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From Mike DiGiovanna: The first three-homer game of his big-league career last weekend was “a really cool moment,” Max Muncy said, but as much as the Dodgers third baseman digs the long ball, he’s just as pleased with the ground balls he’s digging out of the dirt and the long throws he’s making to first base.
Muncy had a rough defensive start to the season, just like he did in 2023, committing one fielding error and misplaying two catchable grounders that were ruled hits in the season-opening series against the San Diego Padres in South Korea and making another fielding error in an April 6 game against the Cubs in Chicago.
But Muncy has found his bearings in the field over the last month, stringing together 23 straight errorless games and entering a weekend series at San Diego with three defensive runs saved, according to Fangraphs, which ranks third in the game among 18 qualified third basemen.
Pittsburgh’s Ke’Bryan Hayes, the 2023 National League Gold Glove Award winner, and Washington’s Trey Lipscomb top the group of third basemen with four defensive runs saved each.
Behind Muncy on that list are four-time Gold Glove and two-time Platinum Glove winner Matt Chapman (two) and 10-time Gold Glove winner and six-time Platinum Glove winner Nolan Arenado (minus-two).
“Yeah, absolutely,” Muncy said, when asked if he was as proud of his three defensive runs saved as he was of the three homers he hit in last Saturday night’s 11-2 win over Atlanta. “Obviously, it wasn’t the best start to the season … but I got deathly sick [with norovirus] in the three days before we went to South Korea.
Ohtani’s ex-interpreter reportedly wired money to ‘Real Housewives’ star to pay gambling debts
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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)
Saturday at Dallas, 12:30 p.m., ABC
Monday at Dallas, 6:30 p.m., TNT
Wednesday at Oklahoma City, TBD, TNT
*Saturday, May 18 at Dallas, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
*Monday, May 20 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)
Friday at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
Sunday at Minnesota, 5 p.m., TNT
*Tuesday at Denver, TBD, TNT
*Thursday at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
*Sunday, May 19 at Denver, TBD, TBD
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Boston vs. No. 4 Cleveland
at Boston 120, Cleveland 95 (box score)
Cleveland 118, at Boston 94 (box score)
Saturday at Cleveland, 5:30 p.m., ABC
Monday at Cleveland, 4 p.m., TNT
Wednesday at Boston, TBD, TNT
*Friday, May 17 at Cleveland, TBD, ESPN
*Sunday, May 19 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)
Friday at Indiana, 4 p.m., ESPN
Sunday at Indiana, 12:30 p.m., ABC
*Tuesday at New York, 5 p.m., TNT
*Friday, May 17 at Indiana, TBD, ESPN
*Sunday, May 19 at New York, TBD, TBD
*-if necessary
UCLA ATHLETICS
From Ben Bolch: In another possible blow to a UCLA athletic department awash in debt, the president of the University of California system is recommending that the Bruins pay sister school California $10 million a year through 2029-30 for leaving the Golden Bears to scramble for a new home after UCLA’s move to the Big Ten conference led to the dismantling of the Pac-12.
The recommendation from UC president Michael V. Drake, which would start this year and run through the existing term of UCLA’s contract with the Big Ten, is expected to be discussed at the board of regents meeting May 13 to 15 at UC San Francisco.
The payment known as “Calimony” will penalize UCLA after the school announced in June 2022 that it was leaving for the Big Ten and a much richer media rights deal starting in August 2024. Cal subsequently agreed to join the Atlantic Coast Conference while taking a reduced share of the conference’s media rights deal.
ANGELS
Mike Trout decided that having surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee was a better alternative than postponing the procedure and being a designated hitter the rest of the season.
“It was an option they put out there. It would have been just maintaining the pain level of it,” the Angels slugger said before Thursday’s game against the Kansas City Royals. “The day I got the MRI and it showed that I was in a lot of pain. It would have been a tough road for the rest of the year to bear that.”
Trout has also struggled whenever he has been a designated hitter. In 1,518 career games, he has been the DH only 81 times and has a .214 batting average.
Reid Detmers struggles and Angels’ home woes continue in loss to Royals
RAMS
From Gary Klein: The Rams, preparing to build on last season’s unexpected run to the playoffs, continued to reshape their roster on Thursday by trading receiver and special teams leader Ben Skowronek to the Houston Texans, the Rams announced.
