tuesday

Dodgers are in a deep hole

From Maddie Lee: Blake Snell stood on the mound with his hand on his hip, waiting for Jake Bauers to cross the plate before punching in his pitch call for the next batter.

The Dodgers left-hander had just given up the lead on Bauers’ two-run homer in the seventh inning, spoiling what had been a stellar start Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. But Snell was ready to move on.

Two pitches later, he watched another ball fly over the fence, this time off Garrett Mitchell’s bat. And with it went the last of the Dodgers’ momentum in what would become a 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series.

“It sucks,” Snell said of falling behind 3-0 in the series. “But it’s part of it. How do we bounce back? How do we fight? I think that’s the most important thing. It’s us coming together and finding a way to win.”

After setting their sights on a history-making three-peat, the Dodgers will have to win the next four games to advance to the World Series.

“At the beginning of this year, we set out to do something historic,” veteran third baseman Max Muncy said. “It looks like we’re going to have to make a little more history along the way if we want to accomplish that.

“That’s the task ahead of us. We still have the pitching staff to be able to do it. We just have to get some hits.”

Continue reading here

‘We just need to win tomorrow’s game.’ Dodgers remain optimistic despite 3-0 hole

Dodgers box score

Dodgers’ three-peat dream is nearly over

From Bill Plaschke: Blake Snell stood on the mound with his hand on his hip, waiting for Jake Bauers to cross the plate before punching in his pitch call for the next batter.

The Dodgers left-hander had just given up the lead on Bauers’ two-run homer, spoiling what had been a stellar start Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. But Snell was ready to move on.

Two pitches later, he watched another ball fly over the fence, this time off Garrett Mitchell’s bat.

The Dodgers’ 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, after the visitors regained the lead with back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning, gave the Brewers a commanding 3-0 lead and set up an elimination game Thursday. After setting their sights on a history-making three-peat, the Dodgers will have to win the next four games just to advance to the World Series.

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Here’s what Dave Roberts was thinking

From Bill Shaikin: You don’t want to hear from me. You want to hear from Dave Roberts, the Dodgers’ manager.

The Dodgers are one loss from an abrupt ending to their season, and from a National League Championship Series sweep by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Let’s take you through the critical decisions Roberts made Wednesday night, the ones you second-guessed at home. They all pretty much backfired on him.

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MLB postseason schedule

All times Pacific

NLCS

No. 1 Milwaukee vs. No. 2 Dodgers
at Milwaukee 2, Dodgers 1 (box score)
at Milwaukee 7, Dodgers 4 (box score)
Milwaukee 6, at Dodgers 2 (box score)
Thursday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Friday at Dodgers, 6 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Sunday at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Monday at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One

ALCS

No. 1 Tampa Bay vs. No. 2 Cleveland
Cleveland 7, at Tampa Bay 3 (box score)
at Tampa Bay 3, Cleveland 1 (box score)
Thursday at Cleveland, 10 a.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Friday at Cleveland, 3 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Saturday at Cleveland, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Monday at Tampa Bay, 2 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Tuesday at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max

* if necessary

World Series starts Friday, Oct. 23

Rams’ Alaric Jackson has suspension reduced

From Gary Klein: Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson’s suspension for punching a Buffalo Bills player after a game has been reduced from two games to one, an NFL spokesman said Wednesday.

Jackson was suspended for striking Bills linebacker Bradley Chubb in the face after the Bills defeated the Rams, 37-34, in overtime on Monday night.

Jackson appealed the suspension.

“Hearing officer Derrick Brooks, jointly appointed by the NFL and the NFLPA, has reduced the two game suspension of Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman Alaric Jackson to one game,” Michael Signora, the NFL’s senior vice president of football and international communications, said on social media.

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Galaxy defeat the Timbers

Marco Reus had a goal and an assist to back JT Marcinkowski and the Galaxy beat the Portland Timbers 2-0 on Wednesday night at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Reus staked the Galaxy (10-11-9) to a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute when he used assists from Robert Taylor and Pablo Ruiz to score his eighth goal of the campaign.

That’s where the score stood until Reus set up up Justin Haak in the 80th minute for his second goal this season and his fourth in 110 matches. It was the career-high 11th assist for Reus.

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Galaxy box score

MLS standings

LAFC defeats Austin FC

Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-min both contributed to all three goals for LAFC in a 3-1 victory over Austin FC on Wednesday night at BMO Stadium.

Neither team found the net until Bouanga took a pass from Son seven minutes into the second half and scored to give LAFC (12-9-9) the lead.

Austin’s Brandon Vázquez scored for the second time this season, using an assist from Myrto Uzuni, to knot the score in the 66th minute.

Continue reading here

LAFC box score

MLS standings

This day in sports history

1933 — The Philadelphia Eagles play their first NFL game and suffers a 56-0 loss to the New York Giants.

1961 — Mickey Wright wins her third LPGA Championship with a rout, nine strokes ahead of Louise Suggs. Wright shoots a 3-over, 287 at the Stardust Country Club in Las Vegas for her third major title of the year and her tenth tour victory of the season.

1972 — Stan Mikita of the Chicago Blackhawks becomes the sixth NHL player with 1,000 career points. Mikita assists on Cliff Koroll’s goal in a 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues at Chicago Stadium.

1983 — The Chicago Blackhawks and the Toronto Maple Leafs score five goals in 1 minute, 24 seconds to set an NHL record for the fastest five goals by two teams. The Maple Leafs beat the Blackhawks 10-8.

1988 — Oklahoma rushes for an NCAA-record 768 yards, including 123 by quarterback Charles Thompson. Thompson scores three touchdowns and passes for one in the first period of a 70-24 rout of Kansas State.

1988 — Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins scores eight points — two goals and six assists — in a 9-2 win over the St. Louis Blues at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh.

1989 — Wayne Gretzky of the Kings passes Gordie Howe as the NHL’s all-time leading scorer in a during a 5-4 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers. Gretzky flips a backhand shot past Oilers goaltender Bill Ranford with 53 seconds remaining to tie the score and pass Howe with his 1,851st point. Gretzky wins the game in overtime.

1995 — The Carolina Panthers beat the New York Jets 26-15 for their first NFL victory.

2005 — Michigan gives up a touchdown to Penn State with 53 seconds left, then marches down the field to score on a TD pass from Chad Henne to Mario Manningham with no time remaining for a 27-25 win over the eighth-ranked Nittany Lions.

2005 — USC’s Matt Leinart pushes and spins his way into the end zone with 3 seconds left to cap a chaotic finish to the top-ranked Trojans’ 28th straight victory, a back-and-forth 34-31 win over No. 9 Notre Dame.

2008 — Fabian Brunnstrom scores three goals in his NHL debut to match the league record in Dallas’ 6-4 victory over Nashville.

2009 — Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom becomes the first European defenseman and eighth overall to reach 1,000 points, assisting on two goals in the Red Wings 5-2 win over the Kings.

2012 — The Nets bring professional sports back to Brooklyn with a preseason victory, beating the Washington Wizards 98-88 in the first basketball game at the Barclays Center.

2015 — Carey Price makes 25 saves and the Montreal Canadiens make team history by starting a season with a five straight wins, the latest a 3-0 victory over the New York Rangers.

2017 — New England quarterback Tom Brady passes for 257 yards with two touchdowns in the Patriots’ 24-17 win at the New York Jets. Brady, who has 187 regular-season victories, surpasses Hall of Famer Brett Favre (186) and Peyton Manning (186) for the most regular-season victories by a starting quarterback in NFL history.

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.

Dodgers will not bench Shohei Ohtani

From Maddie Lee: Shohei Ohtani emerged from the visiting dugout at American Family Field with a bat in his hand, and the mass of media members scattered in foul territory up the third-base line shifted his way, pulled by the magnetic force that is Ohtani’s stardom.

Monday marked the third straight day Ohtani had hit on the field, after a multi-round session off the pitching machine on the workout day and batting practice before each of the first two games of the National League Championship series against the Milwaukee Brewers. But the novelty of the move — Ohtani only took batting practice on the field a few times during the regular season, always in the midst of a slump — had yet to fully wear off.

“The results, take full responsibility,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton on Tuesday. “That’s all I can really say, why the results haven’t been where I wanted it to be. But I think there’s different approaches to this, whether that be focusing on reducing the symptoms and getting rid of the pain and/or just making sure that I’m moving well in the swing.”

That break of routine for the start of the NLCS did not pay off in terms of results. But after a conversation with Ohtani, manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that he felt “great” about playing Ohtani in Game 3 of the NLCS, even though Ohtani is still physically compromised by nagging right biceps and left knee problems.

“He’s adamant he feels good enough to be in there,” Roberts said. “He’s close to finding something with his swing. … Yeah, he wants to be in there and help us win a ballgame and win a championship. Great conversation, and I’m excited about having him in there.”

Continue reading here

Dodgers should have benched Shohei Ohtani

From Bill Shaikin: The Dodgers never waver in their game plan for the regular season: win enough games to secure a bye in the opening round of the playoffs and, in so doing, afford players all the down time they need during the summer to be in top form come fall. They do not need to hurry anyone off the injured list so they can squeak out another National League West title.

Unfortunately for the Dodgers and their increasingly perilous hope of a three-peat, they did not follow that game plan with Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers failed Ohtani this summer, and now all that remains is for them to cross their collective fingers and hope for the best.

Hope, as they say, is not a strategy.

The Dodgers should drop Ohtani from the postseason roster.

They won’t. They won’t even take him out of Wednesday’s lineup.

Amid headlines about how the Dodgers might have benched Ohtani for Game 3 of the NL Championship Series, manager Dave Roberts said the thinking was more about coupling Tuesday’s day off with a second consecutive day of rest.

Continue reading here

MLB postseason schedule

All times Pacific

NLCS

No. 1 Milwaukee vs. No. 2 Dodgers
at Milwaukee 2, Dodgers 1 (box score)
at Milwaukee 7, Dodgers 4 (box score)
Wednesday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Thursday at Dodgers, 6 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Friday at Dodgers, 6 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Sunday at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Monday at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One

ALCS

No. 1 Tampa Bay vs. No. 2 Cleveland
Cleveland 7, at Tampa Bay 3 (box score)
at Tampa Bay 3, Cleveland 1 (box score)
Thursday at Cleveland, 3 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Friday at Cleveland, 3 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Saturday at Cleveland, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Monday at Tampa Bay, 2 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Tuesday at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max

* if necessary

World Series starts Friday, Oct. 23

Walker Kessler makes Lakers debut

From Broderick Turner: The plan for the Lakers had been to turn their fourth preseason game into a dress rehearsal for the upcoming season.

But that was not the case.

The Lakers did get the preseason debut of center Walker Kessler on Tuesday night, a good sign for them to see their biggest acquisition of the summer play.

But on the flip side, Luka Doncic didn’t play in the Lakers’ 101-89 loss to the Golden State Warriors at T-Mobile Arena because he was resting.

“He’s not injured, just getting the night off,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

Kessler had 11 points, nine rebounds, one blocked shot and one steal.

Continue reading here

Lakers box score

Rams release kicker Harrison Mevis

From Gary Klein: Less than 24 hours after kicking-game issues led to the Buffalo Bills defeating the Rams in overtime, the team released kicker Harrison Mevis, a team official said Tuesday.

Mevis missed a 50-yard field-goal attempt in the first half, and a had potential 48-yard game-winning field-goal attempt blocked in overtime. The Bills went on to win 37-34 in overtime, dropping the Rams’ record to 2-3.

“Not even close to good enough,” coach Sean McVay said of the field-goal and extra-point units after the defeat. “It cost us the game tonight.”

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Rams’ Alaric Jackson is suspended for two games

From Gary Klein: Quarterback Matthew Stafford, the Rams’ most valuable and most important player, will have a new blindside protector when the reigning NFL MVP faces the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

With left tackle Alaric Jackson suspended by the NFL for two games for punching an opposing player after the Rams 37-34 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Monday night, coach Sean McVay said Tuesday that veteran David Quessenberry would take Jackson’s spot.

Quessenberry, 36, is a ninth-year pro in his second season with the Rams. He has not started a game since 2023 when he started four times for the Minnesota Vikings.

McVay said the Rams also would open the 21-day window for rookie tackle Keagan Trost to return from injured reserve.

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Kings lose to Oilers

Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists in the dynamic first period of his four-point night, propelling the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-1 victory over the winless Kings on Tuesday.

Vasily Podkolzin got his sixth and seventh goals of the season, Leon Draisaitl also scored and Devon Levi made 39 saves for the Oilers, who have won five straight and scored at least three goals in every game of their 5-0-1 start.

McDavid recorded at least three points in a period for the 33rd time in his 11-year career, doing it in the first period for the 10th time. The six-time Art Ross Trophy winner as the NHL’s top scorer has a whopping 16 points already this season with five multi-point games.

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Kings summary

NHL standings

Ducks fall to Flames

Martin Pospisil scored the tiebreaking goal with 4:22 left, Yegor Sharangovich added an empty-netter with 1:22 remaining and the Calgary Flames beat the Ducks 4-2 on Tuesday night.

Adam Klapka and Aydar Suniev added goals, and Dustin Wolf stopped 22 of 24 shots as the Flames (1-5) won for the first time this season. Beckett Sennecke and Leo Carlsson scored goals, and Lukas Dostal had 32 saves for the Ducks (4-2).

Pospisil’s decisive goal came after he took a pass from Suniev at the center circle, skated down the left side, deked Ducks defenders Tyson Hinds and Tristan Luneau by faking a shot and snapped the puck past Dostal’s short side for a 3-2 lead.

Continue reading here

Ducks summary

NHL standings

This day in sports history

1945 — The Chicago Cardinals snap the longest losing streak in NFL history at 29 games with a 16-7 victory over the Chicago Bears.

1949 — Ezzard Charles TKOs Pat Valentino in 8 for heavyweight boxing title.

1951 — Detroit’s Jack Christiansen returns two punts for touchdowns, but the Lions still lose, 27-21, to the Rams.

1962 — Houston’s George Blanda throws six touchdown passes to lead the Oilers to a 56-17 rout of the New York Titans.

1967 — The Kings, led by Brain Kilrea, beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 in their NHL debut. The game is held at Long Beach Arena. Kilrea scores two goals, including the first one in Kings history.

1978 — Darryl Sittler of the Toronto Maple Leafs gets seven assists in a 10-7 victory over the New York Islanders.

1979 — Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky scores his first NHL goal in a 4-4 tie with the Vancouver Canucks. Gretzky beats goaltender Glen Hanlon with the game-tying power-play goal with 1:09 remaining in the third period.

1990 — Joe Montana passes for career highs of 476 yards and six touchdowns and Jerry Rice ties an NFL record with five scoring receptions as the San Francisco 49ers beat the Atlanta Falcons 45-35.

1991 — New York Rangers right wing Mike Gartner scores his 500th career goal in the first period of a 5-3 loss to the Washington Capitals.

2005 — Ryan Newman sets a NASCAR record by winning his fifth consecutive Busch Series race, the Charlotte 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

2006 — Mats Sundin scores his 500th career goal, completing a hat trick with a short-handed overtime game-winner and giving Toronto a 5-4 victory over Calgary. The third goal is Sundin’s 15th in overtime — the most in NHL history.

2007 — Tom Brady of New England passes for 388 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in a 48-27 win over previously unbeaten Dallas. The five TDs gives Brady the NFL mark with at least three in each of the first six games of the season.

2011 — Japan’s Kohei Uchimura becomes the first man to win three titles at the world gymnastics championships in Tokyo. Uchimura finishes with 93.631 points in the men’s all-around, more than three points ahead of Germany’s Philipp Boy.

2012 — Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers sets a career high and ties a franchise record with six touchdown passes, three to Jordy Nelson, and the Packers rout the Houston Texans 42-24. Rodgers completes 24 of 37 passes for 338 yards and ties Matt Flynn’s single-game record for TD passes, set in last year’s regular-season finale against Detroit.

2015 — Sylvia Fowles has 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Minnesota Lynx capture their third WNBA title in five years with a 69-52 victory over the Indiana Fever in Game 5.

2018 — Stephen Gostkowski hit a 28-yard field goal as time expires, and the New England Patriots beat the Kansas City Chiefs 43-40 after blowing a big halftime lead. Tom Brady passes for 340 yards and a touchdown and runs for another score in his 200th victory as a starting quarterback, tops in NFL history. With New England leading 24-9 at halftime, Patrick Mahomes directs an impressive rally by Kansas City in the second half. He finishes 23 of 36 for 352 yards in his first loss as a starting quarterback, with three of his four TD passes going to Tyreek Hill.

