tuesday

How the Dodgers get ready for the Braves

From Maddie Lee: The deciding game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves played silently on the Dodger Stadium scoreboard Thursday as Dodgers players practiced below.

The Dodgers were less than 48 hours away from the first pitch of the National League Division Series. The “2026 Postseason” decals had been freshly painted up the baselines that afternoon. All that was left to be decided was their opponent — the winner of the game serving as the backdrop of their intrasquad scrimmage.

About a half an hour after the Dodgers cleared the field, the Braves advanced to the NLDS with a 6-2 win over the Phillies. The Dodgers and Braves will open the best-of-five series at Dodger Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m. PDT.

The Atlanta Braves finished off the Philadelphia Phillies in the wild-card round in three games and move on to face the Dodgers in the NLDS.

“We are the team to beat,” veteran utility player Kiké Hernández said. “We are the team that you have to go through. And that’s all nice words and everything, but we got to take care of business on the field. But I feel great about my team.”

The Dodgers are the reigning back-to-back champions and are aiming to become the first National League team to win three World Series in a row.

“Obviously it’s there, but it’s not something we’re really focused on,” veteran third baseman Max Muncy said of the three-peat chase. “We’re trying to focus on ourselves getting ready this week, paying attention to whoever we might be playing and just trying to get ready for a postseason series the same way we’ve always gotten ready for it.”

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Nine concerns the Dodgers should have about facing the Braves in the NLDS

Shaikin: ‘Hired gun’ Tarik Skubal opens up on the pressure, pain and lessons of October

Lakers hire new PA announcer

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Derrin Horton’s first job was in public address announcing. His first passion was the Lakers. The longtime sports broadcaster’s new job is the marriage of both.

Horton will take over the mic as the Lakers’ home public-address announcer, the team announced Thursday, stepping into the role for legendary Lakers announcer Lawrence Tanter, who died last week.

“There’s no way you can fill his shoes,” Horton said in an interview with local reporters. “And so you just come here with a passion and a goal to be informative and entertaining and be a part of Showtime.”

Tanter, who provided the smooth, baritone soundtrack for Lakers home games for 43 seasons, suffered a stroke on March 17 and missed the final six regular-season home games and the playoffs last season. Tanter announced his retirement in June, transitioning to a game-day advisory role with the team. Horton, a former KTLA broadcaster who has worked as an anchor, reporter, host, play-by-play announcer and voice actor, reached out to the team about the opportunity.

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How UCLA build a formidable rushing attack

From Connor Dullinger: How you do one thing is how you do everything.

UCLA running backs coach A.J. Steward preaches it and it is the mantra adopted by the Bruins’ prolific running backs.

UCLA’s three-headed backfield, composed of fifth-year players Wayne Knight and Anthony Woods and senior Jaivian Thomas, is hailed for its undeniable impact on the ground, ranking first nationally in rushing touchdowns, third in yards per carry and fifth in yards per game this season.

Steward, who works in tandem with offensive line coach and run game coordinator Chris Smith, said it’s what his tailbacks do without the ball and the group’s commitment to each other that separates the group from the rest of the pack.

“The way we play without the ball in our hands is no different. It should be no different than what we do when we have the ball in our hands in terms of trying to make a play for our offense,” Steward said. “You cut the film on any of these guys, you’ll see they’re downfield making blocks. They’re there at the end of the play in case somebody puts the ball down [on] the ground and that’s because they hear it every day how you do anything’s how you do everything.”

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Ducks sign defenseman to big deal

The Ducks have signed promising young defenseman Tristan Luneau to a six-year contract extension worth $43.2 million after just 14 NHL appearances.

The Ducks announced the deal Thursday with the 22-year-old Luneau, whose promising career has been slowed by injury. Now healthy and ready for a full-time NHL role, he inked a long-term deal with the team that drafted him in the second round in 2022.

Luneau was the Quebec major junior league’s top defenseman in the 2022-23 season and he made the Ducks’ roster out of training camp the next fall. But Luneau came down with a viral infection that winter while practicing with Canada’s national junior team, forcing him to miss the rest of the year.

