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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...

The Dodgers weren’t done when they acquired Yu Darvish and relievers Tony Watson and Tony Cingrani in the final hour before the non-waiver trade deadline. They acquired veteran outfielder Curtis Granderson from the New York Mets in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations Friday. The Dodgers also received cash considerations to offset the approximately $3.8 million Granderson is owed in the final year of a four-year, $60 million contract he signed with the Mets. “A little bittersweet to do that,” Granderson said in a post-game TV interview Friday night, asked about leavin...

When Chris Paul bolted for Houston, the general sentiment around the NBA was he slammed the franchise’s championship window on his way out. But then the Clippers coaxed Blake Griffin to stay on a maximum contract, and on Monday night, the Clippers were close to another free agency win, finalizing a ...

While some of the Clippers’ top targets came off the board early in free agency, the franchise has remained committed to pursuing Denver forward Danilo Gallinari, although such a deal could require finding a third team to facilitate a sign-and-trade. Clippers executives spoke to the 28-year-old Gal...

Depending on who you ask in the Lakers’ front office, they traded D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets for varying reasons. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka called Russell a “special player” and stressed he was not considered expendable because of the team’s plans to draft UCLA guard Lonzo Ball. ...

EL SEGUNDO >> As they strive to accelerate their rebuilding process without compromising their long-term assets, the Lakers have seemingly kept an open mind on every possible scenario. Most in NBA circles project the Lakers will select UCLA guard Lonzo Ball with their No. 2 pick on Thursday, b...

The writing was on the wall well before the Rams traded Greg Robinson to the Detroit Lions early Thursday moing for a sixth-round draft pick. So we won’t give them too much credit for acting decisively and wisely in completing the trade, which puts to rest the inglorious three-year Rams career of ...

Of the 12 drivers remaining in NASCAR’s playoffs, the odds makers have ranked Austin Dillon last in the championship race. Very few expected him to make it out of the first round. Only he did make the cut, and now Dillon intends to creep even further into the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. “I like this role,” Dillon said of being a longshot, “because it puts the pressure on the guys that I guess are projected to make it to the next round — whatever projections mean.” This is Dillon’s debut in the Chase and he went into last weekend’s elimination race at Dover in danger of being bounced from the field. But he stepped up with a strong eighth-place finish — his first top-10 in six weeks...

PHILADELPHIA >> It is definitely not always suy in Philadelphia with a Phillies team deep in rebuilding mode. But the clouds parted long enough for the sun to shine on one of this city’s favorite former heroes Tuesday. Chase Utley hit two home runs and drove in five runs as the Dodgers routed the Philadelphia Phillies 15-5 in Utley’s first game back in his old workplace. With a Giants’ loss, the Dodgers hold a 1/2 game lead in the National League West. In 779 games at Citizen Bank Park over 13 years with the Phillies, Utley never had a two-homer game with as many as five RBIs. He did it in his first game back as an opponent with a solo home run in the fifth iing and a grand slam that c...

RIO DE JANEIRO >> Diana Taurasi got the U.S. women’s basketball team off and ruing and their Olympic newcomers carried them the rest of the way to an easy rout in record fashion. Taurasi hit three 3-pointers in the first few minutes and the Americans beat Senegal 121-56 on Sunday in their Olympic opener. She finished with 15 points, hitting five 3-pointers, and Sylvia Fowles also had 15 points as the U.S. won its 42nd consecutive game in the Olympics. The Americans are trying to win a sixth consecutive gold medal. The game wasn’t expected to be close, and it wasn’t. The Brazilian fans tried to spur on the African country, cheering loudly every time they scored and booing the U.S. when...

After failing to trade him in advance of Monday’s non-waiver deadline, the Dodgers are now expected to option right fielder Yasiel Puig to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday. The unexpected tu of events comes on a day when the Dodgers made a flurry of last-minute moves, acquiring Josh Reddick, Rich Hill, Jesse Chavez and Josh Fields in three separate trades. The biggest news was a trade they did not make. The Dodgers told Puig’s representatives prior to the deadline that they intended to trade him. When they did not, he was effectively out of a job, since he and Reddick both play the same position. Neither Puig nor Reddick has split time in a platoon in recent years. Puig did not board the t...

ANAHEIM — The Angels dealt away two major league pitchers just before Monday’s trading deadline, getting back one pitcher to plug into the rotation and one former top prospect who they hope can fill a long-term need. The Angels sent Hector Santiago to the Miesota Twins in exchange for veteran Ricky Nolasco and Alex Meyer, who was one of baseball’s best pitching prospects before he got hurt this year. The Angels also added reliever Alan Busenitz in that deal. They also sent reliever Joe Smith to the Chicago Cubs for Jesus Castillo, a starter in the low minors. Santiago, 28, was dealt after going 6-0 with a 1.78 ERA in July. An All-Star last year, his performance has been inconsistent with th...

