rout

From Jack Harris: The Dodgers might be baseball’s version of an all-powerful Death Star.

But as Friday’s raucous World Series opener in Toronto showed, they too were built with a fatally exploitable weakness.

Behind a nine-run sixth inning that left Rogers Centre rocking and the previously invincible Dodgers rattled, the Blue Jays smashed open what had been a tied score in Game 1 of the World Series and rolled to an eventual 11-4 win.

They attacked the Dodgers’ one glaring weakness in the bullpen. They executed the kind of game script to which the defending champions have long seemed susceptible. And they watched in delight as their visitors were blown to bits, suffering an implosion of galactic proportions in what was the third-highest scoring inning in Fall Classic history.

“Honestly,” Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho said, “we just showed everybody what we can do as a lineup.”

Or, more to the point in this Fall Classic matchup, how they can get to the Dodgers’ rotation-reliant pitching staff.

Continue reading here

Plaschke: After Dodgers’ disastrous World Series Game 1 loss, doubt has crept in

‘Guys kind of felt the velocity a little bit more.’ Was rust a factor in Dodgers’ loss?

Dodgers will keep Alex Vesia off World Series roster: ‘So much bigger than baseball’

Dodgers box score

WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE, RESULTS

All times Pacific

Dodgers vs. Toronto
at Toronto 11, Dodgers 4 (box score)

Saturday at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

Monday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

Tuesday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

*Wednesday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

*Friday, Oct. 31 at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

*Saturday, Nov. 1 at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

*-if necessary

LAKERS

From Broderick Turner: Luka Doncic is a savant.

He proved yet again to be distinguished in his field of expertise and the Lakers are reaping the rewards of Doncic’s brilliance.

Doncic was dynamic in scoring 49 points, coming up two assists short of a triple-double with 11 rebounds and eight assists in leading the Lakers past the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-110 Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Doncic became the first player in Lakers history to open the season with back-to-back 40-plus point games and fourth in NBA history to accomplish that feat, joining Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Anthony Davis.

Doncic has the most points in Lakers history in the first two games with 91 points, surpassing the 81 points Hall of Famer Jerry West scored in back-to-back games to open the 1969-70 season.

Doncic capped his show by drilling a three-pointer that gave the Lakers a 19-point lead, his showmanship including pursing of his lips while doing a shimmy to the adoring crowd. Then he bounced off the court when the reeling Timberwolves called a timeout with eight minutes and six seconds left in the game.

Continue reading here

‘These dudes are stupid’: Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal weigh in on NBA gambling scandal

4 wildest NBA gambling allegations: Cheating poker chip trays, card-reading glasses, X-rays and the mob

Lakers box score

NBA standings

CLIPPERS

James Harden scored 30 points, Kawhi Leonard added 27 and the Clippers routed the Phoenix Suns 129-102 Friday night in their home opener.

The Clippers bounced back after a season-opening, 21-point loss at Utah, where they trailed by 37 points.

Derrick Jones Jr. didn’t miss a shot in scoring 17 points, making five three-pointers and another field goal.

Continue reading here

Clippers box score

NBA standings

From Ben Bolch: Tim Skipper was just a redshirt freshman then, a speck of a middle linebacker at 5 feet 6.

His Fresno State Bulldogs went on the road and beat No. 18 Air Force on that October day in 1997, knocking off what had been the only 7-0 team in major college football.

“They were rolling,” Skipper, UCLA’s interim coach, said this week, “and we found a way to go get that thing done.”

It’s a memory that sticks with Skipper more than a quarter of a century later because it had been the only nationally ranked team he was part of taking down as a player or interim coach before his then-winless Bruins pulled off a stunner of far greater proportions this month when they upset then-No. 7 Penn State.

What Skipper’s team has a chance to do Saturday might relegate those wins to fine print in his memoir.

Here are five things to watch when the Bruins seek their first win over a team this highly ranked since beating No. 2 USC in 2006.

Continue reading here

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1947 — In front of a capacity crowd of 35,000 at Columbia’s Baker Field in New York, the Lions end Army’s 32-game unbeaten streak in a 21-20 upset. An interception in Army’s final drive seals the win, the first over an Army team that had not surrendered a point all season until the loss to Columbia.

