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Ally Sentnor, Ary Borges and Taylor Suarez scored in Angel City’s 3-1 victory over the Seattle Reign on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium.

In the 18th minute, Angel City midfielder Maiara Niehue’s volley attempt drew a handball on Seattle Reign midfielder Angharad James-Turner. Sentnor converted her second penalty kick in consecutive weeks to open the scoring.

Off a corner kick from defender Evelyn Shores in the 40th minute, an unmarked Borges headed it home to double the lead. Within 30 seconds of subbing on, Suarez raced past multiple defenders and placed it in the side-netting for the 3-0 lead in the 81st minute.

Defender Sofia Huerta’s long-range blast in stoppage time provided the Reign with their lone goal of the game.

Angel City (10-8-6) is unbeaten four matches unbeaten and now only trails the Reign by a point for the last spot in the playoffs. The loss ended a three-game winning streak for Seattle (11-9-4).

Cal Raleigh had two hits and three RBIs, Josh Naylor had two hits and two RBIs and the Seattle Mariners kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 7-2 victory over the Angels on Wednesday night.

Randy Arozarena also walked, singled and scored three runs for Seattle, which is 5 1/2 games behind Texas and Houston in the American League West and 6 1/2 games behind the Chicago White Sox for the third AL wild-card spot with nine games left.

It was 2-2 when Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi (1-6) walked Arozarena and Dominic Canzone with one out in the fifth. Raleigh roped an RBI double to left for a 3-2 lead, and Julio Rodriguez was walked intentionally to load the bases.

Angels first baseman Vaughn Grissom made a sliding, backhand stop of Naylor’s potential double-play grounder, but his throw to second sailed into left field for an error, two runs scoring on the play for a 5-2 Seattle lead.

Mariners reliever Carlos Vargas (1-0) struck out Josh Lowe and Christian Moore — each on three pitches — with the bases loaded to end the bottom of the fifth, and Seattle pushed the lead to 7-2 on RBI singles by Canzone and Raleigh in the sixth.

Kikuchi threw 37 pitches during a two-run, three-hit first in which the Mariners scored on Raleigh’s sacrifice fly and Naylor’s RBI single.

MADRID: Carlos Espí scored in stoppage time after a nifty move by Jude Bellingham and an assist by Kylian Mbappé to help Real Madrid salvage a 3-2 win at Elche in the Spanish league after it relinquished a two-goal lead on Tuesday.

Bellingham used a neat long touch to get past an opponent near midfield and fed Mbappé in a breakaway into the area, and the France star quickly set up Espí’s close-range score to give Madrid the victory and move the Spanish powerhouse even on points with Barcelona. The defending champion can regain the lead when it hosts promoted Racing Santander on Wednesday.

“We went from having it easy to losing control,” Real Madrid coach José Mourinho said. “But in the difficulty of the moment, facing the pressure of losing points, the team reacted and won the match, which in the end is the most important thing. The good thing is that nobody gets bored when Real Madrid plays. The games are always fun.”

Madrid had taken the lead against Elche with an own-goal by goalkeeper Matías Dituro in the 25th after the ball ricocheted off him following a well-struck free kick taken by Arda Guler. Mbappé added to the lead by scoring from close range after an assist by Yan Diomande in the 33rd.

Abiel Osorio pulled the hosts closer with a header in the 71st and Fer Niño netted the equalizer in the 83rd.

There was a bit of a scare immediately after Mbappé scored as he stayed on the ground in visible pain, but he eventually returned to the field after being attended by Madrid doctors.

The goal moved him to seven goals in six league matches, one goal more than Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Sergio Camello and Roberto Fernández.

Mbappé had scored a brace in Madrid’s 4-1 win against Rayo Vallecano in the previous round.

He had a goal disallowed for offside just before halftime on Tuesday.

Bellingham came into the match by replacing Guler in the 68th.

Madrid’s only league setback this season was at Real Betis two rounds ago.

Mbappé and Vinícius avoid T-shirt

Players from both clubs wore t-shirts showing words of support for Ceuta as they came onto the field before the match. But Madrid players Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Ibrahima Konaté wore the shirt only halfway down their chest, without pulling them down, and obscuring some of the words on it. Mbappé and Vinícius removed their shirts before they saluted the other players and the referees.

They had not immediately explained why they did that.

In July, tens of thousands of migrants breached the frontier between Spain’s North African territory of Ceuta and neighboring Morocco.

Valencia wins after shake-up

Valencia won 1-0 at Alaves to end a four-game losing streak and a winless start to the season.

The string of poor results had led to the firing of coach Carlos Corberán and soccer CEO Ron Gourlay this weekend. It then appointed Braulio Vázquez as its new sporting director and named B-team coach Óscar Sánchez as an interim manager.

Luis Rioja scored a 78th-minute winner for Valencia, which had been outscored 10-1 so far.

Valencia fans had been protesting and called players “mercenaries” after the 5-0 home loss to Barcelona. They have long called for the exit of owner Peter Lim.

Rayo Vallecano triumphs in Butarque again

Rayo Vallecano beat Espanyol 2-1 with first-half goals by Álvaro García and Adria Pedrosa in what may have been its last match before returning home to Vallecas Stadium.

It was Rayo’s third home game played at Butarque Stadium — which belongs to second-tier club Leganes — because of unsafe conditions at Vallecas. It also beat Racing Santander 3-2 and drew Alaves 1-1 at Butarque.

Roberto Fernández scored for Espanyol in the second half for his sixth goal in six matches.

