Sports Desk

Asked what the return of star freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley brought to the USC offense, Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava kept his answer simple.

“Score touchdowns,” Maiava said with a smile after practice Tuesday.

In a massive 31-23 road win over Penn State on Saturday, Mosley did just that and more, catching nine passes for 111 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown catch to end USC’s first drive and give his team an early lead.

Mosley was a game-time decision Saturday after he missed the Trojans’ last three games with an injury, including USC’s crushing loss to Oregon in late September.

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava looks to throw a pass during a win over Penn State Saturday in State College, Penn.

(Barry Reeger / Associated Press)

For his performance against Penn State, Mosley earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, becoming the fourth Trojan to win the award this season. It was far from his first strong performance for USC.

Mosley caught 13 passes for four touchdown and 255 yards in his first three college games and returned a punt for a touchdown. The only game Mosley has played for USC during which he didn’t earn at least 100 receiving was the Trojans’ win over Louisiana, during which he was injured.

“I’m just trying to do my part,” Mosley said Tuesday.

The freshman, who came to USC in the spring out of Santa Margarita High, rejoined the Trojans ahead of the Penn State game while the team faced a variety of injuries to other key players on both sides of the ball. Fellow freshman standout tight end Mark Bowman and left tackle Elijah Paige were among the Trojans to miss Saturday’s game with injuries, while defensive tackle Jide Abasiri was significantly limited.

“He’s one of our best players,” Trojans coach Lincoln Riley said of Mosley. “Getting him back has added a huge boost for us. He’s a tremendous playmaker. He’s tough to tackle after the catch. We trust him a lot.”

Now, the Trojans are in a bye week before they play at Wisconsin on Oct. 24. During the bye, the first of two for USC this season, Riley said he hopes to see his team get healthier.

Riley did not address the status of any individual players Tuesday besides saying that Bowman is “getting better,” Riley said he would not rule anyone out for the Wisconsin game. USC’s next Big Ten availability report will be released on Oct. 21.

“I’m hopeful, going into Wisconsin, that just from a whole we’ll be as healthy as we’ve been the whole year,” Riley said. “We haven’t been able to see this team quite at full strength yet from a health perspective. So, I’m kind of excited and interested to see what that would look like.”

Vlad Dyakonov bolsters Trojans

With various starters injured, younger players have filled the gaps for the Trojans.

On Saturday, freshman Vlad Dyakonov took center stage filling in for the injured Paige.

Riley on Tuesday praised Dyakonov’s performance and said the lineman didn’t know he was going to start his first college game until pregame warmups. Paige was moved to a game-time decision on USC’s final availability report two hours before the Penn State game after being listed as available the entire week beforehand.

“There’s some young people across the country that if you told them that and they were in that position in that atmosphere and environment, [they] … would be a little wide-eyed,” Riley said of Dyakonov’s debut in front of more than 114,000 fans during Penn State’s annual White Out Game. “Vlad wasn’t. Vlad was like jacked. He was ready to go.”

USC’s King Miller carries the ball during a win over Penn State Saturday in in State College, Penn.

(Isaiah Vazquez / Getty Images)

In an appearance on Trojans Live on Monday, Riley recalled Dyakonov boldly calling out 6-foot-5, 295-pound star defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart in a one-on-one drill during practice and holding his own.

“I think we all knew, look, he’s not going to play perfect, but I think we all knew like he’s going to go compete his you-know-what off,” Riley said Tuesday. “Nobody doubted that because that’s what he does every day. He’s built a lot of trust in here.”

Maiava echoed Riley’s sentiment when asked about Dyakonov, praising his ability to fill in for Paige on short notice.

“What an unbelievable player,” Maiava said. “He never flinched when he went out there, and we didn’t either.”

Though Dyakonov has become known for his intensity, Trojans running back King Miller, who rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries Saturday behind an offensive line that included Dyakonov, said he also has a sense of humor. Asked what Dyakonov was like off the field, Miller’s first description was “hilarious.”

“It’s great to have a guy like him in this room,” Miller said.

A man who fell from the upper tier of a stand during a football match and injured fans below has been found not guilty of assault.

Maidstone United supporter John Ryan fell on to Joanne Peters and her partner Aaron Rose at Ipswich Town’s Portman Road ground during an FA Cup clash in January 2024.

Ryan, 62, of Railway Street, Chatham, Kent, denied one count of assault by beating and one count of actual bodily harm and told Ipswich Crown Court he had been unable to stop himself during goal celebrations.

Ryan could be seen crying in the dock as the jury returned verdicts of not guilty to both charges and said afterwards “it’s been very stressful”.

Peters had been in tears when she told the court she initially thought the supporters’ box behind her had collapsed and she thought she “could have died”.

Ryan had been one of thousands of Maidstone United supporters who saw their non-league side win 2-1 over Ipswich, who were heading to promotion from the Championship that season.

He told the court the game had been “the biggest match in the club’s history” and he had been celebrating a “special” goal.

The jury was told he had been in Cobbold Stand upper tier when he fell, slid down the sloping roof that covers the boxes, and landed on the Ipswich supporters below.

Ryan told the jury he had been unsure if he had been pushed or his foot had slipped when he fell.

Fifa is set to propose a $3.4bn (£2.6bn) increase in the amount of money it hands out for football development across the world.

World football’s governing body wants to release the money from its reserves in a move which BBC Sport has been told would double the level of planned distribution funding for 2027-2030.

The proposal will be made at a meeting of Fifa’s council on Thursday and comes at a time when the organisation is under pressure following president Gianni Infantino’s aborted Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan.

Infantino wanted to sell stakes in the World Cup and other competitions to private investors but faced huge criticism for the proposal, with Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation questioning his position.

Uefa and Concacaf wrote to Infantino in September calling on Fifa to pay at least $10m (£7.5m) from its cash reserves to each of the 211 member associations.

In a letter then sent to Fifa’s six continental confederations, Infantino – who will be standing for re-election for a fourth time in March 2027 – said he would support “the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered”.

Fifa will now offer extra money from its reserves in addition to the current $2.7bn budgeted to be paid to all 211 member associations, the confederations, regional associations and certain non-Fifa affiliated associations.

The breakdown is as follows:

• $25m (£19m) per member association

• $99m (£75m) for each of the six confederations

• $8.25m (£6.3m) for each of the 13 zonal/regional associations

• $1.1m (£836,000) for 100 member associations for travel and equipment solidarity

The terms of the distribution would be as follows:

• One third would be allocated to women’s and youth football development

• One third would be allocated to infrastructure (of which there shall be equal access to women’s and youth football)

• One third would be allocated to projects

The plan, including the eligibility, application, approval, disbursement, control and audit requirements, will be finalised by the Fifa council at its next meeting in December 2026.

It will all be subject to approval by the 77th Fifa congress in March 2027.

Great Britain’s Joe Truman said team-mate Matt Richardson’s withdrawal was “not ideal” and they had started “on the back foot” as they exited in the first round of the men’s team sprint at the World Track Cycling Championships.

Richardson was pulled from the competition on Monday amid allegations of misconduct.

The 27-year-old, who had also been expected to contend for medals in the individual sprint and keirin, said he would co-operate with a British Cycling investigation into the allegations.

His withdrawal overshadowed preparations for the event in Shanghai, though Britain’s women did secure silver in the team sprint.

Emma Finucane, who is Richardson’s partner, Sophie Capewell and Rhianna Parris-Smith finished fastest in qualifying, and beat France but lost to hosts China in the gold-medal race.

The men’s team – Truman, Ed Lowe and Harry Ledingham-Horn – finished fifth in the qualifying stage but were beaten by fourth-placed Australia in the opening round of head-to-head races.

“We came with a bit of a last-minute change, obviously,” said Truman. “We all said this morning we’re here just to ride our bikes.

“We’re on the back foot a bit but let’s just put our best foot forward, put a time on the board at the start of Olympic quali and we got a time to be proud of.

“None of us are riding in ideal circumstances but we’re professional athletes and so it’s what we train to do – we train to race when it’s not perfect – so I think we did OK. We’re looking ahead to the next couple of years and think we’re in a great spot.”

Elsewhere on day one, Britain’s women and men progressed as first and second fastest respectively in qualifying for the team pursuit events.

