For the second week in a row, Hawaii Island, also known as the Big Island, faces threats from an intensifying storm.
Published On 22 Aug 202622 Aug 2026
Tropical Storm Moke is grinding towards Hawaii, bringing gusts of wind and heavy rain only a week after the islands faced similar conditions from Hurricane Lala.
On Saturday, Hawaii residents prepared for the latest storm, which is expected to pass south of Hawaii Island, the largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, overnight and into the following morning.
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As of 11am Hawaii Standard Time (21:00 GMT), Moke was located about 684 kilometres, or 425 miles, south of Hilo, a city on the eastern coast of Hawaii Island. It was moving west-northwest at 19km/h (12mph).
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in the United States reported that the storm’s maximum sustained winds were about 85km/h (50mph).
Moke, like Lala, is forecast to spare the Big Island a potentially disastrous direct hit. But the island is still recovering from Lala, a Category 1 storm that spurred heavy flooding and power outages.
At least one person died in last weekend’s storm.
Lala came close enough to Hawaii Island to dump more than 1,000mm (39 inches) of rain in some locations, causing rivers to burst their banks.
High winds also bent tall palm trees and downed electrical lines, forcing nearly 130,000 utility customers to lose power.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green and other state officials have urged people to prepare for Moke by restocking food, medicine and other daily essentials ahead of the storm’s passage.
“It could certainly have a big impact because we’ve already been hit hard,” Green said in a video statement. “We’re pre-positioning all kinds of additional equipment and people. I’ve also authorised 100 rooms, hotel rooms, for people to go to, in case they don’t have enough services or protection, safety.”
Green added that, while power had been restored to most of Hawaii Island after Lala, some remote areas were still experiencing outages. Power is expected to be fully restored by September 8.
After passing Hawaii Island during the night, Moke is projected to continue on a westward path near the islands through early Tuesday, according to Casey Oswant, a meteorologist with the Honolulu office of the US National Weather Service.
“There will still be impacts, especially to the windward and southeast sides of the Big Island, but it will probably be a little bit more limited than what we saw with Lala,” Oswant said.
The National Hurricane Center projects that Moke will bring roughly 130mm to 250mm (5 to 10 inches) of rainfall over the next two days on the southeast and windward sides of the Big Island. Some isolated areas could see as much as 380mm (15 inches).
Eastern Maui, meanwhile, is likely to receive 76mm to 150mm (3 to 6 inches), with smaller amounts of precipitation expected across the rest of the island chain.
Governor Green warned that the heavy rain is unlikely to end with Moke.
“Everyone be very careful,” he said. “This storm will be followed by another storm front about a week later, and we continue to see the impacts of these major weather fronts that have hit Hawaii.”
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Viking Holdings (VIK) delivered another solid quarter, achieving double-digit growth in its key metrics and seeing its itineraries for the remainder of the year nearly fully booked.
“Our second quarter results reflect the continued execution of our long-term strategy and
HOUSTON — Rookie George Klassen gave up one hit in a career-high seven scoreless innings and Josh Lowe homered to lead the Angels to a 3-1 win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.
Klassen (2-1), who was making his fifth career start, also set a career mark by striking out seven. He gave up only a first inning single to Jose Altuve.
Cam Smith hit a solo homer off José Fermin with no outs in the eighth to cut the lead to 3-1. But Ben Joyce pitched a scoreless ninth to get his third save and send the AL West leaders to their third straight loss.
Houston starter Cristian Javier (1-4) gave up five hits and two runs in four innings.
The Angels scored all three of their runs with two out for their second win in three games.
The Angels had runners on first and second with two outs in the third when an RBI single by Nolan Schanuel made it 1-0.
Lowe extended the lead to 2-0 with his shot to the seats in left field with two out in the fourth.
The Angels got things going again with two out in the fifth when Schanuel singled to right field. Zach Neto followed with an RBI double that left them up 3-0.
Isaac Paredes walked with two out in the first before Altuve’s single, but Klassen struck out Daulton Varsho to end the inning. The Astros didn’t have another baserunner until Paredes walked to start the fourth. Klassen walked Altuve with none out in the seventh, but retired the next three batters, with two strikeouts, to end his night.
Walbert Ureña gave up two hits in six innings, Mike Trout and Denzer Guzman led a 15-hit outburst with three singles and an RBI apiece, and the Angels beat the Texas Rangers 7-0 on Thursday night.
Josh Lowe added two hits and two RBIs, and Adam Frazier had two hits and an RBI for the Angels, who extended their win streak to three and had at least 10 hits in a game for the first time since July 8.
Ureña (8-8) struck out five and walked two while lowering his ERA to 2.67. The rookie right-hander has a 2.43 ERA in 18 games since May 1 and has given up no more than one run in 13 of those starts. José Fermin, Tayler Saucedo and Sammy Peralta each threw a scoreless inning to complete the five-hitter.
Rangers starter Jacob deGrom, who has been battling a left hip and glute injury since the All-Star break, was pulled after two innings because of right triceps fatigue.
The 38-year-old right-hander escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the first but gave up two runs and five hits during a 32-pitch second — the first time deGrom (8-8) gave up five hits in an inning since Sept. 5, 2017, with the New York Mets.
Guzman sparked the Angels’ second-inning rally with a single. He went to third on Lowe’s double and scored on Frazier’s one-out single. Lowe tried to score from second on Frazier’s hit but was thrown out by left fielder Wyatt Langford. Wade Meckler singled and Trout hit an RBI single for a 2-0 lead.
The Angels broke open the game with four runs and six hits off Texas left-hander Jordan Montgomery in the fifth.
Singles by Trout, Nolan Schanuel and Vaughn Grissom loaded the bases. Guzman drove in a run with an infield single, Lowe hit a two-run single and Jose Siri’s RBI groundout made it 6-0. Siri added an RBI single in the seventh.
SACRAMENTO — As the campaign for California governor heads into the general election, Democrat Xavier Becerra maintains a strong lead over Republican Steve Hilton, according to a new poll from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times.
Buoyed by the state’s liberal voting base, Becerra had support from 55% of likely voters surveyed — compared with Hilton’s 37%. The remaining 7% were undecided.
Like in a previous IGS poll conducted in late May, support for each candidate falls overwhelmingly along partisan lines: 88% of Democrats prefer Becerra and 91% of Republicans plan to back Hilton. No-party-preference voters also lean heavily toward Becerra, a former Biden administration Cabinet member, 58% to Hilton’s 30%.