Thousands of Los Angeles homeowners faced a persistent problem long after the devastating wildfires in January 2025: While their homes were left standing, they had been infiltrated by heavy, toxic smoke and ash, and remained unsafe.

Residents were forced into lengthy battles with their insurance companies to prove contamination and get help paying for the cleanup and additional living expenses.

Backed by wildfire survivors and advocates in Altadena, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced he had signed legislation to create new, first-in-the-nation standards to test and remediate homes damaged by wildfire smoke, and to require insurance companies to pay for the associated costs.

“California will not leave survivors to navigate recovery alone,” Newsom said. “These new protections will make insurer obligations clearer and give homeowners more financial flexibility when they need it most. As fire seasons across the West become a year-round reality, California’s commitment to recovery must be just as enduring.”

The January 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires were two of the deadliest and most destructive in state history. Together, they burned more than 16,000 structures and killed 31 people.

Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) authored Assembly Bill 1642 after hearing repeatedly from constituents concerned that the fires had left layers of ash contaminated with asbestos, lead and toxic materials in and around their homes.

The now-signed bill directs the state to create scientific standards for what constitutes a safe home and provide guidance on how to properly remediate residences.

Twenty months after Jane Lawton Potelle sat in a friend’s garage — already suffering from a cough and chest pain as her Altadena home stood contaminated with toxic smoke — she stood alongside Newsom as he signed the bill, which was championed by her advocacy group, Eaton Fire Residents United.

“Early days, we were told we were the lucky ones,” said Potelle, who founded EFRU as her neighbors shared concerning test results on Facebook — all while government agencies and insurers offered conflicting guidance and little support.

“To have this bill signed is acknowledgment that just because your home is left standing and looks fine, doesn’t mean that it’s actually safe to return,” she said.

The data EFRU collected in the months after the fire showed the vast majority of homes tested had lead levels beyond what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers acceptable. With no clear guidance, haphazard and improvised efforts by companies to clean these homes left 6 in 10 residences still unsafe.

A companion bill signed by the governor, AB 1795, was born out of a Department of Insurance task force and requires insurers to abide by the AB 1642 standards in the insurance claims process and to do so in a timely manner.

If these laws had been in place when the Eaton fire broke out, “we’d all be home by now,” Potelle said.

Potelle’s home — like many others’ — remains contaminated as disputes with her insurance company drag on. Her Christmas tree, from 2024, is still up.

“Going forward, the question of whether a family can safely return home should be answered by science, not by an insurance company’s guesswork,” Harabedian said in a statement. “Families should not have to fight for the testing they need or be left trying to figure out on their own whether their homes are safe.”

More than 13,000 insurance claims filed after the fires involved homes that were damaged by smoke, not flames, according to an estimate from the Department of Insurance.

Newsom also signed legislation from Harabedian that will allow homeowners in the future to seek up to one year of mortgage forbearance if their home becomes uninhabitable due to the effects of a wildfire or other disaster. Another bill signed into law extends existing mortgage relief for those affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires for another year.

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli won the Spanish Grand Prix after McLaren’s Lando Norris lost out because of the bad timing of a virtual safety car.

Norris was leading comfortably from pole position when the VSC was called on lap 15. The timing was terrible for the world champion – he had already passed the pit exit when the VSC was called.

That meant Antonelli and Verstappen were able to pit under the VSC, saving time, while the caution period ended before Norris could make it around to the pits again.

He did then come in but, to make matters worse, the stop was slow and he rejoined in fifth place.

Norris was able to recover only to third around this track where overtaking is next to impossible.

Antonelli’s eighth win in 14 races this year puts an even tighter stranglehold on the championship for the Italian.

He is now 81 points ahead of team-mate George Russell, who finished fifth after a difficult race on a confusing strategy, and 101 clear of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who retired early on with brake failure.

The key stories of the maiden race on the new Madring were:

Norris knew that holding on to the lead would be tough from pole but he robustly defended from Antonelli into the first corner.

The Mercedes driver cut the chicanes at Turns One and Two, and again at Turns Five and Six, each time getting into the lead, each time having to give it back.

After that, Norris set about building a lead and looked to be in control of the race as he extended his lead progressively, moving 5.6 seconds clear 10 laps in, and 6.2 when Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin stopped at Turn 20 with brake failure.

The VSC was called, but Norris had already reached the pit straight, while Antonelli and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen had not and could come in.

Norris came in the next time around, but the VSC ended a couple of corners before he reached the entry to the pits, allowing the cars still on track to get back up to racing speed – a stop under a safety car saves a driver about 10 seconds over one under green-flag conditions.

To make matters worse, McLaren’s mechanics had trouble with both the right-hand side wheels, and the stop took seven seconds rather than the usual two.

Norris came out in fifth place, 6.3secs behind Russell, and his hopes of winning were gone.

More to follow

WASHINGTON — Andrew Alvarez pitched seven innings of one-hit ball, and the Washington Nationals earned a 6-5, 10-inning victory over the Angels on Saturday when CJ Abrams scored on an error despite another bullpen collapse.

Andrés Chaparro’s single off Angels closer Ben Joyce tied it in the bottom of the ninth. Abrams scored an inning later against José Fermín (4-3) when shortstop Zach Neto could not handle Harry Ford’s grounder with the infield in. The Angels fell to 4-14 in extra innings.