The Rams also sent a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Texans for a 2026 sixth-round pick as part of the deal.
Skowronek, a seventh-round draft pick in 2021, was a key special teams player, rotational receiver and occasional fullback for Rams teams that won the Super Bowl to end the 2021 season and made the playoffs last season.
The Rams receiving corps now includes star veteran Cooper Kupp, second-year pro Puka Nacua, veteran Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell — a former second-round pick entering the final year of his rookie contract — and rookie Jordan Whittington.
WNBA
The WNBA will use league-wide charter flights for the first time this season, the league announced Thursday.
The charters will begin at the start of the regular season.
“We are thrilled to announce the launch of a full charter program as soon as practical for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, a testament to the continued growth of the WNBA,” Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.
“We have been hard at work to transform the business and build a sustainable economic model to support charter flights for the long term.
“While we still have a lot of work to do to continue to execute our strategic plan, we feel confident that the time is now to institute a full charter program to demonstrate our commitment to leading with a player-first agenda,” she 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)
Saturday at Colorado, 7 p.m., TNT
Monday at Colorado, 7 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday at Dallas, 5 p.m., ESPN
*Friday, May 17 at Colorado
*Sunday, May 19 at Dallas, TBD
P1 Vancouver vs. P2 Edmonton
at Vancouver 5, Edmonton 4 (box score)
Friday at Vancouver, 7 p.m., ESPN
Sunday at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m., TBS
Tuesday at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday at Vancouver, TBD
*Saturday, May 18 at Edmonton, TBD
*Monday, May 20 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)
Saturday at Carolina, 4 p.m., TNT
*Monday at New York, 4 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday at Carolina, TBD
*Saturday, May 18, at New York, TBD
A1 Florida vs. A2 Boston
Boston 5, at Florida 1 (box score)
at Florida 6, Boston 1 (box score)
Friday at Boston, 4 p.m., TNT
Sunday at Boston, 3 p.m., TBS
Tuesday at Florida, 4 p.m., ESPN
*Friday, May 17 at Boston, TBD
*Sunday, May 19 at Floria, TBD
*-if necessary
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1919 — Sir Barton, ridden by Johnny Loftus, leads the whole way to win the Kentucky Derby by five lengths over Billy Kelly. Sir Barton, the first to capture the Triple Crown, is one of three maidens to win the Derby.
1929 — British Open Men’s Golf, Muirfield: Walter Hagen wins 4th Open title, by 6 strokes from fellow American Johnny Farrell.
1941 — Whirlaway, ridden by Eddie Arcaro, wins the Preakness Stakes by 5½ lengths over King Cole.
1967 — Hank Aaron hits his only inside the park HR off of Phillies’ Jim Bunning, in Philadelphia.
1969 — The plans for the NFL-AFL merger are completed. The NFL will consist of two conferences of 13 teams, the AFC and NFC. The NFL will move three franchises, Baltimore, Cleveland and Pittsburgh, to the AFC.
1970 — Bobby Orr’s goal gives Boston its first Stanley Cup in 29 years. The Bruins beat the St. Louis Blues 4-3 for a four-game sweep.
1973 — The New York Knicks win the NBA title in five games with a 102-93 victory over the Lakers.
1974 — 7th ABA championship: NY Nets beats Utah Stars, 4 games to 1.
1993 — Bill Walton is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
2001 — The XFL folds after one season. The football league, founded by the World Wrestling Federation and jointly owned by NBC, was a TV ratings disappointment.
2002 — Boston and Detroit play the lowest-scoring game in the NBA playoffs since the shot clock was introduced in the 1954-55 season. The Celtics edge the Pistons 66-64; the 130-point total is far below the previous low of 142 registered three times.
2009 — Russia defends its gold medal at the world ice hockey championship, beating Canada 2-1 on in a rematch of last year’s final.
2014 — Michael Sam is picked by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the NFL draft, becoming the first openly gay player drafted by a pro football team. Sam, who played at Missouri and was the Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year, is taken with the 249th overall pick out of 256.
2016 — Stephen Curry becomes the first unanimous NBA MVP, earning the award for the second straight season.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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