sport world

LONG BEACH >> Game two of the WNBA semifinals between the Sparks and Mercury was a battle between two of the all-time greats in women’s basketball. The Sparks’ Candace Parker and the Mercury’s Diana Taurasi led their teams in scoring and seemed to be competing for the most highlight-worthy play for much of the game. In the end, Parker put on one of the best shows in WNBA playoff history to l...

ANAHEIM>> Although the Angels are finally getting the kind of starting pitching they need, they are nonetheless slipping in the wild card race. Despite a fourth consecutive game in which the Angels starter gave up two runs or fewer in at least five iings, the Angels were losing, 5-2, to the Houston Astros in the ninth iing at press time on Thursday night. The Angels were in jeopardy of f...

RANGERS at ANGELS When: Today, 7 p.m. Where: Angel Stadium TV: Fox Sports West THE PITCHERS ANGELS RHP BUD NORRIS (2-5, 4.25) vs. Rangers: 2-2, 4.33 ERA At Angel Stadium: 4-3, 1.79 ERA Hates to face: Shin-Soo Choo, 4 for 9 (.444), HR, 2B Loves to face: Mike Napoli, 3 for 19 (.158), 10 Ks RANGERS RHP NICK MARTINEZ (3-6, 5.40) vs. Angels: 2-3, 2.76 At Angel Stadium: 0-1, 2.61 Hates to face: Kole Cal...

LAGUNA HILLS >> Mayfair kept it close for as long as it could against Santa Margarita on Thursday night at Laguna Hills High. Eventually, the Eagles took over in the trenches and ran away for a 49-3 nonleague victory. Santa Margarita (4-0) rushed for 328 yards and six touchdowns as a team. The Eagles are ranked No. 9 in CIF Southe Section Division 1, and No. 13 in Califoia according to M...

CLEVELAND >> The Cleveland Indians added a walk-off win to a streak that has had everything. Jay Bruce hit an RBI double in the 10th iing as the Indians rallied for their 22nd straight win to extend their AL record, beating the Kansas City Royals 3-2 on Thursday night to move within four wins of matching the 1916 New York Giants for the longest streak in major league history. After blowout...

ASTROS at ANGELS When:Wednesday, 7 p.m. Where: Angel Stadium TV: Fox Sports West THE PITCHERS ANGELS LHP TYLER SKAGGS (1-5, 4.86) vs. Astros: 2-2, 3.38 ERA At Angel Stadium: 2-6, 5.09 ERA Hates to face: Jake Marisnick, 3 for 3, double, HR Loves to face: Cameron Maybin, 0 for 7 ASTROS RHP LANCE MCCULLERS (7-3, 3.97) vs. Angels: 3-1, 1.55 At Angel Stadium: 0-0, 1.50 Hates to face: Shane Robinson, 2 for 4, walk Loves to face: Andrelton Simmons, 2 for 11, 3 Ks Advertisement ...

ANAHEIM >> A pair of headphones engulfed Justin Verlander’s ears Tuesday afteoon. A giant computer monitor, maybe a foot in front his face, commanded his attention. Glance up a couple inches and Verlander could watch the Detroit Tigers play the Cleveland Indians on a television inside the Astros’ clubhouse, but with his first pitch a few hours away, his gaze stayed true. His uniform may ha...

LOS ANGELES — A key step in the selection of an Olympic host city is the Inteational Olympic Committee evaluation commission’s tour of candidate cities. These visits give IOC officials the chance to tour proposed venues and Olympic Village sites, ride subway lines and gauge the interest of the community in hosting the Games and then report back to the rest of the IOC’s 94 members prior to the ho...

While Andrew Heaney’s MRI on Monday gave hope that he can pitch again this year, the club has now lost another starter for next year. Alex Meyer, who was already ruled out for the rest of this season, will undergo surgery to repair a to labrum in his shoulder, with an expected rehab time of 12 months. Meyer, the club and doctors finally determined the course of action on Monday, after exhausting...