LOS ANGELES >> With less than 72 hours left before the non-waiver trade deadline, the Dodgers’ pursuit of an “elite-level” acquisition appeared to intensity Friday with Yasiel Puig both in limbo and in play. Puig was not in the Dodgers’ starting lineup for the seventh consecutive game (and ninth day) Friday despite Dodgers manager Dave Roberts saying as recently as Sunday that Puig told him his injured hamstring was 85 percent. Puig went through batting practice and pregame workout with the rest of the team. Puig has not played since pinch-hitting in St. Louis last Friday and the Dodgers continue to play short-handed. Roberts justified it by saying the schedule that will allow them to...

LOS ANGELES >> Major League Baseball’s schedule makers devised a devilish week at Dodger Stadium. There was no game Monday and there is no game Thursday. In between were two games against the Tampa Bay Rays, a team constructed largely by Dodgers’ president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. As fate would have it, two of the most attractive starting pitchers who might switch teams by Monday’s trade deadline lined up to give the Dodgers a taste of their talents. Matt Moore followed Chris Archer’s gem with one of his own in the Rays’ 3-1 win Wednesday. It was a tantalizing preview, maybe, for the aounced crowd of 43,576. Inside the Dodgers’ front office, however, two games usually a...

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. from the San Diego Padres. The Blue Jays also received cash from San Diego. In retu, the Padres get minor league right-hander Hansel Rodriguez. Upton is batting .256 with 16 home runs, 45 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. The 12-year veteran has also played for Tampa Bay and Atlanta. Upton is in the fourth year of a five-year, $75.25 million contract he signed with the Braves before the 2013 season. He’s owed $16.45 million next season. The 19-year-old Rodriguez is in his third season with Bluefield in the Rookie level Appalachian League. He’s 2-1 with a 3.06 ERA in six starts. Upton sat out San Diego’s past two games, includ...

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs acquired hard-throwing reliever Aroldis Chapman in a trade with the New York Yankees on Monday, giving the NL Central leaders a boost as they try for their first World Series title in more than a century. The Cubs paid a steep price, parting with top shortstop prospect Gleyber Torres and versatile pitcher Adam Warren in the four-player package going to the Yankees. Chapman faced a domestic violence allegation in the offseason that cost him a 29-game suspension, and the left-hander is eligible for free agency after this year. But there is no doubting the talent of the 28-year-old Chapman, who went 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA and 20 saves in 31 games with New York. He threw...

LOS ANGELES >> Baseball’s deep dive into statistical analysis has created a new language of exit velocities, launch angles, FIPs, WHIPs and BABIPs. But this is another new concept courtesy of the analytics crowd – a 37-year-old “bounceback candidate.” Chase Utley posted career-lows across the board offensively last season. A .212 batting average, .286 on-base percentage, .629 OPS and only eight home runs in over 400 plate appearances. Combined with the fact that he would tu 37 in December, the numbers seemed to scream of a player in decline. His 140 plate appearances with the Dodgers over the final two months of the season didn’t paint any prettier a picture (he hit .202 with a .654 OP...

The Golden State Warriors went from great to staggering by signing free-agent forward Kevin Durant, and with everyone else in the Weste Conference chasing them, it’s fair to wonder what teams can do to catch them. The Clippers, along with the San Antonio Spurs, probably represent the most serious threats, though the Clippers retu a core that’s never made it past the second round of the postseason. With this a backdrop, it’s easy to understand why rumors about the Clippers’ interest in breaking up their core trio of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan continue to persist. But this rumor? This one doesn’t make a ton of sense. The Sporting News’ Sean Deveney reported that the Celtics ...

SAN DIEGO >> In the American League clubhouse before Tuesday’s All-Star Game, there was one Angels outfielder and one almost-Angels outfielder. Dressing just a few lockers down from Mike Trout was Michael Saunders, one of six Toronto Blue Jays on the AL roster. For a few hours in February, though, Saunders seemed like he was about to become an Angel. On the evening of Feb. 22, reports were widely circulated of a three-way deal involving the Angels, Blue Jays and Cinciati Reds. The deal reportedly would have sent Saunders to the Angels in exchange for a minor leaguer, and outfielder Jay Bruce going to the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays were also sending another minor leaguer to the Reds. “It...

SAN DIEGO >> Everyone else seems to have weighed in on the theoretical question – should the Angels trade their franchise player, Mike Trout, in order to jump-start a rebuilding project for a team whose farm system might be the worst in baseball? So Trout was asked at Monday’s All-Star media availability session what he would do if he were the Angels’ GM. Would he trade himself to start the rebuild? “No, I don’t think so,” he said with a smile. As the Angels slipped out of contention in the first half (they reached the break 15 games under .500 and last in the American League West), the Trout trade topic became fodder for sports talk radio. Trout said he heard from the current Angels G...