The two will face off in the Nov. 3 general election to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is barred from running again and considering a 2028 bid for president. Becerra, whose resume includes stints as U.S. Health and Human Services secretary and state attorney general, is heavily favored to win the seat over Hilton, a former Fox News host who advised a prime minister in his native Britain.
“After the unsettled and chaotic primary, this is shaping up to be a fairly standard California general election, where Democrats enjoy a comfortable edge statewide,” said Eric Schickler, a political science professor and IGS co-director. “Hilton would need to make major inroads among traditionally Democratic-leaning groups to make this a highly competitive race.”
According to the poll, majorities of voters across age, gender and racial categories prefer Becerra — with particularly strong support among women, younger voters and Black Californians.
Becerra emerged from the primary ahead of more progressive opponents, including billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, and quickly earned the backing of their onetime supporters, said IGS Poll Director Mark DiCamillo.
“These are people who say, ‘I identify as a progressive.’ ‘I identify as a democratic socialist.’ They’re overwhelmingly for Becerra, and it’s mainly because they really don’t think very much of the Republicans as a party. It’s not so much about Hilton himself,” DiCamillo said.
Regionally, the poll found voters in Los Angeles and San Diego counties, along with the Bay Area and Central Coast, prefer Becerra. Hilton leads in the state’s more sparsely populated and conservative-leaning areas, including the Central Valley and North Coast/Sierra region.
Politically purple Orange County and the economically stressed Inland Empire are more closely divided but lean toward Hilton.
When asked why they support each candidate, voters largely cited conventional partisan issues.
More than half of Hilton backers, 55%, pointed to his support for traditionally Republican policies such as cutting taxes and reducing government regulation. It was followed by 28% who said they prefer Hilton because he is not part of California’s political establishment.
Hilton’s platform includes making Californians’ first $150,000 in annual earnings tax-free, slashing government regulations and ramping up oil production in hopes of achieving $3-per-gallon gas prices.
“Those are the benefits, but the underlying mission that I’ve set [for] myself as the next governor is to transform our business climate to make California competitive again, so that we do get the investment and the job creation and start to turn things around. I think it’s an absolute crisis that we’re in if we don’t change direction,” Hilton said Tuesday during a political conference in Sacramento.
Becerra supporters were evenly divided over their top reasons for supporting him; 38% cited his support for Democratic policies such as expanding healthcare and protecting LGBTQ+ rights, while another 38% expect him to aggressively fight the Trump administration.
The poll suggests that, in California, President Trump factors more heavily into Democratic voters’ political decisions than Republicans’.
“One of the reasons Becerra is doing so well is because of his opposition to Trump,” DiCamillo said. “For Hilton supporters, not so much. His endorsement by the president is only cited by 4% as a reason why they’re supporting Hilton.”
The former Health secretary has an extensive plan to lower healthcare costs and frequently touts the more than 120 lawsuits he filed as California attorney general against the first Trump administration. At the Tuesday political event hosted by Politico, Becerra said, “California will become the backstop for healthcare” after Trump signed a tax bill with steep cuts to Medicaid.
To prevent an estimated 2 million people from losing their health insurance because of the cuts and rising premiums, Becerra pitched a deal directly to insurance companies: “I will ensure people stay covered. You ensure that you help me reduce the cost. I ensure that you get paid.”
Thirteen percent said they’re supporting Becerra because he is a Democrat and 7% said the same about Hilton’s Republican affiliation.
Just 4% of Latino respondents and 1% of the total sample of likely voters said they would vote for Becerra because he is a Latino candidate and a child of immigrants.
Each candidate saw a small bump in support since the May poll, which asked registered voters just before the primary election to pick between them in a then-hypothetical matchup. In that survey, 52% chose Becerra and 31% supported Hilton.
Just under half of voters, 49%, have a favorable opinion of Becerra while 43% have an unfavorable view. Hilton’s favorability rating is underwater, with 39% of likely voters viewing him favorably and 50% unfavorably.
The numbers present a challenge for Hilton, who is trying to overcome the state’s pronounced Democratic tilt by appealing to independent voters frustrated with issues such as homelessness and California’s high cost of living.
“That might, for him, be the swing block,” DiCamillo said. “But among no-party-preference voters, his image rating is negative, 59% to 31%, whereas Becerra’s image rating is pretty much the same as it is statewide, which is positive.”
The poll was conducted online in English and Spanish from Aug. 3 to 9. Responses for the governor’s race poll came from a weighted sample of 2,310 respondents considered likely voters in the November election, out of a larger group of 4,207 registered voters throughout California. It has a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points in either direction.
MINNEAPOLIS — Rae Burrell scored 17 points, and Erica Wheeler had four in a game-ending 8-0 run and the Sparks ended Minnesota’s 10-game winning streak, beating the WNBA-leading Lynx 89-82 on Thursday night.
Kayla McBride hit a three-pointer to give Minnesota (25-7) an 82-81 lead, but the Lynx missed their final seven shots and went scoreless over the final 4:53.
Nneka Ogwumike had a go-ahead layup, Wheeler hit a pull-up 10-footer, and Monique Akoa Makani and Wheeler had the final two baskets in the late run for the Sparks (12-18). The Sparks beat the Lynx for the first time in three tries this season.
Dearica Hamby had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Sparks, and Ogwumike had 16 points and seven rebounds. Wheeler had 12 points and nine assists, and Cameron Brink had 12 points.
Rookie Olivia Miles finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Lynx. Napheesa Collier had 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Minnesota led by 11 points in the first quarter before settling for a 22-21 advantage. The Lynx used an 11-0 second-quarter run to lead 48-40 at the break.
Up next for the Sparks: vs. Golden State at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night.
The largest North American and European banks posted double-digit gains as higher-for-longer inflation looms.
All the biggest North American and European banks expect full-year 2026 profits to meet or exceed projections, as AI spending and a surge in market and investment banking activity fueled second-quarter profits.
With drama surrounding AI disruption in the tech sector and gyrations in the commodities markets tied to the war in the Middle East, trading volumes have been robust all year, including the first month of the third quarter.
Christopher Marinac, a banking analyst at Brean Capital, said a steepening Treasury yield curve is allowing banks to improve spreads on loans and securities.
“The way banks are pricing loans is just stable to slightly better, and that is bullish for net [income],” Marinac told Global Finance. “That is the sort of positive undertone.”
