Sports Desk

The Chargers essentially lived on an airplane last season, traveling more miles than any other NFL team.

This season, they will have a long runway followed by a dramatically sharp ascent.

They open against three first-time head coaches in succession, then face four Super Bowl-winning head coaches in a row.

Their first three games are against Arizona (Mike LaFleur), Las Vegas (Klint Kubiak) and Buffalo (Joe Brady), before squaring off against Seattle (Mike Macdonald), Denver (Sean Payton), Kansas City (Andy Reid) and — after a week off — the Rams (Sean McVay).

And it’s not as if the Chargers will be homebodies, as they have four coast-to-coast trips with road games at the Bills, Baltimore, Tampa Bay and Miami. So they will still be racking up the frequent-flier miles.

The NFL made an effort to put some space between those cross-country games for the Chargers.

“We’re always being sensitive, trying to make sure we’re not pingponging a team across the country with travel to the East Coast and back,” said Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution. “So we try to make sure those trips are broken up where we can, and we’re not doing too much of that back and forth.”

This marks the third season under Jim Harbaugh, who has had remarkable success at every stop in his coaching career but has yet to win a playoff game with the Chargers. Same goes for quarterback Justin Herbert, who was drafted in 2020 and is still looking for his inaugural postseason victory.

SoFi Stadium will host the Super Bowl next February, and the Battle For Los Angeles in Week 8 when the Chargers play at the Rams, a rare meaningful matchup of the crosstown foes.

The Chargers will play three preseason games, all Thursday night games against opponents they will face in the regular season. They will play at Houston on Aug. 13, followed by home games against San Francisco (Aug. 20) and the Rams (Aug. 27). All will be broadcast on CBS-LA.

Here is a game-by-game look at the regular-season schedule (all times Pacific):

Sept. 13, ARIZONA, 1:25 p.m. (CBS): It’s a gentle start against the rebuilding Cardinals, who figure to have Jacoby Brissett at quarterback in place of the familiar Kyler Murray, who is now with the Minnesota Vikings. The last time these teams played was in Arizona two years ago, and the Cardinals won, 17-15.

Sept. 20, LAS VEGAS, 1:05 p.m. (CBS): Back-to-back home games for the Chargers, who opened last season in Brazil. The Chargers swept the Raiders last season. Could No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza be starting at quarterback for the Silver and Black?

Sept. 27, at Buffalo, 10 a.m. (Fox): The first of four East Coast trips for the Chargers, who are stepping into a tough environment but at least won’t have to deal with a Buffalo winter. This is the start of a rugged seven-game stretch for the Chargers.

Oct. 4, at Seattle, 1:25 p.m. (CBS): The last time these teams played was 2023, so the rosters have pretty much turned over since then. Kenneth Walker III ran for 167 yards in that 37-23 win by the Seahawks. He was Super Bowl MVP last season and is now playing for Kansas City, so the Chargers will see enough of him.

The Chargers and quarterback Justin Herbert are set to play host to the New England Patriots on Thanksgiving weekend.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Oct. 11, DENVER, 1:05 p.m. (CBS): The Chargers and Broncos split last season, with each team holding serve at home. The Chargers won by three at SoFi, but the Broncos held their second-stringers to a mere field goal in the regular-season finale with Denver winning at home, 19-3.

Oct. 18, at Kansas City, 1:25 p.m. (CBS): As is the case with the Buffalo game, the Chargers are sidestepping some potentially harsh weather. They beat the Chiefs in Brazil in last season’s opener, then beat them by three points at Arrowhead in Week 15.

Oct. 25: Bye week. In recent years, the Chargers have almost always gotten their week off in the first half of the season. They had so many injuries last season, they could have used a week off every other week.

Nov. 1, at Rams, 1:05 p.m. (Fox): This is a home game for both teams, so the Chargers catch a break in terms of travel. It will be the third time these stadium-mates have met since the Rams returned in 2016. They split in the previous two meetings, with the Rams winning in 2018 and the Chargers in 2023.

Nov. 8, HOUSTON, 1:05 p.m. (CBS): Harbaugh’s Chargers are 0-2 against the Texans, losing by four to them at SoFi last season, and getting clobbered at Houston in the opening round of the 2024 playoffs, 32-12.

Nov. 16, at Baltimore, 5:15 p.m. (ESPN): This is a “Monday Night Football” game, and for good reason. It isn’t Harbaugh versus Harbaugh — as it would have been when brother John Harbaugh was coach of the Ravens — but Jim Harbaugh vs. Jesse Minter, his former Chargers defensive coordinator.

Nov. 22, JETS, 1:05 p.m. (Fox): Finally, something of a respite after a battering stretch of games. Of course, in the NFL, you can never breathe easy. The Chargers have beaten the Jets five times in a row, true, but those games were played over the past 14 seasons so those lopsided numbers aren’t relevant to this matchup.

Nov. 29, NEW ENGLAND, 5:20 p.m. (NBC): Back to the grind for the Chargers, who generated next-to-no offense in the playoffs last season against the eventual AFC champions. It was a low-scoring game all around, but the Patriots never looked concerned in their 16-3 victory.

Dec. 6, at Tampa Bay, 10 a.m. (CBS): The Buccaneers have beaten the Chargers four times in a row, although that’s dating to 2012, so much of that is ancient history. Baker Mayfield has revived that franchise — and his own career.

Dec. 13, at Las Vegas, 1:05 p.m. (CBS): Sure, the Chargers might face Mendoza in Week 2, but there’s an even greater likelihood they will see him the second time around.

Dec.17, SAN FRANCISCO, 5:15 p.m. (Amazon Prime): This is a Thursday night game, and Harbaugh will be facing the franchise he got to the Super Bowl in the 2012 season. If the NFC West turns out to be as competitive as expected, the Chargers could do the Rams a solid here.

Dec. 27, at Miami, 10 a.m. (Fox): The Chargers won at Miami last season on a last-second field goal by Cameron Dicker. December is a good time of year to play in South Florida.

Week 17, KANSAS CITY, TBD: This is where the schedule gets squishy and the NFL pushes games around to give the most exciting ones the most exposure. This game is TBA. It could be a good one, considering the rivalry.

Week 18, at Denver, TBD: Just like last season, the Chargers finish at the Broncos. A difficult final exam, and maybe another gateway to the postseason.

The Rams will begin the season by traveling about 8,000 air miles to play against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia.

They aim to end the season playing in Super Bowl LXI on their home turf at SoFi Stadium.

The Sept. 10 opener — a Thursday night in the United States and the morning of Sept. 11 in Melbourne — is the first of 17 games on a schedule announced Thursday by the NFL.

With reigning NFL most valuable player Matthew Stafford and a roster fortified by the addition of All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, the Rams are regarded as a Super Bowl favorite. And their marquee status is reflected in a schedule that includes the maximum seven prime-time appearances, an increase of two over last season when the Rams finished 12-5 and advanced to the NFC championship game before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

Fans will have to wait nearly the entire season to see the Rams play the Seahawks. The first game between the NFC West rivals is Week 16 on Christmas night in Seattle. Two games later, on a date to be determined, they will play in the regular-season finale at SoFi Stadium.