Before that, the Angels rallied to a 5-4 lead while handing Washington’s bullpen a record-extending 39th blown save. Vaughn Grissom connected for a two-run homer in a three-run eighth against Brad Lord, and Wade Meckler, Denzer Guzman and Moisés Ballesteros also had RBIs.

Washington’s Abimelec Ortiz hit a two-run single during a three-run second. Jacob Young and Keibert Ruiz also drove in runs to help Washington to a 4-0 lead against Angels ace Walbert Ureña, who gave up four runs and a season-high nine hits in six innings.

Alvarez struck out a career-best eight — including three-time MVP Mike Trout twice — while working around four walks and Jose Siri’s sixth-inning double inside the left-field line.

The 27-year-old Alvarez threw 61 of 97 pitches for strikes in his 20th and longest career start, retiring 13 of the last 14 batters he faced.

Jack Sinclair (1-0) retired four batters for his first career win.

Up next: Angels right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (4-7, 6.28 ERA) faces Nationals righty Jake Irvin (2-9, 5.52).

MELBOURNE — The Rams arrived here as the star-studded favorite to win Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium.

They left star-crossed, stunned and searching for answers on their long flight back to Los Angeles.

The Rams sleep-walked through much of the season opener against the rival San Francisco 49ers, who sent them to a 27-7 defeat before a sold-out crowd of 100,021 on Friday at Melbourne Cricket Ground, in the first NFL game in Australia.

Coach Sean McVay’s strategy of arriving the day before the game backfired and resulted in a dull performance by a team that features some of the biggest stars in the NFL.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford, the reigning NFL most valuable player, completed only 15 of 25 passes for 155 yards with an interception. With the game out of reach, McVay pulled Stafford late in the fourth quarter and had backup Stetson Bennett lead the Rams’ final possession.

All-Pro receiver Puka Nacua, the NFL leader in catches last season, caught five passes for 74 yards and never broke loose. Davante Adams, who led the NFL in touchdown catches last season, caught only three passes as Raheem Morris, the Rams’ former defensive coordinator, outschemed McVay and his staff.

The additions of All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, record-setting edge rusher Myles Garrett and cornerback Jaylen Watson were supposed to supercharge the Rams’ defense.

Rams defensive end Myles Garrett sits on the bench late in the fourth quarter during a 27-7 loss to the 49ers on Friday.

(Doug Benc / Associated Press)

But 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy passed for three touchdowns, and the Rams recorded no sacks.

It made the decision by 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan to have his team spend a week in Melbourne to acclimate the correct one.

Shanahan, McVay’s friend/mentor/nemesis, had bristled at the fact that the 49ers were chosen as the Rams’ opponent because it took away the ability of 49ers fans to descend onto SoFi Stadium.

Shanahan also wasn’t happy that the Rams’ next game is Sept. 21 on “Monday Night Football,” while the 49ers are playing on Sept. 20. Add in the fact that the 49ers also must play in Mexico in November, and there was plenty of motivation beyond the game itself.

The Rams trailed, 10-7, at halftime after managing a five-yard touchdown run by Kyren Williams and not much else.

Rams wide receiver Davante Adams attempts to catch a pass in the fourth quarter against the 49ers.

(Robert Cianflone / Getty Images)

The 49ers wasted no time extending their advantage, taking the opening possession of the second half and moving down the field on Christian McCaffrey runs and a Purdy pass to Demarcus Robinson, whose 39-yard touchdown in the second quarter had given them the lead. Purdy capped the drive by lofting a two-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans for a 17-7 edge.

And the Rams’ offense finally woke up.

Stafford connected with tight end Davis Allen, Nacua and Adams and tight end Colby Parkinson as the Rams moved to the 49ers’ two-yard line. However, after a one-yard catch by Nacua, the 49ers stuffed Stafford’s sneak attempt.

The 49ers capitalized, marching 99 yards in 11 plays, with Purdy capping the drive on a 15-yard touchdown pass to Deebo Samuel for a 24-7 lead.

The Rams could not mount a comeback.

Tight end Tyler Higbee fumbled after catching a pass with 11:08 left, and the 49ers added a field goal to extend the lead to 20 points.

Los Angeles County launched a probe into Farmers Insurance Company’s handling of claims by policyholders impacted by last year’s devastating Eaton and Palisades wildfires, after a growing number of residents complained of delays, denials and underpayments.

In a letter sent to Farmers on Wednesday, the county’s lawyers said if the company is engaging in any unlawful or unfair business practices, it must immediately stop.

“Eaton Fire survivors did everything right—responsibly paying their premiums year after year—but when disaster hit, Farmers left them with a contaminated home and refused to pay for testing and cleanup,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena, in a statement.

“My constituents shouldn’t have to walk back into homes with lead and asbestos because an insurance company won’t pay for the test that would prove it’s there,” she added.

Farmers disputed the county’s claims.

“As always, we operate in accordance with applicable laws and regulations,” the insurer said in a Thursday statement. “We do not believe the inquiry accurately characterizes our actions or practices and will cooperate through the appropriate process.”

“Serving our customers during difficult times is at the heart of what we do, which is why each claim is reviewed individually, taking into account the specific circumstances of the loss and the coverage provided under the policy,” the company said. “We remain focused on handling claims with care, consistency and attention to each customer’s unique situation.”

County officials said that at a recent meeting with Eaton fire survivors, those with Farmers policies said the insurer had been slow or resistant to pay for toxin testing by qualified industrial hygienists, forcing residents to pay for it themselves.

The testing revealed that many homes were contaminated with unsafe levels of lead, asbestos, chromium, and other toxic substances, the county said.