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MLB postseason schedule

Wild-card series
National League
No. 3 Atlanta vs. No. 6 Philadelphia
at Atlanta 5, Philadelphia 3 (box score)
Philadelphia 4, at Atlanta 3 (10) (box score)
at Atlanta 6, Philadelphia 2 (box score)

Division series
National League

No. 2 Dodgers vs. No. 3 Atlanta
Saturday at Dodgers, 1 p.m., FOX/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Sunday at Dodgers, 5 p.m., FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Tuesday at Atlanta, 3 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*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
Saturday at Milwaukee, 5:30 p.m, FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Sunday at Milwaukee, 1 p.m. FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
Tuesday at San Diego, 6:30 p.m., FOX/FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One
*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
Saturday at Tampa Bay, 3:30 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Monday at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
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
Saturday at Cleveland, 10 a.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
Monday at Cleveland, 2 p.m., TBS/truTV/UniMas/HBO Max
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

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

This day in sports history

1906 — Canadian world heavyweight boxing champion Tommy Burns KOs American challenger ‘Fireman’ Jim Flynn in 15 rounds to retain his title in Los Angeles.

1950 — Jim Hardy throws six touchdown passes, including five to Bob Shaw, as the Chicago Cardinals pound the Baltimore Colts 55-13.

1970 — Fourteen members of the Wichita State football team are killed in a plane crash in the Rocky Mountains.

1980 — Larry Holmes registers a technical knockout in the 11th round against Muhammad Ali to win the world heavyweight title in Las Vegas.

1983 — The Green Bay Packers score 49 points in the first half, including 35 in the second quarter, in a 55-14 rout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

1988 — Future world heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis, representing Canada, wins super-heavyweight gold medal at the Seoul Olympics; beats American Riddick Bowe by 2nd round TKO.

1991 — Steffi Graf becomes the youngest woman to win 500 matches as a pro when she beats Petra Langrova of Czechoslovakia 6-0, 6-1 in the Leipzig International Tournament.

1993 — In the first all-British world heavyweight title fight, Lennox Lewis retains his WBC heavyweight title with a seven-round knockout of Frank Bruno in Cardiff, Wales.

1993 — California rallies from a 30-0 deficit to beat Oregon 42-41. Dave Barr throws three second-half touchdowns, including a 26-yarder to Iheanyi Uwaezuoke with 1:17 left in the game.

1994 — North Carolina’s 92-game winning streak in women’s soccer ends with a scoreless tie in overtime against Notre Dame.

1994 — Don Shula’s Miami Dolphins beat son Dave’s Cincinnati Bengals 23-7 in the first meeting between father and son coaches in pro sports.

2004 — Rice and San Jose State play in the highest-scoring regulation game in Division I-A history, with the Spartans winning 70-63. The 133 points surpass the total from Middle Tennessee’s 70-58 victory over Idaho on Oct. 6, 2001. The schools combine for 19 touchdowns to break the Division I-A record of 18.

2006 — Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is given a five-game suspension — the longest for on-field behavior in NFL history — for stomping on Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode’s head and kicking him in the face.

2009 — Ninth-grader Alexis Thompson shoots a 3-under 69 for a share of the lead with top-ranked Lorena Ochoa and three others after the second round of the Navistar LPGA Classic.

2011 — Dallas has its largest lead blown in a loss in franchise history, frittering away a 24-point third-quarter cushion in a 34-30 loss to Detroit. The Lions turned a 20-point halftime deficit into an overtime win at Minnesota the previous week.

2016 — The United States win the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2008. Ryan Moore two-putts on No. 18 for a 1-up victory over Lee Westwood, giving the Americans a 15-10 lead that seals the win over Europe. The 17-11 victory over Europe is their biggest rout in 35 years at the Ryder Cup.

2016 — Atlanta’s Matt Ryan passes for 503 yards and four touchdowns, while wide receiver Julio Jones has 12 catches for 300 yards and a touchdown in Atlanta’s 48-33 win over Carolina.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1969 — Seattle Pilots’ last game in Seattle; crash to 98th season loss, 3-1 to Oakland in front of just 5,473; move to Milwaukee as the Brewers next season.

2001 — Sammy Sosa becomes the first player in major league history with three 60-homer seasons, but the Reds hold on for a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Sosa’s solo shot comes in the first inning.

2004 — Jeff Kent becomes all-time home run leader for MLB second basemen when he hits two in Astros’ 9-3 win over the Rockies; 302 overall HR to break Ryne Sandberg’s major league record established in 1997.

2004 — Montreal Expos earn the last win in the franchise’s MLB history, beating New York Mets, 6-3 at Shea Stadium; Brad Wilkerson hits the Expos’ final home run in ninth inning, his 32nd of the year.