In addition to the Friday night game against the Seahawks on Christmas, they play on “Sunday Night Football” against the Denver Broncos and “Monday Night Football” against the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills. The Rams play the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving eve — Wednesday night — and on “Thursday Night Football” against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Rams play six division games in the NFC West, which is matched this season with the NFC East and the AFC West. The Rams also have games against teams in the NFC North, NFC South and AFC East.

The Rams play a preseason road game against the Chiefs and will play at SoFi Stadium against the New Orleans Saints and the Chargers.

Here is a game-by-game look at the regular-season schedule (all times Pacific):

Sept. 10, SAN FRANCISCO at Melbourne Cricket Ground, 5:35 p.m. (Netflix): Coach Sean McVay starts the season by matching up against mentor Kyle Shanahan and former Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris in a huge NFC West game.

Sept. 21, NEW YORK GIANTS, 5:15 p.m. (ESPN): New coach John Harbaugh aims to build a winning culture in the tradition of the one he established in 18 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.

Sept. 27, at Denver, 5:20 p.m., (NBC): The Broncos aim to reach the Super Bowl that eluded them last season after Bo Nix’s injury. Bonus: There’s history between McVay and Sean Payton.

Oct. 4, at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. (Fox): The Rams opted to draft quarterback Ty Simpson — not former USC receiver Makai Lemon — with the 13th pick. Lemon was selected by the Eagles.

Oct. 12, BUFFALO, 5:15 p.m. (ESPN): The last time the Bills visited SoFi Stadium, the Rams won a 44-42 shootout. First-year coach Joe Brady will try to guide Josh Allen to his first Super Bowl appearance.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen signals against the Denver Broncos in an AFC divisional playoff game in January.

(Bart Young / Associated Press)

Oct. 18, ARIZONA, 1:05 p.m., (Fox): Former Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur parlayed his time with McVay into a head coach opportunity with the Cardinals. Now he has to face Matthew Stafford & Co.

Oct. 25, at Las Vegas, 1:25 p.m. (Fox): The Raiders drafted quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the top pick in the draft. Will he play against the Rams or sit behind Kirk Cousins?

Nov. 1, CHARGERS, 1:05 p.m. (Fox): Quarterback Justin Herbert is expected to benefit from the arrival of new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.

Nov. 8, at Washington, 10 a.m. (Fox): The Rams travel to play the Commanders for the first time since 2020. Quarterback Jayden Daniels looks to remain healthy and recapture rookie form.

Nov. 15, at Arizona, 1:05 p.m. (CBS): The Cardinals selected running back Jeremiyah Love with the fourth pick in the draft. Will it be Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew or rookie Carson Beck at quarterback?

Nov. 22, off week

Nov. 25, GREEN BAY, 5 p.m. (Netflix): Jordan Love leads the Packers offense, Micah Parson the defense. Coach Matt LaFleur is 5-0 against McVay, who hired LaFleur as offensive coordinator in 2017.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passes during a playoff win over the Carolina Panthers in January.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Dec. 3, KANSAS CITY, 5:15 p.m. (Amazon Prime): Chiefs have not played the Rams in L.A. since 2018, when the Rams won, 54-51, at the Coliseum. Will Taylor Swift return to SoFi for the end of the Travis Kelce era?

Dec. 13, at San Francisco, 1:25 p.m. (Fox): Quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey are mainstays for a team that always challenges McVay.

Dec. 20, DALLAS, 1:25 p.m. (CBS): Dak Prescott comes to town with receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens presumably as top targets. The Cowboys gave up a league-worst 30.1 points per game last season.

Dec. 25, at Seattle, 5:15 p.m. (Fox): Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold elevated his performance for the Super Bowl champions in regular-season and playoff victories over the Rams last season.

Week 17, at Tampa Bay, TBD: Baker Mayfield reignited his career after a crash course in the Rams offense in 2022 under Zac Robinson. Now Robinson is the Buccaneers offensive coordinator.

Week 18: SEATTLE, TBD: Last season, the Rams donned their Midnight Mode alternate uniforms against the Seahawks and escaped with a narrow victory. Will this game decide the NFC West?

Lachlan Clark, a senior backup pitcher for Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, wanted the ball so badly Friday against No. 1 Norco that he posted video from his Sherman Oaks Little League days, saying, “Bring it on.”

He more than lived up to the hype, throwing a four-hit shutout with seven strikeouts and zero walks in a 4-0 victory that advances the Knights to next Friday’s Southern Section Division 1 baseball quarterfinals. Notre Dame went 2-0 in Pool A. Norco must win Tuesday against Ayala to avoid elimination. The top two finishers in each pool advance.

Clark, who recently committed to Long Beach State, had been waiting for his turn in the spotlight. The last time he got a chance to shine was in the National Classic when he pitched 6⅔ innings against De La Salle and struck out 10. He thrives under pressure. An injury to Beckett Berg has made him the No. 2 pitcher for the rest of the season.

He was supported by Jacob Madrid, Notre Dame’s catcher who hit his 12th home run. After the game, 10 players went with co-coach Tom Dill to grad night at Magic Mountain.

St. John Bosco 4, Sierra Canyon 3: The Braves won their pool to advance to the Division 1 quarterfinals. A passed ball broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning. Noah Everly had two RBIs. Troy Sibolboro came through with 3⅔ innings of scoreless relief. Carl McMullan had two hits and two RBIs for Sierra Canyon, which will play in an elimination game Tuesday against Cypress.

La Mirada 9, Temecula Valley 2: Ian Aguayo hit a two-run home run during a six-run fourth inning for La Mirada, which next plays Huntington Beach.

Cypress 8, Oaks Christian 2: Noah Johnson had three hits to propel Cypress into an elimination game against Sierra Canyon on Tuesday. Tate Belfanti struck out eight in four innings.

Harvard-Westlake 6, Huntington Beach 5: Jake Chung escaped a bases loaded situation in the bottom of the sixth to help the Wolverines win Pool B at 2-0. James Tronstein went three for three, hitting his 10th home run. Jake Kim hit a key two-run home run.

Orange Lutheran 9, Corona 6: The Lancers won Pool D, rallying from a 5-2 deficit. Brady Murrietta hit three home runs and finished with six RBIs.

Ayala 7, Maranatha 6: A Jonah Boyd single in the seventh broke a 6-6 tie and kept Ayala alive in the Division 1 playoffs. Elijah Duarte had two hits and two RBIs.

Corona Santiago 8, Etiwanda 4: Troy Randall had two hits and two RBIs, Max Eldridge homered and Charlie Lemons finished with three hits for Santiago, which will play league rival Corona on Tuesday in an elimination game.

