Go beyond the scoreboard
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From Jack Harris: Sometimes, the Dodgers will pull out all the stops to secure a win.
More often, however, the first-place club makes decisions with the big picture in mind.
In a 7-6 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night at Coors Field, the Dodgers stuck to that latter approach. In the interest of self-preservation, and ensuring their already banged-up roster doesn’t risk more losses, they entered the ninth inning without two potentially key players — rolling the dice in a game the Rockies walked off with a sacrifice fly.
The first key personnel decision came in the bottom of the seventh, when slumping utilityman Chris Taylor replaced streaking veteran Teoscar Hernández in right field.
At the time, the Dodgers were only leading 6-4 — thanks largely to a three-run double from Shohei Ohtani in the second inning and a two-run double from Jason Heyward in the fifth.
Hernández has been taken out of games early for rest before, but never when the score was so tight.
However, as manager Dave Roberts explained it postgame, the decision was based on more than just Wednesday. So far this season, Hernández has started all 76 of the Dodgers’ games. His body has held up, evidenced by his 18 home runs, .255 batting average and team-most 54 RBIs. But Roberts nonetheless looks for times to “get him off his feet.” Wednesday was the ninth time he’d come out of a game early.
Dodgers’ Walker Buehler, still in ‘search mode,’ goes on injured list with hip injury
Willie Mays was Vin Scully’s favorite player, even though he ‘wore the wrong uniform’
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ANGELS
Freddy Peralta struck out eight over six innings of three-hit ball, outdueling Tyler Anderson in the Milwaukee Brewers’ 2-0 victory over the Angels on Wednesday night.
Rhys Hoskins and Willy Adames drove in runs for the Brewers, who took two of three in Anaheim to open their Southern California trip.
Peralta (5-4) rebounded from a rough outing against Cincinnati last week with a strong effort against the punchless Angels. Although he walked two and wasn’t particularly efficient, Peralta repeatedly escaped trouble.
The Angels got two runners into scoring position in the sixth, but Peralta retired Logan O’Hoppe on a hot grounder up the middle with his final pitch.
Anderson (6-7) held his opponents to one run for the sixth time in his last seven starts, but lost for the third time in that stretch. The veteran lefty gave up four hits and three walks over seven sharp innings, striking out five.
SPARKS
From Iliana Limón Romero: Sparks rookie star Cameron Brink tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during the team’s loss to the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, a serious blow for a squad that was relying heavily on young talent.
The Sparks announced the injury but did not share further details, including any plans for treatment. The injury typically ends a basketball player’s season and requires a nine- to 10-month recovery period, although some professional athletes have returned to play more quickly.
Brink, the No. 2 overall draft pick out of Stanford, entered the Connecticut road game averaging 8.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks a game in her first season for the Sparks. She’s tied with A’ja Wilson for the second-most blocks in the WNBA. Brink was coming off a 16-point performance against the Atlanta Dream on Sunday.
NBA DRAFT
From Chuck Schilken: Bronny James has worked out individually for only the Lakers and Phoenix Suns and likely won’t do so for other teams before next week’s NBA draft, according to his agent.
Rich Paul, chief executive of Klutch Sports Group, told ESPN on Wednesday that doesn’t mean those two aren’t the only potential landing spots for LeBron James’ oldest son. Paul said several other teams — naming the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors as examples — have expressed interest and that those could be good fits for his client as well.
“The goal is to find a team that values your guy and try to push him to get there,” Paul said. “It’s important to understand the context and realize that this has always been the strategy with many of my clients throughout the years, especially those in need of development like Bronny. My stuff is by design.”
GALAXY
Dejan Joveljic scored late in the first half, Diego Fagúndez scored early in the second with an assist from Joveljic, and the Galaxy blanked New York City FC 2-0 on Wednesday night at Dignity Health Park.
John McCarthy finished with four saves to earn his fourth clean sheet of the season for the Galaxy (9-3-7).
Joveljic gave the Galaxy the lead for good when he scored unassisted in the 41st minute with a left-footed shot from the center of the box. It was his 11th goal of the season.
LAFC
Kei Kamara scored his 145th MLS goal, tying Landon Donovan for second on the league’s all-time scoring list, and LAFC played Austin to a 1-1 draw on a rainy Wednesday night.
Kamara outjumped his defender to head home Mateusz Bogusz’s corner kick in the 90th minute to help LAFC avoid being held scoreless for the first time since March 16.