The earnings underscored that optimism. Industry leader JPMorgan Chase reported a 41% increase in second-quarter net income, while investment banking giants Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley posted gains of 84% and 57.7%, respectively. Bank of America’s profit rose 27%, Citigroup’s 45%, and Wells Fargo’s 16.6%. Canadian giant Royal Bank of Canada rose 25%. European banks also delivered strong results, led by UBS with a huge 134% increase; Santander jumped 17%; Barclays added 15.3%; and Deutsche Bank gained 10%.
Inflation remains a threat to growth, and investor jitters about shifts in tech spending away from more traditional software names have fed stock market volatility, along with the latest Fed moves.
But for now, banks are doing extremely well, with mega IPOs such as Anthropic and OpenAI potentially on deck, following the record $75 billion SpaceX IPO and an $85 billion capital raise for Alphabet, which boosted investment-banking fees in the second quarter.
The regulatory environment remains relatively friendly, and larger M&A deals continue to occur, including the $10 billion acquisition of Crinetics Pharmaceuticals by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, announced on July 10.
The performance so far bodes well for 2026 bonuses, given a strong first half of the year.
During second-quarter calls with Wall Street analysts, JPMorgan Chase raised its net interest income outlook for the year, while Deutsche Bank said it will meet or exceed its net interest income outlook, and Bank of America projected 2026 net income growth at the upper end of its 6% to 8% range.
Barclays raised its 2026 profit forecast to £31.5 billion ($42 billion) from £31 billion and said it still expects to meet its full-year performance goals.
UBS Group CFO Todd Tuckner said he’s “confident” the bank will exceed its 2026 targets, with a formal update expected later this year. He added that the bank is “well-positioned” to outperform its exit-rate return target despite market uncertainty around inflation and interest rates.
Santander, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Royal Bank of Canada kept their guidance unchanged but signaled stronger earnings ahead.
“Not everybody is giving the increase of guidance, but I think there’s higher conviction in the existing guidance for those who did comment,” Brean Capital’s Marinac said.
Looking ahead, the big banks are still optimistic about AI, both to improve internal efficiency and deal-making.
Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said AI investments are feeding capital needs for infrastructure, energy and data centers — not just core technology.
“This is creating significant opportunities for Goldman Sachs to provide structuring, financing, risk management, and capital markets execution across both public and private markets,” Solomon said.
Deutsche Bank Group Treasurer Richard Stewart said private pension reforms are creating a positive opportunity for Germany’s largest bank, alongside AI, “which is evolving even faster than we expected.”
Banking analyst Marinac said he expects European banks to benefit from the need to increase military and domestic spending.
“As everybody looks a little bit more inward, that’s probably good for business from a bank’s standpoint,” he said.
Along with favorable conditions in the bond market, another earnings tailwind for banks has come from headcount reductions and productivity gains.
Citigroup cut 5,000 jobs in the second quarter, bringing its total headcount down to 219,000. Wells Fargo reduced its headcount by 3,500 to 197,000, and UBS eliminated 2,500 positions, bringing its total headcount to under 100,000.
Analysts asked banks such as Wells Fargo how AI is shaping the job picture as technology advances.
Wells Fargo CFO Mike Santomassimo said the bank has “a lot of room to grow” to improve efficiency. But it also continues to hire branch bankers, investment advisors, commercial banking relationship managers, investment bankers, and traders.
“Certainly, technology and AI help us get at aspects of that in a different way or faster than maybe in the past,” Santomassimo said. “We expect that we’ll continue to see more efficiency from here.”
One key metric for banks’ future performance is employment levels, which have been robust in the U.S. As long as people keep working and paying their bills and business activity keeps up, credit quality will remain healthy, and the big banks will prosper as the year plays out, market observers said.
Steve Gelsi is a contributing writer based in the U.S.
The Sparks are starting over again.
After trading All-Star guard Kelsey Plum to Phoenix ahead of Sunday’s WNBA trade deadline, the Sparks are back to the drawing board mere months after declaring themselves a contender this season. In adding guard Monique Akoa Makani and first-and-second-round picks in the 2027 draft, the Sparks have a foundation to start building on young talent.
People with knowledge of Plum’s thinking confirmed to the The Times last week that she didn’t intend to re-sign with the Sparks in the offseason, forcing them to move on from her expiring contract and get as much value as possible to build from the ground up — again.
It’s no surprise the Sparks decided to blow it up two weeks after firing general manager Raegan Pebley, who had told The Times that she intended to keep the Sparks in contention through the trade deadline.
The Mercury’s Monique Akoa Makani handles the ball in front of the Liberty’s Pauline Astier at Mortgage Matchup Center on Saturday in Phoenix.
(Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
The return the Sparks got for Plum on an expiring contract is as good as they could have hoped for — a starting quality player and a first-round pick that might end up a lottery pick if the Mercury don’t make the playoffs.
The Sparks traded the No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft to Seattle, who turned that selection into All-Star center Dominique Malonga, to acquire Plum in the 2025 offseason to try to end their rebuild. They finished two games outside the postseason last season and have struggled this year with Plum’s injury and a league-worst defense.
How soon the Sparks can attempt to contend again might depend on this year. If they get a high enough draft pick to take JuJu Watkins, should she choose to leave USC, they can build around her. If not, they are back in the same spot as 2025 when they got the second overall pick and missed out on the Paige Bueckers sweepstakes.
Watkins may choose to stay at USC another season, which would give the Sparks a second chance at her in the lottery if they aren’t back on their feet yet.
Since the Sparks will all but certainly miss the playoffs this season, they will have two lottery picks, giving them a chance to add some rookie-scale contracts to a roster filled with veteran deals. They have two players in Dearica Hamby and Ariel Atkins who are owed more than $1 million per season over the next two years, and Erica Wheeler is on the books for $625,000 next season.
They have young center Cameron Brink, the No. 2 overall pick in 2024, to build around. Despite rumors earlier this season, the Sparks decided not to trade Brink and are instead building around her. Pending restricted free agent Rae Burrell has had her best season in the WNBA this year, and if the Sparks don’t move on from her, she can be another key piece in the next version of the team.
Those two and former No. 4 pick Rickea Jackson were supposed to be a part of the next wave for the Sparks, but they traded Jackson to Chicago for Atkins this offseason in what now appears to be an ill-conceived attempt at winning this year.