1964 — Cotton Davidson of the Oakland Raiders passes for 427 yards and five touchdowns in a 40-7 rout of the Denver Broncos.

1980 — Mike Weaver knocks out Gerrie Coetzee in the 13th round to retain the WBA heavyweight title in Sun City, Bophuthatswana.

1990 — Evander Holyfield knocks out Buster Douglas in Las Vegas to become the undisputed heavyweight champion.

1998 — Jerry Rice sets an NFL record for receptions in consecutive games with his 12-yard catch from Steve Young on San Francisco’s first offensive play. Rice has caught passes in 184 straight games, breaking the mark set by Art Monk from 1980-95.

1998 — Denver’s Jason Elam kicks a 63-yard field goal, tying Tom Dempsey’s 28-year-old NFL record. Elam’s kick, which came at the end of the first half, matches the record Dempsey set for the New Orleans Saints against Detroit on Nov. 8, 1970.

2003 — Trainer Richard Mandella wins a record four races at the Breeders’ Cup, capping perhaps the greatest day in racing history when Pleasantly Perfect wins the $4 million Classic at Santa Anita. Mandella wins the $1 million Juvenile Fillies with Halfbridled, the $1.5 million Juvenile with long-shot Action This Day and the $2 million Turf with Johar, who dead-heats with High Chaparral.

2006 — Joe Sakic becomes the 11th player in NHL history to reach 1,500 career points with an assist during the first period of Colorado’s 5-3 loss to Washington.

2008 — Navy doesn’t attempt a pass in a 34-7 victory over Southern Methodist in a game played in a driving rain.

2008 — Raven’s Pass wins the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic in an upset, stunning defending champion Curlin on the new synthetic surface at Santa Anita. Raven’s Pass, ridden by Frankie Dettori and sent off at 13-1 odds, posts a 1 3/4-length victory in his first race on such a surface.

2014 — Trevone Boykin throws a school-record seven touchdown passes and No. 10 TCU scored the most points in its history in an 82-27 rout of Texas Tech.

2015 — Kirk Cousins throws three second-half touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score with 24 seconds left, to lead the Washington Redskins to the largest comeback in franchise history, a 31-30 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tampa Bay was up 24-0 in the second quarter, before Cousins runs for an 8-yard TD to get Washington on the board.

Compiled by the Associated Press

THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

2003 — Florida’s Josh Beckett throws a shutout to lead the Marlins to a 2-0 victory over the New York Yankees to win the World Series. Pitching on three days rest, Beckett allows five hits in Game 6 and captures MVP honors.

2017 — Houston’s George Springer hits a two-run drive in the 11th inning and the Astros win a thrilling home run derby at Dodger Stadium, beating Los Angeles 7-6 to tie the World Series at one game apiece. The teams combined for a Series record eight homers.

2024 — Dodgers slugger Freddie Freeman hits 1st ‘walk-off’ grand slam in World Series history in 6-3 win over New York Yankees in 10 innings at Dodger Stadium.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

From Sam Farmer: The offense topped 30 points for the first time all season.

The defense went from rattled to relentless.

And the special teams? The Chargers kicked three field goals in their 37-10 rout of Minnesota on Thursday night, but it’s what they didn’t do that was most resounding.

For the first time in four years, the Chargers didn’t punt.

What a turnaround for a team that was embarrassed on its home field four days earlier.

“They just set their minds to it that they weren’t going to be denied,” said Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, whose team pulled out of a tailspin in dramatic fashion after losing three of their previous four games.

The wire-to-wire win was sweet redemption for a Chargers defense that faltered in a big way Sunday in a 38-24 loss to Indianapolis.

Continue reading here

Chargers summary

NFL standings

DODGERS

From Jack Harris: The Dodgers announced Thursday that reliever Alex Vesia is away from the team as he and his wife “navigate a deeply personal family matter,” and manager Dave Roberts said his availability for the World Series is uncertain.

Vesia, who has been the Dodgers’ top left-handed pitcher in the bullpen this season, was not present at the team’s World Series media session on Thursday, and was not seen at the club’s open workout at Dodger Stadium on Monday.

Roberts said that the club was reviewing its options within MLB’s postseason roster rules, but that for now Vesia’s status was considered day-to-day.