The residents also told the county that Farmers has refused to pay for adequate remediation of the contaminants and declined to cover ongoing living expenses.

“After paying millions of dollars in premiums, policyholders deserve the benefits and support they paid for,” said Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, whose district includes Pacific Palisades. “Families whose homes survived the Palisades and Eaton Fires but remain damaged or contaminated should not be forced to choose between returning to an unsafe home and financial devastation.”

The new investigation comes after the county filed a lawsuit against State Farm on Aug. 31 for its handling of Eaton and Palisades fire claims. The county claims State Farm engaged in illegal and deceptive business practices that kept victims from receiving what they were entitled to under their policies. State Farm denied the county’s claims.

Spain’s Enric Mas extended his overall lead in the Vuelta a Espana with a late attack as Slovenia’s Jakob Omrzel won stage 12 to Calar Alto.

Omrzel, 20, secured his first Grand Tour stage victory in imperious fashion, riding clear of his remaining breakaway companions on the 17km final climb to finish nearly two minutes clear of Urko Berrade, with Colombia’s Santiago Buitrago in third.

In the process Omrzel moved within 30 seconds of Oscar Onley in the best young rider’s classification after a difficult day for the Briton.

The Netcompany Ineos rider suffered an early crash and was then dropped by his main rivals early on the final climb, eventually finishing over two minutes behind Mas and slipping a place to fifth in the GC.

Movistar rider Mas broke from a small pack including four-time champion Primoz Roglic and Felix Gall with about 13km of the mountainous 166.6km course left.

Slovenian Roglic and Austrian Gall, who sit second and third in the general classification, could not respond as Mas increased his advantage by a further 27 seconds on a day of searing heat on a mountainous course that featured five categorised climbs.

Mas finished sixth, just under three minutes adrift of Ormzel, but extended his overall lead to one minute 56 seconds.

Tadej Pogacar had been leading the Vuelta by almost four minutes but crashed out on stage eight, breaking his collarbone in what may be a season-ending injury.

The race ends in Andalusia on Sunday, 13 September with stages to come in the mountains and hills around Malaga and Granada’s Sierra Nevada.

Carlos Queiroz quit the job after leading Ghana to the World Cup Round of 32 but has returned for an interim period.

Carlos Queiroz has been reappointed Ghana coach for an indeterminate period, two months after stepping down in the wake of the country’s FIFA World Cup campaign.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) said on Wednesday the 73-year-old Portuguese coach would “embark on a new coaching mandate, commencing with the upcoming international window”.

“The GFA believes Queiroz’s extensive international experience, technical expertise, and knowledge of the Black Stars position him strongly to lead the team into this next chapter,” the association said in a statement.

The experienced former Iran, Portugal, Colombia and Egypt coach guided the Black Stars to the round of 32 at the World Cup despite having only a couple of months to prepare them for the tournament.

Ghana were left without a coach 72 days before the World Cup kickoff ‌‌after parting company with Otto Addo following friendly defeats by Austria and Germany in March.

Ghana are scheduled to play home and away group matches against Ivory Coast in qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations during the next international window, which runs from September 21 to October 6.

Queiroz led Portugal to the round of 16 at the 2010 ⁠⁠⁠⁠World Cup and later coached Iran in the last three ⁠⁠⁠⁠editions of the tournament, ⁠⁠⁠⁠recording three wins in 13 matches.

Born in Mozambique, the former goalkeeper has also held coaching positions with Egypt, Japan, ‌‌‌‌Colombia and South Africa, and previously led Portugal in the early 1990s.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto was flawless over his first five innings in the Dodgers’ 8-6 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, giving up no hits with seven strikeouts and one walk.

“It comes down to starting pitching,” Roberts said pregame, after his team gave up 13 runs in a loss Tuesday. “And obviously it’s a young, hungry team out there. Came out last night swinging the bats, so it’d be nice to put up a zero, get a lead, and go from there.”

Roberts’ wish appeared granted, as the Dodgers led 3-0 in the first after Freddie Freeman ended his career-long 47-game homer drought with a three-run blast against Cardinals lefty Brycen Mautz.

But the once-cruising ace encountered turbulence. He later gave up a pair of two-run homers, with the Cardinals’ Thomas Saggese launching the first in the sixth and Leo Bernal the second in the eighth.

The Dodgers showed fight amid chaos on Tuesday.

“[Tuesday] night I really liked the way we just kind of fought, saw some different arms, got the closer up, and things to build on,” Roberts said pregame.

On Wednesday, not even a Mookie Betts two-run homer in the seventh could lift the Dodgers (82-57) to a win.

Yamamoto’s night was done after seven innings. He threw 93 pitches, had eight strikeouts and gave up five hits, two walks and four runs, a few mistakes away from a completely different outing.

Tanner Scott stepped in for Yamamoto in the eighth, allowing a Joshua Báez double three pitches in. And after Ivan Herrera moved Báez to third via a groundout, Alec Burleson tied the score at five with a sacrifice fly to right.

Jack Dreyer kept things stable with a clean ninth. However, in the 10th, Brock Stewart (0-2) uninspiringly gave up three runs. Orange County native Nathan Church got the Cardinals’ wheels turning iwith a single up the middle, advancing José Fermin to third. Saggese delivering the go-ahead run on an infield single. One pitch later, Báez put the game out of reach with a two-run double

The Dodgers could only get one run back in the bottom of the miserable 10th.

