Iranian exports of oil and condensate sank to the lowest level in at least six years in May, falling below 300K bbl/day, as the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz choked shipments and left tens of millions of barrels stranded at
Errors sink Dodgers in loss to Rockies
Shohei Ohtani hits 300th homer in Dodgers’ loss
From Maddie Lee: In Shohei Ohtani, who on Tuesday became the first Japanese player to hit 300 home runs in MLB, the Dodgers had the first National League All-Star voted in this year.
They still have a chance for a late addition.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been lobbying for two members of his pitching staff to be named replacement players: left-handed starter Justin Wrobleski and left-handed reliever Tanner Scott.
“There’s going to be some changes and some talks here,” Roberts said before the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. “There’s continual talks about both guys.”
Earlier Tuesday, MLB announced replacements for three NL pitchers who won’t be eligible to appear in the All-Star Game. Pittsburgh’s Braxton Ashcraft, Philadelphia’s Jesús Luzardo and St. Louis’ Riley O’Brien claimed spots as Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes, Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski and Miami’s Max Meyer bowed out.
“Obviously it’s disappointing,” Wrobleski said after holding the Rockies to one run through seven innings. “You want to be an All-Star. It’s something that, regardless of the year, whenever, it’s always a big deal. It’s something I wanted to do. It’s frustrating to not get that nod. But like I said before, it’s just more reason to try and keep getting better. Hopefully I can gain the respect of players and everybody else and maybe be in there next year.”
World Cup: U.S. team hopes they inspired future success
From Kevin Baxter: Last fall, in an effort to inspire a national soccer team lacking in confidence and belief, coach Mauricio Pochettino came up with a slogan for this summer’s World Cup, one the U.S. would be playing at home.
“Why not us?” he asked.
Why couldn’t the U.S. make a deep run in the tournament? Why couldn’t the U.S. compete with the best teams in the world? Why not us?
Monday he got his answer: Because the U.S. just isn’t good enough.
A couple of rousing performances in group play and a win over a third-place team in the first elimination game had the U.S. believing, had the U.S. hoping. Maybe Pochettino was right. Maybe it was the Americans’ time.
But it all proved to be a mirage.
Swanson: Trump’s World Cup meddling only made matters worse for rattled U.S. squad
Paraguayan senator demands apology from Kylian Mbappé for his response to her racist posts
Tuesday’s World Cup results
Round of 16
Argentina 3, Egypt 2
Switzerland 0, Colombia 0 (Switzerland wins on PK’s, 4-3)
Today’s World Cup TV schedule
All times Pacific
No matches today
World Cup round of 16 schedule, results
Round of 16 results
Morocco 3, Canada 0
France 1, Paraguay 0
Norway 2, Brazil 1
England 3, Mexico 2
Spain 1, Portugal 0
Belgium 4, U.S. 1
Argentina 3, Egypt 2
Switzerland 0, Colombia 0 (Switzerland wins on PK’s, 4-3)
Quarterfinals schedule
All times Pacific
All games on Fox and Telemundo
Thursday
France vs. Morocco, 1 p.m.
Friday
Belgium vs. Spain, noon
Saturday
Norway vs. England, 2 p.m.
Switzerland vs. Argentina, 6 p.m.
Angels lose seventh in a row
Alejandro Osuna hit a three-run homer during a five-run eighth inning and the Texas Rangers pulled away for an 8-3 win over the Angels on Tuesday night.
Osuna’s first homer of the season followed RBI singles by Ezequiel Duran and Justin Foscue in the six-hit inning off Sam Bachman (1-2). Foscue also hit a pinch-hit home run in the seventh, tying the score 3-3.
Peyton Gray (4-0) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win for the Rangers, who pulled within one-half game of first-place Seattle in the AL West.
Lakers sign center Kevon Looney
From Broderick Turner: The Lakers got their backup big man when Kevon Looney signed a one-year, $3.9-million deal on Tuesday, people not authorized to speak publicly told The Times.