2016 — Vin Scully calls his final Dodgers game after a record 67 MLB Seasons.

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.

“Dancing With the Stars” pro Witney Carson on Wednesday shut down rumors that she wants her celebrity pairing to be voted off the new season.

Following Week 3 of the competition — which bid farewell to Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart on Tuesday — the 32-year-old dancer took to social media to address suggestions that she wished to be voted off with her celebrity partner, Guillermo Rodriguez.

Since Season 35 of DWTS premiered Sept. 15, the two have been in the bottom three couples each week, but avoided elimination. Some online fans have interpreted her facial expressions as disappointment upon learning her pair was safe.

“[Being in the bottom three] doesn’t necessarily mean all those couples have the lowest votes, but it does mean that you don’t get to celebrate that you’re safe. You only get to hear who’s going home,” Carson explained in a TikTok video uploaded Tuesday night. “So my face, what you’re seeing, is genuinely sad for the people going home and then excitement.”

The professional ballroom dancer also slammed rumors that she was at all dissatisfied with her celebrity pairing alongside 55-year-old Rodriguez, the talk show sidekick to Jimmy Kimmel on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

“I am truly so grateful to continue on in this competition week after week with Guillermo because he really deserves it. He is genuinely a kind person, he genuinely wants to get better, he never gives up,” Carson continued on TikTok. “Anytime I’m resting in rehearsals, he’s practicing… What you see on Tuesdays, that is his best…”

Last year, Carson took home the top prize alongside Australian conservationist Robert Irwin; in 2014, she took home her first Mirrorball Trophy alongside actor Alfonso Ribeiro, the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” actor who now co-hosts the show alongside dancer Julianne Hough.

Rodriguez too has become a crowd favorite, with various fans noting his improvement each week — including Kimmel, who last week on his talk show joked that his co-star has won the popular vote “more times than Donald Trump.”

Earlier this week, the pair wowed “DWTS” fans during “Yacht Rock Night” with a foxtrot performed to “Escape (The Piña Colada Song).” Rodriguez finished the routine with a funnyman stunt by revealing himself in a coconut bra and inked-belly with the words: “Dancing 4 the People.”

Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson appear on “Dancing With the Stars” Season 35’s Yacht Rock Night.

(Eric McCandless / Disney)

“I think there’s a lot to say about someone who may not have the skills, but is willing to learn and put in the work. That’s an amazing thing and he deserves it,” Carson added.

Carson also used the social media video to tame buzz that she wants to go home because of her pregnancy, she said, “I’m doing all the things that my doctor has approved of, so you guys can rest easy.”

In August, the dancer made headlines when she revealed on “Good Morning America” that she would participate in this new season while pregnant, a scenario that the mother of two admitted was not on her “bingo card,” but that she would stick with it to see what her body was capable of.

“I know how far to push my body and the baby’s health has always been my number one priority,” Carson reiterated in her TikTok video. “So I have no reserve when it comes to speaking up about physically overdoing it.”

Who’s ready (or not) for the Dodgers?

From Maddie Lee: Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker has never shied away from just how bad his performance at the plate was for much of his first season in Los Angeles.

For the first five months of the season, when he’d show brief glimpses of progress before sinking back into an extended slump, Tucker’s .683 OPS was the third-worst among Dodgers hitters with at least 100 plate appearances, better than only Hyeseong Kim and Kyle Freeland, who both spent time in triple A.

In September, however, he found a sustainable adjustment. He fixed his bat path, extending through the ball more consistently instead of pulling off of it. He posted a .889 OPS in September, on par with his four straight All-Star seasons before signing with the Dodgers.

Now, all of a sudden, he looks like a potential difference-maker in the postseason.

“The last month or so is more or less what I expect out of myself,” Tucker said in a recent conversation with The Times. “The biggest thing is we have an opportunity now being in the playoffs to win another World Series. Once the playoffs start, you can forget about any stats or personal numbers. The only one that really matters is the win column. So that’s just what I’m gonna try and contribute towards.”

Here’s how some other key players are trending going into the postseason:

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The Dodgers have an old roster. But that isn’t necessarily a drawback in October

Much competition to make Lakers’ roster

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Walker Kessler wasn’t focused on the stats. He wasn’t really counting the number of shots he swatted — “one or two” — or lobs he dunked — “like four probably” — in his official Lakers practice debut Tuesday.

