run

Manchester United are currently in the bottom half of the Premier League, where they also finished last season.

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim defended his tactical approach, insisting his much-criticised 3-4-2-1 system is not to blame for the team’s struggles as he prepares for his 50th game in charge against promoted Sunderland.

The Portuguese faces mounting pressure after United slumped to 14th in the Premier League with two wins from six games after last weekend’s 3-1 loss at Brentford prompted club great Wayne Rooney to say he had no faith in Amorim turning things around.

With United already out of the League Cup and having failed to qualify for Europe following last season’s 15th-place finish, the pressure is on Amorim to deliver in the league where they are already eight points adrift of leaders Liverpool.

“You cannot run away from the results and then your baggage from last season. But last season for me doesn’t matter. We’ve had six games this season and we’ve lost three. We have to look to the games that we lost,” Amorim told reporters on Friday.

“I am not saying this team would play better in another system or not, that is not my point. My point is that if I look back at the games we lost, the most important thing when I watch the game is not that we lost because of the system.

“That is my opinion. People have different opinions, that s OK.”

While United’s squad are still coming to terms with Amorim’s philosophy, the manager admitted his side’s performance at Brentford was ‘disjointed’ but argued that inconsistency rather than tactics was the root problem.

“You cannot say one thing that doesn’t work when it works on one weekend and on the other weekend it doesn’t work. When something doesn’t work, it doesn’t work every day,” he added.

“When it works one day and the other day it doesn’t, then the next day it works really well again, it is something about the way we do the same thing. So we need to do the same thing in the same way every day, and we are not doing that.”

Asked if he had a message for the fans to give them hope of a victory at Old Trafford on Saturday, Amorim said: “It is not time to say, it is time to show.”

Amorim was generous in his praise for Sunderland’s French boss Regis Le Bris, who has guided his side to fifth place in the standings after six games, four points behind Liverpool.

“It is a team that plays really well. It is a clear system with a lot of rotations on the side of the pitch. They know we are going to be under pressure and we need to be able to play with that,” Amorim said.

“It is not just the table and all the results that matters most, but the way they play. They have a clear identity. It is a very good manager and a very good team.”

United will also hold a minute’s silence and wear black armbands following Thursday’s attack at a synagogue in Manchester in which two men were killed.

For Kiké Hernández, the regular season is little more than a six-month warm-up. Real baseball is played when the evening air turns crisp and the leaves begin to change.

And when summer turns to fall few players have stepped up bigger than Hernández, who had two hits, scored two runs and drove in another Wednesday, spurring a Dodger comeback that ended in an 8-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds and a sweep of their National League wild-card series.

That sends the team on to the best-of-five Division Series with the Phillies, which begins Saturday in Philadelphia.

“October Kiké is something pretty special,” Dodger manager Dave Roberts said. “And the track record speaks for itself. He’s one of the best throughout the history of the postseason.”

It’s a reputation he’s earned.

A .236 career hitter in the regular season, Hernández has hit .286 in 88 postseason games. He slashed .203/.255/.366 in an injury-marred regular season this year, but two games into the playoffs he’s hitting .500, leads the Dodgers with three runs scored and ranks second to Mookie Betts with four hits. He also made a splendid over-the-shoulder catch while racing to the warning track in the first inning Wednesday.

“Some guys are built for this moment. He’s definitely one of them,” said third baseman Max Muncy, standing in the middle of the Dodgers’ batting cage during the team’s postgame celebration, his blue T-shirt soaked in champagne as a teammate poured beer over his head.

Hernández, wearing goggles but not a shirt, made a brief appearance at the victory party but departed to celebrate with family before the champagne and beer began to puddle on the plastic sheeting that covered the floor.

His teammates were all too happy to speak about him in his absence.

“He’s a guy who is not shy from the from the moment,” infielder Miguel Rojas said. “I feel like the regular season for him is not enough.”

Rojas said he learned that first hand after rejoining the Dodgers in 2023. Although the team’s playoff run was brief, Hernández led the team with two RBIs and was second in hits and average.

“I saw it on TV before. But when I got here I saw that it was real,” he said. “He always wanted the moment and he showed it tonight with a big double to tie the game.”

That came with one out in the fourth, when his line drive to center field scored Muncy from first to tie the score, 2-2. Four pitches later he scored on Rojas’ single, putting the Dodgers ahead to stay.

But Hernández wasn’t finished. Two innings later he led off with a squibber up the third-base line that was going foul before it hit the bag for a single, starting a four-run rally that put the game away. The bottom third of the Dodger lineup — Hernández, Rojas and catcher Ben Rortvedt — combined to go six for 12 with five runs and two RBIs.

“Kiké is Kiké,” outfielder Teoscar Hernández said above the din of the celebration. “That’s the guy you get when October starts.”

Before that? Not so much. But for Hernández, the postseason has become redemption time.

“I know they brought me here for these types of moments,” he said before Wednesday’s game.

“The beautiful thing about the postseason is that once we get to the postseason, everything starts at zero. You can have a bad year and you flip the script and you start over in the postseason. You have a good postseason, help the team win, and nobody ever remembers what you did in the regular season.”

Hernández, 34, owes much of his fall heroics simply to the opportunity to play on the sport’s biggest stage. In a dozen big-league seasons, he’s made the playoffs 10 times, playing in 21 postseason series with the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox and winning two World Series rings.

“I’ve been blessed to be on the right team at the right time,” he said. “Being a good postseason player is kind of an individual thing, but not really. You’re on a team that doesn’t make the playoffs, you can’t be a postseason player.

“I just happen to be on a lot of really good teams, and I’ve been fortunate enough to get a lot of chances.”

With his performance Wednesday, he assured himself at least three more chances in the division series with the Phillies. And Rojas expects him to take full advantage.

“He always wants the moment and he wants to be out there,” he said. “I’m learning from him every single day. He’s the most prepared guy that I’ve ever played with.”

Especially in October.

Sept. 30 (UPI) — Republican Rep. David Schweikert on Tuesday announced his candidacy to become Arizona’s next governor after serving in the House of Representatives since 2010.

Schweikert, 63, will challenge Rep. Andy Biggs and attorney Karrin Taylor Robson for the GOP nomination ahead of Arizona’s Nov. 3, 2026, gubernatorial election.

“We’re going to try to actually demonstrate to voters what a conservative agenda looks like,” Schweikert told an interviewer as reported by The New York Times.

“I don’t believe there’s anyone in the Southwest in the last 25 years who’s run as many competitive races as I have and yet not given an inch on their conservatism,” he added.