The 6-foot-9 Looney won three championships with the Golden State Warriors, in 2017, 2018 and 2022. He played last season with the New Orleans Pelicans. Looney, 30, is an 11-year veteran who went to UCLA. He’s a strong rebounder, a very good defender and he sets solid screens for teammates.
Looney will be the backup behind starter Walker Kessler, who was acquired in a trade from the Utah Jazz and agreed to a four-year, $130-million deal. The Lakers traded last season’s starting center, Deandre Ayton, and backup Jaxson Hayes signed with the Jazz.
This day in sports history
1889 — John L. Sullivan defeats Jake Kilrain in the 75th round in Richburg, Miss., for the U.S. heavyweight championship. It’s the last bare-knuckle boxing match before the Marquis of Queensbury rules are introduced.
1922 — Suzanne Lenglen beats Molla Bjurstedt Mallory, 6-2, 6-0 for her fourth straight singles title at Wimbledon.
1939 — Bobby Riggs beats Elwood Cooke in five sets to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon.
1955 — Peter Thomson wins his second consecutive British Open finishing two strokes ahead of John Fallon. Thomson shoots a 7-under 281 at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland.
1967 — Billie Jean King sweeps three titles at Wimbledon. King beats Ann Hayden Jones 6-3, 6-4, for the singles title; teams with Rosie Casals for the women’s doubles title, and pairs with Owen Davidson for the mixed doubles title.
1978 — Bjorn Borg beats Jimmy Connors, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 to win his third straight men’s title at Wimbledon.
1984 — John McEnroe whips Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 in 100-degree temperatures to take the men’s singles title at Wimbledon.
1990 — West Germany wins the World Cup as Andreas Brehme scores with 6 minutes to go for a 1-0 victory over defending champion Argentina in a foul-marred final.
1991 — Michael Stich upsets three-time champion Boris Becker to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon, 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-4.
1995 — Top-ranked Steffi Graf wins her sixth Wimbledon singles title, beating Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 4-6, 6-1, 7-5.
1995 — NHL Draft: Detroit Jr. Red Wings (OHL) defenseman Bryan Berard first pick by Ottawa Senators.
1996 — Switzerland’s Martina Hingis becomes the youngest champion in Wimbledon history at 15 years, 282 days, teaming with Helena Sukova to beat Meredith McGrath and Larisa Neiland 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 in women’s doubles.
2000 — Venus Williams beats Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 7-6 (3) for her first Grand Slam title. Williams is the first Black women’s champion at Wimbledon since Althea Gibson in 1958.
2007 — Roger Federer wins his fifth straight Wimbledon championship, beating Rafael Nadal 7-6 (7), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-2. I’s also Federer’s 11th Grand Slam title overall.
2010 — Paul Goydos becomes the fourth golfer in PGA Tour history to shoot a 59. Goydos puts together his 12-under, bogey-free round on the opening day of the John Deere Classic. Goydos makes the turn at 4-under, then birdies all but one hole on the back nine at the 7,257-yard TPC Deere Run course.
2012 — Roger Federer equals Pete Sampras’ record of seven men’s singles titles at the All England Club, and wins his 17th Grand Slam title overall, by beating Andy Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
2014 — Germany hands Brazil its heaviest World Cup loss ever with an astounding 7-1 rout in the semifinals that stuns the host nation. Miroslav Klose scores a record-setting 16th career World Cup goal in a five-goal spurt in the first half and Germany goes on to score the most goals in a World Cup semifinal.
2016 — Roger Federer loses in the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time in his career, falling to Milos Raonic 6-3, 6-7 (3), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 on Centre Court. The 34-year-old Federer had been 10-0 in Wimbledon semifinals, winning seven of his finals.
2018 — South Korean golfer Sei Young Ki breaks the LPGA 72-hole scoring record with a 31-under par 257 in winning the Thornberry Creek Classic.
2022 — Gymnast Simone Biles aged 25, becomes the youngest person to receive the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President Joe Biden.