The only thing the star center cared about was the competition on the court. He and his teammates delivered on that, Kessler said with a smile.

The Lakers opened training camp Tuesday with a focus on competition as the new-look team takes shape. Six of the team’s top nine players from last season are gone. A month’s worth of practices and five preseason games are the stage as players audition to fill the vacant roles.

“This is a meritocracy,” coach JJ Redick said. “You got to earn your minutes, and you cheer for your teammates while you’re doing it.”

Redick can confidently lock in three starters in Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Kessler. The other two starting positions, and even the last spots on the roster as the Lakers need to trim at least one player to reach the NBA-maximum of 15 guaranteed contracts by the Oct. 21 season opener, remain up for grabs.

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Swanson: Lakers paid Austin Reaves to be a star. Now they need him to prove his durability

Olympic torch relay to start in Atlanta

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: She became an Olympic champion in Seoul. Janet Evans then won her fourth gold medal in Barcelona. But the star swimmer’s greatest Olympic moment came outside of a pool in Atlanta.

LA28 announced Tuesday it will begin the U.S. portion of the 2028 Olympic torch relay in Atlanta in a return to the city that hosted the United States’ last Summer Games and provided the Olympic movement with one of its most iconic torch relay moments. The city where Evans passed the Olympic flame to Muhammad Ali changed the swimming champion’s view on the Games and fueled her desire to bring the torch back as LA28 hopes to write an equally influential chapter of Olympic history.

“I realized when I carried that torch that the flame represents so much more than medals,” said Evans, now LA28’s chief athlete officer. “It certainly represents victory and all those attributes about the Olympics. But it also brings people together, and it’s a symbol of hope and what the Olympic movement really does for everyone.”

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MLB postseason schedule

National League
No. 3 Atlanta vs. No. 6 Philadelphia
at Atlanta 5, Philadelphia 3 (box score)
Wednesday at Atlanta, 11 a.m., NBC/Peacock
*Thursday at Atlanta, 11 a.m., NBC/Peacock

No. 4 San Diego vs. No. 5 Chicago
at San Diego 8, Chicago 0 (box score)
Wednesday at San Diego, 7 p.m., Peacock/NBCSN
*Thursday at San Diego, 7 p.m., Peacock/NBCSN

American League
No. 3 Houston vs. No. 6 Chicago
Chicago 6, at Houston 3 (box score)
Wednesday, 2 p.m., Peacock/NBCSN
*Thursday, 2 p.m., Peacock/NBCSN

No. 4 New York vs. No. 5 Boston
at New York 9, Boston 0 (box score)
Wednesday, 5 p.m., NBC/Peacock
*Thursday, 5 p.m., NBC/Peacock

*-if necessary

Note: NLDS and ALDS start Saturday.
NLCS starts Sunday, Oct. 11
ALCS starts Monday, Oct. 12
World Series starts Friday, Oct. 23

This day in sports history

1939 — Fordham participates in the world’s first televised American football game. In front of the sport’s first live TV audience, the Rams defeats Waynesburg College, 34-7.

1984 — The Rams set an NFL record with three safeties in a 33-12 victory over the New York Giants. Two of the safeties are on blocked punts in the end zone.

1995 — Prairie View A&M sets the college football record for consecutive losses with a 64-0 loss to Grambling State. It is the team’s 51st straight defeat, an NCAA record for any level.

2007 — Osi Umenyiora has six of the New York Giants’ NFL record-tying 12 sacks in a 16-3 victory over Philadelphia.

2007 — Detroit scores an NFL-record, 34 points in the fourth quarter of a 37-27 victory over Chicago. The Lions combine with Bears for 48 points — also a league record.

2007 — Brett Favre passes Dan Marino to become the NFL leader in career touchdown passes, throwing Nos. 421 and 422 in Green Bay’s 23-16 victory over Minnesota.

2007 — Germany defeats Brazil 2-0 in the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup held in Shanghai, China.

2012 — New England beats Buffalo 52-28 to become the first team since the 1950 New York Giants (48 points) to score at least 45 second-half points in a game in which it trailed at halftime (14-7). The Patriots become the second team in NFL history with a 300-yard passer (Tom Brady, 340 yards), two 100-yard rushers (Brandon Bolden, 137 and Steven Ridley, 106) and two 100-yard receivers (Wes Welker, 129 and Rob Gronkowski, 104). The only other team to accomplish the feat was the 2008 Packers.