Schweikert announced his candidacy in a series of local interviews, during which he cited dysfunction in Washington, including an inability to pass a Fiscal Year 2026 budget bill, according to NBC News.

He said Arizona is poised to become more prosperous and could see at least a decade of wage growth for its working-class residents.

During his tenure in the House of Representatives, Schweikert fended off a strong challenge from former Rep. Ben Quayle, son of former Vice President Dan Quayle, following redistricting in Arizona for 2012.

He also withstood a 2019 ethics complaint that accused him of illegally using office funds and accepting unlawful campaign contributions but lacked evidence.

Schweikert said the complaint repeated old accusations that were baseless.

Schweikert’s House district includes Scottsdale and suburban areas near Phoenix, and vacating the seat creates an opportunity for the Democratic Party to secure an additional House seat.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is a Democrat and has said she intends to seek re-election.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he would be scoreboard watching on Sunday afternoon.

But he insisted he didn’t care how things played out.

His team, of course, had already been locked in as the National League’s No. 3 seed, set to host a best-of-three wild card series at Dodger Stadium starting Tuesday.

What wasn’t clear until the end of play on Sunday, however, was whether the Dodgers would be facing the Cincinnati Reds or New York Mets to open the postseason.

“I honestly don’t really care, I really don’t,” Roberts said. “I think the way we’re playing right now, it doesn’t matter who we play.”

In a photo finish for the NL’s final wild-card berth, it was the Reds who earned the final ticket to the postseason, clinching in spite of their Sunday loss to the Milwaukee Brewers thanks to the Mets’ defeat in Miami at the hand of the Marlins.

Thus, it will be the Reds coming to Chavez Ravine this week, trying to halt the Dodgers’ defense of last year’s championship.

“It’s a gritty group. It’s a hungry group. It’s certainly a younger group,” Roberts said after the matchup was set. “These guys are going to be coming in to win a series. They’re feeling really good about themselves. So we’ve got to focus on ourselves and take it to them.”

Here are nine things to know about the Reds ahead of Game 1 at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday at 6:08 p.m. (ESPN):

Summer has ended, and the sweater weather is taking over – in search of finding the best autumn walk in the UK, The Flash and Three Shires in the Peak District ranked third in the list.

There’s nothing quite like a crisp autumn stroll, with the vibrant hues of the trees and the crunch of leaves underfoot.

We’re spoilt for choice in the UK with an array of stunning autumn walks right across the country. However, new research suggests that the Peak District might just be the ultimate destination for leaf-peeping this season.

Parkdean Resorts conducted a study to identify the UK’s best autumn walks, using data from TikTok, and three of the top ten spots were located in the Peak District. The trend for #Autumnwalks is currently sweeping TikTok, with over 10,600 videos showcasing various picturesque locations shared on the platform.

READ MORE: UK travellers face new rule from October 12 – full listREAD MORE: UK seaside town brought back to life with vibrant event that locals love

The Flash and Three Shires in the Peak District clinched the third spot on the list, racking up 340,100 views. This 6km walk, named after the meeting point of Derbyshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire counties, offers breathtaking views of autumn foliage.

Coming in fourth place is the Butterley Reservoir, tucked away in the Wessenden Valley in West Yorkshire. Situated at the northern edge of the national park, this scenic walk has amassed over 236,000 views on TikTok. Rounding out the top ten is Bottoms reservoir, located just outside of Hadfield, which has garnered 82,500 TikTok views.

Wales claimed the top two spots for autumn walks: Hafren Forest in Powys and Aberglaslyn Pass in Snowdonia, reports the Manchester Evening News. The former boasts a variety of routes featuring waterfalls and riverside views, including an accessible boardwalk route.

READ MORE: ‘Las Vegas of Europe’ limits foreign weddings after ‘crazy’ surge in demand

Aberglaslyn Pass, on the other hand, guides you through a stunning gorge, alongside the tranquil Glaslyn river and through the picturesque village of Beddgelert.

The route also takes in the serene waters of Llyn Dinas and the historic copper mine workings of Sygun and Cwm Bychan.

The UK’s top 10 autumn strolls

• Hafren Forest, Powys, Mid Wales
• Aberglaslyn Pass, Snowdonia, North Wales
• Flash and Three Shires Head, Peak District, Staffordshire
• Butterley Reservoir, Peak District, West Yorkshire
• Hermitage Bridge, Perthshire, Scotland
• Conic Hill, Stirling, Scotland
• Blea Tarn, Lake District, Cumbria
• Lochgoilhead, Argyll and Bute, West Scotland
• Glencoe Lochan, Glencoe, Scottish Highlands
• Bottoms Reservoir, Peak District, Derbyshire

SHOPPERS are rushing to Home Bargains to snap up a 99p Christmas present essential.

The incredible deal, shared in the popular Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK Facebook group, has quickly become the talk of the town as people prepare for the festive season without breaking the bank.

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Home Bargains is stocking five metres of Christmas wrapping paper for just 99p.

The affordable wrapping paper, available in a variety of designs, has sparked a wave of excitement on social media.

One thrilled shopper sad: “How nice are these!”

Another said: “You can also get 12m for £1.29. Such good prices.”

The designs, which include favourites like Mickey Mouse and Stitch, have also proven to be a hit.

A third shopper said: “I need to get the Mickey Mouse one – I already have the tags!”

Another chimed in, saying: “Omg, I love the Stitch one.”

This budget-friendly find is a must-have for anyone looking to get ahead of their Christmas preparations without overspending.

However, the deal is only available in-store, as prices online remain above £1.

To find your closest Home Bargains store visit storelocator.home.bargains.

Home Bargains thrilled shoppers back in August with the launch of their festive decorations, featuring a show-stopping giant door bow priced at just £19.99.

Bargain hunters rushed to TikTok to rave about the new products and say they want to stock up on them for the winter period.

Another popular item in the upcoming range is their Faux pine garland, which could be perfect for your staircase. 

It costs £8.99, and you can jazz it up with their three-piece hanging cow bells set for £8.99, and a five-pack of velvet bows, which cost £1.49.

Meanwhile, perfect for your Christmas table is their £4.99 Reindeer Table Top Decoration.

They also have a 40cm Red Bow Tree for £8.99, which looks very stylish indeed.

Another cute item is their ice skating shoe tree hanging, which is just £1.99.

A BRITISH man who stabbed his flat mate to death in Portugal has been found after spending more than a year on the run.

William Hunter murdered 22-year-old Elliot Mulligan in an Albufeira apartment in April 2022.

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The 34-year-old was sentenced to spend 18 years behind bars for killing the Liverpool man, but lodged an appeal in 2023.