2020 — The NFL cancels the Pro Bowl scheduled for January, 31, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1973 — 42-year-old future Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder Willie Mays′ last MLB career hit, as N.Y. Mets beat A’s, 10-7 in World Series Game 2 in Oakland.

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.

HIGH SCHOOL FLAG FOOTBALL

TUESDAY’S RESULTS

Southern Section
Agoura 38, Calabasas 6
Aquinas 12, Hillcrest 0
Ayala 33, Claremont 0
Azusa 19, Baldwin Park 18
Beaumont 32, Citrus Valley 0
Bishop Montgomery 59, Mary Star of the Sea 6
Buena Park 12, Costa Mesa 6
Burbank Providence 32, YULA 18
Cajon 42, Redlands 6
California 27, Whittier 0
California Military Institute 47, Entrepreneur 0
Camarillo 39, Simi Valley 6
Castaic 18, Golden Valley 0
Chaminade 46, Alemany 0
Channel Islands 26, Del Sol 13
Chino Hills 27, St. Lucy’s 6
Compton 26, Compton Early College 6
Covina 43, Hacienda Heights Wilson 13
Dos Pueblos 48, Rio Mesa 6
El Rancho d. Bell Gardens, forfeit
Elsinore 24, West Valley 12
Etiwanda 42, Rancho Cucamonga 6
Garden Grove Pacifica 31, Brea Olinda 19
Garey 26, Duarte 7
Great Oak 13, Corona 6
Hawthorne 19, Environmental Charter 6
Hart 18, Canyon Country Canyon 13
Inglewood 47, Beverly Hills 0
Jurupa Valley 54, Rubidoux 0
Laguna Beach 53, Capistrano Valley Christian 0
Lakewood St. Joseph 18, Bishop Amat 13
Lawndale 34, Leuzinger 0
Long Beach Cabrillo 14, Compton Centennial 0
Mater Dei 37, Santa Margarita 6
Mira Costa 18, Torrance 12
Montebello 30, Arroyo 0
Newbury Park 32, Thousand Oaks 24
North Torrance 2, West Torrance 0
Northview 14, Rowland 7
Ontario Christian 18, Serrano 0
Palos Verdes 27, Redondo Union 26
Pasadena Poly 34, Rio Hondo Prep 6
Patriot 57, Miller 0
Peninsula 26, Wiseburn-Da Vinci 0
Pomona 12, La Puente 0
Portola 25, Northwood 7
Redlands Adventist Academy 29, United Christian Academy 6
Redlands East Valley 43, Yucaipa 12
Royal 20, Oak Park 12
San Clemente 40, Dana Hills 0
San Dimas 13, Colony 6
San Gorgonio 34, Indian Springs 7
San Jacinto Valley Academy 20, Nuview Bridge 19
San Juan Hills 27, Capistrano Valley 7
San Marcos 12, Ventura 0
Santa Barbara 12, Buena 0
Santa Monica 34, Culver City 7
Santa Paula 32, Fillmore 0
Shadow Hills 33, Valley View 7
Shalhevet 44, SEED LA 6
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 57, Flintridge Sacred Heart 6
Sierra Canyon 60, Louisville 0
Sonora 19, La Habra 6
South Hills 50, Alta Loma 8
South Torrance 27, El Segundo 0
Tahquitz 24, San Jacinto 13
Temecula Prep 20, Eastvale Roosevelt 20
Trabuco Hills 28, Tesoro 26
Tustin 34, Katella 6
Upland 51, Los Osos 0
Valencia 28, West Ranch 0
Village Christian 19, Westridge 0
West Covina 14, Charter Oak 6
Westlake 39, Oaks Christian 13
Westminster La Quinta 39, Savanna 0

MONDAY’S RESULTS

City Section
Angelou 30, West Adams 0
Bell 22, Legacy 0
Bernstein 7, Roybal 6
Bernstein 32, Mendez 0
Carson 19, Wilmington Banning 7
Cleveland 13, Taft 6
Eagle Rock 41, SOCES 9
Eagle Rock 74, Sylmar 0
El Camino Real 14, Birmingham 6
Fairfax 32, WISH Academy 6
Foshay 34, Los Angeles 0
Garfield 31, South Gate 0
Hollywood 13, Contreras 12
Jefferson 34, Manual Arts 7
Lincoln 20, Los Angeles Marshall 0
Los Angeles Roosevelt 26, South East 6
Los Angeles Wilson 27, Franklin 6
Maywood CES 25, Marquez 0
Mendez 26, Roybal 0
Palisades 14, Los Angeles University 12
Panorama 13, Granada Hills Kennedy 12
Panorama 44, Reseda 6
RFK Community 12, Hollywood 7
RFK Community 12, Contreras 0
Santee 18, Diego Rivera 6
SOCES 40, Sylmar 0
Sotomayor 20, Maywood Academy 6
Torres 20, Elizabeth 6
Venice 21, Westchester 12

Southern Section
Alhambra 26, Rosemead 0
Aliso Niguel 7, El Toro 6
Anaheim 22, Estancia 0
Anaheim Canyon 18, Crean Lutheran 0
Antelope Valley 14, Knight 0
Arlington 33, Lakeside 19
Arrowhead Christian 28, Riverside Notre Dame 13
Azusa 6, Duarte 0
Baldwin Park 20, Sierra Vista 2
Beckman 30, Mission Viejo 26
Bell Gardens 6, San Gabriel 0
Bolsa Grande 22, Garden Grove Santiago 12
Bonita 26, Glendora 6
Brentwood 37, YULA 0
Buena Park 19, Ocean View 13
Calvary Baptist 19, Public Safety Academy 13
Capistrano Valley Christian 2, Vista Meridian 0
Cathedral City 26, Rancho Mirage 0
Cerritos 25, Paramount 0
Cerritos Valley Christian 14, Rosary 13
Chaparral 47, Murrieta Mesa 6
Chino 18, Don Lugo 6
Corona Centennial 22, Corona 6
Corona del Mar 34, Los Alamitos 19
Corona Santiago 32, Eastvale Roosevelt 26
Costa Mesa 35, Katella 0
Covina 40, Northview 0
Culver City 31, Leuzinger 0
Desert Hot Springs 25, Indio 13
Downey 26, California 6
Eastside 46, Littlerock 0
Edgewood 13, La Puente 6
El Modena 18, Sunny Hills 6
Etiwanda 30, Chino Hills 0
Fountain Valley 19, Marina 7
Gabrielino 33, South Pasadena 6
Garden Grove 35, Laguna Hills 18
Glenn 66, Pioneer 6
Great Oak 91, Vista Murrieta 48
Harvard-Westlake 39, Flintridge Sacred Heart 15
Hemet 33, Canyon Springs 19
Hillcrest 12, Temescal Canyon 0
Irvine University 20, Irvine 0
La Canada 19, Monrovia 12
Lakewood 12, Long Beach Wilson 7
Lancaster 21, Palmdale 7
La Serna 18, Gahr 16
Liberty 13, Heritage 6
Linfield Christian 45, Woodcrest Christian 7
Long Beach Cabrillo 14, Dominguez 0
Long Beach Poly 12, Inglewood 6
Los Altos 19, Alta Loma 14
Los Amigos 18, Savanna 6
Magnolia 33, Western 13
Miller 14, La Sierra 8
Millikan 45, Long Beach Jordan 0
Mountain View 12, El Monte 7
Moreno Valley 6, Vista del Lago 6
Murrieta Valley 33, Temecula Valley 20
Newport Harbor 40, Huntington Beach 21
Ontario 20, Montclair 12
Oxnard Pacifica 26, Santa Paula 7
Palm Desert 7, Palm Springs 6
Placentia Valencia 20, Westminster 13
Pomona 12, Bassett 6
Quartz Hill 22, Highland 13
Ramona 14, Norte Vista 6
Rancho Alamitos 24, Orange 20
Rancho Christian 20, Citrus Hill 19
Rancho Cucamonga 24, Los Osos 6
Rancho Verde 46, West Valley 6
Riverside King 18, Norco 12
Riverside Poly 54, Riverside North 0
Rowland 25, Charter Oak 12
San Marino 20, Burbank Burroughs 6
Santa Ana Foothill 12, Troy 6
Santa Ana Valley 20, Century 0
Santa Fe 19, Artesia 0
Schurr 46, Keppel 0
Segerstrom 26, Fullerton 6
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 51, Immaculate Heart 6
South El Monte 18, El Rancho 8
South Hills 20, Colony 6
St. Anthony 12, St. Mary’s Academy 6
St. Bernard 30, Sacred Heart of Jesus 0
St. Monica 21, Cantwell-Sacred Heart 20
Temecula Prep 49, Desert Christian Academy 0
Tustin 20, Godinez 0
Upland 62, St. Lucy’s 0
Villa Park 26, El Dorado 7
Warren 46, Mayfair 6
West Covina 21, Hacienda Heights Wilson 6
Westminster La Quinta 6, Saddleback 0
Westridge 32, Chadwick 0
Whittier 12, Norwalk 6
Windward 41, Shalhevet 14
Wiseburn-Da Vinci 13, Bellflower 6
Woodbridge 48, St. Margaret’s 25
Yorba Linda 48, Esperanza 13

The Dodgers never waver in their game plan for the regular season: win enough games to secure a bye in the opening round of the playoffs and, in so doing, afford players all the down time they need during the summer to be in top form come fall. They do not need to hurry anyone off the injured list so they can squeak out another National League West title.

Unfortunately for the Dodgers and their increasingly perilous hope of a three-peat, they did not follow that game plan with Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers failed Ohtani this summer, and now all that remains is for them to cross their collective fingers and hope for the best.

Hope, as they say, is not a strategy.

The Dodgers should drop Ohtani from the postseason roster.

They won’t. They won’t even take him out of Wednesday’s lineup.

Amid headlines about how the Dodgers might have benched Ohtani for Game 3 of the NL Championship Series, manager Dave Roberts said the thinking was more about coupling Tuesday’s day off with a second consecutive day of rest.

“It was never a benching,” Roberts said.

Roberts drew a parallel between what might have happened with Ohtani and what did happen with Freddie Freeman during the NLCS two years ago, when the Dodgers provided what the manager called a “reset” — a day off for the team, followed by a rest day for Freeman.

“And he ends up winning the MVP in the World Series,” Roberts said.

Freeman had been playing with a bad ankle for three weeks, and even then he had been more productive that October than Ohtani has been in this one. Ohtani has been playing with a bad knee and biceps for three months, and the Dodgers already have tried intermittent rest.

They tried that in September, twice. They touted their bye week before the start of the playoffs. They talked up their three days off before the start of the NLCS.

They went 0 for 4. Enough already.

Roberts said the Dodgers — not just Ohtani, but the coaching staff and the training staff — see progress. True, no doubt. But we’ve heard similarly encouraging words after each of Ohtani’s rest breaks.

“We’re listening to Shohei, and we’re going to support the crap out of him and believe in him,” Roberts said, “and that’s it.”

Ohtani said Tuesday that his symptoms have subsided since the Dodgers put him on the injured list, for the minimum stay. That was a month ago.

Shohei Ohtani is just three for 20 this postseason.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

On Tuesday, he said his approaches can alternate between “focusing on reducing the symptoms and getting rid of the pain and/or just making sure that I’m moving well in the swing.”

There is no evidence so far that this might work, and an uncomfortable and increasing body of evidence that it might not.

Ohtani is batting .150 in the playoffs, with three hits in 20 at-bats. Of the 39 players with at least 20 at-bats this postseason entering play Tuesday, only three have a lower OPS than Ohtani’s .411.

One of them, Dodgers catcher Will Smith, has one hit in 23 at-bats. But he is hitting the ball hard: in the NLCS, one ball hit at 102 mph, another at 101, and every ball hit harder than the one Ohtani hit the hardest.

That exit velocity: 86 mph.

He has not pulled a ball in the series for a hit, or for an out.

Over his major league career, he has homered once every 14 at-bats.

He has not hit a home run since Aug. 18, a span of 107 at-bats. He has driven in one run since then; the Dodgers batted him cleanup in Game 2.

And, since hitting that last home run, Ohtani is batting .036 against fastballs thrown 95 mph or harder. The average fastball in this postseason: 96.2 mph, according to analyst Mike Petriello’s close-up of all the different ways Ohtani’s swing is fouled up.

Breaking balls? Brewers reliever JoJo Romero threw him one low and away in Game 2, and Ohtani lost his bat as he lunged to make contact.

When Ohtani spoke with reporters before the playoffs started, he said he might not know the full extent of his injuries or what he might need to do to rehabilitate them until after the postseason.

“I haven’t been able to get a good grasp of the root cause of all this,” he said then. “I think that process is going to happen during the offseason, when I’m going to have a little bit more time to be able to address it. But as of now, it’s something I’m just going to have to manage.”

The Dodgers did not need Ohtani to win the NL West. They needed to shut him down for an extended period to maximize their chances of winning in October.

They failed to do that. They believed a few days of rest would allow them to nurse Ohtani through the rest of the season.

One big swing in October, and who cares? Ask Kirk Gibson, who hobbled to bat and then hit one of the most dramatic home runs in World Series history.

Here is what the Dodgers ought to keep in mind: That was the only at-bat Gibson took in that 1988 World Series.

Oct. 13, 2026 9:33 AM PT

WASHINGTON — Katie Zacharia, the new White House press secretary, faced reporters for the first time on Tuesday for a very brief turn at the lectern, taking a handful of questions before abruptly wrapping it up.

Zacharia, a conservative commentator who most recently worked for President Trump’s social media company, was named to the job on Friday, succeeding Karoline Leavitt, who left in August and is taking a job with Fox News Channel.

Zacharia told reporters her goal is to “amplify” what Trump is doing and that the president is “his own best spokesperson.”

She quickly proved that Tuesday, appearing for only 14 minutes and taking questions from just three outlets before telling reporters they could go ask the president their questions on the South Lawn of the White House as he prepared to leave for a campaign trip.

“In fact, I am going to end it because President Trump is heading out to Marine One for our historic trip to Alaska, and we can ask him all of the questions out there,” she said.

As Trump left the White House for his trip, he praised Zacharia’s performance to reporters.

“I thought she did excellent,” he said. “She did very good.”

Before taking the questions, Zacharia read slowly from an opening statement that began with a focus on Trump’s recent campaign rallies ahead of the midterm elections and his policies on energy, tariffs, immigration and more since he returned to office.

In naming Zacharia, who has a law degree from Pepperdine University, Trump described her as “a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning.” She briefly worked as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year and has been a commentator for Fox News and Newsmax.

She told reporters that she viewed her role as press secretary to be no different than the way she advocated for Trump while outside the government.

“I get to do what I was doing on the outside already, which was hoping to amplify, multiply and expand upon President Trump’s incredible agenda for the American people,” she said.

She also thanked Trump and said, “I have wanted to work for him for a very long time.”

She took her first question from Breitbart News, the right-wing outlet which has become more influential in the Trump era, and committed to keeping the “new media” rotation created under her predecessor to bring additional media outlets into news briefings and the White House press pool.

But Zacharia did make some big news: she said that Trump had asked for the resignation of Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, after a series of reports alleging she has engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens.

“She has been a wonderful asset to the team and we wish her well,” Zacharia said.

Price and Superville write for the Associated Press. AP writers Seung Min Kim, Josh Boak and Collin Binkley in Washington and Mike Catalini in Morrisville, Pa., contributed to this report.

Dodgers fall to Brewers again

From Maddie Lee: Mookie Betts slapped his bat with his free hand after tipping a slider from Brewers right-hander Abner Uribe back into catcher William Contreras’ mitt.

Betts had been setting the tone for the Dodgers from the leadoff spot all postseason, taking good at-bats against some of MLB’s best starting pitchers. But there wasn’t much he could do against a sinker-slider mix like Uribe’s.

Uribe shuffled off the mound, and the crowd at American Family Field roared.

Then, with left-handed-hitting Freddie Freeman coming to the plate, Milwaukee had an answer for him too. Manager Pat Murphy signaled to the bullpen, left-hander Aaron Ashby emerged and struck out Freeman on four pitches, only one of which touched the strike zone.