Akoa Makani will also slot in as a starter right away for the Sparks at 25 years old. Last season with a Phoenix squad that made it to the WNBA Finals, she started 11 playoff games. She is also under team control until 2027 when she will become a reserved free agent.
Sparks forward Cameron Brink is pressured by Fever guard Lexie Hull on May 13 at Crypto.com Arena.
(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
Akoa Makani will be one of the better defenders on the Sparks’ roster and is a career 41% three-point shooter. In her 16 games this season, she is averaging 9.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals.
Phoenix’s first-round 2027 draft pick the Sparks acquired will most likely be the seventh overall, with a small chance at being first or second because of the WNBA’s two-year lottery odds format. Seventh picks in recent years have included Angel Reese, Aneesah Morrow and Veronica Burton.
The Sparks will be projected to pick around sixth without some extreme lottery luck, but even those two picks will make a big difference for a team with just one lottery pick (Brink) from the past six years of rebuilding.
Aside from Watkins at the top of the draft, Louisiana State guard MiLaysia Fulwiley, South Carolina forward Ashlyn Watkins, Kentucky center Clara Strack and LSU guard Mikaylah Williams will be viable young players.
With Plum off the books and expiring contracts for Nneka Ogwumike and Emma Cannon next season, the Sparks will have cap room to work with even with the hefty contracts at the top of their cap.
If they create a core of young players around Brink, Burrell and Akoa Makani, they will have another chance to get a rebuild right.
NEW YORK — Dodgers reliever Will Klein had just induced the Mets’ Marcus Semien to whiff on a high fastball. So, he went there again, a little further inside. But Semien got a hold of it for a three-run home run that put the game thoroughly out of reach.
The Dodgers ended an impressive road trip on a sour note with the 8-3 loss to the New York Mets.
They went 6-3 on their East Coast swing and won series against the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Mets.
“It’s great,” manager Dave Roberts said Saturday night. “It seems like we’ve been on the road a long time, but the travel has been nice as far as staying in this time zone. We’re finding ways to win. So that’s the main thing. That’s the object of the game.”
The Dodgers’ All-Stars, as well as Roberts and his coaching staff, left for Philadelphia two weeks ago. The rest of the team met them in New York for three games against the Yankees. Then they traveled to Philadelphia for a three-game set, took a detour to Washington to visit the White House before returning to New York.
“It’s been a long road trip — especially for the guys who went to Philly for the All-Star Game,” right fielder Kyle Tucker said. “Being able to come out of the break and play some really good teams and put together really competitive at-bats and great innings from our pitching staff is huge. Some of the guys are kind of grinding in terms of how long they’ve been away from L.A. It’s kind of part of it. You’ve got to come out and play regardless and they’ve done a great job of that.”
Even so, the Dodgers (67-39) played cleaner baseball on this extended road trip — a couple baserunning mistakes aside — than they did in the homestand before the break.
Maybe the Dodgers just needed time off to reset.
Against the Mets (44-62) on Sunday, the first couple innings didn’t look promising. After Shohei Ohtani led with a double and Max Muncy drew a two-out walk, both were left stranded.
A.J. Ewing’s lead-off double against Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan, however, almost immediately led to a run. Francisco Lindor then sent a low changeup into shallow right field for an RBI single.
The Dodgers’ three-up, three-down second inning ended when Teoscar Hernández tried to stretch a single into a double and ran into an out. Then, Sheehan hit Tyrone Taylor with a pitch to start the bottom half of the inning.
Sheehan retired the next three batters as the Dodgers started to take control. They pulled into the lead with a two-run third inning, powered by doubles from Eliézer Alfonzo — his second double in as many appearances — and Freddie Freeman.
The Dodgers manufactured another run the next inning with a pair of singles, an error by Mets first baseman Jared Young, and a run-scoring double play.
As the Dodgers bullpen took over in the sixth, however, the game slipped away. Jack Dreyer walked two batters and recorded just one out in the sixth inning before Roberts replaced him with Evan Phillips.
In a 1-1 count, Phillips threw a sinker on the inside edge of the strike zone, and Taylor lifted it into the left-field stands for a go-ahead three-run homer. Phillips, who last week talked about rewiring his rehab mindset, has already surrendered four home runs in just seven outings.
A run-scoring passed ball from Dalton Rushing and Semien’s three-run blast in the seventh ultimately sealed the win for the Mets.
Hao-Yu Lee lined a two-run double with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Detroit Tigers over the Angels 2-1 on Friday night.
Detroit reliever Keider Montero (6-5) struck out five in 3⅓ scoreless innings to earn the win, getting Denzer Guzman to ground out with runners on second and third to end the game.
Tigers third baseman Kevin McGonigle preserved the lead when he leaped to grab Oswald Peraza’s high chopper behind the bag with two on and made a long throw to first for the second out of the ninth.
Angels reliever Kirby Yates (0-5) hit a batter with a pitch to open the top of the ninth, walked another with one out and got Kerry Carpenter to fly to shallow left field for the second out. But the right-hander couldn’t put away Lee, whose clutch hit gave Detroit (45-52) its 10th win in 13 games.
Angels starter Reid Detmers, a top target of contenders looking to acquire a starter before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, gave up four hits, struck out seven and walked none in six shutout innings, effectively mixing his 95-mph fastball with an 86-mph slider and 72-mph slow curve.
Ryan Zeferjahn retired the side in order in the seventh, and Sam Bachman struck out three of four batters in a scoreless eighth for the Angels, who have lost 11 of 13.
Tigers starter Troy Melton, a 25-year-old right-hander who attended nearby Anaheim Canyon High School, gave up one run and four hits in 5⅔ innings. He struck out nine and walked four in his first appearance at Angel Stadium.
Zach Neto‘s leadoff single and two walks loaded the bases for the Angels (38-60) in the first inning, and Josh Lowe drove in Neto with a grounder to second.
Before the game, the Angels announced they signed first-round draft pick Jared Grindlinger, a two-way standout from nearby Huntington Beach High School who will start his pro career as an outfielder.
Up next: Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal (5-5, 3.09 ERA) will oppose Angels RHP Grayson Rodriguez (3-2, 7.55) on Saturday night.
Fed hike risk could test stocks despite strong earnings outlook, Goldman Sachs says
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Reporting from Manila — The contrast was inescapable. At the top of a local newspaper’s front page here was a huge photo of the new Canadian prime minister, in a trim suit and wind blowing through his hair, captioned “ladies’ choice.” Next to him was a workmanlike headline over a separate story: “Obama to give PH two warships.”