Meanwhile, Abigail Miller finished 17th of 24 riders in the women’s scratch race.

Kallum Watkins has been called up to England’s Rugby League World Cup squad as a late replacement after Morgan Smithies was forced to withdraw through injury.

The 35-year-old Leeds Rhinos second-row forward is set to take part in his fourth World Cup having previously featured in 2013, 2017 and 2022.

The loss of lock and second-row forward Smithies, who is set to join Perth Bears for the 2027 NRL season, comes as a blow to England.

However, in Watkins, head coach Brian McDermott has found a replacement he knows well having previously coached him during a trophy-laden spell at Leeds.

“It’s really unfortunate what has happened to Morgan with an injury picked up in training,” said McDermott.

“Morgan has been great since we entered camp. He’s a real team player and his work ethic and toughness are qualities that we will certainly miss.

“Kallum enjoyed a terrific season with Leeds this year and has been part of our England performance programme building into this World Cup.

“I look forward to welcoming him into camp as we step up our preparations.”

Watkins, who has 32 caps, is set to arrive in Perth before England’s World Cup opener against Tonga on Saturday (10:05 BST) but will not play.

He started his career as a centre before shifting into the pack in recent years and will be available for England’s other group matches against France and Papua New Guinea.

Dodgers will not bench Shohei Ohtani

From Maddie Lee: Shohei Ohtani emerged from the visiting dugout at American Family Field with a bat in his hand, and the mass of media members scattered in foul territory up the third-base line shifted his way, pulled by the magnetic force that is Ohtani’s stardom.

Monday marked the third straight day Ohtani had hit on the field, after a multi-round session off the pitching machine on the workout day and batting practice before each of the first two games of the National League Championship series against the Milwaukee Brewers. But the novelty of the move — Ohtani only took batting practice on the field a few times during the regular season, always in the midst of a slump — had yet to fully wear off.

“The results, take full responsibility,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton on Tuesday. “That’s all I can really say, why the results haven’t been where I wanted it to be. But I think there’s different approaches to this, whether that be focusing on reducing the symptoms and getting rid of the pain and/or just making sure that I’m moving well in the swing.”

That break of routine for the start of the NLCS did not pay off in terms of results. But after a conversation with Ohtani, manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that he felt “great” about playing Ohtani in Game 3 of the NLCS, even though Ohtani is still physically compromised by nagging right biceps and left knee problems.

“He’s adamant he feels good enough to be in there,” Roberts said. “He’s close to finding something with his swing. … Yeah, he wants to be in there and help us win a ballgame and win a championship. Great conversation, and I’m excited about having him in there.”

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Dodgers should have benched Shohei Ohtani

From Bill Shaikin: The Dodgers never waver in their game plan for the regular season: win enough games to secure a bye in the opening round of the playoffs and, in so doing, afford players all the down time they need during the summer to be in top form come fall. They do not need to hurry anyone off the injured list so they can squeak out another National League West title.

Unfortunately for the Dodgers and their increasingly perilous hope of a three-peat, they did not follow that game plan with Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers failed Ohtani this summer, and now all that remains is for them to cross their collective fingers and hope for the best.

Hope, as they say, is not a strategy.

The Dodgers should drop Ohtani from the postseason roster.

They won’t. They won’t even take him out of Wednesday’s lineup.

Amid headlines about how the Dodgers might have benched Ohtani for Game 3 of the NL Championship Series, manager Dave Roberts said the thinking was more about coupling Tuesday’s day off with a second consecutive day of rest.

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MLB postseason schedule

All times Pacific

NLCS

No. 1 Milwaukee vs. No. 2 Dodgers
at Milwaukee 2, Dodgers 1 (box score)
at Milwaukee 7, Dodgers 4 (box score)
Wednesday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Thursday at Dodgers, 6 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Friday at Dodgers, 6 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Sunday at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Monday at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One

ALCS

No. 1 Tampa Bay vs. No. 2 Cleveland
Cleveland 7, at Tampa Bay 3 (box score)
at Tampa Bay 3, Cleveland 1 (box score)
Thursday at Cleveland, 3 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Friday at Cleveland, 3 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Saturday at Cleveland, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Monday at Tampa Bay, 2 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Tuesday at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max

* if necessary

World Series starts Friday, Oct. 23

Walker Kessler makes Lakers debut

From Broderick Turner: The plan for the Lakers had been to turn their fourth preseason game into a dress rehearsal for the upcoming season.

But that was not the case.

The Lakers did get the preseason debut of center Walker Kessler on Tuesday night, a good sign for them to see their biggest acquisition of the summer play.

But on the flip side, Luka Doncic didn’t play in the Lakers’ 101-89 loss to the Golden State Warriors at T-Mobile Arena because he was resting.

“He’s not injured, just getting the night off,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

Kessler had 11 points, nine rebounds, one blocked shot and one steal.

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Lakers box score

Rams release kicker Harrison Mevis

From Gary Klein: Less than 24 hours after kicking-game issues led to the Buffalo Bills defeating the Rams in overtime, the team released kicker Harrison Mevis, a team official said Tuesday.

Mevis missed a 50-yard field-goal attempt in the first half, and a had potential 48-yard game-winning field-goal attempt blocked in overtime. The Bills went on to win 37-34 in overtime, dropping the Rams’ record to 2-3.

“Not even close to good enough,” coach Sean McVay said of the field-goal and extra-point units after the defeat. “It cost us the game tonight.”

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Rams’ Alaric Jackson is suspended for two games

From Gary Klein: Quarterback Matthew Stafford, the Rams’ most valuable and most important player, will have a new blindside protector when the reigning NFL MVP faces the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

With left tackle Alaric Jackson suspended by the NFL for two games for punching an opposing player after the Rams 37-34 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, coach Sean McVay said Tuesday that veteran David Quessenberry would take Jackson’s spot.

Quessenberry, 36, is a ninth-year pro in his second season with the Rams. He has not started a game since 2023 when he started four times for the Minnesota Vikings.

McVay said the Rams also would open the 21-day window for rookie tackle Keagan Trost to return from injured reserve.

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Kings lose to Oilers

Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists in the dynamic first period of his four-point night, propelling the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-1 victory over the winless Kings on Tuesday.

Vasily Podkolzin got his sixth and seventh goals of the season, Leon Draisaitl also scored and Devon Levi made 39 saves for the Oilers, who have won five straight and scored at least three goals in every game of their 5-0-1 start.

McDavid recorded at least three points in a period for the 33rd time in his 11-year career, doing it in the first period for the 10th time. The six-time Art Ross Trophy winner as the NHL’s top scorer has a whopping 16 points already this season with five multi-point games.

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Kings summary

NHL standings

Ducks fall to Flames

Martin Pospisil scored the tiebreaking goal with 4:22 left, Yegor Sharangovich added an empty-netter with 1:22 remaining and the Calgary Flames beat the Ducks 4-2 on Tuesday night.

Adam Klapka and Aydar Suniev added goals, and Dustin Wolf stopped 22 of 24 shots as the Flames (1-5) won for the first time this season. Beckett Sennecke and Leo Carlsson scored goals, and Lukas Dostal had 32 saves for the Ducks (4-2).

Pospisil’s decisive goal came after he took a pass from Suniev at the center circle, skated down the left side, deked Ducks defenders Tyson Hinds and Tristan Luneau by faking a shot and snapped the puck past Dostal’s short side for a 3-2 lead.

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Ducks summary

NHL standings

This day in sports history

1945 — The Chicago Cardinals snap the longest losing streak in NFL history at 29 games with a 16-7 victory over the Chicago Bears.

1949 — Ezzard Charles TKOs Pat Valentino in 8 for heavyweight boxing title.

1951 — Detroit’s Jack Christiansen returns two punts for touchdowns, but the Lions still lose, 27-21, to the Rams.

1962 — Houston’s George Blanda throws six touchdown passes to lead the Oilers to a 56-17 rout of the New York Titans.

1967 — The Kings, led by Brain Kilrea, beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 in their NHL debut. The game is held at Long Beach Arena. Kilrea scores two goals, including the first one in Kings history.

1978 — Darryl Sittler of the Toronto Maple Leafs gets seven assists in a 10-7 victory over the New York Islanders.

