively for the bottom half of the inning. Machado allegedly threw the ball with some zip, one-hopping it into the wall of netting protecting the dugout, near where Roberts was sitting.
A video of the incident obtained by the San Diego Union-Tribune showed that Machado released the throw from the infield grass between second and third base. Roberts was looking down at his lineup sheet when it crashed into the netting in front of him.
Although Machado admitted after Sunday’s game he did throw a ball toward the Dodgers dugout, he framed it as a routine toss intended for a ball boy.
“I throw balls all the time into the dugouts, both dugouts,” Machado said. “I mean they have foul balls, you know, you throw the ball back in there.”
Dave Roberts wants struggling Mookie Betts to embrace a different mindset
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MLB POSTSEASON SCHEDULE
Division Series
All times Pacific
National League
No. 1 Dodgers vs. No. 4 San Diego
at Dodgers 7, San Diego 5 (box score)
San Diego 10, at Dodgers 2 (box score)
Tuesday at San Diego, 6 p.m., FS1
Wed. at San Diego, 6 p.m., FS1
*Friday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., Fox
No. 2 Philadelphia vs. No. 6 NY Mets
New York 6, at Philadelphia 2
at Philadelphia 7, New York 6
Tuesday at New York, 2 p.m., FS1
Wed. at New York, 2 p.m., FS1
*Friday at Philadelphia, 1 p.m., FS1
American League
No. 2 Cleveland vs. No. 6 Detroit
at Cleveland 7, Detroit 0
Detroit 3, at Cleveland 0
Wed. at Detroit, noon, TBS
Thursday at Detroit, 3 p.m., TNT
*Saturday at Cleveland, 1:30 p.m., TBS
No. 1 NY Yankees vs. No. 5 Kansas City
at New York 6, Kansas City 5
Kansas City 4, at New York 2
Wed. at Kansas City, 4 p.m., TBS
Thursday at Kansas City, 5 p.m., TBS
*Saturday 12 at New York, 5 p.m., TBS
*-if necessary
RAMS
From Gary Klein: The Rams are the second-youngest team in the NFL, and they’re showing their age.
They don’t know how to win.
Oh, they’ve gotten close. Over and over. But just as they showed Sunday in their 24-19 loss to Green Bay — incidentally, the league’s youngest team — they haven’t shown an ability to finish the job.
Now the Rams head into their week off knowing that three of their four losses were by six, six and five points.
Rams have hopes Cooper Kupp will return and Matthew Stafford’s sore back heals
CHARGERS
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: There won’t be a redo, but for the injured Chargers, an early off week is at least a restart.
Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh called the team’s Week 5 bye “like starting the season over” after dropping to 2-2 with a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. A team that was without four starters in its last game because of injuries was in need of the break. More difficult tasks await in the next 13 weeks.
Three big questions for the rest of the season:
CLIPPERS
From Broderick Turner: His job as coach of the Clippers has demanded that Tyronn Lue be more than that at times. His job this season has called upon Lue to be more of a teacher.
This is because of six new players on the roster. Also because he has six players 25 years old or younger.
After spending about a week in Hawaii for training camp and playing a preseason game against the Golden State Warriors, the Clippers returned home for a practice Monday at Intuit Dome.
For Lue, it has been a time of excitement and a time for him to lean into being a teacher.
“I love it,” Lue said. “It gives me something to do. The young guys, just teaching. The new guys, teaching, understanding spacing, understanding how to execute offensively, what we’re looking for first, second, third option. So, it’s been good.”
UCLA BASKETBALL
From Eduard Cauich: When Gabriela Jaquez noticed three of her UCLA teammates passionately representing Serbia and Germany during Olympic qualifiers, she was motivated.
Emily Bessoir and Lina Sontag qualified to make their Olympic debuts playing for Germany. UCLA teammate Angela Dugalić, of Serbia, also qualified to compete during the Paris Games.
“I saw them and they inspired me,” said Jaquez, explaining why she decided to play for the Mexican national team.
Jaquez, 20, then talked with her father and older brother about playing for Mexico during the summer in her first international tournament. Mexican basketball federation officials had long sought her participation after her brother, former UCLA star and current Miami Heat player Jaime Jaquez Jr., played for Mexico during the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
COLLEGE SPORTS
A judge granted preliminary approval Monday to the $2.78 billion legal settlement that would transform college sports by allowing schools to pay players.