He was released on bail in April the following year, after reaching the custodial time limit for prisoners on remand.

Hunter immediately breached his bail and fled, leading police on a multi-agency manhunt.

The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said he was arrested by Guardia Civil officers in Alicante on September 15.

Portuguese authorities have sought the killer to be extradited and complete his jail sentence.

In a statement, NCA spokesman Gill Duggan said: “Above all, our thoughts remain with Elliot’s family, who have endured an unimaginable loss and the painful reality that the man responsible had not been held accountable for his violent actions”.

“Our pursuit of Hunter was relentless, driven by a deep commitment to securing justice for those who love Elliot,” he continued.

“With thanks to our partners at Merseyside Police and in Spain and Portugal, Hunter is behind bars where he belongs, and where he will remain for a long time to come.”

Detective Superintendent Mark Drew from Merseyside Police said Hunter’s arrest had been a “joint operation”.

“We are committed to working with our partners to capture those that evade law enforcement and bring them to justice,” he said.

“We continue to support Elliot’s family.

“As they finally see justice being done for their tragic loss, we hope that the arrest of William Hunter brings them some comfort.”

Hunter was convicted and sentenced over the brutal murder in 2023, where he stabbed Elliot multiple times in the chest, back, arms and hands.

The two men had been living together when they’d gotten into an argument on April 6 in 2022.

Hunter later launched his savage attack, stabbing Elliot 24 times.

Elliot attempted to flee the luxury flat by jumping from the balcony, walking several metres across the garden before eventually collapsing.

Emergency services were unable to save him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy of Elliot’s body found he had died from multiple incisive wounds.

Vinnie Pasquantino homered and drove in three runs, Bobby Witt Jr. had four hits and the Kansas City Royals beat the Angels 9-4 on Thursday night.

Michael Lorenzen (7-11) gave up two earned runs and five hits with a season-high nine strikeouts and no walks in 5⅔ innings for the Royals.

Jo Adell, Nolan Schanuel and Mike Trout each homered for the Angels (71-88). Trout’s two-run shot — his 23rd of the season and 401st of his career — cut Kansas City’s lead to 5-4 in the eighth.

However, the Royals (80-79) scored four in the top of the ninth, a rally highlighted by Salvador Perez’s two-out, three-run double off Angels reliever Sam Bachman, to pull away.

Mitch Farris (1-3) gave up four earned runs and five hits in five innings, striking out five and walking two, for the Angels, who have lost 11 of 13 games.

Pasquantino’s team-leading 32nd homer, a two-run shot to right field in the first, gave him a team-high 110 RBIs on the season. Adell pulled the Angels to 2-1 in the second with his team-high 37th homer.

Pasquantino had a run-scoring fielder’s choice in the third and Witt had an RBI double in the fifth to push the lead to 5-1.

Schanuel’s solo shot in the sixth brought the Angels back within two, but Adam Frazier’s pinch-hit RBI single in the eight made it 5-2.

Key moment: Bachman was one strike away from escaping a bases-loaded jam in the ninth, but Perez hit a drive off the base of the center-field wall for his game-breaking hit.

Key stat: The Angels struck out 13 times, bringing their major league-leading total to 1,603 — tied for fourth-most in major league history. With three games left, the Angels are 51 shy of Minnesota’s single-season record of 1,654 strikeouts, set in 2023.

Up next: Angels RHP Kyle Hendricks (8-10, 4.79 ERA) will start against Astros RHP Jason Alexander (4-2, 4.83 ERA) at home on Friday.

Bobby Witt Jr. and Adam Frazier each drove in two runs, Salvador Perez moved into second place on Kansas City’s career RBI list and the Royals beat the Angels 8-4 on Tuesday night, shortly after being eliminated from postseason contention.

The Royals (79-78) were knocked out of the race for an AL wild card with five games remaining in their regular season. Kansas City, which reached the playoffs last season, has failed to qualify for the postseason in nine of the last 10 seasons.

Perez singled to center in the first inning to score Witt. It was the 35-year-old catcher’s 97th RBI of the season and 1,013th of his career, moving him past Hal McRae. The Royals’ all-time RBI leader is George Brett with 1,596.

Maikel Garcia went three for four with two doubles. It was Garcia’s second career game with three hits and three runs scored, and his 11th three-hit game of the season.

Royals starter Cole Ragans (3-3) gave up two runs and three hits and struck out 10 over five innings in his second start since returning from the injured list with a left rotator cuff strain.

Bryce Teodosio hit his first career homer for the Angels in the fifth inning, in his 45th MLB game this season. Taylor Ward added his 35th homer, a career high, in the ninth inning. The Angels have lost 10 of their last 11 games.

Key moment

Mike Trout was honored before his first at-bat for hitting his 400th career home run against the Rockies in Colorado on Saturday.

Key stat

The Royals’ batters recorded 15 hits, and the pitchers recorded 13 strikeouts.

Up next

The Royals’ Stephen Kolek (5-6, 3.54 ERA) faces the Angels’ Yusei Kikuchi (6-11, 4.05) on Wednesday night.

Taylor Ward homered, Kenley Jansen earned his 475th career save and the Angels beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 on Wednesday night to avoid a series sweep.

Only four pitchers have at least 475 saves: Jansen, Mariano Rivera (652), Trevor Hoffman (601) and Lee Smith (478).

Yusei Kikuchi (7-11) gave up just one hit while striking out six over five innings. He was removed with a left forearm cramp before the sixth. Jansen struck out two in the ninth for his 28th save of the season.

Luis Rengifo doubled and scored on Oswald Peraza’s groundout in the second inning for a 1-0 lead. Ward added a 320-foot solo home run in the third to became one of just three MLB players this season with at least 35 homers, 100 RBIs and 30 doubles.

Royals’ starter Stephen Kolek (5-7) went six innings, giving up three runs on five hits while striking out two. In the fourth, Kolek tried to cut down Peraza at second, but his throw sailed wide of second baseman Jonathan India, allowing Peraza to score for a 3-0 lead.

Randal Grichuk’s homer in the fifth was the only hit given up Kikuchi.

Carter Jensen scored to bring the Royals within a run of Los Angeles in the seventh inning.

The Angels entered the night with the worst save percentage (51%) in the majors and the highest bullpen ERA in the AL at 4.87. They won for just the second time in their last 12 games.

Key moment

Second baseman Christian Moore laid out for a diving stop, then fired to first for the third out of the seventh, preserving the Angels’ 3–2 lead.

Key stat

The Royals came into the night averaging the third-fewest team errors per game in the majors (0.37), but had three against the Angels.