1979 — Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky scores his first NHL goal in a 4-4 tie with the Vancouver Canucks. Gretzky beats goaltender Glen Hanlon with the game-tying power-play goal with 1:09 remaining in the third period.

1990 — Joe Montana passes for career highs of 476 yards and six touchdowns and Jerry Rice ties an NFL record with five scoring receptions as the San Francisco 49ers beat the Atlanta Falcons 45-35.

1991 — New York Rangers right wing Mike Gartner scores his 500th career goal in the first period of a 5-3 loss to the Washington Capitals.

2005 — Ryan Newman sets a NASCAR record by winning his fifth consecutive Busch Series race, the Charlotte 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

2006 — Mats Sundin scores his 500th career goal, completing a hat trick with a short-handed overtime game-winner and giving Toronto a 5-4 victory over Calgary. The third goal is Sundin’s 15th in overtime — the most in NHL history.

2007 — Tom Brady of New England passes for 388 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in a 48-27 win over previously unbeaten Dallas. The five TDs gives Brady the NFL mark with at least three in each of the first six games of the season.

2011 — Japan’s Kohei Uchimura becomes the first man to win three titles at the world gymnastics championships in Tokyo. Uchimura finishes with 93.631 points in the men’s all-around, more than three points ahead of Germany’s Philipp Boy.

2012 — Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers sets a career high and ties a franchise record with six touchdown passes, three to Jordy Nelson, and the Packers rout the Houston Texans 42-24. Rodgers completes 24 of 37 passes for 338 yards and ties Matt Flynn’s single-game record for TD passes, set in last year’s regular-season finale against Detroit.

2015 — Sylvia Fowles has 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Minnesota Lynx capture their third WNBA title in five years with a 69-52 victory over the Indiana Fever in Game 5.

2018 — Stephen Gostkowski hit a 28-yard field goal as time expires, and the New England Patriots beat the Kansas City Chiefs 43-40 after blowing a big halftime lead. Tom Brady passes for 340 yards and a touchdown and runs for another score in his 200th victory as a starting quarterback, tops in NFL history. With New England leading 24-9 at halftime, Patrick Mahomes directs an impressive rally by Kansas City in the second half. He finishes 23 of 36 for 352 yards in his first loss as a starting quarterback, with three of his four TD passes going to Tyreek Hill.

2020 — The NFL cancels the Pro Bowl scheduled for January, 31, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1973 — 42-year-old future Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder Willie Mays′ last MLB career hit, as N.Y. Mets beat A’s, 10-7 in World Series Game 2 in Oakland.

Compiled by the Associated Press

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. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Anyone have a helicopter available for Friday night?

This is the weekend when high school football fans and sportswriters across the Southland need air transportation or multiple screens on a computer or cellphone or at a sports bar to watch the many top games during Week 8.

It doesn’t get any better than No. 1-ranked Santa Margarita (7-0) playing at No. 2 St. John Bosco (6-1) in a Trinity League game that will feature big-boy football at its best. The NFHS Network will be streaming the game.

It’s not the only game you’ll want to see.

Let’s review the choices so you can use Google Maps or a TV remote control or just never let go of your phone on Friday night.

Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer, center, with offensive coordinator Lenny Vandermade, left.

(Craig Weston)

Santa Margarita at St. John Bosco, 7 p.m.

Last week, St. John Bosco avenged last year’s stunning Southern Section Division 1 first-round playoff loss to Orange Lutheran, a team it beat 48-0 in the regular season. This week, the Braves finally get to play Santa Margarita, the school that won the state Open Division championship because St. John Bosco was nowhere to be found. Santa Margarita has a 13-game winning streak since losing to the Braves last October.

This isn’t the same Santa Margarita team. Trent Mosley is now at USC, where he looks like a Heisman Trophy candidate when not injured. The Trojans are off this week, so look for Mosley to be on the sideline supporting brother Grant, an Eagles receiver. Santa Margarita’s strength is running the ball with undersized Adrian Petero (5 feet 5, 175 pounds) to set up the pass for quarterback Fletch Palmer, son of coach Carson Palmer.

St. John Bosco has become more of a running team with Maliq Allen, but quarterback Koa Malau’ulu remains a dangerous weapon with receivers DJ Tubbs and Kuika Moaalii. This game likely comes down to a chess match each play, testing defensive coordinators Steve Fifita (Santa Margarita) and Chris King (St. John Bosco). Both have great respect for each other. Turnovers, penalties and special teams must be watched closely. The pick: St. John Bosco.

Bishop Amat (6-1) at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (7-0), 7 p.m.

Spectrum 1 chose to televise this game, which will decide who gets to finish second in the Mission League behind Sierra Canyon. Notre Dame is a surprise being unbeaten at this point, but Tahj Skinner has proven to be one of the best athletes at quarterback, and the Knights are filled with fast players on both sides of the field from their successful track program. Bishop Amat must worry about Notre Dame’s speed, but Notre Dame must deal with the Lancers’ physicality. The pick: Bishop Amat.

Mission Viejo (6-1) at San Clemente (7-0), 7 p.m.

Home-field advantage matters in this annual rivalry game in the recently renamed Alpha League. Mission Viejo’s offensive line is elite. Receiver Jack Junker got to play running back last week and showed his big-play skills. San Clemente has its own versatile star in receiver/safety Jaxson Rex. In the end, it’s about which young quarterback can avoid mistakes, with Mission Viejo relying on sophomore Brett Burnor and San Clemente turning to junior Preston Beck. The pick: San Clemente.

King/Drew (4-3) at Crenshaw (5-2), 7 p.m.

King/Drew has been the upstart trying to win the Coliseum League with Crenshaw always standing in the way. Quarterback Gerald Torres has put together a strong season, passing for 1,363 yards and 13 touchdowns. Crenshaw struggled against Palisades’ passing attack this season, so the Cougars’ defense will be tested. Crenshaw has added more balance on offense with quarterback Ethan Grant. The pick: Crenshaw.

Hamilton (3-4) at Palisades (3-3), 7 p.m.

There should be more than 100 passes attempted in a game that will decide the Western League title. Have ice available afterward for the elbows of quarterbacks Robert Holohan III of Palisades and Thaddeus Breaux of Hamilton. The pick: Hamilton.

TAMPA, Fla. — José Ramírez’s mental mistake and fielding error cost Cleveland in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, a day after his bat helped boost the Guardians to an opening win.

He left third base uncovered on Chandler Simpson’s fourth-inning infield chopper, then misplayed Ben Williamson’s grounder for an error that led to three unearned runs as the Tampa Bay Rays evened the best-of-seven series with a 3-1 win Tuesday night.

“It’s a little bit faster here with the surface and I was playing parallel to the base,” Ramírez said through a translator. “The ball bounced right on the edge between the dirt and the turf, and that’s what made it a little more difficult for me. I tried to knock it down.”

“It’s frustrating. I feel bad because I wasn’t able to make that play and after that the runs came in. I feel bad about that,” he added.

A seven-time All-Star who has finished among the top five in MVP voting six times, Ramírez had three hits and scored twice in Cleveland’s 7-3 win in the opener.

Game 2 was 0-0 with Victor Mesa Jr. on first and two out in the fourth when Chandler Simpson beat out a high chopper to shortstop Brayan Rocchio.

Ramírez, shifted toward second base on the left-handed hitter, took a few steps toward Simpson and watched the shortstop throw to first. Seeing third base uncovered, Mesa rounded second and sped to third standing up as Ramírez tried in vain to catch up.

Four pitches later, Williamson hit a two-hopper that struck the edge of where the artificial turf meets the dirt near third. The ball skipped between Ramírez’s legs into left, allowing Mesa to score.

“José kind of got stuck. It looked like he just didn’t move his feet,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “Just kind of looked like he sat back a little bit with his feet set instead of moving his feet. So tough break right there and obviously they capitalized.”

Liam Hicks pulled Parker Messier’s next pitch, a slider, into right-center for a two-run single and a 3-0 lead.

“They’ve done that all year. When they smell blood, they take it and run,” Vogt said. “We had some sloppy plays in the field that we need to clean up.”