U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken released an order setting a timeline for a deal that would put millions of dollars into the pockets of college athletes, who can begin applying for payment on Oct. 18.
A final hearing is set for April 7, 2025, the day that one of college sports’ biggest moneymakers, March Madness, comes to a close with college basketball’s national title game. If finalized, the deal would allow the biggest schools to establish a pool of about $21.5 million in the first year to distribute money to athletes through a revenue-sharing plan. Athletes would still be able to cut name, image and likeness deals with outside groups.
WNBA PLAYOFFS
Semifinals
All times Pacific
No. 1 New York (32-8) vs. No. 4 Las Vegas (27-13)
at New York 87, Las Vegas 77
at New York 88, Las Vegas 84
at Las Vegas 95, New York 81
New York 76, at Las Vegas 62
No. 2 Minnesota (30-10) vs. No. 3 Connecticut (28-12)
Connecticut 73, at Minnesota 70
at Minnesota 77, Connecticut 70
Minnesota 90, at Connecticut 81
at Connecticut 92, Minnesota 82
Tuesday at Minnesota, 5 p.m., ESPN2
*-if necessary
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1933 — Cliff Battles of the Boston Redskins becomes the first NFL player to gain more than 200 yards rushing with 215 yards in a 21-20 win over the New York Giants.
1949 — Walt Pastuszak has five of Brown’s 11 interceptions in a 46-0 rout of Rhode Island.
1956 — Don Larsen of the New York Yankees pitches the only perfect game in World Series history, a 2-0 triumph over Brooklyn.
1966 — Jerry DePoyster of Wyoming becomes the first player in college football to make three field goals of 50 yards or more in a game. DePoyster connects on two 54-yard tries and a 52-yarder in the Cowboys’ 40-7 rout of Utah.
1961 — Paul Hornung scores 33 points, with four touchdowns, six extra points and a field goal, to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 45-7 romp over the Baltimore Colts.
1977 — No. 7 Alabama beats No. 1 USC 21-20 in Los Angeles. USC fullback Lynn Cain scores with 38 seconds remaining but the 2-point attempt fails.
1992 — Doug Smail scores two goals and the expansion Ottawa Senators rock the Montreal Canadiens 5-3 — the first regular-season NHL game by an Ottawa franchise in 58 years.
1993 — The Anaheim Mighty Ducks, before 17,174 at the Arrowhead Pond, lose 7-2 to the Detroit Red Wings in their first NHL game.
1995 — Miami’s Dan Marino breaks Fran Tarkenton’s NFL career completions record.
1997 — Adam Oates reaches 1,000 points with three goals and two assists as the Washington Capitals post a 6-3 victory over the New York Islanders.
2005 — Baylor wins a Big 12 road game for the first time in the league’s 10-year history, beating Iowa State 23-13. The Bears had been 0-37 on the road in the Big 12 Conference.
2006 — Randy Moss’ 22-yard TD catch between two defenders 51 seconds before halftime is the Oakland receiver’s 100th touchdown reception. He’s becomes the seventh receiver in NFL history with 100 TD catches.
2011 — Howard scores all its points in the fourth quarter, including 16 in the final 1:27 to beat 29-28 Florida A&M. Parker Munoz caps the improbable comeback by hitting a 21-yard field goal with 4 seconds left after FAMU’s Damien Fleming fumble on the 28-yard line.
2015 — Tampa Bay’s Jason Garrison scores his second goal of the game at 2:17 of the extra period to lead the Lightning past the Philadelphia Flyers in the first 3-on-3 overtime game in NHL history.
2016 — Will Worth and Navy stuns No. 6 Houston, romping to a 46-40 victory. Worth runs for 115 yards and throws two scoring passes for the Midshipmen. Navy hadn’t beaten a top 10 team since 1984, when it topped then-No. 2 South Carolina in Annapolis.
2018 — Drew Brees’ 62-yard touchdown pass to rookie Tre’Quan Smith makes him the NFL’s all-time leader in yards passing and sends the New Orleans Saints well on their way to a 43-19 victory over the Washington Redskins. Brees enters the game needing 201 yards to eclipse Peyton Manning’s previous mark of 71,940 yards. He finishes 26 of 29 for 363 yards and three touchdowns.
2018 — Red Sox utility Brock Holt becomes the first MLB player to hit for the cycle in a postseason game.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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