CT3 comes home

Chris Taylor, his wife Mary and son Theo watch a video tribute to his career before the start of Wednesday’s game.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

The Dodgers welcomed back former longtime utility player Chris Taylor to Dodger Stadium and presented him with a video tribute and his third World Series ring.

“It’s pretty much what I identify my career as — over 90% of my entire career was in Dodger Blue,” Taylor said. “This is the place I call home. Always proud to be a Dodger, and it means a lot to me that they would do this for me. So, I’m extremely humbled.”

Taylor, a 12-year veteran who retired earlier this season, said Wednesday night was the first time he was able to watch a game with his family.

Injury Updates

Shohei Ohtani reacts after striking out in 10th inning Wednesday.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

Roberts said the plan is still for Shohei Ohtani to return to pitching this season. However, there is no timetable for when he’ll throw his next bullpen session, and shutting down Ohtani as a pitcher remains a distant possibility.

“We’re not there quite yet, but it’s certainly an option,” Roberts said.

Roberts also shed light on some of the work Ohtani’s doing to get back on the mound.

“He’s doing plyos,” Roberts said. “He does that a handful of times a week. … That’s kind of where we’re at right now.”

Will Smith was given a breather after going one for five with two RBIs in his first game back from a three-month stint on the IL on Tuesday.

“It was good to see him get a knock,” Roberts said. “I thought he swung the bat pretty well. So, it’s a premeditated day off today. He’ll be back in there tomorrow, but I guess no news is good news.”

It wasn’t a full day off, as Smith pinch-hit for Hunter Feduccia in the ninth and scored the Dodgers’ run in the 10th.

Rōki Sasaki’s blister is healing as planned, and he shouldn’t miss additional time.

“I saw him yesterday at the end of the bench; it’s healing well,” Roberts said. “He’s still moving his arm, playing catch. So I think it’s going to be a shorter term getting him back.”

Roberts doesn’t yet know whether Sasaki will take a spot in the bullpen or rotation upon his return.

Gavin Stone could potentially pitch in September, according to Roberts.

“Gavin’s been good,” Roberts said. “I think right now — and again, this is not talking to the guys in the, you know, player development — but it’s more of just getting him to stay upright, stay healthy, is the win for 2026.”

Spencer Jones homered and drove in three runs, Jazz Chisholm Jr. also went deep and finished with three hits, and the New York Yankees pulled away Tuesday night for a 7-3 victory over the Angels.

Jones and Chisholm launched back-to-back homers to give Gerrit Cole a 3-0 lead before even throwing a pitch in his latest return home. New York moved four games ahead of rival Boston for the top American League wild card and remained 4 1/2 games behind first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East.

A day that began with Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, led by Rams owner Stan Kroenke, reaching an agreement to acquire a controlling interest in the Angels from owner Arte Moreno ended with the struggling Angels losing for the ninth time in 11 games.

Cole (8-7) gave up three runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings, striking out five and walking one. Brent Headrick, Paul Blackburn and John Schreiber held the Angels to one hit the rest of the way.

Angels starter Grayson Rodriguez (4-6) gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings, striking out seven and walking two.

The Angels trailed 4-1 when Wade Meckler, who had three hits, opened the sixth with a single. Moisés Ballesteros singled and Christian Moore sliced a two-run triple to right field that eluded a diving Jones and trimmed the deficit to 4-3.

Cole was pulled in favor of Headrick, who stranded Moore by striking out pinch-hitter Jose Siri and getting Oswald Peraza to fly out.

New York pushed the lead to 6-3 in the eighth when Jones walked, Chisholm singled and Trent Grisham, mired in a two-for-42 slump, fouled off two bunt attempts before hitting an RBI single. Ryan McMahon loaded the bases with a bunt single and Paul Goldschmidt hit a sacrifice fly.

Consecutive singles by Cody Bellinger, who had three of New York’s 14 hits, Luis García Jr. and Jones made it 7-3 in the ninth.

The Yankees took a 3-0 lead in the first. Bellinger singled before Jones hit a two-run homer — his second longball in two nights — and Chisholm followed with an opposite-field shot into the left-field corner.

Ben Rice singled in the third, went to third on Bellinger’s single and scored on García’s double-play grounder for a 4-0 advantage.

The Angels pulled to 4-1 in the bottom half when Zach Neto singled, stole second and scored on Meckler’s two-out single.

Up next

Yankees RHP Cam Schlittler (12-6, 2.09 ERA) faces LHP Reid Detmers (4-8, 3.54) in Wednesday night’s series finale.

DiGiovanna writes for the Associated Press.

Sept. 2 (UPI) — President Donald Trump has nominated Hung Cao to be secretary of the Navy amid an ongoing shakeup of the U.S. military.

Trump announced his nomination of Cao for a position he has held on an interim basis for months on his Truth Social media platform Tuesday, calling him “a true WARRIOR.”

“We need Patriots like Hung leading our Navy and Marine Corps, and I can think of no one better than him to make sure our Great Navy and Marine Corps remain the FIERCEST and BEST Force the World has ever seen,” the commander in chief said.

“The Senate needs to confirm this Warfighter, ASAP, so he can continue the fantastic work he has been doing over the past 4 months.”

Cao has served as acting secretary of the Navy since April when his predecessor, John Phelan, was reportedly forced to leave the position over clashes with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg and Cao.

The announcement comes as there has been a high turnover rate in U.S. military leadership during Trump’s second administration, with high-ranking officers resigning, quitting or purged. On Monday, it was reported that Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned following months of clashes with Hegseth.