Up next

Mitch Farris (1-2, 6.52 ERA) takes the mound for the Angels while Michael Lorenzen (6-11, 4.70) gets the start for the Royals in a series-closing matchup Thursday.

Walker Lyons took his place in the slot and looked right. Lake McRee crouched on the opposite wing and looked left. The two Trojan tight ends had spent all last Saturday night moving around USC’s formations — split out wide, in the backfield, on the line of scrimmage — paving rush lanes and creating mismatches wherever they went.

Now it was third and short, early in the third quarter of USC’s win over Michigan State, and the two of them were on the field together again, forcing the Spartan defense to decide in a hurry just how Lincoln Riley planned to deploy them.

That unpredictability was precisely the point of the position. It’s why the tight end has been a critical tenet of his Riley’s offense since he started as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator in 2015. No other position, Riley has come to believe, adds more versatility to an offense.

“It’s the one piece that really can truly do everything,” Riley said. “But it’s also the hardest piece to find.”

During his first three seasons as the Trojans coach, Riley struggled to find that unicorn for his USC offense. Let alone two — or even three — at the same time.

In his first season, in 2022, tight ends accounted for just over 3% of the Trojans’ receiving yards. That number rose to 6% in 2023, then 8% in 2024.

But through a spotless first third of this season, tight ends — and Lyons and McRee, primarily — have contributed 20% of USC’s total passing output in 2025. One reason being the availability of McRee, who has battled a multitude of injuries over his college career. Another being that Riley has used more 12 personnel, with two tight ends on the field, this season than he has before at USC.

“It keeps defenses on their toes,” McRee said. “You don’t really know what we’re going to do, run, pass, or do all of the above out of it.”

The use of 12 personnel has generally been on the rise across all levels of football, including in the NFL, where teams have used two tight end sets nearly 24% of the time through three weeks, according to ESPN. At USC, Riley has gone even further than that, utilizing two-tight end sets at least 35% of the time through four games.

It wasn’t hard to see last Saturday night why he’d lean on that particular scheme, as Lyons took off in motion from the slot. The sophomore tight end slowed just before the third-down snap, as if to prepare to run block, then took off sprinting into the flat. At the same time, McRee sprinted through the seam, taking a linebacker with him.

In the backfield, quarterback Jayden Maiava faked a handoff, forcing another linebacker to bite on the run, while Lyons sprinted into the open space the play design had created. Riley’s modern variation of a triple option would work precisely as planned, as Maiava lofted an easy pass to Lyons, who ran 10 yards for his second touchdown in three weeks.

USC tight end Walker Lyons (85) heads onto the field after talking to coach Lincoln Riley.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

It was just the sort of play that reminded what Riley was capable of as a playcaller with two talented tight ends at his disposal.

“I’ve missed it,” Riley said. “Because I love the matchups, I love what it creates. I’m excited about what that room has become for us. I think that room is just going to get better.”

When he first started as a college football coach, tight ends weren’t so much on Riley’s radar. Mike Leach, his mentor at Texas Tech, didn’t seek out or use a tight end unless he happened to have one on his roster.

It wasn’t until Riley left for East Carolina that he started to tinker more with the position.

“We started to get more creative, especially in the run game and some of the different things we could do off of it,” Riley said.

Those innovations accelerated at Oklahoma, where, as offensive coordinator, he was fortunate to inherit redshirt freshman Mark Andrews in 2015. By 2017, Sooner tight ends contributed more than 31% of the team’s passing offense. Andrews had 958 yards and eight touchdowns that season, the most of any tight end in college football. He now stars for the Baltimore Ravens.

“We started building more [at Oklahoma],” Riley said. “We started studying people. And, yeah, we got to the point where we were playing with tight ends, so much in so many ways, it became a comfort.”

He wouldn’t have the same security blanket at USC. The tight end room he took over was totally depleted of talent.

The Trojans two most productive tight ends from 2021, Malcolm Epps and Erik Krommenhoek, were out of eligibility. Their promising freshman, Michael Trigg, had transferred. McRee was the only returner with any real experience, and he’d only played in four games before redshirting.

“That room was a ways off, in terms of the depth and skillset and talent we had,” Riley said. “It’s definitely taken some time.”

Lyons’ arrival would be a major inflection point. A four-star recruit, he’d come to USC from a high school offense that regularly utilized two tight ends. He was used to having his hand in the dirt, as well as working as a receiver on the perimeter.

During his recruitment, Riley showed clips of all the different ways he used Andrews at Oklahoma. He felt Lyons could fill a similar role.

“All the things that he did with [tight ends] was definitely intriguing,” Lyons said, “and it definitely made an impact.”

The sheer amount that Riley asks of tight ends in his offense would add another hurdle in actually making that two-pronged role a reality. McRee, for instance, has technically lined up in 16 different spots through four games, according to Pro Football Focus.

“You’ve got to know protections, route concepts, run game — like, you really have to know it all,” Riley said.

Lyons admits it was overwhelming at first.

“But it’s great now,” he says.

The feeling is mutual for Riley, who knows how rare it is to have two tight ends to build an offense around.

“But when you get it,” he said, “it could be really powerful.”

Television station giant Nexstar Media Group said it will not run “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” as the Walt Disney Co. brings the ABC comedian back to television Tuesday night.

Disney on Monday reversed its suspension of the late-night talk show after the host’s comments about the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk set off a political firestorm.

Nexstar joins Sinclair Broadcast Group in continuing to keep Kimmel off the air in cities around the country.

“We made a decision last week to preempt ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ following what ABC referred to as Mr. Kimmel’s ‘ill-time and insensitive’ comments at a critical time in our national discourse,” Nexstar said in a statement. “We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve.”

The two television station groups cover about 25% of television homes, which will diminish the reach of advertisers who buy time in the television program.

Nexstar needs approval of the Federal Communications Commission for its $6.2-billion takeover of Tegna, another large television station group. Last week, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr called on ABC to take action.

Nexstar was the first station group to pull Kimmel, prompting Disney to put the show on hiatus.

This is a developing story.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most important growth opportunities for many technology companies in recent years. Sure, some companies don’t have clear avenues to benefit from the technology and are just benefiting from the hype, but there are plenty of companies that have experienced significant growth from artificial intelligence — and also make good investments.

If you’re in the market for a few AI stock ideas, here are two that could continue to benefit from the increasing demand for artificial intelligence hardware and software.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Broadcom

Broadcom (AVGO -1.23%) makes application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for AI data centers that are custom to client needs. The company’s XPUs have become an integral part of many AI data centers, including ones built by Meta and Alphabet.