2015 — The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agrees that the NCAA’s use of college athletes’ names, images and likenesses in video games and TV broadcasts violate antitrust laws but strikes down a plan to allow schools to pay players up to $5,000.

2017 — Troy’s defense forces four turnovers and the surging Trojans upset No. 25 LSU 24-21. Troy is the first team from outside the Southeastern Conference to win in LSU’s Death Valley since UAB in 2000.

2018 — The Ryder Cup is won by Europe 17½-10½ at Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines, France. The home team secures the victory when Phil Mickelson knocks one in the water at the par-3 16th hole, conceding his match to Francesco Molinari right on the tee box. Molinari becomes the first European player to go 5-0 in the competition since the current format was adapted in 1979. Tiger Woods loses all four of his matches, capped by a 2-and-1 loss to 23-year-old Jon Rahm of Spain, the youngest player in the event.

2018 — Brittney Griner scores 15 points to help the United States beat Australia 73-56 and win the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1904 — Doc White of the Chicago White Sox pitched his fifth shutout in eighteen days, a 4-0 win over the New York Yankees.

1915 — The Boston Red Sox clinched the American League pennant when St. Louis beat Detroit 8-2, giving Boston a 2 1/2-game margin.

1916 — New York’s Rube Benton pitched a 4-0 one-hitter over the Boston Braves to give the Giants their record 26th straight win in the first game of a doubleheader.

1927 — Babe Ruth hit his 60th home run of the season in the eighth inning off Tom Zachary to lead the New York Yankees to a 4-2 victory over the Washington Senators.

1934 — Dizzy Dean beat the Cincinnati Reds, 9-0, for his 30th victory of the year as the St. Louis Cardinals clinched the NL pennant.

1934 — New York’s Babe Ruth played his final game as a Yankee, going 0 for 3 with a walk, in a 5-3 loss to the Washington Senators at Griffith Stadium.

1945 — Hank Greenberg’s grand slam in the top of the ninth inning gave the Detroit Tigers a 6-3 win over the St. Louis Browns and the American League pennant on the last day of the season.

1947 — In the first televised World Series, the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers, 5-3, in the opening game.

1951 — Jackie Robinson homered in the 14th inning to give the Brooklyn Dodgers a 9-8 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, tying the New York Giants for first place in the National League and forcing a playoff.

1962 — Willie Mays homered to give the San Francisco Giants a 2-1 victory over the Houston Colt 45s in the season’s final day. That, coupled with the Dodgers’ 1-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, forced a playoff for the NL pennant.

1972 — Roberto Clemente doubled off Jon Matlack during Pittsburgh’s 5-0 victory over the New York Mets. The hit was the 3,000th and last for the Pirates star, who was killed in a plane crash during the offseason.

1984 — Mike Witt of the Angels tossed 97 pitches in a perfect game against the Texas Rangers, winning 1-0.

1988 — Dave Stieb of the Toronto Blue Jays lost a no-hit bid with two out in the ninth for the second consecutive start and finished with a 4-0 one-hitter over the Baltimore Orioles.

1992 — George Brett became the 18th player to get 3,000 hits in the Kansas City Royals’ 4-0 win over the Angels at Anaheim. Brett went 4-for-5 and got the milestone with a single in the seventh off rookie reliever Tim Fortugno.

2007 — The New York Mets missed the playoffs when Tom Glavine was tagged for seven runs during the first inning of a season-ending 8-1 loss to Florida. No major league team had owned a lead of seven games or more with 17 to play and failed to finish in first place. New York, which had that margin on Sept. 12, matched the largest lead blown in September.

2014 — The Kansas City Royals overcame a 7-3 lead to force extra innings and outlasted Oakland 9-8 in 12 innings in the AL wild-card playoff. This was the first wild-card game to go extra innings.

2017 — Detroit’s Andrew Romine became the fifth player in baseball history to play all nine positions in one game, helping the Tigers to a 3-2 win over Minnesota.

2022 — Pinch-hitting for Luis Torrens with two out in the 9th, Cal Raleigh blasts a 406-foot homer against Domingo Acevedo to give Seattle a 2-1 win over Oakland and clinch a postseason spot for the first time since 2001, the longest active drought in the majors.