Continue reading here

‘It’s just in our DNA’: Why Dodgers treat title pressure as routine while chasing dynasty

Hernández: Yamamoto’s interpreter almost quit after 2 days. Now he’s hoping his underwear can help in World Series

Shaikin: What might have been if the Angels had signed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a decade ago

WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE, RESULTS

All times Pacific

Dodgers vs. Toronto
Friday at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

Saturday at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

Monday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

Tuesday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

*Wednesday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

*Friday, Oct. 31 at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

*Saturday, Nov. 1 at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

*-if necessary

LAKERS

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Marcus Smart picking up four fouls in 12 first-half minutes wasn’t the plan Tuesday, but the Lakers guard still saw a purpose behind the maddening calls.

For a team that signed the 31-year-old guard in large part for his tenacity, having Smart set the standard of physicality was the right way to start a season, even if the season-opening result went the wrong way for the Lakers.

“The toughest team,” Smart said, “sets the rules.”

“I’ve been in this league for 12 years and that’s always been the motto,” the former NBA defensive player of the year continued. “You see it. The team that comes out more physical, the momentum is kind of going their way, and that’s how it is. We want to be the toughest team from start to the end.”

Continue reading here

NBA GAMBLING PROBE

From Richard Winton and Salvador Hernandez: Federal prosecutors unsealed two indictments Thursday outlining an illegal betting scheme that has rocked the NBA and named current and former players, including former Clippers player and current Portland head coach Chauncey Billups, in one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States.

Prosecutors are accusing the Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier and Damon Jones, a retired NBA player and friend of LeBron James, of using private insider NBA information, such as when players would sit out, to help others profit in leveraged bets online.

In a separate indictment from the East District of New York, Billups, who played with the Clippers for two seasons and later was a member of Clippers coach Ty Lue’s staff before earning the Trail Blazers head coaching job, is charged with rigging underground poker games that three of New York’s Mafia families backed, authorities said.

Continue reading here

KINGS

Adrian Kempe scored 37 seconds into overtime and the Kings beat Dallas 3-2 on Thursday night, handing the slumping Stars their fourth consecutive loss. It was the second game in a row in which Kempe scored the winning overtime goal.

Darcy Kuemper made 29 saves, and former Stars Corey Perry and Cody Ceci also scored as the Kings won in regulation for the first time this season.

Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson scored power-play goals for the Stars, and Johnston also had an assist. Jake Oettinger stopped 22 shots.

Continue reading here

Kings summary

NHL standings

DUCKS

Troy Terry snapped a tie in the third period, and the Ducks held off the Boston Bruins for a 7-5 victory Thursday night.

Mikael Granlund had two goals and three assists for the Ducks in their second straight win. Terry and Jacob Trouba each had a goal and an assist, and Nikita Nesterenko had four assists.

Boston dropped its sixth straight game after opening Marco Sturm’s coaching tenure with three wins in a row.

Continue reading here

Ducks summary

NHL standings

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1943 — The Green Bay Packers grab nine interceptions, seven off Frank Sinkwich, in a 27-6 victory over the Detroit Lions.

1948 — Chicago’s Bill Blackburn returns two interceptions for touchdowns to highlight a 35-point third quarter as the Cardinals beat the Boston Yanks 49-27.

1959 — Wilt Chamberlain plays in his first NBA game with the Philadelphia Warriors. Chamberlain plays his entire career — 1,045 consecutive games — without a disqualification.

1965 — Fran Tarkenton of the Minnesota Vikings passes for 407 yards and three touchdowns in a thrilling 42-41 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

1976 — The New York Marathon is run through the streets of the five boroughs for the first time. Bill Rodgers wins the race in 2:10:10, beating Olympic gold and silver medalist Frank Shorter. Miki Gorman wins the women’s division in 2:39:11, the 70th-fastest time over all.

1998 — Ricky Williams of Texas becomes the leading scorer in NCAA Division I history with 428 career points, scoring two touchdowns in a 30-20 victory over Baylor.

2003 — Se Ri Pak becomes the first woman to make the two-round cut in a men’s golf tournament since Babe Zaharias in 1945. Pak shoots a 2-over 74 on the Korean tour for a 2-over 146 halfway through the $250,000 SBS Super Tournament. Pak finishes tied for 29th place.