Arcadia 3, Simi Valley 2: Matt Manzo had a walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh for Arcadia in the Division 3 game. Simi Valley lost a home run after Arcadia protested over a lineup error.

St. Francis 4, Crescenta Valley 2: Danny Izaguirre hit a two-run home run, Jake Smith had three hits and two RBIs and Caysen Sullivan threw a complete game as another Mission League team advanced. All seven entrants have won at least one playoff game.

Palos Verdes 7, Pacifica Christian 1: Franco Correa had four RBIs and Kai Van Scoyoc struck out eight in six innings.

Edison 5, Damien 1: Noah Hunter struck out 11 and gave up two hits.

Agoura 4, Oakwood 0: Donovan Anthony struck out 15 with one walk and Tyler Starling and Colton Mellinger homered for Agoura.

Softball

Cypress 4, Fullerton 2: Chach Stamper threw a five-hitter to help the Centurions upset No. 3-seeded Fullerton in the Division 1 playoffs.

Norco 2, Marina 1: The No. 2-seeded Cougars survived on a walk-off single by Leighton Gray in the seventh. Marina offered its expected tough challenge with pitcher Mia Valbuena. Peyton May and Coral Williams combined for 11 strikeouts for Norco.

It’s sad and stony-hearted that the Lakers should unload LeBron James, recoup resources, unload his albatross-like salary, and build a championship contender bolstered by Luka Doncic. Yes, James is still a top-15 player, but unable to lead an ill-balanced team to the NBA Finals.

The Lakers allowed sentimentality toward Kobe Bryant to distort their vision, signing Bryant to a two-year, $48.5-million extension. Bryant missed 39% of the games while the Lakers won 38 times in the two seasons. Abysmal.

The Lakers should use James’ $52.6-million salary to sign long, athletic players who can drain threes with regularity.

James might make a great addition to a championship contending team like the Cleveland Cavaliers. Otherwise, thank him for his greatness as a Laker.

Marc D. Greenwood
Opelika, Ala.

Some legendary athletes, like Jim Brown and Sandy Koufax, retired at the peak of their careers. Other greats, like Muhammad Ali, Johnny Unitas and Willie Mays, waited too long. Memo to LeBron James: Which camp will you choose?

Denny Freidenrich
Laguna Beach

After reading Bill Plaschke’s article about LeBron James — which closes with the line “Anywhere but here” — I have a better idea. Keep LeBron, get rid of Bill. Let him write anywhere but here.

Tom Irish
Rancho Palos Verdes

Father Time is as undefeated just as Bill Plaschke is winless with predictions. Many before Bill have buried LeBron James, only to see him rise to the occasion once again and prove them wrong.

If this is in fact LeBron’s last go-round, it’s been epic! Thanks for the memories. If not, let’s see him alongside an injury-free Luka Doncic for a full run to next year’s championship!

Marty Zweben
Palos Verdes Estates

Arbeloa has also faced criticism from France striker Kylian Mbappe after he was left out of the starting line-up for Los Blancos’ 2-0 win over Real Oviedo.

Mbappe had missed his side’s two previous games, including last weekend’s El Clasico which Barcelona won to secure the league title, with a thigh injury and was whistled by his own fans when he came on.

The World Cup winner has faced scrutiny over his commitment to the club in recent weeks while an online petition calling for ‘Mbappe Out’ attracted tens of millions of signatures.

But the manager played down the incident on Saturday.

“I’ve just bumped into him, I told him to stay calm. I understand that these kinds of things make headlines, but it’s something much more normal than you think,” Arbeloa said.

“I used to be a player, I know what they can feel in these situations – playing every day, then playing less or not at all.

“I totally understand that Kylian wasn’t happy about not playing on Thursday, and I like that.

“I wouldn’t understand it if he didn’t want to play. My relationship with him remains the same.”

Year 3 in charge of St. John Bosco High’s offense is about to begin for quarterback Koa Malau’ulu, who will be a junior this fall.

St. John Bosco is hosting an eight-team seven-on-seven passing tournament on Saturday starting at 9:30 a.m. It’s one of three big passing tournaments this weekend, with Dana Hills and Long Beach Millikan also hosting tournaments.

Malau’ulu won’t have All-American receiver Madden Williams (now at Texas A&M), but class of 2028 receiver DJ Tubbs showed last year he’s ready to take on a leading role. Corona Centennial is also competing, which will mark the debut of Cathedral transfer Jaden Jefferson at quarterback.

Dana Hills has a 16-team tournament that includes Oxnard Pacifica, Laguna Beach and Crean Lutheran. Each of those schools returns big-time quarterbacks. Pool-play games begin at 8 a.m.

Games at Long Beach Millikan begin at 9 a.m.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

The Dodgers opened MLB rivalry weekend with a blast — three to be exact — in a 6-0 win over the Angels on Friday at Angel Stadium.

The Dodgers also achieved something last year’s World Series-winning team couldn’t — they beat the Angels. The Angels had won seven consecutive games against the Dodgers, the franchise’s longest winning streak against its crosstown rival.

“Couldn’t beat these guys last year, couldn’t beat the Brewers last year [in the regular season],” manager Dave Roberts said with a large smile. “So it was nice to beat these guys.”

What changed? The Dodgers’ offense took command. They lit up Angels starter Jack Kochanowicz’s fastball. Andy Pages hit a three-run home run and Max Muncy hit his 12th homer of the season on the next at-bat to break a scoreless game in the fourth inning. Both home runs came off four-seamers Kochanowicz left too far over the center of the plate.

Roberts praised Pages’ ability to recover from slumps and not dwell too much on being uncomfortable.

“A young player, when it starts to go south, you can’t stop it,” Roberts said. “The 0-4 turns into a one for 20 pretty quickly. That’s what happened last year at the end of the year. Now, he had a little swoon and found a way to let it be, take walks or get a hit here to there to do some damage control until you get back to swinging long.”

During Pages’ at-bat, a pitch ricocheted off Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe’s left hand. Playing in his first game since returning from the injured list, O’Hoppe stayed in the game despite appearing to be in pain. He left in the sixth because of irritation in his left wrist — the same wrist he fractured on April 25.

In the sixth, Teoscar Hernández tacked on two more runs with an opposite-field home run after an errant sinker from Kochanowicz. The 33-year-old wore a big smile after he crossed home and was showered in sunflower seeds.

“Just getting the confidence back there,” Hernández said. “Getting better pitches to hit, hitting the ball harder, getting on base, taking a lot more walks, just do[ing] the positive things for the team.”

Hernández had gone 23 days without a home run, and had been moved down in the lineup. The left fielder said he wasn’t bothered by the change, though he joked about Pages taking his place as the sunflower seed shower manager.

“It’s getting better,” Hernández laughed. “He’s going to have my job when I’m not here.”

Dodgers pitcher Will Klein delivers during the first inning against the Angels at Angel Stadium on Friday.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Shohei Ohtani also put together good at-bats. He walked and had a double, but he also struck out twice.