“They all throw 100 [mph] from different angles,” Freeman said after the Dodgers’ 7-4 loss in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series on Monday.

Those back-to-back strikeouts in the eighth inning were part of five perfect innings thrown by the Brewers’ bullpen — a postseason record.

The Dodgers’ performance against the Brewers bullpen on Monday magnified how much the star-powered lineup hasn’t been clicking with Shohei Ohtani struggling at the plate. He went 0-for-4 in the cleanup spot in Game 2, bringing his postseason total to three hits, all singles, in 20 at-bats.

Manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic after the game that he would “have a conversation” with Ohtani Tuesday to determine “what’s best for him, what’s best for [the team].”

Continue reading here

In the NLCS, the Dodgers are seeing what money can’t buy: a bullpen such as Milwaukee’s

Dodgers Debate NLCS Game 2: Did the Dodgers forget how to hit?

Dodgers box score

Three-peat chance is looking weak

From Bill Plaschke: Once brimming with life, the Dodgers’ historic quest has curled up into a withered heap.

The three-peat is dying.

The three-peat is slowly, agonizingly having the life squeezed out of it by a collection of hardscrabble Midwesterners with no regard for stardom or status.

Two games into the National League Championship Series, the three-peat was formally placed on life support Monday after the mighty Dodgers lost a second consecutive game to those little giants known as Milwaukee Brewers.

This time the score was 7-4 after another devastating night at American Family Field, and now the Dodgers trail two games to none in a best-of-seven series that appears beyond their control.

For a second consecutive game, their ace was knocked out. For a second consecutive game, their powerful offense petered out.

For a second consecutive game, they looked like a weary, aging band of fallen stars that had stumbled into a surprisingly deep pothole and had no idea how to climb out.

Continue reading here

MLB postseason schedule

All times Pacific

NLCS

No. 1 Milwaukee vs. No. 2 Dodgers
at Milwaukee 2, Dodgers 1 (box score)
at Milwaukee 7, Dodgers 4 (box score)
Wednesday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Thursday at Dodgers, 6 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Friday at Dodgers, 6 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Sunday at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Monday at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One

ALCS

No. 1 Tampa Bay vs. No. 2 Cleveland
Cleveland 7, at Tampa Bay 3 (box score)
Tuesday at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Thursday at Cleveland, 3 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Friday at Cleveland, 3 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Saturday at Cleveland, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Monday at Tampa Bay, 2 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Tuesday at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max

* if necessary

World Series starts Friday, Oct. 23

Rams lose to Bills in OT

From Gary Klein: The losses are mounting.

And the coach of the supposedly Super Bowl-favorite Rams is frustrated.

With the kicking unit.

“Not even close to good enough,” a gravelly-voiced Sean McVay said.

With himself.

“I’m sick right now,” he said.

With the Rams’ 37-34 overtime defeat by the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium.

“It’s been a while,” McVay said, “since I’ve been this pissed after a game,”

Really?

McVay and the Rams have been getting plenty of practice. See the season-opening debacle against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia, or the turnover- and penalty-plagued loss to the Denver Broncos.

On Monday, when Buffalo’s Tyler Bass kicked a winning 45-yard field goal, the Rams’ record dropped to 2-3.

McVay was not the only one frustrated.

Offensive lineman Alaric Jackson was captured on video punching Buffalo’s Bradley Chubb on the field after the game.

Continue reading here

Rams summary

NFL standings

Nico Iamaleava probably out for the season

From Connor Dullinger: UCLA coach Bob Chesney wasn’t ready to declare the end of UCLA senior starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s season on Monday, but the forecast was grim.

Iamaleava is expected to miss the rest of this season with a knee injury, according to a person with knowledge of the injury not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Chesney said he is waiting for UCLA doctors to “make the final call on things.”

“He has a meeting later today, and he’ll have a whole lot more clarity on exactly where things are at,” Chesney said of Iamaleava during a news conference Monday. “Everything being reported is what’s being reported. There is a serious concern at this moment, but at the same point in time, there is nothing that has been fully ruled at this moment.”

The injury is a blow for the No. 12 Bruins, who are 5-0 during Chesney’s first season and have a favorable path to the College Football Playoff.

Chesney said that while Ty Dieffenbach and Madden Iamaleava, Nico’s younger brother, both earned the right to start, Chesney will start Dieffenbach going forward and see how it plays out.

Continue reading here

This day in sports history

1893 — The U.S. yacht Vigilant wins the America’s Cup with a three-race sweep over the British challenger Valkyrie II.

1947 — The NHL holds its first All-Star game with the All-Stars beating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3. Toronto’s Harry Watson scores the game’s first goal and assists on the other two goals. Trailing 3-2 after two periods, Montreal’s Maurice Richard and Chicago’s Doug Bentley each score to give the All-Stars the win.

1961 — Jacky Lee of the Houston Oilers passes for 457 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-31 tie with the Boston Patriots. Charley Hennigan of the Oilers catches 13 passes for 272 yards.

1963 — Mickey Wright wins her fourth LPGA championship in six years by beating Mary Lena Faulk, Mary Mills and Louise Suggs by two strokes.

1982 — IOC Executive Committee approves the reinstatement of Jim Thorpe’s gold medals from the 1912 Olympics.

1985 — Phil Simms of the New York Giants passes for 513 yards with an NFL-record 62 pass attempts in a 35-30 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Simms completes 40 passes with 29 for first downs, also an NFL record.

1998 — For the first time in NBA history, the league cancels regular season games after labor talks break off.

2001 — DeShaun Foster of UCLA runs for a school-record 301 yards and four touchdowns as the Bruins beat Washington 35-13.

2001 — Georgia Southern fullback Adrian Peterson is held to 71 yards rushing, snapping his NCAA-record streak of 36 straight regular-season games with at least 100 yards.

2011 — American Jordyn Wieber wins another gold medal, beating Russia’s Viktoria Komova for the all-around title at the world gymnastics championships in Tokyo. Wieber, who led the Americans to the team title two days earlier, finishes with 59.382 points, just 0.033 ahead of the Russian.

2013 — Kenya’s Dennis Kimetto, six weeks removed from a bout of malaria, breaks the course mark in capturing the Chicago Marathon. Kimetto finishes in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 45 seconds, leading a 1-2-3 finish for Kenyan men. He beats the mark of 2:04:38 set by Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Kebede last year.

2017 — Gustav Nyquist scores twice and Detroit has four goals in the third period to beat Vegas 6-3, handing the NHL’s newest franchise its first loss. Vegas is the first NHL expansion team to win its first three games.

2019 — Simone Biles becomes the most decorated gymnast in history when she wins record 25th medal at the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1903 — The Boston Pilgrims win the first World Series, 5 games to 3, with a 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

1960 — Bill Mazeroski opens the bottom of the ninth with a home run off Ralph Terry of the New York Yankees to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 10-9 victory and the World Series championship.

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.

Saturday was a day of breakthroughs.

It marked the first time UCLA defeated Oregon since 2017. The win was the Bruins’ first at Autzen Stadium since 2004. And Bob Chesney became the first UCLA head coach to start his tenure 5-0.

Sunday came with one more breakthrough: The Bruins cracked the top 15 in the Associated Press’ Top 25 for the first time since 2022.

UCLA’s 17-15 victory over Oregon proved that the Bruins deserved a spot in the upper echelons of the Big Ten. Not only did UCLA leave Oregon with an undefeated record — one win away from being bowl eligible — but the Bruins also will returned to Los Angeles with three consecutive home games on the schedule, a stretch that could push them farther up the totem pole.

“It doesn’t matter. Now we have to get better,” Chesney told reporters after the win. “How do we get better? We go back and look at the things we need to fix. We evaluate our personnel and see where we stand once we figure out whether some of these guys are coming back next week. There’s a lot of football left to be played, so it doesn’t matter. Getting better is always the message when we turn the corner.”

Here are three takeaways from UCLA’s fifth win, which kept the Bruins among nine remaining undefeated Football Bowl Subdivision schools and avenged one of Chesney’s two losses last season when his magical run at James Madison ended against Oregon.

Colin Hitschler can bounce back with the best

The week leading up to defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler’s rematch against Oregon featured reminders about how the Ducks steamrolled his Dukes’ defense last season in the College Football Playoff, finishing with 51 points and 514 yards.

And Hitschler acknowledged that Ducks coach Dan Lanning’s offense got the best of him, leaving him with a chip on his shoulder.

His “Bruin Bullies” made their presence felt from the first whistle to the last, forcing seven turnovers — five fumble recoveries and two interceptions, categories in which UCLA now ranks first and second, respectively, in the nation.

And while Oregon quarterback Dante Moore remained sidelined because of a head injury, backup Dylan Raiola — who spent the previous two seasons as Nebraska’s starter — was a highly regarded talent and expected to challenge the UCLA defense, particularly after throwing for 289 yards and two scores against USC last month.

UCLA defensive lineman Darold DeNgohe tackles Oregon quarterback Brock Thomas on Saturday in Eugene.

(Lydia Ely / Associated Press)

The Bruins gave Raiola more headaches than anything else as he finished with 43 passing yards and three turnovers before he was benched for third-stringer Brock Thomas in the fourth quarter.

And even when Thomas entered for Raiola, the Ducks’ offensive weapons largely flatlined despite their perceived superior status.

Running back duo Dierre Hill Jr. and Jordon Davison — who combined for 238 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns against the Trojans — and tight end Jamari Johnson, who torched the USC defense for seven catches and 119 yards, were limited to a combined 111 all-purpose yards and just one score.

The Bruins’ defense was everywhere in Eugene, limiting the run game to 2.7 yards per carry, largely blanketing pass catchers in coverage downfield and forcing turnovers at every level.

“We don’t focus on outside chatter,” senior linebacker Sammy Omosigho said after the win. “That has no meaning to us, no focus to us, no value to us. We focus on ourselves.”

Bruins’ QB concerns aren’t going anywhere

Many observers who watched Saturday’s showdown will tell you the Bruins should have won more handily.

The Bruins almost doubled the Ducks in time of possession, yet there was a chance for Oregon to win on the last drive of the game.

UCLA had to overcome its own problems, with quarterback Nico Iamaleava battling Raiola for most turnovers and questionable decisions under pressure.

UCLA coach Bob Chesney calls to his players.

(Lydia Ely / Associated Press)

Iamaleava got off to a slow start this season as UCLA relied on its potent rushing attack. He rebounded against Purdue and Maryland, combining for 485 yards and four touchdowns with zero turnovers.

While Iamaleava went 10 for 17 for 162 yards in the first half, his mistakes came at especially costly times for the Bruins.

During UCLA’s second drive, the Bruins were pinned on their 10-yard line. With Oregon outside linebacker Nasir Wyatt blitzing, Iamaleava attempted to throw the ball away to the flat and instead fumbled, giving the Ducks the ball on the Bruins’ one-yard-line. Oregon scored one of its two touchdowns immediately after the turnover.

Later in the half, Iamaleava threw two interceptions, the first at midfield and the second coming at Oregon’s 22-yard line, wiping out a field-goal opportunity.

Iamaleava struggled with accuracy and timing, underthrowing a deep ball to wide receiver Aidan Mizell on the first play of the game — a pass that arguably could have been a touchdown if Mizell was hit in stride — and mistiming a pass to running back Jaivian Thomas, who was wide open in the end zone, on third and goal during the same drive.

Iamaleava was facing a formidable Ducks defense, the best unit the Bruins have played to date, and was injured during the second interception. He did not return to the field after sustaining a leg injury near the end of the first half, and it is unclear how long he will be sidelined.

Backup Ty Dieffenbach steered UCLA to a win, but the Bruins need better quarterback depth.

UCLA is a playoff contender

The Bruins celebrate their win over the Oregon Ducks.

(Tom Hauck / Getty Images)

Saturday was more than just a win. It was a bold announcement to the rest of the Big Ten and the nation that UCLA is a playoff contender.

Chesney told fans during a UCLA men’s basketball game shortly after he was hired that the football team is playing for banners. And Saturday’s win proved that his plan to pursue championships — something that seemed absurd amid a lost 2025 season — has a real possibility of paying off with one.

The Bruins have one of the easier schedules in the Big Ten with seven games remaining. UCLA will play five home games, including with 2-4 Michigan State, 2-3 Nevada of the Mountain West and 3-3 Illinois.

While UCLA still has road games at Michigan and Minnesota and competitive home games against Wisconsin and USC, the Bruins proved Saturday that they can hang in any environment, frustrating the Ducks at hostile Autzen Stadium.

Big Ten confirms a big mistake

The Big Ten released a statement Sunday announcing its officials placed the ball at the wrong spot during Oregon’s final failed two-point conversion attempt after a UCLA penalty. The ball should have been placed at the half-yard line instead of the 1½-yard line. The lead officially announced the correct placement, but the crew never moved the ball.

UCLA’s defense stuffed the two-point conversion attempt, and the Bruins went on to secure a 17-15 win.

The mistake has drawn limited outrage, with fans more concerned about the number of errors by Big Ten officials this season than about them potentially thwarting Oregon’s chance to tie the score. That probably has a lot to do with the number of mistakes the Ducks made and the perception the Bruins outplayed them.

Dieffenbach has long embraced change

Before Ty Dieffenbach was asked to lead UCLA’s offense in the second half at Oregon, he began his high school career in Southern California as a wide receiver.

The Times’ Eric Sondheimer spoke with Dieffenbach ahead of his senior season about his switch to playing quarterback for Agoura, a team that needed a signal-caller and quickly developed a prolific one.

Agoura coach Dustin Croick told Sondheimer he wouldn’t have asked Dieffenbach to play the position just because of the 6-foot-5 athlete’s arm strength. Croick detected something else.

“We can teach kids how to throw, how to read defenses, but the leadership has to be a natural thing,” Croick said.

The two have stayed in touch as Dieffenbach spent two seasons at Pittsburgh without playing before transferring to Cal Poly and starting for one season. Dieffenbach then joined UCLA during the offseason and prepared as though he could be asked to play at any time.

Dieffenbach celebrated with the high school coach who first believed in his quarterback skills via Facetime after UCLA’s win.

Nakase leads Valkyries to WNBA Finals

Former UCLA point guard Natalie Nakase led the Golden State Valkyries to an 87-77 overtime win over the Aces in Las Vegas on Friday, sweeping the series and advancing to the WNBA Finals.

The Valkyries became the first WNBA expansion team to reach the playoffs in its first season and the Finals in its second.

“I told them that I was proud of our whole team, the whole 14, because I saw another level of fight tonight,” Nakase said after the clinching win. “And that’s what I was really proud of. We talked about leveling up one more as a team and I think that overtime proved strength in numbers. We really left it all out there on the floor. We really emptied the tank.”

Golden State hosts the Atlanta Dream at 12:30 p.m. Saturday to open the Finals. The Dream notably are led by UCLA alum Jordin Canada, the the starting point guard and ignition to their offense.

Bruins on deck

Wednesday, Oct. 14
Women’s basketball at California (exhibition)

Thursday, Oct. 15
Women’s tennis at ITA Regional Championships, all day
Men’s tennis at ITA Regional Championships, all day

Friday, Oct. 16
Women’s tennis at ITA Regional Championships, all day
Men’s tennis at ITA Regional Championships, all day
Women’s golf at Stanford Intercollegiate, all day
Men’s golf at Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational, all day
Men’s soccer at Wisconsin, 5 p.m.
Women’s volleyball vs. Penn State, 7 p.m.
Women’s soccer vs. Washington, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 17
Women’s tennis at ITA Regional Championships, all day
Men’s tennis at ITA Regional Championships, all day
Cross country at UC Riverside, 8 a.m.
Men’s water polo at USC, 1 p.m.
Football vs. Wisconsin, 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 18
Women’s tennis at ITA Regional Championships, all day
Men’s tennis at ITA Regional Championships, all day
Women’s volleyball vs. Ohio State, 3 p.m.

In case you missed it

UCLA proves it’s a playoff contender in thrilling win over Oregon to remain unbeaten

No. 21 UCLA defense helps power Bruins to an upset of No. 13 Oregon

UCLA urges defense to stay calm during high-stakes showdown with potent Oregon

Meet UCLA receiver Semaj Morgan, who started a foundation at age 17 to help others

USC, UCLA push to extend West Coast dominance of Big Ten women’s basketball

Bob Chesney urges surging UCLA to ignore hype as Bruins prep for potent Oregon

How UCLA built one of the most dominant rushing attacks in the country

UCLA Unlocked: Bruin alum Natalie Nakase is shaking up the WNBA

Have something Bruin?

Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email newsletters editor Houston Mitchell at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Sports editor Iliana Limón Romero contributed to this report.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. It’s looking like the game of the year this week in high school football: No. 1 Santa Margarita at No. 2 St. John Bosco.

Assistants in spotlight

Kuika Moaalii, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, makes tough catch for St. John Bosco. He had four catches for 119 yards and one touchdown in 28-14 win over Orange Lutheran.

(Craig Weston / For The Times)

Santa Margarita (7-0) at St. John Bosco (6-1) on Friday night has all the makings of your typical Trinity League title decider. Great coaching, great players, great atmosphere.

While many will focus on the head coaching matchup of Santa Margarita’s Carson Palmer vs. St. John Bosco’s Jason Negro, the real spotlight should fall on the highly respected coordinators who will need to be smart, creative and be ready to improvise and adjust.

For Santa Margarita, that will be offensive coordinator Lenny Vandermade and defensive coordinator Steve Fififa. For St. John Bosco, offensive coordinator Steve Lo and defensive coordinator Chris King have lots of respect for their counterparts. Don’t expect any to be dismissed in the middle of the game.

All need to figure ways to get the ball to their star athletes on offense and prevent big plays on defense.

It’s the defensive chess match that will be most interesting. Santa Margarita has been getting excellent production from a group of freshmen and recorded three shutouts. This will be their biggest game yet. St. John Bosco has fixed some secondary issues with the addition of Kingston Fatu, who has two interceptions in two games. This will come down to which defensive line can apply enough quarterback pressure without having to blitz.

The winner should be in good position to be the Trinity League champion.

Cleveland’s offensive line has been a strength, including right tackle Carlos Gomez (left), right guard Carter Fitzgerald, center Pedro Castaneda, center Adam Garbisch, left guard Jovanni Orellana and left tackle Josue Fonseca.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times )

In case you haven’t noticed, history is being made at Cleveland High, which is 7-0 and has the inside track to win the West Valley League title under 34-year-old third-year head coach Mario Guzman. It has been decades since a young coach at not one of the City Section power schools has guided his team to contention at the highest level in City football.

Here’s a look at what’s been happening at the Reseda campus to accumulate seven consecutive wins to start the season, including victories over Crenshaw and Birmingham.

Franklin and Eagle Rock had their Northern League game postponed Friday because of continuing fallout dealing with the death of a Franklin student. The game will be played Monday night at L.A. Wilson.

There’s a season-long competition to be the best running back in the City Section among Brandon Hernandez of Panorama, Ceasar Reyes of Garfield and Tru Warrior Casas of Fairfax. All are well past 1,000 yards rushing and closing in on 2,000.

Elisha Mueller of St. John Bosco shows off his blocking skills against Orange Lutheran.

(Craig Weston / For The Times)

St. John Bosco set up its showdown with Santa Margarita with a hard-fought 28-14 win over Orange Lutheran. Here’s the report.

Inglewood rallied to defeat Palos Verdes and move to win the Bay League title. Here’s the report.

El Modena knocked off Laguna Beach in the Delta League. Here’s the report.

Crespi junior quarterback Chase Curren became the school’s all-time leader in touchdown passes with 54 by passing for three touchdowns in a 49-0 win over Harvard-Westlake. The old record was 53 held by his offensive coordinator, Bryan Bennett. His standout receiver Bru McFarland, called the record-breaking TD.

There are still 23 unbeaten teams left in the Southern Section and City Section. Here’s the report.

Here’s a look at this week’s top 25 rankings by The Times.

Here’s top individual performances.

Here’s week eight schedule.

The week ahead

Week eight in high school football has the chance to be one of the dramatic in the regular season with many big games.

Besides Santa Margarita at St. John Bosco, there’s Mission Viejo at San Clemente, Bishop Amat at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, King/Drew at Crenshaw, Hamilton at Palisades, Bellflower at Paramount and Mater Dei vs. Servite at Cerritos College,

Pualani Olotoa-Le’au, a sophomore, has been contributing to Carson in flag football and softball.

(Courtesy Olotoa-Le’au family)

Last week’s heat wave caused lots of postponed flag football games in the City Section. The powerful Northern League needs to catch up. Wilson is 2-0 and Eagle Rock 1-0.

Carson and Narbonne are 4-1 in the Marine League with San Pedro at 3-1. Here’s a look at a two-sport contributor for Carson.

JSerra is 23-0 and few teams are giving the Lions much competition. Here’s this week’s top 10 flag football rankings by The Times.

A big Monday showdown has Huntington Beach facing Newport Harbor.

Roommates at UCLA

Linebacker Scott Taylor (left) and receiver Shane Rosenthal, graduates of Loyola and Newbury Park, have become roommates and contributors for UCLA’s football team.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Former Loyola High star Scott Taylor and former Newbury Park star Shane Rosenthal are roommates and teammates on UCLA’s football team.

They explain how important it is going off to college to explore and find someone with similar ideas and principles.

Here’s a look at why things are working out.

Water polo

Harvard-Westlake made a big move in the water polo rankings this week with consecutive wins over JSerra and Santa Margarita.

Harry Siafaris was a key player with his scoring skills.

Newport Harbor had a big league win over rival Corona del Mar. Here’s the report.

Notes

Junior pitcher Carlos Acuna of Birmingham, the City Section player of the year, has committed to UC San Diego….

Dezi Delgado from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame has committed to CSUN baseball….

King Rachal of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame has committed to Utah State for basketball….

Standout guard Gene Roebuck of La Mirada has committed to Cal….

Former Monroe High and Cal State Northridge pitcher Lew Lerner has died. He was 74. He was a first-round draft pick of the Twins and led CSUN to a national championship in 1970….

JSerra cross-country star Reese Holley has committed to North Carolina….

Bob Hitchcock, who built the Temple City High football program into a powerhouse, has died. He was 97. He won seven Southern Section championships in the 1970s….

Guard Omar Cuffie from Loyola has committed to play basketball at Navy….

Michael Scarince of South Pasadena won the cross-country invitational race at the Clovis Invitational in 15:01….

Track and field athlete Aidan Antonio of Woodbridge has committed to Georgetown….

Guard Pierce Thompson of Harvard-Westlake has committed to Utah….

The JSerra girls volleyball team claimed the Division 1&2 Diamond Bracket at the Southern California Volleyball Invitational at Alliant University in San Diego….

Here are the latest Southern Section girls volleyball rankings.

From the archives: Cooper Barkate

Cooper Barkate playing for Mater Dei in 2021. He’s now at Miami.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

In Cooper Barkate’s senior season in 2022 at Mater Dei, the team went 12-1 and he was a vey good receiver who chose academics and the Ivy League, attending Harvard for three years and graduating with a degree in economics. Then he transferred to Duke for one season and is now at Miami, where entered the national discussion after catching five passes for 98 yards and one touchdown against Clemson.

His father, Harold, was a punter for UCLA who grew up in the high desert.

Here’s a story from 2023 from Harvard’s school newspaper.

Here’s a story from 2021 from the New York Times explaining Barkate’s decision to go to Harvard.

Recommendations

From Indianapreps, a story on the changing landscape in covering high school sports.

From KGET in Bakersfield, a story on a private eye uncovering ineligible players.

From Oregonlive, a story on former Crenshaw running back De’Anthony Thomas turning to disc golf.

From Axios, a story on how youth sports is affecting Sunday worship.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

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USC quarterback Jayden Maiava has been playing above-average football, but the signal-caller’s deep throws have not been as sharp lately and he has shied away from some contact after taking a big hit to his shoulder during a 39-0 shutout of Fresno State on Sept. 4.

When asked about his quarterback on Tuesday, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley quickly replied that Maiava is not injured.

“Jayden has been pretty healthy,” Riley said. “They’ve kept him upright all season long.”

Maiava has adapted to shifting receiving options, calling it a learning experience as he connects with new pass catchers. USC freshman Trent Mosley was an early breakout star, but Maiava has had to look to others with Mosley out the past two games because of injury.

“I’ve been trusting myself, trusting the plan and trusting those guys on the perimeter,” Maiava said

He credits co-offensive coordinator Dennis Simmons for having his receivers ready whenever their names are called.

“It’s the next-man up mentality and we are all going to do the same thing,“ Maiava said.

A key building block

USC coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sideline during the fourth quarter of a win over Washington at the Coliseum on Oct. 3.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

As USC chases the program’s first win over Penn State in Happy Valley, Riley said he expects the Trojans to draw on the resilience they showed against Washington.

He called the rally for a victory over the Huskies a potential turning point for a program that can’t afford another loss if it hopes to reach the College Football Playoff for the first time during Riley’s tenure.

“It wouldn’t shock me if six to eight weeks down the road you’re going to look back at us and see that’s the game that was critical in the season,” Riley said of the Washington win. “Those are important. It helps develop the personality of your team. Most importantly, the biggest thing it shows is the brotherhood within our locker room right now.”

Supporting the defense

USC cornerbacks Chasen Johnson and Prophet Brown break up a pass intended for Washington receiver Dezmen Roebuck in the end zone to secure the Trojans’ win at the Coliseum on Oct. 3.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

Hiring College Football Hall of Fame coach Gary Patterson was supposed to turn the Trojans into a potent Big Ten defensive team.

Through six games, the Trojans have allowed an average of 25.5 points per game, ranking 89th in the country, and have given up 348.8 yards.

“[Patterson] is one of the best coaches of our generation. One of the best defensive minds in college football history,” Riley said, backing up his coordinator when asked about his progress.

Riley, however, did not defend poor tackling on Washington’s final touchdown drive that put the Trojans on the brink of a loss.

When asked whether the mistakes were addressed with the players, Riley responded, “Oh yeah. … It was a bad play. Not near our standard.”

He later added, “I bet we don’t see it again.”

While the Huskies’ scoring drive exposed some problems, the defense held its ground late in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

The Trojans’ secondary got a boost from Ta’Mere Robinson, who played well in place of suspended defensive back Desman Stephens II.

Stephens served a one-game suspension for a late hit to the head on Oregon quarterback Dante Moore and his behavior celebrating as Moore was being treated by medical staff before leaving the Coliseum in an ambulance.

USC released an apology from Stephens a day after the game. Riley was asked Tuesday whether Stephens would get his starting job back after Robinson’s strong play. While he didn’t specifically address the starting role, Riley did suggest Robinson earned more snaps.

“It was an opportunity for some other guys to step up and they did. … When you see guys that are there for that opportunity and rise to the occasion, it’s going to create more opportunities for some of those guys, there’s no question about it,” he said. “But Des is a good player and an important part of this football team. We view this a lot like just we’re coming back off any normal football game, like nothing else happened. … I think what we learned this week is we have a handful of guys who can go out there and play really, really well. … We look at it as a positive.”

Dodgers bullpen is no longer a weakness

From Mirjam Swanson: And you thought the bullpen was going to be the weakest branch.

In the four aces, you trusted. The Dodgers’ stellar starting rotation of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow? A quartet who can strong-arm anyone.

And you probably figured Freddie Freeman would get it going. You had faith in playoff risers Max Muncy, Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández — and in the Dodgers’ playoff-proven offense overall.

You were not, however, so bullish on the bullpen.

That was the proverbial, annual question mark entering the best-of-five National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves, whom the Dodgers vanquished with a 4-1 victory Wednesday at Truist Park to set up an NL Championship Series rematch with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Continue reading here

Dodgers: Reasons to believe, reasons to worry

From Bill Shaikin: As Dave Roberts delivered his victory address, dressed in a gray cap and a gray T-shirt that commemorate a triumph the Dodgers consider merely a speed bump on the road to the main event, the manager was not shy.

“There is no more talented team than the Los Angeles Dodgers,” Roberts told his players amid clubhouse floods of champagne and beer. “This is the best organization in sports, top to bottom. We’re smarter. We’re better. And we’re tougher.”

The Dodgers had eliminated the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series. For the three-peat, that’s one postseason party down and two to go.

“This one is going to be special,” infielder Miguel Rojas said. “We have the motivation of winning three times in a row. That’s all we can think about right now. It’s never going to be easy in baseball. You have to go through tough things. But this team showed it before, and it showed it in this series.”

Nothing is guaranteed in October, not even the Dodgers in the World Series. For the Dodgers, here are four positive signs and four warning signs:

Continue reading here

Doncic, Reaves click in Lakers preseason win

From Broderick Turner: The bond between Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves is as real as it gets.

And though it was just a preseason game Thursday night, Doncic and Reaves showed why they form one of the most dynamic offensive backcourts in the NBA.

The Lakers duo linked up on the very first play against the Sacramento Kings, with Reaves passing to Doncic as he cut to the basket before scoring while being fouled.

Both played 25 minutes, with Doncic finishing with 23 points on six-for-16 shooting during the Lakers’ 114-110 win over the Kings at Crypto.com Arena. Reaves had eight points on two-for-seven shooting, eight assists and five

Continue reading here

MLB postseason schedule

All times Pacific

Division series

American League

No. 2 Cleveland vs. No. 6 Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox 3, at Cleveland 0 (box score)
Chicago White Sox 4, at Cleveland 3 (box score)
Cleveland 9, at Chicago 3 (box score)
Cleveland 9, at Chicago 5 (box score)
Saturday at Cleveland, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max

NLCS

No. 1 Milwaukee vs. No. 2 Dodgers
Sunday at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Monday at Milwaukee, 2 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Wednesday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Thursday at Dodgers, 6 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Friday, Oct. 16 at Dodgers, 6 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Sunday, Oct. 18 at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Monday, Oct. 19 at Milwaukee, 5 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One

ALCS

No. 1 Tampa Bay vs. Cleveland/Chicago winner
Monday, at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Tuesday at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Thursday at Chi/Cle, 3 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Friday, Oct. 16 at Chi/Cle, 3 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Sat., Oct. 17 at Chi/Cle, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Monday, Oct. 19 at Tampa Bay, 2 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Tuesday, Oct. 20 at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max

* if necessary

World Series starts Friday, Oct. 23

Secret to Matthew Stafford’s success

From Sam Farmer: Both NFL most valuable players. Both bound for Canton. Both surgically precise with their passes.

Matthew Stafford and Josh Allen are two of the best liars in football.

Peyton Manning sat in the studio and cued the video. Stafford looked off a Philadelphia safety last Sunday to hold him in place. He froze a cornerback with a glance. Then he threw an out-and-up to Puka Nacua, absorbing a big hit as he released the ball.

“That’s a lot of looking off,” Manning said.

Hall of Fame linebacker Luke Kuechly, watching from his own home studio, agreed.

“The quarterback will lie to you,” Kuechly said. “He’s going to look you off. He’s going to pump you. But the one thing that never lies to you is the route.”

Continue reading here

This day in sports history

1943 — Bob Hoernschemeyer throws six touchdown passes, an NCAA record for a freshman, to lead Indiana past Nebraska 54-13.

1965 — The United States wins the Ryder Cup 19½-12½ at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. Arnold Palmer clinches the title, beating Peter Butler 2 up. It’s the 13th victory for the Americans in this event, which began in 1927. Britain, a three-time winner, last won in 1957.

1974 — The Washington Capitals lose their first NHL game, 6-3 to the Rangers at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

1982 — Al Del Greco kicks six field goals for all of Auburn’s points in an 18-3 triumph over Kentucky.

1983 — Buffalo’s Joe Ferguson passes for 419 yards and five touchdowns in an 38-35 overtime win against Miami. Uwe Von Schamann of the Dolphins misses two field goals in the overtime and Joe Danelo ends the game with a 36-yard field goal.

1991 — The San Jose Sharks gain their first NHL victory, defeating the Calgary Flames 4-3.

1993 — Minnesota’s Scott Eckers passes for 402 yards and a school-record six touchdowns in his first college start, sending the Gophers past Purdue 59-56.

1993 — Carey Bender rushes 33 times for 417 yards, setting an NCAA all-division single-game rushing record, in Coe’s 69-7 Division III victory over Grinnell.

2004 — Texas Tech beats Nebraska 70-10, the worst lost in the Cornhuskers’ storied 114-year history.