President Obama, once a glamorous figure among world leaders, has been replaced as the “It Boy” of the summit circuit by Canada’s newly elected Justin Trudeau, as heads of state meet up this week in Turkey, the Philippines and Malaysia.
Though Obama came to Manila for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit with a new financial commitment to bolster the Philippine maritime fleet, the nation’s hearts and minds seemed won over by the 43-year-old Canadian, who lighted up Twitter with the designation #APECHottie.
NEWSLETTER: Get the day’s top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >>
If there was any resentment on the part of a president whose hair is more salt than pepper these days, it didn’t show as he and Trudeau sat down here for their first official meeting.
Obama warned him: “If you don’t want to gray like me, you need to start dyeing it soon.”
“So young and yet so cynical,” Trudeau joked in response.
Though Trudeau’s global image as a hip, next-generation leader mirrors Obama’s of seven years ago, Trudeau’s views on some of Obama’s biggest policy priorities provide a more sobering contrast.
Trudeau has been ambivalent on the massive Pacific trade deal Obama is pushing, and he reiterated to Obama on Thursday that he planned to follow through on his campaign pledge to end Canada’s part in the air campaign against Islamic State — though his nation will ramp up efforts to train local fighters in Iraq and Syria.
“Canada continues to be a strong player, doing its part – and more than its part,” Trudeau said.
Differences in viewpoint between two North American leaders is familiar. Canadian leaders have long tried to show independence from the United States in matters of foreign policy. Trudeau’s father, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, was one of the first Western leaders to embrace communist China and grew so close to Fidel Castro that the Cuban leader served as an honorary pallbearer at his funeral.
“Canada and the U.S. have not always seen eye-to-eye when there’s a Liberal government in power, something that stems from Trudeau’s own party and parentage,” said Antonia Maioni, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal who researches and writes about the Canadian political process and social policy. “It stems from the Canadian attitude that emerged under Pierre Trudeau that was about Canada finding its own way in international relations and not just being part of the U.S. orbit.”
But in the budding relationship between Obama and the younger Trudeau, there may be potential for collaboration, given the youth-oriented campaign that Trudeau ran – Obama noted the similarity to his own “hope and change” message – and their shared affinity for progressive social policies, especially on climate change.
Given that common ground, said Maioni, Trudeau may eventually drift more closely toward Obama’s point of view on national security and trade, too.
“A lot of people in Trudeau’s inner circle were inspired by and have taken advice from people around Obama,” she said. “That may open a conversation that would allow for change.”
Obama and Trudeau on Thursday began to explore an area in which they may be able make progress together – the fight against climate change.
Obama’s recent announcement to reject a Canadian company’s request to build the controversial Keystone XL pipeline that would have carried crude oil from Alberta to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries was fortunate for Trudeau, said James Coleman, a legal scholar at the University of Calgary who studies environmental and energy regulation. Even though Trudeau was in favor of the pipeline, he is helped by the timing of the debate over it, which came during the tenure of his predecessor, the Conservative Party’s Stephen Harper.
“Given that President Obama was going to reject the pipeline, sooner was better for him,” said Coleman. “Because now it will be easier for him to pin it on Harper.”
Added Coleman: “It’s not hard to predict a little more friendliness between Obama and Trudeau than there was between Obama and Harper.”
Trudeau, whose graduate studies were in environmental science, emphasized the similarities in his and Obama’s climate doctrines. He noted that Canadians feel that their government hasn’t done enough to protect the environment, and he vowed to set and meet tough targets for carbon reduction.
Obama echoed the sentiment, arguing that transition from fossil fuels “does not happen overnight,” especially by nations that produce and consume a lot of oil and gas. Seated next to Trudeau, the father of three young children, Obama also made an argument about parenthood.
“If we want to preserve this planet for our kids and grandkids, then we’re going to have to shift increasingly away from carbon-emitting energy sources,” Obama said.
“This is going to be a messy, bumpy process worldwide,” he said, “but I am confident that we can get it done.”
Memoli reported from Manila and Parsons from Washington.
For more White House coverage, follow @mikememoli and @cparsons
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SAN FRANCISCO — He needed one shot to warm up. Then almost nothing could stop Cameron Carr.
In his unofficial NBA debut, the first-round draft pick flashed the type of three-point shooting that could turn him into a valuable player for the Lakers, scoring 19 points on seven-of-15 shooting in the Lakers’ 104-72 summer league loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Carr missed his first shot, a nearly straight-away three-pointer. But he bounced back quickly by hitting a catch-and-shoot three from the wing on an offensive rebound. He knocked down the next one. He held his thumb and forefinger in a circle over his eye in celebration.
The Lakers spent the first days of free agency addressing their shooting deficiencies. While Luke Kennard signed a two-year contract with Phoenix, the Lakers reloaded with guards Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton and versatile power forward Sandro Mamukelashvili. The three free-agent additions came in a flurry Wednesday after the Lakers pulled off an aggressive sign-and-trade for center Walker Kessler.
The moves were meant to reshape the roster to maximize superstar Luka Doncic, who will take the reins with the departure of LeBron James.
After leading the offense at Baylor, Carr knows his assignment supporting Doncic with the Lakers will be simpler: cut, run and dunk, he said at his introductory news conference.
And, for the guard who shot 37.4% from three at Baylor last year, his job is to knock down shots.
“If you can shoot the ball,” Carr said with a slight smile in New York the day before the draft, “you’re wanted by a lot of people.”
The Lakers wanted the 6-foot-5 guard so badly that they executed a draft-day trade with the New York Knicks to grab the 24th overall pick. Carr was projected to be a mid first-round pick, but slipped down the board in what many projected to be the deepest draft in a generation.
Lakers rookie Cameron Carr shoots a three-pointer over Golden State’s Lachlan Olbrich during the first half of the California Classic on Friday.
(Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
Any of the top three picks of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Carlos Boozer could have been No. 1 picks in other seasons, analysts predicted. Eleven guards were taken before Carr, who was named third-team All-Big-12 last year after averaging 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists with 45 total blocks at Baylor last year.
But ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla estimated that Carr could be the best athlete out of the entire draft.
His 7-foot wingspan was the best among guards at the NBA combine and his 38-inch standing vertical and 10.46-second lane agility test ranked first for his position.