Freddie Freeman was notably absent. Roberts texted Freeman a couple nights ago and told him he would give him Friday off. Freeman, ever the competitor, tried to get Roberts to reconsider, but the Dodgers manager held firm.

Freeman is expected to return to the lineup Saturday with Kyle Tucker taking the day off.

“Tucker’s been trending for a while, Will’s been consistent, I think Teo’s on the way back too,” Roberts said. “We got a lot of guys that are swinging well, and to get Freddie off his feet tonight, I think it was a good thing in the midst of 13 in a row.”

The Dodgers (27-18) didn’t need Freeman with the way their bullpen was pitching. Will Klein opened after Blake Snell was placed on the injured list because of loose bodies in his left elbow. The Dodgers recalled left-hander Charlie Barnes to take Snell’s place on the active roster.

The quick pivot didn’t affect the Dodgers much. The team relied on eight pitchers — Klein, Edgardo Henriquez, Blake Treinen, Wyatt Mills, Kyle Hurt, Alex Vesia, Jack Dreyer and Barnes — to hold the Angels to two hits. No one ate up more innings than Klein, who struck out two and surrendered one hit across two innings. They also kept Tanner Scott fresh in case he’s needed Saturday.

“The only guy that went multiples was Klein, but, again, coming out of tonight the offensive run production allowed us to do that and give us a little coverage,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers now have a chance to do something last year’s team couldn’t: win a series against the Angels (16-29).

Whether Mira Costa has the best high school volleyball team in America is open to debate, but the Mustangs left little doubt they are No. 1 in the Southern Section on Friday night, sweeping Loyola 25-21, 25-22, 25-22 at Cerritos College to repeat as Division 1 champions.

UCLA-bound Mateo Fuerbringer was ready from the start, ending Loyola’s first three rallies with thunderous kills and the fourth with an emphatic stuff block. Ten points into the match, the 6-foot-4 junior hitter already had five kills and he ended the first set with his 12th as Mira Costa was ahead from start to finish.

“He’s always had the IQ, now you add the power on top of that?” Mira Costa coach Greg Snyder said of his star. “There are no answers. It’s a deadly combination. Mateo has no weaknesses.”

The teams traded leads throughout the second set until the Mustangs created separation late on the serving of Fuerbringer and Enzo Barker before Loyola’s Pax Stetson served into the twine to put Mira Costa up two sets to none.

The third-seeded Cubs took a 17-11 lead in the third set, but Mira Costa got in front 20-19 on Barker’s ace and Fuerbringer sent the green-and-white clad fans into delirium with his right-side smash on match point. He finished with 27 kills while Barker and UC Santa Barbara commit Wyatt Davis each added six. Mater Dei transfer Jake Newman had 38 assists and Dane Del Riego had 15 digs.

Loyola’s Brendan Maffel flings the ball past Mira Costa blocker Miles Crotty during the Southern Section Division 1 boys’ volleyball championship on Friday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

“I always try to set the tone and Jake gave me great sets,” Fuerbringer said. “They were bombing serves in that third set and got up on us, but we stuck with it and closed it strong. We didn’t want to give them any momentum.”

Mira Costa won its 10th section title and improved to 10-8 in finals. It also won back-to-back titles for the second time in school history, the first coming in Division 2 in 2001 and 2002. Mira Costa is 2-3 in finals against Loyola, having fallen to the Cubs in four sets in 2005 and 2010, prevailing in five sets in 2012 and getting swept in 2024.

Mira Costa has won 10 straight matches (dropping only three sets) since its five-set defeat at Bay League rival Redondo Union on March 26. It avenged that loss in four sets April 20 to earn the top seed.

The teams were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the country when they faced off in a nonleague match March 21 in Manhattan Beach, where the Mustangs rallied from a two-set deficit to win 15-11 in the fifth in a two-and-a-half-hour marathon. That time, Fuerbringer had 37 kills.

“The first time we didn’t come out as strong,” he said. “This time we were ready to play and came out hot.”

In the semifinals six days earlier, Loyola upset No. 2 Redondo Union in five sets, avenging a close loss in the Redondo Varsity Classic final on April 18. Mira Costa swept No. 4 Huntington Beach — its third victory over the Oilers this season.

Mira Costa won the inaugural Division I state championship last spring and will begin its quest for a repeat Tuesday night (regional seedings will be released Sunday afternoon). If it runs the table, Mira Costa would equal its 37-2 record in 2025.

Pepperdine commit JP Wardy had 13 kills and Rafa Milchan added 12 for the Cubs (23-4), but senior captain Blake Fahlbusch, who is headed to USC, was held to nine. Libero Matt Kelly, a Loyola Chicago commit, had 12 digs.

“We know where everyone wants to swing and we know Blake’s their catalyst,” Snyder said. “When they need a kill they usually go to him.”

The teams did not meet in the postseason last year. Mira Costa defeated Huntington Beach to win the section and regional crowns while Loyola fell to the Oilers in the section semifinals and did not play in regionals.

Snyder has guided the Mustangs into the finals in each of his three seasons, winning the last two. He was with the program for 12 years prior, seven as a varsity assistant under Avery Drost.

Loyola’s JP Wardy gets blocked by Mira Costa’s Miles Crotty and Colby Graham during the Mustangs’ win Friday night.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Loyola, making its 19th appearance in a section final, dropped to 13-6 all-time and 7-6 in 28 seasons under 1984 Cubs alum Michael Boehle.

In the preceding Division 4 final, Sunny Hills beat Royal, 24-26, 25-22, 27-25, 25-23 for its second title since coach Albert Soliguen started the program in 2020.

Owen Filadelfia had 18 kills and eight digs, Christian Lee added 17 kills and 11 digs, Jacob Sueki had 16 digs and Parker Mesnik dished out 47 assists for the Lancers (21-14), who swept Carpinteria in the Division 5 final in 2022 at Long Beach City College.

Grant Herzer had 19 kills, Donald Fleming had 18 and each added nine digs for the Highlanders (16-11), who were seeking their sixth section title in their 11th trip to the finals, having won Division 2-A in 1989 and 1990, 3-A in 1992, Division II in 1994 and Division 3 in 2022.

The Bruin Bombers struck again Friday night, capping an epic rally during the opening round of the Los Angeles NCAA Regional.

The No. 7 UCLA softball team has been dubbed the Bruin Bombers because of the record-setting home runs they’ve been hitting this season. That clutch hitting helped the Bruins avoid a painful loss to open postseason play.

Shortstop Aleena Garcia became the hero on Friday night at Easton Stadium, hitting a sacrifice fly to right field with one out to in the seventh inning bring in Rylee Slimp and seal a 12-11 win over California Baptist (43-18). The Lancers held an 11-7 lead going into the sixth inning before UCLA mounted a comeback.

“It’s a credit to [associate head] coach Lisa [Fernandez,]” first baseman Jordan Woolery said when asked about the team’s nickname. “Her offensive coaching style has changed how we’ve all played this year, and you can see it [batters] one through nine.”