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

City Section
USC Hybrid 31, South LA College Prep 0

Southern Section
Adelanto 19, Arroyo Valley 0
Agoura 42, Newbury Park 25
Burbank Burroughs 26, Temple City 7
Bonita 51, Claremont 0
California Military Institute 31, Desert Christian Academy 0
Camarillo 34, Royal 14
Castaic 38, Canyon Country Canyon 6
Cate 32, Bishop Diego 25
Channel Islands 12, Buena 6
Chino Hills 12, Rancho Cucamonga 6
Dos Pueblos 6, Ventura 0
Eastside 20, Palmdale 0
Eisenhower 31, Carter 6
Etiwanda 20, Upland 0
Grand Terrace 18, Bloomington 6
Highland 16, Lancaster 6
Hueneme 19, Fillmore 12
JSerra 34, Santa Margarita 20
Jurupa Valley 19, San Bernardino 0
Oaks Christian 24, Thousand Oaks 0
Oxnard 28, San Marcos 18
Oxford Academy 12, Norwalk 6
Mater Dei 23, Orange Lutheran 0
Mission Viejo 33, Dana Hills 0
Moorpark 24, Oak Park 6
Moreno Valley 27, Corona 7
Pacific 40, Rubidoux 0
Paloma Valley 32, Liberty 7
Quartz Hill 12, Antelope Valley 6
Ramona 7, Miller 0
Rancho Verde 19, Heritage 12
Redlands East Valley 39, Redlands 0
Redondo Uniom 46, Windward 6
Rialto 48, Fontana 0
Rim of the World 27, Colton 8
Riverside North 19, Hillcrest 13
Riverside Poly 33, Canyon Springs 6
Santa Barbara 13, Oxnard Pacifica 0
SEED: LA 25, Burbank Providence 20
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 49, Alemany 0
Simi Valley 26, Hart 12
St. Lucy’s 26, Los Osos 24
Summit 24, Jurupa Hills 18
Temecula Prep 27, Indio 0
Temescal Canyon 35, Tahquitz 7
Torrance 13, South Torrance 0
United Christian Academy 45, Calvary Baptist 0
Valencia 13, Saugus 0
Vista del Lago 19, Lakeside 6
Westlake 60, Calabasas 7
Westridge 12, Village Christian 6

MONDAY’S RESULTS

City Section
Birmingham 16, Taft 7
Brio College Prep 46, Belmont 0
Camino Nuevo 19, Animo De La Hoya 0
Carson 49, Gardena 0
Eagle Rock 26, Lincoln 13
El Camino Real 34, Chatsworth 0
Fairfax 16, Los Angeles University 0
Foshay 46, Santee 0
GALA 6, Crenshaw 0
GALA 13, Dorsey 6
Garfield 32, Bell 12
Jefferson 21, Angelou 6
Los Angeles 6, West Adams 0
LACES 13, WISH Academy 8
Los Angeles Hamilton 15, Venice 6
Los Angeles Roosevelt 26, Legacy 6
Los Angeles Wilson 34, Los Angeles Marshall 0
Hawkins 30, Port of Los Angeles 13
Huntington Park 6, South East 0
Manual Arts 26, Diego Rivera 0
Marquez 7, Maywood Academy 6
Maywood CES 24, Elizabeth 12
Narbonne 13, King/Drew 12
Orthopaedic 20, Alliance Levine 8
Palisades 7, Westchester 0
Panorama 39, San Fernando 0
Port of Los Angeles 33, Dymally 0
San Pedro 12, Wilmington Banning 7
Sotomayor 32, Torres 0
Stern 14, Collins Family 12
View Park 13, Stella 6