Compiled by the Associated Press
This day in baseball history
1912 — Rube Marquard’s 19-game winning streak was stopped as the New York Giants lost 7-2 to the Chicago Cubs.
1918 — Boston’s Babe Ruth lost a home run at Fenway Park when prevailing rules reduce his shot over the fence to a triple. Amos Strunk scored on Ruth’s hit for a 1-0 win over Cleveland. Ruth, who played 95 games in the season, finished tied for the American League title with 11 homers.
1935 — The AL extended its All-Star winning streak to three with a 4-1 victory at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium. New York Yankee Lefty Gomez went six innings, which prompted the NL to have the rules changed so that no pitcher could throw more than three innings, unless extra innings.
1941 — Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox hit a three-run, two-out homer in the ninth to give the AL a dramatic 7-5 victory in the All-Star game at Detroit’s Briggs Stadium. Up to that point Arky Vaughan of the Pittsburgh Pirates was the NL hero with two home runs, the first player to do so in All-Star play. Joe and Dom DiMaggio played for the AL, marking the first time that brothers appeared in the same All-Star game.
1947 — Frank Shea became the first winning rookie pitcher in the first 14 years of All-Star play as the AL nipped the NL 2-1 at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.
1952 — The NL edged the AL 3-2 in the first rain-shortened All-Star game. The five-inning contest, at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park, featured home runs by Jackie Robinson and Hank Sauer of the Nationals.
1957 — Baseball owners re-elected commissioner Ford Frick to another seven-year term when his contract is up in 1958.
1958 — The 25th anniversary All-Star game, at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, went to the AL, 4-3 in a game that only produced 13 singles. This was the first All-Star game in which neither team got an extra-base hit.
1970 — Jim Ray Hart of San Francisco hit for the cycle and became the first NL player in 59 years to drive in six runs in one inning as the Giants beat Atlanta, 13-0.
1974 — New York shortstop Jim Mason tied a major-league record when he doubled four times in the Yankees’ 12-5 win over Texas.
1982 — Billy Martin records his 1,000 career win as a manager as the A’s beat the Yankees 6-3.
1994 — Shortstop John Valentin made the 10th unassisted triple play in baseball history in the sixth inning and then led off the bottom of the inning with a homer to lead Boston to a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
1997 — Cleveland Indians catcher Sandy Alomar hit a two-run homer to give the American League a 3-1 victory over the National League in the All-Star game. Alomar, the first player to win the All-Star MVP in his own ballpark, broke the tie in the seventh inning off San Francisco’s Shawn Estes.
2000 — Dwight Gooden and Roger Clemens teamed up to shut down the Mets, giving the Yankees identical 4-2 victories in the first double-ballpark doubleheader in the majors since 1903. After the opener, many in the sellout crowd of 54,165 at Shea Stadium immediately headed for Game 2, which drew 55,821 at Yankee Stadium.
2008 — Ryan Braun of Milwaukee hit his 56th home run in his 200th major league game, a 7-3 win over Colorado. Only Mark McGwire and Rudy York (both 59) had hit more in their first 200 games in the majors.
2014 — The Mets record the 4,000th win in franchise history by defeating the Braves 8-3.
2015 — Tampa Bay hits two inside-the park home runs in a 9-7 loss to the Royals. It is the first time the feat has been done since 1997.
2021 — San Diego Padres relief pitcher Daniel Camarena records his first MLB hit, a grand slam, in his second at bat against the Washington Nationals’ Max Scherzer.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
U.S. AH-64 Apache, MH-60 Seahawk Helicopters Sink Six Iranian Boats (Updated)
Earlier today, U.S. Army AH-64 Apache and U.S. Navy MH-60 Seahawk helicopters destroyed six small Iranian boats that were threatening commercial ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz, according to the U.S. military’s top officer in the region. He also confirmed that Iran has launched new attacks aimed at American warships, as well as merchant vessels. All of this comes after the U.S. kicked off a new operation to safeguard commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, dubbed Project Freedom, which you can read more about in our initial reporting here.