The fifth inning was a disaster for UCLA, nearly costing the Bruins the win.

UCLA gave up 10 runs, with a combination of defensive errors and starting pitcher Taylor Tinsley miscues allowing California Baptist to score eight runs. Brynne Nally replaced Tinsley on the mound and gave up a two-run home run before the Bruins finally stopped the Lancers’ onslaught.

“That was not a typical Taylor Tinsley game, and I know she will bounce back,” UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said.

The Bruins scored two runs in the sixth before Joylna Lamar hit a two-run home run in the seventh.

Slimp hit a single and California Baptist walked UCLA batting stars Megan Grant and Woolery to set up the game-winning fly ball Garcia hit to right field.

Inouye-Perez said she doesn’t like talking about Woolery and Grant much because she gets emotional, but she noted they bring calm to the Bruins’ lineup and help every player contribute to game-changing rallies.

“We already had our senior banquet and had a lot of tears,” Inouye-Perez said. “But taking the responsibility to be the ones to carry the team and come through in big moments, these two have done it together.”

The Bruins (48-8) will play South Carolina on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Easton Stadium. UCLA played the Gamecocks in February and won 5-4 on a walk-off. California Baptist will play Cal State Fullerton at 4:30 p.m.

Inouye-Perez said Friday night she had not yet decided who would pitch against the Gamecocks.

UCLA’s Rylee Slimp, right, and Bri Alejandre react after scoring the winning run against California Baptist on Friday at Easton Stadium.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Fullerton falls in opener

Cal State Fullerton held a one-run lead during the top of the the fifth inning, but South Carolina surged ahead and earned a 7-4 win on Friday to open NCAA regional play at UCLA’s Easton Stadium.

Left fielder Quincee Lilio hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to give the Gamecocks a lead they didn’t surrender.

The Titans pulled ahead a 2-0 at the top of the second before the Gamecocks splashed a two-run home run in the bottom of the second to tie 2-2. Both teams scored on fielding errors and Cal State Fullerton scored off a single before South Carolina’s game-sealing home run.

Stephon Castle starred as the San Antonio Spurs sealed their spot in the Western Conference finals with a convincing 139-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Castle led the way with 32 points, while Victor Wembanyama added 19, as the Spurs clinched the series 4-2 to set up a heavyweight match-up against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Spurs met the Thunder – the reigning NBA champions – five times during the regular season and finished with a 4-1 record against them.

Repeating that over the seven-game Western finals would earn the Spurs a spot in the NBA finals.

“We’re not even thinking about that right now,” Castle said after Friday’s victory over the Timberwolves.

“The games ahead are a totally different game. They are rolling right now. They’ve won eight straight.

“It’s going to be tough to knock them off, but we’re pretty confident we can do it.”

Elsewhere, the Detroit Pistons beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-94 to tie their series and set up a deciding game seven .

Cade Cunningham scored 21 points, while Paul Reed and Jalen Duren added 17 and 15 respectively, as the top-seeded Pistons forced a decider for the second play-off round in a row.

Detroit had trailed 3-1 to Orlando Magic in the previous round before reeling off three straight wins to take the series 4-3.

The Pistons host the Cavaliers in Detroit on Sunday to decide who will face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Sparks are finally in the win column, but the outcome was in doubt late Friday night.

Behind double-digit scoring from all five starters, the Sparks had by far their best offensive showing of the season, shooting 63.8% during a 99-95 win over the expansion Toronto Tempo.

The Tempo didn’t make things easy, cutting the deficit to two points late and later trailing by just three with 31 seconds remaining and possession of the ball. Marina Mabrey missed a three-point attempt before late Tempo fouls gave the Sparks enough of a cushion to win.

Kelsey Plum nearly claimed a double-double with 27 points and nine assists, while Dearica Hamby had 19 points with seven rebounds and Nneka Ogwumike scored 20 points.

Erica Wheeler, who started in place of Ariel Atkins (concussion), scored 10 points with seven assists and was a plus-16 as the primary ball handler after starting the season two for 16 from the field. That freed up Plum to be in position to score, setting up a much more efficient Sparks offense.

Toronto was shorthanded in the frontcourt without starting center Temi Fagbenle (right shoulder), and the Sparks trio of bigs had a field day with 54 points in the paint.

The Sparks came out firing on Friday, opening with a 17-2 run.

The Tempo went on a 10-0 burst heading into the second quarter but the Sparks countered to maintain momentum and led 46-38 at halftime.

A Wheeler three-pointer early in the third quarter gave the Sparks a 20-point lead. The Tempo cut it to three midway through the fourth while Brittany Sykes (27 points, seven assists) sparked Toronto’s rally. The Tempo put up more shots than the Sparks, 70-58, largely because of a 10-2 offensive-rebounding gap.

Cameron Brink’s 10 points were the only ones provided by the Sparks’ bench, while the Tempo got 42 points from reserves.

Toronto was coming off its first win in franchise history on Wednesday when it defeated Seattle but struggled against a more complete offensive team in the Sparks.

In her return to Los Angeles after winning a national championship with UCLA this spring, Tempo rookie Kiki Rice netted 11 points.

Kate Martin made her Sparks debut as a developmental player with Atkins and Sania Feagin (lower left leg) unavailable and picked up one rebound in six minutes.

The Sparks will face Toronto again on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.

Going into the tournament there was a lot of talk centering on how Aronimink could prove too easy for the world’s best.

The last men’s tournament held here, a PGA Tour event in 2018, was won by Keegan Bradley who defeated Justin Rose in a play-off after they finished on 20 under par – although rain helped soften the greens and contribute to low scoring.

And this week, even if bombed drives missed wide fairways, the belief was that players would be able to gouge wedges out of the thick rough onto greens and lead to a putt-off.

The PGA of America has responded by setting up the course in a manner which aimed to disprove that.

The rough has largely been penal for those who have been unable to keep the ball on the fairways, while the severity of the slopes on the greens have generally caused havoc, with more three-putts after two rounds than during the whole of the Masters.

McIlroy suffered on Thursday when his wayward driving was heavily punished, but spending extra time on the range after his opening round to “find feeling” paid off on Friday.

Hitting more fairways set up more birdie chances and eliminated mistakes in one of only two bogey-free rounds.

“I saw that no-one was really getting away so I thought if I could get back to even par for the tournament I’d be right in there,” McIlroy told BBC Sport NI.

“I didn’t quite get there but I still think at one over I’ve got a great chance over the last couple days.”

Missing fairways did not hamper McNealy too much, however.

The 30-year-old former world number one amateur ranks tied 143rd – out of a 156-man field – with his driving accuracy – but has used his short irons superbly to launch a challenge.

“I think this is one of the few courses I can compete on without hitting enough fairways, I think the missed fairways penalty isn’t as bad as other places,” he said.

“Fairways are definitely easier to control the ball and I hope to hit more this weekend.”

The NFL has released its full schedule for the 2026 season.