2008 — Make it 9-for-9 for the unstoppable Zenyatta. The 4-year-old filly, ridden by Mike Smith, stays perfect in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic at Santa Anita, roaring from last to first around the turn to win the race.

2010 — Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall ties an NFL single-game record with four interceptions, including a 92-yard interception-return touchdown, in the Redskins’ 17-14 win at Chicago.

2013 — A majority-female officiating crew works a college football game in an apparent first. The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference bills it as the first time it’s happened in an NCAA game. Head linesman Yvonda Lewis, line judge Tangela Mitchell, field judge Sebrina Brunson and back judge Krystle Apellaniz are part of the seven-person crew for the Division II game between Miles and Lane. Miles wins 38-26.

2015 — Montreal beats the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 to extend their season-opening winning streak to nine games. The Candiens break the NHL record for most consecutive regulation wins to begin a season, set by Buffalo in 1975-76.

2015 — Lance Austin returns a blocked field goal 78 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the game, giving Georgia Tech a stunning 22-16 upset of No. 9 Florida State.

2021 — Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady becomes the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 600 touchdowns in a 38-3 win over the Chicago Bears.

Compiled by the Associated Press

THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1992 — The Toronto Blue Jays take baseball’s championship outside the United States for the first time, beating the Atlanta Braves 4-3 in 11 innings in Game 6 of the World Series.

2012 — Pablo Sandoval becomes the fourth player to hit three home runs in a World Series game to lead the San Francisco Giants over the Detroit Tigers 8-3 in the series opener.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Kyle Hendricks threw seven shutout innings, Chris Taylor and Yoán Moncada hit three-run homers, and the Angels scored all of their runs with two out in a 12-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.

Hendricks (7-9) gave up four hits, struck out six and walked one in his best start of the season, throwing 58 of 80 pitches for strikes. Right-hander Zabby Matthews (4-5) took the loss, giving up five runs and seven hits in 4 ⅔ innings.

The Angels had 17 hits and went eight for 17 with runners in scoring position. Leadoff man Mike Trout and Moncada each scored three runs. Luis Rengifo delivered two clutch hits, a two-out, two-run single in the first inning and a two-out RBI single in the fifth, as the Angels built a 5-0 lead.

The Angels blew open the game with four runs in the sixth and three in the seventh. Taylor followed Taylor Ward’s RBI single with a three-run homer to center in the sixth and Moncada followed singles by Sebastian Rivero and Bryce Teodosio with a three-run shot, his 12th of the season, to right.

Twins infielder Ryan Fitzgerald, who threw a scoreless eighth inning, broke up the shutout with a two-run homer in the ninth.

Angels right fielder Jo Adell, who is fourth in the American League with 35 homers and seventh with 94 RBIs, was scratched from the lineup because of vertigo for the second straight game.

Key moment

The Twins threatened in the sixth by putting two on with one out, but Hendricks stopped any hopes of a comeback by getting Trevor Larnach to pop out to third and Luke Keaschall to fly to left, preserving a 5-0 lead.

Key stat

Trout has gone a career-high 119 plate appearances and 27 games without a homer since hitting his 398th on Aug. 6. His previous long drought was 117 plate appearances in 2015.

Up next

Twins right-hander Taj Bradley (6-7, 4.92 ERA) will oppose Angels right-hander Jose Soriano (10-10, 4.07 ERA) in Wednesday’s series finale.

Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter, where I am thrilled to say we finally have an actual, genuine college football game to talk about! Even if what unfolded at the Coliseum on Saturday barely resembled a college football game at all.

USC absolutely stomped Missouri State, 73-13, in its season opener, scoring more points Saturday than it had in a game since 1930. Nine players scored touchdowns, while USC piled up 597 yards, the fourth-most in a game during Lincoln Riley’s tenure. Not exactly the warmest welcome for Missouri State to the Football Bowl Subdivision.

But for USC, this is probably what we can expect from the non-conference slate for the foreseeable future. At least, until Notre Dame gets on board with playing every September. The stance USC has taken is there’s no sense in adding another tough, non-conference opponent to the schedule, when they won’t be rewarded by the CFP selection committee for doing so.

After watching USC win by 60, though, I’m not sure what anyone really got out of the proceedings Saturday, either, aside from some sun and some added game experience for young players.