2004 — Texas loses to Oklahoma 12-0, getting shut out for the first time in 282 games and ending the longest streak in the country.

2010 — Mike Brinkley passes for six touchdowns and Armond Smith runs for five scores to lead Union (Ky.) to an 84-55 victory over Bethel (Tenn.) in an NAIA game.

2010 — Derek Stepan becomes the fourth player to score three times in his NHL debut to lead the New York Rangers to a season-opening 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres.

2011 — Sebastian Janikowski kicks four field goals, including three from at least 50 yards (54, 55, 50), in Oakland’s 25-20 win over Houston. Houston’s Matt Schaub throws for 416 yards and two touchdowns.

2011 — The NHL returns to Winnipeg, but Carey Price stops 30 shots and the Montreal Canadiens dampen a city celebration with a 5-1 victory over the Jets.

2015 — Sepp Blatter, hoping to return to power as FIFA president, is banned for 90 days, essentially ending his 17-year reign as the leader of soccer’s governing body. UEFA President Michel Platini also gets a 90-day ban following an investigation of financial misconduct at FIFA in a Swiss criminal case.

2016 — Tom Brady returns from his four-game “Deflategate” suspension, passing for 406 yards and three touchdowns to Martellus Bennett in the New England Patriots’ 33-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

2022 — Dutch Red Bull driver Max Verstappen secures his second consecutive World F1 Drivers C’ship after finishing in front of Sergio Pérez and Charles Leclerc in the Japanese GP at Suzuka.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1928 — Baseball World Series: NY Yankees beat St. Louis Cardinals, 7-3 at Sportsman’s Park to become first to sweep consecutive World Series; Babe Ruth hits smashes three HRs for Yanks.

1934 — Baseball World Series: St Louis Cardinals rout Detroit Tigers, 11-0 at Navin Field to clinch 4 games to 3 series victory and third championship.

1966 — Baseball World Series: Baltimore Orioles claim first championship in franchise history; edge Dodgers, 1-0 at Memorial Stadium for 4-0 sweep; MVP: Orioles outfielder Frank Robinson.

1988 — Dennis Eckersley saves all four games in Oakland’s ALCS victory over Boston.

2005 — Chris Burke hits a home run in the bottom of the 18th inning and Roger Clemens pitches three scoreless innings of relief in Houston’s 7-6, series-ending victory over Atlanta in the NLDS. The longest postseason game in history takes 5 hours, 50 minutes.

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.

Dodgers advance to the NLCS

From Maddie Lee: Without Andy Pages, the Dodgers wouldn’t have popped champagne in the Truist Park visiting clubhouse Wednesday night.

His October track record suggested he was an unlikely hero. He entered Wednesday with a .123 playoff batting average. He was benched in Game 5 of the World Series last year. He’d even started this postseason hitless in the first two games of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves, and was given the red light on ABS challenges.

He didn’t carry any of that up to the plate with him in the seventh inning, with the score tied, the bases loaded and hard-throwing Braves reliever Robert Suarez entering the game to face him.

“I like being in those at-bats,” Pages said in Spanish after the Dodgers’ 4-1 win in Game 4 of the NLDS. “There are times the result comes, sometimes not, but I prepare to be in those spots. And today I was able to get the result.”

He was patient, working a full count as he fouled off and then foul-tipped a pair of fastballs in the zone.

The next one, he sent through the middle of the infield for a two-run single to finally give the Dodgers the lead in the deciding moment of the series.

The Dodgers are headed to the NL Championship Series for the ninth time in 14 seasons. They will play the Milwaukee Brewers, who finished off the San Diego Padres in four games, starting Sunday. And they came one step closer to their goal of winning a third straight World Series.

Continue reading here

Plaschke: He finally did it! Dodgers’ Andy Pages ends two-year postseason slump at the perfect time

Nine concerns the Dodgers should have about facing the Brewers in the NLCS

Dodgers box score

Lincoln Riley says Jayden Maiava in not hurt

From Ryan Kartje: USC quarterback Jayden Maiava has been playing above-average football, but the signal-caller’s deep throws have not been as sharp lately and he has shied away from some contact after taking a big hit to his shoulder during a 39-0 shutout of Fresno State on Sept. 4.

When asked about his quarterback Tuesday, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley quickly replied that Maiava is not injured.

“Jayden has been pretty healthy,” Riley said. “They’ve kept him upright all season long.”

Maiava has adapted to shifting receiving options, calling it a learning experience as he connects with new pass catchers. USC freshman Trent Mosley was an early breakout star, but Maiava has had to look to others with Mosley out the past two games because of injury.

Continue reading here

Jeanie Buss’ siblings fight back

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: The five Buss siblings who voted to sell the family’s shares of the Lakers filed their formal opposition to team governor Jeanie Buss’ attempts to block the sale on Wednesday, calling Jeanie’s petition “legally and factually baseless” in a statement provided to The Times.

“While discussions among the siblings continue, their focus remains on facilitating the proposed transaction and the Trust’s participation in it, while ensuring that all beneficiaries, including Jeanie, are treated equally,” Jimmy, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss said in the statement.

“Today’s filing is a necessary step to protect those interests and ensure the transaction proceeds on schedule.”

Continue reading here

Ducks lose to Oilers

Evan Bouchard had two goals and an assist to become the second defenseman in NHL history with at least six goals through the first four games of a season, and the Edmonton Oilers used a five-goal second period to beat the Ducks 5-2 on Wednesday night.

Bouchard has a league-leading six goals through four games. Harry Cameron had eight goals in four games for the Toronto Arenas during the NHL’s inaugural season in 1917-18.

Leon Draisaitl had four assists, Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists, Kasperi Kapanen and Vasily Podkolzin also scored, and the Oilers overcame a sluggish start to win their third straight game. Devon Levi made 28 saves.

Continue reading here

Ducks summary

NHL standings

MLB postseason schedule

Division series

National League

No. 2 Dodgers vs. No. 3 Atlanta
at Dodgers 5, Atlanta 3 (box score)
Atlanta 3, at Dodgers 2 (box score)
Dodgers 3, at Atlanta 1 (box score)
Dodgers 4, at Atlanta 1 (box score)

No. 1 Milwaukee vs. No. 4 San Diego
at Milwaukee 3, San Diego 2 (box score)
at Milwaukee 4, San Diego 3 (box score)
at San Diego 4, Milwaukee 3 (box score)
Milwaukee 3, at San Diego 1 (box score)

American League

No. 1 Tampa Bay vs. No. 4 New York
at Tampa Bay 1, New York Yankees 0 (box score)
at Tampa Bay 5, New York Yankees 2 (box score)
Tampa Bay 4, at New York Yankees 3 (box score)

No. 2 Cleveland vs. No. 6 Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox 3, at Cleveland 0 (box score)
Chicago White Sox 4, at Cleveland 3 (box score)
Cleveland 9, at Chicago 3 (box score)
Thursday at Chicago, 2 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Saturday at Cleveland, 2 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max

NLCS

No. 1 Milwaukee vs. No. 2 Dodgers
Sunday at Milwaukee, TBD, FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Monday at Milwaukee, TBD, FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Wednesday at Dodgers, TBD, FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Thursday at Dodgers, TBD, FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Friday, Oct. 16 at Dodgers, TBD, FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Sunday, Oct. 18 at Milwaukee, TBD, FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Monday, Oct. 19 at Milwaukee, TBD, FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One

ALCS

No. 1 Tampa Bay vs. Cleveland/Chicago winner
Monday, at Tampa Bay, TBD, TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Tuesday at Tampa Bay, TBD, TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Thursday at Chi/Cle, TBD, TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Friday, Oct. 16 at Chi/Cle, TBD, TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Sat., Oct. 17 at Chi/Cle, TBD, TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Monday, Oct. 19 at Tampa Bay, TBD, TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Tuesday, Oct. 20 at Tampa Bay, TBD, TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max

* if necessary

World Series starts Friday, Oct. 23

This day in sports history

1933 — Cliff Battles of the Boston Redskins becomes the first NFL player to gain more than 200 yards rushing with 215 yards in a 21-20 win over the New York Giants.

1949 — Walt Pastuszak has five of Brown’s 11 interceptions in a 46-0 rout of Rhode Island.

1950 — Bill Grimes of the Green Bay Packers gains 167 yards in 10 carries in a 44-31 loss to the New York Yankees.

1966 — Jerry DePoyster of Wyoming becomes the first player in college football to make three field goals of 50 yards or more in a game. DePoyster connects on two 54-yard tries and a 52-yarder in the Cowboys’ 40-7 rout of Utah.

1961 — Paul Hornung scores 33 points, with four touchdowns, six extra points and a field goal, to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 45-7 romp over the Baltimore Colts.

1977 — No. 7 Alabama beats No. 1 USC 21-20 in Los Angeles. USC fullback Lynn Cain scores with 38 seconds remaining but the 2-point attempt fails.

1992 — Doug Smail scores two goals and the expansion Ottawa Senators rock the Montreal Canadiens 5-3 — the first regular-season NHL game by an Ottawa franchise in 58 years.

1993 — The Anaheim Mighty Ducks, before 17,174 at the Arrowhead Pond, lose 7-2 to the Detroit Red Wings in their first NHL game.

1995 — Dolphin’s Dan Marino breaks Fran Tarkenton’s NFL career completions record.

1997 — Adam Oates reaches 1,000 points with three goals and two assists as the Washington Capitals post a 6-3 victory over the New York Islanders.

2005 — Baylor wins a Big 12 road game for the first time in the league’s 10-year history, beating Iowa State 23-13. The Bears had been 0-37 on the road in the Big 12 Conference.

2006 — Randy Moss’ 22-yard TD catch between two defenders 51 seconds before halftime is the Oakland receiver’s 100th touchdown reception. He’s becomes the seventh receiver in NFL history with 100 TD catches.

2011 — Howard scores all its points in the fourth quarter, including 16 in the final 1:27 to beat 29-28 Florida A&M. Parker Munoz caps the improbable comeback by hitting a 21-yard field goal with 4 seconds left following FAMU’s Damien Fleming fumble on the 28-yard line.

2015 — Tampa Bay’s Jason Garrison scores his second goal of the game at 2:17 of the extra period to lead the Lightning past the Philadelphia Flyers in the first 3-on-3 overtime game in NHL history.

2016 — Will Worth and Navy stuns No. 6 Houston, romping to a 46-40 victory. Worth runs for 115 yards and throws two scoring passes for the Midshipmen. Navy hadn’t beaten a top 10 team since 1984, when it topped then-No. 2 South Carolina in Annapolis.

2017 — Aaron Rodgers throws a 12-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams with 11 seconds remaining, lifting Green Bay over the Dallas Cowboys 35-31 in another thriller nine months after the Packers’ divisional playoff victory on the same field.

2018 — Drew Brees’ 62-yard touchdown pass to rookie Tre’Quan Smith makes him the NFL’s all-time leader in yards passing and sends the New Orleans Saints well on their way to a 43-19 victory over the Washington Redskins. Brees enters the game needing 201 yards to eclipse Peyton Manning’s previous mark of 71,940 yards. He finishes 26 of 29 for 363 yards and three touchdowns.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1956 — Don Larsen of the New York Yankees pitches the only perfect game in World Series history, a 2-0 triumph over Brooklyn.

2018 — Red Sox utility player Brock Holt becomes the first MLB player to hit for the cycle in a postseason game.

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.

Kacey Musgraves is taking another trip to “Uncertain, TX” — this time with a little bit of Tejano flair courtesy of a legendary South Texas band.

On Tuesday, Musgraves released a Spanish version of her critically acclaimed track featuring Tejano group Intocable — a song she originally recorded with country star Willie Nelson, which debuted at No. 50 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs after the May 1 release of her seventh studio album, “Middle of Nowhere.”

“Having a song with the legends of Intocable is such a thrill for me,” said Musgraves in a press release on Tuesday. “As a Texan, I am proud of the cultural melting pot that makes our state so great and this collaboration is such a fun example of that.”

According to Intocable lead singer and accordionist Ricardo “Ricky” Muñoz, who spoke with The Times via Zoom, Musgraves had first thought of including the great conjunto accordionist Flaco Jiménez, who passed away in August 2025, to join in on the original track with Nelson, a fact that the country gal herself confirmed on the Zane Lowe interview series on Apple Music in May.

“Flaco Jiménez’s son told me that Kacey wanted to do an all-Texas thing where Willie Nelson was in the song and Kacey also invited Flaco to play accordion,” said Muñoz, who heard the original demo. “I believe at the time, Flaco was not good, health-wise, so he wasn’t able to do it.”

Muñoz, who has always been a fan of the “Rainbow” singer, said the song was “orbiting” around him. Three weeks ago, he received a call from Musgraves’ team to help with the Spanish version.

“I was very conservative on the accordion part. I just played little parts here and there,” said Muñoz. “Then they call me back and they go like, ‘No, give me some more of that.’”

This isn’t Musgraves’ first collaboration with a música mexicana artist. In August 2025, the 38-year-old singer-songwriter joined forces with Carin León for the cross-cultural ballad “Lost in Translation.”

Muñoz considered the collaboration a “perfect fit.”

“We’re representing the Tejano community,  and I’m proud of that,” said Muñoz, who comes from a long line of Texas-born Mexicans. “ Once we meet in person and we get to play together, it’s even gonna be a better connection to the song.”

On Thursday, the two acts will perform together for the first time for Musgraves’ Middle of Nowhere tour at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

The iconic Tejano band formed in the border town of Zapata, Texas, in 1993, and rose to fame thanks to Tejano pop hits like “Fuerte No Soy,” “Soñador Eterno” and “Estás Que Te Pelas.”

In July, the “¿Y Todo Para Qué?” group received its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. At the ceremony, hitmaker and songwriter Edgar Barrera, who grew up in the same borderland area, said that Intocable “showed the world what música mexicana could be.”

But the Grammy-winning band isn’t resting on its laurels. Of the Walk of Fame star, Muñoz said, “that’s just part of the journey. It’s awesome, but I haven’t really paid any more thought than the day I was there.”

Instead, the “Enséñame A Olvidarte” act is looking ahead. The group is preparing for the release of its 16th studio album next year, “Nostalgia Radical,” a project inspired by Muñoz’s mental health journey , which he said has allowed him to show up as his most authentic self.

“I was exploring myself, being vulnerable and asking questions,” said Muñoz. “ To me, going to therapy every Tuesday is like taking out the trash.”

This November, the band — which is currently zigzagging between Mexico and the U.S. for its Cultura Tour — is also up for a Latin Grammy for regional song for their country-fused pro-immigrant anthem “Estamos Todos.”

“We’re all asking all these questions, and we’re not getting the right answers or any answers. We’re just being danced around with the answers,” said Muñoz. “But in the meantime, we’re all together in this.”

The band’s pro-immigrant stance is another thing it has in common with Musgraves, who in May invited invited three teen mariachi brothers previously detained by ICE to open for her sold-out, three-night residency at Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, Texas, the oldest dance hall in the state..

The country singer also asked fans to donate to the Young Center for Immigrant Rights, which helps children whose parents have faced deportations, during the opening night of her tour in Chicago back in August.

“We need more people to talk about this and not stay quiet. Kacey is coming from another community and stepping up, I mean, that’s big, man. That’s huge.  I commend her for that,” said Muñoz.

WASHINGTON — President Trump told a crowd in Texas on Wednesday night that he would not allow Iran to attack San Diego or Los Angeles, a comment that came two days after he made off-the-cuff remarks suggesting the West Coast cities could be struck.

“You want to see a horror show? You want to see problems? Let them hit San Diego, let them hit Los Angeles,” Trump said at a rally. He then assured the crowd: “We are not going to let that happen. We protect our cities. We protect our country.”

The San Antonio crowd cheered the remarks.

Trump’s decision to return to the subject capped two days in which the White House had been on the defensive, and it appeared aimed at tamping down the fallout from remarks he made Monday night that quickly spread online.

Speaking to a crowd in Nebraska, Trump had said: “They can take out a city, let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay.”

The comments drew swift condemnation from California leaders, even as the White House communications director, Steven Cheung, insisted the president’s remarks had been taken out of context.

“The media freakout over President Trump’s comments is not rooted in reality,” Cheung wrote Tuesday. “He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped. America is safer because of the president. Iran has no nuclear, no navy, no air force, and no money.”