Southern Section
Alhambra 13, Mountain View 0
Anaheim 31, Orange 6
Anaheim Canyon 20, Esperanza 12
Aquinas 32, Woodcrest Christian 0
Arlington 18, Vista del lago 6
Baldwin Park 26, Azusa 19
Bishop Amat 42, St. Anthony 0
Bishop Montgomery 41, St. Bernard 6
Bolsa Grande 26, Western 25
Burbank Burroughs 32, Gabrielino 7
Camarillo 35, West Ranch 0
Cantwell-Sacred Heart 7, Ramona Convent 0
Canyon Springs 19, Hillcrest 0
Cerritos 25, Artesia 6
Chaffey 12, Ontario 0
Chaparral 32, Murrieta Valley 6
Chino 24, Montclair 0
Chino Hills 18, St. Lucy’s 6
Colony 18, San Dimas 12
Compton 32, Compton Early College 0
Corona 18, Norco 12
Corona Santiago 13, Compton Centennial 6
Costa Mesa 26, Buena Park 0
Covina 24, Hacienda Heights Wilson 6
Cypress 12, Crean Lutheran 6
Downey 28, Gahr 12
Edison 25, Los Alamitos 7
El Modena 27, El Dorado 12
El Monte 13, Arroyo 0
El Rancho 26, Bell Gardens 6
El Toro 28, Beckman 12
Estancia 39, Loara 13
Etiwanda 34, Rancho Cucamonga 6
Fullerton 7, Placentia Valencia 6
Garden Grove 20, Westminster 19
Garden Grove Santiago 12, Saddleback 6
Garey 26, Duarte 6
Glendora 19, Ayala 6
Glenn 21, Norwalk 19
Godinez 26, Ocean View 7
Great Oak 28, Temecula Valley 6
Harvard-Westlake 18, Brentwood 13
Heritage 13, Perris 12
Huntington Beach 40, Fountain Valley 18
Jurupa Valley 31, Entrepreneur 6
Laguna Beach 40, Irvine 6
Laguna Hills 28, Capistrano Valley Christian 19
La Habra 33, Garden Grove Pacifica 6
Lakewood 24, Mayfair 6
Lakewood St. Joseph 25, Gardena Serra 0
La Mirada 28, Santa Fe 24
La Puente 24, Pomona 18
La Serna 36, Bellflower 6
La Sierra 25, Norte Vista 0
Linfield Christian 45, Riverside Notre Dame 13
Loma Linda Academy d. CSDR, forfeit
Long Beach Cabrillo 34, Compton Centennial 0
Long Beach Poly 32, Long Beach Jordan 6
Mater Dei 33, Yorba Linda 20
Millikan 28, Long Beach Wilson 6
Monrovia 35, Temple City 7
Montebello 33, Rosemead 0
Moreno Valley 14, Valley View 0
Murrieta Mesa 12, Vista Murrieta 6
Newport Harbor 54, Marina 0
Northview 21, Rowland 9
Nuview Bridge 32, Desert Christian Academy 6
Ontario Christian 47, Arrowhead Christian 6
Oxford Academy 27, Pioneer 0
Paloma Valley 57, Rancho Christian 6
Patriot 13, Miller 8
Ramona 21, La Sierra 12
Rancho Alamitos 26, Century 6
Rancho Verde 14, Liberty 10
Redlands Adventist Academy 40, Calvary Baptist 6
Riverside King 30, Eastvale Roosevelt 24
Riverside North 12, San Jacinto Valley Academy 6
Riverside Poly 20, Hemet 6
Rosary 13, Newport Beach Pacifica Christian 12
Sage Hill 22, Portola 18
San Gabriel 25, Keppel 0
San Marino 39, South Pasadena 0
Santa Ana Foothill 49, Brea Olinda 6
Santa Ana Valley 26, Magnolia 18
Santa Paula 14, St. Bonaventure 6
Schurr 8, South El Monte 6
Segerstrom 26, La Palma Kennedy 6
Sierra Canyon 61, Immaculate Heart 0
Sierra Vista 6, Nogales 0
Sonora 39, Sunny Hills 25
South Hills 33, Alta Loma 8
St. Monica 53, Sacred Heart of Jesus 0
St. Paul 59, Mary Star of the Sea 0
Temescal Canyon 27, Rialto 6
Tesoro 40, San Juan Hills 19
Tustin 18, Katella 12
Upland 12, Los Osos 0
Vasquez 14, Golden Valley 6
Warren 25, California 8
West Covina 25, Charter Oak 14
Western Christian 73, Legacy College Prep 0
Westminster La Quinta 32, Savanna 0
West Valley 18, Banning 13
Whittier 20, Whitney 7
Woodbridge 53, Irvine University 16
Workman 12, Edgewood 6

Intersectional
Castaic 27, SOCES 0
Vistamar 12, St. Mary’s Academy 6

Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker has never shied away from just how bad his performance at the plate was for much of his first season in Los Angeles.

For the first five months of the season, when he’d show brief glimpses of progress before sinking back into an extended slump, Tucker’s .683 OPS was the third-worst among Dodgers hitters with at least 100 plate appearances, better than only Hyeseong Kim and Kyle Freeland, who both spent time in triple A.

