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.”
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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…
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