We can’t draw many conclusions from what we saw out of USC’s season-opening smackdown. But since we’ve seen so little up to this point, let’s empty the notebook from Saturday and ask what it might mean going forward.

Jayden Maiava was in total control. He also didn’t take many risks. It was, by far, Maiava’s most efficient performance to date. He overthrew Makai Lemon on what would’ve been a deep touchdown, but that was mostly it for mistakes. He was 14 of 14 on throws under 20 yards. He made the right call to keep the ball on multiple read option plays, and he had zero turnover-worthy passes according to PFF. He just looked more in command than last season, which is a positive sign. That said, Maiava didn’t really have to do much Saturday. This was as easy as it’ll get this season. But he did exactly what he should do against an inferior opponent.

Husan Longstreet’s talent is very apparent. That’s no reason to rush him. USC’s five-star freshman quarterback got to play the entire second half against Missouri State, which was probably the most valuable part of Saturday’s game. He completed 9 of 9 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown, while rushing eight times for 54 yards and two touchdowns. He’s clearly more ready as a rusher than a passer at this point. He held the ball too long on a dropback in the third quarter, got hit and lost a fumble. You can tell the game is still slowing down for him. But when he took off to run on a few occasions, he looked like Lamar Jackson Lite darting through lanes in Missouri State’s defense. Whenever he takes over at the position, he’ll be the fastest quarterback at USC since … umm … ever?

Maybe Riley wasn’t exaggerating about this being his “most talented” running back room yet. Waymond Jordan only touched the ball six times, but that was enough for me to see what the fuss through fall camp was about. Jordan has an elusiveness and wiggle to his game that reminds me a little bit of a shiftier Marshawn Lloyd. Eli Sanders, meanwhile, looked like he was shot out of a cannon on his 73-yard touchdown catch. Even King Miller, the walk-on, ripped off a 75-yard breakaway score. The only question now is how Riley will actually deploy the run game, but a 233-yard, six-touchdown performance is not a bad way to start.

Kameryn Fountain wasted no time in making his presence felt. We told you that Fountain is on the brink of a breakout season, and he definitely made us look smart in Week 1. From the very first play Saturday, when his pressure forced a quick throw from Missouri State, Fountain consistently affected the pocket. Braylan Shelby actually led USC in sacks with a pair, but I’d still bet on Fountain to be leading the team come December.

We weren’t talking enough about Bishop Fitzgerald. USC’s new safety was an absolute menace Saturday, whether he was in coverage or in the box. He intercepted one pass and returned it for a touchdown, then two drives later, broke up a third down pass. Fitzgerald and Ramsey look like a lethal combination on their own, and Christian Pierce, as the third safety, gives USC the ability to keep three safeties on the field. The more versatility D’Anton Lynn has at his disposal, the better.

Makai Lemon was targeted eight times and caught seven passes … on just 14 routes. That’s 6.42 yards per route run! The best in the NFL last season — Puka Nacua — was at 3.61 yards per route run last season. Lemon won’t face Missouri State every week, but he’s already clearly Maiava’s most reliable target.

USC opened the game with two tight ends (12 personnel), a grouping it used just 20% of the time in 2024. Expect more of it this season. After three years of mostly ignoring the position, USC may have some potential at tight end this year. And by playing more often out of 12 personnel, with two tight ends on the field, it can use bigger fronts to establish the run, while maintaining the threat of the pass. USC’s tight ends didn’t have any touchdowns last season. They have two already in 2025.

Week 1’s three highest-graded USC players by PFF were Fitzgerald, Maiava … and freshman linebacker Matai Tagoa’i. In his first collegiate game, Tagoa’i played just 15 snaps, but managed to force a fumble in the fourth quarter. He also lined up in the slot for six of his snaps and held his own in coverage. Overall, an impressive debut for a player I thought would take a while to make his mark.

USC’s AD on revenue sharing

USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

It’s been eight weeks since universities began paying their athletes directly, in the wake of the House vs. NCAA settlement. Not long enough, as USC’s athletic director sees it, to draw any larger conclusions about whether the system is functioning correctly or not.