Ramírez homered in Games 4 and 5 of the Division Series as Cleveland overcome an 0-2 series deficit, the first Cleveland player to homer in consecutive postseason games since Francisco Lindor in 2018.

LAS VEGAS — The plan for the Lakers had been to turn their fourth preseason game into a dress rehearsal for the upcoming season.

But that was not the case.

The Lakers did get the preseason debut of center Walker Kessler on Tuesday night, a good sign for them to see their biggest acquisition of the summer play.

But on the flip side, Luka Doncic didn’t play in the Lakers’ 101-89 loss to the Golden State Warriors at T-Mobile Arena because he was resting.

“He’s not injured, just getting the night off,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

So, it was left up to Kessler, Austin Reaves and the rest of the available Lakers to sort things out. And Reaves and Kessler were on point.

In just his second preseason game, Reaves was doing what is expected of him, scoring 28 points on 10-for-18 shooting, including four for seven on three-pointers, with seven assists and four rebounds. But forced to handle the ball more with Doncic out, Reaves also had seven turnovers.

Kessler started and had 11 points, nine rebounds, one blocked shot and one steal in 16 minutes.

For the Lakers, it was good to see Kessler on the court. They gave up a lot to acquire him in a trade with the Utah Jazz — two unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps and then signing him to a four-year, $130-million contract.

Kessler played in only five games last season while recovering from a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

He missed the first three Lakers’ preseason games because of a left pinky injury.

Kessler yearned to play again.

“Yeah, I mean it was a lot of fun being out there again,” he said. “It’s been so long. Before the game I was actually pretty nervous, to be honest. But, getting out there and just playing with the guys, it was a blast. I can’t really, you know speak to … I think I have a certain presence on the floor, but I think my teammates around me did a great job of playing defense on the perimeter. I think we shared the ball really well tonight. Just how it was, especially in the first half. It was a lot of fun.”

He began his night with a defensive rebound, which allowed the Lakers to set up their offense early in the first quarter.

Kessler then cut to the basket, took a pass from Reaves and scored on a layup, his first points of the preseason.

His second basket was a left-handed layup early in the second quarter. Shortly after, Kessler blocked a shot by Warriors center Charles Bassey from behind, a display of his defensive presence.

Another good sign, less than a minute later, was when Kessler got an offensive rebound and bounded back up for a dunk.

When the Warriors went to their small-ball lineup in the first quarter, it meant the 7-foot-2 Kessler would be tested on defense, because his man was 6-2 Gary Payton II. It meant Kessler was forced to play defense on the perimeter and not down low where the Lakers prefer him.

Still, Kessler held his own.

Lakers forward Arthur Kaluma drives the ball against Warriors forward Yaxel Lendeborg during the first half Tuesday.

(David Becker / AP)

While he was out and unable to play, Kessler learned a few things about himself.

“Yeah, I think what I missed most was competing,” Kessler said. “Quite frankly, competing to win, and I think as far as making me a better basketball player, I just think it has made me long to go try to win every game and win every night. So returning, I think it makes me a little better basketball player.”

The Lakers lost to the Warriors for the second time this preseason. Their other two games were victories over the Sacramento Kings. They play one more preseason game, Friday night against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena, and then open the season against the Warriors at home on Oct. 21.

Before the game, Redick said the plan was for the Lakers to “continue to work on us.”

“We have kind of circled this game, not as a full dress rehearsal, just in terms of our scout presentation, but we gave the guys a sample of that this morning and at shoot-ariund,” Redick said. “Not as much game-planning necessarily, but just kind of the sequencing of how we present prior to a game. We’ll do the same thing pregame with a brief personnel tape. We just want to get better. I mean, that’s the biggest thing. We want to get healthy, we want to get better, we want to continue to build our fitness and cardio level and find a rhythm. And it’s been a little disjointed with having some guys out.”

Redick said rookie Cameron Carr, guard Collin Sexton (lower leg) and forwards Ziaire Williams (right foot contusion) and Adou Thiero (undisclosed) “are still day to day” with their injuries.

Men’s Lions tours, featuring players from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, have taken place since 1888.

The women will travel to New Zealand for a five-match tour that features Tests in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Yapp’s side will hope for a send-off in front of a bumper Cardiff crowd.

“It will be a tremendous rugby match and occasion,” said Carol Isherwood, chair of the Lions women’s committee.

“It’s a chance to grow the game and leave a legacy so that we are able to continue with the Lions team by setting the foundations and give everybody the chance to see the women’s game at its very best.”

A crowd of 21,186 set a record for a Wales women’s home game in any sport when watching the Six Nations defeat by England at Principality Stadium in 2025.

“I’ve been there for some England men’s games and the noise is fabulous. It’ll be great if it is a sea of red for the Lions and not just Wales,” said Isherwood, who captained Great Britain in 1986.

“We’ve got a fantastic tour in line, and we’re starting off with a brilliant occasion in Cardiff.

“We looked at some different options and going abroad, like the men have previously, but the Welsh Rugby Union said that they felt they could do a great job here.

“We have the fantastic stadium, the support for rugby, tradition of the women’s game having some important moments in Wales and the fact that we can get thousands under that roof to see the Lions women play.

“The visibility allows girls across England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales to dream of pulling on that red shirt one day.”

It will be the second time that the Lions have faced France after the men won a friendly in Paris in 1989.

Martin Pospisil scored the tiebreaking goal with 4:22 left, Yegor Sharangovich added an empty-netter with 1:22 remaining and the Calgary Flames beat the Ducks 4-2 on Tuesday night.

Adam Klapka and Aydar Suniev added goals, and Dustin Wolf stopped 22 of 24 shots as the Flames (1-5) won for the first time this season. Beckett Sennecke and Leo Carlsson scored goals, and Lukas Dostal had 32 saves for the Ducks (4-2).

Pospisil’s decisive goal came after he took a pass from Suniev at the center circle, skated down the left side, deked Ducks defenders Tyson Hinds and Tristan Luneau by faking a shot and snapped the puck past Dostal’s short side for a 3-2 lead.

Anaheim gave up the tying goal just eight seconds after killing Calgary’s five-on-three advantage — with the help of Dostal’s four saves — for two minutes of the second.

As Sennecke (tripping) and Alex Killorn skated out of the penalty box, Flames winger Ryan Strome snuck a cross-ice pass from the outside the left circle to Suniev, who snapped a shot from the inside edge of the right circle past Dostal’s blocker for a 2-2 tie at the 8:02 mark.

The Flames took a 1-0 lead 8:32 into the first when Maksim Tsyplakov intercepted a pass in the Anaheim slot and touched a pass back to Klapka, who beat Dostal.

But the Ducks tallied twice within a 1:56 span of the first for a 2-1 lead. Sennecke stole the puck at his own blue line and beat Wolf glove-side for a breakaway goal with 7:51 left, and Carlsson’s shot from the right circle went over Wolf’s left shoulder for a power-play goal with 5:55 left.

Roger McQueen, the Ducks’ first pick in the 2025 draft, made his NHL debut after being recalled from the AHL San Diego Gulls. The 20-year-old center did not find the score sheet in 11 ½ minutes of ice time.

McQueen replaced center Ryan Poehling, who suffered a medial collateral ligament sprain that will sideline him for six to eight weeks. Ducks forward Cutter Gauthier missed the game because of a lower-body injury and is day to day.

Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists in the dynamic first period of his four-point night, propelling the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-1 victory over the winless Kings on Tuesday.

Vasily Podkolzin got his sixth and seventh goals of the season, Leon Draisaitl also scored and Devon Levi made 39 saves for the Oilers, who have won five straight and scored at least three goals in every game of their 5-0-1 start.

McDavid recorded at least three points in a period for the 33rd time in his 11-year career, doing it in the first period for the 10th time. The six-time Art Ross Trophy winner as the NHL’s top scorer has a whopping 16 points already this season with five multi-point games.

Brandt Clarke scored for the Kings, who dropped to 0-3-2 to begin coach Peter Laviolette’s first season despite outshooting the Oilers 40-16. The Kings are still adjusting to their new direction under Laviolette, who wants offensive aggression from a team that has played deliberate, defense-first hockey for nearly two decades.

The Kings and Philadelphia are the NHL’s only winless teams.

