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From Jack Harris: The Dodgers’ lack of pitching hasn’t hurt them often this postseason. But in the third inning Tuesday night, manager Dave Roberts stood in the dugout without many appealing options.
Not only were the Dodgers running their fourth bullpen game of the playoffs in Game 4 of the World Series, trying to sweep the New York Yankees to seal the franchise’s eighth championship, but they were doing it with more limitations than normal.
Winning the first three games of this Series forced Roberts to ride his bullpen heavily, especially his two highest-leverage relievers, Michael Kopech and Blake Treinen. Because of that, the team had to find other ways to piece together the early outs in Tuesday’s game. And when trouble arose in the third inning, Roberts felt he had no choice but to ride it out.
With the Dodgers protecting an early one-run lead, right-hander Daniel Hudson ran into a bases-loaded jam. And with only rookie Landon Knack warming in the bullpen, Hudson stayed on the mound and threw a first-pitch slider to Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe.
On one titanic swing, the momentum of this one-sided matchup took a sudden turn.
Volpe hit a grand slam to left, the Yankees had their first lead since the 10th inning of Game 1, and in a game that became a blowout late, New York kept this series alive with an 11-4 victory at Yankee Stadium, forcing Game 5 back in the Bronx on Wednesday night.
Plaschke: No big deal. Dodgers punt Game 4, but they’re still in control against the Yankees
Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman on losing World Series Game 4 to the Yankees
Shaikin: Teoscar Hernández doing his part to make sure he earns a World Series ring
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WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE
All times Pacific
All games on Fox
All games at 5:08 p.m.
Dodgers vs. NY Yankees
at Dodgers 6, New York 3 (10) (box score)
at Dodgers 4, New York 2 (box score)
Dodgers 4, at New York 2 (box score)
at New York 11, Dodgers 4 (box score)
Wednesday at New York
*Friday at Dodgers
*Saturday at Dodgers
*-if necessary
LAKERS
From Dan Woike: Center Christian Koloko, whom the Lakers signed to a two-way contract while he was still not cleared for competition, has been approved by a panel of doctors to return to the court for live action.
The news, which came more than a week after Koloko met with a panel of NBA doctors, means the Lakers will have an intriguing 7-foot-1 rim protector to add to their frontcourt.
According to people with knowledge of the situation Tuesday who are not authorized to speak publicly, Koloko is expected to begin his ramp-up process during South Bay Lakers training camp this week.
CLIPPERS
From Broderick Turner: The Golden State Warriors’ defense collapsed on Clippers center Ivica Zubac late in a tense game Sunday night at Chase Center in San Francisco, but he didn’t panic. Zubac calmly passed out of a double team in the post to Norman Powell, who drilled a 20-foot jumper for a five-point Clippers lead with 3 minutes 1 one second left in the game.
A few moments later in that fourth quarter, Zubac set a screen for James Harden. Once he got the pass from Harden by sliding away from a defender, Zubac faked a pass one way and rambled in for a dunk and a five-point lead again with 2:21 left.
Right before their eyes, the Clippers are seeing a more composed Zubac, a more developed and complete player that they can rely on more than ever.
“The game is slowing down for me,” Zubac said Sunday night after posting 23 points, 18 rebounds and six assists. “I’m a lot more confident.”
This is Zubac’s ninth year in the NBA and the growth of the 7-footer has been steady
UCLA BASKETBALL
From Ben Bolch: Don’t cancel those season tickets just yet.
Yes, UCLA lost a basketball scrimmage against severely shorthanded San Diego State.
No, Bruins coach Mick Cronin wasn’t trying to win. Not even close.
“I used it as a practice,” Cronin said Tuesday of the closed scrimmage earlier this month.
Cronin tinkered with his lineups, using eight different groups of five players, the mass substitutions resembling hockey shifts. The point was to find his best lineups approaching the season opener against Rider on Monday night at Pauley Pavilion.
Saying he “got educated,” Cronin noted that his best offensive and best defensive lineups are different and that the players on the court at the end of games might differ from the starters.
LAFC-GALAXY
From Kevin Baxter: The Galaxy have been out of the postseason so long the playoff format has completely changed since their last visit.
That statement is totally true. But it’s also a bit unfair since the one constant about the MLS playoffs is change.
The format the league is using this year is the third since 2018 and the 10th in the league’s 29-year history. It is also, by far, the most confounding. For starters, 18 of the league’s 29 teams made the postseason, meaning MLS played an eight-month, 34-game regular season to eliminate just 11 teams.