What makes Broadcom an intriguing opportunity is that it’s not just a bet on AI processors. In addition to its AI semiconductor designs, the company also sells networking products, like switches, and its purchase of VMware a few years ago makes it a formidable software player as well. Software sales rose 17% to $6.7 billion in the third quarter (ended Aug. 3), and now account for nearly 43% of the company’s total revenue.

The result of Broadcom’s software and hardware prowess is impressive sales and earnings growth. Total revenue rose 22% in Q3 to $15.9 billion and non-GAAP earnings popped 36% to $1.69 per share. Broadcom’s AI revenue jumped 63% in the quarter to $5.2 billion, and management expects continued growth in the current quarter — with AI sales estimated to reach $6.2 billion.

Management estimates that the company’s AI revenue could reach up to $90 billion annually by 2027, which means Broadcom and its investors may have more to look forward to.

2. Microsoft

Microsoft (MSFT -0.51%) has spent the past few years implementing OpenAI‘s ChatGPT bot into its suite of software — from Microsoft 365 to GitHub — and now has millions of customers using its Copilot AI. That’s been a boon to nearly all of the company’s services, and in Q4 (ended June 30), the company’s sales rose 18% to $76 billion and non-GAAP earnings popped 24% to $3.65 per share.

As important as its software offerings are, one of the biggest AI opportunities for Microsoft comes from its cloud computing service, Azure. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said on the company’s Q4 earnings call that Azure surpassed $75 billion in annual revenue — a 34% increase — and that, “We continue to lead the AI infrastructure wave and took share every quarter this year.”

AI infrastructure will continue to be important for the company for years to come, considering that Goldman Sachs research estimates that global AI cloud computing revenue could reach an estimated $2 trillion by 2030. Microsoft has 20% of the cloud computing market right now, and continues to take market share away from Amazon. With its current cloud computing position and the huge potential for AI cloud sales, Microsoft will likely continue to benefit from this emerging space for years to come.

Keep this in mind when investing in AI

There are some signs that the U.S. economy is slowing down. The August jobs report was worse than expected, spurring the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates at its most recent meeting.

But even if there’s a slowdown, it’s important to keep in mind that artificial intelligence is now mission-critical for many companies. That means that it’s unlikely that there will be a significant pullback in investments or focus by companies anytime soon. While nothing is certain, Microsoft and Broadcom look poised to ride the wave of growing demand for AI hardware and services.

DENVER — Kyle Freeland pitched six solid innings, Blaine Crim homered and drove in two runs, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Angels 3-1 on Sunday in their final home game of a miserable season.

Victor Vodnik got three outs for his 10th save as the Rockies improved to 43-113 with six games remaining, ensuring they won’t tie the 1962 New York Mets for the most losses in one season by a National League team since 1900. Those expansion Mets finished 40-120-1.

Mike Trout doubled leading off the game after hitting his 400th career home run Saturday night. He scored the only run for the Angels (70-86), who went 1-9 on their last road trip of the year.

Trout scored on Jo Adell’s single in the first but Freeland (5-16) was in control after that. He retired 13 of 14 batters before Taylor Ward’s leadoff single in the sixth. The left-hander issued his only walk one out later but ended his day by getting Logan O’Hoppe to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Angels starter Caden Dana (0-3) didn’t allow a hit through three innings, but three walks in the second allowed the Rockies to tie it on Kyle Karros’ sacrifice fly.

Crim’s leadoff homer in the fourth gave Colorado the lead, and Freeland and the bullpen made it stand up.

Crim added an RBI groundout in the eighth.

Key moment: The Angels had runners on first and third with one out in the first, but Freeland struck out O’Hoppe and Christian Moore to keep the damage at one run. Freeland had seven strikeouts.

Key stats: Colorado finished 25-56 at Coors Field, the most home losses in franchise history. The previous high was 46 in 2012.

Up next: The Angels host Kansas City on Tuesday to begin their final homestand. They had not announced a scheduled starter yet.

Sept. 22 (UPI) — On this date in history:

In 1776, the British hanged American Revolutionary War hero and patriot Nathan Hale. His famous last words were, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”

In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing some 3 million slaves.

In 1888, National Geographic began publishing.

In 1927, Jack Dempsey muffed a chance to regain the heavyweight championship when he knocked down Gene Tunney but failed to go to a neutral corner promptly, thereby delaying the referee’s count and giving the champ time to get up.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed a law giving the Peace Corps permanent status. He hailed it as a way for Americans to work for world peace and understanding.

In 1975, U.S. President Gerald Ford escaped a second assassination attempt in 17 days, this one by self-proclaimed revolutionary Sara Jane Moore, who tried to shoot him as he walked from a San Francisco hotel. Her shot, deflected by ex-Marine Oliver Sipple, a bystander who grabbed her arm, slightly wounded a man in the crowd. Moore served 32 years of a life prison sentence. She was released in 2007 at the age of 77. Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, convicted in a Sept. 5, 1975, assassination attempt in Sacramento, was paroled in 2009, at age 60, after 34 years in prison.

File Photo courtesy Gerald R. Ford Library

In 1980, long-standing border disputes and political turmoil in Iran prompted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to launch an invasion of Iran’s oil-producing province of Khuzestan, touching off an eight-year war.

In 1985, more than 50 rock and country stars, headed by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp, staged the 14-hour Farm Aid concert for 78,000 rain-soaked spectators in Champaign, Ill., raising $10 million for debt-ridden U.S. farmers.

File Photo by Armand Engelbrecht/UPI

In 1994, Friends, starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer, premiered on NBC. The comedy series ran for 10 season, each of which was ranked in the Top 10 of the final TV season ratings.

In 2008, officials at China’s health ministry said nearly 53,000 children, most of them younger than 2 years old, had been sickened by milk powder tainted with an industrial chemical. At least four children died. Ten Asian and African nations, including Japan, temporarily banned Chinese dairy products.

In 2010, a Miami appeals court affirmed the adoption of two foster children by a gay couple, ruling Florida’s ban on same-sex adoption was unconstitutional.

In 2017, the U.S. Marine Corps announced that for the first time in its 250-year history, a woman will be joining its ranks as an infantry officer.

In 2019, Billy Porter became the first openly gay man to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama in a Series for Pose.

In 2020, the United States reported a milestone 200,000 deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic.

File Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI

A couple of former University of Oregon quarterbacks square off Sunday in a pivotal AFC West matchup. It’s Justin Herbert of the Chargers and Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos, both backed by talented defenses.

The Chargers are making their season debut at SoFi Stadium, and they already have two big pelts to hang on the wall. They’ve beaten Kansas City and Las Vegas, and against Denver are looking to sweep their first half of AFC West games. Last season, in the debut of Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton with their respective teams, the Chargers swept the Broncos.