Evan Bouchard had two assists for the Oilers, who are off to their strong start despite playing without injured Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

Edmonton opened the scoring when McDavid froze Cody Ceci and fed the puck low to the quick-wristed Draisaitl. One minute later, Podkolzin converted the rebound after McDavid blew past Mikey Anderson and blistered a shot off Darcy Kuemper.

After the Kings had pinned Edmonton in its own end for nearly two full shifts late in the first period, McDavid came off the bench, accepted Ty Emberson’s pass at the blue line in stride and scored his fourth goal.

Kuemper was replaced by Anton Forsberg to start the second.

Clarke scored late in the second period on a long shot through traffic. The goal was Clarke’s first since the Kings’ young defensive cornerstone signed a five-year, $37-million deal last June.

McDavid and Draisaitl assisted on Podkolzin’s empty-net goal.

HIGH SCHOOL FLAG FOOTBALL

TUESDAY’S RESULTS

Southern Section
Agoura 38, Calabasas 6
Aquinas 12, Hillcrest 0
Ayala 33, Claremont 0
Azusa 19, Baldwin Park 18
Beaumont 32, Citrus Valley 0
Bishop Montgomery 59, Mary Star of the Sea 6
Buena Park 12, Costa Mesa 6
Burbank Providence 32, YULA 18
Cajon 42, Redlands 6
California 27, Whittier 0
California Military Institute 47, Entrepreneur 0
Camarillo 39, Simi Valley 6
Castaic 18, Golden Valley 0
Chaminade 46, Alemany 0
Channel Islands 26, Del Sol 13
Chino Hills 27, St. Lucy’s 6
Compton 26, Compton Early College 6
Covina 43, Hacienda Heights Wilson 13
Dos Pueblos 48, Rio Mesa 6
El Rancho d. Bell Gardens, forfeit
Elsinore 24, West Valley 12
Etiwanda 42, Rancho Cucamonga 6
Garden Grove Pacifica 31, Brea Olinda 19
Garey 26, Duarte 7
Great Oak 13, Corona 6
Hawthorne 19, Environmental Charter 6
Hart 18, Canyon Country Canyon 13
Inglewood 47, Beverly Hills 0
Jurupa Valley 54, Rubidoux 0
Laguna Beach 53, Capistrano Valley Christian 0
Lakewood St. Joseph 18, Bishop Amat 13
Lawndale 34, Leuzinger 0
Long Beach Cabrillo 14, Compton Centennial 0
Mater Dei 37, Santa Margarita 6
Mira Costa 18, Torrance 12
Montebello 30, Arroyo 0
Newbury Park 32, Thousand Oaks 24
North Torrance 2, West Torrance 0
Northview 14, Rowland 7
Ontario Christian 18, Serrano 0
Palos Verdes 27, Redondo Union 26
Pasadena Poly 34, Rio Hondo Prep 6
Patriot 57, Miller 0
Peninsula 26, Wiseburn-Da Vinci 0
Pomona 12, La Puente 0
Portola 25, Northwood 7
Redlands Adventist Academy 29, United Christian Academy 6
Redlands East Valley 43, Yucaipa 12
Royal 20, Oak Park 12
San Clemente 40, Dana Hills 0
San Dimas 13, Colony 6
San Gorgonio 34, Indian Springs 7
San Jacinto Valley Academy 20, Nuview Bridge 19
San Juan Hills 27, Capistrano Valley 7
San Marcos 12, Ventura 0
Santa Barbara 12, Buena 0
Santa Monica 34, Culver City 7
Santa Paula 32, Fillmore 0
Shadow Hills 33, Valley View 7
Shalhevet 44, SEED LA 6
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 57, Flintridge Sacred Heart 6
Sierra Canyon 60, Louisville 0
Sonora 19, La Habra 6
South Hills 50, Alta Loma 8
South Torrance 27, El Segundo 0
Tahquitz 24, San Jacinto 13
Temecula Prep 20, Eastvale Roosevelt 20
Trabuco Hills 28, Tesoro 26
Tustin 34, Katella 6
Upland 51, Los Osos 0
Valencia 28, West Ranch 0
Village Christian 19, Westridge 0
West Covina 14, Charter Oak 6
Westlake 39, Oaks Christian 13
Westminster La Quinta 39, Savanna 0

MONDAY’S RESULTS

City Section
Angelou 30, West Adams 0
Bell 22, Legacy 0
Bernstein 7, Roybal 6
Bernstein 32, Mendez 0
Carson 19, Wilmington Banning 7
Cleveland 13, Taft 6
Eagle Rock 41, SOCES 9
Eagle Rock 74, Sylmar 0
El Camino Real 14, Birmingham 6
Fairfax 32, WISH Academy 6
Foshay 34, Los Angeles 0
Garfield 31, South Gate 0
Hollywood 13, Contreras 12
Jefferson 34, Manual Arts 7
Lincoln 20, Los Angeles Marshall 0
Los Angeles Roosevelt 26, South East 6
Los Angeles Wilson 27, Franklin 6
Maywood CES 25, Marquez 0
Mendez 26, Roybal 0
Palisades 14, Los Angeles University 12
Panorama 13, Granada Hills Kennedy 12
Panorama 44, Reseda 6
RFK Community 12, Hollywood 7
RFK Community 12, Contreras 0
Santee 18, Diego Rivera 6
SOCES 40, Sylmar 0
Sotomayor 20, Maywood Academy 6
Torres 20, Elizabeth 6
Venice 21, Westchester 12

Southern Section
Alhambra 26, Rosemead 0
Aliso Niguel 7, El Toro 6
Anaheim 22, Estancia 0
Anaheim Canyon 18, Crean Lutheran 0
Antelope Valley 14, Knight 0
Arlington 33, Lakeside 19
Arrowhead Christian 28, Riverside Notre Dame 13
Azusa 6, Duarte 0
Baldwin Park 20, Sierra Vista 2
Beckman 30, Mission Viejo 26
Bell Gardens 6, San Gabriel 0
Bolsa Grande 22, Garden Grove Santiago 12
Bonita 26, Glendora 6
Brentwood 37, YULA 0
Buena Park 19, Ocean View 13
Calvary Baptist 19, Public Safety Academy 13
Capistrano Valley Christian 2, Vista Meridian 0
Cathedral City 26, Rancho Mirage 0
Cerritos 25, Paramount 0
Cerritos Valley Christian 14, Rosary 13
Chaparral 47, Murrieta Mesa 6
Chino 18, Don Lugo 6
Corona Centennial 22, Corona 6
Corona del Mar 34, Los Alamitos 19
Corona Santiago 32, Eastvale Roosevelt 26
Costa Mesa 35, Katella 0
Covina 40, Northview 0
Culver City 31, Leuzinger 0
Desert Hot Springs 25, Indio 13
Downey 26, California 6
Eastside 46, Littlerock 0
Edgewood 13, La Puente 6
El Modena 18, Sunny Hills 6
Etiwanda 30, Chino Hills 0
Fountain Valley 19, Marina 7
Gabrielino 33, South Pasadena 6
Garden Grove 35, Laguna Hills 18
Glenn 66, Pioneer 6
Great Oak 91, Vista Murrieta 48
Harvard-Westlake 39, Flintridge Sacred Heart 15
Hemet 33, Canyon Springs 19
Hillcrest 12, Temescal Canyon 0
Irvine University 20, Irvine 0
La Canada 19, Monrovia 12
Lakewood 12, Long Beach Wilson 7
Lancaster 21, Palmdale 7
La Serna 18, Gahr 16
Liberty 13, Heritage 6
Linfield Christian 45, Woodcrest Christian 7
Long Beach Cabrillo 14, Dominguez 0
Long Beach Poly 12, Inglewood 6
Los Altos 19, Alta Loma 14
Los Amigos 18, Savanna 6
Magnolia 33, Western 13
Miller 14, La Sierra 8
Millikan 45, Long Beach Jordan 0
Mountain View 12, El Monte 7
Moreno Valley 6, Vista del Lago 6
Murrieta Valley 33, Temecula Valley 20
Newport Harbor 40, Huntington Beach 21
Ontario 20, Montclair 12
Oxnard Pacifica 26, Santa Paula 7
Palm Desert 7, Palm Springs 6
Placentia Valencia 20, Westminster 13
Pomona 12, Bassett 6
Quartz Hill 22, Highland 13
Ramona 14, Norte Vista 6
Rancho Alamitos 24, Orange 20
Rancho Christian 20, Citrus Hill 19
Rancho Cucamonga 24, Los Osos 6
Rancho Verde 46, West Valley 6
Riverside King 18, Norco 12
Riverside Poly 54, Riverside North 0
Rowland 25, Charter Oak 12
San Marino 20, Burbank Burroughs 6
Santa Ana Foothill 12, Troy 6
Santa Ana Valley 20, Century 0
Santa Fe 19, Artesia 0
Schurr 46, Keppel 0
Segerstrom 26, Fullerton 6
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 51, Immaculate Heart 6
South El Monte 18, El Rancho 8
South Hills 20, Colony 6
St. Anthony 12, St. Mary’s Academy 6
St. Bernard 30, Sacred Heart of Jesus 0
St. Monica 21, Cantwell-Sacred Heart 20
Temecula Prep 49, Desert Christian Academy 0
Tustin 20, Godinez 0
Upland 62, St. Lucy’s 0
Villa Park 26, El Dorado 7
Warren 46, Mayfair 6
West Covina 21, Hacienda Heights Wilson 6
Westminster La Quinta 6, Saddleback 0
Westridge 32, Chadwick 0
Whittier 12, Norwalk 6
Windward 41, Shalhevet 14
Wiseburn-Da Vinci 13, Bellflower 6
Woodbridge 48, St. Margaret’s 25
Yorba Linda 48, Esperanza 13