“In college athletics, none of us have any patience,” Jennifer Cohen said. “I think in a perfect world, you’re launching a new plan, and at the same time, all the enforcement is done, all the rules are announced, it’s staffed fully, you know, and you’re rolling all at once. That’s just not where we are, but we also took on a massive undertaking. And I think that there’s as many positives as there are unanswered questions in it. 
I would say, locally speaking, it’s gone really well.”

The Times spoke last week with Cohen, who for the first time shared details of how USC is divvying up the $20.5-million cap that schools are now allowed to pay their athletes for NIL.

USC has NIL agreements with athletes in four sports right now: Football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and … women’s indoor volleyball. You might be surprised to hear that volleyball made that cut, but that’s actually consistent with other schools across the country.

How the money is divided is a bit more complicated this year, given how many NIL deals were struck prior to the July 1 start date for revenue sharing. But the formula most schools say they’re following calls for 75% to football (~$15 million), 15% to men’s basketball (~$3 million), 5% to women’s basketball (~$1 million) and the last 5% split among the remaining programs.

But added scholarships across other sports play a critical role in that picture. Newly funded scholarships only count against the cap up to $2.5 million, and so the programs who don’t get cut revenue share checks will be able to fund more scholarships than they would have before.

USC has a two-year plan to spread out those new scholarships, with some sports being granted more scholarships this year, and others adding them next year. The plan, Cohen said, is to fund that by endowing at least 100 new scholarships. Consider that annual costs at USC are nearing $100,000 per student, and that’s no small chunk of change to raise.

—USC still has $50 million left to raise for its football facility project. The Bloom Football Performance Center is quickly taking shape, with all signs still pointing towards opening sometime next summer. The original plan called for raising $175 million, but that number went up to $200 million and then $225 million. Not because of rising construction costs, but other capital project needs. Cohen, USC’s AD, said she isn’t concerned about closing the gap. “We’ll get there,” she said. But with all the added expenses now on the department’s budget, Cohen told The Times plainly that donor money has never been more important in college athletics. “This,” she said, “is a really big year for fundraising.”

—USC’s pregame “Drip Walk” is no more. The last few seasons, on their way into the stadium, USC’s players were encouraged to express themselves with their pregame fashion, the photos of which would then be posted on social media. But now those outfits have been traded out for a uniform, school-issued gear look. I, personally, never would’ve pointed to the “Drip Walk” as part of a culture problem. But hey, to each their own. Riley said that the players made the choice themselves. “If you ask these guys, we don’t show up to a meeting, we don’t do anything unless it’s all together.”

My Week 2 pick …

Clay Helton makes his triumphant return to the Coliseum, where he’ll be a 24.5-point underdog to his former team. USC absolutely crushed the Vegas line last week, and I have a feeling this one may not be big enough either. Georgia Southern gave up 351 yards rushing to Fresno State last week. Jordan should have a big day in USC’s backfield.

Give me the Trojans as the 24.5-point favorite. They win 42-17.

In case you missed it

Hernández: How does beating up a second-rate team help Lincoln Riley make USC a contender again?

Jayden Maiava and USC go on scoring spree in season-opening blowout of Missouri State

College football is back! Can USC and UCLA bounce back into relevance?

Q&A: USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen: ‘No one wants to succeed more’ than Lincoln Riley

Meet Chad Bowden, the man who has quickly transformed the USC football program

USC offers multi-year extension to Notre Dame, ‘hopeful’ for deal to extend rivalry series

‘I came here to be a player.’ Kilian O’Connor goes from walk-on to USC starting center

What I’m watching this week

Billy Joel: And So It Goes

(HBO)

Billy Joel was a mainstay in the soundtrack of my childhood. “Piano Man” and “Vienna” are still regulars in my karaoke rotation. But I never realized how little I actually knew about Joel and his life until I watched HBO’s two-part documentary, “Billy Joel: And So It Goes.” The doc is a riveting look at Joel’s rise to stardom that doesn’t hold back in digging deep on its main subject, from his failed marriages to his drinking to his reputation among other musicians.

It didn’t hurt, of course, that I found myself singing throughout all five hours.

Until next time …

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected], and follow me on X at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

ARLINGTON, Tex. — Adolis García, Joc Pederson and Kyle Higashioka each hit a three-run homer, Corey Seager went deep a team-leading 21st time and the Texas Rangers blew out the Angels 20-3 on Wednesday night.