“Obviously, his success speaks for itself both at the NFL level and college level,” Payton told reporters this week of Harbaugh. “I was excited that he got a job in our league, but not so much in our division.”

How the Chargers can win: Get another strong performance from Herbert. Spread the ball around to exploit soft spots in Denver’s secondary. Put the clamps on a Broncos ground game and in particular former Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins. So far, the Chargers rank eighth in run defense.

How the Broncos can win: Win on early downs so they can avoid third-and-five (or longer) situations. Establish the run to set up the play-action passing game. Finish stronger — Denver has tended to fade late in games. Make the Chargers one-dimensional; they’ve had a hard time establishing the run.

ATLANTA — Georgia’s Brad Raffensperger, the Republican secretary of state who rejected Donald Trump’s call to help overturn the state’s 2020 election results, said Wednesday that he’s running for governor in 2026.

The wealthy engineering entrepreneur might appeal most to business-oriented Republicans who once dominated GOP primaries in Georgia, but he is pledging a strongly conservative campaign even while he remains scorned by Trump and his allies. Raffensperger’s entry into the field intensifies the primary in a state with an unbroken line of Republican governors since 2002.

“I’m a conservative Republican, and I’m prepared to make the tough decisions. I follow the law and the Constitution, and I’ll always do the right thing for Georgia no matter what,” Raffensperger said in an announcement video.

Raffensperger defied Trump’s wrath to win reelection in 2022, but he will again test GOP primary voters’ tolerance for a candidate so clearly targeted by the president. His first challenge may be to even qualify for the primary. Georgia’s Republican Party voted in June to ban Raffensperger from running under its banner, although the party chairman said that attempt might not go anywhere.

Two other top Republicans are already in the race — Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Atty. Gen. Chris Carr. Jones swore himself to be a “duly elected and qualified” elector for Trump in 2020 even though Democrat Joe Biden had been declared the state’s winner. Carr sided with Raffensperger in rejecting challenges to the results. Other Republicans include Clark Dean, Scott Ellison and Gregg Kirkpatrick.

On the Democratic side, top candidates include former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, state Sen. Jason Esteves and former state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond. Geoff Duncan, who like Raffensperger spurned Trump’s push to overturn the 2020 election as Republican lieutenant governor, entered the governor’s race Tuesday as a Democrat.

In the national spotlight

Raffensperger spent most of his first two years in office battling lawsuits filed by Democrats that fruitlessly alleged Georgia, under then-Secretary of State Brian Kemp, engaged in illegal voter suppression in 2018 in Kemp’s victory over Democrat Stacey Abrams. Raffensperger also was tasked to roll out new Dominion voting machines for a 2020 election thrown off-kilter by the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden’s narrow win in Georgia changed things. Raffensperger said publicly that he wished Trump had won, but firmly held that he saw no evidence of widespread fraud or voting irregularities. Trump and his partisans ratcheted up attacks.

In his 2021 book, “Integrity Counts,” Raffensperger recounted death threats texted to his wife, an encounter with men whom he suspected of staking out his home, and being escorted out of the Georgia Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as a handful of protesters entered the building on the day many more protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

But it was a phone call days earlier, on Jan. 2, that wrote Raffensperger’s name into history. Trump pressured the secretary of state to “find 11,780 votes” — enough to overturn Biden’s win in the state, repeatedly citing disproven claims of fraud and raising the prospect of “criminal offense” if officials didn’t change the vote count, according to a recording of the conversation.

Raffensperger pushed back, noting that lawsuits making those claims had been fruitless.

“We don’t agree that you have won,” Raffensperger told Trump.

Amy writes for the Associated Press.

MILWAUKEE — All-Star Freddy Peralta gave up two hits, struck out 10 and won his NL-leading 17th game, Christian Yelich hit his 29th homer and drove in three runs and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Angels 9-2 on Tuesday night.

The Angels’ defeat ensured their 10th consecutive losing season, a franchise record. Their playoff drought is at 11 years.

Peralta (17-6) extended his career-high in wins and tied the New York Yankees Max Fried for tops in the majors in victories. Peralta also tied the franchise record set by Zach Davies in 2017.

Peralta gave up one run and two hits over six innings and walked two. The only hiccups were Carter Kieboom’s bloop single and Denzer Guzman’s first career home run.

Peralta had plenty of support in his 31st start of the season.

Yelich did the heavy lifting, but Sal Frelick hit a sacrifice fly, Caleb Durbin, Andrew Vaughn and Jackson Chourio each drove in a run and William Contreras singled home two more.

Christian Moore added a solo shot off Grant Anderson in the seventh.

Angels starter Caden Dana (0-2) allowed five runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.

Kieboom made his Angels debut at first base, returning to the majors for the first time since Oct. 1, 2023, while with Washington.

The Angels selected Kieboom’s contract before the game and placed shortstop Zach Neto (left hand strain) on the 10-day injured list.

Key moment

Yelich hit his 29th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the fourth. He had an RBI double in the first.

Key stat

Peralta struck out the side in the first, second and sixth and tallied at least 10 strikeouts for the 15th time in his career and first this season.

Up next

José Soriano (10-10, 4.13 ERA) starts for the Angels against Brandon Woodruff (6-2, 3.32) and the Brewers.

THEY were lovers from opposite ends of society — a runaway aristocrat and a convicted rapist who sparked a nationwide manhunt when they went on the run to hide their secret newborn baby from social services.

Now, in a dramatic twist, Mark Gordon’s sister has lifted the lid on her convict brother’s twisted past that led him on the path to a toxic “Romeo and Juliet” romance – culminating in the tragic death of their child.

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It comes as Marten, 38, and Gordon, 51, were yesterday sentenced to 14 years behind bars after being convicted of gross negligence manslaughter when their newborn baby, Victoria, died, likely of hypothermia.

Gordon got an extended four-year licence as he met the threshold for dangerousness, meaning he has a high risk of reoffending.

It means after serving his sentence, he will remain under state supervision and have certain restrictions.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Karen Satchell, 54, from North London, reveals for the first time how her jailbird brother dreamed of a new life – and fathered another child before vanishing off-grid with Marten.

She told how her brother was once dubbed “The Preacher” by other lags because he often quoted from the Bible when he was serving 20 years in a US jail for rape, aged 14.

We can also reveal that he had his first baby just a couple of years after returning to the UK after spending time in an American jail.

The child now lives in Greece with their mother, and Gordon’s family still get sent pictures of how they are doing.

