Hi, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get straight to the news.

By Jack Harris: About this time last year, the Dodgers offense began to cool off.

After their sluggish performance at the plate this week, they can only hope that something like this doesn’t happen again.

Before the Dodgers were eliminated from the 2023 playoffs by sweeping the National League Division Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team’s hitting power began to take a hit in September, when declining performance from both the big stars and supporting cast foreshadowed the lack of offensive production that would prove to be the team’s undoing in October.

Something similar happened to the Dodgers recently: A boisterous offensive performance in Arizona was followed by one subdued performance after another the following week.

The most recent example was a 10-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Monday night at Dodger Stadium, in which ex-Dodgers Cody Bellinger and Michael Busch nearly scored more points than their entire former team.

In the first four innings alone, Bellinger and Busch had three hits, a home run each, and a total of four RBIs against Walker Buehler.

Read more here

“Self-fulfilling prophecy.” The Dodgers’ role in MLB’s injury epidemic

Clayton Kershaw tries everything, even working with Skechers, to alleviate his toe injury

Dodger Result

MLB Results

MLB table

ANGEL

Reid Detmers pitched six solid innings and Brandon Drury and Niko Kavadas hit home runs to lead the Angels to a 6-2 victory over the struggling Minnesota Twins on Monday night.

Detmers (4-6) was off to his second straight good start after spending three months at Triple-A Salt Lake. The 25-year-old left-hander allowed five hits and struck out eight batters — including the last three batters he faced — to earn his first win since May 20 against Houston after starting the season 3-0. He allowed three hits and struck out 10 batters in six innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers last Tuesday, in his first appearance since June 1 after being demoted to the minor leagues following months of inconsistency.

Drury hit his fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the third inning, and Kavadas added another two-run home run, his third, in the sixth inning.

Read more here

Angels match report

MLB Results

MLB table

RAMS

By Gary Klein: Rams receiver Puka Nacua suffered a sprained knee during the season-opening overtime loss to the Detroit Lions and will be placed on the injured list, coach Sean McVay said Monday.

Nacua suffered a strained right posterior cruciate ligament in the second quarter of a 26-20 loss at Detroit on Sunday, re-aggravating an injury he sustained in August during a joint practice with the Chargers, McVay said. Once placed on the injured list, Nacua will miss at least the next four games.

“It’s unfortunate for him, and more importantly, I feel sorry for him as a person,” McVay said during a video conference with reporters.

Read more here

Disney’s DirecTV suspension lasts nine days and Monday Night Football fans are getting restless

Aaron Donald’s wife asks if he’s coming out of retirement. Rams legend falls asleep

CHARGERS

By Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Jim Harbaugh walked straight to the halfway line, shook hands with Raiders coach Antonio Pierce, then turned toward the sideline. Harbaugh’s first win as Chargers coach was not celebrated with much celebration. The circumstances required him to immediately slip into the locker room.

Harbaugh stressed that the Chargers’ 22-10 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders was not his fault, but rather the work of Derwin James Jr., Justin Herbert, Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack and the experienced Chargers, whose own hard work had previously been overshadowed by the franchise’s forgettable results.

“They’ve been playing like this since long before we rookies came on the scene,” Harbaugh said Monday. “So I’m glad to be here and be able to coach these guys, as well as the other coaches on the team. That’s the LA Chargers mentality.”

Read more here

NFL Network host apologizes after criticism of Tom Brady’s debut as host: “I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you”

LAKERS

By Dan Woike: Christian Wood will not be available for the entirety of training camp. The Lakers have announced that he will be out for at least the next eight weeks due to further knee problems.

Wood underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Monday, the Lakers said. He had already undergone knee surgery last March.

For Wood, the injury delays the comeback season he had hoped for after signing a minimum contract with the Lakers ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Read more here

By Ben Bolch: Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota, three traditional Big Ten schools coming to the Rose Bowl this season to face conference newcomer UCLA, expect to bring the largest fan bases of any away game in 2024, reflecting the stadium’s appeal in parts of the country accustomed to watching the stadium eagerly on television.