Cao in a statement late Tuesday thanked Trump for the nomination, saying “it’s an honor of a lifetime to lead the great warriors of the Navy and Marine Crops team.”

“I’m grateful for your leadership and support as we continue to get after shipbuilding and ensure the defense of the homeland.”

If confirmed by the Senate, Cao, as secretary, will oversee the entire Navy from recruiting to equipping and mobilizing as well as be in charge of construction, outfitting and repairing naval ships, equipment and facilities, among other responsibilities.

“Congrats to Hung Cao on being nominated as our nation’s next @SECNAV,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said online.

“I know you will work hard to support our incredible Sailors and Marines.”

SEATTLE — Nneka Ogwumike had 23 points and 12 rebounds, Rae Burrell scored 22 points, and the visiting Sparks beat the Seattle Storm 90-74 on Sunday in their final game before the FIBA World Cup break.

The Sparks scored the first 13 points in an opening 18-2 run and Dearica Hamby’s layup with 5:45 left in the first half capped an 11-0 spurt that gave them a 39-20 lead. Seattle shot 32% (12 of 38) from the field and two of 11 (18%) from behind the arc before going into halftime trailing by 19. The Storm were just as bad from three-point range in the second half, finishing four of 22.

Cameron Brink had 11 points on three-of-15 shooting for the Sparks (15-25).

Flau’jae Johnson scored 11 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter and Dominique Malonga had 17 points, on eight-of-21 shooting, and 15 rebounds for the Storm (8-32). Zia Cooke made six of 17 from the field for 14 points.

Seattle is 1-18 against Western Conference teams this season, its only win coming at the Sparks, 82-64, on July 6.

The Storm’s Jordan Horston fell awkwardly midway through the third quarter, limped to the locker room and did not return.

Awa Fam and Natisha Hiedeman did not play for the Storm.

Up next for the Sparks: at Dallas on Sept. 17.

Zack Wheeler gave up one run in six strong innings, Edmundo Sosa hit a tiebreaking homer in the seventh and the visiting Philadelphia Phillies completed a three-game sweep with a 5-2 win over the Angels on Sunday.

Sosa, whose pinch-hit grand slam in the ninth gave Philadelphia a 5-3 win Friday night, led off the seventh with a solo shot off Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi (0-5) to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead.

The Phillies added two insurance runs in the eighth on Luis Arraez’s pinch-hit sacrifice fly and Brandon Marsh’s pinch-hit RBI single for a 4-1 lead. Bryce Harper added an RBI double in the ninth for a 5-1 lead.

Alex McFarlane threw a scoreless seventh and Orion Kerkering gave up a run on Mike Trout’s ninth-inning RBI double while recording the final four outs for his second save.

The Phillies won for the 13th time in 15 games. The Angels have lost seven straight, matching their longest losing streak of the season.

Wheeler (11-5) allowed four hits, struck out six and walked three to outduel Kikuchi, who gave up two runs and six hits in seven innings, striking out six and walking one.

Wheeler went 0-3 with an 8.38 ERA in his previous four games and appeared headed for another shaky start when he walked Wade Meckler, hit Trout with a pitch and gave up a single to Vaughn Grissom to load the bases with no outs in the first.

But Wheeler got Moisés Ballesteros to ground into a run-scoring double play and struck out Christian Moore on three pitches to start a 5⅓-inning stretch during which he retired 16 of 19 batters.

J.T. Realmuto hit a solo homer in the third to tie it at 1 for the Phillies.

Before the game, the Angels placed rookie right-hander George Klassen (2-2, 3.67 ERA) on the 15-day injured list because of left lower-back inflammation.

Up next: Angels: RHP Walbert Ureña (8-9, 2.94) will oppose Yankees RHP Elmer Rodriguez (0-2, 4.70) Monday night in Anaheim.

Kyle Schwarber hit a go-ahead RBI double and Trea Turner had a two-run single in the 10th inning in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 4-2 victory over the Angels on Saturday night.

Phillies closer Jhoan Duran (2-4) threw a scoreless ninth and gave up an unearned run in the 10th as Philadelphia won for the 12th time in 14 games. The Angels (52-84) have lost six straight.

The top of the 10th began with automatic runner Brandon Marsh getting thrown out at third on J.T. Realmuto’s grounder to short off Angels reliever Trevor Martin (0-1). Justin Crawford singled, advancing Realmuto to third.

Schwarber blooped an RBI single to left-center for a 2-1 lead, Crawford taking third and Schwarber second on the throw. Turner squibbed a grounder through the right side of a drawn-in infield for a two-run single and a 4-1 lead.

Angels shortstop Zach Neto capped a 12-pitch at-bat in the eighth with a solo homer off Phillies reliever Jonathan Bowlan, tying the score 1-all and snapping a string of 30 consecutive innings without an extra-base hit for the Angels.

Neto’s 23rd homer spoiled a superb start by Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez, who allowed two hits, struck out eight–bringing his season total to 202–and walked one in seven innings to lower his ERA to 2.52.

The Phillies (76-60) blew a chance to tack on to a 1-0 lead in the eighth, an inning that began with a Turner single and stolen base and a Harper walk. Turner was caught off the second-base bag and picked off.

Harper took second and third on a wild pitch, but Luis Arraez grounded to first, Harper holding. Harper was called safe on a daring steal of home off Martin, but the call was overturned by replay, ending the inning.