Sister Karen Satchell said the runaway father had ambitions to become a businessman before his life spiralled further after a chance encounter with Constance, a woman closely linked to the Royal Family.

And he became increasingly paranoid in what Karen has called a “Romeo and Juliet” style relationship, with lovers from two wildly different families.

It is understood Gordon met Marten’s relatives shortly after they began dating around 2014, and even went to their house before Marten became estranged from them.

With Constance, 38, Gordon had five children – four of whom were taken off them after concerns over their caring abilities, and the fifth, Victoria.

Gordon grew up as a “shy” lad in Birmingham, attending the state comprehensive Yardley Primary School.

While future-wife Marten – the daughter of Queen Elizabeth II’s former page – reminisced about childhood picnics and naked siestas in hay bales at her country mansion in Dorset, Gordon, the youngest of seven, was digging up dirt in his yard and chasing his sisters around with worms.

Half-sister Karen remembers him as a “good kid”, adding: “A proper naughty little brother but more mischievous than anything bad.”

He went to church weekly with his tight-knit family, and his mum Sylvia was a licensed pastor.

He totally shut down and was in a daze. He wasn’t aware of what was really going on. He looked younger than he was. To think of him with felonies is unbelievable.

Karen Satchell on Mark Gordon’s rape arrest

And while Marten’s family had annual skiing holidays, Gordon’s went to Butlins each year, where he once won some money and flowers in a mother-and-son competition.

Karen said: “They were standing on the stage and Mark was asked a few questions about his mum.

“They thought they were the most bonded.”

But he was described as “a bit of a loner” and preferring instead to play by himself, or hang out with Karen and her friends, following them around and threatening to snitch on her to his mum if she was ever up to no good.

When he was still young, Sylvia moved to America to try to build a better life for them, while Mark and Karen stayed in Britain with a nanny.

They were excited when, aged 11 and 15, they joined Sylvia in New York – but it was a culture shock.

They started off at a run-down school in the Bronx, plagued by bad behaviour and knives. Then moved to a better school, but had to catch two trains and two buses to get there.

A year later, the family relocated to a three-bed, single-storey home in a predominantly white neighbourhood in Florida while their mum studied to be a nurse.

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Karen said: “We became popular – everybody wanted to hear us talk because of our accent.

“The girls loved Mark. They knew where he lived and followed him home.

“They would knock on the door, and he was hiding. He didn’t want to talk to them. He was really shy. I never saw him with a girlfriend.

“When I got to the age when I had a boyfriend, he tended to stay home in his room. I was like ‘come out of your room, talk to some girls’. He said ‘get out, leave me alone’.”

‘He shut down’ after rape arrest

Their happy family life turned upside down, however, when he was arrested for rape in 1989.

They panicked when he failed to return home and spent all evening searching the neighbourhood for him, fearing for his safety.

Mum Sylvia, who was training to be a nurse, was away in Jamaica at the time but flew back in a panic as Mark’s siblings phoned the police to make a missing persons report.

But when Sylvia turned up at the police station, she was devastated to hear her last-born son had made a taped confession to rape.

Karen said: “We were devastated. He never spoke. He stopped speaking.

“He totally shut down and was in a daze. He wasn’t aware of what was really going on.

“He looked younger than he was. To think of him with felonies is unbelievable.”

He was convicted of armed kidnapping, multiple counts of armed sexual battery and other charges in 1994.

His family visited him frequently in prison, but he never spoke about any hardships inside.

He had been nicknamed ‘The Preacher’, thought to have been because he was often quoting the bible to get through.

But Karen said he also became incredibly studious.

He got a degree after studying electrical engineering, IT and business management – and built up the life he wanted to lead in his head.

‘He’s somebody you don’t want to cross’

When he returned to Britain in 2010, Karen says he was different – much more philosophical and a “proper naturalist” who worked out and was into healthy eating.

She often saw him having blended vegetables or raw eggs, and was into herbal tea and holistic healing.

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Karen also described him as cunning, charming, but still incredibly private.

She threw a welcome home party for him at her flat in Palmers Green, but he never went.

In fact, she didn’t hear from him for six months after he landed.

Karen said: “He went quiet and we didn’t know where he was.

“I was ringing, trying to go to prisons and agencies, trying to find out where he went. I had been waiting for him.

“When he was on his feet, he showed up. I was like ‘Where have you been?’.

“He was smiling and laughing, saying: ‘I’m alright, sis.’

There’s a look in his eyes that would make you shut up. You shut up and agree with him. He does these weird stares.

Karen Satchellon her brother’s chilling look

He would often turn up to see his sister wearing smart suits, he went to business conventions and became interested in investments, stocks and bonds. She said he was articulate and productive.

He “never drank, never smoked, never swore, never raised his voice” and told his family he always had different ventures and sales meetings going on.

But she also remembered he sometimes had a strange look in his eyes.

She said: “This is what got him through his jail time. There’s a look in his eyes that would make you shut up.

“You shut up and agree with him. He does these weird stares.

“He’s not a person who had to do anything action-wise. You would look at him and go ‘leave that man alone’.

“He looks like somebody you don’t want to cross with. But when you get past that, he’s quite shy. I think that’s his defence mechanism.”

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He also never told her exactly where he lived, nor exactly what he did.

Within the first year of coming back to Britain, he had his first daughter, who Karen never found out about until she was two.

She went to meet her for the first time when she was three, when Mark was living with her and her mother in Ilford, East London.

Karen said: “We were shocked. We didn’t know he had a daughter. He was a private guy.

“When I met the girl, they had been together for a little while. She was lovely. So beautiful. He took care of his kids really well.”

She added: “I think he always wanted to be a dad.”

They broke up shortly after for unknown reasons, just before Mark met Constance Marten in an incense shop in Tottenham, North London, in 2014.

Paranoid he was being followed

After this, Karen says he became noticeably more paranoid, often talking about people following or tracking him.

He moved around after dark, whispered on the phone and asked to meet his sister in parks at strange hours.

When he visited Karen, he would stay for a few minutes, ask about them and just laugh if asked where he was staying.

He would say: “It’s alright, sis, you don’t need to know.”

He stayed with her in 2015 for around a month, coming in and out regularly at night, before suddenly leaving without a fuss.

Karen remembered: “I’d say Where do you live? Where are you going?

“I want to help like a big sister would. He just said it’s okay, I don’t need it, I’m good.

“They went travelling a lot. I asked him how he could go to all these places.

“He just did a little smirk and said: ‘Don’t worry, you will get there one day.’”

Gordon and Marten’s troubles escalated shortly after they got married in Peru, in a ceremony that is not recognised in the UK.