“Compared to our other Big Ten away games, UCLA is by far the most exciting game for our fans right now,” said Mike Wierzbicki, Minnesota’s senior assistant athletic director for external relations, who expects at least 10,000 Golden Gophers fans to attend the Oct. 12 game.

To capitalize on the interest, Minnesota’s athletic department is sponsoring two- and three-night travel packages that include lodging at the JW Marriott LA Live, a group tour of Los Angeles and a pregame party with an open bar at Brookside Golf Club. There will also be a “Sota Social” at Barney’s Beanery in Pasadena the night before the game.

Mark Jessen, a lifelong Golden Gophers fan, said he plans to attend every event on the schedule to enjoy every moment leading up to kickoff and, if he’s lucky, a picturesque sunset over the nearby San Gabriel Mountains.

Read more here

Want to attend a Big Ten football game? Here’s a guide to all 18 stadiums

THIS DATE IN SPORT

1933 – Fred Perry wins his first U.S. men’s singles title with a 6-3, 11-13, 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 victory over Australia’s Jack Crawford.

1937 – The Cleveland Rams play their first NFL game and lose 28-0 to the Detroit Lions.

1962 – Rod Laver becomes the first man since Don Budge in 1938 to win the Grand Slam, defeating Roy Emerson 6-2, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 at the US Open. Margaret Smith becomes the first Australian woman to win the US Open, with a 9-7, 6-4 victory over Darlene Hard.

1966 – Muhammad Ali knocks out Karl Mildenberger in the 12th round in Frankfurt and retains his heavyweight world title.

1967 – John Newcombe defeats Clark Graebner to win the men’s title at the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association Championships. Billie Jean King wins the singles, doubles and mixed doubles championships.

1972 – The United States men’s basketball team loses its first game at the Olympics. The Soviet Union wins 51-50 thanks to a controversial final. Dr. William Jones, Secretary General of the International Amateur Basketball Federation, asks the referees to replay the last three seconds so the Soviets can score a last-second basket. The Americans, who were leading when the siren first sounded, protest in vain. The U.S. team later refuses to accept the silver medal.

1972 – Emerson Fittipaldi wins the Italian Grand Prix, becoming the youngest ever Formula One champion. Fittipaldi, 25, wins his fifth race of the season and secures the title with two races to go.

1978 – Jimmy Connors becomes the only player to win the US Open on three different surfaces, with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Bjorn Borg. Connors wins the first men’s final played on the Deco Turf II courts at the new USTA National Tennis Center. Connors had won the 1974 US Open on grass and the 1976 US Open on clay courts.

1983 – Larry Holmes beats Scott Frank by technical knockout in 5 rounds to win the heavyweight title.

1988 – Steffi Graf becomes the third woman to complete the Grand Slam by defeating Gabriela Sabatini 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 at the US Open.

1989 – Indianapolis running back Eric Dickerson runs for 106 yards against San Francisco, becoming the fastest player to surpass 10,000 yards in the 91st game of his career.

1995 – Pete Sampras wins his third US Open men’s singles title, defeating No. 1 seed Andre Agassi 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.

2004 – Zippy Chippy, the lovable loser of thoroughbred racing, goes zero to 100 when he finishes last in a field of eight horses at the Three-County Fairgrounds in Northampton, Massachusetts.

2006 – Roger Federer defeats Andy Roddick 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the final of the US Open. It is his third major title of the year and the ninth of his career. Federer becomes the first man ever to win the Wimbledon and US Open crowns three years in a row.

2012 – Andy Murray wins the US Open in five grueling sets, becoming the first Briton to win a Grand Slam title since 1936. Murray beats defending champion Novak Djokovic 7-6 (10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 in his fifth attempt at a major tournament final.

2017 – The Rams defeat the Indianapolis Colts 46-9 in an impressive debut of 31-year-old Sean McVay as the youngest head coach in modern league history.

Compiled by Associated Press