Stanway’s strikes in the last five days capped off a season in which she finished as England’s top scorer and netted 11 times in her last 11 matches.

She also ranks inside the top three for most goals scored by European players in international football since Euro 2025.

While Wiegman was frustrated by her side’s lack of ruthlessness in Greece, Stanway always looked dangerous and made sure she got on the scoresheet.

It felt inevitable she would join in the fun in Leicester when Alessia Russo and Lauren James grabbed a double each.

Stanway came close to matching them when the Arsenal midfielder coolly took control of a long ball inside the box with one deft touch and, with the second, fired it powerfully into the bottom corner.

It would have been the perfect strike to mark an impressive few days but it was ruled out for offside, much to Wiegman’s dismay.

“She is always so eager to go towards goal. She has that tenacity in her,” said the England boss when asked about Stanway’s goalscoring form.

“She is always aggressive out of possession but also in possession. She scored a great header and controlled that really good ball from Alex Greenwood.

“That was really good athleticism and composure. Unfortunately that was disallowed but it was really good!

“Football is about scoring goals, but also playing in the pockets, keeping the ball and connecting with other players – and I was happy with her [doing those].”

Former England goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis told BBC Radio 5 Live that Stanway was “unplayable at times” against Greece on Tuesday night.

She won all her tackles, had a 90% passing accuracy rate, took four shots, scored once and had another disallowed.

It was also a slightly different role for Stanway for most of the match as she played more as a right winger after changes in the midfield.

“She has something different to others,” Wiegman told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“She is goal-orientated, has a great shot and the disallowed goal showed her great mobility and athleticism.

“When you really need a fight, or a duel, or a counter-attack breaking up, she is there. She is a warrior who you can play a possession game with too.”

McArdle has shown throughout his tenure so far that he is keen to expand Northern Ireland’s squad depth and gave four players their debuts during the Portugal double header.

One of those debutants, Elmore, scored Northern Ireland’s only goal of the tie and became the second player to score on her debut under McArdle after Emily Cassap netted during the 2-1 defeat by Switzerland in June.

“I’m delighted for Kess,” McArdle continued.

“I knew she could bring that, and it’s just great that she has had that impact in Larne and also got the reward with a goal tonight.

“She’s going to add so much to the group moving forward, but so will a lot of the debutants this week, which was exciting.”

It has been a challenging window for McArdle’s side with key players such as captain Simone Magill and the experienced Laura Rafferty, Nadene Caldwell and Caragh Hamilton missing.

However, the Scot still thinks the side have set “a real enthusiastic marker” down during the tough Portugal tie.

“There have been those moments that have went against us, moments of misfortune. We’re playing a risky style of football,” he continued.

“We were on the front foot from the first whistle, and I couldn’t be prouder of the girls. This is a real enthusiastic marker for moving forward. This is getting closer to the identity that I would like for us moving forward.

“We want more energy, we want more mobility, and we want to be a lot more versatile as well. I’m really proud but also really frustrated with the scoreline.”

The Dodgers never waver in their game plan for the regular season: win enough games to secure a bye in the opening round of the playoffs and, in so doing, afford players all the down time they need during the summer to be in top form come fall. They do not need to hurry anyone off the injured list so they can squeak out another National League West title.

Unfortunately for the Dodgers and their increasingly perilous hope of a three-peat, they did not follow that game plan with Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers failed Ohtani this summer, and now all that remains is for them to cross their collective fingers and hope for the best.

Hope, as they say, is not a strategy.

The Dodgers should drop Ohtani from the postseason roster.

They won’t. They won’t even take him out of Wednesday’s lineup.

Amid headlines about how the Dodgers might have benched Ohtani for Game 3 of the NL Championship Series, manager Dave Roberts said the thinking was more about coupling Tuesday’s day off with a second consecutive day of rest.

“It was never a benching,” Roberts said.

Roberts drew a parallel between what might have happened with Ohtani and what did happen with Freddie Freeman during the NLCS two years ago, when the Dodgers provided what the manager called a “reset” — a day off for the team, followed by a rest day for Freeman.

“And he ends up winning the MVP in the World Series,” Roberts said.

Freeman had been playing with a bad ankle for three weeks, and even then he had been more productive that October than Ohtani has been in this one. Ohtani has been playing with a bad knee and biceps for three months, and the Dodgers already have tried intermittent rest.

They tried that in September, twice. They touted their bye week before the start of the playoffs. They talked up their three days off before the start of the NLCS.

They went 0 for 4. Enough already.

Roberts said the Dodgers — not just Ohtani, but the coaching staff and the training staff — see progress. True, no doubt. But we’ve heard similarly encouraging words after each of Ohtani’s rest breaks.

“We’re listening to Shohei, and we’re going to support the crap out of him and believe in him,” Roberts said, “and that’s it.”

Ohtani said Tuesday that his symptoms have subsided since the Dodgers put him on the injured list, for the minimum stay. That was a month ago.

Shohei Ohtani is just three for 20 this postseason.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

On Tuesday, he said his approaches can alternate between “focusing on reducing the symptoms and getting rid of the pain and/or just making sure that I’m moving well in the swing.”

There is no evidence so far that this might work, and an uncomfortable and increasing body of evidence that it might not.

Ohtani is batting .150 in the playoffs, with three hits in 20 at-bats. Of the 39 players with at least 20 at-bats this postseason entering play Tuesday, only three have a lower OPS than Ohtani’s .411.

One of them, Dodgers catcher Will Smith, has one hit in 23 at-bats. But he is hitting the ball hard: in the NLCS, one ball hit at 102 mph, another at 101, and every ball hit harder than the one Ohtani hit the hardest.

That exit velocity: 86 mph.

He has not pulled a ball in the series for a hit, or for an out.

Over his major league career, he has homered once every 14 at-bats.

He has not hit a home run since Aug. 18, a span of 107 at-bats. He has driven in one run since then; the Dodgers batted him cleanup in Game 2.

And, since hitting that last home run, Ohtani is batting .036 against fastballs thrown 95 mph or harder. The average fastball in this postseason: 96.2 mph, according to analyst Mike Petriello’s close-up of all the different ways Ohtani’s swing is fouled up.

Breaking balls? Brewers reliever JoJo Romero threw him one low and away in Game 2, and Ohtani lost his bat as he lunged to make contact.

When Ohtani spoke with reporters before the playoffs started, he said he might not know the full extent of his injuries or what he might need to do to rehabilitate them until after the postseason.

“I haven’t been able to get a good grasp of the root cause of all this,” he said then. “I think that process is going to happen during the offseason, when I’m going to have a little bit more time to be able to address it. But as of now, it’s something I’m just going to have to manage.”