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They then had their first baby in 2017 after living in a tent together in Wales to escape Marten’s family and their private investigators.

Karen said: “He called me once from Wales and asked me to help him out, and if he could stay at my address.

“He called and said, ‘What are you doing? ‘ but said he couldn’t talk right now because ‘they are listening’. It was weird.

“He said, ‘You can’t help me’. He said he had gone to see his wife. He was hiding out, whispering.

“He said I’m visiting my wife. I asked what was wrong, and he just said ‘Long story, something to do with the baby’.

“He said he was trying to get his wife moved out. He wanted to come back to London.”

His family only knew about his first two babies with Constance.

They never met her, and don’t even know the gender of the second two children and were never told anything about their battle with social services.

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The couple were supposed to spend Christmas 2019 with Karen, but Mark arrived without her, saying she was away and that “It’s complicated”.

Karen said: “I said, ‘Why, who is she? The Queen? Then it turned out she was linked to the Queen!”

She reckons Marten was the “boss” in their marriage, while Mark would have guided her decision-making.

And she insisted the couple just “wanted to be naturalists”.

She last spoke to Mark about a year before he went on the run, which would have been during the time he and Constance were trying to keep the latest pregnancy hidden from everyone.

Days after his arrest, Victoria’s body was found dead in a plastic bag in a disused allotment shed.

Karen concluded: “It went terribly wrong. They made a terrible mistake.”

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SAN FRANCISCO — Teoscar Hernández pumped his fist. Ben Rortvedt let out a scream. Mookie Betts put some oomph on the end of the Dodgers’ arm-waving, hip-shaking, hit celebration.

After struggling for so long in high-leverage situations, the team’s offense finally had reason to celebrate.

For weeks now, the Dodgers have technically been in a tight division race.

The real battle, however, has often been with themselves.

At a time of the year typically dedicated to scoreboard watching and monitoring the standings, the team had instead been preoccupied by its own inconsistent play. Chief among their recent problems: Capitalizing on scoring opportunities.

In a 13-7 defeat of the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, they finally vanquished those demons.

After trailing by three runs early, and reaching rock bottom again after coming up empty with the bases loaded and no outs in the second inning, the Dodgers mounted the kind of rally that had so often been missing during their lackluster second half of the season, scoring six runs in the top of the fifth inning to key what felt like a statement win.

“A lot of guys put together really good at-bats,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “We found a way to keep the ball moving forward, keep moving to the next guy. It was really impressive.”

Early in Saturday’s game, the Dodgers (83-65) had honed a sound approach. They stressed Giants ace Logan Webb. They stayed alive in two-strike counts. They worked long at-bats and put runners on base.

The missing ingredient, as usual, had been the big hits needed to build a big inning. Then, in the top of the fifth, it all so suddenly — and refreshingly — flipped.

That’s what happened in the second, when Webb wiggled out of trouble by getting Miguel Rojas to hit an infield pop-up and Rortvedt to roll into a double-play, preserving the 4-1 lead the Giants had taken against Clayton Kershaw in a 36-pitch first inning.

“It’s real easy, if you don’t get any runs in that inning, to sit there and start pouting and start letting the emotion take over,” Muncy said. “It’s tough to dig out of that hole.”

This time, however, the Dodgers came back from the dead.

Shohei Ohtani hits a solo home run in the third inning Saturday against the Giants.

(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)

The turnaround started in the third, when Shohei Ohtani bat-flipped a leadoff home run that traveled 454 feet (the longest of his 49 long balls this season) and Hernández belted an RBI double off the wall with two outs.

That momentum carried into the fifth, when the Dodgers’ recently unproductive offense suddenly — and refreshingly — flipped the bases-loaded script.

After a walk from Betts, a single from Freddie Freeman and a walk from Muncy chased Webb from the game, Hernández came to the plate against Giants reliever José Buttó.

Hernández quickly fell behind to newly inserted Giants reliever José Buttó, taking a first-pitch fastball before fanning on a slider out of the zone. But after laying off another slider in the dirt, Hernández got a mistake, with Buttó leaving a fastball up and over the plate. Hernández lined it to the gap, where center fielder Luis Matos struggled to get a bead. It dropped in under Matos’ diving attempt, rolling past him for a two-run double that gave the Dodgers a 5-4 lead.

“Getting closer to October, everybody is trying to do the little things, not trying to do too much and just getting on base for the next guy,” said Hernández, who was one of three Dodgers hitters to record three hits and lead the way with three RBIs.

“That was a big difference today. Everybody was into the game. It didn’t happen in the second inning, but we came back and started fighting again, every at-bat and scored some runs.”

Indeed, from that point on, the floodgates burst open. Michael Conforto lifted a sacrifice fly to right. Rortvedt lined another two-run double to left-center. Betts bounced a run-scoring single up the middle.

By the time the side was retired, 11 Dodgers had come to the plate. Eight had reached safely. Six had come around to score.

An exorcism, exhale and sigh of relief for the Dodgers’ long-scuffling offense.

“That was awesome,” said Kershaw, who exited after the third. “For them to grind out at-bats — especially after me putting them in a hole after the first inning — getting guys on base, not trying to do too much, taking what they’re giving you, walks, hits, all the things, it was really impressive.”

Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw reacts after giving up an RBI single in the first inning Saturday.

(Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)

Over their 26-33 stretch since July 4, the Dodgers had lost so many games like this one, letting bad outings from starters or wasted opportunities early in games send them into spirals that lingered for days (and sometimes weeks) after.

But on this night, every moment of adversity was met with an answer.

After Kirby Yates gave back three runs in the bottom of the fifth, the Dodgers responded with another three-spot in the sixth punctuated by an RBI double from Rojas. When the bullpen needed someone to calm the waters, rookie left-hander Justin Wrobleski produced 2⅓ scoreless innings.

Even on a day that Will Smith was placed on the injured list (finally being shelved after battling a bone bruise on his hand for the last 10 days) and Muncy left the game after taking a pitch to the head (he passed postgame concussion protocols, and will have a scheduled day off Sunday), the Dodgers didn’t wilt.

Instead, their lineup finally produced as expected, going seven for 15 with runners in scoring position, producing 11 of their 23 combined hits and walks with two strikes, and fueling a win that keeps the team 2½ games up in the National League West standings — all while helping ease concerns about their recently inconsistent offense.

“I just don’t see why we can’t do that, as far as approach, on a nightly basis,” manager Dave Roberts said. “With two strikes, you got to give something up. And I think for me tonight, I saw us give up the pull side. And then you’re starting to get hits to the big part of the field, hits the other way to the other gap, winning pitches. We did that all night long. Good stuff.”