Now we know exactly where and when all 32 teams will play every week this fall.

That’s pretty exciting, right?

Oh, and all 32 teams also dropped schedule release videos, with all the Easter eggs, inside jokes, pop culture references and head-scratching moments you can handle.

Now that is exciting.

As always, the teams have given us a wide variety of visual experiences to enjoy. There are spoofs galore (the Rams adapted the “Napoleon Dynamite” opening credits and even included a newspaper called the Los Angeles Hard Times; the Las Vegas Raiders produced a new version of “Step Brothers” starring quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins; the Kansas City Chiefs took on the QVC shopping network).

Some videos were clearly meant to appeal strictly to that team’s fanbase, such as the Philadelphia Eagles’ 14-minute (by far the longest of the bunch) offering of five players giving their “unfiltered reactions” to every game on their schedule and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ piece that pokes loving fun at local fans with many references only true Yinzers would understand.

While many of the videos were high-tech and well-rehearsed, a handful featured unscripted fun, like New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston drawing pictures to help fans guess the opposing teams and Baltimore Ravens receiver Zay Flowers surprising a couple of super fans at their wedding.

Here are five of our favorites from this year’s crop of videos. It’s an extremely subjective list, but the stakes could be high — the Seattle Seahawks had our No. 1 video last May and went on to win the Super Bowl nine months later.

NEW YORK — The NHL docked the Vegas Golden Knights a second-round pick in next month’s draft and fined coach John Tortorella $100,000 on Friday for violating media access rules after their series-clinching Game 6 victory over the Ducks on Thursday night.

Tortorella refused to speak to reporters after Vegas routed the Ducks 5-1 to move on to face Colorado in the Western Conference final. The Golden Knights also did not open their locker room in accordance with league and NHL Players’ Assn.-negotiated regulations.

The NHL in a statement announcing the punishment said the penalties for these “flagrant violations” come after previous warnings were issued to the Golden Knights. The team has been offered the opportunity to appeal to Commissioner Gary Bettman’s office in person at the league’s New York headquarters next week.

“The Golden Knights are aware of today’s announcement from the NHL regarding the postgame media availability following Game 6 in Anaheim,” the team said in a statement posted to social media. “The organization will have no further comment.”

Since the last international break, no player has scored more Premier League goals than Watkins’ nine.

Manchester City‘s Erling Haaland is second on that list with seven, while Nottingham Forest‘s Morgan Gibbs-White is the next best English player on five.

But, while Watkins may well be arguably England’s most in-form striker heading into the World Cup, realistically the spot everyone is vying for is the number one back-up position to captain Kane.

Ivan Toney has been in prolific form all season for Al-Ahli but playing in the Saudi Pro League means his numbers are difficult to directly compare with the other contenders.

Of the rest, Watkins’ 19 goals in all competitions puts him five ahead of both Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who returned to the England fold after a five-year exile in March, and Danny Welbeck, whose last cap was in 2018.

“He’s got to be on the plane,” former Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie said on Sky Sports when asked about Watkins’ chances of being included this summer. “Since being left out we’ve just seen a massive turning of the corner.

“He’s been relentless in front of goal, he’s shown his capabilities. He’s a totally different player to Harry Kane and gives them something different.”

Liverpool manager Arne Slot acknowledges his side’s 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa is frustrating for himself, the players and the fans as they now need to win against Brentford on the final day of the season to secure Champions League qualification.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS: Aston Villa 4-2 Liverpool

Available to UK users only.

Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell was scratched from his scheduled start against the Angels on Friday, a person close to the situation but not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to The Times.

Snell started the season on the injured list with left shoulder fatigue and was brought back from his rehab assignment early to replace Tyler Glasnow, who was placed on the injured list last week with back spasms. In a 7-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves, Snell gave up four earned runs on six hits, with two walks and five strikeouts over three innings and 77 pitches.

The reason for the move was not immediately clear.

The Dodgers listed right-hander Will Klein as the starting pitcher when the team posted its lineup Friday afternoon, signaling that it would be a bullpen game.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Goalkeepers: Johnny Placide (Bastia), Alexandre Pierre (Sochaux), Josué Duverger (FC Cosmos Koblenz)

Defenders: Carlens Arcus (Angers), Wilguens Pauguain (Zulte Waregem), Duke Lacroix (Colorado Springs), Martin Expérience (Nancy), Jean-Kévin Duverne (KAA Gent), Ricardo Adé (LDU Quito), Hannes Delcroix (Lugano), Keeto Thermoncy (Young Boys Berne)

Midfielders: Leverton Pierre (Vizela), Carl-Fred Sainthé (El Paso Locomotive), Jean-Jacques Danley (Philadelphia Union), Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (Wolves), Pierre Woodenski (Violette), Dominique Simon (Tatran Presov)

Forwards: Louicius Deedson (Dallas), Ruben Providence (Almere City), Josué Casimir (Auxerre), Derrick Etienne (Toronto), Wilson Isidor (Sunderland), Duckens Nazon (Esteghlal), Frantzdy Pierrot (Caykur Rizespor), Yassin Fortune (Vizela), Lenny Joseph (Ferencvaros).

I’m haunted by the perfection of Roxy board shorts from the early aughts. As a teen surfer girl in El Porto, they were my holy grail. In those years, all the cool surf brands made cute surf clothing, but the emphasis was decidedly more on the aesthetic than the function, which was a bummer when it came to, you know, surfing. Roxy board shorts changed that, especially the particular style I’m thinking of: slightly longer to actually prevent thigh chafe from the board, they sat perfectly on my hips and stayed on with their Velcro and lace-up fly. Unlike when I tried to borrow from the boys section, the board shorts weren’t comically long or baggy or cut straight across the waist. These were made for girls who actually surfed. I bought them in every (very cute) color I could find and surfed them until I couldn’t any longer.

Sonia Kasparian, the original designer of Roxy’s board shorts back in the mid-’90s, smiles in our recent conversation when I recount my astonishment at their discovery. She’s grinning because of course they fit — that was the ethos behind her design. “I wanted [the board shorts] to be totally functional, exactly to the same standards that the men’s were, but designed for women. There was a completely different fit for women than men.” And true to Roxy’s style bona fides, the board shorts looked good enough to pair with a T-shirt. “Everything was designed with the idea of being something that women would not only want to wear in the water, but just wear out walking around in everyday life,” Kasparian explains. “But if you were to go out in the water, those shorts would stay put. They would be comfortable — and they would be completely authentically built.” The brand was testing prototypes in the surf, eventually with pros like longtime Roxy team rider Lisa Andersen, but initially with Kasparian and her fellow Roxy and Quiksilver colleagues Lissa Zwahlen, Melissa Martinez and Amy Grace Patrick, among others. They’d paddle out in the board shorts in the morning to try out their designs before heading into the office, their noses dripping saltwater later in the day as they bent over fabric bins and sales reports.

Some of the first pairs of Roxy board shorts from designer Sonia Kasparian’s personal archive.