But the remarks were enough to rattle many in California and drew backlash from the state’s leaders, including Republican Jim Desmond, a Navy veteran running in a highly competitive U.S. House race.

“I vehemently disagree with President Trump’s comments,” Desmond wrote on social media. “America must stand up to Iran and defend our interests, but the first responsibility of our Commander in Chief is to protect the American people and our homeland.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday opened the state emergency operations center to assess potential threats following Trump’s remarks. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also condemned the president for potentially compromising the safety of their cities.

“San Diego is not collateral damage,” Gloria posted on social media. “We are not expendable. And we are never a ‘small price to pay.’ Keep our city out of your reckless war talk.”

Offensive lineman Lane Johnson is a Philadelphia Eagles legend.

He has won two Super Bowls and is a six-time Pro Bowl selection.

Four games into his 14th NFL season — all spent with the team that selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2013 draft — Johnson has decided that he’s done.

“I deeply wanted to gut it out for one more year; to take the field with my brothers for one last season,” Johnson said in a statement posted Tuesday on social media.

“But after a lot of reflection, I’ve realized that my personal and family priorities in my life have changed. Right now, it is critical that I focus on my mental health. I owe it to my teammates, coaches, the organization and the fans to have my head and heart 100 percent in the game. And right now my heart is telling me that it’s time to say goodbye to football.

“At this time, I have made the incredibly difficult decision to retire from the National Football League.”

Johnson took a three-game leave of absence during the 2021 season as he battled anxiety and depression and has said he considered retirement during the offseason after a foot injury caused him to miss the Eagles’ final eight games last year. He was a late scratch for last Sunday’s game against the Rams for personal reasons.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, coach Nick Sirianni said Johnson was a “phenomenal player” and much more.

“I love Lane. I’ll miss him dearly and I wish him the best,” Siranni said. “Just want him to be his best. Like I said, love him and everything that he stood for and everything he is.”

Rookie Markel Bell started in Johnson’s place on Sunday, and Sirianni suggested the third-round pick will remain in the spot vacated by Johnson.

“I’m really excited for Markel’s opportunity,” Sirianni said. “Thought under the circumstances of last week that he handled that really well. And I’m excited about the growth that he’s going to be able to have this year. I’m excited for him.”

In a statement released on Tuesday, team owner Jeffrey Lurie called Johnson “an all-time Eagle and one of the best players ever to play his position in NFL history.”

“His combination of talent, strength, athleticism and intelligence made him a truly unique player in this league, and there is no doubt in my mind that one day he will be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Lurie said.

“Beyond his on-field accomplishments, Lane has done a tremendous amount to give back to the community through his numerous charitable endeavors. The courage he has shown using his own personal experiences to advocate for mental health awareness has undoubtedly saved lives.”

Retired Eagles center Jason Kelce, who played 11 seasons with Johnson, wrote a lengthy tribute to his former teammate on X.

“For the past decade, Lane has been the best Right tackle in the NFL,” Kelce wrote. “His athleticism, technique, strength, and size, combined to make him a player few could get around. His pass set and movements looked more like an art than someone who punched people for a living. It was a pure joy to watch him play for all these years, but even more so, it was a pure joy to be his friend.”

Kelce added: “Congratulations on retirement, I loved every second of watching you play, and am proud that I got to share the field with you.”

Tight end Zach Ertz, who recently re-signed with the Eagles after playing for them from 2013 to 2021, posted several pictures of himself and Johnson on X and wrote “every step of the way.”

Left tackle Jordan Mailata told WIP-FM (94.1) in Philadelphia he was “still kinda shocked” by Johnson’s decision.

“I just think about how much I’m going to miss him going forward,” Mailata said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From Maddie Lee: The Dodgers’ first few innings Tuesday night were riddled with strikeouts and missed opportunities. But the work they did racking up Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale‘s pitch count culminated in Kiké Hernández’s big fourth-inning moment in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.

“I felt hitting at the bottom of the lineup, my responsibility was to not chase him around, not give in to what he was trying to get me to do, which was roll over and hit into a double play,” Hernández said after the Dodgers’ 3-1 win against the Braves. “So my mentality was to grind out the at-bat, try to get a good pitch to hit. If not, just be patient so I could turn the lineup over to Mookie [Betts] at the top.”

Hernández let Sale’s first pitch, a changeup in and off the plate, go for a ball. Then, he recognized the pitch again, heading toward the inner third of the plate. And Hernández demolished it, taking three slow steps out of the batter’s box before dropping the bat.

Hernández has too many big postseason moments — a three-homer game against the Cubs in Game 5 of the 2017 NL Championship Series, for example — for a single homer in a non-elimination game to rank at the top. It was his 17th career postseason home run, which accounts for 11% of his home runs over 13 years in the majors, putting him in a category of his own.

It was, however, the biggest offensive moment of the Dodgers’ postseason so far. As the series teetered, in a matchup of rotation aces, all tied up and in Atlanta for the first time, he got his first at-bats of the 2026 postseason and immediately delivered.

“We played tonight like an elimination game,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Collectively it was probably one of our better performances, certainly with the [opposing] starter, as far as 1 through 9.”

Continue reading here

Dodgers-Braves box score

MLB scores

Dodgers in control against Braves

Kiké Hernández celebrates after hitting a two-run home run in the fourth inning of the Dodgers’ 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS at Truist Park on Tuesday.

(Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)

From Bill Plaschke: Scared straight.

Faced with a reality check, the Dodgers got real. Confronted with the end, the Dodgers are just getting started.

Stepping warily into Atlanta’s Truist Park with their five-game division series tied at one game apiece and Braves’ ace Chris Sale waiting for them on the mound Tuesday, the Dodgers marched out three hours later on the verge of another champagne shower.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto was brilliant, showing everyone that they were focusing on the wrong ace.

The Dodger bats were reborn, showing everyone that they still know how to hit in October.

And, yes, the Dodgers finally have a closer, Edwin Díaz entering the ninth and allowing a leadoff double to Ozzie Albies before retiring the next three hitters for the biggest save of his brief Dodgers career.

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Shaikin: Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s playoff dominance impresses everyone, especially Tarik Skubal

Swanson: The Braves let Freddie Freeman go. Now he’s making them pay in the NLDS

Remembering Fred Claire

General manager Fred Claire, left, celebrates the Dodgers’ 1988 World Series win over the Oakland Athletics with manager Tommy Lasorda.

(Bill Beattie / Associated Press)

From Bill Plaschke: The Dodgers were spiraling.

Their general manager had been fired for racist comments. Their famous manager had loudly lost his touch.

They had not won a full-season championship in more than two decades. They were just a blip on a Los Angeles sports landscape dominated by Showtime.

The Dodgers were plunging into a purgatory of irrelevance from which seemingly nobody could save them.

A sportswriter saved them.

Fred Claire saved them.

The most forgotten hero in Dodger history stepped out of the shadows in 1987 as their instant general manager and created the miraculous monster that came to be in 1988.

Kirk Gibson’s home run? He contrived it. Tommy Lasorda’s Hall of Fame career? He enabled it. The infamous championship Stunt Men? He formed it.

The resuscitation of a Dodger brand during what was quite possibly its darkest moment? It all started with Fred Claire, the longtime Dodger executive who died Monday in his Pasadena home on his 91st birthday.

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Fred Claire, former Dodgers GM whose team won the ’88 World Series, dies

Bob Chesney urges UCLA to ignore hype

UCLA coach Bob Chesney reacts during a win over San Diego State at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 12.

(Griffin C. Hooper / Getty Images)

From Connor Dullinger: No. 21.

Look at it once.

And do not talk or worry about it again.

That is what UCLAcoach Bob Chesney told his team when he showed them their Associated Press Top 25 ranking during Sunday’s team meeting, reminding the Bruins what their priorities are as they come off their bye week and prepare for a showdown in Eugene, Ore., against the No. 13 Ducks.

“If you pay attention to this number it will go away,” Chesney said. “If you pay attention to what you did to get that number, and only focus on that and improve that, maybe the number even gets better. Who knows as time goes on, but that can’t be anything we talk about or worry about, and that’s why I wanted to bring it up one time and that was the end of it.”

The commitment to the process remains Chesney’s top priority as his team stares down its biggest test of the season to date.

Continue reading here

Kings fall in home opener

Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper makes a glove save during the first period against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

From Kevin Baxter: Before the first home game of their upcoming 60th anniversary year Tuesday, the Kings honored their past by unveiling a modest Hall of Fame on the concourse of Crypto.com Arena.

An hour later, this season’s Kings took the ice and made some history of their own, though not the kind they had hoped for, falling to the Florida Panthers 2-1 to open a season with three consecutive losses for the first time since 2020.

For Peter Laviolette, the history was even more unwanted since the team’s 0-2-1 start makes him the first Kings coach to go winless in his first three games since Robbie Ftorek in 1987.

Laviolette was a 23-year-old defenseman with the U.S. national team then. He would go on to win 934 NHL games as a coach, the most ever for an American, but he has yet to add to that total with the Kings. It didn’t help that two of the first three games with his new franchise came against Colorado and Florida, popular picks to finish the season in the Stanley Cup Final.

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Kings-Panthers summary

NHL scores

NHL standings

Adou Thiero stands out for Lakers

Lakers forward Adou Thiero looks to pass around Golden State forward Yaxel Lendeborg during the Lakers’ 124-98 preseason loss Tuesday.

(Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: This was never going to be a game for the Lakers to remember. But with nearly half of the roster sidelined because of injuries or resting, Adou Thiero at least tried to inject some life into a sleepy preseason back-to-back.

Thiero’s towering one-handed dunk over two Golden State defenders provided a highlight in the Lakers’ otherwise forgettable 124-98 preseason loss to the Warriors at Chase Center on Tuesday. The Lakers leaned on their depth to get through their second short-handed preseason game in as many nights.

Guard Quentin Grimes, the only player starting a second consecutive game for the Lakers, had 12 points and three assists. Forward Sandro Mamukelashvili started at center and had 15 points and a trio of three-pointers. Thiero, getting a rare starting moment, scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds while Bronny James had four points and five assists in a starting role.

Continue reading here

Lakers-Warriors box score

NBA scores

MLB postseason schedule

DIVISION SERIES

National League

No. 2 Dodgers vs. No. 3 Atlanta
at Dodgers 5, Atlanta 3 (box score)
Atlanta 3, at Dodgers 2 (box score)
Dodgers 3, at Atlanta 1 (box score)
Wednesday at Atlanta, 3 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Friday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One

No. 1 Milwaukee vs. No. 4 San Diego
at Milwaukee 3, San Diego 2 (box score)
at Milwaukee 4, San Diego 3 (box score)
at San Diego 4, Milwaukee 3 (box score)
Wednesday at San Diego, 7 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*Friday at Milwaukee, 1:30 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One

American League

No. 1 Tampa Bay vs. No. 4 New York
at Tampa Bay 1, New York Yankees 0 (box score)
at Tampa Bay 5, New York Yankees 2 (box score)
Wednesday at New York, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Thursday at New York, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Saturday, Oct. 10 at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max

No. 2 Cleveland vs. No. 6 Chicago White Sox

Chicago White Sox 3, at Cleveland 0 (box score)
Chicago White Sox 4, at Cleveland 3 (box score)
Wednesday at Chicago, 1 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Thursday at Chicago, 2 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
*Saturday, Oct. 10 at Cleveland, 2 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max

* if necessary

NLCS starts Sunday, Oct. 11
ALCS starts Monday, Oct. 12
World Series starts Friday, Oct. 23

This Day in Sports History

1904 — Jack Chesbro registers his 41st victory of the season as New York defeats Boston 3-2.

1916 — Georgia Tech, coached by John Heisman, beats Cumberland 222-0 in the most lopsided college football game in history.

1933 — Baseball World Series: NY Giants beat Washington Senators, 4-3 at Griffith Stadium to clinch 4 games to 1 series victory.

1935 — Baseball World Series: Detroit Tigers beat Chicago Cubs, 4-3 at Navin Field for 4 games to 2 series win; Tigers win first championship in 5 WS appearances.

1945 — The Green Bay Packers score 41 points in the first quarter in a 57-21 win against the Detroit Lions.

1950 — Baseball World Series: New York Yankees beat Philadelphia Phillies, 5-2 at Yankee Stadium to sweep series, 4-0 for 13th WS title in team history; MVP: NY 2B Jerry Coleman.

1952 — Baseball World Series: NY Yankees beat Brooklyn Dodgers, 4-2 at Ebbets Field in Game 7 to tie own record 4th straight WS; MVP: NY 1B Johnny Mize.

1962 — Judy Kimball wins the LPGA championship with a four-stroke victory over Shirley Spork.

1967 — Tulsa wide receivers Ricky Eber and Harry Wood have the best day by a receiving duo in college football history. Eber has 20 receptions for 322 yards and three touchdowns, while Wood grabs 13 passes for 318 yards and three scores in Tulsa’s 58-0 win over Idaho State.

1970 — Willie Shoemaker wins his 6,033rd race to pass Johnny Longden as the winningest jockey. His first race was won on April 20, 1949.

1984 — Walter Payton breaks Jim Brown’s career rushing mark of 12,312 yards and Brown’s career mark of 58 100-yard rushing games in a 20-7 victory over New Orleans. Payton breaks the record on Chicago’s second play from scrimmage in the second half.

1985 — Lynette Woodard, captain of the women’s basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1984 Olympics, is chosen to be the first woman to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.

1995 — Coach Eddie Robinson gets his 400th victory as Grambling beats Mississippi Valley State 42-6.

2000 — Zamir Amin of Menlo College sets an NCAA all-divisions record, passing for 731 yards in the Division III school’s 37-32 loss to Cal Lutheran. Amin, 39-of-66 with four TDs and three interceptions, breaks the mark of 716 set by David Klingler of Division I-A Houston against Arizona State on Dec. 2, 1990.

2001 — San Diego’s Rickey Henderson becomes the 25th player with 3,000 hits with a bloop double in a 14-5 loss to Colorado.

2001 — Barry Bonds wraps up his record-breaking season with his 73rd homer and shatters the slugging percentage record that Babe Ruth had owned for 81 years. He finishes with a slugging percentage of .863, easily surpassing the mark of .847 that Ruth set in 1920.

2006 — Denis Hopovac’s fifth field goal of the game, in an NCAA record-tying seventh overtime, gives North Texas a 25-22 victory over Florida International. The other two seven-overtime games involved Arkansas — against Mississippi in 2001 and Kentucky in 2003.

2011 — Minnesota Lynx beat the Atlanta Dream 73-67 to complete a three-game sweep of the WNBA championship series.

2012 — Drew Brees finishes 29 for 45 for 370 yards with four TD passes and an interception in New Orleans’ 31-24 win over San Diego. Brees breaks the NFL record by throwing a touchdown pass in his 48th straight game. His 40-yard pass to Devery Henderson eclipses the mark of 47 consecutive games set by Johnny Unitas from 1956-60.

2017 — Jarvion Franklin runs in from the 12 to give Western Michigan a 71-68 victory over Buffalo in a record-tying seven overtimes with a record-breaking 139 total points.

2017 — Backup Khalil Tate rushes for 327 yards, an FBS record for a quarterback, and accounts for five touchdowns to help Arizona hold off Colorado 45-42.

2017 — Alex Ovechkin scores four goals to become the first player in 100 years with back-to-back hat tricks to open a season, and the Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 6-1.

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.