“We have an enormous amount of capability and firepower concentrated in and around the strait, including AH-64 Apache and MH-60 Seahawk helicopters used just this morning to eliminate six Iranian small boats threatening commercial shipping. So we’re backing up commitment with action,” Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), told TWZ and other outlets during a press conference today. “We also have A-10s, F-15, F-16, F/A-18, F-35, EA-18 Growlers, RC-135s, KC-46s, and KC-135 fixed-wing aircraft, and numerous U.S. warships, including destroyers, two carrier strike groups, [an] amphibious readiness [sic] group, and [a] Marine Expeditionary Unit.”
“The cruise missiles were going after both U.S. Navy ships, but mostly after commercial shipping,” Cooper added when asked about attacks so far. “We defended both ourselves and, consistent with our commitment, we defended all those commercial ships.”
“We had drone launches against commercial ships, all of which were defended against, consistent with our commitment, and then the small boats were all going against commercial ships, and all were sunk by Apaches and Seahawk helicopters,” he continued.
UPDATE: More Details From Adm. Cooper’s Briefing
- On the scope of Project Freedom:
“We are employing U.S. ballistic missile defense-capable destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms – meaning under the sea, on the sea, and from the air – and then 15,000 service members to extend this defensive umbrella across the Strait of Hormuz to protect our forces and also, as committed, to defend commercial shipping.”
- On international reaction
“Vessels currently in the Arabian Gulf represent 87 countries from around the world. As the president mentioned, they’re merely neutral and innocent bystanders. Over the last 12 hours, we’ve reached out to dozens of ships and shipping companies to encourage traffic flow through the Strait, consistent with the president’s intent, to help guide ships safely through the narrow trade corridor. This news has been quite enthusiastically received, and we’re already beginning to see movement.”
“The President has also said that if the process [Project Freedom] is interfered with, we will react forcefully. And over the last 12 hours, Iran has interfered. The IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] has launched multiple cruise missiles, drones, [and] small boats at ships we are protecting. We have defeated each and every one of those threats through the clinical application of defensive munitions.”
- On whether U.S. warships were hit:
“I can confirm there’s been no U.S. military ship hit, and there’s been no U.S. flagged-ship [sic] that have been hit.”
- On whether these attacks mean the ceasefire is over:
“I wouldn’t go into detail of whether the ceasefire is over or not. I think the key thing for us is we’re merely there as a defensive force and a force to give a very thick layer of defense to commercial shipping to allow them to proceed out of the Arabian Gulf. That’s what we’re focused on. What we saw this morning was Iran initiating aggressive behavior. We are simply going to respond to that consistent with the president’s direction.”
- On whether Project Freedom is protecting ships in port in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which have also come under attack today:
“I don’t want to give the details of what we’re protecting and what we’re not. I wouldn’t want to tip our hand on that. But in the case of the Fujairah attack, I’d really refer to the UAE on that. That’s really a matter under their national jurisdiction and not part of our project operation.”
- On how close the Iranian missiles and drones got to ships:
“I don’t want to get into the specific details of differences. All of the missiles and drones that were fired at both us and the commercial ships were effectively engaged. So that’s the good news. No personnel injuries in that regard, and also in terms of where specifically, the area in the strait was transited, probably not worth getting into details. What I will say is, over the past several weeks, we’ve used low-observable capability to clear that path, and we validated that in multiple ways. And then we took the risk by using U.S. flagships [sic] to go first, setting the example. Since then, we’ve had great communication with industry, as I mentioned, and ships, multiple ships, are already heading that way. So the summation of that is, we used our own military technology in a unique way to clear a free lane that’s not obstructed in any way, shape or form, through the Strait, executed by setting the example of U.S. ships. And over top of all that, we have a US military defensive umbrella.”
- On whether U.S. destroyers transited the Strait today:
“Yes, we have gone through the Strait today. As we sit here right now, we have multiple U.S. Navy guided missile destroyers operating in the Arabian Gulf.”