Angels starter Ryan Johnson managed to give up one run in five innings despite issuing four of his five walks and throwing 60 of his 88 pitches in the first two innings. The Phillies took a 1-0 lead in the second when Alex Bohm singled, Bryson Stott walked and Marsh hit an RBI single.

Up next: Phillies RHP Zack Wheeler (10-5, 3.40 ERA) was set to face Angels LHP Yusei Kikuchi (0-4, 6.25) on Sunday in the series finale.

Sophomore quarterback Jeremy Mellalieu threw for 222 yards and four touchdowns Friday to lead unbeaten Chaminade to a 35-10 victory over Valencia in a penalty-marred game at Valencia.

The 13th-ranked Eagles (3-0) opened the scoring late in the first quarter when Mellalieu found Bryan Granger-Narcisse with a short pass in the flat and Granger-Narcisse did the rest, breaking tackles and dodging defenders on a 63-yard jaunt to the end zone.

After Valencia missed a short field-goal attempt to close the first quarter, Mellalieu and Andrew Cordero connected on the first of two touchdown passes, this one covering 77 yards, to double the lead 13 seconds into the second quarter.

Valencia’s sophomore quarterback Evan McCallister, who completed 15 passes for 264 yards on the night, cut the deficit in half midway through the second quarter when Caysen Badawi turned a short pass into a 61-yard scoring play 9:32 before halftime. But that was as close as the Vikings (1-1) would get.

Kingston Williams, a senior tackle listed at 300 pounds, also had a big game for Chaminade with two key sackswhile moonlighting as a fullback on offense, scoring a second-quarter touchdown on a one-yard run and bulling his way five yards to pick up an important first down in the second half.

The game was delayed approximately 20 minutes early in the second period quarter after a Chaminade player became stricken by the hot and humid conditions. He was treated by paramedics on the sidelines before being transported by ambulance to the hospital for what a Chaminade coach said were precautionary reasons.

José Ramírez drove in five runs with three doubles, Steven Kwan had five singles and the streaking Cleveland Guardians overcame an early five-run deficit to beat the Angels 8-6 in 10 innings Tuesday night.

Kwan capped his second career five-hit game with a leadoff single in the 10th against reliever Blake Weiman (0-1), advancing automatic runner Brayan Rocchio from second base to third. Travis Bazzana popped out, but Ramírez laced a two-run double to left-center to give the Guardians an 8-6 lead.

Cleveland reliever Erik Sabrowski (5-2) struck out the side in the ninth. Cade Smith fanned Denzer Guzman and Adam Frazier with runners on second and third in the 10th for his 35th save, sealing the Guardians’ sixth straight win.

The Angels took a 6-5 lead on Vaughn Grissom’s second homer of the game, a solo shot off reliever Logan Allen leading off the fifth. The Guardians tied it 6-all in the eighth when Kwan singled and scored on Ramírez’s RBI double.

Cleveland center fielder Angel Martínez preserved the tie when he made a leaping catch at the wall to rob Mike Trout of a potential two-run homer to end the bottom of the eighth.

Angels starter Walbert Ureña gave up three runs and five hits in 3 2/3 innings, striking out three and walking five. Guardians starter Gavin Williams was rocked for five runs and six hits in 1 1/3 innings, his shortest start this season.

Grissom hit a two-run homer in the first, and the Angels pushed the lead to 5-0 in the second on Christian Moore’s solo homer, Guzman’s RBI double and Zach Neto’s RBI single.

Bazzana lined an RBI double to cut the deficit to 5-1 in the fourth, and Ramírez’s two-run double made it 5-3.

Cleveland tied it 5-all in the fifth on two-out RBI singles by Rocchio and Kwan.

Rae Burrell scored 20 points and the Sparks ended a six-game losing streak with a 77-68 win over the Connecticut Sun on Saturday night.

Nneka Ogwumike, who announced Wednesday she will retire at the end of the season, had 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Sparks (13-24), her 131st career double-double. Erica Wheeler also had 11 points and Dearica Hamby had 10.

Saniya Rivers scored 14 points off the bench to lead the Sun (9-27), who were without Brittney Griner (knee) and Aaliyah Edwards (ankle). Leila Lacan added 13 points and Kennedy Burke 10.

The Sparks, which has given up an average of 93.6 points a game, held the league’s worst offense to 11 points below its average after surrendering 124 points to Atlanta on Thursday. The Sparks did that despite giving up 30 points on 25 turnovers.

A three-pointer from Wheeler at 6:12 of the fourth quarter produced a 77-55 lead but the Sun reeled off 13 straight for a single-digit deficit with less than two minutes to go but missed their last five shots.

The Sparks led 44-36 at halftime.

Connecticut hit four of 16 shots while the Sparks rebounded to make nine of 12 shots in the third quarter to boost their lead to 66-46.

Hamby was ejected early in the fourth quarter when she flung her right hand back while boxing out Raegan Beers, smacking her in the jaw. No foul was called as Beers went down, but as she went to the locker room the play was reviewed. Beers was given a loose ball foul while Hamby received a flagrant 2 foul for unnecessary and excessive contact.

Up next for the Sparks: Game three in a four-game home stand Monday against Atlanta.

Jason Grant made a diving catch in the end zone with eight seconds left to lift Crenshaw past host Palisades 34-29 on Friday night in a battle of likely City Section Open Division playoff teams.

Danniel Flowers escaped the pocket, rolled to his right and lofted a pass to Grant, who saved the day for the Cougars after it looked like Palisades would pull off the upset against the team that lost in the section championship game last fall. Flowers ran for the two-point conversion.