Kamara became the first player in MLS history to score in 17 different seasons. Chris Wondolowski holds the MLS record with 171 goals.
ANGEL CITY
Sydney Leroux scored in the 85th minute to give Angel City a 3-2 victory over Racing Louisville at BMO Stadium.
Kennedy Fuller and Rocky Rodriguez also scored for Angel City (4-6-3), which snapped a five-game winless streak.
Fuller, 17, became the third-youngest scorer in the NWSL with her goal in the 17th minute. Rodriguez scored in the in the 32nd minute to give Angel City a 2-0 lead.
KINGS
From Kevin Baxter: The Kings solved a pair of problems Wednesday by trading expensive but underperforming forward Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Washington Capitals for goaltender Darcy Kuemper.
Kuemper, a former King, will go to the top of the team’s thin depth chart in goal. The only other goalie on the Kings’ NHL roster is David Rittich, who re-signed with the team last month.
The trade is one for one, with no salary retained on either side, which will give the Kings considerable cap space since Kuemper is owed $5.25 million a year over each of the next three seasons. Dubois is owed $8.5 million through 2030-31.
STANLEY CUP FINAL
Schedule and results
All times Pacific
Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers
at Florida 3, Edmonton 0 (box score)
at Florida 4, Edmonton 1 (box score)
Florida 4, at Edmonton 3 (box score)
at Edmonton 8, Florida 1 (box score)
Edmonton 5, at Florida 3 (box score)
Friday at Edmonton, 5 p.m., ESPN
*Monday at Florida, 5 p.m., ESPN
*-if necessary
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1936 — Jesse Owens sets a 100-meter record of 10.2 seconds at a meet in Chicago.
1940 — Joe Louis stops Arturo Godoy in the eighth round at Yankee Stadium to retain the world heavyweight title.
1960 — Floyd Patterson knocks out Ingemar Johansson in the fifth round in New York to become the first boxer to regain the world heavyweight title.
1966 — Billy Casper beats Arnold Palmer by four strokes in a playoff to win the U.S. Open.
1967 — Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, is convicted of violating the United States Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted. Clay is sentenced to five years in prison and fined $10,000, the maximum penalty for the offense. Ali remains free while his conviction is on appeal.
1968 — The Night of Speed. In a span of 2½ hours, the world record of 10 seconds for the 100 meters is broken by three men and tied by seven others at the AAU Track and Field Championships in Sacramento. Jim Hines wins the first semifinal in a tight finish with Ronny Ray Smith, becoming the first man to break the 10-second barrier. Both runners are credited with a time of 9.9 seconds. Charlie Greene wins the second semifinal and then ties Hines’ 9.9 record in the final.
1980 — Roberto Duran wins a 15-round decision over Sugar Ray Leonard at Olympic Stadium in Montreal to win the WBC welterweight crown.
1982 — Tom Watson wins the U.S. Open by two strokes over Jack Nicklaus.
1993 — Lee Janzen holes a 30-foot chip for birdie on No. 16 and adds birdies on the par-5 closing holes for a two-stroke victory over Payne Stewart in the U.S. Open. Janzen ties Jack Nicklaus’ record 272 total and Lee Trevino’s four straight rounds in the 60′s.
1993 — John Paxson hits a 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds left as the Chicago Bulls win their third consecutive NBA title with a 99-98 victory over the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of the finals.
1994 — Ernie Els of South Africa becomes the first foreign winner of the U.S. Open since 1981, beating Loren Roberts on the second sudden-death hole.
2004 — Retief Goosen captures his second U.S. Open in four years. In the toughest final round at the U.S. Open in 22 years, Goosen closes with a 1-over 71 for a two-shot victory made possible when Phil Mickelson three-putts from 5 feet on the 17th.
2004 — Ken Griffey Jr. hits the 500th home run of his career, off Matt Morris, to help the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-0.
2006 — Dwyane Wade caps his magnificent playoffs with 36 points and 10 rebounds to lead Miami past the Dallas Mavericks 95-92 as the Heat roar back from a two-game deficit to win the NBA finals in six games.
2013 — LeBron James has 37 points and 12 rebounds, and the Miami Heat repeat as champions with a 95-88 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
2018 — Christiano Renaldo scores a goal against Morocco to become the all-time leading European goalscorer (85) in international compitition.
2019 — Duke power forward Zion Williamson is the first player chosen in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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