García’s 17th home run highlighted a four-run first inning, Pederson made it 7-1 in the second with his seventh of the season and Seager added a two-run shot in the fourth.

Higashioka’s 10th homer for a 20-3 lead came on the last of 21 pitches — all between 30 and 40 mph — from Oswald Peraza, who moved to the mound from first base in the seventh and allowed eight runs while getting one out.

The first three homers came against Jack Kochanowicz, who was called up from triple-A Salt Lake before the game for his 23rd start in his third stint with the Angels this season.

Kochanowicz (3-11) gave up 11 runs with 10 earned — both career highs — in 3 1/3 innings. The right-hander’s ERA rose to 6.81.

Jacob Webb (5-4) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings after Jacob Latz started a bullpen game in place of Nathan Eovaldi, who went on the injured list a day after the Rangers said the right-hander’s season was probably over due to a rotator cuff strain.

Wyatt Langford reached base all five times and scored four runs before he was replaced by a pinch-runner in the seventh.

Key moment

The Angels were leading 1-0 when García homered.

Key stat

García, Pederson and Higashioka had five RBIs apiece as the Rangers scored their most runs since a 20-6 win over Minnesota in 2011.

Up next

Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson (2-8, 4.73 ERA) is scheduled for the opener of a four-game series in Houston on Friday.

DENVER — Mookie Betts was the first Dodgers position player out on the field Tuesday, walking to a spot near the third-base foul line and kneeling on a mat before a coach, who began hitting soft ground balls to his right and left.

It’s a drill Betts does regularly to improve his defense. Betts’ defense, however, really isn’t a problem for the Dodgers.

A six-time Gold Glove winner in right field, Betts moved to shortstop full-time this season, turning his old position over to Teoscar Hernández. And his defense has been a problem. But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he isn’t planning any changes to his lineup for the time being.

“Are we playing our best defensive lineup? No,” Roberts said. “But I would say there’s very few teams in the big leagues playing their best defensive lineup every night. Even in a postseason race, you’ve still got to score.”

The Dodgers are definitely in a postseason race and Hernández absolutely helps them score, ranking second on the team in home runs (20) and RBIs (75) after going two for five with a run and an RBI in Tuesday’s 11-4 rout of the Colorado Rockies. He also made two nice running catches.

But then the Dodgers didn’t need much defense Tuesday, pounding out 18 hits with every player in the lineup reaching base as least once. Newcomer Alex Call led the way with a career-high four hits, including a home run and a double, scoring three runs and driving in two others while falling a triple shy of the cycle.

“I wasn’t thinking about it. I was really just trying to get on base another time,” Call, who struck out in his final at-bat in the eighth, said of the cycle. “But everybody else in the dugout was like, ‘if you hit this ball, you better keep running.’ It would have been fun to find a gap and see what would happen.”

The homer, a 453-foot blast in the second, was the longest by a Dodger this season. Yet Call still managed to get the ball back as a souvenir.

“I actually had some some friends in the stands that flew out from Wisconsin, and they tracked down the ball for me,” he said.

The homer helped Call snap out of terrible slump. He entered the game hitting .174 since coming over from Washington at the trade deadline, which wasn’t the kind of introduction he had hoped to have with this new team.

“I wanted to make a good impression. But I think you make a good impression by just showing how you work and showing how you play the game and just trusting in yourself to do what you do,” he said. “I would tell myself, ‘I’m just calibrating.’

“There’s a lot of moving parts, a lot of new things going on. New coaches, new teammates, new situation, new city. You can go on. So it’s a lot.”

Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Betts and Miguel Rojas joined Hernández and Call with multiple hits for the Dodgers, who scored eight of their 11 runs with two out.

“Really, really pleased with tonight,” manager Dave Roberts said. “You saw a different ball club tonight.”

And a different Call as well.

“It’s certainly a big adjustment, especially when you walk into a clubhouse like ours,” Roberts said. “Coming from the Nationals, a bunch of young players, and you see our ball club in contention and trying to kind of figure out where you where you stand, right? He’s likable the way he plays, practices, and it was good to see him have some success.”