Only the NBA, which allows 20 of its 30 teams into the postseason, has a lower bar.
Then there’s the format itself. For the second year in a row the tournament began with single wild-card games in each conference, followed by best-of-three first-round series in which draws go directly to penalty kicks. The final three rounds — the conference semifinals, finals and the MLS Cup final — will all be single games with extra time, if needed.
Can you spot the round that doesn’t belong?
KINGS
Tyler Toffoli scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period, Jake Walman had his second straight three-point game, and the San José Sharks beat the Kings 4-2 on Tuesday night for their second straight win after going winless through their first nine games.
Toffoli, who played for the Kings from 2012 to 2020, scored his sixth goal of the season on a backhander with just under nine minutes left in the game to break a 2-2 tie and put San José on top for good. Walman assisted.
Walman scored one goal and had two assists, Fabian Zetterlund scored a key third-period goal, and William Eklund added an empty-netter. Walman had three assists in Monday’s 5-4 overtime victory over Utah.
DUCKS
Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry scored power-play goals, Lukas Dostal turned aside 41 shots and the Ducks beat the New York Islanders 3-1 on Tuesday night.
Mason McTavish had two assists and Frank Vatrano added an empty-net goal in the final minute and had an assist.
Mathew Barzal scored his second of the season and Ilya Sorokin finished with 19 saves, but the Islanders lost for the third time in their last four games.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1943 — Gus Bodnar of Toronto scores a goal 15 seconds into his first NHL game as the Maple Leafs beat the New York Rangers 5-2.
1945 — Branch Rickey signs Jackie Robinson to the Montreal Royals.
1971 — Eric Allen of Michigan State rushes for 350 yards in 43-10 rout of Purdue.
1974 — Muhammad Ali knocks out George Foreman in the eighth round in Kinshasa, Zaire, to regain the world heavyweight title in the “Rumble in the Jungle.”
1975 — John Bucyk of the Boston Bruins scores his 500th career goal in a 3-2 victory over St. Louis.
1993 — Erin Whitten becomes the first woman goalie in pro hockey to be credited with a victory as Toledo beats Dayton 6-5 in the East Coast Hockey League.
1996 — The WNBA announces the eight cities that will compete in the WNBAs inaugural season. Charlotte, Cleveland, Houston and New York will play in the Eastern Conference and Los Angeles, Phoenix, Sacramento and Utah will compete the Western Conference.
1997 — Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona announces his retirement from football on his 37th birthday.
1997 — Violet Palmer makes professional sports history by becoming the first woman to officiate an NBA game. There is little reaction by the crowd when her name is announced just before tip-off of the game between the Dallas Mavericks and Vancouver Grizzlies.
1999 — Marques Tuiasosopo becomes the first college player to pass for 300 yards and run for 200, racking up a school-record 509 yards as Washington rallied to beat Stanford 35-30. Tuiasosopo completes 19-of-32 passes for 302 yards and a touchdown and rushes 22 times for 207 yards and two TDs.
2001 — Michael Jordan misses his biggest shot of the night and commits two crucial late turnovers in the Washington Wizards’ 93-91 loss to the New York Knicks, Jordan’s first regular-season game after a 3 1/2-year retirement.
2003 — In the first regular-season game of his NBA career, 18-year-old LeBron James has 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals, but the Cleveland Cavaliers lose 106-92 to the Sacramento Kings.
2004 — Dana College’s Tom Lensch sets an all-division college record by attempting 101 passes in a 60-35 loss to Hastings College. Lensch completes 56 passes for a school-record 507 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
2011 — The Baltimore Ravens erase a 24-3 deficit to defeat Arizona 30-27. It marks the fifth time this season a team trailed by at least 20 points and came back to win. That is the most in a single season in NFL history.
2016 — Derek Carr throws a 41-yard touchdown pass to Seth Roberts with 1:45 remaining in overtime, capping a record-breaking day for the Oakland Raiders in a 30-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Carr throws for a franchise-record 513 yards — completing 40 of 59 passes without an interception — and the Raiders overcome an NFL-record 23 penalties for 200 yards.
2019 — World Series: Washington Nationals beat Houston Astros, 6-2 in Game 7 to win first title in franchise history; MVP: Washington pitcher Stephen Strasburg.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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