Carr said his top objective is to put on weight. Weighing 184 pounds at the NBA combine, Carr would have been the third-lightest, 6-5 player in the league last year, ahead of only Sacramento’s Nique Clifford (6-5, 175 pounds) and Dallas’ AJ Johnson (6-5, 160 pounds). He may be joining the Lakers at the exact right moment as the team — with the investment and guidance from big brother organization the Dodgers — will expand weight room, treatment and sports science resources in its facility. The 21-year-old guard said he plans to make the weight room his new home.
Building up his strength to handle the NBA will be critical for Carr as he hopes to show “that I’m the best defender here,” he told reporters. Adding another defender became even more important after guard Marcus Smart signed a contract with Western Conference rival Houston.
The Lakers, after trading Deandre Ayton on Friday for guard Jaden Hardy and two second-round draft picks, could still look for a wing defender and back up center to round out their roster that currently stands at 13.
The Lakers re-signed guard Chris Mañon to a two-way contract, the Lakers announced. The second-year guard appeared in nine games for the Lakers last year and also played in 33 G League games for the South Bay Lakers, averaging 10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists. With a team-high 1.9 steals per game, Mañon was named to the G League all-defensive team and finished second in defensive player of the year voting.
Chinese stocks advanced after fresh manufacturing data pointed to sustained factory expansion and President Xi Jinping reaffirmed his commitment to promoting high-quality economic development. The upbeat market reaction reflected growing optimism over the resilience of China’s industrial sector and the continued strength of technology and innovation-driven industries.
However, investor sentiment remains tempered by concerns over uneven economic growth, with persistent weakness in consumer confidence, the labour market and the property sector continuing to weigh on the broader recovery.
China’s manufacturing sector expanded for a seventh consecutive month, marking its strongest quarterly performance since late 2020. The data reinforced expectations that industrial production remains a key pillar of economic growth despite ongoing challenges in other parts of the economy.
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The stronger-than-expected factory activity provided investors with reassurance that export-oriented manufacturing and industrial output continue to support China’s recovery.
President Xi Jinping renewed his pledge to pursue high-quality development, signalling that Beijing remains committed to an economic strategy centred on technological innovation, industrial upgrading and sustainable long-term growth.
The remarks reinforced expectations that policymakers will continue prioritising advanced manufacturing, strategic industries and innovation rather than relying solely on traditional stimulus measures to support the economy.
Technology-related stocks led gains as investors increased exposure to sectors expected to benefit from China’s industrial and technological ambitions. Chipmaking equipment, biotechnology and software companies posted strong advances, reflecting continued confidence in industries viewed as central to China’s long-term economic transformation.
The rally highlights investors’ preference for sectors with stronger earnings potential and policy support.
Alongside technology stocks, gains also spread to agriculture and property-related shares, suggesting investor optimism is gradually broadening beyond high-growth industries.
Although these sectors continue to face structural challenges, their recovery indicates improving market sentiment and expectations that policy support could help stabilise weaker areas of the economy.
Despite encouraging manufacturing data, investors remain cautious about China’s broader economic outlook. Consumer spending continues to be constrained by weak confidence, labour market pressures and the prolonged downturn in the property sector, creating an uneven recovery across different parts of the economy.
The divergence between strong industrial performance and softer domestic demand continues to shape investment strategies and policy expectations.
Chinese markets are likely to remain supported by resilient manufacturing activity, continued policy backing for innovation and expectations of further measures to sustain economic growth. However, the durability of the rally will depend on whether improvements in industrial production translate into stronger domestic consumption and broader economic recovery.
Investors will closely monitor upcoming economic data and government policy announcements for signs that Beijing can address persistent weaknesses in the property market, employment and consumer confidence while maintaining momentum in high-value manufacturing and technology sectors.
With information from Reuters.
Prosus delivers strong FY26 results: Ecosystem profits soar 84% as free cash flow hits record $1.5B
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Denzer Guzman hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the seventh inning Saturday night that sent the Angels to a 5-2 victory over the Athletics.
The Angels tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth on RBI singles by Oswald Peraza and Logan O’Hoppe.
Angels reliever Ryan Zeferjahn (4-3) struck out two in a scoreless seventh to earn the win and increase his hitless streak to 10 innings, with 19 strikeouts, over his last nine appearances.
Kirby Yates threw a 1-2-3 ninth for his 100th career save and second this season.
Josh Lowe sparked the go-ahead rally with a one-out single off left-hander Geoff Hartlieb (0-1) in the seventh. Lowe stole second and scored for a 3-2 lead when Guzman hit a hard grounder down the line that third baseman Max Muncy couldn’t get his glove on.
Angels right-hander Sam Bachman escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the eighth when he struck out pinch-hitter Carlos Cortes with a 100-mph sinker and got Muncy to fly out.
Angels starter Reid Detmers gave up two runs and four hits in 5⅔ innings, striking out eight and walking three. The left-hander increased his strikeout total to 112, third-most in the majors behind Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski (146) and Toronto right-hander Dylan Cease (128).
A’s starter Jack Perkins gave up two runs and four hits in five innings, striking out five and walking one.
The A’s took a 1-0 lead in the second when Jonah Heim crushed a first-pitch fastball that Detmers left over the heart of the plate. Heim sent a 109-mph drive 445 feet over the left-center field wall for his seventh homer.
The Angels countered with two runs in the fourth, a rally that began with Nolan Schanuel’s walk and Jorge Soler’s single. Wade Meckler struck out, but Jo Adell ripped a two-run triple into the left-field corner for a 2-1 lead.
The A’s tied it in the sixth when Nick Kurtz singled, Lawrence Butler walked and Colby Thomas lined a two-out RBI single to left.
The A’s, already playing without injured shortstop Jacob Wilson and second baseman Zach Gelof, lost Tyler Soderstrom when the left fielder was pulled in the third inning because of left hip soreness.
Betfred Super League
Bradford (10) 10
Tries: Steinwede Goals: Atkin, Hooley 2
St Helens (12) 40
Tries: Douglas, Sironen, Welsby 2, Shorrocks, Hastings Goals: Hastings 8
St Helens strongly came through an attritional contest with Bradford Bulls to move back up to fourth in Super League.
They were quickly 10-2 behind after a Phoenix Steinwede try, but from there the visitors fought back to take control.