(Sonia Kasparian)

The functional ethos was always part of Quiksilver too. For the uninitiated, Roxy is the women’s brand of Quiksilver, the legendary Australian company that began in 1969 and made board shorts that performed as well as they looked. Their innovative, stylish design quickly became a nonnegotiable for the best and coolest surfers, and when Angeleno Bob McKnight discovered the board shorts on a surf trip in the early ’70s, he knew they’d become ubiquitous among surfers in California too. But when McKnight brought the brand to the U.S., he was met with skepticism. As McKnight tells it during our conversation at Quiksilver HQ, when he first approached Walter Hoffman, the renowned California maker of Hawaiian print fabric and eventual supplier and mentor, Hoffman exclaimed that board shorts were “the worst idea I’ve ever heard in my life.” The apparel business, according to him, was an impossible one to succeed in. McKnight protested to Hoffman, though: “We’re not in the apparel business. We’re making equipment for surfers.” The distinction paid off with pros and wannabes alike, and by the time Quiksilver launched Roxy with Kasparian in 1990, they were a cultural juggernaut. PacSun, anyone?

When I ask Kasparian about being a part of my personal archives, about being part of the historical surfwear archives, she’s “just so happy.” Despite Roxy’s eventual runaway success — it’s responsible for about 30% of Quiksilver’s sales — it was hard work to convince others in the industry that there was absolutely a need and a desire for fashionable, functional surfwear for girls. “I mean, you would go into the surf shops and you’d see all this men’s product, and you’d see a poster of the Reef girl with her butt in your face, wearing a thong,” Kasparian recounts. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Kasparian and her team made history, not just for teenage me but for countless other girls who wanted to look and feel confident in and out of the surf. “[Roxy board shorts] changed the dynamic of where women fit in the surf industry. They weren’t just the girls that sat on the sideline with the thong and watched their boys out in the water. They were the ones out in the water. And that was huge.”

I haven’t had any luck in finding the grown-up surfer girl version of Roxy board shorts. I still comb thrift racks and bulk bins for something close enough, even trying on the odd pair of early aughts Quiksilver men’s board shorts, as if, just by wanting it enough, I can somehow manifest the completely different fit that Kasparian was so intentional about designing. But board shorts for women these days just don’t hit the same way, especially the longer ones. They read midlife modesty, not stoke; they’re lacking in the joyous, playful audacity that Kasparian and her team infused into their groundbreaking designs. Maybe the board shorts I’m seeing aren’t the vibe because, well, they’re made for women, not girls, and despite my best efforts to never grow up (see: still surfing), I am in fact an adult woman and no longer a girl. And maybe, most of all, when I say I long for those Roxy board shorts from long ago, what I really mean is that I’m nostalgic for a younger version of myself: a surfer girl who was just discovering clothes that made her feel more like herself, with all the evolutions of that person still ahead of her.

Didn’t hit. Didn’t pitch.

But that didn’t make Shohei Ohtani not the story.

On the contrary. Seeing him chillin’ in a Dodger-blue hoodie — and not dressed for success in his white home uniform top — was the most striking part of the Dodgers’ 5-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Thursday at Dodger Stadium.

Back on Tuesday, before the Dodgers’ fourth consecutive loss, with Ohtani having recorded just four hits in 36 at-bats, manager Dave Roberts announced plans to bench baseball’s best player.

To get him some R&R — rest and reset. “A good spa day,” Roberts would joke Thursday.

Of course, it’s Ohtani, so much is being made of the much-needed breather.

Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.

(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

Maybe you hate it. Maybe you hate it for him. Maybe you think a $700 million contract doesn’t account for days off. Maybe you were among the unfortunate 51,048 paying customers who came to watch the Dodgers even their series with the Giants without Ohtani’s help, and you’re sad about it.

Maybe, though, you should give Roberts the benefit of the doubt. Maybe you should remind yourself Ohtani isn’t actually a unicorn. Not a myth, but a man.

“Mentally, the days that he does pitch, it’s tougher on him [to also hit],” Roberts said Thursday. “Physically, it’s the day after.”

And so the manager wasn’t joking; he wasn’t juking. Even after Ohtani homered for the first time in 53 plate appearances in Tuesday’s 6-2 loss, Roberts stuck with the plan and gave his superstar a whole day off Thursday after having him only pitch the night before.

Only. As in that he only pitched seven scoreless innings, only struck out eight and only lowered his ERA to a major-league leading 0.82. Yes, he only teed up the Dodgers for a 4-0 victory. An honestly exceptional day’s work for anyone else.

Then on Thursday, Ohtani contributed only vibes.

Which was weird. Which was good.

Instead of swinging a bat, Ohtani served as the welcoming committee after Will Smith led off the game with a home run. Ohtani was later an accessory to Smith’s prank filling Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s hood with wrapped pieces of bubble gum. And still, for the second consecutive game without him in the lineup, the Dodgers (26-18) finished the job.

For all of their recent scuffing and shuffling, these loaded, baseball-ruining Dodgers should be able to survive an Ohtani skip day every so often.

Even without Ohtani or Mookie Betts, a lineup with Smith, Freddie Freeman, Kyle Tucker, Andy Pages, Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández should be able to overpower the lowly Giants, who have been outscored by 45 runs and now are 18-26.

Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani laughs with teammates while sitting in the dugout before a game against the Giants Thursday.

(Ryan Sun / Associated Press)

But maybe you think: Here the Dodgers go again, making it too complicated, being too cute. They’re back to being too cautious, too careful.

But don’t think of it as load management. Consider it asset management.

The Dodgers are going to protect their personnel from as much wear and tear as possible — and from themselves.

Obviously, Ohtani — who came into the season appearing to really covet the Cy Young award — is capable of multidimensional greatness. He’s the Him who closed out the National League Championship Series with a wildest-dream-exceeding, 10-strikeout, three-home run game.

But it’s important that the Dodgers don’t let the 31-year-old burn himself out.

“The thing is with all players, once you get to a point where you’re exhausted and tired and that’s in the middle of the summer, it’s tough to recoup,” Roberts said. “So you kind of have to know how to push them but not get to the red line point. If we can kind of hold and get a good rhythm, which I think we’re getting a good grasp on now, then we’ll have more of a base, a foundation to push him when the time is right. It’s certainly not right now.”

Roberts said Ohtani is sharing in these decisions. If there are days that Roberts feels like Ohtani would benefit from a day off, he’s given the manager his blessing.

Sometimes less is more, even for the guy who can do it all.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell and I’m back. The wedding was beautiful. Thanks to all of you who wrote in with well wishes.

The big news is that the Dodgers have continued to slump. Since starting the season 15-4, they have gone 11-14, including two four-game losing streaks. Why is this happening? Well, there’s usually not one thing that causes team slumps. It’s easy to blame Shohei Ohtani, since he isn’t hitting at his normal spectacular level, but you can say that about other players too.