MONDAY’S RESULTS

City Section

Carson 19, Narbonne 12

El Camino Real 12, Cleveland 0

Los Angeles Roosevelt 19, Huntington Park 0

South Gate 26, Bell 22

Southern Section

Alemany 34, Flintridge Sacred Heart 7

Anaheim 38, Rancho Alamitos 7

Aquinas 33, Arrowhead Christian 0

Bellflower 14, Mayfair 12

Bell Gardens 20, Keppel 8

Bishop Montgomery 32, Cantwell-Sacred Heart 6

Bolsa Grande 36, Century 0

California Military Institute 42, San Jacinto Valley Academy 0

Canyon Springs 18, Riverside North 12

Carter 24, Colton 0

Cathedral City 19, Banning 6

Cerritos 30, La Mirada 0

Chaparral 19, Great Oak 0

Compton 25, Long Beach Cabrillo 8

Corona Santiago 21, Norco 14

Covina 33, Rowland 6

Cypress 13, Canyon Country Canyon 12

Eastvale Roosevelt 12, Corona Centennial 6

Eastvale Roosevelt 30, Riverside King 25

Edison 25, Corona del Mar 19

Eisenhower 26, Bloomington 18

El Rancho 7, Schurr 6

El Toro 22, Beckman 12

Etiwanda 68, Los Osos 0

Fullerton 22, Garden Grove 7

Gahr 34, California 18

Garden Grove 28, Savanna 6

Glenn 34, Whitney 0

Godinez 15, Buena Park 14

Hacienda Heights 18, Charter Oak 0

Hemet 13, Hillcrest 6

Heritage 44, Citrus Hill 0

Indio 33, Xavier Prep 6

Irvine 19, Newport Beach Pacifica Christian 12

La Canada 38, Temple City 12

Lakewood 20, Long Beach Jordan 0

Lakewood St. Joseph 40, Quartz Hill 0

La Palma Kennedy 33, Laguna Hills 26

La Quinta 32, Rancho Mirage 0

Linfield Christian 34, Ontario Christian 14

Loara 8, Orange 7

Long Beach Poly 31, Millikan 6

Los Alamitos 40, Marina 0

Los Altos 13, Colony 12

Los Amigos 13, Westminster 6

Montebello 19, Alhambra 7

Moreno Valley 15, Arlington 13

Mountain View 39, El Monte Arroyo 0

Murrieta Mesa 24, Murrieta Valley 2

Newport Harbor 34, Fountain Valley 0

Nogales 6, Garey 0

Norco 33, Corona 24

Norwalk 26, Pioneer 6

Ocean View 7, Katella 0

Orange Vista 19, Liberty 13

Palm Desert 19, Desert Hot Springs 6

Paloma Valley 19, Rancho Verde 15

Paramount 6, Artesia 0

Patriot 50, Norte Vista 0

Placentia Valencia 20, Estancia 0

Pomona 14, Edgewood 0

Ramona 19, La Sierra 7

Ramona Convent 12, St. Bernard 6

Rancho Cucamonga 14, St. Lucy’s 7

Rosemead 6, El Monte 0

San Marino 27, Gabrielino 7

Santa Ana Foothill 26, Garden Grove Pacifica 20

Santa Ana Valley 20, Western 7

Segerstrom 20, Westminster 12

Shadow Hills 18, Palm Springs 6

Sonora 7, Villa Park 0

South El Monte 27, San Gabriel 0

South Hills 45, San Dimas 8

St. Margaret’s 40, Laguna Beach 19

St. Paul 54, Sacred Heart of Jesus 0

Summit 19, Jurupa Hills 6

Sunny Hills 19, El Dorado 13

Upland 7, Chino Hills 0

Temescal Canyon 32, Jurupa Valley 6

Temecula Prep 32, Nuview Bridge 6

Tesoro 33, Dana Hills 0

Tustin 20, Costa Mesa 0

Valley View 19, Lakeside 0

Vasquez 26, Palmdale 6

Victor Valley 36, Fontana 0

Vista Murrieta 18, Temecula Valley 6

Warren 36, La Serna 34

West Covina 21, Northview 0

Whittier 33, Oxford Academy 12

Woodbridge 35, Sage Hill 7

Woodcrest Christian 7, Riverside Notre Dame 0

Workman 30, Bassett 0

Yorba Linda 32, Crean Lutheran 14

TUESDAY’S RESULTS

Southern Section

Adelanto 15, Victor Valley 0

Agoura 14, Oaks Christian 7

Alhambra 39, El Monte 0

Alta Loma 13, Colony 0

Antelope Valley 6, Lancaster 0

Antelope Valley 12, Lancaster 7

Arroyo Valley 6, Indian Springs 0

Banning 19, Entrepreneur 14

Bishop Amat 28, South El Monte 0

Bonita 14, Ayala 12

Brentwood 7, SEED LA 0

Brentwood 33, Shalhevet 6

Cajon 13, Redlands East Valley 12

California Military 32, Riverside Notre Dame 12

Camarillo 38, Moorpark 7

Canyon Country Canyon 20, Golden Valley 12

Capistrano Valley 32, Irvine 26

Castaic 32, Saugus 0

Cerritos Valley Christian 61, Vista Meridian 0

Chaminade 26, Louisville 0

Channel Islands 25, Santa Barbara 9

Chino Hills 38, Los Osos 8

Dos Pueblos 14, San Marcos 6

Eastside 22, Knight 6

Etiwanda 45, St. Lucy’s 0

Glendora 32, Claremont 19

Grand Terrace 26, Carter 13

Hart 14, West Ranch 0

Harvard-Westlake 32, Alemany 14

Hemet 19, Riverside North 7

Heritage 29, Rancho Christian 14

Highland 19, Palmdale 13

Hueneme 39, Santa Paula 27

JSerra 40, Mater Dei 12

Kaiser 13, Summit 0

Loma Linda Academy 53, Calvary Baptist 0

Miller 7, Norte Vista 0

Mission Viejo 7, Trabuco Hills 6

Montclair 20, Chaffey 6

Moreno Valley 40, Lakeside 13

Newbury Park 25, Calabasas 0

North Torrance 19, Long Beach Jordan 0

Ontario 6, Don Lugo 2

Orange Lutheran 18, Santa Margarita 6

Oxnard 54, Rio Mesa 6

Oxnard Pacifica 39, Del Sol 0

Pacific 19, Jurupa Valley 12

Paloma Valley 56, Orange Vista 14

Pasadena Poly 31, Westridge 14

Patriot 24, Ramona 0

Quartz Hill 2, Littlerock 0

Rancho Cucamonga 32, Upland 24

Rancho Verde 35, Citrus Hill 6

Redlands 20, Citrus Valley 13

Rialto 12, San Gorgonio 6

Riverside Poly 31, Hillcrest 12

San Bernardino 46, Rubidoux 0

San Clemente 34, San Juan Hills 14

San Dimas 32, Los Altos 12

Sierra Canyon 41, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 14

Simi Valley 25, Royal 7

Sr. Bonaventure 40, Oak Park 0

Sunny Hills 38, Loara 6

Tahquitz 25, Elsinore 12

Temescal Canyon 7, West Valley 6

Torrance 19, West Torrance 0

Valley View 27, Vista del Lago 26

Ventura 35, Buena 0

Western Christian 38, Fairmont Prep 0

Westlake 46, Thousand Oaks 0

Windward 54, YULA 0

Democrat Xavier Becerra, the frontrunner to become the state’s next governor, often invokes the story of his parents’ humble beginnings as immigrants from Mexico who, through hard work, built happy and productive lives in California.

“My parents came to California with $12 in their pocket. They lived the California dream,” Becerra said during last week’s gubernatorial debate with Republican rival Steve Hilton, aired nationally on CNN.

Becerra for years has described himself as the “son of immigrants” when talking about his upbringing, but that claim has come under scrutiny by Hilton and other critics who accuse Becerra of embellishing his family history. Becerra’s mother is from Guadalajara, Mexico, but his father was born in Sacramento and raised in Tijuana — making him a U.S. citizen and not a legal immigrant.

“Unlike Xavier Becerra, I am an immigrant. Unlike Xavier Becerra, my father was an immigrant. My stepfather too. My whole family,” Hilton wrote in a post on X.

Hilton is an immigrant from the United Kingdom and is the son of Hungarian immigrants who fled their homeland during a revolution in 1956.

Richard Grenell, a former Trump administration official, accused news outlets of letting a lie “continue for decades” throughout Becerra’s tenure as California attorney general and then as a Cabinet official in the Biden administration.

Becerra has openly discussed the details of his parents’ story, which unfolded on both sides of the border and in many ways reflects Mexican immigrant trajectories during the historical period of the 1920s and 1930s.

During speeches and in interviews Becerra has described how his father, Manuel, was born in Sacramento in 1928 and taken back to Tijuana as a young boy, with few jobs for Americans during the Great Depression, and even fewer jobs for Mexicans working in the U.S. His father traveled between the two countries often, and, as an older child, he would look for work in the U.S.

Becerra on Tuesday accused Hilton of “casting lies” about his family’s background, saying that the Republican failed to understand the struggle that many Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans faced in this county decades ago. He said his dad would tell of the days when he couldn’t walk into some establishments that had posted signs that read “No dog, Negros or Mexicans allowed.”

“This is what happens when people who don’t understand immigration start to pontificate,” Becerra said Tuesday after a morning rally against Proposition 39, a voter identification measure, at Guelaguetza, a Oaxacan restaurant in Los Angeles’ Pico-Union neighborhood.

“I am very proud of my parents, and I consider them immigrants because even though my dad was born in the U.S. — in a country that wouldn’t treat him the way it would treat other U.S. citizens — my dad was a proud immigrant,” Becerra said. “I am proud that I am their son. I am the son of immigrants.”

G. Cristina Mora, a UC Berkeley professor of sociology studying attitudes toward immigration, said Becerra’s critics misunderstand a common phenomenon at the time, when immigrants moved back and forth across a southern border that was much more porous — very different from the militarized border of today.

Beyond the dwindling jobs and precarious economics of the 1930s serving as a push factor for many Mexican families, a wave of xenophobia also helped send hundreds of thousands back to Mexico. A wave of mass deportations across the Southwest states resulted in more than 1 million Mexicans and their descendants being forced out of their homes and loaded on trains out. More than 60% were U.S. citizens.

Mora, who also serves as co-director of the UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies, said “it was a time of very great anti-Mexican fervor.” Many sought to later return. Some were deported multiple times.

“There are many types of immigrants. There’s so much nuance,” Mora said. “To think there’s only one immigrant story would just be to not know California.”

Becerra’s campaign spokesperson Jonathan Underland in a statement accused Hilton of hypocritically attempting to capitalize on an immigrant narrative.

“Steve Hilton doesn’t seem to have a problem with immigrants who look like him — but openly attacks immigrants who look like Xavier Becerra,” Underland said. “Trump ignited a deep anti-immigrant animus among MAGA voters, and Hilton is tapping into that as he scrambles to distract from his bizarre ad campaign that alienated some of his closest allies.” Last week, Hilton’s campaign put out a provocative, sexually suggestive ad that drew criticism from his fellow Republicans.

Becerra, both on Tuesday and throughout his long political career, has often described his parents’ upbringing.

He said his father’s family moved back to Tijuana during the Great Depression. His father, he said, was the eldest child and was forced to leave school after the sixth grade to help support the family. He began working as a preteen, bouncing back and forth between the U.S. and Tijuana. He would tell stories about being a shoe shiner, at times of celebrities and movie stars. He also worked in the farm fields with his dad and sometimes with his uncles.

In the early 1950s he married Becerra’s mother, Maria Teresa, who lived in Guadalajara.

“When they decided to make a go of it outside of Guadalajara, they went to Tijuana. They didn’t have great success, so that’s when they decided to come to the U.S.,” Becerra said on Tuesday. “So when I say my parents came to California with $12 in their pocket, it’s because, Steve Hilton, my parents came to California with $12 in their pocket.”

Becerra’s father later began a construction career that lasted 30 years, while his mother worked as a clerical worker and later purchased rental properties.

Times researcher Cary Schneider contributed to this report.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. Football forfeits have been happening. Athletic directors and coaches have been scrambling to make sure players are eligible and parental paperwork is accurate. That’s just a small part of the ethical dilemmas taking place in the high school sports world.

Let the debate begin on ethics

Nobody likes to be told what to do. Nobody likes to be told they are wrong. Nobody likes bureaucracy because it moves slowly. Everybody likes to find shortcuts and to be told they are right. It’s almost a daily experience working in the high school sports world, figuring out ethical dilemmas and how to proceed.

Coaches are supposed to tell their players every season that hazing is wrong and won’t be tolerated. Then hazing happens, and the coach is the one held accountable, sometimes even losing their job.

There always are internal politics at play. A winning coach will be treated differently from a losing coach. That’s a fact. In my job as a sportswriter, I’ve been monitoring decisions on ethics for decades. I was around when the California Interscholastic Federation adopted lessons from the influential Michael Josephson, who created the Character Counts coalition. Awards continue to be given out to those who hold their ground and choose the ethically right decision to make.

Do you go out and check the address of transfer student or trust the paperwork submitted? Do you report another team using an ineligible player immediately or hold it back until right before the playoffs, causing the entire team to lose out on the playoffs because of forfeits?

Here’s a look at some of the challenges.

Tahj Skinner of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame accounted for four touchdowns — throwing for three and returning an interception for another— in a 28-21 win over Chaminade.

(Craig Weston / For The Times)

Tahj Skinner of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame intends to play safety for UC Davis. But he’s been doing such a fantastic job playing quarterback for the unbeaten Knights that being a wildcat quarterback could be in his future. He had three touchdown passes and returned an interception for a touchdown in a win over Chaminade. Here’s the report.

In a battle of very good defenses, Santa Margarita defeated Mater Dei 14-7. Here’s the report.

Another week, another historic win for unbeaten Cleveland in the City Section. The Cavaliers defeated longtime power Birmingham 14-9 in the West Valley League opener. Here’s the report.

In a battle of unbeaten teams, Corona del Mar got past Villa Park, 24-10. Here’s the report.

Granada Hills Kennedy (6-0) has won 20 consecutive Valley Mission League games.

Ceasar Reyes of Garfield continues to pile up rushing yards. He had 374 yards in 39 carries and scored five touchdowns in a 42-28 win over Bell. He‘d better bring doughnuts to his offensive linemen on Monday mornings.

Quarterback Shawn Sanders of Paracete had a game for the ages in a 56-36 win over St. Paul. He was 14 for 15 passing for 205 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for 188 yards and two touchdowns. He kicked seven PATs and seven balls into the end zone for touchbacks. Did he bring out the water bottles too?

Corona Centennial has nine players in its football program with variations of the same first name. Here’s the report.

Here are this week’s top 25 rankings by The Times.

Here’s a look at top individual performances from the past week.

Here’s the schedule for this week’s games.

Here are this week’s top 10 rankings by The Times.

One of the great teams from the 2026-27 school year is going to end up being JSerra flag football. The Lions won the Southern Section Division 1 title last season and are even better this season with 21 consecutive victories. If any opponent gets close, that will be news.

You need to go watch the duo of quarterback Kate Meier and receiver Tessa Russell.

Carson has taken over as No. 1 in the City Section.

Girls’ volleyball

There’s a clear pecking order in the Southern Section. Mater Dei and Sierra Canyon have been the top teams all season. Mira Costa, Los Alamitos and Marymount are right behind.

Here are the latest Southern Section rankings.

Sierra Canyon, at 26-1, plays host to Marymount on Tuesday in a huge Mission League matchup.

Venice, Cleveland, Palisades and Chatsworth hold down the top spots in City Section rankings.

Notes…

Left-handed pitcher Joe Bell of La Cañada has committed to the Naval Academy….

Pitcher Ricky Aguilar from Gahr has committed to Cal State Bakersfield….

Sean Compton of Bonita has committed to play baseball at UC Riverside….

Offensive lineman Adam Fogleson of Mater Dei has committed to UC Davis….

Junior softball standout Scarlett LaBriola of Santa Margarita has committed to Stanford….

Junior softball standout Anna Plotke of Santa Margarita has committed to Maryland….

Gunner Welch is the new boys’ volleyball coach at Campbell Hall….

Senior basketball guard Cole Holden from Harvard-Westlake has committed to UC Riverside….

Defensive back Dean Gibson from Corona Centennial has committed to San Diego….

Leah Reynolds of Bonita has committed to play softball at Colorado State…..

Junior catcher Annabel Raftery of JSerra has committed to Stanford for softball….

It’s strange times at Van Nuys High, where baseball coach Andres Sepulveda was dismissed for building an illegal batting cage. The softball program also faces scrutiny for an unapproved fence and dugouts…

Yorba Linda’s football team has been forced to forfeit four victories, which means its record is 0-6 and making the playoffs would require earning an automatic berth from the Alpha League. The school district indicated there were violations involving bylaws 503.B (1) and 510, which involve administrative oversight and undue influence….

Todd Therrien, a former football coach at St. Bonaventure who won two state Division III championships, died on Sept. 30, the Ventura County Star reported. He was 47. He recently had a stroke and was a quadriplegic after a spinal cord injury from a car accident in 2022. He succeeded Jon Mack in 2007….

Newport Harbor is No. 1 in the first Southern Section boys’ water polo rankings….