Jacob Douglas and Curtis Sironen tries had them in front by half-time, but they dominated after the restart with 28 unanswered points and further scores from Jack Welsby (2), Joe Shorrocks and Jackson Hastings, who had a 20-point haul with eight kicks too.
The victory took Saints up two places in the table, level again with Wigan Warriors but with an inferior points difference.
Having faded after a good start, this was a third straight defeat for Bradford, who stay 11th in their first year back at this level.
This was Saints’ first visit to Odsal since 2014 and the home side responded to the sight of one of the great names of rugby league being back at this famous old ground.
It made for a very physical start following a hard-fought game at the Brewdog Stadium in March.
Hastings kicked an early goal for Saints, before Shane Wright was yellow-carded for a late hit on Chris Atkin.
With the Australian forward off for 10 minutes, Bradford scored 10 unanswered points, highlighted by Steinwede’s hard run into the line and a smart sidestep taking him over the line.
But that was the high point for the Bulls as the visitors turned the scoreline around with two tries in the space of seven minutes.
Winger Douglas finished well in the left corner to mark his debut with a try, coming in with injuries leaving a big hole in the backline.
Then second-rower Sironen, on his 100th St Helens appearance, proved unstoppable from close range as Paul Rowley’s side went in ahead at the break.
That advantage was extended within a few minutes of the restart as Welsby got his hand down to Hastings’ grubber kick before the ball went dead.
Shorrocks took advantage when his own little kick bounced up kindly to dive over. Hastings then grabbed a try of his own after Harry Robertson had parried down the Australian’s chipped kick to move the lead out to 20 points and effectively seal the success.
Welsby got his second and St Helens’ sixth try, but the match ended on a worrying note after a very serious-looking injury for Bradford forward Will Gardiner, who needed treatment on the field from both sets of medical teams before he was carried off on a stretcher.
Back-to-back major earthquakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 rocked Venezuela on Wednesday evening. The quakes are likely to cause widespread damage and mass casualties, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Image courtesy of UPI
June 24 (UPI) — Two major earthquakes — magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 — hit near the Venezuela capital of Caracas on Wednesday evening, collapsing buildings and bringing people flooding into the streets.
The first quake hit at 6:04 p.m. local time, BBC News reported, with the second less than a minute later. June 24 is a holiday in Venezuela, and more people than usual were at home instead of on an evening commute.
The earthquakes’ center was about 17 miles northwest of Montalbán, home to some of the country’s largest refineries, CNN said.
The U.S. Geological Survey has reported that high casualties and widespread damage are likely, saying that there is a 44% chance that fatalities will exceed 10,000 and a 30% chance that they will exceed 100,000. The USGS said aftershocks may still occur.
Venezuela’s interior minister has asked people to leave their homes, citing damaged buildings and concerns about gas leaks. Companies cut gas lines to some areas as a precaution, Minister Diosdado Cabello said, BBC News reported.
The Ministry of Communication and Information in Venezuela said security forces have been deployed around the country because of the risk of building collapses.
Armagh made a storming start in Killarney with Joe McElroy going close to an early goal, but his shot landed the wrong side of the post.
Paul Geaney got the first point of the game for the hosts, but Armagh’s incisive play paid dividends as they rattled off the next four scores to move ahead.
They were soon pegged back however, through a combination of their own wastefulness and some David Clifford brilliance.
The Orchard County hit four wides in a row before Kerry and David Clifford, who had been quiet up until the 12-minute mark, sparked into life as, on his 50th championship appearance, he fired low into the far corner for his 26th goal after latching onto a fine pass from Dylan Geaney.
He followed that up with another score before momentum swayed back in the favour of Armagh through points from Ross McQuillan and Jason Duffy.
The end-to-end nature of the absorbing contest continued as Clifford notched another point and Dylan Geaney added three, including a two-pointer, to move Kerry ahead.
A close-range free from Conor Turbitt and a score from Oisin Conaty brought Armagh back within a point, but not for long as a two-pointer from David Clifford increased Kerry’s lead back out to three.
Armagh then suffered a hammer blow on the stroke of half-time as they conceded a second goal as a result of some poor game management.
As Kieran McGeeney’s side pushed for a late point before the hooter, Jarly Og Burns surrendered possession cheaply and, with Ethan Rafferty out of his net, Paul Geaney collected a long pass and stroked the ball into an empty net to give the Kingdom a six-point lead at the break.
Two goals from Ayari and one each from Isak, Gyokeres and Svanberg take Sweden to the top of Group F in Monterrey.
Published On 15 Jun 202615 Jun 2026
Sweden crushed Tunisia 5-1 to leave the North African nation’s defensive reputation in tatters and seize control of World Cup Group F as the Mexican city of Guadalupe hosted its first fixture of the tournament.
Graham Potter’s men took the lead in the seventh minute of the game on Sunday, courtesy of midfielder Yasin Ayari’s thunderbolt from outside the box, following a mix-up at the back.
The celebrations of Ayari, who is of Moroccan and Tunisian descent, were muted, despite his fine finish.
Sweden doubled their lead on half an hour after a rapid break freed Alexander Isak on the left.
The Liverpool forward raced ahead and cut inside before unleashing a shot, which goalkeeper Mouhib Chamakh failed to keep out, even though he got a hand to the ball.
Tunisia did not concede a single goal in qualifying, becoming the first side to achieve the feat, subsequently matched by Ivory Coast and England.
Sweden threatened to overwhelm their opponents, but the match changed complexion minutes before half-time, when Omar Rekik headed home Hannibal Mejbri’s teasing cross.
However, the Scandinavian nation restored their two-goal cushion in the 59th minute after another defensive calamity for Tunisia.
Midfielder Ellyes Skhiri was caught in possession on the edge of the box by Isak, who fed Viktor Gyokeres, and the Arsenal man fired home.
Substitute Mattias Svanberg made it 4-1 late on after VAR ruled he was onside.
And there was still time for another stunning goal from Ayari from outside the penalty box.
Sweden reached the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but did not qualify for the tournament in Qatar four years later.
Tunisia were the first African team to win a World Cup match when they beat Mexico in 1978, but they have never progressed beyond the group stages.
Published on •Updated
The Spanish fashion giant behind Zara, Inditex, posted net income of €1.4 billion in the first quarter, up 5.4% year-on-year and ahead of market expectations.
Sales rose 5.8% to €8.7bn, or 8.8% at constant exchange rates, ahead of the roughly 8% analysts had anticipated.