The Dodgers did not need Ohtani to win the NL West. They needed to shut him down for an extended period to maximize their chances of winning in October.

They failed to do that. They believed a few days of rest would allow them to nurse Ohtani through the rest of the season.

One big swing in October, and who cares? Ask Kirk Gibson, who hobbled to bat and then hit one of the most dramatic home runs in World Series history.

Here is what the Dodgers ought to keep in mind: That was the only at-bat Gibson took in that 1988 World Series.

Shohei Ohtani emerged from the visiting dugout at American Family Field with a bat in his hand, and the mass of media members scattered in foul territory up the third-base line shifted his way, pulled by the magnetic force that is Ohtani’s stardom.

Monday marked the third straight day Ohtani had hit on the field, after a multi-round session off the pitching machine on the workout day and batting practice before each of the first two games of the National League Championship series against the Milwaukee Brewers. But the novelty of the move — Ohtani only took batting practice on the field a few times during the regular season, always in the midst of a slump — had yet to fully wear off.

“The results, take full responsibility,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton on Tuesday. “That’s all I can really say, why the results haven’t been where I wanted it to be. But I think there’s different approaches to this, whether that be focusing on reducing the symptoms and getting rid of the pain and/or just making sure that I’m moving well in the swing.”

That break of routine for the start of the NLCS did not pay off in terms of results. But after a conversation with Ohtani, manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that he felt “great” about playing Ohtani in Game 3 of the NLCS, even though Ohtani is still physically compromised by nagging right biceps and left knee problems.

“He’s adamant he feels good enough to be in there,” Roberts said. “He’s close to finding something with his swing. … Yeah, he wants to be in there and help us win a ballgame and win a championship. Great conversation, and I’m excited about having him in there.”

Roberts made clear that he wasn’t ever considering “benching” Ohtani, but rather weighing whether it would make sense to give him a couple days to “reset,” similar to how they approached Freddie Freeman’s ankle injury in 2024, giving him two days off during that postseason run.

“The symptoms have subdued a lot, especially when I was on the IL, spending that time just being able to reduce the symptoms,” Ohtani said. “As of now with the swing, it’s a daily process of trying different things, different feel on a daily basis.”

Though Ohtani’s arrival kicked off the Dodgers’ back-to-back championships, this isn’t his first time slumping in the postseason. His bat went quiet in the 2024 World Series (two for 19). And between his two-homer game to open last year’s wild-card round, and Game 4 of the NLCS when the two-way star authored the best individual game ever played, he went four for 33.

The difference this time is Ohtani, who has hit three singles in 20 postseason at-bats, isn’t fully healthy. But he was adamant that he would still be able to find a way to produce regardless.

“Over the course of this long season, there’s only really a short period of time when my mechanics is completely in sync,” he said. “So it’s just really kind of just going back and forth, finding the right parts of the swing and managing just the different parts of the swing. So it’s a constant, ongoing process that’s headed in the right direction.”

When healthy, Ohtani has the ability to break out of even the most dire of slumps with an otherworldly performance, like that three-homer (as a hitter), 10-strikeout (as a pitcher) all-timer. Opposing pitchers still have taken a cautious approach to facing him.

This version of Ohtani, however, hasn’t hit a home run since Aug. 18, a little over three weeks before he landed on the injured list. He’d played through nagging knee and biceps injuries for most of the season. But by the first week of September, the Dodgers could no longer argue that his poor performance wasn’t necessarily connected to his ailments.

Shohei Ohtani strikes out during the sixth inning of Game 2.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Now, the stakes are as high as ever. Trailing the Brewers 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, the Dodgers desperately need to put themselves in the best possible position to win Game 3 and avoid four straight win-or-go-home contests. And to do so, they need to know what kind of production Ohtani is physically capable of.

“I’ve never wavered in my belief in him,” Roberts said. “The work that he’s putting in — shoot, he squared the bunt in Game 2 to potentially get on base. That just speaks to whatever it takes to help the team win. He’s always been about the team, whether it’s hitting first, second, fourth, or wherever, right? So for me, just hearing his conviction, that’s what I wanted to hear.”

The communication between Ohtani and the team on injuries has been a work in progress in his third year with the Dodgers.

“We certainly had a lot of communication with him throughout the year, and worked together really well in terms of how to go about this,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said in late September.

“And I think in his mind, he just thought that what he was dealing with was more minor, because it wasn’t like he would see a doctor and go, ‘Oh my God, you have this ailment.’ There were just a number of different things that were bothering him. And I think in his mind, he thought the best way to help the team was to go out and play, which I respect. But us staying really connected and sharing that information, I think, will be really important going forward.

“And again, the communication back and forth has been awesome. The fully sharing exactly how he’s feeling, maybe not as awesome. But again, I would rather [have] that with a guy than the other side of that.”

So, Ohtani kept trying to work his way back to the mound for weeks after receiving a lubricating Orthovisc injection in his knee at the beginning of the All-Star break. And when his biceps injury flared again, and the discomfort extended up through his neck, the Dodgers put off an IL move as long as possible.

Roberts said Ohtani’s conviction lined up with what the manager was hearing from the Dodgers hitting coaches and medical staff.

“No one knows what’s going to happen tomorrow and the ensuing days,” Roberts said. “At the end of the day in this big moment, we’re listening to Shohei, and we’re going to support the crap out of him and believe in him, and that’s it.”

Swansea City head coach Vitor Matos says the lengthy stoppage during their 1-0 win away at Millwall was a result of racist abuse aimed at Ji-sung Eom.

The South Korea winger was among the Swansea substitutes, and had been warming up on the side of the pitch when the Championship game was brought to a halt.

Referee Edward Duckworth had lengthy discussions with both sets of coaches, during which the game was paused for around seven minutes.

Following the stoppage, an announcement was made over the speakers at The Den confirming there had been alleged chants of racism and that police were working to identify any offenders using CCTV.

Speaking after the game, Matos said it was the 24-year-old who had been the subject of the abuse.

“The situation was with Ji-sung Eom,” said Matos.

“The referee followed the protocol for these sort of situations, they did the right thing. Millwall also did the right thing to get the protocol moving on.

“We all know there is no space for this, this kind of situation should not happen.

“When they do happen we are here to stand with the player, in this case it is our player.”

The incident marred what was otherwise an evening of celebration for the Swans, as Ronald’s late strike sealed a 1-0 win for the league leaders.

Millwall stated they were “aware of an alleged, individual incident of discriminatory abuse towards a Swansea City player during the second half” of the game.

“The club operates a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of discriminatory abuse. Any individual found to have engaged in such behaviour will face the strongest possible action,” added the hosts.

“The club is working alongside the relevant authorities to establish the facts and is unable to comment further as tonight’s alleged incident is the subject of an ongoing police investigation, which the club fully supports.”

Victory kept Swansea two points clear at the top of the Championship, with the Welsh club putting together their best start to a season in a century.

Matos said he was saddened by the abuse aimed at Eom, but says the rest of the squad will rally around their team-mate.

“He is a smart kid, he is not happy with the situation but he knows we will stay with him and follow the situation as long as we can,” added Matos.

“Millwall did the right thing by announcing there is no place for this sort of thing.

“I’m happy with how it was handled, but really sad that it happened. Now it is about evaluating the situation and we’ll see what happens.”

Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson has been suspended for two games without pay for punching Buffalo Bills linebacker Bradley Chubb after Monday night’s game at SoFi Stadium, the NFL announced Tuesday.

The Bills defeated the Rams 37-34 in overtime. The incident occurred on the field as players from both teams were talking and exchanging jerseys.

Jackson violated Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, which applies to “any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship,” the NFL said in the release announcing the suspension.

Jackson can appeal the suspension.

The loss of Jackson leaves star quarterback Matthew Stafford potentially vulnerable when the Rams play the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday and the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 25.

Veteran David Quessenberry could start in place of Jackson. Or coach Sean McVay could move right tackle Warren McClendon Jr. to the left side and play Quessenberry on the right.

Rookie Keagan Trost has been on injured reserve since before the start of the season.

This is the second time that Jackson has been suspended. In 2024, he sat out the first two games for an unspecified violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Jackson had been named the defendant in a lawsuit filed by a woman, who alleged he recorded her without her consent during sex, that he refused to delete the video and that he taunted her with it. The civil suit was dismissed.