- On whether U.S. warships are providing escort through the Strait:
“There’s no specific escort. If I just describe this overall, if you’re escorting a ship, you’re playing kind of one-on-one, I think we have a much better defensive arrangement in this process, where we have multiple layers that include ships, helicopters, aircraft, airborne early warning, electronic warfare – we have a much broader defensive package than you would have ever had if you were just escorting. I feel good about that, and it was proven just in the last couple of hours.”
“In terms of mines, I’m not going to talk about specific capabilities. You know, they all have varying degrees of influence. I think the key thing about mines is that we have cleared an effective pathway for ships to lead. At this point, for the first time, there seems to be great enthusiasm to do that, but we’re going to stay in contact with the commercial shipping and support them along the way.”
- On our question about whether Project Freedom is just for getting ships out of the Strait, or whether it is also for getting them into it.
“It will ultimately be a two-way path. The most important thing is in the near-term getting ships out. And then over time, we’ll also, for sure, see ships go in.”
- On our question about what munitions the Apaches and MH-60s used:
“We don’t want to get into the munitions or how we’re doing things tactically. I will just kind of put that off to the side. But the munitions that were used were very effective, and the tactics worked just as described.”
UPDATE: More on AH-64s and MH-60s in the counter-small boat role
Today’s use of AH-64s and MH-60s to engage Iranian small boats as part of a larger effort to ensure access to the Strait of Hormuz highlights a larger contingency plan that the U.S. military has been working to refine for decades now.
The IRGC’s naval arm, in particular, has been a chief example of the threats that small boats pose since the Tanker War sideshow to the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. Armed helicopters, including ones belonging to the U.S. Army’s elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the famed Night Stalkers, were an important part of the American response to threats to commercial shipping at that time.
Small boat threats, and in the context of a Strait of Hormuz crisis, especially, became even more of a focus of U.S. military planning in the early 2000s. Al Qaeda’s attack on the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Cole while it was in port in Aden, Yemen, was one key driver. The fallout from the still-controversial Millennium Challenge war game in 2002 was another very important factor.
All of this impacted the addition of new close-in defense capabilities to existing and forthcoming warships. It also put additional emphasis on the role of armed helicopters, as well as fixed-wing aircraft, in responding to swarms of small boats. The Air Force’s A-10 Warthog ground attack planes have trained extensively to fly counter-small boat missions for the past two decades, for instance.
Army AH-64s and Air Force A-10s had already been conducting missions targeting Iranian naval assets in and around the Strait of Hormuz before the announcement of the ceasefire in April. Navy MH-60s are known to have been flying armed force protection missions as part of Operation Epic Fury against Iran, as well. As an aside, Seahawks also destroyed small boats belonging to Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen as part of previous operations to safeguard commercial shipping in and around the Red Sea.
Armed helicopters remain key assets for defending against swarms of small boats. This is in part because of the added flexibility they offer in terms of their ability to launch from forward bases on land and ships at sea, either of which can also be situated closer to the threat area. This, in turn, can help reduce the time it takes to react and increase time on station. Helicopters’ ability to fly slow and low also allows them to spot, identify, and make rapid attacks on small moving targets. For naval vessels that carry helicopters, arming them with more advanced weaponry to go after small boats means they can provide an on-call outer highly flexible layer of force protection that would not exist otherwise. New munitions, including laser-guided Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) rockets, will only increase their capabilities to engage larger swarms of small boats
Small boats are, of course, not the only threat Iran is already bringing to bear in the Strait of Hormuz. As Adm. Cooper noted in his briefing, Iranian forces have been launching cruise missile and drone attacks on ships in and around this critical waterway. There is also the continued threat of Iranian naval mines, as well as explosive-laden uncrewed surface vessels. Iran has also launched a new round of missile and drone attacks on the United Arab Emirates.