Gross profit rose 6.9% to €5.4bn, helped by an improvement in profit margins, meaning the company kept a larger share of revenue as profit. EBITDA, a measure of underlying earnings, increased 7.3% to €2.6bn.
Inditex shares rose more than 5% on Wednesday after the company reported a strong start to the second quarter, with sales increasing 11.5% between 1 May and 1 June, reassuring investors that the Zara owner remains resilient despite signs of weakening consumer spending.
“Inditex continued its strong momentum with its latest results beating first quarter expectations, and also seen a strong start to the second quarter too, as sales grew more or less in line with the rate the company exited with in the previous quarter,” said Mamta Valechha, consumer discretionary analyst at Quilter Cheviot.
The revenue jump from one of the world’s largest listed clothing retailers points to solid consumer appetite heading into the summer, despite concerns that a more uncertain economic and geopolitical backdrop could weigh on spending in the months ahead.
The results come as businesses around the world face growing uncertainty over the global economy and concerns that consumers may cut back on spending.
Inditex said its wide-ranging supply chain and flexible transport network had helped it keep products flowing to stores around the world despite recent disruptions.
“Ultimately, Inditex continues to have a resilient business model that can withstand significant economic pressures and currency headwinds,” said Mamta Valechha, consumer discretionary analyst at Quilter Cheviot.
Valechha said strong customer demand and the company’s ability to source products close to its key markets had helped it keep collections up to date while limiting the need for discounts. Productivity improvements had also helped protect profitability.
Inditex also said that the current “geopolitical challenges” had an impact on the sales in the Middle East, a region that Barclays estimates accounts for about 5% of its revenue.
The company also warned that ongoing instability in the region could affect its performance in the months ahead.
Inditex faces a number of other challenges, including higher shipping costs and rising prices for raw materials such as cotton and polyester. Currency movements are also expected to weigh on results this year.
Inditex ended the quarter with 5,456 stores and a net cash position of €10.8bn.
The board has proposed a dividend of €1.75 per share for the last fiscal year, comprising an ordinary component of €1.20 and a bonus of €0.55, payable in two instalments in May and November 2026.
Despite the strong start to the year, Inditex left its outlook unchanged. It said it expects sales growth to continue into the second quarter, supported by strong demand for its spring and summer collections and ongoing improvements to its stores and operations.
However, the company said currency fluctuations are likely to reduce sales growth by around 1% over the full year. It also expects to invest about €2.3bn in the business during the current financial year.
PHOENIX — The “Beat L.A.” chants at Chase Field rose and fell for the final four innings, sometimes spurred organically, at other times prompted by the immense videoboard looming above center field.
And as the Dodgers’ offense continued to sputter, the Diamondbacks surged with a trio of home runs, giving the fans exactly what they asked for Monday night.
“Overall, I thought we had some good at-bats and barreled up some balls,” Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker said after the 4-1 loss. “But they made some nice plays and we just weren’t able to get the runs across, so just kind of how it goes sometimes.”
Tucker was one of five Dodgers in the starting lineup who went hitless. Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani was the only Dodger with multiple hits (three). And a quiet offensive night for the Dodgers wasted a quality start from starter Emmett Sheehan.
Sheehan held the Diamondbacks (32-27) to two runs and three hits in 6⅓ innings, carrying forward a recent trend for the Dodgers’ rotation, which entered Monday with a National League-best 3.05 ERA.
“I think it’s probably the back half of the rotation,” manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “To see what [Justin Wrobleski’s] done, to see what Roki [Sasaki] has done, to see what Emmet’s done — I think for me we’ve raised the floor of the starting rotation. The top end guys are kind of who they are, which is great. But every night we have a really good chance to win because of the starting pitcher.”
Monday was another one of those nights. But the Dodgers’ offense didn’t hold up its half of the bargain.
Sheehan — like Wrobleski and Sasaki this week — benefited from an uptick in velocity. His fastball averaged 95.9 mph on Monday, a season high and 1.7 mph above his average.
“I think it’s honestly just trying to relax early, and throw harder later in my delivery,” Sheehan said. “Before I was getting a little too tense, and that’s something the coaches mentioned to me. And it’s a bunch of other things too, but we’ve been working hard on it.”
Sheehan’s velocity has fluctuated all season, which he and the team attributed to inconsistent mechanics.
Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan delivers during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday.
(Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
“It’s definitely been a process,” pitching coach Mark Prior said last month about syncing Sheehan’s delivery. “And it’s been a grind for him. Because he feels like some days he has it, some innings he has it; and other innings he doesn’t. It’s been kind of a roller coaster for him. It’s just part of the game.”
At times, his lower half was opening too quickly, throwing off the way his legs worked with his upper half. But on the days his timing was in sync, his velocity would often tick up, and everything would fall into place.
On Monday he was nearly perfect through the first 5⅓ innings, with the exception of Corbin Carroll’s first-inning double. He’d induced plenty of soft contact, plus three strikeouts, all in the first two innings. All three were put away with sliders.
“I thought he was really good — certainly deserved better,” Roberts said. “The fastball was good, slider was good, used the curveball, minimized hits.”
Then with one out in the sixth, Sheehan tried to work back from a first-pitch ball with a fastball up to Diamondbacks rookie Tommy Troy. The No. 9 hitter roped it beyond left field for his first major league home run.
After the Arizona lineup turned over and Sheehan retired Ketel Marte and Carroll to get out of the inning, Roberts stuck with the right-hander against switch-hitting Geraldo Perdomo and right-handed Nolan Arenado in the seventh.
With one out, Sheehan hung a slider to Arenado, who put the Diamondbacks up with a solo blast. And that would spell the end of Sheehan’s strong outing.
Reliever Jack Dreyer, making his first appearance since being activated off the 15-day injured list (left shoulder discomfort), gave up a two-run homer to Marte in the eighth inning to round out the Diamondbacks’ scoring.
The Dodgers’ offense managed just five hits against Diamondbacks starter Eduardo Rodriguez, and were robbed of two by center fielder Jorge Barrosa, who made diving catches on line drives hit by Will Smith and Andy Pages.
“He made some nice plays out there for them,” Tucker said. “We did all we could really do. Once the ball leaves the bat, it’s out of our hands. So we had some good swings, good at-bats, it just didn’t go our way sometimes.”
The Dodgers eked across a run in the third on a Freddie Freeman groundout with runners on second and third. And the Arizona bullpen faced the minimum over the final three innings.