Jackson also was under scrutiny before this season after he was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence involving an incident in West Hills. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office and the City Attorney declined to file formal criminal charges.

A human defeated two of the three robots he faced in a cage fight recently held in San Francisco.

The humans behind that fight could face a battle of their own — the legal type — if they want to hold another event like “Human Vs. Robot,” the Sept. 18 competition that placed influencer Frankie LaPenna inside an octagon to battle three humanoid robots that were controlled remotely by a human operator in separate MMA-style fights.

REK (Robot Entertainment Kombat), the “humanoid robot fighting” company that staged the event, billed it as the “first human vs. robot fight in history.” Videos of the bouts have combined for more than 10 million views on YouTube.

Not everyone is a fan. On Sept. 23, the California State Athletic Commission sent a cease-and-desist order to REK, its CEO Cix Liv and “all persons holding, promoting, advertising or sponsoring unsanctioned human versus humanoid robot cage fight.”

The letter states that “any boxing or mixed martial arts contest, match, or exhibition, involving any human in the State of California” requires the prior approval of the commission and that it is a misdemeanor to hold such an event without obtaining a license or permit from the state.

A spokesperson for the California Department of Consumer Affairs, which oversees the CSAC, said in a statement emailed to The Times that the commission is “committed to protecting the safety of the public and integrity of combat sports.”

“Unsanctioned activity puts the physical and financial well-being of all those involved at risk and such activity will not be tolerated,” the statement said.

An X post by Liv on Sept. 30 indicated he’s not overly concerned about the cease-and-desist order.

“We made it boys,” he wrote in the post, which also included a photo of the commission’s letter.

Liv said in an email to The Times on Tuesday that REK did not seek CSAC approval before the event “because the law clearly states it is not a real boxing match if it doesn’t include ‘two persons,’” rather than a human vs. a humanoid robot controlled by a human.

“So they can argue in court that actuators are somehow persons,” he said. “The case would give us nonstop media coverage, even if we incurred a fine.”

LaPenna also appeared to make light of the cease-and-desist order in a pair of X posts on Oct. 1.

“I fought a robot and within 12 days the state of California passes a new law saying no more robot vs. human fights,” wrote LaPenna, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this article.

He added in the second post: “Good work Cix, you disrupted the system.”

According to Liv, LaPenna pushed for the opportunity to face humanoid opponents in the cage.

“We felt the robots were ready to fight amateur fighters like Frankie, but not actual MMA fighters yet,” Liv said.

The 29-year-old content creator signed a full waiver of liability, but “we didn’t actually want to hurt him,” Liv added.

The written description accompanying a “Human vs. Robot” video posted on REK and LaPenna’s YouTube pages states that “there was no predetermined outcome, both Frankie and Nick, the robot operator were told to try their best.”

Wearing spiked gloves, a helmet and protective padding, the 5-foot-6, 205-pound LaPenna held his own against all three bots. He dominated his first opponent, referred to at the fight as “the child robot.” Next came an imposing “Terminator”-inspired humanoid, which was listed on the fight video as 6-feet and 200 pounds with a kick force of 850 pounds.

The robot landed several hard kicks, including one that knocked LaPenna across the mat and another with an impact that brought the humanoid to the ground and caused its head to come off — but the human seemed to gain strength as the match went on and eventually stood triumphantly with his foot on the machine’s crumpled body.

LaPenna was dominant early in his final match, in which he faced a robot that resembled a “Predator” from the movies of the same name. After landing several punches and kicks and taking his opponent to the ground multiple times, LaPenna eventually became fatigued and called for the match to be ended.

“He doesn’t get tired. He doesn’t stay down,” LaPenna said in a postmatch interview. “Just keeps getting up. I thought he’d be dead.”

According to Liv, LaPenna emerged from the bouts basically unscathed. “The only damage he experienced was hurting his hand a bit by punching metal,” Liv said.

Since then, REK has turned its attention back to all-robot fights, although Liv said the company eventually plans to stage more human vs. humanoid bouts.

“We are avoiding it for now,” Liv said. “CSAC has no legal case but it may not be worth the battle. We may just do it in Vegas or a state that is less lame.”

The surge in soccer fans this summer was bad for some businesses in Los Angeles.

World Cup host cities had lofty economic expectations for the summer tournament. But the city’s hotels only got a 1% bump in occupancy, according to a report published this week by Hospitality Education and Research Organization, a project of the Hotel Assn. of Los Angeles.

Seventy-two percent of surveyed hotels said the tournament hurt their 2026 finances, and 48% called the impact “extremely negative.” Just 2% said it met projections.

Downtown occupancy reached 66% in June, down from 71% a year earlier, the report says. Room nights fell between 10% and 12%.

Hotel guests at the Metropole restaurant just opposite the main lobby at the Hotel Indigo in downtown Los Angeles in May.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Ahead of World Cup tournaments, FIFA holds large blocks of rooms. But FIFA canceled or released up to 70% of the hotel room blocks it had reserved in host cities, including Los Angeles.

“We understood that we were maybe going to be disappointed with attendance going into the World Cup simply by the volume of cancellations that came out of the room block agreement,” said Jackie Filla, president and CEO of the Hotel Assn. of Los Angeles.

The disappointing turnout led to staff reductions. Of the hotels surveyed 82% reduced seasonal staff and more than six in 10 reported reducing employee shifts, scheduled hours, or permanent staff.

Hotels did raise prices, with the average daily rate hitting $228, the highest of any comparable L.A. event in three years. But occupancy was 71%, well below the 83% recorded during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.

A visitor walks in the lobby of the Hotel Indigo in downtown Los Angeles.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

The survey drew 58 responses from 210 hotels, and the analysis was done by travel-data firm Rove using CoStar and AirDNA data. International visitors were also scarce, with Los Angeles welcoming 700,000 international arrivals in June and July — roughly 80,000 visitors below 2024 levels for the same period, the report says.

“We particularly didn’t see a lot of foreign visitors and that’s something that was disappointing,” Filla said. “Foreign visitors do spend three times the amount of money as the average domestic traveler.”

Short-term rentals, meanwhile, gained. Their demand rose 23% and revenue 21% versus July 2024, while hotel revenue fell 3.3%. Airbnb, the tournament’s official fan accommodation, offered new hosts $750 incentives.

The city is currently weighing a temporary proposal to ease its short-term rental rules through the end of 2028 to accommodate tourists. “That will really, truly undercut the business of hotels,” Filla added. “We saw some of that with the World Cup.”

The worry is carrying over to the Olympic Games, set to be hosted in Los Angeles in 2028. Six in 10 surveyed hoteliers expect an Olympic rental surge to hurt their bookings and rates, the report says.

The World Cup “gave us false hope to recover from a negative year,” one Los Angeles hotelier said, according to the report. “I also feel [the] same thing will probably happen for [the] Super Bowl and Olympics.”

Less than 24 hours after kicking-game issues led to the Buffalo Bills defeating the Rams in overtime, the team released kicker Harrison Mevis, a team official said Tuesday.

Mevis missed a 50-yard field-goal attempt in the first half, and a had potential 48-yard game-winning field-goal attempt blocked in overtime. The Bills went on to win 37-34 in overtime, dropping the Rams’ record to 2-3.

“Not even close to good enough,” coach Sean McVay said of the field-goal and extra-point units after the defeat. “It cost us the game tonight.”

The Rams are signing kicker Blake Grupe from the New York Jets practice squad, according to ESPN.

Mevis’ release is the latest move in a Rams’ special teams saga that dates to last season.

In 2025, the Rams lost to the Philadelphia Eagles after two kicks by Joshua Karty were blocked, including one on the final play of the game that resulted in an Eagles touchdown. After Karty continued to struggle, the Rams released him and signed Mevis, who made 18 of 19 field-goal attempts in nine regular-season games and the playoffs.

McVay fired special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn with a few games left in the season, and hired Bubba Ventrone during the offseason.

But this season, Mevis made only five of nine attempts.

In 2025, Grupe made 18 of 26 field-goal attempts for the New Orleans Saints and all 11 of his attempts for the Indianapolis Colts.