Freshman Emiliano Plascencia of Whitter has more than 100 goals for his water polo team this season.

(Los Angeles Times)

Whittier has a freshman water polo player scoring goals in bunches. Here’s the report. …

JSerra made it to the championship game in water polo at the Elite 8 tournament before losing to Cathedral Catholic….

The Southern Section football playoff pairings will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. That’s also the end of daylight savings time when the clocks move back one hour, so no sleeping in for coaches, parents or players….

The Luderer twins, Keira and Kelsey, from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame committed to Florida State for softball. Here’s the report….

Chaminade has begun construction of a $66-million project that will include new baseball and softball diamonds. Here’s the report.

From the archives: Jamie Dixon

Jamie Dixon was a star guard at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, went on to Texas Christian, became a top assistant to Ben Howland at Northern Arizona, then an assistant at Pittsburgh before becoming coach. He has been TCU’s coach since 2016.

Here’s a story from 2019 when Dixon was being considered for the UCLA coaching opening.

From Pittsburgh Magazine, a story on Dixon’s past in 2015.

Recommendations

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on Inglewood football coach Mil’Von James saying he played three ineligible players in Texas because he didn’t know they were ineligible outside of California.

From the Los Angeles Times, a story on how unbeaten Sierra Canyon’s football team has found a top sophomore linebacker in Eli Zamorano, who spent nearly three months living on Easter Island when he was 15.

From Yahoo, a story on former Mater Dei receiver Cooper Barkate having a breakout performance for Miami.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on X at @latsondheimer.

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All season long, Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase has been begging her team to empty the tank. In the winner-take-all Game 3 win over Dallas on Friday, it seems she took that too literally.

“The stress at this time of year is real,” said Becky Hammon, Las Vegas Aces coach and Nakase’s former mentor. “The pressure, you don’t get a lot of sleep. You’re not eating as well as you probably should. There’s a lot of factors that go into that. That was kind of scary actually to watch, and just you know, that little sucker popped right back up, though. Got right back up on that marker and kept it pushing.”

Nakase said Sunday she is fine and just battling exhaustion, something she is taking seriously in her quest to prioritize self-care.

“[My father] told me about 10 years ago when I never knew what I was going to do with my career, and he just said, ‘do not let your career ever get involved if your mental health or your health gets complicated,’” she said. “So when that happened, it definitely was like a wake-up call for me.”

But anyone who knows Nakase is not surprised to see her truly empty the tank like this. Ever since the Huntington Beach native and Marina High graduate was a walk-on to UCLA’s team in 1998, she has had an unwavering intensity.

“She has that [intensity] but with a smile on her face,” said her high school coach Pete Bonny. “From the get-go, this is who she is.”

In her second season as a WNBA coach, those around her have seen her willingness to adapt to the situation.

“She has always found ways to keep us winning,” Valkyries assistant coach Landon Tatum said. “Her ability to change in real time and make adjustments I think is the biggest difference for her this year.”

Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase talks with Kaitlyn Chen during Game 1 of a WNBA semifinal series against the Las Vegas Aces in San Francisco on Sunday.

(Tony Avelar / Ap Photo/tony Avelar)

Nakase walked on at UCLA after turning down a scholarship offer from UC Irvine. With the Bruins, she became a starter and captain, earning honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors in 2002 and finishing her career ranked 10th in program history with 358 assists.

The Bruins made two NCAA tournament appearances during Nakase’s four seasons.

In her first year as a WNBA head coach, Nakase led the Valkyries to the postseason, the first time an expansion team ever accomplished that feat. It earned her the league’s coach of the year award.

“If you put all 44 games together, all 44 of the regular season, I don’t know if there’s a team that played harder than her team every [game] for the 44 games, and that’s that’s a tribute to her,” Hammon said. “That’s the highest compliment I can give someone.”

This year, Golden State went even deeper with a first-round series win over Dallas after finishing the regular season with the league’s second-best record. After top seed Minnesota was upset in the first round, the Valkyries now have home court throughout the postseason.

“She always sticks to her plan,” said Valkyries point guard Veronica Burton about how she has seen Nakase grow this season. “Every single game she approaches with the utmost respect. I think it says a lot about her as a coach, and then what she expects of us. I think every single game I know what to expect going in, and I know what she wants of me, and I know what she expects of me. She makes us feel prepared.”

Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase raises the WNBA Coach of the Year award before a playoff game against the Minnesota Lynx on Sept. 17, 2025, in San José.

(Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)

Nakase was back on the sidelines on Sunday to face Hammon, wearing a heart monitor and trying to practice what she preaches about recovery. She ultimately led Golden State to a 71-60 win in Game 1 of the series.

Nakase does not plan on tempering her trademark fervor, even if this was an important learning experience. After all, she built an unlikely UCLA career and surging WNBA coaching career by sticking with who she is.

“She’s never been afraid that she knows she is going to mess up sometimes,” Tatum said. “Her ability to create a culture that fast, like that’s not easy. I think that’s when you kind of knew off top in training camp, like, oh yeah, I think she’s ready for this. She’s got this.”

Bruins’ Canada also thriving in WNBA playoffs

Dream guard Jordin Canada dribbles between New York Liberty center Han Xu, left, and guard Marine Johannes, right, during Game 1 of a WNBA semifinal series Sunday in Atlanta.

(Colin Hubbard / Associated Press)

The Associated Press’ Alan Cole highlighted a banner Sunday for UCLA alum Jordin Canada:

Jordin Canada scored 20 of her 25 points in the second half and had five steals to help the Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 92-82 on Sunday in Game 1 of the best-of-five WNBA semifinals series.

DeWanna Bonner added 23 points and helped fill the void when Allisha Gray went down with a left hand injury in the second quarter. Atlanta once again played stellar defense, scoring 32 points off 21 forced turnovers, including 16 in a dominant third quarter. The 32 points off turnovers tied an all-time WNBA playoff record.

“Everybody stepped up, and that’s what we need,” Canada said. “Next-man up mentality. I just tried to do what I do best. I tried to be aggressive, find my shots and take my shots with confidence.”

Gray’s injury was the key moment of a very even first half. Neither team led by more than six points in a half that had 14 lead changes. New York went into the locker room with a slim 40-37 advantage. But Atlanta outscored New York 32-15 in the third quarter, seizing control with relentless defensive pressure.

“We knew we didn’t play our best in the first half,” Canada said. “We gave up a lot of defensive assignments, we weren’t playing up to our schemes and we just weren’t being aggressive enough on the offensive end.”

Angel Reese and Canada had three steals apiece in the third, keying a 13-3 run to start the half which gave Atlanta a lead it never surrendered. Seven New York players recorded at least one third-quarter turnover, and the team shot just four of 14 from the floor in a stretch that created a margin too big to overcome.

Oregon’s Lanning compares UCLA to national champs

Oregon coach Dan Lanning dodged questions this past week about the health of quarterback Dante Moore following a brutal hit during a win over USC by trying to focus on UCLA.

USC linebacker Desman Stephens II charged forward to tackle Moore on a run play on Sept. 26. Moore slid late and Stephens didn’t change course, lowering his shoulder and running into Moore’s head. Oregon players and fans were more offended after Stephens celebrated the play that nearly triggered a fight among the two teams and he was captured by NBC cameras smiling on the sideline while Moore was treated on the field before being transported to the hospital by ambulance. Stephens was ejected for targeting, but new NCAA rules allowed him to remain on the sideline and try to fire up his team during the second half.

A day after USC coach Lincoln Riley said he did not see Stephens’ sideline behavior and defended keeping him on the sideline in the second half, the school issued statements from Riley and Stephens apologizing for the hit and Stephens’ behavior while Moore received treatment. Stephens was suspended for one game.

Lanning called the play “disgusting” during his postgame news conference.

Oregon announced that Moore was diagnosed with a concussion, but tests showed no further injuries. Lanning said the team would be cautious as Moore recovers from the head injury.

Oregon, like UCLA, had a bye this past week and Lanning didn’t see reporters again until Wednesday. When asked for updates on Moore and for his thoughts on USC’s apologies and discipline, Lanning punted and instead compared UCLA to last year’s national champion.

“We’re about to play a UCLA team that reminds me a lot of Indiana from last year,” Lanning told reporters. “…Let’s just be honest. We’re not remotely close to what we need to be. We’re not remotely close.”

Lanning also said UCLA coach Bob Chesney texted him after the Ducks’ win over USC, offering to visit Moore if he had to remain in the hospital in Los Angeles. Moore instead was released and allowed to fly back to Oregon with his teammates.

Men’s water polo splits top-four matchups

The No. 1 UCLA men’s water polo split its marquee matchups to open Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play during the weekend.

The Bruins fell 19-15 to No. 2 Stanford on Saturday, but they rebounded for a 13-11 win over No. 4 California Sunday. Junior Ryder Dodd had five goals and three assists during the victory over the Golden Bears.

The Cardinal set a tougher pace on Saturday, leading by one goal at the end of the first, second and third quarters before extending their lead during a pivotal 7-4 fourth quarter. Dodd again paced the Bruins with four goals and five assists.

UCLA hosts Golden West College and California Baptist this weekend before the pressure rises again with a match at No. 3 USC on Oct. 17.

Bruins on deck

Here are all UCLA games scheduled to be played this week across all sports, with all times Pacific:

Tuesday, Oct. 6

Men’s soccer vs. Westmont, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 8

Women’s soccer vs. Indiana, 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 9

Men’s tennis at UC Santa Barbara Fall Classic, All day

Cross country at Wisconsin’s Nuttycombe Invite, Time TBA

Women’s volleyball at Maryland, 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 10

Men’s tennis at UC Santa Barbara Fall Classic, All day

Football at Oregon, 12:30 p.m.

Men’s water polo vs. Golden West College, 1 p.m.

Women’s volleyball at Rutgers, 4 p.m.

Men’s water polo vs. California Baptist, 6 p.m.

Men’s soccer vs. Ohio State, 6 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 11

Men’s tennis at UC Santa Barbara Fall Classic, All day

Women’s soccer vs. Illinois, 1 p.m.

In case you missed it

How UCLA built one of the most dominant rushing attacks in the country

Ultimate SoCal college football sports bar guide: Where to watch your team

UCLA Unlocked: Bob Chesney’s Bruins enter bye week with momentum

Have something Bruin?

Do you have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future UCLA newsletter? Email newsletters editor Houston Mitchell at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Sports editor Iliana Limón Romero contributed to this report.

The most impressive number the Dodgers put up this season was 100 — the games they won. They had to do a lot of things right to get there.

No Dodger ranked among the top 16 in the majors in home runs or the top 37 in RBIs, yet they were fourth in runs scored. How? They were third in the majors in walks and near the bottom in strikeouts, which allowed them to manufacture runs by stringing together long innings rather than relying on the long ball.

Two games into the postseason, that script has flipped. After Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Braves, the Dodgers head to Atlanta with their best-of-five National League Division Series tied. Suddenly the Braves, who will start ace Chris Sale on Tuesday, have the edge.

“Getting the split in this place against these guys, yeah, it’s awesome,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said.

All seven of the Dodgers’ runs in the NLDS have come on five home runs, three of them with the bases empty. The Dodgers are 0 for 9 with men in scoring position, stranding 13 runners. They’ve also struck out three times more often than they’ve walked and are batting .215 against the relay team of 10 pitchers Atlanta has used.

“We didn’t throw out a bunch of hits, but there was still traffic,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We didn’t need many hits tonight to have a different result, and we just couldn’t get it.”

Sure it’s a small sample; just two games. Yet it should be a troubling one for the Dodgers, the two-time defending World Series champions.

“Sometimes it’s just you can’t hit,” said Mookie Betts, who walked twice. “I mean, there’s nothing really you can do to explain that. You’ve just got to be in the moment and come through. We had some moments today [when] we didn’t come through.

“That’s part of the game. We’ve just got to keep giving ourselves moments, and eventually something will happen.”

“We’ve got to find a way to score some runs without hitting a home run,” added Freddie Freeman, who homered Sunday and has three hits in the series. “That’s our biggest thing right now. So keep getting guys on base and get that big hit.”

Freeman said the Braves have done a good job keeping the Dodgers hitters off-balance by emptying their bullpen, sending in a fresh pitcher every couple of innings.

“It’s tough because you’re facing a different arm every single time you’re going up there,” Freeman said. “It’s different angles, different velocities, different things. So stringing hits together is very hard.

“This is the playoffs. We’re not going to score eight to 10 runs. It’s hard. Pitching staffs are good.”

Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández wondered whether the Braves’ game plan might soon backfire. Aside from Sale, Weiss has few pitchers left the Dodgers haven’t seen; eventually they’ll catch up, he says.

“We’ve seen basically the best out of the bullpen,” Hernández said. “We can have a better plan for Tuesday and Wednesday.”

Will Smith reacts after popping out during the fifth inning in the Dodgers’ 3-2 loss to the Braves on Sunday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Although the Dodgers committed the second-fewest errors and gave up the fewest unearned runs this season, they haven’t looked sharp defensively in the postseason, with all three Atlanta runs Sunday coming with two outs.

The Braves loaded the bases in the first inning on a single and two walks before scoring when a diving Betts snared a Mauricio Dubón grounder up the middle, but threw wild and late to first, enabling Ronald Acuña Jr. to score. They then went ahead to stay in the fifth on a line drive to left that Hernández misplayed into a triple, followed by reliever Kris Bubic’s wild pitch.

“I didn’t think he hit it that good,” Hernández said. “I didn’t break in, but I broke to the side. And then when I realized, it was too late.”

Atlanta’s final run came in the seventh when Michael Harris II one-hopped the wall in right-center, allowing Matt Olson, running from first on the full-count pitch, to score.

Now the advantage swings to the Braves, who go to Truist Park, where they had the second-best home record in the league.

“We knew it was going to be a battle. We knew those guys weren’t going to go down,” Roberts said of the Braves.

“Now it’s a three-game series.”

The official cause of death for Fiona Lowe, the 13-year-old daughter of actor Chad Lowe and niece of Rob Lowe, has been revealed.

The database for the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed that Fiona Lowe died Tuesday by suicide and died in a hospital. Chad Lowe, the Emmy-winning star of “Life Goes On,” and his family announced Fiona’s death in a statement shared with People on Tuesday. The actor shares Fiona and two other daughters with wife Kim Painter.

Before the medical examiner’s report became public, Lowe’s family did not reveal a cause of death but in its statement mentioned contact information for a mental health lifeline. The family in its statement said it was “heartbroken by the loss” and remembered Fiona as a “loving girl who was smart, creative, and loved to dance.”

“She was adored by her sisters and she was deeply loved by her parents. In fact, she was the light of our lives,” the family added. Lowe and his loved ones also said Fiona’s death is “devastating for our entire family” and asked for prayers and privacy.

Fiona’s death comes after the “Pretty Little Liars” actor’s family lost their home in the Palisades fire, which killed 12 peopleand consumed more than 6,500 structures. He shared videos and photos of the destruction to his Instagram page.

Lowe, 58, is the younger brother of actor Rob Lowe. He and Painter married in 2010 and welcomed Fiona in 2012. Fiona celebrated her 13th birthday in November and was the second of the couple’s three daughters. Lowe and Painter first welcomed daughter Mabel in 2009 and their youngest daughter, Nixie, in 2016.

When the Dodgers acquired left-hander Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline, they expected him to be a big part of their postseason plans. But they didn’t necessarily pencil him in as their Game 1 starter.

After mulling over their options this week, the Dodgers are expected to announce Friday that Skubal will take the mound in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, confirmed a person with knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Their plans for a sweltering 1 p.m. start Saturday against the Braves were first reported by the Athletic.

The rest of the Dodgers’ rotation order was not immediately clear, but right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto — who had seemed a strong option for Game 1 after his World Series heroics last year — pitched to batters during the Dodgers’ workout Wednesday. If he takes his usual five days of rest, that would line him up to pitch Game 3 in Atlanta on Tuesday. So, left-hander Blake Snell could pitch Game 2 Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

“To be honest, we can kind of really put all four guys in a hat and run them out there,” manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday. “But I think there is going to be more thought behind it.”

Skubal, who the Dodgers acquired from the Tigers for three prospects, has posted a 2.61 ERA in 10 starts for Los Angeles. He finished his regular season with a gem against the Giants last week: seven three-hit innings on just 75 pitches.