The Dodgers led 7-0 before the Rockies had their second baserunner, with one of those runs coming on Shohei Ohtani’s 44^th home run of the season. That made it easy for starter Emmet Sheehan (4-2), who matched a career high by going six innings, striking out a season-best seven batters to earn the win.

“We just got on the board early,” Freeman said. “When you score runs, you want to keep it going as an offense.

“[But] I don’t think anybody’s going to think about how good we did today tomorrow. Every day is a new day. We’ll go out there and give it all again.”

Etc….

Reliever Kirby Yates walked one and struck out one in a one-inning rehab appearance for Oklahoma City on Tuesday. He threw 21 pitches, 13 for strikes. Yates went on the injured list Aug. 1 with lower back pain.

It might be a cliché this time of year, how injured players who return after the trade deadline can serve as de facto deadline acquisitions themselves.

But in the case of Max Muncy and the Dodgers, the team needed it to be true. Badly.

Immediately after Muncy went down with a knee injury in early July, the club’s lineup entered a deep midseason slump. Its actual deadline acquisitions, which included only one hitter in outfielder Alex Call, had underwhelmed the fan base.

Thus, when Muncy returned to action Monday night, the Dodgers were desperately hoping the veteran slugger could provide a spark.

Twenty-four hours later, he did it with two thunderous swings.

In the Dodgers’ 12-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, Muncy officially christened his comeback with a four-for-five, four-RBI performance that included a pair of no-doubt home runs off Miles Mikolas — picking up almost exactly where he left off before suffering a July 2 knee injury that he feared would end his season.

“As I was laying there on the ground that night, I thought for sure this is it,” Muncy recalled this week, after not only recovering from what proved to be just a bone bruise, but doing it two weeks faster than the initial six-week timeline the team had expected.

“It’s hard to stay positive in a moment like that,” Muncy added, while reliving Michael A. Taylor’s slide into his left knee a month earlier. “But extremely thankful and blessed to be back on a baseball field this year.”

Muncy did have some rust to knock off, going hitless in three at-bats with a walk and strikeout in his first game back Monday night against crafty Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray.

On Tuesday, however, Mikolas gave him the chance to do some long-awaited damage.

In the first inning, after Shohei Ohtani doubled and scored on a Freddie Freeman sacrifice fly, Muncy clobbered a center-cut, first-pitch sinker 416 feet into the right-field pavilion, giving the Dodgers a quick 2-0 lead.

In the third, after the Cardinals leveled the score on Nolan Gorman’s two-run homer off Emmet Sheehan an inning earlier, Muncy went deep again, whacking an elevated fastball 404 feet for a two-run blast.

The Dodgers (66-48) wouldn’t relinquish the lead again, going on to their first double-digit scoring effort since June 22 thanks to a five-run rally in the seventh, when Muncy also added an RBI single, and two more runs in the eighth, when Muncy tacked on his fourth hit.

There were other positive signs for the Dodgers’ recently scuffling lineup on Tuesday.

Mookie Betts, who was mired in a career-long five-game, 22 at-bat hitless streak, recorded three knocks: A double right before Muncy’s second homer in the third, a line-drive single in the fifth, and a seeing-eye grounder in the eighth.

Andy Pages, who was batting just .211 since the All-Star break, made hard contact on doubles in the sixth and the seventh.

And Teoscar Hernández, who was hitting just .213 since returning from a groin strain in May, came roaring to life with a two-homer game, going back-to-back with Muncy on a solo home run in the third before smashing a game-sealing three-run drive after Muncy’s RBI single in the seventh.

Leading up to the deadline, manager Dave Roberts cited that subset of slumping hitters as potential quasi-deadline additions in their own right. Part of the reason for the team’s relative inaction at the deadline was its trust that the healthy, but scuffling, members of its lineup would get back on track down the stretch.

Still, Muncy’s eventual return had long been seen as the Dodgers’ biggest potential boon, especially after they went from leading the majors in scoring before he got hurt to ranking last in runs over the 25 games he missed.

“We’ve certainly missed him,” Roberts said ahead of Muncy’s return Monday. “The night he came off the field, you’re starting to think of it potentially being season-ending. So to get him back in a month, we’re all excited. He’s put in a lot of work to get back with this timeline. And yeah, we’ve needed him.”

Two games in, the importance of his return is already being felt.