For weeks, TWZ has been pointing out that Iran’s shore-based anti-ship cruise missiles had been largely absent from conflict in the region, and these weapons could play a major part in responding to any American push to reopen the Strait. This now seems to be happening and also underscores a broader point we have been making about the real danger of the regime in Tehran turning the waterway into a super weapons engagement zone. The threat ecosystem also includes air defenses, such as shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, also known as man-portable air defense systems, which present hazards to armed helicopters, as well as fixed-wing aircraft.
All of this only reinforces the general risks that U.S. forces will face as Project Freedom gets further underway, especially if it grows to include more direct escort and/or convoy missions.
UPDATE: Reaction to the Iranian missile and drone barrage
In a phone conversation with ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl, Trump “”stopped short of saying Iran has violated the ceasefire,” Karl stated on X. “Regarding the Iranian drone and missile attacks on UAE today: ‘They were shot down for the most part,’” Trump told Karl. “‘One got through. Not huge damage.’ Regarding the Iranian attack on a South Korean ship: ‘We’re going to look into it. Shots were fired at a South Korean ship, and I think South Korea should take some action. … This was a South Korean ship riding by itself. It was not an escorted ship.’”
Trump said Iran will be “blown off the face of the Earth” if they attack U.S. vessels carrying out Project Freedom.
Trump made the comments during an interview with Fox News‘ Trey Yingst on Monday, adding that he believes Iran has become “much more malleable” in peace negotiations.
The president also emphasized that U.S. military buildup in the region is continuing.
“We have more weapons and ammunition at a much higher grade than we had before,” Trump said. “We have the best equipment. We have stuff all over the world. We have these bases all over the world. They’re all stocked up with equipment. We can use all of that stuff, and we will, if we need it.”
Trump again said that Iran has “no navy, they have no air force, they have no anti-aircraft equipment, they have no readar, they have no nothing, they have no leaders actually…the leaders happen to be gone also.”
UAE air defense systems “engaged 12 ballistic missiles, 3 cruise missiles, and 4 UAV’s launched from Iran, resulting in 3 moderate injuries,” the UAE MoD stated on X. “Since the beginning of the blatant Iranian attacks on the United Arab Emirates, the air defences have engaged a total of 549 ballistic missiles, 29 cruise missiles, and 2,260 UAV’s.”
Qatar “strongly condemns the renewed Iranian attacks targeting civilian sites and facilities in the sisterly United Arab Emirates using missiles and drones, which resulted in injuries to three Indian nationals,” the country’s Foreign Ministry stated on X. “Qatar considers these attacks a blatant violation of the UAE’s sovereignty and a serious threat to the security and stability of the region.”
The U.S. and Israel are “holding feverish consultations on how to respond and assist their loyal ally.” Israel’s Israel Hayom news outlet claimed, citing three sources familiar with the matter.
“The likely options include targeted attacks against launchers and military targets threatening the strait, or a parallel attack on an Iranian energy facility in response to the attack on Fujairah,” the outlet posited.
We cannot independently verify that claim.
Tehran had no prior plan to attack Emirati facilities in Fujairah port, an Iranian official told Iranian media.
“What happened is the result of the American army’s adventure to illegally open a passage for ships to cross from the prohibited passages in the Strait of Hormuz,” the official said.
UPDATE: 5:32 PM EDT –
In the wake of today’s attacks from Iran, UAE has partially closed its airspace for one week, effective today through May 11. Commercial traffic is restricted to narrow corridors through specific waypoints only.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport management has raised the alert level for an attack scenario, which includes a rapid “departure procedure” for international companies, according to Israel’s Channel 14 news outlet.
“Against the backdrop of increasing security tensions and reports of the closure of the airport in the United Arab Emirates today (Monday), Israel is on high alert for the possibility of a widespread escalation,” the outlet added. “As of this time, Ben Gurion Airport continues to operate as usual, but behind the scenes the alert level has been raised to the highest level with the understanding that the schedule could change within minutes.”
Contact the author: joe@twz.com