LOS ANGELES >> One didn’t ea a penalty and one did, but two controversial incidents of targeting between UCLA and Hawaii last Saturday might leave the Bruins without two of their starting linebackers for this week’s game against Memphis. Senior Key Young, who was forced out of last Saturday’s game after getting leveled on a blindside block, will go through the concussion protocol this we...

THOUSAND OAKS >> No dramatic moment, no speech, no loud applause. The Rams simply conducted their defensive meetings Monday with Aaron Donald in attendance, and that normalcy had to feel superb. Donald, the Rams’ star lineman who ended his six-week contract holdout Saturday, got back to work at team headquarters. The plan, according to Coach Sean McVay, is for Donald to be on the field when ...

LOS ANGELES >> His play-calling was measured, effective and, at times, even inspired. At the end, it was something else completely, something shocking after witnessing the Rams mostly depress all of last season. Sean McVay’s play-calling, to cap his head-coaching debut Sunday, was celebratory. He ordered his team to assemble in victory formation and his backup quarterback to take a clock-emp...

LOS ANGELES >> Just before Rams quarterback Jared Goff disappeared into the Coliseum tuel late Sunday afteoon to celebrate his first win as an NFL quarterback, he paused, peeked over to a hundred or so fans shouting his name from the stands and raised his right arm to the sky. The roar that immediately erupted was unlike anything we’ve heard from the Coliseum for an NFL team in what seem...

LOS ANGELES >> Dodgers infielder Rob Segedin had no more control over the date his Predictive Analytics project was due than the day he would retu to the major leagues, but this was the life he chose. As luck would have it, Segedin leaed the Dodgers were bringing him up from Triple-A the day before the project was due. That made Aug. 17 an interesting day in the life of baseball’s most d...

SEATTLE — If the Angels hope to get to the postseason, they are going to have to reverse this trend with their starting pitchers. Ricky Nolasco provided the latest disappointing performance, allowing four runs in 3⅔ iings in the Angels’ 4-3 loss to the Seattle Marinerson Fridaynight. Angels starters have a 6.53 ERA in the last 20 games. The work of the bullpen and the offense has kept them fro...

OAKLAND >> This time, Garrett Richards walked off the mound alone, perhaps only disappointed at the hanging slider he’d just thrown. It was better than the last time he’d walked off the mound at the Oakland Coliseum, that time accompanied by trainer Eric Munson. Although no one knew it at the time, it would be the start of a five-month hiatus for the Angels’ ace because of biceps nerve irrit...

OAKLAND — Just as Albert Pujols’ bat is heating up, his legs are giving him trouble again. Pujols retued to Southe Califoia on Wednesday to be evaluated, according to General Manager Billy Eppler, who said a plan would be determined after the examination. Manager Mike Scioscia said he’s expecting Pujols to be able to play when the team retus to action Friday in Seattle. “He’s been playing ...

Garrett Richards has joined the Angels in Texas and could be activated within a few days, which would be a surprising acceleration of his rehab. General Manager Billy Eppler said Thursday night that the Angels simply wanted to have their medical and baseball staffs give Richards a full evaluation in person before deciding his next step. Eppler said it’s possible Richards could retu to Triple-A f...

HOUSTON >> The Houston Astros have acquired Justin Verlander in a trade with the Detroit Tigers. The right-hander joins the American League West leaders and a rotation that includes Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers. Astros owner Jim Crane says: “He adds a boost to our rotation. He’s been pitching well. We think he’ll give us some leadership. He’s been in the playoffs before and adds a dime...

RANCHO CUCAMONGA >> Todd Hogan scouts Atlanta, among other places, for the Angels. He had been sending the home office rave reviews on an outfielder named Jahmai Jones. Now Ric Wilson, the scouting director, showed up at Wesleyan High for two games, to take a look. What happened next was the equivalent of spilling coffee all over the boss’ cellphone during the job interview. Almost. “The fir...