In September, however, he found a sustainable adjustment. He fixed his bat path, extending through the ball more consistently instead of pulling off of it. He posted a .889 OPS in September, on par with his four straight All-Star seasons before signing with the Dodgers.

Now, all of a sudden, he looks like a potential difference-maker in the postseason.

“The last month or so is more or less what I expect out of myself,” Tucker said in a recent conversation with The Times. “The biggest thing is we have an opportunity now being in the playoffs to win another World Series. Once the playoffs start, you can forget about any stats or personal numbers. The only one that really matters is the win column. So that’s just what I’m gonna try and contribute towards.”

The Dodgers offense had a lot of success stories like Tucker’s in the final month of the regular season. He helped carry the offense, along with Teoscar Hernández and Mookie Betts, who turned around their seasons down the stretch, and Will Smith, who returned from the IL and quickly found his home run swing.

The Dodgers’ starting rotation is their biggest strength going into the postseason. But the offense’s performance against elite pitching, and the bullpen’s execution in tight games, could make or break a series.

Here’s how some other key players are trending going into the postseason:

Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani: Fortunate to have the bye

Shohei Ohtani appears on the right track for a successful postseason.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Ohtani returned from the IL with five games left in the season, and he went five for 21 with one extra-base hit.

All indications from general manager Brandon Gomes and manager Dave Roberts in video conference calls before the Dodgers’ closed workout Tuesday were that Ohtani was feeling good physically.

“I feel confident that you’re going to see the best version of Shohei of the last two months,” Roberts said. “I know that’s sort of a low bar given his injury, but I do think that he’s as healthy as he’s been in quite some time, and every day from the training staff, it keeps getting better. So, number one, he’ll be a threat being in the lineup, but I do think that the performance piece will be what we’re hoping for.”

First baseman Freddie Freeman: Ice cold

Freddie Freeman did not hit well in September.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

Freeman, who pushed through a bout with tendinitis in his right knee earlier this month, hit just .184 in September and went 0-for-7 in his last two games.

On Tuesday, Freeman said he had no pain in his knee. But finally acknowledged that the injury could have affected his swing mechanics, while again emphasizing that he wouldn’t use that as an excuse.

Freeman has a plan for the bye week that he hopes will set him in the right direction for the playoffs.

“I’m going to hit on the field every day,” he said Sunday. “I already know how my Tuesday is going to go. There’s going to be a lot of blocked balls to left [field], a lot of flares into left. I’m hoping as Tuesday goes Wednesday, I’ll come back and those will be put down a little more. Thursday they’ll be moved over to shortstop and by Friday I will be feeling good. That is how my head is thinking right now.”

Center fielder Andy Pages: Out of the gate running

It was hard to predict how the center fielder would look at the plate when he returned from a fracture in his left hand. He recorded a 1.181 OPS in six games and homered twice in the final regular-season series against the San Francisco Giants.

“He went into last October really scuffling, and it sort of bled into October,” Roberts said over the weekend. “Where, I think right now he feels really confident, swinging the bat well, and the hope is that this one bleeds into October as well.”

Reliever Edgardo Henriquez: Healthy

Henriquez is “trending really well” after throwing live batting practice, Gomes said. If this week continues to go smoothly, the flame-throwing right-hander is expected to be on the NLDS roster.

“Given the body of work, what he’s done, the unique skill set,” Roberts said, “could be huge for us — will be huge for us.”

Reliever Edwin Díaz: Strong finish

Díaz made five appearances after his latest return from the IL (neck). He gave up just one hit in those games, with a 52.9% strikeout rate.

“I don’t know if we could have asked much more out of Edwin,” Gomes said. “Felt like each outing was more and more sharp and looking more like himself. So feel that he’s in a great place right now. Stuff out of hand is as good as it’s been all year. And we know that he has pitched in the hottest of hot games in the past and in any role, especially in the postseason. So he’s looked great, and glad that he’s in the position that he’s in and was able to bounce back after the IL stint.”

NLDS weather: Sweltering

Los Angeles’ weather forecast for this weekend, when the Dodgers are set to host the first two games of the NLDS, shows temperatures reaching the high 90s. The Dodgers are scheduled to play Game 2 at 5 p.m. on Sunday. But Saturday’s game time will depend on the results of the wild-card round. First pitch for Game 1 could be at 1 p.m. or 6 p.m.