“I ran an outside go route and I had to stretch out but I got my knees down,” Grant said. “We’ve been working all summer and the hard work paid off.”

Grant gave a shout-out to interim coach Terrence Whitehead, who guide the Cougars to the finals last fall in the absence of longtime coach Robert Garrett, who was put on administrative leave just before the start of the 2025 season.

“I love him,” Grant said. “He trusted me enough to put me in.”

After the kickoff, Palisades had one last chance from its own 26-yard line with two seconds left but Kyion Rattler intercepted Robert Holohan’s desperation pass at the Cougars’ 35.

Joshua Jones scores Crenshaw’s first touchdown in Friday night’s 34-29 season-opening win at Palisades.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Flowers, who was injured on a sack earlier in the fourth quarter but returned to lead his team on the game-winning drive, threw touchdown passes of 46 yards to Rattler in the second quarter and 23 yards to Jovan Clark with 6:04 left in the fourth quarter that gave Crenshaw a 29-26 lead.

Playing on campus for the first time since the 2024 playoffs, Palisades regained the lead on Holohan’s 33-yard strike to Malachi Ross with 2:48 left for the 29-26 lead. The Dolphins thought they recovered a fumble at the Crenshaw 20 on the ensuing kickoff but the officials awarded the visitors the ball and tacked on a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that allowed the Cougars to start their final drive at their own 35.

“I had to come back in,” Flowers said of his late-game heroics. “I saw the D-end coming out so I just had to wait for a teammate to get open. We knew we’d win if we played four quarters. When we got down we kept our composure.”

Joshua Jones ran for 124 yards and one touchdown in 24 carries, De’Andre Kirkpatrick ran for a one-yard touchdown and intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter to keep Crenshaw close.

“We for sure want to go back to the finals and win,” Flowers added. “Defense wins games, but our offense won this one.”

Making his first varsity start, Holohan threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as the Dolphins established themselves as early Open Division contenders. They lost to Garfield in the Open Division quarterfinals last season, playing every game on the road as a consequence of the Palisades fire.

The teams were meeting for the first time since 1984 when both played in the Crosstown League.

Aug. 20 (UPI) — President Donald Trump has nominated White House aide Dr. Heidi Overton to lead the Food and Drug Administration, drawing anger from Democrats and criticism from a key Republican senator.

Trump announced his nomination of Overton to be the next FDA commissioner on his Truth Social platform Wednesday, calling the deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council “a ROCKSTAR in my administration.”

“She is known to take on the HARDEST issues, and bring me solutions that work best for the Country,” Trump said. “We need her leadership at the FDA now to ensure that the U.S. remains the WORLD LEADER for Scientific Discovery and CURES.”

If confirmed by the Senate, Overton will be tasked with overseeing agency policy concerning drugs, vaccines, tobacco products and much of the food supply, among other responsibilities. Kyle Diamantas, a friend of Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. has been serving as acting FDA commissioner since Marty Makary resigned as head of the agency in May following reported clashes with the Trump administration over its decision to authorize fruit-flavored electronic cigarettes.

“Heidi brings exceptional judgment, professionalism, discipline and an unwavering commitment to the American people,” Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement supporting her nomination to lead the FDA under him.

“I have seen her challenge assumptions, demand excellence and turn bold ideas into meaningful results.”

She has had an increasingly visible presence near the president in recent months and most recently appeared with him earlier this month when he signed an executive order to reduce the number of vaccines recommended for children, which has sparked widespread concern among the medical community.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called Overton “a woman of deep faith, an accomplished physician and a champion of the America First agenda” as he congratulated her on the nomination.

“I have seen firsthand her ability to navigate complex policy challenges with conviction and clarity,” he said in a social media statement.

“She will serve our country well.”

While Republicans praised Trump’ pick, Sen. Bill Cassidy, a doctor, broke ranks, saying that while he respected her experience as a physician, “I have strong concerns about her nomination,” citing her lack of managerial experience of a large organization, such as the FDA, which is dealing with staffing and morale issues.

“Additionally, Dr. Overton’s active role in last week’s nonsensical vaccine executive order calls into question her commitment to standing up for sound science and protecting children’s health,” he said online.

“That alone is almost disqualifying.”

Cassidy, who represents Louisiana, will play a key roe in her confirmation as chairman of the Senate Health, Education Labor and Pensions Committee a key vote in whether she is confirmed. Republicans can afford to lose only three votes on the Senate floor, as they only hold a 53-seat majority. The two independent senators caucus with the Democrats, who are all expected to all vote against her nomination.

“Heidi Overton is a far-right, anti-abortion extremist who has no business leading the FDA,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said in a statement.

“The American people deserve someone who will put science and facts FIRST, not another Trump sycophant who will make it their mission to attack medication abortion.

“I will vote NO.”

Reproductive health organizations also criticized Trump’s pick, pointing to Overton’s celebration of the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, returning oversight of abortion to the states, as a “huge victory” and to her advocacy for what they described as the politicization of government agencies when she worked at the far-right America First Policy Institute think tank.

“Donald Trump is trying to put an anti-abortion extremist in charge of any agency that could seriously undermine reproductive healthcare — including the agency that could roll back access to mifepristone nationwide,” Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju said in a statement, referring to a prescription oral medication used to terminate an early pregnancy.

“Her nomination is another alarming step in Trump’s plan to weaponize every part of the federal government to restrict abortion nationwide.”