Let’s look at some numbers. Let’s see where the Dodgers rank among the 30 MLB teams in some categories. These numbers are through Wednesday:

Runs per game
4.93 (seventh in MLB)

Batting average
.263 (second)

OB%
.342 (first)

Slugging%
.433 (second)

Grounded into double play
37 (tied for third)

Grounded into double play %
10.6% (eighth)

Batting average with runners in scoring position
.266 (ninth)

Batting average with two out and RISP
.241 (11th)

ERA
3.40 (third)

Rotation ERA
3.28 (fourth)

Bullpen ERA
3.60 (10th)

Nothing really stands out there. They are in the top 10 in almost every category. If you had to point at a troubling spot, it’s double plays. They hit a lot of hard grounders right at fielders with runners on base. Is that just bad luck? Better scouting by opponents? Too soon to tell.

The team slump really began on April 28. They were 20-9 going into that game, 6-9 since then. Let’s look at some individual numbers (through Wednesday) during that bad streak:

Kyle Tucker: .318/.446/.545, 7 doubles, 1 homer, 5 RBIs
Freddie Freeman: .288/.362/.423, 4 doubles, 1 homer, 5 RBIs
Andy Pages: .283/.333/.528, 1 double, 4 homers, 10 RBIs
Will Smith: .270/.333/.324, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs
Alex Call, .267/.368/.400 (4 for 15)
Teoscar Hernández: .256/.347/.279, 1 double, 1 RBI
Alex Freeland: .250/.344/.357, 1 homer, 2 RBIs
Max Muncy: .214/.313/.405, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 6 RBIs
Hyeseong Kim: .200/.243/.286, 1 double, 1 triple, 1 RBI
Dalton Rushing, .167/.200/.167, 1 RBI
Santiago Espinal, .167/.167/.417 (2 for 12)
Mookie Betts, .154/.154/.385 (2 for 13)
Shohei Ohtani, .143/.294/.238, 1 double, 1 homer, 4 RBIs
Miguel Rojas, .095/.136/.095 (2 for 21)

Almost every player is hitting below their career averages in almost every category. It’s a teamwide slump that has lasted two weeks. It’s dragging the team numbers down, because remember above when I said they are in the top 10 in every category? Well, before the slump they were in the top five. If this continues, they will keep sliding down the rankings.

And while it’s certainly not all Ohtani’s fault, he is mired in a deep slump. The Dodgers gave him two days off from hitting Wednesday and Thursday (he pitched Wednesday).

“For me, with any hitter, when the quality of at-bat starts to go down consistently, I think that’s a telling sign there needs to be a break,” Dave Roberts told reporters. “Because you’re just not able to — whether it’s the mechanics, the mind — stay within your game plan, and then the chase starts to spike.”

Dalton Rushing has crashed back to earth. Teoscar Hernández has lost all his power. The whole team, except for Andy Pages and Kyle Tucker, has lost power. Maybe they forgot to pay their Edison bill. They are on pace to hit 214 homers this season. Last season, they hit 244. The last time they hit fewer homers in a season was 2012, when they hit 121. And won 111 games.

Should we be worried about the Dodgers? Well, they’ve gone through teamwide slumps in the past. If they are still hitting poorly when June begins, then be worried. And keep in mind, they are 26-18 and on pace to win 96 games this season. Last season they won 93 and were 29-15 after 44 games. In 2024, they won 98 games and were 29-15 after 44 games. And those seasons ended pretty well. The Dodgers are just getting their teamwide slump out of the way early this season.

Of course, I was tracking the team while gearing up for the wedding, and once I came back they have now won two in a row. Perhaps the slump is already over.

Unfortunately, the team the Dodgers seem to have the most trouble with, the lowly Angels, are up next on the schedule. Last season, the Dodgers lost all six games against the Angels. If the Angels sweep them this weekend, maybe I’ll start writing an Angels newsletter.

René Cárdenas dies

When I was a kid, the Dodgers’ Spanish broadcast crew was always Jaime Jarrín and René Cárdenas. Unfortunately, one half of that duo, Cárdenas, is no longer with us as he died Sunday. He was 96.

Cárdenas started with the Dodgers in 1958 and was the No. 1 broadcast, with Jarrín the No. 2 man. Cárdenas left the team to broadcast elsewhere, then returned to the Dodgers for the 1982 season.

As colleague Ed Guzman writes in the Cárdenas obit: By this point, Jarrín was firmly in place as the team’s lead Spanish-language play-by-play announcer — particularly in the wake of Fernandomania the season before, when Jarrín’s profile was raised as Fernando Valenzuela’s interpreter during his media interviews.

“It was explained to him by our producer, ‘You can’t come back as the No. 1 announcer because Jaime is established, he has many years as the lead announcer and he is beloved by the community,’” Jarrín said Monday. “René said, ‘I don’t care, I’ll come back as the No. 2 with Jaime. I just want to come back to the game of baseball.’ He was determined to return to the Dodgers.

“It was during that time that we established a close-knit friendship and we were well-received by the community as a broadcast duo.”

Cárdenas worked with the Dodgers through the 1998 season and moved back to Houston.

Our condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.

Jason Heyward is back

But not as a player. He has rejoined the team in the front office as a special assistant to the general manager. “I asked for an opportunity,” Heyward said. “I asked for an opportunity to learn. I have a goal of potentially one day being in the front office. But I understand there’s a lot I have to learn on this side of things. It’s great to be a player, it’s great to have that experience. I think that will help me along the way. But at the same time, I knew it was important to learn to scout, how to evaluate players, learn the R&D, analytics, terminologies and things like that.”

Heyward played for the Dodgers from 2023-24.

Up next

Friday: Dodgers (*Justin Wrobleski, 5-1, 2.42 ERA) at Angels (Jack Kochanowicz, 2-2, 3.97 ERA), 6:38 p.m., Sportsnet LA, KTTV, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, KLAA 830

Saturday: Dodgers (*Blake Snell, 0-1, 12.00 ERA) at Angels (Jose Soriano, 6-2, 1.66 ERA), 6:38 p.m., Sportsnet LA, KCOP 13, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, KLAA 830

Sunday: Dodgers (Roki Sasaki, 1-3, 5.88 ERA) at Angels (TBA), 1:07 p.m., Sportsnet LA, KCOP 13, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, KLAA 830

All times Pacific

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Kiké Hernández ‘little bit shocked’ by reception in Albuquerque while on rehab assignment

Shohei Ohtani holds Giants scoreless, Dodgers’ bats heat up to snap losing streak

Fan favorite Jason Heyward joins Dodgers as a special assistant with an eye on more

Shaikin: Mark Walter says the Dodgers can’t win all the time. Even Magic Johnson agrees

Dodgers tout outfielder Alek Thomas’ upside after acquiring him from the Diamondbacks

René Cárdenas, broadcasting pioneer who was Dodgers’ first Spanish-language announcer, dies

And finally

One hour of Vin Scully telling stories. Watch and listen here.

Until next time…

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.